LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - Ohio State Lima has announced this year’s recipient of the Violet I. Meek Town and Gown Award.
The award is named after Violet Meek, retired dean and director of Ohio State Lima.
Dr. Mark Kleffner has been named the 2025 winner of the award, which honors individuals who support the community while fostering connections between the university and the greater Lima region. The award is named after Violet Meek, retired dean and director of Ohio State Lima. Dr. Kleffner taught geology at Ohio State Lima for more than 30 years, a calling he discovered during his collegiate studies when he developed a passion for earth sciences.
“I’m honored and very humbled. There's a great list of winners of this. I've been doing, basically, just things I love to do. I really love geology, eventually decided on it as a career, and very early on as soon as I finished my bachelor's and I got my master's, I got to teach a lab and really loved working with students in the lab. I found that was kind of my calling,” says Dr. Mark Kleffner, 2025 Violet. I Meek Town and Gown award recipient.
Since 2020, he has served as associate dean at Ohio State Lima.
