SPIRITUS Fall/Winter 2021 • The Magazine for University of Detroit Mercy
Building for tomorrow
Dear Alumni and Friends of University of Detroit Mercy:
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
As we approach the Christmas season, I am filled with feelings of thankfulness, optimism and anticipation. I am thankful because there is so much positive news to share with you, especially the return of our students to in-person classes on the four campuses. We are grateful also because we welcomed our largest freshman class since 2009 on the McNichols Campus, 565 students, and 34% of them are first-generation college students. Additionally, Detroit Mercy was again ranked among the best universities in the nation, receiving a No. 187 ranking in the National Universities category of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2022 edition and the only private institution in Michigan in the top 200. Other notable national rankings included Best Value Schools (No. 35), Best Undergraduate Business Programs, Management (No. 27) and Finance (No. 42), Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs (No. 148), Best Schools for Veterans (No. 121) and Top Performers on Social Mobility of our alumni (No. 120). The Wall Street Journal’s 2022/Times Higher Education rankings also ranked Detroit Mercy No. 202 in the United States, which was the fifth time the University has ranked among the top third of all U.S. universities in this ranking. These few examples are the result of the hard work and dedicated efforts of our staff and faculty who have labored over the past 20 months to provide a superb Mercy and Jesuit education to our students during this challenging global pandemic. My optimism emanates from the daily sights and sounds of construction on the Student Union renovation and expansion, which will be fully operational next year. Both residential and commuter students, as well as many administrators and staff, are looking forward to moving into this refashioned and modernized center of student activity and administrative services. Additionally, significant transformations to classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices are proceeding on the McNichols Campus. Converting current campus spaces and buildings to state-of-the-art facilities is the primary focus of the $50-million Bridge Campaign. Moreover, those physical learning spaces are essential to educating our academically talented students and attracting even more prospective students. I thank many of you who have already made significant gifts to the current as well as the previous historic fundraising campaign. Finally, I am teeming with anticipation because of the boundless future that University of Detroit Mercy and our students will have in the current decade and beyond. As most of you already know, I announced in August that I will conclude my presidency at the end of June 2022. Ten and a half years have seemingly passed by quickly; but we have collectively worked hard to position the University for even more success and simultaneously strengthened our Livernois-McNichols neighborhoods through the co-founding of Live6 Alliance. I expect to continue my contributions to the University and the community as a civic volunteer and tenured professor during and after a yearlong sabbatical. In the meantime, I hope to see many of you at campus events and regional receptions across the country over the next eight months. Thank you for your steadfast support and generosity, and may you and your families have a Merry and Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. Sincerely,
Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D. President
FALL/WINTER 2021
WHAT’S INSIDE
Features
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Under Construction: Building for tomorrow on the McNichols Campus Student makes the most of a second chance School of Architecture rebrands Something for everyone at Homecoming 2021
Departments 2 A message from the president This is Detroit Mercy: 4 News from around our campuses So they said: Quotes heard at 11 and around Detroit Mercy 12 Athletics 26 Class Notes: Alumni on the move 28 In memoriam: Remembering our deceased 30 Just one more: Among the world’s best
We at Spiritus would love to hear what you think of this magazine and University of Detroit Mercy. Share your thoughts with Ron Bernas, editor, at bernasrj@udmercy.edu or Spiritus, Fourth Floor, Fisher Building, 4001 W. McNichols Road Detroit, MI, 48221-3038.
Fall/Winter • Vol. 30 • Issue 1 President: Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D. Vice President for University Advancement: Arnold D’Ambrosio Associate Vice President for Marketing & Communications: Gary J. Erwin
Contributing Writers: Ron Bernas, P.J. Gradowski, Grace Henning, Ricky Lindsay, Dave Pemberton Design: Tom Putters, Echo Publications, Inc. Photography: Ron Bernas, Adam Bouton, Dave Freschette
Editor: Ron Bernas Cover photo: Construction is moving along on the expanded and updated Student Union The Office of Marketing & Communications produces Spiritus twice a year in conjunction with the Office of Alumni Affairs. You may view an electronic version of the magazine udmercy.edu/spiritus.
Detroit Mercy Mission Statement University of Detroit Mercy, a Catholic University in the Jesuit and Mercy traditions, exists to provide excellent student-centered undergraduate and graduate education in an urban context. A Detroit Mercy education seeks to integrate the intellectual, spiritual, ethical and social development of students. Visit Detroit Mercy on the web: udmercy.edu.
“Solidarity invites us to walk alongside and learn from our companions, both near and far, as we journey through life together as one human family.” This passage from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ greets visitors as they visit the University’s new Reflection Garden, an inspirational focal point to all people who enter the McNichols Campus. This first campus-wide project by University Ministry was designed with the Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC), the private design firm arm of Detroit Mercy’s School of Architecture & Community Development. The DCDC gathered input from students and employees to design a peaceful, welcoming, creative and calming space where people can step away from everything going on in the world and have a talk with God. Thanks to the generosity of one donor, a portion of the new garden has been completed and the remainder is planned. Donations for the Reflection Garden can be made with the envelope included in this magazine.
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THIS IS
Detroit Mercy. University of Detroit Mercy is the sum of its stories. Here are just a few. Read more at sites.udmercy.edu/alumni.
Meet the new Law dean • 6 Building God’s network • 8 A stronger neighborhood • 9 Alumni helping students • 10 So they said • 11 A record-breaking year • 12
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DETROIT MERCY IS: MOVING FORWARD
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New Law dean’s focus is helping students thrive By Grace Henning
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elani Jefferson Exum began serving as dean of Detroit Mercy Law on July 1, 2021. She is the first person of color and second woman to serve as dean of Detroit Mercy Law. She follows Phyllis Crocker. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Jefferson Exum served as a law clerk for a federal appellate judge and a federal district court judge before joining legal academia. As a professor, she earned numerous teaching awards at multiple law schools. As an administrator, she developed a successful pipeline program. In 2019, Jefferson Exum joined the Detroit Mercy Law faculty as the Philip J. McElroy Professor of Law. She received the Detroit Mercy Law Professor of the Year award from the student body earlier this year. As a nationally recognized expert in sentencing law and procedure, she is a sought-after speaker and writer. She has given two TEDx Talks on the use of fatal force by police officers in America, serves as a member of the editorial board of the Federal Sentencing Reporter and her work has been featured on prominent sentencing blogs. Originally from New Orleans, Jefferson Exum has lived in the Detroit area for the past 11 years with her family — her husband Lowen and their three young children, Zora, Xavier and Isaiah. She appreciates the community, history, cultural diversity, art and music scenes and architecture of Detroit.
What will be the focus for your first year as dean?
I want to make sure we are doing all that we can to support our students from Day One until they step into their legal career. We will put a lot of energy into cultivating resources and putting systems in place that will allow our students to thrive, like bolstering our academic support department and increasing our resources for bar success. Additionally, we will continue to support the good work that is already being done in admissions and career services. My commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion will go beyond maintaining our diverse student and employee body. I want to make sure we have measurable outcomes not only in our diversity but that we are also looking at our policies, our curriculum and the climate of our institution to make sure that we have an inclusive environment where all of our community can thrive.
What originally drew you to Detroit Mercy Law?
I knew how important Detroit Mercy Law was to the community. I had been living in the area for about 11 years and working out of state at a different law school that I enjoyed, but I wanted to be rooted in the community where I was living. When I started to think seriously about finding a school to be my home institution in Detroit, I thought about what is most important to me. Social justice has always been the core of my own scholarship and professional work. I wanted to join a school where social justice was an embraced part of the tradition and mission of the entire university. For me, Detroit Mercy Law felt like a place where I would fit and my values would align with the institution’s values.
What are the strengths of Detroit Mercy Law?
Our greatest strength is our community — our bright and tenacious students, engaged alumni, expert faculty and dedicated team of administrators and staff. Our commitment to social justice and dedication to educating lawyers with a commitment to service through the law are key to the Jesuit and Mercy traditions at Detroit Mercy Law. Through our clinic and externship programs, relationships with alumni and bar associations and other work of our faculty and students, we are a visible presence in Detroit. I am proud of the work Detroit Mercy Law does for our students and community, and I am committed to making our outreach and legal services programs even stronger and ensuring our reputation reflects the impact we make. I must also recognize our Canadian & American Dual JD program, which is the only program of its kind in North America. We are fortunate to educate transnational lawyers through this program in partnership with Windsor Law, which also has a dedication to ethics, justice and service.
Why did you want to be dean of Detroit Mercy Law?
When I joined Detroit Mercy Law, I did not plan to pursue being the dean. I was just happy to be a part of the community. As faculty, I came to appreciate the school even more and to understand the real impact it makes in Detroit and on the students. I realized what a great team we have at Detroit Mercy Law. When the deanship became open, I thought, if ever there were a time to lead a school that I appreciate all the people in the institution and have a genuine desire to see the school thrive for those people, that it made a lot of sense to give it a shot.
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DETROIT MERCY IS: FULFILLING DREAMS
Alumna takes a leap of faith to spread God’s word to youth By Ron Bernas
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enifer Young ’18, ’20 remembers what she felt on her first day of classes on Detroit Mercy’s McNichols Campus. “I was standing in front of the Commerce and Finance building and holding my books and being so excited about the idea that one day I would be graduating,” she said. That was almost 20 years ago. Today, at 37, Young is putting her Detroit Mercy
education to use as the CEO of One God TV Network, a global Christian television network aimed at millennials. It’s a company she built from the ground up led, she says, by God. It took Young 10 years to earn her bachelor’s degree in Business and another two to earn an MBA. Along the way she raised children and worked full time in Detroit Mercy’s Office of the Registrar and the College of
Engineering & Science records office. At the same time, she was making a name for herself in Christian media as host of a radio program for youth on The Word AM 560, Detroit’s Christian Talk, and a podcast iRoc Jesus, which reached more than a million listeners through Yes Lord Radio and several other syndicated internet radio stations. With Yes Lord Radio, she received a Stellar Award for Best Internet Radio Station in 2014. “It’s like a Grammy Award for the Gospel or Christian industry,” Young explained. After the Stellar win, she felt called to transfer her success to television and created a TV show called, “To The BEAT,” a Christian show for young people that dealt with issues of faith. Filmed in Detroit, it featuring unscripted interviews with Christian entertainers. She worked to find a national network to pick up the show, but it didn’t work out. Then, during the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she heard a voice. “God told me to start a TV network,” she said. After praying about it for a while she realized that she had the media background, the knowledge of business and the drive. “I had everything I needed to do this,” she said. With the capital investment of $20,000 from her IRA account, she built a studio in her house in late 2020 and moved forward with the plan.
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“University of Detroit Mercy is my safety net and has been my home for 17 years,” she said. “When God asked me to leave my job, others said to wait…but if I would have waited on what seemed like the perfect time for me, how would that have been me trusting what God asked me to do?” She went live with One God TV on Feb. 14 this year and left the University in March. She isn’t looking back. “I look at it as God is building his own platform to showcase light and positivity,” Young said. One God TV offers talk shows, musical specials, movies and prayers. There is no shortage of possibilities. Hundreds of creators have come to her eager to get their content – which they have aired on YouTube, Instagram and other sites – on the network. Young receives funds through subscriptions and pays the content creators for their work based on the number of subscribers, and through affordable paid airtime for local ministries who need a televised outlet. It’s a point of pride for her, as other sites charge creators to air their work. “I don’t know what’s coming next,” she said. “But I keep thinking back to that young woman standing in front of the Commerce and Finance Building who didn’t know where she would go. And now, I’m CEO of a network.” For more information about One God TV Network, visit onegodtvnetwork. com or download the app for free to your smartphone or smart TV. A longer version of this story can be found at sites.udmercy.edu/alumni.
Live6 Alliance completes McNichols improvement S ince its founding in 2015, Live6 Alliance has supported more than 100 community initiatives designed to have a positive impact on the lives of those who live, work and play in the neighborhoods surrounding Detroit Mercy’s McNichols Campus.
The highest-profile project debuted in October when University President and Live6 Board Chair Antoine M. Garibaldi, along with Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Live6 Executive Director Geneva Williams, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the work recently finished on Six Mile near Livernois. The McNichols streetscape includes safe biking lanes, new sidewalks and lights, making the area more walkable for residents and patrons of six new restaurants, educational and business opportunities and public spaces in the area. Duggan said the work was the direct result of the collaboration. “Even though the McNichols streetscape has just been completed, we already are seeing new investment under way and more projects on the horizon that will make this corridor a vibrant part of this community,” he said. “This is what happens when city government partners with residents, businesses and other institutions to develop investment strategies that benefit everyone.” The partnership is also driven by the University’s strategic plan, one tenet of which calls for University investment in helping create “Detroit’s College Town” around the McNichols Campus. Live6 Alliance was co-founded by Garibaldi and University of Detroit Mercy in partnership with The Kresge Foundation in August 2015. The organization is an independent nonprofit whose purpose is to strengthen the neighborhoods and businesses surrounding the Livernois Avenue and McNichols Road/Six Mile corridor. Spiritus Fall 2021 | 9
Project connects PA students, alumni By Ron Bernas
S
ervice learning is an important part of the University’s Physician Assistant program.
That’s why Assistant Professor Kelli Frost generally assigns students in her first-year Introduction to the PA Profession class service work in healthcare settings. She says the students gain important skills, as well as a deeper understanding of the field. But like so many other things, the pandemic forced Frost to change her plans. In 2020, when clinics and other healthcare providers were not bringing in students, Frost had them exchange letters with residents of the St. Patrick Senior Center. It helped students connect with and learn about the needs of an underserved population. This year, with clinic placements still scarce, Frost had to find another way. She turned to the program’s alumni. “The PA program has a pretty engaged alumni base,” Frost said. She reached out and 35 alumni responded saying they were willing to chat one-on-one with a first-year PA student. “The goal was to have the freshmen understand the life
of a PA and the challenges they are facing during the pandemic.” Frost said it was an extension of the regular series of PA speakers she has speak to her class, but the conversations turned more personal and emotional. These candid conversations took place virtually and started with a few scripted questions, and then went deeper. One of the students, Shawn Schwesinger, was paired with a PA working in Sterling Heights. He found the experience eye-opening. “She was more fortunate than many people; because she worked in a family practice the pandemic did not cause as many problems for her as it did for others,” Schwesinger said. “The office did mostly telehealth, which increased her paperwork and there weren’t other people in the office to help share the work.” She told him about the increase in patients with complaints of anxiety and depression, and of her own emotions when patients were healthy one week, and on a ventilator the next.
“She did experience provider burnout,” he said. “But she was better off than many people because she was able to keep her job throughout the pandemic.” Molly Soraghan was another student who participated in the project. Her reflection paper talks of a moment in her interview of a PA who works with cardiovascular associates. “I know she has to put on a brave face every day, work through the fatigue and get back to helping those in need. It was in this small moment that I could see the toll that this pandemic has taken on everyone, especially healthcare providers.” Jeff Cornell ’12 is a PA on the Critical Care Team at Ascension Hospital in Warren. He remembered the day the PA student called him. “I always enjoy talking to the students,” he said. “I think it’s important for them to have a clinical perspective, which was hard because so many clinical placements were canceled because of COVID. I don’t think students can really appreciate what the field is like without clinicals.” After the experience, Frost and her students felt the need to give back to the alumni who helped her. She took inspiration from a project one of her children did in elementary school: A virtual quilt. “I had each student create a square for what we called an Alumni Gratitude Quilt,” Frost said. Students offered encouragement and thanks. Frost turned them into a paneled piece of art that she sent to the alumni who participated. “The students got a lot out of it and the alumni said they were grateful to have someone to tell their story to,” Frost said. Frost hopes to use transcripts of all interviews and the student papers reflecting on the experience in an academic paper about the project.
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So they said A collection of recent quotes heard at and around Detroit Mercy.
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“ We’re all living, connected human beings and it takes a whole community of students to encourage and protect each other.” Director of Detroit Mercy’s Wellness Center Annamaria Silveri, to WXYZ Channel 7 News regarding Send Silence Packing, a traveling exhibit meant to encourage conversations about mental illness. More than 1,000 backpacks were set up on Sacred Heart Square, each telling the story of a young person who ended their life through suicide. It is the first time the exhibit has been at Detroit Mercy. It was first displayed in 2008 on the National Mall.
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“ We need both science and spirituality to transform our world to the extent we need to, to save it from the climate change crisis.” Detroit Mercy Professor Gail Presbey, cochair of the Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit Conference, held at Detroit Mercy Oct. 15-16. Hundreds of people from teens to seniors attended to network with environmental activists, hear from youth, immigrant and indigenous people on the front lines of the fight to reverse damage to the Earth.
“ Among its most important benefits, this arrangement will enrich the lives of those who are educated at Jesuit business schools by extending their academic opportunities long past their graduation.” College of Business Administration Dean Joseph Eisenhauer, in announcing the Jesuit Promise for Lifelong Learning, an agreement among 17 members of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, that allows alumni of Jesuit business schools to take free courses for the rest of their lives at other Jesuit business schools.
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“ Ignatius … was involuntarily laid up due to a health crisis. He had, perhaps for the first time in his life, uninterrupted quiet and time to reflect on his life. He asked for chivalric romances to pass the time, but surely to his dismay, the only books available were a Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. As he began to read these, he also began to pay attention to the movements of his own heart and started to believe that God was communicating with him in these various movements.” Detroit Mercy Professor Patrick Kelly, S.J., explaining how being hit by a cannonball changed the life of Ignatius of Loyola. The Society of Jesus is celebrating the 500th anniversary of that “cannonball moment” that led to the founding of the Jesuits in what they are calling the Ignatian Year that ends July 31, 2022.
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Records will be broken as Titans look to rise again By P.J. Gradowski
The 2021-22 season is here, so fans will get a chance to see some history made in Calihan Hall, all while watching the Detroit Mercy men’s basketball team rise to prominence again. For the Titans, the season will look to pick up where they left off last year. The red, white and blue went 11-3 in its last 14 games, reaching the Horizon League Championship quarterfinals and finishing just a few seconds away from advancing to the semifinals. “We are better and have more talent than we have had the last few years,” said head coach Mike Davis, who is looking to take his fourth program to the NCAA tournament which would make him only the 13th coach in NCAA history to do that. “I like the way we have 12 | Spiritus Fall 2021
practiced since the start of the summer. We have worked hard and I think we are in for a good season.” This year’s Titans are built around star guard Antoine Davis, already an NCAA record holder who can knock down a few more school, conference and NCAA marks this season. In three seasons, Davis has scored 2,040 career points, third in school history, and his 316 3-pointers are second in school and Horizon League history. He already owns four of the top 11 scoring performances in Titan history, with his 48 points against Wright State in 2019 just one shy of the school mark and the most points ever by a Titan and HL freshman. Last season, he etched another mark with 46 points against Robert Morris in the opening
n I brief
DeBusschere in NBA’s top 75
Former Titan great Dave DeBusschere ’62 was selected to the NBA’s 75 Anniversary Team.
round of the playoffs, the most ever by a conference player in the postseason. Of all the NCAA players who have ever suited up, only 608 have amassed 2,000 career points. Just 73 players have posted 2,500 points, a feat Davis can reach. Once he gets to 378 career 3-pointers, that will also put him in the top 30 in NCAA history. As a rookie, he connected on a NCAA freshman record 132 3-pointers, breaking the mark held by Stephen Curry, and his 3.85, 3-point field goals per game is currently fifth all-time in the NCAA record book. “He is a dynamic scorer,” said school record holder Rashad Phillips ‘02. “He has a great skill-set, he can shoot and is a dynamic player. I can only be proud of a player like that breaking the school record and all the success he has had.” Davis is just 279 points behind the top-scoring mark in school history, and he is second in school and Horizon League history with his 3-pointers, just 32 shy of the record, both held by Phillips. Along the way for the school record, he has passed several Titan greats in Terry Duerod, John Long and Dave DeBusschere. “He has worked hard to get where he is at,” said coach Davis. “I am proud of him for what he has accomplished because I see the hard work he has put in for so many years, but I am most proud that even with all the awards and honors, he is still working and
wants to win for his team.” Another record that Davis can secure is the NCAA record for double-digit scoring games, which is 115 by Lionel Simmons and Chris Clemons. He has netted double figures in all 82 games he has played in — reaching at least 17 points in 66 of them with 59 career 20-point games, 20 career 30-point outings and four 40-point contests. The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, Davis is the second leading returning scorer in the country at 24.0 points per game and can become the first player in conference history to top the league in scoring in all four seasons. He also enters the year hitting a school-record 51-straight free throws, the longest current active streak in the country. It’s not about the records for Davis, though. “It is something that you look at and are kind of amazed to be in that same category with all those great players, but I want to win,” said Davis. “We have improved every year, but we want to win the league and go to the NCAA Tournament, that is my goal and the team’s goal.” For the men’s and women’s basketball schedules and to purchase tickets, visit detroittitans.com.
DeBusschere was a three-time consensus All-American under coach Bob Calihan during his career with the Titans (196062) and is still the all-time Titan leader for career scoring average (24.8 points per game) and total rebounds (1,552), and is the fourth-leading scorer (1,985) in school history. He played in just 80 career games as freshmen were not allowed to participate. DeBusschere — who won NBA titles with the New York Knicks in 1970 and 1973 — was an eight-time NBA All-Star (1966-68, ‘70-73) and one of the best defensive players in league history. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Women’s golf tops in GPA
The Detroit Mercy women’s golf team keeps on scoring aces off the course as the Titans were recognized by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s All-Scholar Team GPA Award as one of the top 25 GPAs in Division I during the 2020-21 season. Detroit Mercy tied for 21st after posting a 3.840 GPA this past semester. This is the fifth time the program has been honored with one of the top 25 GPAs in the nation, following 2019 (3.814 - 6th), 2015 (3.684 - 16th), 2014 (3.838 - 3rd) and 2013 (3.617 - 20th).
Academic All-American
The final accolade in the career of Detroit Mercy men’s lacrosse graduate senior Alex Akins was revealed as the defenseman was tabbed Third Team CoSIDA At-Large Academic All-America. He is just the second Titan lacrosse player to earn the academic distinction, and just the 19th Titan in school history to earn Academic All-American honors.
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Under Construction Building for tomorrow on the McNichols Campus
It takes a lot of planning and innovative thought to upgrade a nearly century-old campus like Detroit Mercy’s at Livernois and McNichols in northwest Detroit. The $55-milion infrastructure plan will touch nearly every building on the campus. The biggest project is, of course, the Student Union renovation and expansion. The first phase is expected to be ready in the spring. Included in this project are new space to attract and recruit students; collaborative areas for gathering — including a multi-level outdoor plaza — gaming areas, study pods and an improved bookstore. In later stages, administrative services will move from the Fisher Building into the new building, making the Student Union the busy heart of the campus.
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The University’s beloved Calihan Hall, home of Titans basketball, will have an upgraded atrium, basketball court and Titan Club. All Detroit Mercy student-athletes will benefit from a new Sports Medicine Room inside the facility. Also, Titan Field’s track and field will be replaced. The College of Health Professions & McAuley School of Nursing is raising funds to continue to upgrade its simulation learning environment and enhance the academic experiences of our students in the healthcare professions. In the Engineering Building, unused High Bay space will become the Civil & Environmental Engineering Center for Sustainable Design and Smart Infrastructure, providing an inspiring space for studying the way the built and natural environments interact. And in the Briggs Building, the College of Liberal Arts & Education has developed plans for a new Center for Communications Studies and a Performing Arts rehearsal space. Shiple Hall’s new entrance was completed last year and upgrades to the shared spaces inside are coming soon. Other plans across the Detroit Mercy campuses include an enhanced courtyard entrance for the School of Law’s Riverfront Campus, so it can be used as a place for community gatherings, and the recently completed renovations of the atrium at the Dental School’s Corktown Campus.
In the Briggs Building, a new Communications Studies lab will provide equipment and instruction on methods used in the field today.
Renovations in the Student Union include the Holy Spirit Prayer Room, a place for gathering and contemplation.
The Simulation, Technology and Research (STAR) Center in the College of Health Professions Facility will bring improved collaborative, innovative teaching methods.
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s The Civil Innovation Hub will be a place for interdepartmental collaboration and research in the High Bay of the Engineering Building.
sA modern and upgraded Sports Medicine Center will ensure the University can attract athletes and keep them strong and performing well on the field.
These major renovations are made possible in part by gifts from our supporters. Please consider helping by returning a gift in the enclosed envelope.
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A second chance changes a life By Dave Pemberton
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dward Martell was in Wayne County Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow’s courtroom. It was the same courtroom where his life changed in 2005, when he was facing up to 20 years in prison for drug charges. But this time, Martell was experiencing a whole new range of emotions. He wasn’t a defendant: Martell, the recent Detroit Mercy Law grad was being sworn in as a member of the Michigan Bar. It was the culmination of a challenge Morrow gave Martell nearly 16 years earlier. “Any other judge would have flushed me. I would be in prison,” Martell said. “I would have a number. I may have never rebounded. I was 27-years-old, so I was pretty stuck in my ways. He issued me a challenge instead.”
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“ It took off so quickly and unexpectedly. I wasn’t fully prepared for all the media and the success of the story.” — EDWARD MARTELL
Morrow challenged Martell to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company instead of being a drug dealer, giving Martell three years’ probation instead of sending him to jail. “I took him up on it,” Martell said of the challenge. “He’s my hero. The guy is phenomenal. He sees something in almost all of his defendants. It’s just a matter of who is going to take that opportunity and run with it. “His judicial philosophy is really what the story is here. I’ve made some substantial changes, but his judicial philosophy is I think something that other judges should consider. I think especially when you talk about non-violent drug offenses, there shouldn’t be a tendency to want to incarcerate. I took a couple early bumps and bruises, but eventually I caught my stride.” Martell was a high school dropout, so his first step was getting a GED, which he followed up with an associate’s degree. Martell started searching for schools to earn his bachelor’s degree, his ultimate goal being law school. Detroit Mercy was at the top of Martell’s list because it had a law school and it would accept his transfer credits. Being able to transfer credits was important for Martell because he didn’t want to lose any time, and was on a budget. Growing up in poverty in Inkster had led him down the path of becoming a drug dealer and despite Martell’s good intentions, he likely needed a miracle to be able to afford college.
Detroit Mercy had that miracle in the form of the Jesuit Founders’ Scholarship. “They gave me a full academic scholarship,” Martell said. “At that age, I was grown but I was still struggling. I was only a few years out of the streets, so I needed that boost. Detroit Mercy saved me. It was everything, I didn’t know how I was going to pay for college. I couldn’t imagine getting my education without the assistance of Detroit Mercy. I’m grateful, very grateful.” Martell earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 2014 and did a work-study at Detroit Mercy Law, where he hoped to attend. He knew there was no guarantee he would be admitted because of his criminal record and even if he was, Martell wasn’t sure how he would afford it. “When you apply, you gotta come to terms with your character and fitness history,” Martell said. “I had to have a ‘Come to Jesus’ moment with myself and pour myself out in the admissions letter. Let them know I had issues in my past and that’s one of the reasons that I want to practice law, to bring about change and help young men and women not go through the same issues. Ultimately, I was accepted and I was ecstatic. “Then about a week later they called me in and gave me a Fellowship Award, a full academic scholarship and I was just in awe. I was just praising the Lord at that point. Detroit Mercy has been so generous to me.”
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The classroom proved to be the easy part; it was outside of the classroom where he began to truly learn how to become a lawyer. “I was blessed to go University of Detroit Mercy, but when I got there, I wasn’t prepared for the social fit,” Martell said. “I was up in age and I come from the streets. Detroit Mercy Law helped to polish me into the professional that I am today. They taught me how to walk, how to talk. “A lot of these professional events, some students don’t go to them, I go to them. They taught me how to shake with my right hand and hand my card in my left hand, how to never drink at an event — I wasn’t drinking anyway but you carry a glass because you don’t want to look awkward. But you don’t want to be that fool everybody talks about the next day either. There’s so much I learned from them. It’s way more than academics, I learned how to be a professional.” Martell was on his way to earning his law degree, but even then, there was no guarantee he would become a lawyer. Before he could even take the bar exam, he had to pass the state’s character and fitness test. Martell said he submitted more than 1,200 pages of documents and letters from three three witnesses. “They deliberated for about 15 minutes and they gave me a favorable recommendation and I just sobbed like a baby,” Martell said. “That was the win right there, not the bar exam. That was the victory and I sobbed like a baby. I’ll never forget that day.”
Since being sworn in, Martell’s story — first reported by Deadline Detroit — has sparked national attention, being reported by outlets like FOX News, CNN and The Washington Post and he appeared on The Today Show. “With all the media attention, I think it’s important to share my story while we can,” Martell said at the time. “And I’ll tell you why. There’s someone out there who is struggling and I feel with the right love and the right opportunity, that young man or young woman could make something of themselves. Not everyone is going to be an attorney, but they can be a skilled tradesman, they can be a CDL driver, they can be an entrepreneur, there’s a hundred things. I just don’t want people to think just because we come from a place or because we grew up without a father or because we have a past criminal record, that we can’t.” In the months following the media frenzy, Martell says he’s had inquiries about sharing his story via a book, documentary or movie.
Martell passed the bar exam and then was sworn in by Morrow in his courtroom, a place Martell spent a lot of time in over the years.
“It took off so quickly and unexpectedly,” Martell said. “I wasn’t fully prepared for all the media and the success of the story.”
“I’ve sat in his court room probably 100 times since. I would come back and observe his court room,” Martell said. “The guy is very unique, he’s exciting to watch. Just the way he talks to defendants. He sparked something in me. I can’t give enough thanks. I told him, ‘God saved me, but he used you.’ All Judge Morrow asks of me is to pay it forward. He says, ‘Ed, bring some people with you. Reach down and bring them with you.’ That’s our duty, it’s our job.”
The exposure has also led to some unexpected opportunities for Martell.
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“I’ve been nominated and humbly accepted the Karen Dumas Award for community excellence by the Detroit Community Health Coalition,” Martell said. “I was elected to the State Bar of Michigan Criminal Law Section Council, which isn’t something I was interested in initially. I didn’t really have my eye on getting involved in any political legislative stuff, but one of the veterans
for the council reached out to me about a vacancy, nominated me and the people on the council elected me. I got a threeyear term and I’m pretty excited about that. And I got published in the American Bar Association (ABA) Journal. They published my version of my story. It was titled, From Defendant to Attorney: My Journey to the Profession.” But of all the opportunities sharing his story has provided, the one Martell is most excited about is helping clients as an attorney at Perkins Law Group in Detroit. “I’ve been able to affect a lot of people with my story, but it’s made clients trust me and I appreciate that,” Martell said. “There’s just a level of trust between us and I take that very seriously. I come out here work hard and fight for them as if it’s me or one of my children on trial. A lot of clients call me who saw my story in the media. They trust me because of my background. They tell me, ‘You’ve been through what we’ve been through. We trust you.’ That means a lot to me.” Martell feels he’s just getting started and has so much more to give. “It’s been a hard-fought battle, but we won,” Martell said. “And now, a new battle begins. The battle now is to reshape and reframe the narrative. There are good folks out here. Everybody makes mistakes, right? Now, I have the tools to help. Before, I had the passion, now I have the tools to get into the fight. And if I can ever do anything to be of service for Detroit Mercy, I’m there. That’s what Detroit Mercy is about, service. However I can be of service, I’m anxious for the invite.”
Community Spirit School of Architecture rebrands to highlight program, mission-driven work Stories by Ricky Lindsay “It is to really amplify who we are. We are very unique, and it just further enhances our mission-driven, community-based approach to making architecture.” That’s how Dean Dan Pitera explains the reasoning behind a renaming of the University’s School of Architecture to School of Architecture & Community Development. The purpose of the rebranding is to highlight the school’s Master of Community of Development (MCD) program as well as its mission-driven,
community-based work. The change became official at the start of Detroit Mercy’s 2021-22 academic year. The new identity is much more than a mere name change said Pitera. It also allows for the MCD program to become even more of a focal point for the renamed school, which will be known shorthand as SACD. New Community Development-related initiatives include the Institute for AfroUrbanism, a Detroit-based research
and advocacy organization established by a recent grant from The Ford Foundation; an AfroUrbanism course offered through the MCD program and additional international learning opportunities. Collaborations with other universities are also being explored, as is a Community Development-focused institute, which would operate similarly to the Detroit Collaborative Design Center and provide students with cooperative education opportunities in community development. For now, Community Development will remain a graduate-level program at Detroit Mercy, but students at all academic levels will benefit from its presence.
“ Architecture and community are inextricably linked.” — Dean Dan Pitera
Spiritus Fall 2021 | 21
“The values and content taught in the MCD is woven throughout our undergraduate curriculum, particularly things like community engagement,” said Noah Resnick, associate dean of SACD. A new identity has been a topic of conversation for more than a decade, Pitera said. The reasoning is simple: Illustrate that the school is much broader than just Architecture. Before the rebrand, Detroit Mercy was in a unique position as one of the few universities whose Community Development program existed inside its Architecture school. “You would not look to us to find a Community Development program,” Pitera said. “And with the new identity, we are the only school that has it in our name.” Resnick added that there is one other aspect that makes the school unique. “Detroit is principally what makes us unique and uniquely positioned to have a very effective Community Development program,” Resnick said. “It’s because of the nature of this city and the way that we have been able to work in the city, not just through an academic setting but in a real-world setting to make effective change through our communities in Detroit. The expertise that our graduates gain can be applied to communities across the country, but they get a certain type of experience here that because of
Alumna’s vision to study AfrU o rbanism eb om c es reality; Ford Foundation provides funding
F
or more than a decade, University of Detroit Mercy alumna Lauren Hood ’03, ’12 has envisioned bringing substantial change to community development sectors through a concept called AfroUrbanism, an urban planning approach that centers the lived experience of Black people in the design and creation of Black communities. Hood’s longtime vision will soon come to life thanks to a recent grant from The Ford Foundation. The two-year, $250,000 award funds the creation of the Institute for AfroUrbanism, a Detroit-based research and advocacy organization, which will be supported by Detroit Mercy’s School of Architecture & Community Development. The goal of the Institute for AfroUrbanism is to start changing what information is valued in community development.
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“As Detroit undergoes rapid change, there are many calls to preserve Black culture in the face of gentrification, but how do we preserve that which is invisible, even to the people who embody it?” said Hood, founder and director of the institute. “The problem is that ‘thriving’ Black culture is invisible. Too often, the association of Black culture is deficit based — poverty, joblessness, homelessness.” Hood’s idea for the Institute developed from what she was experiencing while working as an urban planning strategist and consultant in Detroit, as well as the founding director of Live6 Alliance, a nonprofit planning and development organization. (See story Page 9.) Throughout her career, she has experienced firsthand that people feel they are not being heard and that their needs are
the direct impact they have, even while in school, I think is fairly unique, because we are in the neighborhood physically as well as academically.” Linking Architecture and Community Development through a new identity made sense to Pitera, given how the disciplines go hand-in-hand. “If the soul of a community is the person, and architecture is the objects and things within a community, then if you want to get to the soul of architecture, you need to understand the people of the community,” Pitera said. “Architecture and community are inextricably linked.” Resnick believes the MCD program is
directly connected to Detroit Mercy’s mission and Jesuit and Mercy values, especially its capstone project. The capstone project is the creation of a comprehensive community development proposal for a real situation in a specific community that integrates human, organizational, economic and physical concerns. “If you were to look at those capstone topics, you would see that they are all directly engaged with those types of relationships with the community,” Resnick said. “By the time they are in capstone, students are embracing that and picking projects that inherently engage the mission.”
Students may also be impacted by SACD’s new identity in other ways. “The Community Development students, what they’ll see is a firm commitment from the entire University behind their degree program,” Resnick said. “Future students are going to know that they are entering a School of Architecture & Community Development, that they’re not simply picking out from one of the 156 schools of Architecture in the country to just get an accredited degree so they can go practice. They’re going to know that the architecture they’re learning is within the context of this greater good of the community.”
Ford Foundation provides funding not addressed. Hood believes it is vital to teach community development practitioners to value this information. “I was taught that we’re the ones with the degrees, we’re the ones with all the experience and the technical expertise, so we’re the ones who should be doing all the talking and leading everything. But really, there is magic in what people who have lived in a place for a long time have to offer,” said Hood, who is the recipient of the 2020 American Institute of Architects Detroit Charles Blessing Award for her AfroUrbanism approach. The award is presented to individuals who demonstrate leadership in planning and civic issues while pursuing a higher quality life for all. Programming for the Institute for AfroUrbanism will focus on social issues in community development, which Hood says get
overlooked. They include cultural heritage, the uniqueness of each community’s culture, ways to preserve and uplift these elements and restoring a sense of well-being. The partnership between Detroit Mercy and the Institute for AfroUrbanism will also extend in the classroom through a new AfroUrbanism course in the Master of Community Development program, which Hood will teach. “Our School has always led with the idea that Detroit has a lot to export to the rest of the country when it comes to communitybased and community-engaged work,” said Dean of the School of Architecture & Community Development Dan Pitera. “The Institute for AfroUrbanism is a prime example of a locally driven expertise that has national and international implications. We are excited that Ms. Hood chose Detroit Mercy to launch this effort.” Spiritus Fall 2021 | 23
HOMECOMING 2021 There was something for everyone the weekend of Oct. 1-2 and more than 1,600 students, alumni, friends, faculty and families returned for events and to simply reminisce. Homecoming events included an outdoor movie and bonfire, reunions of the Classes of 1970 and 1971, the Spirit Awards, which honored seven impressive alumni, family games and good food. Don’t miss out on next year’s event: It’s already scheduled for Sept. 29Oct. 1, 2022!
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NOTES
CLASS
Have you recently been promoted, honored or published? Have you switched employers or career paths? Share the news with the Detroit Mercy community! Send your Class Notes to alumni@udmercy.edu.
1950s
Edward J. Olszewski ‘58 is the author of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen: Kansas City’s ‘Shuttlecocks’, 2020. His previous books, Parmigianino’s ‘Madonna of the Long Neck: A Grace Beyond the Reach of Art and Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni (1667-1740), and the Vatican Tomb of Pope Alexander VIII both received the John Frederick Lewis Award from the American Philosophical Society. He is emeritus professor of art history at Case Western Reserve University.
1960s
Lester A. Owczarski ‘66, ‘75 was reappointed for a four-year term to the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission.
1970s
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reappointed Martha (Damiani) Anderson ‘77 to the Michigan Community Corrections Board. Anderson is a judge for the 6th Circuit Court of Oakland County. Bloomfield Hills attorney Gerard J. Andree ‘72 has been named the 2021 winner of the Monsignor Charles J. Malloy Lifetime Achievement Award. Andree has practiced with Sullivan, Ward, Patton, Gleeson & Felty, P.C., since 1976. The Malloy Award, presented annually by the catholic Lawyers Society of Metropolitan Detroit, recognizes Catholic judges and lawyers whose service and character exemplify and advance the highest values of both the Catholic faith and the legal profession. Joanne Waeltermann ‘76 has been appointed to the board of directors of The Maryland School for the Blind. Waeltermann, a retired licensed and board certified pediatric opthalmologist, served patients in Maryland from 198526 | Spiritus Fall 2021
2019, at the Kid’s Eye Care of Maryland, Children’s Eye Care, LLC, University Eye Associates, the Howard County Health Department Eye Clinic.
to the bench of Michigan’s 57th Circuit Court of Emmet County. Deegan is currently a partner with Nelson, Deega, Forster & Stikovich, PC.
1980s
Kristen Deuben ‘94 was promoted to vice president of finance and deputy chief financial officer of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority. Deuben joined MNAA in 2018.
Kathleen Dobson ‘84 was appointed safety representative to the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety & Health (NACOSH) by U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. NACOSH advises the secretaries of Labor and Health and Human Services on occupational safety and health programs and policies. She is safety director for Southfield, Mich.-based Alberici Constructors. Michael P. Dosch ‘87 was named Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist Program Director of the Year by the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. He is professor and chair of the Nurse Anesthetist program at University of Detroit Mercy. American Century Investments, a $228-billion global investment manager, appointed Diane (Harvey) Gallagher ‘89 as vice president, head of employee experience. Gregory J. Gamalski ‘83, a member of the Michigan-based law firm Bodman PLC’s Real Estate Practice Group, has been apponted to a one-year term as chair of the State Bar of Michigan Real Property Law Section Council.
1990s
Ian M. Burnstein ‘95 has joined the Scientific Advisory Board of Torontobased life sciences company Wesana Health Holdings, Inc. Paul A. Debono ‘93 has joined the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based ChoiceOne as vice president, commercial loan office. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Jennfer (Furtaw) Deegan ‘96
Jennifer Dukarski ‘96, Butzel Long attorney, has been appointed to the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Standing Committee on Emerging Technology Law. The Transportation Research Board is one of the seven program units of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which provides independent, objective analysis and adice to the nation and conducts other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. Detroit-based law firm Miller Canfield elected Amy (Chauvin) Johnston ‘94 to serve as the new chair of the managing directors. Johnston is a principal attorney and the co-leader of Miller Canfield’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group. She has served on the firm’s five-member board of managing directors since 2016. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Robert G. McNeill, D.D.S., M.D. ‘99 to the State Board of Dental Examiners. McNeill is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in private practice. Wendye D. Mingo ‘92 has been named to the Oxford Bank Corp. board of directors. She is managing director of information technology for The Kresge Foundation. Fenton, Mich.-based Fentura Financial, Inc. and The State Bank appointed Kelly (Long) Myers ‘93 to the Board of Directors for both Fentura Financial, Inc. and The State Bank. In 2004, she started Myers & Myers, PLLC, a practice
that focuses on real estate, commercial litigation, corporate law, creditor rights, bankruptcy and banking. Farmers & Merchants Bancorp Inc., the holding company of Farmers & Merchants State Bank, has named Frank R. Simon ‘95 to the board of directors of both the company and the bank. Simon is the founding and managing member of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Simon PLC Attorneys & Counselors. Kelly (Boldin) Smith ‘94 has been named chief development officer for the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Michigan Defense Trial Counsel, an association of the state’s leading litigators dedicated to representing individuals and corporations, named Sommers Schwartz senior shareholder Jay G. Yasso ‘91 with its Respected Advocate Award for 2021.
2000s
Yvonna C. Abraham ‘06 was appointed to the Wayne County Third Circuit Court by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Abraham is also president of the Michigan Association of District Court Magistrates. Andrew J. Bond ‘07 has joined international law firm Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the Corporate and Securities practice group. Francesco L. Briguglio ‘08 has been elected president of the Macomb County Bar Association. He practices family law in
Waterford Township, Mich. Christopher M. Candela ‘07 has been named president and CEO of McLaren Flint Hospital. Thomas J. Chasty IV ‘04, ‘06 has joined Orcutt Winslow, a Tennessee-based architecture firm that specializes in healthcare facilities. Dykema, a leading national law firm, has added Janet (Nowakowski) Conigliaro ‘02 to its Products, Class Actions and Professional Liability Practice Group as a Member of the firm’s Detroit office. Robin Dillard-Russaw ‘07 is the new head of the Wayne County (Mich.) Office of Public Defense Services. Cooper-Standard Holdings, Inc. has added Christine (Baker) Moore ‘03 to its board of directors. She brings more than 30 years of accounting and auditing experience. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Marlena E. Taylor ‘09 to the bench of the 36th District Court of the City of Detroit. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has named Rodney Trice ‘02 as its new Chief Equity and Engagement Officer.
2010s
Rebekah R. Coleman ‘14 was appointed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the bench of the state’s 32A District Court.
Javon (Hindo) David ‘13 has been appointed to the board of directors of the Michigan Defense Trial Counsel Association, an organization dedicated to representing individuals and corporations in civil litigation. Latanya Gater ‘12 has been named to Wayne County (Mich.)’s first Women’s Commission. She practices in community mental health at Southwest Counseling Solutions and as an independent contractor at Sollars and Associates. Timothy Gindi ‘13 has joined the Toronto-based law firm Devry Smith Frank LLP (DSF) in its commercial litigation, employment law and personal injury groups. Timmy Nelson ‘11 is the new Digital Design Specialist in Wayne State University’s Office of Alumni Relations. Jessica Tracey ‘17 has joined the London, Ont.-based law firm Lerners LLP where her practice will focus on land development and municipal law as well as the agribusiness sector and commercial real estate.
2020s
Toronto-based law firm Howie, Sacks & Henry has named Matthew Douglas ‘20 to the firm as an associate.
Spiritus Fall 2021 | 27
In Memoriam
We remember alumni and friends who have passed on to eternal life 1940s
Richard F. Klein ‘50
Floyd F. Yeager ‘51
Roger T. Giellis ‘66
Marie (McDonald) Baca ‘47
Daniel J. Kobylarz-Hughes ‘58
Richard M. Zawaski ‘51
Harry S. Heget, D.D.S. ‘60
Richard J. Gibbs Sr. ‘46
Richard J. Lankin ‘54
A. Robert Zeff ‘56
DeWitt J. Henricks ‘64
Eugene T. Ignasiak ‘45
Bernard V. Lieberman ‘50
Donald A. Zettel ‘57
Timothy M. Hutton ‘64
Mary (Lloyd) Ivory ‘47
John P. Mason ‘58
Paul Marcelli Jr. ‘48
George D. Milz ‘53
Margaret (Caruso) Marr ‘49
Arthur H. Molitor, D.D.S. ‘55
Michael A. Kakalec ‘60
1960s
Theodore J. Karpowicz ‘62
Elaine Ahern ‘68
June K. Kendall ‘63
George D. McCabee ‘49
Charles F. Monroe ‘59
Robert B. Ancell ‘67
Steven F. Kensicki ‘68
John R. O’Donnell ‘49
Robert J. Mueller ‘58
Anthony A. Asher ‘65
Arthur H. Kerschen Jr. ‘66
Robert J. Zobl, D.D.S. ‘49, ‘54
Daniel N. Nigro ‘59
Neil Atler ‘69
Robert A. Kobylarz, D.D.S. ‘66
Joris J. Nuytten, D.D.S ‘58
Walter P. Balduck ‘65
Doris Lauzon ‘60
1950s
Edward A. Ochen ‘52
Judith (Anderson) Baldwin ‘61
Joseph L. LeBlanc ‘67
Loren G. Adams ‘57
G. J. O’Halloran ‘50, ‘51
James R. Barrett ‘61
Thomas A. Mahoney ‘60
William C. Anderson ‘58
Andrew J. Perejda ‘57
Hon. Marianne O. Battani ‘66
John N. Makara ‘64
Harold E. Bertrand Jr. ‘59
Frank W. Piscopink, D.D.S. ‘52, ‘56
Donald C. Batton ‘63
Jerrold V. Marsh ‘64
Joseph J. Bialowicz ‘51, ‘53
Mary Louise (Shmina) Plante ‘51
Herbert R. Beller ‘65
Thomas Martone ‘64
James H. Burress Jr. ‘57
Leo A. Przybylski ‘53
Lauranne (Sands) Bernia ‘63
Joan (Szelag) Masters ‘60
John B. Byrne III ‘55
Margaret (Quinlan) Riley ‘58
David C. McGaffey ‘64
William M. Collins, D.D.S. ‘59
George L. Bletsas, D.D.S. ‘66
Vincent J. Riley ‘58
Thomas R. Books ‘60
James L. Meisnitzer ‘67
Louis T. Kurtis, D.D.S. ‘54
Joseph C. Rizzo ‘51
Mary (Martin) Bourque ‘65
Joseph E. Merritt ‘67
Wadie P. Deddeh ‘56
William C. Robertson, D.D.S. ‘58
Gerald J. Milbauer ‘63
Lois G. Duhamel ‘55
Diane (Meister) Brandt ‘66
Michael J. Romanchik ‘56 Sheldon S. Rose ‘51
Donald R. Brosky, D.D.S. ‘61, ‘64
H. Keith Miller ‘67
Louis M. Egnater, D.D.S. ‘50 James T. Fahrenkopf ‘58
Joan (Weidman) Saad ‘54
Ronald J. Chapp ‘69
The Hon. John R. Monaghan ‘66
Isabel (Hoffmann) Flynn ‘50
Clarence Salzberg, D.D.S. ‘55
William J. Coyle Sr. ‘65
Lawrence S. Morton, D.D.S. ‘62 Diane M. Neverrock ‘69
Marsha (Holly) Miller ‘69
Kathleen Sheehy ‘58
Christopher P. Curcio ‘64
Edmond F. Furey Jr. ‘50
John M. Sheridan ‘57
Earl W. Cutter Jr. ‘62
John P. O’Keeffe ‘62
James E. Grau ‘57
Thomas J. Sommerfeldt ‘59
Sharon (Kroha) DeLong ‘67
St. Grace M. Olfs, IHM ‘65 James L. Orr ‘60
John M. Ford Jr. ‘55
Leonard R. Sparrold ‘54
Richard L. Delonis ‘64, ‘65, ‘68
William A. Hanney Jr. ‘54
Donald J. Steffes ‘51
John C. Dingens ‘60
William E. Papaj ‘67
Jacqueline (Eaker) Harris ‘54
Rosemary Stock ‘58
Patricia (Wojcinski) Drobot ‘67
Ronald S. Paske ‘68
Constance L. Hewitt ‘56, ‘58
Sonia (Laetz) Hagen ‘54
Philip A. Studer ‘51
Roger J. Dunigan ‘68
Douglas J. Pawlowski ‘64, ‘70
Robert B. Jagers ‘50
Harold J. Taylor ‘54
Nancy R. Ebel ‘66
Leo K. Quatro ‘63
William J. Johnson ‘57
John P. Tierney ‘55
Carl J. Eging Jr. ‘69
Bernard J. Reckman Jr. ‘63
Margaret (O’Connor) Joyce ‘56
Lawrence T. Vandamme ‘53
William A. Eichhold, D.D.S. ‘69
Richard E. Rewalt ‘61 Robert J. Rhead Sr. ‘62, ‘66
Robert V. Wagner ‘56
Michael L. Fayad ‘67
William D. Kamin ‘52
Achiel E. Wanket ‘51
Patrick J. Foley ‘66
Carol Anne (Reindel) Richards ‘64
Mary Pat (Williams) Kaminski ‘57
Glenn E. Wash ‘52
Daniel L. Foote, D.D.S. ‘64
Merle F. (Pete) Rydesky ‘61 Gerald R. Scully ‘61
George H. Jury ‘50
David J. Wieschorster ‘58
Paul A. Forsthoefel ‘60
Jack E. Kerr ‘51
Harry T. Williams ‘51
Dolores (Piech) Frenier ‘66
Paul D. Sharon ‘64
Ernest J. Kirschke ‘51
John N. Wooton, D.D.S. ‘54
James J. Giachino Jr. ‘61
Donald W. Shuey ‘64
Joseph P. Kennedy ‘57
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Rev. Robert Singelyn ‘64
Derek J. Palm ‘75
Robert J. Sparling ‘63
Stephanie Patten ‘79
Elizabeth A. Straka ‘64
Susan (Levitt) Pike ‘77
Lawrence F. Swantek ‘61, ‘66
Roosevelt F. Russell ‘74
Andrew A. Swiecki ‘64
Rodolfo D. Santiago ‘71
Robert D. Totten ‘66
George E. Schafer ‘75
Charles C. Tracey, D.D.S. ‘62
Sr. Laura M. Schmitt, SSND ‘71
Kathleen (McCarty) Unti ‘64
Sr. Arlene R. Seckel, OP ‘71
Rosemary (Sullivan) Victory ‘64
John Stachowski ‘75
Linda (Maziasz) Woch ‘69
James W. Stempnik ‘72
1970s
NOTABLE Maureen A. Fay, OP, University of Detroit Mercy president emerita, died May 27 after a long illness at the age of 87. She was the first president of University of Detroit Mercy, which was created by the consolidation of University of Detroit and Mercy College of Detroit. She served from 1990-2004.
Luann M. Suckley ‘79 Helen D. Tindal ‘74
2000s
Dean D. Alan ‘78
James V. Valice ‘73
Wayne R. Baxter ‘75
Joseph K. Washington ‘73
Robert R. Beaupre ‘77, ‘05
Isaac L. Watson ‘75
Harold W. Bickner Jr. ‘70
Sr. Jean Welling, SC ‘73
Geraldine Breaux ‘74
Michael P. Whalen III ‘75
Grant M. Carrithers ‘76
John C. Woodard ‘76
Claudia Chappell ‘76
Marcia M. Woodward ‘73
Tammi M. Long ‘18
1980s
2020s
Clarence R. Charest Jr. ‘77 George K. Collier, Sr. ‘78 Gerald C. Davis ‘72 Frank W. Demasek ‘77 John J. Dreer ‘75, ‘93, ‘97 Joan M. Dworzniok ‘70 Michael H. Elbert ‘78 Gerald Fisher ‘74 Robert A. Germani Jr. ‘70 Robert L. Glaab ‘71 James P. Glynn ‘72 Michael J. Gossman ‘75 William R. Greig Jr. ‘71 Carla Kaczmarek ‘78 Francis (Goubert) Kempfer ‘73
Ruth (Olude) Aguda ‘84 Carol J. Baker ‘86 Jill L. Clegg ‘88 Dianne (Modzell) Cowall ‘89 Thomas P. Donoughe ‘82 Thomas S. McLeod ‘82 Celeste S. Nostrand ‘85 Charles H. Palumbo, D.D.S. ‘89 Allison Payne ‘85 Ronald Lee Penix ‘88 Michael A. Ross ‘88 Jacqueline (Carey) Thomas ‘85 Belen S. Torres ‘83
Margaret (Battle) Kiernan ‘78
1990s
Anthony M. Koterba ‘72, ‘76 Joel A. Larson ‘77 Timothy C. Mangan ‘75, ‘79
Michele (Moore) Kimmie ‘02 Ronna L. Scholten ‘02
2010s
Jazzma Caldwell ‘15
Victoria K. Krajcz ‘21
James Andres ‘81
Karen (Helm) Keys ‘77 William B. Kolasa ‘72
Julius L. Jones ‘07
Cornelia (Andrus) Hall ‘93 Netra (Ford) Hughes ‘90 Andrew P. Kwyer ‘93
Thomas R. McAskin ‘73
Jeannine (Bertschi) Richardson ‘92
Nancy (Sessel) Muller ‘71
William A. Sutherland ‘94
Robert M. Mullin ‘75
Joseph M.P. Yankech ‘94
Donald K. Nanney, D.D.S. ‘73
Thomas J. Youngblood ‘90
Friends, Faculty and Staff Christine Busque, graphic designer in the Office of Marketing & Communications Marek Danilczuk, former faculty member in the College of Engineering & Science Mary Hannah, former chair of the Department of Psychology and director of the School Psychology program Richard L. Kowalczyk ‘59, longtime English professor and former chair of the Department of English
Spiritus Fall 2021 | 29
JUST ONE MORE
Sophomore skater is on a roll
D
etroit Mercy sophomore Jayanthesh Kalmat – he goes by Gene – spent two weeks of this semester in Asuncion, Paraguay, competing in the World Roller Figure Skating Championships.
told Kalmat he would never be able to play contact sports. Looking to give him an exercise outlet, his mother started taking then 7-year-old Kalmat to Riverside Arena in Livonia, where he learned to rollerskate.
The Financial Economics major earned a spot on the world stage by his performance in the U.S. national competition in August where he placed second in freestyle.
“I couldn’t tell you what I liked about it so much,” Kalmat, 19, remembers. “It may have been the lights, the music, but the environment was fun and I loved it.”
“Between what we do in roller and what ice does, the jumps are the same,” Kalmat said. “What makes roller more difficult, I think, is that there are only two edges to a blade, but four on rollerskates – inside back, inside forward, outside back and outside forward. There are some spins we do that you can’t do on the ice.”
By the time he entered high school, he was training seriously and his friends understood skating was his priority.
Kalmat found the sport accidentally. Born with craniosynostosis, a malformation of the skull, he had surgery early in his life to correct the condition. But the doctor
30 | Spiritus Fall 2021
In Paraguay, Kalmat placed 15th out of 20 competitors in his category, but he’s not discouraged. “I did not do as well as I wanted to, but the top 10 is not far away,” he said. “I anticipate that if I can improve at the rate I have been for the last year, I will be in the top 10.” You can read a longer version of this story, and many others, on the Forever Titans blog at sites.udmercy.edu/alumni.
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