The GēDUNK September 2021

September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

TEACHERS OF IMPACT

• Buhl Library getting a major makeover • A season like no other in Wolverine sports • College celebrates commencement twice t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 1

Grove City College

2 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Fall return to campus was especially sweet this year. Campus was alive with the sounds of memories in the making, and with the addition of 618 new freshman, Welcome Week festivities like the Graffiti Dance were extra energetic. As summer cedes to fall, students are making the most of the beautiful weather and their time together at Grove City College. Life is good at the Grove. September 2021

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 3

M E Grove City College

SSAGE

F ROM

THE

PRES ID EN T

READY FOR THE CHALLENGE

G

rove City College produces fantastic teachers, and we have for a long time. These talented and determined graduates have touched an incalculable number of young lives across America and countless places around the world. In fact, this legacy is one of the College’s greatest accomplishments.

One case in point, and please forgive the shameless parental pride, is Corrie (McNulty ’14) Johnston. While I was stepping into my presidential duties in the fall of 2014, our daughter Corrie was launching her teaching career at Dominion Christian School in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Transported in only a few months from the idyllic confines of campus, she found herself alone in a classroom with 18 second graders for nearly six hours a day.

I recently asked her how she managed to survive that challenge, one that might cause most of us to suffer a serious breakdown before the morning recess. She identified two factors that made the difference between success and failure: a set of critically valuable teaching skills and an infectious love of learning. Her education classes equipped her with a teacher’s toolkit that she immediately put to good use. She learned how young minds were developing and how to spot and respond to learning challenges. She picked up some essential tricks for restoring order when the classroom was on the brink of chaos.

Corrie also discovered that her love for learning, strengthened at Grove City College by professors in a variety of disciplines, found its way into the hearts of these precocious eightyear-olds. Her professors’ enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and wise engagement with history, biblical studies, literature, and other subjects reinforced a passion in Corrie for discovering all that God has created, which she passed along to her students.

Of course, this is not just Corrie’s story. One alum interviewed for this issue expressed a similar inspiration. He described how he tries to model the clarity, passion, and personalized approach of his professors for his own students. “I feel like I am simply passing on what I received from my own professors to my students,” he said.

Not surprisingly, school administrators love our graduates. They are both well-prepared and firmly principled. Our students are populating the teaching ranks of public schools, Christian schools, charter schools, and classical schools. And while programs and pedagogies may vary, the one constant is that Grover teachers are called to make a positive impact on their students.

These young professionals leave this campus with a clear sense of purpose to advance with excellence the knowledge and well-being of the children they have been called to serve. This is an encouraging ray of hope in a world that desperately needs all the light we can find.

Please enjoy this issue spotlighting our impactful graduates and catching you up on other exciting developments at Grove City College. Prayers for the health and safety of the campus this semester continue to be greatly appreciated. We hope to see you Oct. 8 to 10 for the Best. Homecoming. Ever.

EDITORIAL BOARD Jeffrey Prokovich ’89 Vice President for Advancement Melissa (Trifaro ’96) MacLeod Senior Director of Alumni and College Relations Jacki Muller Senior Director of Marketing and Communications EDITORIAL STAFF Nick Hildebrand Managing Editor Janice (Zinsner ’87) Inman Associate Editor, Class Notes, In Memory, Babies Brad Isles Associate Editor Joanie L. Baumgartner Director of Advancement Communications Amy Evans Associate Director of Advancement Communications OFFICE OF ALUMNI & COLLEGE RELATIONS Tricia Corey Carrie Sankey Charlene (Griffin ’83) Shaw Michelle (Jeffries ’19) Vogt COLLEGE ARCHIVES Hilary (Lewis ’09) Walczak OFFICE OF DEVELOPMENT Brian Powell ’03 Kelly Conger Karen (Irwin ’85) Daum Elizabeth (Smith ’81) Hanley Zach Jew ’11 Adam Nowland ’07 DESIGN Justin Harbaugh Art Director/Graphic Designer ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Carol (MacGamwell ’79) Yannuzzi President James Dudt ’07 Vice President Cover photograph by Maria DiStasi ’22 Interior photography by Jason Jones, Andrew Stein ’18, Mac Hancock ’23, Liney Parker ’20, Josh Wanek ’21, Matthew Schoonover ’23, Grace David ’24, Justin Harbaugh, Nick Hildebrand, Brad Isles, Kiley (Hajek ’19) Miranda, I Promise School

Paul J. McNulty ’80 President

Grove City College 100 Campus Drive Grove City, PA 16127 724.458.2300 888.GCC.GRAD alumni.gcc.edu

4 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

September 2021

’mid the pages

28| A LS O

TEACHERS OF IMPACT If you think successful teaching is just a matter of effectively delivering facts and formulas, then you aren’t thinking hard enough. Teaching is a charge to uplift society, unlock human potential, and bring out God’s gifts in others.

It’s about the heart as much as it is the head – maybe more so. Find out what alumni educators are doing to change the world and how the College prepares them to become teachers of impact.

I NS I D E

6 | Upfront News from campus 34 | Pomp and Circumstance 36 | Back in the Swing 38 | Class Notes Find out what fellow alumni are doing 42 | In Memory Friends we’ve lost and remember 46 | Li’l Wolverines Introducing our newest Grovers

11.17.21 GCC.EDU/WOLVERINECHALLENGE

Connect with us: Above: Education Department faculty celebrate with Jesse R. Belitz ’21 after Commencement in May. The GēDUNK, an award-winning magazine published for alumni and friends of Grove City College, highlights College news and alumni achievements. Named after the on-campus gathering place / snack bar for students since the early 1950s, the word “Gedunk” made its way into the Grove City College vernacular when Navy veterans returned to campus and brought the term with them. For decades, the Grove City College Gedunk has been the place to come together to share news and ideas, live and learn, and this magazine strives to connect our family in similar style. College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals (CUPRAP) has recognized the GēDUNK with awards for excellence in design and writing for five consecutive years.

C115056

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 5

Grove City College

The Henry Buhl Library’s new reading and reference room is ready for student use this fall. The ground floor space is part of the first phase of a $9-million, nearly-top-to-bottom renovation that began this summer.

6 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

September 2021

upfront

News about the College, alumni, students, campus, faculty, and sports

Work on $9 million library makeover is underway

W

ork began in May on the first phase of a $9 million makeover that is transforming Henry Buhl Library into a contemporary study and workspace for today’s students.

Students arriving this fall were able to see the fruits of that labor on the library’s ground floor, which is now home to a large study space and reference room. It’s the first piece of a nearly top-to-bottom revamp of the building’s layout that will create new and flexible space for study and collaboration and ensure students have the power and Wi-Fi strength to meet their needs.

“The library is the major information center on campus and we strive to support our students’ changing technology needs, study habits and academic expectations in the 21st century,” Library Director Barbra (Bartos ’92) Munnell said. “The renovation will enable the library to improve upon providing the academic support necessary to help students succeed while giving them ample space to work together, to study, and to be a community of scholars.”

Built in 1954, the library has seen technological upgrades over the years and the addition of the Writing Center on the ground floor about a decade ago, but nothing on the scale of this renovation.

In addition to the new ground floor space, phase one included upgrades to the building’s HVAC and electrical systems and the stacks and new offices for the Academic Resource Center and the Registrar’s Office.

Work on the library will pause until December, when phase two starts. It will include the completion of an open stairway leading to the first-floor learning commons, which will feature flexible study and collaboration space with enclosed individual and group study rooms and classroom space.

A new lobby lounge, café, and outdoor patio

“No matter how a student prefers to study ... there will be a place for everyone.”

are also in the plans. Construction will continue through the spring and summer, with the entire project complete by next fall.

When it is all said and done, Munnell said students will have a refreshed and more flexible space. “No matter how a student prefers to study, with a group of friends, in a quiet and private study space, or somewhere in between, there will be a place for everyone,” she said.

The College received a $2.5 million grant from the Pew Charitable Trust for the library renovation, but the bulk of the project’s $9 million cost is being covered by donations from the College’s generous supporters.

Anyone interested in contributing to the effort should visit giving.gcc.edu/ SupportBuhl.

Henry Buhl Library is named for a former College trustee and namesake of the Buhl Foundation – which contributed a third of the library’s original $750,000 construction cost. Built in the Gothic style, the limestone and sandstone edifice reflects the look of Crawford Hall and Harbison Chapel. It was the last piece of the original campus plan drawn up by the famed Olmsted Brothers to be completed.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 7

Grove City College

Kaitlyn Bennett ’21 performs on campus. The accomplished pianist and standout scholar is studying at Oxford University after winning a Barry Scholarship.

Music major earns full scholarship for University of Oxford

K

aitlyn Bennett ’21 will begin a fullyfunded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford this fall thanks to a highly selective scholarship awarded to students based on their dedication to academic vocation and the pursuit of truth.

Bennett, who earned a Music major with a minor in Philosophy this spring, was selected for a Barry Scholarship, which covers tuition, living, travel and research expenses while Bennett students study at the prestigious university. She will be pursuing a Master of Philosophy degree in music performance.

Bennett credited faculty mentors and Grove City College for preparing her to continue her education at one of the world’s elite academies.

“Grove City College offered me the chance to pursue an interdisciplinary education, very similar to the model at Oxford. I was able to take classes in Music, Philosophy and Biblical and Religious Studies. Professors let me write about the intersections between my interests.

The College taught me how to become an independent thinker,” she said.

Bennett was part of the Trustee Fellow program that supports and challenges top students. She was active in Music

8 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Department ensembles, a missions conference leader and an Admissions Office tour guide. She also teaches piano and is a public speaking coach.

“While the demands of the program ahead of me are incredibly intimidating, my time at Grove City College taught me to pursue truth and beauty in humility. That will remain my primary goal as I transition to studies at Oxford,” she said.

“While the demands of the program ahead of me are incredibly intimidating, my time at Grove City College taught me to pursue truth and beauty in humility.”

The Barry Scholarship, one of the most generous available, is a relatively new initiative of the Canterbury Institute, an Oxford-based charity that seeks to rediscover the academic vocation. Funded by the John and Daria Barry Foundation, the scholarship is for students with a “particular constellation” of qualities, including “ways the nominee pursues truth, demonstrates virtue, is sincere to his/her convictions, is open to change, and has the capacity to

debate controversial points with sincerity and respect.”

Students cannot apply for the award but must be nominated by one of a small group of professors who are invited to make recommendations. Grove City College Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies Carl R. Trueman is one of them.

“The Foundation then chooses just a handful of the best nominees to receive the award. To say that it is extremely competitive would be an understatement.” Trueman said.

“Academically, this is about as big as it gets for an undergraduate looking at postgraduate studies … and, speaking personally, the most exciting moment as a teacher I have ever experienced.”

“I definitely want to thank several professors,” Bennett said, citing Trueman for nominating her and helping her with her scholarship application and a few others for inspiration and assistance in earning admission to Oxford.

“The scholarship is contingent on the student being accepted to Oxford through their own independent application,” Bennett said. “So, I had to prepare a full application to the University of Oxford and that was where a lot of the assistance came in … It’s a daunting application.”

Bennett said current faculty members Dr. Chris Franklin, Philosophy, Dr. Becky Billock, Music, and Dr. Paul Munson, Music, inspired her passion for philosophy, piano performance and musicology and helped maintain a vision for combining those interests. Dr. Beverly Carter, professor of Music, was instrumental in helping craft her Oxford application.

At Oxford, Bennett said she will be studying piano and a broad range of topics including aesthetics, music theory, and ethnomusicology. Her research interests include music as narrative, late 19th and early 20th century piano works, and engaging modern audiences through effective presentations that combine storytelling and performance. It won’t be all work, though. “I also really want to join a rowing club while I’m in England, she said.

After Oxford, Bennett said she’s pretty sure where she wants to end up. “There’s no doubt in my mind I want to be a teacher, ideally a professor of music at a Christian liberal arts school,” she said.

Bennett is originally from Concord, N.C. She will be accompanied to Oxford by her husband, Matthew Bennett ’20.

September 2021

Princeton Review: Quality, cost, outcomes make GCC a ‘best value’

G

rove City College provides an “exceptional” return on investment for students, according to The Princeton Review, which identified the College as affordable and academically outstanding with a record of success at guiding students to rewarding careers in the latest edition of “The Best Value Colleges.”

The Princeton Review evaluated more than 650 leading colleges and universities from the thousands that exist before determining which 200 schools offer students the right combination of academic excellence, affordability, and strong career prospects. Grove City College posted a return on investment ranking of 88 on a scale that tops out at 99.

“The schools we name as our Best Value Colleges for 2021 comprise only just over 1% of the nation’s four-year colleges,” Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief, said. “They are distinctive in their programs, size, region, and type, yet they are similar in three areas. Every school we selected offers outstanding academics, generous financial aid and/or a relative low cost of attendance, and stellar career services.”

This latest distinction builds on previous Princeton Review accolades.

As well as inclusion in the 2022 “The Best 387 Colleges” guide, Grove City College’s Career Services Office is ranked eighth in the country and the College’s Counseling Center holds the number 12 spot.

First Lady Brenda (Millican ’80) McNulty and her crew of student gardeners are creating a little Eden behind the President’s House.

“Mrs. McNulty, how does your garden grow?”

F

rom the horticultural dreams of the College’s green-thumbed first lady, the Campus Garden is growing.

Brenda (Millican ’80) McNulty and a team of students, led by recent grads Hope Fiely ’21, Molly Marino ’21, and Emma Bentz ’21, carefully planned and planted the garden behind the President’s House during the pandemic.

“Growing things in a garden is one of the surest ways to give us hope and joy, and this was never more obvious than during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many things stopped at that time, but God’s cycle of the seasons kept on going,” McNulty said.

She and a group of about 20 students have been tending the garden and it is flourishing.

They started with three raised beds and this summer there are seven, in which tomatoes, beans, herbs, pumpkins, flowers, and more are growing.

The expected harvest is the result of a lot of time and effort they put into designing the structures, putting together an irrigation system, and tending to the plants. Those that needed extra care and nourishment were planted safe and warm in the McNulty basement during the winter months and transitioned to the beds when the weather broke.

The garden isn’t large enough yet to produce veggies for the whole campus, but some of what’s grown there will be used for special events. More than just vegetables come from the garden, McNulty said. “Watching things grow expands your appreciation for our Creator as you see the inter-connectedness of the various natural elements.”

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 9

Grove City College

The home of the Calderwood School of Arts and Letters was rededicated this spring as the Staley Hall of Arts and Letters in honor of College benefactor Richard G. Staley ’62.

Staley Hall of Arts and Letters rededicated

G

rove City College’s central academic building was rededicated on May 14 as the Staley Hall of Arts and Letters in honor of distinguished and generous alumnus Richard G. Staley ’62.

The hall’s new namesake said he was humbled. “Growing up in the Allegheny Valley, I could never have dreamed of the impact this college would have on my life, nor that I would be successful enough to one day give back in this way,” Staley told a crowd of well-wishers at the dedication ceremony.

A native of Natrona Heights, Pa., Staley is the founder of Flavor House, Inc., a West Coast-based developer and manufacturer of unique flavors found in many popular products.

Staley Last year he donated $4 million to Grove City College – the largest unrestricted gift in the College’s history.

Unrestricted gifts enhance the ability to manage both the challenges of today and the strategic opportunities of tomorrow, from

10 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

scholarships to unanticipated expenses, such as those related to the pandemic.

Staley is one of the College’s most generous supporters. Previous gifts in support of entrepreneurship and the sciences are recognized by a named laboratory in STEM Hall and the Richard G. Staley ’62 Visionary Entrepreneurship Lecture Series.

“It brings me great joy to know that the principles of faith and freedom are being preserved in this building.”

To recognize his willingness and ability to provide a strong financial foundation for the College’s future, the Board of Trustees approved renaming the Hall of Arts and Letters for Staley. Built in 2002, the hall is a classroom and academic office building on the east side of campus that serves as the

home of the Alva J. Calderwood School of Arts and Letters.

“Buildings represent so much more than the bricks and mortar that they are,” Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said. Staley Hall of Arts and Letters is the home of the College’s humanities core, a place where students from every major take classes in civilization, literature, and history and gain the knowledge to develop wisdom and a worldview. “A lot of lives have been transformed in classrooms in this building,” he said.

McNulty hailed Staley’s success and generosity. “He took the fruit of his great accomplishment and brought it back to his alma mater,” McNulty said.

“It brings me great joy to know that the principles of faith and freedom are being preserved in this building and that future teachers, ethical business leaders, innovative entrepreneurs, and more will continue to be equipped here for many years to come,” Staley said.

Longtime faculty members retire, reflect on teaching experience

A

s he prepared to retire from the Grove City College faculty, Dr. Kevin S. Seybold got to thinking about something Abraham Lincoln said as he left his political hometown of Springfield, Ill.: “Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man.”

For Seybold, until recently professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, it was 36 years. He came to campus fresh out of graduate school. “I appreciated the nonsectarian Christian atmosphere at Grove City College, the opportunity to pursue my professional interests, and the making of many lifelong friendships,” he said.

He and wife Virginia “Ginny” Seybold, who recently served as an adjunct in the College’s nursing program, are moving to be closer to their son and his family. “I will miss this community, the academics, the athletic events, the plays and musicals, the guest lectures, and the other aspects of college life that make being a college professor such a wonderful job. Lincoln never made it back to Springfield alive. I trust that will not be my fate, and that I will return to Grove City many times to see students, faculty, and friends.”

Seybold Seybold is the longest-serving professor to retire this year. He is joined by five others with decades of service to Grove City College students.

“The collective contribution of these six retiring faculty to the College will be sorely missed,” Dr. Peter Frank ’95, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said. “Grove City College students learned, for decades, how to be thoughtful Christian leaders in the classrooms of these outstanding educators.”

Dr. John H. Stephens, professor of Education and former department chair, joined the faculty in 1994. He said he’ll miss “the wonderful students that I had the honor of teaching for 28 years,” which included his granddaughter – one of seven Grover grandchildren – in his favorite class, Curriculum and Instruction.

“I never looked at my teaching at Grove City College as a job. I always woke up early in the morning looking forward to going to the College to serve the students and enjoy being part of a superb institution,” Stephens said.

Stephens Dr. Phyllis P. Genareo, until recently professor of Education and director of Special Education, joined the faculty in 1995. “Every day of teaching is a joy,” she said. “I am always blessed when students show that they have learned to better recognize an individual’s needs both in the classroom and in life and that, most importantly, they say they have also learned skills and have the passion to meet those needs as a teacher and as a Christian in today’s world.”

Genareo Dr. C. Mark Archibald, professor of Mechanical Engineering, is retiring after 25 years. An expert in human powered vehicle research, he literally wrote the book on the subject in 2016. Reflecting on his time in the classroom, Archibald noted lectures he thought were successes, only to realize his students were lost, and others he thought were duds but students really responded to. “But sometimes it all clicked, and the students and I were all on the same page, little lightbulbs popping over students’ heads, and we all knew Archibald that real learning was taking place. Those days were the best.”

Dr. Blair T. Allison, who taught Control Systems and other classes for 22 years as professor of Mechanical Engineering, said his previous experience in industry informed his teaching. He said it is has been a “blessing” to get to know students well but he’s looking forward to time with family, national park visits and a chance to improve his woodworking skills. His last word on retirement: “I won’t miss the grading!!!”

Associate Professor of Visual Arts Kathy J. Rhoades taught Allison “almost all of the art courses at one time or another” over her 19 years at the College. “One if my favorite experiences, which happened every semester, was to see students who thought that they had no artistic ability be surprised by what they could produce by the end of the semester,” she said. “I hope it was as good an experience for them as it was for me and I feel blessed to Rhoades have had this great experience.”

September 2021

New faculty

Grove City College welcomes thirteen new faculty members this fall:

Dr. Chris Ansberry Associate Professor and Director of the Accelerated Pastoral Degree Program Shannon N. Barrios Instructor of Communication Studies Dr. Jeffrey L. Bilbro Associate Professor of English Dr. Hayden D. Gerhart Associate Professor of Exercise Science Dr. Paul J. Jackanich Visiting Assistant Professor of French Dr. Jason S. Killam Associate Professor of Spanish Dr. April M. Knupp Assistant Professor of Spanish Dr. Qiuyan Li Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Michael S. Rawl Assistant Professor of English Dr. Rick Sabousky Professor of Education Tricia M. Shultz Assistant Professor of Accounting Dr. Janet Skees Associate Professor of Nursing Dr. He “David” Zhang Assistant Professor of Computer Science

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 11

Grove City College

Faith & Freedom Academy offers free, online study of Reagan’s legacy

T

he Faith & Freedom Academy, an initiative of The Institute for Faith & Freedom at Grove City College (IFF), opened this spring with a course dedicated to one of the most significant political figures of the last century.

“The Legacy of Ronald Reagan” is a free, online exploration of the life and legacy of the United States’ 40th president. It is available online at academy.faithandfreedom.com.

Professor of Political Science Dr. Paul Kengor, the Institute’s chief academic scholar, has written several books and countless articles on Reagan’s presidency, legacy, and character. He played a key role in curating the course materials.

“Reagan championed the ideals of faith and freedom and left a lasting influence on the conservative movement,” Robert Rider, senior director of the institute, said. “At The Institute for Faith & Freedom we have the expertise and the content to offer students a comprehensive review of his consequential life and presidency.”

“The Legacy of Ronald Reagan” is the first in a planned series of courses to be offered by the IFF under the Faith & Freedom Academy banner. Five more courses are set to follow in coming months on topics such as free markets, limited government, religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and rule of law.

12 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

College’s mission, network cited for larger incoming freshman class

G

rove City College is bucking national trends again, this time with a freshman class that’s nearly 20 percent larger than last year’s.

This fall the College welcomed 618 new freshmen to campus. That is a marked jump from August 2020 when 527 new freshmen were enrolled.

The incoming class of 2025 is 52 percent female, with 48 percent hailing from out of state.

The new students hail from 35 states, with big gains from Ohio, Michigan, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey. Nearly every new student – 98 percent – will be living on campus.

While the pandemic was surely responsible for reduced student numbers here and across the higher education sector in 2020, the impact of persistent challenges – demographics, an ongoing debate about the value of higher education, rising costs, among them – remain steady in the post-Covid-19 era.

Undergraduate enrollment at the nation’s colleges and universities dropped 4.9 percent last year, according to a National Student Clearinghouse Research Center study released in June.

Adding to the bad news in that report, all of the decline was among students 18 to 24, a key demographic for schools like Grove City College.

The secret to the College’s enrollment success isn’t really a secret, according to Lee S. Wishing III ’83, vice president for Student Recruitment. The qualities that define Grove City College – excellent academics, Christian mission, campus community, career outcomes, and conservative values – are the main attractions, Wishing said.

“There are a number of factors behind our increased numbers, but I think the College’s clear mission and its remarkable network were responsible for the very good year,” he said. That second point is borne out by the fact that 92 percent of the new students have a connection to someone who has a relationship with Grove City College – alumni, family members, teachers, faculty, coaches, and others – that encouraged them to attend.

“We have noticed the so-called ‘Kevin Bacon’ effect in our network over the past several years and our marketing efforts in the last cycle were predicated on the idea that our natural network is far more extensive than previously believed and that with the right messaging and the right leads, our marketing efforts would stimulate favorable conversations in our network.

Our data suggest that is exactly what happened,” Wishing said.

September 2021

Woman of the Year Hannah Tarolli ’21 and Man of the Year Jesse R. Belitz ’21 flank President Paul J. McNulty at the 2021 recognition convocation.

Belitz, Tarolli win ODK Seniors of the Year honors

Antoszewski named ODK Professor of the Year

O

micron Delta Kappa 2021 Professor of the Year Dr. Lisa M. Antoszewski reflected on her educational inspiration and, in what might be a first for a professor of the year, quoted the late Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., when she accepted the award.

“So, what makes a good teacher? Honestly, I don’t know,” she said. “I’m still trying to figure that one out. But I know what I loved about my teachers, and I try my best to emulate them in this space day after day.”

Antoszewski, who serves as associate professor and chair of the Biology Department, recounted early lessons from three nuns at her Catholic grade school who demonstrated a love for God and their students and an AP history teacher who served up “a nice slice of humble pie” when she begged for extra credit to turn a B into an A. “She laughed in my face – literally – and said, ’No way, you need to learn to deal with this.’ I probably cried, but she was 100 percent right,” Antoszewski said. She cited her grad school mentor who “was so invested in each of his students. He knew what made each of us tick ... I try to make the same investment in each of my students.”

Antoszewski’s first and most primary teachers were her parents, who she said taught her to work harder, make connections with those around her and to have faith in God. She thanked her colleagues and students as she concluded: “In the words of Biggie Smalls – yes, the rapper – ’Stay far from timid, only make moves when your heart’s in it, and live the phrase sky’s the limit.’”

Antoszewski graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in Biochemistry from Susquehanna University and holds a Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined the faculty of Grove City College in 2011.

She received a monetary thank you from the Alumni Association in recognition of her service and achievement.

T

he 2021 Grove City College Senior Man and Woman of the Year awards were presented, respectively, to Jesse R. Belitz ’21 and Hannah Tarolli ’21 on April 29 during the College’s annual Recognition Convocation.

The awards are presented jointly by the leadership honoraries Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa as a service to Grove City College. The selections are made on the basis of scholarship, leadership, and service. The candidates were voted on by students and faculty.

Belitz, of Independence, Ohio, earned a degree in Middle Level Math/History Education with a minor in Biblical and Religious Studies. Award nominations describe him as a genuine, hardworking, dedicated and thoughtful “leader among his peers.”

Tarolli, of Syracuse, N.Y., was a Biology/Health major. Nominators said she is a gifted student and athlete and a “quiet, humble servant who loves everyone around her.”

The senior awards are the highest honors that the College can bestow on students. Their names are recorded for posterity on a memorial plaque on a boulder outside Harbison Chapel on campus.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 13

Grove City College

A SEASON FOR THE AGES

By Ryan Briggs ’02, Sports Information Director The spring 2021 sports season at Grove City College provided plenty of unusual scheduling combinations for the 20 varsity teams that competed in that four-month span.

On the same sun-splashed Saturday afternoon that the Grove City softball team clinched a berth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Tournament by sweeping Bethany, the Grove City women’s soccer team hosted Chatham in the conference tournament title match.

The Grove City baseball and soccer teams adjusted game times throughout the spring to prevent errant soccer shots from bounding into the baseball outfield or a long home run from pelting a goalkeeper.

“Friday Night Lights” came to Grove City as the football team hosted Friday night home games against Saint Vincent and Westminster this spring. Meanwhile, the volleyball team and basketball teams reversed roles as the volleyball team began its season as basketball season entered the homestretch.

Despite the unorthodox calendar, Grove

14 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

City teams produced another memorable year, with numerous championships and recordsetting performances highlighting the ledger.

Grove City’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both successfully defended their conference titles March 1-5 at the PAC Championships. Senior Michael Moosa captured the conference’s Most Valuable Performer award in men’s swimming and diving while sophomore Rachael Wallace earned the women’s MVP award.

Meanwhile, the men’s basketball team advanced to the conference tournament title game and the women’s basketball squad finished 8-2 overall in its COVIDabbreviated season.

Senior guard Justice Rice surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career in the men’s conference tournament title game while senior Jess Bowen achieved her 1,000th point in the season opener February 3 against Waynesburg.

Bowen earned D3hoops.com All-Great Lakes Region honors following the season.

Grove City’s spring sports also excelled on both a team and individual basis. The

men’s lacrosse team earned its second

straight league title while also sweeping the league’s individual awards.

Junior Brett Gladstone earned PAC Offensive Player of the Year honors while classmate Grant Evans captured the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award.

Sophomore James Petrolle captured PAC Newcomer of the Year.

Evans, Gladstone and junior Cody Adams all earned USILA All-America honors following the 2021 season.

In women’s water polo, sophomore Reese Trauger earned Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Honorable Mention All-America honors, giving Grove City four total All-Americans this spring.

Grove City’s men’s tennis team reclaimed the conference title by going undefeated in league play this spring.

The Wolverines then advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament by blanking Roger Williams (R.I.) in the first round, 5-0.

September 2021

athletics

Freshman Jack Booker earned the league’s Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards, becoming the first Grove City player to sweep those awards in the same year.

The Grove City baseball team set a program record with 27 regular-season victories and tied the overall program record with 28 total wins. Senior second baseman Bobby Abbott, senior catcher/DH Tanner Orner, junior pitcher Tate Ostrowski and sophomore catcher/third baseman C.J. Saylor all earned All-Mideast Region honors, as well as First Team All-PAC recognition.

Grove City’s men’s track and field squad earned second place at the conference championships, paced by the league’s Field MVP, senior Seth Ray. Ray earned Field MVP honors for the second straight season this spring.

Meanwhile, junior D.J. Mulroy qualified for the NCAA Championships in the javelin and placed 13th in that event at the national championships May 28 in Greensboro, N.C. The Grove City softball team earned a spot in the conference tournament by

sweeping Bethany on the final day of the regular season, then bludgeoned Chatham and Washington & Jefferson in the play-in round to advance to the tournament’s “Final Four” for the first time.

Outfielder Hannah Dietz became the program’s career home run leader with 13 during the 2021 season.

Grove City’s traditional fall sports also excelled during the spring season.

The women’s soccer team compiled an undefeated regular season and won the conference’s regular season championship.

Freshman forward Gianna D’Amato earned the league’s Newcomer of the Year award.

The Grove City volleyball team also produced the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in that sport as freshman Anna DeGraaf earned that honor. The Wolverines advanced to the conference tournament title match for the first time since 2002 this spring.

An extremely youthful men’s soccer team under the guiding hand of 15th-year head coach Mike Dreves finished as the conference runner-up in the regular season

while posting a 7-2 overall mark.

In football, senior wide receiver Cody Gustafson earned the PAC’s Offensive Player of the Year honor after catching 49 passes for 623 yards and five touchdowns in four games.

The women’s tennis team went 6-1 in conference play this spring and finished 7-3 overall. Meanwhile, Grove City’s golf squads competed in modified conference championships, with the men taking third and the women placing fourth.

The conference also held an abbreviated cross country season in late February and early March.

Follow Grove City College Sports on Facebook, Instagram (gcc_wolverines) and Twitter (@GCC_Wolverines)

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 15

Grove City College

McNulty, GCC athletic leaders take on larger conference role

G ‘Wolverines Together’ culture, recruiting swell student-athlete ranks

N

early a quarter of Grove City College’s student body are wearing the crimson and white this year as members of one of the College’s NCAA Division III sports teams.

The 540 Wolverine student-athletes – 24 percent of the campus population – set a new College record for varsity athletics involvement, which has been growing steadily as more student-athletes discover the College’s distinctive “Wolverines Together” athletic culture.

The increased numbers are helping grow rosters to allow for better depth on teams, Athletic Director Todd Gibson ’02 said. “It’s helped us compete at a higher level for sure.”

“We are straightforward with our goal, which is to be the best athletic program in the nation, and to do it in a way that is authentically Christian.

Being specific in what we are trying to do has attracted the students that want what we are offering – and we are winning in all of our sports. That helps for sure. But it took steps to get to where we are now.”

One of those steps was to put a renewed focus on recruiting. Coaches willing to spend time developing relationships with prospective student-athletes White and the Admissions Office work closely with Jordyn White ’17, who serves as the Athletic Department’s recruiting and event coordinator.

White sets up campus visits for students and families, coordinates recruiting events and oversees a database of thousands of recruits. She brings her own experience as a Wolverine to the job. She was a standout on the soccer team and now serves as the team’s assistant coach.

“I can share my personal experience as a student-athlete at GCC and how it impacted my life.

That’s given me the desire to have an impact on others in some way over their four years here.

Even if it’s as small as helping a prospective student-athlete with the application process or taking a family on a campus tour.”

“The College does a great job targeting student-athletes who are a good fit for what we offer – high quality academics and the opportunity to compete in a competitive atmosphere coupled with a solid Christian culture. That combination is hard to find,” she said.

Perfection

P

itcher Tate Ostrowski ’22, Essex, Mass., fired a perfect game April 23 for the Grove City College baseball team, helping lead the Wolverines to a doubleheader sweep of Bethany in Presidents’ Athletic Conference action.

Ostrowski retired all 21 Bethany batters in the opener at Jack Behringer Field. He struck out 10 men over his seven innings on the mound. It was the first perfect game in modern Grove City baseball history, which dates to 1959, and the first no-hitter for a Grove City pitcher since March 7, 2019, when Lake Pry ’21 no-hit Penn State New Kensington in Lake Myrtle, Fla.

16 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

rove City College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 is serving as chair of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Presidents’ Council for the 2021-22 academic year.

The Presidents’ Council holds ultimate authority and responsibility for PAC governance and is responsible for the establishment, direction and, if necessary, the enforcement of general policy, including the conference office’s annual budget and all other financial matters.

Todd Gibson ’02, entering his seventh year as the director of athletics at Grove City, will serve as chair of the PAC Athletic Administrators Council. Melissa Lamie, associate director of athletics for leadership development and head women’s soccer coach, will chair the PAC Senior Woman Administrator Council. The PAC Faculty Athletic Representatives Association will be chaired by Dr. Richard D. Kocur ’87, an assistant professor of business.

September 2021

WELCOME HOME! Join us for the “Best. Homecoming. Ever.” to celebrate so many things!

24 CLASS REUNION CELEBRATIONS

5th Class of 2016

6th Class of 2015

10th Class of 2011

11th Class of 2010

15th Class of 2006

16th Class of 2005

20th Class of 2001

21st Class of 2000

25th Class of 1996

26th Class of 1995

30th Class of 1991

31st Class of 1990

35th Class of 1986

36th Class of 1985

40th Class of 1981

41st Class of 1980

45th Class of 1976

46th Class of 1975

50th Class of 1971

51st Class of 1970

55th Class of 1966

56th Class of 1965

60th Class of 1961

61st Class of 1960

SEVEN GREEK MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES Pan Sophic 110th Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/pansophic Delta Iota Kappa 105th Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/deltaiotakappa Sigma Delta Phi 101st Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/sigmadeltaphi Theta Alpha Pi 100th Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/thetaalphapi Sigma Theta Chi 76th Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/sigmathetachi Kappa Alpha Phi 65th Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/kappaalphaphi65th Phi Tau Alpha 55th Anniversary alumni.gcc.edu/phitaualpha

It’s going to be a year you don’t want to miss!

Register now at alumni.gcc.edu/homecoming

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 17

Grove City College

ALUMNI ACHIEVERS

Kennedy Award winners bring honor to their alma mater.

The Grove City College Alumni Association will honor seven of its own this fall who have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in their fields of endeavor and for distinguished service to their alma mater.

The 2021 and 2020 Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Award and Distinguished Service Award winners represent a commitment to excellence and service that Grove City College values and the world needs.

The newest Achievement Award honorees are A. Christopher Bakken ’82, Dr. Brian Pall ’94, and Christine (Bittler ’97) Keener. They will be feted along with the 2020 award winners at a reception during Homecoming Weekend.

“Exemplary service brings honor to the College. Distinctive success in an individual’s occupational field is worthy of honor and is recognized as an extraordinary commitment to bettering the world around us. This fits into the mission and value system of Grove

18 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

City College,” declare guidelines approved by the Alumni Council when they established the award in 1964. That first year, the awards went to College icons: Weir C. Ketler ’08, Rev. Paul McConkey ’09, J. Howard Pew ’00, George Southworth ’14, and Robert Thorn ’16.

In 1987, the achievement award was renamed in honor of the College’s first alumni secretary and placement officer. Jack Kennedy ’37 served the College as director of alumni relations for many years and had an indelible influence on the lives and future careers of hundreds of Grovers. Additionally, a Distinguished Service Award was created in 1999 to recognize consistent and exceptional service to the College.

“The value of Grove City College is in the shared experiences that build a community that endures years and decades beyond the numbers behind our names,” Melissa (Trifaro ’96) MacLeod, senior director of Alumni and College Relations, said. “With nearly 30,000 living members, the Alumni Association is a

vital constituency of the Grove City College family. The selection and presentation of the Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Award is a rich tradition, and we are honored to recognize alumni success, achievement, and service to the College.”

A. CHRISTOPHER BAKKEN III ’82 Chris Bakken is executive vice president of nuclear operations and chief nuclear officer at Entergy Nuclear and is responsible for plants in Arkansas, Louisiana, Bakken III Mississippi, and Michigan, and Nebraska. An enterprise leader, he builds relationships with stakeholders and the nuclear industry, and is a strong advocate for the company’s Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives.

He began his career in 1982 as a test engineer at Duquesne Light Company, where he spent nine years in the control

September 2021

room of Beaver Valley Unit 1 as a licensed senior reactor operator. Since then, he has held positions of increasing responsibility in operations leadership for both domestic and global companies including American Electric Power, Public Service Enterprise Group, British Energy and Électricité de France. Prior to his current role, he led the design, licensing, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the first nuclear newbuild project in the United Kingdom in 20 years for EDF Energy Nuclear New Build.

An electrical engineering major, he holds a master’s in industrial administration with distinction from Carnegie Mellon University and is a fellow in the Institute of Engineering and Technology. During his time at Grove City College, he was a brother of the Sigma Alpha Sigma fraternity. He is married to Katherine (Hofmann ’82) Bakken and has two sons.

DR. BRIAN PALL ’94 Dr. Brian Pall, director of Global Clinical Science, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., leads a team of research clinicians who are developing the next Pall generation of contact lens products. Throughout his career, he has focused on soft contact lens product development from prototype to global launch. He has authored multiple peerreviewed publications and has been granted four patents. He led the clinical development and launch of the world’s first commercially available medication-releasing contact lens.

He majored in Biology at Grove City College and earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from The Ohio State University College of Optometry in 1999. He remained at Ohio State as a cornea and contact lens resident/advanced practice fellow and earned an MS degree in Vision Science in 2001. He joined Johnson & Johnson that year.

In 2017 was awarded the J&J Philip B. Hofmann Research Scientist Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Research and Development. He lectures on clinical research and contact lens-related topics worldwide.

While at Grove City College, Pall was involved in the Student Government Association and was class president all four years. He was also a member of the Tri-Rho housing group. He is married to Michele (Herold ’93) Pall and has a son and two daughters.

CHRISTINE (BITTLER ’97) KEENER Christine Keener is vice president operations, Europe and North America, for Alcoa, Inc., where she is responsible for the operational performance of Keener 10 production facilities in Europe and North America employing over 6,300.

Working at Alcoa since 2000, she has led marketing, sales, trading, new business development, metal planning, commodity risk management, and customer service for the global primary metal portfolio of $7-8 billion in revenue, been accountable for setting the strategic direction and managing portfolio decisions and growth projects for the Aluminum business unit and held several positions in operations where she ran casthouses in Canada, the United States, and Brazil; Commercial, where two roles were based in Geneva, Switzerland; and Corporate Finance. Prior to her affiliation with Alcoa, Keener worked as a certified public accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Keener earned an accounting degree at the College and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. She is a member of the Aluminum Committee of the London Metal Exchange, and former chair of the Sustainability Advisory Council for the U.S. Aluminum Association and the Alcoa Women’s Network.

Keener was a member of the varsity swim team and was named the 1997 Sportswoman of the Year. A sister of the Gamma Chi sorority, she was also member of the Accounting Society and the ODK Honorary.

She is married to Chad Keener ’96 and has one son and two daughters.

Anyone who holds a degree from the College is eligible for the Alumni Achievement Award. The Distinguished Service Award is given for outstanding service to the College and can be given to alumni and friends of the College.

Nominations should be submitted to the Office of Alumni and College Relations

by Feb. 1, using the form at alumni.gcc.edu/awards.

2020 winners The 2020 Alumni Achievement Award and Distinguished Service Award winners will be celebrated in person at this year’s Homecoming ceremony. The winners were recognized virtually last year.

JACK KENNEDY MEMORIAL ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Robert D. King, P.E., ’69, Known as GE’s “father of electric vehicle research and development,” King and his team developed technology and patents now used by King more than half of hybridelectric vehicles worldwide. King also worked on radar and sonar signal processing systems and has 135 issued U.S. patents.

Lisa Adams Gordon ’78 is a television news anchor and producer for Erie News Now at WICU/WSEE TV, the NBC and CBS affiliates in Erie, Pa., where applies her skills as Adams Gordon live broadcast director, anchor, reporter, producer, and digital news writer. She also hosts and produces The Insider.

David H. Peiffer ’81 has more than 36 years of expertise in trade and commerce in the Near East.

He is founder and president of NITCOM Inc., a key firm Peiffer in the manufacture, marketing, and sales of vehicular climate control systems and parts throughout the Levant. He is also a published researcher and author.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD David R. Rathburn ’79 chaired the College Board of Trustees for 17 years, stepping down in July 2020. In total, he served on the Board for 28 years, including a time as Rathburn interim College president. He helped lead the College during a period of growth and change: extricating itself from the federal student loan program; raising half a dozen new structures – including a namesake Christian activities building; and working with four College presidents. In corporate life, Rathburn led Hopeman Brothers Marine Division of AWH Corp. for 22 years. He then formed marine interior outfitter US Joiner LLC, and now serves as vice chairman of Trident Marine Systems.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 19

Grove City College M ESSAGE

F ROM

A LU MN I

A N D

C O LLEG E

R ELATIO N S

Dear Alumni and Friends,

N

early all of us have some connection to an educator. Educators wear many hats, but this issue is focusing on those directly in the classroom. Many of our alumni have served faithfully this past year (and are probably a bit tired!) either in a classroom, in their home on a computer, or perhaps lots of both! … And as you are are starting a new year, I want to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart for representing Grove City College so well and bringing honor to your alma mater. We hope that this issue conveys our deep gratitude as we dedicate this edition to these faithful classroom educators.

Speaking of serving … we have a new Alumni Association President, Carol (MacGamwell ’79) Yannuzzi, and Vice President, James Dudt ’07, who will be leading the group and our Alumni Council for the next two years. I’m excited for their enthusiasm and passion for service. I know that between them, they must know at least half of our alumni! And a great big “thank you” to Jana Volante Walshak ’07 for her service over the past four years as Vice President and President of the Alumni Association, respectively. Leading the group during a pandemic was certainly not usual but we thank her for her time and dedication.

Additionally, we have five new Council members joining the group and one new emeritus member. Please see the next page for more information. They will bring much enthusiasm and energy to the Council. Thanks also to Carole (Williams ’62) Wolfe and Dr. Nicole (Cifra ’11) Gancayco, whose terms are complete. They served faithfully for the last six years and will be missed!

Service is the theme here. We share in this issue that we have launched the Veterans’ Wall of Honor. Thank you to all who let us know of their military service or that of a loved one. These pages represent service that is extraordinary, and in some cases, represent lives lost. We can never thank you enough for protecting and serving our Country. You, too, bring honor to Grove City College.

And finally, but certainly not last, we are so very pleased with the touching and often heart-wrenching stories that you shared when we asked how you had been impacted by 9-11. As we mark the 20th anniversary of this horrific tragedy in our country, we remember those whose lives were lost, who served in the aftermath, and whose futures were forever changed.

Please visit alumni.gcc.edu/neverforget911 to view the virtual exhibit curated from your submissions. It is truly a beautiful tribute to all whose lives were forever changed that day.

As alumni, we all start here on campus as students. Yet our paths go in different directions, and our stories are important and valuable. I hope you enjoy the stories we are sharing in this issue. Thank you for continuing to be faithful readers of our magazine. Many hours go into the preparation of each issue and it’s a team of people who are proud to bring the GēDUNK to your mailbox.

So, grab that cup of coffee and enjoy THIS issue of our GēDUNK.

Melissa (Trifaro ’96) MacLeod Senior Director of Alumni and College Relations

A special thanks to our newest alumni the Class of 2021! Thanks to their generosity, we now have an outdoor basketball court. Finding more ways for our students to enjoy the outdoors has been important during these times. Thank you for giving back to your alma mater.

20 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

September 2021

alumni GROVE CITY COLLEGE

ALUMNI BUSINESS DIRECTORY

Alumni Business Directory makes it easier to connect

M Alumni Association President Carol (MacGamwell ’79) Yannuzzi and Vice President James Dudt ’07 got together this summer for a portrait in Carnegie Alumni Center.

Introducing: New Alumni Council leadership

ost people prefer to do business with people they know and trust.

Grove City College alumni have been informally connecting for business purposes for decades, but now we’re taking it a step further by launching the Alumni Business Directory. All alumni can list any business they own or any business where they are employed in this searchable directory. Visit the Alumni Directory submission page at alumni.gcc.edu/ businessdirectory to add your listing. Take advantage of this great marketing tool today!

Check out the businesses who have already chosen to use this FREE service at alumni. gcc.edu/businesslistings.

T

he Alumni Association welcomed new leadership as of July 1, with Carol (MacGamwell ’79) Yannuzzi stepping into the role of president, and James Dudt ’07 assuming the role of vice president. Both are serving two-year terms. New Alumni Council members elected to an initial 3-year term are: Hannah (Vaccaro ’18) Collier, Douglas Geho ’08, David Starcher ’88, Nancy (Alderson ’78) McDonell, and Dr. Charlie Stein ’67.

Sincere thanks are extended to outgoing Alumni Association President Jana (Volante ’07) Walshak for her years of leadership and service to the Alumni Council and the College.

Collier

Geho

Starcher

McDonell

Stein

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 21

Grove City College

Robert Andersen ’66

Beth (Fox ’96) Lepore with son Jason and daughter Erica

Kelly (Voltz ’95) Mapes and daughter Alyssa

Tiffany (Narbe ’06) Childress

Andrew ’24, Dena (Lauch ’92) and Steve ’96 Solman

Through a simple act of wearing their Grove City College swag, these alumni are helping to spread the word about their alma mater.

Wolverine Impact Week encourages alumni to inspire students to choose Grove City College

T

he Alumni Council collaborated with the Grove City College Admissions office to host an awareness week aimed at helping alumni understand the critical role they have in encouraging potential students to consider the College.

Wolverine Impact Week rallied alumni in May with a digital campaign to spread the word about practical ways alumni can assist with admissions and recruitment.

22 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Online resources were provided to help alumni speak confidently about the College and their experiences at the Grove. Many alumni participated in a Swag Day challenge to “earn” GCC T-shirts that will be given to potential students who tour the College.

The week was built on the premise that all alumni can do something, whether it’s taking a simple action like referring a potential student online or undertaking a

more involved effort like speaking to a youth group or becoming an Alumni Admissions Ambassador (find out how at alumni. gcc.edu/advocate). We thank the Alumni Council and all alumni who helped make an impact and spread awareness!

Who can you inspire to choose GCC? Learn more at alumni.gcc.edu/ wolverineimpact.

Online exhibit tells the College’s 9/11 stories

T

he Office of Alumni and College Relations and the College Archive have created “Never Forget: A 20th Anniversary Reflection on 9/11,” a curated online exhibit that tells the story of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States from a Grove City College perspective.

Through a digital gallery of quotes, photos, oral history recordings and an archive of firsthand accounts, alumni and other members of the College community explain in their own words what they experienced on 9/11 and how events of that day changed their lives.

It includes over 50 eyewitness reports, harrowing stories and thoughtful observances from Grovers who lived and worked in Manhattan and Washington, D.C., alumni in law enforcement who rushed to secure the Shanksville, Pa. crash site of Flight 93, students who were on campus at the time, and many others whose recollections add to our understanding of one of the milestone events in American history.

Visit the exhibit at alumni.gcc.edu/neverforget911.

September 2021

E

xplore the world in the spirit of adventure and camaraderie! We have destinations to fit every interest and are partnering with some of the best educational travel companies. Each program works to combine air, hotels and tours into one comprehensive package that lets you leave the worry of planning, deadlines and connections to us. You'll also have the most informed and experienced guides and liaisons along for your journey.

Start a new travel chapter with your alma mater and

April 11-19

Dutch Waterways

June 9 -17

National Parks of the Old West July 26 – August 5

Passion Play Oberammergau/ Europe

Alumni Wall of Honor highlights GCC veterans

O

n Memorial Day 2021, the College Archive successfully launched a project that has been several years in the making: the Veterans Wall of Honor, a directory listing of all alumni veterans of Grove City College. Compiled based on years of research and information provided by alumni, the directory is organized by class year. Names are added on a regular basis as the archive receives information about alumni who have served.

This directory is part of a comprehensive collection of data, photos, history, and memorabilia that has been curated for our Veterans of Grove City College website, which is dedicated to all alumni who have served our country. The College Archive is always collecting additional information, photos, historic artifacts, and oral histories of those who have served. Contact College Archivist Hilary (Lewis ’09) Walczak via email at collegearchives@gcc.edu regarding your contribution to our military history collection. Visit the Veterans Wall of Honor at alumni.gcc.edu/veterans.

August 16-22

Canadian Rails

October 19-27

Italy and Apulia For details and more information, visit alumni.gcc.edu/travel t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 2 3

Grove City College

THE STORY BEHIND THE SCHOLARSHIP

The Slavcoff legacy

B

orn more than a century ago in Bulgaria, Alexander Slavcoff ’27 (1900-1983) came to Grove City College via New York, where he arrived nearly broke and took on any work he could find, and Youngstown, Ohio, where he worked in various jobs and learned English – at the age of 20 – with a class of eighth graders.

Twenty years later, he had graduated from medical school and was on his way to building a successful urology practice in Harrisburg. With his wife, fellow Grover Dorothy Strain ’29 (1908–1993), he raised two children – Louise (Slavcoff ’56) Baird and John Slavcoff ’60 – and began a family legacy of philanthropy and service to the College.

Dr. Slavcoff achieved the American dream through hard work, thrift, and enterprise, but he could not have made it without the help of others. His journey to America and education presented huge financial challenges for a hard-working young man from a poor village who, when asked once by a loan officer what collateral he had, answered: “I own the clothes I am wearing.”

A $200 loan from a family friend in Bulgaria who had found success in America financed Dr. Slavcoff’s journey to the U.S. He worked his way through Grove City College, but it would cost a lot more than he could make working at a greenhouse to get through medical school. After he was turned down for a loan at one bank in town, a banker from the other took a chance on the ambitious immigrant and co-signed the note.

“Alexander Slavcoff’s life was a pattern of hard work followed by unanticipated opportunities and reward.”

In 1930, with the country in the depths of the Depression, jobs for a new college graduate like Dorothy Strain were scarce and Slavcoff, a penniless medical student with a growing debt of $11,000 – a little more than $200,000 today – might not have seemed like a good prospect. Even so, she accepted his proposal. It was the beginning of a 54-year love affair of a marriage.

As Dr. Slavcoff finished medical school, went to work at a state hospital and later into private practice, paying off the medical school loan was a priority. By 1946, it was done and the Slavcoffs began “paying it forward” by sending care packages to Bulgaria. In the 1950s, the family developed deeper ties to Grove City College and started sponsoring international students. Dr. Slavcoff served on the Board of Trustees, a role his daughter and granddaughter Allyson (Baird ’88) Sveda would later share.

“Dad’s appreciation for the opportunities he had been given to achieve his ambition … and the values he saw expressed at the College when they spent time on campus combined to make him want to help other immigrants go to Grove City College,” John Slavcoff said in a letter outlining his parents’ legacy.

“Alexander Slavcoff’s life was a pattern of hard work followed by unanticipated opportunities and reward,” his son observed. Dorothy, he said, “was part and parcel of everything Dad did.”

The Dr. Alexander Slavcoff ’27 and Dorothy Strain Slavcoff ’29 Memorial Scholarship Fund is one of more than 400 named scholarships available to Grove City College students, two-thirds of whom receive financial aid through the College.

24 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Dorothy (Strain ’29) and Alexander Slavcoff ’27 pose together soon after they were married in 1930. The Slavcoff family has been helping international students succeed at Grove City College since the 1950s.

Slavcoff scholarship students are flanked by members of the family at a 2018 event. From left: John Sveda, Allyson (Baird ’88) Sveda, Drew Sveda, Bob Baird, Sungryung Kim ’18, Louise (Slavcoff ’56) Baird, HaSeon Park ’18, John Slavcoff ’60, and Dorothy (Conley ’60) Slavcoff.

Establishing a scholarship provides a unique opportunity to create a legacy that is both personal and far-reaching. Scholarships can honor a loved one, build a legacy, or encourage students pursuing a particular major. One of Grove City College’s priorities is to make our outstanding educational experience accessible to students with academic potential who also have financial need. A gift of any size joins with those from a community of donors to assist students who may not otherwise be able to afford the Grove City College experience.

Interested in supporting scholarships at Grove City College? Visit gcc.edu/givenow.

September 2021

IN HER OWN WORDS:

Picking up where we left off

By Kristen (Hebel ’10) Bowersox Editor’s note: This story was shared with Alumni and College Relations by Kristen (Hebel ’10) Bowersox and we liked it so much, we’re running it as we received it.)

Top left: Michelle Peck ’10 and Kristen (Hebel ’10) Bowersox traveled together in Portugal in 2020 where they hiked Pico Ruivo, the highest mountain in Madeira. Top right: Original social media post that sparked this alumni reunion by Michelle Peck ’10, featuring the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Bottom left: These two former GCC soccer players could not pass up the chance to take a photo with a statue of global soccer icon Christiano Ronaldo at the Madeira museum honoring him.

I

am excited to share a heart-warming story of a Grove City College alumni reconnection between myself my husband Matthew Bowersox ’10, and Michelle Peck ’10!

At GCC, Michelle and I had lived in the same residence halls together for three years and played women’s soccer together for two years (she continued with the team all four years, I stopped after sophomore season in order to join the Residence Life team). We both participated in the Crown and Scepter honorary and had numerous classes together as Molecular Biology majors. We had not been in touch since graduating in May 2010, but during the past two years, the Lord has provided a providential opportunity for us to reconnect in The Hague, Netherlands!

My husband and I moved to The Hague in June 2019 for his work as an auditor with the PWC accounting firm. As we were preparing for the relocation, I “just so happened” to come across a social media post by a fellow GCC alumna, Michelle Peck ’10, with a photo she took of the Peace Palace – an iconic building in the very same city. We had not spoken with Michelle since our graduation, but now, nearly a decade later, I sent her a message to see what her connection was to The Hague. She quickly wrote back that she had been living in the Dutch city since 2017 for her work as a forensics DNA researcher at the International Commission on Missing Persons. We quickly made plans to meet for dinner when Matt and I would be in The Hague.

It truly felt like we picked right back up where we left off when we sat down with Michelle over pizza to reminisce about our

shared experiences at Grove City. Matt and I found it such a blessing to have her perspective about transitioning to life as expats, practical tips about living in the Netherlands, and finding an international church community. The apartment we moved into ended up being literally around the corner from Michelle’s office. We joined the same church, and we even watched the 2019 Women’s World Cup finals between the USA and Netherlands together (the USA won!).

In the following months, we have been so thankful for many more opportunities to spend time together. Michelle invited us to share in the “Friendsgiving” Thanksgiving celebrations she has hosted (the one in 2020 was much smaller due to COVID-19 restrictions of course.) It was so meaningful to be able to share an American tradition across the ocean and with friends from more than 10 countries!

Michelle and I also had the opportunity to spend two weeks together traveling in Madeira, Portugal, in 2020. We hiked Pico Ruivo, the highest mountain in Madeira, and we just had to take a picture in honor of GCC Women’s Soccer at the museum dedicated to Cristiano Ronaldo – world-famous soccer player from Madeira.

We can’t help but laugh to recognize the Lord’s providence in providing this connection and friendship, even years later and an ocean away from Grove City College!

Do you have a unique GCC reunion story? Please share it with us at alumni.gcc.edu/shareyourstory.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 25

Grove City College

1

2

3

4

5

6

The Office of Alumni and College Relations had an action-packed spring and summer. Events included: (1) The Campus-Community Awards, which honored the College’s Covid-19 team and local bus company operator Art Campbell ’87, who was key to implementing the campus’ quarantine strategy; (2) A virtual tailgate event for the April 9 football game, enjoyed here by Theo, Lily, Reid, and Joshua Moore, children of Nate ’08 and Amanda (Hewitt ’08) Moore; (3) Family Weekend events, including Orchesis, from April 30 to May 2; (4) A virtual Cooking with Katy event, featuring first daughter Katy McNulty ’07; (5) A Seat at Our Table video interview with Pirates In-Game Host announcer Joe Klimchak ’91 and Wolverine football skipper Andrew DiDonato ’10; (6) A meet and greet for 2020 graduates during Commencement weekend; (7) An August picnic for incoming freshmen from the northern Virginia area at the home of Pam (Cranford ’89) and Evan ’89 Homan in Boyds, Md.; (8&9) The Wolverine Tracks Virtual 5K, a fundraising “race” for alumni and friends; (10) The 2021 Senior Dinner, featuring a check presentation by the Class of 2021; and (11) Thank a Donor Day on April 21.

26 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

September 2021

alumni & friends events Upcoming Alumni & Friends Events September 16 Nancy Paxton Memorial Service 4 p.m.

Harbison Chapel Grove City College September 29 IF&F Press and Free Society Panel event with Brit Hume Salena Zito and Jay Cost, 3 p.m.

Keynote with Hume, 7 p.m.

Grove City College

7

September 29 Career Fair IM Room Physical Learning Center Grove City College October 1 Orchestra Concert Tribute to 9-11 Ketler Auditorium Pew Fine Arts Center Grove City College October 8-10 Homecoming Weekend Grove City College

8

9

November 17 Wolverine Challenge November 29 – December 3 Carnegie Christmas Concerts Noon (daily) Carnegie Alumni Center December 3 Musical Christmas at Grove City College Ketler Auditorium Pew Fine Arts Center Grove City College

For additional details, visit alumni.gcc.edu/events.

10

11 t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 27

Grove City College

Alumni educators Caity Lavenberg ’19, Adam Crow ’13, and Ellie (Stoffer ‘15) Matlock are on staff at the Lebron James Family Foundation’s I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, an innovative public school that serves students who are at risk and “in danger of falling through the cracks.”

28 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

September 2021

Andrew Stapleton ’06 rhetoric teacher, Mars Hill Academy

Mary Kaye (Houk ’90) Hagenbuch science teacher, Jupiter Christian Academy

of

Dr. Andrew M. Jacks ’01 principal, Ashland Elementary School

TEACHERS

IMPACT

By Nick Hildebrand There are thousands of Grove City College alumni educators teaching children all over the country and around the world. Whether they were education majors or came to the classroom by some other route, they understand that teaching is about the heart as much as it is the head – maybe more so.

Mastery of a subject – or subjects, since most K-12 teachers don’t enjoy the exclusive redoubts of college and university faculty – and the teaching methods that research and experience prove effective are big parts of the teaching equation. The x-factor is an understanding of the huge responsibility of the work and the rich rewards of doing it well. The stakes are incredibly high in the short- and long-terms: a child’s potential and the future of human existence.

“Teachers have a responsibility to generations yet to come. It is a calling not to just transfer knowledge but to transform individuals so they can go on and transform

their communities and the world. That’s a pretty heavy calling – and it’s also a cool opportunity,” Dr. Constance (Nelson ’93) Nichols, chair of the College’s Education Department.

As an undergrad working on her teaching degree, Nichols said she was inspired by a campus visit by American educator Marva Collins. “She said, ’To be an educator is to do God’s miracle on earth and touch the divine.’ And I loved that!

The children in our care are made in God’s image, and if we are trying to unlock their potential, we are helping them discover the divine inside them. That’s radically cool,” Nichols said.

“If your job as an educator is to unlock human potential, and you know where that human potential comes from, you know that it is something that is poured into children by the divine, then you’re really bringing out God’s gifts in others,” she said.

Grove City College alumni have been bringing out those gifts in students since the beginning. Founded as Pine Grove Academy, then known as a normal school or teachers college, a job in a classroom was one of the few professions that the earliest graduates were qualified for. Over a century and half, the commitment to training teachers only gained strength and today the College has a reputation for producing educators who are, thanks to the College’s focus on a deeper understanding of the liberal arts and Christian character, more than just math teachers or English teachers or science teachers, but teachers of impact.

They are doing God’s work in every kind of educational setting, from public schools where most alumni teach, to private, Christian, classical and homeschool settings around the country and around the world.

They are making an impact on their students, schools, and communities.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 29

Grove City College

Caity Lavenberg ’19 Intervention Specialist, I Promise School

I PROMISE

“I became a teacher to be a hope dealer to students, to ignite their passions and show the love of Jesus to students, families, and the community I teach in,” Ellie (Stoffer ’15) Matlock said. She is a 4th grade teacher at the Lebron James Family Foundation’s I Promise School in Akron, Ohio, an innovative public school that serves students who are at risk – academically and socially – and “in danger of falling through the cracks,” according to the foundation.

It’s a different kind of school. The day is a little longer to provide more time for learning and to accommodate working parents.

The curriculum stresses STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – subjects and social-emotional learning and the school provides wraparound services for academic and character-building. With the motto “We are Family,” the I Promise philosophy engages a student’s family with school events and resources to create a supportive environment at home for students. Opened in 2018 for 3rd and 4th graders, the school has expanded to 5th and 6th grades and showed early promise, with student scores improving dramatically.

30 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Adam Crow ’13 Social Studies Teacher, I Promise School

The school’s approach lines up with Matlock’s vision for teaching, which was developed during her years as a Middle Level Education - Math and Science major.

“Grove City College helped shape my teaching philosophy by showing that it is

“I became a teacher to be a hope dealer to students, to ignite their passions and show the love of Jesus to students, families, and the community I teach in.”

– Ellie (Stoffer ’15) Matlock crucial to care for the whole child and that through relationships, high expectations, and immense kindness you can break through barriers to reach students’ needs,” she said.

“I love being able to invest in students’

Ellie (Stoffer ’15) Matlock 4th Grade Teacher, I Promise School

lives, show them consistent care, compassion, love, and help them to grow as individuals. I also love having fun with them and seeing them take risks to learn new things even when it is hard,” Matlock said. “Where kindness and compassion for a student begins, learning can then follow.”

Matlock is one of three Grover grads working at I Promise. Also on staff are Adam Crow ’13, who teaches social studies, and Caity Lavenberg ’19, an intervention specialist.

Crow came to I Promise after working for seven years in Burlington, N.C., schools, where the Elementary Education major found himself teaching social studies to middle schoolers in an urban setting that was much different from the schools he was exposed to as a student teacher. It was a challenging first teaching job, but he grew into it and worked with students outside the classroom as a football coach.

“I realized pretty quickly that the relationships with students and families and faculty was the absolute most important thing about being successful in an urban district,” he said. I Promise’s commitment to that approach appealed to Crow, who is originally from northeast Ohio. “Their vision

for urban education and the way that they care about people, and their students, and their families was something I was passionate about,” he said.

“Grove City College taught me how to be a professional and that caring about your students was paramount above everything else,” Crow said. I Promise confirmed his belief that relationships are the most important thing to accomplishing that.

“Not only confirmed but challenged me to care about people more and to do more as a part of this family, to make a change. They challenge me to be a better teacher,” he said.

Lavenberg started at I Promise straight out of Grove City College, working with students who need special attention in class.

For Lavenberg, it’s all about the students.

She goes to their ball games and relates to them out in the community. “I absolutely love getting to know the kids and the families that built that kid,” she said, and seeing them make progress. “I love to see that lightbulb – like that oh-my-gosh-Ifinally-get-it – moment. I think it is really, really cool to watch.”

Lavenberg said her training at Grove City College prepared her to help students but working with kids who are struggling with more than academics can be challenging.

“Some things college can’t teach you and you need to experience to learn them. The faculty prepared me to do my best in handling them.” She cited an incident with a 4th grader with whom she had worked hard to develop a close relationship.

“One day it was just a really bad day for him and I kind of got the brunt of it,” she said. “And another teacher said, ‘He does that to you because he trusts you. He acts out to you because he knowns you’re going to love him the next day no matter what.’ And he had a great year this year – he really rocked out 5th grade – and I’m proud of him.”

The I Promise School is in its infancy.

The alumni teachers working there are part of something new, the creation of a model for education, built on community and caring and dedicated to learning and the success of students most in need of some. Matlock, Crow, and Lavenberg all acknowledged the challenging nature of the work but are excited about its potential impact.

“It is not easy to be a part of work that has never been done. There are many days that feel like we are building the plane as we fly it. However, the hope and belief in what we are doing transcends the hardship and we know we are stronger together,” Matlock said.

September 2021

Andrew Stapleton ’06 works with a student at Mars Hill Academy, which emphasis biblical truth in the classroom and embraces a traditional teaching model based on grammar, logic, and rhetoric.

MISSION FROM GOD

Andrew Stapleton ’06 was majoring in history and religious thought when he heard a presentation on classical Christian education that opened his eyes to the possibility of teaching. A few years later, after completing his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary and in need of a job, Stapleton looked for work in pastoral ministry and education.

He took a job at Mars Hill Academy, a classical Christian school in Cincinnati.

“Education was my Plan B, but God’s Plan quickly became my Plan A when I got in the classroom and realized the impact I could make on students,” he said. Stapleton is a rhetoric teacher, covering a variety of classes across grades 7 to 12, including literature and composition, ancient humanities, apologetics, and Greek.

Classical Christian schools like Mars Hill emphasize biblical truth in the classroom and embrace a teaching model based on grammar, logic, and rhetoric that was standard across the West until the late 19th century. “It equips students with the most important tools of learning: the ability to read, memorize, understand, think, reason, write persuasively, and speak eloquently,” according to Mars Hill’s website.

“It’s intentionally different,” Stapleton said, and a lot like his experience as

“Education is a mission from God to aim the next generation toward his kingdom and his glory.”

– Andrew Stapleton ’06 an undergraduate. “Grove City College persuaded me that a faith-based education is the best approach. As a public-school graduate, I will always remember how mind-blowing and heart-opening it was to take my first week of classes with Christian professors. They modeled how a complete perspective on truth must include God’s revelation. The fear of the Lord really is the beginning of wisdom.”

For the past decade, Stapleton has been guiding Mars Hill students through many of the same subjects that he tackled at Grove City College. “Most of what I teach is humanities and Bible, so my Grove City College classes in the humanities core and my majors directly prepared me for these subjects,” he said.

Stapleton also supervises the 9th-12th grade Worldview Summit, a Washington, D.C., event sponsored for the past seven years

by Grove City College in which students and families meet with movers and shakers in the capital and hear from College faculty about t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 31

Grove City College contemporary worldview issues, he said. “This event generates a huge impact throughout our school community and even impacts other national leaders we meet with when we are in Washington, D.C.,” Stapleton said.

“One of my favorite things about my calling is that I get to know and invest in students across six years, grades seven to 12. By the time they graduate, my students become more like family, friends, or coworkers than they are students. Sometimes they tell me the impact I have had on them, but even when they don’t, I am confident that I have given them lessons that they will put to good use in their future endeavors, whether academic or just real life,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton’s educational mission is straightforward, and he said he became convinced of it at Grove City College.

“Education is a mission from God to aim the next generation toward His kingdom and His glory,” he said.

Mary Kaye (Houk ’90) Hagenbuch poses with students at the Kennedy Space Center. An encounter with an astronaut at Grove City College helped set her on the teaching path.

GLORY OF KINGS

Every year Mary Kaye (Houk ’90) Hagenbuch takes her students on a field trip to Kennedy Space Center, where they learn about the space program and often have a chance to meet astronauts who have spent time in space or are training for the experience.

It’s one of the routine parts of the school year at Jupiter (Fla.) Christian School but a highlight for every class that makes the trip two hours north. Hagenbuch knows how inspiring such meetings can be. When she was a student at Grove City College she met Harrison Schmitt, one of the last men to walk on the moon.

A geologist, Schmitt’s job on the Apollo 17 mission was to collect rocks. While he was

32 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

driving around in the lunar rover looking for specimens, he said he recited a verse from Psalm 121 – “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence comes my help. My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth” – and discovered a promising pile of rocks just over a ridgeline.

“This was truly a meeting that had an impact on me. He was a respected scientist that gave glory to God for his successful mission,” she said. The message that science and faith aren’t mutually exclusive resonated with her and is central to her work today as a 6th-grade science teacher.

God delights in creating mysteries, it is the glory of kings to uncover them! – Proverbs 25:2 “I teach a hands-on, collaborative learning and Biblically-integrated science class in the scientific method of investigation and discovery,” she said. Hagenbuch initially studied chemical engineering at Grove City College but became an education major soon after she accepted Christ in her freshman year. Now in her 20th year on the job, Hagenbuch still heeds lessons learned at Grove City College. “My professors trained us to put simple objects into the hands of our students to make the lessons memorable,” she said.

In her classes, students learn by watching an egg on a stalk of milkweed grow into a caterpillar and then metamorphize into a butterfly. They incubate eggs and observe as chicks hatch. They see how the world works and the science behind it. “Proverbs 25:2 is a favorite of mine,” she said. “God delights in creating mysteries, it is the glory of kings to uncover them!”

“My job is to lead the children in looking at different aspects of God’s creation and breaking it down into understandable pieces. These facts are collected, sorted, and classified to be used in building solutions, inventions, and beliefs about the value of life, our design, and our purpose,” Hagenbuch said.

“The impact that I hope to have on my students is that by careful observation and inquiry a person can see the evidence of God’s design for life, especially their own …

Embracing their own connection to God as creator and discovering their life has value and worth is a message I get to share with love to each class,” she said.

Virginia’s 2018 Principal of the Year Dr. Andrew M. Jacks ’01 puts in the work, leading Ashland Elementary School and as a speaker and author. He shares his educational philosophy via website, podcast, and YouTube channel.

WORK ETHIC

Ashland Elementary School Principal Dr. Andrew M. Jacks ’01 is one the many alumni educators that are routinely recognized with state and national awards for their outstanding work with children.

Named Virginia’s principal of the year in 2018, Jacks began his 20-year career at Prince William (Va.) County Schools as a fifth-grade teacher straight out of Grove City College with a degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Development. Jacks took a familiar path for many teachers, moving into administration, earning advanced degrees and taking on different responsibilities. Under his leadership since 2010, Ashland Elementary School is a recognized School of Excellence and one of the top-performing elementary schools in Virginia.

As well as local leadership, he has participated in congressional panels on educational reform, and is a popular speaker on school leadership issues. He shares his views via website, podcast, YouTube channel, and as the author of the forthcoming book Discipline Win: Strategies to Improve Behavior, Increase Ownership, and Give Every Child a Chance. As senior fellow with the Centers for Advancing Leadership, an initiative of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, he’s working

September 2021 on ways to train and inspire elementary and middle school leaders across the country.

If that seems like a lot, Jacks just says that’s what it takes to be successful. “You can’t be a great educator and not put in the work,” Jacks said. His professors at Grove City College provided him with the tools to be a great teacher, he said, but it was the “intangibles” he picked up on campus that helped prepare him to be a professional educator and leader – “work ethic, integrity, and faith in knowing that our work has purpose. We have a moral obligation to help the greater good.”

The College’s rigorous standards were good preparation for a career teaching and leading. “The expectations we had were high and we were forced to rise to them, but in the long run that just helped us be ready for the demands of the actual teaching job. It’s one thing to get the job, but it’s something totally different to do well in it. Grove City College helps teachers thrive instead of just survive.”

At the heart of his educational vision is a belief that educators must make a meaningful connection with every child to draw them into learning and transform their lives. He’s tried to do that throughout his career and says it’s impactful.

“You can’t be a great educator and not put in the work.” – Andrew M. Jacks ’01 “As a teacher and principal, I have had so many critical moments that completely changed the trajectory of a child’s life. I know because families keep finding me years later to tell me. Kids and parents don’t forget those moments even if they seem trivial at the time for us,” Jacks said. “Each child presents us with these unique opportunities. These are gifts to educators that remind us why we started in this field in the first place.” 

Education Department takes a different approach

T

eachers who matriculate at Grove City College benefit from a distinctive program designed to build a bridge between theory and practice and develop teachers of impact.

According to Dr. Constance (Nelson ’93) Nichols, chair of the Education Department, the College takes a different approach from most other schools when it comes to teacher training.

One of the program’s distinctives is an emphasis on field-based learning that puts Education majors in local classrooms throughout their four years instead of just a senior year stint as a student teacher. Every methods class includes an embedded field experience in which students apply what they are learning by working with Nichols children, observing experienced professional teachers, teaching a class for a day or a week or more.

“You should be in school applying what you are learning early, often, sustained, and supervised,” Nichols said. Exposure to the “real world” of education gives the students a sense of what the career is like and allows their professors, all of whom have classroom teaching experience, to discover the student’s strengths and weaknesses early so they can be addressed.

What faculty call the “spiral staircase of experience” is intended to build knowledge in a logical and measured way as students ascend in the program. The experiences require increasing responsibility to the students they are teaching and builds competence in advance of taking on a lead role in their senior-year student teaching placements. “Student teaching is the exclamation point, not a question mark at the end,” Nichols said.

“Practice what you preach was my takeaway,” said Anna Distefano ’21, who is beginning her first year teaching high school English in Culpeper, Va. She said she’s “nervous, but an excited nervous” as she begins her career but feels well-prepared by the College. “In our courses, professors modeled the practices and techniques we discussed. They didn’t just tell us what to do but showed us how to do it. It was the hands-on experiences that made the difference for me. Fields were a

great way to implement what we were learning about in our courses.”

Another distinctive at Grove City College is a commitment to truth, be it biblical or temporal. Teaching is a science, built on data that underpin effective teaching and student success.

“We stay on top of research and apply it immediately,” Nichols said of the faculty. “We are constantly evolving the way we teach, the tools that we use to help our students develop, and the content of our courses – not to stay ’popular,’ but to keep our focus on what the core truth is and define the best tools to help our students apply that truth in their teaching pedagogy. Great teacher preparation programs provide a bridge between theory and practice.”

That bridge extends beyond graduation. The College employs a four-plus-one advising model that lets alums tap their faculty advisers for assistance if they need it in the crucial first year on the job. For DiStefano, that’s a comfort. “I know that my school is supportive, and I also know that my professors at Grove City are always a call or email or even a text away.”

Caity Lavenberg ’19, a classroom intervention specialist in Akron, Ohio, with two years of professional under her belt, says her professors are still checking in on her. “They prepared me while I was in the program and now that I’ve graduated, they’re still making sure I’m doing okay,” she said. “I just felt so wrapped around and so supported all through the program and even into my career.”

Education majors and alumni also have access to unique professional development resources in the Hamilton Curriculum Library and Education Career Services Office. The library contains a host of educational resources for teachers-in-training, from books on education to blocks, games, and more. The office provides career-long assistance and guidance, from securing internships to getting into graduate school to managing career changes.

The College offers 25 Education majors, including programs like the state’s only Dual Elementary and Middle Level Major that leads to both PK-4 and 4-8 certification. Graduates have a 99 percent pass rate on teacher certification.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 33

September 2021

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE

By Nick Hildebrand As he addressed the Class of 2021 at Commencement, Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty recalled a rare total solar eclipse a few days before they arrived on campus as freshmen in 2017.

“If you happened to be in the narrow path of totality, you would have witnessed a darkening sky in the middle of the afternoon and then the reappearance of the bright sun moments later,” he said.

“Light. Darkness. Light. Was this a foreshadowing of your final two years at Grove City College?”

The crowd assembled in the Quad on May 15 for the first large gathering on campus since the pandemic began more than a year earlier understood exactly what he was saying. The graduates left campus en masse in their junior year and returned for a senior year of in-person learning that was marked by countless adjustments to keep the virus in check. With vaccinations widespread and case counts dropping by the day, it looked like that the pandemic was receding.

McNulty noted the “emerging restoration of life after Covid” and asked the graduates if there was common lesson in “extraordinary events.”

“Has your education here equipped you with a lens through which you might observe such experiences? May I suggest this perspective: There is a biblical pattern, as you have been taught. Creation. Fall.

Redemption. Light. Darkness. Light. And this great plan of redemption – helpfully illustrated by eclipses, pandemics, and much more – produces in God’s people a clear understanding of everlasting hope, a hope which you are now called to take to a world in desperate need of genuine hope. Life’s hardships and disappointments are unavoidable, but how you respond to these circumstances will determine the course of your life.”

Student speaker Kaitlyn Bennett ’21 said the hardships helped students gain a deeper – and “bittersweet” – understanding of

community. She tracked the class’ progress from freshman year, finding fellowship, studying hard, and learning to invest deeply in the things that matter through daily interaction with friends and faculty.

That came to a halt on March 16, 2020. “I know you remember that day, the way impending absence loomed more threateningly than any storm cloud. Experiencing an absent community during a global pandemic illuminated our deep-seated need for human fellowship,” Bennett said. Diligent effort, “Grover grit,” and perseverance brought the College community back together.

“Together, we have experienced a cherished community, an absent community, and a rebuilt community – but because of this unique experience, we leave fully equipped to be initiators of Christ-centered community,” she said.

Later that day, the College held a second commencement exercise for the Class of 2020. When last year’s ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, the College made a promise to honor the graduates appropriately when it was possible.

“That time has finally arrived,” McNulty told members of the class who returned to receive their diplomas. Commencement speakers often talk about the unknowns ahead and offer wisdom to deal with them as graduates start of a new journey, he said. “However, you have already commenced. You are already in the first chapter of life after college. You are learning what living faithfully after GCC is all about … Your 20-20 vision is clearer than it was a year ago and certainly much sharper than it was in the fall of 2016. I congratulate you for your perseverance and your exceptional success.”

Fox News host and former Bush administration spokeswoman Dana Perino addressed both classes via video. 

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 35

Grove City College

Students Grace Barnes and Mackenzie Gongaware and took on the job of getting Rockwell Hall’s Foucault pendulum working again. Thanks to their work, the scientific device that was part of Rockwell’s original design is swinging again.

BACK IN THE SWING

By Nick Hildebrand Grove City College’s Foucault pendulum is swinging again thanks to a pair of students who were initially puzzled by the device.

Roommates Mackenzie Gongaware, a junior Mechanical Engineering major, and Grace Barnes, a junior Computer Science major, noticed the pendulum last spring as they passed through Rockwell Hall of Science. Meant to be a dynamic and visible demonstration of the Earth’s rotation, instead it hung motionless, in the dark behind a glass door on the first floor.

“We got weirdly intrigued by it,” Barnes said. “We didn’t know what its purpose was, but the sign behind it told us to check its position throughout the day, so we would visit it periodically and look for any changes.”

And, despite the women convincing 36 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

themselves more than once that the pendulum moved, it hadn’t. Not for a while.

The Foucault pendulum is supposed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth as a steel bob, suspended from a fixed point in the ceiling, swings back and forth, its arc methodically moving 360 degrees with each turn of the Earth. But that had not happened in years. While it was part of Rockwell’s original design, the pendulum has a spotty history. For most of the building’s 90 years, it hasn’t been in regular use. The sign was likely a left over from the 1990s, the last time it was repaired.

Gongaware and Barnes thought “it was sad to see a noteworthy part of Rockwell’s history being forgotten,” and out of curiosity and a desire to see the pendulum actually

work as advertised, they reached out to the Physics faculty about repairing it.

“When Grace and Mackenzie approached me last fall about their interest in getting it swinging again, I thought it was a terrific idea,” Dr. James Clem, assistant professor of Physics said. “Since I started here in 2013, I’ve had some interest in getting it going again, but never had the time to devote to it.”

“Grace’s and Mackenzie’s work on the project is commendable given their dedication and diligence to get it working and working correctly,” Clem said. “The Foucault is an important part of the culture and tradition of Grove City College. I strongly feel that their work will make it a great historical centerpiece to an already historical building,” he added.

September 2021

Physics major Brynn Graybill works on the mechanism. She is developing a program to monitor the pendulum’s movement.

The pendulum’s steel bob swings on a set plane across the well. Its movement demonstrates the rotation of the earth.

Clem agreed to advise them, but both students passed on the opportunity to get academic credit for the project, which they saw as a distraction from schoolwork.

“They saw it and they wanted to do something about it,” Clem said. “Not for credit, but just to satisfy their curiosity. It’s what all good scientists do.”

Gongaware and Barnes found there was nothing significantly wrong with the pendulum’s steel bob or the wire that it swings on. The problem with the pendulum was one of power. While one can start a pendulum easily enough with a little push, air resistance and friction will eventually stop it.

“It’s like a kid on a swing, if you do not have someone to push them and they are not pumping their legs, they will eventually come to a stop,” Barnes said. “To keep the pendulum in motion, there is a driving mechanism underneath the floor that exerts magnetic forces on the steel bob.”

That mechanism, which is activated when the bob swings over a sensor, was added to the pendulum when it was completely overhauled in the 1990s and had stopped working.

“That circuit is what needed the most attention,” Gongaware said. With some help from the Electrical Engineering Department, they were able to rewire the device. “We reinstalled the circuit and from there it was a lot of trial and error and changing variables to get it to both swing without dying down and complete its cycle,” she said. Thanks to a camera that Clem installed, they were able to monitor the pendulum remotely and calibrate it accurately.

“Now, the pendulum is both swinging constantly and at the correct rate,” Gongaware said. Each Foucault pendulum completes the cycle at a different rate depending on its location’s latitude. At the North Pole, it takes the same 24 hours that the Earth does to turn on its axis. In Grove City, the cycle is completed in roughly a day and a half – 36 hours and 22 minutes.

To make sure the pendulum stays on track, sophomore Physics major Brynn Graybill is worked on a program to monitor its movement more accurately.

Leon Foucault designed his namesake pendulum around 1850 and put it on display in 1851 at the Paris Observatory.

It is a simple experiment that very visibly demonstrates an established scientific fact and, in the last century, Foucault pendulums became a mainstay of museums, public buildings and college science centers. There is one at the United Nations headquarters in New York and another in the Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh, which used to be the Buhl Planetarium.

The original Rockwell Hall version was simple – a metal bob hanging from a wire inside a well about the size of a closet that went from the basement to the third floor. It was apparently started manually and stopped naturally. By the mid-1960s, the pendulum had fallen into a state of disrepair and it stayed that way until Dr. James Downey ’81, an alumnus and former Physics professor, oversaw a complete overhaul and upgrade. Then, as now, the work was largely completed by students who really wanted to see the pendulum become operational.

When he joined the faculty in 1992, Downey said the pendulum was in bad shape. The bob was missing, the steel wire it had hung on needed to be replaced and the experiment meant to make an unseen scientific fact visible was hidden away, behind closed doors that looked more like they opened to a broom closet than a device to spark scientific wonder.

“I was a Physics major at Grove City, and I did not even know the pendulum shaft was there,” Downey said.

Working with students and College maintenance staff, Downey had the base of the pendulum moved from the basement to the first floor to accommodate the force driver and increase the device’s visibility. The solid wooden door to the well on that floor was replaced with a glass window. Lights and the signage that so intrigued Gongaware and Barnes were added.

The missing bob was replaced with one designed with the help of Downey’s fatherin-law, who worked for McInnes Steel in Corry, Pa. “He and I designed the bob to make one that looked pretty classic and the folks at the steel company manufactured it,” he said. Downey recalls the project as fun and said he is glad to hear the pendulum is swinging again.

“Grace’s and Mackenzie’s work on the project is commendable given their dedication and diligence to get it working and working correctly,” Clem said. “The Foucault is an important part of the culture and tradition of Grove City College. I strongly feel that their work will make it a great historical centerpiece to an already historical building,” he added. 

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 37

Grove City College

class notes 1960

KEEP IN TOUCH! We want to keep in touch with you electronically! If you have an email address, or have recently changed your address or work information, make changes through

alumni.gcc.edu/update.

Have exciting news? Submit a class note for the magazine and for viewing online at

alumni.gcc.edu/classnote.

Remember to let the alumni office know that you are having a “Grover Gathering!” We’d love to send you some fun “stuff” for your event.

Email alumni@gcc.edu for more information.

38 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Dr. Lorraine Duvall related her experiences during the second wave of the feminist movement for The Pioneer Histories Project of the Veteran Feminists of America, stories told by and about those who were on the front lines of the battle for equality; her interview is included at veteranfeministsofamerica.org.

Duvall’s most recent book is Finding a Woman’s Place: The Story of a 1970s Feminist Collective in the Adirondacks. Her memoir and her second book, In Praise of Quiet Waters: Finding Solitude and Adventures in the Wild Adirondacks, are both award winners. She retired in 2000 after a 40-year career in computers and is a resident of Keene, N.Y.

1967 Henry Danielson published the third book in his Island People trilogy. Island People: The Greek Isles and the Amazing Middle East, finds Henry and his wife, Julie, on an Eastern Mediterranean yacht rally. Henry and Julie winter in Florida and summer in Western New York, still sailing and enjoying life.

1969 Dr. William Paquette, retired professor of history, published two books, Fields of Learning: Allegany County, New York’s OneRoom Schools (2020) and Abel Root, Sr. of Bolivar, N.Y., and His Descendants (2021). Dr. Paquette successfully applied to have Wellsville, N.Y.,’s legendary “Pink

LASTING FRIENDSHIPS |

Bob Yates ’59, left, hosted a few friends at his Naples, Fla., condo in February. Joining him are, from left, Ellie (Trevitt ’59) Smith, Marlene (Otto ’59) Morrell, and John Werren ’58.

House” added to the New York State Register of Historic Sites and to the National Register of Historic Sites.

1975 Tom Sankey was honored by the Howard County (Md.) Arts Council with the “Legacy in the Arts” award. Sankey, a high school math teacher, has directed over 115 plays and musicals at his high school and in the community during the past 40 years.

1978 Linda (Moore) Armacost earned the C.J. Shanaberger Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in 2018 in recognition for her work managing the EMT and other programs for SCL Health/Lutheran Medical Center. She was

commended as “a strong and stable source of quality and commitment to EMS education.”

1979 Dr. Kathryn Jackson was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the highest honor achievable for an engineer, for “contributions to management of large-scale power system technology, and harmonization of engineering solutions with public policy.”

Jackson serves on five corporate boards in the U.S. and internationally and advises Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh engineering schools.

1983 Mark Podvia retired as university librarian at the West Virginia University College of Law Library.

He was a law librarian for 34 years, having previously served as Bedford County (Pa.) law librarian, and as associate law librarian at the Penn

State Dickinson School of Law. He remains a member of the Penn State emeritus faculty.

1984 Dan Ranta is consulting for the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration. In 2019, he accepted a buy-out package at GE and a year later, did a strategy assessment at start-up Apeel Sciences.

1985 Shawn Blythe was promoted to chief integration officer at International Flavors & Fragrances following its merger with DuPont Nutrition & Bioscience. His 30-year career at IFF includes senior management roles in manufacturing, global supply chain, IT and VP, global regulatory affairs. He is now responsible for the overall integration of these two companies into the new IFF. John Derr published his first novel, Another Christmas Carol, a modern sequel to the Charles Dickens classic.

1987 Dr. Richard Kocur defended his dissertation in January 2021 and received his doctorate in marketing from Anderson (Ind.) University.

He researched privacy concerns in a retail loyalty marketing program.

After a career in the healthcare sector, he joined the College’s faculty full-time in 2015 and is now an associate professor of marketing in the College’s business program.

September 2021 1988 Allyson (Baird) Sveda joined Family Guidance as executive director in March 2020. Based in Pittsburgh, Family Guidance works to “transform the lives of youth in historically underserved neighborhoods through intentional relationships and the promise of Jesus Christ.” It offers yearround mentoring and a summer camp experience. She works alongside Samantha “Sami” Bartek ’19, the ministry’s communications coordinator.

1989 Dr. Jeffrey Fuller was appointed by Pennsylvania’s governor to be the director of the state Department of Education’s Bureau of School Support, which oversees the divisions of Planning and Professional Development, Student Services, and Charter Schools. Prior, he served as a superintendent and was president of the PA Association of School Administrators.

Robert Williams, former environmental compliance and services product line leader at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington, assumed duty as NAVFAC

TEACHER TRAVELS | Rachel (Throckmorton ’05) Reedy hosted a girls’ weekend for several ’05 elementary education friends at her Nashville home in June. Proudly wearing their new Grove City College shirts on their city tour are, from left, Reedy, Megan (Schleiden) Simmons, Erin (Smith) Stonecipher, and Elaine (Rodemoyer) Aretz.

Washington environmental business line leader and regional environmental program director. He began federal service in 1997.

1990 William Alarcon and his wife, Araceli, are the parents of daughter Teresa Isabel, born Oct. 14, 2020, and son Santiago Humberto, now 3.

1991 Kristen Beals and Charles “Buzz” Kettering eloped on June 25, 2021.

Kristen is a homemaker and Buzz works at Parker Lord. The high school friends have four daughters and one granddaughter.

1996 Tony Rosenzweig accepted a two-year international assignment in Germany with Aldi. He is a business manager focusing on the development and deployment of the company’s AHEAD project.

He has worked for Aldi US for over 25 years, most recently as a warehouse supervisor for the company’s Frederick Division.

1997 Becky (Rees) Dummermuth was hired as counsel by First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit religious freedom law firm. She and husband Matt live outside

Washington, D.C., with their five children.

Kate (Moose) Lassman’s first book of poetry, Dawn Anyway, is being published by New Bay Books in 2021.

Diane (Coggins) Mateer graduated from Community College of Beaver County with an associate’s degree in nursing in May 2021. She passed her state boards and now is a practicing registered nurse at Sewickley Hospital outside of Pittsburgh.

1998 Lisa (Pascal) Sobolak wrote “A Shift in Learning: Meeting the Needs of All Learners Through Individualized Learning and Inclusive Groupings,” published in the January/February 2021 issue of Literacy Today. She is the K-8 reading specialist at Souderton (Pa.) Charter School Collaborative.

1999 Nick Adams was appointed vice president of marketing and corporate affairs for HCA Midwest Health in Kansas City, Kan. He assumes responsibilities of marketing and communications efforts for HCA hospitals, outpatient centers, physician

TEAMMATES |

Four former GCC track athletes (who helped win the PAC Championships four times in a row from ’05-’08) met to watch the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials at the new stadium in Eugene, Ore. From left: Christopher Andrew ’08, Greg Kroleski ’08, Jonathan Coopersmith ’10, and Travis Todd ’05.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 39

Grove City College practices, and other services in the Kansas City and Louisiana markets.

Erin (Stehle) Peterson, assistant principal of Fort Couch Middle School in Upper St. Clair, Pa., received the Leonard R. Ference Outstanding Administrator Award in March from the Pennsylvania Association of Middle Level Educators. She joined the Fort Couch staff in 2006, becoming assistant principal in 2013.

Kristen (Lockitski) Tiber authored a new five-week Bible study for women titled Greater Glory: Living Your Life to the Glory of God. In it, she traces God’s glory chronologically through the Scriptures.

2000 Lacey (Williams) and Matthew ’01 Eckert welcomed son Jonah Robert on Nov. 12, 2020. He joins siblings Ryan, Julia, Caleb, Noah, and Naomi.

2001 Jonathan Shirk published a book with KDP in May 2021: Predestined for Joy: Finding Comfort in a Controversial Doctrine. The book hit #1 on Amazon’s new releases in Christian Salvation Theory. He also launched a Reformed podcast titled “Small Town Theologian”

and released a blog at smalltowntheologian.org.

2002 Jennifer (Smilek) McGraw and her husband, Eric, announce the birth of son Samuel Eric on Sept. 12, 2020. He joins brothers Henry, Ben, Jamie, and Charlie.

2003 Kathleen (Turman) Gross and her husband, Ehren, are the parents of Lydia Elaine, 3, Naomi Kathren, 5, and Ester Rose, 7.

Rachel (Russell) Kiehl and husband Joshua welcomed son Hugh Richard on March 5, 2021.

He is welcomed by sisters Kitty, 10, and Jane, 7.

Leigh Anne (Mertz) McKelvey was named to Philadelphia Business Journal’s “40 under 40” list in April. As executive director of CASA Youth Advocates, she helped to increase the group’s budget, expand services from Delaware County to Chester County, and serve more children.

In 2019, she also helped to found the Voices of Children Coalition that strengthens care systems.

2004 Susannah Cafardi married Daniel Woodman on June 5, 2020.

Susannah earned her M.S.W. from the University of Pittsburgh and

WEDDING REUNION | Several ADEL brothers met at the wedding of Scott Duesterick’s daughter, Jennifer, in June near Denver. Back, from left: John Shearer ’76, Richard Fetzer ’76, Gen. (Ret.) Bradley W. Butler ’76, Scott Duesterdick ’76 and Dr. Jeffrey Kelly ’76. Front left: Denise (Scriptko ’76) Shearer and fourth from left (with granddaughter): Karen (Carpenter ’76) Leasure.

4 0 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

her M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University and is a manager at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dan graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The couple lives and works in Baltimore, Md.

2005 Kate (Pulley) Stotz and her husband, Luke, welcomed daughter Anna, born Oct. 20, 2020.

2006 Gretchen (Reid ’06) Burchett and her husband, John, are now the parents of five daughters, including Susanna Providence, born Aug. 21, 2017, and Lillian Rose, born Aug. 25, 2019. They live in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Dr. Charles Cotherman authored To Think Christianly: A History of L’Abri, Regent College, and the Christian Study Center Movement, which traces the stories of notable study centers and networks, as well as their influence on a generation that reshaped 20th century Christianity.

Matt Hoover and his wife, Kate, are the parents of daughter Jane Frances, born July 1, 2020.

Elizabeth (Dunn) McLeod and husband Jonathan are the parents of son James William, born May 31, 2020.

Amanda (Rhodes) Michael and her husband, Andrew, welcomed daughter Charlotte Mary on Nov. 16, 2019.

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS |

2007 Sarah (Smith) Nettles and her husband, Chuck, welcomed son Nicklaus Palmer on Nov. 23, 2020. He joined big sisters Charlotte, 4, and Abigail, 2.

Katelyn (Kettering) Struthers graduated in December 2020 with a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion with a concentration in wellness and fitness. She has transitioned from marketing coordinator at Rock Creek Wellness in Mercer, Pa., to the role of health and wellness coach.

Jessica (Seifert) and Todd ’06 Trulick are the parents of son Holden Alan, born Aug. 14, 2019, and big sisters Gemma, 5, and Lilia, 8.

Jana Volante Walshak and her husband, Nick, welcomed son Rocco John on June 21, 2021.

Jana is the outgoing GCC Alumni Association president.

2008 Angela (Buckler) Becker and husband, Jim, welcomed daughter Hannah Elainna on Dec. 29, 2020.

Nathan Burtt is now senior vice president and office leader at HUB International HDH’s Erie, Pa. location. He will help clients with strategic plans and risk assessments and has 13 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Class of 1993 friends vacationed together in Tennessee for their collective 50th birthdays. Row 1, from left: Barb (Raber ’93) Keeler, Lynnae (Calo ’93) Beatty, Erin (Lagan ’93) Shaffer, Kim (Grubb ’93) Jessen, and Jenny (Lippincott ’95) Aspacher. Row 2: Kendall Keeler, Matt Beatty ’93, Josh Shaffer ’93, Joel Jessen ’93, and York Aspacher ’93.

September 2021 Miriam Elizabeth on Oct. 7, 2020.

Michael Roman and his wife, Eva, announce the birth of daughter Rosalie Ziye on April 6, 2021.

2012 Megan (Murduck) and Stephen Rigos welcomed daughter Aurielle Naomi on June 14, 2019.

2013 BEACH BUDS |

It was a mini Alpha Sigma housing group reunion in early June as friends traveled to Hilton Head Island for a beach house week. Of the nine friends, six played together in the Wolverine Marching Band. Standing, from left: Joe Paparone ’91, Stacy (Hensley ’93) Paparone, Dave Mowery ’92, Warner Zingg ’91, Karl McFadden ’92, Melodye (Ross ’91) McFadden, and Rick McKenzie ’91. Seated: Angie McKenzie and Jenny Mowery.

Joy Gardiner married Jackson Robb on Nov. 7, 2015. They live in Woodbridge, Va., with their son Beckett. Joy worked at The Kennedy Center and is now a stay-at-home mom/piano teacher/ fitness instructor.

Lauren (Rothermel) and Matt Gregg welcomed daughter Gigi Marie on June 29, 2020.

Molly (Mason) Pfeiffer and her husband, Brad, welcomed twins, Jack Dean and Ellie Marie, on May 25, 2018. Sister Audrey is 4.

2009 Anna (Butler) and Jonathan Knowles welcomed daughter Ruth Ann on Dec. 17, 2020. She joins Selah, 4, and Lillian, 2.

Bethany (Lowe) Rupert and her husband, Mike, welcomed daughter Elaina Kelly on Aug. 17, 2020.

Erin (Master) and Clay Shesman announce the birth of son Josiah Oaklee on Sept. 25, 2020.

Kelley (Smith) Smithula and husband Michael welcomed daughter Dotti Jean on Nov. 14, 2020.

2010 Chantilly (Cobb) and Thomas Alberti are the parents of son Finnian Matthias, now 5.

Meghan (Scott) Hornberger and husband Christopher announce

the birth of daughter Olivia Rose on May 13, 2021. She joins sister Madeline, 2.

Liz (Juncker) Jose and her husband, Justin, welcomed daughter Eden Elaine on Aug. 7, 2020. Liz is the RD of Colonial Hall Apartments on campus and Justin is the director of multicultural education and initiatives.

Jamie (Betteridge) and Bryan ’11 Zirkle are the parents of twin daughters, Kara Noelle and Leah Grace, born Dec. 17, 2019.

2011 Sarah Haines and Steve McCabe were married July 28, 2018, in Dayton, Ohio.

Sarah earned her MBA from the University of Dayton in 2014 and works as a contract negotiator for the Air Force Research Laboratory. Steve works as a systems engineer for the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. They reside in Beavercreek, Ohio.

Jenna (Cooper) and Evan Harding welcomed twin sons, Nathaniel Cooper and Elliott James, on June 25, 2020. Sister Ciara Ruth, now 3, was born Oct. 18, 2017.

Luke Johnston and his wife, Caraline, are the parents of son Logan Kaito, born April 25, 2019.

Jenifer (Gearhart) Kisner and her husband, Erik, welcomed daughter

Hannah (Chapman) and Jacob Ashworth welcomed daughter Adeline Hope on Aug. 5, 2019.

Christopher Bush and his wife, Kelly, announce the birth of son Wyatt Curt on July 18, 2020.

Elizabeth (Huff) and Wesley Coopersmith are the parents of son John Paul Amon, born Aug. 19, 2018.

Phil Kramer and his wife, Taylor, welcomed daughter Emma Ann on Oct. 29, 2020.

Hillary (Berche) and Ian Moyer are the parents of daughter Alexandra Laine, born Jan. 27, 2020.

Philip Tan and Julia Greendyk were married July 5, 2019, and welcomed son Joel Trevelyan on Aug. 5, 2020. Philip completed a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the University of Virginia in 2018, and now teaches at Messiah University.

Hillary (Wilson) and Josiah Tobin welcomed son Michael Josiah on July 5, 2020.

Megan (McMahon) Vincenzi and her husband, Marco, welcomed daughter Maria Rosaria on July 16, 2020.

2014

2015 Mara (Womer) and Alex ’14 Dimitri announce the birth of daughter Mallory Ruth on Nov. 11, 2020.

Michael Montgomery and his wife, Christina, welcomed daughter Norah Nabila, born March 20, 2020.

2016 Lacey (Lobdell) Ferrara and her husband, Kyle, are the parents of son Valentino William, born June 23, 2020.

Joscelyn (Seaton) Hodge and her husband, Chris, both graduated from the University of Virginia’s medical school in May 2020. They serve as captains and as doctors in the U.S. Army. They are stationed in Tacoma, Wash., where they are training to be internal medicine and family medicine physicians, respectively.

2017 Abby (Sansom) Trypus and her husband, Matt, are the parents of son Jon Daniel, now 3, born Oct. 22, 2017.

2018 Jennifer (Wingard) and Benjamin ’16 Hershey welcomed son Ephraim David on May 29, 2020.

Cassandra Kenville and Zachary Bennett welcomed son Benjamin Cole on Nov. 21, 2020.

2020 Kira (Wazelle) and Benjamin Demers announce the birth of son Bruce Walter on Aug. 14, 2020.

Lauren (McCarrier) and Craig ’10 Carnahan welcomed twin daughters Lucy Jeanne and Eliza Morgan on Sept. 23, 2019.

Katherine (Wingard) Dossous and her husband, Jimmy, welcomed son Austin James on April 12, 2020.

Randall Holcombe and his wife, Melanie, announce the birth of son Brooks August on Nov. 22, 2020.

Jessica (Heck) and Andrew ’13 Quinn announce the birth of son Trevor Andrew on July 23, 2020.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 41

Grove City College

in memory The Grove City College Alumni Association places a book in Henry Buhl Library in memory of each alumnus for whom the Office of Alumni and College Relations receives written notification of death, including a copy of the obituary. This pays tribute to the lives of deceased alumni while benefitting current and future students.

To notify the Office of Alumni and College Relations of the passing of a loved one, please send an obituary to alumni@gcc.edu.

Harriett (Tribby) Sonk ’40, Gales Ferry, Conn., March 7, 2021.

She worked for many years in the Groton schools, retiring as assistant principal at West Side Junior High School.

Polly (Keck) Knight ’44, Indialantic, Fla., March 14, 2021. Originally a chemist, she later taught elementary school in White Bear Lake, Minn.

Donald E. Kannally ’45, Port Allegany, Pa., March 21, 2021. After service in the Marine Corps and Reserve, he worked in the family FlemingKanally insurance agency.

Nelle (Burtner) Reardon ’46, Plain City, Ohio, April 14, 2021. She taught both in Findlay-area high schools and the University of Findlay and traveled to all seven continents.

Barbara (Hovis) Hassler ’47, Erie, Pa., March 21, 2021.

Survivors include daughter Nancy Hassler ’77.

Thomas Elias ’49, Burgettstown, Pa., Jan. 25, 2021. The WWII Army veteran served in executive roles at J&L Steel and LTV Steel, and was a volunteer firefighter.

Martha (Angloch) Holmes ’49, Arlington Heights, Ill., March 15, 2021. She had an extensive career in retail sales, including Crate and Barrel in Chicago.

Robert L. Lamberson ’49, Swarthmore, Pa., June 5, 2021. The Navy veteran worked as a chemical engineer with Staley StaPuf and American Viscose, later becoming director of international marketing for FMC.

42 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

Mary G. “Gerry” (Jones) Rhoades ’49, Titusville, Pa., Feb. 24, 2021. She taught in elementary and pre-schools, and served with her husband in ministry. Survivors include son Stephen Rhoades ’74.

Martha (Sisley) Beidler ’50, Groveport, Ohio, May 17, 2021. She taught English, French, Latin, and mythology in the U.S., Egypt, and Lithuania. She also assisted her pastor husband at churches and the Geneva Hills Church Camp.

Ralph B. Murray ’50, Reading, Pa., Feb. 18, 2021. He was a mechanical engineer with Birdsboro Steel for 30 years, then retired from Reading Crane.

Mary “Polly” (Elder) Palchefsky ’50, Elkridge, Md., April 1, 2021. After first working as a Russian linguist, she raised her family, then taught at the Julia Brown Montessori school for 28 years.

Dr. Robert C. Reed ’50, New Wilmington, Pa., March 4, 2021. He worked with his father and his son in dental practice. He served in the Army and Pennsylvania National Guard. Survivors include son John Reed ’80; and sister Elizabeth (Reed ’48) Finnessy.

Frances (Hockenberry) Rostas ’50, Spartanburg, S.C., May 15, 2021. She held secretarial positions at Grove City College, Carnegie Mellon University, and East Main Church.

Richard H. Smith ’50, Cumming, Ga., May 5, 2021.

A Korean War Army veteran, he worked in industrial chemical sales.

F. Richard Taylor ’50 and Marjorie (Moats ’53) Taylor, Littleton, Colo., died Sept. 7, 2020, and Dec. 19, 2020, respectively. Dick, a Navy veteran of WWII, was a marketing representative for IBM for 30 years. Marjorie was an elementary teacher before instructing her own children.

Laurean H. Warner ’50, Cornwall, Pa., May 10, 2021.

An ordained Presbyterian minister, he served churches in Ohio, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania and liked mentoring small churches.

Survivors include wife Constance (Tranter ’52) Warner.

Edward F. Dresch ’51, Plymouth, Mich., March 1, 2021. He was a salesman for American Standard for 40 years and an Army veteran.

Dr. Frederick K. McCune ’51, Virginia Beach, Va., Feb. 2, 2021. He built his private practice in anesthesia into one of the largest providers in Tidewater. He was an Army veteran.

Dorothy (Olchon) Newton ’51, Janesville, Wisc., June 10, 2021. She was an active community volunteer.

Lois J. Stuck ’51, Grove City, Pa., March 8, 2021. She taught high school English for 40 years, retiring from the Grove City Area School District.

Carolyn (Applequist) Turk ’51, Oil City, Pa., May 15, 2021.

Dr. Thomas A. Foreman ’52, Clarion, Pa., June 9, 2020. The Air Force veteran practiced dentistry in Clarion.

Jane (Fleming) Green ’52, Conroe, Texas, May 30,

2021. For 24 years she was a public health nurse with the Chautauqua County (N.Y.) Department of Health.

Lt. Col. Willard E. Kingsley ’52 (Ret.), Glen Mills, Pa., Jan. 13, 2021. The Air Force and National Guard veteran oversaw bioenvironmental health activities in the U.S. and abroad, then worked in industrial health as a civilian.

Donna (Borgman) Lillmars ’52, Spring City, Pa., March 14, 2021. She raised her family and later became a nurse.

Dr. Edward R. Mott ’52, Bloomsburg, Pa., April 11, 2021. During a 40-year tenure at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he was a professor of education, director of both graduate studies and doctoral studies, and interim dean of the graduate school.

He was an Army veteran.

George R. Hannaway ’53, Rehoboth Beach, Del., June 12, 2021. A Navy and Army veteran, he had been a regional manager with Paine Webber and Swiss Bank, UBS. Richard C. Hettish ’53, Duarte, Calif., Nov. 27, 2020. He was a Presbyterian minister, joining the Chaplain Corps as a U.S. Navy captain.

Janet (Kraynick) Oliver ’53, McLean, Va., Feb. 2, 2021.

She and her late husband both worked for the CIA in countries including Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and England.

Virginia (Marsh) Sundberg ’53, Fairview, Pa., Feb. 15, 2021. She taught math before raising her family, and later worked as a bookkeeper for an orthodontist. She received a community service award in 2015. Five children survive, including Keith Sundberg ’76, Karen (Sundberg ’78) Sewell, and Eugene Sundberg ’82.

Joseph R. Hegedus ’56, High Point, N.C., Jan. 31, 2021.

A Navy veteran, he worked in personnel fields for Pittsburgh area hospitals, retiring from St. Margaret Memorial Hospital.

September 2021 James C. Gramlich ’57, Westlake, Ohio, May 19, 2021. An Army veteran, he had a 30-year career selling employee benefit plans with MassMutual.

James W. Kennedy ’57, Grove City, March 13, 2021. He retired as a sergeant in the Grove City Police Department, where he worked for 25 years.

Joseph P. Mastrangioli Jr. ’57, Canonsburg, Pa., April 15, 2021. He worked in the family business, Community Motor Company, until retirement.

F. Sandra (Coyle) Beachy ’58, New London, Conn., May 27, 2021. She raised her four sons, worked as an office manager, and was an activist at heart. Survivors include husband Lloyd Beachy ’57.

Jerome P. Mulrow ’58, Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 25, 2021. He worked in the insurance business for 35 years, the last 25 with Ohio Casualty. He was an Army veteran.

Jane (Negus) Rush ’58, Oxford, N.C., March 16, 2021. She also lived in South Carolina, Michigan, and Illinois, and worked for Union Oil, Roses Stores, and CM Tucker Lumber.

Roland A. Nace ’59, Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 6, 2021. He worked for 33 years with Peoples Natural Gas as both an accountant and in sales and marketing. After retiring, he ran Nace’s All Sports Trophy & Engraving Co. with (now late) wife Lillian (Wolfrum ’59) Nace. He served with the Air Force and Air National Guard.

Raymond M. Protheroe Jr. ’59, York, Pa., Jan. 23, 2021.

An Army veteran, he worked in business with companies including Hungerford Packing and High Real Estate Group.

Raymond L. Guarnieri ’60, Marienville, Pa., Jan. 27, 2021. He taught economics at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, and won awards for

his research and writings.

Sisters Sylvia (Guarnieri ’59) Gaus and Judith (Guarnieri ’67) Roberson survive.

Paul E. Hoskins ’59, Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb. 10, 2021. He owned Executive Recruiting.

E. Lynne (Kennedy) Passilla ’60, Windermere, Fla., March 25, 2021. The 1958 Homecoming Queen was a social worker while living in Orange County, Calif., then became a homemaker after moving to Central Florida. She shared her time with many organizations.

Survivors include husband James Passilla ’61.

Beryl (Keller) Shirer ’60, Little River, S.C., May 6, 2021. She taught school in both Pennsylvania and Texas, learning American Sign Language to do so, and later became a teacher’s aide.

Robert D. “Dave” Doyle ’61, Trussville, Ala., Jan. 25, 2021.

An Air Force navigator, he later became a civil service electrical engineer with the Army at Ft. McClellan. He also served in the Army Reserves.

Margaret (McKeeta) Gropp ’61, Beaver Falls, Pa., Feb. 11, 2021. She was a chemist for Chester Engineers and a stayat-home mother.

Anne (Harker) Dayton ’60, Grove City, Pa., June 29, 2021.

She was the daughter of former College President J. Stanley Harker ’25, and his wife Helen (Calderwood ’23) Harker, a granddaughter of Alva J. Calderwood, the namesake our school of arts and letters, an emeritus member of Alumni Council, and a winner of the Distinguished Service Award. She enjoyed a lengthy teaching career, including 26 years as an assistant professor in the English Department at Slippery Rock University.

After retirement, she and husband Dr. David Dayton ’60 operated Slovak Folk Crafts in Grove City to assist artisans in Slovakia and Eastern Europe. In addition to her husband, survivors include children Rick Dayton and Betsy (Dayton ’92) Slater; grandchildren Matthew Dayton ’20, Abigail Slater ’18, and Molly Slater ’22; and brother-in-law William Mills ’53.

Henry E. Herbst ’61, Ford City, Pa., June 23, 2021. An Army veteran, he worked for Consolidated Coal then Castle Rubber.

James F. Elder ’62, Saxonburg, Pa., April 30, 2021.

James R. Groetz ’62, Louisville, Ohio, March 4, 2021. He taught for 32 years with the Canton City Schools, coached several sports, and served as athletic director at Lincoln school.

Survivors include children Jeanne Groetz-Shockling ’85 and James Groetz ’97.

Gary L. Bishop ’63, Lancaster, Pa., May 11, 2021. A foundryman, he was controller for Donegal Steel in Marietta,

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 4 3

Grove City College which became Penncast Corp. when he was owner and president. He served in the Pa. Air National Guard.

Carolyn (Pucci) Cook ’63, Gibsonia, Pa., and Needham, Mass., Jan. 22, 2021. She lived around the country during her late husband Don ’63’s career at U.S. Steel.

Barbara (McCloskey) Espy ’63, Tyrone, Pa., Feb. 19, 2021.

She taught high school English in Tyrone and Juniata Valley.

She and her family started Espy Transport, LLC. Hollis R. Filson ’63, Sarasota, Fla., Jan. 14, 2021. An electrical engineer, his work with General Electric included their Apollo Support Department and Transit Systems. He served with the Navy in the Korean War. Carolyn R. Grundy ’63, Grove City, Pa., June 19, 2021. She worked in higher education, primarily in Pittsburgh.

Survivors include sister Diane Grundy ’65.

Linda (Howell) Hastings ’63, Vernon Hills, Ill., April 19, 2021. She taught Spanish and German in both middle and high schools.

Sue (Hackett) Holmes ’63, Newton, N.J., May 5, 2021.

First a teacher, she later managed a marketing research firm and worked as a legal secretary. She was a church organist for several churches.

David E. Leise ’63, Peachtree City, Ga., Jan. 15, 2021.

He retired from Baxter International and spent most of his career in medical sales.

He was an Army veteran.

Marcia (Tomlinson) Via ’63, Ashland, Va., April 9, 2021.

At first a teacher, she later became a nurse and worked the night shift for over 20 years in the Roanoke Memorial Hospital ER. Judith (Beatty) Shelton ’64, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 7, 2021. She had worked

4 4 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

at the Office of Personnel Management in Boyers, Pa., and was a devoted mother.

Anne (White) Manning ’64, Germantown, TN, March 13, 2021. She was a public relations professional, working as a speech writer at Federal Express and for a medical center.

John W. Huber ’65, Myrtle Beach, S.C., May 27, 2021.

He was a chemical engineer who led several successful companies.

Robert T. Redman ’65, May 6, 2021. He moved to Brazil in December 2020.

Capt. Ronald E. Yeaw ’65 (Ret.), Port Saint Lucie, Fla., June 21, 2021. He was a U.S. Navy captain within the Naval Special Warfare Community from 1965 to 1994. His work included the command of SEAL Team Six and serving as chief of staff of the Counterterrorist Joint Task Force. He later worked with Research Planning, Inc., and Wackenhut/G4S Professional Armed Security Corp. He was awarded the Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Award in 2017.

Thomas L. Andrew ’66, West Mifflin, Pa., Jan. 22, 2021.

He retired from the Library of Congress after working for 40 years as a descriptive cataloger in its German Department.

Richard K. Dunmyre ’66, Butler, Pa., June 7, 2021.

A Navy veteran, he was a partner at Dunmyre Trucking, and operated an accounting business for more than 40 years. Survivors include daughter Andrea Dunmyre ’06.

John M. Gilbert ’66, Sharpsville, Pa., Feb. 24, 2021. He worked in engineering for General American until it closed, then retired as records manager for Mercer County.

Richard H. Bloomquist ’67, Punta Gorda, Fla., Jan. 10,

2021. He was a salesman and entrepreneur, and owned Southern Tier Abrasives and R.H. Bloomquist Landscaping.

James E. Lester ’67, Raritan, N.J., May 29, 2021. After teaching high school English and journalism for 10 years, he worked for Walsworth Publishing helping schools produce yearbooks. Survivors include wife Pamela (Beaver ’68) Lester.

William T. Neely ’67, Aiken, S.C., Jan. 19, 2021. He worked for Atlantic Richfield and Provident Mutual before moving back to Grove City and founding financial planning business Neely, Cashdollar & Associates and later, The Neely Group. Survivors include wife Lynn (Leslie ’66) Neely and brother L. Melvin Neely ’65.

Thomas T. Beeler ’68, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., May 10, 2021. He was a real estate developer and property manager in Michigan and with his wife, Carol (Hardy ’68) Beeler, established family foundations to support nonprofits and disadvantaged students. Carol survives.

Ellen (Scholl) Klinginsmith ’68, Conneaut Lake, Pa., May 15, 2021. She worked in the retail clothing industry prior to opening several locations of Ellen’s women’s clothing stores. She later obtained her real estate license.

Dana (Lohnes-Poorman) Meddows ’68, Severna Park, Md., March 25, 2021. She was a social worker and a teacher’s assistant.

Carl C. Meyers ’69, Fort Myers, Fla., March 18, 2021. His work at Ford Motor led to executive positions in the auto industry in the U.S, Europe, and South America. After moving to Florida, he became a yacht broker.

Carl S. Foerster ’69, J.D., North Plainfield, N.J., Dec. 26, 2020. He worked for the Veterans Administration for 35 years, retiring as an

adjudicator, and dedicated 61 years to Boy Scout programs.

Robert G. Ludwig ’69, Oak Island, N.C., May 27, 2021.

A Vietnam War Air Force veteran, he was a commercial pilot, retiring from Northwest Airlines. Survivors include wife Cheryl (Stock ’69) Ludwig.

Judith (Sylvester) Caldwell ’70, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., April 22, 2021. She had a long career as a CPA. Survivors include husband James Caldwell ’69.

Frank W. Habenicht ’70, Butler, Pa., May 29, 2021. An Army veteran, he worked as an estate tax attorney for the IRS for 31 years before starting his own practice.

Willard E. Shawgo Jr. ’70, Beaver Falls, Pa., Jan. 18, 2021. He worked in the steel industry as a metallurgical engineer. He was part of the Shawgo Tree Farm in Grove City. Survivors include brother John Shawgo ’60.

The Rev. Herman L. Ridley ’71, Indiana, Pa., March 4, 2021.

He had a 60-year career of preaching throughout Western Pennsylvania, retiring from the United Methodist Church.

Survivors include children Ruth (Ridley ’78) Heckathorn, Paul Ridley ’80, Lois (Ridley ’82) Gross, and Daniel Ridley ’87; and grandson Joshua Ridley ’05.

Mary (Best) Adams ’72, Tewksbury, Mass., June 21, 2020. She was a retired elementary school teacher and local historian.

Gary R. Ealy ’72, Sharpsville, Pa., May 19, 2021. His work included the pursuits of master gardener, wood worker, nature photographer, and certified arborist. He also was a dispatcher at McLean Trucking.

Dennis E. Rozumalski ’72, Magnolia, Del., Feb. 11, 2021.

He retired from the Air Force after 20 years and the rank of major. He then worked as a counselor with organizations and schools, being named

the 1999 Delaware School Counselor of the Year.

J. Eric Jones Jr. ’73, Jefferson Hills, Pa., July 14, 2021. The Air Force veteran practiced law at several Pittsburgh law firms, gaining appointment as a Pennsylvania worker’s compensation judge, where he served for over 20 years.

Survivors include mother Janet (Laderer ’48) Jones and siblings Robb Jones ’75, Geoffrey Jones ’81, and Laurel Jones ’83.

Robert Olenic ’73, Butler, Pa., March 17, 2021. He had worked at Armco. Survivors include son Ryan Olenic ’11.

Barbara (Hassler) Sealy ’74, Spring, Texas, in early 2020.

She was a secretary for the family business.

Pamela (Gotwals) Haldeman ’76, Elkins Park, Pa., Feb. 27, 2021. After teaching middle school French in Florida, she worked for 39 years as an executive assistant at Sloane Automotive of Glenside.

Gary G. Kimmel ’76, Zion Crossroads, Va., Feb. 2, 2021.

A CPA, his career included PPG Industries and Werner Co., where he retired as corporate controller. He was an Army veteran and, in recent years, a noted senior athlete.

John D. Thorne ’76, Pittsburgh, Pa., May 30, 2021. He had a distinguished career in the insurance industry.

Susanne (Eberhardt) Snyder ’77, Newport News, Va., May 5, 2021. She had worked as an accountant and was a busy homemaker and church volunteer. Survivors include husband Robert Snyder ’77.

Rose (Garson) Carlin ’78, Bluffton, S.C., May 29, 2021. She was “Teacher of the Year” twice as a music teacher in Pittsburgh’s North Allegheny School District and co-authored a book on forgiveness. Survivors include husband Robert Carlin ’77.

Bonnie (McIntire) Parker ’79, Grove City, Pa., April 17,

September 2021 2021. She was a social worker, later retiring from Sharon Regional Medical Center’s Transitional Care Unit.

Cheryl (Abrams) Hildbold ’80, Jennerstown, Pa., June 1, 2021. She worked as a homemaker and pastor’s wife.

Survivors include husband Charles Hildbold ’80, and sons Charles Hildbold ’05 and Caleb Hildbold ’21.

Bernard J. Daday II ’81, Allentown, Pa., April 21, 2021.

After working for Bethlehem Steel Corp., he started his own project management and software development company, IFCorp.

Peter N. Pananos ’81, New Castle, Pa., Feb. 4, 2021.

He owned and operated the Pizza House restaurant in Grove City for more than 20 years. Survivors include daughters Audrey (Pananos ’06) Savakis and Evie (Pananos ’06) Simoudis.

Louis A. DeFabio II ’82, Pittsburgh, Pa., May 2, 2021.

He worked as a controller with UPMC. Edwin H. Marstellar ’82, Denver, Pa., June 11, 2021.

He spent 30 years as a master music educator at East Petersburg Elementary in the Hempfield School District.

Deanna (Czarnecky) Bernard McConniel ’87, Kerrville, Texas, April 2, 2021. After first working in publishing, she was active as a community volunteer, with her children’s schools, and worked at the VA call center.

Dr. Matthew W. Brackbill ’16, Reading, Pa., May 6, 2021. He graduated in 2021 from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine as a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and was a talented violinist. Survivors include siblings Andrew Brackbill ’02, Sarah (Brackbill ’06) Robertson, Robert Brackbill ’14, and Julia Brackbill ’20.

Friends Dr. William R. Hart died May 24, 2021, in Grove City. He taught English literature and communications at the College from 1960 to 1994.

Grace G. Hartman, professor of Biology at the College from 1967 to 2004, died April 1, 2021, in Grove City. She founded the local food pantry, once named the Grace Community Food Pantry in her honor, and won the Florence E. MacKenzie CampusCommunity Award.

Elizabeth Breene Gilger, Trustee Emeritus, died April 10, 2021.

An elementary school teacher, she served on Grove City College’s Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2009 and had special interest in the Chapel garden’s landscape.

Kierstin (Lang) Mucci ’92, Belle Vernon, Pa., May 4, 2021. She was an elementary school teacher for the Franklin Regional School District, and a secretary for Mucci Construction.

Charles R. “Chip” Rogers ’04, Pittsburgh, Pa., April 6, 2021. He worked for several companies around Pittsburgh, most recently at K&L Gates as associate director of enterprise applications.

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 45

Grove City College

li’l wolverines ‘mid the pines

Edison Jane Addams Born 7-31-19 Bethany (Drake ’12) and Evan ’10 Addams

Harper Jo Addleman Born 4-10-20 Abby and Nate ’08 Addleman

Aubryn Olivia Ann Anderson Born 2-21-20 Meredith and Jared ’12 Anderson

Judah Thomas Bentley Born 9-25-20 Anna (Mittelman ’15) and Zach ’15 Bentley

Lillian Rose Burchett Born 9-25-19 Gretchen (Reid ’06) and John Burchett

Robert Delmar Clark III Born 3-25-20 Shaina (Williams ’14) and Robert ’14 Clark

Ada Grace and Sophia Jane Cohen Born 5-9-18 and 5-18-20 Laura (Hall ’11) and Sam ’11 Cohen

Carson Scott Demmer Born 7-9-20 Adrienne (Scrima ’16) and Scott Demmer

Jackson Ryan Dennis Born 3-27-20 Justine and Ryan ’20 Dennis

Lorenzo Daniel DiNinno Born 5-6-20 Ashley and Daniel ’11 DiNinno

James Steven Erler Born 3-3-20 Zoe (Sandvig ’05) and Michael Erler

Mark Frank Fazio Jr. Born 5-8-20 Leah (McLaughlin ’08) and Mark Fazio

CONGRATULATIONS NEW PARENTS! Grove City College welcomes your new bundle of joy. We want to send your newborn a Grove City College T-shirt.

So between the feedings and late-night lullabies, be sure to send the Office of Alumni and College Relations your child’s name and date of birth. Shirts are available only in infant size.

Due to the popularity of the Alumni Babies feature, photos will be limited to babies under the age of 5 in Grove City College shirts only. Digital photos must be high resolution, 300 dpi. Please do not embed photos in the body of an email message, but rather attach a high-resolution image.

To request a baby shirt, visit alumni.gcc.edu/babyshirt.

Send pictures to alumni@gcc.edu.

4 6 | w w w. g c c.e d u t h e G ēD UNK

September 2021

Frederick Ryan Finke Born 11-6-20 Courtney (Greenway ’13) and Ryan Finke

Maxwell and Isaac Frey Born 8-12-18 and 2-21-20 Laura (Levai ’08) and Adam ’08 Frey

Evangeline Lisbeth Granger Born 3- 20-20 Kate (Arnold ’07) and Jordan ’08 Granger

Gigi Marie Gregg Born 6-29-20 Lauren (Rothermel ’08) and Matt ’08 Gregg

Elliott Alan Harrold Born 2-17-20 Julie (Stickland ’10) and Ian ’12 Harrold

James Holt Born 7-17-20 Alexandra (Bricker ’13) and Andrew ’13 Holt

Christopher Henry and Alexander James Kobaly Born 9-1-20 and 8-10-18 Rachel (Alexander ’06) and Jonathan Kobaly

Abigail Hope Kobulnicky Born 11-11-20 Claire (Plitt ’00) and Adam Kobulnicky

Grayson Yates Lesser Born 12-12-19 Brittany (Klaas ’10) and Ryan ’10 Lesser

Paul Isaac Linn Born 10-6-20 Hannah (Reem ’16) and Evan ’16 Linn

Reuben Logue Born 5-8-20 Taylor (Hunker ’14) and Dan Logue

Jude Benedict Mariani Born 11-9-20 Kate (Nagatani ’13) and Mark ’15 Mariani

James and Isaac Mucha Born 12-23-18 and 2-17-21 Laura (Carpenter ’14) and Matthew ’14 Mucha

Lucy Garrison Mulhollem Born 3-5-20 Christy (Knable ’10) and Luke Mulhollem

Malin Everly Murray Born 6-28-16 Lindsay (Gentile ’04) and Seth ’05 Murray

Willa Wren Obaker Born 7-8-18 Meredith (Bolling ’10) and Jordan ’08 Obaker

Benjamin Samuel Olayer Born 1-25-19 Elizabeth and Joseph ’03 Olayer

Daphne Joy Pesta Born 4-8-20 Laura (Novosel ’11) and Dan ’11 Pesta

Ruth Noelle Riel Born 11- 27-20 Samantha (Carey ’15) and James ’15 Riel

Beckett Gardiner Robb Born 12-27-17 Joy (Gardiner ’08) and Jackson Robb

Mila Luciana Rockwell Born 12-19-20 Brandon Rockwell ’04 and Juan Mantilla Quintero

Luke Patrick Sampogna Born 1-14-20 Patty and Matt ’01 Sampogna

Charley Rachelle Vermilya Born 4-15-20 Jan (Henricks ’08) and Chris ’09 Vermilya

t h e G ēD UNK w w w. g c c.e d u | 47

Grove City College Alumni Magazine

Grove City College

100 Campus Drive

Grove City, PA 16127 www.gcc.edu

If you’re going to live, leave a legacy. Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 869 Erie, PA

Make a gift in your will to Grove City College It’s a win-win situation: • Your gift costs you nothing • It may effectively reduce taxes on your estate • You make it possible for students to receive the transformative education they need to influence and impact society for good.

Maya Angelou Contact Adam Nowland ’07 J.D. at 724-458-3865 or by email at nowlandav@gcc.edu for more information about how you can create an inspiring legacy at Grove City College. Request your free, personalized planning information at giftplanning.gcc.edu/resources.

If you would like to support Grove City College through your will, please consider using the following language: “I give and devise to Grove City College (Tax ID 25-1065148), located in Grove City, PA, all (or state a percentage) of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for its general support (or a specific fund or program).”