ESU Alumni Herald Spring/Summer 2019

East stroudsburg univErsity of pEnnsylvania

alumni herald

spring/summer 2019

Dr. Deborah gebhardt ’69

ROTC Twenty-eight ROTC cadets from ESU, the University of Scranton and King’s College conduct training disembarkment exercises on April 4 from an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter on the rugby field behind Dansbury Commons. The twin-rotor aircraft was also opened up to the public to check out during its three-hour stay on campus. The cadets then departed for the Pennsylvania National Guard’s training site at Fort Indiantown Gap in Lebanon County for four days of training.

Photo by Susie Forrester

CampusSnap

Fellow Warriors, Welcome to another issue of the alumni herald. it’s hard to believe that summer is just around the corner, especially since it was only a few short weeks ago that I congratulated close to 1,200 graduates who completed their degrees and joined the ranks of esteemed esu alumni.

But as Jim Rohn, famed business philosopher, entrepreneur and author once said, “Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.”

To that end, I think you’ll all enjoy reading about the life experiences of Deborah Gebhardt ’69 and how her years at East Stroudsburg State College helped shape her successful future as an accomplished scientist, entrepreneur, educator and coach. She is teaming up with her fellow graduates in preparation of their 50th class reunion, set to take place during homecoming weekend, October 18-20, 2019.

There is plenty of other great news to celebrate in this issue of the Herald: we’ve added acrobatics and tumbling and women’s wrestling to our athletics roster and dedicated new baseball and softball fields thanks to a $1.8 million campaign and partnership with Stroud Township Board of Supervisors and Stroudsburg Little League; the ESU Foundation has announced that it raised nearly $1 million in student scholarships this year; WARRIOR All-America quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger ’07 was named the ninth head football coach in ESU history; the Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory is now named after the distinguished professor who led its charge; and this fall we’ll be launching a new doctoral degree in health sciences and a master’s degree in accounting.

I’m extremely proud of how ESU is making an impact all around the world. Chris Paradysz ’84, co-CEO and founder of PMX Agency, a consumer-first performance marketing agency for many leading global brands, shared insights on how innovation and creativity keep his company successful during the President’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Speaker Series. You’ll also read about my trip to Florida in late winter, when I had the pleasure of meeting (and celebrating) Garnet Benner ’41, who will turn 101 in August and has the oldest graduation record year on record among those who gave to ESU in 2017-18, as well as attending other gatherings that enabled us to bring a bit of ESU “home” to our alumni down south. There’s great news from Colorado where Vic Fangio ’80 has been named the head coach of the NFL’s Denver Broncos, and from Thailand, where Samantha Casapulla ’15 was busy teaching English to sixth and 11th graders!

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All of this good news continues to keep our campus energized and growing stronger thanks to the ongoing enthusiasm and financial support of our great alumni. Please continue to keep your alma mater close to your heart and cherish ESU as part of your collective life experiences.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful summer and I look forward to seeing you back on campus for homecoming weekend in October (if not sooner).

Best,

Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., President

inside

Cover Story

6

Educator. Coach.

Scientist. Entrepreneur.

Triathlete. WARRIOR!

Meet Dr. Deborah Gebhardt, a 1969 East Stroudsburg State College graduate whose personal and professional journey has been far from ordinary. Among her many accomplishments, she’s a scientist focused on issues related to health, fitness and workplace safety, an entrepreneur, accomplished educator as well as coach who led women’s collegiate teams to the playoffs. Gebhardt never slows down, pushing herself professionally and physically.

This year, she comes back to ESU as part of the Class of 1969 reunion festivities.

stay connected with your alma mater @WarriorAlumni ESUAA flickr.com/photos/esualumni university President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. design And Production Office of University Advancement Office of University Relations Ideal Design Solutions PHotogrAPHy Meredithe Ettrich Susie Forrester Leon John, Jr. Nile Scott Bob Shank Bob Weidner

contributors Nancy Boyer Brenda E. Friday, Ph.D. Leon John, Jr. Frank Johnson ’74 Greg Knowlden M’04 Stacey Marshall Katie McDonald Erik Pedersen Margaret Peterson Rita Plotnicki Elizabeth Richardson Jessica Schultz ’16 Shelley A Speirs ’92 Tanya Trinkle Caryn Wilkie

FeatureS 10 Fundraising milestones Dedications held for Creekview Park and Genetics Institute.

17 Esports coming to ESU summer camp

Grant enables program to prepare and teach at-risk youth.

20 Thailand experience fills life gap

Alumna Samantha Casapulla ’15 teaches, learns in exotic land.

28 Warrior athletics adds programs

Women’s wrestling, acrobatics & tumbling announced.

DepartmentS 13

ESU Foundation

16

Campus News

20 Alumni News 27 Warrior Spirit 33 Class Notes 35 In Memoriam

East Stroudsburg University Alumni

Alumni HerAld The Alumni Herald is the official publication for East Stroudsburg University Warriors of all ages. We work to keep ESU alumni connected with their alma mater and each other. The print magazine is published twice each year (Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer). Between issues, visit www.alumniheraldonline.com to catch up on daily news coming from ESU. Alumni may update their mailing information by notifying the alumni office.

Please address all correspondence to: ESU Office of Alumni Engagement Henry A. Ahnert, Jr. Alumni Center 200 Prospect Street East Stroudsburg, PA 18301

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania is committed to equal opportunity for its students, employees and applicants. The university is committed to providing equal educational and employment rights to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran’s status. Each member of the university community has a right to study and work in an environment free from any form of racial, ethnic, and sexual discrimination including sexual harassment, sexual violence and sexual assault.

(Further information, including contact information, can be found on the university’s website at esu.edu/titleix.)

In accordance with federal and state laws, the university will not tolerate discrimination. This policy is placed in this document in accordance with state and federal laws including Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991 as well as all applicable federal and state executive orders.

570-422-7000 800-775-8975 Fax: 570-422-3301 esualumni@esu.edu esualumni.org 3

alumni board

GreetinGS

ALuMni ASSociAtion cornEr

Fellow alumni,

Winter is long behind us, and many of us are enjoying the start of summer, the warmer weather and the chance to enjoy the non-snow related outdoor activities. In the meantime, your ESU Alumni Association Board of Directors has not been in hibernation. We have been busy developing a new initiative. The Warrior Alumni Mentoring program (WAM) will provide the opportunity to “pay it forward” to our future fellow alumni who will be entering the workforce following graduation. Our mission is to support the development of ESU students through active mentoring from alumni who have experience in students’ chosen fields. We view this program as a “win-win” proposition for everyone involved. It will allow alumni to share three of their greatest assets - their expertise, experience and energy with programs that helped to launch their own careers. It will also provide the opportunity for ESU students to receive guidance from the people who have successfully walked in their shoes.

WAM is a collaborative effort between Alumni Board member Demetrius Lindsey ’12 and Dr. Weichu Xu, assistant professor of business management at ESU. Demetrius has found success in his chosen field and was investigating ways to help make an impact with ESU students. He and Dr. Xu developed a pilot program that was centered on majors from the College of Business and Management.

Dr. Joanne Bruno, provost and vice president of academic affairs, has shown her support for WAM, as she also believes that a strong mentoring program in all disciplines will be advantageous for students seeking direction from those already in their chosen fields. President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., has wholeheartedly and enthusiastically endorsed WAM’s mission to support ESU students as they look to make decisions regarding their career options.

Benefits of this program to students include: alignment with an experienced mentor to support academic and career development; gaining an insider’s perspective on navigating their career; exposure to diverse perspectives and experiences; individual recognition and encouragement; and building a foundation for personal/professional growth. For the alumni mentors: to be a role model and promote professional development and interpersonal skills; support student’s academic and career development goals; provide and share professional insider perspectives and networks; expose students to diverse perspectives and experiences; and give back to ESU and pay it forward using their time, talents, and skills.

There are already more than 100 fellow alumni who have registered for the program and are prepared to make a difference. If you would like to join us and get involved with the Warrior Alumni Mentoring Program, please join the LinkedIn page: “East Stroudsburg University Warrior Alumni Mentoring,” or contact the Office of Alumni Engagement at (570) 422-3194. I look forward to reading about the future success stories nurtured

by WAM. My hope is that one of those new stories will be spotlighting you and your mentee! GO WARRIORS!

This sparked an initiative to expand the program.

The entire committee, Dawn Ketterman-Benner ’70 (chair), Glenn Clark ’74, Seth Friedman ’81, Rhonda Miller ’16, Cara Miller ’01, Katie Ord ’07 M’08, Ashley Swartz ’09 M’10, Christine Rohr Thompson ’73, and Corey Wimmer ’03, with support and guidance from director of alumni engagement Leon John, took the concept and ran with it. This led to investigating and forming alliances with individual Frank johnson ’74 ESU colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business and President, Management, Education and Health Sciences). ESU Alumni Association Board of Directors

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esu Alumni Association boArd of directors

2018-2019 executive members: Frank E. Johnson ’74 President David A. Super ’80 Vice President Ashley L. Puderbach Swartz ’09 M.Ed. ’10 Secretary general members Jack P. Childs, III ’67 Glenn Clark ’74 Keith Fisher ’91 Joseph B. Fite, III ’76 Avram “Seth” Friedman ’81 Glenn Gottshalk ’72 Ernest R. Gromlich ’60 William J. Horvath ’70 M.Ed. ’79 Dawn Ketterman-Benner ’70 Kathleen Kirkwood ’95 Deborah A. Kulick ’80 Demetrius Robert Lindsey ’12 R. Griggs Levy ’87 Johanna Mazlo ’91 Cara Miller ’01 Carol Miller ’81 Rhonda Miller ’16 Caitlin Ord ’07 M’08 Thomas Petro ’72 Ritchey J. Ricci ’65 M.Ed. ’72 Ronald D. Steckel ’71 Christine Rohr Thompson ’73 Lori Miller Weinstein ’77 Corey Wimmer ’03 emeriti Eugenia S. Eden ’72 M.Ed. ’76 Bryan L. Hill ’71 Phyllis M. Kirschner ’63 Virginia M. Sten ‘71 John T. Lambert ’54 Frank Michael Pullo ‘73 M ‘76 Faye D. Soderberg ’58 John E. Woodling ’68 M.Ed. ’76 Sandra “Pinky” O’Neill-Seiler ’57

esu Alumni AssociAtion board member Spotlight

Corey Wimme r ’0 3

Corey Hair Wimmer ’03 is entering her third year as an ESU Alumni Association board member, which has afforded her many opportunities to meet new alumni and past professors, and to reconnect with ESU acquaintances.

“I have met people that have done some amazing things in their lives and careers and to think they got their start at ESU is awesome,” she said. “I love hearing about all their days at ESU.” Wimmer serves on the alumni board’s awards and outreach committees.

“The outreach committee has started a Warrior Alumni Mentoring group (WAM) to do just that,” said Wimmer. “We have started a LinkedIn account, and from there, a student or graduate may reach out to you to get information on your career or to simply network. We are really excited for this program and would love it to grow.”

Wimmer feels the need to give back to ESU because it gave her so much with regard to her education and friendships. When Wimmer was considering colleges, her mother Moira ’77 and her father David ’76 M’84 Hair encouraged their daughter to look at ESU with an open mind; however, they also encouraged her to look at other schools. Wimmer never felt pressured to attend ESU, but she is glad she made that choice.

Wimmer was president of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and the new member educator, responsible for teaching the history of the sorority to each inaugural class. She stays in touch with her sorority sisters to this day, often getting together for dinner or gatherings with each other’s families.

When Wimmer visits ESU, she enjoys going to the student union in the University Center where she used to hang out with friends. When Wimmer was a student, she frequented two main places in town: The Hoop and Rudy’s.

Wimmer planned to major in elementary education, but after taking a variety of general education courses, she discovered political science which helped her make the decision to switch to that major.

Now, Wimmer is a courtroom deputy for United States Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick in Scranton, Pa. Wimmer’s responsibilities include preparing paperwork for hearings, assisting in the courtroom, and engaging in case management. Wimmer keeps the day’s cases flowing and works with various agencies as information is needed in court.

Coaching, however, is Wimmer’s passion.

“I am the head coach for a youth competitive swim team for children ages 5-14,” Wimmer said. “This past season both our girls’ and boys’ team each won their division. Our girls’ team won all four age groups, and our boys’ team won the 8 and 10 and under age groups. Overall, we were the B division champions. It was a fantastic season.”

If Wimmer could give today’s students some advice that she wishes she had before she began her college education, it would be to enjoy your time at college because they are four years you can never get back. Take advantage of all that’s offered because there are a lot of opportunities, she added.

“Keep an open mind while taking general education classes because it is OK to not know what you want to do, and don’t feel pressure to pick a major when you start or feel like you have to stick with it,” she said. “Things can change so don’t be married to a major or a career choice. Allow yourself the freedom to change.” esualumni.org 5

BREAKING BARRIERS 6 the alumni herald

“I’ve ridden on firetrucks and police vehicles for many agencies,” she says. “I’ve been on Navy ships and natural gas pipeline platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. I went to pole climbing school for AT&T. I’ve gotten to do a lot of fun things.”

And that’s her second career. A couple of years after graduating from what was then East Stroudsburg State College, Gebhardt taught physical education and coached at two universities just as Title IX was changing the landscape for female athletes.

At University of California at Berkeley, she coached the women’s tennis team and basketball team in the early 1970s and then coached women’s basketball and tennis teams at Purdue University after joining the physical education staff in 1973.

It seems Gebhardt, who now lives in Adelphi, Md., has always been in motion. She grew up playing sports in her hometown of Hazleton, Pa., as the oldest of four children born to a small business owner and a homemaker. She has two brothers and lost a sister who died at age 23.

“I grew up in a neighborhood of all boys, so we played baseball and football and there was lots of snow, so you went sled riding [in the winter],” she recalls.

Neither of her parents went to college but Gebhardt said she and her brothers always knew they were college bound. She picked East Stroudsburg because of its strong program in physical education.

She played basketball in high school but didn’t make the women’s team at East Stroudsburg.

“I was too short and not good enough,” she recalls, chuckling. “So I went out for swimming.”

Gebhardt had never participated in competitive swimming, but received encouragement from an older classmate.

With a firm grounding in science from ESSc, Deborah Gebhardt ’69 takes her career – and life - in many directions If you’ve ever met Deborah Gebhardt ’69, you might say she’s done it all in her career – literally.

That’s because Gebhardt, who has a doctorate in biomechanics and anatomy, is nationally-known in the field of developing physical performance standards and medical guidelines for jobs ranging from police, firefighters and pipeline workers to homeland security staffers and the military.

She started a company, Human Performance Systems Inc., out of her house in 1988 and the work took her all over the United States as she tried doing the jobs she was evaluating.

“In those years when you arrived at college, besides the beanie that you had to wear -- they assigned you a Big Sister,” Gebhardt says. “It turns out my Big Sister had placed sixth in the Olympic Trials for backstroke in swimming. She said, ‘Oh, come out for the swim team,’ and I said, ‘but I’ve never swam competitively.’ She said, ‘don’t worry, we take everybody.’ So, I swam for four years.”

Gebhardt also played on the tennis team for four years, singles and doubles, and participated in the synchronized swimming club.

She credits East Stroudsburg with giving her vital grounding in the sciences she would need in graduate school and later in her career.

“The classes were pretty rigorous,” she recalls. “There was a real heavy science emphasis and it prepared me well for what I did afterwards. It was a very good education for what I liked.”

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education, Gebhardt got her master’s in kinesiology at the University of Arizona before taking a teaching and coaching job at the University of California at Berkeley.

She entered the coaching field as Title IX was beginning to revolutionize athletics for girls and women. Before it was enacted into law in 1972, most public schools and colleges had few sports teams for females and those teams used second-class facilities and equipment, with none of the advantages that boys’ and men’s’ teams enjoyed. Title IX sought to bring parity to athletics.

But equity wasn’t achieved over night. Most women’s sports at universities such as UC Berkeley and Purdue fell under the auspices of the recreation department, rather than the athletic director.

At UC Berkeley, her basketball team played in a gym where the walls were three feet from the end of the court, making it so players were one fast break away from injury.

“It took years – I mean years – to get women’s sports to where they are now,” Gebhardt says. “We literally had to drive a van or a car to all the different events. The coach drove the car.” esualumni.org 7

So it was especially sweet after Gebhardt went to work at Purdue that she coached the first women’s basketball team to play at the university’s 17,000-seat Mackey Arena during the 1974-1975 season.

Gebhardt liked coaching, but she also knew it was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. She left Purdue in the mid-70s and went to the University of Maryland to get her doctorate in biomechanics and anatomy.

While she was finishing her dissertation for her Ph.D., Gebhardt worked for a company that evaluated jobs to develop physical and cognitive selection requirements. She also taught at George Washington University before deciding to start her own company, Human Performance Systems.

“It is daunting to step away from a full-time job where someone else is paying you,” she says. “I took a chance and ended up learning about taxes, payroll and contracting. But I went into to it with the attitude that McDonald’s is always hiring. If it didn’t work I could make ends meet by going to McDonald’s for a while until I found something else. Luckily for me, everything worked out really well.”

Her field grew dramatically and so did her business, receiving contracts from Fortune 500 companies, branches of the military and federal, state and local governments. The number of employers who sought guidelines for the physical and medical requirements of a job continued to increase, especially after the Americans with Disabilities Act passed Congress in 1990.

Gebhardt explains the work this way: “If a police officer or a firefighter is driving under lights and sirens, having a seizure disorder could result in undue risk to the driver or others. Therefore, individuals with a seizure disorder need to be evaluated in terms of their symptoms, treatment regimen, and function, to determine whether they can perform the job without undue risks to others and oneself.”

Todd Baker, Ph.D., who worked for Gebhardt for 25 years, says she is highly respected in the field in part because she was game to try any job.

“There are many people who will go out there and stand off at a distance and watch, but not Debby,” Baker says. “She is not afraid to get her hands dirty and she will try anything. She’s nationally-known for doing these types of assessments.”

Baker, an industrial organization psychologist, recalled one job in which they were evaluating the physical requirements for laborers who work on railroad tracks.

“These are your stereotypical men out there,” Baker recalls. “And here she comes, all 5’4”, 115 pounds, willing to pick up a spike mall and drive spikes and perform other tasks. She’s doing the job tasks and the workers are just loving it, showing her all of what they do. So the workers are onboard and they’re giving her all the information she wants to collect.”

In 2015, Gebhardt sold Human Performance Systems to the nonprofit Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), but still does some work for the group as a principal scientist. She is also a fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine and the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and has received accolades for her work in the field.

Even in semi-retirement, Gebhardt keeps finding new challenges.

Before getting knee replacement surgery, she competed in triathlons and ran 13 Boston Marathons (her best time: 3 hours and 15 minutes).

After the surgery in 2014, she switched from running to bicycling. At an age when lots of people see a two-mile walk as a nice way to exercise, Gebhardt still does 100-mile bike rides, known as “a century.”

Deborah Gebhardt in her ESSC senior yearbook.

Photo by Stacey Marshall

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Gebhardt crossing the Colorado River during the Skinny Tire Festival in Moab, Utah.

Gebhardt rode The Civil War Century, a 102.9 mile bike route, in 2018

“The first one I did is called The Civil War Century,” she says. “The only reason I did it was I bicycled around Gettysburg and the battlefield and thought that would be a nice one to do, the scenery is great here. The problem is it included climbing 7,800 feet. When I was done, I was ecstatic.”

“I received such a good base from East Stroudsburg I just felt the need to give back. I look back and I had a wonderful education.”

This year Gebhardt is taking on a different kind of challenge. She is a member of the Class of 1969 Reunion Committee for ESU as the class celebrates its 50th anniversary during Homecoming Weekend, October 18-20, 2019. Plus, she is in the process of creating the Deborah Gebhardt ’69 Endowed Scholarship.

“Take advantage of any opportunity that you might get,” she says.

“I was fortunate I didn’t need a scholarship to go to school,” she says. “But I know there are a lot of people who do and I value education very highly.

The more education you have, so to speak, the better off you’re going to be in life.”

Gebhardt said if she were advising ESU students today on careers she would encourage them to be open to taking on new jobs or tasks.

“Think about whether you can do it and then work hard to accomplish the challenge. It opens up new avenues that you probably never even knew existed.”

– By Margie Peterson Left Photo: Deborah Gebhardt, second from left, was a member of the Athletic Council in 1968 with, from left, Ed Hepner, Dawn Ketterman and John Buhner. Middle Photo: Gebhardt, a member of the East Stroudsburg State Women’s Swim Team, pictured top row, fourth from left, in 1966. Right Photo: In 1967, Gebhardt, back, second from left, as a member of the Varsity S Club.

class of 1969 Get involved with your 50th Anniversary Reunion for Homecoming Weekend 2019.

Contact the ESU Office of Alumni Engagement at esualumni@esu.edu or call 570-422-3194. esualumni.org 9

founder’s day brings the

mileStoneS Robert M. Moses, Kevin Hughes, president of the R. Dale and Frances M. Hughes Foundation, and William B. Cramer, Esq., were awarded the inaugural President’s Distinguished Medals at ESU’s 125th Anniversary Celebration.

party to center of campus

From left, ESU softball coach Jaime Wohlbach, President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., director of athletics Dr. Gary Gray, and baseball coach John Kochmansky cut the ribbon dedicating the new baseball and softball fields at Creekview Park in Stroudsburg.

Photo by Bob Weidner

creeKview ParK $1.8 million campaIgn results in fields of our dreams

East Stroudsburg University’s new baseball and softball fields were dedicated on April 5, 2019, at the ESSA and Hughes Field and Creekview Park Complex in Stroudsburg, Pa. The ribbon cutting follows the ESU Foundation’s $1.8 million fundraising campaign that provided for the installation of artificial turf on two fields, two sets of bullpen areas for each field, construction of home and away dugouts at both fields, permanent and accessible bleacher seating for fans, designated hitting cages for each field, and overhead netting to protect fans from foul balls. Construction was completed in March.

ESU, the Stroud Township Board of Supervisors, and the Stroudsburg Little League announced a partnership in June 2016 for the enhancement project. On May 3, 2018, ground was broken for construction to begin.

The three ballfields at the complex are now named the R. Clinton Hughes Jr. Field (baseball), Vigon International Field (softball), and the ESSA Bank & Trust Field (Little League).

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“At ESU, we are fortunate to have first-class student-athletes wearing Warrior red and black. Providing them with the best facility in which to play is extremely important to their overall experience,” said ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. “Thanks to the incredible generosity of alumni, friends of the university, a grant from the state Local Shareholders Account, and an investment by the university, we have completed an enhancement project that will benefit the entire community. Athletes of all ages will enjoy this marvelous facility.”

In previous years, ESU’s teams had played on Mitterling Field (baseball) and Zimbar Field (softball) on campus since the early 1960s and 1975, respectively. Prior to their construction, baseball was played in Eiler-Martin Stadium. There was an identified need for facilities upgrades due to drainage, dugout, fencing and seating concerns at the existing facilities.

creeKview ParK

Campaign Leadership donors Grand slam commonwealth Finance Agency and a grant for the Local Share Account Grant Funds the ESSA Bank & trust Foundation the Dale and Frances Hughes Foundation Lehigh Valley Hospital – Pocono Mount Airy casino resort Susan Z. ’85 and robert A. Shebelsky Vigon international

triple play in Memory of the H.B. Adams and J. Henry Looney Families All Sports Enterprises, inc.

Joseph T. Ferry ’03 Alan S. ’72 and Joan F. Frick Thomas J. Grayuski ’84 Mountain Valley orthopedics

double play Janet R. ’75 M’77 and Barry J. Cohen, Esq. ’74 Bill and christine Damico Annette M ’87 and Kevin o’Malley

wildlife genetics institute honoring an esu educator, biologist, colleague and friend The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute was dedicated on April 24, 2019, honoring its founder and visionary and celebrating a $150,000 fundraising campaign for the institute that serves students, the community and region.

Former Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences, Jane Huffman, Ph.D., M’07, who passed away in 2017, was a member of the ESU family for 29 years, retiring in 2015.

She began her career at ESU in 1986 and from the start was a powerful influence on students studying biological sciences, particularly those in wildlife microbiology and parasitology.

In 2005, Huffman supported ESU’s efforts to develop The Northeast Wildlife DNA Laboratory which played a significant role in the establishment of Pennsylvania’s Lyme Disease Task Force, established by then-Governor Tom Corbett. Huffman’s work in the lab with ESU graduate Melissa Shaw ’11 resulted in development of Lyme Aid (now known as Cutter™ Lyme Disease Tick Test), the first-ever faculty/student commercialization agreement at ESU and within Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.

The ESU Foundation began its fundraising campaign to rename the lab in early 2017.

The culmination of the campaign brought together Huffman’s family, friends and colleagues who reinforced her passion to provide students with research opportunities and a hands-on learning experience.

“Dr. Huffman was a talented, highlyregarded professor and researcher, and it was ESU’s great fortune that she was part of our family for nearly three decades. She was passionate about her students and her colleagues who continue to carry on her great work which is helping so many who are at risk for Lyme disease,” said ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. ESU Foundation Executive Director Rich Santoro said Dr. Huffman will never be forgotten thanks to the generosity of so many people.

“I am proud of all those who rallied around the renaming of the lab through this campaign. Dr. Huffman’s passion for people, wildlife, and research will live on through The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute.”

The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute will continue to be an indispensable source for forensic analysis of state wildlife crimes, and also serves the greater community. One component of the Institute is The Pennsylvania Tick Research Lab at ESU, which began providing free tick testing to all Pennsylvania residents April 1, 2019.

Located in ESU’s Innovation Center, the Institute is an extension of the Department of Biological Sciences, providing training for undergraduate and graduate students.

In the lab, students learn the application of technologies, methodologies and practices related to infectious disease diagnostics and wildlife population genetic studies. The lab also provides invaluable research to physicians, a number of state wildlife agencies, and pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Dr. Jane Huffman’s family at the April 24, 2019, dedication of the institute. From left, her niece Allison Matula, son Eric Roscoe, ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., husband Douglas Roscoe, sister Joan Matula and brother-in-law Charles Matula.

Photo by Susie Forrester

For more information on The Dr. Jane Huffman Wildlife Genetics Institute and the services available, call 570-422-7892 or contact Nicole Chinnici, institute director at nchinnici@esu.edu. esualumni.org 11

Much has changed since the first class graduated from East Stroudsburg Normal School in 1893.

Skirts have gotten shorter, ties are optional, and electronics rule the day. Campus sports new buildings, and students can take classes from the comfort of their dorm rooms.

What remains untouched by time is the need for support.

Gifts to the East Stroudsburg University Foundation Warrior Fund assist with: • Academic and athletic scholarships • Curriculum enhancements • Faculty and student research

• Campus improvements • And so much more

Join the growing community of ESU supporters

and make an immediate impact.

EAST STROUDSBURG UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

Give online at www.esufoundation.org/givenow, mail a check payable to ESU Foundation, 200 Prospect Street, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301, or call 570-422-3333 to speak to a staff member.

eSu foundation

eAst stroudsburg university foundAtion

acrobatics and tumbling esu foundation kicks off fundraising campaign Women’s acrobatics and tumbling was announced as ESU’s 22nd varsity sport in March, and a fundraising campaign has been launched by the ESU Foundation to raise $500,000 over five years.

Typical roster sizes are between 30 and 40 student-athletes, who comprise a 28-member gameday roster and compete in six events: compulsory, acro, pyramid, toss, tumbling and team.

The Foundation and International Gymnastics Camp (Stroudsburg, Pa.) owner Bruno Klaus are leading the campaign which will benefit athletic scholarships and other program needs. Klaus is on ESU’s Council of Trustees, was a professor at ESU for over 30 years and is now professor emeritus. He was the Warriors’ men’s gymnastics coach from 1970 through 1990 when the program ended.

The sport is a derivative of the balance and grace of acrobatics, the power of gymnastics and the uniqueness of competitive cheer.

“Acrobatics & Tumbling is one of the NCAA’s fastest growing emerging sports. We are excited to be working with Mr. Klaus and his family to launch this fundraising campaign that will expand opportunities for young women to pursue their academic and athletic interests and allow them to compete a high level right away,” said ESU Foundation Executive Director Rich Santoro.

The program, which will begin competition in the 2019-20 academic year, is a combination of gymnastics and cheer, governed by the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association.

ESU previously sponsored women’s gymnastics from 1966 through 1990, and men’s gymnastics from 1969 through 1990.

The men’s program produced NCAA Division II national championship teams in 1983 and 1984, nine individuals who were national champions, and 32 All-America gymnasts.

The women’s program had one All-America, Beth Fraley on the balance beam, in 1978.

ESU recently named Miles Avery as head coach. A two-time USA Gymnastics Coach of the Year, Avery brings over 25 years of experience at the collegiate and international levels. He assisted four U.S. Olympic men’s gymnastics teams, and started his coaching career at ESU in the 1980’s, assisting Klaus as the Warriors won their two NCAA DII team championships and added the U.S. Gymnastics Federation national title in 1988.

Support ESU’s exciting new athletic program ACROBATICS & TUMBLING To make a gift of support, visit esufoundation.org/givenow or contact the ESU Foundation at 570-422-3333 for personal assistance.

2018-2019 boArd of directors Robert Willever ’75, Chairman President, Willever Wealth Management Dr. Frank M. Pullo ’73 M’76 Vice Chairman Retired Faculty, East Stroudsburg University Chris Yeager ’74 M’81 Secretary Retired Principal and School Superintendent Robert A. Shebelsky, Treasurer Chairman, Deputy Real Estate Holdings LLC. William B. Cramer, Esq. Attorney, Cramer, Swetz, McManus & Jordan, P.C. MaryEllen Dickey ’80 Senior Vice President of Advancement Diakon Senior Living Services Diakon Child, Family and Community Ministries Raymond Hamlin ’86, Esq. Attorney, Hunt, Hamlin & Ridley Wendy Jankoski ’82 President, Wealth Architects, LLC Harry F. Lee, Esq., Council of Trustees Liaison Attorney, Lee Law Offices

Douglas Leonzi ’94 Vice President, Investment Counselor BB&T Investment Services, Inc. Robert Moses Retired Director of Residence Life and Housing, East Stroudsburg University Geoffrey Roche M’15 System Director, Corporate Communication and Public Relations, Tower Health Dr. Elizabeth Leigh Smith Faculty Liaison Associate Professor of English, East Stroudsburg University Adam S. Stauffer ’00 M’02 Assistant Vice President of Development and College Relations, Lafayette College David Super ’80, ESU Alumni Association Liaison Deputy Commander Defense Contract Management Agency Danielle Turner ESU Student Liaison Class of 2020

members emeriti William B. Cramer, Esq. Legal Counsel and Emerita Attorney, Cramer, Swetz, McManus & Jordan, P.C. Past chair, served 1987-2001 John T. Lambert ’54 Retired Superintendent East Stroudsburg School District Served 1989-2000 Rosemary Driebe Olofsson Executive Vice President Pocono Pro Foods Past chair, served 1987-1999 esualumni.org 13

eSu foundation

Throughout the evening, students and donors were encouraged to complete a mosaic board with one or two words that say what giving or receiving a scholarship means to them. The event ended with a group photo of the students, some who held letters that spelled the words, thank you.

“I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who supports ESU and the Foundation. In a competitive world where many are asking for your financial support, you chose us and that says a lot about the work we do and the students we serve,” added Santoro.

ESU director of bands Brian Hodge played the piano during the reception, and ESU’s musical theatre organization performed two numbers during dinner.

Mosaic, the East Stroudsburg University Foundation’s 11th Annual Scholarship Dinner, connected scholarship recipients with donors on April 17, 2019, at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn in Stroudsburg, Pa. Nearly 300 guests celebrated the 636 scholarship awards totaling more than $940,000 administered by the Foundation this year.

PSECU and The Haverford Trust Company’s continuous support of the scholarship dinner was a huge part of its success and is one of the biggest reasons ESU is able to celebrate the students and their donors every year in this way.

“Everyone here tonight is unique and special. Whether you’re a student working on your degree, or a donor who understands the value of a college education, you are a crucial piece to our complete and full mosaic,” said ESU Foundation Executive Director Rich Santoro.

Isaiah Reigel, Class of 2021, was the master of ceremonies. Angelica Ramirez, Class of 2019, Karisa Turner, Class of 2019, and Emily Schilling, Class of 2019, were the featured speakers. They shared their stories about the life-changing impact their donors have had on their college careers.

“Sometimes I think we lose sight of the dire need students have to pay their tuition,” said President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. “In the coming year, we hope to increase the availability of scholarships, providing awareness to students that they can and should apply.”

14 the alumni herald

Wayne Bolt and Amanda Lee Rizzutti at the 11th Annual Scholarship Dinner. Rizzutti, Class of 2019, is the recipient of the Julianna V. Bolt Endowed Scholarship, created by Bolt in honor of his late wife.

Photos by Susie Forrester

celebratinG seasons oF success: Field hockey, Women’s soccer and lacrosse

From left, field hockey head coach Sandy Miller, assistant coach Katie Ord ‘07 M’08, lacrosse head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder ‘11, ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., women’s soccer head coach Rob Berkowitz and assistant coach Meagan DeWan.

Alumni and donors congratulated the teams and coaching staff of the Warriors field hockey, women’s soccer and lacrosse programs for successes and championships won over the past several years. Held on March 30, 2019, in the Lenape Residence Hall Lounge, the event was hosted by ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., Gary Gray, Ed.D., director of athletics, and the ESU Foundation.

The reception gave supporters of all three programs the opportunity to connect with the coaching staff, team members and alumni to celebrate their accomplishments. Over the past five years, the three women’s programs have achieved numerous accomplishments, including: Field Hockey – Head Coach Sandy Miller, Assistant Coach Katie Ord ‘07 M’08 • 2015 PSAC/NCAA Division II Championships • NCAA appearances in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 • NCAA runner-up in 2018 Women’s Soccer – Head Coach Rob Berkowitz, Assistant Coach Meagan DeWan • PSAC Championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 • Atlantic Region Championship in 2015 • NCAA appearances in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Lacrosse – Head Coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder ’11 • PSAC Championship in 2017 (first-ever NCAA appearance) • Atlantic Region Championship in 2018 • NCAA appearances in 2017, 2018, 2019 “These programs bring tremendous pride to our university while also providing student athletes with valuable skills they take out into the world,” said President Welsh. “We want to celebrate the tremendous success that these three programs have had over the last several years. Not only do we compete in one of the toughest Division II conferences, but we are consistently winning.”

President Welsh and Dr. Gray emphasized the need to create more student scholarships for these programs.

“We are succeeding with little resources. In 2018-2019, our coaches had little to offer talented student athletes to attend and play for ESU. The number of available scholarships is extremely low compared to our competitors,” Welsh said.

Alumni and current players enjoy a reception that celebrated the recent successes of lacrosse, field hockey and women’s soccer.

suPPort esu’s athletic Programs through scholarshiP go to www.esufoundation.org to learn how to support or create your own athletic scholarship. for personal assistance, call 570-422-3333. esualumni.org 15

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mlk jr. celebration brinGs unity TO CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY ESU student Rashiek High, Class of 2020, performs during the 22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast held on January 21, 2019, at the Mattioli Recreation Center. Nearly 400 guests attended the community event that featured Debra FraserHowze, former senior vice president of government and external affairs for OraSure Technologies, Inc., as the guest speaker.

Photo by Susie Forrester

The spirit of community continued during MLK Day of Service on February 7, as students teamed up with Monroe County Children and Youth Services to make care bags for children entering the foster care system, and worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bridge to raise awareness about the need for mentors in Monroe County.

ESU MOvES FORWARD to launch doctorate in health sciences in Fall 2019 East Stroudsburg University received approval from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to move forward with its second doctoral program, a doctorate in health sciences (D.H.Sc.). The initial approval of this doctorate was announced on February 12, 2019, by Chancellor Daniel Greenstein, D. Phil., and the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. MSCHE approval is the final step in the approval process for ESU’s doctorate in health sciences, a 60 credit program.

The first, Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration, was approved in Spring 2016. ESU expects to launch its new doctoral program during the 2019-2020 academic year.

The nine-term schedule is followed by a dissertation on a health sciences topic of interest to the student and guided by program faculty and researchers in the student’s and faculty’s area of expertise.

The new doctorate will focus on seven essential areas intended to provide high impact to regional health science professionals: inter-professional collaboration, healthcare policy, organizational and systems leadership, mentoring and leadership in respective disciplines, clinically-based health promotion and disease prevention, scientific underpinnings for health sciences practice, and clinically-based scholarship and analytical methods for evidence-based practice.

The approval by MSCHE is a milestone event for ESU, allowing the university to add additional doctorate programs without obtaining MSCHE approval.

The approval by MSCHE is a milestone event for ESU, allowing the university to add additional doctorate programs without obtaining MSCHE approval.

Housed in the College of Health Sciences, the new doctoral program’s courses will be taught primarily by ESU faculty with supporting temporary faculty with specific industry specializations for certain courses.

For more information on the new doctoral program, contact William Bajor, Ph.D., director of graduate and extended studies at (570) 422-3536 or wbajor@esu.edu.

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Grant aWard TO FOCUS ON education of at-risK youth throuGh esports Utilizing competitive esports for at-risk children in Monroe County is at the core of a National Science Foundation grant for $399,853 that has been secured by ESU faculty members from the department of digital media technologies.

Jason A. Engerman, Ph.D.

Jason A. Engerman, Ph.D., primary investigator, and Richard Otto, Ph.D., co-primary investigator, both assistant professors at ESU, received the funding in the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) grant solicitation in 2018. Their proposal, titled Culturally Relevant Computing Activities and Career Readiness for At-Risk Youth, will be funded for two full years, ending December 2021, and will focus on motivating and preparing at-risk youth to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers and to create innovative instructional content.

Funding for this project is focused around esports, individual or team-played computer games that allow large audiences to watch live matches and cheer on the game’s players, similar to watching a professional sporting match. Both Engerman and Otto see the bridge between this rapidly growing global phenomenon and the foundational principles of STEM being taught in college classrooms today.

Richard Otto, Ph.D.

$2.2 million in Grant Funds, faculty research awards RECOGNIzED AT LUNCHEON ESU’s annual Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity recognition luncheon was held on February 1, 2019, recognizing external grant awards in the amount of more than $2.2 million dollars, and more than $60,000 in Faculty Development and Research internal grants, during the 2017-18 academic year.

Also recognized were Summer Undergraduate Research Experience student researchers, graduate student research assistants, Honors Research Symposium participants, Student Research and Creative Activity Symposium participants, entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives, creative exhibit contributors, and members of the academic community who have recently published books.

The ESU Office of Sponsored Projects and Research, within the Division of Academic Affairs, continues to support the advancement of the research and creative activity enterprise at ESU with a specific focus on the inclusion of undergraduate research in all disciplines.

For more information, please visit esu.edu/ospr.

esu, rodale institute sign memorandum OF UNDERSTANDING

East Stroudsburg University announced a formal partnership/agreement with Rodale Institute, a non-profit organization and world leader in regenerative organic farming, located in Kutztown, Pa., to foster collaborative and educational initiatives between the two organizations.

“We are excited to welcome Rodale Institute to our community,” said Joanne Z. Bruno, J.D., provost and vice president of academic affairs. “I have no doubt this partnership will lead to exciting collaborative work between Rodale scientists and educators and ESU faculty and students,” she said.

The Memorandum of Understanding, effective January 14, 2019, creates opportunities for faculty and students in the form of research projects and internships from a wide variety of fields including science, art, business, marketing, and public administration.

East Stroudsburg University and the Rodale Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will enable both institutions the ability to share their resources. Pictured front row, from left, are Provost Joanne Z. Bruno, J.D.; ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D.; Executive Director of Rodale Institute Jeff Moyer; and Rodale Institute Chief Scientist Dr. Andrew Smith.

Photo by Bob Weidner

Both institutions now enjoy the ability to share their resources in the form of laboratory services, field sites and business management practices while providing students with valuable experiences needed for successful careers and/or post graduate programs. esualumni.org 17

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Chris Paradysz ‘84 and Mike Visceglia.

Photo by Susie Forrester

marKeting entrePreneur HEADLINES SPEAKER SERIES

chris paradysZ BRINGS CREATIvITY TO ESU 18 the alumni herald

Chris Paradysz ’84, co-CEO and founder of PMX Agency, a consumer-first performance marketing agency for today’s leading global brands, was the featured speaker at ESU’s President’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Speaker Series on March 27, 2019. Mike Visceglia, bassist in Kinky Boots on Broadway, joined Paradysz for the evening as a special guest presenter.

Chris and Mike discussed “The Power of Creativity to Solve Problems” and led the audience on a musical journey to discover their inner creativity.

PMX Agency is headquartered at One World Trade Center, New York City.

The President’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Speaker Series was launched in April 2017 and continues to bring exciting and engaging speakers to campus to talk about the various challenges they’ve faced in their careers as well as life experiences and educational opportunities that have guided them on their journey. Support for the President’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Speaker Series is provided by The Dr. Gere B. Fulton ’60 Lectureship Endowed Fund.

For more information, call the Office of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship at 570-422-7920.

STATE LSA GRANT lays the groundworK for creation of neW simulation center ESU’s College of Health Sciences has been awarded $207,166 in grant funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Local Share Account in Monroe County to assist in the creation of a Community Health Education and Simulation Center.

The center will be equipped with high-tech simulation manikins and other state-of-the-art technologies to supplement student learning in multiple disciplines. The ESU Foundation applied for the LSA funding in 2018 with the intent to build and supply a Simulation Center that will allow health science students and health care workers in the region to learn and practice advanced healthcare skills. These include complex medical procedures and life-saving techniques such as resuscitation of babies, management of heart attacks, care of athletes with head trauma, and other medical crises.

“Funding our LSA request is a great start and we need to specifically credit Rep. Madden (D-Monroe) and all of our legislators for their support of our application,” says ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D. “We’ve already contributed the costs of developing the design and construction documents to get this project started and we’re ready to provide space to house and run the facility long-term and to purchase some of the manikins as necessary. When all of the funding is in place, this center will absolutely modernize and strengthen healthcare

education in Monroe County and the entire Pocono Mountains region.”

According to Denise Seigart, Ph.D., dean of the College of Health Sciences at ESU, the manikins will be life-size and replicate medical scenarios as programmed by a simulation lab instructor, operating them from an adjoining room in order to create realistic medical situations.

“Remarkably, the manikins are programmed to respond to environmental changes and medical intervention and each simulation session can then be recorded and followed by an intensive debriefing in a multimedia classroom setting,” said Seigart. “Everyone – professionals, patients and families – will benefit from the technological advancements this center will afford.”

The center is slated to occupy the second floor of the DeNike Center for Human Services with a total square footage of 1,150 ft.

To make a gift of support to the community Health Education and Simulation Center, visit esufoundation.org/givenow or call the ESU Foundation at 570-422-3333 for personal assistance.

Warrior Alumni Mentoring Powering Connections Between Alumni and Students

WAM Facts

• 85% of jobs are found through networking • Find alumni to get career advice • Alumni are volunteering to be contacted through the WAM LinkedIn page and serve as mentors

Warrior Alumni – Help Make a Difference to a Graduating Student. Sign Up to Be a Mentor Today!

LinkedIn Group: East Stroudsburg University Warrior Alumni Mentoring esualumni.org 19

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sAmAntHA cAsAPullA ’15 takeS the lonG Way home

20 the alumni herald

Samantha Casapulla ’15 was a wedding planner in spring 2016 when, after just two months of working, she realized the job was not for her. Casapulla’s hometown friend, Kelsey Dudgeon, was also at a post-graduation standstill.

The friends discovered CIEE, the Council on International Educational Exchange, and by October 2016, Casapulla and Dudgeon were in Thailand, teaching English to sixth and 11th graders.

“It was definitely scary,” Casapulla said.

“There were 50 kids in each class, and they don’t speak English, but they were happy and laughing.”

For Casapulla and Dudgeon, Thailand became their life: something new, something to see, new jobs, new friends, new foods, but their living conditions were, as Casapulla described, nightmarish.

“The floor was basically dirt, there was rarely any hot water, no washer and dryer, and no kitchen,” she said. “There were a million lizards in each room at all times.

There were spiders and scorpions, but you get used to it. The people of Thailand are so grateful you’re here, they ask why we would ever come here.”

Dudgeon got accepted into the master’s in speech language pathology program at Kean University, Union, N.J., and Casapulla became more self-assured when interviewing for jobs.

Casapulla and Dudgeon were also in Thailand during the Christmas holidays. Knowing that the friends are Catholic, a Thai brother and sister invited them to spend Christmas with their family at church.

– By Katie McDonald

“I wanted to get back into events but with a travel aspect,” she said.

That landed Casapulla at CI Events in New York City.

“It’s kind of cool because it’s essentially an agency for celebrities and artists like Justin Bieber and his management team,” said Casapulla. “I’m able to travel with this job and see new places and do events. This is what I always wanted to do.”

Samantha Casapulla ’15 with students she taught in Thailand.

It was an all-day event with Mass, presents, food, and music.

When their teaching stint was over in March 2017, Casapulla and Dudgeon stayed for six more weeks to backpack through Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Laos, and Bali.

“I was a little sad when I came home,” Casapulla said.

The friends got tattoos of the Thai names given to them by their CIEE coordinators: Casapulla’s is Rose Apple, and Dudgeon’s is Beautiful Jasmine Flower.

“Coming home made me so much more appreciative of family and friends and what we have. I knew that if I could handle that, I could handle anything,” said Casapulla. “It gave me more confidence and made me more appreciative of life itself. I was happier.”

Aoii, PHi betA cHAPter

CeLebrate 50th reunion The Alpha Omicron Pi sorority’s ESU chapter commemorated its 50th anniversary with a reception on March 23, 2019, at Stroudsmoor Country Inn, Stroudsburg, Pa. More than 200 alumnae, current students, their parents, and campus partners celebrated the ideals of integrity, dignity, scholarship, and loyalty.

ESU’s 2013 distinguished alumna Sherry Salway-Black ’74 spoke about philanthropic endeavors in Native American affairs. She said her sorority sisters were her inspiration on a trip to a reservation in South Dakota where she met part of her family for the first time.

The past, present, and future of the ESU chapter of Alpha Omicron Pi were also specified. President Welsh noted the anniversary celebration coincided with Accepted Students Day, and she assured the sorority that many women would be glad to join Alpha Omicron Pi. From left, Alpha Omicron Pi 50th Anniversary co-chair Jaynellen Behre Jenkins ‘91, ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., AOII International president Gayle Fitzpatrick, AOII collegiate chapter president Lauren Greenfield, ESU vice president for student affairs Dr. Doreen Tobin, and AOII Reunion co-chair Kimberly McCann.

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uPWArd bound

WaS laDDer to SuCCeSS for alumna After high school, Galarza enrolled at ESU, graduating in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in English. She went on to earn two master’s degrees from Widener University, one in Clinical Social Work and the other in Human Sexuality, before receiving her Ph.D. there in Human Sexuality.

She is now an associate professor in the social work and gerontology department at Shippensburg University.

“Upward Bound instilled hope that I could actually go to college, that my dreams could be bigger than I had imagined,” she says.

On February 26, 2019, Galarza received a TRIO Achiever Award at a ceremony in Roanoke, Va., in recognition of her success and her efforts to pay forward the vital assistance she received from Upward Bound, which is one of eight TRIO programs for scholars run by the U.S. Department of Education.

Three days earlier – on February 23 – ESU’s Upward Bound program held a Day of Service with its 80-plus students fanning out around the community in the morning to do volunteer work for such organizations as Spring Village at Pocono nursing home and the Salvation Army. Thomas J. Thomas, dean of university college students at Wilkes University and a former Upward Bound director, gave a keynote speech, followed by a panel discussion with Upward Bound alumni.

Jayleen Galarza ’06 grew up in a U.S. military family and lived abroad before her parents divorced and she and her siblings moved with their mother to the Lehigh Valley.

The family was barely getting by before the divorce but afterward her mother worked long hours in difficult jobs to take care of the three kids in a two-bedroom apartment in Bethlehem.

Neither of Galarza’s parents had gone to college and for her, “it really wasn’t on my radar,” she recalls.

But when she was in eighth grade preparing to go to Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Galarza was chosen to take part in Upward Bound at East Stroudsburg University and that changed everything. As part of the program, she lived in dorms on campus for six weeks each summer, taking classes and going on field trips. During the school year, she and her counterparts from several high schools in the region visited two Saturdays a month for instruction, tutoring, community service and other activities to help prepare for college.

22 the alumni herald

Upward Bound was founded in 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty initiatives. Today, there are about 900 Upward Bound programs around the country serving more than 70,000 lowincome students whose parents did not go to college.

Janine Hyde-Broderick, who directs the program at ESU, is a passionate advocate, in no small part because she is an Upward Bound alumna herself.

“I never, ever would have had the opportunity to go to college if it had not been for Upward Bound,” Hyde-Broderick says. “They provided us with academic support and the ability to learn to push through the barriers.”

The biggest barrier for most of the students is financial, she said. “A lot of parents will look at the initial price tag of college and go into sticker shock.”

But that’s by no means the only hurdle.

“First of all, you frequently have parents who have never gone to college so they don’t know – even with the best intentions – what they can do to help you get there,” she says. “It’s a totally different world to them.”

The program encourages students to get involved in extracurricular activities and community service that will make them more attractive to colleges and help them get scholarships.

“It just happened recently,” Hyde-Broderick said. “One of the kids got a $100,000 scholarship from Juniata College — $25,000 a year.”

ESU’s Upward Bound graduates about 15-20 students a year and 91 percent of them enroll in college right after high school.

Only about 35 percent of low-income kids in that demographic nationwide go to college and graduate within six years, she said. But 65 percent of Upward Bound students complete their bachelor’s or associate degree within six years.

Galarza says Upward Bound not only helped prepare her for college academically but also emotionally, maturing her so she was comfortable living away from home.

“My first year in high school in the summertime, I’m staying in a dorm with all these people, not just from my city but from Allentown, Easton, and Stroudsburg,” she said. “I got really good at figuring out how to live with people who are different from me.”

After attending Upward Bound at ESU for four years in high school, she felt right at home enrolling at the university as a college freshman. Following graduation, Galarza became ESU’s first Campus Compact AmeriCorps-VISTA member, working on anti-poverty initiatives.

She credits Professor John Kraybill-Greggo, department chair of the sociology, social work & criminal justice department, for sparking her interest in social work and later supervising her efforts with AmeriCorps-VISTA. Kraybill-Greggo says Galarza laid the groundwork and created connections with the community that would help the AmeriCorpsVISTA members who came after her.

meet

Garnet Benner

eSu GraDuate reCeiveS SpeCial viSitor While attending events in the Sunshine State this winter, President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., had a special visit with Garnet Benner ’41 to thank her for her support of the university. Benner’s graduation year – 1941 – is the oldest on record with the ESU Foundation for annual giving during 2017-2018 fiscal year.

During the visit on March 2, 2019, in Bradenton, Fla., Garnet reminisced about her time as a women’s basketball player. She also spoke about her time following graduation as a physical education teacher in Forty Fort, Pa. When she recently turned 100, Garnet received a number of cards from some of her former students, which she shared with Dr. Welsh. During the visit, Dr. Welsh presented Garnet with an ESU blanket.

Photo by Leon John, Jr.

“Jayleen was a self-starter and deeply committed to addressing those initiatives,” he said.

The public speaking class Galarza took through Upward Bound made her more comfortable giving presentations, a skill she uses daily as a professor.

In October 2018, she gave the keynote address for the ESU celebration of LGBTQ History Month, titled “My So-Called Queer Latina Life: In Search of Authenticity, Connection and Justice.”

“I was expecting maybe 20-50 people to show up,” she said. “The place was standing room only!”

Hyde-Broderick nominated Galarza for the TRIO achiever award.

“Jayleen has been a very active alum in our program,” HydeBroderick said. “She always comes back and speaks to our kids.

She knows what it’s like to really have to fight for an education.

She’s just an outstanding professor, an outstanding person.”

The influence of Upward Bound on Galarza’s life continues to have ripple effects. With Jayleen as a role model, her brother went to college for computer science and now works on computer security systems for airplanes with the U.S. Air Force in Japan. Her 16-year-old niece is planning on going to college.

“To me, my job isn’t just about teaching,” she said. “It has to connect back to those social justice roots. The seeds that were implanted so long ago are still there.”

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WArriors

connecting february 9, 2019 The Annual Men’s and Women’s Alumni Basketball Games at Koehler Fieldhouse brought together alumni and members of the community for on the court action. In between games, the Office of Alumni Engagement hosted a reception at the far end of the fieldhouse.

Alumni players with their families attended and reminisced about their time at ESU.

december 6, 2018 More than 55 alumni, friends, students and community members of the Lehigh Valley gathered at the ESU Lehigh Valley Center for the 3rd Annual ESU Lehigh Valley Alumni Holidays in Bethlehem event.

The event kicked off at the Goundie House with members of the ESU Musical Theater Organization performing Christmas carols as part of the Downtown Bethlehem Association’s Live Advent Calendar.

January 25, 2019 Wrestling alumni and friends of ESU attended the Annual ESU Alumni Wrestling Night to honor Gary Kessel ’77 for his induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Prior to the reception hosted by the ESU Office of Alumni Engagement and the ESU Foundation, Kessel was presented with a framed picture of his time as a wrestling official.

Following a win against the Shippensburg Raiders, guests were invited to celebrate with Kessel at a reception in Koehler Fieldhouse.

february 1, 2019 Thirty ESU alumni and friends attended the ESU Alumni Night at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey game. Prior to the game, alumni and ESU’s Sport Management Department were invited to tour the Mohegan Sun Arena and attend a networking event. A highlight of the evening included access to the area where the Cleveland Monsters were warming up prior to the game.

24 the alumni herald

march 28, 2019 The DelCo/ChesCo Chapter Happy Hour gathering was held at Not Your Average Joe’s in Glenn Mills, Pa. The event was organized by alumni board members and chapter leaders Cara Miller ’01 and Griggs Levy ’87.

aPril 7, 2019 ESU President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., joined 30 alumni and friends for the ESU Alumni Annual Cherry Blossom Brunch at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va. The annual event was hosted by James Viola ’84 and Tom ’57 and Jean ’58 Leshko. The speaker, Rory Yanchek ’84 presented Innovation Through Uncommon Connections: The 3M Model. Dr. Welsh also provided a campus update and answered questions about upcoming ESU projects.

aPril 24, 2019 The 3rd Annual ESU Monroe County Alumni Happy Hour was held at The Gem and Keystone Brewpub in Shawnee on Delaware, Pa. The event was organized by ESU Monroe County Alumni Chapter volunteers led by Frank Johnson ’74 and several students from the Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism Management Department. The students planned the event as part of a requirement for class credit.

Along with alumni and friends in attendance were coaching staff of the various ESU Warrior athletic teams, and President Welsh.

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Members of ESU’s student Musical Theatre Organization perform at the Goundie House prior to the ESU Annual Alumni Holidays in Bethlehem.

12 • 6 • 18

Terry Barry ’89 M ’99, head wrestling coach Anibal Nieves, and Gary Kessel ’77 at the Annual ESU Alumni Wrestling Social that honored Kessel for his induction into the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

2 • 9 • 19

ESU alumni pose with Dr. Gary Gray, director of athletics and Marcia Welsh, Ph.D., president of ESU, following the women’s alumni game at the Annual Men’s and Women’s Basketball Alumni Games.

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ESU alumni gather at Not Your Average Joe’s in Glen Mills, Pa., for the annual DelCo/ChesCo Happy Hour.

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On the balcony at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., alumni and ESU staff gather for group photo.

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Attendees and student volunteers at the 3rd Annual ESU Monroe County Alumni Happy hour.

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CLASS OF 1969 50TH ANNIVERSARY | CLASS OF 1954 65TH ANNIVERSARY

events June 8, 2019

auGuSt 5, 2019

ESU TAILGATE AND BASEBALL GAME AT THE PHILLIES Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa. Pre-game tailgate at Xfinity Live 1:30 p.m., game time 4:30 p.m.

29TH ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP GOLF CLASSIC to benefit the Prince Hall Endowed Scholarship at ESU Foundation Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, Shawnee on Delaware, Pa. 11:30 a.m.

June 21, 2019

auGuSt 8, 2019

ATHLETIC GOLF OUTING Supporting Men’s and Women’s Soccer Split Rock Golf Club, Lake Harmony, Pa 9 a.m.

June 28, 2019 BILL BERGEN MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefitting Football Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, Shawnee on Delaware, Pa. 9 a.m.

July 15, 2019 ATHLETICS GOLF OUTING Supporting Baseball Great Bear Golf Club, East Stroudsburg, Pa. 7 a.m.

July 26, 2019 THE JEFF DAILEY MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT Benefitting Men’s Basketball Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, Shawnee on Delaware, Pa. 11:30 a.m.

ESU LEHIGH VALLEY ALUMNI AT MUSIKFEST ESU Lehigh Valley Center, Bethlehem, Pa. |TBD

auGuSt 24, 2019 ATHLETICS GOLF OUTING Benefitting Softball Bethlehem Golf Club Bethlehem, Pa. 1 p.m.

SeptemBer 14, 2019 ATHLETICS GOLF OUTING Benefitting Wrestling

Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, Shawnee on Delaware, Pa. 1:30 p.m.

oCtoBer 5, 2019 ESU LEGACY FAMILY BREAKFAST AND PINNING CEREMONY Henry A. Ahnert, Jr. Alumni Center East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, Pa. 9 – 11 a.m.

oCtoBer 18 –20, 2019 HOMECOMING WEEKEND 2019 East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, Pa.

DeCemBer 5, 2019 ESU ANNUAL LEHIGH VALLEY ALUMNI HOLIDAYS IN BETHLEHEM ESU Lehigh Valley Center, Bethlehem Pa. TBD check www.esualumni.org and www.esu.edu frequently as events are added throughout the year.

26 the alumni herald

WArriors

it just keeps GettinG biGGer and better!

Mark those calendars and start making plans for East Stroudsburg University’s Homecoming Weekend, October 18-20, 2019.

The Class of 1969 will celebrate its 50th reunion and will be honored at the Annual Alumni Awards and Reunion Banquet on Friday, October 18, at Stroudsmoor Country Inn, Stroudsburg, Pa. The class will also participate in other events on campus, including a 50th reunion tailgate party, brunch at President Welsh’s home and a campus tour.

In addition to the Class of 1969 festivities, Homecoming celebrations will include an all alumni champagne brunch, tours of the Schisler Museum of Wildlife and Natural History, a show at McMunn Planetarium, a bus tour of the campus, and the traditional All-Alumni Tailgate party featuring live music, activities, and a variety of food trucks. The Class of 1954 will also be celebrating their 65th Reunion.

For EVEnt DEtAiLS, rEGiStrAtion inForMAtion AnD VoLuntEEr inquiriES visit www.esualumni.org/homecoming2019 or contact the ESU Office of alumni Engagement at 570-422-3194 or esualumni@esu.edu.

Warrior Spirit

Jimmy Terwilliger, a 2007 ESU graduate and a member of the University’s Athletics Hall of Fame, was named the ninth head coach in the Warriors’ 92-year football history in February.

He takes over for Denny Douds, who stepped aside after 45 seasons following ESU’s 2018 home finale last fall. Terwilliger led the program in an interim capacity for the final two games. Douds set the PSAC record with 264 career wins, was the NCAA’s active leader in wins and games coached (471) and led the Warriors to nine PSAC championships and four NCAA playoff appearances, including the Northeast Region title with Terwilliger at quarterback in 2005.

Terwilliger was the Harlon Hill Award recipient as the most outstanding player in Division II following the 2005 season, leading the Warriors to the national semifinals. A three-time PSAC East Offensive Player of the Year (2003-04, 2006) and three-time All-America selection, Terwilliger is the only quarterback in PSAC history to be named first team All-PSAC East in each of his four seasons.

ATHLETICS REVEALS NEw TEAM ROOMS

At WHitenigHt field, KoeHler fieldHouse

He is the second Harlon Hill recipient to be named head coach at his alma mater, joining Valdosta State’s Chris Hatcher.

Terwilliger held 18 Division II records at the time of his graduation, including career touchdown passes (148), passing yards (14,350) and total offense (16,064 yards). His career TD pass figure remains tied for third in NCAA all-division history. In 2005, he set DII single-season records in six categories while throwing for 4,571 yards and 50 touchdowns.

Terwilliger enters his fifth season overall at ESU, coaching defensive backs three seasons before being named associate head coach prior to the 2018 season. He previously was assistant coach at Parkland High School and head coach at Pleasant Valley High School, leading the Bears to three District 11 playoff appearances.

Terwilliger graduated from ESU with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. He was named to the PSAC Top 10 in 2005 and 2006 and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2004.

New team rooms were officially unveiled at individual combination locks with burned-in Whitenight Field and Koehler Fieldhouse in a ESU logos and charging ports. Whitenight’s ribbon-cutting ceremony this winter. room includes built-in holders for sticks and The state-of-the-art areas, two in Koehler other equipment within each locker.

Fieldhouse and one at Whitenight Field, feature an always-illuminated Warrior head proudly displayed in the center of the room. There are also personalized cherry wood lockers with padded seats, and cubbies which feature

High-definition smart flat screen televisions and large whiteboard space are currently being added to all three rooms as well.

See photo on outside back cover.

Warrior Spirit

ESU Wrestling Head Coach Anibal Nieves.

it is governed by the Women’s College Wrestling Association (WCWA) and is in the process of pursuing emerging sport status from the NCAA. “We are extremely excited to bring women’s wresting to ESU,” said President Welsh. “High school girls’ wrestling participation has grown for 27 straight years and continues to expand. Currently there are 48 college teams that sponsor a varsity women’s wrestling program, and most teams have about 30 members by the program’s third year.

Women’s wrestling has been under consideration for some time and we’ve already developed our schedule for next fall. We are eager to recruit new student-athletes for this opportunity.”

East Stroudsburg University President Marcia G. Welsh, Ph.D., announced this winter that the University will add women’s wrestling as an intercollegiate sport beginning in fall 2019.

Women’s wrestling became ESU’s 21st varsity sport, which was followed by the addition of acrobatics and tumbling this spring (please read more on page 13). While not recognized as an NCAA intercollegiate sport, 28 the alumni herald

According to ESU’s athletic director, Dr. Gary Gray, ESU wrestling coach Anibal Nieves will initially coach both the men’s and women’s wrestling teams. Nieves, who earned All-America honors at ESU in 1989 and represented Puerto Rico in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics, recently completed his first season as men’s head coach at ESU. His coaching experience includes the previous six years as women’s head coach and men’s assistant coach at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Mass.

“Coach Nieves’ success in coaching both men’s and women’s wrestling, including four women’s national champions at Springfield Technical Community College, gives ESU an excellent opportunity to launch our women’s wrestling program while also continuing to build our men’s program to a championship level,” said Dr. Gray.

sPring sPorts u P dAt es Women’s lacrosse continues ncaa run

ESU’s women’s lacrosse team made its third straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and was the Atlantic Region runner-up under fourth-year head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder ’11.

The Warriors finished 16-5 with a 10-2 PSAC record, and were also runnerup in the conference tournament. They previously won their first-ever PSAC championship in 2017, and first Atlantic Region title in 2018.

The team had five first team All-Region performers, tied for the most in school history, in senior midfielders Emma Rufolo and TJ Jefferis, junior midfielder Hana Cicerelle, junior goalkeeper Tatyana Petteway and sophomore attack Krista Mitarotonda.

Mitarotonda scored 61 goals, her second straight 60-goal season to open her career, Petteway led DII in save percentage and Cicerelle had 81 points (52 goals, 29 assists), third-most in school history. The Warriors are 59-18 in four seasons under Barakos-Yoder.

baseball returns to psac tournament ESU recorded its fifth 30-win season under 12th-year head coach John Kochmansky, going 31-19 (17-11 PSAC) to earn its seventh postseason appearance since 2010.

Sophomore infielder Brock Kauffman and junior utility player Anthony Torreullas were both named first team All-PSAC East, with redshirt senior designated hitter Christian Rishel and sophomore pitcher Nate Fiala on the second team. Rishel, previously first team All-PSAC East on ESU’s schoolrecord 38-win team in 2016, was also named Academic All-District and ranks third at ESU with 18 career home runs and 128 RBI.

haZeWski sets esu soFtball stolen base records

Senior Aspen Gaita completed her record-setting three-year track and field career at ESU with her fourth conference championship, winning the 100m hurdles outdoors after claiming the 60m hurdles indoors.

Gaita, the daughter of 1991 NCAA Division II high jump champion Karen (Way) Gaita ’91, transferred to ESU prior to her sophomore season and leaves with three All-America honors – including sixthplace finishes in both the pentathlon indoors and heptathlon outdoors in 2018 – and seven school records, holding marks in the 55m hurdles, 60m hurdles, 100m hurdles, indoor and outdoor long jump, pentathlon and heptathlon.

Other All-PSAC finishes included freshman Jeanette Jones (3rd, 100m hurdles), junior Allyson Stitzer (3rd, 400m hurdles), senior Carly Gregas (3rd, high jump), junior Tiana Webster (3rd, 100m), junior Sarah Klag (3rd, 400m) and the 4x100m relay team of Flim, Webster, junior Morgan Dey and Gaita.

Webster, who ran 11.80 in the prelims of the 100m dash, and junior Me’Saj Closs, who had a mark of 167-8 in the hammer, both set school records for ESU’s women.

Junior distance runner Rachael Davalos, an exercise major with a 4.0 grade-point average, was honored as the co-PSAC Champion Scholar as the student-athlete with the top GPA at the championships.

The women’s team’s fourth-place finish was its best at the outdoor championships since 2012.

On the men’s side, the Warriors were third for their seventh-straight top-three finish outdoors – every season since 2013.

Junior outfielder Kaylee Hazewski set ESU single-season (51) and career (99) records for stolen bases and was third nationally in steals per game (1.09) for the Warriors, who finished 26-22 (8-8 PSAC) for their most wins since 2007. The team missed out on its first PSAC Tournament berth since 2015 by one game.

ESU set school records with 264 runs scored and 126 stolen bases. Senior Madison Vicendese (at-large/designated player) and sophomore catcher Kaitlyn Caleen were both named All-PSAC East for the second time in their careers.

Sophomore Krista Mitarotonda

Gaita Wins 4th career psac track & Field title; men 3rd, Women 4th at psac outdoor championships

Freshman Justin Miller, who won the long jump with a mark of 23-2 3/4, and the 4x100m relay team of senior Pat Monahan, senior Akeim Thomas, freshman Brendan Shaffer and freshman Jalen Bailey won PSAC championships. The 4x1 relay won the PSAC title for the second straight year and ESU’s sixth in the event overall.

Other All-PSAC (top-three) finishes included the 4x400m and 4x800m relay teams, sophomore Dan Amari (2nd, pole vault), sophomore Dominic Walton (3rd, shot put) and freshman Carlos Pepin (3rd, high jump).

Senior Emma Rufolo

Senior Aspen Gaita

Warrior Spirit

Winter sPorts men’s basketball tops psac east For FiFth time in seven seasons Another memorable season for ESU men’s basketball concluded with a PSAC East championship and a sixth NCAA Division II tournament appearance in the last 10 years.

The Warriors went 17-3 against conference opponents and finished with an overall record of 21-8 under 17th-year head coach Jeff Wilson.

Their season wrapped up with a hard-fought 106-99 overtime defeat to West Liberty in the opening round of the national tournament.

Redshirt senior guard Jakwan Jones, who leaves ESU ranked No. 2 in program history in assists and third all-time in steals, was honored as the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year. Ryan Smith added PSAC East Freshman of the Year accolades and Jeff Wilson, who earned his 300th career victory in November, repeated as the East’s Coach of the Year.

Redshirt senior forward Josh Williams was ESU’s lone first team All-PSAC East selection, and he became the first Warrior in four years to earn second team All-Region status from both the NABC and D2CCA. Jones and Smith were both second team All-PSAC East honorees.

men’s track & Field places second, Gaita Wins 60m hurdles at psac indoor championships Six different individuals earned All-PSAC status, and the ESU men had 10 top-three finishes overall on their way to a second-place finish at the 2019 Indoor Championships.

The Warriors earned their fourth runner-up trophy indoors in program history, with this year’s team joining squads from 2010, 2013 and 2014.

Freshmen Justin Miller (2nd, long jump and triple jump) and Jalen Bailey (3rd, 200m and 60m hurdles) were each All-PSAC in two events.

Other individual honorees included senior Khai Samuels (3rd, 800m), sophomore Dominic Walton (3rd, shot put), sophomore Dan Amari (3rd, pole vault) and sophomore Garth Estadt (3rd, pentathlon).

It was a successful Indoor Championships for the ESU women as well, with the Warriors finishing fourth out of 15 schools in the team standings.

Senior Aspen Gaita highlighted the weekend, as she topped the field in the 60m hurdles to claim her third-career PSAC title.

The Warriors posted their 14th-consecutive winning season under Wilson. They have won 20 or more games seven times during that span.

Also cracking the top three individually were senior Marissa Flim (2nd, 60m), senior Carly Gregas (2nd, high jump) and junior Sarah Klag (3rd, 400m).

Redshirt senior guard Jakwan Jones

ESU’s men were runner-up at the PSAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.

uPdAt e s Women’s basketball, sWimminG standouts

Junior guard Tiffany Lapotsky, a second team All-PSAC East selection in 2018, was elevated to the first team this winter after leading the women’s basketball program with 17.1 points per game. She will enter her senior season with 920 career points at ESU.

Junior forward Michal Weiss also became the first Warrior to be named the PSAC’s Champion Scholar for men’s basketball. The award is presented to the student-athlete who holds the highest GPA at the conference’s championship site. Weiss holds a 3.875 GPA through 72 credits while majoring in business management.

Lapotsky was one of two Warriors recognized by the conference, as junior guard Jordan Hertz was named both second team All-PSAC East and the division’s Defensive Athlete of the Year.

raccioppi becomes esu’s 23rd WrestlinG all-american

ESU swimming, meanwhile, placed ninth at this year’s PSAC championship meet in February. Junior Olivia Lukshides led the way individually, as she took fifth place in the 100 freestyle and broke school records in both the 100 and 200 free events.

Redshirt junior Mike Raccioppi entered the ESU wrestling record books this winter, becoming the 23rd Warrior to earn All-America status after placing third in the 174-pound weight class at the Division II Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.

lapotsky, Weiss recoGniZed For academic achievements In addition to her All-PSAC accolades, Tiffany Lapotsky achieved both CoSIDA Academic All-America second team and PSAC Winter Top 10 honors. Lapotsky, the first ESU women’s basketball player in team history to be named an Academic All-American, holds a 4.0 GPA while majoring in exercise science.

Junior guard Tiffany Lapotsky

Raccioppi is ESU’s first All-American since 2013. He went 5-1 at nationals, totaling three falls, one tech fall and one major decision victory.

The Warriors had two national qualifiers under first-year head coach Anibal Nieves, as redshirt senior Dylan Nace also advanced at 141 pounds. Nace, who managed one victory in Cleveland, booked his spot for a second time after previously doing so in 2017.

Raccioppi will enter his senior year with an overall record of 62-16 (24-2 in duals). Nace finished 76-25 (38-4) during his time at ESU.

Mike Raccioppi placed third at 174 pounds at the NCAA Division II Championships in Cleveland.

esualumni.org 31

Warrior Spirit

Vic Fangio ’80 was announced this winter as the new head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Fangio, who spent the past four seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, becomes the second ESU graduate to lead an NFL team. He joins Fred O’Connor ’62, who served as interim head coach for the San Francisco 49ers in 1978.

Fangio was involved with ESU football throughout his time as an undergrad, taking several coaching classes taught by former head coach Denny Douds in the late 1970s. He aided the program during a successful period which included four PSAC East championships in a span of six years. In the NFL, he previously held defensive coordinator positions with the San Francisco 49ers (2011-14), Houston Texans (2002-05), Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001) and Carolina Panthers (1995-98).

Other coaching stints for Fangio included roles with the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints and Stanford University. He began his coaching career as a linebackers coach at Dunmore High School, his alma mater, in 1979.

Fangio’s Bears finished the 2018 season ranked first in the NFL in scoring defense at 17.7 points per game. Chicago went 12-4 in the regular season before falling 16-15 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round.

Warriors were well-represented in the NFL coaching ranks during this year’s postseason. Fangio and Harry Hiestand ’83 (offensive line coach) served under head coach Matt Nagy in Chicago, while John Glenn ’05 is the current linebackers coach for the Seattle Seahawks.

Glenn, a starter on ESU’s 2004 and 2005 Division II Playoff teams, earned a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks following the 2013 season. Another former Warrior, Pat Flaherty ’78, won championships as offensive line coach for the New York Giants in 2007 and 2011.

32 the alumni herald

SUMMER 2019

WARRIOR GOLF OUTINGS

ALUMNI — Connect at the course and support ESU’s athletic programs!

 Soccer Friday, June 21 Split Rock Golf Club Lake Harmony, Pa.

 The Bill Bergen Memorial Golf Tournament BenefittingFootball Friday, June 28 Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort Shawnee on Delaware, Pa.

 Baseball

Monday, July 15 Great Bear Golf Club East Stroudsburg, Pa.

 The Jeff Dailey Memorial Golf Tournament Benefitting Men’s Basketball Friday, July 26 Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort Shawnee On Delaware, Pa.

 Softball Saturday, August 24 Bethlehem Golf Club Bethlehem, Pa.

 Wrestling Saturday, September 14 Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort Shawnee On Delaware, Pa.

Visit esufoundation.org/warriorgolfoutings for more information and to register.

’74 ’78 ’79

1970s

’73

’94

Robert Shoudt ’64 was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 3, 2018, in Hazleton, Pa., and the Ursinus College Hall of Fame on Oct. 27, 2018, in Collegeville, Pa. Shoudt coached cross country and track and field for 52 years and was awarded the Jim Barniak Award at ESU in 2006.

LEANNA KNOEBEL MUSCATO ’73 was named a Woman of Influence in the February 2019 issue of Amusement Today, a trade magazine for the amusement industry. Muscato is part of the family that operates Knoebel’s Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pa.

’85

JASON BOBB ’74 is the new vice president of sales for Circonus, a data analytics and technology company in Fulton, Md. Husband and wife RANDY S. MAUGLE ’78 and VALERiE A. ZABOFSKi MAUGLE ’79 completed the Antarctica marathon on March 16, 2018. Val placed eighth overall and third in the female race. Randy finished in under 6:10, having run with an artificial hip. The Maugles have now completed marathons on all seven continents. In June 2010, Randy finished his final marathon of all 50 states, while Val is in the process, currently at 41 states. The Maugles taught and coached in the Council Rock School District.

Ciena Corporation, a networking systems, services, and software company located in Hanover, Md., announced that JOANNE B. OLSEN ’79 has been appointed to Ciena’s Board of Directors. Olsen also serves on the board of directors of Teradata Corporation.

’96 ’99

GiNGER FONTAN ’85 has joined Kiwanis International in Indianapolis, Ind., as director of operations. Fontan was most recently regional director of operations at the Center for Vein Restoration in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan.

DR. SHELTON JEFFERiES ’94 has been named to The Broad Academy’s new cohort of exceptional and diverse K-12 education leaders. The Broad Academy is the nation’s most prominent professional-development program for current and aspiring urban school-system leaders.

Jefferies is the superintendent of Nash-Rocky Mount Public Schools in North Carolina. He advocates for both equity and excellence in all district initiatives. At NRMPS he focused on broadening integrated student supports to help schools identify risk factors early and implement appropriate interventions to address chronic absenteeism. Jefferies is known for redesigning traditional settings such as CITI high school, the Center for Industry Technology and Innovation, which focuses on providing industry certifications or an Associate Degree in Automotive Systems Technology.

The two-year Broad Academy program — which is operated by The Broad Center — supports proven leaders who are focused on excellence and equity for every student and family they serve.

ADAM SCHMUCKER ’96, principal at Trumbauersville Elementary School, was named Pennsylvania’s National Distinguished Principal by the National Association of Elementary School Principals last spring. The NAESP is headquartered in Virginia.

JENNiFER RAMOS ’99 M’03 earned honorable mention by Lehigh Valley Business in their 2019 Women of Influence list of honorees. Ramos is serving dual roles as both the deputy superintendent and the executive director of elementary education of the Allentown School District in Allentown, Pa.

1990s

’64

1960s

’60

AL MiLLER ’60, a legendary coach and executive who achieved success at every level of soccer, indoor and outdoor, from collegiate to the professional ranks, received the 2019 Walt Chyzowych Lifetime Achievement Award on Jan. 12, 2019, during the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago. The award is in memory of U.S. national team coach Walt Chyzowych.

1980s

’81

Penn Community Bank has announced the appointment of senior vice president JAMES NEMECEK ’81 to the Pennsylvania Bankers Association’s Government Regulation Policy Committee, where he will guide the overall legislative program of the association and establish policy positions and priorities on pending or proposed state legislation. Penn Community Bank has 25 branches and two administrative centers in Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania.

’03 ’12 ’15 ’18

2000s

’00

University of Louisville men’s soccer head coach John Michael Hayden announced the hiring of BRYAN GREEN M’00 as associate head coach this February. Green spent five seasons as the head coach at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

Keith Valley Middle School’s ERiKA LEE SCHWANBECK ’03 was named Middle School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance this past fall.

Alumni Board member, DEMETRiUS LiNDSEY ’12 recently accepted a position as national sales manager at Briggs & Stratton Manufacturing Company. The company is based in Wauwatosa, Wis., where he and his wife, KRiSTiNA PERRi LiNDSEY ’13 will be moving.

NiCOLE MCLAUGHLiN ’15 was featured in the magazine Women’s Wear Daily in January regarding her consultancy with Reebok, her first gallery exhibition, and a book featuring her repurposing creations ALiSON WiEDER ’18 became the third ESU student since 2014 to be named a National stage management fellow at the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). In April, she joined seven other winners from across the country to participate in master classes, short play readings, auditions, and networking at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

WeDDinGS ANGELA CARUSO ’08 married Bobby Dmuchowski on Jan. 13, 2018, at Immaculate Conception Church in Annandale, N.J. The couple resides in Annandale, N.J. ALYSSA PRiNCiPATO ’11 and DANiEL BELL ’13 were married on Dec. 14, 2018, at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pa. The couple resides in Easton, Pa. JUSTiN AMANN ’15 married Lauren Masemore on Dec. 28, 2018, in Mount Pocono, Pa. The couple resides in Bethlehem, Pa.

BirthS SCOTT HiGGiNS ’06 and his wife Lisa welcomed son Evan Anthony Higgins, weighing 6 lbs., 10.5 oz., on Dec. 28, 2018.

The family resides in Royersford, Pa.

send us your class notes Fax 570-422-3301 phone 570-422-7000 emailes ualumni@esu.edu online esualumni.org/classnotes NOTE: We publish alumni accomplishments and news of marriages and births, but not engagements or pregnancies. Please note the editorial staff makes every effort to publish the information submitted as it was received.

hey Warriors…

did you KnoW? Prior to the 1970’s, the tradition was to take all final exams in Zimbar-Liljenstein Gym, which was called the ‘new gym’ for three decades after its completion.

In the 1970’s, students began taking finals in classrooms.* At the March 23, 2019, Warrior Welcome - Accepted Students Reception, ESU hosted hundreds of students and their families to engage them as part of the ESU family. This event is a significant day for the entire campus community to personally connect with each family, provide information and answer questions in an engaging manner.

In the early 1900s, students had assigned seats and were required to be formally dressed at meals in the dining hall in the rear of Old Stroud.* Did You Know features current and historical information of interest about the ESU campus, its students, alumni, and more.

Can you add to the story? Have something to say or share?

Email esualumni@esu.edu. *Source: Pride and Promise, A Centennial History of East Stroudsburg University

memoriam alumni Thomas W. Abrams ’59 Winfield Howard Alleger ’72 Rodney W. Applegate ’65 Harold W. Bombe ’49 Michael K. Boushell ’67 Lester Brubaker ’58 Lauren M. Benninghoff Carber ’04 Frank E. Casty ’56 William H. Cramp ’55 Richard P. Davis ’52 Edith A. Dunsavage ’55 Edna R. Fleer ’62 Lorraine E. Forgatsch ’50 Glen P. Frakes ’73 Walter J. Gretkowski ’51 Thomas C. Gross ’63 David J. Guzak ’51 Audrey B. Harris ’61 James H. Harron ’52 Jennifer Hendershot ’11 Mary G. Hosey ’64 Steven J. Hubbard ’94

Sharon L. Jendrzejewski ’77 Dr. Lewis A. Judy ’56 Helen E. Keiser ’50 Patrick W. Kempsey ’50 Helen L. Koenig ’74 Carson W. Klinetob ’46 Richard B. Koch ’69 Virginia M. Lacko ’74 William J. Martellaro ’87 Loretta McNabb ’44 Gary A. Munro ’74 Inez J. Oliver ’53 Eleanor H. Oravitz ’44 Michael J. Romano ’81 George R. Sandercock ’70 Howard V. Staeger, Jr. ’58 Joshua J. Stone ’00 Rev. Donald J. Stump, Sr. ’58 Judith B. Thollot ’84 Scott S. Vrablic ’02 Dr. Gary Williams, D.M.D. ’76 Heather J. Zettlemoyer ’91

FaCulty & StaFF Joyce Camall Sarah Landis FrienDS Dr. Peter Bedrosian William H. Filter Gary Kresge Fred Schubert

memorial gifts

may be made through the ESU Foundation at esufoundation.org/givenow.

For personal assistance, please call 570-422-3333.

Maria Angelina Homar, 82, of Lake Valhalla passed on March 29. Prior to her retirement in 2004, Maria served as the secretary for ESU’s computing center. She was the mother of ESU mail clerk Rich Homar.

Maria lived in Monroe County for 50 years moving from New York City in 1969. She maria angelina homar was a high school graduate and attended march 29, 2019 Mills College. She was a member of the Professional Secretaries International (PSI) and was also a board member of the Valhalla Lake Association for 50 years.

Surviving are two children, Lorinda Homar-Gordon of Lake Valhalla and partner, Rick Silver of Laflin and Richard J. Homar and wife Alice of Stroudsburg; a grandson, Eric Luis Gordon of Philadelphia; twin sisters, Lillian Manfre and Diana Garcia both of Bronx, N.Y.; a brother, Roland Garcia and wife Maureen of Surprise, Ariz.; two brothers in-law, Henry Homar and Eddie Diaz, Sr. and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by a son, Luis A. Homar, III. Gustave (Gus) Nylander ’03, ESU senior administrative systems manager for computing services, passed away January 11. Gus had 11 years of service at ESU. He lived with his wife Tara M. Burns Nylander ’06 in Delaware Water Gap and enjoyed all the outdoor activities the area has to offer. gustave “gus” nylander Gus is also survived by his parents James January 11, 2019 Nylander of Bethlehem, Pa., and Cynthia L. (Remsnyder) Hohl of Stroudsburg, a brother, Eric Nylander of Portland, Oregon; two stepsisters, Sara Gaeta of Whitehall and Kelly Speaker of Telford; and two grandmothers, Alice Nylander of South Port, North Carolina, and Jean Acker of Stroudsburg; as well as many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews.

Roger L. Gill, Ph.D. ’73, of Aurora, Colo., was the former provost and vice president for academic affairs at ESU from July 1992 through February 1999.

Dr. Gill is survived by wife Rita (Dietrich) Gill and his four children: Stephanie Gill-Kelly (Keith) Denver, Colorado; Stacie Gill, Tannersville; roger l. gill Carla Gill-Dixon, Canton, Michigan; and Holly marCh 29, 2019 LaPorte (John), Westminster, Colorado. Also, his grandchildren: Shane Gill, Scotlyn Kelly, and Hannah and Ella Dixon. He is also survived by his former wife, Cynda Gill, niece, Carla Peyton Thomas and nephews, Joseph Peyton, Patrick Peyton and David Gill, of California and Minnesota. esualumni.org 35

Homecoming Memories The 1958 Homecoming queen and her court at the annual dance held following the football game.

Return to campus for ESU’s 2019 Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 18-20.

FLASHBACK

Circa

200 Prospect Street East Stroudsburg, PA 18301-2999

The state-of-the art team rooms, two in Koehler Fieldhouse and one at Whitenight Field, were completed in early March.

Read more on page 27.

Photo by Susie Forrester