One family will lead the way as generations of Yellow Jackets are honored over the 2024 festival weekend, Friday-Saturday, September 27 and 28.
Baldwin Wallace University will honor "Legacy Families" at the 2024 Bold & Gold Weekend, with one family representing the group as Grand Marshals for the Saturday, September 28, parade.
This year, the festivities bring together traditional Homecoming and Parent and Family activities into one big celebration of the "BW family."
A BW "legacy family" is defined as a family with more than one generation attending BW, and the Abdallah-Hritz family exceeds that mark, with 11 siblings and children enrolling between the late 1960s to today.
It was a BW speech class that brought Martin Hritz '91 and Dolly Abdallah Hritz '92 (and, eventually, their two families) together.
Dolly recalls, "I remember him walking into that class, and I thought, 'Who is that hot guy?'"
But Martin went missing for a number of classes after an emergency appendectomy. When he returned to campus, it was Dolly's turn to present a speech to her classmates.
"I remember she gave this beautiful talk about her grandparents, and I thought, 'I'm gonna marry her someday,'" Martin remembers.
They did marry 26 years ago. With multiple siblings on each side of the family sharing the BW connection and now a son and daughter joining the BW family, the Abdallah-Hritz family has created a BW family legacy.
The couple attended college during BW President Neil Malicky's era and still remember how the campus embodied the catchphrase "quality education with a personal touch."
"President Malicky would recognize you in the Union, call you by name and congratulate you on some specific achievement," Dolly recalls. "It was remarkable."
Dolly and her siblings, Tony '88, MBA '92; Fares, MBA '96; and Gus '91, along with his wife, Karyn Lyn '90, were introduced to BW by their father, Abdallah Abdallah, who worked in Buildings & Grounds for 18 years before his retirement.
When Martin and Dolly's own children were choosing colleges, two found a fit at Ohio State. Dolly says daughter Salayna Hritz '22 was uncertain. "She was thinking of going elsewhere, but I knew she would thrive at BW, so I suggested she just attend an orientation to see. That was all it took."
Son Zach Hritz '25 also chose BW and is currently finishing up a degree in accounting and finance.
Martin Hritz and his brothers Mike '70 and Matt '85 all played football at BW, while Dolly was a Yellow Jacket cheerleader. A Hritz sister, Melanie Hillenbrand '87, also graduated from BW.
"BW was close to home for us, but I lived on campus serving as an R.A. and even staying over holiday breaks," Martin says. "BW became home."
All legacy families are invited to walk in the Bold & Gold parade with the Grand Marshal family and will receive a special ribbon identifying their legacy status.
Families wishing to walk in the parade should RSVP via email at iestreme@bw.edu and mwallace@bw.edu.
Of course, students, alumni, parents and families, and the entire surrounding community are invited to join in celebrating the BW Family with special homecoming and parent and family weekend activities September 27-28.
For more information, visit Bold & Gold Weekend: A Celebration of the BW Family.
