Family

Mary Moneypenny Plotts Had A Huge Impact On Her Son Daniel And The Moneypenny Family Of Mogadore

The matriarch of this family was Mary Jacqueline Smith Moneypenny Plotts. Her smile could light up a room. She was born September 8, 1926 in East Akron. Mary and Leo Moneypenny married and settled in Portage County for several years. During this time Mary gave birth to ten children: Chucky, Veronica, Richard, Linda, Danny, David, Dennis, Tim, Laura and Jeff.

Mary’s quiet demeanor inspired kindness to all people and animals, encouraged people not to make fun of others and to always help those in need. She framed the family’s work ethic! When her husband died tragically in a car accident in 1962, the characteristics and qualities she developed in her children helped them get through this loss.

Mary remarried Glenn Plotts. The family moved to Mogadore in May 1964 along with the addition of their new baby, Ed. I am sure many of you reading this story graduated with a Moneypenny or Plotts or had a sibling graduate with one from 1965 to 1982. Richard graduated from Southeast in 1961 and Veronica graduated from Rootstown in 1963. All the rest are Mogadore graduates: Linda in 1965, Danny in 1968, David in 1970, Dennis in 1971, Tim in 1973, Laura in 1975, Jeff in 1978 and Ed in 1982.

Mary passed away in February of 2013.

Daniel (Dannv) Monevpenny, an Alumni Foundation member and major financial donor to our scholarship program, answered our call for a storv for the alumni newsletter. After talking to Daniel he gave our group several ideas for stories. He is a proud son of Mary and wanted her included and recognized for her selfless commitment to her family. She guided all her children through life and Daniel felt that had an impact on his life.

Daniel, owner, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Emaginit, located in Silver Lake, Ohio, developed a need for a positive and energetic style of business. The company was founded in 1986 to aid companies/clients in naming corporations and products, create brand recognition and manage corporate and brand positioning.

He has been successful in this role for 37 years and has been instrumental in creating ideas for business giants such as BF Goodrich, Costco, Federal Express, Walmart, and Sherwin Williams, to name only a few. Moneypenny and his company were recognized by Marketing Tools Magazine as one of the top branding firms in the United States.

After graduating from Mogadore High School in 1968 Daniel moved to Los Angeles, California to become a Forest Service Fire Fighter. During this time Daniel was chosen to be part of a trail crew which constructed 8 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail which runs from Tijuana, Mexico to Vancouver, British Columbia. Much of this fascinating information and more facts can be found on his company’s website at www.justemaginit.com

In 1969 Daniel decided to enlist in the Army Infantry along with classmate Paul Nelson. We will have a follow up to this piece of the story in our next newsletter since the organization will be focusing on veterans from Mogadore for that issue. Daniel returned to Mogadore after his honorable discharge from the Army and attended the University of Akron on the Gl Bill. He majored in Business and minored in Criminal Justice.

Daniel took his education, life experience and general zest for business into a new business. He opened a free standing shoe store for runners called The Finish Line. He was wise to staff the store with runners including the world class runner, the late Ric Sayre, who qualified for five times for the Olympic Trials. He sold his share in 1986 in the store and started his current company, Emaginit.

Daniel still has a drive to succeed in business and running. He recently competed in his third Empire State Building Run-Up. Daniel was fourth in his age group for that climb with a time of 26 minutes and 50 seconds. He took two minutes and 27 seconds off his run from last year.

This is the world’s first and most famous tower race. It challenges runners to run up 86 flights of 1, 576 stairs. This race also makes a difference in the lives of others in need. It creates funding and grants for the Challenged Athlete Foundation. This group awarded 3,256 grants in 2022. The grants provide opportunities to support people with physical challenges so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. Daniel was number four in fundraising last year and moved up to the TOP fundraiser this year! His fellow Wildcat classmate, Chris Byrd, was a major donor for this charity. I am sure his mom is proud of Daniel for fulfilling one of her goals by helping others in need!

Daniel comes from a large family and each sibling has a story that can keep our newsletter filled. If you have a story that you would like to share please contact Tammy Roebken at mogadorewildcatalumni@gmail.com

While researching Daniel I found on his company’s testimonials page a quote that states, “He’s the human exclamation point!” by Zero 2 Companies’ Peter Strople. This statement shows his enthusiasm, creativity and positive energy level that has made him a success.

Daniel resides in Silver Lake with his wife Amy and their three children.