Donor Stories

Individuals and organizations that have pledged their generous support to the Celebration Campaign are true visionaries who believe in the ASRT Foundation and in the R.T.s and patients who benefit from Foundation programs. These stories recognize donors providing support of $10,000 or more through a cash pledge or planned gift. Donors at this level will also be included in a historic coffee table book celebrating the profession.

Join these donors by pledging your support. If you'd like to create your own award program or leave a planned gift, please contact Keith Greer by email or at 800-444-2778, Ext. 1286.
Nate Armstrong

The Armstrong Group

The firm is a member of the Merrill Lynch Private Banking and Investment Group. The donation reflects the firm’s desire to address their clients’ concerns, goals, and aspirations by adjusting their strategies to reflect changing priorities and conditions. The firm’s donation will help to ensure long-term results as the Foundation works to improve the radiologic science profession.

American Registry of Radiologic Technologists®

American Registry of Radiologic Technologists

“We are pleased to be a part of providing opportunities that range from introductory student scholarships to professional scholarships for additional education. Education, together with the certification and registration that our organization provides, is key to building on the profession’s reputation for delivering quality health care and services to patients," said Jeffrey Crowley, B.S., R.R.A., R.T.(R)(VI), 2014-2015 president of the ARRT Board of Trustees.

Philip Ballinger

Philip W. Ballinger

Radiography and education proved a stronger pull than an engineering degree to one small-town boy with a penchant for humor and scholarship. Although it might have thrown Phil Ballinger’s parents off when their son left a pre-engineering program at Wilmington College to attend x-ray school, their wish for him to earn his degree would have to wait.

Jorge Casanas

Jorge A. Casañas

Ask Jorge about his journey, and you will discover a radiographer turned teacher who desires to give back to a profession he feels he lucked into. His new goal to help others afford a degree in radiography was inspired by a $500 scholarship. “I entered into the Dade County Youth Fair and they have scholarships they award to students,” recalls Jorge. “I applied for the scholarship — it happened to be $500, and school was $500. I still have a copy of that check.”

 
Steve J. Hardy & Elaine Chin

Elaine Chin and Steve J. Hardy

Setting off on a new path in the radiation sciences can take courage, and a little assistance is sometimes needed to help those transitioning into radiation therapy. As radiation therapists who have experienced all the growth prospects the field provides, Elaine Chin, B.S., R.T.(T), CMD, and Steve J. Hardy, M.S., R.T.(R)(T)(CT), CMD, were inspired to create a scholarship that gives others a chance to receive these opportunities.

Phillip Gage

Gage Continuing Education

A shared vision of patient safety and research and ties to education led Sue Gage and her husband, Phillip, to start a continuing education company in 1991 in Odessa, Florida. That same vision led Sue to give a gift to the ASRT Foundation, sponsoring the Route 66 Entrance and Lounge at the ASRT office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in honor of Phillip and their work and life together.

Norm & Barb Hente

Norman and Barbara Hente

Norman and Barbara became R.T.s at different times and for different reasons, but both have advocated for the profession since their careers began. “We became active in state and national societies at once,” Norm said. They both laugh remembering the time Barb was made an honorary radiologic technologist by the Missouri Society of Radiologic Technologists before she even started in nuclear medicine.

 
Georgia Hitzke

Georgia Hitzke

Education and ingenuity led Georgia Hitzke from working as a technologist to a vice presidency at a major medical device corporation, helping mammographers educate and train their fellow technologists around the world. Her donation to the ASRT Foundation supports mammography outreach. “I am giving to the Foundation because my passion for the past 15 years has been mammography and I lost two of my best friends, both in their 50s, to breast cancer,” says Georgia.

 
Parsha Hobson

Parsha Hobson

As a teen undergoing an x-ray for a softball injury, Parsha Hobson thought her radiographer’s professional attitude and expertise were part of an easy job. Parsha recalls, “She looked and behaved so professionally that I admired her. I thought she had a really easy job, so I called the hospital to see how I could get that job.” She learned that it took an education. “Since I was already in community college, I got into the radiography program and discovered that I really had to work."

 
James and Stephanie Johnston

James and Stephanie Johnston

It was a rock with a journey symbol on it that ultimately led James and Stephanie Johnston to endow the James and Stephanie Johnston Journey Scholarship for R.T.s, which helps R.T.s continue their educational climb toward a master’s or doctoral degree. The couple understands firsthand the sacrifices and commitment it takes to pursue an education.

 
JRCERT

Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology

“JRCERT and the ASRT Foundation have similar missions,” said Chief Executive Officer Leslie F. Winters, M.S., R.T.(R). “Both organizations work to improve the quality and safety of patient care.” Combining this shared mission with its long history of working with the ASRT, it should come as no surprise that the organization was eager to be a part of supporting the Foundation’s future.

 
Richard Kay

Richard S. Kay

Richard S. Kay, Ph.D., R.T.(R)(M), FASRT, CRadP, MSRP, was the first R.T. to approach the ASRT Foundation to set up a scholarship endowment. He wanted to create lasting support for students that would serve as a testament to his lifelong devotion to the radiologic sciences and the professionals he worked with along the way.

Becky Kruse

Becky Kruse

When Becky Kruse chose radiologic technology at age 18, little did she know that it would become a passion and a cause that would last a lifetime. Her story is a classic example of tenacity in overcoming challenges, mastering a profession and giving back to the people and organizations she met or joined along the way. Her story begins with a child, a co-worker’s vacation and a summer job.

Myke Kudlas and Proton

Myke Kudlas

In seeking new worlds, experiences and ideas, Myke Kudlas, M.Ed., R.T. (R)(QM), CIIP, traveled the globe before finding a whippet companion named Proton and his professional home in radiologic technology. This bookish young man might have surprised a few people when he left the States to teach in Zaire, Africa, but his journey was inspired by what he learned about that giving spirit in his hometown.

Bill May

Bill May

A midnight journey from where he was born in Tennessee to a new home in Indiana set Bill on a path far different than his parents, who were among thousands of sharecroppers in the South fleeing lives of back-breaking work and debt in the 1950s. Then, as a high school student in 1969 anticipating a career as a math teacher and a scholarship to a college in Indiana, he chose a different path based solely on a friend’s tales of patients, hospitals and x-ray training.

Eileen Maloney

Eileen Maloney

In 2003, Eileen’s platform as ASRT president called for recognizing and shoring up radiography as the bedrock of the imaging and therapeutic sciences. She understands how important it is to have a strong educational foundation. As a radiographer turned educator — and recent retiree — she continues to support R.T.s and the discipline of radiography by endowing a scholarship through the ASRT Foundation.

Virginia Milligan

Virginia Milligan

Virginia Milligan, R.T.(R), FASRT, had plans to become a nurse when one of her high school teachers made a recommendation that changed those plans. Her teacher’s sister worked in a clinic taking radiographs. She recommended that Virginia shadow her as a way to gain experience. "It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wanted to go into x-ray instead of nursing, and I began looking for schools,” Virginia said. In 1946, she completed her training and became a registered R.T.

Janet McEwen

Janet McEwen

When Janet McEwen, director of corporate relations for the ASRT and ASRT Foundation, first came to Albuquerque, she called ASRT “the jewel in the desert” because it represented “an amazing group of men and women working toward a mission that ultimately benefits patient care,” she said. “Our members are committed to their patients, and the ASRT and Foundation staff are equally committed to the members,” she added.

Ann Obergfell

Ann Obergfell

The treatment she received for a sports injury when Ann Obergfell was in high school intrigued her and led her to investigate medical imaging as a career option. Although she knew she wanted to enter the health care field, she hadn’t been sure what she wanted to do until she discovered medical imaging. Ann Obergfell, J.D., R.T. (R) found three programs in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she lived. She applied to two and was accepted into the program at Parkview Hospital, which was associated with Indiana University in Fort Wayne.

Joan Parsons

Joan Parsons

As a member of a winning high school debate team from Ohio, Joan Parsons, R.T.(R) looked forward to becoming a lawyer by funding her college tuition as a radiographer. “My mom didn’t have money to send me to school,” Joan recalls. “She was working at a factory job, supporting two kids who were in high school and me, because I was still at home.” Little did she know that what started out as a way to pay for law school would turn into a passionate career in the radiologic sciences.

Nick and Mike Simon of Publishers Press

Publishers Press

Founded in 1866 in Kentucky, the family-owned large-scale printing company has worked with the ASRT for 25 years. During this time, they have printed Radiation Therapist, ASRT Scanner and Radiologic Technologist, along with select Foundation materials. It was this long-time business relationship with the ASRT that led owners Nicholas X. Simon and Michael J. Simon to donate to the Celebration Campaign in 2015.

Marie Racine

Marie L.A. Racine

More than 50 years ago, a scholarship launched Marie Racine's career in radiation therapy. She recalls how it made a difference in her life and prompted her to start her own scholarship. “It wasn’t so much the money as the validation that I got from Dr. Joe Foley having so much interest and support in seeing me reach my goals,” says Marie L.A. Racine, M.S., R.T.(R)(T).

Joy & Jordan Renner

Joy and Jordan Renner

Joy and Jordan have dedicated their professional careers to advancing the art and science of imaging. Their recent steps show just how far they’re willing to go for the profession. In addition to a generous contribution to the ASRT Foundation’s operating endowment, they worked through the Foundation to establish a scholarship that would help individuals seeking further education who hope to become leaders in the profession and especially in radiologic science education.

Siemens

Siemens Healthineers USA

Siemens Healthineers believes in investing in radiologic technologists and their future, which is evidenced in its long-time support of ASRT Foundation scholarships. The company has gone one step further with a contribution to the Celebration Campaign, which creates new opportunities for R.T.s to learn from each other and to use their knowledge to improve patient care around the world.

Toshiba

Toshiba America Medical Systems

Toshiba has long been committed to improving the quality of life for all people. “Toshiba’s commitment to safety can best be seen in the way the company puts customers first by providing 360 degrees of coverage, guidance and expertise to meet ever-changing legislative, technological and business demands due to health care reform,” says Cathy Wolfe, senior director of strategic communications and market intelligence for Toshiba America Medical Systems.

Michael_Ward_150

Michael Ward

Even as a little boy, Michael Ward, Ph.D., R.T.(R), FASRT, was interested in science and in learning how things worked. It was this interest that led him to the radiologic sciences profession. “When I was in high school, I stumbled across some x-ray technology brochures,” he said. “I learned what professionals in x-ray did and was fascinated by what I found. I immediately started looking for schools in my area.”

Liana with Jerry Reid and DelVecchio

Liana Watson

In pursuing her dream of a career in health care, Liana Watson, D.M., R.T.(R)(M)(S)(BS), RDMS, RVT, FASRT, CAE, discovered sonography and a life dedicated to her profession as an advocate for education, the radiation sciences and the global reach of her fellow professionals. It all began with Liana writing her senior paper in high school on medical imaging, a field that appealed more to her than nursing and was less expensive to pursue than medical school.

Beth Weber

Beth L. Weber

In committing to assist with the goals and dreams of others like her, Beth started out volunteering wholeheartedly with both state and national organizations. Now, years later, she is a lifetime member of the South Dakota Society of Radiologic Technologists. “Being a volunteer has offered me so many friendships and experiences I would never have had if I hadn’t agreed to serve as an alternate ultrasound delegate of Region IV at a national meeting,” says Beth.

Bob Walker

Weber State University

With a $50,000 permanent endowment donation to the ASRT Foundation Celebration Campaign, the Weber State University Department of Radiologic Sciences has established the Student Global Engagement Scholarship Fund, a rare opportunity that provides radiologic science students with support to study abroad.

David Goch

Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, LLP

Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, LLP, and primary partners Arthur Herold, LL.B., and David Goch, J.D., have worked with the ASRT and ASRT Foundation since the late 1970s. Since its inception, the firm has provided comprehensive legal services to a wide range of organizations including public charities, civic groups, professional societies and schools. The firm hopes that its gift to the operating endowment will help the Foundation better serve R.T.s for many years to come.