Congratulations to Stephen Habash (BA, ancient history and classics, 1974; JD, 1978) on receiving the 2024 College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Award for Distinguished Service. The award recognizes exemplary service to the College of Arts and Sciences, its faculty, students and programs.

Stephen Habash was born in Steubenville, Ohio. He earned his BA cum laude and with distinction in ancient history and classics in 1974. Habash also received his law degree from Ohio State in 1978. His focus in the law was transportation, workers’ compensation and labor law. His professional practice has included serving as associate at George, Greek, King, McMahon and McConnaughey, associate and partner at Baker & Hostetler, founding partner at Habash & Reasoner, and Of Counsel   at Perez & Morris.  He also served as an adjunct professor at the Capital University Law and Graduate Center. 

Habash is a member of Ohio State’s President’s Club and a life member of The Ohio State University Alumni Association (OSUAA). He served as a board member and chair of the Stadium Scholarship Dormitory Society. He served as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for nearly a decade, from 2011 through 2020, and was named as the Arts and Sciences representative to the Alumni Advisory Council of OSUAA, where he served for three years.

Habash has established several scholarship funds in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2007, he established the Mary Lou and John Habash Fund, which provides material support to the Department of History’s student-centric Museum of Classical Archaeology. In 2010, he established the Habash/Luczkowski World War II Fund, which supports undergraduates enrolled in the Department of History’s World War II study abroad program. In 2015, he established the Luczkowski-Habash Fund for Polish Studies, which supports undergraduate and graduate studies in the field of Polish studies through scholarships and study abroad awards. He also funded a life membership for the history department to the Motts Military Museum in Grove City, Ohio. 

Habash has been a longtime supporter of the Department of History’s World War II study abroad program. He participated in the first two of the department’s tours for alumni and friends in 2011 and 2012 and recruited friends for subsequent tours. Consistent with his commitment to enhancing student experiences, he arranged and sponsored extracurricular Saturday lunches so that past and current students in the World War II program could exchange information, and during the same luncheon could meet and learn firsthand from decorated World War II veteran Donald Dunn. He compiled a history of all Ohio State alumni and students who were buried abroad in World War II cemeteries, advancing the department’s mission to create a lasting database of such students and alumni.