Wilson Magazine

The

Lenfest Legacy

Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 and husband H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest had a perfect partnership in philanthropy Groundbreaking Research | Cutting-edge Classroom Tool Meet the New Phoenix | Waxing Poetic | Lacrosse Returns volume 91 | WINTER 2019 | number 4

The Wilson Fund Hunter, Rachel and Lilly in the SPS Dreamers Den given by the Class of 1968.

“Without the Single Parent Scholar program, I would not be able to balance life, work, school and my children. Without the help of scholarships and grants, I would not be able to afford to go to college, and would not be able to live to my full potential.”

Rachel Disilvestri ’20, Carlisle, Pa.

wilson.edu/makeagift

volume 91 | WINTER 2019 | number 4

FEATURES 10 A Perfect Partnership

By Coleen Dee Berry Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 and her late husband Gerry leave legacy of transformational philanthropy.

16 Not Horsing Around Trustee Margaret Hamilton Duprey funds cutting-edge technology for classroom.

24

18 Groundbreaking Contributions

By Lori Ferguson Childhood goal continues to inspire Charmain Fernando ’08 in her research.

BOLDLY WILSON ACELEBRATING Sesquicentennial Calendar,

L

March to October 2019

AROUND THE GREEN 24 Incandescent Wilson’s newest instructor of English, Matt McBride, waxes poetic on everyday life.

26 Play Ball!

Phoenix baseball team takes flight at historic Henninger Field.

28 Meet Blaze The new Phoenix mascot answers some burning questions.

ALUMNI 30 Alumnae Association AAWC announces award recipients; internship program needs donors; Alumni House welcomes new class notes coordinator; LinkedIn offers Wilson connections; 2019 trips await travelers.

32 Class Notes 53 In Memoriam

18

DEPARTMENTS 02 Letter from the Editor

22

03 Wilson News College welcomes back women’s lacrosse; campus child care center earns Keystone STAR 4 rating; Wilson signs new agreement with HCC; The Stabler Foundation gives $720,000 grant for scholarships; new veterinary education center receives $50,000 grant; construction date set for bridge replacement project; Billboard wins grant to digitize newspapers; F&M Trust adds to scholarship endowment; Teacher Online Program offers new

certifications; Wilson alumni and officials gather at conference.

08 Alumni News Wilson hosts Florida events in Bonita Springs and Sarasota; Millersville University honors Carol Ely Hepfer ’73; alumnae represent Wilson at fall inaugurations; Ellen Van Looy Reed ’53 celebrates birthday.

22 Hidden History: A Brief History of the Kittochtinny Players

By Blake Catsis

ON THE COVER Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 and her late husband H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest at home in Philadelphia. Used with permission of Philadelphia Inquirer Copyright© 2019.

All rights reserved.

STAFF Cassandra Latimer Vice President for Marketing and Communications Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor Kendra Tidd Design Cathy Mentzer College Editor Contributing Writers Coleen Dee Berry, Chris Brunner, Blake Catsis, Jennifer Cisney, Lori Ferguson, Evan Hoke ‘19, Cathy Mentzer Contributing Photographers Jennifer Cisney, Cathy Mentzer, Kendra Tidd Cover Photo by: Michael Bryant. Used with permission of Philadelphia Inquirer Copyright © 2019. All rights reserved.

WILSON MAGAZINE COMMITTEE Coleen Dee Berry, Managing Editor Lynne DiStasio ’74, Alumnae Association President Amy Ensley, Director of the Hankey Center Marybeth Famulare, Director of Alumni Relations Cassandra Latimer, Vice President for Marketing and Communications Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69, Alumnae Association Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations and College Editor Camilla B. Rawleigh, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Susan Ross ’66, Alumnae Association Kendra Tidd, Graphic Designer Courtney Gotham ’12, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Judy Kreutz Young ’63, Alumnae Association Wilson Magazine is published by the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

Send address changes to: Wilson College Alumni Relations, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Chambersburg, Pa. 17201-1279, 717-262-2010 or ARoffice@wilson.edu.

Opinions expressed are those of the contributors or the editor and do not represent the official positions of Wilson College or the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

CONTACT US: Wilson Magazine mag@wilson.edu 717-262-2790 www.wilson.edu/magazine Alumnae Association aawc@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/aawc Office of Alumni Relations ARoffice@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/alumni-relations

— letter from the —

editor

Two bold decisions transpired 150 years ago. A pair of Presbyterian clergymen, the Rev. Tryon Edwards and the Rev. James W. Wightman, resolved to establish a college for women in Chambersburg. Sarah Wilson, a farm woman from St. Thomas with no formal education herself, then chose to provide Wightman and Edwards with the initial gift to make the College a reality. She became the first living woman in the United States to endow a college for women—and Wilson College’s namesake.

Now 150 years later, the College begins its Sesquicentennial celebration of all things Boldly Wilson. The festivities will start this spring and carry over into the summer of 2020. Inside this issue you’ll find a special insert, the first of two Sesquicentennial calendars listing highlights of events taking place on campus from March through October 2019. Additional information about our Sesquicentennial can be found online at www.wilson.edu/150. Be sure to join us on campus to help celebrate!

After Sarah Wilson’s initial gift, the College has been fortunate to have a long tradition of benefactors, and this issue provides some excellent examples. Read how Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55, together with her late husband Gerry, not only contributed to transforming the face of the Wilson campus, but also used their good fortune to benefit others across Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania.

You’ll also get a peek at the new digital radiology technology added to Wilson’s classrooms, courtesy of funding provided by Trustee Margaret Hamilton Duprey.

Good news continues: Lacrosse will return as a women’s sport in the 2020-21 academic year, the campus child care center has earned the state’s highest rating and The Stabler Foundation recently awarded the College a $720,000 grant for student scholarships. Turn to the news section for more details on these and other stories—and don’t forget to read about Blaze, the new incarnation of the Wilson Phoenix.

Wilson Magazine will also join in commemorating the upcoming Sesquicentennial with special sections detailing the history and highlights of the College’s 150 years.

Look for the first installation in the next issue.

Happy spring to all! Read on, and enjoy!

Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor Editor’s notes: Wilson’s Earthwatch Prize is funded by Joan M. Thuebel ’52. Her name was misspelled in the fall issue.

William P. Kiehl, who joined the Wilson Board of Trustees in October, is the husband of Pamela Francis Kiehl ’66, an immediate past Trustee who served on the board for nine years and who also served on the College’s 2013 commission. This information was omitted from William Kiehl’s biography in the fall isssue.

You can read Wilson Magazine online at:

www.wilson.edu/wilsonmag Class notes are not published online for privacy reasons. If you would like to receive a PDF of the class notes, please email Wilson Magazine at mag@wilson.edu.

WILSON NEWS

WILSON TO OFFER WOMEN'S LACROSSE IN 2020-21 W

ilson College continues to expand its intercollegiate

20 academic year, officials said. The full-time head coach will

athletics program with the addition in 2020-21 of wom-

also coordinate a new recreation and intramural program.

en’s lacrosse—the fastest-growing NCAA women’s sport of the past 15 years.

Women’s lacrosse will become Wilson’s 11th NCAA Division

Wilson will become the seventh core member in the conference to sponsor women’s lacrosse in 2020-21. “The CSAC is thrilled that Wilson College is enhancing its sport sponsorship

III program. In the past six years, the College has added six

offerings with the addition of women’s lacrosse,” Colonial States

intercollegiate programs—most recently baseball, which begins

Athletic Conference (CSAC) Commissioner Adrienne Mullikin

its inaugural season this spring, with home games to be held at

said. “The CSAC applauds the administration at Wilson for rec-

Chambersburg’s historic Henninger Field.

ognizing this opportunity to strengthen the conference and

“Our sport sponsorship continues to expand and we are excited to add the growing sport of women’s lacrosse to Phoenix athletics,” said Wilson Director of Athletics Lori Frey. “We look

we look forward to watching this program flourish in the years to come.”

Over the past 15 years, the number of women’s lacrosse teams

forward to yet another sport competing in the Colonial States

has increased by 97.3 percent, making it the fastest-growing

Athletics Conference.”

sport for women during that time, according to the NCAA. In

A national search for a head coach will get underway immediately to allow the new coach to begin recruiting during the 2019-

2017-18, 45.3 percent of NCAA schools sponsored women’s lacrosse, which is officially a spring sport. The sport’s growth shows no signs of slowing and in the past two years alone, NCAA women’s lacrosse has gained 22 teams, officials said.

Expanding our athletics offerings is a strong component of Wilson's overall enrollment growth and student retention strategy.”

David Boisvert, vice president for enrollment management

“Expanding our athletics offerings is a strong component of Wilson’s overall enrollment growth and student retention strategy,” said David Boisvert, the college’s vice president for enrollment management. “Adding women’s lacrosse is another important step in reaching those goals.”

Lacrosse has a long history at Wilson. The college officially fielded a team in 1934-35 and lacrosse continued until 1984, when a shift in sport sponsorship occurred. During the late 1960s, the lacrosse team was coached by Kathy Heinze, an English Reserve player who went on to coach the undefeated, 1975 U.S. Lacrosse Touring Team that included Wilson alumnae Sandy Walker '74 and Constance Burgess Lanzl '72, who was later inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

In addition to lacrosse in 2020-21, Wilson-sponsored Division III athletics programs include: field hockey, softball, men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, golf and the previously mentioned baseball.

— Cathy Mentzer

winter 2019 03

WILSON NEWS CHILD CARE CENTER RECEIVES KEYSTONE STAR 4 RATING The Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning recently awarded the Wilson College Child Care Center the highest possible rating in its Keystone STARS program—a STAR 4. The child care center, which is licensed by the Department of Human Services, previously had a STAR 3 designation.

“This achievement requires staff to complete more professional development hours; do more work to complete child observations and assessments, and hold conferences with families; and pay more attention to health and safety standards,” said Karen Zakin, child care center director. “I am very proud of the staff for committing to going above and beyond state minimum requirements to earn this rating and show our commitment to high-quality early education for children.”

In order to receive the STAR 4 designation, the center had to earn a minimum of 91 points out of a possible 108 points during onsite evaluations, according to Zakin. Wilson achieved a score of 103 points during the evaluation.

The Keystone STARS (Standards, Training/Professional Development, Assistance, Resources and Supports) system promotes quality improvement in early learning and development pro-

grams and school-age child care. The system offers families a way to evaluate the quality of child care programs so they can make informed decisions that best meet their needs. As STAR levels increase from a STAR 1 through a STAR 4, so do the requirements for meeting higher standards of quality.

Keystone STARS also provides child care centers training to advance staff education, technical assistance to help programs meet STAR level requirements, and additional resources through support grants and merit awards to support continued quality improvements.

Located in Prentis Hall, Wilson’s child care center can accommodate 45 children ages 20 months to five years, year-round. Eight full-time and three part-time staff members work at the center, which is open to children of Wilson College students and employees, as well as those of the Chambersburg community.

“Wilson’s child care center strives to provide high-quality early care and education through a curriculum that is child-centered and developmentally appropriate,” Mary Beth Williams, vice president for student development, said. “We are proud of our staff’s continuing effort and pleased the state has recognized them with a STAR 4 rating.” —Coleen Dee Berry

STABLER FOUNDATION GIVES $720,000 FOR SCHOLARSHIPS The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation recently awarded Wilson College a $720,000 grant to fund scholarships for students with financial need through the Stabler Scholarship Endowment. The endowment has provided scholarships for 305 Wilson students since the program began in 2008. Students are selected for scholarships based on financial need, academic achievement and service to the community.

Students who receive Stabler Scholarships sign a “debt of conscience” indicating that when they are able, they will make contributions to the endowment in an amount equal to what they received. The agreement, while not a formal legal pact, serves as a commitment to future philanthropy on graduation.

“We are thankful for this gift from the Stabler Foundation because it will enable deserving students who need financial assistance to receive an education at Wilson College,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “We are tremendously grateful for the foundation’s faithful and generous support.”

04 wilson magazine

Since 1985, the Stabler Foundation has provided Wilson with more than $5.5 million in funding for a number of programs, including the Stabler Scholarship Endowment; the Curran Scholars program, which promotes student volunteerism; and daycare support for students in Wilson’s Single Parent Scholar program.

Located in Harrisburg, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation was established by the Stablers in 1966 exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes.

The foundation awards grants to educational institutions, parochial or church-related schools, nonprofit hospitals and medical facilities. The foundation also supports religious institutions and social service organizations that seek to preserve and instill traditional moral and ethical values, respect for the family, concern for others, self-reliance and a productive life. —CM

WILSON PARTNERS WITH HAGERSTOWN COMMUNITY COLLEGE Wilson College and Hagerstown Community College recently reached an agreement that guarantees qualified HCC students admission to Wilson bachelor’s degree programs and allows them to transfer all credits earned with a grade of C or higher.

The dual admission and articulation agreement, officially signed in December by HCC and Wilson officials at a ceremony in the Brooks Science Complex, offers HCC associate degree graduates additional advantages that make continuing their education as seamless as possible, including receiving full junior status at Wilson if they transfer 60 credits, as well as having Wilson’s admission fee waived. Qualified HCC students will also receive coordinated academic advising by both colleges to ensure that they take courses that can be applied to their bachelor’s degree.

The goal is to encourage more HCC graduates to pursue bachelor’s degrees after they complete their associate degrees by making the transition as smooth and economical as possible, according to officials at both institutions.

“Partnerships like these allow students to complete their bachelor’s degrees in less time, saving them money while preparing them for the ever-changing 21st-century employment landscape,” said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick. “Not only is a bachelor’s degree required for a growing number of jobs, but it is also the key to more earning power over the course of a career. At Wilson, we are committed to improving access to our programs for all students.”

Specifically, to qualify for a Wilson bachelor’s degree pathway under the dual admission agreement, HCC students must graduate with an associate degree with a minimum, cumulative grade-point

HCC President Jim Klauber, left, with President Mistick at the signing ceremony.

average of 2.0, and they must have submitted an intent form to attend Wilson upon completing 30 credits at HCC. Students may transfer to Wilson a maximum of 72 credits earned at HCC. Founded in 1946, HCC is a two-year public community college offering more than 100 areas of study in both transfer and career-oriented programs, as well as continuing education classes.

The college is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and serves more than 6,000 credit students and 7,000 continuing education students each year.

“We are excited to enter this agreement with Wilson College,” said HCC President Jim Klauber. “It will give our graduates, especially those pursuing a master’s degree, more options and opportunities. I am always excited to open more doors of opportunity for our graduates.” —CM

BRIDGE REPLACEMENT TO GET UNDERWAY IN LATE SPRING Delayed by the thorny state permitting process involving waterways, a project to replace the single-lane bridge leading to Wilson’s equestrian facilities, farm and athletics fields is expected to begin after commencement in May and continue over the summer. Completion of the bridge is expected by the middle of September, according to college officials.

cost not to exceed $1.8 million, according to Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Ecker.

The College received final approval of permits for the bridge spanning the Conococheague Creek from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in late October. At its February meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a bid from Lobar Site Development Corp. of Dillsburg, Pa., for a total project

Summer is the ideal time to begin the 16 to 18-week replacement project because there is not as much activity at the College, officials said. —CM

The bridge will include two lanes for vehicles, as well as a pedestrian walkway, Ecker said. The project is being financed with a $1.5 million gift from Thérèse Murray Goodwin ’49 and funds from the College’s capital budget.

winter 2019 05

WILSON NEWS NEWS

IN BRIEF

NEW VEC RECEIVES $50,000 GRANT The Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust recently approved a $50,000 grant for a surgery room in Wilson’s new veterinary education center, which is under construction and expected to open in fall 2019.

The new 9,000 square-foot building will replace a smaller 1999 modular building where students in Wilson’s veterinary medical technology and animal studies programs receive clinical and laboratory training. The updated facilities in the new building will allow the College to better meet the standards of the VMT program’s accrediting body, the American Veterinary Medical Association.

The Pittsburgh-based Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, established around 1976, provides funding for the care and welfare of children with mental retardation. Through its equine-facilitated therapeutics program, Wilson educates providers of therapeutic riding programs that help people with developmental challenges, autism, emotional issues and physical disabilities gain confidence and improve muscle tone and balance by learning to ride horses.

TEACHER ONLINE PROGRAM ADDS CERTIFICATIONS When Wilson College expanded its teacher certification program last fall to include an online-only option, it offered a limited number of Pennsylvania teacher certifications, including all secondary (7-12), as well as Spanish and business certifications.

Now, based on current enrollment and inquiries, the College has expanded its offerings.

Students can now pursue certifications in early childhood preK-4, middle level 4-8 (English language arts, math, science and social studies), and health and physical education. In addition, Wilson is offering dual certification in preK-4, middle level, secondary and special education.

F&M TRUST ADDS TO SCHOLARSHIP The College recently received a $4,500 grant from F&M Trust.

The grant will augment the existing F&M Trust Scholarship Endowment, which provides scholarships for Wilson adult students (those who earned their high school diplomas or completed their G.E.D. at least four years ago) with financial need.

A subsidiary of Franklin Financial Corp., F&M Trust is an independent community bank headquartered in Chambersburg with a history of supporting Wilson dating back at least 20 years. To date, the bank has contributed more than $121,000 to the College through the scholarship endowment, capital campaigns and the annual fund, in addition to supporting Wilson's annual golf tournament for a number of years.

06 wilson magazine

WILSON WINS GRANT TO DIGITIZE NEARLY 100 YEARS OF STUDENT NEWSPAPERS The College will be able to digitize its archived collection of print editions of its student newspaper, The Billboard, thanks to a $6,000 grant from the Council of Independent Colleges—a grant that was made possible by a contribution from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Digitizing issues of The Billboard will make copies of the newspaper, which dates to 1921, widely available to researchers and others from virtually anywhere, according to Amy Ensley, director of Wilson’s Hankey Center, which houses and manages Wilson’s C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33 Archives.

“These newspapers cover every turning point in the last 100 years through the eyes of students,” said Ensley.

Because the student newspapers produced through the 201213 academic year were published when Wilson was a women’s college, they provide a more female-oriented perspective on student life and the world in general than many other historical accounts. “History in general was written by men on political and military history about men,” Ensley said. “These newspapers represent almost 100 years of women’s history.

Oftentimes, the only way you can learn what went on in women’s history is through archived collections like this.”

Digitizing Wilson’s Billboard collection enhances its value as a historical record by making it searchable, which means the wealth of information contained within the newspapers will be easier to tap by anyone researching a variety of topics— from gender and social issues to national and world affairs.

Once published weekly, The Billboard today is published every three weeks.

The timetable for completing the digitization project and details about how the collection will be accessed off campus will be announced during the 150th anniversary celebration of Wilson’s founding, which will be held in 2019 and 2020.

On campus, users will be able to access the newspapers using JSTOR Forum, a software platform that allows digitized materials to be organized, accessed and shared.

Founded in 1956, the Council of Independent Colleges is the leading national association for nonprofit, independent colleges and universities, working “to support college and university leadership; advance institutional excellence; and enhance public understanding of private higher education’s contributions to society,” according to the organization’s mission statement. More information can be found at www.cic.edu. —CM

CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY Wilson College's international student organization, the Muhibbah Club, hosted its annual spring dinner in Jensen Dining Hall on Saturday, March 2. The meal, which featured dishes from around the world, was followed by entertainment presented by the students in Laird Hall.

AICUP RECEPTION HELD IN NYC Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick, left, Alumnae Association of Wilson College President Lynne DiStasio ’74 and Loretta Hunt Marion ’61 attended a reception for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania in New York City last fall.

winter 2019 07

ALUMNI NEWS

Sarasota, Fla. Luncheon—Feb. 2 Hosted by former Trustee Pamela Francis Kiehl ’66 and her husband, Trustee William P. Kiehl Seated, from left: Joan Hoover Hellwege ’56 and Dorothea Holberton Brown ’62. Standing, from left: Valerie Oakley ’64, President Barbara K. Mistick, Jane Preston Rose ’64, Peggy Kauffman Hyde ’64, Julia Solleveld Osborne ’64, Pamela Francis Kiehl ’66, Jeanne Dunning Tyrer ’50, Ann Vanderhoff Watral ’50, Sarah Walker Risher ’63, William Kiehl and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Camilla B. Rawleigh.

Bonita Springs, Fla. Luncheon—Feb. 5 Hosted by Shirley Funk Mason ’64 and her husband, former Trustee George C. Mason Front row, at left: Deborah Ryan Dunsmore ’70. Second row, from left: former Trustee Kathleen Shannon ’71, Beverly Farber Wernette ’66, Diana Burger McClay ’57 and President Barbara K. Mistick. Third row, from left: Joyce Dorian Richter ’65, Judy Kreutz Young ’63, Marie Behler Schleicher ’68, Trustee Margaret Hamilton Duprey and Christine Heroy Muddell ’63. Back row, from left: Maryan Garner McCormick ’63, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Camilla B. Rawleigh, Margaret Ward ’65, Bruce Muddell, former Trustee George Mason and Shirley Funk Mason ’64. Evlyn Haardt Bickford ’66 and Nancy Holbrook Sweeney ’66 (not pictured) also attended the Bonita Springs luncheon.

08 wilson magazine

REPRESENTING WILSON During fall 2018, seven alumnae represented their alma mater and Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick at college or university presidential inaugural events across the area: Mary Ann Jankauskas Stoppini ’70 attended the inauguration of the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th president of the University of Scranton in Scranton, Pa., on Sept. 21.

Karen Sandberg Havens ’63 attended the inauguration of Jane M. Wood, Ph.D., as the 10th president of Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio, on Sept. 28.

Jane Preston Rose ’64 attended the inauguration of Carmen Twilly Anbar, J.D., as the 15th president of Oberlin University in Oberlin, Ohio, on Oct. 5.

Theresa Tsai ’73 attended the inauguration of Ajay Nair, Ph.D., as the 22nd president of Arcadia University in Glenside, Pa., on Oct. 13.

Sandra Simonsen ’72 attended the inauguration of Alison DavisBlake, Ph.D., as the eighth president of Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., on Oct. 19.

Judith Rush Scott ’72 attended the inauguration of Michael P. Mihalyo Jr., D.M.A., as the 12th president of Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.Va., on Oct. 26.

Alice McDannell Drum ’57 attended the inauguration of Barbara Altman, Ph.D., as the 16th president of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., on Oct. 27.

WILSON ALUMNA HONORED AS ‘EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR’ This past November, Carol Ely Hepfer ’73 received Millersville (Pa.) University’s 2018-19 Educator of the Year award.

The award recognizes one faculty or staff member for sustained outstanding teaching, and includes work in counseling, mentoring and advising of Millersville’s undergraduate and graduate students. Hepfer has taught courses in genetics, molecular biology and general biology, as well as an advanced course in human genetics at Millersville since 1982.

“Being selected as the Millersville’s Educator of the Year is a great honor,” Hepfer said. “After 37 years of teaching, this acknowledgement means a great deal to me.

I am proud to be considered as one of the Millersville University faculty members who have successfully supported and empowered students as they realize and achieve their goals.”

Hepfer graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate in biology. She completed her doctoral thesis in genetics at Bryn Mawr College and her post-doctoral research at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

During her career, Hepfer received numerous grants, co-authored several papers and made many research presentations. She has also participated in several redesigns of Millersville’s biology curriculum, including the development of the molecular biology program. She also served as chair of the biology department and as biology graduate coordinator.

AND MANY MORE...

Ellen Van Looy Reed ’53 celebrated her 87th birthday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., at her annual birthday lunch with Katherine "Katie" Cannon Stalcup ’60, Bob Stalcup and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Camilla B. Rawleigh.

winter 2019 09

F A Perfect Partnership Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 and her late husband Gerry took team approach to philanthropy

by Coleen Dee Berry

or almost two decades, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest engaged in extraordinary acts of philanthropy.

After the sale of their business in 2000 brought in $1.3 billion, the couple made the remarkable decision to give it all away. The impact of their decision was seismic, touching hundreds of educational, artistic and civic institutions in Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania.

Their collaboration in philanthropy was only one chapter in a marriage that lasted more than 60 years until Gerry’s death in August 2018. Together they raised a family, then took a gamble and forged a cable television company that stretched from Atlantic City to Carlisle, Pa. Through everything, theirs was a partnership built on differences that complemented each other perfectly.

At the Philadelphia memorial service for Gerry Lenfest last October, Rebecca Rimel, president and chief executive officer of the Pew Charitable Trusts, described the couple’s relation-

“Gerry was always

full speed ahead ship this way: “Gerry was always full speed ahead—Marguerite is the anchor.”

Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55 said Rimel succinctly captured the couple’s dynamics. “My approach would be, let’s really take a good look at this proposal. Let’s not just jump into things,” she said. “Gerry would see a good idea and want to move on it right away. I was more … cautious. So we were good that way. It was a good balance.”

“She’s much more steady and down to earth than I am,” Gerry said about Marguerite in Wired to Win, a book about American cable television entrepreneurs. “I’m always trying for the home run, and she says, ‘Let’s just get to first base.”’

‡ 10 wilson magazine

Those on the Wilson campus are familiar with the gifts the couple gave that transformed the face of the College. “It would be difficult to spend any time on campus, or even walk from one space to another, and experience an area untouched by their generosity,” said President Barbara K. Mistick. “From the Brooks Science Center and Lenfest Commons to the Lenfest Learning Commons in the John Stewart Memorial Library, their love and support for Wilson is evident.”

Lenfests formed the Lenfest Institute for Journalism to keep the newspapers alive.

In one of their first philanthropic projects, the couple created the Lenfest Scholars Foundation, which provides college

During Wilson’s “Leading with Confidence” campaign, the Lenfests pledged a total of $20 million toward the college endowment. Over the years, they have supported the Wilson Fund and unrestricted endowment, student scholarships, faculty development, the Single Parent Scholar Program and facilities renovations, giving more than $40 million to the College—including gifts that helped renovate the John Stewart Memorial Library and create the Harry R. Brooks Science Center, named for Marguerite’s father.

But the Wilson community may be less acquainted with the Lenfests’ other philanthropic endeavors. The Lenfests gave $107 million to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and another $60 million to the city’s Curtis Institute of Music. Without

Left: H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, photo by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University; Above: Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55, photo by Luke Smith/The Temple News.

Marguerite is

the anchor.” the Lenfests’ help in raising millions, the city might have lost artist Thomas Eakins’ epic painting, The Gross Clinic, according to Philadelphia Museum of Art President Gail Harrity.

When the Barnes Foundation was struggling to find a new home for its priceless art collection, the Lenfests donated $22 million to help move the collection to center city Philadelphia. The couple became the largest donors to the Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution, giving $63 million to make it a reality. When the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, the

scholarships to high-achieving students from rural Pennsylvania and has benefited many Wilson students. The Lenfest Foundation, another endeavor, is dedicated to helping children and teens in Philadelphia gain the education, skills and opportunities that will lead to a fulfilling, productive life.

Their altruism reached beyond Philadelphia. When funding stalled in 2005 for the construction of the new Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, former Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors member Beverly “Bo” DuBose suggested bringing in his Washington and

winter 2019 11

Lee college friend Gerry Lenfest, according to Barbara Finfrock, foundation vice chair. Licensed Battlefield Guide Sue Boardman took the pair on a freewheeling battlefield tour and recalls Lenfest’s perceptive questions. “And he wrote me probably the nicest ‘thank you’ note I think I have ever received as a guide,” she said.

Getting help from the Lenfests was key to moving the project forward. Under federal guidelines, “We needed to raise $9 million before we could get the construction started on the visitor center,” Finfrock said. The Lenfests proposed a $4.5 million matching gift. “That was in April 2005 and by July we had the whole $9 million,” Finfrock said. “They were able to inspire others to give.” One of the two theaters at the visitor center now bears Gerry and Marguerite’s names.

The match became an important philanthropic tool for the couple. “Gerry liked the idea of a match,” Marguerite said.

“We didn’t want to be the only game in town. Other people have to step up to the plate. Matching seemed to get a lot of people thinking about more than just themselves. And for the organization (receiving the money), matching helps them get a better donor base for themselves. It works out for the better. So that’s why we did so many challenges.”

“Gerry was

Gerry Lenfest credited Mercersburg with turning his life around when he was sent there as a troubled teen after his mother died—and he wanted to make sure the academy could continue to have a positive impact on young lives, Marguerite said. The Lenfests’ gifts to the academy totaled $109 million, including those to the school’s library and arts center, and have inspired other alumni to give and “have totally changed the whole arc of the school,” according to school officials.

“Gerry and Marguerite’s devotion, vision and faith in our school will be felt for many generations,” said Katie Titus, Mercersburg Academy’s head of school. “To give back to the school, the Lenfests dedicated their resources to the endowment, financial aid and new building projects, and gave their time to serve on our Board of Regents. Gerry pushed us to be the best we could be and he embodied our mission and core values. Without Gerry and Marguerite’s generosity, the school would not be what it is today.”

‡ Gerry met Marguerite at her family’s summer house in Ocean City, N J. It was not exactly an auspicious start.

“I was going into my senior year of high school and I was dating Jeffrey. He went to Mercersburg and he was friends

very creative. I'm the By 2017, the Lenfests had given gifts of $1 million or more to each of 80 different organizations and donated smaller amounts to another 1,260. The Lenfests supported causes ranging from the arts to environmental programs and civic projects. But their highest priority was building self-sufficiency through education. “We really wanted most of our projects to have an educational component to them,” said Marguerite, who taught elementary school in Long Island and New York City for several years after graduating from Wilson. The Lenfests have been extraordinarily generous to their respective alma maters, making major gifts to Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, Washington and Lee University in Virginia and Columbia University in New York City, as well as Wilson.

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practical one.”

–Marguerite Brooks Lenfest ’55

with Gerry,” Marguerite said. “So he thought he’d bring Gerry along one summer weekend when he was down to see me, and Gerry would get a date and the four of us would go out together.”

But when Gerry visited Marguerite that weekend, he spent most of his time talking to Marguerite’s mother. The double date never materialized. “I guess he went off and did something on his own,” Marguerite said. Time passed and she forgot about Gerry Lenfest.

“He said to me, ‘Do you think we should do this?’ We were in our mid-40s, had three children, and the house in Huntingdon Valley (Pa.) was still carrying a mortgage. Did we want to take that risk?” Marguerite recalled. “And I said, ‘Why not?’ What was the worst thing that would happen? I could always go back to teaching and he could always practice law.”

So Marguerite learned how to handle the bookkeeping for the Suburban Cable Co. and was in charge of payroll and accounts receivable. When the company expanded, Marguerite traveled to Reading, Pa., several times a week to meet with representatives to get the business computerized. “I told them what we needed and they did the programming,” she said.

The couple’s skill sets meshed to create a successful business. “Gerry was very creative. He did well connecting with people. He was an idea person, came up with good ideas, had the skills of a lawyer to look at contracts and make appropriate changes,” Marguerite said. “I’m the practical one. I handled the more day-to-day business.”

Then in her first spring semester at Wilson, she received a letter from Gerry inviting her to attend a special event at Washington and Lee University. Marguerite called her mother, who very much liked the young man who spent time talking to her in Ocean City. “And I said, ‘So you think I should go to this weekend event?’ And she said, ‘Yes,’” Marguerite said. “So I did and I guess it was just meant to be.”

The business thrived, but by the late 1990s, “We began to see the handwriting on the wall. Electronically, things were

They took turns each month visiting each other on their respective campuses, and married soon after Marguerite graduated from Wilson with her bachelor’s degree in psychology. They lived in New York City while Gerry went to law school at Columbia University, and Marguerite began teaching elementary school. After he received his law degree and worked for several years for a New York law firm, Gerry joined Philadelphia media powerhouse Walter Annenberg and his company, Triangle Publications Inc., in 1965.

Annenberg eventually made Gerry head of his department of communications, which included Seventeen magazine and several cable companies. When Annenberg began to divest himself of those cable companies in the 1970s, Gerry decided he wanted to buy one—but it would mean borrowing the money.

Top, left: Marguerite and Gerry on their wedding day. Above: Marguerite and Gerry dance at the celebration dedicating Wilson’s Harry R. Brooks Science Center, which was named for her father.

winter 2019 13

upgrading at a very fast pace so even though you built something, you constantly had to spend the money to upgrade,” Marguerite said. “Then there was more competition coming in. So it reached a point where I said, ‘Enough’s enough, let’s get out of this.’” The couple sold their business in 2000 to Comcast for $1.3 billion.

‡ The Lenfests’ philanthropic philosophy about spending that $1.3 billion can be best summed up by a saying of Gerry’s: “Don’t let the dead hand rule.”

Despite their wealth, the Lenfests were noted for their moderate lifestyle. Gerry was famous for his insistence on traveling coach rather than first class, whether by plane or train.

One of the running jokes at his memorial service involved his opinion of the Acela express train. Several speakers told of meeting Gerry in the Philadelphia train station. “You aren’t taking the Acela to Washington (D.C.) are you?” Gerry asked them. “Did you know the local train is $80 cheaper and the Acela only saves you 15 minutes?”

Marguerite shared her husband’s frugality. “I don’t have an embellished lifestyle,” she said. “If someone said to

“The Lenfest name brings happiness wherever it appears

“Meaning, during your lifetime, if you give what you can, then you also can see where your donation is going and you can enjoy seeing the benefits,” Marguerite said. “Some people hold on to everything until they die and then, who knows how it will get spent? You won’t be there to tell them how to do it. Other people will have that control. Do you just save it and then let the government take most of it? Or do you try, while you’re here, to put your money in an intelligent direction to benefit mankind?”

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me, here’s $1 million and go out and buy what you want, it wouldn’t interest me. I just don’t think that way. The only real extravagance we had was sailing.”

So the decision to spend their $1.3 billion on worthy causes came easily, Marguerite said. What came a bit harder was curbing Gerry’s enthusiasm when it came time to decide where and to whom the money would go. Hence the note that Marguerite still has on her kitchen refrigerator: “Remember: no and why.”

“I had to put it there. Because he would say yes to a lot of things,” Marguerite said. “And I would say, ‘You know, there is such a thing as the word no. You don’t have to feel that you have to say yes to everyone for everything.’ So that’s the no on the note.

“And the why means, there is a reason behind the word yes,” Marguerite said. “I’m the analytical person, so … Are you saying yes because you want to? Are you saying yes because you have this business and it’s to your advantage? Are you saying yes just to be nice to someone?”

With Gerry’s death last year, Marguerite is now is in charge of winding down their philanthropic projects. Much of the couple’s large-scale philanthropy is finished. The Lenfest Foundation will continue its programs until 2023, then close its doors. The one program that will continue will be one of the couple’s initial endeavors—the Lenfest Scholars Foundation. “There’s enough there for them to go on for quite some time,” Marguerite said.

In October there were tributes to her husband at a threehour ceremony held at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia attended by almost 1,400 friends, associates and those the Lenfests have helped. Former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell said that Philadelphia “lost its most important citizen when Gerry died.” Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger said, “The truth is, he was one of the great figures of our time … The Lenfest name brings happiness wherever it appears and it will continue to do so for generations to come.”

Left: The Lenfests, center, mingle with re-enactors at the dedication ceremony for the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, photo courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution. Above: The couple speak at the dedication of the Brooks Science Center in 2009.

and it will continue to do so

for generations to come.”

While Gerry was very much the public face of their philanthropy, Marguerite was always there behind the scenes to apply thoughtful analysis. “I don’t think any of it would have happened without Marguerite’s blessing,” Curtis Institute President and CEO Roberto Diaz said at the memorial service. “She is a force.” W

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NOT HORSING

AROUND W

ilson’s equi-assist and veterinary medical technology students have a new cutting-edge tool in the classroom—a direct digital radiography flat-panel device by Cuattro Systems.

It’s fast: Students no longer need to develop X-ray film to see an image. The flatpanel device allows students to see digital images of an animal patient almost instantaneously.

It’s computer friendly: The new device slides into the classroom’s existing X-ray machine and then transmits internal images to a wall monitor. Those images can then be downloaded to a computer for further study. The digital images can map bones, organs, muscle and tissue.

It’s portable: The flat panel can capture a radiographic image of an entire small animal or reptile. The unit is also portable and can be transported to the College’s equestrian center to examine various parts of a horse.

Funded by: Wilson’s equi-assist program, which was created through a gift from college Trustee Margaret Hamilton Duprey, provided the funding for the new technology.

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*X-ray enlarged to show detail. winter 2019 17

Groundbreaking Contributions Childhood goal continues to inspire Charmain Fernando ’08 in her research

By Lori Ferguson Photos by Rachel Smith, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation

G

rowing up in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, Charmain Fernando ’08 watched helplessly as her mother and other relatives struggled with life-threatening diseases. “My mother has diabetes and hypertension, my grandfather died of a stroke and my grandmother died from diabetes-related complications,” said Fernando. “I became fascinated by science and decided I wanted to do something about these diseases.”

When she reached high school, Fernando’s early inclinations toward science were confirmed. “I had a wonderful science teacher and remember him teaching the cardiovascular system in such a simple way,” she recalled. “I knew at that moment that I was interested in the cardiovascular system.”

Today, Fernando is a post-doctoral fellow at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, making groundbreaking contributions to the field of cardiovascular research, according to Professor of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology Steven Segal, her adviser at the University of Missouri, where she received her doctorate. “The major findings from her dissertation on the recovery of blood vessel function during skeletal muscle regeneration are now being published in the Journal of Physiology,” he said.

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Charmain Fernando '08 in the lab at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

winter 2019 19

At the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Fernando continues to research the importance of blood vessel formation and maintenance. “When I complete my training, I want to use my knowledge and skills to treat cardiovascular disease,” she said.

“I hope my story can inspire Wilson students to follow their passion.”

Her journey so far is inspiring.

Schooled from grades one to 12 at Holy Family Convent in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Fernando traveled to the United States to continue her education at Wilson, the alma mater of the daugh-

T

ican experience. “The move to the States was challenging, but I was excited by all the opportunities here and Wilson made me feel very welcome.”

Chambersburg residents Lou and Linda Lerda, who were part of Wilson’s Friendly Family network that provides support for international students, met Fernando in her senior year. They have kept in touch with her throughout her post-Wilson studies—including attending her graduation ceremony at the University of Missouri—and are not surprised by her persistence in pursuing the goal she first articulated as a teenager. “We know she’s going to do great

hrough this intensive undergraduate research experience, Charmain developed strong research skills at Wilson, learned to work independently and encountered many of the challenges that are part of the scientific inquiry process.

– Brad Engle, associate professor of biology

ter of one of her mother’s friends. “My parents were nervous about me going so far away, but consented because Wilson was an all-women’s college” at that time.

Fernando quickly embraced her Amer-

20 wilson magazine

things,” Lou Lerda said.

College faculty were especially supportive, said Fernando—particularly Brad Engle, associate professor of biology. “Professor Engle was my biology teacher and adviser, and helped me in

many different ways,” she recalled. “He never hesitated to help me with course material throughout the four years at Wilson, and was encouraging and very supportive of my post-graduation plans. He was a wonderful mentor.”

Engle remembers Fernando as a hard-working and conscientious student. “She developed outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills ...In the laboratory setting. she demonstrated organization, precision and strong inquiry-based learning skills,” Engle said. “Charmain designed and conducted an independent undergraduate research project where the level of exploration, depth of understanding, and ability to engage in both descriptive science and hypothesis testing were outstanding.” That project investigated how exposure to common environmental pollutants in pregnant rats causes damage to heart muscle in rat pups.

Her Wilson research projects played a significant role in training her to be a scientist, according to Fernando. “They were challenging, but I enjoyed the process. I had the opportunity to submit my research abstract to the Pennsylvania Academy of Science to receive a small grant to conduct my research (on exposure to pollutants), which was a great experience.”

While at Wilson, Fernando received an E. Grace White Summer Scholarship Research Award in 2007 and the Davison Greenawalt Grove Research Award in 2008. She was inducted into the College’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Afterward, Fernando accepted a year-long research assistant position in an infectious diseases laboratory at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine to increase her research and work experience.

She then enrolled at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) to pursue her master’s degree in biology. Her focus was cardiovascular physiology,

specifically the effects of estrogen on small blood vessels. “My interest in small blood vessels, or the microcirculation, developed during my time as a master’s degree student at UCA,” said Fernando, “and as I approached graduation in 2013, my adviser, Brent Hill, recommended several doctoral programs that he thought would be a good fit, given my focus.”

After visiting the medical pharmacology and physiology department at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Fernando knew that she had found the perfect place to pursue her doctorate.

“I fell in love with the cutting-edge research and the people in the department,” she said.

In Missouri, Fernando continued to focus on the microcirculation, conducting research at the university’s school of medicine in Segal’s lab. Her dissertation, Functional Recovery of the Microcirculation during Skeletal Muscle Regeneration, explored the behavior of blood vessels during muscle regeneration. “After injury, skeletal muscle in humans regenerate, but what was not understood, quite surprisingly, was how damaged blood vessels within the muscle regenerated,” Fernando explained. “This is a critical process because blood vessels must redevelop and function properly to regulate blood flow in the regenerated muscle.”

If scientists can gain a better understanding of blood vessel formation and maintenance, Fernando said, they can treat diseases by inhibiting or promoting blood vessel growth. “For example with tumors, you want to inhibit blood vessel growth to kill tumors, or in the case of muscle injury, you want to encourage blood vessel regrowth to facilitate recovery of muscle function.”

Segal characterizes Fernando’s research as nothing less than astounding. “Charmain is sincere, committed, hard-working and passionate about her science, and in the end, she helped pioneer a new avenue of investigation

Charmain Fernando '08 researches blood vessel formation and maintenance at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, Okla.

in my lab,” he said. “I’ve been studying microcirculation in skeletal muscle for 30 years and yet, as Charmain and I began talking about the focus of her research, we realized that nothing was known about microcirculation in the context of muscle injury and tissue regeneration. Through her research, she discovered that microcirculation recovery takes place parallel with the recovery of muscle fibers. She defined the basic model for this process. Her dissertation was the first to address this gap in the knowledge.”

Segal was so impressed with Fernando’s research methodology, findings and abilities that he personally called Courtney Griffin, the scientific director of the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation and told her that she needed Fernando as a post-doctoral fellow in her lab. “I’ve never done anything like that before, but Dr. Griffin studies vascular development at the cellular level—which is exactly what Charmain is interested in—and I knew it

was an excellent opportunity for her,” he said.

Fernando is grateful for Segal’s support, as well as for the opportunity to further her research at OMRF. “I studied blood vessel function as a doctoral student and now as a post-doc, I’m excited to broaden my knowledge on blood vessel formation and maintenance,” she said. “The experience I’m gaining in Dr. Griffin’s lab will prove invaluable to the work I ultimately hope to do in regenerative medicine.”

Fernando used her time well at Wilson to pursue her dream of finding cures for cardiovascular diseases, Engle said.

“Through this intensive undergraduate research experience, Charmain developed strong research skills at Wilson, learned to work independently and encountered many of the challenges that are part of the scientific inquiry process,” he said. “In essence, she was well prepared to pursue her career interests in biomedical research.” W

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— hidden —

history

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE KITTOCHTINNY PLAYERS

By Blake Catsis

F

or the past century, students with an interest in stagecraft have found an outlet at Wilson, first with the campus drama club that began in 1917 and then with the Kittochtinny Players, organized in 1930. The players have tackled everything from Shakespeare to musicals, modern French farces to children’s stories.

A large portion of the Hankey Center’s collection of material about the Kittochtinny Players—or K.P. as they often called themselves—comes from the late 1930s through the 1960s, when the players were flourishing. The group apparently took its name from a Lenape Native American word meaning “endless hill” or “great mountain,” a reference to the mountain ridge to the west of campus.

By the late 1930s, K.P. members were divided into “forums” dedicated to various aspects of stage production, including

22 wilson magazine

forums on makeup, costumes, set design and acting and directing. During this time, K.P. maintained an ambitious schedule of three major productions per year—one full-length play performed at Thanksgiving, an evening of three one-act plays performed in March and a Shakespeare play performed outdoors during commencement week.

Despite a brief interlude from the late 1930s to the beginning of the 1940s, in which men from nearby Dickinson and Franklin & Marshall Colleges appeared in productions, women students typically played both male and female roles. A yearbook entry notes that students often borrowed clothes from male professors to use as costumes for male roles. Male students, this time from Wilson, stepped on stage with K.P. beginning in the 1970s through the present.

The collection holds many candid, behind-the-scenes photos of rehearsals and production crews at work. There are pictures of students in saddle shoes and ’50s attire, climbing to work the enormous light board, and girls in ’40s hairstyles demonstrating the use of cold cream.

The Kittochtinny Players perform through the years; right, members of the K.P. production crew work behind the scenes.

In addition to pictures of students working behind the scenes, a few small snapshots capture an older woman in mid-gesture directing a rehearsal. Nancy Youngman Yarnall ’32 directed the majority of K.P. productions from the early 1940s through the 1960s.

into the ’70s and ’80s. In addition to dramatic plays and comedies, the club performed children’s plays like The Wizard of Oz and Winnie the Pooh, as well as musicals such as Gypsy. In later years, students opted to perform in Sarah’s Coffeehouse, which was then affectionately known as the “Snackie.”

Yarnall was a member of the English and fine arts faculty, and received Wilson’s Faculty Award in 2004. She performed in K.P. plays herself as a student, and after graduation, she studied theater briefly at Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon) before earning a master’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and returning to her alma mater to teach. Her students remember her fondly for her dramatic flair and passion for the subjects she taught.

The Kittochtinny Players continue on today, as club members usually stage a spring production on campus. Recent plays have included an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland and the French comedy Boeing, Boeing.

The 1970s were a decade of change for the Kittochtinny Players. Yarnall was promoted to associate professor of English and fine arts in 1971 and then transitioned from a directing role to one of an adviser before retiring in 1975. Men were recruited to perform in plays again and appeared in such plays as Lysistrata in 1972. K.P. also explored a greater range of material moving

— For more information on the Hankey Center’s C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33 Archives, please send email to hankeycenter@wilson.edu or call 717-262-2562.

— Blake Catsis, a student at Clarion (Pa.) University, is currently interning at the Hankey Center.

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INCANDESCENT Wilson’s newest instructor of English, Matt McBride, finds inspiration in the oddities of everyday life | By Cathy Mentzer

A

dictionary describes a poet as, among other things, “a person possessing special powers of imagination or expression.” Matt McBride is one of those.

Wilson’s newest instructor of English has had two short books of poems published and in 2018, his first full-length book of poetry—City of Incandescent Light—was published by Black Lawrence Press.

Last October on Arts Day, McBride wowed an Allen Auditorium audience with readings from his book, as well as some unfinished poems. “That’s the first time I’ve read unfinished pieces,” said the 39-yearold Ohio native. “You don’t usually get to see drafts before they’re fully formed … (but) it was something I made here and it felt natural to share it with this community, just in the spirit of Arts Day, even if it wasn’t all the way done.”

Filled with surreal, haunting imagery; irony, cynicism and dark humor, City of Incandes-

24 wilson magazine

cent Light has been described as “devastingly terrific” by one reviewer; “deeply sad and strangely fun” by another. As a poet, McBride has his own distinctive voice, but he experiments with different forms of poetry, ranging from the downright weird to the more literal. “I’d say this book is in a kind

McBride draws inspiration from the odd and unusual things he encounters in everyday life, keeping a small, brown, lined notebook to jot down ideas. “Sometimes it’s an image, sometimes it’s a line. A lot of them go nowhere, but there’s some of them I just keep coming back to,” he said. At the laundromat

I try not to lecture too much. I think as you get older, you want to speak more … but you want to be careful because your students can still teach you things if you’re listening.”

— Matt McBride, instructor of English of surrealist tradition, with a kind of uniquely American brand of surrealism to it,” he said of City of Incandescent Light.

he goes to, there is a sign that says “How to use this machine.” “I think I’m going to write a poem with the title ‘How to use this ma-

chine’ because I love that idea, and it seems like a rich metaphor I can start to pick at.”

McBride’s poems can be difficult to understand, but he doesn’t mind. “Just developing feeling in the reader, I’m totally happy about,” he said. “There are some poems in there where I’m trying to get at maybe slightly deeper ideas, or maybe I’m obliquely criticizing consumer culture or obliquely criticizing police. But I’m more or less fine if it just generates feeling in a reader.”

McBride, whose gentle personality reflects a solid Midwestern background that he says has greatly influenced him, tends toward modesty. Ask how he became a poet and he’ll likely tell you he “just fell into it” and had no inkling that he would one day begin writing poetry. “I’m not one of the poets who had a journal as a child that they were scribbling into,” said McBride.

The seed was planted when he was working toward a bachelor’s degree at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. “I had a really good professor, Kevin Griffith, in undergrad who taught an Intro to Poetry class that I only took because it filled a liberal arts requirement. I had no interest in it, no experience in it. It just fit my schedule. I actually wanted to do painting and I think it was full.” By the end of the course, he had begun to experiment with his own poems.

After getting his undergraduate degree in English from Capital, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Poetry) from Bowling Green State University two years later. His doctorate is in English and comparative literature from the University of Cincinnati.

McBride has been a refreshing addition to the Wilson faculty since he started teaching here in fall 2018, according to colleague Michael Cornelius, professor of English. “We were looking for someone who is an energizing voice and I think we got that person,” said Cornelius.

Wilson's newest instructor of English, Matt McBride, seen here in the classroom, is a gifted poet and author of City of Incandescent Light.

McBride teaches undergraduate writing courses and will also be an instructor in Wilson’s Master of Fine Arts program. This semester, he began advising The Billboard.

“I’m a big believer in the Socratic Method,” McBride said of his teaching philosophy.

“I’m a big believer in having students work through things in small groups and then connecting that to larger discussions. I try not to lecture too much. I think as you get older, you want to speak more—in part because you know more and you want to talk more—but you want to be careful because

your students can still teach you things if you’re listening.”

McBride, who has spent time in China as a visiting assistant professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, prides himself on keeping his students engaged. “I would like to think, in all my classes, I’m helping students develop critical thinking skills and I think the ability to see things from multiple perspectives implicitly trains your capacity for empathy,” he said. “I think there’s a real value in that. We can always use more empathy in the world.” W

winter 2019 25

PLAY BALL!

Phoenix baseball team takes flight at historic Henninger Field

By Chris Brunner

B

aseball returns to historic Henninger Field in downtown Chambersburg when the new Wilson College baseball team launches its inaugural season in March. The Phoenix will play its home games at the newly renovated Henninger Field, located on the corner of Vine Street and Riddle Alley.

Skipper John Poss will lead the charge for the newly formed baseball program. A native of Bowie, Md., Poss brings an impressive baseball resume to Wilson that includes professional baseball experience, as well as a record of building successful high school/ travel league baseball powerhouses.

Poss played infield positions in the independent Frontier and Atlantic Leagues from 1998-2002. After retiring from the professional ranks, he took some time away from the game, later deciding that he wanted to get into coaching to help teach and mentor younger baseball players. “I feel like I have a lot to share with the guys about my experiences in baseball, which is why I really enjoy coaching,” Poss said. But Poss believes in more than sharing his experience−he believes baseball is a microcosm of life. “Just like in life, you’re going to fail a lot in baseball,” the coach said. “If you fail 70 percent of the time in baseball, you will be an all-star.

You just have to keep pushing on.”

While most coaches would be intimidated about starting a program, Poss took on the challenge gratefully. “What drew me to Wilson College was the opportunity to start a great program from the ground up and to bring a team in that is able to compete year one,” said Poss. “I’m very happy with the talent on our team, but more importantly, I’m very happy with the type of young men we have in our program right now.”

Poss hopes having Henninger Field as the Phoenix home field will be an attraction

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for student-athletes and the community alike. “It has been remarkable what Wilson College, the athletic(s) department and the Chambersburg community have done to Henninger,” Poss said. “We are incredibly grateful for all of their efforts. Now, we stand on the cusp of our season with a top-notch, Division III baseball field.”

Henninger is steeped in rich baseball history. The field once played host to the 1929 New York Yankees during an exhibition game in which future Hall-of-Famer Babe Ruth hit a home run. Baseball Hall-of-Famers Lou Gehrig, Toy Lazzeri, Bill Dickey and Earle Combs also were in the Yankees lineup that day.

the baseball program being new, what really sold me was being able to make an impact right away.”

While some baseball players relish the chance to make an impact on the field, others look toward the future and see what lies ahead for the young program. “For me, I am a junior college transfer and I wanted a school exactly like Wilson,” James Husar ’20 said. “I wanted a place where I can make an impact, not just for my teammates now but for the guys who enter the program after me.”

With opening day approaching, the entire Wilson community is eager for the first pitch. “We are thrilled to bring baseball to Wilson College and to be playing on

We are thrilled to bring baseball to Wilson College and to be playing on historic Henninger Field.”

— Lori Frey, director of athletics Starting a program means finding recruits and for the last year, that has been Poss’ main occupation. He spends his weekends recruiting potential student-athletes at clinics and showcases. For its opening season, the baseball team will have about 38 student-athletes on the roster. The students come from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Texas, New York and Connecticut, with two international students: Joshua Harvey ’20 from Australia and Alberto Fabin ’20 from the Dominican Republic.

“What attracted me to Wilson College was the campus,” said Harvey. “You have small class sizes that really helped me to get to know my peers and professors. (And) with

historic Henninger Field,” said Director of Athletics Lori Frey. “Coach Poss has done an excellent job recruiting baseball players and laying the foundation for this new sport to be competitive in the Colonial States Athletics Conference.”

The baseball team is scheduled to kick off its season on March 10 at Gallaudet University. On March 18, the Phoenix will host Penn State Mont Alto, marking the team’s first home contest in program history. On April 6, when the team hosts a doubleheader against Clarks Summit University, a dedication and Wilson College sesquicentennial celebration will be held on the field. W

Rendering of the Henninger Field outfield.

PHOENIX SPORTS WRAP The WOMEN’S BASKETBALL team finished their best season in 18 years, winning 16 games and earning two playoff spots— one in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and one in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). The team opened the CSAC playoffs on Feb. 18 with a 47-37 victory over Notre Dame of Maryland University, but then fell to Rosemont College, 70-41. In the ECAC playoffs, the Phoenix lost the opening game to Widener University, 65-41. Lindsey Purvis ’19 and Kai Wyatt ’19 earned first-team All-CSAC honors. Purvis also became just the eighth player in program history to score 1,000 points in her career.

Under new head coach Jen McMonagle, the MEN’S VOLLEYBALL team has already picked up wins over Cairn University The SOFTBALL team’s season will open March 1 at the Mountain Mash tournament in Salem, Virginia. The team has earned a spot in the post-season for 10 consecutive seasons and is expected to continue that trend in its first year in the CSAC.

The MEN’S BASKETBALL team reached the post-season for the second consecutive year, earning the No. 2 seed in CSAC playoffs and hosting a playoff game on the Wilson campus. The Phoenix lost that game to Rosemont College, 113-79. Rashaan Bean ’20 became just the second men’s player in program history to score 1,000 points over his career. Bean, along with Keion Adams ’19 and Zach Powell ’21, received All-CSAC honors.

MEN’S GOLF will begin the spring portion of its schedule on

and the College of Saint Elizabeth by scores of 3-1 in both games.

The BASEBALL team is scheduled to play its first game on March 10 against Gallaudet University, with the home opener scheduled for March 18 against Penn State Mont Alto. Coach John Poss has a large, 38-man roster as the team embarks on its inaugural season. The Henninger Field dedication ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, April 6.

March 25 at the Dickinson College Invitational. The team will host its annual Swing into Spring Invitational at the Chambersburg Country Club on April 11.

winter 2019 27

Who do you follow on Instagram? @wilsoncollegepa @phoenixathletics and @audubonsociety.

If we took a look at your iTunes playlist what would be on it? The Doors’ “Light My Fire,” Jon Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” and Queen’s “We are the Champions.”

What is the best advice you have been given?

Keep your beak up and don’t let the little stuff ruffle your feathers.

The Phoenix has taken several forms since 1981, with the newest rebirth coming this past fall semester, just in time for Wilson’s Sesquicentennial. Meet Blaze, the newest Wilson Phoenix.

The choice was fitting. Just two years prior in 1979, students, alumnae, faculty and staff successfully challenged a decision to close the College. The phoenix is a mythical bird that bursts into flame and then is reborn from its own ashes. Like the mythical phoenix, Wilson recreated itself in the aftermath of the near-closing.

n 1981, Wilson’s athletics department held a contest to choose a sports mascot for the College—and ignited the first Phoenix.

I

Meet

Blaze

winter 2019 29

See you at the next game! Go Phoenix! wilsonphoenix.com

What color are you in the crayon box? Are we talking a standard 12-pack or the 64-pack with the built-in sharpener? I would be red but if it’s the big box, then I am going for scarlet.

You have the day off. What are you going to do? I really need a talon trim and then I would spring clean my nest.

Ben and Jerry’s wants to name an ice cream after you. What flavor should it be? Do they make kimchi ice cream?

What is the best gift you have been given? A fire extinguisher. You know … just in case. Better safe than sorry.

Do you have a favorite TV show right now? The Masked Singer has me on the edge of my seat. Can you imagine having to perform in a get-up like that?

Kudos to them.

If you could only have one food for the rest of your life what would it be?

Jalapeño poppers.

Who is your hero? Big Bird. You can learn a lot from that guy and he looks great in yellow.

What is your favorite quote? “Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.” – George S. Patton.

Do you have any pet peeves? Believe it or not, I detest smoking.

What is on your bookshelf? The Harry Potter series.

My favorite is The Order of the Phoenix, of course.

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AAWC Announces Award Recipients The Alumnae Association of Wilson College (AAWC) Board of Director s have announced the 2019 AAWC award recipients, who will be honored at Reunion Weekend: • Distinguished Alumnae Award—Leslie Lawrence Durgin ’69 • Distinguished ADP Alumna/us Award—Barbara Kostyak ’96 • Outstanding Young Alumna Award—Ruth “Meg” Oldman ’08 • Tift College Award—Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69 • Faculty Award—John McDermott (given posthumously) In addition, the Legacy Scholarship Award will be presented to Daniel O’Keefe ’21, who is the son of Christi Wilkins ’84.

Please join us in honoring these recipients during the awards presentation on Saturday, June 1. If you would like to nominate a classmate for a future award, please send an email to ARoffice@wilson.edu

new in welcoming our Join Alumni House k ’19, sociate, Katie Shan alumni relations as i mn Alu of th Director right, pictured wi ll take wi k an Sh e. th Famular Relations Marybe or at for class notes coordin on the duties of Wilson Magazine.

30 30 wilson wilson magazine magazine

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A AWC 2019 Trips

you need travel Do you have a travel question? Do of Wilson College adv ice? The Alumnae Association you. Contact has a virtual travel desk to assist and members of the AAWCTravelDesk@g mail.com tee will respond to Alumnae Tour and Travel Commit oned travelers with a your inquiry. Volunteers are seas wealth of expertise. i June 13-21 Flavors of Chiant ence, Italy, with Flor of out and in ntry Tour the hill cou hilltop Tuscan villa, a seven-night stay at a first-class ignano and the towers complete with views of San Gim ridge.com or of Siena. Contact : Orbridge at orb 800 -639 -0079.

Cruise Aug. 3-14 Celtic Kingdoms ts, star ting nigh 10 for ina Mar Sail on Oceania’s nburgh, Edi to then , ton) amp in London (South Por tland, and and k Cor lin, Dub , sgow Invergordon, Gla ton). Contact : Go concluding in London (Southamp 023 .

Nex t at gonext.com or 800 -84 2-9 the Sept. 16-25 Symphony on Blue Danube river ship MS Amadeu s Board the exclusively chartered ay jour ney Silver II for a custom- designed 10-d the European of tage heri ical showcasing the mus followed by a gue Pra in ts nigh Masters. Enjoy three overnight in Vienna. five-night river cruise, including es ashore. Disembark Attend concerts and performanc at gohagantravel.com in Budapest. Contact : Gohagan or 800 -922-3088.

For more information, visit:

ww w.wilson.edu/alumnaei-tou

rs-and-travel

AAWC Internship Gift Program Needs Donations

ip Gift Each year the AAWC Internsh ents stud Program assists Wilson er by giving them entry-level care r thei ove experiences that will impr nt eme plac job chances of successful

In September 2017, Marie Lanser Beck ’76, Susan Pascoe Noreen ’76 and Kathryn Haines White ’76 met up quite by accident on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula in Iceland.

CONNEC T WITH WIL SON ON

Are you willing to hos t an intern, a job-shadowing session or a workplace visit? It is extremely helpful for the College to know your current employer and pos ition.

One way you can connec t with Wilson is on LinkedIn. Check out our LinkedIn page or type “Wi lson College” into LinkedIn’s top left search bar. Be sure to cho ose the “School – Harrisburg, Pa. Area” selection for Wilson Coll ege, as there are several others with similar names on Link edIn. Then just select “Follow” to see the latest news updates and the newest career insights connec tions on the Wilson College

after graduation. support.

We need your assistance and ricted rest a ing mak ider cons Please ip Gift rnsh Inte C AAW the to donation e payable mad be uld sho cks Che .

Program the to AAWC and mailed in care of College, on Wils ice, Off s tion Rela Alumni rg, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Cha mbersbu to go , tion rma info e mor For 1.

Pa. 1720 ionwww.wilson.edu/a lumnae-associat ift. ip-g internsh

LINKEDIN page. Please like, comment or shar e college pos tings and be engaged!

Contact us for more information

: Linda Boeckman, director of care er development, linda.boeckman@ wilson.edu, 717262-2616.

Mar ybeth Famulare, director of alumni relations, mar ybeth.famulare@ wilson.edu, 717-262-2010.

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oldly Wilson Celebrating our past, present and future.

Stay connected at

www.wilson.edu/150 Share Your Wilson Story Become a part of the official archives at the Hankey Center. Share your fondest memories of Wilson College and help preserve the rich history and traditions of your alma mater.

There are two ways to participate:

1

Go to wilson.edu/150 and look for the “Share My Story� button to sign up for an appointment. Then join us on campus for an audio and visual recording of your most cherished Wilson memories and why Wilson is important to you.

Appointments will be available during Reunion 2019, Homecoming 2019 and Reunion 2020. All recordings become the property of Wilson College and may be used in future promotional and historical materials.

2

Do you have special letters, diaries, photographs and/or scrapbooks from your time at Wilson? The Hankey Center would like to add these items to its permanent collection to better illustrate the personal stories of students and their experiences at Wilson College. Go to wilson.edu/150 for details. Some restrictions apply.

1015 Philadelphia Ave. Chambersburg, PA 17201-1279

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Greencastle, PA Permit No. 10

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Charmain Fernando ’08 continues to pursue her childhood goal as she makes groundbreaking contributions to the field of cardiovascular research.

Read more on page 18.