Acknowledgments

This publication is dedicated to those who endured the unthinkable during WWII. The first year experience takes commitment and collaboration from both Avila and our outside community. This is an opportunity to thank all of these dedicated people. A special acknowledgment and many thanks to Jack Mayer, author of Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project, and Norm Conard and Megan Stewart Felt, the 2020 Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecturers. Thank you for sharing Sendler and her story. A heart-felt thanks to Bill and Jean ’76 Buchanan and the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence. Your generous spirit and support helped the issues of social justice permeate through the curriculum of first year seminar. Avila is forever grateful to you! The Truman Lecture would not be possible without the support of our presenting sponsors Joe and Sue Fahey, Kevin and Connie Fahey and the J.M. Fahey Construction Company. We appreciate and value your support of this event. Thank you for allowing our students the unique opportunity to hear first-hand from those who knew and loved Irena Sendler. With your support Avila was also able to donate $5000 to the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes to continue the legacy of honoring and showcasing those who make a difference in the lives of many.

Thank you to the Avila University Common Reading Program Committee led by Dr. Paige Illum. Members were Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley, Dr. Abigail Lambke, and Dr. Natalie Cobb. We appreciate your time and dedication! A special thanks to Jerra White who read Life in a Jar and recommended it to the committee.

When we realized the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture would need a pivot from the planned live theater performance due to Covid-19, the Truman Lecture Series Committee moved quickly and successfully to coordinate a small in-person experience offered through many forms of technology including Zoom, Facebook and YouTube. A huge thank you to the Truman Lecture Series Committee including Aaron Bennett, Dr. Charlene Gould, Dr. Paige Illum, Darren Roubinek and the leadership of Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley.

Many thanks to Maggie Mohrfeld, Interim Vice President of Advancement; Darren Roubinek, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications; and Aaron Bennett, Events Coordinator, for their countless hours of dedicated work to make The Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture a success. Also to Maureen Reardon and Mary Sommerhauser who designed this reflection book with wonderfully creative and on-target project management skills.

The members of the Office of Marketing and Communication, the Advancement Office, the Theatre Department, Information Technology Services and Campus Services helped implement a stellar Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture. Thank you for your excellent attention to detail and expertise in your respective areas.

Through the tireless efforts of our First Year Seminar Instructors our students were able to gain important worldview lessons through the First Year Seminar curriculum. You led students through multiple experiences and made the First Year Experience come alive through projects and discussions. You also were willing to take a leap of faith to teach during a pandemic that required countless alterations throughout the semester. You were cooperative and dedicated. You all DID make a difference! Thank you to Dave Armstrong, Jason Baldwin, Sara Eckinger, Darby Gough, Paige Illum, Alexis Johnson, Anissa Martinez, Arica Maurer, Anna McDonald, Alicia Murillo, Tremesha Robinson, Shawn Summe, Paula Tarwater and Daniel Weigel.

We also thank those who helped educate our first year students in unique and meaningful ways though the First Year Seminar curriculum. A sincere thank you to David Radasky for speaking to our students about his amazing father, Solomon Radasky. We are so grateful to have learned more about Solomon and the important messages regarding friendship, tolerance and self-respect. We are also appreciative of Jessica Rockhold and Shelly Cline from the Midwest Center for Holocaust Education (MCHE) for connecting Avila to David Radasky. And, to Avila’s own Dr. Ron Sleptiza, Avila President, who connected the First Year Seminar to those at the MCHE. Many thanks to Arica Maurer, Coordinator of the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence, who helped students understand that social justice problems can be solved to create a more peaceful world and one of the most effective ways to make a positive change is through a nonviolent, well-informed, logic based approach to problem solving.

Lastly, thanks to the Avila University first year students. You also took a leap of faith! You headed to college during a pandemic and adjusted to a new style of learning. Avila is proud of you! We thank you for your commitment to your continued learning of social justice. We challenge you to live the mission and values of Avila University as you learn more about how you can contribute to our global community. Be a hero!

Thanks to our presenting sponsor