BAXTER D. WELLMON has been inducted into the Union City Wall of Achievement. Wellmon began working for the New York Central Station in 1967 and traveled on the Hudson Line of the railroad to work in Manhattan until late 1968. He then moved to West Chester, Pa. to work for the Penn Central Transportation Corp. in Philadelphia. Wellmon worked in Washington, D.C. for the federal government to revitalize the railroad industry from 1974 to 1975. During that time, he was a member of the United States Railroad Association that oversaw the creation of Conrail. Since 1996, he has been one of the principal owners of QEM Inc. and its affiliated companies including Big Spring Rail System, Transport Handling Specialists, Transport Rail Sector and Chester & Cumberland Investments, among others. He has also held senior management positions at Consolidated Rail Corp. in Conrail. Wellmon is currently chairman and CEO of Transport & Handling Services Ltd. and QEM Inc., co-founder and board member of Jacinto Rail Corp. and Big Spring Rail System Inc., and managing partner of Transport Handling Services Inc. and Chester and Cumberland Investment LLC.
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LUTHER R. MANUS, JR. ’71M has been honored with Edinboro University’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in recognition of his selfless contributions to the Erie region, distinguished military career and steadfast commitment to education and social equality. Manus received the award during the university’s 24th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Luncheon on Feb. 27. At age 92, Manus continues to model the character and teachings of Dr. King through his community service efforts.
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DIANE M. DUDZINSKI, PH.D., VMC has received the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award after being recognized by the Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in the field of biology. Dudzinski worked as a biology professor at Mercyhurst University for five years before teaching at the Washington State Community College from 1991 to 2012. In addition, she has excelled as an environmental consultant for the EnvironmentalMedical Laboratories and Controls for Environmental Pollution between 1979 and 1981. Dudzinski was recognized for her accomplishments as the first female participant of the US-USSR Joint Oceanographic Expedition to the Bering Sea. In 1986, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award in Career Achievement from Villa Maria College.
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JOSEPH V. SCHEMBER, JR., Erie’s mayor, was among the community leaders who joined the current Erie County Poet Laureate, Chuck Joy, to read a favorite passage from the endearing Edgar Lee Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. The event is a part of Joy’s term project and explored the meaning and relevance of Spoon River Anthology to contemporary times in Erie County.
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JOHN F. CHERRY, a judge for the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, was unanimously elected by the 10-member county court to serve as its 27th president judge. His five-year term began on Jan. 1, 2020. Cherry, now age 68, was first elected to the bench in 1999 and retained in November of 2009 and 2019, marking his third 10-year term on the Court of Common Pleas. He currently handles civil and dependency matters.
SHARE YOUR NEWS LET US KNOW WHAT YOU’VE BEEN UP TO! Submit a class note at www.gannonalumni.org
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LISA (WIEN) HILL, M.D. has joined the staff of Wheeling Hospital as a family medicine physician. She is also a physician at the Wheeling Clinic. Hill earned a bachelor’s degree in health sciences from Gannon University and her medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Wheeling Hospital, where she became chief resident in her third year. SISTER JEAN M. SQUIRIC VMC ’94M is the new campus minister for St. Thomas Aquinas High School and Middle School located in Louisville, Ohio. Squiric began her career at St. Francis Cabrini as an elementary school teacher. She worked for more than 20 years with St. Francis Cabrini in various roles including high school youth minister, religious educator, director of Pastoral Ministries, and leader of prayer and bereavement ministries. Most recently, Squiric was the director of religion at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Massillon, Ohio and served as caretaker for the Emmaus House.
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BRUCE L. BOWER, M.D. has been named the new clinical director and mammography lead interpreting physician for Sharp Coronado Hospital in California. Bower joined San Diego Imaging in 1990 and became a member of the Sharp Coronado Hospital Medical Staff in 1996. He is board certified by both the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He also is certified in angiography and interventional radiology. WILLIAM J. DOAN, PH.D. has created the Anxiety Project to better explain his episodic depression to family and friends. Doan has made about 500 drawings in addition to creating graphic narratives and giving performances that display what it is like to live with anxiety and depression. “I hoped others
