Maumee Leaders Are Honored As Hometown Heroes


Don Bauerschmidt
Refurbishing the Wolcott Museum Complex’s Box schoolhouse, delivering Communion to nursing home residents, and working fish fries and rummage sales at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Don Bauerschmidt has spent hundreds of hours volunteering since his retirement.
“Don has made an impact on our community through many, many hours of volunteerism,” said nominator Jack Hiles, who has worked with Bauerschmidt on projects for the Maumee Valley Historical Society. “He took it upon himself and jumped in after retirement to help others. Is it possible to live a life and do more good than harm to your community? Don has answered that question and the Maumee community is the lucky one to have a volunteer like Don,” Hiles said.
In addition to four years of volunteering with the historical society, doing carpentry and handyman work, Bauerschmidt helps at the Maumee Senior Center, at nursing homes and doing odd jobs for friends and neighbors.
Growing up, Bauerschmidt was an altar boy at St. Joseph, where he continues to serve as a lay distributor, serving Communion and saying the rosary with shut-ins, and as a member of Knights of Columbus and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Bauerschmidt, a 1952 graduate of Maumee High School, spent four years in the Air Force, graduated from the Dale Carnegie Institute and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from The University of Toledo. He and his wife Daphne have four children and 11 grandchildren.


Bob & Mandi Brannan
Through the Girl Scouts, St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Maumee Uptown Business Association, Bob and Mandi Brannan have dedicated themselves to helping area youth and Maumee businesses.
As owners of Design Engineers and Consulting Associates, or DECA, the Brannans are involved with MUBA.
Mandi is office manager, human resource manager, benefits director and chief financial officer at DECA. In her spare time, she is chairperson of the board for the Wolf Creek YMCA and serves on several committees and as secretary of the boosters club at St. Joseph.
With the Girl Scouts, Mandi is Little Turtle service director, a troop leader, co-program leader for the travel program and on the Maumee Valley Region trainers team.
Bob is a past board member and past president of the Maumee Chamber of Commerce, a current member and past president of MUBA and chairman of the Maumee Uptown Design Review Board.
As a board member for the Anthony Wayne Youth Foundation and the AW Youth Soccer League, he coaches a Division 3 girls team. He also is an assistant coach of a YMCA basketball team and assistant coach of an eighth-grade girls basketball team at the Steve Mix facility.
The Brannans have helped in planning and recruiting volunteers for the Maumee Summer Fair for the past six years, as well as helping with other MUBA fund-raisers such as Casino Night, Rock the Block and uptown concerts.


Keith Walker
A long list of volunteer activities and leadership positions led the Maumee Chamber of Commerce board to nominate Keith Walker, the chamber’s president in 2007, for the Hometown Hero award.
Walker, funeral director with Maison-Dardenne-Walker, has been a chamber board member since 2004 and is currently an advisor. Walker also serves on the St. Luke’s Hospital board of directors and is a member of the Maumee Uptown Business Association and the Maumee Rotary.
Along with the Substance Abuse Intervention League, Walker participates in the mock crash at Maumee High School. He also hosts a free movie day at the Maumee Indoor Theater for senior citizens bi-monthly, prints the monthly newsletter for the American Legion post, supports the Maumee Senior Center and financially supports most of the Maumee church fund-raisers.
Walker is a major sponsor of chamber events, and he and his staff volunteer at the Maumee Summer Fair, Rock the Block, Casino Night and the Fourth of July community picnic.
“Keith truly understands the importance of giving back and being an active part of the community he does business in,” according to those on the chamber board. “He is sincere in his support of community events and nonprofit organizations. And he does it with a smile.”
Walker and his staff are seen at all functions, collecting tickets or cooking on a grill, because he understands how important it is to have community events and work together with other businesses.

©2008 The Mirror Newspaper