Millersville University Review - Fall/Winter 2019-20 by Millersville University

FALL | WINTER 2019-20

UNIVERSITY REVIEW

Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soccer BACK-TO-BACK PSAC Champions | PAGE 22

REVIEW | 2019-20

UNIVERSIT Y REVIEW Fall | Winter 2019-20

VOLUME 137

DEAR MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY FRIENDS & FAMILY, A warm welcome to 2020 from all of us at Millersville University. I’m so excited for this new year, and I hope you’ll join us for one of our many events this year and stay in touch as we move this great institution forward. We have two new honor societies to begin the year. We revitalized our chapter of Phi Kappa Phi, which is the oldest, most selective multidisciplinary academic honors society. And last month we held an installation for a second honors society, Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK), one of the nation’s premier honor societies. It makes us only the second PASSHE institution to have an ODK chapter. We’re also starting the year with a new mentorship program. Mentoring has been a top priority for me and alumni have expressed their readiness to serve as mentors for our students. The mentorship office is in the process of matching alums to our students through a pilot partnership with Mentor Collective, an online mentoring community. Students register through Mentor Collective for the opportunity to be linked with a Millersville University alumnus for oneon-one guidance and career advice. We’ve always had an outstanding teaching program at Millersville and in 2020 we have a new option: an Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in School Psychology. It is considered more advanced than a master’s degree but generally requires less coursework than a Ph.D. or Ed.D. This is perfect for teachers or other educators who want to advance their careers, gain new skills and qualify for higher salaries. Later this spring we will host a Middle States team to review the work that’s been done by faculty, staff and students to assure our reaccreditation. And by the end of 2020, we will have a new strategic plan that is being created with input from across the entire campus. The All University Council has been meeting since last fall to ensure that our 2025 Strategic Plan is formed with input from all of the campus community, for all of the campus community. We also have a new facilities master plan, which will guide us during the next 25 years. The first five years includes landscape/ grounds maintenance, wayfinding and exterior signage, and an assessment of residential houses. The extended plan calls for renovating some buildings and demolishing others. The spring semester means basketball, wrestling, track and field, swimming, and the promise of warmer weather with our many outdoor sports. I hope you enjoy this issue of the Review.

No. 1

The Review is published by Millersville University, a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

PRESIDENT Daniel A. Wubah, Ph.D.

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Victor Ramos

ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING Gregory Freedland

MILLERSVILLE REVIEW STAFF

Janet Kacskos, Executive Editor Kate Hartman, Editor John Cheek, Creative Director/Designer Ethan Hulsey, Sports News Denise Berg, Alumni News Gabrielle Buzgo, Alumni News Jennifer McMorris, Class Notes Samantha Jasinsk ‘21M, Class Notes Justin Strawser ‘18, ‘20M, Class Notes

CONTRIBUTORS

Chris Capella ‘21M | Alicia Garges ‘21

PRINTED BY INTELLICOR, INC. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

John Held ’02 (president)

Joyce King ’83 (president-elect) Bill Martin ’81 (treasurer) Matt Olphin ’95 (secretary) Mike Henry ’83 (past president)

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL OF TRUSTEES

Michael G. Warfel ’84 (chair) Richard L. Frerichs, Ph.D. ’64, ‘69M (vice chair) Rep. Jordan A Harris ’06 (secretary) Adam Bachman ’20 (student member) Brandon W. Danz ‘03 William B. McIlwaine, Ph.D. Brian A. Rider ’87 Gerald S. Robinson, Esq. Kathryn R. Ross Holly L. Trego ‘98 Ann S. Womble Chancellor Daniel Greenstein, Ph.D. (ex officio) President Daniel A. Wubah, Ph.D. (ex officio)

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION BOARD

With warm regards,

Saul W. Fink Ph.D. ‘85 (president) Joseph W. Garner ‘90 (vice president) Darryl L. Landis M.D. ‘85 (secretary) Suzanne J. Walstrum ‘94 (treasurer)

Daniel A. Wubah

Millersville University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution.

LIVING & LEARNING AT MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY

LIVING & LEARNING TOGETHER AT MILLERSVILLE

By Chris Capella ‘21M & Kate Hartman

Dr. Elizabeth Thyrum was like a lot of students when she first left for college. She was excited, yet nervous. Thyrum began pursuing her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Millersville University in 1982. As a freshman admitted to the Honors College, she lived in a LivingLearning Community (LLC) at Hull Hall, which used to stand where the Lombardo Welcome Center is currently located.

Now, 37 years later, Thyrum is still involved in the Honors College and Living-Learning Communities at Millersville. She serves as the director of the Honors program and oversees the Honors College LLC. Joyce Lehrmeyer, a freshman Applied Engineering & Technology Management major from Altoona, felt that same trepidation Thyrum describes when she arrived at Millersville this year. Like most 18-yearolds, leaving for college can be a scary time, but her concerns were eased when she decided to join the Women in STEM LLC—one of Millersville’s newest and most popular options.

“I was definitely nervous the day before I moved in,” she said. “Getting to move in early helped a lot because there weren’t suddenly thousands of people there. I got to meet some students who were in a similar situation.” Living-Learning Communities are designed to take students who are passionate about specific subjects and group them together in the same living area. They receive various benefits, including community programming and the ability to move onto campus a day early.

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LIVING & LEARNING AT MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY

The ‘Ville currently has seven Living-Learning Communities— Social Advocacy, Women in STEM, Cinephile, Creative Writing, Honors College, ROTC and Scholars Program —which are led by the department of Housing & Residential Programs (HARP), featuring partnerships with individual faculty members who help to establish learning outcomes and coordinate co-curricular activities based on the theme of the program. LLCs are a high-impact practice on campuses around the world, but outside of the Honors College, which was started in 1980, the concept is relatively new to Millersville, said Steve Knepp, HARP associate director. Social Advocacy and Scholars Program LLCs were formed in 2018, while the Women in STEM, Cinephile, Creative Writing and ROTC LLCs were formed in fall 2019.

Millersville’s LLCs differ in size. The Honors College LLC houses approximately 115 students and continues to grow in size. The group was moved to the South Village from Reighard Hall beginning in 2019. Interest in the other LLCs continues to grow each year. The goal is to create an immersive experience for the residents, Knepp said. The students already have similar class schedules, and by living together they can form study groups and talk about their experiences. “We reach out to faculty and work with them to figure out what the need is, what they’re seeing in the classroom and how we can partner together to not only enhance the in-classroom experience, but the out-of-classroom experience as well,” Knepp said. HARP Director Dr. Scott Helfrich believes the University is at a critical

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mass of interest in LLCs, and that there is a lot of potential for success with additional learning communities in the future. “We have created a Living-Learning Community Council, which met for the first time in November to bring together stakeholders who are currently involved with our LLCs, or who are interested in creating something for the future,” Helfrich explained. Part of the council’s goal is to establish formalized partnerships between HARP and the faculty coordinators so that students in different LLCs are receiving comparable benefits, and responsibilities are clear. A new idea that HARP is pursuing is the potential for corporatesponsored LLCs that would unite local employers with students for programmatic experiences based

Tarrah Daley, meteorology; Cheyenne Dixon, meteorology; Tara Ferguson, biology, in the Women in STEM Living-Learning Community.

LIVING & LEARNING AT MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY

Lauren Coca, biology, in the Women in STEM Living-Learning Community.

on industry needs, and internship and employment opportunities upon graduation. Additionally, the HARP staff is working to offer more housing scholarships specifically for students enrolled in an LLC. This spring, they will offer $40,000 worth of scholarships for eligible students in the Social Advocacy LLC. The goal is to offer this option for all LLCs in the future. The Social Advocacy LLC, which is overseen by Dr. Karen Rice of the social work department, has established a robust program of extracurricular activities that push students outside of their comfort zones. “The LLC allows them to engage with others they may have never talked to or befriended otherwise,” said Rice. Thomas Wilson, a sophomore social work major, was a member of last year’s inaugural Social Advocacy LLC. “A lot of the people living there plan to dedicate their professional lives to understanding and helping others,” Wilson said. “It was amazing to get some of the experiences we were privileged to have.” Those experiences included a Skype session with a Syrian refugee currently living in the United States who talked about the struggles of escaping a war-torn country and adjusting to a new culture. In the fall 2019 semester, Social Advocacy students were challenged to create an art exhibit, which was displayed during the screening of “Suicide: The Ripple Effect.” The exhibit offered insight into the struggles and challenges

surrounding mental health, in addition to offering hope to those who were struggling, Rice said. Research shows that students involved with LivingLearning Communities are more likely to persist at that institution, earn a higher GPA and feel a greater sense of community, Knepp said. Helfrich is sure that Millersville “has the potential to be a role model for other universities, particularly Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education institutions, with the success of Living-Learning Communities here on campus.” 

Dr. Karen Rice and students from the Social Advocacy LLC. M I L L E R S V I L L E U N I V E R S I T Y • w w w. m i ller sv i lle. edu

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MODERN Student Works to Preserve

Ancient Language By Janet Kacskos

In the age of technology, where everything is temporary and disposable, one Millersville under graduate student is working to preserve a piece of history. Anishinaabemowin is a Native American language spoken by the Anishinaabe people in the northern United States and Canada, and Jordan Traut, a double English and anthropology major and Japanese culture studies minor, is helping to record it. “Their language has been passed down orally and was never written,” said Traut, who is originally from Thorndale, Pennsylvania. “Only about eight elders are left to tell their story, and it doesn’t translate to English, or our alphabet.” This past summer, she traveled 15 hours to northwest Michigan with her mom and little brother so she could attend the “26th Annual Anishinaabe Family Language & Culture Camp.” The camp was designed for the Anishinaabe people to celebrate the unity of their language and culture. At the camp, Traut heard a session from Brian Peltier, a band member of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, who is working to revitalize their language, along with their way of life and spirituality. Peltier’s session was on “The 7 Fires of Creation,” which told the origins of the people along with the birth of their language. “Around 1970, with the forced assimilation of Native Americans into residential schools, [the Anishinaabe] were forbidden to speak their language,” she explained. “In some cases children were taken from their homes and put in boarding schools

to take away their culture and language.” Traut is researching Native American oral stories in addition to her regular school work. Traut is also a member of Millersville’s Honors College, and has taken a study abroad semester in Japan. She is the first recipient of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fellowship. “My work has focused on collecting Native American creation teachings from people who speak the languages rather than Englishlanguage translations,” Traut explained. “I had the opportunity to learn about the various initiatives they are working on now to save their language. “I want to use my thesis research to illuminate the incredible beauty of Native American stories and sophistication of their language, which is so closely rooted in their culture,” she continued. “As a student, I try to stimulate change using my writing to spark dialogue on issues close to my heart like the cultural ramifications of unchecked Englishlanguage translation and the value of non-Western literature. By studying Native American teachings and stories, an aspect of my thesis, I want to reach back into the past, through the surviving literature, in the hopes that it can make an impact for Native Americans in the present.” Her thesis centers on one story in particular, which she traces through the stories of Native Americans, Mesopotamian studies and many other cultures. That is the story of a great flood.

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“Stories were orally passed down about a deluge of water that wiped out entire populations,” she said. “It’s similar to the story in the Bible.

“There are Native Americans right here desperate to hang on to their culture and rebuild it. We have a Third World situation with terrible issues like not having access to running water, healthcare and other amenities nonnative people often take for granted in First World countries.”

We have a shared humanity and a universal fear that if we cross some sort of spiritual threshold we’re not supposed to, that bad things will happen.” For Traut, it’s important to remember that cultural work like this is valuable right here in the United States. “There are Native Americans right here desperate to hang on to their culture and rebuild it,” she said. “We have a Third World situation with terrible issues like not having access to running water, healthcare and other amenities non-native people often take for granted in First World countries.”

Traut’s journey to pursue her passions at Millersville began at an open house. That was where she began falling in love with the ‘Ville. “I met the English faculty, liked them and the campus culture and environment,” explained Traut. “I have no regrets.” After graduation in May 2020—only three years after she began her college journey— Jordan hopes to head to Canada to learn more about the Anishinaabe language and culture, and work with the elders on learning it. In the future, she would like to attend graduate school to study and translate Mesopotamian languages. “The translation of these languages has been done only by men, who have a cultural bias when it comes to women’s roles,” said Traut. “I want to come at it from a female perspective so the women in the stories don’t get lost. Right now, in the translations, they’re relegated to positions as prostitutes.” “My life goal is to show others that we’re a lot more similar than different,” she said “It’s not something we think about in our Western culture or in the English mindset. We need to realize that other cultures have ancient stories that are just as valuable to study as Western literature.” 

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COMMENCEMENT W I N T E R 2019 MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY hosted our 163RD Commencement ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 15, in Pucillo Gymnasium. Approximately 430 students crossed the stage to receive their degrees. President Wubah personally shook each student’s hand and wished them luck on their future endeavors. The graduating class included 52 students who earned cum laude honors, 47 students who earned magna cum laude honors and six students who earned summa cum laude honors. Four student veterans also earned their degrees. An impressive 75 faculty were on hand to wish their students well at graduation. Six alumni also received awards during this year’s ceremony.

During the ceremony, Andrea Shirk, general manager of Rock Lititz, received an honorary degree; and the commencement speech was given by Michael Shirk, CEO of The High Companies (both pictured below). He detailed the many diverse paths graduates could take

into the working world in Central Pennsylvania during his speech. Whether it’s healthcare, education, corporate business or entrepreneurship, he assured the graduates that “it takes effort, perseverance, and sometimes patience to find a good fit, but opportunities are out there.” 

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & HUMAN SERVICES

By the Numbers

Established

1855

SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR STUDENT TEACHING

PROGRAMS/CERTIFICATES IN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

MOST POPULAR

Education Majors

531 GRADUATES (FALL 2019)

846

departments

PRIVATE & CHILDCARE CENTERS FOR STUDENT TEACHING

STUDENT-TEACHING PLACEMENTS (FALL 2019)

 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PK-4  INTERRELATED EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

PK-4/SPECIAL ED. PK-8

HOUSE BILL N0. 390 Social Work Faculty Advocates for Credential Change By Kate Hartman

A bill currently circulating in the education committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives would have a significant effect on the social work profession—particularly School Social Workers (SSW) who are employed in school districts.

ensures there are standards in place and lays out practice and educational expectations. It ensures that those who are receiving social work services are actually receiving them from a social worker.” Without this SSW certification, schools are able to rely on other professionals to fill these roles versus a credentialed social worker, who Rice says is the best fit for the task. The lack of a certification diminishes the importance of social workers and the services they provide. “This bill would update the school As one of the local area’s producers code to have a certification for social of quality social workers, Millersville workers,” explained Dr. Karen Rice, University’s administration, faculty chair of the School of Social Work. and doctoral students have been “Currently, schools hire social workers advocating for this new credential but they don’t have a mechanism for because of its necessity in the certifying that role like they do other profession, and the positive effects it positions in schools. The certification would have on our graduates moving forward. WORKE RS IAL C In school districts, social workers SO serve as the conduit between L the family and the school to make sure the student is ME receiving the support they O H need to succeed. This can include managing mental health, accessibility, LD I H poverty, abuse, violence C and many other issues TY a student might be I UN M experiencing. M CO Without a social worker certification, schools only L O SCH O have the option to require a Home and School Visitor N I certification, which is not as strict L L or specific to the profession. ITA

THE V

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“House Bill 390 is a piece of legislation within the social work professional community that has been sorely needed and advocated for since before my arrival at Millersville University 11 years ago,” said Dr. Leonora Foels, associate professor of social work. The Pennsylvania Association of School Social Work Personnel (PASSWP) a state organization, has been conducting research on this topic and advocating for school social workers to be included in the many areas of need within school districts for years. Dee Stalnecker, a graduate student pursuing her Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) at Millersville, is the current vice president of the PASSWP, and has been intimately involved in the advocacy efforts. She views this certification as a means to measure quality of professionals in this field, which is positive in raising expectations and outputs in the field. “Certification would raise the standards for SSWs by providing additional education such as educational law, special education, etc.,” explained Stalnecker, who is a SSW in the Derry Township School District. “Those of us who have worked as SSWs learned this information as we went along, but it certainly put us at a disadvantage. Although SSWs in Pennsylvania must have their MSW and be licensed by the state, schools value quality and a means to measure quality; certification is one avenue to ensure that.”

HOUSE BILL N o . 390

“Currently, our social work students and graduates are still left without a clear path to using their master’s degree or professional licenses (LSW and LCSW) as a vehicle to provide support and services to the students and their families within the Pennsylvania school system,” Foels explained. In March 2019, a contingent of Millersville social work students and faculty went to Harrisburg for the National Association of School Workers’ Legislation Education and Advocacy Day to call for local legislators to take up the bill. “The bill is not totally bi-partisan, but there are Republicans and Democrats on it. Support for this bill can be found across racial and gender groups,” explained Dr. Laura Granruth, assistant professor of social work. “This is how Pennsylvania is choosing to pursue certification. Other states may

have different standards or pursue different avenues.” Despite advocacy efforts, this bill remains stalled in the education committee. Stalnecker is hopeful to see some movement early in 2020. “We’re talking about additional advocacy efforts we can engage in to help push this bill along,” said Dr. George Drake, dean of the College of Education and Human Services, and the School of Social Work. “We need to spur some grassroots efforts to get this bill out of committee and onto the house floor.” When the bill is passed, Millersville will be ready. Dr. Foels has already been working to tailor social work coursework to better align with a SSW certification so that graduating students are set up for success. Stalnecker credits her involvement with Millersville’s doctoral program with giving her the perspective

to look at this kind of policy issue through a macro lens. Without that kind of learning in the classroom, she is not sure she would have become as involved with PASSWP or this bill. “As a result of my classes, I understand how my role within an organization affects my profession, and how research can strengthen the social work profession as a whole,” she said. “I have evaluated and discovered my professional identity.” 

House Bill 390 is a piece of “legislation within the social work professional community that has been sorely needed and advocated for since before my arrival at Millersville University 11 years ago.

”

– Dr. Leonora Foels

CAMPUS NEWS | Fall/Winter The century-old mystery of an unknown individual in the stained glass window inside the Biemesderfer Center has been solved. The image featured four men: Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Shakespeare, James Russell Lowell and an unknown individual. Thanks to technology, the man was identified as German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Assistant Director of Admissions Joshua Belice ‘10 found the identity through a reverse Google search of a photograph of the glass. The findings were confirmed by retired German professor Dr. Leroy Hopkins and retired Stained glass window in Biemesderfer Center. library technician Janet Dotterer. Given Millersville’s early Germanic ties, it makes sense for Goethe to be the mysterious individual. Belice noted, “It’s important to remember that as Millersville continues to look forward, we don’t forget our past.” 

Grant Supports Student Opioid Crisis Research

Graduate students at Millersville interested in becoming experts in addiction and recovery are benefiting from a $1.35 million grant. The majority of the grant supports scholarships of $10,000 each for students enrolled in the Master of Social Work (MSW) or $28,000 each for students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice programs. MSW students Kylie Bradley-Moreschi and Christopher Thomas are scholarship recipients who will graduate in May 2020. “I hope to start Kylie Bradley-Moreschi and a nonprofit drug and Christopher Thomas. alcohol treatment program that promotes evidence-based treatment for people with substance-use disorders,” Bradley-Moreschi explains. Thomas intends to focus on research and policy making to “establish formal collaborations with addiction service providers in the local area to improve Lancaster’s response to the opioid crisis and substance use generally.” 

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New College of Business

Millersville University held an open house celebrating the new College of Business on Sept. 24. The event featured five speakers, including University President Daniel Wubah, Interim Dean Doug Frazer, Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Vilas Prabhu, current student Gasser Abousaif and 2018 graduate Renee Drawbaugh. Each of the speakers emphasized the importance of this new college and its impact on the Millersville community. The new college was established in July 2019 and has an advisory council of local business leaders and alumni. It offers bachelor’s degrees in business administration with options in accounting and finance, and marketing and management. 

Left to right: Interim Dean Doug Frazer, student Gasser Abousaif, President Daniel Wubah, student Renee Drawbaugh ‘18 and Provost Dr. Vilas Prabhu.

First Gen Week

The University celebrated first generation college students, faculty, staff and alumni during FirstGeneration Week from Nov. 2-8. In 2017, the Council for Opportunity in Education partnered with the Center for First-Generation Student Success to launch the inaugural First-Generation College Celebration. This year, Millersville participated for the first time, and our inaugural celebration included a breakfast, wellness events and introduced a new honor society for first-generation students on campus—Alpha Alpha Alpha. “This week was designed to shine a light on these students and give them the support they need through resources and mentorship opportunities,” said Darlene Newman, director of Student Access and Support Services at Millersville. 

GENERATION

Stained Glass Mystery Solved

Nati

CAMPUS NEWS

Sustainability Honors

Millersville earned many sustainability honors during the fall semester. The Lombardo Welcome Center is the first building in Pennsylvania to be Zero Energy Certified by the International Living Future Institute. It produces more energy than it uses, and those energy savings go into the Positive Energy Fund. The fund finances faculty, staff and studentled projects that contribute positively to local and global communities using the structure of the 17 Global Goals. In March, President Daniel Wubah, Sustainability Director Chris Steuer and Vice President for Finance and Administration Guilbert Brown will travel to Barcelona, Spain, to present on these accomplishments at the 2nd GUNi International Conference on Sustainable Goals and Higher Education. Other accolades include being named a 2019 Green Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, winning the AASCU Excellence and Innovation Award, and being championed for climate leadership by Second Nature. 

Lombardo Welcome Center

Holocaust Conference 2020

In recognition of the 75th anniversary of the Holocaust, Millersville University will host a Holocaust Memorial Day and an Auschwitz Liberation exhibition in April 2020. These events will instill knowledge about the Holocaust and teach compassion for all. The exhibit will be held in the Ford Atrium inside McComsey Hall and feature items from the Museum of Human Rights Freedom and Tolerance. The installation will begin April 2, 2020, and continue throughout the entire month. These events will allow Millersville University to continue to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and all those impacted by it. 

MILLERSVILLE RECEIVES LARGEST GIFT IN HISTORY LISELOTTE R. WEHRHEIM

In this season of giving

MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY was honored to receive the largest gift in the institution’s history in December—$3.5 million from our alumna, Liselotte R. Wehrheim, class of 1974, who recently died at the age of 103.

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to our alum, friend and supporter, Liselotte Wehrheim,” said President Daniel A. Wubah. “While our Advancement staff had been working with Ms. Wehrheim, the size of the gift was a wonderful surprise.” The money will fund the Liselotte R. Wehrheim Scholarship in Nursing Endowment, helping to prepare students for jobs in the growing healthcare industry. The scholarship is designed for students who have unusual or special circumstances affecting the completion of their education, such as simultaneously supporting or caring for a parent, child or spouse. Wehrheim earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Millersville as a nontraditional student, at age 59. She continued to practice as a nurse well into her 90s. In 2008, at age 92, she said, “Millersville was a gift to me as

Liselotte R. Wehrheim ‘74

a mature, older person. It was a wonderful experience. They accepted me, and it was a joy for me to be able to function on the level of 20-year-olds when I was more than twice their age.” “Around the holidays, when many are thinking of giving to others, the generosity of one alum will have a lasting impact on hundreds of the University’s nursing students, now and into the future,” said Wubah. 

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to our alum, friend and supporter, Liselotte Wehrheim.”

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ALUMNI | R E U N I O N S CLASS REUNIONS were celebrated throughout Homecoming weekend and provided Millersville alumni and friends with the opportunity to reconnect and reminisce. The Class of 1969 commemorated their 50th anniversary and were welcomed as the newest members of the Ad Astra Society by the classes of 1964 and 1959.

CLASS OF 1969 celebrating their 50th Reunion Front Row: Roberta Hoy Ross, Cheryl McLain Youtz, Carol Derstein Caum, Karen Shellenhamer Helsel, Dr. Daniel A. Wubah Second Row: Barbara Schreffler Freile, Kathy Hashinger Schoenberger, Ellen Scholbreck Fleisher, Brenda Beaman Eisemann, Judith Brown Yoder, William Yoder Third Row: Bill Stahler, Janet Buell Hill, Jack Campbell, John Chalikian, JoAnn Donahue Buttari Back Row: Douglas Hill, Raymond Lee Young, Donald Herneisen, Robert Auwarter, Robert Eisemann, George Stewart In attendance, not pictured: Melvin Allen, Lucy Guyer Buchanan, Gerald Cunfer, Thomas Haney, Susan Lorenzon Wade

SAVE THE DATE! Classes of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50s Decade Luncheon | Thursday, May 14. More details to follow. 16 | M I L L E R S V I L L E U N I V E R S I T Y â&#x20AC;˘ Fal l | Wi nter 2 019-20

ALUMNI REUNIONS

CLASS OF 1959 celebrating their 60th Reunion

CLASS OF 1964 celebrating their 55th Reunion

Front Row: Jane Cairns Bevan, Marjorie Scott Rowe, Royce Walters, Faye Kline, Dr. Daniel A. Wubah Back Row: Lester Gross, Janet Cooper Kuchler, Earle Hershey Jr., Dwight Mostoller, Susan Jones

Front Row: Joyce Erwin Fuls, Lucy Lubowiecki Norton, Evan Douple, Clair Drescher, Joe Lisi, Dr. Daniel A. Wubah Back Row: Robert Mesaros, Jackie Fuls, Gahrad Harvey, Rich Frerichs, Art Drescher In attendance, not pictured: G. Terry Madonna

Marauder Connections!

HAVEN’T BEEN RECEIVING THE ALUMNI E-NEWSLETTER? We probably don’t have your email address! Visit www.villealumni.com and click the “Sign Up Now” button to register. The e-newsletter is a quick read and will keep you up-to-date on upcoming alumni events and what’s happening at Millersville University. Connect with us on Facebook @MillersvilleAlumni, Instagram @VilleAlumni, or Twitter @MUAlumni Roommates reunited! Ben Cooper ’67 and Thomas Haney ’69 at Homecoming 2019.

Alumni Association — Millersville University, PO Box 1002 Millersville, PA 17551-0302 | 800-681-1855 | mualumni@millersville.edu

SUPPORT FUTURE GENERATIONS of Millersville Students Leave your legacy by including MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY in your will or trust, or as a beneficiary designation of an IRA, retirement plan or other account. You can make a lasting impact. For more information or to request our FREE WILLS GUIDE, please contact us: Planned.Giving@millersville.edu, 877-872-3820, or visit millersville.giftlegacy.com

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SAVE THE DATE FOR HOMECOMING 2020! | OCTOBER 23-24

HOMECOMING 2019

ING M O C E HOM 019 2

3 6

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For more Homecoming photos, please visit facebook.com/millersvillealumni

17 1. Jenn Gallagher ‘12 and Courtney Farr ‘13 2. A lumni and friends enjoy special parade seating outside the Duncan Alumni House. 3. David Kerwood ‘15 and guest 4. Kaleem Corbin on the field 5. Joe Glass ‘53 at the parade 6. We love our legacy families! 7. Millersville Community-University Parade

8. Michael Bennett and Christian Shepperson 9. John Tintera, President Daniel Wubah, Ahmad Williams, Leah Ferguson, Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management Brian Hazlett and Julia Lenz ‘19 10. S ara Raymond ‘12, Eric Raymond ‘08, Harry Innacola ‘13, Paige Innacola ‘14, Kelsey Foster ‘13 and Stan Foster

11. Photo booth fun! 12. Evan Morrill and Darrell Ramey 13. Janelle Sentiwany 14. Janet Cooper ’59 and Jane Bevans ’59 15. Ahmad Williams and Leah Ferguson 16. Members of Omega Psi Phi 17. Skully and the Marauder

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Alumni Awards

Millersville University Alumni Association Each year the Millersville University Alumni Association celebrates the outstanding achievements of members of our community through the Alumni Association Awards program. These awards honor individuals who have contributed to the prestige of the Alumni Association or the University through noteworthy professional accomplishments or service to society.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes a Millersville University graduate who has brought honor to the University through substantial career achievements and has made significant contributions to society.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Special Operations Medicine.” Each year, he honors his fallen Special Operations brothers by having memorial masses celebrated on the anniversaries of their passing. Colonel Davis’ life and service has worked to personify the Special Forces motto “De Oppresso Liber,” to liberate the oppressed. 

Colonel William J. Davis III ’72, USA Ret.

Ronald Burger ’70

Colonel William J. Davis ’72, USA Ret., earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Millersville in 1972, a master’s degree in international relations from Salve Regina University, and the title Master Faculty from the National Defense University. On November 11, 1971, he enlisted in the Army. Colonel Davis has served in a significant number of highly sensitive, joint, interagency and multinational operations, including the full range of Special Forces Missions in the United States and abroad. He is a combat diver, master parachutist, ranger and special forces qualified, and has been decorated with the Combat Infantryman Badge. During the Gulf War, then-LTC Davis commanded the 2nd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group. Colonel Davis’ combat service rendered him seriously disabled, so he serves as a research patient for Gulf War Illness. In 2005, the Colonel Bill Davis Fund for Research on Gulf War Illness was established at one of the key medical centers for Gulf War Illness and Chemical Agent Exposure in Dallas, Texas. Since retiring in 2005, he continues to support active-duty members as adjunct faculty at Joint Forces Staff College and as an editorial consultant for “The Journal of

A Lancaster native, Ronald Cary Burger graduated from Millersville in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in education. After graduation, Burger became a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ghana and taught science at Winneba Training College. Thanks to his training with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Burger was assigned to lead the Ministry of Health team in controlling a severe outbreak of cholera in Winneba and realized that he had found his life’s work. Burger became an epidemiologist and Disease Control Program Coordinator with the CDC. In 1975, Burger was sent to Bangladesh through the World Health Organization’s Smallpox Eradication Program, where he identified cases, traced outbreaks and administered vaccinations for smallpox. In 1976, Burger was a central expert identifier of Legionnaires’ disease and provided his expertise during the Swine Flu National Immunization Program. Burger became the senior emergency response coordinator at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta in 1989. In the decades that followed, Burger responded to numerous emergencies and disasters, including 38 hurricanes, the Mt. St.

Helens volcano eruption, the Northridge earthquakes and more. Upon retiring from the CDC, Burger became a volunteer at the National Disaster Medical System within the Department of Health and Human Services and continues to respond to major public health incidents. He is also a full-time contractor with the Department of Homeland Security as the jurisdictional coordinator for the BioWatch Program in Florida. 

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD The Outstanding Volunteer Service Award is presented to a graduate of Millersville University who has provided outstanding service to the Millersville University Alumni Association or the University by volunteering significant time and talent. Richard Moriarty ’72 Richard Moriarty graduated from Millersville in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He has more than 40 years of experience in commercial banking and served as an executive policy specialist within the Pennsylvania Department of Banking. In retirement, he has served as CFO for both Merk Industrial Services of Lancaster and Fleet Energy of State College. Moriarty served as the mayor of Millersville Borough for 16 years—ending his tenure at the end of 2019. He has been a champion for many local, regional and state causes, including the Lancaster County Mayors’ Association, the Pennsylvania State

DO YOU KNOW A FELLOW ALUMNUS WHO DESERVES SPECIAL RECOGNITION?

Find out more at www.villealumni.com under “Awards.” Nomination deadline is February 23, 2020.

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MILLERSVILLE UNIVERSITY ALUMNI AWARDS

Mayors’ Association, and the Millersville Business Association. He began serving as a firefighter for the Millersville Fire Company in 1974, and was the treasurer for 35 years. Moriarty has been a member of the Millersville Community-University Parade planning committee for 15 years. In recognition of his significant service to the Millersville community, he was selected as the grand marshal of the parade in 2014. Moriarty has been a key contributor to the Millersville University Alumni Association (MUAA) since he joined the Board of Directors in 2008. He has shared his invaluable financial expertise as a member of the financial planning committee and was elected as MUAA Treasurer in 2015. He has researched investment options and made informed recommendations to ensure that the MUAA is financially well positioned now and in the years to come. 

YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The Young Alumni Achievement Award recognizes recent Millersville University graduates who are identified as being outstanding in their profession and serve as exemplars of achievement to current Millersville University students. Clifford Stains ’02, Ph.D. Dr. Clifford Stains earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a minor in biology from Millersville University in 2002. The thesis work he conducted with Dr. Sandra Turchi set him on course for a career dedicated to scholarly research. Stains continued his studies at the University of Arizona, where his Ph.D. work in chemistry was conducted under the guidance of Indraneel Ghosh. He was a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT with Professor Barbara Imperiali in 2011, where he learned ways to design cellular therapies to target specific aspects of a person’s biology without affecting other

necessary functions. His independent career began as a professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of NebraskaLincoln. During this time, he published an impressive 32 papers and was awarded more than $2 million in funding. In summer 2019, Stains became an associate professor of chemistry at the University of Virginia, where he continued to build upon his interest in cell-signaling. Stains’ approach to this phenomenon at the molecular level is cutting-edge scientific discovery. It has real world implications on the development of treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders. He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation. 

Nikanor I. Volkov ’05, ’07M, Ph.D., CVA Dr. Nikanor Volkov received his bachelor’s degree in international studies with honors in 2005 and a Master of Business Administration degree in 2007 from Millersville University. He received his Ph.D. in finance from Florida Atlantic University in 2015 and holds a Certified Valuation Analyst designation by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. Volkov is currently an assistant professor of finance at Mercer University, where he teaches classes at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Volkov’s research is widely published, and his most recent interest area is career and education choice and its effect on the long-term wealth of an individual. Volkov has developed an online application that helps young adults make better career choices and ensure that their investment in education is a value-creating endeavor. Volkov is a recipient of the 2017 Exemplary Faculty Award from Mercer University and the 2011 and 2012 Florida Atlantic University Presidential Doctoral Fellowship Awards. In 2019, Volkov was

selected to the “40 Under 40” list by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, an honor that recognizes the next generation of business valuation industry mavericks. In addition to his research, Volkov has a consulting practice that focuses on litigation support in the area of forensic economics and finance. 

Jaime Kurtz ’00, Ph.D. Dr. Jaime Kurtz graduated summa cum laude from Millersville University in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, earning both University and departmental honors. Kurtz’s passion for psychology and academia was first sparked by her dedicated and inspiring professors, particularly Drs. Tae Woo, Al Forsyth, Susan Luek and John Osborne. Currently, Kurtz is an associate professor of psychology at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and was the recipient of a research grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, as well as numerous departmental teaching awards and fellowships. Her research on strategies for sustainable happiness has been published in top academic journals and has received media attention from outlets such as “Time,” “Forbes,” “The Wall Street Journal,” and others. Since 2013, she has worked with the Institute for Brain Potential, offering seminars on mental health to thousands of healthcare professionals. In addition, she writes the popular Happy Trails online column for “Psychology Today.” In 2017, she published her first book, “The Happy Traveler,” which focuses on research-based tips for designing better vacations. An enthusiastic traveler herself, she is the creator and director of a study abroad program, Exploring the Good Life in Scandinavia, where students visit two of the world’s happiest countries, Denmark and Sweden, to study cross-cultural differences in well-being. 

A great way to end the work day while networking and socializing with fellow alums. Events begin at 5:15 p.m. Complimentary appetizers provided by the MU Alumni Association. For details and to register, visit villealumni.com.

JOIN US FOR ONE OF OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

March 18 at Brickstone’s in Reading, PA | June 4 at TBD in King of Prussia, PA | June 24 at Loxley’s in Lancaster, PA

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MILLERSVILLE MEN’S SOCCER WINS BACK-TO-BACK PSAC CHAMPIONSHIPS

To win a conference championship in any sport is difficult. To win consecutive PSAC Men’s Soccer Championships is a feat that only two other teams have accomplished in more than 50 years—before this year. The Millersville Marauders defeated No. 5 Gannon University 1-0 to claim back-to-back PSAC titles in front of a raucous home crowd at Pucillo Field. The victory is the program’s third overall PSAC championship, having also raised trophies in 2011 and 2018. No PSAC team has earned back-to-back titles since East

Stroudsburg accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2007. “To go back-to-back is unbeliev able,” said Millersville head coach STEVEN WIDDOWSON. “People don’t do it. When we walked off the field after the 5-1 battering by Wilmington in the first game of the season, I don’t think anyone would have given us a chance at making the final, but we were fantastic today. My guys were absolutely superb. This is what we’ve built up to. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we’ve timed it right again.” BOB HENNESSEY scored the only goal of the game just 30 seconds into the second half, when Matteo Adiletta threaded a ball to him in the penalty box. Hennessey cut it back to his left and tucked the ball away just inside the left post. The Millersville victory ended Gannon’s 11-game winning streak. Goalkeeper DARIAN MCCAULEY was voted tournament MVP after keeping a clean sheet in the championship game in addition to

Darian McCauley

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making eight critical saves in the 2-1 semifinal win over Mercyhurst. Millersville qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. Senior JACOB GOSSELIN was voted the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, and the league recognized Widdowson as the PSAC East Coach of the Year.

Jacob Gosselin

SPORTS | 2019

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTS 7 The 25th annual class received induction into the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, Oct. 25, as part of Homecoming weekend. This year’s class included DeWitt Boyd, Christina Carpenter Minder ‘05, John Claffey ‘12, Jay Johnson ‘77, Randy March ‘83, Darlene Newman ‘84 and Kenneth “Red” Stoner ‘53. “These seven were selected from a group of 43 qualified nominees,” said Millersville University Director of Athletics Miles Gallagher. “That shows just how deserving this year’s class is. The inductees represent six different

decades of Millersville Athletics. We are thankful that we have such an outstanding tradition of excellence, epitomized by these seven outstanding representatives of Millersville Athletics.”

Left to right: DeWitt Boyd, Christina Carpenter Minder ‘05, John Claffey ‘12 , Kenneth “Red” Stoner ‘53, Darlene Newman ‘84 and Randy March ‘83. (Not pictured: Jay Johnson ‘77)

DEWITT BOYD Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach

JAY JOHNSON ‘77 Baseball

From 1994 to 2007, Boyd led the men’s tennis program to nine NCAA Tournament appearances while also capturing five PSAC Championships and nine NCAA Tournament berths with the women’s program. Boyd holds the all-time wins record in both sports, posting a 144-73 record with the men and a 172-73-2 record with the women. He was named PSAC Coach of the Year five times.

Johnson posted a career batting of .398, a tally that ranks fourth in Millersville history to this day. He set a school record for average as a senior and was named All-PSAC East First Team three times.

CHRISTINA CARPENTER MINDER ‘05 Women’s Track and Field Carpenter Minder won five PSAC Championship events and was twice named the PSAC Outdoor Championships Athlete of the Meet. She totaled 10 career All-PSAC finishes in her career and is the only Marauder to repeat as winner of the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She was the recipient of the Elwood J. Finley Award for top Millersville senior athlete.

JOHN CLAFFEY ‘12 Men’s Soccer Claffey anchored the defense for four seasons, helping Millersville post a 60-18-5 record with two PSAC East titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the program’s first PSAC Championship. He was named AllPSAC and all-region twice and was named All-America as a senior.

RANDY MARCH ‘83 Wrestling From 1978-82, March compiled a 110-38-1 record and has held the school wins record since. A four-time PSAC Championships place winner, March was also a threetime national qualifier.

DARLENE NEWMAN ‘84 Women’s Basketball/Lacrosse/Coach A three-time All-PSAC East honoree in basketball from 1979-83, Newman totaled 1,305 career points and averaged 14.8 points and a Millersville record 10.3 rebounds per game in her career. She joined the Millersville basketball program as its assistant coach in 1992-93 and served in that role for 24 seasons.

KENNETH “RED” STONER ‘53 Men’s Basketball/Baseball Stoner posted a near-.400 batting average in his baseball career. In basketball, Stoner earned All-PSAC First Team honors in 1952-53 and picked up honorable mention recognition in 1951-52.

SPORTS ROUNDUP WOMEN’S SOCCER

Led by senior record-breaker KAY LIEBL, the Marauders set a school record for wins with a 15-5-1 record, reaching the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season, and with a 3-1 victory over No. 23 East Stroudsburg, the Marauders earned their first-ever NCAA playoff win. Millersville started the season 10-0 and earned a ranking as high as No. 6 in Division II. Liebl, a three-time All-PSAC selection, set all-time Millersville records for goals and points.

FIELD HOCKEY

The Marauders earned a national No. 1 ranking in September after an 8-0 start, and reached the postseason for the eighth consecutive season. Senior ERICA TARSI finished her Millersville career ranked third in career goals and as a three-time All-PSAC selection. Senior JORDAN GODDARD was named All-PSAC First Team for the second time, and junior MEREDITH FAGAN also earned her third consecutive All-PSAC honor.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

2019 was one of the most successful seasons in program history, as the Marauders set a school record with 26 wins—the most by a team at Millersville since 1995. For the first time in 24 years, Millersville qualified for the NCAA Tournament and upset Shippensburg in five sets for the program’s second-ever NCAA playoff win. JAYCI SUSELAND, who set Millersville records for career kills and kills in a season, became Millersville’s first overall PSAC Athlete of the Year. Setter KATIE LAUGHMAN also set a program record for assists in a season. 24 | M I L L E R S V I L L E U N I V E R S I T Y • Fal l | Wi nter 2 019-20

SPORTS | 2019

FOOTBALL

J.C. Morgan’s first recruiting class made an immediate impact for a building program. The Marauders played the season with 57 players in their first season at the NCAA Division II level. A total of 14 true and redshirt freshmen started games during the season. One of those players was linebacker ISAIAH ONUSCHAK, who earned AllPSAC East Second Team recognition—the first Marauder freshman to do so in 12 years. He ranked third in the PSAC in tackles and 10th in sacks. Cornerback TYLER PATRON PENN and wide receiver EVAN MORRILL also earned All-PSAC East recognition.

1988 AND 1995

TEAM RECOGNITION Millersville football welcomed back to campus two of its all-time great teams, celebrating the achievements of the 1988 and 1995 teams. The 1988 team was the winner of the prestigious Lambert-Meadownlands Trophy, winning the PSAC East and finishing the season with a 10-2 record in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals. The 1995 team was unbeaten in the regular season with a 9-0-1 record. It won the PSAC East and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs.

CROSS COUNTRY

Junior YOANGELYS RIJO-CEDENO ran a career-best time—the fastest by a Marauder since 2015—to finish 18th at the PSAC Championships. That finish earned her an All-PSAC Second Team honor. It was the best finish by a Marauder since 2013. Members of the 1988 Millersville football team.

Members of the 1995 Millersville football team.

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SUCCESS ON THE TRACK

& in the Classroom By Chris Capella ‘21M

EMILY BLAND beats the sun out of pace up and down those Lancaster bed most mornings. Her day, fittingly, County hills. They are no joke.” is structured as a race against time. “She wasn’t very fit coming in,” added Rain or shine, Bland is outside Young, laughing. “We probably spent running six to eight miles to start her about a year getting her to understand day, beginning around 6:30 a.m. From what racing and training are.” there, she lifts, tutors, goes to class, But anyone who has come across student-teaches, builds a lesson plan Bland knew those 10-minute miles and studies. wouldn’t last. “A typical day Her background for me is stressful, wouldn’t allow it. “I’m an extremely hectic chaos,” said “I’m an extremely competitive Bland, a senior on competitive person. the cross country I get that from my person. I get that team at Millersville dad,” said Bland, from my dad.” University, “but I who notes that she could not see myself gets her academic doing anything else.” aspirations from her This wasn’t always the life Bland mom. “I’m competitive with myself. I’m saw for herself. She was a high school a perfectionist.” field hockey player. But once at Her days were spent training Millersville, Bland took to distance and improving, soaking up as much running. What started as a way to information as she could through keep off the dreaded “freshman 15” coaches and teammates. Bland was turned into an opportunity. aiming to be a perfectionist in a While running around the indoor sport where perfectionists and the track, Bland was approached by a self-determined succeed most. gym teacher who asked her about her “She’s a coach’s dream,” said running habits. Eventually, she was Young. “She’s a sponge with introduced to Andy Young, head coach training. She’s a worker. All for the Millersville cross country and coaches want that kind of track and field programs. She decided athlete.” to give it a try, with one stipulation— Those same traits she would have to miss her junior track helped her excel in the and field season because she wanted classroom. to study abroad in Spain. Bland is Young agreed. So began Bland’s a Spanish collegiate athletic career. education major “The first day of practice I was told with aspirations I was going to run three miles with an of becoming assistant coach,” said Bland. “I was like, a teacher. She three miles? I thought I was going to was recently die. I was going around a 10-minute recognized by 26 | M I L L E R S V I L L E U N I V E R S I T Y • Fal l | Wi nter 2 019-20

Millersville’s Imagine the Possible campaign due to her success as a student-athlete, study abroad trip and excellence in the classroom. Bland picked up Spanish because it was the one subject in which she struggled. “I want to teach kids that you can communicate in more than one way,”

SPORTS | 2019

she said. “I want to teach kids that it’s so hard, but so fulfilling once you get it.” Bland spent six months this year in Burgos, Spain, a city about two hours north of Madrid. Her study abroad trip included two classes a day, four days a week. Bland even managed to participate in a half-marathon while abroad. “It was the best experience of my life so far,” she said. “You learn a type of independence that a lot of people could never understand.” Bland, who roomed with a friend also studying abroad, made a special connection while in Spain. Her landlord, affectionately nicknamed “abuela” for grandma, paid for their Wi-Fi while they taught her two grandsons, ages 5 and 3, English. “Those little boys became our family,” Bland said. “We still exchange letters and cards.” Upon returning, Bland picked up a student-teaching job at McCaskey East High School every week from Wednesday through Friday. She teaches two Spanish IV classes and four Spanish II classes. “You have to turn on the creative mode in your brain and

almost manipulate this language into something they know and understand,” she said. “It made me creative, and I never considered myself a creative person.” After graduating, Bland wants to teach full-time but is still undecided about teaching English in Spain or Spanish in the United States. “I would imagine school districts, a lot of them are going to want her as

soon as they meet her and understand what she’s all about,” Young said. “She’s got a little bit of an edge to her, but I think that’ll make her an amazing teacher.” She has had an unexpectedly productive career for someone who never ran cross country before college. “The week before the regional meet at the PSAC Championships, she ran probably the worst race of her life,” said Young. “She trained so hard that summer, really improved and it just wasn’t her day. I remember she was so angry and didn’t want to talk to anyone. It was like fuel for her. It was like, ‘That wasn’t good enough, I know I’m better than that.’ That’s who she is at her core. She’s driven to get better.” Bland now transitions to track and field. This spring, she hopes to place at the PSAC Championship in the 10K race, something no Millersville athlete has done with Young as coach. “It’s surreal. I never thought I would be a runner,” Bland said. “Beyond that, it’s finding this love and passion I never knew I had. I’m so proud to wear the MU logo.” 

PSAC 150 CONTRIBUTORS As part of college football’s sesquicentennial season, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference recognized 150 distinguished players, coaches and contributors who made a significant impact in football for PSAC schools. The 10 Marauders named to the list included Dr. Gene Carpenter, Charles Cooper, Drew Folmar, Will Lewis, Carmen Lex, Scott Martin, Mike McFetridge, Sean Scott, Ricke Stonewall and Edwin “Eddie” Weist. Three members of that team—McFetridge, Lex and Martin— joined PSAC commissioner Steve Murray for a special plaque presentation at halftime of the Marauders’ game against West Chester. 

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CLASS NOTES | 2019

Class Notes | 2019 1950 s u Paul Cunningham ‘56, Lancaster, honored by the McCaskey Alumni Association as a member of the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2019.

196 0 s u Joyce Weaver Nolt ‘62, ‘85M, Lancaster, received the 2019 McCaskey Alumni Association’s Susan J. Garafola Service Award. u Robert Clemm ‘63, Camp Hill, received a Congressional Honor from Rep. Scott Perry for his 60 years of service to the Camp Hill Fire Company. He is also a state-certified fire instructor for the Pennsylvania State Fire Company, instructor in the Fire Science program at HACC, and advanced from assistant fire chief to the company’s fire police division. u Roger Raspen ‘67, Trevose, and Tim Wissler ‘75, Lancaster, participated as basketball players in the 75-79 age group at the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, NM and came in fifth out of 17 teams.

1970 s u John Bricker ‘71, Harrisburg, honored at the March of Dimes Chef’s Auction for his fundraising efforts in the annual March for Babies.

u Sandra Messersmith Millin ‘72, Confluence, elected national president of Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865. u Joan Detz ‘73, Philadelphia, authored “How to Write & Give a Speech” (St. Martins’ Press), which was translated into Chinese and published in Mainland China. u Robert Gibb ‘74 Lititz, retired as a senior programmer analyst after 45 years at Woodstream Corporation. u Penny Zioch Ray ‘75, St. Petersburg, FL, retired after 30 years as an elementary school teacher. u Robin Stryker ‘76, Lititz, retired in 2019 after 22 years as a 6th grade math teacher in the Ephrata Area School District. u Douglas Zima ‘77, Lancaster, achieved and continued to refresh his national registry paramedic certification since 1999. u Jamie Kegerise ‘78, Wilmington, DE, saved the life of Jeffery Onopa ‘78, Reading, a fellow alum and football teammate, after donating his kidney to him. Both are doing well. u James Kramer Jr. ‘79, Wiconisco, bested 40+ players to win the battle line card game tournament at the 2019 World Board Gaming Championships at the Seven Springs Resort in western PA.

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u Marilyn Hansen ‘79, Princeton Junction, NJ, recognized for her 37 years of service by President Eisgruber of Princeton University at the Service Recognition Luncheon in May 2019. Hansen is a staff member in the Department of Art and Archaeology at Princeton. u Randy Swope ‘79, Mount Gretna, completed a boxing biography about Leo F. Houck. u Dave Witmer ‘79, Stuart, FL, published “Then Comes Evening” in May 2019.

1980 s u Michael Callahan ‘80, Shavertown, retired in 2016 after 32 years of foreign language instruction as an educator in the Wilkes Barre, Mid Valley and Halifax Area school districts. u Joni Hackett Lyon ‘80, Mechanicsburg, retired in 2017 after 24 years of teaching in the Lancaster, Hempfield and Cumberland Valley school districts. u Elizabeth Crum ‘81, ‘91M, Lancaster, retired after 34 years of teaching in the Penn Manor School District. She was named Penn Manor’s outstanding elementary teacher in 1999. u Susan Gottlieb ‘81, Lancaster, featured in the May 2019 issue of “Lancaster County Magazine.”

CLASS NOTES | 2019 u Lee Ann Kinsley ‘81, Elizabethtown, hired as a small business accounting services associate at Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz, a regional accounting firm.

Armstrong Flooring and is responsible for organizations in North America, China and Australia.

u John Moore ‘82, Malvern, promoted to senior medical director at CVS Health Aetna overseeing southern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey.

u Kent Sweigart ‘84, Ephrata, retired from Cocalico School District after 35 years in public education. u Scott Davis ‘86, Bethlehem, promoted to principal at Washington Elementary School in Bangor Area School District after serving as elementary assistant principal in the Allentown School District for seven years.

u Madra Clay ‘92, Lancaster, promoted to local government policy manager at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Governor’s Center for Local Government Services.

u Jean DeVitto ‘88, Neptune, NJ, appointed executive director for the Division of Certificate of Need and Licensing at the Department of Health in New Jersey.

u Robert Goshen ‘93, promoted to lieutenant for the York City Police Department in 2018.

u Cynthia Schnee ‘89, Manheim, opened an online women’s clothing and accessory boutique called Schnee Way in May 2019. u Sarah Shirk ‘89, Manheim, received the Art and Design Award from the Technology Council of Central PA at the Women in Technology Awards Celebration in June 2019. u Nancy Young ’89, Lancaster, promoted to Regional Associate Relations Manager, VP at BB&T Bank.

1990s u Christine Churgai Bry ‘90, Ocean View, NJ, joined Cape May Brewing Co. in February 2019 as director of people operations. She leads the HR department for the production and distributing companies of one of New Jersey’s largest craft breweries.

u Susan Williams Johnston ‘86, Macungie, received the 2019 Henry P. Becton Volunteer Impact Program Award for excellence and creativity in community service. u Cheryl Irwin-Bass ‘87, Lancaster, hired as new strategic marketing director by Scheffey. u Brian Massar ‘87, Lancaster, promoted to vice president of global finance at

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

u Sherry Vernick Ostroff ‘87M, Lititz, published her second book, a historical novel called “Caledonia.”

u David Henriques ‘88, ‘91M, Millersville, elected as chair of the academic advisement and student development department at Millersville University.

u Joseph Ryan ‘82, Dallas, retired after 35 years of teaching in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.

u Nancy Folk ‘91M, Alum Bank, published a memoir titled “Fire Vision.”

u Greg Ebersole ‘90, Columbia, promoted to assistant vice president/mortgage originator at Orrstown Bank. u Margaret Henry Meisner ‘90, Warminster, appointed research specialist with Doylestown Health Cardiology.

u Shannon Shearer Kennedy ‘93, Shelby, NC, announced as Rappahannock Community College’s next president. Kennedy has nearly 25 years of higher education experience and is a former television journalist. u Sue Barley Forry ‘94, Columbia, named area coordinator for Moms in Prayer International. u Sherry Sharpe Kijowski ‘94, Camden Wyoming, DE, named the 2019 Delaware Secondary School Principal of the Year for Delaware. She was also named the 2014 Elementary Principal of the Year for Delaware. u David Hahn ‘95 and his wife Stefanie ‘98, Havertown, purchased Talone and Associates, a private investigation, process work and litigation company based out of Philadelphia. u Raquel Nierle ‘95, Wyomissing, joined Tompkins VIST Bank as a mortgage loan originator for the Berks County region.

We are proud of you! Share your professional achievements, personal accomplishments and life milestones with us so we can share them with fellow Marauders. www.millersville.edu/alumni M I L L E R S V I L L E U N I V E R S I T Y • w w w. m i ller sv i lle. edu

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CLASS NOTES | 2019 u Jen Robertson Strobel ‘95, Lancaster, recognized with the Athena Award from the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce. u Lynn Bierling ‘96, Media, recognized on the “Global Power 150 Women in Staffing,” published by the Staffing Industry Analysts, the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. Currently, she serves as senior vice president and principal at Apex Life Sciences. u Jodi Grajcar Zeis ‘96, Elgin, SC, graduated with a Ph.D. in teaching and learning from the University of South Carolina and recently began working as an assistant professor in the School of Education at Francis Marion University, where she serves as co-director of the Teaching Fellows program. u Joshua Doll ‘97, York, promoted to superintendent of the Dallastown Area School District after previously serving as assistant superintendent. u Ed Kobeski ‘97, Fredericksburg, VA, started a new job in April 2019 as a counterintelligence curriculum manager for the Center for Defense Security Excellence (CDSE). u Gabrielle Baker Wilcox ‘97, ‘00M, Canada, after earning her Psy.D. accepted a position as a professor of school psychology at the University of Calgary in 2013. Wilcox held the position of director of integrated services in education from 2016-2018. She was awarded tenure and rank as an associate professor in 2018.

u David Greineder ‘99, Mount Joy, hired as director of government affairs with Keystone Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. u Brian Keefer ‘99, ‘08M, Locust Grove, GA, named Henry County Schools Title I Principal of the Year and president of the Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals. u Suhail Khan ‘99, East Petersburg, promoted by Rettew as chief strategy of technology and facilities. u Melanie Brooks Susi ‘99, Coatesville, appointed elementary principal at Shamona Creek Elementary School.

20 0 0 s u Greg Klopp ‘00, Hummelstown, promoted to vice president of information technology and appointed to the executive committee of Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company.

u Pamela Neal Lindstrom ‘01, ’08M, Blacksburg, VA, defended her dissertation, “Entering the Conversation: A Novice English Teacher’s Approach to Exploring Difference Using Dialogic Pedagogy.” Lindstrom graduated with her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in English Education in May 2019. u Scott Mackaro ‘01, State College, will lead AccuWeather’s scientific development and research operations, serving as the senior advisor on innovation and overseeing the advancement of new products and solutions in meteorology. u Martha Guiagua ‘02, received a promotion from senior accountant to supervisor at Trout, Ebersole & Groff. u Andrew (Andy) Long ‘02, Lancaster, has been working with entrepreneurs as the portfolio manager and entrepreneurin-residence at the Ben Franklin Technology Partners’ TechCelerator at The Candy Factory in downtown Lancaster. u Emily Stafford ‘02, Lancaster, completed an MSN in family nursing studies at Frontier Nursing University in September 2019.

u Tracy Leed ‘00, Strasburg, assumed a new role of financial systems analyst at Chester County Intermediate Unit.

u Heather Dubs Stehman ‘02, Gilbertsville, promoted to brand marketing manager at Rhoads Energy.

u Paulina Melin-Catepillan ‘00, Brooklyn, NY, promoted to director of alumni engagement at St. Joseph’s College, NY.

u Michelle Wiley Wilson ‘02, ‘19M, Lancaster, inducted into the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work.

u Constantina Zavitsanos ‘00, Brooklyn, NY, featured in the September 2019 issue of “Art in America,” a prestigious art journal. u Peter Joseph ‘01, Stafford Springs, CT, helped one of his students achieve a perfect score on the Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Exam. The student was one of only 113 students worldwide to receive a perfect score this year.

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u Brooke Wiker Buttari ‘04, Levittown, assumed the role of executive director of alumni relations at The American College of Financial Services in King of Prussia.

CLASS NOTES | 2019 u Brianna Glenn Carter ‘04, Shrewsbury, selected as a Teacher of the Year Top 10 SemiFinalist for the second time in three years. Carter has been a teacher for 14 years, 11 of which have been in Baltimore city schools. u Mubarak Bashir ‘05, Rochester, NY, promoted to divisional director of workforce development at Urban League of Rochester. He was also inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha honors society in his masters program. u Linda Do Meier ‘06, Rockville, MD, started a new job as an operating room clinical nurse manager at Suburban Hospital. u Jennifer Troupe Rummel ‘07, East Petersburg, hired as executive director of Greystone Manor Therapeutic Riding Center. u Chris Volski ‘07, Plantsville, CT, received an Emmy Award for outstanding live graphic design for the 2018 NFL Draft on ESPN. u Frank J. Imperial Jr. ‘08, Royersford, named shareholder of Clairmont, Paciello & Co. u Tyler Lisowski ‘08, Nashville, TN, selected as the recipient of The Arc Tennessee’s Exemplary Educator Award. The award recognizes excellence in providing for the education of students with disabilities. u Jonathan Mimm ‘08, Downingtown, promoted to training and education manager, customer care with the American Board of International Medicine.

u Kelley Hanks Waller ‘08, Lancaster, promoted to vice president at Masterpiece Marketing.

u Shelby Rexrode ‘13, Harrisburg, hired as a policy officer at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

u Michael Wenzel ‘08, Lancaster, named vice president of Lancaster Water Group.

u Gina Grier Rusiewicz ‘13, Gilbertsville, promoted to human resources business consultant at Vanguard.

u Teresa Rineer ‘09, Washington Boro, joined WellSpan Ephrata Community Health Foundation as director of development.

2010 s u Kaylee Guerra ‘10, Franklin Park, NJ, accepted a position as a team financial advisor with Merrill Lynch u Julia Dunlop Lewis ‘12, Lehighton, promoted to senior account manager at El Toro Interactive. u John Scargall ‘12, Ridley Park, released a music video for his song “Send My Fur Angel” that he recorded after his family dog passed away and was endorsed by John O’Hurley.

u Amanda Van Laar ‘13, Hellam, recipient of the 2019 Camelot’s National Teacher of the Year Award. Van Laar is an art teacher at Phoenix Academy in Lancaster. u Jassinya Alvarado ‘14, Lancaster, graduated from Grand Canyon University in May 2019 with a master’s in educational administration and began a new position as coordinator of school climate at the School District of Lancaster. u Sulynn Lopez ‘14, Pittsburgh, promoted to physician recruiter at Allegheny Health Network. u Richard McClatchy ‘14, Norristown, started a new job as a project manager for Signant Health.

u Leilany Rivas Tran ‘12, Lancaster, began a new role as the first social worker to work for the Lancaster Bureau of Police.

u Ben Kerr ‘15M, Clearfield, has been hired as Penn State’s new director of football administration.

u Greg Durham ‘13, Omaha, NE, promoted to director of campus recreation at Creighton University in October 2019.

u Madison Miller ‘15, London, UK, became life coach certified in 2019 and was accepted into a Ph.D. program that focuses on music and meditation.

u Gina Mazzuca ‘13, Pottsville, earned her masters and Ph.D. from Maryland in atmospheric science and finished her congressional fellowship. She accepted a job in Senator Durbin’s office as his environment and energy legislative assistant. u Shane McGrady ‘13, Pflugerville, TX, promoted to program/project manager consultant at Dell Technologies. u Brittany Parsons ‘13M, Boulder, CO, started a job as advocate manager at Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette, CO.

u Jenna Waite Frick ‘16, Lancaster, started a new job as a scientist for Viral Safety Testing Services. u John Nikolaus ‘16, Columbia, promoted to assistant project manager at Benchmark Construction.

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CLASS NOTES | 2019 u Ashley Duross Matthews ‘17, Mount Joy, promoted to press secretary for Pennsylvania State Treasurer Joe Torsella in May 2019. u Kristen Schnell ‘17, Aberdeen, MD, promoted to case manager at the Arc Northern Chesapeake Region.

u Gabriella Licata ‘19, Hummelstown, hired as an audit staff accountant at Brown Schultz Sheridan & Fritz Team, a regional accounting firm.

u Amanda Dowhen Zuschmidt ‘05 and Brian Zuschmidt, 6/21/18.

u Sardis Melo ‘19, Wyomissing, hired as an admissions counselor for Alvernia University and will be starting at Purdue University Global to pursue a master’s degree in student affairs in January.

u Nicholas Aquilino ‘18, Tannersville, began a new job as a chemical technician at A.W.R.S. Hazardous Waste Specialists. u David Christopher ‘18, appointed superintendent of schools in the Cumberland Valley School District.

u Kate Spang ‘19, Palmyra, promoted to general assistant manager of customer operations at Old Navy.

WE DDINGS u Sandy Aberts ‘94 and Scott White, 4/14/19.

u Lexis Lipko ‘18, Thornton, CO, hired as a social media and marketing coordinator with Coleman Natural Foods.

u Erick Macek ‘02 and Laura Macek, 12/1/18.

Amanda Dowhen Zuschmidt ‘05, and Brian Zuschmidt

u Lauren Ramspacher ‘10 and Eric Updegrove, 4/20/19. u Colleen Maguire ‘11 and Robert Moore, 5/30/19. u Gina Grier ‘13 and Neil Rusiewicz ‘14, 7/23/16.

u Emmali Montgomery ‘18, East Petersburg, promoted to technical lead while maintaining a role as a software engineer at Seisan Consulting LLC.

u Jenna Waite ‘16 and Kyle Frick, 2/15/19.

BIR THS

u Andrew Mossbrooks ‘18, Sunbury, hired by the Peoria Rivermen as their new playby-play broadcaster and director of media relations.

u Robert Clark ‘95 and wife Helen, a daughter, Piper Jane Clark, 8/22/19.

u Froylan Fernandez ‘19, Madison, WI, started a Ph.D. program in inorganic chemistry at the University of WisconsinMadison while holding a position as teaching assistant.

u Rasheeda Boatright King ‘95 and husband Jamarr, a son, Jamarr Eric King, 11/8/18. Erick Macek ‘02 and Laura Macek

u Matthew W. Stoltzfus ‘02 and wife Kathy, a son, Jaxon Matthew Stoltzfus, 8/5/19.

u Kyle Fiorelli ‘19, Morton, started as a business development representative at Strategic Connection.

u Brooke Wiker ‘04 and Brian Butarri, 6/10/19.

u Linda Do Meier ‘06 a son, George Meier, 5/23/19.

u Sunflower Greene ‘19, Lancaster, hired as a graduate assistant for Bloomsburg University Cross Country/Track and Field.

u Lindsay Deneen Keller ’06 and husband Nathan, a son, Jacob Donald Keller, 4/3/19.

THERE'S MORE

Want to know what they named the baby? Want more details on the big wedding? The new job? The award? Pictures too? Check out millersville.edu/classnotes.

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CLASS NOTES | 2019 u Ellen Richardson ‘08 and husband Jason Stoltzfus ‘03, a son, Micah Paul Stoltzfus, 6/5/19. u Gina Grier Rusiewicz ‘13 and husband Neil ‘14, a son, Rowan Rusiewicz, 6/15/18.

PA S S AG E S u Robert J. Labriola, Dean of Graduate Studies and Extended Programs, Emeritus, passed away on 7/9/2019 in Bradenton, FL at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife and two children. u Mary Nyce Landt ‘41, Harleysville, age 97, passed away on 8/13/2017. u Mary Sheaffer Kammerer ‘43, Lancaster, passed away on 7/14/2019. She is survived by her daughters and grandchildren. u Jean Miller Bell ‘58, Ocean City, NJ, passed away peacefully at age 82 in her hometown of Ocean City, NJ on 9/1/2019. She graduated from State Teachers College (Millersville University) at the age of 20 with a bachelor’s degree in education and later got her master’s degree in the art of teaching from Marygrove College. She taught at Ocean City High School for over five decades. u Charles Hartman ‘58, Columbia, passed away on 10/22/2019. He is survived by his wife, siblings, three children, six grand children, and several nieces and nephews. u John McHenry ‘58, York, passed away on 9/12/2019. He taught for seven years at Donegal High School and retired from York City Schools in 1986 after 32 years of teaching. He is survived by his wife and two sons. u Carol Grain Martin ‘62, Lancaster, passed away on 10/21/2019. She taught in Lancaster City schools and eventually ran a daycare for over 30 years. u Edward J. Burnheter ‘64, passed away on 12/21/2018. Burnheter spent most of his career as a high school teacher, specializing in teaching photography and graphic arts at Council Rock High School North in Newtown, PA. He is survived by

his daughter, Jocelynn Wiernicki, and his third wife, Judy McVaugh. u Mary Irion ‘66, Willow Street, passed away on 10/16/2019 at the age of 96. She was a member of the Academy of American Poets, Poets & Writers, and a fellowship of the Society for the Arts, Religion, and Contemporary Culture. She is survived by her husband, son and two grandchildren. u Bernard McGrann ‘67, Lancaster, passed away on 10/2/2019. McGrann was a prominent businessman and community member who loved classic cars, dogs and college football. He is survived by his wife, two sisters and son. u Carol Isenberg Pyle ‘67, Glen Dale, WV, passed away on 8/26/2019 at the age of 74. u Maria Herner ‘70, Dover, passed away on 5/11/2019 at York Memorial Hospital surrounded by her family. She was the loving wife of Alvin Herner ’70 for over 47 years. u David Krum ‘70, Sellersville, passed away on 1/11/2018 at the age of 70. He was a lifelong member of Emmanuel Evangelical Congregational Church in Hatfield, where he served on the board for many years. Krum was also heavily involved with the Laymen Playmen in Hatfield. u Alletta Puskar Bowers ‘73, Lancaster, passed away on 9/25/2019. She was a media specialist and high school teacher at the West Chester Area School District for 40 years. Bowers is survived by her husband, daughter and son. u Debra Brenner Gainer ‘74, Lancaster, passed away on 9/4/2019 at the age of 66. Gainer worked in the Lancaster City School District for 35 years at Martin Luther King Elementary School. Outside the classroom, she loved her family, friends and dogs.

u Keith Weaver ‘87, Gladwyne, passed away on 9/9/2019. He was a Raymond Mullin Award recipient and is survived by his children, Grace and Matthew Weaver, and wife Pam Johnson. u James T. Brown Jr. ‘94, Lancaster, passed away on 9/25/2019. He worked at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals as a computer programmer and as a substitute teacher in many of the Lancaster County school districts. He was a past president of the Paradise Sportsman’s Association and a member of the Amateur Trapshooting Association. u Carol Leaman Witmer ‘96, Lancaster, passed away on 6/27/2019 at the age of 60. Witmer taught elementary grades at Locust Grove and in the Penn Manor School District. Outside the classroom, she enjoyed sewing, home decorating, rehabbing houses, cooking, kayaking and her church worship group. u Joan Weidman, Millersville, passed away on 6/25/2019 at the age of 85. She was a television pioneer before becoming a secretary at Millersville University for over 30 years.

SAVE THE DATE

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

u Michael Boone ‘86, Millville, passed away on 10/7/2019. He is survived by his mother, two sisters, nephew and niece. u Diane Rehrig Hughes ‘87, Port Orange, FL, passed away on 8/14/2019 at the age of 53. She is survived by her loving husband, her three children, mother, brother and many friends.

Give To What You LOVE 2 • 27• 20

#VILLEONEDAYGIVE

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CLASS NOTES | 2019

“Imagine the Possible” Campaign Celebrates Growth & Student Success

Generous support for “Imagine the Possible,” Millersville University’s $32 million fundraising campaign, is making a positive impact on student success. The campaign’s priority areas—Scholarships, Student Learning Experiences and Marauder Athletics—ensure that every gift benefits our students both in and outside the classroom. Your donations help students like JOSE DELACRUZ ’21, an early childhood education major who dreams of becoming a child psychologist or educational researcher. Jose received the PSECU Scholarship and the Aimee Decker Scholarship Endowment, helping him focus on his studies and participate in many campus clubs and activities, including the Marauder Men’s Glee Club, the Society on Latino Affairs, the Student Government Association and more.

CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

UPDATE

Percent toward goal as of December 1, 2019:

96% overall

SCHOLARSHIPS: $10 million MARAUDER ATHLETICS: $6 million

91% 70%

STUDENT LEARNING EXPERIENCES: $16 million

108%

Make a Gift Today! If you have already made a gift to MU, we extend our sincere appreciation and invite you to consider this with additional | M I L L E R S Vto | S uan 34opportunity I L Lsupport E U N I V Estudent R S I T Y success • S p r i ng mm er 2019 gift. Visit Imagine.Millersville.edu to learn more.

WHY I GIVE

Renée O ’ L eary

Once A Teacher, Always A Teacher “Excuse me, I need to say hello to Dr. [Francine] McNairy.” “Oh, wait just a minute, there’s Dr. [Micheal] Houlahan, I must greet him.” “Have you seen Alice McMurry?” “Is that Steve DiGuiseppe over there?” “I must talk to both of them.” Interviewing DR. RENÉE G. O’LEARY at the “Celebrate Scholars” luncheon on Dec. 6 on campus was not an easy task, since she’s been associated with Millersville University for almost 70 years and has a lot of friends! A teacher for 69 years, as well as Delaware State Teacher of the Year and a member of the National Teachers Hall of Fame, O’Leary continues to do what she loves, teach. A 1950 graduate of Millersville State Teachers College, O’Leary says she never changed what she wanted to be. “I was always interested in elementary education, specifically early childhood, and I’ve never wavered on that,” she said. O’Leary started her teaching career in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. Then she met Jack, who would become an oral surgeon and her husband. After marrying, the couple lived in Erie and then Lancaster. Renée was a teacher in both locations. The couple settled in Wilmington, Delaware, where Renée first taught in inner city public schools and then at Caravel Academy, a private college preparatory school in Bear, Delaware. During that time she started P.A.S.S.—Linking Home & School with Portable, Affordable, Simple, Science. It is a company that puts educational kits together to help young children learn both in school and at home. “I came from nothing—Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania and was born crippled—and I’ve always wanted to give back,” said O’Leary. “My parents were foreign born and my mother worked as a cleaning lady. But if I had a dime, I learned from my parents the importance of giving back, to be thankful for what you can be. My husband came from a privileged background, but we inherited nothing. We earned every bit of it.” “I’ve been giving back to Millersville forever,” said O’Leary. “It’s a million-dollar feeling when you can make a

difference for someone. I’ve often wondered, ‘Why doesn’t everyone do this?’” O’Leary has contributed to many, many funds at Millersville, including establishing the “John and Renée Genbauffe O’Leary Scholarship Endowment in Science Education,” which is awarded to a student majoring in the early childhood education program with a concentration in science. She also contributed to the Ware and Winter centers and the “Green Room” at the Winter Center is named after the O’Learys. In addition, she has made arrangements through her estate to ensure that future science education students will benefit from the O’Leary Scholarship endowment for years to come. O’Leary was named Delaware State Teacher of the Year in 1982, the first kindergarten teacher ever selected for that honor. In 1994 she was one of five inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame, and to this day she remains the only teacher from Delaware to receive that honor. In 1996 she completed her Ph.D. in elementary education. In 2001 she received the “Distinguished Alumni Award” from Millersville University. A dynamic and inspiring presenter, she has given over 200 workshops and numerous motivational, keynote speeches at conferences in the U.S. and internationally. She is proud of her “Dolly Parton Chasing Rainbows Award,” which goes to teachers of the year who got there despite challenges. After a career of teaching science to very young children and the adults who work with them, O’Leary continues to teach, now at Holy Angels School in Newark, Delaware. She volunteers her time twice a month as the primary grade science teacher there. O’Leary also shares her love of science with families at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware by bringing fun and educational science experiments to the children there. It would be improper to ask a lady her age; however, O’Leary, with her brilliant blue eyes speaking, volunteered, “Age is a number, and mine is unlisted.” 

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Millersville University Review - Fall/Winter 2019-20

Articles inside

COMMENCEMENT 12 | HOUSE BILL NO. 390 16 | ALUMNI NEWS COMMENCEMENT 12 | HOUSE BILL NO. 390 16 | ALUMNI NEWS

SPORTS ROUNDUP 28 | CLASS NOTES 35 | WHY I GIVE SPORTS ROUNDUP 28 | CLASS NOTES 35 | WHY I GIVE

LIVING & LEARNING TOGETHER 8 | STUDENT PRESERVES ANCIENT LANGUAGE LIVING & LEARNING TOGETHER 8 | STUDENT PRESERVES ANCIENT LANGUAGE