Page 6 - Alumni Horae: Vol. 93, No. 4 Summer 2013

AWARDS
ROBERT OZIOMEK: 25 YEARS
Bob Oziomek is a man of few words. He is reliable and
efficient in his work, respected and admired by col-
leagues, appreciated by students and their parents, and
reluctant to accept praise for a job well done.
Oziomek grew up in Stow, Ohio, near Akron, where
he played high school football and baseball. He attend-
ed Marietta College, attracted to the school in his home
state by the chance to study athletic training. “It was an
opportunity to remain involved in athletics beyond my
playing days,” he explains.
Oziomek came to St. Paul’s School 25 years ago on
the recommendation of a fellow master’s student at the
Providing the Highest Standard of Care
University of Virginia. Prior to his arrival in Concord, he
had never been to New England, let alone New Hamp-
shire. He figured he’d stay a few years, never intending
to put down roots. “A couple of years – that’s everyone’s
plan, right?” he says.
Before long, Oziomek came to love the community of
St. Paul’s School, with its simultaneous opportunities
to serve as an athletic trainer while also advising stu-
dents in the dorm and taking in the vibrancy and culture
that boarding school life offers. “The community, the
colleagues,” he says. “They are things I wouldn’t get in
other athletic training settings.”
Meticulous, ethical, and hard-working, Oziomek
has established himself as someone on whom his col-
leagues, the students of SPS, and their parents can count
for the highest standard of care. A colleague recounts
how Oziomek, on his morning drives between the School
and Concord Orthopaedics with injured students, often
makes several trips so the students won’t be late for
Chapel, classes, or other commitments. He attends his
advisees’ performances, volunteers to chaperone dances
or give up his seat in Chapel for a visitor, and makes fre-
quent appearances in the dorm to check on the students
in his charge, injured or otherwise.
One student credits him with saving her dance career
by recognizing an uncommon ankle condition and steer-
ing her toward proper treatment. Another considers
Oziomek both a friend and a mentor, who helped him
unpack on his first day at St. Paul’s and stayed up with
him until 2 a.m. on a visit to the emergency room.
For Oziomek, dedication is nothing special – it’s simply
what he expects of himself in his work. He keeps up
with the latest standards of care in his profession, from
wound care to managing head injuries to enhancing his
knowledge of emergency medicine. And his attention
and expertise are not limited to the SPS community.
In recent years, he has been contacted by appreciative
families of injured athletes from Governor’s Academy
and Roxbury Latin, among others, for taking care of their
children as well.
“The biggest thing,” says SPS Athletic Director Scott
Heitmiller, “is that he is the consummate professional.
Oziomek will do everything in his power to make sure
every-thing possible is done to make sure our students
are cared for the right way. I don’t think people realize
just how much he cares for these kids and how much he
does for them – in all of his roles at St. Paul’s School.”
KAREN BOBOTAS
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