Mercyhurst magazine - Spring 2014

MAGAZINE SPRING 2014

Securing the future ‘Hurst trains next generation of intelligence leaders

Also inside: 2 Sisters of Mercy still on staff Chittister Archive opens Chapel to get facelift

A message from

the president I came to Mercyhurst full time in 1997, so I don’t personally remember the days when the Sisters of Mercy were everywhere on campus – but I’ve always felt that Mercy spirit. Even though the number of Sisters here was dropping by the time I arrived, you couldn’t miss the legacy they had built here. You felt it everywhere, and I continue to be grateful for it.

There are only two Sisters of Mercy working with us full time now. I’ve told both Sister Lisa Mary and Sister Pat that they’re not allowed to retire, but there’s a real possibility that at some point there might not be any Sisters left on our staff. The question that needs to be addressed is: How can those of us who follow them ensure that the Mercy spirit and tradition live on at the university the Sisters created?

One school of thought is that we need to create a “Mercy community” to take on that responsibility. I hope you’ll take a moment to read the story on page 15 that outlines this idea, as well as profiles of our two remaining Sisters.

I thought I knew our Trustees pretty well, but I learned a bit more about 15 of them who are Mercyhurst alumni in Mary Daly’s feature story in this issue. Mary, who very capably handles Board of Trustees matters now, is also Mercyhurst’s longest-serving employee.

She remembers all these Trustees from their student days and has some interesting stories to tell.

It’s fun to look back, but of course most of our time is spent looking forward, positioning Mercyhurst for the future and working to ensure that our students get the kind of hands-on, real-world experiences that prepare them to succeed.

You’ll read about these efforts in this issue, too. We’re especially proud that Erie native Tom Ridge has agreed to lend his name to an exciting new initiative for our intelligence studies department, already one of our best-known and most successful programs.

We offered our first January-term (J-term) at the beginning of the year, and many of our faculty developed and taught exciting new courses for this intensive, three-week time frame. For some, it was the perfect time to lead groups to destinations all over the world.

We opened an archival center this spring to help make the works of Joan Chittister, OSB ’62, one of our most distinguished alumni, available to our students and to the public. We’re extremely grateful to the family of another Mercyhurst graduate, Helen Loebelenz Boyle ’34, for helping us honor Helen’s very dear friend.

There’s much more inside, including stories about just a few of our alumni who are impacting the world in all sorts of ways.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading their stories, and will let us know about other stories we can tell in future issues.

God bless you, and God bless Mercyhurst University.

Thomas J. Gamble, Ph.D. President, Mercyhurst University

ON THE COVER:

VIEW THIS ISSUE ONLINE!

mercyhurst.edu/magazine 1

Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge chats with Justine Chopp (left) of Billings, Montana, and Olga Bugera of Erie during the announcement of the Tom Ridge School of Intelligence Studies and Information Science. Both women are completing master’s degrees in applied intelligence at Mercyhurst.

What’s inside

this issue 3

TOM RIDGE LENDS NAME TO NEW INTELLIGENCE SCHOOL

5

STUDENTS EXPLORE THE WORLD DURING FIRST J-TERM

7

FIFTEEN MERCYHURST GRADUATES NOW SERVE AS TRUSTEES

13

TWO SISTERS OF MERCY REMAIN ON FULL-TIME STAFF

15

WHOLE COMMUNITY CALLED TO PRESERVE MERCY SPIRIT

16

FUNDS SOUGHT TO BRIGHTEN CHRIST THE KING CHAPEL

17

TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT THAT ICONIC CHAPEL MURAL

19

NEW ARCHIVE HONORS JOAN CHITTISTER, OSB ‘62

21

ADULT STUDENTS CHANGE CAREERS, LIVES

23

CHRIS ANDERSON ’08 TACKLES IRONMAN FOR A GOOD CAUSE

23

SANDI ZOBREST ’70 DEVELOPS LINE OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

24

WILL URSPRUNG ’76 CREATES ART FROM UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

25

TRUSTEES RETIRE AFTER DECADES OF SERVICE

26

‘HURST ARCHAEOLOGISTS EXPLORE ICE AGE SITE IN FLORIDA

27

MEGHAN AGOSTA-MARCIANO ’11 BRINGS HOME ANOTHER GOLD

27

MIKE FOLGA ’86 FINALLY GETS TO HOIST STANLEY CUP

28

SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM FALL AND WINTER SPORTS

29

HONOR A FACE OF MERCYHURST – AND OTHER WAYS TO HELP YOUR ALMA MATER

31

CLASS NOTES

33

‘HURST LOSES TWO LONG-TIME SISTERS OF MERCY

34

RAYMOND KRESS ’00, JESSICA FIDEN ’11 HONORED FOR HEROISM

34

WHY WE GIVE BACK: MIKE AND OLGA POLISHCHUK LYDEN (BOTH ’07)

34

JOHN LANGER ’95 APPOINTED TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Office of Marketing and Public Relations publishes Mercyhurst Magazine twice a year.

Editor Susan Hurley Corbran ’73 scorbran@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2090 Contributing Writers Abby Badach Susan Corbran ’73 Mary Daly ‘66 David Leisering ‘01 Deborah W. Morton Allison Seib Mary Hembrow Snyder, Ph.D. Design/Photography Jennifer Cassano jcassano@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3022 Contributing Photographers Breanna Bertolini ‘09 Matt Durisko ‘14 Rich Forsgren ‘84 Ed Mailliard Vice President for External Affairs Monsignor David Rubino, Ph.D. drubino@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3034 Associate Vice President for Advancement Ryan Palm ’07 rpalm@mercyhurst.edu (800) 845-8568 (814) 824-3320 Director, Alumni Relations Tamara Walters twalters@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3350 Class Notes Editor Debra Tarasovitch dtarasovitch@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2392 We’d love to hear from you.

Send your story ideas, suggestions and comments to scorbran@mercyhurst.edu.

Send changes of address to: Alumni Relations Mercyhurst University 501 E. 38th St. Erie, PA 16546 alumni@mercyhurst.edu 2

Making sense of ‘big data’ RIDGE SCHOOL PIONEERS NEW APPROACH TO INTELLIGENCE ANALYSIS

By Debbie Morton

“In recent months we have witnessed the disappearance of a large international airliner, the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the rapid spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, an alarming number of heroin deaths from Vermont to western Pennsylvania, a cyber-attack on a major American retailer, and a landslide in Washington state.

All these events were preceded by warning signs, signals that would indicate a certain likelihood of occurrence.”

So how do you make sense of all this, asked James Breckenridge, Ph.D., in delivering his remarks to a full house gathered for the April 11 dedication of The Tom Ridge School of Intelligence Studies and Information Science.

How do you separate the signals from the noise and reach some understanding of what it means so that we are not continually surprised and, therefore, less competitive, less safe and less secure?

The answer, he proffered, is in the interdisciplinary approach that the new Ridge School will take in merging the skill sets of the intelligence professional, the mathematics and computer systems expert, and the communications specialist to produce a career professional comfortable in all three domains.

The intel hybrid – already a pioneer among academic institutions worldwide – has taken the name of another world-class pioneer: Tom Ridge, the nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security, the 43rd governor of Pennsylvania and Erie’s native son.

In accepting the honor, Ridge told the crowd gathered in the board room of the Center for Academic Engagement in April that he was both humbled and flattered to be associated with a program that is already so well known.

“This program is widely recognized and acclaimed in Washington regardless of who it is named after, and that’s a fact,” he said.

Ridge credited the vision of Robert Heibel, who founded the program, and the ambitious new direction taken by Breckenridge, dean and architect of the Ridge School, as “revolutionary.”

And in gratitude, Mercyhurst President Tom Gamble, Ph.D., said, “We are deeply honored that Governor Ridge is lending his name to an innovative program that has helped catapult Mercyhurst University onto the world stage, and we look forward to graduating individuals who aspire to combine keen analytic skills with a commitment to genuine human flourishing in the manner of Governor Ridge.”

3

Mercyhurst’s intelligence studies program educates students for careers in national security, law enforcement and business and is the university’s top major and leader in distance and online learning. It draws students from across the nation and abroad. From its European headquarters at Mercyhurst Ireland in Dungarvan to its role in educating partner nations of the U. S. Department of State in intelligence analysis, its reach is global.

In recognition of its growth and as a vehicle by which it can best structure bold new objectives, the department recently reconfigured to become the university’s seventh school, incorporating not only intelligence studies, but mathematics, computer systems and communication.

The amalgam of disciplines is in direct response to the extraordinary volume, complexity and variety of data in the world today: from the billion socialmedia posts every couple days to the more than 1 million customer transactions Walmart handles every hour. There is a compelling need to assimilate, analyze and extract information from data to assist corporations, government and law enforcement in making critical decisions going forward.

“Mercyhurst has the opportunity to fill an exploitable educational niche, provide exciting career opportunities for our students, and meet the security and business demands of the 21st century environment,” Breckenridge said. “Currently, no higher education institution in the United States has developed an equivalent initiative.”

In closing, Breckenridge said, “We have only to look at 9/11, WMD, the recent financial crisis, disease outbreaks and an aggressively competitive global environment to know that the information and analytic skill set requires constant revision and new learning. Our curriculum, teaching and research approaches will not – and in fact cannot – remain the same. As prevailing practice incorporates new and better ways of doing business, those new and better ways should also be taught to the next generation of intelligence practitioners. But the first task is to identify those better ways of doing business. Governor Ridge personifies this approach and our new school embodies this spirit of educational innovation.”

Learn more and view pictures and video from this event.

mercyhurst.edu/magazine

4

Globetrotting students enjoy

first J-term

By Allison Seib

There was a lot going on during the university’s inaugural J-term session in January.

The switch from trimesters to semesters opened the door for a three-week accelerated term. It wasn’t just Erie’s campus that was lively with students enrolled in courses both old and new — four faculty-led excursions sent dozens of students around the world where they experienced life beyond Mercyhurst’s gates.

GUYANA

Spending 11 days in Georgetown, the capital and largest city in Guyana, allowed Dr. Laura Lewis’ group of 10 students to learn more about social welfare outside the United States, specifically the injustices of the political and socioeconomic system, as well as the challenges the Third World country in South America faces due to a lack of available resources.

Mornings were spent listening to speakers who helped the group better understand Guyana, its people and its culture, while afternoons were spent volunteering at several organizations. Students engaged with children at the Bosco Boys Orphanage, the local Mercy Hospital, Sisters of Charity Daycare, a nursing home and a school for students who were deaf or had other disabilities.

One highlight of the “Guyana Experience” was the opportunity to converse with their Amerindian tour guides as they kayaked down a tributary in the Amazon Rainforest.

IRELAND

Yet another Mercyhurst group journeyed across the Atlantic to Ireland during J-term. While the 18 students led by English professor Dr. Heidi Hosey spent some time at Mercyhurst’s Irish base in Dungarvan, the trip revolved around the study of Irish mythology and its indigenous and Celtic roots.

Students spent three days on campus reading several Irish narratives before spending more than a week roaming across four of the five mythological regions in Ireland (Lenster, Mide, Munster and Connacht).

The adventure also took the group to several Neolithic sites, including Newgrange in the east and Poulnebrone Dolamn in the west. They also visited several “Age of Kings” battlement sites and castles, all the while immersing themselves in Ireland’s rich history and culture.

5

Mercyhurst Service Learning thought the three-week J-term was the perfect time to increase volunteer hours.

During “J-Serve,” here’s how the Mercyhurst community gave back:

MORE THAN

H OURS of community service

VIETNAM

It was a trip of a lifetime for everyone in Dr. David Dausey’s War and Public Health course, which examined the long-term public health consequences of war, specifically in Vietnam. Before spending nearly two weeks in southern Asia, students not only studied the American-Vietnamese War, but other conflicts like World War II and the three Indochina wars that impacted the social and public health infrastructures of the country.

From landing in Vietnam’s largest city of Ho Chi Minh to bicycling through a remote village in Hoi An, Dausey and the group of 20 students trekked all over the country.

Stops at the Imperial City in Hue, the underground Củ Chi tunnels (used by Viet Cong soldiers during the Vietnam War), and a ride via traditional Asian longboats down the Mekong Delta to shop in the floating market were just some of the highlights of the trip.

33 2 ½

STUDENTS SPENT WEEKS AND EACH TO prepare meals at two shelters

$5

STUDENTS taught English to non-native speakers

150 packed for Erie City schools

J-Serve

Erie students volunteered during

U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER

Even though the 13 students in Humanigration, led by assistant professor of political science Dr. Natasha Duncan, didn’t actually set foot in Mexico, they spent five days learning about immigration, factors that influence policy-making and border history through BorderLinks, a nonprofit, educational organization based in Tucson, Ariz.

Students met with activists, nonprofit and charitable organizations and listened to speakers who shared perspectives on both sides of immigration law. Students examined the human component of immigration, while also focusing on the people caught in the crosshairs, their human rights and their overall humanity.

In addition, students got an up-close view of a portion of the immense barrier at the U.S.-Mexican border in Nogales, Ariz.; participated in a community beautification service project in Tucson by painting a graffiti-covered fence; and even learned how to make Pupusas, a Salvadoran dish consisting of a thick corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and beans.

packed for Second Harvest Food Bank

165 towels 31 hand towels

DONATED 550 sock pairs 84 wash cloths

student-athletes

DONATED

warm clothing to an Erie shelter 6

Remember when they were students

By Mary Daly ‘66

There is something to be said for sticking around to see your alma mater change and grow and its graduates grow right along with it.

It’s a great place to be when asked to write a reflection piece on alumni of Mercyhurst who are now Trustees of our university. It’s been a walk down memory lane, looking back on them as students, young adults and successful professionals. Some vignettes are serious, others lighthearted, and still others about them and me together. Each is true.

My appreciation to these Alumni-Trustees who allowed me to recall memories of them. What good sports they were!

And so the story begins, as I celebrate a common thread among us – our love and loyalty to our alma mater.

TRUSTEE MARY ELLEN DAHLKEMPER ’73 President, Mercyhurst Prep School, Erie, Pa. • Trustee since Dec. 15, 2005 She graduated in 1973, a member of our first freshman class of women and men. They considered themselves “pioneers.”

Mary Ellen Dahlkemper was part of the infamous class that insisted on being the first to have an outdoor graduation.

There was no Plan B and it poured. They were brave pioneers, all right. Between squishes and splashes, the graduating class ran to Saint Luke Church in soaked gowns and curled mortarboards only to listen to the worst graduation speaker ever. There’s never been another outdoor graduation or outside speaker at an Erie graduation. We thought we had all but erased that graduation from Mercyhurst memory until October 1997 rolled along. Seems workmen were taking up the hardwood flooring in Weber Hall that had absorbed the leaps of ballet dancers for a quarter-century to restore it as the library great room. There they discovered small pieces of masking tape on black tile with names on each, lined up like ducks in a row. They were names of the graduates of 1973. Mary Ellen had returned to Mercyhurst in 1996 as director of our adult college and graduate programs. I was probably one of her many calls that day. “I found my name, I found it!” she squealed in a voice you might expect had she won the Powerball jackpot. “You must see it. I’ll meet you there,” she insisted. Sure enough, there it was and probably still is, now covered by carpeting. Mary Ellen’s mark is on Mercyhurst, in more ways than one.

TRUSTEE ROSEMARY D. DURKIN, ESQ. ‘77 Shareholder, Stark & Stark, Attorneys at Law, Princeton, N.J. • Trustee since Oct. 16, 1997 You couldn’t miss Rosemary Durkin as a young student. She stood out with her flaming red hair and she married classmate Jeff Best, also a carrot-top. She was feisty, determined, fun-loving, and had already decided to follow in her Aunt Catherine’s footsteps as an attorney. Catherine Durkin ‘36 was a charter member of the 1963 lay advisory board that later became the board of trustees. She left a big footprint on the Mercyhurst landscape when she retired in 1987. Ten years later, it was Rosemary’s turn to take up the baton. She is as dependable as a trustee as she was as a student. She took on the job of writing the governance history of the institution and its first nondiscrimination policy, and is currently in the thick of trustee leadership on the question of whether Mercyhurst campus police should carry firearms. She’s never left Mercyhurst since graduation in 1977. In fact, Rosemary and Jeff might hold the record among us. They’ve missed only two Homecomings. Like mother (and father), like daughter. Rosemary’s daughter, Deirdre, who graduated from Mercyhurst this spring, is engaged to a ‘Hurst classmate. A few months ago I was at an Irish shop in South Buffalo and saw a plaque that reminded me of the Best-Durkin family. It reads: “A face without freckles is like a sky without stars.” I said to the store owner, “This is perfect. Wrap it up!”

7

TRUSTEE SISTER MARY FELICE DUSKA RSM ‘64 Executive director, Mercy Terrace Apartments, Erie, Pa. • Trustee since May 3, 2003 Little Lucille Ann Duska wanted to be a nun when she was in 8th grade, or before, at Holy Family grade school, but her parents would not let her join the Franciscan Sisters who staffed the school until she graduated from high school. Lu went to Mercyhurst Seminary and there she met the Mercies. In 1952 she became one of them. She couldn’t take the name Lucille, as there already was a Mercy Sister by that name, so she submitted three names to the superior. One was the French variation of Felix, her dad’s name. She remembered his nickname, Felix the Cat, and would have none of that, but Felice had a soft sound and it was close enough to still honor him. It was 13 summers later before Sister Mary Felice would finally graduate from Mercyhurst College. She recalls it wasn’t much of a celebration, a dinner in the State Dining Room without any fanfare presentation, and without any diploma at all. It hadn’t yet arrived. Today she is on her second career as executive director of the Mercy Terrace Apartments, a senior living complex adjacent to the motherhouse. I used to say, “When I’m old enough, I’d like to live there.” It’d be like Cinderella’s glass slipper, the perfect fit for me being right next to the Sisters. There’s always a long waiting list to get in, but I haven’t even put my name on the list. Instead, “Frannie” and I are staying put. My pooch put the kibosh on that move.

TRUSTEE JOSEPH G. NECASTRO ‘78 Chief administrative and financial officer, Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn. • Trustee since Oct. 22, 2011 Young Joe NeCastro crushed the 1978 Pennsylvania CPA exam, ranking 1st on the test.

I remember the president saying, “This is big news for our business department. Get something out immediately.”

He added, “Keep an eye on that young man; someday he could make a great trustee.” What a prophecy that was. A few years ago I went back to school (again) and one of the program’s prerequisites was accounting. There are three “Withdraws” for Acct 101 on my Mercyhurst transcript and you’d find another from Owens County Community College where I tried it online. I finally succeeded in 2008-2009, having registered for an 8 a.m. Saturday course taught by an adjunct who wouldn’t know me. We had three 1-1/2 hour tests without computer software. It was our first test and I was still struggling with the first problem when one of the male students got up to use the men’s room, or so I thought. Wrong. He had completed the exam. I sat twisting my hair and using my eraser.

Finally I got everything to balance, but, of course, was last to leave the classroom. “Think you got it, Mary?” the prof asked. “I think so” and then asked, “Mr. Jackson, that fellow who finished licketysplit. Any chance his last name is NeCastro? I’m wondering if Joe NeCastro, one of our graduates, has a son at Mercyhurst now. If so, did you know his dad ranked #1 on the CPA exam?” The president of United Way of Erie County said, “I don’t know of anyone who’s ever done that.” I replied, “Well, our Joe did. He’s brilliant.” Got that right on the ledger.

TRUSTEE JOHN HENRY LANGER ‘95 President, H. Jack’s Plumbing and Heating Co., Cleveland, Ohio, and Erie, Pa. • Trustee since Feb. 22, 2014 Off the field he was quiet and reserved. On the field he was a terror. That’s John Henry Langer, who for four years wore his #73 jersey on the Laker football squad. He had it all: the size, speed and strength to be a defensive lineman in the NFL. That’s how good he was, recalls his former head coach, Joe Kimball. “He was a leader and one of the best players I ever had.” John was team captain and MVP for two years and for years held the record in the football weight room. His mother kept the sport in perspective and would tell John he needed to prepare for life after football. She wanted him to broaden his horizons and gain an appreciation for the arts and culture that are so much a part of her. He knew she had his best interest at heart and listened to her wisdom. It’s almost 20 years later and a successful entrepreneur has emerged. John turned in his cleats for custom-made suits to fit his rugged frame that off-the-rack clothes won’t fit. When you meet this newest Mercyhurst trustee, you would suspect he was a football player in an earlier life. His 6’3”/285 lb. playing weight is a giveaway. I remember our Sister Damien telling me, “I’m going to the Langers for dinner.

I’m a good friend of John’s mother and grandmother, you know.” Actually, I hadn’t.

I always wondered how she met the Langers. Chances are it was her cowbell and raucous cheerleading at John’s games.

I didn’t dare ask!

8

TRUSTEE MARLENE DITULLIO MOSCO ‘68 Regional president, Northwest Pennsylvania, PNC Bank, Erie, Pa. • Trustee since Oct. 19, 1995 Along came Marlene who rocked the boat. We were a small department. In my class only three of us were business majors with sights set on teaching.

Two years later there were five business majors and one was Marlene DiTullio.

But Marlene was cut from a different cloth. She wanted to be a business woman, not a business teacher, and took classes at Gannon to fill the gaps in administration and management. It was a man’s world out there in the ‘60s.

Marlene saw it otherwise. If she could get a foot in the door, she’d control her own destiny. She got that break right out of college and became a training director at a hometown bank where she later moved up to director of marketing and public relations. For 30 years she steadily climbed the corporate ladder, survived the merger of two financial institutions, and in 1998 was named the first female regional president of PNC Bank. She had been elected a trustee of her alma mater three years prior and made board history as the first graduate of Mercyhurst elected chair of the board. From her years as a student to her days in the corner office, Marlene has known how to play to her strengths: an enviable personality, a selfconfidence like no other, and a fierce determination to pave the way for the next generation of women. I’ve been thinking about a mug from another time in my life that reads “Queen of the Hill.” I’m going to gift it to Madame Chair. She’s in the catbird seat now.

TRUSTEE ROBERT S. MILLER ‘11 Chairman, NEFoods, Inc., North East, Pa. Trustee since Oct. 22, 1991 Bob Miller knows how to make a great pizza. He’s been nationally recognized for his innovation and creativity in the pizza industry.

In fact, he invented French Bread Pizza. There was no Shark Tank back then where aspiring entrepreneurs could make business pitches to a panel of potential investors. Bob’s a sharp businessman and I doubt he would have given up profit margin on his serious comfort food, regardless. More likely, he’d wait it out, go it alone or with a partner, and let the chips fall where they may. And that’s exactly what he did. He sold the rights to French Bread Pizza to Stouffer’s. Today he is a self-made man and the major benefactor of our North East Campus and the McAuley College where associate degree and certificate programs are headquartered. He knows how to wager a bet. He used his own money to hold the 84-acre complex in North East until the board of trustees could approve its purchase in 1991. It took bold vision to roll the dice. We call him the “Father of Mercyhurst North East” and Miller Hall, the landmark administrative building, is named in his honor. Bob received an honorary doctorate from Mercyhurst in 2011 in recognition of his strategic vision on behalf of the institution. Still, I can’t write about Bob without mentioning his pizza days. After all, Mercyhurst is part of a college town and serves slices of pizza on its cafeteria lines every day. Yogi Berra once said: “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.” That’s my kind of thinking.

TRUSTEE FRANK B. VICTOR ‘87 Chair, FRALO Industries, Inc., Erie, Pa. • Trustee since April 27, 2000 He wears snappy clothes, drives a truck to work, a silver convertible to board meetings, and owns three prime real estate homes. Frank Victor lives the good life. He knows he was abundantly blessed at a very early age and it makes him unpretentious. I remember when, still in college, he bought the University Club in downtown Erie, gave it a facelift, and named it “Michaeleno’s.” It opened the night he was to graduate in 1985, but instead, there was Frank, in the kitchen, serving his classmates with Victor hospitality. Maybe it’s his combined business and hotelier background, but Frank knows how to make a person feel important. He always calls you by your first name, tells you that you’ve done a good job, and is ready with a phone call to share himself with his alma mater.

“I’ve been part of Mercyhurst since I was 17 and my heart has never left. My daughter, Madison, is a sophomore at the Hurst and I couldn’t be prouder.” For 13 years he was the youngest trustee on the board. Since his election in 2000, nine other lay alumni have been added, in large part because of Frank’s push for more alumni trustee involvement. He has a winning smile, crystal blue eyes, and a personality that is always on. He’s charismatic, polished and fun to be around. Make no mistake about it: he’s a business magnate and a young urban professional still trying the world on for size. I just wish he’d reopen a university club and bring back the Vodka Gimlet. It was my drink as a young Mercyhurst professional.

9

TRUSTEE SISTER MARY ANN BADER, RSM ‘73

TRUSTEE ELLEN HAMMOND RYAN ‘64

Local Leader – Erie Sisters of Mercy, Erie, Pa. Trustee since Oct. 28, 2010

Community volunteer, fundraising consultant, Naples, Fla., and Petoskey, Mich.

Trustee since June 25, 2009

Sometimes I call Sister Mary Ann Bader the small town girl who made good. Other times, I tell her she’s Erie’s head honcho. Leadership titles changed among the Mercies when the Erie, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester and Philippine congregations merged in 2008 to form the New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community of Sisters of Mercy. Sister Mary Ann has changed right along with them. In 2014 she was tapped to be local leader of the Erie Sisters. Years ago the title would have been president and, before that, superior. The down-to-earth Mary Ann is way more comfortable with the 21st century title when relating to the aging Erie sisters, many of them her teachers in times past. Once numbering 220, the Erie sisters have dwindled to 41 and Sister Mary Ann is the only one of the five postulants who entered in the “January 1968 crowd” still in religious life. “Alums of my class year won’t even remember me,” she said.

“I should have graduated in 1971, but I was a novice in canonical year.”

She was a teacher, music educator and principal at Saint Patrick’s in Franklin until she returned to Erie in 1995 to work at the Mercy Center for Women, then at the Diocese of Erie for six years as director of teacher personnel, and then as president of Mercyhurst Prep for 11 years. She is greatly admired by the sisters for her gentility, warmth, kindness and compassion. They would say about her, “The quality of mercy is not strained.” I would say she’s a keeper.

Times were tough. My dad lost his job in the summer of my junior year. The Sisters accepted my Hammond Organ in lieu of my tuition. It wasn’t the only Hammond at Mercyhurst, but I didn’t know that. Come to find out Ellen Hammond was a senior home economics major that fall and was doing her six-week stint in the original farmhouse on the back campus, taking care of an infant from Saint Joseph Orphanage. That’s where she was Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was shot. Those were the years when Sister Rachel Weber was in her heyday, heading up the home ec department by day and playing the pipe organ in Christ the King Chapel at night. She used to take me to the loft with her, knowing I had trained on the pipe organ at Villa Conservatory. Funny the things we remember.

A few weeks ago, Ellen told me about a faculty member from her student days at Mercyhurst. She had only one elective and took an art appreciation course from John Locktefeld. It was a tipping point and shows the powerful influence one teacher can have on a life. As the years unfolded, Ellen has become deeply involved as an advocate, aficionado and leader of fundraisers to support the arts in her communities.

That’s the kind of story Mother Borgia had in mind when she founded her liberal arts college.

It’s 50 years later and I’m finally able to close a heartbreaking chapter from my young life: a Hammond is still part of my Mercyhurst.

10

TRUSTEE LEV J. KUBIAK ‘88 Director, National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, Washington, D.C. Trustee since Oct. 26, 2013 No other trustee has Mercyhurst roots to match those of Lev Kubiak. He is the son of Dick Kubiak, the colorful professor of history at Mercyhurst for 36 years, and of Liz Yonushonis ’63, the tall, striking brunette cadet teacher. Their romance was a Mercyhurst first. The Polish Prince was finally smitten and, of course, as young girls, we couldn’t get enough of it. Mercyhurst had its own “Richard and Elizabeth” story. Ten months later Lev was born and given the Polish name meaning “lion.” He has the voice and academic mind of his dad and the class and finely chiseled features of his mother. From them both he’s blessed with an inquisitive mind, great sense of humor, strong work ethic, and an instilled respect for authority. Lev has always been proud of his Mercyhurst heritage and storybook parents, but never rode their coattails. They had given him all he needed to carve his own history in today’s world. It didn’t take him long to cast his own long shadow after graduation.

He is with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington and director of its National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. He credits his Mercyhurst education in the liberal arts for providing him the foundation for his success. He’s thoughtful in his analysis, probing in his questioning, and highly articulate in his phrasing. It’s a long road from Mercyhurst to Washington, D.C., but whichever Hill he is on, Lev Kubiak is as impressive as they come.

TRUSTEE MATTHEW J. ROBASZKIEWICZ ‘88 Membership Services Coordinator and Meeting Planner National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, Inc., Washington, D.C. Trustee since Oct. 28, 2010 When you’ve been taught by the Sisters of Mercy during your formative years of high school and college, mission and service are a natural part of your life. Matthew Robaszkiewicz is one of those people. He wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Mercyhurst, Mercy values and Mercy mission. He was named to the board of directors of the Mercyhurst National Alumni Association in 2007 and has been its president since 2010. As such he is the voice on the board of trustees for the university’s more than 17,000 alumni. While he enjoys the honor, he takes his responsibilities seriously and speaks out and speaks up on their behalf. He is at every alumni function and steps up and digs in to fine-tune details. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. But that’s nothing unusual for him; it’s a carryover from when he was a student doing the meet and greets, always promoting Mercyhurst. He graduated with a major in hotel restaurant management and worked in the field for a year until he answered a higher calling to faith ministry. For the past eight years he has been affiliated with the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry and arranges conferences and meetings throughout the country. Matthew epitomizes the words, “Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.” It’s the rule book by which this Mercyhurst alum and trustee lives his life.

11

TRUSTEE PATRICK J. WESCHLER, ESQ. ‘78 Shareholder, Buckingham, Doolittle, Burroughs, Akron, Ohio Trustee since Oct. 28, 2010 His father was the bishop’s page at the laying of the cornerstone at Mercyhurst and his aunt, Sister Mary Charles Weschler, is a Mercyhurst legend. Closing in on their heels and blazing a trail of his own is Patrick Weschler. The year was 1976 and I had requested a work-study to help with the Golden Anniversary of the college. Patrick, then a junior, applied. Our multi-media ad campaign, “Fifty Years of Class,” swept awards that year on the local, regional and national levels. It even took a “Best of Show.”

When it was announced that we were the Big Kahuna of the night, I told my bright-as-they-come work-study, “Go up and accept, Patrick.” “Me? You sure?” I said, “I’m sure.” Afterward he kept saying, “But this is yours.” I said lightheartedly, “When you become a famous lawyer, boss lady gets one free consultation in return.” He said, “It’s a deal.” Twenty-three years later I was taking a business law course in mortuary school. I was stumped on a trial and remembered “the deal.” I called our alumni office to track down Attorney Weschler. He answered the phone. “Patrick, it’s boss lady.

Remember our deal, one free consult?” Of course he remembered. I continued.

“Can you tell me the right answer?” and I told him the legal case. He said, “That’s a famous one. I remember it from law school. It’s a tricky one.”

Then he shared the answer. The next week the law professor announced, “Class, there was only one correct answer to last week’s case study.

Good work, Ms. Daly!”

TRUSTEE RICHARD A. LANZILLO, ESQ. ‘83

TRUSTEE SISTER JOANNE K. COURNEEN, RSM ‘64

Shareholder, Knox McLaughlin, Gornall and Sennett, Erie, Pa. Trustee since Oct. 16, 2003

President, New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community, Sisters of Mercy, Buffalo, N.Y. • Trustee since Dec. 12, 1989

1983 was quite a year. The Internet officially began and the first cell phone, Microsoft Word program and computer mouse were introduced to the public. Richard Lanzillo and the 10th four-year class of male students at Mercyhurst who graduated that year changed forever the mischievous image the Philadelphia “Bonner Boys” had left behind. We all knew when he graduated the only thing between him and trusteeship was a matter of years to attend law school and time to settle into practice. Rich was the first to win backto-back terms as student government president and was the hands-down favorite to receive the Carpe Diem Award.

He was well-mannered, well-groomed and well-respected, and his crop of dark curly hair was the envy of his middleaged professors. Rich was never at a loss for ideas on how to make student life better and never shied away from getting those ideas off the drawing board. One of those memorable determinations was when, as student government president, he hired a plane and dumped 1,000 numbered ping pong balls over our baseball field for students to find winning numbers for big-ticket prizes. It was hard to keep up with his creativity, and he could easily have written a 365 NewIdeas-a-Year calendar.

For Rich Lanzillo, the student leader and now trustee, life has always been about putting students first. The name Richard is derived from Germanic elements “ric” (ruler, leader, king) and “hard” (strong, brave), together meaning “powerful leader.”

That certainly nails it when describing our Richard.

I try to be my own person. However, I find myself saying, “If I could be more like Sister JoAnne Courneen, I might be dancing to different music.” She’s measured in her words, while I ought sometimes to bite my tongue. But as time wears on, I am getting better. Well, sort of. Since July 1, 2012, Sister JoAnne has been president of the New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Sisters of Mercy, emerging as the leader from Erie, the smallest of the regional Mercy communities. I couldn’t make it to Buffalo that year for the April Assembly, but I watched the streaming of the vision statements on religious life in today’s world by the candidates for the Mercy leadership positions. Miss Sister JoAnne’s? Not on your life. She’s one special Mercyhurst graduate. I like the way she handles herself in every situation. She’s always personable, attentive, wise, humble, bright, hospitable, and a marvelous facilitator.

She’s a person who brings reason to emotion, calmness to controversy, and laughter to tense situations. She’s always upbeat and gracious, appreciative and sincere, and the room is hers when she walks in. I didn’t think there would ever be anyone who could fill Sister Carolyn’s shoes, but more and more I can feel her spirit when I’m around JoAnne. I studied Sister Carolyn’s mannerisms as a young professional and picked up a lot of pointers from her. I know that a part of Carolyn rubbed off on me. I’m hopeful part of JoAnne rubs off on me as well. She’s the total package. Let the music begin.

Mary Daly is President Tom Gamble’s liaison to the board of trustees. She remembers as a young PR person saying to President Sister Carolyn Herrmann, “Don’t you think I’d be good at handling the board of trustees? I do.” Carolyn was fond of the upstart and must have gotten a kick out of her naiveté. She answered in wisdom and directness, “Mary dear, you need a little seasoning.”

Mary was the founding editor of Mercyhurst Magazine, during which time one of her best-read features was a series titled “Remember when...” In her college days she was a four-year representative on student government, junior year social chair, senior class president, and senior outstanding day student of the year. Remember her?

12

Two remaining Sisters model Mercy spirit

By Sue Corbran

LISA MARY MCCARTNEY, RSM When Jane McCartney enrolled as a freshman at Mercyhurst, it was the first time she had the opportunity to attend a Catholic school. She joined the Cadet Teaching Program, in which students spent two of their college years teaching full time in Catholic schools in return for their tuition.

Just a year later, though, Jane left the cadet program and entered the Sisters of Mercy, becoming Sister Lisa Mary McCartney. She wore the long black dress and net veil of a postulant as she continued her college studies and prepared to take her vows. She taught 7th grade English at St. Luke School adjoining campus, and realized, while teaching 5th grade geography and music, she wasn’t cut out for an elementary school classroom. She switched her major to English and, after graduation in 1970, taught literature for five years at Mercyhurst Preparatory School.

13

She then headed to the University of Notre Dame to pursue a master’s degree.

Encouraged to set her sights higher, she stayed on for five years, working as a teaching assistant while she earned her doctorate.

She joined the faculty at Mercyhurst in 1982, when the English department had only three full-time teachers and a handful of majors. She chaired the English department and the humanities during some of those years. There were 11 full-time English faculty and about 70 majors and minors by the time she left in 2004 to become vice president of the Erie Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy. In a sad milestone, she was the last Sister of Mercy to teach full time at Mercyhurst.

Over the next four years, she and President Sister Bernadette Bell prepared the Erie community to consolidate with Mercy communities in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Rochester and the Philippines. The move was prompted by the dwindling numbers of women religious – an issue that Sister Lisa Mary is still confronting today as Mercyhurst’s first vice president for mission integration.

She took the post at Dr. Tom Gamble’s invitation in 2008 and has been working to ensure that the legacy of the founding Sisters of Mercy continues to flourish on The Hill, for she and Sister Pat Whalen are the only Sisters working full time at the school today.

One of her goals is to ensure Mercyhurst “hires for mission,” interviewing new faculty and administrators to discover whether they’re ready to participate in the Mercy mission. “The question isn’t just about whether they’re Catholic,” Sister Lisa Mary notes. “Today, it’s more about whether they can appreciate, respect, understand and participate in our Mercy and Catholic mission.”

She cautions that her position – though important – is only a step toward a solution. Preserving the mission isn’t a job for just one person. Instead, she hopes a larger “mission community” will evolve on campus, with many people sharing the responsibility (see next page).

PATRICIA WHALEN, RSM Mercyhurst Registrar Sister Patricia Whalen, RSM, works in a first-floor office in Old Main – on the same corridor she walked as a high school student back in the ‘50s, at what was then called Mercyhurst Seminary.

She stayed on to earn her degree in elementary education at Mercyhurst College. And, except for a few years teaching in diocesan schools and a year at Pitt to earn her master’s degree in reading, she’s been here ever since.

Sister Pat had her first teaching experience while she was still in college. With just a year of classwork under her belt, she was asked to teach the sixth grade at neighboring St. Luke School. She returned to full-time studies after that year, but working so closely with the Sisters of Mercy had planted a seed. “I was struck by their intelligence, their warmth and welcoming, their dedication to education, and it gradually emerged in me that I’d like to join this group of women and serve.”

By her senior year, she was a postulant with the Erie Community. She taught at St. George School in Erie and St. Patrick School in Franklin, and spent a semester as principal at St. Patrick before beginning her graduate work.

She joined the faculty in 1970, developing and teaching courses in elementary curriculum and methods and coordinating the Pre-Teaching Internship Program from its inception through Spring 1996. She also oversaw Mercyhurst’s Cadet Teaching Program. The cadet teachers spent their junior and senior years teaching in diocesan schools, and she made sure they were ready, creating a two-year sequence that gradually increased their responsibility for students. She also put a lot of miles on her car to observe cadets in schools all over the Erie Diocese.

In 1987, Sister Pat gave up her regular teaching load when she was elected to the leadership team for the Erie Community, but she continued to supervise the cadets and their pre-teaching experiences. When her term ended in 1996, she came back to the college as assistant academic dean.

She took over the registrar’s job three years later, running the office during a critical period when Mercyhurst was steadily growing and adapting to new technology. She says her dedicated staff and their close partnership with Information Technology staff have been the keys to her success there.

Education hasn’t been Sister Pat’s only vocation. She’s also been part of Mercy ministries in Erie’s inner city, like Hope House, a residence for women and their children that evolved into the Mercy Center for Women. Today she lives at the House of Prayer, a center for spirituality run by Sr. Rita Panciera, RSM. For more than 30 years, she’s also regularly visited inmates at the Erie County Prison. “Every ministry I’ve had has prepared me for the next one,” she says.

14

It takes a community

By Sue Corbran

When Lisa Mary McCartney entered the Sisters of Mercy, she soon discovered that Erieites were a bit unclear on the sisters’ identity. They thought she’d joined the Sisters of Mercyhurst. It was a natural mistake – for several decades, the Sisters and the college they had founded in 1926 were so intertwined that it was hard to determine where one stopped and the other began.

The order’s Mother Superior automatically served as president of the college, and Sisters filled nearly all the teaching jobs and administrative posts. They lived on campus, some supervising the residence halls. The college didn’t even keep separate books, and the Sisters living in convents all over northwestern Pennsylvania sent every extra penny home to Erie to support the young college. The Sisters owned the land where the college stood. But in the decades that followed, the physical presence and influence of the Sisters of Mercy on campus gradually declined.

The Sisters kept their leadership roles even as the number of men on the faculty rose during the ‘60s, but fewer of them lived on campus. Many had moved to the new Mercy Motherhouse, and others into individual homes to offer direct service to their neighbors. And by the time men were admitted to Mercyhurst in 1969, some traditions the Sisters had cherished – like the annual May Crowning and weekly formal dinners – had disappeared.

The number of religious women was at its highest point ever when Sister Lisa Mary joined the Sisters of Mercy in 1968, but in just a few years the number of Sisters plummeted. The effects of this worldwide phenomenon were soon felt at Mercyhurst.

With more and more options open to them, fewer women were choosing religious life.

Those who did also had more options in the years following Vatican II. Sisters still took a vow of obedience, but they were encouraged to recognize and nourish their own gifts.

Many chose parish work and ministry to the poor over teaching and nursing.

When Sister Carolyn Herrmann retired as Mercyhurst’s president in 1972, there was no Sister of Mercy waiting in the wings to succeed her. For the first time, the college looked outside its founding order to find a new president and hired Dr. Marion Shane – the first lay person, the first man, and the first non-Catholic to lead the school. Every president since has been a lay man.

Sister Carolyn had launched a lay advisory board to help as the college grew. It evolved into today’s Board of Trustees, which must include five Sisters of Mercy, according to its bylaws. As the successors of the founders, the Sisters still wield persuasive influence and the other 30 or so trustees still consider “What do the Sisters think?” But the order no longer controls the direction that Mercyhurst will head. The Sisters have a voice, but not a veto.

Only two Sisters – Vice President for Mission Integration Sister Lisa Mary McCartney and Registrar Sister Patricia Whalen – work full time at Mercyhurst now. Both believe it’s an important part of their jobs to be sure that Mercyhurst reflects their Catholic tradition and Mercy charism even after they’re gone.

15

They think that John R. Wilcox – writing last fall in America magazine – may have come up with a workable solution to an issue that affects so many religious schools.

His proposal: a “mission community,” a group of administrators, faculty and staff who commit themselves to the future of Catholic higher education at their universities.

In the same way that “it takes a village” to raise a child, perhaps in the future it will “take a community” to keep the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy flourishing at Mercyhurst.

“The genius of the founding congregations was their ability to have a presence across the entire campus,” Wilcox wrote. With few or no religious left on campus, “there is a need to create a new, living endowment, one that will transform the sharply reduced living endowment of the founding congregation.”

How that might look, he’s not sure. But he envisions a mission community – open to anyone with an interest – that would “meet regularly, pray in a manner that respects diversity, provide mission education for administrators, faculty, staff and students, offer reviews of college policy and strategic planning and foster a palpable Catholic culture as shaped by the religious heritage of the founders.”

The “mission community” conversation is just getting started, but the Sisters believe it’s crucial.

“Without our faith-based mission, we’re no different than hundreds of other midsized universities,” Sister Lisa Mary says.

“Our mission and heritage are what make us unique.”

Chapel due

for ’facelift’

By Sue Corbran

Mercyhurst’s Christ the King Chapel has been the heart of the campus since 1933. Now more than 80 years old, the beloved chapel needs a facelift.

Nothing too drastic. No major changes to the architecture or overall look of the campus landmark. Just a new coat of paint, maybe a new finish for the wooden pews, and definitely a new lighting system to show off the iconic mural that surrounds the sanctuary.

“We have a beautiful chapel here and it’s very important to our mission and to who we are,” says President Dr. Tom Gamble.

“We have an obligation not only to preserve what we’ve been given, but to pass it on to future generations better than we found it.”

Few things rile up Mercyhurst alumni like rumors of change to the chapel. From early graduates who remember May Crownings and graduations in the chapel to younger alums returning to marry there, every generation feels a special connection to the chapel.

So when Msgr. David Rubino, Ph.D., vice president for external affairs, asks for donations to fund a planned chapel restoration, he quickly stresses that he’s not proposing significant changes. “We simply want to find ways to enhance what we already have,” he says.

When Mercyhurst opened in 1926, the Sisters of Mercy were deep in debt and reluctantly put off thoughts of a chapel at the east end of Old Main. More than five years passed before the O’Neil family donated the money to build the chapel and the adjoining tower that now bears its name. The project was completed in 1933. Two years later, the Queen’s Chapel was added to the north, and the huge fivewalled mural was painted behind the altar.

The chapel still looks very much like it did then, except for modifications in the wake of Vatican II – removal of the communion rail and addition of a forward-facing altar.

Fr. Jim Piszker, chaplain at Mercyhurst since 1998, says that’s as it should be. “Trying to change this Gothic space into something modern just wouldn’t work,” he says. ‘This architecture is timeless and so much identified with Mercyhurst. I can’t imagine doing anything that would disrupt that.”

Tentative plans call for Christ the King Chapel to close in midNovember and reopen by mid-April 2015, in time to host Baccalaureate Masses for the Class of 2015. While the restoration goes on, Sunday Mass will be celebrated in nearby Taylor Little Theatre, and daily Masses in Prince of Peace Chapel.

To learn more about the project, or to make a donation, contact Msgr. Rubino at 814-824-3034 or drubino@mercyhurst.edu.

Visit mercyhurst.edu/magazine to learn about other special features of Christ the King Chapel. Turn the page for an up-close look at the mural.

16

WHO’S WHO IN THE MURAL The mural, painted soon after the Chapel opened, features images of Christ the King, surrounded by a pictorial history of the Sisters of Mercy and their mission. This photo was taken by Rich Forsgren ’84 when he was a Mercyhurst student and was first published in Mercyhurst Magazine in 1983. Rich joined Erie’s Times Publishing Company as a photojournalist in 1986 and earned many awards for his work. Now the company’s chief technology officer, he’s married to Dawn Goodwill ’86, an account representative with the Times Publishing Company.

A mosaic of Christ the King is at the center of the mural, with scenes that reflect the kingship of Christ on either side.

Pope Gregory XVI, who approved the formation of the Sisters of Mercy in 1841, holds a copy of the constitution of the order and a model of their first convent in Dublin.

The infant King sits in his mother’s arms.

A Sister in white recalls the nursing ministries of the Sisters of Mercy, dating to their service in the American Civil War and Crimean War. 17

The young girl at center represents youth. She’s flanked by a nun dressed in white, representing the healing arts, and one in black representing the teaching arts.

Christ is asked “Art thou a King?� at his trial.

A Sister wearing black counsels a young person.

Archbishop John Mark Gannon, the bishop who welcomed the Sisters of Mercy to Erie and approved their plans to build Mercyhurst College.

18

A woman with a vision CHITTISTER: THE COURAGE OF A PROPHET AND THE SOUL OF A MYSTIC

By Mary Hembrow Snyder, Ph.D.

A colleague asked me to explain why I think Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, is so important. Before I answer this, a few biographical facts may be helpful.

Sister Joan is a Mercyhurst alum who graduated in 1962 with a B.A. in English.

She also has an M.A. in communication arts from the University of Notre Dame, a Ph.D. in speech communication theory from Penn State University, and is an Elected Fellow of St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge University.

For 12 years, from 1978 to 1990, Sister Joan served as prioress of her Benedictine community in Erie, Pa. For more than three decades, she has also served in positions of leadership among women religious in the Catholic Church.

Author of more than 50 books that have been translated into 10 languages, Sister Joan has been given the Catholic Press Association’s Award 12 times. More than 700 of her articles have been published in periodicals such as America, US Catholic, Sojourners and The Tablet. She is an internationally sought-after speaker who has received 12 honorary doctoral degrees – all from Catholic colleges and universities across the country.

19

In addition, Sister Joan is the executive director of Benetvision, a research and resource center for contemporary spirituality. And, since 2002, she has been a co-chair of the U.N.-sponsored Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders – traveling all over the world advocating for women’s rights and interfaith dialogue.

Most importantly, Sister Joan has been a deeply committed Benedictine sister for more than 60 years. Imagine – for more than 60 years she has immersed herself in the Scriptures, in Lectio Divina (prayerful reflection on those Scriptures) and in the church’s liturgical life; for more than 60 years she has immersed herself in the divisive issues facing religious communities, her city, her nation, her church and our world; for more than 60 years, she has assumed the challenging mantle of leadership; for more than 60 years, she has written prolifically about the spiritual life, adult faith, religious life, peace, nonviolence, racism, sexism, religious imperialism, and more; for more than 60 years she has been the courageous voice for those who have no voice: women, the poor, immigrants, prisoners, victims of violence of every kind; for more than 60 years she has withstood the calumny, the verbal abuse, the condemnations, the misunderstandings, yes, even the hatred, of those who found her vision antithetical to their own.

I do believe that for Christians to live as Jesus did, we must immerse ourselves in prayer - not mere rote, unreflective prayer, but rather, daily sustained, contemplative prayer. Then, maybe, with God’s grace, we will begin to see God, each other and God’s good creation as Jesus did; then maybe, with God’s grace, we will begin to understand what the Reign of God truly is about; then, maybe, with God’s grace, we will become the lovers and prophets we can become, with God’s grace, as Sister Joan D. Chittister has become.

This is why Mercyhurst University is so honored to join Penn State University and the Erie Benedictine community in housing the literary archives of Sister Joan. Furthermore, this is why, thanks to the exceptional friendship Sister Joan shared with Helen Boyle (Helen Eugenia Loebelenz, class of 1934), and the profound generosity of the Boyle Family, Mercyhurst University will sponsor the annual Joan D. Chittister Lecture Series in memory of Helen Boyle. This is truly a historic and holy moment in the history of Mercyhurst University.

Mary Hembrow Snyder, a member of the Mercyhurst faculty since 1986, is the editor of Spiritual Questions for the Twenty-first Century: Essays in Honor of Joan D. Chittister (Orbis Books, 2001) and co-editor with Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, of the forthcoming Essential Writings: Joan D. Chittister (Orbis Books, Fall 2014). She also directs the Center for Mercy and Catholic Studies and coordinates the Helen Boyle Memorial Archive in Honor of Joan D. Chittister, OSB and the Joan D. Chittister Lecture Series.

20

Going back,

moving forward ADULT STUDENTS LOOK TO MERCYHURST NORTH EAST FOR CAREER CHANGES

By Abby Badach

Whether you’ve lost your job or just can’t ignore the urge to switch industries – it’s never too late to go back to school. Since 1991, Mercyhurst North East has welcomed hundreds of adults searching for a supportive place to help them make a career change.

The paths that led them here are as unique as they are:

DUANE HEMPHILL Age: 43 • Major: Hospitality Management – Culinary Arts Graduated: May 2013 Duane Hemphill will be the first to tell you he didn’t always walk the straight and narrow path in his younger years, getting in trouble in school and around the neighborhood.

But even with his missteps, his love of cooking was a force that provided consistency in his life and a calling to do something more.

After enjoying work at local restaurants and a nursing home kitchen, he knew he wanted to move up in the industry – and that meant finding a place to earn his degree.

Hemphill chose Mercyhurst North East, taking classes during the day and working kitchen jobs at night to help pay for school.

“I like making pasta dishes, seafood – anything, really,” he said. “I wanted to go to a school that would put me in a real kitchen.”

What he didn’t know was that his dream would be challenged with a series of heartbreaking personal obstacles.

While in school, Hemphill lost his grandmother, his sister and his niece. Then, his son was shot and he tended to his recovery. Finally – with less than a year of classes to go – his apartment burned down from a grease fire. With no renter’s insurance, he had to start from scratch. Still, he never gave up on school.

“I wasn’t raised to be a quitter,” he said. “I want to set an example for my kids.”

Now, Hemphill is a sous chef at the Lake View Country Club in North East, Pa. – a position offered to him once he completed his internship there. He’s turned his life around, thanks in part to the support he received through Mercyhurst North East.

“Even when I needed to take time off to be with my family, my professors were flexible and supportive,” Hemphill said. “It wasn’t always easy, but I’m glad I went back.”

21

CHUCK HARRIS

AMY BUECHEL

Age: 46 • Major: Computer Systems Support Graduated: May 2014

Age: 46 • Major: Nursing (ASN to BSN Concurrent Enrollment) Expected Graduation Date: May 2015

Having your job eliminated isn’t something anyone asks for – but it happens. And when it does, it takes some soul-searching to figure out what your next step should be.

Amy Buechel already has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, and has worked as a biology instructor for 15 years. But when her husband Dan was hospitalized with heart arrhythmia, she knew she could no longer ignore the call she had always felt to pursue a healthcare career.

Chuck Harris was laid off after working 25 years as a quality assurance group leader at The Electric Materials Company in North East, Pa. Since the job cuts were a result of foreign competition, he was eligible for federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to cover the cost of his tuition.

“Because of my background, I know the human body and I know how things work, but I couldn’t help,” she says. “I didn’t like that feeling of helplessness.”

At first, Harris said he was hesitant to take advantage of the TAA funds – he didn’t want to keep other folks in worse circumstances from receiving the benefits. “I was unsure of what to do – I don’t want to take anything from anybody,” Harris said. “Then my wife told me, ‘Very few people get a second chance in life. This is your second chance’.”

She thought it over while Dan lay asleep in his hospital bed. The desire was so hard to ignore that she told him as soon as his eyes opened. “I just kind of sprung it on him,” she said with a laugh. “I said, ‘I want to go back to school.’ And he said, ‘I just woke up from a nap!’”

Harris decided to take advantage of the fresh start in the computer systems support associate degree program at Mercyhurst North East.

While other programs he was looking at focused exclusively on Web design, he knew he wanted something more thorough. The MNE program also includes programming and networking courses, as well as practice repairing and building computers. Harris even took a class on how to develop, program and market his own mobile apps for Android.

With dreams of becoming a cardiac surgical nurse, she turned to Mercyhurst North East. She had heard great things about the campus’s welcoming atmosphere for returning adult students.

“You get a well-rounded education, and I think a well-rounded education includes liberal arts,” he said. “With this degree, you can get a job just about anywhere as a jack of all trades.”

Buechel – a self-described “lifelong learner” – said being an adult student helps her set a good example for her children, ages 10 and 12. When they grumble about schoolwork, she tells them that Mom has to do homework, pay attention and take tests, too. She’s on track to graduate within a year, and she hasn’t looked back.

Harris has his sights set on a help desk career that will present him with new challenges to tackle each day. Harris said he knows the uncertainty that comes with losing your job – but he’d encourage other people in his situation to take the plunge to get a new degree. “Education is only going to open more prospects for you,” he said.

“Our professors are so supportive,” Buechel said. “They know a lot of us have lives outside of school – children, full-time jobs. They’re very positive, like our own little cheering section.”

“I think at this age, going back to school, you have a lot more life experience to draw from,” she says. “If it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, then why wait?”

22

CHRIS ANDERSON

SANDI ZOBREST

Speech still comes hard to Chris Anderson ‘08, who’s had a stuttering problem since childhood, but he’s found a way to make his message perfectly clear anyway.

When Lina Zobrest was born seven years ago, she arrived well ahead of her due date. She was healthy, but a bit slow to start talking. Her Nonna – Sandra Mangone Zobrest ’70 – knew just how to help. Using the skills she’d developed as an elementary school teacher, she created her own teaching materials to encourage her to speak.

On July 27, Chris will tackle Ironman Lake Placid. He’ll swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles in a single day – with the goal of increasing awareness about stuttering and raising funds to help those dealing with speech issues like his.

Chris had always been pretty active, but he’d never run a marathon and didn’t even know how to swim when he set his sights on the Ironman.

So what motivated him to tackle one of the most rigorous Ironman courses in the world?

Athletes need more than physical strength to complete an Ironman, and he compares the mental strength it takes to get through an event like this to the determination needed to deal with a speech impediment. About two years ago, he decided he was no longer going to let his speech problems define his life or keep him from pursuing his dreams. He was going to “take back his life.”

Chris has already accomplished a lot: an intelligence studies degree from Mercyhurst; a sixyear career with the FBI (recognized with an FBI Director’s Award for Excellence in Intelligence Analysis); a master’s degree in strategic intelligence from the National Defense Intelligence College. His speech difficulties made each achievement that much more rewarding.

He had developed outstanding analytical skills at Mercyhurst. “Mercyhurst put me light years ahead of the learning curve when I started on the job,” he says. “No other school compares to the education you get there for the intelligence field.”

Even so, he faced challenges. His job requires briefing decision-makers and presenting findings in front of groups.

Like many people who stutter, he became frustrated with the critical responses to his stuttered speech and when he couldn’t convey his ideas the way he wanted, and his selfesteem suffered.

The countless hours a week he now devotes to training for the Ironman are paying off in more than physical conditioning. His workouts have boosted his self-confidence, and led to other successes in speech therapy and his acceptance of himself as a person who stutters.

Pledges to Chris’s Ironman effort, which he’s dubbed “Passing on Your Left,” will benefit the National Stuttering Association, an organization he’s turned to for support. He finds it rewarding to help others understand the challenges faced by those who stutter, so he’s also at work on a book chronicling his struggles with stuttering and the successes he’s achieved. He hopes to publish within the next year, capping off the memoir with the story of the Ironman.

Stuttering is a communication disorder involving disruptions, or “disfluencies,” in a person’s speech.

People who stutter often experience physical tension and struggle in their speech muscles, as well as embarrassment, anxiety, and fear about speaking. Together, these symptoms can make it very difficult for people who stutter to say what they want to say and to communicate effectively with others. The precise cause of stuttering is not known, and there is no simple cure for stuttering, but people who stutter can learn to speak more easily, feel better about themselves and their speaking ability, and communicate more effectively. Learn more at westutter.org. To make a donation to the National Stuttering Association, visit http://tinyurl.com/NSAironman

23

She started with a simple presentation on letters and sounds when Lina was about a year and a half old. The toddler loved the bright colors and sound and motion and, by the time she hit her second birthday, she was much more vocal.

Over the past five years, Sandi has grown a successful online business from those humble roots. She calls it “Nonna and Me,” using the Italian term for grandmother that Lina and her brothers and sister use.

Sandi turned her original presentation into a DVD, then a companion book, a coloring book, a CD soundtrack for use in the car, and an ABC bingo game. The latest addition: a set of 101 worksheets for “21st century preschoolers.”

The best advertisement for Nonna and Me products might be Lina herself, now an articulate first-grader who’s reading at a 4th grade level and even collaborating with Sandi on her latest project, a book about Italy and their ancestors’ immigration to America.

Sandi’s philosophy is simple. Literacy starts with the ABCs, so you need to get children interested in learning the alphabet and the basics of reading long before they start school.

“It’s not your grandmother’s kindergarten anymore. When I went to kindergarten, it was all about socialization and getting to know colors and shapes,” she says. “Now these kids are reading and writing, and even doing full-immersion Spanish.”

But Sandi’s seriously disappointed in the quality of some of the learning materials and children’s programming available for preschoolers, even the venerable “Sesame Street.”

She worries that the pace is too frantic and the volume too loud for the audience. Her products introduce letters, numbers, shapes, colors, people, places, concepts and rhymes using multicultural animations and pictures, along with sound effects and a wide variety of music, from classic to country.

The line also includes materials to teach sign language and finger spelling. That’s not surprising, since Sandi’s older son Jim was born profoundly deaf and his mom has been a tireless advocate for the deaf ever since.

Sandi taught at Wattsburg Elementary School for four years after graduating from Mercyhurst. She married Larry Zobrest, a Gannon graduate, a couple of years later and earned a master’s degree in elementary education at Edinboro University. After Jim arrived in 1974, Sandi and Larry worked intensely with him at home, and he flourished in preschool at Erie’s Barber Center. With few good options once he reached school age, the Zobrests headed west to Arizona in search of better opportunities.

Years later, their school district refused to provide him with a sign language interpreter when he enrolled in a Catholic high school.

Sandi’s lawsuit challenging that decision would eventually go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Zobrests did eventually win, setting the precedent that handicapped children are entitled to supportive services even if they attend private schools. By that time, Jim had graduated from high school and enrolled in community college. His family had paid tens of thousands of dollars to interpreters, funded by Sandi through continual appeals to foundations and businesses.

Larry recently retired after a long career in business, but Sandi says she’s working harder now than when she had a full-time job. She’s running three businesses, including Nonna and Me, a property verification service for REALTORS®, and a pet-sitting service she operates with Jim. He went on to the University of Arizona to study media and digital arts.

Lina was Larry and Sandi’s first grandchild. Her parents, Sam and Michelle, also have three younger children.

Visit Sandi’s website at nonnaandme.com and check out her blog at nonnaandme.blogspot.com.

WILL URSPRUNG Will Ursprung is legally blind ... but as he scans the ground beneath his feet, he sees things that most people never notice – and then turns these found objects into art.

“I am not able to see well enough to have a driver’s license,” he reflects, “but I do see the world from a very different perspective.” His medium of choice is collage, from the French “coller,” meaning to glue or paste. A collage is created by gluing papers, photographs and all sorts of found objects to a paper or canvas.

His recent works are primarily found metal and wood objects, some appropriately from an auto salvage yard.

When he inadvertently picked up a damaged, rusted BMW trunk, he found on his return the piece wasn’t meant to be taken. By that time he had to tell the lot’s owner, “It’s too late. It’s art now.” That’s also the working title for a book he expects to publish this fall, subtitled “Confessions of a Collage Artist.”

Will graduated from Mercyhurst in 1976 with a degree in art education and studio art. He started out as a painter and studied with Sr. Angelica Cummings, Dan Burke and Ernie Mauthe, whom he calls his mentor. He soon discovered he felt more freedom in collage and assemblage art, and that’s been his focus ever since.

He had planned to teach art, but the tough job market of the late ‘70s got in the way. He then worked as a mental health tech in a psychiatric hospital before beginning training at Temple University as an art therapist. He earned his master’s degree in art therapy from Hahnemann Medical College in 1981.

Will spent 35 rewarding years in art therapy, including 20 years at Pennsylvania’s maximum-security Graterford Prison.

He encouraged the inmates to use art and collage to tell their stories. The materials were easy to obtain. Reclaiming and repurposing those discarded objects was symbolic, as well.

He had to give up the prison job in 2011. Born prematurely, Will has dealt with vision impairment all his life, but was able to function relatively normally until just a few years ago. continued on next page 24

WILL URSPRUNG continued

Some even incorporate references to the eye, like “Odin’s Eye,” a reference to the Norse god who gave up his eye for wisdom.

Since suffering his first detached retina in 2007, his vision has deteriorated further. He can no longer read well, or watch TV, or drive.

“A maximum security prison isn’t really safe for a blind man,” he says with a laugh.

Instead, he’s putting more time into creating his own art. He says his work evolves from whatever materials he comes across, and the art simply happens intuitively. As one commentator said, collage artists create uncommon beauty out of common things. He spends most days in his studio in a converted milk barn in Gilbertsville, Pa., outside Philadelphia. Last summer he was able to spend two very productive weeks in an artist’s residency in County Kerry, Ireland.

Many of Will’s works were on display at Mercyhurst last fall when he was the featured guest alumnus in the annual Art Faculty Exhibition.

He showed several small mixed media collages using found objects, steel and wood, many of them influenced by primitive art and by Celtic, Norse and Native American myths. He’s had other works accepted recently for national shows that focus on myth and legend.

Will’s most prolific image has been the cover art he created back in 1980 for the cover of The International Journal of the Arts in Psychotherapy; the journal is still using his image.

After being accepted for many national juried shows by the National Collage Society dating back to 1994, Will is now entitled to use the initials “NCS” after his name, and he serves as development director for the group.

When the NCS celebrated 100 years of collage art with a big exhibition in 2012, Will talked about his process in an interview with National Public Radio. Listen to his comments at nationalcollage.com.

TRUSTEES RETIRE AFTER DECADES OF SERVICE Jane and Bill. Two ordinary names of two extraordinary people in Mercyhurst history. Jane Theuerkauf and Bill Sennett, now trustee emeriti of Mercyhurst University, were both elected on Nov. 24, 1971, and both had been prominently affiliated with the institution for four keepsake decades until their recent retirements.

One a legal mind, the other a premier real estate guru and later jewelry designer. Jane was the first woman chair of the board; she served first on Mercyhurst’s lay advisory board from 1966 until becoming a trustee five years later. Bill served as Pennsylvania Attorney General before becoming a trustee of Mercyhurst and later chair of the board.

They served for five presidents of Mercyhurst; attended, spoke, and awarded degrees for years at graduations; and were as much Mercyhurst as its students and faculty. They were stalwarts of the board, devoted trustees, committed philanthropists, and long-standing leaders of the board.

She is a graduate of Goucher College in psychology and did graduate work at George Washington University and he is a graduate of Holy Cross and Georgetown University Law School. Their commitment to Mercyhurst unlocked the doors of our imagination, encouraged vision, and gave us the “right stuff” to turn the promise they saw in Mercyhurst from a dream into reality.

Also retiring from the board as part of a new system of term limits and recently named trustee emeriti are: (pictured below from left to right) Myron Jones, Bruce H. Raimy, Kathleen C. Rohm, Sister Maura Smith, RSM, and Msgr. L. Thomas Snyderwine.

25

That was until a few months ago when Mercyhurst began what Adovasio describes as the most extensive Paleoindian excavation currently under way in all of North America.

“As a result of what we have been doing there since January, we finally understand the complexities of the Vero site from a geological perspective, which is something Sellards could not at the time,” Adovasio said. “He was trying to define the circumstances of a human presence on a landscape he didn’t understand. We are reasonably certain that we will prove Sellards right.”

‘Hurst team digs into history of Vero Man

By Debbie Morton

From robotic aerial vehicles to advances in laser technology, new tools are transforming the study of one of the most important Ice Age sites in North America – the Old Vero Man site in Vero Beach, Fla. Scientists are using drones to capture high-res aerial images of the target-rich environment while Mercyhurst University archaeologists are using automated laser devices to map the site, according to principal excavator James Adovasio, Ph.D., director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute (MAI), who achieved world acclaim as an archaeologist in the 1970s with his excavation of Pennsylvania’s Meadowcroft Rockshelter.

Widely known for its cutting-edge excavation protocols, the MAI is letting the future be its guide to exploring the past and what Florida was like at the end of the last Ice Age. As of this publication’s deadline, scientists had excavated to the prehistoric terminal Ice Age land surface, about 10,000 years old, where significant Ice Age material was discovered about a century ago.

At that time, workers digging the main drainage canal in Vero Beach uncovered evidence of mastodons, saber tooth cats, ground sloths, mammoths and other fossils, as well as human remains. The discovery of parts of a skull and 44 bones of a human skeleton became known as “Vero Man.” A controversy ensued over whether the human presence was of a more recent age than the extinct animal bones due to possible mixing of geological layers.

“At a time when the conventional wisdom was that no humans were in the New World prior to the Holocene (about 10,500 radiocarbon years ago), the first serious challenge came from E.H. Sellards’ excavations at Vero,” Adovasio said. “Sellards claimed an association between human remains and Ice Age mammals, which, if correct, would have totally refuted the then accepted gospel. As with Meadowcroft and Monte Verde in modern times, the Vero excavations were attacked almost immediately by the leading scholars of the period.”

Largely because of that abuse and the less-than-rigorous field methods at the time, Vero went off the radar.

If so, the excavation could well define Vero’s rightful place in the archaeological record, which is exactly the hope of a determined group of citizens responsible for bringing Adovasio and his team to Vero. Headed by Randy Old and such luminaries as former Deputy CIA Director Richard Kerr, the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee (OVIASC) has forged a unique town-and-gown partnership with Mercyhurst.

“They have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in support of this project and have expressed an interest in extending the work for another decade,” Adovasio said.

OVIASC’s financial support is augmented by an outpouring of community pride, bringing the Vero public together in meaningful ways to protect, promote and interpret this unique archaeological site in their own backyard. Citizens have volunteered by the hundreds to help with the dig. Still others have delivered bountiful supplies of homemade muffins, cookies and other assorted snacks for the workers.

In turn, Mercyhurst responded by posting a billboard on nearby I-95 declaring: “WE DIG VERO BEACH. Thanks for letting us be part of your history.”

Meanwhile, working as part of the team are Mercyhurst research archaeologist C. Andrew Hemmings, Ph.D., who is managing the dayto-day activities with support from Mercyhurst alumna Anne Marjenin, director of the Archaeology Processing Lab at Mercyhurst, as chief field assistant; and Frank Vento, Ph.D., field director. Mercyhurst alumni Mike Way, Sarah Heuer, Zach Nason and Ben Wells are also lending their expertise to the historic dig along with current students Michelle Farley, Jamie Badams and Lauren Urana.

For more on the history of the Old Vero Man site, visit OVIASC.org. For more about the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute, visit MAI.mercyhurst.edu.

26

Folga gets his day with Stanley Cup

By David Leisering

Striking gold

By David Leisering

Fresh off her third Olympic gold medal, former women’s hockey star Meghan Agosta-Marciano ’11 made a stop at her alma mater on March 7 to show off her latest gold.

After posing for pictures and signing autographs for dozens of fans, she dropped the ceremonial first puck to open the 2014 College Hockey America Tournament at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. She stayed to watch Mercyhurst’s semifinal victory over Syracuse.

Meghan brought along the gold she earned at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where she helped Team Canada defeat Team USA 3-2 in overtime. She also led Canada to a gold medal victory over the U.S. at Vancouver in 2010, when she was named Most Outstanding Player. Before she enrolled at Mercyhurst, she had already won gold at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy.

She played at Mercyhurst from 2006 to 2009, took a year off for the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010, and then returned for her senior season in 2010-11. She finished her playing career with the Lakers as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 303 career points, and also holds the NCAA records for goals scored (157), power play goals (55), shorthanded goals (20) and gamewinning goals (39).

The future for Meghan remains wide open. At 27, she is already thinking about the 2018 Olympics, but also would like to work for the Ontario Provincial Police and think about starting a family with her husband, Marco Marciano. But wherever her life takes her, she wants to be an inspiration to young girls. And she wants to talk about how special Mercyhurst is.

“I think a lot of people don’t look at Mercyhurst as being a great school strictly because it’s a smaller school,” she said.

“But they’ve done special things here. They’ve made it to the final eight almost every year. They’ve made it to the Frozen Four. I just hope that a lot of people open their eyes to this school because it is an amazing school both hockey-wise and community-wise. I’m so proud to say I’m from Mercyhurst.”

27

Twenty years ago, the New York Rangers defeated the Vancouver Canucks four games to three to win the Stanley Cup, ending a 54-year championship drought. On that team were the likes of future National Hockey League Hall of Famers Brian Leetch, Mark Messier and Mike Richter.

On the Rangers’ staff was head equipment manager Mike Folga.

Mike had time with the Stanley Cup on that memorable June night in 1994 and in the days after the Rangers’ last NHL championship. He was also supposed to get his “day with the Cup” – one of the perks that all players and staff members get when their team wins the title – but that day was rescheduled and then the opportunity simply faded away, until Feb. 1 this year.

That’s the day the Stanley Cup, arguably the most famous trophy in all of professional sports, came to Mercyhurst. Mike Bolt, one of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s “Keepers of the Cup,” accompanied the Cup. And Mike Folga ’86, head equipment manager for the Mercyhurst men’s hockey program for the past 13 years, finally got his due.

The visit was facilitated by Laker junior defenseman Tyler Shiplo and Phil Pritchard, curator at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

“We’re always trying to find ways to give back to ‘Folgy’ because he’s such an integral part of our team,” Shiplo told a reporter.

“Definitely, it’s something that he deserves.”

Hundreds of Erieites had the opportunity to touch, kiss and pose for pictures with the Cup throughout the day. Then, before Mercyhurst faced off against Bentley, Mike finally got to raise the Cup above his head to a standing ovation from about 30 members of his family and the largest crowd ever at the Mercyhurst Ice Center (1,817). To put icing on the cake, the eventual Atlantic Hockey Association regular season champion Lakers beat the Falcons, 4-1.

In addition, funds were raised during the day to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

LAKERS SHINE IN ATHLETICS – AND ACADEMICS The Laker men’s hockey team (21-13-7) won its first regular-season title since joining the Atlantic Hockey Association in 2003, but fell just short in the tournament with a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Canisius College. The team cleaned up at the AHA banquet, winning Coach of the Year (Rick Gotkin), Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year (junior Jimmy Sarjeant), Best Defenseman (Nick Jones) and Best Defensive Forward (Daniel O’Donoghue).

The women’s hockey team advanced to the Frozen Four for the second year in a row and the fourth time in the last six years after again stunning rival Cornell in the national quarterfinals. The Lakers fell to eventual national champ Clarkson in the semifinals. The team also earned multiple College Hockey America awards, including Coach of the Year (Mike Sisti), Player of the Year (Christine Bestland, for the second straight year), AllConference First Team selections (Bestland, Molly Byrne, Emily Janiga) and Best Defensive Forward (Shelby Bram). Bestland was also named to the AHCA / CCM Second Team All-America Team.

The wrestling team placed 22nd at the NCAA Championships March 14-15, as Dylan D’Urso earned All-American honors with a third-place finish in the 141-pound weight class. Jeremy Landowski was also an All-American, taking eighth in the 149-pound division. Mike Wehler was named 2013-14 Division II Super Region One Coach of the Year. D’Urso was also honored as a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Winter Top 10 award winner, Coach Gary Manchel guided the men’s basketball team to 17 wins and a fifth consecutive PSAC Tournament appearance in 2014. They beat every other team in the division for the second time in three seasons and ranked second in the country in scoring defense, allowing 60.3 points per game.

Laker football recorded a 7-4 season, while several players earned major honors. Junior Colin Kimball was named a 2013 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Fall Top 10 award winner.

The PSAC Top 10 Awards recognize student-athletes who excel in both the classroom and in athletic competition.

Kimball is coming off a breakthrough campaign in 2013 that saw him earn NCAA Division II Capital One Academic All-America® First Team status, a spot on the All-PSAC West Second Team, and a selection to the ECAC Division II All-Star Team. Senior placekicker Steven Wakefield was named a 2013 First Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

Junior Fernando Martinez was named to the second team of the NCAA All-American Division II Men’s Soccer roster. A native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, he led the nation in assists with 16 on the season and set a team record of career assists (28).

The field hockey team had one of its best seasons in recent memory, winning nine games and qualifying for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament – and also recorded the third-highest GPA in Division II.

Brett Luehmann of the men’s water polo team was named 2013 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) Division II Player of the Year. He was also chosen First Team All-American for the fourth time in his career. In 2013, Luehmann led the Lakers to 19 wins and a second straight appearance at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship.

The Mercyhurst University athletics department leads the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in Academic Success Rate (ASR). For students enrolled in 2003-2006, Mercyhurst recorded an 89 percent ASR. As a league, the PSAC is among the leaders in Division II ASR. More than 100 girls attended Mercyhurst’s Third Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day event on Feb. 8. Laker teams set up activity stations throughout the Rec Center, allowing the girls to try their hand at a number of different sports. “It was a great experience. It was fun to introduce young girls to a new sport,” said junior volleyball student-athlete Tai Lattimore. “I enjoyed having the opportunity to show girls some of the basic skills of volleyball.”

SAINTS NOTES Women’s basketball claimed a region championship with a win over Jamestown Community College and advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament for the 2nd time in program history. They were eliminated by #5 seed Kishwaukee.

The Saints wrestling team finished second in the Eastern District and qualified eight wrestlers for the NJCAA National Tournament. Freshman John Dillon gained All-American honors as the national runner-up in the 133 pound class. Also competing were Jordan Palanca (149 pounds), Cole Shirey (157), Tim Vargo (165), Alex Svetz (174), Jamar Henry (184), Kojo Boadu (197) and Lorenzo Maddox (HWT).

The men’s soccer team finished the regular season 9-6 under new coach Mickey Blythe, losing in the conference semifinal to national powerhouse Monroe Community College.

Men’s basketball ranked as high as #4 nationally in Division II and advanced to the regional semifinals before losing to the eventual tournament winner, Monroe Community College.

Cross country runner Shawn Wiler was the Region III Division I champion and recorded the overall fastest time to qualify for nationals.

BEYOND MERCYHURST Men’s hockey forward Daniel O’Donoghue signed a two-year National Hockey League entry-level contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. He’s expected to begin his professional career with the Coyotes’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Portland Pirates.

Former Laker outfielder David Lough received a third-place vote for American League Rookie of the Year after his first full year at the Major League level with the Kansas City Royals in 2013. Then, on Dec. 18, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles where he’s starting in the outfield.

For updates on spring sports, visit hurstathletics.com and northeast.mercyhurst.edu/athletics.

28

WAYS TO HELP YOUR ALMA MATER

LAKERS HELPING LAKERS: ALBERTA HAIN JOBCZYNSKI Many of the 600 or so high school students who attended the March 12 college fair at Pope John Paul II Catholic High School in Huntsville, Ala., stopped by the Mercyhurst University table. Though it’s a bit off the beaten path for Mercyhurst recruiters, Mercyhurst was represented thanks to 1958 home economics graduate Alberta Hain Jobczynski, who’s lived in the area for more than 40 years.

RS HELPING LAK LAKE Finding your way to give back ERS From recruiting new students – to providing leadership and service opportunities for current students – to helping upperclassmen and recent graduates launch their careers, the opportunities are endless for alumni who’d like to give back to Mercyhurst. We call it “Lakers Helping Lakers.”

Alumni Ambassadors are especially helpful to the admissions staff as they work to convince high school students to make the right choice and enroll at Mercyhurst.

Graduates who have already signed on have made phone calls for accepted students, helped host receptions in their hometowns, and even represented the Hurst at college fairs. Talking with someone who’s had a positive experience at Mercyhurst can make all the difference as teens struggle to make the all-important college choice.

The advancement staff also welcomes alumni help, whether to serve as a class agent to help plan a special reunion, or helping organize a happy hour gathering in your area.

The Career Development Center can also benefit from alumni involvement.

Possibilities include bringing your company to the annual career fair or for an on-campus recruiting visit, taking part in the alumni networking event, or serving as an e-mentor to a student in your major.

Other campus departments, including the Internship Office, Service Learning and the Campus Involvement Center, need your help as well. To learn about all the options, visit the Mercyhurst Alumni Community at hurstalumni.org and click on “Get Involved.”

29

She put together a display using materials supplied by the admissions staff, and says the campus photos attracted a lot of attention. “People stopped to look at them and asked, ‘Where is this school? It is beautiful,’” she reports.

She recalls her student days. “I was a day student while attending Mercyhurst. Our home was fairly close to the college – about a mile and a half east of Mercyhurst on 38th Street.

The physical plant was MUCH smaller than at the present time, but was a beautiful campus.

All of our classes were in Old Main. We had a new library that had just been completed.

It was upstairs over the ‘Little Theater’.”

Alberta’s husband, George, was in the military so the family lived at several places in the United States, plus several years in Orleans, France, and a short time in Germany.

YOUR GIFT CAN HONOR A MERCYHURST FACE* *Faculty member, Administrator, Coach or Employee When you reminisce about your time as a student at the Hurst, what do you think about? Is it your former teammates? Lifelong friends? Or, could it be an influential individual who helped make your college experience unforgettable?

There’s likely someone from the Mercyhurst Family who stands out as your mentor, a role model or your biggest advocate. The Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving has just launched FACE of MU, a new giving campaign that invites alumni, current students and parents to share a story and make a gift in honor of that special Faculty member, Administrator, Coach or Employee who made a difference.

“This participation campaign allows donors to have a greater voice when they support Mercyhurst,” said Tamara Walters, director of alumni relations and annual giving. “The entire Mercyhurst community works together to provide the overall experience here for its students. Every size gift matters, every gift makes a difference, and every donor is heard.”

Whether it’s an advisor who helped you break free from your shell, a coach who pushed you to be the best athlete you could be, or a professor who helped you discover your passion, we want to share your story. The FACE campaign welcomes gifts on behalf of any FACE member, both currently working here and those who have since left or retired.

Visit the Hurst Happenings blog at alumni.org/blog to learn more about this campaign, read others’ stories or to inquire about making a gift and sharing a story of your own.

NEW FACES Three new staff members have joined the Alumni and Development Office

They eventually settled in Huntsville, Alabama, known as the nation’s Space Capital and home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and its popular Space Camp.

Lindsay Cox is the new assistant director of alumni relations and annual giving. She graduated from Mercyhurst in 2012 with a major in business and a minor in strategic communication, chaired the Senior Gift Committee and earned the Frank Barry Leadership Award. She received her master’s degree in organizational leadership here in May. You can reach her at lcox@mercyhurst.edu or 814-824-2330.

The Jobczynskis have five daughters, each with a variety of interests and careers, and one of their grandsons, Adam Anderson, is now attending Mercyhurst.

“We visit Erie every year, as we still consider it ’home,’” Alberta says.

“I am very proud of Mercyhurst and the amazing school it has become.”

“One of the things that make Mercyhurst so special is the interactions that students have with faculty.

I had such an overwhelmingly positive experience with the political science department, I could easily select any faculty member; however, I selected Dr. Surzhko-Harned because she went above and beyond to make me a better student. From holding me to high standards in the classroom to challenging me as a research assistant, she was a large part of my academic and professional growth at Mercyhurst and subsequent success in my graduate work at Cornell University.”

- Caitlin Handerhan ’13, political science

“As an international student, I immediately felt connected with Eric Evans, director of International Admissions. When you’re from another country, you face a lot of challenges. He treated us like family; he kindly listened to us and showed us how to do things from getting a student visa to collaborating with the Mercyhurst International Student Organization.

Mercyhurst’s cultural diversity on campus is enriched

by Eric´s endeavor overseas in bringing young students with different religious and cultural backgrounds from around the world back to Erie.”

Kyle Craig joined Mercyhurst as advancement operations coordinator. A 2008 Mercyhurst graduate in sports medicine, he went on to earn a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina and previously worked as a program coordinator for the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. His wife, Stephanie, is an instructional designer at Mercyhurst. You can reach Kyle at kcraig@mercyhurst.edu or 814-824-2379.

Holly Penco has been named donor relations coordinator. She studied international business at Westminster College and previously worked for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Erie, where she continues to volunteer with local agencies, including St. Martin Center and the Erie L’Arche Community. You can reach her at hpenco@mercyhurst.edu or 814-824-2246.

- Jorge Romero Guerro ’12, international business

30

Class notes Dr. Carol Bocan ‘59 was recognized for her 24 years of service to the Conneaut School Board, receiving a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and a congratulatory letter from the State Senate.

Rosemary Blieszner, Ph.D. ‘70 of Virginia Tech has been installed as president of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. She was elected

by GSA’s membership of more than 5,500 professionals.

Jason Giffen ‘97 was named director of environmental and land use management for the Port of San Diego. He is responsible for waterfront planning; environmental, protection, remediation, stewardship and sustainability; and public art.

Dr. Cassandra L. Kuba ‘97 was promoted to associate professor in the Department of Justice, Law & Society at California University of Pennsylvania.

Adele Wilson Larsen ‘72 is a teacher and artist who recently had her work on exhibit at the Urraro Gallery in Erie. Her exhibit was titled “Journeys: Color and Light” and featured work inspired by people and nature.

Jonathan Nolan ‘97 and his students at Wilson Middle School in Erie, Pa., were selected by the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to receive a grant of nearly $20,000 to purchase new musical instruments.

Christopher Lytle ‘73 was named senior advancement officer at the Antique Boat Museum, based in Clayton, N.Y.

Richard M. Johns ‘03 was promoted to assistant commissioner of financial management and operations at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

Mark London ‘85 has been named chief of the Franklin Police Department, where he has served since 1993.

Scott Devore ‘89 was named Athletic Trainer of the Year by the National Football Foundation of Central Pa. Anthony Prusak ‘90, has left his post as senior director of convention sales at Cleveland Convention Center & Global Center for Health Innovation to become vice president of business development for ABTS Convention Services, a global company specializing in serving non-U.S. attendees of medical association meetings in the U.S. with registration and housing needs.

Jason A. Pagni ‘92, an experienced government public relations manager, was appointed press secretary to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett.

John Peluso ‘92 is a Brother of The Franciscans of San Damiano and works as a counselor at the Journey Home of the Mercy Life Corporation in Pittsburgh.

Deb Lang Redlin ‘93 has accepted a position as executive assistant with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services in Plano, Texas. Deb supports three senior directors in the ES marketing division.

Katy L. Delaney Yates ‘03 earned her doctorate in education with an emphasis in leadership of effective schools from Grand Canyon University.

Meghann Kaplun ‘05 graduated May 18, 2013, with her master’s in education, school counseling from George Mason University. She is employed as a high school counselor in Fairfax, Va. Steven Puskar ‘08 of GoErie.com and Elizabeth Butterfield ‘07 of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie earned Addy Awards from the Erie Ad Club for their creative work.

Miles N. Schwartz ‘09 joined the West Side Rowing Club as director of boathouse operations.

Erin Alarcon ‘10 received the Omaha Entertainment Award in February for Best Featured Dancer.

Lisa Bathory Dojnik ‘11 was promoted to art director of the SKM GROUP in Buffalo, N.Y. She joined SKM in 2011 as a graphic designer.

Christina Casey ‘11 graduated from the Connecticut State Police academy in January with the official title of Trooper.

Caileen Farrell ‘11 has been promoted to event manager for Marriott International at the Cleveland Airport Marriott.

Sarah M. Hricko ‘11 was promoted to marketing manager at DANCECleveland.

31

MARRIAGES Emily Mosco ‘04 ‘06 and Robert E. Merski ‘99 were married in Christ the King Chapel on Nov. 23, 2013. The bridal party included mother of the bride Marlene D. Mosco ‘64 and sister of the groom Angela Merski Stankiewiz ‘06. Emily is an attorney with the Vendetti & Vendetti law firm in Erie, Pa., and a member of the adjunct faculty at Mercyhurst. Bob is a special education teacher in the City of Erie School District and a member of Erie City Council.

Andrea Bauer ‘03 married Kevin Kuczma on Nov. 2, 2013, in Cochranton, Pa. Bridesmaids included Leah Vallone ‘03 and Dena Quarantillo ‘03. Music was provided by Keri Weber ‘03, Todd Swavey ‘04 and Diane Kalinowski ‘04. Andrea is a credit analyst for Sapa Extrusions in Pittsburgh and serves as affiliate coordinator for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Kevin works as an EMT for Guardian Angel Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh.

Holly St. George ‘03 married Steve Simon ‘03 on Dec. 12, 2012.

Caitlin Carroll ‘04 married Brian McNulty on Nov. 23, 2013, at St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo, N.Y. Caitlin is a marketing manager for Fourth Wall Restaurants in New York City and Brian is a social studies teacher at Lawrence Woodmere Academy.

Alison R. Royer ‘05 married Graham Allison on Aug. 10, 2013. They will make their home in Cramlington, England.

Emily A. Whitaker ‘06 married Christopher Zdarko on Aug. 31, 2013, in Erie, Pa. Lindsay A. Badger ‘07 married William Brown III on April 12, 2014. Kaitlin Badger ‘12 was maid of honor and bridesmaids included Courtney Stuempges Harding ‘07 and Amy Walzer ‘07.

Kerry D’Orta Skiver ‘10 and James Rudisill ‘07 were married on April 12, 2014.

Michael A. Aiello, Jr. ‘08 married Janine Pizzo ‘08 at Christ the King Chapel on Feb. 8, 2014.

Ashley Kuhn ‘08 married Ryan Errisson on Sept.

21, 2013. They now reside in Las Vegas.

Amanda Riccardi ‘08 married Brendan Walsh on Oct. 12, 2013, in Cleveland.

BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Eric Anibaldi ‘95 and Elizabeth Watkins Anibaldi ‘02 had a son, Luke Robert, on Jan. 7, 2013. He joins big brothers Tyler and Benjamin.

Laura Johnson ‘09 married Shawn Gerow in Erie, Pa., on June 22, 2013.

Kelly Boyle Czoper ‘01 and husband Jon had a son, Sullivan James, on April 17, 2013. He joins twin brothers Austin and Tyler and sister Alexa.

Elissa McCarty ‘09 married Michael Reynolds on Sept. 14, 2013. Elissa is a student in Mercyhurst North East’s respiratory therapy program.

Maria Morocco ‘09 married Vince Cerni on Oct. 12, 2013, in Youngstown Ohio.

Bridesmaids included Adriana Smaczniak ‘09 and Sarah Belotti ‘09. Maria works in development for Hiram College and Vince works in sales management for Cerni Motor Sales.

Allison Rottenborn ‘09 married Peter Mack July 6, 2013, in Cleveland. Allison is employed as a registered nurse at Buffalo General Medical Center.

Cara Adamus ‘10 married Andrew Natalo on June 8, 2013, in Erie, Pa. The bridal party included father of the bride Frederick Adamus ‘81, maid of honor Felicia Adamus ‘07, and bridesmaid Allison Natalo ‘13.

Kristen Nicklas ‘10 married John Rodgers ‘10 on Sept. 28, 2013, in Pittsburgh. The bridal party included maid of honor Rachel Edwards ‘10, bridesmaids Marissa Petroff ‘10 and Jennifer Stepic ‘10, and groomsmen Steven Nicklas ‘12, Brian Oates ‘10 and Charley Smith ‘10.

Allison Hapeman ’11 married Steven Boehm ‘12 on Oct. 12, 2013, in Rochester, N.Y. Bridesmaids included Kerri Maselko ‘11 and Sara Wowkowych ‘11, while Bryan Hapeman ‘00, Justin Hapeman ‘04 and Paul Duckworth ‘12 were groomsmen.

Jolene Chase Parker ‘04 and Brad Parker ‘03 had their second daughter, Ally Shea, on Sept.

12, 2012, in Summerville, S.C. She joins big sister Delaney.

Katherine Matowitz Roberts ‘04 and Tom Roberts ‘05 had a son, Henry Max, on May 14, 2013. He joins big sister Hazel Rose.

Sarah Williams Palm ‘06 and Ryan Palm ‘07 had a son, Andrew James, on March 3, 2014.

He joins big sister Madison.

David McCoy ‘01 and Laura Chrulski McCoy ‘01 had a daughter, Charlotte Lynn, on Oct. 18.

2013. She joins big brother James.

Nicole Bonvouloir Zeiders ‘01 and husband Trevor Zeiders had a son, Ezekiel, on Oct. 23, 2013. He joins big brother Elijah.

Erin Anderson ’02 and Courtland Hickey had a daughter, Freya Wolfbane Hickey, in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 12, 2014. Erin and Courtland run a retail store in Chicago.

Heather Schwager ‘09 married Eric Schmuhl on June 29, 2013, in Cleveland. Haylie Starin ‘09 was a bridesmaid.

Kristen McCaskey Rice ‘02 and husband Seth had a son, Collin Andrew, on April 15, 2013.

He joins big sister Jillian.

Billy Byrnes ‘02 and wife Kristin had their first child, William James, on Oct. 17, 2013.

Erin Koskoski Magorien ‘02, instructor of fashion merchandising, and Joe Magorien ‘01 had a son, Joseph Gary, on Dec. 5, 2013. Joseph joins siblings Gavin, Preston and Nora.

Liz Gerschultz Payne ‘02 and husband Derek had a daughter, Camille Emelyn, on Nov. 20, 2013.

She joins big brother Henry Oliver.

Brooke Sampson Perkins ‘02 and husband Jay had a daughter, Emily Kait, on March 29, 2013.

Emily joins big brother Tyler.

Megan Turi Roperti ‘06 and Joseph Roperti ‘05 had a daughter, Nina Mae, on Feb. 3, 2014.

Nina joins big brother Daniel.

Nathaniel Gennaro ‘07 and Julie Stone Gennaro ‘09 had a son, Roman James, on Oct. 31, 2013, at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Jean-Paul Magermans ‘07 and wife Mary had their first child, Stephanie Anne, on Dec. 10, 2013.

Abby Brennan Power ‘07 and Gerald Power ‘07 had a son, James Rafael, on Aug. 19, 2013.

Alicia M. Santoliquido ‘08 and husband Jason had their first child, Robert Benjamin, in November 2013.

32

Class notes ALUMNI DEATHS Ellen Heintz Munson ‘38 Dorothy Szyplik ‘43 Jean Schanbacher Penman ‘45 Dorothy Barry Baldwin ‘46 Helen F. Calhoun ‘46 Dorothy Rodems Kunz ‘46 Barbara Fleming Butler ‘47 Anne Nickum Gazda ‘48 Audrey Welther Twiss ‘48 Sandra Bersani Wood ‘48 Cecile Jewell Wolszon ‘50 Elizabeth Russell Sottile ‘51 Patricia Cosgrove Dunning ‘53 Sr. Donna Marie Orton, RSM ‘53 Sr. Helen Jean Sullivan, RSM ‘53 Linda Collin ‘58 Sr. Jeannette Denslinger, RSM ‘58 Rosemary Crawford McGinley ‘59 Carol McGinty Rios ‘59 Anne Cavanaugh Toto ‘60 Evelyn Rinn Mitzel ‘61 Mary Ann Sabolski Sieczka ‘65 Louise Durr Guarnaccia ‘70 James Gallegos ‘76 Sally K. Walker ‘77 Karen Weston ‘78 Julie Vitelli Liebel ‘80 Toni Dillon ‘83 Mary Frances Wingerter Knight ‘88 Beverly Davis-Migliacci ‘91 James Onk ‘96 Bruce Smith ‘96 Sherry Howland ‘04 Adam Rowley ‘09 HUSBAND OF: Norma Nientimp Desser ‘59 (Daniel Desser) Rosemary Reo Fails ‘64 (Harry Fails) Susan Dieteman Schmitt ‘72 (Robert Schmitt) MOTHER OF: Deborah Doucett ‘72 (Susan Doucett Nickerson) Christine Sabatelli Sonnone ‘75 (Elizabeth Sabatelli) Valerie Kaminski Laufenberg ‘82 (Dolores Kaminski) Terry Colvin ‘85 (Irene Heberlein Colvin) FATHER OF: Valerie Sherrange Crofoot ‘76 (Charles Sherrange, also brother-in-law of Carole Amenta Kingsley ‘62 and grandfather of Emily Crofoot ‘04) Pierre Priestly, Esq. ‘81 (Charles Priestly) James Cooney ‘98 (Richard Lanser)

33

‘HURST LOSES TWO LONG-TIME SISTERS OF MERCY SON OF: Dianne Ledoux Szeliga ‘56 (Frank Szeliga Jr.) BROTHER OF: Michael Smith ‘83 (Thomas Smith) SISTER OF: Monica Klos ‘84 (Marguerite Mazurana) FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY: Bonney Daubenspeck Margaret Dwyer Dennis Martin Grace Gunster Tullio Katrina Weschler

Two long-time Sisters of Mercy with special ties to Mercyhurst have died recently.

Sister Jeannette Denslinger, RSM, who was believed to be the oldest living Mercyhurst alumna, died Jan. 31, 2014. She had marked her 101st birthday on Dec. 6, 2013, with a visit by Mercyhurst President Dr. Tom Gamble and his wife, Mary.

Sister Jeannette had also lived longer than any other Sister of Mercy from the Erie community.

A resident of the Mercy Care Center at the Mercy Motherhouse, she was an avid reader and a lover of classical music who didn’t let her hearing and sight impairments get the best of her.

She was 32 when she entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1944. She graduated from Mercyhurst in 1958 with a degree in music, earned a master’s degree, and went on to teach music in diocesan elementary schools and later at the Mercy Center of the Arts. Until 2009 she continued to give private music lessons at the motherhouse.

Sister Helen Jean Sullivan, RSM, a music faculty member at Mercyhurst for more than 50 years, died March 8, 2014.

She began her music studies at Mercyhurst, received her bachelor’s degree in music with a major in voice from the New England Conservatory and a master’s of liturgical music from the University of Notre Dame, and studied voice at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto.

She taught voice and piano with equal ease. After teaching in elementary schools from 1947 to 1952, she joined the faculty at Mercyhurst and remained here until retiring in 2005. Besides her work with college students, Sister Helen Jean founded the conservatory that still offers music classes to young people. In 2008, Mercyhurst named it the Sullivan Conservatory of Music in her honor.

TWO ALUMNI HONORED FOR HEROISM Being in the right place at the right time and remaining calm under pressure earned Jessica Fiden ’11 a prestigious award in 2013.

Jessica, a criminal justice graduate, joined the Chesterfield County Police Department in Virginia in 2012 and was recently promoted to Officer First Class.

She was on her way home one evening last year when emergency personnel were called to a severe accident. She was just blocks away and was the third officer on scene where an SUV had lodged in a tree and was engulfed in flames with a passenger trapped inside.

Officers extinguished the fire while Jessica maneuvered into what was left of the SUV to try to free the passenger. She remained in the vehicle to keep the passenger calm and conscious until EMTs arrived – an act that likely saved the passenger’s life, she was later informed.

Jessica was, in her own words, “flabbergasted” to learn she would receive the Bronze Medal of Valor, presented by the Retail Merchants Association in recognition of acts involving unusual personal risk beyond what is expected.

“I wanted to pursue a career as a police officer because I wanted an exciting, challenging career,” she said. “I stayed in the vehicle because I knew that if roles were reversed I wouldn’t want to be alone. Winning this award was something I never expected; it was one of the proudest moments of my life.”

Raymond Kress ’00 followed his dream of becoming a police officer to help people and make a difference in the community.

As a SWAT and sniper team leader for the Nevada County (California) Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Kress often faced perilous situations. A domestic dispute his unit responded to in September 2011 quickly escalated into a hostage situation, when an armed suspect barricaded himself and a victim in a second-story bedroom. When it was clear that negotiations were unsuccessful, he and his unit were authorized to enter the building from the rooftop via a balcony.

Ray was the first to gain entry, and was able to get the victim to safety.

For his bravery in the face of danger, Sergeant Kress was awarded The Medal of Valor on April 20, 2012. Sheriff Keith Royal says his department awards the Medal of Valor on rare occasions to recognize exceptional courage and bravery in the line of duty.

Ray graduated from Mercyhurst in 2000 with a degree in criminal justice before going on to attend police academies in Salisbury, Md., and Los Angeles, Calif.

He now resides in California with his wife, fellow Mercyhurst alum MaryKathryn (Kat Hardes ’00) Kress, and their son, Garrison. The couple came back to Mercyhurst in 2002 to wed in Christ the King Chapel.

JOHN HENRY LANGER NAMED TRUSTEE John Henry Langer has been elected to the Mercyhurst board of trustees.

Langer, who earned a degree in business marketing from Mercyhurst in 1995, is the president of H. Jack’s Plumbing and Heating Co., serving a wide array of clients in Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania.

He is a critical thinker, community partner, successful entrepreneur and major donor to his alma mater in the areas of athletics, academics and the arts. Annually he underwrites the Maria J. Langer Film Series at Mercyhurst, which features critically acclaimed independent world movies and documentaries.

He was also a key contributor to the building of the Alumni Pavilion on Tullio Field in 2012.

The first former Laker athlete to be elected to the board, he distinguished himself as a star athlete in the ‘90s. For two years he was captain of the football squad and its most valuable player.

Langer served a six-year term as a trustee of Lake Erie College before joining the Mercyhurst board.

GIVING BACK: MIKE AND OLGA POLISHCHUK LYDEN Mike writes, “My wife Olga and I give to Mercyhurst University because, frankly, we feel we owe the university for so much of who we are today. Foremost, Mercyhurst has brought us together, when we would have otherwise been an ocean apart.

Ours is a debt of gratitude for shaping us intellectually and instilling in us the ideas of mercy, justice and compassion based on the traditions of the Sisters of Mercy.

“We owe Mercyhurst not only our hands-on skills and unique profession, but also life-long connections and family.

We give our time and money to the Hurst because we are proud of being Lakers and want others to have the same experiences that we were lucky enough to have: to meet a diverse group of people from all over the world, befriend faculty in a unique field of study, enjoy the beautiful campus, and share in the Mercy tradition so uniquely expressed within each campus community.“ Mike (MS ‘07) and Olga Polishchuk Lyden (BA ‘07) were married on campus in 2008 and currently live in Washington, D.C. The Lydens are proud members of the Mercyhurst University Alumni Association and currently serve on its board of directors.

34

501 East 38th Street, Erie, PA 16546

2014

October 3-5 Alumni Golf Outing: Friday, Oct. 3 Registration will open in late summer