Couple honored by the Buhl Club for outstanding community service

May 23—SHARON — The Buhl Club is holding a dinner to celebrate a husband and wife team at this year's Henry and Catherine Evans Community Service Award dinner May 30.

Chip and Kathy Mastrian are well-known in the Shenango Valley for their outstanding service to the community.

The public is invited to the dinner, which is from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Tiffany's Banquet Center in Masury, Ohio. The dinner will support the Buhl Club's youth scholarship fund.

Chip Mastrian is honored to receive this award, as he knew Henry Evans personally.

"Henry Evans was a mentor to the CHIP group and SEED group," Chip said. "Henry did a lot of nice things for the community."

One particular story Chip remembers is that Henry would go out after each shift on pay day to the bars and tell people to go home to their families.

"He was a big man. He had such a big heart," Chip said. "That just showed how he cared about our community."

Dr. Kathy Mastrian, with her extensive background in nursing and healthcare, has advocated for people with disabilities, advanced local healthcare initiatives, and championed programs aimed at empowering and supporting the senior community. Chip Mastrian, through his involvement in civic and charitable affairs, has created thousands of jobs and fostered a culture of giving back.

"It's an opportunity to give back," Mastrian said. "But also try to pick it with things I'm knowledgeable about, where my areas of expertise are."

Kathy retired from Penn State University after 38 years of service. At Penn State, she served in various capacities as nursing program faculty, nursing program coordinator, Commonwealth college division head and twice as interim director of Academic Affairs. She was also chair of the faculty senate for three two-year terms. She has published extensively and won several awards.

Kathy has advocated for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She has advanced educational opportunities and programs. She has championed local healthcare initiatives and beneficial programs supporting the aging.

Kathy currently serves as president of the St. John XXIII board and president of the Mercer County Agency on Aging board, having been a member of both organizations since 2018.

Chip Mastrian has worked since age 9 when he had a paper route for The Herald. He graduated from Gannon University and began a career in public accounting with an international CPA firm in New York City, Chicago and Cleveland.

He is a Vietnam veteran, achieving the rank of sergeant and receiving the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation medals.

Chip returned back home and joined the Sharon-based CPA firm Black Bashor & Porsch, ultimately becoming a partner focusing on audits and consulting.

Chip is a founder of Penn Northwest Development Corp., founder of the Strimbu Memorial Fund, and both a founder and co-chair of WaterFire Sharon — all organizations dedicated to encouraging and supporting business and community development.

He orchestrated the CHIPs (Community Hope Investment Partners) group in 1982, which studied the economic situation and identified challenges and opportunities in the area. This group ultimately became SEED and was instrumental in founding Penn Northwest Development Corp., the county's lead economic development agency.

CHIPs group still exists today and in his retirement, Chip is still involved with numerous organizations helping the area, such as Buhl Park and the Buhl Club, Waterfire, Freedom Warriors and the O'Brien Children's Fund.

Kathy and Chip have two adult children, Ben, who is a senior salesman with a local company and Alicia, a graphic designer and content manager.

Kathy is honored to be recognized for the award with her spouse.

"It's interesting because we had two very disparate service records and it's interesting because it's related to our areas of expertise; he's economic development and I'm community health," Kathy said. "It's unique to be honored for that."

Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at mklaric@sharonherald.com