Their Own Words: Chris Buckley ’99

THEIROWNWORDS

ALUMNI Q&A CHRIS BUCKLEY ’99

B.S., CHEMISTRY WASHINGTON, D.C.

COL. CHRIS BUCKLEY EARNED A B.S. FROM WESTMINSTER IN 1999, and since then, he has only moved up in the world. Literally. The chemistry graduate was commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and he earned his wings at the Navy Flight School at Pensacola Naval Air Station. As a navigator and bombardier assigned to the B-52 Stratofortress, he flew through many combat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2008, he was selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and spent the next decade—with several deployments to the Middle East—researching and developmenting new aircraft, software and weapons at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Air Force has offered him many challenges and opportunities, as well as the privilege to lead—whether small teams in combat, large aircraft formations or an entire squadron. See how Westminster College helped shape this accomplished man of service.

Q

What’s been the proudest accomplishment or moment that you’ve ever experienced?

There is no one particular moment. For the past 30 years, I got to walk in the footsteps of legends. Those legends trusted me to take the work and move it further down the road. It has been an honor to lead teams that have literally changed the world. Over the years I have had the privilege to lead—be it small teams in combat, large aircraft formations, or an entire squadron. The Air Force keeps challenging me.

Q

Looking back at all that you’ve done, what are you still in awe of that many people haven’t had the opportunity to experience?

The rest of the world. You would be surprised at how many people stay where they are placed or relocate to things very similar to what they grew up knowing. The real world is vast and incredibly different from everything you know. In my opinion, travel destroys ignorance. The more you can experience different ways of life, the more likely you are to accept differences in all mankind. This experience breaks down the barriers that build racism, sexism and the hateful way lots of people see other people. Those things are born in ignorance, travel destroys that. See as much of the world as you can and experience it from a local’s perspective.

Q

What quality about yourself have you leaned on the most throughout the various roles that you’ve had in your life?

Curiosity. My job has been to find a way to do things that have never been done. I love the challenge. Nothing is impossible. Sometimes you just need billions of taxpayer dollars, unlimited resources, and a literal army behind you to get it done.

Q

What is your advice about how to stay grounded in the midst of change and pressure?

First, learn to love failure. I have failed at more things in more time zones than anyone I know. Failure is not losing, it is learning. But you must learn from it. There is a world of difference between failure and defeat. No one moves up without a healthy dose of failure to build their foundation. Second, understand that leadership is service. Some people mistakenly believe subordinates are there to serve the leader. This is wrong. Leadership is a responsibility to serve your subordinates. My job is to serve my troops. Pressure and change forge great leaders. Avoiding challenges means you will never really make a difference in the world.

Q

Which of your qualities do you feel were sharpened during your time at Westminster College?

Westminster introduced me to several key attributes that have served me well. The first is the concept of a liberal arts education. In my experience, the more focused a person is in their field, the less likely they are to see anything else. A broader understanding opens possibilities. The second is public speaking. Chemistry majors had a weekly seminar where getting up in front of a crowd and talking was a regular occurrence. Those who fear public speaking will always have a limitation to how far they can rise. The last one is leadership. I was privileged to learn how to lead others while at Westminster, under the guidance of some great mentors. Those three things made Westminster worth every penny.

Q

Why do you find it important to support things you’re most passionate about, particularly to Westminster?

When you find a place that does good things and is run by and filled with good people, you have to support it with whatever you can. The world that we need is not going to be easy to build, and some people are going to try to stop us from building it. Places like Westminster produce the people who are willing to fight to build it.

~ Nicole Crumbacher Hunter '12

IN MEMORIAM

| Titans we will miss.

Word has reached us of the passing of the following alumni and friends of Westminster College. To submit information for the In Memoriam section, please provide a complete obituary notice (if available) to the Office of Alumni Engagement.

ALUMNI

BETTY ERICHSON TWINING ’44 of Glenside, Sept. 30, 2019. GEORGE FREAS JR. ’44 of Pittsburgh, Feb. 12, 2021. IRMA JEAN KRAMER TOOKE ’44 of Chesterfield, Mo., July 6, 2020. MARY LOU McCALMONT LORIMER ’45 of Pasadena, Calif.,

May 7, 2017. GEORGE MUNN ’45 of Hockessin, Del., Dec. 10, 2019. ANNA “RUSTY” FITZSIMMONS GUNST ’46 of Orange City, Fla.,

Feb. 21, 2021. MATTHEW “MATT” HOSIE ’49 of New Wilmington, Dec. 31, 2020. MARY LOU HUBBARD SULLIVAN ’49 of Upper St. Clair, Feb. 3, 2021. CAROLYN MULLIN BROWN ’49 of West Brandywine Township,

Dec. 19, 2020. MARILYN BARTHELS MITCHELL ’50 of Connellsville, Dec. 10, 2020. JAMES GRIFFITH SR. ’50 of New Castle, Feb. 13, 2021. ALLEN McCULLOUGH ’50 of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, March 13, 2021. JOAN BOVARD GRIFFITH ’52 of Glenshaw, Oct. 23, 2020. IDA “VICTORIA” GIZZI BEYNON ’52 of Warren, Ohio, Dec. 17, 2020. MARJORIE JONES NORD ’52 of Neshannock Township, Feb. 6, 2021. PATRICIA REINHEIMER MARION ’52 of Brighton Township,

Aug. 7, 2020. ELLA ARMSTRONG SALOWE ’53 of Carlisle, Jan. 6, 2021. ROBERT ROOF ’54 of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 24, 2021. THE REV. DR. JAMES BIGLEY SR. ’55 of Lakeland, Fla., Jan. 9, 2021. PHILLIP BLAKE ’56 of Chesapeake, Va., Sept. 30, 2020. BETTY WALKER RICHARDSON ’57 of Neshannock Township,

Jan. 10, 2021. ALAN ELLIS ’58 of Honey Brook, March 19, 2021. THE REV. JOHN HICKS ’58 of Allison Park, Nov. 19, 2020. GARY McKISSICK ’58 of New Wilmington, Dec. 22, 2020. REBECCA WIMER ROSS ’58 of Pittsburgh, formerly of Sharon,

Jan. 5, 2021. CHARLES “CHUCK” GREGG ’59 of Plymouth, Mass., Dec. 24, 2020. MARGARET PRINGLE RISTVEY M’59 of Muncie, Ind.,

March 29, 2020. WYNETTA SCHMIDT PERROTTA ’59 of Burghill, Ohio,

Dec. 13, 2020. CAROLYN BROWN McMAHEN ’60 of Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 11, 2021. WILLIAM “BILL” PEIRCE ’60 of Silver Spring, Md., Sept. 2, 2020. DONALD SAXE M’60 of Hermitage, Jan. 7, 2020. DR. RONALD “RON” WALKER ’62 M’68 of Ashland, Ohio,

Dec. 27, 2020. FRANCES “FRAN” HARALAMBIE HACKETT ’64 of Danville,

Calif., formerly of Boardman, Ohio, Feb. 17, 2021. GAY McNAUGHTON SHIRLEY ’64 of St. Petersburg, Fla.,

Jan. 17, 2021. CHARLES BENNEHOOF M’66 of Boardman, Ohio, Nov. 26, 2019. AUGUSTUS MYERS ’66 of Murrells Inlet, S.C., Jan. 27, 2021. CATALDO “CHUCK” BURRELLI JR. M’67 of Youngstown, Ohio,

Jan. 28, 2021. JANET CHISHOLM SHANNON ’67 of New Wilmington,

Oct. 12, 2020. NANCY WICKLINE WILSON ’67 of Silver Lake, N.Y., Dec. 21, 2020. PHILIP CONTI M’68 of New Castle, Dec. 16, 2020. NANCY HERMAN GORDON ’68 of Asheville, N.C., Dec. 23, 2019. JAMES “JIM” ITTS M’68 of Canfield, Ohio, April 2, 2020. LT. COL. EDMUND “TERRY” VAN KEUREN ’68 of Castle Rock,

Colo., Sept. 15, 2019. PATRICIA DRUSCHEL GEORGE ’70 of New Castle, Dec. 19, 2020. WILLIAM KRIZNIK ’70 of Pittsburgh, Sept. 18, 2020. ANN MARTINKO POPE ’70 of New Bedford, Dec. 30, 2020. LEOLA ROWE BALIK ’72 of Darlington, formerly of Wampum,

Jan. 19, 2021. THEODORE “TED” BOGGS JR. M’73 of Austintown, Ohio,

Dec. 10, 2020. LARRY BARR ’75 of Scituate, Mass., Oct. 25, 2020. GEORGE CHOMOS M’75 of Brookfield, Ohio, Dec. 22, 2020. CHRISTOPHER YAHN ’75 of Ellwood City, Jan. 4, 2021. CARL LANDIS II ’76 of New Waterford, Ohio, Nov. 9, 2020. KURT FEHRS ’90 of Neshannock Township, Nov. 21, 2020. RYAN PONTIUS ’98 of Austin, Texas, Dec. 26, 2020.

FRIENDS & CAMPUS FAMILY

CAROLYN BYRD COMBS

OCT. 6, 2020

CAROLYN COMBS of Mobile, Ala., taught speech and communications at Westminster from 1971-1986. Born in Kentucky, the avid traveler visited all 50 United States, all the Canadian provinces and a number of other countries.

WENDELL WAGNER ’55

NOV. 24, 2020

WENDELL WAGNER was a familiar face, not only on the Westminster campus but also throughout Lawrence County. The lifelong New Wilmington resident and U.S. Army veteran served as a county commissioner and New Wilmington mayor with a smile, a handshake and a warm greeting for everyone. His legacy of service to the broader community was shown in his appointment to the boards of directors of many civic and charitable organizations. He was preceded in death by his wife, PHYLLIS DECKER WAGNER ’55, in 2005.

DAVID HAWBAKER ’52

JAN. 31, 2021

DAVID HAWBAKER, who played on Westminster’s tennis and basketball teams and was president of his fraternity, served in the U.S. Navy and founded Hawbaker & Partners, an advertising firm that focused on industrial advertising in the Pittsburgh area. Committed to a lifetime of service, he helped prisoners with their transition to postprison life, worked with the Salvation Army and was a member of Westminster’s Board of Trustees from 1984-1992 and served on its development, enrollment and long-range planning committees. He was preceded in death by his wife, JOANNE

“JODY” TURNER HAWBAKER

’52, in 2000.

MICHAEL MAUS

FEB. 23, 2021

MICHAEL “MIKE” MAUS

served on Westminster’s Board of Trustees, elected in 1988 and reappointed in 1995, and received an honorary degree in 1988. His radio and television broadcast career included serving as chief political correspondent for NBC News’ coverage of the presidential campaigns and elections of 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1984. He also spent four years at CBS News and concluded his broadcast career with three years at Minnesota Public Radio as producer and host of “Worldview,” a daily international affairs program.