Geneva Magazine - Spring 2018

GENEVA M A G A Z I N E

SPRING 2018

Core Values Edition Pro Christo et Patria Lived Out in the Geneva Community

FROM THE PRESIDENT C A L V I N

L .

T R O U P

The recently minted Geneva College class of 2018 cannot anticipate what our world will be like in 2053 any more than my 35th anniversary class of 1983 anticipated all that has happened in our lives since then.

We enjoy and endure many realities unimaginable in 1983; and in the decades yet to come we expect joys and sorrows, worries and wonders.Taken together, our lives in this age are marked by uncertainty. As the Proverb teaches us,“you do not know what a day will bring forth.”

We may sense that we live in an age of confusion, instability and fragmentation. It is difficult to anticipate what we cannot predict, knowing the truth of the old insurance slogan,“Life comes at you fast!” The speed of life in uncertain times can unnerve us even when we are prepared.

At Geneva, we continue to work according to the premise that human life necessarily involves uncertainty, contingency and changing conditions not of our own making. Such conditions render a Geneva education essential—a good major may prepare a student for a given job or profession, but education involves much more. Practical wisdom from the core of a Geneva education equips students with reliable coordinates to navigate life through changing seasons and conditions.

So, how do we prepare for the unexpected?

First, we know that Christ Himself has called us into being precisely to live here and now under current conditions. We may be surprised by a new circumstance, but Jesus is not. Second, Christ prepares us for each moment. As the teacher in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, He provides wisdom for every situation into which we walk. And the Lord walks with us. He has prepared good works in advance so that we can stand and act faithfully even through moments of uncertainty, difficulty and trouble.

1

GENEVA MAGAZINE

Finally, at Geneva we are duty-bound to invite today’s students into the depths of Christ’s wisdom and knowledge—a heritage we have received and work to entrust to the next generation—through the core curriculum, major courses of study, co-curricular activities and campus life.

When we equip students for lives of faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor, we want them to excel in their next steps after graduation. But the deeper value of a Geneva education is not aimed at immediate conditions.The quality education Geneva provides equips us faithfully and fruitfully to navigate the realities we could not anticipate, predict or expect, and to do so all pro Christo et patria under the word of Christ.

deliberate, courageous ways.

Calvin L.Troup President

GENEVA M A G A Z I N E

SPRING 2018 Geneva Magazine is published two times per year for Geneva College alumni, donors, students and parents. It showcases the college and its constituents as they strive to fulfill the college’s mission. Opinions expressed in Geneva Magazine are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial review board or the official position of the college.

EDITOR DAN DIETER DESIGNER BEN LICHIUS

5

EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD DR. MARVIN DEWEY JOLYNN FREY BRIAN JENSEN ‘10 MAHE CHERYL JOHNSTON DAVE LAYTON ‘88 DR. RICHARD TALBERT DR. CALVIN L. TROUP ‘83 VAN ZANIC ‘93

11

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS OLIVIA FORTON ‘19 JACOB YARNELL ‘19 JOCELYN ENGLEHART ‘18 GREGORY BEACHAUM JR. ‘18 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS CHRISTY MARTIN ‘16 KRISTIE LANG OLIVIA FORTON ‘19 ABIGAIL BANKES ‘19 RACHEL STEVENSON ‘19 GREG MEILANDER ‘19 MEGAN SCHOENEWEIS ‘19

17 1

From the President

15

Core Values: Engage Culture Faithfully

26 Faculty News & Alumni

3

Commencement 2018

17

Core Values: Inspire Vibrant Hospitality

27

19

Geneva College Strategic Plan

21

Core Values: Honor One Another

Aficionados: Honoring Christ through the Arts Bartoletta Runs to Geneva’s 29 First-Ever National Championship 31 Athletic News

5 9

Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.: Excellence in All Things Affirming God’s Plan for Geneva, Core Values: Serve with Grace

11

Core Values: Pursue Godly Wisdom

23

Campus News

33 In Memoriam

13

Core Values: Foster Academic Strength

25

Guests at Geneva: Laura Pettler, Iain Duguid, Timothy Mooney

35 Class Notes

Please send feedback to editor@geneva.edu or Geneva Magazine, Geneva College, 3200 College Ave., Beaver Falls, PA 15010.

T N E M E C N E M M CO 8 1 0 2 , 5 Y MA

Excellence in all Things A N D

All Things To God’s Glory

A Challenge to the 2018 Graduates of Geneva College

by Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. It is a wonderful joy and privilege for me to be here at Geneva College for this commencement.To the class of 2018, my heartiest congratulations. I want to encourage you to enjoy this moment to the fullest.

President Troup, faculty, trustees, corporators, students, graduates and parents, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ. I’m very thankful to be delivering this address to a school which has already spoken of its commitment to the lordship of Christ, and it’s already spoken of love.

It was Augustine, the greatest of the church fathers, who reminded us that teaching, true teaching, true education, requires love.The teacher’s love of God first, and then, the teacher’s love of the subject matter, and the teacher’s love of the students.Teaching is a reciprocity of love.

One of the biggest lessons, and honestly, one of the greatest surprises to me as president of an institution after 25 years, is how emotional graduation is for me and for my wife. We grow to love those whom we teach. A great privilege in stewardship that is invested SPEAKER Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. • • • •

5

President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Host, The Briefing and Thinking in Public podcasts Social critic, blogger, authority on contemporary issues for Christians Author of several books, including We Cannot Be Silent (Thomas Nelson)

GENEVA MAGAZINE

in a school like Geneva College is represented in the fact that we can use the language that many colleges nearby would be embarrassed to use. But this faculty has loved these students. And what you see here today is the product of students who were loved by parents and grandparents and others who are here. Ultimately, we are here because of the love of God, demonstrated to us in Christ.

What is represented here in this occasion is a long line of faithfulness in this school that goes back to Covenanters in 1848 and continues in a succession.

A very long line of faithfulness, which, preceding those who established this college, goes back to the apostles and the patriarchs and prophets. A long line of Christian teaching, a distinguished line that is represented by schools that, without hesitation, equivocation or embarrassment, hold to the whole counsel of God.True education is that which is based upon that faith once and for all delivered to the saints.

Thus, I’m thankful to be here, at a school that is proud to be a part of that succession of faithfulness and an education that prepares for a long life of service.

I can distantly remember being 22. Now I look back and recognize what is represented in an occasion like this, and the conclusion of especially a baccalaureate period of study, is the beginning of a long life of service.

And we pray for every one of these graduates a long life

of service and, more importantly than the length, a life of service to the glory of God.That’s what we celebrate here today.These graduates are more prepared to show the glory of God in the world, more ready to serve Christ in the world, than had they not spent these precious years here at Geneva College.

“

T hese graduates are more prepared to show the glory of God in the world, more ready to serve Christ in the world, than had they not spent these precious years here at Geneva College.”

The mission of this college begins with the most important words that any Christian institution can express. And that is “To glorify God by…” I’m so glad that you know that that is right in your mission statement,“to glorify God by…”And everything that follows, and most importantly, education follows from the fact that the founding purpose, the animating desire, the faithfulness to Christ that is represented by this school is that it serves to the glory of God. I want us to think of a text, 1 Corinthians 10:31.

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Now I’m sure, as Christians, you’re familiar with that verse. It sounds far more innocuous, tame and safe than it is. It’s in the context of Paul writing about whether certain foods and drinks should be received by Christians, under what circumstances and to what testimony. But the summary line here is far more explosive and radical than it first appears.“So whether you eat or drink,” but the next words are so very important,“or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” So, judged by Biblical truth for the Christian, all things should be done for the glory of God. All things must be done for the glory of God. That’s the radical nature of what it means to be a Christian. We exist and have been created for only one purpose, which is to demonstrate God’s glory.

The final of the solas, so well known and rightly honored, is Soli Deo Gloria – All things to the glory

of God. It seems to us a safe way to end the solas, the same way “amen” seems to be a safe way to end a prayer. But that’s not what that final sola represented.

It was thrown in the face of those who denied that all things were to be done to the glory of God. It was asserted in a context in which there were others who claimed that their glory was the right glory. And the reformers rightly retorted, it’s to the glory of God alone.

We live lives, exist, every atom and molecule of our being, solely for the glory of God. That does require a definition, doesn’t it? Christians sometimes use words because they are so familiar to us, without thinking of a definition, but we have to define the word “glory.” Let me just give you a summary: The glory of God is His eternal reality and the external manifestation of that reality. In other words, God is perfect. He’s infinite. He’s never more glorious in Himself at any time any more than He is at any point less holy and more holy, or less powerful and more powerful. He’s omnipotent; He’s infinitely holy; He’s infinitely glorious. But in the scripture, we are also reminded that His glory is the external manifestation, it’s what the world sees of God. It’s how God’s “Godness,” His attributes, His being, His character are reflected in the world. When we are glorifying God, it doesn’t mean we are adding anything to our Creator. It means, rather, that we are making Him known. What we are trying to do in our lives as Christians, what we are called to do, must do, is to show God’s glory in such a way that the world sees God’s glory in us. And in what we do, in what we say, in how we think, in how we live, in such a way that without that manifestation, God would not be so clearly known and honored.

This is an odd thing.That the sovereign, omnipotent God, who needs nothing, would desire and design that His glory would be demonstrated in we poor sinners.

Isn’t it odd to think that God would entrust that to us? I mean, look at you. Look at me. Look at us. We are those to whom on planet Earth in the great design of God, Christ and the gospel, He has entrusted to us, and assigned to us to reflect his glory. All of creation, of course, demonstrates God’s glory. In the dog-ness of the dog, in the giraffe-ness of the giraffe, there is the glory of God, but they are not aware of it. The hills and the valleys and the oceans and the streams reflect the glory of God, but not consciously. And even other creatures, the crawling and the creeping things, the flying and the walking things, they reflect the glory of God, but they know not. But we alone bear God’s image, the one in whom God declared the knowledge of Himself. To be made in God’s image is to be the only creature who consciously may glorify God. It’s an enormous responsibility in stewardship invested in us.

6

The biblical worldview reminds us that sin is best defined as robbing God of His glory. In Romans chapter 1, Paul speaks to the very essence of sin as refusing to acknowledge God as God. So, as we understand even what took place in the garden, and we understand the entire trajectory and reality of sin, as we look in the mirror, we understand that the basic urge behind human sinfulness is the desire to glorify ourselves rather than God. And that’s a trap from which we cannot escape, which makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ so infinitely precious, because even as “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whosoever shall believe in him shall not perish but have everlasting life,” glory robbers and glory thieves are redeemed by the blood of the lamb to glorify God as those who have been bought with a price.

In the Reformation that “doing” was redefined not merely as a job, but as a calling, a vocation. And that means to God’s glory. It’s not just that you find something to do, it’s that God calls you, made you, prepares you, enables you, gifts you, to do something

“

What we are trying to do in our lives as Christians, what we are called to do, must do, is to show God’s glory in such a way that the world sees God’s glory in us.”

And thus, I speak as a Christian to Christians, and I speak as a Christian, especially to those who are graduating in the 2018 class of Geneva College. The hopes and dreams of your families who brought you here, or those who sustained you or taught you here are all reflected in the fact that what we want more than anything else is to see God’s glory in you, in whatever you do, as you do what God has called you to do, to his glory.

What exactly is that going to look like? One of the great advances in the Reformation was the understanding of the fact that there are no mere jobs.Whatever you do, do to the glory of God.You’ve been asked what you’re going to do all your life. It’s amazing how young we begin to ask children,“What do you want to do when you grow up?” By the way, I’ve never gone up to a fiveyear-old and said,“What do you want to do when you grow up?” and they say,“I want to quickly retire and play golf.” No, they want to do something; they’re excited about doing something; they’re already looking to fulfill a role as a part of the image of God. As we see even in Genesis chapter 1 in the mandate given to humanity, in our hearts is a desire to do something. You have been the recipients of an education to prepare you to do something. You have been taking tests and writing papers and reading books and engaging in discussions and sitting in class to prepare you to do something.

7

GENEVA MAGAZINE

which only you can do and which only you can do in a certain time and place, to God’s glory.This understanding, based on the Reformation, which is so deeply Biblical, reminds us that this applies to every realm of human work, to every discipline of human knowledge. It means that we are to be God-ward and God-honoring.This is a transformation of values.You talk about confusing the world. The decisions we make, the priorities by which we live, the truths that bind us, the witness that we give to the world, the excellence we demonstrate in all we do, living our lives to the glory of God, nothing so confuses the world as that the fact that we live by a different set of priorities; the fact that we live with eternity in view, not merely the short term and the temporal; the fact that we live lives knowing that we are living sacrifices to the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing more refutes the wisdom of the world and confuses the world. That frame of eternity means everything. It means our lives matter. Not only in this life but in the life to come. Whether you served long or you served a shorter amount of time in your vocational

lives, in your professional lives, even in your earthly lives, the reality is that only in the span of eternity does any of it matter.

with excellence. What we’re called to is a life spent in finding and showing and seeking God’s pleasure in everything right and honorable and excellent.

I honestly haven’t a clue what I would say at a secular graduation service, which is probably why I’ve never been invited to speak at one. I’d have no idea what to say! Go do the best you can, it’s not going to matter in the end? Go and build something magnificent, some idiot’s going to come in and tear it down? Go make a fortune, your grandchildren are going to throw it away?

It’s just hard for me to know how I would be able to live my life in any meaningful way if I thought it depended on me being able to preserve all that I am and all that I have done forever, because I can’t. But God can.

You are here in the company of friends. And my guess is that some of you are leaving closer friends than others. Normally, a commencement like this is followed by an entire series of weddings. My guess is that is happening, and that too is to the glory of God. But you

I am indebted, by the way, to this college. My wife, Mary, graduated from Westminster Academy in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and many of her teachers had been taught at Geneva College. Into my life, and into the life of our children, was teaching received here at Geneva College in a long tradition of Christian teaching and excellence in Christian teaching. It has come, even to me. And that school was part of a church in Ft. Lauderdale that has loomed large in my life, a Presbyterian church, of which I am sort of an adopted son. The pastor of whom, during my years of my childhood and youth, was Dr. D. James Kennedy, who was a very generous mentor in my life. I was inspired during his ministry by words that are engraved into the side of the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church –“Excellence in all things, and all things to God’s glory.” That’s a perfect summary of what it means to live a life dedicated to the glory of God. Not in many things, not in most things, not in some things, but in all things, to the glory of God. In Philippians, we are reminded that Paul wrote that we are to live and to know and to do and to decide and to think so that we may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless on the day of Christ. Excellence, now that was a Greek virtue, but Paul doesn’t mean excellence merely in the sense of a Greek virtue. He means excellence in the frame of eternity, excellence in such a way that we’re living life to the glory of God. It’s excellence in the home, in marriage, in parenting, in the things the world will never see, in justice, in righteousness, in culture, and it’s excellence in every dimension of what we do. While the secular world has to define excellence in the passing frame of the temporal, we have to define excellence in the lasting frame of eternity. You are better equipped to do that now than you were four years ago. Some of the most crucial life you have spent on this campus, amongst these friends, with this faculty, in this community of learning was in order that you may do all things to the glory of God. And that you may do all things

“

What we’re called to is a life spent in finding and showing and seeking God’s pleasure in everything right and honorable and excellent. ”

will have friends, and you have established friendships and relationships in this class that will last for the rest of your life. You are a family, a community. Together you will proceed through life and will always be a part of the class of 2018. You are right now, freshly minted and young. You will be, when you come back, Lord willing, for the 50th anniversary of the class of 2018, I promise you, you won’t look better, but amazingly enough, according to the worldview of scripture, you can look more beautiful because of what you have done during those years to the glory of God in excellence. Building a culture, doing good work, raising children in the nurturing and admonition of the Lord, building up the local church, being father to the fatherless, brother to the brotherless, sister to the sisterless - all things to the glory of God. Excellence in all things, and all things to God’s glory.

If that is your pledge and your frame, you will change the world as you go, and it will be to the glory of God alone. Congratulations, God bless you. G 8

Affirming God’s Plan for

GENEVA COLLEGE

2018-2023 Strategic Plan With representatives of numerous constituencies across campus and beyond, Geneva College set about developing a five-year strategic plan in spring 2017.

The committee prayerfully listened for God’s calling on the future of the college as their committees and sub-committees sought input from leadership, faculty and staff. They reported their results to the leaders in the President’s Cabinet, who presented the plan to and received approval from the Geneva College Board of Trustees in November 2017.This plan (summary available on page 1920) affirms the purpose, mission, foundational concepts and core values of the college; establishes objectives; and describes how to inspire, direct, implement and measure the work of the college and its employees.

This special section of Geneva Magazine highlights ways the core values come to life in the Geneva community.

Serve with Grace Elaine Hockenberger

BY DR . R ICH A R D TA LBERT

“I remember walking across the Geneva campus for the first time in 1985 with (then department chair) Harry Farra. I remember thinking,‘this is a good place.’” Dr. Elaine Hockenberger was hired to phase out the Speech Pathology program.All she had to do was teach the approximately 12 remaining students until they graduated.

9

GENEVA MAGAZINE

That plan did not work out. A new dean decided the program should stay, and Dr. Hockenberger should stay, too. She would go on to steward Geneva’s Speech Pathology program (now Communication Disorders) for more than 30 years.

The program moved to multiple buildings before

settling in Downie House on the northern edge of campus.The small house certainly did not have the look of a traditional academic building, but “Dr. H,” as she is affectionately called by students, turned it into a home for hundreds of speech pathology students.

“I so enjoyed being at Downie House and having such good relationships with not only my classmates, but with Dr. H and Mrs. Layton, as well,” notes Andrea Jensen ’15. “They set the framework for our educations and future career paths.”

“

sure you want to see my grades from that class,” Rev. Noble jokes.“But in all seriousness, she became a great mentor and friend.”

Communication Department Chair Susan Layton ’88 was also a student under Dr. Hockenberger.“Elaine’s wisdom built the excellent Communication Disorders program, but her heart impacted all of her students,” Professor Layton says.“I thank God for the joy and laughter He has given me through Elaine.

She has been a mentor, a confidante and a true friend.

She will be missed in this department!”

I was able to see the excitement in [students’] eyes when they saw the fruits of their labors in the clinic room and the effect their work can have on someone’s life.”

“Dr. H is a woman of the Lord who taught me the importance of empathy and respect for my clients as they are children created by God,” adds Amy Spangenberg ’14.“During class, outside of class and during the graduate school application process, Dr. H rejoiced with and prayed for her students.”

“She only wanted to see us succeed in something that we were called to do,” says Arielle Kean ’12. “No matter the situation, she was able to provide encouragement, scripture and prayer. She went above and beyond her duties. Every student who entered her classroom was challenged, but most importantly, encouraged to look beyond their worldly doubts and follow the path Christ has beautifully created.”

“I have been blessed beyond measure during my tenure here,” says Dr. Hockenberger.“I was able to make the transition from a clinic room to a classroom. I was able to share my passion for working with individuals with communication disorders with my students. I was able to see the excitement in their eyes when they saw the fruits of their labors in the clinic room and the effect their work can have on someone’s life.”

Dr. Hockenberger’s tenure was so successful she even saw two of her students join her in the Communication Department. Rev. Dr. Rich Noble ’89 once sat in her classroom but now teaches as an adjunct in the department.“Elaine was a challenging professor. I’m not

Likewise, Dr. Hockenberger will miss Geneva.“It’s hard to imagine not unlocking the door at Downie House and preparing for class. I will miss the students walking in the front door and hearing their conversations about class or friends or weekend plans. I will miss being ‘Dr. H.’ I will miss sitting among an amazing group of colleagues for yet another faculty meeting. I will miss being a part of my Geneva family. I have such special memories of such special people. It has been such a privilege. Thank you Geneva College!”

She looks forward to spending her time with grandchildren, family, friends and church, traveling and playing pickle ball.“I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for me.”

In a fitting tribute, as Dr. H moves to the next chapter of her life, one of her former students will replace her. Kim Arata ’09 will join the Communication Department this fall. She says,“I don’t think anyone can ‘replace’ Dr. H. What I can do is carry on the values and passion for Christ and the field of speech-language pathology that she instilled in me during my time as student at Geneva. I can help uphold the integrity and heart of the Communication Disorders program by continuing to strive for academic excellence and faithintegrated learning.” G

Dr. Richard Talbert is an Associate Professor of Communication.

He oversees the Integrated Media emphasis and his office is in the Integrated Media Center.

10

heels, knees pointed out. He squinted up at the sky and started to howl.

I feel you, kid.

This spring is four years since I graduated from Geneva and said goodbye to Dr. Shirley (Langford ’74) Kilpatrick,“Dr. K” to her students. One of my first classes with her was on the ancient British poem Beowulf. She began by crying “Hwaet!”—Old English for “listen up!” Everyone in the room immediately straightened their spines. Her grading made us sit up, too. To be honest, Dr. K inspired a bit of fear. But it was more awe than fright.

As another professor once put it to me, Dr. K strenuously preserved the life of the mind. And that energetic life does not end in her mind—she put flesh and bone onto ideas, and a beautiful body it made. She handled things reverently, noticing God in the works we read, the prayer requests we offered, the ‘14 papers we turned in. Often, her classes began with a liturgy that linked the conversation to come with worship. Once, when finals were imminent, she brought Milano cookies into class and served us, one by one.

Pursue Godly Wisdom

by Judith Dinsmore

Steubenville Pike winds, Pittsburgh style, from an intersection with I-79 down to Chartiers Creek and across the Thornburg Bridge.Take a right after the bridge, follow the backbone road up along the ridge, and my place isn’t far.

Unless you’re walking.

Yesterday I trekked the ridge while pushing a stroller, convinced it was a shortcut on my way home from the community garden. Cars zipped by while I strained up an incline so steep, my son’s belly slid down to his

11

GENEVA MAGAZINE

Class by class, my wonder grew. When I served as her teaching assistant, I was floored by the time and thought she put into each class, whether thanked or not. Her way was slow; she never appeared to hurry. Carefully, she was tending and training, giving her life to prod ours to grow. She nurtured, not with disdain, but delight.

(What made her students worthy of that!)

Few fresh graduates are known for their wisdom, me included. Nor is wisdom often praised.

Far more common is a call to action, a call to criticize, deconstruct, or at least be outraged.

As family, government and church are shown to indeed be weak things, outrage is confused with virtue. We are accepted in culture’s sight for the measure of our scythe, not the breadth of our understanding. Like babies, we howl and fuss at every bump along the way.

Yet wisdom calls in the marketplace and cries aloud in the streets today, as she has always done.

I garden at a community plot in the local park right along Steubenville Pike.Together, we work and watch: Arugula, with its horseradish bite. Peppers and tomatoes in late harvest. Ground cherries, nestling low in their paper shells. Nasturtium, with bright edible blossoms and explosive peppery seedpods.

Asparagus like dinosaur tails reaching straight up through the earth.

“

surprises left. But the good? That is infinite and infinitely new. That is worth one’s wonder and cultivation.

By noticing God in the details, reverencing His handiwork and fearing His name, Dr. K led a pursuit of godly wisdom. I’m now trying to listen up.

I work from home as managing editor of New Horizons magazine, laptop perched on my kitchen table amid Cheerios and coffee mugs, endeavoring to capture glimpses of the goodness of God in written form before toting my son to play dates and then sneaking in a batch of granola before bed.

Being outraged over evil is a waste of time if it results in a fear or a dismissal of mankind. ”

Who can I feed with outrage? What can I build with anger? What good does it do my son if I expose institutional error and abandon the institution, only to find the same error in my own heart?

Such a pursuit is vain. Being outraged over evil is a waste of time if it results in a fear or a dismissal of mankind. Evil, after all, has been our constant companion these few millennia. It should have few

Perhaps, like age, wisdom doesn’t come faster for the pursuing but for the enjoying.

Taste and see that the Lord is good, as the psalmist says. I am bold to say that Dr. K never chased wisdom, as one chases something out of one’s grasp. Yet it settled on her nevertheless, a mantle to warm her shoulders. I wish for the same. G

Judith M. (Campbell ’14) Dinsmore lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA, with her husband, Nathan ‘13, and eight-month-old son, Jack.

12

Foster Academic Strength Chemistry Educates by Elements and Bonds

BY DA NI FITZGER A LD ‘16

“God writes a different story in each person’s life,” says Dr. John Stahl, chemistry professor at Geneva. Dr. Stahl’s love for chemistry started when his aunt gave him a book of science experiments for his eighth birthday.

“I was hooked,” he says.“It was when I attended Geneva myself as a freshman that my love of chemistry really blossomed under the teaching of Dr. Roy Adams and Dr. David Badger and other faculty.”

After acquiring his PhD from Penn State University and working elsewhere for a time, Dr. Stahl felt a calling to return to Geneva and teach at the college level.“God made it clear that this was His plan,” he says.“So, I joined the faculty here in 1985. I have not regretted it – this is a wonderful community to be part of.”

In over 30 years of teaching, Dr. Stahl has watched technology develop and change, and students come in and out of the chemistry department and go on to thrive in their respective fields. Although much has changed, the faculty’s care for their students has been a constant.

The Chemistry Department’s academic rigor as an ACSapproved program continues on through the dedication and hard work of the faculty, but the success of the

13

GENEVA MAGAZINE

program would be impossible without the intellect, willingness and perseverance of Geneva students.

“Having good students in our program helps raise the level of academic strength and the academic atmosphere,” he says, noting that academic excellence is contagious.

Dr. Stahl hopes Geneva’s scholarships, such as the Dr. Roy M. and Madelyn W.Adams Endowed Chemical Sciences Scholarship, which was established in 2016, will let capable students attend the college regardless of financial situation.

“The Roy and Madge Adams Scholarship can give that extra incentive and help to a few interested and capable students to attend Geneva and study chemistry with us,” he says.

Geneva has prepared hundreds of graduates in biochemistry, chemistry or chemical engineering through the years. Many students have earned PhD’s in chemistry and chemistry-related fields and gone on to teach, create and serve.

Jon Neiswinger ‘07 married his college sweetheart and

earned a PhD in Immunology. He’s currently a college professor, Stahl says, and Susan Wilderman ‘06 helped build the chemistry club’s best ever homecoming float.

She went on to a master’s degree in environmental science and serves the Lord and her students at a Christian school in New England. Sam Shouse ‘12 and Cally (Cooper) Shouse ‘13 were the first of five Chemistry Department marriages over the past ten years, and they are doing excellent work in their careers.

“I could go on and on,” he says, noting that many chemistry alumni come to mind when he thinks about successful graduates.“It is hard to pick out just a few.”

Although Dr. Stahl says he enjoys hearing how professionally successful his students have become, he says that hearing about the Lord’s provision in their lives trumps it all.

“

T he best education happens in an environment where Christian love and caring are the foundation.”

students and teachers and also because professors purposefully care about their students. “The best education happens in an environment where Christian love and caring are the foundation,” according to Dr. Stahl.

Third, students get practical experience through research and design projects, which allows them to

“It’s great to hear about job and career developments and all of the interesting chemistry they are doing,” he says,“but it’s also great to hear about their families and their church involvements and mission trips, and about how God has been faithful in their lives.”

Geneva’s Chemistry program offers a dynamic approach to educating students to promote academic strength in three ways. First, the department’s curriculum follows the guidelines established by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training, and the program has been approved by that committee since 1958.

“This means that our courses contain the subject matter that is important for a good foundation of knowledge in the chemical science,” Dr. Stahl explains.

Second, the student-professor relationship is strong because small class sizes allow intimacy between

apply chemical principles they’ve learned in class to the real world. “Research teaches our students how to think on their own at a higher level and also how to solve problems. It is a great way to develop scientific maturity,” he says, noting that the faculty have even been able to present some of the student’s work during regional chemistry meetings. G Dani Fitzgerald studied writing at Geneva College and worked for the college’s student-organized newspaper. She is a reporter for the Ellwood City Ledger and Beaver County Times and also teaches English as a second language to Chinese students online.

14

Engage Culture Faithfully Rev. Richard Wingfield, D. Min

BY DA NI FITZGER A LD ‘16

He felt God’s call in the 1970s but tried to ignore it. Even after moving to Texas, Rev. Dr. Richard Wingfield heard it wherever he went.

Now, 36 years later, Rev. Wingfield is senior pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Braddock, married with three children and three grandchildren, and still refers back to notes from his past ministry classes taught by Drs. Dean Smith and Byron Curtis.

“I started at Geneva in 1978 as a pre-med major,” Rev. Wingfield recalls,“but I dropped out of school and moved to Texas.”

“

There, Rev. Wingfield could not resist the call to ministry and became a licensed and ordained minister from Sunset Baptist Church. He first left Texas and a couple years later received a call to pastor

15

GENEVA MAGAZINE

a church in Western Pennsylvania. Rev. Wingfield’s return to the area allowed him to begin studies at the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry (CUBM), Geneva’s partner in engaging urban culture through education and credentialing of church ministers and lay leaders. With the credits he previously earned at Geneva, he became the first graduate of the CUBM program in 1995, and he also received a Bachelor of Science degree as a member of the first cohort in the Community Ministry major at Geneva.

Jack [White] brought leadership to the CUBM program. His influence was tremendous for not just me but for Geneva...”

Rev.Wingfield’s decision to finish his studies at Geneva had a two-fold purpose.

“First, to be equipped to do effective ministry in the 21st century,” he explains.“Second, was to be adequately credentialed to teach at a seminary that would allow me to use my gifts.”

He was heavily influenced by Geneva’s professors.

“First, was Mark Porter, who was the primary instructor for the program. His input was thought provoking,” he says.“Second, Dean Smith and Byron Curtis really stimulated my thinking in relation to community ministry. Third, one of the people that has really influenced my life over the years from when I first stepped foot on campus until this moment was Jack White.”

Rev. Wingfield maintained friendships with his professors, each one bringing something unique to the table.

“Jack brought leadership to the CUBM program. His influence was tremendous for not just me but for Geneva and the CUBM program,” he says.“I really like Dean’s perspective on New Testament church and evangelism.Those really struck a chord with me.

And Byron and his historical perspective—it’s just tremendous.”

Preaching encompasses not just what the Bible says, but how you bring the Bible to bear on life experiences.”

Rev. Wingfield went on to earn his Masters in Divinity and Doctorate in Ministry from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He currently teaches part-time for CUBM and Geneva’s Adult Degree Program.

He feels the Lord has gifted him with unique experiences and opportunities to serve in our culture through teaching the scripture and in daily living.

He adds,“Preaching encompasses not just what the Bible says, but how you bring the Bible to bear on life experiences.” G

For 20 years, the Center for Urban Biblical Ministry (CUBM) has partnered with Geneva College to provide an education specifically suited for students heeding Christ’s call to proclaim and live the Gospel in their communities.

While the college campus is geographically separate from CUBM headquarters, which is housed within the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, they are connected closely by their respective organizational aims. Both Geneva and CUBM begin with a vision to equip students to further Christ’s kingdom and transform society for the glory of God by preparing them to serve in the ministry to which they’re called.

The partnership with CUBM enables Geneva to engage in a special way in the city of Pittsburgh and beyond by equipping urban Christian leaders in western Pennsylvania for the challenges of modern urban ministry and work. CUBM offers Geneva associate degrees in Christian Ministry, Human Services and Leadership. Many CUBM students continue their Geneva education to earn a bachelor’s degree at the College Hill campus of Geneva College in Beaver Falls. For more information about CUBM, visit CUBM.org.

Inspire Vibrant Hospitality An Invitation to a Feast

BY DA NIEL DIE TER

When the Geneva community gathers over a meal these days, they swallow hospitality bite by bite, cooked up by Pioneer’s Executive Chef Tom Schlotter.

Meals at Alexander Dining Hall and the many banquets on campus are made with the diners in mind – colorful, nutritious, creative food served in a welcoming atmosphere.

Chef Tom has been busy updating existing recipes with more handmade, homemade ingredients and making Geneva guests happy with an enhanced menu that includes dishes like

17

GENEVA MAGAZINE

Chicken Scaloppini with roasted tomatoes, artichokes and peppers; Herb Roasted Prime Rib; Grilled Portabella with sauteed red peppers, spinach and risotto; and Asiago Chicken Farfalle.

“Vibrant hospitality makes me think of exciting presentation – a ‘wow’ factor,” he says.“I take pride in adding some pizazz to everything from the simplest meal to a presidential dinner or outside function with guests. My staff, Jim (Nescot), Pam (Veon), Clayton (Cappellanti), and I like to go all out for banquets.The

whole staff cares about each dinner and wants to make every meal something special.”

Hospitality is also a matter of efficiency, and Chef Tom’s new systems of working are delighting hungry guests. New plating options improve service.

station, meat-filled steamed buns, adding pad thai to the noodle bar and introducing Korean and Indian selections. He sees mealtime as an extension of the education available in Geneva classrooms and invites the Geneva community to the feast. G

“For our banquets, we got metal lids so now we can prepare up to 50 plates in advance and keep them warm, which means guests get hot, fresh meals quickly,” he says.

Sunday evenings get special attention for students and guests with themed dinners like breakfast for dinner or Italian night. In its second year, Chef Tom will introduce an expanded approach to make everyone feel right at home. He calls it “Sunday dinner at grandma’s house,” suggesting with a smile that the meal end with cherry pie.

While Chef Tom has been focused day-to-day on improving the quality of meals, he’s also been noodling in his head about expanding the menu, making each food station a destination. He hopes to increase the variety of world cuisine with a habanero

Your Legacy, Their Education The vision of Geneva College is to inspire students to integrate faith in Christ into all aspects of life in the real world and to serve faithfully within their callings for Christ and country. Geneva has been educating students in this way for 170 years. To celebrate the lives that have been transformed and the importance of our legacy families, we are pleased to offer a legacy grant to all students who have a parent or grandparent who graduated from Geneva.

The Legacy Grant is: • a $4,000 Grant ($1,000/year) • awarded in addition to all other scholarships and grants given by the college • awarded to all new incoming students beginning Fall 2018 For questions about the Legacy Grant, contact your admissions counselor at 724-847-6500.

LegacyGrant GENEVA COLLEGE’s

G E N E VA CO L L E G E

MISSION Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor.

PURPOSE To develop, provide and maintain a Christian institution of higher education emphasizing the liberal arts and certain professional ďŹ elds within the context of a Biblical view of life and the world as expressed in the Westminster Standards and the testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, open to men and women of any race and faith.

STRATEGIC

1. Christian Fa

Integrate Christia reputation fo

2. Spirited Community

Nurture an inviting and spirited community, committed to the mission and core values

4. Financial Health Grow net revenue to achieve a 3% operating margin by 2022-2023

FOUNDATIONA I.

God is the source of all truth.

II.

Education rests upon the historic Christian faith contained in the Scriptures.

III. The Christian view of God, Mankind and the Universe is the basis for Christian education.

IV. The purpose of Christi students to better kno His creation.

V.

Faculty members shou excellence of their pa consistent biblical wo

STRATEGIC PL AN

OBJECTIVES

aith & Learning

n faith and earn a or excellence

s

3. Christian Calling Build Christian calling and vocation into the fabric of co-curricular life

5. Independent Funding Cultivate methodologies that will enable a reduction in government funding of the college

VISION Geneva College will inspire students to integrate faith in Christ into all aspects of life in the real world, and to serve faithfully within their callings for Christ and Country.

CORE VALUES With Christ as King and under scripture, we: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Serve with grace Pursue godly wisdom Foster academic strength Engage culture faithfully Inspire vibrant hospitality Honor one another

AL CONCEPTS

ian education is for ow God, themselves and

VI. Students should be aware of God’s call on their lives and education as an opportunity to prepare for their life’s work.

uld pursue academic rticular disciplines within a rld and life view.

VII. The curriculum should lead students to grasp the foundations of learning so they can live a life glorifying to God.

A Christian author once said,“True honor is an outflow from a heart that fears God.” That explains the honor that flows so easily and richly from Connie Erwin, RN, BC, who’s been Geneva’s full-time beloved nurse for 28 years (36 if you include her part-time clinical work). She lives out the school’s core value of honoring one another with the belief that it’s a blessing to be able to honor others.

She says,“I take the word honor to be looking at the value, the preciousness of the person in a way that may not be evident at first.” Her favorite verse is Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Honor One Another Nurse Connie

BY CHERYL JOHNSTON GENEVA MAGAZINE

12

She’s done that for decades at Geneva. As the college nurse, her responsibility is to take care of the body. That includes wounds, colds, flus, broken bones, infections, chronic health conditions and much, much more.

However, she says she never sees the students, treats them and lets them go without finding out more about them. She decided early on to look at each student as the unique, individual person of God that he or she is.

“I would always find out more, ask them what was going on. I would try to remember, or even take notes, and the next time I saw that student I would be able to ask about their situation.‘Are you doing better with that?’ Or,‘How’s your mom?’ They knew they mattered to me. They felt trusted, loved and honored. I was able to speak into someone’s life then.

I worked hard at growing that.”

With students, Nurse Connie continues, you can’t look at everything at face value. What they present may not be what’s really going on. Sometimes it would take several visits to discern what the real problem was.

She recalls the situation when a particular student was sobbing hysterically and hyperventilating. She told the student she was there to make her day better. How could she help? It ended up being a problem about a grade on a test. Connie talked her through it, prayed with the student and helped prepare her emotionally for the next test. The student was tremendously grateful to Connie, but Connie shares her own reality: “I am blessed – and that student, all the students are a blessing.”

And so she stayed at Geneva for much longer than she ever dreamed. Nurse Connie retired from the Geneva infirmary at the end of May 2018.

A mom of two grown daughters and grandmother of six, she’s looking forward to baking cookies and getting the little ones off the bus once in a while. Her own parents are in need of care. She’ll volunteer in hospital ministry and visitation.

Connie and her husband of 40 years, Dave, are going to increase their involvement in disaster relief. Before retirement, they volunteered locally, but now they will be able to travel to disaster sites in their newly purchased truck camper and serve with SMAT (State Medical Assistant Team) or FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).

Nurse Connie, as she will ever be known to the Geneva community, will miss Geneva.“This has been a special place to work. I’ve worked at a non-Christian facility, and coming here was a really impactful change. I couldn’t believe how nice and kind the people are. I felt valued and cared about. It wasn’t the traditional work setting I was used to being in, where employees were competitive and not necessarily kind to each other. I’ve had the privilege of working with wonderful, God-fearing people.”

Nurse Connie faced her own health challenge, breast cancer, in 2001. She had surgery, chemotherapy and radiation beginning on Memorial Day through the fall semester. Within two years, she required more surgery, which she had over Christmas break.Through it all, she never missed a day of work.“Don’t be too impressed,” she says.“I think it was my defense mechanism. If you go to work every day, you’re not that sick.”

Through the experience, she learned what it’s like to accept care from others. She explains,“It’s hard to be on the receiving end. A wise person told me,‘If you don’t let others care for you, you block their blessing. Let them have the blessing you have when you care for others.’”

Has she been honored by others at Geneva? “I don’t make it easy,” she answers.“I don’t like attention. I’ve been well respected and appreciated. Sometimes we get awards in Student Development. I got the Service Award, and Brian Jensen [Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development] said that from now on it will be called the Connie Erwin Service Award. That means a lot to me. Most importantly, people have allowed and enabled me to continue to do my job, to honor people – and that means more than anything.”

Nurse Connie says sometimes it seems tough to honor some people. That’s when she tries to look at them as Jesus would. He saw us all as sinners, loved us, and died for us. Honor one another above yourselves. G

22

CAMPUS NEWS

Geneva Alumnus Bequeaths $1.85 Million for Ellwood City Endowed Scholarship Geneva College received a $1.85 million endowment from the estate of Fred A. Jackson Jr. ’48. Through the gracious giving of Mr. Jackson, the endowed scholarship will fund education costs for graduates of the Ellwood City (PA) Area School District. Geneva students who qualify will receive automatic consideration for the scholarship as part of their financial assistance package; no application is necessary.

Nick Edinger – Graduate M.A. in Counseling and Marathon Runner Nick Edinger ‘13, ’18, had a pretty exciting month of May. He graduated with his Master’s in Counseling from Geneva and finished in 8th place in the Pittsburgh Marathon with a time of 2:18:32, fast enough to qualify him for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials. He was the second fastest American in the marathon. Edinger is a former part-time cross country coach at Geneva.

Photo: Callie Spaulding

“Qualifying is an absolute dream come true,” he says. “I am so grateful for the support my wife, Coach [Brian] Yowler, and so many other friends and family members have provided. I know this is a blessing that God has given me and I feel fulfilled knowing that I am utilizing the talents he has given me.”

Pittsburgh Steelers GM, Kevin Colbert Speaks at Geneva In a talk ranging from football to faith, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert spoke to the Geneva Business Club and to student-athletes at the Athletics Banquet on Monday, April 30.

Colbert gave students an inside look at the Steelers’ 2018 draft, talked about mentoring young players and described the challenges of leading a highprofile sports organization. Colbert, whose wife is a Beaver Falls native, holds the highest executive position in the organization and has been with the Steelers since 2000.

23

GENEVA MAGAZINE

The March Matchness giving challenge results are in!

Over

643 $212,000 $160,000 Generous Donors

Raised by Alumni, Friends and Students

Matched by the Geneva College Trustees & Advancement Board

The Grand Total Raised...

$372,000+ Thank You! Geneva.edu/give

CAMPUS NEWS

Metheny Fieldhouse Foyer Renovation Completed Through the generosity of the Dan Frasier family and friends, the fieldhouse foyer recently received a facelift. New woodwork, wall mural, lighting and posters of current studentathletes were installed. The project honors one of the greats in the Geneva College Athletics Hall of Fame, Dan Frasier, who was a student-athlete as well as the head coach of both the Golden Tornadoes’ football and baseball programs during the 60s and 70s. The Dan Frasier Project communicates the heritage and quality of Geneva athletics to everyone who enters Metheny Fieldhouse.

“Expanding Our Edge” Work Gets Underway Workers began removing the artificial turf on Reeves Field on April 30 to kick off the implementation phase of the Expanding Our Edge Project. The turf replacement will enhance safety for student-athletes and expand the field to regulation size to enable Geneva to host NCAA national soccer tournament games. The new turf will be fully installed for the fall athletic and marching band season.

Dedication of the field and recognition of donor participation will take place before and at halftime of the first home football game of the 2018 season on September 8. Commitments reached $754,000 toward the $850,000 goal on April 30, 2018. Fundraising efforts will continue with alumni and friends through June.

The project also consists of significant improvements for the south campus athletic complex from Reeves Field to the south end of campus near the Eastvale Bridge. This revitalization includes new fencing, lighting and sidewalks and may begin as early as 2019. To give toward or add to your commitment, go to Geneva.edu/give/reeves.

Religious Liberty (Supreme Court Case) Update In March, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed in the U.S. Third Circuit Court in Pittsburgh asking for an injunction in Geneva’s case against the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on the regulation requiring provision of abortifacient drugs through institutional health care benefits. The filing in federal district court included a motion for permanent injunction and declaratory relief; a memorandum of law supporting the motion; a proposed order on the motion and a proposed judgment.

ADF anticipates a favorable outcome.

New Majors Approved The Board of Trustees approved three new undergraduate majors and one new graduate major: • B.S. Business Management • B.S. Marketing • Computer Science / Cybersecurity 3+1 B.S./M.S. • M.S. Cybersecurity These programs are accepting students to begin in fall 2018 – Geneva.edu/majors.

24

COMING

F A L L

2018 Pettler Brings Heat to Cold Case Epidemic Geneva College alumna Dr. Laura Pettler hunts killers for a living. She is an expert forensic criminologist, specializing in crime scene staging, who has appeared on numerous crime-oriented television programs, including regular appearances on the Dr. Oz Show. On February 15, Pettler spoke about her passion for solving cold cases to the Geneva community.

DR. ADAM SEAGRAVE

SEPTEMBER

THURSDAY FRIDAY

20

21

Pettler returns to campus this summer as a leader for two crime scene investigation (CSI) camps. On June 25-29, she will lead “So You Want to be a CSI?” camp for middle school and high school age kids. For adults, she will lead “True Crime Camp” on June 30. Campers will learn the fundamentals of being a Crime Scene Investigator. For more information, visit Geneva.edu/academics/crossroads/summer-camps.

Duguid Speaks of Jesus in the Old Testament Rev. Dr. Iain Duguid, Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, spoke to the Geneva community on March 21 about Jesus within the Old Testament. Rev. Duguid warned against limiting the use of the Old Testament to simply moral guidance or faithful DR. XUEYING WANG

OCTOBER F R IDAY

19

service lessons.

Rev. Duguid concluded by stating no amount of preached morals or ways of living could ever match the pure, saving love found through the death and resurrection of Jesus in the abolition of our sins in fulfillment of the scriptures. You can listen to Rev. Duguid’s and other chapel messages at Geneva.edu/chapel.

Mooney’s Breakneck Hamlet is the Thing

MARK CHARLES

NOVEMBER FRIDAY

9

SATURDAY

10

Learn More at Geneva.edu/gvals 25

At breathless pace, writer, producer and performer Timothy Mooney vicariously suffered Hamlet’s slings and arrows of outrageous fortune at Geneva’s John White Chapel on April 19. Mooney’s specialty is oneman performance and in staging Breakneck Hamlet at Geneva, he captured the essence of the work and the audience’s rapt attention, condensing the original four-hour play into one, non-stop hour. His rendition included dramatic exposition, recitation of major soliloquies, descriptions of historical context and physicality of the key players during the tumultuous events in the Danish kingdom.

The following morning, Mooney delivered The Greatest Speech of All Time for the Geneva community in Skye Lounge. The performance recalled excerpts from ten of the greatest speeches by the greatest speakers in history, including Socrates, Frederick Douglass, Winston Churchill and others.

GENEVA MAGAZINE

Faculty News

Alumni

JAMES K. MATTA, ED.D, LPC, NCC, Associate Professor in Geneva’s ACREP-accredited M.A. in Counseling program and Director of the Mental Health Track, rises to the position of President of the American Association of State Counseling Boards (AASCB) on July 1, 2018. Matta is the first Pennsylvanian to serve as President of the AASCB, which is tasked with overseeing registration, licensure and certification of counselors throughout the United States.

2018 LIFE G AWARD WINNERS NAMED AT COMMENCEMENT

Matta says, “I believe that my years of service in the counseling profession as a clinician and researcher as well as my academic breadth of knowledge, diverse background and broad expertise can be used to help steer a course that will continue to strengthen our professional identity as licensed professional counselors.”

Dr. Matta recently completed a presidential term on the state board of LPCs after twice being nominated by governors of Pennsylvania, Edward Rendell in 2008 and Tom Corbett in 2012.

The “Life G” Award, Geneva’s highest alumni honor, is presented each year to a graduate for service above self, one who embodies the principles for which Geneva College stands, and whose efforts on behalf of the College, the community, and the nation have been exemplary. Brief biographies of the 2018 Life G Award Winners are below, and extended versions are available at Geneva.edu/lifeG-bios.

MADELYN (MADGE) WOODS ‘44 ADAMS has

served Geneva College directly or indirectly for more than 70 years.

Geneva has been a major part of Madge’s life – from her own education, to serving the education of others. All four sons graduated from Geneva College – Melville, Renwick, Jonathan and Joel. Three grandchildren have also graduated from Geneva. More recently, Madge established a chemistry scholarship to honor her late husband, Dr. Roy M. Adams.

ROBERT N. PEIRCE JR. ‘59 was editor and

DR. DARYL F. SAS, Professor of Biology, co-authored “CRISPR – Cas9: The Latest Fashion in Designer Babies” with Hannah Martin ’14, which was published in Ethics & Medicine International Journal of Bioethics, Summer 2017.

DR. RALPH ANCIL, Professor Emeritus of Economics,

published an essay in The Imaginative Conservative on art and history and had his research published in the proceedings from the Pennsylvania Economic Association annual conference. His work, “An Alternative Method to Find Optimal Solutions to the Cubic Cost Function,” continues development of a method for calculating output.

writer for The Geneva Cabinet and held other campus jobs to help pay for his education. Bob’s scholarships and campus jobs at Geneva made it possible to major in business. His gratefulness for the generosity he has received motivates him to pass that on to others.

Bob sponsors a grant/loan program at Geneva and Duquesne and has established a program in Liberia with the Pittsburgh-based Brother’s Brother Foundation. He and his wife started the Bob and Joan Peirce Center for Structured Reading Teacher Training at Robert Morris University, which trains teachers to tutor dyslexic students.

Bob is Partner for Robert Pierce & Associates, P.C. Attorneys at Law. 26

Aficionados Honoring Christ Through the Arts

include: Stu Lee, David Carson, David Harvey, Betty Douglas, Ann Paton, Gene Sullivan, Bill Russell, Chick O’Data, Harry Farra and many others.

Hall of Fame Faculty

BY JOCELYN ENGLEH A RT ‘18

On May 6, 2018, Donald Kephart, Chair of the Department of Music, was inducted into The Beaver Valley Musicians’ Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland, PA. Kephart joined other inductees in the class of 2018 such as Jim Pugliano, a member of The Jaggerz, Louis Cortelezzi, the composer of “Pokemon” music, and Mike Palmer, tour drummer for Garth Brooks, to name a few. Kephart was honored with a plaque displayed in the Hall of Fame.

Affectionately called “Coach” by his students, Kephart is currently completing his 35th year at Geneva College. A lot of things have changed on campus throughout his tenure. He remembers the days of rotary phones, the stadium with its grass field and small wooden press box and Howdy’s Barbershop, which sat on the corner where the Bagpiper Theater stands today. Some things, such as Johnston Gym, don’t change and remain a fixture as the band’s practice space.

Coach says Geneva’s administration, faculty, staff and students are what make the college a special place to work. Some of his first mentors and friends who have influenced and encouraged him throughout the years 27

GENEVA MAGAZINE

He remembers fondly some favorite moments such as the band’s first performance under his direction. Geneva was playing Duquesne University at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh in 1983. Coach had recently rebuilt the Geneva Marching Band, which consisted of 50 members, including 24 freshmen, sporting their uniforms of black pants and “Bumble Bee” sweaters, as they were fondly called. “None of us knew what to expect when we marched through the tunnel entrance on to the field. As the band came marching out of the tunnel and into the sun, the Geneva fans instantly rose to their feet and cheered as if there were ten times the 3,000 in attendance. It was a great emotional experience for the band and a wonderful welcome into the Geneva community for me.”

He also recounts the joys and sorrows of a well-spent life. He fondly recalls the large sheet, hung by Ruth Vos from the Alumni Hall porch, which read “It’s A Boy!” to announce the news of his first child’s birth. The smiles of joy from children over the years who came out to see the band parade on College Hill during band camp are happy remembrances. He also remembers counseling a student with a diagnosis of Leukemia asking for his help in telling the news to family and Homecoming 2004 when Charles McBurney attended his last alumni band event at the age of 90. He attended numerous weddings over the years of couples whose relationship started at a band camp. “And now I have had several of their children in the band,” he says.

Induction into the Beaver Valley Musicians’ Hall of Fame is a great honor, but Coach’s desire has always been to reflect the love of Christ in his life and music ministry. He has strived to especially embody “Serving with Grace” to his students, fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and in all aspects of his life.

“

Because B eccause of you I had the o pp portu opportunity to pursue a valuable eeducation ducatio in Engineering that w ill aallow llo me to go out and will m ak ke difference di make in the world.”

- Josh Brenize Bren ’18

Fund

Geneva Your generosity is so greatly appreciated.

Alumni like you help students have their eyes opened and their hopes and dreams awakened through a Christ-centered education. Your financial support to Geneva helps future engineers like Josh prepare to enter classrooms with the Gospel truth, reaching out to another generation for God’s glory.

The Geneva Fund is essential to equip students to faithfully serve both God and neighbor by spreading the Good News wherever they go.

Every area of life at Geneva is greatly impacted by this fund. Your gift to the Geneva Fund prepares students for a wide-range of vocations.

Almost all students at Geneva receive some form of financial aid, which makes a Christ-centered education possible. Reach those who need it most through scholarships funded by your generous gifts to Geneva.

Geneva.edu/give

Bartoletta Runs to Geneva’s First-Ever National Championship

BY C H R I S M AT H E W S ‘ 0 0

Nicole Bartoletta stared down the track, waiting for the gun to sound. History was waiting 60 meters away. In her way were five hurdles, not to mention three competitors to her left and four more to her right, including the runner that had put up a faster time than Bartoletta coming into the national championship. A year earlier, Bartoletta had finished ninth at the national meet, and with the last race of her indoor collegiate career set to begin at any moment, she was ready to let out a year’s worth of motivation and preparation.

At the sound of the gun, Bartoletta exploded out of the blocks, racing towards the first hurdle.

As she cleared each of the first three hurdles, Bartoletta began to stretch out a small lead.

However, her main competition just to her right, Aspen McMillian from Rowan College, began to close the gap. By the time they finished the fifth and final hurdle, McMillian had almost drawn even, and they both sprinted towards the finish line, leaning in as the race ended. The result was too close to call.

29

GENEVA MAGAZINE

As Bartoletta slowed down and came to the padded wall at the end of the track, she punched the pad with her fist, fearing she had let it slip away at the end. She turned around and looked at the board, anxious for what she would see. As she stared, she waited for the judges to determine the winner.

Growing up, Bartoletta always enjoyed running. One day in fifth grade, she and several of her classmates were running behind the bleachers during recess. She was just playing with her friends, but several of the boys wanted to race, challenging her to individual races. It didn’t take long for the boys to realize their mistake. Each of the boys came in second place, and for the first time in her life, Bartoletta thought to herself that there might be something more to her talent than she realized.

In high school, Bartoletta ran at Central Valley, only miles from Geneva, and while she did well, by the time

her senior year came around, she had not attracted the attention of many college recruiters. In fact, as she went through her senior season, she wasn’t sure she was going to pursue running in college. For a while, she figured she might just head to the University of Pittsburgh and hang up her spikes.

However, Geneva Head Coach Phil Thompson saw the potential in Bartoletta early on. He convinced her to come to Geneva and join the track and field program.

“Coach Thompson always told me how successful I could become, but I’m not sure I really believed him,” Bartoletta recalls. “Even in high school I didn’t have the kind of success he kept telling me I could have in college.”

Bartoletta trusted Coach Thompson, and she packed up her stuff and began her college career at Geneva. Her freshman year on the track was admittedly a bit rough.

Her times actually got slightly slower, and her success was fairly minimal. “I was frustrated that it didn’t go better, but I didn’t want to give up,” said Bartoletta.

“However, I wasn’t seeing what Coach was seeing at that point.”

As her sophomore year ended, though, improvement started to show. Bartoletta finished second in the 60 meter hurdles at the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship meet, and it set the stage for a breakout junior year.

It was that season when records started to fall. She broke both the Geneva indoor and outdoor hurdles record. She became the PAC champion in the hurdles at both the indoor and outdoor meet, and she qualified for the national meet for both seasons.

At the indoor national meet, she finished just outside the top eight, which would have qualified her for All-American status, and at the outdoor meet, she clipped a hurdle in the preliminary race and failed to qualify for the final.

The disappointment from that fall at the outdoor national meet was heavy. It was only the second time in her collegiate career she had clipped a hurdle, and it came at the worst possible time.

“When Nicole fell last year, she could have really let it get her down,” said Coach Thompson. “Instead she used it as

motivation to work even harder in the offseason in order to get back to nationals and finish what she started.”

Bartoletta dominated her senior season. She broke her own school record, which also was the PAC record, multiple times during the indoor season. Her time kept her among the top three runners all season in NCAA Division III as she kept her eyes firmly on the national meet.

“When N icole fell last year, she could have really let it get her down. Instead she used it as motivation to work even harder in the offseason...”

Beyond track, though, Bartoletta is grateful to have spent the past four years at Geneva. Geneva’s focus on faith was important to her to. “That definitely had an impact in my decision to come here,” Bartoletta recalls.

“And since coming here, my faith has grown a lot stronger just from the people that I have surrounded myself with, my teammates, my professors, and the community here at Geneva, which really focuses on faith.”

So Bartoletta had been waiting for this moment at the National Championships for almost a year, and as she finished the final race at the indoor national meet, she would have to wait some more. She stood and stared at the board, waiting for the winner to be announced.

While it ended up taking about 30 seconds for the final results to appear, it felt a lot longer to Bartoletta.

Finally, the scoreboard flashed, and Bartoletta’s name appeared at the top of the board. Her time was listed at 8.71 seconds. McMillian’s time read 8.72 seconds. In actuality, Bartoletta’s time was 8.707, while McMillian’s was 8.715. Just .008 seconds separated the two, but Nicole Bartoletta accomplished what she came to do.

Four years after wondering if she wanted to even run in college, she was now a national champion. G 30

ATHLETIC NEWS

BY CH RI S M ATH EWS ‘0 0

Celebrating Athletic Excellence TEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2017-2018

Nicole Bartoletta

1. National Champion – Senior Nicole Bartoletta became Geneva College’s first national champion when she won the 60 meter hurdles by .008 seconds at the NCAA Division III indoor national championship in Alabama. Bartoletta already held the school and Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) records in the hurdles, and she is currently ranked as one of the top runners in the 100 meter hurdles headed into the outdoor national championship in late May in Wisconsin.

2. PAC Championships – The men’s track and field program became the first Geneva program to capture multiple PAC championships when it won the indoor and outdoor championships this season. Including last year’s outdoor PAC championship, the Golden Tornadoes have now won three straight conference championships, and with the core of the team returning again next year, Geneva will be looking to add more hardware to its trophy case.

Men’s Track & Field

3. PAC Players of the Year – Geneva boasted three players that were named as the best at their sport in the conference. Bartoletta was named the PAC Track Athlete of the Year in both the indoor and outdoor season. Senior Kailee Loose was named as the PAC Field Athlete of the Year during the indoor season, and senior Gib McCracken was named the men’s soccer PAC Player of the Year, the first time a Geneva soccer player has received that award.

Jimmy Leichliter

Callie Ford

4. Overtime Playoff Winners – Geneva had two dramatic overtime playoff victories this year. Men’s soccer defeated Grove City in the semifinals of the PAC playoffs in the fall when sophomore Michael Pohlod scored with just over a minute remaining in overtime to send Geneva to the conference championship game for the third straight season. Men’s basketball also had a dramatic overtime victory in the playoffs. In the first round of the PAC tournament, Geneva traveled to Saint Vincent to take on the higher seeded Bearcats. Senior Jimmy Leichliter scored a career-high 33 points, and junior Eric McGee made a contested layup with one second remaining in overtime to stun Saint Vincent and give Geneva the upset victory.

5. One Thousand Point Scorers – In the first game of the men’s basketball season, Leichliter surpassed 1,000 career points against Valley Forge. Leichliter would go on to amass 1,450 points in his career, 13th highest in Geneva history. For the women, junior Callie Ford hit the 1,000 point mark late in the season against Thomas More.

She is only the sixth woman in Geneva history to hit 1,000 points in her junior season, and she is on pace to finish in the top five all-time.

31

GENEVA MAGAZINE

6. Coaching Milestones – Three coaches passed milestones this past year. Men’s basketball Head Coach Jeff Santarsiero passed Geneva Hall of Fame Coach Cliff Aultmann early in the year with his 292nd win, giving him the most wins of any coach in Geneva history. Later in the season, Santarsiero surpassed 300 wins.

Softball Head Coach Van Zanic, already Geneva’s all-time leader in wins, hit career win 400 with a victory over Bethany. Lastly, men’s soccer Head Coach Gary Dunda surpassed 100 victories with a win over Alfred State on Senior Day.

Coach Phil Thompson

7. Coaches of the Year – Two Geneva coaches were recognized by the PAC for the work they put in with their programs. Track and field Head Coach Phil Thompson was named the men’s Coach of the Year for both the indoor and outdoor seasons after his squad won back-toback championships. Men’s tennis Head Coach Mandee Craft was also recognized as the Coach of the Year for the work she has done over the last three years in building the men’s tennis program from scratch into a competitive program within the PAC. Coach Mandee Craft and Men’s Tennis

8. All-Conference Awards – Fifty-one Golden Tornadoes were honored as all-conference performers by the PAC across 16 varsity sports.

9. Addition of Two New Sports – Geneva announced the addition of two new varsity sports. Men’s volleyball will start competition in the spring of 2019, and women’s golf will start in the fall of 2019.

e

s

id

e n t s ’ at hl

Men’s Volleyball

e

t ic

pr

10. Facilities Improvements – In the spring, Geneva finished remodeling the entrance and first floor of the Metheny Fieldhouse Lobby, adding new flooring, lighting, woodworking, and pictures of Geneva student-athletes on the walls. In May, work began to remove, widen, and install new turf on Reeves Field for use by the football and soccer teams, to be ready for the fall sports season.

c

o n c e f e r e n

Geneva Headlines the PAC Fall Academic Honor Roll

Women’s Golf

When the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) announced its Fall Academic Honor Roll in January, Geneva College was once again at the top of the list. This year 69 student-athletes from Geneva made the list, an increase from last year when Geneva led the conference with 66 student-athletes on the honor roll.

To make the honor roll, a student-athlete must have earned at least a 3.6 grade-point average (GPA) or higher during the semester of competition. For Geneva, fall sports include men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball.

32

IN MEMORIAM 40s _______________________________________

Ann R. (Hasho ’56) Dec on November 6, 2017

Esther R. (McCarriher ‘41) Wood on April 23, 2018

James F. Tress ’56 on November 11, 2017

Lenora (Giammatteo ’43) Osso on November 25, 2017

Mervin L. Wilson ’56 on October 20, 2017

Mary D. (Broadhurst ‘43) Rhea on March 6, 2018

Leonard R. Clarke ‘57 on March 15, 2018

Jean M. (Cunningham ‘43) Wick on February 10, 2018

Paul M. Hergenrother ’57 on November 14, 2017

Margaret (Ransom ’45) North on November 13, 2017

Robert G. Varkonyi ’57 on April 25, 2018

Dr. Esther Jane Carrier ‘46 on February 28, 2018

James E. Barr ’58 on October 31, 2017

Vincent L. Rocereto ‘46 on February 11, 2018

Mauro Chiaverini ’58 on February 4, 2018

Robert H. Gillespie ‘48 on March 11, 2018

Louis T. Deverka ’58 on August 27, 2017

Eleanore J. (Otto ’48) Lipp on November 9, 2017

Dr. Jack J. Klein ‘58 on March 10, 2018

Rebecca J. Blair ’49 on January 16, 2018

Charles M. McNeal ’58 on August 4, 2017

Kathleen “Katie” M. (Freed ’49) Claypool on Dec 15, 2017

Charles M. Reader ‘58 on February 3, 2018

Edward S. Newman ‘49 on February 26, 2018

Robert S. Gregos ’59 on October 20, 2017

Sara L. (Perkins ‘49) Sheline on February 25, 2018

Donald A. Schena ’59 on November 15, 2017

Eugene D. Springer ’49 on November 17, 2017

50s _______________________________________

Joseph S. Kulcyk ‘60 on March 14, 2018

Frederic L. Cook ‘50 on October 25, 2017

James C. Meli ’60 on October 24, 2017

Evelyn (Jones ‘50) Gandy on April 5, 2018

James N. Shaw ‘60 on February 9, 2018

Clarence J. Glovier ’50 on January 24, 2018

F. L. Paul Bisnette ‘61 on July 11, 2016

Dr. Louis M. Singleton ’51 on January 23, 2018

John A. Bott ’61 on November 29, 2017

Mary Elizabeth (Mecklem ’51) Zapsic on Oct. 26, 2017

Joseph C. Hammond Jr. ’61 on February 3, 2018

James W. Baker ’52 on December 31, 2017

James W. Wilson ’62 on May 9, 2018

Dr. Robert E. McMillen ‘52 on April 14, 2018

Russell W. Couch ‘63 on March 22, 2018

Harry “Richard” Balph ‘53 on February 8, 2018

Donald R. Elliott ’63 on February 9, 2018

George W. Fielding ‘53 on March 30, 2018

33

60s _______________________________________

Dorothy J. (McNally ’64) Baker on December 9, 2017

John “Jack” R. Oakes ’53 on February 1, 2018

John K. Majors ’64 on January 26, 2018

Eugene R. Rotonto ’53 on November 27, 2017

John E. Naugle ‘64 on March 26, 2018

Olivemae (Herdt ‘53) Woodworth on March 4, 2018

David W. Charron ’65 on January 1, 2018

Ethel M. (Elliott ‘54) Pasma on March 12, 2018

Donald E. Hesh ‘65 on February 28, 2018

Marilyn C. VanDyke ‘54 on March 27, 2018

Richard D. Partington ‘66 on April 21, 2018

David S. Houck ’55 on December 23, 2017

Jean E. (Ifft ’66) Smith on December 9, 2017

Dr. Marion L. McFarland ‘55 on March 28, 2018

Elaine M. (Bell ’66) Tweed on December 31, 2017

Albert W. Poholsky ’55 on January 7, 2018

Ronald D. Elkin ’67 on December 14, 2017

GENEVA MAGAZINE

30

Katharine M. (Smith ‘67) Fyfe on April 1, 2018

80s _______________________________________

Howard R. Herman ’67 on January 17, 2018

Mary Beth Dunning ‘82 on February 14, 2018

Dr. Edwin M. Moyo ’67 on October 25, 2017

Grant W. Peters ’83 on January 24, 2018

Nancy A. (Carson ’68) Brown on January 22, 2018

Paul H. Trask ‘83 on April 16, 2018

Rev. A. Allen Bryan ‘68 on January 28, 2018

L. Hope Mangum ‘84 on April 12, 2018

Mary M. (Bentley ‘68) Frey on February 15, 2018 William R. Soldressen ‘68 on March 5, 2018

90s _______________________________________

Dr. David R. Cunningham ‘69 on March 6, 2018

Dana (Long ’92) McQueen on January 4, 2018

J. Richard Hanna ’69 on December 30, 2017

Karen M. Labor ‘93 (DCP #008) on February 20, 2018

Edwin J. Hunter ‘69 on April 19, 2018

William F. Wenning III ’93 on December 4, 2017

Joseph A. Morabito ’69 on November 23, 2017

Lee E. Engles ‘98 (DCP #052) on March 15, 2018

Mary Ann (Hage ‘69) Pardue on April 14, 2018

Georgia A. Anderson ’99 MSOL on October 27, 2017

James M. Shuty Sr. ’69 on November 11, 2017

00s _______________________________________

70s _______________________________________

Scott W. Michael ‘00, ‘03 MSOL on March 3, 2018

Lawrence W. “Larry” Bagby Jr. ‘70 on Sept. 17, 2017

Jeremy C. Tubbs ’01 on October 7, 2017

Dr. James A. Crozier Sr. ’70 on October 19, 2017

Abby R. Flockerzi ‘03 MSOL on March 9, 2018

Dean E. Lewis ‘70 on March 7, 2018

Friends ___________________________________

Edward B. Moyo ‘70 on March 7, 2018 K. Paul Gacesa ’71 on December 23, 2017 R. Sue Shirey ‘71 on February 8, 2018 Jayne M. Cable ’72 on December 30, 2017 John T. Milnes ‘72 on March 3, 2018 Elmetta L. (James ’72) Mobley on December 28, 2017 Mary Ellen (Bentley ’72) Zetz on March 23, 2018 Robert W. Albright ‘73 on February 19, 2018 Eugene M. Metelsky ’73 on January 28, 2018 Margaret “Peggy” K. Toy ’73 on November 4, 2017 Marlene A. (Hofmann ’74) Holland on February 9, 2018 Timothy E. Roe ‘75 on January 26, 2018

Gisele D. Connor on October 27, 2017 Dr. Arthur F. Fleser on March 27, 2018 Dr. Ronald Galbreath on December 9, 2017 Geraldine B. Jones on November 23, 2017 Rev. Dr. Bernie M. Manning on October 27, 2017 Louis E. Ottey on October 25, 2017 Milton J. Scott on November 9, 2017 Jeffrey M. Stephens on November 21, 2017 Frank P. Tronzo on May 3, 2018 Robert W. Reith on February 24, 2018 Denotes members of the

M. Kimberly (Shaw ’75) Ware on April 23, 2018

Heritage Society,

Dr. Lucille M. Watterson ’75 on December 26, 2017

which recognizes the valuable contributions of

Nancy J. (Yovich ’77) Jackson on April 30, 2018 David S. DeWall ‘78 on July 21, 2017 Steven M. Ropke ’78 on November 3, 2017 Ann (Mason ’79) Boyer on November 2, 2017

alumni and friends who include Geneva in their estate and/ or financial plans by gifts made through annuities, charitable trusts, gifts of life estates, undivided partial interests in real estate or life insurance, and gifts made through their will. To learn more, visit Geneva.edu/planned-giving/heritage-society.

34

CLASS NOTES Class Notes are available on Geneva.edu. Visit the site to learn about fellow classmates, and submit an update so they can remain connected with you.

50s Rev. Robert McFarland ’55 wrote and published the book “Papa Got It Right!” detailing the life of his grandfather, James Calvin McFarland, and father, Rev. A.J. McFarland, as well as the history and family life of the Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Bruce ‘71 and Carol (Chudik ‘72) Mawhinney are now both retired. Bruce retired on December 31, 2017 and is now Pastor Emeritus of Wheatland Presbyterian Church in Lancaster, PA. Carol is retired from teaching in the School District of Lancaster where she had served as Dean of Students at Wickersham Elementary School in Lancaster.

Dr. Darla Twale ’73 had her 5th book released by Routledge publishers in October 2017, entitled “Understanding and Preventing Faculty-on-Faculty Bullying: A Psycho-Social-Organizational Rev. Theodore Bowers ’59 was awarded Approach.” a Distinguished Alumni Award from Dr. Terry Norris ‘74 is a member of the Winebrenner Theological Seminary American College of Dentists, an ethical in 2016 in addition to his other and leadership arm of dentistry. He was accolades, Navy Commendation for recently informed he would be the next exemplary Ministry in Saudi Arabia and regent (trustee) over a five-state, plus Kuwait and Chapel of Four Chaplains Ontario, area. Terry will perform the Bronze Medallion Award for National invocation and benediction at the ACD & International Ministry. Ted recently convocation this fall. published a book entitled “Islam: What You Should Know.” He and wife 80s Rev. Larry Oldaker ’80 resigned as Lowanda reside in East Berlin, PA. Regional Home Missionary of the Presbytery of Ohio (OPC) in June 2016 60s and became the Organizing Pastor of Domenico Sciaretta ’68 is the President of DPS Consulting. He and wife Patricia Grace Fellowship OPC Mission in Huron, OH. Rev. Oldaker has been involved in reside in North Lima, OH. the start of 12 new churches during his 33 years of pastoral ministry.

70s Louis Ramunno ’70 has retired after Dr. Carlton “Worth” Wilson III ‘80 and serving as Superintendent of Schools wife Susan reside in South Cle Elum, WA. for many districts in Northeast Ohio.

His wife Kerry (Kowalski ‘71) has also Melanie (Graham) Barker ’81, ’07 MSOL retired after teaching in elementary is a French and English teacher at Beaver schools and at Kent State University.

They have relocated to North Olmsted, Area High School in Beaver, PA where she resides.

OH to be near their grandchildren.

George ’71 and Kathy (Walck ’72) Thompson are happy to announce the birth of their second grandchild, Mason William Cherico, born on December 19. He joins his big brother, Cooper. The proud parents are Heather and Jason Cherico. They reside in Manchester, CT.

*To get a Geneva onesie for your baby, see page 37!

35

GENEVA MAGAZINE

Robert Jones ’83 is the Sr. VP of Advancement at Western Seminary in Portland, OR. He and his wife Marcia reside in Happy Valley, OR.

Dr. Christina (Pinon ‘84) Bouwens has been appointed to the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences (IEMS) in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida as

an Assistant Research Professor. Dr. Bouwens will serve as the Scientific Director for the Complex Adaptive Systems Laboratory and will be performing research in the area of big data analytics. She will also be teaching courses for the IEMS department.

Rev. Lori A. Holstein ’86 began serving First Christian Church of Lehigh Acres in January 2016.

Robert Bowers ’87 was promoted to Chief Claims Officer and National Customer Service Leader at Westfield Insurance where has been employed for 22 years. Rob serves on the board of Akron Canton Regional Foodbank as Chair of the HR committee. He also serves at Christ Community Chapel in Hudson, OH in Financial Ministries and CLM. Rob and wife Cindy are pleased to announce the engagement of their son Jack to Micaela Murano, with wedding date of June 2018.

Rebecka Weliczko-Barta ‘88 just celebrated her one year wedding anniversary with Stephen Barta, of Plant City, FL (half way between Tampa and Orlando), where they reside.

She also celebrated her one year anniversary with United Health Group, working as a Virtual (Remote) Care Worker. She is currently working on her BS in Nursing to add to her Geneva College BS in Civil Engineering.

Rebecka Johnson ‘88 is a software engineer for Erie Insurance Group. She resides in Erie, PA. Gary Coles ’89 resides in McKeesport, PA. 90s David Fabricatore ’90 was promoted to a new position: Global Electric / Hybrid Vehicle Commodity Manager at Ford Motor Company. David and his wife Michelle (Droz ’90) reside in Canton, MI. Wendy (Schwedler ‘91) Allman began a new position as Director of Home & Community Based Services for Northern Area Multi Service Center in Sharpsburg, PA where she oversees four senior centers and the Meals on Wheels program.

Rev. Theodore Lai ‘94 is the Pastor at Chinese Zion Baptist Church in Los Angeles, CA. He and wife Vanessa reside in Alhambra, CA.

CLASS NOTES Samuel ’94, M.A. ’98 and Tannis (Brown M.A. ’97) Blair, along with their children, participated in a mission trip with their church to the Matagalpa region of Nicaragua through Agros International. Agros helps those in extreme poverty become self-reliant through sustainable agriculture, education, health programs and community development. Samuel continues to work with Bridges Hospice in Pittsburgh as Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator. Tannis works for UPMC Community Care Behavioral Health.

Ben Becze ‘00 has been named the Director of Advancement at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Coraopolis, PA. CMSgt Jeffery Barnes ’01, ’07 MSOL was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant on December 1, 2017, joining the top 1% of the Air Force enlisted force.

He is the 459th Logistics Readiness Squadron superintendent at Joint Base Andrews, MD, overseeing the training and readiness of 55 airmen in four separate functions: supply, fuels, vehicle management and logistics plans.

Becky (Roosa ’97) Linskey and husband James reside in Jefferson Twp, PA.

Shawn ‘99 and Laura (Speck ‘00) King recently welcomed their fourth child, Juniper. The King family resides in Granville, OH. 00s Joanna (Stocker ’00) Ledoux and husband Martin reside in Durham, NH.

Jeremiah Wilson ’08 married Anastasia Ealey on November 18, 2017 at Rose Point RPCNA in New Castle, PA. The couple resides in Hermitage, PA. Andrew Stopchick ‘08, ‘09 MBA is currently serving as a Lieutenant in the US Navy abroad. He is the Antiterrorism Officer and the Port Services Officer on the base. Andrew will go back to Newport, RI, in August 2018 to continue schooling for his next job, which will begin in July 2019.

David Jackson ‘09 and wife Abby reside in Coraopolis, PA with their two daughters, Lucy and Felicity. David is an Engineer II at Michael Baker International in Moon Twp, PA.

Jon Elvin ’98 has joined the advisory board of the Association of Certified Financial Crime Specialists (ACFCS).

Jon is a financial crime prevention and anti-money laundering expert and currently leads the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Sanctions Department for PNC Bank.

David Solivan ’99 has been the Director of Student Development at Esperanza Academy Charter School for over 20 years, a 6-12 school serving 1,400 students in North Philadelphia. He has also been serving 25 years at New Life Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

David and wife Aimee have been married 42 years and have two children and two grandchildren. David credits the CUTS program and Geneva College for preparing him to serve the Latino community in Philadelphia.

Jamie Salamanca ‘06 MSOL is the Director of Sales at Sunrise at North Hills Assisted Living Community.

10s James Bird ‘10 MSOL is the President & CEO of Villa Maria Residential Services.

Mark Harley ’01 is employed at Fox Rothschild, LLP, and recently joined as a partner in the firm’s immigration practice group. Mark and his wife Kelley have two children and reside in Cranberry Township, PA. John Mackie ’03 MSOL, a Senior Vice President at Hefren-Tillotson, Inc., one of Western Pennsylvania’s largest investment advisory and financial planning firms, has been named a 2017 40 Under 40 Honoree by the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP) and Pittsburgh Magazine.

Conor Dawley ’04 has a new position with Highmark Caring Place.

Joshua ’05 and Natalie (Vidnovic ’05) announce the birth of their sons, Jonah Paul, born on September 1, 2014 and Asher Frederick, born on May 19, 2017. The boys join big brother Samuel. The Janov family resides in North Huntingdon, PA.

Dr. Kristina Huggins ’11 graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in August 2017 with a Doctorate in Clinical Forensic Psychology. She is currently completing her postdoctoral residency in Phoenix, AZ where she does therapy and psychological evaluations at a community mental health center.

Erin Bruker ’12 received her MBA from Shippensburg University and is a business analyst at Phoenix Contact.

She resides in Harrisburg, PA. Courtney (Sechler ’12) Martin recently received the “Outstanding Career Services Award” from the Ohio-Michigan Association of Career Colleges and Schools.

Nick ’12 and Rachel (Kuegler ’12) Greenfield were married on July 1, 2017 in Lowell, MI. They currently reside in Hartsville, SC where Nick works as a Chemist for Sonoco Products and Rachel is a Physician Assistant at an ENT and Allergy practice.

Benuel Post ’12 is an Area Coordinator at Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. He holds a M.A. in Higher Education & Student Development from Taylor University.

Maura (McLaughlin ‘12) Coté married Jeff Coté on February 2, 2018.

36

CLASS NOTES Faith Hemminger ‘12 received a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Saint Vincent College in 2016. She resides in Rockwood, PA. Katelyn (Slagle ’13) married Zachary Miller ’14 on July 25, 2015. Katelyn is a math teacher at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, TX. The couple resides in Richardson, TX. Jake Terpstra ’13 married wife Laurie on October 14, 2017. The couple resides in Indianapolis, IN.

King School of Law. He passed the bar exam and was sworn into the Maryland State Bar Association in 2017.

Amie (Speers ‘15) Watroba and her husband John welcomed their daughter Lillian Noelle Watroba into the world on December 10, 2017.

Daniel ‘16 and Samantha (Jensen ‘16) White were married on June 3, 2017 and reside in Stroudsburg, PA. Mikayla Covington ’16 received a graduate degree from Duquesne University. She will begin doctoral classes at Duquesne in the fall.

Zach Sheldon ’16 received a graduate degree from Baylor University. He will begin doctoral classes at Texas A&M in the fall.

A group of alumni and friends enjoyed a nine-night Canada/New England Fall Foliage Cruise in October 2017. Pictured are:

Luke ’13 and Julie (McCracken ’13) Brown welcomed their first child, Grace, on August 30, 2017.

Back Row: Dr. Ken Hartman ’63, Dee (Southworth ’69 ) Hartman, Rick O’Brien 2nd from back: Janell Brock, Nancy (Schwickrath ’00) O’Brien Craig Bennett ‘13 resides in Washington, PA.

3rd from back: Dave Jordan, Lois (Ramsey ’59) Gross, Dan Russell

Ian ’14 and Sarah (Abbott ’15) MacKenzie welcomed their first child, Catherine Rose MacKenzie, on September 8, 2017.

4th from back: Patricia (Brock ’87) Jordan, Joyce Lynn ’61, Pam (Lyttle ’85) Russell 5th from back: Louise Marshall ’59, Rev. Ralph Joseph ’60, Patricia Mason, Dr. Rick Mason ’73

Jessica Driscoll-Owens ’14 married husband Jacob on September 3, 2017.

She is the Communications & Community Relations Coordinator for Beatitude House in Youngstown, OH. Her husband Jacob is an EMT. They compete in Frisbee competitions with their Australian cattle dog, Josie. Jessica, Jacob and Josie reside in Austintown, OH.

6th from back: Carolyn (Metcalfe ’62) Mollenkopf, Louise (Edgar ’66) Copeland Front: Joday Joseph, Dr. Bob Copeland ’66 Not pictured: Dr. Dean Smith ’65, Nancy Smith ’66, Dr. Jack Delivuk ’69, Deb Delivuk Photos appear after the corresponding class note.

Clayton LaPosta ’14 and Leslie Shipman ’15 are engaged to be married on January 13, 2018. They will reside in Washington, PA. Benjamin Goodrich ‘14 and wife Susan welcomed their son Matthew Joseph on February 2, 2018.

Josh Carback ‘14 graduated from The University of Maryland Francis Carey 37

GENEVA MAGAZINE

Class Notes Information To share your news, visit Geneva.edu/class_notes and click on “Update Form.” High-resolution pictures of at least three megapixels in size may be submitted in JPEG format.

Inclusion of all items in Class Notes is at the discretion of Geneva College, in accordance with the community standards of the institution.

Alumni Baby Onesies Let the alumni office (alumni@geneva.edu) know the name and birthdate of your new baby, along with your current address, and we’ll send you and your newborn a Golden Tornadoes onesie (size: 12 months).

THE BENEFITS OF A CHARITABLE BEQUEST A Wonderful Way for You to Help Further the Work of Geneva College BEQUEST BENEFITS

HOW TO MAKE A BEQUEST

A charitable bequest is an easy way for you to help us in our work. Here are some of the benefits of bequest giving:

A bequest is one of the easiest gifts you can make to significantly impact the mission of Geneva. Your estate planning attorney can include a provision in your will that leaves a lasting gift to Geneva College. Your bequest could be a gift of specific assets (such as a vehicle, artwork or coin collection), a dollar amount ($10,000, $25,000 or $100,000) or a percentage of your estate (3%, 10% or even 25%). A bequest can also be made from the residue of your estate or what is left after all gifts have been made to your heirs.

•

It costs you nothing today to make a bequest

•

A bequest is free of federal estate tax

•

Your bequest can be changed down the road

•

You can still benefit your heirs with specific gifts

•

A bequest may produce estate tax savings

•

You can leave a legacy through a bequest

BENEFITS OF AN IRA BEQUEST One type of bequest to consider is a bequest from your IRA. If you leave your IRA to your children, your heirs could face a significant tax. Talk with your estate planner about the types of assets to leave to your family that can produce little or no tax. Then consider making a bequest of your IRA to Geneva College. We will receive the full proceeds free of tax and can use this gift to help further our mission.

Please contact your plan custodian to designate Geneva College as a beneficiary of your IRA.

IRA

GENEVA COLLEGE

Please contact us to request sample language that your attorney may use in drafting a bequest to Geneva College. Sample bequest language is also available on our website.

Geneva.giftlegacy.com Contact Cliff McNary at cliff.mcnary@geneva.edu for more information and to ask for your FREE Wills Kit!

GENEVA COLLEGE 3200 College Avenue Beaver Falls, PA 15010

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

Beaver Falls, PA Permit No. 16

Know a Prospective Student?

Alumni are an important example to prospective students of the strength and quality of a Geneva education.

College-bound high school students will often look to people like you for good counsel on their decision about which institution to attend.

Would you be willing to refer prospective students using a simple electronic form? All you need is the student’s first name, last name and email address. The prospective student will receive an email from Geneva with important information and an invitation to learn more about what you already know – Geneva College is a unique brand of life-changing, Christ-centric education.

visit Geneva.edu/alumni-referral