SAVE THE DATE Alumni Academy & Reunions May 29 - June 1 Reunions for members of the Classes of 1944, 1949, 1954, 1959, 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, or 2004
Featuring: Annual Friday Evening Lobster Bake Alumni Golf Outing at award-winning Raven’s Claw Golf Course (Sold Out)
URSINUS COLLEGE MAGAZINE WINTER 2009 VOLUME CVII NUMBER 3
Classes led by Ursinus’ most dynamic faculty & alumni Alumni Awards Ceremony Informative and fun “Ale University” (back by popular demand!) President Strassburger’s Town Hall Meeting Class Reunion celebrations
NAVIGATING the economic storm
Group tours of new and old campus sites
Check it out at www.ursinus.edu/alumniweekend
Ursinus experts make sense of the new reality
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID URSINUS PO BOX 1000 COLLEGEVILLE, PA 19426-1000 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
COLLEGE
INSIDE Ground is broken for new henry and june pfeiffer wing of museum
WINTER 2009
Notable and Quotable
—Andrew Delbanco
URSINUS MAGAZINE
“….what I know of other colleges – from small Ursinus College in Pennsylvania to the honors college of the vast North Carolina State University – convinces me that humanistic education … remains alive and well in many places around the nation.”
Levi Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, writing about “Can the Humanities Survive?” in Commonweal magazine, Sept. 26, 2008.
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CAMPUS VIEW WE NEED THE NAME OF THIS PIECE
IN THIS ISSUE WINTER 2008 VOLUME CVII NUMBER 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor: URSINUS COLLEGE MAGAZINE AUTUMN 2009 VOLUME CVI NUMBER 2
06
BY THE NUMBERS
06
TRANSITIONS
08
BERMAN MUSEUM OF ART NEWS
11
FACULTY EXPERTISE
Editor Wendy Greenberg Assistant Editor Kathryn Campbell
FEATURES XX
13
Making Sense of the New Financial Reality
19
More Than Words: Ursinus Students Start ESL Class for Workers
Class notes 25
PROFILES
31
WEDDINGS
Photography Betsy Manning, Jim Roese, John Slavin, Hinda Schuman, George Widman, Patrick Crawford Design Spindle Studios, Columbus, Ohio The mission of Ursinus College is to enable students to become independent, responsible, and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education. That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully, and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world. Chair, Board of Trustees Spencer Foreman M.D. 1957
Thanks for your dedication to producing a good magazine. Most sincerely, Constance Hopkins DeSieghardt Class of 1943 Overland Park, Kansas (and an English major!) Just wanted to say that your Fall issue of the UC magazine is terrific. The layout is really classy! The inside front cover, two page picture, is magnificent photography! Keep using it as a signature piece. But the content again is a good balance between intelligent essays and student achievement. And the articles are worth the read- educational, should we say? Anyway, congratulations on another excellent publication.
President John Strassburger
Sincerely, Ronald Tempest, Class of 1960 Hatboro Pa.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean Judith Levy
The following is reprinted with the writer’s permission:
Senior Vice President for College Relations Lindsay A. Rhodenbaugh
Dear President Strassburger,
See Class Notes Below
in closing 38
COUNTERPARTSXX
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Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing Richard DiFeliciantonio Vice President for Finance and Administration Winfield Guilmette Ursinus College Alumni Council President Gillian Murray 1989
Class Notes From left to right: Harold Shoup 1954, Ann Hautman Schoup 1954, Florence (Betty) Streich 1943, Joyce Derstine Baur 1950 and Dolores (Dolly) Lamm Derstine 1957, residents of Uplander Retirement Village, Pleasant Hill, Tenn., met with the Ursinus Development staff’s Steffie Crowther last summer, in their first ‘official’ reunion.
FPO Ursinus Magazine is printed on recycled paper.
I must apologize because this letter is long overdue. I hoped to write to you immediately following graduation. Nevertheless, the “real world” immersed me. My intent of this letter is to thank you for the incredible opportunities that I was provided at Ursinus in my four years. So many times in life, I believe we take the areas that become most comfortable for granted. Ursinus was a place that I became comfortable at, it was my home and I did not completely stop and thank those that made it that way. To follow Mr. Fallows’ advice from his speech at
graduation, in delivering sincere compliments, I want to commend you on the institute you have created. When I entered Ursinus as a freshmen there was the excitement of something new and different. I knew I was at a great academic school and that I would receive a stellar education. What I did not know or understand until my senior year was that the true quality of the education came in more than just books. It came from the professors that would inspire, that would guide and light a fire in each student. The education came from the support staff, the deans, and administrators that always believed in and supported the students. So many times younger students may complain about the “massive” amounts of work; what they have yet to learn, and what I have learned, is the daunting amount of work only empowers and inspires you. The professors at Ursinus will not allow a person to truly fail, because in each class and each assignment, professors have a plan that goes beyond the readings, the papers, and experiments. They instill an understanding and a thirst for continued knowledge, a sense of reasoning and the need to seek justifiable answers. To be honest… in my real life I find myself applying [what I have learned at Ursinus] everyday. Ursinus College truly abides by its mission of connecting its students to their community. I am much more aware of my part in this community and I am aware of the power and influence that I possess. The fact that I feel as if I have a greater understanding of the way people interact, the role of my society, and my place; while feeling empowered, is a testament not only to the Faculty of Ursinus College, but to you. I have the greatest admiration towards you. You have been an inspiration to me as a leader and compassionate person. I strongly believe you cannot go to another college and find a President that cares and supports his students as much as you do. Throughout my years you were a constant presence on campus through the world of
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LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR
I have been enjoying the Ursinus Magazine… It is full of interesting articles—colorful—and “classy.” But may I make a suggestion? Please consider dropping the use of tiny type… I bet there are other alums like me who found it quite a strain to read the names.
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Ursinus Magazine Volume CVII, No. 3, Winter 2009. Third class postage paid at Southeastern Pa. 19399. Ursinus Magazine is published three times a year, winter, spring/summer, and fall. Copyright 2009 by Ursinus College. Editorial correspondence and submissions: Ursinus Magazine, P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000. (610) 409-3300, ext. 2329; e-mail: ucmag@acad.ursinus.edu.
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THE GATEWAY
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President Strassburger, I cannot thank you and the rest of Ursinus College for the experience I had. I will miss the institution, but I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. Thank you for empowering and inspiring me. You have an extraordinary College and I am proud to be an alumnus.
The Gateway TRANSITIONS
CAMPUS NEWS
BY THE NUMBERS
TRANSITIONS
Ursinus: One of Top 10 Liberal Arts Colleges for Best Degree Value Ursinus College is a great long-term value, says Smart Money, The Wall Street Journal Magazine, in its January issue. The article, “Why the Ivies aren’t Worth it” assesses the long term value of a college education by ranking schools by taking into account tuition, and alumni salaries. Ursinus is in the top 10 liberal arts school list, with Amherst, Bowdoin, Colgate, and Lafayette, and is #38 on a list of 50 colleges, right under Brown and Bowdoin, and above Swarthmore, Williams and Vassar. The article is called “Why the Ivies aren’t Worth It,” and it assesses the long term value of a college education, by coming up with a “payback” ratio for each school. They state that other rankings measure quality and selectivity and they were not doing that. To determine each school’s “payback” ration, the editors started with 50 schools (by tuition) drawn from three categories: Ivy League, liberal arts and public. Then, culling data from a recent survey by PayScale.com, an online salary database, they looked at the median salaries alumni are earning at two career stages – within five years of graduation (median: three years) and after 10 years (median: 15 years). They then divided each of those figures by the school’s historical degree cost and averaged them together.
Sincerely, Joe Joyce
French and Gaines bring classical saxophone into the limelight
(Joe Joyce lives in Clarks Summit, Pa., and works for the Wyoming Valley Unit of the American Cancer Society.)
John French and Holly Gaines, Ursinus Music Faculty
Ursinus music professors John French and Holly Gaines have pooled their considerable talents and taken them to the concert stage. CONTINUED ON PG 7
THE CLASS OF 2012
206 6 13 205 53 68 71 15 43 61 21
National Honor Society members National Merit finalists class presidents, 7 student body presidents sports captains band members, 7 captains chorus members drama participants orchestra members dancers artists Eagle Scouts or Girl Scout Gold Award winners
42 student editors 125 club officers 94 student government participants 210 community service activists 17 debaters EMTs, one firefighter 6 35 youth sports coaches 33 who have lived in a foreign country 3 creative writing award winners 1 founder of an improv comedy troupe 1 voice of “pail” on Nickelodeon’s Blues Clues 1 South Jersey Scholar Athlete of the Year 1 former intern for Save the Elephants in Kenya freestyle skateboarder who 1 professional finished 9th in the world in 2006 2
legacy students who grew up as children of missionaries in Africa
Source: Post-Graduation Outcomes Report, Career Services Office
Longtime Ursinus coach and Director of Athletics Brian Thomas has accepted a new position at the College: serving as chief liaison to graduates and friends of the College who have a special interest in athletics. With the title of Ursinus Emissary, Thomas will work with the College Relations Office under Lindsay Rhodenbaugh, Senior Vice President for College Relations. Coach Thomas, who will continue to coach the Ursinus baseball team, will be prominently featured at alumni gatherings around the country and on campus. His primary focus will be with former UC athletes and supporters of the athletic programs of the College. Thomas joined the Ursinus coaching staff in 1990 and began building a successful program, with two NCAA Division III regional appearances, and more than 345 Ursinus victories -more wins than any baseball coach in the college’s history. He is one of the best baseball coaches in NCAA Division III play, with over 733 wins in his overall coaching career over 38 years, including three Centennial Conference Championships. He is ranked the second all-time winning coach in Centennial Conference baseball. Thomas’ accomplishments are equally impressive on the Jr. American Legion level, where he coached teams to the Pennsylvania Junior Legion Sectional and State playoffs more than 15 times. Among his many honors, he was voted to the Pennsylvania American Legion Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the Perkiomen School Hall of Athletic Honor in 2001, and was selected as an instructor for the prestigious Roberto Clemente All-Star Camp in Puerto Rico. He was named the Pottstown Mercury Area High School Coach of the Year in 1989, and in 2000 was named to the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Wall of Honor. He was inducted into the Perkiomen School Sports Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2007 he was inducted into the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame. A retired U.S. Army first lieutenant, Thomas was a platoon leader in Vietnam. Among his military awards and honors are the Combat Infantry Badge, Bronze Star with V for Valor, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and a Jungle Expert Badge.
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Students often joke about why anyone would donate back to their school after paying so much tuition. During my senior year, I realized why someone would, it is simply because of the opportunities the school has created, the quality of life, and the outstanding education provided. I can only hope future students will be able to experience similar opportunities.
The Gateway BY THE NUMBERS
URSINUS MAGAZINE
academia and extra-curricular activities. You never hesitated to send a kind letter, e-mail, or stop students as they passed along the walkways. That has had a major impact on me, because it showed how much you truly cared for the students and the institution. I can only imagine the hectic schedule you have with touting alumni, lobbying legislators, advising the faculty and staff and performing your diplomatic duties of speaking and attending conferences. Despite all that, you took time to engage the students. That is remarkable and I thank you for your selflessness and compassion towards the students. In fact, I remember the first e-mail I got from you was my freshman year. I had just been published in an undergraduate journal and you acknowledged my accomplishment, despite not having met me. You then told me to be sure to introduce myself to you next time I saw you on campus. It was those kind notes that have had a lasting impact on me.
The Gateway CAMPUS NEWS
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CONTINUED
The Gateway CAMPUS NEWS continued from page 5
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Last year Gaines recorded her first solo CD, Music of Kathryne E. Thompson, a seven-song tribute to the American 1920’s alto saxophonist’s work. Through her own playing and research, Gaines wanted to celebrate the roots of the instrument absconded —some say reinvented—by jazz masters and pop music in the United States. She had a tough time finding someone who could play the piano parts. “I really wanted to find someone who understood the music,” she says. So Gaines turned to her colleague and friend, Music Department Chair Professor John French (the William Heefner Professor of Music at Ursinus) to accompany her on the CD. And everything clicked. “It’s a great project and wonderful to play together,” says French, who is also associate conductor of the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia and the Organist/Choirmaster at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Rittenhouse Square.
Dr. Koppel 1953, and his wife Barbara, provided the funding for landscaping in the backyard and for programming to expand and build awareness of Jewish life and culture on campus. A Sukkah is a temporary dwelling used during the festival of Sukkot.
PREPARATION FOR PFEIFFER WING ALLOWS PEEK AT CURATORIAL PROCESS
The Homecoming event also welcomed new Hillel Advisor Danielle Stillman, a graduate of Oberlin College, and Harvard Divinity School. She worked with the Harvard Hillel, and is now in her last year at the Reconstructionist now Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pa. Hillel at Ursinus has steadily grown. The popular Friday night Shabbat dinners attract students from all backgrounds. The group has co-sponsored events with other campus cultural organizations, such as a Middle Eastern dinner with the Muslim Students Association, and dinner in the Sukkah with campus environmental groups, which featured food from the Ursinus Organic Garden.
Together they hope to bring the long-overdue limelight to classical saxophone music. And they’re winning fans beyond the UC campus. For the past year, they’ve performed across the region at church recitals and private salon concerts.
Henry Pfeiffer receives honorary degree at Berman groundbreaking
Professors French and Gaines will play at Holy Trinity Church, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, May 20, at 12:30 p.m.
During the ceremony, Nancy M. Berman, President and Executive Director of the Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation, said that “The groundbreaking announcement provides one of those rare occurrences when we can focus on that magic moment when dream, possibility and a clear vision begin the transformation into concrete reality and tangible opportunity.
Garden Takes Root at Hillel House Hillel at Ursinus College celebrated its first Homecoming celebration Oct. 18, with the dedication of the Max and Barbara Koppel Sukkah Garden.
Ellen Aikens, Michael Wasserman, Shira Degani and Carly Freedman display food for a fall organic dinner
She added that “the Museum has more than exceeded its original physical and programmatic blueprint. The museum
Ursinus President John Strassburger said of her parents, the Bermans, “their vision for the arts in a liberal arts college setting has been transforming.” The Berman Museum of Art has become an educational and cultural resource since the late Philip and Muriel Berman, business leaders and philanthropists, found a home for their extraordinary collections of contemporary sculpture, American paintings and works on paper and folk art, joining an existing collection of 18th and 19th-Century American and European paintings. Nearly 20 years later, the museum houses more than 3,000 notable works of art and attracts 35,000 visitors annually.
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The duo, who have temporarily agreed to the stage name Gaines & French, performed for students in Bomberger Auditorium. “We agree on the interpretative aspect of the music,” says Gaines, who first began playing saxophone in the fifth grade. “And it’s a blast.” – K.C.
has become a place pulsating with ideas, art, students, faculty, community, artists, art lovers, thinkers, making connections and enjoying the mind in new ways of learning and creative pursuit.”
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Ground was broken Oct. 30 for an architecturally significant addition to the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art on the Ursinus College campus. The new Henry and June Pfeiffer Wing will be named for longtime Trustee and art museum supporter Henry ‘Hank’ Pfeiffer and his late wife, June. In conjunction with the ceremony, Mr. Pfeiffer received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree for his enthusiastic service to the College.
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“The intangibles of playing together are remarkable for me,” says French. “I’ve conducted a lot of musicians and with some people the playing can be mechanical. But, when we play there’s a compatibility in the way we approach the music, a nuance of style. It can come down to the way you shape a particular phrase,” says French. “You can’t practice that.”
The Gateway campus news
The Gateway campus news POETRY By John Volkmer
ART AT THE MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY
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Pfeiffer, a 1948 Ursinus graduate, is an unfailing advocate of Ursinus, and has represented the Admissions Office at countless recruiting programs and as the long-time leader of the North Jersey Alumni Area Club. He has served as Chair of the Alumni Loyalty Fund, as President of the Alumni Association, as a leader of the Board’s Development Committee, and in all of the College’s fund raising campaigns, including as a co-chair of the recently completed $120,000,000 Taking Our Place campaign. Except for a one-year interruption as required by the college’s bylaws, Pfeiffer has been a member of the Ursinus College Board of Trustees continuously since 1978. He and his wife established an endowed scholarship at Ursinus. During his successful sales and executive career, he worked for several of the nation’s leading paper companies, and earned an M.B.A. from Columbia University. Together with his wife June, who died this past summer, he has been exceedingly generous to Ursinus, particularly to the Berman Museum of Art. The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation has made a $1 million gift to the $5 million expansion; and the Pew Charitable Trusts committed $350,000 in a challenge grant.
In preparation for the addition, from January 20 through April 12, the Main Gallery will become a collections laboratory for over 3,000 works of art from the permanent collection, coming out of storage for assessment and study by the museum staff. The WORK(S) IN PROGRESS exhibition will allow visitors to see “museum work” in action. The Front Gallery will highlight specific parts of the collection on a rotating basis. During this time the works will be studied by the museum staff for curatorial, educational, registrarial and conservation assessment as the museum moves toward its new addition. The Front Gallery will highlight specific parts of the collection on a rotating basis. Several faculty on campus and schools from the region will be working to integrate this opportunity into their curricula – giving their students a chance to respond to and/or interpret in new ways specific pieces or ensembles of pieces from the permanent collection through their own work. These “interventions” into the permanent collections will then be exhibited with the Berman Museum pieces that have generated these student responses. The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus, known for its diverse collection and innovative educational programming, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday; noon to 4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, and closed Mondays and college holidays. The museum is accessible to the physically disabled, and admission is free. The museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. For group tour information, call 610-409-3500.
the Arameans say, a god of the valleys. This much is quoted from 1 Kings on the museum wall, but not the verses that follow, where one hundred thousand are smitten for holding this opinion. Of those who flee, twenty-seven thousand perish Professor of English Jon Volkmer is included in the new anthology, Come Together: Imagine Peace, with more than 100 poets ranging from Sappho, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson to the contemporary voices of Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg and Daniel Berrigan. Co-editor Larry Smith is the founder and director of Bottom Dog Press and professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University’s Firelands College.
beneath the walls of Aphek. Among
The anthology, which celebrates peace and setting goals of nonviolence and negotiation and communication, is published by Bottom Dog Press of Huron, Ohio, Come Together: Imagine Peace is the Ohio press’s sixth anthology in their Harmony Series.
Me with my fancy degrees, and I never knew,
Volkmer’s contribution, reprinted with the author’s permission, was originally written after a Common Intellectual Experience (CIE) group trip to the Archeology Museum at the University of Pennsylvania.
the dead, we may guess: El, the creator, his consort Athirat, the storm god Ba’al, his huntress sister Anat. So many soldiers and deities dead— even the lexicon was laid waste.
never had a clue, there was a word for worshipping one god while respecting the realms of others. Iron trinkets, sand figurines, a glass case in an empty room: the usual leavings of monolatry.
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“We are proud that the Henry and June Pfeiffer Wing of the Berman Museum of Art will be a lasting tribute to your investment in a vibrant program that characterizes the distinctive learning environment of Ursinus College,” she said.
In addition to the Berman Foundation, the Pfeiffers and The Pew Charitable Trusts, there were several major donors who contributed to the expansion.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Lisa Hanover, the director of the Berman Museum since its inception, described Pfeiffer as a “pied-piper who has educated so many about the quality, goals, and achievements of this institution,” and who has led by example.
Yahweh is a god of the hills, but he is not,
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The Philadelphia firm Towers & Miller has designed a stunning new open storage addition for the study and exhibition of the Museum’s permanent collection, expanding space and also fulfilling the Museum’s mission to engage students and the community. The Museum opened in 1989 in the historic 1921 building that was formerly Alumni Memorial Library. Currently only a small portion of the permanent collection is on display, something the plan to add 6,000 square feet of space will remedy. The addition will also provide a works on paper study area for flat storage, lecture space and new galleries including a rooftop gallery for outdoor sculpture.
The Gateway FACULTY Expertise
Lincoln’s Democratic Statesmanship
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Associate Professor Marks is teaching a Politics course, “Lincoln’s Democratic Statesmanship.” When he is not thinking about Lincoln, Marks, who earned his Ph.D. in Social Thought at the University of Chicago, is an expert on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and is the author of “Perfection and Disharmony in the Thought of Jean-Jacques Rousseau,” published by Cambridge University Press. And he is the recipient of the prestigious Earhart Fellowship for a paper on “Rousseau and compassion.” The course is in conjunction with a program which featured essayist and author Andrew Delbanco, the Julian Clarence Levi Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, who delivered a lecture at Ursinus on Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12, as part of a special series, “Lincoln’s Reflective Statesmanship.” Delbanco is the editor of The Portable Abraham Lincoln, a collection of Lincoln’s writings. (See Notable and Quotable). Completing the Lincoln series will be Allen Guelzo, Henry R. Luce III Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College, March 5. Asked if there was common ground between Rousseau and Lincoln, Marks said that Rousseau “is behind an attack on liberal democracy which charges, among other things, that liberal democratic polities tend to cultivate small-minded, small-hearted people, intent on gain. Because Abraham Lincoln seems to emerge not incidentally from the very heart of American democracy, attempting to understand him is part of an attempt to understand the extent to which modern democracy is capable of a peculiar kind of greatness arising out of what Alexis de Tocqueville, the author of Democracy in America, called the natural greatness of man.”
When the Gettysburg Address was read in New York one year after September 11th, Susan Sontag, the social critic, claimed the reading was an empty gesture. And perhaps there is in our admiration of Lincoln some more or less empty nostalgia for a golden age of politics in which great things were possible. But there was no such golden age, and that Lincoln was able to be Lincoln—reflective, resolute, charitable even to enemies, generous in his estimate of the intelligence and goodwill of the American people—in an age no less mean and dangerous than ours, makes his example resonate with us. The Lincoln series is being sponsored by CIE. How do you see the connection between Lincoln and the Common Intellectual Experience? Allen Guelzo, whom we are fortunate to have as one of our speakers, describes Lincoln as a serious thinker who, when the country faced a mortal threat, and amid the demands of democratic electoral politics, was “determined to run an issue to its roots.” Guelzo also calls Lincoln a “man of ideas,” who found “resources, consolation, and hope in his reading.” In CIE, we introduce students to Lincoln but, more importantly, to the idea of reading books and thinking through ideas with a view to finding resources for, and perhaps consolation and hope in, confronting fundamental
The special topics course you are teaching spring semester looks at the problem of rule in a democratic society through the example of Abraham Lincoln. What are some of the issues the course will explore? I am most interested in the question of what makes us distinguish between statesmen, politicians, and moralists. At first glance, it seems as if the statesmen, unlike the ordinary politician, aims to bend politics as much as possible to the demands of justice and the common good but unlike the moralist is aware of the limits of this “as much as possible” imposed by various circumstances, from the state and merit of existing law to, at least in a democratic polity, the state of public sentiment. The statesmen may also confront limits imposed by his own ends; for example, the common good and justice may not always go together. We will look to Lincoln as a kind of case study, comparing him with other leaders of his time, like Frederick Douglass, Steven Douglas, and William Lloyd Garrison, without prejudging— though I guess it is obvious where I stand--whether we should trust the widespread sense that Lincoln was a statesman. Are there reasonable Lincoln detractors out there, and why? Well, my father thinks he took too long to find a general who could win the war, and he is reasonable most of the time. My immediate family aside,
Lincoln critics include those who judge him a kind of fanatic, for bringing on a war that could have been avoided had he not insisted that a house divided against itself on the matter of slavery could not stand. He has also been criticized for being too ready to compromise, willing, even eager to dodge the slavery issue if in doing so he could save the Union. I don’t agree with either criticism, but some reasonable and knowledgeable people, much better versed in Lincoln and in the Civil War period than I am, are Lincoln critics. How did the way in which he tried to resolve the slavery issue define him as the ultimate American statesman? In politics, we pray for a leader who has the practical wisdom and experience of a seasoned politician, the theoretical wisdom to guide practice, the vision of a poet, and a patriot’s heart. Lincoln showed all of these characteristics in performing a task he called “greater than that which rested upon Washington.” We often distinguish between politicians and statesmen this way: politicians will compromise anything while statesmen really stand for something. But that’s not right. A statesman does not have the luxury of refusing to compromise, even in important matters, and Lincoln famously was prepared to permit slavery to continue to exist in the states where it already existed. As I said before, there are reasonable people who disparage Lincoln for what looks to them more like moral cowardice than restraint. But if Lincoln is the ultimate statesmen, it may be because he was able to exercise a kind of moderation, what his biographer Charnwood calls “deadly moderation,” at a time when politics was shot through with angry and malignant passions.
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JONATHAN MARKS
questions. We hope that thinking about Lincoln helps students entertain the possibility that the world of ideas and the world of action are more intimately connected than they often seem to be in the classroom.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
EXPERTISE
r
Aside from his bicentennial birthday in 2009, why does Lincoln and his teaching resonate today, even with our newly-elected president?
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FACULTY
FEATURES The New Financial Reality By Kathryn Campbell
AN OCEAN OF UNCERTAINTY NAVIGATING THE NEW FINANCIAL reality
“The uncertainty created by the financial crisis has had a three-pronged impact on the economy. First, consumers are spending less. Second, businesses are starting to invest less. Third, banks are more careful in their lending practices. All three prongs are starting to ripple through the economy.
The dire twining of events that factored in the U.S. economic collapse had been brewing for years, experts say. Now across the world, markets are unhinged, companies are clawing to survive and anxious consumers cling to their cash. The finance bubble has not only burst, it’s created an ocean of uncertainty. And we are sailing across it. Immersed in recession, the U.S. and global economies must now navigate to terra firma.
Bankruptcies, job losses and a crippled housing market shadow the national landscape. The role of the Federal government as savior or enabler shape shifts as the new administration stakes its ground. And just when the promise of capital infusions seemed to promise a lifeline for banks and the auto industry, allowing for a collective gulp of air, the Bernard Madoff investor fraud case sent new
Even drastic bailout measures likely will not be enough to right the listing financial and auto industries. Thanks to Wall Street’s failures, this is the start of an uncharted journey. Although the fallout from the market crisis seems insurmountable, there are strategies to endure. In this story, UC alumni and professors in the finance and business sectors huddle up, sharing their views of the economic crisis and helping to untangle the mess.
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shockwaves through the atmosphere.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
—Andrew Economopoulos, Ph.D., Chair of the Business and Economics Department
October 08 was one of the worst and most volatile in stock market history.
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The past response to this contraction in spending is for government to provide a stimulus; tax cuts, new spending or a combination of both. The longer it takes to implement a stimulus program the longer it will take for the economy to reverse this trend. There’s still uncertainty in the market as seen by the recent volatility of the stock market. When Congress finally decides to act, I believe the market will start to recover. How long it will take is not clear, but it should happen in our lifetime.”
FEATURES The New Financial Reality By Kathryn Campbell
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Mioli, a senior investment analyst at SEI, has never had to be more primed for the advisors he works with across the country. Trips to Dallas, Portland, Orange County and Atlanta have all ramped up. “It’s been literally nonstop,” says Mioli, who specializes in portfolio investment and design and holds CPA/PFS, CFP®, CLU designations. “You’re hooked to your Blackberry and the chaos is still raging. I expect even more when the December statements hit in January.” One of the biggest changes in his workday has been the enormity of conference calls. “Advisors want more transparency,” says Mioli. “A lot of them have become very unsettled and they want someone to come in and review things – they want to see hope. Yeah, the market is down forty percent, but I’m an optimist. It’s mentally helpful for the investors to have us validate their concerns and review where we see the opportunities. I give them confidence and the perspective that they’re with the right partner. They don’t see me as someone who has all the answers, but it
With turbulence in the equity markets, investors are wringing their hands over where to put what’s left of their money when bonds and banks, once considered safe, now seem unstable. Many have turned to treasuries which Mioli describes as “the filet mignon of the current investment world.” Yet he remains wary; “Treasuries might be good now but they will become the toxic part of your portfolio in the not too distant future. Opportunities abound in the credit market sans Treasuries.” Could stocks still be viable when for the last 10 years the S & P 500 has had such lackluster returns on average? Look at the historic patterns, Mioli says. “It’s true that the S & P 500 has returned about a negative one percent per year before taxes and inflation for the 10 years. But since WWII, there
Despite staggering portfolio losses, there are solid investment strategies. “Rebalance your portfolio back to your target allocation. Since equities are way down, this is a good time to buy low. By rebalancing periodically investors can take the emotion out of buying asset classes that are depressed. President Obama has made his position clear about raising taxes. Investors need to consider the future tax environment in their planning.” But folks close to retirement, sifting through the ashes of 401K’s, can’t afford the luxury of waiting 20 or 30 years before dipping into their savings. Though devastating, says Mioli, this is not the time to turn away from equities. “For those nearing retirement, keep in mind that retirement could last 30 years plus, especially when considering joint life expectancy,” he says. “Consider increasing your 401(k) contribution to the $22,000 maximum for someone age 50 plus. Also as long as you have earnings consider an IRA even if it’s non-deductible. Take the opportunity to buy into the market while it is down by 40 percent, you probably won’t get this chance again for a long time.” Mioli’s optimism is heartening, but many of us still want to know who or
what is to blame for the crisis? Greed, says Mioli. “Alan Greenspan, consumers, mortgage brokers, Wall Street, the Ratings Companies, the Accountants and the Regulators are all culpable,” he says. “Everyone was happy as long as the real estate market was going up and easy credit was to be had. We should expect more regulation, though it’s unnecessary. Our current regulations are fine; they just need to be enforced. In my opinion, the former and current Fed Chairman should have been more of a regulator than an enabler.” Dean Mioli graduated in 1984 with a degree in Economics and Business Administration.
Mortgage Mayhem: How banks, lenders and buyers contributed to the fall: During an economics lab this fall, Shannon Mudd stood in the cold glow of a Power Point projector. As he fielded questions on the economy’s new landscape, he also was working to make sense of it himself. One lesson he wants to pass on to his students; the only constant is change.
Shannon Mudd
“We have a very dynamic economy,” says Mudd, who seems more fascinated than beleaguered by the crisis. “Industries are being born and dying constantly. We are going through large
shifts in employment. The global airline industry and auto industry are likely suffering right now from over-capacity. Mudd doubts, though, that government intervention will solve the problem. “Giving the US auto industry breathing room may allow them to delay the necessary reconfigurations that would enable them to survive,” he says. As for the housing collapse, Mudd says, it may be time to redefine the American dream. Despite the recent availability of financing, perhaps owning a home is not the right decision for everyone. In the past mortgages were based on a simple idea, he says. “They develop expertise in collecting and analyzing information on these individual borrowers in order to determine their ability to pay. Then they make loans based on that information.” “However, if you think of a mortgage as an asset - a stream of interest payments over a thirty year period, for example, then it’s clear it can have value to investors beyond the bank. But a bank knows a lot more about its borrowers than other investors. It was only when large numbers of mortgages were packaged together that information on individual borrowers became less important and investors would go to a bank and buy an existing mortgage from them.” Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were designed to do this, buy mortgages from banks, package them together as mortgage-backed securities and sell them to investors, he explains. Investors had a relatively safe, high return. Banks could use the cash received to turn around and generate more loans and the income from fees associated with them. If it sounds so viable, asks Mudd, how did it end so badly? “Mark Pinsky, President of Opportunity Finance Network, used a great metaphor in
talking about the sub-prime market difficulties at the annual Student Research Conference sponsored by ODE and the Business and Economics Department, nearly a year ago. The metaphor was from the Agatha Christie novel, Murder on the Orient Express in which Hercule Poirot investigates a murder on a train, and offers one rather sensational explanation - that ALL of the other 13 passengers in the car were guilty,” says Mudd. Mudd points the finger at investment banks for “creating esoteric instruments that combined low quality mortgages with high quality mortgages that made them difficult to understand and value.” He blames raters for giving these instruments unrealistically high ratings. The money flowed in and mortgage brokers and lenders gave loans to people who were likely to have difficulty keeping up their payments knowing they could sell on the loans, Mudd says. Some homeowners signed up for complicated loan packages. “They assumed the value of their homes would go up and they would be able to refinance once payments ballooned.” And lastly, he says, investors are culpable for failing to question how an instrument could be low risk and pay high returns. He hopes his students will appreciate that there is risk in everything. “Have we deluded ourselves to think we can spread risk to such an extent that there is no risk that can’t be hedged? There is risk in this world, no matter how many innovative financial instruments we create. As a society, what we have to do is make ourselves flexible, help with the safety net and prepare ourselves mentally for risk and change.” Shannon Mudd is Assistant Professor of Business and Economics
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The first thing Dean Mioli does when he wakes up is check his Blackberry. While getting dressed, he watches the Bloomberg Report on television. Driving down Route 422 to his office in the Philadelphia suburbs, he’s tuned to the NPR business report.
For starters, he says, the days for the U.S. as a consumer-driven economy are likely over for a very long while. The Federal government should consider major initiatives in alternative energy and infrastructure repair to spur economic growth, he says. But how long will it be before this cycle starts to work itself out? Mioli suggests a comparison to the 1990-1991 recession which lasted 10 months. During that time, the stock market recovered much faster than the economy. “If an investor waited to have the recession declared over to invest again, they would have missed a very big move on the upside,” he says. “The pattern illustrated has happened repeatedly through financial history. The current recession has several months already behind us and there will be several more but I don’t think people should wait until the end to start deploying dollars into the market.”
have been 14 bear markets; the worst decline was 49 percent peak to trough. We recently reached a 43 percent decline in the S&P 500. I believe the worst is behind us not in front of us. Good things ultimately happen to cheap stocks and bonds. Though not a problem at the moment, inflation is going to be a big problem when the economy takes off again. Many have found that a simple way to add an inflation hedge to your portfolio is with Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS).”
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Dean Miloi
is important to understand the history of recession.”
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Life in the Fast Lane; advising the advisors
FEATURES The New Financial Reality By Kathryn Campbell
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out the disease I call “spendicitis,” says Wilder. “Similar to the generation that experienced the trauma of the Great Depression, this generation will begin to save more and spend less. Moreover, out of necessity increased taxation is on the horizon which will also decrease the amount of spendable income.” And don’t expect relief anytime soon. “Given the global magnitude of the current financial crisis, the U.S recession will be deeper and more prolonged than most that have been experienced in the past,” says Wilder. “The US economy will continue to contract throughout all of 2009 and that the expansionary signs of recovery will not manifest until the first half of 2010.”
Looking Forward Diversification is crucial for establishing a successful investment program, Wilder says, in order to avoid devastating losses. “The investment portfolio should be structured to perform in accordance with the investor’s predetermined tolerance for risk and thereby avoid emotionally-charged reactionary movements caused by fear or greed. It should be managed within the context of a comprehensive financial plan with defined and measurable goals for such issues as retirement and college funding. For those whose stock portfolio suffered staggering losses, what’s the best strategy?
on careers and how the students will be impacted by the crisis for years to come.
Wilder advises older investors nearing retirement to work longer. Not exactly what most Americans want to hear. “You can’t undo past mistakes,” says Wilder. “but you can move on from the here and now and intelligently plan and act to do better going forward. The reality is that most Americans have not properly managed their finances and will have to work longer than they want to.”
“And what did we learn about income statements and a financial downturn,” she asked the group of 16 mostly seniors and juniors. One student responded that sales will suffer.
Brett Wilder graduated in 1962 with a major in Economics and a minor in Psychology.
The Next Generation; A new mindset It was early December and Professor Karen Randall’s last class before finals.
Karen Randall
Students in her 8:30 finance class filed in wearing sweatpants and carrying coffee. Much of their semester had been spent analyzing the economic meltdown. This day Randall would discuss embarking
“Eight and a half trillion dollars – poof! – the figure is meaningless when it gets that big,” says Randall, a buoyant and often witty lecturer. But the topic of the day was anything but amusing. “If an investor held any equity, 30 to 40 percent of those savings has been lost. It’s made a huge difference in people’s mindsets.
“That’s right,” says Randall. “And what will you cut first? People. One of the first fixed expenses to go during a financial downturn is people. You’re just not going to see companies growing.” And so it is with the current crisis which continues to show a steady rise in unemployment figures as we enter 2009. “We didn’t want the banks to fail so we bought these companies in hopes they turn around,” Randall explains. “But at the end of the day the eight and a half trillion dollars comes from you. You as a taxpayer now are in the mortgage business, too. We bailed out Citigroup for $300 billion and, hey, we’re also in the insurance business as taxpayers because we bailed out AIG.” As she clarifies the state of the recession, Randall still seems genuinely shocked by the truth. “The Fed is doing things the Fed was never meant to do. Imagine going down into your basement and firing up the printing press. We are essentially printing money to keep our financial system afloat. The Fed, is, in effect everyone’s banker. So, pretty wild stuff here.”
The class discusses whether the prevention of mortgage foreclosures would ultimately be good or bad for the economy. “For those people who are deadbeats – and they do exist – this would be like a get out of jail free card,” Randall says. She continues to engage the students asking whether or not the government should bailout the automotive industry. And as the class winds down, Randall offers a few words of encouragement on the bleak, and getting bleaker, job market. “Don’t worry about your first job, just get a job,” says Randall. “No job experience is ever wasted; you’re always going to learn something from it. You will get where you want to go in life.” Karen Randall is Assistant Professor of Business and Economics
Lending Locally; Small Banking Survives The good part about being a community bank like Harleysville is that it never got into the subprime mortgage busi-
Fred Reim
ness, says Fred Reim, regional president of Harleysville National Bank. “Actually we are on stronger foundation than the big guys,” says Reim. HNB has maintained stable earning levels and capital levels for almost 100 years. One way this regional bank
avoided collapse was the company practice of local lending. “We may not have earned as much as others during those highflying years because we had a much more conservative approach to lending and investing and that served us well. We really do know our customers,” says Reim. HNB is a whollyowned subsidiary of Harleysville National Corporation with total assets of $5.5 billion. “We see our customers face to face. We know their families and their history. It pays to be involved in your community.” With Chester County now one of the fastest-growing counties in Pennsylvania, HNB has seized an opportunity to expand while other banks are folding. “From a strategic view it couldn’t be a better time,” says Reim. HNB has gained 29 new offices in eastern Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia and Chester Counties through its acquisition of Willow Financial Bancorp. “We had this acquisition in the works for some time, and despite the recession, we’re still able to move forward with it.” Still, a major spending squeeze is well underway among most customers. “Consumers are really afraid to spend right now. We’re seeing our small business owners not getting as much business as they had in the past. Retail consumer spending is at a 40-year low. Frankly, the outlook is bleak,” says Reim. “But as bad as it is, I think we’re in an area of the country that’s not hit quite as hard as some of the states where the industry is different. People are reeling. We see layoffs in this region, pharmaceuticals, the medical, and the financial services industries have been worst hit—but not nearly as bad as other parts of the country. We’ve become CONTINUED ON PAGE 33
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Brett Wilder
“The Madoff scandal epitomizes the disturbing lack of fiduciary responsibility that exists in the financial services industry,” says Wilder. “The result is that the regulatory pendulum will now swing to where there will evolve an over-regulatory atmosphere which is presently justified, but which will become a burdensome and costly compliance issue for all financial advisors regardless of their previous business integrity. This will detract and inhibit the responsible advisors ability to provide the highest level of client service. The last chapter in my book The Quiet Millionaire discusses what to look for in a financial advisor, and if the Madoff investors had followed the basic guidelines provided, they might have avoided their financial devastation.”
Don’t sell, cautions Wilder. “Retain the equity portions of a portfolio when there have been sharp decreases in value. Once out of the equity markets, it is impossible to accurately time when to reenter. Investors who bail out with losses miss out on upward advances. These typically take place in brief, sporadic spurts. Although volatility is stressful, it presents investment opportunities which they should stay alert for,” Wilder says.
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Brett Wilder, author of The Quiet Millionaire, already has coined a name for the crisis. “This recession will be deemed historically as the Great Recession, and will be longer in duration than the average twelve months,” says Wilder. The days of unbridled consumer spending sustained by easy and ample credit have vanished. “If there’s a silver lining to be derived from the current financial crisis, it is that it will be the catalyst for Americans to wipe
If only more people had read his book, Wilder laments. The educated, serious investors who gave millions to Bernie Madoff might have been saved the financial apocalypse they now face. For the rest of us, it may not be too late, says Wilder, President & Chief Executive Officer Financial Management Group, Inc.
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A Strong Prescription; Spend less. Save and Work More.
FEATURES Commencement address 2008 By Kathryn Campbell
The first lesson is a series of health-related question and answer phrases. It’s a handy, if tedious, topic for the 14 workers, most of whom speak only Spanish or halting English. Many have left children, parents or spouses behind to work in the U.S. A chance to practice English in an encouraging and relaxed environment is crucial to their success here.
Students Leigh Ann Lombardi and Kari Duck (L, R, facing camera) with their own students.
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It’s just before noon on an early fall day. The air is light and crisp, exactly the type of weather that begs you to wrestle free of responsibility. But room 001 in the lower level of Olin Hall shuts out nature’s temptations. Fluorescent lights hum as a stream of janitorial staff trickles through the door. Some of the housekeeping employees are wearing tan or blue smocks, the uniform to clean campus offices and dorms. They meet here twice a week to improve their English. The Ursinus students who tutor them plan the lessons, sometimes getting together at night to discuss outlines.
When junior Jill Stevens returned from a semester in Spain she wanted to use her Spanish outside of the classroom. “I went into the ESL program not knowing too much about it,” says Stevens, “but decided to give it a try.”
“Repeta, clase,” says a cheerful Tepel, pointing to illustrations on a power point projector. “I – have- a - head – ache,” the students respond in somewhat disjointed chorus. “I – have - the - chills,” the group repeats slowly. And so the hour-long lesson progresses, interrupted at times by shared laughter and healthy doses of encouragement. The spirit is light, but the UC lesson planners keep the class on course.
She soon witnessed how difficult it was for the workers trying to make a living with limited English-language skills. “I thought it was important to volunteer because it would help them with the everyday things we take for granted, like shopping at the supermarket or going to the doctors,” says Stevens.
Stevens and Chris Miller are the student directors of the program that got its start three years ago. The students who first created the program sensed that the custodial workers felt alienated by the language barrier. They offered to teach. In 2007, a grant was issued from Verizon Pennsylvania in support of the program and announced this month it has approved a new $10,000 grant to support the ESL program.
In fact, an estimated 3,528,949 Spanish speakers in the United States are “linguistically isolated” that is to say live in a household in which all members over the age of 14 have
The workers, many of whom are immigrants to the U.S. from Mexico and El Salvador, are paid to come to the class. But the students give their time free of charge.
The custodial staff fits the English class between work shifts. The students give their time between courses. Both sides say the classes have helped them view each other in a less formal light. “It connects us and makes us feel more like a community,” says Liam Smith, a senior who is volunteering for a second year. He tutors Maria Gama Olavan. Earnest and unafraid to plow into English conversation, Gama Olavan says at home her family speaks only Spanish. “The English is difficult,” says Gama Olavan, who worked as a nurse in Mexico before coming to the United States. “The students and teaching are very good. Everybody I meet is learning English because they need it for the job” The ESL classes continue through the spring. “Whenever I see them outside of the classroom I can now have a little conversation,” says Stevens. “I never would have done that before. Knowing them helps me appreciate what they do for us at the school.”
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“I sympathize with the Spanish speakers here,” says Jennifer Tepel, a senior and a Spanish major. “They feel out of place in a cultural context and have economic limitations. I want to help them with communication.”
Sitting shoulder to shoulder at long tables, the students and the custodial staff recite words to help them navigate a new life in the U.S. The tutors encourage their partners, sounding out the phrases for this day’s lesson on health and doctor visits.
“You feel like you’re making a difference,” says Miller, a senior, who has tutored Blanca Barrera for two years. Barrera struggles with the lessons but is determined to keep trying. She smiles at Miller and tells him in Spanish that he will make a great doctor one day.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Spanish-speaking Workers Find Fellowship at ESL Class
difficulty speaking English. (This according to a U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey). And that number doesn’t begin to reflect the vast language and cultural barriers because the survey includes only Spanish speakers who are legal residents.
Student Brian Regan (L) and Maria Olavan
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MORE THAN WORDS
During the first few minutes, the mood at this English as a Second Language (ESL) class is reserved. Soon, though, the Ursinus instructors take the wheel and the class rumbles to life. The energetic tutors, some of whom have spent semesters abroad in Spain, have different reasons for joining the program. All of them agree volunteering has deepened their college experience.
class notes SPOTLIGHT DAN MULLEN CLASSS OF 1986 By Kyle Veazey
class notes SPOTLIGHT REBECCA HEYL CLASSS OF 1994
FROM BEARS TO BULLDOGS: DAN MULLEN 1994
REBECCA HEYL 1994
became his wife three years later.) How his mother gave him a one-way plane ticket to Australia and a hundred-dollar bill upon his graduation from Ursinus. It was going to be a great trip—until he took an entry-level coaching job. Fourteen years later, he accomplished a big-time goal—landing a head coaching job—at a school in the Southeastern Conference, largely regarded as the country’s toughest. No doubt fueled by his association with Florida head coach Urban Meyer, Mullen became one of the hottest names in coaching circles. Meyer and Mullen first met in 1999, when Mullen was a graduate assistant at Notre Dame. Mullen served on Meyer’s staffs when Meyer became a head coach at Bowling Green in 2001, at Utah in 2003 and Florida in 2005.
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Mullen was named the new head football coach at Mississippi State on Dec. 10. It’s the first job as a head coach for Mullen, a native of Manchester, N.H. and a tight end on Ursinus teams from 1990 to 1993. He comes to MSU — and this $1.2 million a year job — from the University of Florida, where he ended his career on Jan. 8 as that team’s offensive coordinator with a second national championship in three seasons. A day later, he was meeting with his new team in Starkville. “Boy, my life has taken so many drastic turns,” Mullen said a few days after being hired. “You take my career in football aside, I’ve tried to live my life for the stories. For all the different experiences I’ve had in my life.” Mullen certainly isn’t short of stories. Like the trip he took backpacking through Europe after his freshman year at Ursinus. How, as an assistant coach at Bowling Green in 2002, he courted a television sports anchor named Megan West. (She
First-year athletic director Greg Byrne interviewed Mullen into the wee hours of the morning Dec. 10 in an Atlanta hotel. A half-hour in, Byrne knew he had his man. “He came across just as a really good person,” Byrne said. “Easy demeanor, but you could also tell when he started talking about football, that a focus came in that you’re looking for in your coach.” Byrne noticed what many have since Mullen was hired: Though focused and football-driven as any coach, Mullen has a broad background and command of almost any topic. And he’s seen quite a bit in his 36 years. “I kind of take a bit of pride in all the different places I’ve lived and all my backgrounds,” Mullen said. “I think I’ve lived a very good life.” Kyle Veazey is a writer with The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger covering Mullen and wrote this for Ursinus Magazine.
A Palestinian boy walks past the wasted rubble and steel of a demolished home. Glancing over his shoulder, his dark eyes, magnetic and unknowable, lock with the camera. The photograph is among 100 portraits included in Rebecca Heyl’s book “Windows in the Wall,” telling the story of life in the shadow of the wall dividing Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank. The daily life of adversaries and neighbors unfolds in open, poignant and often grim images. “I was there in a difficult moment, even by Israeli standards,” says Heyl, who is Jewish. The black and white shots captured with a Pentax 67 and Leica M6 summarize Heyl’s time there from 2001 to 2004. “There was an
unprecedented amount of bombings in Israeli cities. I experienced them in much the same way the rest of the world did, on television. But I wanted to know what was really going on.” Heyl took the images while working with the NGO Windows - Channel for Communication. The nonprofit includes Israelis and Palestinians working toward peace and reconciliation. Focusing on children, Windows works to promote dialogue through educational and cultural programs, media and art. Their main project is publishing a children’s Hebrew/Arabic magazine. Curiosity about humanity and conflict was her motivation, says Heyl, 36. She wondered if dialogue was possible
between Israelis and Palestinians. Documenting people and the 400-mile plus electronic fence revealed how the barrier has divided and destroyed lives on both sides of the wall. She marveled, though, at the Israelis and Palestinians who persevered in working together and maintaining friendships. “The camera often becomes my vehicle for exploration,” says Heyl, who now teaches photography at Chester College of New England. She has a Master of Fine Arts degree from the joint program between the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University. “I quickly began to learn about the issues on the ground not being covered in the mainstream media at the time,” she says. “I was compelled to tell this
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He’s a long way from Ursinus College.
Mullen’s enthusiasm—and his message of a high-powered spread offense—has been well-received by MSU fans who saw few wins and even fewer points in the previous five seasons under Sylvester Croom.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Dan Mullen grabbed a cowbell with a handle, one of Mississippi State University’s spirit props, in front of a few hundred fans at a morning pep rally here last month. The fans cheered wildly. Moments later, and with his distinctly un-Southern accent, he said he’d tell anyone that he was, indeed, from Starkville, Mississippi — this classic Southern small college town of 20,000.
Mullen spent much of his first month-plus focusing on recruiting and hiring assistant coaches, but no small amount was spent on meeting MSU fans.
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Dan Mullen / Courtesy Mississippi State Athletic Media Relations
class notes SPOTLIGHT REBECCA HEYL CLASSS OF 1994
Homecoming 2008 When Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu came to Boston for a conference Heyl gave him a copy of her book. “Rebecca has shared her discovery of the unsettling truth about Palestine and Israel with powerful visual impact,” Tutu said. “Her graphically portrayed personal journey as an American Jew in Israel brings a challenge to us all.”
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In the end, she hopes “Windows in the Wall” inspires dialogue.
The issue of Palestinian and Israeli relations is a polarizing and emotional topic, Heyl admits. “But if they can do it at checkpoints and under fire,” she says, “then we must come out of our shells and go to that uncomfortable place. We are all connected to this issue… no matter how far away the actual battle takes place.”
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— By Kathryn Campbell
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Dr. Max Koppel 1953 and Barbara, and Rosalie and Dr. Irving Gerson 1940, enjoy the Hillel homecoming event at which the Koppel Sukkah Garden was dedicated.
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Glenn 1986, Jennifer and Alexandra Scharf enjoy the meal at Hillel.
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The Beta Sig crew under the tent
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Meeting old friends
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The Ursinus Jazz Band entertained ialumni and guests in The Kaleidoscope.
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Homecoming brings out families.
7&8 The women of Tau Sig.
“I believe this conflict (as in all conflicts) is not black and white. There is an immense range of gray tones just like the ones you see in the photographs.”
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Though there were risky moments, Heyl is gratified when people tell her they can relate to the subjects through the book’s photos and quotes. “It’s been wonderful for me to be able to give the book to people I admire for their work in fighting for justice and peace in the world,” says Heyl, who lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her husband and son.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Once when Heyl set out to photograph construction of the wall she recalls being
WINTER 2009 URSINUS MAGAZINE
“Checkpoints were uncertain places for me to pass, as they remain today for the nearly 4 million Palestinians who need to pass through them regularly,” says Heyl. “I had a foreign passport, specifically American, and so I was given different treatment by the Israeli soldiers. Aside from being searched and detained occasionally, the soldiers were bewildered more than anything as to why I would want to go into the Palestinian Territories and asked me why I was not afraid.”
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While coordinating projects for Windows, Heyl often crossed over into the West Bank to meet with Palestinians.
warned by the border guards; “If you shoot photograph, we’ll shoot you.”
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story to a larger public. The average person on both sides wants the fighting to be over. I’m not a Middle East expert or a policy expert so how do I tell this story? I’m sympathetic to both sides and as a Jewish person it’s my responsibility to talk about it.”
“Part of the message for me was to show what really is going on there, the dire situation on the ground,” she says. “At the same time the fact that there are people on both sides still coming together to communicate means so much. It is a strong call to Americans that we need to begin to have this conversation about the conflict.”
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES INCLUDE “THE SIXTH MAN”
Branden Brooks
College of Law (with honors). She is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the State Bars of New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida.
2001 Andrew Haines was appointed Township Manager of Hatfield Township, Pa. in September. Stephen M. Sell celebrated the one-year anniversary of his practice, Sell Chiropractic, P.C. in July. It is located in Feasterville, Pa.
2002
Men’s basketball team at the 2008 NCAA Division III Championships
At the induction for the Hall of Fame for Athletes, several individuals received the Blanche B. Schultz ’41 Award for exhibiting “passionate support and remarkable dedication” to the advancement of athletics at Ursinus.
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Coach Kevin Small affectionately termed these fans “The Sixth Man,” including a woman. Last season, the Ursinus men’s basketball team made an incredible run to the NCAA Division III Final Four. The legions of fans in Helfferich Hall and in the Centennial Conference gymnasiums were distinguished by an enthusiastic group of men and women from the 1940s who would place themselves directly behind or directly across from the team. Through the year and in particular, throughout last season, these stalwart supporters were fixtures at the games. Most were members of the 1946 basketball team which won the MAC South Division championship. Four members of this group were recently inducted in the Hall of Fame: Robert Geist 1946; George Kennedy 1949; Janet (Shoemaker) Wickerham 1946; and David Bahney 1949. Other members of the group are Henry “Hank” Pfeiffer 1948; Stanley McCausland 1948; Robert Poole 1949; Richard Gross 1946; Roy Love 1949; and Kenneth Reinhart 1949. Stan McCausland, who could not attend the October induction ceremony, prepared the following remarks, (edited for space): Today with the over-commercialism of sports and large universities which are supposedly known for academic excellence . . .we can all take pleasure that here at Ursinus and our associated colleges, sports are placed in their proper perspective: Fun to play, fun to watch and fun to attend graduation exercises where most student-athletes receive their well earned degrees. CONTINUED ON PAGE 37
Branden Brooks has a connection with the new U.S. Vice President: He writes, “My Sen. Joe Biden story begins with a field trip to D.C. in 1994. I was in eighth grade at Talley Junior High (Wilmington, Del.), at the time. During the question and answer session of Sen. Biden’s presentation, I raised my hand and asked a question. I cannot remember what question I asked but I do remember stuttering a little bit. I have struggled with a speech impediment all of my life but something compelled me to ask a question that day. After answering my question and a few others, Biden pulled me aside and asked for my name. Sen. Biden then told me that he used to stutter as a kid but never let it interfere with his life goals. In fact, Sen. Biden added that he would purposely seek public speaking opportunities (such as acting in plays) to force himself to speak in public. About a week later, I received a letter from Sen. Biden urging me to remember our conversation about stuttering and being respectful to others. I really took Sen. Biden’s words to heart the following year when I entered The Tatnall School as a freshman and ran for class president. I won the election and basically served as class president all through high school and college, giving countless speeches and a few sermons (M. Div. from Harvard Divinity School) along the way. From that day forward, I cast away my worries about stuttering and basically crafted my entire adult life around public speaking. Today, I type this e-mail as an Assistant Attorney General in Delaware.” Branden’s recollection appeared in the Wilmington News Journal Aug. 29 with a photocopy of the letter Biden sent to him, dated 6/9/94. Currently a prosecutor in Delaware’s Family Division, the story comes full circle. Branden was sworn in by Delaware’s Attorney General, who happens to be Sen. Biden’s son, Beau. Branden and his wife, Tisha Callery Brooks 2001, are the parents of Alexander Grant Brooks, born Feb. 18, 2008. – W.G.
Class Correspondent Aaron Ranck Bilkent University Yurk 15 Oda 105 Ankara Turkey 06800 202-669-5877 aaranck@yahoo.com or aaron.ranck@mail.house.gov Sarah E. Smith spent two weeks on a tented safari in Africa and slept in a tent on the Serengeti. Her next trip will be Costa Rica and a zip line over the rain forest. Brittany (Mentzer) Stofko received her Doctor of Osteopathy degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) in 2007.
2003 Class Correspondent Brandon Phipps 33 Wayne Avenue Norristown, Pa. 19403 610-539-8546 javabean@netreach.net Tim McDonald, an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Gateway the last three seasons, has been named the head boys’ basketball coach at the Gloucester County (N.J.) school.
2005
2007
Jenni Smagala of Wilmington, Del., completed her third year as a veterinary student with academic honors at Purdue University in Indiana. Two weeks later, she began her final year which continues through the summer and until graduation in May, 2009.
Erin Pollard has accepted an internship in the U.S. Senate Office of Sen. Hillary Clinton D-N.Y.
Patrick M. Nagel accepted a position with Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and will be working as a senior consultant concentrating in the Identity and Access Management (IdAM) space within the Public Sector. Heather Lesher graduated from The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.
2006 Class Correspondent Jenn McCann 6797 Point Pleasant Pike, New Hope, Pa. 18938 215-262-4695 jennmccann@comcast.net Laura Freitag graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rowan University in May with a master’s degree in teaching, with an elementary education specialization. She is teaching second grade in the Bridgeton public school system. Johanna Engel graduated from Springfield College of Occupational Therapy in May with a Masters of Education in Occupational Therapy. She is studying for her boards. Kristen Ricciardi, PA-C, graduated from the Physician Assistant program at Philadelphia University in August, with a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. In May she was one of three team members chosen from her class to represent Philadelphia University at the American Academy of Physician Assistants’ Student Challenge Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. She is employed by Premier Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Associates, LTD, with their Orthopaedic Associates division, as an orthopaedic physician assistant.
2008 Megan Helzner accepted a position as development research analyst for National Museum of Jewish History in the Old City section of Philadelphia. Danielle V. Langdon is currently working as a communications coordinator for an architecture firm in Princeton, N.J. Tiffany M. Sparagana is now working at her family’s jewelry business, J. Jenkins Sons Co. Inc. in Baltimore, M.D. They manufacture high school and college rings. Michael T. Ziemak is at Temple University College of Health Professions Graduate School working towards his master’s degree in Occupational Therapy.
class notes WINTER 2009
Alumni Encouraged to Stay Involved While the Center for Continuous Learning is no longer accepting new students for the BBA degree or BS in Psychology, the Center continues to offer a WorkSmart or Smart Professional Certificate, as well as the Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program. Ursinus also hosts classes for the acclaimed Saint Joseph's University HAUB School of Business master's degrees: MBA, MS in Financial Services and MS in Human Resources. The Arts and Science graduate division also offers the MS in Criminal Justice Administration and the MS in Health Administration on our campus. We all are proud of the achievements of our Evening Division and CCL alumni. We would love to stay in touch with you, and we hope you will continue to keep us abreast of your accomplishments.
WINTER 2009
2002
class notes WINTER 2009
URSINUS MAGAZINE
class notes SPOTLIGHT BRANDeN BROOKS CLASS OF 2002
PAGE 30
class notes WINTER 2009
class notes births & adoptions
BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS
Mr. and Mrs. Myles Hannigan, a son, Myles Patrick, on June 26, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. M. Ranu Muttreja (Carolyn Cristofalo), a son, Alexander, in July 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Misko (Kristin Ullrich), a son, Marc Edward, on July 21, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Williams (Deborah Collinge), a daughter, Kate, on March 21, 2007. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Young (Amy Bollenbacher), a son, Luke.
1994 Mr. and Mrs. Francis Callen (Melissa Chido), a daughter, Katie, in May 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Woll, III, a son, William Hunter, on June 12, 2008.
1995 Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Baccino, a son, Cole Leonello, on April 16, 2008.
1996 Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Buyse (Mary Hearl), a son, Henry Daniel, on August 4, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Craig Loebsack (Robin Scheideler), a daughter, Sydney Ann, on
1997 Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Buyse (Mary Hearl), a son, Henry Daniel, on August 4, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Crouse (Angela Lisa), a son, Alexander, on March 6, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Craig Loebsack, (Robin Scheideler), a daughter, Sydney Ann, on July 3, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Woll (Ruthann Gundersen), a daughter, Bella Ruth, on August 10, 2008.
1998 Mr. and Mrs. H. Lee Griffith, III (Amy Olsen), a daughter, Kierstyn Ingrid, on August 14, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Nemitz (Sarah Fielding), a son, Riley Christopher, on April 6, 2008.
1999 Mr. and Mrs. H. Lee Griffith, III (Amy Olsen), a daughter, Kierstyn Ingrid, on August 14, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Smith (Stephanie Nestore), a son, Alexander Michael, on April 9, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Tot (Jacqueline Colvin), a son, Gavin William, on March 29, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Evan Zoog, a daughter, Kathryn Lorraine, on August 7, 2008.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Gerchak (Chrissy Leonard), a daughter, Emily Teresa, on June 16, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Steven McDevitt (Michele Moran), a daughter, Ella Maria, on February 21, 2008.
2001 Mr. and Mrs. Coleman Barry, (Heidi Rhodes), a daughter, Mikayla Lynne, on December 19/2007. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Haines, a son, Jaxon, on September 24, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Keysock (Jennifer Pilcicki), a daughter, Alexis Marie, on June 8, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Toto, (Jacqueline Colvin), a son, Gavin William, on March 29, 2008.
2002 Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Murren, a son, Alexander Jesse, on August 16, 2008.
2004 Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Foreman (Katie McLaughlin), a daughter, Cecilia Rose, on October 24, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Marino, (Katherine Hushen), a daughter, Olivia Grace, on September 18, 2008.
2007 Mr. and Mrs. Jose Santiago (Kelly Borrell), a daughter, Breanna Lauren, in May 2008.
PAGE 33
URSINUS MAGAZINE
WINTER 2009
FEATURES ALTERED STATES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 By Kathryn Campbell
more of a service industry in this region than the manufacturing industry of old. If we can get through this, it may not be as severe in duration and depth as other parts of the country.” It’s going to be a tough haul, says Reim. The fallout will be increased regulation. “With a new president, there will probably be even more regulation in banks. Smaller banks will have a harder time complying due to costs associated
with these anticipated changes.” All of which could lead to more acquisition opportunities for HNB. “It’s fascinating to watch. I sense that while we will continue to see the volatility, there’s a commitment worldwide that they’re trying to solve this. Other European banks will help with the liquidity. It’s about confidence.” There’s a growing realization, he says, that the idea ‘more is better’ will
change. “People are reevaluating their lifestyles and trying to become more realistic. In this country we have not had a good track record on saving. If nothing else, from a family point of view, we’ll start putting away for the rainy day. Maybe it could help prevent a crisis like the one we’re facing now?”
IT’S OKAY TO BE A LITTLE SELFISH WHEN GIVING. There are several ways to make a gift to Ursinus and receive an income for life or a term of years. Here are some of the benefits: • Fixed or variable income payments to you, your spouse, or up to two beneficiaries you name • An income tax deduction in the year you make your gift • Capital-gains tax savings if you donate appreciated assets • Tax-advantaged income (part ordinary, part capital gains, and part tax-free) • The satisfaction of making a significant gift that benefits you and your family now, and Ursinus later Contact us to find out more. For more information, call James L. Baer, Esq. in the Development Office at 610.409.3028 or 610.409.3636 Toll Free: 877.448.3282 e-mail: jbaer@ursinus.edu
Thanks to Victor Brown of the Business and Economics faculty, for his contributions.
© Planned Giving Company
Visit us online at: www.ursinus.edu/giving
WINTER 2009
1993
2000
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Seislove, a son, Colby John, on April 6, 2008.
July 3, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. John Reick, Jr., a daughter, Josie Regina, on March 4, 2008. Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Rogers (Kimberly Ryan), a child on August 4, 2008.
PAGE 34
1989
IN MEMORIAM
1931
1946
1964
Rev. Lester Williams on September 28, 2008.
James Fallows M.D. on November 7, 2008. Roderic Rahe on September 17, 2008. Darl E. VanderPloeg M. D. on April 23, 2008. Kenneth Zitomer on November 12, 2008.
Linda Baldwin on October 3, 2008.
1933 Charlotte (Smith) Evans on July 10, 2008.
1934 Martha (Moore) Tucker on August 9, 2008.
Corinne (Murphy) Lill on August 8, 2008. Larry Starer M.D. on September 28, 2008.
1935
1948
E. Lee Porter M.D. on October 11, 2008.
1936 Mildred (Gring) Coblentz on September 29, 2008. Pauline Heffleger on September 28, 2008. William Shibe Jr. on August 13, 2008.
McDonald L. Whitlock on March 14, 2008.
1970 Augustus Santangelo on November 6, 2008.
1971 Kenneth Cooper on August 16, 2008.
Florence (Eisenberg) Thompson on August 5, 2008.
1939
1950
Bruce I. Kane M.D. on June 19, 2008.
Pamela Miehle on November 25, 2008.
1976
Muriel E. (Scholl) Cook on October 3, 2008. Rev. John T. Salberg on July 13, 2008. Jane Usher on September 8, 2008.
1977
Jane (Hicks) Bowman on July 11, 2008. Walter Chalk on October 2, 2008. Vivian (Judd) Gregg on August 30, 2008.
1951
1981
Edmund Reeves on August 22, 2008.
1941
1952
Jennifer A. Bassett on July 18, 2008. Mary Epperson on October 13, 2008.
1940
Helen (Smith) Chern on August 13, 2008. Bernice (Fish) DeBow on September 16, 2008. Nathaniel Johnson Jr. on October 10, 2008. Roy Snyder, D.D. on September 3, 2008.
Alice J. (Boyer) Brown on July 28, 2008. Shirley Jane (MacKinnon) Crawford on July 15, 2008. Marjorie (Donaldson) Treadway
Irwin Hornberger Jr. on October 14, 2008.
1984 Linda Jean (Raduta) Keltz on October 8, 2008.
on November 3, 2008.
1985
1953
Frank Dakota Jr. on November 19, 2008.
Norman Callahan Jr. on November 27, 2008. Ruth (Hoke) Glass on September 26, 2008. William Heefner on October 18, 2008. Gladys (Heibel) Smith on July 29, 2008.
Mary Ann (Townsend) Buchanan on October 21, 2008. Nancy (Everhart) Hopple on October 22, 2008. Shirley G. (Fiedler) Williams on May
1994
1943
1955
Doris (Harrington) Abrams on August 1, 2008. Wilma (Mac Cready) Albright on August 18, 2008. Mary (Dimedio) Desmond M.D. on September 28, 2008.
1956
1942
WINTER 2009
1949
1967
1973
James Russo M.D. on November 15, 2008.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Marian (Bell) Payne on July 5, 2008. Joan (Von Drach) Taylor on November 26, 2008.
Linda (Peters) McVeigh on October 3, 2008.
Rev. William Anderman on October 20, 2008. Margaret (Myers) Foster on August 10, 2008. George Kennedy on October 27, 2008. William Markley on August 29, 2008. Carolyn (Warren) Weaver on Nov. 26, 2008.
1937
PAGE 35
1947
1965
1944
29, 2008.
Donald Adams on August 28, 2008.
Terry German M.D., on November 17, 2008. Nancy A. Shumaker on July 29, 2008.
Joyce (Behler) Ridings on October 23, 2008.
1957
1945
Nelson Armstrong on September 20, 2008. Nancy (Shronk) Lawrence on November 11,
S. Stuart Mally M.D. on September 7, 2008. John O. Rorer Jr. on November 22, 2008.
2008.
Alexis Smith on October 17, 2008.
2002 Scott Reeder on January 10, 2008.
V-12 James Skinner D.D.S. on October 28, 2008. James A. Fallows, M.D. on November 7, 2008. (See 1946) Kenneth J. Zitomer on November 12, 2008. (See 1946)
Non-Degreed Rueth (McCartney) English on Nov. 14, 2008.
William F. Heefner 1942 died Oct. 18. Raised in Perkasie, Pa., he attended a one-room schoolhouse. Following graduation from Ursinus College, he served as a First Lieutenant in the Infantry during World War II. He was wounded in Northern Italy and decorated with a Purple Heart. After obtaining his law degree from Temple University, he joined the Bucks County, Pa., firm of Willard S. Curtin, which eventually became the highly regarded law firm Curtin and Heefner. He was an accomplished organist and served Ursinus as a member of its Board of Trustees and President of the Board from 1990-1997. Ursinus established the William F. Heefner Chair of Music in 1986, recognizing his efforts on behalf of the College. He was also active on the boards of the Mercer Museum and Fonthill Trust in Doylestown, Pa; and with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Committee, Bucks County Conservancy (now the Heritage Conservancy), and Bedminster Township Planning Commission, among other organizations. The magnificent Heefner Memorial Organ at Ursinus is a gift of Bill’s mother, Lydia, in memory of her husband Russell. At his funeral, Ursinus President John Strassburger delivered a eulogy, excerpts of which are published here: …From our first meetings with Bill, most of us will recall his unassuming nature, his modesty. …I met Bill when he was chairing the Board of Directors at Ursinus College. I was being interviewed for the position of college president. Bill sat through a two-hour meeting I was having with a large search committee. Even though he was the Chair of the Board, he never said a word. But afterwards, he did walk me out, and he told me who he was. As he said, a simple country lawyer who loved Ursinus. …Such an unadorned self description, full of modesty and honest emotion, with no pretense or pretension whatsoever. That was Bill. Kind, wry, modest, straightforward; but there was steel there—he showed it as an officer in the war. …At the center of that world he constructed was his love of music, classical music from the Messiah to Oberammergau, Bach and Beethoven; but Mahler, too, music known for its depths, its rich tones and its meanings, its structures and forms, music known for its harmony, its beauty. This love of music never made him look down on anyone who did not enjoy it as much as he did. Just the opposite. He always was caring about and rooting for those who did not have what he had, or know what he knew.
As a historian, I cannot help but recall that the idea that our obligation as human beings is to build a life around modesty, honor and integrity, treating all with dignity and respect no matter their role in life, and then to surround oneself with beauty, bringing beauty, even the beauty of things, whether furniture or silverware or the way we manage ourselves, and to bring such beauty into our daily lives—the idea of seeking beauty but also creating it, seeing it in harmony and harmonies, especially in music—well these ideals of honor, integrity, and beauty—ideals we weave into the very tapestry of our entire being, these ideas were most fully developed in England 300 years ago. Izzak Walton eloquently established a famous version: the ideal was, to be learned and humble, valiant and inoffensive, virtuous but open, and disdaining of pretension. That, indeed, was Bill Heefner. …For Bill, it is clear the challenge for each of us is to live well, to define excellence, and then pursue it and incorporate excellence into everything we do, from the smallest act to the greatest. As we think of how he made himself into everything he became—working his way through Ursinus as the chapel organist, even playing on December 8, 1941 when the students learned of the commencement of war, a wounded officer who stayed in the army after he was shot, a returning veteran who went to law school at night, a musician of real talent—as we recall all those things, we know, too, he made himself into a gentleman. Not a word in fashion but a word that still describes a human ideal. As someone said of Bill, if you look up the definition of a gentleman in the dictionary, you wonder why Bill Heefner’s portrait is not used for the illustration. …So when we think of who Bill was, all of us can revere him for exemplifying the best there is, the best each of us can hope to be. …We can all recall…driving into his farm—Meadow Spring—no matter what the season. There are those gorgeous sycamore trees on that beautiful lane, and the slope down to the pond; the seating area in a grove. We can, all, each of us, in other words, recall that Bill crafted a beautiful life, as beautiful in the interior, in his relationships with each of us, as measured by principles, as 18th Century music was made beautiful by its adherence to principles. We can recall that Bill crafted a life by investing everything with dignity, proportion and grace, or, as Walton wrote, being learned and humble, virtuous and caring. In order to understand this human ideal, we do not need to read Walton or any of those English writers of 300 years ago, struggling to define that human ideal to which they thought we should all aspire. We have something much better than just words. We, all of us, have the benefit of having known Bill Heefner.
WINTER 2009
DEATHS
URSINUS MAGAZINE
class notes deaths in memoriam
PAGE 36
class notes deaths
class notes deaths in memoriam
in closing COUNTERPARTS
COUNTERPARTS
John Updike, who received an honorary degree in 1964,died Jan. 27 in Beverly Farms, Mass. Updike’s mother was a 1923 graduate of Usinus, and her works are held in Myrin Library. Updike was a writer of novels, short stories, poems, criticism, the memoir “Self-Consciousness” and even a famous essay about baseball great Ted Williams. His books won numerous literary prizes, including two Pulitzers, for “Rabbit Is Rich” and “Rabbit at Rest,” and two National Book Awards. James Graham Crouse, Trustee James Graham Crouse of Vero Beach, Fla., died Nov. 14. Raised in Philadelphia, he moved to Limerick
Loren Pope, Honorary Degree Holder Loren Pope, who received an honorary degree from Ursinus College in 2007, died Sept. 23. An education consultant, and former education editor of The New York Times, he encouraged collegeseeking students to look beyond the Ivy
Nathanael Mann Guptill, Honorary Degree Holder Rev. Nathanael Mann Guptill died Sept. 16. A graduate of Colby College (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) and Andover Newton Theological School, he received an honorary degree from Ursinus in 1976. He was Minister of the Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ; President of the Missionary Society of Connecticut, with pastoral oversight of 280 churches and more than 350 ordained personnel, from 1962 to 1980. He was also an author and editor. Robert A. Ziegler, URSINUS STAFF Robert A. Ziegler, retired Ursinus employee, who was on the electrical maintenance staff, died Dec. 4, 2007.
Kaitlyn Sutherland 2009
situations off the field, in order to help me make the right decision and be successful.
Kaitlyn is an Exercise and Sports Science major with a concentration in teaching, and the secretary of Phi Epsilon Kappa honors fraternity. Last summer she was selected as a Summer Fellow, researching how adventure and team building activities affect student participation and attitudes. She just finished her last season of field hockey, playing midfield for the past four years. The team has been the Centennial Conference Champions since 2004, as well as the 2006 NCAA DIII National Champions. Kait was Captain the past two years, named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007, and has also earned 1st Team All-American the past three years. In addition to playing field hockey, she also catches for the softball team, which was the 2008 Centennial Conference Champions. She works in the Ursinus College fitness center, officiates intramural field hockey, and coaches for the US Field Hockey Futures program.
WINTER 2009 URSINUS MAGAZINE PAGE 37
Now a few reflections on how life has some twists and turns and tonight because of sports have reunited bonds that have been separated because of space and time but not broken and never will be. This evening I am pleased to refresh because of this sports event, the renewing of one bond that dates back 72 years and two for 65. Back in sixth grade, I was in the same homeroom with twin sisters and with a couple of other classmates, we began playing tennis together. We continued this through high school.
Later, one sister and I were accepted as students at Ursinus. She continued her love of sports and excelled in hockey, basketball and, of course, tennis. For many decades every five years we would have an opportunity to renew our friendships at our high school reunions and recall the good old days and get current on the present. The sister I referred to above along the way decided to change her last name from Shoemaker to Wickerham, the same G. Donald Wickerham I had teamed with in sports and roomed with 61 years ago. . . Janet Shoemaker Wickerham: sixth grade, 1936, junior high school, 1938, high school, 1942, Wismer Center, 2008. Also standing with me tonight are my two roommates from 304 Broadbeck. Bob Geist, and Hank Pfeiffer: 65-year bonds. Both have
spent years of their time making great contributions in supporting Ursinus. We have stressed sports at Ursinus tonight and how long lasting bonds can be formed. But we should never lose sight that the strength of education at Ursinus is the balance of a superior academic program not only with sports but in all domains associated with a fine liberal arts education. All of us before you will never forget this evening when we have been honored to be in the company of all of you loyal supporters of Ursinus and in addition for myself sharing this honor with three treasured friends, Jan, Bob and Hank. It is academia joined together with sports that form the bonds that tie.
What is your favorite Ursinus memory? K. Winning the national championship.
Laurie Sutherland 1981 Laurie earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration in 1981. At Ursinus, she played four years varsity field hockey, and was co-captain and all-American (second team). She holds the school record of most goals in a season (15). She also played four years varsity lacrosse, and was co-captain. She was on the U.S. Lacrosse Team from 1978 -1982, is a member of Tau Sigma Gamma, and was Homecoming Queen. She is married to William M. Sutherland 1979, and in addition to her daughter Kaitlyn, they have a son, W. Tyler.
class notes WINTER 2009 HALL OF FAME CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of sports at Ursinus is the lifelong bonds that are formed and tie all together. We lived together, we knew each other, we played together and we respected each other. Witness the group behind me—fond memories that never fade…
L. I see sports and life as being the same. In sports, you work hard to learn new skills, get better, advance and be successful - you do the same things in life - work hard to learn new skills, get better, advance and be successful. I am oversimplifying, but it works. To use a softball analogy, “Every pitch matters.”
What is your exercise routine?
K. Organized, dedicated, easy going.
K. I had a summer training program for field hockey that my coach and athletic trainer put together. It consisted of endurance as well as sprint workouts and also strength exercises. In between field hockey and softball season I go to the gym about four days a week to do cardio and lift.
L. Honest, hard-working, dedicated, motivated, funny, caring.
L. Cardio/lifting at the local YMCA (3-4 times / week); walking/running/biking on the Perkiomen Trail; I am a PIAA Field Hockey Official.
L. I am currently enjoying an unexpected early retirement from Merck and am looking forward to my next “career.”
Who is your role model? K. Miss Moliver —my high school field hockey and softball coach. L. My Mom—Vennera M. Holmes (1933-2006). What qualities best describe you?
What do you enjoy that might surprise people you know? K. Going to the zoo.
How do the lessons you learned on the field translate to your life off the field? K. An important lesson that I have learned on the field that translates to my life is how to stay calm in pressure situations. I’m faced in pressure situations during many games and even in some practices, which has taught me how to stay focused in difficult
L. Personally, the one that I remember the most was from my freshman year. Thursday, October 20, 1977—number 2 ranked Ursinus vs. number 1 ranked West Chester under the lights at Franklin Field (University of Penn). There were over 3,200 people at the game. Many were old high school teammates and friends. It was the first time I had ever played a night game. It was the first time I had ever played on turf. About 10 minutes or so into the second half, I scored, tying the game at 1-1. It was West Chester’s eighth game of the season and the first time they had been scored on. UC lost the game 4-1. We had the chance to play West Chester again that year—once in the 1977 Regional Tournament at Glassboro State (now Rowan). UC lost 3-2 in OT and once in the 1977 National Championship game at the University of Denver. UC lost 1-0. This was the last time Ursinus played in a National Championship game until 2006 —when Ursinus defeated Messiah for the DIII National Title. The memories continue throughout my four years at Ursinus - from the games I described above, to our trip to Holland, to meeting my future husband. I thought all of that was behind me. What a great surprise when Kait announced that she had decided to attend Ursinus. Now, I have four more wonderful years of hockey memories to add to my own. Kait has had an unbelievable four years with many accomplishments and well deserved accolades (not to mention a Championship ring!).
WINTER 2009
John Updike, HONORARY DEGREE HOLDER
League schools and explore small liberal arts colleges. He praised Ursinus in his books “Colleges That Change Lives,” and “Looking Beyond the Ivy League.” He was the author of numerous articles and several other books.
URSINUS MAGAZINE
Andrew Wyeth, painter of rustic landscapes, who received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Ursinus College in 1971, died Jan. 16 in his Chadds Ford, Pa. home. He was 91 years old.
in 1952 and started the Crouse Group, a mechanical engineering and construction company, performing work in both nuclear and fossil power plants, industrial and commercial plumbing and heating, real estate construction and fiberglass fabrication. He was a World War II veteran with 101st Airborne, an Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow. He served as chairman of the Valley Forge District, Boy Scouts of America. He was a graduate of Drexel University with a BS in mechanical engineering, and with an MBA. Drexel named him as one of the Drexel 100, one of the most outstanding graduates. He was a Life Trustee at Ursinus, having served on the board since 1980. He also served on the board of Drexel and Immaculata universities.
PAGE 38
Andrew wyeth, HONORARY DEGREE HOLDER