The Soundtrack of a Buckeye's Life

At the Engagement Center, we love talking to fellow Buckeyes and getting glimpses into the past to see how the Buckeye spirit truly stands the test of time. Recently, we reached out to Dorie-Ellen Eisenman, who graduated in 1972 with a degree in Teaching and Learning, to let her know that her submission for Ohio State Alumni Magazine was selected — the magazine asked Buckeyes what the most essential thing they brought to college was, and for Dorie, it was her guitar.

This opened the door for me to learn more about Dorie. She shared that she came from Long Island in 1968. It was the height of folk music, and Dorie’s guitar went everywhere with her. She found other students in the dorm that played too, and they connected over their shared love of artists like Joni Mitchell and the Kingston Trio.

During her time on campus, Dorie met her soon-to-be husband, Mark, at a mixer held by Student Life — Mark was an engineering student whose roommate actually dated Dorie before him! Dorie pointed out that this coincidence was just one detail in her and Mark’s story of “soulmates coming together.” Even though Mark didn’t play any instruments, he loved that Dorie shared her passion for music by singing and playing guitar for him.

Dorie and Mark were married just six weeks after their graduation in 1972. They then moved to Baltimore, Maryland for an engineering position that Mark accepted. However, a position with a local engineering firm later brought Dorie and Mark back to Columbus, where Mark went on to work on noteworthy buildings including the Columbus Airport, several campus facilities and even the Schottenstein Center. Mark was the 15th person hired at the then-small firm, which grew to over 100 employees whom Mark later managed as President.

In 2007, Mark was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, and was treated at The James. Due to the severity of his diagnosis, Mark had to retire from his job. He found himself wanting to keep busy, so he and Dorie began volunteering at The James during Mark’s treatment.

“We volunteered on Mondays, so Mondays quickly became my favorite day of the week," said Dorie.

Mark passed in March of 2008. After his passing, Dorie felt compelled to continue supporting the work happening at The James and the Ohio State College of Engineering.

When Dorie drives past campus on her regular commute, the songs she and Mark loved play in her head and take her back to the time they shared as students. For Dorie, the soundtrack of these memories is a perfect example of how through time and change, relationships formed at Ohio State remain firm throughout the ages.

Story collected by Jessica Drown, written and edited by Will Hejduk