Our Past

What is today the Ohio World Language Association (OWLA) was founded in 1962 as the Ohio Modern Language Teachers Association (OMLTA). Early in the 1960s, Leona Glenn, Ohio’s Foreign Language Supervisor, was convinced that the state’s foreign language teachers at all levels- elementary, secondary, and college- needed a professional forum that would have a pedagogical focus. At the time, the language-specific organizations at the state level were heavily oriented to literature-based meetings, with scant attention to classroom techniques. With the help of a number of key foreign language teachers around the state, Ms. Glenn established the new OMLTA with the idea that foreign language teachers as a whole have many methods in common, and as a united group, would be more visible and influential in furthering the interests of the profession.

Ms. Glenn served as the first president for the academic year 1962-63 to get things underway, but she quickly got others involved. She worked with OMLTA thereafter as advisor and willing helper for all sorts of tasks. Her tireless and energetic enthusiasm soon helped the fledgling OMLTA grow from a relatively few teachers meeting for a few hours on one day to a fully developed conference lasting two or three days by the end of the 1960s, with teachers from all parts of Ohio and beyond in attendance. She established the pattern of moving the conference each year to different locations in Ohio that still holds true today.

Even though teachers of the classical languages were included in OMLTA from the beginning, there were concerns over the “Modern” part of OMLTA’s name, and the term “Teachers” was felt to be somewhat too limiting to reflect the foreign language professionals acting in other capacities. By 1986, there was a general consensus among members that a more inclusive name was desirable, and the Association changed from OMLTA to OFLA (Ohio Foreign Language Association) at the beginning of the 1986-87 academic year. In April 2025, the Association changed their name once more from OFLA to OWLA (Ohio World Language Association) to remove the word “foreign” from their name.

Past Presidents

1962-63 Leona Glenn

1963-65   Leon I. Twarog

1965-66   Thomas D’Amico

1966-67   Margaret Harold

1967-68   Geraldine O’Neill

1968-69   Robert Brooks

1969-70   Walter DeVolld

1970-71    Harriett Abell

1971-72   Evangela Vanacore

1972-73    Madaline Cook

1973-74    Flora M. Bump

1974-75    Donald R. Greenham

1975-76    Barbara Synder

1976-77    Dianne Schobel

1977-78    Manuel M. Manderine

1978-79    Gerry Antoine

1979-80    John Durdon

1980-81    Nancy Humbach

1981-82    Carolyn White

1982-83    Carolyn M. Ummel

1983-84    Judith Baughin

1984-85    Gerard L. Ervin

1985-86    Robert Novotny

1986-87    Henry Ziegler

1987-88    Marjorie Artzer

1988-89    Diane Ging

1989-90    John Purcell

1990-91    Charles Hancock

1991-92    Carolyn Andrade

1992-93    Barry G. Thomas

1993-94    Virginia Ballinger

1994-95    Lori Winne

1995-96    Rob Robison

1996-97    Deborah (Deke) Husdtadter

1997-98    Deborah Robinson

1998-99    Beverly Larson

1999-00    Marian Walters

2000-01    Bob Ballinger

2001-02    Mike Hauber

2002-03    Judi Fowlkes

2003-04    Philippa Brown Yin

2004-05    Barb Andrews

2005-06    Mary Goodwin

2006-07    Rita Stroempl

2007-08    Mark Himmelein

2008-09    Martha Pero

2009-10    Fred Toner

2010-11  Sarah Shackelford

2011-12    Carol Eiber

2012-13    Roslyn Terek

2013-14    Teri Wiechart

2014-15    Richard Emch

2015-16    Martha Castañeda

2016-17    Lucas Hoffman

2017-18    Beth Hanlon

2018-19    Milton Alan Turner

2019-20    Lesley Chapman

2020-21    Cheryl Johnson

2021-22    Richard Emch

2022-23   Mark Himmelein

2023-24   Kaleigh Baker

2024-25   Megan Brady

The Present

Each year from its founding, the Association has grown. OWLA is recognized today as one of the premier language organizations in the United States. It provides scholarships for students and teachers, promotes study abroad, holds regional workshops for professional development, provides information to the membership and the public at large with its series of publications, recognizes excellence through a series of awards, is proactive politically for keeping the legislature and the public aware of important issues affecting the study of foreign languages, and provides professional in-service training through its excellent annual conference, where leading foreign language instructors from around the state and nation present sessions on the latest developments and techniques.

The Future

OWLA has reorganized as an Association in recent years. As a result, the Vision and Mission of the Association represent the future goals of the organization. As academic content standards, transition from teacher certification to licensure, and the increased need for sound articulation at all levels of instruction become part of our reality, look for OWLA to use the strength of its organization and its two thousand members to lead the discussion of these very important issues.

A Note of Thanks

OWLA wishes to recognize the efforts of John M. Purcell, Professor Emeritus, Cleveland State University, for providing the historical information about OFLA/OWLA.