A journey that began in 1991, has spanned 25 states, numerous
miles, countless relationships and priceless memories has worked
out pretty well for the Minceys and Youngstown State.
Tonight the Mincey Family – Daryl, Vicki (Bobovnyik) and
Maribeth - is being honored as the Penguins of the Year. They have
always been a major part of the Penguins athletics family. Daryl
has witnessed nearly 250 consecutive football games the past
20-plus years. He and Vicki have attended countless men's and
women's basketball games while the three of them traveled all over
the country when Maribeth was younger. Maribeth's fiancé,
Mike, is now part of the close-knit clan of die-hard Penguins
fans.
The family has been to all six National Championship Games and
has always been able to have some fun on the trips. Visits to Cape
Cod and Martha's Vineyard, New Orleans, Cape Canaveral Space Center
(witnessed John Glenn's Space Shuttle launch), the Alamo, Johnson
Space Center, Plymouth Rock, Statue of Liberty, Hearst Castle,
Disney World have all been part of YSU football excursions.
One of the crazier trips was a cross-country jaunt in 2000 to
travel from the game at Cal Poly to the post-season contest at
Richmond. After spending the week with family in California, which
was also Thanksgiving, Daryl and Maribeth flew back home on the
red-eye out of California on Friday morning before driving to
Richmond later that day. Daryl even flew from Springfield, Mo., to
Europe in the middle of the season to attend a conference and made
sure to return before the next game.
Being a part of the program has always been important to the
Minceys. Whenever help was needed, they jumped in. They spent many
a night helping to tear tickets before the season and for playoff
games. Daryl and Vicki both have held headset cables for coaches on
the sidelines. Daryl has loaded the equipment and baggage on
charter flights and then helped unload it. Sometimes, he helped the
equipment staff run the wire from the coaches' booth in the press
box down to the field. He now serves as an unofficial sidelines
photographer at both home and road games.
The relationships they have built are another important part of
their Penguins' support. Daryl admits that Maribeth, while growing
up, may have thought that Coach Jim Tressel, David Deibel and Jim
Morrison were her uncles and Dan O'Connell seemed like a slightly
older brother. He said Vicki was the voice of reason and saved the
group many times. One year the family went without a Christmas
tree, but she never said a word, Daryl said.
Daryl was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and received his PhD in
Analytical Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati. In 1978,
Mincey came to YSU as a sabbatical replacement for the academic
year in the Department of Chemistry. After spending the next year
at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa, he returned to YSU in 1979 and
has never left. At YSU, Dr. Mincey is the Chemistry Chairperson
(since 1995) and a Professor in the College of STEM.
His duties at YSU have included teaching graduate courses in
analytical and clinical environmental chemistry and undergraduate
courses in analytical, biological and environmental chemistry. In a
collaborative effort with L. Schroeder and S. Martin, he developed
the Environmental Studies program at the University. A major area
of interest is the elemental determination of metals in
environmental samples. The directing of undergraduate and graduate
research has been a significant responsibility. More than 30
students have received a master's degree from the University under
his direction. In addition, he has directed numerous undergraduate
research projects and was an atomic spectroscopy resource for many
more.
During 2003-04, he was on sabbatical performing research at the
Forensic Chemistry Center of the Food and Drug Administration. A
noted accomplishment of the effort was the development of a
confirmatory LC/MS test for Ricin in foods, for which he received a
Director's Award and a permanent position as an FDA Science
Advisor.
He has helped the University procure many grants that have not
only had an impact on the Chemistry Department, but the entire
community. Notably he worked with the YSU Technology Development
Corporation on a $372,000 Ohio Department of Development Grant
titled "The Mahoning River Corridor Redevelopment Project".
Daryl is also a long-time member of the Penguin Club Board of
Trustees.
Vicki is a Youngstown native who comes from a large family with
six brothers and sisters. She received her undergraduate degree in
Biology/Chemistry from Marietta College and worked as a registered
Medical Technologist at both St. Elizabeth's and Northside Medical
Centers. She received her Master's in Business Administration from
YSU. Currently, she is the Office Manager for Dr. Denise Bobovnyik
in Canfield, Oh. When not cheering on YSU athletes, she is also a
volunteer with the Junior Group of Goodwill, an organization tasked
with fundraising for the many programs offered by Goodwill.
Maribeth received her BA and MA in Middle East History from the
University of Cincinnati. She also graduated from the University of
Cincinnati, College of Law where she was an Urban Morgan Human
Rights Fellow. This enabled her to work one summer at the
Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, The Netherlands and
another summer at the International Civilian Office in Kosovo.
Maribeth was admitted to the Ohio State Bar Association in November
2012. She is teaching history courses at the University of
Cincinnati and is an Associate Attorney for The Stuhlbarg Law
Practice, LLC.
Her fiancé, Michael Eckstein, also hails from Cincinnati.
When not enjoying Penguin football games, he is an engineer working
in IT at GE Aviation in Cincinnati.
