Sean Grambart, D.P.M.’01, FACFAS, assistant dean for clinical affairs in the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery (CPMS), was a student and more recently a colleague of Robert Yoho, D.P.M., M.S., FACFAS, who retired in May after 28 years at DMU, including more than 20 as CPMS dean. But one of Grambart’s first encounters with Yoho was, shall we say, less professional.
“During the first week of orientation, there was a dunk tank set up for faculty. I remember specifically Dr. Yoho sitting there, egging me on to throw baseballs at the target,” he recounts. “Out of some miracle, I nailed the target and dunked him three times.”
Grambart soon found a mentor in his dean. He and his wife, Sheila, have made gifts to the Purple & Proud Campaign to establish a podiatric scholarship in Yoho’s honor.
“He was a mentor not only for me but for my entire class with his leadership and professionalism. Sheila and I felt that setting up a scholarship in his name would be a small token to recognize what he has done not only for CPMS but also for DMU.”
Sean Grambart, D.P.M.’01, FACFAS, assistant dean for clinical affairs
Other CPMS faculty have contributed to the scholarship fund, and the Grambarts encourage other alumni to do so to honor Yoho and help students with tuition costs. “As a student, there were times when Sheila and I were down to very little in the checking account, and I was luckily selected for a scholarship,” he says. “We remember how important that was to us.”
Grambart tapped CPMS student leaders to help define the scholarship’s criteria; the “overwhelming” criterion selected was professionalism.
“That is Dr. Yoho to a T,” he says. “Throughout his career, he probably had multiple opportunities to move on to different positions, but he held steadfast to what he loved doing – teaching students and leading the college into the future.”
Creating a scholarship is a great way to honor someone while investing in DMU students. Learn more by visiting campaigndmu.edu/gift