The Fredericktown High School Alumni Association is pleased to announce their 32nd fully endowed scholarship; the "Gary & Sharon Ritchey Streby Scholarship". This Scholarship, which will be first awarded to a 2024 FHS graduate, was funded by Gary Streby to honor the memory of his wife, Sharon Ritchey Streby who was a 1961 FHS graduate.
School Years and Early Connection
While Gary and Sharon were Freddie schoolmates, they did not have much connection at school with Gary being younger by two years. In school, Sharon was a star member of the Scholarship Teams, active as a class officer, and a member of the yearbook staff and the National Honor Society. Sharon was also the Class Salutatorian while working many hours each week in the family business, the popular and always busy "Ritchey's Market".
Gary was also strong in the classroom, participating on the Scholarship teams with his main interests being math, physics, model airplanes and rockets.
Romance Begins at Ritchey's Market
It was at Ritchey's Market where the first real connection between Sharon and Gary was made. With Sharon graduating and heading off to Ohio State, Ritchey's Market needed a replacement. Gary got the job and was trained by Sharon. While they became friends, their relationship went on hold until Gary enrolled at Ohio State two years later to study Aeronautical Engineering.
With both of them living in Columbus, Gary invited Sharon to join him to see the first James Bond movie, "Dr. No". Sharon accepted, and their relationship blossomed.
Military Service and Marriage
Gary's education was interrupted after two years of college by the Vietnam war. With the draft looming, Gary decided to enlist in the Air Force where he served as an Aerospace Technician. After basic training in Texas, Gary was stationed at Chanute AFB in Rantoul, Illinois for six months of technical school training. On Christmas leave in 1965 Gary proposed to Sharon.
After graduating from technical school, Gary was assigned to Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, OH. Gary and Sharon were married in July 1966. Sharon continued her job at Nationwide Insurance. Their son, Matthew was born in 1968, and Sharon became a full-time Mom which she said was her "most important job ever".
Career and Family Life
Gary was discharged from the Air Force in 1969 and re-enrolled at OSU, working full-time as an engineering technician in the Welding Engineering Department and graduating as an Aeronautical engineer in 1973.
Gary made a career in the aerospace industry with his last career stop at Wright Patterson Air Base in Dayton, Ohio as an engineer specializing in wind-tunnel testing. When their son, Matthew, went off to college to study Aeronautical Engineering, Sharon reentered the work force and had a twenty-year career with the Wright-Patt Credit Union.
Retirement and Tragedy
Full retirement for Gary and Sharon came in 2015, with Sharon enjoying card club with her longtime friends, Gary continuing to fly his airplane and both enjoying the plays, musicals, and arts available in Dayton. Tragedy struck in the summer of 2021 just as they were about to celebrate their 55th Wedding Anniversary. Sharon was in a crosswalk on her morning bike ride when she was struck by a car, her injuries became fatal two weeks later.
Sharon's Achievements
- Class Salutatorian of FHS Class of 1961
- Member of the National Honor Society
- Active as a class officer and yearbook staff member
- Star member of the Scholarship Teams
- Worked at family business Ritchey's Market while in high school
- Had a 20-year career with Wright-Patt Credit Union
Gary's Career Highlights
- Served as Aerospace Technician in the U.S. Air Force
- Graduated as Aeronautical Engineer from Ohio State University in 1973
- Career in aerospace industry, specializing in wind-tunnel testing
- Final position at Wright Patterson Air Base in Dayton, Ohio
- Licensed pilot who continued flying in retirement
Gary's Motivation
When asked what motivated this significant donation, Gary said, "Sharon loved learning, appreciated her teachers at Fredericktown, and we both have always supported 'Freddies Helping Freddies'. This gift is a great way to honor Sharon and to pay it forward to help the next generations of Freddies fund their post-high school educations."