VOL. 34 • NO. 2 SUMMER 2016 ATHLETICS TO INDUCT SIX INTO HALL OF FAME GIFTS ESTABLISH THREE ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS WEEKENDREUNION’16 ALLEGHENY The legacies of Bonner, Fahrner, Lawendowski and Davies FOUR STRONG WOMEN, FOUR TRANSFORMATIVE SERVICE PROGRAMS
“I benefit in a lot of different ways from the service I do, but I think my biggest gain is the character growth I’ve had, not only as a better leader, but also as I have discovered myself more as a person overall,” she says. “The thing I enjoy most with the service I do is making people happy. Not just because I’m helping them, whoever they may be; they also help me, too. I enjoy the community building that comes with service.”
In this issue of Allegheny magazine, you’ll find inspiring stories from across our campus community of individuals who demonstrate an ethic of commitment to service. Faculty who make a lasting impact on finding solutions to difficult problems facing society, students who aspire to make the world a better place, and staff who combine the same commitment to on-the-ground service and set strong examples of civic engagement.
As Asia’s experience demonstrates, Allegheny’s important work in civic engagement has a lasting impact, not just in the communities—local, regional or global—that we serve, but also on each of us as individuals. It inspires our students to take the lessons they learn in the classroom and use them to make a difference as citizens of the world around us. The desire to make the world a better place is a cornerstone of the Gator spirit. It would not be overstated to say that this ethic on our campus sets the stage for a lifelong commitment to community, service, and to Allegheny.
Shaping Lives of ResponsibilityCivic by President James H. Mullen, Jr.
The desire to make the world a better place is a cornerstone of the Gator spirit. It would not be overstated to say that this ethic on our campus sets the stage for a lifelong commitment to community, service, and to Allegheny.
Allegheny’s civic engagement pro gramming fosters discussions about service learning, and because of the depth of our community partnerships, the breadth of our civic engage ment opportunities is vast. Service learning is part of a campus-wide effort to foster student commitment to a life of civic responsibility. For example, Asia Robinson ’19, who intends to major in International Studies and minor in Chinese, is in the Bonner service program and is working in Meadville this summer.
16 Athletics Hall of Fame
14 Anatomy of a Comp Cube
Athletes won team championships and earned individual honors in the past year; a look back at the 2015-16 seasons.
FSC
10 Best of Gator Athletics
ON THE COVER
The faces of change: Four women who have made a difference. (Illustration by Brian Martone)
VICE PRESIDENT FOR COLLEGE RELATIONS Susan Salton EDITOR Richard Stanley ART DIRECTOR Penny Drexel LEAD DESIGNER Brian Martone CONTRIBUTORS Jim DianaBergerBrautigam ’80 Patrick Broadwater ’93 Erica Erwin ’02 Heather Grubbs Jesse DaveDerekLaveryLiSeanO’ConnorRoncolato ’79 Josh BernadetteTysiachneyWilson PHOTOGRAPHY Ed RichardBillMailliardOwen’74SayerMikeWalker PRINTING Heeter, Canonsburg, PA 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 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 Summer 2016 • Vol. 34 • No. 2 • allegheny.edu/magazine instagram.com/alleghenycollegeallegheny.edu/magazinefacebook.com/alleghenycollegetwitter.com/alleghenycolyoutube.com/alleghenycollege 2 Four Transformative Service Programs The legacies of Bonner, Fahrner, Lawendowski and Davies impact students, alumni and community members. 26 On the Hill The College honors three Fulbright scholars. 31 Class Notes News from around the country about your former classmates. 20 Reunion Weekend Revisiting the good times of Reunion Weekend 2016 in photos. 44 The Last Word What is the impact of civic engagement on the community? 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
Six former athletes will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend.
The senior project inspires some personalized spaces in Pelletier Library. Our Third Century Quest Gifts from the Tippies and the Dotson family endow three more professorships. HERELogo
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Two centuries later, as Allegheny has placed a greater emphasis on making civic engagement a crucial part of its mission of developing global citizens equipped to make lasting changes in the world, the College’s leaders have come to recognize and embrace the notion of Meadville residents as co-educators.
FOUR STRONG WOMEN, FOURSERVICETRANSFORMATIVEPROGRAMS
According to the 2012 National Assessment of Service and Community Engagement, conducted by the Siena Research Institute, Allegheny rated higher than the national average in every one of nine service areas measured. Eighty-one percent of Allegheny survey respondents reported doing service, 33 points above the national average, and 86 percent noted that they heard of service opportunities through “word of mouth,” a strong indicator of a pervasive culture of service across campus.
Allegheny’s history has been intertwined with that of its host city dating back to the 1815 founding of the College.
On the following pages, you’ll read about programs that ignited change in the community and within alumni.
Donald Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute, con cluded that while many other institutions are “talking the talk,” few are “walking the walk.” Allegheny, he found, is “jogging and not bragging.”
by Patrick Broadwater ’93 photos by Ed Mailliard illustrations by Brian Martone At Allegheny, a commitment to service is more than just lip service.
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You’ll also meet four remarkable women whose own hard work, dedication to service and generosity helped to con nect and sustain a circle of commitment among Allegheny alumni and students and the greater Meadville community.
Alyson volunteered at a Meadville elementary school, majored in psychology and joined a soror ity, all while battling cancer for three years. She died one month after graduation, and her parents collaborated with David Roncolato ’79 on setting up the Alyson Lawendowski Community Service Award in her memory. “Allegheny was her lifeline, literally,” Marilyn said. “We’re grateful for the ongoing connection that will always be. My sadness was always that we would never know what she would become. But through these students, I think we know. This is an extension of who she was and what we would be hearing from her today.”
“I worked with the community service office every day, multiple times per day,” Halcomb said. “I focused as much on community service as I did on academics and it really helped my development as a person.”
“It was a big honor for sure for the family to think enough to pass this on in their daughter’s name,” said Halcomb, a physician assistant at Blue Ridge Pediatric in Boone, N.C., after spending six years practicing in rural, poverty-stricken Kentucky.
SERVICE
LAWENDOWSKI AWARD
“The day I interviewed they said they wanted me right away,” she said. “They said, ‘We’re impressed with your résumé and how much you’re willing to give to the community, because that’s what this profession is about.’”
Hilderbrand and Halcomb are among two dozen Alleghenians to receive the Alyson Lawendowski Community Service Award. The prize is given each year in memory of Alyson Lawen dowski ’93 to students who have played a major role in advancing com munity service efforts at the College. “In reading about her story and meet ing her family members, I really feel HONORS COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS that we could have been friends if our paths had crossed,” said Hilderbrand, who also won a Civic Engagement Council Prize for her senior comp and is now pursuing an MBA at George Washington University while working as an account executive for an adver tising agency.
LAWENDOWSKIALYSON
Lindahl Halcomb ’05 the path was more linear. She knew from an early age that she wanted to do something to help people, preferably in the field of medicine. Her work at Allegheny with seniors and children had a direct impact on her ability to get into the graduate physician assistant program at Lock Haven University.
Halcomb and Hilderbrand were hon ored in part because they were leaders among their peers.
“My idea of service was giving some thing to someone else,” she said. “But because of my experiences at Allegheny, I was able to see things in a different way. I was aware of the structural injustices and holes in the system that I never was aware of Forbefore.”Celeste
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Gretchen Hilderbrand ’11 made a promise to herself. Transferring into Allegheny College for her sophomore year, she committed to being more involved in life outside of campus. Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, she had participated in some volun teer activities in high school, but she found that giving something back to the Meadville community was a much deeper personal and enriching experi ence than she had anticipated.
Starting as a Hunger and Home lessness Outreach Project leader, Hilderbrand served as an AmeriCorps service volunteer, worked with the Meadville Housing Authority on sum mer programming, and later served as a Networking Fellow for the College where she created a weekly newsletter of service opportunities available to students, faculty and staff. Halcomb worked with the Meadville Housing Authority, provided afterschool programming with elementary school kids, and worked as a driver for elderly residents. She also was president of the rugby team and community service chair for Alpha Chi Omega. She also managed several community service sites, helping to guide program leaders in their work.
Alyson Lawendowski ’93 and Allegheny College found each other at just the right time. Lawendowski arrived in Meadville from Massachusetts in the late 1980s, just as the College’s community service program came to life. “She was lucky enough to be there at the beginning,” said Alyson’s mother, Marilyn Lawendowski. “She would be thrilled to see how it’s grown and see what the students are doing.”
“I witnessed this community of service leaders—I had friends who were Davies and Bonners—and I saw that it was this network that enjoyed and supported one another,” she said. “It seemed like a community I wanted to be a part of.”
“I don’t think that happens without this past year,” Vogel said. “It was really a fantastic experience that solidified my place in the community.”
“It was like an independent study. The connections I made with principals and teachers in those schools allowed me to go into the classroom and do lectures and expand it to dentistry,” said Katherman.
The connections she made with the Penncrest School District also allowed Katherman to return to the schools at a later date to give presentations on proper dental care.
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“If we had not had that summer person, things would have had to wait until the fall semester. There would be no one to answer people’s calls for home assess ments or get results or reach out to our community partners,” Katherman said.
The Fahrner Fund was the critical link, because it provided the Healthy Homes – Healthy Children program, a not-for-profit on the Allegheny cam pus that aims to reduce the incidence of childhood illness and disease, with the resources to hire student help and maintain its momentum over the nor mally dormant summer months.
Within a year, Vogel had decided to stay in Meadville following graduation. She landed the Fahrner-funded Year of Meadville position, which led to her most recent opportunity: a position with the city’s Redevelopment Authority.
FAHRNER FUND HELPS TO BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY
But the Gail Howe Fahrner Fund helped link the two for Katie Huser Katherman ’11, leading to a better informed, healthier community.
There may not appear to be an obvious connection between elevated lead lev els in a home and better oral hygiene.
Last year, Fahrner provided addi tional funding to hire a coordinator for the Year of Meadville initiative to address and support ongoing efforts in town. Autumn Vogel ’15 led efforts to build on the momentum of mean ingful change in the community by connecting city leaders with college supporters, regional leaders, educa tional resources, and each other. At the completion of the year, a commu nity-based organization was formed to formalize those connections and carry on the advancements of the past 12 Vogel’smonths.own commitment to Meadville started by observing the work of her peers. Inspired by them, she became a Davies Service Leader working at the Chamber of Commerce during her junior year.
The Fahrner Fund, created in 2008, helps support projects that bridge the gap between the College and the local community and offer long-lasting, tangible progress.
Katherman, who graduated this year from the Lake Erie College of Osteo pathic Medicine’s School of Dental Medicine, as an undergraduate worked for two summers as a research associ ate for the Healthy Homes – Healthy Children program offering outreach and educational opportunities to the Meadville community. Among her duties was to share information with school-age children and their parents on the hazards of lead paint and other household poisons.
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GAIL HOWE FAHRNER
For 44 years, Gail Howe Fahrner ’56 worked to spread the wealth of Robert McNeil, Jr. around Philadelphia. As a longtime personal secretary to the man who brought Tylenol to the mar ket, she helped run the Barra Foundation, which distributed millions of dollars into the community. Upon her retirement, she got the chance to do the same for Allegheny and Meadville.
Major: Global Health Studies
Sara Waya ’19
Minor: ServiceBiologySites:Active Aging & Creating Landscape Summer Programs
Sara Waya ’19 What surprises me the most about the service I am doing is how much fun I have.
“What surprises me the most about the service I am doing is how much fun I have.”
A donation from McNeil established the Gail Howe Fahrner Fund supporting community engagement. “She was the steward of that money,” said her son, Richard Schmidt. “She wanted to take what they had done for community engagement in Philadelphia and do something for Allegheny.” Fahrner, who passed away in April, had identified economic disparities between town and gown and wanted to use the fund to help form a sustained bond between the two communities. “The way she thought that was possible was for the College to be actively engaged and helping out wherever they could,” Schmidt said.
Annie Morino ’13 envisions Meadville as a garden. It’s a garden tended by many passionate residents, whose work is supplemented by college stu dents eager to help.
Ellie Davies would like to cultivate that vision. When her husband, J. Llewel lyn “Lew” Davies ’40 a trustee and community leader himself, passed in 2003, Ellie Davies and their three sons started the Davies Community Service Leaders program to encourage Allegheny students to help address the unmet needs of local nonprofits and service organizations. “We thought that was the best way to honor him,” said Ellie. “The thing that’s different about this program is that it’s project-oriented.”
When local organizations have a project or program idea that they can’t afford to fund on their own, they can turn to the Davies program for assis tance. Allegheny students are selected based on the needs of the project, and they spend a year or two helping to implement long-term changes.
Katherine Bowser ’12 was originally linked with the Meadville Area Chamber of Commerce to work on social media, but her duties changed quickly after hearing the president of the organization lament the lack of skilled workers for available jobs. She proposed tapping the College’s gradu ating senior class and set up a local job fair at the Campus Center.
Bowser stayed on for a fifth year at Allegheny and served as Davies program coordinator. Her civic engagement and a service trip to Nica ragua helped convince her to abandon a pre-med course of study. She instead went on to get a master’s degree in college student personnel. She now serves as assistant director of civic engagement programs at Davidson College, where she helps others to follow their passions.
“Service leaders add a little capacity to organizations already doing great work,” Morino said. “We’re plant ing seeds—a little program here and there—and eventually all the programs will bloom and those orga nizations will see the results.”
“People find their own niches. I often see students rethinking what they thought they wanted to do based on their experiences in these programs,” she said. “Had I not had the experi ences I had at Allegheny, I might not know this type of work existed.”
Morino worked with the YMCA for two years before becoming an ambassador for the Davies program and served as a fellow, helping guide new service lead ers and work with Women’s Services. She later interned for The Nonprofit Partnership in Erie and for the Cleve land Rape Crisis Center, leading to her current position as a research asso ciate for Burges & Burges Strategists, where she helps determine ways organizations can build better ties with their communities.
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“I had to stand on my own two feet to complete the project,” she said. “Davies helped me flourish; it helped me to be an independent person.”
Morino was involved with the Davies program from her third day on campus when she began shadowing a Davies leader at the YMCA. When her mentor went abroad for a semes ter and the site leader took maternity leave, Morino assumed the implemen tation of a Healthy Kids Day program.
DAVIES LEADERS TEND TO THE GARDEN OF MEADVILLE
“Being around the animals at Hog Heaven always brightens up my day - it’s like my weekly pet therapy! But when the animals reach the point where they greet me when I arrive or they let me pet them or they drop for belly rubs … that’s when I know that I’ve made an impact in their lives. Their trust is the greatest reward.”
Emily Evans ’19 When the animals reach the point where they greet me ... that’s when I know that I’ve made an impact in their lives. Their trust is the greatest reward.
ELEANOR DAVIES
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Emily Evans ’19 Major: Communication Arts Minors: Journalism in the Public Interest; Dance and Movement Studies Service Sites: Hog Heaven & Carrden Wellness Program
Ellie Davies has helped to usher change in Meadville for more than 70 years. The 96-year-old is a former president of the hospi tal auxiliary, volunteered with community-based organizations such as Meals on Wheels, and served on a number of boards, including serving as the only woman on the Meadville Recreation and Parks Board when it conceived and planned the skating rink and pool facility at the Meadville Area Recreation Complex. Ellie Davies was recognized in 2007 with a YWCA tribute award for civic and community leadership, and in 2009 received the Gov. Raymond P. Shafer Award for Distinguished Community Ser vice. Each year, Davies helps to select the winners of the Lew and Ellie Davies Award, presented at the annual Chamber of Com merce dinner to three college students who have most positively impacted the community. “It’s such a great joy to be associated with these young people,” said Ellie. “I love communicating with them and learning about what they’re doing.”
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Asia Robinson ’19 Intended Major: International Studies (or Economics) Intended Minor: Chinese Service Sites: Meadville Council on the Arts & SecondMarkethouseSaturdays
Asia Robinson ’19
CORELLA BONNER Born into poverty in rural Appalachia, young Corella Allen would have been an excellent candidate to be a Bonner. She later moved to Detroit, where she worked as a cashier in a cafeteria and took night classes at Wayne State University. She worked her way up to management and moved to New York, where she met her future husband: businessman and real estate developer Bertram Bonner. Together, they created programs focused on hunger and education, while empowering program recipients to make a difference in their community. Before she died in 2002, Corella made frequent trips to colleges around the country and met with students benefiting from the Bonner programs. “She was completely energized by it,” said Bonner Foundation President Robert Hackett. “And in turn, she energized everyone she met. She was first class in everything she did, even when she didn’t have two nickels to rub together. But she was as down to earth as anybody you’d ever meet. Students totally under stood her, and they understood, too, that she knew them.”
The thing I enjoy most with the service I do is making people happy. Not just because I’m helping them, whoever they may be; they also help me, too.
“I benefit in a lot of different ways from the service I do, but I think my biggest gain is the character growth I’ve had, not only as a better leader, but also as I have discovered myself more as a person overall. The thing I enjoy most with the service I do is making people happy. Not just because I’m helping them, whoever they may be; they also help me, too. I enjoy the community building that comes with service.”
Hill was a member of Allegheny’s first Bonner Leader class. “It absolutely shaped my entire career trajectory,” she said. She went to work for the Bonner Foundation for two years after graduating from Allegheny, then went to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in public administra tion. She has spent the last 12 years in federal government work. She’s currently a senior program manager for the U.S. Agency for International Development, supporting higher education institutions using science and technology to solve problems in developing countries.
A Bonner Scholar, Brooks used his love of art and dance to connect with local children through the Friends of Youth program, the YMCA and Bethesda Children’s Home. He was a member of several multicultural groups, including the Association for the Advancement of Black Culture. It was at an ABC event, where a guest speaker wondered aloud how many students of color were planning to pursue a career in higher education, that Brooks decided on his best way to give Brooksback.worked as a resident director at several institutions and recently accepted a position as assistant direc tor of intercultural affairs at Grinnell College, where he can guide other students into careers where they can help “Thatothers.wasthe light bulb moment for me. That’s really where I can make a difference,” he said.
so far has been about: What is it that I have in me that I can give to people for their benefit?” Brooks said. “Bonner talks a lot about reciprocity—as the community gave to me, how am I giving back, and how do I give back something greater than “Bonnerbefore?”emphasizes
Patrick Broadwater ’93 is a freelance writer who lives in West Seneca, N.Y.
For Bonner program participants like Jordan Brooks ’10, the cycle never Acceptedends.into the program as a fresh man at Allegheny, Brooks completed hundreds of hours of service benefit ing the local community during his college career. Recognizing chang ing community needs and his own personal growth and learned skills, he re-focused on new community chal lenges, which in turn led to new areas of “Allgrowth.ofmywork
allegheny.edu/magazine
The Bonner program, established in 1990 by Bertram and Corella Bonner, is a financial assistance program for low-income, underrepresented or first-generation college students. Both the original Bonner Scholars program and the Bonner Leaders program require students to commit to using their special skills in service or support of the local community for four years of study. Allegheny is one of three schools in the country to offer both programs.
Read about 2016 graduate Emerald Wright-Collie’s reflections on civic engagement as a Bonner volunteer.
“Allegheny and its student engage ment programs like Bonner gave me the skills I needed to understand problems and challenges,” said Hill. “I found opportunities to engage them and possibly chart a different path for myself and still actively make a difference.”
THE CYCLE NEVER ENDS FOR BONNER PARTICIPANTS
the value of longterm relationships,” said Tara Hill ’00. “It takes service to the next step from episodic, one-off activities to a more meaningful, engaged partnership.”
From the playing field to the hardwood court, Allegheny athletes had reason to celebrate this season. Here are just some of the memorable moments and accomplishments from the past year. by Jim Berger photos by Ed Mailliard 2015-16 Season
BASEBALL
Senior Joe Killian was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and junior Chase Boyer the NCAC Pitcher of the Year, marking the first time since 1993 that both honors went to Gators. Both players went on to earn All-Region honors, while Killian was named All-America by D3Baseball.com, the first Allegheny player to earn All-America honors since 2000.
Joe Killian Chase Boyer
the Best of AthleticsGator
Celebrating
Jessica Mrdjenovich Logan Steiner Jimmy Lasher continued
Senior Jimmy Lasher turned in one of the top seasons in the history of the Allegheny men’s golf program. Named the NCAC Player of the Year, Lasher established a new Allegheny record by posting a stroke average of 72.8. The NCAC individual champ, Lasher was selected at-large to participate in the NCAA National Championship. He also was named All-Region and an All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America, and was a semifinalist for the organization’s Jack Nicklaus Division III Golfer of the Year Award.
Both the Allegheny men’s and wom en’s cross country teams (pictured at left) won the 2015 North Coast Athletic Conference championships, marking the first time since 2007 in which the Gators swept the conference champi onships. Coach Jordan Hill was named both the NCAC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, and nine Gator runners earned All-NCAC honors. Both squads also qualified for the NCAA National Championship, where senior Logan Steiner and junior Dan Cheung (on page 13) were each crowned All-America.
MEN’S GOLF
on page 12 11
CROSS COUNTRY
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Senior Jessica Mrdjenovich led the Gators to the NCAC finals with a pair of strong playoff performances. In a semi final win over Oberlin, Mrdjenovich scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Gators to a 58-50 decision. Two nights later, Mrdjenovich tallied her 1,000th career point in the fourth quarter before hitting a dramatic three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to lift Allegheny to a 67-66 win over top-seeded and nation ally ranked Denison and earn a berth in the conference title game.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
Tyler Triolo
MEN’S TENNIS
McKenzie Bell
Sophomore Terra Schall, ranked third in the nation, led the NCAC with a school-record 762 digs, averaging 6.86 per set. She collected 30 or more digs in 10 matches, including three 40-plus dig performances, and finished second on the team in both service aces (32) and assists (75).
Senior Tyler Triolo graduated as Allegheny’s all-time career leader in doubles wins, amassing a career mark of 81-30, while his 124 combined wins rank fourth all-time. Classmate Thomas Manning, who in the fall became the first male Gator to earn a national ranking from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, was a First Team All-NCAC honoree after posting a 19-9 singles record. He graduated third all-time in team history in career singles (74) and combined (136) victories.
Seven Gators were named All-NCAC, highlighted by the duo of senior McKenzie Bell and junior Jessie Thies sen, who earned All-Region accolades. Bell scored 34 goals and 48 points and graduated as Allegheny’s all-time leader in career points (353) and assists (217), while Thiessen led the Gator defense and ranked among conference leaders in caused turnovers (25), ground balls (56), and draw controls (87).
Thomas Manning
VOLLEYBALL
Jessie Thiessen Terra Schall
2015-16 year in review 12 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
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Senior Josie Niovich solidified her spot as the top hurdler in Allegheny history. During the indoor season, she set a new school record in the 60-meter hur dles on three different occasions, and earned All-NCAC honors after posting a time of 9.07 seconds at the conference championship. In the outdoor season, she broke her own Allegheny record in the 100-meter hurdles four different times, culminating with a time of 14.73 seconds at the All-Great Lakes Elite
A new era in the long history of Allegh eny football was ushered in on Jan. 4 with the hiring of B.J. Hammer as the 34th head coach in team history fol lowing the retirement of Mark Matlak ’78. Hammer turned in an impressive playing career on the defensive line at perennial power Wabash College. He embarked on a 14-year tenure as an assistant coach and head coach, most recently serving as defensive coordi nator at his alma mater, which won two conference championships and appeared in the NCAA Division III playoffs three times during his five-year tenure.
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
An All-NCAC, All-Region, and All-America honoree during the cross country season, junior Dan Cheung earned a total of three All-NCAC track and field honors. At the NCAC Indoor Championships, he finished second in the 5K and third in the 3K and placed third in the 10K at the NCAC Outdoor Championships. His top 10K time of 30:26.17 was the second-best in Allegheny history, and qualified him to compete at the NCAA Division III National Championship.
Dan Cheung B.J. Hammer
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
JosieInvitational.Niovich
FOOTBALL
ANATOMY of Katherine TouscanyInternational Studies/FrenchHow the French Republicansystem deters second generationAlgerian immigrants fromsuccessfully integrating intoFrench culture Katherine Kontura Art ThomasJudithGentileschi’sHistory/HistoryoilpaintingDecapitatingHolofernesandhowherrenditionisthemostpowerfulandcomplexrenditionofthebiblicaltaleduringtheItalianRenaissanceAlvarezInternationalStudies/SpanishdoublemajorFourthWaveregionalintegrationprojectsinapost-liberal,post-HegemonicLatinAmerica(2001-Present)Zachary Clark Political Science/ClassicalInstitutionStudies and psychologicalconcentration on thirdparties and why we only havetwo government systems NoteofencouragementfromMom Awho“neighbor”believes Finaldraft! Being near a window is timenature’stracker studiedPaintingsincomp Mostly online research leads to a very tidy cube photos by Sarah Ferrell ’19 14 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
upper nobility of the kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades: How the split affected the stability of the kingdom and contributed to the capture of Jerusalem by Saladin in is wherehearttheis
“This is how you do it: You sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.” — Neil Gaiman
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by Jim Berger photos by Ed Mailliard
ENTERING HALL of FAME
GATOR ATHLETES
The Allegheny Department of Athletics and Recreation is honored to announce the 2016 Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame selection class, comprised of six standout Gator athletes.
Rebecca Smullin Dawson ’00, Jane Och Sharpless ’03, Liz Orr Sowa ’03, Nick Catanzarite ’03, Ben Rathfon ’05, and Giannina Coccaro Sardis ’06 will be officially enshrined as the 35th Hall of Fame class on Saturday, Oct. 1, in Schultz Hall as part of the 2016 Homecoming weekend.
• 20 or more points in each of her four seasons
Four-time All-NCAC honoree, including three First Team awards
•Third in the NCAC in goals (10) and points (24) as a senior
Remains one of the most prolific offensive players in the history of Allegheny women’s soccer. A four-year starter, she ranks in the top four in team history in every major offensive category, including career points (108 – fourth), career assists (32 – second), and career goals (38 – fourth). A team co-captain as both a junior and a senior, Jane was named to the NCAC’s 20th Anniversary All-Decade Team in 2003.
Three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region honoree NSCAA First Team All-America
Rebecca Smullin Jane Och
Top five at the NCAA Championships in the 100 butterfly in both 1997 and 1998
continued on page 18 17
DAWSON ’00 SHARPLESS ’03
Played a major role in the success of the women’s swimming and diving teams in the late 1990s, specializing in the butterfly and freestyle. As a team, the Gators placed 13th or better at the NCAA Championships each season between 1997 and 2000, including a sixth-place finish in 1998 and a seventh-place finish in 1999.
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• Ranked in the top four in the North Coast Athletic Conference in scoring in each of her final three seasons
• Helped the Gators finish in the top 15 at the NCAA Division III National Championships in all four of her seasons
• As a sophomore, she led the NCAC with nine assists, and fin ished third in both goals (13) and points (35)
•2001
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2001 NCAC Offensive Player of the Year
• 15 All-America honors between individual events and relays
Two-time All-America honors in the 200 freestyle relay
• Part of the Gators’ 400 free, 400 medley, and 800 free relay squads that earned three straight All-America honors between 1998 and 2000
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Topped the NCAC in 2001 with 14 assists, which remains a school record
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• 99 career games, 1,483 career points, 15.0 points per game average, both second all-time in team history
• Averaged 7.3 points and totaled 50 steals as a freshman
• Led the team in scoring (16.1 points per game), assists (49), and steals (64) as a sophmore while shooting 116-for-137 from the foul line, an 85 percent rate
• 2001 All-NCAC. Averaged 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, shot 80 percent from the foul line and led the team with 54 assists
Enjoyed a prolific four-year career on the hardwood for the Gators between 1999 and 2003. His name remains prominent throughout the team’s record book, and Nick is one of the top scorers ever to wear the Blue and Gold. Thirteen years after graduating, he remains the Gators’ all-time career leader with 240 steals, and his 389-for-470 record from the foul line is sec ond best in team history.
SOWA ’03 Liz Orr CATANZARITE ’03 Nick 18 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
• Wrapped up his career in 2002-03 by turning in one of the finest single seasons in program history, averaging 20.0 points and totaling 91 steals, the second-most in a single-season in team history. He also had 97 assists, 54 three-point field goals, and shot 85 percent from the free-throw line Led the Gator women’s soccer team’s defense, pacing a back line that posted 42 shutouts over her career. Started all 19 games as a freshman in 1999 on a team that finished 12-5-2. As a soph omore, Liz helped the Gators finish 16-4-1 as runner-up in the NCAC tournament. Starting every game over her four-year career, she helped the Gators to a 55-18-5 record, including a 23-8 record in conference play, and was named to the NCAC’s 20th Anniversary All-Decade Team in 2003. Named All-NCAC and NSCAA All-Region in 2000 2001 All-NCAC 2002 Co-captain as a senior, leading the Gators to a 14-5-1 record 2002 First Team All-Region and All-NCAC
• 2002 First Team All-NCAC
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• As a freshman in 2003, was a Second Team All-NCAC honoree, with eight wins and 69 strikeouts, along with her first career no-hitter against Kenyon
One of the most dominating pitchers in both Allegheny and NCAC history. A four-time All-NCAC selection, she ranks second in program history in career complete games (70) and strikeouts per game (6.6), while placing third with 504 strike outs and 16 shutouts, and fourth in career wins (48) and earned run average (1.63). Named to the NCAC’s 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team in 2013, she helped the Gators to NCAC cham pionships and trips to the NCAA Division III Regionals in both 2004 and 2005.
• Voted 2002 NCAC’s Dick Gordin Player of the Year as a soph omore by league coaches. Tied for third at the conference championship and earned All-Region and All-America honors from the GCAA for the second straight season, finishing with a 75.4 stroke average, the fifth-best in program history.
• 2003 All-NCAC, All-Region, and All-America for a third con secutive season, winning a trio of tournaments while tying his 75.4 stroke average from the previous season
• Earned his fourth straight All-Region honor in 2004
• 2006 NCAC Pitcher of the Year, posting a 1.81 ERA and a conference-high 137 strikeouts in 116 innings. Threw a pair of complete game shutouts, highlighted by her second career no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over Denison in which she struck out eight and allowed just one walk. She also batted .263 with one home run, seven doubles, 15 RBIs, and five stolen bases.
Giannina Coccaro
Achieved what is arguably the most highly decorated career in the history of the Allegheny men’s golf program.
• As a senior in 2004-05, won individual medalist honors at five events, tying a program record
• 2004 NCAC Pitcher of the Year after winning the league’s pitching triple crown, as she topped the conference in earned run average (0.57), wins (12), and strikeouts (146), while sur rendering an opponent batting average of just .176
• Four different tournament individual medals as a freshman in 2001-02, including the 2002 NCAC Championship Series
• 2001 All-Region and All-America by the GCAA
RATHFON ’05 SARDIS ’06
Ben
• 2004 GCAA All-America, becoming just the third four-time All-America in program history
• 2005 All-NCAC honors after leading the conference with 18 wins and placing second in strikeouts (133), shutouts (5), and ERA (2.10)
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• 2001 Great Lakes Regional Rookie of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA)
• Finished in the top five at the 2004 NCAC Championship and became just the third player in conference history to twice earn the Dick Gordin Award
Approximately 850 alumni and friends returned to campus for a memorable Reunion Weekend 2016. Reunion committee volunteers planned outstanding activities for their classmates including a 5k race, performance by Commander Cody and His Modern Day Airmen, special programs, and presentations during class dinners. There was also a “Paint and Sip” session (participants painted Bentley Hall, of course!), a seminar about the Bomb ing of Pan Am Flight 103 with retired FBI Agent John Kelso ’66, and numerous special gatherings for the Class of 1966 in honor of their 50th Reunion. At the Alumni Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, the honorees, pictured with James H. Mullen, Jr. (right) included Hayes ’62 and Patricia Dolan Stover ’62 (Alumni Medal), Trustee Emerita Alice Sturgeon Bierer ’59 (Blue Citation), and Eli Silverman ’60 (Gold Citation). Go Gators! photos by Ed Mailliard & Mike Walker
by Richard Stanley
The first recipient of the Eila V. Bush endowed chair is Amara Geffen, professor of art. She also is the program director for the Art and Environment project in Meadville. “It is a great honor to be the recipient of the Eila V. Bush Endowed Chair in Art. Knowing that this chair is a tribute to Patricia Bush Tippie’s mother, Eila Bush, whose life wove together the work of raising a family while also being a practicing artist and art teacher, makes this award especially meaningful for me,” Geffen said. “Beyond this honor is the reality of the Tippies’ unwavering support of the College across many decades, and now, their support of the Art Department, which hints at their recognition of the power of art in human life. “Over the years I have had the great privilege of discussing my work with Pat, whose encouragement has meant so much to me personally and professionally,” Geffen said. “I am so very grateful that this award will help sustain my professional engagement and student engagement, in this work. Because of this award, this summer I am able to begin working with Emma Cook ’12 and rising senior art major Madeline Becker on a project to beautify the entrance of the Medical Arts Building at 765 Liberty Street in Meadville. Stay tuned for details as the project unfolds. I would like to express my gratitude to Pat and Henry and with the deepest apprecia tion for Eila V. Bush, who I wish I had been able to meet.”
“It is my great honor to be awarded the first Patricia Bush Tippie Endowed Professor ship of Economics,” Nonnenmacher said.
Amara Geffen, above right, is the Eila V. Bush Professor of Art.
We want the College to continue to be one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States. ... We must continue to expand and provide even better opportunities than those that are available at other colleges.
As a young woman growing up in western Pennsylvania, Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 admired her mother, not only for her maternal instincts, but for her abilities as an Yearsartist.later, Pat Tippie and her husband, Henry, have turned that admiration into a gift that will last for many years and benefit generations of Allegheny students.
TIPPIES ENDOW TWO PROFESSORSHIPS
“Before her marriage, she taught art, and painted china and pictures,” Pat Tippie says of her mother. “After raising her family, she continued painting pictures and instructing others – children and adults. I am fortunate to have one of her paintings done in 1915 with her maiden name (Hamilton) on it, and several done from the 1960s through the 1990s. I also have a china set painted by her in the early 1900s that she won a prize for designing and painting. I have always been proud of her talents.”
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continued on page
Henry and Pat Tippie also have established an endowment for the Allegheny Gateway. 24
The Tippies have established the Eila V. Bush Endowed Professorship in Art as part of a series of gifts totaling $7 million made during the past year to support the Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest comprehensive campaign.
The latest gift endows a chair that honors Eila V. Bush, who, along with her husband Harvey, raised three children in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and found the time to flourish as an artist as well.
photo: Bill Owen ’74
Pat Tippie Trustee Emerita
The Tippies also recently created the Patricia B. Tippie Endowed Professorship in Economics. The first recipient of that endowed chair is Professor Tomas Non nenmacher ’90.
OUR ALLEGHENY: OUR THIRD CENTURY QUEST CAMPAIGN
“We want the College to continue to be one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States,” says Pat Tippie, a trustee emerita. “The College has changed since I was a student. We have grown in many areas and kept up with the changes and the competition with other colleges. We now have the opportunity to offer many new programs through the Gateway. I believe all of these are important, and I am happy that we are able to support the Gateway as well. We must continue to expand and provide even better opportu nities than those that are available at other
Money from the fund also can be used to support program infrastructure in the Allegheny Gateway, where students explore their interests, turn those inter ests into experience, and then apply what they’ve learned to opportunities both in their careers and in their communities.
“These funds are very much appreciated, especially in a time of increasing compe tition and tightening budgets in higher education. We are fortunate to have sup porters like the Tippies who believe in the educational mission of Allegheny College.”
24 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
Tomas Nonnenmacher, above right, is the Patricia B. Tippie Professor of Economics.
President James H. Mullen, Jr. said the Tippies’ generosity captures the spirit of the College’s comprehensive fundrais ing campaign, which has a $200 million goal. “The Tippies are among Allegheny’s biggest boosters and supporters who have made multiple gifts through the years, gifts that will assist students not just now, but for decades to come,” Mullen said. “That is what Our Allegheny: Our Third Century Quest is about – to ensure that this great College and those who graduate from here excel in their professions and communities for many, many years.”
A third portion of the Tippies’ gift has established the Henry B. Tippie and Patricia Bush Tippie ’56 Educational Opportunities Fund. The fund supports domestic and international internships and study away opportunities for Allegh eny students as well as student-faculty collaborative research. Students can receive stipends and funding for travel, housing and other necessary items.
CAMPAIGNRAISEDPROGRESS $132,700,000 GOAL $200,000,000TotalsasofJune2016 66% photo: Office
Thecolleges.”Tippies have been long-time support ers of Allegheny. The Patricia Bush Tippie Alumni Center at Cochran Hall was ren ovated a decade ago through one of their gifts. They also have endowed another professorship, the Henry B. and Patricia Bush Tippie Professor of English, currently held by James C. Bulman. They also have funded a scholarship to help students from New Castle to attend Allegheny. of Economics
“It means a great deal to me to be a recipient of the Seddig Endowed Chair,” Harward said. “It’s really such a fitting tribute to Bob Seddig’s deep commitment to his students, the College, and the disci pline. He’s been a wonderful teacher and mentor for so many of us, I can appreci ate fully why the Dotson family chose to honor Bob and Allegheny in this way. I’m grateful for their trust and confidence.”
Mr. Dotson died in 2014, and his wife, Paula Haas Dotson, died in 2015. They had previously endowed the Betsy Dotson ’74 Experiential Learning Fund that contin ues to help students studying and serving internships in government agencies and businesses in Washington, D.C.
JOIN THE QUEST:
The Robert G. Seddig Chair in Law and Policy has been established by the estate of Robert Bruce Dotson in honor of his daughter Betsy Dotson, Class of 1974. Ms. Dotson, a lawyer, worked for many years in the public sector after graduating from Allegheny. She was dedicated to the College’s undergraduate mission and believed in broad educational experiences.
photo: Bill Owen ’74
My parents saw the impact of Betsy’s Allegheny experience and wanted to make sure that others could benefit from such an experience.
“Allegheny is able to remain among the top liberal arts colleges in the country because it has such strong support from alumni and their families, faculty and friends,” President James H. Mullen, Jr. said. “We are deeply grateful to the Dotson family members for recognizing and honoring the quality of the Allegheny experience.”
Betsy Dotson ’74 worked as a lawyer in the public sector.
DOTSONALLEGHENY.EDU/CAMPAIGNGIFTFUNDS
POLI-SCI CHAIR
Barbara D. Davis
The political science chair has been named for Robert Seddig, who retired in 2012 after teaching at Allegheny for 45 years. “I am honored to have the chair established in my name because Allegh eny has always had an excellent political science department – a department of national stature and recognition. It enjoys a long history of teaching excellence, especially in law and public policy. I am assured that the department will continue
As part of its ongoing comprehensive fundraising campaign, the College has received a $1.5 million gift that will endow a professorship in the political science department.
Betsy Dotson had studied political science with Professor Seddig. Professor Brian Harward, who also is the director of the Center for Political Partic ipation at the College, is the first faculty member to hold the Robert G. Seddig Chair in Law and Policy.
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to thrive and enrich the intellectual lives of our students,” Seddig said.
Ms. Dotson passed away at the age of 47.
Brian Harward, above left, is the Robert G. Seddig Chair in Law and Policy.
“My parents saw the impact of Betsy’s Allegheny experience and wanted to make sure that others could benefit from such an experience,” said Barbara D. Davis of Arlington, Va. “My sister Betsy majored in political science. My parents under stood how important the professors in the department were in motivating Betsy to choose a career in public service.”
“I am passionate about studying languages, bilingualism and education,” says Frantz.
“After the Fulbright, I would like to pursue a master’s in teaching in either Spanish, English as a Second Language, or both.
Kelly Frantz ’16 and Mary Nagel ’15 received Fulbright Awards for the 2016-17 academic year. In addition, Cody Kinneer ’16 and Kathryn Goodman ’15 were named alternates.
Three Allegheny students have received prestigious Fulbright honors in 2016 and two others were named as alternates.
Two Earn
Frantz, who is from Twinsburg, Ohio, has a double major in international studies and Spanish, with a minor in education studies. She was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Grant in Ecuador, where she will be a language teaching assistant at a university or teacher training program in one of the provinces.
Nagel, from Pittsburgh, Pa., majored in global health studies with a minor in eco nomics. She also studied French, Spanish and Portuguese as part of Allegheny’s initiative to provide distance-learning
Kelly Frantz, left, and Mary Nagel share their excitement with President Mullen.
Alumni, Current Student
News from Campus
HilltheOn
Fulbright Honors
While a student at Allegheny, Frantz has served as a volunteer tutor with the Crawford County READ Program, a yoga instructor at the College’s athletics and recreation center and a writing consultant at the Allegheny Learning Commons. A member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, she also serves as president of the College’s Pre-Education Club and has interned at Cochranton High School.
As a teacher, I’m interested in supporting children from immigrant and refugee families in the U.S.” Frantz plans to earn a Ph.D. in the field of linguistics.
Also, junior Jennifer Tompkins, right , received a place on a
“AlleghenyUniversitySummerFulbrightInstitutetostudyattheofExeterinEngland.Collegeis justifiably proud of our Fulbright winners and alternates,” said Dr. Ron Cole, provost and dean of the College. “The students who were chosen as winners and alternates for these highly competitive programs represent the best of our nation’s undergraduates. They have excelled at Allegheny, and they’ll continue to excel in their work as Fulbright scholars and in their life’s work.”
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While a student, Nagel worked in the inter national office and as a French student language teacher, economics peer leader and global health summer researcher. She was vice president of the College’s global health and development club and is a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
An Alden Scholar at Allegheny, Nagel also earned a prestigious Howard Hughes Med ical Institute Scholarship to partially fund her Global Leader Fellowship in Brazil in the summer of 2015, where she worked on leadership development efforts with Brazilian high school students in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil through US-Brazil, Connect. Nagel credits Allegheny’s fellowship advisor, Patrick Jackson, with providing integral mentoring support throughout the arduous application process.
“This is a particularly unique time in Bra zilian history,” says Nagel. “After the World Cup in 2014 and now the 2016 Olympics in Rio, all eyes are on Brazil. I’ve had the honor of working with many Brazilian students at Allegheny through Brazil’s Science Without Borders and Brazil’s Fulbright program which has helped me prepare enormously for this incredible opportunity.”
JT_Jr13I’msoexcited to be #alleghenybound I got a floatie #acgatorgram
Chompaxg27 Chomp! #AlleghenyBound#FutureGators
Tompkins, from Romulus, N.Y., received a place on a Fulbright Summer Institute to study at the University of Exeter on one of the most prestigious and selective summer scholarship programs operating Theworldwide.U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission is the only bilateral, transatlantic scholarship program, offering awards and summer programs for study or research in any field, Ron Cole Provost & Dean The students who were chosen as winners and alternates for these highly competitive programs represent the best of our nation’s undergraduates. They have excelled at Allegheny, and they’ll continue to excel in their work as Fulbright scholars and in their life’s work. headed to Meadville—incoming students show their Gator pride on social media.
language instruction. She was selected for an English Teaching Assistantship Grant in Brazil, where she will teach English at a Brazilian university, and is expected to design a community engagement project to enhance a mutual understanding of American-Brazilian culture.
AyerainagormanI’mnolonger “that random homeschooled girl” #Alleghenybound at any accredited U.S. or British university. The commission is part of the Fulbright program conceived by Senator J. William Fulbright in the aftermath of World War II to promote leadership, learning and empa thy between nations through educational Tompkinsexchange.is one of four students from the United States who was chosen for the “Whenprogram.Ilearned I was chosen for a spot at the University of Exeter Summer Institute, I could not process what was happening,” says Tompkins, who is studying environ mental studies as her major and history as her minor. “As a Fulbright summer program participant, I look forward to learning about perspectives on climate change from people all over the world, and I hope to forge friendships with people from very different backgrounds than myself and to visit some of England’s most famous historical sites. I also hope this program will enable me to bring back a perspective on international cooperation, both in terms of solving environmental issues and for the sake of personal growth. I want to be a great ambassador for the United States and represent the positive aspects of our country well.”
#AlleghenyBound Happy to be
– President Mullen Peter Gifford Systems Manager 39 years “I’ve known Pete for almost 20 years and for as long as I’ve known him, he’s been a true role model for me, or anyone who has been around him, living a model of balance and broad interests.”
“It’s hard to think of a department at Allegheny that hasn’t benefited from Ann’s work. She has worked on grants to redesign curricula and develop programs, to acquire equipment, to construct and renovate facil ities, to help faculty conduct research, and to support student scholarships, as well as student research.”
“Linda’s career at Allegheny stands as one of the most consequential in our history. She has been part of our community for more than three decades and during that time has excelled as teacher, scholar and academic leader.”
The Allegheny community in May 2016 bid farewell to 17 staff and faculty mem bers with a total of 534 years of service to the College among them. Here, in alphabetical order, are the retirees, their positions, their years of service, and comments from their co-workers who spoke about the retirees’ contribu tions to Allegheny.
“It would be impossible to overstate the magnitude of the change in the library on her watch. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, student use of Pelletier was at an all-time low, and the building was badly in need of a facelift. Soon after Linda accepted the fulltime director position, work on the library began in earnest and it has not stopped since.”
– President Mullen Patricia DirectorFerreyofHuman Resources 18 years
– Rick Holmgren Linda DeMeritt Former Provost and Dean of the College, Professor of Modern Languages 34 years
– Jason Ramsey ’98 Philip Johnson Police Officer 11 years
Stephen Lyons History Professor 37 years “Stephen is an educator of remarkable skill and dedication. He has challenged students to find humanity in historical tragedy and to respect resilience in the face of overwhelming adversity. His emphasis on courage and char acter has transformed students outside the classroom. Graduates describe Prof. Lyons as ‘brilliant,’ ‘captivating,’ and ‘motivating.’
– Diana Brautigam ’80 Linda Bills Director of the Library 12 years
Some of the 17 Allegheny retirees and two employees honored for 25 years of service gathered on the steps of Bentley Hall in May for a “family” photo. They are, bottom row, from left, Christi Pendolino, Patricia Ferrey, Richard Metzger and Linda Bills. Middle row, from left, Philip Reinhart, Mary Jane Webb, President Mullen and Philip Johnson. Back row, from left, Ann Areson, Linda DeMeritt and Peter Gifford.
photo: Derek Li
“During our most recent Spring Fest, Phil patrolled outside on a cold wintry night, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., ensuring the safety of our students as they enjoyed numerous celebra tory events. This is the kind of service to our community that I appreciate, and that lets me sleep in peace at night. – Kim Ferguson
Stephen’s critical eye has helped shape the department and College, and I second stu dents’ opinion: it was an honor to have been taught by you.” – Kalé Haywood Mark Matlak ’78 Head Football Coach 14 years “Mark as an alum and Hall of Fame member represents what is best about Allegheny. He is the consummate professional with a dedi cated love for Allegheny College. His players consistently remark how Coach Matlak helped prepare them for life and built their character.” – Portia Hoeg Richard Metzger Director of Administrative Computing 50 years “Rich was the hire of all hires. It was 1967. The summer of love. And Rich founds the comput ing department to bring Allegheny into the digital age.” – Jason Ramsey ’98 Terry Morian Physical Plant Maintenance Crew 30 years “Faced with the daunting task of keeping the campus painted, he was most effective in identifying needed work and ensuring that it was completed to a high standard. He was both a supervisor and mentor for the dozens of summer students who worked under his guidance.” – Cliff Willis
Familiar Faces Take Their Retirements
28 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
Ann Areson ’67 Associate Vice President of Development and Alumni Affairs 17 years
“I believe the qualities that we most value in Pat are that she has combined a love for Allegheny, an integrity in all that she does and a deep humility when it comes to her very significant legacy.”
Kelvin O. Klaas Physical Plant Landscape Gardener 35 years “I am confident that during his 35 years as a member of our campus crew, Kelvin has pruned every plant on campus at least once; I have not been able to get anyone to confirm that he has done it twice.” – Cliff Willis
Jochen Richter Lyle and Mary Bieler Chair in Modern Languages
“By putting his students, language learning as a profession and Allegheny’s broader liberal arts mission at the center of his career, Jochen has been the consummate role model.”
– Barbara Riess Karen DirectorRichterofthe Center for Language and Culture 43 years
The second floor of Carnegie was renovated in 2014.
– Barbara Riess Kathleen Roos Director of Campus Communications 19 years “It’s important to know that despite her very high standards, for herself and all of us, she is about as gentle and caring a soul as a person tasked to correct people can be. She cares deeply about the College and its entire community, and she presses for excellence out of love for our growth and authenticity.”
National Science Foundation
Pennsylvania Sea Grant
Allegheny received the grant in support of Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Casey Bradshaw-Wilson’s project, Determination of Invasive Round Goby Populations with the Main Stem of French Creek and Their Potential Impact on Native Benthic Fishes Allegheny is the lead institution for this collaborative project with Penn State University. Once this research provides an outline of the Round Goby’s invasion front, potential mitigation options for retarding the further dispersal of Round Gobies can be implemented and monitored.
– Bill Owen ’74 Robert Roos Associate Professor of Computer Science 20 years “It was clear how much Bob meant to students. They referred to him as a great professor, very friendly and very easy to be a student for, and they also spoke of his desire to be helpful and taking the extra effort to help students succeed and fulfill their inter ests and potential.”
– Janyl Jumadinova Richard “Sandy” Sandieson Lab and Radiation Safety Coordinator 60 years “Sandy is one of the most intelligent people I have ever known. His common sense and practicality made working with him a plea sure for me.” – Cliff Willis Mary Jane Webb Accounting Manager 49 years “She is a super role model. Not many organi zations are lucky enough to have someone like her… a great team member, highly competent at her job, who does her work with diligence and integrity without complaint year after year.”
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$226,533
Allegheny received $1.5 million for Carnegie Hall renovations and $100,000 for the Pittsburgh operations of Creek Connections.
Creek Connections is an Allegheny outreach program that brings hands-on, inquiry-based education about watersheds to elementary, middle and high school students. The renovation to Carnegie Hall will help to ensure the future success and productivity of the psychology department and neuroscience program, both of which have been recognized nationally for excellence. This basement and firstfloor renovation will include technological upgrades, improvement of the HVAC system and reorganization of space for more optimal use by students and faculty.
Undergraduate training in STEM fields is a key component of the project. A total of 100 percent of Allegheny’s project cost will be covered with federal funds through this NSF grant.
GRANTS AND GIFTS
Allegheny received the grant in support of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ryan Van Horn’s project, Crystallization of Biologically-Relevant Poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(Ecaprolactone) Copolymers During Film Preparation
$75,000 (Allegheny’s portion: $18,835)
– Kate Copeland ’99
46 years
Polymer, or plastic, films have different properties based on how the molecules look in the film. These properties include biodegradability, strength, elasticity and the ability to transport molecules, such as oxygen, from one side to the other. By studying the molecules’ structure using different preparation conditions, the project’s goal is to create films that perform consistently and reliably in applications such as drug delivery and structural implants. Funding will provide support for a local high school student interested in a STEM career to gain experience in a lab. A total of 100 percent of the project’s cost will be covered with federal funds through this NSF grant.
“Karen has been fundamental in our efforts to internationalize the campus as an ESL instructor, helping our international students access the tremendously difficult language in which we deliver the majority of our educa tion.”
National Science Foundation’s Ecosystem Studies Program
$1.6 Million Richard King Mellon Foundation
Allegheny received the grant in support of Professor of Biology and Environmental Science Scott Wissinger’s project, Consequences of Climate-Induced Range Shifts on Multiple Ecosystem Functions.
$850,582 (Allegheny’s portion: $388,016)
The study will test how range shifts in caddisfly larvae along elevations in the central Rocky Mountains will affect multiple ecosystem processes. Allegheny is the lead institution, and Wissinger is collaborating with Brad Taylor from North Carolina State University and Hamish Greig from the University of Maine.
2016 Civility Prize
photos by Matthew Lester Allegheny sent forth 458 more graduates at its May Commencement held in the 201st year of the College in the Wise Center Sports Forum. NBC News Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss, who was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters at the ceremony, delivered the Com mencement address.
photos by Ed Mailliard
2016 Commencement
Beschloss told graduates: “Keep close to you the strong friendships you have made here, be they with classmates, professors or administrators. This college has prepared you magnificently for a wonderful life.”
President James H. Mullen, Jr. and former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, a 2012 Allegheny honorary degree recipient, pre sented the fifth annual Allegheny College Prize for Civility in Public Life to Vice Presi dent Joe Biden and Senator John McCain at an afternoon ceremony in The University Club in Washington, D.C., on June 7.
30 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
“These two political giants — one from the left and one from the right — regard civility to be a fundamental obligation of leadership in our democracy. And they have aspired mightily to honor that obliga tion — throughout their careers, and even in the cauldron of presidential politics,” said Mullen.
The College created the Civility Prize in 2011 to highlight and reinforce the unher alded public figures who advance civility.
In addition to Beschloss, honorary doc torates of humane letters were conferred on Victoria A. Lipnic, a 1982 Allegheny graduate and commissioner on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commis sion, and M. Roy Wilson, a 1976 Allegheny graduate and president of Wayne State University.
The award is presented for “outstanding contributions of time, talent and trea sure to their church and the greater Erie community.”
Dr. G. Gray Wells has retired from the practice of orthopaedic surgery in Denver after 42 years. He is a graduate of Temple University School of Medicine and the University of Colorado Orthopaedic Sur gery Residency.
’59Judy Maloney Lynch was featured in Her Times (Erie, Pa.) in an article titled “Women We Admire: 9 Who Serve the Erie Community.” She made history in 1981 when she became the first woman elected Erie County executive. She attended Allegheny, received her bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, a master’s degree in social studies from Gannon University, and master’s and doc toral degrees in political science from the University of NotesPittsburgh.1960s ’60Winnie Welsh Slatery was featured in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article titled “Pitts burghers Recall How They Met Their True Loves.” Slatery talked about how she met her late husband, Dave, in the lobby of her dorm at Allegheny.
Notes 1950s ’54Dr.M. Peter Scibetta and his wife, Ellie, were honored at the 21st annual Cath olic Charities Ball in Erie in May as this year’s Helping Hands Award honorees.
News
’74Q.Todd Dickinson was appointed to the board of the National LGBT Bar Associa tion and Foundation. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Allegheny and his juris doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh.
’73Keith Steiner was featured on the Delta Tau Delta website for his passion for the fraternity. To read the story, go to light-keith-steiner-allegheny-college.deltfoundation.org/alumni-spot
Richard Taaffe, CEO of West Hawaii Community Health Center, was honored as a 2015 Ho’okele Award Recipient from the Hawaii Community Foundation. The awards are a celebration of outstanding nonprofit leadership. Taaffe started his journey as a VISTA volunteer and com munity organizer in Arkansas in the early ’70s, then worked with the Pueblo Indians and the elderly of northern New Mexico before arriving in Kailua-Kona in 2005 to lead the center.
’65Dennis McFadden’s second collection of short stories, Jimtown Road, was named win ner of the 2016 Press 53 Award for Short Fiction and will be published in October.
ClassNotes and Events from
Alumni 31
’72Jeanne Lindauer Hartig accepted the position of vice president of marketing and communications at Carlow University in Pittsburgh. She says it’s great to be back in her hometown again.
’68Rodger H. Hosking, vice president and co-founder of Pentek Inc., wrote an article for Embedded Computing Design titled “VITA 49 Radio Transport: the New Soft ware Radio Protocol.” He has a bachelor’s degree in physics from Allegheny and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electri cal engineering from Columbia University in New NotesYork. 1970s ’70Richard Stewart retired from Choate Rosemary Hall after 43 years of teaching history, serving in the dorms, coaching track and cross country, and advising publications. He says the school gave him a “glorious” sendoff at the year-end dinner in June 2015.
’77Stuart H. Armstrong II financial advisor with Centinel Financial Group in Needham Heights, Mass., was named a 2016 Five Star Wealth Manager from an independent survey conducted by Five Star Professional. The award recognizes a select group of wealth managers in the Boston area who excel in quality service and client retention. He is a multiyear consecutive winner of the award.
Dr. Anthony Grace received the Out standing Basic Research Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society (SIRS) in April 2016 in Florence, Italy. This award is given once every two years to a SIRS member in recognition of an outstanding basic research contribu tion to schizophrenia research.
’76Dennis Bires has been elected chair of the board of directors of the Woody Guthrie Center, a Tulsa, Okla., museum and archive preserving the works of the influential folk singer.
Peter Clendenin ’67 titles this photo: “Four SAEs in Tuxedos.” He says his son, Ken, was married last year in Baltimore. Attending the nuptials were from left to right: Clendenin, Bill Dean ’66, Barry Bradford ’66 and Eric Loeb ’66.
Herb Niles ’59, a member of the Allegh eny College Board of Trustees, was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters at the May 2015 Bicentennial Commence ment for his efforts to dramatically improve the health care available to women and children in the nation’s capi tal. He is in active gynecology practice in Greenbelt, Md.
Rosemary Geisdorfer Feal, executive director of the Modern Lan guage Association, plans to step down when her third five-year term concludes in sum mer 2017. During her tenure, she served as a steadfast champion for language study.
Cheryl Stambor Torsney, Ph.D. ’77 was on hand for Temple University’s 2016 Spring Commencement to help hood her son, Benjamin Torsney, Ph.D. ’08
From left to right, front row: Andrea Ammann Parker, Margo Anderson Faulhaber, Cathy Parsons MacGregor, Pat Grimwood Frew, Karlene Arnold Darby, Janet Fee Van Zuiden. Left to right, back row: Roth, Dana Williams Toedtman, Sandra Millard Gold, Susan Urquhart-Brown, Janet Kratovil Prichard, Carol Barbero, Mimi Boyd McGriff.
Pat McShea ’77 of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History says an Allegheny con nection is reinforcing a nature-focused collaboration between Will Tolliver ’14 of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and him. When the Park Conservancy’s website listed Tolliver as “Homewood naturalist,” McShea emailed to offer the loan of wildlife-related materials from the museum’s teaching collection. “Will termed the loan an Allegheny Advantage,” says McShea, “but he has been helping me to better understand how wildlife is perceived in urban neighborhoods.”
Carol Reardon, the 2015-16 Penn State laureate and the George Winfree Professor of American History at Penn State, spoke in April at Penn State York about Civil War leadership. She is a military historian who specializes in the study of the American Civil War and the Vietnam conflict to explore how people and cultures define, support or oppose, or remember the causes, conduct, costs and consequences of war. She has a doctorate from the Uni versity of Kentucky and a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina.
32 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
Clarice Bauknight Roth says Class of ’67 Thetas gathered in Charleston, S.C., for their biennial gabfest and days of discovery.
’89Patrick Bain, president of Long & Foster Insurance, was the recipient of Travelers’ Insurance Agent of the Year award. The award is presented to 10 top personal insurance independent agents each year. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Christina L. Hausner, a veteran Repub lican Party worker and partner in the law firm of Russell, Krafft & Gruber, was named solicitor for Lancaster County, Pa. She has a law degree from Duquesne University.
’83John M. Kutz, sales director at Legg Mason Investor Services, spoke at The Knowledge Group’s webcast entitled: “Measuring Employer Cost of An Aging Employee Population LIVE Webcast” in March. He has an MBA from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the Uni versity of Pittsburgh. Susan L. Thomas has been named interim president of Truman State University, effec tive July 1. She is Truman’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. Thomas has a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees from the University of Missou ri-Columbia and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in psychol ogy from Allegheny.
’87George H. Thompson was named vice president of sales and marketing at CP Industries. He worked at US Steel, where he held executive positions in sales, marketing and manufacturing at various locations throughout the United States.
’88TedSmith, chief of civic innovation for the Louisville Metro Government in Kentucky, has joined the Association for Talent Development’s board of directors. He has a master’s degree and Ph.D. in cognitive science from Miami University (Ohio) and a post- doctorate from MIT in aeronautics and astronautics.
’78Robert H. Potter Jr. received the Allegh eny County Medical Society’s Nathaniel Bedford Primary Care Award. The award honors a primary care physician for exem plary and outstanding care. He is one of the founders and partners of Genesis Medical Associates Inc. in Pittsburgh. 1980s Brewer conducted a presentation in April at the Portage County Historical Society in Ohio focusing on war propa ganda and its impact on the United States. She is a retired history professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and specialized in American foreign relations.
’80Susan
33
Glenn Aparicio Parry’s Original Thinking: A Radical Revisioning of Time, Humanity, and Nature (North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, Calif.) has won a Nautilus Silver Medal Award in Science and Cosmology (announced in April 2016). He earned his master’s in East-West psychology and his doctorate in humanities with a concentra tion in transformative learning from the California Institute of Integral Studies.
Scott Rogers ’95 and Kristi Levis announce their engagement. “We went to high school together but it was another 20 years before our first date.” They live in Seneca Falls, N.Y., and are foster parents.
’85Michael G. McAuley has been appointed chief financial officer and treasurer of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. He brings more than 27 years of financial experience and leadership to the role. He has a master’s degree in management from Purdue University, Krannert Graduate School of Management, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Allegheny.
’84Brandon Moss says his family sold their general contracting business in Conneaut Lake, Pa., and he has been working in Pittsburgh for the Buncher Company since December 2015 as vice president of construction. He lives in Upper St. Clair with his girlfriend of five years.
Notes
Notes 1990s ’90Josh Mandel has joined All Def Digital, “a media startup co-founded by hip-hop impre sario Russell Simmons,” says The Wall Street Journal. Mandel will lead the new in-house advertising agency. He was most recently a managing director at digital ad firm R/GA, where he oversaw the Beats By Dre account. Nancy Williams’ new suspense thriller, Rabid Philanderers, Inc., has been released by Sunbury Press. She is the author of three other books: Hawkmoon, Grace and Blood Truth. She lives in northwest Pennsylvania with her husband, David Wisgirda.
Benjamin Minett produced the film “Casualties of Steel,” which chronicles the stories and culture influenced by the rise and fall of the steel industry in the Ell wood City, Pa., area. The Ellwood City Area Historical Society hosted a showing of the film in March. Minett teaches American literature at Mount Lebanon High School.
Brown was quoted in an April Washington Post piece titled “The Daily 202: Down-ballot women hope to ride the Hillary Clinton train in today’s Acela Primary.” Brown, executive director of the nonpartisan Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics, said, “All women can didates have different expectations placed upon them. One of the greatest challenges that women have running in Pennsylvania is the incumbency advantage. We have a long history of incumbents winning time and again.”
’02Heather
Tardio Hurst has owned her dental office in Fairview, Pa., for the past five years. She says she recently tackled a huge expansion and renovation of her practice, Fairview Family Dental. The remodel includes additional operatories to accommodate her growing patient base, a completely new façade and extra office space for her staff to enjoy.
’96Christopher Anderson has been named director of St. Bonaventure University’s (New York) Center for Student Wellness. He has a master’s degree in commu nity mental health counseling from St. Bonaventure.
Andrew Lighthart, a surgeon at Vermont Orthopaedic Clinic, discussed the poten tial benefits of minimally invasive hip and knee replacement surgery in Vermont in April. He is the head of the Joint Replace ment Team at Rutland Regional Medical Center.
Kerr Courtney has BiblioRemedy,launched a bibliotherapy service. While not a trained therapist, she uses her years of bookselling experience and her innate ability to listen to create personalized reading lists for people of all ages. For more information, contact Alison at alison@biblioremedy.com.
Michael Myers says the website and mobile app development and design agency he founded, High Seas, celebrated 11 years in business. High Seas (highseas. com) is located in Sausalito, Calif., and Ann Arbor, Mich., and specializes in sophisticated custom solutions for businesses.
Notes 2000s ’00Dana
34 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
’01Amanda
’98Kate
Pohl Dopirak’s debut picture book, You’re My Boo, is set to be published Sept. 20, by Simon & Schuster. “It’s a sweet rhyming ode to unconditional love, cele brating the silly ups and downs of life with a little one.” Her other upcoming titles include Snuggle Bunny (Scholastic, 2017) and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Car (Simon & Schuster, 2018). She is also the assistant regional advisor for Western Pennsylvania Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. To learn more, visit katedopirak.com. ’99Dr.Erin McAdams has been promoted to associate profes sor of political science in the College of Arts and Sciences at Presbyterian College in South Carolina. She earned her master’s and Ph.D. from the Ohio State University. She also serves as the college’s pre-law adviser.
Harris has been named senior associate at OPEN MINDS, a national strategic advisory firm based in Gettys burg, Pa., specializing in the sectors of the health and human service industry. She is responsible for business development as well as consulting in the health and human services industry.
’03Rosa Diaz, executive director of the Nicholas Academic Centers in California, was recognized as the “Small Non-Profit Leader of the Year” at the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce’s Difference Mak ers Luncheon. The purpose of the award is to “spotlight extraordinary people helping to build a better Santa Ana.” The Nicho las Academic Centers were co-founded by now-retired Superior Court Judge and Allegheny College Trustee Emeritus Jack K. Mandel ’58. John Schwend was slated to take over as Edgeworth borough manager in Pennsyl vania at the end of March. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in managerial Kati Donovan-Lightholder ’04 says that in January 2016, a few great Allegheny friends and spouses reunited. From bottom left: Alexis Book-Wright ’05, Julie Chang-Kierski ’05, Donovan-Lightholder, Sue Puhala-Goble ’03, Jason Goble (spouse). From top left: Andrew Wright (spouse), Jared Jennings (spouse), Melissa Wells-Jennings ’03, Dave Kierski ’03, Tom Watson ’04, Blake Lightholder (spouse).
’97JeffriAnne Wilder, associate professor of sociology at the University of North Florida, has been selected to serve as founding director of the Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations at the university. She has a Ph.D. in sociology with a concentration in women’s studies and gender research from the University of Florida and a master’s in sociology from Cleveland State University.
’92Alison
’11Tony Dipre was named co-coach of the boys’ cross-country team at Walsh Jesuit High School in Ohio. While at Allegheny, he graduated as a four-time NCAA Divi sion III All-American, and won a national title in the distance medley relay in 2011. He left Allegheny as the school’s record holder in the mile. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in religious studies and neuroscience and is a teacher at Walsh Jesuit in the theology department.
Ledbetter and his team won by develop ing new sustainable revenue streams to ensure the nonprofit’s longevity. They also developed a social media and community outreach campaign to engage nonprofit alumni and the surrounding Detroit community for additional participation and support.
’04Karin A. Brown announces her engage ment to Gary Wickwire. They are planning a December 2016 wedding. Brown is com pleting her doctorate of nursing practice in adult acute care at the University of Pittsburgh and has accepted a position as an acute care nurse practitioner with the Critical Care Service at UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa. She is also the acting coordinator for the Forensic Nursing Team at UPMC Hamot and an adjunct instructor in the nursing department at Gannon University.
Pereslucha has been signed by the Sioux City Explorers, a minor league baseball team in Iowa. As a senior at Allegheny, he was named an All-NCAC First Teamer and also named to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-Mideast Region Team. For his efforts, Pereslucha was named the NCAC Pitcher of the Year.
’07EricAnderson was featured in the Beer Blog – Ohio for being part of a partnership to create Saucy Brew Works, a brewpub in Cleveland’s Hingetown neighborhood. The article called Anderson “one of the Ohio’s most creative brewers when it comes not only to designing beers but naming them.”
Molly Gerbasi ’12 and John Heaton ’13 announce their engagement. They met in a psychology class at Allegheny. Gerbasi works for PwC, and Heaton is a graduate student at the University of Michigan. They are planning an October 2016 wedding.
Aaron Ledbetter ’13 (far right), Uni versity of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy Candidate 2017, won the Ross School of Business Social Impact Challenge. The goal of the Social Impact Challenge is to develop the best strategic action plan to address a local Detroit non profit’s operational needs, as it moves into its new home at the old Tiger Stadium.
35
Steve Knapp has joined Rhea + Kaiser, a strategic marketing agency, as a copywriter on the agency’s Bayer account. He has created award-winning digital, TV, video and print copy for McDonald’s, Ohio Tourism, NOVA Southeastern Uni versity and pharmaceutical clients. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and economics.
’09Tony Briggs and his partners at the private equity firm Seagate Investment Co. acquired Portage Notebooks. Portage Notebooks produces and distributes a full line of paper notebooks ranging from salon appointment books to police/EMT field notebooks and the industry standard reporter’s notebooks used by awardwinning journalists and columnists. Notes 2010s ’10Michael
economics and has a master’s degree in public policy management from the Uni versity of Pittsburgh. David Seeley was sworn in as Irondequoit town supervisor (New York) in April. He has a master’s in public administration from Brockport State College.
’06Matt Motyl, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was featured in Science for an article he co-wrote, “Conservatives Report, but Liberals Display, Greater Happiness.” His research also was featured in a Salon piece and a book chapter titled “Liberals and Conservatives Are Geographically Dividing” in the forthcoming Bridging Ideological Divides. He has a master’s from the University of Colorado and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.
Dr. Kristie Seelman, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State Uni versity, was featured on “The Academic Minute,” where she discussed transgender discrimination. She received her Ph.D. and Master’s of Social Work from the University of Denver.
Alex Urban, doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was featured in a university article for his role working on the search for gravitational waves. The project “hit the jackpot,” find ing a wave created by the collision of two black holes a billion years ago.
’12Steven
Peterson married his wife, Kristi, on June 6, 2015, with fellow alumna Amanda Knowles ’06 serving as a “groomsmaid.” The newlyweds live in Bedford, Pa., with their two dogs, Kevin and Kinzua. Corey also accepted the position of patient access manager for UPMC Altoona Hospital in central Pennsylvania. Shannon McNeill ’03 married Russ Barron on July 18, 2015, in Pittsburgh. The couple’s wedding was the very first pop-up wedding in Pittsburgh. Only 20 guests were invited to the secret ceremony, including Allegheny alumni Brenna Dykta ’03, Matt Kozlowski ’03 and Justin McNeill ’07. During the ceremony, a children’s book was read in lieu of a traditional reading, and the bride and groom were announced to the sound of toy whistles and music makers. Shannon is the assistant librarian of the Green Tree Public Library. They live in Pittsburgh with their son, Jacob.
’13Amy
Jones was hired to serve as an assistant clerk to the Committee on Chil dren in the Connecticut Legislature for the 2015 Legislative Session. The commit tee has cognizance over the Department of Children and Families and all legislation impacting children. Also, in 2016, he was elected to a second term as chairman of the Tolland Democratic Town Committee for the 2016-18 term.
’06Corey
36 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
’15Cam Olson has been hired as director of soccer operations for Xavier University’s men’s soccer team. He was a four-year starter and two-time captain for the Gators. Olson received his bachelor’s degree in psychology and is pursuing a master’s in coaching education and ath lete development at Xavier.
C. Knepper married Matt Graham on Sept. 26, 2015, at First Congre gational United Church of Christ in Asheville, N.C. Greg received a master’s in hospital administration at Ohio State and was an assistant vice president and assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Linda Knepper Watson ’73 was part of the wedding party, along with Greg’s brother Bruce as his best man; his sister Nancy; Matt’s son Noah as Matt’s best man; his sister Deborah and his mother, Geraldine. They live in Asheville with their two dogs Darby and Kelly.
Unions ’75Greg
Ochsenreiter was appointed to the Wharton School’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership Alumni Advisory Board. She completed her master of environmental studies with a concentration in sustainability in 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania and is an analyst at GAF. Ochsenreiter works with a specialized team of private equity pro fessionals who take risk positions in solar development deals.
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Williams married Tony Tebaldi ’15 on June 13, 2015, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in West Middlesex, Pa. They held the reception on their farm in New Wilmington, Pa. There were many Gators in attendance, including sisters from Delta Delta Delta and brothers from Phi Gamma Delta. Tony and Brigid are both high school teachers and run their wedding business, Five Fillies Farm. Brigid is in her final year earning her MBA at Youngstown State University and will graduate in December 2016. They reside in New Wilmington.
Knapp Rioja and Brandon Rioja announce the birth of Duncan Dalton Rioja on Jan. 26, 2016. He joins older sib lings Holden, 4, and Eleanor, 2. The family resides in Lower Burrell, Pa. ’08Katie Stock Bailey and her husband, William Bailey, announce the birth of their son, Liam Bailey, on Oct. 31, 2015. ’10Eric Sharrow and Ashley Miller Sharrow ’10 announce the birth of their first child. Baby boy Cameron Michael Sharrow was born April 22, 2016, weigh ing 5 pounds, 14 ounces. The family lives in Pittsburgh.
Submit your newsworthy events for inclusion in Class Notes by visiting allegheny.edu/classnotes or email items to clnotes@allegheny.edu
’14Brigid
SamFinder’12 andKristyDarling’11weremarriedJan.17, 2016.InattendancewereparentsStuFinder’83andCindyNau manFinder’80;RickFinder’79andSueNaumanFinder’79; MarkBliton’85andAmyCubbonBliton’83;bestmanNathan Finder’14andDanielleJones’15;bridesmaidCecilyJacinto ’11 groomsmanSamKnarr’12andAmyZhan’11;groomsman RobbyPettit’12andSaraMitrano’13;BenWojtasik’08and MaryKateMurphy-Wojtasik’11;IanMcInerney’12and MichelleWelker’11;SarahMcMahon’10;RobLeeper’12and IzzyAbrams’11;JackieNavarre’10;SydneyNick’11andPete Meinecke’11
Obituaries
Arrivals ’06Jennifer
’37Dorothy Henderson Ralston on Feb. 14, 2016. She worked as a research assistant to the late Dr. Chester Darling, professor of biology at Allegheny. Survivors include three children, William Ralston, Bruce Ralston and Diane Kemp, and two grandchildren. ’41Alfred L. Colley on Nov 15, 2015. He was president of the Allegheny Outing Club and ran a summer day camp at Bousson for underprivileged children while attend ing Allegheny. He graduated from Temple Medical School and served in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps in World War II and the Korean War. He was chief of surgery at Frankford Hospital in Philadelphia and served as medical director at Frankford Torresdale Hospital. He came from a large Allegheny family. Survivors include his sister, Dorothy Colley White ’45, two sons, including Arthur T. Colley ’68, and five grandchildren.
;
’43Juanita Shephard Strock Towry on Jan. 29, 2016. She was elected as the city clerk/ treasurer for the City of Eureka Springs, Ark. She was a 75-year member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. Survivors include her hus band, Col. Paul Towry (U.S. Army Ret.); her son, Bradley Barner; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren and her stepson, John Towry.
’48Rosella B. Forkey Loach on April 28, 2016. She taught in the New Kensington, Pa., School District before relocating to Vienna, W.Va., where she raised her family and volunteered with many local organi zations. Survivors include her daughters, Patty Heimer and Nancy Patterson; three grandchildren and her siblings, Patricia Dreliszak, Loretta Forkey and Ronald Forkey.
Alice Bryant Dickenman on March 15, 2016. She was an English teacher at Farmington High School (Connecticut).
Ernest W. Newton on Sept. 15, 2015. Originally part of the Class of ’44, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After the war he returned to Allegheny and earned a bach elor’s degree in 1948 and a master’s in 1953. He was a retired teacher of 30 years in the Freeport School District in New York. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Morris Newton; his children, Marjorie Newton Monheit ’70 and David Monheit ’70, Marylee and Joseph Agugliaro; three grandchildren and a great grandson.
’50Nancy Sholes Harper on March 6, 2016. She worked at Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, Ontario, as a research scientist. Survivors include her sister, Susan Cox; her children, Susan Harper, Faith Harper, Peter Harper and Jonathan Harper, and 15 grandchildren. Marjorie Hughes Moore on March 1, 2016. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She taught first grade in Cora opolis, Pa. She then sold real estate for George Lister which later became Wind ermere in Washington. Survivors include her husband, Loyal; her daughters, Susan and Nancy, and five grandchildren. ’52Jean McCrea Moore on March 12, 2016. She was employed at the Jamestown Post-Journal as a reporter and as the society page editor. Survivors include her husband, Jack D. Moore; three sons, Jeffrey Moore, Bruce Moore and Jona than Moore, five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. ’53Ruth M. Wilson Kotila on Nov. 29, 2015. She was an educator and elementary school teacher for Bedford City Schools in Ohio. She also was a writer and pro ducer of several syndicated TV shows for Cleveland’s WVIZ-TV, Channel 25. She co-founded the youth theater group, Kids On Broadway. Survivors include her sons, Richard and Mark, one grandchild and her siblings, Paul and Dick Wilson.
38 ALLEGHENY Summer 2016
Florence S. Sells Lord on Jan. 24, 2016. She was active in the Allegheny Sing ers and Kappa Kappa Gamma. She was employed as the executive assistant to the president of Talon Inc. in Meadville, then worked in various positions at Kenyon College. She also worked as a real estate agent. Survivors include her daughters, Rebecca Simpson, Katharine Fannin and Martha Trese, and five grandchildren.
’42W.James Aiken, Jr. on April 14, 2016. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration/pre-law and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He joined the Army Air Corps and was stationed at Hickam Air Base in Honolulu, for the duration of World War II, as a clerk, rising to the rank of corporal. He then obtained his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He took over his father’s practice and remained there for the duration of his career.
’45Louise E. Schweitzer Conroy on March 13, 2016. She taught second, third and fourth grades in Plymouth and Hingham, Mass. She also earned a master’s degree in science education from Northeastern University. Survivors include her husband, Harry Conroy ’45; her children, Evelyn Conroy, Lou-Anne Conroy, Stephen and David; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Margaret Owens Crane on March 26, 2016. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega. She taught high school English in Youngstown, Ohio. Survivors include two sons, Robert Crane, Jr. and Jona than Crane; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
’47Patricia R. Reichard Burns on Feb. 17, 2016. She worked as a substitute teacher in the Leon County School System in Florida. Survivors include her daughters, Paula Cooper, Carol Jones and Donna Baker, and five grandchildren.
Patricia Karnosh Lammert on April 23, 2016. She was a wife, mother and grandmother, an avid gardener and artist, as well as an enthusiastic homemaker. Survivors include her husband, Dr. Albert Lammert; her children, Dr. Gary Lammert, Dr. Nancy Redform, David Lammert and Linda Ballas; nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Anna Mae Thompson Patterson on April 12, 2016. She had a bachelor’s degree in sociology and taught French at Butler High School in Pennsylvania. Survivors include her children, Karen Wise ’69 and Alan Patterson. ’46Joanne Rothrock Fecych on April 6, 2016. She taught in the public schools in Youngstown, Ohio. Survivors include three children, Ruth Fecych, Laura Sprague and William Fecych; three grand daughters and a great-grandson.
Survivors include her children, Can dace Stillerman, Lynda Stout and Nancy Lostocco; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
’55Judith Ann Wilber Pannier on March 14, 2016. At Allegheny, she pledged Alpha Chi Omega. She worked at the Marietta College Library in Special Collections in Ohio. Survivors include her husband, Charles Pannier; her children, Rob, Pete, Polly Stephens, Pamela Lietz and Penny Beckwith, and six grandchildren. Paul L. Stafford on Feb. 19, 2016. He attended Allegheny until enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, serving as an air traffic controller in the Panama Canal region and being honorably discharged at the rank of staff sergeant. He served as an air traffic controller and then leased commu nication administrator at the Oberlin Air Traffic Control Center in Ohio. Survivors include his wife, Margo Stafford; his chil dren, Alan Stafford, Bonnie Dannenberg and Kathleen Horvath; three grandchil dren; four step-grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.
Survivors include his wife, Debbie Kozora Lehman; his children, Dr. John D., Laurey Schweinsberg and Elizabeth Scheide mantel; his stepchildren, Jason Woodrow, Aaron Woodrow and Shelby Lehman, and 11 grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife, Linda Frazier; his children, Kay Browning, Chris Belk, Beth Gilliard, Tracy Klein, Randy Choate and Trent Choate; 13 grandchildren, one great-granddaughter and his brother, David W. Frazier, Jr.
’56Richard J. Boyd on Feb. 26, 2016. He attended Allegheny and the University of Pittsburgh to receive his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. He owned Richard Boyd Associates, specializing in technical sales and plastics engineering. Survivors include his wife, Susan Boyd; his children, Katherine Boyd Mzik, Christine Boyd Krovisky ’90, Richard Boyd, Jr. and Jim Boyd; 11 grandchildren and his brother, James Boyd. Gail Howe Fahrner on April 7, 2016. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and the Allegheny Singers and was sec retary to the Allegheny Undergraduate Council. She worked as a personal secre tary to Robert L. McNeil, Jr. and program officer for the Barra Foundation. In honor of her many years of service, Mr. McNeil established the Gail Howe Fahrner Fund for Community Engagement at Allegh eny. Survivors include her son, Richard Schmidt; her stepchildren, Carole Fahrner Wallace and Raymond Fahrner, and three step-grandchildren. Samuel Sanfilippo on April 23, 2016. He received a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a prominent Oil City (Pa.) businessman, serving as founder and president of the Villa Italia Ristorante. His sister, Joan Fultz, survives. ’58Glenn V. Gardinier on Feb. 5, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and received an honorable discharge in 1962. After graduating from Allegheny, he attended Syracuse University. Survivors include three children and a granddaughter. David E. Hanaway, Sr. on April 4, 2016. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1955. Survivors include his children, Thair Hanaway and Dawn Marie Hanaway; his brother, Robert Hanaway, and two grandchildren. Marilyn Finch Smith on July 13, 2015. She was a soloist with the Allegheny Choir. Throughout the years, she sang with the Handel and Haydn Society, the John Harms Chorus, the St. Andrews Episcopal Church Choir, the New Haven Chorale and the Mendelssohn Choir, which performs regularly with the Pitts burgh Symphony Orchestra. Survivors include her husband, Richard Smith; her children, Kevin Van Strum and Jennifer Fontanella, and two grandchildren.
Saralane Zehrung Hedderich on April 3, 2016. Her working career included the Allegheny Department of Recruitment and IBM as a system engineer in Utica, N.Y. Survivors include her husband, Wal ter; her children, Anne Myton Hedderich and Scott Hedderich; three grandchildren and her brother, Winfield Scott Zehrung.
Judy Jolly Stroup on May 3, 2016. She received a bachelor’s degree from Allegh eny and a master’s in education from Sam Houston State University. She was a mem ber of Alpha Gamma Delta. She dedicated her life to her children and grandchildren, as well as the numerous other children she educated for 45 years. Survivors include her children, Lisa McNeely, Tim Stroup and Dr. Jennifer Stroup Bobo, and two grandchildren.
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Dr. John Walter Lehman II on May 6, 2016. After gradu ating from Temple University School of Medicine, he opened his private practice in Beaver Falls, Pa. He spent his career as a surgeon at the Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children (Philadelphia) Amputee Clinic and Beaver Valley Orthopedic Associates. He established and funded along with his wife a medical ethics course and the annual “Lehman Lecture” at Allegheny.
Patricia Mornel Wittenberg on Feb. 2, 2016. ’59D.Grant Daubenspeck on April 4, 2016. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and sophomore class presi dent. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dentistry and was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, then entered the University at Buffalo for his specialty training in orthodontics. He had a 30-year civilian career with Orthodontic Associates of Erie, Pa., along with a military career as a naval reservist. Survivors include his first wife, Marny L. Daubenspeck; his siblings, Dr. Joann Painter, Marilyn Woodruff and Douglas Daubenspeck; his children, Dr. D. Cary Daubenspeck, Gregg Daubenspeck, Lee Daubenspeck and Todd Daubenspeck; two stepdaughters, Carolyn Lechner and Nancy Dolan, and 10 grandchildren.
’54Allison A. Frazier on Feb. 23, 2016. He retired as a major from the U.S. Air Force as a navigator on a KC-135 tanker. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He was the owner of Lightning Delivery Service Inc. and Texas Cajun Concessions.
’66Janet Jackson Query on Nov. 2, 2015. After gradua tion from Allegheny with a major in sociology and minor in education, she was an educator in Baldwin-Whitehall (Pittsburgh), Warren Township (Indianapolis) and Birming ham, Mich. After retiring, she worked as a literacy teacher at Eton Academy in Bir mingham. Survivors include her children, Todd Query and Jill Richardson, and three grandchildren.
Fulmer Hiwiller on April 18, 2016. He had bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology and completed graduate work at Brockport and Cortland universities. He was a teacher and coach in Ripley, N.Y., then at Medina Central Schools (New York). He also served as assistant princi pal (teacher on special assignment) for Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services (New York), overseeing the sum mer school program. Survivors include his wife, Marilyn Boyd Hiwiller; his chil dren, Deborah Stern, Glenn Hiwiller and Holly Leonardo; nine grandchildren and his sister, Maryne Hiwiller. Kay Williams Janowsky on Feb. 28, 2016. She was a social worker at McPike Addiction Treatment Center in New York. Survivors include her children, Christine Wenglewick and Austin Ronald Janowsky; five grandchildren, one step-grandson and her sisters, Ann Harris and Carol Johnson.
’63Michael M. Ferguson on March 16, 2016. Working as a railroad conductor for 42 years, he began his career with Erie Lack awanna Railroad, then Conrail and finally Norfolk Southern. He and his wife also owned Cannon’s Sport Store in Conneaut Lake, Pa., from 1980 to 1994. Survivors include his wife, Sharon; his children, Stacey Lowing, Kurt, Kyle, Cara Moutsos and Ali; nine grandchildren and a sister, Mary Cullifer. ’64John Altman in August 2015. He was a tax accountant. Survivors include his wife, Lynn Carter ’65; his children, Carter and Leslie, and five grandchildren. Nancy Griffin McElroy on April 21, 2016. She had a bachelor’s degree in English and studied education at Immaculata Univer sity. She was active in alumni affairs at Allegheny. Survivors include her husband, Richard “Dick” McElroy ’64; her chil dren, Beth Ann Gunlikson, Julie Conners ’92 and Jeffrey McElroy; seven grandchil dren and her sister, Jane Griffin Evans.
’60Frances
’68Robert E. Durrant on April 26, 2016. He was a high school history teacher, and after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, practiced labor and employment law with the City of Pittsburgh and in private practice. He was a managing partner of Meyer, Darragh, Buckler, Bebenek & Eck and a founding partner of the firm Campbell, Durrant, Beatty, Palombo & Miller, P.C. Survivors include his wife, Maria; a stepson, Joseph Verardi, and his brothers, Mike and Steve.
Dr. Robert W. Kelly, Sr. on March 11, 2016. He had a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Allegheny and a med ical degree from Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University. He did a general surgery residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii and then an Army practice in Hinesville, Ga. He started his solo general surgery practice at Allegheny Valley Hospital, then rejoined the Army and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan as a trauma surgeon, retir ing as an Army colonel. He then worked at Allegheny General Hospital and West Penn Hospital. Survivors include his wife, Tina; his children, Robert Kelly, Jr. and Bethany Glogowski; four grandchildren and his brother, Dr. Bruce Kelly.
’61Donald Howard Pettler on April 20, 2016. He was a captain in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He attended Yale University for graduate studies and retired as a vice president of PNC. Survi vors include his wife, Susie Pettler; his children, Laura Pettler, Jason Pettler, Rus sell Westerberg and Graham Westerberg; eight grandchildren; one great-grandchild and his siblings, Paul Pettler and Ruth Furman.
John C. Grunau on Feb. 19, 2016. He attended the University of Michigan and Allegheny before moving south and earned a bachelor’s degree in geology. He worked in Shreveport, La.’s oil and gas community, founding Pride Explora tion. Survivors include his wife, Shirley Grunau; his children, Laura Busby, George Grunau, Stacy Pickard Coale and Archie Wayne Pickard, and seven grandchildren.
’65Judith Ann Conte Ehmer on Feb. 23, 2016. She had a bachelor’s degree in German from Allegheny and her master’s degree from Johannes-Gutenberg Uni versity in Mainz, Germany. She taught in Backnang, Mössingen and Stadtallendorf. Survivors include her husband, Hermann; four children, Susanne, Heidi, Andreas and David; eight grandchildren and four siblings.
Paul Fullerton on April 20, 2016. He served in World War II as a B-17 bomber pilot with the U.S. Army Air Force 301st Bomb Group of the 15th Air Force. He also was a member of the National Guard. He had served with the weather bureau in Arkansas, had been a dairy farmer in Cochranton, Pa., worked with the High way Department in California and served with the Border Patrol in California and Texas. Survivors include five daughters, Judy Keagy, Ann Harrell, Susan Fullerton, Polly Heffernan and Edie Steider; 11 grand children and 13 great-grandchildren.
’62Linda Riefle Hagstrom on Feb. 9, 2016. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. She graduated from Grove City College and worked as a teacher and real estate agent. Survivors include her husband, George Hastrom ’59; two sons, James and David ’84 Hagstrom, and two grandchildren.
Richardson Cain on May 4, 2016. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma at Allegheny. Survivors include her husband, Ernest Cain; her children, Brent Cain and Beth Nordskog; four grandchildren and her brothers, Steve, Tom and Mike Richardson.
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’84James Alexander on March 18, 2016. He received his bachelor’s degree in speech communications. He was an outside sales representative for NTP-STAG, a provider of aftermarket products for recreational vehicles. Survivors include his wife, Mar ian; his mother, Natalie Alexander, and his sister, Sherri Harrell.
Agnes Marie Yurcak Parise on April 9, 2016. She worked in food service at Allegheny for several years. Charles Anthony Ruslavage on Feb. 15, 2016. He taught and coached football at Allegheny.
’73Richard A. Simoncelli on April 24, 2016. He pursued a Ph.D. in musicology from Washington University. He retired as president of the St. Louis Public Library Foundation. Survivors include his wife, Claudia Moran; his children, Jessica and Amelia; his mother, Helen Simoncelli; his brother, Michael Simoncelli, and one grandchild.
AudreyFriendsLacroix Ainsworth on March 15, 2016. She worked in administration at Allegheny. M. Patricia Gilmartin on Feb. 2, 2016. She taught briefly at Allegheny. Dr. Manley Frank Johnson on Dec. 28, 2015. He was a professor in the Education Department at Allegheny. Nancy Lee Kurtic on April 5, 2016. She worked in the print shop at Allegheny.
’72Lynn E. 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, and at Sun Microsystems in San Francisco. She then moved to Montana and worked for Park County Friends of the Arts as executive director of the Danforth Gallery. She also developed a web design services business. She is survived by two sisters, Lisa ’82 and Diane Weaver, and a brother, Gerald.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lynn Bly Weaver ’72 was incorrectly listed in the obituaries in the spring issue. We regret this error.
’82Lisa Marie Battaglia-Schwartz on Feb. 9, 2016. She attended the Sheffield School of Design and worked as an interior designer. She also worked as a buyer for the Taggerts Men’s Shop, Narragansett, R.I., and as a district manager for Irresis tables. Survivors include her husband, Dr. Steven Schwartz; her parents, Jack and Doris, and her siblings, Mark, Jonathan and Stacy. ’83John Mehling on Feb. 18, 2016. He was a reading intervention specialist and ACT prep teacher at Walker Valley High School in Tennessee. Survivors include his wife and five children.
’97Mark P. Nelson on Feb. 25, 2014. Survi vors include his mother, Carol Comerford Nelson, and his son, Noah.
’70Linda Hayes Tischler on April 11, 2016. She wrote and edited for the Boston Herald, Boston maga zine, Sidewalk.com, MyWay.com and Fast Company magazine. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and two master’s degrees, in English and in jour nalism, from Boston University. Survivors include her husband, Henry Tischler; two children, Melissa and Ben; her mother, Violet Hayes; her siblings, Jack Hayes, Patrick Hayes and Kathleen Hayes, and two grandchildren.
The Next Chapter: Celebrating Allegheny College as It Reaches Its Bicentennial by Jonathan E. Helmreich with the collaboration of Jonathan “Jed” Miller ’69, William N. Owen ’74, and Kathleen A. Roos was released at the beginning of 2016. The Next Chapter is an update of College Historian Helmreich’s history of the College from its founding to 2005. The new book describes the decade preceding the bicentennial and its accompanying celebration. Its contents portray the beauty of the campus and what makes Allegheny special. A coffee-table book of 108 pages, The Next Chapter contains multiple fullpage color pictures of the campus and its people. Softback and hardback versions are available ($20 and $35, respectively). They may be ordered from the bookstore website or by calling (814) 332-5369.
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’71Keith Crichton on March 19, 2016. After graduating from Allegheny, Penn State University and NoVa College, his career included property management for local homeowners associations and land devel opment. He is survived by his wife, Candi. The Rev. Dr. Philip S. Gittings III on Feb. 26, 2016. He completed his doctor ate in 1978 at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and did postdoctoral work at Princeton Theological Seminary and Van derbilt University. He was interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, N.Y., and served churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Survivors include his wife, Marga ret; his children, Philip IV and Catherine Garvin Gittings, and his siblings, Caroline Gittings Fleming, Rebecca, Dr. Steve and David.
Deacon Harvey R. McQueen on March 26, 2016. He received his bachelor’s degree in English. He was an active member of St. Agatha Roman Catholic Church and served as chaplain at Cambridge Springs State Correctional Institution. He retired from Starn Tool of Meadville. Survivors include his wife, Linda; his children, Christopher McQueen and Jennifer Wanner; three grandchildren, and a sister, Dorothea McQueen.
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A long-time dedicated member of Stone United Methodist Church, Dick served in a multitude of leadership positions, including Staff-Parish Relations Committee chairperson, Church Council chairperson, lay leader, and delegate to the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Dick’s community involvement included serving on the board of the Meadville Public Library, membership in both Literary Union and Meadville Roundtable and active participant on the History and Heritage and Hall of Fame Committees of Allegheny College.
Survivors, in addition to his wife, include two daughters, Lynne Herrman ’84 and Karen Mitton ’87; four grandchildren, and two sisters, Joyce Overheim and Marjorie Gaul.
Allegheny President James H. Mullen, Jr.
“Allegheny has lost one of its legendary figures,” said President James H. Mullen, Jr. “For generations of Alleghenians, Dick was not only the dean of admissions who recruited them, but the caring and welcoming person who mentored them during their time as students and beyond. There are so many stories of lives shaped by the kindness of Dick and Mae Stewart. Their commitment to diversity and to the values of our College earned them a special place in Allegheny history.”
Allegheny has lost one of its legendary figures.
Memorials may be made to the Richard A. Stewart Scholarship Fund, Allegheny College, 520 N. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335 or Stone United Methodist Church, 956 S. Main Street, Meadville, PA 16335.
Richard A. Stewart died on June 5, 2016. He was born in Warren, Pa., and married Mae Cook, who survives, on Oct. 29, 1960. He was a graduate of Allegheny, earning a bachelor’s in English in 1956 and a master’s degree in 1966. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He began his first job in 1958 teaching English at Jamestown, N.Y., High School. He then joined the Admissions Office at Allegheny College in 1960 as an assistant director. Dick remained at Allegheny for the rest of his career, serving as dean of admissions, dean of off-campus and special programs, and director of alumni affairs until he retired in 1999. He received the following awards and honors: Pennsylvania Association of College Admissions Counselors Executive Board Award, 1987; National Association of College Admissions Counselors Distinguished Service Award, 1988; Middle States Regional Assembly of the College Board Bernard Ireland Recognition Award, 1990; the Allegheny College Robert T. Sherman Distinguished Service Award, 1997; the Allegheny College Alumni Award for eminent service, 1999; the Robert Garbark Memorial Alumni Award of the Allegheny College Golden Gator Club, 2004; and, together with wife, Mae, a service and commitment award from the Allegheny College Alumni Association of Black Collegians/Association for the Advancement of Black Culture, 2011.
Richard A. Stewart ’56
Allegheny Administrator
Born in Lackawanna, N.Y., he received his bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College in 1964. He started his career as a manage ment trainee at the Connecticut General Insurance Co., moving into the company’s investment area and becoming senior vice president and chief investment officer of CIGNA Investments, a position he held until 1988. With his strong abilities in finance, he held similar positions with Connecticut Mutual, and was president of State House Capi tal Management, a managing partner of Landmark Partners in Simsbury, Conn., and Madison Harbor Capital, retiring in 2006.
Besides his wife of 26 years, Angela, he is survived by three daughters, Heather Downey, Holly Maine and Brennan Alexa ’14; three grandchildren, and a brother, Francis.
He readily shared his financial acumen with many nonprofit organizations, serving on the boards of Ethel Walker School, Simsbury, Conn.; New Hampton School, New Hampton, N.H., and the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Conn. He was a voracious reader and loved to travel, plant flowers, and care for the land scaped grounds of his home.
Dick Maine was a wonderful trustee and dear friend. I always valued his wisdom and ability to get to the heart of any question under discussion. Most of all, Dick was a true son of the liberal arts whose intellectual curiosity and breadth were extraordinary and contributed to his passion for Allegheny’s mission.
“Dick Maine was a wonderful trustee and dear friend. I always valued his wisdom and ability to get to the heart of any question under discussion,” said President James H. Mullen, Jr. “Most of all, Dick was a true son of the liberal arts whose intellectual curiosity and breadth were extraordinary and contributed to his passion for Allegheny’s mission. The board will miss him deeply and joins Mari and me in extending our deepest sympathies to Angela, Brennan, Heather and Holly.”
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Allegheny President James H. Mullen, Jr.
Richard W. Maine Trustee
Richard W. Maine, 74, of Avon, Conn., husband of Angela Wiley Maine, passed away on May 15, 2016. Appointed as an Allegheny trustee in 2011, he was in his sec ond term as a board member. During his tenure as a trustee, he served on the Investment Committee, Audit Committee, and the Budget and Finance Committee.
Elsewhere in this magazine, the testimo nies of four powerful women leaders and the students and alumni who benefited from their generosity to this college offer narratives of commitment and influence. May they inspire others to share their own stories of living lives of significance, lives that really count.
Meadvilleinternationalathleticorganizations,teams,andother“away”experiences,internshipsandengagementwithinallcontributetoaremarkableandtransformativeeducation.
WordLastThe by Dave Roncolato ’79 In the Allegheny Gateway’s Office of Civic Engagement we are often asked to count. How many hours of service did students perform in the course of the year? How many students participated in Make a Difference Day, Meadville’s one-day service event every October? How many graduating seniors took a course with a required service-learning component? These numbers tell us something about the pervasiveness of our student culture of service and engagement. These num bers, however, do not necessarily mean something is being accomplished in the community. Beyond counting hours, we cultivate the ethics of commitment and the skills for collective impact. This is what counts in the community. What counts are all 13 elementary students from Second District School in Operation Read who improved their reading level toward grade-appropriate proficiency. What counts are the 35 roofs, ramps and critical home repairs accomplished by the Community Improvement Center this year keeping elderly and low-income homeowners in safe and accessible homes. What counts is the partnership with Parkhurst Dining Services. Approximately 1,200 pounds of food that would have been thrown away was transported by students in Food Rescue to feed folks at homeless shelters and service agencies. What counts are the 1,063 individuals who received free income tax services by the team of Allegheny College students in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). But what really counts? As a college, it is education that really counts. What students do in classrooms, student orga nizations, athletic teams, international and other “away” experiences, internships and engagement within Meadville all contribute to a remarkable and transfor mative education. Creating opportunities
Dave Roncolato is the director of civic engagement and professor of community and justice studies at Allegheny. As a college, it is education that really counts. What students do in classrooms, student
So what really counts?
for students to learn civic responsibility as undergraduates is a component of this. It begins with institutional civic responsibility. Allegheny College con tinually assesses and reflects upon the institution’s civic responsibility to our community and region as well as our civic responsibility to the nation and the global community. In 2000, acting on behalf of the college, President Richard Cook signed the Presidents’ Declaration on the Civic Responsibility of Higher Education. Under President Jim Mullen, Allegheny’s Center for Political Participation initiated the Civility Prize. Approved by faculty vote in November of 2014, Allegheny’s new core curriculum includes a power, privilege and difference requirement, a global learning requirement, and a civic learning require ment. The rigor of academic disciplines and the civic responsibility of higher education are in dialogue; both highly valued and each having something to say to the Educatingother.students toward a lifelong ethic of commitment is what really counts. This ethic is evident in Allegheny alumni who demonstrate a commitment to service and making a difference after the diploma is in hand. Some will impact Meadville, some will impact the nation, others will make an impact in communities throughout the world. An Allegheny College education offers a portal into a lifetime of impact. This is at the core of the work of the new Allegheny Gateway.
Laurent A. Parks Daloz, Cheryl H. Keen, James P. Keen and Sharon Daloz Parks Common Fire: Leading Lives of Commitment in a Complex World Shared by Dave Roncolato ’79
Where the heart’s deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet, commitment is conceived. The self becomes identified with the work to be done, understanding it as integral to the motion of life itself.
Allegheny Magazine Allegheny College 520 North Main Street Meadville, PA 16335 NON PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 35 PITTSBURGH, PA
Assistant Professor of Environmental Science Beth Choate has been leading a research project this summer that assesses bee diversity and abundance in Meadville and evaluates potential factors that may influence these populations. Bee populations are impacted by availability of nesting sites in the ground and woody structures, as well as the floral diversity of an area. Sam pling sites are placed north and south of the college campus. This includes sites at the Robertson Athletic Complex and private yards that provide a large amount of green space and floral variety, and sites on campus and into town where concrete is more ubiquitous and floral availability is limited. “At each site, we sample bees with two types of traps, yellow and white bowl traps, and vane traps. All veg etation within a 5-meter radius is identified and the number of open blooms counted. We may then assess how the abundance and diversity of bees relates to nesting-site availability and floral abundance and diversity,” Choate says.
Pictured below (left to right) are Professor Choate, Kaye Moyer ’19 and Paige Hickman ’17.
