Holy Family University Magazine Winter 2008

WINTER 2008

University

with the FBI’s Jim Carty

1283423-47563456354635387376 G89734629323DFA982 9875353639685-387376 G89734629323 639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 75353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G8973462932 685-3873763 9685-387376 G89734629323DFA982 9875353639685-387376 G89734629323 639685-387376 Magazine G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376

G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DF 3639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 75353639685-3873 G89734629323DFA 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629 12 1283 387376 G89734629323 639685-387376 G89734629323DF 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 75353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 75339685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DF 3639685-387376 G89734629323DFA98 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA98 875353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89 2PU 387376 G89734629323DFA 75353639623DFA9 53639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA98 53639685-387376375F 75353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 353639685-38787376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA982342 89346976NJHG89734629 459875353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9823 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA9 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA98 75353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA 5353639685-387376 G89734629323DFA98

Stranded on a deserted island, Richard A. Lumni counts his blessings that he is plugged in to the Holy Family Online Alumni Community.

www.hfalumni.com Search for friends and classmates, view and register for events, build custom profile pages and more! Visit hfalumni.com to get started. Having trouble? Contact us at 267-341-3339 or alumni@holyfamily.edu.

Contents COVER On the Front Lines of Information Security

Whether in his post as Chief Security Officer at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philadelphia Division, or as an Adjunct Professor at Holy Family, James F. Carty’s passion for technology is exceeded only by his passion to serve and protect.

14

by Barbara Link

FEATURES

10 Spinning Yarns

For more than 28 years, Dr. Thomas J. McCormick did more than just teach literature. He made it come alive with his unique brand of storytelling. Now retired, he has one more tale to tell — his own.

10

by Pamela Coumbe

20 Family Ties

Trina Losinno ’67 is a 2006 Alumni Achievement Award recipient and the respected co-founder and Executive Director of a Northeast Philadelphia human-services organization. For more than 35 years, she has provided services and support to local families struggling with disabilities.

20

by Christine Cardellino

DEPARTMENTS 2

First Word A message from the President

3

Mail Bag Your letters to the Editor

4

Briefly Noted Out and about on campus 1000 Words A visual slice of life at Holy Family

19

25

27

Family Reunion News for, and about, Holy Family alumni

31

Memory Lane A nostalgic trip back in time

32

Giving Back

Making a difference on campus

36

Last Word Q & A with Susan Miovech

Tiger Tales Catching up with the CACC champions magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 1

FIRSTWORD University Magazine

Last year, I asked the INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT team not only to redesign MOSAIC magazine, but also to consider its very purpose. The essential questions were: Why do we publish the magazine and for whom? What objectives do we want to achieve? How can we improve?

You now hold in your hands the results of an intensive, six-month process of rethinking every aspect of the magazine. The most surprising result of that process was the decision to rename the publication Holy Family University Magazine. More on that later.

First, we conducted a readers’ survey and asked them what they liked most and least about the magazine.

What we learned is that our readers want stories about people — alumni, faculty members, and students who have accomplished great things or who are engaged in interesting work — as well as stories about significant issues and developments within the University community.

After many brainstorming sessions and spirited discussions, we concluded that the purposes of the magazine are to: nurture an appreciation for the entire University in ways that will encourage Alumni Association participation; position the University as a first-class educational leader; enhance student recruitment; and cultivate support. Specifically, the newly designed Holy Family University Magazine aims to: • Foster pride in the institution • Stimulate interest in the University and the Alumni Association • Act as a channel to keep alumni in touch with one another • Encourage alumni and friends to support the University’s mission • Facilitate involvement in the University community • Create and maintain good will Overall, we seek to engage our readers with the same sort of intellectual stimulation they received from their best classes and professors at Holy Family — at turns challenging, informative, and entertaining.

When the process began, we did not intend to change the magazine’s name. In fact, it was off the table for discussion. But as we looked at dozens of magazines from other colleges and universities, we noticed a trend: by far, most of them are named for their institutions.

The new name reflects the newly defined mission of the magazine. It’s all about Holy Family and the people who make this University great — and helping those people stay connected to the institution and each other.

Other changes you will see on the pages inside include Memory Lane, featuring vintage photos culled from our readers and the University archives, and Last Word, a question-and-answer session with an alumna or faculty member.

As for the design of the magazine, you will notice bigger and richer photography and a new typeface selected for its readability and versatility — and because we think it just looks good.

Finally, you will notice a new section for your letters. We welcome your feedback — compliments and complaints — as well as your story ideas. We’re especially interested to know what you think of this newly redesigned magazine. Please send your comments to magazine@holyfamily.edu.

Know you are always in the prayers of the University community. May you and your families be blessed.

Sincerely, Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN, PhD ’59 PAGE 2 Holy Family University Magazine

President S. Francesca Onley, CSFN, PhD Vice President for Institutional Advancement Margaret Kelly Director of Marketing and Communications Allen Arndt Editor Jennifer Zamora Art Director Lynda Weber Contributing Writers Allen Arndt Christine Cardellino Heather Costello Pamela Coumbe Suzanne Libenson Barbara Link Bob Macartney Kathy Warchol Marie Zecca Contributing Photographers Susan Beard Design Michael Branscom Peter Lester John McKeith Susan Pardys Contributing Artist Beth Newell Holy Family University Magazine is published biannually by the Division of Institutional Advancement. Please address all correspondence to: Editor Holy Family University Magazine Marian Hall 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 magazine@holyfamily.edu Changes of address should be sent at least 30 days prior to the publication of the issue for which it is to take effect.

The opinions and views expressed in Holy Family University Magazine do not necessarily reflect the official policies of Holy Family University. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of published information. © 2008 Holy Family University

MAILBAG We always welcome feedback from our readers, and this new section of the magazine is your forum to tell us what you think — positive or negative.

Send your letters to: Editor Holy Family University Magazine Marian Hall 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 magazine@holyfamily.edu

Please include an address and telephone number with your correspondence.

In the meantime, we thought you’d like to read a selection of letters received in response to Holy Family’s recent Rosaries for Soldiers project.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Zamora Editor Thank you for offering your time and talent in support of our troops, their families, and veterans. The Sacramentals you sent to us will bring much comfort to those who receive them.

Many rosaries, scapulars, and religious medals will be sent to deployed Catholic personnel overseas. All others will be distributed to military personnel and their families here at home, as well as to patients in VA Medical Centers.

James Ryan Rosary Program Coordinator Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA

Thank you immensely for the rosaries and prayers you sent to us. It is very comforting knowing that there are people out there who care for members of the military, given the current mood our country is in concerning this war.

Thank you again for all the support.

Lance Corporal Name Withheld US Marine Corps

Thanks to all of our friends at Holy Family University for sending the rosaries to us here in Afghanistan. It means a lot to our troopers to have friends from home supporting us. Thanks again!

Chaplain Scott Kennaugh

I am so in awe as to how complete strangers can take the time to think of others miles away from home and show how much they care.

I pray for peace in the world and that we can live and be happy.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! Please send your letters to: Editor Holy Family University Magazine Marian Hall 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 magazine@holyfamily.edu Letters may be edited for clarity, length, and style.

Name Withheld

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 3

BRIEFLYNOTED

Ancient Language Becomes Newest Offered at Holy Family Mandarin is in at Holy Family.

Not the restaurant. Not the oranges. The language.

Holy Family University offered

High Times for High Tech

a language class in Mandarin this

Responding to the growing popularity of its Communications program, Holy Family recently constructed a new Communications Center.

The modern facility, which was built into renovated space on the first floor of Holy Family Hall, opened for classes on August 29. It includes a television studio, control room, video editing suites, broadcasting equipment, and a computer lab containing 20 Macs — all of which is intended to give students hands-on experience.

The addition of the Center comes on the heels of other improvements in the Communications program at Holy Family, where the 2006-07 academic year saw the introduction of a revised curriculum with five new courses and a minor in Communications. A group of students also formed a TV Club, and the University purchased five digital camcorders.

In the fall of 2007, 54 students were enrolled in the Communications program as a major. Students majoring in Communications can choose a concentration in journalism, public relations, or media arts.

One floor below the Center and a few months later, the Science Darkroom was dedicated on December 3.

In addition to normal photographic procedures, the Darkroom will allow X-ray film to be developed using an automated film processor.

Chair for Natural Science and Math Robert E. Cordero, PhD, and Assistant Professor of Biology Stanley K. Mauldin, PhD, were awarded a strategic planning grant to make the Darkroom possible. Photographic equipment was donated by Edward Leboy.

Leboy established the Adele Leboy Scholarship for Women in Science to honor his wife, a 1962 graduate of the University. He was honored with the University’s Founders’ Award on December 1, 2006.

students and satisfied Holy Family’s

PAGE 4 Holy Family University Magazine

past fall. The course was open to all core language requirement.

Course Instructor Ronald

Dempsey studied in Beijing and Taipei, China. A non-native Mandarin speaker, he incorporated multidisciplinary methods in his lectures and engaged the students through literacy and Chinese culture.

Mandarin is the official

language of the People’s Republic of China, as well as the Republic of China in Taiwan and Singapore. It is spoken by 1.4 billion people and is one of the oldest languages in the world. China’s Education Ministry has formed partnerships with numerous countries to encourage the study of Mandarin.

The course will be offered

again in fall 2008.

New Professionals MBA Welcomes NonTraditional Students Like many people, Mike Griffin was looking for a career change. So he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration through the Accelerated Degree Program. But soon after, he realized that a bachelor’s degree alone would not help him achieve his dream.

He needed more.

So, along with 10 of his classmates, Griffin charted new waters as one of the first students in the University’s New Professionals MBA program.

Designed for those with fewer than three years of progressive managerial experience, degree candidates may be recent college graduates, career changers, or employees seeking promotions to management positions.

Student cohorts complete two preliminary classes together, and if successful, work their way through the University’s “standard” MBA.

Griffin fit all three categories. The ink on his undergraduate degree is still wet, and his career goals stretch well beyond his current position in the medical field. Quite simply, he wants to be a Chief Financial Officer. The New Professionals MBA fit him perfectly.

Phyllis Brock, another recent graduate of the Accelerated Degree Business Administration program, could not attend a full-time program.

She feared joining a standard MBA program, but the design of the New Professionals MBA suits her perfectly.

Eleven candidates comprise the program’s first cohort, and they will need to complete 12 courses (36 credit hours) to graduate. In addition to standard coursework, students are exposed to a “real world” component through visits to corporations, interaction with corporate leaders, mini workshops on special topics, and an optional global seminar (one-week study abroad).

Chick Goodroe, John L., and Marty Bell recount their days as members of the K & A Gang.

Local Author Brings Whodunit Story to Campus Audience members may have been clutching their purses and wallets, but they still packed the Perzel Education Technology Center Auditorium to hear local author Allen Hornblum and five police officers and burglars recount the tales of the infamous K&A Gang. Hornblum visited Holy Family in October to promote his book Confessions of a Second Story Man: Junior Kripplebauer and the K&A Gang.

“I speak at a number of institutions,” Hornblum said, “but few places provide the turnout and audience enthusiasm as Holy Family.”

The presentation, sponsored by the University’s new graduate program in Criminal Justice, offered a unique look at what Hornblum called “the best burglary gang on the East Coast from the 1950s through the 1970s.” The K&A Gang plagued the Philadelphia suburbs and communities along the East Coast in the 1950s and ’60s, preying on wealthy homeowners and confounding police for decades before the gang was stopped.

In a sometimes contentious question and answer session, former burglars Chick Goodroe, Marty Bell, and John L. answered numerous questions from the audience, ranging from how the group perfected their technique to whether or not they had remorse for their actions.

Former Philadelphia Police Officers Bob Shubert and John Del Carlino answered audience questions on what it was like to spend the majority of their careers chasing the K&A Gang.

BRIEFLYNOTED

The Healing Imagination Can thinking positive thoughts actually lead to a positive outcome? While the glass-half empty folks might disagree, Bob Schoenholtz, MS, the featured presenter at the 2007 Counseling Forum, hosted by the graduate program in Counseling Psychology, explained the use of guided imagery in the field of counseling.

Held in early October at the University’s Newtown location, the presentation focused on the background and theory for the use of guided imagery in counseling.

Schoenholtz, a certified practitioner of Interactive Guided Imagery, a registered and board-certified art therapist, and a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania, explained how using imagery in the counseling process helps clients use imagination as a way to learn about themselves.

The intellect is used primarily as an organizer, providing structure for the experience of knowing self through images, feelings, and senses.

Interactive Guided Imagery does not provide better thoughts

for the client, but supports the client in using his or her imagination to explore areas of concern. Since the images are personal, the interaction between the client and the psychologist provides insight that assists the healing process. Clients eventually learn to use imagination to evoke relaxation rather than anxiety.

President Killed by Own Doctors?

Impossible, some would say. But it’s true, as surgical

historian Ira Rutkow, MD, described in his lecture “Gilded Age Medicine and the Death of President James A. Garfield.”

Dr. Rutkow, a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, presented his lecture at the Perzel Education and Technology Center Auditorium in early November. He kept the crowd on the edge of its seat, as he detailed the 1881 murder of President Garfield, and how the medical procedures of the time helped to kill him rather than save him.

According to Dr. Rutkow, the first doctors on the scene at Garfield’s shooting arrived on horseback and immediately tended to him with unclean hands and instruments. The President’s lengthy struggle and eventual death following his shooting was more a result of the widespread infection from his original treatment. The doctors who worked on him did not subscribe to a new medical treatment at the time — antisepsis.

The President’s death is thoroughly explored in Dr. Rutkow’s book, James A. Garfield.

PAGE 6 Holy Family University Magazine

An engraving of James A. Garfield’s assassination, published in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. President Garfield is at center right, leaning after being shot. He is supported by Secretary of State James G. Blaine who wears a light colored top hat. To the left, assassin Charles Guiteau is restrained by members of the crowd, one of whom is about to strike him with a cane.

WINTER BREAK IN ECUADOR: A SPIRITUAL RETREAT From Kenya to Canada via Grant and Frankford When Holy Family’s Director of Library Services Lori Schwabenbauer hosted a dinner this past fall with Kenyan students Reverend Patrick Gitonga and Fred Tuwei, little did she know her experiences from 25 years ago would lead to a major campus event. During the course of the meal, Schwabenbauer mentioned the missionary work she did in Litein, Kenya, in 1982, when she spent the summer laying a concrete foundation for an orphanage.

Inspired by the dinner conversation, Schwabenbauer searched the Internet for Litein and came across the Web site for a recent documentary called “Letters from Litein.” The very same orphanage Schwabenbauer helped to build was featured in the film, which detailed the relationship between the orphans and an elementary school in Canada.

Schwabenbauer put the wheels in motion to bring the film, as well as the three filmmakers, to Holy Family. In midNovember, “Letters from Litein” made its US premiere at the Perzel Education and Technology Center Auditorium.

The film follows schoolchildren from Calgary’s Fred Seymour Elementary School, as they befriend the orphaned children by becoming pen pals.

As part of the curriculum-based global citizenship project, the Canadian students took their letter writing a step further and started raising funds for their friends in Kenya. They presented to businesses in Calgary and produced and sold CDs of songs by the orphanage choir. The movie culminates with the Canadian students visiting their friends in Kenya and bringing supplies to the orphanage.

The three filmmakers — Director/Producer Matt Palmer, Producer Kaari M. Autry, and Producer Petros Danabassis — participated in a question and answer session with the audience at the end of the evening.

Chances are, visiting a leper clinic is not high on your list of things to do over winter break.

Unless you are one of the ten members of the Holy Family community who spent the first days of 2008 in Duran, Ecuador, through Rostro

Junior Psychology major Alison Smith clowns around with the children of Duran, Ecuador.

de Cristo (Face of Christ).

Eight students, along with Assistant Professor

and iPods at home to fully

of Sociology Jenai Murtha,

experience the culture of

PhD, and Spanish Instructor

Ecuador. What little money

Adriana Merino, MA, left for

they took to Ecuador was

Ecuador on January 2.

held until the final day,

when they were allowed to

The goal of the trip

was twofold — to learn

purchase mementos from

about the diverse culture

the community.

of Ecuador, and increase

Spanish fluency. Only the

group visited a leper clinic,

Holy Family group and

elementary schools, and

the trip’s guide spoke

nursing homes.

English. To prepare for their

journey, the students met

Reverend Jim Ronan of the

every Thursday starting

Archdiocese of Boston,

in October to immerse

Massachusetts, Rostro

themselves in the Spanish

de Cristo is a volunteer

language. Dr. Murtha even

& retreat program of the

took a Spanish class.

Catholic Church based

in Duran, Ecuador. The

The students also

During the trip, the

Founded in 1988 by

began paring down their

program brings the people

materialistic items prior to

of Ecuador and the US

the trip, selling clothing

together to inspire life-long

to an area thrift shop as a

commitments to service,

fund raiser for the journey.

social justice, and solidarity

They were limited to a

in the global community.

specific amount of money for their week-long stay and left their cell phones

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 7

BRIEFLYNOTED Sudanese Professor Reveals Parallels in Education The Darfur region of Sudan and Northeast Phila-

delphia have little in common.

At least, that was the conventional wisdom before Dr. Suad Badri, Senior Lecturer at the Ahfad University for Women in Sudan, Africa came to campus.

In early December, Dr. Badri presented her paper on protocols for achieving responsibility and protecting commitment in the SudanDarfur case, where over 3 million people have been affected by ethnic and political conflict since 2003.

She spoke of the challenges facing students and faculty at Ahfad, and how they relate to similar challenges at institutions of higher education around the globe.

Despite being at different ends of the world, students at Ahfad, just like their Holy Family counterparts, are taught to be agents of change.

Among their community service programs, Ahfad’s School of Education and Development participates in a rural extension program — a field trip that sends students in their fourth year into poor areas of Sudan to educate the communities. A similar program in Ahfad’s School of Medicine attaches the students to families in the neighboring area.

Dr. Badri is a member of the International Association of University Presidents/ United Nations Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Resolution, and Peace, which is chaired by Holy Family President Sister Francesca Onley.

Simultaneous Translation Equipment Debuts In early September, six sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth (CSFN) presented in their languages of origin at a lecture titled “Eastern European Women Speak.” Using translation equipment installed in the Perzel Education and Technology Center (ETC) Auditorium, attendees were able to follow the lecture in real-time. It is the first such use of the equipment since it was installed in 2005.

Working from three designated rooms on the

second floor of the ETC, one of the presenters and two professionals simultaneously translated the presentations from the language of origin into English. Attendees were able to hear the English version of the speeches via wireless headphones.

The presenting sisters hailed from Belarus, Poland,

Russia, and Ukraine. Each presented in the language of her country, covering topics ranging from politics, to the work of the Church, to living out the CSFN mission.

The University’s Mission Effectiveness Team and

School of Arts and Sciences collaborated to bring the sisters to campus.

DARFUR REGION Location:

Borders Chad, Libya, and Central African Republic

Population: 7.4 million Economy: Based on subsistent agriculture, cereal, fruit, and tobacco production, livestock.

Fact: More than 2 million innocent people have

been forced from their homes due to the Darfur conflict.

Fact: Over 3.5 million people rely entirely on international aid in order to survive.

Source: www.dosomething.org PAGE 8 Holy Family University Magazine

(Front) Sister Danuta Bzowska, CSFN; Sister Maria Blaszczyk, CSFN; Sister Magdalena Bernat, CSFN; (Back) Sister Jeremia Stanska, CSFN; Sister Karolina Mlodzianowska, CSFN, and University Trustee Sister Benedetta Pielech, CSFN, lectured on Eastern Europe.

Among the Elite Holy Family University was granted full membership in the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) in November. The University joined some 200 Catholic universities and institutions of higher education in the federation. According to data on the IFCU Web site, Holy Family is just the 26th university in the United States to earn full membership.

The IFCU was started in 1924 by l’Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan, Italy) and the Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (Nijmegen, Netherlands) to bring Catholic universities together in a federation to deal with specific issues which were a common concern. Following World War II, a federation was fully established. The federation was recognized by Pope Pius XII in 1949 and became the IFCU in 1965.

In 1967, the Federation was recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), becoming an Associate Non-Governmental Organization with consultative status.

University Roasts Sister Francesca Sister Francesca has done a number of things in her 25 years as President. Getting roasted was

not one of them. That is, until more than 300 University constituents gathered on November 29 for a Silver Anniverary Dinner and Roast in her honor. Held at Belle Voir Manor in Bensalem, the Roast capped a year of events celebrating S. Francesca’s 25th anniversary as President.

“Celebrity” roasters included Raymond Angelo, President of Westinghouse Lighting Corporation; David E. Panichi, Chairman of the Board at T.N. Ward Company; Sister Celine Warnilo, CSFN, former Provincial Superior of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth; Dr. Bette Landman, President Emerita, Arcadia University; and Dr. Antoinette Iadarola, Cabrini College President. A number of current and former University employees also got in on the act.

Dr. Antoinette Iadarola, served as Roast Mistress for the event. One of the evening’s highlights came when Angelo borrowed Johnny Carson’s “Carnac the Magnificent” routine to poke fun at S. Francesca with the assistance of Sister Patrice Feher, Vice President for Student Services.

The Dinner and Roast helped the University raise more than $167,000 to endow a scholarship in Sister Francesca’s name for a first-time, full-time student (photo coverage begins on page 34).

IN MEMORIUM : ANTHONY AKEL Anthony Akel, PhD, former Dean of the Holy Family University School of Business Administration, passed away on Thursday, November 8.

“Although Dr. Akel’s service to the University was brief,” University President Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN, said, “to me he was a dedicated academic, a devoted friend and family man, and a gracious Catholic gentleman.”

Dr. Akel received his undergraduate degree from Manhattan College, and a master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He earned his doctorate at Northwestern University and earned a post-doctorate certificate in Education Administration from Harvard University.

Before joining Holy Family in 2005, Dr. Akel was Director of

International Business Programs and Professor of Management at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus in Brookville, New York.

Dr. Akel was involved with several government- and industry-sponsored research projects during his career, including projects with the National Science Foundation. For over 20 years he held positions as academic administrator, dean, and director where his duties included leading, planning, strategizing and directing business schools. His work was published in dozens of professional journals, and he co-authored two books.

A memorial Mass in Dr. Akel’s honor was held December 7 on campus.

— Bob MacCartney

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 9

For more than 28 years, Dr. Thomas J. McCormick did more than just teach literature. He made it come alive with his unique brand of storytelling.

Now retired, he has one more tale to tell — his own.

by Pamela Coumbe Photography by Michael Branscom Illustrations by Beth Newell

lmost eight years have elapsed since Thomas J. McCormick, PhD, retired from Holy Family University. A familiar figure on campus, he taught World Literature and General Writing from 1971 to 2000. His kindliness and gentility are widely known among alumni who attended his classes and often appeared in his stories. In fact, storytelling is how Dr. McCormick engaged his students. By verbally placing them in a situation within a story the class was studying, he captured their attention and their imagination as they analyzed literary works from the Iliad to Franz Kafka.

“Even though the literature spanned the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans to the Medieval and Renaissance periods to the contemporary world,” he says, “I tried to make it come alive and help my students recognize the universality of the principles that guided the characters. For instance, people have always had a sense of duty, a concern for their family, or even a need to be recognized or loved, and students can relate to those elements.”

A beloved teacher, he explored the great stories of literature with his students. But what about the professor’s story? What are the principles and events, the highlights and the struggles that shaped his life?

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 11

Ancestors and Birthplace

B

orn in the former mill town of Norwich, Connecticut, Dr. McCormick has ancestors with true grit. They worked hard under difficult circumstances and showed great devotion to their family.

“My paternal grandfather, an Irish immigrant, worked in a paper mill and served part-time as a sexton in St. Mary’s Church in Norwich,” he says. “In 1901, he died of pneumonia at the age of 48, leaving my grandmother who was seven months pregnant with my father.”

According to the death notice in a Norwich paper, the deceased had been working in a mill since the age of 12. Not only was his widow pregnant, but she had a son, Daniel, and a daughter, Mollie, at home and another son in the seminary to support. His grandmother eventually took her dead husband’s job at the paper mill, with the help of her daughter, so that the family had an income.

As time went by, Dr. McCormick’s father grew up, got married, had two sons, Daniel and Thomas, and lived in the house next door to his mother and his sister, Mollie.

“My Aunt Mollie contracted scarlet fever at the age of eight and it left her deaf,” he says. “However, she was quite adept at reading lips and could speak, but not well.

I remember fondly that when I would visit, I would stomp on the floor. She would feel the vibrations and then she would know I was there. If I couldn’t understand what she said in a conversation, she always had pen and paper ready to write out her thoughts in a beautiful penmanship.”

Early Trauma

T

he family moved to West Philadelphia when Dr. McCormick was 5 ½ years old. He entered first grade at St. Gregory’s Elementary School, and after one month, contracted scarlet fever, like his Aunt Mollie.

PAGE 12 Holy Family University Magazine

(Top) Uncle Earle’s 12-cylinder Lincoln, immortalized on canvas by Dr. McCormick.

(Center) Dr. McCormick (right), his brother Daniel, and Uncle Earle (his car is in the background) circa 1938.

This was a time before vaccines were available, and the city of Philadelphia established a strict regimen to contain the spread of these infections. If the ill person would not go to the hospital, the entire family was quarantined at home.

A sign was put on their door identifying the disease within: mumps, chicken pox, infantile paralysis, scarlet fever, etc.

No one could go in or out; grocery men would leave items at the door and collect the money at the next delivery to avoid any direct contact.

Since his family had to work, Dr. McCormick was sent off in an ambulance to the Municipal Hospital of Contagious Diseases, at Front and Luzerne.

“I can still recall my mother and the family doctor walking me down to the ambulance,” he says. “I was wrapped up tight like a papoose and, as the ambulance drove away, I began to roll around on the floor, bumping into other papooses who also had contagious diseases.”

Dr. McCormick was put into an allboys ward, in a pillowless bed with very high railings to keep the patient contained.

“The only personal thing I had was a child’s rosary,” he says. “There were no toys, or radios, and television did not exist.” Worst of all, no visitors were allowed.

His family wrote to him during his 30day confinement. One day, a card arrived from his mother saying that she and the family would come to the hospital the following Sunday. Her brother, Earle J. Taylor, would bring them in his gigantic 12-cylinder Lincoln and they would park outside, close to the window of his ward, and honk the horn.

“I couldn’t look out the window,” he says, “but it meant so much to hear the horn and have that contact from the family. For a half hour, Uncle Earle

beeped that old-fashioned two-syllable horn so I knew they were there.”

Dr. McCormick recovered from scarlet fever and returned home to his family.

But it left him with a lasting appreciation for people who show they care.

The Lure of Academia

D

r. McCormick attended St. Joseph’s Preparatory High School.

He majored in French at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and also at Villanova University for his master’s degree. He wanted to teach at the college level and get his doctorate, but he decided to work full-time while doing it.

When he first came to Holy Family University in 1965, Dr. McCormick was hired as a part-time French teacher.

Needing a full-time position, he left in 1967 to work at St. Basil’s Academy in Fox Chase.

In 1971, he was invited to return to Holy Family University for a full-time position teaching World Literature, although his major was French. But there was something about this small female college of about 700 that appealed to him. There was a warmth and friendliness there that made him feel welcome. He decided to take the job.

“In those early years, I knew just about every student on campus,” he says.

“World Literature was a required course for both semesters and if students specialized in English, I could possibly have them in class for six semesters.”

Thirteen Pieces of Transportation

O

ver a 12-year period, Dr. McCormick pursued his doctorate in Medieval Studies with a French concentration at Fordham University in the Bronx. He taught full-time during the day; on the afternoons he went to Fordham it was a long journey. From his front door in the morning until he returned at night, he took 13 pieces of transportation. His dissertation was the translation and conversion of a medieval French manuscript about the Gallic War. “It was a tedious project because I had to convert the old alphabet to the new,” says Dr. McCormick, “and then edit some of the material due to repetitions made by the monks who transcribed the original manuscript.”

His dissertation was eventually published and can be found in the Holy Family library.

Dr. McCormick composed two new courses for the University: Women and the Ancient Greek Tragedies, and Women and Medieval French Literature. The latter became especially popular with students because it dealt with the romances of the Middle Ages, knights in shining armor, and the idea of courtly love.

“My Aunt Mollie contracted scarlet fever at the age of eight and it left her deaf…I remember fondly that when I would visit, I would stomp on the floor.

She would feel the vibrations and then she would know I was there.”

The Next Phase of Life

A

s he approached retirement, Dr. McCormick thought he’d like to pursue oil painting. As a child he spent a lot of time drawing, but stopped when he entered high school. He knew there was an artistic element in his family because his mother dabbled in watercolors; his Uncle Earle was an artist and the window display manager at Strawbridge and Clothier; and his Uncle Ted was a designer responsible for Indonesia’s display at the New York World’s Fair in the 1960s.

The photographs from places he has visited provide the inspiration for his paintings, as do his cherished childhood memories. He painted his grandmother’s old house in Norwich, with Aunt Mollie sitting in the window. In another painting, he immortalized his Uncle Earle with his 1934 navy blue Lincoln.

Beside his painting classes two days a week with Pamela Flynn on campus, Dr. McCormick wanted to participate in a volunteer activity of some kind.

One day while waiting for a bus in downtown Philadelphia, he spied a sign in a window: Volunteers needed for the Associated Services of the Blind.

“It made me think of all my relatives who had trouble with their eyesight: my paternal grandmother, my mother, my maternal great-grandfather, my brother Daniel. I thought that sign was providential and a signal to me that I should work for the blind.”

On Thursdays, Dr. McCormick volunteers with the Association for four hours as a copyholder. He reads a wide range of printed material out loud, and a blind person follows along with a rough draft in Braille. She makes corrections to her draft on a special Braille typewriter.

The corrected material is reproduced in Braille and bound so that blind people can have the same access to the printed word as sighted people.

Now that his labors are over, Dr. McCormick has time to express another side of his personality on canvas while he continues to give back to others. In recognition of all he has contributed to his students and the institution, Holy Family University has bestowed on him the highest academic title of honor: Professor Emeritus. It is well deserved.

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 13

by Barbara Link Photography by Michael Branscom

Whether in his post as Chief Security Officer at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Philadelphia Division, or as an Adjunct Professor at Holy Family, James F. Carty’s passion for technology is exceeded only by his passion to serve and protect.

Jim Carty ’98 M’05 was

in the process of developing a narcotics intelligence system for the Philadelphia Police Department when he learned about an irresistible opportunity.

It was 1999, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) needed a significant increase in information systems funding and resources. More specifically, the bureau was seeking to hire individuals with strong technical backgrounds.

Carty was intrigued. His impressive skill set, earned through more than eight years in the Marine Corps Reserve and 19 years as a Sergeant with the Philadelphia Police Department, made him a perfect match. He was hired by the FBI, Philadelphia Division, as Information Systems Administrator.

“Here was an opportunity to further my skills, and still serve my country,” he relays.

But his ascent to the upper echelons of information security didn’t end there.

In 2004, when the infamous Robert Hanssen spy scandal prompted the Webster Commission to recommend major upgrades in the FBI’s security apparatus, Carty was named to the newlycreated position of Chief Security Officer.

Today, he is responsible for managing all elements of security within the Philadelphia Division — Information, Personnel, and Physical Security.

“It’s a fascinating job,” says Carty.

“We handle every possible kind of security matter — from background investigations to facility inspections to computer security. No two days are ever the same.”

Carty explains that his Security Squad is integrally involved in nearly every aspect of the FBI’s work, as many components of the bureau’s “Top Ten Priorities” (see side bar) require additional security safeguards.

His list of accomplishments is impressive and includes the creation of the Philadelphia Division’s Threat Assessment Report, and the design and implementation of a comprehensive Continuity of Operations Plan. He has conducted a series of Security Awareness Briefings for various members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, performed

PAGE 16 Holy Family University Magazine

“There are always new applications and new vulnerabilities. As we put more and more information out there that has value — social security numbers, credit card numbers — the cost of a malicious event becomes greater…you have to be constantly adapting.

You have to be learning all the time.” physical inspections on every related facility within the Philadelphia Division, and directed the emergency relocation of a Resident Agency when the building became untenable.

However, Carty is quick to recognize his colleagues.

“There are a lot of wonderful people working very hard to make sure these top priorities are achieved. Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed to work with some of the best people at some of the finest organizations in the world.

I’ve been blessed to be in a position to give something back to the country that’s given me so much. I’m blessed to always be in places where I meet great people, where I’m able to always be learning, where I get to deal with great stuff. The honor to serve your country is the pinnacle, really, the highest achievement. I’m having a great ride.”

A Love Affair with Technology When Carty is not singing the praises of the United States, he is completely entrenched in the world of technology, particularly, information management.

“I love computers,” says the selfprofessed technology nerd. “On the weekends, I’m reading documents from the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) for fun. When I teach, I use these documents a lot.

Many of the applications developed for the business industry come from this research.”

Since 2004, Carty has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Information Systems Management Graduate Program at Holy Family University. On average,

he teaches one class per semester, with topics including Computer Forensics and Information Technology Management. These days, he’s excited about developing a course in cryptology.

“I love teaching about the things that I’m studying at work,” says Carty.

“It’s like asking a car mechanic to teach car mechanics. It’s what I’m into on a daily basis, and it helps me to keep my knowledge current. Teaching is the best thing that I’ve gotten to do over the years. In a way, part of my role at the FBI is teaching security policies and procedures — how to protect information, how to protect personnel.

Teaching is at the center of my universe.

It’s what I really like to do.”

As a teacher, Carty believes his most important charge is to challenge his students. He knows he has succeeded when he’s able to ignite a genuine interest in a given area. The greatest reward is when his students — many of whom are adults with established careers in information management — apply their learning to successfully protect their employer’s intellectual property.

A Love Affair with Holy Family When asked why he chose to teach at Holy Family, Carty simply responds, “The people. Just like anything else.

The people are wonderful. And with an education at Holy Family, you can run with it and do anything you want.”

He should know. Carty graduated Magna Cum Laude from Holy Family with a BA in Computer Management Information Systems, and continued on to earn his MS in Information Systems Management here as well. His thesis focused on the use of cryptology systems to secure information.

He credits Thomas Martin, PhD, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Holy Family, with whom he forged a friendship as a graduate student, with keeping him in the fold.

“Tom is a superb teacher with a commitment to excellence,” says Carty.

“When I was finishing up my degree, Tom mentioned that he was looking to bring into the classroom a good deal of material related to my specific area of expertise.

He asked for my involvement.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Speaking of history, Carty credits another member of the Holy Family University faculty for pointing him in the right direction.

“I was a young cop — in my first or second year studying at Holy Family — and I was majoring in history,” Carty recalls. “I wanted to be a history teacher.

One day, former Holy Family University Careers Center Director Lou Giuliana grabs me and says, ‘Hey, what are you doing majoring in history? Why don’t you consider computers? There’s going to be a lot of growth in this area, and I think you would like it.’”

Consider it he did, beginning with a course in Statistics.

“I liked it,” says Carty. “And I never looked back.”

Last year, Carty ran into Giuliana, and thanked him for his sage advice.

“Lou just laughed,” relays the goodnatured Carty. “He didn’t even remember me.”

Carty still holds tightly to his love of history, combining it whenever possible with his passion for technology.

“I’m a voracious reader,” he says, “of stuff that ‘normal’ people don’t read. In addition to scouring his NIST documents, Carty enjoys books about computers, about communications security, and Marine Corps history.

“Right now, I’m reading a book about the history of German intelligence — technical and human intelligence — in World War II.” Unlike history, which according to Carty, gets only “minimally revised”

over time, the technology industry is constantly evolving. The greatest challenge, he says, is staying current.

“Technology can change on a daily basis, and the ways we use technology continue to change as quickly. There are always new applications and new vulnerabilities. As we put more and more information out there that has value — social security numbers, credit card numbers — the cost of a malicious event becomes greater, because the value of the information we have out there on these systems is so much greater.

Keeping up on technology, teaching information systems and information assurance, you have to be constantly adapting. You have to be learning all the time. Computer forensics five years ago is Greek compared to what it is today.

It’s not like Shakespeare,” he laughs.

A Love Affair with Life Most of all, Carty credits his wife, Sharon, for “everything.” “If not for her,” he says, “I never would have done any of this. Nothing would have happened without her.”

The Cartys live in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Their daughter, Christina, is a freshman at La Salle University, while son Jim attends Bucks County Community College and works at Commerce Bank. Carty reports that neither of his children is studying information systems management — yet.

Carty is especially thankful for the opportunity to teach at Holy Family.

“I’ve been blessed, and Holy Family has been a big part of it — giving me the opportunity to continue to find ways to serve my country. I will teach until they catch up with me and tell me I can’t. I will continue to just work hard and try to do the right thing — what we all preach to our children. When it comes down to it, really, I’m just a guy who’s been lucky.”

FBI Top

Ten Priorities

The principal mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is to defend the security of the United States. Within that mission are priority focus areas that clearly articulate to the American public, Law Enforcement and Intelligence Community partners, and the employees of the FBI, the manner in which the FBI will address its wide range of responsibilities.

• Protect the United States from terrorist attack.

• Protect the United States against foreign intelligence operations and espionage.

• Protect the United States against cyber- based attacks and high-technology crimes.

• Combat public corruption at all levels.

• Protect civil rights.

• Combat transnational and national criminal organizations and enterprises.

• Combat major white collar crime.

• Combat significant violent crime.

• Support federal, state, local, and international partners.

• Upgrade technology to successfully perform the FBI’s mission. magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 17

HOLY FAMILY UNIVERSITY. A LIFETIME OF EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES. SEE HOW FAR YOU CAN GO. Learning doesn’t end with graduation. It’s a lifelong endeavor to explore, push boundaries, and expand your mind. Continue your educational journey with classes at Holy Family. With four convenient locations and day and evening classes, Holy Family offers education opportunities to fit even the most demanding lifestyles. Start a new career, take a class for personal enrichment, or begin a master’s program.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS For more info, call 267-341-3327 Counseling Psychology Criminal Justice Education Human Resource Management Information Systems Management Nursing

ACCELERATED PROGRAMS FOR WORKING ADULTS For more info, call 267-341-5030 BS in Business Administration (7 concentrations available) Nursing (RN to BSN) Master of Business Administration (3 concentrations available)

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS For more info, call 215-637-3050

School of Arts & Sciences Art Biochemistry Biology Biology—Medical Technology Chemistry Communications Criminal Justice English/Literature History Interdisciplinary Humanities Mathematics Psychobiology Psychology Psychology for Business Religious Studies Sociology

Northeast Philadelphia Campus 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114

http://my.holyfamily.edu

School of Education Early Childhood/Elementary Education Elementary Education Special/Elementary Education Secondary Education: - Art - Biology - Chemistry - English - History/Social Studies - Mathematics - Psychology/Social Science - Sociology/Social Science

School of Business Administration Accounting Computer Management Information Systems (CMIS) Finance Fire Science and Public Safety Administration (Transfers only)

Holy Family— Newtown One Campus Drive Newtown, PA 18940

Holy Family— Woodhaven 1311 Bristol Pike Bensalem, PA 19020

International Business Management-Marketing Sport Marketing-Management

School of Nursing and Allied Health Professions Bachelor of Science in Nursing Radiologic Science (AS or BSRS degree)

Pre-Professional Programs Pre-Allied Health Pre-Art Therapy Pre-Chiropractic Pre-Dentistry Pre-Law Pre-Medicine Pre-Optometry Pre-Physical Therapy Pre-Physician’s Assistance Pre-Veterinary

Holy Family— South Philadelphia Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church Columbus Boulevard & Christian St Philadelphia, PA 19147

Psst...don’t keep it a secret. Tell your friends about Holy Family!

1000WORDS Sister Patrice Feher, Vice President for Student Services, mans the grill at Holy Family‘s Breakfast of Champions. More than 80 students turned out for a hearty meal on December 13 before heading to final exams.

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 19

by Christine Cardellino Photography by Michael Branscom

Trina Losinno ’67 is the respected co-founder and Executive Director of a Northeast Philadelphia human-services organization.

For more than 35 years, she has provided services and support to local families struggling with disabilities.

PAGE 20 Holy Family University Magazine

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 21

T

rina Losinno considers herself privileged to have enjoyed a lifetime of good fortune, a happy family, and a fulfilling career with Special People In Northeast, Inc. (SPIN), which she cofounded with her husband David Losinno in 1970.

A nonprofit human-service organization, SPIN is dedicated to providing quality services and support for children and adults with disabilities and their families. Losinno is the organization’s Executive Director; her husband serves as President and Chief Executive Officer.

“In all of my years with SPIN, no two days have ever been alike. I am never bored. Over my lifetime, I have been blessed with a great education and with tremendous flexibility so I could raise my children and do this work,” reflects Losinno, who graduated from Holy Family University with a BA in Psychology in 1967.

A Great Gift

Losinno entered Holy Family on a five-year education scholarship from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. At that time, she recalls, the Northeast Philadelphia Campus consisted of just a few buildings. The college community was small, convivial, and close-knit.

“My college years were a tremendously special time for me. Until I got the scholarship, I did not feel college was in my future because my family could not afford it. I received the gift of my scholarship three days before I graduated from high school. For five wonderful years, Holy Family was my family and my life,” Losinno says

She fondly remembers the sense of camaraderie that permeated campus.

“My graduating class had about 60 people,” Losinno says. “I had a lot of good friends and pretty much knew

PAGE 22 Holy Family University Magazine

“Families should look at their child...and should believe in the human spirit and the potential within that child.” everybody. I also vividly remember the encouraging support of Sister Florianne and Sister Florence. For two years, I was teaching and taking classes. In a sense, I did three years of college and two years of teaching. Education was a vigorous program, and it was hard to get courses sometimes. Both Sisters really encouraged me and kept me going.”

As an undergraduate, Losinno was active in the Debating Society and the National Federation of Catholic College Students. She also was a familiar face in the Student Council.

“Many people would be surprised to know I was a fairly shy person,” she admitts. “I joined the Debating Society so I could overcome my difficulties with public speaking. I’m amazed that public speaking is part of my everyday life now, and I’m much more comfortable with it.”

A Perfect Fit

During the last semester of her senior year, Losinno completed a field experience at Torresdale Public School, a school for children with special needs.

The experience ignited a distinguished and fulfilling career advocating for individuals who have mental and physical disabilities and their families.

“I was completely taken by the kids and by the school,” she remembers, “so when the school principal told me a new classroom would be opening to accommodate more children, I jumped at the chance to apply for a teaching position. I got the job and was there for five years.”

In addition to working full-time as a special education teacher, Losinno attended graduate school at Temple University, where she met her future

husband, David, on the first day of school.

They married a year later, fused by their shared commitment to improving opportunities for children with special needs.

“SPIN evolved from the summer camps we ran for children with special needs in conjunction with the Torresdale Home and School Association. The idea was to keep the kids engaged during summer break so they did not lose the skills they had worked so hard to develop during the school year,” says Losinno.

She left her teaching position at Torresdale Public School in 1972 after she and David adopted two children from Korea — Christopher, then age 2, and Jennifer, then age 4. Over the next nine years, their family would grow to five children, with the adoption of Jonathan from Vietnam in 1975 (he now works in the Maintenance Department at SPIN), the adoption of Rebecca from the United States in 1976, and the birth of their biological son, Ryan, in 1981.

At the urging of former Holy Family professors, Losinno returned to campus as an Adjunct Instructor of Psychology in 1979. She balanced part-time teaching, 20- to 30-hour work weeks at SPIN, and an active, growing family until 1989, the year she gave up teaching for a full-time leadership position at SPIN.

Making a Difference

With her children now grown, and raising their own families, Losinno has more time to focus on her “other” family — the individuals and families who receive SPIN services.

“In 1990, SPIN supported fewer than 50 people in residences; today, we support 165 individuals in community living arrangements throughout Northeast Philadelphia. In overall services, we supported between 700 to 800 children and adults in 1990. Today, more than 3,000 people turn to SPIN for support,” says Losinno. “Our top priorities right now are raising awareness, gaining acceptance in the community of the people we support, and building partnerships in the community to help find jobs for our clients.”

Her advice to families who have loved ones with mental, physical, or sensory impairments is straightforward.

“Families should look at their child as a child, not as a disability, and should believe in the human spirit and the potential within that child. I have seen

Holy Family Graduates Find a Home at SPIN In addition to Losinno, 29 Holy Family graduates currently work at SPIN in various roles, and the organization hopes to recruit more candidates for both staff and internship positions.

Here’s where those alumni can be found: Name

Trina Losinno works with special-needs children at SPIN’s Northeast Philadelphia location.

some amazing successes over the years.

You just have to believe in them and help them become the best person they can be,” she offers.

Losinno’s philosophy has made a difference to thousands of area families, and many have taken notice of her contributions. In spring 2006, Losinno was honored with the Holy Family University Alumni Achievement Award, which was presented by colleague and fellow alumna, Mindy LederhandlerLutts ’95. Her Holy Family alumni-colleagues at SPIN nominated her for the award. Losinno also is the Immediate Past Chairwoman of the Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Association of Resources for People with Mental Retardation (PAR), a statewide association of providers of community services for people with mental retardation.

During her downtime, Losinno unwinds at the family’s vacation home in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, and treasures time with her two grandchildren, Ethan, age 8, and Sophia, age 5. She’s also an avid quilter and fiction enthusiast. Her current literary interest is Ian Mcewan’s Atonement; The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini will follow.

When asked to reflect on her enduring ties to Holy Family University, Losinno smiles.

“When I was given the alumni award, it struck me at the time: S. Francesca wrote something about tenor votis. If I had a personal motto, it would be that.

My obligations are what motivate me.”

Jawele Ajavon Timothy Bandish Felicia Brosius Nicole Brzyski Chuck Budd Charles Catalano Bridget Cerruti Jacqueline Crayder Katherine DiKun Frances Field Marie Garvin Melissa Green Dolores Henry Devon Kelly Mindy Lederhandler Lutts Robert Lutts Angela Martin Jennifer McCloskey Patrick McElwaine Gail Meersand Melissa Mezicco Kevin O’Brien Teresa Ottaviano Carol Rocco Elaine Simeti Stacy Wendowski Kimberley Williams Rachael Wilus Oksana Yarunicheva

CLASS

’07 ’05 ’85, M’93 ’05 ’00 ’80 ’06 ’01 M’96 ’90 ’96 ’07 ’98 ’02 ’79 ’95 ’07 ’00 ’00, M’04 ’96 M’98 M’93 ’03 ’99 ’06 ’07 ’03 ’97 M’07

Job Title

Direct Support Professional Teacher Division Director, Adult Services Teacher Assisting Director, Adult Services Manager, Real Property Office Coordinator, Behavioral Services Home Life Coordinator Assisting Director, Children Services Administrator, Adult Services Behavior Specialist Teacher Assisting Director, Children Services Program Manager, Autism Project Corporate Officer, Organizational Development Director, Adult Services Home Life Coordinator Teacher Assisting Director, Behavioral Services Director, Human Resources Service Coordinator, Children Services Weekend Supervisor, Adult Services Training Support Supervisor Director, Information Technology Teacher Early Childhood Paraprofessional Assisting Director, Adult Services Service Coordinator, Children Services Manager, Finance

Melissa Green ’07 (right) is one of 29 Holy Family graduates employed by SPIN, Inc. magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 23

••••

Catch the Holy Family spirit at our new online bookstore!

College Kids Infant T-Shirt 100% cotton t-shirt with screen-printed Holy Family logo $14.98 Champion Crew 50% cotton/polyester crewneck sweatshirt with Holy Family appliqué $44.98 Water Bottle 32 oz Nalgene bottle with Holy Family logo $15.98 Legacy Adjustable Washed Twill Cap 100% cotton unstructured twill cap with Holy Family appliqué $19.98

MCM Red and White Lanyard $6.98 Spinner Keychain with Tiger Logo $9.98 Logo Pennant from Collegiate Pacific 6” x 15” pennant with flocked Holy Family logo $7.98 Holy Family University Bookstore Campus Center 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114-2009 215-632-8480

Order online at http://holyfamily.bncollege.com

Women’s Soccer

TIGERTALES Women’s Tennis Claims CACC Championship Holy Family University women’s tennis team won its second consecu-

Women’s Soccer Wins CACC Championship Trophy The women’s soccer team claimed the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship by defeating Philadelphia University, 1-0, on Saturday November 3 at Tryon Field in Rutherford, NJ. The championship is the third for the Tigers and their first since 2005.

“Our biggest goal was to get back to this point,” said Tigers head coach Mike Biddle. “We looked to our seniors to help get us here and they came up big for us in the tournament. “We wanted to be the first team to represent the conference in the tournament.”

Midfielder Kaitlin Gavaghan scored the game’s lone goal in the 36th minute. The championship-clinching tally was unassisted.

Tigers’ keeper Kelly McGrogan came up big for the third straight game by making seven saves. McGrogan recorded three shut-outs in the CACC Tournament and was named as the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The win put Holy Family in the NCAA Division II Championship Tournament — a first for the University.

The Tigers also were the first team from the CACC to make the tournament.

They lost to Franklin Pierce 4-0 in the opening round on November 9 at Bryant University.

Seniors Kaitlin Gavaghan (above right) and Jenn Hamill (below right) vy for the championship against Philadelphia University.

The Lady Tigers are the first CACC women’s soccer team to secure a spot in the NCAA Division II tournament.

tive Central Athletic Collegiate Conference (CACC) championship by defeating second seed Philadelphia University 5-0 in the CACC Finals.

“They really wanted to win this and worked hard to do so,” said head coach Brett Shavitz. “The girls left everything out on the court.”

The top-seeded Tigers (12-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead by taking all three doubles matches. Quena Borres and Shakir Willett defeated the team of Maddie Smith and Adriana Rodriguez, 8-4, in the first flight. The second flight duo of Liana Lui and Lauren Neill took out Daniela Rodriguez and Christine Kettle, 8-2.

Melanie Pulsinelli and Ashley Berge were 8-5 winners in their third flight match over Amanda Brennan and Katie Stracquatanio.

Pulsinelli and Berge gave Holy Family the title by winning their respective singles matches in straight sets. Pulsinelli took her fifth flight match over Kettle, 6-0, 6-3. Berge was victorious in the sixth flight, 6-2, 6-2, over Brennan.

After the two singles victories, the other four singles matches were suspended.

With the victory, Holy Family has secured a spot in the 2007-08 NCAA Division II Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament this May.

Women’s

Tennis magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 25

“You can reach us by sailboat, climb a tree and swing rope to rope...Take a sled and slide down slow...You can jump on a speedy colt...cross the border in a blaze of hope...We don’t care how you get here — just get here if you can!”

Alumni Association Awards and Reunion Dinner The Brookside Manor, Feasterville Trevose, PA $45 per person ($85 per couple) includes open bar, buffet dinner and dancing For tickets or information, contact alumni@holyfamily.edu or 267-341-3339

Original lyrics by Brenda Russell

Friday, May 16 at 6:30 pm

Class Notes What you do is news to your fellow alumni and your alma mater! Tell us if you have: moved; changed your phone number or your e-mail address; become engaged or married; had or adopted a baby; reunited with a group of classmates; received an award, promotion, or changed jobs; or just want to say “hello!” Please forward details to the Office of Alumni & Parents, Holy Family University, 9801 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114-2009. You also may fax information to 215-637-2110, e-mail a message to alumni@ holyfamily.edu, or post a note to our online Alumni Community at www.hfalumni.com (you must be registered to access the site).

60s

Fran Kellagher Horn, Marianne Brady Mark, Mary Hark Evangelisto, Helene Kryszczun O’Neil, Barbara Brokowski Pilborough, Betty Anne Altman Zelinsky, and Mary Jane Roberts of the class of ’65 met for two events last year.

On June 2, the group traveled to Riverton, NJ, to celebrate Victorian Day. They took a trolley tour, walked around the arts and crafts displays, and had lunch at Cafe Europa. On December 1, Marianne Brady Mark led the classmates on a walking tour of Newtown Borough’s historic homes. After touring the houses, they visited the Newtown Chocolate Shop, where the owner hand dipped the candy.

Kathleen Franz-Keller ’68 recently retired from the Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) in Oakland, CA. Franz-Keller retired after 29 years at OHA as the Information Technology Director.

Lorraine Lees, PhD ’68 published her second book, titled Yugoslav—Americans and National Security During World War II, University of Illinois Press, 2007. Lees is a Professor of History at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.

The “Fab Five” from the class of ’68 enjoy a reunion in Ocean City, NJ. While on the beach, the grads observed a plane trailing a banner which read “Register Now for Fall Semester at Holy Family University.” Pictured are (front row, left to right) Joan O’Mara Peterson, Pat Healy McIlwain, Lynda Bell Schubert, (back row, left to right) Joan Hickey Urbanski, and Marianne McGurk Hughes.

Frances Yanni Prendergast ’68 retired from the School District of Philadelphia after 36 years of teaching math at Central High School. Prendergast is presently an Adjunct Professor of Math at Arcadia University.

Louis Parisi, father of Bonnie Bartkowski ’69, passed away on September 27, 2007.

Mary Franiak, mother of Dianne Reilly ’69, passed away on September 30, 2007.

A large group from Holy Family attends the marriage of Joann Pettit, daughter of Anne Marie McLaughlin Pettit ’69, to Brian Robinson on May 5, 2007. Members of the wedding party, pictured from left to right, are: Maureen Griffis (daughter of Joanne McLaughlin Griffis, ’73), Jennifer Stefano (daughter of Dorothy Covone Turner, ’68), Annie Sabo (daughter of Joan Hickey Urbanski ’68), Edward and PatrickGriffis (sons of Joanne McLaughlin Griffis, ’73), T.J. Bartkowski (son of Bonnie Parisi Bartkowski, ’69) and John Sabo (son-in-law of Joan Hickey Urbanski ’68).

Loretta Hennessey ’71 was a reader.

70s

Marine Lt. Col. Harold B. Penne, husband of Pamela DoylePenne ’70, passed away on December 21, 2007. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Monica Schroth Teesdale ’71 was featured in a November 27, 2007 article in The Philadelphia Inquirer titled “Second life as urban hipsters.” Teesdale and her husband, Tom, moved to Center City Philadelphia after living in the suburbs for 20 years.

Myrtle Bohr Wilke ’73 passed away December 31, 2007. She is

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 27

survived by her husband Don, children Jeremiah, Rachel, and Zachary, her sister, Terry Bohr ’84, and brothers Joe and Walt.

Meghan Meyers, the daughter of Kathleen Papst Meyers ’73, is a freshman at Holy Family.

Sister Cara Lucille Garofalo, OSF ’76 is pursuing graduate studies in Theology and Ministry at LaSalle University.

Sister Cara is currently a CPE intern at Albert Einstein Medical Center.

80s

Terri Bohr ’84 achieved National Board Teacher Certification in the area of Adolescent and Young Adult Science in 2007.

Stephen Gregory ’85 was promoted to Vice President at Beneficial Bank. He and his wife, Linda Gregory ’86, have a daughter, Jacqueline, who is

a freshman at Holy Family. Her twin, Jennifer, is a student at Immaculata University.

Jeffrey Rzepczynski ’94 has three children, Vincent 15, Felicia 13, and Sarah 11.

Bernice Lisicki Purcell ’85 is Assistant Professor of Computer Management Information Systems at Holy Family. She is active in the Faculty Senate and serves on several committees. Purcell volunteers at the Fox Chase branch of the Philadelphia Free Library and at her son’s school. Additionally, Purcell attends Northcentral University and is working towards a PhD in Management Information Systems.

Maureen A. Miller, RN, BSN, CPN ’99 received her pediatric nurse certification. She works in pediatrics at a community hospital in south central PA.

Rita Witkowski Burke ’87 has two children, Samantha 12 and Jacob 7.

90s

Brian Lee Spector ’94 ran his first half marathon (13.1 miles) with his wife on September 9, 2007.

Nicole Hover Holloran ’99 had a baby girl on February 28, 2007.

00s

Meaghan Murtha Descher, CRNP, ’00 received her master of science in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005. She was married on September 23, 2006, and her daughter, Carol Ann, was born on November 2, 2007.

Melissa Geary Williamson ’01 had a son, Christopher, born on September 21, 2006.

Christopher Williamson awarded the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The ceremony was held at the Kimmel Center on June 3, 2007.

Terri Stiles M’07 was accepted into the doctoral program for curriculum development at Capella University.

Lisa Ann Cardamone-Silvotti ’03 was among 236 students

SPOTLIGHT ON: MICHAELINA BENDIG ’95 Longtime adoption consultant named Congressional Angel in Adoption ™

Michaelina Bendig, who has spent 15 years as an adoption consultant for Wynnewood-based Adoptions From The Heart (AFTH), a licensed non-profit adoption agency offering domestic and international adoption, was recently named a 2007 Congressional Angel in Adoption ™.

Selected by US Congressman Jim Gerlach, Bendig was one of 187 individuals to receive the award, created in 1999 by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI).

The program gives federal legislators the opportunity to recognize individuals from their home states who have improved the lives of children through adoption.

“Michaelina’s genuine passion for children and families, and her absolute commitment to improving the field of adoption make her truly deserving of the Congressional 2007 Angel in Adoption ™ honor,” said Maxine Chalker,

PAGE 28 Holy Family University Magazine

MSW, LSW, founder and executive director of AFTH. A former elementary school teacher, who graduated from Holy Family with a bachelor’s in elementary education, Bendig is the mother of three adopted teenage daughters.

Having seen the strengths and weaknesses of the adoption process based on her own personal experiences, Bendig became an adoption professional to help prospective adoptive parents understand the options available to them and avoid her mistakes. She works closely with birth parents to place children with adoptive families, primarily through open adoption.

In addition to her work with birth parents and adoptive families, Bendig is a frequent speaker for AFTH, and presents at local conferences and educational seminars about domestic and open adoption.

2008 promises to be another great year for the Alumni Association! First, we welcome Marie Zecca, Holy Family’s new Director of Alumni and Parents.

A seasoned professional, Marie shares the board’s commitment to the continued growth of both the Alumni Association and the University. We look forward to a long, productive working relationship with her. We also thank Alumni Development Representative Kathy Warchol for her unstinting efforts on the Association’s behalf.

Secondly, the Board of Advisors is undergoing a major restructuring process, with several new members added since September 2007.

Our commitment to improving the Alumni Association’s benefits continues, as we consider new initiatives, including:

•

•

•

An outreach program focusing on mentoring and networking for current students A lifetime Alumni Association membership A renewed commitment to community service, as typified by the Accelerated MBA Alumni’s adoption of the St. Francis Inn in Kensington

I also am proud to announce that one long-term goal has been reached. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation approved the Association-sponsored Holy Family University license plate! Look for more details on this exciting new program on page 30 of this issue.

This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Holy Family’s first graduating class. We will honor these pioneering graduates from the class of 1958 at the University’s official graduation ceremony on May 23, 2008 at the Kimmel Center. In addition, members of the classes of ’78, ’83, ’88, ’93, ’98 and ’03 will be recognized at our Reunion Dinner on Friday, May 16, 2008, to be held at the Brookside Manor, in Feasterville Trevose, PA.

We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us and we need your help. Consider becoming a member of the Alumni Association and joining the Board of Advisors. If you want to become involved in a community service project, contact us. You can call the Office of Alumni and Parents at 267-341 3339, e-mail alumni@holyfamily.edu. We may be graduates, but we’re still part of Holy Family. See you at Reunion!

“Christmas Rosies” Celebrate 44 Years of Tradition and Friendship Over the years, customs such as Regina Night and Capping Day have come and gone at Holy Family. But

one has endured for more than 50 years — on and off campus.

The campus tradition known as Christmas Rose inspired Felicia Jemionek Rzeznik ’64 to invite a few classmates to her Conshohocken home in December 1964 for a post-graduate Christmas Rose celebration. Little did they know that the Polish custom of breaking unleavened bread (opatek) and sharing a meal among friends would continue for more than four decades. Christmas Rose 2007 marked the 44th gathering of the group, dubbed the “Christmas Rosies.”

In addition to Felicia Jemionek Rzeznik, the original Christmas Rosies from the class of 1964 include: Carol Sawicki Riley; Barbara Annunziata Cipriano; Mary Ann Scarano Hughes; Lee Caputo Mancini; Liz Rohrbach Sarno; Diana Slapkus Mulligan; Barbara Szewczyk Swankoski; Sandy Rosa Motyka; and Kathy Moran Shannon.

Throughout the years, the Christmas Rosies took turns hosting the annual celebration on the first Saturday in December. The all-female gathering eventually expanded to include husbands.

Until her death in November 2001, Carol Anne Sawicki Riley was the only member of the group to attend every Christmas Rose celebration. As coincidence would have it, her funeral was held on December 1, 2001-the first Saturday of December. On this, the traditional gathering date for Christmas Rose, the Christmas Rosies and their husbands gathered at the funeral of Carol Anne Sawicki Riley, united in grief.

Today, the tradition remains strong as ever, and the Christmas Rosies are eagerly anticipating next year’s celebration — their 45th.

Class of 1964 alumnae gather in West Windsor, New Jersey, for their 44th annual celebration of Christmas Rose. Pictured are (bottom row, left to right) Sandy Rosa Motyka; Mary Ann Scarano Hughes; Diana Slapkus Mulligan; Felicia Jemionek Rzeznik; Kathy Moran Shannon; Barbara Szewczyk Swankoski; and Liz Rohrbach Sarno.

Sincerely,

Linda L. Colwell-Smith ’83 President Holy Family University Alumni Association

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 29

PENNDOT Approves Holy Family License Plate A project in the works for several years came to fruition last December

when the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT) approved production of a Holy Family license plate. Timothy Miller ’08, a senior majoring in History and Secondary Education and the Alumni Association’s Senior Class Representative, spearheaded the project with PENNDOT. He successfully solicited the required signatures from the Holy Family community. Over 300 signatures were obtained from faculty, staff, alumni, and students. License plates will be ready for distribution in February 2008. Those who signed the petition will be contacted to fill out an application to transfer his/ her automobile’s registration to a brand new Holy Family license plate. Information and applications will be made available through the Office of Alumni and Parents.

Save the Date 4

Annual Accelerated MBA Alumni Reception 4 Friday, April 18, 2008 Union League of Philadelphia Sponsored by the Division of Extended Learning and the

Alumni Association representatives present Sister Francesca Onley with license plate number 20025 in recognition of her 25th anniversary as President. Once issued, her official license plate number will be the same. Pictured are (from left to right) Marie Zecca, S. Francesca Onley, Timothy Miller, Linda Colwell-Smith and Kathy Warchol.

R ed C arpet T reatment

for

Office of Alumni and Parents Guest speaker: Ann Gill, Senior Vice President, Wachovia For more information and to register contact us at alumni@holyfamily.edu or 267-341-3339.

J ust $10

You don’t have to be an Oscar winner to feel like a VIP. Join the Holy Family Alumni Association for just $10 and enjoy all the benefits of membership, including: a subscription to the monthly alumni newsletter; discounts at the Holy Family Fitness Center (a $250 value); unlimited use of the Holy Family Library; and that warmfuzzy feeling you get from supporting scholarships for deserving students.

call

267-341-3339 to join now!

PAGE 30 Holy Family University Magazine

MEMORYLANE

Howlin’ Good Time Since 1954, performances ranging from the dramatic to the comical have been a part of Holy Family campus life.

Any idea what this intrepid student and his furry sidekick are up to? (Clue: The photo was snapped in the 1970s at one of Holy Family’s traditional holiday events.)

If you have a priceless photo to share, send it to: Editor Holy Family University Magazine 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 magazine@holyfamily.edu

GIVINGBACK

From Heartache to Hope: One Scholarship Made the Difference Jenna Schemm appears to be a typical Holy Family student. But

looks can be deceiving.

A 2005 graduate of Northeast High School, the college junior always wanted to attend Holy Family. During her first year at the University, Schemm’s love for learning became apparent; the student who liked high school loved college. She selected Elementary and Special Education as her major with hopes of graduating in spring 2009.

However, like many college students, Schemm struggled to pay her tuition. Her parents divorced when she was young and money was tight. During her freshman year, Schemm’s father paid her tuition, and she began working at Dear Meadows Retirement Community to cover her living expenses.

Tragically, a few days before the beginning of spring semester exams, Schemm’s father succumbed to a massive heart attack and died, throwing her world into turmoil. She not only lost her father that day — she also lost all financial support. Schemm desperately needed a way to pay her sophomore year tuition.

She knew that quitting college was not an option. So, Schemm increased her hours at the retirement community, working the 6 am to 2:30 pm shift two to three days during the week and pulling double shifts on the weekend.

In addition to working 20 to 30 hours per week and carrying a full schedule of courses, Schemm also spent one day per week at a local elementary school teach-

PAGE 32 Holy Family University Magazine

ing third graders as part of Holy Family’s Education program requirements. It was a grueling schedule. But she knew she needed to continue if she hoped to graduate.

Hoping to ease the financial strain, Schemm applied for and received a W.W. Smith Charitable Trust scholarship in her junior year. The scholarship provided much-needed assistance that allowed her to return to Holy Family. At an October luncheon for scholarship recipients, Schemm personally thanked Louise Havens and Michelle Montgomery, representatives from the Trust.

“When I found out I was receiving this scholarship, I was excited and relieved. I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. The W.W. Smith Charitable Trust has given me hope and faith for the future,” says Schemm.

Over the years, scholarships at Holy Family University have helped countless students like Schemm. Holy Family is dedicated to assisting even more students reach their academic goals by continuously seeking additional sources of scholarship funds. In November, Holy Family “roasted” Sister Francesca Onley in honor of her twenty-five years as President. More than $167,000 was pledged towards creating an endowed

scholarship in Sister Francesca’s name.

The goal is to provide full tuition assistance for a first-time, full-time freshman, who like Schemm, has academic merit and financial need.

In September, the University also held its first annual Scholarship Stewardship Dinner. This dinner brought together scholarship recipients and donors and provided a meaningful way for the students to thank the many people who provide scholarship support.

Thanks to Holy Family’s benefactors, Schemm is well on her way to achieving the dream of a college degree.

- Heather Costello and Suzanne Libenson

A Family for METI-Man Gurneys, oxygen tanks, heart monitors, and crash carts line the room. Amidst the equipment, a patient lies prone while a nurse administers CPR. The monitor beeps ominously, and it appears he is suffering a heart attack.

But a closer inspection reveals the patient is not real; he is METI-Man, a simulator that mimics more than 90 different medical conditions, from heart attacks to drug overdoses. Now, thanks to a grant of nearly $200,000 from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry, this bachelor is becoming a “family” man. These funds will support an additional METI-Man as well as a simulated child and baby, which will be born to a birthing mannequin.

Acquiring this family of simulators will provide Holy Family’s nursing students with invaluable experience in all phases of a patient’s life. By working with simulators, nursing students can practice techniques for virtually every symptom imaginable — before encountering real patients during their clinical rotations.

To accommodate these additional simulators, the University plans to renovate and expand the existing nursing laboratory. The upgraded facility will feature three separate simulation rooms, a nursing practice room, a conference room for students to debrief after simulation, and a training room. Construction on the laboratory is slated to begin during the summer of 2008.

Interested in supporting Sister Francesca’s new endowed scholarship or the Nursing Laboratory? We’ll tell you how.

Contact Michael Foley, Director of Development, at 267-341-3428 or mfoley25@holyfamily.edu

- Suzanne Libenson

Students practice their nursing skills on METI-Man, a simulated patient that mimics over 90 medical conditions. A simulated child, baby and birthing mannequin will soon join the Nursing Lab. magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 33

GIVINGBACK On the scene:

Silver Anniversary Dinner and Roast To honor Sister Francesca Onley’s 25th year as President of Holy Family, colleagues and friends turned out to “roast and toast” their fearless leader on November 29 at Belle Voir Manor in Bensalem.

The evening’s program provides a glimpse of the mirth and merriment to come. (1)

2

The guest of honor calls the troops to dinner. (2) Father Alexander “Sandy” Pocetto of DeSales University reminds Sister Francesca, “it’s all in good fun!” (3)

1

Alfred Johnson, Jr., Men’s Basketball Coach, and Dr. Arthur Grugan, Professor of Philosophy, ponder whether the event organizers will be employed tomorrow. (4) Michael VanThuyne, Assistant Vice President for Finance, Budget, and Institutional Research, relaxes before dinner with Paul and Carita Geib. (5)

4 3

Sister Celine Warnilo, Sister Francesca, and Sister Loretta Theresa Felici get into the swing of the evening. (6) Roast Mistress and President of Cabrini College, Dr. Antoinette Iadarola, brandishes “the hook” as a warning to unruly Roasters. (7)

5 8

Bensalem Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo applies the hook to his nephew, Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R-18th District). (8) Director of Athletics Sandra Michael jokes about Sister Francesca’s affinity for fundraising. (9)

7

6

Trustee Raymond Angelo thrills the crowd with his “Carnac the Magnificent” routine. (10) Family Bonding: Sister Michael Onley, Director of Volunteers at Nazareth Hospital, and Sister Francesca Onley show they know how to laugh at themselves. (11)

10 11

9

PAGE 34 Holy Family University Magazine

On the scene:

19th Annual Golf Classic More than $52,206 was raised for student financial aid as a result of Holy Family’s day on the links at Torresdale Frankford Country Club on October 3.

“Yes — nailed it!” (1) Members of Students at Your Service keep things moving smoothly. (2)

11

On the scene:

Charles Geib, Sr. of Southampton Window Cleaning and Janitorial Service, Inc. takes a break. (3)

An Evening of Donor Appreciation t Holy Family said “thank you” to its benefactors at the annual appreciation event, held November 2 in the Perzel Education and Technology Center.

Several donors were honored with the Founders’ Award for their generous contributions to the University. Pictured are: Roger Bomgardner of Commerce Bank; Lesia and Ray La Gioia of Chapel Insurance; Dennis Colgan, Chair of the Board of Trustees and past awardee; Sister Francesca; and Trustee Walter McKeon, and his wife Elizabeth McKeon. (1)

Posing between shots is the foursome from Standard Digital Imaging. (4)

2

Stephen Gregory of Beneficial Bank (far right) relaxes with his guests after a long day on the links. (5) Team members from Holt Logistics, Corp. proudly display the winner’s trophy in front of the Torresdale Frankford Country Club. (6)

1

3

2

3

4

Director of Development Michael Foley chats with Richard Stever of Chapel Insurance. (2) Sister Noreen Werner, Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement, greets Richard Slinkard, of Accent Communications and his 1 guest, Alison Staplin, PhD. (3) Trustee Tony Szuszczewicz and his wife Mary Ann share a smile with Sister Patrice Feher, Vice President of Student Services. (4)

4 5

Trustee Carl Gregory eagerly looks forward to his ice cream “martini.” (5) “Play it one more time, Sam!” (6)

5

6 6

magazine@holyfamily.edu PAGE 35

LASTWORD

Associate Professor of Nursing Susan Miovech, PhD, recently visited China as part of the People to People program — an information exchange on nursing education and health care delivery.

Making the Rounds with

Susan Miovech What do you think is the most important thing American and Chinese nurses can learn from each other?

There are a lot of challenges to providing quality health care in China. They have an immense number of people and an immense number of miles between them. They also have a very traditional culture, which they are trying to blend with modern, commercial education. China offers few baccalaureate degrees, so most of their institutions offer vocational-level programs. They are interested in learning about how we deliver public health care and community nursing on the family level. As for what the US can learn from the Chinese, the holism of traditional Chinese medicine — the healing of the mind, body, and spirit, and the use of complementary alternative medicines. The Chinese have a firm belief in keeping the body in balance.

What drove you into a career of helping others?

When I was 10 years old, I was diagnosed with junior rheumatoid arthritis. I was in the old Children’s Hospital for 74 days on bed rest. That was my first exposure to student nurses. For my 11th birthday, a friend of mine gave me a book from the Cherry Ames Student Nurse series. I ended up collecting all 24 volumes. I never wanted to do anything else.

Holy Family’s Bob Macartney interviewed Dr. Miovech to get her thoughts on healthcare in China, the latest trends in nursing, and the challenges facing newly-minted nurses.

How do you feel about the recent trend in higher education toward incorporating evidence-based nursing education into the curriculum?

I am in favor of it. When I was studying to be a nurse, we were taught a certain way, and we were taught that way because that is how our teachers learned to be a nurse. We were taught to have a patient’s bed “up” because it made it easier to care for them, but we wondered why so many patients fell out of bed and injured themselves. Studies later showed that patients suffered significantly fewer injuries when the bed is lowered.

Research and studies that prove specific treatment plans work should be incorporated into the education of nurses.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing nurses new to the workforce?

Trying to get the vast amount of knowledge nurses need into their heads so they can organize it and begin to apply it when they are working with patients. There is a culture shock in going from clinical days with an instructor to becoming a part of the nursing team where you are on your own with patients.

Holy Family offers a leadership course during a student’s senior year to help them “put it all together” and prepare for the transition.

What are your most vivid memories of your nursing career?

Do you have a favorite memory from your near decade of teaching?

As a student nurse, I will always remember the time I was in a room as the doctor was explaining instructions to an elderly lady. I could tell she was having a hard time understanding him, and at the time, there were no printed discharge instructions. So I wrote them down for her, and the look of gratitude on her face is something I will never forget. She understood what it was the doctor wanted her to do. As a staff nurse, I spent most of my career in maternity, and I will never forget the first time I helped with a birth.

After I started at Holy Family, there was a time when my husband and I were both ill, and I needed to take some time off. The faculty in the Nursing department — my colleagues — filled in for me, and the Dean even went to one of my clinical sites to step in for me. I don’t know if everyone comes to Holy Family with a family-oriented mindset, or they learn it here, but it meant a lot to my family — and I am sure to the students in that class — to see other faculty filling in.

PAGE 36 Holy Family University Magazine

Be Someone’s Good Fortune Consider a gift to the Annual Fund. Regardless of the amount, your gift directly supports students on the path to enlightenment.

Ready to make a difference?

Please use the envelope enclosed in this issue or send your donation to: Holy Family University Development Office 9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114 For additional information, please contact Michael L. Foley, Director of Development, at 267-341-3428.

Hot Car+Cool Plate= One Sweet Ride

Show your Tiger Pride everywhere you go with the new Holy Family University license plate!

Now available through the Alumni Association for just $30, each plate features the official University seal.

Proceeds benefit the Holy Family University Alumni Association.

For more information, call 267-341-3339 or e-mail alumni@holyfamily.edu.

Sorry, hot car not included.

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

9801 Frankford Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19114-2009

Permit No. 675 Southeastern, PA