ALLEGHENY
SPRING 2016
VOL. 34 • NO. 1
NO. 1
IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Award honors Allegheny’s traditional — and nontraditional — research
FAMILY’S GIFT HONORS COLLEGE AND THE EARTH
BIG PIC II
ATHLETIC PROGRAMS ENTER NEW ERAS
A Community That
Inspires by President James H. Mullen, Jr.
Allegheny has been fundamentally shaped by its founder’s vision of a college dedicated to creating opportunity. It is with opportunity in mind that I recognize our colleague, Sue Stuebner, for her service in the critical role of executive vice president and chief operating officer and congratulate her on her appointment as the president of Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire. Sue has contributed strong leadership and valuable judgment during a complex time of transition and other challenges for Allegheny. Sue’s passion for her work and her love for this place, as well as her sheer intellectual aptitude and her desire to make a meaningful impact, are very compelling to me. I extend my personal thanks to Sue, and I do so on behalf of all her Allegheny colleagues. We also celebrate that Allegheny is an institution that others look to when they are seeking fresh and innovative leadership.
As another academic year winds down, I find myself reviewing the latest senior comps and research projects and am once again impressed by our worldclass faculty and the inspiration these mentors impart to everyone on campus. I’m sure that you can recall at least one Allegheny professor, and probably many more, who impacted your life and eventual career in a very positive way. We’ve long known that we are leaders in student research, but now the entire nation knows. Provost and Dean of the College Ron Cole ’87 in January accepted an award from the Council on Undergraduate Research naming Allegheny as the No. 1 baccalaureate college for collaborative student-faculty research. When I look around campus, I see a diversity of research that is remarkable. Imagine a world where robots help those with special health needs to continue living independently at home. That’s what Assistant Professor of Computer Science Janyl Jumadinova and her research students are striving to do. Students have created a monitoring system consisting of multiple robots, wearable sensors and software that provides personalized monitoring of a user’s well-being in the comfort of his or her home. An environmental science course, “Soil to Plate,” taught by Professor Eric Pallant and Assistant Professor Beth Choate, invites students to think of food as more than mere sustenance. It is an interdisciplinary survey of food production around the world. Students learn to evaluate critically what they and others eat, how and where their food is grown, and the pros and cons of conventional, organic, sustainable and local food production while becoming active and effective participants in environmental problem solving.
In “Cognitive Humanities – Expressions of Emotion: When Psychology and Literature Converge” with Associate Professors Aimee Knupsky and M. Soledad Caballero, students studied emotion and facial recognition from the 19th century to the modern day and the reciprocal relationship between science and the humanities. Students chose poses from a manual on gesture and emotion written in 1806 by Henry Siddons. Each page in the book showed an actor making a gesture, with each page labeled with an emotion such as “devotion,” “happiness,” “anger,” “despair” or “enthusiasm.” Theatre majors re-created the gestures from Siddons’ book while other students took photos of each pose, creating a modern-day manual. Students also have gone “On the Road for Voting Rights” to explore the history of the struggle to secure voting rights for African-Americans and other underrepresented groups in the context of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The trip with Associate Professor of Political Science Brian Harward prompted discussions about civil rights in the past and present. Students visited the places where most of the historical civil rights events occurred. They critically examined the social, political, cultural and economic conditions that existed during the struggle for voting rights. These are just a few examples of the many opportunities that Allegheny students have to learn through active engagement. These experiential learning opportunities transform students’ curiosity into creative problem solving — connecting what students learn in the classroom to the real world. These learning experiences leave profound impressions that last a lifetime. The inspiration we receive from our colleagues is significant and fortifying.
S p r i n g 2 0 1 6 • Vo l . 3 4 • N o . 1 • a l l e g h e n y. e d u /m a g a z i n e
2 No. 1 in Research Commitment to undergraduate research puts Allegheny in a class by itself.
ON THE COVER
The cast of the student-research-based production of (Ghost) Light. (Photo by Bill Owen ’74)
VICE PRESIDENT FOR COLLEGE RELATIONS Susan Salton
8 We Are Allegheny
Family’s generous gift puts Geology Department on a solid foundation.
EDITOR Richard Stanley ASSISTANT EDITOR Heather Grubbs ART DIRECTOR Penny Drexel LEAD DESIGNER Brian Martone
12 Entering New Eras Football, cross-country programs welcome new head coaches.
16 On the Hill
What’s happening on the campus.
CONTRIBUTORS Jim Berger Diana Brautigam ’80 Jesse Lavery Derek Li Ed Mailliard Sean O’Connor Bill Owen ’74 Kathleen Prosperi-McClard ’11 Richard Sayer Marchele Tucker ’10 Bernadette Wilson PRINTING Heeter, Canonsburg, PA
18 The Big Picture II
Keepsake photo captures a Moment in Time from Bicentennial Reunion Weekend. allegheny.edu/magazine
20 Class Notes
News and events from alumni.
facebook.com/alleghenycollege instagram.com/alleghenycollege twitter.com/alleghenycol
TRUSTEES Robert L. Smith, Jr. ’73, Chair Christian L. Allison ’83 Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton Gladys Mullenix Black ’54 Edward Joseph Borkowski ’81 Willow Wilcox Brost ’74 Mark R. Campbell ’82 Jennifer Daurora ’99 Antonio F. Dias ’86 Gary M. Elliott ’72 Mary H. Feeley ’78, Ph.D. Kim Tillotson Fleming Roger A. Gurner ’63 Terrence L. Hartford ’81 Judith Thomas Horgan ’68 Steven D. Levinsky ’78 Richard W. Maine Robert E. McGarity ’80 Isabelle Moss ’67 James H. Mullen, Jr., Ph.D. Herbert H. Myers ’61 Christine Scott Nelson ’73 Jerome V. Nelson ’83 James C. New ’67 John Herbert Niles, Jr. ’59, M.D. Martin Pfinsgraff ’77 Yvonne Reed Seon ’59, Ph.D. Dag J. Skattum ’84 Thomas N. Slonaker Sue E. Steven ’75 John F. Sutphen ’78 Eddie Taylor, Jr. ’87 Bruce R. Thompson ’86 Lawrence M. Thompson, Jr. ’74 James O. Wible ’71 Nancy Yovetich ’87 Douglas F. Ziegler TRUSTEES EMERITI Ann S. Degenhart ’71 J. Tomlinson Fort ’50, Esq. Thomas T. Frampton ’70, Esq. Samuel Hellman ’55, M.D. William I. Jack ’57 The Hon. Jack K. Mandel ’58 Silas R. Mountsier III ’52 John C. Phillips, Jr. ’56 James F. Pomroy ’56 Thomas St. Clair ’57 Ferd J. Sauereisen ’57 M. Peter Scibetta ’54, M.D. Henry B. Suhr, Jr. ’55 Arthur Tepper ’58 Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 Robert A. Vukovich ’65, Ph.D. John D. Wheeler ’61, Esq. Robert C. Woodworth ’69
youtube.com/alleghenycollege
36 The Last Word
Taking the time to find the right combinations leads to success.
Send us your feedback! What do you think of Allegheny magazine? Email magazine@allegheny.edu
Allegheny (ISSN 0279-6724) is issued three times a year by Allegheny College, 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 for the alumni, parents and friends of the College. The winter issue is digital-only, and the spring and summer issues are in print and digital versions. All material can be found at allegheny.edu/magazine. Opinions and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of the College. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Allegheny, Allegheny College, 520 North Main Street, Meadville, PA, 16335. Copyright 2016 Allegheny College
Conner Bardine ’17 conducts laboratory research that allows him to acquire skills that will translate beyond the classroom. At right, center, Brianna Layman ’16 sharpens her presentation skills during a weekly chemistry discussion session. Also at right, the company from the production (Ghost) Light conducted research about invention and discovery before bringing the script to life.
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ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
No. 1
by Heather L. Grubbs
in
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH In the Doane Hall of Chemistry, Conner Bardine ’17 unravels proteins in a biochemistry lab. In the Vukovich Center for Communication Arts, Stephanie Engel ’16 and Mary Lyon ’17 devise movement scenarios that will represent the flow of electricity as part of a theatre performance. On the surface, it seems like these students are participating in two very different experiences. In reality, their work has a similar purpose. All three students are doing undergraduate research as part of Allegheny’s Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (URSCA). The office promotes student research in all academic disciplines — humanities, social sciences and natural sciences — organizes on-campus
presentations of student projects, and provides information and support to students who present their projects off-campus. The URSCA office is part of the Allegheny Gateway, which supports students as they explore their interests, turn those interests into experience, and then apply what they’ve learned to opportunities both in their careers and in their communities. “In URSCA, our mission is to help faculty and students understand the opportunities available to them in research, scholarship and creative activities in their academic area,” says Aimee Knupsky, URSCA director and associate professor of psychology. “It’s about making sure everyone sees themselves as part of this important work.” (Continued on Page 4)
To read more about the Allegheny Gateway, see the spring 2015 issue of Allegheny magazine at allegheny.edu/magazine.
The cast of (Ghost) Light conducted brainstorming sessions and participated in movement exploration before the performance took shape.
Knupsky explains that a few years ago, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) — the national organization that advocates for undergraduate research opportunities — started the conversation about what comes to mind when someone says “research.” “Most people think of a person in a lab with a microscope,” she says. “That is research, but CUR wanted people to realize that research is student-faculty collaboration on creative work that can happen anywhere — even outside of a lab. “For example, research is the work that those in the humanities do — writing books and articles — which they call ‘scholarship,’” she continues. “Research also is the creative activities that are done in art and theatre, like gallery exhibits and plays. The URSCA office is focused on making sure faculty and students understand that research happens across all disciplines, in the lab, on the stage and in the community.”
A Tradition 200 Years in the Making
“When I attend CUR events, people always ask how we created such a top-notch program — and how we are able to have so many faculty and students participating,” she says. “It’s unique.”
That’s URSCA, Too Expanding Allegheny’s research efforts to include the humanities didn’t happen overnight. In 2013, the College received a $600,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to support student-faculty collaborative research in the humanities, including arts, communications, dance, English, history, language, music, theatre and women’s studies. The funds have been used for stipends for student researchers and faculty mentors, as well as for faculty development initiatives. The grant has provided 69 stipends to students, supporting research from the investigation of films about refugees returning to their Asian homelands, to the conversion of Allegheny journal Film Criticism into an open access online publication.
Although other schools do URSCA work, Knupsky says the student/faculty research that is done in humanities and creative activities at Allegheny sets the College apart. She credits Lee Coates, biology professor and former URSCA director, for adding humanities and creative activities to Allegheny’s research program years ago.
“The grant exploded the way Allegheny faculty in the humanities are thinking about their work,” Knupsky says. “Faculty have fun working with the students, so it perpetuates itself. And they see how their own work can benefit from working with students. It is a culture on our campus that is unlike any other campus I have encountered.”
“I believe Allegheny was one of the first institutions to really grab on to the URSCA title,” Knupsky says. “Lee followed that change by creating the URSCA advisory committee, where he invited representatives from the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences to participate. That allowed everyone to feel included.”
An example of URSCA humanities research funded through the Mellon grant is the creation of a theatrical production called (Ghost) Light. Students worked alongside Beth Watkins, professor of communication arts/theatre, to develop the performance.
In addition, Knupsky cites Allegheny’s tradition of undergraduate research, which dates back to the College’s founding in 1815, as a reason why the program remains strong.
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ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
“When we started, we didn’t have a script,” Watkins says. “We chose the topic of invention and discovery, and the students did research, which meant reading textbooks and articles, conducting brainstorming sessions, participating in movement exploration and finding other sources of inspiration.
Through trial and error, the company generated stories that combined theatricality and the potential for drama. Slowly, through experimentation, a performance began to take shape.” One of those research students was Stephanie Engel, a theatre and history double major. Engel spent the first half of summer 2014 combing through research materials to become familiar with the ideas they would be conquering through performance, such as the history of electricity and the impact of radiation on the body. She spent the second four weeks doing movement-based exercises to figure out how the performers could represent electricity. This included learning puppetry work — and creating shadow puppets — in Allegheny’s scene shop. As part of their research, Engel and the other five members of the performance also visited the labs of Physics Professor Dan Willey and Chemistry Professor Alice Decker to learn about electricity and luminescence.
Most people think of a person in a lab with a microscope. That is research, but CUR wanted people to realize that research is student-faculty collaboration on creative work that can happen anywhere — even outside of a lab. Aimee Knupsky URSCA director and associate professor of psychology
“My interest in theatre is dramaturgy, which is the research that goes on behind shows and how they develop on stage. So going through this process showed me how interactive research can be,” Engel says. “As a theatre major, at first you think research is not relatable to our field. But it was fascinating to have that hands-on approach and the creative perspective.” “I’m also a theatre major, so I don’t often get to venture into the science realm,” adds Mary Lyon, an education minor who played Marie Curie in (Ghost) Light. “It was interesting to do this through a theatrical lens and then put that discovery and knowledge on stage.” Watkins says that although she has developed similar productions with students in the past, this was the first time she had done so during a three-year period through grant funding. She says the three-year research and investigation period allowed for sufficient time to gather sources, develop deeper connections and ruminate on larger philosophical questions that influenced the overall structure of the final performance. “For us, the rehearsal hall is our laboratory,” she says. “Just like scientific research, there’s constant experimentation, although with theatre, you’re constantly trying to formulate your research question while you’re doing the research. There’s no doubt that the students learned valuable skills through this process.” (Continued on Page 6)
Leading the Way Those on Allegheny’s campus aren’t the only ones noticing the College’s commitment to undergraduate research. On Jan. 22 in Washington, D.C., the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) presented Allegheny with the inaugural Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment (AURA) at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The award was presented to Allegheny — the only baccalaureate college in the nation to receive the award — for the exceptional research experiences that the College provides to its students. Provost Ron Cole ’87 accepted the AURA award, which recognizes the depth and breadth of Allegheny’s undergraduate research initiatives, as well as its sustained innovation. “Our faculty illustrate every day Award for that great teaching and cutUndergraduate ting-edge research go hand in Research hand at our nation’s best liberal Accomplishment arts colleges,” Allegheny President James H. Mullen, Jr. said. “Professors Aimee Knupsky and Lee Coates have spearheaded many of the efforts to give significant research opportunities to our students, and they have set the bar high. “I am so proud that the Council on Undergraduate Research has recognized our faculty’s work — just as I am proud to see our students published alongside faculty in scientific journals, presenting their research at national meetings and exceeding expectations every day as they pursue their work in classrooms, in labs and in the community,” Mullen said. In announcing the award, CUR noted Allegheny’s well-designed and developmentally appropriate undergraduate research experience. That experience is supported by deliberate scaffolding, which begins during a student’s first year, continues throughout the sophomore and junior years and culminates in a required capstone research project. Allegheny’s holistic and sustained student development approach, CUR noted, prepares Allegheny students for both graduate study and post-baccalaureate employment. “As an institution with undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activities at the heart of its mission, we appreciate the recognition the Council on Undergraduate Research has given to the importance of this work for both student and faculty development,” Cole said while accepting the award on behalf of Allegheny.
5
Jake Turin ’16, left, and Conner Bardine ’17 work alongside Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ivelitza Garcia. “The work they are doing is actually a pipeline into cancer research,” Garcia says.
From doing this research, I can tell that I’m so much more prepared in class. This experience has opened up so many doors for me in terms of applying for other summer research experiences and to graduate schools.
Conner Bardine ’17
Full Steam Ahead As URSCA continues to broaden its reach into other disciplines, the number of faculty and students participating has expanded, as well. Last year, approximately 60 faculty members and nearly 120 students participated in some form of undergraduate research. A few examples include: • Assessing community health needs in a rural area, research that was published in the journal Health • Ongoing research on neural and chemical control of breathing in vertebrates, work that may have implications for research on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome • Predicting effects of species shifts in elevation associated with climate change in alpine ponds, research that was presented at the 100th annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America
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ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
• Studying citizen responses to insecurity and violence in a working-class neighborhood in Mexico City Another example is the lab work Ivelitza Garcia, assistant professor of chemistry, has been doing with research students like Conner Bardine. She and her students are using chemical and biological methods to study the behavior of proteins — specifically, what the proteins do, how they do it and whether the group can change what the proteins do. “Conner is using equipment in the lab to see if a certain protein — called the DEAD box protein — is stable or unstable, and then he’s altering the protein,” Garcia explains. “The work he is doing is actually a pipeline into cancer research. The more we understand about proteins, the better we can design treatments for patients.”
Now a junior, Bardine, a chemistry major and writing and mathematics double minor, has worked on this project with Garcia since his freshman year, including during the past two summers. He says he is grateful for the opportunity to do this hands-on work alongside a faculty member in the chemistry field. “From doing this research, I can tell that I’m so much more prepared in class,” Bardine says. “This experience has opened up so many doors for me in terms of applying for other summer research experiences and to graduate schools.”
“One of the major things I’ve learned is that I love research,” continues Denning, who has been accepted to a Ph.D. program to continue this line of work. “Until my junior year, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. The experience has helped me learn what I’m passionate about. I also learned that I want to become a professor and continue doing research.”
The URSCA Impact There is more to the URSCA experience at Allegheny than just doing the research. Some students participate in a weekly seminar series, during which they present their projects to an audience of faculty, students, administrators and campus visitors. Last summer, 49 students from 19 departments and programs presented their projects to an average audience of more than 100 people. In addition, URSCA researchers participate in on-campus panel discussions and poster presentations during a fall symposium.
I love seeing alumni who did research with me years ago posting about their project on Facebook, or I’ll post something about a topic and they’ll comment about it. These are the kinds of things alumni are remembering. For some, research is their connection to Allegheny. Aimee Knupsky URSCA director and associate professor of psychology
Garcia, who recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation for the work she is doing with Bardine, has mentored student researchers since coming to Allegheny seven years ago. She feels working in teams is a crucial part of scientific discoveries. “We’re now in a stage of research where it’s a collaborative team effort,” she says. “I incorporate students so we can be a team trying to solve a problem. It starts off with me functioning as a mentor, then I become the student, because they are the ones doing the experiments and digging into literature. Just seeing that process is fun for me; it’s made me a better scientist.” URSCA student coordinator Katie Denning ’16, a psychology major and English minor, also has been conducting research at Allegheny. Working with Knupsky since her junior year has allowed Denning to discover her true passion and future career path. “I took an interdisciplinary class called ‘Cognitive Humanities,’ and that introduced me to the research question I’m interested in, which is called ‘theory of mind,’” Denning says. “It’s basically how we interpret people’s nonverbal behavior into what they’re thinking or feeling and use that in social interaction.
“We have so many competitive research opportunities here,” Denning says. “You can go to conferences and present your work at the national level. You get one-on-one mentorship experience with a faculty member. You can have your work published alongside faculty who are invested in you. The opportunities are endless.” When speaking about working with Knupsky, Denning contrasts it with a friend who is working in a lab at a larger school. “My friend has met her professor twice in three years,” she says. “Here, I got to know Professor Knupsky immediately. I was given the freedom to develop my own project and independent study, and Professor Knupsky is learning with me as we go. I was able to shape my own work.” “At larger institutions, undergraduates do URSCA work, but they do it later, during their junior or senior year,” Knupsky adds. “At Allegheny, they are doing this work in their freshman or sophomore year. Our students are contributing significantly to the direction of that work. And when they go to graduate school or to work in a lab or for a business, they’ve had experience managing, making decisions and troubleshooting. Employers see that as a huge asset.” In the future, Knupsky seeks to continue making faculty and students aware of the many research opportunities available. The office hopes to eventually create URSCA fellows who would conduct research for the College. Denning also is working on creating a student society for URSCA — called SURSCA — to help increase awareness. “Research has been my favorite part of my undergraduate career,” Denning says. “It’s not only given me great experience and confidence, but also strong relationships with people who share my interest. I want others to know they can have this experience, too, no matter what their field may be.”
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Arthur ’80
John ’11
Katie ’09
Sarah ’14 Meghan ’17
Susan ’80
Mack
8 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
Photo: Kathleem Prosperi-McClard ’11
GIFT HONORS FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY TO COLLEGE AND THE EARTH by Kathleen Prosperi-McClard ’11
You’ll be hearing about the James Hutton Chair of Energy Stewardship in Allegheny’s Geology Department for many years to come. Who is James Hutton, you may ask, and why is he important to Allegheny? Thanks to the Stewart family of Warren, Pa., the Geology Department soon will have an endowed professorship. It bears the name of James Hutton, who is considered the founder of modern geology. Hutton was not an Allegheny alumnus. In fact, he died in 1797, before the College was founded. He was a Scottish farmer who, through his powers of observation and analysis, recognized the processes that formed the Earth. “He had the courage to advance his radical theories at a time when it was generally believed Earth was created just 6,000 years earlier,” says Arthur J. Stewart ’80. Stewart and his wife, Susan Strenio ’80, found inspiration from Hutton’s story, and even though their undergraduate degrees were in philosophy and theology, they decided to buy some oil and gas properties in the late 1980s. It proved to be a fortuitous decision. The Stewarts started two companies, D & I Silica — which they opened when they saw a need for high-quality sand for oil and gas exploration — and Cameron Energy Co. in Warren, which still operates and acquires oil and gas properties, drills new wells, and produces crude oil and natural gas.
The added bonus for Arthur Stewart is that he gets to work with the couple’s four children, all Gators: Katie ’09, John ’11 and Sarah ’14. Meghan, a junior at Allegheny, joins the company in the summers.
The ethics and values I learned have also proved to be very important. Shortcuts don’t help you get ahead. Allegheny taught me to make the decision that serves a bigger purpose. Arthur Stewart ’80
“I get to work with my children every day,” Stewart says proudly. “Katie runs Cameron Energy’s office, John is on Cameron’s roustabout team and is in charge of special projects, and Sarah is Cameron’s title abstractor. In the summer Meg is part of our intern program. Susan doesn’t have an official role in the company, but she is the hub around which the family revolves, and she keeps the focus on family first. “My stick-to-it-ness that I learned while at Allegheny helped me to succeed in business,” Stewart says. “The ethics and values I learned have also proved to be very important. Shortcuts don’t help you get ahead. Allegheny
taught me to make the decision that serves a bigger purpose.” The Stewarts decided in 2014 to make a $400,000 gift to fund a geology faculty position, specializing in energy, for four years. They also agreed to donate $600,000 to endow a professorship, which was met with a $1.4 million donation from an anonymous West Coast donor. These gifts will fully fund the faculty position for many years to come. “Our focus on a chair in geology reflects the department’s need for a fourth professor, but more importantly, we think the study of geology at the College instills many of the Allegheny experiences we hope to perpetuate,” says Stewart. The Stewarts say they wanted to honor influential professors such as Sam Harrison ’63 and Bob Schwartz ’66 in geology, Jim Sheridan ’50 in philosophy, Brownie Ketcham in theology, Lowell Hepler in music and Jim Bulman in English. They were reluctant to attach the names of one or two particular professors to the name of the newly created fund because that would fail to honor other equally deserving professors, says Stewart. That’s how naming the endowed chair after James Hutton came about. “We believe the James Hutton story will live on, and we believe someone looking at it might well recognize that it speaks of intellectual honesty, (Continued on Page 10)
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Susan and I both had a light-bulb moment where we suddenly understood this phrase (We Are Allegheny) as adults and not as students. We realized that someone had paved the way for us to be students. It was now our turn to ‘be Allegheny’ in new ways. Arthur Stewart ’80
CAMPAIGN PROGRESS RAISED Photo courtesy of Geology Department
fortitude, curiosity and other great qualities fostered at Allegheny,” says Stewart. “Collectively, as a family, we decided that the Geology Department is emblematic of the good experiences each of us had at Allegheny.” Rachel O’Brien, Geology Department professor and current chair, says a fourth faculty member “will bring an extra pair of hands on deck, which will allow us to start teaching new courses and have new electives for our students. Our intention is to develop an interdisciplinary minor — energy and society — so that we can develop informed citizenry around energy awareness. When you couple that with Allegheny’s focus on sustainability, that’s a good set of offerings. We are also hoping to add to existing internship opportunities for students interested in this field.” The Stewarts have donated to the College’s Annual Fund since they graduated. One day while visiting 10 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
their children on campus, they saw a “We Are Allegheny” banner, Stewart says. “Susan and I both had a lightbulb moment where we suddenly understood this phrase as adults and not as students,” he says. “We realized that someone had paved the way for us to be students. It was now our turn to ‘be Allegheny’ in new ways.” Says O’Brien: “It is rewarding to be recognized by alumni. Arthur and Susan feel strongly about the rigor our department provides and have recognized that something significant is happening.” “We give because of the many good things that happened to us as a result of the seeds that were sown at Allegheny. We can trace so many of those good things back to our Allegheny roots,” says Stewart. “We have regard, appreciation and love for what we experienced. How can we help others have that same experience?”
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Football, cross country enter
NEW ERAS by Jim Berger
The Gators football and cross country programs have new head coaches in 2016. Allegheny welcomes B.J. Hammer as its football coach. Hammer joins Allegheny after five years as defensive coordinator at Wabash College. Also, Allegheny alumnus Ben Mourer ’07 returns from Coe College and will oversee the cross country team. Mourer will help coach the track and field squad as well. Both coaches took a break from busy recruiting schedules to talk about their career transitions and aspirations for their programs.
Hammer takes the reins of Gator football B.J. Hammer knows a thing or two about winning. He was named the 34th head coach in the history of the Gator football program in January, having spent the previous five seasons as the defensive coordinator at North Coast Athletic Conference school Wabash College, a program consistently ranked in the upper echelon of Division III football. Hammer helped the Little Giants to two NCAC titles and three trips to the Division III playoffs during his tenure, including the 2015 season when the squad went 10-0 and advanced to the semifinals of the national tournament. As defensive coordinator, Hammer coached four of the past five NCAC defensive players of the year, as well as four All-Americans and 22 First Team All-NCAC honorees. The Little Giants won 51 of 58 games during his five-year tenure. 12 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
While the Gators haven’t had the recent success of their NCAC counterparts from Crawfordsville, Ind., Hammer said he had no doubts when accepting his new position that he is up to the task of helping the Gators return to the top of the conference.
B.J. has a very strong playing and coaching pedigree. With his background, I’m confident that he’ll be able to usher in a new era of Gator football success. Portia Hoeg Director of Athletics and Recreation
“We had great success at Wabash,” he said, “and I learned a lot from our head coach Eric Raeburn, but I just felt that it was time to go. We had two really deep
playoff runs the last two years, and I felt that I accomplished a lot there. I was getting the itch to be a head coach, and I knew it was the right time.” A 2001 graduate of Wabash, Hammer was familiar with Allegheny football, having either played or coached against the Gators at Frank B. Fuhrer Field a number of times. While he knew of the rich history of the Gators football program, Hammer was impressed by his experience on campus during his interview for the position in mid-December. “I really liked Allegheny right away,” said the coach. “It was a great campus, and I really enjoyed the interview process. I’ve been on campus before with football, and I knew a lot about the College, but had never seen the academic side, the entire campus and all of the great facilities. I really enjoyed the people that I met.”
34th Allegheny football head coach Bachelor’s degree in history 5 seasons as Wabash defensive coordinator 2 NCAC titles 3 Trips to Division III playoffs Coached 4 of past 5 NCAC defensive players of the year 3-Time All-Conference selection First-team All-American in 2001 Holds records in single-game (5), single-season (23) and career tackles for loss (58) Holds record with younger brother Blair for career sacks (27.5)
B.J. Hammer
football
Photo: Ed Mailliard
What our players can control right now is how hard they’re going to work in the weight room, what they can do about their flexibility and focusing on all of the little things they can do to become better football players.
Hammer succeeds Mark Matlak ’78 on the Gators’ sideline. Matlak retired following the 2015 season as the longest-tenured coach with the second-most wins recorded in program history. Hammer praised his predecessor, and feels that it should be an easy transition for his players and assistant coaches. “Coach Matlak did a great job here,” said Hammer. “In 2003, he beat a Wabash team that my brother was on to win a conference championship. He was incredibly well respected, and I think it will be a smooth transition.” “B.J. has a very strong playing and coaching pedigree,” said Allegheny Director of Athletics and Recreation Portia Hoeg. “With his background, I’m
confident that he’ll be able to usher in a new era of Gator football success.” Given the team’s recent struggles, Hammer believes that he will provide a fresh start for the Gators’ returning players as they prepare for the 2016 campaign. “The past three years, they’ve struggled,” said Hammer. “When you have that, I think the kids are looking for a positive change. I met with the rising seniors, and told them, ‘I’m buying into you guys, and we can make this what you want it to be for your senior year,’ and I believe they’re going to be all-in.” A native of Carmel, Ind., Hammer starred on the gridiron for the Little Giants for four seasons before earning a bachelor’s
degree in history in 2001. Regarded as one of the top defensive linemen in the history of the NCAC, Hammer was a three-time all-conference selection, and was named First Team All-America in 2001. He holds school records in single-game (5), single-season (23) and career (58) tackles for loss, while he is tied atop the Wabash record books with younger brother Blair with 27.5 career quarterback sacks. After graduating, Hammer began his coaching career at his alma mater, mentoring the Wabash linebackers in 2001. He then went on to serve as linebackers coach at Heidelberg for a season, before spending eight seasons at Whittier College, first as defensive coordinator and later as head coach, before returning to his alma mater. (Continued on Page 14)
13
With more than a decade of coaching experience, Hammer knows that arguably the most important task for any coach is recruiting talented student-athletes. Upon accepting his position at Allegheny, he hit the recruiting trail, making trips to Arizona and Florida in his first month. Hammer isn’t shy about expressing his desire to recruit a large number of talented players, but he knows that this is just one step in the process of returning the program to its winning ways. Equally important is the commitment of the current players, he said. “When I met with the team for the first time,” he said, “I told them that it’s a blank slate. We can do what we want with this program. It’s going to take a big buy-in. All of our players, coaches and staff have to buy in. Everybody has
I wanted to be really selective in finding the right place to move on to and I’ve found that at Allegheny. I’m sure of it. B.J. Hammer
to buy in to make a positive change in order to change our circumstances. All I believe in now is working hard.” Hammer said that success is only attainable if he and the team focus on incremental goals over the course of this year. “I think right now our main goal is all about work ethic and buying in,” he said.
“What our players can control right now is how hard they’re going to work in the weight room, what they can do about their flexibility and focus on all of the little things they can do to become better football players. I take it month by month. Through the month of February, our goals concerned fitness and conditioning. In March, we had a new set of goals with spring practice. When the season comes around, that’s another set of goals in itself.” Hammer says Allegheny is the right fit for his family, which includes wife, Emily, daughters, Layla and Ellie, and son, William. “I wanted to be really selective in finding the right place to move on to,” he said, “and I’ve found that at Allegheny. I’m sure of it.”
mourer hits the ground running Ben Mourer ’07, head coach of the Gators cross country program and assistant track and field coach, didn’t have an exact career plan after his graduation from Allegheny in 2007. A four-year Alden Scholar with a major in history and minor in geology, he entertained several career choices, but his love of running, combined with the advice from friends and mentors, drew him into a coaching career. “Coaching was not my original plan after graduating,” said Mourer, who was hired at Allegheny in December. “I spent a couple of months thinking I was going to go to law school, and really played around with a lot of different ideas. “For my whole life, I had people tell me I should look into teaching. Well, coaching is a form of teaching, and I took the advice of a lot of teachers, coaches, friends and teammates.” A four-year standout in both cross country and track and field for the Gators, Mourer began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Coe College. He climbed the coaching ladder while earning a Master of Education degree. He was eventually elevated to the position of head cross country and associate head track and field coach at Coe, a title he held for four years before returning to Meadville. 14 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
Under Mourer, the Kohawks experienced major success. He coached the school’s first Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference cross country champion, as well as Coe’s first-ever NCAA Division III National Champion, Keeley Finnell, who won the Division III title in the 800-meter run in 2011.
He’s certainly a positive addition to the program, and I’m confident he’ll ensure the program continues its success in the future. Portia Hoeg Director of Athletics and Recreation
Coe is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which also is the hometown of Mourer’s wife, Kimberly, a 2008 Allegheny graduate who was also a standout runner on both the track and cross country teams. “I was able to be around Kimberly’s family for the past six-plus years,” he said. “It was just a great experience, and one that I’m very thankful for.” Returning to the Allegheny campus for his interview in the late fall, he recalls: “It was one of the first times I was back on campus since I graduated. Walking
around, you instantly remember all of the little things and all of the activities, and most importantly, all of the people. It was really fun walking around and bumping into staff and faculty who I hadn’t seen in years. All of the memories came rushing right back. It was a fun day. I had a little bit of a homecoming, while I got to learn so many great things about the cross country and track programs.” “With Ben, we’re obviously happy to have someone who played such a large role in our cross country team’s tradition of excellence,” said Allegheny Director of Athletics and Recreation Portia Hoeg. “He’s certainly a positive addition to the program, and I’m confident that he’ll ensure the program continues its success in the future.” Mourer inherits a cross country team that is coming off of a successful fall campaign. Both the Allegheny men and women won the North Coast Athletic Conference championships and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championship, where senior Logan Steiner and junior Dan Cheung of the men’s squad were crowned All-Americans. Success at Allegheny is nothing new for Mourer. He was an integral part of 12 NCAC championship-winning teams
Integral part of 12 Allegheny NCAC championship-winning teams as student-athlete (4 apiece in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field) 4-Year Alden Scholar Master of Education degree Head cross country and associate head track and field coach at Coe College Coached Coe’s first-ever NCAA Division III National Champion in 2011
ben mourer ’07
cross country/track
Photo: Ed Mailliard
When your normal becomes a high level, and includes major accomplishments like conference titles and making noise on the national scene, that’s when you have a culture of success. That’s where both teams are now, and hopefully we can stay there for some time.
as a student-athlete — four apiece in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. He experienced firsthand what goes into being a perennial championship contender, and feels that his current squads understand the process, as well. “The first thing you need to do when you’re trying to develop a team is develop the attitude and confidence to be good,” Mourer said. “What you originally view as being successful has to change in order to really be successful. Our women’s cross country program saw that throughout the 1990s, and our men over the past decade or so. The norm became winning conference championships and going to the national championship. When your normal becomes a high level, and includes major accomplishments like conference
titles and making noise on the national scene, that’s when you have a culture of success. That’s where both teams are now, and hopefully we can stay there for some time.” Another factor in sustaining a winning culture is the ability to attract top-notch student-athletes into the program. Mourer’s recruiting has been aided by the team’s perennial success, and he feels that having been in the shoes of his current and future student-athletes should also be helpful. “The first thing you sell with Allegheny is the academics,” he explained. “It’s a phenomenal school. You have to find people who are going to be good academic fits, with good grades and test scores, and who can find the right fit with a major.
After that, selling the program is really easy with the success we’ve been having. “Allegheny cross county really is nationally known,” he continued. “I’m excited to recruit a little more nationally, while continuing to hit the same areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York that we’ve had such great success in. “Everyone who gets into coaching has a dream or vision of going back to where they started,” he said. “The return has been great, and even more so has been joining a program that has experienced so much recent and historical success. I want to really get to know the team before setting specific goals, but I know we want to be where we’ve been before — at the top of the conference, and fighting for the national championship.” 15
On the Hill
News from Campus
Mullen appointed to NAICU Board President James H. Mullen, Jr. has been elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). Mullen joined the board at NAICU’s annual meeting in February in Washington, D.C. With close to 1,000 member institutions, NAICU is the national public policy association for the nation’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities. The association focuses on policy issues with the federal government, such as student aid, taxation and government regulation. In 2014-15 Mullen chaired the board of directors of the American Council on Education, the major coordinating body for all of the nation’s institutions of higher education. In addition, he serves on the Presidents’ Advisory Council of the Bonner Foundation and the Council of Independent Colleges; on the Presidents’ Council of the Council of Independent Colleges and the
North Coast Athletic Conference; on the Presidents’ Council and Executive Committee of Project Pericles; on the Executive Committee of the Great Lakes Colleges Association; and on the boards of the American Colleges and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, and the Annapolis Group. Mullen also serves on boards for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh, the Meadville Medical Center and the Economic Progress Alliance. President of Allegheny College since 2008, Mullen has enhanced the College’s reputation as one of the nation’s preeminent colleges of the liberal arts and sciences.
Ferguson welcomed as new dean of students Kimberly M. Ferguson joined the College on Feb. 1 as vice president and dean of students. Prior to Allegheny, Ferguson worked in key leadership roles, most recently as dean of students at Spelman College. She also has worked at Capital University, Ohio State University, the University of Akron, the College of Wooster and Albion College. She also served as president of the Ohio College Personnel Association. “Our entire campus community — students, faculty and staff — was involved in the search process, and Dr. Ferguson made an immediate connection with the people she met,” said James H. Mullen, Jr., president of Allegheny. “An award-winning administrator who has also taught in the classroom, she understands the importance of keeping higher education centered on an outstanding student experience — and she believes passionately in the power of the liberal arts. She brings tremendous talent, energy and expertise to our senior leadership team.” 16 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
The dean of students is the college’s chief student affairs officer and works collaboratively with the senior administration, faculty, staff and students to provide a comprehensive living and learning environment that challenges students to be leaders and engaged citizens, creates a campus environment respectful of differences and prepares students for a lifetime of contribution to society. Ferguson will directly oversee the areas of residence life, religious life, student involvement, safety and security, the counseling center and the health center. In addition, she will collaborate closely with colleagues in the offices of academic affairs, Title IX and athletics, as well as with the leaders of the engaged learning and civic engagement initiatives centered in the Allegheny Gateway.
Stuebner named president of Colby-Sawyer College Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sue Stuebner has been appointed president of Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire effective July 1, 2016. “During her tenure at Allegheny, Sue has made a most powerful difference for the future of our College and earned respect from across the community,” President James H. Mullen, Jr. said. “She has been a tremendous partner to me in managing a wide portfolio of responsibilities, and has combined a deep understanding of our mission with a strong, focused and transparent style of management. While we will miss her a great deal, she is eminently prepared to serve as a president and Colby-Sawyer is very fortunate to have her leadership.”
Brill Neumann, a search firm based in Boston, will assist the College in identifying a new executive vice president and chief operating officer. “My work the past three years has been made possible through the considerable talents of those I supervise in support of the Board’s and President Mullen’s vision for Allegheny,” said Stuebner. “This institution is in very strong hands and I know that all of you will be well served by the entire Administrative Executive Committee team.”
LeSane, Salton named vice presidents Cornell B. LeSane II and Susan K. Salton, two members of the College’s administration, have received promotions and will serve on the Administrative Executive Committee.
He earned a bachelor of arts in political science from Hampton University and a master of public management from Carnegie Mellon. He and his wife, Annitra, have four children.
LeSane has been promoted to vice president for enrollment and dean of admissions. LeSane joined Allegheny in 2014 as dean of admissions. He has more than 15 years of experience in higher education, including working as associate director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon University. He began his career as an admissions coordinator at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.
Salton has been named vice president for College Relations, having joined the College last year as associate vice president for communications and marketing.
“It’s been a wonderful experience getting to know the amazing students, alums, faculty and staff,” said LeSane. “Having recently reflected on Allegheny’s 200-year history, it is exciting to be part of a team dedicated to building a plan to ensure success for many more years to come.” LeSane has served on the steering committee for the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy, a magnet school for 6th through 12th graders, and as committee chair for College Success 101, an outreach program geared toward inner-city youth in the Pittsburgh area.
As the College’s chief communications and marketing officer, Salton oversees the College’s marketing, branding and communications functions, including both internal and external communications for a variety of stakeholders. She manages the areas of design and publication, web and social media, editorial services, media relations, video and photography, and event promotion. Salton has held leadership roles both in higher education and in the corporate world, including at Hartwick College, Cornell University, Corning Inc. and Fidelity Investments. She earned a bachelor of arts from the University of Maryland, where she majored in political science, and has studied communications at Boston University.
Grants and Gifts $2,000,000
Max Kade Foundation Allegheny received the grant to endow a professorship in German studies. The foundation has provided generous annual support through the years for a Max Kade Writerin-Residence; for Allegheny students who study in Cologne, Germany; and for support of programming at the Max Kade International Wing of our North Village residence hall, a special interest area funded through the foundation that promotes cross-cultural communication and exploration. The Max Kade Foundation takes a leading role in promoting Germanic studies and transatlantic exchange through the support of programs that encourage a positive relationship between German-speaking countries and the United States.
$10,000
PPG Foundation Allegheny received the grant in support of Creek Connections’ operations in Pittsburgh. Creek Connections, a collaboration between Allegheny College and regional K-12 schools, uses local watersheds as outdoor laboratories for water quality investigations by students. Science comes alive for students in Creek Connections, conducting hands-on research on their local waterways, learning laboratory and field-testing techniques, experiencing the scientific process and learning watershed concepts. The PPG Foundation aims to create brighter, more colorful communities where PPG has a presence in the United States. By investing in educational opportunities, PPG helps grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators.
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Fair Allegheny, yonder on the hill, Through all the years, our hearts are turning still, In love to thee, and so they ever will. O, Alma Mater, Beatissima. Warm rests the sun, so soft on wall and vine; No air in all the world can equal thine, Again we flame our torches at thy shrine, O, Alma Mater, Beatissima.
THE BIG PICTURE II May 30, 2015
Nearly 1,000 alumni and friends gathered on the lawn of Murray Hall for a Moment in Time snapshot during Bicentennial Reunion Weekend in 2015. Photographer Bill Owen ’74 made his
way to the roof of the Henderson Campus Center to take this photo just before a thunderstorm rolled through the campus. Thank you to all who participated in this once-in-a-lifetime event!
Download the photo at allegheny.edu/magazine
Class Notes
News and Events from Alumni
Notes 1950s ’52
Dr. Len Kreisler was featured in Living in the Sun magazine, which serves the residents of the Sun City Summerlin Community Association near Las Vegas. The article talks about his life as a physician and his time in the Army, as well as his journey caring for an ailing spouse. The article says he is writing a book with the subtitle “The Odyssey of a Caregiver: Husband, Father and Physician.”
Notes 1960s ’62
Joseph D. O’Neill has been named to The Best Lawyers in America, 2016 edition. He is the only lawyer in New Jersey to be chosen in eight categories of selected practice. He also is the only practicing South Jersey lawyer to successfully argue before the U.S. Supreme Court in the landmark case of Apprendi v. New Jersey.
’64
Marylee Glenn McGregor decided the time was right for her to move to the Westminster Canterbury Continuing Care Community in Richmond, Va. “I am already finding more activities than I can possibly participate in. … The hardest part of the move was trying to pare down my accumulation of books.” She invites friends to write to her at 1600 Westbrook Ave., Apt. 652, Richmond, Va. 23227.
’65
Twyla Holmstrom Sales says her husband, Robert Sales, died in December 2015 after being in a nursing home for nine months. “We were blessed to have been married for 33-and-a-half years,” she says.
’68
Jim Trezise, who has served as head of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation since its creation in 1985, will step down from the post by the end of the year.
20 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
’69
Maureen McClure has been named a National Education Finance Conference Distinguished Fellow, one of 10 recipients of the award who are recognized for their work in the field of public education finance. She is associate professor in the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in secondary education from Allegheny, an MBA, M.S. in educational administration and a Ph.D. in education finance and policy from the University of Rochester.
Notes 1970s ’72
David G. Gundling was inducted into the MMI Preparatory School — Freeland Wall of Fame posthumously on Sept. 19, 2015, for professional achievement. He had a long and successful career in the food distribution industry, culminating in a position as the chairman of Spartan Management Group.
Andrew Williams says that in late 2014, he scanned the photographs he had taken during the 1970 and 1971 anti-war demonstrations in Meadville and in Washington, D.C. Twenty-five of these photographs were exhibited at Goggleworks in Reading, Pa., in May and June 2015. Those and more also were published as The Anti-War, available via Amazon.
’74
Michael Piraino co-founded Healing Learning, a social-purpose corporation that is developing gamified versions of an online system to help adolescents, young adults and their families self-manage stress and recover from trauma. Becca Pratt was the Arts of the Inland Gallery featured artist at Lehigh Regional Medical Center Café in October 2015. She teaches art and theater at Upthegrove Elementary School in LaBelle, Fla. Her creations often can be seen at the Barron Park House Gallery in LaBelle.
’76
George Bradley, associate professor in Duquesne’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, was profiled on triblive.com for winning the Meritorious Service Award from the Mathematical Association of America. He has a master’s and doctorate in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame.
Jeanne Julian’s chapbook, Blossom and Loss, was released by Longleaf Press in 2015. Her poems have appeared in Naugatuck River Review, Poetry Quarterly and other journals, also winning awards in competitions sponsored by The Comstock Review and The North Carolina Poetry Society. She also served as the featured reader at the First Tuesday Poetry Open Mike in New Bern, N.C. She attended Allegheny, where she studied under the late novelist Alfred Kern ’48, professor emeritus of English. She earned a degree in fiction from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
’77
Dr. Michael Adelman was named network director of the Department of Veterans Affairs for the Pittsburgh-based regional office. He has a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the VA 16 years ago and attained various leadership positions, most recently as director at the Wilkes-Barre location.
Glenn Aparicio Parry was a guest on “A Better World Radio” on blogtalkradio.com. He is a writer, educational consultant, international speaker and entrepreneur. He earned his master’s in East-West psychology and his doctorate in humanities with a concentration in transformative learning from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
’79
Peter Greene spoke about professions in English and the humanities in October at Clarion University. He is a teacher and writes a regular column for The Derrick (Oil City, Pa.) and maintains a blog titled “Curmudgucation,” address-
ing educational issues. Recently named Education Fellow by The Progressive, he is also the author of several books. Rex Knisley was named to the board of the BC3 Education Foundation, which receives and manages private funds for the benefit of Butler County Community College. He is senior vice president of commercial banking and regional manager for First National Bank’s northwest region. He serves on a number of economic development committees in the Hermitage, Pa., area, where he lives with his wife, Dawn.
Notes 1980s ’80
Susan E. Cox was reappointed in July 2015 to an eight-year term as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois, where she has served as a judge since 2007. In addition to her duties as a magistrate judge, Cox also serves on the “Re-Entry Court,” which works closely with recently released felons to facilitate a smoother re-entry into society.
Ret. Judge Jack K. Mandel ’58 (middle), Hugo Gutierrez ’98 and Rosa Elena Diaz ’03 were honored with a 2015 Orange County Human Relations Award for their work with Nicholas Academic Centers. The centers were conceived and founded by Mandel; Diaz is the chief operating officer and Gutierrez is the chief financial officer. The Nicholas Academic Centers provides academic assistance, social services, cultural enrichment programs, college connection opportunities and need-based scholarship opportunities. Continued support and services are offered during the college years to ensure graduation. Sarah Moss ’14 has joined the staff as site manager.
Mark Greenlee published Witness: Cleveland’s Storefront Churches, a multidimensional portrait of small black, white and Latino congregations in Cleveland. It draws upon academic studies, historical archives, personal interviews and more than 100 photographs to tell the story of vibrant faith communities of the past and present. Mark S. Vrahas, vice chairman of the Department of Orthopædic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, was named the Robert W. Lovett Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He was honored for his dedication to clinical care and his commitment to teaching and training future generations of doctors and scientists.
Jim Linaberger ’59 and Sandi Kenyon Linaberger ’62 wrote to share their celebration of Allegheny’s Bicentennial at Chateau de Champchevrier, a private country estate (owned by the family for many centuries) in the Loire Valley of France, on June 20. “Sandi and I made a brief presentation on the occasion of the founding of the College in 1815. We unfurled the college seal and everyone toasted the celebration with glasses of fine French champagne,” says Jim.
21
Marchman Honored for Career Achievements Robert A. Marchman ’80 received a Diversity Success Award for career achievements and contributions to diversity and inclusion during the Wall Street Project Diversity Success Stories Luncheon, hosted by Black Enterprise, on Feb. 17 in New York City. The luncheon was held during the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund 19th Annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel. Marchman was honored for his career achievements and contributions as one of the nation’s premier leaders in the financial services industry; for his commitment to excellence, best practices and innovation; and for being a proponent of diversity and inclusion, enabling other diverse groups’ access to capital and opportunity. After Allegheny, Marchman went on to earn a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He is executive vice president of FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), an independent, not-for-profit organization authorized by Congress to protect America’s investors by making sure the securities industry operates fairly and honestly. Formerly, Marchman served as an executive vice president of the New York Stock Exchange and department head in the NYSE’s Division of Market Surveillance.
’83
Cynthia Martin Pezze, chief technology officer of Westinghouse Electric Co., has been honored by Pittsburgh Business Times with a Women in Energy Leadership award, which was created to honor women leaders in the region’s energy sector. She has bachelor’s degrees in mathematics from Allegheny and metallurgical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. She has completed executive management programs at Duquesne University’s Beard Institute and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
22 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
In addition to his service on the Allegheny Board of Trustees, Marchman has served on the University of Pennsylvania Law School Board of Managers; as a member of the New York Stock Exchange Foundation; as chairman of the Northeast Board of Operation HOPE; as a PFLAG board member; as a trustee and founding member of the Community Coalition on Race of South Orange-Maplewood; as a trustee of the Essex, New Jersey Board of the National Urban League; as a trustee of the Council for Economic Education; and as a board member of the NSHSS Foundation. Hundreds of corporate executives, minority entrepreneurs and community leaders from across the country attended the Wall Street Project Economic Summit, which the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., founded in 1996 with the Citizenship Education Fund. The Wall Street Project encourages corporate America to recognize the value that minority entrepreneurs, vendors and consumers bring to the marketplace and ensure equal access and opportunities for culturally diverse companies, consumers and employees.
Donna Weymann Session, Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s division director for reproductive endocrinology and infertility, is the medical director for Tennessee Fertility Institute, a fertility practice and in vitro fertilization laboratory near Nashville, Tenn.
’84
Ronald Amodeo has been named Regional Health’s (South Dakota) chief innovation and growth officer. He comes from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where he was director of the Office of Business Development.
Tony Chiroldes plays “Rico” in a newly revised adaptation of Oscar Hammerstein II’s and Georges Bizet’s Carmen Jones — now titled Carmen, La Cubana — due to premiere this spring in Paris. Set in pre-Castro Cuba, this Spanish-language incarnation is directed by award-winning British director Christopher Renshaw (Wicked, Taboo) and written by Cuban playwright/poet Norge Espinosa Mendoza.
Louis Golino received an award from the Numismatic Literary Guild in August 2015 for the best ongoing website column about numismatics. The award was for his column, “The Coin Analyst,” which has been published since 2011 in CoinWeek.com. Faheem Masood was named chief executive officer of ESL Federal Credit Union. He joined ESL nearly 25 years ago after earning his MBA from Buffalo State College. James Puglisi had an essay, “Fethullah Gülen and Fr. Basil Moreau: Sowing the Seeds for Religious Tolerance and Dialogue,” published in Conversations on Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement: Dreaming for a Better World. The essay and book are related to the work he does in interfaith dialogue and religious diversity at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas.
’85
John Schneiderhan spoke about the benefits of UV curable printing for plastic cards during the International Card Manufacturers Association’s North American Workshop in October 2015 at the Renaissance Chicago O’Hare. He is a business development manager at DIC/Sun Chemical.
’86
Michael Cobb, chairman and CEO of ECI Development Ltd., has been named one of the “100 Outstanding CEOs in Central America and the Caribbean” by Central America’s Mercados y Tendencias
magazine. He started his business career in the computer business, and in 1996, he left that industry to co-found a real estate company in Central America. Joel M. Nagel was appointed ambassador to Austria. He plans to focus his activities on trade investment, development assistance, and culture and tourism promotion of Belize. He established his private law practice in 1990 in the specialized area of international business and asset protection. He is married to Susan Entress Nagel ’86 and has seven children.
’87
Bradford N. Edgren was recognized by Continental Who’s Who Among Pinnacle Professionals in the field of dentistry. He is the owner and sole orthodontist of Orthodontic Associates of Greeley in Colorado. He earned his doctorate of dental surgery at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. George H. Thompson was appointed vice president of sales and marketing at CP Industries, a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of seamless high-pressure vessels for alternative fuel storage, industrial gas, and offshore and defense applications.
’88
Lillian Abraham Schumacher has been named chancellor at Penn State Beaver. She had been vice president for academic affairs at Tiffin University in Ohio. She also served as founding director of the Ph.D. in Global Leadership program at the Indiana Institute of Technology. She has 27 years of experience in higher education and corporate environments.
’89
Stephen T. Fowler joined Greenberg Traurig as a counsel in its pharmaceutical, medical device and health-care litigation areas. He received his degree from George Mason University School of Law, where he was a member of the American Inns of Court.
Mike Parker was featured in a segment in January on WJET-TV in Erie, Pa., as part of the station’s 50th anniversary. He is a veteran news videographer at JET-TV. His daughter, Autumn, is a senior at Allegheny. The segment can be found at yourerie.com/about-us/jet-50th.
Notes 1990s ’90
Will Fahey was appointed senior vice president, head of commercial executive lines, at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI). He is leading BHSI’s expansion in the U.S. commercial executive lines market. He most recently served as senior vice president at Zurich North America. He has a law degree from New York Law School.
Anthony Powell’s Knowledge Capital Group LLC has been named one of the 20 best-performing small companies in South Carolina for 2015 by SC Biz News.
Andra D. Rivers Johnson ’84, left, met up with Lorraine Dixon-Jones ’84, Asma Zia ’83 and Chris Shipley ’84 during a mini-reunion in Boston, Mass., on Aug. 29, 2015. “We had a great time reconnecting and catching up,” she says. Andra also was appointed to a two-year term as recording secretary of the Central Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Black Social Workers. She was inducted as recording secretary during a ceremony at the Association’s Kwanzaa Celebration and General Meeting in Indianapolis on Dec. 17, 2015. In addition, she was appointed to a two-year term on the National Association of Social Workers Administrative and Supervision Section Committee. She will serve as one of the content experts for practice standards, project development, continuing education and media commentaries, and she will serve as a resource for policy issues such as legislative testimony and regulatory comments.
23
’91
Elaine Herrmann Blais was named head of Goodwin Procter LLP’s (Boston) Litigation Leadership team, concentrating on patent litigation. She serves on Goodwin’s Women’s Initiative Steering Committee and co-chairs its Boston Women’s Initiative Council. Blais earned her juris doctor in 1995 from Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.
Andrew Bohonak has been appointed assistant dean of graduate affairs at San Diego State University and is a professor in the Department of Biology. Carole-Anne Elliott is serving as an English educator with the Peace Corps in Moldova. She works with three partner teachers across grades two through 12. “Teaching (and living) in Moldova is a crazy experience,” she says, “but the kids — well, most of them! — and my fellow volunteers make it all worth it.” She would love to hear from fellow Alleghenians at caecal@yahoo.com. Angel Fernandez-Carbonell, vice president of Latin America operations for WestRock, was named a VIP member of Worldwide Branding. This special distinction honors individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to achieving personal and professional success. He received a Global Executive MBA from IESE Business School in 2007. Anna Zacherl Griffith, founder and CEO of Discovery Machine Inc., was interviewed on karlkapp.com. Discovery Machine’s mission is to provide a methodology, technology and support services to enable organizations to capture and deploy expertise for better decisions and actions. Tim O’Brien, president of Trumbull Energy Services, received an Energy Leadership Award in the area of construction. The awards honor people, companies and organizations for outstanding performance in the western Pennsylvania energy industry.
24 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
Darrell Park, a former White House Office of Management and Budget staffer, author and entrepreneur, announced his campaign for Los Angeles County’s 5th Supervisorial District.
’93
Amir Jafri was named vice president at Burgundy Asset Management. He has more than 15 years of managerial experience in systems and technology for the financial services industry.
’94
Greg Ward joined Associated Bank to start a new office in Cleveland focused on commercial real estate lending. Prior to Associated Bank, he was CFO for Jernigan Capital. Greg and his wife, Molly ’93, live in Rocky River, Ohio, with their three children.
’95
Andy McKenzie was named athletic director at Gardner High School in Massachusetts. He previously worked as an assistant football coach at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.
Victor Pickard has published America’s Battle for Media Democracy: The Triumph of Corporate Libertarianism and the Future of Media Reform, a book on the history and future of news. He also received tenure at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, where his research and teaching focus on digital media policy, media activism and questions about the future of journalism.
’96
Keith Stern was appointed the director of Floor Legislative Operations in the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2015. He previously served as chief of staff and rules associate to Massachusetts Congressman James P. McGovern and has worked in the House of Representatives since 1998.
’97
John Reid was appointed principal of Indian Lane Elementary School in Media, Pa. He has a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
’98
Shane Oschman has been named Warren, Pa., area manager of Northwest Bank. He is responsible for the oversight of seven offices in the Warren and Bradford areas.
Notes 2000s ’00
Dana Brown, executive director of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics at Chatham University and assistant professor of political science, has been appointed to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, a 26-member organization whose responsibilities include advising Pennsylvania’s governor on policies that impact women, supporting economic development opportunities for women and encouraging mentorship programs for girls and young women. She is married to Aaron DeHaven ’99 and has one daughter, Alice.
’01
Nathan Smith was named to the Western Pennsylvania Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2015. On the Allegheny men’s golf team, he was the 2001 NCAA Division III runner-up and a four-time All-American and two-time Regional Player of the Year. In 2011, Smith was inducted into Allegheny’s Hall of Fame.
’03
Katie Howlett Jenkins sought re-election for Painesville, Ohio, City Council Ward 2. She received a master’s of public administration from Cleveland State University School of Urban Affairs and also has a certificate in local and urban management. She is married to her husband, Dan, and has two sons, Landon and Oliver.
Jonathan Kowalski was named vice president, commercial banker, in the Pittsburgh region for S&T Bank. Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics, he has held several positions, including vice president, corporate banking relationship manager and commercial credit analyst. Kristie Seelman, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State University, is the recipient of a two-year contract from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The contract assists health disparities researchers with paying off school loans. This award is for her research, “Social and Behavioral Factors that Influence Health Disparities among LGB Older Adults and Transgender Individuals: Two Studies Using an Intersectional Lens.” She received both of her advanced degrees from the University of Denver. Joe Yarkovich was profiled in the Citizen Times for his work as a wildlife biologist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He lives with his wife, Annelie Yarkovich, and two sons, ages 6 weeks and 2 years.
’04
Matthew Magnusen was inducted into the 2015 Plum High School Sports Hall of Fame for his basketball career. He teaches advanced placement psychology at Plum High School and is married with two daughters.
Josh Maxwell was featured in a segment of “LabTV” from the National Institutes of Health, where he talks about his career and how he got into science. After Allegheny, he received his Ph.D. in cell and molecular physiology from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He is a research scientist in the lab of Michael Davis at Emory University, Atlanta, where he studies pediatric heart failure.
’05
Mary B. Martucci, who has served as an adjunct chemistry professor at the University of New Mexico-Los Alamos since 2013, was named science department chair. She has a doctorate in chemistry from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.
’07
Nathan Haines and Julie Reisz Haines ’07 relocated to Denver, Colo., in 2015. Nathan is a physician fellow in vitreoretinal disease and surgery at the University of Colorado Hospital, and Julie is a staff scientist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in the Biological Mass Spectrometry Core Facility.
’08
Lacey Funair graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in 2015 with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition and dietetics. She has since earned the
title of RDN LDN by passing her dietitian registration exam and becoming licensed to practice in Pennsylvania. Jessica Fullman Humphrey says that after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh with a master’s degree in applied developmental psychology in 2010, she was accepted to the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Physician Assistant Studies program. Her anticipated graduation date is December 2017. Dr. Mark Kline’s company, X-Therma, was awarded a Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Award by the Los Angeles Business Journal. The award recognizes innovations that will have a significant impact on society and industry. Kline is chief technology officer. Tam Pham, a licensed insurance agent in the Pittsburgh-Johnstown General Office of New York Life, volunteers with multiple nonprofit organizations in the community, including Exceptional Adventures, where she assists individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the Moyer Foundation (Camp Erin), where she provides support for children and teens who are grieving a significant loss. In addition, she dedicated herself to assisting people in her Vietnamese community with translations and business startups.
On Jan. 7, Allegheny alumni gathered to celebrate with Marco Attisano ’09 as he left the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office. “We wish Marco all the best as he branches out on his own to start his own law firm. We are sure that his Allegheny Advantage will come in handy as he works to build his practice in the Pittsburgh area!” they say. Pictured from left to right: Assistant District Attorney Doug Maloney ’09, Former Assistant District Attorney Attisano, Assistant District Attorney Jonathan Lusty ’08, The Hon. Mark Tranquilli ’89, Assistant District Attorney Emily Grawe ’11, Assistant District Attorney Michael Sullivan ’96 and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Berosh ’07.
25
’09
Emily Ricotta began working on her Ph.D. at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Switzerland, in September 2015. She is part of the Health Systems Research and Dynamical Modelling Unit in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. Her dissertation will focus on modeling how human behavior impacts malaria control interventions. She also continues working at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs as a senior research data analyst.
Notes 2010s ’10
CJ Levine started his second year as an elementary teacher in rural Alaska in August 2015, where he lives in a village of 500 people. He also continues to work long distance with Pittsburgh-based LGBT rights groups such as the Initiative for Transgender Leadership and THRIVE. His blog can be found at everydaytrans.wordpress.com.
Matthew McLamb, manager of the Volant office for Northwest Bank, received honors from the Pennsylvania Bankers Association School of Banking.
’11
Nick Balzer accepted a position as contract management attorney at WESCO Distribution Inc. in Pittsburgh.
Adam Lessard published a paper in the Lancet Oncology Medical Journal. “It is a review article that talks about cancer care in the developing world, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, using Rwanda as a specific example. It describes the several shortcomings and challenges in regard to cancer care in this particular part of the world, including a shortage of oncologists, a lack of radiotherapy machines and other treatment and diagnostic tools, and even a deficiency of palliative care in some areas.” He worked on this project in collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Partners in Health and the Rwandan Ministry of Health. Karl Smith, a doctoral candidate in biophysics at the University of Rochester, was featured on USA Today Online for the “10-cent stories” he writes for other people at the Public Market in Rochester, N.Y.
’12
Nathan Ehrman and Nicki Englert ’12 announce their engagement. “We met at Allegheny and dated for four years and supported each other through graduate school!” They live in Cleveland, where Ehrman is a lawyer at Hahn Loeser & Parks and Englert is a physician assistant at the Cleveland Clinic. They are planning an October 2016 wedding in Erie, Pa.
Michelle Holcomb ’14 and Trevor Colvin ’14, who met at Allegheny, are happy to announce their engagement. Trevor proposed to Michelle on June 6, 2015 overlooking downtown Pittsburgh on the Hot Metal Bridge. Michelle is in a doctoral program at the University of Pittsburgh studying cognitive psychology, while Trevor works at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center as a financial analyst. A Sept.16, 2016, wedding is planned at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. 26 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
C. Taylor Katherman joined the estates group of Stock and Leader, Attorneys at Law. He earned his juris doctor, summa cum laude, from the Ohio Northern University Claude W. Pettit College of Law in 2015.
’13
Anthony DeStefano and Stephanie Mancine ’13 announce their engagement. DeStefano proposed while celebrating three years of dating on Nov. 14, 2015, in Pittsburgh. They are planning a June 2017 wedding. Aaron Lynch is the Wilson Tobs Baseball Club’s 2016 head baseball coach. Before joining the staff, he was the infield and hitting coach at the California Institute of Technology. Robert Patterson earned his master’s degree in public administration, with a concentration in international management, from the American University School of Public Affairs in May 2015. He works for BNP Paribas within the bank’s newly formed Group Financial Security. He lives in New York City. Patrick Petit was hired as an employee of the business development team at Sherpa Software. He will focus on building relationships with information professionals and helping them better address their information challenges.
Laurel Wilder is engaged to Zack Meisel, whom she met at the Cleveland Indians Spring Training Facility in Goodyear, Ariz., two years ago. They reside in Cleveland, where Wilder is a marketing and communications assistant at College Now Greater Cleveland. They are planning a May 2017 wedding.
’05
Becca Aiden Rowland ’08, Sean Mahaffey ’09, Aly Luvison Mahaffey ’09, Bobby Campbell ’09, Megan Hepner ’09, Dave Kozlosky ’08, Anna Dixon Kozlosky ’09, Lindsay Svetlak ’07, Michelle Corkum ’07, Heather Knupp ’07, Carley Latus ’09 and Emily Kiernan ’09.
’14
Christina Hasson married Roger Mullins III on Aug. 9, 2015, in Falls Church, Va. Fellow Gators in attendance were Leah Shouey Ahlin ’05 and Lindsey Shouey Snyder ’05.
’09
Brynya Bowden wrote a column for the Meadville Tribune titled “Food insecurity is real, it is here in our community and you can help.” The article talked about efforts to increase access to fresh, healthy, nutritious food for the Meadville, Pa., community. She is an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) at Women’s Services in Meadville. Kellee Cribby is in her first year as head coach of the Traip Academy field hockey team in Kittery, Maine. She played four years of lacrosse at Allegheny and was a three-year captain.
’06
David McLaughlin married Hope James on Dec. 19, 2015, at Raleigh Vineyard Church in Raleigh, N.C.
’08
Shiri Akrish married Robby Scharfeld on Aug. 9, 2015, at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in Cleveland. Robyn Snelling ’09, Katie Stewart ’09, Carolyn Kuzell ’09, Susannah Bender ’09 and Melissa Porter Parks ’10 were in attendance.
’15
Sam Palmer is the radio play-by-play broadcaster and media specialist for the Muskegon Lumberjacks hockey team in Muskegon, Mich.
Amanda Spadaro is the education reporter at the Butler Eagle in Butler, Pa.
Unions ’04
Jennifer Grayburn married Nicholas Genau on July 21, 2015, in Buðir, Iceland, at the historic Buðir Church. “I was working on an excavation in Iceland,” she says, “when my fiancé and I decided to scratch the whole big wedding thing and elope, just the two of us. Following the ceremony, we celebrated with a picnic and cake in the adjacent lava field.”
Shannon Crusse married Travis Barnhill on May 30, 2015, in Port Clinton, Ohio. They reside in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, with their two dogs, Killian and George. Shannon owns and operates Fairport Rentals.
Submit your newsworthy events for Matthew Dickey married Jocelyn Bellew on Oct. 3, 2015, in a vineyard in Paso Robles, Calif. Their dog, Eddie, was the ring bearer. Guests included Dan Niewoehner ’04, Lindsay Shanley Niewoehner ’05, Aaron Polack ’04 (and wife Meghann), Lawrence Schlosser ’05 and Sarah Quilhot Rood ’06.
Elizabeth Straus married Peter Sotherland ’09 on Oct. 10, 2015. President Emeritus Dr. Richard Cook, a longtime friend of the Sotherland family, officiated the ceremony. Gators in attendance included Terry Lahti (friend of the College), Liz Earley ’08, Emily Pfeufer ’08, Joe McMahon ’09, Rebecca Lendyak-McMahon ’11, Erich Wittmer ’09, Katie Pankowski Heckman ’07,
inclusion in Class Notes by visiting allegheny.edu/classnotes or email items to clnotes@allegheny.edu
27
’10
Alex Smith married Amy Kerschner ’11 on June 13, 2015, in Pittsburgh. Gators in the wedding party included father of the bride Dave Kerschner ’79, best man Jim Gutowski ’10 and groomsman Dan Kerschner ’17. Several other Gators attended the wedding, including Tim Wetzel ’79, Bob Schwartz ’66, Marie Wick Schwartz ’81, Ron Cole ’87, Nancy Frambes ’87, John Stewart ’11, Meghan Stewart ’17, Lexi Cammarata ’17, Mia Scalzitti ’15, Alina Meltaus ’12, Loren Horst ’12, Caitlyn Askey ’14, Stephanie O’Shea ’10, Rachel Dingman ’08, Kristy McGough ’11, Cameron Eddy ’12, Rhianna Hughes ’11, Sara Longo ’11, Evan Lewis ’10, Malcolm McCrumb ’12, Jordan Kurth ’10 and Matt McLamb ’10. The Geology Gators couldn’t resist examining a rock outcrop at the reception venue!
Tara Stein married Chaz Bondarenka on June 6, 2015, at St. Mary of the Mount Church in Pittsburgh, with a reception following at the Renaissance Hotel. The following Gators were in attendance: Alycia Conway ’11, Bridget Donnelly ’11, Julie Laux ’12, Megan Knox ’11, Meg Hiestand ’09, Katie Fleet ’09,
Dana Faux ’09, Greg Stolar ’09, Steve Beckett ’09, Patrick Juber ’10 and Rachelle Barrett ’11.
Courtney Thomas married Mark Bordo ’10 on Oct. 10, 2015, in Ford Chapel. Gators in attendance: Sonja Marziano ’09, Dominic Frank ’09, Liz Shaffer ’10, Jon Steele ’10, Ashley Chowka-Van Zijl ’12, Cody Cooper ’10, Betsy Keene ’12, Brittany Wynn ’12, Claire Crowther ’13 and Marlee Sherretts ’15.
Katie Huser and Taylor Katherman ’12 were married Sept. 26, 2015, at the Iroquois Club in Conneaut Lake, Pa. The wedding party included Allegheny alumni Casey Brown ’10, Sarah Jones ’11 and Dan Donahoe ’11. There were many other Gators in attendance. Taylor is an attorney at Stock and Leader, York, Pa., in the Estates Planning Department. Katie is in her final year at LECOM School of Dental Medicine and will graduate in June 2016.
’11
Mara DelVecchio married Brenton Carlini ’12 on April 25, 2015, in New Kensington, Pa. Mara received her Master of Science in acupuncture & Oriental medicine in August from Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. Brenton received his Doctor of Chiropractic in December from New York Chiropractic College. Both are practicing in the Pittsburgh area.
Megan E. Mick married Andrew J. Glod ’12 on Oct. 3, 2015, at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Beaver, Pa. The wedding party included Adam Gailey ’10, Epiphany Gray ’12, Carolyn Kiliany ’11, John Milligan ’12, Glenn Pottmeyer ’12, Eric Roginek ’11, Lindsey DiLoreto Shilling ’11, Zak Sprowls ’13 and Taylor Throckmorton ’12. Sixteen additional Allegheny alumni were in attendance. Andrew is a Realtor for Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services and is working out of the Airport/West Regional office in Moon Township. Megan works for UPMC Centers for Rehab Services as a women’s rehab/men’s health physical therapist.
Kami Forgie married Clayton Soltesz ’12 on June 20, 2015, (Allegheny’s 200th birthday) in Ford Chapel at Allegheny. Several Gators attended the celebration including Carly Fritz ’12, Patrick Fritz ’13, Kirsten Carr ’12, Allison Terwilliger Soltesz ’06, Alina Meltaus ’12, Loren Hurst ’12, Bethany Gigante Eppig ’11, Stephanie VanSickle ’11, Nicki Englert ’12, Nathan Erhman ’12, Quinn Wright ’12, Ashley Rogers Wright ’14, Ben Biddle ’12 and Amy Frake ’12. The newlyweds live in Philadelphia. 28 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
’12
Kate Holquist married Mike Flickinger ’12 at Succop Nature Conservancy in Butler, Pa., on Aug. 29, 2015. More than 30 Gators came from near and far to share their fairytale day with them. The newlyweds reside in Sewickley, Pa., with their two dogs, Henry and Luna. Molly Mattis married Brandon Smith on Oct. 3, 2015, at St. Agatha Roman Catholic Church in Meadville, Pa. A reception followed at Riverside: the Inn at Cambridge Springs. Gators in attendance included Annette Lynch ’69, Derik Wilcox ’08, Jessica Smith Norman ’09, Pete Gifford and Allegheny employees Pauline Lanzine, Butch Moyer and Gretchen Beck.
Andrea Varrato married John Stenger ’11 on Aug. 29, 2015, at Heston Farm Winery in Fairmont, W.Va. They were joined by a dozen members of the Allegheny community, including bridesmaids Sara Schombert Rectenwald ’13, Tavita Garrett ’12, Rebecca Canterbury ’12 and Lauren Harewood ’12, and guests Cory Rectenwald ’13, Shane Gallocher ’12, Jed Farber ’12, Samuel Ginsburg ’12, Clayton Smith ’11, Barry Stoddart ’11, Jessica Schombert ’16 and Emma Brooker ’15.
’03
Sarah Wilhelm married Dr. Theodore Bean II ’11 on April 25, 2015, at the First Presbyterian Church of Sharon, Pa. The bridal party included Jennifer Kuneman Barlekoff ’12, Julie Ropelewski ’12, Catharine Wreche ’12, John Milligan ’12, Sean Unice ’11, Zach Lindeman ’11 and Emma Bean ’15. Eight other Gators were in attendance, including mother of the groom Diane Hasek ’85. Dr. and Mrs. Bean reside in Hershey, Pa.
Arrivals
Mehrnoush Moussavi Johnson, her husband, Mark, and big brother Dariyan welcomed Keyan Robert Johnson on May 15, 2015. The family lives in Orange County, Calif.
’06
Frank Palermo and Amanda Kopnitsky Palermo ’06 announce the birth of their first child, a daughter, Eleanor Alice, on Aug. 4, 2015. Nora joins them at home in Pittsburgh.
’07
’02
Lindsay Hall Cooper and her husband, Pete, announce the birth of their identical twin boys, Aaron Benedict and William Robert, on July 25, 2014. They join big sister Emilia. The family lives in Olney, Md.
Angela Wells Flanagan and Danny Flanagan ’07 welcomed home their new daughter, Nadia Miamor Flanagan, in February 2015. Nadia was born Jan. 9, 2015. Four-year-old Sofia is a proud big sister.
Hillary Upton married Connor Bratten ’14 on Dec. 5, 2015, at Church of the Transfiguration in Pittsford, N.Y. The couple dated for five years after meeting in their FS101 class at Allegheny. Many Gators were in attendance, including Caroline Upton ’10, Sarah Labarre ’14, Ally Lewis ’14, Sarah Klein ’14, Marshal Bratten ’13, Matt Hajduk ’14, Jeff Bramkamp ’14 and Pedro O’Campo ’15. The couple resides in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.
29
’08
Obituaries ’33
Harriet Crawford Jones on Jan. 6, 2016. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in library science. She was a social worker and then worked for the American Red Cross in New York City and Washington, D.C. She returned to Erie, Pa., to work for the Social Security Administration.
’34 Hope Marijan Buggey and Jonathan Buggey ’08 are proud to announce the birth of their first child, Avery Harper Buggey, born Nov. 1, 2015, in Durham, N.C. They can’t wait to take their future Gator on her first visit to Allegheny!
’09
Anna Strott Steinford on Jan. 19, 2016. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She worked at Hammermill Paper Co. as a chemist and taught science and algebra at Academy High School and Memorial Junior High in Erie, Pa. Survivors include one son, William H. Steinford; one daughter, Katherine Stauff, and five grandchildren.
’40
Florence Melcher Ference on Oct. 9, 2015. She served as a civilian/government pilot during World War II. Prior to retirement, she was an executive secretary for Gulf Research and Development Co. and had been secretary to the Pennsylvania Gun Collectors Association. She is survived by five grandchildren.
Laura Erbelding Bechtler and her husband, Matthew, welcomed their first child on June 20, 2015. Colton Bruce Bechtler was born in Woodbridge, N.J., at 8 pounds, 20.5 inches long.
’10
Marisa Frey Charley and her husband, Craig, welcomed their daughter Margaret “Greta” Elaine Charley on July 31, 2015.
30 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
Jane Anderson Ingerson on Nov. 23, 2015. She was a Methodist missionary in Malaya. She served the Butler (New Jersey) United Methodist Church for 47 years and was active in the Morris County Fair Housing and Urban League. She is survived by two sons, David and Spencer, and many grandchildren.
’41
Elizabeth Miller Zaro on May 23, 2015. She grew up in Ebensburg, Pa., attended Allegheny and graduated from Drexel University. She was a lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Navy during World War II. The Betty Miller Zaro ’41 Music Fund at Allegheny was created in her memory. She is survived by two sons, Christopher and Timothy J. Zaro ’79; a daughter, Victoria Loving, and three grandchildren.
’43
Martha Miller Newton on Jan. 25, 2016. She graduated from the Yale University School of Nursing with a Master of Nursing degree and was active in nursing all her life. Survivors include her children, David Newton, Steven Newton and Kathryn Newton; her brothers, William Miller, Stephen Miller and Edwin Miller; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dorothy Magee Philson on Sept. 6, 2015. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Survivors include her brother, Dr. Donald Magee; her children, Randy Philson Young, Curtis Philson and Sally Philson Martini; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
’44
Haskel Hoffenberg on Sept. 15, 2015. He volunteered for the U.S. Army after completing two years at Allegheny. He completed Signal Corps training and was later recruited into the Office of Strategic Services. After the war, he completed his Allegheny degree and graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law. He practiced antitrust law in Chicago and then moved to Brazil to serve as counsel to a major company. When he returned to New York, he started Latin American Resources. He is survived by his wife, Nancy; three children, Jennings, Bettina and Sasha, and three grandchildren.
’45
Alberta Marriott Geisler on Sept. 19, 2015. She was educated at Teachers College in New York City, taught piano students and directed church choirs. She is survived by a son, Charles; a daughter, Hope Rulison, and four grandchildren.
’46
Ruth Blank Horner on Jan. 13, 2016. She graduated from Allegheny and took graduate courses at the State University of New York to obtain her teaching credentials, enabling her to teach elementary school at Brocton Central School in western New York. She and her first husband also operated grape vineyards in Fredonia. She then worked as manager of “Christmas at Pawleys” at the Hammock
Shops in South Carolina and as a secretary at a church. Survivors include her husband, George; her children, Rebecca Blank, Bonnie Liposchak and William Blank; three stepdaughters, Adrienne Leary, Allison Harte and Mary Costanzo; three grandchildren, three step-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild.
’49
John M. Joseph on Jan. 16, 2016. He received a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry with a minor in psychiatry from Allegheny. He did graduate studies and taught at Bowling Green State University, where he earned a master’s degree. He continued his graduate work at the University of New Mexico. He then took a position as professor of biology at Findlay College (now known as the University of Findlay), where he taught for 32 years, becoming professor emeritus.
Charles W. Johnson on May 20, 2015. A graduate of Northwestern Law School, he was an attorney and served in the Korean War as part of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He is survived by his wife, Marion; a son, Daniel; three daughters, Rebecca, Therese and Sara, and nine grandchildren.
Irene Mszanowski Ropski on Oct. 25, 2015. She graduated from Mercyhurst Seminary and received her master’s in nursing from Yale University. She was a nurse and office manager for her husband’s dental practice and was a member of the Erie County Women’s Dental Auxiliary. She is survived by three sons, Gary, Steven and Paul, and two grandchildren.
’48
Dallas Hunt Allison on Oct. 27, 2015. She enjoyed entertaining, raising flowers/landscaping and artistry, and tennis. She is survived by three sons, Frederick, Mitchell and Andrew IV, and a daughter, Lee Rundquist.
Jeane Shilling Bare on Oct. 14, 2015. She worked as a substitute teacher in the Parkrose School District in Portland, Ore. She is survived by her children, Gretchen Bretsch, Karen Salo, Carol Nikov, Donald Bare and Christopher Bare, and five grandchildren. Lois Jean Reusch Rassat on Nov. 10, 2015. Survivors include her husband, Bernard; her children, Susan Bloch and Barbara Tripp; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Phyllis Wolff Budell on Dec. 9, 2015. She was a housewife and was active in civic and community affairs at the grassroots level. She is survived by four sons, William, Robert, Timothy and David; a daughter, Barbara Darpino; and four grandchildren.
J. Donald Wargo on Sept. 20, 2015. After graduate study in cardiovascular physiology at the University of Minnesota, he received his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine. He established an obstetrics practice with offices in Boca Raton and Delray Beach, Fla., retiring in 1994. He also served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps as chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the American Hospital in Paris, France. He then became one of 25 founding members of the medical staff of Boca Raton Regional Community Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Joan; two sons, Michael and John, and three grandchildren. William Wylie on Oct. 6, 2015. He enlisted and served with the Eighth Air Force as a B-17 top turret gunner and flight engineer in World War II. He was awarded an Air Medal with three bronze clusters, three bronze stars and a Purple Heart for his service. He then attended Allegheny and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He worked for the Binghamton Press in New York, the Pittsburgh Press and then for the public relations firm Hill and Knowlton. He later became vice president of corporate affairs at Pittsburgh National Bank, retiring in 1989. He also taught journalism at Point Park College and wrote a book about the University of Pittsburgh band. He is survived by his wife, Carol Wylie; son, Stephen, and daughter, Carol.
’50
John J. Bowman on Nov. 1, 2015. He was a first lieutenant in the Army in World War II. He was a career banker and retired from the First National Bank of Pennsylvania as a senior vice president and moved to Tampa, where he owned a bookstore for several years. He is survived by a son, Jay; three daughters, Barbara, Susie and Mimi, and seven grandchildren.
’51
Janet Schulmeister Broadwell on Dec. 4, 2014. She enjoyed a career in acting and often had the lead role at the Delray Beach, Fla., Playhouse. She also hosted a live Saturday morning TV show and had a radio talk show. She is survived by a daughter, Jennifer Scott; a son, Eric Scott, and a grandson. Eleanor Brown Sample on Oct. 1, 2015. She was a member of several community organizations. She is survived by three sons, Duffy, John and Steve; three daughters, Janet Card, Carol Sample and Debbie Youngberg, and 17 grandchildren.
’52
Edward F. Fleming on Oct. 11, 2014. After two years serving in the U.S. Army in Korea, he received a master’s degree from Bucknell University. His career was in banking in New York City. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from Long Island University, Southampton Graduate Campus. He is survived by his wife, Josiane Fleming; two sons, Michael and Peter, and a daughter, Rebecca Fleming. Edwin Nelson on Nov. 27, 2015. Upon graduation from Allegheny, he entered the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant during the Korean War. After leaving the Air Force, he began a career in sales. He is survived by three sons, David, Alan and William, and three granddaughters.
Walter E. Rickard on April 29, 2014. He was a World War II Navy veteran. He became an engineer, designing machinery for the automotive industry. He is survived by his wife and five children.
31
Carolyn Flint Wilson on Oct. 12, 2015. She taught first grade in Wilkinsburg schools in Pittsburgh and then was a substitute in Fox Chapel schools, which gave her the material for a book she wrote called Lies I Have Been Told. She also published a second book, The Soldier in the Attic. She is survived by a son, Thomas III; a daughter, Karen Besanceney, and four grandchildren.
’53
Janice Turner Eagye on Sept. 20, 2015. She worked in telecommunications and administration and traveled the world. She is survived by her husband, Vernon Alan Eagye, and two sisters, Lois Kilburn and Mary Smyrl.
Nelson E. English on Sept. 28, 2015. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta. He went on to earn an MBA at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania. Most of his business career was in corporate finance at the PPG Industries headquarters in Pittsburgh. His military service was with the U.S. Army. Survivors include his wife, Joann Archer English; a daughter, Janet English; a son, Brian English; twin grandsons, and a sister, Kay English Coryell. Barbara Walker Miller on June 1, 2015. She worked for Framemakers for 12 years, retiring in 2005. She is survived by her husband, Joseph; two sons, Donald and Bruce; a daughter, Susan Muhl; a sister, Sandra Cluthe, and three grandchildren. John C. Sullivan on Sept. 11, 2015. He was a graduate of Dickinson Law School. He was an attorney, retiring from practice with Nauman, Smith, Shissler and Hall in Harrisburg, Pa. He is survived by three sons, John C. III, Timi and Michael; a daughter, Elizabeth Randolph; a brother, James, and a granddaughter.
32 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
’54
June Stover Anderson on Dec. 9, 2015. She was an elementary school teacher and a homebound teacher for Saginaw Township Schools. She was awarded the Friend of Education Award in 1983, which recognizes dedication, leadership, concern for others and a commitment to education. She is survived by a daughter, Kristin Berbling; a son, Steven Anderson, and four grandchildren.
Alton Chambliss on Aug. 27, 2015. He earned a law degree at the University of Buffalo Law School and then entered the Air Force as a Judge Advocate General officer. After completing active duty, he served as a reservist before retiring as a colonel. He practiced law in California with the Alameda County district attorney’s office, in private practice and as general counsel for the Continental Insurance Co. He is survived by his wife, Alice; a daughter, Christa Patterson; a son, Kurt, and four grandchildren. Diana Spaulding Crants on Dec. 23, 2015. She worked at advertising agencies in San Francisco, in medical records and then at KOOK TV (later KTVQ-2), where she became national sales manager. Survivors include her husband, Duane; her children, Willie, Anne and Jim; four grandchildren, and her sister, Betsy. Richard Uhrich on Sept. 29, 2015. He received a master’s degree in public health administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Following a brief time in private practice, he served as a medical officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and was associate director of international health in the Office of the Surgeon General. Following his retirement, he joined Samaritan Health Service, where he was CEO of Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix. He then joined Medical Ambassadors International, where he served as director for Southeast Asia and international director. He is survived by his wife, Susan; son, Mark; two daughters, Karen Pfeifer and Kimberly Gross, and seven grandchildren.
Allen Wood on Sept. 27, 2014. He received his MBA in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh. He served in the U.S. Army and then worked for Westinghouse Corp. in Pittsburgh. He is survived by three sons, Gary, Jeffrey and James Wood, and four grandchildren. Elizabeth Barlow Wood on Sept. 24, 2015. After completing studies for a teacher’s certification at the University of Pittsburgh, she worked for the Penn Hills School District in Pittsburgh as an English teacher until her retirement in 1992. She is survived by a brother, A. Ralph Barlow; three sons, Gary, Jeffrey and James, and four grandchildren.
’55
Helen Botsai Marquard on Oct. 27, 2015. She had a master’s degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and taught at Geneva College. She also worked for the Gulf Oil Corp. She is survived by a sister, Sarah Botsai, and a brother, Roderick Botsai.
’56
Donald Bolon on Dec. 3, 2015. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in organic chemistry and completed postgraduate studies at Harvard prior to joining the General Electric Corporate Research and Development Laboratory. He is survived by four daughters, Kristen Clickner, Claire E. Bolon, Diane Bolon-Koffman and Michelle Bolon-Daubon; a brother, Roger Bolon; a sister, Carla Dinkle, and 10 grandchildren.
Richard J. Rodgers on Jan. 22, 2016. He served in the Navy on the U.S.S. Hornet as a lieutenant junior grade and a staff communications officer. After concluding his service, he accepted a position at Union National Bank of Pittsburgh, where he was an investment banker until his retirement. Survivors include his wife, Mary Jane Rodgers; his daughters, Nancy Frey and Janie Harper; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren, and his sister, Marian Saffer.
’57
Leonard M. Kaplan on Jan. 8, 2016. He graduated from Allegheny and Queens Medical College in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After returning to the United States, he served in the U.S. Navy as a medical officer during the Vietnam War and earned a National Defense Service Medal. He spent the majority of his life as a psychiatrist, focusing on hypnotherapy. Survivors include his children, Michael Kaplan, Melanie McCarville and Gail Martineau, and six grandchildren.
Gertrud Bauer Pickar on Oct. 29, 2015. She was a retired professor of German and former department chair at the University of Houston. After graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Vienna. She then earned a master’s degree in German from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate, also in German, from Rice University. She received an Allegheny College Gold Citation. Survivors include her daughters, Michelle Pickar Jordan and Lora Annette Pickar, and four grandchildren.
’59
Elwood Hughes on Nov. 3, 2015. After graduating from Allegheny, he was inducted into the U.S. Army and spent two years in the Army Intelligence Corps. After discharge from the service, he took a job with Aetna Casualty in Pittsburgh, where he began his career in the insurance industry. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; a sister, Sally Coune; two sons, Robert and Christopher, and three grandchildren.
Charles L. Seif on Nov. 16, 2015. He earned his master’s from the University of Pittsburgh and served with the U.S. Marine Corps. He was employed by the U.S. Defense Department at Letterkenny Army Depot and in many other posts in the United States and overseas. He is survived by his wife, Li Yong Cha Seif; a sister, Dorothy Kapp, and a brother, James M. Seif. Hugh Wright on July 29, 2015. He worked at Western Electric and then as a technical writer. He is survived by his wife, Ann ’55; a son, Hugh; two daughters, Louise and Sarah, and eight grandchildren.
’60
Bruce B. Byers on Aug. 12, 2015. After graduating from Allegheny with a degree in mathematics, he earned another bachelor’s degree in industrial management from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He was co-owner and president of Management Resource Associates. He is survived by his wife, Carole Denick Byers ’60; his daughter, Linda Byers Parrish ’88; two sons, Bruce, Jr. and Jeffrey; a brother, Larry Byers, and four grandchildren.
’61
Bertram Lantz on Oct. 21, 2015. He worked for Clark Brothers Bolt Co. and then started his own company selling engineered components to the trade. He retired in 2002 and worked with his son to grow his landscape company. He is survived by his wife, Peggy; sister, Beverly Lefebvre; son, Eric Lantz; daughters, Peggy Messenkopf and Cindy Ward, and eight grandchildren.
’62
Peter E. Schneider on Oct. 3, 2015. He was a Vietnam War veteran, serving with the U.S. Air Force, and was a retired auditor in retail sales in the Pittsburgh area. He is survived by two sons, Peter and Michael; two stepchildren, Robert Groninger and Kristina Bossa; two grandchildren, and several step-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.
’64
William H. Benz on Sept. 30, 2015. At Allegheny, he lettered in cross country and track, belonged to Phi Gamma Delta and was a resident advisor. His graduate work in chemistry at Case Western Reserve and his law degree led to a lifelong career in patent law in the biotechnology industry. Survivors include his wife, Ruth Hoerner ’64; two married sons and five grandchildren. Sidney T. Hewes on Sept. 11, 2015. He moved to Florida after spending most of his life in Jamestown, N.Y. He is survived by his wife, Sally.
’65
Philip S. Jones on Nov. 11, 2014. He worked at the National Bank of Detroit, where he spent his entire career, ultimately rising to chief financial officer. He is survived by his wife, Dale Beier; two sons, Eric and AJ, and four grandchildren.
Kenneth K. Robertson, Jr. on March 21, 2015. While at Allegheny, he completed the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. He was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force and served primarily in security police assignments with the Strategic Air Command, Military Airlift Command and U.S. Air Forces in Europe. He completed his master’s in management from the University of Arkansas. He authored Operation Nickel Grass: The U.S. Air Force’s 1973 Yom Kippur War Airlift to Israel. He was an ardent supporter of Allegheny and its athletic programs. He is survived by his brothers, William and Douglas.
’67
James U. Treter on Sept. 23, 2015. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta and graduated from Temple University with a doctor of dental surgery degree. He practiced dentistry in Erie, Pa., before retiring and moving to Florida. He is survived by his wife, Marsha; four children, Matthew, Dr. Sarah Dunn, Lydia and Janelle; a brother, Dr. David R. Treter; three stepchildren, Joseph G. Bean, Cassandra B. Laymon and Laura F. Morale, and grandchildren.
33
’68
Patrick Hart on Oct. 16, 2015. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University and received his master’s degree from Allegheny. He was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from Gannon University, awarded as a model of the Christian Educator and was bestowed with the Papal Honor Pro Ecclesiae et Pontifice. He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, where he served as a radar mechanic in the 81st Troop Carrier Squadron, and was a teacher and coach at East High School in Erie, Pa. He was posthumously honored by the Erie School District’s Partnership for Erie Public Schools. Ruth Casimira Jastrab on Dec. 31, 2015. She graduated from Notre Dame School for Girls, then joined the convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Cincinnati, Ohio. After leaving the novitiate, she worked at CBS News in Chicago. She attended St. Theresa’s College in Winona, Minn., and completed her bachelor’s degree at Allegheny. She was an artist, poet and small-business owner. She is survived by her daughters, Marialisa and Amanda Miller, a brother and her sisters.
’69
Kurt D. Almasy on Nov. 22, 2015. He received his juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and was an attorney for the U.S. Treasury Department in Pittsburgh. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie R. Almasy; two brothers, C. Wayne and Larry, and a daughter, Logan R. Almasy. Laurel Warner on Jan. 1, 2016. She had an M.D. and Ph.D. from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. She did her internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship at Harvard, becoming board certified in both specialties. She was recruited to the University of California, San Francisco’s faculty to do IgA research and head the Infectious Disease Clinic at the VA Hospital in San Francisco. She then practiced infectious diseases and internal medicine in Sonoma County. Survivors include her husband, Charles
34 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
Elboim, M.D.; her daughter, Samantha; her stepsons, Adam and Josh, and her siblings, Kent, Phillip and Christine.
’70
Beverly Rape Erwin on Nov. 20, 2015. She worked as a high school biology and middle and high school special education teacher. She is survived by her wife, Mary Jane Elam; brother, Mark Rapf; daughter, Julie Zelenakas Emmons, and two grandsons. Paul Ross on Oct. 29, 2015. He was a periodontist and had taught at the University of Southern California. He is survived by his life partner, Fran, and his brother, Steve Ross ’65. Millicent Harris Woods on Dec. 9, 2015. She worked for a department store and taught computer programming at her son’s elementary school. She is survived by her son, Nathan Woods; a sister, Nancy O’Reilly, and two grandchildren.
’72
Lynn Bly Weaver on Oct. 31, 2015. She attended graduate school at the University of Maine and the University of Pittsburgh before moving to Boston, where she and a business partner built a home services company. She then worked for Digital Equipment Corp. as a freelance technical writer, at Sun Microsystems and for Park County Friends of the Arts as executive director of the Danforth Gallery. She also developed a web design service business. She is survived by two sisters, Lisa and Diane Weaver, and a brother, Gerald.
’73
Richard Davis on Sept. 7, 2015. He attended Ringling Brothers Clown College and began a career as a circus clown with Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus. Following a contract with Circus Odyssey in Puerto Rico, he traveled to developing countries to give free clown performances. He also performed at the 1982 World’s Fair, Radio City Music Hall, the White House, Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center and First Nights across
New England and appeared in operas with Raylynmor Opera. He helped to establish the American Youth Circus Organization, and he and his wife founded CircusLearning, Silver Lining Circus Camp and Flying Gravity Circus. He also was a Smirkus artist-in-residence and director of the Smirkus School Residency Program. Besides his wife, Jackie, he is survived by three brothers, William, Roger and James; a sister, Margaret Davis, and three daughters, Erin, Ellen and Raya.
’74
Victor A. Francis on Dec. 16, 2015. He graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and worked as a clinical psychiatrist in Florida and Arkansas. He is survived by a daughter, Amanda; a son, David; two sisters, Linda Hilbert and Helen Mazur; a brother, Mark Francis, and one grandchild.
’75
Jeffrey C. Brandon on Nov. 17, 2015. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and retired as a radiologist from University of Southern Alabama Medical School. He is survived by two brothers, John and Thomas Brandon, and one daughter, Alexis Brandon.
Barbara L. Power on Jan. 27, 2016. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Westminster College and began her career teaching mathematics at Conneaut Lake High School in Conneaut Lake, Pa. She also earned a master’s degree in education from Allegheny and a master’s degree in pure mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh. She was a lecturer in mathematics at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. Survivors include her husband, Robert Power, Jr.; her daughter, Jennifer Richards; her son, Michael Power; her brother, Robert Pershing, Jr., and her mother-in-law, Patricia Power. James W. Seel, Jr. on Jan. 3, 2016. He graduated from Allegheny and the University of Pittsburgh. He was an eagle scout and 32nd Degree Mason. Survivors include his father, James Seel, Sr.; his wife, Vicki Seel; his daughter, Sarah Watts, and his sibling, Sandy Gallagher.
’76
Robert Berry on Oct. 22, 2015. He was a graduate of the University of Georgia and Dickinson Law School. He worked for the law firm of Melman, Gekas, Nicholas and Lieberman, served as a Dauphin County assistant district attorney and established a private practice in family and criminal law. He is survived by a brother, Steven Berry, and three sons, Robert, Alden and Connor Berry.
Rev. James H. Cooper on Dec. 31, 2015. He served in the Marines and received an honorary discharge as a sergeant (E-4). He became a deacon and received a Master of Divinity from Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He then became an elder and served as a United Methodist minister in different churches. Survivors include his wife, Nancy Cooper; five children, Patty Hoegerl, Diane Taylor, Susan Shaffer, Shawn Cooper and Jamie Cooper; 12 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; two brothers, Ralph Cooper and Alan Cooper, and a sister, Sally McVickers.
’77
Holly Lugene Eckstein on Nov. 22, 2015. She graduated with a master’s in education and worked as a science teacher in schools across America as well as internationally. Survivors include her husband, Masao Kaji; her daughters, Serena and Emina, and her siblings, Nancy Adamczyk and Arthur and Allen Eckstein.
’85
David A. Moore on Dec. 20, 2015. He worked as a systems administrator at Adams Manufacturing in Portersville, Pa. He is survived by his wife, Tracee; a daughter, Lillian; a brother, Dale, and a sister, Barbara Gerstner.
’86
Barbara Anne Hilton Coy on Oct. 20, 2015. She spent most of her life in Conneaut Lake, Pa., and worked at Viscose FMC before moving to Bruceton, Tenn., where she worked at HIS Co. Survivors include her children, Jeanni Marie Segura and Gary Knott; her stepmother, Barbara
Coy; her siblings, David Coy, Rebecca Coy Arnold, Constance Coy Koch, Daniel Coy and Matthew Coy, and four grandchildren.
Hope “Sandy” McGeary on Nov. 6, 2015. She taught physical education at Allegheny.
’04
Ward N. Sherrod on Dec. 10, 2015. He was a security officer at Allegheny for 10 years.
Johnathan Cherol on Oct. 28, 2015. He was a restaurateur who opened multiple restaurants. He is survived by his parents, John and Celeste Cherol, and a sister, Virginia Cherol.
Robert S. Wycoff on Jan. 19, 2016. He served for 13 years as Allegheny’s director of public relations and editor of the College’s alumni publication.
’07
Jeffrey Reed on Dec. 13, 2015. He worked at Burlington Coat Factory in Monroeville, Pa. He is survived by his mother, Sandra Reed.
Friends of the College
Tom W. Dougan, professor emeritus of geology, who retired in 1999 after 33 years at the College. He earned a bachelor’s degree from McMaster University and a master’s degree and doctorate from Princeton University. His legacy will continue for decades to come among the network of alumni who had the privilege of studying with him and knowing him as a mentor and a friend. “He was one of the original co-founders of the Aquatic Environments program at Allegheny that eventually has become the thriving Environmental Science major,” said College Historian Jonathan Helmreich. “His willingness as chair of the geology department to consider for promotion and tenure faculty who worked partially in environmental science and partially in the geology department was crucial for getting the interdepartmental program underway.” David T. Hanahan on Jan. 23, 2016. He was the longtime voice of Allegheny College sports.
Have a Class Note you would like to share? Send items of interest via email to clnotes@allegheny.edu or visit allegheny.edu/classnotes
Geraldine A. Judy Leslie on Jan. 25, 2016. She was a cook at Brooks Hall. Gregory J. McCullough on Oct. 28, 2015. He was an adjunct professor at Allegheny.
35
The Last Word
by Marchele Tucker ’10
Now having been through four years at the College, I am more convinced than ever that Allegheny does indeed change lives by reshaping students’ perspectives about their educations and what they may want to pursue later in their lives.
Taking the time to find the
right combinations
Many students enroll at Allegheny looking to pursue pre-medicine majors that will later turn into lucrative careers. I was among those Allegheny firstyear students in the fall of 2006. From the moment I had first stepped on Allegheny’s campus during my junior year in high school, I knew this was going to be where I was going to pursue my undergraduate degree. To this day, I still enjoy the splendor of the campus. My freshman year went along smoothly, both academically and socially. Then, during my sophomore year, I started to experience some serious academic challenges. I was not earning the grades I would’ve hoped for and knew that if I was going to graduate in four years I would need to pursue a different path to meet my goal of a timely graduation. I visited Kirsten Peterson, director of pre-professional advising, who was someone I felt I could reach out to for advice. I let her know my academic standing and what I was looking to gain from my Allegheny experience. She helped me design a new major in psychology and dance and movement studies called somatic studies, in which I was able to study both the mind and the body and continue pursuing a minor in biology. I was ecstatic that I was able to complete the requirements necessary to self-design my major as well as have the opportunity to graduate on time. Not long after I completed that project, I had the opportunity to go to Italy for three weeks as part of an Experiential Learning Seminar where I studied Renaissance art as part of a group led by Professors Mark Cosdon and David Miller. This also is a good time to acknowledge Professors Eleanor Weisman, Jeffrey Hollerman and Tom Erdos, who all provided invaluable mentoring while
36 ALLEGHENY Spring 2016
I worked on and completed my senior comprehensive project. They also helped me pursue a path toward advocating for and helping those with disabilities. I am indebted to all of these remarkable instructors who have taught me the required skills I needed to move forward in my life. Allegheny gave me a solid foundation to earn a master’s degree in applied behavior analysis from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. I also published my master’s thesis, “The Effects of Single- Versus Multiple-Exemplar Training on Vocal Identification of Artists’ Styles” in the Journal of Behavioral Education. Allegheny’s faculty members instilled their passion for learning in me so I could accomplish these goals. As a prospective student, I remember reading about Allegheny in Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope. Now having been through four years at the College, I am more convinced than ever that Allegheny does indeed change lives by reshaping students’ perspectives about their educations and what they may want to pursue later in their lives. Currently, I am working toward obtaining my certification in behavior analysis as a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA). I am also exploring my career options in the U.S. Air Force. I have a long lineage of family members who have served in the military: my brother is a reservist in the National Guard; my father served 20 years and retired from the Navy; my grandfather retired from the Army, and my uncle and godfather also have served in the military. Allegheny taught me to persevere and explore all the challenges that life offers, from careers in the corporate world to service to others. Unusual combinations can be found everywhere. It is just a matter of deciding how you want to use those combinations of talents for your success. Marchele Tucker lives in Strongsville, Ohio.
A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying.
B. F. Skinner Beyond Freedom and Dignity Shared by Marchele Tucker ’10
Allegheny Magazine
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The Princeton Review
2016 Colleges That Pay You Back We are No. 1 in undergraduate research and among the most rigorous learning environments in the country.
Photo: Bill Owen ’74
Allegheny is one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking an outstanding education with great career preparation and at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review. The education services company features Allegheny in the 2016 edition of “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck.” The Princeton Review chose the schools based on return on investment ratings it tallied for 650 schools last year. The ratings weighted 40 data points that covered everything from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates, student debt and alumni salaries and job satisfaction. In its profile of Allegheny, The Princeton Review’s editors praise the College for “providing a top-tier education and high graduation rates with affordable prices.”