12 15 193 https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/bd516495d3f00e33dd7ae8b220d59d79.pdf e58fc88608a1e6dc31f871540cfa2ae4 PDF Text Text FA L L 2 0 1 0 TALKING TURKEY | PIONEERING SPIRIT ATTENTION TO DETAIL | MADAME MAYOR �president’s letter Strategic Planning Advances Wilkes Mission S TRATEGIC PLANNING IS AN ONGOING PROCESS AT Wilkes University, enabling us to assess where we’ve been and chart a clear course for the future. Like any successful organization, many of our achievements in the last decade have grown out of our strategic plan, Vision 2010.The plan’s success was affirmed by the University’s recent re-accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Indeed our Middle States Self Study focused on evaluating the impacts ofVision 2010 on Wilkes. I am happy to say that our Middle States visiting team applauded the exceptional work of Wilkes’ faculty, staff and students in makingVision 2010 a reality. Many goals were achieved fromVision 2010, but the most noteworthy referenced by the Middle States report include increasing undergraduate and graduate enrollments.We also made improvements to the salary structure for our faculty and staff, enabling us to recruit and retain the best people.There have been significant improvements to the campus infrastructure, including the addition of University Towers, the University Center on Main and the Barnes and Noble bookstore. Successfully completing one strategic plan means it is time to launch another. A strategic planning team recently completed a year-long process that yielded a new plan,Vision 2015, that was adopted at our June 2010 trustees meeting. Opening the Barnes and The process to develop it was both inclusive and transparent, Noble Bookstore was providing every member of the University community with among the accomplishments opportunities to provide input. of Wilkes’ Vision 2010. Vision 2015 outlines goals in five areas: • Build Great Programs, which includes focusing on excellent teaching and scholarship and developing high-quality academic programs. • Build The Wilkes Team, with a focus on working together with open communication and shared governance. • Broaden Our Horizons, which will focus on a global and diverse experience on our campus, engagement with alumni, community and career partners. • Recruit, Retain and Graduate Students, which will be accomplished by offering an affordable and accessible education. • Exercise Financial Stewardship, focusing on effective acquisition, allocation and utilization of resources. The Alumni Association recently has completed its own strategic planning process that supports the University’s plan.The Association’s five-year strategic plan emphasizes building relationships with graduate alumni and current students. A primary focus is to provide opportunities for alumni-student mentoring. With solid plans in place,Wilkes will build on its strengths, advance its mission and chart an ambitious course.We welcome your comments as we embark on a journey to becoming the unquestioned leader of higher education in northeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Tim Gilmour Wilkes University President VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 3 FA L L 2 0 1 0 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows Graduate Assistant Rachel Strayer Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Payne Printery Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Executive Director Sandra Sarno Carroll Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta ’05 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Laura Cardinale ’72 First Vice President Fred Demech ’61 Second Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Secretary Cindy Charnetski ’97 Historian George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents 8 FEATURES 8 Pioneering Spirit Wilkes has a tradition of helping first-generation college students achieve academic success 14 Talking Turkey Adrienne Richards ’07 takes turkey promotion under her wing at the National Turkey Federation 16 Attention to Detail Take an up-close look at Wilkes’ architectural treasures and enter our contest 14 18 Madame Mayor Ruth Uy Asmundson MS ’68 shifts career focus from mayor to grandmother DEPARTMENTS 6 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Adrienne Richards ’07 visits the product she helps to promote—long before they become Thanksgiving dinner. She heads public relations efforts for the National Turkey Federation. PHOTO BY STEPHEN BARRETT 16 Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. WILKES | Fall 2010 18 2 On Campus 1 �on campus Spring Commencement 2010 More than 800 undergraduate and graduate students received their degrees when Wilkes held its spring commencement on May 22.The ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena was highlighted by remarks from student speaker Jason Woloski ’10, winner of the Alumni Award for Leadership, and an address by keynote speaker Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell. Far right (Inset): The graduates’ view of the stage on a proud day. Right, Below: Commencement speaker Gov. Edward Rendell addresses graduates. Below: Danielle Hritzak of Forty Fort, Pa., prepares to receive her bachelor of arts degree in communication studies during the ceremony. PHOTOS BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC Let no one decide what you measure success by except yourself. – The Hon. Edward Rendell Pennsylvania Governor Spring 2010 Commencement Speaker WILKES LAUNCHES TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL Wilkes University is the first college in northeast Pennsylvania to offer a bachelor’s local school districts and agencies. The field experiences focus on degree leading to teacher certification to classroom management, pedagogy, assessment, differentiated teach middle school. The bachelor of arts instruction, accommodations, adaptations and appropriate interventions degree in middle level education launches in to promote student academic success. WILKES | Fall 2010 fall 2010. It offers certification for grades 4 to 2 The program features clinical field experiences in partnership with Middle-level certification is now required to teach students in middle 8 in five concentrations: science, mathematics, school. Requirements for highly qualified teachers, instituted under No English/language arts and reading, social Child Left Behind, has created a need for this specialized degree studies and mathematics/science. program focusing on the needs of students in that age group. For information about the program, call the Education Department at (570)408-4680. �on campus Students in Free Enterprise Team Captures National Honors The Wilkes University Students in Free Enterprise team was awarded second runner-up out of 169 teams representing more than 4,000 students at the SIFE USA National Exposition in Minneapolis, Minn.The honor, awarded at the competition held May 11-13, places the Wilkes students in the top 10 percent of SIFE USA teams. During national competition, SIFE teams presented 24-minute multimedia summaries of the educational outreach project they developed and implemented throughout the year.They were judged by a panel of 14 of the nation’s top business and community leaders on how well they created economic opportunity by helping others. During the 2009-2010 academic year, SIFE students at Wilkes completed 12 educational projects in the areas of market economics, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, success skills, environmental sustainability and business ethics. “The atmosphere of the SIFE National Exposition is truly inspirational,” says team captain Katherine Gallagher, a junior accounting major from Jessup, Pa. “Our team is already developing new projects for next year to strengthen our community.” Team advisor Jeffrey R. Alves was named a Sam M.Walton Free Enterprise Fellow for the 14th consecutive year in recognition of his leadership and support of the Wilkes SIFE program. The Wilkes SIFE team was named regional champion at the New York City SIFE Regional Competition held on March 26. Wilkes Professor Helps Area High School Students Take Written Work From “Page to Stage” Students in four northeast Pennsylvania school districts became playwrights in a pilot program sponsored by Wilkes University. Bonnie Culver, director of Wilkes’ graduate creative writing program, worked with classes in four high schools—Hanover Area, Hazleton, Tunkhannock and Wyoming Valley West—to teach basic elements of playwriting to take ideas from “Page to Stage.” Four teachers worked with Culver, leading 45 students who produced 24 plays. At the end of eight weeks, students presented formal staged readings of their newly developed scripts. A reading of one school’s plays was presented at Wilkes-Barre’s Fine Arts Fiesta in May. Wilkes plans to expand the program to include poetry in fall 2010. Students participating on Wilkes SIFE competition team in Minneapolis, Minn., were, top, from left, Jeffrey Alves, team advisor; Anastasia Genelow ’10, double major in entrepreneurship and business administration; Katherine Gallagher, accounting major; and Brandon Pauling, accounting major. Bottom row, from left, Raina Connor, business administration major; Alison Drake, entrepreneurship major; Sarah Orris, and Olivia Waszkiewicz, entrepreneurship major. PHOTO COURTESY OF STUDENTS IN FREE ENTERPRISE A record number of Wilkes pharmacy graduates are pursuing residency training. Since the first graduating class of doctor of pharmacy students in 2000, between 10 and 15 percent of graduates have pursued post-graduate training. Last year, a record 20 percent pursued residency training, and this year 25 percent of the 2010 class were awarded this privilege. According to Edward Foote, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice, “Our graduates keep demonstrating their desire to grow.” Only a select number of graduates are awarded residencies or post-graduate positions, adding to the honor and value of the opportunity. Some of the one-year residency locations for Wilkes pharmacy graduates include the State University of New York, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Orlando Regional Health and VA San Diego Healthcare System. WILKES | Fall 2010 Record Number of Pharmacy Graduates Pursue Residency Training 3 �on campus Professor Recognized as Top Ecology Educator by Ecological Society of America Kenneth M. Klemow,Wilkes professor of biology, has received the Ecological Society of America’s 2010 Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education.The award recognizes Klemow as one of the top ecology educators in the United States. It is presented to an ecologist for outstanding work in education that has furthered ecological science through teaching, outreach and student mentoring. Klemow was nominated for the award by Rachel Curtis ’10 of Waymart, Pa., who graduated from Wilkes in May. In her nomination letter, Curtis stated,“My first class with Dr. Klemow was second semester general biology at Wilkes, and it was because of his teaching skills that I began to truly enjoy studying biology. Not only is Dr. Klemow extremely knowledgeable in a wide array of subjects, but he also is able to instill his excitement for the material into his classes.” Curtis said she switched her major from biochemistry to biology because of Klemow’s enthusiasm for his subject and the opportunity to do hands-on projects with him. It also led to her spending the 2009-2010 year in Costa Rica researching poison frogs and medical practices at Duke University’s Organization for Tropical Studies. Klemow founded the Ecological Society’s education section, serving as its first chair in 1988. He has also taken a leadership role in projects aimed at helping undergraduate faculty nationwide use new technologies to improve their courses. However, it is Klemow’s role in educating students of all ages about ecological issues that earned him the honor. At Wilkes, he helped launch the science careers of hundreds of students teaching such courses as general ecology, field botany, medical botany and alternative energy, and has mentored one-on-one research projects with more than 80 students. His influence extends to elementary and secondary-level students in northeast Pennsylvania through ecological education activities at such events as Wyoming Valley Riverfest and Earth Day. Wilkes biology professor Kenneth Klemow, second from right, shares his passion for the outdoors with his students. His commitment earned him the Eugene P. Odum Award for Excellence in Ecology Education. PHOTO BY BRUCE WELLER WILKES | Fall 2010 Wilkes Receives Reaccreditation from Middle States Commission on Higher Education 4 Wilkes has successfully received reaccreditation from the Middle State Commission on Higher Education. A visit by a Middle States evaluation team followed a year of self-study by the University and submission of a detailed self-study report.The team indicated that Wilkes is in compliance with the 14 standards as presented in the Middle States Characteristics of Excellence. The standards include administration, integrity, institutional assessment, student support services, admissions and retention, educational offerings and eight other characteristics. In its exit report, the visiting team members wrote, “Wilkes University is providing a quality education to its students on the local campus as well as around the globe.”The team also commended Wilkes for its undergraduate student mentoring initiatives and stated that it had “visited a strong, quality institution.” To affirm accreditation,Wilkes has been charged with updating and revising its faculty handbook.The University also was charged with implementing planning, improvement and institutional renewal processes that address the changing needs of the university community and incorporating assessment results that measure undergraduate and graduate student learning. �on campus Tom Szaky, CEO and Founder of TerraCycle, to Present Allan P. Kirby Lecture on Oct. 7 Tom Szaky, co-founder and chief executive officer of TerraCycle, Inc., a company that has become the most eco-friendly brand in North America, will be the guest speaker for the Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship on Oct. 7.The event, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, is free and open to the public. TerraCycle makes useful products out of seemingly useless waste.They are most well-known for TerraCycle Plant Food, a fertilizer made from worm feces now available through popular retailers such as Walmart,Whole Foods and Home Depot.The company has three manufacturing facilities in North America with headquarters located in Trenton, N.J.They currently manufacture more than 50 consumer products that hold to their brand principles: better, greener and cheaper. Other TerraCycle products include garbage cans made from crushed computers, hand bags made from energy bar wrappers and juice pouches and the most eco-friendly binders and pencils. As a freshman, Szaky left Princeton University to found TerraCycle, building a company that has doubled in size every year since its inception in 2002. Szaky has won over 50 awards for entrepreneurship and blogs for Treehugger and Inc Magazine, and is the star of National Geographic Channel’s hit TV show "Garbage Moguls.” He authored the book Revolution in a Bottle: How TerraCycle is Redefining Green Business. For more information on the Kirby Lecture, please call (570)408-4306. PHOTO COURTESY OF TERRACYCLE, INC. FRESHMAN CLASS AT A GLANCE Every Wilkes freshman class has unique characteristics. This year’s new crop of Colonels—numbering 510—are no exception. Here, at a glance, are some facts about the freshmen: GENDER BALANCE GEOGRAPHY HONORS 10 valedictorians 49% 51% 8 salutatorians Female 15 states represented EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Marching Band, Pit Orchestra, Jazz Band, Chorus, Yearbook, Newspaper, Key Club, SADD, Student Council, Mock Trial, Martial Arts, Class Officers, and more! WILKES | Fall 2010 Male 5 �athletics H e ill h T n WILKES ROLLS OUT A GREEN CARPET FOR A NEW ERA IN ATHLETICS By Vicki Mayk Laying carpet was never like this: It took several men and a special machine to roll out the artificial turf at Wilkes’ football field. WILKES | Fall 2010 I 6 T CAME ON ROLLS, LIKE THE CARPET for a giant’s living room. For more than a week in early August, crews labored to install the synthetic turf for the athletic field at the Ralston Athletic Complex. After laying the green surface in wide strips, crews added the finishing touches: white and colored lines, followed by stenciling the numbers.You could almost hear the announcer calling the yard lines, as the numbers appeared: the 40, the 30, the 20. And finally, the yellow and gold “W” logo was placed at the center of it all. Welcome to a new era in Wilkes athletics. Renovations began at the athletic complex in May.The synthetic turf is part of a $1.6 million project that includes a field lighting system, new goal posts, a scoreboard and fencing around the perimeter of the field. It transforms the field from a single-sport site to one that will accommodate five intercollegiate sports— football, women’s lacrosse, women’s field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer—and the men’s club lacrosse team.The field also will be used for intramural games and for youth athletic camps offered to the community. Paul Adams,Wilkes vice president for student affairs, says that the project reflects both the University’s commitment to its athletics programs and the proud history of Wilkes athletics, from the championship teams of the Golden Horde to the present-day Colonels. “The work at the Ralston Athletic Complex will provide a multi-purpose athletic field for more than 200 of our student-athletes,” says Adams. Alumnus Bill Hanbury ’72, who played offensive guard from 1968 to 1971 for the Colonels, says the renovations unite past and future generations bound by the tradition of sports. “On game day, Ralston Field was for me a special place…almost a holy �athletics DID YOU KNOW… • The Wilkes turf is a “green” material in more ways than one: Recycled rubber— primarily ground, used tires, is a component of the turf. • It takes a crew of six to eight people 10 to 15 days to install the turf. • The field weighs approximately nine pounds per square foot so the total weight of the field at Wilkes will be approximately 860,000 pounds. • Five colors are being used as accents on the new field in the logo, yard lines and goal lines. Navy and gold are the Wilkes colors. Football is symbolized in white. Orange pays tribute to Wilkes’ origins as Bucknell University Junior College. A lighter shade of blue also is being used in tribute to Dean George Ralston, who was a graduate of North Carolina. • The world’s first turf field was installed in 1966. The first “infill” type turf fields, like the one at Wilkes, were installed in 1997. • The turf is made up of fibers that are 2.5 inches long tufted through a semi-rigid backing. The fibers are tufted in rows that are 3/4 inches apart. The turf is then top Top: A worker uses clippers to cut out green turf so that a colored line can be installed. After the green fibers are cut out, the turf backing is exposed and colored turf is hot glued in its place. Middle: Workers use a cart mounted sewing machine to sew two panels of turf together. Bottom: A turf clamp is used by crews to grab the turf securely as they pull out the turf while rolling it out. It also helps pull out wrinkles. dressed with a combination of silica sand and recycled crumb rubber. This fills in the voids between the fibers and causes them to stand up straight. This “infill” also acts as cushioning for the athletes. THE NEW VIEW FROM THE HILL Wilkes invites all football alumni to cheer on the Colonels at the first home game on Ralston Athletic Complex’s new turf field on Saturday, Sept. 11. Alumni will meet at 11 a.m. at the tent next to Munson Fieldhouse to enjoy lunch, receive a commemorative gift and participate in a pre-game celebration. Tickets to this special event are $10 and guests are welcome. To register or learn more, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570) 408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. Members of the community also are invited to join the University in celebrating the new era for Wilkes athletics by attending the game on this special day. Admission will be free. Left: A worker readies the giant stencils used to paint numbers on the yard lines. PHOTOS BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC WILKES | Fall 2010 place…where you could only step on to the field if you had adequately prepared, both physically and mentally, to represent Wilkes football and its extraordinary tradition,” Hanbury says. “Playing on that field, I learned so much about myself and what it takes to be successful: courage, pride, poise and teamwork. I’m so glad the next generation of Wilkes athletes will have an opportunity to perform at this outstanding new facility.” Wilkes athletics director Adelene Malatesta says other athletics projects are happening in addition to the field renovations. Resurfacing and painting new logos on the Henry Gymnasium floor, resurfacing tennis courts, and work on the softball field were among recent projects. Upgrades at Artillery Park are planned. “The work benefits 350 student athletes in 16 varsity programs,” Malatesta says. Intramurals add another 450 to that number. The enhancements to athletics facilities grew out of a strategic plan for athletics completed in 2002. Other developments that have occurred, such as the appointment of a full-time athletic director, the return of men’s and women’s cross country and the construction of the $1 million recreation center in the University Center on Main, also were outlined in that plan. All of the work reflects a commitment to athletics that is very much a part of the Wilkes tradition. “To offer a broad-based program in athletics has always been our goal at Wilkes,” Malatesta says. 7 �WILKES CONTINUES TRADITION OF HELPING FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS SUCCEED IN HIGHER EDUCATION By Helen Kaiser 1oneer1ng WILKES | Fall 2010 • 8 • �They are family trailblazers— fueled by hope for a better life. They may have been motivated by the sight of their fathers coming home exhausted from manual-labor jobs. Or they may have been spurred on by mothers who worked in factories or in cleaning jobs to support the family. president for enrollment services, and herself a first-generation student when she attended Wilkes. “Both my grandfathers were coal miners,” says Mickelson, who has worked at Wilkes for the past 15 years. She said she has recently noticed college conferences offering seminars on how to prepare for the population of first-generation students—but this is something that Wilkes has been doing for decades (see accompanying alumni profiles). “Our admissions counseling staff treats every family individually,” Mickelson said. “Some who have been to college will know how to navigate the process, but for others there can be an element of being afraid to ask and not wanting to be humiliated. Our policy is to walk all of our families through the process.” Wilkes usually enrolls about 530 freshmen each year, mostly from Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Above: Melanie Mickelson ’93, Wilkes vice president for enrollment services, was a first-generation student. WILKES | Fall 2010 Most importantly, they listened—when counselors, parents and their own inner voice told them, “You can do it!” They are first-generation college students, from homes where neither parent had earned a bachelor’s degree. Typically they make up about 30 percent of entering freshmen on United States campuses, including at Wilkes University. “We became very good, early on, at dealing with first-generation students,” says Melanie Mickelson ’93, vice PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY 9 �' They beat it into my head early that ‘KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.’ I saw what they meant as I got older... classes—as well as on the football field. His academic record plus his skills as a wide receiver and defensive back helped him to gain admission to Wilkes. “I’m very, very excited,” he says, citing the connections he had already made this past spring and summer with coaches and his admissions counselor. He also says he would never forget his high school guidance counselor who helped him so much she was like “a second mom” to him. Before he made the four-hour trip to Wilkes this fall, Jones says he wasn’t nervous about going away to school to major in criminal justice, even though he wouldn’t know any other students at first. It was time to move forward, he says, and he was set for the task: “You will be on your own. There are no guidance counselors there to baby you. If you miss something in class you’ll have to go and get it.” – William Jones DAVID LEWIS ’10: “A JACKET OF COMFORT” ' WILLIAM JONES: TIME TO MOVE FORWARD WILKES | Fall 2010 William Jones, 18, of Asbury Park, N.J., was thrilled to enter Wilkes in August as a first-generation freshman. The youngest of five, Jones says his family pushed him toward college. “They beat it into my head early that ‘knowledge is power.’ I saw what they meant as I got older,” he says. He applied himself in his high school physics, chemistry and foreign language 10 David Lewis ’10 of Wilkes-Barre, reflected on his first-generation degree from Wilkes in English and education: “I hadn’t even applied for admission until April or May of my senior year of high school. Before that, I’d had some discussions with a military recruiter, and I would hear about all of my friends going to places like Penn State; but I really didn’t have a fire under me about college. First-generation student David Lewis ’10, left, received guidance in choosing a major from Karen Riley, right, assistant director of University College and the Act 101 program. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY “It was my mom who said,‘Why don’t you look into King’s or Wilkes?’ I was afraid they’d be too expensive but thought I would give it a shot.Then there was my dad who was a constant reminder for me. He would come home from his job as a machinist at a factory with bumps and bruises, sweaty, sometimes bloody, or with a sore back. “This was a symbol for me, to go and find a job where I would use my brain,” Lewis says. “At first it was daunting that many of my high school classmates had taken advanced placement classes when I hadn’t.They got a head start,” he says. Once he stepped on Wilkes’ campus, however, “It was like a jacket of comfort around me. I. . .met the right people and got perfect guidance.” His advisor, Karen Riley, helped him figure out what was necessary to be a successful college student and what major to select. “She made me go to (advisors in) five other departments to learn about those fields—business, computer science and others. I found I really like to interpret things, so I decided on English.” �PHOTO BY ANDREW CHILD DAVID HADLEY ’82: SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS CAREER STARTED AT WILKES D avid Hadley ’82 was an unlikely Hadley says. Wilkes was the only school to college prospect. which he applied. His older sister helped The youngest of seven children, Hadley grew up in an economically challenged, single-parent household in Ellenville, N.Y. His father, orphaned at birth, was a construction – David Lewis ’10 Hadley said he had trepidations upon arriving at school. “There was a fear of failure—a concern grade education. Yet he was able to instill two about whether I could do the work. Not major convictions in his son: a belief in only that, I was a naïve boy from upstate himself and an understanding of the New York—unworldly, pretty gullible. I importance of education. had to look to my classmates and “When I was in the fifth grade, my older teammates to fill in the blanks for me brother was serving in Vietnam,” Hadley when I wasn’t sure about the ins and outs says. “My father actually came to me and of daily life on campus. wanted to send him.” ' some financial support. laborer turned janitor with only a fourth- asked me to proofread a letter he had This was a symbol for me, to go and find a job where I would USE MY BRAIN... him with the paperwork and provided “One day the captain of the football team took me aside and said, ‘Here’s the most The impact of that scene stayed with important thing: Go to class and take notes Hadley throughout his life. During his high and read them every day until the next test.’” school years, as a member of the football and Hadley said once he had his first semester wrestling teams, he watched upperclass under his belt and had earned decent teammates go off to college. grades he gained confidence. “I always thought I would go to college too; “My dad survived (his cancer treatment) but I hadn’t necessarily taken college prep and made it to my college graduation; it was curriculum in high school. It was just dumb really a big deal.” luck that I was prepared and able to do the college work,” he says. To get through the admissions process, he was lucky again. He had a friend like Wayne As a businessman, Hadley pursued more education in administration/management and in an executive education program, both at the Harvard Business School. Lonstein ’82, whose parents had taken him A self-made multimillionaire, Hadley is under their wing. During his senior year of now CEO and owner of Pella Windows and high school, Hadley’s father was in the Doors of Boston, New Hampshire and Maine. hospital battling cancer. He and his family live in Tuftonboro, N.H. Hadley accompanied his friend when he “It all starts with the first step,” he visited Wilkes to meet with admissions reflects. “You’ve got to believe in yourself. officials and the football coach. Just because no one in your family has “I figured if it was good enough for Wayne it was the choice for me too,” gone to college before you doesn’t mean you can’t do it.” WILKES | Fall 2010 Lewis said one of the biggest challenges for him as a student was managing his time. “I was spreading myself too thin. I had a job. I had baseball, crew, clubs that I joined and other campus activities. ‘When do I get to study?’ I thought, so I dropped out of some things.” One activity that he kept was his role as one of Wilkes’ Colonel mascots. He believes it is important for firstgeneration students to persevere. “Every time you think you have it bad, just remember there is someone out there who has it worse,” he says. This past summer, the 22-year-old worked as a tutor/counselor for the Upward Bound program—which targets helping low-income, first-generation students—helping to make a difference in other students’ lives. 11 �DON DEVANS ’59: AN EDUCATOR RECALLS FIRST-GENERATION EXPERIENCES “W hen I was in high school I had no “I’d taken just the fundamental classes in plan of going to college,” says Don high school—applied sciences, Algebra I and Devans ’59. “but the Wilkes administrators were so Valley neighborhood. His father worked at helpful and understanding. They sent me to a local coal company, and his mother was a take some tests—IQ tests or something like housewife. the SATs, I guess. father was laid off from his job of 32 years. I had had with my brother,” Devans says. It wasn’t easy to be a first-generation college department, but he suffered a stroke a few student: “Other students’ backgrounds were far years later. Devans’ mother took a superior to mine, and I was a year behind cleaning job with the Wilkes-Barre School because I had worked a year first.” Devans remembers feeling more comfort- Just a few years later in that same school able with some of the Korean War vets on district, Devans launched his 37-year career campus and other students who were also in education with the bachelor’s degree he working their way through school. Part of earned from Wilkes. their day was spent in classes, part of it on It was his brother, Marine Sgt. Robert E. Devans, who inspired him to attend college. the job, the rest of it studying. There wasn’t much time for socializing. “We used to have long talks when he was “The professors made sure you got a well- home on leave, about what he had learned rounded education,” he says. “They were so about the world and how important it was to supportive that it encouraged you.” get a good education,” Devans says. Tragically, Sgt. Devans became a Korean What would Devans tell a first-generation college student today? War casualty at the age of 21. He had “You have to have a study pattern. Maybe designated his younger brother as recipient Friday and Saturday nights you can relax, but of the government’s few hundred dollars of on Sunday it’s back to the books. You can’t “gratuity pay” in the event of his death. procrastinate studying and doing papers. That sum could make a dent in the WILKES | Fall 2010 “It all just fell together, thanks to those talks Eventually he was hired by the city street District in 1957. – Tom Thomas II and no foreign languages,” Devans says, Devans grew up in a modest Wyoming When the coal company closed, Devans’ 12 PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY The second- and thirdgeneration students will call home for ADVICE; first-generation students cannot. You’ve got to set a pattern and stick to it.” modest tuition bills at the time, so the Devans earned his master’s degree in family was supportive of Devans’ decision education from Temple University and his to attend college. He walked over to nearby principal’s certification from the University of Wilkes and asked the dean of students if Scranton. He taught for 33 years and served as there was any way he could attend. It was assistant principal for Wilkes-Barre’s Coughlin August in the year following his high High School for four years before retiring in school graduation. 1997. He and his wife live in Dallas, Pa. TOM THOMAS: HELPING STUDENTS ACQUIRE THE “STREET SMARTS” OF CAMPUS After 27 years of counseling students, Tom Thomas, executive director of Wilkes’ University College, knows about student anxieties, especially those of firstgeneration students. His department provides all students with advising, career services, educational opportunities and tutoring. The department also supports those with disabilities. Students need to acquire the “street smarts” of campus—from knowing what professors expect of them to the deadline for dropping a class without penalty if they’re not doing well. They need to get along with roommates or deal with the hassles of commuting.They need to find a quiet place to study. “It’s not a one-day fix,” Thomas said. “It’s an ongoing process; it goes on for four years. “We design all of our programs to help first-generation students, and we know the others will benefit as well. First- �The f amily MICHAEL TOUEY settled in the United States from Vietnam in 2004. In addition to being a firstgeneration college student, Nguyen faces dual challenges of adjusting to American culture and learning English well enough to understand what professors are teaching. generation “In our whole family, the kids—my students will brother and I and all my cousins—have have the same to go to college. They have no choice. challenges as those Our parents know college is the way to whose parents have been improve,” Nguyen says. to college, but they will be exacerbated Her mom works in a nail salon at because they don’t have people at home Walmart. Her dad was injured two to guide them.” years ago in a manufacturing job and is Challenging issues include: handling not working. independence for the first time, making “They will be very proud to see me decisions, understanding the difference graduate.They have been waiting for that between high school and college moment for too long.” expectations and dealing with financial Nguyen says it was difficult both hardships. enrolling in and adjusting to college. “They don’t have the confidence to “I was kind of upset I had to do my come up to us as administrators with paperwork by myself. Other students had their questions until they get to know us. their parents to help them,” she recalls. We have to develop relationships first,” “Once on campus, it was kind of scary, Thomas says. The primary route for this because you know no one around the is through the advising process. place. It took me about two weeks to get “We have to be approachable,” he says. used to it.” “The second- and third-generation A sophomore at Wilkes, Nguyen is students will call home for advice; firstundecided about her major. She is generation students cannot.” working with Riley, assistant director and Tom Thomas. PHOTO BY Quyen Nguyen, 21, commutes to Wilkes from her home on Scranton’s South Side. Because it would be contrary to family and cultural tradition, she hesitates to complain to her parents about any problems as a student, but she does tell them “the happy stuff,” such as when she made the dean’s list. “They loved that,” she says of her parents, who speak only a little English. Quyen Nguyen shares a moment on the Wilkes campus with her father Su Nguyen. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY ' They will be very proud to see me GRADUATE.They have been waiting for that moment for too long. – Quyen Nguyen WILKES | Fall 2010 QUYEN NGUYEN: “COLLEGE IS THE WAY TO IMPROVE…” advisor in Wilkes’ Act 101 Program, to identify abilities, interests, strengths and values. Act 101 is an educational opportunity program supporting lowincome, first-generation students. Riley will help her select the remainder of her courses with the goal of choosing not only a major but a future career. “It is rewarding to see any student make the transformation from an awkward firstyear student...to a confident senior equipped to step out to make a difference in the world,” says Riley, who has been working with first-generation students for 15 years, the past 10 of them at Wilkes. Wilkes is ideally suited to assist firstgeneration students because of the supportive programs that it has developed over the years, Riley says. These include academic advising, the educational opportunity program, known as Act 101, and the bridge program for students who receive a conditional admission to Wilkes. The very history of the institution has been one of offering accessibility to students of all socio-economic backgrounds, says Thomas of the University College. “Wilkes was created as Bucknell Junior College to serve first-generation students in the coal mining region.The need was there and was not being met, so this became our mission.” 13 �Adrienne Richards ’07 flies first class with her feathered charge on the way to the bird’s permanent home in Disneyland. WILKES | Fall 2010 Inset: President Barack Obama issues the White House’s annual turkey pardon. PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE NATIONAL TURKEY FEDERATION. 14 ADRIENNE RICHARDS ’07 FINDS CAREER SUCCESS PROMOTING HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES By Diane Stoneback �Courage and Carolina rested quietly after uttering only a few gobbles upon take-off. They really were good fliers. Adrienne Richards, Arlington, Va. B.A., Communication Studies, 2007 Career: Public relations manager, National Turkey Federation Notable: Oversees consumer and food service public relations and social media campaign focused on increasing Americans’ consumption of turkey. Favorite Wilkes place: Henry Student Center for providing snacks and a masseuse during exams to make studying more fun. Andrea Frantz for taking her under her wing.“She kept telling me I had a great ability to write, worked to get me involved with The Beacon and taught me to think critically by challenging me.” Her biggest challenge today is persuading Americans to eat more turkey. Currently, it’s fourth in the pecking order, behind chicken, beef and pork consumption. Previously, she hadn’t cooked any turkey beyond turkey bacon and turkey hot dogs, but she’s really into it now.“I’m making and eating more turkey than ever.Whether speaking to consumers or chefs, I need to know what I’m talking about.” She rattles off dozens of ways to prepare turkey faster than you can make a turkey sandwich. She has helped develop the turkey federation’s new “Upgrade It!” with turkey campaign, which starts by showing consumers the calories and fat they can cut by substituting turkey for other meats. Richards observes, “Switching from roast beef to skinless, roast turkey breast saves 276 calories per serving.” Promoted three times in three years, Richards oversees consumer and food service media campaigns. She spreads the word about turkey on Facebook and YouTube and tweets, too. She and other staffers field wide-ranging turkey preparation questions, including crazy ones like whether or not the birds can be defrosted in dishwashers or toilet bowls. Nothing ruffles her feathers, whether it’s another crazy turkey question, a turkey joke, being called a turkey or having friends joke that going to dinner at her house means eating more turkey. “I don’t mind,” says Richards.“Those turkeys are paying my bills.” MORE ON THE WEB Check out Adrienne Richards ’07’s favorite turkey recipes for Easy Meatball Stroganoff and Easy Salsa Meatloaf. Go to www.wilkes.edu/turkey To calculate the calorie and fat savings on your favorite recipes, check out the Meal Upgrade Calculator on the National Turkey Federation Web site at www.eatturkey.com. WILKES | Fall 2010 M OST FIRST-CLASS AIRLINE passengers would be unhappy to sit next to a real turkey on their flights. But Adrienne Richards ’07 was thrilled to fly first-class from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles with Courage and Carolina, two broad-breasted, celebrity turkeys who also were her tickets to the White House. In fact, she views accompanying the nation’s top turkeys for an official Thanksgiving pardon from President Obama as the most exciting moment of her career as public relations manager for the National Turkey Federation in Washington, DC. When Obama was delivering his pardon, which guaranteed the two turkeys worry-free Thanksgivings for the rest of their lives, Richards was standing in front of his podium. After the ceremony, a police-escorted motorcade whisked the birds, Richards and other turkey federation officials to Dulles Airport, where they boarded “Turkey One” for Los Angeles.After all, the very important turkeys (VITs) had to catch their flight so they could be grand marshals of Disneyland’s Thanksgiving Day parade.After their wild flutter of official duties, they checked in at Disney’s Frontierland for the rest of their days. “Courage and Carolina posed for photos with other passengers onboard our United Airlines flight and then rested quietly after uttering only a few gobbles upon take-off.They really were good fliers,” says Richards of her traveling companions whose kennels each filled two first-class seats. Richards never anticipated talking turkey or a career in public relations. “I wanted to be a war correspondent in Iraq…to be in the line of fire like ABC’s Martha Raddatz,” she says. But spending the fall semester of her senior year as Wilkes’ first student to participate in American University’s Washington Semester changed her original career plans. On her first day as a fledgling ABC news intern, she was dispatched to cover one of then-Sen. Hillary Clinton’s press conferences. “I was in awe. It was pretty amazing. That’s when I realized I didn’t want to start my career at some little station. I wanted to be in Washington. I loved its feel and excitement,” Richards says. Her job search landed her at the National Turkey Federation, a nonprofit organization funded by turkey growers and processors all over the country. She credits the Wilkes communication studies faculty with providing hands-on experiences and the training she needed to build a strong portfolio. But she also praises former faculty member 15 �ARCHITECTURAL TREASURES FROM MANY ERAS HIGHLIGHT WILKES CAMPUS T HERE’S SOMETHING FAMILIAR ABOUT that beautiful cornice on a building, up there near the roofline.You’ve seen that ornate door handle a hundred times, your hand caressing its beauty as you enter the front door. And that distinctive brick pattern—why, you’d know it anywhere. Or would you? WILKES | Fall 2010 Welcome to a close-up look at the rich array of architectural details on buildings, both modern and historic, found on the Wilkes campus. And with it comes a challenge: Can you name the buildings where these details can be found? Alumni and friends of Wilkes are invited to submit their answers to this challenge.To enter, peruse the photos here and also those online at www.wilkes.edu/details. Submit your answers to correspond with the numbered photographs using the online form.The three people with the most correct answers will win a collectible bobblehead of The Colonel mascot. Remember: You must identify the photos both in print and online. 16 \'f( MORE ON THE WEB 1. Top: Gather here for a meeting and see these details by the fireside. 2. Above: Many people spend time here before taking off into the wild blue yonder. 3. This chimney looks down on students from around the world. If you are entering our architectural challenge—or just want to do it for fun—visit www.wilkes.edu/details to see the rest of our architectural detail photos. You must identify the photos by number both in print and online to win our challenge. Submit your answers using the online form for your chance to win a Colonel bobblehead. �6. Most Wilkes students pass this orb at least once a day. 5. This building used to put out the welcome mat for alumni. 7. You won’t find beautiful architectural hardware like this in a Woolworth’s store. 4. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive inside this hall. 8. You can stop and smell the roses near this location. 9. This hall has beautiful metalwork on its exterior—and a view of the Susquehanna from its porch. 10. Female students have called this hall home since the 1950s. WILKES | Fall 2010 PHOTOS BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC 17 �Madame Mayor RUTH UY ASMUNDSON MS ’68 RETIRES AS THE FIRST FILIPINA MAYOR OF A U.S. CITY By Rachel Strayer WILKES | Fall 2010 R 18 UTH UY ASMUNDSON MS ’68 WAS balancing a glass of wine on her head when she first saw the man who would change her life. Asmundson, then a doctoral student, was performing a traditional Filipino wine dance for an international student club dinner and Vigfus A. Asmundson, the newly elected mayor of Davis, Calif., was in attendance. “(The mayor) was so enchanted with my dance that he asked me for a date afterwards,” recalls Asmundson. Three dates later, she accepted his marriage proposal and took an unexpected step toward a career in politics. In July, she celebrated her retirement from a role she never imagined she would play: the first Filipina immigrant to be elected mayor of a U.S. city. Asmundson was born in a remote barrio in the northern Philippines at the end of World War II. The fourth of eight children, she excelled in school, despite being told that “girls didn’t need to get an education.” She studied chemistry on a scholarship to Adamson University in Manila and was offered a teaching job there after graduation. “One of my colleagues suggested that I apply for a California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger receives an update from Davis, Calif., Mayor Ruth Asmundson. Fulbright Scholarship…I never PHOTO BY FRED GLADDIS/DAVIS ENTERPRISE FILE PHOTO thought I would qualify,” Asmundson remembers.“She told me one lesson that has defined my life. She said,‘Ruth, nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ ” Asmundson received the Fulbright, choosing Wilkes because she wanted a school in a smaller city and “Wilkes-Barre was such an interesting name.” She arrived in 1966. Warmer weather and destiny called her to the University of California at Davis two years later. Asmundson was pursuing her doctorate in agricultural chemistry when she met her future husband. Asmundson intended to teach at the university but delayed her professional career to raise a family. She served on the Davis School Board for 10 years, retiring to care for her husband who was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. “He wanted to run again for city council, but I wouldn’t allow him due to his condition,” Asmundson recalls. “So he asked me, begged me, to run for him.” Asmundson had never entertained the idea of getting involved with city politics, but for the sake of her husband she agreed to run for the position of mayor on the Davis city council. When she won, it was the start of a new love affair. “I fell in love with city politics,” she says. She served for four years and promptly ran again. When she was re-elected, she became one of only three people in the city’s history to serve two terms as mayor. The Asmundsons were the first husband-wife mayors in city history. Vigfus Asmundson died in 2003.While his work was finished, Asmundson’s had just begun.As mayor, much of her job involved “solving problems to make life better…working together with the community to find solutions.” In eight years in office, Asmundson spearheaded initiatives that brought more affordable housing to the city and generated more tax revenue through economic development. Two projects stand out as particular points of pride. The first was a push for alternative transportation by providing bicycle lanes, paths and tunnels. Davis is now the home of the California—soon to be National—Bicycle Museum.The Bicycle Hall of Fame was relocated to Davis from New Jersey. Secondly, Asmundson added four more sister cities to Davis’ sister city relations, bringing the total to eight. Asmundson advocates furthering education and giving back. She has established scholarships and a foundation at Adamson University in Manila. She returned to her barrio to mobilize the village to plant 1,000 trees and established a library there with her late husband. After retirement,Asmundson will focus on her personal life. She plans to spend quality time with her children—four daughters plus two nephews that she raised as her own—and grandchildren. She also hopes to travel with her 90-year-old mother. “I need to step aside and let the next generation take over,” she says. “I’ve done my part and I’m happy and proud of my accomplishments. I have enjoyed serving the community and I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience that kind of leadership.” �Ruth Uy Asmundson, Davis, Calif. B.S., Chemistry, Adamson University, 1964 M.S., Chemistry, Wilkes University, 1968 Ph.D., Agricultural Chemistry, University of California, Davis, 1972 Career: Recently retired mayor of Davis, Calif. Notable: The first Filipina to be elected mayor of a city in the United States and one of only three people in the history of Davis to serve two terms as mayor. Favorite Wilkes Memory: Seeing her first snowfall. “I was outside and all of a sudden there were these snowflakes everywhere. I told a friend that there must be people having a pillow fight in the dorm with all those cotton fillers everywhere. This friend said, ‘Ruth, those are not cotton, MORE ON THE WEB Ruth Uy Asmundson MS ’68 ended her tenure as mayor of Davis, Calif., after establishing the city as home of the National Bicycle Museum. Want to learn more about Ruth Uy Asmundson’s fascinating life? Check out our Q&A with Ruth to find out more at www.wilkes.edu/ruth WILKES | Fall 2010 it is snowing…’” PHOTO BY KENT LACIN 19 �alumni news Homecoming Hint Keep your camera handy while you’re on campus so you can enter your favorite snapshot from the weekend in our photo contest after Homecoming! From tailgates and tweets to photos and football, Homecoming gives you plenty of ways to reconnect, reunite and reminisce! Highlights of the weekend include: • all-you-can-enjoy Tailgate Tent • parade through campus—you’re • Pints with Professors invited to walk or ride with us! • Ralston Alumni Golf Tournament at Irem Country Club • a chance to sit in on classes with current faculty and students • Colonels athletics, including the football game against Albright on the new turf field • trolley tour of campus and downtown Wilkes-Barre • tent festival • an on-campus Friday concert by the Starfires band • Recent Alumni Party (featuring three of our very own Colonels!) • Athletic Hall of Fame Induction • and much more! WILKES | Fall 2010 Spread the Word About Wilkes 20 Do you know a prospective student who would be a great addition to the Wilkes family? Share the tear out card from this magazine with them and their undergraduate application fee will be waived.This is an opportunity for you to help us recruit outstanding students while making the college application process a little easier for family members and friends.The fee waiver can be applied online by selecting ‘Dean Ralston’ in the fee waiver box at the end of the application. Thank you for helping to spread the word about a Wilkes education! Go Mobile and Keep Up With Wilkes Looking to keep up to date with Wilkes while you’re on the go? Check out the new mobile site at www.community.wilkes.edu/mobile.You’ll find the latest news and upcoming events, including Homecoming 2010 updates, as well as Wilkes-Barre weather. Do you have suggestions about other things you would like to see on the mobile site? Let the Office of Alumni Relations know at alumni@wilkes.edu. �alumni news Homecoming Hint Pre-registering makes Homecoming as easy as 1, 2, 3! Sign up online, over the phone or through the mail before September 28 and you’ll: • get a commemorative drawstring backpack and other perks at central registration • save $5 on admission for each event • skip the lines at events If you’re an alumna/us of one of the following groups, Homecoming is the time to come back to campus because we’ve got something special planned for you! • Class reunions: ’60, ’70, ’80, ’90, ’00, ’05 • Department gatherings: biology, chemistry, communication studies, health sciences, nursing, political science, psychology and the Sidhu School • Clubs and Halls: Butler Hall, Circle K, Programming Board and SIFE For the latest Homecoming information, visit www.wilkes.edu/homecoming! Ben Beidel, Stephen Gruver, Jill Kalariya ’10, Donna Talarico ’00 and Lacee Wagaman ’10 were recently elected to the Alumni Board of Directors. Ben, a pharmacy major, serves as Student Government president. Stephen, also majoring in pharmacy, serves as the representative of the senior class, and Lacee and Jill were selected by the Class of 2010 as their representatives to the Alumni Board. Fall Alumni Events Come join the fun with trips and regional events sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations.The fun continues after Homecoming: From bus trips to dinners, we’re offering many opportunities to reconnect with old friends and make new connections. Oct. 23 New Jersey Alumni Gathering, Morristown Nov. 3 Northeast Pennsylvania Alumni Event: Family Italian Dinner, Henry Student Center, 6 p.m. Nov. 10 Northeast Pennsylvania Alumni Event:Tour & Tasting, Lion Brewery, Wilkes-Barre Nov. 13 Alumni Event:Wilkes vs. King’s football game, Noon Nov. 20 Northeast Pennsylvania Alumni Event: Broadway Bus Trip to New York City. Choice of tickets to Tony Award winner for best musical, “Memphis,” or the Radio City Musical Hall Christmas show. To register or for more information, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570) 408-7787 or visit The Colonel Connection. WILKES | Fall 2010 Alumni Association Board Welcomes New Members 21 �class notes 1959 Stephen Poleskie recently published his new book, Vigilia's Tempest. He has published three other books including The Balloonist in 2007, The Third Candidate in 2008 and Grater Life in 2009. Poleskie is an artist, a pilot and a professor emeritus at Cornell University. 1967 David Foglietta is owner and publisher of Old Forge Times online (oldforgetimes.blogspot.com) and Lackawanna News (lackawannanews.blogspot.com). He is the former publisher of the print publications La Triviata Magazine, The Libertarian American Magazine and the Lackawanna County News. He is retired. Wayne P. Yetter was elected to the board of directors at SDIX, a leading provider of biotechnology-based products and services.Yetter is chief executive officer of ProActive for Patients Media, Inc., providing a physician-topatient messaging system to increase patient adherence to medication therapies. 1971 David Angelovich MBA ’76 is the accounting program coordinator at Napa Valley College in Napa, Calif. He has been a full-time faculty member since 2000. Sedor is executive vice president of the Greater Wilkes- Donna Sedor ’85 Honored with Athena Award Barre Chamber of Business and Industry’s Chamber of Donna Sedor ’85 was honored with the Athena Award by Previously she was the chamber’s vice president of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry at its business and information services, vice president of annual dinner in June. The Athena Award is presented communications and director of communications. annually to a woman who demonstrates excellence, Commerce affiliate. She joined the chamber in 1990. Sedor is a member of the board of the Osterhout Free creativity and initiative in her business or profession, Library in Wilkes-Barre, the Northeastern Pennsylvania provides valuable service by contributing time and energy Council of the Boy Scouts of America, where she serves to improve the quality of life for others in the community, as the Exploring Post chair, and Junior Achievement of and who actively assists women in realizing their full Northeastern Pennsylvania. She is president of the leadership potential. Rotary Club of Wilkes-Barre. “I was always taught that if you have the ability to help, you have an obligation to help,” says Sedor. She serves as a mentor for communication studies students at Wilkes and is a member of the Wilkes magazine advisory board. She also has taught communication classes at her alma mater. Sedor is a founding member of Circle 200—an executive women’s group for leaders in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. She assisted with the start up and planning of the You Are You program, an annual event designed to help tenth grade girls build self-esteem. “I have the privilege of being involved with folks who are constantly looking to what our community can become,” WILKES | Fall 2010 says Sedor. “I have had the opportunity to be a part of a 22 great deal of change.” Donna Sedor ’85, center, celebrates winning the 2010 Athena Award with sons Evan, left, 15, and Sean, right, 16. Donna is married to John Sedor ’87. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK �class notes Andrew Check is the new human resources director for Luzerne County. He most recently worked as executive director for The Lands at Hillside Farms in Kingston Township, Pa. 1977 Mandy Williams, along with her sister,Tina Pennington, developed a financial literacy program that is now part of the curriculum at KIPP Houston High School. Williams and Pennington penned the program’s book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!, under the pseudonym Red & Black.Williams, a retired corporate executive who races Ferraris in her spare time, was featured in the summer 2009 issue of Wilkes magazine. N.J. She lives with her husband, Jim, and two daughters in Woolwich, N.J. 1990 Reunion Oct. 1-3 ~ Janice Saldukas-Parsons is a member of the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilders. She was crowned the overall Figure Champion at the McJilton Classic held in Salisbury, Md., on March 27. She is supervisor of instruction at Caesar Rodney School District, Delaware. 1992 Nancy Chalker was named business development executive for StudentAid.com, a student-lending and debtmanagement advisor. Her primary role is to help university students manage their school debt and plan for their financial future. 1982 Dianne Charsha was named senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J. Janice Raspen was named School Librarian of the Year for the Rappahannock region of Virginia. She will compete for the state-level award in October. Raspen has been a school librarian since 2001, and opened the library at her current school, Conway Elementary in Stafford County, in 2005. She lives in Fredericksburg,Va. 1987 1995 Kimberly Tokach-Kellar is employed by Liberty Dialysis LLC. She is the director of nursing at the outpatient dialysis unit in Hammonton, Edward J. Ciarimboli was selected as one of Super Lawyers magazine’s 2010 Rising Stars. He received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law. Col. Ivan Shidlovsky has been selected to attend the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C., starting in fall 2010. 1985 Timothy S. Williams teaches fifth grade at Gilbert Magnet School for Communication and Creative Arts in Las Vegas, Nev., recently named the top magnet school in the country out of approximately 5,000 magnet schools. 1996 Matt LaBuda – see 1998 1998 Michael T. Beachem IV, a student affairs administrator at Temple University, was recently awarded the 2010 Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Knowledge Community Outstanding Mentorship Award by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. The annual award recognizes long-term members of the academic profession who have provided consistent and supportive mentorship to both peers and students surrounding social justice and support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender concerns. This is the second honor Beachem has received from the association in the past two years. In 2008 he was awarded the Region II Midlevel Professional Award for his commitment to student development and the student affairs profession. Kristen (Cookus) LaBuda and Matt LaBuda ’96 announce the birth of their third child, Makayla Marie, on June 29, 2009.The family resides in Boiling Springs, Pa. 1999 Corinna Sowers-Adler made her New York debut in “Stories…a Cabaret” on June 19 at The Laurie Beechman Theater on 42nd St., New York City. Adler served as director of theatre for the Wilkes University Conservatory for 10 years. She co-owns NiCori Studios & Productions, is director of foundations for the Young Actor's Training Center in New York City and serves as theatre/musical theater instructor at New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts. 2000 Reunion Oct. 1-3 ~ Laura Burns married Daniel DiMarzo on Nov. 1, 2008.The bride is the daughter of Bob Burns Jr. ’82 and Wilkes employee Anita Burns. Burns DiMarzo works as a marketing director for a telecommunications company.The couple reside in East Norriton, Pa. 2002 Joyce Elaine Soska and Arthur Raymond Becker were married on Oct. 10, 2009.The bride is employed by the Wyoming Area School District as a music educator.The groom is employed by Jacobson Companies in Mountain Top, Pa.They reside in Harding, Pa. WILKES | Fall 2010 1974 23 �class notes Dr. Asif Ilyas ’97 Lends Surgical Skills to Haitian Relief Efforts During his years of training to become an orthopaedic doctors in specialties such as orthopaedics, emergency surgeon, Dr. Asif Ilyas ’97 never imagined performing medicine and family practice. surgery in a former amusement park. As a medical The earthquake caused many injuries and also destroyed volunteer in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, existing hospitals and clinics. As a surgeon, Ilyas set he performed surgeries in just such a setting. broken bones and performed skin grafting, among other “We would be seeing between 300 and 500 patients procedures. He also performed many amputations. He a day. A lot of things were makeshift,” says Ilyas, an assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and director of the orthopaedic surgery residency program for the Dr. Asif Ilyas ’97, left, worked with Haitian nursing staff as a surgical volunteer in the aftermath of the earthquake. Temple University School of Medicine. “We were treating patients in a tent city of sorts, with no air conditioning and no running water. Conditions were extremely primitive.” Ilyas explains that the amusement park site was chosen for practical reasons: There was a boundary wall around it, making it easy to secure. He had anticipated poor conditions and made sure that he took supplies such as surgical equipment, sutures and gauze. But he was still unprepared for what he found. “Once I was down there, I was a little overwhelmed and shocked,” he says. “The amount of medical need was overwhelming.” Ilyas went to Haiti in January after answering a call for physician volunteers from one of the many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) providing assistance in Port-au-Prince. He was part of a team of physicians assembled by IMANA and supported by the WILKES | Fall 2010 Aimer-Haiti group. The team included approximately 12 24 2003 Marc Baron graduated from Walden University with a master’s degree in nursing, specializing in nursing education.While teaching part time, he continues to work full time for Main Line Health. He lives with his wife and three children outside of Philadelphia, Pa. Dawn Demchak was named 2010 Patient Choice Award winner by the Wyoming Valley Health Care System.The award recognizes quality care, comfort and compassion offered by nurses throughout the system.The winner is selected from nominations made by former patients.The award was presented during National Nurses Week in May. Demchak is a nurse on Wilkes-Barre General Hospital’s 8 East Medical/Surgical Unit. Demchak received her award from Cornelio Catena, chief executive officer,Wyoming Valley Health Care System. Christopher Tedesco – see 2004 2004 Rebecca Jean Broyan was ordained on June 13 as a reverend and fully authorized minister of the United Church of Christ. Broyan graduated from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 2008 and received a call to be the pastor at First United Church of Christ in Berwick, Pa. �class notes .;.·."'.'\.'"'~\t.\•.'J ..<.?. 1:': •..-, ;v:-::-:·:~.•::-:-:•·:··•.···•:4 ,:., A street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the earthquake. PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. ASIF ILYAS recalls one case that was typical of the kinds of injuries he encountered. Following his graduation from Wilkes with a degree in biology, Ilyas completed medical school at MCP- “The patient’s hand had been caught in the rubble for Hahnemann University in 2001. He completed his three days. His hand was crushed so severely and so residency in orthopaedic surgery at Temple University compromised that we had no alternative than to perform an Hospital in 2006, followed by a year as a surgical amputation,” Ilyas says. “Because we didn’t have general fellow at Harvard Medical School. He joined the staff anesthesia, we used sedation and regional blocks to numb at Temple in 2007, where he has specialized in hand his arm. Unfortunately this was a common scenario.” surgery and orthopaedic trauma surgery. In addition to volunteering with the NGO, physicians, Ilyas lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Erum, who also including Ilyas, took turns working at the hospital is a physician, and their three children, Dean, 7, Amber, 5 established by the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Its and Sammy, 3. Volunteering in Haiti was a first for Ilyas. full-time staff included only one internist, a physician “I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to serve.” assistant and several medics, so two doctors went to that — By Vicki Mayk Pamela Tedesco and Christopher Tedesco ’03 welcomed their second son, Nathaniel Lee, on Dec. 19, 2009. Medicine on June 5. She will continue her medical training in internal medicine at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey. 2006 Ashley Marie McBreartyHindson received her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic 2007 Theresa Brewer and John Polson were married on March 20.They reside in Rock City Falls, N.Y. 2009 Ryan Holmes is vice president of public relations for Waterbucket Media, a public relations firm based in Easton, Pa. His responsibilities include drafting and issuing press releases, conducting conferences and seminars, and holding televised interviews. Christine Zavaskas was recently appointed community relations coordinator at Northeast Regional Cancer Institute. She will manage media relations, print and online publications and program promotion. Jessica Woolfolk and William Ives were married on May 15. The couple resides in Nanticoke, Pa. WILKES | Fall 2010 site every day to assist. 25 �class notes Jackie Manzolillo-Blais ’05 Starts Sixth Season Behind the Scenes with “MARTHA” Martha Stewart is one in a million—or at least one in 165. Jackie Manzolillo-Blais ’05 would know. She helped “MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show” set a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same first and last name by bringing in an audience of 164 women legally named Martha Stewart/Stuart. “It required a lot of research,” says Manzolillo-Blais, an audience supervisor for the show which moves to the Hallmark Channel this fall. “[It was] definitely one of the most memorable audiences.” The Wilkes communication studies graduate is the show’s audience supervisor, overseeing a team of audience coordinators and production assistants to manage a live television audience. “Our responsibility is to research, procure and book an audience of 164 individuals for each show day,” she explains. “[They] often include theme shows with specialty audiences such as pet owners with their pets in tow or an audience full of individuals named Martha Stewart.” Manzolillo-Blais, who lives with her husband in Washingtonville, N.Y., works with production teams to guarantee a quality show and a positive experience for Jackie Manzolillo-Blais ’05, left, who is audience coordinator for “MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show,” appeared with the show’s famous host, demonstrating how to make Christmas trees out of magazines. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTHA: The Martha Stewart Show Members of the staff are given the opportunity to the audience. “What I love the most is that I meet pitch ideas to be featured on “MARTHA.” As a result, people from all over the world and I have an Manzolillo-Blais has appeared on the show three times. opportunity to bring them joy,” she says. She made her debut in the television industry “I grew up in a very crafty family,” she says. “I was able to teach Martha to dye Easter eggs with silk ties working for “The View” while finishing her last and create Christmas trees out of old magazines. I had semester in college. The connections she made there a great time!” led to a job offer from “MARTHA” following graduation. Season six of “MARTHA” starts this fall. In addition, a She began as an audience production assistant and new show hosted by Stewart’s daughter, Alexis Stewart, was promoted to audience coordinator after one and friend and colleague, Jennifer Koppelman-Hutt, is season. She left the show during season three to being produced. Manzolillo-Blais will oversee two teams pursue a reporting job in Lancaster County, Pa. She responsible for booking live audiences for both shows. was back in time for season four. “I missed “MARTHA” and the joy of making people “I am excited for the new challenges this expansion will bring.” WILKES | Fall 2010 happy daily,” she recalls. She was invited back as the 26 audience supervisor. “I love it just as much as I did when I began.” — By Rachel Strayer �class notes 1998 John Ford MBA has been named senior vice president and commercial lending officer at Landmark Community Bank. He will continue his role in developing the bank’s commercial loan and deposit portfolio. Ford has 25 years of experience in commercial banking. 2003 Jeremy M. Gerber PharmD, MBA, and Dr. Dawn S. Knudsen were married on March 19.The bride is a professor at Midwestern University College of Pharmacy in Glendale, Ariz. The groom is a pharmacist at Cancer Centers of America, Goodyear, Ariz.The couple resides in Avondale, Ariz. Jeremy Robert Lisman PharmD and Jaime Monika Beierle were married on July 24, 2009.The bride is employed as an research and development chef consultant at Preferred Meal Systems.The groom is employed as a pharmacist at Walgreens.The couple resides in Wilkes-Barre. Wendy Lee Miller MS, and Mark Richard Landis were married on Oct. 31, 2009.The bride is a sixthgrade computer literacy teacher at Berwick Middle School.The couple resides in Wapwallopen, Pa. 2008 Stephen Bilko, MS – see Graduate Students 2009 2009 Brooke McDonald MS, and Stephen Bilko MS ’08, were married Oct. 3, 2009. Both are teachers in the Pocono Mountain School District.The couple resides in Nanticoke, Pa. Jared Meehan MS – see Graduate Students 2010 2010 Ellen Michael MBA and Jared Meehan MS ’09 were married on March 20.The couple resides in Wilkes-Barre. Shannon Fenstermacher PharmD was recently promoted to clinical pharmacist specialist, pharmacy practice, at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. She began her career as a pharmacist at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa., prior to accepting a staff pharmacist position at Dartmouth-Hitchcock in October 2009. Submitting Class Notes Share personal or career news in any of three ways: • E-mail it to wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. • Post it at The Colonel Connection Web site at community.wilkes.edu. • Or mail it to: Class Notes Wilkes Magazine 84 W. South St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766 WILKES | Fall 2010 Graduate Students 27 �class notes In Memoriam Fall 2010 1941 Melford Hyman, Oviedo, Fla., died May 4, 2010. He was a World War II Armed Forces veteran and U.S. postal worker. 1952 Edward J. Wallison, Kingston, Pa., died April 4, 2010. He was a Korean War Air Force veteran, teacher and local radio personality. 1945 Helen Stapleton Schmitt, Adamstown, Md., died May 16, 2010. She was a homemaker and volunteer. 1958 Frederick J. Helfrich Sr., West Wyoming, Pa., died March 26, 2010. He was a Korean War U.S. Army veteran and Proctor & Gamble employee. 1949 Flora F. Lopko O’Hannes, Katonah, N.Y., died May 1, 2010. She was a scientific illustrator for the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Raymond B. Williams, Lawrence, Kan., died June 6, 2010. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran and retired fifth grade teacher, Dutch Neck School. WILKES | Fall 2010 1951 Wade W. Hayhurst, Mollusk,Va., died April 17, 2010. He was a computer software developer and retired publisher. 28 1960 Frank I. Edwards, West Pittston, Pa., died May 20, 2010. He was a music teacher and choir director. He is survived by his wife, Barbara B. Edwards ’60. 1965 Alfred W. Johnson, Plains Township, Pa., died May 15, 2010. He was a retired history teacher and football/ wrestling coach. 1966 John Leo Gurgick, Upper Saddle River, N.J., died Feb. 18, 2010. He was a U.S. Navy veteran; a psychologist for the Veterans Administration of New Jersey; and owner/operator, Softball Pitching Center. 1991 Ann Marie Cesarini Raspen, Shickshinny Lake, Pa., died May 2, 2010. She was a high school and elementary school teacher and a lay reader and eucharistic minister for Exaltation of Holy Cross Catholic Church. 1970 Joan M. McElwee, Mocanaqua, Pa., died April 13, 2010. She was a psychiatric registered nurse and nurse manager for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. 1998 Danie Mark Bishop, Harding, Pa., died April 14, 2010. He was a licensed veterinarian. 1973 Judith A. Young, Dallas, Pa., died March 24, 2010. She was a mathematics teacher with the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. 1976 Diane Zelinka, Hanover Township, Pa., died May 27, 2010. She was a medical technologist with WilkesBarre General Hospital. 2000 Ivan J. Bogan Jr., Parsons, Pa., died April 14, 2010. He was a former employee of the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. and salesman for M.J. Mackarey Snacks. Graduate Students 1981 Mark P. Steele MS Beaumont, Pa., died June 4, 2010. He was a retired elementary school teacher. �then & now When it opened in September 1950, the gymnasium on South Franklin Street was a welcome addition to campus. Its façade was graced with a large concrete medallion of the Wilkes College seal. For more than 30 years,Wilkes students congregated there for fitness and fun. When the gymnasium made way for the Arnaud C. Marts Sports and Conference Center in 1989, the medallion was taken to the Ralston Athletic Complex. It remained there until recent renovations at the football field unearthed it, perfectly intact, under the stands. It has been relocated to a spot on South Franklin Street between the Eugene S. Farley Library and Fenner Hall. PHOTO FROM WILKES ARCHIVES Share names or reminisce on The Colonel Connection message boards, found at www.wilkes.edu/alumni. Or send responses to Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. You can also e-mail wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. PHOTO BY VICKI MAYK �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY events September November 11 First home football game 9 15 Free workshop on Identity Theft and Personal Safety, Lobby, University Center on Main, 6 p.m. Sponsored by Alumni Relations 30-Oct. 2 One Acts at Wilkes, Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, 8 p.m.; Oct 3, 2 p.m. October 1-3 12-13 The Adding Machine, Darte Center, 8 p.m.; Nov. 14, 2 p.m. Also Nov. 19-21 December 10 Chorus and Chamber Singers Concert, St. Nicholas Church,Wilkes-Barre, 7:30 p.m. 12 Civic Band Concert, Darte Center, 3 p.m. 19 Piano Studio Recital, Darte Center, 5 p.m. Homecoming: Get Social with Wilkes 18-Dec. 12 Soul Rebel: An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley by photographer David Burnett, Sordoni Art Gallery. Opening reception: Oct. 22, 6-9 p.m. Outstanding Leaders Forum, featuring entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie, chief shoe giver of TOMS Shoes, F.M. Kirby Center, 8 p.m. For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2010 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/faaf6a56c1514c89ddb68e0bddf25692.pdf 8e6a6d143a134b76466ad492a8cc118c PDF Text Text WINTER 2010 BOOM OR BUST | THE NORM AT THE DORM | WORDSMITH | REPORT OF GIFTS �president’s letter New Facilities Key to Excellence In Science, Health and Engineering W ILKES HAS A LONG TRADITION OF LEADERSHIP in the sciences and engineering. Our role continues with the announcement of a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to launch the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research of Northeast Pennsylvania.With its past efforts to help address acid mine drainage and waste water pollution in the Susquehanna,Wilkes has attracted scientists to its faculty and staff who are at the forefront of water quality and environmental research.Through the Institute, these scientists and others we bring on board will provide critical information to the region about the impact of Marcellus shale gas drilling.You’ll read more about our work in this issue’s cover story. Ensuring the University’s continued excellence in science, health and engineering programs requires leading edge facilities. In June, the University’s Board of Trustees approved a proposal for construction of a new $35 million science building.When complete, the facility will house the departments of biology, chemistry, and enviromental engineering and earth sciences and serve as home to the University’s new Institute for Energy and Environmental Research of Northeast Pennsylvania. While a decision on the location for the new building has not been made, it will be located adjacent to the Stark Brian Whitman, associate professor of Learning Center to encourage continued interaction environmental engineering, works with students on a green roof. A proposed new among the University’s science, health science, and building will house biology, chemistry and engineering programs.The ongoing campus master environmental engineering and earth sciences. PHOTO BY KIM BOWER-SPENCE. planning process will include some discussion of the new building and its location on campus in the context of the overall design of the campus. The new building, a 55,000- to 70,000-square-foot facility, will offer state-of-theart laboratories and related instructional and research space for programs that are regarded as the best in northeast Pennsylvania. Construction on the new facility will begin in fall 2011. Occupancy of the building will take place in spring 2013. This project represents the first step of a three-phase project that will provide the University’s College of Science and Engineering and its Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing with 21st-century instructional and research space. In addition to construction of the new science building, Phase I also includes relocation of the Nesbitt College’s School of Nursing to the Stark Learning Center. Funding for the new science building will come from a $20 million capital campaign being managed by the University’s Advancement Office and from other sources. It is hoped that this will include some state support that acknowledges the important contributions made by the Wilkes science programs and their graduates. Our alumni and friends also will be an integral Dr. Tim Gilmour part of the process. Wilkes University President VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 4 WINTER 2010 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows Graduate Assistant Rachel Strayer Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Payne Printery Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Director of Alumni Outreach and Stewardship Sandra Sarno Carroll Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Laura Cardinale ’72 First Vice President Fred Demech ’61 Second Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Secretary Cindy Charnetski ’97 Historian George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents FEATURES 8 Boom or Bust Wilkes faculty lend expertise to issues related to Marcellus Shale gas drilling 12 The Norm at the Dorm 8 The gear that students bring with them to college changes across generations 14 Wordsmith Catherine Gourley ’72 M.S.’78 forges successful career as an author 26 Report of Gifts 26 12 DEPARTMENTS 2 On Campus 14 4 Athletics 16 Alumni News The rigs from natural gas wells dot the landscape in northeast Pennsylvania as the region faces a new energy boom. PHOTO BY DAVID MCNEESE PHOTO COURTESY CHESAPEAKE ENERGY CORPORATION F,j FPO C Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. WILKES | Winter 2010 20 Class Notes 1 �on campus Women’s Soccer Team Travels to Brazil Members of Wilkes’ women’s soccer team and coach John Sumoski got a taste of life in the land where soccer is king when they traveled to Brazil from Aug. 2 to 12.While in Brazil, the Lady Colonels played matches against their counterparts on Brazilian women’s teams. Players Katy Fissel, an integrative media major from Madison, N.J., and Ashley Graham, a pharmacy major from New Hampton, N.Y., blogged about their experience while in Brazil. On one of her blog entries, Fissel described the team trip to a game in Sao Paulo: “If you like soccer at all, this is honestly an experience of a lifetime that I suggest putting on your bucket lists. Sao Paolo scores first and the crowd erupts and cheers.They are already standing because no one sits at these games, but people bring out huge flags and red flares.” Wilkes University staff and players also conducted a clinic for children between the ages of 7 and 12. Sightseeing included trips to Santos Stadium, home of soccer great Pele, to the cities of Sao Paulo and Sao Sebastio—and even time at the beach.Team members conducted fundraisers during the 2009-2010 academic year to raise money for the once-in-a-lifetime trip. Above: A member of the Lady Colonels soccer team shares playing tips with Brazilian youngsters. Left: Young Brazilian soccer players and the Wilkes women’s soccer team share some heart on the last day of their visit. PHOTOS COURTESY JOHN SUMOSKI WILKES | Winter 2010 Commonwealth Medical College Eases Path to Medical School for Wilkes Students 2 Wilkes and The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) have signed an agreement easing the way to medical school for qualified students graduating from the University. The program—called the Premedical Scholars BS/MD Program—is for students in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. Students come to Wilkes for two years and apply to TCMC at the end of the sophomore year.The program expedites the medical school admission process for participants.The highly selective program will admit five students per year. During their time at Wilkes, they receive support from the Wilkes Health Sciences office. If accepted, students know they will be able to attend the medical school when they graduate from Wilkes, provided they meet basic criteria, including minimum grade-point average and scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Students also will be required to provide a statement of why they wish to practice medicine in a rural or underserved area, since TCMC program participants are required to practice there. Reynold Verret,Wilkes University provost, says the program provides a streamlined process for entrance into medical school for qualified and motivated students. “As part of an affiliated program, students have to complete only one application,”Verret says. “Many of Wilkes’ students come from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, making the partnership with TCMC ideal for them.Wilkes has exceptional programs in the sciences and students who excel in those programs will have the advantage of getting a head start in their medical careers. ” �on campus Virtual Tour Features 360-Degree Video Wilkes Named a Military Friendly School, Appoints Veterans Counselor The Wilkes University online virtual tour for prospective students was to launch in November.Wilkes is among the first universities to use state-of-the-art 360-degree video technology in a virtual tour.This technology allows viewers to click on the screen and drag the cursor to look around within the video as it is playing, just as if they were following a tour guide around campus. It will also include “hot spots”—areas the viewer can click to see still photos and get more information about particular areas of interest such as laboratories.Tour guides include Matt Sowcik of the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, Angela Reno of Admissions, sports information director Ryan Rebholz, and students Amanda Gunther and Charles Robinson. Branding agency 160over90 developed the tour for Wilkes.To take the tour, visit www.wilkes.edu/virtualtour. Wilkes University has been designated a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine.The magazine’s 2011 list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students. Out of 7,000 schools polled, 1,220 schools made the list nationwide. With the addition of the Yellow Ribbon veterans’ benefits, many returning GIs and their families are enrolling in college.Wilkes has experienced a significant increase in the number of veterans attending the university, with more than 70 enrolled. Wilkes provides more personal attention with the appointment of Lt. Col. Mark Kaster, pictured right, as veterans counselor. Kaster assumed the new role in July. He recently retired from his position as commander of the University’s Air Force ROTC program. Kaster works with the admissions office in recruiting veterans. Once veterans are admitted, he provides benefits counseling and helps to process benefit requests. Kaster also is an instructor in the Earth and Environmental Science Department. STYLE YOUR SOLE HELPS THOSE IN NEED Wilkes students put their best foot Members of associate professor of art Sharon forward when they participated in a Cosgrove’s Fundamentals of Art and Design class Style Your Sole party held in designed their own shoes as a class assignment. conjunction with the 2010 Outstanding The students also assisted people with designing Leaders Forum featuring Blake shoes at Style Your Sole. Thirteen professional Mycoskie, CEO and chief shoe giver of artists who teach at Wilkes also designed shoes TOMS Shoes. This event was held on that were auctioned to benefit student Oct. 26. Mycoskie founded TOMS scholarships. Marquis Art and Frame of Wilkes- Shoes based on a simple premise: Barre sponsored the event by providing art With every pair you purchase, TOMS supplies for decorating the shoes. will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need—One for One. A Style Your express themselves and help children in need by customizing their own blank canvas TOMS Shoes. Participants enjoyed food, music and friends while creating masterpieces for their feet. Students decorate TOMS shoes at Wilkes Style Your Sole Party. PHOTO BY ALLISON ROTH MORE ON THE WEB The Outstanding Leaders Forum featuring Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS Shoes, was to take place on Nov. 9—after Wilkes magazine went to press. Read about this event online with photos, a story and video clips of Mycoskie’s presentation. Visit www.wilkes.edu/OLF. WILKES | Winter 2010 Sole party brings people together to 3 �athletics MIKE BARROUK ’98, MBA ’00 FORWARD, BASKETBALL • Sconng Honors FIVE ATHLETES AND A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM ARE INDUCTED INTO 2010 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME They didn’t do it for the glory. When they were athletes at Wilkes, they were fierce competitors committed to earning victory for the Colonels and playing for the love of the game. Years later they are inductees in the Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame. Established in 1993, the Hall of Fame honors players, coaches and others who have made outstanding contributions to the athletic program. This year’s inductees were honored at an awards ceremony held on Oct. 3, 2010 during Homecoming Weekend. WILKES | Winter 2010 Player profiles by Ryan Rebholz 4 Mike Barrouk was a standout on the basketball court for the Colonels in the late 1990s.A 6-foot-4 inch forward, Barrouk helped lead Wilkes to the 1998 NCAA Final Four, as well as to the 1997 NCAA Tournament. During the 1998 season, he scored 499 points and grabbed 138 rebounds. He also helped lead the Colonels to Freedom League titles in 1997 and 1998.The team won the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championship in 1998. Barrouk earned several postseason awards during his time in a Colonels uniform. In addition to being named All-MAC and All-ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Association) as well as earning National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Mid-Atlantic Regional All-American honors as a junior, he was named All-MAC as a senior and was selected as the most valuable player of the 1997 and 1998 Wilkes Holiday Inn Classic. Barrouk earned multiple national and regional playerof-the-week awards and finished with 1,614 career points, fourth all-time in school history. Prior to his time at Wilkes, Barrouk played two seasons at St. John Fisher, leading the team in scoring twice and helping the school to a berth in the NCAA tournament as a sophomore. He graduated from Wilkes in 1998 with a degree in business administration and received his MBA in 2000. He is employed by PNC Bank and lives in Kingston, Pa., with his wife Jill (Mackay) Barrouk ’99, son Sam and daughter Nina. �MARY KAY PRICE BIFANO ’81 VOLLEYBALL TONY CARDINALE ’72 LINEBACKER, FOOTBALL Mary Kay Price Bifano, a four-year letter winner for the Lady Colonels volleyball team, was the first Wilkes player named AllFreedom Conference, achieving the honor in 1980. An allaround floor presence, Bifano was named the team’s offensive most valuable player in 1979 and 1981 and was the defensive most valuable player in 1980. A team captain, she helped lead Wilkes to a Northeastern Pennsylvania Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NPWIAA) championship in 1980 and 35 wins during her four years on campus. Bifano, a Beacon Athlete of the Week, also received NPWIAA postseason honors after the 1980 season. In addition to her volleyball accolades, Bifano succeeded in other sports before her time at Wilkes. Competing in track and field while at Carbondale Area High School, she set a record in the discus throw in 1976, a mark that still stands today. Bifano also earned several swimming medals between 1971 and 1976 in the northeast Pennsylvania swim league. She also thrived in gymnastics, participating at the Scranton YMCA from 1972 to 1976, also earning medals. Bifano earned her master’s degree in nursing from Misericordia University in 1999 and is a nurse practitioner in the Western Wayne School District. She has also been the coordinator for Wayne County Safe Kids since 2000. Tony Cardinale was a four-year standout for the Wilkes football team from 1968 to 1971. A linebacker, Cardinale was a member of the famous “Golden Horde” team, which won 32 straight games from 1965 to 1969 and won back-to-back Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championships in 1968 and 1969. A team captain as a senior, Cardinale was twice selected as the team’s most valuable player, receiving the honor in the 1970 and 1971 seasons. He was also a Black Star Award recipient — a team award recognizing outstanding play — in 1970 and 1971 and a two-time Eastern College Athletic Association (ECAC) player of the week as a senior, following games against Ithaca and Muskingum colleges. Cardinale was also a three-year member of the lacrosse team. Cardinale is a nationally recognized criminal defense attorney and has authored multiple publications. He resides in Belmont, Mass. with his wife Laura (Barbera) Cardinale ’72.They have one daughter, Michelle. WILKES | Winter 2010 athletics 5 �WILKES | Winter 2010 athletics 6 SUE RICHARDSON CRAHALL ’96, MBA ’98 FIELD HOCKEY BERNIE KUSAKAVITCH ’87 DEFENSIVE LINEMAN, FOOTBALL Crahall was a standout on the Wilkes field hockey team for three seasons in the mid-1990s. A pure offensive threat, Crahall notched 23 goals and nine assists during her career, ranking second in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) in scoring during her senior year in 1995. A team captain as a senior, Crahall racked up several postseason honors for her work on the field and in the classroom. She was named All-MAC in 1994 and 1995 and earned College Field Hockey Coaches Association (CFHCA) North Atlantic Region All-American honors in 1995. Crahall was a Wilkes Athlete Honor Roll member each of her three years and was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll and was an Eastern College Athletic Association scholar athlete in 1994. Crahall helped lead the Lady Colonels to a 35-20-2 overall record during her time here, including a 14-1 mark in the MAC.Wilkes won Freedom League titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995.The team also was ECAC champion in 1993 and 1994. In 1995, the team qualified for the NCAA tournament. Crahall is currently a kindergarten teacher in the Dallas school district. She lives in Dallas, Pa., with her husband Adam. A standout defensive lineman for the Colonels, Kusakavitch was a dominant force for Wilkes football during his time on campus. An All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) pick in 1986, Kusakavitch helped lead Wilkes to a 7-3 record as a senior. During his senior year, he was selected as both the Eastern College Athletic Association (ECAC) and MAC player of the week. Kusakavitch joined elite company in Wilkes athletics by earning All-American status three times in 1984, 1985 and 1986. He was also named to the All-ECAC team at defensive end in 1986. Kusakavitch is the president of his own tire business. He resides in Pittston, Pa., with his wife Mary, who received a master’s degree from Wilkes in 2001.They have three children, Marney and twins, Mallory and Melanie. �athletics 1995 FIELD HOCKEY TEAM Members of the 1995 field hockey team celebrated the team’s induction into the Athletic Hall vof Fame. Pictured are, front row, seated, left to right: Jeanette (Uhl) Tomasi, Rebecca (Farrington) Peters, Kiana Phuong Bui, Sue (Richardson) Crahall, Heather (Quick) Bluhm, Amy (Pyle) Van Scoten; second row, standing left to right: head coach Addy Malatesta, Jessica Azarewicz, Laura (Gantz) Hagan, Carrie Chipego, Alison Quick, Stephanie Hastings, Tonya (Masenheimer) Lardarello, Angela Polny, Heather (Evanish) Wingert, assistant coach Mary Jo Frail Hromchak; and third row, standing, left to right: Kim (Tremel) Lynn, Christy (Palilonis) Andrews, Theresa Havel, Tracy (Engle) McDonald, Kim (Kaskel) Mushinsky. To nominate someone for induction into the Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame, please complete the online form at www.community.wilkes.edu/HallofFame or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 570-408-7787. WILKES | Winter 2010 The 1995 Wilkes field hockey team, coached by Addy Malatesta, went 13-5 and advanced to the NCAA championships.Winners of the Freedom League with a 5-0 record, the Lady Colonels outscored opponents 44-16 during the season, and had an 18-3 goal advantage in league play.The team was nationally ranked, ranking as high as 11th during the season, and also held a top five spot in the North Atlantic Region. The seven seniors, Phuong Bui, Becky Farrington, Stephanie Hastings,Theresa Havel, Kim Kaskel, Heather Quick and Sue Richardson, led the team to the NCAA tournament berth and won four titles during their time at Wilkes.The 1995 team produced five Regional All-Americans and one National All-American. Three players scored at least 16 points, including Kim Kaskel (39 points) and Sue Richardson (30 points), who were first and second in the league in scoring.Tracy Engle and Pam Truszkowski combined in the cage for 115 saves and a 0.86 save percentage. Engle’s 0.83 save percentage is an all-time school record. 7 �WILKES SCIENTISTS LEND EXPERTISE TO CLARIFY CONCERNS ABOUT GAS DRILLING IN PENNSYLVANIA’S MARCELLUS SHALE WILKES | Winter 2010 By Rosa Salter Rodriguez 8 �PHOTOS BY MICHAEL TOUEY WILKES | Winter 2010 M ore than a century ago, when coal was king, northeastern Pennsylvania supplied the raw materials for energy that fueled the nation’s industrial growth. Coal barons dug deep into the ground and built their fortunes, and their mansions, in mountain towns with names like Nanticoke, Ashland and Carbondale. Time has shown the environmental cost of the coal mining legacy: abandoned strip mines, acid pollution leaching into waterways and, in one town, an unquenchable underground fire that left the landscape above dotted with wisps of smoke escaping through cracks in scorched earth. Now, many in the region wonder if history might repeat itself as a potential new energy source is causing a 21st-century energy rush.The source of the frenzy is a more than 365-million-yearold rock formation known as Marcellus shale. Experts say it houses huge quantities of fuel in underground natural gas. The formation covers at least 95,000 square miles, extending through upstate New York, across northern and western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and eastern Ohio and eastward to southwestern Virginia. It holds, scientists say, up to 2.4 quadrillion cubic feet—and yes, that's quadrillion with a “q”—of recoverable gas worth more than $1 trillion. It could put a sizable dent in the nation's dependence on foreign-produced energy sources: One estimate is that there’s enough natural gas in Pennsylvania alone to heat all of New Jersey’s homes for 20 years. That’s enough to provoke an intense debate, says Dr. Ken Klemow,Wilkes professor of biology and associate director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research of Northeast Pennsylvania, a new initiative that aims to provide answers to questions related to Marcellus shale. “As we’ve seen the public discussion develop, it seems it has become polarized very quickly. There are some people who believe that Marcellus shale gas can be extracted with no environmental damage and no dangers whatsoever. Others believe drilling and (the extraction method known as) fracking will inevitably cause ecological damage or disaster,” Klemow says. “What we would like to do is use our science expertise to address these issues and determine what the actual risk to the public is from extracting Marcellus gas.” According to the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, oil and gas companies have known about the deposit for at least 75 years. Even after estimates of its size increased in the 1970s, companies believed retrieving the gas was too difficult because it was deep underground and there wasn’t a good way of getting it out of the shale. Brian Redmond, Wilkes professor of earth and environmental science, says that’s partly because of how the gas was formed. “ ’Way back, about 400 million years ago, there was a really large expanse of ocean where the Marcellus shale is,” he explains. Organic matter, such as dead plankton, normally sinks to the bottom of an ocean.A small fraction of the organic matter reaches the bottom sediment where many creatures recycle it, much like earthworms do in soil on land. However, at the time the Marcellus shale was formed, shallow ocean conditions created a broad area of ocean bottom which was very low in oxygen, killing the bottomdwelling creatures. Because it was not consumed, the organic matter accumulated in sufficient quantities to give a black color to what later became shale. Much later, heat and pressure created by continental collisions converted some of that organic matter into methane gas which remained trapped in the impermeable shale. The gas is trapped about a mile down and in relatively small pockets between the layers of shale, posing problems for drillers. To get at it, the shale must be broken apart along lines of weakness called partings, created when the sediment layers were deposited. In addition, obtaining drilling rights from multiple landowners poses Opposite page, Brian Oram, director of Wilkes economic challenges. Center for Environmental As demand for energy grew over the last Quality, tests water quality. This page, top, a gas well in two decades and oil prices soared, the Luzerne County. Above, Marcellus shale “play,” as gas drillers call it, Brian Redmond, Wilkes professor of earth and began to look like less of a gamble. environmental science with Enter hydraulic fracking—a technology a piece of Marcellus shale. 9 �that allows drillers to drill vertically and then horizontally for thousands of feet at many different angles looking for gas pockets. Water under high pressure is used to force open the layers of the shale. “What fracking is doing is fracturing.You’re literally fracturing the Marcellus shale with the very high water pressure, and then putting sand in to prop [the fractures] open,” Redmond says.“You’re trying to get as many open as possible so any trapped gas in there will come out, even though you know you’re not going to get it all.” Water, sand, pressure—it sounds so benign, the stuff of which sand castles are made during a lazy day at the beach. But that’s only part of the picture, Redmond says. Included in that water is a slew of chemicals: lubricants, some of them petroleum based, to overcome friction, and biocides to kill nasty microscopic life. “A lot of it is rather toxic, things you don’t want to have at the surface,” Redmond says. While the water is pulsing through the ground, it picks up contaminants, including heavy metals and high concentrations of salts. Because the drilling goes below sea level, as long as the water stays under pressure, it’s unlikely to migrate, Redmond says. But when pressure is released, it will bubble back up the well as what’s called flowback. Estimates are that about 20 percent of the water used in Pennsylvania gas wells will end up that way. That wouldn’t be a problem if you could be sure that the return water could be captured and treated, Redmond says. However, problems with well construction or leaking storage tanks may lead to contamination from flowback. Don Williams ’78, shown kayaking with his sister Diana LaVasseur on the Susquehanna River, is an environmental advocate with concerns about the impact of fracking. WILKES | Winter 2010 PHOTO COURTESY OF R. BLASKIEWICZ 10 Realistically, we simply CANNOT AFFORD to have our fresh surface waters and aquifers consumed or contaminated unnecessarily. – Don Williams ’78 Another problem could occur if the water pressure used for fracking introduces pressure into the aquifers around wells. Drinking water that feeds springs and streams lies at much shallower depths. It is separated from the gas pockets by impermeable rock. Because of the geology of northeastern Pennsylvania, smaller pockets of methane near the surface could be released, Redmond says. “You’d see (methane) gas bubbles coming up in streams…or up in someone’s well,” he says. That could make for unhealthy drinking water if the methane gas is associated with other contaminants. It also could pose a safety hazard if methane reached high levels, came in contact with electrical components and sparked, says Brian Oram, a professional geologist and soil scientist who directs Wilkes’ Center for Environmental Quality. Oram also heads a key project: a regional water quality database and a citizen education and outreach program. Baseline data is needed, he says, because northeastern Pennsylvania relies on many sources for drinking water, including private and municipal groundwater wells and reservoirs and other surface supplies. There are far more unregulated private wells than regulated water systems. The Center for Environmental Quality’s Homeowners Outreach Program offers a free booklet to help private well owners understand the impacts of Marcellus shale drilling and other water-quality issues. The booklet can be downloaded by going to www.wilkes.edu/water. Homeowners are encouraged to get their water tested and provide the results to the database, Oram says. Information about how to share results also is available on the Web site. Individual well owners have few safeguards, he says. “There’s not really a clear standard for private well construction and for some contaminants there are no specific drinking water standards,” he says. However, wells can be vented for methane and water can be treated to deal with bacterial contamination. Wilkes’ new institute will be involved in sophisticated computer modeling and monitoring of potential impacts to the water supply and quality, Oram says. Concerns about drilling in northeast Pennsylvania, have spawned citizen protests and action by governing bodies. Don Williams ’78, who earned a Wilkes degree in earth and environmental science, has been an environmental advocate for more than a decade. He was recognized in 2008 by the river conservation group American Rivers for his on-going efforts to protect the Susquehanna River. He favors a moratorium on drilling until concerns can be addressed. “The Marcellus shale formation has been around for over 300 million years and the natural gas is not going anywhere. A decade ago, the technique currently being used to extract the gas—horizontal hydrofracturing—did not exist,” Williams says. “A few decades from now, someone hopefully will have developed new drilling techniques that do not require millions of gallons of fresh water and thousands of gallons of toxic chemicals to extract the gas. Until that day, I support a complete moratorium on current and future drilling, as it would both �WILKES RECEIVES GRANT FOR INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH OF NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA Wilkes University has received a $1 million federal Department of Energy grant to launch the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research of Northeast Pennsylvania. The initial mission of the institute, operated jointly by Wilkes, King’s College and the non-profit Earth Conservancy, will be researching issues relating to drilling for natural gas in Marcellus shale. Ken Klemow, Wilkes biology professor and the insitute’s associate director, says U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski approached Wilkes experts about the possibility of focusing on questions surrounding shale drilling. Kanjorski was instrumental in securing the funding. Institute scientists will work to develop a baseline database on water quality and supply issues in northeastern Pennsylvania, computerized mapping of water and drilling activities and computer modeling of potential impacts of drilling. An Internet-based clearinghouse will make information available to the public. The institute’s experts also will write policy papers on various aspects of drilling and host public educational forums. Klemow says he expects the institute will help with current and future questions raised about gas drilling—from the environmental impact on forest, plants and wildlife to the social impact on rural communities to training for emergency responders. He hopes the institute will also get involved in other energy-related research, from wind and solar energy to biomass production. Independent, unbiased data is what the Marcellus shale debate needs, Klemow says. WILKES | Winter 2010 necessitate and accelerate research into developing cleaner drilling and extraction technologies. Realistically, we simply cannot afford to have our fresh surface waters and aquifers consumed or contaminated unnecessarily.” The Delaware River Basin Commission—concerned because northeastern Pennsylvania’s underground springs could impact the source of drinking water for millions downstream—issued a temporary ban on well drilling in the northern reaches of its Pennsylvania territory. The multi-state commission has review rights over large water withdrawals. Guidelines governing gas drilling were expected from the commission late this fall. Mishaps at some wells feed environmental concerns. For example, in June 2010, an explosion at a gas well in rural Clearfield County spewed natural gas and drilling wastewater contaminated with toxic chemicals into the air for 16 hours.And in Dimock Township in Susquehanna County, north of Scranton, the state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered Cabot Oil & Gas to pay for the extension of public water to 18 homeowners after residential wells were contaminated with methane.The company is denying responsibility. Clayton Bubeck ’96 is an environmental engineer who works for Rettew Associates in Lancaster, Pa., as a consultant to natural gas drilling companies. Bubeck says his experience with the gas drillers has found them both technologically competent and responsive. “I can honestly say that, since I’ve been a consultant, I believe the oil and gas industry is one of the safest I’ve had the opportunity to work with,” he says. “They really do care about the environment….They don’t want a smear on their name. If they have a problem it keeps them from continuing drilling.” Bubeck says he has already seen a driller respond quickly, cleaning up a small spill involving a fracking additive from a tanker truck within 36 hours. He says the companies are treating and recycling flowback, developing a best-practices plan to ensure construction design and performance safety, lining well pads to contain spills and complying with ever-stricter government standards. He thinks Wilkes new center can make a real contribution to educate the public and ensure water quality. He understands that northeast Pennsylvania’s history makes residents understandably cautious. “Northeast Pennsylvania has a history of the raping of the land…. As you drive through the Wilkes-Barre area, you can still see historic scars from coal mining that everyone has to deal with,” says Bubeck, whose employer has won awards for efforts to clean up acid mine drainage. “When people in northeast Pennsylvania don’t know something, they’re hesitant to believe in the good.They’re used to not being told things, and they think if you don’t tell me, there must be something that you’re hiding from me that’s bad,” he adds. “It’s our generation that has to pay for the sins of the past.” 11 �M R O 1He:N ? M R 411 HtDO the Decade ALUMNI TRAVELED LIGHT COMPARED TO TODAY’S STUDENTS By Helen Kaiser n o s d n e p e D It M WILKES | Winter 2010 ANY WILKES ALUMNI MIGHT HAVE A thing or two to tell today’s students about the essentials of dormitory living. For their stays in the Wilkes dormitories, earlier generations made do with just the basics. Contrast this with the class of 2014, members of which arrived on campus for fall semester with enough to furnish a small house. Paul Purkall, who moved into Sturdevant Hall this fall as a pharmacy major from South Brunswick, N.J., said he was pretty comfortable in his setup because he had brought his TV, iPod, cell phone, laptop, refrigerator, snacks, floor fan, folding chair, clothes and tools for installing whatever had to be done.The only thing he forgot was cable wiring for the TV. When freshman nursing student Haleigh Levitsky of Drums, Pa., arrived at Evans Hall in August, she was the first child in her family to go to college. -12 Freshman Paul Purkall brought all the comforts of home— from bottled water to paper towels. “I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she says. “So I just figured I would need the same things I needed when I was at home.” Here’s what Levitsky brought to create her home away from home: Laptop Flat screen TV Refrigerator Microwave Bottled water Bulletin board Bedding and towels Plastic bin full of toiletries Duffle bag full of clothes Under-bed storage boxes Lots of Ramen noodles Other frozen foods and snacks �I wasn’t sure what to expect. So I just figured I would need the SAME THINGS I needed when I was at home. Haleigh Lavitsky gets ready to unpack her new microwave in Evans Hall. Despite the long list, there were a few items she forgot, she says. “The big thing was the Ethernet cable for the computer.” Ah yes, connectivity—a must for today’s students! In the olden days—meaning the late 1970s and early 80s— students stayed connected on campus with quarters for the payphone in the hall and little square relics called postage stamps. Michael ’82 and Laurie (Cavalla) ’81 Gould of Fredericksburg, Va., remembered their dorm gear. Michael played football and knew he would be hungry a lot, so a mini-refrigerator was important to him. On his 12-inch, blackand-white TV, the gang would watch M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live in his Roosevelt Hall room. Other than that, he recalled bringing just the typical clothes, bedding and bathroom supplies. The couple has two college-age daughters, and they’ve seen the generational difference in packing for life away at school.“It’s almost as though we set them up for an entire apartment; I needed the roof rack on my SUV,” Gould says. “Girls seem to put more thought and care into the colors and decorating of the room,” he says.“We had a set of hanging beads and some kind of batik, tie-dyed wall tapestry.” When she entered Wilkes, his wife Laurie wanted to take a big foot locker full of stuff, but regulations didn’t permit it. So she brought her things in six milk crates which then became fashionable bookshelves. MORE ON THE WEB Do you remember what you brought to Wilkes when you moved in? Share your memories on the Wilkes University Alumni Association Facebook page. She took the basic bedding, towels, and clothes; and she was practical enough to bring an alarm clock. She had no stereo system, no typewriter (“I used the typing lab.”) And no TV. “I lived in McClintock Hall. It was a converted mansion with a huge living room where there was a TV shared by everyone. My parents said that was good enough, that I should be studying anyway!” Fifty years ago, during the older olden days, you could call Don Lewis ’60, a minimalist. “No one delivered me to campus; I came in my own car from Rahway, N.J.,” he says. Truth was, its floor was rusted away and covered with plywood, but Lewis sure looked like a Big Man on Campus when he drove up in his 1950 red Pontiac convertible. He was able to fit everything he needed into his closet on wheels. A pole placed across the back seat held his neatly pressed wardrobe: a sport coat, a pair of dress slacks, four pairs of new chinos (note, no blue jeans), half a dozen casual shirts, one white dress shirt, and one tie. Elsewhere in the car were two pairs of shoes. Other essentials? A black, manual Smith-Corona typewriter and a leather, zipped writing case (with those quaint postage stamps). Now residing in Marin County, Calif., with his wife Connie (Yahara) Lewis ’60, Lewis said he had no need in the dorm for an elaborate music system or those newfangled television sets that were growing in popularity. “I was warned by a neighbor who had attended college that there would be plenty of entertainment in the dorms, and there was.There were parties, a pool table in the main room downstairs, and other students on the floor who had radios and stereos. “There was a real esprit de corps,” he says fondly about his years in Butler Hall. WILKES | Winter 2010 PHOTOS BY CURTIS SALONICK 13 �PHOTO BY STEVE BARRETT WILKES | Winter 2010 CATHERINE GOURLEY ’72, M.S. ’78 FINDS INSPIRATION IN HISTORY FOR HER 30 BOOKS 14 A WARD-WINNING AUTHOR CATHERINE (McCormick) Gourley ’72, M.S. ’78 honors the writer’s creed that dictates “write what you know,” with one addendum: “I always follow what interests me.” Her interests range from Civil War prison camps to 1840s whaling ships. Gourley is the author of 30 fiction and non-fiction books, including three she developed for the popular American Girl series. Recently her expertise about women’s issues in the 1920s landed her an interview for “Faces of Feminism,” one of several HBO documentary-style pieces accompanying the network’s successful new television series, Boardwalk Empire. By Rachel Strayer A Wilkes-Barre native, Gourley taught English at Meyers and G. A. R. high schools in the city before turning to writing full time.While her interests are broad, the root of her writing comes from home. She grew up in a largely Irish family where the women gathered in the kitchen to tell stories. Gourley also found inspiration in her working mother, Ruth McCormick, who first encouraged her to write. “Here’s an Irish term for you,” she laughs.“Blatherskites!”The word describes foolish talk or a talkative, silly person. But any silly talk absorbed in her childhood only fueled Gourley’s interest in storytelling. She published her first short story,“Breaker Boy,” dealing with the subject of the boys who worked in northeast �Catherine (McCormick) Gourley, Woodbridge, Va. B.A., English, 1972, Wilkes M.S., Education, 1978, Wilkes Career: Author and teacher. Curriculum author for The Film Foundation and national program director for Letters About Literature, a program of the Library of Congress. Notable: Award-winning author of more 30 than fiction and non-fiction books for children, young adults and adults. Favorite Wilkes place: The old Wilkes Commons, an outdoor area of large oak tables where Gourley says there was always “good rock music and coffee.” “We tend to think because IT’S REAL, IT’S TRUE...But we all write from a bias.” young person, to give such a significant gift to their community.” Gourley also teaches and develops curriculum for Martin Scorsese’sThe Film Foundation, which focuses on film preservation and film education in the classroom.The foundation’s project is The Story of Movies, which introduces classics like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and To Kill a Mockingbird to a new generation. “(We’re) helping students to look beyond entertainment and understand the art of film,” says Gourley. She adds that she first developed a taste for classic film when The Manuscript at Wilkes showed The Seventh Seal on campus. The Manuscript also gave Gourley her first chance to publish. “My education at Wilkes has been invaluable for me as a writer. I was an English major, but I graduated knowing about so many things beyond my discipline. I think that is why I write the sort of books I do—social histories that encompass a large canvas of subjects. Wilkes taught me how to go about exploring these subjects, how to find the stories I want to tell,” Gourley says. Gourley’s five-book series on women’s history is an example of that wide canvas. The Images and Issues ofWomen series explores how popular culture portrayed women in the 20th Century and covers everything from cartoon characters like Betty Boop and Brenda Starr to radio personalities like Gracie Allen and 50s housewives like Lucille Ball. The desire to write and to explore has also taken her places. Gourley went to Moscow and South Africa to speak for Letters About Literature and to China to teach a class for The Film Foundation. She has lived in Texas and Chicago, but now resides with her husband, Dennis Gourley ’72, in Woodbridge,Va. She comes home often and recently rented a small house in the Wilkes-Barre neighborhood where she grew up. “I loved growing up in Wilkes-Barre.This will always be home.” MORE ON THE WEB Read an excerpt from Catherine Gourley’s book The Horrors of Andersonville: Life and Death in a Civil War Prison Camp by logging on to the Wilkes Web site at www.wilkes.edu/gourley. WILKES | Winter 2010 Pennsylvania’s coal mines, in 1986. It was adapted for National Public Radio. Her first published book, The Courtship of Joanna, is a historical novel rooted in Gourley’s German and Irish immigrant heritage. It was nominated for the Chicago Public Library’s Carl Sandburg Award and was a finalist for the Jefferson Cup for excellence in historical fiction. After several successful publications, Gourley became the editor of Read magazine. While there, she researched the Andersonville Prison, a Confederate camp built in 1864 in Georgia for Union prisoners of war. More than 13,000 of Andersonville’s nearly 45,000 inmates died of starvation and exposure.Years later, Gourley returned to the subject, exploring in greater detail the story of the survivors and the camp’s commandant, Capt. Henry Wirz, the only Confederate officer arrested, tried and executed for war crimes. Her research took years, and led to her most recent book, The Horrors of Andersonville: Life and Death inside a Civil War Prison. Though she knows the story sounds depressing, Gourley insists that Andersonville is really a story of compassion. “Sadly, the story has relevance today as we continue to struggle with the moral issues of how to treat prisoners of war,” Gourley says. Gourley also is the national program director for Letters About Literature, a reading and writing promotion program ofThe Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Each year, the program invites students in grades four through 12 to write a personal letter to an author who has somehow changed their view of the world or themselves. This past year, 70,000 young readers across the country sent letters. In addition to cash awards, six national winners each earn the right to nominate a school or community library to receive a $10,000 Reading Promotion Grant. “The children get to decide where the money goes,” said Gourley, “And that is very empowering for a 15 �alumni news Homecoming 2010 WILKES | Winter 2010 More than 1,000 alumni and friends of Wilkes “got social” on campus at a wide range of Homecoming events that included the George F. Ralston Alumni Golf Tournament, Star Fires concert, parade, tent parties and reunion receptions. Everyone enjoyed beautiful weather, on-field excitement and lively conversations, making the weekend memorable for attendees. Mark your calendars for next year’s celebration, set for Sept. 23-25. 16 Above: Above: The The Saturday Saturday afternoon afternoon Tent Tent Festival Festival on on the the Fenner Fenner Quadrangle Quadranale was was the the place olace to to meet meet old friends—and perhaps make some new ones. Left to right, Dave Davis ’73, Provost Reynold Verret, Dean Arvan ’55, Richard Kent ’55 and Tom Ralston ’80 enjoying the day. Right: Alumni boarded the trolley for a tour of campus and downtown Wilkes-Barre, given by Luzerne County Historical Society Executive Director Anthony T.P. Brooks. On this ride around town, everyone listened to interesting stories about the people and places that make Wilkes so special. Left: The Student Center at twilight beckons alumni for Homecoming festivities. Above: Medals for the Class of 1960, celebrating its 50th anniversary of graduation from Wilkes with special occasions throughout the weekend. To see who was there from the Class of ’60, see page 24. �alumni news Center: The band added to the excitement as the Colonels beat Albright 38-35, adding to the Homecoming celebration. Below: Kevin Shannon, Susan Barr Shannon ’90 and Ron Miller ’93 catch up at the Tailgate Tent. The event was attended by more than 300 alumni and friends of Wilkes. Alumni and faculty mingled at Pints with Professors in Weckesser Hall. The event offered an opportunity to meet new people and catch up with old friends. Left: Lacrosse alumni challenged current members of the club to a match over homecoming weekend. Below: Members of the class of 1970 celebrate Homecoming in royal fashion on their parade float. PHOTOS BY Above: Ann Marie “Puddy” (Booth) Cardell ’79, Brigette (McDonald) Herrmann ’78 and Professor Emma Hao have fun with faculty, fellow alumni and students at the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership Reunion in Weckesser Hall. Right: Students get into the spirit of Homecoming during the parade. WILKES | Winter 2010 MICHAEL TOUEY 17 �alumni news Alumni Association Starts Programming for Master’s and Doctoral Alumni The Graduate Alumni Committee was formed in March 2010 to evaluate programming for alumni of Wilkes master’s and doctoral degree programs. The group will make recommendations for future programming.The committee distributed a survey in the fall targeting graduate alumni and will use that data to make recommendations to the Alumni Association Board of Directors. A number of events for graduate alumni have taken place.The first MBA alumni-student mixer was held in April in cooperation with the MBA program. It was so successful that the group met again in September. Current MBA students and alumni enjoyed the opportunity to network and catch up with faculty. An MBA e-newsletter also is being launched to keep alumni up to date with program, campus and faculty news. Alumni from graduate and undergraduate programs, as well as current students, participated in a webinar with Philippe Cousteau, grandson of the late undersea researcher Jacques Cousteau, on In September, more than 75 alumni, students and faculty from the MBA program gathered in downtown Wilkes-Barre. PHOTO BY BRIDGET (GIUNTA) HUSTED ’05 Oct. 28.Cousteau used pictures and stories from his recent trip to the Gulf to evaluate the effects of the Gulf Oil Spill. He discussed the effects of the spill on regional wildlife and ecosystems and also talked about how it will affect us now and in the future. If you hold a master’s or doctoral degree from Wilkes and would like to get involved in the work of this committee or have suggestions for future events and programs, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570) 408-7787 or at alumni@wilkes.edu. Stay tuned for more opportunities to get involved! Bill Hanbury ’72, Garfield Jones ’72, John Kerr ’72, President Tim Gilmour, Coach Rollie Schmidt, Tony Cardinale ’72 and Vice President of Student Affairs Paul Adams ’77 take to the new synthetic turf field at the Colonels first home game at the Ralston Athletic Complex on Sept. 11. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY WILKES WEDDINGS: SEND US YOUR PHOTOS! Share your news with your classmates! Wilkes is now publishing wedding photos in the Class Notes section. Find out more about how to submit your photo WILKES | Winter 2010 on page 21. 18 �alumni news Alumni Mentoring Initiative Grows on Campus More than 120 students and over 100 alumni participated in the Alumni Association’s mentoring program this fall, doubling the number of students who were involved in the 2009 pilot program. Joining the psychology and communication studies departments in the program were the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership as well as career planning courses. The mentoring program provides Wilkes students with the opportunity for career exploration, professional development and a look at life after Wilkes.The format suits the needs and preferences of both the mentor and student.There are plans to include more students in the program during the spring 2011 semester. More information on the Wilkes mentoring program can be found at www.community.wilkes.edu/mentoring. In addition to this initiative, the popular Connecting the Dots event, scheduled for Feb. 3, will give students the chance to meet alumni from a variety of fields in a casual, on-campus setting. If you are interested in mentoring a student or would like to join us at Connecting the Dots, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570) 408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. GET YOUR COLONEL MERCHANDISE! Wilkes ties and flags are now available, along with much more. Live in Pennsylvania? Get a Wilkes license plate and show off your Colonel spirit! Check out the latest alumni merchandise at www.community.wilkes.edu/merchandise. w~oooo 1L1(ES UtH"ERSITV l).LIJ""t-ll Top: Megan Mance ’06 (right) tells students April Bielinski (center) and Sara Cosgrove (left) about her experiences in the professional world while Matt Beekman ’89 (front left) chats about his career at Connecting the Dots in February 2010. Alumni will meet with current students at the next Connecting the Dots event on Feb. 3, 2011. Below: Kristin Hake Klemish ’04 (right) and Kristen Luczak ’06 (center), both graduates of the Communication Studies program, talk with student Kirstin Cook (left) about their careers and life after Wilkes at Connecting the Dots. PHOTOS BY BRIDGET (GIUNTA) HUSTED ’05 WILKES | Winter 2010 ~ 19 �class notes 1961 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Marvin A. Antinnes is one of four people to receive Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School’s annual Joseph C. Donchess Distinguished Service Award. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the Wyoming Seminary Board of Trustees. Antinnes was honored in appreciation for his 37 years at the seminary, during which he served as football coach, athletic director, associate director of admissions, director of financial aid and special assistant to the president. 1967 John Pilosi recently retired as a school counselor from St. Philips and James School in Phillipsburg, N.J. He will maintain his private practice as a licensed professional counselor. 1973 Diane (Berry) Keller was named interim director of Marywood University’s School of Social Work. 1974 Joseph Asklar is an assistant professor of education at King’s College. 1976 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Diane Jones MBA ’90 is regional manager of the western region of the KNBT Division of National Penn Bank. 1980 Fred A. Pierantoni III was re-elected president of the Luzerne County Special Court Judges Association. He has served as president of the association since 2002. 1988 David Naeher and his wife, Karis, announce the birth of their first child, Rebekah Grace, on July 8, 2010.The family resides in Clarks Summit, Pa. 1993 Maj. Karin McElroy of Nicholson, Md., is serving a tour in Iraq after being stationed at Ford Hood,Texas, as a pulmonologist. Her husband, Jim, and her two children are awaiting her return. 1997 Heather (Howell) Johnson and her husband welcomed their third son, born Aug. 9, 2010. He joins 15-year-old sister, Jessica, and brothers, John, 7, and Karl, 5.The family resides in Port Rickey, Fla. 1999 Diane Durkin and Jeffrey Alan Minkoff were married on April 9, 2010.The couple resides in Gainesville, Ga. Lucia Piccolino-Peregrim is the operations manager of Ricochets Rapid Detail LLC, in Scranton, Pa. She co-owns the company with her husband, Dave. In September 2010, Piccolino-Peregrim was named the Pennsylvania ambassador for the National Scoliosis Foundation through her charity, Sound for Scoliosis. 2000 Greg Riley started an online music sales and consignment shop, www.instrumentalcloset.com. 1968 Gerry Missal retired from the Belmont Public Schools, Belmont, Mass., as the director of finance, administration and capital planning. WILKES | Winter 2010 1972 Charles J. Graziano was named 2010 Person of the Year by the Italian American Association of Luzerne County, Pa. 20 Linda (Lanzone) Suponcic and her husband, Jim, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on Nov. 23, 2010. She is a teacher at a daycare facility and he is employed by Luzerne County.The couple resides in Luzerne, Pa. Gabrielle Marie Lamb ’04 and Nicholas Edward D’Amico were married on Oct. 3, 2009. The bride is employed by Wilkes University as a marketing coordinator. The groom is an ISA-certified arborist employed by Asplundh Tree Expert Co. The couple reside in Kingston, Pa. �class notes Wilkes Wedding Bells Beginning with this issue, Wilkes magazine is accepting photos of alumni weddings. If wedding bells rang for you in the last year, please share your photos with us. We will accept your photos up to one year after your nuptials. Please follow these requirements: 1. E-mail jpeg files to wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. Digital photos must be at least 4 by 6 inches at 300 dpi or 1800 pixels by 1200 pixels. Please note that we will not be able to use photos that do not meet these minimum requirements. Non-returnable prints can be sent to: Vicki Mayk, editor, Wilkes magazine Marketing Communications Dept. Wilkes University, 84 W. South St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. 2. NOTE: Do not write on the back of photos when submitting prints. Identify people in Bridget Giunta ’05 and Steve Husted were married on Aug. 28, 2010. Bridget is employed as the associate director of alumni relations at Wilkes University and Steve is the creative director at The Times Leader. They reside in Wyoming, Pa. photos on a separate piece of paper, stating who is pictured left to right. 3. The bride or groom must be a Wilkes graduate (undergraduate or Albert, on Nov. 19, 2009. She joins 4-year-old sister Hailey. The family resides in Glastonbury, Conn. Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ 4. Photos of a wedding party may be submitted if at least one bridesmaid or groomsman is an alumnus. Identification, including class year, must be provided 2003 Kevin Sickle has been a teacher in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District for the past six years and teaches fifth-grade science and reading. He serves as the science chair for Heights-Murray Elementary School. for everyone in the photo. 5. Group photos of all Wilkes alumni attending a wedding may be submitted. Identification, including class years, must be provided for everyone in the photograph. Wilkes magazine reserves the right to edit photos for space purposes if non-alumni are pictured. 2001 Amanda (Abramoske) Albert and her husband, Paul, announce the birth of their second daughter, Cailyn Alana graduate degree). 2006 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ John and Kristin (Kile) Untisz announce the birth of their daughter, Kylie WILKES | Winter 2010 Donna Talarico MFA ’10 joined Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa., in the newly created position of web content editor. She was previously an interactive marketing manager at Solid Cactus in Shavertown, Pa. She joined the Wilkes alumni association board in June 2010. She resides in Elizabethtown, Pa. 21 �class notes Madison, on Feb. 24, 2010. They family is stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Michelle Trudnak and Larry Miller Jr. were married on July 10, 2010.The bride is employed as a senior tax accountant at Kronick Kalada Berdy & Co.The groom works for Paradise Landscaping.The couple reside in Nanticoke, Pa. 2007 Ashley Nicole Arcuri MBA ’10 and Scott Howell ’08 were married on June 30, 2010.The bride is employed by Kraft Foods.The groom works for Conway Freight. They reside in Forty Fort, Pa. Joshua Bowen see Graduate Students 2009. 2008 Scott Howell see 2007. WILKES | Fall 2010 Tiffany Gabrielle Pacovsky and Adam Lyle Kuzma were married Aug. 15, 2009.The bride is an autistic support teacher at The Graham Academy in Luzerne. She is also the junior varsity cheerleading coach for Pittston Area High School.The groom is a sous chef at The Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, Wilkes-Barre.The couple reside in Swoyersville, Pa. 22 Jordan Padams is in his third year of work as a software engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. 2009 Amy Lyn Allen and Jason Miller were married on Oct. 16, 2009.They reside in Luzerne, Pa. James Savitski is an environmental scientist in the civil business unit at BortonLawson of Wilkes-Barre. In his new position, he assists in the preparation of environmental assessments, securing environmental permits for land development projects, wetland delineations and other field work. Prior to joining BortonLawson, Savitski worked as a security officer for Wilkes University and in the Inorganic Laboratory at the Kirby Health Center in Wilkes-Barre. Jessica L. Woolfolk and William P. Ives were married on May 15, 2010.The bride works at Northeast Counseling Services in Nanticoke, Pa.The groom is a supervisor at the Luzerne County Department of Public Safety.The couple resides in Nanticoke. 2010 Kevin A. Hadsall has been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force after completing the Air Force ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) program. Graduate Students 2006 1987 Joan S. Foster MBA was named assistant professor of business at College Misericordia. Douglas Klopp M.S. is the new principal at Lake-Lehman High School. 1998 Laning “Jay” Harvey M.S. is the interim Upper School dean at Wyoming Seminary. He oversees all aspects of the school’s academic and student life programs, college guidance program, registrar and faculty. 2000 Lori Kowaleski M.S. and Matthew Frank were married on June 19, 2010.The bride is employed by the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, where she teaches sixth grade at Dodson Elementary.The groom is employed at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.The couple reside in Wilkes-Barre. 2005 Marissa C. Halat M.S. and Charles David Vaccaro were married on Aug. 7, 2009.The bride is employed with the Scranton School District as a special education teacher.The groom is employed at Luzerne Child and Youth Services as a social worker.The couple resides in Pittston, Pa. Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ 2008 Dawn Leas M.A. has completed her first chapbook of poetry, I Know When to Keep Quiet. It is now available for pre-publication sale.The chapbook is being published by Finishing Line Press. 2009 Monica (Gehret) Bowen Pharm.D. and Joshua Bowen ’07 were married on Sept. 18, 2010.The couple reside in Lititz, Pa. 2010 Ashley Nicole Arcuri MBA see 2007. Brian Fanelli MFA’s chapbook of punk-rock poems, Front Man, has been accepted for publication by Big Table Publishing Company. Taylor Polites MFA’s novel Weeping Willow was sold to Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Donna Talarico MFA see 2000. �class notes George Kolesar ’57 and Nancy (Carroll) Kolesar ’61, M.S. ’88 Have High-Flying Adventure When George Kolesar ’57 returned to Las Vegas this past summer, it wasn’t just to visit the famous strip. He and his wife, Nancy (Carroll) Kolesar ’61, M.S. ’88, were special guests of the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team. Kolesar was paying a visit to Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base after a 60-year absence. He had been stationed there in 1950. The Kolesars watched an abbreviated flyover demonstration of the red, white and blue F-16C aircraft used by the flying team. It included the famous Calypso Pass, in which two pilots fly over the flightline back to back or belly to belly. They also toured the Thunderbirds Executive Planning Room and the Thunderbird Hangar. The Kolesars met on the flightline with Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, commander of the Thunderbirds, and other pilots. Nancy Kolesar met Capt. Kristin Hubbard, one of the Air Force’s few women pilots. Because Kolesar was stationed at the base during his tour of duty, he was presented with the demonstration mission flag by George Kolesar ’57 and Nancy (Carroll) Kolesar ’61, M.S. ’88 in the Thunderbirds Executive Planning Room. operations officer Lt. Col Derek Routt. Kolesar notes that many things had changed at the base since the 1950s. The 100-degree heat is the same, but instead of fans and salt tablets to combat the heat, the enlisted men live in air-conditioned barracks. Las Vegas also has changed: The Flamingo was the sole casino back in those days. Acre lots nearby sold for hundreds of dollars. Today there are many casinos and land on the strip is valued at more than a million dollars, Kolesar says. George Kolesar ’57 on the tarmac at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. WILKES | Fall 2010 PHOTOS COURTESY GEORGE KOLESAR 23 �class notes And the winner is… The following Colonels—alumni and a current student— were the winners of the Attention to Detail architectural quiz in the Fall 2010 issue of Wilkes magazine. The winners were chosen from entries with the most correct answers, based on the order in which they were received. Congratulations to the following individuals, who will receive a Colonel bobblehead. William Allen ’99, Wilkes-Barre, 9 correct Ruth Whispell, student, communication studies major, Pittston, Pa., 8 correct Melissa Bugdal ’09, Lawrenceville, N.J., 8 correct Answers to the architectural photos printed in the magazine were: Members of the class of 1960 marked their 50th reunion during homecoming weekend on Oct. 1-3. Pictured, seated in front in wheelchairs, are, from left, Marilyn Warburton Lutter and Thomas Walsh; first row, left to right, Tom Barnick, Allyn Jones, Elizabeth George Polanowski, Connie Yahara Lewis, Judith Ruggere Schall and Beverly Nagle Barnick; second row, from left, Ira Himmel, George Reynolds and Patricia Fushek Skibbs; third row from left, Peter Perog, Emilie Roat Gino and Jean Shofranko Olexy; fourth row from left, Doris Gademan Stephens, Barbara Bachman Edwardsm Andrew Sabol and Beverly Butler Phillips; fifth row, from left, Ron Phillips, Raye Thomas Wileman and Moncey Miller Carey; sixth row, from left, Richard Wileman, Lynne Boyle Austin, Catherine Brominski Kovac; and seventh row, from left, Ron Kross, Don Lewis and George Murdock. 1. Weckesser Hall 2. Bedford Hall 3. Max Roth Cener 4. Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship 5. Annette Evans Alumni and Faculty House 6. Henry Student Center 7. Kirby Hall 8. Fenner Hall 9. Conyngham Hall 10. Sturdevant Hall Answers to the architectural photos in the More On The Web feature were: Submitting Class Notes 11. Max Roth Center Share personal or career news in any of three ways: 12. Pearsall Hall • E-mail it to wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. 13. Fenner Hall 14. Farley Library WILKES | Fall 2010 • Post it at The Colonel Connection Web site at www.wilkes.edu/alumni 24 • Or mail it to: Class Notes Wilkes Magazine 84 W. South St. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766 15. Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship �class notes In Memoriam 1946 Leo E. Noll, Bloomsburg, Pa., died Sept. 20, 2010. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and a retired employee of TRW Corp. 1948 Anna Cheponis Lewis, Forked River, N.J., died June 7, 2010. She served as an elementary school teacher in Basking Ridge, N.J. 1949 Raymond B. Williams, Lawrence, Kan., died June 6, 2010. He was a U.S.Army veteran as well as a fifth-grade teacher at Dutch Neck School. 1950 John F. Krupa, Shavertown, Pa., died July 25, 2010. He was a U.S.Army veteran and an adult program supervisor for West SideVo-Tech. 1951 Wade W. Hayhurst, Bertrand, Maine, died April 17, 2010. He worked in textbook publishing. William J. Hopkins, Wyndmoor, Pa., died Sept. 1, 2010. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and a research scientist for the U. S. Department of Agriculture for over 30 years. 1952 Edward G. Hendricks, North Canton, Ohio, died June 26, 2010. He was an engineer for Hoover, Colo. Robert M. Thomas, Harveys Lake, Pa., died Aug. 19, 2010. He served in the U.S. Navy and was a retired Dallas Township High School teacher. He was also an administrator at Plymouth High School and WyomingValley West. He coached multiple sports at several local schools. 1953 Dr. Richard D. Bush, Clarks Summit, Pa., died June 30, 2010. He served as a commander in the Naval Reserves. He was a dentist for the U.S. Navy with a private practice in Factoryville, Pa. 1954 Robert D. Howells, Nanticoke, Pa., died July 19, 2010.A decorated U.S. Navy veteran, he worked as a college and high school teacher. 1959 Elizabeth Nielsen Fischi, Plains Township, Pa., died July 16, 2010. She was a pastor’s wife and a mother. 1960 Frank L. Pinola, Harrisburg, Pa., died Sept. 3, 2010. He was a retired bureau manager for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. 1962 John J. Andrusis, Lehman Township, Pa., died July 11, 2010. He was a retired business education teacher for LakeLehman High School. 1964 Michael J. Brislin, Scranton, Pa., died Sept. 20, 2010. He was a retired pharmacist. 1967 Frank C.Wodarczyk, Mountain Top, Pa., died July 26, 2010. He was a decorated U.S. Air Force veteran and retired business manager for Crestwood Area School District. 1968 Nancy M. (Newel) Orth, Naperville, Ill., died July 3, 2010. She is survived by her husband, Robert Orth ’69. 1969 William David Iveson, Susquehanna, Pa., died Aug. 22, 2010. He worked at BarnesKasson County Hospital for 35 years, mostly as the nursing home administrator for the Skilled Nursing Facility. 1971 Ann Zabresky Tripp, Harveys Lake, Pa., died July 12, 2010. She was a retired elementary school teacher in the Dallas School District. 1973 Patricia (McHale) Sharp, St. Petersburg, Fla., died Nov. 15, 2005. 1977 Suzanne “Suzie” J. (Masloski) Krommes M.S. ’80, Plains Township, Pa., died Aug. 13, 2010. She was a third-grade teacher for 27 years at St. Mary’s Byzantine Parochial School,Wilkes-Barre. 2001 Colleen O’Donnell, Bethlehem, Pa., died Feb. 2, 2007. Graduate Students 1980 Suzanne “Suzie” J. (Masloski) Krommes M.S. see 1977. 2002 Anne Marie Lohin M.S., Kingston Township, Pa., died July 6, 2010. She was a teacher at Gate of Heaven School in Dallas, Pa. 2006 Marylynn Profeta M.S., Dingmans Ferry, Pa., died Feb. 17, 2010. She was an art teacher at DelawareValley Middle School in Westfall Township, Pa. Mary Beth Shields M.S., Forty Fort, Pa., died Aug. 6, 2010. She taught English for 37 years in the Lake-Lehman School District. She was also the high school librarian and head of the English Department. 2008 Karen A.Voitek Dewey Kaminski Pharm.D., Chetek, Wis., died June 27, 2010. She was employed by Dr. Michael Rakelwicz, Dr. Peter Feinstein, Allied Services and Wal-Mart Pharmacy. WILKES | Fall 2010 1947 Ruth Lee (Shouldice) Hendershot, Houston,Texas, died Aug. 28, 2010. She was a medical technologist at Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, N.Y. 25 �report of gifts E L E VAT I N G W I L K E S T O GREATNESS WILKES | Winter 2010 REPORT OF GIFTS | Gifts Received June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2010 26 �report of gifts TABLE OF CONTENTS 28 Giving by Constituency TRUSTEES AND TRUSTEE EMERITI UNIVERSITY FAMILY COMMUNITY BUSINESSES AND FOUNDATIONS FRIENDS 32 Giving by Class CLASS OF 1938 THROUGH CLASS OF 2009 REPORT OF GIFTS KEY The John Wilkes Society PLATINUM ASSOCIATES $500,000 or more DIAMOND ASSOCIATES 43 Senior Class Gift 44 The Marts Society 45 Endowed Named Scholarships 47 The John Wilkes Society $250,000 - $499,999 HONORARY ASSOCIATES TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES $10,000 - $99,999 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE $5,000 - $9,999 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE $2,500 - $4,999 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES $1,000 - $2,499 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE $500 - $999 BLUE CIRCLE $250 - $499 FARLEY ASSOCIATES $100 - $249 CONTRIBUTORS Up to $99 ©2010 Published by the Development Division of Wilkes University. We regret any omissions or errors contained within this report. Due to the number of generous donors, some names may have mistakenly been missed. If you should find an error or omission, please direct the corrections to Evelyne Topfer, Director of Advancement Operations, at (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4309 or evelyne.topfer@wilkes.edu. STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FROM OPERATIONS TOTAL Revenues and other support Tuition and fees Less scholarship aid Net tuition and fees $ $ $ 83,484,765 (23,238,034) 60,246,731 Government grants and contracts Private grants and contracts Private gifts Sales and services of auxiliary enterprises Income from interest and dividends Other revenue Endowment income designated for current operations Net assets released from restrictions Total revenues and other support $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 3,220,082 692,381 1,327,374 9,356,727 462,275 1,135,381 1,675,095 — 78,116,046 Expenses Instruction Research Public service Academic support Student services Institutional support Auxiliary enterprises Total expenses $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 37,789,431 1,297,158 928,454 5,823,403 9,933,507 14,500,184 5,933,604 76,205,741 Increase (decrease) in net assets from operating activities $ 1,910,305 WILKES | Winter 2010 $100,000 - $249,999 27 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CONSTITUENCY GIVING BY CONSTITUENCY TRUSTEES AND TRUSTEE EMERITI The Eugene Farley Club • • • Frank M. Henry Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Gerald A. Moffatt ’63 Steven P. Roth ’84 Norman E.Weiss The John Wilkes Society HONORARY ASSOCIATES John M. Cefaly, Jr. ’70 GOLD CIRCLE TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Shelley Freeman ’82 Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour John S. Kerr ’72 Michael J. Mahoney Melanie Maslow Lumia John R. Miller ’68 William R. Miller ’81 William A. Perlmuth ’51 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Arnold S. Rifkin Eugene Roth ’57 Susan Weiss Shoval William H.Tremayne ’57 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Daniel J. Cardell ’79 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Chuck Cohen Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Dorothy Darling Mangelsdorf Michael I. Gottdenker David Greenwald ’66 Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Marjorie H. Marquart George J. Matz ’71 Robert A. Mugford ’58 Stephen Sordoni PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Denise Schaal Cesare ’77 Patricia S. Davies Richard L. Pearsall Virginia P. Sikes WILKES | Winter 2010 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Robert A. Bruggeworth ’83 Esther Baum Davidowitz Jeffrey Davidowitz Jerome R. Goldstein George G. Pawlush ’69 Richard M. Ross, Jr. Joseph J. Savitz ’48 BLUE CIRCLE Robert A. Fortinsky FARLEY ASSOCIATES Elizabeth A. Slaughter ’68 UNIVERSITY FAMILY Faculty, Staff and Emeriti • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Stanley B. Kay FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Bernard W. Graham PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Jean Reiter Adams ’78 Paul S. Adams ’77 Loren D. Prescott, Jr. JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Jeffrey R. Alves Thomas J. Baldino Anne Heineman Batory ’68 Christopher N. Breiseth Angela M. Buckley Sandra Sarno Carroll Bonnie C. Culver Jane M. Elmes-Crahall Edward F. Foote Wilbur F. Hayes Patricia Boyle Heaman ’61 Robert J. Heaman Edwin L. Johnson ’50 Susan Dantona Jolley J. Michael Lennon Anthony L. Liuzzo Blake L. Mackesy Donald E. Mencer James L. Merryman Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson ’93 Paul A. O’Hop John L. Pesta John G. Reese James P. Rodechko Mark D. Stine Nancy A.Weeks M‘09 Mirko Widenhorn Michael J.Wood Margaret A. Zellner ’74 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Louise M. Berard Jack J. Chielli ‘08 Harold E. Cox Ellen R. Flint J. Bartholomay Grier ‘02 Kristen Dulick Hartzell ‘06 Vincent A. Hartzell Harvey A. Jacobs ’72 Thomas W. Jones ’70 Camille O. Kaschak Arthur H. Kibbe Barbara E. King ’81 Thomas E. Messinger GOLD CIRCLE Bruce E. Phair ’73 Kenneth A. Pidcock Anne Aimetti Thomas ’70 Thomas J.Thomas, Jr. ’86 BLUE CIRCLE Brian L. Bogert Robert W. Bohlander Robert S. Capin ’50 Joyce Victor Chmil ’87 Lance Costello ’96 James F. Ferris ’56 Joan Zaleski Ford ’75 Frank R. Hughes ’84 Susan J. Malkemes ’95 Barbara Rosick Moran ’84 Brian Redmond ’97 M‘07 Philip G. Simon Michael J. Speziale M’78 William B.Terzaghi Deborah R.Tindell John H.Tindell C. Reynold Verret FARLEY ASSOCIATES Hisham A. Abu-Nabaa ’96 Charles E. Balasavage Daniel A. Batzel ’83 Janine M. Becker M’91 KarenBeth H. Bohan Scott Bolesta ‘00 Alicia M. Bond Carol A. Bosack-Kosek ’80 Janice Broyan Melissa E. Bugdal ‘09 Henry Castejon Theresa Cochran Gabrielle Lamb D‘Amico ‘04 Diane T. Duda Amy L. Edwards Edward R. Elgonitis Mahmoud H. Fahmy Dean F. Frear Judith Rodda Gardner ’71 Robert S. Gardner ’67 Cherylynn Petyak Gibson ’71 Victoria M. Glod ’91 Linda S. Gutierrez Sid P. Halsor Amy E. Hetro Ruth C. Hughes William R. Jones Justin Kraynack Kyle Kreider Judith L. Kristeller James J. Lennox Daniel S. Longyhore ‘02 Joseph W. Mangan William M. Martin Vicki C. Mayk Thomas E. Mazzolla Matthew McCaffrey ’94 Debra L. Meszaros Diane R. Milano Mary E. Miller Julian C. Morales ‘05 Mary Beth Mullen Lisa A. Mulvey Prahlad N. Murthy Barbara L. Nanstiel ’70 Karen O’Boyle Julie L. Olenak ‘01 Michelle Umbra Pearce ’91 R. Gregroy Peters Lauren Y. Pluskey ‘06 M’10 Kristine Erhard Pruett ’99 M‘06 Gerald C. Rebo Philip Rizzo Harold W. Roberts ’76 Marie Roke-Thomas ’83 Maria E. Roman Robert D. Seeley Helenmary M. Selecky Frank J. Sheptock Cherie Soprano ’87 Peter Stchur, Jr. ’66 John T. Sumoski Howard A. Swain Donna S.Talarico ‘00 Betty L.Taylor Wagiha A.Taylor Sharon G.Telban ’69 Craig P.Thomas Joanne A.Thomas Rhoda B.Tillman Stephen J.Tillman Rebecca H.Van Jura Diane E.Wenger Antoinette Rajchel-Wingert ’89 Philip L.Wingert Ge Xiao CONTRIBUTORS Debra A. Archavage Karen Atiyeh ‘07 Christopher G. Barrows Barbara N. Bellucci ’69 Joseph T. Bellucci Loretta L. Bilder Susan C. Biskup Kimberly D. Bower-Spence Coley Burke ’10 Mary R. Byrne Gene A. Camoni ’74 Ann Marie Carey David R. Carey ’83 Eleanor L. Carle * 28 Deceased �GIVING BY CONSTITUENCY * Glenn J. Lupole Douglas R. Macbeth Patricia A. Mangold Philip A. Marino ’80 Frank J. Matthews Amy A. Mbye Mary F. McManus Lyndi L. Moran Eileen M. Musselman ‘04 Fred R. Nichols Michaelene S. Ostrum Martha J. Parise Krina H. Patel Mary Beth Patterson Amy M. Patton M‘07 Kerry A. Patton Brigid E. Peet M‘08 Anne Straub Pelak M’98 Margaret M. Petty Michael J. Pitoniak Walter A. Placek ’61 Kathleen S. Poplaski Donna Pudlosky Porzucek ’66 Ellen Krupack Raineri ’82 Theresa A. Rallo Thomas J. Regna, Jr. ‘02 Lisa A. Reilly Sandra A. Rendina ’87 Marianne Scicchitano Rexer ’85 Lisa E. Reynolds Karen A. Riley Joy B. Rinehimer Gisele R. Romanace Jacqueline L. Ruane Theresa A. Rule Anita V. Ruskey ‘03 Tricia M. Russell Debbie J. Rutkoski Ellen Rutkowski Roland C. Schmidt Anthony M. Schwab ’76 Patricia L. Searfoss Herbert B. Simon Genevieve M. Singer Anne Marie Smith Karen A. Space Alexander Sperrazza ‘08 William H. Sterling Robert S. Swetts Romaine Szafran Robert J.Tarud ‘08 Vicki S.Temple Jennifer J.Thomas Joann Tomko Evelyne Topfer Marleen Troy Mildred Urban Jason W.Wagner ‘09 Mary Ann Wanyo Mary L.Watkins Anita Miller Williams ’75 Ernest D.Williams, III ‘04 Eric A.Wright Cheryl M.Yustat Michele L. Zalno M‘07 Jean M. Zampetti Karena Zdeb ‘07 COMMUNITY BUSINESSES AND FOUNDATIONS • • • The John Wilkes Society Honorary Associates Cushman & Wakefield Inc. TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Anonymous George I. Alden Trust Black Horse Foundation Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross NEPA CVS Charitable Trust Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. Entercom Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton LLC Guard Foundation Intermetro Industries Corporation KPMG, L.L.P. Liberty Mutual Mahoney Family Foundation Maslow Family Foundation McCole Foundation Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Northeast PA American Society of Highway Engineers Sandy & Arnold Rifkin Charitable Foundation Rim Freeman Family Foundation Max & Tillie Rosenn Foundation Schuylkill Energy Resources Inc. Sordoni Foundation Wachovia Bank Foundation Walgreens Company The Weininger Foundation The Willary Foundation Board William G. McGowan Charitable Fund Wolters Kluwer FOUNDER’S CIRCLE The Albert Family Charitable Fund of Luzerne Foundation Borton-Lawson Engineering Cohen Family Charitable Trust James & Florence DePolo Family Foundation Geisinger Foundation Gottdenker Foundation Guard Insurance Group Frank Martz Coach Company PPL John & Josephine Thomas Foundation BOARD OF TRUSTEES Robert A. Bruggeworth ’83 Michael Brewster Daniel J. Cardell ’79 Terrence W. Casey ’82 John M. Cefaly, Jr. ’70 Denise S. Cesare ’77 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Charles F. Cohen Douglas Colandrea ’88 Jeffrey Davidowitz Shelley Freeman ’82 Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Michael I. Gottkdenker David Greenwald ’66 Jason D. Griggs ’90 William A. Hanbury ’72 John S. Kerr ’72 Carol Kotlowski Keup ’89 Milan S. Kirby Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Dan F. Kopen ’70 Melanie Maslow Lumia Michael J. Mahoney Dorothy Darling Mangelsdorf Marjorie H. Marquart George J. Matz ’71 John R. Miller ’68 William R. Miller ’81 Gerald A. Moffatt ’63 Robert A. Mugford ’58 George G. Pawlush ’69 M’76 Hedy Rittenmeyer ’72 Steven P. Roth ’84 Susan Weiss Shoval Jay S. Sidhu M’73 Virginia P. Sikes Elizabeth A. Slaughter ’68 TRUSTEE EMERITI Richard L. Bunn ’55 Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Esther B. Davidowitz Pattie S. Davies Robert A. Fortinsky Jerome R. Goldstein Frank M. Henry Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Richard L. Pearsall William A. Perlmuth ’51 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Arnold S. Rifkin Richard M. Ross, Jr. Eugene Roth ’57 Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald LLP Scranton Area Foundation Inc. PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Bergman Foundation Berkshire Asset Management Inc. Joseph J. Savitz ’48 Stephen Sordoni William H. Tremayne ’57 Norman E. Weiss ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Paul S. Adams ’77 Jeffrey A. Bauman ’09 Ben Beidel, Student Government President Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72, President Cynthia Charnetski ’97, Secretary Karen Bednarczyk Cowan ’96 Fred Demech, Jr. ’61, 1st Vice President John H. Ellis, IV ’79 J.J. Fadden ’98 Roya Fahmy ’83 Sarah Frable, Student Alumni Association President Stephen Gruver, Senior Class President Ellen Stamer Hall ’71 Charles F. Jackson ’51 Allyn C. Jones ’60 Jill Kalariya ’10 Clayton J. Karambelas ’49 Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Kristin M. Hake Klemish ’04 Richard L. Kramer ’67 Rosemary LaFratte ’93, MBA ’97, 2nd Vice President Ruth McDermott-Levy ’82 Ronald N. Miller ’93 William R. Miller ’81 Anita Mucciolo ’78 George G. Pawlush ’69, MS’76 Kristine Pruett ’99, MS’06, Faculty/Staff Representative Ali E. Qureshi ’96 Mark A. Rado ’80 Thomas N. Ralston ’80 Charles W. Robinson ’57 Steven P. Roth ’84 David M. Sborz ’09 Louis F. Steck ’55 Donna Talarico ’00 Bill Tarbart ’70 Deborah Tindell, Faculty/Staff Representative Margery Fishman Ufberg ’69 Lacee Wagaman ’10 Blue Cross of Northeastern PA The Citizen’s Voice Commemorative Brands Inc. Creative Business Interiors Davidowitz Foundation ExxonMobil Foundation First National Community Bank Foundation for Independent Colleges WILKES | Winter 2010 James M. Case James G. Ceccoli John E. Cecere Samira T. Chamoun Debra Prater Chapman ’81 Cynthia J. Chisarick Elizabeth Shultz Conklin ‘01 Sharon Cosgrove Camille Daniels Lorna Coughlin Darte ’52 John Dellegrotto Diane H. Demchak Susan L. DiBonifazio Michelle Diskin ’95 Lori Vagnarelli Drozdis ’89 Deborah L. Dunn Thomas Dunsmuir Maria T. Dwyer Paula M. Eddy Janelle A. Edwards Michael L. Elias ‘09 Colette M. Elick ’93 Linda S. Elmy Margaret A. Espada Joanne M. Fasciana Steve G. Felter ‘09 Michael Fox ‘06 Bernadette C. Frail Susan M. Frank Holly Pitcavage Frederick ’93 Michele D. Garrison Mary L. Gillespie Maria Grandinetti ‘08 Kenneth L. Hanadel Michael P. Hardik Vernon B. Harper Crystal L. Harris ‘00 Patricia Harvey Harrison ‘00 Leona J. Hartland Dale T. Hazlak Lynda M. Heffernan Pamela M. Hoffman Kathleen Moran Houlihan ’95 Susan Matley Hritzak ’81 Karen M. Kaleta ‘09 Ben-David Kaminski Kimberly Escarge Keller ’95 John A. Koch Mary Ann Koch Lawrence M. Kopenis ’88 Anne Marie Kopetchny Pamela L. Koslosky Renee A. Kotz ‘05 Joseph M. Kultys ’87 Dorothy Price Lane ’85 Jonathan G. Laudenslager ’99 Terence J. Laughlin ‘03 Laine Lawson Alice Ting Lee ’85 Christopher T. Leicht Vee Ming Lew Shaun M. Love Karen I. Lucas • report of gifts Deceased 29 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CONSTITUENCY General Electric Foundation Golden Business Machines Inc. Hirtle, Callaghan & Company Lamar Companies One Source Staffing Solutions PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Robert A. Mugford Family Fund of the Luzerne Foundation PDQ Print Center Polish Room Committee Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club WILKES | Winter 2010 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Advanced Motion Control Baltimore Family Foundation Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson Brennan Electric Inc. Carpenters Local Union #514 Choice One Community Federal Credit Union Chuck Robbins Sporting Goods The Commonwealth Medical College DS Machining LLC Educational Opportunity Centers Flack Family Fund of the Luzerne Foundation Friedman Family Charitable Fund of the Luzerne Foundation Frontier Communications Inc. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Staff Goldstein Family Foundation Highland Associates International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union 163 Keystone College King’s College Luzerne County Community College M&T Charitable Foundation Marywood University Mericle Commercial Real Estate Misericordia University N.R.G. Controls North Inc. Northeast PA Paint & Decorating Northeastern PA Cardiology Associates PNC Bank PA Society of Public Accounts, NE Chapter Penn Millers Insurance Co. Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company Power Engineering Corporation Prudential Financial Tambur Family Foundation Kenneth & Caroline Taylor Family Foundation Pepsi Bottling Group PG Energy Troy Mechanical Inc. Brian & Megan Thomas of the First Hand Foundation University of Scranton Penn State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus Bill & Sandy Williams Fund of the Luzerne Foundation Wyoming Valley Health Care System Wyoming Valley Motors The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE First Liberty Bank & Trust Gertrude Hawk Chocolates The Lion Brewery Inc. Montage Agency Inc. Plains Rotary Club Professional Anesthesia Providers Shoval Foundation TCI America Tobyhanna Army Depot Federal Credit Union Twin City Builders Inc. Herman Yudacufski Charitable Foundation Tommy’s Pizza Corner Westmoreland Club WyomingValley Benefits Fund of the Luzerne Foundation Mr. & Mrs.William B. Sordoni Mr. Joseph J. Rothermel Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Saidman Mr. & Mrs. John Tarone Mrs. Barbara Weisberger Mr. & Mrs. Paul C. Zukoski TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES BLUE CIRCLE Mr. & Mrs. John P. Kearney Dr. Stephen Wartella, Jr. Mrs. Barbara Allan Ms. Jane Cokely Ms. Kathleen Jordan Senator & Mrs. Charles D. Lemmond, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Richard Maslow Attorney George A. Spohrer Mr. & Mrs. Joseph E. Wierzbicki Mr. Joseph Zukoski • • • The John Wilkes Society PLATINUM ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES Brucelli Advertising Company Inc. Ceco Associates Inc. Cerebronix LTD Cintas Fire Protection Colours Inc. Delta Electrical Systems Inc. Eastern Penn Supply Company Erwine’s Home Health Care Inc. Fabian Masonary & Construction Futuristic Innovative Graphics Independent Graphics Inc. Kranson Clothes Co. Lefkowitz Family Foundation Lehighton Electronics Lightspeed Technologies Inc. Northern Light Espresso Bar & Cafe Northeast Eye Specialists PC Personal Health Services Inc. Phils Sunoco Service Station Dr.V. Prabu Dev & Associates Riverview Urologic Associates Roto Rooter Sewer Service SRC Inc. Thomas J. Patersen Plumbing & Heating Tri-County Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine PA Trion Industries Inc. Voitek T.V. & Appliances Inc. White Transit School Buses Inc. BLUE CIRCLE Blasi Printing Company The Brickman Group Ltd Tony Drust Painting & Wallcovering First National Bank of Berwick Keystone Automation Martin-Rogers Associates McCarthy Flower Shops National Philanthropic Trust DAF New Era Technologies Inc. Northeastern Pennsylvania Technology Council A. Pickett Construction Inc. Pilgrim Tours & Travel Inc. R.J.Walker Company Schutt Reconditioning/ Circle Division Service Electric Cable TV Superior Distributors FRIENDS CONTRIBUTORS Bear Creek Marketing LLC Center for Diagnostic Imaging Econo Lodge File Vault Storage & Services Inc. Gerrity’s Supermarket Inc. Joseph P. Gilroy Real Estate Kingston Amusement Co. Inc. Lehman Power Equipment Leo’s Sons Inc. Lonstein Law Office Lord & Taylor Mr. P’s Potato Pancakes Joseph & Linda Scopelliti Charitable Trust Shades Unlimited Skiro’s Lawn & Garden Center FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Mr. & Mrs. Albert G. Albert Mr. & Dr.Andrew J. Sordoni, III PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Mrs. Grace J. Kirby Culbertson Mr. & Mrs. Stanley S. Davies Mr. Charles M. Roszko FARLEY ASSOCIATES JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Mrs. Sandra Bernhard Dr. Steven D. Boggs Dr. & Mrs. Christopher N. Breiseth Ms. Ann Brennan Mrs. Lissa Bryan-Smith Mr.Thomas J. Deitz Mrs. Josephine Eustice Mr. & Mrs. Charles Flack, Jr. Mr. Sidney Friedman Attorney Richard M. Goldberg Mr. & Mrs. R.Wensell Grabarek Mr. & Mrs. Carmen E. Hagelgans Dr. & Mrs. Richard A. Hiscox Attorney Jeffrey Lowenthal Mr. & Mrs.Thomas J. Mack, Jr. Mr. Edward Mailander Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Meuser Mrs. Barbara Davenport Neville Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. O’Hop Mrs.Trudy Piatt Mr. John G. Reese Mr. & Mrs. E.V. Russ Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Silberman Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Simonis Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Stanitski Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb Mr. Larry I.Taren Ms. Patricia Zukoski The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Attorney & Mrs. Jerry Chariton Mr. John N. Conyngham, III Dr. Steven R. Kafrissen Mrs. Janet Mattei Mr. & Mrs. Michael C. Ott Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Pareene Attorney Jonathan Pressman & Sally Jane Poblete Mrs. Phyllis A. Badman Mr. & Mrs. Leroy M. Benson Mr. & Mrs. Peter Q. Bohlin Ms. Stacey E. Bosher Ms. Patricia F. Bridges Mr. & Mrs. Francis Califano Mr. & Mrs. Neil J. Cassel Mrs. Aleta C. Connell Mrs. Ann M. Coughlin Mr. Frank Crosby Mr. & Mrs.Anthony DiMichele Mr. & Mrs. Robert T. Doble Ms. Sandra A. Dols Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Dougherty Ms. Judith Drake Dr. David L. Dunner Ms. Phyllis Eckman Mr. & Mrs. Barry D. Evans Mr. & Mrs. Robert Evans Dr. & Mrs. Mahmoud H. Fahmy Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Federici Mr. & Mrs. John Felondis Dr. & Mrs. John C. Gaudio Dr. & Mrs. Robert J. Gibbons Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Good Ms. Kim N. Good Honorable & Mrs. Joseph Halesey Ms. Dorothy Harris Mr. & Mrs. Carl T. Hedden Mr. & Mrs. Charles Herring Attorney & Mrs. David Hiscox Mr. & Mrs.Thomas W. Hobbs Mr. John A. Horner Mr. & Mrs. David P. Hourigan Mr. & Mrs. Sandy Insalaco Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Kinney Dr. & Mrs. C.W. Koehl, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Koplin Ms. Christine Kroptavich Mr. Steven B. Libenson * 30 Deceased �GIVING BY CONSTITUENCY CONTRIBUTORS Ms. Anna Ahnert Ms. Loretta Ahnert Ms. Sophie Albert Ms. Donna L. Allan Mr. Anthony D. Alu Mrs. Cheryl Amirault Mr. & Mrs. Richard W.Anastasi Mr. Benjamin J. Andrews Mr. & Mrs. Robert Angeli Ms. Claire Armstrong Mr. Joseph Austin & Family Ms. Jane Azzaretti Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Bailey Mr. Jeffrey B. Bailey Ms. Sara Barakat Ms. Janette M. Bauer Ms.Vicki Beames Mr. & Mrs. Louis L. Beane Mr. John Beck Mr. & Mrs. David Beidleman Mr. Fred Bernard Mr. & Mrs. Dennis J. Bieryla Mr. & Mrs. Greg A. Bonczkowski Mr. & Mrs.Will Brockman Ms. Carolee S. Brynes * Ms. Regina M. Burchfield Ms. Amanda Bynes Ms. Rosemarie Candelli Ms. Sally Candelli Mr. & Mrs. Bernie Carlson Ms. Diane Carlton & Mr. Scott Van Arsdale Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cerutti Mr. & Mrs. James E. Chiucci Dr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Chollak, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John A. Ciglinsky Mr. & Mrs. James J. Cirilli Ms. Margaret Clare Mr. & Mrs. Bryan Clark Attorney & Mrs. Jerome Cohen Mr. & Mrs. Charles E. Comer Ms. Sally Connor Mr. & Mrs. Sherman Conrad Mr. & Mrs. Jan Cooper Mr. & Mrs. John P. Corcoran Mr. & Mrs. Duane G. Grouse Mr. & Mrs. David W. Datz Ms. Marie Dettmore* Mrs. Dorothy DiMauro Mr. & Mrs.William Doss Mr. & Mrs. Donald K. Douglas, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John E. Edler, III Mr.Warren J. Edwards, Sr. Mr. Chase D. English Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Evans Mr. & Mrs.William M. Falzone Ms. Cindy L. Fedor Mr. & Mrs. Jay Fetterman Ms. Beth Fissel Attorney & Mrs. Daniel Flannery Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Frankenfield Dr. & Mrs. Louis J. Freedman Ms. Sandra Gaisford Mr. & Mrs. Dino L. Galella Mr. & Mrs. James J. Gallagher Ms. Jacqueline N. George Mr. & Mrs.Thomas Gleason Mr. & Mrs. Fidel Gonzales Mrs. Helen Gordon Mr. & Mrs. Robert Goulstone Mr. & Mrs. George Graham Ms. Phyllis C. Hadley Ms.Theresa Hall Ms. Maureen Harkins Mr. Kyle Harris Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth H. Hayden Mr. Stephane J. Henry Ms. Mary J. Herman Mr. & Mrs. James E. Hetzel Mr. & Mrs. James Hill, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Jay B. Hill Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Hiscox Ms. Erica C. Hoot Mr. & Mrs. Jason L. Howard Mr. & Mrs. Roger Howells Mrs. Deborah L. Hritzak Ms. Sylvia Hughes Dr. Edward W. Hummers Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Hunter Mr. & Mrs. Sam Hurlburt Mr. & Mrs. Eric F. Husted Ms. Grace H. Johns Attorney & Mrs. Ralph J. Johnston, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Dwight D. Jones Mr. James L. Jones, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. James L. Jones Mr. & Mrs.Thomas R. Jones Mr. & Mrs. Duane T. Joyce Mr. Ben-David Kaminski Mr. Brian S. Keeler Mr. Joseph F. Kelly Mr. & Mrs. David C. Kemp Mr. David E. Klock Mr. & Mrs. Justin Knesis Ms. Catherine Kobeski Mr. & Mrs. Robert Kopp Ms. Jane Koppe Ms. Evelyn B. Kozmiski Mr. Karl Kritzberger Mr. & Mrs. Sol Kutner Mr. & Mrs. Stanley A. Lalonde, Jr. Ms. Sylvia Lane Mr. & Mrs.Thomas J. Langan Ms. Sheryl Laroi Ms. Laine Lawson Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Leathers Mr. & Mrs. Eric Lee Mrs. Sandra Leggieri Mr. & Mrs. Michael Levin Ms. Meral Libenson Mr. & Mrs. John Lisnik Dr. Maravene S. Loeschke Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Loomis Dr. & Mrs. Edward Lottick Ms. Lorraine Lupini Mr. & Mrs. Joseph M. Macey Jr. Ms. Catherine Madigan Ms. Diana Mason Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Massey Mr. Richard Mayer Mr. & Mrs. David M. McBratney Ms. Colleen McBride Mr. & Mrs. James G. McErlean Ms. Nancy Hagan McLaughlin Mr. & Mrs. John Meischeid Ms. Helen Metzger Mrs. Naomi Meyer Mr. Francis A. Michael Mr. & Mrs.Terry A. Millard Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Mlynarczyk Mr. & Mrs. Kurt R. Mohns Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Moore Mr. Joseph J. Mosier Ms. Maureen Murphy Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Nadeau Mr. Henry G. Nadeau Mr. & Mrs. Michael Nadzen Mr. & Mrs. Joseph R. Nardone, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. David J. Nelson Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Nicolosi Ms. Mary Ellen Nieman Ms. Gail Niles Ms. Sheridan Herring O’Hara Mr. & Mrs.Terrace O’Hara Mr. & Mrs.Thomas J. O’Hara Ms. Nancy O’Donnell Mr. & Mrs. Philip W. Oehler Mr. & Mrs. Bill Osterhout Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Padula Mrs. Rena J. Pallo Mr. & Mrs. Evan Parry Mr.William Parry Ms. Jennifer K. Paul Ms. Barbara Peggs Ms. Susan A. Peggs Mr. & Mrs. Michael M. Perry Ms. Rosanna Peterson Mr. & Mrs. Fred C. Petri Mr. & Mrs. Frank E. Piontek Mr. & Mrs. Dave Platt Mr. Michael L. Popson Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Poust Ms. Kathleen Quinn Ms. Paulette L. Rawdon Ms. Bette A. Reisthoffer Mr. & Mrs. F. Joseph Reubens Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Rhine Ms. Maria T. Rinaldo Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Rivers Mr. & Mrs. Rowland Roberts Ms. Elizabeth Rodack Ms. Marla M. Rogers Attorney & Mrs. Harold Rosenn Mr. & Mrs. Alvin Rothstein Mrs. Marilyn C. Rudolph Mr. & Mrs. Martin P. Russ Ms. Barbara Ryan Mr. Curtis Salonick Attorney Samuel Sanguedolce Mr. Albert H. Sarkas Ms. Lori Scarano Ms. Barbara Schaeffer Mr. Donald R. Schaeffer Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Schaeffer Mr. Roland C. Schmidt Mrs. Stella Schub Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Scott Mr. & Mrs. James B. Scott Mr. & Mrs. Michael Seman Mrs. Nancy H. Shafer Drs. Naresh & Mrudula Shah Mr. & Mrs.Timothy W. Shearer Mr. & Mrs.Timothy P. Sheesley Mr. & Mrs. Joseph J. Shields Ms. Bobbie Shurnicki Ms. Elizabeth A. Simon Ms. Frances Sims Ms. Claudette Sirois Ms. Ann D. Smith Mrs. A. Dewitt Smith Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Snyder* Mr. Craig J. Solomon Mr. & Mrs. Dean S. Sommers Dr. John R. Spagnuolo Ms. Joan Spilka Mr. & Mrs. Richard Stanulis Mr. Joseph M. Stepansky Dr.William H. Sterling Mrs. Ann B. Stine Ms. Susan H. Storch Mr. & Mrs. Douglas W. Strange Ms. Bonnie Sulkes Mr. & Mrs. Barry Taback Ms. Rosa Lea Thompson Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Tobias Mr. & Dr. Jack D.Vail, III Mr. Robert T.Vaughn Mr. Daniel P.Voitek Ms. Cherith VonBerg Mr. & Mrs.Todd Vonderheid Mr. & Mrs. Edward K. Vonderlinde Mr. & Mrs. Ed Walkowiak Ms. Elizabeth S.Walter Mr. & Mrs. Bruce A.Weber Mr. & Mrs. Gavin Webster Mrs. Helen Westenheffer Mr. & Mrs. Lewis W.Wetzel Ms. Rose Marie White Mr. Jeffrey L.Whitmer Mr. & Mrs. Larry Whoy Mr.Walter R.Willey Ms. June L.Wood Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Wozniak Ms. Danielle Wysokinski Mr. & Mrs. Herman Ytkin Mr. & Mrs. Paul J. Zaleskie Reverend Robert Zanicky Ms. Marie Zdancewicz Mr. & Mrs. Garry W. Zuber WILKES | Winter 2010 Attorney Paul W. MacGregor Mr. & Mrs.William B. Mang Ms. Anna McGrath Mr. Francis Murray Mr. & Mrs. Raymond F. Nickerson, Jr. Attorney & Mrs. Frank Nocito Ms. Mary Ellen Novick Mr. & Mrs. Shepherd Pawling Ms. Elizabeth J. Peyser Mr. & Mrs. Ronald E. Piller Dr. Philip Rizzo Mrs. Maria E. Roman Mr. Joseph J. Rubino Ms. Anna Rusnak Noon Mr. & Mrs. Neal P. Ryan Mr. & Mrs.William Sayre, Jr. Ms. Penny Jeffra Schwartz Attorney & Mrs. Charles A. Shaffer Mrs. Janet Siegel Ms. Ruth K. Smith Dr. & Mrs. Richard E. Sours Ms. Kathy Stackhouse Mr. & Mrs. John A. Stepansky Mr. Frederick D. Straub Dr. Kara J. Suche Mr. & Mrs. Caesar F. Sweitzer Mr. John Thalenfeld Mr. Joseph Thunell Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Warshal Ms. Patricia Giblin Wolman Mr. & Mrs. Michael W. Zimmerman • report of gifts Deceased 31 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CLASS GIVING BY CLASS CLASS OF 1938 • • • The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Ernest Weisberger5 Charlotte Reichlin Cutler5 Rita Seitchek Dicker Sallyanne Frank Rosenn Charlotte Waters Rowland CLASS OF 1943 CLASS OF 1947 • • • FARLEY ASSOCIATES Harris R. Boyce Joseph V. Pringle Nathaniel W.Trembath Robert Anthony10 Arthur D. Dalessandro Eleanor Krute Hickman1 James M. Hofford Dorothy Wilkes Lewis Clemence A. Scott10 • • • The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS FARLEY ASSOCIATES Betty Woolcock De Witt Mary Hutchko Flanagan10 Harry S. Katz5 John C. Keeney10 Irene Kessler Watkins James P. Flynn Gloria Paczkowski Kabusk George J.Trebilcox5 10 Betty Davidson Braun Marion Martin Frantz CLASS OF 1948 • • • CLASS OF 1944 The John Wilkes Society CLASS OF 1940 • • • FOUNDER’S CIRCLE • • • The John Wilkes Society William H. Rice5 The Eugene Farley Club JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES Louise S. Hazeltine 1,10 Henry C. Johnson10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES CONTRIBUTORS Kathryn Hiscox Quinn5 James B. Aikman5 Leon F.Wazeter CONTRIBUTORS CLASS OF 1941 Beatrice O’Donnell Barrett Ruth Tischler Voelker10 Arthur C.Williams5 The Eugene Farley Club FARLEY ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1945 Irene Sauciunas Santarelli • • • The Eugene Farley Club CONTRIBUTORS FARLEY ASSOCIATES David L. Friedman Carolyn Nagro Lowum Helen Stapleton Schmitt* 5 CONTRIBUTORS CLASS OF 1942 Elizabeth Faint Fell WILKES | Winter 2010 • • • • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES William A. Perlmuth10 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE The John Wilkes Society Herman Baumann10 Miriam Golightly Baumann10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES The Eugene Farley Club Edwin L. Johnson10 Daniel Sherman10 GOLD CIRCLE Robert W. Hall10 Charles F. Jackson5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Albert J. Donnelly10 George F. Fry, Jr. Eugene L. Shaver10 William M.Toplis The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE Don C. Follmer1, 10 John Gresh10 Donald C. Kivler10 Delbert C. McGuire BLUE CIRCLE CONTRIBUTORS Robert J. Dido5 Muriel Bransdorf Mintzer5 William M. Nancarrow Reese E. Pelton CLASS OF 1946 • • • CLASS OF 1949 Stefana Hoyniak Shoemaker10 The Eugene Farley Club • • • FARLEY ASSOCIATES The John Wilkes Society FARLEY ASSOCIATES Jean Lampert Lewis JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Katherine P. Freund10 Joseph G. Sweeney10 CONTRIBUTORS Clayton J. Karambelas10 Edwin M. Kosik10 Miriam Levinson Brand5 Ruth Lewis Joseph G. Bendoraitis Harry R. Hiscox10 • • • Robert S. Capin10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Leonard S. Anthony10 Patricia A. Brady10 Helene Donn Evans10 William L. Evans10 John B. Guerra Nicholas A. Heineman D. Joseph Pelmoter5 Thomas D. Stine10 Vester V.Vercoe, Jr.5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Jean Ditoro Erickson10 Thomas J. Jordan5 Edward H. Lidz10 Reed D. Lowrey Samuel L. Owens10 Elva Fuller Parker10 Lawrence B. Pelesh10 William A. Plummer Robert L.Williams, Jr.5 The Eugene Farley Club CONTRIBUTORS GOLD CIRCLE Edna Sabol Andrews10 Julius Brand5 Albert J. Stratton 32 CLASS OF 1951 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Phyllis Eichler Berger Doris Gorka Bartuska5 Paul F. De Witt Michael Fex, Jr. Ralph F. Hodgson William G. Luetzel Jerome N. Mintzer5 James Morrash5 John J.Verban CLASS OF 1950 The Eugene Farley Club CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS Joseph J. Savitz10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES • • • Thomas M. Gill FARLEY ASSOCIATES • • • CONTRIBUTORS 10 The Eugene Farley Club CLASS OF 1939 Julia Place Bertsch5 Mary Porter Evans5 Barbara Medland Farley10 Lester S. Gross, Jr. Margaret Ashman Hodgson Paul E. Huff Raymond S. Kinback William D. Kiselis Francis B. Krzywicki10 Virginia Meissner Nelson5 Angelo P. Pascucci Marvin Smith Priscilla Sweeney Smith-Matthews10 BLUE CIRCLE 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �GIVING BY CLASS CONTRIBUTORS Elmo J. Begliomini Arthur W. Bloom Norman E. Cromack5 Olin W. Evans Joseph B. Gries George P. Heffernan, Jr.10 William J. Hopkins5 Paul J. Kosteva Charles F.Woodring5 Myron N. Dungey Norman J. Faramelli Leonard Feld5 Charles A. Giunta10 Dolores Roth Karassik Theodore L. Krohn Dorothy Hamaker Roden10 Myra Kornzweig Smulyan10 Leo E. Solomon ’535 David B.Whitney Elsie Giuliani Yarasheski10 Carol Jones Young5 CLASS OF 1952 • • • Joan Wachowski Michalski5 James M. Neveras John S. Prater Robert S. Rydzewski10 Howard L. Updyke Edward E.Yarasheski10 TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1954 William J. Umphred, Sr.10 • • • FARLEY ASSOCIATES Nasser N. Bonheur Robert B. Chase, Jr. Bettijane Long Eisenpreis10 William M. Farish10 Vincent P. Herron, Jr. Thomas J. Lane Richard Murray Andrew J. Oleksy Nancy Morris Phethean5 Charles W. Robinson1, 5 John J. Schultz5 Carl R. Urbanski10 Howard B.Webb, Jr.5 CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS Earl R. Bahl Richard F. Heltzel Beverly Falkinburg Hildebrand Frances Hopkins Jordan Marie Zanowicz Kruska Jean Schraeder Kuchinskas10 Arthur N. Meyer Samuel Charles Mines Patricia Reese Morris Martin J. Novak10 Joseph E. Podlesny Phyllis Walsh Powell10 Robert F. Price Terry Lee Smith Jerome Stein5 John J.Witinski10 Mary Mattey Borgersen Samuel T. Buckman, Jr. John G. Carling5 John J. Chick Janet Jones Crawford10 Naoma Kaufer Feld5 Carl P. Karmilowicz John H. Kuntz Virginia Leonardi Novak10 Carol Hallas McGinley Judith Menegus Deluca Edward J. Milowicki Gerald Minturn10 Marilyn F. O’Connell Joseph W. Oliver Joseph S. Pipan Robert Scally Harold L. Schuler David H.Weber10 Mary Eshleman West Keith Williams Richard E.Wozniak10 Jacqueline M.Young5 William A. Zdancewicz Patricia Stout Williams1, 10 Henry K. Goetzman The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Helen Bitler Ralston10 Theodore R. Angradi Lewis B. Giuliani Elaine Bogan Law Martin J. Meyer Charles T. Reice Rodion J. Russin5 Fred J. Boote10 James F. Ferris10 Clarence C. Givens10 Michael J. Perlmuth Farley Associate J. Louis Bush10 Joseph A. Fattorini, Jr. William G. Hart5 Donald R. Law John J.Yurek CONTRIBUTORS Lorna Coughlin Darte Marilyn Wilkes Dugan Daniel S. Dzury Howard A. Gonchar Louis Polombo Anton R. Popper Chia-In Wang Rutkowski5 George F. Scheers Norma Carey Vale CLASS OF 1953 CONTRIBUTORS Thomas R. Adams10 Anita Gordon Allen James T. Atherton John J. Frankosky Thomas J. Goblick Barry J. Iscovitz Carl Karassik Katherine Goetzman Peckham10 June E. Stevens10 John B.Vale Albert J.Wallace10 CONTRIBUTORS The John Wilkes Society Dolores Pietroski Cackowski Mary Zavatski Croce5 Henry W. Deibel Helen Stoeckel Hessler5 Basia Mieszkowski Jaworski5 Nancy Batcheler Juris Dorcas Younger Koenigsberger Sarah Harvey Masloski Chester H. Miller, Jr. Benjamin Omilian Charles Petrilak Lois Jones Petrilak David T. Shearer • • • The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club PLATINUM ASSOCIATES BLUE CIRCLE Paul J. Arthur* James W. Dull10 Judith Hopkins The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE FARLEY ASSOCIATES Joseph J. Kropiewnicki1, 10 Cledwyn Pearce Rowlands Howard E. Ennis, Jr.10 Arthur E. Imdorf Dorothy E. Istvan10 John J. Kearney10 Mary Kozak Motsavage10 David Rosser10 Louis F. Steck1 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Constance Smith Andrews Fay Jaffe Berg10 Philip D. Husband5 George McMahon Frank M. Radaszewski Stephen C.Thomas5 Sandor Yelen 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased Marianna Kraynack Banash George H. Batterson Clifford R. Brautigan5 Gail Laines Chase Younsu Koo David B. Lucchino Jessie A. Roderick Joan Shoemaker10 Samuel R. Shugar10 John E. Suffren Joseph A. Ungvarsky5 Michael J.Weinberger5 Joseph F.Wilk Paul P. Zavada • • • Dean A. Arvan5 David L. Hoats5 Leo R. Kane5 Richard B. Kent Charles M. Reilly5 Melvin E. McNew10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1955 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES BLUE CIRCLE TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES Earl C. Crispell Paul J. Delmore10 Carol Reynar Hall10 Robert McFadden John A.Wolfkeil The Eugene Farley Club George Ginader10 Josef M. Reese5 The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE • • • JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club Seymour Holtzman5 George Kolesar5 John J. Musto* Marguerite L. Allen Carolyn Goeringer Basler Harry B. Davenport10 William J. Donovan10 Merri Jones Earl10 Emma Minemier Firda Max B. Greenwald Edward J. Heltzel Edmund J. Kotula10 Clarence Michael Theresa Mazzarella Morrow10 Juanita Patience Moss10 Thomas I. Myers5 Mary Craig Pugh10 Melinda Passarelli Sokol Robert A. Sokol Paul J.Tracy10 CLASS OF 1956 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES The John Wilkes Society JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1957 CLASS OF 1958 • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES William I.Williams1, 10 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox10 Robert A. Mugford5 William J. Powell10 The John Wilkes Society JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES David E.Vann Edward McCafferty Lynne Herskovitz Warshal10 The John Wilkes Society JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Kelly J. Mather Peter R. Pisaneschi10 Harold P. Shannon L. Joyce Tremayne10 Salvatore M.Valenti Bruce S.Warshal10 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE CONTRIBUTORS Lawrence E. Cohen10 Aldona Patrick Hojecki Joshua J. Kaufman10 Doris Sadowski Merrill5 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE • • • PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE • • • Eugene Roth ’5710 William H.Tremayne10 CLASS OF 1959 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Frederick J. Hills10 Arnold M. Hoeflich Robert J. Pitel10 BLUE CIRCLE 10 Jesse H. Choper Leslie P.Weiner10 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Vera Wroble Pitel10 Charles J. Gareis Robert C. Morgan10 Paul A. Schecter10 WILKES | Winter 2010 CONTRIBUTORS • report of gifts 33 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CLASS FARLEY ASSOCIATES PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE CLASS OF 1961 Mary Lou Spinelli Casella Robert E. Davis10 Thomas M. Dugan Paul J. Earl10 Martha James Flanigan5 Jane Norton Granitzki10 John P. Karolchyk5 Elisabeth Schwartz King J. Rodger Lewis George S. Morris Chester J. Nocek10 Patricia Yost Pisaneschi10 Larry G. Pugh10 Mary Anchel Sabel Warren W. Schmid Charles A. Sorber10 Robert J.Yokavonus10 Ann Dixon Young Ronald W. Simms5 • • • CONTRIBUTORS FARLEY ASSOCIATES Richard Aston Charles S. Butler10 Donald E. Devans10 Michael R. Dydo James L. Eidam Evald R. Eskilson5 A. Jennie Hill10 Carl F. Juris Paul E. Kanjorski Albert P. Kuchinskas10 Janice Reynolds Longo Joan Grish McSweyn10 Robert B. Payne Lois Betner Pierce George R. Schall10 Robert J. Sestak Robert J.Thomas, Sr. Marianne Levenoskie Van Blarcom10 Robert W.Walters10 Beverly Nagle Barnick5 Thomas Barnick5 Walter J. Grzymski10 Aaron G. Hastie, Jr. Anthony J. Sankus10 Robert J. Sislian Roy H.Vanwhy Raye Thomas Wileman10 Richard R.Wileman10 Raymond G.Yanchus5 CLASS OF 1960 • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Peter W. Perog10 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Connie Yahara Lewis Donald G. Lewis The John Wilkes Society JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Mrs. Emilie Roat Gino10 Evelyn Krohn Holtzman5 Gordon E. Roberts William F. Raub10 GOLD CIRCLE Robert W.Verespy10 BLUE CIRCLE Allyn C. Jones10 Thomas P. Korshalla10 Patricia A. Levandoski10 Joseph N. Molski5 Martin F.Tansy Lawrence P.Williams10 CONTRIBUTORS Donald Barovich Joan Llewellyn Buckman Barbara Bachman Edwards Frank I. Edwards* John M. Evans Virginia Lyons Hoesl10 Patricia A. Krull10 Marilyn Warburton Lutter10 Frank L. Mazzeo Judith Weiss Moskow George W. Murdock Edward C. Nelson John D. Phillips10 Donald J. Sabatino10 Andrew R. Sabol10 Judith Ruggere Schall10 R. Dale Wagner Emmanuel J. Ziobro Class Chairs Class Chairs are alumni who promote annual WILKES | Winter 2010 unrestricted giving and offer their thoughts and experiences to Wilkes Fund Appeals to give them a personal touch. If you are interested in Robert F. Cherundolo Bernard H. Cohen Robert E. Herman Brent J. O’Connell Joseph W. Raksis10 Daniel Zeroka BLUE CIRCLE JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Fred R. Demech, Jr. Henry A. Greener5 Nancy Rosenfeld Greener5 Patricia Boyle Heaman John Walter Kluchinski5 Nancy Jane Carroll Kolesar5 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Shirley Hitchner Davis Dorothy J. Ford10 Jay P. Keller10 Christopher H. Loesch, Jr.10 BLUE CIRCLE Gill Ho Bai Albert R. Stralka10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Philip J. Amico10 Marvin A. Antinnes Marie Honcharik Basta10 Leonard M. Gonchar Nancy Bonham Hontz Carl J. Meyers10 Donald T. Murphy Patricia Lawless Ryan Frank M. Scutch10 Jule Znaniecki Wnorowski CONTRIBUTORS Martha Menegus Amadio5 Michael Armstrong Louis P. Bierly Norma Wentz Bregen Janice Bronson-Bartlett10 Joseph J. Chisarick5 Ruth Shales Cook Robert L. Dickerson Joseph M. Drozdowski Harry E. Filbert, Jr. Walter J. Folek Robert J. Hewitt Carl J. Holmgren Joseph E. Kratz Margaret Churchill Kuffner5 Robert A. Martin5 Arthur A. Naugle June Patrylak Neff5 Emil J. Petrasek Patricia Capers Petrasek Walter A. Placek Peter F. Samony Beverly Major Schwartz5 Judith Alinikoff Weltman Elizabeth Tubridy Fairchild10 Ruth Boorom Melberger10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Harry Collier10 Miriam Vaskorlis Cooper Canon Gary J. De Hope Janet Simpson Dingman10 Judith Butchko Gallagher10 Ann Znaniecki Grzymski10 Mary Ann Foley Hopkins John A. Hosage5 Stanley J. Karmilovich Vivian Cardoni Katsock5 Albert Kishel Nancy Martin Lynn10 Francis J. Machung John J. Miller5 Joanne Pisaneschi Olejnick10 Rachel Altavilla Winebrake Willard S. Achuff10 Alice Cole Bartlett10 Donald L. Davis Mary Barone Du Mont5 Janice MacDonald Hastie Phyllis Cackowski Kempinski William H. Klein Stuart W. Lawson, Jr.5 Carolyn Draper Lippincott Nancy A. Palazzolo10 Stephen E. Phillips10 Elaine Wishtart Raksis Edward J. Rogalski Stephen Selige John E.Tredinnick10 Joseph Weinkle5 Edward J.Wilk CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS Nancy T. Armstrong Elva Chernow Berger Donald H. Bogert5 Samuel Howard Book Mary E. Brown Audrey Petro Coslett5 Morgan Davis A. John Dimond Wilbur N. Dotter10 Robert L. Evans, Sr.5 Sandra S. Feldman10 Andrew J. Hassay Joyce Medlock Jones5 Thomas Kanas Robert A. King Philip M. Lear Ken Naparsteck David S. Peters William A. Rishko5 Michael Samberg Rena Lewine Schoenfeld Wayne W.Thomas Helen M.Tinsley5 Royal A.Wetzel Carl T.Williams Paul A. Battisti10 Anthony L. Dysleski Regina Ritzie Hoelscher Norman D. James Charles E. Johns10 Gloria Silverman Kasper10 Roy J. Morgan Lynne Stockton Mutart Claire Handler Silverstein Richard R. Snopkowski5 Barbara S. Soyka Geraldine M.Tarantini10 Anne Jamieson Taylor Victor Turoski Gerard J. Zezza, Jr.10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1964 • • • The John Wilkes Society PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Rose M. Boroch Mrs. Mary Kay Barrett Rotert5 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Alan C. Krieger10 CLASS OF 1963 • • • BLUE CIRCLE The John Wilkes Society Nicholas L. Alesandro Jerry A. Mohn10 Rowena Simms Mohn10 Robert T. Bond1, 5 Richard O. Burns Neil Dougherty Leland D. Freidenburg, Jr.10 Daniel J. Lyons10 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE The Eugene Farley Club FARLEY ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1962 GOLD CIRCLE Y. Pluskey ‘06, MBA ’10 at (570) 408-4331 • • • Jane Edwards Bonomo Lillian Bodzio Caffrey or at lauren.pluskey@wilkes.edu. The John Wilkes Society Jeremiah E. Berk10 Erwin F. Guetig10 Adolf L. Herst Gerald A. Moffatt Robert A. Ruggiero5 becoming a class chair, please contact Lauren JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Frank H. Menaker, Jr.10 34 BLUE CIRCLE The Eugene Farley Club 5 The Eugene Farley Club Joseph J. Neetz10 Estelle Manos Sotirhos William E.Watkins 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �GIVING BY CLASS CONTRIBUTORS Frances Corace Anderson Regina Baron Lynne Dente Mary Ann Kish Drey John H. Farrell5 J. Douglas Haughwout Matthew J. Himlin Scott R. Logan C. Michael Manganaro Lorraine Rowland Murdock Wilma Schmalz Nothnagel Stanley Orlowski10 Leslie Stone Peltan Joan Pitnery Peters Ray R. Pisaneschi10 Lana V. Planitzer Barbara Frank Rappaport Virginia Scrimgeour Ravin Vicki Burton Sabol10 Gail Roberts Shemo Richard Shemo John Tensa, Jr. Harold B.Vogt Gerald W.Williams Joseph D.Yeager Barbara A.Yuscavage10 CONTRIBUTORS Kathryn Parsons Alexander Jane Cochran Chambers5 David M. Closterman10 Doris Evans Closterman10 Holly Rapp Cornell Carmaine Crease Marylin C. Davis William E. Davis, Jr. William J. Douglas Dale H. Edwards Rita Dougherty Groves Madelyn Esposito Logan Herbert N. Maier10 Gustave Martin Ruth H. McDermott Michael J. Mostello, Jr. Clare Draper Myers John A. Nork5 Mary Muench Rosencrance Anita Minelli Salerno Judith Sisco Shotwell Carol Weber Silberg Diane Najim Snyder John H. Uhl Carolyn Papucci Weston Charlene Nalbach Yanchik10 Mary Lou Butkoski Zaleski John H. Zielinski • • • The John Wilkes Society JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Catherine De Angelis5 B.William Vanderburg10 Natalie Kowalski Vanderburg10 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Mary Field Grohowski Ronald P. Grohowski Anthony J. Parulis5 BLUE CIRCLE Ronald D. Kosmala Joseph Kutzmas5 Donald W. Ungemah10 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased CLASS OF 1967 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE • • • William W. Stinger CLASS OF 1968 • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES John R. Miller10 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Ronald Piskorik The John Wilkes Society • • • FOUNDER’S CIRCLE JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES The John Wilkes Society Gerard A. McHale, Jr.10 Soni Stein Baltimore Anne Heineman Batory William R. Bush10 Esther Wargo McCormick5 FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Carol Saidman Greenwald5 David Greenwald5 The Eugene Farley Club Grace Jones Kutzmas5 Sheldon W. Lawrence Ruth Partilla Narcum10 Simon S. Russin James J.Vidunas JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES R. Kenneth Hendershot Neil L. Millar5 Richard C. Roshong Gerald F.Weber The Eugene Farley Club Eugene L. Kelleher Walter Narcum10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Alfred M. Airola Carolyn Jenkins Airola Richard L. Bucko John S. Cavallini10 Jeanne Martin Dhavale5 Forrest J. Eichmann W. Marshall Evans10 JoAnn Margolis William M. Pinkowski Susan Evans Pons Peter Stchur, Jr. William Webb Judith Adams-Volpe Leona Sokash Dufour Richard C. Egen Robert S. Gardner Joseph A. Grohowski, Sr. Joan B. Kirschenbaum James M. Mason William C. Perrego5 Peter S. Phillips10 Windsor S.Thomas10 William A.Trethaway Robert Vanderoef Douglas W.Weber Elizabeth Dougherty Wood5 CONTRIBUTORS Daniel Baczkowski Judith Valunas Barr5 Sandra Woolf Bauman Barbara Lewis Cousland Esther Schwartz Dorkin10 Carolynn Yonkin Fuller Alan C. Gamble The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Daniel Klem, Jr.10 Donna Broda Kuliczkowski5 BLUE CIRCLE FARLEY ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES Alfonse S. Bayo Catherine Brader Butler Kent E. Davis Ephraim A. Frankel Sumner H. Hayward Leon E. Obrzut10 Sharon Tormey Everett Donald E. Fredd Theodore J. Gourley Virginia Rome Grabowski Suzanne C. Harkness Richard L. Kramer John F. Lesser Lawrence A. Major Evelyn Morenko Matelski Vernie Shiposh Noecker Barbara Liberasky Nowicki John J. Pilosi Paul P. Purta, Jr. Daniel B. Rosencrance Diane Wynne Shallcross Russell G. Shallcross Alfred S.Wayslow10 Frank C.Wodarczyk CLASS OF 1966 BLUE CIRCLE CLASS OF 1965 Lois Boganovitz Gelb Dwight E. Giles, Sr.5 Carol Mazur Glowzenski5 Robert C. Harding10 E.William Kaylor, Jr. Margaret Gee Kraynanski Lois Lowry Kretsch Carol Poorman Lesser Eugene A. Macur5 Mildred Gross Maier10 Gloria Martin5 Edward P. McGinley Barbara Yannunzio Mostello Donald A. Pahls Carl F. Polnaszek Donna Pudlosky Porzucek Susan Schermerhorn Prior Jay L. Reich Anthony J. Ross William Schneider Jane Jancik Stevens Dolores Barone Straka5 Timothy Swanson, Sr. Suzanne Bellone Timko10 Gerald L.Weisberger Robert L.Weston Mary Zezza5 CONTRIBUTORS Charles L. Aquilina Mark K. Bauman Eugene J. Bonfanti David R. Cowan James H. Davis BLUE CIRCLE David D. Baum10 George E. Collinson10 William G. Cooper10 Joyce Christian Detter Gerald E. Missal5 George J. Sick10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Barry Gold Marilyn Caprione Heffron Glen D. Klinger Robert C. Klotz10 Bernice Luckenbach Doran Lee A. Namey Michael S. Pipan Elizabeth Scholl10 Thaddeus Seymour Wayne A. Sittner Elizabeth A. Slaughter5 Charles W. Snyder5 Paul B. Solomon Helen Dugan Worth Marian Zaledonis Kovacs10 CONTRIBUTORS David P. Baccanari Nicholas Andrew Barna Frederick L. Bauer Judith E. Beyer5 Frederick N. Brown Joseph J. Buziuk, Jr. Richard G. Cantner Beverly Shamun Carey10 Margaret Hoban Dominic Barbara Ann Dorish Vivienne Sun Douglas Nancy Noterman Downing Nancy Leland Frey Eleanor Jachimczak Guzofsky Zdzislawa Paciej Harms5 Malcolm Kintz Harris John J. Helme Stanley R. Houpt Teresa Cushner Hunt5 Palmer Paul Jones Sheila Carr Jones Leslie Marion Lessor Sheryl Napoleon Levy Thomas R. Moretta Patricia Haydt Nitchie Robert T. Noecker Fran D. Olexy Susan Bennett Onze Roberta Van Brunt Rowlands Pauline Farrar Ruckno Judith Labows Sabatino10 Myrna Brodbeck Schaefer Margaret G. Seals Richard Seidel Charles R. Sgarlat Judy Simonson Frank J. Smith Carl G. Sponenberg10 Michael Stefanick10 Donald R. Stroud Anthony J.Turchetti Edward H.Williams CLASS OF 1969 • • • The John Wilkes Society PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE John J. Chopack William F. Ryan, Jr.5 Richard T. Simonson5 Nancy Wanczyk Stinger JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Michael J. Glancey Brian McGrath Nancy Hawk Merryman10 George G. Pawlush5 Cynthia Wisniewski Weber Paul A.Wender10 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Stephen G. Farrar Carol A. Skalski10 Howard Weinberg Joseph C.Wiendl Robert L. Zeglarski5 WILKES | Winter 2010 Dana Saladon Del Bonis Thomas M. Farris John A. Gavenonis10 Clinton G. Hess10 Marguerite Gelli Latinski Sally Cohen Levy Richard A. Morgan5 Bonnie Lewis Turchin10 Peter Winebrake Leonard A.Yankosky, Jr.10 • report of gifts 35 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CLASS BLUE CIRCLE Christopher A. Colovos Dori S. Jaffe5 David Ralston Cynthia West Reed5 James S. Reed5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Bruce O. Brugel10 Robert M. Burnat10 John H. Butler R. Bruce Comstock Nathan G. Fink Ronald J. Gabriel Dennis P. Galli10 John T. Harmer5 George C. Harrison Stewart J. Harry10 Bryn E. Kehrli10 Thomas F. Kelly Joseph G. Kopec Charles A. Kosteva5 John J. Moyer Sigrid Behnke Papademetriou Albert D. Roke10 Rozanne Sandri-Goldin Marjorie Shaffer Victor5 William C. Sherbin10 Donald C. Spruck Leonard E. Strope, Jr.5 Sharon G.Telban Charles J.Tharp Margery Fishman Ufberg10 David C.Williams James E.Wynn Joseph Yozviak10 WILKES | Winter 2010 CONTRIBUTORS 36 Robert W. Ashton Jeannette Spott Barnes5 Ronald Barnick Barbara N. Bellucci Paul Blaise Burry James M. Calderone Sylvia Scalise Ciocci Carol Sladin Clothier10 Thomas R. Fox Donna L. George Margaret Osborne Glass David J. Grandcolas Patricia Demmeo Greenfield Nicole LePochat Hartman Robert J. Holliday Sharon Going Holliday Will Hooper Philip E. Howe Kay L. Huber Edward Janoski David A. Jones Thaddeus M. Kalmanowicz5 Vladimir W. Lecko Ann Alumbaugh McElyea Jean Peters McKeown Lawrence J. McKeown, Jr. Rhoda A. Moses Anthony C. Orsi Eloise Griffiths Orsi Andrea L. Petrasek Thomas M. Richards Virginia Thomas Rinehimer Carlyle Robinson Sheila Schmaltz Scatena Mary E. Shaw Carl J. Siracuse Gail Hadsall Thompson Janet Lutz Thurnau10 Robert C.Thurnau10 Catherine Nielsen Toran Bette Neroda Wells Thomas P.Williams, Jr.10 Carol Womelsdorf5 CLASS OF 1970 • • • The John Wilkes Society PLATINUM ASSOCIATES Margaret Filipkowski Sordoni10 Honorary AssociatesJohn John M. Cefaly, Jr.5 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Susan Ryan Simonson5 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Edward F. Burke J. David Lombardi10 Janet Neiman Seeley10 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Lonnie A. Coombs10 Thomas W. Jones Renee Mucci Klem10 Janice A. Saunders10 Barbara Morrison Squeri John E. Squeri Anne Aimetti Thomas Donna-Su Brown Zeglarski5 Neil M. Seidel5 David S. Silberman10 John A. Sileski Evelyn Rygwalski Snyder5 Bill Tarbart5 William S.Tinney5 Kathleen Lash Weinstein Richard Wetzel10 CONTRIBUTORS Robert C. Artim Nancy Baird Moretta Phyllis Sun Cheng5 Karen Kelly Chepolis10 Anita Rein Coplan James W. Darlington Edward J. Davies, II Joanne Levandoski Falck Ronald W. Faust Lorna Tarnoff Fredd Paul Gore Fred A. Harkins, Jr. David C. Hoffman Anthony J. Honko Adele Jancik Kaschenback Herbert F. Kemp Joseph R. Kolm David W. Kutz10 Joseph A. Lukesh5 Linda Walker Mack Carol Densmore Marascio Marie Denessi Mihalos Sandra Strevell Miller5 Ruth J. Nissley Wendy Badman Sgarlat Kaye Harding Stefanick10 James R.Turley Rosemary D‘Elia Varone CLASS OF 1971 • • • The John Wilkes Society FOUNDER’S CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE Robert J. Conologue Jay H. Goldstein Charles D. Lengle5 John Marfia, Jr. Zygmont A. Pines George J. Matz10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Patricia Mazzeo Lombardi10 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE FARLEY ASSOCIATES Carl J. Babushko James C. Belles5 Dave M. Bogusko Steven Chromey10 Carl L. Cook5 Marilyn Rabel Costanzo10 Phyllis L. Gaydos Susan Trenkamp Harmer5 William C. Johnson Barbara L. Nanstiel Steven J. Newman Judith Cobleigh Ockenfuss5 Robert E. Ockenfuss5 Lee Paige5 Demetrios Papademetriou Stanley M. Pearlman Melvin C. Rogers, Jr. 1 Ellen Stamer Hall J. David Kaschak10 BLUE CIRCLE John R. Deem10 Bonnie S. Gellas Emil F. DiTullio10 Judith Rodda Gardner Cherylynn Petyak Gibson5 Andrew J. Gubanich, Jr. Barbara Roman Knezek10 George H. Knezek, Jr.10 William J. Murphy10 Barbara Ward Nixon10 Judith Potestivo Ogin5 Richard E. Ogin5 William E. Reese5 Marcia Blanco Rizzo10 Kenneth Rosencrance10 William Umbach10 Larry R.Volkel5 Robert R.Walp5 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE CONTRIBUTORS FARLEY ASSOCIATES Mary Nasielski Battista Mary MacArthur Bennett Joann Kondek Brandt Joyce Rother Burlone Charles L. Cappa Chun-wen Chen Richard D. Ciuferri10 Joseph J. Cordora Lorraine Dombroski Cortegerone Susan Staniorski Davis10 Eugene S Domzalski Rita S. Du Brow James F. Fehlinger Sylvia Deusch Geary Alvin Justan Eileen Moniak Kackenmeister Stephen E. Kaschenbach10 Carol Roke Klinetob10 Patricia Bauman Kramer Pauline Kmetz Makowski James B. Marascio Gerald P. McAfee Karen Braun Middleton Daniel T. Powell Dennis J. Puhalla David Reel Bruce A. Sabacek William R. Schultz Della F. Schulz5 Judith Seeherman Dolores Draganchuk Sheppard Wendy Rieder Simko Robert C. Staffa Barbara Perry Tokarz Barbara Young Wagner Eugene H.Wagner, Jr. James C.Weaver10 Nancy Charles Williams10 Harry P. Bielecki Rita Ryneski Borzatti5 Robert A. Byrne Thomas A. Costanzo10 Helene Dainowski10 David A. Furman Walter A. Furman George B. Gettinger Bruce E. Gover Barbara Kish Gubanich Eric D. Hoover G. Garfield Jones, Jr.10 Anthony V. Kleinhans10 Kathryn Ramsey Massey10 Donna Ayers Snelson Enid Sullum Tope10 Richard A.Weinstein10 Theodore T.Yeager10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES James Garofalo10 Alan E. Zellner The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Harvey A. Jacobs10 Michael M. Mariani10 Elizabeth Roche Ward Gary H.Williams10 BLUE CIRCLE Eugene G. Pappas10 CONTRIBUTORS Robert M. Babskie5 Kathryn Bekanich Pamela Bolesta William D. Bordow Lucinda Bryant Mariel Denisco Bufano5 Robert B. Burnside Nancy Button Barbara Aulisio Camoni Richard Chisarick5 Carol Manara Clark Guy J. Comparetta5 Sandra Holl Comparetta5 Alice Hadsall Davis10 Richard J. Davis Frank Dessoye10 Anne Musto-Van Noy Dragon5 Jane A. Firestine5 Jill Yanoshak Gagliardi10 Karen Trevethan Gilmore James A. Gribb10 Clark J. Hamman Peter I. Herbst Suzanne Cox Herstek Michael T. Hughes Patricia Baranoski Jula10 Jacquelyn Van Tuyle Kelly5 Karl E. A. Knoecklein FARLEY ASSOCIATES John C. Baranowski Terry A. Belles Beverly Peirce Berger10 James L. Butkiewicz10 Mary Ellen Fischer Butkiewicz10 Steven T. Case Martin M. Cebula Alfred B. Crake Ellen Arthur Davenport10 Melinda Dawson CLASS OF 1972 • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES John S. Kerr Renate Dargel Kerr FOUNDER’S CIRCLE Attorney Anthony M. Cardinale Laura Barbera Cardinale 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �GIVING BY CLASS CLASS OF 1973 • • • The John Wilkes Society PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE David L. Davis 10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Charles P. Baker The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Robert P. Matley10 Lloyd W. Ortman, Jr.5 Bruce E. Phair Richard L. Berkheiser Irene B. Blum10 James M. Bohnert Janet Mazur Boylan5 Terry G. Bromfield Yvonne Gnatt Casey Patricia Hyzinski Chace Angela Alba Dessoye5 Josephine Schifano Finlayson Barbara Gilotti Connie Sheloski Henry Carol Hussa Mary Burns Jansen Richard N. Jones5 Carol Geiger Kampa Gene G. Kruczek Evelyn Kovalchick Lewis Duncan W. MacIntyre James P. McGinley Denise Goobic Meck Edmund Muskauski Rita Wallace Muskauski Shirley Davis Newhart Margaret Maciun Perkins Barbara Zembrzuski Pisano John R. Pisano Kay Platt John Savitsky Dale T. Stumpp Brenda Ricco Sumski Mary P. Ungvarsky5 Linda Pugsley Ward Matthew M.Wotherspoon Martha Hall Yohe BLUE CIRCLE Nathan R. Eustis, Jr.10 CLASS OF 1974 • • • FARLEY ASSOCIATES The John Wilkes Society Rosemary A. Boland John Dubik10 Lindsay Farley Gettinger Robert D. Goldstein Elizabeth Clements Gover Drew M. Klemish5 Thomas S. Lasky Irvin A. Lebowitz John G. Margo10 Pamela Parkin Murphy10 Paul Niezgoda David L. Ritter10 Felice Oxman Salsburg10 Brenda Schmidt Silberman10 Nancy Fern Snow Thomas R. Steltzer Theodore J.Tramaloni Stephanie Pufko Umbach10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES CONTRIBUTORS Joan Popick Achhammer Deborah Kovalchik Adamchak Nancy D. Adler Alain C. Arnould Donna Piston Aufiero10 Rozanne Levenduski Barton Thomas R. Behmke 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased John J. Kowalchik Margaret A. Zellner The Eugene Farley Club Michael J. O’Boyle10 Elaine Para Pacheco Robert P. Singer Elaine Smith Traynor Angela T.Vauter J. Bruce Weinstock Ann M.Williams CONTRIBUTORS Stephen D. Adamchack, Jr. Linda Scatena Alfano Philip E. Auron5 Doreen Pellegrini Behmke Diane Seltzer Bloss Alfred J. Bradley Michael R. Breakstone Donna Coffin Bresmon Gene A. Camoni Denise H. Chapura Julia K. Chmielowski Joseph C. Damiano10 Charles D. Denkenberger Alexis Waskie Edwards Grace Rinaldi Forlenza Michael G. Hischak Debra Rinken Houck Martin J. Kane Jeffrey D. Katra Trudy L. Kloptosky Marshall I. Kornblatt Michael K. Lane Sharon Kruk Lane Richard H. Lopatto, Jr. Donald W. Ludovici Ann Lyons Nardone Rosemary Petrillo Sarna Marguerite A. Sauer5 Pamela Eggert Schueler Sulochana Gogate Sherman Ronald A. Shuleski Vincent Vespico, Jr. A. Ruth Rinehimer Whalen10 Robert D. Zettle10 GOLD CIRCLE Elizabeth M. Lopez5 Karen Kmietowicz Phair CLASS OF 1975 • • • Gary L. Richwine Michael G. Stambaugh FARLEY ASSOCIATES Ann Dysleski Armstrong Raymond Bartosh Barbara Swandick Duda Brian M. Finn Rebecca Ceresi Grasavage Robert S. Howes, Jr. David C. Kowalek5 Gary M. Kratz Robert B. Milmoe Donald W. Nash Clarence G. Ozgo10 Anne Tracy Patsiokas Stelios Patsiokas Pauline A. Seleski Ann Rapoch Super Joseph J. Szustak Jane E.Thompson5 Nancy Rodda Topolewski10 Carol Drahus-Wisloski10 CONTRIBUTORS Alan L. Bryski Gaby Obuchi Chang Ann Carey Harding Barbara Gannon Hogan Harold L. Hoover Bethann Myers Hornick10 Ronald J. Jacobs10 Carol A. Martin5 Marguerite E. McCollom Alan R. Miller Thomas W. Pezzicara Sally Chupka Pucilowski10 Deborah A. Schneider10 Joan Bonfanti Shannon Diane Drost Shuleski Barbara Katra Swiatek5 Mary-Catherine Tomeo Thomas L.Trumbower Anita Miller Williams John T. Zucosky Rosemary Kaminski Zucosky The John Wilkes Society BLUE CIRCLE PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE CLASS OF 1976 Darlene Kishbaugh Darryl G. Kramer Dwaine Edwards Mattei Duane Sadvary5 William R.Thomas10 • • • The John Wilkes Society Robert D. Clements, Jr. Guy J. DiZebba Gail MacIntyre Dohrn10 Carol Kester Dungey Susan V. Fielder10 William Fromel5 Diane R. Jones5 Joan Domarasky Luksa10 Raymond B. Ostroski Margery German Rifkin Michael S. Rifkin Harold W. Roberts Vilma Schifano-Milmoe Robert J. Spinelli Richard J. Sullivan5 CONTRIBUTORS Janice Cohen Barnet Susan Brimo-Cox William F. Burke, Jr. Maryrose Bendik Burlington10 Gregg P. Collier Deborah E. Dalon Linda Kern Dessoye Joseph Dettmore Mark J. Dubik David L. Ellis Regina Gurick Guarin Alan F. Jackier Bruce C. Jackson Marianne Macur Kopcho Frances S. Kuczynski5 Mark A. Kunkle Margaret Burgess Lenihan5 Shelley Rubin Liva Richard W. MacKey Anthony L. McHugh5 Floyd J. Miller, Jr. Kathleen Visniski Praschak Janet Bartuski Rajchel Anthony M. Schwab Thomas A. Shulde Jane E. Smith10 Marie Lucas Stolarick Garry S.Taroli H. David Trethaway Thomas E.Trost Diane Tarnowski Vishnefski Amy Santilli Whitehouse Robert N.Yanoshak Peter C. Zubritzky JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Kevin G. Donaleski5 John Jeff Reese FARLEY ASSOCIATES The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club • • • David M. Cohen Kevin J. Davy Clifton E. Dungey Robert T. Dzugan5 Susan Pezzner Goldstein Susan Downs Kehrli10 George E. Kunst Lorene Daring Laberge Ann Agnes Loftus Richard D. Masi Christine Donahue Mayo John J. Mazzolla W. Lee Miller10 GOLD CIRCLE GOLD CIRCLE The John Wilkes Society Ann Marie Bartuska Gary T. Gieschen Richard J. Allan Joseph J. Marchetti James J. Morgan5 William Urosevich TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES BLUE CIRCLE Andrew E. Baron Christine M. Buchina1, 5 Robert A. Dwyer Mr. Bernard J. Ford, III Joan Zaleski Ford Brian K. Haeckler10 Nelson G. Landmesser Donald T. Mock CLASS OF 1977 Mary Belin Rhodes10 PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE Paul S. Adams10 Denise Schaal Cesare10 Stephen M. Baloga, Jr.10 Patricia A. Schillaci10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES Gary Roger Brod Daniel B. Cabot Deborah Lataro Cargo10 Michael S. Anger Drew Landmesser Michael S. LoPresti Patrice Stone Martin10 Sandra Shepard Piccone10 WILKES | Winter 2010 Jacqueline Falk McGinley Rosemary Baratta Novak Alfred L. Pennesi Carlton E. Phillips10 Doris McCormick Pick Scott C. Raswyck Anne Marie Latona Roberts5 Joseph D. Rosato Anne Gruscavage Sample5 Ilene Schulman Schneider Shirley Guiles Shannon Richard L. Shonk Brent S. Spiegel5 Carol Tabone Tabit Barbara McNicholl Scarpino10 Beverly Bomba Vespico Deborah Berti Walsh Charles J.Wetzel • report of gifts 37 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CLASS The Eugene Farley Club JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES GOLD CIRCLE Raymond E. Dombroski5 Brigette McDonald Herrmann10 David A. Jolley10 Judith Mills Mack10 Kim Witherow Morgan5 Patricia Reilly Urosevich Thomas J.Ward CLASS OF 1979 The Eugene Farley Club TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES • • • GOLD CIRCLE William R. Miller10 The John Wilkes Society Roger J. Davis Joye Martin-Lamp5 The Eugene Farley Club TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Maureen Carey Albrecht Kathleen Warakomski Benjamin Joseph W. Buckley Ruth McKalips Diestelmeier Steven Esrick Gene A. Heath5 Bridget James Hofman5 Catherine Williams Ozgo10 Deborah A. Sears10 Nancy Evans Shearer M. Patty Cullinan Spinelli John M. Zubris10 GOLD CIRCLE Betsy Bell Condron10 CONTRIBUTORS Joan Chemnitius Best Raymond A. Best Jill Fritz Buntz Deborah Hynoski Burnetti James Burnetti Gloria Agurkis Cavanaugh Arthur S. Daniels10 Donna Smith Dickinson Paul J. Domowitch Craig R. Edfort Harold S. Edmunds Manuel J. Evans Dennis G. Falcone Judith Bienkowski Geary Kenneth A. Geary Louise Butkiewicz Goodwin Laura A. Hadsall Susan M. Hansen Karen Kuchinskas Kaminski Carl E. Kaschenbach, III Joanne Englot Kawczenski10 Deborah J. Koons5 Rick D. Mahonski5 Sandra Horensky Molotsky Earl W. Monk10 Richard D. Mutarelli5 Thomas Paliscak Thomas J. Park, III John G. Puchalsky Edward J. Pupa5 James D. Reilly, Jr. Jeffrey A. Schlicher Joseph W. Sekusky Patricia S. Steele Terri Jackson Swatko Dianne LaCova Trawick Patrick A.Ward5 Joseph A.Yedinak WILKES | Winter 2010 Thomas N. Ralston10 Edward J.White, III5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1978 • • • The John Wilkes Society PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Jean Reiter Adams10 Rhea Politis Simms5 Terri Mackavage Kovalski Dean W. Evans James J. Moran10 Barry J. Niziolek5 Michael J. Speziale5 Ann Marie Booth Cardell Daniel J. Cardell PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Michael H. Cook FARLEY ASSOCIATES JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Rosetta Marie Chiavacci Ann Sharkey Esrick Diane Pechalonis Groves Richard K. Hofman5 Paula Strinkoski Manley Anita Mucciolo Samuel J. Parri, Jr. Cynthia M. Patterson5 Susan Margalis Perlis Lois Enama Pluskey1 John K. Suchoski5 John H. Ellis, IV Frederick W. Herrmann10 Carol Corbett Pawlush The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Donald I. Burton, Jr.10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Renee Venarucci Benedetto5 Donald E. Horrox5 Robert Donald Taylor CONTRIBUTORS Mary McKitish Antoine Robert W. Bensley Michael A. Calabrese Karen Kennedy Campbell10 Terry A. Christman Paula Heffernan Daley10 Janine Pokrinchak Dubik Mark Finkelstein Joel G. Gelb Doreen Wickiser Hampton Denise Casem Hasneh Linda Yanus Holmquist Carol Pashchuk Huggler5 Andrea Chuba Kealey10 Carl E. Long John J. Mack10 Lori Ashbaugh Mackey Joseph S. Mayhoff Leslie Stobel McCafferty Kevin F. McCall Kenneth E. McGraw Anita Marie Meehan Jane A. Miller10 Sheila Kupinsky Mooney Margaret Schutz Mullin Christopher B. O’Brien Marilyn Anderson Patterson Barbara Swantkowski Placek Suzanne Fischer Prestoy Harriet Smith Rabinowitz Stewart W. Rae, III Mary Kern Reynolds10 Terry J. Schoen Susan Shiskowski Robert J. Stofko5 Anastasios Tsolakis Linda Allmon Walden5 • • • The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE FOUNDER’S CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE CLASS OF 1981 David J.Yakaitis5 Maryjean deSandes5 CONTRIBUTORS Tami A. Beraud David E. Dudick William D. Frye, Jr.10 William J. Gibbons Robert E. Greenwood5 Ann Timko Hughes Claire Elaine Johnson Nancy Jane Johnson John R. Leedy James J. Maloney Margaret Rentschler Manochi Michael M. Molitoris Carmen V. Nardone Linda Mizenko Noto Edward F. Orloski Sandra Pensieri-Molitoris Leonard J. Podrasky, Jr. Mark Rutkowski Kenneth P. Schmidt Joseph Armine Scopelliti Thomas P. Sokola Mary Ann Morgan Stelma Fred J. Stoelzl Emil J.Tabit Cindy Fisher Thomas Cheryl Berry Washington Ann Marie Yanushefski CLASS OF 1980 • • • The John Wilkes Society PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE James P. Edwards10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Joel P. Kane Stephen S. Grillo10 Barbara E. King5 John R. Silk David L. Blumfield Michael W. Chisdak Stephen J. Croghan5 David P. Korba Lawrence J. Mullen10 Mark A. Rado Patricia L.Warski David M.Williams FARLEY ASSOCIATES Mary Jean McCarthy Clements Beth Hathaway Glassford Gary E. Michael Cheryl Scalese Moyer Mary C. Rebarchak Schott10 Sandra Tomko Shields10 Sarah Farley Stapleton William E. Stusnick5 Rosemarie Hubner Swain FARLEY ASSOCIATES Joseph D. Angelella Janet Bechtel Johnson10 Carol A. Bosack-Kosek James L. Devaney Charles E. Hagen Bruno E. Kolodgie5 Lisa Mastrantuono Lombard David M. Maxim10 Michael G. McNelis Fred A. Pierantoni, III William A. Shaw10 Joseph M.Toole5 Paul R.Torre Shepard C.Willner10 CONTRIBUTORS R. Malcolm Bowes, III Debra Prater Chapman Jacqueline Sunder Demko Geraldine McAfee Dougherty Melissa Smith Georgiou James J. Grudzinski Robert J. Harper Susan Matley Hritzak Theresa M. Johnson Thomas F. Kane Susan M. Liberski James S. Makowski Cynthia Ercolani Olshemski Maria Nilsen Pacchioni Douglas Phillips Donna Kachur Pino Ronald F. Schaar, Sr. Donna Ferretti Shandra Stephen J. Sirocki Diana Reynolds Tyminski Pam Bennett Wodzicki Marla Brodsky Wright Benedict A.Yatko5 CONTRIBUTORS David G. Arrigoni Edgar S. Brace, III Michael V. Broda Kathryn Roman Davis Donna Mae Eicke R. Helen Eickhoff Robert J. Gaetano Lynn E. Maelia Philip A. Marino James T. Martin, Jr. Linda Millar Michael Miller John A. Miranda Joanne Harding Murphy10 Thomas B. Needham, Jr.10 Richard J. Nordheim5 Frank A. Pascucci Rosemary McMahon Popson Teresa Burak Quinn Gary J. Richard Barbara Boote Rupert Michael J. Rutkowski Kenneth N. Sciamanna10 Daniel W. Scott Jill Molinaro Speicher Philip J. Spigarelli Susan M. Suchanic Lee Howard Thomas Maria Miscavage Urick Barbara Rodda Welch Frank David Yamrus Donna Whitmore Zimmer CLASS OF 1982 • • • The John Wilkes Society TRUSTEE ASSOCIATES Shelley Freeman JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Brian C.Thomas The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Bruce R.Williams BLUE CIRCLE Mary Ann Gazdick Melita Maguire Konecke Ruth McDermott-Levy1, 10 1 5 38 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �GIVING BY CLASS CONTRIBUTORS Maureen Connolly Cambier Donna De Bastos Fromel5 Joseph E. Gaydos5 Kathleen Layaou Heltzel Michael F. Lombard Regina Morse Amy L. Nicholas Mary Kathryn Pogar Keith J. Saunders Karen Steckel Vernon William C.Ware John P. Brady Joan Thomas Brody Roy J. Brody David R. Carey Jennifer Ogurkis Carey George G. Conyngham Deborah Salak Diamond Mary Ellen Moran Doll Sherry Hunter Grandinette Diana Evans Grinavich Robert D. Haas Eric L. Johnson10 Leon T. Kolanowski Joseph J. Lavelle Lisa Striefsky Levine Jessica Kwiatkowski Muccilli Nancy Bowanko Park Janice Nagle Pettinato Patricia M. Riley Daniel C. Schilling5 Leslie Schoenstein Crobett Therese Shemo Gupta Deborah Bremmer Traugh Gautam N.Yadama David J.Yaron CONTRIBUTORS Brian D. Balliet William A. Drevenik Marjorie Ann George Donna Karwaski Linda R. Kistler Rosanne Kramer Brenda Kutz Burkholder Joseph P. Laub, Jr. Debra Thompson Miller Albert J. Muccilli Patricia Markiewicz Patrician Valerie VanDyke Phillips John F. Pullo Ellen Krupack Raineri Jane Ciprich Ryan Christine Lain Sarno Carl F. Schultheis, III Catherine Durocher Shafer10 Ivan B. Shidlovsky Deborah Chandler Zuzelski CLASS OF 1984 • • • Donna Fitt Bolstein James G. Flynn Antoinette Fonzo Erin Evans Franko Debra Bligh Gernhart5 Jeffrey S. Gernhart5 Karen Johnson Edward R. Kennelly Regina White Klepadlo5 Joseph J. Leandri Frank C. Olshemski Elizabeth Larson Ostuni Marcia Wachs Race Theodore Ruch David A. Soboleski Jill DeWald Stoelzl Marianne Alfano Telincho5 Susan Havrilla Wasserott Dianne M.Watchulonis Karen L.Weltman Donald R.Werts Charmaine Conrad Zoller5 Joseph C. Grzenda, Jr. Michael Homishak Kathleen Kennedy Jessen Gail Lamoreux Kashulon10 Vincent J. Kashulon, Jr.10 John F. Kelly Allison Placek Knick Dorothy Price Lane Debra Bartashunas Leandri Alice Ting Lee5 Michael A. Marino, Jr. Sharon McLoughlin-Fabris Diane Schoch Michaud James M. Opet10 Christopher L. Rexer Marianne Scicchitano Rexer Susan Barber Rosengrant Michelle Liddic Schilling5 Michael Slepian Raymond F. Swankoski Jeffrey J.Tokach Joseph E. Ziobro CLASS OF 1985 CLASS OF 1986 • • • • • • BLUE CIRCLE The John Wilkes Society The John Wilkes Society PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES James J. Mulligan5 W. Drew Peregrim Thomas Allardyce5 David Reynolds Jay C. Rubino5 Alice C. Bulger10 John H. Bulger10 Joyce Victor Chmil5 Chris W. Fellin Thomas J. Ricko1, 5 The John Wilkes Society Daniel A. Batzel Clair Beard Read Joseph J. Chmiola Carol Louise Dean5 Roya Fahmy Gloria Kopec Hasel10 Richard Havard James M. Johnson Paul H. McCabe James V. Musto Marie Roke-Thomas5 Sandra Bartels Thomas Stephen C.Thomas,V Gary J.Treven 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE The Eugene Farley Club FARLEY ASSOCIATES GOLD CIRCLE The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE GOLD CIRCLE Paul Chmil5 Michael Mattise10 Eric F. Reidinger10 Michael J. Uter Michele James Wagner William J. Buoni Karen Dragon Devine Cornelius Douris5 Edwina M. Floyd Daniel R. Nulton10 Michael Rupp10 Cherie Soprano Greg Trapani Neil R.Williams Sandra Williams The Eugene Farley Club Steven P. Roth Donna Garber Cosgrove Frank R. Hughes Barbara Rosick Moran10 Richard J. Myers, Jr. Tracy McElroy O’Hara FARLEY ASSOCIATES Joseph S. Briskie John J. Reese Karen Bove5 Susan Maier Davis1 Karen Zingale JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Diane Gombeda Fellin Jeffrey R. Garbor10 Gerald J. O’Hara Ellen Marie Van Riper JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES BLUE CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE The John Wilkes Society Katherine Potter Reynolds The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club • • • JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES • • • Robert A. Bruggeworth CLASS OF 1987 Mark Tobino Thomas J.Thomas, Jr. GOLD CIRCLE CLASS OF 1983 Lisa DeCinti Murphy Carmen M. Pancerella Amy McCluskey Sadvary Joseph M. Santuk5 Lisa Schuetrum Angela Iyoob Stewart James J.Temprine Christine May Terry William J.Thede David J.Warnick10 Karen Sheard White Thaddeus M. Zuzik Dianne Charsha5 BLUE CIRCLE Douglas S. Bradley David P. Rudis1 Thomas J. Swirbel5 Kathleen Hyde Walsh FARLEY ASSOCIATES Donna Nitka Brunelli Daniel Glunk Francis S. Gruscavage5 Christopher J. Henry Edwin M. Johnson Janet Legault Kelley10 John S. Perry Ruth Elaine Renna10 David J. Scopelliti Marguerite McCormick Tolan10 Robert A. Unrath R. Drew Wilkins CONTRIBUTORS Valerie Kotula Alba Fahad Hamad Aldubayan Eunice Mae Bebb Donna Grzenda Bonczewski Kathleen Galli Chupka10 Edward W. Czeck Paul C. Dietrich5 Joseph F. Dylewski10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Dawn Lockburner Bayles Nancy Pardy Cabot John A. Chipego Barbara Jarick Ecker Lori S. Elias Jeffrey C. Hockenbury Kathryn Gryzie Johnson Michael Koliga Sandra P. Luongo5 Michael J. Masciola Eugene D.Wachowski5 Timothy P.Williams5 Linda Boock Zanoline CONTRIBUTORS Theresa Gruzenski Alba10 Denise Selner Bartoletti10 Michael D. Bernstein Beverly Kieczkajlo Chisdock Evelyn J. Dopko10 Carmella Butera Fereck5 Suzanne Vassia Fletcher FARLEY ASSOCIATES Patricia J. Arthur Elizabeth Cortez-Carosella Kay Brown-Coskey Paul A. Cummings5 Karen Galli5 Kevin P. Guns Tom Harfman5 Edward J. Hudson10 Mary Ann Koshatzky Keirans Thomas J. Popko, Jr. James J. Schutawie Stacey Toslosky Schutawie Carl Sosnowski CONTRIBUTORS Carmen F. Ambrosino Dennis P. Clarke5 Kevin Cooney G. Colman Crowther Laura Pollick Demkovitz Robert E. Fisher Phillip W. Heffelfinger Karen A. Killian Florence Backitis Lauth Gary R. Melusen5 CONTRIBUTORS Linda Turowski Attardo Shirley Nelson Brough Karen Klutz Burden Joan Balutis Chisarick5 Alysse Ann Daches Michael R. Everett Joan Smith Foster Paul J. Isaac Kimberly Tokach Kellar Fredrick A. Klein Joseph M. Kultys Scott Michenfelder5 John R. Patterson, Jr. Cathy Jayson Petherick Alex Rendina Sandra A. Rendina CLASS OF 1988 • • • The Eugene Farley Club FARLEY ASSOCIATES Karen M. Beretsky Nicholas L. Deitos Rosemary Bottazzi Eibach Jill Skudera Hockenbury WILKES | Winter 2010 FARLEY ASSOCIATES • report of gifts 39 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CLASS Richard J. Lizak Matthew T. Ryan Ann Markowski Toole5 Chadwick E.Tuttle5 CONTRIBUTORS James Borysowski Patrick J. Boyd Roy F. Boyd Robert Corradetti Francis E. Crowley, III Amy Dux Day Michael V. DeVincentis Lisa C. Jordan Mark Kneeream Lawrence M. Kopenis James Krupa Mary B. Lenahan Debra A. Maleski Judith M. Oravic William S. Peightel5 Daniel A. Perrett Dennis J. Procopio5 Marilyn C. Querci James H. Ralston Michelle A. Rick Dianne Tometchko Ruch Anthony Saraceno Debra Reisenweaver Schweitzer Lisa Wydawski Smith Kurt A.Topfer5 Veronica Upwood Don Zelek Beth Ann Carswell Ziobro CLASS OF 1989 • • • The John Wilkes Society JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Roger A. Hatch5 The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Michael J. Kolessar John J.Walsh FARLEY ASSOCIATES Savas Z. Alkoc Joel C. Kotch Kathleen DeChirico Richardson Robert D. Sitzler5 Antoinette Rajchel-Wingert5 WILKES | Winter 2010 CONTRIBUTORS 40 Mona J. Anania Robert S. Berger5 Peter J. Bruno James J. Carroll Frank A. Dempsey Nancy Hricko Divers5 Lori Vagnarelli Drozdis Pauline Wagner Fisher Kevin M. Gaffey Clark A. Herron Bruce A. Horn Renee Swider Horwath Douglas G. Lane Lorraine Malinchock Luscavage Susan Stortz Moyer Eric J. Price Jeffrey D. Seamans5 Jane Coyle Smith Patricia L. Stevenson Robert D.Wachowski5 Marion Tribendis Wishnefski Carl J. Zbegner CLASS OF 1990 • • • The John Wilkes Society Brenda Miller Gaydos5 Victoria M. Glod10 Mary E. Gould Jill Ann Hiscox Eric J. Knorr Jamie Mazeitis Knorr Edward J. Kwak5 Craig Kroner Larimer Michelle Umbra Pearce Gary J Petcavich Amy Schukis Sheehan Susan Adamchak Smith10 JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Wendy Holden Gavin10 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Wallace F. Stettler * 10 BLUE CIRCLE Shirley Thomas Butler10 Carl M. Charnetski10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Jeffrey J. Cooper Kathleen Foley Scott Tracy Goryeb Zarola CONTRIBUTORS Donna Brown Argenio Joseph F. Argenio Scott C. Barth Kathy Lynn Brown Mary Jo Chulvick Teresa M. Costenbader Lisa A. Curran Hazle L. Demellier Saralynn Morris Fiebig Steven J. Galloway Fred G. Garm Bruce A. Huggler5 Jaime Jose Jurado Cynthia L. Miller Neil P. Mullin Kevin S. Ronalds Mark T. Siegel10 Mark A. Sommers Frank J. Spinnler Brian Summers Steve W.Wilson5 Mary Jo Wojtowicz Charlene Kosior Zablotney CLASS OF 1991 • • • The John Wilkes Society The John Wilkes Society Nancy Alonzo5 Mari Noel Araya Connie Breese Thomas P. Cawley Spencer T. Corbett Frank J. Czapla, Jr. Camille Daniels Judith A. Ellis Norman E. Frederick5 Erica Simshauser Gaffey Stan J. Giza Carol Hiscox10 Kimberley Lewis Ivory Ellen M. Joyce David C. Kaszuba Douglas A. Kerr Keith S. Kohut Joseph G. Lannon Mark E. Liscinski Lillian Mattiaccio Clifford A. Melberger Richard A Melvin Frederick A. Mihalow Vincent A. Purcell Denise Litzenberger Saraceno Ronald M. Sebastianelli William F. Shankweiler5 Joanne Puglia Smith Susan Dalton St. Onge Lisa Knabb Walker Robert J.Watkins* JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES CLASS OF 1992 • • • The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Arden J. Keller, Jr. Gary H. Meyers10 Kathleen McGeary Umphred FARLEY ASSOCIATES Michele Corbett Daley Evan Grant Evans Steven F. Geider Jeffrey Rock Virginia M. Rodechko10 CONTRIBUTORS The Eugene Farley Club Jennifer Zujus Baskerville Ralph Biehl Lillian M. Bostjancic Eileen E. Colahan Lari Farrell Friedenberg Cheryl A. Fritzen Laura E. Gervasi Michael M. Malone Craig J. Engel5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Janine M. Becker Anne Kilyanek Crew John K. Daley CONTRIBUTORS Trudy M. Ashbrook Corrine Barchik Amy Jo Boytin Sam Burgess, Jr. Charlene Klynowsky Decker Steven S. Endres James J. Evanoski Jennifer A. Fasching Kelly J. Fedullo Gwen Groblewski Melissa K. Guenst Alan J. Guitson10 Gilbert D. Hoak Xin-Tian Hoffman Lisa A. Iskra Kevin P. Kratzer Heather C. Noel-Hable Suzanne K. O’Boyle Tina M. Oechler-Dean Donald P. Oravic, Jr. Melissa Kolatis Pavlowski Cheryl Cator Reinke Michael W. Roome Christopher M. Scarba Suzanne Stanski Scheible James M. Sepko Louis J. Shiber George W. Snyder Gina Stella-Konnick CLASS OF 1993 CONTRIBUTORS JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES BLUE CIRCLE Lynn Krutz Clements Matthew McCaffrey Paul J. Potera10 Tama L. Schmidt Denise Berberick Stewart10 • • • PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE Aimee A. Zaleski Cecelia P. Mercuri Carolyn Bruch Mertz Charlotte Hoffman Moser Daniel W. Moser Joelle Mrozoski Andrea Pontani Nachsin Stephen D. Puzio Kathleen Risley10 Raymond R. Russ5 Lori A.Truman Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson5 The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Michael C. Hall BLUE CIRCLE Frederick M. Evans10 Gail Watson Haas William J. Umphred, Jr. FARLEY ASSOCIATES Aaron D. Albert Melissa Margis-Kapur Rosemary LaFratte1, 5 Melissa Sweigart CONTRIBUTORS Frederick H. Addison Joseph F. Bilko Kelly McNulty Bilko Eugene J Colosimo John J. Comerford Karen Ann F. Cominsky Tara A. DeLisi-Rau Colette M. Elick Shannon DePoti Fawcett Holly Pitcavage Frederick5 Linda Jean Hoag Karl J. Hoffman Joann Hartmann Jones John J. Keeler Kristine M. McNulty Maurice A. Menichetti Ralph C. Miller Ronald N. Miller5 Alfred G. Mueller Janel Oshinski Lori Guarino Price Rosanne Ragnacci Patricia A. Royer10 Rebecca Shedlock Christine M. Shimp Robert C. Simmons, Jr. Scott W.Watkins CLASS OF 1995 • • • The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Paul J. Cresho Susan J. Malkemes10 Daniel P. Reilly Joseph F.Woodward5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Sabeth R. Albert Joseph P. McBride10 Christie Meyers Potera10 CONTRIBUTORS Carl M. Achhammer Christopher R. Carver Kristen Lord Cesari Stephanie A. Corey Lori A. Cotrone Linda L. Crayton Robert J. Dean Michelle Diskin5 Martha L. Heffers David A. Hines10 Kathleen Moran Houlihan Kimberly Escarge Keller10 Chad B. Kranson B. Richard Miller CLASS OF 1994 • • • The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Jody P. Novitsky FARLEY ASSOCIATES 1 5 Walter R. Guss 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �GIVING BY CLASS CLASS OF 1996 Kathleen Finley Kent Nicole Krushnowski George E. Lear Ann Marie Marks Angelica M. Mascia Rita T. Metcalf Jason S. Sites Lynn D. Stutzman • • • Cecilia Bukowski Hibbard Deborah Kapelan Jonathan G. Laudenslager Laurie Labbe Lilly Judith Lahr Martin10 Rebecca Griffiths Orlowski Josette M. Panettieri Matthew J. Peleschak5 Jennifer Radzwillowicz The Eugene Farley Club CLASS OF 1998 GOLD CIRCLE • • • CLASS OF 2000 Kristopher M. Jimenez The Eugene Farley Club • • • FARLEY ASSOCIATES The Eugene Farley Club Lisa Niewinski Ciampi Lori Ann Perch10 James Oliver Poepperling GOLD CIRCLE Lance Costello Ann Peters Costello FARLEY ASSOCIATES CONTRIBUTORS Hisham A. Abu-Nabaa Karen Bednarczyk Cowan1, 10 William R. Beggs Kiana Phuong Bui Karen M. Grimm Vani P. Murthy10 Ali E. Qureshi5 Rebecca Baker Sadosky Christine Tondrick Baksi5 Karen Noonan Barbini Stephanie L. Bass Amy Beardsworth Costello5 Carrie Chipego-Singer Angelina Thomasina Curtis James R. Domzalski Sean C. Flannery Brian J. Goncheroski Deborah Andres Greco5 Karen L. Guitson10 Ann M. Johnston Michael P. Kaschak Matthew D. Kopetchny Kristi Fehlinger Layland Mitchell N. Morgan Anne Straub Pelak5 Tricia Petrucelli Denise Collie Joseph E. Stella Lisa A.Tabbit Judith J.Vendel BLUE CIRCLE Timothy P. Ahrens Kimberly B. Carr Leanne Chamberlain Cole Richard M. Dolinsky Eric J. Freeland Stephen W. Hansen5 Michael Kent Janine B. Kinney Mary A. Kusiak Dianne M. Mack David E. Searfoss Russell E. Smith CLASS OF 1997 • • • The Eugene Farley Club CLASS OF 1999 GOLD CIRCLE • • • Karen A. Ephlin Sean N. Higginson Michael G. Noone1 The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE BLUE CIRCLE Alan C. Novitsky Brian Redmond Todd J.Vinovrski GOLD CIRCLE Joseph J. Fadden FARLEY ASSOCIATES FARLEY ASSOCIATES Cynthia Charnetski Mike P. Handley Bradley R. Klotz10 Scott Kenneth Schonewolf Edmund R. Zych Randy A. Engelman5 Lisa Johnson Ford Sarah Karlavage Rocchio Richard M. Minielly Kristine Erhard Pruett5 Debra DuBois Sachse John A. Mason, Jr.5 Charlotte Puglia Czeponis Christina M.Van Camp FARLEY ASSOCIATES Scott Bolesta Beverly K. Gooden5 Kimberly Gross Wolfrom Jennifer B. Klinger Melissa Jo Pammer Donna S.Talarico Carrie Wilkes Williams James A.Williams CONTRIBUTORS Paul A. Binner Norbert J. Braun Dustin A. Daniels Laura Burns DiMarzo Jason L. Evans Joseph F. Garin Beth Ann Gehret Daniel L. Gilroy Jeffrey B. Hall Crystal L. Harris Ronald G. Harris Patricia A. Harrison Cheryl L. Hersh Harry W. Hintz, Jr. Robert J. Krehely, Jr. Suzanne Kulp Kimberly Vance MacDonald Christopher T. Rehmann Sheri A. Resperski Joan L. Schneider Melissa Serre Stanalonis Abby Sherburne Stroud Margaret S.Thomas Erica Trowbridge Kuzmick Thomas M.Turinski Sandra Wilson Yoder CLASS OF 2001 CONTRIBUTORS CONTRIBUTORS • • • Louis E. Atkinson5 Eleanor Quick Bluhm Abigail Breiseth Miriam E. Coffey Robert J. Costello5 Mark J. Dechman10 William A. Allen Jan G. Benton Mary Ann Kershitsky Blosky Kathryn Storaska Brior Patricia Carpenetti Carpenter Denise M. Castellano Robin Kostanesky Frask Brian Edward Gryboski The Eugene Farley Club 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased CLASS OF 2003 • • • The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Steven D. Sefton FARLEY ASSOCIATES Timothy E. Letcher James L. McCarthy5 CONTRIBUTORS BLUE CIRCLE CONTRIBUTORS David M. Hinkle Michael W. Koch Daniel S. Longyhore Martha C. Marchand Maria Shahda Minielly Julie L. Olenak Matthew C. Reitnour Amanda Rodski BLUE CIRCLE Robert Cooney5 Adam M. Czeponis FARLEY ASSOCIATES Kelly West Bolesta Scott E. Herb Edward T. Bednarz Lisa Charneski Michael J. Cherinka William W. Clark Gregory J. Collins Elizabeth Shultz Conklin Alicia Ann Cymbala Shanna Henninger Dawson Kathryn L. Focht Dennis M. Fox Sharon A. Haffey Gail Meeker Honeywell George D. Hughes Tara Baldauff Hughes Christina M. Jeckell Cheryl Johns-Ostrowski Brian R. Judge5 Rosemary Brafford Justus Marcy Fritz Krill5 Daniel M. McConnell Patricia A. McDonald Stacy Geiger Mesics5 Robert M. Moore Timothy M. Morgan Patricia Mahan Recker Patricia Hopfer Sebastianelli Kevin S. Siegel Nancy Stover Melissa Stethers Tewksbury Mary E. Ziegler CLASS OF 2002 • • • The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE J. Bartholomay Grier5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES James T. Best5 Beth Danner Kinslow5 Douglas Kirk Mountz CONTRIBUTORS Curtis D. Behler Heather Chapman Fanucci Joseph T. Dombroski James B. Ford Marie A. Futer Ruth A. Gardiner Russell J. Gavalis Ronald J. Geise Jeremy M. Gerber Rena Marie Gorish Susannah J. Graham Patrick Hanlon Ruth Hough-Engel Robert J. Klepadlo5 Kimberly A. Kringe Terence J. Laughlin Sheila Malahowski-Davis Jill Rogers Marquette Laura Billet McClure Erin L Murray Nicole L. Neidlinger Melissa Babcock Newbury Jason Francis Pantzar Laurel D. Peifer Jennifer Quinn-Bulford Thomas R. Rebuck Christiana J. Reid Kristin L. Roberts Kristen Graver Rudelitch Anita V. Ruskey Edward N. Sartin Susan A. Schwartz Bethanne B. Sellers Kevin R. Sickle1 Lisa A. Smith Eric Zane Wolfe Eric Zuber CLASS OF 2004 • • • The John Wilkes Society CONTRIBUTORS JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Jennifer Moklak Adduci Joyce Soska Becker Angela Dopko Bolesta Jessica Alferio Clark Laura S. Grzywacz John P. Hawthorne Heidi D. Landis Melinda D. Masser Donald T. Mosley Thomas J. Regna, Jr. Jean R. Sartin Maureen M. Simpkins Anthony J. Stavenski, III Gregory A.Wojnar Danielle Fetters Yoder Michael Wayne Ziegler Eric J. Pape The Eugene Farley Club BLUE CIRCLE Stephanie Smith Cooney5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Richard Budnick Michael V. Burke Elizabeth Carp Bernotavicius Gabrielle Lamb D‘Amico Kenneth G. Huelbig Mark D. Hulme5 Robert S. Keeney Michael J. Liberski1 WILKES | Winter 2010 Mohammed Najib David C. Ruskey Thomas J. Semanek Carol Morris Shamonsky Peggy Sullivan Timothy S.Williams • report of gifts 41 �report of gifts • GIVING BY CLASS Michael F. Mattern Jill A.Topalanchik CONTRIBUTORS Tiffany A. Archavage Wendy J. Beard David R. Borofski Katie Boyle-Moore5 Rebecca J. Broyan Cindie Geary Burke Jaclyn Canterini Carla L. Conner Thomas M. Craparo Lisa Doan-Harley Kathy A. Dougherty Andrea Bitner Guss Derrick P. Hall Thao Ngoc Huynh Mark C. James Kristyn M. Kelly Kristin Hake Klemish Ryan Klemish Megan Kunkle John V. Lubrano Cathy J. Mason Eileen L. Mathias Kristin Yarrish McMahon Barbara Bowman Meriesky Eileen M. Musselman Shannon M. Myers Daniel A. Rempp Lori M. Spohn Cheryl A. Stachowiak Joseph J. Stein5 Karen M. Stump Christina Rubillo Swanson Kelley Kavanagh Watkins Ernest D.Williams, III Jennifer Williams Julia Gordon Wojnar Cassandra Baron CLASS OF 2005 • • • Diane Furnanage D‘Angelo Jillian L. Ford Yvette Ganoe Pamela A. Geisinger Kimberly A. Glass Mauri E. Grimm Amanda Jo Henry Tricia M. Higgins Holly L. Jacobs Anil K. Kodavatikanti Renee A. Kotz Amber Lawson Comstock Michael J. Marquette Marissa M. Patterson Patricia McNamara Amy Robinson Messimer Andrew B. Minarik Daniel Nebzydoski Dianne Pawlowski Sarah Peterlin Francis E. Quinn Mary E. Rowlands Tiffany Santarelli Melissa Sgroi Luke M. Shafnisky Daniel Smith Lori A. Starr Leonard L.Tull Patricia Wilson Karen S.Yaros Nicole Ripper Zeiser Kimberly A. Zoba CLASS OF 2006 • • • The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE Kristen Dulick Hartzell FARLEY ASSOCIATES Gregory J. Cardamone Kofi Gbomita Lauren Y. Pluskey1 Jared M. Shayka The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE CONTRIBUTORS Vincent A. Hartzell William B. Palmer Michael J. Adamshick Andrew Amoroso Tracy L. Bauman Natalie Marie Baur Jason J. Bozinko Martin D. Carr Lauren M. Colbenson Carol Deane-Gardner Michael Fox James Gilboy Sara M. Grab Chad E. Groover Erik Hansen Jennifer L. Hines Susan M. Hubler Brenda L. Jones Nicholas T. Kalinowski Peter Kaszyk Janice Kelly Amanda E. Lewis Lisa Litzenberger Frank G. LoPresti BLUE CIRCLE April M. Kaczmarczyk Gordon S. Smoko FARLEY ASSOCIATES WILKES | Winter 2010 Brian G. Fischer Katherine Green Fischer Julian C. Morales Alessandro L. Plutino Cathleen A. Zanghi5 42 CONTRIBUTORS Nicole M. Audino Victoria Ziegler Blazick Jennifer Bonita Stephen T. Bortz Marc E. Bridgens Michelle Chorba Susan M. Coffey Kristen Luczak Ryan Maisano Nicole Matsko Ashley McBrearty Ryan Milford David Newton, III Amos T. Odeleye Susan Robachefski Beth Scherman James Shannon Gregory Webber Amanda White Cynthia Wray CLASS OF 2007 • • • The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE John Mishanski, Jr. BLUE CIRCLE Michael F. Malkemes10 FARLEY ASSOCIATES Maura E. Gill Lauren Solski Joyette E.Williams CONTRIBUTORS Laurie Agresti Karen Atiyeh Jolene Barron Neil A. Bavitz Mario A. Cozzubbo, III Cathy A. Cusatis John R. Cybulski John E. Darrah Michele D. Fonte Brian J. Gammaitoni Gerald J. Gurka Stephanie M. Hamman Matthew R. Hawk Michael Hitzner Dana D. Hollar John W. Kevra Michael Meoni Rajender Munrathi Michael J. Ostrum Amy M. Patton Adrienne M. Richards Shawn Robbins Heather Sarday Jaclyn Francese Schantz Jonathan H. Schwartz Leayn Stockdill Jill Bordell Stone Jenna Strzelecki1 Lauren Verduchi Alicia Vogel Zachary Wilson Kevin Yakubowski Michele L. Zalno Karena Zdeb CLASS OF 2008 BLUE CIRCLE CLASS OF 2009 Keith A. Heim, Jr. • • • The John Wilkes Society FARLEY ASSOCIATES JOHN WILKES ASSOCIATES Karen Kaminski Wendy K. Marek Nancy A.Weeks5 FARLEY ASSOCIATES CONTRIBUTORS Jeffrey A. Bauman Melissa E. Bugdal Mario S. DellaFortuna Andrew R. Drake Joshua S. Pauling Kevin Adams Megan K. Allen Melissa C. Allen Lynn M. Bachstein Seth J Barnetsky Divit Basavaraj Jamie Sutliff Benjamin Stacey Billings Paul M. Brennan Marissa M. Burry Lauren G. Carey Paul W. Connolly Andrew S. Curry Adam F. Dick Casandra J. Dutzer Angela T. Fowler Joan E. Garrett Anthony T. Giuffrida Stacie M. Gogo Julie A. Graby Maria Grandinetti Richard C. Green Bethany F. Head Marilyn C. Hill Sherry L. Holtzman Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr. Ashish A Javia Kandy L. Johnson Derek Knouse Jason A. Kowalski Christine Kruk Yee M. Lee Joseph P. Martin Sheena J. Merwine Sonia A. Myslinski Jennifer L. Netwall Oanh H. Nguyen Susanne O’Shea Paige E. Oxley Brigid E. Peet Erica R. Peterson Jennifer M. Pevear Craig R. Rein Barbara L. Richard Joseph Rowlands Christopher R. Santini Lauren J. Schnaufer Amy L. Sekol Molly K. Sidoti Jonathan A. Smith Lacey K. Smith Matthew B. Smith Alexander Sperrazza Robert J.Tarud Victoria J.Tomassetti Terry D.Walter Adam P.Wood CONTRIBUTORS Sade Adeojo Joseph J. Bobbin Leslie Bartorillo Bortz Niki A. Brownlee Adam D. Carpenter Nicole Chmarney James D. Crossman Kathleen M. Dalton Amanda Keller Dansberry Everett J. Davis Yohanna S. De Los Santos Maria Katherine Debias Marilyn Eaton Michael L. Elias Sarah E. Elliott Carol A. Engelman Steve G. Felter Abby M. Findon Michele D. Garrison Keelin C. Geisler Meera Sharma Harbola Tracey A. Herr Laura Hulsey Laura C. Jaczynski Melissa L. Jones Karen M. Kaleta Emily J. Kleintop Kristen M. Klimchak Bernard F. Kosek, Jr. Jonathan M. Lastovica Glenn J. Lawless Kimberly L. Leibel Kyle R. Lenio Erin M. Lichty Christine Durdach LoPresti Amanda M. Lofaro Donna M. Mandes Valerie J. Martinez James F. McCabe Michele A. Mishko Jamie F. Montville Chad P. Mullen Christopher A. Olsen Ricky M. Rampulla, Jr. Barbara A. Sanchez David M. Sborz1 Kyle T. Schutt Drexel S. Siok Jason W.Wagner Robert A.Wolfe David A.Wytiaz • • • The Eugene Farley Club GOLD CIRCLE 1 5 Jack J. Chielli 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �SENIOR CLASS GIFT • report of gifts SENIOR Nicole Alinoski Megan K. Allen William Androckitis Adam Bachman Mary E. Balavage Joshua Ballan Carolyn J. Banner Seth J. Barnetsky Andrew W. Bartlow Samantha Bartolomei Divit Basavaraj Lauren Benhamou Alyssa Benner Tiffany Bienkowski Stacey Billings Diane Bower Ryan Bracey Michael Brennan Derek Brownmiller Thomas Buckler Katie Buckley Adam Burke Caitlin S. Burke Krista Burns Marissa M. Burry Jami Butczynski Jaclyn M. Butwinski Joseph Cahill Nicole A. Cairns Maura A. Casella Stephanie M. Cassidy Theresa Castelli Vincent Chupela Anthony J. Cibello Alyssa Ciesla Richard Clocker Paul W. Connolly Ramatoulie Conteh Tara A. Contrera Gregory S. Cooke Susan Corletta Justin Crawford Kara L. Culnane Rachel Curtis Anthony D‘Amato Sean Deats Ashley Deemie Theodore J. Dennis Zachary Depew Brandan Diemand Brett Digwood * Sarah E. Duncan Stephanie M. Durk Richard V. Dwyer Serena Eber Michael Fasulka Andrew Feldman Michele E. Flannery Clinton Fought Austin Foulk ’10 Nicole R. Frail Brie Friedman Amy A. Fusco Anthony J. Gabriel Tracy Garcia Keith S. Gardiner Louis Gerstle James J. Giacobbe Angelica Gialanella Amber Gill Michael J. Greco Kelsey L. Gretz Robert S. Griffith Brian R. Grilli Erica Guarnieri Christopher A. Gulla Erin Guydish Sabrina L. Hannon Sarah Hartman Natalie L. Harvey Bethany F. Head William C. Heard Shane C. Heberling Frank Heffernan Karissa Henderson Krista L. Hill Brittney Hodnik Kimberly Hoffmann Evan W. Horvath Danielle Hritzak MaryKathryn Hurst Maureen A. Iskra Trevin Jaggers Edmund J. Janosov Daniel Jordan Jill S. Kalariya Edward Kamenas Michael Kapuscinski Jennifer E. Keegan James Kelleher Caitlin M. Kelley Matthew Kenney Emily J. Klinetob Tiffany L. Klotz Derek Knouse Neil J. Kocher Brittany Kole Shannon R. Kotch Thomas Kresge Curt Krombo Kurt Kuklewicz Kyle Kutney Colleen M. Labor Joshua Lamb Brett Langendoerfer Nicole R. Law John A. Lee Yee M. Lee Andrew D. Letcavage Tyler Lewis Luke Lindsey William Lorimer Casey R. Lynch Jodi L. Maciejczak Stacy J. Malia Erica Malik Brittany E. Maloney Christoper T. Malzahn Adam S. Mann Rosellen M. Marchese Anaya Martinelli Megan E. Martz Daniel Matz Joseph W. Mazzolla Michael McAloon Michael J. McAndrew Anna C. McFadden Thomas C. Mealing Norma M. Medero Taylor B. Megargel Robert J. Mercatili Gregory W. Miller Sarah Mitarnowski Amanda Moeller Jeffrey Monschein Peter L. Moore Jordana Morris Paran Mukhija Kathryn F. Nadeau Colin M. Nagy Benjamin Nash Felicia Nause Sarah C. Navin Katie G. Nealon Oanh H. Nguyen Angela N. Nicolosi Jeffrey Nimiec Kristen O’Brien Susanne O’Shea Jason D. Oziemina Elise Paisley Jessica M. Papinsick Amanda Pascal Richard Pellegrini Maureen Pelot Jahmitza Perez Lynsey Peters Amanda Petrosky Kimberly T. Pham Fred A. Pierantoni, IV Zachary J. Pizarro Erin Plank Ashley Polomchak Jessica Possemato Matthew W. Price Julissa N. Reed Craig R. Rein Lindsay K. Reis Michael Richwalder Chad J. Rizzardi Joseph Rowlands Mary E. Rowlands Bianca Sabia Justyna Sacharzewska Devin Sassone-McHugh Erin M. Schaeffer Andrew Seaman LeeAnn Searfoss Jordan Semar Kate M. Shaughnessy Adrienne C. Shellenberger Ashley Shimko Amanda L. Shingler Heather M. Shoemaker Amanda Siarkievicz Charles E. Siarkowski Michael J. Simko Brittney M. Sines Praveen Singh Alyssa R. Slezak Erik R. Smith Jonathan A. Smith Lacey K. Smith Scott A. Smith Zachary P. Sobota Lyndsay M. Sopp Justin P. Spott Amy Stancavage Ryan M. Stem Emilee Strubeck Kyle W. Stump Christa Sundberg Erica Sundberg Erin Sweet Brian E. Switay Scott Szili Adam Szumski Laura Tatusko Casey Thomas Melanie L.Thomas Stephen Thomas Amanda L.Tilley Emilia Tombacher Amanda Touch Mary Treven Monica Turner Mary Turtschanow Ryan Varju Shaina Vernitsky James P.Waddilove Lacee C.Wagaman Katelynn Walter Daniel Walton Jeremy Watson Kamara M.Wentz Katie L.White Lauren A.Wilk Brittney M.Williams Nickolas A.Williams Adam J.Witinski Licia Witt Ashley Wittig Andrew T.Wolak Jason R.Woloski Adam P.Wood Desiree R.Wren Jenna Wynings Maryana Yevtukh Ashley Yob Ashley N.Yoder Nicole A. Zangardi Katrina Zbegner Patrick Ziegler Xiaoqiao Zhang WILKES | Winter 2010 CLASS GIFT Deceased 43 �report of gifts • THE MARTS SOCIETY THE Alumni, friends and benefactors have played a sustaining role in the future of MARTS SOCIETY the University and its students through bequests and other charitable estate plans. The Marts Society recognizes the increasing number of contributors participating in gift planning programs to benefit Wilkes University. Membership in The Marts Society is attained through the commitment of any number of planned gifts, including bequests, charitable trusts, gift annuities, gifts of property with retained life estate, life insurance policies and retirement plan accounts. Many of these gift vehicles allow donors to contribute cash or appreciated assets to benefit Wilkes while earning income during their lifetime. The Marts Society was named in honor of Dr. Arnaud C. and Anne McCartney WILKES | Winter 2010 Marts. Dr. Marts became President of Bucknell University in 1935 and was Anonymous Anonymous George I. Alden Trust Estate of Agnes C.Alderdice ’58 Barbara Zatcoff Allan Estelle B. Andrews ’69 Estate of Richard & Ellen E. Ayre Anthony J. Bartuska* Doris Gorka Bartuska, M.D. ’49 Estate of Helen E. Berryman George Bierly ’40 Betty Kanarr Bierly ’50 Estate of Tom A. Bigler Estate of Catherine H. Bone Estate of Therese Brennan Lee & Louise Brown Trust Dr. Mary E. Brown ’62 Charles S. Butler ’59 Dr. & Mrs. Robert A. Byrne ’72 Richard G. Cantner ’68 Bruce R. Cardon Trust Estate of Donald F. & Louise C. Carpenter Dr. Jesse H. Choper ’57 Estate of Thomas J. Coburn ’49 Eleanor Kazmercyk Cornwell ’53 Estate of Colonel William Corbett Estate of Samuel M. Davenport, III ’59 Estate of Fred H. Davies Stanley & Patricia S. Davies Thomas J. Deitz Estate of Charles & Sadie Donin Estate of Dr. Sylvia Dworski Estate of Isadore & Getha Edelstein Estate of R. Carl Ernst ’58 Josephine Eustice Estate of Annette Evans Estate of Rulison Evans Barbara Medland Farley ’50 Estate of Attorney & Mrs. George L. Fenner, Jr. Estate of Harry Fierverker ’49 The Honorable J. Harold Flannery ’55 Barbara Flannery Walter R. Fleet Shirley Rees Fleet ’49 Stephen L. Flood ’66 Dr. Don C. Follmer ’50 Estate of Eleanor S. Fox ’35 Richard Fuller, Ph.D. Estate of Dr.William Louis Gaines Joseph G. Galli ’81 Amy D. Goss ’97 Jane Norton Granitzki ’59 Estate of Charlotte Reif Gregory Dr. Benjamin Grella ’65 Doris Woody Grella Estate of William B. Griffith Brynly R. Griffiths Trust J. Douglas Haughwout ’64 Louise S. Hazeltine ’44 Estate of Enid Hershey ’66 Frederick J. Hills ’59 Harry R. Hiscox, Esquire ’51 Beverly A. Hiscox ’58 Judith Hopkins ’55 Estate of Richard & Frances Hyde Arthur E. Imdorf ’55 Estate of Evelyn Isserman Estate of Mildred N. Johnson Leo R. Kane ’55 Estate of Bronis J. Kaslas, Ph.D. Dr. Stanley B. Kay Mr. Bryn E. Kehrli ’69 Dr. Richard B. Kent ’55 Mr. & Mrs. John S. Kerr ’72 John J. Kleynowski ’67 Estate of Eugene T. Kolezar Estate of Drs. Francis & Lidia Kopernik Estate of Mary R. Koons Marian Zaledonis Kovacs ’68 Estate of Helen Lazarus Glenn F. Leiter Arlen R. Lessin Estate of Dr. Edithe J. Levit ’45 Estate of Rose G. Liebman ’37 Estate of Madeline R. Magee Bernard K. Mallan ’71 Estate of Anne Marts John A. Mason M‘00 instrumental in maintaining Bucknell University Junior College in Wilkes-Barre during the Depression years. Because he believed in the service offered to the young people of the Wyoming Valley, Dr. Marts provided the support and leadership the fledgling institution needed to become self-sustaining. Dr. Marts established a trust in 1964, which provided a lifetime income for Mrs. Marts after his death. Upon her death in 1994, more than $2 million was gifted to the University, which helped to make possible the addition to campus of the Arnaud C. Marts Sports and Conference Center. For more information on becoming a member of The Marts Society, please contact the Planned Giving Office at (570) 408-7833 or 1-800-WILKES-U, ext. 7833 or visit our website at www.wilkes.edu/pages/715.asp and explore the benefits of a planned gift through our new interactive planned giving calculator. Gerard A. McHale, Jr. ’67 Estate of Ruth Williams McHenry ’49 Clifford K. Melberger Ruth Boroom Melberger ’62 Robert H. Melson ’35 Joshua G. ‘02 & Karen M. Mendoza ‘02 Estate of Charles H. Miner, Jr. Esq. John C. & Mabel Mosteller Trust Estate of Elizabeth Sandish Montgomery Estate of Dorothy R. Morgan Estate of Jessie L. Morgan Paul D. Morgis ’70 Regina L. Morse ’82 Estate of Herbert J. Morris Estate of Walter E. Mokychic ’50 Estate of J. Donald Munson Estate of John J. Musto ’57 Estate of Wilbur A. Myers Martin J. Naparsteck ’69 Barbara W. Nixon ’71 Lois Schwartz Nervitt ’61 Estate of William P. Orr, III Geraldine Nesbitt Orr Estate of Alberta A. Ostrander Richard L. Pearsall Lawrence B. Pelesh ’50 Peter W. Perog ’60 F. Charles Petrillo, Esq. ’66 Estate of Ann Phillips Dr. Cummings* & Trudy Piatt Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Piskorik ’68 Henry B. & Edith M. Plumb Trust Estate of Frieda Pogoreloff Estate of Roy H. Pollack Janice A. Raspen ’92 Estate of Ford A. Reynolds William H. Rice ’48 Estate of Ruth A. Richards Arnold & Sandy Rifkin Estate of Harriet P. Ripley Dr. Jessie A. Roderick ’56 Attorney Harold Rosenn Mrs. Sallyanne Rosenn ’42 Estate of Rae Roth Donald J. Sackrider Mr. & Mrs. Louis Santoro ’83 Janice A. Saunders ’70 Joseph J. Savitz, Esq. ’48 Marian R. Schaeffer Trust Estate of Nathan Schiowitz Marvin* & Stella Schub Estate of Willard R. Shaw ’48 Daniel Sherman ’50 Estate of Charles E. Shook ’68 Estate of Frances D. Shotwell Estate of Dr. George J. Siles ’57 Mr. Herbert B. Simon Estate of Margaret Mary Sites Estate of Gordon A. Smith Nancy Hancock Smith Andrew F. Sofranko, Jr. ’68 Estate of Joseph Sooby, Jr. ’49 Dr. & Mrs. Charles A. Sorber ’59 Mr. & Mrs. Frank Stanitski Dr. Albert J. Stratton ’49 Joseph A. Sullivan ’51 Dr. Lester J.Turoczi Estate of Constance McCole Umphred Estate of Marie A. Umphred Estate of John A.Vail Estate of Edward A.Venzel ’54 Estate of Walter F.Vorbleski Estate of Ann Brennan Wagner Estate of Esther Weckesser Walker Estate of Marne Lou Weaver ’73 Estate of Wesley Wilkes Bruce R.Williams, D.O. ’82 Estate of Daniel E.Williams ’44 Estate of John F.Wozniak ’61 Estate of William H.Young Emery & Mamie Ziegler Trust * 44 Deceased �ENDOWED NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS • report of gifts ENDOWED NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS Below is the current list of endowed and annual scholarships available to Wilkes students. Please go to www.wilkes.edu/pages/358.asp for descriptions on these scholarships or for more information on how to Mohamad Abraham Scholarship Agnes C. Alderdice ’58 Scholarship Vincent and Martha Aleo Scholarship Alumni Association Scholarship Paul J. Arthur ’53 and Margaret T. Arthur Scholarship David Ayers Scholarship Fund Richard and Ellen Ayre Memorial Scholarship Ballet Society of Wyoming Valley Scholarship Kevin Edward Barker Memorial Scholarship Grant H. Barlow Memorial Scholarship Dr. Alfred W. Bastress Scholarship Ethel G. and Alvan E. Baum Scholarship George Thompson and Sara Wolfe Bell Scholarship Frederic E. Bellas Endowed Scholarship Samuel Berk Memorial Scholarship William Bernhard Scholarship William D. Berryman Scholarship Fund Michael J. Bogdon, III Scholarship Rose Brader Scholarship Christopher N. and Jane M. Breiseth Scholarship Joyce Porter and Norton Millard Breiseth Scholarship Genevieve Todd Brennan Memorial Scholarship Charles N. Burns, Sr., M.D. ’35 Scholarship Robert S. Capin Scholarship in Accounting Bruce R. Cardon and Charlotte J. Cardon Memorial Scholarship Walter S. Carpenter Scholarship in Engineering J. Blanchard Carr and Hildegarde Finger Carr Scholarship John J. Chwalek, Sr. Scholarship Class of 1970 Scholarship Alumni and Friends of Communications Scholarship Conyngham Post No. 97, Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania, Scholarship Elena Lucretia Cornaro Scholarship Alfred Franklin D‘Anca, M.D. Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. S. M. Davenport Scholarship Esther and William Davidowitz Scholarship Anthony J. DiMichele Memorial Scholarship Seymour A. Dimond Scholarship * establish a scholarship. Charles and Sadie Donin Memorial Scholarship George F. Elliot Memorial Scholarship Sylvia Dworski, Ph.D. Scholarship Isadore and Getha Edelstein Scholarship Dr. John Henry Ellis, IV Scholarship Mahmoud H. Fahmy, PH.D. Scholarship John Faneck ’50 Scholarship Fund Eugene S. and Eleanor Coates Farley Scholarship David R. Fendrick Scholarship Chlora Fey Scholarship Harry and Gloria Farkas Fierverker Scholarship David J. Findora ’70 Memorial Scholarship Stephen L. Flood ’66 Scholarship Muriel S. Follmer Scholarship Sarah Catherine Ford Adult Learner Scholarship Fortinsky Scholarship Sidney and Pauline Friedman Scholarship Sandy A. Furey Memorial Scholarship Carlton H. Garinger Memorial Scholarship William R. Gasbarro Scholarship Mildred Gittins Memorial Scholarship Cathy Lynn Glatzel ’86 Nursing Scholarship Elizabeth and Albert Grabarek Memorial Scholarship Fund Henry and Sylvia Greenwald Scholarship Brynly R. Griffiths Scholarship Jason ’90 and Tamara Griggs Scholarship Margaret Mary Hagelgans Memorial Scholarship Edward G. Hartmann, Ph.D. ’35 Scholarship George Hayes of Windsor Scholarship Patricia Boyle Heaman and Robert J. Heaman Scholarship William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Hugh G. & Edith Henderson Scholarship Klaus Holm Scholarship Arthur J. Hoover Scholarship Andrew J. Hourigan, Jr., Esq. Scholarship Sherry Every Hudick Memorial Scholarship Jewish WarVeterans,Wilkes-Barre Post 212 Scholarship Harvey and Mildred Johnson Scholarship Fund William D. Jonathan Memorial Scholarship Dr. Dilys Martha Jones & Thomas Evan Jones Scholarship John D. Kearney Memorial Scholarship Grace C. Kimball Scholarship in Biology Harold J. Harris, M.D. - Angeline Elizabeth Kirby Memorial Health Center Scholarship Kaslas-Sheporaitis Educational Scholarship Fund Edith M. Kent Scholarship Eugene T. Kolezar Scholarship Francis A. and Maryann V. Kopen Scholarship Christopher Kopernik Scholarship Koral’s Fashion Scholarship KPMG/John R. Miller Scholarship Esther Lamb Scholarship Jane Lampe-Groh Scholarship William Langfelder Scholarship Letter Women’s Club Scholarship LF Brands, Inc. Scholarship Anne Vanko Liva Scholarship Charlotte V. Lord Scholarship Kathryn H. MacAvoy Scholarship in Nursing Will F. and Regina D. Maguire Scholarship Kathleen Hartzell Mailander Scholarship in Nursing Anthony D. Marseco Scholarship Fund Arnaud Cartwright Marts Scholarship Frances and Louis Maslow Memorial Scholarship Robert J. McBride Memorial Scholarship McGowan Scholarship Ruth W. and John T. McHenry Scholarship in Nursing Marilyn McQuestion-Kay Memorial Scholarship Norris Church Mailer Scholarship Ruth Boorom Melberger ’62 Scholarship Elizabeth Sandish Montgomery and George Heron Montgomery Scholarship Thomas J. Moran Scholarship in Journalism Dr. Jaroslav G. Moravec Memorial Scholarship WILKES | Winter 2010 ENDOWED NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS Deceased 45 �report of gifts • ENDOWED NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS Mabel and John C. Mosteller Scholarship Sarah D. Moyer Memorial Scholarship Harry J. Moyle ’58 Scholarship Donald and Marion Munson Scholarship Dr. Umid R. Nejib and Omar U. Nejib ’92 Memorial Scholarship Lee A. Namey ’68 Scholarship Taft Achilles Rosenberg Naparsteck Scholarship O’Hop Family Scholarship Overlook Estate Foundation Scholarship Ellen Webster Palmer Scholarship Patel Scholarship Peking Chef Scholarship for International Understanding Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Northeast Chapter Scholarship Pennsylvania’s Last Frontiersman Scholarship Peter W. Perog, CPA ’60 Scholarship Craig C. Piatt Memorial Scholarship Henry Blackman Plumb and Edith Plumb Scholarship Frieda Pogoreloff Scholarship Roy H. Pollack Memorial Scholarship Kenneth L. Pollock Scholarship George and Helen Ralston Scholarship Charles B. Reif Scholarship for the Biological Sciences Lillian Wilkins Rinehimer R.N. Scholarship Dr. James Rodechko Scholarship in History Dr. Samuel A. Rosenberg Memorial Scholarship Sydney and Theodore Rosenberg Scholarship Joseph H. Salsburg Scholarship Amedeo Obici and Thomas P. Sangiuliano Scholarship Dolores E. and Francis Sangiuliano Scholarship Mr. and Mrs.Thomas Paul Sangiuliano Abe and Sylvia Savitz Family Scholarship Fund Nathan Schiowitz Scholarship in Nursing Scholarship to Start Education (SSE) Robert Marc Schub Memorial Scholarship Louis Shaffer Memorial Scholarship Bruce and Bessie Shaw Scholarship Alan David Sherman Scholarship Frances D. Shotwell Memorial Scholarship Samuel H. Shotwell Memorial Scholarship Mark Slomowitz Memorial Scholarship Merritt W. and Marjory R. Sorber Scholarship Stanley F. and Helen Stawicki Memorial Scholarship Surdna Foundation Scholarship George F. and Ruth M. Swartwood Scholarship Cromwell E. and Beryl Thomas Outstanding Junior Scholarship Reed P. and Dorothy Travis Memorial Scholarship Dr. Norma Sangiuliano Tyburski Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. Stanley J.Tyburski Endowed Scholarship Francis A. Umphred Memorial Scholarship Dorothy G. and Edward A.Venzel ’54 Memorial Scholarship Esther Weckesser Walker Scholarship Robert A.West Scholarship in Education Daniel S.Wilcox, Jr. Scholarships in Accounting Wilkes University Faculty Women and Wives Club Scholarship Myvanwy Williams Theater Scholarship William H. and Ruth W.Young Scholarship Ira B. Zatcoff Memorial Scholarship Emery and Mamie Ziegler Scholarship ANNUAL NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS Joseph G. Bendoritis, Ph.D. ’51 Scholarship Choice One Community Credit Union Scholarship Mary E. Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Scholarship International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 163 Scholarship Intermetro Industries Scholarship Felix Infausto Memorial Scholarship WILKES | Winter 2010 To make a gift, contact: Lauren Y. Pluskey ‘06, MBA ’10, Director of Annual Giving (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4331 or lauren.pluskey@wilkes.edu 46 David W. Kistler, M.D. Scholarship Charles Mattei, P.E. Scholarship Fund George ’71 and Jean Matz Scholarship PA Society of Public Accountants, NE Chapter Scholarship Plains Rotary Scholarship in Memory of Leo Pensieri Polish Room Committee Scholarship Patricia “Patsy” Reese Nursing Scholarship William H. Rice ’48 Scholarship A. Rifkin and Company Scholarship Joseph M. Roszko ’68 Scholarship The Judianne Stanitski Annual Scholarship Sidhu School Outstanding Leaders Scholarship A.T. Still Osteopathic Medicine Annual Scholarship United Parcel Service Foundation Scholarship Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Scholarship Michael and Kim Wood and Family Annual Scholarship Wyoming Valley Health Care System Medical Staff Annual Scholarship FUTURE SCHOLARSHIPS Paul J. Arthur ’53 and Margaret T. Arthur Scholarship Louise Brown Scholarship Citizens Voice Scholarship Crahall Foundation Scholarship Honorable Jeffry Gallet ’64 Memorial Scholarship Joseph E. and Patty Gilmour Scholarship Miller Family Scholarship Lois Schwartz Nervitt ’61 Scholarship Theresa A. Nowinski-Leiter Scholarship Ronald ’68 and Hazel Piskorik Scholarship Billy “Boog” Powell Scholarship Sallyanne and Harold Rosenn Scholarship Fund Joanne Raggi Scholarship William H. Rice ’48 Scholarship Ruth A. Richards Scholarship Thomas Richards Scholarship Joseph J. Savitz, Esquire ’48 Scholarship Elizabeth A. Slaughter, Ph.D. ’68 Scholarship Judith and Leslie P.Weiner, MD ’57 Scholarship �Dr. & Mrs. Paul S. Adams ’77 & ’78 Advanced Motion Controls Mr. & Mrs. Albert G. Albert Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas L. Alesandro ’63 Dr. Jeffrey R. Alves Dr. Michael S. Anger ’77 Dr. & Mrs. Dean A. Arvan ’55 Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania Mr. Charles P. Baker ’73 Dr.Thomas J. Baldino Mr. & Mrs. David M. Baltimore Mrs. Soni Stein Baltimore ’68 Dr. & Mrs. Anne & Stephen Batory ’68 Dr. Joseph G. Bendoraitis ’51 Bergman Foundation Berkshire Asset Management, Inc. Mrs. Sandra Bernhard Black Horse Foundation BlackRock Blue Cross of Northeastern PA Blue Ribbon Foundation Dr. Steven D. Boggs Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Ms. Rose M. Boroch ’64 Borton-Lawson Engineering Ms. Karen Bove ’85 Dr. & Mrs. Christopher N. Breiseth Brennan Electric, Inc. Dr. Joseph S. Briskie, Jr. ’87 Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Bruggeworth ’83 Mrs. Lissa Bryan-Smith Mrs. Angela M. Buckley Mr. & Mrs. Edward F. Burke ’69 Mr. Jack L. Burke Attorney & Mrs.William R. Bush ’68 Mr. & Mrs. Daniel J. Cardell ’79, ’79 Attorney & Mrs. Anthony M. Cardinale ’72, ’72 Carpenters Local Union #645 Ms. Sandra Sarno Carroll Mr. & Mrs. John M. Cefaly, Jr. ’70 Choice One Community Federal Credit Union Ms. Denise Schaal Cesare ’77 Commonwealth Medical College Mr. & Mrs. John J. Chopack ’69 Dr. Jesse H. Choper, Esq. ’57 Citizens Voice Mr. & Mrs. Chuck Cohen Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Mrs. Betsy Bell Condron M’79 Creative Business Interiors Mrs. Grace J. Kirby Culbertson Dr. Bonnie C. Culver Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. DS Machining LLC CVS Charitable Trust Mr. & Mrs.William Davidowitz Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Davidowitz Davidowitz Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Stanley S. Davies Mr. & Mrs. David L. Davis ’75 * • report of gifts Mrs. Susan Maier Davis ’85 Catherine De Angelis, M.D., M.P.H. ’65 Mr.Thomas J. Deitz Captain & Mrs. Fred R. Demech, Jr. ’61 Mr. & Mrs. Raymond E. Dombroski ’78 Lt. Colonel & Mrs. Kevin G. Donaleski ’75 Mr. James P. Edwards ’80 Dr. John H. Ellis, IV ’79 Dr. Jane M. Elmes-Crahall Mrs. Josephine Eustice Mr. & Mrs. Charles Flack, Jr. Dr. Edward F. Foote Ms. Shelley Freeman ’82 Mr. Sidney Friedman Frontier Communications, Inc. Geisinger Foundation Dr. James Garofalo ’72 Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Wendy Gavin ’90 Dr. & Mrs. Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Mrs. Emilie Roat Gino ’60 Mr. Michael J. Glancey ’69 Mr. Henry K. Goetzman ’56 Attorney & Mrs. Richard M. Goldberg Golden Business Machines, Inc Mr. & Mrs. Jerome R. Goldstein Mr. & Mrs. Michael I. Gottdenker Mr. & Mrs. R.Wensell Grabarek Dr. Bernard W. Graham Mr. & Mrs. Henry A. Greener ’61, ’61 Dr. & Mrs. David Greenwald ’66, ’66 Guard Foundation Guard Insurance Group Mr. & Mrs. Christopher L. Hackett Mr. & Mrs. Carmen E. Hagelgans Mr. Roger A. Hatch ’89 Gertrude Hawk Candies Dr.Wilbur F. Hayes Ms. Louise S. Hazeltine, R.N. ’44 Drs. Patricia ’61 & Robert Heaman R. Kenneth Hendershot, Ph.D. ’67 Mr. & Mrs. Frederick W. Herrmann ’79, ’78 Hirtle, Callaghan & Co. Attorney & Mrs. Harry R. Hiscox ’51, ’58 Dr. & Mrs. Richard A. Hiscox Mr. David L. Hoats ’55 Mr. & Mrs. Seymour Holtzman ’57, ’60 Mrs. Jean Hughes IBEW Local Union 163 IBM Corporation Mrs. Clara G. Infausto Intermetro Industries Corp. Mr. Edwin L. Johnson ’50 Mr. & Mrs. David A. Jolley ’78 KPMG, L.L.P. Colonel & Mrs. Joel P. Kane ’80 Mr. Leo R. Kane ’55 Mr. & Mrs. Clayton J. Karambelas ’49 Dr. Stanley B. Kay Mr. & Mrs. John P. Kearney Dr. Richard B. Kent ’55 Mr. & Mrs. John S. Kerr ’72, ’72 Keystone College WILKES | Winter 2010 THE JOHN WILKES SOCIETY Deceased 47 �WILKES | Winter 2010 report of gifts • 48 THE JOHN WILKES SOCIETY King’s College Mr. John W. Kluchinski ’61 Mr. & Mrs. George Kolesar ’57, ’61 The Honorable & Mrs. Edwin M. Kosik ’49 Mr. & Mrs. John J. Kowalchik ’74 Mr. & Mrs. Drew Landmesser ’77 Dr. & Mrs. J. Michael Lennon Mr. & Mrs. Donald G. Lewis ’60, ’60 Liberty Mutual Dr. Anthony L. Liuzzo Mr. & Mrs. Michael S. LoPresti ’77 Mr. & Mrs. J. David Lombardi ’70, ’71 Attorney Jeffrey Lowenthal Luzerne County Community College Mr. & Mrs. Judith ’78 &Thomas J. Mack, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Brian Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Christian S. Mackesy Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Mahoney Mahoney Family Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Edward Mailander Mr. & Mrs. Jack Mangelsdorf, Jr. Mrs. Marjorie H. Marquart Mr. & Mrs. Patrice ’77 & Robert T. Martin Marywood University Mrs. Melanie Maslow Lumia Maslow Family Foundation Mr. Kelly J. Mather ’58 Mr. & Mrs. George J. Matz ’71 Dr. Edward McCafferty ’59 McCole Foundation Mrs. Esther Wargo McCormick ’68 William G. McGowan Charitable Fund Mr. Brian McGrath ’69 Mr. & Mrs. Gerard A. McHale, Jr. ’67 Mr. & Mrs. Frank H. Menaker, Jr. ’62 Dr. Donald E. Mencer Mericle Commercial Real Estate Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mericle Drs. Nancy ’69 & James L. Merryman M’10 Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Meuser Ms. Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson ’93 Mr. & Mrs. Neil L. Millar ’67 Mr. John R. Miller ’68 & Ms. Sarah Wise Mr.William R. Miller ’81 Misericordia University Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Mr. & Mrs. Jerry A. Mohn ’63, ’63 Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Mugford ’58 Mr. James J. Mulligan ’85 Mr. Joseph J. Neetz ’62 NEPA Paint & Decorating Contractors NEPA American Society of Highway Engineers NEPA Cardiology Associates Mrs. Barbara Davenport Neville N.R.G Controls North, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. O’Hop One Source Staffing Solutions PA Society of Public Accountants NE Chapter (PSPA) PDQ Print Center PNC Bank PP & L Dr. Eric J. Pape ’04 Mr. & Mrs. George G. Pawlush ’69, ’79 Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Pearsall Penn Miller Insurance Co. Penn State University – Wilkes-Barre Campus Pepsi Bottling Group Mr.W. Drew Peregrim ’85 Attorney William A. Perlmuth ’51 Mr. Peter W. Perog ’60 Mr. & Mrs. John L. Pesta Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Co. Mrs.Trudy Piatt Attorney & Mrs. Sandra ’77 & Arthur Piccone Mr. Peter R. Pisaneschi ’58 Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Piskorik ’68 Ms. Sally J. Poblete Polish Room Committee Mr. & Mrs.William J. Powell ’58 Power Engineering Corp. Attorney Loren D. Prescott, Jr. Attorney Jonathan Pressman Prudential Financial Mrs. Helen Bitler Ralston ’52 Mr.Thomas N. Ralston ’80 Dr. & Mrs.William F. Raub ’61 Mr. & Mrs. John J. Reese ’76 Mr. & Mrs. John G. Reese Mr. & Mrs. John J. Reese ’87 Mr. Charles M. Reilly ’55 Renaissance Charitable Foundation Dr. & Mrs. David Reynolds ’86, ’84 Mrs. Mary B. Rhodes M’77 Mr. & Mrs.William H. Rice ’48 Mr. & Mrs. Arnold S. Rifkin Rim Freeman Family Foundation Mr. Gordon E. Roberts ’60 Dr. & Mrs.Virginia ’91 & James P. Rodechko Rosenn Jenkins & Greenwald LLP Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Rose, Jr. Max & Tillie Rosenn Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Roshong ’67 Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Ross, Jr. Mr. Charles M. Roszko Mrs. Mary Kay Barrett Rotert ’64 Attorney & Mrs. Eugene Roth ’57 Mr. Jay C. Rubino ’86 Mr. & Mrs. E.V. Russ Mr.William F. Ryan, Jr. ’69 Attorney & Mrs. Joseph J. Savitz ’48 Mr. Brian Scandle Schuylkill Energy Resources Scranton Area Foundation Mrs. Janet Neiman Seeley ’70 Mr. Harold P. Shannon ’58 Mr. Daniel Sherman ’50 Mr. & Mrs.Y. Judd Shoval Attorney Virginia P. Sikes Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Silberman Mr. & Mrs. Ronald W. Simms ’60, ’78 Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Simonis Mr. & Mrs. Richard T. Simonson ’69, ’70 Mr. & Dr. Andrew J. Sordoni III Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Sordoni Mr. & Mrs. Margaret ’70 & William B. Sordoni Sordoni Foundation, Inc. Mrs. Estelle Manos Sotirhos ’62 Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Stanitski Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb Dr. & Mrs. Mark D. Stine Mr. & Mrs.William W. Stinger ’68, ’69 Mr. & Mrs. Robert L.Tambur Mr. Larry I.Taren Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth H.Taylor, Jr. Mr. Brian C.Thomas ’82 The Honorable John J.Thomas Mr.William R.Thomas ’75 Torrey Pines Bank Mrs. L. Joyce Tremayne ’58 Mr. & Mrs.William H.Tremayne ’57 Troy Mechanical, Inc. UGI Penn Natural Gas Mr.William J. Umphred, Sr. ’52 University of Scranton UPS Foundation Dr. Salvatore M.Valenti ’58 Mr. & Mrs. B.William Vanderburg ’65, ’65 Mr. David E.Vann ’58 Wachovia Foundation Walgreens Co. Rabbi & Mrs. Bruce S.Warshal ’58, ’59 Dr. Stephen Wartella, Jr. Dr.William E.Watkins ’62 Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F.Weber ’67, ’69 Mrs. Nancy M’09 & Mr.Thomas A.Weeks Dr. & Mrs. Leslie P.Weiner ’57 Weininger Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Paul A.Wender ’69 Mr. Edward J.White III ’80 Mr. Mirko Widenhorn Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Willary Foundation Board Mr. & Mrs. Bill I.Williams ’58 & ’56 Mr. & Mrs. Bill Williams Mr. & Mrs. Michael J.Wood Wyoming Valley Healthcare Wyoming Valley Motors Mr. & Mrs.Theodore T.Yeager ’72 Attorney Aimee A. Zaleski ’90 Mr. & Mrs. Alan E. Zellner ’72 & ’74 Ms. Karen Zingale ’85 Ms. Patricia Zukoski * Deceased �then & now Club Day celebrates extracurricular life at Wilkes. Held each fall for more than 30 years, the event brought students to the Greenway to check out clubs and campus organizations. See anyone you recognize in this photo? PHOTO FROM WILKES ARCHIVES Club Day continues to be a way for students to get involved in campus activities. Each club table draws students by offering free giveaways. Joining clubs at Wilkes continues to be an opportunity for students to make new friends and gain important experiences. Share names or reminisce at The Colonel Connection message boards, found at community.wilkes.edu. Or send responses to Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. You can also e-mail wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. PHOTO BY RACHEL STRAYER. PHOTO FROM WILKES ARCHIVES �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY events December 1-12 Sordoni Art Gallery Exhibition - Soul Rebel: An Intimate Portrait of Bob Marley 6 String Ensemble Concert, Darte Center, 7 p.m. 10 Chorus and Chamber Singers Concert, St. Nicholas Church,Wilkes-Barre, 7:30 p.m. 12 Civic Band Concert, Darte Center, 3 p.m. 19 Piano Studio Recital, Darte Center, 5 p.m. January 15 Celebration of 50 Years of Women’s Basketball February 3 Connecting the Dots, alumni student mentoring event 18-20 Theatre Production: Songs for a New World, Darte Center, 8 p.m.; Feb. 21, 2 p.m. Also Feb. 25-27 March 3 Naples, Fla., alumni event 22 Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, Win-Win:Why “Good for All”Will Save the Planet, featuring Gary Hirshberg,CE-Yo, Stonyfield Yogurt, Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. PHOTO BY ERIN SWEET ’10 For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Winter 2010 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 2010 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/3df5ad6c65c6c2f6cc281234c4f691fd.pdf 804a045d92af5a8730b160068a593e9f PDF Text Text S P RING 20 11 heroes in healing | opening doors | a different drummer | good scout �president’s letter Facilities for a New Generation of Students T he cover story in this issue of Wilkes magazine celebrates the careers of five alumni who each were recently honored with the University’s Health Sciences Distinguished Service Award for exceptional contributions to medicine. I urge you to read their stories and learn how their experiences at Wilkes contributed to their careers. They were inspired by great faculty and their interest in science was nurtured in the University’s fine classrooms and laboratories. Today’s Wilkes students receive the same great one-on-one education from faculty. But, I am sad to report, we do not have first-class science facilities in which to prepare them to be tomorrow’s research scientists, physicians, pharmacists and veterinarians. The Stark Learning Center, home to biology and chemistry programs and to the University’s School of Pharmacy and the departments of engineering, environmental engineering and earth sciences, provided stateof-the-art instructional space when it was built in the 1950s and 1970s. But the time has come to build new facilities for the next generation of scientists. The University Board of Trustees is committed to building a state-of-the-art science facility that, when completed in Spring 2013, will become the new home for the departments of biology, chemistry and environmental engineering and earth sciences. It is the first phase of a multi-stage project that will produce a complex of interconnected buildings housing the division of engineering and the Nesbitt College of A new science building will provide statePharmacy and Nursing. It will help us to attract of-the-art laboratories for today’s students. talented students who will make significant contributions to research and medical science. The new building is being designed by Bill Gregg of SaylorGregg Architects of Philadelphia, assisted by laboratory design expert Bob Nalls of Nalls Architecture. It will be 55,000 – 70,000 square feet, located between Conygham Hall and the Annette Evans Alumni House and connected to the Stark Learning Center. The four-story structure will accommodate the needs of the departments of biology, chemistry, environmental engineering and earth sciences, including laboratories, classrooms and offices. It will also house the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, which will monitor the impact on water quality from the gas drilling associated with Marcellus Shale Formation and be a clearinghouse for information on the associated environmental and economic impacts. We hope to break ground for our science building in September 2011. We also hope that as a friend or member of our alumni community you will support this critical project. It is a worthy cause; this $35 million project will make it possible for Wilkes to continue its tradition of providing a world-class education in the sciences and helping our region develop economically. Dr. Tim Gilmour Wilkes University President volume 5 | issue 1 S PR I N G 2 0 11 Wilkes magazine University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows Graduate Assistant Rachel Strayer Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Payne Printery Inc. Editorial Advisory Group Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 Alumni RELATIONS STAFF Director of Alumni Outreach and Stewardship Sandra Sarno Carroll Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Association Officers President Laura Cardinale ’72 First Vice President Fred Demech ’61 Second Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Secretary Cindy Charnetski ’97 Historian George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �8 contents Features 8 Heroes in Healing Five Wilkes alumni, honored with the University’s Health Sciences Distinguished Service Award, are leaders in the healing professions 14 Opening Doors Wilkes students get a head start on careers through the University’s internship program 16 A Different Drummer 14 Steve Fidyk ’90 is one of America’s top percussionists in military and civilian bands 18 Good Scout On the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, Michael LoPresti ’77 reflects on 33 years of involvement as a member and volunteer 12 departments 2 On Campus 6 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Wilkes’ tradition of preparing leaders in the health sciences is celebrated in the University’s Health Sciences Distinguished Service Awards, presented to alumni who are leaders in their fields. Profiles of this year’s winners begin on page 8. 18 Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes. edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. J;;s FPO SC Wilkes | Spring 2011 1 �on campus Spring Speakers Bring Perspectives As Innovators The perspectives of speakers who are innovators and entrepreneurs highlight spring lectures at Wilkes. Allan P. Kirby Lecture Features Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Yogurt Biology Professor Mike Steele Edits First Book Focusing on Pennsylvania’s Endangered Species Wilkes | Spring 2011 Michael A. Steele, professor of biology and the H. Fenner Chair of Research Biology, is lead editor of the first reference book focusing on Pennsylvania’s endangered species. The book, Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania: A Complete Guide to Species of Conservation Concern, was published in December by Johns Hopkins University Press. The book examines 133 species of reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals that are the state’s most vulnerable species on land. The book reveals what can be done to manage and conserve the Keystone State’s important natural resources. It includes basic biology, photographs and range maps. Written by contributors who are recognized authorities on their respective species, the narrative focuses on conservation priorities, research needs and management recommendations. It is a valuable reference for conservationists, wildlife managers and naturalists. Steele’s co-editors are Margaret C. Brittingham, professor of wildlife resources at Pennsylvania State University, Timothy J. Maret, professor of biology at Shippensburg University and Joseph E. Merritt, senior mammalogist with the Illinois Natural History Survey at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 2 More on the Web To learn more about Pennsylvania’s endangered species and for a video interview with Mike Steele, visit www.wilkes.edu/steele. Gary Hirshberg, CE-Yo of Stonyfield Yogurt, will talk about running a successful company while focusing on the environment and social responsibility when he presents the Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship on March 22. He will speak about “Win-Win: Why ‘Good for All’ Will Save the Planet” at 7:30 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. The event is free and open to the public. Hirshberg has overseen the growth of Stonyfield from its infancy as a seven cow organic farming school in 1983 to its current $320 million annual sales. Stonyfield has enjoyed a compounded annual growth rate of over 24 percent for more than 18 years by consistently producing great-tasting products and using innovative marketing techniques that often combine the social, environmental, and financial missions of the company. One of the company’s five missions is “to serve as a model that environmentally and socially responsible businesses can also be profitable” and Hirshberg has realized this vision in every aspect of the company. Michelle Rhee, Founder of StudentsFirst, Delivers Max Rosenn Lecture Michelle Rhee, founder and chief executive officer of StudentsFirst and former chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools, will deliver the 30th annual Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities. Rhee will speak on May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Darte Center. Admission to the lecture is free but attendees must register by calling (570) 408-4306. Rhee founded StudentsFirst in fall 2010 in response to an increasing demand for a better education system in America. The organization promotes a grassroots movement designed to mobilize parents, teachers, students, administrators, and citizens throughout country to channel their energy to produce meaningful results on both the local and national level. �on campus Above: Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Yogurt, above, will deliver the Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship on March 22. Photo courtesy Stonyfield Yogurt Rhee has worked for 18 years to give children the skills and knowledge to compete in a changing world. From adding instructional time after school and visiting students’ homes as a third-grade teacher as part of the Teach for America program in Baltimore, to hosting hundreds of community meetings and creating a Youth Cabinet to bring students’ voices into reforming the D.C. public schools as chancellor, she was guided by one core principle: put students first. Rhee was appointed chancellor of schools in the District of Columbia in 2007 by Mayor Adrian Fenty. She took over a school district serving more than 47,000 students in 123 schools. Under her leadership, the worst-performing school district in the country became the only major city system to see double-digit growth in state reading and state math scores in seventh, eighth and 10th grades over three years. Her work was highlighted in the documentary Waiting for Superman. Rhee resigned as chancellor in 2010. For more information about the Kirby and Rosenn lectures, please call Wilkes University events office at (570) 408-4306. Wilkes | Spring 2011 Below right: Michelle Rhee, founder of StudentsFirst and former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools, will be featured at the Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities on May 1. photo by randy sager 3 �on campus After I was put in the Integrated Management class I found a perfect opportunity to develop my idea. Sidhu Student Continues His Freshman Project Sophomore entrepreneurship major Nick Wesley entered his freshman year with a clear purpose and mission in mind. “I came to Wilkes specifically because I heard that as a freshman, you receive the opportunity to start a business from scratch,” says Wesley. “I have not heard of this approach anywhere else and as an entrepreneur I believe this is the best way to learn about business.” In February 2010 Wesley began a tabletop advertising business for his Integrated Management Experience class. “I have always been good with advertising and I had the idea to use lunch tables in schools as a media outlet for a long time,” says Wesley. “After I was put in the Integrated Management class, I found a perfect opportunity to develop my idea.” Integrated Management Experience is a two-semester course that takes students through the sequential steps of a business, including creating a business concept, planning the venture, launching and operating the business, and finally closing the firm. Wesley’s interest in advertising led him to start the business now known as University Advertising. The business that started out as a requirement in his freshman year turned into a growing business venture. University Advertising sells space to local businesses on the tabletops of Rifkin Café, located on the first floor of Wilkes Henry Student Center. Upon completion of the course, instead of closing the firm, Wesley initiated a transfer of management and is now responsible for purchasing supplies and other expenses associated with University Advertising. “It would have been a shame to the business and the customers to just let this idea, which was on the brink of success, die,” Wesley states. This is just the beginning for University Advertising. Wesley plans to expand the firm using other schools, more unique advertising spaces and other innovative methods to gain viewers and deliver advertisements. “There are many subtle nuances in business which no book can teach you. Immersion is the best tool,” he says. – Nick Wesley Sophomore entrepreneurship major Nick Wesley shows off the table-top advertising sold by University Advertising, the business he started in his freshman Integrated Management Experience. photo by kim bower-spence Creative Writing Program’s Reading Series Streamed Online Wilkes University’s Maslow Faculty Reading To view the videos, visit www.livestream.com/wilkesevents. The next Series, featuring faculty, advisory board residency will be held from June 17-25, 2011. Readings are held nightly members and alumni of the Graduate Creative at 7 p.m. from June 19 to 23. Wilkes | Spring 2011 Writing Program, can now be seen anywhere 4 Readings from the January 2011 readings can be viewed now. The in the world. The series, held each January January series was highlighted by a Jan. 13 reading featuring National Book and June as part of the program’s residencies, Award finalist H.L. Hix; Beverly Donofrio, author of Riding in Cars with Boys; is now streamed live on the Internet. In and the newest Wilkes creative program advisory board member, Susan addition, the videos of the readings are Cartsonis, commercial producer of films such as What Women Want, Nell, archived and can be seen at any time. Where the Heart Is, The Truth About Cats and Dogs and more. �on campus President Gilmour Honored by Wilkes-Barre Chamber Wilkes President Tim Gilmour was honored by the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry with its Outstanding Citizen Award. The award was presented at the chamber’s annual dinner in November in recognition of Gilmour’s contributions to the community during his tenure as Wilkes president. He shared honors with King’s College President Thomas O’Hara. The two presidents were honored because of their pending retirements—O’Hara in May 2011 and Gilmour in May 2012. Pictured from left are Donna (O’Toole) Sedor ’85, chamber executive vice president; Bob Snyder, Luzerne Bank; King’s College President Father Thomas O’Hara; and Wilkes President Tim Gilmour. Texting Study by Psychology Faculty Receives National News Coverage Professors of psychology Deborah Tindell and Robert Bohlander’s research about students’ text messaging in the classroom was featured in media outlets across the United States. photo by Lisa Reynolds Web sites or forums. It also appeared on over 20 educational online news sources, including InsideHigherEducation.com. Tindell and Bohlander have developed tips to help teachers on all levels with classroom management when dealing with text messaging. They also have plans to expand the study at more colleges and universities. More on the Web Learn more about Drs. Deborah Tindell and Robert Bohlander’s research about text messaging in the classroom. To read more details about their study and to access tips for how teachers can minimize texting in their classrooms, visit www.wilkes.edu/texting. Wilkes | Spring 2011 A study of the text messaging habits of college students by Wilkes psychology professors Deborah Tindell and Robert Bohlander made national headlines when the Associated Press ran a story about their research. Tindell and Bohlander designed a 32-question survey to assess the text messaging habits of college students in the classroom. In total, 269 Wilkes students, representing 21 majors, and all class levels, responded anonymously to their survey. The study showed that 95 percent of students bring their phones to class every day and 91 percent have used their phones to text message during class time. Almost half of all respondents indicated that it is easy to text in class without their instructor being aware. The story about their research was carried by more than 500 print, television and online news outlets, including media giants like The New York Times, National Public Radio, CBS, ABC, The Chicago Tribune and literally hundreds of others. The research also appeared on over 100 online resources including blogs, Web sites and social media outlets. Major online resources included The Huffington Post, The Washington Examiner, Gawker and more than 30 technology blogs, 5 �athletics In the Game Women Athletes Celebrate A Half-Century of competition at Wilkes By Helen Kaiser and Vicki Mayk Wilkes | Spring 2011 A 6 sk Doris Saracino what women athletes wanted when she joined Wilkes in 1960 and she has a simple answer. “They wanted to play,” she says. Thanks to Saracino’s efforts, backed by University administration, Wilkes women athletes are celebrating a half-century of competition this academic year. In January 2011, an event was held celebrating 50 years of women’s basketball. Establishing a women’s basketball team with Saracino as coach in 1961 was a turning point. Before that, women’s teams played in what was essentially intramural play. Local newspapers ran women’s sports scores on the women’s social pages. “Prior to that time, if they wanted to compete in tennis, they had to join the men’s team,” Saracino recalls. “Wilkes had a swim team in those days, and if women wanted to compete, they had to join the men’s team.”’ Saracino led the charge to establish women’s intercollegiate teams. When women complained about unequal treatment, she discouraged open protests, insisting, “I’ll take care of it: you play.” Saracino did what she promised. A field hockey team, also coached by Saracino, followed basketball in 1962. Teams for women were established in other sports: tennis in 1973, volleyball in 1975, softball in 1977 and soccer in 1987. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which guaranteed equity in athletic programs at schools receiving federal aid, strengthened the program. Wilkes women’s teams joined the NCAA and Mid-Atlantic Conference in the 1980s. Alumnae athletes praise Saracino and other coaches for making it possible for them to compete and benefit from athletic competition. One of them is Candice Cates Zientek ’71, a resident of Fayetteville, Pa., who played two seasons of basketball and four years of field hockey as center half and later center forward for Wilkes. Zientek credits Saracino, “the heart and soul of Wilkes women’s athletics” and now a lifelong friend, with the excellent mentoring she received as an athlete. �athletics Alumnae Reflect on Impact of Athletics Sandra Bloomberg ’71, Brooklyn, N.Y. Dean, College of Professional Studies, New Jersey University Played basketball and field hockey; coached field hockey, basketball and tennis at Wilkes Sandra Bloomberg says playing sports helped her “to build leadership skills and develop greater self-confidence; to learn that talent is important but a good attitude and a solid work ethic are most essential for success; to recognize and appreciate the unique contribution that each individual brings to a group; to deal with prioritizing competing responsibilities; and to learn the absolute necessity of teamwork (and selflessness) to accomplish common goals.” Mary Jo Hromchak ’80, Wilkes-Barre. Head field hockey coach, Dallas High School, Dallas, Pa. Played field hockey, basketball and softball; 22 years as an assistant coach for basketball, field hockey, and Wilkes women’s athletic teams are pictured through the decades. Center, opposite page, Doris Saracino, the “mother” of Wilkes women’s athletics. Photos courtesy of Wilkes University archives lacrosse at Wilkes “The faculty and staff [at Wilkes] were in the stands when you played. They wanted you to succeed. This personalized the experience for me—made the campus world a bit smaller because you were known by the teachers…Being involved in athletics makes you disciplined, because you had to make good grades to stay on the team…Athletics taught me who I was: a competitor, someone who likes to be active, doing things…” Kim (Kaskel) Mushinsky ’96, Wilkes-Barre Township. Math teacher, Crestwood Middle School, Mountain Top, Pa. Played field hockey at Wilkes on the 1995 championship team inducted into Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame “Playing sports reinforced so many valuable life lessons: time management, setting personal and team goals, working with others, discipline, leadership, and good sportsmanship. Our coaches (Addy Malatesta and M.J. Hromchak) made the experience so fulfilling. I couldn’t have asked for two better role models. They really set the bar high. They expected a lot from all of us—not only as players but as individuals.” Wilkes | Spring 2011 “All of the coaching lessons, compassion, and leadership she instilled in me, I am now trying to instill in my students.” Saracino and field hockey coach Gay Meyers both inspired Zientek’s career in athletics. She teaches in the exercise science and coaching programs at Shippensburg University. After graduating from Wilkes, Zientek taught middle school before earning master’s and doctoral degrees. She went on to coach in the U.S. Field Hockey Program for more than 20 years. She also was head field hockey coach at the University of Michigan and at the University of Surrey in England. Although not all student athletes pursue careers in athletics, Saracino says all female athletes learn common lessons that benefit any career path. “Wilkes has developed such leadership skills among its women athletes,” Saracino says. “I’m like a proud mama, seeing how well women athletes have done in their careers.” 7 �8 Wilkes | Spring 2011 �The winners of Wilkes Health Sciences Distinguished Service Award represent excellence in their fields and a passion for the healing professions. The awards, presented every five years, recognize individuals who are leaders in their fields through ground-breaking research, innovation in treatment and outstanding service in their specialty. The doctors, dentist and veterinarian honored with this year’s awards are making significant contributions in their fields and demonstrate excellence in their work. Profiles by Helen Kaiser and Kim Bower-Spence The Wilkes experience helped to prepare Richard Clompus ’75 for an international career as a vision expert, training professionals in advances in optometry that benefit patients throughout the world. The Jacksonville, Fla., resident is vice president for global professional relations for the San Francisco-based Cooper Vision; and he spends a good deal of time traveling to foreign countries on five continents. He supports clinical studies, education and professional relations for one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. Clompus was director of the Vision Care Institute in Jacksonville from 2006 to 2009, supporting optometric education in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Previously, he held leadership positions with two Johnson & Johnson Vision Care companies. Earlier in his career, he operated a private multidisciplinary optometric practice in his native West Chester, Pa. photo by Taryn Hannah Wilkes | Spring 2011 RICHARD CLOMPUS, O.D. ’75: Eye on Sight 9 �'' That practice I had standing up in front of an audience made public speaking easier for me later in life. I was able to build on it until I was comfortable connecting with large groups. When he reflects on his Wilkes years, Clompus sees the impact that various activities had in his later life. “As a student I was the chairman of the concert and lecture series at the Performing Arts Center on the edge of campus,” he says. “I would work to bring in the performers, meet them ahead of time, and introduce them to the audience. “That practice I had – Richard Clompus, O.D. ’75 standing up in front of an audience made public speaking easier for me later in life. I was able to build on it until I was comfortable connecting with large groups. I have lectured to over a thousand doctors at a time. Preparation is key.” Clompus says his work as a resident assistant to students on campus helped him learn about communications and dealing with conflict—another set of important life skills. Always interested in science and medicine, he initially thought about becoming a pharmacist. He obtained an excellent foundation in biology, thanks to the late Charles Reif and Lester Turoczi, both professors emeritus of biology. “Dr. Turoczi was the inspiration behind a research project I did on fruit flies and how insects age. I learned that research was hard work, and I got to present my scientific findings at a college conference,” Clompus says. ' “When you look back on your life, you see how one experience progresses to another,” he says. By combining science and medical education with his avid interest in photography, Clompus began to look for ways to use lenses to help people improve their vision. He graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and completed a family practice residency at the University of Alabama School of Optometry in Birmingham. “My goal has always been to help improve the quality of patient care. Optometry is very technologically based. Doctors need to understand new technologies to diagnose disease earlier, and they need to know how to communicate results to patients in order to improve their compliance (with medical advice),” he says. While internationally renowned in his field, Clompus says he is most proud of his 34-year marriage to his high school sweetheart, Linnea. The couple has three grown children who have chosen careers in women’s studies, computer science and medicine. Henry Finn, M.D., FACS ’80: People Mechanic Henry Finn ’80 salvages limbs for a living. As chief of the orthopedic section at the University of Chicago’s Weiss Memorial Hospital, director of the Bone and Joint Replacement Center at Weiss and a professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, he sees challenging cases from all over the country. Patients who need amputation seek out Finn as their last hope for complicated knee or hip replacement surgeries. In 1989, the first prototype of his Finn Knee System was implanted. Two years later the Food and Drug Administration approved Finn’s invention for use in complicated cases such as cancer. About 15,000 people around the world have the device. Orthopedics Today cited it as one of the most significant orthopedic Wilkes | Spring 2011 ' 10 I probably would have ended up as a car mechanic, and I ended up as a people mechanic. photo courtesy Weiss Memorial Hospital – Henry Finn, M.D., FACS ’80 '' �' (Most gratifying is) the ability to take an idea that really hatched out of work in the basic laboratory and take it all the way to developing a new treatment. ' photo courtesy cedars-Sinai medical center Eduardo Marban, M.D., Ph.D.’74: Cardiac Quest Eduardo Marban ’74 explores the frontier of medicine, developing techniques that could allow a heart attack victim’s own cardiac stem cells to heal scarred heart muscle. As director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Marban is in the midst of a 30-patient clinical trial to determine if the therapy is safe and effective. “Preliminary results look very promising, and full results should be available by the end of 2011,” he reports. If the stem cell clinical trial succeeds, Marban says, cardiac stem cell therapy could reach patients as early as 2014. The Cuba native came to the United States at the age of 6 with his parents as a political refugee. His late mother, Hilda, taught Spanish at Wilkes College, and he chose to attend college close to home with a goal of becoming a physician. “Many of my classes were small, and the teaching was very much one-to-one,” notes this teacher, professor and researcher. “It was a great experience in terms of getting to know the professors, and a very tailored education.” He graduated with a mathematics degree at age 19, then went to Yale University for doctorates in medicine and physiology. He became interested in the heart in his first year of medical school, where references to a “pump” and “pipes” fascinated his quantitative mind. “At the time, the heart and circulatory system were being approached in simple physical terms, with little biological insight. I was stirred by how rudimentary our knowledge was, and by the opportunity for discovery.” After medical school, Marban’s focus on the heart led him to Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., where he completed his training as a cardiologist and served in a variety Wilkes | Spring 2011 advancements in the last century, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in 2008 named the Finn Knee one the field’s most significant advancements. The Consumers’ Research Council of America’s Guide to America’s Top Physicians twice listed Finn for orthopedic – Eduardo Marban, surgery and joint M.D., Ph.D. ’74 replacement. Among his other inventions is an artificial hip that can allow patients to bear weight the day following surgery. Finn grew up in rural Waymart, Pa., and gave no thought to attending college until deciding at 16 to become a doctor. He read about Wilkes’ Hahnemann program in the local tri-weekly newspaper. Unqualified for admission to Wilkes, let alone the Hahnemann program, he recalls challenging admissions dean John Whitby to give him a chance. “Huck Finn,” as he was known then, scrambled to teach himself algebra so he could do advanced calculus and physics. The world-renowned physician and educator cites professors like Charles Reif, Owen Faut and Lester Turoczi among his favorites. “Wilkes College provided me with excellent preparation for medical school,” Finn recalls. “I got the gift of being able to be a part of it.” One of his first medical school experiences was orthopedic surgery. He knew instantly that’s where he wanted to be. It used the same tools—saws, hammers and drills—that he’d used as a boy to transform lawn mowers into mini bikes. “I probably would have ended up as a car mechanic, and I ended up as a people mechanic.” After medical school and residency at Hahnemann, Finn completed a fellowship in orthopedic oncology at the University of Chicago. His wife, Catherine Hughes Finn ’78, teaches preschool at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Brother Charles Finn ’85 is an orthopedic surgeon in Florida. Henry and Catherine have two daughters, Lauren and Caitlin. In nominating her father for the Wilkes award, Lauren wrote about one patient benefitting from the Finn Knee: “Think about this: (Finn) turned a fused knee, a solid bone, into a joint! Finally, one of his patients was able to bend his knee and get on the floor to play games with his two little kids.” 11 �Wilkes | Spring 2011 of academic and research positions before joining Cedars-Sinai, located in Los Angeles. He also served 10 years as editor of the scientific journal Circulation Research. Marban’s research career focuses on how the heart works and why it does or does not work in various disease states, with a view to creating new therapies. He received the American Heart Association’s Award of Meritorious Achievement in 2009, and has won the Basic Research Prize of the AHA, the Research Achievement Award of the International Society for Heart Research, the Gill Heart Institute Award, and the Distinguished Scientist Award of the AHA. Marban has co-founded three biotechnology companies based on his research and patents: Capricor, to develop products resulting from his current research; Paralex, acquired by Cardiome Pharma and which tested drugs for treating heart failure; and Excigen, to develop gene therapy replacing pacemakers for rhythm disorders. Most gratifying, he says, is “the ability to take an idea that really hatched out of work in the basic laboratory and take it all the way to developing a new treatment.” He likens it to football, where play after play incrementally marches a team down the field to a touchdown—except Marban’s goal is to improve human health. 12 Photo courtesy Dr. W. Peter Nordland W. PETER NORDLAND, D.M.D. ’74, M.S. ’75: Saving Smiles W. Peter Nordland ’74, M.S. ’75 has developed innovations in oral plastic surgery that impact patients’ lives. A periodontal and implant surgeon in San Diego, Calif., Nordland also is involved in teaching and research. He directs the Oral Plastic Microsurgery Training Program at the Newport Coast Oral Facial Institute and his own Nordland Oral Microsurgical Institute. “What we’re able to do when someone is disfigured is to reconstruct missing bone and soft tissue. They can’t smile – W. Peter Nordland, anymore; we can put them back D.M.D., M.S. ’74: together, and they can be happy and whole. It’s a really rewarding field,” he says. Nordland came to Wilkes when he was recruited to play both baseball and football for the Colonels. This was during the height of the football team’s 33-game winning streak, he recalls, laughing. When he saw how physically daunting the players all were, the tall, slender Nordland quickly decided on baseball. He enjoyed playing third base during his freshman year, but— knowing he wasn’t going to wind up as a professional baseball player—he realized he needed to get more serious about his academics. From early on, his goal was to enter dentistry, and two Wilkes biology professors inspired him. The late Charles Reif, was “really tough, mentally challenging.” Nordland credits him with pushing him to seek higher goals. Lester Turoczi, with his enthusiasm and humor, showed that learning can be fun. “To this day, I have tried to model my teaching after him,” the surgeon says. After earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Wilkes, he went on to earn his doctor of medical dentistry degree from Temple University. He completed a general practice hospital residency at the Gerry Pettis Memorial V.A. Hospital and Loma Linda Medical Center, as well as a surgical residency at Loma Linda University—earning a master’s certificate in periodontics. Nordland is a co-founder of the International Academy of Oral Plastic Surgeons. He played a significant role in developing this sub-specialty and introduced various new surgical procedures. During the mid-1990s he began using the microscope in his work. Less than 4 percent of specialists use one, even today, ' With every change I make, my goal has been to educate and promote microsurgical procedures to enhance the final outcome. '' �MARK STAIR, V.M.D. ’70: Respecting all creatures Wilkes-Barre native Mark Stair ’70 developed his penchant for biology and science at Wilkes under the tutelage of the late professor emeritus of biology Charles Reif, whom he described as “an institution” at Wilkes at the time. “He was quite the naturalist and got me interested in wildlife and ecology,” Stair says. As his life progressed, however— through two years in the Marine Corps and a semester of graduate studies in ecology at the University of Minnesota— Stair determined he was better suited to healing animals instead of trapping them for research. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 1978 and joined a hometown clinic, the Trucksville Dog and Cat Hospital. In 2001 Stair purchased the busy practice, which has been named “Best in the Back Mountain” by the local newspaper. Stair’s contributions as a veterinarian include providing a variety of free and low-cost services in the community. He takes pride in helping people be able to care for their pets responsibly, so he participates in various rabies clinics and spaying/neutering programs offered through local organizations. He also helps at microchip clinics. When a microchip implant is placed under the skin of a dog or cat, animal control officers or animal shelters can quickly access information to return pets to their owners. The practice is a service to the community as well as the animal, since it eliminates the need for shelter housing, feeding, and out-placing or euthanizing the pet. photo BY Earl and sedor photographic “It’s hard to find homes for animals that need them,” he says—especially in challenging economic times. He’s taken in four cats that now have the run of an upstairs room at the clinic. Stair says it has been rewarding to rescue numerous animals that otherwise would have been euthanized and to – Mark Stair, have found good homes V.M.D. ’70 for many of them. He also paid to have advanced orthopedic surgery performed on a dog and a cat that are now enjoying satisfying family lives. A regular participant at Wilkes’ health sciences day for high school juniors, Stair mentors high school and college students considering a career in veterinary medicine. Married to Maureen Clinton Stair ’70, he has fond memories of playing trombone in the Wilkes band, especially at football games. His brother was a music major at Wilkes, and two of the veterinarian’s three daughters graduated from the university. The third graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. All of them have pursued careers in medicine or physical therapy. “We grew up learning a lot about life and death, and about respect for all creatures, in large part from our experiences with veterinary medicine with our own pets,” his daughters say. Stair fills his spare time with music and nature. He is a member of Local 140 American Federation of Musicians, the National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, the Sierra Club, the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association, and the American Birding Association. ' It’s hard to find homes for animals that need them. '' Wilkes | Spring 2011 although it can make a huge difference, he says. To benefit from this innovation, he discovered he needed smaller instruments— so he invented his own and makes them available to professionals worldwide. “With every change I make, my goal has been to educate and promote microsurgical procedures to enhance the final outcome,” Nordland says. He receives many invitations to teach and has given more than 300 presentations to international, national, state and county dental societies, dental schools and the military. He has published extensively, and his awards include the 2008 and 2009 “America’s Top Dentists-Periodontists Award” from the Consumers Research Council of America. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry and an active member of the American Academy of Periodontology. Nordland is a native of Dover, N.J. His wife, Kathleen, is a dental hygienist, and his two stepdaughters have pursued medically related careers. His 13-year-old daughter is also showing leanings toward science, he says, so he may suggest she attend Wilkes. 13 �Wilkes Students Get Practical Experience—And First Jobs—Through Internships By Mary Ellen Alu ’77 Wilkes | Spring 2011 W -14 hen Cara Cacioppo ’07 graduated from Wilkes nearly four years ago, she avoided the one major challenge that most new college graduates face—landing a job. Two weeks before graduation, she was offered a position as a regional account manager at The Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre. No resume needed. “I took my cap and gown off,” she says, “and I went to work the next week.” The key to this success story, Cacioppo will tell you, was the fact that management already had an idea of her work ethic and sales ability. As a senior, the business administration major had toiled in sales and marketing as an intern for the brewery. She had been calling on 25 to 30 accounts. Cara Cacioppo ’07, who now spends much of her time on the road for Maines Paper & Food Service Inc., landed her first job via an internship. PhotoS by Jonathan Cohen “I completely skipped the sending-out-resume step after graduation, because the internship exposed me to the real business world and allowed me to exercise what was learned at Wilkes,” says Cacioppo, now an account manager with Maines Paper & Food Service, Inc., a food and paper distributor. While not all internships lead directly to jobs, Cacioppo learned what professors and university administrators preach: Potential employees need to set themselves apart, particularly in these economic times, and a college internship is an ideal way for students to do that. �Marcus Magyar ’08’s internship at Scottrade led to permanent employment after graduation. Photo by Michael Touey One life lesson came early. After compiling data for Mericle, he sent out a mass e-mail to the brokerage division filled with e-mail jargon and acronyms. When the division’s vice president called him into his office, Magyar was hoping to get accolades for his work. – John Mishanski ’07 Instead, the boss read the Software Engineer, Google e-mail aloud, much to Magyar’s embarrassment. “I spent that evening researching e-mail etiquette,” he says. Internships hold value for students and companies alike, says Mike Luksic, who, while at The Lion Brewery, mentored many Wilkes students in sales and marketing. Students worked 20 hours a week, earning college credits and learning the business. The company was able to mold the interns into effective sales representatives, gaining an understanding of their work ethic and skills. If a job became available, Luksic had a sense of whether any of the interns would be a good fit for the company. He likened the experience to leasing a car before deciding whether to buy it. Wilkes alumnus John Mishanski ’07, who was hired by Google after a summer internship, says the people he had worked with as a software engineering intern could later vouch for him. “My full-time job was not an automatic consequence of my internship, but it certainly helped,” he says. Google later extended an offer after considering his interviews, internship performance and grades. “There are a lot of good reasons to do internships, but from my experience the one that sticks out is the ability to try something with low risk,” Mishanski says. “I ultimately moved to California for a full-time job. If I hadn’t spent a few months giving it a try, that decision would have been much harder.” Castano says some programs, such as business administration, require internships, while others, such as engineering, highly recommend it. Other fields offer the choice. Students receive college credits, get paid, or both, depending on the employer. Even if an internship doesn’t lead to a full-time job, students have more practical experience to add to their resume, Castano says. And that could make all the difference in landing a job. “Their resume is professional,” she says. “It stands out.” Magyar acknowledged that some students don’t think they need internships. They might be caught up in the college lifestyle, not thinking beyond graduation. Or they believe their degree will be enough. But, he says, internships open doors. Now Magyar, like others, is paying it forward. He helped bring on another Wilkes student at Scottrade as an intern. '' Wilkes | Spring 2011 Each year at Wilkes, 200 to 250 students participate in internships, whether in communications, psychology, business, criminology, integrative media or other fields. The majority, about 70 percent, are seniors, says Sharon Castano, who coordinates the university’s internship program. Some students complete an internship as early as their sophomore or junior year, which gives them time to complete more than one before graduating. Marcus Magyar ’08’s first internship was with Mericle Commerical Real Estate, where he worked for five months. The next was a year-long internship in the financial services industry with Scottrade, Inc., which led to his job as a licensed stock broker with the company. Not only did he learn both industries, he says, but he also learned how to conduct himself professionally. It afforded him the opportunity to network with professionals through emails, meetings and projects. ' There are a lot of good reasons to do internships, but... the one that sticks out is the ability to try something with low risk. 15 �Steve Fidyk ’90 Is A World-ClasS Percussionist in Military and Professional Ensembles By Rachel Strayer S teve Fidyk ’90 never expected to find himself performing in the Middle East for service members on a recent USO tour, much less enjoying it. Fidyk and select members of the United States Army Band, “Pershing’s Own,” toured Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan on the 2008 USO holiday tour hosted by the Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth Preston. Fidyk describes the tour as “some of the most Wilkes | Spring 2011 rewarding performances” of his career. 16 “(There were) servicemen asking, ‘Did you travel all this way just to play for us?’” Fidyk recalls. “If traveling overseas and bringing a piece of home made their lives a little easier, then it was all worthwhile.” Fidyk’s journey started years before when he was recruited as an eighth grader at Hanover Area Junior High by Wilkes faculty member Jerry Campbell. “At that time, Mr. Campbell was in the process of rebuilding the music program and he had a great rapport with my band director, Mr. Baranowski,” states Fidyk. The opportunity to receive first-hand experience with jazz professors Bob Wilbur, Tom Heinze and percussion ensemble director Bob Nowak helped set Fidyk on his current musical path. “At Wilkes, no one cared that I was in eighth grade. They treated me as an equal and expected me to work hard and keep up,” says Fidyk. He took that challenge, playing five years at Wilkes before attending the college as a music education major. After Steve Fidyk ’90’s career as a drummer started at Wilkes and has taken him around the world. Photo courtesy of Steve Fidyk graduation, he accepted a teaching assistantship at the University of North Texas and immediately missed what he had received in abundance at Wilkes: playing experience. “I really wanted to play, and at The University of North Texas, my schedule was full with teaching responsibilities” he says. After one semester, Fidyk left Texas looking for new opportunities. After answering an audition advertisement for the U.S. Army Field Band, Fidyk was accepted and enlisted. Though based in Washington, D.C., for more than five years, he spent an average of 120 days per year on the road traveling throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. With a wife—fellow Wilkes alum Tamela (Newell) Fidyk ’90—and a growing family, Fidyk recognized the need for a less hectic travel schedule. He auditioned for the prestigious 17-piece jazz ensemble, The Army Blues, winning the drumset spot from 60 other contenders. He is now a master sergeant with 20 years of military service. �More on the Web Listen to Steve Fidyk play and learn more about his career by visiting his website www.stevefidyk.com. Steve Fidyk, Davidsonville, Md. B.A., Music Education, 1990 M.A., Jazz Studies, University of Maryland, 2002 Career: Master sergeant and percussionist in the U.S. Army Blues Jazz Ensemble, member of the Jazz Studies department at Temple University and co-leader of The Taylor-Fidyk Big Band. Notable: Played percussion for two Grammy Award-winning albums. Favorite Wilkes Places: The Dorothy Dickson Darte Center and his wife’s former dorm, Waller North. Favorite Wilkes Memory: “I met my wife at Wilkes; that trumps everything!” Right: Fidyk performs with the Army Blues jazz ensemble. Photo courtesy Steve Fidyk Below: Steve Fidyk performs with his son, Tony, during a concert at Wilkes-Barre’s River Common in summer 2010. Fidyk teaches in Wyoming Seminary’s Performing Arts Institute. Photo by Curtis Salonick Wilkes | Spring 2011 Originally, Fidyk never considered a career in the military even though his father is a Korean War veteran, his uncle served during World War II and another uncle died in Vietnam. His decision came from the recommendations of three trusted individuals: his private music instructors and mentors, Ed Soph, John Riley and Joe Morello. All three New York City musicians encouraged Fidyk, just as they provided him with skills and guidance that would impact his career. At 82 years of age, Morello is still giving lessons to Fidyk’s son, Tony. When not playing for the military, Fidyk keeps a busy performing schedule. In addition to leading the Taylor-Fidyk Big Band with arranger Mark Taylor, he has toured and recorded with artists such as Maureen McGovern, Tom Paxton and the Woody Herman Orchestra. He played on Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer’s Grammy-winning albums, “Bon Appetit! Musical Food Fun” in 2004 and “cELLAbration: A Tribute to Ella Jenkins” in 2005. The Taylor-Fidyk Big Band “Live at Blues Alley” recording won a Washington Area Music Award— known as a WAMMIE—for “best big band recording” of 2006. Fidyk also teaches in the jazz studies department at Temple University and has written several articles for Modern Drummer Magazine, Percussive Notes Journal, Teaching Music Magazine and Music Alive! He has published several method books and even a beginner’s “how to set up your drum set” DVD featuring his son, Tony. His latest book, Big Band Drumming At First Sight, is due out in the spring of 2011. Despite all his professional commitments, Fidyk’s number-one priority is his family. He lives with his wife and two sons, Tony and Joey, in Davidsonville, Md. “All my inspiration for playing today comes from my wife and kids,” says Fidyk. “When I walk in the front door, I’m not a musician or a teacher…I’m dad, and that’s exactly how I like it.” 17 �Good Scout Michael LoPresti ’77 Contributes Time and Talents to Boy Scouts Wilkes | Spring 2011 A 18 s the Boy Scouts of America recently observed its 100th anniversary, Michael LoPresti ’77 celebrated a personal milestone with the organization: 33 years of involvement that began in boyhood and has continued with service as a local, regional and national scouting volunteer. Recently retired from the position of chief financial officer with Chicago’s Adler Planetarium and launching his own consulting business, LoPresti says he’s used the lessons learned in scouting throughout a successful career. “I often tell people, ‘I’m too much of a Boy Scout,’ ” LoPresti jokes. “If I take on something, it’s got to be done right, and I’m going to be honest and transparent in my dealings. I try to get better with each new project that I take on. The value system that I learned in scouting has been the bedrock on which I’ve built my career.” A resident of Glenview, Ill., LoPresti uses his business skills as volunteer treasurer and executive committee member for the Northeast Illinois Council, Boy Scouts of America, which serves 17,000 scouts. His service earned him scouting’s prestigious Silver Beaver Award in 2005. LoPresti’s father was his scoutmaster in his hometown of Groveville, N.J. Together they led an expedition to the Philmont Scout Ranch, which challenges boys with more than 214 square miles of rugged northern New Mexico wilderness. Two years later, LoPresti traveled to Japan to attend an eight-day World Scout Jamboree and trekked to the summit of Mount Fuji. While on the mountain, a typhoon struck. He scrambled down the summit and scouts from more than 100 countries were evacuated from flooded campgrounds to a high school gymnasium. He took a lesson away from the experience. “The Scout motto is ‘Be Prepared.’ What I realized is that I was prepared,” LoPresti says. “I could adapt to the experience. I wasn’t intimidated.” The civic lessons he learned in scouting led him to major in political science at Wilkes. He honed leadership skills participating in student government and residence hall council and public speaking skills in Professor Brad Kinney’s class. “His encouragement was important. He told us, ‘You’re going to have to get up in front of large groups your whole life.’ I’ve used the skills I learned there throughout my career.” LoPresti took a break from scouting after high school, but was hooked all over again when his older son joined. “Scouting By Glenn Kranzley is fun for the parents, too,” he says. He and his wife, Bonnie, became pack leaders. When his sons went onto Boy Scouts, he joined them. He enjoyed watching boys develop leadership skills through the experience. “It is gratifying to work with the scouts and see them master cooking over an open fire, camping in sub-zero weather or carrying out a community service project,” LoPresti says. “Boy Scouts give the scouts a chance to fail and then succeed in a controlled environment. Once they realize they can master a task, their self confidence soars. They can become the teacher, instead of the student.” More recently, LoPresti has helped to bring that same character-building experience to underserved youth through the Scoutreach program. The urban scouting program focuses on city and minority youth. What started in a single school has expanded to dozens of locations in Waukegan and North Chicago, Ill. LoPresti has helped to fund the program. John Mosby, CEO of the Northeast Illinois Council, says, “Mike is a servant leader and he leads by example. And he’s a visionary. He’s making a difference in the economically challenged cities of Waukegan and North Chicago with his work to bring scouting to schools through innovative lunchtime programs. Mike is making a difference one boy at a time. Just think where that might lead as those youngsters grow up.” LoPresti’s younger son, Chris, is the next generation to assume a leadership role in Scouting. Father and son have led scouts on a 50-mile trek through Montana’s Glacier National Park and on trips to the 2005 national jamboree and the 2007 centennial world jamboree in England. In July 2010, they were selected from volunteers across the country to serve on the VIP/Guest Services staff at the 100th anniversary jamboree in Virginia, the only father-son team on the 30-member staff. Chris’s busy high school schedule delayed him from receiving his Eagle Scout medal at the traditional Court of Honor ceremony before entering Yale University. His father arranged for him to receive it in a special ceremony at the jamboree, followed by a flight in a Blackhawk helicopter over the 2,200-acre jamboree site. Although such experiences are exciting, LoPresti says the satisfaction he gets as a Boy Scout volunteer is knowing the impact it makes on young lives. It was perhaps best reflected in a thank-you card received from one of the urban scout troops in the Scoutreach program. “They sent us a picture. They were all there in their neckerchiefs, holding up their badges. The smiles on their faces said it all.” �Top: LoPresti with his son, Chris, at the 2010 national Jamboree, where both served as volunteers. Center: The LoPrestis viewed the Jamboree from an Army Blackhawk helicopter. Bottom: LoPresti presents his son, Chris, with his Eagle Scout award during a special ceremony at the national Jamboree. Photos courtesy of Boy Scouts of America Michael LoPresti, Glenview, Ill. B.A., Political Science, Wilkes, 1977 Master of Public Administration, George Washington University, 1979 Michael LoPresti ’77 at the Northeast Illinois Council, Boy Scouts of America, where he volunteers on the executive committee. Wilkes memory: Stayed behind when campus was evacuated because of a flood threat in 1976 to move furniture and contents of campus buildings to their second floors. Fortunately, the Susquehanna River crested just below the top of the levee. Notable: Rode in an Army Blackhawk helicopter over the 2010 Boy Scout National Jamboree in Virginia. Wilkes | Spring 2011 Career: Retired chief financial officer, Adler Planetarium, Chicago, Ill. Photo by Dave Shields 19 �alumni news Alumni Association Works With Senior Class The spring semester is filled with opportunities for current senior students to meet alumni and learn more about the Alumni Association. At the First Farewell event in February, students were welcomed into the Alumni Association by board members and began the tradition of raising funds to present Wilkes with a senior class gift. Other social events are planned throughout the semester to unite the class and set the stage for events such as Homecoming. Many of the students are also involved in the alumni-student mentoring program, further strengthening the connection with alumni. The fun isn’t just for the students, either. Alumni have just as much fun—if not more—coming back to campus and hanging out with the senior class. To find out more about these events, check out the alumni website at www.wilkes.edu/alumni or contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570) 408-7787. Wilkes seniors and faculty celebrate and network at an Alumni Association event. Pictured from left, Anna McFadden, Angela Nicolosi, Professor of Psychology Robert Bohlander, Katie Nadeau, Professor of Psychology Deborah Tindell, Krista Hill and Alyssa Ciesla. Photo by Bridget Giunta Husted ’07. Hire Wilkes! When the senior class graduates in May, approximately 400 students will join the network of over 33,000 Wilkes alumni. As a Wilkes alumnus or alumna, you can help Colonels at any stage of their career by sharing job opportunities within your company. Helping Wilkes alumni in search of a job while recruiting talent for your organization is as easy as contacting the Office of Alumni Relations with vacancies. The professional network committee of the Alumni Association is creating opportunities Wilkes | Spring 2011 for alumni to help other alumni develop their 20 careers. If you’re interested in serving on postings, suggestions and your thoughts with the Office of Alumni this committee, contact Alumni Relations at Relations by calling (570) 408-7787 or emailing alumni@wilkes.edu. alumni@wilkes.edu. Join the Wilkes alumni We’re also here to help if you are in a period of transition. LinkedIn group at www.linkedin.com to Visit the Career Services website at www.wilkes.edu/career or network with fellow professionals. Share job view opportunities on www.collegecentral.com/wilkesu. �alumni news Mary E. (Balavage) Simmons ’10, a communication studies graduate, has joined the Office of Alumni Relations as coordinator. She was an intern for the Office of Alumni Relations in Fall 2009. Simmons will work with the mentoring and development committees of the alumni board. She will also be responsible for the administration of the alumni-student mentoring program and will help organize alumni events throughout the country. In her spare time, she is a member of the Robert Dale Chorale and a member of the St. Therese’s Pastoral Council and choir. Be sure to look for her at the next alumni event! SAVE THE DATE! Mary E. (Balavage) Simmons ’10 has joined the Wilkes Alumni Relations Office. We want to know what’s happening with you! Update your classmates on your latest news—did you start a family, get a new job or meet up with other Wilkes alumni? Submit a class note—it only takes a moment. Email alumni@wilkes.edu, call (570) 408-7787 or submit your update online at www.wilkes.edu/alumni. Dan ’79 and Puddy ’79 Cardell, Dr. Henry Finn ’80 and Provost Reynold Verret celebrate Finn’s achievement as a Health Sciences award recipient at a dinner in his honor at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. For a story on Finn’s career, please see page 10. HOMECOMING 2011 SEPTEMBER 23, 24 AND 25 Wilkes | Spring 2011 Mary E. (Balavage) Simmons ’10 Joins Alumni Relations Office 21 �class notes 1965 Dr. Catherine D. DeAngelis has announced that she will retire in June 2011 as editorin-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association. She plans to return to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to develop a center for professionalism in medicine and related professions, including nursing, public health, business and law. 1966 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Dwight E. Giles Sr. and his wife Josephine celebrated 65 years of marriage on June 2, 2010. 1969 David Palmer retired from The Newark Museum after 30 years as a designer and director of exhibitions. He recently opened a new painting studio in Bangor, Pa., where he practices iconography in the Russian style. 1970 Dave Bogusko see 2004. Wilkes | Spring 2011 1975 Ann M. Bartuska is deputy under secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Research, Education and Economics mission area. 22 1978 Kevin McCall accepted a new position as manager for production planning with Nobel Biocare in Yorba Linda, Calif. Nobel Biocare is a leader in innovative restorative and esthetic dental solutions. Clark F. Speicher, retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, recently accepted the position of business development manager with Lockheed Martin MS2, Mission and Sensors Systems business unit in Liverpool, N.Y. Clark resides with his wife, Merry, in Sherrill, N.Y. 1980 Barbara E. King and R. Michael Paige were married on Sept. 26, 2010. The bride is associate dean of student affairs at Wilkes. She has worked for the University for 31 years. The groom is a partially retired professor of international and intercultural education at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities campus. They live in Dallas, Pa. 1982 Maurita (Gries) Elias and Robert Elias celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on Oct. 19, 2010. The couple reside in Dallas, Pa. 1991 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Christopher R. Arabis and his wife welcomed a son, Jackson Robert Arabis, on Oct. 11, 2010. 1994 Tracy Zabrenski is director of revenue cycle at Moses Taylor Hospital. She previously filled a similar position at Geisinger Health System for 12 years. 1995 Jackie Coolbaugh and Garth Andrade were married on Nov. 20, 2010. Both are employed with the Dallas School District and reside with their two children in Dallas, Pa. Anthony D. Mazzatesta is project manager in the environmental engineering group for RETTEW, an engineering design firm in Lancaster, Pa. He resides in Kulpmont, Pa. 1996 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ 1989 Maria DiCredico married Robert Waegerle on Sept. 25, 2010. 1990 Brian Curran was elected to the New York State Assembly on Nov. 2, 2010. Curran was expected to join the New York State Assembly on Jan. 3, 2011. Curran has been an associate partner at the law firm of Nicolini, Paradise, Ferretti and Sabella for the past 10 years and was recently the mayor of Lynbrook, N.Y. Edward Benjamin Hoffman see Graduate Students 2006. 1997 Regina (Frappolli) Dunphy and her husband welcomed their fourth child, Patrick, in July 2009. He joins 9-year-old sister Isabella and brothers Michael, 6, and John Paul, 5. The family lives in Florence, N.J. 1998 Charles J. (C.J.) Copley was named one of Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s “Top 20 Under 40” for 2010. He is executive vice-president of sales and marketing at Golden Technologies, a manufacturer of home health care equipment. Brian Kaschak received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. Kaschak is a history teacher, assistant wrestling coach, and varsity boys’ baseball coach at the Upper School at Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School, where he is also dorm head of Carpenter Hall and the director of the summer English as a second language program. Shannon (Stair) Bushong and her husband, Brandon, announce the birth of their second son, Sheldon Ross, born Sept. 28, 2010. Sheldon joins big brother, Winston. Bushong recently obtained her doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Scranton and works for Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Del. 2000 Greg Riley started an online music sales and consignment shop, www.instrumentcloset. com. The online store specializes in the sales of new and consigned instruments online from all over the world. The web address was printed incorrectly in the last issue of Wilkes magazine. �class notes Air Force Maj. Deirdre Gurry ’99 Meets Woman Who Paved the Way Maj. Deirdre Gurry ’99 is part of an elite group: As a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, she’s one of only 4.5 percent of flyers who are female. Gurry is a C-17 Globemaster pilot, flying test and delivery missions as the Government Flight Representative to Boeing in San Antonio, Texas, for the Defense Contract Management Agency. A mechanical engineering major at Wilkes, she was a member of the Air Force ROTC detachment when she was tapped for flight training. After graduating from Wilkes, she went to pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi. Since then, Gurry’s service has included assignments as a T-37 flight instructor at Columbus Air Force Base and a C-17 aircraft commander and flight instructor at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Wash. She also has been deployed to Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Afghanistan for Operation Enduring and supplies in and out of combat zones. “One of the most amazing feelings was when I was Air Force Maj. Deirdre Gurry ’99, above left, presents the Congressional Gold Medal to Mary Reineberg Burchard, honoring her for her service as a WASP in World War II. bringing a bunch of Army troops out of the war zone on pilots could be released for combat duty. When they were their way home,” recalls Gurry, a native of Bushkill, Pa. deactivated in 1944, their service was deemed confidential “As soon as we were airborne, they were cheering.” and they received no benefits or recognition as veterans. Equally touching, she says, are the children of In 1977, Congress finally acknowledged their contribution Afghanistan and Iraq. “They are really happy we are and granted them veteran status which led to honorable there,” she says, recalling that many service men and discharges in 1979. On July 1, 2009 President Obama women bring coloring books and other gifts for the awarded them the Congressional Gold Medal, and on March children when they are deployed. 10, 2010 more than 200 of them attended the ceremony in One of Gurry’s most memorable assignments came in March 2010 when she helped honor some of the Women Washington D.C. One of the WASP, Mary Reineberg Burchard, was unable Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II. The WASP to attend the Washington ceremony. Her daughter arranged were formed in 1942 as civilian volunteers so that male for her to receive her medal, in a special ceremony in Long Beach, Calif., and Gurry was asked to present it to her. Burchard, a native of York, Pa., was a test pilot at Marana Air Base in Tucson, Ariz. Several other WASP attended her award ceremony. Gurry says she felt like she was meeting her heroes. “Their dedication, commitment, courage and strength laid the groundwork for the opportunities afforded to us today. There are no words that can express the amount of gratitude they deserve,” she says. — By Vicki Mayk Left: Mary Reineberg Burchard in her WASP uniform, and Maj. Deirdre Gurry ’99 her modern-day counterpart. Photos courtesy Deirdre Gurry. Wilkes | Spring 2011 Freedom, serving as a cargo pilot ferrying servicemen 23 �class notes From College to Colleagues: Anthony DaRe ’00 and Kerianne Geist ’00 He lives with his wife, Adrienne, and daughter, Lila, in Easton, Individuals sometimes lose touch with old college chums. Michael DaRe ‘03 also graduated from Wilkes. “But now Not Anthony DaRe ’00 and Kerianne Geist ’00. The the project is real.” business administration majors first partnered in their Pa. Geist resides in Doylestown, Pa. “We joke that it really does feel like we’re back at Wilkes working on a project,” laughs DaRe, whose brother They welcome new projects, like dealing with classes at Wilkes. Ten years later, they are working health-care reform. “It’s challenging because it literally together again. changes by the hour,” says DaRe. “I’m very excited to The opportunity came with the 2010 expansion of be at the forefront of working on successful solutions.” DaRe’s company, BSI Corporate Benefits. BSI stands Successes have included the work DaRe did on behalf for balance, strength, and integrity, words that DaRe of Central Columbia School District in Bloomsburg, Pa. attributes to his parents. Founded in 2003, the It was featured on CNN’s The Situation Room. company advises clients about insurance benefits, laws, Geist and DaRe credit Wilkes with preparing them and procedures, and negotiates the best deal for each for demanding careers. Both juggled athletics with client’s needs. When DaRe expanded the Michigan-based their academic schedules, finding guidance and encour- business to the East Coast, he called his old friend. agement from their Wilkes mentors, such as head football Though living and working in different parts of the country for a decade, the pair kept in touch. Geist, who worked in marketing and project management for Rita’s Italian Ice coach Frank Sheptock and their advisor, Professor of Business Anne Heineman Batory. “Their help didn’t stop when we stepped out the door and Leo Burnett, was excited to tackle a new challenge with after Wilkes,” Geist says. “They would drop what they’re an old comrade. She is now managing director for BSI in doing to help us, even now. How many other colleges have Bethlehem, Pa. DaRe has also moved to the east coast office. professors who would do that?” Geist and DaRe are thrilled to be once again living close to their alma mater, along with many of the friends and mentors they acquired at Wilkes. “To be closer to our college friends—and to our school— it’s just been a fantastic transition,” says DaRe. “The majority of our friends, they’re our Wilkes friends. They’re our Wilkes family.” Wilkes | Spring 2011 — By Rachel Strayer 24 Kerianne Geist ’00 and Anthony DaRe ’00 in the Bethlehem, Pa., offices of DaRe’s company, BSI Corporate Benefits. �class notes 2002 Matthew M. Yencha see 2004. 2003 Stacey Veronica Rutt M.S. ’06 and Gene Matthew Molino were married on Oct. 17, 2009. The bride is a thirdgrade teacher in the Wyoming Area School District. The groom is associated with the law offices of Vough and Associates and also serves as a judicial law clerk. The couple live in Exeter, Pa. 2004 Melissa Jurgensen is the director of marketing for GrooveCar Inc., one of the nation’s largest loan aggregators. She is responsible for advertising, employee communications, trade event support and public relations. Melissa Joy Mendygral and Michael Richard Dutrow were married on May 29, 2010. The bride is a settlement agent for Pennsylvania First Settlement Services. The groom is a pharmaceutical sales representative for Strativa Pharmaceuticals. The couple reside in Hanover Township, Pa. Kate (Gowisnok) Menta and her husband, Jarrod, announce the birth of their second child, Luciana Grace, born March 19, 2010. Luciana joins threeyear-old sister, Sofia Elizabeth. Sarah (Bogusko) Yencha and Matthew M. Yencha ’02 announce the birth of their son, Lukas Peter, born Dec. 3, 2010. The family resides in Easton, Pa. Grandparents are Dave Bogusko ’70 and his wife, JoAnne, of Bel Air, Md., and Edward and Bernice Yencha of Wilkes-Barre. 2005 David Randall Paden see Graduate Students 2009. 2006 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ,-... Sarah Diane Kopko and Michael Joseph DeFrancesco were married on Sept. 5, 2010. The bride is employed part-time at The Dough Company. The groom is chief financial officer of Animal Scan, LLC, and the president and chief executive officer of The Funding Zone LLC, both in Allentown, Pa. The couple reside in Bear Creek, Pa. Sara Toole was named one of Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s “Top 20 Under 40” for 2010. She is the planning and analysis manager at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. 2007 Chris Applegate won the 2010 INBF New York State Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. He won the men’s open middleweight class and the overall show. Kandice Avery ’06 and Thomas Joseph Bross were married on June 12, 2010. The bride is a respiratory sales representative for Merck Pharmaceuticals. The groom is a business analyst for The Boeing Company, Ridley Park. The couple reside in Swarthmore, Pa. Staff Sgt. Matthew John Emelett and Grace Elizabeth Hughes were married on Nov. 1, 2009. The groom is serving in Afghanistan as a mental health specialist. The bride is a secondary education math and science teacher at Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vt. Adrienne Richards accompanied the national Thanksgiving turkey to the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24, 2010, for the traditional presidential turkey pardon. Richards is the public relations manager for the National Turkey Federation. This is her second year participating in the turkey pardon. She was featured in the Fall 2010 issue of Wilkes magazine. Nicole Spagnola and Jason Marconi were married on July 30, 2010. The couple reside in Bear Creek, Pa. 2008 Amy Sekol is completing her third year as an elementary music teacher for the Scranton School District. She is also a licensed Zumba instructor. Sekol lives in Throop, Pa. Wilkes | Spring 2011 Donna Talarico MFA ’10 was hired as web content editor in the office of marketing and communications at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa. 25 �class notes 2009 Alison Woody is communications coordinator at the non-profit agency United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton, Pa. 2010 John Gill was hired for the Civil Unit/GIS discipline at Borton Lawson, an architecture and engineering design firm in Wilkes-Barre. Michael Piotti accepted a position as a resident nurse at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J. Graduate Students 1990 Anthony F. Torquato MBA is the chief credit officer at LandMark Bank of Florida in Sarasota, Fla. He has been working in the banking industry for over 23 years. 2005 Vanessa G. Velikis Pharm.D. and Eli G. Phillips Jr. Pharm.D. ’06 were married on April 17, 2010. Both bride and groom are assistant professors of pharmacy practice at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. The couple reside in San Antonio. Wilkes Wedding Bells Beginning with this issue, Wilkes magazine is accepting photos of alumni weddings. If wedding bells rang for you in the last year, please share your photos with us. We will accept your photos up to one year after your nuptials. Please follow these requirements: 1. E-mail jpeg files to wilkesmagazine@ wilkes.edu. Digital photos must be at least 4 by 6 inches at 300 dpi or 1800 pixels by 1200 pixels. Please note that we will not be able to use photos that do not meet these minimum requirements. Non-returnable prints can be sent to: Vicki Mayk, editor, Wilkes magazine Marketing Communications Dept. Wilkes University, 84 W. South St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. 2. NOTE: Do not write on the back of photos when submitting prints. Identify people in photos on a separate piece of paper, stating who is pictured left to right. 3. The bride or groom must be a Wilkes graduate (undergraduate or graduate degree). 4. Photos of a wedding party may be submitted if at least one bridesmaid or groomsman is an alumnus. Identification, including class year, must be provided for everyone in the photo. 5. Group photos of all Wilkes alumni attending a wedding may be submitted. Identification, including class years, must be provided for everyone in the photograph. Wilkes | Spring 2011 Wilkes magazine reserves the right to edit photos for space purposes if non-alumni are pictured. 26 Mary E. Balavage ’10 and Catlin W. Simmons were married on Sept. 18, 2010. �class notes Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Sandra Mary Cawley M.S. and Edward Benjamin Hoffman ’96 were married on July 10, 2010. The bride is a special education teacher for the Lake-Lehman School District. The groom is a logistics analyst for Keystone Automotive Operations. The couple reside in Plains Township, Pa. Joseph Iracki MBA see Graduate Students 2009. Eli G. Phillips Jr. Pharm.D. see Graduate Students 2005. Stacey Veronica Rutt M.S. see 2003. 2007 Paige Elizabeth Oxley M.S. and Christopher Paul Swales were married on Oct. 15, 2010. The bride is employed by Community Health Centers of Pinellas Inc. The groom is employed by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The couple reside in St. Petersburg, Fla. 2008 Erica Perugino M.S. and Eric Greco were married on July 21, 2010. The bride is a first-grade teacher for the Hanover Area School District. The groom is self-employed as the owner of Greco Construction. The couple reside in Forty Fort, Pa. 2009 Patricia Eichorn M.S. and Joseph Iracki MBA ’06 were married on June 26, 2010. The bride is employed by the Crestwood School District. The groom works for KoehlerBright Star LLC. The couple reside in Wilkes-Barre. Dawn Leas M.F.A. published her first chapbook of poetry, I Know When to Keep Quiet, released in November of 2010. The chapbook was published by Finishing Line Press and is available at www. finishinglinepress.com or www.amazon.com. Leas teaches middle school English at Wyoming Seminary Lower School in Forty Fort, Pa. She lives with her husband and two sons in Shavertown, Pa. Courtney Ann Peters M.S. and David Randall Paden ’05 were married on July 10, 2010. The bride is a special education teacher for the Stroudsburg Area School District. The groom is an electrical engineer for Smith Miller Associates in Kingston, Pa., and is the owner of DRP Realty, LLC. The couple reside in Swoyersville, Pa. 2010 Thomas D. Longenecker M.S. is building one of the largest solar arrays in Pennsylvania in the Carlisle Area School District. It is the largest in any public school district in the state, made up of 5,178 solar panels and showcasing four types of technology for educational purposes on 6.2 acres of land. Donna Talarico MFA see 2000. In Memoriam 1945 Donald A. Frederick Jr., Hanover Township, Pa., died Oct. 17, 2010. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran as well as the owner and operator of M.S. Frederick & Son Funeral Home in Wilkes-Barre and Frederick Fine Furniture in Plymouth, Pa. 1948 Gomer E. Jones, Albrightsville, Pa., died Oct. 25, 2010. He was a World War II U.S. Army veteran and scout executive for The Boy Scouts of America. 1952 Thaddeus C. Putkowski, Nanticoke, Pa., died Nov. 1, 2010. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Optometry Association for 52 years and was self-employed. 1954 James T. Atherton, WilkesBarre, died Dec. 10, 2010. He was a U.S. Army veteran as well as a coach and educator at various academic institutions. Joseph Mioduski, Nanticoke, Pa., died Nov. 21, 2010. He was a World War II U.S. Navy veteran and worked as a chemist for Okanite Wire Co. and Eberhard Faber Co. 1955 James (Jim) Neveras, Drums, Pa., died Nov. 13, 2010. He was retired from a career in banking and sales. 1959 Michael J. George, Plantation, Fla., died Oct. 19, 2010. He was employed at Slamen & Slamen CPA firm until 1981. 1963 Nancy Amelia Palazzolo, Babylon, N.Y., died Oct. 31, 2010. She was a retired employee of the Suffolk County Department of Social Services. 1967 Frank M. Yencharis, Spokane, Wash., died Oct. 7, 2010. He worked as a civilian for the Department of the Army as a human resources officer for 32 years. 1968 William R. Swartwood, Falls Church, Va., died Nov. 14, 2010. He served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam and retired from his position as an accountant and psychologist for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General after 35 years. 1969 Carol H. Klimchak, Plymouth, Pa., died Dec. 7, 2010. She was an operator for Bell Telephone Co. for 15 years as well as a second-generation owner and operator of Raub’s Restaurant in Plymouth. Wilkes | Spring 2011 2006 27 �class notes In Memoriam Friends of Wilkes Josephine C. Fiascki, Forty Fort, Pa., died Nov. 30, 2010. Prior to her retirement, she was the manager of the acquisitions department in the Farley Memorial Library at Wilkes University. Donald H. Glatzel, New Milford, Pa., died Sept. 23, 2010. A longtime benefactor of Wilkes, he was employed as an engineer at IBM and served with the Columbia Hose Company for over 40 years, spending some of the time as fire chief. Norris Church Mailer, Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., died Nov. 21, 2010. She was a model, actor, painter, novelist, and playwright. Mailer served on the Wilkes Wilkes | Spring 2011 Emeriti Faculty 28 Thomas N. Kaska ’57 of Alden, Pa., died on Dec. 17, 2010. He received his bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University and earned his doctorate at Duquesne University. Kaska returned to Wilkes as a professor of English, where he taught for 30 years until his retirement in 1997. Wilkes professor emeritus of English Benjamin Fiester ’55 recalls that Kaska was “universally admired.” “When he taught Shakespeare,” Fiester recounts, “his students thought so much of him that they bought him a first folio edition (of Shakespeare’s works) when it was published by Yale.” Kaska is survived by his wife of 54 years, Eilene (George) Kaska; his daughters, Judith Fox ’85, Lora Williams ’84, and Beth Kaska ’86; his brother, Henry; grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Hilda A. Marban of Beverly Hills, Calif., died on Sept. 19, 2010. Marban was professor emerita of foreign languages, teaching Spanish until her retirement from Wilkes in 1986. A political refugee from her native Cuba, she held doctorates from the University of Havana and the University of Virginia. Survivors include her son, Dr. Eduardo Marban ’74. Philip L. Rizzo of Germantown, Md., died Nov. 21, 2010. Rizzo was a professor of literature and linguistics at Wilkes and was named professor emeritus upon his retirement in 1987. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II, serving as a sharpshooter Creative Writing advisory board. A scholarship in her name was established in the creative writing program by her late husband, the author Norman Mailer. Wallace F. Stettler, honorary doctor of humane letters, Dallas, Pa., died Oct 21, 2010. He was the ninth president of Wyoming Seminary, retiring after 23 years, and served as president emeritus until his death. and mortar expert for the glider infantry. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he also earned his doctorate in British and American 19th- and 20th-century literature. He also taught courses at the University of Maryland University College and Montgomery College and was the author of several works of fiction. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Marcia Blanco Rizzo ’71; his son, Louis; and his brother, Joseph. �then & now Theatre performances have been an important part of the extracurricular experience for Wilkes students for decades—whether performing a leading role or working stage crew. See anyone you recognize in this photo? Share names or reminisce at The Colonel Connection message boards, found at community.wilkes.edu. Or send responses to Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. You can also e-mail wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. Photo from wilkes archives Today’s student performers still enjoy opportunities to shine – like these cast members from the February 2010 production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The production was chosen for the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival at Towson University in January 2011. With competition from eight states, Wilkes University’s Spelling Bee is one of only nine Region II productions selected to perform for a chance to compete in the national finals. Photo BY curtis salonick �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events March 1-6 Portraits from the Golden Age of Jazz, Photos by William Gottlieb, Sordoni Art Gallery 22 Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship featuring Gary Hirshberg, president and CEO of Stonyfield Farms and chairman of Climate Counts, Dorothy Dickson Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. 24 Halfway to Homecoming Happy Hour, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. April 6 Alumni event, Philadelphia, Pa. 7 Alumni event, Limerick, Pa. 7-10 Theatre Production: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Darte Center, 8 p.m.; April 10, 2 p.m. 29 Alumni Association Scholarship Dinner, Wilkes-Barre May 1 The 30th Annual Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities featuring Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of Washington, D.C., public schools, 7:30 p.m. 21 Commencement, Mohegan Sun Arena June 12 Alumni event, Boston, Mass. photo by Bruce Weller For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2011 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2011 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Type The nature or genre of the resource Magazine magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/0dce4c456dc0801d6fff248bdfa815c5.pdf 2b524cac7a4aa7360c7f4729975a4961 PDF Text Text su mmer 20 11 American Dreamer | wilkes in bloom | LEADING DOWN UNDER | FUNNY MAN �president’s letter The Value of Independent Higher Education: Priceless A lumni know the value of a Wilkes education. As I travel the country visiting with our graduates, I find them to be uniformly enthusiastic about Wilkes and its impact on their lives. As any Colonel can tell you, we have something truly special to offer our students that can’t be duplicated. This spring, I was elected to the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). This organization represents private colleges and universities on policy issues with the federal government, such as those affecting student aid. I’ve also been a board member of The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) that represents independent schools in Harrisburg. Why do I choose to be involved? After leading Wilkes for a decade, I’m passionate about what we do here. In this era, when funding for higher education is threatened at the federal and state levels, I believe it’s important for me to advocate for independent colleges like Wilkes. As this magazine went to press, state funding for PHEAA grants and federal funding through Pell Grants were slated to receive only modest cuts for fiscal year 2012. These programs are important because more than one-third of Wilkes receive one or both grants. I strongly support maintaining these programs for the Independent institutions like Wilkes provide coming year and increasing funding in future years access to higher education for students of all economic, ethnic and cultural because they allow college students a greater choice in backgrounds. Photo by Bruce Weller the institution they will attend. Let me share some facts, courtesy of AICUP, which completes an annual study of independent institutions in Pennsylvania. You’ll understand why I believe we deserve even greater support from the state through the PHEAA Grant program: • Forty percent of students attend independent colleges and universities in Pennsylvania and an impressive 50 percent of all bachelor’s degrees are awarded by our institutions. The number is even higher for graduate degrees: 68 percent. • Independent schools awarded more science, technology, engineering and math bachelor’s degrees than the entire public sector of higher education. • Independent colleges and universities provide educational access to more than 51,800 low-income students annually. Only community colleges enroll more. • Independent colleges and universities have a hefty economic impact, contributing $16.1 billion to our state’s economy. • The per-degree cost to the state from independent institutions is $3,600, while the per-degree cost at public four-year institutions is over $21,000. We have many success stories to back up these facts and figures. Please join me in speaking in support of independent higher education— and for Wilkes—whenever you have an opportunity. We’re doing great things for our students, our state and our nation! Dr. Tim Gilmour Wilkes University President volume 5 | issue 2 S ummer 2 0 11 Wilkes magazine University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows Graduate Assistant Rachel Strayer Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Payne Printery Inc. Editorial Advisory Group Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 Alumni RELATIONS STAFF Director of Alumni Outreach and Stewardship Sandra Sarno Carroll Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Association Officers President Tom Ralston ’80 First Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Second Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents Features 8 8 American Dreamer Gene Chu ’89 built a successful life in America with support from his Wilkes classmate Joe Smith ’90 14 Wilkes in Bloom Wilkes’ first lady Patty Gilmour creates a green oasis on campus 16 Leading Down Under Robyn Speak Walsh ’76, MBA ’80 launches the second act of her career in Australia 18 Funny Man Comedian Dave Russo ’93 may be Boston’s funniest native son 16 departments 2 On Campus 6 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes 14 18 Gene Chu ’89 and a 15,000pound granite bull—an ancient symbol for perseverance—stand outside CounterTopia, the business he founded with two Wilkes classmates after he journeyed to the United States from his native China. photo by stephen barrett Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. /;;s FPO FSC Wilkes | Summer 2011 1 �on campus Student Wins HHMI Research Fellowship for Prestigious Pasteur Institute Wilkes senior Derek Nye, a biology major from Athens, Pa., has been awarded a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Research Fellowship at the Pasteur Institute in France. Nye will spend three months following graduation working with Dr. Camille Locht, research director at the institute’s facility in Lille, France. He will work with Locht on a study of the incidence of two infectious diseases— tuberculosis and pertussis (also known as whooping cough)—commonly found in the population. The study will try to determine what factors make tuberculosis more virulent, causing infection in those carrying the disease. Nye, accompanied by Wilkes biology faculty Michael Steele and Linda Gutierrez, attended a pre-departure meeting and orientation in March in Washington, D.C. Nye has been an HHMI Scholar at Wilkes, a research assistant to Gutierrez, associate professor of biology, and a research intern at The Commonwealth Medical College The Pasteur Institute is a private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies virus. The institute is at the forefront of research focusing on infectious disease. Since 1908, eight Pasteur Institute scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine and physiology, and the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was shared by two Pasteur scientists. More on the Web Wilkes held its 64th Annual Spring Commencement on May 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena. The commencement address was delivered by attorney Robert Listenbee. The University awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree to Listenbee for his distinguished service to advance the cause of juvenile justice in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To view a commencement photo gallery, visit http://www.wilkes.edu/graduationphotos Wilkes | Summer 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist Thomas Friedman to Speak at 2011 Outstanding Leaders Forum 2 Tom Friedman, foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times, will be the speaker at the 2011 Outstanding Leaders Forum. Friedman will speak on Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. Covering many of the monumental stories of recent decades, he has won three Pulitzer Prizes. Friedman’s appearance at the Outstanding Leaders Forum will follow the September 2011 release of his latest book, which he is writing with Michael Mandelbaum. The book examines the major challenges facing the United States, the reason the country is not addressing those challenges Biology major Derek Nye will complete a research fellowship at France’s prestigious Pasteur Institute in summer 2011. photo by earl and Sedor Photographic effectively, and the policies America needs to adopt to ensure prosperity at home and strength abroad in the 21st century. The title will be That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World We Invented and How We Can Come Back. Friedman’s last book, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution— and How It Can Renew America, is a Number One New York Times bestseller. His previous bestseller, The World is Flat, sold more than four million copies. His other books include Longitudes and Attitudes: The World in the Age of Terrorism, The Lexus and the Olive Tree and From Beirut to Jerusalem, which serves as a basic text on the Middle East in colleges and universities nationwide and won the National Book Award. For more information about sponsorships and Friedman’s lecture, please visit www.wilkes.edu/friedman. �on campus Loren D. Prescott Jr. Appointed Vice President of Finance and General Counsel Loren D. Prescott Jr. has been appointed vice president of finance and general counsel at Wilkes. Prescott previously served as the University’s dean of the law school initiative and as assistant to the president for special projects. Prior to coming to Wilkes in 2007 to lead the law school initiative, Prescott served as vice dean and professor of law at Widener University’s Law Campus in Harrisburg, Pa. Prescott served for 18 years as a member of the full-time faculty at Widener, including two years as dean of students and eight years as vice dean in charge of the resident academic and administrative function of the campus. At Widener, he taught classes in federal income taxation and business organizations and a seminar on tax exempt organizations. His legal research at Widener focused on tax exemption for charitable organizations. Prescott earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington in Seattle, a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Ore., and a master of laws in taxation from the University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, Fla. He is currently a doctoral candidate in public administration at Penn State University. Faculty Receive Grants Encouraging Innovative Use of Technology in Teaching Five faculty have received Wilkes University’s first technology and learning grants, promoting innovative uses of technology in the classroom. Presented by the Teaching Commons with funding support from the Office of the Provost and the Information Technology Department, the grants are being used on classroom projects in the spring 2011 semester. Opened in Fall 2010, the Teaching Commons is a center for excellence in teaching and learning. It has a special focus on helping faculty to incorporate new methods and technologies into classes. The technology and learning grants are part of facilitating that process. Grant recipients and their projects are: Caroline Maurer, chair, department of undergraduate education, is using the grant to facilitate the “Digital Photography in the Classroom” Action Research Project. This project involves Wilkes education majors and teachers at HeightsMurray Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre using still photography and video recording as educational tools in hands-on projects. Loran Lewis, assistant professor, communication studies, will use the grant to create a “journalism toolkit” to move student journalists into the 21st Century, allowing them to experience what journalists are doing right now in an increasingly convergent journalism environment. Helen Davis, associate professor, English, is integrating iPads and Nook readers into several of her English courses to facilitate the use of technology in group work. The University’s first teaching and technology grant winners gather in the Teaching Commons, which administers the grants. Pictured clockwise from left, Dana Burnside, director, Teaching Commons; Helen Davis, assistant professor, English; Caroline Maurer, chair, undergraduate education; Meridith Selden, assistant professor, psychology; Janet Starner, associate professor, English; and Loran Lewis, assistant professor, communication studies. Photo By Vicki Mayk Meridith Selden, assistant professor, psychology, is using the grant for iPads and projectors for use by student members of Psi Chi, an international psychology honor society. The equipment will allow these students to travel to area schools and deliver presentations. Wilkes | Summer 2011 Janet Starner, associate professor, English, is exploring ways to use mobile devices, such as e-readers and iPads to enhance course content and facilitate collaborative thinking and writing. 3 �on campus Nursing and Pharmacy Students Participate in Medical Mission Nursing student Kristin J. Zigner, above left examines a child in the Village of Kaya, while nurse practitioner Linda Heckman checks records. Above right, Wilkes nursing students, left to right, Mary Kate Brady, Jasmine King, and Jeanne Wood play with children after a day at the medical clinic. Photos by Wanda Ruppert ’07 Three pharmacy and four nursing students from Wilkes University found themselves in a remote West African clinic in January, taking vital signs, assessing patients, cleaning wounds, and filling written prescriptions. It was all part of a nine-day mission to Burkina Faso, as the students joined a team of professionals in administering care to villagers. “It was really interesting, a very life-changing kind of experience,” said assistant nursing professor Wanda Ruppert ’07 In the small, dusty village of Kaya, where Moré is spoken, students were assisted at the clinic by translators, Ruppert said. Patients had asthma, bronchitis or cold symptoms; others, joint, hip and low back pain. The team taught the villagers how to use inhalers and showed them techniques to reduce their back pain, such as how to properly hold a broom when sweeping. One elderly woman, using a tree branch for support, came to the clinic with what she said was a decades-old foot fracture. Students tended to a foot wound. To cheer the children, students gave out lollipops. Ruppert handed one to an older woman who had felt pain as students cleaned a wound. The woman looked puzzled. “You are never too old for a lollipop,” Ruppert told her through a translator. “We had an instant bond,” Ruppert said, “and she listened intently as we all explained what she needed to do to help her foot wound heal.” The Faith Assembly of God Church in Hazle Township, Emmanuel Bible Chapel in Hazleton, and Wilkes organized the mission. The surgical team worked at the Schiphra Medical Center in the capital city. It was the second year pharmacy students made the trip. Marie Roke-Thomas, associate pharmacy professor, said students researched the types of diseases they might see and the medicines the team would need to take. Though on a public service project to help others, the students also learned about such matters as herbal remedies. “It was important for them to learn about the type of medications they have in other cultures,” she said. Nursing students used basic nursing knowledge, but had to learn to improvise with available resources. Said Ruppert: “The students were able to see things they will never see here.” Xiaoli Zhang of engineering department Awarded Grant for Robotic Project Xiaoli Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was awarded a $17,500 grant from The Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Commercialization Initiative (PATCI) for development of a robotic device to be used in surgery. PATCI is a pilot program designed to leverage the state’s academic and student assets and kick start the formation of new companies. Funds for the initiative are provided through Pittsburgh-based The Technology Collaborative (TTC), a statewide economic Wilkes | Summer 2011 development organization, focused on creating and 4 nurturing technology startups, primarily in the areas of advanced electronics, embedded systems, cyber security and robotics. Zhang’s project was one of only two projects in northeast Pennsylvania to receive funding this year and received the largest grant. Pictured at the grant presentation, front row left to right, are Xiaoli Zhang, assistant professor, engineering; Mohammed Tharwan, senior, mechanical engineering; Mouhd Alghuson, senior engineering management major, and project manager for the team; back, left to right, Naif Alzahrani, senior, mechanical engineering; Rodney Ridley, director of engineering; Robert Watts, vice president, PATCI; and Trevor Hirsh, senior entrepreneurship major, who serves as business liaison for the team. �If we continue our patterns of resource consumption in the 21st Century, we would see a peaking out of the earth’s ability to support us. – Gary Hirshberg, President and CE-YO of Stonyfield Farm; Chairman, Climate Counts Delivering the Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, “Win-Win: Why ‘Good for All” Will Save the Planet.” March 22, 2011 photos by michael touey More on the Web As Wilkes magazine went to press, The Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities marked its 30th Anniversary with a May 1 lecture by Michele Rhee, former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools and chairman of StudentsFirst. To view a video excerpt of Rhee’s lecture and view a photo gallery, visit www.wilkes.edu/rhee The Department of Entrepreneurship and Leadership Studies recently was established to leverage key areas of programming in the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership. The department houses the entrepreneurship program, the Personal and Professional Development (PPD) Program and the Sidhu School leadership program. Jeff Alves, Allan P. Kirby Jr. Professor of Entrepreneurship, is chairing the new department. The department was established in response to the growing number of students attracted to the entrepreneurship major and minor. The PPD program is the foundation for the leadership studies area. Recognized nationally and internationally, the leadership program challenges and prepares students to develop their leadership potential and develop the habit of giving back to our communities. David Dudick, Senior Vice President, President U.S. Sales Channels for General Mills, visited campus Feb. 17 and 18 as the Sidhu School’s 2011 executive in residence. Dudick visited with classes and shared lessons learned during his 33-year career with General Mills, the world’s sixth largest food company. A Wilkes-Barre native, Dudick graduated from Wilkes in 1978 with a degree in business administration. At General Mills, he and his team market the company’s products to non-traditional grocery outlets such as Wal-Mart, Target and drugstore chains, accounting for approximately 40 percent of the company’s business. Best known for cereals such as Cheerios and Wheaties, General Mills successful brands include Fiber One, Pillsbury, Progresso and Yoplait Yogurt. Students from the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership met with the 2011 executive in residence David Dudick ’78. Pictured chatting after class, from left are Scott Skammer, Dudick, Megan Kazmerski and Kaitlyn Sweeney. photo by vicki mayk Wilkes | Summer 2011 Department of Entrepreneurship and Leadership Studies Established David Dudick Sr.’78 Visits as Executive in Residence 5 �athletics Champions of Service Wilkes football player Chris Horn volunteers his time at the All Pro Dad event at the Wikes-Barre YMCA. Below inset: Student Amanda Pawlowski of the women’s basketball team participates in fall cleanup in Wilkes-Barre. Photos courtesy of Wilkes football and women’s basketball teams. Wilkes Athletic Teams Score Off the Field As Community Volunteers By Rachel Strayer Wilkes | Summer 2011 W 6 ilkes University junior Mark Senchak is sweating hard. With football in hand, he faces his opponent—a 3-foot-nothing kid less than half his age, who is squealing with delight. Senchak tosses the ball and steps back to take in the sight of more than 20 kids playing football with their moms and dads. “It is important for athletes to participate in community service,” says Senchak, a history and secondary education major from Larksville, Pa. “It helps tie the athletes and school to the community.” In January 2011, Senchak and the rest of the Colonels football team joined with All Pro Dad—an organization founded by National Football League coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts—and the Wilkes-Barre YMCA to run a football clinic for families. The goal of the clinic was to encourage parents to play with their children. “It was very well received,” says head football coach Frank Sheptock. “Our players had a great time with it; the people in the community had a great time with it.” Whether running sports clinics or raking leaves, student athletes at Wilkes strive to “Be Colonel” by helping the community and, in a way, helping themselves. While student athletes may be admired for how they handle a ball or applauded for the number of times they score in a game, the Colonels are just as comfortable in a soup kitchen as they are on the court or the athletic field. Every Wilkes sports team is asked to participate in at least two community �athletics service activities per year, but most teams do an average of four. Student athletes also volunteer individually. “The teams do things that are not glamorous but have a big impact on the community,” says community service coordinator Megan Boone. Last fall, the baseball team planted trees and rebuilt the pitcher’s mound at Artillery Park while the women’s volleyball team raised money and dedicated two tri-matches to benefit a Lehighton, Pa., high school student with lymphoma. Basketball player Erin Schneider and cross country runner Michelle Wakeley joined more than 30 students, faculty and staff on service trips for Wilkes’ Alternative Spring Break. Other teams—including wrestling, men’s soccer and women’s softball—participated in highway clean-ups, volunteered at local soup kitchens and helped kids with homework at the McGlynn Center in Wilkes-Barre throughout the year. “Our involvement in community service is very important…in the area and nationally,” says John Sumoski, women’s soccer team head coach. “As a coach, it is important for me to help my student-athletes understand a servant role in the community and how much that compassion means to other people.” The women’s soccer team extended that compassion through a Pink Day game where they sold bracelets and wore pink to raise breast cancer awareness. The Lady Colonels basketball team participated in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Pink Zone, a week dedicated to breast cancer awareness that included a benefit game on Feb. 12. Both teams donated money to the northeast Pennsylvania chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure in Scranton, Pa. The women’s tennis team has plans to do a similar event this year. “It is very important for our student-athletes to give back to the local community,” says tennis coach Chris Leicht. “It really allows the studentathletes the chance to take part in something that is meaningful to them.” One of Wilkes’ signature events, The Colonel Charity Challenge, encourages the University community to join athletes’ service efforts. The Challenge, run by athletic coordinator Keith Klahold, is an iron-man competition of sorts that invites teams of five to compete in nine events, from push-ups to tug-of-war to truck pulls. Every team has to raise at least $15 per person in donations to participate. Half of the donations each year goes to The Children’s Miracle Network, while the rest goes to a local organization such as Geisinger Children’s Hospital, Ruth’s Place, or the Bo Tkach Foundation, named for a former Wilkes football player, which focuses on suicide prevention. The challenge raised $16,000 over the past five years. Whether participating in a campus-wide activity, team project or individual volunteerism, student athletes and coaches agree on the value. “We (the coaches) want them to be champions in the community as well as on the field,” says Sheptock. “We believe if we emphasize that’s who our players are, then they will put emphasis on it.” Boone puts it another way. “Their community mindfulness affects what they go on to do in life,” she says. “It becomes an indelible trait of who they are.” “Community service…helps bring our team closer which develops us as people and athletes,” remarks Senchak. ' It is very important for our student-athletes to give back to the local community – Tennis Coach Chris Leicht Below, Wilkes football player Tate Moore Jacobs, center, demonstrates the right moves to a youngster with support from teammates, rear from left, Tony Edge, Duane Daniels and Louis Abramo. Wilkes | Summer 2011 Right: Lady Colonels basketball players enjoy time off the court as volunteers. From left are students Megan Kazmerski, Whitney Connolly, Brittany Ely and Angela Palmerio. 7 �Gene Chu ’89 Built A Friendship and A Business After Coming to the United States to Study at Wilkes Wilkes | Summer 2011 By Geoff Gehman 8 Joe Smith ’90 couldn’t help but notice the young man in the polyester powder-blue leisure suit. Why, he wondered, would anyone wear clothes at least 10 years out of fashion? And why would anyone sit alone in the same corner of Wilkes’ Pickering Hall cafeteria eating the same meal in the same outfit every single day? It took a month for Smith to stop wondering. One day in October 1986 he sat down with the leisure-suited fellow, who happened to be a fellow freshman biology major. He learned that Gene Chu ’89 was a 25-year-old native of Beijing who had recently arrived in the U.S. with two changes of clothes, $300 and a letter of recommendation from a Wilkes booster. Within the month he introduced Chu to his parents and the American custom of trick-or-treating. �Wilkes | Summer 2011 Photo by Stephen Barrett 9 �Wilkes | Summer 2011 10 A quarter-century later, Chu and Smith remain friends. They’ve stuck together through Smith’s driving lessons and Chu’s limousine driving, marriage and children, the start of Smith’s podiatry practice in Pennsylvania and Chu’s sales jobs in China for American corporations. In 2001 they launched a Maryland company now called CounterTopia that fabricates and installs custom granite and marble surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms in residential and commercial buildings in the Mid-Atlantic region. Their bond remains as solid as the stone they sell. Sitting in a CounterTopia office at a table covered by Lady’s Dream granite, Chu begins the story of his American Dream with a story about his Chinese nightmare. At age 14 he applied to join the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. He endured four months of demanding physical and mental tests, and an investigation of his relatives’ Communist Party loyalty. “They wanted to make sure you’re a good guy,” says Chu, “a good seed.” Chu was selected as a fighter-pilot student. His Air Force career ended before it began when his grandfather insisted the mission would be too dangerous for the youngster. Chu’s parents accepted the ruling because, as Chu points out, in most Chinese families, an elder’s word is law. Two years later, Chu passed the Chinese national entrance exam for college. It was a great family honor, since only 4 percent of applicants pass the test. Yet he never attended school. According to Chu, Chinese government officials refused to let him enter college to punish him for bowing out of the Air Force program. His hopes “completely wiped out,” Chu was deeply depressed for more than four years. His attitude improved while working as a medical technician. One day a female bacteriologist visited the lab where he raised animals for experiments. When Xu Feng fainted from low blood sugar, he revived her with a boiled egg. His good deed led to a romance that blossomed into an engagement. Frustrated by his lack of freedom in China, Chu planned to move to the United States. He studied English on educational television shows and practiced it with foreigners on Beijing streets. One day the Chinese secret police visited him, accusing him of conspiring with English-speaking spies. His government file received another demerit, or “black spot.” Being an outsider in China fueled Chu’s desire to be an insider in America. His window of opportunity opened when his father, a mining engineer for China’s Ministry of Coal, met Joseph A. Wiendl, a mining-equipment executive for Ingersoll Rand, a Wilkes trustee and a prominent supporter of Wilkes wrestling. His son, Joseph Wiendl ’69, won two straight NCAA Division II wrestling championships. Impressed by Chu’s ambition, Wiendl promised to support his application to Wilkes and sponsor him in America. In summer 1986, Chu flew to San Francisco with $300, two changes of clothes and a cardboard case tied with rope. He refused to rent an airport baggage cart because he worried about reducing his worldly savings to $299. He forgot his financial troubles when he saw three ladies singing and dancing up a storm in the airport. In China, the act would have been punished as a public nuisance. Joe Smith ’90 and Gene Chu ’89 as Wilkes freshmen beginning a friendship lasting 25 years. The former Miner Hall in the background is now the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. Photo courtesy of Gene Chu �Twenty-five years have passed, and Chu still relishes the memory of that spontaneous show. Jumping out of a chair, he imitates the dancing singers as if he’s auditioning for a Broadway role. “That’s when I thought to myself: ‘Oh my God, we’re in America,’ ” he says. “That’s the spirit of freedom that welcomed me. From that point on, I was a fish in water.” Once in Pennsylvania, he prepared for biology courses at Wilkes by studying English for five weeks at Beaver College (now Arcadia University). His command of English immediately impressed Joe Smith when they met in the cafeteria. Smith quickly discovered that Chu was his kind of guy. Chu, he points out, was brave enough to leave his fiancée in China. He was thrifty enough to eat mostly instant noodles for a month. He was industrious enough to bus tables in a Chinese restaurant, a job that provided free food and ended his almost exclusive diet of instant noodles. Chu reminded Smith of his hard-working, progressive father, Joe, a former salesman of Fuller Brushes and cemetery plots who earned a degree in criminal justice and became a prison guard. “I thought: Wow, this guy is pretty special,” says Smith. “So I kind of took him under my wing.” Two weeks after they met, he took his friend to his parents’ ' house in Hunlock Creek, Pa., a half-hour from Wilkes-Barre. Chu endeared himself to Joe and Rosie Smith by cooking them Chinese dumplings. They endeared themselves to him by relieving his indigestion with his first dose of Alka-Seltzer. The same month Chu was introduced to two of America’s favorite fall rituals. One was the spectacular colors of autumn leaves, which exploded in his eyes like fireworks. The other was Halloween. Smith decided to make Chu’s first time trickor-treating a treat and a trick. He convinced his friend to join him in wearing one of his mother’s dresses for a costume, with two rolls of toilet paper, strategically placed in the chest. That night, they visited the home of an elderly gentleman who was puzzled when he heard “Trick or treat!” in a Chinese accent. That’s when I thought to myself: ‘Oh my God, we’re in America...That’s the spirit of freedom that welcomed me. From that point on, I was a fish in water. '' Wilkes | Summer 2011 Celebrating together at Homecoming 2010 are, from left, Jacqueline Smith, Joe Smith ’90, Gene Chu ’89 and Xu Chu. Photo by Michael Touey 11 �“You’re not from around here, are ya?” the elderly gentleman asked. “No.” “Where ya from?” “Oh, I from New Jersey.” Chu, a resident of America for only three months, had made his first star-spangled joke. It was a one-liner fit for a sitcom. Even better, it made his friend Smith laugh his fool head off. It wasn’t long before the Smiths had an honorary Chinese relative. Joe and Rosie Smith sponsored Chu’s fiancée, Xu Feng, when she came to the U.S. to study at Wilkes. Chu calls the Smiths “Mom and Dad.” “Their moral support empowered me,” he says. “They made me feel that I was not fighting alone.” Chu even tested his salesmanship on his surrogate parents. Halfway through a July 4 party in the Poconos, he asked the younger Joe Smith to gather everyone for a presentation. Chu disappeared into the house, changed from shorts to a three-piece suit, emerged with a briefcase, and proceeded to hawk Ginsu knives, the legendary cutlery of late-night TV ads. Chu didn’t sell any knives that day, even though he was among friends. His lack of success didn’t diminish his entrepreneurial drive. After a semester, he changed his major from biology to business. He graduated cum laude in three years. Chu continued to work odd jobs while studying for an MBA at Baruch College in Manhattan. He delivered newspapers with his wife, by then the mother of their young daughter and a doctoral candidate in pathology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The couple also worked for a wealthy land broker. Chu drove the broker’s family members in a limousine. After receiving his master’s degree, Chu analyzed budgets for a New Jersey university. In 1995 he joined Ingersoll Rand, the Wilkes | Summer 2011 Gene Chu celebrated graduation day with his early mentor, Joseph A. Wiendl, a Wilkes trustee. Photo courtesy of Gene Chu 12 industrial-products giant that employed his mentor Joe Wiendl for 42 years. Chu worked as a controller for the company’s pneumatic-tool division in Guilin, a city in southwest China. In 1998, he became controller of greater China subsidiaries for Autodesk, which makes design software for architects, engineers and builders. He left China again in 2000 after his boss rejected him for another position, insisting he wasn’t a first-rate salesman. Chu vowed to prove his former supervisor wrong after he returned to the U.S. with Xu and their children, Jennifer and Eugene. One day in 2000 he asked for a job at a car dealership in Bethesda, Md., where Xu was working as a scientist for the National Institutes of Health. He was hired on the spot, even though he had never sold automobiles. He sold 31 Hondas in his first month—more than any other salesman. Chu sold cars for three months before discovering a more promising prospect. At the time he didn’t know anything about granite countertops. Yet he understood why builders and buyers of single-family homes and rental complexes raved about a stone surface that was sleek, resistant to heat and most scratches and raised resale value. He recognized the great potential of using his extensive homeland contacts to buy granite directly from China, a world leader in quarrying and fabricating. One night Chu telephoned Smith to ask his Wilkes friend if he wanted to help him start a granite-counter business. “Joe is better with English,” says Chu. “He’s also funny and charismatic and very loyal.” Smith liked Chu’s proposal. “I thought: Gene’s a great guy, a hard worker and whatever he did would be successful,” says Smith, a podiatrist who lives in Reading, Pa., with his wife, Jackie, and their children, Maxwell and Daniel. “And I wanted to be a part of that.” For the next year, Smith and Chu met nearly every weekend at Chu’s house, Smith’s house or a diner in New Oxford, Pa., ' Their moral support empowered me... They made me feel that I was not fighting alone. ' �Gene Chu outside the CounterTopia corporate headquarters with the 15,000-pound granite bull, a Chinese symbol of perseverance. Photo by Stephen Barrett Gene Chu, Gaithersburg, Md. B.S., Business Administration, Wilkes 1989 Career: Founding president/CEO of CounterTopia in Frederick, Md., a manufacturer of granite countertops. Favorite Wilkes memory: Discussing student rebellion in his native China with then-University President Christopher N. Breiseth during an accidental meeting in spring 1989 along the Susquehanna River. Deeply impressed that a university president would ask the opinion of a “nobody,” Chu vowed to make himself available to young people. “How you like it?” “It’s all right. A little different from the meat I’m used to. What is it?” “Dog.” How did Smith react? “Not too good,” says Chu with an explosive laugh. “I really enjoyed it. It was revenge for all the tricks he pulled on me. It was payback time, big time.” As usual, Smith has to fling the last zinger. “So I guess the next time I eat dog I’ll probably have to give you a call,” he tells Chu with a straight face. A beat, a smile, and then the punchline: “The problem is, you’ll probably be with me when that happens.” Wilkes | Summer 2011 halfway between their homes. Eventually they took on a third investor, Franco Rossi Jr. ’90, an optometrist in Goshen, N.Y. Rossi, Chu and Smith were environmental musketeers at Wilkes, canoeing on the river and cleaning up a creek. In 2001, the three Wilkes graduates incorporated Granite America, earning a reputation for detailed, diligent service. Over time they increased sales by offering low prices and high quality, a wide range of products (vanity tops, fireplace surrounds) and a wider range of designs (Mauve Mist granite, Midnight Lightning marble). There were major projects (housing developments, condominium complexes) with major builders (Toll Brothers, Mitchell and Best) in major markets (Arlington, Va., Ocean City, Md.). In fiscal 2007 the company set a revenue record, earning $3.3 million. And then the boom went bust. In 2007, banks stopped lending money for speculative building, builders stopped building, buyers stopped buying buildings, owners stopped renovating buildings. In 2007-2008 Granite America’s income fell two-thirds. At least the company didn’t suffer the fate of nearly 400 competitors that died within 50 miles. Chu and Smith buoyed the business with their own money. They diversified, branching into cabinets. They simplified, returning to renovating single-family homes. They changed Granite America to CounterTopia, a more marketable name. They moved operations from a rented warehouse in Bladensburg, Md., to their own warehouse in Frederick, Md. Smith and Chu remain bullish about building their business. CounterTopia, they point out, is contracted to install granite kitchen and bath counters in two graduate-student residences for Johns Hopkins University, including a 320-unit skyscraper in Baltimore. They’re confident enough to offer CounterTopia franchises and place a 15,000-pound granite bull outside the corporate warehouse. Designed by Chu and Smith, the stone beast is a massive advertisement, a Chinese symbol of perseverance and a monument to friendship. “There are two things I really cherish: my family and my friends,” says Smith. “When I come home after a difficult day and my boys jump into my lap, they make me forget my troubles. When I get that phone call and I see ‘Gene Chu, CounterTopia,’ it just makes me happy. And then we’ll recall something that happened to us in school or tell some joke and I’ll feel better, every time. “I really think of Gene as my brother,” adds Smith. “His friendship is part of my inner soul.” This touching moment fades fast. A few minutes later, Chu and Smith are spinning a funny story about eating in a restaurant in the Chinese city of Dandong, across the Yalu River from North Korea. Chu had previously introduced Smith to chicken feet and pig tongue. This time he persuaded his American buddy to try a dish both exotic and domestic. Counter 13 �Wilkes’ first lady creates a green oasis on campus By Vicki Mayk Wildflowers highlight the Learning Garden next to Fenner Hall on the Wilkes campus. Photos by Lisa Reynolds and Vicki Mayk Wilkes | Summer 2011 I 14 t used to be a parking lot. But when Wilkes’ first lady Patty Gilmour looked at the space next to the former Fenner Rose Garden on South Franklin Street, she saw something more: a larger garden for lessons to be learned outside of the classroom. “I wanted it to be a place where students could come to see things growing,” Mrs. Gilmour says. “More and more, our young people are divorced from nature. Years ago, they spent much of their time playing outside, but children don’t do that anymore.” Over the last three years, she has transformed the space into the Learning Garden, a place that boasts much more than the original rose and raspberry bushes planted by Fenner Hall’s former owner. Her choices have included plants native to the area, with many chosen for their colorful blooms that attract bees, butterflies and birds. No chemicals and herbicides are used to maintain the garden. Mrs. Gilmour, an avid environmental advocate, is an organic gardener and practices composting to feed her plants. “You don’t need to buy all those chemicals,” she states. “Layers of newspapers and mulch are effective for choking out weeds. But organic gardens have a more natural look—including a few weeds.” On a spring morning, visitors to campus are likely to find her in the garden spreading compost or weeding. She spends many hours working there in season. The garden also features gifts from alumni: Benches, a gift from the Class of 2009, provide a place to relax on a warm afternoon. A fountain, a gift of the Class of 1969, is a focal point. Columns unearthed in the back of the fieldhouse have formed the basis for a one-of-a-kind gazebo. Mrs. Gilmour says she wanted to make a lasting contribution to campus and sharing her love of gardening was a natural way to do that. “This is how I’ve shown my love for Wilkes,” she says. “The campus is a habitat everyone can enjoy.” �A sampling of plants from the Wilkes Learning Garden The following plants are among the species chosen by Patty Gilmour. The species thrive in the northeastern United States. Bee Balm (Monarda) flower colors include pink, red, and white; new doubleflowered forms are also available. The plant blooms from early to late summer and Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale) is a member of the aster family. The yellow-green disk at the center of the yellow flowers is a distinguishing characteristic. It grows from two to five feet in height and flowers from August to November. Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) gets yellow flowers in early grows 2 to 4 feet tall, depending spring which grow in tufts. on the variety. Butterflies, It has smooth, shiny leaves hummingbirds, bees, and other which grow alternately from nectar-seeking creatures covet spotted twigs. Red berries appear in late the tubular flowers on the plant’s summer, attracting many birds. rounded flower heads Chokeberries (Aronia) ornamental plants in the More on the Web northeast United States. Want to learn more Chokeberries are resistant about plants native to your area? to drought, insects, pollution, and Visit the following Web sites: disease. The name “chokeberry” http://www.plants.usda.gov comes from the astringency of the http://www.nps.gov/plants/ fruits which are inedible when raw. For more views of Wilkes’ Learning Garden, visit http://www.wilkes.edu/garden The Learning Garden provides a green oasis for taking a break. Right top, A fountain is a gift from the Class of 1969. Right center, Patty Gilmour created the garden and spends much of her time working there. Lower right, visitors are welcomed to the garden. Wilkes | Summer 2011 are cultivated as 15 �Robyn Speak Walsh ’76, MBA ’80 Finds New Challenges as a CEO in Australia By Mary Ellen Alu ’77 Wilkes | Summer 2011 Leading Robyn Speak Walsh ’76, MBA ’80 takes a break from her duties “down under” as CEO of MLCOA in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Gavin BluE 16 �I wanted to define success in a new way for myself. Before retiring in 2005, Walsh had been president of Aetna Workers Comp Access. In that role she was responsible for leading a new company initiative– a worker’s compensation network of hospitals, physicians and specialists who helped injured workers return to work. After doing some due diligence on MLCOA, Walsh decided to sign on as CEO. Walsh is in Australia on a four-year visa, and says her goal is to build MLCOA and put the right people in place. “I’m not running a company,” she says. “I’m building a team.” Part of the experience has been learning to adapt to a new work/life balance. “In Australia,” she explains, “people generally work eight hours, play eight hours and sleep eight hours. Unlike Americans, Australians work hard, but leave their jobs behind when they go home. Another major difference is that Americans work today on what was due yesterday, as opposed to the Australians who work today on what is due next week. But if there is a downside to being Down Under, it’s that it is a difficult and expensive journey for family and friends who want to visit. She is enthusiastic about life in Melbourne. “I love the vibrancy of this city, and have found the food and coffee to be nothing less than exceptional.” According to Walsh, the people in Melbourne are well-read and informed, with a keen interest in the United States. Since taking the position in Australia, Walsh has returned to the U.S. two or three times a year for business and family holidays. She has continued as board chair for FairPay Solutions in Texas, which provides workers comp and auto-liability claims review. Her life journey continues. Robyn Speak Walsh B.A., Sociology and Anthropology, 1976; MBA, 1980, Wilkes Notable: Resides in South Melbourne, Australia, where she is chief executive officer for mlcoa, a company providing independent medical assessments of employees for companies, insurance organizations and other groups. Memorable Wilkes faculty: Wagiha Taylor, professor, and Ted Engel, associate professor, in the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, where Walsh received her MBA. Favorite Wilkes place: Weckesser Hall, where she worked while a student with Ruth Bishop, recorder who later became her daughter’s godmother. Wilkes | Summer 2011 R obyn Speak Walsh was zip lining in Costa Rica when she felt her Blackberry vibrate in her pocket. Checking the e-mail, she saw a message that would eventually change the course of her life: Would she be interested in becoming the CEO of a company in Australia? Retired from a decades-long career in the health care and insurance industries with Aetna Inc., Walsh was taking some time off to travel and figure out the next chapter in her professional life. But Australia? “I knew that I did not want to fall back into my comfort zone of working in a typical corporate environment,” remembers Walsh, “but I also had to grapple with the difficult decision to take a job so far away from my daughter, family and friends, and from the very comfortable and interesting life I had created for myself since retiring.” Walsh ’76, MBA ’80, took the job. In June 2010, she became chief executive officer and a director of the Melbourne-based MLCOA, a company that provides independent medical assessments of employees for companies and insurance organizations. “I wanted to define success in a new way for myself,” explains Walsh. Since her Wilkes days, when she worked in the Recorder’s Office while pursuing a degree, Walsh has risen to leadership positions in the corporate world—budget director, then controller, administrator, vice president, senior vice president, president, consultant, chair of the board of directors. Along with these successes came personal hardship: a difficult divorce, a devastating fire at her Pennsylvania home and the death of her mother, a role model and mentor. But back to that vacation in Costa Rica and to the e-mail Walsh had received. As chairwoman for Trips and Tours at the Town and County Club in Hartford, Conn., Walsh was leading a group of 20 women. An event on that trip convinced her to take her next career step. She and the group were in a remote area when one woman became seriously ill. Walsh became concerned that the woman might die if she didn’t get to a hospital. “I called one of the tour guides who spoke Spanish, secured a boat ride out of the jungle, and, through my Aetna contacts, arranged for an ambulance ride to a hospital in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose where my co-traveler received medical treatment which saved her life,” says Walsh. “I was so grateful that I was able to use all the leadership skills I had learned in the corporate world, and realized that I still have more that I want to achieve.” Walsh says she had always wanted to be a CEO and use her “motivating” style of management to run a company. After receiving the offer from Australia, Walsh consulted with her daughter, Jordan, a third-year law student at Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan, and with a close friend, about whether she should accept the job. They both said that it was her life, her journey and her book. 17 �Dave Russo ’93 Leaves Them Laughing In His Successful Comedy Career By Vicki Mayk Dave Russo, Boston, Mass. Wilkes | Summer 2011 B.A., Communication Studies, Wilkes 1993 18 Career: Stand-up comic who has performed in Boston, New York and Las Vegas Notable: Winner of the Inaugural Boston Comedy Festival and finalist on “The Entertainer,” reality show with Wayne Newton on E! Entertainment Network. Favorite Wilkes Memory: “Going to football games, participating in intramural deck hockey and the camaraderie of hanging out with friends.” �Cardinale steered the young wrestler to his alma mater. Russo came to Wilkes and wrestled for coach John Reese. Along the way, he also discovered his penchant for comedy when performing in and out of the classroom. “I’ve wanted to be an entertainer since I was 5 years old,” Russo says. “I can still remember going to my sister’s school dance when I was 9 and dancing to the song Rapper’s Delight. By the time I was 14, I had won a national competition as the best break dancer in America.” The break dancing title led to contracts to break dance in commercials for Dunkin’ Donuts, Nabisco Sugar Babies candy and Tweeter Stereo. Although his interest switched from dancing to wrestling in high school and at Wilkes, he still longed to be a performer. “I wanted to create my own destiny with stand-up comedy,” he says. After graduating from Wilkes, his first job was as assistant director of admissions for Hesser College in Manchester, N.H., running a program to encourage students to continue in school and go to college. “It was a good job for me because I was the first person in my family to attend college,” says Russo. But comedy was calling. He started entertaining at open-mike nights while there. Winning the inaugural Boston Comedy Festival in 2000 launched his stand-up career. He moved to New York City in 2001 and toured on the college circuit. While working in Las Vegas, he was chosen from among thousands of performers to appear with Wayne Newton on “The Entertainer,” a reality show that aired in 2005 on the E! Entertainment Network. Ten finalists competed for a $1 million contract to work in Las Vegas. Russo came in second. Losing the contest was a low point. “When I came back from Laugh Lines On excelling academically: Dave Russo shared some of his favorite jokes “I graduated first in my class: with Wilkes magazine: I was home-schooled.” On Leaving Home: On the difference between the sexes: “When I turned 18, my mom kicked me out of the “They say a man invented the bra: No way could house and said I couldn’t come back until I got a a man have invented it. If they had, the sizes job and a note from a mental health professional. would have been completely different: I mean, a And I’m thinking, ‘Where am I going to get a job?’ ‘D’ would have been an ‘A.’ ” chance: “What you do as a professional comedian is repeat what the heckler said. It lets the audience know that someone is being distracting—and it gives me time to have a comeback.” Russo was his high school’s first state wrestling champion in Malden, Mass. A chipped tooth at a wrestling tournament provided him with an unexpected introduction to Wilkes. The dentist who gave him emergency treatment also was the dentist for Wilkes alumnus Anthony Cardinale ’72, a Boston-area lawyer. Vegas, I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ I actually looked into getting a day job,” he recalls. An invitation to appear at a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation led to his current gig on Dirty Water TV on NESN and back on the performing circuit. He’s been leaving them laughing ever since. Now a seasoned comic, Russo has learned who he is, both on and off the stage: “Whoever you are off-stage is the same person you are on-stage. Know what your persona is.” Wilkes | Summer 2011 D ave Russo ’93 isn’t joking when he says he got the idea to do stand-up comedy in his Wilkes public speaking class. The first time he gave a speech he had everyone—including his teacher, Jane Elmes-Crahall—laughing. Not an easy feat in an 8 a.m. class. “When he finished that first speech, I told him, ‘You have real talent and humor,’” says Elmes-Crahall, a professor of communication studies. “Every speech after that got funnier and funnier. Did he always leave me wondering ‘Where did he come up with that?’ Yes, he did!” More than 18 years later, Russo is making his living by laughter. A mainstay of the comedy scene in his native Boston, Mass., he is a host for Dirty Water TV, a production company that provides entertainment news on the New England Sports Network (NESN). In more than 15 years as a comic, Russo has performed in New York, Las Vegas and on the West Coast. Calling himself “the hardest-working comic in Boston,” Russo sometimes does four shows at two or more venues on a weekend. He says Beantown is one of the best cities in America to do comedy. “In order to be a better comic, you need stage time. In Boston, you get stage time,” he says. Following in the tradition of Boston comedians like Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno and Dennis Leary, he’s learned a lot about his business. “In comedy, you have to develop a rhythm,” he explains. “The punchlines should be coming every eight to 10 seconds.” Watching Russo’s high-energy act is exhausting. The jokes fly by so quickly, it’s easy to miss one. Hecklers don’t have a 19 �alumni news Tom Ralston’80 Elected President of Alumni Association Board Tom Ralston ’80 was elected president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors at the April 1 meeting. In this Q & A, Tom talks about his father, George Ralston, the continuing Ralston Legacy at Wilkes, his goals for the Alumni Association and his favorite Wilkes memories. Tom’s memories reflect the diverse roles his father played, including football coach and dean of students to generations of Wilkes alumni. Three generations of your family have called Wilkes home. Why is it important for you to be involved with the Alumni Association and why did you choose to take on a leadership role? I’ve been involved with Wilkes since the day I was born. My mother, three brothers and I have Wilkes degrees and two of my nieces are currently students. How could I not bleed Blue and Gold? It was only Dad (George Ralston) who was lacking the Wilkes degree until his Honorary Doctorate was awarded in 1997. I believe in the mission of Wilkes and I believe that Wilkes can continue delivering the quality education that I received to students well into the future. I serve on the Alumni Association Board out of respect to the institution and its members, as well as to maintain a close relationship with Wilkes. Through this service, I am able to give back where and when it will truly be meaningful. As President, what is your vision for the Alumni Association? My focus over the next year will be to continue the good work of my predecessors and the fine staff that supports the Alumni Association. My goal will always be to determine new methods to engage or reengage our alumni base coast to coast and internationally. I want to grow our participation in any way that is appropriate and think that giving “time, treasure or talent” are all ways that alumni can become engaged with Wilkes. Tell us about your most memorable college experience. I’ve had many, but I always loved Saturday afternoons in the fall watching Wilkes HOMECOMING Wilkes | Summer 2011 SEPTEMBER 20 football. Those days were electric, with great teams and great crowds. We had a fantastic band in my days to warm some of those cold, dreary days and help lead the Colonels to victory. What’s new with you? After a fairly long stint in the corporate world, I entered academia five years ago. I work in an alumni relations and leadership giving capacity at Bentley University just outside of Boston. In addition to welcoming Tom as Alumni Association board president, congratulations to Rosemary LaFratte ’93, MBA ’97, now serving as first vice president, and Cindy Charnetski ’97, now serving as second vice president. In addition, Adrienne Richards ’07, Rick Seipp ’01, Pat Skibbs ’60, Brian Switay ’10, Frank Yamrus ’80 and Ted Yeager ’72 were named to the Association Board of Directors. 2011 23, 24 AND 25 Homecoming 2011 is just three months away! chemistry; Ancestral Colonels; and the A-List. If you are a member of one Join fellow alumni back on campus from Sept. of these groups and would like to help plan your reunion, contact the Office 23-25 for a jam-packed schedule of events, of Alumni Relations at (570)408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. Check out including the Homecoming Parade, concert www.wilkes.edu/homecoming for the latest information! on the Greenway, Pints with Professors, tent parties, reunions and much more. This year, we’ll celebrate the following reunions: the Classes of ’61, ’71, ’81, ’91, ’01 and ’06; ROTC; Sturdevant Hall; Sullivan Hall; men’s and women’s soccer; debate; cross country; biology and Homecoming Committee Rosemary LaFratte ’93, MBA ’97, chair Ellen Hall ’71 Melissa Maybe ’05 Buck Mallan ’71 Anita Mucciolo ’78 Roya Fahmy ’83 Jim Marascio ’71 Brian Switay ’10 �alumni news The Alumni Association honors a member of the Wilkes community each year, recognizing a strong commitment to the University and the community. This year, Larry Cohen ’57, was honored at the Alumni Association Scholarship Dinner on April 29. President Tim Gilmour recognized him in the company of family and friends for his important contributions to Wilkes and the area. Larry Amdur ’57 and Richard Cohen, Larry’s son, spoke in his honor. Cohen serves on the board of the Wyoming Valley Jewish Federation and is active in the Dental Trade Alliance. He is the semi-retired chairman of Benco Dental. Benco Dental is now run by his sons, Charles and Richard, Managing Partners. He and his wife Sally reside in Delray Beach, Fla., and Kingston, Pa. The Alumni Association Scholarship is awarded annually to a student who demonstrates exceptional academic credentials and campus involvement and whose parent or grandparent graduated from Wilkes. This year’s recipient, Erin Robinson, a senior English major from Harford, Pa., was recognized during the dinner. Proceeds from the dinner help to fund this annual scholarship. j ' Larry Cohen ’57 was honored at the Alumni Association Dinner. Pictured from left are Wilkes President Tim Gilmour, Larry Cohen ’57, Sally Cohen and Ruth McDermott Levy ’82, representing the Alumni Association Board. Photo by michael touey The alumni event in Orlando, which was one in a series of gatherings held in the Sunshine State in early March. Pictured left to right in the front row are Theresa Martincavage Mahon ’99, Patty Gilmour, Mirko Widenhorn, Andrea Powell ’06 and back row left to right: President Tim Gilmour, Jeff Slank ’95, Tim Banks, MaryElla Banks ’79 and Alex Powell. Photo by museum staff Alumni, whose graduation years ranged from 1958 to 2009, gathered at the Famished Frog in Morristown, NJ on March 10. Coaches Frank Sheptock, Matt DiBernardo and Mike McCree joined to catch up with former players. Photo by bridget giunta husted ’05 President Gilmour and alumni gathered at the home of Irene and Jay Mack ’79 in Boca Raton, Fla. Pictured left to right are Bryon Earl ’85, Wilkes President Tim Gilmour, Linda Baron Kaufer ’76, Ken Schaefer, Patty Gilmour, Connie Kamarunas Schaefer ’56, Jack Basler, Carolyn Goeringer Basler ’58, Jay Mack ’79, Linda Millar ’80, Jessica Millar, Irene Mack and Alexandra Mack. Photo by susan Jolley Alumni attending an event in Tampa/St. Petersburg at the home of Maureen Cambier ’82 are, on floor, Jim Basta and Colleen Cambier; second row, seated from left, Bill Brennan’ 90, Connie Kamarunas Schafer ’56, Marie Honcharik Basta ’61, Claire Handler Silverstein’63; third row, standing from left, Christine May Terry ’86, Helene, Catherine Schaeffer, Mrs. Bill Brennan, Ken Schaeffer, Maureen Connolly Cambier ’82, Dr. Joe Sabadish ’82, Marianne Sabadish ’83, Roberta Berger ’71, Ron Silverstein, Dr. Patrick Cambier and Derek Jolley. Photo by Angela Buckley. Wilkes | Summer 2011 Lawrence Cohen ’57 honored at Alumni Association Dinner 21 �class notes 1965 Donald Ungemah retired from his position as senior vice president and chief legal and risk officer of MWH Global Inc. Ungemah resides in Littleton, Colo., and Marco Island, Fla. 1971 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Francine Douaihy took third place in the 5th NeoPopRealism Starz International Art Competition. 1980 Joseph D. Angelella MBA ’87 is vice president, commercial loan officer and relationship manager at First National Community Bank. 1983 David R. Carey M.S. ’98 earned his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering at Clarkson University, Potsdam, N.Y. Carey works at Tobyhanna Army Depot as an engineering branch manager and teaches in the engineering department at Wilkes. He lives in Wilkes-Barre with his wife, Jennifer (Ogurkis) Carey ’83. 1989 Robert Faille is the director of development information systems in the office of development for Princeton University. Benjamin P. Tielle is assistant vice president of PNC Bank in northeast Pennsylvania. He resides in Pittston, Pa. 1992 Michael John Brogan see Graduate Students 2001. Charlotte A. Moser is the assistant director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa. She recently co-authored a new book, Vaccines and Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction. Moser lives with her husband, Dan Moser, and their two children in Bensalem, Pa. 1993 Priya Patel is the network administrator at Berman, Goldman & Ribakow, an accounting firm in Ellicott City, Md. 1994 Eileen Evanina is director of the nurse anesthesia program at Columbia University’s School of Nursing. She also works at Northeastern Gastroenterology Associates in Honesdale, Pa. She resides in Olyphant, Pa. Tracy (Gusditis) Zabrenski is director of revenue cycle for Moses Taylor Hospital after serving 12 years as director of revenue cycle professional reimbursement and compliance at Geisinger Health System. 1995 Christopher Carr writes a recurring column, “The Working Man’s Hunter,” in a new national hunting magazine, Racks and Tails. 1997 Renee F. Casterline was presented with the Joseph C. Donchess Chair in Science by the Wyoming Seminary Board of Trustees. Dr. Cindy Charnetski is one of The Times Leader’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2011. She practices optometry at the Northeast Eye Institute. 1998 Christine (Tondrick) Baksi and her husband, Dave, announce the birth of their first child, Samuel David, born Dec. 13, 2010. The family resides in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Michael Barrouk MBA ’00 is one of The Times Leader’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2011. He is assistant vice president at PNC Bank in Wilkes-Barre. Lisa (Niewinski) Ciampi and husband, Lou, announce the Wilkes | Summer 2011 1985 Susan Maier Davis was named senior vice president of operations for SMV Management Company LLC. 22 1986 Neal McHugh is regional manager of environmental health and safety for the northeast region of Kinder Morgan Energy. He resides in Point Pleasant, N.J., with his wife, Diane (Gatfield) McHugh ’86, and children. Phillip James Torres ’89 and Joei Bieber were married on Aug. 21, 2010. The groom is a teacher for the Elk Grove Unified School District. The bride is employed at CH2M HILL, an environmental engineering company. The couple reside in Elk Grove, Calif. Susan Marie Tomchak M.S. ’05 and David Frederick Thackara were married on Oct. 9, 2010. The bride is a teacher in the Pocono Mountain School District. The groom is employed by Shamrock Communications. The couple reside in Wyoming, Pa. �class notes Jordan Padams Career Propelled by NASA Job Calif., resident enjoys Jordan Padams ’08’s career could be described as “out “the sheer magnitude of this world.” Padams is in his third year working as a of what goes on” software engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space at the labs. “The Administration’s Jet Propulsion Labs. The computer scientists walking science major never planned on working for NASA. by are some of the What the Burbank, most about his job is “It just kind of happened,” he laughs. “I didn’t even smartest people in think about it growing up.” the world,” he says. The southern New Jersey native was finishing his “There’s a Rover next degree at Wilkes when career services told him of a job door that’s going to fair in New York City. He and a friend drove to the city and Mars in a few years.” interviewed all day, making their last stop at the table for Padams credits NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs. much of his success “They liked what I had to say,” recalls Padams. “They flew me out to Pasadena, interviewed me and offered me a job.” His work for NASA, though complex, can be broken down Jordan Padams ’08 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, where is a software engineer. Photo courtesy jordan Padams to the education he received at Wilkes. “I work right alongside into two basic concepts. “I make computer programs,” he people from MIT, Cornell, Stanford,” he says, “but I still have says, comparing them to ones we use daily, such as Web the same education, if not better than they do.” Padams sites or phone apps. But the information he works with notes he was especially grateful for the late Professor is coming straight from outer space. A NASA spacecraft Matthew J. Zukoski, who was “just a pleasure to be around.” has instruments and readings, he explains, that send data down to the home base, where it needs to be analyzed by scientists. “My job,” he continues, “is to make it easier for these scientists to read the information clearly and In addition to his day job, he is pursuing his master’s degree in computer science at the University of Southern California. “Push your boundaries,” Padams says. “It’s not just thinking outside the box, but living outside the box.” understand what was going on at that time.” He takes the birth of their third child, Mia Regina Rose, born Nov. 15, 2010. Mia joins brothers, Louis, 5, and Nicholas, 3. The family resides in Wyoming, Pa. 1999 Jill (Mackay) Barrouk M.S. ’03 and Michael Barrouk ’98, MBA ’00 announce the birth of their third child, Nick Steven, born on Nov. 18, 2010. He joins siblings Sam, 5, and Nina, 3. Aaron Sherburne see 2000. 2000 Jason Evans was interviewed by WBRE news anchor Kyla Campbell ’03 via Skype after being evacuated from his home in Hawaii due to tsunami warnings. Evans is the owner of SilverShark Media, an independent production company in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Nathan Lipton see 2002. Lauren (Castelli) Sherburne and Aaron Sherburne ’99 announce the birth of their twin boys, Matthew Aaron and Nicholas Michael, born on Nov. 3, 2010. They join older brother Jason. — By Rachel Strayer 2002 Jennifer Lipton M.S. ’09 and Nathan Lipton ’00 announce the birth of their son, Gabriel Daniel Lipton, born on Dec. 29, 2009. They reside in Pottsville, Pa. Ronald M. Metcho, Esq., and Nicole D. Curran were married on Dec. 11, 2010. The groom is an associate attorney with the law firm of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin, P.C. The bride is tax director at FXI Innovations. The couple reside in Philadelphia, Pa. Piyush Sabharwall is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ representative for the 2011 New Faces of Engineering program. The heat transport lead scientist at Idaho National Laboratory, Sabharwall is one of 14 early-career engineers chosen to represent various engineering organizations for the New Faces project. 2004 Jessica (Hinkel) Leibig and her husband, Michael, announce the birth of their son, Logan, on Aug. 15, 2010. Wilkes | Summer 2011 information and puts it into a database for easy access. 23 �class notes 2005 John P. Boylan recently completed the requirements to be a certified public accountant at Riley & Co. Inc. in Mount Pocono, Pa. Boylan has worked for the firm for more than five years. Jennifer Hendrix and Ryan McCabe were married on Sept. 4, 2010. The bride is a productivity solution specialist for Microsoft. The groom is an audio visual technician for Star Home Theatre. The couple reside near Washington, D.C. Elvira Illiano-Trovato and her husband, Carmine, announce the birth of their son, Giuseppe Aniello, born Oct. 18, 2010. The family resides in Conshohocken, Pa. 2006 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Amanda Lewis is now a certified and licensed Zumba fitness instructor in central New Jersey. Sabrina Naples Benulis ’05 Signs Book Deal with HarperCollins Sabrina Naples Benulis ’05 graduated from Wilkes with two bachelor’s degrees—one in English and another in psychology—and sold four of her short stories and poems for publication in a very competitive market. But her most rewarding labor of love to date is Archon. The fantasy fiction novel—the first in a trilogy—allowed Benulis to finish her master’s degree thesis in writing popular fiction at Seton Hill University in 2007 and recently earned a coveted three-book contract with publisher HarperCollins. “It’s one thing to get a book published, but I was also lucky enough to sign with one of the largest publishers in the business,” explains Benulis. “I was excited enough to walk on sunshine for days.” The novel follows Angela Mathers, a troubled young adult who learns that she is really an avenging angel Erik O’Day is one of The Times Leader’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2011. He is a social studies teacher and cross country coach for E.L. Meyers High School. Shelby Schultz M.S. ’09 and Edward Naperski were married on June 26, 2010. The bride is a seventh-grade English teacher for the Wyoming Valley West School District. The groom is a sales director for FirstFlight, a corporate aviation company. The couple reside in Forty Fort, Pa. 2008 Steven Zerbe was named a pharmacist at Mike’s Pharmacy of Myerstown, Pa. Carmen Winters is one of The Times Leader’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2011. She is director of marketing at MyNEPA LLC, an internet marketing firm in Plains, Pa. 2009 Joel Antolik and Heather Beretski were married on June 26, 2010. The groom in a world of witches, demons and ancient prophecies. Benulis says Archon was born out of myriad interests, “but mainly a long-time love affair with the supernatural, world religions, mythology, and believe it or not, Japanese anime.” She is currently working on the sequel to Archon and has plans to publish a young adult novel in the future. Benulis suggests that while talent is important when hoping to be published, persistence is essential. So is proper guidance. Benulis says she did “write for fun” in high school, but it was Wilkes creative writing adjunct faculty Bernie Kovacs ’10 M.F.A.’98 who first opened her eyes to the possibility of writing as a career. “He wrote a note on a story I’d written, telling me to speak with him after class,” she recalls. “I thought I was in trouble.” Kovacs simply told her that she had talent. He suggested she think about writing professionally, a piece of advice that set her on the path to becoming a published novelist. “But for me, I think it was always more about creating a world and telling its story,” says the author. “That is my true love.” Benulis continues to create worlds out of the home she shares with her husband, Michael Benulis ’05, in Drums, Pa. Her work has appeared in Third Order Magazine, Oddlands Wilkes | Summer 2011 Magazine, The Opinion Guy and Wilkes literary magazine, 24 The Manuscript. Archon is due to be released under the HarperCollins imprint HarperVoyager on Dec. 26, 2011. — By Rachel Strayer Sarah Benulis ’05 at her desk in Drums, Pa., where she created Archon, the fantasy novel to be published by HarperCollins. Photo courtesy Sarah Benulis �class notes is employed by Medico Industries Inc. The bride is employed by Sam’s Club and the Dallas School District as a substitute teacher. The couple reside in Miners Mills, Pa. Brian Lang completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill. He will now attend Navy Special Warfare training in Coronado, Calif. David Ramil and Allison Davis were married on July 24, 2010. The groom is employed by Corporate Call Center as a licensed insurance agent. The bride is employed by the SpringFord School District as a math and physics teacher. The couple reside in Phoenixville, Pa. Graduate Students 1968 Ruth Uy Asmundson M.S. was honored among “Outstanding Alumni” with a Kara (Culnane) Hines ’10 and Erik Hines were married on Sept. 18, 2010. The bride is a registered nurse at Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital in Binghamton, N.Y. The couple reside in Thompson, Pa. 2010 College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Award of Distinction from the University of California at Davis. 1987 Joseph D. Angelella MBA see 1980. 1989 Joseph H. Knecht MHA is senior vice president of clinical services at the Wilkes-Barre Children’s Service Center. Charlotte Czeponis Pharm.D., manager at Bracey Pharmacy in Ashland, Pa., was honored at the first Ashland Area Rotary Club Vocation Night. Czeponis resides in Ashland with her husband Adam, Pharm.D. ’01 and son. 2001 Reunion Sept. 23-25 ~ Bridget Ann McLaughlin M.S. and Michael John Brogan ’92 were married on Nov. 26, 2010. The bride is a sixth grade teacher for the Pittston Area School District. The groom is employed by the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority. The couple reside in West Pittston, Pa. Jennifer Lynn Youmans M.S. and Kenneth Robert Weaver Jr. were married on July 17, 2010. The bride is employed as a business education teacher for the Williamsport Area School District. The groom is a caseworker for LycomingClinton Joinder. The couple reside in Williamsport, Pa. 2004 Adam G. Soares Pharm.D. and Megan Sabonis were married on Aug. 14, 2010. The groom is the pharmacy operations manager at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. The bride is an assistant project manager for the TIMI Study Group at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. The couple reside in Easton, Mass. 2007 Maureen Shovlin M.S. and Bryan Pikas were married on July 24, 2010. The bride is employed as a teacher and head swim coach by Wyoming Area School District. The groom is a journeyman electrician for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, WilkesBarre Local 163. The couple reside in West Wyoming, Pa. 2008 Jason Slavoski Pharm.D. and Kelly Walsh were married on Sept. 24, 2010. The groom is employed by a Walgreen’s affiliate in Milford, Del. The couple reside in Rehoboth Beach, Del. 2009 Karen M. Kaleta MBA and Stephen P. Alessi MBA ’10 were married on Oct. 23, 2010. The bride is assistant director Wilkes | Summer 2011 Andrea Kinal ’06 and Alex Powell were married on Nov. 6, 2010. The bride is an analyst of jewelry and accessories for Beall’s Department Stores. The groom is a custom furniture builder for Dream Works, Inc. The couple reside in Bradenton, Fla. 25 �class notes Filipkowski Jr. were married on July 17, 2010. The bride is a third grade teacher in the Pittston Area School District. The groom is an apprentice wireman for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The couple reside in Duryea, Pa. Joseph Giomboni M.F.A. and Jill Rozitski were married on July 2, 2010. The groom is employed by King’s College as assistant director of public relations and an adjunct professor for the mass communications department. The bride is marketing 1942 Olive Jean Thomas Pearn, Wilmington, Del., died Dec. 18, 2010. She taught high school and middle school for 30 years in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. 1949 Marjorie Tyler Green, West Pittston, Pa., died Dec. 21, 2010. She was a retired mathematics teacher for the Wyoming Area School District. a U.S. Navy veteran, awardwinning journalist and the associate editor for The Patriot and The Evening News. 1943 Rev. Joseph A. Lorusso, Wilkes-Barre, died Dec. 28, 2010. He served in the Army Transportation Corps during WWII and was ordained into the priesthood in 1947. He taught English at several universities. 1950 John E. Young, Uniontown, Pa., died Jan. 2, 2011. He worked in the coal division of the U.S. Steel Corp. of the master of arts in business administration program at Wilkes University. The groom is a sales representative for the Sherwin Williams Company. The couple reside in Mountain Top, Pa. Lindsay Ann Lenchak M.S. and Joseph Thomas project manager at King’s College. The couple reside in Plains, Pa. 2011 Mark A. Kutzer MBA was promoted to associate attorney at Fellerman Ciarimboli law firm. In Memoriam John T. Zucosky Jr., Plains Township, Pa., died March 9, 2011. He was a retired employee of American Cyanamid in Bound Brook, N.J. Wilkes | Summer 2011 1945 I. Martin Berger, Washington, D.C., died in May of 2010. 26 1948 Joseph J. Pribula, Exeter, Pa., died Feb. 17, 2011. He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran and a life member of Exeter Hose Co. No. 1. He worked as an engineer for Sordoni Construction and Commonwealth Telephone Co. in Dallas, Pa. 1952 Edmund Victor Niklewski, Hagerstown, Md., died Feb. 25, 2011. His career included staff psychiatrist and medical director at Brook Lane Psychiatric Center, medical director of the Mental Health Unit and Alzheimer’s program at Washington County Hospital, and a private practice of psychiatry. Mario A. Sellani, Orwigsburg, Pa., died Nov. 7, 2010. He was a Marine Corps veteran of WWII and was employed as plant chemical engineer for Litton industries in Salt Lake City, Utah. 1953 Paul B. Beers, Harrisburg, Pa., died Jan. 24, 2011. He was Andrew (Andy) Francis Roan, Oviedo, Fla., died Jan. 4, 2011. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of WWII and was the owner of Roan’s Beverage Distributorship in Dallas, Pa., for many years. 1954 Wayne S. Madden, Seminole, Fla., died Dec. 28, 2010. He was a United Methodist minister and a chaplain colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He completed 26 years of service, most recently as chief of chaplain personnel for the Strategic Air Command in Nebraska. June E. Stevens, Carlisle, Pa., died Feb. 17, 2011. She was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and retired from teaching secondary school in the Wilkes-Barre city schools after 25 years. 1955 Dominic Charles Varisco, Newport, R.I., and Harwich, Mass., died Jan. 17, 2010. He was a U.S. Army veteran and maintained a career in higher education administration and teaching for 40 years, working at Brandeis, Harvard and Salve Regina universities. He also was a senior consulting vice president with the Shaver Corp. of New York City and Grenzebach Glier & Associates of Chicago. Jane Falk, Tinton Falls, N.J., died Feb. 6, 2011. She was an employee of Tinton Falls School District and active in local politics. Paul P. Krasucki Sr., Roaring Brook Township, Pa., died Dec. 31, 2010. He was a U.S. Army veteran and was employed as a pipefitter with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, Local No. 524. Capt. Joseph D. Miceli, USN (Ret.), Wilkes-Barre, died Jan. 28, 2011. He served in the U.S. Navy for 37 years, as the commanding officer of Naval Weapons Support Center in Crane, Ind., and later as a program manager at NAVSEA in Arlington, Va. 1958 Joseph I. Leibman, Harrisburg, Pa., died March 3, 2011. He was president of SHS Employment Agency. �class notes In Memoriam 1959 Paul A. Schecter, Williamsburg, Va., died Jan. 30, 2011. He was a partner at the law firm Coopers & Lybrand,retiring in 1996. He taught law at Georgetown, Washington & Lee, and Howard universities. 1960 Thomas M. Walsh, Sr., Pittston, Pa., died Jan. 21, 2011. He was a rehabilitation teacher for Blindness and Visual Services of Wilkes-Barre and was also president of the Luzerne County Council of the Blind for 21 years. 1962 Morgan Richards “Dick” Jones, Wyndmoor, Pa., died Dec. 17, 2010. He was a partner and chairman in the national law firm of Drinker, Biddle and Reath, LLP, in Philadelphia, Pa., and founder of the firm’s Investment Management Practice Group. 1968 Barbara L. Gatto, Johnstown, Pa., died March 5, 2011. James H. Murray, St. Albans, Vt., died Feb. 4, 2011. He was employed as a certified rehabilitation specialist for United Rehabilitation Associates for more than 20 years prior to his retirement. 1973 David G. DeMorat, Hanover Township, Pa., died Jan. 10, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran and an insurance agent for the Western Southern Life Insurance Co. Frank J. Gubitose M.S. ’77, Laflin, Pa., died Feb. 15, 2011. He was a U.S. Navy veteran and worked as an executive and vice president in the food industry for more than 30 years prior to his retirement. 1976 Thomas F. Brennan Jr., Sugarloaf, Pa., died Jan. 21, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran and was employed at the White Haven Center for 25 years as well as being a self-employed counselor with a private practice for the past 16 years. Denise A. Polinchak, WilkesBarre Township, died March 8, 2011. She was employed as a data analyst at the Social Security Administration Office in Plains Township, Pa. 1977 Mary Anne Rose Chopyak, Hamlin, Pa., died Dec. 24, 2010. She worked as a registered nurse at the VA Medical Center and then at M. Saleem’s medical practice as nurse and office manager. 1978 Bert Katz, Bernardsville, N.J., died Dec. 22, 2010. He worked as a certified public accountant for 20 years and was a volunteer driver and photographer for several area fire and first aid departments. 1980 Joseph F. Litchman, Harveys Lake, Pa., died Feb. 20, 2011. He was board certified in both family medicine and emergency medicine, which he practiced at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for nearly 30 years. He was a founder of Linden Medical Group. 1983 J. Frank Clause, Old Forge, Pa., died Jan. 17, 2011. He was a resident nurse for the Clarks Summit State Hospital for over 25 years before his recent retirement. He was also a specialist 4th class in the U.S. Army Reserves. 1988 John R. Baer, Jr., Hunlock Creek, Pa., died Jan. 3, 2011. He worked at the United Methodist Home for Children in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and taught at Northwest Area High School until 2005. 1990 Barbara A. Ross, Sweet Valley, Pa., died Feb. 6, 2011. 2002 Jessica Alferio Clark, Roaring Brook Township, Pa., died March 15, 2011. She taught English at Seton Catholic High School in Pittston, Pa.; Holy Cross High School in Dunmore, Pa.; and South Scranton Intermediate School. Graduate Students 1977 Frank J. Gubitose M.S. see 1973. Friends of Wilkes Stanley Samuel Gutin, Pittston, Pa., died Feb. 28, 2011. A U.S. Navy veteran, Gutin was a professor of English at Wilkes University for 33 years and was awarded emeritus status in 1992. After his retirement he tutored students seeking their general education diploma as well as taught English as a second language. James H. Lynch, Bloomfield, N.J., died Feb. 3, 2011. He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran and a “Flyboy”—a member of the 6th College Training Detachment which was housed at Wilkes University in the 1940s. Following his military service, Lynch worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 43 years. Richard M. Ross, Dallas, Pa., died Feb. 17, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran and worked as a certified financial analyst for the Hanover Bank in New York City. From 1990 to 1993 he served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Wilkes and, following his retirement, was an adjunct faculty member in the University’s Economics Department. Wilkes | Summer 2011 Merle Levey, Atlanta, Ga., died Feb. 24, 2011. 27 �class notes In Memoriam Wilkes | Summer 2011 Fred R. Demech Jr. ’61 28 Capt. Fred R. Demech Jr. ’61 a dedicated Wilkes University alumni volunteer, died on March 11, 2011, and the University lost a loyal friend. A resident of Moosic, Pa., he earned a degree in biology from Wilkes. A volunteer for Wilkes for more than 20 years, he served on the Wilkes University Alumni Association board. He chaired the technology and scholarship committees and served most recently as the board’s first vice president. Demech also was a graduate of the Naval War College and the National War College. Commissioned as an ensign in 1962, he served in the Navy for over 27 years, retiring in 1989. He was a career cryptologist and a qualified surface warfare officer. Demech was commanding officer of the Navy’s largest cryptologic base, a 1,000-person overseas facility. This command won the coveted Travis Trophy that identified it as the top communications site in the Department of Defense during 1984. As a Navy captain and presidential appointee, Demech twice served as the executive director for the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board in the White House. He was recognized for his service with the nation’s highest peacetime military decoration, The Defense Distinguished Service Medal. Demech also was awarded the Legion of Merit. For 19 years, Demech was employed by the TRW and Northrop Grumman corporations. Prior to his retirement in 2008, he managed the company’s special work and travel program that provided security, safety and health services for personnel internationally. Demech’s community involvement includes chairing a city cable television commission and recreation task force, board membership for a volunteer organization and services as a church elder. He also was the public affairs chairman for the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation. He was a member of American Legion Post 1188 in Minooka, Pa. Demech is survived by his wife of 47 years, Janet; a daughter Lesley D’Andrea ’88 and husband, Robert, of Doylestown, Pa.; two grandsons; and a sister. Friend of Wilkes: Glenn Gambini Wilkes lost a special member of the University family on Feb. 23, 2011 with the passing of Glenn Gambini. An employee of Wilkes food service for 38 years, he was a friend to thousands of the University’s students, faculty and staff. At a campus memorial service, Paul Adams ’77, vice president of student affairs, offered his reflections on Glenn’s contributions to campus life. “While Glenn did earn a paycheck fulfilling his responsibilities in the dining hall every day, Glenn didn’t work at Wilkes. He “lived” Wilkes. And few have ever “lived” Wilkes in the way that Glenn did,” Adams said. For Glenn, “living” Wilkes included two breakfasts each day—one in Rifkin Café and one in Einstein’s Bagels in the University Center on Main. His enthusiasm for Wilkes sports teams was unmatched and Glenn spent many weekend afternoons and weeknights at Ralston Field or at the Marts Center cheering on his beloved Colonels. He counted many athletes among his friends, attending their weddings and staying in touch long after they graduated. Glenn’s friendliness and care is remembered by more than three generations of alumni. Known for his warm smiles, his kind greetings were always marked by a gentle touch on the shoulder or arm. In eulogizing him, Adams urged those who knew him to “Think how often during the span of time that you knew him that he embraced you or patted your arm or shoulder. All of those touches are a part of our experience with Glenn and have become a part of our being. Let us remember those touches and the goodness he passed on to us through them.” In addition to his involvement with the University, Glenn was a member and volunteer for St. Benedict’s Church in Parsons, Pa., The Pro-Life Center and Plains Yankee Football. He is survived by his mother, Norma (Vinciarelli) Gambini; niece Claudette June and her husband, Joseph III, Pittston, Pa.; a great-niece and great-nephew and several cousins. �then & now Alternative Spring Break has been part of the Wilkes experience for two decades, offering students an opportunity to spend their spring vacation performing community service in the United States and abroad. Do you recognize anyone in this picture? Share names or reminisce at The Colonel Connection message boards, found at community.wilkes.edu. Or send responses to Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South Street,Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. You can also e-mail wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. Photo courtesy Megan Boone Kit McCarty ’75 wrote to identify the “Then” picture in the Spring 2011 Wilkes magazine: “The picture is from The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht. It was performed in March 1973 and was directed by Al Groh and Joe Salsburg. The players in the picture are (I believe) Matt Hughes and Joe Tomashefski. I was fortunate enough to be cast in the lead as Shen Te/Shui Ta; I was a sophomore at the time, and it was only through the help and encouragement of both Mr. Groh and Mr. Salsburg that I was able to perform the role.” Photo by Rachel This year’s Alternative Spring Break teams included more than 50 students, faculty and staff who worked at a coffee cooperative in Costa Rica, an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans and with the Christian Appalachian Project in Kentucky. Here, Wilkes University students tutor students in a Dominican Republic school Photo by Dr. Amy Bradley �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events June 12 Alumni Event, Boston, Mass. 28 Alumni Event, Philadelphia, Pa. July 8 Wilkes University Admissions Open House 24 Alumni Event, Long Beach Island, N.J. 25 HHMI-WEBS Summer Science Camp. Through Aug. 5 August 29 Fall Semester Classes Begin September 17 Wilkes University Admissions Open House 23-25 Homecoming Weekend October 6-12 Travel with Wilkes to Germany November 12 Wilkes University Admissions Open House 16 Outstanding Leaders Forum, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman photo by earl and sedor photographic For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Summer 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 2011 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Summer 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 2011 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/930a29114cd80220931a338d03c367c8.pdf 7135d50e56ed70ff58f960d371f51639 PDF Text Text FAL L 20 11 ENDURING INFLUENCE | CHANGE AGENT | FRIENDS INDEED COME HIGH WATER | REPORT OF GIFTS �president’s letter After The Flood, An Army of Colonels I JOINED PAUL ADAMS ’77, WILKES VICE PRESIDENT FOR Student Affairs, on Sept. 8 to monitor the Web site tracking the level of the Susquehanna River. It became clear that—for the second time in Wilkes history—the river was rising to truly dangerous levels. The damage caused by flooding after Hurricane Agnes, nearly 40 years ago, remains a painful memory for many. It looked to both of us that we would be evacuating the University. As I’m sure many of you know, history did not repeat itself. The levee system did its job. Although the Susquehanna crested at a record 42.66 feet, the levees held. Wilkes and the City of Wilkes-Barre were spared. Others in the valley were not as fortunate. While the two events, separated by four decades, had different outcomes for Wilkes, both brought out the best in our University community. How we respond at such times is the very definition of what it means to “Be Colonel.”In 1972, the campus community under President Mike Michelini rallied, cleaning and rebuilding campus in time to begin the fall 1972 academic year and graduate the class of 1973. Witnessing flood damage in communities near Wilkes this fall gave me new appreciation for what Mike and his team accomplished. Wilkes President Tim Gilmour and As we faced the 2011 flood, I realized how truly Paul Adams ’77, vice president, student affairs, pitch in during flood special Wilkes is and how remarkable the people are relief efforts in Wilkes-Barre. in our University family. Everyone worked together PHOTO BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC as we prepared for possible flooding. Our facilities department, with some help from the football team, moved sophisticated scientific equipment, computers, file cabinets and other items to safety on upper floors in buildings. Most importantly, we made sure our students were safe. When we returned to campus, we focused on helping the community. A new Wilkes advertising campaign talks about an Army of Colonels. Faced with incredible need after the flood, we sent our Army of Colonels into the community to help. We ensured that all University employees could join flood relief efforts by instituting a policy granting two days of paid leave for volunteering. I joined a team cleaning up the Brookside section of Wilkes-Barre. Our students, faculty and staff have shoveled toxic river muck, carried tons of junk to the curb, served food, collected and delivered supplies, and repaired damaged library books at the West Pittston Library. You can read more about it in the story on page 14. At our annual Club Day, held days after the flooding, we took time to be thankful that Wilkes was spared from another devastating flood. And thankful we should be! Dr. Tim Gilmour Wilkes University President VOLUME 5 | ISSUE 3 F A L L 2 0 11 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows Graduate Assistant Rachel Strayer M.A.’11 Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Payne Printery Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Director of Alumni Outreach and Stewardship Sandra Sarno Carroll Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Tom Ralston ’80 First Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Second Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents FEATURES 6 Enduring Influence Wilkes alumni continue mentoring relationships with faculty long after graduation 10 Change Agent Jack Miller ’68, chairman of Wilkes’ Board of Trustees, talks about the University’s strategic priorities 12 Friends Indeed 6 10 Relationships formed at Wilkes are a cause for celebration—year round 14 Come High Water 12 Wilkes comes to the aid of the community after the September 2011 flood DEPARTMENTS 5 Athletics 16 Alumni News 18 Class Notes 26 Report of Gifts John Lynch, left, a member of the Jc Wilkes wrestling team, and Mark Allen, w dean, dE student development, haul damaged books and other items out da of a house in Wilkes-Barre’s Brookside section damaged by floods caused by sec Tropical Storm Lee. Wilkes volunteers Tro played a role in flood-relief efforts. pla\ PHOTO PHOl BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC 14 Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. J;;s FPO FSC WILKES | Fall 2011 26 2 On Campus 1 �on campus African Adventures: Wilkes Faculty Lays Groundwork for Future Study, Service Opportunities Wilkes students will have the opportunity to study and provide service in Africa, thanks to the efforts of a contingent of students and faculty who visited the countries of Uganda and Tanzania during summer 2011. KarenBeth Bohan, an associate professor of pharmacy, visited Africa to plan a study abroad program for students in the Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing. Her goal is to offer an advanced pharmacy practice elective for fourth professional-year pharmacy students. Bohan is working with a professor at Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Uganda in developing the class. The students who take the elective also will go on a safari to study local wildlife and landscape throughout Murchison Falls National Park. “It is Wilkes’ mission to educate our students for success in a constantly evolving and multicultural world,” Bohan says. “And now more than ever it is important our students are engaged in experiences that can enhance their understanding of other cultures.” While in Africa, Bohan and James Merryman, professor of anthropology, also conducted a pilot study of the impact of clean-water wells on health, culture, and quality of life in villages of the Masindi District in Uganda. The wells are built by Busoga Trust America, a non-profit organization that provides wells and sanitation. Merryman brought Jeremy LaPorte ’11 as his graduate assistant and Bohan was accompanied by pharmacy student Joseph Shipula. Other Wilkes faculty and staff on the trip included Godlove Fonjweng, director of global education, and Evene Estwick, associate professor of communication studies. Godlove Fonjweng, director of global Other African opportunities are being education, second from left, meets developed by Linda Winkler, dean of the with Ugandan representatives about the impact of wells in their community. College of Arts, Humanities and Social Photo courtesy of KarenBeth Bohan KarenBeth Bohan, associate professor of pharmacy, front left, interviews villagers in Uganda for her water study. Photo courtesy of KarenBeth Bohan More on the Web To read more about KarenBeth Bohan’s, James Merryman’s and Linda Winkler’s work in Africa, please visit their blogs on the Wilkes Web site. To find them, click on the ■ B on the homepage. Sciences, who has worked and conducted research in Tanzania for a decade. Winkler, who joined the University in fall 2010, plans to involve Wilkes students in her work. This year, Wilkes student Lisa Bova accompanied Winkler to Tanzania. Bova, who is president of the student group Wilkes in the World, raised money for a water tank for Tegemeo School. ‘Army of Colonels’ Storms NEPA The University’s fall ad campaign had barely hit In addition to calling out various accomplishments and contributions, the northeastern Pennsylvania when a local radio campaign highlights the proximity to Wilkes’ campus to emphasize impact on personality was heard referencing the “Army of the region’s economic development and quality of life. Colonels” lending help to flood victims. The phrase—a nod to the Wilkes tradition Wilkes | Fall 2011 of leadership and selfless determination— 2 Wilkes staff worked with advertising agency 160over90 to develop the campaign. A focus group comprising alumni and Wilkes-Barre-area residents guided creative. anchors a campaign The fall campaign includes television, constructed to build radio, billboards, Internet and newspaper awareness of the University’s advertising throughout the Wyoming Valley. accomplishments and To see all its elements, visit the ways Wilkes helps www.wilkes.edu/adcampaign. bring positive change to the entire region. This billboard in Scranton highlights engineering research that involves undergraduate students in real-world problem solving. �on campus Top Majors Wilkes Expands to Poconos The Poconos is becoming more than a vacation destination. It’s also becoming a convenient location to get a great Wilkes education. The University is expanding to the Poconos this fall with a new adult education facility in the Shoppes at Crossroads at the Bartonsville exit of Interstate 80 in Monroe County. Students at the Wilkes University Pocono Center can enter degree programs for the master of business administration, the accelerated bachelor of business administration for those wishing to complete their degree, and the master of science in engineering management. University President Tim Gilmour says, “We feel this is an ideal place to expand our offerings, based on impressive population growth and numbers of people eager to continue their education.” The 2,800-square-foot facility will house two classrooms, a conference room and office space. Wireless Internet will connect students to campus resources. On-site staff will guide students during the application and enrollment process. For more information, Wilkes-Barre visit www.wilkes.edu/ Poconos. The following were the top five majors among students in Wilkes’ Fall 2011 freshman class. Majors are listed by the number of first-year students registered for fall semester: 69 Engineering* 69 58 Biology ----- • Pharmacy Nursing - Ii\ 48 Education** 35 * includes engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and engineering management U.N. Partnership to Bring Speakers, Global Perspective The global perspectives of the United Nations come to Wilkes through a collaborative program launching during the 2011-2012 academic year. The multi-faceted program, presented in partnership with the Higher Education Alliance for the United Nations, brings U.N. officials to campus throughout the year for lectures and informal meetings with students, organized around the theme Human Security in the 21st Century: Challenges and Solutions. Selected students can intern at the U.N. and a contingent of faculty and students will attend a special behind-the-scenes briefing there. A campus conference at Wilkes during spring semester will focus on an international issue and will feature U.N. representatives as presenters. Wilkes is the only northeast Pennsylvania university participating in the program. All Wilkes first-year students participate in weekly seminars during the fall semester designed to help them develop the strategies essential for a successful transition into the campus community. Students in the First-Year Foundations classes will meet informally with the U.N. lecturers as part of these classes. The U.N. lecture series kicks off on Sept. 26 with a lecture about Elections - Road to Democracy Around the World. It will be presented by diplomat Roland Rich, Executive Head at the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). Rich’s talk, which is free and open to the public, will be at 3 p.m. in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center. Other lecture topics during the year will include the U.N.’s role in combating terrorism, peacekeeping, food security, population growth and interfaith dialogue. The Humpty Dumpty Institute, a non-profit based in New York City, launched the Higher Education Alliance (HEA) in 2010. The alliance builds bridges between higher education, the United Nations and the international community. Wilkes | Fall 2011 ** includes elementary and early childhood education and middle school. 3 �on campus Wilkes Biology Professor Studies Effects of Marcellus Drilling on Songbirds The process of hydrofracking and gas drilling in Pennsylvania’s rich Marcellus Shale deposit has raised concerns about its effects on humans and on the environment. Wilkes University professor Jeffrey Stratford has received a grant to study its effects on some of the state’s smallest inhabitants: song birds. Stratford, an assistant professor of biology who specializes in studying birds, received a $22,852 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The project—“Physical Stress in Songbirds Associated With Natural Gas Drilling”—focuses on the possible impact of drilling and contaminants from drilling. Stratford and his team of student researchers are studying songbirds in five Pennsylvania counties: Bradford, Lycoming, Potter, Susquehanna and Tioga. All are counties rich in Marcellus Shale. Gas drilling already has started in most of the sites and promises to increase. Stratford and his team collect blood samples from songbirds in the field, store the samples on ice and bring them back to the lab to test enzyme levels. Locations for gathering the blood samples are chosen from maps indicating where current drilling is happening and where future drilling may occur. Samples are taken back to the laboratory where William Biggers, associate professor of biology, works with students on the enzyme analysis. Stratford explains that birds exposed to environmental stressors and contaminants have increased levels of certain enzymes. The enzymes, Stratford says, help the body to process and rid itself of contaminants. Increased enzyme levels parallel an increase in contaminant exposure. Stratford and his team are gathering baseline data and will study changes in enzyme levels. Levels also will be compared for birds that are close to drilling sites with those at sites isolated from drilling. “This is a great opportunity to teach students the issues related to the environment as well as teaching them important biological techniques,” Stratford says. WEBS Program Doubles in Size Wilkes’ HHMI Women Empowered by Science (WEBS) camp for girls enjoyed unprecedented with laboratory techniques, visiting the world of pharmacy and cleaning success in its third year. Enrollment doubled up an oil spill. Girls also enjoy talks by women working in science over the previous year, with 60 seventh- and eighth-grade girls participating in the two-week camp. Funded by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the camp aims to increase girls’ interest in science careers. They participate in classes taught by Wilkes faculty and are mentored by Wilkes students—many of them women enrolled in programs Wilkes | Fall 2011 in the sciences. 4 Activities include building Lego robots, solving “The Great Mascot Heist” Inset: Two WEBS participants, above, launch their Lego robot. Right: WEBS participants, get excited about the results of an experiment. From left are Kathryn Waclawski, Hanover Area
 School District, Kaylee Sminkey, Wyoming Seminary, and Kendyl Lyn Kalish, Hanover Area School District. PhotoS by Rachel Strayer careers. For a story about one of the guest speakers—Wilkes alumna Charlotte Moser ’92—please see page 19. �athletics Football Stadium Named for Legendary Colonels Coach Rollie Schmidt By Helen Kaiser Schmidt was inducted into Wilkes’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and retired at the end of that year after 32 years of teaching and coaching. In 2009, former players formed a Stadium Committee to raise funds to recognize their former coach. The effort was chaired by William A. Hanbury and Anthony M. Cardinale, both members of Wilkes’ Class of 1972 and players on the Golden Horde, as the winning football team was known. “I’m sure I speak for anyone who was privileged to have had Roland Schmidt as a coach and mentor when I say he is one of the most important influences in my life,” says Cardinale, an attorney in Boston, Mass. Hanbury, president and chief executive officer of United Way of the National Capital Area, explains, “For many former players, their success in life can be directly traced back to Wilkes and Coach Schmidt. We felt it was appropriate to memorialize his extraordinary contribution to the countless men and women that he impacted.” Improvements at the Ralston Athletic Complex unveiled at the start of the 2010-2011 football season totaled $1.6 million and included artificial turf, a field lighting system, new goalposts, scoreboard, and fencing. This year, a new press box and new home bleachers were added. Wilkes’ most successful football coach, Rollie Schmidt, was recognized at the 2010 game where the stadium renovations debuted. Pictured from left are William Hanbury ’72, President Tim Gilmour, Rollie Schmidt and Anthony Cardinale ’72. The stadium is being named in Schmidt’s honor. Photo by Michael Touey Wilkes | Fall 2011 L egendary Colonels football coach Rollie Schmidt is being recognized for decades of dedication to the University and its students as Wilkes names its football stadium in his honor. The naming ceremony for Schmidt Stadium at the Ralston Athletic Complex was to occur before the homecoming football game against Widener University on Sept. 24, with Schmidt and many of his former athletic stars attending. Schmidt—the most winning coach in Wilkes’ history—was honored when he heard he had been selected for the tribute. “I never expected it, for sure,” the Dallas, Pa., resident says. “It’s wonderful to know that people thought enough of me to do this.” Schmidt coached the Colonels from 1962 to 1981 and engineered the third-longest winning streak in collegiate football history by winning 32 games in a row. For his success, he is quick to credit the hard work of the players and assistant coaches and the support of the University, his wife Marge, and his now-deceased parents who never missed a game. Schmidt’s contributions to Wilkes went beyond the gridiron. He influenced students on baseball diamonds and golf courses—as well as teaching health science and lifetime activities such as swimming, tennis, racquetball, handball and bowling. As the baseball coach, he guided the Colonels to their first Middle Atlantic Conference title in 1968. For 26 seasons Schmidt coached the golf team, leading the Colonels to 214-179-3 record and three MAC championships. The 1976 team finished 16-0 and had a 14th-place finish in NCAA Division III national championships. “I always made it a point to treat students with respect, no matter what their athletic skills were,” Schmidt says. “I had a no-cut policy. Anyone who wanted to participate in a sport could come and try. Over time, many of them applied themselves and turned out to become good players who were assets to the University.” 5 �athletics Football Stadium Named for Legendary Colonels Coach Rollie Schmidt By Helen Kaiser Schmidt was inducted into Wilkes’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994 and retired at the end of that year after 32 years of teaching and coaching. In 2009, former players formed a Stadium Committee to raise funds to recognize their former coach. The effort was chaired by William A. Hanbury and Anthony M. Cardinale, both members of Wilkes’ Class of 1972 and players on the Golden Horde, as the winning football team was known. “I’m sure I speak for anyone who was privileged to have had Roland Schmidt as a coach and mentor when I say he is one of the most important influences in my life,” says Cardinale, an attorney in Boston, Mass. Hanbury, president and chief executive officer of United Way of the National Capital Area, explains, “For many former players, their success in life can be directly traced back to Wilkes and Coach Schmidt. We felt it was appropriate to memorialize his extraordinary contribution to the countless men and women that he impacted.” Improvements at the Ralston Athletic Complex unveiled at the start of the 2010-2011 football season totaled $1.6 million and included artificial turf, a field lighting system, new goalposts, scoreboard, and fencing. This year, a new press box and new home bleachers were added. Wilkes’ most successful football coach, Rollie Schmidt, was recognized at the 2010 game where the stadium renovations debuted. Pictured from left are William Hanbury ’72, President Tim Gilmour, Rollie Schmidt and Anthony Cardinale ’72. The stadium is being named in Schmidt’s honor. Photo by Michael Touey Wilkes | Fall 2011 L egendary Colonels football coach Rollie Schmidt is being recognized for decades of dedication to the University and its students as Wilkes names its football stadium in his honor. The naming ceremony for Schmidt Stadium at the Ralston Athletic Complex was to occur before the homecoming football game against Widener University on Sept. 24, with Schmidt and many of his former athletic stars attending. Schmidt—the most winning coach in Wilkes’ history—was honored when he heard he had been selected for the tribute. “I never expected it, for sure,” the Dallas, Pa., resident says. “It’s wonderful to know that people thought enough of me to do this.” Schmidt coached the Colonels from 1962 to 1981 and engineered the third-longest winning streak in collegiate football history by winning 32 games in a row. For his success, he is quick to credit the hard work of the players and assistant coaches and the support of the University, his wife Marge, and his now-deceased parents who never missed a game. Schmidt’s contributions to Wilkes went beyond the gridiron. He influenced students on baseball diamonds and golf courses—as well as teaching health science and lifetime activities such as swimming, tennis, racquetball, handball and bowling. As the baseball coach, he guided the Colonels to their first Middle Atlantic Conference title in 1968. For 26 seasons Schmidt coached the golf team, leading the Colonels to 214-179-3 record and three MAC championships. The 1976 team finished 16-0 and had a 14th-place finish in NCAA Division III national championships. “I always made it a point to treat students with respect, no matter what their athletic skills were,” Schmidt says. “I had a no-cut policy. Anyone who wanted to participate in a sport could come and try. Over time, many of them applied themselves and turned out to become good players who were assets to the University.” 5 �RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WILKES PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS CONTINUE AFTER GRADUATION ENDURING Influence WILKES | Fall 2011 W 6 HEN MICHAEL BUTCHKO ’96 MARRIED HIS wife, Amy, in 2009, he delayed the ceremony until Dr. Tom Baldino arrived. Butchko said he didn’t want the ceremony to take place unless Baldino, a Wilkes political science professor, was present. “He was one of the most important people there that day,” recalls Butchko, who says a violent rainstorm slowed his long-time friend’s travel. For alumni like Butchko, relationships with faculty mentors continue after graduation. The bonds formed during undergraduate years don’t break—they strengthen. Wilkes professors become trusted career advisors, friends and professional colleagues for their former students. “There are not a couple of weeks that go by without Tom and me being in touch,” Butchko states. “He’s been invaluable to me. No one in my family went to college, so Tom filled the mentor role. I really trust his opinion on a variety of things.” By Vicki Mayk Butchko and Baldino remember their first meeting. Butchko was a sharp high school senior from Wyoming Valley West High School who visited Wilkes, King’s College and the University of Scranton to talk with heads of the political science departments before making his college decision. Meeting Baldino, then the new chair of political science at Wilkes, was the deciding factor in Butchko’s college choice. “I found his energy and attitude unique. Tom was forwardlooking, focused on the new wave in political science that includes an emphasis on quantitative analysis,” says Butchko. In the case of Baldino and Butchko, it’s no surprise that they continued a relationship started in Wilkes classrooms more than 15 years ago. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in public policy analysis from the University of Rochester, Butchko launched a career in Washington, D.C. Today he is deputy director of field operations for NeighborWorks, a non-profit organi- �zation that promotes opportunities for people to live in affordable housing. “If you’re political junkies like Tom and me, Washington is the place to be,” Butchko jokes. Over the years, he’s loved sharing anecdotes about his work with Baldino—including the one about the day that a senator named Barack Obama opened the door for Butchko on his way into the building. Such relationships are important to Baldino and other faculty. “It’s what makes it all worthwhile,” Baldino says. “I could teach anywhere, and it would be fun. The chance to get to know and influence students makes the difference.” It’s also what sets Wilkes apart, Baldino adds. “This is what differentiates the faculty at Wilkes….We care about students as people,” he states. Jen Ciannilli Smith ’01 says commitment from faculty makes a difference to students. When she transferred to Wilkes from Luzerne County Community College, the personal attention surprised her. Living away from home for the first time, Smith struggled to balance schoolwork, a job and her social life. She missed some classes—until the day she received a phone call from psychology professor Robert Bohlander. “He left me a message on my answering machine. It said, ‘This is Dr. Bohlander. You haven’t been in class. I hope everything is OK’,” recalls Smith. “I played the message back and listened to it again. It really made an impression on me. I couldn’t believe a professor at Wilkes would do that. It really meant the world to me. It turned my whole attitude around. I became motivated.” Bohlander, who has taught for 32 years, says it’s important for faculty to know when to reach out to a student. “Sometimes you encounter students who are having an issue where you need to intervene,” Bohlander says. Smith is a drug and alcohol counselor for the Choices program in Hazleton, Pa. She began her career with Community Counseling Services—an opportunity that Bohlander suggested. “He recommended my first internship at Community Counseling Opposite page: Psychology Professor Robert Bohlander and Jennifer Ciannilli Smith ’01 are now colleagues in the psychology field. Right: Jeffrey Alves, professor of entrepreneurship and acting dean, Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, and C.J. Copley ’98, MBA ’00 together started the Wilkes’ SIFE chapter—an activity that also launched their friendship. PHOTOS BY EARL & SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC His encouragement at that dinner is something I’ll NEVER FORGET. ...To hear that from someone like Dr. Alves meant a lot. WILKES | Fall 2011 – C.J. Copley ’98, MBA ’00 7 �Services and that gave me the perfect beginning. After graduation, any time a career opportunity arose, I’d contact him. He’d talk me through it,” she says. She and Bohlander exchange Christmas cards, talk on the phone and catch up over lunch about Smith’s career and about her 4-year-old daughter. Bohlander says staying in contact with alumni has benefits for his current Wilkes students. It’s a form of networking. “I contacted Jen about possible jobs for my students when she was at Community Counseling,” he says. While many close relationships between faculty and students begin in the classroom, some blossom via co-curricular activities. C.J. Copley ’98, MBA ’00 and Jeff Alves, professor of entrepreneurship and acting dean, Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, together launched the Wilkes chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE). Copley was its first president and Alves was advisor. Today Copley is executive vice president for sales and marketing for Golden Technologies, Inc., a manufacturer of mobility products, such as lift chairs and scooters, based in Old Forge, Pa. The path to an executive position wasn’t always easy, Copley acknowledges. He credits Alves with inspiring him to persevere. “Getting through my undergraduate years was a challenge. I wasn’t a straight-A student,” Copley says. “Dr. Alves inspired me. I remember our first SIFE competition. I think it was in Parsippany, N.J. We had been up practicing for hours, doing dry runs of our presentation. We took a break and went to dinner. He started sharing his own experiences in school and told me he had challenges too, that it wasn’t always easy for him. He told me, ‘If I can do it, anybody can do it.’ His encouragement at that dinner is something I’ll never forget…. To hear that from someone like Dr. Alves meant a lot.” Copley was a veteran entrepreneur before he graduated—he helped his family start a promotional products business while still at Wilkes—and Alves has tapped that real-world expertise by recruiting his former student to teach at Wilkes. “He’s taught the Integrated Management Experience (IME) course in which students start a business,” Alves says. “He’s taught (a course about) the selling process. He’s done it. He’s started a business.” Copley says he still consults with Alves when choosing textbooks for his classes. Alves emphasizes that mentoring has a trickle-down effect: It passes from faculty member to student, and then, when the student becomes an alumnus, back to current students. Copley has mentored Wilkes interns who work with him at Golden Technologies. Sidhu School alumna, Katie Pearson Desiderio ’01, MBA ’03, followed the same career path as her faculty mentor, Anne Heineman Batory, professor of business. Two years ago, Desiderio completed her doctorate in leadership education at Barry University in Miami, Fla., and joined the business faculty at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. When she was invited to address the graduating class at Moravian in May 2011, the importance of having a mentor was one piece of advice she shared. Desiderio didn’t set out to become a professor when she entered Wilkes. “I thought I was most interested in marketing, but Dr. Batory asked me, ‘Did you ever think about teaching?’” Desiderio says. WILKES | Fall 2011 Anne Heineman Batory, professor of business, left, and Katie Pearson Desiderio ’01, MBA ’03 have the same career path, teaching business to undergraduate students. 8 I realized that I had more PASSION about driving up to Wilkes every Thursday than about what I was doing in my job. – Katie Pearson Desiderio ’01, MBA ’03 �Mike Steele, chair of Wilkes’ biology department, shares some insights in the lab with Salvatore Agosta ’98, who has returned to work with his faculty mentor as a post-doctoral research fellow. MORE ON THE WEB Read more about mentoring relationships that continue after graduation. Visit www.wilkes.edu/Mentor. Have a story to share about your friendship with your Wilkes faculty mentor? Do you have a picture taken since graduation with your faculty mentor? Share them with us by emailing them to wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu and put the word Mentor in the subject line. We’ll post them on the Web page. WILKES | Fall 2011 Batory noticed her student’s talent for teaching during class presentations. “She was able to take things and render them absolutely understandable for others in the class,” Batory says. Desiderio remained at Wilkes, serving as assistant women’s soccer coach and earned a master of business administration degree. Although she initially worked in the corporate arena, including a position as consumer marketing manager at publisher Rodale, Inc., she also served as adjunct faculty at Wilkes. “I realized that I had more passion about driving up to Wilkes every Thursday than about what I was doing in my job,” she recalls. She left the corporate world to earn a doctorate, realizing her dream of becoming a professor in 2009. “We share a lot of interests in common,” says Batory, who converses on email regularly with her protégée. “When she was at Barry (University), it was fun to be re-introduced to material at the doctoral level. It’s great to have your students go out there and come back to you with their current interests.” Desiderio looks forward to combining motherhood and her academic career in the near future. Batory says female faculty fill an important role as mentors for their female students. “The fact that I’m married and have children is important to students,” Batory states. “They are asking themselves, ‘Did superwoman die, or can we do it all?’ I’m here to show them that they can.” Salvatore Agosta ’98, who earned a biology degree at Wilkes, has moved from a student to a colleague of his mentor, Michael Steele, professor and chair of the biology department. After earning a doctorate in ecology from the University of Pennsylvania, he returned to Wilkes in fall 2010 to work with Steele as a post-doctoral research fellow. He credits Steele with inspiring his interest in studying ecology. “I came here as a history major, not knowing what I really wanted to do,” says Agosta, who also had an interest in biology. “He facilitated my going to the school for field studies in Kenya in the summer after my sophomore year. After that, I pretty much knew what I wanted to do.” Agosta spent his remaining two years at Wilkes working with Steele on his research on oak trees and seed dispersal. He notes that his relationship with Steele has not changed much since earning his doctorate because Steele treats his students as equals in the lab. “The thing about Mike is, once he identifies you as someone who is serious about research, he starts to interact with you as a colleague. He’s a great mediator of people.” Steele knows that the mentoring that happens in Wilkes labs leads to long-term success. “Mentoring is about an apprenticeship,” he says. “You have to be totally immersed in the scientific process for it to be a meaningful mentorship.” Steele is proud of his former student, noting that Agosta is gaining recognition as a biologist with research papers published in 25 peer-reviewed journals. He says that Agosta has worked in the field with top ecology researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, including work with Dan Janson in Costa Rica. Agosta helped to arrange a meeting between Janson and Steele when the Wilkes professor visited Costa Rica. Such achievements are clear indications that their relationship has transitioned to a new level. “He and I will be collaborators for the rest of our (professional) lives,” Steele says. 9 �Change Agent A CONVERSATION WITH JACK MILLER ’68 By Vicki Mayk Wilkes magazine interviewed Jack Miller ’68, chairman of the Board of Trustees, to talk about his vision for the institution. Miller began his second term as chairman in June. MORE ON THE WEB To learn more about Vision 2015, Wilkes University’s Strategic Plan, visit www.wilkes.edu/Vision2015. To learn more about the Presidential Search, visit WILKES | Fall 2011 www.wilkes.edu/PresidentialSearch Jack Miller ’68 , chair of Wilkes’ Board of Trustees, helps to set the agenda for the University’s future. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY 10 �Wilkes Magazine (WM): You’ve been one of the highest ranking executives with one of the world’s largest accounting and consulting businesses. You could do many things with your time. So first of all, a simple question: Why Wilkes? Jack Miller (JM): If you want to change the world, be involved in education for children, youth and young adults. They will make change happen in their lifetime. Every time we graduate a student, we create a change agent for the future. That is powerful stuff. Wilkes provides the foundation skills, instills core values and provides an introduction to life experience that allows individuals to succeed in their chosen area. Knowing that Wilkes does that for its students—that alone makes it worthwhile. WM: The University’s strategic plan—Vision 2015—is the blueprint for the University’s future. What are the most important priorities to emerge from the strategic planning process? JM: Wilkes is at a crossroads. We can either follow a path to mediocrity or a path to a willed future. Something that I learned very early in my career is the concept of a willed future. It’s something that says, ‘I’m sitting down and determining what I want and where I want to go in the future.’ What we did with Vision 2015 is create consensus of what we collectively want to be at Wilkes and also developed a plan that outlines how we’re going to get there. The strategic plan capitalizes on opportunities for growth and growing revenue. Why are we focusing on growth opportunities and growing revenue? Although Wilkes is financially stable, it’s not sustainable. For example, we have an opportunity to grow revenue with adult learners…..Another area for growth is with the development of the Marcellus Shale in the region. With Wilkes’ strength in the sciences, we can position ourselves as independent assessors in the Marcellus Shale development….Wilkes is very heavily dependent on tuition. If we can develop and capitalize on professional & Q A opportunities and broaden the base of revenue, we will no longer have that dependency. WM: What are the board’s priorities at this time? JM: I would say we’ve got three areas that are priorities. First, we must stay abreast or ahead of the curve in the sciences. We’ve got to build a new, state-of-the-art science building and have a successful capital campaign to support that project. We’ll break ground this spring. If we want to contuine to attract the kind and quality of student we want, a state-of–the-art facility along with our top-notch professors is key. Second, we’re continuing with the IMPROVE initiative (Integrating Management Planning and Resources Effectiveness). For alumni who may not be familiar with this, it is a fact-based decision-making process. We are providing data, including financial metrics, to administrators and faculty at the program level or department level, where it is most useful. It allows them to determine where we need more resources in the areas where we want to succeed. That information is not useful if it’s kept on the upper administration level. It has to be shared with people closest to the programs. And finally, our third focus is measuring student learning outcomes….We need to be able to assess the effectiveness of a Wilkes education….The cost of education is so great today. Parents and students have every right to say, ‘Am I getting value for my (tuition) at Wilkes?’ I believe we create lots of value. WM: Wilkes alumni read this magazine. What message would you like to send them? JM: Become involved. We value you. Many of you provide us with financial support. But the most important things our alumni can also give are their time and talent. There are many ways they can do that. Be a mentor to a current Wilkes student. Become active with the alumni association. You can become a member of board of trustees. We want your financial support—but we really want you! The time and talent of our alumni can really make an impact. Jack Miller graduated cum laude from Wilkes in 1968 with a degree in commerce and finance. He says, “I was born and raised in Wilkes-Barre. My mother was in accounting at Planters Peanuts on South Main Street. My father was a city fireman. I was the first in our family to go to college. I very much fit the profile of the student we have at Wilkes today. “ Miller was vice chairman of KPMG LLP, a global accounting, tax and advisory firm. During his 36-year tenure, he served in many positions, including the elected position as a member of its Board of Directors and Management Committee. He also served as chief executive officer of a billion dollar line of business, led the development of tools to assist clients in responding more efficiently in their markets, and managed regulatory compliance, risk management and crisis management activities. He credits Wilkes for preparing him for his career: “Wilkes is outstanding. It says something about Wilkes that a boy from the Wyoming Valley ended up vice chairman of one of the world’s largest accounting and consulting companies.” After being diagnosed with cancer, he retired from KPMG in January 2005 to devote his time to public service. In addition to his work on Wilkes’ board of trustees, he is chairman of the board of trustees of The Osborn Retirement Community and a trustee and regent of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City, where he serves as chair of its audit committee and member of its executive committee. Miller lives in Rye, N.Y., with his wife, Sarah. They have four children and six grandchildren. WILKES | Fall 2011 ABOUT JACK MILLER ’68 11 �Friends Indeed Wilkes Alumni Celebrate Friendships Formed at the University By Rachel Strayer Wilkes alumni found much more than an education when they came to the University: They found friendship. The relationships students form are among the most valuable parts of the Wilkes experience. After graduation, alumni don’t wait for Homecoming and class reunions to rekindle their friendships. They hold their own events—from dinner parties to four-day camping trips—to celebrate relationships that are as important as their diplomas. Above: (from left to right) Showing off their matching “W” tattoos are Wilkes creative writing alumn, from left, Donna Talarico MFA ’10, Jonathan Rocks MFA ’10, Carol Lavelle MFA ’10, Justice Fisher MFA ’10, and Angela Eckhart MA ’09. Wilkes | Fall 2011 A Mark of Friendship 12 Donna Talarico MFA ’10, Jonathan Rocks MFA ’10, K. Justice Fisher MFA ’10, Carol Lavelle MFA ’10, Viannah Duncan MFA ’10 and Angela Eckhart MA ’09 share more than a Wilkes creative writing degree. They all sport the same tattoo: a “W” that stands both for Wilkes and for writing. The group remembers when they revealed their matching tattoos to creative writing program director Bonnie Culver. “She thought they were fake!” Talarico says. Students get to see each other only twice a year in Wilkes creative writing program—at eight-day residencies in January and June. The low-residency program conducts classes and writing critiques online the rest of the year. Talarico’s cohort, which includes non-tattooed but equally dedicated MFA ’10 graduates Michael “Papa” Suppa, Cory Brin, and Sarah Pugh, met during their first Wilkes residency in June 2007 and bonded so well they couldn’t wait until January before seeing each other again. Their first get-together took place at Suppa’s home over Labor Day Weekend 2007. According to Suppa, the group’s friendship thrives in the atmosphere provided at Wilkes. “The nurturing atmosphere of the Wilkes Creative Writing program was the catalyst for our group,” says Suppa. “I would recommend the program to any or all! It is truly a community.” Although they lost one member to a long-distance move, most of the group meets twice a year —every August and April—for a four-day weekend of board games, book discussions, dress-up movie nights, and off-season holiday celebrations, including Christmas in April and Easter in August. Locations have included a houseboat, a cabin near Gettysburg and a vacation home in the Poconos. Inked or not, the familial spirit among these Wilkes alumni runs deeper than blue dye. “Donna and the rest of my cohort…have made a permanent and indelible impression on me,” says Rocks. “You know, sort of like a tattoo.” A (Wilkes) Christmas Story When Marcie Kreinces Bono ’90 and Karen Donohue Connolly ’90 became friends as Wilkes freshmen, they had no idea that their friendship would grow into a yearly gathering of close to 30 people. “We kind of started the whole crew,” laughs Bono. Connolly chimes in, “Marcie was the ringleader. (She) knew everyone on the whole campus.” While both women remain close with their entire graduating class, they formed a special bond with Valerie Sweeney Walachy ’90, and three members of the class of 1991, Karen Finn Juliano, Laurie Tappon Furfaro, and Sue Adamchak Smith. Their post-Wilkes gatherings began simply enough. The friends met annually at the University’s Homecoming Weekend. It wasn’t �Left: Celebrating Christmas in January has become an annual tradition for, from left, Karen Finn Juliano ’91, Laurie Tappan Furfaro ’91, Marcie Kreinces Bono ’90, Sue Adamchak Smith ’91, Valerie Sweeney Walachy ’90, and Karen Donohue Connolly ’90. Close-Knit Sharon Snyder Bergin ’82 and Geri McAfee Dougherty ’81 recall spending their college years sunbathing on the roof of Sturdevant Hall and sledding on the cafeteria’s lunch trays with their six closest friends. So how did the eight long-time buddies celebrate turning the big 5-0? “We made potholders!” they say with enthusiasm. “Whatever keeps you laughing,” Bergin explains. Laughing is never a problem for the group, which also includes Helen Gorgas Goulding ’82, Jeannie Bennis Seidof ’81, Mary Giblin Making potholders – complete with Ws -- was one way to mark half-century birthdays for these alumnae. Pictured with their creations, are front row, from left, Helen Gorgas Goulding ‘82, Jeannie Bennis Seidof ‘81, Mary Giblin Galetto ‘81, and Gina Scazzaro Fair ‘82. Back row, from left are Maureen Falvey Creamer ‘80, Sharon Snyder Bergin ‘82, Geri McAfee Dougherty ‘81, and Karen Snyder Zeiser ‘82. Wilkes | Fall 2011 enough: The six New Jersey residents began planning regular dinner dates. They didn’t stop there. “Every January we get together at someone’s house to celebrate Christmas with all the kids and husbands and everyone,” says Connolly. The six of them have a total of 16 children ranging in age from 15 to four years old, making one chaotic, joyful group. “We don’t pick a day unless everyone can make it,” says Bono. “And everybody always shows up,” Connolly adds. The women are thrilled to watch their children build relationships of their own within the group. Now their Christmas gatherings are a relaxing time to catch up because the kids take care of each other, leaving the six women to laugh, talk, and reminisce about their Wilkes days. “I didn’t anticipate that going away to college would give me five of the best friends I could have asked for,” Bono says. Connolly echoes the sentiment. “We’re like sisters…I hope my kids have that someday.” The women planned to reunite the whole crew at Homecoming 2011. Galetto ’81, Gina Scazzaro Fair ’82, Maureen Falvey Creamer ’80, and Bergin’s twin sister Karen Snyder Zeiser ’82. The women, who bonded as residents of the same hall, have an eclectic mix of majors. They get together at least once every year or two—not an easy feat for eight women who have 22 children and three grandchildren among them. For each gathering, the ladies strive to come up with a fun theme or activity. “One year we brought old bridesmaids’ dresses and wore them out to dinner,” says Bergin. “Another year it was crazy hats.” Then came the potholders. “After we all turned 50 we were joking about being old,” says Dougherty. “Someone brought a potholder weaving kit, so we made potholders!” Dougherty even embellished one of hers with a Wilkes “W,” in honor of their “family away from home.” Even though they don’t get to see each other as much as they would like, they still find creative ways to connect. “We have something called ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Necklace,’” says Bergin. One necklace is passed around the group every three months or so, usually to someone who is going through a tough time. “We tend to mail it to someone who needs cheered up,” she says. The women are content to be each other’s reminders of their happy college years. “We will always get together…” says Bergin. “…even when there’s only two of us left…” continues Dougherty. “…and we don’t know where we’re going,” laughs Bergin. At least they’ll be going together. 13 �-... Wilkes Rallies To Lend A Hand in Flood Relief W hen a swollen Wilkes | Fall 2011 Susquehanna River heavily flooded the Wilkes campus in June 1972 in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes, an incoming freshman named Bill Goldsworthy heard the college’s clarion call for help as the water receded. With a group of Circle K members, he cleaned out muddy books from the basement of Eugene S. Farley Library in a campus-wide push to get Wilkes back open by the start of his fall semester. Now, nearly 40 years later, it was Goldsworthy who was in need, as the Susquehanna River rose again to record levels in September due to heavy rains. Levees built after the ’72 Agnes flood held back the river in Wilkes-Barre, sparing the city from major flood damage. But in unprotected communities—such 14 as West Pittston, where Goldsworthy ’76 grew up and still resides—the rushing river pushed into homes and businesses, tossing about furniture, buckling floors and crumbling foundations. This time, the Wilkes community got a chance to pay it forward by helping Goldsworthy and other Wyoming Valley families recover from the extensive flooding. Students, faculty, staff and alumni teamed up to work shifts, hauling out muck from basements, ripping up flooring or tossing damaged furniture curbside and into dumpsters. “Our town is in total devastation,” said Goldsworthy, former West Pittston mayor and former president of the Wilkes Alumni Association. “It’s like we went through a war.” The water rose 3 feet on the first floor of his two-story home, where Goldsworthy and his wife have lived for 33 years and raised their four children. They By Mary Ellen Alu ’77 hadn’t owned the home during Agnes, but back then, the basement was only partially flooded. When the water started to recede and Goldsworthy finally got the first look inside, he was disheartened. “It looked like someone literally trashed your house,” he says. Meanwhile, the Wilkes community was mobilizing, calling for volunteers over the University’s Facebook page and by phone. The University gave all employees up to two paid days off to volunteer. Amy Hetro, Wilkes annual fund manager, used the time off to continue volunteer work at the West Pittston Library, which lost its building and 40 percent of its collection from flooding. Hetro says, “Because of the Wilkes employee volunteer program, I was able to volunteer at the library to pick up where the volunteers left off over the weekend. I helped disinfect books, made arrangements for a temporary library location, secured computers and internet access for this location, and established a fund at a local foundation to assist with recovery.” �MORE ON THE WEB Pieces of family history were already curbside when students arrived— his grandfather’s antique clock, his grandmother’s favorite chair. anything covered in flood mud posed health hazards and had to be tossed, says Goldsworthy, deputy director of the governor’s northeast regional office. Kitchen cabinets had to be removed, as well as tile flooring. when sophomore Megan heverly arrived with the student crew, it was the mounds of debris lining the streets that struck her. “You couldn’t tell what anything was,” she says. “It’s so sad to see.” Inside Goldsworthy’s home, heverly bleached woodwork on the first floor to protect it from mold, as other students hauled muck and a ruined pool table from the basement. “You’re getting them one step closer to getting their house back to what it was,” heverly says. There have been some things Goldsworthy has managed to save. In his file cabinet in his first-floor office, he found his acceptance letter to wilkes from so many years ago, signed by then-Dean John whitby. he dried it out. Far left, wrestlers Myzar Mendoza, Michael Fleck, Matt ellery and Ryan Wilson pull up a floor in a flood-damaged home in Wilkes-Barre. second photo, wrestler Ryan lynch and Philip Ruthkosky, associate dean of student development, remove damaged furniture. This page, left below, Wilkes President Tim Gilmour and Mark allen, dean, student affairs, get ready to don gloves for clean up. Below right, a Wilkes worker shovels mud from a basement. PHoTos BY CHRisToPHeR BaRRoWs and eaRl and sedoR PHoToGRaPHiC. Check out our photo gallery of Wilkes students, faculty and staff pitching in during flood relief efforts after the 2011 flood at www.wilkes.edu/Flood. 2011 Flood Facts Heavy rains caused by Tropical storm lee caused the swollen susquehanna River to spill over its banks. Here are some facts about the flood of 2011 at Wilkes: • The City of Wilkes-Barre—including Wilkes University’s campus—was evacuated at 4 p.m. on Thursday, sept. 8. • The University’s facilities department, with some help from the Colonels football team, moved file cabinets, computers and other equipment out of harm’s way, moving them to upper floors prior to the evacuation deadline. • about 40 Wilkes students were guests of the University of scranton during the evacuation. • The river crested at a record 42.6 feet on Friday, sept 9. The levees constructed after Hurricane agnes held. Communities without levee protection experienced record flooding. • The evacuation order was lifted on saturday, sept. 10 and the Wilkes residence halls reopened on sunday, sept. 11 at 3 p.m. Classes resumed on Tuesday, sept. 13. • The Wilkes volunteer effort continues weeks after the flood. Collections of cleaning supplies, fundraisers and a special volunteer cleanup by alumni during Homecoming Weekend continued as Wilkes magazine went to press. Memories of Agnes The spring 2012 issue of Wilkes magazine will feature memories of another flood—the 1972 deluge caused by Hurricane agnes. if you have 1972 flood memories to share, please e-mail us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. Wilkes | Fall 2011 wrestling coach Jon laudenslager ’98 was among the first to contact the community service office to let officials know his wrestlers were ready to serve. “It was a no brainer,” laudenslager says. Community service was on his mind, he says, because of the service to country of one of his former wrestlers, army Ranger sandrino Plutino, killed in action in afghanistan in august 2011. (see page 25) some 30 wrestlers volunteered to help. at the request of wilkes-Barre officials, the wrestlers and others from wilkes—55 people in all—worked in the Brookside section of the city. wrestler shane everett, a wilkes senior, was among them. “It was pretty eye-opening,” he says. “It was surprising to see that just a few miles down the road (from the campus), many community members weren’t so lucky.” everett said students felt they were making a difference as they cleared homes and streets of debris. “I was soaked in sweat,” he said. “we gave it our all.” Community service coordinator Megan Boone encouraged students not to refer to flood-damaged items as trash. “we’re touching people’s treasured items: wedding dresses, photo albums, the chair that grandma sat on at Thanksgiving, Christmas decorations that you put up every year, things that hold memories.” Goldsworthy didn’t hesitate in accepting the University’s offer of help. he hopes he can rebuild his home in time to celebrate the Christmas holidays there with his family and new granddaughter. 15 �alumni news Alumni Mentor Current Generation of Wilkes Students Wilkes is known for the one-on-one mentoring relationships students have with their professors. The Alumni Association has expanded this tradition of individualized learning by bringing alumni mentors together with current students. Since the alumni-student mentoring program’s inception in 2009, over 200 alumni and about 300 students have been matched according to interest and expertise. The program has been integrated into the psychology, communication studies, business and education departments and includes both undergraduate and graduate alumni. This collaboration is coordinated by a committee of alumni volunteers, faculty and staff members from the alumni relations and career services offices. ...As these young people are getting started, the mentoring program gives them SOMEONE else TO TURN TO besides mom and dad. – Al Melusen ’85 WILKES | Fall 2011 Mentor Kristin Klemish ’04 talks with Allison Roth ’11 before the mentoring dinner in February 2011. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK 16 Deborah Tindell, associate professor of psychology, has been involved with the mentoring initiative from the start. “I have always encouraged students to contact professionals in their chosen field to gain more experience, but it can be difficult to make that initial connection. With this program, our students have a readily available source of advice from mentors who have already indicated a willingness and desire to help,” she says. Mentors and mentees discuss interview preparation, the job search and graduate school applications; however, oftentimes, these talks turn to life after Wilkes. Al Melusen ’85, a senior staff advisor and attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor, is one of the alumni mentoring students. “I remember what a trying and anxious period of time it can be as you are launched into the ‘real world’ from the comparatively protected environment of the University. Many of the questions we discuss are basic, practical issues that you take for granted when you have been working for 10 or 20 years. But as these young people are getting started, the mentoring program gives them someone else to turn to besides mom and dad,” says Melusen, who has worked with two students over the past three years. Allison Roth ’11 appreciated such advice when she was a senior in the communication studies department in spring 2011. Paired with Kristin Klemish ’04, a communications professional, Roth describes their relationship as “an instant connection.” “She gave me insight into the job world and answered all of my questions regarding job applications and interviews. We also bonded over college life. Kristin reminisced about her years on campus and we chatted about classes and professors,” says Roth. According to Tindell, the biggest benefit of the mentoring program can’t be measured. “When a person finds a true mentoring relationship, it can last a lifetime and provide a great deal of support and satisfaction for both the mentor and mentee,” she says. Both Melusen and Klemish encourage other alumni to get involved with the mentoring program. “The time commitment is not overwhelming, and you will be surprised how much you have to offer others and how rewarding an experience it can be,” says Melusen. To learn more about the mentoring program, visit community.wilkes.edu/mentoring or contact Mary Simmons in the Office of Alumni Relations at mary.simmons@wilkes.edu. �alumni news Thank You to Our Alumni Hosts During spring and summer 2011, Wilkes enjoyed the hospitality of alumni along the East Coast. Our hosts included Jason ’90 and Tammy Griggs in Limerick, Pa. (pictured); Jan Seeley ’70 in Boston, Mass.; and Phil ’76 & Carol Gusgekofski ’76 Besler on Long Beach Island, N.J. “I was amazed to learn that there were 350 alumni living within 30 miles of me in Montgomery County, Pa., says Griggs. I thought that there was no better way to let people know that Wilkes alumni are all around us than to hold an alumni event. I cannot wait to do it again, bigger and better than last time.” To view photos from these events, visit www.wilkes.edu/alumni. If you’re interested in hosting an alumni event where you live, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570)408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. More than 20 alumni and guests attended an event at the home of Jason ’90 and Tammy Griggs in April 2011. PHOTO BY BRIDGET GIUNTA HUSTED ’05 Calendar of Events • Connecting the Dots: Wednesday, Nov. 9 Paul Wender ’69 Presents First Catherine H. Bone Lecture in Chemistry The inaugural Catherine H. Bone Lecture in Chemistry will be presented by Paul Wender ’69, Bergstrom Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University. The lecture is on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011 at 7 p.m. in Stark Learning Center 101. Wender will speak about Molecular Frontiers and Future Transformative Therapies for AIDs, Alzheimer’s, and Resistant Cancer. Wender has pioneered new methodologies for design and construction of naturally occurring and synthetic complex organic molecules. His contributions cover a broad range of chemistry, including synthetic organic, organ metallic, medicinal, and agricultural and photo-chemistry; cancer biology; and computer application in synthesis and drug design. The event is free, but registration is required. For more information call 570-408-4306. • Athletics Hall of Fame Day: Saturday, Nov. 15 • Dave Russo ’93 Comedy Show: Thursday, Dec. 8 • Naples, FL event: March HOMECOMING 2011 PHOTO GALLERY Whether you frequented the party tents, shared a pint with a professor or cheered on the Colonels, Homecoming was the place to be last month! back to campus for the festivities. See who was there by visiting www.wilkes.edu/alumni and mark your calendars for next year’s celebration: Sept. 28, 29 and 30, 2012. WILKES | Fall 2011 Thank you to everyone who came 17 �class notes 1954 Martin J. Meyer recently joined Fellerman & Ciarimboli Law Firm in Kingston, Pa. Meyer has been engaged in the general practice of law with emphasis on civil litigation and family law since 1960. He has been a member of the board and a trustee of the Family Service Association of Wyoming Valley and was honored by the association with the Al Danoff Humanitarian Award in September 2010. 1955 Lou Steck and Norma Moses Steck celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary on Jan. 14, 2011. They are the proud parents of three daughters, six granddaughters and one greatgranddaughter. The couple currently resides in Chicago, Ill. Wilkes | Fall 2011 1957 Dr. Leslie P. Weiner received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Cincinnati’s College of 18 Medicine. Weiner is internationally recognized for his research on the T-cell vaccine for multiple sclerosis. Weiner completed an internship at Syracuse University Hospital, residencies at Baltimore City Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital, and fellowships at The Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and working in the National Institutes of Health Laboratory of Slow Virus Infections with Nobel laureate D. Carleton Gadjusek. Weiner was the chair of the neurology department at the University of Southern California for 24 years. 1959 Stephen Poleskie’s book Acorn’s Card was published recently by Wasteland Press. It includes a novella and two short stories. 1969 Robert Wallace retired after 41 years as a high school choral Roger A. Hatch ‘89 married Michelle V. Enright on Oct. 10, 2010. The couple resides in Sewickley, Pa. and instrumental director with the public schools of Cecil County, Md. He is dean-elect of the Delaware Chapter American Guild of Organists and director of music at St. Mary Anne Episcopal Church in North East, Md. Wallace is a published composer. 1973 Rich Mendelsohn and his wife, Suzie, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. They live in Alexandria, Va. 1974 Brent Spencer recently published his memoir, Rattlesnake Daddy: A Son’s Search for His Father. The book won the Distinguished Artist Fellowship and the Little Bluestem Award from the Nebraska Arts Council and The Backwaters Press. Barbara H. Zelnick’s book of poetry, The Passage of Seasons, was recently published by Publish America. Bob Spinelli see 1977. 1977 Reunion Sept. 28-30 ~ Patty Cullinan Spinelli and Bob Spinelli ’76 welcomed their granddaughter, Abigail, on July 9, 2011. They live in Rochester, N.Y. 1978 Ellen Ferretti was appointed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett as deputy secretary for parks and forestry in the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. She was the president of the northeast region office of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. 1979 Tim Evans’ company, Colours Inc., an automotive paint distributor, is one of four recipients of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce’s annual Pride of Place Award. The company began with one Wilkes-Barre Elizabeth A. Roveda ’05, MBA ’07 and Joshua S. Swantek PharmD ’08 were married May 30, 2010. The bride is the director of residence life at Wilkes University. The groom works for pharmacy services at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. �class notes Charlotte Moser ’92: A Scientist’s Voice in the Vaccine Safety Debate full-time job in 2005. Her responsibilities include directing and creating education center programs and materials, including the Parents PACK—Possessing, Accessing and Communicating Knowledge about vaccines—program, Charlotte (Hoffman) Moser ’92 helps to educate parents which has more than 30,000 subscribers from throughout about the importance of vaccinating children as assistant the world who receive its monthly email newsletter. director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children’s Hospital Charlotte Moser ’92 signs books for girls attending the HHMI-WEBS Camp. of Philadelphia. Moser works with Photo by Vicki Mayk Dr. Paul A. Offit, director of the center and one of the world’s leading authorities on vaccines. Parents’ concerns about vaccines, including claims that some are the cause of conditions such as autism, led to the creation of the Vaccine Education Center in 2000. The center filled an important role in the vaccine safety debate. “What was missing was the voice of science in the debate,” Moser explains. “The center filled that role.” A native of Weatherly, Pa., she entered Wilkes as a pre-med student before switching to a research focus. vaccine.chop.edu and http://vaccine.chop.edu/parents. As an undergraduate, she worked on research with Recently, she and Offit co-authored the book Vaccines chemistry professor William Stine and biology professor and Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction, published Ken Pidcock. Pidcock remembers her as “one of our this year by Columbia University Press. Both the book and best students.” He takes pride in her accomplishments, materials stress the importance of vaccines to safeguard saying, “In not too many years, she built quite a record of children’s health. research activity.” Becoming a health educator is a new step in Moser’s Moser recently returned to Wilkes to speak to science career. After graduating from Wilkes with a major seventh- and eighth-grade girls in the HHMI Women in biology and a minor in chemistry, she joined Offit’s Empowered by Science (WEBS) Camp. She encouraged laboratory as a research technician and supervisor. She them to follow their interest in science while choosing a was part of a team researching ways to improve the career that will allow them to have a work-life balance, human immune response to rotavirus. as she has done. What was supposed to be a two-year commitment at the Moser lives in Bensalem, Pa., with her husband, Dan hospital turned into a career for Moser. She was promoted Moser ’92, who works in the pharmaceutical industry. to senior research associate in Offit’s lab, and eventually They have two children, Andrew, 15, and Victoria, 11. began to divide her time between research and running the Vaccine Education Center. The center became a – By Vicki Mayk Wilkes | Fall 2011 Moser creates educational materials for parents available in print and on the center’s Web sites, http:// 19 �class notes store in 1986 and has grown to 19 locations in three states. Philip Ogren of Kingston, Pa., is now vice president and information technology officer at First National Community Bank. 1980 William V. Lewis Jr. MBA ’86 has been appointed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett to serve as commissioner of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Lewis is a member of the board of directors of the Luzerne County Historical Society. He is vice president and wealth management advisor with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Wilkes-Barre. Col. Mark Rado assumed command of the U.S. Army Accessions Support Brigade on July 15, 2011 at Fort Knox, Ky. Anniversary of Air Disaster Also a Milestone for Dr. Donald Spruck ’69 the guidance of biology professor Charles Reif. He Dr. Donald Spruck ’69, a resident of Massapequa, N.Y., program in only two years, thanks to Wilkes business was one of five forensic dentists to identify victims of professor Welton Farrar. TWA Flight 800, one of the most devastating air disasters of recent history. This year marked the 15th anniversary of the crash, which occurred on July 17, 1996, when the Spruck started as a biology major at Wilkes under later changed his major to graduate with a business degree in commerce and finance, completing the “These gentlemen and others helped me to learn to balance school, sports and life,” Spruck says. He changed his major due to his great success on plane, enroute to Paris, exploded just off the shore of the soccer field, receiving honorable mention as an Long Island, N.Y. All-American soccer player at Wilkes. He considered a It took almost a year and a half for investigators to professional soccer career—a goal he abandoned when determine the probable cause of the crash: a spark from he broke his leg soon after graduation. He continued to short-circuited wiring ignited vapors in the center fuel tank. play and coach soccer until he was 45. After the accident, Spruck and his colleagues worked alongside CIA and FBI he revisited his original dream of becoming a dentist agents from July through October of 1996 to conduct an and graduated from New York University in 1974 with a equally important investigation – successfully identifying all doctor of dental surgery degree. 231 passengers who died in the crash, bringing much-needed closure to hundreds of mourning families. “The experience will stay with me forever as one of the most…rewarding experiences of my life,” says Spruck. Spruck became interested in forensic odontology—the examination and evaluation of dental evidence for the purposes of justice—and was trained at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. His work as a forensic odontologist in Nassau County lines up with what he always intended to do, if not in the way he expected. “The challenge is difficult,” Spruck says of his work. “However, it is gratifying to be able to bring closure to a family waiting to discover a lost loved one.” Spruck and his wife, Cathie, have three children and five grandchildren. Wilkes | Fall 2011 – By Rachel Strayer 20 Dr. Donald Spruck ’69 at the TWA Flight 800 Memorial on Long Island. Photo Courtesy Dr. Donald Spruck �class notes Southport, S.C. The Members Show presents paintings and pottery by regional artists. 1982 Reunion Sept. 28-30 ~ Dr. Bruce Williams was named to the board of trustees of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, his medical school alma mater. On Jan. 29, 2011, he was installed as the 2010-2011 president of the Missouri Society of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. 1986 Paul Cummings co-authored an article titled “Two Cancellative Commutative Congruences and Group Diagrams,” which appeared in the March/April 2011 issue of Semigroup Forum, a leading research mathematics journal. 1995 Henry Bisco’s blog, “The Suburban Man’s Guide to Somewhere,” is featured in several online New Jersey newspapers. His blog can be found at guidetosomewhere. blogspot.com. He and his wife, Tammy Cyprich Bisco ’97, a designer and saleswoman for Commercial File of New York, have a 9-year-old daughter, Nina. 1996 Robin C. Minielly is a board-certified anesthesiologist and was named director of anesthesia at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas. 1997 Dr. Cynthia Gabrielle Charnetski married Paul Charles Shiber on April 22, 2011. The bride is an optometrist at Northeastern Eye Institute. She also is second vice president of the Wilkes University Alumni Association Board of Directors and is on the board of directors at Step By Step Inc. The couple resides in Kingston, Pa. 1998 Michael Kaschak received a Developing Scholar Award for outstanding scholarship and teaching at Florida State University, where he is the cognitive psychology area director in the department of psychology. Kaschak is also a researcher at the Florida Center for Reading Research. 1999 Jennifer Radzwillowicz was accepted into the 2011/2012 Leadership Lackawanna Class through the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. 2000 Nancy Stinger was the featured artist at the Franklin Square Gallery’s Members Show in 2001 Matt Reitnour and his wife, Kelly, welcomed their first child, Grace Margaret, on April 15, 2011. They reside in Buffalo, N.Y. 2003 Ty Bowman and Melissa Bowman welcomed their first Ashley Marie Joslin ’06 and Nicholas Witucki ’06, PharmD ’08 were married on June 17, 2011. Wilkes | Fall 2011 Jennifer Iwaniszyn ’06 and George Muller ’06 were married on Sept. 26, 2010. The bride is assistant director of enrollment services processing-admissions at the University of North Florida. The groom is a covert geek squad agent for Geek Squad at Best Buy. The couple resides in Jacksonville, Fla. Pictured with their wedding party, from left to right: Ashley Lehr PharmD ’08, Danielle Smagala, Sarah (Rodstrom) Randazzo ’05, Ashleigh Frueholz, Rebecca Iwaniszyn, Jennifer Iwaniszyn ’06, Allison Hagan, George Muller ’06, Sean Smith ’05, Curtis Wiser ’07, David Retske, and Alex Pacowta. Thomas Ryan Ward is working with the Undershaw Preservation Trust in Surrey, England, to preserve the home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes and author of the Sherlock Holmes books. Ward was the winner of an international competition to design a logo for the trust. The logo is featured on their web site and in other materials. 21 �class notes child, Briar Elle, on May 3, 2011. They reside in Dallas, Pa. Relay For Life for Greater Pittston Area High School. 2004 Adam Kowalczyk and Krystle Cardamone were married on Nov. 13, 2010. The bride is an adult probation and parole officer. The groom is a Pennsylvania state police trooper. 2010 David Chaump and Rebecca Santoro Hetzel have released a new album of original music with their band Groove Train. Besides showcasing their original songs, Groove Train specializes as one of the top private party/ wedding bands in northeast and central Pennsylvania. 2007 Reunion Sept. 28-30 ~ Nolly Nash and Amanda Avery welcomed their first child, Kaleb Nathaniel Nash, on June 18, 2011. 2009 Jef Bauman is a community income development representative with The American Cancer Society, working in the east region office in Taylor, Pa. His responsibilities include working with the Wyoming Valley Daffodil Days and the collegiate Relay For Life events at Wilkes University, the University of Scranton and Misericordia University. He will also develop a youth community Andrew M. Seaman of Forest City, Pa., received his master’s degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism on May 18, 2011. The school named him Student of the Year, honoring a student whose energy and talent make him an example of a superior Columbia Journalism graduate. Seaman spent 10 months studying newspaper and investigative journalism as a Stabile Fellow. He spent the summer in Washington D.C. reporting on the Affordable Care Act from the White House and U.S. Capitol for Reuters under a fellowship sponsored by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2011 Amanda Gunther, Daniel Kautz and Allison Roth co-authored “The Credibility of Female Sports Broadcasters: The Perception of Gender in a Male-Dominated Profession,” an academic paper based on their communication studies research, completed for their Research Methods class at Wilkes. The paper was published in Human Communication, an online academic journal. Graduate Students 1986 William V. Lewis Jr. see 1980. 2007 Reunion Sept. 28-30 ~ Elizabeth A. Roveda MBA see 2005. 2008 Joshua S. Swantek PharmD see 2005. Nicholas Witucki PharmD see 2006. Amanda Kaster is one of seven young women from across the United States selected for a fellowship by the non-profit organization Running Start. The organization’s goal is to get more women involved in politics. As part of the fellowship, Kaster will be working in Washington, D.C., with Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine beginning in September 2011. Kaster will participate in classes offered by Running Start to learn more about running for political office. 2009 Martha Wright M.S. is vice president of dietary and clinical nutrition services for United Methodist Homes. She has held positions with the organization for 13 years. Dr. Sidney Zimmerman, Rye, N.Y., died Feb. 25, 2011. He served on the board of directors at White Plains Hospital, where he was affiliated for his 53 years of medical practice. In 2001, the Sidney P. Zimmerman Nuclear Cardiology Center was dedicated in his honor. 1942 John J. “Jack” Dooley, Harrisburg, Pa., died April 6, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and a retired employee of Olmsted Air Force Base and New Cumberland Army Depot. 2010 Sara Chisdock MBA and Ryan Hogan were married on Nov. 6, 2010. The bride is the customer service manager at Lord and Taylor. The groom is employed at Wyoming Valley Drug and Alcohol Services. Wilkes | Fall 2011 In Memoriam 22 1935 Robert H. Melson, Wyomissing, Pa., died May 22, 2011. He was a certified public accountant with Lybrands, Ross Brothers & Montgomery before becoming an assistant controller for Carpenter Technology Corp., where he was a member of the board of directors and vice president of administration before retiring in 1977. 1940 Leon F. Wazeter, Wilkes-Barre, died April 16, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II and worked for the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C. He partnered with his brother at Wazeter Brothers Heating and was district manager for World Book Encyclopedia for three decades. �class notes In Memoriam 1945 Harvey G. Trachtenberg, Kingston, Pa., died July 4, 2011. He was employed as an independent advertising sales representative. 1948 Herman Baumann Jr., Big Cedar Lake, Wis., died June 2, 2011. He was a U.S. Navy Air Force veteran of World War II. He worked for many years in the propeller division of Curtis Wright Air Force Base, N.J., before moving to Wisconsin and becoming a sales engineer for the Elastic Stop Nut Corp. of America. Gordon R. Schlier, New Hope, Pa., died June 22, 2011. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, a business teacher for 17 years at Kingston High School, and a guidance counselor for 22 years at Dallas Junior High School. He also taught evening business courses at Wilkes University. 1950 Anne Ruth (Byorick) Parker, Edwardsville, Pa., died April 13, 2011. She was employed as a retail sales associate for the B. Altman and Strawbridge & Clothier stores and also worked as a real estate agent for the Bleakly Agency in Cherry Hill, N.J., and for the Mertz Corp., Mt. Laurel, N. J. 1951 Jerome John Perry Sr., Raleigh, N.C., died May 17, 2011. He was professor emeritus of microbiology at North Carolina State University. 1952 John Francis Johns, Boca Raton, Fla., died May 14, 2011. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II before joining his family’s business, Joseph John & Co. He and his brothers went on to found Society Mills Inc., a ladies’ sportswear manufacturer with offices in Wilkes-Barre and New York City. 1953 James W. “Roxy” Reynolds, Wilmington, Del., died Feb. 2, 2011. He worked at General Motors for 24 years and worked for 15 years at A. G. Edwards & Sons. 1954 Leonard C. Seras, Port Richey, Fla., died April 8, 2011. He was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran of World War II and a professional musician. He recorded with groups led by José Moran, Bobby Byrne, Lee Vincent, and Henry Shapiro, and served as a band and music instructor in several Pennsylvania and New Jersey high schools. Howard A. Shaver Jr., Macungie, Pa., died April 13, 2011. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran and a retired employee of the AC Delco Division of General Motors Corp., where he was regional manager for 47 years. 1957 Dr. Marvin Z. Kurlan, Amherst, N.Y., died May 31, 2011. During a 30-year medical career, he was plant surgeon for Bethlehem Steel Corp.; medical director for the Brothers of Mercy; director of trauma services and senior attending surgeon at Millard Fillmore Hospital; and clinical instructor in surgery at the University at Buffalo Medical School. Roland R. Leonard, Webster, Mass., died March 4, 2011. He held executive positions at Joy Manufacturing Co. and Ingersoll Rand Corp. He was the owner and CEO of Numa Tool Company in Thompson, Conn. Dr. Samuel Charles Mines, Mt. Lebanon, Pa., died April 8, 2011. He opened a private practice in Mt. Lebanon and at St. Clair Memorial Hospital, where he was chief of the allergy department until his reitrement. He served on staff at several hospitals and founded an allergy clinic at Western Pennsylvania Hospital. 1958 Joseph M. Halcisak, Drums, Pa., died May 13, 2011. He was a retired employee of the Omrom Electronics Corp. of Chicago, Ill., where he worked as the west coast regional sales manager for over 25 years. 1959 Dr. Frank Dombroski, West Wyoming, Pa., died May 7, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran and was a dentist for 36 years until his retirement in 2001. Audrey Radler Lord, Cambridge, Md., died June 24, 2011. She was a retired social studies teacher for Council Rock High School in Newtown, Pa. 1961 Peter T. Connors Jr., Kingston, Pa., died July 13, 2011. He was a veteran of World War II and was employed by the A&P supermarket chain for 27 years. Benjamin (Duke) Jenkins Jr., Plymouth, Pa., died April 16, 2011. He was a teacher for 38 years at Lake-Lehman and Wyoming Valley West high schools, as well as in the Kingston School District. Viola B. (Domain) Van Slyke, Longmont, Colo., died March 2, 2011. She was a medical technician and cyto-technician Wilkes | Fall 2011 1944 Ruth E. Thomas, Plymouth, Pa., died April 4, 2011. She was a teacher at Plymouth High School and Wyoming Seminary Day School. 23 �class notes In Memoriam for Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J., and for Roche Biomedical in Raritan, N.J., before moving to Colorado. 1962 John A. Moore, Atlanta, Ga., died Sept. 23, 2010. Walter W. Umla, Pittston, Pa., died May 12, 2011. He taught vocal music for 34 years in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District before retiring in 1996. He also served as organist and choir director for churches in Kingston, Pa., and Wilkes-Barre. 1963 Anthony L. Dysleski, Wilkes-Barre, died April 8, 2011. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean Conflict and was employed as a teacher and wrestling coach for many years at North Harford High School in Maryland. Wilkes | Fall 2011 Linellen (Charlton) Wantland, Pittsburg, Kan., died May 4, 2011. 24 1966 Stephen L. Flood, Mountain Top, Pa., died July 16, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran, an employee of Kingston National Bank; CFO of Wilkes Pools; and Chief Executive Officer of Prospect Harbor Trading Company of Prospect, Maine; and a Luzerne County controller. 1969 William Layden, Nutley, N.J., died May 17, 2011. He was employed as a business manager by the Honeywell Corp., Morristown, N.J. A member of the Colonels football team while a Wilkes student, he was named to the Wilkes University Athletic Hall of Fame. 1970 Mary Agnes Kaiser, Newark, Del., died July 10, 2011. She was an environmental analytical chemist for the DuPont Co. starting in 1977 and was the first woman to achieve the level of senior research fellow. She was the author of Environmental Problem Solving Using Gas Chromatography. The Mary Kaiser Scholarship Fund has been established at Wilkes to aid chemistry students. Frank John Rodella, Wilkes-Barre, died May 6, 2011. He was a teacher for 20 years in the Western Wayne School District and was a dry cleaner for Men’s Wearhouse in Pittston, Pa. 1971 Mary Ann (Demko) Ernst died April 2, 2011. She spent the past seven years living in Germany. 1972 Mary Ellen Hurley, Morristown, N.J., died May 2, 2011. She was a professor at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, N.J., since 1993 and served as chair of the education department since 1997. 1973 Leona Dudascik, Dallas, Pa., died July 5, 2011. She was a second grade teacher at Dana Street Elementary School in the Wyoming Valley West School District for over 30 years. Raymond W. McNulty, Pittston, Pa., died May 28, 2011. He taught English at the West Side Vocational Technical School for 32 years and also coached football, basketball, softball, and volleyball. Daniel G. Ruduski, Hockessin, Del., died June 4, 2011. 1974 Nancy S. (Sologovitch) Carmon, Mountain Top, Pa., died April 25, 2011. She was a retired employee of the call center in Wilkes-Barre and had worked for the American Red Cross Blood Services as director of communications for the northeast Pennsylvania region. She also worked in advertising at the former Boston Store in Wilkes-Barre. 1977 Louise (Cebula) Puchalski, Montville, N.J., died June 4, 2011. She was an office clerk for Dr. Arthur H. Tiger in Dover, N.J., for over 10 years before retiring in 2004. 1981 Barbara Lee Partridge, Rancho Murieta, Calif., died June 29, 2011. She worked at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wilkes-Barre until she moved to California, where she worked at Smith Kline Company as a registered medical technologist. 1984 Kimberly Lynn (Bush) O’Connor, Lincroft, N.J., died March 24, 2011. She was a wife, mother, and homemaker. 1998 Christopher Evan Cavanaugh, Seattle, Wash., died April 20, 2011. He worked as a bartender and restaurant manager at Elysian Brewpub, the Stumbling Monk and Brouwer’s Café. 2000 Kimberly A. (Prizniak) Rembish, Wilkes-Barre, died June 28, 2011. She was a manager at Gymboree Children’s Clothing Store at the Wyoming Valley Mall. Graduate Students 1977 Thomas Paliscak M.S., Larksville, Pa., died May 15, 2011. He was a retired first sergeant E-8 U.S. Army veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. He taught English at the West Side Area Vocational Technical School in Pringle, Pa. �class notes In Memoriam Gay Marie Foster Meyers M.S. ’76 of Nuangola, Pa., died Aug. 8, 2011. Meyers was a member of the Wilkes community for more than three decades. During a 33-year career with the University, she served as an assistant professor in the physical education department and served as director of intramurals, ski club advisor and head coach of field hockey. A major contributor to the establishment of women’s athletics at Wilkes, Meyers founded the women’s varsity basketball and softball programs. Later in her career, she was an associate professor in the education department, serving as acting department chair in 1999. She was a member of the Association for Childhood Education International, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Delta Kappa and the Union Dale Presbyterian Church. Meyers was inducted into the Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, was honored with the Wilkes Athletics Ancestral Colonels Award in 2010 and was inducted into the Wyoming Valley Sports Hall of Fame in August 2011. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven State College, a master’s degree in education from Wilkes University and a master’s degree in early childhood education from Bloomsburg University. She is survived by her partner, Eileen Sharp, Wilkes University manager of health sciences; her daughter, Lee Meyers Pollaro, M.D. and son-in-law Vincent of Wellsboro, Pa., grandson, Ethan Pollaro; four sisters and two brothers. Sgt. Alessandro L. “Sandrino” Plutino ’05 A sergeant and rifle team leader in the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Plutino was killed in action on Aug. 8, 2011, in Afghanistan, weeks before he was to end his sixth tour of duty in the Middle East. He is believed to be the first Wilkes alumnus killed in action in that conflict. Plutino graduated from Wilkes with a degree in criminology. He was a member of the wrestling team at Wilkes and at Western New England College. Plutino is survived by his father, Sandro, and sister, Brenna Rae, of Pitman, N.J., his mother, Dianne Hammond, also of Pitman; his fiancé, Natalie Layton of Glassboro, N.J.; and aunts and uncles. Robert Swetts, Sr. Robert S. Swetts Sr., of Sugar Notch, Pa., died Sept. 14, 2011. A member of Wilkes University’s facilities department for 15 years, he was manager of capital assets for the university and supervised the heating and cooling systems for facilities. His service to the University included serving on the Strategic Planning Committee, which developed the Wilkes’ Vision 2015 plan. He also owned and operated Commercial Refrigeration Services. He was a graduate of Hanover Area High School and Wilkes-Barre Vo-Tech. Swetts is survived by his mother, Mary Louise Musrey Swetts; grandmother, Eleanor Swetts; sons, Robert Jr. and Eric; daughters, Noelle and Kristie; granddaughter, Alexis; brothers, John and Richard; former wife, Denise Horro-Schraeder; companion, Colleen Zula, and extended family, Jessica and Nikki Zula. Wilkes | Fall 2011 Gay Marie Foster Meyers M.S. ’76 25 �report of gifts Ac h i e v i n g O u r Destiny REPORT OF gifts | Gifts Received June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011 report of gifts KEY The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Platinum Associates Gold Circle $500,000 or more Diamond Associates $250,000 - $499,999 Honorary Associates $100,000 - $249,999 Trustee Associates $10,000 - $99,999 Wilkes | Fall 2011 Founder’s Circle 26 $500 - $999 Blue Circle $250 - $499 Farley Associates $100 - $249 contributors Up to $99 $5,000 - $9,999 President’s Circle $2,500 - $4,999 John Wilkes Associates $1,000 - $2,499 ©2011 Published by the Advancement Division of Wilkes University. We regret any omissions or errors contained within this report. Due to the number of generous donors, some names may have mistakenly been missed. If you should find an error or omission, please direct the corrections to Evelyne Topfer, Director of Advancement Operations, at (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4309 or evelyne.topfer@wilkes.edu. �report of gifts TABLe OF CONTENTS 28 the John Wilkes society 30 Giving by Constituency TRUsTEEs AnD TRUsTEE EMERiTi UniVERsiTY FAMilY COMMUniTY BUsinEssEs AnD FOUnDATiOns FRiEnDs 34 Giving by Class ClAss OF 1935 THROUgH ClAss OF 2010 45 senior Class Gift 46 the marts society statement oF actiVities From oPerations 47 endowed named scholarships Revenues and other support tuition and fees less scholarship aid net tuition and fees $ $ $ 84,469,184 (24,160,630) 60,308,554 government grants and contracts private grants and contracts private gifts sales and services of auxiliary enterprises income from interest and dividends other revenue endowment income designated for current operations net assets released from restrictions Total revenues and other support $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 3,902,300 464,456 1,153,599 8,868,284 497,909 802,050 1,363,000 — 77,360,152 Expenses instruction research public service academic support student services institutional support auxiliary enterprises Total expenses $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 34,509,427 1,560,298 1,092,103 9,218,770 11,159,312 13,394,233 7,302,066 78,236,209 increase (decrease) in net assets from operating activities $ (876,057) Wilkes | Fall 2011 TOTAl 27 �report of gifts • the john wilkes society The John Wilkes Society is a recognition society for annual donors Wilkes | Fall 2011 who contribute at or above $1,000 each year. 160/90 Acorn Foundation, Inc. Paul Adams ’77 and Jean Reiter Adams ’78 Aeroflex Foundation Albert and Barbara Albert Alexander W. Dick Foundation Richard Allan ’76 Thomas Allardyce ’86 William and Mary Regalis Althauser ’63 Jeffrey Alves Thomas G. Ambrosi ’68 Joan and Dean Arvan ’55 Association of Independent Colleges & Universities Charles Baker ’73 Jeris and John Baranowski ’71 Stephen Batory ’68 and Anne Heineman Batory ’68 Benco Dental Company Joseph Bendoraitis ’51 Berkshire Asset Management, Inc. Philip Besler ’76 and Carolann Gusgekofski Besler ’76 Black Horse Foundation, Inc. Attorney Craig Blakeley Bloomsburg Metal Company Blue Cross of NE PA Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson Borton-Lawson Engineering Joseph Briskie ’87 Michelle and Robert Bruggeworth ’83 Richard Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Richard and Angela Buckley Sandra and Richard Bunn ’55 Nancy and Edward Burke ’70 Barbara and William Bush ’68 Daniel Cardell ’79 and Ann Marie Booth Cardell ’79 Anthony Cardinale ’72 and Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Wendy and Terry Casey ’81 Jane and John Cefaly ’70 Chesapeake Operating, Inc. Choice One Community Federal Credit Union Jane and John Chopack ’69 Jesse Choper ’57 The Citizen’s Voice Chuck Cohen and Rebecca Binder Sally and Lawrence Cohen ’57 Comcast Corporation Commemorative Brands, Inc. George Conway ’70 John Conyngham Cohen Family Charitable Trust Ann Coughlin Creative Business Interiors Credit Management Company Patricia and Stephen Croghan ’80 and Family Grace Kirby Culbertson Bonnie Culver Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. CVS Charitable Trust, Inc. Darte-Darling Fund of The Luzerne Foundation William and Essie Davidowitz Jeffrey and Sherry Davidowitz Davidowitz Foundation Stanley and Patricia Davies Virginia and David Davis ’73 Catherine De Angelis ’65 Thomas Deitz Janet and Fred Demech* ’61 Bonnie Desombre Joan and Raymond Dombroski ’78 James Edwards ’80 Sharon and John Ellis ’79 Jane Elmes-Crahall and Brinley Crahall Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. Enterprise Holdings Foundation Ernest Christian Klipstein Foundation Josephine and Richard Eustice F-M Realty Company Stephen Farrar ’69 Welton Farrar First National Community Bank Flack Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Don Follmer ’50 Joseph Frappolli ’69 Frontier Communications, Inc. George Fry ’48 Joseph Galli ’81 James Garofalo ’72 Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Staff Geisinger Foundation Richard Gelfond Tim and Patty Gilmour Emilie Roat Gino ’60 Michael Glancey ’69 Jerome and Dorothy Goldstein Golden Business Machines, Inc. Michael and Lisie Gottdenker Bruce Gover ’72 and Elizabeth Clements Gover ’73 Bernard Graham Henry Greener ’61 and Nancy Rosenfeld Greener ’61 David Greenwald ’66 and Carol Saidman Greenwald ’61 Tamara and Jason Griggs ’90 Nancy Ralston Grogan ’52 Ronald Grohowski ’65 and Mary Field Grohowski ’65 Guard Foundation Guard Insurance Group John Guerra ’51 Christopher and Ramah Hackett David Hadley ’82 Michael Hall ’93 and Ellen Stamer Hall ’71 Valerie and William Hanbury ’72 Harkness Foundation for Dance Wilbur Hayes Louise Hazeltine ’44 Robert and Patricia Heaman ’61 Frank and Dorothea Henry Frederick Herrmann ’79 and Brigette McDonald Herrmann ’78 Jean and Frederick Hills ’59 Hirtle, Callaghan & Company Harry Hiscox ’51 and Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 David Hoats ’55 Stephen and Paula Hoeft Seymour Holtzman ’57 and Evelyn Krohn Holtzman ’60 Intermetro Industries Corporation Jacobi Capital Management James & Florence DePolo Family Foundation John and Josephine Thomas Foundation Edwin Johnson ’50 Susan Dantona Jolley and David Jolley ’78 Allyn Jones ’60 Sharon and Joel Kane ’80 Marge and Leo Kane ’55 * 28 Deceased �Theresa and Clayton Karambelas ’49 Camille and David Kaschak ’71 David and Kathy Price Kautter ’72 Stanley Kay John and Lois Kearney John Kerr ’72 and Renate Dargel Kerr ’72 Keystone College Barbara King ’81 A. P. Kirby, Jr. Foundation, Inc. Milan and Elizabeth Kirby Dorothy and John Kluchinski ’61 Allan and Sue Kluger George Kolesar ’57 and Nancy Carroll Kolesar ’61 Kathleen and Dan Kopen ’70 Lois and Edwin Kosik ’49 KPMG, L.L.P Alan Krieger ’64 Ann and Kenneth Krogulski ’82 Fawn and Drew Landmesser ’77 Michael and Donna Lennon Liberty Mutual Anthony Liuzzo Barbara and Michael LoPresti ’77 Julie and Wayne Lonstein ’82 Ray Lowery ’67 Luzerne County Community College Luzerne Foundation M & T Bank M&T Charitable Foundation Tim and Judith Mills Mack ’78 Michael and Christine Mahoney Mahoney Family Foundation Buck Mallan ’71 Marjorie Henry Marquart Robert and Patrice Stone Martin ’77 Marywood University Melanie Maslow Lumia Jean and George Matz ’71 Edward McCafferty ’59 McCole Foundation Esther Wargo McCormick ’68 Marilyn and Gerard McHale ’67 Edward Meehan Sharon and Frank Menaker ’62 Donald Mencer Robert and Kim Mericle Mericle Commercial Real Estate James Merryman M’10 and Nancy Hawk Merryman ’69 Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson ’93 Bonnie and Neil Millar ’67 John Miller ’68 and Sarah Wise Patricia and Lee Miller ’74 William Miller ’81 Misericordia University Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Jerry Mohn ’63 and Rowena Simms Mohn ’63 James Morgan ’76 and Kim Witherow Morgan ’77 Cathy and Robert Mugford ’58 Dorian and James Mulligan ’85 Jacqueline and Richard Myers ’84 Marion and Joseph Neetz ’62 N.R.G. Controls North, Inc. Northeast PA American Society of Highway Engineers Northeastern PA Cardiology Associates Paul and Florentine O’Hop One Source Staffing Solutions Lloyd Ortman ’73 PA Society of Public Accountants, NE Chapter Eric Pape ’04 Shirley and Anthony Parulis ’65 George Pawlush ’69 and Carol Corbett Pawlush ’79 Richard and Marion Pearsall Penn Millers Insurance Co. Penn State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus William Perlmuth ’51 Peter Perog ’60 Trudy Piatt Arthur and Sandra Shepard Piccone ’77 Janet and Peter Pisaneschi ’58 Hazel and Ronald Piskorik ’68 Jane and William Plummer ’50 PNC Bank, NA Polish Room Committee Joan and Gary Popovich ’65 Postupak Painting Company, Inc Power Engineering Corporation PPL Chip and Nancy Prescott Prudential Financial Joseph Rauschmayer ’80 and Lisa Prokarym Rauschmayer ’81 Helen Bitler Ralston ’52 Thomas Ralston ’80 Joyce and William Raub ’61 John J. Reese ’76 John G. Reese Florence and Charles Reilly ’55 Renaissance Charitable Foundation Ethel and Jeffrey Renoe ’77 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Mary Jean and William Rice ’48 Arnold and Sandy Rifkin Ronald Rittenmeyer ’72 and Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72 Gordon Roberts ’60 James and Virginia Rodechko ’91 Amy and Roger Rolfe ’66 Richard and Virginia Simms Rose Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, LLP Pauline and Richard Roshong ’67 Charles Roszko Mary Kay Barrett Rotert ’64 Connie and Eugene Roth ’57 Jay Rubino ’86 William Ryan ’69 Sanofi Pasteur Janice and Joseph Savitz ’48 Michael Schler Schuylkill Energy Resources Janet Neiman Seeley ’70 Y. Judd and Susan Shoval Dee and John Sickler ’65 Sherry and Jay Sidhu M’73 • report of gifts SIFE USA Virginia Sikes Leonard and Rosalie Silberman Jeanne and George Sillup ’73 Ronald Simms ’60 and Rhea Politis Simms ’78 Gerald and Pearl Simonis Richard Simonson ’69 and Susan Ryan Simonson’70 Carol Skalski ’69 Andrew and Susan Sordoni William and Margaret Filipkowski Sordoni ’70 Sordoni Foundation, Inc. Estelle Manos Sotirhos ’62 Michael Speziale M’78 and Kerry Speziale EdD’11 Frank and Monica Stanitski Sanford Sternlieb and Renate Koppelman Mark and Lori Stine William Stinger ’68 and Nancy Wanczyk Stinger ’69 SunGard Higher Education Services Tambur Family Foundation Trust Martin Tansy ’60 John and Margaret Tarone The Commonwealth Medical College Thomas Thomas M’86 and Anne Aimetti Thomas ’70 Megan Reese Thomas and Brian Thomas ’82 John Thomas William Thomas ’75 Joyce Fink Tremayne ’58 Lora and William Tremayne ’57 UGI Corporation William Umphred ’52 University of Scranton Salvatore Valenti ’58 B. William Vanderburg ’65 and Natalie Kowalski Vanderburg ’65 Robert Verespy ’60 Wachovia Bank Foundation Kingston Wal-Mart Walgreens Company Bruce Warshal ’58 and Lynne Herskovitz Warshal ’59 Stephen Wartella Washington Trust Company Gerald Weber ’67 and Cynthia Wisniewski Weber ’69 Thomas and Nancy Wolensky Weeks M’09 Weininger Foundation Paul Wender ’69 Mirko Widenhorn Anna and Joseph Wiendl ’69 Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Willary Foundation Board John Williams ’58 and Patricia Stout Williams ’56 Bill & Sandy Williams Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Michael and Kim Wood Wyoming Valley Health Care System Pamela and Theodore Yeager ’72 Young Presidents Organization Francis and Mary Lou Butkoski Zaleski ’65 Karen Zingale ’85 Michele and Mario Zinicola ’71 Betsy and Carl Zoolkoski ’59 Dominic Zukoski - DS Machining, LLC Paul and Marianne Zukoski * * Deceased Deceased Wilkes | Fall 2011 the john wilkes society 29 �report of gifts • giving by constituency giving BY CONSTITUENCY tRustees AnD tRustee emeRiti The Eugene Farley Club • • • Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Gerald A. Moffatt ’63 The John Wilkes Society Gold CiRClE trustee AssOCiATEs Daniel J. Cardell ’79 John M. Cefaly, Jr. ’70 Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour William A. Hanbury ’72 John S. Kerr ’72 Milan S. Kirby Michael J. Mahoney Melanie Maslow Lumia John R. Miller ’68 William R. Miller ’81 William A. Perlmuth ’51 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Arnold S. Rifkin Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72 Eugene Roth ’57 William H. Tremayne ’57 Blue CiRClE Michael R. Brewster Farley AssOCiATEs Robert A. Fortinsky Elizabeth A. Slaughter ’68 uniVeRsity FAmily Faculty, Staff and Emeriti • • • The John Wilkes Society trustee AssOCiATEs Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Stanley B. Kay Founder’s CiRClE Founder’s CiRClE Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Chuck Cohen Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Michael I. Gottdenker David Greenwald ’66 Jason D. Griggs ’90 Frank M. Henry Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Marjorie H. Marquart George J. Matz ’71 Joseph J. Savitz ’48 Jay S. Sidhu M’73 President’s CiRClE Wilkes | Fall 2011 Richard L. Bunn ’55 Esther Baum Davidowitz Jeffrey Davidowitz Patricia S. Davies Robert A. Mugford ’58 George G. Pawlush ’69 Richard L. Pearsall Virginia P. Sikes 30 JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs Terrence W. Casey ’81 Jerome R. Goldstein Dan F. Kopen ’70 Bernard W. Graham President’s CiRClE Jean Reiter Adams ’78 Paul S. Adams ’77 Michael J. Wood JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs Jeffrey R. Alves Anne Heineman Batory ’68 Angela M. Buckley Bonnie C. Culver Jane M. Elmes-Crahall Welton G. Farrar Wilbur F. Hayes Patricia Boyle Heaman ’61 Robert J. Heaman Edwin L. Johnson ’50 Susan Dantona Jolley Camille O. Kaschak Barbara E. King ’81 J. Michael Lennon Anthony L. Liuzzo Donald E. Mencer James L. Merryman M’10 Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson ’93 Paul A. O’Hop Loren D. Prescott, Jr. John G. Reese James P. Rodechko Michael J. Speziale M’78 Mark D. Stine Anne Aimetti Thomas ’70 M’77 M’07 Thomas J. Thomas, Jr. M’86 Mirko Widenhorn The Eugene Farley Club Gold CiRClE Mischelle B. Anthony Sandra Sarno Carroll Mahmoud H. Fahmy Edward F. Foote J. Bartholomay Grier M’02 Blake L. Mackesy Justin Matus William D. Owens John L. Pesta R. Gregory Peters Bruce E. Phair ’73 Debra A. Serfass Nancy A. Weeks M’09 Linda A. Winkler Blue CiRClE William J. Biggers Brian L. Bogert Carol A. Bosack-Kosek ’80 Joyce Victor Chmil ’87 James F. Ferris ’56 Joan Zaleski Ford ’75 Judith Rodda Gardner ’71 M’75 Robert S. Gardner ’67 M’73 Harvey A. Jacobs ’72 Judith L. Kristeller Lynn W. Lundy Susan J. Malkemes M’95 Jonathan M. McClave ’07 Michael D. Pawlik M’01 John P. Sedor ’87 Frank J. Sheptock William B. Terzaghi Rebecca H. Van Jura C. Reynold Verret Jason W. Wagner ’09 Farley AssOCiATEs Charles E. Balasavage Christopher G. Barrows Daniel A. Batzel ’83 Janine M. Becker M’91 Edward T. Bednarz ’01 Barbara N. Bellucci ’69 M’73 Joseph T. Bellucci Louise M. Berard Neal F. Biscaldi Alicia M. Bond Megan A. Boone Janice Broyan Mary R. Byrne Henry Castejon Theresa Cochran Sharon Cosgrove Harold E. Cox Gabrielle Lamb D’Amico ’04 Diane T. Duda Jennifer J. Edmonds Amy L. Edwards Kurt W. Eisele Edward R. Elgonitis Jonathan D. Ference ’01 Kimberly Hritzak Ference ’01 Dean F. Frear Michael F. Garzella Cherylynn Petyak Gibson ’71 M’89 John B. Gilmer Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Gary L. Gordon Linda S. Gutierrez Sid P. Halsor Mark D. Harris John W. Harrison ’87 Kristen Dulick Hartzell ’06 Vincent A. Hartzell Dale T. Hazlak Amy E. Hetro Michelle R. Holt-Macey Kathleen Moran Houlihan ’95 M’01 Ruth C. Hughes Helenmary Selecky Jarecki William R. Jones Dale R. Keagy Justin Kraynack Mary I. Kropiewnicki Vee Ming Lew Daniel S. Longyhore ’02 Joseph W. Mangan Dana H. Manning ’08 Vicki C. Mayk Christine E. Mellon Debra L. Meszaros Mary E. Miller Barbara Rosick Moran ’84 M’88 James J. Moran M’78 Lyndi L. Moran Mary Beth Mullen Prahlad N. Murthy Barbara L. Nanstiel ’70 Amy M. Patton M’07 Lauren Y. Pluskey ’06 M’10 Kristine Erhard Pruett ’99 M’06 Gerald C. Rebo Lisa E. Reynolds Jerry N. Rickrode Marie Roke Thomas ’83 Debbie J. Rutkoski Doris B. Saracino Matthew J. Sowcik ’00 John C. Stachacz Mary L. Steinberg John T. Sumoski Howard A. Swain Betty L. Taylor Craig P. Thomas M’11 Joanne A. Thomas Deborah R. Tindell Robert C. Tuttle Diane E. Wenger Brian E. Whitman Philip L. Wingert Eric A. Wright Margaret A. Zellner ’74 contriButors Mitchell D. Adams Joseph Alaimo Debra A. Archavage Vijay K. Arora Karen Atiyeh ’07 Mary Babcock Marcia R. Balester Karen Metzger Baranoski ’73 M’77 Katy Betnar * Deceased �giving by constituency * Deceased Pamela L. Koslosky Renee A. Kotz M’05 Kyle Kreider Michael D. Kulikoski ’06 Joseph M. Kultys ’87 M’11 Jonathan G. Laudenslager ’99 Terence J. Laughlin ’03 Christopher T. Leicht Tamatha Curry Limongelli ’97 Catherine Link ’75 Karen I. Lucas Glenn J. Lupole Barbara Kakareka Malinowski ’02 Jennifer M. Malinowski Patricia A. Mangold Philip A. Marino ’80 William M. Martin Frank J. Matthews Thomas E. Mazzolla Amy A. Mbye Frances D. McAleer Michael C. McCree ’99 M’10 Brynn N. McGregor Gay Foster Meyers* ’76 Diane R. Milano ’11 Julian C. Morales ’05 M’09 Lisa A. Mulvey Fred R. Nichols Karen O’Boyle Christine O’Hara Pamela J. Oliveira M’10 Pamela A. Oravic Michaelene S. Ostrum Martha J. Parise Patricia A. Parks Krina H. Patel Gayle M. Patterson ’09 Mary Beth Patterson Anne Straub Pelak M’98 Margaret M. Petty Michael J. Pitoniak Maria M. Poggi Diane M. Polachek ’78 M’81 Kathleen S. Poplaski Alberto Prado Theresa A. Rallo Lisa A. Reilly Sandra A. Rendina ’87 M’95 Karen A. Riley Gisele R. Romanace Jacqueline L. Ruane Theresa A. Rule Tricia M. Russell Philip J. Ruthkosky Joshua R. Savitski ’07 M’09 Roland C. Schmidt John Schmitt Patricia L. Searfoss Francis P. Sempa Eileen M. Sharp Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Herbert B. Simon Genevieve M. Singer Anne Marie Smith Susan Smith ’06 Karen A. Space Alexander Sperrazza ’08 Tina Stancavage Ebonie Stringer Jonathan P. Strucke Jenna Strzelecki ’07 M’09 Erin Drew Elizabeth A. Swantek ’05 M’07 Robert S. Swetts Jessica Niemiec Swingle ’00 Romaine Szafran Donna S. Talarico ’00 M’10 Marion Tetlak Rhoda B. Tillman Stephen J. Tillman Joann Tomko Evelyne Topfer Kammie T. Towey Dominick P. Trombetta Marleen Troy Bridget McHale Turel ’05 M’07 Mildred Urban Mary Ann Wanyo Mary L. Watkins Ann Molski Wells ’82 Judith Wienckoski ’95 Anita Miller Williams ’75 Susan Williams Felixa J. Wingen ’09 Gretchen Yeninas M’07 James D. Yeninas Cheryl M. Yustat Jean M. Zampetti Karena Zdeb ’07 M’11 COmmunity Businesses And Foundations • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates 160/90 A. P. Kirby, Jr. Foundation Inc. Black Horse Foundation Inc. Chesapeake Operating Inc. Darte-Darling Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. Guard Foundation Guard Insurance Group Intermetro Industries Corporation KPMG, L.L.P. Liberty Mutual Mahoney Family Foundation Maslow Family Foundation McCole Foundation Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Sandy & Arnold Rifkin Charitable Foundation Schuylkill Energy Resources Inc. Sordoni Foundation The Weininger Foundation The Willary Foundation Board Wachovia Bank Foundation Walgreens Company Young President’s Organization BOARD OF TRUSTEES Michael R. Brewster Daniel J. Cardell ’79 Terrence W. Casey ’81 Denise S. Cesare ’77 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Charles F. Cohen Douglas Colandrea ’88 Jeffrey Davidowitz Shelley Freeman ’82 Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Michael I. Gottkdenker David Greenwald ’66 Jason D. Griggs ’90 William A. Hanbury ’72 John S. Kerr ’72 Carol Kotlowski Keup ’89 Milan S. Kirby Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Dan F. Kopen ’70 Melanie Maslow Lumia Michael J. Mahoney Dorothy Darling Mangelsdorf Marjorie H. Marquart George J. Matz ’71 John R. Miller ’68 William R. Miller ’81 Gerald A. Moffatt ’63 Robert A. Mugford ’58 George G. Pawlush ’69 M’76 Hedy Rittenmeyer ’72 Steven P. Roth ’84 Jay S. Sidhu M’73 Virginia P. Sikes Elizabeth A. Slaughter ’68 TRUSTEE EMERITI Richard L. Bunn ’55 Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Esther B. Davidowitz Pattie S. Davies Robert A. Fortinsky Jerome R. Goldstein Frank M. Henry Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Richard L. Pearsall William A. Perlmuth ’51 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Arnold S. Rifkin Richard M. Ross, Jr. Eugene Roth ’57 Joseph J. Savitz ’48 Stephen Sordoni Founder’s Circle Aeroflex Foundation Benco Dental Company CVS Charitable Trust Inc. F-M Realty Company Frontier Communications Geisinger Foundation Gottdenker Foundation James & Florence DePolo Family Foundation William H. Tremayne ’57 Norman E. Weiss Alumni Association Board of Directors Paul S. Adams ’77 Jeffrey A. Bauman ’09 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72, Historian Cynthia Charnetski ’97, 2nd Vice President Karen Bednarczyk Cowan ’96 William D. Eggleston, Student Government President John H. Ellis, IV ’79 J.J. Fadden ’98 Roya Fahmy ’83 Sarah Frable, Student Alumni Association President Stephen N. Gruver ’13 Ellen Stamer Hall ’71 Charles F. Jackson ’51 Allyn C. Jones ’60 Kristen N. Karpinski ’11 Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Kristin M. Hake Klemish ’04 Richard L. Kramer ’67 Rosemary LaFratte ’93, MBA ’97, 1st Vice President Ruth McDermott-Levy ’82 Justin Matus, Faculty Representative William R. Miller ’81 Anita Mucciolo ’78 George G. Pawlush ’69, MS’76 Stacy L. Prelewicz, Senior Class President Kristine Pruett ’99, MS’06 Ali E. Qureshi ’96 Mark A. Rado ’80 Thomas N. Ralston ’80, President Adrienne M. Richards ’07 Charles W. Robinson ’57 David M. Sborz ’09 Richard W. Seipp DPH’01 Patricia Fushek Skibbs ’60 Brian E. Switay ’10 Donna Talarico ’00, MFA’08 Bill Tarbart ’70 Deborah R. Tindell, Faculty Representative Frank D. Yamrus ’80 Theodore T. Yeager ’72 John & Josephine Thomas Foundation Luzerne Foundation M&T Bank Northeast PA American Society of Highway Engineers PPL Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald LLP Sanofi Pasteur Inc. Tambur Family Foundation Wilkes | Fall 2011 Loretta L. Bilder Susan C. Biskup James P. Blaum Karen Petrosky Blaum ’08 Traci M. Blazosky M’11 KarenBeth H. Bohan Robert W. Bohlander Ajay Bommareddy Kimberly D. Bower-Spence Barbara A. Bracken Christopher N. Breiseth Christopher Busa Gene A. Camoni ’74 Ann Marie Carey David R. Carey ’83 M’98 Eleanor L. Carle Peter C. Castelline M’09 Samira T. Chamoun Debra Prater Chapman ’81 M’84 Cynthia J. Chisarick Georgia Costalas Camille Bobeck Daniels M’91 John Dellegrotto Diane H. Demchak Ellen Proeller Dennis M’84 Susan L. DiBonifazio Deborah L. Dunn Thomas Dunsmuir Maria T. Dwyer Paula M. Eddy Janelle A. Edwards Colette M. Elick M’93 Linda S. Elmy Rachel E. Emmerthal Margaret A. Espada Joanne M. Fasciana Ellen R. Flint Godlove T. Fonjweng Bernadette C. Frail Susan M. Frank Richard A. Fuller Robert J. Gaetano ’80 M’07 Frank P. Galicki ’73 Lorna M. Galliford Barbara A. Garey Michele D. Garrison Mary L. Gillespie Barbara D. Gimble Victoria M. Glod M’91 Mary Beth Gustafson Kenneth L. Hanadel Leona J. Hartland Lynda M. Heffernan David A. Hines ’95 Susan Matley Hritzak ’81 M’88 Catherine Julius ’86 Paul Kaczmarcik Valerie G. Kalter Kimberly Escarge Keller ’95 Danielle K. Kern M’08 Janet M. Kobylski John A. Koch Mary Ann Koch Christina Koerber Lawrence M. Kopenis ’88 Anne Marie Kopetchny Joseph J. Kornblatt • report of gifts 31 �report of gifts • Giving by Constituency President’s Circle Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania Berkshire Asset Management Inc. Blue Cross of NE PA Borton-Lawson Engineering The Citizen’s Voice Cohen Family Charitable Trust Commemorative Brands Inc. Davidowitz Foundation Alexander W. Dick Foundation Enterprise Holdings Foundation General Electric Foundation Golden Business Machines Inc. Hirtle, Callaghan & Company One Source Staffing Solutions Power Engineering Corporation Prudential Financial Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc. SunGard Higher Education Services The Commonwealth Medical College Wal-Mart Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Wilkes | Fall 2011 John Wilkes Associates 32 Bloomsburg Metal Company Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson Choice One Community Federal Credit Union Comcast Corporation Creative Business Interiors DS Machining, LLC First National Community Bank Flack Family Fund of the Luzerne Foundation Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Staff Jacobi Capital Management Keystone College Ernest Christian Klipstein Foundation Luzerne County Community College M&T Charitable Foundation Marywood University Mericle Commercial Real Estate Misericordia University N.R.G. Controls North Inc. Northeastern PA Cardiology Associates PNC Bank PA Society of Public Accountants NE Chapter Penn Millers Insurance Co. Polish Room Committee Postupak Painting Company Inc. Sickler Foundation UGI Corporation University of Scranton Penn State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus Bill & Sandy Williams Fund of Luzerne Foundation Wyoming Valley Health Care System The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle American Environmental Outfitters Bergman Foundation Tony Drust Painting & Wallcovering First Liberty Bank & Trust Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Frank Martz Coach Company Miller Flooring Co. Inc. PDQ Print Center Payne Printery Inc. S & B Restaurant Inc. Sharper Embroidery Inc. T. J. Cannon Inc. United One Resources Inc. Herman Yudacufski Charitable Foundation Blue Circle Best Western East Mountain Inn Cornell Iron Works Inc. Earl & Sedor Photographic First National Bank of Berwick Futuristic Innovative Graphics Independent Graphics Inc. Keystone Automation Kronick Kalada Berdy & Company Montage Agency Inc. New Era Technologies Inc. PNC Bank Pennstar Bank Phils Sunoco Service Station A. Pickett Construction Inc. Schutt Reconditioning/ Circle Division The Brickman Group Ltd The Oscar A. Fuller Company Inc. Tommy’s Pizza Corner Torrey Pines Bank Tristate HVAC Equipment LLP Twin City Builders Inc. Val & Gus Genetti of the Luzerne Foundation Westmoreland Club Wilkes-Barre Window Cleaning Inc. Woodlands Inn and Resort Farley Associates Action Personnel Services Air Engineering Sales Corp. All Seasons Pool & Spa Arch Comfort Beach Lake Sprinkler Corp. Bedwick Foods Inc. Beer Boys BME Racing Borland & Borland LLP Ceco Associates Inc. Central Clay Products Inc. Champion Builders Inc. DeNaples Auto Parts Dentistry for Children & Adolescents Digital Samba USA Eastern Penn Supply Company Expression of Dance Inc. Fairchild Semiconductor Friedman Property Management Giant Floor & Wall Covering Inc. Highsmith Company Inc. Howell Benefit Services In Home Referral Inc. Jersey Coin Showcase Inc. Kranson Clothes Company Lefkowitz Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Lehighton Electronics Lightspeed Technologies Inc. Modern The Floor Store Meyer & Associates Collegiate Alumni Trust O’Donnell Law Offices Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products Ralmark Company A. Rifkin Company Sincavage Lumber Company The Times Leader Times Printing Inc. Trans-Med Ambulance Inc. Valentine & Co. Inc. Waste Management Contributors Atlas Realty Inc. Dauphin Professional Pharmacy Inc. Family Prescription Counter Friedman Family Charitable Fund of Luzerne Foundation Gerrity’s Supermarket Inc. Lackawanna Distributors Corp. Marquis Art & Frame Parsons Sales Company Raritan Valley Tree Service Reeves Rent-A-John Inc. Riccardo Law Center Rowe Door Sales Shades Unlimited The Barber Shop Plus Valentine’s Jewelry FRIENDS • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Mr. Richard M. Smith & Mrs. Lissa Bryan-Smith Mrs. Bonnie L. Desombre Dr. Stanley B. Kay Mr. & Mrs. John P. Kearney Attorney & Mrs. Allan Kluger Mrs. Susan Weiss Shoval Mr. & Dr. Andrew J. Sordoni III Mr. & Mrs. William B. Sordoni Dr. Stephen Wartella, Jr. Founder’s Circle Mrs. Clara G. Infausto* President’s Circle Mrs. Grace J. Kirby Culbertson Mr. & Mrs. Stanley S. Davies Mr. & Mrs. Christopher L. Hackett Mr. Charles M. Roszko Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell Huber Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Kristofco Mrs. Janet Mattei Mrs. Barbara Davenport Neville Attorney Jonathan Pressman & Sally Jane Poblete Mr. Larry I. Taren Mrs. Barbara Weisberger Blue Circle Dr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Balshi Mr. & Mrs. Hal C. Bigler Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey W. Brandsema Ms. Jane Cokely Attorney Linda A. Fisher Mr. & Mrs. Earl Harrison Mr. Andrew Herman Mr. & Mrs. Carl Kemmerer Mr. Richard Maslow Mr. & Mrs. Anthony L. Minichowski Mr. & Mrs. John Randolph Mr. James Rothstein & Ms. Sharon Scullin Farley Associates John Wilkes Associates Mr. & Mrs. Albert G. Albert Attorney Craig Blakeley Mr. John N. Conyngham III Mrs. Ann M. Coughlin Mr. Thomas J. Deitz Mrs. Josephine Eustice Mr. Welton G. Farrar Attorney Richard Gelfond Mr. & Mrs. Stephen P. Hoeft Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Mack, Jr. Attorney Edward J. Meehan Mr. & Mrs. Robert Mericle Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. O’Hop Mrs. Trudy Piatt Mr. Brian Scandle Attorney Michael Schler Mr. & Mrs. Leonard Silberman Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Simonis Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Stanitski Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb Mr. & Mrs. John Tarone Mr. & Mrs. Paul C. Zukoski The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Mrs. Fannie Aleo Mrs. Barbara Allan Mrs. Sandra Bernhard Mr. Rick Berry Miss Muriel Bush Attorney & Mrs. Jerry Chariton Attorney Harrison J. Cohen Atty. Diana Donaldson & Mr. Stuart Donaldson Dr. & Mrs. Mahmoud H. Fahmy Dr. & Mrs. Richard A. Hiscox Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Adams Mr. & Mrs. John P. Alifano Mr. Robert S. Asby Attorney Carol Baltimore Mr. Terry Baltimore Mr. & Mrs. Lonny L. Bartha Mr. Max Bartikowsky Dr. John S. Biernacki Ms. Gloria A. Blandina Mr. Kenneth Bloomhurst Mr. & Mrs. Joseph T. Butkiewicz Mr. Nicholas Bybel, Jr. Dr. Mary R. Byrne Mr. & Mrs. Clyde W. Carpenter Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Charlebois Dr. & Mrs. Leonard Cohen The Honorable & Mrs. Richard P. Conaboy Mr. & Mrs. Bernard Corbett Ms. Margaret S. Corbett Mr. & Mrs. John A. Cordes Mr. & Mrs. David E. Davies Dr. & Mrs. John DeFinnis Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Dellarte Mrs. Janet Demech Mr. & Mrs. Anthony DiMichele Mr. & Mrs. Robert T. Doble Mr. & Mrs. Leroy Dubey Mr. & Mrs. Stanley Fainberg Ms. Ellen Fedor Mr. & Mrs. Gregory V. Feeney Mr. Sidney Friedman Dr. & Mrs. John C. Gaudio Mr. & Mrs. Thomas M. Gehret Mr. Peter A. Gelwarg Attorney Richard M. Goldberg and Ms. Rosemary Chromey * Deceased �Dr. Mark D. Harris Mrs. Virginia D. Hart Ms. Sandra L. Hayes Mr. Jeffrey Heinsheimer Mr. & Mrs. C. Scott Herring Mr. & Mrs. Charles Herring Mr. & Mrs. Michael P. Hinchey Mr. & Mrs. Jimmy S. Hinton, Jr. Mr. John A. Horner Mr. & Mrs. David P. Hourigan Mr. & Mrs. Nat L. Hyman Mr. William R. Jones Mr. & Mrs. Donald Kabat Ms. Elizabeth M. Kautz Mr. & Mrs. Gerald A. Kennedy Dr. David W. Kistler Ms. Susan Kolesar Mrs. Bea Kopec Miss Maggie A. Lund Ms. Colleen McBride Attorney K. Heather McRay Mr. & Mrs. Andrew G. Mihaly Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Mrozack Mr. & Mrs. Barry L. Nolt Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Null Mr. Richard J. O’Hara Mr. & Mrs. Ted W. Plessl Ms. Ruth Rosen Mr. & Mrs. Richard Rosenthal Mr. Joseph J. Rubino Mrs. Marilyn C. Rudolph Attorney Sheila Saidman Mr. Joseph C. Schneider Mr. & Mrs. David Schwager Attorney & Mrs. Charles A. Shaffer Mrs. Janet Siegel Mr. & Mrs. David Silverstein Mr. & Mrs. D. Scott Simpson Mr. & Mrs. William Skumanich Mr. & Mrs. Dale O. Smith Mr. & Mrs. John Smith Mrs. Katherine A. Smith Mr. Irving N. Stein Dr. Kara J. Suche Mr. & Mrs. Richard Tarsi Mr. John Thalenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Warshal Mr. Gerald J. Yankow Mr. & Mrs. Joel Zitofsky Contributors Ms. Margaret W. Adams Mr. William F. Adams, Jr. Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence Addleson Ms. Helen C. Adonizio Mr. James M. Andorker Mr. & Mrs. Dean Artkop Ms. Betty J. Bailey Mr. Mark Banash Mrs. Nadine M. Banul Ms. Susan Baranek Ms. Vicki Beames * Deceased Ms. Nancy W. Beasley Mr. Daniel Beneski & Ms. Barbara Machinas Mr. & Mrs. David B. Bernard Mr. Fred Bernard Mr. & Mrs. Ashwinkumar Bhatt Mr. & Mrs. Bradley Bingaman Ms. Jaime Blandina Ms. Lisa Bly Mr. & Mrs. Douglas F. Bodenstab Ms. Yvonne Borton Ms. Miriam Boylan Mr. Aaron Bravman Mr. & Mrs. Walter G. Brigham Mr. Anthony T.P. Brooks Mr. & Mrs. John J. Brostoski, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John J. Brostoski Ms. Marian Brownmiller Dr. & Mrs. William E. Burak Mr. & Mrs. Martin Butkovsky Ms. Carolee S. Byrnes Mr. & Mrs. Robert D. Calabrese Mr. & Mrs. David Campo Ms. Diane Carlton & Mr. Scott Van Arsdale Mr. & Mrs. Joseph M. Carr, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Neil J. Cassel Ms. Lauren J. Chapman Ms. Jennifer R. Chappell Dr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Chollak, Jr. Ms. Joan E. Clarke Mr. & Mrs. Earl J. Cocchi Ms. Golde L. Cohen Ms. Sally Connor Mr. & Mrs. Frank P. Conyngham Mr. & Mrs. William E. Corey Mr. & Mrs. Peter J. Crimi Mr. David Danilack Mr. & Mrs. John Darrah Ms. Anna Dattolo Mr. Edris A. Davies Mr. & Mrs. Edris W. Davies Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Davies Ms. Michelle R. Davis Mr. & Mrs. Leonard DeBuck Ms. Maria Diaz & Bernice Reyes Ms. Carrie Dicton Mr. & Mrs. James F. Dicton Mr. & Mrs. William Doss Mr. & Mrs. Joseph A. Eagen Ms. Brianna C. Edgar Ms. Kathryn A. Edgar Ms. Kelly L. Elaouadi Mr. & Mrs. Douglas S. Esposito Mr. & Mrs. Matthew B. Fagan Mrs. Janet Falko Mr. & Mrs. Gerald A. Fasano Mr. & Mrs. Barry A. Felice Ms. Terri L. Finnegan Dr. & Mrs. Louis J. Freedman Mr. Michael Freidlin Mr. William Freundt Mr. & Mrs. Carl E. Fuehrer Ms. Mary Kay Gavlick Mr. & Mrs. Ferrel M. George Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Goldberg Mr. & Mrs. John R. Goodwin Ms. Laura Grant Ms. Julie Griffith Dr. Loren Grossman Mr. & Mrs. Sam J. Guarnieri Ms. Kathy Guinan Mr. & Mrs. Dallas J. Hackman Ms. Grace Hagen Mr. David J. Hagenbaugh Ms. Maureen Harkins Mr. & Mrs. William J. Harring Mr. & Mrs. Wayne E. Harrison Ms. Lana K. Heck Mr. Wayne E. Heck Ms. Hailey Herleman Ms. Lydia Herleman Ms. Deborah Herman Mrs. Jean R. Hughes Ms. Sylvia Hughes Mrs. Pamela Jacobs Ms. Denise D. Jenkins Ms. Madeline Jenkins Ms. Joan U. John Mrs. Suzanne Jones Mr. & Mrs. Duane T. Joyce Mrs. Nancy Judd Mr. & Mrs. Gerald J. Jurrens Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Katchur Mr. Lewis Kautz Mr. Daniel F. Kelleher Mrs. Frank J. Kilyanek Mr. & Mrs. David Kissell Mr. & Mrs. Jack M. Kissinger Ms. Pamela E. Klipstein-Smith Mr. Craig Klore Ms. Jane Koppe Mr. Ronald D. Krolick Mr. Jeffrey Kutner Mrs. Margaret H. Lamere-Raskosky Mrs. Jane Landau Ms. Sylvia Lane Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Langan Mrs. Sandra Lefkowitz Mr. Robert S. Letson, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Arnold Libenson Ms. Meral Libenson Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Lindo Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Lindo Mr. & Mrs. Leonard S. Lukas Mr. & Mrs. Paul Lukas Mr. Thomas A. Lynch Ms. Josephine Macaravage Mr. & Mrs. Michael F. Malinoski Mr. & Mrs. John J. Martin Ms. Leona Matscavage Mr. & Mrs. Kevin McAloon Ms. Donna M. McCarthy Mr. & Mrs. P.T. McCollum Mr. & Mrs. Michael McElaney Mr. John J. McGowan, Jr. Ms. Brynn N. McGregor Mrs. Naomi Meyer Ms. Marcia Meyers Mr. & Mrs. John W. Mikitsh Mitsios Family Mr. & Mrs. James R. Moser Mr. & Mrs. Joseph R. Nardone, Sr. Ms. Kristin A. Nelson Ms. Nina Nesky Mr. & Mrs. Howard Newman Ms. Suzie Nichols Ms. Mary Ellen Nieman Ms. Gail H. Niles Ms. Lauren N. Nothstein Mr. & Mrs. Norman L. Nothstein Mr. & Mrs. William O’Connor Ms. Denise O’ConnorManosky Ms. Carol J. O’Hara Mrs. Wanda F. Ogurkis Ms. Cindy Ohara Mr. & Mrs. David E. Olerta Ms. Theresa A. Olson Mr. Thomas J. Opiel Mr. & Mrs. Bill Osterhout Mr. & Mrs. Dana H. Palmer Ms. Leslie Parry Mr. & Mrs. Matthew C. Patrick Ms. Sheryl Patrick Mr. & Mrs. M.T. Pavuk Mr. & Mrs. Gerry Pawlowski Lt. Col. Todd Peachey Ms. Nancy Pearson Ms. Phyllis A. Pelletier Mr. & Mrs. Joey E. Penny Ms. Phyllis A. Penny Mr. & Mrs. Lee F. Pensyl Mr. & Mrs. Michael V. Petrine Ms. Sheerry Pirillo Ms. Patricia E. Podesta Ms. Tonia N. Prelewicz Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Purcell Mr. & Mrs. Harry G. Reese, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Mark Rucci Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Rivers Mr. & Mrs. Frank G. Robison Mr. James O. Rodda Mr. & Mrs. Ronald A. Rogers Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Romanowski Mr. Lawrence Rosenfeld & Ms. Amy Drinker Attorney & Mrs. Harold Rosenn Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Rosenthal Mr. Stephen Rosenthal Mr. & Mrs. John Ross • report of gifts Mr. Daniel Roth Mrs. Eunice Rubel Mr. Charles E. Ruch, Jr. Mr. David G. Ruesch Ms. Kathleen Rusak Mr. Patrick M. Ryan & Ms. Melissa Jordan Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Rybitski Dr. Dorothy Saladiak Mr. Curtis Salonick Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Saunders Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Savitz Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth C. Savoia Mr. & Mrs. Michael D. Scarba Mr. Joseph E. Schall Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Schanker Mr. & Mrs. Edward Schechter Mr. & Mrs. Roland C. Schmidt Ms. Ruth Schooley Mrs. Stella Schub Ms. Kathleen T. Schubert Dr. & Mrs. Joseph M. Semple Ms. Lynn B. Settles Mrs. Nancy H. Shafer Ms. Lindsey M. Shea Mr. & Mrs. Edward Sheetz Mr. & Mrs. Gary E. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Glen T. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Joel Smith Ms. Jessica M. Solt Ms. Leslie A. Stefansky Ms. Anne P. Storms Mr. & Mrs. Scott D. Strough Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Struble Ms. Rose M. Sullivan Ms. Mary Sutherland Ms. Denice Szekely Mr. & Mrs. Vincent B. Tarsi Mr. & Mrs. Richard H. Taylor Ms. Cassandra Thomas Mr. & Mrs. Joseph D. Tondrick Rev. & Mrs. Stanley R. Trout Mr. & Mrs. Richard B. Van Camp, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Varano Mr. Robert T. Vaughn Ms. Linda F. Vecere Ms. Carol Vilardo Mr. Daniel P. Voitek Mr. Christopher C. Wakeley Mr. & Mrs. Ed Walkowiak Ms. Lori Webster Mrs. Helen Westenheffer Ms. Amanda A. Westgate Ms. Grace J. Wetzel Mr. Ronald Williams Ms. Vickie Wilson & Ms. Maureen Barrett Ms. Nina Windle Mr. & Mrs. Mark Yanchek Mr. & Mrs. Michael D. Yelen Mr. & Mrs. Richard Zeitoun Ms. Bethann Zeshonski Mrs. Patricia G. Zeszotarski Mr. & Mrs. Charles Zoeller Wilkes | Fall 2011 giving by constituency 33 �report of gifts • giving by class giving BY CLASS ClAss OF 1935 • • • The John Wilkes Society JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs Rita Seitchek Dicker Katherine P. Freund10 Stefana Hoyniak Shoemaker10 Joseph G. Sweeney10 Robert H. Melson* contriButors ClAss OF 1937 • • • The Eugene Farley Club contriButors Harriet Thalenfeld Gray ClAss OF 1938 Phyllis Eichler Berger Elizabeth Womelsdorf Sallyanne Frank Charlotte Waters Rowland ClAss OF 1943 • • • • • • The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club Blue CiRClE Gold CiRClE John C. Keeney10 contriButors • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley AssOCiATEs Julia Place Bertsch5 ClAss OF 1940 Mary Hutchko Flanagan10 Harry S. Katz5 Treveryan S. Kramer Irene Kessler Watkins ClAss OF 1944 • • • • • • The Eugene Farley Club President’s CiRClE Henry C. Johnson10 contriButors James B. Aikman5 Leon F. Wazeter* Louise S. Hazeltine 1, 10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold CiRClE Emma Kanyuck Tredick Farley AssOCiATEs ClAss OF 1941 George Papadoplos • • • The Eugene Farley Club Wilkes | Fall 2011 34 contriButors Kenneth Kressler Irene Sauciunas Santarelli Kathryn Hiscox Quinn5 Ruth Tischler Voelker10 Arthur C. Williams10 contriButors ClAss OF 1945 David L. Friedman5 Carolyn Nagro Lowum Harriet Corner Seeherman The Eugene Farley Club Farley AssOCiATEs The Eugene Farley Club Farley AssOCiATEs Harris R. Boyce Dolores Seitchak Price Joseph V. Pringle Nathaniel W. Trembath contriButors Gloria Paczkowski Kabusk Margaret Holloway Manchester Walter E. Margie George J. Trebilcox5 • • • The John Wilkes Society Farley AssOCiATEs • • • ClAss OF 1948 Ernest Weisberger 5 ClAss OF 1939 ClAss OF 1947 The John Wilkes Society Founder’s CiRClE William H. Rice5 JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs George F. Fry, Jr. The Eugene Farley Club Farley AssOCiATEs Herman Baumann10 Miriam Golightly Baumann10 Arthur Joseph Berger Albert J. Donnelly10 Muriel Bransdorf Mintzer5 Shirley Phillips Passeri Eugene L. Shaver10 contriButors ClAss OF 1949 Miriam Levinson Brand10 Edna Sabol Andrews10 Julius Brand10 Mary Porter Evans5 Barbara Medland Farley10 Lester S. Gross, Jr. Raymond S. Kinback Francis B. Krzywicki10 Rigo J. Lemoncelli Victor Minetola Virginia Meissner Nelson5 William H. Perry Gwenn Clifford Smith Marvin Smith Farley AssOCiATEs Robert Anthony10 Doris Gorka Bartuska5 Dorothy Wilkes Lewis Mary J. McCarthy Jerome N. Mintzer5 Clemence A. Scott10 contriButors Edward F. Corcoran Michael Fex, Jr. John H. Glowacki Lorraine Gritsavage Glowacki James Morrash5 Donald W. Perrego John J. Verban ClAss OF 1951 • • • The John Wilkes Society trustee AssOCiATEs ClAss OF 1950 William A. Perlmuth10 • • • John B. Guerra Harry R. Hiscox10 • • • contriButors contriButors Founder’s CiRClE ClAss OF 1946 Charlotte Reichlin Cutler5 Arthur D. Dalessandro trustee AssOCiATEs The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club Blue CiRClE The John Wilkes Society • • • Farley AssOCiATEs The Eugene Farley Club Joseph J. Savitz10 Elizabeth Faint Fell ClAss OF 1942 contriButors Edwin M. Kosik10 Gold CiRClE Claire Fischer Beissinger Robert J. Dido5 Frances Wentzel Dudeck John J. Fetch William Melnyk William M. Nancarrow Joseph Panzitta • • • John R. Semmer Priscilla Sweeney Smith-Matthews10 Robert L. Williams, Jr.5 JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs • • • The John Wilkes Society trustee AssOCiATEs Clayton J. Karambelas1, 10 Joseph Sooby, Jr.* Don C. Follmer 1, 10 William A. Plummer JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs Joseph G. Bendoraitis JoHn WilKes AssOCiATEs Edwin L. Johnson10 The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club Gold CiRClE Robert W. Hall10 Nicholas A. Heineman Donald C. Kivler10 Gold CiRClE Daniel Sherman10 Blue CiRClE Jean Ditoro Erickson10 Blue CiRClE John Gresh10 Farley AssOCiATEs James W. Davis Paul E. Huff Thomas J. Jordan5 Edward H. Lidz10 Reed D. Lowrey5 Samuel L. Owens10 Elva Fuller Parker10 Angelo P. Pascucci Lawrence B. Pelesh10 Clyde H. Ritter Farley AssOCiATEs Leonard S. Anthony10 Helene Donn Evans10 William L. Evans10 Charles F. Jackson5 Delbert C. McGuire D. Joseph Pelmoter5 Andrew P. Skumanich 1 5 10 * Class Chair 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving Deceased �giving by class Contributors Audrey Seaman Anderson Shirley Salsburg Bernard Arthur W. Bloom Delbert J. Cragle Norman E. Cromack5 Olin W. Evans Joseph B. Gries George P. Heffernan, Jr.10 Francis E. Sajeski Daniel M. Ungvarsky Jeanne Claypool Van Newenhizen Charles F. Woodring5 Contributors Fay Jaffe Berg10 Dolores M. Grabko Dolores Roth Karassik Dorothy Hamaker Roden10 Leo E. Solomon5 David B. Whitney Elsie Giuliani Yarasheski10 Carol Jones Young5 CLASS OF 1954 • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle William J. Umphred, Sr.10 Gold Circle Earl C. Crispell5 Paul J. Delmore10 Carol Reynar Hall10 Robert McFadden John A. Wolfkeil5 Farley Associates Founder’s Circle Patricia Stout Williams10 Gold Circle Theodore R. Angradi Lewis B. Giuliani William R. Glace Thomas J. Goblick Charles T. Reice Andrew Sofranko, Jr. Thomas R. Adams10 Anita Gordon Allen5 James T. Atherton* Barry J. Iscovitz5 Carl Karassik Leonard J. Mather Joseph J. Mosier Katherine Goetzman Peckham10 John B. Vale Albert J. Wallace10 Peter Wurm J. Louis Bush10 Walter E. Elston Joseph A. Fattorini, Jr. CLASS OF 1955 Contributors President’s Circle Marilyn Wilkes Dugan Daniel S. Dzury Howard A. Gonchar Chia-In Wang Rutkowski5 Robert J. Shemo Norma Carey Vale Richard L. Bunn • • • The John Wilkes Society CLASS OF 1953 The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Contributors The Eugene Farley Club • • • The Eugene Farley Club John Wilkes Associates Nancy Ralston Grogan Helen Bitler Ralston10 Class of 1956 • • • Farley Associates CLASS OF 1952 Doris Sadowski Merrill5 Joan Wachowski Michalski5 John S. Prater Robert S. Rydzewski10 Thomas R. Sarnecky Donald J. Tosh Howard L. Updyke Edward E. Yarasheski10 John Wilkes Associates Dean A. Arvan5 David L. Hoats5 Leo R. Kane5 Richard B. Kent Charles M. Reilly5 • • • Henry K. Goetzman5 George H. Batterson James F. Ferris10 Clarence C. Givens10 David B. Lucchino Joseph A. Ungvarsky10 Michael J. Weinberger10 Farley Associates Marianna Kraynack Banash Jean Kravitz Barry Younsu Koo Jessie A. Roderick5 Joan Shoemaker10 John E. Suffren5 Victoria Zavatski Wallace Joseph F. Wilk Paul P. Zavada Contributors Dolores Pietroski Cackowski Mary Zavatski Croce5 Henry W. Deibel Helen Stoeckel Hessler5 Basia Mieszkowski Jaworski5 Benjamin Omilian David T. Shearer Samuel R. Shugar10 Arthur Stackel, Jr. Class of 1957 • • • The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Trustee Associates Blue Circle Paul B. Beers* James W. Dull10 Howard E. Ennis, Jr.10 Mary Kozak Motsavage10 Eugene Roth10 William H. Tremayne10 Farley Associates Lawrence E. Cohen10 Gold Circle Joseph J. Kropiewnicki10 May Way Vanden Broeck Judith Hopkins Arthur E. Imdorf John J. Kearney10 Russell R. Picton, Jr. Louis F. Steck1, 5 Blue Circle Stephen C. Thomas5 Farley Associates Constance Smith Andrews William E. Caruth Preston R. Eckmeder 1 Class 5 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased Contributors Robert H. Burger Marilyn Peters Hirsch Joshua J. Kaufman10 Leona Goldberg Markiewitz Farley Associates Larry D. Amdur Melvin E. McNew10 Howard B. Webb, Jr.10 Marguerite L. Allen William J. Donovan10 Merri Jones Earl10 Eileen Svigals Feibus Max B. Greenwald Edward J. Heltzel Edmund J. Kotula10 Judith Menegus Deluca Juanita Patience Moss10 Martha Wagner Ostrowski George R. Richards Paul J. Tracy10 Keith Williams Farley Associates Nasser N. Bonheur John L. Coates Gloria Dran Elston William M. Farish10 Vincent P. Herron, Jr. Andrew J. Oleksy Nancy Morris Phethean5 Phyllis Walsh Powell10 Charles W. Robinson1, 5 John J. Schultz5 Jerome Stein5 Carl R. Urbanski10 Leslie P. Weiner10 Blue Circle The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Trustee Associates Contributors Earl R. Bahl Barbara Thomas Balcomb Lena Misson Baur Elaine Williams Brooks Samuel Dilcer Jacob M. Dvornicky Richard F. Heltzel Beverly Falkinburg Hildebrand Frances Hopkins Jordan Marie Zanowicz Kruska Jean Schraeder Kuchinskas10 Thomas J. Lane Arthur N. Meyer Patricia Reese Morris Lois Myers Martin J. Novak10 Joseph E. Podlesny Terry Lee Smith Class of 1958 • • • The John Wilkes Society Contributors Anthony M. Bianco Susan Shoff Bianco Mary Mattey Borgersen5 Samuel T. Buckman, Jr.5 John G. Carling5 John J. Chick Arthur S. Christianson Janet Jones Crawford10 William P. Giacomini Virginia Leonardi Novak10 Carol Hallas McGinley Clarence Michael Edward J. Milowicki Gerald Minturn10 Joseph W. Oliver5 Joseph S. Pipan5 Vera Wroble Pitel10 Mary Craig Pugh10 Robert Scally Harold L. Schuler Melinda Passarelli Sokol Robert A. Sokol David H. Weber10 Richard E. Wozniak10 Jacqueline M. Young5 Class of 1959 • • • Founder’s Circle The John Wilkes Society Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox10 William I. Williams10 John Wilkes Associates Robert A. Mugford10 Frederick J. Hills10 Edward McCafferty Lynne Herskovitz Warshal10 Carl V. Zoolkoski John Wilkes Associates The Eugene Farley Club Peter R. Pisaneschi10 L. Joyce Tremayne10 Salvatore M. Valenti Bruce S. Warshal10 Gold Circle President’s Circle Founder’s Circle The Eugene Farley Club Elisabeth Schwartz King Blue Circle Robert C. Morgan10 Paul A. Schecter* 10 Gold Circle President’s Circle Jesse H. Choper10 Kelly J. Mather Thomas I. Myers5 Harold P. Shannon John Wilkes Associates Seymour Holtzman5 George Kolesar5 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Bettijane Long Eisenpreis10 Blue Circle George Ginader10 Theresa Mazzarella Morrow10 Josef M. Reese5 Farley Associates Mary Lou Spinelli Casella Robert E. Davis10 Donald E. Devans1, 10 Thomas M. Dugan Paul J. Earl10 Martha James Flanigan5 Robert A. Florio Charles J. Gareis Jane Norton Granitzki10 Wilkes | Fall 2011 Norman J. Faramelli Philip D. Husband5 Sandor Yelen Thomas D. Stine10 Vester V. Vercoe, Jr.5 • report of gifts 35 �report of gifts • giving by class John P. Karolchyk5 J. Rodger Lewis John Q. Mask, III Chester J. Nocek10 Robert B. Payne Patricia Yost Pisaneschi10 Mary Anchel Sabel5 George R. Schall10 Warren W. Schmid Charles A. Sorber10 Robert J. Yokavonus10 Ann Dixon Young Contributors Richard Aston Alan R. Balcomb Charles S. Butler10 A. Jennie Hill10 Albert P. Kuchinskas10 Sylvia Rapp Kully Janice Reynolds Longo Joan Grish McSweyn10 Robert J. Pitel10 Larry G. Pugh10 Arlene R. Tanalski Marianne Levenoskie Van Blarcom10 Robert W. Walters10 Francine Bishop Watkins Class of 1960 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Peter W. Perog10 Ronald W. Simms5 President’s Circle Emilie Roat Gino10 Charles Billings Walter Glogowski Aaron G. Hastie, Jr. Ira K. Himmel Virginia Lyons Hoesl10 Ronald D. Kross Patricia A. Krull10 Andrew R. Sabol10 Anthony J. Sankus10 Judith Ruggere Schall10 Robert J. Sislian Patricia Fushek Skibbs Roy H. VanWhy Richard J. Weiss Raye Thomas Wileman10 Richard R. Wileman10 Contributors Lynne Boyle Austin Joan Llewellyn Buckman5 Barbara Bachman Edwards Carl R. Havira Marilyn Warburton Lutter10 John F. Marriott, Sr. Frank L. Mazzeo Judith Weiss Moskow5 Richard J. Myers Jean Shofranko Olexy William D. Peters John D. Phillips10 George T. Reynolds Helen Schainuck Rubin Donald J. Sabatino10 Doris Gademan Stephens Robert D. Washburn Bernadine Zapotowski Willard Raymond G. Yanchus5 Emmanuel J. Ziobro Bruce Zollers John Wilkes Associates Class of 1961 Evelyn Krohn Holtzman5 Allyn C. Jones1, 10 Gordon E. Roberts Martin F. Tansy Robert W. Verespy10 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Thomas P. Korshalla10 Patricia A. Levandoski10 Joseph N. Molski5 Lawrence P. Williams10 The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle William F. Raub10 Shirley G. Davis Jay P. Keller10 Blue Circle Christopher H. Loesch, Jr. 10 Albert R. Stralka10 Farley Associates Philip J. Amico10 Marvin A. Antinnes5 Marie Honcharik Basta10 Joseph M. Drozdowski Leonard M. Gonchar Nancy Bonham Hontz Carl J. Meyers10 Donald T. Murphy Patricia Lawless Ryan5 Beverly Major Schwartz5 Frank M. Scutch10 Jule Znaniecki Wnorowski Contributors Martha Menegus Amadio5 Norma Wentz Bregen Janice Bronson-Bartlett10 Joseph J. Chisarick5 Richard P. Cobb Ruth Shales Cook5 Robert L. Dickerson Harry E. Filbert, Jr. Walter J. Folek Robert J. Hewitt Stephen L. Klein Margaret Churchill Kuffner5 Gregory J. Lester Robert A. Martin5 June Patrylak Neff5 Joseph P. Olexy, Jr. Emil J. Petrasek Patricia Capers Petrasek A. Francis Riofski Melvin Watkins Jane Jablonski Wills Class of 1962 • • • John Wilkes Associates The John Wilkes Society Fred R. Demech, Jr.* 1, 5 Henry A. Greener5 Nancy Rosenfeld Greener5 Patricia Boyle Heaman John W. Kluchinski5 Nancy Carroll Kolesar5 John Wilkes Associates Frank H. Menaker, Jr.10 Joseph J. Neetz10 Estelle Manos Sotirhos The Eugene Farley Club Beverly Nagle Barnick10 Thomas Barnick10 Gold Circle Elizabeth Tubridy Fairchild10 Warren P. Greenberg Gill Ho Bai Wilkes | Fall 2011 Class Chairs are alumni who promote annual 36 unrestricted giving and offer their thoughts and experiences to Wilkes Fund Appeals to give them a personal touch. If you are interested in becoming a class chair, please contact Lauren Y. Pluskey ’06, MBA ’10 at (570) 408-4331 or at lauren.pluskey@wilkes.edu. Contributors Contributors Audrey Petro Coslett5 Morgan Davis5 Albert M. Dobrowalski Wilbur N. Dotter10 Robert L. Evans, Sr.5 Sandra S. Feldman10 Florence Billings Finn Evelyn Hudyck Gibbons Andrew J. Hassay Joyce Medlock Jones5 Robert A. King5 David R. Kline Philip M. Lear Cory Epps Lyons John J. Miller5 Lorraine Shutta Riofski Michael Samberg Rena Lewine Schoenfeld5 Helen M. Tinsley5 Royal A. Wetzel John S. Adams Paul A. Battisti10 Norman D. James5 Gloria Silverman Kasper10 Lynne Stockton Mutart Zoya Dzury Rakowski Robert B. Singer Barbara S. Soyka Edward A. Stofko Beverly Munson Swift Anne Jamieson Taylor Victor Turoski5 Eleanor Brehm Watts Robert C. Williams Gerard J. Zezza, Jr.10 Class of 1964 • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle Mary Kay Barrett Rotert5 Class of 1963 • • • John Wilkes Associates The John Wilkes Society Alan C. Krieger10 Trustee Associates The Eugene Farley Club Jerry A. Mohn10 Rowena Simms Mohn10 Blue Circle Robert T. Bond1, 5 Richard O. Burns Neil Dougherty Leland D. Freidenburg, Jr. 10 Charles A. Krivenko Daniel J. Lyons10 John Wilkes Associates Mary Regalis Althauser The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Nicholas L. Alesandro Jeremiah E. Berk10 Bernard H. Cohen Erwin F. Guetig10 Adolf L. Herst5 Gerald A. Moffatt Farley Associates Jane Edwards Bonomo Lillian Bodzio Caffrey Thomas M. Farris John A. Gavenonis10 Gilbert A. Gregory Clinton G. Hess10 Joseph Kruczek Richard A. Morgan5 Vicki Burton Sabol10 Bonnie Lewis Turchin10 Peter Winebrake Leonard A. Yankosky, Jr. 10 Barbara A. Yuscavage10 Robert E. Herman Joseph W. Raksis10 Daniel Zeroka5 Farley Associates Blue Circle Class Chairs Stephen E. Phillips10 Edward J. Rogalski Alan A. Schneider Stephen Selige Richard R. Snopkowski5 Geraldine M. Tarantini10 John E. Tredinnick10 Joseph Weinkle5 Edward J. Wilk Blue Circle The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Farley Associates John A. Hosage10 Stanley J. Karmilovich Vivian Cardoni Katsock5 Albert Kishel5 Nancy Martin Lynn10 Ruth Boorom Melberger10 Joanne Pisaneschi Olejnick10 William A. Rishko5 Rachel Altavilla Winebrake Mark H. Adelson Francis J. Machung5 Farley Associates Michael F. Bianco Donald H. Bogert5 Harry Collier10 Miriam Vaskorlis Cooper Janet Simpson Dingman10 Judith Butchko Gallagher10 Mary Ann Foley Hopkins5 Willard S. Achuff10 Jane Downin Alderman Alice Cole Bartlett10 Theodore R. Begun Robert F. Cherundolo Mary Barone Du Mont5 Janice MacDonald Hastie Charles E. Johns10 Jane Woolbert Karpiak Phyllis Cackowski Kempinski Stuart W. Lawson, Jr.5 Carolyn Draper Lippincott Contributors Jeanne Depew Attenborough Lynne Dente John H. Farrell5 Jorgie A. Grimes J. Douglas Haughwout C. Michael Manganaro 1 Class Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 5 5 10 �giving by class Lee McCloskey Shubert Catherine Skopic John H. Uhl Robert J. Vincenti John Voda Flora Anderson Weber Charlene Nalbach Yanchik10 John H. Zielinski Class of 1965 Founder’s Circle Class of 1967 Carol Saidman Greenwald5 David Greenwald5 • • • • • • The John Wilkes Society Class of 1966 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Gary G. Popovich Donald A. Pahls5 Jay L. Reich Anthony J. Ross William Schneider Jane Jancik Stevens Dolores Barone Straka5 Timothy Swanson, Sr. Suzanne Bellone Timko10 Mary Kennedy Voda Gerald L. Weisberger Mary Zezza5 The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle Gerard A. McHale, Jr. 10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John Wilkes Associates Raymond Lowery, Jr. Neil L. Millar5 Richard C. Roshong Gerald F. Weber Catherine De Angelis5 Anthony J. Parulis5 John J. Sickler B. William Vanderburg10 Natalie Kowalski Vanderburg10 Mary Lou Butkoski Zaleski5 Blue Circle The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Blue Circle Keith P. Ackerman Alfonse S. Bayo5 Catherine Brader Butler Kent E. Davis William E. Davis, Jr. Jane Charlton Huey Leon E. Obrzut10 Marian Markle Pool Donald W. Ungemah10 Andrea Templar Ackerman Judith Valunas Barr5 Richard L. Bucko5 John S. Cavallini10 Barbara Lewis Cousland5 Jeanne Martin Dhavale5 W. Marshall Evans10 Alan C. Gamble Charles J. Huey John P. Karpiak JoAnn Margolis F. Charles Petrillo William M. Pinkowski5 Susan Evans Pons William Webb Frederick E. Weber Contributors Contributors Contributors Nancy Czubek Barto Jane Cochran Chambers5 Marylin C. Davis Dale H. Edwards Rita Dougherty Groves Frederick E. Hackett John H. Kirschner, Jr. Lois A. Kutish Herbert N. Maier10 Gustave Martin Ruth H. McDermott Carl J. Missal John A. Nork5 Thomas L. Pirnot Barbara Menarick Russo Anita Minelli Salerno Theresa M. Sapp Judith Sisco Shotwell Daniel Baczkowski Sandra Woolf Bauman Barbara Lewis Dipalo Esther Schwartz Dorkin10 Forrest J. Eichmann Clement A. Gaynor, Jr. Lois Boganovitz Gelb Dwight E. Giles, Sr.10 Carol Mazur Glowzenski5 Mark E. Hamdi Robert C. Harding10 E. William Kaylor, Jr. Margaret Gee Kraynanski5 Barbara A. Kubinski W. David Larmouth, II Eugene A. Macur5 Mildred Gross Maier10 Gloria Martin5 Bonnie Brown O’Neill Charles L. Aquilina Mark K. Bauman Eugene J. Bonfanti5 Joseph G. Brillinger, Jr. David R. Cowan5 Donald E. Fredd Theodore J. Gourley Virginia Rome Grabowski Lawrence A. Major Evelyn Morenko Matelski5 Vernie Shiposh Noecker Charlotte Peterson John J. Pilosi5 Henry J. Pownall Daniel R. Price Janice Parsons Robart Darlene Moll Roth Diane Wynne Shallcross Russell G. Shallcross Farley Associates 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates John R. Miller10 Founder’s Circle Ronald Piskorik John Wilkes Associates Thomas G. Ambrosi Anne Heineman Batory William R. Bush10 Esther Wargo McCormick5 William W. Stinger Michael G. Hudick Joyce Callahan Krivenko Grace Jones Kutzmas5 Ruth Partilla Narcum10 Simon S. Russin The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John Wilkes Associates James J. Vidunas John B. Hall James B. Jenkins Leslie Tobias Jenkins Joseph Kutzmas5 • • • Founder’s Circle John Wilkes Associates Roger A. Rolfe Happy Field Grohowski Ronald P. Grohowski Class of 1968 The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Robert S. Gardner5 Russell H. Jenkins Andrea Gallet Lander Walter Narcum10 Paul P. Purta, Jr. William A. Trethaway Farley Associates Judith Adams-Volpe Lewis M. Chere Leona Sokash Dufour Richard H. Firestine Joseph A. Grohowski, Sr.5 Eugene L. Kelleher Richard L. Kramer James M. Mason Barbara Liberasky Nowicki Edwin A. Pashinski Peter S. Phillips10 Maureen Savage Szish Windsor S. Thomas10 William G. Cooper10 Daniel Klem, Jr.10 George J. Sick10 Blue Circle David D. Baum10 George E. Collinson10 Gerald E. Missal5 Edward J. Podehl Farley Associates Soni Stein Baltimore Nicholas Andrew Barna Joyce Christian Detter Eugene S. Farley, Jr. Barry Gold Zdzislawa Paciej Harms5 Marilyn Caprione Heffron Robert C. Klotz10 Marian Zaledonis Kovacs10 A. Dan Murray Charetta Chiampi Mutarelli Fran D. Olexy Michael S. Pipan Elizabeth Scholl10 Thaddeus Seymour John F. Sheldon Wayne A. Sittner Elizabeth A. Slaughter5 Charles W. Snyder5 Paul B. Solomon5 Albert E. Stofko Helen Dugan Worth Contributors David P. Baccanari5 Roger S. Beatty Judith E. Beyer5 Frederick N. Brown Joseph J. Buziuk, Jr.5 Richard G. Cantner Beverly Shamun Carey10 Margaret Klein Deacon Margaret Hoban Dominic Barbara Ann Dorish Eleanor Jachimczak Guzofsky Malcolm Kintz Harris5 John J. Helme Stanley R. Houpt Teresa Cushner Hunt5 Jaquelyn Rubin Kaplan Lee A. Namey Patricia Haydt Nitchie Robert T. Noecker Peter T. Polashenski David Rossi Jay G. Ruckel Judith Labows Sabatino10 Eugene Salko Myrna Brodbeck Schaefer Margaret G. Seals Richard Seidel Charles R. Sgarlat Frank J. Smith Carl G. Sponenberg10 Michael Stefanick10 Leslie Calamari Tinney Michael H. Tinney Anthony J. Turchetti5 Michael J. Worth Class of 1969 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Richard T. Simonson5 President’s Circle John J. Chopack George G. Pawlush10 William F. Ryan, Jr.5 John Wilkes Associates Stephen G. Farrar Joseph B. Frappolli Michael J. Glancey5 Nancy Hawk Merryman10 Carol A. Skalski10 Nancy Wanczyk Stinger Cynthia Wisniewski Weber Paul A. Wender10 Joseph C. Wiendl The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Dori S. Jaffe5 Ann Alumbaugh McElyea Blue Circle Christopher A. Colovos5 David Ralston Cynthia West Reed5 James S. Reed5 Margery Fishman Ufberg10 Bernard J. Vinovrski Howard Weinberg Farley Associates Barbara N. Bellucci Bruce O. Brugel10 Robert M. Burnat10 John H. Butler R. Bruce Comstock Nathan G. Fink Ronald J. Gabriel Dennis P. Galli10 John T. Harmer5 George C. Harrison5 Stewart J. Harry10 Marilynn Froelich Hummer Wilkes | Fall 2011 Stanley Orlowski10 Leslie Stone Peltan5 Ray R. Pisaneschi10 Virginia Scrimgeour Ravin Mary Lou Searles Raykovicz Michael A. Raykovicz Carol Plonner Savona Lucille Lisnak Segal John Tensa, Jr. Harold B. Vogt Mary Gabla Zelinka • report of gifts 37 �report of gifts • giving by class David A. Jones Thaddeus M. Kalmanowicz5 Joseph G. Kopec Charles A. Kosteva5 Angelo F. Loverro Irving A. Mendelssohn John J. Moyer Albert D. Roke10 Rozanne Sandri-Goldin Donald C. Spruck Leonard E. Strope, Jr.5 Charles J. Tharp David C. Williams James E. Wynn5 Joseph Yozviak10 Contributors Ettore Joseph Anselmi Robert W. Ashton Jeannette Spott Barnes5 Betty Whah Bauman Roger Keith Butler Sylvia Scalise Ciocci Carol Sladin Clothier10 Lawrence B. Collins Henry M. Donati David J. Grandcolas Patricia Cieplik Granito Nicole LePochat Hartman Will Hooper Philip E. Howe Kay L. Huber Edward Janoski Thomas F. Kelly Vladimir W. Lecko Raymond B. Luckenbach Rhoda A. Moses5 Louis M. Pecora David J. Piatt Thomas M. Richards Virginia Thomas Rinehimer Sally Griffiths Robinson Carl V. Romanski Mel Rubin Marsha Weinstein Shapanka Mary E. Shaw Roy A. Shubert Carl J. Siracuse Gail Hadsall Thompson Janet Lutz Thurnau10 Robert C. Thurnau10 Steven Wasserstrom Bette Neroda Wells Rosemary Haydock Williams Carol Womelsdorf5 Class of 1970 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Wilkes | Fall 2011 John M. Cefaly, Jr.5 Margaret Filipkowski Sordoni10 38 Founder’s Circle Susan Ryan Simonson5 John Wilkes Associates Edward F. Burke George E. Conway Dan F. Kopen Janet Neiman Seeley10 Anne Aimetti Thomas The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Robert J. Conologue Renee Mucci Klem10 Charles D. Lengle5 Joyce Nahas Moses Janice A. Saunders10 Blue Circle David M. Bogusko Elaine Lundy Ephlin Jay H. Goldstein Fred A. Harkins, Jr. Barbara Gonzales Kende Carol Densmore Marascio John Marfia, Jr.5 Phyllis A. Petrosky Zygmont A. Pines Barbara Morrison Squeri John E. Squeri Marcella Wroblewski Vinovrski Farley Associates Carl J. Babushko Steven Chromey10 Carl L. Cook5 Lonnie A. Coombs10 Marilyn Rabel Costanzo10 James W. Darlington Leigh Doane Donecker Phyllis L. Gaydos Susan Trenkamp Harmer5 Ralph F. Hodgson, Jr. William C. Johnson Mary A. Kaiser* Joseph R. Kolm J. David Lombardi10 Barbara L. Nanstiel Judith Cobleigh Ockenfuss5 Robert E. Ockenfuss5 Lee Paige5 Stanley M. Pearlman Marion Boyle Petrillo Melvin C. Rogers, Jr. Neil M. Seidel5 Evelyn Rygwalski Snyder5 Mark E. Stair Maureen Clinton Stair Bill Tarbart1, 10 Richard Wetzel10 Contributors Robert C. Artim Phyllis Sun Cheng5 Karen Kelly Chepolis10 Edward J. Davies, II Ronald J. Delese Bernard P. Evanofski Ronald W. Faust Lorna Tarnoff Fredd David C. Hoffman Anthony J. Honko Adele Jancik Kaschenback Herbert F. Kemp5 Kenneth Kovaleski Camille Broski Kramer David W. Kutz10 Owen M. Lavery Joseph A. Lukesh10 Andrew C. Matviak Wendy Badman Sgarlat William Steel Kaye Harding Stefanick10 John R. Telencho Ralph C. Tewksbury, Jr. William S. Tinney5 Elva Costello Valentine Rosemary D’Elia Varone Lea Gina White Class of 1971 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Buck Mallan Founder’s Circle George J. Matz10 John Wilkes Associates John C. Baranowski Ellen Stamer Hall1 J. David Kaschak10 Mario J. Zinicola Susan Staniorski Davis10 Rita S. Du Brow Thomas F. Grant Alvin Justan Eileen Moniak Kackenmeister Stephen E. Kaschenbach10 Barbara Roman Knezek10 George H. Knezek, Jr. 10 Patricia Bauman Kramer Carol Hoffner Lavery Pauline Kmetz Makowski Gerald P. McAfee Daniel T. Powell Dennis J. Puhalla Maxine Levine Rubin Bruce A. Sabacek Joseph T. Sallitt George A. Sattof Della F. Schulz5 Barbara Perry Tokarz William Umbach10 Barbara Young Wagner Eugene H. Wagner, Jr. James C. Weaver10 Candice Cates Zientek Eric D. Hoover Michael T. Hughes Anthony V. Kleinhans10 Barbara Repotski Lach Kathryn Ramsey Massey10 Frances Aiken Mitchell David E. Roberts Enid Sullum Tope10 Dianne Hughes Treacy Joseph M. Treacy Elizabeth Roche Ward Alan E. Zellner Contributors Robert M. Babskie5 Mary Bau Kathryn Bekanich Karen Baldoni Bernardi Pamela Bolesta Lucinda Bryant5 Nancy Button Barbara Aulisio Camoni Thomas P. Casey Richard Chisarick5 Carol Manara Clark Guy J. Comparetta10 Sandra Holl Comparetta10 Eric B. Davenport Alice Hadsall Davis10 Richard J. Davis Thomas P. De Lay Sheila Denion Anne Musto-Van Noy Dragon5 Jane A. Firestine5 Jill Yanoshak Gagliardi10 Teresa Brown Galicki Sheldon S. German George B. Gettinger Karen Trevethan Gilmore5 Mary Ellen Dziak Grant James A. Gribb10 Clark J. Hamman Melissa Burdick Harmon Suzanne Cox Herstek5 Patricia Baranoski Jula10 Jacquelyn Van Tuyle Kelly5 Alexis Buchina Koss Pamela Krakowski Lawson Dixie Davis Mackall John G. Mandell, Jr. Leonard Matysczak Marianne Kolojejchick Matysczak Jacqueline Falk McGinley Rosemary Baratta Novak Mark H. Paikin Carlton E. Phillips10 Joan Skoranski Ralston Anne Marie Latona Roberts5 Connie Kopera Rodski Joseph D. Rosato Anne Gruscavage Sample5 Linda Samuel-Bickford Ilene Schulman Schneider Richard L. Shonk David K. Thomas Class of 1972 • • • The Eugene Farley Club The John Wilkes Society Gold Circle Trustee Associates Bonnie S. Gellas John A. Mazur William A. Hanbury John S. Kerr Renate Dargel Kerr Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer Ronald A. Rittenmeyer Blue Circle John R. Deem10 Judith Rodda Gardner5 Howard R. Lander William R. Lazor James B. Marascio Founder’s Circle Anthony M. Cardinale Laura Barbera Cardinale Kathy Price Kautter Farley Associates Terry A. Belles Beverly Peirce Berger10 James L. Butkiewicz10 Mary Ellen Fischer Butkiewicz10 Steven T. Case Martin M. Cebula Robert H. Davis Emil F. DiTullio10 Eugene S. Domzalski Francine Mackinder Douaihy Cherylynn Petyak Gibson10 Andrew J. Gubanich, Jr. Joseph N. Ishley Patricia Mazzeo Lombardi10 William J. Murphy10 Barbara Ward Nixon10 David Reel William E. Reese5 Larry R. Volkel5 Contributors Mary Nasielski Battista Mary MacArthur Bennett Christine Hincken Bloom Charles L. Cappa John P. Cherundolo Richard D. Ciuferri10 Joseph J. Cordora5 Alfred B. Crake5 President’s Circle Bruce E. Gover John Wilkes Associates James Garofalo10 Theodore T. Yeager10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Michael M. Mariani10 Gary H. Williams1, 10 Blue Circle Harvey A. Jacobs10 Eugene G. Pappas10 Judithann Walsh Whelley Farley Associates Ronald J. Bonomo Rita Ryneski Borzatti5 Robert A. Byrne Thomas A. Costanzo10 Helene Dainowski10 Frank Dessoye10 Donald L. Drust David A. Furman Catherine McCormick Gourley Dennis R. Gourley Barbara Kish Gubanich 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class Class of 1973 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Jay S. Sidhu President’s Circle Elizabeth Clements Gover John Wilkes Associates Charles P. Baker David L. Davis10 Lloyd W. Ortman, Jr.5 George P. Sillup The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Nathan R. Eustis, Jr. Robert P. Matley10 Bruce E. Phair Rosemaria Cienciva Sorg 10 John Wilkes Associates • • • Richard J. Allan James J. Morgan5 John J. Reese John G. Margo10 John Wilkes Associates 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle W. Lee Miller10 William R. Thomas10 The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates • • • Class of 1975 The John Wilkes Society Joan Popick Achhammer Nancy D. Adler Alain C. Arnould Joseph T. Baranoski Karen Metzger Baranoski John J. Benavage Irene B. Blum10 Hope Pawlush Boback Theodore Boback Janet Mazur Boylan5 Karen Patch Castor Robert L. Ciali David G. Demorat, Sr.* Angela Alba Dessoye5 Josephine Schifano Finlayson Joel Fischman Frank P. Galicki Lindsay Farley Gettinger Barbara Gilotti Class of 1976 Class of 1974 Blue Circle Contributors Anthony L. McHugh10 Gay Foster Meyers Kathleen Visniski Praschak Janet Bartuski Rajchel Joyce Hooley Regna Nancy Ellen Roberts Thomas Runiewicz Gary J. Skeras Jane E. Smith10 Marie Lucas Stolarick H. David Trethaway Amy Santilli Whitehouse Robert N. Yanoshak Peter C. Zubritzky5 Denise H. Chapura Julia K. Chmielowski Joseph C. Damiano10 Kevin J. Davy Charles D. Denkenberger Jean H. Gilroy Michael G. Hischak Ann Bowman Jamieson Karen Cerep Jones Martin J. Kane Joyce Stahl King Marshall I. Kornblatt Richard H. Lopatto, Jr. Ann Lyons Nardone Barbara Lucca Rizzitello Rosemary Petrillo Sarna Marguerite A. Sauer5 Pamela Eggert Schueler Sulochana Gogate Sherman Frank J. Tencza Jill Linder Waselik Robert D. Zettle10 • • • Donna Piston Aufiero10 Diane Chisarick Brennan Yvonne Gnatt Casey John Dubik10 Michael J. Filipowski Clyde H. Fitch Carl J. Galletti Drew M. Klemish5 Thomas S. Lasky5 Pamela Parkin Murphy10 Jeffrey F. Prendergast Paula T. Quinn Felice Oxman Salsburg10 Nancy Fern Snow Thomas R. Steltzer Theodore J. Tramaloni Mary P. Ungvarsky5 Edward P. Gorski Ann Carey Harding Barbara Gannon Hogan Bethann Myers Hornick10 Judith A. Kopetchne Pauline Hayes Lawson Cheryl S. Levey Catherine Link Janet Markowitz Macik Marguerite E. McCollom Alan R. Miller Doralyn Howard Moody Deborah A. Schneider10 Barbara Katra Swiatek5 Anita Miller Williams5 Martha Hall Yohe Preston L. Hess Florence Matura Hozempa Mary Burns Jansen Carol Geiger Kampa Evelyn Kovalchick Lewis Duncan W. MacIntyre James P. McGinley Raymond W. McNulty Denise Goobic Meck Margaret Maciun Perkins Barbara Zembrzuski Pisano John R. Pisano Kay Platt Michael W. Riebe David L. Ritter10 Judith Casola Roeder John Savitsky Brenda Ricco Sumski5 James Thomas Stephanie Pufko Umbach10 Cecilia Rudolph Williams • • • The John Wilkes Society Class of 1977 The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Trustee Associates Mary Belin Rhodes10 Carolann Gusgekofski Besler Philip A. Besler President’s Circle Paul S. Adams10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John Wilkes Associates Drew Landmesser Michael S. LoPresti Patrice Stone Martin10 Kim Witherow Morgan5 Sandra Shepard Piccone10 Jeffrey D. Renoe Gold Circle Gold Circle John J. Kowalchik Elizabeth M. Lopez5 Karen Kmietowicz Phair Nelson G. Landmesser Patricia A. Schillaci10 Roger T. Sorensen Blue Circle Blue Circle Gold Circle Ann Marie Bartuska Christine M. Buchina1, 5 Brian M. Finn Bernard J. Ford, III Joan Zaleski Ford Brian K. Haeckler10 David C. Kowalek5 Gary L. Richwine Michael G. Stambaugh Stephen M. Baloga, Jr.10 James Castanzo Joan Domarasky Luksa10 Richard J. Sullivan5 Bruce A. Lear Farley Associates Farley Associates Deborah Lataro Cargo10 Robert D. Clements, Jr. Gail MacIntyre Dohrn10 Carol Kester Dungey Susan V. Fielder10 Diane R. Jones5 Richard W. MacKey Joseph J. Marchetti Michael G. Menichini Deborah Dinkel Nieman Somsy Phrakaysone Margery German Rifkin Michael S. Rifkin Robert J. Spinelli5 Maureen Carey Albrecht Holly G. Baab Richard A. Bellacosa Kathleen Warakomski Benjamin Joan Chemnitius Best Raymond A. Best Arthur S. Daniels10 Ruth McKalips Diestelmeier Paul J. Domowitch Steven Esrick5 T. Chris Hansen, II Gene A. Heath10 Michael J. Kassab Earl W. Monk10 Richard D. Mutarelli5 Catherine Williams Ozgo10 Jeffrey A. Schlicher M. Patty Cullinan Spinelli5 Thomas J. Ward Blue Circle Darlene Kishbaugh Darryl G. Kramer Dwaine Edwards Mattei Duane Sadvary5 Robert P. Singer Angela T. Vauter Farley Associates Paula Castrucci Mary P. Cawley Clifton E. Dungey Robert T. Dzugan5 Lorene Daring Laberge Ann Agnes Loftus Robert Lussi Richard D. Masi John J. Mazzolla Bettie Ann Rogers Morgan Michael J. O’Boyle10 Robert D. Prendergast Beverly Chislo Solfanelli Carol Presnal Stashik Elaine Smith Traynor J. Bruce Weinstock Ann M. Williams Margaret A. Zellner Contributors Gerald C. Alferio Diane Seltzer Bloss Donna Coffin Bresmon Gene A. Camoni Farley Associates Ann Dysleski Armstrong Raymond Bartosh5 Barbara Swandick Duda Rebecca Ceresi Grasavage5 Raymond P. Gustave Robert S. Howes, Jr. Ronald J. Jacobs10 Gary M. Kratz Clarence G. Ozgo10 Thomas W. Pezzicara5 Sally Chupka Pucilowski10 Pauline A. Seleski Amir Shahi-Fakhr Joan Bonfanti Shannon Nancy P. Snee Stephen Solfanelli Ann Rapoch Super5 Jane E. Thompson5 Nancy Rodda Topolewski10 Contributors Jennifer C. Anderson Andrew E. Baron Theodore B. Dennis, Jr. Ellen Schwartz Fischman Contributors Marianne Montague Benjamin Susan Brimo-Cox William F. Burke, Jr. Maryrose Bendik Burlington10 Andrea Mahally Danilack Mark J. Dubik David L. Ellis Regina Gurick Guarin Darice Sabalesky Janusziewicz Marianne Macur Kopcho Frances S. Kuczynski5 Margaret Burgess Lenihan5 Shelley Rubin Liva Paul J. Macik The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Joseph W. Buckley Contributors Linda Jamiolkowski Brush Jill Fritz Buntz5 Donna Smith Dickinson Manuel J. Evans Deborah A. Federo Judith Bienkowski Geary Kenneth A. Geary Louise Butkiewicz Goodwin David C. Griffin Wilkes | Fall 2011 Barbara McNicholl Scarpino10 Deborah Berti Walsh • report of gifts 39 �report of gifts • giving by class Margaret Tomczak Interrante Mark J. Jarolen Karen Kuchinskas Kaminski Carl E. Kaschenbach, III Joanne Englot Kawczenski10 Deborah J. Koons5 Christine Koterba Lodge Rick D. Mahonski5 Amy Albanese Mazich John J. Minetola Sandra Horensky Molotsky5 Thomas Paliscak* 5 Barry Allan Pezzner Roy David Preefer James D. Reilly, Jr. Joseph W. Sekusky Leonarda A. Sperrazza Patricia S. Steele Inez S. Stefanko Dianne LaCova Trawick Patrick A. Ward5 Pamela Gingell Webb Class of 1978 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Rhea Politis Simms5 Founder’s Circle Brigette McDonald Herrmann10 Joanne Pugliese Carpenter Paula Heffernan Daley10 Michael V. DeVincentis5 Janine Pokrinchak Dubik Joann Mykulyn Evans Mark Finkelstein Gary E. Gardner Doreen Wickiser Hampton Denise Casem Hasneh5 Carol Pashchuk Huggler5 Andrea Chuba Kealey10 Patricia McCarthy Last Stephen J. Lear John J. Mack10 Leslie Stobel McCafferty Mark A. Miklich Margaret Schutz Mullin Christopher B. O’Brien Diane M. Polachek Harriet Smith Rabinowitz5 Stewart W. Rae, III Mary Kern Reynolds10 Terry J. Schoen Susan Shiskowski Frank R. Sirocki Robert J. Stofko5 Linda Allmon Walden5 David J. Yakaitis5 Maryjean deSandes5 Class of 1979 Deborah Yedlock Glidden Nigel J. Gray David J. Gulitus William M. Havrilchak George P. Hodges Claire Elaine Johnson Nancy Jane Johnson Joseph D. Kerestes, Jr. Rosa Khalife-McCracken John R. Leedy James J. Maloney5 Kurt J. Moody Linda Mizenko Noto Edward F. Orloski Thomas P. Sokola Mary Ann Morgan Stelma Cheryl Berry Washington Class of 1980 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Joseph T. Rauschmayer Stephen J. Croghan5 Joel P. Kane Thomas N. Ralston10 Gold Circle Stephen S. Grillo10 John R. Silk Dean W. Evans Terri Mackavage Kovalski John Wilkes Associates John H. Ellis, IV5 David L. Blumfield Carol A. Bosack-Kosek Lawrence J. Mullen10 Mark A. Rado5 Michael A. Sibilia David M. Williams Shepard C. Willner10 Blue Circle The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Barry J. Niziolek5 Gold Circle Joseph D. Angelella1 Anthony J. Aversa Thomas E. Brooks, III Janet May Cavanaugh James L. Devaney Karen L. Devine Charles E. Hagen Judith Scott Harris Craig A. Jackson David M. Maxim10 Michael G. McNelis Richard J. Nordheim5 William A. Shaw10 Joseph M. Toole5 Wilkes | Fall 2011 40 Michael D. Booth Karen Kennedy Campbell10 Blue Circle Ruth McDermott-Levy10 John Wilkes Associates Blue Circle Contributors Bruce R. Williams1 Lisa Prokarym Rauschmayer Frederick W. Herrmann10 Sharon Zawatski Ellis Jay Finkelstein William D. Frye, Jr. 10 Wilma Hurst Gardner Gold Circle Founder’s Circle Founder’s Circle Contributors The Eugene Farley Club William R. Miller10 Joseph A. Gray Joye Martin-Lamp5 Renee Venarucci Benedetto5 Karen Lucchesi Bostrom John E. Cavanaugh, Jr. Betsy Bell Condron10 David E. Dudick William J. Gibbons Donald E. Horrox10 Michael M. Molitoris Sandra Pensieri-Molitoris Leonard J. Podrasky, Jr. Maureen Shay Prendergast Geraldine Cravatta Samselski Cheryl Moyer Thomas Brian C. Thomas John Wilkes Associates Ann Marie Booth Cardell Daniel J. Cardell Farley Associates John Wilkes Associates Maureen Connolly Cambier Joseph E. Gaydos5 Kathleen Layaou Heltzel Teresa A. Keenan Regina Morse Ana E. Nunez Keith J. Saunders Myron Slota Karen Steckel Vernon John Wilkes Associates Michael A. Calabrese Ann Sharkey Esrick5 Ellen M. Field Diane Pechalonis Groves Lori Ashbaugh Mackey Anita Marie Meehan Jane A. Miller10 James J. Moran10 Anita Mucciolo David A. Palanzo Cynthia M. Patterson5 Lois Enama Pluskey1, 5 Judith L. Reishtein Clark F. Speicher John K. Suchoski5 Jacqueline A. Vitek Kenneth J. Krogulski Wayne D. Lonstein Trustee Associates Gold Circle Farley Associates President’s Circle James P. Edwards10 Trustee Associates Donald I. Burton, Jr.10 David E. Hadley Farley Associates Jean Reiter Adams10 Carol Corbett Pawlush10 Founder’s Circle The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle The John Wilkes Society • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle • • • President’s Circle • • • The Eugene Farley Club Class of 1982 Class of 1981 President’s Circle Raymond E. Dombroski David A. Jolley10 Judith Mills Mack10 Michael J. Speziale5 John J. Woloski, Jr. Marla Brodsky Wright ’81 Sharon Knight Grivner Ronald J. Gronski Bruno E. Kolodgie5 Philip A. Marino Michael Miller John A. Miranda Joanne Harding Murphy10 Thomas B. Needham, Jr.10 Frank A. Pascucci Gary J. Richard Barbara Boote Rupert Kenneth N. Sciamanna10 Jill Molinaro Speicher Susan M. Suchanic Paul R. Torre Maria Miscavage Urick James Michael Wallace Patricia L. Warski Barbara Rodda Welch5 Cheryl Polak Woloski Frank D. Yamrus1 Contributors Julie Keiderling Bordo Edgar S. Brace, III5 Jeanne C. Brady Michael V. Broda Kathryn Roman Davis Donna Mae Eicke Robert J. Gaetano Terrence W. Casey Joseph G. Galli1 Barbara E. King5 Contributors Patricia Wysowski Cooper Linda McCarthy D’Amario Marjorie A. George Linda R. Kistler Rosanne Kramer Brenda Kutz Burkholder Debra Thompson Miller Patricia Markiewicz Patrician Jane Ciprich Ryan Christine Lain Sarno Carl F. Schultheis, III Catherine Durocher Shafer10 John D. Sweeney Brian T. Waugh Ann Molski Wells Deborah Chandler Zuzelski5 Theodore Zwiebel The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Rose Ann Salvo Farley Farley Associates Linda Styers Adams Kathleen Potter Atkinson Mary Jean McCarthy Clements Beth Hathaway Glassford Harry C. Hicks, Jr. Susan M. Liberski Gary E. Michael Cheryl Scalese Moyer Mary Rebarchak Schott10 Rosemarie Hubner Swain Class of 1983 • • • The John Wilkes Society Contributors John Wilkes Associates Noreen Sack Burginia Debra Prater Chapman Jacqueline Sunder Demko James J. Grudzinski Susan Matley Hritzak Theresa M. Johnson Keith P. Kolanda James S. Makowski Melissa Demko Molinaro Maria Nilsen Pacchioni5 Donna Pioppi Donna Ferretti Shandra Sarah Farley Stapleton Robert A. Bruggeworth The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Jeffrey R. Garbor10 Gerald J. O’Hara Farley Associates Daniel A. Batzel Clair Beard Read 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class Contributors Michael Ambrosiani Joan Thomas Brody Roy J. Brody Stephen N. Cahoon David R. Carey1 Jennifer Ogurkis Carey Judy Rydzewski Cudo Amy J. Elias Lori Yensavage Gardner Robert D. Haas David Hottenstein Eric L. Johnson10 Kathleen Keller Leon T. Kolanowski Lisa Striefsky Levine Bart L. Matson Debra Malinick-McGraw Elizabeth Huettenmoser North James R. Reap Patricia M. Riley Francis E. Rowe Daniel C. Schilling10 Kimberly Coccodrilli Strickland Leonard J. Swida, Jr. Elaine Puzio Waugh Class of 1984 • • • The John Wilkes Society Ruth E. Renna10 David J. Scopelliti Marguerite McCormick Tolan10 R. Drew Wilkins Contributors Jo Ann Magers Araya Joseph J. Birmingham Stephen J. Bohac Donna Grzenda Bonczewski Edward W. Czeck Alphonse T. D’Amario Ellen Proeller Dennis Patricia Hidock Dodge William B. Dodge Joseph F. Dylewski10 Lisa Howes Eifler Erin Evans Franko Raul Gochez Herbert Godfrey, Jr. Sharon Michener Gross Edward R. Kennelly Joseph J. Leandri Gary M. Mack Elizabeth Larson Ostuni Marie Yeager Pope Marcia Wachs Race Theodore Ruch Dennis W. Sholl David A. Soboleski Ann Marie Burke Sweeney Christopher Thomas Dianne M. Watchulonis5 Karen L. Weltman Donald R. Werts Charmaine Conrad Zoller5 The Eugene Farley Club Karen Bove5 Susan Maier Davis1 Blue Circle 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Thomas Allardyce5 Jay C. Rubino5 Thomas J. Thomas, Jr. The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Thomas J. Balutis Dianne Charsha5 Thomas J. Swirbel10 Kathleen Hyde Walsh Denise Selner Bartoletti10 Dawn Lockburner Bayles John A. Chipego Barbara Jarick Ecker Joseph C. Grzenda, Jr. Kathryn Gryzie Johnson Sandra P. Luongo5 David P. Rudis Eugene D. Wachowski5 Timothy P. Williams5 Myron W. Yencha Class of 1987 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Joseph S. Briskie The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Alice C. Bulger10 John H. Bulger10 Joyce Victor Chmil5 Thomas J. Ricko1, 5 John P. Sedor Mark Tobino Farley Associates Cornelius Douris5 Anthony M. Gavel John W. Harrison Daniel R. Nulton10 Michael Rupp10 Marc E. Shapiro Donald Shaw Greg Trapani Sandra Williams Contributors Michael Mattise10 Michele James Wagner Linda Turowski Attardo Christine Rushforth Banks Elizabeth Payne Bartram Shirley Nelson Brough Karen Klutz Burden Joan Balutis Chisarick5 Charles Cohn Alysse Croft Daches Roy M. DeLay Stephen DiMarco Michael R. Everett Greg A. Feldman Joan Smith Foster Thomas R. Gasper Kimberly Tokach Kellar Joseph M. Kultys Scott Michenfelder5 John R. Patterson, Jr. Alex Rendina Sandra A. Rendina Steve Shearer Ellen R. Smith Sally Vojtek Mazzarella Caryl Goldsmith Wax Blue Circle Russell Banta Kay Brown-Coskey Tom Harfman5 Edward J. Hudson10 Mary Ann Koshatzky Keirans Daniel J. Kennelly John C. Long, Jr. Timothy E. Page Thomas J. Popko, Jr. Michael J. Uter Contributors Farley Associates Christopher D. Way Suzanne Engel Webber Karen Sheard White Thaddeus M. Zuzik Gold Circle Farley Associates Gold Circle • • • James J. Mulligan5 Karen Zingale The John Wilkes Society Richard J. Myers, Jr. Joni Fiester Brooks Donna Nitka Brunelli Kathleen Galli Chupka10 Paul C. Dietrich5 Debra Bligh Gernhart5 Jeffrey S. Gernhart5 Daniel Glunk Francis S. Gruscavage5 Edwin M. Johnson Janet Legault Kelley10 Regina White Klepadlo5 Barbara Rosick Moran10 John S. Perry Class of 1986 John Wilkes Associates • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Theresa Gruzenski Alba10 Melissa Bauzon Bohac Neil T. Coy, Sr. Evelyn J. Dopko10 Carmella Butera Fereck5 Suzanne Vassia Fletcher Michael Homishak Gail Lamoreux Kashulon10 Vincent J. Kashulon, Jr.10 John F. Kelly5 Alice Ting Lee5 Michael A. Marino, Jr. Sharon McLoughlin-Fabris Thomas J. Monsell James M. Opet10 Elizabeth Dougherty Quinn Michelle Liddic Schilling10 Jeffrey J. Tokach Annette Winski Spahr Joseph E. Ziobro Paul Chmil5 Paul A. Cummings5 J. B. Earl Karen Galli10 Eric F. Reidinger10 Class of 1985 John Wilkes Associates Valerie Kotula Alba Donna Garber Cosgrove Tracy McElroy O’Hara Contributors Dennis P. Clarke10 Kevin Cooney Cheryl Zack Fischer William N. Gude Catherine Julius Florence Backitis Lauth Gary R. Melusen5 Gary C. Mrozinski Leslie Kramer Rickerson Amy McCluskey Sadvary Jean Dougherty Sam Joseph M. Santuk5 Angela Iyoob Stewart Christine May Terry David J. Warnick10 Class of 1988 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Chadwick E. Tuttle5 Farley Associates Lisa Sigman Banta Karen M. Beretsky Barbara Eyet Matthew T. Ryan Ann Markowski Toole5 Contributors Cynthia Allen Ayers Jeffery E. Ball James Borysowski Roy F. Boyd Christopher R. Connolly Robert Corradetti James S. Cross Francis E. Crowley, III Lesley Demech D’Andrea Stephanie Stine DiGiovanni Deborah DeCesare Duncan Michael Duncan Kyra Duran Rosemary Bottazzi Eibach Lisa C. Jordan Mark Kneeream Lawrence M. Kopenis James Krupa Mary B. Lenahan Deborah Lulis Debra A. Maleski William S. Peightel5 Diana Smith Prinzo Thomas C. Prinzo Dennis J. Procopio10 Marilyn C. Querci5 James H. Ralston Michelle A. Rick Dianne Tometchko Ruch Debra Reisenweaver Schweitzer Jon Shade Thomas Slonaker Edward J. Sullivan Carole Armstrong Tellie Kurt A. Topfer5 Veronica Upwood Matthew P. Wasel Don Zelek Beth Ann Carswell Ziobro Class of 1989 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Robert D. Sitzler5 Farley Associates Kevin M. Gaffey Michael J. Kolessar B. Jean Millard Kosh Joel C. Kotch5 Antoinette Rajchel-Wingert5 Contributors Denise Sushocki Allardyce Robert S. Berger5 Kenneth C. Boyle James J. Carroll James G. Day Salvatore P. DiGiovanni Nancy Hricko Divers5 Erik A. Everett Pauline Wagner Fisher Kristen Henry-Shade Clark A. Herron Renee Swider Horwath Lorraine Malinchock Luscavage Dawn Whalen Marshall Genevieve E. McManus Wilkes | Fall 2011 Joseph J. Chmiola Carol Louise Dean5 Roya Fahmy Richard Havard, III James M. Johnson Paul H. McCabe James V. Musto Janice Nagle Pettinato Marie Roke Thomas5 Sandra Bartels Thomas Stephen C. Thomas V Thomas G. Urosevich Ellen Marie Van Riper • report of gifts 41 �report of gifts • giving by class Susan Stortz Moyer Kimberly Klimek Novak Dale F. Parmenteri Eric J. Price Carol Henry Raymond Sharon Sholtis Schneider Jeffrey D. Seamans5 Jane Coyle Smith Randy S. Stevens Robert D. Wachowski5 Class of 1990 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Jason D. Griggs The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Carl M. Charnetski10 Wendy Holden Gavin10 Blue Circle Shirley Thomas Butler10 Joseph C. Smith Aimee A. Zaleski Tracy Goryeb Zarola1 Farley Associates Jeffrey J. Cooper Eva E. Patrick Contributors Donna Brown Argenio Joseph F. Argenio Dominick J. Aritz Scott C. Barth Karen Donohue Connolly Teresa M. Costenbader Hazle L. Demellier Michael W. Fender Steven J. Galloway Bruce A. Huggler5 Cynthia L. Miller Neil P. Mullin Franco Rossi, Jr. Mark T. Siegel10 Mark A. Sommers Anthony F. Torquato John M. Wilk Steve W. Wilson5 John Wilkes Associates Class of 1992 • • • Blue Circle Craig J. Engel5 Joseph G. Lannon John F. Sheehan, III Farley Associates Janine M. Becker Erica Simshauser Gaffey Brenda Miller Gaydos5 Mary E. Gould Eric J. Knorr Class of 1995 The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Blue Circle Frederick M. Evans10 Paul T. Jellen William J. Umphred, Jr. Farley Associates Aaron D. Albert Melissa Margis-Kapur Rosemary LaFratte1, 5 Ronald N. Miller5 Janel Oshinski Sally Pancheri Contributors Frederick H. Addison5 Eugene J Colosimo John J. Comerford Colette M. Elick Karl J. Hoffman Joann Hartmann Jones John J. Keeler Karen Pryslak Kelly Kathleen S. Klapatch Alan J. Kovacs Lori Kuhar Marshall Ralph C. Miller Lori Guarino Price David Z. Tevet Robert J Wooditch Class of 1994 Blue Circle • • • Arden J. Keller, Jr. Kathleen McGeary Umphred The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Charlotte Hoffman Moser Daniel W. Moser Tina Oechler-Dean Jonathan L. Perloff Christopher M. Scarba Suzanne Stanski Scheible James M. Sepko Louis J. Shiber George W. Snyder Frances Stecker Michael C. Hall Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson10 The Eugene Farley Club Diane M. Servello Lillian M. Bostjancic John K. Breckner Ka Kit Chan Eileen E. Colahan Jason C. Eike Evan G. Evans Steven F. Geider Shelley Herb-Fausey Cecelia P. Mercuri5 Joelle Mrozoski5 Stephen D. Puzio5 Janice A. Raspen Kathleen Risley10 Raymond J. Rock Raymond R. Russ5 Kimberly Mattes Sarna The Eugene Farley Club Wilkes | Fall 2011 The John Wilkes Society Nancy Alonzo5 Guenther C. Bareihs John P. Bonin Connie Breese Janice Miller Browning Thomas P. Cawley Albert J. Cihocki Edward F. Cywinski Camille Bobeck Daniels Cindi Cianflone DeRichie Judith A. Ellis Michelle Barry Finnegan James J. Florio Stan J. Giza Victoria M. Glod10 Edward D. Gorman Robert S. Hiller Carol Hiscox10 Corinne Foor Kern Edward J. Kwak1, 5 Clifford A. Melberger Richard A. Melvin Catherine E. Moore Patricia Skozelas Pawlak Charles D. Redding Mary Jo Rubino Richard R. Ruda Randall A. Santarelli Catherine H. Saporito Ronald M. Sebastianelli William F. Shankweiler5 Bridget Krajkovich Todd Robert M. Wanuga • • • Virginia M. Rodechko10 Class of 1993 • • • Contributors John Wilkes Associates David P. Saxton Cheryl Jacobs Schoell Jaime Goldblatt Wales Contributors Class of 1991 The John Wilkes Society 42 Jamie Mazeitis Knorr Francis J. Michelini Frederick A. Mihalow Amy Schukis Sheehan5 Susan Adamchak Smith10 Farley Associates Kevin M. Barno Steven S. Endres Walter R. Guss Brian J. Kobylus George J. Rucco Jean Littzi Rucco Tama L. Schmidt Denise Berberick Stewart10 Contributors Frank D. Beier Jane Ostrowski Brennan Mark F. Buss Brian M. Caloiaro Matthew J. Curry Charlene Klynowsky Decker Tara A. Donleavy Jennifer A. Fasching Gwen Groblewski Alan J. Guitson10 Xin-Tian Hoffman Wendy L. Ide Kevin P. Kratzer5 Contributors Christopher P. Adams Keith L. Adamski James F. Anoia William R. Beggs Philip J. Calabro Kimberly B. Carr Jennifer Ryman Davis Christopher C. Dunbar Brian R. Halpin Stephen W. Hansen5 William R. Keiderling Timothy D. Long LoriAnn Gorrick Pajalich David E. Searfoss Angie Graver Sekellick Patricia K. Spivak Richard D. Wisniewski Carmen M. Zullo • • • The Eugene Farley Club Susan J. Malkemes10 Daniel P. Reilly Farley Associates Sabeth R. Albert Patrick K. Bartorillo Kathleen Moran Houlihan Bruce Kerr Joseph P. McBride10 Vivian Naughton William F. Noone Ronald L. Pecukonis Samuel R. Sebastianelli Jeffrey B. Slank James W. Smith Jason R. Smith Class of 1997 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Karen A. Ephlin Michael G. Noone1 Farley Associates Cynthia Charnetski Bradley R. Klotz10 Edmund R. Zych Contributors Carl M. Achhammer Carmen F. Ambrosino, Jr. Jan H. Ambrutis Ann Blaskiewicz Tammy Palmer Caloiaro Shellene Dixon Clark Joan M. Coffey Tara Breslosky Cooper Lori A. Cotrone Linda L. Crayton Robert J. Dean Thomas F. Donlon Guy A. DuBoice Martha L. Heffers David A. Hines10 Kimberly Escarge Keller10 B. Richard Miller Michael A. Palumbo Melissa Papa-Bakke Joseph P. Ruane David C. Ruskey Gary A. Scott Thomas J. Semanek Carol Morris Shamonsky Judith Wienckoski Contributors Louis E. Atkinson5 Jeanette Beierle Bogdon Abigail Breiseth Patricia S. Daquino Mark J. Dechman10 Amy Webb Horensky Robert D. Horensky Adam Kamor Gary J. Kostrobala Allen Yong-Ung Lee Tamatha Curry Limongelli Ann Marie Marks Rita T. Metcalf Christine Pavalkis Richard P. Pietras Brett A. Sachse Class of 1998 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Joseph J. Fadden Blue Circle Class of 1996 Lisa Niewinski Ciampi Lori Ann Perch10 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Farley Associates Karen Bednarczyk Cowan1, 10 John J. Julius Brian W. McCoy Vani P. Murthy10 Ali E. Qureshi5 Rose Tammaro Smith Tammy Swartwood Noone Michael N. Barrouk1 Paul W. Downton I. Michael Fras Stephen Hughes Jill Fasciana McCoy George G. Pawlush 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class Farley Associates Stephanie L. Bass5 Marcella H. Buzanowicz Angelina Thomasina Curtis James R. Domzalski Sean C. Flannery Deborah Andres Greco5 Karen L. Guitson10 Mitchell N. Morgan Anne Straub Pelak10 Edward J. Saracino Cynthia M. Sieto Joy A. Sipe Peter M. Stover Timothy M. Straub Phillip J. Torres Judith J. Vendel Rod A. Wilson Richard L. Givens Beverly K. Gooden5 John A. Mason, Jr.5 Jeffrey Reichl Robert S. Rolland Matthew J. Sowcik Kimberly Gross Wolfrom David S. Wolovich Class of 1999 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Sarah Karlavage Rocchio Farley Associates Jill Mackay Barrouk Randy A. Engelman5 Jennifer John Carolyn Chronowski Lauderback Matthew J. Peleschak10 Kristine Erhard Pruett10 Steven D. Tourje Contributors Jan G. Benton Brandon Berretta Mary Ann Kershitsky Blosky Patricia Carpenetti Carpenter Andrew L. Coolidge Tina Dakun Brian Edward Gryboski Cecilia Bukowski Hibbard Allison Potzer Isom Lisa Johnson Ford Tara E. Kojsza Joseph S. Krzysik Carrie Bruno Langdon Jonathan G. Laudenslager Theresa Martincavage Mahon Judith Lahr Martin10 Michael C. McCree James J. Perfetto Debra DuBois Sachse Aaron F. Sherburne Class of 2000 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Christina M. Van Camp Blue Circle Jennifer B. Klinger Charles D. Lemmond, Jr.5 Contributors Floyd T. Allen Holly Renee Baer David G. Bond, Jr. Norbert J. Braun Charles E. Brinker Jason L. Evans Stephanie Huber Gallagher William D. Gallagher Beth Ann Gehret Crystal Culver George Jamelle Nebesky Hartman Rebecca A. Herb Harry W. Hintz, Jr. Robert J. Krehely, Jr. Kirk A. Leslie Brian L. Lubenow Jessica Murray Range Sheri A. Resperski Ann Stanski Rood Kathleen Terrenoir Sachse Joan L. Schneider Lauren Castelli Sherburne Jessica Niemiec Swingle Donna S. Talarico1 James Christopher Tardio Thomas M. Turinski Mary T. Villano Janice E. Williams Lisa M. Yupco Lori A. Zeigler Class of 2001 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Robert Cooney5 William J. Layo Blue Circle 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased Class of 2002 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle J. Bartholomay Grier5 Blue Circle James T. Best5 Beth Danner Kinslow1, 5 Farley Associates Bethany Yenner Bosha Michael C. Hetzel Joshua G. Mendoza Karen Bradley Mendoza Gregory A. Wojnar Rachel Hammond Wolovich Michael D. Pawlik Class of 2003 Jed J. Starner Mark D. Hulme10 Robert S. Keeney Michael J. Liberski1, 5 Joseph J. Stein5 Christina Rubillo Swanson Jill A. Topalanchik Misty Weidner Davis Julia Gordon Wojnar Farley Associates Contributors • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Steven D. Sefton Blue Circle Robert J. Klepadlo5 James L. McCarthy5 Contributors Michelle A. Allison Heather Chapman Fanucci Margaret L. Coniglio Candace M. Dailey Robert C. Diefenderfer Preethy Dileepkumar James B. Ford Holly D. Gambler Robert E. Gebhard Ronald J. Geise Lorri Ricci Goss Patrick Hanlon Kathleen A. Harris Ruth Hough-Engel Mary Rogan Hurst Tracy M. Jones Tami Joyce Donna M. Laskosky Terence J. Laughlin Timothy E. Letcher Michelle M. Marchetti Melodee A. Minium John A. Murphy Erin L. Murray Laurel D. Peifer Jennifer Quinn-Bulford Thomas R. Rebuck Barbara J. Rizzo Kristin L. Roberts Anita V. Ruskey Edward N. Sartin Elizabeth Alles Sheakoski Kevin R. Sickle1 Lisa A. Smith John E. Thomas Joseph Waschko Eric Zuber Contributors Farley Associates Edward T. Bednarz Heather A. Brown Elizabeth Shultz Conklin Ronald S. Davis Jonathan D. Ference Kimberly Hritzak Ference Scott E. Herb David M. Hinkle Ann Wotring Kirka Marcy Fritz Krill5 Daniel S. Longyhore Martha C. Marchand Richard W. Seipp Contributors Elaine T. Beggs David Brinckman Lisa Charneski Michael J. Cherinka William W. Clark5 Gregory J. Collins Shanna Henninger Dawson Katie Pearson Desiderio David DiMartino Nicole Foelker Palumbo Dennis M. Fox Justin Holmes Brian R. Judge5 Stacy Geiger Mesics10 Robert M. Moore Timothy M. Morgan Christine A. Nestlerode Madelynn Miley Riedel Leonard A. Romanski Judy A. Sawka Barbara Wolfe Scott Patricia Hopfer Sebastianelli Lisa K. Shafer1 Rosemarie C. Sochka Cheryl Scavo Spager Tami Stascavage-Broda Kari Steele Christopher J. Talecki Peter P. Waskiewicz Brian Wolfe Elizabeth A. Yablonski Mary E. Ziegler Milos Barjaktarovic Elizabeth Connelly Alicia A. Cymbala John P. Hawthorne Kariann Iskra Gary T. LaTorre Heidi D. Landis John Leedock Michelle Lukens Barbara Kakareka Malinowski Paul Marciano Douglas K. Mountz Kathleen Quinn Seargent Judy L. Siegle Cheryl A. Snyder Anthony J. Stavenski, III Mark J. Waskovich Michael W. Ziegler Class of 2004 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Wendy J. Beard Mary E. Bellissimo David R. Borofski Christine Stange Bouton Katie Boyle-Moore5 Karen B. Brokate Rebecca J. Broyan Jeremy J. Chmiel Carla L. Conner Kristopher S. Fayock Andrew Fisler Susan L. Hubbard Kenneth A. Huntington Colleen Kennedy-Lovecchio Kristin Hake Klemish Ryan Klemish Michelle D. Kostelansky Rosemary Luksha Eileen L. Mathias5 Jessica L. Mehring Shannon M. Myers Seth P. Reed Daniel A. Rempp5 Kelly Lassen Rollman Nicholas S. Rollman Michelle A. Snyder Janna A. Ward John J. Zelena Kerry A. Zellner Class of 2005 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Gordon S. Smoko Farley Associates Allisa K. Bowen Maria T. Currier Bridget Giunta Husted Vincent A. Hartzell5 Jennifer L. Pawleshyn Alessandro L. Plutino* Hassan M. Shah Kimberly A. Whipple Cathleen A. Zanghi5 Eric J. Pape Contributors The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Stephanie Smith Cooney5 Farley Associates John D. Bosha Richard Budnick5 Michael V. Burke Elizabeth Carp Bernotavicius Gabrielle Lamb D’Amico Lisa Doan-Harley Melissa Mauro Gottschall Katherine E. Arensmeyer Harry L. Aultz Matthew A. Begansky Michael G. Benulis Sabrina Naples Benulis Daniel P. Cook Michael J. Crawford Diane Furnanage D’Angelo Philip A. Defranco, Jr. Jillian L. Ford Pamela A. Geisinger Heather Thomas Graham Wilkes | Fall 2011 Contributors • report of gifts 43 �report of gifts • giving by class Sharon Granahan Tricia M. Higgins Brian J. Keating Linda L. Korbeil Renee A. Kotz Melissa Merok Leedock Melissa A. Maybe Sheila M. McArdle Alyssa Mollo Julian C. Morales Francis E. Quinn Tiffany Santarelli Brian R. Sheakoski Daniel Smith Elizabeth A. Swantek James B. Tomaine Lauren N. Trovillion Bridget McHale Turel Jarred Weaver Daniel E. Williams Megan Williams-Less Patricia Wilson Michael Zapotoski Nicole Ripper Zeiser Class of 2006 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Nathan P. Fenstermacher Kofi Gbomita Kristen Dulick Hartzell5 Michele Medek Lauren Y. Pluskey5 Jared M. Shayka Contributors Wilkes | Fall 2011 Michael J. Adamshick Natalie M. Baur Stacey J. Behnert Stacey A. Berkoski William R. Butler Sara M. Grab5 Chad E. Groover Miranda Heness Philbin Cherianne Hollenback Ashley M. Joslin Margaret A. Klem Michael D. Kulikoski Gretchen L. Laviolette Amanda E. Lewis Nicole Matsko Nastassia Sieger Ann O’Connor Michael J. Pedley Nicolas Perez, Jr. Susan Smith Anthony Stavenski, Jr. Ashleigh Stewart Lori Stom Kristina Wall Andrea Weaver 44 Gregory Webber James Wilce, Jr. Amanda Williams Anthony Zigmont Timothy S. Nolt Susan V. Zavistoski Contributors Blue Circle Jamie P. Addley Susan A. Angell Jason D. Artz Lynn M. Bachstein Stephanie Victor Begansky Karen Petrosky Blaum Michael W. Bogdon, Jr. Megan A. Cannon Jennifer Hunter Childs Holly Miller Courter Rebecca L. Duttry Mary A. Evans Stacy M. Fimmano Colin B. Gabler Lee Ann Gera Anthony T. Giuffrida Mark J. Graham Michael Hadginske Gerard M. Hetman Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr. Ashlee Ribec Janusziewicz Ashish A. Javia Amanda L. Johnson Jennifer N. Keating Danielle K. Kern Jessica Krupski Kristen L. Linhart Barry L. Lopatic Mary H. Lukas Blaine P. Madara1 Joseph P. Martin Raymond A. Metzo Sarah A. Miller Madonna Moran Charles Moyer Benjamin S. Murphy Jamie L. Myers Winterford J. Ohland Craig R. Rein Jonathan A. Smith Alexander Sperrazza Sondra N. Steinruck Beth A. Stone Tracy M. Suprick Joshua S. Swantek Keerthi Kaushik Tarani Brian V. Taylor Lindsay A. Thomas James D. Welch Libby J. Wray Keith A. Heim, Jr. Wendy Marek Murphy Class of 2009 Class of 2007 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John Mishanski, Jr. Blue Circle Michael F. Malkemes10 Jonathan M. McClave Lauren Solski Farley Associates Laurie Agresti Morgan A. Kuhns Matthew A. LoPresto Meagan E. Harkness Amy M. Patton Joyette E. Williams Contributors Thomas Andreopoulos Karen Atiyeh Katherine M. Broda Laura Novak Connolly Mario A. Cozzubbo, III Catherine M. Dzubaty Julie A. Graby Matthew R. Hawk Nora E. Jurasits Mary M. Kostingo Jennifer Kroesen Stephanie Smith Timothy Mirra Jonathan J. Morgan Lindsay Nanz Michelle Reist Adrienne M. Richards Joshua R. Savitski Jonathan H. Schwartz5 Leayn Stockdill Jenna Strzelecki1, 5 Joshua Turel Gretchen Yeninas Karena Zdeb Class of 2008 • • • The Eugene Farley Club • • • Farley Associates The Eugene Farley Club David J. Beretski Shannon Carr Fenstermacher Rebecca Santoro Hetzel Dana H. Manning Gold Circle Nancy A. Weeks5 Nicole T. Borland Margaret Barry Brown Krista Burns Nicole A. Cairns Laura K. Cawley Benjamin A. Childs Sara E. Chisdock Kristen A. Davidson Mark W. DeJong Sarah L. Devine Angela L. Dolheimer Karia Lee Erdman Andrew Feldman Benjamin J. Forsberg Michael J. Frank Amy A. Fusco Christopher A. Gulla Luciana Musto Herman Angela Hetrick Vincent D. Hill Nancy Mitchell Hludzik Maureen O. Hooker Hillary A. Hunter Kristen M. Hyde Maureen A. Iskra Daniel Jordan Jill S. Kalariya Judith L. Keretz Thomas Kresge Kurt Kuklewicz Mary A. Lamb Carol A. Lavelle Stacy J. Malia Janine Mattucci Marquette Lisa L. Megquier Amelia J. Miller Robin E. Moran Kathryn F. Nadeau Lauretta O’Hara Tara Lee O’Toole Pamela J. Oliveira Lisa A. Paradise Maureen Pelot James D. Pilla Michael D. Piotti Jennifer W. Powell Mary E. Saville Erin M. Schaeffer Ronda S. Scirrotto Kristen M. Sebastian Sandy Lee Sharp Jacob Sholtis Jewel M. Shultz Amanda Siarkievicz Mary Balavage Simmons Erin Sweet Brian E. Switay Rachel M. Tretiak Starr M. Troup Donna Truskowski Maria Musewicz Van Norman Erin L. Walters Chelsea Weinstein Sarah R. Wilkinson Jason R. Woloski Shannon M. Woodling Allison R. Yourechko Contributors Susan F. Abert Tracy L. Ambrose Megan M. Bucher Jennifer M. Bullock Adam D. Carpenter Jillian R. Castellano Peter C. Castelline Amber M. Davidson Sally J. Drosnock Carol A. Engelman Gaetano J. Fasciana Trudylee Fisher-Carboni Michele D. Garrison Naveen Kumar Gattu Benjamin E. Gerhart Michael R. Gionfriddo Ramya Hegde Kenneth W. Hensel Tracey A. Herr Laura Hulsey Erika J. Hurst Melissa L. Jones Holly L. Learn Maurene Leary Kimberly L. Leibel Matthew R. Maisano Edward J. Manderfield Valarie A. Matejick Alicia Mattioli Britton Mundy Christina Grzenda Murakami Joseph J. O’Donnell Gayle M. Patterson Stephanie L. Pawelzik Courtenay T. Pientka Jennifer A. Pruskowski Ricky M. Rampulla, Jr. David M. Sborz1 Bethany L. Toczek Lisa M. Truesdale Todd P. Weibel Felixa J. Wingen Lamanda L. Ziegler Class of 2010 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates James L. Merryman10 The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Adam Bachman Jennifer D. Bokal Delores R. Walski Blue Circle Bernard F. Kosek, Jr. James A. Smith, III Jason W. Wagner To make a gift, contact Lauren Y. Pluskey ’06, MBA ’10, Director of Annual Giving (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4331 or lauren.pluskey@wilkes.edu Kathleen M. Dalton Joshua S. Pauling Laura Baudo Sillerman Steven H. Uhas Farley Associates Jeffrey A. Bauman Kevin C. Boylan Contributors Jeffrey T. Bachman Beth Ann V. Barto Alissa J. Bastian Laura M. Bednar Michael J.C. Beil Rajveer Bhatti 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �senior class giFt • report of gifts SeniOr Ali S. Alsagoor Benjamin J. Andrews Lindsey M. Baldwin Anne E. Bauder Lindsay A. Behrenshausen Valentina M. Beneski Jason W. Benjamin Jamar T. Becerley Brice C. Biruta Traci M. Blazosky Shannon M. Bolles Ronald A. Bookin Alyssa M. Bortz John A. Borzell Lacey A. Bowman Samantha L. Bowman Mary Kate Brady Alexandra Bricek Allison M. Butash Victoria A. Bybel Minhui Cai Kellie Capone Nicole M. Capoocia Timothy J. Carroll Francesco Castronovo Victoria M. Chestnut Nicholas F. Ciccone Michael F. Cignoli Anthony J. Cimino Samantha G. Clift Benjamin J. Collins Kassandra R. Confer Adam B. Coombs Darnell R. Corbin Kersten L. Crowl Caitlin Cunningham Brianna V. Cyprich Christian M. D’Ippolitio John T. Dally Brittany R. Daniels Alicia M. Davidson Kaitlyn M. DeFacis Kristen DeMott Russell J. Dehaut Megan E. Dickinson Michael R. Dobbs Anthony N. Dorunda Deanna M. Drako Michele Dubbs * Deceased Bradley D. Dudeck Peter A. Dunford Katherine E. Ebner Kathleen Edwards Steven P. Englesbe Andreanna F. Estades Brian R. Fanelli Brett M. Feger Anthony Ferrese Aaron E. Fink Anthony J. Fiore Keith C. Follweiler Joey M. Freudt Alyssa A. Fusaro Santino A. Gabos Katherine Gallagher Jessica A. Gen Elaine M. Gennaria Nicklaus A. Genuardi Shawn M. Gibbins Melanie Good Heather L. Grabowski Ashley N. Graff Dawn A. Gregor Stephen N. Gruver Michael S. Guba Amanda Jo Gunther Taryn E. Hallowell Mason S. Harriman Katherine A. Harrington Nicholas W. Hartranft John Hawkins Sonja M. Heisey Kevin M. Hettrich Andrew S. Hiller Steven N. Himes Troy C. Hinkley Trevor D. Hirsh Melissa A. Hoover Christopher W. Hopkins Chelsea J. Horst Tyler L. Howe Leah M. Hummer Kevin J. Jacobs Jennifer S. Jones Justin W. Jones Laureen L. Jones Analicia M. Jost Thomas Joyce Paul S. Karmilowicz, Jr. Kristen N. Karpinski Abigail J. Kasprenski Sara P. Kaspriskie Amanda E. Kaster Daniel R. Kautz Shane V. Keister Amanda J. Kemmerer Tara Kennedy Drew M. Kent Christopher J. Ketcham Scott E. Kimberly Jennifer L. Kimble Jasmine M. King Shawn M. Klitsch Amber J. Kozo Bradley M. Kuzawinski Nicholas A. LaBarbera Philip D. LaBell Sean A. LaFleur Hannah L. Laimer Michael F. Leahey Rachel M. Leggieri Joseph A. Lemoncelli Stephanie M. Lenkevich Ryan C. Lerch Jack R. Lewis Joseph J. Lopatka June R. Lor Jacqueline Lukas Tyanne L. Lyman Aubrey N. Madara David M. Mahalak Casey E. Marks Theodore J. Martin Emily Massa Stacy M. Mathis Molly S. McBryan Wes L. McDonald Katie McFarland Brianna L. McGinn Kristen M. McGranaghan Daniel V. McLoughlin Kevin McNavage Brian Meeker Diane R. Milano Matthew C. Miller Anthony T. Mirabile Mark A. Mongillo Kate L. Murtaugh Kenneth D. Muto Cheryl L. Newell Phat T. Nguyen Derek M. Nye Mackensey K. O’Hara Sean A. O’Neill Francis J. O’Shea Gregory C. Obetz Amy M. Orris Sarah D. Orris Matthew D. Ottinger Julie M. Palmer Garifalitsa E. Panteloukas Konstantina A. Papathomas Emily C. Parks Frank E. Pearn, Jr. Alexander J. Pearson Edward L. Pearson Kristen J. Pechulis Joshua J. Perry Melissa M. Polchinski Joshua D. Pstrak Brittany C. Puckett Kimberly J. Rieder Michael C. Ritsick Jacob W. Roberts Amanda L. Rodney Nicole M. Romanoski William G. Roszel Jr. Allison S. Roth Kyle R. Ruby Corrine E. Saltzer Kimberly M. Sandford Danielle M. Sanko Alyssa M. Santos Benjamin D. Sauers Trent A. Savercool Julie K. Schaller Matthew J. Scherr Amanda Schlier Courtney M. Schneider Erin N. Schneider William Schweitzer Danae A. Servose Ashley L. Sherer Richelle M. Shertzer Jessica L. Shuliga Sarah Simon Jeffrey S. Simpson Nora A. Skochinsky Michael A. Skumanick Lori Ann Skurkis Kaleb A. Smith Tonesha S. Sorrell Kristina A. Spaulding Courtney L. Sperger James M. Spickard Teresa M. Stavenski Austin H. Sterns Coleen Schrecengost Steim Matthew Stephens Sarah J. Stiansen Cathy Styles Jessica Supers Troy N. Tanner Michelle Taylor Heather B. Thompson Lorelay Thompson John W. Timme Anthony M. Truppo Donald Ulrich Casandra Valentin Sean P. Van Kersen Angela M. Van Strander Peter J. Vecchione EmmaLee S. Vecere Matthew E. Vital Kimberly Baldino Waldenmayer Andrew J. Wallace Matthew C. Watkins Jacob J. Weinrich Kathryn L. Walsh Ruth A. Whispell Jonathan L. Wilbur Amanda M. Willard Meaghan P. Williams Ryan L. Williams Nicole M. Willis Sarah M. Witkowski Jeanne M. Wood David B. Yezefski Kyle J. Yorke Abdullah Y. Yousef Cody J. Youshock Brenda R. Zagar Jenna L. Zapotoski Gregory M. Zappacosta Wilkes | Fall 2011 CLASS GIFT 45 �report of gifts • the marts society The MARTS SOCIETY Alumni, friends and benefactors have played a sustaining role in the future of the university and its students through bequests and other charitable estate plans. The Marts Society recognizes the increasing number of contributors participating in gift planning programs to benefit Wilkes university. Membership in The Marts Society is attained through the commitment of any number of planned gifts, including bequests, charitable trusts, gift annuities, gifts of property with retained life estate, life insurance policies and retirement plan accounts. Many of these gift vehicles allow donors to contribute cash or appreciated assets to benefit Wilkes while earning income during their lifetime. The Marts Society was named in honor of Dr. Arnaud c. and Anne Mccartney Wilkes | Fall 2011 Marts. Dr. Marts became President of Bucknell university in 1935 and was instru- 46 Anonymous Anonymous George I. Alden Trust Estate of Agnes C. Alderdice ’58 Barbara Zatcoff Allan Estelle B. Andrews ’69 Estate of Richard & Ellen E. Ayre Anthony J. Bartuska* Doris Gorka Bartuska, M.D. ’49 Estate of Paul B. Beers ’53 Estate of Helen E. Berryman George Bierly ’40 Betty Kanarr Bierly ’50 Estate of Tom A. Bigler Estate of Catherine H. Bone Estate of Therese Brennan Lee & Louise Brown Trust Dr. Mary E. Brown ’62 Charles S. Butler ’59 Dr. & Mrs. Robert A. Byrne ’72 Richard G. Cantner ’68 Bruce R. Cardon Trust Estate of Donald F. & Louise C. Carpenter John M. Cefaly, Jr. ’70 Dr. Jesse H. Choper ’57 Estate of Thomas J. Coburn ’49 Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Estate of Eleanor Kazmercyk Cornwell ’53 Estate of Colonel William Corbett Estate of Samuel M. Davenport, III ’59 Estate of Fred H. Davies Stanley & Patricia S. Davies Thomas J. Deitz Estate of Charles & Sadie Donin Estate of Dr. Sylvia Dworski Estate of Isadore & Getha Edelstein Estate of R. Carl Ernst ’58 Josephine Eustice Estate of Annette Evans Estate of Rulison Evans Barbara Medland Farley ’50 Estate of Attorney & Mrs. George L. Fenner, Jr. Estate of Harry Fierverker ’49 The Honorable J. Harold Flannery ’55 Barbara Flannery Walter R. Fleet Shirley Rees Fleet ’49 Estate of Stephen L. Flood ’66 Dr. Don C. Follmer ’50 Estate of Eleanor S. Fox ’35 Richard Fuller, Ph.D. Estate of Dr. William Louis Gaines Joseph G. Galli ’81 Dr. & Mrs. Joseph (Tim) E. Gilmour Amy D. Goss ’97 Jane Norton Granitzki ’59 Estate of Charlotte Reif Gregory Dr. Benjamin Grella ’65 Doris Woody Grella Estate of William B. Griffith Brynly R. Griffiths Trust Jason D. Griggs ’90 Alfred Groh ’41 Jane Lampe-Groh J. Douglas Haughwout ’64 Louise S. Hazeltine ’44 Estate of Enid Hershey ’66 Frederick J. Hills ’59 Harry R. Hiscox, Esquire ’51 Beverly A. Hiscox ’58 Judith Hopkins ’55 Estate of Richard & Frances Hyde Arthur E. Imdorf ’55 Estate of Evelyn Isserman Estate of Mildred N. Johnson Leo R. Kane ’55 Estate of Bronis J. Kaslas, Ph.D. Dr. Stanley B. Kay Mr. Bryn E. Kehrli ’69 Dr. Richard B. Kent ’55 Mr. & Mrs. John S. Kerr ’72 John J. Kleynowski ’67 Richard O. Kniffen ’65 Estate of Eugene T. Kolezar Estate of Drs. Francis & Lidia Kopernik Estate of Mary R. Koons Marian Zaledonis Kovacs ’68 Estate of Helen Lazarus Glenn F. Leiter Arlen R. Lessin Estate of Dr. Edithe J. Levit ’45 mental in maintaining Bucknell university Junior college in Wilkes-Barre during the Depression years. Because he believed in the service offered to the young people of the Wyoming valley, Dr. Marts provided the support and leadership the fledgling institution needed to become self-sustaining. Dr. Marts established a trust in 1964, which provided a lifetime income for Mrs. Marts after his death. upon her death in 1994, more than $2 million was gifted to the university, which helped to make possible the addition to campus of the Arnaud c. Marts Sports and conference center. For more information on becoming a member of The Marts Society, please contact the Planned giving Office at 570-408-7833 or 1-800-WilKEs-U, ext. 7833 or visit our website at www.wilkes.edu/pages/715.asp and explore the benefits of a planned gift through our interactive planned giving calculator. Estate of Rose G. Liebman ’37 Estate of Madeline R. Magee Buck Mallan ’71 Estate of Anne Marts John A. Mason M’00 George J. Matz ’71 Gerard A. McHale, Jr. ’67 Estate of Ruth Williams McHenry ’49 Clifford K. Melberger Ruth Boroom Melberger ’62 Estate of Robert H. Melson ’35 Joshua G. ’02 & Karen M. Mendoza ’02 John R. Miller ’68 Estate of Charles H. Miner, Jr. Esq. John C. & Mabel Mosteller Trust Estate of Elizabeth Sandish Montgomery Estate of Dorothy R. Morgan Estate of Jessie L. Morgan Paul D. Morgis ’70 Regina L. Morse ’82 Estate of Herbert J. Morris Estate of Walter E. Mokychic ’50 Estate of J. Donald Munson Estate of John J. Musto ’57 Estate of Wilbur A. Myers Martin J. Naparsteck ’69 Barbara W. Nixon ’71 Lois Schwartz Nervitt ’61 Estate of William P. Orr, III Geraldine Nesbitt Orr Estate of Alberta A. Ostrander Richard L. Pearsall Lawrence B. Pelesh ’50 Peter W. Perog ’60 F. Charles Petrillo, Esq. ’66 Estate of Ann Phillips Dr. Cummings* & Trudy Piatt Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Piskorik ’68 Henry B. & Edith M. Plumb Trust Estate of Frieda Pogoreloff Estate of Roy H. Pollack Janice A. Raspen ’92 Estate of Ford A. Reynolds William H. Rice ’48 Estate of Ruth A. Richards Arnold & Sandy Rifkin Estate of Harriet P. Ripley Dr. Jessie A. Roderick ’56 Attorney Harold Rosenn Mrs. Sallyanne Rosenn ’42 Attorney Eugene Roth ’57 Estate of Rae Roth Donald J. Sackrider Mr. & Mrs. Louis Santoro ’83 Janice A. Saunders ’70 Joseph J. Savitz, Esq. ’48 Marian R. Schaeffer Trust Estate of Nathan Schiowitz Rollie & Marge Schmidt Marvin* & Stella Schub Estate of Willard R. Shaw ’48 Daniel Sherman ’50 Estate of Charles E. Shook ’68 Estate of Frances D. Shotwell Estate of Dr. George J. Siles ’57 Mr. Herbert B. Simon Estate of Margaret Mary Sites Estate of Gordon A. Smith Nancy Hancock Smith Andrew F. Sofranko, Jr. ’68 Estate of Joseph Sooby, Jr. ’49 Dr. & Mrs. Charles A. Sorber ’59 Mr. & Mrs. Frank Stanitski Dr. Albert J. Stratton ’49 Joseph A. Sullivan ’51 William H. Tremayne ’57 Dr. Lester J. Turoczi Estate of Constance McCole Umphred Estate of Marie A. Umphred Estate of John A. Vail Estate of Edward A. Venzel ’54 Estate of Walter F. Vorbleski Estate of Ann Brennan Wagner Estate of Esther Weckesser Walker Estate of Marne Lou Weaver ’73 Estate of Wesley Wilkes Bruce R. Williams, D.O. ’82 Estate of Daniel E. Williams ’44 Estate of John F. Wozniak ’61 Estate of William H. Young Emery & Mamie Ziegler Trust * Deceased �endowed named scholarships • report of gifts enDOWeD nAMeD SCHOLARSHIPS Below is the current list of endowed and annual scholarships available to Wilkes students. Please go to www.wilkes.edu/pages/358.asp for descriptions on these scholarships or for more information on how to Mohamad Abraham Scholarship Agnes C. Alderdice ’58 Scholarship Vincent and Martha Aleo Scholarship Alumni Association Scholarship Paul J. Arthur ’53 and Margaret T. Arthur Scholarship David Ayers Scholarship Fund Richard and Ellen Ayre Memorial Scholarship Ballet Society of Wyoming Valley Scholarship Kevin Edward Barker Memorial Scholarship Grant H. Barlow Memorial Scholarship Dr. Alfred W. Bastress Scholarship Ethel G. and Alvan E. Baum Scholarship George Thompson and Sara Wolfe Bell Scholarship Frederic E. Bellas Endowed Scholarship Samuel Berk Memorial Scholarship William Bernhard Scholarship William D. Berryman Scholarship Fund Michael J. Bogdon, III Scholarship Rose Brader Scholarship Christopher N. and Jane M. Breiseth Scholarship Joyce Porter and Norton Millard Breiseth Scholarship Genevieve Todd Brennan Memorial Scholarship Charles N. Burns, Sr., M.D. ’35 Scholarship Robert S. Capin Scholarship in Accounting Bruce R. Cardon and Charlotte J. Cardon Memorial Scholarship Walter S. Carpenter Scholarship in Engineering J. Blanchard Carr and Hildegarde Finger Carr Scholarship John J. Chwalek, Sr. Scholarship Class of 1970 Scholarship Alumni and Friends of Communications Scholarship Conyngham Post No. 97, Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania, Scholarship Elena Lucretia Cornaro Scholarship Alfred Franklin D’Anca, M.D. Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. S. M. Davenport Scholarship Esther and William Davidowitz Scholarship Anthony J. DiMichele Memorial Scholarship Seymour A. Dimond Scholarship Charles and Sadie Donin Memorial Scholarship George F. Elliot Memorial Scholarship * Deceased establish a scholarship, contact evelyne Topfer, Director of Advancement Operations, at (800) WilKEs-U Ext. 4309 or evelyne.topfer@wilkes.edu. Sylvia Dworski, Ph.D. Scholarship Isadore and Getha Edelstein Scholarship Dr. John Henry Ellis, IV Scholarship Mahmoud H. Fahmy, PH.D. Scholarship John Faneck ’50 Scholarship Fund Eugene S. and Eleanor Coates Farley Scholarship David R. Fendrick Scholarship Chlora Fey Scholarship Harry and Gloria Farkas Fierverker Scholarship David J. Findora ’70 Memorial Scholarship Stephen L. Flood ’66 Scholarship Muriel S. Follmer Scholarship Sarah Catherine Ford Adult Learner Scholarship Fortinsky Scholarship Sidney and Pauline Friedman Scholarship Sandy A. Furey Memorial Scholarship Carlton H. Garinger Memorial Scholarship William R. Gasbarro Scholarship Mildred Gittins Memorial Scholarship Cathy Lynn Glatzel ’86 Nursing Scholarship Elizabeth and Albert Grabarek Memorial Scholarship Fund Henry and Sylvia Greenwald Scholarship Brynly R. Griffiths Scholarship Jason ’90 and Tamara Griggs Scholarship Margaret Mary Hagelgans Memorial Scholarship Edward G. Hartmann, Ph.D. ’35 Scholarship George Hayes of Windsor Scholarship Patricia Boyle Heaman and Robert J. Heaman Scholarship William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Hugh G. & Edith Henderson Scholarship Klaus Holm Scholarship Arthur J. Hoover Scholarship Andrew J. Hourigan, Jr., Esq. Scholarship Sherry Every Hudick Memorial Scholarship Jewish War Veterans, Wilkes-Barre Post 212 Scholarship Harvey and Mildred Johnson Scholarship Fund William D. Jonathan Memorial Scholarship Dr. Dilys Martha Jones & Thomas Evan Jones Scholarship John D. Kearney Memorial Scholarship Grace C. Kimball Scholarship in Biology Harold J. Harris, M.D. - Angeline Elizabeth Kirby Memorial Health Center Scholarship Kaslas-Sheporaitis Educational Scholarship Fund Edith M. Kent Scholarship Eugene T. Kolezar Scholarship Francis A. and Maryann V. Kopen Scholarship Christopher Kopernik Scholarship Koral’s Fashion Scholarship KPMG/John R. Miller Scholarship Esther Lamb Scholarship Jane Lampe-Groh Scholarship William Langfelder Scholarship Letter Women’s Club Scholarship LF Brands, Inc. Scholarship Anne Vanko Liva Scholarship Charlotte V. Lord Scholarship Kathryn H. MacAvoy Scholarship in Nursing Will F. and Regina D. Maguire Scholarship Kathleen Hartzell Mailander Scholarship in Nursing Anthony D. Marseco Scholarship Fund Arnaud Cartwright Marts Scholarship Frances and Louis Maslow Memorial Scholarship Robert J. McBride Memorial Scholarship McGowan Scholarship Ruth W. and John T. McHenry Scholarship in Nursing Marilyn McQuestion-Kay Memorial Scholarship Norris Church Mailer Scholarship Ruth Boorom Melberger ’62 Scholarship Elizabeth Sandish Montgomery and George Heron Montgomery Scholarship Thomas J. Moran Scholarship in Journalism Dr. Jaroslav G. Moravec Memorial Scholarship Mabel and John C. Mosteller Scholarship Sarah D. Moyer Memorial Scholarship Harry J. Moyle ’58 Scholarship Donald and Marion Munson Scholarship Wilkes | Fall 2011 enDOWeD nAmeD sCHOlARsHiPs 47 �report of gifts • endowed named scholarships Wilkes | Fall 2011 Dr. Umid R. Nejib and Omar U. Nejib ’92 Memorial Scholarship Lee A. Namey ’68 Scholarship Taft Achilles Rosenberg Naparsteck Scholarship O’Hop Family Scholarship Overlook Estate Foundation Scholarship Ellen Webster Palmer Scholarship Patel Scholarship Peking Chef Scholarship for International Understanding Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Northeast Chapter Scholarship Pennsylvania’s Last Frontiersman Scholarship Peter W. Perog, CPA ’60 Scholarship Craig C. Piatt Memorial Scholarship Henry Blackman Plumb and Edith Plumb Scholarship Frieda Pogoreloff Scholarship Roy H. Pollack Memorial Scholarship Kenneth L. Pollock Scholarship George and Helen Ralston Scholarship Charles B. Reif Scholarship for the Biological Sciences Ruth A. Richards Scholarship Thomas Richards Scholarship Lillian Wilkins Rinehimer R.N. Scholarship Dr. James Rodechko Scholarship in History Dr. Samuel A. Rosenberg Memorial Scholarship Sydney and Theodore Rosenberg Scholarship Joseph H. Salsburg Scholarship Amedeo Obici and Thomas P. Sangiuliano Scholarship Dolores E. and Francis Sangiuliano Scholarship Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Paul Sangiuliano Abe and Sylvia Savitz Family Scholarship Fund Nathan Schiowitz Scholarship in Nursing Scholarship to Start Education (SSE) Robert Marc Schub Memorial Scholarship Louis Shaffer Memorial Scholarship 48 Bruce and Bessie Shaw Scholarship Alan David Sherman Scholarship Frances D. Shotwell Memorial Scholarship Samuel H. Shotwell Memorial Scholarship Mark Slomowitz Memorial Scholarship Merritt W. and Marjory R. Sorber Scholarship Stanley F. and Helen Stawicki Memorial Scholarship Surdna Foundation Scholarship George F. and Ruth M. Swartwood Scholarship Cromwell E. and Beryl Thomas Outstanding Junior Scholarship Reed P. and Dorothy Travis Memorial Scholarship Dr. Norma Sangiuliano Tyburski Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. Stanley J. Tyburski Endowed Scholarship Francis A. Umphred Memorial Scholarship Dorothy G. and Edward A. Venzel ’54 Memorial Scholarship Esther Weckesser Walker Scholarship Robert A. West Scholarship in Education Daniel S. Wilcox, Jr. Scholarships in Accounting Wilkes University Faculty Women and Wives Club Scholarship Myvanwy Williams Theater Scholarship William H. and Ruth W. Young Scholarship Ira B. Zatcoff Memorial Scholarship Emery and Mamie Ziegler Scholarship ANNUAL NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS Choice One Community Credit Union Scholarship Mary E. Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Scholarship Intermetro Industries Scholarship David W. Kistler, M.D. Scholarship Charles Mattei, P.E. Scholarship Fund George ’71 and Jean Matz Scholarship PA Society of Public Accountants, NE Chapter Scholarship Polish Room Committee Scholarship Patricia “Patsy” Reese Nursing Scholarship William H. Rice ’48 Scholarship A. Rifkin & Company Scholarship Joseph M. Roszko ’68 Scholarship Lawrence W. Roth Memorial Scholarship Richard M. Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Scholarship Judianne Stanitski Annual Scholarship Sidhu School Outstanding Leaders Scholarship United Parcel Service Foundation Scholarship Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Scholarship Wilkes University LGBTQ Scholarship Michael and Kim Wood and Family Annual Scholarship Wyoming Valley Health Care System Medical Staff Annual Scholarship FUTURE SCHOLARSHIPS Louise Brown Scholarship Citizens Voice Scholarship Crahall Foundation Scholarship Honorable Jeffry Gallet ’64 Memorial Scholarship Joseph E. and Patty Gilmour Scholarship Kathy Price Kautter ’72 Scholarship Dr. Mary A. Kaiser ’70 Annual Scholarship Miller Family Scholarship Lois Schwartz Nervitt ’61 Scholarship Theresa A. Nowinski-Leiter Scholarship Ronald ’68 and Hazel Piskorik Scholarship Billy “Boog” Powell Scholarship Joanne Raggi Scholarship William H. Rice ’48 Scholarship Sallyanne and Harold Rosenn Scholarship Fund Joseph J. Savitz, Esq. ’48 Scholarship Richard M. Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Scholarship Judith and Leslie P. Weiner, MD ’57 Scholarship Matthew J. Zukoski, Ph.D. ’86 Memorial Scholarship �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events October 20-Dec. 11 Running the Numbers: Portraits of Mass Consumption, Sordoni Art Gallery. 27 Catherine H. Bone Lecture in Chemistry, Molecular Frontiers and Future Transformative Therapies for AIDs, Alzheimer’s, and Resistant Cancer. Speaker: Paul Wender ’69, Stark Learning Center 101, 7 p.m. November 5 Athletics Hall of Fame Day 9 Connecting the Dots: Alumni Event at Wilkes University 11-12 Musical Theatre Production: Tommy, Darte Center, 8 p.m.; Nov 13, 2 p.m. Also Nov. 18-20 12 Wilkes University Admissions Open House 16 Outstanding Leaders Forum featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman, F.M. Kirby Center, 7:30 p.m. December 8 Jazz Orchestra Concert, Darte Center, 8:15 p.m. 9 Chorus and Chamber Singers Concert, St. Stephen’s Church, Wilkes-Barre, 7:30 p.m. January 8-12 Maslow Reading Series, Faculty, Creative Writing Program, Darte Center, 7 p.m. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2011 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2011 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2011 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/811c60d992bad600f85944b5be1d18a5.pdf 42d9837c4515d9572666b1110c4b3c1f PDF Text Text SPRING /Su mmER 20 12 LASTING LEGACY | weathering the storm | cross-cultural communicator �president’s letter volume 6 | issue 2 The Best Lies Ahead P art of this issue of Wilkes magazine is devoted to looking back on my tenure as president. For those who know me, I much prefer looking forward. And for Wilkes, it is gratifying to say that I know the years ahead will be great ones. That is not say that Wilkes won’t have challenges. But I know the University will meet those challenges with the determination and entrepreneurial spirit that have always been part of what it means to “Be Colonel.” These are difficult times for all of higher education. As we’ve prepared our budgets for the next academic year and laid plans for the years ahead, the overriding goal is to keep the cost of a Wilkes degree as affordable as possible for students and families and to maintain the quality of our programs. Keeping higher education affordable has been, and will continue to be, a major challenge for Wilkes and its peer institutions. It’s an important issue—especially for an institution like ours that has so many first-generation college students. All the dreams and promises that a college education holds can be seen in the faces of these families as they visit Wilkes for the first time. Keeping that education within reach must be a priority. Nothing gives me more optimism than the fact that, as this magazine went to press, we’re projecting that our fall 2012 freshman class promises to be among the largest in our history. Although the official class Tim Gilmour retires as Wilkes president on June 30. number is not final until August 31— photo by michael touey and barring any unforeseen events— we will welcome a record number of new colonels. The freshman class is just one reason for optimism. Wilkes endures beyond any issues of the moment, dedicated to educating our students. Wilkes has a bright future with a great new president, a supportive alumni base and board, a faculty committed to its students, quality programs and a new state-of-the-art science building. I am proud to have been part of the Wilkes community for the past 11 years and it has been an extraordinary honor to serve as its president. I look forward to watching the institution grow and flourish as it continues on the path to greatness. Dr. Tim Gilmour Wilkes University President spring/SUMMER 2012 Wilkes magazine University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk M.A.’12 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows M.S. ’12 Graduate Assistant Thomas Markley ’11 Intern Elizabeth Voda ’12 Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor, Inc. Editorial Advisory Group Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 Alumni RELATIONS STAFF Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Association Officers President Tom Ralston ’80 First Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Second Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents Features 8 Lasting Legacy President Tim Gilmour reflects on his tenure as Wilkes’ fifth president 14 Weathering the Storm On the 40th anniversary of the flood following Tropical Storm Agnes, Wilkes remembers its impact 18 Cross-Cultural Communicator Scott Zolner ’90 puts his communications degree to work running an English language school in Japan 18 14 departments 2 On Campus 7 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes In the aftermath of the Agnes flood in 1972, two Wilkes students clean file cabinets during Operation Snapback. Photo courtesy Wilkes University Archives Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. /;;s FPO FSC Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 8 1 �on campus Breaking Ground For Future Scientists Donning a hardhat that declared “Achieving Our Destiny,” Wilkes President Tim Gilmour climbed into the cab of an excavator that sported a jaunty “W” on its door. Gilmour deftly manipulated the controls and the excavator took a generous bite out of the soggy ground outside Stark Learning Center. The scoop of rain-soaked earth marked the start of a new chapter for the sciences at Wilkes. The University broke ground on March 1 for a new science building. The $35 million building will help to ensure Wilkes’ position as a national leader in undergraduate science education. It will house Wilkes’ award-winning biology and health sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, and environmental engineering and earth science programs. The 72,500square-foot building, which will be the most advanced educational facility in the region with state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratory space, is slated to open in fall 2013. Wilkes also announced the public phase of the $20 million “Achieving Our Destiny” capital campaign to fund the project. The campaign already has raised $10.7 million toward the goal. The University will seek additional contributions from alumni and friends of the University. For more information on the campaign, please see the update on page 21 and the honor roll of donors on the inside back cover. Left, Cakes at the groundbreaking celebration sported the “Achieving Our Destiny” campaign logo. PhOtOs by MiChAeL tOuey More on the Web For updates about the science building project and the Achieving Our Destiny Campaign, please visit www. wilkes.edu/achieve Above, Celebrating the groundbreaking for the new science building are Achieving Our Destiny campaign leaders, from left, Jane Cefaly; John Cefaly Jr. ’70, campaign co-chair; hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72, campaign co-chair; Jack Miller ’68, chair, board of trustees; President tim Gilmour; and trustee Michael Mahoney, campaign chair of chairs. WilkeS | Spring/Summer 2012 below, university President tim Gilmour makes a ceremonial first dig with an excavator outside stark Learning Center. 2 �on campus Patrick leahy Named Sixth President of Wilkes It was a family affair when Patrick Leahy was introduced to the Wilkes community as its sixth president. The March 12 announcement drew more than 300 students, faculty and staff. But the most excited people in the audience might have been Leahy’s four children, ranging in age from 13 to 5, who attended with his wife, Amy. “When I mentioned to my kids that we would need to attend an event on campus this Monday morning, they were thrilled. I thought it was because they were proud of their father,” Leahy quipped. “Actually, they were thrilled to be able to miss school today.” Promising that he and his family will be active and visible parts of the University community when he becomes Wilkes’ sixth president on July 1, he shared his enthusiasm for the task ahead. “When I woke up this morning, I was excited. After all, it’s not every day that a person can go from being a college administrator to being a Colonel in just a few hours. I’m thrilled to be the newest member of this Army of Colonels,” Leahy said. “My first goal as your president will be to get to know this University community.” Leahy already started work on that goal by attending a series of two-day meetings on campus from March to June, familiarizing himself with different facets of the University. The meetings focused on four key areas: academic affairs, student life, relationship building and campus tours, and strategic positioning and financial resources. Leahy, 43, comes to Wilkes from the University of Scranton, where he has been executive vice president. His appointment follows a national search that began in July 2011. At Scranton, he supervised six key administrative functions: development, government relations, intercollegiate athletics, undergraduate and graduate admissions, information technology and planning. Above, members of the Leahy family show off the Wilkes gear presented as welcome gifts. From left are brian, age 5, Patrick Leahy, Jack (under the shirt), age 7, Wilkes student Christa Filipkowski, Molly, age 11, wife Amy Leahy, and Grace, age 13. below, Patrick Leahy addresses the university community. PhOtOs by LisA ReynOLDs Save the date! Join us for the installation of Patrick Leahy as the sixth President of Wilkes university. Welcome President Leahy and his family as a new era begins. Installation Weekend: Friday, Sept. 14, and Saturday, Sept. 15 Watch the mail for more details or visit www.wilkes.edu/newpresident. The latest issues in health care and the nursing profession will be the focus when Wilkes hosts The Geisinger Nursing Health Research Conference. The event, presented by Geisinger Health System, will be held on Oct. 12, 2012 in the Henry Student Center. The day-long event’s theme is The New Healthcare: A Collaborative Approach. Wilkes nursing students and alumni are invited to attend the conference, where participants can explore the impact of health-care changes at the local, regional, and national levels. Presentations will identify methods to evaluate health care outcomes, discuss the importance of inter-professional teamwork across multiple health-care settings, and discern nursing’s role in the new health-care paradigm. Attendees can earn continuing education credits. Wanda Ruppert, assistant professor of nursing and a member of the conference planning committee, says the event will be valuable for nurses at all career levels. “The Wilkes University community is afforded a great opportunity to discuss key health care issues facing the nation. The timing of this conference is ideal with the upcoming election season and the pending Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act,” Ruppert says. “We are grateful to have industry leaders, health care professionals and political leaders to share their perspectives and insights on these issues.” Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski ’67, who represents Pennsylvania’s 121st district, will participate in a Thursday panel discussion titled “Health Care Reform: Where Are We Going?” For more information about the conference, visit http://www.geisinger.org/ professionals/nursing/research/index.html. WilkeS | Spring/Summer 2012 Wilkes To Host Geisinger Nursing Research Conference 3 �on campus Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Wilkes University Opens Metro Surgical Robotics Lab 4 A benevolent cow on a computer screen gazed down at the guests in Wilkes’ new Metro Surgical Robotics Lab. Engineering senior Justin Flam ’12 manipulated a remote arm that measures pressure. It relayed the feeling to the student’s hand, allowing him to “feel” the skin of the virtual bovine. A similar device in an operating room would allow a surgeon using robotic equipment to “feel” the skin and organs of a patient. Such cutting-edge technology is the focus in the new lab. Cameras and surgical instruments that move via laptops and joysticks and a camera that is guided by eye movement were demonstrated during an April 19 dedication ceremony. The lab is the newest addition to the University’s Division of Engineering and Physics. The opening of the surgical robotics laboratory makes Wilkes the only northeast Pennsylvania institution to offer biomedical and engineering students the latest instructional and hands-on experience in robot-assisted surgical procedures. Located in Stark Learning Center, the state-of-the-art laboratory features cutting-edge technology that allows students to remotely control intelligent robots. Wilkes faculty members collaborate with Geisinger Health System surgeons to teach students to develop instruments to shorten incision lengths to reduce infection risks, vital for saving lives. Wilkes engineering student John Malachowski of Clarks Summit, Pa., demonstrates equipment on a model of the human torso in the Metro Surgical Robotics Lab. Photo by Lisa Reynolds The laboratory is sponsored by Wilkes-Barre-based InterMetro Industries, a leading provider of technology, storage and transport solutions for health care. InterMetro made a significant gift in support of the project, which was spearheaded by John Nackley, InterMetro president. Other partners in the project are Geisinger and Keystone Automation. The surgical robotics lab offers video and teleconferencing with Geisinger Medical Center’s robotic surgery experts. The lab is outfitted with Mediascape technology, featuring Leapfrog and Stylist applications, which free students from work stations, facilitating learning. Other features include an interactive white board, a mobile station fully equipped with laptops, a surgical simulator station and modern cabinets to store miniature robotic parts. More than 20 undergraduate students and several graduate students have worked with Wilkes assistant professor of mechanical engineering Xiaoli Zhang, the manager of the lab, to develop new surgical robot technologies. �on campus Sharon Cosgrove Participates in Art in Embassies Program in Kazakhstan Sharon Cosgrove, associate professor of art, traveled to Kazakhstan in March on a trip sponsored by the Art in Embassies program and the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan. Cosgrove, who teaches painting and printmaking in the Department of Integrative Media and Art, was chosen to have her artwork displayed at the U.S. Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Art in Embassies program was conceived in 1963, and it currently exhibits more than 3,500 original works of art, loaned by U.S. citizens. Cosgrove has four paintings displayed at U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Fairfax’s residence in Astana. The work is part of a group exhibition of collected works by contemporary American artists as part of the Art in Embassies program. Above, Sharon Cosgrove discusses her work in the Oblast Gallery during her trip to Kazakhstan. Lower, left, Cosgrove with some of the young Kazakh art students she met during her Art in Embassies trip. Photos courtesy of Art in Embassies Program Cosgrove traveled to three major cities in Kazakhstan, located in vastly different regions: Kostanay in the north, the capital city of Astana, and the southeastern city of Almaty. Within six days, she gave 10 presentations about her art and about art education in the United States. She also taught six master classes. Cosgrove taught at all levels, including children in an orphanage, gifted teenage artists, prospective young teachers, and talented undergraduate and graduate art students at select colleges of art. “I was greeted with great enthusiasm everywhere I went. Youth in national costume, traditional music with dance performances, and elaborate art exhibitions were offered upon my arrival,” Cosgrove says. “Some places had never had a visit by an American artist. Students and artists were very eager to share their cultural treasures and beautiful, creative works with me. The Kazakh people are extremely warm, welcoming and generous. The entire experience was exciting beyond measure, and will certainly have a positive and lasting impact on my teaching and studio practice.” More on the Web For a slide show of photos from Sharon Cosgrove’s trip to Kazakhstan and images of her artwork, please visit www.wilkes.edu/cosgrove. An essay prepared by U.S Ambassador Kenneth J. Fairfax about the exhibition titled “Questioning Perceptions” also can be viewed. It contains commentary on Cosgrove’s work. Wilkes students follow the rise and fall of the stock market by participating in the Investment Club. The club started in summer 2011 with graduate and undergraduate business students investing in the stock market. Students make money with their investments while learning about the process. Wilkes alumni Dan Cardell ‘79 and Fred Hermann ‘79 first became interested in the club when students bought and traded stocks using imaginary money. Both have recently given the club generous donations that allow students to get real-world experience investing dollars. Any profits made stay with the club. Both graduates and undergraduates share the same portfolio, or group of stocks, with a financial goal in mind. Undergraduates participate in Investment Club meetings held weekly. Club members focus on an industry and decide whether to invest by researching a company. Students learn how to create a portfolio and the basics of investment. They have stock in Apple, Siemens and Conoco Phillips. Undergraduate club president Weston McCollum is a senior from Harrisburg, Pa., majoring in accounting and business administration. McCollum explains, “I think the value of the Investment Club for undergraduates is to get them familiar with the process of how to invest. This club provides a foundation of skills for undergraduates that they can use to invest to try and achieve financial freedom.” Graduate students participate by taking Sidhu School of Business chair and associate professor Ted Engel’s MBA class, Investments and Portfolio Management. The class has stock in Pepsi, and Engel integrates the investments and company research throughout the semester to teach class topics. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Club Gives Students Experience In Return for Investments 5 �on campus Graduating Seniors Were Part of Majority of One Brad Kuzawinski ’12 remembers when a group of his friends at Maine-Endwell High School in Maine, N.Y., said to him, “Dude, you’re famous! You’re on a billboard!” At first he didn’t believe them – until they drove him to the billboard. He remembers getting calls from friends at other schools that had also seen a billboard featuring his acceptance to Wilkes University. Nicole Pollock ’12’s father still carries a picture of her billboard on his phone and watches the Wilkes commercial featuring her on YouTube—even though both happened four years ago. The commercial and billboard helped Pollock—then a senior at Scranton High School—decide that Wilkes was the school for her. Kuzawinski and Pollock, who graduated in May, were among the students featured in Wilkes’ award-winning “Majority of One” advertising campaign that was part of admissions marketing from 2006-2008. The campaign, which drew national media attention from outlets such as National Public Radio, The Chronicle of Higher Education and the The Associated Press, emphasized the personal attention that students receive at Wilkes by featuring recently accepted students on billboards, mall kiosks, gas pump ads and even on pizza boxes. The campaign helped seal their decision to attend Wilkes. Kuzawinski says he felt like Wilkes really did want him. “I felt special; I wasn’t just an average Joe to them,” he says. The campaign did more than ensure that students like Kuzawinski and Pollock chose Wilkes. Market research showed an increased awareness of Wilkes overall due to the unique ad campaign. In high schools of students featured in the campaign, applications increased. Students wooed by the campaign have been among Wilkes’ best and brightest since their arrival. Kuzawinski might be called a triple threat: He graduated with three majors—mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and applied engineering science—and three minors, physics, math and statistics. He has been recruited by Precision Castparts Corp. for its management development program, one of a very few recent graduates selected nationally for the exclusive program. Nicole Pollock ’12 and Brad Kuzawinski ’12 came to Wilkes after being featured in the Majority of One ad campaign. Photo by Vicki Mayk Pollock, a psychology and sociology double major, will attend Marywood University for an advanced degree in mental health counseling. She completed a minor in women’s and gender studies. Pollock’s been a student leader at Wilkes, serving as vice president of Psi Chi, the psychology honor society; as co-editor of the psychology department newsletter, Psychles; and was the recipient of a Scholars in Service to Pennsylvania scholarship for two years. Pollock and Kuzawinski both say Wilkes delivers on the promise of individualized attention. “Wilkes is my family away from family,” Pollock says, citing the relationships at her work-study job in the admissions office and her faculty mentor, assistant professor of psychology Jennifer Thomas. “They know what’s going on with your life.” Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Faculty Raise Concerns With No Confidence Vote 6 The University’s faculty voted no confidence in retiring President Tim Gilmour and board chair Jack Miller ’68 on May 3. A vote of no confidence is a mechanism that faculty use to voice serious concerns about the leadership and governance of a university. Concerns about decisions related to the 2012-2013 academic year budget spurred the vote, but faculty also emphasized that their concerns go beyond budgetary issues. They cited as reasons for their action ongoing issues in the last few years related to communication and transparency in the campus decision-making process. University governance is a complicated issue and the University administration and faculty will meet over the coming months to try and address the faculty concerns. The Wilkes administration had made a commitment to improve communications. Some progress had been made in the last year on increasing faculty participation on major University decisions. The Board of Trustees agreed to appoint non-voting faculty representatives to their committees this year in order for them to have a voice in board decisions. On behalf of the University, the Board of Trustees has made a commitment to continue working on governance issues and also to keep alumni informed about the process. The University is strong and both faculty and administration remain dedicated to Wilkes’ mission of educating its students. It will grow stronger through resolving these issues. �athletics Wilkes Leads Middle Atlantic Conference With Scholar Athlete Honorees Michelle Wakeley Anna Mitchell Matthew Ruch Paul Huch 3,[) Photos by Steve Finkernagel Matthew Ruch, of Dallas, Pa., is a first-team All-Freedom performer for the Wilkes baseball team. Ruch became the school’s all-time hits leader this season with 206 hits. He also ranks second at Wilkes for doubles and RBI’s and third for runs scored and home runs. As an accounting major, Ruch has been named to the MAC All-Academic team three straight years, and he plans to attend graduate school for his Master of Business Administration degree in the fall. At commencement, he won the Wandell Award as the male student with the highest grade-point average. Paul Huch, of Tuckerton, N.J., is a second-team All-Freedom selection in basketball. As a captain of the team, Huch was awarded Freedom Conference Player of the Week, Dickinson All Tournament Team, and was selected as the Capital One Cosida Academic All District Four First Team. As a psychology major at Wilkes, Huch has excelled in the classroom as strongly as on the court. He was a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society and the Alpha Chi Honor Society. Huch plans to attend graduate school at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey to earn his doctorate in physical therapy. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Four students from Wilkes proved they excel in the classroom and on the playing field when they were recognized as Scholar Athletes by the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) for the 2011-2012 year. Wilkes had the most students of any college in the conference recognized at the ceremony held in May at Fairleigh Dickinson University. These students have demonstrated strong commitment and success athletically while excelling academically. Schools in the conference may nominate a senior student-athlete in each sport. Nominees must have a cumulative 3.2 grade-point average. The MAC Awards Committee selects one winner in each sport based on athletic achievement and academic excellence. Paul Adams ’77, Wilkes vice president of student affairs, says the students epitomize the scholar-athlete ideal. “We couldn’t be more proud of Anna, Michelle, Matt and Paul. They are shining examples of the commitment our student athletes have to succeed in competition and in the classroom,” Adams says. The recipients of the award were: Michelle Wakeley, of Endicott, N.Y., earned First Team All-Conference honors finishing fourth at the MAC in cross country. Wakeley, holding the top eight finishing times in school history, has broken several records. A biology major, Wakeley was awarded the Outstanding Senior Intern Award for her work at Guthrie Health at Robert Packer Hospital and was honored with the Wandell Award as the female graduate with the highest grade-point average. She will be attending SUNY Upstate Medical University in the fall. Anna Mitchell, of Montclair, N.J., has performed on the Wilkes tennis courts for three years, including three straight Freedom Conference championships and NCAA tournament berths. As a team captain, she has proven herself both on the courts and off. With a double major in Spanish and international studies and plans to attend graduate school for Spanish literature, Mitchell’s classroom performance has earned her a place on the MAC All-Academic team for two consecutive years. 7 �President Tim Gilmour will retire on June 30 after 11 years leading Wilkes. Photos by Earl & Sedor Photographic 2001 Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Tim Gilmour inaugurated fifth president 8 2004 2005-2006 Sidhu School of Business and Leadership established Purchase of UCOM and University Towers Outstanding Leaders Forum Begins Mentoring Grants Begin �durinG 11 yEars as PrEsidEnT, Tim Gilmour challEnGEd WilkEs To bE GrEaT By Vicki Mayk t he girl in the pharMacy school sweatshirt hesitated in the empty second-floor reception area in the University center on Main. Shifting nervously from foot to foot, she clutched a stack of papers. “can i help you?” the man in the corner office asked. “i’m looking for Dr. paul adams. i’m supposed to deliver these papers to him.” “Dr. adams isn’t in this afternoon. Do you think it would be all right to leave the papers with the University president to give to him?” “Sure,” she said, handing him her delivery. “thank you.” She started to walk away and quickly turned back. “nice to meet you!” tim gilmour chuckles. “that’s the kind of thing that i’ll miss.” gilmour will retire on June 30, after 11 years leading Wilkes. it’s been a time marked by many milestones: stunning growth in enrollment, the addition of successful graduate programs, initiatives fostering regional economic growth, campuswide sustainability efforts and groundbreaking on a new science building. (See timeline on these pages for details of Wilkes during the gilmour presidency.) the achievements did not come easily, gilmour concedes. “One of the reasons why i came to Wilkes is that there were challenges to be faced, financial challenges and challenges related to growth. challenges are something i’ve always embraced,” he says. Jack Miller ’68, chairman of the board of trustees, praises gilmour’s ability to overcome the challenges and move the University forward. “tim led Wilkes from a place of chaos and financial threat to a place where we are poised to achieve our destiny as a recognized academic leader in the markets we serve.” he cites gilmour’s use of respected management practices such as process improvement, benchmarking 2007 Doctor of Education degree program launched Barnes & Noble bookstore Opens MFA in Creative Writing program established New Wilkes magazine debuts Tim Gilmour serves as President of Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Greening of campus (Signing of ACUP Climate Commitment) 9 �Patty Gilmour has contributed to the Wilkes landscape with new outdoor spaces, such as the bluestone labyrinth. Patty Gilmour: Growing A Greener Wilkes Few presidential wives can claim to have changed the landscape of an institution. Patty Gilmour has done that with initiatives that created places for quiet contemplation in an urban habitat on the Wilkes campus. In June, the Grayson Arboretum will be dedicated on campus, a lasting symbol of Patty Gilmour’s work to make Wilkes a more beautiful campus using organic gardening principles. The arboretum is named for her daughter. More than 450 trees and shrubs have been planted, many of which are native species rarely seen in the area. Patty Gilmour literally had a hand in planting many of the additions: She was a familiar sight on campus in her gardening gear. She has introduced other innovations, hoping to connect the Wilkes community with the outdoors. Benches have been installed to provide places to relax and reflect. She and University trustee Bill Miller ’81 were instrumental in the placement of a native bluestone labyrinth on campus, the first in the region. Her work has been lauded by the community: The North Branch Land Trust honored the Gilmours with its Community Stewardship Award in May 2012, noting Patty’s contributions taking a lead role in the greening of the Wilkes campus and in advancing sustainable peers and assessment for improvement in charting the University’s course. Guiding the institution on the path to growth meant challenging people to aim high. Paul Adams ’77, vice president for student affairs, and a Wilkes alumnus, says Gilmour was never content with “good enough.” “Tim always set high expectations for us. In fact, we always tease him about having a ‘receding horizon.’ When we would come close to achieving our stretch goals, Tim would move the bar and challenge us to go even further. A prime example is the initial goal he set for our growth in post-baccalaureate education. When we thought we couldn’t do it, Tim always had the drive and faith in us that we would,” Adams says. “In the end, we did it.” The construction of the new science building will be a visible part of the president’s legacy, but Gilmour concerned himself with more than bricks and mortar on the academic side of the house. He also encouraged development of academic programs. Dale Bruns, dean of the College of Science and Engineering, says Gilmour’s work in support of engineering is a typical example. “He brought in an excellent technical reviewer, the former provost from Georgia Tech, who validated the rigor of the programs and their importance to business and industry in the region,” Bruns says, adding that Gilmour reinvested in engineering, which has enjoyed significant enrollment growth in the last few years. Freshman engineering landscaping practices. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 2008 10 HHMI Grant awarded, recognizing Wilkes as one of the nation’s best undergraduate science programs Cross country added to sports Opening of Center for Global Education and Diversity Launch of master’s degree program in instructional technology with Discovery Education 75th Anniversary of Wilkes University New Colonel Mascot debuts Launch of Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development (formerly the Joint Urban Studies Center ) �enrollments are expected to double between fall 2010 and 2012. capturing the achievements of more than a decade is difficult. More important is pinpointing the lasting impact that a president has on institutional culture. Student affairs vice president adams compares gilmour’s impact to Wilkes’ impact on its students. “What tim did for Wilkes is what Wilkes does best for its students: helping them achieve beyond their perceived potential,” adams says. “through tim’s leadership Wilkes has achieved what we never imagined. things on campus that now seem routine, were once ideas we thought were beyond our reach.” When we thought we couldn’t do it, tim always had the DriVe and Faith in us that we would. – paul adams ’77, Student affairs Vice president A Time for Reflection an inTErviEW WiTh Tim Gilmour t By need author name iM gilMOUr, WilkeS University’s fifth president, sat down with Wilkes magazine to reflect on his time at Wilkes. New presidents are often asked, “Why Wilkes?” when people want to know why they want to lead this institution. Now that you’ve been at Wilkes for more than a decade—and with the benefit of hindsight: why Wilkes? the reasons why Wilkes is a great institution have not changed a great deal since i came here. i like the fact that this institution looks beyond itself and really cares about the community that surrounds it. it’s located in a city that depends heavily on the University for the contributions it makes to its vitality. think about the way we marshaled our “army of colonels” to help with flood relief this year. i think that epitomizes the way that Wilkes cares about the community. another one of the things that is special about Wilkes is that we continue a tradition of educating first-generation college students. it was another thing that attracted me to the University, because that’s a special niche and we continue to fill it and do a great job. 2009 " - .. Ff'ti-:,.,,,a· ' ··•~· • --- ,, ·J During your time as president, Wilkes has focused on partnerships to improve the City of Wilkes-Barre and the region. What initiatives do you feel will have lasting significance? One of the earliest initiatives that had an impact on the downtown was the opening of the Barnes and noble bookstore in partnership with king’s college. to have Barnes and noble say, “We want to place a store there,” sent a signal that a more vital downtown was possible, that it could work. that 2010 Wilkes Awarded National Science Foundation grant for 400-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, the region’s largest ! Undergraduate full-time equivalent enrollment grows by 28 percent from 2004 to 2009 Graduate full-time equivalent enrollment increases 155 percent for same period Diversity of students body grows from 6.9 percent to 12.2 percent, with more than 21 countries represented among international students Alden Learning Commons opens in Farley Library Doctor of Nursing Practice degree launched Nesbitt College of Pharmacy and Nursing establishes region’s first School of Nursing Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 . ,.::, I , Wilkes has always been very entrepreneurial. it’s a characteristic that’s going to be increasingly important in the years ahead. that entrepreneurial spirit is going to be one of the reasons why Wilkes continues to thrive. it’s one of the reasons why i chose Wilkes and why i’m proud to have been its president for the last 11 years. and finally, this really is simply a wonderful place that brings a lot of people great joy. Our students and faculty come to work every day and they want to do a good job. that is a fantastic atmosphere and i’ve been glad to be a part of it. 11 �was the beginning. When we purchased University Towers and the call center that became the University Center on Main, it gave the city a tremendous shot in the arm. The call center had the potential to be a huge white elephant, draining the city’s resources. Our occupancy of both those properties has helped to anchor our end of Main Street, ensuring a vital downtown. And a vital downtown is important to our students. From the regional perspective, two of our institutes are having a significant impact. The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research is providing important information on the effects of the Marcellus shale development in northeast Pennsylvania. It has a goal to establish itself as the major source of unbiased scientific information about the impact of gas drilling in the region. We have evidence that is exactly what’s happening, with reporters from major media outlets such as CNN and The Christian Science Monitor, as well as our regional news media, contacting the Institute for information. The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development has undergone a major transformation during my tenure. It’s gone from a focus on “how do you fix towns like Wilkes-Barre” to a broader perspective, exploring the question of “how do you make life better Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 2010 12 in this region?” It provides research that helps to give direction to major planning and development issues. The institute takes on significant public policy issues, such as housing, transportation, education, workforce development and the Marcellus development. Because of its work, northeastern Pennsylvania will have the planning and policy tools needed to make the region a more attractive place for people to live and work. What about your experience at Wilkes has fueled your passion for private colleges and universities? We are much more focused on our mission than you find in the public sector of higher education. Here, our primary focus is on the people we serve. If you want to feel like you are making an impact, it is great to be a president of an institution like Wilkes. We do an extraordinary job of educating our students. That commitment to students doesn’t exist at many other places. Everyone talks about leaving a legacy. How do you define your legacy at Wilkes? My inaugural speech was “Dare To Be Great.” I like to believe that I encouraged the institution to do that. If I am convinced of anything, it’s that Wilkes should continue to set its sights on becoming an even greater institution in the years ahead. If I have done anything, I like to think that the best thing I’ve done is to ask people at this institution to consistently do more than they think they can. I hope that people continue to do that. Is Wilkes a different Wilkes than when you became president and, if so, in what ways? As I said earlier, Wilkes has always had an entrepreneurial spirit and I think that spirit has grown exponentially since I’ve been here. I would cite the growth in our graduate programs as among the most significant changes here. When I first came to Wilkes, Joe Bellucci in our education department had a program for teachers to teach them to us two-way video and computers in their classrooms. That was very entrepreneurial, very cutting edge at the time. Because Joe had already paved the way, we were able to take that to the next level, making it possible for Wilkes to develop many distance learning and Web-based educational programs for teachers, which has been an enormous area of growth for us during my tenure. Our core mission of educating undergraduates will always be our most important focus, but opening up our graduate offerings was an enormous change for Wilkes. 2011 (continued) Stadium renovations Successful Middle States Evaluation Establishment of Institute for Energy and Environmental Research for Northeast Pennsylvania Wilkes named A Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine Susquehanna River floods Wyoming Valley; Army of Colonels rallies to provide flood relief Schmidt Stadium named in honor of former coach Rollie Schmidt �What are your plans after leaving the University? I have no plans to work in higher education administration full-time after retirement—although I may do some consulting. But I am interested in studying the evolving higher educational landscape. It’s clear to me that we are going to need to rethink some of the things we do in higher education. Issues of affordability for students and accountability for institutions in higher education will not be going away. The way we deliver education is evolving and will continue to change. We already know that the traditional classroom setting is only one of many ways to deliver instruction. In the immediate future, I plan to spend my time researching these and other issues related to higher education, including talking with leaders at colleges and universities to gather their thoughts. My plan is to write a book about what I’ve learned. Wilkes will benefit from my findings before they are shared with anyone else. Any additional thoughts you’d like to share? Clearly we’re going through some tough times in higher education, but I go away optimistic that Wilkes will come out on the other side stronger and better than ever. This is a great institution and it’s been my privilege to lead it for the last 11 years. Tim and Patty Gilmour have been active members of the campus community and the city of Wilkes-Barre. 2012 The Chronicle of Higher Education recognizes Wilkes as one of the fastest-growing universities in the U.S. Wilkes Pocono Center opens Grayson Arboretum established Wilkes One Stop Honored by University Business Magazine Surgical robotics lab opens Groundbreaking for new science building Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Patty Gilmour establishes Learning Garden adjacent to Fenner Hall ► 13 �Wilkes campus community remembers awesome force of Agnes on flood’s 40th anniversary Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 By Helen Kaiser 14 �opposite page, clockwise from top left, chase hall staff cleaning furniture and equipment. hundreds of books were damaged after water receded in the library. muddy footprints mark the stage and orchestra pit in darte. flooding destroyed a steinway grand piano that was less than a year old. flood waters turned shelving upside down in the bookstore. photos courtesy francis michelini and Wilkes university archives “Do you stay in business? Or close up shop?” Michelini says he and other officials privately weighed the alternatives. They concluded that none of the buildings had damage to upper floors. They believed that academic programs were shaped by dedicated faculty and exchanges with students in the classroom—not by muddy bricks and mortar. “We had the sense that we’re all in this boat together. Let’s get back on our feet and keep going,” Michelini says. An all-out recovery effort, dubbed Operation Snapback, was launched. The local newspaper reported: “Students and college personnel . . . responded to a plea for ‘manpower and elbow grease’ from the college president in an effort to overcome what had at first appeared to be an almost fatal blow.” Wilkes president francis J. michelini, seated on desk, confers with tom moran, owen faut, don tappa, umid nejib, Jim bohning, al bruch, bing Wong and others during a meeting about cleanup. photo courtesy francis J. michelini We had the sense that we’re all in this boat TOGETHER. Let’s get back on our feet and keep going. – Francis J. Michelini Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 ILKES-BARRE’S STREETS RESEMBLED the canals in Venice. Fires burned out of control. In nearby Forty Fort Cemetery, coffins and vaults were ejected from the earth by hydrostatic pressure when the raging Susquehanna River waters undermined the steel pilings of the adjacent dike and flowed underneath the cemetery. No one who experienced 1972’s Tropical Storm Agnes likely will ever forget it. Described then as the nation’s worst natural disaster, more than a hundred people were killed and at least 387,000 people were evacuated. Property damage was estimated at more than $3 billion—$16.3 billion in today’s dollars. By far, the worst damage occurred in Pennsylvania, with more than $2 billion in losses occurring in the Susquehanna River basin. Wilkes-Barre was the hardest-hit community in the state. While the June 1972 event was devastating—and its aftermath a monumental challenge—those who experienced it witnessed a triumph of human spirit. Dealing with the crisis “was a situation where you just rose to the occasion,” recalls Francis J. Michelini, then president of Wilkes College. “You did a lot of things instinctively. There was no preparation for such a crisis.” Now a resident of Mechanicsburg, Pa., Michelini, 87, has vivid recollections of those high-water days. He was able to assist with dramatic rescues and help firefighters and utility workers by piloting through floodwaters in a 60-horsepower motorboat Wilkes owned for its environmental sciences program. Students on campus for the summer session first were evacuated to the nearby Hotel Sterling because of power failures. “I was a resident advisor, and our group went there with Dean (Jane) Lampe because the hotel had generators,” says Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72, of Plano, Texas. The normally scenic Susquehanna River, however, was threatening; and the Wilkes evacuees soon had to be rescued from the River Street location. Rittenmeyer remembers being plucked from atop the marquee of the hotel along with several other students. At 6:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 24, 1972, the river crested in Wilkes-Barre at 40.9 feet, about 5 feet higher than protection levels. According to the National Weather Service, Agnes “rewrote the book on inland flooding and the impact a tropical storm can have hundreds of miles from the coast.” Wilkes College faced an ordeal like none other in its 25 years as an independent, four-year institution. It suffered flood damage to all but one of its 59 campus buildings, and losses totaled more than $10 million. Severely impacted were the library, where 53,000 volumes were destroyed; Stark Hall, which sustained $500,000 in damages to delicate scientific equipment and tools; and the Dorothy Dickson Darte Music Hall, where at least $100,000 in musical instruments were lost. 15 �from left to right, president michelini at the entrance to Weckesser hall, where “operation snapback” was headquartered in the annex. post-flood looters left behind whiskey bottles in muddy pickering dining hall. many books in the library were lost to water damage. a worker adds to the pile of refuse outside of stark hall. photos courtesy of francis J. michelini and Wilkes university archives “It was devastating to see what had happened to the campus,” recalls Benjamin F. Fiester ’55, an emeritus professor of English who still teaches part-time at Wilkes. “But we were not all that depressed or unhopeful that we could (recover), and we did.” Some of it was common sense, Michelini says. “You had to get the basics restored, like electricity. Then you had to get the mud out. The banks in town were underwater. We had salvaged a $25,000 fundraising check we’d received, and I remember telling someone to take it up to Hazleton to cash and use some of it to buy as many hoses and brooms and cleaning supplies as you could find!” Summer classes reconvened within a week. Students helped with mud cleanup during the day and attended classes beginning at 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Diana Gregory Finstad ’73, of Prospect Heights, Ill., did her share of scrubbing. “Those who worked tirelessly during the cleanup months truly understand the challenges and heartbreak faced during that time,” she says. “The flood of Agnes is a distant memory that I won’t forget. It ravaged the campus and left its mark, but it didn’t destroy the Wilkes spirit or my spirit.” (See sidebar for Finstad’s tale of her first trip to the Amnicola office after the flood.) Michelini wrote many letters to prospective freshmen assuring them that classes would be held in the fall. Indeed, that semester began just one or two weeks later than originally planned, he recalls. The college received about $12 million in federal disaster aid, and restoration efforts continued at a busy pace into October, November and December of that year. By the time spring semester ended, campus life was approaching normal. “We had a first-year anniversary party and told everyone to wear their flood clothes,” Michelini says. Looking back, the former president credits the institutional culture at Wilkes for the successful recovery. As a small, cohesive community, communication throughout the campus and the administrative unit was effective. “You only had to say something was needed, and it would get done. There was a hard-core group of wonderful people— many of whom had attended Wilkes themselves and came back to teach there. They did the job that was necessary to make sure we survived. No one person could do everything.” .. .~ Recollections flow fRom alumni who expeRienced agnes Maureen Klaproth Garcia-Pons ’71, of Moscow, Pa. excerpts from her eyewitness account published June 26, 1972, in The Scranton Tribune, where she worked as a writer for the woman’s page. it is reprinted courtesy of the Times-Tribune. “from my balcony (friday evening) i could see red cross vehicles and army jeeps traveling up and down the streets. sirens and alarms had sounded all day and continued through the night. i remember thinking that it looked and sounded like old films of the london blitz. . . . “at 5 a.m. . . . i ran to my terrace. to my left what looked like an entire block of pennsylvania avenue was raging with fire. to my right, south main street had water rising half way up the first floor. . . . car tops which had been above water level disappeared. . . . “at approximately 6 p.m. saturday two priests entered our building by boat and gave orders to evacuate. there was danger of more fires breaking out, of gas leaks, and Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 of typhus. . . . 16 “We formed lines to board small boats. . . . at the south MORE ON THE WEB read more alumni memories of the agnes flood and see more photos by visiting www.wilkes.edu/agnes. have a memory to share from tropical storm agnes and the flood that street bridge guardsmen lifted us out of the boats and carried us through the water. . . . We were sent to rice township fire hall. “for the first time during the entire ordeal i got upset. followed? e-mail us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu and put some helpful woman kept hanging up my coat and telling agnes in the subject line. We’ll add your story to the Web site. me to eat and go to bed. i tried to explain that i had the biggest story of my life and i had to get to scranton.” �John Anderson ’72, Forest Hill, Md. “As a member of the yearbook staff, I felt responsible for “I worked at Wilkes during the cleanup after Hurricane checking the yearbook office. . . . As far as I knew, no one had Agnes under the Special Program for Emergency entered yet and I was right. I was the first person to open the Employment Development (SPEED). I spent all my time swollen door and be greeted by the smell. I felt sad to see working in Stark Hall, refinishing the butcher block tops many past yearbooks damaged by water and mold. That day of lab tables, painting walls, and other tasks . . . I was a was a blur. I was able to find and save the list of names and member of the Physics Club, so on one of my first days addresses of students who had ordered the 1972 Amnicola, on the job, I went into the basement of Stark Hall to see which we had not yet received from the publisher.” how the Physics Club room fared. It had been completely under water, and—much to my surprise—there was my Sally Harvey Masloski ’56, Rice Lake, Wis. Timex watch that I had left there. It was still ticking. I often “Water rose in my parents’ house to about 4 inches on the second thought that I should have contacted Timex for a possible floor. . . . Many neighboring houses in Kingston had been totally TV commercial (It takes a licking and keeps on ticking).” under water. . . . We were fortunate to stay with relatives who lived on high ground. My mother’s supply of canned goods had labels all Diana Gregory Finstad ’73, Prospect Heights, Ill. “In the summer of ’72 I was a student employee with washed off. (There were) lots of meals with mystery vegetables. “When my dad was allowed to return to his business the English department in Bedford Hall. When the (Dorranceton Millwork in Forty Fort) there was a coffin on employees and volunteers were allowed back on campus the doorstep.” following the flood, a strict curfew was in place with defined arrival and departure times. Power had not yet been restored to the area. “Except for those who arrived to clean up, the campus everywhere. The smell was so foul I had to cover my nose and mouth with a bandana. Most of all I remember that smell and how it lingered for days, possibly weeks. Chairs and carpeting are piled outside Bedford Hall during cleanup. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 was deserted and gloomy. Mud, muck and dust were 17 �CROS~ ~ULTURAL Communicator Scott Zolner ’90 guides Japanese natives through the maze of English Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 By Geoff Gehman 18 Scott Zolner ’90, seen in front of the Imperial Palace in downtown Tokyo, Japan, teaches English to Japanese adults. Photos courtesy Scott Zolner. �' She was touGh, but inSPirinG.... What i am today, i owe mostly to her. '' sation school opened by his brother and new sister-in-law in Kazo, Saitama, her hometown. in 2000, his brother gave him another gift: ownership of the company. english is the most popular foreign language in Japan. hundreds of schools teach it as an essential business tool and as an important group hobby, along with jazz, baseball and other american imports. Zolner and his 13-year-old son, eugene, it is an extremely difficult on a Sunday outing in tokyo. photoS courteSy Scott Zolner language since Japanese has only 13 sounds, compared with 60 unique vowel sounds in english. Zolner works overtime to calm students overwhelmed by phonetics and pronunciation. his dyslexia makes him sensitive to their suffering. “i have no problem with big words,” he says. “it’s the little tiny ones that stick in my craw.” Zolner, who received a master’s degree in linguistics from the university of Birmingham in england, shares a teaching philosophy with noam chomsky, the einstein of linguistics, who believes everyone has an innate ability to learn a language. a new language is best learned, Zolner insists, through active communication rather than memorization. it’s a philosophy he employed himself. he’s fluent in Japanese, which he taught himself. he’s fluent in Japanese ways, partly because he’s married to a Japanese woman, Yukiko, mother of their 13-year-old son, eugene. even before he married, he immersed himself in the culture of his adopted country. in the ’90s he began singing an indigenous pop music known as enka, matching ’50s jazz melodies with country-and-western lyrics. he picked up the genre in karaoke bars as a way of breaking the ice. once a week Zolner works at a jazz club where he teaches Japanese vocalists how to navigate the blizzard of vowel sounds in “Smile,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and other standards. he doubles as an interpreter, explaining why a dance and a state are linked in “the tennessee Waltz.” last year he was teaching two married doctors when he felt the jolt of the earthquake that would kill more than 10,000 in Japan. For two weeks his business was interrupted by brownouts and gas rations. he consoled his in-laws, who lost their beachfront house to the earthquake-triggered tsunami. one of the few disadvantages of being a cross-cultural conversationalist: a lack of opportunity to practice your native language. Zolner plays the online game World of Warcraft for the chance to communicate freely in english. online, Zolner is a casual student in a school of australian conversation. “i’m picking up some of their lingo,” he says. “i’m starting to call my friends ‘mate.’ ” Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 S cott Zolner ’90 runS an enGliSh conversation school in Japan, where learning another language is a serious business and a serious hobby. his students range from a tire-company official who wants to speak more comfortably when he works in america to an obstetrician who wants to exercise his octogenarian brain. in between, he helps Japanese singers in a jazz club make sense of american lyrics. But Zolner does much more than guide Japanese students through the maze of english vowel sounds. he sympathizes with the struggles of his pupils because he, too, struggles with his native language. Zolner’s linguistic odyssey began as a high-school sophomore diagnosed with dyslexia. the native of Metuchen, n.J., turned a learning disability into a social ability. he adjusted to problems with reading, writing and spelling by improving his speaking and listening skills. these talents were tested at Wilkes, where he arrived as a biology/chemistry major and a football tackle. his first true test came in a public speaking class taught by Jane elmes-crahall, professor of communication studies. “Scott tried to be as endearing as possible, to make people think, ‘ah, nice guy,’ and not expect him to produce persuasive words,” she says. “My job was to tell him that in college you can’t charm your way out of tough situations. it was a struggle, but i won.” Zolner won, too. “Jane became my mentor,” he says from his home in Saitama, a district near tokyo. “She was tough, but inspiring. She was the first person who recognized that i could do the hard research, who pushed me to work harder as a speaker and a writer, who treated me like an intellectual being. What i am today, i owe mostly to her.” Zolner began to hit his stride in his next elmes-crahall course, rhetorical criticism, while defending and deflating the debates of Plato and Socrates. elmes-crahall says it’s as if he went from class clown to dean’s list in one semester. after graduating cum laude, Zolner worked as a telemarketer for Mci. in november 1990 he took his first trip to Japan, a graduation gift from his brother Stephen, an international money broker in tokyo. a long vacation became an occupational residency in 1991 when he joined an english-oriented company in remote ishikawa Prefecture. in 1992, he began assisting at an english conver– Scott Zolner ’90 about faculty mentor Jane elmes-crahall 19 �alumni news Alumni Association Board of Directors Elected At the March meeting of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, nine alumni were elected to serve on the board. Current members Karen Cowan ’96, JJ Fadden ’98, Kristin Klemish ’04, Rich Kramer ’67, Ruth McDermott-Levy ’82 and Anita Mucciolo ’78 were all re-elected because of their dedication to the Alumni Association and its committees. In addition, Clayton Karambelas ’49 and Ron Miller ’93 rejoined the group at the director level. Bill LePore ’94 is a new addition to the board. Over the past year, Bill has been instrumental in coordinating regional events in the Morristown, N.J., and Lehigh Valley, Pa., areas. “I am very honored to have been elected to the Wilkes University Alumni Board of Directors. The education and resources afforded me at Wilkes served as important stepping stones to my career and personal life as well. I have become very active with the alumni association during the past year and have become a mentor to a current Wilkes student. I have enjoyed these activities and want to give back to the University even more. When I was nominated for a position on the board, I jumped at the chance. The alumni association has made great strides to increase alumni participation with the current students and to spread the work of why Wilkes is the best place to attend,” says LePore. “We are very lucky to have such a committed, enthusiastic group of alumni serving on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. It is encouraging that interest in board membership grows each year,” says alumni association President Tom Ralston ’80. Homecoming 2012 is around tHe corner: october 5-7 The celebration started early this spring at Halfway to Homecoming events in Harrisburg, Pa.; Cambridge, Mass.; Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; and Washington, D.C. Now it’s time to get excited for the on-campus Homecoming festivities that will take place on Oct. 5-7. Here’s a brief look at what’s in store: • Class reunions: 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007 • Special Reunions: A-List, the ladies of Delaware Hall, Manuscript, the ladies of Barre Hall, YMCA • Academic groups: Communication Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sidhu School of Business and Leadership WilkEs | Spring/Summer 2012 This Homecoming will be very special, since it will be Patrick Leahy’s first as Wilkes president. In addition, you’ll get a first-hand look at the progress that has been made at the site of the new science building. Here are some helpful Homecoming tips: • Make your hotel reservations now. We have blocks of rooms reserved at several Wilkes-Barre hotels but they fill quickly, especially if you prefer to stay within walking distance of campus. Don’t forget to ask for the Wilkes Homecoming rate. • Keep an eye on your mailbox. The registration brochure will be mailed to you in early August. • Join our Facebook page: www.facebook/WilkesAlumni: In addition to www.wilkes.edu/homecoming, this is the best place to find the latest Homecoming info. 20 Alumni enjoy a beautiful afternoon on the Greenway during Homecoming weekend. Football alumni reconnecting at last year’s Homecoming are Joe Zakowski ’70, Joe Skvarla ’69, Joe Wiendl ’69, John Baranowski ’71 and David Kaschak ’71. �campaign update Wilkes has announced that $10.7 million of the $20 million goal in the “Achieving Our Destiny” Campaign has been raised. This milestone is the result of a committed group of capital campaign volunteers that includes alumni and community leaders. Their fundraising efforts will bring this ambitious project to fruition and help Wilkes achieve its destiny as the undisputed leader in science education and research in northeastern Pennsylvania. Student government president Willie Eggleston ’14 spoke on behalf of the student body at the groundbreaking for the building held March 1. “Today would not be possible without the help of generous donors and volunteers like you, who understand that being Colonel is more than a title or a degree; it is a way of life,” Eggleston says. “We’re thankful to all who have contributed so far,” says Bill Hanbury ’72, co-chair of the alumni campaign. “But we’re only part way to our goal. We’re depending on every Wilkes graduate to help us give our science students the building they deserve.” To learn more about the building and the campaign, or to donate, visit: www.wilkes.edu/achieve. S EPT. 2013 $2 0 m i l l i o n AP R . 2012 $10.7 mil l ion ACTUAL VS. GOAL JAN. 2011 Ca m pa ig n Laun c h Thank you to the following volunteers who have made significant investments in the future of Wilkes, our students and our region: Chair of Chairs Michael J. Mahoney Co-chairs John M. Cefaly ’70 Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72 Honorary Co-chairs Frank M. Henry William B. Sordoni Alumni Campaign Co-chairs Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 William A. Hanbury ‘72 Community Campaign Members Lissa Bryan-Smith Terrence W. Casey ‘81 Eugene Roth, Esq. ‘57 Matthew R. Sordoni Tara Mugford Wilson Members at Large Lawrence E. Cohen ‘57 Jason D. Griggs ’90 John R. Miller ’68, Chair, Board of Trustees Jashinder S. Sidhu MBA ’73 Alumni Campaign Task Force Clayton Karambelas ’49 Dr. Jesse Choper ’57 Emilie Roat Gino ’60 George Pawlush ’69 Jan Neiman Seeley ’70 Carol Gusgekofski Besler ’76 Tom Ralston ’80 Jason Griggs ’90 Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson ’93 Paula Gentilman Gaughan ’00 Eric Pape ’04 Top left, The new science building will provide state-of-the-art facilities. Bottom left, Campaign steering committee co-chair Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72, chair Michael J. Mahoney, community campaign member Eugene Roth, Esq. ’57, board of trustees chair John R. Miller ’68, President Tim Gilmour and vice president of advancement Michael J. Wood celebrate the start of construction. WilkEs | Spring/Summer 2012 Do Your Part To Help Wilkes University Achieve its Destiny 21 �class notes 1958 Merri (Mary Jones) Earl and Paul Earl ’59 celebrated 52 years of marriage on Feb. 27, 2012. They have five children. They spent the winter together in Sarasota, Fla., at their second home. 1959 Paul Earl See 1958. 1960 Ronald W. Simms was appointed by Gov. Tom Corbett to a 29-member panel to develop a long-term strategy for higher education. The panel will pay specific attention to changing and future demands of the state’s economy and jobs. Larry A. Major and his wife, Kay Ann, have been named Educators of the Year 2012 by the Lebanon (Pa.) County Educational Honor Society. 1967 1970 David Koranda is a senior instructor in the School of Journalism Communication at the University of Oregon. Recently, his students were selected and given a sizable grant by the Century Council in Washington, D.C., to Reunion Oct. 5-7 ~ Richard Kramer made his directorial debut with the Gaslight Theatre Company’s production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The show ran from Jan. 5-8 in the Mellow Theater in Scranton, Pa. implement an ad campaign to help curb binge drinking among college students. David resides in Eugene, Ore. 1974 W. Lee Miller is observing the 25-year anniversary of his business, the Independent Sealing Company, based in Philadelphia, Pa. Miller is the president and founder of the company that specializes in gaskets, pump and valve packing for the fluid sealing industry. He acknowledges Piyush Sabharwall ’02 Engineers Success Piyush Sabharwall ’02 came to Wilkes for his senior process applications. He designs advanced compact year, after earning a scholarship from JSS Academy heat exchangers, which are critical components of of Technical Education in his native India. Majoring in next-generation nuclear reactor systems. mechanical engineering with a concentration in robotics and controls, Sabharwall found Wilkes a nurturing Mechanical Engineers organizing science fairs for high environment for someone new to the United States. Now school students. “I enjoy the volunteer work,” he explains. Sabharwall works for Idaho National Laboratory as a “I think it’s my responsibility, being a professional in this research scientist in the Nuclear Science and Technology area, to spread the benefits of nuclear power around so it Division and lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He was recently can help people make correct decisions.” recognized as one of the “14 New Faces of Engineering” by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He remembers being both excited and scared of the Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 His volunteerism played a part in his nomination for the “14 New Faces of Engineering” program. “I was surprised but elated, as the selection process is hard and cultural shift when he first came to the states. “When I very competitive,” Sabharwall says. The society looked came to Wilkes, I was 20 years old and I didn’t know my at his research, publications and community work before way around,” he says. He credits Gina Morrison, associate nomination. His professional memberships include being professor of education, for help with the American culture; an officer in the Idaho American Nuclear Society and and Vijay Arora, professor of electrical engineering, Syed serving on the board Kalim and Jamal Ghorieshi, professors of mechanical of Eastern Idaho engineering, and others for their mentoring. Engineering Council. Sabharwall received his master’s degree in nuclear 22 He volunteers through the American Society of He has also published engineering with a minor in mechanical engineering at over 40 technical Oregon State University, and received the Idaho National papers, reports and Laboratory Fission and Fusion Fellowship to pursue his magazine articles, doctorate from the University of Idaho. The fellowship led three book chapters, to his full-time job at the laboratory. and two books. Sabharwall’s works in next-generation reactor concepts, which include gas-cooled reactors and molten salt reactors, with an emphasis on industrial — By Elizabeth Voda ’12 Piyush Sabharwall ’02 organizes science fairs to share his knowledge of nuclear energy with high school students. �class notes Greta Kleckner ’09 Takes Center Stage Greta Kleckner ’09 arrived without an The annual Wilkes scholarship luncheon introduces donors to scholarship recipients. New scholarships include the Miller Family Scholarship, the Wilkes LGBTQ Scholarship, the Nicholas L. Alessandro ‘63 Scholarship, the Richard M. Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Scholarship, and the Bergmann Foundation Scholarship. Pictured, front from left are Richard M. Smith, Myzar Mendoza ‘14, Lissa Bryan-Smith, Rachel Matteucci ‘14, Emily Weary ‘14, Jane Miller ‘78, William R. Miller ‘81; and back from left Mike Wood, Mirko Widenhorn, Kevin Hopper ‘12, Nicholas L. Alesandro ‘63, Rhonda Zikowski ‘12, Maribeth Weary, Dan Weary. appointment in New York City in November 2011 for her audition for the national tour of Damn Yankees. As she waited in line, her palms started to sweat. Usually in the back of line with hundreds of other performers, this time she managed to be one of the first few people to audition. 1976 Sandra Akromas Thomson recently retired from Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario after a 30-year career. She resides in Mississauga, Canada. Bill Goldsworthy and his wife, Jannet, welcomed a granddaughter to the family in July 2011. Bill serves as the deputy director of Gov. Tom Corbett’s Northeast Regional Office in Scranton, Pa. He served as the mayor of West Pittston, Pa., for 14 years and enjoyed a 30-year career at Golden Business Machines before resigning to accept his position with the governor’s office. 1988 Andrew Bossard retired from the U.S. Air Force as lieutenant colonel in January 2011. The following month, he joined the Department of Defense as a civilian intelligence analyst. “You have to get up early, put your name on the list and hope for the best,” says Kleckner, who majored in musical theater at Wilkes. After 15 stressful seconds of belting out her song, she heard them say they would call her. “I didn’t think I was going to get the job,” Kleckner, a New York City resident, recalls. But she did. A few days later, Kleckner learned that she’d been cast in the ensemble and as understudy for the lead role of Meg. Meg is the wife of lead character Joe Boyd, who sells 1990 Thomas R. Griffith has been appointed English department chair district coordinator for the Wyoming Valley West School District. 1993 Daryle Cardone recently assumed duties as executive officer of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 121 in Norfolk, Va. He is employed by the U.S. Navy and resides in Virginia Beach, Va. his soul to become baseball player Joe Hardy in the show. The tour started the day after Christmas 2011 with two weeks of rehearsal. The journey ended three months later on April 12, 2012, after traveling 26,000 miles and visiting 39 cities, in states that included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida and Idaho. “The people I’m working with are absolutely incredible, incredible people,” Kleckner says. She was excited for the opportunity to be in a production with such a high “caliber of performance.” Growing up in Annapolis, Md., her mother was involved in theater. “Mom was the one who got me into theater in the first place,” Kleckner says. Her time and training at Wilkes was “pivotal,” she explains. The learning opportunities from Wilkes productions gave her more knowledge and skills to go out 1995 Patrick M. Walko has been appointed program manager at Rettew & Associates oil and gas division. Rettew provides engineering, planning, environmental Patrick M. Walko ’95 into the world and audition. Since graduating, she has had six contracts with the Pines Dinner Theatre in Allentown, Pa. She’s had roles in plays such as I Do! I Do! and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. — By Elizabeth Voda ’12 Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 administration, teachers, and students from Wilkes for motivating him to create his business. 23 �class notes added a new business to his company, Wee Ideas LLC. The new service offers photo booth rentals. The family resides in Wyoming, Pa. 2002 ion Oct. 5-7 2006 Sara Toole ‘06, MBA ‘09 and Ed Buck ’07 were married on Sept. 4, 2011, at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Scranton, Pa. The bride works in finance at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and the groom is employed by the Pocono Mountain School District. Their wedding party included fellow alumni Kelly Marion ‘05, Sharon Granahan ‘05, Brian Walter ‘03, Alexus Buck Rapp ‘06, Erik Stahlnecker ‘03 and Gary Steich ‘05. consulting and surveying to a wide range of clients across the country. Walko is responsible for coordinating all operations in the northern region of the Marcellus Shale for a key natural gas client of the firm. He resides in Clarks Summit, Pa. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 1996 Mary Gertrude Kurlandski and Albert William Adomitis were married on Sept. 23, 2011. The bride is a registered nurse of the critical care unit in Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. The groom is a certified, registered nurse anesthetist at Hazleton General Hospital. The couple reside in Mountain Top, Pa. 24 Jennifer G. Moisey MBA ’01 and her husband, Adam Hoover, welcomed their third son, Brayden, on Aug. 4, 2011. He joins older brothers Joshua, 5, and Jacob, 3. 1997 nion Oct. 5-7 Gino Bartoli and Kimberly Pisanti were married on Feb. 19, 2011. The groom is employed by Fastenal as an outside sales support associate. The bride works in the wire transfer department of Bank of America. The couple reside in Mountain Top and Mayfield, Pa. l Greg Barrouk and his wife, Jessica, welcomed a son, William Gregory, on Nov. 30, 2011. Will joins big sisters Elizabeth, age 5, and Emily, age 2. The Barrouks reside in Wilkes-Barre. 2004 Jessica (Hinkel) Leibig and her husband, Michael, welcomed the arrival of their second son, Lucas Jacob, on Jan. 18, 2012. 2005 Sabrina Benulis of Drums, Pa., held a book signing for Archon, a fantasy novel published by HarperCollins. This is the first in a trilogy titled The Books of Raziel. The event took place on Jan. 21 at Barnes & Noble on Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre. 2010 Michele Flannery and Joseph White were married on Oct. 31, 2011. The bride is pursuing her second degree in diagnostic medical sonography as a registered vascular sonographer. The groom is a software engineer at Raytheon in State College, Pa. The couple reside in State College. 2000 Tony DaRe, owner of BSI Corporate Benefits, an employee benefits insurance agency located in Bethlehem, Pa., has become the naming rights partner of the BSI Dugout Suites at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A affiliate team. Greg Riley and his wife, Shea, welcomed their second child, Cadden Joseph, on Dec. 2, 2011. He joins older sister Lia Marie. Riley also 2005 Pictured from left, Rob Burns ’05, Mike Burns and Eric Wagner ’05 partnered with Anita Burns to open Maer’s BBQ off the Square in Wilkes-Barre. Located at 50 S. Main St., the restaurant serves the downtown community as well as Wilkes University and King’s College. �class notes Graduate Students 2000 Linda Chong, Pharm.D. and Nicholas Souchik III welcomed their third child, Liliya, on Sept. 7, 2011. She joins her older sisters, Larissa and Natasha. 2006 2006 Tiffany A. Archavage Pharm.D. and Stephen P. Boyle Jr. were married on Oct. 7, 2011. The bride is a pharmacist for Wegmans in Collegeville, Pa. The groom is a senior financial analyst at S.E.I. Investments in Oaks, Pa. The couple reside in Collegeville, Pa. Todd A. Glynn Pharm.D. and his wife, Laura Phillips Howell Glynn, celebrated their four-year anniversary at Walt Disney World with a vow renewal on Dec. 10, 2011. Maid of honor April Moran James ’00 was in attendance. The couple reside in Kingston, Pa. Taylor Polites MFA ’10 Publishes The Rebel Wife that the graduate creative writing program offered. Taylor Polites MFA ’10 is receiving critical acclaim for his “Kaylie held my hand when it needed to be held,” he first published novel, The Rebel Wife. O Magazine called it explains. “I could not have asked for a better mentor or one of “Ten Titles to Pick Up Now” in February 2012. It was friend.” He dedicated his book to her. the Southern Independent Booksellers Association’s Okra Polites found the help of his mentor in the program, Kaylie Jones, indispensable when he needed direction. Jones revels in her student’s success. “Taylor is a Pick, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution named it one of tireless, committed and an extremely talented writer. The the best southern books for 2012. book went through several drafts and I continued to work The Rebel Wife, published by Simon & Schuster, follows with him after he completed his MFA,” Jones says. “The the story of Augusta Branson, born into the pre-Civil War book is garnering extraordinary press for a first novel, and South’s nobility. All of the luxuries she was used to are I feel like a proud godmother. I am so pleased: I jokingly dashed after the war; her husband dies, and she has lost refer to it as ‘our book.’ ” her wealth and prosperity. She has to fend for herself and Before becoming a published novelist, Polites covered her son in a dangerous community filled with prejudice arts and news for many newspapers and magazines, and violence. including CapeAir’s in-flight magazine Bird’s Eye View, Polites had the idea for his well-received book since 1998 and came to Wilkes for the support and structure artscope magazine and Provincetown Arts. But writing a book was always his dream. Polites wanted to become a novelist since childhood. “To realize a dream you could barely admit to yourself is euphoric and surreal,” he says. Bonnie Culver, creative writing program director, says his success reflects what is best about the program. “Instead of rushing to publish—and he had earlier agent and editor offers—he took his mentor’s advice and revised and revised and revised until he turned a good novel into an excellent novel. He landed a top agent in New York City and a fantastic book deal,” Culver says. — By Elizabeth Voda ’12 Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 2001 Jennifer G. Moisey MBA see undergraduate 1996. 25 �class notes 2003 Tom Hurley M.S. co-wrote the book The Definitive Guide to Youth Athletic Strength, Conditioning and Performance published by Celebrity Press. He is the owner of Dominant Athletics, which is a young athlete performance training center. Since graduating from Wilkes in 2011, Amanda Kaster has gone from intern to permanent staff member on Capitol Hill with U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Kaster, who majored in history and English with a concentration in writing, officially became a staff member in January 2012 after serving a four-month 2007 Reunion Oct. 5-7 Amanda Kaster ’11 Having A Capitol Time ~ Patrick M. Bilbow M.S. is the winner of the Man of the Year award presented by the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick at their 98th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Banquet in March 2012. internship with the senator through the non-profit organization Running Start. As a staff member, Kaster performs many duties, such as fielding phone calls and data entry, drafting letters concerning energy, housing, and labor issues, and other duties. She loves “working and learning in politics and supporting an incredibly talented Amanda Kaster ’11 with Sen. Olympia Snowe in her Capitol Hill office. Sonya L. Mylet Pharm.D. and Joshua H. Mylet welcomed their fourth child, Jackson Theodore Mylet, on Jan. 27, 2012. He joins older brother Joshua E., 4, and older sisters Juliana, 2, and Jiana, 1. politician, through writing, no less.” 2009 Peter Castelline MBA has been promoted to vice president of operations at AAMCO Transmission in Scranton, Pa. attended a reception to gain more support for the Low Income Home Energy Sara Toole MBA see undergraduate 2007. When a position on Snowe’s permanent staff opened up after her internship, she could not resist trying to hold on to a job she loved. She felt that her internship gave her a leg up with the skills and knowledge she gained. “It was one of the most incredible feelings in the world, because this is my dream,” she says. A recent experience affirmed why she finds the work so rewarding. Kaster Assistance Program on behalf of the senator. While there, she found that many people appreciated the senator’s support. “I am happy to say I work for Sen. Snowe,” she acknowledges. She now lives in the middle of Washington, D.C., and enjoys life in the capitol. “I love the city. My family is certain I am meant to be here, as I simply cannot get enough of this place.” She adores the busy atmosphere of politics, culture and food. Kaster found her experiences at Wilkes vital to both her new career success and her personal success. “The English department made certain I graduated with skills that would transfer anywhere, and for that I will be forever indebted. I would not be who I am now without Wilkes,” she says. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 Shortly after Kaster joined the staff permanently, she learned that Snowe would 26 retire at the end of 2012. “I was very shocked,” Kaster admits. “She made people’s lives so much richer.” The senator told her staff shortly before making the statement public. At the moment, Kaster’s plans for the future are uncertain. She wants to stay in the city, and is seeking employment. “This experience has been invaluable,” she says. “I’m looking to carry over what I learn to another office on the Hill.” — By Elizabeth Voda ’12 �class notes In Memoriam 1942 Stefana (Hoyniak) Shoemaker, Dushore, Pa., died Feb. 6, 2012. She was the editor and co-publisher of The Sullivan Review for 45 years. 1943 John C. Keeney, Kensington, Md., died Nov. 19, 2011. He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran during World War II and survived being a prisoner of war. He served at the U.S. Department of Justice for nearly 60 years under 12 U.S. presidents and 23 attorneys general. He retired in 2010 as deputy assistant attorney general in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department. 1946 Gloria (Farkas) Fierverker, Kingston, Pa., died March 19, 2012. She taught literature and English for more than 20 years at Wyoming Valley West High School. She and her late husband, Harry, created the Harry and Gloria Farkas Fierverker Scholarship, awarded to Wyoming Valley West graduates majoring in English or communication studies at Wilkes University. Contributions to the scholarship can be made in her memory. For more information, contact Evelyne Topfer at (570) 408-4309. and 503rd Airborne troops during World War II, and was employed as a sales manager and a teacher in Pennsylvania vocational/technical schools. 1949 Ralph F. Hodgson Sr., Pittston, Pa., died March 13, 2012. He was a U.S. Army veteran with the 82nd Airborne Division. He retired from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, where he was the director of field operations for the Office of Mental Retardation. 1951 John E. Puchalsky, Trucksville, Pa., died Feb. 3, 2012. He was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran during World War II. After the war, he continued to work for the Army and retired after 30 years of dedicated service with the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. Gordon R. Stryker, San Antonio, Texas, died Feb. 12, 2012. In the U.S. Army, he served in the 106th Infantry Division during World War II. He was an insurance underwriter and taught insurance underwriting at San Antonio College. 1956 Madge K. Benovitz, Key Largo, Fla., died March 24, 2012. She was past president of the Wilkes-Barre Chapter of Hadassah, past president of the United Way of Wyoming Valley, past president of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania and was the chairman of Temple Israel’s 70th anniversary celebration. 1950 Michael F. Connors, Venice, Fla., died Jan. 28, 2012. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, and he was employed for 36 years at the DuPont Company. Chauncey A. Rowlands, Wanamie, Pa., died March 6, 2012. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II who served in Okinawa, he worked at Vulcan Iron Works in Wilkes-Barre as a machinist. Henry H. Ward, Dallas, Pa., died Sept. 27, 2011. He served with the 11th Allan B. Rosenberg, Wheeling, Ill., died Feb. 17, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Sherry W. Rosenberg ’58, and other family members. 1957 Frederick J. Krohle, Lake Township, Pa., died Jan. 1, 2012. He was a U.S. Army veteran, and he was employed by Wilkes University for 33 years as a reference and collections development librarian. 1958 Gilbert W. Griffiths, Fernandina Beach, Fla., died Dec. 6, 2011. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a retired member of the U.S. Secret Service. He was also a member of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. Charles Joseph Pulos, Ocean Township, N.J., died Nov. 22, 2011. A veteran of the Air Force, he worked for the Oceanport Board of Education in Oceanport, N.J. Later he owned an antique chiming clock repair shop until he retired in 1994. 1959 Joseph J. Sable Sabalesky, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Jan. 7, 2012. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran, and he was a professional music artist, arranger, conductor, composer and educator. Joseph P. Schmieg, Plains Township, Pa., died Feb. 22, 2012. He served with the Air Force during the Korean War. Before retiring, he worked as a caseworker for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. Nancy Payne Spitler, Crozet, Va., died Feb. 10, 2012. She taught in the Albemarle County schools. 1960 Loralu Richards, North Miami Beach, Fla., died March 5, 2012. She worked as a registered nurse. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 1937 Marjorie H. Cummins, Jenkins Township, Pa., died Feb. 6, 2012. She was an elementary teacher in the Wyoming Valley West School District for over 20 years. 27 �class notes In Memoriam 1962 Raymond D. Marchakitus, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Jan. 15, 2012. He was a housing analyst and an economist. He worked on President Ronald Reagan’s Task Force on Regulatory Relief. 1969 Fernando (Freddie) Spinosi, Wilkes-Barre, died Feb. 21, 2012. He worked for Sapa of Mountain Top, Pa., formerly MidEast Aluminum, for 38 years. 1963 Harold Kistler, Media, Pa., died Jan. 13, 2012. He was an entertainer at the Ship Inn in Malvern, Pa., the Brownstone Inn in Glenn Mills, Pa., and other venues. He gave piano lessons to adults and taught in the William Penn School District. 1970 Dorothy E. Davis, Allenwood, N.J., died Feb. 16, 2012. She was head nurse of the cardiac unit at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital and was honored by the Luzerne County Nurses’ Association in 1989 for her 40 years of service. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2012 1967 Emil J. Warren, Nanticoke, Pa., died Feb. 10, 2012. He was vice president and trust officer for several area banks. He retired from Luzerne Bank in 2007, and continued his tax preparation business. He is survived by his wife Phyllis Warren ’66, daughter Kimberly ’94, and other family. 28 1968 Maurice (Marty) Cardone, Nanticoke, Pa., died Feb. 22, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. In the 1950s and 1960s he worked as a disc jockey at WNAK Radio, Nanticoke. He operated Marty’s Pizza in Nanticoke for 45 years. In 1989 he retired from the faculty of Northwest High School as a business teacher. 1976 Michael J. Petyak Jr., Wilkes-Barre, died March 6, 2012. He earned his doctorate from Penn State University in instructional design systems. He was self-employed, holding several government contracts in instructional design. He also taught at Wilkes University. 1978 Margaret Ann Hreha, Kingston, Pa., died March 17, 2012. She was an avid reader as well as an accomplished quilter. 1985 John F. Kelly, Dunmore, Pa., died Nov. 1, 2011. He was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and had a career in purchasing management with various companies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He also was a Lackawanna County Community Corrections Officer. Scovil Galen Ghosh Agency. He was a founding advisory board member of the graduate creative writing program at Wilkes University. 1990 Michele Milunas, Mountain Top, Pa., died March 26, 2012. She was a member of the St. Jude’s Church in Mountain Top. Patricia (Patsy) Reese, Kingston, Pa., died May 1, 2012. She was known to generations of Wilkes wrestlers coached by her husband, John G. Reese, to whom she was married for 59 years. She retired as a teaching aide at Wyoming Valley West Elementary School and had been a counselor at the Diet Center. She is survived by her husband; a son, John J. Reese ’76; two daughters, Lynne Kravits and Megan Thomas; two sons-in-law, four grandchildren; and a great grandchild. Memorial contributions can be made to the Patricia (Patsy) Reese Nursing Scholarship Fund, c/o Wilkes University, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766. 1994 Jennifer L. Browning, Greencastle, Pa., died Jan. 9, 2012. She was employed at Citigroup of Hagerstown, Md. 1997 Patricia Walsh Williams, Courtdale, Pa., died Feb. 20, 2012. She retired in 2011 from being a certified psychiatric nurse at First Valley and the VA Medical Center. Friends of Wilkes Kenneth F. Maloney, Huntington Beach, Calif., died May 13, 2011. From 1968-1969, he was assistant to President Eugene Farley at Wilkes College. He is survived by his son, Kenneth L. Maloney ’67, and daughter, Susan K. Maloney ’71. Jack Scovil died Feb. 23, 2012. A leading U.S. literary agent for over 40 years, he co-founded the Scovil Chichak Galen Literary Agency, which is now the Emma L. Simms, Mountain Top, Pa., died March 9, 2012. She and her husband, Augie, actively participated in campaign fundraising for Wilkes University, The United Way, and Geisinger Health System. She won the Hoyt Library Poetry Contest in 1992 and studied poetry at Wilkes. She is survived by son and daughter-in-law Ronald ’60 and Rhea (Politis) ’78 Simms, and daughter and son-in-law Rowena ’63 and Jerry ’63 Mohn. �ACHIEVING Wilkes University thanks the following donors for helping us to reach $10.7 million and for making the much-anticipated new science building a reality. $1,000,000 or more Gottdenker Foundation Mr. & Mrs. John M. Cefaly Jr. ’70 Guard Insurance Group Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Chris & Ramah Hackett Drs. Michael M. ’79 & Kerry Ed.D. ’11 Speziale Commonwealth Financing Authority Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Dr. & Mrs. Paul A. Wender ’69 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Mr. William R. Miller ’81 Mr. & Mrs. Michael Wood Mr. William B. Sordoni & NRG Controls North Inc. Mrs. Margaret F. Sordoni ’70 Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald LLP Mrs. Mary B. Rhodes M ’77 $400,000 or more Mr. & Mrs. William H. Tremayne ’57 Anonymous Attorney Virginia P. Sikes & Mr. William A. Sikes Up to $9,999 Mr. Robert J. Becker Robert Byrne, Ph.D. ’72 Dr. Jesse H. Choper ’57 Mr. & Mrs. Frank M. Henry $25,000 or more Dr. & Mrs. Daniel J. Glunk ’84 Mr. & Mrs. Michael J. Mahoney Attorney Anthony M. Cardinale ’72 & Dr. Linda S. Gutierrez & Mr. John R. Miller ’68 Mrs. Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Dr. Henry Castejon Community Health Systems Mrs. Sharon Keyes Holleran ’65 Mrs. Emilie Roat Gino ’60 Dr. Arthur H. Kibbe Attorney & Mrs. Eugene Roth ’57 Attorney & Mrs. Jerome R. Goldstein Dr. Daniel J. Klem Jr. ’68 & Sordoni Foundation Inc. David E. ’82 & Laureen M. Hadley Mr. Ronald A. Rittenmeyer ’72 & Mrs. Hedy A. Rittenmeyer ’72 Mrs. Renee Mucci Klem ’70 Ms. Louise S. Hazeltine ’44 Mr. Thomas E. Messinger $100,000 or more Hirtle, Callaghan & Co. Mr. George G. Pawlush ’69 M ’76 & Mr. Daniel J. Cardell ’79 & Mr. John S. Kerr ’72 & Mrs. Ann Marie Booth Cardell ’79 Mrs. Renate Dargel Kerr ’72 Mr. & Mrs. Jason D. Griggs ’90 Mr. Buck Mallan ’71 & Ms. Susan Herman InterMetro Industries Corp. William F. Raub, Ph.D. ’61 & Joyce Raub Mrs. Carol Corbett Pawlush ’79 Mrs. Helen Bitler Ralston ’52 Mr. Joseph T. Rauschmayer ’80 & Mrs. Lisa Prokarym Rauschmayer ’81 Mr. & Mrs. Clayton J. Karambelas ’49 Attorney & Mrs. Joseph J. Savitz ’48 Ms. Joy B. Rinehimer Mr. & Mrs. George J. Matz ’71 Dr. Stephen Wartella Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Richard C. Roshong ’67 Mr. Shepard C. Willner ’80 Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Mugford ’58 Mr. & Mrs. Jay S. Sidhu MBA ’73 $10,000 or more Sodexo Operations LLC Black Horse Foundation Inc. Join these donors in Mr. & Mrs. Terrence W. Casey ’81 supporting facilities for the Dr. Catherine DeAngelis ’65 & next generation of science $50,000 or more Anonymous Mrs. Denise Schaal Cesare ’77 & Dr. James Harris Charles S. Ferguson, Esq. ’84 students at Wilkes University. Mr. & Mrs. William A. Hanbury ’72 For more information on the Customers Bank Dr. & Mrs. Donald E. Mencer Davidowitz Foundation Mr. Loren D. Prescott Jr. science building project, see Dr. Tim Gilmour & Prudential Foundation Mr. Louis Cesare Mrs. Patty Gilmour *Contributions as of May 6, 2012. Attorney & Mrs. Steven P. Roth ’84 www.wilkes.edu/achieve. �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events June 16-Aug. 6 Alumni and Community: Selections from the Sordoni Art Gallery Permanent Collection 20 Alumni reception, The Westin Waltham-Boston Hotel, Waltham, Mass. Alumni reception, Nashua, N.H. 21 23 Picnic at Farley Farm, Monroe Township, Pa. 28 Annual John Chwalek Open Golf Tournament, Irem Country Club, Dallas, Pa. July 13 Admissions Open House 16-Aug. 2 The Reading Academy The Arts Academy August 9 27 Sordoni Art Gallery at Performing Arts Day at Wilkes-Barre Farmers Market, Public Square Fall classes begin September 14-15 Installation of Patrick Leahy as sixth president of Wilkes University 27-30 Theatre Performance, Darte Center 29 Admissions Open House 29 Family Weekend October 5-7 21 Homecoming 2012 Rosenn Lecture, Cory Booker, Newark Mayor November 9-11, 16-18 Musical Theatre Performance, Darte Center 10 Admissions Open House For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Spring-Summer 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring-Summer 2012 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring-Summer 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring-Summer 2012 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/ddc04b571053441693070025a75918ee.pdf 6649479b9647a90b08fd2b5d6134137d PDF Text Text fal l 20 12 chemical solutions | spin Control | sew successful marketing maven | Report of Gifts �president’s letter volume 6 | issue 3 Greetings From a New Colonel I t’s not easy being new—whether in a job, at school or in a community. I’d like to thank each and every one of you—our alumni, faculty, students and staff—for the way you have welcomed my family and me. We are thrilled to be among the newest members of this Army of Colonels. In my first weeks as Wilkes president, I’ve learned three things about our University. First, this community is singularly focused on student success— from the professors who take the extra time to collaborate on research with students to the coaches who mentor their athletes after wins and losses. From the advising staff who crafts curricular and co-curricular opportunities for our students to the facilities team who keeps our campus beautiful, all of them work to make students successful. This is a place where the idea of mentoring is imbedded into our DNA as a community. Many of our alumni tell me it’s what they remember most about being a student here. Second, this community is committed to improve and to innovate. Whether working to improve student outcomes or identifying ways to keep Wilkes accessible and affordable, everyone at Wilkes is focused on asking a most important question: What can we do today to be better tomorrow? In the days ahead, Wilkes’ newest colonel, President I’ll be asking everyone—including our Patrick Leahy, center, visits with Adam alumni—for their input and suggestions. Welch, associate professor of pharmacy practice, right, and pharmacy students Finally, and perhaps most importantly, at the University’s annual Club Day. the people associated with Wilkes really Photo by Lisa Reynolds care about this place. For those who work here, Wilkes is not just a job; it’s a vocation. For our students, Wilkes is not just a school; it’s a way of life. For those of you who graduated from here, Wilkes isn’t just your university; it’s your alma mater—in the Latin, your “other mother.” Your loyalty—and your personal success—is a testimony that a Wilkes education changes lives. A total commitment to student success, a spirit of innovation, and a caring community—what a privileged situation for a new president! I have said repeatedly that I would have relocated almost anywhere in the country for an opportunity to lead a university like Wilkes. To be able to do it in my adopted hometown of northeast Pennsylvania—a place that my family and I have grown to love—is a special privilege. I’ll be looking to all of you in the days ahead for your support and ideas as we work together to build a stronger and even more successful Wilkes. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Wilkes University President Fall 2012 Wilkes magazine University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk M.A.’12 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows M.S. ’12 Graduate Assistant Thomas Markley ’11 Intern Bill Thomas Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor Inc. Editorial Advisory Group Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 M.S.’76 Donna Sedor ’85 Alumni RELATIONS STAFF Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Association Officers President Tom Ralston ’80 First Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Second Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents 6 Features 6 Chemical Solutions Paul Wender ’69 is a world-class chemist developing treatments for HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s and cancer 12 Spin Control Communication studies Professor Jane Elmes-Crahall teaches savvy techniques for dissecting political rhetoric 14 Sew Successful Barbara Hartnett Gavlick ’76 turned her fine arts degree into a career as a costumer 12 16 Marketing Maven Bill Miller ’81’s marketing expertise has been tapped by top brands—from Barnes & Noble and FAO Schwarz to The New York Times departments 14 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 18 Alumni News 20 Class Notes 26 Report of Gifts Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. Paul Wender ’69 in the Wender Group Laboratory at Stanford University, where he directs ground-breaking research. photo by rod searcey /;;s FPO FSC Wilkes | Fall 2012 16 1 �on campus Wilkes to Offer Programs in Arizona Wilkes will bring graduate programs to Mesa, Ariz., as part of the city’s H.E.A.T. (Healthcare, Education, Aerospace, Technology/Tourism) initiative for Economic Development. Beginning in January 2013, Wilkes will offer classes for master’s degree programs in business administration, creative writing, education and engineering management. Wilkes President Patrick Leahy signed a memorandum of understanding with Mesa city Wilkes President Patrick Leahy speaks at the news conference with city officials in Mesa, officials in July. According to Leahy, in order to Ariz., announcing that the University has signed a memorandum of understanding to begin to offer classes in the city. Photo courtesy city of mesa thrive in the rapidly changing world of higher education, Wilkes needs to extend its geographic reach, nationally and internationally, through online and blended learning institutions that provide education with a more offerings at additional locations. personal approach, making Wilkes ideally suited to In August, Leahy announced that Bonnie Culver, director of Wilkes’ the city’s needs. The region has a young, growing graduate creative writing program, would go to Mesa to serve as on-site population with limited opportunities for higher interim executive director for up to a year. Culver, who will education, allowing Wilkes the potential to increase continue to serve as director of the creative writing enrollment while offering the academic excellence program during this time, will coordinate setting up and personalized attention that is part of its tradition. Wilkes programs in Arizona. Culver will work Wilkes and city officials will move forward with the other colleges and universities in the to reach a formal agreement that will include a Mesa educational consortium and will build five-year lease to locate in the Mesa Center for relationships with the Mesa community. Higher Education, with occupancy by fall 2013. Mesa’s H.E.A.T. initiative is designed The Mesa Center for Higher Education will be to increase college competition and located in downtown Mesa. spur economic growth. Wilkes was Additional programs are planned starting in fall selected as a finalist after Mesa invited 2013 in the permanent center location. Those institutions from across the country programs include undergraduate degrees in to submit proposals. City officials engineering and business and a master’s degree in were especially interested in bringing mechanical engineering. For more information, visit www.wilkes.edu. Wilkes | Fall 2012 Documentaries From History Project Being Sold at Wilkes-Barre Barnes & Noble 2 It was lights, camera, action on a hot July day at the Lands at Hillside Farms. Two Wilkes University seniors—Ryan Wood and Todd Oravic—were behind the cameras. With the sounds of sheep, goats and cows lowing in the background, Loran Lewis, assistant professor of communication studies, was directing the videotaping of Doug Ayers, chairman of the 412-acre nonprofit educational dairy farm. The interview will be used in a documentary about the history of agriculture, the latest project in The Wyoming Valley History Project at Wilkes. The history project—which began more than a decade ago—captures the unique local history of the community surrounding Wilkes. DVDs of the earlier documentaries in the series are being sold at the Barnes & Noble Wilkes-Kings Bookstore on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. The DVDs are $7.99 and proceeds will help support the future of the project. Among the documentaries available for sale are: Wyoming Valley Media: Challenges and Changes; Iron Horses; Wilkes-Barre: The Economic Road of Change: The Trolley; The Pharmacists: Did You Boscov Today? Memories of Department Stores of Northeastern Pa.; and A Bicentennial Celebration: 1806-2006. The project was started by Mark Stine, associate professor and chair of communication studies, and John Hepp, associate professor of history. The two joined their classes to create historical documentaries about local monuments in the Wyoming Valley. Several documentaries were created over the years, and in 2008, with support by a contribution from Wyoming Valley resident Edward Meehan, the Wyoming Valley History Project at Wilkes University was formed. The project is now headed by Lewis. �on campus Wilkes Installs Patrick F. Leahy as Sixth President It was a time to celebrate the past and look to the future on Sept. 15, as Wilkes installed Patrick F. Leahy as its sixth president. Installation week events focused on the theme “Looking Back with Pride, Looking Forward With Confidence.” Festivities included the annual John Wilkes Society Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 13, and a Faculty Scholarship Showcase on Friday, Sept. 14, spotlighting writing and research by faculty representing Wilkes’ five academic colleges. The college community gathered Friday night to celebrate at an informal party in the Henry Student Center, where the ballroom and second-floor areas were transformed with decorations highlighting moments from Wilkes history. The installation ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 15, in the F.M. Kirby Center featured a keynote address by The Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, president of Marquette University and former president of the University of Scranton. Leahy’s remarks focused on his vision for Wilkes University in the changing landscape of higher education. Original musical selections were composed by Wilkes faculty for the ceremony. “Fanfare and Fantasy on Wilkes, Our Alma Mater” was written by Philip Simon, associate professor, performing arts. It was performed by the Wilkes University Civic Band. “Noble Truths” is a new choral work written by Steven Thomas, associate professor, performing arts, in honor of Leahy’s installation. The text is a poem written for the occasion by Wilkes faculty members Lawrence Kuhar and Mischelle Anthony, associate professors in the English department. Wilkes magazine will profile Leahy and his vision for Wilkes in the Winter 2013 issue. More on the Web View photo galleries of installation week activities and see video clips of the installation ceremony at www.wilkes.edu/installation. The text of Leahy’s speech and the keynote address also can be found on the site. Freshmen entering the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership this fall added iPads to their list of school supplies. For the first time, first-year business students are required to have iPads for their Sidhu course work. Students received their tablet computers during a special orientation session the weekend before fall classes started. Students pay a technology fee to cover the cost, which includes several applications to assist with their course work. Sidhu School Dean Jeffrey Alves says introducing the technology is in keeping with the school’s mission of preparing tomorrow’s business leaders. “The program will prepare our students to meet the challenges of the changing computing and communication technology field. Adapting and leveraging technology is critical to the success of managers and organizations.” Students will be using the iPads to access course materials for the Integrated Management Experience class required for all Sidhu freshmen in both fall and spring semesters, as well as for the Personal and Professional Development class. Students also will use tablet computers for Sidhu courses in subsequent years, as the initiative rolls out. Electronic texts—eBooks—for the classes using the iPads will replace traditional textbooks in some classes. Sidhu freshmen try out their iPads in class. Photo by joshua bonner Wilkes | Fall 2012 iPad Initiative Launched in Sidhu School 3 �on campus Biology Professor Michael Steele Appointed Bullard Fellow at Harvard Dual Admissions Agreement Paves Way for Community College Students Michael Steele, Wilkes biology professor and H. Fenner Chair of Research Biology, was appointed a Bullard Fellow at Harvard University for the 2012-2013 academic year. Steele will spend 11 months conducting research at Harvard Forest in Massachusetts. Steele’s research at Harvard will focus on the preparation of a book that summarizes his research on oak dispersal over the past 25 years. He also will collaborate with Harvard faculty on several questions concerning oak ecology, and organize an international team of colleagues from Harvard, Purdue University, Wilkes, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate global patterns of oak-animal interactions. Steele is the co-author and co-editor of six books. His most recent works include Squirrels of the World, which will be published this year by Johns Hopkins University Press, and Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania: A Complete Guide to Species of Conservation Concern, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2010. Steele has been part of the Wilkes biology department faculty since 1989. Established in 1962, the Charles Bullard Fellowship program was created to support the study and advanced research of individuals likely to make important contributions as scholars or administrators in forest ecology. The fellowship is a highly competitive program that accepts only a few recipients each year from a large applicant pool worldwide. A dual admissions agreement gives Luzerne County Community College students a clear path to earning a degree at Wilkes. The agreement will help to increase the number of students completing bachelor’s degrees in the region. Recent data from the Chronicle of Higher Education show that the percentage of adults with bachelor’s degrees in Luzerne County, at 20 percent, is below the state average of 25.9 percent and the national average of 27.6 percent. Students admitted to LCCC also will sign an agreement to enter the dual admissions program with Wilkes. A grade-point average of 2.3 or better is required. After transferring to the University, each student will receive a $10,000 scholarship, which is renewable annually. They also will be permitted to take up to 9 credits at Wilkes for free to assist with the transition to their chosen major. Students signaling their intention to continue their education at Wilkes will have an advisor from the University while they are still at LCCC. Students also will be able to take advantage of clubs, speakers, sports events and other co-curricular activities, giving them a head start on becoming part of the campus community at Wilkes. Wilkes | Fall 2012 Record Crop of Colonels 4 Over the past decade, Wilkes has set records in recruiting its incoming freshman class. In 2003, the incoming class boasted more than 500 students for the first time in University history. Four years later, in 2007, Wilkes boasted its first-ever class exceeding 600. In fall 2012, Wilkes has welcomed the second largest freshman class in its history, again breaking 600. '02 '03 '04 'OS '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 �on campus Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann to Deliver Bone Lecture Roald Hoffmann, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry, will deliver the 2012 Catherine H. Bone Lecture on Oct. 18. Hoffmann will speak about “The Chemical Imagination At Work in Very Tight Places” at 7 p.m. in 101 Stark Learning Center. A member of the faculty at Cornell University since 1965, he is now the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters Emeritus. His many honors include the 1981 Nobel Prize awarded jointly with Kenichi Fukui of Japan’s Kyoto University for their theories concerning the course of chemical reactions. Hoffmann, who describes his work as “applied theoretical chemistry,” is the only person ever to have received the American Chemical Society’s awards in three different subfields of chemistry—the A. C. Cope Award in Organic Chemistry, the Award in Inorganic Chemistry, and the Pimentel Award in Chemical Education. Hoffmann earned his doctorate from Harvard University and has been the recipient of more than 25 honorary degrees during the course of his career. In the 1990s, he was a presenter on “The World of Chemistry,” a series of 26 half-hour programs developed at the University of Maryland and broadcast on PBS. Hoffmann also is an accomplished poet and playwright. His collections of poetry include The Metamict State, published in 1987, followed three years later by Gaps and Verges. His recent books of poetry are Memory Effects and Soliton. His plays include Oxygen, co-authored with fellow chemist Carl Djerassi. Hoffmann hosts a monthly cabaret called “Entertaining Science” at the Cornelia Street Café in New York City. Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann will deliver the 2012 Catherine H. Bone Lecture on Oct. 18. Photo by MIchael Grace-Martin athletics Celebrating the Legacy of Coach John Reese Left, members of the national championship team are ready to wrestle again. Pictured from left, are Mike Lee ‘74, Art Trovei ’74, Coach John Reese, Gene Ashley ‘75 and John Chakmakas ‘75. Below, a display at the reunion included a photo of the 1974 National Championship team and artwork showing Coach Reese’s legacy at Wilkes. Photos by Knot Just Any Day Photography Wilkes | Fall 2012 Wrestling alumni and current members of the team gathered on campus in June for a reunion that also marked the 85th birthday of Coach John Reese. Reese, who coached Wilkes wrestlers for 42 years, from 1953 to 1995, brought the program to national prominence. Wilkes ranks 11th among college wrestling teams for all-time wins, with 764 in team history. More than 200 people attended the event, which was emceed by former wrestler and Wilkes alumnus Dave Russo ’93, a professional stand-up comedian. Reese’s wrestlers recalled his motto—“Pride, Attitude, Desire”—and his inspiring admonition that “Victory goes to those who are willing to pay the price.” 5 �Wilkes | Fall 2012 Paul Wender advocates for translational medicine and “green chemistry,” producing compounds in a way that minimizes impact on the environment. Wender, pictured in his office, is flanked by a model of a segment of the DNA double helix. 6 photos by rod searcey �Chemical Soluti ns Known worldwide for work on the groundbreaking cancer drug taxol, Paul Wender ’69 seeks therapies for HIV/ AIDS, Alzheimer’s and resistant cancer 0 Wilkes | Fall 2012 By Kim Bower-Spence 7 �Even as a child, Paul Wender ’69 reveled in chemistry. He mixed whatever he could find under the kitchen sink to see if his concoction would foam or change color. Money earned from his Times Leader paper route bought chemicals from the neighborhood drugstore. He recalls mixing zinc and hydrochloric acid, releasing hydrogen gas to fill and float balloons. “I was more or less—without even knowing about the field—in love with chemistry ever since I can remember,” says the Wilkes-Barre native, now the Bergstrom Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University and a world-renowned scientist working at the intersection of chemistry, biology and medicine. His substantial accomplishments include synthesizing taxol, a blockbuster drug for treating breast and ovarian cancers, in the 1990s. The Pacific yew tree, whose bark produces the substance, doesn’t provide enough to meet clinical demand. Wender’s research group was among the half-dozen able to achieve a laboratory synthesis of taxol. His current work centers on new treatments for HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease and drug-resistant cancers. “His research is in the eye of the storm,” noted Ziwei Huang, director of the SUNY Upstate Cancer Research Institute, who introduced Wender at a summer meeting in Shanghai. Wilkes | Fall 2012 Potential Sea Creature Cure 8 A compound called bryostatin, discovered in a brown, marine creature called bryozoan in the 1960s, shows promise in treating some of society’s most devastating diseases. Wender’s laboratory successfully synthesized a natural bryostatin and is developing simplified, synthetic versions that work just as well or better than the natural product. Wender reports that animals treated with these compounds learn faster and retain information longer. By creating new synapses in the brain, Wender says these agents could not only stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease but could potentially reverse some of its effects. For HIV, current treatment involves a cocktail of several drugs that stop progression of the disease by suppressing the active virus. But these drugs don’t work on the latent virus that lurks in the genome of certain cells. If patients stop taking the pills, this latent virus resupplies the active virus and they get sick again. Wender’s group is working on bryostatin-derived compounds with potential to flush out and eradicate that latent virus— which would eliminate the lifelong pill regimen. “It’s a pretty remarkable strategy, and it’s getting a lot of support right now.” The September 2012 issue of Nature Chemistry features a cover story on Wender’s HIV work. And Wender receives regular e-mails from grateful HIV/AIDS patients encouraging his coworkers on. “It’s the kind of thing that keeps you up late at night and gets you up early in the morning.” Outsmarting Resistant Cancer Another area of Wender’s research explores ways to get drugs through cell barriers. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect, and is often already in Stage 3 or 4 by the time it’s found. The standard treatment arsenal includes surgery and chemotherapy, which is effective in many patients. But in recurring cases, Wender says, the cancer often rejects chemotherapy treatment. One reason resistant cancer cells can block treatment is that the new cells sport “export pumps” that expel the drugs, Wender explains. His team modified the drug in a way that allows it to avoid export pumps and get into the cell undetected. “This is the equivalent of getting into a nightclub by bypassing the bouncer,” he relates. Test treatments in cancer tissue samples from nine women— not the patients themselves—yielded positive results in all nine. Sadly, five of the nine patients died because the current therapy wasn’t effective. Wender’s approach can change this. For future cases, he says with optimism, “we might actually have a solution.” Research from his lab has spawned three new companies and spurred interest among both scientists and venture capitalists. Wilkes was a remarkable place. I realized that I loved to learn. – Paul Wender ’69 �Tackling Big Problems academic and research laboratories. Most of the balance—including John C. Lechleiter, chief executive officer of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly—work in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. “Part of what I do is make them aware of the gift that they have,” Wender says of his students, whom he respectfully calls “coworkers.” He admires their ambition and drive, citing one who seeks to launch a company based on the resistant ovarian cancer therapy. Part of the teaching process, he explains, is helping people realize that they can achieve transformative change. “I’m blessed with such incredible students who are willing to solve problems,” Wender says. “They don’t define themselves in terms of what they have learned; they define themselves in terms of what they will do.” The Wender Group research laboratory at Stanford includes 15 graduate students, three post-doctoral researchers and one undergraduate research assistant. They’ve created a new model for research that crosses disciplines to tackle problems that combine chemistry with biology, medicine and materials science. Wender notes that where graduate students at one time would have worked exclusively in his laboratory, they now regularly interact with Stanford’s medical school, imaging or tissue culture laboratories, and even other universities. He calls it “intellectual bartering.” “This is really the model of the future, where students are free to go out and use all the resources of the university and even beyond.” The design of Wilkes’ new science building, now under construction, was developed with Wender’s input and emphasizes a laboratory design that also encourages collaboration across disciplines. Wender has mentored more than 300 coworkers, with Wender discusses research with two more than 70 of those of his coworkers—graduate students Jessica Vargas, left, and Erika Geihe Stanzl, center—in now working in Wilkes | Fall 2012 the Wender Group laboratory at Stanford. 9 �Wilkes | Fall 2012 In his classroom, Paul Wender uses stories and demonstrations to pique student interest. 10 Like their mentor, they set their sights on solving the problems of the time— energy and health care, for instance—to offer societal benefit. They strive for transformative therapies. Wender holds approximately 20 issued or pending patents. He has earned numerous awards, including recognitions by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and American Chemical Society. He has been recognized with several teaching awards. He was also elected to the National Academy of Sciences, whose very limited membership is selected from all scientific disciplines. Most recently, he won the Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry for 2012 for contributions to organic synthesis and bioorganic chemistry. In nominating Wender for Yale University’s 2010 Wilbur Cross Medal awarded to outstanding graduate alumni, Scott Miller, Yale’s chair of chemistry, wrote that Wender has “inspired generations of chemists to design remarkable chemical transformations that achieve complex structures instantaneously. There is not a serious graduate course on chemical synthesis, probably world-wide, that does not feature Professor Wender’s chemistry.” Adds Gary Brudvig, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Chemistry at Yale: “Wender continues today as perhaps the world’s preeminent molecular architect for complex molecule assembly. In so doing, his name has become synonymous with molecules such as taxol, phorbol, resiniferatoxin and a host of others that inspire awe in every laboratory concerned with synthesis.” Wender travels extensively sharing his knowledge, logging 120,000 miles last year as he traveled between Europe, China, Japan and the East and West coasts of the United States. Lively Lectures Wender’s penchant for chemistry extends beyond the research lab to the classroom, where his enthusiasm bubbles like baking soda in vinegar. He winces when he encounters people who say their chemistry courses turned them off to the subject. Chemistry is “really intrinsically beautiful, it’s comprehensible,” he stresses, noting that teachers need to approach it differently than in the past. “If I can engage (students) in a way that piques their interest … then what they learn they might want to share with others.” He strives to present lessons in a fashion that students not only remember but want to pass on to others. Take his undergraduate chemistry lesson on acid-based reactions. It begins with a fish that sits out on Wender’s kitchen counter overnight (with the blessing of his wife, Jacqueline, who buys the fish). In class the next day, Wender passes the fish under students’ noses. Foul-smelling �Wender continues today as perhaps the world’s preeminent molecular architect for complex molecule assembly. compounds aptly After Wilkes, Wender earned his named putrescine doctorate at Yale University, served as and cadaverine an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Columbia cause them to draw University and then became an assistant – Gary Brudvig, Eugene Higgins back, noses wrinkled. professor at Harvard University. He Professor of Chemistry at Yale Standing before the relocated to California to join the faculty class, Wender employs his at Stanford in 1981. “Stanford is a place that best Julia Child impersonation nurtures innovation and collaboration.” as he rubs down the fish with When he’s not teaching or researching, he still lemon juice. The acid neutralizes the thinks in terms of chemistry. “I paint, I sculpt. I have a smell and noses wrinkle no more. The next time (pottery) wheel at home,” he says, noting how mixing colors fish graces the menu in the university dining hall, his students and materials relate to his vocation. He also lifts weights, runs invariably share this “chemistry” lesson with their friends and they or cycles every day. Wife Jacqueline is an associate dean at themselves become chemistry teachers. Santa Clara University Law School. She built her career at Wender knew the lesson was successful when within one Stanford, where for a time she served as associate provost with week news of the fish had made it all the way to a top Stanford then-Provost Condoleezza Rice and subsequently as assistant to administrator. “We like to hear stories, and we like to tell President Gerhard Casper. stories,” he reasons. Wender advocates for higher education and basic research, He engages all the senses in his classes. Demonstrating how which can take years to yield societal benefit. “Higher education chemists can manipulate the timing of a reaction—say, how training and research put things into play like concepts for fast a drug will work in the body—Wender employs Rossini’s computers and therapies that might not have an instant impact William Tell Overture (See “More on the Web” and check out but often lead over time to revolutionary change,” he reasons. the faces of his students). On “go,” students simultaneously He notes that his current research builds on work he started combine clear solutions in a line of beakers. As the recorded in the 1970s. He begins with understanding how compounds orchestra charges through the rousing piece (think of the Lone function, then continues to design and synthesize even better Ranger riding Silver), each beaker in succession changes from ones in efficient and “green” ways that minimize impact on the clear to blue as if on cue. environment and maximize therapeutic benefit. Crafting a practical therapeutic use can take decades. “Taxol was discovered in 1962. It was launched for use against breast Passing on Football and ovarian cancer in 1992,” Wender says. “You see a summit, Wender’s parents taught him a healthy respect for education and and you don’t know exactly how you’re encouraged learning as a path to success. He passed up a football going to get there from here scholarship at another college so that he could concentrate on but you know where you chemistry with Wilkes professor (now emeritus) Bill Stine. And want to end up.” he accompanied biology professor Charles Reif to the Nuangola Paul Wender, Ph.D., Bog for core samples, which Wender would analyze. Wender Menlo Park, Calif. also served as vice president and president of student government at Wilkes, often meeting biweekly with President Eugene Farley. B.S., Chemistry, 1969 “Wilkes was a remarkable place. I realized that I loved to Career: Bergstrom Professor of learn,” he recalls. “It just opened up doors that I had certainly Chemistry at Stanford University not passed through before.” Notable: Internationally known chemist who synthesized the blockbuster breast cancer drug taxol; now working on therapies for HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer. Check out one of Wender’s lessons that brings chemistry to life with Rossini’s William Tell Overture at http://www.wilkes.edu/wender Wilkes memories: Biweekly meetings with Wilkes President Eugene Farley, pulling core samples from the Nuangola Bog with Professor Charles Reif, research with Professor Bill Stine, discussions with faculty, classes and “events” with friends. Wilkes | Fall 2012 More on the web 11 �Spin Control Wilkes Professor Helps Voters Focus on the Facts By Helen Kaiser Wilkes | Fall 2012 W 12 Wilkes Communication Studies Professor Jane Elmes-Crahall teaches a class on political communications. photo by michael touey ith an estimated $2 billion being spent on this year’s presidential election race, Americans are subjected to an onslaught of political pitches for nearly two years. Is it any wonder many in the electorate have tuned out or feel overwhelmed at making what is a crucial choice for the nation? For Wilkes communication studies Professor Jane Elmes-Crahall, however, the presidential election is a timely tool for teaching students how to think for themselves. Her popular “Controlling Spin” class is offered every four years during the heated primary season, affording students real-world opportunities to assess what is being said during debates, commercials, media interviews and online. The goal is to enable students to cut through the rhetoric and choose the candidate who best meets their criteria on issues important to them. “I have always been a strong supporter of nonpartisan groups, like the League of Women Voters,” Elmes-Crahall says. “That’s because I believe in the importance of each individual voter forming his or her own opinion, rather than being influenced by groups lobbying for one position or another.” For Dominick Costantino, a Wilkes junior from Hanover Township, Pa., last spring’s course provided an in-depth look at political campaigns that will help prepare him to vote in his first presidential election. “As a communications major, I really was interested in the public relations aspects of the race—how certain messages are framed,” he says. “The whole spin aspect of politics is important to analyze, because this is what they (campaign staffs) all do,” says senior Trevor Kurtz, another communication studies major, from Harleysville, Pa. �A frequent provider of expert analysis on political speeches, debates and policy statements for regional and national news media, Elmes-Crahall shared her strategies for “controlling spin” and evaluating candidate communications: • Don’t let anyone else frame a political event for you. Don’t listen to commentators who are providing analysis. Just focus on the candidates themselves. • Realize that strategists are providing spin even before a candidate’s speeches, town halls or debates. They try to lower your expectations so your impression is more positive if the candidate’s performance is only average. • Learn some of the basics of reason and logic so you can see through any argument that may be fallacious. • Take the time needed to evaluate what you’re hearing. You can record and replay or watch most interviews and debates again online if necessary. • Give some thought to what issues are most important to you, and research candidates’ positions on them. • Develop what you might call a voter’s manifesto—as if you were saying “This is what you, the candidate, must do to win my vote.” • Post your thoughts online in a blog or on the candidates’ websites. Begin a discussion and influence the news cycle yourself. Today, any voter with a computer has a chance to impact other voters. Focus Groups Evaluate Political Attitudes Of Youth When class members analyzed the responses, they found today’s young voters and prospective voters are being shaped by their personal and social media relationships. They are fed up with party politics. According to Wilkes communication studies professor Jane Elmes-Crahall, there has been a dramatic evolution in the electorate in just the past four years. In 2008, television This poster, designed by Wilkes student Bryan Calabro, advertised a was the primary source of young voters rally organized by the campaign information for Controlling Spin class. most people, she said. Now social media has surpassed broadcast media, especially for the younger generation of voters. “Young voters get almost all their information about the 2012 presidential campaign from conversations with friends and from social media (especially Facebook and Twitter),” the focus group research discovered. When they do tune in to broadcasts, it’s likely to be for CNN Headline News, or Comedy Central’s John Stewart and the Colbert Report. The focus group interviews also revealed a distrust of the two-party political system, coupled with growing identification among 18- to 24-year olds as Independents. “Please embrace nonpartisanship—I am so sick of campaigning in Republican or Democratic terms,” pleaded one student. “Address the whole nation’s needs.” The focus groups found that 32.5 percent of respondents identified themselves as Democrats, and 21 percent as Republicans. Independents (23 percent) and Libertarians (18.5) together totaled nearly 42 percent. Two participants had not made a choice. “Ten years from now, almost no young voters will identify with either the Republicans or Democrats,” one student predicted. The focus group participants were fed up with the increasingly used tactic of negative advertising. Said one student: “Polarizing language insults me . . . don’t candidates realize young voters can see right past these cheap tactics?” The issues that meant the most to the young focus group participants were: jobs, mounting student debt, improving the quality of education, civil rights for gay individuals and separation of church and state. More on the Web For more details about the results of the focus group research on young voters or to comment on the spring 2012 focus groups, visit http://controllingspin.blogspot.com/2012_08_ 01_archives.html Wilkes | Fall 2012 The “Controlling Spin” class offered at Wilkes in spring semester 2012 conducted focus groups to determine students’ perceptions of the 2012 presidential campaign. Four discussions involving a total of 43 participants ages 14 to 24 were held in March and April. 13 �Successful Barbara Gavlick Hartnett delights In Career Creating Costumes By Vicki Mayk Wilkes | Fall 2012 Barbara Gavlick Hartnett ’76 remembers them all as they emerged from her sewing machine. The horse costume she spent hours quilting so intricately that it looked like it was made of stones. Or the red, white and blue uniforms festooned with brass buttons produced in a matter of days for a production of Les Miserables at Wyoming Seminary’s Performing Arts Institute. More recently, there was the stunning orchid gown and matching hat made in honor of The Titanic’s 100th anniversary. They have something in common: a label proclaiming they are Costumes by Barbara. Hartnett started her business as a part-time venture in 1987, designing and sewing costumes for Halloween revelers and masquerade party-goers. It became her full-time occupation in 1995 when she moved into the shop at 186 Main St. in Luzerne, Pa. The bell jingles on the door as it opens into the store with its floor-toceiling crush of color. “I’m back here,” Hartnett calls. She’s in the back near the dressing rooms, dressed in a simple peach-colored t-shirt and beige slacks that contrast with the bright primary colors of her creations. Heads of cartoon characters grin down on visitors from a high shelf. Shrek, a cheerful purple dinosaur and a facsimile of a certain famous mouse beam down. A parade of picture hats hangs from a bar suspended from the ceiling. Does Hartnett know how many costumes she has? 14 Barbara Gavlick Hartnett ’76, front, is surrounded by her costume creations in her Luzerne, Pa., shop. Pictured from left, clockwise are Wyoming Valley West High School student Casey Clark, gypsy; Wilkes junior Brittany Battista, harem girl; Liz Swantek ’05, MBA ’07, director of residence life, colonial woman; Wyoming Valley West student Josh Williams, Napoleon; blue rabbit Evan Sedor, son of John Sedor ’87 and Donna O’Toole Sedor ’85; Kevin Saunders, Wyoming Valley West, leprechaun; and Wilkes junior Ian Foley, behind the jester’s mask. Photos by Earl & Sedor Photographic �More on the Web To see more tips from Barbara Gavlick Hartnett on creating memorable costumes, go to www.wilkes.edu/costumes Costume Tips From a Pro Want to come up with a great costume for your next party—or just have your kids stand out on Halloween? If you’re too far away to rent one from Barbara Gavlick Hartnett, she has a few tips for creating your own: Decide what you want to be: “Do you want to be pretty, funny, sexy, spooky? Do you want to have a covered face or not? Such basics can guide your process.” Be open to suggestions: Don’t set too many parameters when picking costumes. Saying you “have” to be a vampire or couples who say they “have to go as a couple” can lead to unhappy choices and eliminate good ones. Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize: A basic dress or outfit can be turned into a multitude of looks with the right accessories. For example, a basic plain black robe or dress becomes a pilgrim costume with the right hat and an apron added to it. Add a wimple, collar and rosary beads, and it becomes a nun’s habit. The same dress plus a peaked hat yields a witch. Barbara Gavlick Hartnett, Swoyersville, Pa. B.A., Fine Arts, 1976 Career: Professional costumer and owner of Costumes by Barbara, a costume rental business in Luzerne, Pa. Notable: During the course of a 25-year career, designed and created more than 1,500 costumes. Favorite Wilkes memory: As a member of Wilkes’ Circle K Club, Hartnett traveled to Florida to the first convention after the national Kiwanis organization admitted women, and later to a convention in Los Angeles. Wilkes | Fall 2012 “About 1,500, no—2,000,” she says. Some are stored at home—such as the Halloween ghosts and goblins that she brings out in the fall. She tracks them by a numbering system. Spiral notebooks organized by dates chronicle special orders. They include the sketches for her original designs and swatches of the fabric she used to make them. She refers to them when asked to make a similar costume. “Why reinvent the wheel?” says Hartnett, who also uses pieces from commercial dress patterns in addition to creating her own. It’s a practical approach for a woman in a somewhat impractical business. “My father used to say, ‘Do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to,’ ” Hartnett recalls. “My father and I were lucky because the two things were the same for us—we’ve done what we loved.” Her late father, Leo Gavlick ’51, was a civil engineer whose passion was numbers. He graduated from Bucknell University Junior College. Hartnett took a different path at Wilkes, majoring in fine arts after she transferred from Luzerne County Community College and Bloomsburg University. Her brothers, Blase ’73, MBA ’77 and Jeffrey Gavlick ’82 and Jeff’s wife, Donna (George) Gavlick ’82, also are alumni. She commuted to Wilkes from Swoyersville, studying painting with Bernice D’Vorzon and Phil Richards, jewelry making with Henry Casilli, sculpture with Herb Simon and textiles and batik with Richard Fuller. Outside of class, she was involved with Circle K—an involvement she continues as a member of the Swoyersville Kiwanis. Hartnett worked for 16 years as an embroidery designer for companies in Ashley, Pa., and New Jersey. “I have embroidery that I designed on some of my costumes,” she says, and pulls out a blue period gown with a delicately embroidered eyelet collar. “We designed it by hand,” she recalls. “Now it’s all done by computer.” Since opening her store, she’s created costumes for businesses, clowns, community groups and party-goers. For nine years, she designed costumes for musicals at Wyoming Valley West High School in Plymouth, Pa., including productions of Pirates of Penzance, Kiss Me Kate and Guys and Dolls. For most of the years she’s been in business, costume rentals have been the mainstay, but the age of her customers has changed. “Seventeen years ago, I rented 110 kids’ costumes. Now, I rent maybe eight.” The costume business is seeing another shift: Customers want to buy as often as they want to rent. A savvy businesswoman, she’s accommodating the shift. “I’m moving more into consignment and sales,” she says. In her free time, Hartnett enjoys travel with her husband, Tom. In fall 2012, she’s partnering with an illustrator to publish a children’s book, The Poor Little Pumpkin. “I’m all about creativity; that’s my thing,” she says with a smile. “I love what I do.” 15 �Bill Miller ’81 popularized brands for Barnes & Noble, The New York Times and FAO Schwarz Marketing Maven ii Bill Miller ’81 loves product. He particularly loves making Wilkes | Fall 2012 product more lovable to consumers across continents. 16 Over three decades the merchandising expert has popularized everything from clip-on lights for tablet computers to baskets woven by Ugandan war widows. By Geoff Gehman �Bill Miller, New York, N.Y. B.S., Business Administration,Wilkes, 1981 Career: President of Galison Publishing LLC/Mudpuppy Press Notable: Recently completed a consulting project marketing archival photos for The New York Times. Bill Miller ’81 is surrounded by the colorful products he markets as president of Galison Publishing/Mudpuppy Press, the latest chapter of his successful career. Photos by Dan Z. Johnson Favorite Wilkes Memories: Bradford Kinney’s communication and marketing class and lessons learned from Jane Lampe-Groh, then assistant dean of student affairs, and George Ralston, then dean of student affairs. “They gave me a vision,” says Miller, “of a kinder, broader world.” store of healthy products for Rodale Press, the organic-lifestyle pioneer, to marketing LightWedge clip-on lights for the Nook and its chief competitor, Amazon’s Kindle. Miller’s splashiest consulting assignment came from The New York Times. Asked to boost the sales and reputation of the newspaper’s archival photographs, he suggested hiring prominent designers as guest curators. Fashion superstar Vera Wang was among the 10 tastemakers who chose 10 pictures apiece. Celebrity cachet has helped boost sales of Times Store photos a heady 12 percent, says Theresa DeRosa, the newspaper’s director of creative services and merchandising. She praises Miller as a remarkably skilled strategist: connected, charismatic, calm in any crisis. A fan of his Barnes & Noble innovations, she waited three years to work with him, finally proposing a partnership when they sat together at a dinner party. Miller missed the excitement of leading a creative team, a daily duty for his husband, Talbot Logan, vice president of wholesale initiatives and brand presentation for Ralph Lauren. Miller filled this void in May when he became president of Galison Publishing LLC/Mudpuppy Press. He likes the company’s lineup of useful, fanciful items: a memo pad shaped like a vintage telephone; a writer’s notebook with a photo of the Chrysler Building, which he can see from the company’s conference room. He especially likes the challenge of trying to transform a well-known family business into a household name under a new owner. In March the company was purchased by the McEvoy Group, a San Francisco-based media company. “My job is to instill a sense of pride and responsibility, to give people a setting to shine,” says Miller, a member of Wilkes’ Board of Trustees. Miller is eager to put his spin on items featuring Babar and the Little Prince, new licensees and old superheroes of children’s literature. He loves to cast novel roles for classic characters, to make something as simple as a little black notebook as flexible, and as important, as a little black dress. “It’s not just a little black notebook; it can have all sorts of designs that can express your lifestyle and your life,” says Miller. “It all comes down to, ‘how do we use product to make our everyday existence a little better?’ ” Wilkes | Fall 2012 Last spring Miller began finding and fine tuning product as president of Galison Publishing LLC/Mudpuppy Press, a supplier of fine-art notecards, children’s games and journals for all ages. Promoting items starring Van Gogh’s sunflowers and Babar the elephant suits a marketing maven who has worked for the world’s biggest bookseller and the world’s best-known toy store. The native of Forty Fort, Pa., earned money for Wilkes by unloading boxes and setting up store displays for his father, a food broker for supermarket chains and mom & pop groceries. Miller learned from his father to exceed customer demands and meet deadlines—essential skills for a future branding boss. Key lessons for his career also were learned at Wilkes. He cites taking the communication and marketing class taught by Bradford Kinney, professor of communication studies. Kinney’s “great energy” inspired Miller to write for The Beacon and work in the school’s public-relations office, where he learned about marketing through media. Miller later polished his skills while serving a pair of venerable department-store chains, Hess’s and Macy’s. He graduated from Macy’s renowned executive-training program. In 1989, Miller joined FAO Schwarz, the famous toy store. He became a quadruple threat, supervising stores outside Manhattan, the company catalog, its Web site and its flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Highlights included escorting Princess Diana and reaping the publicity benefits of the 1988 movie Big, where Tom Hanks dances to “Chopsticks” on the store’s giant floor piano. Miller left in 2000, shortly after FAO Schwarz was sold. He became president of Eziba.com, a three-year-old firm started by an economist-entrepreneur to aid talented artisans in troubled countries. Miller helped launch a museum-quality catalog that compelled young consumers to buy goods online, a strategy then in its infancy. He helped establish an exchange where the sale of goods funded food and shelter. Eziba struggled to turn a profit despite backing from Amazon.com and, in 2005, it sold its assets to Overstock.com. The next year Miller became a vice president at Amazon’s rival, Barnes & Noble. He monitored gifts, cafes, product placement and product development. Miller oversaw developing covers and lights for the Nook, Barnes & Noble’s tablet computer. He commissioned his friend, home-décor specialist Jonathan Adler, to design the company’s first vase. It was his idea to have back-to-school journals and bags decorated by college students, an idea that became a boon for the company’s campus bookstores. He also brokered a partnership with FEED Projects, co-founded by former first daughter Lauren Bush, to provide food and nutrients to children in impoverished countries. Miller remains on FEED’s board. In 2009 he left Barnes & Noble to become a full-time consultant. His projects ranged from developing an online 17 �alumni news Regional Alumni Events Take Wilkes Around the Country From top to bottom: More than 60 alumni from northeastern Pennsylvania visited the recently opened Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston, Pa. Jaime Jurado MS ’90, their brewmaster, provided a behind-the-scenes look at the brewing process. Pictured left to right are Kristin Klemish ’04, Ryan Klemish ’04, Megan McAndrew ’04 and Mike Pedley ’06. Duke’s Bar and Grille in Harrisburg was the site for a get together for Wilkes alumni in the state capital area. Pictured from left to right are Tanner Spadafore Rebeil ’00 (holding daughter Elia Grace), Andrea Chuba Kealey ’78, Donna Talarico ’00 MFA ’09, John B. Hall ’65, Cindie Geary Burke PharmD ’04, Jonathan Burke ’01, Bethany Yenner Bosha ’02, John Bosha PharmD ’04, Bob Keeney ’04, Tim Mirra ’07 and Laurie Agresti ’07. More than 80 alumni and friends of the University played in the 60th Annual John Chwalek Golf Tournament held in July. Money raised from the event benefits The John J. Chwalek, Sr. Scholarship and athletic programs. Pictured at the post-tournament luncheon are, from left, Gary Williams ’72 MBA ’82, David Kaschak ’71 MS ’81, John Baranowski ’71, Mike Sharok ’68, Joe Angelella ’80 and Bob Roberts. Alumni enjoyed a weekend full of events hosted by Jason Griggs ’90 in Pawley’s Island, S.C. Pictured in the back row, left to right, are Wilkes Vice President for Advancement Mike Wood, Bill Stinger ’68, Peter Perog ’60, David Baum ’68, Jason Griggs ’90, Rick Simonson ’69. Front row, left to right, are Advancement Director Sue Jolley, Alexia Baum, Nancy Wanczyk Stinger ’69; Sean, Jack and Henry King, grandsons of Rick Simonson ’69. Other alumni in attendance but not pictured included Susan Ryan Simonson ’70, Ken Thompson ’89, Dan Cardell ’79 and George Pawlush IV ’98. In addition to these locations, alumni gathered in Florida, California and Boston. Last chance to update your info for the new alumni directory The deadline for alumni to review the contact information the alumni relations office has on file is Nov. 1, 2012. This information will be compiled into a new alumni directory. If you haven’t done so already, please respond to the email or postcard sent to you by PCI, our partner in this project. If you have any questions, please contact the alumni office at 570-408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. Wilkes | Fall 2012 who is giving back to Wilkes? 18 In the back of this issue, you’ll see our annual Report of Gifts which recognizes everyone who has made a gift to Wilkes between June 1, 2011, and May 31, 2012. The Alumni Association board of directors appreciates the generosity of everyone who has contributed to the success and growth of current students! �campaign update View From The Top: Update On Science Building Project Construction on the new science building continues on schedule for completion in fall 2013. This summer, the steel structure for the building took shape on campus. Alumni visiting Wilkes this fall will have opportunities to see the project first-hand. But there are some aspects of the project that can’t be shared until the building is complete. Here, Wilkes magazine offers a peek at the upper level of Wilkes’ newest building. This summer, incoming students and the campus community signed a connector beam that will be installed in the building. photo by bridget giunta husted ’05 On the uppermost level of the building, utilitarian needs will mix with creative opportunities. Half of the rooftop will house mechanical equipment necessary for the operation of the building, while the remaining space will be for hands-on enhancements to our science programs. This rendering shows the courtyard situated between the new Features include: structure and the existing Stark Learning Center. The Annette • A 1,200-squareEvans Alumni House is indicated in gray on the left. foot, four-room greenhouse, as well as dedicated areas of vegetation to be used for observation and monitoring; • A 3,750-square-foot terrace that will serve as an observation area during both day and night. A telescope storage room will be easily accessible; • A 300-square-foot raised platform that is exposed to the elements for experimental and research purposes, such as biofuel cultivation, solar panel testing and wind turbine testing. Although it has been built with the needs of researchers and future scientists in mind, they won’t be the only ones who can enjoy this very special space. We look forward to sharing it with alumni and the campus community at future events. Wilkes | Fall 2012 The view of the Susquehanna River from the top level of Wilkes’ new science building. 19 �class notes 1955 Louis Steck and his wife Norma welcomed a greatgrandson, Louis Warren Cameron, to their family. 1968 Bill Stinger See 1976 1969 Nancy Stinger See 1976 1978 David Dudick Sr. has been named president of General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice business segment. Dudick brings more than 30 years of experience with General Mills to his new role, serving most recently as senior vice president, president U.S. sales for channels, leading the company’s business with supercenters, drug and discount clubs and dollar stores. General Mills is the world’s sixth largest food company. 1979 Kathleen Bolinski has joined the professional staff of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center as a youth apprentice program coordinator. She is a Pennsylvania licensed social worker and lives in Hunlock Creek, Pa. 1980 Kathi (Roman) Davis of Allentown, Pa., enjoyed a trip back in time when her daughter, Stef, organized the Big Bash 2, recreating a party her mother had organized at Wilkes during her student days. The original Big Bash, which occurred in the student center in 1978, brought the entire Wilkes campus together. Pictured are Davis, right, with her daughter, Stef, at the Big Bash 2, held at her daughter’s house in Forty Fort, Pa. The event included t-shirts and replicas of her original nametag from 1978. Jeannie Swartz O’Donnell and her husband Norbert have opened O’Donnell Winery LLC, in Briar Creek, Pa. O’Donnell is also a health care consultant for Altegra Health, a company based in Los Angeles, Calif. 1976 Wilkes | Fall 2012 Carol and Phil Besler, left, competed in the Miami Beach 13.1 Marathon on March 4 with fellow alumni Nancy Stinger ‘69 and Bill Stinger ‘68. 20 1976 Laura (Parrish) O’Brien, Mary Lou (Murray) Brady, Noel Jorgensen, Bouraine (Meehan) Smith and Sandy (Akromas) Thomson, pictured left to right, held their annual Barre Hall reunion at Easter. 1980 William V. Lewis Jr. MBA ’86, commissioner of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, served as the keynote speaker on July 4 at the 134th annual Wyoming Monument commemoration observance sponsored by the Wyoming Commemorative Association. He is vice president and a certified financial planner with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management in Wilkes-Barre. Barbara Pirrella-Sico is the regional director for Bayada Home Health Care. Pirrella-Sico oversees the pediatric offices throughout the state. She lives in Pittston, Pa. 1981 Joseph Pelchar retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of colonel and is working for the Department of Defense in Philadelphia, Pa. Janet Vierbuchen Briel is the senior director of clinical research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. She previously held positions at Duke and Stanford universities. 1983 Ellen Van Riper has joined Holloway Odegard and Kelly, a law firm in Phoenix, Ariz. 1984 Andrea Nerozzi was selected as a fellow to the 2012 Siemens STEM Institute at Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. The institute is an immersion program that promotes hands-on, real-world integration of science, technology, engineering and �class notes 1985 Thomas McGuire, director of sports information/athletic marketing and promotions at Bloomsburg University, Bloomsburg, Pa., has earned top honors at the district level of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Fred Stabley Writing Contest. McGuire’s 2011 story, “Standing Tall,” was the winning piece in District 2, which includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. 1987 Ross Macarty is the new director of real estate and special projects for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry. 1990 Thomas Griffith MS ’94 is the English department chairperson at Wyoming Valley West High School. Dale Heller is Center Stage as Entertainment Publicist for performing arts entertainment. “I liked the idea of Dale Heller ‘03 never studied puppetry, but puppets way, I’d be more inclined to work really hard for my helped launch his career. After graduating with a degree in clients,” says Heller of his decision to go solo as president theater and communication studies, he took a job with Sam and sole-proprietor of his company. With clients like Rudy Media Relations in New York City. “Sam Rudy needed off-Broadway company Page 73 Productions and children’s to bring in help for a little puppet show off-Broadway,” theater company Making Books Sing, Heller says he soon Heller explains. “And that show was Avenue Q.” will add employees. Heller Highwater focuses on public and media relations having all the burden on my shoulders because that “Avenue Q was my first; it was my baby,” continues As a publicist, Heller spends a lot of time making Heller, who became friends with several members of the contacts and writing press releases, but what he most original cast and crew. “That first day I saw it, I knew it enjoys is staying involved with theater. “I dreamed of being was something special.” an actor, but I didn’t have a penchant for poverty,” Heller He was right; the puppet show for grown-ups was a smash hit that eventually went to Broadway and won a Tony Award for best musical. Now Heller has ended a admits with a laugh. “I like being on the managerial side of the creative arts.” “I’m a big fan of Wilkes,” he adds. “Wilkes reinforced in successful 10-year run at Sam Rudy to start his me how to be independent. Wilkes gave me tools in PR to own company, Heller Highwater LLC. “I thought, continue my education.” ‘This is nice,’ “ says Heller of his first job at Rudy Media, “but I really wanted to call the shots.” The Berwick, Pa., native—now a New York City resident—also credits his relationship with Wilkes communication studies professor Jane Elmes-Crahall for helping him start out on the right foot. “I picked PR because Jane was from Berwick and I wanted to find something to take along with theater,” he admits. “Teachers like her, and Bonnie [Culver], and Joe Dawson...that’s what makes Wilkes really special. They really care about their students and they really care about what they’re doing. And that’s what laid the foundation for me starting Heller Highwater. They invested in me.” — By Rachel Strayer MFA ’12 Dale Heller, right, catches up with his Wilkes mentor, communication studies Professor Jane Elmes-Crahall, on a recent visit to campus. photo by vicki mayk Wilkes | Fall 2012 math (STEM) in the classroom. Nerozzi teaches chemistry and advanced placement environmental science and is director of the Science Research Group at Wyoming Seminary Upper School in Kingston, Pa. She was among 50 educators selected nationally for the honor. 21 �class notes John Plishka ’05 Monitors Presidential Campaign Finances When John Plishka ‘05 finished his degree in political science at Wilkes he knew it wasn’t easy to break into politics. That didn’t stop him from working with the Rick something embarrassing gets on one of these reports... you’re responsible for it. If you make a mistake, it’s in the public realm.” That, according to Plishka, is also what makes the job so rewarding. “[I enjoy] the idea that what you do matters.” Plishka credits Wilkes political science professor Thomas Santorum campaign from 2005 to 2006. “After that,” Baldino and adjunct Anthony Poplawski with helping him says Plishka, “there was a mad scramble to get a job.” achieve his goals. “They were always advocates of what I Santorum’s campaign manager, Vince Galko, directed wanted to do,” recalls Plishka. “You have to go the extra Plishka to Campaign Mail and Data Inc., and a job he never mile, but they will help you.” It was their support that got expected to do: accounting. Plishka the hands-on experience needed to succeed in “I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to do something no one else politics. In 2003, Plishka participated in the Washington wants to do,’ “ laughs Plishka, who has made his career Semester program at American University, an opportunity tracking contributions for political campaigns through his that led to his first internship with former Congressman Don work at the Falls Church, Va., company. Sherwood. Wilkes has a partnership with American, making What Plishka calls the “non-glamorous side” of politics turned out to be exactly what he was looking for. As the program available to students at no additional cost. “The opportunities to go out and learn these things deputy political director at CMDI, Plishka has crunched first-hand were phenomenal,” Plishka concludes. “You numbers for the McCain-Palin campaign, Giuliani for can’t really learn politics in the classroom; it’s about taking President and the National Republican Congressional those concepts and applying them.” Committee, among others. He is currently doing finances for Romney for President. — By Rachel Strayer MFA ’12 “It increases the workload dramatically,” Plishka says of his duties during a presidential election year. “You’re always busy...[but] now it’s crunch time.” His work at CMDI includes providing the Romney campaign with daily cash flow projections and reporting financial activities monthly to the Federal Election Commission. Campaign finance law requires disclosure of contributions and the names of those who make them. Checking spelling and contact information for up to 25,000 donors on one disclosure report each month can be a challenge. “If Wilkes | Fall 2012 John Plishka ’05 tracks political contributions at the Falls Church, Va.-based Campaign Mail and Data Inc. 22 1991 Christopher Augustine retired from the U.S. Army and has joined General Electric Lighting in Cleveland, Ohio, as its communications and public affairs manager. 1992 Reunion Oct. 5-7 ~ Robert Feinberg, senior attorney at Brown and Hutchinson, was recently named the 2011 Up and Coming Attorney in Rochester, N.Y. 1993 Karin L Nicholson M.D. was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. She has been serving as a pulmonary critical care and sleep physician in the Army since 2000. She is stationed at Ft. Hood, Texas. 1996 Justin Fasulo See 1998 1998 Kerri and Justin Fasulo ’96 hosted the 2012 Don’t Sweat It Walk to raise money for the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasia on June �class notes 23 at the Walkway on the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Their 2 1/2 year old daughter, Nicole, has ectodermal dysplasia, a genetic disorder that affects the hair, nails, sweat glands and teeth. 2006 Kandice Bross and husband Thomas welcomed a daughter, Vivienne Colette, on June 6, 2012. 2007 2001 Matt Reitnour was promoted to assistant athletic director of communications at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. Reitnour is entering his twelfth year on the college’s athletic department staff and his sixth year as the director for the college’s athletic communications department. 2002 Reunion Oct. 5-7 ~ Ryan Barhight has been promoted to vice president, credit analyst supervisor, for First National Community Bank, where he is responsible for managing the commercial credit underwriting department. He joined FNCB in 2003. He resides in Old Forge, Pa., with his wife, Jessica. 2004 Selena Bednarz Clark and Brandon Clark welcomed a baby girl, Leah Rose Clark, born in October 2011. They live in Flanders, N.J. 2005 Amanda Kosich started a blog called “Bright-Eyed Blonde,” which is about living a healthy lifestyle. Reunion Oct. 5-7 Allyson Beth Bazarsky earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). She is continuing her medical training in neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C. Rachel (Moskal) Gold See 2006 photo. Adrienne Richards is the director of industry and public affairs at the American Frozen Food Institute in Washington, D.C. She was previously public relations manager for the National Turkey Federation. 1997 Reunion Oct. 5-7 ~ Rebecca A. Shedlock M’97 and Donald A. Brominski were married on March 3, 2012. The bride is the director of conference services and community outreach initiatives for the Educational Conference Center at Luzerne County Community College, Nanticoke, Pa. The groom is the director of business development for UGI Utilities Inc., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The couple reside in Dallas, Pa. 2008 Sarah Dorman MBA ’10 is an English teacher at Wyoming Valley West High School. 2009 Johnathan Botch was awarded a contract to run a store at the National Canal Museum in Easton, Pa. The store will sell small gift items as well as consignment items from vendors, artists and craftsmen. 2001 Edward T. Bednarz III earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering from UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) while working full-time at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. Bednarz also is an adjunct professor in the Wilkes mechanical engineering department. Wilkes | Fall 2012 2000 Matthew Jagusak welcomed a son, Robert Matthew, on April 15, 2012. 23 �class notes In Memoriam 1948 John E. Krupa, Key Largo, Fla., died May 14, 2012. Krupa served with the U.S. Army during World War II, attaining the rank of staff sergeant. He was employed as an industrial engineer for RCA in Mountain Top, Pa. William H. Lewis, Forked River, N.J., died June 11, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Lewis was employed by Merck & Co. Inc. for 39 years as a manager in chemical manufacturing. 2006 Jeff Gold and Rachel (Moskal) Gold ’07 welcomed their first child, Mallory May, in August 2012. Pictured at their September 2011 wedding are, front, Rachel and Jeff, and, back from left, groomsman Joseph Gisondi, maid of honor Mandy Ratschof ’07, and best man Joseph Woods. The couple met in Breiseth Hall during their Wilkes orientation. Jeff is employed as a police officer in Falls Township, Pa., where he is also an EMT, an accident reconstructionist, a certified armorer, the training officer for the Falls Township Police Honor Guard, and a member of the SWAT team. Rachel has worked as a kindergarten teacher and as a nanny. 2011 Sean Madden was named head football coach at Montrose High School. During the 2011-2012 academic year, he had been assistant coach under Montrose head coach Todd Smith and a full-time substitute teacher. Wilkes | Fall 2012 Graduate Students 24 Ginger Marcinkowski MFA ’12’s novel Run, River Currents was published in August 2012 by Booktrope Editions. The book is a 2012 semifinalist in the Association of Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Awards. Gale Martin MA ’11 published her second novel, Grace Unexpected, in July 2012 by Booktrope Editions. Her first novel, also published by Booktrope, was Don Juan in Hankey, PA. Tabitha Grace Smith MFA ’12 has joined Geek & Sundry, an online entertainment site and community, as social media strategist. In her new position, she is responsible for social media marketing and community development. 1949 Phyllis M. Meyer Mitchneck, Forty Fort, Pa., died June 4, 2012. She was executive secretary of Wyoming Valley Playground and Recreational Association. 195O Royal J. Culp, Kingston, Pa., died June 24, 2012. Culp was a World War II veteran and served as a fighter pilot in the Army Air Corps. Prior to retirement, he owned and operated Royal Acoustics. The Rev. Dr. Lester Gross, Louisville, Ky., died June 12, 2012. Gross was an Army Air Corps veteran and a retired Episcopal priest. He founded several Episcopal churches in Louisville. Joseph Frank Mizia, Lenox, Mass., died July 30, 2012. Mizia spent his career with GE Chemical, which later became GE Plastics, where he was a member of a team that developed applications for Lexan plastic. 1951 Eugene Zastavny, Glen Lyon, Pa., died on June 6, 2012. Zastavny was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran of World War II, attaining the rank of corporal. He was employed as a corrections officer at the State Correctional Institute in Dallas, Pa. 1958 William J. Powell, Midlothian, Va., died April 13, 2012. Powell worked at the Ethyl Corp. for 35 years. He and his wife established the Billy “Boog” Powell Scholarship at Wilkes in memory of their late son. 1959 Martha J. Flanigan, Dover Plains, N.Y., died Dec. 6, 2011. Flanigan was the director of education at the former Wassaic Developmental Center. 1961 Thomas Griffiths, Bristow, Va., died July 16, 2012. He was employed by the Department of Defense at the Pentagon until his retirement in 1994. �class notes In Memoriam Leonard S. Mierzwa Sr., Nanticoke, Pa., died June 16, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. Mierzwa was a manager for Inland Water Sports in Luzerne, Pa. 1963 Joseph J. Altavilla Sr., Larksville, Pa., died May 20, 2012. He was employed as an industrial arts teacher in Hanover Area School District for 25 years. He also coached junior high wrestling in the district, winning multiple league championships. Altavilla later was head wrestling coach at Bishop O’Reilly High School. 1964 Patrick Rutkoski, Drums, Pa., died on May 30, 2012. Rutkoski was a Vietnam veteran, attaining the rank of major in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was employed by RCA, Mountain Top, Pa., until his retirement in 1982. 1968 William R. Watkins, Deltona, Fla., died July 15, 2012. A U.S. Navy veteran, Watkins was an accountant at Fowler Dick and Walker in Wilkes-Barre and at firms in Allentown, Pa., and in Altamonte and Daytona Beach, Fla. 1969 Raymonde Montante Stets, Mountain Top, Pa., died on June 11, 2012. A resident of York, Pa., for nearly 30 years, she was a practicing psychologist. 1970 Joseph Elechko Jr., M.D., Manchester N.H., died June 18, 2012. A physician and pharmacist, Elechko served in the U.S. Navy. 1973 Sharon Foose Moss, Hanover Township, Pa., died May 30, 2012. Moss was employed for 23 years by the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. She was a supervisor of the care management department for the past 12 years. 1974 Patricia Patalak, Summerfield, Fla., died July 17, 2012. A native of Wilkes-Barre, she was a captain in the U.S. Air Force. 1975 John Shafer, Larksville, Pa., died July 5, 2012. He worked with the Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Disability Determination of Wilkes-Barre. 1980 Joseph Merlie, Ashley, Pa., died June 13, 2012. A pharmacist, he served as an altar server in St. Leo’s Church, and also volunteered his time by coaching baseball for the Ashley-Newtown Little League. 1983 Sandra Lou Thomas, Woodstock, Ga., died on May 15, 2012. She worked as a registered nurse in Lancaster, Pa. most recently at the Conestoga Valley School District. Sandra is survived by her husband, Stephen Thomas ‘83. 1984 James Connell, Forty Fort, Pa., died on July 3, 2012. He was employed for 30 years at P.G. & W/PG Energy/ UGI-PNG, ending his career there as the manager of accounting. Most recently he worked at Guard Insurance Group in Wilkes-Barre as a financial reporting analyst. 1985 David J. Sedor, M.D., Wyoming, Pa., died on June 25, 2012. A board-certified neurosurgeon, Sedor practiced medicine in the Wyoming Valley since 1993. An honors medical graduate of Hahnemann Medical College, he received the Distinguished Young Alumnus Award from Wilkes in 1997. He is survived by his wife, Lee Ann Earl-Sedor ’80, brother, John Sedor ’87, and sister-in-law Donna (O’Toole) Sedor ’85. 1991 Mark J. Jasulevicz, Mountain Top, Pa., died on June 3, 2012. He was employed as a software development specialist for the Guard Insurance Group in Wilkes-Barre. Faculty & Staff Howard A. Swain Jr., Shavertown, Pa., died June 11, 2012. He was Professor Emeritus at Wilkes University, where he taught chemistry. Swain was a member of the American Chemical Society, and served as president of the local ACS chapter. Friends of Wilkes Jane Morhouse Breiseth, Ticonderoga, N.Y., died June 16, 2012. The former first lady of Wilkes University, she was the wife of Christopher N. Breiseth, who served as president of Wilkes from 1984-2001. Editor’s note: A remembrance of Mrs. Breiseth will appear in the winter issue of Wilkes magazine. Wilkes | Fall 2012 Audrey Huntzinger Peter, Rio Rico, Ariz., died on April 23, 2012. She was employed by United Penn Bank in Wilkes-Barre in the trust department. 25 �report of gifts Thank you to our donors REPORT OF gifts | Gifts Received June 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012 report of gifts KEY The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Platinum Associates Gold Circle $500,000 or more Diamond Associates $250,000 - $499,999 Honorary Associates $100,000 - $249,999 Trustee Associates $10,000 - $99,999 Wilkes | Fall 2012 Founder’s Circle 26 $500 - $999 Blue Circle $250 - $499 Farley Associates $100 - $249 contributors Up to $99 $5,000 - $9,999 President’s Circle $2,500 - $4,999 John Wilkes Associates $1,000 - $2,499 ©2012 Published by the Advancement Division of Wilkes University. We regret any omissions or errors contained within this report. Due to the number of generous donors, some names may have mistakenly been missed. If you should find an error or omission, please direct the corrections to Evelyne Topfer, Director of Advancement Operations, at (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4309 or evelyne.topfer@wilkes.edu. �report of gifts Table of Contents 28 The John Wilkes Society 30 Giving by Constituency Trustees and Trustee Emeriti UniversIty FamilY Community Businesses & Foundations Friends 34 Giving by Class Class of 1937 through Class of 2011 45 Senior Class Gift 46 The Marts Society 47 Endowed Named Scholarships Revenues and other support Tuition and fees Total Less scholarship aid Net tuition and fees $ 85,831,345 $ (26,149,271) $ 59,682,074 Government grants and contracts Private grants and contracts Private gifts Sales and services of auxiliary enterprises Income from interest and dividends Other revenue Endowment income designated for current operations Net assets released from restrictions Total revenues and other support $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 3,223,879 415,577 586,841 8,872,443 571,352 690,492 409,900 1,585,265 76,037,823 Expenses Instruction Research Public service Academic support Student services Institutional support Auxiliary enterprises Total expenses $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 33,107,971 1,502,237 1,314,767 8,932,459 10,872,773 12,273,248 6,942,656 $ 74,946,111 $ 1,091,712 Increase (decrease) in net assets from operating activities Wilkes | Fall 2012 Statement of Activities from Operations 27 �report of gifts • the john wilkes society The John Wilkes Society is a recognition society for annual donors Wilkes | Fall 2012 who contribute at or above $1,000 each year. 28 Acorn Foundation, Inc. Paul Adams ’77 and Jean Reiter Adams ’78 Aeroflex Foundation Valerie Kotula Alba ’84 Albert* and Barbara Albert Jean and Nicholas Alesandro ’63 Alexander W. Dick Foundation William and Mary Regalis Althauser ’63 Jeffrey Alves American Society of Highway Engineers Joan and Dean Arvan ’55 Gill Ho Bai ’61 Charles Baker ’73 Stephen Batory and Anne Heineman Batory ’68 Robert Becker Benco Dental Company Joseph Bendoraitis ’51 Bergman Foundation Berkshire Asset Management, Inc. Gregory Black ’80 and Marianne Marzen Black ’80 Black Horse Foundation, Inc. Blue Cross of Northeastern PA Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Borton-Lawson Engineering Karen Bove ’85 Joseph Briskie ’87 Robert Brown ’68 Richard and Angela Buckley Sandra and Richard Bunn ’55 Nancy and Edward Burke ’70 Jack Burke Patrick Burke ’69 Barbara and William Bush ’68 Patrick and Maureen Connolly Cambier ’82 Daniel Cardell ’79 and Ann Marie Booth Cardell ’79 Anthony Cardinale ’72 and Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Wendy and Terrence Casey ’81 Jane and John Cefaly ’70 Louis Cesare and Denise Schaal Cesare ’77 Charles Cherundolo ’63 Choice One Community Federal Credit Union Jane and John Chopack ’69 Jesse Choper ’57 The Citizens Voice Chuck Cohen and Rebecca Binder Sally and Lawrence Cohen ’57 Comcast Corporation Commemorative Brands, Inc. Commonwealth Health Commonwealth Medical College John Conyngham Stephanie Smith Cooney ’04 and Robert Cooney ’01 Ann Coughlin Creative Business Interiors Credit Management Company Patricia and Stephen Croghan ’80 and Family Grace Kirby Culbertson Bonnie Culver Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. CVS Charitable Trust, Inc. Darte-Darling Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation William and Essy Davidowitz Jeffrey and Sherry Davidowitz Stanley and Patricia Davies Virginia and David Davis ’73 Catherine DeAngelis ’65 Thomas Deitz Janet Demech Anita and Edmund Diskin Guy DiZebba ’76 Dizebba Brothers, Inc. Colleen and Raymond Dombroski ’78 James Edwards ’80 Bettijane Long Eisenpreis ’57 Sharon and John Ellis ’79 Gayfree Ellison and Sally Sullivan Jane Elmes-Crahall and Brinley Crahall Ernest Christian Klipstein Foundation Josephine and Richard Eustice Christine Evanchick ’80 Joseph Fadden ’98 Fahmy Hudome International, LLC Randa Fahmy Hudome ’86 Stephen Farrar ’69 Welton Farrar Dina and Charles Ferguson ’84 First National Community Bank Flack Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Don Follmer ’50 Joseph Frappolli ’69 Shelley Freeman ’82 Sidney Friedman Frontier Communications, Inc. Joseph Galli ’81 James Garofalo ’72 Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Staff Tim and Patty Gilmour Emilie Roat Gino ’60 Michael J. Glancey ’69 Margrit Shoemaker and Daniel Glunk ’84 Jane and Henry Goetzman ’56 Paula Goidell Golden Business Machines, Inc. Jerome and Dorothy Goldstein Michael and Lisie Gottdenker Gottdenker Foundation Bruce Gover ’72 and Elizabeth Clements Gover ’73 R. Wensell Grabarek Bernard Graham Warren P. Greenberg ’62 Henry Greener ’61 and Nancy Rosenfeld Greener ’61 David Greenwald ’66 and Carol Saidman Greenwald ’66 Tamara and Jason Griggs ’90 Nancy Ralston Grogan ’52 Guard Foundation Guard Insurance Group Helen and Erwin Guetig ’63 Christopher and Ramah Hackett Laureen and David Hadley ’82 Arlene and Carmen Hagelgans Michael Hall ’93 and Ellen Stamer Hall ’71 Valerie and William Hanbury ’72 William Hanigan ’91 Harkness Foundation for Dance Wilbur Hayes Louise Hazeltine ’44 Robert and Patricia Heaman ’61 Frank and Dorothea Henry Frederick Herrmann ’79 and Brigette McDonald Herrmann ’78 Jean and Frederick Hills ’59 Hirtle, Callaghan & Company Harry Hiscox ’51 and Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Bonnie and Richard Hiscox David Hoats ’55 Seymour Holtzman ’57 and Evelyn Krohn Holtzman ’60 InterMetro Industries Corporation James and Florence DePolo Family Foundation Edwin Johnson ’50 Susan Dantona Jolley and David Jolley ’78 Allyn Jones ’60 * Deceased �Jeffrey Jones ’78 John and Josephine Thomas Foundation Marge and Leo Kane ’55 Theresa and Clayton Karambelas ’49 David and Kathy Price Kautter ’72 Stanley Kay John and Lois Kearney Richard Kent ’55 John Kerr ’72 and Renate Dargel Kerr ’72 Keystone College Barbara King ’81 King’s College A.P. Kirby, Jr. Foundation, Inc. Milan Kirby Dorothy and John Kluchinski ’61 Allan and Sue Kluger George Kolesar ’57 and Nancy Carroll Kolesar ’61 Lois and Edwin Kosik ’49 KPMG, LLP Alan Krieger ’64 Janet and Thomas Kristofco Joyce Callahan Krivenko ’66 and Charles Krivenko ’64 Ann and Kenneth Krogulski ’82 Andrea Gallet Lander ’67 and Howard Lander ’71 Landmark Community Bank Fawn and Drew Landmesser ’77 Law Offices of John P. Moses Linda Layden Lehighton Electronics, Inc. Anthony Liuzzo Julie and Wayne Lonstein ’82 Barbara and Michael LoPresti ’77 Lonstein Law Office, P.C. Jeffrey Lowenthal Ray Lowery ’67 Melanie Maslow Lumia Luzerne County Community College Luzerne Foundation M&T Charitable Foundation Tim and Judith Mills Mack ’78 Gregory MacLean ’78 and Susan Levens MacLean ’78 Magestic Systems, Inc. Michael and Christine Mahoney Mahoney Family Foundation Robert and Patrice Stone Martin ’77 Marywood University Jean and George Matz ’71 Sylvia Mauro ’58 Edward McCafferty ’59 McCole Foundation Flora Wargo McCormick ’68 Linda and Brian McGrath ’69 Marilyn and Gerard McHale ’67 Edward Meehan Sharon and Frank Menaker ’62 Donald Mencer Robert and Kim Mericle Mericle Commercial Real Estate James Merryman M’10 and Nancy Hawk Merryman ’69 Scott and Susan Talbot Meuser ’98 Bonnie and Neil Millar ’67 Sarah Wise and John Miller ’68 William Miller ’81 R. Matthew Minielly ’99 and Maria Shahda Minielly ’01 Misericordia University Mollie and Jerry Moffatt ’63 Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs Jerry Mohn ’63 and Rowena Simms Mohn ’63 * Deceased Monica and Edward Mollahan ’82 James Morgan ’76 and Kim Witherow Morgan ’77 Cathy and Robert Mugford ’58 Dorian and James Mulligan ’85 Jacqueline and Richard Myers ’84 Thomas Myers ’58 Marion and Joseph Neetz ’62 N.R.G. Controls North, Inc. NACDS - National Association of Chain Drug Stores Northeast PA Engineering Company Barbara Davenport Neville Northeast PA American Society of Highway Engineers Northeast PA Paint & Decorating Contractors Northeastern PA Cardiology Associates James and Mariea Barbella Noblitt ’73 Paul and Florentine O’Hop Lloyd Ortman ’73 Anna and Michael Ott PA Society of Public Accountants, Northeast Chapter Eric Pape ’04 ParenteBeard, LLC Shirley and Anthony Parulis ’65 George Pawlush ’69 and Carol Corbett Pawlush ’79 Richard and Marion Pearsall Pella Windows & Doors Penn Millers Insurance Co. Penn State University, Wilkes-Barre Campus The Pepsi Bottling Group William Perlmuth ’51 Peter Perog ’60 Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company Trudy Piatt Arthur and Sandra Shepard Piccone ’77 Hazel and Ronald Piskorik ’68 Jane and William Plummer ’50 Polish Room Committee PPL Chip and Nancy Prescott Jonathan Pressman and Sally Poblete Prudential Financial Helen Bitler Ralston ’52 Thomas Ralston ’80 Joyce and William Raub ’61 John G. Reese John J. Reese ’76 Florence and Charles Reilly ’55 Ethel and Jeffrey Renoe ’77 David Reynolds ’86 and Katherine Potter Reynolds ’84 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Mary Jean and William Rice ’48 Arnold and Sandy Rifkin Ronald Rittenmeyer ’72 and Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72 Gordon Roberts ’60 James and Virginia Rodechko ’91 Amy and Roger Rolfe ’66 Richard and Virginia Simms Rose Alice Rosen Rosenn Jenkins & Greenwald LLP Pauline and Richard Roshong ’67 Charles Roszko Susan and Steven P. Roth ’84 Mary and Jay Rubino ’86 William Ryan ’69 Sandy & Arnold Rifkin Charitable Foundation Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. Janice and Joseph Savitz ’48 Brian Scandle • report of gifts Kenneth and Constance Kamarunas Schaefer ’56 David and Janet Neiman Seeley ’70 Y. Judd and Susan Shoval Dee and John Sickler ’65 SIDCO Sherry and Jay Sidhu M’73 Virginia Sikes Ronald Simms ’60 and Rhea Politis Simms ’78 Gerald and Pearl Simonis Carol Skalski ’69 Michael Smith ’68 and Regina Belden Smith ’67 Richard Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Nancy Fern Snow ’73 Andrew and Susan Sordoni William and Margaret Filipkowski Sordoni ’70 Matthew Sordoni Sordoni Foundation, Inc. Estelle Manos Sotirhos ’62 Michael Speziale M’78 and Kerry Speziale Ed.D. ’11 Catherine and Donald Spruck ’69 Elliot Stahler ’71 Frank and Monica Stanitski William Stavishak Sanford Sternlieb and Renate Koppelman Mark and Lori Stine William Stinger ’68 and Nancy Wanczyk Stinger ’69 SunGard Higher Education Services (Ellucian) Robert and Ginny Tambur Martin Tansy ’60 John and Margaret Tarone Megan Reese Thomas and Brian Thomas ’82 John Thomas William Thomas ’75 Joyce Fink Tremayne ’58 Lora and William Tremayne ’57 UGI Corporation University of Scranton Salvatore Valenti ’58 B. William Vanderburg ’65 and Natalie Kowalski Vanderburg ’65 David Vann ’58 Christopher and Melanie O’Donnell Wade ’93 Wal-Mart Walgreens Company The Washington Trust Company Gerald Weber ’67 and Cynthia Wisniewski Weber ’69 Weininger Foundation Jacqueline and Paul Wender ’69 Mirko Widenhorn Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Willary Foundation Board John Williams ’58 and Patricia Stout Williams ’56 Bill and Sandi Williams Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Linda Winkler John Wolfkeil ’52 Michael and Kim Wood Wyoming Valley Motors Pamela and Theodore Yeager ’72 Alan Zellner ’72 and Margaret Zellner ’74 Karen Zingale ’85 Dominic Zukoski – DS Machining, LLC Paul and Marianne Zukoski Wilkes | Fall 2012 the john wilkes society 29 �report of gifts • Giving by Constituency Giving by Constituency TRUSTEES & TRUSTEE EMERITI • • • The John Wilkes Society Honorary Associates Frank M. Henry Trustee Associates Daniel J. Cardell ’79 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Shelley Freeman ’82 Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Jerome R. Goldstein Michael I. Gottdenker Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Milan S. Kirby Michael J. Mahoney Melanie Maslow Lumia John R. Miller ’68 William R. Miller ’81 William A. Perlmuth ’51 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Arnold S. Rifkin Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer ’72 Virginia P. Sikes William H. Tremayne ’57 Founder’s Circle Chuck Cohen David Greenwald ’66 William A. Hanbury ’72 Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 John S. Kerr ’72 Dorothy Darling Mangelsdorf George J. Matz ’71 Jay S. Sidhu M’73 President’s Circle Wilkes | Fall 2012 Richard L. Bunn ’55 Terrence W. Casey ’81 Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Patricia S. Davies Robert A. Mugford ’58 George G. Pawlush ’69 Richard L. Pearsall Thomas N. Ralston ’80 Matthew Sordoni 30 John Wilkes Associates Denise Schaal Cesare ’77 Esther Baum Davidowitz Jeffrey Davidowitz Jason D. Griggs ’90 Gerald A. Moffatt ’63 Steven P. Roth ’84 Joseph J. Savitz ’48 The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Elizabeth A. Slaughter ’68 Contributors Eugene Roth ’57 UNIVERSITY FAMILY Faculty, Staff and Emeriti • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Joseph E. (Tim) Gilmour Stanley B. Kay Founder’s Circle Wilbur F. Hayes President’s Circle Jean Reiter Adams ’78 Paul S. Adams ’77 M’82 Bernard W. Graham Loren D. Prescott, Jr. Kerry M. Speziale Ed.D.’11 Michael J. Speziale M’78 Michael J. Wood John Wilkes Associates Jeffrey R. Alves Anne Heineman Batory ’68 Angela M. Buckley Bonnie Culver Jane M. Elmes-Crahall Welton G. Farrar Patricia Boyle Heaman ’61 Robert J. Heaman Edwin L. Johnson ’50 Susan Dantona Jolley Barbara E. King ’81 Anthony L. Liuzzo Donald E. Mencer James L. Merryman M’10 Paul A. O’Hop John G. Reese James P. Rodechko Mark D. Stine Melanie O’Donnell Wade ’93 Mirko Widenhorn Linda A. Winkler Margaret A. Zellner ’74 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Mary Babcock Gloria M. Barlow Brian L. Bogert Christopher N. Breiseth Robert S. Capin ’50 Jack J. Chielli M’08 Joyce Victor Chmil ’87 Edward F. Foote J. Bartholomay Grier ’02 Kathleen Moran Houlihan ’95 M’01 Thomas W. Jones ’70 Camille O. Kaschak J. Michael Lennon Blake L. Mackesy Justin Matus John L. Pesta Bruce E. Phair ’73 Kenneth A. Pidcock Brian Redmond ’97 M’07 Karen A. Riley Alexander Sperrazza ’08 John C. Stachacz John T. Sumoski Anne Aimetti Thomas ’70 M’77 M’07 Thomas J. Thomas, Jr. M’86 Jason W. Wagner ’09 Blue Circle William J. Biggers Kristen A. Boyle Henry Castejon James Chiavacci Harold E. Cox Adriana Dinescu Lisa K. Everitt-Ensley Mahmoud H. Fahmy Joan Zaleski Ford ’75 Dean F. Frear Frank P. Galicki ’73 Judith Rodda Gardner ’71 M’75 Robert S. Gardner ’67 M’73 Linda S. Gutierrez Sid P. Halsor Kathleen A. Nelligan Hirthler Lisa A. Kadlec Paul J. Kaspriskie, Jr. Vee Ming Lew Susan J. Malkemes M’95 Jonathan M. McClave ’07 Mary E. Miller Barbara Rosick Moran ’84 M’88 James J. Moran M’78 Prahlad N. Murthy Amy M. Patton M’07 Kristine Erhard Pruett ’99 M’06 Joy B. Rinehimer Marie Roke Thomas ’83 Doris B. Saracino Frank J. Sheptock Howard A. Swain* William B. Terzaghi C. Reynold Verret Diane E. Wenger Farley Associates Karen M. Alessi M’09 Mark R. Allen Charles E. Balasavage Christopher G. Barrows M’12 Janine M. Becker M’91 Edward T. Bednarz ’01 Barbara N. Bellucci ’69 M’73 Joseph T. Bellucci Louise M. Berard Joel A. Berlatsky Katy Betnar Neal F. Biscaldi KarenBeth H. Bohan Scott Bolesta ’00 Carol A. Bosack-Kosek ’80 Amy L. Bradley Janice Broyan Melissa E. Bugdal ’09 Debra Prater Chapman ’81 M’84 Theresa Cochran Rachel Curtis ’10 Gabrielle Lamb D’Amico ’04 Robert H. DeYoung Diane H. Demchak Diane T. Duda Rachel E. Duda ’10 Paula M. Eddy Amy L. Edwards Kurt W. Eisele Edward R. Elgonitis Silvia T. Elias Evene Estwick Jonathan D. Ference ’01 Kimberly Hritzak Ference ’01 Godlove T. Fonjweng Michele D. Garrison ’09 M’12 Michael F. Garzella Cherylynn Petyak Gibson ’71 M’89 John B. Gilmer Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 John W. Harrison ’87 Kristen Dulick Hartzell ’06 Vincent A. Hartzell ’05 Nancy Hlavaty Michelle R. Holt-Macey Susan Matley Hritzak ’81 M’88 Ruth C. Hughes Harvey A. Jacobs ’72 Helenmary Selecky Jarecki Valerie G. Kalter Mark A. Kaster Danielle K. Kern M’08 Arthur H. Kibbe Janet M. Kobylski Justin Kraynack Kyle Kreider Judith L. Kristeller Mary I. Kropiewnicki James J. Lennox Daniel S. Longyhore ’02 Joseph W. Mangan Frank J. Matthews Vicki C. Mayk M’12 Christine E. Mellon Debra L. Meszaros Lyndi L. Moran Mary Beth Mullen Barbara L. Nanstiel ’70 M’74 Karen O’Boyle Julie L. Olenak ’01 Walter A. Placek ’61 Lauren Y. Pluskey ’06 M’10 Gerald C. Rebo Lisa E. Reynolds Jerry N. Rickrode Charles E. Ripa Harold W. Roberts ’76 Gary D. Robinson Debbie J. Rutkoski John P. Sedor ’87 Eileen M. Sharp Jared M. Shayka ’06 Herbert B. Simon Philip G. Simon Cherie Soprano ’87 Peter Stchur, Jr. ’66 William R. Stine Frederick J. Sullivan Margaret R. Sullivan Aniello B. Tambasco ’08 Betty L. Taylor Wagiha A. Taylor Craig P. Thomas M’11 Joanne A. Thomas M’12 Deborah R. Tindell Marleen A. Troy Philip R. Tuhy Robert C. Tuttle Megan Boone Valkenburg Rebecca H. Van Jura Adam C. Welch ’11 * Deceased �giving by constituency Contributors Ann Marie S. Aed Joseph Alaimo Mischelle B. Anthony Debra A. Archavage Karen Atiyeh ’07 M’12 Naomi Hatsfelt Baker Thomas J. Baldino Karen Metzger Baranoski ’73 M’77 Kristi M. Barsby ’07 Maria Bianco ’81 Loretta L. Bilder Susan C. Biskup Jefferson G. Bohan ’12 Robert W. Bohlander Ajay Bommareddy Alicia M. Bond Kimberly D. Bower-Spence Karena Zdeb Brace ’07 M’11 Barbara A. Bracken Michael A. Bridy ’06 M’08 Gene A. Camoni ’74 Ann Marie Carey David R. Carey ’83 M’98 Eleanor L. Carle James M. Case Samira T. Chamoun Carl Charnetski ’70 Cynthia J. Chisarick Kelly A. Clisham ’12 Georgia Costalas Camille Bobeck Daniels M’91 Michael R. Davidson Ethan Davis Ellen Proeller Dennis M’84 Susan L. DiBonifazio Lori Vagnarelli Drozdis ’89 M’05 Deborah L. Dunn Thomas Dunsmuir Maria T. Dwyer Janelle A. Edwards Colette M. Elick M’93 Linda S. Elmy Joanne M. Fasciana Ann Marie Feldmeth Michael Fox ’06 Bernadette C. Frail Susan M. Frank Holly Pitcavage Frederick ’93 Richard A. Fuller Lorna M. Galliford Mary L. Gillespie Barbara D. Gimble Gary L. Gordon James T. Gorman ’90 Maria Grandinetti ’08 Alfred Groh ’41 Kenneth L. Hanadel Michael P. Hardik Leona J. Hartland Catherine Thomas Hauze ’89 Lynda M. Heffernan Annet Kaminski Edward R. Keefe * Deceased Kimberly Escarge Keller ’95 M’97 Diana Lynne Keosayian Kenneth M. Klemow John A. Koch Mary Ann Koch Christina Koerber Lawrence M. Kopenis ’88 Anne Marie Kopetchny Joseph J. Kornblatt Pamela L. Koslosky Michael D. Kulikoski ’06 Joseph M. Kultys ’87 M’11 Dorothy Price Lane ’85 Jonathan G. Laudenslager ’99 Christopher T. Leicht Loran E. Lewis Sarah Lloyd Thomas D. Longenecker ’10 Zenaida P. Lopez-Dee Karen I. Lucas Glenn J. Lupole Douglas R. Macbeth Patricia A. Mangold Philip A. Marino ’80 William M. Martin Thomas E. Mazzolla Julie M. McMonagle John F. Meyers Todd H. Milano Andrew P. Miller Fred R. Nichols Christine O’Hara Pamela A. Oravic Michaelene S. Ostrum Jerry J. Palmaioli Martha J. Parise Patricia A. Parks Krina H. Patel Gayle M. Patterson ’09 Mary Beth Patterson* Scott Z. Patterson Anne Straub Pelak M’98 Margaret M. Petty Kristin A. Pisano Michael J. Pitoniak Kristin L. Pitt Kathleen S. Poplaski Alberto Prado Ellen Krupack Raineri ’82 Theresa A. Rallo Richard G. Raspen ’67 David L. Reese Brenda Vassello Rehrig ’87 Lisa A. Reilly Sandra A. Rendina ’87 M’95 Gisele R. Romanace Jacqueline L. Ruane Theresa A. Rule Tricia M. Russell Philip J. Ruthkosky Brian R. Sacolic Joseph J. Salusky Joshua R. Savitski ’07 M’09 Roland C. Schmidt Patricia L. Searfoss Helen Newton Semanski ’92 Roberta J. Shaffer Diane Drost Shuleski ’75 Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Renee Kotz Sipple M’05 Anne Marie Smith Margy L. Sromovski Janet W. Starner Jonathan P. Strucke Jenna Strzelecki ’07 M’09 Erin Sutzko Elizabeth Roveda Swantek ’05 M’07 Robert S. Swetts* Jessica Niemiec Swingle ’00 Romaine Szafran Vicki S. Temple Marion Tetlak Joann Tomko Evelyne Topfer Dominick P. Trombetta Mildred Urban Nicholas T. Wadas Mary Ann Wanyo Mary L. Watkins Nancy A. Weeks M’09 Karen Space Weyhenmeyer Judith Wienckoski ’95 Anita Miller Williams ’75 Susan Williams Felixa J. Wingen ’09 Gretchen S. Yeninas M’07 James D. Yeninas Cheryl M. Yustat Jean M. Zampetti BOARD OF TRUSTEES Businesses & Foundations William R. Miller ’81 Ruth McDermott-Levy ’82 Gerald A. Moffatt ’63 Justin Matus, Faculty Michael R. Brewster Alumni Association Board of Directors Daniel J. Cardell ’79 Paul S. Adams ’77 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72 Jeffrey A. Bauman ’09 Terrence W. Casey ’81 Laura Barbera Cardinale ’72, Denise S. Cesare ’77 Charles F. Cohen Douglas Colandrea ’88 Historian Cynthia Charnetski ’97, 2nd Vice President Jeffrey Davidowitz Karen Bednarczyk Cowan ’96 Michael I. Gottkdenker Meribeth L. Derkach, Jason D. Griggs ’90 Senior Class President Christopher L. Hackett William D. Eggleston David E. Hadley ’82 John H. Ellis, IV ’79 William A. Hanbury ’72 J.J. Fadden ’98 John S. Kerr ’72 Roya Fahmy ’83 Carol Kotlowski Keup ’89 Ellen Stamer Hall ’71 Milan S. Kirby Kathleen L. Heltzel ’82, MBA’85 Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Charles F. Jackson ’51 Patrick F. Leahy Clayton J. Karambelas ’49 Melanie Maslow Lumia Daniel Klem, Jr. ’68 Michael J. Mahoney Kristin M. Hake Klemish ’04 Dorothy Darling Richard L. Kramer ’67 Mangelsdorf George J. Matz ’71 John R. Miller ’68 Rosemary LaFratte ’93, MBA ’97, 1st Vice President William F. LePore ’94 • • • George G. Pawlush ’69 M’76 The John Wilkes Society Thomas N. Ralston ’80 Ronald N. Miller ’93 Diamond Associates Hedy Rittenmeyer ’72 William R. Miller ’81 Cushman & Wakefield Inc. Steven P. Roth ’84 Anita Mucciolo ’78 Jay S. Sidhu M’73 George G. Pawlush ’69, MS’76 Virginia P. Sikes Kristine Pruett ’99, MS’06 Elizabeth A. Slaughter ’68 Mark A. Rado ’80 Matthew R. Sordoni Breanne Ralston ’12 Honorary Associates Lehighton Electronics Sordoni Foundation Inc. Trustee Associates Anonymous Bergman Foundation Black Horse Foundation Inc. Frontier Communications Inc. Gottdenker Foundation Guard Foundation Guard Insurance Group Intermetro Industries Corp. KPMG LLP Mahoney Family Foundation Maslow Family Foundation McCole Foundation Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs N.R.G. Controls North Inc. The Weininger Foundation The Willary Foundation Walgreens Company Representative Thomas N. Ralston ’80, President TRUSTEE EMERITI Adrienne M. Richards ’07 Richard L. Bunn ’55 Kristofer R. Rivers, Student Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Government President Esther B. Davidowitz Charles W. Robinson ’57 Pattie S. Davies David M. Sborz ’09 Robert A. Fortinsky Richard W. Seipp DPH’01 Jerome R. Goldstein Patricia Fushek Skibbs ’60 Frank M. Henry Brian E. Switay ’10 Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Donna Talarico ’00, MFA’08 Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Bill Tarbart ’70 Robert A. Mugford ’58 Deborah R. Tindell, Faculty Richard L. Pearsall Representative William A. Perlmuth ’51 Frank D. Yamrus ’80 Mary Belin Rhodes M’77 Theodore T. Yeager ’72 Arnold S. Rifkin Founder’s Circle Richard M. Ross, Jr. Aeroflex Foundation Borton-Lawson Engineering Darte-Darling Fund of The Luzerne Foundation James & Florence DePolo Family Foundation Hirtle, Callaghan & Co. Northeast PA American Society of Highway Engineers Eugene Roth ’57 Joseph J. Savitz ’48 Stephen Sordoni William H. Tremayne ’57 Norman E. Weiss Wilkes | Fall 2012 Kimberly Metka Welsh ’07 Brian E. Whitman Philip L. Wingert Eric A. Wright Ge Xiao Francis E. Zaleski Deborah A. Zbegner • report of gifts 31 �report of gifts • Giving by Constituency PPL Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald LLP Sanofi Pasteur Inc. Shoval Foundation Tambur Family Foundation John and Josephine Thomas Foundation President’s Circle Berkshire Asset Management Inc. The Citizen’s Voice Cohen Family Charitable Trust Commemorative Brands Inc. General Electric Foundation Golden Business Machines Inc. Luzerne Foundation Magestic Systems Inc. Misericordia University Robert Mugford Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation NEPA Engineering Company Polish Room Committee Prudential Financial SunGard Higher Education Services (Ellucian) Wal-Mart Penn State University Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Parente Beard LLC Penn Millers Insurance Co. Pepsi Bottling Group Pharmacists Mutual Insurance Company SIDCO Sickler Foundation The Commonwealth Medical College UGI Corporation University of Scranton Washington Trust Company Wyoming Valley Health Care System The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania BSI Corporation Benefits Central Penn Nursing Care Inc. First Liberty Bank and Trust Gertrude Hawk Chocolates Liberty Mutual Lightspeed Technologies McCarthy Tire Service Company Herman Yudacufski Charitable Foundation Blue Circle Wilkes | Fall 2012 John Wilkes Associates 32 Albert Family Charitable Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Alexander W. Dick Foundation Bill & Sandy Williams Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Blue Cross of NEPA Bohlin Cywinski Jackson CVS Charitable Trust Choice One Community Federal Credit Union Comcast Corp. Creative Business Interiors DS Machining LLC Davidowitz Foundation Ernest Christian Klipstein Foundation First National Community Bank Flack Family Fund of the Luzerne Foundation Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Staff Keystone College King’s College Landmark Community Bank Luzerne County Community College M&T Charitable Foundation MIDA Learning Technologies LLC Marywood University Mericle Commercial Real Estate NACDS - National Association of Chain Drug Stores Northeast PA Paint and Decorating Northeastern PA Cardiology Associates LLP PA Society of Public Accountants, NE Chapter A. Pickett Construction Circle Bolt and Nut Company Mellon Bank Eastern Analytical Symposium First National Bank of Berwick Hewitt Associates Kronick Kalada Berdy & Co. Montage Agency Inc. MotorWorld Ralmark Company Schutt Reconditioning T. J. Cannon Inc. Electrical Contractor Tommy’s Pizza Corner R.J. Walker Company Farley Associates Air Engineering Sales Corp. Apollo Group Inc. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Beech Lake Sprinkler Corp. Bloomsburg Metal Company Brucelli Advertising Company Builders Supply Company Bureau Veritas North America Inc. Ceco Associates Central Clay Products Champion Builders Inc. Delta Electrical Systems Earl and Sedor Photographic Eastern Penn Supply Company Fabian Masonry & Construction Futuristic Innovative Graphics Giant Floor & Wall Covering Health Systems & Solutions Inc. Independent Graphics Inc. Jersey Coin Showcase Inc. Kranson Clothes Company Lefkowitz Family Fund of The Luzerne Foundation Martin-Rogers Associates O’Donnell Law Offices PNC Bank Phils Sunoco Service Station E.D. Pons & Associates Inc. Quadrant Engineering Plastic Products Sans Souci Stone and Brick Yard Sincavage Lumber Company T-R Associates Inc. Trion Industries Inc. Waste Management White Transit School Buses Inc. FRIENDS The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Mrs. Barbara Allan Mrs. Sandra Bernhard Dr. & Mrs. Louis Blaum, Jr. Attorney & Mrs. Jerry Chariton Mr. & Mrs. Donald K. Duncan Dr. & Mrs. Vernon B. Harper Dr. & Mrs. Joaquin A. Lubkowitz Mrs. Janet Mattei Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Nicolette Ms. Martha Perfetto Mrs. Marilyn C. Rudolph Mr. Larry I. Taren Mr. & Mrs. Charles G. Wade Mrs. Barbara Weisberger • • • The John Wilkes Society Blue Circle Trustee Associates Carol Baltimore, Esq. Ms. Jane Cokely Dr. & Mrs. Mahmoud H. Fahmy Mr. & Mrs. Joseph L. Glajch Mrs. Elizabeth A. Gulitus Mr. & Mrs. Earl Harrison Mr. S. Mark Kennedy Ms. Mary Jo Kreider Mr. Richard Maslow Mrs. Laura J. Mulderig Mr. Burnaby Munson Mr. & Mrs. Stanley A. Polk Mr. & Mrs. Charles Potter Mr. & Mrs. D. Scott Simpson George A. Spohrer, Esq. Ms. Marilyn Stadalius & Mr. Phillip Branca Ms. Charlene A. Tan Mr. & Mrs. Michael Zolkoski Mr. & Mrs. Christopher L. Hackett Mr. Richard M. Smith & Mrs. Lissa Bryan-Smith Mr. & Mrs. William B. Sordoni Founder’s Circle Edward J. Meehan, Esq. President’s Circle Mr.* & Mrs. Albert G. Albert Mr. Robert Becker Mrs. Grace J. Kirby Culbertson Mr. & Mrs. Stanley S. Davies Mr. & Mrs. Edmund Diskin Mr. Charles M. Roszko John Wilkes Associates Dr. Stephen S. Batory Mrs. Ann M. Coughlin Mr. Thomas J. Deitz Mrs. Janet Demech Mr. Gayfree Ellison & Ms. Sally Sullivan Mrs. Josephine Eustice Mr. & Mrs. R. Wensell Grabarek Mr. & Mrs. Carmen E. Hagelgans Dr. & Mrs. Richard A. Hiscox Mrs. Jean Robbins Hughes* Mrs. Linda R. Layden Jeffrey Lowenthal, Esq. Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Mack, Jr. Mrs. Barbara Davenport Neville Mr. & Mrs. Paul A. O’Hop Mr. & Mrs. Michael C. Ott Mrs. Trudy Piatt Jonathan Pressman, Esq. & Sally Jane Poblete Mr. John G. Reese Mrs. Alice Rosen Mr. & Mrs. Gerald Simonis Mr. & Dr. Andrew J. Sordoni, III Mr. & Mrs. Frank J. Stanitski Mr. William R. Stavishak Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb Mr. & Mrs. John Tarone Mr. & Mrs. Paul C. Zukoski Farley Associates Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. 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Farley, Jr. Ms. Beau Firth Linda A. Fisher, Esq. Mr. Chad M. Forrey Dr. & Mrs. Lawrence F. Gallagher Dr. & Mrs. John C. Gaudio Mr. & Mrs. Thomas M. Gehret Mr. & Mrs. John M. Gentempo Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Graham, Jr. Mrs. Virginia D. Hart Mr. John A. Horner Mr. & Mrs. David P. Hourigan Mr. & Mrs. Robert M. Ianniello Mr. & Mrs. Afaf L. Jabbour Mr. & Mrs. Ralph J. Katrosh Mr. & Mrs. James T. Keating Mr. & Mrs. Carl Kemmerer Dr. David W. Kistler Mr. Dennis A. Konopka Mr. & Mrs. Paul Konosky Mr. & Mrs. Eric Kornfeld Mr. & Mrs. Stephen H. Korzeniowski Mr. Gunnar F. Kosek Ms. Sharron Laas Ms. Betty Lane Dr. Barbara Larsen Mr. & Mrs. William M. Lawson Ms. Deborah Liczwek & Mr. David Corbin Miss Maggie A. Lund Paul W. MacGregor, Esq. Ms. Josephine Macaravage Mrs. Jane K. Marquart Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Marsh Mr. Victor A. Mazza Mr. & Mrs. Mark McCarthy Ms. Kathleen E. McLeod Mr. Richard T. Melson Mr. David E. Menotti Mr. & Mrs. Raymond Mrozack Mr. & Mrs. James P. Mullins Ms. Mary L. Nilsen Mr. & Mrs. Richard T. Nosaka Mrs. Wanda F. Ogurkis Mr. & Mrs. Richard S. Orlowski Mr. & Mrs. Richard Parness Ms. MaryAnna L. Pavlico Mr. & Mrs. Gary A. Pawleshyn Drs. Haragopol & Dwaraki Bai Penugonda Ms. Virginia Perfetto Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Pesick Mr. Matthew Ramaley Ms. Jane R. Ramsey * Deceased �giving by constituency Contributors Mr. & Mrs. Robert James Aber Ms. Margaret W. Adams Ms. Madeline L. Ahner Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Andidora Ms. Mary Pat Appel Mr. & Mrs. Andrew C. Armstrong Mr. & Mrs. John F. Astleford Ms. Angela Attard Mr. & Mrs. Gerald F. Baer Mr. Shi Bai Mr. & Mrs. Michael Baranowski Mr. John Beck Mr. & Mrs. Jack P. Bednarski Ms. Sara E. Bellanco Mr. & Mrs. Christopher W. Beppler Mr. Fred Bernard Mr. & Mrs. William R. Berti Mr. & Mrs. Ashwinkumar Bhatt Ms. Channing N. Biggers Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Binkowski Mr. John Bisaha & Ms. Katherine Stika Mr. & Mrs. John Bixler Ms. Ann M. Bolger Mr. & Mrs. Ronald J. Botch Ms. Lydia Breiseth Mr. & Mrs. Thomas B. 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Dombroski Mr. Michael P. Donatoni Ms. Paula M. Dougherty Ms. Jordan A. Dunn Mr. & Mrs. William Dybowski Ms. Kathryn A. Edgar Mr. Peter Eggleston Mr. William F. Eggleston Ms. Sarah J. Elias Mr. & Mrs. Alfonso M. Espada Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Fagan Mr. & Mrs. Paul F. Fagan Mr. & Mrs. Timothy A. Fagan Mr. & Mrs. Guy L. Fasciana Mr. Thomas F. Federo Mr. Robert Feldman Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey Ferguson Mr. & Mrs. Sebastian Fiacco, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence E. Firment Ms. Carmen Fiscella Mr. & Mrs. Andrew H. Fissler Ms. Christine S. Fleming Dr. & Mrs. Louis J. Freedman Ms. Catherine A. Fusco Mr. Russ Gall Mr. & Mrs. Greg Garrison Ms. Ruth Gavenus Ms. Bernadette Gdovin Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Gemmo Mr. Joseph George Mr. & Mrs. Karl D. Gerhart Mr. & Mrs. William R. Getrige Mr. Stephen Getty & Ms. Patti Parziale Mr. John Glod Mr. & Mrs. Milton J. Gluen Mr. & Mrs. Keith Goepel Ms. Courtney B. Graham Mr. Douglas E. Graham Mr. & Mrs. George Graham Ms. Carole A. Green Dr. & Mrs. Ira Grossman Mrs. Janet C. Guariglia Ms. Kathleen Hagan Ms. Erin Joy Hanley Mr. & Mrs. Warren E. Harris Ms. Laura C. Hart Ms. Lana K. Heck Ms. Reginia C. Herbert Ms. Amy E. Hetro Mr. & Mrs. Thomas J. Heyer Ms. Lisa Hilliard & Mr. Alvin C. Bach, II Ms. Helen Hoban Ms. Alyse M. Horn Mr. & Mrs. Paul Hovsepian & Family Mr. & Mrs. James L. Hughes Ms. Sylvia Hughes Mr. & Mrs. John J. Hulsizer Mrs. Sylvia Hurlbert Mr. Albert Hutchings Mr. Manuel Isherwood, Jr. Ms. Heather A. Jacobi Mr. Mohamed A. Jalloh Mr. Christopher J. Jankowski Mr. & Mrs. Andrew T. Jecen Ms. Marta A. Jones Mr. Robert J. Kane Mr. & Mrs. Larry Kasuboski Mr. Evan Katz Mr. Daniel F. Kelleher Mr. & Mrs. John V. Kenkel Ms. Jessica Khalil Mr. & Mrs. Mohsen Khalili Mrs. Frank J. Kilyanek Mrs. Josephine A. Kline Mr. Raymond Konopka Ms. Michelle L. Kosloski Ms. Kayla M. Kotch Mr. & Mrs. John J. Kozlowski Mrs. Jane Landau Ms. Sylvia Lane Mr. Richard J. Lawson Ms. Caitlin R. Layden Ms. Kelly A. Layden Ms. Deborah A. Leavy Mr. & Mrs. Daryl J. Lefever Mr. & Mrs. Stephen J. Leinbach Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Lindo Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Lindo* Mr. & Mrs. David J. Loskie Ms. Amanda Loyden Ms. Genevieve Lupini Mrs. Nancy S. Lychos Dr. Michael & Mrs. Tina MacDowell Mr. & Mrs. John R. Magnotta Mrs. Lorraine Maley Ms. Gloria M. Martin Ms. Maggie Elizabeth Mattu Mr. & Mrs. Paul W. Maul Mr. & Mrs. Kevin McAloon Ms. Patricia McLaughlin Mr. Tyler Mensch Mr. & Mrs. Harold B. Merricks, II Mr. Francis A. Michael Mr. & Mrs. John W. Mikitsh Mr. Louis M. Mikitsh Ms. Theresa A. Mirabile Mr. & Mrs. James J. Moore Mr. & Mrs. Lonnie Morris Mr. & Mrs. William Morrissey Mr. & Mrs. Donald Musgrove Mr. & Mrs. Vernon J. Musgrove Mr. & Mrs. Harry Myers Ms. Janet Myers Mr. & Mrs. Joseph R. Nardone, Sr. Ms. Beth Ann Nealon Ms. Joan M. Neare Ms. Susan O’Dell Mr. & Mrs Joseph A. Ocuto Mr. Thomas J. Opiel Ms. Kylene Owen Ms. Kathleen Palummo Ms. Sharon Palummo Mr. & Mrs. Donald F. Pan Mr. Robert M. Parrick Ms. Christine M. Pasqualone Mr. & Mrs. Franklin G. Pater, Jr. Ms. Mary Beth Patterson Mr. Eugene M. Pavilco, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Daniel J. Pavlico Mr. & Mrs. John D. Pearson Mr. & Mrs. Neomisio Pena Mr. & Mrs. Donald J. Perrault Ms. Helen Perrault Ms. Michele Perrault Mrs. Charlotte P. Perrego Mr. Howell Perry Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Pollock Mr. & Mrs. Carl Postupak, Sr. Mr. & Mrs. Charles R. Powley Ms. Stacey L. Prelewicz Ms. Kathleen M. Proday Mr. Thomas A. Ranieli Mr. & Mrs. James W. Ream, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. William F. Rehring Mr. Matthew Reichart Mr. & Mrs. Michael L. Reiner Ms. Angela N. Reno Mr. & Mrs. Anthony Riley Ms. Yvonne M. Ritsick Ms. Brittany A. Ritter Mr. & Mrs. Richard D. Rivers Ms. Gloria Rolston Mr. Daniel Roth Ms. Evelyn F. Rowley Ms. Susan M. Rowley & Family Ms. Constance Adair Rush Dr. Jamian Ryan Mr. & Mrs. Joseph J. Rymar Mr. Irwin Sagenkahn Ms. Rosaria Saliba Mrs. Louise A. Salva Mr. & Mrs. Salvatore J. Santoli Mr. Albert H. Sarkas Ms. Ann M. Saxton Mr. John E. Scalzo Ms. Theresa A. Scaramastro Mr. & Mrs. Michael D. Scarba Mr. & Mrs. Cal Schaefer Dr. Alexander Scheeline Mr. & Mrs. Roland C. Schmidt Ms. Kathleen T. Schubert Mr. & Mrs. Leonard J. Schwab Mr. & Mrs. George P. Scochin Ms. Dana A. Serafine Mrs. Nancy H. Shafer Mr. & Mrs. Steven D. Shrawder, II Ms. Anna Marie Smith Mrs. A. Dewitt Smith Mr. & Mrs. Gary E. Smith Ms. Natalie E. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Richard M. Smith Ms. Ruth K. Smith Ms. Charlyne L. Stadel Ms. Alyson Stambaugh Ms. Joann Stefanko Mrs. Ann B. Stine* Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Harkcom Stoner Ms. Mary Ann Struckus Mr. & Mrs. James D. Stuart Mr. & Mrs. James J. Sullivan Ms. Marion Tetlak Ms. Helen Tingley Mr. & Mrs. Joseph D. Tondrick Ms. Michele Turoscy Mr. Donald F. Tusar Ms. Romayne Tusar Mr. Garry Vanscoy Mr. Robert T. Vaughn Mr. & Mrs. Alexander J. Vega Mr. & Mrs. David R. Vick Ms. Mary Jane Vilone Mr. Daniel P. Voitek Mr. Nicholas T. Wadas Mr. Zachary Wallenstein Mrs. Ann Warnick Mr. & Mrs. William C. Wassel Ms. Marcia S. Watson Mr. & Mrs. Ronald J. Werner Mrs. Helen Westenheffer Mr. & Mrs. Harold B. White Ms. Meagan C. Williams Dr. Vincent J. Williams & Dr. Clare E. Manzi Ms. Irene Wills & Ms. Butkiewicz Ms. Ruth Winkleman Ms. Genevieve Witkowski Ms. Jo Ann Wolinsky Mr. John Woloski, III Ms. Jan M. Yannopoulos Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Yost Mr. & Mrs. Daniel P. Zeleniak Mr. & Mrs. Matthew G. Zellner Mrs. Patricia G. Zeszotarski Ms. Rosalie M. Zubyk Mr. & Mrs. Lee H. Zurner Wilkes | Fall 2012 Mr. & Mrs. John H. Respondek Harold Rosenn, Esq. Mrs. Eunice Rubel Mr. Joseph J. Rubino Attorney & Mrs. Charles A. Shaffer Mrs. Mary Jo Slaney Dr. & Mrs. Barton A. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Dale O. Smith Mr. & Mrs. Andrew M. Sopirak Dr & Mrs. William R. Stine Mrs. Polly Henry Stryker Dr. Kara J. Suche Ms. Rose M. Sullivan Mrs. Bernadine Tarasek Ms. Bernadette Taylor Mr. John Thalenfeld Mr. & Mrs. William M. Thomas Mr. & Mrs. William A. Thomas Ms. Marjorie Trethaway Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Trovei Mr. & Mrs. Ronald D. Trusty Mr. & Mrs. Edward Ungvarsky Mr. & Mrs. Melvin Warshal Mr. & Mrs. Alexander M. Yacynych Mr. Gerald J. Yankow • report of gifts 33 �report of gifts • giving by class Giving by Class CLASS OF 1937 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Contributors Harriet Thalenfeld Gray CLASS OF 1938 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Ernest Weisberger5 Contributors Peter P. Caprari Betty Woolcock De Witt Mary Hutchko Flanagan10 Harry S. Katz5 Treveryan S. Kramer Irene Kessler Watkins CLASS OF 1944 • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle CLASS OF 1939 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Darina J. Tuhy CLASS OF 1940 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Charles Fehlinger Henry C. Johnson10 CLASS OF 1941 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Irene Sauciunas Santarelli Contributors David L. Friedman5 Alfred Groh Carolyn Nagro Lowum CLASS OF 1942 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Louise S. Hazeltine1, 10 The Eugene Farley Club Contributors Helen Janoski Parker Robert E. Parker Kathryn Hiscox Quinn5 Ruth Tischler Voelker10 Arthur C. Williams10 Farley Associates Elizabeth Faint Fell Jean Steele Iba CLASS OF 1946 • • • Wilkes | Fall 2012 34 Founder’s Circle Trustee Associates William H. Rice5 Don C. Follmer1, 10 Joseph G. Bendoraitis5 John Wilkes Associates Founder’s Circle The Eugene Farley Club Joseph J. Savitz10 William A. Plummer The Eugene Farley Club John Wilkes Associates Farley Associates Edwin L. Johnson10 Robert W. Hall10 Nicholas A. Heineman William C. Kashatus The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle William H. Lewis William Melnyk Muriel Bransdorf Mintzer10 Joseph Panzitta Shirley Phillips Passeri Eugene L. Shaver10 William M. Toplis • • • The John Wilkes Society Charlotte Reichlin Cutler5 Rita Seitchek Dicker Charlotte Waters Rowland CLASS OF 1943 Contributors Gloria Paczkowski Kabusk Margaret Holloway Manchester Dolores Seitchak Price George J. Trebilcox5 Gold Circle Robert S. Capin Daniel Sherman10 John Gresh10 Charles F. Jackson5 Donald C. Kivler10 Blue Circle Farley Associates Leonard S. Anthony10 Helene Donn Evans10 William L. Evans10 D. Joseph Pelmoter5 Thomas D. Stine10 Vester V. Vercoe, Jr.10 Farley Associates Edna Sabol Andrews10 James W. Davis Edward H. Lidz10 Reed D. Lowrey5 Samuel L. Owens10 Elva Fuller Parker10 Lawrence B. Pelesh10 Clyde H. Ritter Robert L. Williams, Jr.5 Contributors Clayton J. Karambelas1, 10 Robert Anthony10 Dorothy Wilkes Lewis Jerome N. Mintzer10 Clemence A. Scott10 Julius Brand10 Joseph P. Brennan Edward J. Brill Mary Porter Evans5 Barbara Medland Farley10 Theodore J. Killian Raymond S. Kinback5 Francis B. Krzywicki10 Victor Minetola Virginia Meissner Nelson10 Arne Rasmussen Marvin Smith Priscilla Sweeney Smith-Matthews10 Contributors CLASS OF 1951 Edward F. Corcoran Paul F. De Witt James Morrash5 Evelyn Penaligon Rasmussen Jay F. Rauscher • • • Edwin M. Kosik10 Harris R. Boyce Walter E. Margie Joseph V. Pringle Leo S. Wojcikiewicz John Wilkes Associates Gold Circle Trustee Associates John Wilkes Associates • • • Harry R. Hiscox10 Contributors Contributors Miriam Levinson Brand10 Alberta Novick Killian Founder’s Circle Thomas J. Jordan5 The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates John C. Keeney* 10 The John Wilkes Society CLASS OF 1949 The Eugene Farley Club The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates The John Wilkes Society Contributors • • • Sallyanne Frank Rosenn Joseph G. Sweeney10 The Eugene Farley Club • • • Elaine Williams Jones CLASS OF 1945 CLASS OF 1947 • • • CLASS OF 1950 • • • Claire Fischer Beissinger Irene Wienckowski Caprari Frances Wentzel Dudeck John J. Fetch George F. Fry, Jr. William M. Nancarrow Burroughs H. Price Farley Associates Contributors CLASS OF 1948 The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Doris Gorka Bartuska5 Farley Associates Contributors Shirley Salsburg Bernard Arthur W. Bloom5 Delbert J. Cragle Norman E. Cromack10 Joseph B. Gries George P. Heffernan, Jr.10 William Holak Thomas M. Morick Charles F. Woodring5 CLASS OF 1952 • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle Helen Bitler Ralston10 John Wilkes Associates Nancy Ralston Grogan John A. Wolfkeil5 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Earl C. Crispell5 Paul J. Delmore10 The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates William A. Perlmuth10 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class Blue Circle J. Louis Bush10 Robert McFadden Farley Associates Walter E. Elston Donald R. Law Contributors George A. Cross Lorna Coughlin Darte Daniel S. Dzury Charles K. Gloman III Howard A. Gonchar Chia-In Wang Rutkowski5 Norma Carey Vale CLASS OF 1953 • • • The John Wilkes Club Founder’s Circle Anita Gordon Allen5 John J. Frankosky Barry J. Iscovitz5 Carl Karassik5 Joseph J. Mosier Katherine Goetzman Peckham10 Andrew Sofranko, Jr. John B. Vale Albert J. Wallace10 Peter Wurm CLASS OF 1955 • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle Richard L. Bunn Leo R. Kane5 John Wilkes Associates Dean A. Arvan5 David L. Hoats5 Richard B. Kent Charles M. Reilly5 Paul B. Beers* Blue Circle The Eugene Farley Club Contributors Fay Jaffe Berg10 Preston R. Eckmeder Norman J. Faramelli Leonard Feld Charles A. Giunta Dolores Roth Karassik Thomas F. Minemier Lucille Reese Pierce Frank M. Radaszewski Dorothy Hamaker Roden10 Myra Kornzweig Smulyan Leo E. Solomon5 David B. Whitney5 Robert H. Burger Joan Russin Cross Marilyn Peters Hirsch Aldona Patrick Hojecki Doris Sadowski Merrill5 Joan Wachowski Michalski5 John S. Prater* Robert S. Rydzewski10 Thomas R. Sarnecky Donald J. Tosh Howard L. Updyke5 Mary Pomicter Zezza CLASS OF 1954 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Lewis B. Giuliani5 William R. Glace Thomas J. Goblick Elaine Bogan Law Leonard J. Mather Charles T. Reice5 Rodion J. Russin CLASS OF 1956 The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Patricia Stout Williams1 John Wilkes Associates Henry K. Goetzman5 Constance Kamarunas Schaefer The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Contributors Thomas R. Adams10 Chair 5 5 or more years of consecutive giving 10 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 1 Class Dolores Pietroski Cackowski Mary Zavatski Croce10 Henry W. Deibel Helen Stoeckel Hessler10 Basia Mieszkowski Jaworski5 Chester H. Miller, Jr. Jan A. Olenginski Benjamin Omilian5 Arthur Stackel, Jr. CLASS OF 1957 • • • William H. Tremayne10 Contributors • • • Contributors Farley Associates Constance Smith Andrews5 William E. Caruth Philip D. Husband5 Stephen C. Thomas5 Elsie Giuliani Yarasheski10 Sandor Yelen Fred J. Boote Clarence C. Givens10 Samuel R. Shugar10 John E. Suffren5 Thomas J. Lane John H. Milliman Patricia Reese Morris Richard Murray Lois Myers Joseph E. Podlesny Phyllis Walsh Powell10 Eugene Roth10 Jerome Stein10 John J. Witinski CLASS OF 1958 • • • The John Wilkes Society Judith Hopkins Arthur E. Imdorf Joshua J. Kaufman10 John J. Kearney10 Mary Kozak Motsavage10 Lawrence J. Nicholson Russell R. Picton, Jr. David Rosser Louis F. Steck1, 5 Edward E. Yarasheski10 Farley Associates Marianna Kraynack Banash5 Jean Kravitz Barry George H. Batterson5 Clifford R. Brautigan Gail Laines Chase James F. Ferris10 Younsu Koo5 Jessie A. Roderick5 Joan Shoemaker10 Joseph A. Ungvarsky10 Michael J. Weinberger10 Howard E. Ennis, Jr.10 Gold Circle Joseph J. Kropiewnicki10 Cledwyn P. Rowlands May Way Vanden Broeck Farley Associates Trustee Associates The John Wilkes Society Jesse H. Choper10 President’s Circle Lawrence E. Cohen10 John Wilkes Associates Bettijane Long Eisenpreis10 Seymour Holtzman5 George Kolesar5 The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Melvin E. McNew10 Arthur N. Meyer H. Benjamin Webb, Jr. 10 Leslie P. Weiner10 Farley Associates Charles R. Abate Nasser N. Bonheur5 Elaine Williams Brooks Robert B. Chase, Jr. Gloria Dran Elston William M. Farish10 Vincent P. Herron, Jr. Jean Schraeder Kuchinskas10 Charles W. Robinson1, 5 John J. Schultz5 Terry L. Smith Carl R. Urbanski10 Contributors Earl R. Bahl Barbara Thomas Balcomb Lena Misson Baur Jacob M. Dvornicky Richard F. Heltzel Beverly Falkinburg Hildebrand Frances Hopkins Jordan Marie Zanowicz Kruska CLASS OF 1959 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Frederick J. Hills10 Edward McCafferty5 Founder’s Circle The Eugene Farley Club Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox10 William I. Williams1 Gold Circle President’s Circle Elisabeth Schwartz King Robert J. Pitel10 Lynne Herskovitz Warshal10 Robert A. Mugford10 Blue Circle John Wilkes Associates Sylvia Mauro Thomas I. Myers5 L. Joyce Tremayne Salvatore M. Valenti David E. Vann The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Founder’s Circle Joseph S. Pipan5 Mary Craig Pugh10 Robert Scally5 Paul J. Tracy10 Richard E. Wozniak10 Jacqueline M. Young10 Kelly J. Mather Vera Wroble Pitel10 Bruce S. Warshal10 Blue Circle George Ginader10 Theresa Mazzarella Morrow10 Peter R. Pisaneschi1, 10 Josef M. Reese5 Farley Associates Marguerite L. Allen Anthony M. Bianco Susan Shoff Bianco William J. Donovan10 Merri Jones Earl10 Emma Minemier Firda Edward J. Heltzel5 Edmund J. Kotula10 Judith Menegus Deluca Juanita Patience Moss10 Martha Wagner Ostrowski Harold P. Shannon Keith Williams Contributors Carolyn Goeringer Basler Mary Mattey Borgersen5 Samuel T. Buckman, Jr.5 John G. Carling5 Lee W. Eckert Naoma Kaufer Feld Max B. Greenwald Hillard R. Hoffman Matthew I. Kessman Carol Hallas McGinley Clarence Michael Edward J. Milowicki Joseph W. Oliver5 John W. Pieplow Jane Norton Granitzki10 Robert C. Morgan10 Farley Associates Richard Aston Mary Lou Spinelli Casella Robert E. Davis10 Donald E. Devans10 Thomas M. Dugan Paul J. Earl10 Evald R. Eskilson Charles J. Gareis John Harvey Albert P. Kuchinskas10 J. Rodger Lewis John Q. Mask III Chester J. Nocek10 Robert B. Payne5 Patricia Yost Pisaneschi10 Mary Anchel Sabel5 Warren W. Schmid Charles A. Sorber10 Robert J. Yokavonus10 Ann Dixon Young Contributors Alan R. Balcomb Charles S. Butler10 James L. Eidam A. Jennie Hill10 Janice Reynolds Longo Joan Grish McSweyn10 George S. Morris Sherle Baroody Myers Larry G. Pugh10 John M. Saba Robert J. Sestak Gustave E. Sundberg Arlene R. Tanalski Marianne Levenoskie Van Blarcom10 Robert W. Walters10 Carl V. Zoolkoski CLASS OF 1960 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Peter W. Perog10 Ronald W. Simms5 Wilkes | Fall 2012 Carol Reynar Hall10 William J. Umphred, Sr.10 • report of gifts 35 �report of gifts • giving by class Founder’s Circle Emilie Roat Gino10 John Wilkes Associates Evelyn Krohn Holtzman5 Allyn C. Jones1, 5 Gordon E. Roberts5 Martin F. Tansy R. Dale Wagner William J. Woll Raymond G. Yanchus10 Emmanuel J. Ziobro CLASS OF 1961 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle The Eugene Farley Club William F. Raub10 Gold Circle Robert W. Verespy10 Blue Circle Thomas P. Korshalla10 Patricia A. Levandoski10 Robert J. Sislian10 Patricia Fushek Skibbs Lawrence P. Williams10 John Wilkes Associates Gill Ho Bai Henry A. Greener5 Nancy Rosenfeld Greener5 Patricia Boyle Heaman5 John W. Kluchinski5 Nancy Carroll Kolesar5 Gold Circle Jean Broody Azar Beverly Nagle Barnick10 Thomas Barnick10 Donald Barovich Charles Billings Walter J. Grzymski Aaron G. Hastie Jr. Ronald D. Kross Patricia A. Krull10 Judith Weiss Moskow5 John T. Mulhall Andrew R. Sabol10 Anthony J. Sankus10 Carol Emanski Sapiego John J. Sapiego Basil Smith Roy H. VanWhy Raye Thomas Wileman10 Richard R. Wileman10 Frederick J. Williams Shirley G. Davis Jay P. Keller10 Christopher H. Loesch, Jr.10 Anonymous10 Lynne Boyle Austin ’60 Joan Llewellyn Buckman5 Carl R. Havira Virginia Lyons Hoesl10 Marilyn Warburton Lutter10 John F. Marriott, Sr. Margo Meringolo Merin George W. Murdock Donald Murray Richard J. Myers Jean Shofranko Olexy John D. Phillips10 Helen Schainuck Rubin Donald J. Sabatino10 Blue Circle Michael Armstrong Frank M. Scutch10 Jule Znaniecki Wnorowski5 Farley Associates Philip J. Amico10 Marvin A. Antinnes5 Marie Honcharik Basta10 Edward C. Bedner Norma Wentz Bregen Janice Bronson-Bartlett10 Louise Hischak Clark Joseph M. Drozdowski Nancy Bonham Hontz Gregory J. Lester Carl J. Meyers10 Donald T. Murphy5 Virginia Payne Walter A. Placek Patricia Lawless Ryan5 Albert R. Stralka10 Contributors Martha Menegus Amadio5 Louis P. Bierly Catherine Brominski Kovac Walter H. Buzby Martin E. Cherone Joseph J. Chisarick5 Richard P. Cobb Ruth Shales Cook5 Harry E. Filbert, Jr. Class Chairs are alumni who promote annual Wilkes | Fall 2012 CLASS OF 1962 The John Wilkes Society The Eugene Farley Club Trustee Associates Blue Circle Erwin F. Guetig10 Jerry A. Mohn10 Rowena Simms Mohn10 Nicholas L. Alesandro Robert T. Bond1, 5 Jane Edwards Bonomo5 Neil Dougherty5 Thomas M. Farris Leland D. Freidenburg, Jr. 10 Daniel J. Lyons10 John Wilkes Associates Farley Associates Charles J. Cherundolo Gerald A. Moffatt Mary Regalis Althauser Roger A. Rolfe Douglas R. Bennington Richard O. Burns Lillian Bodzio Caffrey John A. Gavenonis10 Clinton G. Hess10 Joseph Kruczek Sally Cohen Levy Richard A. Morgan5 David V. Puerta Vicki Burton Sabol10 David G. Simpson Bonnie Lewis Turchin10 Peter Winebrake Leonard A. Yankosky, Jr. 10 Barbara A. Yuscavage10 • • • The John Wilkes Society unrestricted giving and offer their thoughts and experiences to Wilkes Fund Appeals to give them a personal touch. If you are interested in becoming a class chair, please contact Lauren Y. Pluskey ’06, MBA ’10 at (570) 408-4331 or at lauren.pluskey@wilkes.edu. Barbara S. Soyka Beverly Munson Swift Geraldine M. Tarantini10 Anne Jamieson Taylor Victor Turoski5 Gerard J. Zezza, Jr. 10 CLASS OF 1964 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Alan C. Krieger10 Charles A. Krivenko CLASS OF 1963 • • • Warren P. Greenberg1 President’s Circle President’s Circle Frank H. Menaker, Jr.10 John Wilkes Associates Class Chairs 36 Joyce Medlock Jones5 Thomas Kanas Robert A. King5 Ruth Boorom Melberger10 Patrick J. Monaghan, Jr. Marsha Heffran Peters Raymond J. Peters Michael Samberg Rena Lewine Schoenfeld5 Helen M. Tinsley10 Royal A. Wetzel Trustee Associates The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Contributors Walter J. Folek Robert J. Hewitt Stephen L. Klein Margaret Churchill Kuffner5 Sandra Ungar Levy Robert A. Martin10 Sally Williams McGinley William L. Morris June Patrylak Neff5 Joseph P. Olexy, Jr. Emil J. Petrasek5 Patricia Capers Petrasek5 Barbara Price Schafer Beverly Major Schwartz5 Joseph J. Neetz10 Estelle Manos Sotirhos The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle The Eugene Farley Club Nancy T. Armstrong Elizabeth Tubridy Fairchild10 Vivian Cardoni Katsock5 Gold Circle Jeremiah E. Berk10 Adolf L. Herst5 Robert A. Ruggiero Farley Associates Donald H. Bogert5 Harry Collier10 Miriam Vaskorlis Cooper5 Janet Simpson Dingman10 Judith Butchko Gallagher10 Ann Znaniecki Grzymski Joel P. Harrison Mary Ann Foley Hopkins5 John A. Hosage10 Stanley J. Karmilovich Albert Kishel5 Jerome G. Lawrence Judith Wasileski Lawrence Nancy Martin Lynn10 Francis J. Machung5 John J. Miller5 Joanne Pisaneschi Olejnick10 Ralph B. Pinskey William A. Rishko10 William J. Ruzzo Rachel Altavilla Winebrake Contributors Samuel Howard Book Robert E. Conway Audrey Petro Coslett10 A. John Dimond Albert M. Dobrowalski Wilbur N. Dotter10 David R. Edwards Robert L. Evans, Sr.5 Sandra S. Feldman10 Florence Billings Finn Evelyn Hudyck Gibbons Ruth Newman Goldberg Andrew J. Hassay5 Blue Circle Robert E. Herman Joseph W. Raksis10 Edward J. Rogalski Daniel Zeroka5 Contributors John H. Farrell5 J. Douglas Haughwout5 Leonard J. Koerner C. Michael Manganaro Lorraine Rowland Murdock Stanley J. Orlowski10 Ray R. Pisaneschi10 Virginia Scrimgeour Ravin Mary Lou Searles Raykovicz Michael A. Raykovicz Gerald W. Williams Farley Associates Willard S. Achuff10 Jane Downin Alderman Alice Cole Bartlett10 Theodore R. Begun Sandra Egen Bennington Robert F. Cherundolo Mary Barone Du Mont5 Janice MacDonald Hastie William H. Klein Mark S. Levey Carolyn Draper Lippincott5 Lynne Stockton Mutart5 Stephen E. Phillips10 Stephen Selige Robert B. Singer Richard R. Snopkowski10 John E. Tredinnick10 Joseph Weinkle5 Edward J. Wilk CLASS OF 1965 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Catherine DeAngelis5 Anthony J. Parulis5 John J. Sickler B. William Vanderburg10 Natalie Kowalski Vanderburg10 Contributors Paul A. Battisti10 Norman D. James5 Charles E. Johns10 Gloria Silverman Kasper10 Stuart W. Lawson5 Romelle Gomba Pethick* Zoya Dzury Rakowski Claire Handler Silverstein The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Donald L. Davis John B. Hall James B. Jenkins 1 Class Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 5 5 10 �giving by class Farley Associates Kathryn Parsons Alexander Alfonse S. Bayo5 Catherine Brader Butler Kent E. Davis William E. Davis, Jr. Sumner H. Hayward Sharon Keyes Holleran Jane Charlton Huey Ronald D. Kosmala Leon E. Obrzut10 Steven S. Paradise Lee McCloskey Shubert Donald W. Ungemah10 Eva Waskell Mary Lou Butkoski Zaleski5 Contributors Jane Cochran Chambers5 David M. Closterman Doris Evans Closterman Carmaine Crease Joseph R. Czarneck Marylin C. Davis Dale H. Edwards5 Rita Dougherty Groves R. Lawrence Gubanich Frederick E. Hackett Suzanne Stica Koerner Molly Boyle Krafchik Lois A. Kutish Herbert N. Maier10 Ruth H. McDermott Michael J. Mostello, Jr. John A. Nork10 Robert Jan Pethick James Reid Mary Muench Rosencrance Barbara Menarick Russo Anita Minelli Salerno5 Theresa M. Sapp Robert J. Vincenti John Voda Charlene Nalbach Yanchik10 John H. Zielinski Barbara Lewis Cousland5 Jeanne Martin Dhavale5 Bonnie Opella Eskra W. Marshall Evans10 Alan C. Gamble Charles J. Huey Barbara A. Kubinski W. David Larmouth II JoAnn Margolis5 Jane Klein Paradise F. Charles Petrillo William M. Pinkowski5 Susan Evans Pons Simon S. Russin Peter Stchur, Jr. Ellen Chergosky Verhanovitz Richard F. Verhanovitz Farley Associates Farley Associates John Wilkes Associates Judith Adams-Volpe Richard H. Disque Leona Sokash Dufour Richard H. Firestine Virginia Rome Grabowski5 Joseph A. Grohowski, Sr.5 James M. Mason Peter S. Phillips10 Henry J. Pownall Windsor S. Thomas10 William A. Trethaway5 Donna Troiano Robert Vanderoef Douglas W. Weber Elizabeth Dougherty Wood Nicholas Andrew Barna Frederick N. Brown Joyce Christian Detter Barry Gold Teresa Cushner Hunt5 Joseph E. Kiefer Robert C. Klotz10 Marian Zaledonis Kovacs10 Donna Broda Kuliczkowski Michael S. Pipan Karen A. Reed Nicholas S. Reynolds George J. Sick10 Wayne A. Sittner Charles W. Snyder5 Paul B. Solomon5 Albert E. Stofko Virginia Steckel Valentine Elaine Lutkoski Willis Robert J. Ziegler Patrick J. Burke Stephen G. Farrar Joseph B. Frappolli Michael J. Glancey5 Nancy Hawk Merryman10 Carol A. Skalski10 Donald C. Spruck Nancy Wanczyk Stinger Cynthia Wisniewski Weber Contributors Contributors Sandra Woolf Bauman Esther Schwartz Dorkin10 Forrest J. Eichmann5 Linda Fusaro Kahler Clement A. Gaynor, Jr. Carol Mazur Glowzenski5 Robert C. Harding10 E. William Kaylor, Jr. Margaret Gee Kraynanski5 Eugene A. Macur10 Mildred Gross Maier10 Gloria Martin5 Edward P. McGinley Barbara Yannunzio Mostello Bonnie Brown O’Neill Donald A. Pahls5 Susan Schermerhorn Prior Robert C. Roebuck John R. Rokita Anthony J. Ross William Schneider Jane Jancik Stevens Dolores Barone Straka5 Suzanne Bellone Timko10 Mary Kennedy Voda Frederick E. Weber Gerald L. Weisberger5 Allan D. Wickstein Mark K. Bauman Eugene J. Bonfanti5 Jean Cook Ciroalo David R. Cowan5 Sharon Tormey Everett Donald E. Fredd Eugene L. Kelleher Helen Baron Kopec Richard L. Kramer Lawrence A. Major Evelyn Morenko Matelski5 Edwin A. Pashinski John J. Pilosi5 Daniel R. Price Richard G. Raspen Janice Parsons Robart Daniel B. Rosencrance Darlene Moll Roth Edward M. Shiner George E. Collinson10 William G. Cooper10 Elizabeth Scholl10 David P. Baccanari5 Judith E. Beyer10 Bruce R. Brown Carol Tomaselli Brown Joseph J. Buziuk, Jr. 5 Richard G. Cantner Beverly Shamun Carey10 Margaret Hoban Dominic Barbara Ann Dorish5 Nancy Noterman Downing Eleanor Jachimczak Guzofsky Zdzislawa Paciej Harms5 Malcolm Kintz Harris5 John J. Helme David W. Hess Stanley R. Houpt Palmer P. Jones Sheila Carr Jones Jaquelyn Rubin Kaplan Leslie Marino Lessor Timothy M. McGinley Patricia Haydt Nitchie5 Susan Bennett Onze Peter T. Polashenski Sharon Strzelczyk Robinson Pauline Farrar Ruckno Judith Labows Sabatino10 Eugene Salko Myrna Brodbeck Schaefer Charles R. Sgarlat5 Frank J. Smith Carl G. Sponenberg10 Michael Stefanick10 Leslie Calamari Tinney Michael H. Tinney Anthony J. Turchetti5 Michael J. Worth Blue Circle CLASS OF 1969 David D. Baum10 Daniel Klem, Jr.10 Glen D. Klinger Donald M. Kronick Gerald E. Missal5 A. Daniel Murray Edward J. Podehl Elizabeth A. Slaughter10 • • • CLASS OF 1968 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates John R. Miller10 Founder’s Circle Ronald Piskorik5 John Wilkes Associates CLASS OF 1967 Raymond Lowery, Jr. Gerard A. McHale, Jr.10 Anne Heineman Batory5 Robert L. Brown William R. Bush10 Flora Wargo McCormick5 Michael D. Smith William W. Stinger John Wilkes Associates The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Blue Circle Andrea Gallet Lander Neil L. Millar5 Richard C. Roshong5 Regina Belden Smith Gerald F. Weber Grace Jones Kutzmas5 Ruth Partilla Narcum10 The Eugene Farley Club CLASS OF 1966 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Carol Saidman Greenwald5 David Greenwald5 John Wilkes Associates Joyce Callahan Krivenko The Eugene Farley Club • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Gold Circle Farley Associates Alfred M. Airola Carolyn Jenkins Airola Richard L. Bucko5 Mark Cohen 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 Paul P. Purta, Jr. Blue Circle Robert S. Gardner5 Walter Narcum10 Maureen Savage Szish Contributors The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Dori S. Jaffe5 Joseph C. Wiendl5 Blue Circle Christopher A. Colovos5 Bryn E. Kehrli Ann Alumbaugh McElyea5 David Ralston Cynthia West Reed5 James S. Reed5 Glenn Stevenson Bernard J. Vinovrski Joseph Yozviak10 Farley Associates Jeannette Spott Barnes10 Betty Whah Bauman Richard R. Bayliss Barbara N. Bellucci5 Bruce O. Brugel10 Robert M. Burnat10 Paul B. Burry John H. Butler R. Bruce Comstock Ronald J. Gabriel Dennis P. Galli10 John T. Harmer5 George C. Harrison5 Stewart J. Harry10 Marilynn Froelich Hummer Joseph G. Kopec Charles A. Kosteva5 Angelo F. Loverro Raymond B. Luckenbach Irving A. Mendelssohn Andrea L. Petrasek Virginia Thomas Rinehimer Michael B. Robertson Sally Griffiths Robinson Albert D. Roke10 Rozanne Sandri-Goldin Marjorie Shaffer Victor William C. Sherbin Roy A. Shubert Leonard E. Strope, Jr.10 Charles J. Tharp5 Howard Weinberg5 Bette Neroda Wells James E. Wynn5 The John Wilkes Society Contributors Trustee Associates Robert W. Ashton James M. Calderone Robert A Catina Carol Sladin Clothier10 Lawrence B. Collins David J. Grandcolas Will Hooper Paul A. Wender10 President’s Circle John J. Chopack Brian McGrath George G. Pawlush10 William F. Ryan, Jr. 5 Wilkes | Fall 2012 Leslie Tobias Jenkins Joseph Kutzmas5 • report of gifts 37 �report of gifts • giving by class Philip E. Howe Kay L. Huber Edward Janoski David A. Jones5 Thaddeus M. Kalmanowicz10 Thomas F. Kelly5 Robert S. Kopec Patricia Zawoiski Kozemchak Joel Lubin Daniel M. Malloy Rhoda A. Moses5 Louis M. Pecora David J. Piatt Robert W. Reynolds Thomas M. Richards Carl V. Romanski Mel Rubin Mary E. Shaw Robert E. Silvi Carl J. Siracuse5 Janet Lutz Thurnau10 Robert C. Thurnau10 Catherine Nielsen Toran Thomas P. Williams, Jr. Carol Womelsdorf10 Robert L. Zeglarski CLASS OF 1970 • • • The John Wilkes Society Diamond Associates John M. Cefaly, Jr.5 Honorary Associates Margaret Filipkowski Sordoni10 John Wilkes Associates Edward F. Burke5 Janet Neiman Seeley10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle David M. Bogusko5 Lonnie A. Coombs10 Thomas W. Jones10 Charles D. Lengle5 Carol Densmore Marascio John Marfia, Jr.5 Joyce Nahas Moses Janice A. Saunders10 Barbara Morrison Squeri5 John E. Squeri5 Anne Aimetti Thomas5 Joanne Levandoski Falck Phyllis L. Gaydos5 Susan Trenkamp Harmer5 William C. Johnson Barbara Gonzales Kende Joseph R. Kolm J. David Lombardi10 Andrew C. Matviak Barbara L. Nanstiel Judith Cobleigh Ockenfuss5 Robert E. Ockenfuss5 Lee Paige10 Marion Boyle Petrillo Melvin C. Rogers, Jr. Neil M. Seidel10 David S. Silberman Evelyn Rygwalski Snyder5 William Steel Kathleen Lash Weinstein Richard Wetzel10 Contributors Matthew B. Buglehall Carl Charnetski Phyllis Sun Cheng5 Anita Rein Coplan Ronald J. Delese Ronald W. Faust5 Lorna Tarnoff Fredd Kenneth M. Gordon Fred A. Harkins, Jr.5 Anthony J. Honko5 Mary Carol Hornyak Adele Jancik Kaschenback Kenneth Kovaleski Camille Broski Kramer David W. Kutz10 Joyce Saluski Latoski Joseph A. Lukesh10 Patrick J. Malloy Pauline Gashi Myers Wendy Badman Sgarlat5 Kaye Harding Stefanick10 Ralph C. Tewksbury, Jr. Philip J. Thorick William S. Tinney5 Elva Costello Valentine Lea Gina White Joseph J. Zakowski Donna-Su Brown Zeglarski CLASS OF 1971 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Blue Circle Wilkes | Fall 2012 Robert J. Conologue Elaine Lundy Ephlin Jay H. Goldstein Barton Hauser Renee Mucci Klem10 Bill Tarbart1, 10 Marcella Wroblewski Vinovrski 38 Farley Associates Carl J. Babushko Steven Chromey10 Carl L. Cook5 Marilyn Rabel Costanzo10 Leigh Doane Donecker George J. Matz10 John Wilkes Associates Ellen Stamer Hall1 Howard R. Lander Elliot J. Stahler The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John R. Deem10 J. David Kaschak10 James B. Marascio Blue Circle Jerold W. Brown Judith Rodda Gardner5 Farley Associates John C. Baranowski5 Miriam Mohr Bayliss Terry A. Belles Beverly Peirce Berger10 Leonard J. Brozena James L. Butkiewicz10 Mary Ellen Fischer Butkiewicz10 Steven T. Case Martin M. Cebula5 Melinda Dawson Emil F. DiTullio10 Eugene S. Domzalski Cherylynn Petyak Gibson10 Andrew J. Gubanich, Jr. Joseph N. Ishley Barbara Roman Knezek10 George H. Knezek, Jr.10 William R. Lazor Patricia Mazzeo Lombardi10 William J. Murphy10 Judith Potestivo Ogin Richard E. Ogin David Reel William E. Reese5 Dolores Draganchuk Sheppard David G. Shevchuk Larry R. Volkel5 Nancy Button Barbara Aulisio Camoni5 Richard Chisarick5 Guy J. Comparetta10 Sandra Holl Comparetta10 Eric B. Davenport Alice Hadsall Davis10 Richard J. Davis5 Thomas P. De Lay Sheila Denion Anne Musto-Van Noy Dragon5 Larry D. Fabian Jill Yanoshak Gagliardi10 Karen Trevethan Gilmore5 Samuel C. Giunta James A. Gribb10 Melissa Burdick Harmon Suzanne Cox Herstek5 Patricia Baranoski Jula10 Jacquelyn Van Tuyle Kelly5 Stephen J. Kulonda Janie Davidson Larsen Pamela Krakowski Lawson William J. Lukridge Dixie Davis Mackall John G. Mandell, Jr. Leonard Matysczak Marianne Kolojejchick Matysczak Jacqueline Falk McGinley Sally Cooper McGinley Robert A. Moore Rosemary Baratta Novak Alfred L. Pennesi Carlton E. Phillips10 Joseph D. Rosato Richard L. Shonk Barbara McNicholl Scarpino10 Joan Tyree Deborah Berti Walsh Anne Agolino Wasko Richard A. Weinstein Nancy Ziobro Yurek Carolyn A. Williams Nancy Charles Williams Mario J. Zinicola CLASS OF 1972 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Anthony M. Cardinale Laura Barbera Cardinale Hedy Wrightson Rittenmeyer Ronald A. Rittenmeyer Founder’s Circle William A. Hanbury Kathy Price Kautter John S. Kerr Renate Dargel Kerr Theodore T. Yeager10 John Wilkes Associates James Garofalo10 Bruce E. Gover Alan E. Zellner5 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle G. Garfield Jones, Jr. Michael M. Mariani10 Gary H. Williams1, 10 Contributors Frank Arva Alice Nasielski Battista10 Mary MacArthur Bennett Joyce Rother Burlone John P. Cherundolo Richard D. Ciuferri10 Joseph J. Cordora5 Lorraine Dombroski Cortegerone Alfred B. Crake5 Susan Staniorski Davis10 Rita S. Du Brow Philip T. Gullo John M. Halliday Alvin Justan5 Stephen E. Kaschenbach10 Robert R. Kern Carol Roke Klinetob Patricia Bauman Kramer Pauline Kmetz Makowski Buck Mallan Gerald P. McAfee Karen Braun Middleton Barbara Ward Nixon10 Margaret A. Occhipinti Daniel T. Powell Dennis J. Puhalla Maxine Levine Rubin Bruce A. Sabacek5 Jill Evans Saporito William R. Schultz Della F. Schulz5 Judith Seeherman Robert C. Staffa Barbara Perry Tokarz Mary Ellen Pointek Tracy William Umbach10 Robert J. Vignoli Eugene H. Wagner, Jr. James C. Weaver10 Blue Circle Ronald J. Bonomo Robert J. Cooney Teresa Brown Galicki Eugene G. Pappas10 Judithann Walsh Whelley Farley Associates Robert A. Byrne Thomas A. Costanzo10 Helene Dainowski10 Michael F. Daney, Jr. Frank Dessoye10 Donald L. Drust Jane A. Firestine10 Ronald B. Fritts David A. Furman5 George B. Gettinger Barbara Kish Gubanich Eric D. Hoover5 Harvey A. Jacobs10 Anthony V. Kleinhans10 Alexis Buchina Koss Barbara Repotski Lach Kathryn Ramsey Massey10 Frances Aiken Mitchell Mark H. Paikin Rita Ryneski5 David K. Thomas Enid Sullum Tope10 Dianne Hughes Treacy Joseph M. Treacy Beth Roche Ward5 CLASS OF 1973 • • • The John Wilkes Society Founder’s Circle Mariea Barbella Noblitt Jay S. Sidhu President’s Circle Charles P. Baker John Wilkes Associates David L. Davis10 Elizabeth Clements Gover Lloyd W. Ortman, Jr.10 Nancy Fern Snow The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Nathan R. Eustis, Jr.10 Robert P. Matley10 Bruce E. Phair Rosemaria Cienciva Sorg Contributors Mary Ann Smith Alick Robert M. Babskie10 Mary Bau Kathryn Bekanich Pamela Bolesta 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class Frank P. Galicki Thomas S. Lasky5 Felice Oxman Salsburg10 CLASS OF 1974 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Margaret A. Zellner5 Farley Associates Donna Piston Aufiero10 Louise Beebe-Thornton Yvonne Gnatt Casey Ronald D. DeCanio John Dubik10 Michael J. Filipowski Joel Fischman Carl J. Galletti Lindsay Farley Gettinger Drew M. Klemish5 John G. Margo10 Pamela Parkin Murphy10 Paul Niezgoda Barbara Zembrzuski Pisano5 John R. Pisano5 Jeffrey F. Prendergast Paula T. Quinn Brenda Schmidt Silberman Thomas R. Steltzer Theodore J. Tramaloni5 John H. Welker Edward M. Zadjura Contributors Deborah Kovalchik Adamchak Nancy D. Adler Joseph T. Baranoski Karen Metzger Baranoski Richard L. Berkheiser Irene B. Blum10 Janet Mazur Boylan Robert L. Ciali Angela Alba Dessoye5 Josephine Schifano Finlayson Barbara Gilotti Martha Hall Yohe Preston L. Hess Florence Matura Hozempa Carol Hussa Mary Burns Jansen Richard N. Jones Elaine Moyer Kollar Gene G. Kruczek Evelyn Kovalchick Lewis Bonnie Church MacDonald Duncan W. MacIntyre John F. Macknis James P. McGinley Denise Goobic Meck Margaret Maciun Perkins Kay Platt5 David L. Ritter10 Joseph J. Roberts Judith Casola Roeder John Savitsky George P. Sillup Brenda Ricco Sumski5 Stephanie Pufko Umbach10 Mary P. Ungvarsky5 Linda Pugsley Ward Cecilia Rudolph Williams Matthew M. Wotherspoon 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John J. Kowalchik Elizabeth M. Lopez5 W. Lee Miller10 Karen Kmietowicz Phair Blue Circle Susan Downs Kehrli Darlene Kishbaugh Darryl G. Kramer5 Dwaine Edwards Mattei Ratnakar L. Mitra Duane Sadvary5 Angela T. Vauter Farley Associates Lynn Karnofsky Ahmad Malek Ahmad Philip E. Auron Paula Castrucci Richard F. Curry Nancy Brokhahne Daney Clifton E. Dungey5 Robert T. Dzugan5 Allan A. Fanucci Karen A. Kuzminski Fanucci Lorene Daring Laberge Richard H. Lopatto, Jr.5 Robert Lussi Richard D. Masi John J. Mazzolla5 Michael J. O’Boyle10 Elaine Para Pacheco Robert D. Prendergast Beverly Chislo Solfanelli Carol Presnal Stashik J. Bruce Weinstock Contributors Sheffe G. Abraham Stephen D. Adamchack, Jr. Richard B. Anselmi Diane Seltzer Bloss Frank E. Bria Gene A. Camoni5 Denise H. Chapura5 Joseph C. Damiano10 Kevin J. Davy Charles D. Denkenberger Jean H. Gilroy Marjorie Czulewicz Hingston Michael G. Hischak Betty Wood Hughes Ann Bowman Jamieson Martin J. Kane Jeffrey D. Katra Marshall I. Kornblatt Richard H. Lorenzen Christine Donahue Mayo Bettie Ann Rogers Morgan Ann Lyons Nardone Rosemary Petrillo Sarna Marguerite A. Sauer5 Pamela Eggert Schueler Sulochana Gogate Sherman Charles H. Shiber Ronald A. Shuleski Robert P. Singer Frank J. Tencza Jill Linder Waselik A. Ruth Rinehimer Whalen Robert D. Zettle10 Gayle Kinback Pryor Deborah A. Schneider10 Joan Bonfanti Shannon Diane Drost Shuleski Ann Marie Lewis Strempek Barbara Katra Swiatek5 Anita Miller Williams5 Roseann Cordora Williams CLASS OF 1975 • • • • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates William R. Thomas10 The Eugene Farley Club CLASS OF 1976 The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Guy J. DiZebba James J. Morgan5 John J. Reese Margaret Burgess Lenihan10 Paul J. Macik Karen Yohn Mack Richard A. Marchant Kerry D’Angelo Miller Marietta Barbara Minelli Linda Papatopoli Joyce Hooley Regna Joseph J. Santini Laureen Carney Santini Carlo Saporito Vilma Schifano-Milmoe Deborah Morano Sfraga Jane E. Smith10 Amy Santilli Whitehouse Donald R. Williams Robert N. Yanoshak John B. Zimmerman Peter C. Zubritzky5 Gold Circle The Eugene Farley Club Andrew E. Baron5 Ann Marie Bartuska Nelson G. Landmesser Gary L. Richwine Gold Circle Richard J. Allan Patricia A. Schillaci10 William Urosevich CLASS OF 1977 Blue Circle Blue Circle Trustee Associates Bernard J. Ford III Joan Zaleski Ford Brian K. Haeckler10 Thomas J. Kaschak Clarence G. Ozgo10 Michael G. Stambaugh10 Nancy Rodda Topolewski10 Stephen M. Baloga, Jr.10 Deborah Lataro Cargo10 Robert J. Spinelli5 Mary Belin Rhodes10 The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle Paul S. Adams10 Farley Associates Raymond Bartosh5 Christine M. Buchina1, 5 Barbara Swandick Duda Brian M. Finn5 Ellen Schwartz Fischman Marla Stopkoski Flack Robert S. Howes, Jr. David C. Kowalek5 Gary M. Kratz5 Patrick J. Moran Anne Tracy Patsiokas Stelios Patsiokas Sally Chupka Pucilowski10 Pauline A. Seleski5 Stephen Solfanelli Ann Rapoch Super5 Jane E. Thompson5 Gloria Zoranski Edward A. Bosha Gary Roger Brod Daniel B. Cabot Robert D. Clements, Jr. Gail MacIntyre Dohrn10 Mark J. Dubik Carol Kester Dungey5 Susan V. Fielder10 William Fromel Thomas D. Glosser Diane R. Jones5 Joan Domarasky Luksa10 Richard W. MacKey Joseph J. Marchetti Anthony L. McHugh10 Deborah Dinkel Nieman Margery German Rifkin5 Michael S. Rifkin5 Harold W. Roberts Nancy Ellen Roberts Thomas Runiewicz Richard J. Sullivan5 Contributors Contributors Philip J. Conrad, Jr. Michael V. DeVincentis5 Theodore B. Dennis, Jr. Janet Condon Diefenbacher Robert A. Dwyer Raymond P. Gustave Richard H. Hingston Barbara Gannon Hogan5 Ronald J. Jacobs10 Larinda Dyson Kaufer Beth Robin Kaye Pauline Hayes Lawson Janet Markowitz Macik Marguerite E. McCollom5 Alan R. Miller Robert B. Milmoe Donald T. Mock Doralyn Howard Moody Thomas W. Pezzicara5 Janice Cohen Barnet Marianne Montague Benjamin Carolann Gusgekofski Besler Philip A. Besler Robert E. Bettin Mary Murray Brady Susan Brimo-Cox Lois Tunaitis Daley Andrea Mahally Danilack Jacqueline Pickering Dzurek David L. Ellis Michael M. Gilbert Regina Gurick Guarin5 Evelyn D. Hager Bruce C. Jackson Darice Sabalesky Janusziewicz Jack W. Keller Sandra Kershaw Thomson Marianne Macur Kopcho5 Farley Associates • • • John Wilkes Associates Denise Schaal Cesare10 Drew Landmesser5 Michael S. LoPresti Patrice Stone Martin10 Kim Witherow Morgan5 Sandra Shepard Piccone10 Jeffrey D. Renoe The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Bruce A. Lear Patricia Reilly Urosevich Blue Circle Joseph W. Buckley5 Catherine Williams Ozgo10 M. Patty Cullinan Spinelli5 John M. Zubris Farley Associates Kathleen Warakomski Benjamin Joan Chemnitius Best Raymond A. Best Ruth McKalips Diestelmeier5 Paul J. Domowitch Andrew B. Durako, Jr. Steven Esrick5 Gene A. Heath10 Kathleen Heilig McInerney Richard D. Mutarelli5 Jeffrey A. Schlicher Christine Hudak Shipula Patricia S. Steele Thomas J. Ward5 Contributors Maureen Carey Albrecht Guy F. Barbato Sue Ann Knight Beck Alan Berger Brian E. Boston Wilkes | Fall 2012 Blue Circle • report of gifts 39 �report of gifts • giving by class Mark P. Buchinski Jill Fritz Buntz5 Christine M. Chmielewski Arthur S. Daniels10 Nancy Slawson Deacon Donna Smith Dickinson5 Harold S. Edmunds Manuel J. Evans5 Dennis G. Falcone Deborah A. Federo Judith Bienkowski Geary Kenneth A. Geary Susan M. Hansen John James Harper Margaret Tomczak Interrante Karen Kuchinskas Kaminski Carl E. Kaschenbach III Joanne Englot Kawczenski10 Deborah J. Koons5 Christine Koterba Lodge Nicholas Lozorak, Jr. Rick D. Mahonski5 John J. Minetola Earl W. Monk10 Eric D. Murray Mary Kay Malloy Pappadeas Barry Allan Pezzner John G. Puchalsky Edward J. Pupa James D. Reilly, Jr. Joseph W. Sekusky5 Leonarda A. Sperrazza Inez S. Stefanko Terri Jackson Swatko Dianne LaCova Trawick Patrick A. Ward5 Pamela Gingell Webb Mary Kadlecik Williams Evelyn Labenski Zakowski CLASS OF 1978 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Rhea Politis Simms5 President’s Circle Jean Reiter Adams10 Gregory A. MacLean Michael J. Speziale5 John Wilkes Associates Raymond E. Dombroski Brigette McDonald Herrmann10 David A. Jolley10 Jeffrey G. Jones Judith Mills Mack10 The Eugene Farley Club Wilkes | Fall 2012 Gold Circle 40 Ann Sharkey Esrick5 Ellen M. Field Edward J. Finn Joel G. Gelb David W. Gregrow Diane Pechalonis Groves5 Carol Pashchuk Huggler5 Diane Malachefski Kollar Patricia McCarthy Last Lori Ashbaugh Mackey Kevin F. McCall Christopher B. O’Brien Cynthia M. Patterson10 Barbara Swantkowski Placek Lois Enama Pluskey5 Anthony James Shipula Clark F. Speicher Jacqueline A. Vitek Contributors William P. Abrams Michael D. Booth Michael A. Calabrese Karen Kennedy Campbell10 Terry A. Christman Paula Heffernan Daley10 Maryjean deSandes5 Mark Finkelstein Gary E. Gardner Doreen Wickiser Hampton Denise Casem Hasneh5 Susan Serio Jack Neil H. Kaufer Suzanne Pudlosky Keller Robert J. Klecanda Stephen J. Lear John J. Mack10 Paula Strinkoski Manley Leslie Stobel McCafferty Donna Stanco McDevitt Jane A. Miller10 Anita Mucciolo5 Diane Zayac Pachucy Gary E. Pohorely Cynthia Perry Possanza Suzanne Fischer Prestoy Harriet Smith Rabinowitz5 Mary Kern Reynolds10 Rosemarie Rosati Shawn Rozett Senning Merle Zipkin Silver Seth M. Silver Frank R. Sirocki Robert J. Stofko5 John K. Suchoski5 Cathleen Teel Linda Allmon Walden5 Ellen DuFosse Wengen Donald J. Williams David J. Yakaitis5 John Wilkes Associates John H. Ellis, IV5 Frederick W. Herrmann10 The Eugene Farley Club Donald I. Burton, Jr.10 Betsy Bell Condron10 Cheryl Roman Grimaldi Blue Circle Sheree Kessler France David J. Gulitus Thomas P. Sokola Farley Associates Renee Venarucci Benedetto5 Karen Lucchesi Bostrom Lynne Mazzanti Brensha John E. Cavanaugh, Jr. William J. Gibbons5 John T. Ho Donald E. Horrox10 John R. Leedy Kurt J. Moody Edward F. Orloski David G. Pawlush Leonard J. Podrasky, Jr. Maureen Shay Prendergast Geraldine Cravatta Samselski Casper Tortella Contributors Mary D. Aschendorf Tami A. Beraud Anthony G. DeVincentis, Jr. Jay Finkelstein William D. Frye, Jr.10 Wilma Hurst Gardner Nigel J. Gray Robert E. Greenwood Mary Louise Kepics Harris Ann Timko Hughes Nancy J. Johnson5 Joseph D. Kerestes, Jr. Rosa Khalife-McCracken John D. Koze James J. Maloney5 Linda Mizenko Noto Jeannie S. O’Donnell Annette Tabone Peck John D. Ralston Susan Cameli Scanland Mary Ann Morgan Stelma5 Cheryl Moyer Thomas Cheryl Berry Washington Paul P. Wengen Ann Marie Yanushefski CLASS OF 1980 • • • CLASS OF 1979 The John Wilkes Society • • • President’s Circle The John Wilkes Society Blue Circle Trustee Associates James P. Edwards10 Thomas N. Ralston10 Alan C. France James J. Moran10 Nancy E. Van Kuren Ann Marie Booth Cardell Daniel J. Cardell John Wilkes Associates Farley Associates Janine Pokrinchak Dubik Carol Corbett Pawlush10 CLASS OF 1981 Gold Circle • • • Roger J. Davis Karen L. Devine Anthony J. Grimaldi The John Wilkes Society William R. Miller10 Blue Circle Founder’s Circle Joel P. Kane Joye Martin-Lamp5 Lawrence J. Mullen10 Mark A. Rado5 William A. Shaw10 Patricia L. Warski Edward J. White III David M. Williams5 Shepard C. Willner10 Frank D. Yamrus Edward S. Mollahan Trustee Associates Gold Circle Terri Mackavage Kovalski5 AnastasiosTsolakis President’s Circle The Eugene Farley Club Gregory A. Black Marianne Marzen Black Stephen J. Croghan5 Christine C. Evanchick President’s Circle Terrence W. Casey Joseph G. Galli John Wilkes Associates Barbara E. King5 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Stephen S. Grillo10 Ed Johnson Susan M. Liberski Dana C. Shaffer Joan Jacobsen Shaffer John R. Silk Farley Associates Joseph D. Angelella1, 5 Anthony J. Aversa Carol A. Bosack-Kosek5 Janet May Cavanaugh Maureen Falvey Creamer James L. Devaney5 Doreen Swiatek Drescher Susan Theobald Eckmann Charles E. Hagen Judith Scott Harris Bruno E. Kolodgie5 Lynn E. Maelia David M. Maxim10 Jeffrey J. Shovlin Joseph M. Toole5 Blue Circle John J. Frappolli Rosemarie Hubner Swain Farley Associates Debra Prater Chapman Mary Jean McCarthy Clements Louis P. Czachor C. Douglas Drescher Beth Hathaway Glassford Harry C. Hicks, Jr. Susan Matley Hritzak5 Thomas F. Kane Gary E. Michael Cheryl Scalese Moyer5 Mary Rebarchak Schott10 Donna Ferretti Shandra5 Stephen J. Sirocki Sarah Farley Stapleton5 Benedict A. Yatko Contributors Kathleen Sweeney Ashton Scott W. Ashton Julie Keiderling Bordo Edgar S. Brace, III5 Michael V. Broda5 Thomas G. Brown Kathryn Roman Davis Sharon Knight Grivner Ronald J. Gronski John M. Jones David P. Korba Lisa Mastrantuono Lombard Philip A. Marino5 Robert W. Matzelle Michael G. McNelis Michael R. Mey Linda Millar John A. Miranda Joanne Harding Murphy10 Thomas B. Needham, Jr.10 Richard J. Nordheim5 Edward M. Ohmott Judith Bellas Ohmott Frank A. Pascucci Diane Cimakosky Rigotti Joseph A. Rigotti Barbara Boote Rupert Kenneth N. Sciamanna10 Theresa Hussong Kenia Susan M. Suchanic5 James M. Wallace Barbara Rodda Welch5 Cheryl Polak Woloski Donna Whitmore Zimmer Contributors Maria Bianco Mary Ann Dalbo Boccagno Noreen Sack Burginia Andrew W. Contos Dean D’Amico Jacqueline Sunder Demko Melissa Smith Georgiou James J. Grudzinski Robert J. Harper Paul C. Kanner Keith P. Kolanda Leslie J. Nicholas Cynthia Ercolani Olshemski Maria Nilsen Pacchioni5 Douglas Phillips Donna Kachur Pino Margaret Scholl Weidner Carol Buchman Smith Katherine Ochs Wells Pam Bennett Wodzicki 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class CLASS OF 1982 • • • The John Wilkes Society Trustee Associates Shelley Freeman David E. Hadley1 Roya Fahmy5 Diane Gombeda Fellin Gloria Kopec Hasel Richard Havard III Paul H. McCabe James V. Musto Marianne Hall Sabadish Sandra Bartels Thomas5 Stephen C. Thomas V5 Ellen Marie Van Riper5 President’s Circle Kenneth J. Krogulski Brian C. Thomas John Wilkes Associates Maureen Connolly Cambier Wayne D. Lonstein The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Ruth McDermott-Levy10 Bruce R. Williams5 Blue Circle Mary Ann Gazdick Keith J. Saunders Contributors Joan Thomas Brody Roy J. Brody Stephen N. Cahoon David R. Carey Jennifer Ogurkis Carey Judy Rydzewski Cudo Timothy F. Davis Mary Ellen Moran Doll Robert D. Haas5 Eric L. Johnson10 Kathleen Keller Leon T. Kolanowski Maureen Stanks Kroncke Barbara Young Meigh Janice Nagle Pettinato5 John J. Rainieri James R. Reap Patricia M. Riley Daniel C. Schilling10 Kimberly Coccodrilli Strickland Contributors Donna Nitka Brunelli5 Ann Marie Romanovitch Chikowski Eugene Chikowski Edward W. Czeck Alphonse T. D’Amario Ellen Proeller Dennis Joseph F. Dylewski10 Debra Bligh Gernhart5 Jeffrey S. Gernhart5 Sharon Michener Gross Edward R. Kennelly Joseph J. Leandri Gary M. Mack Frank C. Olshemski Elizabeth Larson Ostuni Ralph Pringle III David A. Soboleski5 Edward E. Urbanski Dianne M. Watchulonis5 Donald R. Werts Charmaine Conrad Zoller10 CLASS OF 1985 • • • The John Wilkes Society Joseph C. Grzenda, Jr. Michael Homishak5 John J. Kapp Nancy Bowen Kennelly Joseph D. Kushner Dorothy Price Lane Alice Ting Lee5 Alan Melusen Robert Nagle, Jr. James M. Opet10 Elizabeth Dougherty Quinn Kathleen Mooney Rainieri Rossar R. Reynolds Karen Lutz Santone Michelle Liddic Schilling10 Jeffrey J. Tokach CLASS OF 1986 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Randa Fahmy Hudome David Reynolds Jay C. Rubino10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John Wilkes Associates Thomas Allardyce5 Paul Chmil5 Eric F. Reidinger10 Michele James Wagner Karen Bove5 Karen Zingale Blue Circle CLASS OF 1984 The Eugene Farley Club Paul A. Cummings10 Michael Mattise10 Contributors • • • Gold Circle Brian D. Balliet Linda McCarthy D’Amario Marjorie A. George Rosanne Kramer Brenda Kutz Burkholder5 Michael F. Lombard Patricia Markiewicz Patrician Valerie VanDyke Phillips Roberta M. Price John F. Pullo Ellen Krupack Raineri Jane Ciprich Ryan Christine Lain Sarno Catherine Durocher Shafer10 Deborah Chandler Zuzelski5 The John Wilkes Society Dianne Charsha5 Susan Maier Davis1, 5 David P. Rudis Thomas J. Thomas, Jr.5 Farley Associates Donna De Bastos Fromel Kathleen Layaou Heltzel5 Lorraine Edwards Pawlush Joseph Sabadish John D. Sweeney Karen Steckel Vernon5 CLASS OF 1983 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Carol Louise Dean10 Jeffrey R. Garbor10 James M. Johnson Marie Roke Thomas5 Farley Associates Clair Beard Read Joseph J. Chmiola Lillian Russin Cohen Jay M. Colby Peter T. Creamer Cynthia Bartholomay Demetro 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased President’s Circle James J. Mulligan10 Farley Associates Thomas J. Balutis Douglas S. Bradley Jacqueline Brown Mastrokyriakos Paul Mastrokyriakos Russell Banta Dennis P. Clarke10 J. B. Earl Karen Galli10 Kevin P. Guns Tom Harfman5 Edward J. Hudson10 Daniel J. Kennelly John C. Long, Jr. Michael J. Uter Blue Circle Farley Associates Contributors Donna Garber Cosgrove Patricia Hidock Dodge William B. Dodge Janet Legault Kelley10 William N. McCann Barbara Rosick Moran10 Ruth E. Renna10 Deborah Vogt Nancy Pardy Cabot Barbara Jarick Ecker Kathryn Gryzie Johnson Mauri Lawler Sandra P. Luongo5 Michael J. Masciola Thomas J. Monsell Alicia Shutack-Silliman Eugene D. Wachowski10 Kathleen Hyde Walsh Timothy P. Williams5 Myron W. Yencha Linda Boock Zanoline David J. Africa Cheryl Zack Fischer Florence Backitis Lauth Gary R. Melusen5 Beth Danzeisen Morpeth Thomas J. Morpeth Amy McCluskey Sadvary Joseph M. Santuk5 Angela Iyoob Stewart James J. Temprine Christine May Terry David J. Warnick10 Thaddeus M. Zuzik5 Contributors CLASS OF 1987 Denise Selner Bartoletti10 Michael D. Bernstein Leslie Turrell Bullock Dave Burak John A. Chipego Evelyn J. Dopko10 Carmella Butera Fereck10 Suzanne Vassia Fletcher • • • Trustee Associates Charles M. Ferguson John Wilkes Associates Valerie Kotula Alba Daniel Glunk Richard J. Myers, Jr. Katherine Potter Reynolds Steven P. Roth The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Kathleen Galli Chupka10 Paul C. Dietrich5 Francis S. Gruscavage10 Edwin M. Johnson Marcia Wachs Race5 Theodore Ruch5 Dennis W. Sholl Ann Marie Burke Sweeney Marguerite McCormick Tolan10 Blue Circle Blue Circle Alice C. Bulger10 John H. Bulger10 Thomas J. Ricko1, 5 Farley Associates William J. Buoni Karen Dragon Devine Cornelius Douris10 Greg A. Feldman Chris W. Fellin John W. Harrison John B. Hayward Scott Michenfelder5 Daniel R. Nulton10 Christine Bolcarovic Rakauskas Michael Rupp10 John P. Sedor Marc E. Shapiro Cherie Soprano Greg Trapani Contributors Linda Turowski Attardo Shirley Nelson Brough Joan Balutis Chisarick5 Michael R. Everett Joan Smith Foster Thomas R. Gasper Paul J. Isaac Kimberly Tokach Kellar Joseph M. Kultys5 Ross G. Macarty Claudia Lee Malone Michael J. Moletsky Michelle McAllister Moletsky John R. Patterson, Jr. Brenda Vassello Rehrig Alex Rendina5 Sandra A. Rendina5 Ellen R. Smith Sandra Williams5 CLASS OF 1988 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Joseph S. Briskie The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Joyce Victor Chmil5 Brian J. Dorsey Farley Associates Lisa Sigman Banta Karen M. Beretsky James S. Cross Michael F. Crusco William F. Harries Dianne Tometchko Ruch5 Ann Markowski Toole5 Chadwick E. Tuttle5 Ronald H. Ulitchney Contributors Scott Bailey James Borysowski Roy F. Boyd Walter A. Connor, III Robert Corradetti Francis E. Crowley, III5 Deborah DeCesare Duncan Michael Duncan Rosemary Bottazzi Eibach5 Wilkes | Fall 2012 John J. Woloski, Jr. Marla Brodsky Wright1 • report of gifts 41 �report of gifts • giving by class Lisa C. Jordan5 Mark Kneeream Lawrence M. Kopenis James Krupa Frederick J. Nagy William S. Peightel5 Daniel A. Perrett Dennis J. Procopio10 Marilyn C. Querci5 James H. Ralston Michelle A. Rick Craig Rome Debra Reisenweaver Schweitzer Joseph J. Snell Edward J. Sullivan Kurt A. Topfer10 Veronica Upwood Carl Vassia Don Zelek CLASS OF 1989 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Michael J. Kolessar Joel C. Kotch5 Farley Associates James J. Byrne Guangda Chu B. Jean Millard Kosh Samuel L. Perry Robert D. Sitzler10 Paul J. Sollazzo Robert D. Wachowski5 Antoinette Rajchel-Wingert5 Carl J. Zbegner Wilkes | Fall 2012 Contributors 42 Denise Sushocki Allardyce Dianne Augugliaro Bailey Robert S. Berger10 John B. Bowman Jamie P. Brasington Eugene C. Cunard John R. Davis James G. Day Nancy Hricko Divers10 Lori Vagnarelli Drozdis William R. Evanina Erik A. Everett Pauline Wagner Fisher Catherine Thomas Hauze Renee Swider Horwath5 Susan Tomasko Lacerda Douglas G. Lane Kimberly Klimek Novak Eric J. Price5 Carol Henry Raymond Robert R. Rees, Jr. Grace Collier Richmond Daniel F. Rowe Sharon Sholtis Schneider Jeffrey D. Seamans5 Adam B. Sieminski Jane Coyle Smith Amy Hopkins Snell CLASS OF 1990 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Jason D. Griggs The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Carl M. Charnetski10 Steven M. Schannauer Blue Circle Shirley Thomas Butler10 Joseph C. Smith1 Aimee A. Zaleski Tracy Goryeb Zarola1 Farley Associates Scott C. Barth Wendy Holden Gavin10 Bruce A. Huggler5 Merrel W. Neal Contributors Joan Conologue Abrams Donna Brown Argenio Joseph F. Argenio Daria Schuster Connor Joseph L. Cumbo James T. Gorman Jaime J. Jurado Andrew J. Kovalchick Sandra M. Krokos Cynthia L. Miller Mary O’Hara Mulhern Clara Stetler Noldy Mark T. Siegel10 Mark A. Sommers Staci Keiser Wiernusz Steve W. Wilson5 Stanley J. Zaneski Christopher J. Augustine Connie Breese Janice Miller Browning Thomas P. Cawley Heather A. Chelpaty Camille Bobeck Daniels Judith A. Ellis Norman E. Frederick Laurie Tappan Furfaro Stan J. Giza Victoria M. Glod10 Edward D. Gorman Dennis P. Granahan Robert S. Hiller Carol Hiscox10 Corinne Foor Kern Mark E. Liscinski Richard A. Melvin Frederick A. Mihalow Arkey Morelli Dina Gavenas Nathan Kimberly E. Nole Dawn Marie Penkala Charles D. Redding Sean P. Reilly Mary Jo Rubino Catherine H. Saporito Helane Stucker Saylock John T. Sedlak William F. Shankweiler10 Mary Ann Bobkowski Shillabeer Vaughn A. Shinkus Brian W. Thomas Adam Tillman Donna M. Wilk Linda O’Boyle Zaneski • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Martina Petrosky Schannauer John F. Sheehan, III1 Contributors Farley Associates Janine M. Becker William J Buzza Anne Kilyanek Crew Craig J. Engel5 Eric J. Knorr Jamie Mazeitis Knorr Edward J. Kwak5 Joseph G. Lannon Sarah Gaumer Neal Amy Schukis Sheehan5 Susan Adamchak Smith10 Jeffery T. Stauffer Contributors Nancy Alonzo5 Michael C. Hall Melanie O’Donnell Wade10 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Martin L. Strayer Blue Circle Catherine A. Fantini Candice Romanoski Farrell Gerald R. Winton Jeffrey J. Yankow Lillian M. Bostjancic John K. Breckner Eileen E. Colahan Cheryl A. Fritzen Steven F. Geider Robert J. Gershey Gordon R. Hartmann Rosalie D. Mancino Cecelia P. Mercuri5 Charlotte Hoffman Moser Daniel W. Moser Joelle Mrozoski5 Stephen D. Puzio5 Janice A. Raspen Kathleen Risley10 Raymond R. Russ5 David P. Saxton Helen Newton Semanski CLASS OF 1995 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Farley Associates Kathleen Moran Houlihan Joseph C. Reilly Frederick H. Addison5 Aaron D. Albert5 Melissa Margis-Kapur Rosemary LaFratte1, 5 Alisa Coviello Miller Ronald E. Miller Frank C. Mitchell Janel Oshinski5 Sally Pancheri Benito A. Tranguch, Jr. William J. Umphred, Jr. Blue Circle Susan J. Malkemes10 Jeffrey B. Slank Joseph F. Woodward Farley Associates Sabeth R. Albert5 Joseph P. McBride10 B. Richard Miller William F. Noone Christie Meyers Potera James W. Smith Contributors CLASS OF 1994 The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle The Eugene Farley Club John Wilkes Associates Farley Associates • • • Michael J. Dungan Evan G. Evans Jean K. Nepa Dearon K. Tufankjian Kathleen McGeary Umphred William B. Hanigan Virginia M. Rodechko10 The John Wilkes Society Arden J. Keller, Jr. Gary H. Meyers CLASS OF 1992 Kevin P. Kratzer5 Margaret A. Krout Suzanne K. O’Boyle Tina Oechler-Dean Steven A. Polliard Cheryl Cator Reinke Suzanne Stanski Scheible James M. Sepko Louis J. Shiber5 Patricia Y. Staskiel Stanley D. Staskiel Gina Stella-Konnick Julie DePue Vinci • • • Carol L. Burke Eugene J Colosimo John J. Comerford Colette M. Elick Holly Pitcavage Frederick Anthony A. Guidi Karl J. Hoffman Joann Hartmann Jones Lori Kuhar Marshall Ronald N. Miller5 Alfred G. Mueller Patricia A. Royer Sandra A. VanLuvender Blue Circle CLASS OF 1991 CLASS OF 1993 Contributors Ann Blaskiewicz Tina Hite Brunetti Robert J. Dean Guy A. DuBoice Martha L. Heffers David A. Hines10 Kimberly Escarge Keller10 Bruce Kerr William F. LePore William M. Murphy Thomas J. Semanek5 Linda P. Sult Judith Wienckoski Tanya Daigle Zegers • • • The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle David S. Fantini Jody P. Novitsky CLASS OF 1996 • • • Farley Associates The Eugene Farley Club Kevin M. Barno Walter R. Guss Paul J. Potera George W. Snyder5 Denise Berberick Stewart10 James A. Tricarico Lisa Wrubel Tricarico Blue Circle Vani P. Murthy10 Farley Associates Timothy P. Ahrens James F. Anoia Karen Bednarczyk Cowan1, 10 William R. Beggs Eric J. Freeland Michael J. Grasso Karen M. Grimm John J. Julius Brian W. McCoy Ali E. Qureshi5 Contributors Jolie Decker Bach Susan A. Bower James A. Bruck Charlene Klynowsky Decker Michele A. Donovan Theresa L. Granahan Gwen Groblewski Xin-Tian Hoffman 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �giving by class Contributors Kristin Burick Skiados Leanne Chamberlain Cole Christopher C. Dunbar Stephen W. Hansen10 Timothy D. Long C. Scott Magalengo Rebecca Farrington Peters Tracy Berardi Samson David E. Searfoss Richard D. Wisniewski Michael J. Zeto Deborah Andres Greco5 Michael J. Gundersdorf Karen Mazuka Hartman Mitchell N. Morgan Anne Straub Pelak10 Joseph E. Stella Peter M. Stover Timothy M. Straub Phillip J. Torres Joseph M. Walsh CLASS OF 1999 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates R. Matthew Minielly CLASS OF 1997 The Eugene Farley Club • • • Blue Circle The Eugene Farley Club Randy A. Engelman5 Sarah Karlavage Rocchio Carolyn Chronowski Lauderback Kristine Erhard Pruett10 Todd J. Vinovrski Gold Circle Karen A. Ephlin Mike P. Handley Asif M. Ilyas Michael G. Noone5 Brian Redmond Farley Associates Blue Circle Alan C. Novitsky Farley Associates Eleanor Quick Bluhm Cynthia Charnetski Bradley R. Klotz10 Scott K. Schonewolf Edmund R. Zych Contributors Louis E. Atkinson5 Robert J. Costello Mark J. Dechman10 Gary J. Kostrobala Christine Pavalkis Brett A. Sachse Jason S. Sites CLASS OF 1998 • • • The John Wilkes Society Patricia A. Brent Daniel W. Doughton Cecilia Bukowski Hibbard Adriana Espinheira Mellas Sanford J. Ungar Brandon Berretta Mary Ann Kershitsky Blosky5 Patricia Carpenetti Carpenter5 Denise M. Castellano Joanne P. Corbett Brian E. Gryboski Cynthia E. Kern Jonathan G. Laudenslager Judith Lahr Martin10 Jeff G. Moisey Matthew J. Peleschak10 Carissa Pokorny-Golden Debra DuBois Sachse5 Carl J. Witkowski Christine Tondrick Baksi Stephanie L. Bass5 Amy Beardsworth Costello 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Robert Cooney5 Maria Shahda Minielly The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Robert M. Moore5 Farley Associates Anthony J. DaRe Christina M. Van Camp Contributors • • • Contributors • • • Gold Circle CLASS OF 2000 Lisa Niewinski Ciampi Michael D. Coach I. Michael Fras Jill Fasciana McCoy George G. Pawlush Lori Ann Perch10 Donna Marie Pretko Sarah Kovacs Yoder CLASS OF 2001 Edward T. Bednarz Kelly West Bolesta Heather A. Brown Jonathan D. Ference Kimberly Hritzak Ference Ted D. Foust Scott E. Herb5 Ann Wotring Kirka Edward A. Kollar Marcy Fritz Krill5 Daniel S. Longyhore Julie L. Olenak Richard W. Seipp George M. Waschko Joseph J. Fadden Susan A. Meuser Farley Associates Harris A. Ahmad Holly Renee Baer Paul A. Binner Denise A. Skorupa David G. Bond, Jr. Norbert J. Braun5 Charles E. Brinker Michael J. Corrigan Dustin A. Daniels Jason L. Evans5 Beth Ann Gehret Jeffrey B. Hall Crystal L. Harris Cheryl L. Hersh Harry W. Hintz, Jr. Brian L. Lubenow Mary Jo Petlock Michelle Nallon Phares Alex J. Podsadlik Jessica Murray Range Kathleen Terrenoir Sachse Joan L. Schneider Jessica Niemiec Swingle Donna S. Talarico1 Margaret S. Thomas Contributors John Wilkes Associates The Eugene Farley Club Contributors The Eugene Farley Club Blue Circle Paula Gentilman Gaughan Charles D. Lemmond, Jr.5 Farley Associates Michael G. Bluhm Scott Bolesta Brandon M. Carlin Linda Chong Beverly K. Gooden5 Michael J. Krasulski, Jr. Robert J. Krehely, Jr.5 John A. Mason, Jr.5 Melissa Jo Pammer Kimberly Gross Wolfrom5 Milos Barjaktarovic Daniel Thomas Borden Michael J. Cherinka William W. Clark5 Gregory J. Collins Elizabeth Shultz Conklin Shanna Henninger Dawson5 Dennis M. Fox Megan A. Frey Sheakoski Sharon A. Haffey Brian R. Judge5 Stacy Geiger Mesics10 Christine A. Nestlerode Judy A. Sawka Patricia Hopfer Sebastianelli Lisa K. Shafer1 Jason Sheakoski Heather Barnes Shinkus Kevin S. Siegel Rosemarie C. Sochka Christopher J. Talecki Robert A. Waite Elizabeth A. Yablonski Mary E. Ziegler CLASS OF 2002 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle J. Bartholomay Grier5 Blue Circle James T. Best5 Farley Associates Michael C. Hetzel Contributors Alicia A. Cymbala Beth Danner Kinslow1, 10 Todd B. Hastings Shambhu Jaiswal Heidi D. Landis John Leedock Paul Marciano Douglas K. Mountz Geremia J Palmaioli Palmina B. Pavlico John J. Price Jean R. Sartin10 Anthony J. Stavenski, III Michael Verton Mark J. Waskovich Gregory A. Wojnar Michael W. Ziegler CLASS OF 2003 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Robert E. Gebhard J. Robert Kauffman Timothy E. Letcher5 Jill Rogers Marquette James L. McCarthy5 Nicole L. Neidlinger Brooke Shreaves Rollman CLASS OF 2004 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates Stephanie Smith Cooney5 Eric J. Pape5 The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Emily Bly Richard Budnick5 Michael V. Burke Elizabeth Carp Bernotavicius Brandon M. Clark Selena Bednarz Clark Gabrielle Lamb D’Amico Kristopher S. Fayock Mark D. Hulme10 Michael J. Liberski5 Michael F. Mattern Jessica L. Mehring Jean V. Perrot Jill A. Topalanchik Contributors David R. Borofski5 Rebecca J. Broyan Carla L. Conner Kenneth G. Huelbig Robert S. Keeney Kristin Hake Klemish Ryan Klemish Jason Kotsko Wichitah P. Leng Tiffany Leptuck Meadows Rosemary Luksha Teresa Genna Marszalek Eileen L. Mathias5 Kristin Yarrish McMahon Kevin Moran Shannon M. Myers Daniel A. Rempp5 Colleen M. Rock Judy A. Schappe Joseph J. Stein5 Loretta A. Tambasco Frank L. Walton Julia Gordon Wojnar Sarah Bogusko Yencha John J. Zelena Kenneth C. W. Zenkert Contributors Matthew J Berger Mary Ann R. Boyce Adrienne Williams Camp Heather Chapman Fanucci Laura Rudzinski Dickson Joseph T. Dombroski James B. Ford Ronald J. Geise Jeremy M. Gerber Patrick Hanlon Kathleen A. Harris Andrea Hinestrosa Kimmet John A. Murphy Thomas R. Rebuck Kristin L. Roberts Kristen Graver Rudelitch Edward N. Sartin10 Kevin R. Sickle1 Matthew J. Yencha CLASS OF 2005 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Gordon S. Smoko Farley Associates Stephen T. Bortz Allisa Bowen Waschko Maria T. Currier Bridget Giunta Husted Vincent A. Hartzell5 April Kaczmarczyk Letcher5 Michael J. Marquette Leah Nawrocki Jennifer L. Pawleshyn Kimberly Whipple Pietropola Cathleen A. Zanghi5 Wilkes | Fall 2012 Rose Tammaro Smith Tammy Swartwood Noone Grant F. Yoder • report of gifts 43 �report of gifts • giving by class Contributors Elena D. Archer Matthew A. Begansky Michael G. Benulis Sabrina Naples Benulis Emily E. Bilbow Daniel P. Cook Stephanie R. Corrigan Jillian L. Ford Pamela A. Geisinger Kimberly A. Glass Linda L. Korbeil Amber Lawson Comstock Gabriel B. LeDonne Melissa Merok Leedock Sarah Williams Leng Melissa A. Maybe Robert Mesaros Julian C. Morales5 William B. Palmer Francis E. Quinn Tiffany Santarelli Brent Sergent Renee Kotz Sipple Daniel Smith Mary Ellen Sullivan Elizabeth Roveda Swantek Brett J. Trichilo Jarred Weaver Patricia Wilson Nicole Ripper Zeiser CLASS OF 2006 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Jennifer Compton Catella Kristen Dulick Hartzell5 Lauren Y. Pluskey1, 5 Jared M. Shayka5 Contributors Wilkes | Fall 2012 Natalie M. Baur Jason J. Bozinko Michael A. Bridy Sara Toole Buck Denise M. Cole Carol Deane-Gardner Tiffany B. Duda Michael Fox Kofi Gbomita Julie A. Gilbert Gina Tempesta Gliniecki Sara M. Grab5 Richard J. Hannick Sarah Herbert Hannick Michael D. Kulikoski Amanda E. Lewis5 Megan Mance Ryan Milford Amos T. Odeleye Michael J. Pedley Alexus Buck Rapp 44 Elizabeth C. Sabatini Christine M. Wagner Amanda Williams Anthony Zigmont Blue Circle Katherine Baas McClave Farley Associates Michael F. Malkemes5 Jonathan M. McClave Amy M. Patton Christine G. Corser Danielle M. Dallazia Michael Hadginske Rebecca Santoro Hetzel Danielle K. Kern Sarah A. Miller Wendy Marek Murphy5 Timothy S. Nolt Erin M. Simpson Aniello B Tambasco Kristin M. Wempa Farley Associates Contributors Matthew A. LoPresto Meagan E. Harkness Adrienne M. Richards Lauren Solski Kimberly Metka Welsh Lynn M. Bachstein Stephanie Victor Begansky David J. Beretski Edward J. Buck Adam Butler Christina M. Butler Megan A. Cannon Michael A. Chmiola Adam F. Dick Darin P. Dolan Anthony T. Giuffrida Stacie M. Gogo Maria Grandinetti William G. Heinz Gerard M. Hetman Marc D. Honrath Michael A. Hrynenko, Jr.5 Henry Hunsinger Michael S. Lewis Karyn E. Perestam Kristin A. Pisano Craig R. Rein Georgina A. Robinson Amy L. Sekol Molly K. Sidoti Elizabeth W. Smith Nicholas A. Steidl Sondra N. Steinruck Joshua S. Swantek Keerthi Kaushik Tarani Nicholas A. Testa James D. Welch Kate E. Willis Libby J. Wray Susan V. Zavistoski CLASS OF 2007 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle John Mishanski, Jr. Blue Circle Contributors Vincent A. Abbott Karen Atiyeh Kristi M. Barsby Katherine Broda Booth Karena Zdeb Brace Timothy Butzek Leah D. Cochran Mario A. Cozzubbo, III Melissa Shedlock English Anthony B. Gatto Julie A. Graby Gerald J. Gurka Keith D. Halechko Erica Hardiman-Yanchik Matthew R. Hawk Kathryn Strawderman Heinz Karen Wesolowski Houck Nora E. Jurasits John Lawzano Michael Leaman Jonathan J. Morgan Nolly Nash Lauren M. Peters Joshua R. Savitski Jennifer L. Scanlon Jonathan H. Schwartz5 Melany Stanford Jill Bordell Stone Rebecca Storer-Zenkert Jenna Strzelecki1, 5 Gretchen Yeninas CLASS OF 2008 • • • The Eugene Farley Club CLASS OF 2009 • • • The Eugene Farley Club Gold Circle Jason W. Wagner Gold Circle Blue Circle Jack J. Chielli Alexander Sperrazza Jennifer L. Russell To make a gift, contact Lauren Y. Pluskey ’06, MBA ’10, Director of Annual Giving (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4331 or lauren.pluskey@wilkes.edu Deatrice R.S. Lowe Lauretta O’Hara Jennifer W. Powell Bianca Sabia Erin M. Schaeffer Roberta J. Shaffer Mary Balavage Simmons1 Evan Soda Brian E. Switay Delores R. Walski Erin L. Walters Chelsea Weinstein Jason R. Woloski Ashley Yob Bernard F. Kosek, Jr.5 Joshua S. Pauling James A. Smith, III Farley Associates Karen M. Alessi Melissa E. Bugdal Kathleen M. Dalton Stephen M. Davies Michele D. Garrison Harleen Guraya Contributors Jeffrey A. Bauman Amanda Cawley Elizabeth A. Clark Emily R. Dalton Andrew J. Durako Trudylee Fisher-Carboni Michellle L. Garman Melissa L. Jones Amanda R. Karaffa Brianne R. Kline Kimberly L. Leibel Allison A. Malloy Donna M. Mandes Veronica N. Marzonie Sean K. Moyer Christina Grzenda Murakami Gayle M. Patterson David M. Sborz1 Ann E. Searfoss Angela M. Swartchick James P. Walko Nancy A. Weeks5 Todd P. Weibel Eric S. Wetzel Felixa J. Wingen Alison Woody Christine L. Zavaskas CLASS OF 2011 • • • The John Wilkes Society President’s Circle Kerry M. Speziale The Eugene Farley Club Farley Associates Patricia A. Florio Santino A. Gabos Tracy A. Kaster Craig P. Thomas5 Adam C. Welch Contributors Valentina M. Beneski April M. Bielinski Francesco Castronovo Kassandra R. Confer Adam B. Coombs Russell J. Dehaut Nicholas J. DiPaolo Deanna M. Drako Kathleen Edwards Anthony Ferrese Jennifer A. Fitzmaurice Shawn M. Gibbins Amanda M. Gruszewski Anne B. Henry Trevor D. Hirsh Sherri A. Homanko Tyler L. Howe Amanda J. Kemmerer Philip D. LaBell Julianne Lawson Jacqueline Lukas Emily Massa Diane R. Milano Samuel R. Miller Peter J. Phillips Melissa M. Polchinski Christopher P. Rachor Allison S. Roth William Schweitzer Teresa M. Stavenski Peggy A. Szekeres Michelle Taylor EmmaLee S. Vecere Kathryn L. Welsh Jonathan L. Wilbur CLASS OF 2010 • • • The John Wilkes Society John Wilkes Associates James L. Merryman10 Blue Circle Joseph M. Farrell Farley Associates Stephen Alessi Adam J. Bachman Rachel Curtis Rachel E. Duda Jordan Semar Kathleen Spenik Contributors Samantha Bartolomei Michael J.C. Beil Jennifer D. Bokal Ryan Bracey Katie Buckley Coley Burke Nicole A. Cairns Shirl Cordero Brandan Diemand Austin Foulk Nicole R. Frail Michael J. Frank Sarah Hartman Nancy Mitchell Hludzik Maureen O. Hooker Stephen J. Kline Kurt Kuklewicz Thomas D. Longenecker 1 Class 5 5 Chair or more years of consecutive giving 10 or more years of consecutive giving * Deceased 10 �Senior Class Gift • report of gifts SENIOR Mohammed M. Aburiyaleh Justine M. Adams Krysten L. Alba Devin Albrecht Marwa T. Aldaraweish Katelyn N. Aldinger Heather L. Anderline Shauna Anderson Thomas A. Andresen Leamarie Archery Aubree L. Amezzani Linzey A. Astleford Jolie D. Bach Ryan S. Baicher Justin J. Balint Christopher G. Barna Jason W. Benjamin Maura J. Bernosky Joseph A. Bideganeta Jillian Blair Katie R. Blose Jefferson G. Bohan Miranda Bonetsky Monique A. Bredbenner Jordan C. Brown Heather L. Bryski Gary Buczynski Brian A. Burden Benjamin B. Caiola Joseph B. Chrismer IV Carissa M. Clark Megan M. Clementson Albert H. Clocker Kassandra R. Confer Whitney R. Connolly Cory C. Conrad Colleen M. Conway Sara K. Cosgrove Sean M. Cox Daina M. Curcio Jordan M. D’Emilio Diana Da Silva Anthony S. Dattolo Lindsey T. Davenport Justin A. DeSanto Barbara DiCaprio Alana C. Donnelly Adrienne Dorcent Todd Eagles Brianna C. Edgar Matthew D. Ellery Brittany J. Ely Johnny Espinoza Shane C. Everett Stephen M. Exeter Christopher R. Fadule Marrissa D. Fedor Lindsey A. Fernald Seth S. Fetterolf Christa B. Filipkowski Ms. Kathryn L. Fissel Jeffrey B. Ford Kerri L. Frail Bethany Freed Jessica L. Freeman Jaclyn M. Gadomski Megan M. Gallagher Rebecca A. Gallaher Charles N. Gambo Courtney L. Gans Shadae S. Gates Justin M. Gentile Stephanie L. Gerhat Thomas B. Goldberg Laura V. Gonzales William W. Gouger Cara R. Goughenour Rachel F. Greenlaw Amanda G. Arthur Anthony C. Griseto Genelle N. Gunderson Adam M. Guzik Robert A. Hackenberg Charlotte E. Hacker Osama A. Hameed Gousfin Hanna James R. Harcher Stephanie M. Harkins Robert J. Hillibush Bridget M. Hine Tyler Hippeli Carolyn A. Holecek Jeromy M. Hrabovecky Jeffrey D. Hughes Miles Q. Humenansky Timothy B. Husty Katie M. Jescavage Matthew R. Jones Caitlin M. Jordan Yelena O. Karpeshov Bernard J.Kasteleba Kathleen R. Kearns Julia E. Keefer Michael J. Kegerise Maura C. Kelly Melissa L. Kirwan Melanie K. Koslosky Bridget C. Krukovitz Cody J. Kustrin Bradley M. Kuzawinski Philip D. LaBell Jared R. Lacefield Felicia E. LeClair Kali A. Leach Christopher S. Lehman Kayla M. Leibensperger Alison Lin Benjamin R. Lockwood Lisa M. Lombardo Philip W. Loscombe Samantha L. Lynam John J. Malachowski Allison A. Malloy ’09 Gina M. Manganiello Christopher D. Manzi Benjamin M. Marich Justin M. Marino John Matteo Courtney D. Matus Gabriel McAuley Kaitlyn M. McGurk Daniel V. McLoughlin Christian M. Medek Chelsea T. Minix Anna M. Mitchell James H. Moore Erin D. Morrissey Brendon J. Myer Jonathan D. Nagar Marcella M. Naguib Erica A. Naperkowski Jared J. Nesi Janelle K. Nye Michael D. Olerta Caitlin A. Olvany Adria Parsons Arpita R. Patel Whitney M. Patrusevich Robert E. Paxson Laura A. Perkins Justine H. Pevec Andrew R. Picatagi Thomas W. Plessl Nicole H. Pollock Jessika L. Popowitz Matthew T. Powers Breanne Ralston Holland R. Ramaley Jennifer Renta Gerbeys B. Roa Kimberly C. Rogers Allison M. Romanski Kyle K. Rountree Rachel M. Rovinski Lindsay C. Rowland Matthew J. Ruch Jared M. Sabol Jeffrey Samselski Jessica E. Sanders Craig Santoski Cortny M. Sasserson Gia N. Scavo Nicole R. Schiffner Garrett T. Schrader Ian A. Schreffler Alyssa L. Seiden Daniel J. Sekera Sarah A. Seman Rebekah L. Shanaman Jessica A. Shaw Kathleen M. Shedden Victoria A. Sheldon William A. Sisca Jacob R. Snell Andrew J. Sobiesiak Caitlin Sobota Craig J. Solomon Yasmine P. Solomon Nicholas R. Soroka Nina M. Sparacino Lindsey M. Speck Shane M. Stanek Michael L. Steever Jr. Kyle Stoy Matthew K. Sullivan Noah Svoboda Suzanne Szewczyk Rachael A. Talpash Anthony C. Thomas Ashley M. Thorpe Zachary J. Tivald Victor L. Trentacost Andrew C. Trout Chelsea E. Uselding Justina M. Van Allen John L. Verrant Nelson R. Villalta Elizabeth J. Voda Jaclyn E. Volpe Michelle E. Wakeley Amy Wascavage Benjamin E. Webb Amanda A. Westgate Clayton M. Wicks Ryan P. Wilson Michael S. Witek Erin Wolfe Kayla A. Wolfe Kyle P. Wylezik Danielle Wysokinski Danielle Yaros John A. Yavorski Jr. Harry N. Zinskie Edward J. Zulkoski Wilkes | Fall 2012 Class Gift 45 �report of gifts • the marts society Alumni, friends and benefactors have played a sustaining role in the future of the University and its students through bequests and other charitable estate plans. The Marts Society recognizes the increasing number of contributors participating in gift planning programs to benefit Wilkes University. Membership in The Marts Society is attained through the commitment of any THE Marts Society number of planned gifts, including bequests, charitable trusts, gift annuities, gifts of property with retained life estate, life insurance policies and retirement plan accounts. Many of these gift vehicles allow donors to contribute cash or appreciated assets to benefit Wilkes while earning income during their lifetime. The Marts Society was named in honor of Dr. Arnaud C. and Anne McCartney Marts. Dr. Marts became President of Bucknell University in 1935 and was instrumental in maintaining Bucknell University Junior College in Wilkes-Barre during the Depression years. Because he believed in the service offered to the young people of the Wyoming Valley, Dr. Marts provided the support and leadership the fledgling institution needed Wilkes | Fall 2012 to become self-sustaining. Dr. Marts established a trust in 1964, which provided a 46 Anonymous Anonymous George I. Alden Trust Estate of Agnes C. Alderdice ’58 Barbara Zatcoff Allan Estelle B. Andrews ’69 Estate of Richard & Ellen E. Ayre Anthony J. Bartuska* Doris Gorka Bartuska, M.D. ’49 Estate of Paul B. Beers ’53 Estate of Helen E. Berryman George Bierly ’40 Betty Kanarr Bierly ’50* Estate of Tom A. Bigler Estate of Catherine H. Bone Estate of Therese Brennan Lee & Louise Brown Trust Dr. Mary E. Brown ’62 Charles S. Butler ’59 Dr. & Mrs. Robert A. Byrne ’72 Richard G. Cantner ’68 Bruce R. Cardon Trust Estate of Donald F. & Louise C. Carpenter John M. Cefaly ’70 Dr. Jesse H. Choper ’57 Estate of Thomas J. Coburn ’49 Lawrence E. Cohen ’57 Estate of Eleanor Kazmercyk Cornwell ’53 Estate of Colonel William Corbett Estate of Samuel M. Davenport, III ’59 Estate of Fred H. Davies Stanley & Patricia S. Davies Thomas J. Deitz Estate of Charles & Sadie Donin Estate of Dr. Sylvia Dworski Estate of Isadore & Getha Edelstein Estate of R. Carl Ernst ’58 Josephine Eustice Estate of Annette Evans Estate of Rulison Evans Barbara Medland Farley ’50 Estate of Attorney & Mrs. George L. Fenner, Jr. Estate of Harry Fierverker ’49 The Honorable J. Harold Flannery ’55* Barbara Flannery Walter R. Fleet Shirley Rees Fleet ’49 Estate of Stephen L. Flood ’66 Don C. Follmer, M.D. ’50 Estate of Eleanor S. Fox ’35 Richard Fuller, Ph.D. Estate of Dr. William Louis Gaines Joseph G. Galli ’81 Joseph E. (Tim) and Patty Gilmour Barry D. Gintel ’62 Amy D. Goss ’97 Jane Norton Granitzki ’59 Estate of Charlotte Reif Gregory Dr. Benjamin Grella ’65 Doris Woody Grella Estate of William B. Griffith Brynly R. Griffiths Trust Jason D. Griggs ’90 Alfred Groh ’41 Jane Lampe-Groh J. Douglas Haughwout ’64 Louise S. Hazeltine ’44 Estate of Enid Hershey ’66 Frederick J. Hills ’59 Harry R. Hiscox, Esquire ’51 Beverly A. Hiscox ’58 Judith Hopkins ’55 Estate of Richard & Frances Hyde Arthur E. Imdorf ’55 Estate of Evelyn Isserman Henry C. Johnson ’40 Estate of Mildred N. Johnson Leo R. Kane ’55 Estate of Bronis J. Kaslas, Ph.D. Stanley B. Kay, Ph.D. Bryn E. Kehrli ’69 Richard B. Kent, M.D. ’55 Mr. & Mrs. John S. Kerr ’72 John J. Kleynowski ’67 Richard O. Kniffen ’65 Estate of Eugene T. Kolezar Estate of Drs. Francis & Lidia Kopernik lifetime income for Mrs. Marts after his death. Upon her death in 1994, more than $2 million was gifted to the University, which helped to make possible the addition to campus of the Arnaud C. Marts Sports and Conference Center. For more information on becoming a member of The Marts Society, please contact the Planned Giving Office at 570-408-7833 or 1-800-WILKES-U, ext. 7833 or visit our website at www.wilkes.edu/pages/715.asp. Estate of Mary R. Koons Marian Zaledonis Kovacs ’68 Estate of Helen Lazarus Glenn F. Leiter Dr. Arlen R. Lessin Estate of Dr. Edithe J. Levit ’45 Estate of Rose G. Liebman ’37 Estate of Madeline R. Magee Buck Mallan ’71 Estate of Anne Marts John A. Mason M’00 Dr. Leonard J. Mather ’54 George J. Matz ’71 Gerard A. McHale, Jr. ’67 Estate of Ruth Williams McHenry ’49 Clifford K. Melberger Ruth Boroom Melberger ’62 Estate of Robert H. Melson ’35 Joshua G. ’02 & Karen M. Mendoza ’02 John R. (Jack) Miller ’68 Estate of Charles H. Miner, Jr. Esq. John C. & Mabel Mosteller Trust Estate of Elizabeth Sandish Montgomery Estate of Dorothy R. Morgan Estate of Jessie L. Morgan Paul D. Morgis ’70 Regina L. Morse ’82 Estate of Herbert J. Morris Estate of Walter E. Mokychic ’50 Estate of J. Donald Munson Estate of John J. Musto ’57 Estate of Wilbur A. Myers Martin J. Naparsteck ’69 Lois Schwartz Nervitt ’61 Barbara W. Nixon ’71 Mariea Barbella Noblitt ’73 Estate of William P. Orr, III Geraldine Nesbitt Orr Estate of Alberta A. Ostrander Mr. & Mrs. Richard L. Pearsall Lawrence B. Pelesh ’50 Peter W. Perog ’60 F. Charles Petrillo, Esq. ’66 Marion Boyle Petrillo ’70 Estate of Ann Phillips Dr. Cummings* & Trudy Piatt Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Piskorik ’68 Henry B. & Edith M. Plumb Trust Estate of Frieda Pogoreloff Estate of Roy H. Pollack Helen Bitler Ralston ’52 Janice A. Raspen ’92 Estate of Ford A. Reynolds William H. Rice ’48 Estate of Ruth A. Richards Arnold & Sandy Rifkin Estate of Harriet P. Ripley Dr. Jessie A. Roderick ’56 Harold Rosenn, Esq. Sallyanne Rosenn ’42 Eugene Roth, Esq. ’57 Estate of Rae Roth Donald J. Sackrider Mr. & Mrs. Louis Santoro ’83 Janice A. Saunders ’70 Joseph J. Savitz, Esq. ’48 Marian R. Schaeffer Trust Estate of Nathan Schiowitz Rollie & Marge Schmidt Marvin* & Stella Schub Estate of Willard R. Shaw ’48 Daniel Sherman ’50 Estate of Charles E. Shook ’68 Estate of Frances D. Shotwell Estate of Dr. George J. Siles ’57 Mr. Herbert B. Simon Estate of Margaret Mary Sites Estate of Gordon A. Smith Nancy Hancock Smith Andrew F. Sofranko, Jr. ’68 Estate of Joseph Sooby, Jr. ’49 Dr. & Mrs. Charles A. Sorber ’59 Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Spinelli ’76 Mr. & Mrs. Frank Stanitski Dr. Albert J. Stratton ’49 Joseph A. Sullivan ’51 William H. Tremayne ’57 Dr. Lester J. Turoczi Estate of Constance McCole Umphred Estate of Marie A. Umphred Estate of John A. Vail Estate of Edward A. Venzel ’54 Estate of Walter F. Vorbleski Estate of Ann Brennan Wagner Estate of Esther Weckesser Walker Estate of Marne Lou Weaver ’73 Douglas W. Weber ’67 Estate of Wesley Wilkes Bruce R. Williams, D.O. ’82 Estate of Daniel E. Williams ’44 Estate of John F. Wozniak ’61 Estate of William H. Young Emery & Mamie Ziegler Trust * Deceased �endowed named scholarships • report of gifts ENDOWED NAMED Scholarships Below is the current list of endowed and annual scholarships available to Wilkes students. Please go to www.wilkes.edu/scholarships for descriptions on these a or for more information on how to establish or contribute to a scholarship, contact Evelyne Topfer, Director of Advancement Operations, at (800) Mohamad Abraham Scholarship Agnes C. Alderdice ’58 Scholarship Vincent and Martha Aleo Scholarship Alumni Association Scholarship Paul J. Arthur ’53 and Margaret T. Arthur Scholarship David Ayers Scholarship Fund Richard and Ellen Ayre Memorial Scholarship Ballet Society of Wyoming Valley Scholarship Kevin Edward Barker Memorial Scholarship Grant H. Barlow Memorial Scholarship Dr. Alfred W. Bastress Scholarship Ethel G. and Alvan E. Baum Scholarship George Thompson and Sara Wolfe Bell Scholarship Frederic E. Bellas Endowed Scholarship Samuel Berk Memorial Scholarship William Bernhard Scholarship William D. Berryman Scholarship Fund Michael J. Bogdon, III Scholarship Rose Brader Scholarship Christopher N. and Jane M. Breiseth Scholarship Joyce Porter and Norton Millard Breiseth Scholarship Genevieve Todd Brennan Memorial Scholarship Charles N. Burns, Sr., M.D. ’35 Scholarship Robert S. Capin Scholarship in Accounting Bruce R. Cardon and Charlotte J. Cardon Memorial Scholarship Walter S. Carpenter Scholarship in Engineering J. Blanchard Carr and Hildegarde Finger Carr Scholarship John J. Chwalek, Sr. Scholarship Class of 1970 Scholarship Alumni and Friends of Communications Scholarship Conyngham Post No. 97, Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Pennsylvania, Scholarship Elena Lucretia Cornaro Scholarship Alfred Franklin D’Anca, M.D. Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. S. M. Davenport Scholarship Esther and William Davidowitz Scholarship Anthony J. DiMichele Memorial Scholarship Seymour A. Dimond Scholarship Charles and Sadie Donin Memorial Scholarship George F. Elliot Memorial Scholarship Sylvia Dworski, Ph.D. Scholarship Isadore and Getha Edelstein Scholarship WILKES-U Ext. 4309 or evelyne.topfer@wilkes.edu. Dr. John Henry Ellis, IV Scholarship Mahmoud H. Fahmy, PH.D. Scholarship John Faneck ’50 Scholarship Fund Eugene S. and Eleanor Coates Farley Scholarship David R. Fendrick Scholarship Chlora Fey Scholarship Harry and Gloria Farkas Fierverker Scholarship David J. Findora ’70 Memorial Scholarship Stephen L. Flood ’66 Scholarship Muriel S. Follmer Scholarship Sarah Catherine Ford Adult Learner Scholarship Fortinsky Scholarship Sidney and Pauline Friedman Scholarship Sandy A. Furey Memorial Scholarship Carlton H. Garinger Memorial Scholarship William R. Gasbarro Scholarship Mildred Gittins Memorial Scholarship Cathy Lynn Glatzel ’86 Nursing Scholarship Elizabeth and Albert Grabarek Memorial Scholarship Fund Henry and Sylvia Greenwald Scholarship Brynly R. Griffiths Scholarship Jason ’90 and Tamara Griggs Scholarship Margaret Mary Hagelgans Memorial Scholarship Edward G. Hartmann, Ph.D. ’35 Scholarship George Hayes of Windsor Scholarship Patricia Boyle Heaman and Robert J. Heaman Scholarship William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Hugh G. & Edith Henderson Scholarship Klaus Holm Scholarship Arthur J. and Nancy B. Hoover Scholarship Andrew J. Hourigan, Jr., Esq. Scholarship Sherry Every Hudick Memorial Scholarship Jewish War Veterans, Wilkes-Barre Post 212 Scholarship Harvey and Mildred Johnson Scholarship Fund William D. Jonathan Memorial Scholarship Dr. Dilys Martha Jones & Thomas Evan Jones Scholarship John D. Kearney Memorial Scholarship Grace C. Kimball Scholarship in Biology Harold J. Harris, M.D. - Angeline Elizabeth Kirby Memorial Health Center Scholarship Kaslas-Sheporaitis Educational Scholarship Fund Edith M. Kent Scholarship Eugene T. Kolezar Scholarship Francis A. and Maryann V. Kopen Scholarship Christopher Kopernik Scholarship Koral’s Fashion Scholarship KPMG/John R. Miller Scholarship Esther Lamb Scholarship Jane Lampe-Groh Scholarship William Langfelder Scholarship Letter Women’s Club Scholarship LF Brands, Inc. Scholarship Anne Vanko Liva Scholarship Charlotte V. Lord Scholarship Kathryn H. MacAvoy Scholarship in Nursing Will F. and Regina D. Maguire Scholarship Kathleen Hartzell Mailander Scholarship in Nursing Anthony D. Marseco Scholarship Fund Arnaud Cartwright Marts Scholarship Frances and Louis Maslow Memorial Scholarship Robert J. McBride Memorial Scholarship McGowan Scholarship Ruth W. and John T. McHenry Scholarship in Nursing Marilyn McQuestion-Kay Memorial Scholarship Norris Church Mailer Scholarship Ruth Boorom Melberger ’62 Scholarship Miller Family Scholarship Elizabeth Sandish Montgomery and George Heron Montgomery Scholarship Thomas J. Moran Scholarship in Journalism Dr. Jaroslav G. Moravec Memorial Scholarship Mabel and John C. Mosteller Scholarship Sarah D. Moyer Memorial Scholarship Harry J. Moyle ’58 Scholarship Donald and Marion Munson Scholarship Dr. Umid R. Nejib and Omar U. Nejib ’92 Memorial Scholarship Lee A. Namey ’68 Scholarship Taft Achilles Rosenberg Naparsteck Scholarship Wilkes | Fall 2012 ENDOWED NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS 47 �report of gifts • endowed named scholarships Wilkes | Fall 2012 O’Hop Family Scholarship Overlook Estate Foundation Scholarship Ellen Webster Palmer Scholarship Patel Scholarship Peking Chef Scholarship for International Understanding Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Northeast Chapter Scholarship Pennsylvania’s Last Frontiersman Scholarship Peter W. Perog, CPA ’60 Scholarship Craig C. Piatt Memorial Scholarship Henry Blackman Plumb and Edith Plumb Scholarship Frieda Pogoreloff Scholarship Roy H. Pollack Memorial Scholarship Kenneth L. Pollock Scholarship George and Helen Ralston Scholarship Charles B. Reif Scholarship for the Biological Sciences Ruth A. Richards Scholarship Thomas Richards Scholarship Lillian Wilkins Rinehimer R.N. Scholarship Dr. James Rodechko Scholarship in History Dr. Samuel A. Rosenberg Memorial Scholarship Sydney and Theodore Rosenberg Scholarship Joseph H. Salsburg Scholarship Amedeo Obici and Thomas P. Sangiuliano Scholarship Dolores E. and Francis Sangiuliano Scholarship Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Paul Sangiuliano Abe and Sylvia Savitz Family Scholarship Fund Nathan Schiowitz Scholarship in Nursing Scholarship to Start Education (SSE) Robert Marc Schub Memorial Scholarship Louis Shaffer Memorial Scholarship Bruce and Bessie Shaw Scholarship Alan David Sherman Scholarship Frances D. Shotwell Memorial Scholarship Samuel H. Shotwell Memorial Scholarship Mark Slomowitz Memorial Scholarship 48 Merritt W. and Marjory R. Sorber Scholarship Stanley F. and Helen Stawicki Memorial Scholarship Surdna Foundation Scholarship George F. and Ruth M. Swartwood Scholarship Cromwell E. and Beryl Thomas Outstanding Junior Scholarship Reed P. and Dorothy Travis Memorial Scholarship Dr. Norma Sangiuliano Tyburski Scholarship Dr. and Mrs. Stanley J. Tyburski Endowed Scholarship Francis A. Umphred Memorial Scholarship Dorothy G. and Edward A. Venzel ’54 Memorial Scholarship Esther Weckesser Walker Scholarship Robert A. West Scholarship in Education Daniel S. Wilcox, Jr. Scholarships in Accounting Wilkes University Faculty Women and Wives Club Scholarship Myvanwy Williams Theater Scholarship William H. and Ruth W. Young Scholarship Ira B. Zatcoff Memorial Scholarship Emery and Mamie Ziegler Scholarship ANNUAL NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS Nicholas L. Alesandro ’63 Scholarship Bergman Foundation Scholarship Choice One Community Credit Union Scholarship Jennifer Diskin M’06 Memorial Scholarship Mary E. Dougherty Memorial Scholarship Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ’58 Scholarship Intermetro Industries Scholarship Mark J. Jasulevicz ’91 Memorial Scholarship David W. Kistler, M.D. Scholarship Charles Mattei, P.E. Scholarship Fund PA Society of Public Accountants, NE Chapter Scholarship Polish Room Committee Scholarship Patricia “Patsy” Reese Nursing Scholarship William H. Rice ’48 Scholarship A. Rifkin & Company Scholarship Joseph M. Roszko ’68 Scholarship Lawrence W. Roth Memorial Scholarship Richard M. Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Scholarship Judianne Stanitski Annual Scholarship Sidhu School Outstanding Leaders Scholarship United Parcel Service Foundation Scholarship Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club Scholarship Wilkes LGBTQ Scholarship Wyoming Valley Health Care System Medical Staff Annual Scholarship FUTURE SCHOLARSHIPS Louise Brown Scholarship Citizens Voice Scholarship Crahall Foundation Scholarship Honorable Jeffry Gallet ’64 Memorial Scholarship Joseph E. and Patty Gilmour Scholarship Kathy Price Kautter ’72 Scholarship Dr. Mary A. Kaiser ’70 Memorial Scholarship Lois Schwartz Nervitt ’61 Scholarship Theresa A. Nowinski-Leiter Scholarship Ronald ’68 and Hazel Piskorik Scholarship Billy “Boog” Powell Scholarship Joanne Raggi Scholarship William H. Rice ’48 Scholarship Sallyanne and Harold Rosenn Scholarship Fund Joseph J. Savitz, Esq. ’48 Scholarship Richard M. Smith and Lissa Bryan-Smith Scholarship Judith and Leslie P. Weiner, MD ’57 Scholarship Matthew J. Zukoski, Ph.D. ’86 Memorial Scholarship �ACHIEVING Thank you to the more than 100 alumni, businesses and friends who have supported of the new Science Building as of August 29, 2012. Their generous support has helped raise nearly $12 million toward the $20 million goal of the Achieving Our Destiny Campaign. For a complete list of donors, photos of the building progress, and more information on how you can participate, go to www.wilkes.edu/achieve. The following contributors have pledged their support to the new science building since May 7, 2012: In Their Own Words How Donors and Students are Creating the Future of Science at Wilkes “Wilkes gave me the education and life skills that I needed in order to succeed beyond my time there. As a recent alumnus, I decided to contribute to the campaign because I believe the science curriculum and faculty are second to none. When you give, you’re helping improve your alma mater as well as current students.” – Eric Pape O.D. ’04, is an optometrist with HealthDrive Medical Practices who resides in Astoria, N.Y. Mr. Philip Besler ’76 & Mrs. Carolann Gusgekofski Besler ‘76 Blasi Printing Corporation Mrs. Bettijane Long Eisenpreis ‘57 Dr. Holly Frederick ’93 Dr. George B. Gettinger 72 & Mrs. Lindsay Farley Gettinger ‘73 Mr. Warren “Pete” Greenberg ‘62 Dr. Richard B. Kent ‘55 Mr. & Mrs. Justin Kraynack Dr. Justin Matus “The new science building will add laboratory space for research projects that many students must conduct, such as the work I’m doing in Dr. Kadlec’s genetics lab. I greatly appreciate all of the generous contributions from donors and hope that they will be pleased with its usage for future research.” – Connor Zale ’15 is a sophomore biology major from Clarks Summit, Pa. Connor is the recipient of the 2012 Alumni Association Scholarship and plans to enter the health care field. He assists Dr. Lisa Kadlec, assistant professor, biology, with her research. Mr. & Mrs. John L. Pesta Mr. Kenneth R. Schaefer & Mrs. Constance Kamarunas Schaefer ’56 Mrs. Janet Neiman Seeley ‘70 Service Electric Cable TV and Communications Mr. Russell G. Shallcross ’67 & Mrs. Diane Wynne Shallcross ‘67 Dr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Smith ’90 Dr. Salvatore M. Valenti ‘58 “The new science center is a major breakthrough for a small university. It will allow Wilkes to attract accomplished, high-level professors as well as the best and brightest students. Attracting excellent students raises the bar for everyone at Wilkes—not just science majors. The amount and kind of research that students can be involved in with a facility of this kind has limitless possibilities.” – Carolann Gusgekofski Besler ’76 received her education degree from Wilkes. She and her husband Phil ’76, reside in Loveladies, N.J. Join these donors in supporting facilities for the next generation of science students at Wilkes University! To learn more, please visit: www.wilkes.edu/achieve. �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events October 9-21 Sordoni Art Gallery exhibit, Rosalyn Richards – Recent Works 11-14 Fall Recess 18 Catherine H. Bone Lecture in Chemistry, Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann, 7 p.m., 101 Stark Learning Center 21 2012 Rosenn Lecture, Cory Booker, Newark Mayor, 7:30 p.m., Dorothy Dickson Darte Center Empty Bowls event, benefiting local food banks, 28 Henry Student Center, 1-4 p.m. November Alumni Event, New York City ShaunT, creator of Insanity workout, master class, 1-5 p.m., Rec Center, University Center on Main 7 The Drs. Robert S. and Judith A. Gardner Educational Forum Series, “The Independent School Experience,” presented by Randy Granger, 4 p.m., Marts Center 214 9-11, 16-18 Music Theatre Performance, Darte Center 10 Admissions Open House 14 Connecting The Dots, Alumni networking event with current Wilkes students, Henry Student Center, 5:30 p.m. 18 Alumni Event, Chapel Hill, N.C. 21-25 Thanksgiving Recess 1 3 December 3 Graduate Studies Information Session, Henry Student Center January 14 Spring classes begin February 4-10 Alumni Events, Florida, locations to be announced For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. �NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IFMAILED IN TI-IE UNITEDSTATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IFMAILED IN TI-IE UNITEDSTATES BUSINESS REPLY MAIL FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMITNO. 355 WILKES-BARRE PA FIRST-CLASS MAIL PERMITNO. 355 WILKES-BARRE PA POSTAGEWILL BE PAID BYADDRESSEE POSTAGEWILL BE PAID BYADDRESSEE WILKES UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 84 W SOUTH ST WILKES-BARRE PA 18701-9832 WILKES UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 84 W SOUTH ST WILKES-BARRE PA 18701-9832 1•••111 ••1.1 •••111 ••••••111.1 ••1••1•••11 •••1.1 •••111 1•••111 ••1.1 •••111 ••••••111.1 ••1••1•••11 •••1.1 •••111 �w WILKES Take our Wilkes trivia quiz for a chance to win a Colonel prize pack! UNIVERSITY w WILKES UNIVERSITY Nominate a new Alumni Association volunteer! Name: ______________________________________________________ Class Year: ___________________ Do you or someone you know enjoy planning and attending events, mentoring students and staying in touch with fellow Wilkes grads? If so, join us as a volunteer on the Alumni Association board and its committees! Address: __________________________________________________________________________________ Leadership positions are available for interested alumni. Learn more by visiting www.community.wilkes.edu/Board. To submit a nomination, please complete the form below or online at www.community.wilkes.edu/nomination. City: ___________________________________________ State: ____________ Zip: ____________________ Nominee name: Email address: _______________________________________ Phone: ( Class Year: )____________________________ Nominee email address: Circle TRUE or FALSE Phone Number: Reasons for recommendation: Dr. Capin was the 2nd President of Wilkes. TRUE FALSE The new science building will be 4 stories high. TRUE FALSE Wilkes is home to the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. TRUE FALSE Wilkes College was founded in 1933. TRUE FALSE Nominator name: Nominator email address: Phone number: � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2012 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/7fdb7139d608fa822a7d5006a6dbb3a2.pdf d453a7baba5c4c14d605412367ffad77 PDF Text Text WINTER 20 12 COLLABORATIVE CROSSROADS | SUCCESS TIMES 2 | ALL THE RIGHT MOVES �president’s letter One Chapter Ends, Another Begins A s we prepare to break ground for the new science building at Wilkes, I realize that this event is both a beginning and an ending. For our highly respected science programs, the beautiful building will mark a new beginning, providing a state-of-the-art facility that matches their academic excellence. For me, the accomplishment of adding this facility to campus marks in a significant and positive way to conclude my presidency of this great University. In everything I’ve done—both personally and as Wilkes president—I’ve tried to practice the old campers’ imperative that you leave your campsite better than you found it. I hope I’ve done that in my work here, and I also hope that we have set the stage for an even greater chapter in the University’s future. Certainly there has been much to celebrate in the last decade: • Our undergraduate enrollment has grown by 28 percent and our graduate full-time equivalent grew an astonishing 155 percent—prompting The Chronicle of Higher Education to rank us one of the nation’s fastest growing campuses. • We’ve fostered the University’s mentoring culture, providing grants and other resources to enhance the relationships between student and faculty that are a hallmark of a Wilkes education. • The Wilkes campus is greener and much State-of-the-art laboratories will be a feature of the new science building. more beautiful, accomplished through a strong LAB RENDERING COURTESY commitment to environmental sustainability NALLS ARCHITECTURE and reflecting the values of our community. • The University’s relationship with the City of Wilkes-Barre has been revitalized. By moving many administrative functions into the University Center on Main and our students into University Towers, we made a major contribution to the revitalization of the downtown. • Through the hard work of our faculty, the University has been awarded millions of dollars in grants for research in the sciences. Add to these accomplishments the establishment of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research for Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Wilkes has solidified its place as a leader in science and scientific research benefiting the economic development of our region. It is good to look back—but it is even more important to look forward. Our groundbreaking ceremony for the science building on March 1 (see page 13) will give us an opportunity to anticipate the next chapter in Wilkes’ history. As I take my leave, I’m confident it’s going to be a great and exciting one. Dr. Tim Gilmour Wilkes University President VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 1 W I N T E R 2 0 12 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Tim Gilmour Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk M.A.’12 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Christopher Barrows Graduate Assistant Rachel Strayer MFA ’12 Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor, Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Director of Alumni Outreach and Stewardship Sandra Sarno Carroll Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Tom Ralston ’80 First Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Second Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents FEATURES 10 Collaborative Crossroads Faculty, staff and students worked with architects to develop a new science building promoting research collaboration at Wilkes 14 Success Times 2 Eileen Evanina ’82, MS ’94 changed her life with a can-do attitude and a Wilkes nursing degree 10 16 16 All The Right Moves John Cefaly Jr. ’70 is at the top of his game in Manhattan’s commercial real-estate market 6 14 DEPARTMENTS 2 On Campus 6 Athletics 20 Alumni News Wilkes’ new science building, seen here w as a~ it will appear on River Street between Conyngham Hall and Annette Evans Cc Alumni House, will go from plans-on-paper All to to a building under construction beginning in March 2012. bee RENDERING COURTESY SAYLORGREGG ARCHITECTS. REN Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. J;;s FPO FSC WILKES | Winter 2012 22 Class Notes 1 �on campus Getting to the Heart of Surgery site off-campus. She specializes in critical care and cardiology at Community Medical Center in Scranton, Pa. She works with Stahl, CMC’s chief of cardiovascular surgery, as part of a quality improvement program. “We’re improving patient care based on clinical evidence,” Kristeller explains. “Fixing the little things like reducing blood transfusions has helped with the big things like avoiding complications and improving mortality,” reasons Stahl, whose surgical group, Premiere Surgical, performs about 250 heart surgeries annually. One of their studies looked at whether the drug Aprotinin helped reduce the need for blood transfusions after surgery, as it was being marketed for routine use; fewer blood transfusions mean fewer complications like infections or kidney damage. Their study showed the drug had little benefit for low-risk patients, which contradicted how the manufacturer was marketing the drug. It was soon removed from the market—but because of safety concerns unrelated to Kristeller’s and Stahl’s work. Another study was designed to determine if kidney injury could be prevented using fluid hydration. Although their research showed no benefit in preventing kidney injury, their results l contradicted another similar study, adding important information to the overall clinical evidence. The lack of benefit shown in their study could be explained by a lower than expected incidence of kidney injury at CMC, Kristeller explains. Stahl says working in a hospital that promotes research inspires Dr. Judith Kristeller, center, with pharmacy students Theresa Romaldini, left, and Tia Hickman, who have assisted with her cardiac research. other staff to think more deeply about how their work impacts Photo by TOM Ammon patients. “That makes everybody think a little bit more about what they’re doing and why they’re doing it…. (Having) Judy at our quality They also look at quality of life improvements improvement meeting makes everybody step up a little bit.” such as length of hospital stays, number of Adds Kristeller: “Whenever you can foster an atmosphere of scholarship, hospital readmissions, and how quickly patients that’s a really good thing.” can return to normal life activities. Kristeller They aim to one day establish a regional consortium for clinical research with joined the Wilkes faculty in 2002 and, like all a broader pool of patients and scientists. professors in her department, maintains a practice In heart surgery, small tweaks in treatment can reap big benefits for patient recovery. So Wilkes University’s Judith Kristeller, associate professor of pharmacy practice, and Russell Stahl, M.D., a cardiovascular surgeon in Scranton, regularly collaborate to study how patient treatment before, during and after surgery can reduce post-operative risks like bleeding, kidney injury and death. ,_1 ® Wilkes | Winter 2012 SIFE Team Receives Sam’s Club Grant 2 Wilkes’ Students In Free Enterprise team (SIFE) received a $1,500 grant The SIFE mission is to bring together the through the Sam’s Club Step Up for Small Business Project Partnership. top leaders of today and tomorrow to create The grant is intended to help SIFE teams transform a local business into a better, more sustainable world through the an environmentally sustainable business. The Wilkes SIFE team will use positive power of business. The Sam’s Club the grant money to develop an aeroponic gardening system for Euro Step Up for Small Business Project Partnership Bistro, a restaurant on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square, to grow its own provides the opportunity for SIFE teams and produce on location. Aeroponic gardening uses a system that suspends Sam’s Club Associates to work together to plants on racks in the air, keeping their roots moist with nutrient-rich effectively empower small businesses to raise water. No soil is used. their quality of life and standard of living In addition to their work with Euro Bistro, the Wilkes SIFE team is researching opportunities to institute an area recycling program and to add seminars on sustainability to already established business seminars. through improved business and environmentally sustainable practices. �on campus Winners in the Study Abroad Photo Contest are clockwise from top: Joseph Shipula, Two Jackson’s Hartebeest in Uganda; Justin Balint, Haitian Woman; and Pamela Pogash, Children in a Village in Kaya. Photo Contest Captures Study Abroad Experiences The experiences of Wilkes students and faculty studying abroad were the focus of The Colonels Abroad Photo Contest and Photo Extravaganza Exhibit. The event in the Henry Student Center featured more than 60 photos highlighting experiences in Costa Rica, Africa, Spain, France, Wales, Italy, England and more. Pharmacy student Joseph Shipula, whose photo, Two Jackson’s Hartebeest in Uganda, took the $150 first prize, wrote of his entry, “New discoveries shatter the world as you know it. You let everything go and become a student of life and the world.” Other contest winners were Pamela Pogash, who took second prize of $100 for her photo Children in a Village in Kaya, and pharmacy student Justin Balint, who took third prize of $50 for his photo Haitian Woman. The contest was organized by Andy Miller, assistant professor, political science, and Godlove Fonjweng, director of global education. More on the Web To view a slide show of student and faculty photos featured in the Colonels Study Abroad Photo Extravaganza, visit www.wilkes.edu/studyabroadphotos. Jeffrey R. Alves has been appointed dean of the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University. Alves served as interim dean prior to his permanent appointment following a national search for a new dean. In announcing the appointment, Reynold Verret, University provost, said, “I am confident that Dr. Alves will advance the mission of the Sidhu School. As a faculty member, he has played a key role in developing curriculum and programs that define the Sidhu School experience for our business students. We look forward to his leadership in growing our business program in the years ahead.” Alves joined Wilkes in 1997 as Allan P. Kirby Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and director of the Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. As professor and director of the Kirby Center, Alves developed the entrepreneurship major in the business school, the entrepreneurship concentration in the MBA program, and chaired the entrepreneurship department. He played a key role in developing the Sidhu School’s required two-semester freshman year integrated management experience course requiring students to operate a team-based business, and in developing and implementing the seven semesters of personal and professional development courses required of all Sidhu students. A Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellow, Alves also established the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) program at Wilkes and served as advisor to its ten-time regional champion SIFE Team. Prior to joining Wilkes in 1997, he was president of Vergason Technology, Inc., a technology-based company named to the “Fast-Track 500” as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States. His business experience includes work in corporate development at Corning Inc. As assistant professor of finance and entrepreneurial studies at Babson College from 1978 through 1983, Alves developed and taught the capstone courses for one of the first undergraduate entrepreneurship majors and graduate concentrations in the United States. Wilkes | Winter 2012 Jeffrey R. Alves Named Dean of Sidhu School of Business and Leadership 3 �on campus Wilkes Education Students Teach In Malaysia Many Wilkes students study abroad, but six senior education majors are taking it a step further: They’re teaching abroad in a new exchange program at the Sri Utama International School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The students are spending seven weeks student teaching under the guidance of Gina Morrison, associate professor of education. It is the first teaching abroad opportunity for education students at Wilkes. The school enrolls students from all over the world in its primary and secondary education programs. All instruction is in English. Morrison developed a relationship with the school when she spent her sabbatical year teaching in Kuala Lumpur at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Her daughter, Victoria, attended the international school while she was there. Wilkes education students are briefed about Malay culture prior to teaching there. From left, are senior education students Felicia LeClair, Kathleen Shedden, associate professor Gina Morrison, director of global education Godlove Fonjweng, Kaitlyn McGurk and Thomas Goldberg. Wilkes | Winter 2012 Photo by Vicki Mayk 4 Morrison explains that the school wants to learn American teaching methods. “Malaysia is a developing country and they are eager to learn more about our practices,” she says. For the Wilkes students, it’s an opportunity to experience cultural diversity. “Malaysia embraces diversity and celebrates it,” Morrison says, adding that it’s especially apparent in the international school with many cultures represented. Students participating in the program are elementary education majors Rebecca Gallaher of Hummelstown, Pa.; Kathleen Shedden of Canton, Pa.; and Kaitlyn McGurk of Swarthmore, Pa.; and English/secondary education major Marrissa Fedor of Hanover Township, Pa.; history/ secondary education major Thomas Goldberg of Freehold, N.J.; and history/secondary education major Felicia LeClair of Glass, N.J. Students were chosen for the program via a competitive selection process, and airfare and living expenses are paid by the Sri Utama school. After completing their teaching in Malaysia, the six students will complete the remainder of their spring semester student teaching assignments at Pennsylvania schools to earn their teaching certification. Newark Mayor Cory Booker Presents Rosenn Lecture The Honorable Cory A. Booker, mayor of Newark, N.J., will deliver the 2012 Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities on Sunday, April 22. Booker will speak about How to Change the World with Your Bare Hands. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center on the Wilkes campus. Booker took office as mayor of New Jersey’s largest city in July 2006 and was re-elected for a second term in 2010. His mission is to set a national standard for urban transformation by marshalling the city’s resources to achieve security, economic abundance, and an environment that is nurturing and empowering for individuals and families. Under Booker’s leadership, Newark has decreased violent crime, doubled affordable housing production, and committed to a $40 million transformation of the city’s parks and playgrounds. Booker received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Stanford University, a bachelor’s degree in modern history from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and completed his law degree at Yale University. He served as staff attorney for the Urban Justice Center in Newark in 1998 before serving four years as Newark’s Central Ward councilman. The Max Rosenn Lecture Series in Law and Humanities was established in memory of the Honorable Max Rosenn, senior judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The lecture series was started in 1980 by Rosenn’s former law clerks and former law firm Rosenn, Jenkins & Greenwald, with the assistance of family and friends. For more information on the Max Rosenn Lecture Series in Law and Humanities, call (800)WILKES-U Ext. 4306. �on campus onlInE aDulT nuRSE PRacTITIonER PRoGRam launchES Nurse practitioners play an important role in Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with advanced education today’s health-care environment and Wilkes’ and clinical training that qualifies them to manage patient care. They School of Nursing has responded with the diagnose and manage acute episodic and chronic illnesses and promote launch of a new online nurse practitioner health and disease prevention. program. Classes start in fall 2012 for nurses “The role of the adult nurse practitioner alleviates the burden caused wishing to provide primary patient care for by a growing need for primary health care providers,” says Deborah the adult population. Zbegner, director of the graduate nursing program. “In today’s health-care environment, nurse Wilkes’ 40-credit program is held online with two on-campus practitioners are a necessity to maintain residencies. Students complete clinical hours in a facility of their quality and cost-effective care. We are glad choosing, pending faculty approval. Successful completion of the to be able to provide this degree, which is program leads to a master’s degree with a major in nursing with so important, in our region,” says Mary Ann adult nurse practitioner concentration. Students will be eligible to sit Merrigan, associate dean and chair of the for national certification exams. A 16-credit adult nurse practitioner School of Nursing. post-graduate certificate program is also available for advanced-practice nurses already holding a master’s degree in nursing. Freshmen Gather Oral Histories of Veterans '' It was an HONOR to speak with her... In her specific area in the military, she was the only female. She enlisted to be able to get an EDUCATION. ' Veteran Harry Sweppenheiser and freshman Paul Filipski socialize at the veterans brunch. PHoTo By VICKI MAyK ’50, an 87-year-old woman who performed Naval intelligence work in World War II. “It was an honor to speak with her,” Vislosky says. “In her specific area in the military, she was the only female. She enlisted to be able to get an education.” Veterans participating in the project were invited to a brunch in November in the Ballroom of the Henry Student Center. They were recognized for their contributions and students socialized with them. At the end of the semester each veteran received a copy of his or her oral history. Wilkes | Winter 2012 A veteran who participated in the Normandy invasion. Vietnam veterans who faced anti-war sentiment when they returned to the United States. Young veterans who recently completed tours of duty in Iraq. These were among the veterans whose military experiences were captured by Wilkes freshmen enrolled in assistant professor of education Marcia Balester’s first-year foundations class, Be The Change. The class focused on a service learning project: gathering the oral histories of northeast Pennsylvania veterans. All first-year students enroll in first-year foundations classes, which provide an introduction to University study. The 31 students interviewed veterans ranging in age from 26 to 91 representing conflicts from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eleven Wilkes seniors from Professor Robert Gardner’s Social Studies Methods for Middle and Secondary School Class were also involved in the project. The students met one-on-one with veterans at the VA Hospital and Nursing Home and at senior centers in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in Pennsylvania. Jenna Vislosky, a freshman – Jenna Vislosky nursing major from Trucksville, Pa., interviewed Doris Merrill 5 �athletics WINNING WINNING WAYS WAYS FOUR ATHLETES AND A NO. 1-RANKED TEAM MAKE UP WILKES ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME’S CLASS OF 2011 Player profiles by Vince Scalzo and Helen Kaiser WILKES | Winter 2012 ES 6 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees celebrated at the January 21, 2012 ceremony. Honorees are, from left, Laurie (Labbe) Lilly ‘99, Deborah (Miller) Renner ‘89, Dave Jannuzzi ‘01, John Conte ‘01 and University President Tim Gilmour. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY Inductees to the Athletic Hall of Fame earn their place in University record books with the most wins, the most points scored, the most receptions. As these alumni athletes look back on their careers as Colonels, they remember more than the statistics, recalling the camaraderie among teammates and lessons learned in competition. Established in 1993, the Hall of Fame honors players, coaches and others who have made outstanding contributions to the athletic program. This year’s inductees were honored at a ceremony on Jan. 21. - �athletics Laurie (Labbe) Lilly ’99 Soccer John Conte ’01 Wrestling Conte starred on the Colonels wrestling team during his four-year career, competing at both the 133 and 141 weight classes. He accumulated a 111-13 overall record, including a 73-5 dual-win record from 1997-2001. His 78 dual match appearances, 48 dual decisions, and 73 dual victories are all school records. Conte holds a .936 dual win, ranking fifth all-time in school history earning 15 pins over that time. His best season came in 1999-2000, when he broke the school record for most wins in a season with 36 victories—winning the Middle Atlantic Conference championship and earning All-American status. He was ranked number one in his weight class his entire senior year before an injury ended his season early. Conte says his fondest memory of his college athletic career was placing at the national tournament and becoming an All-American. “I still keep in touch with several of my teammates. We’re spread out all over—California, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and South Carolina—but whenever I hear one of their voices over the phone it brings back all the memories,” he says. “I know without the opportunity I received from athletics, I probably wouldn’t have gone to college,” Conte continues. Now, after obtaining a master’s degree in special education from Wilkes in 2006, he is in a position to give back by coaching wrestling at Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, Pa., and providing learning and emotional support for students in the Chester County Intermediate Unit. Conte lives in East Fallowfield, Pa., with his wife, Holly, and their two daughters, Alexa, 5, and Ella, 1. Laurie (Labbe) Lilly, center, is pictured during her Wilkes playing days with, from left, her father, Bob Labbe, mother Claire Labbe, grandfather, Tom Jehu, and aunt, Lynne Hodges. PHOTO COURTESY LAURIE LILLY WILKES | Winter 2012 PHOTO COURTESY JOHN CONTE A four-time, first team All-Conference performer, Lilly may very well be the most decorated women’s soccer player in Wilkes’ history. She holds almost every offensive school record in the program’s 25-year history, including points, goals, and assists. She graduated in 1999 as the school’s all-time leader in points (109), goals (40), and assists (29) after captaining the first team to have a winning record at 12-7 during her junior season. As a freshman, Lilly was named the conference’s most valuable player and continued her postseason honors as a senior earning second-team Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors. When she looks back on her college athletics, it’s the all-encompassing experience that she values: having a great coach, making wonderful friends, traveling to games, and working hard at winning. Lilly contrasts her college playing career with the high school experience: the victories came much easier in high school. The college team was part of a young program, and “we were the underdogs. We had to overcome so many obstacles. The program improved as we grew and improved. I think that challenge helped me to grow as a person,” she says. Lilly graduated from Wilkes with a degree in business administration, which she puts to good use as owner, with her husband, Jason, of a dry cleaning delivery service in the Raleigh, N.C. area. They are the parents of a 22-month-old daughter, Morgan, and an 11-month-old son, Ben. The family lives in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. 7 �athletics WILKES | Winter 2012 Dave Jannuzzi ’01 Basketball 8 The most decorated men’s basketball player in school history, Jannuzzi ranks in the top 10 in over 35 different categories in Wilkes’ storied history. He rewrote the school record books during his four-year career from 1996-99 and 2000-01 while being named Jostens Division III and ECAC Player of the Year as a senior. He stands as the school’s all-time scoring leader, with 2,132 points in a school record 116 career games. His 728 made field goals and 251 made three-point field goals both rank first in school history. Jannuzzi’s 18.9 career point per-game mark sits third all-time in school history. He also ranks in the top ten all-time in free throws made (2nd/443), free throw percentage (2nd/87.6), assists (2nd/514), and steals (6th/141). Jannuzzi was a four-time All-Freedom selection, earning first-team honors for three years and was named Rookie of the Year as a freshman. He was a three-time Freedom Conference Player of the Year recipient as well as a three-time NABC All-Mid Atlantic Region selection and two-time NABC All-American honoree. Jannuzzi helped lead the Colonels to a 94-18 overall mark over a four-year span where Wilkes won two Middle Atlantic Conference championships and one Freedom championship. During his sophomore season, Wilkes finished 26-5, earning a spot in the NCAA Division III final four. A year later, the Colonels finished 25-4 claiming their second straight conference title and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. As a senior, Jannuzzi led the squad to a 23-3 overall record and a spot in the NCAA second round. A South Wilkes-Barre resident, Jannuzzi and his wife Kristen are the parents of six: a 12-year-old daughter, Irelyn, and five younger sons: Dominic, Grady, David, Luciano and Valencio. Jannuzzi sometimes coaches his three eldest children in their recreation leagues. His fond memories of the glory days at Wilkes include working with Coach Jerry Rickrode, his teammates and enjoying the enthusiasm of the fans. “My college playing career had a great impact on my life, because it paved the way for all the other opportunities I have had since then,” Jannuzzi says. Following college, he played professionally in Europe for a few years. Back in the states, he held positions as a youth center athletic director, financial adviser, restaurateur, and now is regional sales director for GNC. Deborah (Miller) Renner ’89 Volleyball A four-year letter winner on the Lady Colonel volleyball squad, Renner was named to the Middle Atlantic Conference All-Star team as a rookie in 1985, leading the team to a MAC postseason playoff appearance. During her four years at Wilkes, she served as team captain and was named the squad’s most valuable player while breaking several school records. Renner holds the school’s all-time marks for service receptions in a season (330) and service receptions in a career (993). She also set school records for digs in a season (272) and career digs (638), both of which have since been broken. Renner, now a Lakeland, Fla., resident, says her involvement with the team helped her to get through a very tough time when her mother died during her freshman year. “The whole team was very supportive of me; they helped me to get through things, and I still keep in touch with several players today,” she says. “The friendships we developed and the camaraderie we had both on and off the court were great.” She fondly remembers how Coach Doris Saracino pushed team members so hard during training and how it paid off. Renner graduated with a nursing degree and, although she has kept her nursing license current, she now is also a licensed property and casualty insurance agent, working as a claims service consultant for The Hartford Insurance Company. “Participating in any team sport has an impact on you,” she says. “You learn that dedication and hard work can be rewarding, and you also learn how to communicate well and work together. I’ve used those lessons over the last 20 years in my career.” Renner has two daughters, Charlotte, 16, and Cassandra, 12. �athletics 1995-96 Men’s Basketball Team Finishing the season at 28-2, the 1995-96 Wilkes men’s basketball team was the only team in Wilkes school history to hold the number one ranking in Division III. The 28 victories remain the most wins in a single-season in the program’s 66 years of existence. The squad also captured the Middle Atlantic Conference championship advancing to the NCAA Division III Elite 8. Right, members of the 1995-96 number-one ranked basketball team gathered to celebrate their induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame. Pictured from left are Coach Jerry Rickrode, Dan Moretski ‘98, Matt LaBuda ‘96, Scott Cleveland ‘99, Brian Gryboski ‘99, Chris Parker ‘96, Jay Williams ’00 and University President Tim Gilmour. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TOUEY WILKES | Winter 2012 Members of the number-one ranked 1995-96 men’s basketball team as they were pictured in the Amnicola, front row, from left, Jay Williams, Dan Moretski, Matt Conway, Brian Gryboksi, Matt LaBuda, Dave Macedo, Chris Parker, Scott Fleming, Mike Cherill. Second row from left, Rich Williams, Coach Jerry Rickrode, Assistant Coach John Dunne, Scott Cleveland, Jason Turner, Mark Shiner, Bill Gallagher, Tim Burlew, Dave Clancy, Scott Schonewolf, Ernest Terell, Asst. Coach Tom Sheplock, Assistant Coach Matt McCaffrey. 9 �PICTURE IT. STAnD in FronT oF The John WilKeS STATue neAr FArley liBrAry AnD looK DoWn The GreenWAy ToWArD eVAnS hAll. ThAT’S Where you’ll See iT. COLLABORATIVE CROSSROADS neW Science BuilDinG Will enhAnce TrADiTion oF STuDenT/FAculTy reSeArch Wilkes | Winter 2012 By Vicki Mayk, M.A. ’12 10 Like a finger beckoning around the end of Stark Learning Center, encouraging the next generation of scientists to enter, Wilkes University’s new science building will curve into the center of campus. The four-story structure will front on River Street. Positioned between the Annette Evans Alumni House and Conyngham Hall, the planned building will arc around the end of Stark and enter the quadrangle. It will provide laboratory, meeting and office space for the Biology & Health Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences departments. Construction on the new structure starts in March, and it is expected to open by fall 2013. The groundbreaking (see box on page 13) is both a beginning and an ending. It marks the end of a long and careful planning and design process that involved faculty, staff and students. Kenneth Klemow, professor of biology and associate director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research for Northeastern Pennsylvania, chaired the faculty committee that helped choose the architects and determine initial direction for the project. Klemow says that it was a priority to choose a firm that could work with diverse faculty. “During the selection process for architects, we asked the question, ‘What is your experience working with a group like ours?’ ’’ Klemow states. The firm selected – SaylorGregg Architects of Philadelphia— has a wealth of higher education experience and a track record Top, the new building will have trellises creating vertical columns of green. renDerinGS courTeSy SAylorGreGG ArchiTecTS Bottom, new laboratories will offer much-needed space. lAB renDerinG courTeSy nAllS ArchiTecTure �• , " ~ ~~ ; ' ~ working with faculty and a campus community. The firm has built academic, residential, performing arts and co-curricular buildings on more than 20 college campuses, including Duke, Lehigh, Princeton, Cornell and Rutgers universities and Ursinus and Swarthmore colleges. “We were very pleased with the choice of architects,” Klemow says. “They knew the right questions to ask of us.” The selection of SaylorGregg and lab specialists Nalls Architecture in spring 2009 marked the start of an arduous planning process. Getting to know Wilkes was an important first step. Architect D. William Gregg, the project’s lead designer and partner-in-charge, says, “It’s been very satisfying to immerse ourselves in the campus community over the last two and a half years.” goal, Klemow says. “We wanted to make a building for the 21st century, a building where students really want to come to study and achieve their full potential.” It’s a goal shared by Wilkes admissions officers who recruit the freshman class and woo transfer students from other institutions. New buildings help to attract potential students. “When choosing a school, students look for the whole package: high-quality academics as well as an attractive physical environment in which they can have pride,” says Melanie Mickelson ’93, vice president for enrollment services. “The science building will marry the high-quality research work already being conducted by our students with an impressive, cutting-edge physical space to match.” Current students agree that the building will bring needed and welcome changes. Senior biochemistry student Erin Wolfe of \ '' The architects continued determining needs in fall 2009 when science faculty returned to campus. Faculty members attended open meetings where SaylorGregg and their consultants entertained questions and received suggestions. “We each came into the project from a slightly different angle. We could see things that the faculty couldn’t see even though they’re working there every day,” Gregg says. Dale Bruns, dean of the College of Science & Engineering, praises their approach. “The architects were very user-friendly. It was a very nuanced approach,” he says. Although faculty brought many perspectives, they had a common Birth of a Building Dale Bruns, dean of the College of Science & Engineering, is anticipating the benefits of flexible lab space in the new building. Photo by Vicki Mayk Wilkes | Winter 2012 A Shared Vision New Ringgold, Pa., says, “Where I do research, I’m pushed to the back of the lab in a space that’s like a closet. If there’s more room for us doing research, more people will want to come to Wilkes. It’s a great place to start your science career.” By fall 2010, SaylorGregg had a green light to design a 72,500square-foot facility at a cost of $35 million. Determining the site for the new structure posed challenges. The greenway offers the largest open space, and members of the University community were reluctant to sacrifice it. At the same time, faculty expressed a preference for locating the new facility close to Stark, where pharmacy, engineering and physics and mathematics and computer science programs would remain. “Faculty didn’t want a separate new building because of the adjacencies with other departments,” Gregg states. In campus meetings, a suggestion from Patty Gilmour, wife of University president Tim Gilmour, provided an impetus for the building’s final design. “Mrs. Gilmour always liked the notion of a River Street address for the building,” says Gregg. “She really challenged us with that idea because the available site at that location was limited in width.” SaylorGregg project architect Tom Breslin explains that the ' ' '\ ' Pictured from left, a view of the science building from the John Wilkes statue; Kenneth Klemow, professor of biology, who chaired the faculty committee providing input on the project; SaylorGregg Architects team members Tom Breslin, project architect, William Gregg, lead designer, and David Searles, project manager. Building rendering and architect photo courtesy SaylorGregg Architects. Center photo by Bruce Weller The immersion began in summer 2009 with a rigorous review of the existing science facilities in the Stark Learning Center. While science has evolved, Stark has not. Built in the 1950s and expanded in the 1960s and 1970s, little has changed during the building’s long existence. “We needed to get an understanding of the activities in Stark, which is a 220,000-square-foot building,” Gregg explains. ' 11 �SCienCe Building fACtS • The 72,500-square-foot, four-story structure will cost $35 million. • The first floor of the building will building have four stories, the new science building will be taller. Stark is 12 feet floor-to-floor and meeting space to accommodate the new building will be 15 feet both university and community floor-to-floor. Alumni and friends of the University are invited to contribute to the $20 million Achieving Our Destiny campaign supporting the future of science at Wilkes. Gifts will help to fund the new science • The three departmental offices building. To learn more about the Sciences Department will be housed will be located near a core area campaign, see more about the on the second floor, interdisciplinary on each upper floor corridor. project and make a gift, please research laboratories are planned conference rooms accommodating visit www.wilkes.edu/achieve. for the third floor and the chemistry groups of 12, 18 or 24 will be & Biochemistry Department will be clustered as a conference center housed on the fourth floor. on the ground floor. • environmental engineering & earth • Faculty offices will be clustered Science will occupy a 15,000- in groups of three, four and five square-foot section of the building throughout the building. opening on the greenway, with Wilkes | Winter 2012 • Although both Stark and the new include a conference center with needs. The Biology & health 12 More on the WeB • Fifty percent of the roof will space distributed among the be covered by a greenhouse building’s four floors. and terrace. design team began exploring the idea of having one end of the building facing River Street and wrapping the rest around Stark lecture hall, located at the west end of the building. “In a single move of the pen on paper, Bill drew a curved structure and all of a sudden we were saying ‘Whoa! This is going to be great!’ ” The design creates the possibility of a courtyard adjacent to the Annette Evans building. It also uses less space on the greenway than a linear, rectangular design. Conversations with faculty yielded a theme that has driven many of the building design choices. “Fostering collaboration became the theme that emerged early in the project as we talked with faculty,” says Breslin. “Teaching laboratories are clustered by department, but on the third floor, research laboratories for all disciplines are on the same level because so much science is interdisciplinary.” The collaborative environment also is evidenced in lounge spaces on each Michael Steele, top, h. Fenner Professor of research Biology, and Terese Wignot, associate professor of chemistry, provided input on the design of research laboratories. PhoToS By liSA reynolDS AnD ThoMAS MArKley ’11 floor, informal meeting areas in the building’s wide hallways and in a wide, open staircase that beckons students and faculty to chat as they ascend from the lobby. Michael Steele, H. Fenner Professor of Research Biology, says, “What sets this project apart is the strong emphasis on research space for faculty and students. The most important thing that has come to define the sciences at Wilkes is that students come here to work with faculty to supplement their classroom experience with research.” Thomas Mike of Shavertown, Pa., a junior biology major and vice president of the Biology Club, says he chose Wilkes because of the opportunities for research. He agrees with Steele that the new facility will build on that reputation. “It’s a strong program, but the new building will allow us to get even better,” he says, citing dedicated laboratory space and room to add new equipment among the advantages. “Regardless of what building we’re in, it’s a great program. The new building will allow us to showcase it even better.” As planning progressed, input from faculty who will work in the labs was key. Representatives of Nalls Architecture met with faculty frequently. Terese Wignot, associate professor of chemistry, says, “They took input from every member of the department in terms of the design of the chemistry space. I definitely got the feeling that they wanted us to be comfortable, down to what utilities were on the bench. We could say, ‘The sink isn’t good here,’ and they would listen.” Better technology and more efficient use of space are integral to the design. Smart classroom technology, such as whiteboards �Biology major Thomas Mike, left, and biochemistry major erin Wolfe look forward to new facilities for their programs. PhoToS By ThoMAS MArKley ’11 and wireless Internet, will be available throughout the building. Department teaching laboratories and interdisciplinary research labs will be clustered together—an improvement over Stark, says Bruns. “In Stark, we have two water quality labs—one for teaching, one for research—two floors apart, on opposite ends of the building, with other environmental labs being four floors apart,” he explains. “In the new building, labs that work together will be in proximity to one another.” Research labs have a flexible design so that space can easily be reallocated to respond to changing needs. Upper floors will contain three pairs of 1,200-square-foot lab modules grouped together as well as one additional 1,200-square-foot lab module. The labs can be reconfigured to different sizes to accommodate different teaching or research needs. “We will mete out lab space that is appropriate to current projects and research grants,” Bruns says, explaining that larger funded projects may sometimes require more space than individual research interests. It’s a dynamic process, and the new building will accommodate changing lab configurations. trAnSforMing the region During the 18-month construction period, it’s estimated the new building will generate a total economic impact of $20.5 million in Luzerne County and $46.8 million in Pennsylvania. Once completed, the project will have an estimated annual economic impact of $5.8 million, generating new jobs and supporting scientific research. Scientists trained in the facility could help spur economic growth. The new facility will encourage collaboration via joint biomedical research projects with The Commonwealth Medical College and regional hospitals. The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research will use the labs for its research assessing the impact of gas drilling on the region. While the new science building will dramatically advance science education at Wilkes, its impact also will be felt throughout the region. Wilkes President Tim Gilmour says, “Most new buildings are designed to improve campus life with little thought given to their impact on the community. That is not the case with our science building. While it will indeed dramatically improve our science facilities, it will also greatly enhance our ability to educate the scientific manpower and do the scientific research northeastern Pennsylvania needs to compete in today’s economy.” A green SPACe SaylorGregg is pursuing LEED silver certification for the project. LEED certification is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council and specifies that sustainable practices are to be used in construction and in the operation of the building. Recycling and waste disposal on the construction site must meet certain standards, as must the choice of building systems and materials. LEED certification is important to Wilkes, which has committed to sustainable practices. The building will incorporate polished concrete—a very sustainable material. Forest Stewardship Council-rated wood, which earns that designation because it’s been harvested responsibly, will be used. Energy efficient lighting is planned. Windows will have low-e glazing, allowing visible light to come in without excessive radiation. Portions of the roof—10 to 15 percent—will be green, planted with vegetation, and available for student projects. Vines will grow up trellises designed vertically on the exterior, creating four-story columns of green. On the greenway side of the building, a continuous horizontal trellis along the ground floor will give an illusion of a hedge. “This will provide a teaching opportunity for biology faculty,” Gregg says. “Different exposures around the building will demand different kinds of plants. They’ll be involved in the selection of each plant.” Management of storm water and surface run-off—an issue for many buildings—is being addressed by diverting a portion into a swale rain garden that will be a habitat for special plants that thrive in such an environment. It will serve as a teaching tool as well. “These features will make the building itself a kind of learning laboratory for our students,” says Bruns. AN INVITATION The Groundbreaking Ceremony and Celebration for the New Science Building Thursday, March 1, 2012 (Snow date: Wednesday, March 7, 2012) 1 p.m., The Greenway A view of the new science building as seen from evans and roth (formerly chesapeake/Delaware) halls. renDerinG courTeSy SAylorGreGG ArchiTecTS Celebration reception immediately following groundbreaking, lobby, Stark Learning Center Wilkes | Winter 2012 Members of the Wilkes University Community are invited to 13 �EILEEN EVANINA ’82, MS ’94 EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS, LEFT A LIFE ON WELFARE FOR CAREER IN NURSING AND EDUCATION By Helen Kaiser WILKES | Winter 2012 SUCCESS TIME S 14 X2 �Eileen Evanina ’82, M.S.’94 with one of her two employers, Dr. David Reynolds ’86. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL TOUEY Eileen Evanina, Olyphant, Pa. and New York, N.Y., B.S. Nursing, Wilkes, 1982 Certificate, Nurse Anesthesia, Mercy Hospital, Scranton, 1986 M.S. Nursing, Wilkes, 1994 D.N.P. candidate, Columbia University Career: Practicing nurse in Pennsylvania and college administrator, faculty member, and doctoral candidate at Columbia University. Notable: Entered Wilkes as a welfare mom and graduated with honors to become a skilled nurse anesthetist and educator. Favorite Wilkes Memory: Great mentors in the Wilkes nursing program who believed in her and who championed the role of nurses as the backbone of the healthcare system. discipline of those years is not lost on her family. Eldest son Michael Pisanchyn recalls many days of waking up while it was still dark, being bundled up and taken in their old beat-up car to the babysitter’s house. In the early evening, their mother would pick them up and take them home. After dinner, they would listen to her study. “The way she studied,” he says, “was to read everything aloud so she would remember it better. I remember my mom always having her books open. And I remember that yellow highlighter she used to underline what was important. It seemed to me that the whole book was yellow. “She would tell us, ‘We’re here now (in the housing projects), but we don’t have – Eileen Evanina ’82, M.S.’94 to stay here.’ She realized that education was the way out. That’s what drives her. Even today, it’s education, education, education,” he says. Although proud she graduated with honors, Evanina says matter-of-factly: “I wasn’t that great. It’s just that I had others who depended upon me for new shoes and for food.” Now remarried, Evanina has two other children and three grandchildren. “My greatest accomplishment is that as a former welfare mom I have produced four fantastic children who are productive and contribute to society,” Evanina says. Michael is an attorney; Christopher is a nurse anesthetist. Sarah is a nurse and aims to become a nurse anesthetist. John is a police officer. Retired husband, John, keeps the home in Olyphant, Pa., running smoothly—my “rock,” Evanina says—enabling her to maintain a demanding schedule of work and advanced education in two states. “ ‘Practice what you teach’ is an important goal of the Columbia University School of Nursing,” Evanina explains, so her days in clinical work back in Pennsylvania provide this opportunity. Her employer, Dr. David Reynolds ’86, says her schedule leaves him breathless and that it’s evident she loves to teach. “Eileen is hardworking and diligent. She practices from the very heart of what health care should be: What can I do to assist the patient?” Reynolds says. Remembering those who told her that poor kids couldn’t attend college or that women just raised children and worked as secretaries, Evanina has this advice for today’s students: “Don’t let someone else tell you what you ‘cannot’ do.” ‘I’m not sure you’d be able to do this,’ he told me. And I thought, I can do it— not for myself, but for my boys. WILKES | Winter 2012 E ileen Evanina ’82, M.S.’94 has two jobs in two states doing two things that she enjoys: being a nurse anesthetist and teaching the next generation of nurses. The 56-year-old Evanina is director of the nurse anesthesia program and assistant professor of clinical nursing for Columbia University. Mondays through Thursdays she is in New York City teaching, supervising program details and finishing studies for her doctor of nursing practice degree. Thursday evenings she boards a bus for the three-hour commute back to northeastern Pennsylvania, where on most Fridays she is a nurse anesthetist at Northeastern Gastroenterology Associates in Honesdale. Evanina left a life on welfare to make valuable contributions to society. She was able to do so, she says, because nearly 35 years ago Wilkes University gave her a chance. She was Eileen Pisanchyn then, living on welfare as a divorced mother of two sons, Michael, 3, and Christopher, 1. “I hated being on welfare,” she says. “It was embarrassing. Back in those days they had those coupon stubs for food stamps that everyone would see at the store.” “I’d taken the business classes in high school, thinking you had to be rich to go to college,” she says. A chance encounter with nursing students wearing clinical scrubs led her to think maybe it would be possible to go to college. She met with an associate dean at Wilkes who, for her own benefit, challenged her commitment. He explained the odds were stacked against her, as a young mother with two toddlers and someone who hadn’t taken the academic track in high school. “ ‘I’m not sure you’d be able to do this,’ he told me. And I thought, I can do it—not for myself, but for my boys.” That mettle carried her through four years of juggling the care of her sons, maintaining a home, and keeping up with her studies— especially her nemesis, inorganic chemistry. The drama and 15 �John CEFALy JR. ‘70 Is A MAstER DEAL MAKER In MAnhAttAn REAL EstAtE By Geoff Gehman John CEFALy JR. ’70 pLAys ChEss WIth MAnhAttAn sKysCRApERs. thE bRoKER sECUREs hUnDREDs oF thoUsAnDs oF sQUARE FEEt FoR soME oF thE WoRLD’s LARGEst ADVERtIsInG AGEnCIEs, IntERnAtIonAL bAnKs AnD othER KInG-sIZE CoRpoRAtE KnIGhts In shoWCAsE bUILDInGs, soME In AREAs hE hELpED tRAnsFoRM Into bUsInEss hUbs. hE pERFoRMs thEsE MoVEs As EXECUtIVE VICE ChAIRMAn oF Wilkes | Winter 2012 thE GLobAL FIRM CUshMAn & WAKEFIELD, InC., thE WoRLD’s LARGEst 16 pRIVAtELy hELD CoMMERCIAL REAL-EstAtE sERVICEs CoMpAny. �photos by Dan Z. Johnson Wilkes | Winter 2012 John Cefaly Jr. ’70 enjoys the view of the city he helped shape from his Avenue of the Americas office. 17 �Wilkes | Winter 2012 The business is interesting when you put a deal together with two parties. But it’s FASCINATING when the DEAL is with three parties, or more. 18 “I like working with big clients with big needs and, hopefully, complicated structures,” says Cefaly, reclining in his Avenue of the Americas office, a block from two landmarks, Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. “The business is interesting when you put a deal together with two parties. But it’s fascinating when the deal is with three parties, or more.” Cefaly grew up near the Wilkes campus in Ashley, Pa. He had little interest in brokering commercial space while studying at Wilkes, although he did enjoy George Bell’s real estate course. Cefaly discovered Cushman & Wakefield through his friend Caleb McKenzie ’70, whose brothers worked for the firm. Hired by a McKenzie sibling in February 1971, Cefaly’s first job was finding tenants for a year-old building in lower Manhattan in an area known as the insurance district. It was a tough sell because New York City was mired in a real estate recession. Cefaly’s task became easier in 1973 as the market rebounded and New York emerged from the recession. The opening of the World Trade Center also began to make lower Manhattan a new commercial hotspot. Cefaly was mentored by Ken Dean, nicknamed “Mr. Downtown” for popularizing lower Manhattan. For 25 years, mentor and protégé shared a Wall Street office, sitting literally desk to desk. Dean convinced Cefaly in 1974 to stay in Manhattan and not relocate to Houston, Texas, where Cushman & Wakefield was opening a new branch office—“the best decision I ever made in my life.” And it was Dean who gave Cefaly rare access to CEOs, CFOs and other captains of industry. “That was pretty eye opening for a kid from Ashley, Pa.” “Ken was from an old New York family with deep roots in lower-Manhattan real estate. He was a first-class gentleman and very important in my career at Cushman & Wakefield.” Cefaly has accumulated a large crop of creative coups. In the late 1980s, he moved the ad agency Bates Worldwide from the Chrysler Building to the Garment District on Seventh Avenue, a move that helped change the area from commercially unfashionable to fashionable. Since 2000, he advised the Canadian Imperial Banking Corp. (CIBC) on a 1.1 million-square-foot joint venture to construct a new building on 42nd Street and Madison Avenue. Shortly after 9/11 he represented the Dutch bank ABN AMRO in relocating from its New York home to waterfront property in New Jersey and then re-let their space to the insurance brokerage giant Aon, previously located in the World Trade Center. In that transaction, Aon secured all the leasehold improvements including furniture and artwork from ABN AMRO. Last summer Cefaly completed one of the biggest deals of the year for Nomura Holding America Inc., the U.S. branch of a Japanese financial-services company. Cefaly worked with Nomura executives to analyze their options of remaining downtown or relocating to midtown. They ended up focusing on Worldwide Plaza at Eighth Avenue and 50th Street. During negotiations, a number of other tenants sought to secure the building. Due to relationships he forged over his 40-year career, Cefaly convinced the Worldwide Plaza owners to stick with Nomura.“Don’t go looking,” he said, “at the other girl across the street.” Nomura ended up renting 900,000 square feet in Worldwide Plaza on 20 floors. It was the largest new office lease in midtown in seven years. The Wall Street Journal chronicled the deal as one of five major 2011 transactions for Cefaly’s team totaling $1.3 billion. Cefaly’s success can be measured by the nearly 40 million square feet he’s secured and by his longtime rank as one of C&W’s top worldwide producers. He has adjusted to a host of crises: the Black Friday stock-market crash of 1988 and the subprimemortgage catastrophe in 2008. Most traumatic was the Sept. 11, 2001 destruction of the World Trade Center’s twin towers by terrorists. Cefaly, who lost friends in the disaster, worked tirelessly with his team to help clients find alternative spaces and assist in getting their businesses up and running. Cefaly and his wife, Jane, who also has ties to Wilkes, reside in Manhattan, but also spend time in homes in Palm Beach, Fla., and Westhampton, N.Y. He belongs to clubs in the New York area and enjoys golfing around the world, making an annual trip to play the fabled course at St. Andrew’s in Scotland. He’s an investor in two restaurants in Manhattan: Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), which survived weeks of gloomy business after �JOHN CEFALY JR., New York, N.Y. B.S., Commerce and Finance, Wilkes, 1970 Career: Vice chairman, Cushman & Wakefield, world’s largest privately held commercial real-estate services company; member of its global management committee; founding chairman of its National Brokerage Advisory Board Notable: Cushman & Wakefield’s Worldwide Overall Producer in 2002-2003 and 2005 Continuing contribution to Wilkes: Co-chairman of fundraising campaign for the University’s new science center. Accepted the task to honor Cromwell Thomas, former longtime head of Wilkes’ engineering department and uncle of his wife, Jane. The campaign kicks off in March 2012. (See story, page 10) opening a week after 9/11, and The Leopard at Des Artistes, which reopened in the former Café des Artistes, a legendary lair near Lincoln Center. Now in his 41st year at C&W, Cefaly still relishes the friendship of his partners, inside and outside the firm. He still enjoys auditioning for jobs—and he still gets a major jolt from closing a major package. “Every deal is very satisfying when you’ve taken it from beginning to end, and you’ve negotiated through the maze of structural and legal complexities, and you’re there for the ribbon cutting, so to speak,” says Cefaly with a smile. “Even after 41 years, I still feel the same enthusiasm for executing, and winning, the business. It’s just great when you get checkmate.” Wilkes | Winter 2012 John Cefaly ’70 takes care of business in his Cushman & Wakefield office. 19 �alumni news Wrestling Reunion Set For June 2-3 Wrestling alumni are invited to attend a reunion on June 2-3 in Wilkes-Barre. The occasion will mark Coach John Reese’s 85th birthday and include plenty of opportunities to catch up with teammates and friends. Wilkes’ rich wrestling history spans more than 60 years, 42 of which were under Reese’s leadership. “The story behind our overall success is that our program is about being a team and all of [our wrestlers] made that possible,” says Reese. Interested alumni should contact current coach Jon Laudenslager at jon.laudenslager@wilkes.edu or (570)408-4035 or the Office of Alumni Relations at (570)408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. According to the 1972 Amnicola, where this photo appears, “The 1971-1972 Colonel wrestling team once again displayed that quality of greatness which has established Wilkes as one of the top ‘college division’ wrestling powers in the entire nation.” Wrestling alumni are invited back to campus for a reunion on June 2. Alumni Association Open Board Meeting Interested in learning more about the Alumni Association? Participate in our open meeting on Friday, June 1. Whether you join us on campus or call in to the meeting, you’ll get a firsthand look at how our board of directors works with its campus partners to provide programs for the alumni community. WILKES | Winter 2012 Regional Alumni Groups to Gather in 2012 20 The Alumni Association is pleased to announce the start of four regional groups that will be led by members of our board of directors: • Boston and Providence areas: JJ Fadden ’98 • Central Pennsylvania: Donna Talarico ’00, MFA ’08 • Northeastern Pennsylvania: Kristin Klemish ’04 • Washington, D.C.: Ron Miller ’93 Located in areas with strong alumni participation, these groups will hold fun events and create ways for Wilkes grads to stay connected, no matter how far they are from campus. JJ, Donna, Kristin and Ron would love to hear from you if you live in one of their regions. Contact them at alumni@wilkes.edu. Don’t worry if you don’t live in one of these areas— Wilkes has a full schedule of events planned for 2012. Check www.wilkes.edu/alumni for updates. At the meeting, we’ll review our goals, discuss future opportunities and get a detailed look at Homecoming 2012. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@wilkes.edu or (570)408-7787. A group of alumni and guests gather at the Capitol building in Washington, DC. Ron Miller ’93, the alumni association representative for the DC area, invites fellow Colonels to attend upcoming events, which will be announced soon. �alumni news HOMECOMING 2012 Mark your calendars for Homecoming 2012 — October 5, 6 and 7! Take a trip back to campus and you’ll be sure to have as much fun as these ladies from Chesapeake Hall. Nominations Sought for 2012 Health Sciences Distinguished Service Awards President and Mrs. Gilmour to be Honored at Alumni Scholarship Dinner If you know a Wilkes graduate who should be recognized for his or her contributions to the fields of medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry or veterinary medicine, consider submitting a nomination for the Health Sciences Distinguished Service Award. Past recipients include Charles N. Burns Sr., M.D., ’35; Doris B. Bartuska, M.D., ’49; George E. Hudock, Jr., M.D., ’50; Catherine DeAngelis, M.D., M.P.H., ’65; Dan F. Kopen, M.D., ’70; Richard Clompus, O.D., ’75; Henry Finn, M.D. F.A.C.S., ’80; Eduardo Marban, M.D., Ph.D. ’74; W. Peter Nordland, D.M.D., ’74, MS ’75; Mark Stair, V.M.D., ’70. Submit your nomination online at www.community.wilkes.edu/HSawards. The Wilkes community will honor Tim and Patty Gilmour on Friday, April 20 at the Alumni Association’s annual scholarship dinner in recognition of their 11 years of service to the University. “I have attended this fabulous event several times over the years. It is always a festive evening which draws the ‘Who’s Who’ among the Wilkes community, including alumni, trustees, faculty, past presidents and students. It is a great way to network with those from Wilkes and the local community,” says Cindy Charnetski O.D. ’97, committee chairperson. Last year, the dinner honored Lawrence Cohen ’57 and raised over $14,000 for the scholarship. The scholarship is awarded each year to a child or grandchild of a Wilkes alumnus. Members of the Alumni Association’s development committee interview student scholarship candidates to select the winner. For more information about the scholarship dinner, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570)408-7787 or alumni@wilkes.edu. WILKES | Winter 2012 Pictured first row, left to right are Janet Markowitz Macik ‘75, Gayle (Kinback) Pryor ‘75, Ann Marie (Lewis) Strempek ’75, Nancy (Slawson) Deacon ‘77, Denise Chapura ’74; sitting on stage left to right, are Janine (Pokrinchak) Dubik ’78, Merle (Zipkin) Silver ’78, Nancy Van Kuren ’78, Shelley (Busa) O’Brien ’77, Sue Ann (Knight) Beck ’77; and top row, from left, Fran (Polakowski) Holloway ’76 and Shawn (Rozett) Senning ’78 21 �class notes 1951 Charles F. Jackson was honored with the 2011 Philadelphia Association of School Retirees Community Service Award. The Philadelphia chapter, Region XI, has the largest membership among Pennsylvania’s Association of School Retirees (PASR). Jackson retired in 1994 after serving in Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York public school districts in various positions including teacher, athletic coach, department head, grade coordinator, assistant vice principal, principal and assistant superintendent. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Langhorne, Pa. William Siglin and his wife Norma celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary on Dec. 25, 2011. They reside in Springfield Township, Pa. 1978 Tony Couto was inducted into the Allentown (Pa.) Central Catholic Athletic Hall of Fame in December 2010 as a member of the 1973 undefeated football team. In December 2011 he was inducted for a second time in recognition of his athletic achievements in football and wrestling. David A. Jolley ’78 shows off his book, A Good Cup of Coffee: Short-Time Major Leaguers and Their Claims to Fame, outside the Baseball Hall of Fame. porous materials to separate gases. Golden uses the Tim Golden ’78 wondered why his boss insisted he attend retained by the sponge allowing for the production of the December 2011 Technology Town Hall Meeting held at oxygen at the exit of the sponge.” analogy of a sponge to explain the process: “It would be as if I sent air through a sponge and nitrogen would be Golden holds the record among current Air Product with the Allentown, Pa.-based corporation, Golden says employees for most patents: 66 in the United States and he didn’t think it was unusual when he saw the company’s more than 400 worldwide. During the course of more senior vice president, Corning Painter, and its chairman, than two decades with the company, it’s estimated that John McGlade, were present. Golden’s work has impacted more than $6 billion in Air “I’m a researcher,” Golden quips. “My head’s in the Products revenues. Air Products is a global leader in the clouds 99 percent of the time. But then I realized that industrial, energy, technology and health care markets with they were talking about me.” a portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty Air Products senior leadership presented Golden with the company’s Professional Achievement Award, Wilkes | Winter 2012 to Fame. He donated copies of the book to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s research library in Cooperstown, N.Y. Tim Golden ’78 Holds Patent on Research Success their company, Air Products. A 28-year veteran researcher 22 David A. Jolley announced the publication of his book, A Good Cup of Coffee: Short-Time Major Leaguers & Their Claims gases, performance materials, and equipment and services. In presenting the award, Air Products chairman recognizing employees who have made significant contri- McGlade said, “We’re here to recognize someone who is butions to Air Products’ success through their skills, helping to move us toward our vision, someone whose dedication and high professional standards. The award— adsorption expertise has contributed greatly to our given only once before since its inception—carries a success as a company. But technical prowess alone isn’t $40,000 honorarium. what makes him a leader. That quality is combined with Golden was honored for his work with adsorption other attributes like the ability to mentor, to collaborate, technology, which contributes to success for Air Products and sponsor teamwork. So much so that a recent job plants, technology and processes. Adsorption technology, applicant met Tim at a conference and said—and this is a Golden explains, involves designing and developing quote—‘I want to work for him!’ The adsorption industry �class notes John Pullo Sr. was elected to the Keystone College Board of Trustees. He is vice president for ground systems at Gentex Corp. in Simpson, Pa. 1990 Christopher Buchanan and his wife, Sharon, welcomed their second child, David Bruce Black Buchanan, on Sept. 23, 2011. 1982 Reunion Oct. 5-7 ~ Ruth McDermott-Levy received the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association’s 2011 Nurse as Global Citizen Award at a ceremony on Oct. 27, 2011. She works for Villanova University College of Nursing. 1994 Matt McCaffrey MS ’97 and his wife, Andrea, welcomed their daughter, Abigail Elizabeth, on June 29, 2011. She joins her siblings, 8-year-old Matthew and 5-year-old Katy. The family lives in North Canton, Ohio. second daughter, Adele Marie DaRe, born Oct. 17, 2011. 1998 Danielle (Yeakel) Schaeffer and her husband, Mark, welcomed their second child, Shane Douglas, on Dec. 20, 2010. He joins older sister Olivia Ann. The family lives in Forks Township, Pa. Suzanne Reedy and Daniel McKeon were married on May 14, 2011. The bride is employed at Sanofi-Pasteur in Swiftwater, Pa. The groom is employed by American International Mailing in Whippany, N.J. The couple reside in Great Meadows, N.J. 2000 Linda Chong and Nicholas Souchik III welcomed their third daughter, Liliya, on Sept. 7, 2011. She joins older sisters Larissa and Natasha. Tony DaRe and his wife, Adrienne, welcomed their 2002 Reunion Oct. 5-7 ,-... Vanessa Bodgan and William Parry III were married on Oct. 1, 2010. The bride is a fifth-grade teacher in the Lake-Lehman School District. The groom is employed at recognized him through his election to the Carbon Hall of longer competitive. “I decided I’d better concentrate on Fame, and we’re proud to recognize him now for his contri- chemistry,” says Golden, who earned the Catherine Bone butions to Air Products.” Award in chemistry when he graduated. The award—a complete surprise for Golden—brought He has fond memories of chemistry faculty and their tears to his eyes. “I got a standing ovation from my mates influence. “Owen Faut was my favorite professor. He was in technology. That meant more to me than anything.” an inspiration to me. He was a great teacher who gave Golden, who came to Wilkes from New York state, was a me confidence in my abilities.” wrestler. But after the University switched from Division III After graduating from Wilkes, he earned a doctorate in to Division I in wrestling after his freshman year, he was no materials science from Penn State and joined Air Products, where he’s enjoyed a long and successful research career. Upon his retirement from Air Products in January 2012, Golden is moving to France with his wife, Catherine, a native of Brittany, and their two children, Madeleine, 13, and William, 11. “I want to spend more time with the kids,” Golden says. “They still like me. I know that will change. Selfishly, I just want to be around them while I can.” Although he will continue working for Air Products as a consultant mentoring younger scientists, Golden looks forward to the change. “Sometimes we get caught up on this merry-go-round called work. If you just jump off, you may be surprised where you land.” – By Vicki Mayk M.A.’12 Tim Golden ’78 in his laboratory at Air Products. Photo courtesy of Air Products Wilkes | Winter 2012 1980 Dr. Jeffrey S. Yablon is an assistant professor in the University of California San Francisco Department of Neurological Surgery. He is medical director of the newly formed Peggy Herman Center for the Neurosciences at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Calif. 23 �class notes Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. The couple reside in Dallas Township, Pa. 2003 Christopher Tedesco see 2004. 2004 Pamela Tedesco and Christopher Tedesco ’03 welcomed their third child, Lilyanna Grace Tedesco, on Sept. 20, 2011. She joins older brothers Christopher, 5, and Nathaniel, 21 months. Stefanie Henninger ’02 and Andrew Taylor were married on Sept. 10, 2011. The bride is a nuclear medicine technologist at Fox Hospital in Oneonta, N.Y. The groom works in sales for Chrysler. The couple reside in Oneonta. The bride’s wedding party included two Wilkes alumnae. From left to right, bridesmaids Jessica Kim and Nicole Volpe, matron of honor Shanna (Henninger) Dawson PharmD ’01, bride Stefanie (Henninger) Taylor ’02, matron of honor Kimberly (Chapman) Schneider ’02, and bridesmaids Jennie Taylor and Kristi Stein. 2005 James Lemoncelli is deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan, for 10 months as a CommandersEmergency Response Program program manager for USFOR-A, U.S. Forces Afghanistan. 2007 Reunion Oct. 5-7 ~ Shannon Curtin MBA ’09 and Zachary Mazur were married on June 12, 2010. The bride is a communications and engagement analyst for Northrop Grumman in Suffolk, Va. The couple reside in Portsmouth, Va. Wilkes | Winter 2012 2010 John Hollock is an accountant at the Moosic, Pa., office of accounting firm Jones Kohanski & Company. 24 Nadine Ann Taylor ’07 and Jon James Prutzman ’05 were married on Nov. 6, 2010. The bride is a special education teacher at Robert D. Wilson Elementary School and junior varsity softball coach in Waymart, Pa. She also is a Zumba instructor. The groom is a controller at Compuspar USA Inc. in Allentown, Pa. The couple reside in Scranton, Pa. Alumni in the couple’s wedding party included bridesmaids Jodi Viscomi ’05 and Jan Nunemacher ’06, groomsman Mike Zapotoski ’05, and best man Tom Reynolds ’05. Andrew Seaman was hired to manage the health news Web site for Thomson Reuters. He will be based at Reuters’s headquarters in New York City. �class notes Matthew Archey ’09, M.S. ’11 Brings New Technology to Historic Building Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to ensure When Wilkes-Barre-based architecture and engineering building system meets building code requirements. firm, Borton-Lawson, won the contract to update The project required design concepts be approved by the the updated renovations would not affect the appearance of the building. Another challenge is making sure the Archey is enjoying the various challenges the project the heating system of the historic Luzerne County has posed. “It’s really interesting to see how systems Courthouse, Wilkes alumnus, Matthew Archey ’09, M.S.’11 have evolved to satisfy the needs of building occupants, was eager to begin the challenging assignment. while limiting the effects on the environment,” he stated. The project is a part of the overall renovation of the courthouse and focuses on the implementation of the Designing environmentally friendly systems is of particular importance to Archey. He is also working on a new heating system and the corresponding energy Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) efficiency improvements. Archey’s employer is committed project for the Geisinger Health Systems office building in to preserving the history and landscape of northeastern Buckhorn, Pa. Pennsylvania for future generations, but with that commitment come challenges. “Older buildings weren’t designed with the current Archey earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in engineering management from Wilkes. He says his professors influenced the way technologies in mind,” explains Archey. “It can be difficult to he approaches his day-to-day work. Wilkes engineering conceal or even fit the necessary system components within professors, Syed Perwez Kalim and John Orehotsky, each the building in a way that maintains its historical integrity.” helped to prepare him to handle the multi-faceted aspects of the engineering profession. “A lot of what I do today I learned in Dr. Kalim’s classes,” he says. “(Orehotsky) was always full of energy. It was obvious he loved what he did every day. I try to keep that positive attitude because it helps you get through stressful times.” Being versatile and capitalizing on internship opportunities is what led to his career success. “The Wilkes internship fair set me up with a company, which eventually led to my job immediately after graduation,” he said. Archey is grateful to have been given the opportunity to be a part of the restoration of the Luzerne County Courthouse. – By Rachel Strayer, M.F.A. ’12 Matt Archey ’09, M.S.’11 has worked on the restoration of the Luzerne County Courthouse. Photo by Vicki Mayk 1981 Babetta Wenner M.S. is now assistant professor of fine arts at Misericordia University. appellate advocacy as amicus brief writer and allocatur clerk, past chair and active committee member of the Amicus Committee for more than 15 years, and his lifelong dedication to preserving justice. Bednarz resides in Shavertown, Pa. Wilkes | Winter 2012 Graduate Students 2006 John A. Bednarz, Jr. M.A. was honored at the annual Pennsylvania Association for Justice retreat with the George F. Douglas Amicus Curiae Award. The award acknowledged his outstanding 25 John A. Bednarz, Jr. M.A. �class notes In Memoriam Brian Kasarda M.S. and Jessica Ervin were married on June 18, 2011. The bride is studying to be a teacher. The groom is an accountant with Guard Insurance Group in Wilkes-Barre. The couple reside in Hazle Township, Pa. 2007 Karen Elaine Petrosky MBA and James Patrick Blaum were married on Aug. 20, 2010. Both are employed as teachers by the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. The couple reside in Kingston, Pa. Wilkes | Winter 2012 2008 Dave Blum M.A. self-published his novel The Last Pottsville Warrior. The novel chronicles the lives of five families from the mid-1950s through the 1970s in the coal and steel belt of northeast Pennsylvania. The book is a portrait of personal struggles amidst the dramatic changes in American culture. It is now available on amazon.com for Kindle. 26 2009 Shannon Curtin MBA see 2007. 1940 Dr. Michael Seniuk, Augusta, Ga., died Nov. 9, 2011. He served as a dentist in the U.S. Army during World War II. Seniuk was employed by the Veterans Administration Hospital and worked in the dental clinics of the Veterans Administration Hospitals in Wilkes-Barre; Fayetteville, N.C.; Lebanon, Pa.; Dublin, Ga.; and Augusta, Ga. 1942 Dr. Phyllis Berger, Kingston, Pa., died Sept. 10, 2011. She opened a joint optometric practice with her husband, becoming the first woman optometrist in Lackawanna County. 1949 Donald W. Perrego, Mechanicsburg, Pa., died Oct. 17, 2011. He was a veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserves and the U.S. Army, serving as a civil engineer during the Korean Conflict. Perrego worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Department of Forests and Water, becoming director of the Bureau of Water Projects. 1950 Thomas T. Smith Jr., Kingston, Pa., died Nov. 25, 2011. He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II and began his teaching career at Forty Fort High School before teaching English at Wyoming Valley West. He also worked for his father at Smith’s Grocery Store in Kingston. Charlotte Davis Wentz, Wyoming Valley, Pa., died Aug. 9, 2011. She worked at the Harrisburg State Hospital and as a legal secretary in Virginia. She was the first paid director of volunteer services for the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, a position she held for 20 years. 1951 Leo F. Gavlick, Swoyersville, Pa., died Dec. 5, 2011. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and was a self-employed professional civil engineer, architect, and surveyor. John B. Wheelwright Jr., Hunlock Creek, Pa., died Aug. 9, 2011. He was a veteran of the Korean War and was employed at Bell Labs in New Jersey. 1952 Robert H. Nash, Berwick, Pa., died Oct. 19, 2011. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and was an English teacher for the Berwick Area School System for 39 years. David T. Williams Jr., Roanoke, Va., died Nov. 9, 2011. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War and an employee with the Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania. After retiring, he was a computer operator for Dauphin County in Harrisburg, Pa. 1954 H. Harrison Cook, Dallas, Pa., died Sept. 27, 2011. He was a sales representative for National Gypsum Co. until his retirement in 1996. Nevin Dieffenbach, Manheim, Pa., died March 21, 2011. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and a retired registered nurse and nursing home administrator who served at all levels of nursing, from nursing assistant to director of nursing. He retired from the Lebanon VA Medical Center in 1980. Dr. Thomas A. Kislan, Harleigh, Pa., died Aug. 12, 2011. He was a retired U.S. Navy pilot and had a private dental practice in Hazelton, Pa., for over 40 years. Kislan served as a pilot and dentist for the U.S. Naval Reserves for more than 25 years, earning the rank of Commander. �class notes In Memoriam The Rev. John (Jack) S. Prater, Plymouth Township, Pa., died Nov. 8, 2011. He served Episcopal parishes in Saint Clair, Pa., and Minersville, Pa., before becoming the rector of Prince of Peace Episcopal Church in Dallas, Pa., where he served for 35 years. Upon his retirement he was named rector emeritus. 1957 Nancy Morris Phethean, Mt. Kisco, N.Y., died Sept. 2, 2011. She taught first grade at Primrose School in Somers, N.Y. from 1970 until her retirement in 1996. 1958 Thomas A. Yahara, Lancaster, Pa., died Oct. 16, 2011. He was a registered professional engineer with the Department of Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Mentoring Program at the Penn State University. He was also an artist belonging to the Lancaster Art Association. 1959 John C. Lacomy Sr., Old Forge, Pa., died Nov. 28, 2011. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and was employed as a metal fabricator and inspector for R & H Fabricators, Orangeville Metal, and Berwick Metal Fabricators. 1960 Carol Ann Haracz, Nanticoke, Pa., died Aug. 31, 2011. She was a registered nurse at Hahnemann University Hospital and other hospitals in Philadelphia, Pa. 1964 John Tensa Jr., Plymouth, Pa., died Sept. 24, 2011. He was an elementary school and remedial math teacher at the Main Street School in Plymouth in the Wyoming Valley West School District for 39 years. 1968 Martin E. (Marty) Hurley, New Orleans, La., died Sept. 12, 2011. He was a member of the U.S. Air Force Band and served as a drum instructor for the military bands Bleu Raeders and the Black Knights before joining the staff of the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. He was band director at Brother Martin High School, New Orleans; percussion instructor at Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, La.; and taught musical seminars and clinics. He also published his musical compositions through his own company, Rudimental Percussion Publications, and through Row-Loff Productions. 1970 Les Sdorow, New Hope, Pa., died Sept. 13, 2011. He was an associate professor of psychology at Arcadia University, co-founder of the Leigh Valley Undergraduate Psychology Conference, and the author of an introductory psychology textbook. 1971 Casimer J. Czerwien, Nanticoke, Pa., died Oct. 2, 2011. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. 1975 Mary O’Brien Callahan, Forty Fort, Pa., died Nov. 12, 2011. She worked for the Division of Unemployment Compensation and Employment Service for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and taught at Saint Ann’s Academy, Wilkes-Barre, and Scranton Preparatory School. 1976 Stephen A. Bloomburg, Forty Fort, Pa., died Aug. 31, 2011. He worked in the insurance and financial planning industry for more than 30 years and was the owner and operator of Bloomburg Financial in Kingston, Pa. Richard J. Kopec, Swoyersville, Pa., died Oct. 22, 2011. He was an active member of the Association of the Blind. Roger John Price, Wilkes-Barre Township, Pa., died Oct. 20, 2011. He was employed for 10 years by the Probation Office of Luzerne County and for 20 years as a supreme/auditor for the Pennsylvania Auditor General. 1977 Gary E. Bilski, Norristown, Pa., died Sept. 16, 2011. He was employed as a nurse executive at Montgomery County Emergency Service. 1978 Gloria M. Dobrowalski, Laflin, Pa., died Nov. 14, 2011. She was a certified rehabilitation counselor, and owned and operated G.M.B. and Associates in Wilkes-Barre. She was also employed by Evergreen Behavioral Intervention for Children in Luzerne, Pa. Wilkes | Winter 2012 1955 Irwin H. Gelb, Wilkes-Barre, died June 24, 2011. He worked for and eventually owned his father’s wholesale business, Phillip Gelb Company. He was an employee at Macy’s since 2000. 27 �class notes In Memoriam 1979 Thomas N. “Chip” Pufko, Spring City, Pa., died Sept. 7, 2011. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps before being honorably discharged as an officer. 1981 Rose H. Somers, Weatherly, Pa., died July 2011. 1983 Rev. Robert G. MacIntyre, Bethlehem, Pa., died Sept. 2, 2011. He was the pastor at Olivet United Presbyterian Church, Easton, Pa., since 1998. Prior to his ordination, MacIntyre was a project design engineer in satellite communications at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. 1985 Billy D. Adams Sr., Pocono Summit, Pa., died June 27, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for 26 years and was a veteran of both the Korean War and Vietnam wars. He also worked for an electronics company out of the Tobyhanna Army Depot and served as a technical writer and editor at Fort Monmouth. Vincent J. Kashulon Jr., Raleigh, N.C., died Sept. 10, 2011. He was a Vietnam War veteran and worked for U.S. Postal Service Information Systems, Washington, D.C., before retiring in 2002. Graduate Students 1973 William D. Morris M.S., Pottsville, Pa., died June 9, 2011. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War as well as a music teacher and band director at Williams Valley High School. He was a retired employee of the New Cumberland Army Depot. 1981 Raymond Elick MBA, Tunkhannock, Pa., died Nov. 7, 2011. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard and had a long career at the Procter & Gamble Paper Mill in Mehoopany, Pa. 1988 Lisa Anne Tercha MBA, Macungie, Pa., died Sept. 12, 2011. She was vice president of operations at Dun and Bradstreet in Saucon Valley and formerly worked for IMS America in Norristown, Pa. 2004 Virginia D. “Ginnie” Rohn M.S., Bethlehem, Pa., died Sept. 25, 2011. She was a teacher in the business department at Liberty High School for 13 years and was also a coach of the Liberty girls’ volleyball team. She was previously employed as an auditor for Fulton Financial and worked in the commercial lending department of Lafayette Ambassador Bank. 2006 Jennifer Diskin M.A., Scranton, Pa., died Dec. 11, 2011. She was an adjunct English professor at Marywood University and a graduate assistant at Wilkes University. She was also employed for 10 years by Allied Services as a resident assistant and program specialist. She was a poet with two published chapbooks, Everyday Anemias in 2008 and Wear White and Grieve in 2010. Friends of Wilkes Alvan Bruch, Plains Township, Pa., died July 30, 2011. He was a retired meteorologist for the U.S. Air Force and an environmental scientist with the Tennessee Valley Authority. He was a professor at Wilkes College and helped to start the environmental science department. Marybeth Patterson, Nanticoke, Pa., died Oct. 24, 2011. She was a service center assistant in the office of public safety at Wilkes University. She worked at Wilkes for more than eight years. Wilkes | Winter 2012 Submitting Class Notes 28 Share personal or career news in any of three ways: • E-mail it to wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. • Post it at The Colonel Connection Web site at www.wilkes.edu/alumni • Or mail it to: Class Notes, Wilkes Magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766 �GIVING BACK “I prepared my will before my deployment to Iraq. I included a gift for Wilkes as a token of appreciation for getting a quality education. I wanted to give back. – Captain Joshua Mendoza ’02 Joshua Mendoza ’02 has been a captain in the U.S. Army for nine years. He is currently stationed at Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah, Ga., where he lives with his wife, Karen (Bradley) Mendoza ’02, and their 2-year-old daughter, Isabella. In remembering his Wilkes days, Mendoza, says, “The professors were very accessible; it was a good environment to collaborate and do better work. I wrestled and was team captain my senior year. I met my wife there. I have friends I still keep in touch with. There are coaches, faculty and staff who meant a lot to us.” Honor your Wilkes experience and join Captain Mendoza in helping future generations of Wilkes students by taking advantage of planned-giving opportunities. Opportunities for these kinds of gifts include: • A bequest in your will • Charitable gift annuities • Charitable trusts Planned giving allows you to contribute cash, stock, insurance policies and property—now or through your estate. Some planned giving opportunities allow you to realize tax benefits, including tax-free payments during your lifetime. Others have tax benefits for your estate and your heirs. Wilkes University offers gift planning assistance to alumni and friends at no cost or obligation. Contact Angela Buckley at (800) WILKES-U, Ext. 7833 or email angela.buckley@wilkes.edu or return the business reply card that can be found in this issue of Wilkes magazine for more information. w WILKES UNIVERSITY �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events March 1 Groundbreaking Ceremony, New Science Center, 1 p.m., greenway (Snow date, March 7) 1-11 Let Children Be Children: Lewis Wickes’ Crusade Against Child Labor, Sordoni Art Gallery 22 Alina Fernandez, daughter of Fidel Castro, Women’s History Month speaker, 7 p.m., Ballroom, Henry Student Center April 3 Halfway to Homecoming, Boston, Mass. Halfway to Homecoming, Harrisburg, Pa. 4 Halfway to Homecoming, Rodano’s, Public Square, Wilkes-Barre, 7 p.m. 12 Halfway to Homecoming, Washington, D.C. 12-15 Amadeus, theatre production, 8 p.m., Thurs.-Sat.; 2 p.m. Sun., Darte Center 22 How To Change the World With Your Bare Hands, The Hon. Cory Booker, mayor, Newark, N.J., Max Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities, 7:30 p.m., Darte Center 20 Alumni Scholarship Dinner, Ballroom, Henry Student Center 27 Chorus Concert with NEPA Philharmonic, Scranton Cultural Center 28 Relay for Life, benefiting American Cancer Society, greenway 29 Civic Band Concert, 2 p.m., Darte Center May 1 Jazz Orchestra Concert, 8 p.m., Darte Center 19 Spring Commencement, Mohegan Sun Arena Photo by Curtis Salonick For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Winter 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2011 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Winter 2012 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 2012 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/7ae058917175748dfc8e5d2513512d3b.pdf 6d819f2a931d3f399c7f2032afc5ca99 PDF Text Text spring / su mmer 20 13 a legacy of life’s lessons in tune | memorable motivator | prescription for success �president’s letter Defining the Wilkes Experience A year ago, I became Wilkes University’s sixth president. I anticipated that it would be one of the most fulfilling years of my career. Reality has exceeded my expectations. I’ve found Wilkes to be a unique community of alumni, faculty, staff and students. We are warned to be careful about using the word “unique” too freely, since it connotes that something has attributes not found elsewhere.Yet unique is the word I’d use to describe Wilkes as I end my first year as president. A number of characteristics truly define Wilkes. We are a relatively small institution with a broad program mix, from traditional majors in the liberal arts to professional programs in fields such as engineering, nursing, business and pharmacy. Our size allows students to continue to enjoy their favorite co-curricular activities— such as playing a sport or participating in student government—while pursuing a demanding major. Students can play football while majoring in pharmacy or play field hockey while studying to be an engineer. It’s not unusual for students to participate in their favorite co-curricular activities while majoring in more than one discipline. That college experience is unique. Students are the heart of the matter here. Quite simply, there’s a family feeling here that’s hard to find at other institutions. I started this President Patrick Leahy chats with job saying I knew I’d joined a community that alumni Dave Kaschak ‘71, right, and was totally dedicated to student success. I end his wife, Camille, at Homecoming my first year believing that more emphatically 2012—one of the many events that he enjoyed with the Wilkes than ever. I see it reflected every day, from our community during his first year. continuing commitment to serve first-generation college students to our ongoing efforts to maintain our beautiful campus. Everyone, from the facilities staff to our faculty, is committed to our students.We can confidently tout our mentoring culture because we know that students will have caring people to guide them during their Wilkes careers—from the upperclassmen who welcome freshmen as part of our award-winning E-mentor Program, to the many faculty and staff members who work with them in and out of the classroom. I need everyone’s help to continue building on all of these great things that are hallmarks of the Wilkes experience. Communication among all of our constituencies has been a priority during my first year—and it will continue to be important throughout my time at Wilkes. To help promote communication and involve everyone in what we’re doing at Wilkes, I’m launching my own Twitter account. This will allow me to share what’s happening at Wilkes and my plans for the University in a very immediate and dynamic way. I hope you’ll consider following me @patrickfleahy on Twitter.com. I wish you all the very best during the summer of 2013. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Wilkes University President volume 7 | issue 2 spring/summer 2013 Wilkes magazine University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Thomas Markley ’11 Intern Anne Yoskoski Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor Inc. Editorial Advisory Group Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 M.S.’76 Donna Sedor ’85 Alumni RELATIONS STAFF Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Association Officers President Tom Ralston ’80 Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published three times a year by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents 6 Features 6 A Legacy of Life’s Lessons Alfred S. Groh ’41 forever changed the lives of generations of Wilkes students and the Wilkes-Barre community where he lived 12 In Tune Jimmy Harnen ’85 is executive vice president of Big Machine Record Group and president of Republic Records in Nashville 14 14 Memorable Motivator Les Nicholas ’81’s inspiring teaching style earns him recognition as the country’s top educator 18 Prescription for Success Denise Cesare ’77 is a leader in the health-care industry as president and CEO of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania 12 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Alfred S. Groh ’41 left a legacy at Wilkes that includes the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts— where this photo of Groh, taken at his retirement, hangs in the lobby. Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes. edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. J;;s FPO C Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 18 departments 1 �on campus Wilkes Earns Place on President’s National Service Honor Roll Wilkes has been honored with a place on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The honor roll highlights annually the role colleges and universities play in serving their communities and placing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement by awarding recognition to institutions that achieve meaningful, measurable outcomes in the communities they serve. In the past three years, the total number of students who participated in community service was 1,368, and these students logged over 19,000 hours. Megan Boone Valkenburg, coordinator of civic engagement, worked with faculty and staff to track the hours students spent in service. Several large projects included the clean up after the 2011 flood in the Wyoming Valley, the veterans oral history project completed by students in freshman-year foundations courses, and general community service from clubs and classes. A special initiative of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the awards go to colleges and universities that make a profound impact on their communities. Students, from left, Shawn Carey, Brittany Buddman and Kyle Henry pitch in for clean up at the River Common during a community service day—one of many that earned Wilkes a place on the National Service Honor Roll. Pentagon Honors Clinical Work of Nesbitt College of Pharmacy Team Jennifer Malinowski, associate professor of pharmacy practice, and pharmacy students she supervises at the Wright Center for Primary Care in Scranton, were recognized by the Health Resource Service Administration at the Pentagon. The team was recognized with The Transformation Award from the Patient Safety Pharmacy Collaborative for its ability to integrate clinical pharmacy services within an inter-professional team. They also received The Integrative Medication Management Award for the development of an innovative medication reconciliation process to improve patient safety and outcomes. About 18 Wilkes pharmacy students work at the site with Malinowski each year as part of their clinical requirement. Malinowski says that the innovative practices introduced by the Wilkes team included using computers for medication reconciliation. The system provides a way to leave an integrated note that can be accessed by all team members. Successful outcomes from the medication management and integrated team included improvements in conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes that were sustained for four months and a year after the procedures were implemented. Photo by Bryan Calabro Where Are Our Alumni? Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 iiiiiiiiiiii. ri • 2 i• i PA 72.0% NJ 5.9% NY 3.6% FL 2.5% MD 1.8% VA 1.8% CA 1.5% r• r• r• It’s no surprise that you find the most Wilkes alumni making their homes in Pennsylvania, with more than 24,000 calling the Keystone State home after graduating. No brain drain there! Here’s a look at the states with most Colonels. �on campus Six Wilkes University students traveled halfway around the world to complete a project to bring Internet access to a school in the underdeveloped village of Gush Kande. The students constructed a solar energy generator to provide electricity to charge iPads and other devices, making Internet access possible for the first time to children in the school. The team of students was headed by project leader Christa Tutella, a senior electrical engineering student from Wilkes-Barre. Other student team members include mechanical engineering students Eric Danko of Dallas, Pa., and Dustin Hough of Chambersburg, Pa.; chemical engineering student Suliman Alhojairi of Saudi Arabia; business student Joshua Haag of Bethlehem, Pa.; communication studies student Ryan Wood of Kingston, Pa.; and English major Todd Oravic of Ashley, Pa. They were accompanied by mechanical engineering professor Syed Kalim. Tutella and Alhojairi did not accompany the group to Bangladesh. Wilkes student engineers are required to complete a hands-on senior project that solves a real-world problem. The Bangladesh project is the senior project for the students, who designed and installed the system. The students also handled the logistics of getting the equipment to the remote village after flying into Dhaka, some three hours away. Wilkes became involved in the project after a student in its doctor of education program, Ty Frederickson, shared his dream of bringing internet access to Gush Kande. Frederickson is a teacher at American-British Academy, an international school in Muscat, Oman. Wilkes offers its doctoral program in education online to a cohort of teachers at the school. Frederickson has been working with the school in Bangladesh since 2010. More on the Web A slide show of photographs taken by communication studies senior Ryan Wood of the Wilkes student team in Bangladesh shows their experience in the village of Gush Kande. To view the pictures, go to www.wilkes.edu/bangladeshtrip. Above, students from the Gush Kande Primary School in Bangladesh celebrate the installation of a solar generator that will help to bring the Internet to their school. The project was a senior project for Wilkes student engineers. Photo by Ryan Wood Left, students who worked on the senior engineering project in Bangladesh are, front from left, Suliman Alhojairi, Eric Danko, mechanical engineering professor Syed Kalim and Christa Tutella. Second row from left are Ryan Wood, Dustin Hough and Joshua Haag. Not pictured: Todd Oravic. Photo by Vicki Mayk Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Wilkes Engineering Students Bring Internet to Remote Bangladesh Village 3 �on campus President, Senior Administration Return to Weckesser President Patrick F. Leahy became the sixth Wilkes president to have his office in Weckesser Hall when he moved back into the historic building in April. Leahy and other members of senior administration relocated their offices from the University Center on Main to move closer to the center of campus activity. Leahy’s new office, on the first floor in the front of the building, previously was used as a conference room. It faces South Franklin Street with a view of the main part of campus. A gift from the Davidowitz family helped to underwrite renovations to the building, which included refurbishing floors, painting and other cosmetic improvements. Weckesser was originally the home of Frederick J. Weckesser, director of the F.W. Woolworth Company. This home, built by Charles H.P. Gilbert of New York—the architect of Frank W. Woolworth’s home— was actually the second Wilkes building to carry the Weckesser name. The first was located at 78 West Northampton Street, near Evans Hall. Top, Paul Adams ’77, vice president for student affairs, in his office, which was formerly the library of Frederick Weckesser. It features leaded glass windows, built-in bookcases, a fireplace and even Mr. Weckesser’s original humidor. Bottom, the fireplace in President Patrick Leahy’s office is the perfect place for photographs. The president’s office faces campus on South Franklin Street. Photos by Lisa Reynolds Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 E-Mentor Program Receives National Recognition 4 Wilkes was recognized with a 2013 Excellence Award from Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education in recognition of the University’s first-year student E-mentoring program. Wilkes’ E-mentoring program received a bronze award in a category recognizing exemplary programs for orientation, transfer or first-year students. Other winners in the category were Towson University and Wake Forest University. The e-mentor program was developed by Sharon Castano, a coordinator in Wilkes’ student development division. It pairs incoming freshmen and transfers with current Wilkes students to help facilitate their transition to the University. The current students contact and mentor the new students via email, meet them at summer orientation and continue to mentor them after they arrive on campus in the fall. E-mentor Nimi Patel, front row center, with a group of freshmen during orientation in summer 2012. E-mentors from Wilkes’ award-winning program provide key guidance for incoming students during orientation and fall semester. �athletics Colonels Elite Honors Student Athletes for Academic Achievement Wilkes student athletes who not only excel in their respective sports but also in the classroom are now being recognized as members of the Colonels Elite. The Colonels Elite recognition program, formed by women’s soccer coach John Sumoski in consultation with the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, recognizes student athletes that have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. The athletes must have at least 60 total college credits and be of good moral character as determined by the athletic department. Transfer students must have completed at least 30 credits at Wilkes. The first Colonels Elite ceremony honored 30 student athletes. They included juniors or seniors from various majors and athletic teams. President Patrick Leahy and Vice President of Student Affairs Paul Adams made opening remarks and praised the students for their academic and athletic achievements. “It is noteworthy enough that you have this GPA,” says Leahy, “and also noteworthy that you are NCAA athletes. The combination of the two is something great, and makes me proud to be the president of this university.” Adams pointed out that this is history in the making. “You are the first Colonels Elite, and this inaugural ceremony honors your extraordinary talents.” Sumoski said that this ceremony is important as part of a tradition he hopes to continue at Wilkes. The Colonels Elite symbolizes the hard-working athletes who deserve to be honored for all they put into their work on and off the court. “I wanted to give back to the students and recognize all their hard work.” Sumoski says the success of these students lies in their attainment of measurable goals. “I think that they know how to prioritize and more importantly how to keep those priorities straight.” The Colonels Elite selection committee included Sumoski, women’s basketball coach Chris Heery, men’s basketball coach Jerry Rickrode, women’s field hockey coach Mollie Reichard and men’s soccer coach Phil Wingert. Right, The special trophies designed for the inaugural group of inductees to the Colonels Elite are displayed at the awards luncheon. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Below, The first group of student athletes inducted into the Colonels Elite were honored at a luncheon in the Marts Center. They are pictured, first row, left to right; Kirsten Smith, soccer; Sarah Fillman, cross country; Amanda Holyk, tennis; Ally Kristofco, tennis; Kait Brown, softball; Melanie Nolt, tennis; and Ashley Ream, field hockey; second row, left to right; Scott Skammer, baseball; Michael Daubert, golf; Darren Mensch, golf; Joe Dantas, baseball; Kris Krawchuk, wrestling; Alysha Bixler, softball; Angela Palmerio, basketball; Robert Sperazza, cross country; Nicholas Patricia, soccer; and Tyler Young, soccer; and back row, from left; Bobby Schappell, baseball; William Baker, football; Virginia Edwards, basketball; David Marr, soccer; Michael Shannon, wrestling; Nicholas Dawson, football and wrestling; Jeremy Nolt, golf; Casey Bohan, volleyball; Luke Dombert, soccer; Jason Kieffer, soccer; and Omar Richardson, football. Photos by Thomas Markley ’11 5 �left, A portrait from the fifties shows a young Alfred Groh. Above, left to right: Al Groh and Jane lampe-Groh on their 1977 wedding day. A student actress has her costume adjusted while conferring with Groh backstage before a performance. top, Groh and long-time friend and trustee emerita esther davidowitz chat at a Wilkes function. Below, Groh and elizabeth Slaughter ’68 enjoyed a close relationship spanning more than 40 years. Groh reviews rehearsal notes with music department chairman John J. detroy. pictures of the Grohs in their kingston, pa., home from two different eras. Bottom row, left to right: Groh is caught informally during an outdoor event on campus. Al Groh and howard ennis Jr. ’55 pause during rehearsals in chase theatre. Sally rosenn and Judge harold rosenn with Al Groh at a campus event. Groh and a visiting artist, actor theodore Bikel, are seen during a meet and greet with students on campus. the Grohs display teddy bears fashioned from heirloom furs from the lampe family. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 teddy BeAr photo courteSy JAmeS ruck ’78. All other photoS courteSy WilkeS uniVerSity ArchiVeS 6 �Alfred S. Groh ’41, associate professor emeritus of English and theatre arts, had impact on many at Wilkes and in the community Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 By Helen Kaiser 7 �Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 A 8 GHOST LIGHT STOOD stage left in the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center during the funeral service for Alfred S. Groh ’41. Traditionally lit when a theatre is unoccupied, ghost lights help directors, crew members and actors find their way on stage. It was a singularly appropriate tribute among many given during the February 2013 service for Groh, associate professor emeritus of English and theatre arts. Like the ghost light, Groh helped generations of Wilkes students find their way through the lessons he taught in theatre. The performance stage may have been Groh’s classroom, but his lessons transcended to real life. His exemplary life—filled with a passion for his craft, devotion to duty and love for his family, friends and students—inspired many. His influence extended into the community surrounding Wilkes. As founder of Fine Arts Fiesta, he left a lasting legacy in the Wilkes-Barre arts community. After his death at 92, alumni recalled the man who influenced their lives and remained their life-long mentor. Colleagues remembered Groh for the role he played in molding the Wilkes of today. Groh’s personality was molded by parents who endured the Great Depression, by his experiences attending Wilkes and as an Air Force bomber during World War II. Shaped by those experiences, he later returned to Wilkes as one of the new four-year college’s founding faculty members. Groh completed his education at Syracuse and Columbia universities, and he wanted to use his love for the arts to provide students with opportunities to better themselves. That may have been one of his greatest gifts: the ability to instill in others the desire not only to excel, but to go beyond their expectations, says Groh’s niece, Alison Miller Kovalchik ’79. For the professor, it wasn’t just a matter of speaking clearly, projecting a voice, embracing the personality of a literary character; it was a matter of challenging students to do their absolute best. “It wasn’t always easy to work with him,” reflects Liz Slaughter ’68, a member of Wilkes’ board of trustees who counted herself as a close friend from the day they met until the day he died. “But we knew what his motivation was, and we tried to meet that expectation. He was such a compelling force; even if you physically left the campus you stayed close.” Groh, she recalls, wanted to “liberate the creative spirit” in us. Because Groh was so demanding, Kovalchik didn’t want her fellow students to know she was his niece; she worried it would spoil her chances of making friends. Kovalchik says she always preferred to remain behind the scenes. For one production, however, Groh needed two fiddlers to play “Turkey in the Straw” in a square dance scene. He chose her and another youth to play the song. “I pleaded with Al to choose someone else, but to no avail,” she says. “I had to overcome my fear and do as Al commanded. The scene is ready to begin; we are poised to play, and the other violinist freezes. Now what? Was I capable of even playing this? Al’s voice resonated in my head: ‘Just do it.’ So I did. And then the other player jumped in. Once again Al achieved what he expected from each of us and showed us what we were capable of doing.” Those who knew him say that conquering his own fears during World War II was a life-altering experience for Groh. Former Wilkes President Francis J. Michelini shared a special friendship with Groh for nearly 50 years. “Our best times were the visits after I retired and came back to see my dentist. Al and I would get corned beef sandwiches at Goldstein’s Deli and a bottle of Gibbons or Stegmaier beer and sit on the bleachers at Ralston Field and just talk . . . those conversations helped me understand what made Al such an unusual teacher and mentor. ” Sometimes the two kindred souls spoke about their wartime experiences. Groh had been assigned to B-17 bombing missions out of Foggia, Italy, to destroy oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania, that were providing German fuel supplies, Michelini says. “These were very heavily defended targets, and Al’s assignment in his plane was belly turret gunner. An unbelievably scary place to be: locked in place before takeoff and alone in freezing, oxygenrequiring space for eight-hour missions . . . After five missions Al was losing it and was taken off the active-duty roster. He was devastated because he was letting his crew down, and he willed himself to function and returned to his crew, completing 60 missions. “He told me that he found new depths in himself that he had never envisioned, and that in teaching his goal was always to make students look deeper into the roles they were playing, the teamwork that supported them and the knowledge of self that the arts helped them achieve—to participate and never be afraid.” �Bottom, from left: A scene from a 1971 production of Lysistrata, one of many plays that Groh directed. A sampling of programs from Groh’s many productions at Wilkes. the sisters in Fiddler on the Roof prepare to sing about their perfect match in Groh’s 1974 production of the musical. photoS courteSy WilkeS uniVerSity ArchiVeS As a youngster, Groh’s nephew Christopher Miller ’83 never understood why his uncle was so intense. Later, he realized that Groh was “kind of reborn” after having been tested in World War II. “I think he was touched by this spirit to make his career the arts and to help his community when he came back,” says Miller, who is a marketing and communications consultant for non-profit organizations. “From him I learned to express myself, to communicate well, to cultivate good relationships that would lift me up in life— and to deliver as best as I could whatever would contribute to the community.” Groh’s lessons were not just about theatre arts and expression, but about life itself. He was more than a mentor; his students became beloved friends. Occasionally they would return to reprise their original roles or otherwise take part in special events at Wilkes. “There are so many examples of the people who achieved the kind of excellence my uncle cultivated in them. They went on to do so much in life and in the community,” Miller says, citing as examples Nancy Leland Frey ’68 and her late husband David ’68, who assisted in forming the Peace and Justice Center in the Wyoming Valley. “Mr. Groh was a person who only looked for the best in all of humanity,” refl ects Slaughter, :eflects Slaughter, who who is a psychologist. psychologist. “It 'It rubbed rubbed off on all of us. He He was there here to help, to guide, guide, to give :;ive assistance. That That insistence on a faith in humanity—as a theatre group it drew us together.” Kit McCarty ’75, a registered investment advisor, credits her public speaking skills and “enormous amount of presence” to Al Groh. He coached her as a sophomore at Wilkes in Bertolt Brecht’s “The Good Woman of Setzuan.” McCarty performed challenging roles as the “good” Shen Te and her alter ego Shui Ta—a cousin invented to perform malevolent deeds. Forty years later, she cherishes a congratulatory note from Groh: “You made this theatre never see Shui Ta—always Shen Te. Our deepest thanks for always being the good woman.” McCarty was not the only Wilkes student who later used her theatre experience in her career. Wilkes trustee emerita Esther Davidowitz recalls, “John Chwalek, who handled career placement for Wilkes at that time, would make sure that their theatre experience was positioned as skills they could use in their careers.” Those skills, Davidowitz says, included clear diction and a professional posture. Like many others, Bruce Phair ’73’s relationship with Groh began as a student and continued in his professional life. As managing/technical director of the Darte Center, he worked closely with Groh from 1980 to 1987. “Al never lost sight of the fact that you should always take the other person’s feelings ieelings into into consideration, consideration, even if ii you ' I think he was touched by this spirit to make his CAREER the ARTS and to help his community when he came back. – Groh’s nephew, Christopher Miller ’83 '' were critiquing,” he says. “He understood how you felt and reacted . . . and would nudge you along in a nice way. I try to make that management style part of my efforts with students today.” Phair described his first encounter with Groh as a disconcerting surprise. As a Wilkes undergraduate, Phair was constructing the annual homecoming display—which featured 20-to-30-foot high ‘Colonels’ with moving arms. The committee needed some spare parts, and the musical performance major knew there was a lumber scrap pile in the theatre storage area. “So we snuck over there to ‘borrow’ a few pieces, expecting to enter a darkened area at night after school hours. Instead, Al confronted us and admonished us for not following proper procedures. But, in the end, he empathized with our needs.” Another alumnus who passed along lessons from Groh to his own students is James Ruck ’78, retired choral music director of Northvale New Jersey Public Schools. As a music education major at Wilkes he took study Wilkes took two independent indepen courses from Groh Groh and also als ran the theatre ce and wrote theatre box offi office Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 opposite page, from left to right: Al Groh delivers remarks at a university event. the director demonstrates how it should be done for one of his students. trustee emerita esther davidowitz and Joel fischman ’73 talk with Groh at an event. A scene from an April 1977 production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. 9 �Portrait of a Theatre By Alfred S. Groh This is the house Where Shakespeare and Chekhov play And when they’re in town Where Arthur Miller and Philip Barry stay And John Keats and Robert Edmond Jones Define tomorrow’s future every day Where tomorrow’s future is already on its way. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Groh mugs for the camera in the lobby of the darte center while the late edwin manda ’69, a student from Zambia, looks over his shoulder. Groh on his wedding day to Jane lampe in their home in kingston, pa. 10 publicity materials. Groh instilled a strong work ethic in his students, he says. “We knew to always show up, never be late,” Ruck says. “When Al would come galloping into the theatre at 100 miles an hour, with his papers flying, we knew it was work time. I can remember him flying up the steps in the back of the theatre to check how loud you were, view the sight lines and see how the costumes looked.” A Wilkes-Barre native, Ruck was able to maintain close contact with his mentor on frequent visits home. Their families shared Thanksgiving dinners and other occasions. Groh also attended many of Ruck’s student performances in New Jersey and watched videos of them, as well. “He loved to hear the stories about my work,” he says. “Even during my last conversation with him, when I was leaving to work (with high school students) on ‘Legally Blonde’ he asked, ‘How’s the orchestra? How are rehearsals coming?’” As founder of the theatre arts program at Wilkes, Groh staged hundreds of productions there over four decades; but his reach extended off-campus, as well. Groh co-founded the annual celebration of the arts in the Wyoming Valley now known as the Fine Arts Fiesta. Now in its 58th year, the event features four days of music, theatre, strolling performers, juried art shows and ethnic specialties in WilkesBarre’s Public Square. Its creation stemmed from Groh’s long-held desire to make the arts available to people in all walks of life— not just to those who could afford them, according to his nephew Miller. David Kerr ’81, immediate past president of the Fine Arts Fiesta, joined its board of directors at Groh’s invitation in 1986. “Everyone worked closely on the project, and as founding adviser, Al was always there to remind us of our mission and to provide guidance,” Kerr says. “He was devoted to raising up the community through the arts.” He also served as the event’s poet laureate, inspired by his longtime passion for penning creative idea threads. He published a series of poems for children and was known for conceiving pieces for special occasions— such as anniversaries of the dedication of the Darte Center—and for special people. Davidowitz recalls other community support championed by Groh, citing the shows he staged to benefit the wheelchair fund of the Wilkes-Barre Kiwanis Club. “Everyone looked forward to those shows, including the students who performed in them,” she says. Groh married Jane Lampe, Wilkes’ dean of students emeritus, in 1977. (See story on page 11) To her, he once wrote affectionately: A man who loves a woman Longs to tell her so For a woman, when she’s loved, It’s what she wants to know And my beloved Jane Kathleen Is adored by Alfred Groh. Groh wrote the poem to the right regarding his cherished theatre, the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center. Fittingly, the words closed his memorial service in the building where his legacy continues. Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. Williams, Wilder, Ionesco, Albee, Beckett, Giraudoux, Shaw, Gershwin, Menotti, Sondheim— On the boards they’re a box office draw, And actor, director, and crew, No longer separate forces, Discover the creative spirit In imaginative and unimagined sources. I have lived in this house With friends such as these Genuine, truthful, Always hard-to-please, I have lived in this house Where the stage is set For wondrous things to happen When all commitments are met And the curtain rises and falls On scenes I will not forget. What begins as a thought On the printed page Becomes a script For a life on the stage That becomes a show Performed or read And begins again In someone’s head. On the stage A character never dies And comes to life again and again Before an audience’s eyes..... A majestic creation The arts immortalize. This is the house Where poets and artists stay And actors, musicians, and dancers Define tomorrow’s future today And where tomorrow’s future is already on its way. This is the house When I am gone Images of magnificence Build upon. �Al Groh and Jane Lampe-Groh devoted to Wilkes and each other By Vicki Mayk his friends and family thought Al Groh was a confirmed recalls the affectionate nicknames they had for one another. bachelor. Jane lampe was the woman who changed that. in private, they became “Alfred Bear” and “pooh Bear.” Groh started dating the new dean of women not long after lampe-Groh agrees that tolerance and acceptance of their she came to Wilkes in 1969, recruited by its first president, differences was central to their relationship. Groh was Jewish eugene farley. and his wife is a practicing catholic. in a lighthearted reference to their religious diversity, lampe-Groh fashioned a needlepoint one of lampe-Groh’s master’s degrees was in speech. So it was proclaiming, “Jewish men make the Best husbands.” it still appropriate that they went to see a show on their first date. hangs in their home. during more than 35 years of marriage, “We went to the pocono playhouse to see ‘the most happy fella,’ ” lampe-Groh recalls. Although she isn’t sure it was love at first sight, romance they attended each other’s religious services and observed the holidays of each tradition. in their household, they lit a menorah for hanukkah and also decorated a christmas tree. quickly blossomed. “When it happened and we were together, we When Groh’s elderly mother, ethel, moved in with them, she knew it was the right person,” lampe-Groh says. often accompanied lampe-Groh to church. After her death at married in 1977 in the kingston home they shared until Groh’s death in february, their relationship was one that came to be admired by many who knew them at the university and in the surrounding community. “you don’t find many couples so utterly content with each 102, lampe-Groh continued the tradition of making homemade applesauce for an observance at her mother-in-law’s temple. not all differences were overcome. lampe-Groh never shared her husband’s passion for all kinds of food. “Jane is content with peanut butter and jelly and oreos. Al loved to eat,” kovalchik other,” says chris miller ’83, Groh’s nephew. his sister, Alison laughs. lampe-Groh also drove more slowly. “Al could be across miller kovalchik ’79 adds, “it was a beautiful love story,” and the market Street Bridge and at campus in three minutes.” individually each will be remembered for their contributions to Wilkes. together they’ll be recalled as a couple devoted to one another for more than 30 years. in a 2011 interview in the magazine The Independent, Al Groh was quoted as saying, “my most priceless memory of my time at Wilkes is Jane lampe-Groh.” James ruck ’78, Groh’s former student and a close friend, recalls that on the day of Groh’s funeral his wife sat backstage by her husband’s flag-draped casket for an hour before the service. “that’s where she always was,” ruck says. “By his side.” Jane lampe-Groh and Al Groh ’41, pictured in their home, enjoyed more than three decades as a married couple. photo By mArk GolASZeWSki Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 they had things in common, including a love of the theatre. 11 �In Tune Jimmy Harnen ’85 Finds Success As Nashville Recording Executive Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 By Bill Thomas ’13 12 �Jimmy Harnen, Nashville, Tenn. B.A., Psychology, Wilkes, 1985 Career: Executive vice president of Big Machine Label Group and president of Republic Nashville Notable: Harnen leads music recording companies whose rosters include Tim McGraw, Reba, The Band Perry and “The ' There was so much I learned at Wilkes getting that degree that I still use today. Time, of course, has a way of changing things. And just as the music industry has evolved, so too has Harnen’s place within it. While at Wilkes, Harnen played in a cover band called Krysis (“Of course, we had to spell it differently because if we’d spelled it the normal way, it wouldn’t have been cool,” he jokes), but he quickly lost interest in playing other people’s music. That led to the creation of pop-rock outfit Synch, which would eventually become known as “Jimmy Harnen with Synch” after the breakout success of the single “Where Are You Now,” which climbed to Number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 3 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in 1989. Harnen later performed as a solo artist, recording with future “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather and REO Speedwagon frontman Kevin Cronin. Always first and foremost a music fan at heart, that experience is especially cherished by Harnen. “When I was a kid, Kevin Cronin was one of my idols. I grew up listening to his music. I remember fighting to get tickets to see his show at the Spectrum. Today, he’s one of my friends. It’s amazing.” Gradually, Harnen transitioned to the executive side of the industry, something he never really considered, though it was in the back of his mind “I’ve always dreamed of running my own record label,” he says. That psychology degree hasn’t just been collecting dust, however. While psychology and music may not seem compatible at first glance, as has been the case with so many things in musician-turned-executive/rocker-turnedcowboy Harnen’s life, he’s been able to use lessons from his past in his current job. “I’ve been the artist who was signed. I’ve been the artist who was dropped. I’ve been the artist who was starving. I’ve been the artist who was successful. So what I try to bring to this side of the business is all of those emotions and experiences the artists go through on the other side. I try to be mindful of those emotions when I’m dealing with an artist,” Harnen explains. “There was so much I learned when I was at Wilkes getting that degree that I still use today. Life is a contact sport and it’s all about how you interact with other human beings.” '' Voice” Season 3 winner Cassadee Pope Favorite Wilkes memory: Gathering with friends around a TV in the Student Union Building to watch then-new music network MTV Opposite page left: Jimmy Harnen ’85 relaxes in the Nashville headquarters of Big Machine Label Group, where he is executive vice president, and Republic Nashville, where he serves as president. Photo courtesy Big Machine Label Group Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. Opposite from top: Country music recording artists with whom Harnen has worked include The Band Perry, photo by David McLister; Florida Georgia Line, photo by Adam Taylor; Eli Young Band, photo by Jeremy Cowart; Brantley Gilbert, photo by Justin Nolan Key; and Cassadee Pope, photo by MacPherson Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 J immy Harnen ’85 was always meant for music. He just didn’t know it. “I was involved in it, but I don’t think I ever considered it as a profession,” says Harnen, who majored in psychology at Wilkes. “I remember when I was a child and my mom used to take me to Wilkes-Barre on the bus. The route we took didn’t have a lot of people on it for the first few miles, and the interior of the bus had this way of reverberating sound. I loved the way my voice sounded in there. So I was 3 or 4 years old and I would sing on the bus and my mother would let me. If you think about it now, that must’ve been awkward for her, but she never shushed me. I wonder if she had, would I have taken a different path?” The path Harnen has followed has been a long one, taking him from his hometown of Plymouth, Pa., to Nashville, Tenn., where he is executive vice president of Big Machine Label Group. The company comprises Big Machine Records, home of such artists as Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw; subsidiary imprint The Valory Music Co., with artists like Reba, Brantley Gilbert and The Mavericks; and Big Machine/Republic Records’ joint venture, Republic Nashville, which records artists The Band Perry, Eli Young Band, Florida Georgia Line and Cassadee Pope. Harnen also serves as president of Republic Nashville. Despite all that country music street cred, Harnen admits he didn’t grow up a fan of the genre. Over time, however, the boundaries of both country music and his own tastes have blurred into one another. “When I was growing up, I was a big pop and rock and metal guy. My parents listened to Kenny Rogers, though, and stuff like that, and, oddly enough, my mom used to always tell me I should get involved with country music. I never did, but then I moved [to Nashville],” Harnen says. “When I first got here, country was a little different than what it is now. If you were to tell me that in a few short years I would be working on a Darius Rucker country record, or that Sheryl Crow would be playing country, or that Jessica Simpson would be trying to make a country record, I never would’ve believed it.” 13 �Les Nicholas ’81 makes a point about the English language in his middle-school class room. photos by daN Z. JohNsoN Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Memorable Motivator 14 Les Nicholas ’81 is honored as the country’s top educator for his innovative, inspiring teaching By Geoff Gehman �L es Nicholas ’81 watches his seventhgrade language-arts students hold a funeral for words he thinks deserve to be dead. First they bury the foul phrase in a cemetery of foul phrases in a classroom corner. Then they form a conga line of happy grief. The service ends with a eulogy from Nicholas, who promises that “a lot” will be reborn as something better, maybe even “a great deal.” The Word Funeral is one of many ways that Nicholas makes learning memorably meaningful at Wyoming Valley West Middle School in Kingston, Pa., his hometown. It’s one of many reasons that he received a major award in February from the National Education Association Foundation. The $25,000 prize honoring him as the country’s top educator is one of several awards for an inspiring and innovative educator nicknamed “Mr. Nick.” An afternoon in Mr. Nick’s classroom is a clinic in motivation, led by a canny coach. Nicholas demonstrates the tricky difference between “imply” and “infer” by reading dialogue from “The Big Bang Theory,” the hit TV show that celebrates the sexiness of braininess. He commands his students’ attention with everything from corny jokes to funny chides (“Thank you, Captain Obvious”). He prepares them for the next day’s assignment, a short report on the importance of their birth names, by reading his own short report on his birth name, Leslie. A fourth-generation educator, Nicholas jokes that he knew he wanted to teach “in the womb.” As a youngster he eavesdropped as his grandmother, a teacher, and his father, a high-school principal, discussed the ups and downs of education during holiday dinners. As he collated copies of his dad’s student worksheets, he imagined how cool it would be to improve student skills and lives. ' If kids know they’re not going to be ridiculed, they’ll keep getting back to you. The problem is, we don’t let kids fail. Failure is fruitful. Two Wilkes teachers helped Nicholas sharpen his teaching tools. He learned about organizing and drilling in coaching classes with John Reese, the University’s wrestling coach for 42 years. English professor Olivia Ayres Frey toughened him by videotaping him teaching recently completed lesson plans. “She didn’t tell us what we saw; she told us to open our eyes,” he says. “She made it real.” Nicholas made it real for – Les Nicholas journalism students from 1981 to 2008 at his alma mater,Wyoming Valley West High School. He taught pupils to write concisely and incisively, reminding them to “Write like a Spartan,” a reference to the school’s mascot. He urged them to challenge injustice, even if it meant challenging their principal.Whether advising the school newspaper or the TV/ radio studios he helped build, he made a trade practical and ethical, necessary and noble. This devotion to excellence earned Nicholas three prestigious prizes: the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Award (2004), the First Freedom Award (2008) and 2009 induction into the National Teachers Hall of Fame. His favorite tributes come from protégés who worked for The Boston Globe, The New York Times and other influential publications. Les Nicholas, Kingston, Pa. Notable: One of five winners of the 2013 Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence and the winner of National Education Association Award for Teaching Excellence, presented by the country’s largest teachers’ union. Favorite Wilkes places: The Commons and Emerson’s bar Favorite Wilkes memory: A kinesthetic teacher, Nicholas remembers an unusually kinesthetic demonstration of the word “flung” by the late Philip Rizzo, professor of literature and linguistics. First Rizzo flung his jacket into a classroom corner. Then he flung himself out a first-floor window. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 B.A., English, German and education, Wilkes, 1981 15 �' “Write like a Spartan” still guides Nina Elias, an assistant editor for the Web site of Prevention magazine. For her, the mantra means “Out-write all your competition” and “Don’t let me down.” Exceeding Nicholas’ exceedingly high standards, she admits, “is the coolest feeling in the world.” Five years ago Nicholas began teaching language arts at Wyoming Valley West Middle School, in the building where he attended high school. He launched livelier exercises to reach students with shorter attention spans and steeper learning curves. One of the liveliest is the Sprinkler Dance. “You’re hot today,” Nicholas will tell a student burning with right answers. Another right answer and he’ll say, “You’re on fire.” That’s the cue for other students to spring from their desks and juke around, waving their arms to cool their peer’s intellectual flames. Nicholas won’t embarrass a student who’s not hot. He tries to give a youngster who answers incorrectly another chance to respond correctly during the same period. “If kids know they’re not going to be ridiculed, they’ll keep getting back to you,” says Nicholas, who is married with a 23-year-old son. “The problem is, we don’t let kids fail. Failure is fruitful.” Like any teacher, Nicholas has days more fruitless than fruitful. He’s bothered most by spoiled potential. Rotting talent makes him quote from a Shakespeare sonnet: “Lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds.” Nicholas’ faith returns whenever a student gets jazzed by knowledge. “I know it sounds corny,” he says, “but that sparkle of recognition is an incredible rush.” Nicholas looks forward to holding funerals for words that don’t sparkle. He can’t wait to bury a foul phrase that’s commonly used, like, every third, like, word. He thinks it’s high time to give the old R.I.P. to “She’s LIKE, ‘You’re a jerk!’ ” I know it sounds corny, but that sparkle of recognition IS aN INcreDIBle ruSh. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Above, Nicholas responds to a student’s questions. Below, the award-winning teacher listens to a student’s answer. Opposite, Nicholas relaxes during hall duty at Wyoming Valley West Middle School. 16 Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. �Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 This devotion to excellence earned Nicholas three prestigious prizes: the PeNNSYlvaNIa Teacher oF The Year awarD (2004), The FIrST FreeDoM awarD (2008) aND 2009 INDucTIoN INTo The NaTIoNal TeacherS hall oF FaMe. His favorite tributes come from protégés who worked for The Boston Globe, The New York Times and other influential publications. 17 �for Success By Vicki Mayk Denise Cesare ’77 Heads Health Insurance Giant Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 F 18 rosted glass doors on the ninth floor of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s Wilkes-Barre headquarters mark the entrance to the executive suite. For Denise Schaal Cesare ’77, those doors could symbolize the glass ceiling she shattered to become the company’s first female chief executive officer 14 years ago. For Cesare, a Wilkes-Barre native, hard work led to her job as president and CEO. She exhibited a strong work ethic at Wilkes, where she became the first in her family to attend college. Her father, a baker and restaurant manager, and her mother, a bookkeeper and office manager, wanted their four children to attend college. “I always excelled at academics in high school, but my family knew nothing about college or how to research colleges,” she recalls. “It was my cousin Rick (Hatcher ’72), who had attended Wilkes as an accounting major, who recommended both Wilkes and their outstanding accounting program to me. Knowing there were accounting jobs available, it was an easy choice to make.” She has fond memories of her Wilkes experience. “It was clear my professors truly wanted to impart what they knew to their students.They truly exhibited a genuine caring attitude—something I believe my daughter Gabby experiences today as a Wilkes student,” Cesare says, referring to her younger daughter, a nursing major at the University. Her older daughter, Ashley, has a master’s degree in counseling and plans to pursue a doctorate in psychology. Cesare’s husband, Louis, also an accountant, is a majority shareholder in United One Resources Inc., a real estate risk-management firm. After graduation, Cesare entered public accounting, earning her certified public accounting license in 1979. After four years in public accounting, with both a regional firm and one of the “Big 8,” Cesare returned home to help her parents. She reluctantly took a job with Blue Cross as a senior auditor. “Having been in public accounting, I had developed an ‘up or out’ philosophy for my career. When I started in internal audit, I thought I wouldn’t want to be there more than five years. However, after understanding the positive impact that Blue Cross has on its members and its communities, I developed a passion for our business and told myself that ‘up’ must mean that I would one day be president.” Her work ethic soon earned her recognition from senior management, but ‘up’ didn’t appear to be happening soon enough. She left Blue Cross briefly to work as director of internal auditing for Allied Services, but jumped at the opportunity to return to Blue Cross in 1987 to become chief operating officer for its new health maintenance organization subsidiary. “What I did within the HMO formed the basis for my deepest understanding and love of the health-care industry.” When Cesare became CEO in 2001, she became one of a very few female heads of major companies in the region. “A vast majority of this community’s business leaders were, and continue to be, men,” she concedes. She was reminded that she’s still part of a minority when she took her executive team out to dinner for the first time. After dining together in a private club, she jokes that the women could not join their male co-workers as they adjourned to the bar downstairs. Cesare’s work has given her influence and understanding of an industry that impacts everyone in America. As CEO, she has worked to improve the system, constantly trying to bridge the gap between payers and providers. Hallmarks of Cesare’s tenure include developing new subsidiaries focusing on health, creating the Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania that funds community health projects, and serving as a founding board member of The Commonwealth Medical College. Her role puts her in an important position during a time of tremendous change within the health-care industry. Always critical of the fragmented nature of the industry, in which multiple players, from physicians and hospitals to pharmaceutical ' It was clear my professors truly wanted to impart what they knew to their students. '' �Denise Schaal Cesare ’77 leads Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania from her office in downtown Wilkes-Barre. Photo by Earl and Sedor Photographic Denise Schaal Cesare, Moosic, Pa. B.S., Accounting, Wilkes, 1977 Career: President and Chief Executive Officer, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania Notable: First female chief executive officer at Blue Cross. Served as the chief operating officer and executive vice president who started its HMO in 1987. Favorite Wilkes memory: Wilkes business faculty Wagiha Taylor and Robert Capin, who taught accounting before becoming Wilkes president. “He had the most influence on my professional career. He was so kind and so approachable. A real gentleman.” Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 companies and insurers, play a role, Cesare defends the concept of managed care.“Having a primarycare physician as your health-care advisor just makes sense; the primary-care physician should be the advocate for the patient,” she says. Cesare sees the role of an insurer such as Blue Cross as being “the subscriber’s advocate.” She’s critical of the lack of coordination and collaboration in health care and of a system in which physicians, hospitals and other providers get paid primarily when patients have more tests and procedures.Advances in technology also contribute to skyrocketing costs because many times expensive equipment can be used more frequently than necessary in order to give the companies developing it a return on investments. A shift to a system focusing on patient advocacy, maintaining health and improving outcomes is long overdue, Cesare says. She sees strengths and weaknesses in the government’s Affordable Care Act. “One of the things I love about the Affordable Care Act is that it eliminates medical underwriting, which begins to level the playing field and return to the basic principles of health insurance,” she says. Under medical underwriting, a patient’s medical history determines coverage eligibility and the amount of their premiums. She supports the act’s efforts to ensure universal access to care, but criticizes it for neglecting to address the fragmented system that delivers the care. Cesare defines her role as a “servant leader” and advocates the not-for-profit status for insurance companies and others in the health arena. As soon as the interests of shareholders enter into the decision-making process, profits may overshadow the best interests of the community, she says. “Blue Cross exists here for the good of our subscribers,” she says. “I need to do what’s in the best interests of the community.” 19 �alumni news Homecoming 2013 — October 4, 5 and 6 Homecoming 2013 will be here before we know it, so start making plans to return to campus now! In a few weeks, you’ll receive a brochure with the full schedule of events in the mail. In the meantime, you can look forward to these events: SAV E T H E DAT E ' WILKES UNIVERSITY HOMECOMING • • • • • • • • • NEW! Dedication of the Cohen Science Center NEW! Casino Night Annual George Ralston Golf Outing Pints with Professors 50th Reunion Reception & Dinner Twist & Stout Downtown Bar Tour Tailgate Tent Reunion Celebration Blue & Gold Breakfast If you belong to one or more of the following groups, Homecoming 2013 is the place to be: • Class years ending in 3 and 8 • 1993 Football Team • A-List • Alternative Spring Break • Communication Studies • Engineering class of ’83 • Pharmacy • Political Science • Psychology • Resident Assistants • Sidhu School of Business • Men of Warner Hall from the 60s OCTOBER 4-6, 2013 The best place to find the latest Homecoming information, including event updates and hotel discounts, is www.wilkes.edu/homecoming. We look forward to seeing you in October! w w w.w i l ke s . e d u / h o m e c o m i n g Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 . l 20 ,' • Colonels, Clean Out Your Closets! Alumni Association Welcomes New Board Members Do you have a favorite Wilkes T-shirt that dates back to your days on campus? Glassware given out at a dance from years past? Your frosh sign from freshman year? Send a photo featuring your Wilkes memorabilia to bridget.giunta@wilkes.edu and you could see yourself online or in Homecoming materials. Plus, we’ll have contests and prizes for different categories. At the April meeting of the Alumni Association, Richard Burns ’64, Kathy Heltzel ’82, MBA’85, Gabe LeDonne ’05, Chris Sommer ’94, and Lou Steck ’55 were elected as new board members, starting on June 1. Tom Ralston ’80 will continue his service as president through May 31, 2014, with Cindy Charnetski ’97 filling the role of vice president of the association. If you’re interested in becoming involved with the Alumni Association, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@wilkes.edu or at (570)408-7787. �campaign update Brothers Support Coach Sheptock and Football Program By Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 For Wilkes football head coach Frank Sheptock, the word football is synonymous with family. For real-life brothers Tony ’00 and Mike ’03 DaRe, this statement was true both on and off the field during their time at Wilkes. “Playing alongside Tony as a freshman brought our family together in the most incredible way. We knew it was special at the time, but understanding how rare of an opportunity it was becomes clearer with every year that passes,” says Mike. The brothers’ relationship deepened at Wilkes, where they were able to play on the same team for the first time in their athletic careers. “It was the time in my life when my brother and I became best friends,” says Tony. The pair includes Coach Sheptock in their family; he has influenced their lives long after leaving Wilkes. Both brothers say that there is not a day that goes by that they don’t call on the lessons they learned from him. For this reason, they decided to give back to the program that gave them so much. When Tony and Mike approached Coach Sheptock about supporting the football program, he enthusiastically agreed. “I was humbled, appreciative and thrilled. They were willing to take the lead, which is something they have done since I have known them,” explains Sheptock. Working with their coach to identify a project, they decided to raise money to renovate the locker rooms at Munson Field House because it is an area Michael DaRe ’03, Hoboken, N.J. Tony DaRe ’00, Easton, Pa. B.A., Communication Studies B.S., Business Administration Current Position/Employer: PR Current Position/Employer: and Influencer Entertainment/ Agency Principal, BSI Diageo North America Corporate Benefits, LLC that was used by many alumni. “The effort will give our current players a state-of-the-art locker room facility to go along with Schmidt Stadium and the Ralston Athletic Complex, which is one of the finest venues for small college football. It demonstrates the pride, the tradition and standard of excellence this program has always expected,” says Sheptock. Over the past several months, the trio has garnered support for the project through a series of events. “My favorite part about these events has been seeing Coach Sheptock stand in front of us again, put his heart on his sleeve and talk—in a way only he can—about what we’ve all meant to him and to the program,” says Mike. “We know that when we leave an event, we not only have gained support for this project, we have reignited a fire that will keep us all connected for years and years to come.” Mike hopes that current players will see the new facility as a symbol of the Wilkes football family. “When they walk into this locker room every day and see some of the names and faces of the guys from years past, they’ll know they’re part of something bigger than themselves. That confidence will not only translate into wins on Saturdays but will also help them succeed in whatever they choose to do after they graduate.” The renovations, which are set to begin this summer, are just the beginning of the long-term support the DaRes hope to cultivate among football alumni. “Going forward, all football alumni will have multiple opportunities to spend time with their Wilkes family and support the program at the same time. With their participation in this campaign, financially and otherwise, these guys have established themselves as a group that cares deeply about not just Wilkes football, but the University as a whole, and we are here to stay!” says Tony. To learn more about the project and find out how you can help, contact Coach Sheptock at frank.sheptock@wilkes.edu. Football alumni gathered at an event organized by Tony ’00 and Michael DaRe ’03 to raise money for new locker room facilities. Pictured standing from left to right, are Tony DaRe ’00, Bryan O’Leary ’04, Brett Trichilo ’05, David DiMartino ’01 MBA ’03 , Jamie Connell ’01, Mike DaRe ’03, Julian Morales ’05 MBA ’09, Steve Donlin ’06 , Tom Wighard ’03, Tim Yeagley ’10 and Tim Partridge ’10. Seated in front is head football coach Frank Sheptock. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Family and Football 21 �class notes 1959 Stephen Poleskie recently released his sixth novel, Sconto Walaa. Published by Onager Editions, the book features a national guardsman recently returned from service in the Middle East suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Poleskie, a former Cornell University professor, also is an artist whose work has been featured in collections in The State Museum in Lodz, Poland, the Metropolitan Museum and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the Tate Gallery and Victoria Albert Museum in London. 1964 Gary Einhorn became a grandfather for the first time when his son Noah and daughter-in-law Gretchen welcomed their first child, Eleanor Grace. Einhorn is a business coach in Ashland, Ore., and co-facilitates peer discussion groups of business owners. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 1972 Deanna Grietzer Jones, see 1971. 22 Gary Williams received the “Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser” award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter. The award was presented at the 2012 National Philanthropy Day luncheon on Nov. 16, 2012. 1975 Bob Lehman, a staff engineer at Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Ariz., recently received his third U.S. patent in the field of telecommunications. He is working on a new aeronautical Ka-band satellite communications system. Bob and his wife, Melanie, reside in Peoria, Ariz., near their three children and six grandchildren. Agnes (Swantek) Cardoni was awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor at Marywood University, Scranton, Pa. Cardoni spent 33 years in public education prior to moving to higher education. At Marywood, she serves as a program coordinator for the 1992 Lee Morrell’s career has gone to the dogs. In December 2012 Morrell joined Santa Monica, Calif.-based DogVaycay, a company that provides home vacation stays for dogs, as the company’s new director of public relations. Morrell has lived in the Los Angeles area for almost 20 years and is married to LeeAnn Morrell. He is the proud father of 9-year-old Sydney. English/secondary education majors. She also teaches methods courses, medical humanities, poetry and world literature and supervises student teachers in the field. 1976 Barbara Gavlick Hartnett published a children’s book, The Poor Little Pumpkin. She worked with artist/illustrator David Corrado. It can be purchased on Amazon or from the publisher, Rosedog Books of Hazleton, Pa. She is the owner of Costumes by Barbara in Luzerne, Pa. 1981 Susan E. Schwab was appointed a U.S. magistrate judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. 1971 Ellen Stamer Hall and her husband, Mick ’93, visited Tom and Deanna Grietzer ’72 Jones at their home in Arizona. While there, Hall visited Wilkes’ new Mesa, Ariz., site and chatted with site director Bonnie Culver. 1991 Shannon (Doughton) Kam recently earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix. She is employed as a curriculum coordinator/data coach for the Hawaii Department of Education and part-time as an adjunct for the University of Phoenix College of Natural Sciences. She lives on Oahu with her husband and 9-year-old son. 1993 Reunion Oct. 4-6 ~ Mick Hall see 1971 1996 Grant Yoder was named the first head baseball coach in the history of Penn State University-Schuykill campus, which formed a team in spring 2013. 2000 Donna Talarico Beerman MFA ’10 was a contributor to Social Works: How #HigherEd Uses #SocialMedia to Raise Money, Build Awareness, Recruit Students and Get Results. The book was �class notes Stephanie Corey ’95 Brews Small-Business Success With Monster Potions At first glance, Stephanie Corey ’95 may not resemble a natural ingredients and are made in America by a lab potions master. Her alter ego, Miss Stephanie, is a voodoo specializing in green manufacturing. master mixer who keeps frightening monsters at bay. Corey runs her own business, Miss Stephanie’s Corey, who majored in economics at Wilkes, formerly worked as chief of staff to the general counsel at Potions, from her home in San Jose, Calif. Miss Hewlett-Packard. Going from a high-powered job to Stephanie produces monster repellent potions, body running a business warranted a large learning curve. wash and fairy attraction sprays for children who fear any type of monster. Corey came up with the idea after her son, Nico, then “I was way out of my element,” Corey says. “I realized I had become burned out and discovered I wasn’t happy anymore because I wasn’t helping people. I started 7, wouldn’t sleep because he feared zombies. She put thinking, ‘What can I do that would make me feel good a new label on a bottle of lavender spray, and assured about myself?’ ” Nico spraying it would scare zombies away. That night, her son slept on his own for the first time in weeks. Miss Stephanie’s Potions has been in business since 2011. The product line includes monster repellents for zombies, werewolves, vampires, generic monsters, and closet monsters, a fairy attraction spray and monster Corey still works part-time as a legal operations consultant for Flextronics, a technology and supply chain management company. It has helped to ease her adjustment to being a small business owner. “I was used to the corporate lifestyle where I got feedback on my projects, and, until then, I hadn’t armor body wash. Each realized I had identified monster has its own mascot with that part of my life so character with a backstory much,” Corey says. explaining how they came She has plans to write to work for Miss Stephanie books and license the in the Monster Be Good characters from the Gang. One is Draco, the potions business, which vampire who has Ph.D.s could lead to it becoming a in philosophy and physics full-time venture. “Parents but is afraid of heights can read the bedtime story and flying. Miss Stephanie with the accompanying found him stuck in a tree spray and stuffed animal.” and offered the scholarly vampire a job. — By Anne Yoskoski Stuffed animals and Yoskoski is an English monster repellent T-shirts and communication are also sold to accompany studies major. available online and in outlets in California and Pennsylvania. All of the products are non-toxic, have Stephanie Corey ’95, dressed as her alter-ego, Miss Stephanie, displays some of the monster and fairy merchandise sold in her business, Miss Stephanie’s Potions. Photo courtesy Stephanie Corey Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 the sprays. They are 23 �class notes Andrew Bartlow ’10 and Rachel Curtis ’10 Win NSF Research Fellowships Two Wilkes biology graduates from the Class of 2010 are Veterinary Medicine at among a select group of early-career scientists chosen to Texas A&M University. receive National Science Foundation Research Fellowships. Her research Andrew Bartlow ’10 and Rachel Curtis ’10 credit the role examines the factors their Wilkes undergraduate experience played in preparing that determine the them for the honor. The NSF receives more than 13,000 transmission of the applications for the fellowships, which carry three years parasite that causes of support, including a $30,000 annual stipend and an Chagas disease, a additional $12,000 annually to cover tuition and fees. debilitating disease Both Bartlow and Curtis worked as post-graduate with no known cure researchers in the Wilkes biology department after earning and no treatments their undergraduate degrees. Bartlow now is a doctoral approved by student at the University of Utah, where he is engaged in the FDA. research in an evolutionary parasitology lab, examining “Chagas disease has always been an important tropical the evolution of parasites and host/parasite interactions. disease, and is found throughout south and central However, his NSF proposal was based on work he started America. However, only recently has it been recognized at Wilkes with biology professor Michael Steele and as being acquired in the United States,” Curtis says. “My post-doctoral research fellow Salvatore Agosta ’98. research focuses on the ecological factors, including the “It is an extension of acorn dispersal and plant/animal disease vector (the kissing bug that spreads the disease), interaction research that I worked on there,” he says. the different sub-types of the parasite, the non-human The research examines weevils, the miniscule insect that animals that can harbor the parasite, and the environmental infects acorns, and the impact on the oak population as conditions. Through taking a whole-system approach to their numbers increase in northern latitudes. “Squirrels studying this disease, we can better understand where feed on the acorns infected with weevils. Changes in humans are most at risk for acquiring it in the United States.” weather patterns may see more weevils coming north and Both Bartlow and Curtis credit their research experiences a decrease in acorns as squirrels eat them. As you have at Wilkes with preparing them to compete with other loss of acorns, there is less regeneration of oak trees.” doctoral students for the NSF grants. Bartlow notes that he Curtis is a doctoral student in epidemiology in the is one of four doctoral researchers in his department at the Veterinary Integrative Biology Department of the College of University of Utah to receive the NSF funding. Curtis states, “Wilkes was the perfect place to develop the background I needed to be a successful applicant to this fellowship. NSF specifically looks for applicants with substantial research experiences, which were abundant at Wilkes. Attending Wilkes for my undergraduate degree gave me the research experiences, presentation skills and Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 publications needed for success in the world of science.” 24 — By Vicki Mayk Top, Rachel Curtis ’10 works in her lab at Texas A&M University, studying Chagas disease and the kissing bug parasite that carries it. Photo courtesy Rachel Curtis Left, Andrew Bartlow ’10’s research at the University of Utah has taken him to the Galapagos Islands, where he is pictured with sea lions during a break in his work. Photo courtesy Andrew Bartlow �class notes edited by higher education social media guru Michael Stoner. Talarico Beerman’s case study chronicled how Elizabethtown College— where Talarico Beerman is integrated marketing manager—and Messiah College developed a social media campaign to successfully boost giving participation among young alumni. 2005 2001 Sandra Skies Ludwig is a library technician in the E.S. Farley library on the main campus of Wilkes University. Kyla Campbell ’03 Reports From Our Nation’s Capitol more pressure to make Kyla Campbell ’03 says she is living her dream. A television perfect because more news reporter for Cox Media Group in Washington, D.C., eyes are watching.” her coverage can extend to breaking news anywhere in Reunion Oct. 4-6 ~ Georgina (Robinson) Ferriero, see photo 2007 2011 Amanda (Lenig) Riedinger, see photo 2009 every live shot and story Since graduating from Wilkes with a degree in Boston Marathon bombings, threats from North Korea, communication studies, immigration bill plans, gun control legislation and news Campbell worked as a involving Congress and President Barack Obama. reporter and anchor in Utica, N.Y., then as a news anchor and reporter at WBRE/WYOU Eyewitness News in and sports anchor and Wilkes-Barre. reporter at WJAC–TV, which “Although I love the small-town feel of northeastern 2008 “You just feel a bit the world. In one week this past April, she covered the Campbell went to Washington after working as an 2007 Jennifer (Snyder) Wagman, see 2005 Kyla Campbell ’03 is a television news reporter in Washington, D.C., for Cox Media Group, where her stories regularly take her to the Capitol and White House. Photo courtesy Kyla Campbell serves the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, I also love what larger cities have to offer,” Altoona and State College, Pa., areas. Most recently she worked says Campbell, who lives near Capitol Hill. as weekday morning anchor for WBRE/WYOU. Her days start with a 6:15 a.m. conference call from home. She discusses story ideas and angles with producers from as many as four television stations before Campbell says she has reached a new level of satisfaction with her job. “For the first time in a long time, I really feel like I’m doing heading to the studio. Between 7:30 and 11:30 a.m., she what I’m supposed to be doing with my career at this point does nine live shots for Cox television stations, including in my life. I feel spoiled in so many ways—great company, those in Oakland/San Francisco, Seattle, Tulsa and co-workers, location and stories—and I don’t know what job Jacksonville. After that, she focuses on a story that all 13 could be good enough to take me away from here.” Cox-owned stations can use in their evening newscasts. The broad reach of her broadcasts can cause extra stress for Campbell. — By Anne Yoskoski Yoskoski is a junior English and communication studies major. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 Tim Wagman and Jennifer (Snyder) Wagman ’07 were married on Nov. 17, 2012, at the Lancaster Marriot in Lancaster, Pa. Tim is a project manager for Monarch Products Precast Concrete and Jennifer is a senior accountant at Rite Aid Corp. They reside in York, Pa. Many fellow Wilkes alumni were in the bridal party, including: bottom row, left to right, Lynn Snyder, Mark Wagman, Andrew Minarik ’05, Ashley Gibson ’07; middle row, Neal Liptak, Christa Liptak, Jen Snyder ’07, Tim Wagman ’05, Amanda Snyder ’10, Justin Detig; back row, Stacy Kittrick ’07, Jason Walker, Bill Vacchiano ’05, Alicia Demer Hack ’07. 2005 Julie Melf has joined WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pa., as a news manager. She previously worked for WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre. 25 �class notes 2007 Michael Ferriero wed Georgina (Robinson) Ferriero ’08 on June 30, 2012, in Selinsgrove, Pa. They celebrated their union with more than 25 Wilkes alumni. Georgina is employed as a physician assistant at Evangelical Community Hospital. Michael is employed by Susquehanna University as a football coach. Wilkes alumni at their wedding are pictured, top row, left to right, Annie Serfoss ’09, Michael Ferriero ’07, Georgina (Robinson) Ferriero ’08, Kerry Battersby ’09, Adrienne Richards ’07, Becca Duttry ’08, Lauren Cirilli ’09, Bethany Head Pharm. D. ’10, Elizabeth Pauly ’08, Christina Waldele ’07, Vincent Abbott ’07, Tommy Andreopoulos ’07; and bottom row, Justin Rogers ’07, Bryan Vivaldo ’07, Jillian Friedler ’08, Jessica Gannon ’09, Kiara Kasa ’07, Kristi Barsby ’07, Carlos Proano ’05. Other alumni in attendance included Erika Barletta ’08, Michael Bridy ’06, Matthew Archey ’09, Chris Fellin ’87, Diane Fellin ’83, Deanna Woodward ’07, Lauren Verduchi ’07, and Cassie VanLuvender ’05. Graduate Students Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 2007 Laurie Loewenstein MA will publish her novel Unmentionables as the first book published by Kaylie Jones Books, the new imprint established by Wilkes graduate creative writing faculty member Kaylie Jones. It is an imprint of Akashic Books. Loewenstein has been chosen to participate in the Heartland Fall Forum in Chicago, the midwest’s largest annual convention for independent bookstores. 26 2009 Barb Taylor MA has signed to publish her novel Sawdust Trails with Kaylie Jones Books, the new imprint established at Akashic Books by Wilkes graduate creative writing faculty member Kaylie Jones. The novel is the first in a trilogy about the Morgan family of Scranton. Taylor is an English teacher in the Pocono Mountain School District. 2012 Christopher Barrows MS has joined New York University as its social media and mobile product coordinator. 2009 Kyle Riedinger and Amanda (Lenig) Riedinger Pharm.D. ’11 were wed on Oct. 6, 2012, in Wilkes-Barre. The couple met on their work-study jobs at the Wilkes admissions office. After maintaining a long-distance relationship while Amanda finished her degree, they married and moved to Kingston, Pa. The couple is pictured outside of Chase Hall, where they met. �class notes In Memoriam Marjorie (Shapiro) Leffler, Oakland, Calif., died May 1, 2010. Leffler taught at a middle school in Alameda, Calif., for 25 years before retiring and developing a library at Alameda’s Temple Israel. 1944 Clarice (Pearson) Smith, Forty Fort, Pa., died Dec. 9, 2012. Smith was an educator at Hanover Area School District. 1945 Alphonse Dervinis, Wayne, Pa, died Dec. 28, 2012. Dervinis worked in research at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals in Philadelphia, Pa. 1948 Leonard Kuchinskas, West Wyoming, Pa., died Jan. 6, 2013. Kuchinskas served in World War II in the U.S. Army. After his deployment, he was an electrician until his retirement. 1949 Leonard J. Shetline, Ravenna, Ohio, died Dec. 7, 2012. Shetline was a veteran of the U.S. Army and chairman of the math department at Jefferson Township High School in Oak Ridge, N.J. Irene (Smith) Moon, Endicott, N.Y., died June 16, 2012. Moon worked for Binghamton General and Wilson hospitals for more than 20 years. 1950 Robert D. Barber Sr., Tunkhannock, Pa., died Dec. 27, 2012. He worked as the vice president of Sordoni Construction Co. and retired as treasurer of Commonwealth Telephone Co. Barber served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Dr. Theodore L. Piczak, Plymouth, Pa., died Jan. 8, 2013. He practiced podiatric medicine for more than 40 years in Kingston, Pa. Piczak served in the U.S. Air Corps during World War II. Stephen Polakoski, Nutley, N.J., died Sept. 23, 2012. A veteran of the U.S. Army in World War II, Polakoski was later employed as a chemist with Picatinny Arsenal in Dover, N.J. Paul Huff, St. Clair, Mo., died Jan. 30, 2011. During most of his working years he was employed as a machinist for Boeing in St. Louis, Mo., retiring after 37 years. 1951 Peter J. Banos, West Pittston, Pa., died Jan. 10, 2013. Banos was the owner and operator of Pittston Shoe Repair and Hat Cleaning. Banos served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. William Lewis Evans, Washington Twp., N.J., died March 12, 2012. Evans served in World War II as an airman. He worked at Dupont in Deepwater, N.J., for more than 30 years. He had numerous publications and patents in the field of chemistry. 1952 Michael Henry Gustave, Aberdeen, Md., died Nov. 30, 2012. He worked as a mathematician in the Ballistic Research Laboratories for 31 years, and then retired to become a consultant with various defense contractors. 1953 Charles A. Giunta, Exeter, Pa., died Jan. 3, 2013. Giunta served in the U.S. Army in World War II and later the Korean Conflict. He operated the Flat Iron Hotel and Charlie’s Supper Club. 1956 Dean R. Malkemes, Hanover Township, Pa., died Jan. 9, 2013. Malkemes was employed by Modern Floor Co., Wilkes-Barre, until his retirement. 1957 Robert (Bud) F. Price, Kingston, Pa., died Dec. 2, 2012. Price was a member of the Marine Corps since 1948. Price worked for the Marine Corps and then the Nicholson Division of Datron Systems, Inc., where he retired as vice president of marketing. 1960 Lyle Kenneth King Jr., Lake Township, Pa., died March 3, 2013. King served in the U.S. Army in the Korean conflict. King retired from Proctor & Gamble Paper Products in 1990. 1964 Leslie G. (Stone) Peltan, Bensalem, Pa., died July 7, 2012. Peltan was a third-grade teacher at Pollock Elementary School until retirement. 1965 Joseph F. Wydra, Hanover Township, Pa., died Dec. 27, 2012. He was employed as the principal of Jonas Salk Middle School and the Carl Sandburg Middle School in New Jersey. Wilkes | Spring/Summer 2013 1938 Ernest Weisberger, Kingston, Pa., died Jan. 27, 2013. Weisberger served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a captain in World War II. He was president and founder of Marvell Kitchens Inc. until his retirement in the early 1990s. 27 �class notes In Memoriam Anthony John “Tony” Parulis, Glen Burnie, Md., died Nov. 19, 2012. Parulis was a member of the U.S. Air Force and a fifth-grade teacher at Glendale Elementary School. 1968 Rose M. (Novroski) Gula, Dallas, Pa., died Jan. 26, 2013. Gula was a business teacher at Meyers High School. 1969 Angela B. (Chatrone) McNicholas, Scranton, Pa., died Oct. 11, 2010. McNicholas was a registered nurse at the Scranton State General Hospital and taught nursing at Wilkes. 1972 Mary Catherine Petroziello, Duryea, Pa., died Dec. 28. 2012. Petroziello was a teacher in Pittston Area High School. Wilkes | Winter 2013 1973 Amy Lyn (Pouser) Webb, Dallas, Pa., died Nov. 29, 2012. She was a schoolteacher for many years before becoming a mother and homemaker. 28 1974 Ronald A. Noyalis, Dallas, Pa., died Jan. 10, 2013. Noyalis worked at the VA Medical Center in Scranton as a social worker. He served in the U.S. Air Force, stationed in Southeast Asia, and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal. 1976 Joseph J. Warmus, Hanover Township, Pa., died Jan. 5, 2012. Warmus served in the U.S. Army in the United States and Europe. He was employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry for 31 years. 1977 Edward J. Pupa, Pittston Pa., died Jan. 8, 2012. He was employed as a science teacher for the Pittston Area School District for 25 years. Pupa served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Thomas J. Ohl Jr., Dallas, Pa, died Feb. 4, 2013. Ohl was the nursing supervisor at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas, Pa., until his retirement in 2005. He recently was employed by Geisinger Home Health and Hospice. 1978 Edward F. Gallagher, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Dec. 6, 2012. Gallagher’s career as a counselor and therapist included positions at Misericordia University, Children’s Services and Saint Michael’s School. 1982 Ralph Lavere Schobert, Old Forge, Pa., died Aug. 11, 2012. Schobert was most recently employed at Salerno’s Café in Old Forge. 1984 Brenda C. Kocher, Warrior Run, Pa., died Oct. 20, 2012. She was a social worker for Luzerne County Children and Youth Services. 1985 Michael W. Ortalano, Vienna, Va., died Jan. 2, 2013. Ortalano worked as a software engineer with the American Association of Rhodes Scholars after receiving his doctorate from the University of Delaware. Friends of Wilkes Robert A. (Bob) Fortinsky, Kingston, Pa., died Dec. 27, 2012. Fortinsky founded Fortune Fabrics in 1949 and worked there until retirement. He was president of Temple Israel and the Jewish Community Center as well as many other organizations. He served in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. He was a trustee emeritus of Wilkes. Faculty James J. Bohning, Bethlehem, Pa., died Sept. 2, 2011. Bohning, professor emeritus, was department chair of chemistry and then environmental science in his 31-year-career at Wilkes. After his retirement, he continued to teach and participate as director of oral history for the Chemical Heritage Foundation and a science writer for the American Chemical Society News Service. Ronald G. Mortimer, Pittston, Pa., died Jan. 9, 2013. Mortimer taught at St. Paul’s School in Scranton, Pa., and Pittston Area High School. After retirement, Mortimer was an adjunct professor at Wilkes. �ACHIEVING Mark Your Calendars for the Dedication of the Cohen Science Center The entire Wilkes community is eagerly anticipating the completion of the new Cohen Science Center this summer. By the first day of classes for the fall 2013 semester, the building will be in full operation. All are invited to a special dedication ceremony at Homecoming on Friday, Oct. 4, 2013, at 4 p.m. Mark your calendar now to be part of Wilkes history! There is still time to make a gift in support of science at Wilkes by going to www.wilkes.edu/achieve. Many thanks to the following contributors who pledged their support between December 1, 2012 and April 10, 2013: Ms. Judith Adams-Volpe ’67 Mrs. Gail MacIntyre Dohrn ’76 Mary Regalis Althauser, Ph.D. ’63 & Mr. William Althauser Eugene S. Farley Jr., M.D. Mrs. Joan Domarasky Luksa, R.N., B.S.N. ’76 Mr. John Sapiego ’60 & Mrs. Carol Emanski Sapiego ’60 Mrs. Elizabeth Faint Fell ’45 Mrs. Patrice Walsh Lyons, LCSW-C ’69 Mr. Thomas R. Sarnecky ’55 Mr. David G. Arrigoni ’80 Ellen M. Field, M.D. ’78 Dr. Lynn E. Maelia ’80 Ms. Deborah A. Sears ’77 Mr. Robert M. Babskie ’72 Mr. Walter S. Fisher ’58 Mr. Robert A. Martin ’61 Samuel Shugar, Ed.D.’56 Mrs. Christine Tondrick Baksi ’98 Dr. Ruth McDermott-Levy ’82 Mr. Wayne Sittner ’68 Mr. Stephen M. Baloga Jr. ’76 Robert S. Gardner, Ed.D. ’67 & Judith A. Gardner, Ph.D. ’71 Mr. William Melnyk ’48 Ann M. Bartuska, Ph.D. ’75 Greg and Paula Gentilman Gaughan ’00 Dr. Gary E. Michael ’81 Mr. James W. Smith ’95 & Mrs. Rosaria Tammaro Smith ’96 Doris Gorka Bartuska, M.D. ’49 Mr. John E. Gorski ’48 Mr. Scott Michenfelder ’87 Dr. & Mrs. Joseph C. Smith ’90 Mrs. Kathleen M. Warakomski Benjamin ’77 Lt. Col. Mary E. Gould, USAF ’91 Mr. W. Lee Miller ’74 Mr. David A. Soboleski ’84 David Greenwald, M.D. ’66 & Carol Saidman Greenwald, M.S., N.C.C. ’66 Mr. James Morrash ’49 Mrs. Joanne Harding Murphy ’80 Mr. John E. Squeri ’70 & Mrs. Barbara Morrison Squeri ’70 Mr. John Gresh Jr. ’51 Dr. Wendy Marek Murphy ’08 Thomas D. Stine, M.D. ’51 Mr. Joshua Bowen ’07 & Monica Gehret Bowen, Pharm.D. ’09 Mr. James A. Gribb ’72 Mrs. Vani P. Murthy ’96 & Dr. Prahlad N. Murthy Mrs. Christina Rubillo Swanson ’04 Mr. Norbert J. Braun ’00 Mr. Richard Havard III ’83 Mr. Michael V. Burke ’04 Mr. Edward J. Heltzel ’58 & Mrs. Kathleen Layaou Heltzel ’82 Mr. Richard J. Myers Sr. ’60 & Mrs. Lois Tremayne Myers ’57 Mr. William Tarbart ’70 Mr. Frederick Brown ’68 Mrs. Barbara Perry Tokarz ’71 Mrs. Beverly J. Shamun Carey ’68 Mr. David Allen Hines ’95 Cap. David A. Nazarek ’82 & Mrs. Sharon Martin Nazarek ’82 Mrs. Debra Prater Chapman ’81, M’84 & Family Ms. Judith Hopkins ’55 Dr. Carl M. Charnetski ’90 Rockin’ Rich Nordheim ’80 Dr. Lester J. Turoczi Cynthia Charnetski, O.D. ’97 Mr. Bruce Alan Huggler ’90 & Mrs. Carol Pashchuk Huggler ’78 Stelios Patsiokas, Ph.D. ’75 Estate of Mr. & Mrs. Elias Valadja Mr. Harry Collier ’62 Mr. Kenneth L. Humiston ’76 Mr. Eugene Colosimo ’93 Dr. Joseph N. Ishley ’71 Mr. Douglas Phillips ’81 & Mrs. Valerie VanDyke Phillips ’82 Dr. William Urosevich ’76 & Mrs. Patricia Reilly Urosevich ’77 Mr. Christopher R. Connolly ’88 & Mrs. Karen Donohue Connolly ’90 Mr. George D. Kaye ’55 & Mrs. Elaine Kaye ’60 Mr. John D. Phillips ’60 Ms. Sandra A. VanLuvender ’93 Dr. Kimberly Whipple Pietropola ’05 Robert E. Conway, D.D.S. ’62 Mr. E. William Kaylor Jr. ’66 Mrs. Melanie O’Donnell Wade ’93 & Mr. Christopher Wade Mr. Thomas A. Costanzo ’72 & Mrs. Marilyn Rabel Costanzo ’70 Mr. Glen ’68 & Mrs. Nancy Klinger Mr. Robert J. Pitel ’59 & Mrs. Vera Wroble Pitel ’58 Mr. Raymond Best ’77 & Mrs. Joan Chemnitius Best ’77 Mrs. Zdzislawa Paciej Harms ’68 Mr. Stanley R. Houpt Jr. ’68 Mr. Barry Niziolek ’78 & Mrs. Jean Niziolek Mrs. Beverly Munson Swift ’63 Stephen C. Thomas, D.D.S. ’53 Dr. James Tricarico ’94 & Dr. Lisa Wrubel Tricarico ’94 Anastasios Tsolakis, Ph.D. ’78 James C. Weaver, Ph.D. ’71 Norman E. Cromack, Ph.D. ’51 Mr. George H. Knezek Jr. ’71 & Mrs. Barbara Roman Knezek ’71 Ms. Marilyn C. Querci ’88 Mr. Thomas N. Ralston ’80 Dr. Terese M. Wignot Mr. Francis E. Crowley III ’88 Ms. Stephanie Kramer ’96 Mr. Robert R. Rees Jr. ’89 Mrs. Martha Hall Yohe ’73 Mr. Joseph C. Damiano ’74 Mr. Joseph J. Kropiewnicki ’53 Mr. Roger Rolfe ’63 & Mrs. Amy Rolfe Donna Whitmore Zimmer, R.N. ’80 Mr. Mark J. Dechman ’97 Mr. Charles D. Lengle ’70 Mr. Raymond R. Russ ’92 Philip A. Defranco Jr., Pharm.D. ’05 Marc M. Levey, Esq. ’69 & Mrs. Janie Kirshner Levey ’77 Mrs. Chia In Irene Wang Rutkowski ’52 Mrs. Karen Miller Zingale ’85 & Mr. Lance Zingale Ms. Sheila Denion ’72 & Mr. Thomas Eysmans Mr. Brian L. Lubenow ’00 Dr. Brett Sachse ’97 & Dr. Kathleen Terrenoire Sachse ’00 Joseph Weinkle, CLU ’63 �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events June 1-Sept 1 Sordoni Art Gallery: Permanent Collection Exhibition 10-Aug. 16 Summer Class Sessions 23-27 Maslow Faculty Reading Series, Graduate Creative Writing Program July 12 Admissions Open House 22-Aug. 1 Education Department Reading Academy for Elementary School Students August 12 Graduate Studies Information Session 26 Fall Semester Begins 27-Oct. 20 Sordoni Art Gallery: The Art of Balliet September 8 Summer Commencement October 4 Dedication of the Cohen Science Center 4-6 Homecoming Weekend 10-14 Fall Recess November 27-Dec. 2 Thanksgiving Recess For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2013 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2013 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/29eba0a1ac1e578d22eca47d149584df.pdf 29ede27cc8289470e5f64b7b455138a9 PDF Text Text FALL 2013 Out of This World Stelios Patsiokas ’75 INSIDE: PHOTOS OF THE NEW LAWRENCE AND SALLY COHEN SCIENCE CENTER �president’s letter VOLUME 7 | ISSUE 3 The Unique College Experience That Defines Wilkes T he start of the 2013-2014 academic year—my second year as Wilkes president—began with an occasion to honor the past while moving forward into an exciting future. We named the University archives in honor of Harold Cox, professor emeritus of history and Wilkes’ archivist. It was appropriate to start the year recognizing an individual who has been part of Wilkes for a half century and who has preserved precious artifacts from our history. It was Dr. Cox who first shared with me the idea that Wilkes is an institution truly unique in American higher education. It was formed to answer an educational need in the city of Wilkes-Barre and, through many challenges, has grown and prospered, even when circumstances might have suggested it would not survive. Wilkes continues to occupy a unique place today, a University with an academic and co-curricular program mix of a larger research institution in the intimate setting of a smaller liberal arts college. That mix makes for the one-of-a-kind college experience that we know as a Wilkes education. Understanding our past provides us with the context for mapping the future. As we move forward to develop a strategic plan for the coming years, six themes have emerged. We will continue to focus on building high-quality curricular and co-curricular programs. In order to do that, we will invest in our people—the faculty and staff who provide a stellar college experience for Wilkes students. Recruiting and retaining talented students will continue to be a priority, as will building the financial strength of the University. Finally, we will develop our campus infrastructure, improving existing facilities and adding new ones. And we’ll continue our commitment to improve downtown Wilkes-Barre, because its success and the success of Wilkes are inextricably linked. Achieving these goals will require us to tap the spirit of innovation that has always been part of our campus culture. Students will remain at the center of our decision-making. We’ll solicit your input, welcome your ideas and keep you informed about our plans for your alma mater. In all that we do, I want to remember the words of the English poet John Masefield, who wrote, “There are few earthly things more beautiful John Stachacz, left, dean of the Farley than a university, a Library, and President Patrick Leahy place where those unveil the Harold Cox Archives Room at a ceremony this fall. PHOTO BY VICKI MAYK who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see.” Maintaining and growing the beauty—of community, education and spirit—that defines Wilkes is my highest priority in the years ahead. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Thank you for your continued support. Wilkes University President FALL 2013 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Bill Schneider, M.A.’13 Francisco Tutella Intern Christine Lee Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 M.S.’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Interim Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Tom Ralston ’80 Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published three times a year by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �16 10 18 6 contents 6 Out of This World As chief innovation officer for Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Stelios Patsiokas ’75 led the team that launched satellite radio. 10 Game Changer Stelios Patsiokas ’75 stands in the lobby of Sirius XM Satellite Radio, the company he helped launch. PHOTO BY JOHN RICKSEN The Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center launches a new era for science at Wilkes. 16 Advocating Understanding Lynn Rosencrance Elko ’95 promotes understanding for the intellectually challenged with products created by her company, Emma’s Friends. 18 Into the Wild Joshua Martin DNP ’13 teaches health-care providers and the military how to deliver care in challenging environments. DEPARTMENTS 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. Wilkes magazine is available online at www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline F,;S FPO FSC WILKES | Fall 2013 FEATURES 1 �on campus New Nursing Simulation Center Provides Real-World Environment Visitors walking into the School of Nursing’s new Clinical Nursing Simulation Center might do a double take. Rooms look more like hospital rooms than a simulated environment. Joyce Chmil, director of the center now in Stark Learning Center, says, “The new Clinical Nursing Simulation Center was designed based on years of research and tours of simulation laboratories across the country, as well as on student and faculty input. The new CNSC provides opportunities for our students to fully engage in the experiential learning processes needed to develop clinical nursing judgment and enhance clinical performance.” The patient rooms in the simulation center stress medical-surgical care since that is the primary focus for undergraduate nursing students. One of the patient rooms is set up as a critical care suite.This room offers opportunities for the students to learn and practice Nursing student Gemena Williams checks the heartbeat of Cathy Hauze, skills for basic and advanced cardiac support. simulation specialist, in a hospital Another is set up as a high-fidelity pediatric room in the new simulation center. PHOTO BY VICKI MAYK and obstetric suite. Since critical care, pediatrics and obstetrics are considered high-risk areas in hospitals, students sometimes cannot get hands-on experience with real patients.The simulation rooms give students hands-on experiences in a safe, risk-free environment. All the rooms employ life-like manikins that can be programmed with changes to pulse and breathing and to simulate a variety of conditions. In the center, instructors can observe students interacting with patients via one-way glass. Exam rooms are outfitted with cameras and microphones that allow the demonstrations in the hospital room and pediatric room to be broadcast to the center’s classroom. The center also includes a computer lab and an apartment to simulate home-health visits. -------------------------------------------------1 WILKES | Fall 2013 Wilkes Named A “High ROI College” by Affordable Colleges Online 2 Wilkes has been named one of the top 20 Pennsylvania colleges with the greatest lifetime return on investment by the website AffordableCollegesOnline.org. Wilkes is ranked 16th on the list of 81 colleges and universities in the state that offer a good return on a student’s investment in higher education. Only 81 of more than 400 schools in Pennsylvania made the list. Graduates from these schools enjoy the largest earnings gap between non-degree holders over 30 years, and earn more on average than graduates from other Pennsylvania schools. Wilkes outranks all of its peer institutions in the northeast Pennsylvania region. “It is heartening to receive this endorsement from Affordable Colleges Online because we have long emphasized the value of a Wilkes education,” says Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy. “We may not be the low-cost provider in our recruiting market; nor are we the premium price option. But at Wilkes we strive to be the highest-value option.” Wilkes new freshmen bring diversity to campus in a variety of ways—including in the number of native languages spoken by members of the class of 2017. In addition to English, members of the freshmen class are fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, Russian, Polish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai, Hindi, Gujarati and Farsi. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I / I �on campus Creative Writing Program Co-Founder and Professor Emeritus J. Michael Lennon Publishes Norman Mailer Biography J. Michael Lennon, vice president emeritus for academic affairs, professor emeritus of English and co-founder of the graduate creative writing program at Wilkes, has written a comprehensive biography of the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer. Norman Mailer: A Double Life reflects Mailer’s dual identities: journalist and activist, devoted family man and notorious philanderer, intellectual and fighter, writer and public figure. It will be released this month by Simon and Schuster. “I wrote him a letter of support and also passed on some of my theories about his recent nonfiction books…” – J. Michael Lennon PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK Mike Lennon and I were as designed for each other as some species of American Yin and Yang, as hot dogs, perhaps, and mustard. His talents, his discipline, and his ambition form a complement to all the slacks, voids, and indolences of my nature,” Mailer wrote. Integrating the streams of material became the most difficult part of the biography project for Lennon. Included in the plethora of papers were over 45,000 letters written, unpublished journals and interviews with Mailer, his friends and family. Norman Mailer: A Double Life, Mailer won Pulitzer Prizes for written by Wilkes professor emeritus J. Michael Lennon, The Armies of the Night and The Executioner’s was released this month by Song. His first book, The Naked and the Dead, Simon & Schuster. was an enormous bestseller, and Mailer would have 10 more bestsellers from the 44 books he published. He also was co-founder of The Village Voice. Mailer, who died in 2007 at 84, was the founding chair of the Wilkes Graduate Creative Writing Program advisory board. He was the keynote speaker at the June 2004 writing conference that kicked off the program. His wife, Norris Church Mailer, succeeded him on the advisory board and remained involved with the program until her death in November 2010. The Mailer family established a scholarship in her name. – By Bill Schneider M.A.’13 Integrative Media Chair Eric Ruggiero Receives Sony Pictures Fellowship Eric Ruggiero, associate professor and chair of the integrative media and art department, was one of three individuals nationally awarded a fellowship from Sony Pictures Imageworks. Ruggiero was selected for the Faculty Fellowship Program known as IPAX, and spent six weeks this summer at the Sony Pictures motion picture lot in Culver City, Calif., shadowing production team members working on current animated feature films. Ruggiero observed and worked with special effects professionals and animation experts on such current and upcoming releases as The Amazing Spiderman 2, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Smurfs 2 and Hotel Transylvania. He was present for the production of the trailer for The Amazing Spiderman 2 that was shown at this year’s Comic Con. Ruggiero was able to learn how the experts use 3-D modeling, computer graphics and other tools to create the worlds seen on the screen. WILKES | Fall 2013 Lennon will read from the book and sign books on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Henry Student Center. Lennon describes how he got to know Mailer. “In 1971, right after he got into a tussle with Gore Vidal on the Dick Cavett Show, I wrote him a letter of support and also passed on some of my theories about his recent nonfiction books, which were changing the way major events were reported.” Mailer was one of the leading voices of the New Journalism during the 1960s. This literary genre is a writing technique that combines fictional story telling with reportage. After corresponding, they met in fall 1972 at Western Illinois University. “We talked late into the night at a local bar,” recalls Lennon, who chairs the Mailer Review board. “And every summer after that, my family and I visited him in Maine or Provincetown, Mass.” Over time, they grew closer as Lennon began editing books by and about Mailer. In 1986, after reading Lennon’s book Critical Essays on Norman Mailer, Mailer asked him to serve as one of his literary executors. Mailer described his relationship with Lennon in the preface of a bio-bibliography, Norman Mailer: Works and Days, written by Lennon and his wife, Donna Pedro Lennon. “Sometimes I think 3 �on campus Cancer Researcher Samuel Danishefsky to deliver Catherine H. Bone Lecture WILKES | Fall 2013 Renowned cancer researcher Samuel J. Danishefsky, centennial professor of chemistry at Columbia University, will deliver the 2013 Catherine H. Bone Lecture. Danishefsky also serves as the Kettering Chair of Bioorganic Chemistry at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He will present his lecture, “Biologics By Chemical Synthesis,” at 7 p.m., Oct. 16 in Stark Learning Center 101. The event is free, but registration is required. Regarded as one of the world’s leading chemists in cancer research, Danishefsky is a leader in the field of organic synthesis, with particular emphasis in carbohydrate chemistry. Nominated multiple times for the Nobel Prize, Danishefsky is the recipient of numerous awards, including prizes from the American Chemical Society and the French Pharmaceutical Society. He earned his doctorate at Harvard University. For more information about the Catherine H. Bone Lecture, call (570)408-4306. To register for the lecture online visit: http://community. wilkes.edu/bonelecture. 4 Cancer researcher Samuel J. Danishefsky will deliver the Catherine H. Bone Lecture. PHOTO COURTESY COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY. Sordoni Art Gallery Features Work by Chad Stanley and James Lennox Chad Stanley and James Lennox work in very different academic disciplines at Wilkes. But the two share something in common: creating visual art. Stanley teaches composition and literature as associate professor of English. Lennox advises senior engineering students as director of instrumentation in the College of Science and Engineering. Their artwork is being exhibited through December 2013 at the Sordoni Art Gallery. Stanley began studying painting at Pratt Institute before transferring to Syracuse University for a broader liberal arts education. After switching his major several times, he found English the best fit. Yet his interest in painting never waned. Stanley prefers painting oil on canvas, culling literature for subject matter. He incorporates art and his artwork into the English courses he teaches. Students write analytical papers focusing on paintings or photographs. He also presents his paintings—which have literary themes—to his classes as visual commentaries about the reading list. Stanley says, “These options do not ever replace writing as our fundamental medium of analyzing and responding to literature; they simply broaden the range of ways of engaging with written texts.” Lennox has sculpted 3-D work in wood and metal for more than 25 years. His interest in art and drawing began in childhood. During a stint in the U.S. Air Force in the 1980s, he realized that he wanted to pursue an artistic career. After his military service, Lennox took a 3-D design class at Wilkes with Herb Simon and has been sculpting ever since. The majority of his work uses hollow-form sheet metal, but he incorporates other elements when he finds that insufficient to complete a project. Lennox says, “For me, being an artist is a way of life; I really do not have a choice. I have always been creative and “Coleridge and the it has helped me throughout all of my Albatross,” top, is a painting by Chad Stanley, associate various careers and experiences.” – By Francisco Tutella professor of English. Left, the 3-D sculpture “Pink Shoes” is the work of James Lennox, director of instrumentation. Both artists are featured in a Sordoni Art Gallery show. �OUT TO WIN athletics Wrestler Kris Krawchuk Finds Athletic and Academic Success at Wilkes By Bill Schneider M.A. ’13 Whether looking at genes through a microscope or wrestling on the mat, senior Kris Krawchuk is out to win. The hard-working biology major is as passionate about his goal of becoming a physician assistant as he is about becoming a finalist in the NCAA Championship. His commitment has earned him recognition academically and athletically. He is a member of the Colonels Elite, a program for Wilkes student athletes who have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. Krawchuk also finished his junior year with a 29-4 overall mark on the wrestling team. The NCAA ranked him in the top five in the country throughout the 2013 season, marking the fifth straight year that Wilkes produced an All-American and its second consecutive national finalist. Krawchuk came to Wilkes three years ago from Slatington, Pa. He was attracted to the college town atmosphere at Wilkes, which was a departure from living in rural northern Lehigh County on an acre of land. Krawchuk also discovered the significant focus on community service at Wilkes was perfect for him. “I was introduced to Women Empowered by Science during my freshman foundations course,” he says. Krawchuk enjoyed working with the program’s summer camp, which provides girls entering seventh or eighth grade the opportunity to explore science through hands-on laboratories and activities. Jon Laudenslager, Wilkes head wrestling coach, looks forward to watching Krawchuk become a national champion this year and continue his strong leadership skills. “Kris has a great combination of work ethic and desire to be very successful,” says Laudenslager. “When you have goals and are willing to pay the overall price and sacrifice to accomplish them, you give yourself a great chance to do what Kris has done.” He is applying to several graduate programs to become a physician assistant after graduating from Wilkes in May 2014. Through his Wilkes experience, Krawchuk has found the perfect way to strike a balance in life. Senior Kris Krawchuk is an All-American wrestler and brings his dedication into the biology lab. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK WILKES | Fall 2013 Krawchuk continues to place a priority on his work in the sciences. He spent summer 2013 at Wilkes performing genetics research on fruit flies, applying different techniques to study the epidermal growth factor receptor, which exhibits behavior characteristic to many forms of cancer. Under the direction of Lisa Kadlec, associate professor of biology, Krawchuk and his cohort worked with characterizing genes, comparing them with genes of known function in humans. 5 �Stelios Patsiokas ’75 helped develop the technology that made satellite radio fly WILKES | Fall 2013 By Geoff Gehman 6 Stelios Patsiokas ’75, chief innovation officer and corporate vice president for Sirius XM Radio, displays the compact technology designed by his team to bring satellite radio to consumers. Behind him, older, more traditional circuitry provides the backdrop. PHOTO BY JOHN RICKSEN �For the next six weeks he ran a technological boot camp that could have been nicknamed “Stell’s Hell.” Patsiokas fed his troops gourmet cuisine to boost their efficiency and enthusiasm while they worked around the clock. He kept their passports so they wouldn’t leave before finishing their jobs to his satisfaction. After 40 days they had become a lean, mean fighting machine. After 40 nights they had roughed out a system that would allow satellite radio to fly. Thirteen years and many patents later, Patsiokas remains a leader of a revolution in audio entertainment. He is the chief innovation officer and corporate vice president of Sirius XM Radio, the nexus of satellite radio. He’s largely responsible for the devices—microchips, radios, receivers, antennae--that enable nearly 25 million subscribers to tune into everything from the Metropolitan Opera to the Grateful Dead, The Catholic Channel to Cosmo Radio. You can thank him for crystal-clear, constant reception of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race while you’re barreling through a small tunnel. Patsiokas has guided satellite radio through a costly competition, a market-saving merger and a boom in wireless links to smarter phones and cars. “It’s one of those rewarding experiences whereby you take a white sheet and turn it into an industrychanging, life-changing concept,” says the expert in radio-waves propagation. “It’s been a tremendous journey, a beautiful trip.” WILKES | Fall 2013 Stelios Patsiokas ’75 was tired of his engineers arguing at cross-purposes across the globe. Hoping to improve productivity through unity, he summoned them from Canada, Germany and Italy to his command center in Florida. 7 �/.. . ·.... . ,... . •.. •• ,,:·). . . . . . .. .·.• . .. . .: . Patsiokas grew up in Serres, Greece, where he listened to Top 40 tunes on a leather-covered transistor radio under the bed covers. The salutatorian of his high-school class, he entered Wilkes on a tuition scholarship awarded to top international students to attend American colleges and universities. He arrived in Wilkes-Barre with a “dismal” knowledge of English, a disadvantage he soon turned into an advantage. Patsiokas knew he was in deep trouble when he opened the first page of a health textbook and jotted 150 words he didn’t know. Unable to understand his Physics I professor, he skipped classes and took exams with the help of a Greek-English dictionary. He received a B-plus, a testament to his superior science background and translating skills. After six months Patsiokas spoke passable English. He starred as a forward-center on the soccer team, receiving an automatic “A” in health given to exceptional athletes. He dated “nice” girls attracted by his “sexy” accent. And he partied hardy. “Let’s just say,” he says, that Wilkes dorms in the early ’70s had “a great celebratory environment.” The celebration dimmed when Patsiokas learned he owed $620 for a semester’s worth of room and food. The bill shocked him largely because it equaled three months of salary for his father, a construction truck driver for the Greek government and a fan of radio shows featuring violins. The bill was eventually forgiven by then-Dean George Ralston. Patsiokas decided to knuckle down and buckle up. He worked for the Wilkes foreignstudent program. He pumped gas, earning the “heavenly” sum of $3.20 an hour. He switched majors from pre-med to electrical engineering, which had fewer English words and more universal technical terms. He became a devoted student, inspired by “holy mackerel” courses in electronic circuits, electromagnetic fields and early software. “I looked at myself in the mirror and said: ‘Are you going to be a bum or are you going to become someone?’ I had a total transformation. I went from a party guy to a monk.” After “the four best years of my life,” Patsiokas entered the doctoral program in electrical engineering at Virginia Tech University. After receiving his doctorate in 1979, he began working at Motorola, . ·. • ... . •· .: . . .. • .. •••• •. .. . . . . • ••• ...•• • • .. . •• • •• • • ,~ . • .• •• •• • • attracted by the Florida climate and the chance to develop groundbreaking communication devices for an electronics giant. For Patsiokas and Motorola, the next 20 years were a golden age. He supervised the system performance of the first digital telephone, a “poor man’s cell” activated at public wireless booths. He helped launch the first two-way pager with an operating system, an embryonic Blackberry that “was very, very slow but nevertheless way before its time.” Patsiokas says he was assigned to rescue the pager after a year of stagnation caused by conflict. He fired troublemakers, united software and hardware specialists, made partners of enemies. “You’ve got to have tremendous engineering talent under you,” he says. “You have to make decisions quickly. You have to have thick skin. Sometimes you get it right, and sometimes you get it wrong. Sometimes it’s one step forward, and sometimes it’s two steps backwards.” By 1998 the golden age at Motorola had been tarnished by low morale. A headhunter convinced Patsiokas to interview with Hugh Panero, the CEO of a fledgling company later called XM Satellite Radio. The year before the company had received a license for satelliteradio frequencies along with Sirius Satellite Radio, its future rival. Patsiokas met with Panero at XM headquarters in Washington, D.C. He told the CEO that he doubted that satellites 22,000 miles above the earth could prevent obstructions—trees, tunnels, towers—from muting or silencing radio signals. “I said: ‘No way it’s going to fly.’ Hugh asked me: ‘So why the hell are you here?’ I told him:‘Well, I wanted to visit the Smithsonian...’ ” Patsiokas leavened the joke by requesting a month to make his decision. In September 1998 he asked XM technicians a blunt question: How could satellite radio work effectively among skyscrapers in Manhattan? Their answer: a terrestrial network, set up specifically for dense downtowns, with radio receivers that blocked bad signals and combined good signals, constructing constantly clear channels. “Right there and then I said ‘Thank you very much,’ ” says Patsiokas. “And I walked out to tell Hugh: ‘I’m your man.’ ” “I looked at myself in the mirror and said: ‘Are you going to be a bum or are you going to become someone?’” ■ 8 • • . .· • . . Doctorate from Virginia Tech • ' ·. • Joined XM to make satellite radio fly “Golden Years” at Motorola • .··•. • . 1999 1979 Graduated from Wilkes 1998 1975 WILKES | Fall 2013 •···· --:.-·. • .. . . . =.-: •.. •• . • . ; • • •. ' ' . • Set standards for microchips, terrestrial networks and signaling for the entire system ·.·.~·· . .. . ... . .. ·_ • ....·:· •••• ••.•• ••. • . . • . • • • •. �• •. . * • . . • . • . . Stelios Patsiokas ’75, Deerfield Beach, Fla. . Bachelor of Science, electrical engineering, Wilkes • • . . • -~ • . • . ~ . . . . .· . . .· . . ..·· . Master of Science and doctorate, electrical engineering, Virginia Tech. Career: Chief Innovation Officer, XM Satellite Radio On Sept. 25 XM broadcast for the first time to San Diego and Dallas/Ft. Worth. On Nov. 12 the company premiered a Favorite Wilkes memory: Playing soccer and partying with nationwide network. In July 2002 it was joined by Sirius, which a United Nations of Greek, Turk and Portuguese students. immediately became its bitter competitor. “That was the beauty of Wilkes: it had tremendous diversity.” Led by Patsiokas, XM produced many innovations. He helped Campus mentor: The late George Ralston, the first Wilkes develop a car system linking an antenna with a cassette and a radio athletic director and dean of students. “He’d just look you in receiver operated by a cigarette lighter. Installed as after-market the eyes and understand you,” says Patsiokas. “The warmth equipment in cars, SKYFi dramatically increased subscriptions for came out of his eyes, the way he treated you with respect. XM, a breakthrough that Patsiokas calls “crossing the chasm.” He was definitely a father figure.” Ralston forgave Patsiokas XM was less successful in its programming war with Sirius.The a $620 bill for food and lodging at the end of his first companies battled fiercely for exclusive deals with carmakers, semester. Patsiokas repaid the favor with interest, donating entertainment networks and stars. XM spent millions to hire money to his alma mater “tenfold.” Oprah Winfrey, the communications queen. Sirius spent millions to hire Howard Stern, the shock jock. After eight years the rivals had lost nearly $7 billion. “It was a content bloodbath,” says Patsiokas. “The mentality was ‘Win this at all costs.’ We forgot we were in the business to When Patsiokas joined XM, the company had only a few weeks make money.” of salary in the bank. He dramatically increased brain capital by The rivals merged to avoid certain death. In February 2007 recruiting members of his Motorola team, starting an exodus that Sirius bought XM for over $4 billion in stock, even though would create the quip that “XM stands for Ex-Motorola.” XM had 40 more channels and 1.6 million more subscribers. By early 1999 the Patsiokas team had set standards for Renamed Sirius XM Radio, the new organization became microchips, terrestrial networks and signaling for the entire system. far more profitable than its predecessors. By 2009 it was $400 By late 1999 Patsiokas was tired of bickering emails from his million in the black. Boosted by subscriptions from new-car engineers around the world. Weary of feeling like “a punching buyers, as well as the recovery of the auto industry, the company bag,” he turned his Florida lab into a United Nations boot camp. this summer projected revenue of $3.7 billion in fiscal 2012. What followed were 40 days and nights of tough work and Today Sirius XM offers more than 160 channels for music, sports, tough love. For Patsiokas and his teammates, the eureka moment news-traffic, comedy and talk. Among the 70-plus commercialcame when they passed a complete song through the system free music stations is “The Blend,” an adult-contemporary mix simulator flawlessly. He recalls “everybody went berserk” at the recommended by Patsiokas, who has an around-the-dial fondness successful conclusion of a remarkable 40-day experience. The for classical, jazz, country and Top 40 from the ’50s to the ’80s.“I’m test tune was doubly symbolic: Money for Nothing, a Dire Straits a strange cat who basically likes all genres except rap,” he says. “In hit that helped make MTV a hit. a way, I’m an ideal radio consumer.” XM launched its radio satellites, appropriately nicknamed Thirteen years and many patents later, Patsiokas remains driven. Rock and Roll, in March and May 2001. On Sept. 11 that year The success of satellite radio is “the ultimate story of what happens Patsiokas was at XM’s headquarters in Washington, meeting with when you have a great, great engineering team, supplemented by officials from General Motors, a major XM investor.The meeting great, great partners, and being led with a positive attitude,” he says. was adjourned early after the news that airplanes hijacked by “We more or less willed this thing to work. It’s like that Star Wars terrorists had struck the World Trade Center and the nearby scene where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are riding on Pentagon. Also postponed was the next-day announcement that a motorcycle and a guard asks them for their papers. Obi uses [a XM was ready to begin broadcasting. Jedi mind trick] and the guard suddenly says ‘Pass.’ Luke asks ‘How did you do this, master?’ and Obi says, ‘Never underestimate the ...................................... -~ Launched radio power of The Force.’” . •• • .. . • •• • • .• .... :·. . . .. ... • • . • .• • • • • .-.. : . . . . .. . • . . . ... • . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ' ' .. more than 160 channels for music, sports, news-traffic, comedy and talk . . . . . .. . .. WILKES | Fall 2013 . . . .. . $400 million in the black TODAY 2009 XM broadcast for first time to San Diego and Dallas/Ft. Worth Sirius XM offers ~-·----···----·····--··"• $ 2007 SEPTEMBER . Developed many innovations, including a car system linking an antenna with a cassette ~--·····································• and a radio receiver Sirius bought XM operated by a cigarette lighter satellites “Rock” and “Roll” 2001 MARCH & MAY 2001 Notable: Led the team that enabled satellite radio to fly. .9 �The lobby of the Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center offers a dramatic welcome, with a natural stone wall, large flat video screen and seating areas for students and visitors. PHOTOS BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC GAME CHANGER Cohen Science Center Shapes The Future of Science at Wilkes WILKES | Fall 2013 A new building can be a work of art and a presence that transforms the landscape surrounding it. A building on a university campus has a more profound influence. Designed with the educational needs of students and faculty in mind, it helps to define and inspire the work happening within its walls. The new Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center at Wilkes is such a transformational and inspiring space. Designed by SaylorGregg architects, the state-of-the-art facility puts the focus on student research— the cornerstone of science education at 10 the University—by providing teaching laboratories rather than typical classroom space. The building also features meeting spaces promoting collaboration among students and faculty and across disciplines. A spectacular view of the Susquehanna River from the River Street side of the facility serves as a reminder of the environment that Wilkes scientists have sought to preserve for decades. The photos on these pages reveal a combination of beauty and utility in a building that is becoming the architectural anchor of campus. �– WINSTON CHURCHILL WILKES | Fall 2013 “WE SHAPE OUR BUILDINGS: THEREAFTER THEY SHAPE US.” 11 �Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center At A Glance • 72,500-square-foot building • $35 million project • The center houses the biology, chemistry and biochemistry and environmental engineering and earth science departments. In addition, any Wilkes student studying a laboratory science will have class in the center. Physics labs continue to be held in Stark. • The lobby is graced by a 2- by 3-foot video screen, which will feature Wilkes science and engineering news and readouts of energy use in the building. • The third floor features labs arranged to promote interdisciplinary work among the sciences housed in the building. • Up-to-date technology includes “Smart” classrooms with interactive whiteboards and wireless Internet. WILKES | Fall 2013 • The roof features a greenhouse and terrace. 12 The physiology labs feature stainless steel tops for dissection. Above, a student lounge and meeting space is featured at the end of each floor of the building. �The central staircase is a dramatic focal point in the science center’s lobby. WILKES | Fall 2013 Left, signage on the quadrangle and South River Street identifies the building. 13 �Hallways feature dramatic lighting and polished concrete floors. WILKES | Fall 2013 Bottom right, a videoconference room offers the latest technology for distance learning and meetings with scientists at other institutions. 14 �A meeting space looks out over the Fenner Quadrangle. Below, state-of-the-art fume hoods are among improvements in chemistry labs. • The building was designed to qualify for silver certification for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) presented by the U.S. Green Building Council. This is achieved via a green building design that conserves energy, materials and water. Green features include natural lighting; partial green roof; water storage outside the building to prevent stormwater runoff to urban sewers; sustainable polished concrete floors, Forest Stewardship Council-rated wood that is harvested responsibly; energy-efficient lighting and windows dedicated on Friday, Oct. 4. But the true kick-off for the new MORE building happened in late August, when students began attending WEB before students returned to campus. For photos capturing the ON THE classes in the center. Photos for this photo essay were taken dedication festivities and a slide show of students at work in the Cohen Science Center, please visit www.wilkes.edu/cohen. glazed with low-emittance coatings that save energy. WILKES | Fall 2013 The new Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center was to be 15 �.... .....- ~-;;..-.- .......---- --~·~-- ;:"W" r:; • r.- ---=- :-. r:.; ,,,.. ~ -=~ .,,-r- ii:"111' .-.:- .-.. ........ :-.-...... - ... ...-- . ~ ,......-.; --=~---- Advocating Understanding LYNN ELKO ’95 FINDS NEW CAREER WITH EMMA’S FRIENDS By Bill Thomas ’13 WILKES | Fall 2013 W 16 hen LynnMarie (Rosencrance) Elko’s daughter, Emma, was born with multiple disabilities, it opened her eyes to misconceptions that she—and many others—have about people with special needs. Before Emma’s birth, Elko ’95 recalls seeing people with disabilities with their families. “I would think, ‘That’s so tragic,’ ” she says. Her perceptions changed after becoming Emma’s mother. Her daughter is affected physically and cognitively due to neurological disorders impairing vision, speech and motor skills, but Elko has learned that family life still can be happy. “I didn’t realize that, even though people have disabilities and their lives are different, there is still a tremendous amount of joy,” she says. Nonetheless, helping Emma overcome her daily challenges proved to be a full-time job, one that necessitated Elko leaving her position as vice president of production at Educational Impact, an online provider of professional development programs ,...'P...: • 1 �LynnMarie (Rosencrance) Elko, Tamaqua, Pa. B.A., Communication Studies and Political Science, Wilkes, 1995 M.A., Business Communications, Jones International University, 2005 Career: Owner and founder, Emma’s Friends Soaps & Lotions Notable: Elko started her own handcrafted toiletry business called Emma’s Friends Soaps & Lotions, which employs individuals with disabilities. Favorite Wilkes memory: Working late into the night (and often into the early morning) in The Beacon office where, as editor, she and her staff assembled Wilkes University’s student newspaper on a steady diet of delivery pizza. Opposite page, Lynn (Rosencrance) Elko ’95 poses in her store, which is the retail outlet for Emma’s Friends Lotions and Soaps, on Broad Street in Tamaqua, Pa. Above, Elko and her daughter Emma, 11, who is the inspiration for her mother’s thriving business. PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON “I didn’t realize that, even though people have disabilities and their lives are different, there is still a tremendous amount of joy” As a member of the board of directors for Avenues—a Pottsville, Pa.,-based organization that helps disabled individuals improve their work skills and their quality of life—Elko was aware that job opportunities for such individuals are limited. Emma’s Friends was founded to creatively and purposefully employ individuals with special needs. Part of Emma’s Friends mission, Elko says, is advocating greater understanding of such individuals. Elko believes every person she can touch now “will be someone who will be more accepting of our friends today and Emma tomorrow.” Being a mother is still her top priority. “Emma is nonverbal, meaning she is not able to speak, but she lets me know when I’m working too much. Two years ago, around Christmas, our busiest time of the year, I wasn’t spending enough time with her. She made sure to let me know by just ignoring me. That hurt and was a big wake-up call,” Elko says. “I make sure to put her to bed every night. I cuddle with her every night. She wants that quality time every day. I play with her and tickle her and make her laugh, and if I don’t, she lets me know. Which is good. I think a lot of kids whose parents have businesses don’t express that. They have all these filters that keep them from expressing what they really feel, telling them, ‘You’re supposed to be a good kid. You’re supposed to behave.’ Emma doesn’t have that. In a way, we’re very fortunate that she’s so transparent, because it can be hard to balance things. Regardless, she is and will always be my first priority.” WILKES | Fall 2013 for teachers based in Warminster, Pa. She left the company in 2004 to dedicate more time to Emma, now 11 years old. Therapists and teachers were an integral part of Emma’s life and they, indirectly, provided Elko with a surprising new career path. “I started making gifts for her therapists. I spent a lot of time baking treats and eventually started thinking there had to be something better. Then one day I was in the grocery store and I saw an issue of Martha Stewart’s magazine about soaps and I picked it up thinking I’d give it a try,” Elko says. She began making soap as thank-you gifts. Before long, Elko found the demand for her creations growing—so much so that, in 2008, her newfound hobby turned into a full-fledged business called Emma’s Friends Soaps & Lotions. Since then, Elko’s handcrafted, all-natural product line has expanded to lotions, scented sprays and even pet shampoos. Her items can be found in stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, California, including Elko’s own shops in Tamaqua, Pa., and West Hazleton, Pa. She also sells at juried craft shows and online at www.emmasfriends.com. Looking back, Elko admits she never expected her gift-giving endeavor to evolve the way it has. “I spent about two to three years experimenting with different oils and their properties, learning about the oils and how they combine to create different types of soap, developing my own special formulas,” Elko explains, pointing out that her prior background as a communication studies and political science major at Wilkes didn’t quite prepare her for the business of making soaps. “I love research, though. I love to read. And thankfully my husband was a wonderful critic,” she adds with a laugh. While the name “Emma’s Friends” initially referred to the teachers and therapists receiving Elko’s creations, the name now has a double meaning, referring also to the people Emma’s Friends employs, all of whom have intellectual disabilities. These friends wrap and package all the soaps and also make, bottle and label all the dry bath products. 17 �I Wilkes doctor of nursing practice grad Josh Martin applies his education in remote regions WILKES | Fall 2013 by Helen Kaiser 18 Top, military personnel practice evacuations required in the field. Bottom, Josh Martin DNP ’13 draws on training as an Air Force pararescueman to train others in wilderness medicine practices. PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOSH MARTIN. �J osh Martin DNP ’13 teaches health care providers how to After his military discharge, Martin earned a bachelor’s degree in make good decisions in bad environments. As a specialist business studies from Davenport University. He became president in wilderness medicine, he trains paramedics, nurses and and CEO of Northern Cairn in 2003, allowing him to spend more others to deliver care in hostile situations—from remote time in his native region of northern Michigan with his wife, Elsa, military bases in Afghanistan to the open seas. and their three sons. In 2009 he was awarded a fellowship in the As president and CEO of Northern Cairn LLC in Petoskey, Academy of Wilderness Medicine from the Wilderness Medical Mich., Martin coordinates and teaches challenging courses Society, Salt Lake City. He became a family nurse practitioner in in wilderness medicine. The school prepares students for 2010 and in May 2013 received his doctorate from Wilkes. emergency situations that involve prolonged patient care, severe For one doctoral project, Martin drew on experiences environments and improvised equipment. Students range from providing contract wilderness medicine training to 118 Army summer camp counselors and outdoor enthusiasts to the military medics in Afghanistan in 2011. The training addressed the and FBI hostage rescuers. problem of 19-year-old Army medics being shipped off to “We instruct students how to keep out of trouble in extreme war with just basic “street EMT” training. “There’s a huge situations by recognizing potential problems before they occur,” difference in what’s covered in regular EMT textbooks—where says Martin, a member of Wilkes’ first graduating class in its the focus is on being able to access a fully stocked ambulance online doctor of nursing practice program. and arrive at a hospital in 10 or 20 minutes—and the realities Martin credits his eight years in the U.S. Special Operations of people being shot at or blown up in the midst of an austere, Command with galvanizing his eventual career choice of unforgiving environment,” Martin explains. wilderness medicine. The 39-year-old served as a U.S. Air Force pararescueman from 1993 to 2001, with multiple deployments in “You’re caring for a patient who may or may Southwest Asia and North Africa. “My primary role as a pararescueman was not have good mental capabilities, who was to save lives and aid the injured in hostile, non-permissive and austere environments,” likely in bad shape before being wounded.” he says. Translated, that would mean tasks like parachuting from a C-130 aircraft into the middle of the ocean, with limited medical capabilities. “You’re trying to provide good wound care, feeding, hydrating and keeping him warm until he can be rescued,” he explains. To qualify for pararescue, Martin spent more than 30 months in rigorous military training—first to become an emergency medical technician. That training was supplemented with crucial instruction that included helicopter-parachute rescue, advanced land navigation, small arms weapons handling, survival techniques, chemical warfare survival, advanced trauma life support, land and water parachute landings and scuba diving. Joshua Martin DNP ’13, Petoskey, Mich. B.S., Business Studies, Davenport University The wilderness training helped medics to assess whether medical evacuations—dangerous to both flight crews and soldiers—were actually needed. Martin cited the outcomes from the training in his research project, which compared outcomes in traditional emergency medical training programs with those in a hybrid program such as the one he offers for wilderness training. Wilkes Assistant Professor of Nursing Kathleen Hirthler taught three of Martin’s doctoral courses and served as his scholarly project chairperson. “Josh is accomplished in a unique way,” she says. “I expect he will be a leader in finding new ways of providing safe, quality care for populations requiring wilderness medicine. The doctorate will help him to influence his field through sound application of evidence-based research.” Martin agrees, saying, “These days there is a drive to keep patients out of the hospital,” he says, “so we need to teach them self-care and how to recognize when they are starting to fail before their conditions get too serious. The same holds true for healthy people who might be mountaineering in cold or desert-like conditions. They need to recognize their limits.” 19 WILKES | Fall 2013 M.S., Nursing, Grand Valley State University Doctor of Nursing Practice, Wilkes wilderness medicine training company Career: President and CEO of Northern Cairn, LLC, a Notable: Served eight years as a U.S. Air Force pararescueman, giving him expertise in wilderness medicine. 0 �alumni news Alumni Association Board Welcomes Five New Members JESSICA SHORT ’13 The Wilkes University Alumni Association welcomed five new alumni members in June to its Board of Directors. In the following question-and-answer profiles, the new members share their motivations for getting involved with the Alumni Association. Their class years and occupations may vary, but they all have one thing in common: a love of Wilkes University and the desire to give back to their alma mater. Clifford Township, Pa. GABE LEDONNE ’05 News desk manager, SNL Financial, Blakely, Pa. Student development graduate assistant, Wilkes University, Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education Certification, Reading Minor Being on the Homecoming student team all four years of college had a major influence on my desire to be involved with the Alumni Association after graduation. I am thankful for my Wilkes education and have great pride in my school, making me want to give back and make it a better place for incoming students. Because I was so involved, I could not leave the University without having some kind of tie to the school. Bachelor of Arts, Communication Studies, English I’ve always wanted to continue to be a part of Wilkes after graduating. During my time at the University, I received a lot of great support and guidance from faculty, administrators, staff and others. Wilkes has a great sense of community, and I feel that serving as an alumni board member gives me an opportunity to be a bigger part of that community and to contribute to it. P. CHRISTOPHER SOMMER ’94 Entrepreneur, Wilmington, Del. Bachelor of Science, Accounting When President Leahy came on board with Wilkes, I saw this as a catalyst for change and an opportunity to develop the leadership of the University. I wanted to be involved with the momentum to advance the institution. ROB BURNS ’64 Trial attorney, Piermont, N.Y. JOHN SWEENEY ’13 Bachelor of Science, Business Assurance associate, PwC (the U.S. Administration firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers WILKES | Fall 2013 While at Wilkes, I was president of Student Government, on the wrestling team and a proud member of Ashley Hall. I became active in the Alumni Association because I still have a special place in my heart for my time at Wilkes, even after almost 50 years. Wilkes, with its small student body; teachers who were not only devoted in the classroom but who also came to social events; and my participation in wrestling and student government really helped to shape my life. 20 LLC), Parsippany, N.J. Bachelor of Science, Accounting; Bachelor of Business Administration, Business Management As a student at Wilkes, I was extremely involved in campus life. I decided to join the Alumni Board so that I could keep a strong connection to campus and the events that affect Wilkes. As a member of the Alumni Association Board, I look forward to having the opportunity to foster relationships with alumni and help keep recent alumni engaged. The board does important work with advancement and mentoring and I hope to contribute to its goals in any way possible. �giving back Investing in the Future Louise Hazeltine ’44 and Ray Dombroski ’78 honor faculty, benefit students with gifts to Cohen Science Center “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin 0 Louise Hazeltine ’44 Retired nurse in the New York Hospital and associate dean and director of the division of education at Cornell School of Nursing Trucksville, Pa. Bachelor of Arts, Nursing, Cornell University Master of Science, New York University 0 Ray Dombroski ’78 Senior Vice President, Product Development 0 0 and Deployment Comcast Corp., Malvern, Pa. Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, Wilkes University We decided to make a gift because I believe in the mission of Wilkes University and its strong commitment to the region and excellence in its programs. It was a way to show gratitude for my experience at Wilkes and to ‘pay it forward’ to future students.” Like Dombroski, Louise Hazeltine ’44 is providing opportunities for current science students at Wilkes while honoring the faculty members who helped her achieve success. Her gift recognizes biology teachers Charles B. Reif and Lenore Ward, who, Hazeltine says, were invaluable in her pursuit of a science education at Bucknell Junior College in the early 1940s. “Dr. Reif had a good sense of humor and got us all interested in science. I remember his great attention to detail when he prepared slides to view under a microscope. Dr. Ward made even the most reluctant students enjoy the courses she taught, even when they required us to dissect a cat... They challenged us to become excellent students.” Hazeltine says that the greatest impact that these two individuals had on her was “instilling the need to be meticulous.” Mastering this skill served Hazeltine well; she went on to work as a registered nurse at the New York Hospital, earn a master’s degree at New York University and serve as associate dean and director of the division of education at Cornell School of Nursing. “I am pleased to support a space for the next generation as they study to become the best students possible,” she says. WILKES | Fall 2013 A plaque on the third floor of the Cohen Science Center that displays Franklin’s quote reminds students, faculty and staff of the long-term benefits of education. The message becomes even more meaningful when you read the words that accompany it – “In Memory of Umid R. Nejib, Ph.D., Professor, 1965-2002.” The plaque represents a gift by Ray Dombroski ’78 and his wife, Colleen DeMorat, to Wilkes to honor Nejib, Dombroski’s former engineering professor. “The influence of Professor Nejib was important while I was a student, but the real value of my interactions with him only became obvious over time, well after graduation.” Dombroski, a senior vice president of product development and deployment for Comcast Corp., believes that education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is critical to the economy and global competitiveness. “Having up-to-date lab facilities is an important facet of such an education. As a Wilkes student in the mid-1970s, when Stark Learning Center was built, I recognized that it was time to update the facilities.” 21 �class notes Tom Ralston ’80 Survives Boston Marathon Bombing Tom Ralston ’80 moved to Boston shortly after graduating from Wilkes. It’s a city he’s grown to love. “Everything about Boston is historical, in one way or another—and I love history,” says Ralston, president of the Wilkes University Alumni Association and a fundraiser for Bentley University. Ralston’s personal history merged with his adopted city’s when he was an eyewitness and victim at the April 15, 2013, Boston Marathon bombing. Taking part in the merrymaking at the marathon has long been a tradition for Ralston. “I think I’ve only missed getting to the marathon twice in the 33 years that I’ve lived there,” says Ralston. This year’s event found him strolling by himself on Boylston Street among celebrants near the finish line; Tom Ralston ’80 kneels at the temporary memorial at Copley Square for victims of the Boston Marathon bombing. The memorial has been moved to the Boston Historical Society. Ralston, who was injured in the bombing, is serving on a committee to determine how the city will mark the anniversary of the event in the future. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM RALSTON. his usual companions were traveling that day. At the hospital, doctors removed “I was enjoying the whole atmosphere when I heard the first explosion to my left, about a block and a half away,” he recalls. Thinking that perhaps the large jumbotron televising the race had exploded, he moved in that direction. Ten to 12 seconds later, the second bomb exploded. “I couldn’t have been more than 12 to 15 feet from it,” Ralston says. The impact knocked him to the ground. “Five, “I think I’ve only missed getting to the marathon twice in the 33 years that I’ve lived there.” him. It was only after he returned home that he realized the black specks on his jeans were small holes burned by bomb debris. He discovered that his leg was burned and had bled. Although his hearing is still impaired nicely” from his other injuries. The that I was on the ground and I was bleeding WILKES | Fall 2013 Boston police detectives questioned in one ear, Ralston says he’s “healing six, maybe seven seconds later, I realized 22 shrapnel from his arm. FBI agents and pretty profusely.” He clambered to his feet and began walking emotional fallout continues, and he still has some flashbacks. He’s from the scene, knowing, even in his confusion, that moving been helped by attending events sponsored by the city of Boston, away from what was obviously an explosion was a good idea. where he’s traded stories with others who were at the scene. Two bystanders who were not injured came to his aid. One, a “I was talking one day to two guys and realized that they were Marine trained in first aid on the battlefield, applied pressure to standing within a couple of feet of where I was. Each of them had stop the heavy bleeding on his arm. He could not hear anything a leg amputated, and I knew God was with me that day.” because the blast had ruptured his eardrums. – By Vicki Mayk MFA ’13 �class notes 1947 Dolores (Seitchek) Price retired after a 64-year career in physical therapy, most recently working at the Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, Pa. Her sister, Rita Seitchek Dicker ’42, and brother, Jacob Seitchek ’49, also attended Wilkes, all when it was Bucknell University Junior College. Price resides in Elizabethtown, Pa. 1954 Elaine (Bogan) Law – see 1952. 1961 Joe Cardone is a humor consultant and inspirational speaker. He presents a variety of seminars, programs and workshops on the value of humor for wellness, stress reduction and positive living. His clients include Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruise lines and St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. 1965 G. Joseph Rogers was awarded the IBM President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement for volunteer service in December 2012. His volunteer service includes serving as chairman of the board of the Cambridge Historical Society and secretary/ treasurer of Cambridge Regional Health Center. Both organizations are in Cambridge, Vt., where he lives. Rogers retired from IBM in 1992 after 27 years with the company. 1966 Edward McGinley was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. At Wilkes, McGinley was an All-American wrestler in 1963, a Wilkes Open finalist in 1962 and a MidAmerican Conference finalist in 1965. McGinley founded the wrestling program at King’s College and has coached there for the past 44 years. 1970 Edward Burke was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. Burke played offensive tackle on Wilkes University’s legendary Golden Horde football team, was a part of a 32-game winning streak and helped Wilkes win three MidAmerican Conference titles and the 1968 Lambert Bowl. From 1972-1977 he coached football at Wyoming Valley West High School. He retired in 2005 after 35 years teaching at the school. 1952 Dianne Charsha is in the second year of Drexel University’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program. She is studying in the executive leadership track. 1972 Bill Hanbury joined the executive search firm Boyden’s Washington, D.C., office as a principal and will recruit candidates to fill board, senior executive and functional leader roles. 1987 Carmen Mazzatta was appointed president of the health care division at Modern Marketing Concepts, Inc. Prior to his appointment, Mazzatta led technology-based health care sales and marketing business processing for inVentiv Health and Express Scripts. Ronald Rittenmeyer received an honorary master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College on June 8, 2013. The degree was presented by Maj. Gen. Anthony Cucolo and U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno. Rittenmeyer was recognized for his leadership of the U.S. Army War College Board of Visitors, including his involvement in the strategic direction of the institution. 1993 Melanie O’Donnell Mickelson and Christopher Wade were married on June 23, 2012, at Weckesser Hall on the Wilkes campus. The bride is the vice president of enrollment services at Wilkes. The groom teaches social studies in Forest City Regional School District and is supervisor at the Edward A. Wade Funeral Home in Carbondale, Pa. 1980 Edward White is director of corporate communications at the National Basketball Association’s Indiana Pacers organization where his job responsibilities include conducting the post-game show. Donald Law and wife Elaine Law ’54 celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on April 11, 2013. They met at Wilkes. Center in the thermal fluid sciences department. She, her husband, Bruce, and children Nathan, 21, and Abigail, 19, live in West Hartford, Conn. 1985 Naomi Cohen has joined United Technologies Research 1995 William F. Noone was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. At Wilkes, Noone was a member of a Mid-American Conference championship baseball team and was named All-MAC Freedom League first team. He was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. He works for Prudential Financial. WILKES | Fall 2013 Undergraduate Degrees 23 �class notes of integrated communications at Elizabethtown College. She joined the university in August 2010, previously serving as integrated marketing manager. In her new role, she serves as editor of Elizabethtown, the official college magazine, and managing editor of E-town Now, the college’s online news publication. 2009 Kathy Dalton married Matt Wagner on Oct. 27, 2012. Kathy works as a residence area coordinator for York College of Pennsylvania. Matt is a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Army at the Aberdeen Test Center. They reside in York, Pa. Pictured at their wedding, from left, are Amanda Heyl, Christine Heyl. Lindsay Behrenshausen ‘11, Trudy Dalton, Debbie Welch, Kathy (Wagner) Dalton ‘09, Matt Wagner ‘09, Josh Potts, Joe Wagner, Chris Wagner, Jamie Montville ‘09, Eric Skoglund ‘09 and Pete Wassel ‘09. 1997 Margaret Manley was appointed director of performance measurement and reporting at TMG Health. She also was elected president of the Northeastern Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants for the 2013-2014 year. WILKES | Fall 2013 Heather (Howell) Johnson and her husband, John, announce the birth of their son Koda Anthony Krys Johnson. He joins John Nelson-Ray, Karl Aidan and Justus Xavier to complete the Johnson clan. 24 1998 Aldith Campbell received her MBA and pursued a doctor of education degree in counseling psychology. She works in the mental health field and serves as an adjunct instructor. 1999 Corinna Sowers-Adler has been asked to sing at Lincoln Center as part of the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s New York City Cabaret Convention on Oct. 10, 2013. James Warner MFA ’09 is managing editor of Quiddity International Literary Journal and Public Radio program in Springfield, Ill. 2000 Donna Talarico-Beerman MFA ’10 was named director 2006 Jeffrey Bartman was appointed assistant principal at Springhouse Middle School in Allentown, Pa. 2008 Janelle Weiand Caruano Pharm. D. see Graduate Students 2008. 2009 Farrah Munir graduated from the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg,Va. Her father, Dr. Muhammad Munir, presented her diploma. Jamie Gywnn graduated with a master’s degree in public administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. He is assistant to the manager of Northampton Township in Richboro, Pa. 2011 Anthony Dorunda is the producer for the 10 p.m. weekday and 11 p.m. weekend newscasts at WKRC, the CBS-affiliate station in Cincinnati, Ohio. He previously served as a news producer at WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre. 2012 Sara Cosgrove is assistant director in the annual giving office at Princeton University. She manages Princeton’s student-organized phonathon and the alumni phonathon. Liza Prokop was hired as Wilkes-Barre City’s community relations coordinator. 2013 Kirstin Cook is a producer at WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre. She received the Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 Mark of Excellence secondplace award in general news reporting for a small college newspaper for her story “Gilmour’s paid sabbatical amid proposal of cuts disturbs faculty” at the society’s Region 1 Spring Conference at Rutgers University.The article appeared while Cook was editor of The Beacon at Wilkes. William Thomas received the Society of Professional Journalists Region 1 Mark of Excellence third-place award in feature writing for a small college newspaper for his Beacon story about Professor Bradford Kinney’s retirement. It was presented at the society’s Region 1 Spring Conference at Rutgers University. �class notes Annual Baseball Trip a Home Run for Grissom Hall Alumni For some members of the classes of 1970 and 1971, baseball has become more than America’s pastime. It’s a way to maintain their Wilkes friendships. Bart Hauser ’70, John Squeri ’70, Jack Mulligan ’70, Ken Ganser ’70, Len Surdi ’70, Jim Darlington ’70, Bob Tarone ’71 and David Silberman ’70, residents of the Grissom Hall section of Pickering Hall, get together once a year to see a major league baseball game. The group has visited 13 cities with hopes of visiting all 30 major league baseball teams during their lifetimes. Graduate Degrees 2007 Jennifer Freed MFA recently published her young adult historical fiction novel The Last Encampment with Northampton Press. The idea surfaced in the mid-90s when a few of them decided to go to Chicago and catch a Cubs game. A trip to see the Baltimore Orioles followed the next year. The group came back to Wilkes for their 30th class reunion in 2000. That same year, after a trip to a Boston Red Sox game, they decided to make it a yearly tradition to visit a major league baseball stadium together. The group has visited St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston and a minor league game in Memphis. This year, the men went to Toronto to see the Toronto Blue Jays, and next year they plan to visit New York to see the new Yankees Stadium. “It’s just a group decision that we sit around and talk and usually one guy says, ‘Well, let’s go to this place,’ and we basically all agree to it,” Silberman says, adding that the desire to get together is as important as the location. Planning the trip also involves working around each 2008 Erin Delaney MA was featured at Misericordia University’s Speaker Series “From Mouth to Mic: Waxing Poetic II.” She teaches literature at Misericordia and also teaches the sophomore seminar at Southern New Hampshire University. person’s schedule and travel; some years one or two members can’t make the trip. Because most of them live in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, they usually travel together, with Silberman flying in from Memphis, Tenn., and Surdi coming from Bellingham, Wash. In addition to visiting baseball stadiums, the group has also visited Mount Rushmore; the Field 2009 Chad Mullen MFA’s book The Mirror of Aberrantine is scheduled to be published by Northampton House Press. of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, Iowa; Graceland and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis; and the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Squeri and Silberman agree that these trips are something each of them look forward to and a chance Lori Myers MA had her short story “Dante’s Window” published in the inaugural issue of Rock Bottom Journal. She also recently interviewed singer Helen Reddy for an article in B Magazine. for them to get together. meet and just become Wilkes College kids every year,” Silberman says. – By Christine Lee Top photo: Grissom Hall alumni traveled to Toronto this year on their annual baseball park pilgrimage to see the Blue Jays play at the Rogers Centre. Pictured from left are David Silberman ’70, John Squeri ’70, Bart Hauser ’70, Bob Tarone ’71, Ken Ganser ’70 and Jack Mulligan ’70. Bottom photo: In 2012, the self-described “Wilkes College kids” traveled to Washington, D.C., to see the Washington Nationals play. Pictured from left to right are Mulligan, Ganser, Silberman. Hauser, Jim Darlington ’70 and Squeri – and a very whimsical “Teddy Roosevelt.” PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID SILBERMAN ’70. Kevin Voglino MA’s second book, Tea Time Boys, is now available from Rogue Phoenix Press. James Warner MFA – see Undergraduate Students 1999. 2010 Donna Talarico-Beerman MFA – see Undergraduate Students 2000. WILKES | Fall 2013 “The baseball theme is what has gotten us to stay together and to 25 �class notes Martin Strayer ’93: Hounds and Chicks Play Well Together company Clair Brothers, where he provided audio and sound Martin Strayer ’93 has found his true love in music. In 2006, “I was brought in to help with their sound engineering,” he after he joined the road crew of the popular country music recalls. “They were in rehearsals when I flew to Austin to meet band the Dixie Chicks, he began collaborating with two of its the crew.” three members, producing new material and forming a spin-off mixes for large concert venues around the world. But he missed playing with a band on stage. His biggest musical influences have been Mozart, The Beatles, Eddie Van Halen, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam, but it was meeting the Dixie Chicks that got him back on stage. The rest, he says, is history. “I started writing songs under the radar. The idea to start a new band came to mind. My time at group, The Court Yard Hounds. He remembers quite well his first-day orientation at Wilkes in fall 1988, especially the encouraging remarks made by Dean Wilkes helped me become a smart business man, right down to finding a band name.” Jane Lampe-Groh, which promised new students that the The name Court Yard Hounds evolved from a novel mentioned friends they made during their time at Wilkes would become in David Benioff’s book City of Thieves. “We brainstormed their best friends throughout life. “What Dean Lampe-Groh about stuff we had read,” Strayer says. “It came down to a said is true,” he says. “My book within a book about a character who never gives up on Wilkes experience helped form his dreams.” life-long friends, including the The group released its self-titled debut album in 2010, guys that became part of the securing a spot in Billboard’s Top 10. Strayer continued to write band.” songs, along with Martie Maguire, who, along with her sister, After graduating, he segued into sound engineering, Emily Robison, also are two thirds of the group known as the Dixie Chicks. Lead vocalist Natalie Maines went on to record a working for the concert audio solo album, which was released earlier this year. Martin Strayer ’93, center, flanked by Court Yard Hounds—and former Dixie Chicks, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison—have released a second album, featuring tunes written by Strayer. on Columbia Records. “Amelita” is the title track, about a young On July 16, Court Yard Hounds released their second album girl from Mexico who needs direction in her life. The album features a dozen tracks, 10 of which Strayer co-wrote. PHOTO COURTESY MARTIN STRAYER WILKES | Fall 2013 – By Bill Schneider MA ’13 26 Sarah Pugh MFA’s original series Killjoy made the Top 25 Semi-Final round of the Austin Television Festival’s Pitch Competition. William Lowenburg MFA’s monograph “Crash Burn Love” was featured with a 14-picture spread on Slate.com’s photo blog “Behold.” Gale Martin MA was featured at the annual book and author luncheon of the Willingboro, Pa., chapter of the American Association of University Women on April 26, 2013, where she gave an author talk followed by a book signing. She appeared at the fourth annual BookFest PA, part of the 2013 Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, on July 13, 2013. Tara Caimi MFA’s memoir excerpt “Without Words” was published in Outside In Literary & Travel Magazine. 2011 Carol MacAllister MFA was accepted into the Horror Writers Association. Patricia Florio MFA’s short story “Golden Boy” was published in the summer issue of Newtown Literary. 2009 Jennifer Cerra, Pharm.D. and James Sharp were married June 22, 2013, at the Nassau Valley Vineyards in Lewes, Del. Pictured in the back row, from left, standing are: Amy Lynn Antos Pharm. D. ’08, Tony Scerbo ’08, Neil Bavitz Pharm. D. ’07, Andrew Eckert ’07, Sarina Kapoor ’07, Tina Guraya-Davies Pharm. D. ’09, Stephen Davies Pharm. D. ’11, Lindsay Klish Pharm. D. ’09, Bill Barbester Pharm. D. ’06 and Jonathan McClave ’07. Pictured in the front row from left are: Brenton Shaffer Pharm. D. ’15, Paola Pardo-Bavitz ’06, Jenna Strzelecki ’09, Cerra, Joellen Cerra-Morgan ’08, Alysha Nicholls ’08 and Kate McClave ’08. �class notes Janelle Weiand Caruano Pharm. D. was named Pharmacist of the Year by the Delaware Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists. She works as a clinical pharmacist at Bayhealth Kent General Hospital in Dover, Del. She is pictured with pharmacy technician Dottie Collison at the awards ceremony. Brian Fanelli MFA began a full-time position teaching English at Lackawanna College in August 2013. His poem “Writing the Last Word” appeared in the June 2013 issue of Spillway and his poem “Temp Worker” was accepted by The Oklahoma Review. A third poem, “Goodbyes in a Blackout,” was accepted by North Chicago Review. Fanelli is studying for his doctorate in English at SUNY Binghamton. In Memoriam 1938 Marion Dunstan Karsten, Kingston, Pa., died April 25. She was a teacher at Wyoming Seminary, Crestwood High School, Wyoming Area Senior High School, and also taught in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. 1941 Kenneth Kressler, Manchester Township, N.J., died Jan. 12. 1945 Dr. Robert E. Karns, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, died Dec. 27, 2011. 1947 James Patrick Flynn, Midland, Mich., died April 14. Flynn Christopher Bullard MFA had his chapbook Dear Leatherface accepted for publication by Kattywompus Press. His full-length collection Back is also scheduled for publication this year with WordTech Communications. 2012 Ginger Marcinkowski MFA is now a regular column contributor to Book Fun Magazine. worked for 33 years for Dow Chemical as a research scientist and project leader. 1949 Arthur D. Dalessandro, Yatesville, Pa., died May 22. Dalessandro served in the U.S. Air Force and was a World War II veteran. He was a trial lawyer for 17 years and served for two decades as state trial judge. James Morrash, Media, Pa., died May 26. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. Morrash worked for Westinghouse Corp. 1950 Mary Porter Evans, Lexington, Ky., died March 3. She was a charter member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bluegrass. Sandee Gertz Umbach MFA’s book of poetry, The Pattern Maker’s Daughter, received 2nd place in the national Tillie Olsen Award competition for creative writing given by the Working Class Studies Association. Amye Archer MFA became writing center coordinator at the University of Scranton in fall 2013. Kevin McCormick MBA was promoted to assistant vice president at Fidelity Bank. He lives in Dunmore, Pa. Edward V. Gill, WilkesBarre, Pa., died May 17. He served in the U.S. Navy and was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He retired from the Tobyhanna Army Depot in 1989. Edward A. Godek, Tappan, N.Y., died March 13, 2012. Godek was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II. Before retiring in 1992, he was a teacher at Tappan Grammar School. Walter F. Haczewski, Plains Township, Pa., died April 8. He served in the U.S. Navy and was a veteran of World War II. Haczewski worked at Roth Novelty Co. of Wilkes-Barre. 2013 Todd McClimans MFA’s alternate-history middle grade manuscript Time Traitor was one of five finalists in the 2013 National Association of Elementary School Principals Children’s Book Award competition. Lori A. May MA was featured in an interview at r.kv.ry Quarterly Literary Journal, where her poetry also was featured. She also had an essay published in Northern Cardinal Review. Jason Carney MFA has signed a contract to have his memoir Starve the Vulture published by Kaylie Jones Books, an imprint of Akashic Books. Storefront Pictures has optioned the book for film rights. Paul E. Huff, Vienna, Va., died Oct. 11, 2012. He worked for the CIA for 47 years and, after his retirement, recruited for the agency at colleges and universities. He was a member of the Wilkes board of trustees under former President Christopher Breiseth and received the Wilkes Excellence Award for Public Service in 2000. Editor’s Note: Incorrect information about Mr. Huff was printed in the spring/summer issue of Wilkes. We apologize for the error. Richard “Dick” E. Martin, Cherry Hill, N.J., died March 23. Martin was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. For 36 years, Martin worked for GMAC. WILKES | Fall 2013 2008 Rachel Strayer MFA’s play, Drowning Ophelia, will be produced by Repurposed Theatre in San Francisco, Calif. Performances are scheduled for fall 2013. 27 �class notes Robert Lee Williams, Jr., Gillette, N.J., died April 5. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. 1951 Donald E. Blankenbush, Pennington, N.J., died May 16. He served in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Korean War. For 37 years, Blankenbush taught at the Princeton Regional Schools. Henry F. Heineman, Corning, N.Y., died Sept. 14, 2012. Heineman was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He owned and operated Credit Adjustment Bureau of Corning. Richard J. Rappaport, Columbia, Md., died Nov. 23, 2010. He served in the U. S. Army. 1953 Theodore “Ted” Lazarus Krohn, Myrtle Beach, S.C., died March 25. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. Krohn was a professor of accounting at Wilkes and for many years worked as an attorney and solicitor, serving the Municipality of Kingston, Borough of Dallas, and Back Mountain Police Association. WILKES | Fall 2013 1954 William J. Lendener, Lacey Township, N.J., died Jan. 11. Lendener served in the U.S. Navy. He worked as a chemist with Citgo Petroleum. 28 1955 William “Bill” W. Walp, Lancaster, Pa., died May 7, 2013. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II.Walp retired from the banking industry, where he worked for National Bank and Fulton Bank. 1957 Frank Lutinski, Hampton, Pa., died June 1, 2012. He was a senior research chemist at Gulf Oil. 1958 William “Bill” A. Littleton, Sr., Devon, Pa., died April 6. Littleton was employed at General Electric Aerospace Division in Philadelphia until opening his own construction business. 1959 Ernest “Ernie” Ashbridge, Jr., Shaverton, Pa., died April 9. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. For 41 years, Ashbridge worked at Hanover Bank of Pennsylvania. 1960 William J. Woll, Harrisburg, Pa., died March 22. Woll served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association. 1965 Keith P. Ackerman, Noank, Conn., died Nov. 18, 2012. He taught art at Fitch Junior High School and Fitch Middle School. 1966 Carol Cowell, Apache Junction, Ariz., died Feb. 21. 1967 Jan Thomas Kubicki, Philadelphia, Pa., died March 6. He worked at Marple Newtown High School, where he won state championships for directing drama club productions. He was self-employed at Truefire, a photography business. 1968 Wayne Bloomberg, Northampton, Pa., died Jan. 8. He served in the U.S. Air Force and was a Vietnam War veteran. Until his retirement in 2003, Bloomberg worked at AT&T. Barbara Mary Salus, Freedom, Pa., died May 2. Salus was a social worker at the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Western Center. 1969 Dayle Hemingway Swisher, Clarks Summit, Pa., died April 27. She was a nurse at the Georgetown University Hospital and Arlington Hospital in Virginia as well as in her husband’s private practice. 1972 Dr. D. Keith Ferrell, WilkesBarre, Pa., died May 1, 2013. Ferrell was the founder and director of the Forensic Assessment and Counseling Unit at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility. He also served as the program director for Pennsylvania Institute for Rational Emotive Therapy and associate professor at the Albert Ellis Institute in New York. 1973 Anthony “Tony” Karuzie, Avoca, Pa., died March 23. Karuzie served in the U.S. Army Special Forces and was part of the 82nd Airborne Division. He worked as an operations manager at Ingersoll Rand Company. David G. Lieb, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died May 7. 1975 Donald Smith,White Haven, Pa., died April 6. Smith served in the U.S. Air Force and was a veteran of the Korean War and chairman of the NATO working party in Brussels, Belgium. For 36 years, he worked at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. 1982 Dr. Beverly A. Rothery, Kingston, Pa., died Feb. 23. Rothery practiced medicine at Marietta Medical Care in Marietta, Ohio, and also worked at the Stepby-Step Program in Wilkes-Barre. 1985 Jacqueline A. Vandeberg, Fairview Township, Pa., died May 22. She was employed by Nabisco Inc. 1986 Jane D. Lashock, Hazleton, Pa., died Oct. 13, 2012. She worked in nursing at Geisinger Medical Center, Pocono Medical Center, Palmerton Hospital, St. Joseph’s Medical Center and Hazleton General Hospital. 1987 Evan M. Chumard, Scranton, Pa., died July 24, 2011. Chumard worked as a veterinary technician. 2005 Beth Ann Wenner, Freeland, Pa., died Nov. 21, 2011. She was employed by the Keystone Job Corps Center in Drums, Pa., and was studying for her doctorate at Marywood University. Friends of Wilkes Dr. David Walter Kistler, WilkesBarre, Pa., died March 24, 2013. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Kistler dedicated his life to service in his community where he had a medical practice for 52 years. �Thank You to Our Donors Thank you to the 2,691 alumni who gave a gift to Wilkes in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. Your gift enables Wilkes to provide current and future students with excellent academic programs, cutting-edge research opportunities, life-changing cocurricular experiences and scholarship aid. Without your generosity, these programs would not be possible. We’re pleased to announce that, for the first time,Wilkes University’s annual report of gifts will be published online. You will receive a postcard in the mail directing you to the new report when it is available. There you will be able to view the following: • John Wilkes Society members—annual donors who contribute at least $1,000 each year • Marts Society members—contributors participating in gift-planning programs • Giving by class year • Giving by constituency Much progress was made across campus in the 2012-2013 fiscal year because of the generosity of our donors, University family, business partners and friends. Highlights include: • more than $5,000 raised by the class of 2013, which furnished a student lounge in the Cohen Science Center; • three new annual endowed and five new endowed scholarships established to benefit students from a variety of disciplines; • the renovation and expansion of the Munson Field House at Ralston Athletic Complex; • and the completion of the $35 million state-of-the-art Cohen Science Center. �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events October November 1-20 Sordoni Art Gallery exhibit, The Art of Balliet 3 Allen P. Kirby Center Lecture featuring political columnist Jonah Goldberg, Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. 4-6 Homecoming Weekend 4 Dedication, Cohen Science Center, 4 p.m. 17 Wilkes University & King’s College Alumni Networking Night, 6 p.m., Rodano’s 19 Passport to Science, community open house, Cohen Science Center 29-Dec. 15 Sordoni Art Gallery exhibit, nine-O-one: Jim Lennox, Sculpture and Paintings 29-Dec. 15 Sordoni Art Gallery exhibit, Visual Literacy: Paintings by Chad W. Stanley 5 J. Michael Lennon, reading and book signing, 7 p.m., Henry Student Center 6 Connecting the Dots, alumni networking event with current Wilkes students, Henry Student Center, 6 p.m. 8, 9, 15, 16 Theater Performance, Seussical, The Musical, Darte Center, 8 p.m. 9 Admissions Open House 10, 17 Theater Performance, Seussical, The Musical, Darte Center, 2 p.m. 17 Empty Bowls, benefiting local food banks, Henry Student Center,11:30 a.m. 22 Choral Ensembles Concert, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Wilkes-Barre, 7:30 p.m. 24 Civic Band Concert, guest narrator Patrick Leahy, President of Wilkes University, Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. December 2 Graduate Studies Information Session, Henry Student Center Ballroom, 6-8 p.m. 5 Jazz Orchestra Concert, Darte Center, 8 p.m. 7 Flute Ensemble Concert, Darte Center, 7 p.m. 8 Chamber Orchestra Concert, Darte Center, 3 p.m. January 25 Athletic Hall of Fame Celebration, Marts Center For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2013 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2013 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Type The nature or genre of the resource Magazine magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/8a799b6269538798e98b85f19c040719.pdf b81305ec6fd126b7e28d1a1a838dc0a6 PDF Text Text winter 20 13 the heart of the matter | Kinney’s Kids | Dental distinction | making history �president’s letter volume 7 | issue 1 Recruiting the Next Generation of Colonels S ince becoming Wilkes’ new president, I’m frequently asked to outline my priorities in leading the University. In this issue of Wilkes magazine, you’ll have a chance to read about my work in a feature story. But I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about one of my goals—and how our Wilkes alumni can help to achieve it. Growing enrollment is a win-win for everyone. For a tuition-driven institution like Wilkes, healthy enrollment supports financial stability, allowing us to provide the great education that all Wilkes graduates prize. Resources for recruiting and retaining talented faculty, providing new facilities and the latest technology, and keeping college affordable are all tied, directly or indirectly, to meeting our goals for enrolling good students. Many factors are involved in recruiting students, from marketing to developing unique academic offerings and innovative programs. One that is too seldom addressed is the role that alumni can play in attracting students to Wilkes. As Wilkes president, I’ve talked about the extraordinary loyalty of our alumni. I’m blessed that so many graduates remember their time here with pride. The strong tradition of legacy families at Wilkes— families with more than one generation President Patrick Leahy stops to chat attending the University—confirms this with students in the Henry Student commitment. Alumni, by the nature of Center, his favorite spot on campus. Photo by Lisa Reynolds their accomplishments and career success, are a testimony to the value of the education they received here. We encourage our alumni to volunteer on behalf of the University, serving on boards and committees and mentoring current Wilkes students. Now it’s time to think about tapping our alumni to help raise Wilkes’ profile among prospective students. If you have a friend or neighbor with a college-age child, urge them to consider Wilkes if the opportunity arises. If you’re interviewed in the media about a career achievement, consider mentioning Wilkes and how a professor here mentored you. If you participate in a job-shadowing program or career day for high school students in your community, don’t hesitate to tell them that Wilkes is a great place to get an education. Our alumni can talk about their own experiences and influence prospective students to take a look at Wilkes. When it comes to recruiting our next generation of Colonels, no one can do it with more passion and enthusiasm than our alumni. Thank you for your continued support. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Wilkes University President winter 2013 Wilkes magazine University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Thomas Markley ’11 Intern Bill Thomas Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor Inc. Editorial Advisory Group Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 M.S.’76 Donna Sedor ’85 Alumni RELATIONS STAFF Director Mirko Widenhorn Associate Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Association Officers President Tom Ralston ’80 First Vice President Rosemary LaFratte ’93 MBA’97 Second Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published quarterly by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �contents 6 Features 6 The Heart of the Matter Wilkes’ new president, Patrick Leahy, puts students first in decision making 12 Kinney’s Kids Alumni remember communication studies professor Bradford Kinney’s influence during 40 years on campus 14 Dental Distinction 12 Alumnus Larry Cohen ’57 made his family business a leader in selling dental supplies in the United States 18 Making History Bill Lewis ’80, MBA ’86 has a passion for the history of Pennsylvania departments 14 2 On Campus 4 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Patrick Leahy has emphasized a collaborative leadership style since becoming Wilkes’ sixth president. Photo by Earl and Sedor Photographic Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes. edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. /;;s FPO FSC Wilkes | Winter 2013 18 1 �on campus Student Documentary Details Plight of AIDS Orphans Communication studies senior Kirstin Cook brought back more than memories from her study abroad trip this summer to Tanzania. The aspiring broadcast journalist from Windham, Maine, gathered video footage and interviews that she shaped into a 33-minute documentary about children orphaned in the AIDS epidemic, “It Takes A Village.” Cook gathered material when she and political science major Christine Shaneberger of Bath, Pa., accompanied Linda Winkler, dean of Wilkes’ College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Evene Estwick, associate professor of communication studies, on a month long study trip to Karagwe, Tanzania. Winkler has worked for more than a decade in cooperation with the AIDS Control Project there, which provides social programs that concentrate on disease prevention and treatment, community service, and enabling the education of gifted and motivated orphans left in the wake of the disease. Cook estimates that she spent 200 hours editing the video, which does not include the time she spent transcribing the hours of interviews that she filmed. “Doing the interviews, it was really rewarding to talk to Wilkes | Winter 2013 Family Business Forum Affiliates With Sidhu School of Business and Leadership 2 The Family Business Forum has joined with the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership. The forum is a resource for northeast Pennsylvania’s familyowned businesses. The new affiliation was launched at a meeting of the forum held on Dec. 12 in the Henry Student Center at the University. According to Jeffrey Alves, dean of the Sidhu School, synergy between the business school and the forum will benefit both organizations. “The members of the forum will be able to leverage the expertise and resources provided by the students and faculty in the Sidhu School,” Alves says. “At the same time, our students will benefit from interaction with the family business owners and the speakers sponsored by the forum.” The forum previously was housed at King’s College and its William G. McGowan School of Business. Above: Communication studies senior Kirstin Cook meets with AIDS orphans. Photo courtesy Kirstin Cook Left: Kirstin Cook films her documentary on a study abroad trip to Tanzania. photo by linda winkler people who are really passionate about what they do there,” Cook says. Among the people interviewed were the AIDS orphans—Kihinga, Ananais and Benitha—sponsored by Zebra Communications, Wilkes’ student-run public relations agency. Zebra created the “Embrace A Child in Tanzania” campaign to raise money to “adopt” the trio, helping them with educational expenses via the group’s contributions. To date more than $3,000 has been raised by students for the cause. Cook’s documentary premiered at a November fundraiser in the Henry Student Center, which also included music, food and a silent auction. Empty Bowls Event Raises Money for Hunger Relief A simple meal of soup in a beautiful handcrafted bowl became a way to help feed the hungry through the Wyoming Valley’s first annual Empty Bowls event held in October 2012. Organized by Wilkes pottery instructor Jean (Reiter) Adams ’78, the event brought together four colleges and universities—King’s College, Luzerne County Community College, Misericordia University and Wilkes—to raise money for hunger relief. For a donation of $15, attendees received soup, homemade bread and a pottery bowl. The event raised $11,000 for four Wyoming Valley food banks. photo by Knot just any day photography 0 �on campus Adam Welch is Pennsylvania’s 2012 Pharmacist of the Year Adam Welch, associate professor of pharmacy practice at Wilkes, was named the 2012 Pharmacist of the Year by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA). Welch was honored with the award during the PPA’s 2012 Annual Conference in Scranton, Pa. The Pharmacist of the Year award is presented to the pharmacist who has demonstrated dedication to the profession, contributed time and effort to the various professional organizations, furthered the profession of pharmacy through community service, and embodied those qualities, which exemplify the profession. In presenting Welch with the award, the association noted his passion for his profession and the state of pharmacy practice within Pennsylvania. “His desire for the betterment of Pennsylvania pharmacists above his own personal goals and ambitions are an inspiration to his colleagues and his students,” the association stated. Kenneth M. Klemow Named Fellow of Ecological Society of America Kenneth M. Klemow, professor of biology and director of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research for Northeast Pennsylvania, was named a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America. Klemow is among the first group of scientists to be awarded the prestigious designation, which is granted to members who have made outstanding contributions to a wide range of fields served by the society. It recognizes Klemow’s many contributions to the field of ecology and as an ecology educator. In being named a fellow, Klemow is among a group of distinguished scientists and environmental researchers. They include such environmental luminaries as Stanford University professor Paul Ehrlich, author of “Population Bomb” and president of Stanford’s Center for Conservation Biology, and E.O. Wilson of Harvard University, world-class researcher on biodiversity and global environmental change. Biology Professor Ken Klemow’s work as an educator earned recognition from the Ecological Society of America. photo by bruce weller Students Line Up To “Pie Your Professor” Wilkes | Winter 2013 The old saying that revenge is sweet took on new meaning at the second annual “Pie Your Professor” event sponsored by Wilkes’ Chemistry Club. Students had the chance to toss pies made of sweet whipped topping in the faces of Chemistry Department faculty—for $2 per shot. The event was a fundraiser, with proceeds split between Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and the club’s trip to the American Chemical Society’s annual meeting. From left, Wilkes junior Rachel Gill pushes a pie in the face of chemistry professor Don Mencer. Center, chemistry chair Amy Bradley wipes her goggles. Right, assistant professor Adriana Dinescu prepares to be pied. photos by Joshua Bonner 3 �athletics Good Sports Wilkes Honors Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees Six alumni athletes were honored with induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame. A ceremony was held on Jan. 26, 2013 following a Freedom Conference basketball doubleheader at the Marts Center. This year’s inductees, representing five different men’s and women’s sports, are among the best players to ever suit up for the Colonels. Player biographies by Vince Scalzo Chad Fabian ’00 Chad Fabian ’00 Men’s Basketball Chad Fabian is one of the most decorated shooters in Wilkes men’s basketball history. His 10 three-point shots against FDU-Madison in 1999 gave Fabian the school record for made threes in a game and he was named Second Team All-Freedom Conference as a junior. With 232 career three-pointers, he ranks second all-time in school history. His 632 attempted three-pointers also rank second all-time at Wilkes. As a senior, Fabian earned First Team All-Freedom honors averaging 20.7 points per game, the eighth all-time scoring average in a single season. He finished his career with 1,295 points, ranking 14th on the school’s all-time scoring list. Fabian is now a resident of Linden, Pa. Wilkes | Winter 2013 Robyn Mendygral Hoban ’01 Softball 4 A four-time All-Freedom Conference performer, Robyn Mendygral Hoban stands as one of the most decorated softball players in Wilkes history. Hoban holds five career records and five single-season records. A four-year shortstop in the Blue and Gold, Mendygral stands first in career records of batting average (.435), runs (141), Robyn Mendygral Hoban ’01 triples (18), sacrifice hits (17), and stolen bases (62), while setting singleseason marks in runs (41), slugging percentage (.836), stolen bases (25), and on-base percentage (.540). She is second all-time in total games played (148), hits (191), runs batted in (110), and slugging percentage (.677) while ranking third all-time in doubles (31), fourth in home runs (13), and fifth in walks (35). In 1999, she was named the Freedom Conference and ECAC South Player of the Year while earning a spot on the All-ECAC squad, NFCA All-East Regional First Team, and NFCA Second Team All-American. While being named to the Freedom Conference First Team in her final three years, Hoban was also selected to the NFCA All-East Regional Third Team twice. Hoban also was a member of the women’s basketball team for three years. She is a resident of Mountain Top, Pa. Tony Couto ’78 Football A four-year varsity letter winner playing under legendary coach Rollie Schmidt, Tony Couto was a three-time All-MAC middle linebacker for the Blue and Gold. A tri-captain, Couto recorded more than 500 tackles, 12 forced fumbles, and eight interceptions in his career while being named the Middle Atlantic Conference Most Valuable Player in 1977. Couto was the first Wilkes linebacker and defensive player in school history to win the award. Couto was also named the overall Player of the Year by Wilkes and was slated to be the “Best of the Best” at his position �Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. Cathy Dudick Gagliardi ’82 Amy Rosengrant RAU ’99 by his coaches following the 1977 season. During his playing career, he was voted game MVP by WBRE radio eight times, while leading Wilkes to the 1974 Middle Atlantic Conference Championship. Couto lives in Sarasota, Fla. Cathy Dudick Gagliardi ’82 Volleyball A three-year captain and letterwoman for the Wilkes volleyball team, Cathy Dudick Gagliardi was an anchor during her four-year career. She held several Wilkes records upon graduation, two of which still stand today. She recorded a school record 318 service aces while breaking the single-match aces record when she posted 17 service aces in a 1982 match against The University of Scranton. A First Team All-MAC selection in 1981, Gagliardi was also named the Times Leader “Athlete of the Week” and Wilkes volleyball most valuable player as a senior. Gagliardi is a Wilkes-Barre resident. Amy Rosengrant RAU ’99 Softball A four-year starting pitcher for the Lady Colonel softball team, Amy Rosengrant Rau was more than just a consistent performer at Wilkes. A two-time First Team All-Freedom selection, she recorded a 1.74 career earned run average during her stellar time in the circle. She dominated opposing hitters, recording a 31-16 career record with four saves and Cesar Vinces ’98 seven shutouts throughout her career. She also finished with 169 strikeouts while allowing only 49 free passes. Rau also had some skill swinging the bat, as she batted .316 during her career with six doubles. Rau lives in Wilkes-Barre. Cesar Vinces ’98 Men’s Soccer A three-time All-Freedom selection, Cesar Vinces proved to be an integral part of the Colonels men’s soccer lineup during his career. As a senior, he was named an NSCAA Regional All-American Honorable Mention after recording five goals and six assists in 20 games. He was also named First Team All-Freedom and All-Mid Atlantic Third Team. As a freshman, Vinces scored five goals and assisted on three others in 19 games, earning First Team All-Freedom honors. During his sophomore season, he scored three goals and two assists on his way to his second First Team All-Freedom selection. Vinces is a resident of Piscataway, N.J. Wilkes | Winter 2013 Tony Couto ’78 5 �THE OF THE Students drive Wilkes President Patrick Leahy’s passion for higher education Wilkes | Winter 2013 By Vicki Mayk 6 �Wilkes’ new president, Patrick Leahy, would be the perfect subject for her First Year Foundations class paper about leadership. What she didn’t expect was that her interview with him would become a two-way conversation about student life at Wilkes. “He was very genuine,” recalls Absalom, a resident of Bangor, Pa., majoring in political science and psychology. “I noticed how many times he used my name in our conversation and how often he laughed. It’s very indicative of his personality. He really relates to people. At the end of the interview, he asked me how I felt at Wilkes, how the semester was going for me. I said Wilkes has a very homey feel and it’s a tight-knit community. He was very pleased about that.” Such conversations are a priority for Leahy since becoming Wilkes’ sixth president in July 2012. Noting that the Henry Student Center, where students congregate, is his favorite place on campus—“I love the energy there”—Leahy calls students his number-one constituency. “Presidents work with so many constituencies: faculty, staff, alumni, donors, government officials. But in the end, all of those constituencies exist because we’re in the business of educating students,” Leahy says. “The heart of the matter is what happens in the classroom, in labs and on the playing fields.” He stops students on the greenway to solicit feedback, attends student government meetings (“I can’t think of a more important meeting.”) and eagerly accepted an invitation in the fall semester to speak with Associate Professor Marcia Farrell’s Introduction to Literature class about his lifelong love of literature. That love affair began as an English major at Georgetown University. “He seems at home in the classroom with our kids,” Farrell says. Hillary Harris, a sophomore pharmacy student from Wilkes-Barre who was in Farrell’s class, concurs. “He interacted with us like he was on the same level,” Harris recalls. “I liked hearing the story about how he went to school majoring in business and switched to English literature. I really liked the experience of getting to know and meet him.” Many of his student interactions have a purpose, says Student Government President Kris Rivers, a pharmacy major from Emmaus, Pa. “He knows what to ask to benefit the University,” Rivers says. “For example, he came to student government right after the Hurricane Sandy storms. He asked about the emergency notification process. He wanted to know how we felt it was working, if it’s doing the job.” Opposite page top, clockwise, Mimi Koch and her husband, John Koch, professor, math and computer science, celebrate with Pat Leahy at his installation party. Wilkes students dance at the installation party. The Leahy children, whose birthdays fell close to their father’s installation, received a cake at the party. Molly, left, blows out the candles, while Grace, Brian and Jack enjoy the surprise. Leahy delivers his installation address in the F.M. Kirby Center. First three photos, Dan Z. Johnson. Fourth photo, Earl and Sedor Photographic Opposite page, bottom: A community service project cleaning up Wilkes-Barre streets and the River Common was part of installation week festivities in September 2012. President Leahy is pictured with his student team, from left, Catherine Knapp, Rachel Lacek, Shawn Carey, Justin Davis, Kyle Henry, Brittany Budman, Kris Rivers, Pat Leahy, Molly Leahy, Grace Leahy and Amanda Bast. Photo by Curtis Salonick This page, right, Patrick Leahy discusses literature with Professor Marcia Farrell’s class. Photo by Vicki Mayk His focus on students drives his decision-making process. Terese Wignot, interim provost and associate professor of chemistry, notes, “Any conversation that we have about strategy, Pat will always bring back to ‘what’s the best decision for our students?’ ” Leahy joins Wilkes at a challenging time for the institution and for higher education. Institutions—especially tuition-driven ones like Wilkes—are under pressure to control costs and keep education affordable. With a greater emphasis on distance learning and new modes of delivering classes, colleges and universities must innovate and create new programs and reach new markets. At Wilkes, add to those challenges campus imperatives to improve communications and shared governance. Leahy, who describes his management style as highly engaged and genuinely collaborative, welcomes his charge to strengthen the Wilkes community. “I just believe you are fundamentally better off with more input around key decisions,” Leahy says. “If you give people a say about – Patrick Leahy the direction we’re going, it’s going to be more meaningful. I hope I’ll always be the kind of person who listens more than I speak. Wilkes | Winter 2013 F reshman Emily Absalom decided that 7 �They’re going to feel more invested if we’re all in this together.” He pauses and adds, “I hope I’ll always be the kind of person who listens more than I speak.” Faculty and other members of the administration are responding favorably to his collaborative leadership style. Interim Provost Wignot says, “We may not always agree, but he certainly listens.” Jack Miller ’68, chair of Wilkes’ board of trustees, also cites the new president’s relationship-building skills among his greatest strengths. “Pat’s a people person. He has a very easy and likable personality that translates into an ability to relate to people.” Justin Matus, associate professor in the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership and chair of the Faculty Advisory Council, also praises Leahy’s emphasis on soliciting opinions and cultivating relationships. “He met with me on his first day on the job, for over an hour, one on one. There’s symbolism in that Amy Leahy Brings Energy As Wilkes’ First Lady Meanwhile, Pat and his roommate University and an undergraduate were knocking on Amy’s door in degree in American Studies from Edinburgh. They both remember the Georgetown University. She interned notes they found from their future and worked at the Smithsonian’s spouse on their return. National Museum of American History. the tunes from Wilkes University Later she worked at Boston’s Paul their senior year. He remembers the Theatre’s production of the Revere House and was researcher for date and place: Feb. 5, 1990, at the musical Godspell. an American architectural historian at Saloon in Georgetown. They wouldn’t Cornell while her husband pursued his marry for another five years after of Godspell on campus a month ago. We took the girls,” she says. “It was master’s degree there. Pat Leahy says he first “took The pair didn’t start dating until graduation. That was 17 years, four children, a few moves and job changes, note” of Amy Morello in a freshman his doctoral degree and a college philosophy class at Georgetown. They presidency ago. Patrick Leahy sums it University functions as the president’s both love telling the story about the all up with a simple sentence: “Thank wife, she’s just as often at campus time they each spent studying abroad God for my wife.” events with her four children, ages in Scotland, Amy at the University of 6 through 14, in tow. Being mom is a Edinburgh, Pat at the University of Westchester County, N.Y., physician, full-time job she relishes. She started St. Andrews. Amy and a Georgetown Amy Leahy says she wasn’t surprised her career as a museum educator friend decided to look up Pat and when her husband followed a career after earning a master’s degree in his Georgetown roommate one day. path in higher education after a start spectacular.“ Although she frequently is hostess at Wilkes | Winter 2013 museum studies at George Washington Amy Leahy says she’s still humming “We went to see the production 8 and symbolism is important,” Matus explains. “It speaks to Pat’s heightened awareness of what’s important.” The new president’s understanding of the value of perceptions led to some good decisions in the first weeks of his presidency, Matus says. One was the appointment of Wignot—a 24-year veteran Wilkes faculty member—as interim provost. Others include a planned move of the president and vice presidents in 2013 to Weckesser Hall, close to the heart of campus, and the addition of the academic deans to his cabinet. Trustee Miller says, “The quality of his decisions—and the decision-making process—have been outstanding.” His actions also make it clear that all members of the campus community are important to him—like joining members of the facilities crew for breakfast at 6:30 a.m., right when the overnight shift came off duty. “He wants to know everyone at the institution,” Wignot says. The oldest of three daughters of a �Opposite page, left: Students join the president for breakfast before the WilkesKing’s football game. Pictured from left are Wilkes students Alison Bitner, Maria Bard and Macey McGuire with President Patrick Leahy. Tom Ralston ’80, president of the alumni association, says that includes alumni. “Wilkes University’s heritage, its Opposite page, right: The president gets into alumni and current students, the Homecoming spirit with students Jessica Short, Lindsay Coval and Ian Foley. were first and foremost on his mind as he planned how to move the University forward. He has shown his dedication to the alumni constituency by traveling the country to meet and visit with us, as well as spending his time with alumni in the greater Wilkes-Barre area whenever asked. Pat has shown great interest in interacting and participating with the alumni association, and the board of directors.” His style also draws praise from outside the University community. State Sen. John Yudichak has known Leahy for several years. “His family, faith and values are the foundation of a man with immense talent,” Yudichak says. “Great leaders have to possess more than talent. They must be driven by something greater than themselves to achieve the greater good. Pat Leahy has that spark of greatness in him.” Opposite page, middle: Legendary Wilkes wrestling coach John Reese, left, chats with Pat Leahy and Jim Ferris ’56, right, at Homecoming 2012. Path to Presidency Leahy honed his collaborative, student-centered approach through work with two early mentors.As an undergraduate at Georgetown, he took a poetry class with the late Rev. Timothy S. Healy, in business. “I could have told you Library Dean John Stachacz has when we were in college that was discussed tapping her museum the thing Pat wanted to do,” Amy experience for some library says. Consistently supportive, she special collections. She works admits, with great candor, about with University event planners being nervous when moving to on occasions like the University’s Scranton, Pa., to begin Pat’s career holiday party and also is interested in university work. “I had two little in supporting charitable events, girls and was pregnant with my third,” like Wilkes’ recent Empty Bowls she explains. Now she loves her fundraiser for community northeast Pennsylvania home and her food banks. “The reality is, with four kids and at Wyoming Seminary. She praises her their commitments, and with Pat husband’s ability to handle both work and all of his commitments, our and family commitments. days—and sometimes nights—are “He’s really good about balancing pretty crazy. I love all of it though, his time and dialing back so we can and plan to continue supporting my have time with him,” she says. family and the Wilkes community in Frequently asked if she plans to every way I can.” have her own projects at Wilkes, Amy says she’s still assessing her role. Amy and Pat Leahy in front of the Farley Library. Wilkes | Winter 2013 children’s education and involvement Pat’s a people-person. He has a very easy and likable personality that translates into an ability to relate to people. the university’s president. “He introduced literature to me; not just its beauty, but its relevance in my life….What he also modeled for me is the importance of a university president getting back in class and interacting with students.” Following that example, Leahy plans to teach a – Jack Miller ’68, class at Wilkes in the future, likely chair of Wilkes in the Sidhu School of Business Board of Trustees and Leadership. At the University of Scranton, Leahy taught in the business honors program. Knowing Healy also sparked Leahy’s interest in a career in higher education. “He told me how meaningful that career could be, that higher education could be a noble calling.” Graduating from Georgetown, Leahy did not immediately follow that career path. The youngest boy among six children—four brothers and one sister—he grew up in Baltimore, Md., in a family whose members favored business careers. Although he broke with family tradition by majoring in English, “there was no question that I would go into a management career,” Leahy says. He spent a year working in fundraising at his alma mater before moving into finance and investments. He earned dual master’s degrees in business administration and labor relations from Cornell University 9 �The Leahy family gets into the Wilkes spirit with The Colonel before the Mayor’s Cup football game with King’s College. Pictured on the River Common, from left, are Amy Leahy, family dog Sasha, The Colonel, Brian, 6, Pat Leahy, Jack, 8, Grace, 14 and Molly, 12. Photo by Bryan Calabro and co-founded The Business Affairs Forum, a 15,000-member distance learning community based in Ithaca, N.Y. Leahy says his experience in business is valuable preparation for a college president. He made the transition to higher education after visiting another early mentor, the Rev. Scott Pilarz, then president of the University of Scranton. He first met Pilarz as a high school student at Loyola Blakefield, a Jesuit high school in the Baltimore area, which Pilarz recalled when he gave the keynote speech at Leahy’s presidential installation. Pilarz recruited him to join the team at Scranton, where Leahy spent eight years, most recently as executive vice president, before coming to Wilkes. Leahy set records in enrollment and fundraising—and received more mentoring from Pilarz in his higher education career. Pilarz set the example of placing students first. “I never met a college president in my life more committed to students than Father Pilarz,” Leahy says. Wilkes | Winter 2013 Presidential Priorities 10 He says he has two jobs as Wilkes president. The first is creating an environment on campus where students, faculty and staff can excel. In order to do that, he has to do well in what he calls job number two: “Promote the place like crazy to potential donors, local officials, Center left, Pat Leahy visits Club Day on the greenway. Bottom left, Rachel (Altavilla) Winebrake ’62, Peter Winebrake ’64, Pat Leahy and Philip Amico ’61 enjoy a moment at Homecoming. �Leahy celebrates his installation as Wilkes sixth president with his most important constituency, his family. Pictured standing rear, are Amy and Patrick Leahy and their children, front from left, Molly, Jack, Brian and Grace. money and I want to position us as one of the highest value options in our competitive market.” He speaks of “burnishing Wilkes’ reputation as one of the best small universities in the country” while renewing its commitment to the liberal arts. Maintaining community involvement and supporting the city of Wilkes-Barre also rank high. When speaking of marketing and competition, Leahy could be any CEO planning for growth, but moments later, he’s also talking about enhancing the culture at the University to promote the family feeling that’s always been a hallmark at Wilkes. “People care deeply about this place,” he says. “For the people who work here, it’s not just a job. It’s a vocation. That’s an enviable position to be in for a president of an institution.” Long-time faculty and staff seem to feel that Leahy is the – Patrick Leahy right one to head the Wilkes family. English faculty member Farrell says, “Having Pat here, I feel more energized as a faculty member to be more creative.” She notes that he’s dropped in at Kirby Hall just to say hello. “He’s a good fit for us. It feels like he’s one of us.” Terese Wignot says, “When I started here 24 years ago, it was an open, supportive, mentoring atmosphere. We’ve lost some of that over the years. He’s demonstrated that’s what he wants for the institution. He was speaking in a faculty meeting, and as he left, I heard someone behind me say, ‘That was a breath of fresh air.’ That’s Pat: He’s that breath of fresh air who’s going to build trust within our community.” I want to be one of the best university presidents in the country and be the best husband and father to my family. Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. Wilkes | Winter 2013 prospective parents and prospective students. Part of creating the right environment means making sure people have the resources for learning and doing their jobs.” Evenings find Leahy traveling the 11 miles home to Bear Creek Village. He and his wife, Amy, (see accompanying story page 8) decided to forego living in the president’s house on South River Street. The house still is used to entertain. At a reception there, Leahy explains their choice to guests: “Can you imagine what my two boys would do here?” He’s referring to the youngest of his four children—Brian, 6, and Jack, 8,—whose vigorous play would clearly threaten the Tiffany lamp that adorns a table in the house. He also has two daughters: Grace, 14, and Molly, 12. Although the family doesn’t live on campus, they are frequently there for plays and sporting events, such as the annual Wilkes-King’s College Mayor’s Cup football game. “I like the idea of integrating work and family life,” Leahy says. “Working at the University allows me to do that.” Outside of his job as president, family is his overriding priority. “A close friend once told me that, generally speaking, you only can do two things really well. So I’ve picked two. I want to be one of the best university presidents in the country and be the best husband and father to my family.” It means spending less time golfing—a favorite hobby—so he can drive his children to school at Wyoming Seminary and attend their soccer games and activities. “Many days, when I leave the office, I know that the toughest two to three hours of the day are ahead. I’ll be getting the boys in their bath and reading to them,” he says, adding ruefully, “When I lie down with them to help them fall asleep, guess who falls asleep first?” There’s no time for rest in Leahy’s busy days. His administrative assistant, Susan DiBonifazio, pulls up his schedule on the computer to make an appointment and scans line after line of commitments, searching for an opening. “He’s double-booked,” she says, shaking her head. Yet Leahy says working side-by-side with the University president at Scranton prepared him for the demands of the job. He’s kept a promise to meet with every department at Wilkes, steadily working his way through both the academic and administrative sides of the house. He’s also been quick to set his first priorities during his initial months in office. “I’ve said very publicly that as university president I’m totally focused on enrollment. Shame on me, as president of a tuition-dependent university like this one, if I am not focused on that in this hyper-competitive market.” He’s working with admissions counselors to identify ways to reach enrollment goals, including expanding marketing, recruiting from a wider geographic area, taking a fresh look at athletics and evaluating the possibility of starting an honors program. Enrollment is not his sole focus, he adds. “I have a continued focus on improving quality,” he states. “Students and parents are demanding a high-quality education for their 11 �Kinney’s Kids I t was a familiar sight for students and faculty driving to Wilkes University. Crossing the Market Street Bridge, they’d pass Bradford Kinney walking along, a leather briefcase clutched in one hand, making the one-mile trip from home Wilkes | Winter 2013 in Kingston, Pa. 12 Alumni Recall Life-Changing Influence of Professor Bradford Kinney By Bill Thomas Though Kinney gave up the walks following open-heart surgery in 2010, the image of him crossing the bridge, briefcase in tow, is a fond memory. It’s not the only thing alumni remember. With Kinney’s retirement in December 2012, graduates from the communication studies professor’s almost 40 years at Wilkes reminisced about how the man with the briefcase influenced their lives. “Think about the scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer where Tom Sawyer gets the people to paint the fence and gets them to really love painting it. Kinney was a little like that,” Donna (O’Toole) Sedor ’85 says with a laugh. “He had a way of encouraging us to do things that went beyond our comfort zones and stretched our capabilities.” So, too, did Kinney help stretch the capabilities of Wilkes. Before him, there was no Communication Studies Department, no internship program, no speech and debate team. It’s safe to say that Kinney’s impact on the development of Wilkes was profound. Perhaps more profound, however, was the effect he had on the lives of his students. There is a reason the debate team members called themselves “Kinney’s Kids.” Bradford Kinney, center, surrounded by alumni from four decades at his December retirement party. photo by Earl and Sedor Photographic �“I think we caused him more gray hair than his own kids,” Sedor adds. Now vice president of The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, Sedor credits Kinney with helping lay the groundwork for her future career. Davida Roberts ’80 can relate. Though she now works as a zoning officer, municipal secretary and building code official for the city of Kingston, Roberts spent several years working as a speech and debate instructor at the University of Central Missouri, Penn State and Luzerne County Community College. Prior to Kinney’s classes, Roberts was an English major and self-described introvert, with no interest in teaching. Kinney changed all that. “I remember my first speech for his class was on the history of Valentine’s Day. I got three-quarters of the way through, looked right at him and said ‘I can’t do any more’ and walked right out of the room,” she recalls. “God bless him, he stuck by me. He was very patient and very encouraging. He kept telling me that he knew I could do it. By the end of my junior year, I was a national champion in entertainment speaking.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rob Johansen ’90 was an outgoing theatre major at Wilkes who didn’t need much help with public speaking. Nevertheless, he soon joined the ranks of “Kinney’s Kids.” Now an actor in Indianapolis, Ind., he remembers when Kinney was involved with Wilkes’ student-run radio station and his impact. “I didn’t have my own show but I made a lot of guest appearances playing a bunch of different characters,” he says. “We never really had a written script, it was mostly improv, which is something a lot of actors are scared of. But Dr. Kinney loved it and greatly encouraged me to keep doing it, which fueled my fire. I think that freed me up as an actor.” Taking more direct inspiration, Alfred Mueller ’93 now chairs the Communication Studies Department at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md. “So often, I find myself modeling what I do after what Dr. Kinney did. I don’t think I can underestimate the impact of what I experienced as a student under him on my life. I largely became a college professor because of his influence,” Mueller says, before adding wryly, “I will pay him back for that someday, because I could’ve gone into more lucrative professions.” Jamie Gwynn ’09 notes that Kinney remained a dynamic presence well into the 2000s, hopping atop desks in the middle of lectures and using humor to create a comfortable environment. Just as Kinney continued holding onto his trusty leather briefcase, he never stopped bringing his high-energy optimism to class. For Gwynn, who is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at the Fels Institute of Government, University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, that was Kinney’s most infectious trait. “It was sort of like watching a show every class. In Dr. Kinney’s class, you’d never see students taking out their phones and texting. He was always so engaging. He was always prepared. That’s what we learned from him, to always give your best no matter what the situation,” Gwynn says. “He went into every class like it was his final lecture.” Bill Thomas is a senior communication studies major. Highlights From A 40-Year Career Bradford Kinney, professor of communication studies, devoted his career to teaching speech, debate and rhetoric at Wilkes, both in class and through co-curricular activities such as the debate team. The following are highlights from his 40-year career: • Between 1973 and 1985, Kinney introduced and taught more than 20 courses in undergraduate speech communications that would go on to form the foundation of the Communication Studies Department. In 1985, Wilkes established the department, which Kinney led from 1987-1998. • Kinney advised every co-curricular activity offered by the Communication Studies Department at some point during his tenure. Under his leadership, the department began hosting the annual Tom Bigler High School Journalism Conference, which continues to attract nearly 200 students to campus each year. • During Kinney’s 25 years of forensics coaching, Wilkes students won 1,399 awards in intercollegiate competition, including many state and national titles, and were ranked third nationally among all colleges with enrollments under 10,000. • In 1993, Kinney was named “Coach of the Year” by the Collegiate Forensics Association. In 1995, he was inducted into Pi Kappa Delta’s “Coaches Hall of Fame.” In 2005, Kinney received the organization’s E.R. Nichols Award for excellence in forensics teaching and outstanding contributions to furtherance of the forensics discipline. • His significant contributions to Wilkes included leading efforts to establish the University’s co-op education and internship program. • In 1995, Kinney won the Carpenter Outstanding Teaching Award. More on the Web For a slide show of photos from Bradford Kinney’s four decades at Wilkes, go to www.wilkes.edu/Kinney. Wilkes | Winter 2013 Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. 13 �DENTAL Wilkes | Winter 2013 D S INC 10 14 Wilkes alumnus Larry Cohen helped mold family firm into success By Helen Kaiser F rom its modest beginnings in a traveling salesman’s suitcase during the Great Depression, Benco Dental Supply Co., headquartered in Pittston, Pa., has developed into the nation’s fastestgrowing dental supplies distributor, with more than 50 regional showrooms and five distribution centers. Wilkes alumnus Lawrence Cohen ’57 has been along for much of the ride. Now nearing 77, Cohen speaks with pride about the grit and ambition of his father, Benjamin, who, with a sixth-grade education, founded the company when it was simply about selling “picks, scrapers and forceps.” He recalls his own involvement beginning in �' I could have just walked away from it all and gotten another job, but too many people would have been displaced and out of work;...I made the decision that somehow we were going to come back. Wilkes | Winter 2013 – Lawrence Cohen ’57 on bringing the family business back after the Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972. 15 Photos by Earl and Sedor Photographic �Larry P. Cohen, Chief Customer Advocate Benco Dental B.S., Accounting, Wilkes, 1957 Master’s Degree, Management and Finance, Columbia University Wilkes | Winter 2013 Career: Chairman and Chief Customer Advocate for Benco Dental, the largest privately owned distributor of dental supplies, equipment and consulting services in the U.S. 16 Notable: With his wife, Sally, contributed a $2.5 million gift in support of Wilkes’ new science center, the Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center. Favorites Wilkes memory: His Wilkes classes, which gave him a solid foundation for his career. 1959 and the growth and challenges that occurred when he was at the helm. And he conveys confidence in the future of the firm now managed by his two sons—the largest privately owned distributor of dental supplies, equipment and consulting services in the U.S. From fluoride and sterilizers to clinic chairs and imaging equipment, Benco Dental provides just about anything a dental practice could need. It also offers dentists a full complement of services to enhance their practices: office design, equipment repair, dental practice coaching, financial planning, real-estate consulting, recruitment, clinical education, financing and dental-specific technology solutions. Cohen says his father was an expert in sales, not the science of dentistry. As the eldest of seven children, it was up to Benjamin Cohen to help his immigrant parents support the family. “Fortunately, my grandfather had a relative with a small factory in Philadelphia that made dental instruments. So my father, at the age of 19, packed up 100 pounds of samples and took them on the road—throughout Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Ohio,” Cohen says. From the combination of his first and last names, Benco Dental was formed. In 1930 Ben Cohen decided to open a dental supply distributorship in what is now the Citizens Bank Building in Wilkes-Barre. During the 1950s, Ben’s son Lawrence attended Wilkes and graduated with a degree in accounting. When he went on to graduate school at Columbia University, he truly came to appreciate the value of his Wilkes education. “I was as well-prepared as anyone else at Columbia, and there I was with graduates of Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard and other Ivy Leagues. I had much more confidence in myself when I saw I was doing as well—and sometimes better—than the other students.” After earning a master’s degree in management and finance and serving in the U.S. Army, Cohen joined Benco in 1959. Since the business was tailored to meet the needs of a specific niche, “we didn’t have to sit around and wait for customers. We could go to them. We knew who they were,” Cohen says. Cohen helped to grow the company’s footprint throughout the Northeast. He was named president in 1969 and strategically began expanding the number of employees, showroom space and manufacturing lines offered. In 1972 Hurricane Agnes devastated the Wyoming Valley, and the company’s operations were literally washed out. When the waters receded Cohen and the staff found dead fish in the front yard, mud and muck throughout the building and all inventory destroyed. “I could have just walked away from it all and gotten another job,” Cohen relates, “but too many people would have been displaced and out of work; and I didn’t want that. I made the decision that somehow we were going to come back.” It took months of hard, steady work on the part of the close-knit staff to recover. With no flood insurance coverage, Cohen said he took advantage of low-interest federal loans and insisted that suppliers replenish inventory at no profit mark-up. Benco salesman Don Sullivan, who has worked for Cohen for 40 years, said the flooding crisis was a turning point for the president of the company. “When you can recover from something like that, you lose all your fear.You’re willing to take calculated risks and make other changes throughout your life,” Sullivan says. As a company leader, Cohen was inspirational, Sullivan says, “He would never ask you to do something he wouldn’t do himself. You wanted to do good for him.” A “ton of fun” to be around, Cohen often ad-libbed holiday messages on his employees’ telephones; but he was serious when it came to doing what was right for the customer, Sullivan says. “I think customers could sense his integrity.” Cohen says he learned it was important to treat customers well from his father, who died a few months after �the devastation of Hurricane Agnes. “I was very blessed that both my sons decided to follow me to Benco,” he said. “It’s fun to be involved with your children in business. There’s always something to talk about.” Even Cohen’s wife, Sally, worked at the company in various roles throughout the years. As for the family relationships, Cohen says, “There might have been a downside, if we were all making the same pot of soup. But everyone worked in completely different areas and had confidence in each other.” In 1994 Cohen partially retired because of health issues. He credits this generation of Cohens with the company’s advance to a nationwide presence. Richard is involved in managing the facilities and Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. internal operations. Charles, a Wilkes trustee, heads sales and marketing. In 2010 the company opened a new 272,800-square-foot, eco-friendly headquarters and distribution center. It boasts the CenterPoint Experience—a sleek, extensive showroom, with 25 fully functioning “operatories,” and 14 digital X-ray machines where dentists can view and try out products from dozens of vendors. Last year a second CenterPoint Experience showroom was opened in Costa Mesa, Calif. These days the senior Cohen is chairman and chief customer advocate for the firm. He says he fields about three to five inquiries a week from a customer base of about 30,000—perhaps a service call that was left wanting or a machine not operating the way it should. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I might issue a credit on the service call or contact the manufacturer for a replacement. Customers like it when they can talk to someone with the authority to solve their problem,” he says. With its mantra of delivering success “smile after smile,” the family-owned firm has evolved from its origins in a peddler’s suitcase to a company with a business volume of about $600 million annually. The Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center The new science building scheduled to open this fall at Wilkes Future students will benefit from their studies and research at will be known as the Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science the center much the way Cohen’s Wilkes education served him. Center, in recognition of the couple’s $2.5 million gift in Cohen says his Wilkes accounting degree provided “a very support of the project. The donation is the largest cash gift from an individual in good foundation” for his graduate studies and lifelong career in business. He specifically mentions his Wilkes classes in Wilkes’ history and caps decades of strong support from the statistics, business law, business correspondence and even Cohen family. The $35 million, 72,500-square-foot facility is biology. He truly enjoyed—and still has the textbook from—a being built as the most advanced educational facility in the required class in world literature famous for its intensity. The region. It will house Wilkes’ award-winning biology and health professor was very dramatic, gave tough tests and was a sciences, chemistry and biochemistry, and environmental fabulous teacher, he says. engineering and earth science programs. “The Cohen gift will allow Wilkes to continue its tradition as a national leader in the sciences, preparing the researchers, Cohen says, “I have a warm spot in my heart for Wilkes,” adding that the donation for the science center is good for Wilkes and good for the entire Wyoming Valley. health-care providers and scientific innovators of tomorrow,” says Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy. Michael Wood, vice president for University advancement, says he first met Cohen in 2006 and has come to learn he is a “straight shooter with a big heart. . . . You always know where you stand with him, and he’s never been afraid to speak his mind on behalf of students.” That 14 years Cohen served as a member of Wilkes’ Board of Trustees. He was granted trustee emeritus status in 2008. Larry Cohen, at podium, and his wife Sally, right, speak at the event announcing their gift naming Wilkes’ new science center. Photo by Lisa Reynolds Wilkes | Winter 2013 support for students was evident during the 17 �Ma k i n g History Bill Lewis Tells The Stories of Pennsylvania’s Past Wilkes | Winter 2013 By Mary Ellen Alu ’77 18 Bill Lewis ’80, MBA ’86 in Kirby Hall, one of his favorite historic buildings at Wilkes. Opposite, the marker with text that Lewis wrote that sits outside of Kirby on South River Street. Photos by Dan Z. Johnson �Want to share this story on Facebook or Twitter or leave a comment? Go to our new online version of the magazine www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. An extensive traveler, Lewis does exhaustive research before heading somewhere. He has a fondness for American, British and Chinese history, the latter fed in part by his many missions to China in his work with the American Red Cross. He has long been active with the organization, serving on the national board of governors and on a team that helped the Chinese Red Cross prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. So deep is Lewis’ knowledge of Chinese history that he has a running joke with a friend born in Hong Kong: Lewis has to teach his friend about Chinese history, not vice versa. A past president of the Luzerne County Historical Society, Lewis remains on its board, chairing its publication committee. He hopes to revitalize booklet-sized publications on local history, which he thinks can prove more popular than thicker, costlier texts. “You can digest a lot of history in two hours.” At the historical society, Lewis is overseeing a publication on Luzerne County soldiers who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg. Outside of his work there, he is preparing a publication on Pennsylvania passengers on the Titanic. “I just want to contribute as much as I can,” he says. There’s a reason for that. He considers education in history to be “woeful” in schools. “If we don’t do something about teaching the kids about the past,” he says, “we’ll just force future generations to make the same mistakes over and over and over.” Bill Lewis, Vice President and Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch B.A., Political Science, 1980, and Master of Business Administration, Wilkes, 1986. Master of Pubic Administration, Doctor of Arts, government, Lehigh University. Notable: Member, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, where he chairs the historical marker committee. Past president and current board member of the Luzerne County Historical Society. Favorite Wilkes memory: Friendships forged. He met his wife, Dr. Mary Ellen Judge Lewis ‘83, at Wilkes, both having served on Commuter Council and Student Government. Wilkes | Winter 2013 I t’s no surprise that Bill Lewis the storyteller has a good story of his own. At age 4, when other boys his age wanted toy soldiers or trucks, the main thing on Lewis’ Santa list was a book on the French and Indian War. His family still teases him about it. But that request would come to define Bill Lewis ’80, MBA ’86. More than a storyteller, Lewis is a history buff whose passion has led to a gubernatorial appointment to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and leadership roles with the Luzerne County Historical Society. “If history’s to be interesting,” Lewis will tell you, “there has to be a story.” And he has told plenty—as guest speaker, author and tour guide. Like the story about the Wilkes-Barre woman whose mother and brother survived the sinking of the Titanic. And the one about Teddy Roosevelt coming to Wilkes-Barre’s River Common in 1905, a watershed event. And another about the excavation of bodies from Wilkes-Barre’s first public cemetery (where City Hall now stands) that helps to form his “ghost” tours for the historical society. By day a vice president and wealth management advisor for Merrill Lynch, Lewis became interested in history while growing up in Wilkes-Barre. Older neighbors would share the city’s history; older relatives would share family history. His parents fed his fascination, taking him on trips to historic spots such as Valley Forge State Park. “It always fascinated me to learn about the stories of the past,” Lewis says. “I just can’t get enough of it.” As he got older and began researching the family stories, he found not all were true. Yet what he learned often proved more interesting. He said he came to understand how world events— including religious persecution in Europe—came to shape his life. Lewis funnels his passion for history into public service. As a member of the state historical commission, he chairs its historic marker committee, helping to select the people, places and events to forever be designated by a blue and gold state marker. Wilkes Associate Professor of History John Hepp recently joined him on the committee. In September, Lewis was in Bethlehem, Pa., when a state marker—one of 12 approved in 2012—was dedicated to note the 1910 Bethlehem Steel Strike. In October, he was in Philadelphia for the dedication of a marker outside actress Grace Kelly’s home. As a Wilkes undergraduate, Lewis aspired to a career in public administration, inspired by professor Andrew Shaw. His research on Wilkes-Barre mayors formed the basis of a booklet he authored. After college, he held staff positions with the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. Finding public administration wanting, Lewis pursued advanced degrees and eventually chose a new career path in financial planning. 19 �alumni news Share Your News With the Alumni Community Did you know that the alumni office will share more than just wedding, career and birth announcements in class notes? For example, you can let us know if you recently gathered with friends from Wilkes, performed in a show or received recognition in your community. We love to see photos too. Just send your personal and professional updates to Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 in the Office of Alumni Relations – bridget.giunta@wilkes.edu. Wilkes Travels the Country this Spring Wilkes is on the move this spring, with events planned for Boston, Ma.; Washington, D.C.; Morristown, N.J.; Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif.; Harrisburg, Pa.; the Lehigh Valley, Pa.; and Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Would you like to host or help coordinate an event in one of these areas? Let us know at alumni@wilkes.edu. Congratulations to John Pilosi ’67 John Pilosi ’67 of Easton, Pa., correctly answered all of the questions in the Wilkes trivia quiz that appeared in the previous issue of the magazine. He will receive a prize pack filled with Wilkes goodies. Alumni from northeastern Pennsylvania enjoyed a casual lunch with Wilkes President Pat Leahy. Class years of the event attendees ranged from 1959 to 2011. Pictured, left to right: Sue Jolley, Nancy Burke, Ed Burke ’70, President Pat Leahy and Mick Hall ’93. Save the Date for Homecoming 2013 Wilkes | Winter 2013 Mark your calendar for this year’s celebration, which will include the dedication of the new Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center. Reunions include the classes of ’63, ’68, ’73, ’78, ’83, ’88, ’93, ’98, ’03 and ’08, as well as Alternative Spring Break, resident assistants, Warner Hall and pharmacy. If you would like to help plan your reunion, please contact alumni@wilkes.edu or (570) 408-7787. 20 �campaign update Meet Your Match! John Sickler ’65 is the Man Behind the Colonel Challenge For the past several months, an unnamed alumnus has been challenging Colonels to make a first-time gift to Wilkes. To show his belief in the University, this generous person will match individual contributions up to $1,000 dollar-for-dollar. John Sickler ’65 is the man behind the “Colonel Challenge,” which he hopes will encourage more alumni to support Wilkes. “My personal goal is to help get 1,000 new donors: I’m counting on you to take my money.” In the following Q&A, Sickler talks about his reasons for giving. What made you decide to initiate a matching gift program for first-time donors?  About a year and a half ago, I had an enjoyable meeting about the early stages of the University’s new science building. After that session, ideas and data were exchanged on a broader list of subjects including the strategic vision for 2015. It was during that time that I came to appreciate that an education at Wilkes was well regarded by the rating agencies (such as U.S. News and World Report). The qualities of programs and faculty, the student satisfaction experience and the prospective use of technology received high marks. High school students often refer to these ratings when selecting a school. Colleges and universities with higher rankings can become more attractive options for future students. How did this rating system factor into your decision? The one area where Wilkes trailed its peers was in alumni giving. The current participation rate is 14 percent, with a goal to reach 20 percent by 2015. I was intrigued that these results were not comparable to our other ratings. I agreed to match contributions by first-time donors as an incentive to improve our rating. . ' WEWANT John Sickler ‘65 Malvern, Pa. Bachelor of Science, Accounting, Wilkes Retired Vice Chairman, Teleflex, Inc. Did you learn anything while developing this matching gift program with Wilkes? What a learning experience! For most of my career, I was trained that the best road in fundraising was to target the most money with the least effort. Given a choice of 10 alumni contributing $50 each or one alumnus contributing $1,000, I would always lean to the latter choice. Not this time. From a rating perspective, 10 alumni are much more important when viewed as goodwill ambassadors. So, it’s the people, not the money, that raises the score in this case. Why should someone who has never given take advantage of this opportunity?  Personal satisfaction, University recognition, attracting new students and faculty are all part of the benefits. Plus, you get double the credit. My personal goal is to help get 1,000 new donors to the club and we are on our way there. I am counting on you to take my money. • ~ET YOU R FI RS T TIME ===~ GI F~ ~M~tJUffiJJ~~ ~ -.. If you’ve never made a gift to Wilkes, there is no better time than now. Donate online at www.wilkes.edu/challenge or call (570)408-4331. Wilkes | Winter 2013 ,~-···.*W©M* 21 �class notes Joe Pringle Made Wilkes History by Naming The Colonels When Joe Pringle ’47 met the Wilkes Colonel in November 2012, it was a meeting long overdue. Sixty-five years overdue. Pringle, now 90, made Wilkes history when he submitted the name Colonels as a nickname for the University’s sports teams. He waited a long time to get full credit. Back in 1947, when the Kingston native was attending Wilkes, his English professor required her students to submit names to a contest naming 1949 Clayton Karambelas was presented with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce “Lifetime Ambassador” Award by Wilkes President Patrick Leahy on Nov. 13, 2012, at the chamber’s annual dinner. He is pictured with his wife, Terese, at the event. Photo by ShadowCatcher Photography 1959 Janice (Reynolds) Longo has self-published her second children’s book under the pen name Lucia Tuttle. The book, The Monkey & The Donkey, was preceded by There’s a Mouse in the House, published in 2008. 1964 Gary Einhorn is in private practice as a business coach in Ashland, Ore., and also co-facilitates peer discussion groups of business owners. Wilkes | Winter 2013 1969 Martin Naparsteck has written a book, Sex and Manifest Destiny, studying the role sex played in America’s westward expansion. It was published by McFarland & Company. 22 1970 Harold Croom retired from Janko Hospitality, which he founded 13 years ago. Paula Gilbert Gray, a mathematics teacher at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, N.J., was selected as a Presidential Scholar Teacher and spent four days in Washington, D.C., with fellow honorees from across America. She was also named the Student Council Teacher of the Year at her high school. Wilkes athletic teams. Pringle, who now lives in Wilkes-Barre, left Wilkes in 1949 and over the years, the story of how the athletic teams were named became the stuff of legends. One of the most popular stories was that Dean George Ralston named the teams, basing it on Kentucky’s Centre College mascot called the “Praying Colonels.” 1972 Roy Getzoff retired from officiating college football and now officiates at the high school level. He also started his own promotional productions company called Cynsational. Gary Williams received the Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter. The award was presented at the National Philanthropy Day luncheon on Nov. 16, 2012. 1977 Mandy Williams was spotlighted in the article “Short but Sweet,” in the October 2012 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, focusing on Red & Black Productions, the business she started with her sister. The pair also authored the book What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired. Pringle says he researched the city of Wilkes-Barre’s history and learned that the city’s namesakes were British Parliament members John Wilkes and Col. Isaac Barre. Inspiration struck and Pringle submitted what turned out to be the winning name— Colonels. His prize was a $25 war bond, Joe Pringle ’47 meets the mascot sporting the name he gave to Wilkes athletic teams. Photo by Lisa Reynolds. presented at an October 1947 dinner dance. More than 60 years later Pringle attended a veterans’ event at Wilkes and told President Patrick Leahy and Times Leader reporter Bill O’Boyle that he was the one who named the Colonels. O’Boyle, with a typical reporter’s passion for a good story, sifted through The Beacon archives until he found confirmation in a June 4, 1948, edition, in a column called “Notes on Notes,” penned by Reese Pelton. The column confirmed Pringle’s winning contest entry. Pringle came to campus to meet the Colonel, gaining official recognition as the man who named him. — By Vicki Mayk �class notes Reunion Oct. 4-6 ~ Ron Yakus and Susan Rogers were married on May 12, 2012, at Blue Lake Ranch in Hesperus, Colo. Ron is a district sales manager for American Greetings Corp. Susan formerly was employed by Century Link in Durango, Colo. The couple reside in Phoenix, Ariz. 1979 Kathleen Herpich recently accepted the position of principal at Lima Central Catholic High School in Lima, Ohio. 1990 Paul Williamson was interviewed in The Times 1979 1989 Dan Cardell completed his goal of running a marathon in each of the 50 states. His 50th marathon was in Honolulu, Hawaii. Linda (Black) Kelnock competed in the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pa., on Oct. 6, 2012. She ran the race in 4:20:17, a personal best, and wore her Wilkes hat in the race. Leader’s “Meet” column, where he talked about his business, WILL-EEZE Speedy Lube, in Wilkes-Barre. 1991 Shannon (Doughton) Kam earned her doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Phoenix. She is a curriculum coordinator and data coach for the Hawaii Department of Education and a part-time adjunct for the University of Phoenix College of Natural Sciences. 1998 Susan (Adamchak) Smith recently accepted the position of director - human resources business partner with ADP. She resides in New Jersey. 1994 Debbie Yendrick, who teaches second grade at Lincoln-Hubbard School in Summit, N.J., was named the school’s 2012 Teacher of the Year. 1982 Maurita (Gries) Elias, MBA ’83 and her husband, Robert, are pictured in Cinderella’s coach at Walt Disney World. The couple renewed their wedding vows at the Magic Kingdom in 2011 and their ceremony was featured in a Disney World story promoting the park as a location for weddings. Elias and her husband own Woodhouse Day Spa in Kingston, Pa. Other alumni in attendance at the renewal of vows included Elias’ father, Joseph B. Gries ’51, sister Colleen Gries Gallagher ’81, brother Joseph Gries II ’84, Miriam Jeanne Dearden Elias ’55, and Dr. Amy Elias’ 83. with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as a couples and family therapist. She also works in a group private practice. She lives in Newark, N.J. 1995 Christina Ortiz Juguilon completed her emotionally focused therapy training in October 2011 and is a therapist certified by the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy in Ottawa, Canada. Juguilon is employed Reunion Oct. 4-6 ~ Michael T. Beachem IV received a master of education degree in adult and organizational development from the Temple University College of Education at its May 2012 commencement. J.J. Fadden and his brother Darron Fadden ’05 launched a new Web site, USAcigarstore.com. Tara (Wilson) Kinane and Scott Kinane ’99 welcomed a son, Liam Wilson, on July 20, 2012. 1999 Scott Kinane – see 1998 Sarah (Karlavage) Rocchio and her husband, Rob, welcomed a daughter, Rebecca Hope, on April 18, 2012. Wilkes | Winter 2013 1973 23 �class notes Judith Gallagher ’62 Rows Against Aging Stereotypes and 2009 Navy Day Regatta, as well as two bronze medals in the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta and a U.S. Masters National championship in 2000. Gallagher doesn’t limit herself to Judith Gallagher ’62 wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and drives from her home rowing. In the winter, her passion for in Margate, N.J., to Brigantine Island, active living sees her trading in oars located just off New Jersey’s Atlantic for skis. “We have a place in the Poconos, coast. By 6:30 a.m., she and her so I go up there a lot. Most people friends Kay Papandrew, Roe Burke go down to Florida in the winter, but and Carol Sost launch themselves, in their four-seat rowing boat, known as a quadruple scull, out of a cove Judy Gallagher, second from left, with members of the Hot Flashes rowing team. Photo courtesy Judy Gallagher I go up to the Poconos. I love the mountains,” she says. “I belong to the 70+ Ski Club and there are people there who would put me on the Brigantine beach. It’s windy. The winds churn the tides into what Gallagher and her friends have come to call “The Soup Bowl.” Before they can get on with their morning routine, to shame, people in their 80s and 90s who are still skiing to this day.” Though the Wilkes science major retired from her job the foursome must cross the “bowl,” which tosses their as reading curriculum coordinator for the Margate public boat up and down. Once that’s passed, they row the school system in 2001, she points to her slope-shredding six-mile circumference of the island before returning. elders as examples of self-actualization at any age. In the summer, Gallagher does this four days a week. “You have to keep moving. It’s not always easy when you It’s just practice. She is 71 years old, the eldest member of get older and you wake up in the morning with all the aches The Hot Flashes, the rowing team comprising her and her and pains. But you have to keep on going through that,” friends that is part of the Brigantine Rowing Club. Gallagher says. “We’re not super-jocks or anything,” Gallagher says. “We just like to keep healthy and keep doing things.” Super-jocks or not, The Hot Flashes achievements are considerable. Some of the biggest include first-place wins in races in the 2011 King’s Head Regatta and the 2011, 2010 “One of the nicest things that I have as the oldest person in the boathouse is seeing all these younger people who want to do new things. It keeps me inspired. It keeps me young.” — By Bill Thomas Bill Thomas is a senior communication studies major. Wilkes | Winter 2013 2000 Donna Talarico MFA ’10 married Kevin Beerman ’01 on Oct. 1, 2012. They live in Lancaster, Pa. 24 Thomas Ward made his Two River Theater Company debut as an understudy in a production of Henry V. He performed multiple characters in Act I in both English and French. 2006 2006 David Gold and wife Rachel (Moskal) Gold ’07 welcomed a daughter, Mallory May, in August 2012. Editor’s note: A class note about the Golds in the fall 2012 Wilkes magazine, which included a photo of their September 2011 wedding, incorrectly identified David as Jeff. We apologize for the error. Frank Knorek married Krissy Kelmer on June 30, 2012. The couple is pictured on Wilkes-Barre’s River Common. 2001 Kevin Beerman – see 2000 �class notes Lisa (Hartman) Nonotti MBA ’07 and husband Tino welcomed a son, Nolan Anthony, on Aug. 14, 2012. 2004 Melissa (Jurgensen) Rose welcomed a son, Brandon Christopher, on April 2, 2012. 2005 Darron Fadden – see 1998 2003 Reunion Oct. 4-6 daughter, Kylie McKenna, on Sept. 14, 2012. ~ Melissa (Babcock) Newbury and husband Dan welcomed a Pharm.D.’07 welcomed a son, Aiden Joshua, on May 30, 2012. Nicole (Ripper) Zeiser and husband Tom welcomed a son, Cole Thomas, on Aug. 10, 2012. 2007 Rachel (Moskal) Gold – see 2006 Bridget (McHale) Turel MBA ’07 and Josh Turel Experience Informs Research for Christine Kiesinger ’88 of her research. Married to a widower with two young children, standard practice for many. For Christine Kiesinger ’88, she’s spent the last personal experience has informed her research. few years researching Kiesinger, a Wilkes communication studies major who Florida in 1995, has studied the role of interpersonal “post-bereaved family systems.” “That’s a family communications among those with eating disorders. She where one parent has isn’t shy about acknowledging the roots of her research. died and a new parent “I myself struggled with bulimia for a number of years. comes into the system,” I decided in graduate school to really take a look at that, she explained. “What, academically and theoretically, as a way of understanding if any, responsibility myself,” Kiesinger says. “It actually contributed greatly to does that parent have in my own recovery.” keeping the memory of Hoping that her work can also contribute to the 2010 Brian Switay MBA ’12 became intern coordinator at the National Society of Leadership and Success in Hoboken, N.J. again at the forefront Keeping professional and personal life separate is received her doctorate from the University of South 2009 Alison Woody is director of grants and communications at United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton, Pa. the deceased parent alive for the children? In many family recovery of others, Kiesinger—who returned to Wilkes systems, that doesn’t happen at all; it’s sort of ‘We put that this spring as an instructor—has turned her doctoral person on the shelf.’ But to really create a family system dissertation, “Anorexic and Bulimic Lives: Making Sense where kids are going to thrive if they’ve lost a biological of Food and Eating,” into a book which has received parent, in my case, I’ve had to make a real effort at making interest from publishers. She also is considering a possible sure those children know their biological mother.” documentary film project expanding her work. All these things, Kiesinger notes, are just one aspect of her larger interest in intrafamily dynamics. “I’ve spent a lot of time looking at family systems in In putting so much of her personal experiences into her studies, what does Kiesinger feel is the relationship between the two aspects of her life? “Looking at various theoretical constructs that which one member is identified dysfunctional in some way,” address disordered eating and grieving families gives me she says. “It’s clear from my work that healing requires the frameworks from which to better understand the things healing of the entire family system rather than a singular that I’m living,” she says. focus on the family member identified as dysfunctional.” — Bill Thomas Fittingly, Kiesinger’s own family dynamics are once Bill Thomas is a senior communication studies major. Wilkes | Winter 2013 2002 Sandi Burke Fasset recently became a certified legal nurse consultant. 25 �class notes Graduate Degrees 2007 Josh Turel, Pharm.D. – see 2005 2008 Reunion Oct. 4-6 ~ Craig Czury MFA received the $15,000 F. Lammot Belin Arts Scholarship to help him finish Thumb Notes Almanac, a book of poetry inspired by his experiences hitchhiking in the Marcellus shale region. 2009 Karen Kaleta Alessi MBA and Stephen Alessi MBA ’10 welcomed daughters Braelyn Eve and Emma Marie on Sept. 13, 2012. 2010 Stephen Alessi MBA – see Graduate Students 2009 2011 Brian Fanelli MFA was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for his poem “After Working Hours,” which appeared in Boston Literary Magazine. He entered the doctoral program in English at Binghamton University in January 2013. Wilkes | Winter 2013 2012 Brian Switay ’10 MBA – see undergraduate 2010 26 Morowa Yejide MFA has signed a contract with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, to publish her debut novel, Time of the Locust. The novel is scheduled for release in spring 2014. In Memoriam 1935 Luther D. Arnold, Linwood, Pa., died Jan. 30, 2012. Arnold served in the U.S. Army for 24 years, serving with Gen. Patton’s Third Army in Europe. He worked as a stockbroker with Prudential Bache in Atlantic City, N.J., for 15 years. 1938 Stanley Matthew Daugert, Bellingham, Wash., died Sept. 4, 2012. He was a World War II veteran. In 1985, he retired as emeritus professor of the Philosophy Department at Western Washington University. Lillian (Morgan) Mayka, Mountain Top, Pa., died Oct. 6. She was an educator in the Crestwood School District for 30 years. Margaret Bendock Towers, Wilmington, Del., died July 30, 2012. She worked for 35 years as a public relations manager with Blue Cross/ Blue Shield and was a charter member and the first president of the Delaware Press Association. 1941 Irene (Sauciunas) Santarelli, Wyoming, Pa., died Nov. 12, 2012. She was head of the serology department at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia and worked at the former Nanticoke State Hospital. 1943 Betty W. DeWitt, Towanda, Pa., died July 16, 2012. She was a member of the National Association of Medical Record Librarians and was president of the Pennsylvania State Medical Record Librarian Association. 1945 Jerome Martin Stadulis, Fredericksburg, Va., died Sept. 11, 2012. He worked as a general practice physician and worked in industrial occupational medicine for DuPont. He was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. 1948 Chester Andrysick, Corning, N.Y., died Sept. 12, 2009. Andrysick was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Thomas A. Evans, Hendersonville, Tenn., died Nov. 7, 2012. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force and enjoyed a long career with General Electric as a financial analyst. Henry J. Rydzewski, Woodlynn, Pa., died on March 7, 2012. Rydzewski served in World War II and in the Korean War. He worked for the Philadelphia Electric Co. 1949 Robert Anthony, Wilkes-Barre, died Aug. 1, 2012. He was a World War II veteran who served with the U.S. Army and Air Corps. Robert G. Quoos, Bethlehem, Pa., died Sept. 16, 2011. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Quoos was employed by the Bethlehem Steel Corp. for 30 years. 1950 Michael J. Delaney, Nanticoke, Pa., died Oct. 20, 2012. A veteran of World War II, he worked as an attorney. Rigo J. Lemoncelli, Scott Township, Pa., died June 30, 2012. He was a petty officer in the Navy during World War II and was employed as an office manager for Scranton Roofing and Siding for more than 40 years. Clyde H. Ritter, Mountain Top, Pa., died Oct. 23, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II in both Europe and the Pacific. He worked for Exxon and Exxon International in New York, New Jersey and Texas until his retirement. 1951 Richard J. Horn, Kingston, Pa., died Sept. 23, 2012. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Arthur A. Johnson, Weatherly, Pa., died March 30, 2012. Johnson served in the Army Signal Corps. during World War II. He retired as bank manager of the Orange County Trust Company in Middletown, N.Y. �class notes In Memoriam 1953 Eleanor (Kazmercyk) Cornwell, Milford, Conn., died Oct. 8, 2010. She was a fifth-grade school teacher at Pumpkin Delight, Milford, until her retirement. 1954 Herman D. Woodeshick, Hanover Township, Pa., died on Sept. 3, 2012. He operated Woodeshick Drugs in Hanover Township for many years and later worked for several pharmacies, most recently Bedwick Pharmacy in Wilkes-Barre. 1959 Rev. Dr. Donald R. Gilmore, San Francisco, Calif., died Oct. 16, 2012. He served with the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was an ordained minister. Sylvester Kuligowski, Tonawanda, N.Y., died on Aug. 17, 2011. He was a World War II veteran, serving in the Merchant Marines. Kuligowski taught history, economics and driver’s education at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y. 1960 Bernard Chandler Sr., Plains Township, Pa., died Aug. 8, 2012. Before becoming a teacher, Chandler was an aviation cadet at Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas. 1962 Richard J. Bona, Spring Township, Pa., died Sept. 14, 2009. Bona worked as an accountant for many years, most recently at Sovereign Bank, Reading, until his retirement in 1996. Janet (Kay) Williamson, State College, Pa., died Sept. 16, 2012. She served as a nursing instructor, then assistant professor of nursing, professor in charge of the undergraduate program and founding director of the Department of Nursing at Penn State University’s School of Nursing from 1976 to 1980. She retired in 1995 as associate professor of nursing emerita. 1965 Dale H. Edwards, North Catasauqua, Pa., died June 22, 2012. Edwards’ teaching career spanned 32 years at Catasauqua High School. A lineman for the Colonels during his time at Wilkes, Edwards was a football coach at Catasauqua, serving as head coach from 1968 to 1979. 1968 Nicholas Souchik Jr., Pittston Township, Pa., died Oct. 15, 2012. Souchik served as the executive director of the Luzerne County Civil Defense, playing an instrumental role during the 1972 Agnes flood. Prior to his retirement, he worked for the Department of Defense as an electrical engineer with the Department of the Navy. Barbara J. (Kluchinski) Williams, M.D., Montgomery County, Pa., died Oct. 19, 2012. She was employed at the Norristown State Hospital as a psychiatrist for many years. 1969 William F. Homnick Jr., Annville, Pa., died Sept. 21, 2012. He served as president of Circle System Reconditioner’s in Easton, Pa. He was owner/ president of the former Ace Reconditioning and Sports Sales in Washington, Pa. 1970 Joseph A. Rasimas, Hummelstown, Pa., died on Sept. 17, 2012. Rasimas worked as an elementary mathematics teacher and served as a principal in different positions in public education in Pennsylvania, retiring as coordinator of educational services at Middletown Area School District in 2007. 1971 Richard G. Evans Jr., Dallas, Pa., died Oct. 5, 2012. He was vice president of WYZZ Radio and co-founded Sew Fine Draperies and Interiors. He served in the U.S. Air Force. James R. Uhl, Mountain Top, Pa., died Sept. 13, 2012. He served for four years in the U.S. Coast Guard. Uhl was an award-winning photographer and painter, and was a featured artist in “The Creative Will,” the 10th anniversary of Project Rembrandt, a national exhibition by 31 artists with multiple sclerosis. 1972 Edward J. Romanoski, Deerfield Beach, Fla., died Sept. 18, 2012. He worked in both Pennsylvania and Florida as a property appraiser. David Smith, Jacksonville, Fla., died Aug. 19, 2012. He received an advanced degree in banking from Rutgers University. He was a bank senior vice president upon his retirement. 1976 Robert O. Boston, Redlands, Calif., died June 14, 2012. Ann Zini Coffey, Peckville, Pa., died Nov. 3, 2010. She taught English in the Mid Valley School District. 1978 Mary Elizabeth (Phillips) Ertz, Plymouth, Pa., died Oct. 21, 2012. She was employed for 34 years by the Angeline E. Kirby Memorial Wilkes | Winter 2013 1952 Rev. Robert Lee Benson, of Greenville, Del., died on Oct. 24, 2012. An ordained Methodist minister, he had a 20-year career as a U.S. Air Force chaplain and officer. In civilian life, he was district superintendent of the Wyoming Conference of the United Methodist Church in northeast Pennsylvania and was chaplain at Methodist Country Home in Greenville, Del. As captain of the Wilkes basketball team, he set a school scoring record of 738 points for a season. 27 �class notes In Memoriam Health Center as a certified laboratory technician. Jon W. McNew, Wilkes-Barre, died Sept. 11, 2012. He was a certified public accountant. 1979 Maryann (Baron) Oster, Swoyersville, Pa., died Sept. 28, 2012. Oster was a quality control supervisor for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. She also worked as a teacher for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. 1980 William. J. Stauch, West Wyoming, Pa., died Aug. 3, 2012. Stauch was employed at the former Techneglas Corp. of Jenkins Township and, from 1996 to 2003, owned and operated Dusseldwarf ’s Restaurant in Pittston, Pa. 1981 Barbara (Greene) Dunn, New York City, N.Y., died on Jan. 27, 2010. 1994 Kevin Ostrowsky, York, Pa., died Nov. 20, 2012. He was employed as a civil and environmental engineer for EBI Consulting in Baltimore, Md. 2005 Sharon Amy Granahan, Philadelphia, Pa., died Nov. 3, 2012. 2007 Michael Meoni, Moosic, Pa., died Aug. 29, 2012. He was a geometry teacher at Lakeland Junior/Senior High School since 2005. Friends of Wilkes David Crawford Hall, Dallas, Pa., died Sept. 9, 2012. He served on the Wilkes board of trustees from 1982-2001 and was trustee emeritus. Crawford was a Colonel’s Blazer recipient. For many years, he ran Diamond Perforated Metals Inc. in Gardena, Calif., and more recently was owner of Llewellyn & McKane, Inc., a printing company in Wilkes-Barre. Wilkes | Winter 2013 Remembering Jane Breiseth 28 Jane Morhouse Breiseth, who passed away on June 16, 2012, was many things to many people. She was a wife, a mother, a hostess and an educator. From 1984 to 2001, she served as Wilkes University’s first lady, during her husband, Christopher N. Breiseth’s, 17-year tenure as Wilkes president. “I was amazed at her versatility,” says Patricia Heaman ’61, Wilkes-Barre, a retired English professor who taught at Wilkes during Breiseth’s term. “It seemed she was everywhere, walking around with her youngest daughter, Lydia. She’d show up at every art opening, every poetry reading, every guest lecture and music recital and theatrical event.” Jane Breiseth’s interest in education went beyond her duties as Wilkes’ first lady. She held a bachelor of arts degree in comparative literature and a master’s degree in education from Cornell University. And with eldest daughters Abigail and Erika enrolled in Meyers High School, she was also a member of the local PTA. Similarly, Breiseth was involved with several community service and arts organizations, including the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, the Family Service Association of Wyoming Valley, the Peace and Justice Committee and the First Presbyterian Church in Wilkes-Barre. Even after the Breiseths left northeastern Pennsylvania to become president and first lady of The Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park, N.Y., they maintained an apartment locally and frequently returned to hold dinner parties. “They kept their friendships in a marvelous way,” Pattie S. Davies, Dallas, Pa., says, recalling “carloads of Wilkes-Barrians” likewise visiting Hyde Park as the Breiseths’ guests. A Wilkes trustee emerita, Davies was chairwoman of the presidential selection committee and was among the first to meet the Breiseths upon their arrival at Wilkes. “She was a very warm and delightful person to be with, so first impressions were good,” Davies says. “They stayed that way over the years.” Breiseth is survived by her mother; husband; daughters Abigail, Erika and husband William F. Brockman of Baltimore, Md., and Lydia and husband Marco Vargas, of Arlington, Va.; grandchildren Warner and Annika Brockman; siblings; and many nieces and nephews. �ACHIEVING PROGRESS AT THE COHEN SCIENCE CENTER SITE March 23:  The site is prepared for construction.  Construction of the Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center has been progressing rapidly since the groundbreaking in March 2012. The impressive transformation has been captured each day by a camera located at the top of Sturdevant Hall. Here’s a look at various stages of the project in the photos at right. Crews are working on the building’s interior and anticipate construction will conclude this summer. You’re invited to be a part of history when we dedicate the science center at Homecoming 2013 at 4 p.m on October 4. More details will be available in the coming months, but mark your calendar now so you don’t miss this exciting event!  The following contributors pledged their support to the Cohen Science Center from September 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012: Mr. and Mrs. James Brunza ‘62 Mr. Michael A. Calabrese ‘78 Aug. 23:  Steel beams form the shape of the building. Mr. Lawrence S. Cohen ’57 and Mrs. Sally Cohen Dr. Robert R. Cooney ‘01 and Dr. Stephanie Smith Cooney ‘04 Mr. Ray Dombroski ‘78 and Mrs. Colleen DeMorat  Mr. Jason D. Griggs ’90 and Mrs. Tamara Griggs Mr. Harry Hiscox ’51 Esq. and Mrs. Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox ‘58 Mr. Thomas Jones and Mrs. Deanna Grietzer Jones ‘72 Atty. Wayne Lonstein ’82 and Dr. Julie Lonstein Maslow Family Foundation, Inc. Mr. Paul J. Potera ‘94 and Mrs. Christie Myers Potera ‘96 Mr. Kurt A. Topfer ’88, M’11 and Mrs. Evelyne Topfer Mr. Gerald F. Weber ‘67 and Mrs. Cynthia Wisniewski Weber ‘69 Dr. Michael J. Worth ‘68 Nov. 23:  Exterior walls are installed.  Show your support of the new science center and the Wilkes students who will benefit from it by making a gift now: www.wilkes.edu/achieve. �w Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events February 1 through March 17 Sordoni Art Gallery exhibit, Flow 12 Drs. Robert S. and Judith A. Gardner Educational Forum Series Lecture, Marts 214, 4:30 p.m. 15-16, 22-23 Theatre Performance, Archy & Mehitabel, Darte Center, 8 p.m. 17, 24 Theatre Performance, Archy & Mehitabel, Darte Center, 2 p.m. Drs. Robert S. and Judith A. 26 Gardner Educational Forum Series Lecture, Marts 214, 4 p.m. March 17 18 23 Bach Festival Concert, Chamber Singers/Robert Dale Chorale, 3 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Scranton, Pa. Drs. Robert S. and Judith A. Gardner Educational Forum Series Lecture, Marts 214, 4:30 p.m. VIP Day for admitted high school students April 9 through May 19 Sordoni Art Gallery exhibit, Our People, Our Land, Our Images 11-13 Theatre Performance, Gemini, Darte Center, 8 p.m. 14 Theatre Performance, Gemini, Darte Center, 2 p.m. 16 Drs. Robert S. and Judith A. Gardner Educational Forum Series Lecture, Henry Student Center Ballroom, 4:30 p.m. 19 Alumni Association Scholarship Dinner, Henry Student Center, 6 p.m. 20 Dance Concerts, 3 & 8 p.m., Darte Center 21 2013 Rosenn Lecture in Law and Humanities, Noah Feldman, Constitutional Law Expert, Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. 24 Chamber Orchestra Concert, Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. Band Director’s Conducting Clinic 27 with guest clinician Samuel Hazo, Jr., Darte Center, 12:30 p.m. 27 Chorus/Chamber Singer’s Concert, 7:30 p.m., St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Wilkes-Barre Civic Band Concert, Darte Center, 3 p.m. 28 30 Jazz Orchestra Concert, 8 p.m., Darte Center May 18 Spring Commencement, 1 p.m. For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Winter 2013 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 2013 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Winter 2013 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 2013 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/4f2c33c19edf81d6fe1b90c957165cd7.pdf 820964b8950d08b69e016584f9a90c07 PDF Text Text SPRING/SUMMER 2014 Worldly Ways FOREIGN STUDENTS BRING INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR TO WILKES CAMPUS �president’s letter VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 2 Continuing A Commitment To First-Generation College Students 0 ne of the greatest regrets of my life is that I never met my Grandfather Leahy. He passed away before I was born. I’m told I get my passion for education from him. He cared so deeply about education, in large part because he never had the chance to obtain one. He was a self-educated man – a traveling salesman who spent his free time reading the classics. He made a commitment that all of the Leahys who came after him would obtain a college degree. According to my father, one of the biggest fights he ever had with his father was the day that he told Grandfather Leahy that he might not go to college. “Over my dead body,” my grandfather protested. “If you get an education, you get a chance.” He believed that a college degree would open up economic opportunities. But, perhaps even more important than that, a college degree was the surest way to a meaningful life. All of the Leahys subsequently earned college degrees, some even earned graduate degrees, and became lawyers, doctors, business leaders, teachers – even a university president. Why do I feel compelled to share such a personal story? Because the type of transformation that my Grandfather Leahy envisioned – lives transformed by education – is still happening at Wilkes. The University has a long history of supporting first-generation college students. Indeed, it was founded to serve these students, and they continue to make up a large part of our population. At Wilkes, we’re taking that commitment seriously, establishing the First Generation Fund to provide more scholarships to enable those students to obtain a first-class Wilkes degree. To raise money for those scholarships, we held on June 7 the first of what will be an annual event – the Founders’ Gala. The need to provide more scholarships is clear. At Wilkes, 95 percent of our students receive either merit- or need-based financial aid. Among freshmen entering Wilkes last fall, 41 percent were eligible for Pell grants, the federal aid program supporting those with the most economic need. And, 54 percent of those freshmen were the first in their families to seek a four-year degree. I’m proud to say that Wilkes continues its commitment to support first-generation college students. As Grandfather Leahy put it, “If you get an education, you get a chance.” With initiatives Student Gregory McFarlane shares a commencement day photo with like the First Generation Fund, we can all have a President Patrick Leahy. hand in making it happen. PHOTO BY EARL & SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Wilkes University President SPRING/SUMMER 2014 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli MA’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA ’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Bill Schneider, MA ’13 Francisco Tutella Layout/Design Gatesman+Dave Printing Pemcor Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng MA ’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS ’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Associate Director Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Events Manager Jacki Lukas ’11 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Vice President Ellen Hall ’71 Secretary Kathy Heltzel ’82 MBA ’85 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published three times a year by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �14 12 18 6 contents 6 Worldly Ways Foreign students bring international flavor to the Wilkes campus. 12 �A Passion for Penn’s Woods Foreign students bring international flavor to the Wilkes campus. PHOTO BY DAN Z. JOHNSON Ellen Ferretti ’78 leads state conservation agency. 14 Publication Pathways Creative writing alumni follow many avenues to publish. 18 Coal Crackers Krista Gromalski ’91 launches newspaper written by students in Pennsylvania’s coal region. DEPARTMENTS 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. Wilkes magazine is available online at www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. £:SFPO FSC WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 FEATURES 1 �on campus Pharmacy Professor KarenBeth Bohan Receives Fulbright Grant Anne Skleder Joins Wilkes As Provost And Senior Vice President Getting out of the classroom and into Africa has helped Wilkes pharmacy practice associate professor KarenBeth Bohan develop a greater appreciation for things we take for granted about health care in the United States. Pharmacy training that includes clinical experience in a hospital and the safety and effectiveness of drugs are just two differences that Bohan has noted in her work as a Fulbright Specialist working at Makere University in Uganda. Bohan received a Fulbright Specialist Grant in public/global health work. The grants pair experts in a variety of fields with organizations and educational projects. The goal is that projects funded by the grants will be something that the sponsoring institution can continue after the consultant ends his or her work. Anne A. Skleder has joined Wilkes as its provost and senior vice president. In the position, Skleder is responsible for leading the University’s academic programs and initiatives, working with the deans of its five academic schools and colleges and its faculty. She also will have a major role in implementing initiatives outlined in its strategic plan. Skleder comes to Wilkes from Cabrini College in Radnor, Pa., where she served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of psychology since July 2010. President Patrick F. Leahy cited Skleder’s more than two decades of higher education experience. “Dr. Skleder is a dedicated and extremely knowledgeable member of the higher education community who has had many years of successful experiences as an academic leader,” Leahy says. “She embraces Wilkes’ unique mentoring culture and our belief in the benefits of a liberal arts education.” Skleder was selected for the position following a national search. In speaking about what attracted her to Wilkes, she says, “First and foremost, I felt there was a ‘mission match.’ I am a champion of mentoring, as I have had, and continue to have, amazing mentors who have helped me learn and grow and have pushed me to extend my reach beyond my grasp. I have studied mentoring, and I have tried in as many ways as possible to mentor others. “Second, I felt there was a match between my background and experience and the responsibilities and goals of the position. I am committed to collaborative work, collegial governance, innovation, student success and strategic growth. I saw all of these in the position description.” Before joining Cabrini, Skleder was dean of Chatham College for Women at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. She also served Alvernia University in Reading, Pa., in a number of administrative positions, including vice provost, associate vice president for academic affairs and enrollment management, department chair of psychology, director of the honors program, and founding director of the Center for Community Engagement. Skleder received her doctorate and master’s degree in social and organizational psychology from Temple University and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. “l am working with professionals to develop clinical pharmacy skills...” – Karen Beth Bohan WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Associate Professor, Pharmacy 2 “I am working with professors to develop clinical pharmacy skills, including patient counseling, making dosage recommendations, researching drug interactions and learning how to interact with and talk to health care providers,” Bohan explains, adding that training received by Wilkes pharmacy students already emphasizes those skills. The process to become a pharmacist in Uganda is much different than in the United States, Bohan explains. Unlike the pharmacy program at Wilkes, which awards students a doctor of pharmacy degree at the end of six years of study, the pharmacy program at the African university awards a bachelor’s degree. It provides minimal hands-on experience in hospitals and other health-care settings, primarily emphasizing theory and classroom instruction. Bohan’s project will expand clinical practice for the Makere students. Bohan’s work is an outgrowth of earlier trips to Uganda and Tanzania, that began in summer 2011. Since then, she has made several trips with the students. In addition, Wilkes hosted two pharmacists from Uganda for eight weeks in November and December 2013, helping them to become certified in advanced pharmaceutical care training. Under the grant, Bohan completed her first trip in March, and will travel two more times to Uganda. Readers can follow her progress at her blog, “Out of the Pharmacy Classroom and Into Africa,” by clicking on the blog link on the homepage at www.wilkes.edu. �University Announces Plans for Sidhu School, South Campus Gateway The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership will have a new home in time for fall semester as part of a $4.5 million project announced by the University this spring. The multiphase project includes transforming its University Center on Main located at 169 S. Main St., into the new home of the Above, an artist’s rendering of the new home of the Sidhu School of Business. Courtesy Borton-Lawson. Sidhu School and renovating 141 S. Main St., the former Bartikowsky jewelry store, located next door. The project also envisions creating the South Main Street Gateway – a dramatic entrance to the heart of campus from South Main Street that would stretch through South Franklin Street onto the main campus greenway, the Fenner Quadrangle. The gateway project is expected to be completed some time during the 2014-2015 academic year. Renovation of the University Center on Main, which housed administrative offices, a café and a recreation center, will be completed in time for the start of the new school year in August. Renovations are estimated to cost about $3 million. When completed, the building will include a financial market trading room, smart classrooms, faculty offices and club space. The project is expected to be completed in time for the Sidhu School’s 10th anniversary, which will be celebrated during the 2014-2015 academic year. For more photos of the project, visit www.wilkes.edu/capitalprojects. Wilkes Football Fans Follow The Colonels Year-Round On Social Media Alumni don’t have to wait until the fall to follow Wilkes football. When appointed as the new head coach of the Wilkes University men’s football team, Trey Brown stated that he wanted to rally players, coaches, students and alumni around the team and build a social community on and off campus. He is tackling these aims through a social media campaign initiated this spring. Brown has taken the football team news to Facebook and Twitter, posting videos and photos from team practices and competitions to garner support from players, students and alumni. His players have embraced Brown’s excitement, retweeting and sharing their favorite posts on their own social media accounts. Brown plans to use social media during the season to rouse support from fans at home and in the bleachers. Be sure to check out Wilkes’ YouTube channel for a video of the team’s latest weightlifting competition. Alumni can “like” the team’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WilkesFootball and follow them on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WilkesFootball to show their support for the Blue and Gold. The Wilkes Enactus team placed in the top five out of 100 schools across the United States participating in the Sam’s Club Step Up for Small Business Project Partnership competition. The team also placed second runner-up in its league at the Enactus national competition. The Sam’s Club competition required participating teams to partner with small businesses and provide consultation and marketing services. The team worked with Phil Daniels of Daniels Contracting, an independent firm located in Wilkes-Barre that renovates apartments for student housing and provides emergency contracting services. Sam’s Club issued the students a $1,500 grant, which they used to purchase QuickBooks for Mac and arranged for the Small Business Development Center to teach Daniels how to use the software. The students also purchased and renovated an enclosed utility trailer to provide Daniels with a portable equipment storage container and eliminate the need for multiple trips between job sites. They also provided him with marketing assistance. At the Enactus 2014 National Competition, the team placed second runner-up in its league in the quarter-final round for five projects completed during the 2013–2014 academic year. In addition to the Sam’s Club competition, the projects included assisting the Thrive Wellness Center, a holistic healing center in Kingston, Pa.; the Wilkes University Entrepreneurial Experience Business Plan Competition; The Campbell’s Let’s Can Hunger project partnership; and volunteering at the Ruth’s Place women’s shelter to provide job training and professional development skills to residents. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Enactus Team Wins National Recognitions 3 �on campus Christopher Jagoe Is New Director of Public Safety Wilkes undergraduates, above, took a trip to the Grand Canyon as part of their Semester in Mesa. Pictured, front row from left, Assistant to the Dean for Strategic Initiatives Kristine Pruett, J. Brandon Carey, Ryan Joyce, Dan Lykens. Second row, from left, Doug Cowley, T.J. Zelinka, Alexis Gildea, Joseph Zack, Sara Hagenbach, Andrew Polzella and Alex Planer. Wilkes Students Spend Semester In Mesa Ten Wilkes University students from its northeast Pennsylvania campus participated in a pilot program, Semester in Mesa, allowing them to pursue internship and cultural opportunities in the Arizona city. The program is similar to the University’s Semester in Washington program. The students – all business and engineering majors – are interning with companies that include the City of Mesa Engineering Resources Department, Visit Mesa, the Phoenix Mesa Marriott and Entrepix, a company that provides service to the semiconductor industry. As part of their experience in Mesa, the students took classes at the Mesa Center for Higher Education, where Wilkes is offering classes. The Semester in Mesa builds on Wilkes’ participation in the H.E.A.T. (Healthcare, Education, Aerospace, Technology/ Tourism) Initiative for Economic Development in Mesa. The students and their host companies were recognized at a reception held May 5 in Mesa. Hillary Transue, left, is now a student in the Wilkes graduate creative writing program. PHOTO BY VICKI MAYK Christopher Jagoe has joined Wilkes as its new director of public safety. In this new position, he will direct the University’s public safety officers and will lead efforts to strengthen campus safety and security. Jagoe joins Wilkes with three decades of experience working for the University of Maryland Police Department in College Park, ending his career there as the deputy chief of police. While at Maryland, he managed approximately 100 law enforcement officers and 80 auxiliary police aides. During his career, he served as a patrol officer, detective, supervisor, and director of the university’s police academy. Jagoe says that his broad range of experience allows him to employ a hands-on approach to his job at Wilkes. “I look forward to forging strong relationships with local law enforcement, the fire department, and leaders on campus and in the surrounding community,” Jagoe says. “In partnership with local law enforcement, I will work on issues concerning off-campus student conduct and crime prevention. In everything I do, the safety of our campus community is the primary goal.” Jagoe earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Maryland and also attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico,Va. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Wilkes Partners To Bring Kids For Cash To The Screen 4 Hillary Transue says she has something in common with one of her favorite fictional characters. “I’m like Harry Potter: I’m famous for something that I wish never happened,” Transue says. While Potter survived an attack by the make-believe villain Voldemort, Transue survived a real-life ordeal. She’s referring to her role in the largest scandal ever uncovered in America’s juvenile justice system. At 15, Transue was sent to jail for creating a fake MySpace page about her high school’s vice principal. When Transue was convicted for what many would say was a typical teenage prank and sent to a wilderness camp for delinquents, her mother sought help from Philadelphia’s Juvenile Law Center. An investigation revealed that the judge sentencing her had received millions of dollars in payments from the privately owned juvenile detention centers where he sent the kids he convicted. Transue’s case is one of those highlighted in the new documentary, Kids For Cash, released Feb. 7 by SenArt Films. Today Transue is enrolled in Wilkes University’s master’s degree program in creative writing, where she has a graduate assistantship in the program’s office. She’s studying fiction and creative nonfiction and plans to write a novel for her creative thesis. Wilkes has been a supporter of the Kids For Cash documentary, which was produced and directed by Robert May, a member of the creative writing program’s advisory board. Students profiled in the film were offered opportunities to enroll at Wilkes. Transue is the first to do so. Wilkes’ support of the film also included providing office space for May’s company, SenArt Films, as well as office and editing space and housing for members of his crew. Graduate assistants from Wilkes’ creative writing program, provided hundreds of hours of labor and gained valuable experience, working as researchers and production assistants on the film. The Wilkes facilities and public safety departments, among many others on campus, provided additional support for the film. �athletics BALANCING ACT Ally Kristofco Balanced Tennis And Two Majors On Way To Degree As captain of Wilkes University’s women’s tennis team, Ally Kristofco ’14 has plenty of experience keeping balls in the air. It’s a skill that’s come in handy throughout her college career, as she’s balanced athletics with the academic responsibilities of double-majoring in marketing and Spanish. “It’s been a juggling act, but I’m really happy I was able to make it work and finish on time,” Kristofco, who graduated this spring, says. “Knowing I had to juggle both things helped me because I would actually use the free time I had to focus on my school work. If I didn’t have anything else to do I might have gotten lazy. In having that structure, if I had two hours I knew I should start on something or read something or be more active.” Driven as Kristofco is, however, the importance of giving back remains a major motivating factor for her. This April, she spearheaded efforts to create the Pink Day tennis charity event, raising money to benefit breast cancer research. “My mother had battled breast cancer and, so far so good, she’s a survivor. That’s the motivation behind it. There’s another girl on the team whose mother had breast cancer, so it’s something we’re passionate about and believe in,” Kristofco says. “The tennis team hasn’t really done something like this before, and I’d wanted to do something like this for a while, so it seemed like a great way for us to get involved and give back. It’s a team effort, not just mine. I think this is something that can be passed on and really grow into something that Wilkes tennis can be proud of and continue to do in the future.” It’s hardly surprising the future is on Kristofco’s mind. Her tireless work ethic certainly seems to have paid off, earning her a 3.75 grade-point average, a spot on the dean’s list every semester and membership in the Delta Mu Delta business honor society, among other honors. Kristofco believes the achievements and education she received at Wilkes will continue to open doors for her as she decides whether to go first to grad school or directly into the job market. Ideally, Kristofco says she hopes to find work that will allow her to use both of her Wilkes degrees. Her participation in Wilkes’ 2012 study abroad program in Rome only whetted the adventurous Hollidaysburg, Pa., native’s appetite to see the world. “I love to travel,” she said. “I would definitely like to go to Brazil someday. I would love to see Rio and some of Latin America because I’ve never been there. I’d love to go places where I can use my Spanish and really see the culture firsthand.” Ally Kristofco ’14 scored in the classroom and on the court. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 By Bill Thomas ’13 5 �WORLDLY WAYS By Vicki Mayk MFA ’13 FOREIGN STUDENTS BRING INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR TO WILKES CAMPUS WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Bowen Wang hated to do it, but he had to be honest with the other students on his integrated management experience team. They had taken him to a Chinese buffet. “I had to tell them it wasn’t real Chinese food,” the freshman in the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership says laughing. “Not like what we have in China.” But Wang also speaks warmly about the team from one of his first business classes at Wilkes. “Our team name was the word ‘business’ in Chinese,” he says with a grin. The fact that the Sidhu School is named for an alumnus who came to Wilkes as an international student – Jay Sidhu MBA ’73 – makes Wang’s next comment even more gratifying. 6 Above, international students try out the tradition of coloring Easter eggs. Pictured from left, are Victoria Grasso, Evana Manandhar ’14, Deanna Moore ’14 and Yujia Jiang. Below, Bowen Wang likes life at Wilkes. PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON “Coming to Wilkes is the best choice I ever made,” he says. That’s high praise from any freshman. For one who traveled more than 6,600 miles from his home in Rizhao, Shandong Province, to attend the University, it’s an extraordinary affirmation of the educational experience. “I cannot say enough good things about Wilkes,” says Wang “I will have more opportunities to practice my English here and master the language than at a large university with many Chinese students.” The university’s size matters in other ways too. “This is a small university, big enough to develop myself, but small enough so that professors give you attention,” he says, adding, “Everybody is so nice to me. They know how difficult it is to come here from another country, and they are very patient.” Wang is one of a growing number of international students at Wilkes. Internationals have long been part of the campus. But in the last decade, thanks to recruitment efforts targeting foreign students and strong programs to support them once enrolled, numbers have increased. During the 2013-2014 academic year, 255 international students were enrolled for academic classes or in the Intensive English Program. Wilkes has the largest population of international students of any college in northeast Pennsylvania. The experience of being a foreign student has changed over the years. International students have enrolled at Wilkes at least since the 1950s. At one time, such students found their way to Wilkes via personal relationships between administrators and faculty and their foreign counterparts. More recently, the University’s admissions team has started to recruit internationally. �SELLING WILKES WORLDWIDE Xiaoqiao Zhang ’10 understands the challenges of studying in the United States. She remembers the adjustments that she had to make when she came here as a high school student from her native China. Her experiences as an international student who made the most of her Wilkes education also made Zhang the perfect choice to become Wilkes’ first international recruiter. Her position was created in 2012. “This job is very personal. It’s my alma mater,” Zhang declares. “I want to make this school as well-known and appreciated as I want it to be.” She admits that it’s sometimes challenging to sell Wilkes to families in China. Schools with high name recognition, such as Ivy League institutions, are top of the list for many. Zhang emphasizes her own undergraduate success – which included playing varsity tennis, high-profile internships with television networks and going to graduate school at Columbia University – when recruiting. Zhang travels to China for six weeks at a time, speaking at college fairs in multiple cities. “I tell them that the language environment here is what made my English so good,” she says when Chinese parents compliment her fluency. “I tell them that you want to go to a school that prepares you to be the best, where you’ll get personal attention and many opportunities. That school is Wilkes.” A tireless cheerleader for the University, there is now a cadre of Chinese students on campus who call her “Mama Xiao” and come to her for advice on navigating life in the States. Staff in the Center for Global Education and Diversity also has recruited in South America. Companies specializing in international recruitment organize such trips. College and university representatives travel to a series of organized college fairs, where students and parents can talk to them at their school’s booth. Saudi Arabian students are a strong presence at Wilkes because the University participates in the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission’s King Abdullah Scholarship Program that pays for students to study in the United States. Once those students succeed at Wilkes, their friends and family members are more likely to attend. There is strong interest in attending school in the United States, says Melanie O’Donnell Wade ’93, Wilkes vice president for enrollment, and schools are wise to leverage it. “Almost every young person in America has something highly coveted by people in all other countries – and that’s the education at our colleges and universities,” Wade says. “To be the international destination for higher education is something we should be proud of.” Wade says that international students are good for the University because of the tuition dollars they bring. But she emphasizes that there other important reasons why it’s good for Wilkes to have a globally diverse student body. “It is valuable for our domestic students to be exposed to students from other countries,” Wade states. “Many of our students, as first-generation college students, have never traveled beyond this region. The working world they are going to enter is an international one. One of the best ways to prepare them is to have a student body that is internationally diverse. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Xiaoqiao Zhang ’10 mans the Wilkes booth at an event in China. PHOTOS COURTESY OF XIAOQIAO ZHANG 7 �CRASH COURSE IN CULTURE On the Thursday before spring semester begins, the first floor of the Max Roth Center hums with the sound of different languages. Saudi Arabian students, the women’s heads wrapped in the colorful scarves called hijabs, cluster on one side of the room. A Chinese student clutches a cup of coffee in one hand and a stack of papers in the other. Others navigate around a table of refreshments. The international student orientation introduces the students to Wilkes. It’s also a crash course in United States culture and a time to process the paperwork required by the Department of Homeland Security in order for international students to study here. Welcoming them all is Georgia Costalas, executive director of the Center for Global Education and Diversity and director of international student services. For two days before the start of each semester, Costalas and her staff, plus a team of work-study students, prepare a new group of international students to begin their American college experience. “It’s amazing: People will be coming in the door who don’t speak English,” says Costalas. “We’ll have 40 kids in here speaking different languages, all having questions and different needs. We collect about eight different documents from each student, so one of our work-study students is a runner, taking them upstairs to copy and returning it to me.” The center was started in 2008 to address the needs of a growing population of international students. The two-day orientation includes a workshop about the F-1 visa, which foreign visitors must have to study in the United States. There are parameters for students with such a visa: They may have jobs on campus, but not off. They must be enrolled in school full time. Paperwork must be filed and protocols followed if an international student returns home during summer or holiday break. Other sessions during the two-day orientation include campus tours (complete with translators), a resource lunch to introduce students to campus services and an academic protocols session. The latter, Costalas says, is particularly important. Below, playing Uno is a tradition among Wilkes international students at the weekly Global Coffee Hour. Above, Georgia Costalas, executive director of the Center for Global Education and Diversity, works with all foreign students as director of international student services. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON 10 8 We cover aspects of U.S. culture that affect the U.S. classroom,” Costalas says. “The concept of time and how we demonstrate respect are two examples of things that can be quite different. We have to explain to our international students that being late for class can be viewed as a sign of disrespect.” Arguing critically in class – an accepted part of class discussions in the United States – seems like a sign of disrespect for the professor to foreign students. Becoming accustomed to these cultural differences takes time. The center is the hub of life for foreign students, a place where they bring questions and concerns and also a place to socialize. The center staff supports student clubs promoting cultural diversity. They include the Asian Interest Society, the Hindu Spirituality Club, the Indian Cultural Association and the Saudi Interest Club. The clubs hold events that allow other members of the University community to learn more about their cultures. The center and the Intensive English Program sponsor trips to places like a New York Yankees baseball game. It also sponsors the weekly Global Coffee Hour, held in the Savitz Lounge of the Henry Student Center. Coffee hour traditions – such as cutthroat Uno card games – keep students coming back for camaraderie and refreshments. An American student, Deanna Moore ’14, organized the coffee hours for the past four years until graduation in May. Her goal was to attract more students by adding themes and special programs. For example, one event featured two chefs from the Wilkes-Barre restaurant Katana who taught attendees how to roll their own sushi. Moore, a management major and international studies minor from Tobyhanna, Pa., enjoys working with international students – so much so that she hopes to continue after graduation. She grew up appreciating cultural differences because her father and grandfather had military careers and lived in other countries. “It’s an entirely different world,” she says of working at the center. “It brings a different culture to Wilkes that so many people don’t know about.” She is proud that events like international orientation do more than provide information.They also are the starting point for campus friendships. “My sophomore year, I knew we were doing something right when new international students would jump up and down and wave at me from across the greenway,” Moore says. Moore also participated in another program – Global Thanksgiving – that pairs international students with faculty, staff and student families to experience the American holiday. Accounting student Yujia Jiang from Fuzhou in China’s Fujian Province, spent Thanksgiving 2011 with Moore’s family. “That is what solidified my friendship with Yujia,” says Moore. “When Yujia’s mom came here, she asked if our families could meet. My mother, sister and I got together with them while she was here.” �For many international students, the first stop on their Wilkes journey is Hollenback Hall. The building across from Farley Library on South Franklin Street is the home of the Intensive English Program. The program has five class levels progressing in difficulty from level one, for students with little or no English language skills, to level five for students who have almost mastered the language well enough to begin taking classes at Wilkes. Classes are taught year-round, and students take up to a year and a half to master English. Only students scoring high enough on the TOEFL or IELTS exams are exempt from taking intensive English classes before they can enroll in regular classes.TOEFL is the Test Of English as a Foreign Language.The program also sponsors a conversation partners program pairing American students with an international student who wants to practice speaking English. In her first-floor classroom, Dee Balice, one of five program teachers, is addressing her level two class. Balice’s level two students – one man and six women, all from Saudi Arabia – are still challenged when expressing their thoughts orally or in writing English. “In English, please!” Balice – known as Mrs. B. – admonishes them good naturedly. “I don’t know Arabic.” An energetic woman with short dark hair and glasses perched on the edge of her nose, Balice hands back folders containing the first draft of an essay about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. She turns to the blackboard and draws a diagram of a table. “One of the biggest problems that students have is learning that they need to have supporting ideas,” Balice says as she completes the drawing.“All students, not just international students. Each major point must have a supporting idea.Without those legs, the table top falls.” Balice uses many methods to illustrate her points. To explain the meaning of the English word affectionate, she shows students a picture of her cat cuddling at home. “That’s affectionate,” she explains. The class breaks into individual groups to work and she circulates among them to talk one-on-one about their writing. Offering encouragement here, a suggestion for improvement there, she pauses and raises her voice slightly. “Class, Hidayh used a very good word that I want to share with all of you.Violation,” she says as she writes it on the board. “It means breaking a law.” Balice challenges the students and most rise to her expectations. Student Mansi Ashkan says, “Every international student should have a teacher like Mrs. B.” Wilkes’ Intensive English Program is accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation – now a requirement for such programs thanks to 2012 federal legislation. The Wilkes program is the only one to receive accreditation through 2024. Kimberly Niezgoda directs the program, which was established at Wilkes in 2006 to strengthen services for the international population. Preparing foreign students for the demands of English in college classrooms is far different than teaching conversational skills. Balice uses many methods to illustrate her points. To explain the meaning of the English word affectionate, she shows students a picture of her cat cuddling at home. “That’s affectionate,” she explains. Top, Dee Balice explains a point to her class. PHOTO BY KNOT JUST ANY DAY. Bottom, Kimberly Niezgoda directs Wilkes’ Intensive English Program which prepares international students for college-level work in English. PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 MAKING THE ADJUSTMENT 9 �WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 10 “These students aren’t just learning to speak English,” Niezgoda explains. “They are learning academic English. About 5,000 words are needed to survive in English. American high school graduates have about 20,000 academic words as they enter college.” If language is the first and greatest adjustment for international students, there’s one thing that clearly ranks second. Bowen Wang remembers that Xiaoqiao Zhang counseled him to buy a 40-meal plan in the cafeteria. “I still have most of them. I haven’t used them,” he says. Eating American cuisine also was cited as a concern by the Saudi students in Dee Balice’s class. The food dilemma leads many internationals to live off campus. “We can cook our own food – but sometimes I have to go to New York to find things I want,” says Yujiya Jiang. Like her American counterparts, going to college and living off campus has helped her to develop life skills. “When I was at home, I couldn’t cook, do dishes or wash my own clothes. My father said it was time for me to grow up. I’ve become more independent.” Weather also is an issue for students from places like the Bahamas or Saudi Arabia. Andrew Asare ’14, a mechanical engineering major from Ghana, sums up the experience.“The weather was difficult,” Asare says.“I had never seen snow or been exposed to such cold temperatures. I learned to layer up and got gloves.” Asare says he had help navigating life in America because his three older brothers attended college here. His brother Geoffrey attended Tufts University, his brother Phillp went to the University of Pennsylvania and Ernest went to Arcadia University and then to graduate school at Columbia University. His younger brother, Edward, a junior computer science major, followed him to Wilkes. “My mom wanted me to be close to my brothers so I would have a support system,” Asare explains. All of the students said culture shock in a broader sense stems from differences between their country’s standards for manners and accepted behavior and what is acceptable in America. The differences are often complicated and can range from what is the proper way to show respect for faculty to how loud students can be in the cafeteria. Among the most significant cultural differences are those experienced by Saudi Arabian women who come to the United States. “The women here have freedom. They can drive and can walk anywhere they want,” says Norah Aldharman. In her country, women cannot drive cars or travel alone. A husband or male relative accompany most of the Saudi women who come to Wilkes. Aldharman and fellow students Ahlam Almaki and Maryam Al-Marnoon say Americans frequently ask questions about their dress, which includes the traditional hijab, a scarf covering their hair. Top, Mansi Ashkan participates in an intensive English class. PHOTO BY KNOT JUST ANY DAY. Middle, brothers Edward and Andrew Asare of Ghana adjusted to life at Wilkes as players on the soccer team. PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON Bottom, Maryam Al-Marnoon listens intently to instruction in English. PHOTO BY KNOT JUST ANY DAY. �FINDING FRIENDSHIP • As an international student at Wilkes University, Fahad Hamad Aldubayan ’84 received advice from his physics professor that he carries with him to this day: “Take care of your studies and your homework, and your grades will take care of themselves.” International students socialize at the Global Coffee Hour. Pictured front from left, graduate students Parashumrama Mariyappa and Sirisha Thimmapuran and back, Hussein and Adnan Salamah. PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON Yohanna de los Santos Maria ’09 heard a radio ad for Wilkes University while visiting her parents in the Wilkes-Barre area from her native Dominican Republic. Longing to attend college in the United States, and at her dad’s nudging, she sat down with a Wilkes admissions counselor. When Felixa Wingen ’09 came to Wilkes from Bonn University in her native Germany, she went from being an anonymous student among 35,000 at the European school to being greeted by name by professors. Learn about three alumni who came to the University as international students, read their success stories and see where their Wilkes education has taken them. To access this exclusive Web content, go to www.wilkes.edu/internationalalumni WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 For every student, a circle of friends is a significant part of their Wilkes experience. The process of forming these relationships is more complicated for internationals dealing with issues of language and culture. Business students like Bowen Wang and Yujia Jiang have made friends through classes. “Everything for a business major is teamwork,” Wang says. A team of a different sort helped Andrew Asare find his place at Wilkes. He and his brother Edward are both soccer players. “I started here in fall 2010,” Asare recalls. “It was really nice to have welcoming teammates. I can’t imagine not knowing anyone when I came here. Coach (Phil) Wingert has guided me all four years.” Although it can be more challenging for others still mastering English, the atmosphere is positive. “All American people to me are friendly,” says Saudi student Mansi Ashkan. Alumna Felixa Wingen ’09 who came to Wilkes from Germany and is the former assistant director of the Center for Global Education and Diversity, says such positive impressions are due to the Wilkes culture. “What really makes Wilkes a great place for international students are the staff and faculty, people who are caring,” Wingen says. “Any international student struggles – but to know you have so many you can turn to – that’s something that so many students know when they’re there.” That this should be the overall impression is as important for Wilkes as it is for the international students, says Costalas of the Center for Global Education and Diversity. “Wilkes is the ‘America’ they are experiencing. When they return and talk about what America is like, they will be talking about the America that a Wilkes student sees and is part of.” 11 �Ellen Ferretti ’78 enjoys a spring afternoon in Frances Slocum State Park. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 PHOTO BY DAN Z. JOHNSON 12 �A PASSION FOR PENN’S WOODS Ellen Ferretti ’78 - Leads State Conservation Agency By Helen Kaiser and Quad Three Group. She was vice president of ARRIS Engineering Group in Wilkes-Barre, a land protection specialist for the Nature Conservancy, and director of environmental resources at Borton-Lawson Engineering, Wilkes-Barre. She came to DCNR from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council where she served as vice president of its northeast regional office. She cited her conservation work at the council as an accomplishment of which she is particularly proud. “We were part of what has grown into a very healthy land trust movement in northeastern Pennsylvania,” she says. “We also formed the Wyoming Valley Watershed Coalition which has implemented stream clean-ups and created RiverFest with its yearly kayaking events on the Susquehanna.” In her current role, Ferretti encounters the significant challenges that accompany the Marcellus shale gas play. She and other officials must weigh the mega industry’s boon to economic development and energy independence against the critical concerns of local communities and environmentalists. Ellen Ferretti ’78, Dallas, Pa. Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science, Wilkes Career: Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, overseeing the state’s 300,000 acres of state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest land. Favorite Wilkes Place: Hanging out with fellow commuter students in the old student union, which at that time was in a converted church— “a lovely little one-room building, smack in the middle of campus.” “We never stop listening to the public’s input, and there are many interest groups. For every one position for an issue you can find another against it,” she says. The state does not own about 80 percent of the mineral rights in state parks, or 20 percent in its forests, but DCNR believes it can strongly influence developers and ensure access that minimizes the impact of drilling, Ferretti says. “Our state forest system has been independently certified for the 16th year in a row, validating that we are managing in a way that protects its long-term health, even with energy production activity related to the Marcellus Shale,” Ferretti says. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Ellen Ferretti ’78 grew up in the Cork Lane section of Pittston Township, Luzerne County—where the neighborhood houses were just steps away from each other. Families often packed picnics and took Sunday drives to get away from it all and appreciate the riches of nature. “I always loved the outdoors,” she says. “We would enjoy the lakes, swimming beaches, pavilions and hiking at Tobyhanna and Gouldsboro state parks.” Now, some 50 years later, Ferretti oversees Pennsylvania’s 120 parks and its 20 forest districts as secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Confirmed to the cabinet post in December, Ferretti had served as acting secretary for several months and as deputy for parks and forestry since June 2011. Her background includes more than 20 years in private industry and nonprofit conservation posts. “Here (at DCNR) we deal with both private sector firms and nonprofits, so it’s easy for me to relate to them,” she says. “When you understand from the ground up how to build a program or start a project, how to assess and how to implement, it informs your decision making.You have a true appreciation of what’s involved.” With an annual budget of $315 million, DCNR is charged with: maintaining and preserving nearly 300,000 acres of state parks; managing 2.2 million acres of state forest land; providing information on the state’s ecological and geologic resources; and establishing community conservation partnership. Ferretti’s passion for her life’s work developed while at Pittston Area High School in the early 1970s, just as environmental concerns were gaining a hold on the nation’s consciousness. She remembers being active in the Ecology Club and in paper recycling at school. Fortunate to live near the inspiring backdrop of northeastern Pennsylvania’s pristine natural resources, Ferretti also was within commuting distance of Wilkes—which offered cutting-edge education in environmental science. She began her degree work in biology and switched as a junior to environmental science. Both provided a “solid foundation” for her career. Opting out of the workforce for 10 years after college while her three children were young, Ferretti later took consulting roles with Westinghouse Environmental and Geotechnical Services 13 �PUBLICATION PATHWAYS CREATIVE WRITING ALUMNI FOLLOW MANY AVENUES TO PUBLISH By Bill Schneider MA ’13 As the Wilkes graduate creative writing program nears its 10th anniversary, director and co-founder Bonnie Culver is discussing plans for a celebration to be held during the January 2015 residency. “We’ve been gathering information about our alums, faculty and current students,” says Culver. “Our plan is to produce a celebratory book that offers a snapshot of what everyone connected to the program has done and continues to do.” Culver, who recently was named president of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs’ national board of trustees, says the book project will showcase alumni and faculty from the program and their successes in a variety of outlets. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 ............................................................................................................ 14 Morowa Yejide’s novel Time of the Locust tells the story of a 7-year-old autistic boy and his supernatural relationship with his incarcerated father. For Yejide MFA ’12, it’s also a tale of persistence. She worked for two years to find a publisher for the novel, which will be released in June 2014 by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. The book also was named one of the 10 finalists for the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction after what she describes as a soul-crushing effort to find an agent. The prize is given to a work of high literary merit that addresses issues of social justice. Yejide described her relationship with a very large publisher to be like standing on a large platform with a microphone, providing her a chance to shout above the crowd. “There are no guarantees in today’s publishing world,” she says. “It’s sink or swim. When I signed with Atria, I went in expecting to continue to push my work largely on my own… to continue to navigate my little boat. Now there is this larger trade wind behind me that might help to move me along a little better.” For Yejide and other alumni of Wilkes graduate creative writing program, the road to publication is not easy. But there are more ways to travel that road than ever before. Today, writers have an unprecedented number of avenues in which to publish their work, from traditional mainstream presses to independent boutique presses, e-books and team publishing, an innovative concept that relies on social media to promote and generate book sales. Morowa Yejide MFA ’12’s debut novel, Time of the Locust, is publishing in June 2014. �Recent releases by creative writing alumni illustrate the many paths to publication. INDEPENDENT PRESSES, SPECIALIZED IMPRINTS Alumna Barbara Taylor MA ’08 also found a home at Kaylie Jones Books for her book Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night. The novel is set in 1913 Scranton, Pa., a time of coal mining, vaudeville and evangelism. It tells the story of 8-year-old Violet, blamed for the death of her 9-year-old sister, Daisy. Releasing in July 2014, the book was named one of the top summer reads by Publisher’s Weekly. “Akashic has an impeccable reputation, and Kaylie Jones is already making her mark in the industry,” Taylor says. “They’ve included me in every decision, from cover design to marketing. This is a safe place to land for a first-time author.” Kaylie Jones Books, an imprint of Akashic Press, published Unmentionables and Sing In The Morning, Cry At Night. I..AIJ LClfWIINS ll,I ............ WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Laurie Loewenstein MA ’07’s novel, Unmentionables, became the flagship publication of Kaylie Jones Books, a new imprint of Akashic Books, a Brooklyn-based company. The imprint was founded in 2013 by Wilkes creative writing faculty member Kaylie Jones with the goal of publishing quality books unable to find a home with mainstream publishers. Set in 1917, Loewenstein’s novel is the story of a traveling dress reform orator who agitates for enlightenment and justice, throwing into turmoil a small Midwestern town’s unspoken rules governing social order, women and Negroes, with little time for insight into her own motives and extreme loneliness. Unmentionables was under contract with an agent for two years, but never sold. Loewenstein made at least 60 submissions of short stories as well as applications to writing colonies, none of which was accepted. Success came with the publication of Unmentionables, which served as her capstone project in the Wilkes creative writing program. 15 �A prize paved the way to publication for Todd McClimans MA ’12. His book, Time Traitor, is a novel about time travel and treachery that takes two contemporary sixth graders back to the Revolutionary War to foil the plot of America’s most infamous traitor, Gen. Benedict Arnold. McClimans did not submit his manuscript to any publishers; however, he queried several dozen agents without getting beyond the slush pile of unsolicited manuscripts and form rejections. The difference was a children’s book award contest he entered through the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Time Traitor became one of five finalists out of 2,000 entries and gained recognition from Northampton House Press, founded by novelist and Wilkes creative writing faculty member David Poyer. Northampton publishes fiction, romance, nonfiction, memoir and poetry as e-books and print editions. Northampton House also published Heather Harlen MA’07’s thriller, Hope You Guess My Name. The book is about an event planner from northeastern Pennsylvania whose quarter-life crisis coincides with a sinister outdoor competition. Harlen queried about 10 agents before connecting with Northampton House. “There are many advantages to an indie press,” Harlen says. “The common denominator is great writing.” She credits Northampton’s success with being run by professionals who know the business inside and out. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 MORE 16 ON THE WEB Join us for Wilkes Summer Reads, a chance to win copies of the books featured in this story. Every week in July and August, starting July 7, visit our online magazine, read an excerpt from that week’s featured book and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of that week’s book. Go to http://www.wilkes.edu/SummerReads to read excerpts and learn more. Time Traitor above, and Hope You Guess My Name were published by Northampton House Press. �SMALL PRESS SUCCESS Brian Fanelli MFA ’10’s All That Remains is a collection of narrative, working-class poetry. He sent his manuscript to fewer than 10 publishers and poetry contests before being published by Unbound Content, a small press that Fanelli says focuses on everything from social media to creating website author pages. “They’ve done a nice job getting the book reviewed by many journals I respect, including Harpur Palate, PANK, Off the Coast and The Pedestal Magazine.” Fanelli’s book was a finalist for the Tillie Olsen Award, given by the Working Class Studies Association for a work of creative writing focusing on working class issues. Poems in the book also were nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Poems from All That Remains were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. ............................................................................................................ Booktrope Editions has a goal to reinvent the standard top-down publishing process. Its website describes it as a team publishing platform and social marketing engine. Authors create an online publishing team to edit, design and market a book. The team shares profits. All books are available in e-books, print and web versions. This approach stood out when Gale Martin MA ’10 began directly querying publishers. Booktrope published Martin’s novels Don Juan in Hankey, PA in 2011 and Grace Unexpected in 2012. Her third novel, Who Killed ‘Tom Jones’?, was published in January 2014. The novel takes the reader on an unexpected journey when a leading contestant in a Tom Jones impersonators festival is murdered, and a single young woman is determined to catch the killer and preserve her best chance at finding romance. “Booktrope sends a book to market very quickly–usually within six months of acceptance,” Martin says. “Additionally, they had amassed a great deal of expertise regarding digital publishing–where to sell e-books, who buys them, and how to market to e-book buyers, knowledge I personally lacked.” Who Killed ‘Tom Jones’? is Gale Martin MA ’10’s third book. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 TEAM PUBLISHING 17 �COAL CRACKERS WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Krista Gromalski ’91 Launches Newspaper Written By Students in Pennsylvania’s Coal Region | By Bill Thomas ’13 18 Several members of the Coal Cracker staff are gathered around a table, discussing story ideas for the independent newspaper’s next issue. On the agenda is a look at the current state of music programs in area schools, the first installment of a humorous advice column and a historical retrospective focusing on the effects of the infamous Centralia mine fire. It’s a scene you’d find in any newsroom, except this one is on the second floor of the Mahanoy City Public Library in Schuylkill County, Pa. The reporters range in age from 8 to 14. “I came upon this idea at a time in my life where I was thinking a lot about where I’m from. This area has great history, but it is changing,” Coal Cracker creator Krista Gromalski ’91 says, referring to Mahanoy City, her hometown and the base of operations for the fledgling newspaper. “I thought it would be important to focus on those issues and have a conversation about them.You could do that with a bunch of adults, but that’s just the same thing we’ve always done. Here, we’re starting at the ground level with kids. We’re getting them involved in the discussion and showing back to the community what the young people are thinking, exploring this place through their eyes.” The first issue of Coal Cracker was published in March 2014 and, for now, the paper is on a bimonthly schedule. It is distributed in bulk through local business and a growing subscription list. The current budget – including grant funding from the New York-based Community Reporting Alliance – allows for a total of six issues, though Gromalski is optimistic that plans to include advertising in future issues will help Coal Cracker continue beyond that. “I basically spent the last decade of my life trying to make this project happen. There were a lot of people – my family, for instance – who said ‘This is a great idea, but it’s never going to work here,’ ” Gromalski says with a laugh. “It’s hard to explain a concept without having a concrete example to show people. Thankfully, I also had some loyal supporters who helped me through the process, and now that it’s a real, concrete thing and people can see it, the response has been ‘Oh, we love this.’ New people show up at every meeting.” Joining the Coal Cracker staff is free and open to any interested young people in and around the Mahanoy City area, with no prior experience required. She recruited the staff via outreach to local schools, the library and through social media. Gromalski mentors her young staff alongside fellow Wilkes alumna Sandra Long ’86, with whom she also founded Heron’s Eye Communications, a publishing, marketing and project management firm. Among Coal Cracker’s staff is 14-year-old Serena Bennett. Though she’s had more experience writing fiction, Bennett’s article about the importance of farming in the local economy, written for Coal Cracker’s first issue, was a double milestone. It was her first published piece of journalistic writing and also the paper’s first front-page story. “I think I’ve learned more in the three meetings we’ve had here than in two weeks of school,” Bennet says. Wilkes communication studies Professor Jane Elmes-Crahall, who taught and advised Gromalski when she was at Wilkes, recalls Gromalski reacting with similar excitement to the numerous political debates hosted on campus at the time. “Watching people share opposing viewpoints, she loved that. Advocacy made sense to her. Where a lot of students could be apathetic, she wasn’t,” Elmes-Crahall says. “I think (the Coal Cracker) is Krista recalling what it is to be a kid with an opinion, who is otherwise not encouraged to be heard.” Gromalski hopes this project will provide her young staff with the same skills and inspiration she received during her time at Wilkes. “I went to Wilkes to study journalism, and studying PR communications under Jane Elmes-Crahall, I learned more about the strategic angle of messaging, communication with a purpose,” Gromalski says. “I learned that your writing can have an impact on others. It can affect their perspectives, and it can cause them to take action.” Below, Gromalski counsels two student journalists. Opposite, Krista Gromalski ’91 recalls her roots in the coal region with her youth newspaper. PHOTOS BY CHUCK ZOVKO �Krista Gromalski ’91 Bachelor of Arts, communication studies, Wilkes Master of Arts, sustainable business and communities, with a concentration in youth-led engagement journalism, Goddard College Career: Co-founded Heron’s Eye Communications in 2006 with fellow Wilkes alumna Sandra Long ’86. Notable: Founder of Coal Cracker, a youth-led newspaper reporting on the culture and issues of the coal region in Schuylkill County, Pa. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Favorite Wilkes memory: Rowing practice as part of the Crew Team at 5 a.m., during which she was able to take in the scenery of the Susquehanna River and Falls, Pa., gaining a new perspective on the city of Wilkes-Barre from the river banks near Market Street Bridge. 19 �alumni news Alumni celebrate Homecoming. ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ELECTS NEW LEADERS The Alumni Association Board of Directors held its annual election and welcomed both new and returning members to the organization. Longtime volunteer Cindy Charnetski ’97 was named president. “I am so honored to have been chosen by this amazing group to be president of the Alumni Association. Wilkes has been a part of my life since I was very young due to my dad being a professor and my involvement has never stopped. I am proud to live in the community where Wilkes University continues to grow and advance our area. It is such an exciting time under the leadership of President Leahy, and I am very excited to be part of developing new opportunities and initiatives for our alumni,” she says. Ellen Stamer Hall ’71 was elected vice president and Tony DaRe ’00, Matthew Berger ’02 and Cheryl Jaworski MBA ’09 will begin terms as new board members. Outgoing president Tom Ralston ’80, who has served the Alumni Association in this role for the past three years, remains on the board as historian and Kathy Heltzel ’82 MBA ’85 was appointed to the role of secretary. These individuals will begin their terms in June 2014. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Alumni Association board and committees, contact the alumni office at alumni@wilkes.edu or (570) 408-7787. SHARE THE SPIRIT WITH WILKES AT HOMECOMING, SEPT. 26-28, 2014 In addition to annual favorites such as Pints with Professors, the Tailgate Tent and the Twist and Stout Downtown Bar Tour, some new plans are in store this Homecoming: • The George Ralston Golf Classic – On Friday, Sept. 26, Wilkes University and the Wilkes-Barre Rotary will combine efforts to present a new tournament in honor of George Ralston. “It makes perfect sense for our institutions to work together on the tournament. Wilkes and the Wilkes-Barre Rotary were two of my dad’s passions, and I think he would love the idea of bringing them together in this way,” says Tom Ralston ’80. The tournament will be at 9:30 a.m. at Edgewood in the Pines in Drums, Pa., and proceeds benefit the Osterhout Library. • Share the Spirit: A Celebration of Athletics at Wilkes – Join former athletes and coaches, current student-athletes, alumni and friends for a casual evening of fun in the Marts Gym on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 27. Our guest of honor will be Bo Ryan ’69, University of Wisconsin men’s basketball coach and member of Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame. • Reunions at the Tailgate Tent - if you’re a member of one or more of these groups, we look forward to celebrating with you this fall! Class years ending in 4 and 9, A-List, The Beacon – celebrating 80 years, communication studies, lettermen and letterwomen, political science, psychology, the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership and WCLH – celebrating 40 years. In a few weeks, you’ll receive a registration brochure in the mail that lists all of the weekend’s activities. In the meantime, check www.wilkes.edu/homecoming and www.facebook.com/ WilkesAlumni for the latest homecoming information. .......................................................................................................... WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 THIRD-GENERATION COLONEL RECEIVES ALUMNI SCHOLARSHIP 20 More than 200 members of the Wilkes community gathered in the Henry Student Center on March 27, 2014, for the University’s annual Scholarship Luncheon. Tara Giarratano, a freshman English major from Mountain Top, Pa., was this year’s recipient of the Alumni Association Scholarship. A third-generation Colonel, Tara was joined at the luncheon by her mother, Barbara Michael Giarratano ’89, and her grandfather, Anthony Michael ’74, pictured at left. Tara lives in Waller Hall, which is the same mansion her mother lived in when she was a Wilkes student. �giving back Attending college can be a challenge for any student. Thanks to the support of her parents and guidance from her high school counselor, Anthony Perrone, and encouragement from Wilkes faculty, Patricia A. Patrician ’82 graduated from Wilkes with a nursing degree while also being a single parent. She became a lifelong learner, earning additional degrees and success in her professional endeavors. Currently the Banton Endowed Professor of Nursing at the University of Alabama School of Nursing, Patrician now gives back to Wilkes through a scholarship she created in honor of her parents: the Frank and Anna (Elchinski) Markiewicz Memorial Scholarship. It will be awarded to a nursing student from the Wyoming Valley who demonstrates financial need with first preference given to a single parent. In the following interview, Patrician talks about her scholarship. Why did you decide to start a scholarship for Wilkes students? There is a growing need to support education for the next generation. With the rising costs of tuition, there are a lot of talented individuals who cannot afford to go to college. I believe the best gift we can give to the next generation is a quality education. This is not just a one-time gift; an endowed scholarship is akin to leaving a legacy. Why did you choose to name it in honor of your parents? My parents instilled in me a strong work ethic and a love for family. While in high school, I was married, had my daughter, and became a single parent, all before high school graduation. When things did not work out in my marriage, my daughter and I moved into my parents’ home and they helped me out a great deal while I finished high school and then college. They did not have much to give monetarily – both had only eighth grade education levels because they had to quit school and work to help their respective families. My Dad was my biggest cheerleader throughout my life and encouraged me to go further and further in my education and my career. I think he was especially proud that I went into the Army as an officer and earned the rank of colonel before retiring after 26 years of service. So I want to leave a legacy bearing my parents’ names so they will not be forgotten and live on in some way long after I am gone. How did the opportunities you received by attending Wilkes shape you as a person? I want to give back to Wilkes because I was given an excellent start in life to pursue my dreams and instilled in me the gift of a desire for lifelong learning. Wilkes was ahead of the time in nursing education in the 1970s and 1980s. I joined the Army Nurse Corps soon after graduating in 1982, and met brand new nurses like me, from all over the country. I felt that my education at Wilkes was superior because I had perfected many technical skills that my new colleagues had not had the opportunity to practice due to fewer clinical opportunities. Another important lesson from Wilkes was the value of research. We had a research course in the nursing program and the assignment was to prepare a research proposal. Not many other undergraduate programs had such a focus on research at that time. Interestingly enough, the topic of that research proposal was quality of patient care, which has been the focus of my program of research for the past 14 years. Continuing to acquire knowledge was valued by my instructors and professors – they lived it! I still keep in touch with two faculty members from Wilkes: Marianne Saueraker, who is now retired, and Ann Marie Kolanowski, who is a professor at Penn State. They were two of my favorite teachers! Patricia A. Patrician ’82, Birmingham, Ala., and Rising Fawn, Ga. Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Wilkes Master of Science, Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio Doctorate, University of Pennsylvania Career: Donna Brown Banton Endowed Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham How can you give back? Did you know that there are nearly 200 scholarships at Wilkes? Scholarship giving is a great way to match your interests and experiences with a student who needs financial support in order to make a Wilkes education possible. To learn more about what scholarships are available and how you can contribute, contact Evelyne Topfer at 570-408-4309. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 LEAVING A LEGACY THROUGH SCHOLARSHIP GIVING 21 �class notes Bo Ryan ’69 Takes Wisconsin Badgers To Final Four Wilkes University Athletic Hall of Famer William “Bo” Ryan ’69‘s men’s basketball team, where consistency continues to pay career as a collegiate head basketball coach reached another big dividends. Now in his 13th season at the university, his milestone as he led his Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball teams have won over 300 games and appeared in 13 NCAA team into the NCAA March Madness Final Four. The Badgers’ tournaments, including six Sweet 16 games and two Elite Elite Eight win over the University of Arizona secured their spot Eight appearances. in the semi-finals. After an exciting matchup with the Kentucky Jerry Rickrode, Wilkes major gifts officer and former head Wildcats, Ryan and his team ended their Final Four journey with coach of the University men’s basketball team, first met Ryan a heartbreaking one-point loss, 74-73. in 1998 when both coaches’ teams played in the Division III Final During a press conference, Ryan said, “I really love coaching Four. After the meeting they developed a friendship. “He won’t this team. I knew they deviate from the system. It’s had something in them; not about individual players or it was just trying to get individual matchups,” Rickrode it out of them [and] explains. “It is and has always sometimes that was a been a team system.” Ryan discussed his coaching little bit of a challenge. But they answered it. strategy at a recent Final Four They answered everything. news conference. He said that And that’s how we got his approach to the Final Four here.” Ryan credits his game was no different than his team’s success to playing approach to a Division III Final hard and smart all season, Four. “The thing about valuing the qualities inherent in his basketball, playing good position coaching strategy. defense, trying not to give up Ryan’s 30-year record easy baskets…I just think that our screams consistency. guys have shown that they’ve At the University of been pretty consistent with Wisconsin-Platteville, his the basics. I think that always teams completed two gives you a chance.” Regardless of all the success WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 undefeated seasons, won 22 four NCAA Division III he has achieved, Ryan’s attitude national championships, remains consistent. “He’s down to and set an NCAA all-division record for fewest points allowed at earth. Whether he’s coaching UW-Platteville or Wisconsin, he’s just 47.5 per game. This consistency resulted in an 82.2 career the same guy as always,” Rickrode says. “He’s been good to the winning percentage, an all-time best in Division III basketball Wilkes program and reaches out often.” history. Ryan carried his coaching strategy from the Division III to the Division I level and now heads the University of Wisconsin – By Francisco Tutella �class notes 1943 Harry Katz published A Material Scientist’s Memoir: Recollections and Advice. He lives in West Orange, N.J. 1966 Marie Shutlock Drinko received a COIN of Excellence award for her work as a military and family life counselor in Alaska. She currently works as a counselor in Bahrain. 1969 William (Bo) F. Ryan was honored with the Native Son Award at the 110th Philadelphia Sports Writers Association banquet. Ryan is the head coach of the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team. Martin Naparsteck’s seventh book, Mrs. Mark Twain: The Life of Olivia Langdon Clemens, 1845-1904, which he co-wrote with Michelle Cardulla, was published by McFarland. David Ralston was honored as a distinguished doctoral alumnus by the Florida State University College of Business at a ceremony in April. Ralston is a professor and Knight Ridder Research Fellow at Florida International University College of Business. 1970 Caleb McKenzie was elected recording secretary of the Illuminating Engineering Society of New York. McKenzie is a senior associate with T. Kondos Associates Inc., an international lighting consultancy located in New York City. 1986 Paul Cummings co-authored a mathematics article titled “A solvable conjugacy problem for finitely presented C(3) semigroups” that was published in February 2014 issue of the journal Semigroup Forum. 1987 Lisa (Berkoski) Zaleski earned her nurse practitioner certification in the state of Wisconsin. She is employed by St. Mary’s Hospital, Madison, Wisc., as a critical care nurse. 1993 Christine Hooper-Ostroski was named director at The Center for Cancer Wellness, Candy’s Place, in Forty Fort, Pa. She and husband Rick ’91 live in Shavertown, Pa., with their children, Nathan and Tegan. 1995 Kevin Gryboski was hired as pitching coach by the Washington (Pa.) Wild Things, a professional baseball team and member of the Frontier League, for the 2014 season. 1996 Dave Macedo recorded his 300th career win at Virginia Wesleyan College as the men’s basketball team defeated Randolph College 75-46. Over his 14 seasons as head coach, Macedo has recorded a 300-96 overall career record and was named Virginia College Division Coach of the Year six times. His teams have made nine straight NCAA tournament appearances, including an appearance in the school’s first NCAA Division III national championship in any sport. 1998 Melissa Coxe was named Teacher of the Week by WITN News in North Carolina. Coxe teaches music and chorus at Eastern Elementary School in Greenville and also teaches a class at East Carolina University designed to teach elementary education majors how to integrate music into daily instruction. 1999 Jennifer Radzwillowicz was elected the 2014 Pennsylvania Jaycees vice president for business at the November 2013 convention in Grantville, Pa. She also serves as chairwoman of the board for the Greater Scranton chapter. Corinna Sowers-Adler debuted her show, By Request – New York Moments, at 54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club in New York City in May 2014. Want your classmates to follow you on Twitter? Share your Twitter handle when you submit a class note! And while you are at it, follow Wilkes University @WilkesU. 2000 Kerianne Geist was honored as one of the 2014 Women of Influence by Lehigh Valley Business at its annual luncheon on May 21 in Bethlehem, Pa. 2001 Greg Johansen recently moved back to the Wilkes-Barre area after finishing nine years of service with the U.S. Navy Seabees in Southern California. 2006 John Untisz, a doctor in the U.S. Air Force, took part in a training program at the University of Cincinnati’s Institute of Military Medicine. The program prepares participants about to be deployed to active war theaters to treat wounded soldiers in military transport planes. The training was featured in USA Today. Untisz can be seen in the video clip of the USA Today coverage. 2008 Richard Read III was promoted to assistant vice president at PNC Bank, where he serves as an associate relationship manager. 2009 Mallory Marie Zoeller (see Graduate Degrees ’12). 2013 Todd Oravic’s and Ryan Wood’s film Pitchfork was shown at the West Chester Film Festival. The film won in the Best Pennsylvania Filmmaker Award. The film script was written by creative writing alumnus Kevin Conner MA ’12 as his master’s thesis project. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Undergraduate 23 �class notes Graduate 2005 Elena Archer and Dan Alma were married on Aug. 24, 2013, at Old St. Mary’s Church in Philadelphia. The bride is a resource management senior accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The groom is a physical therapist with Penn Care at Home. The couple resides in Philadelphia. Danielle (Dallazia) Burns PharmD ’08 was maid of honor and Katie Morton ’05 was a bridesmaid. Also celebrating were Ed Buck ’08, Sara (Toole) Buck ’06, Amanda (Felegi) Hall ’05, Erika (Knorr) Issler ’06, Chris Issler ‘06, Bernadette Rabel ’05, Autumn (Kishbaugh) Smith ’06, Gary Steich ‘06 and Alex Wishnie ’05. Wilkes Wedding Bells Wilkes magazine accepts photos of alumni weddings. We will accept your photos up to one year after your wedding. Please follow these requirements: 1. E-mail jpeg files to wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. Digital photos must be at least 4 by 6 inches at 300 dpi or 1800 pixels by 1200 pixels. Please note that we cannot use photos that do not meet these minimum requirements. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 2. Please identify everyone in the photo, starting from left to right. Include class years for all Wilkes alumni. 24 3. Group photos of all Wilkes alumni attending a wedding may be submitted provided that all individuals are identified with a class year. 1992 Army Col. Jeffrey A. Boyer MS has retired from the U.S. Army after a 25-year career. He was deputy director of the manpower personnel and security directorate, Defense Information Systems Agency, at Fort George G. Meade, Md. 2010 Edward Charles Hamm MS and Mallory Elizabeth Bieber were married July 6. The bride is a clinical supervisor of inpatient surgery at Reading Hospital. The groom teaches the sixth grade in the Wellsboro School District. 2003 Jonathan Ference PharmD was elected president of the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Educational Foundation Board of Directors. Matthew S. Hinton MFA was appointed the coordinator of writing for the writing center at Misericordia University. 2007 David R. Cotner MS has been appointed dean of the School of Industrial, Computing and Engineering Technologies at Pennsylvania College of Technology. He has served as assistant dean of the school since January. 2008 Bryan Svencer MS continues to receive recognition for his EDUtainment teaching philosophy, which he discusses in his book EDUtainment: Entertainment in the K-12 Classroom. The book was the top-selling pedagogical book on Amazon.com in 2013. 2012 Kevin Conner MA. See undergraduate 2013. 2013 Chris Campion MA recently published his first novel, The Jiu-Jitsu Bum, with Northampton House Press. �class notes Wilkes Sisters Bond Via Book Project Food unites individuals, and a food-themed book provided two sisters and Wilkes’ alumnae with an opportunity to bond and put their Wilkes degrees to work. “James Beard once said, ‘Food is our common ground, a universal experience.’ Food can – and should – bring us together,” Nicole Frail ’10 explains when asked to describe The Little Red Book of Kitchen Wisdom. Frail co-authored the book, which was released April 1, with her boyfriend of nine years, Manhattan restaurant wd~50 cook Matthew Magda. Her sister Kerri ’12 provided the illustrations. The book contains food-related quotes from respected chefs and restaurateurs, television personalities, actors, artists, and authors who influence today’s professional chefs, bakers, home cooks and foodies. The authors’ aim for the book is to emphasize the collective power of food. The idea for the book came to Nicole when she realized that New York-based Skyhorse Publishing, where she works as an assistant editor, did not yet have a book about food in its Little Book series. The series is a collection of 5-by-7 books in various colors that include Kerri Frail ’12, left, and her sister Nicole ’10 collaborated on The Little Red Book of Kitchen Wisdom. quotes or advice on specific subjects. She had previously talked with Magda and her sister about producing a cookbook, so she pitched the idea of doing a food-themed Little Book to her publisher. After receiving a contract, Nicole and Magda spent the next six months compiling food quotes from various sources and writing introductions. Kerri, a graphic designer and marketing specialist at Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services in Wilkes-Barre, became involved in the project through her work as a freelance graphic designer. She says, “I love working with Nicole. We’ve always gotten along as sisters, so the transition into a professional working relationship wasn’t difficult. She has a very supportive, positive attitude and always allows me to have creative freedom over my designs.” Kerri created all 52 drawings – among them cloves of garlic, a candlelit table for two, tomato gardens and bottles of wine. This is not the first time that the sisters have collaborated on a book. While editing Emma Silverman’s The Joy of Yoga: Fifty Sequences for Your Home and Nicole graduated from Wilkes with a degree in communications. As an undergraduate student, she served as editor-in-chief of The Beacon. Kerri graduated with a degree in integrative media and a minor in art. Both sisters look forward to collaborating on future projects. – By Francisco Tutella WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Studio Practice, Nicole hired Kerri to design the illustrations. 25 �class notes Angella DellaFortuna Means Business At MetLife Stadium Angela DellaFortuna ’08 recalls the moment she knew that she wanted to be a part of the New York Giants football franchise. “I remember my parents taking my sister and me to a Super Bowl party at their friends’ house. I can still remember the house filled with Giants memorabilia, the New Kids on the Block performing during half time and everyone cheering as the Giants won their second Super Bowl.” Since then, she has dreamed of becoming chief financial officer for the team. As an assistant controller at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., DellaFortuna has the pleasure of working for two of the nation’s top sports franchises, the Giants and the New York Jets. “MetLife Stadium is the only NFL stadium owned by two NFL teams,” she says. “This makes Angela DellaFortuna ’08 shows off MetLife Stadium, where she working here extremely unique because everything I do not is assistant controller, to fellow Wilkes alum Bill Steiner ’07. only affects the stadium but the Giants and Jets as well.” Her responsibilities extend beyond the professional football season. The stadium hosts other sports and events, advisors. DellaFortuna provided her expertise to help the Sidhu such as international soccer matches, concerts, college School develop its new sports and event management program. football games and motorsports events like Monster Jam. Rexer explains, “While Angela was helpful in reviewing our During her four years there, DellaFortuna has worked behind entire program, we also asked and received feedback on the law the scenes at such events as Wrestlemania, topics we thought were necessary. a Brazil versus Argentina national soccer She was helpful in narrowing down team match, a U2 concert, and Super Bowl XLVIII, the most watched televised event in United States history. The work has its perks. She explains, “I find out information before the public —for example, knowing what was going to “MetLife Stadium is the only NFL stadium owned by two NFL teams.” WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 students would be ready to take the course.” The new program begins in the fall 2014 semester. Rexer adds, “While Angela was in school, she was not only intelligent but happen during the halftime show on Super capable of applying her knowledge to Bowl Sunday or what the plan was for almost any situation. She was driven Wrestlemania prior to the event.” 26 the topics and specifying when the DellaFortuna remains active in the Wilkes community. to succeed and could easily envision the path to make it happen.” She stays in contact with her undergraduate mentors, Sidhu School of Business professors Anne Batory and Marianne that leads straight to the CFO’s office. With a smile she says, “I Rexer. She says both continue to be great mentors and like to think I’m one step closer to my dream job, but we’ll see.” DellaFortuna certainly envisions a path for herself—one – By Francisco Tutella �class notes In Memoriam 1952 Cornelius “Con” F. Boyle Jr., Falls, Pa., died Nov. 27, 2013. Boyle served in the U.S. Army and worked in the insurance industry. 1939 Joseph Gibbons, Inkerman, Pa., died Dec. 7, 2013. He was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army. Gibbons worked at Continental Cigar Company. 1954 Walter L. Cusma, Dallas, Pa., died Dec. 8, 2013. He was a veteran of World War II. Cusma worked as an engineer for the Bethlehem Steel Corp. 1941 Harriet C. Seeherman, Boynton Beach, Fla., died May 28, 2013. She was a social worker with the Lackawanna County department of public assistance. Gerard G. Washco, Conyngham, Pa., died Dec. 23, 2013. He was inducted in the Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame. Washco was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He worked for Cooper Industries. 1948 Osea Galletta, Yardley, Pa., died Dec. 18, 2012. 1949 Claude Emory Keller, Vienna, Va., died March 5, 2014. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. Keller worked as an electrical engineer for IBM. 1950 Cyril “Cye” A. Good, Dallas, Pa., died Jan. 18, 2014. Good served as a U.S. Army medic and was a veteran of World War II. He worked for Torcon Industries in New Jersey. Albert “Bud” E. Herbert, Forty Fort, Pa., died Jan. 9, 2014. Herbert was a U.S. Army Air Force veteran of World War II. He was a public accountant and owned and operated the Earle R. Herbert Co. 1955 Melvin W. Farkas, Laflin, Pa., died Dec. 10, 2013. Farkas was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He was a certified public accountant. 1956 Ronald McCarty, Secretary, Md., died Dec. 26, 2013. He was a U.S. Marines veteran of the Korean War. McCarty worked as a sales manager for GTE. 1957 Robert B. Chase Jr., Stony Brook, N.Y., died Nov. 6, 2013. Helen M. Rutledge, Mill Valley, Calif., died Jan. 19, 2014. She was a registered nurse and served in the U.S. Army. John J. Schultz, West Pittston, Pa., died Dec. 10, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army and worked for the Social Security Administration. 1958 Donald C. Domzalski, Sussex, N.J., died May 30, 2013. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War. Domzalski worked as a teacher and basketball referee at middle and high schools in Morris and Sussex counties. 1959 Stephen Joseph Echan, Saginaw, Mich., died Feb. 5, 2014. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. He worked as equalization director for the County of Saginaw. J. Rodger Lewis, Sebring, Fla., died Feb. 21, 2014. Lewis was superintendent of schools for Montrose Area School District. George Morris, Mayfield Heights, Ohio, died Jan. 21, 2014. He served in the U.S. Navy and was an insurance executive. Michael Stanko, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Oct. 13, 2013. 1962 Edith (Butts) Centrella, Plains Township, Pa., died Aug. 17, 2013. Joseph F. Drobnicki, Ledgedale, Pa., died Dec. 18, 2013. He taught biology at Wallenpaupack Area High School for 28 years. Warren Greenberg, Miami, Fla., died Nov. 4, 2013. He was a long-time employee of Merck & Co. Albert Kishel, Bear Creek, Pa., died Nov. 24, 2013. He was a certified public accountant for five decades. 1965 James R. Ward, Jacksonville, Fla., died March 10, 2012. Ward was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War. He worked as a CPA for over 30 years. 1968 John W. Democko, Pittsford, N.Y., died Aug. 4, 2013. William Robert Kistler, Hampton, Pa., died Dec. 7, 2013. Kistler was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War. He was a manager of Schewel Furniture Company. Lee A. Namey, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died March 3, 2014. Namey served for three terms on the Wilkes-Barre City Council and two terms as mayor before becoming an educator at Wyoming Valley West High School and West Side Career and Technology Center. 1969 George P. Andrews Jr., Harveys Lake, Pa., died Dec. 30, 2013. He worked for the Ostrander Steel Co. and was a licensed realtor. Zigmund S. Koshinski, WilkesBarre, Pa., died Feb. 8, 2014. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Dorothy A. Peiffer, Dallas, Pa., died March 11, 2014. She was a teacher at Dallas High School. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 1937 Elizabeth “Bideth” Yeager (Davies) McGown, Cooperstown, N.Y., died Jan. 12, 2014. She taught at Wyoming Seminary. 27 �1970 Robert “Bobby” Solomon Aben, Dallas, Pa., died Feb. 2, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Korean War. H. Scott Lustig, Philadelphia, Pa., died Jan. 11, 2014. 1971 Della F. Schulz, Bear Creek Township, Pa., died Feb. 1, 2014. She worked at Eastern Penn Supply Co. 1972 Bryce Burgess, Chandler, Ariz., died Jan. 30, 2014. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked as a high school art teacher and football coach before pursuing a career in the trucking industry. Robert “Bob” Cooney, Temple, Texas, died Oct. 1, 2013. He worked as the comptroller for King’s Daughters Clinic. 1973 Florence Matura Hozempa, Dallas, Pa., died Feb. 6, 2014. She was a reading specialist for the Wyoming Valley West School District and also taught at public schools in New Jersey and Illinois. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2014 Thomas “Tom” Dale Jerrytone, Nanticoke, Pa, died Feb. 26, 2014. He was the chief financial officer and controller at Bloomsburg Hospital. 28 Doris “Dorrie” E. Shapiro, Feasterville-Trevose, Pa., died Feb. 5, 2014. She was a registered nurse for the American Red Cross. 1974 Alfred J. (Yusinskas) Bradley, Kingston, Pa., died Dec. 5, 2013. Bradley was a veteran of the Korean War, where he served in the U.S. Navy. For more than 35 years he was employed by the former Lewis and Duncan Sporting Goods Store. Craig Deacon, Chalfont, Pa., died March 3, 2014. He was a veteran wrestling coach for 36 years at Delaware Valley College, Central Bucks West and Central Bucks South. William R. Sauers, Dallas, Pa., died Jan. 20, 2014. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served in the U.S. Army. Sauers worked as a school psychologist for the WilkesBarre Area School District. Cathy Sellitto, Glendale, Calif., died Nov. 20, 2013. 1975 Michael “Shoemaker” J. Gluhanick, Hanover, Pa., died Dec. 14, 2013. Shoemaker was a veteran of the Vietnam War where he served in the U.S. Air Force. He owned and operated Shoemaker Tire in WilkesBarre. Robert G. Sura, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Dec. 25, 2013. He was employed by Retreat State Hospital in Clarks Summit. 1976 Susan Brimo-Cox, Ohiopyle, Pa., died Nov. 12, 2013. She served as the director of marketing and communications for Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. 1980 Joseph J. Majewski, Hazleton, Pa., died Nov. 6, 2013. He worked for Washington Inventory Service. Mary Kathryn Ross, West Scranton, Pa., died July 2, 2013. She worked as a registered nurse at Clarks Summit State Hospital. 1982 Susan “Sam” (Burke) Menendez, San Francisco, Calif., died Jan. 18, 2014. She worked for Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 1983 Erin M. Callahan, Philadelphia, Pa., died Nov. 12, 2013. She worked for Campbell Soup Company. 1984 Jeffrey Godeck, Moosic, Pa., died July 24, 2013. 1985 Gerald O’Neill, Jenkintown, Pa., died Nov. 23, 2012. Catherine Sheridan Piotroski, Harrisburg, Pa., died Jan. 24, 2014. She was an English teacher at Crestwood High School and served as postmaster for the Jermyn and Tunkhannock post offices. 1989 Terrence “Terry” A. Donovan, McKeesport, Pa., died Jan. 17, 2014. He was the chief financial officer for Ecker Enterprises in Rosemont, Ill. Adam B. Sieminski, Mountain Top, Pa., died Nov. 17, 2013. He worked for UGI Corp. and Sallie Mae. 1990 Neil Thomas Fisher Sr., Kingston, Pa., died Nov. 29, 2013. Fisher served in the U.S. Air Force and served veterans for four decades while working at the V.A. Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 1994 Camela P. Schwartz, Harrisburg, Pa., died Jan. 1, 2014. She was a U.S. Army veteran of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Schwartz also served as a civil servant for the federal government. 2004 Jennifer Lynne (Tallman) Killam, Honesdale, Pa., died Jan. 7, 2012. She taught special education students and learning support at Wallenpaupack Area High School. Elizabeth “Beth” Jean Yoder, Belleville, Pa., died Aug. 14, 2011. She was a teacher for the Mifflin County school district. Friends of Wilkes John Nesbitt Conyngham III, Dallas, Pa., died Feb. 4, 2014. He served in the U.S. Marines and was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He worked for IBM Corp. and Eastern Pennsylvania Supply Co. Alexandra C. Moravec, Dallas, Pa., died April 10, 2013. She was active with the Wilkes College Professors’ Wives Club and the Sordoni Art Gallery. �LASTING LEGACY “I think first you learn, then you earn, and then you return. My Wilkes experience gave me the tools and confidence to succeed and I’m pleased with what I have done. However, now that I have this success, it’s important to remember where you came from and why you achieved. This is why I plan to leave a part of my estate to Wilkes University.” - Mariea Barbella Noblitt ‘73 Mariea Barbella Noblitt ’73’s passion for administration and service was enhanced during her time at Wilkes through her relationship with Dean Jane Lampe-Groh. It led her to start Noblitt Consulting, a firm specializing in college enrollment management, 15 years ago. As the first one of five generations in her family to attend college, she relied on the support that Dean Lampe-Groh and Wilkes provided her. Today, she understands the importance of continuing to provide that same support for all Wilkes students. “I will help students experience the same support and receive the education that was so critical to making my life full. A resident of Chapel Hill, N.C., with her husband, James, she is active in the Wilkes alumni network. A class chair representative and member of the Homecoming Committee, Mariea wanted to make sure her connection to Wilkes will continue by leaving a part of her estate to Wilkes in her will. “Wilkes is a way of life for me,” says Mariea. She combined her passion for quality education with her overall financial, tax and estate planning goals while deepening her Wilkes connection. You can also touch students’ lives now and in the future. Whether naming Wilkes as a beneficiary in a will, establishing a charitable gift annuity or creating an endowed fund, you can fuel educational advances that will benefit students for years to come. Wilkes University offers gift planning assistance to alumni and friends at no cost or obligation. For more information, contact Angela Buckley at (800) WILKES-U ext.7833 or angela.buckley@wilkes.edu, or return the prepaid business reply card found in this issue of the Wilkes magazine. �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events June 1-30 15 16 23 26 29-30 Permanent Collection Exhibit, Sordoni Art Gallery KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Of Land and Sea, 3 p.m. Stark Learning Center Room 101 High School Girls Soccer Training Session, 6-7:30 p.m. High School Girls Soccer Training Session, 6-7:30 p.m. Creative Reading and Writing for the Classroom I (Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry), 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. First-year Students Summer Orientation 2014 July 1-31 7-24 7-11 Permanent Collection Exhibit, Sordoni Art Gallery 2014 Conservatory Summer Dance Intensive, Mon. – Thurs. 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Field Hockey Mini Colonel Camp, 8 -11 a.m. Schmidt Stadium at Ralston Athletic Complex Field Hockey Colonel Camp, 12 -4 p.m. Schmidt Stadium at Ralston Athletic Complex 13-14 First-Year Students Summer Orientation 2014 14-18 Kids’ Writing Workshop, Grades 5 – 7, 9 a.m.-noon 17 Creative Reading and Writing for the Classroom II (Screenwriting, Playwriting), 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. 18 Admissions Open House 20 KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Never Give Up, 3 p.m. Stark Learning Center Room 101 Women’s Soccer College ID Clinic, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 21-25 The Write Stuff, Creative Writing Camp, Grades 8-11, 9 a.m.-noon 21-31 The Reading Academy, Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon The Arts Academy, Monday-Thursday, 1-4 p.m. 27 through Aug. 2 – Women Empowered by Science Summer Camp, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. August 1-31 4 6-8 Permanent Collection Exhibit, Sordoni Art Gallery Graduate Studies Information Session, 6 -8 p.m. Henry Student Center Miller Room Wilkes University Tennis Camp, 9 a.m.-noon Tennis Courts at Ralston Athletic Complex Pennsylvania Writer’s Conference, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 9 KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, We Are the World, 17 3 p.m. Stark Learning Center Room 101 Move-In Day for First-year Students 2014 22 22-24 Welcome Weekend 2014, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 25 First Day of Classes 30 through Sept. 2 – Labor Day Recess September 7 2014 Summer Commencement, 1 p.m. Marts Center 20 Admissions Open House 26-28 Homecoming October 18 23 Field Hockey Alumni Game and Reception, 10 a.m. Ralston Athletic Complex Wilkes/King’s Alumni Networking Mixer, 6 p.m. Rodano’s For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2014 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2014 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/0f7a68dc4ed1e1a980157f1b8c884b7e.pdf 9adb1636d1d8987190912f498ef6c078 PDF Text Text FALL 2014 Hunting for Success Nate Hosie ’08 is a World-Class Hunter and Aspiring Musician INSIDE: THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS AT WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 1 10/6/14 9:15 PM �president’s letter VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 3 WILKES MAGAZINE Strategic Plan Provides Gateway to the Future University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood S ince becoming president of Wilkes, many alumni have heard me say that we can become one of the finest universities, not just in this region, but in this nation. That can only happen if we have a clear sense of direction and an understanding of how we will get there. With the completion of Gateway to the Future: The Wilkes University Strategic Plan 2014-2020, we are ready to continue this journey. Our new strategic plan focuses on six key themes: 1. Foster Excellence in Academic Programs: As a University dedicated to student success and lifelong learning, Wilkes must continue to develop programs that transform students’ lives. 2. Invest in Our People: Since faculty, staff and alumni are our most important assets in transforming the lives of our students, Wilkes must continue to invest in these relationships. 3. Recruit, Retain, Place and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate Students: As an enrollment-dependent institution, Wilkes must make the most of its opportunities to increase enrollment of undergraduate and graduate students, recruiting these students from an increasingly wide area. 4. Improve Our Financial Strength: With the cost of attendance reaching a tipping point, Wilkes must strengthen and diversify its ability to generate and manage resources. 5. Strengthen Our Campus Infrastructure: With intensifying competition for students, Wilkes must ensure that we have the facilities and resources that our faculty, staff, and students need to excel. 6. Support Efforts at Redeveloping Downtown Wilkes-Barre: As an anchor in the center of Wilkes-Barre, Wilkes must continue to be a force for positive economic, cultural and social development in its community. Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy shares his vision for the University at the first Founders Gala. This message allows me to provide only the briefest of overviews of this dynamic plan. I invite you to visit www.wilkes.edu and click on “About Wilkes.” Under a link for Leadership, you will be able to read the plan in its entirety. It is an ambitious plan. But, as the poet, Goethe, said: “Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.” At Wilkes, we have big dreams, and we’ll need everyone in order to realize them. Please join me in supporting these efforts. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Wilkes University President Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 1 FALL 2014 Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Francisco Tutella Bill Thomas ’13 Interns Shawn Carey Alyssa Stencavage Layout/Design Kara Reid Printing Pemcor Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 M.S.’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Associate Director Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Events Manager Jacki Lukas ’11 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Vice President Ellen Hall ’71 Secretary Kathy Heltzel ’82 MSA ’85 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published three times a year by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. 10/6/14 9:15 PM �6 12 18 14 contents FEATURES 6 Professional Prognostications The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership marks its 10th anniversary as faculty and alumni contemplate the future of business. PHOTO COURTESY “HEADHUNTERS TV” 12 �Passport to Experience 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Three Wilkes alumni launch their teaching careers at an international school in Malaysia. 14 �Paradise Found Jason Evans ’00 runs his successful video production company, SilverShark Media, on Maui. 18 Hunting for Success Nate Hosie ’08 is a professional hunter and an up-and-coming musician. Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. Wilkes magazine is available online at www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline £:j FPO SC WILKES | Winter 2014 Nate Hosie ’08 is a professional hunter on the Outdoor Channel’s “Headhunters TV.” DEPARTMENTS 1 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 1 10/6/14 9:15 PM �on campus Students in Tune With New Marching Band The Marching Colonels—Wilkes’ new marching band—stepped out for the first time at the Sept. 6 home football game. The 32 band members participated in a ten-day band camp prior to the start of classes to get them ready for their unique role as members of the region’s first collegiate marching band. In addition to learning their repertoire of classic rock and roll and practicing their marching moves, one of the highlights of the camp was trying on their uniforms for the first time. The band is directed by associate professor of music Philip Simon. Left, Marching Colonels Sarah Hankey, Lauren McClintock, and Autumn Peck show off their new uniforms during band camp. Right, freshman Lauren McClintock tries on her hat for marching band for the first time. PHOTOS BY STEVE HUSTED WILKES | Fall 2014 Wilkes Receives $3 Million in State Funding for Engineering Labs The future of engineering education at Wilkes received a boost with a transformative gift from the state of Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Corbett announced that the University is receiving a $3 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant for engineering labs in the College of Science and Engineering. The grant, which requires Wilkes to match the funding, will be used to make $6 million in improvements “The laboratories that we create from this funding will allow us to continue our goal of providing students with the facilities and opportunities of a much larger institution in the intimate setting of a liberal arts college,” Wilkes President Patrick Leahy said. “It also will allow us to continue our commitment to support the city of Wilkes-Barre and the region. We will do that by sharing these facilities with our industrial partners.” Because of the interdisciplinary nature of research, science students outside of the engineering major will have opportunities to use the labs, Leahy said. The money will fund renovations to the Stark Learning Center— including creation or upgrading of three new high-tech laboratories for research and development. The labs are: The Nanotechnology Laboratory will be a multi-disciplinary, state-of-the art-facility to support teaching and research in microelectronics and nanotechnology. Nanotechnology, one of the most cutting-edge areas of research, involves understanding and controlling matter at an extremely small scale. The state funding will allow Wilkes to make optimum use of $500,000 in nanotechnology equipment already donated to the University by Fairchild Semiconductor of Mountaintop, Pa. The Additive Manufacturing Laboratory will be an integral part of the Applied Manufacturing Center. Additive manufacturing includes emerging fields like 3-D printing and developing automated processes that allow precise manufacturing at high volumes. The Bioengineering Laboratory will provide for advanced work and research in the fields of microscopy, robotics and computational sciences. Wilkes offers a master’s degree in bioengineering. 2 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 2 10/6/14 9:15 PM �on campus New Director and New Direction at Allan P. Kirby Center Wilkes’ Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship has a new director and a new direction. Rodney Ridley Sr. is the new director and is also its Allan P Kirby Jr. Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship. In announcing Ridley’s appointment, the University also unveiled plans for major new programs that build on the Kirby Center’s mission and expand its offerings. These include establishing a business incubator in downtown Wilkes-Barre and a technology transfer office at the University. Ridley previously served as director of the Division of Engineering and Physics. “Never satisfied with the status quo, Dr. Ridley in five years has made a significant contribution to engineering education at Wilkes.” – President Patrick F. Leahy STARTING SEASON SPORT COACH SCORECARD New coaches, new sports – you need a scorecard to keep up with all of the developments in Wilkes athletics program. HARRY IZZI METZ SARA MYERS TREY BROWN ARMSTRONG .. 4D• V' .. •& CURTIS JAQUES MARK BARNES .X.~ •~ .. .. Men’s & Women’s Basketball Field Hockey Football Women’s Golf Men’s Lacrosse Swimming 2014-2015 2014-2015 Fall 2014 Fall 2014 Fall 2015 2014-2015 WILKES | Fall 2014 ATHLETICS In announcing the appointment, President Patrick F. Leahy said that Ridley’s vision for encouraging entrepreneurial education spanning academic disciplines and his ability to build strategic partnerships with business and industry makes him uniquely suited to his new role. “In the five years that Dr. Ridley has been at Wilkes, he has become known for his ability to be an innovative and entrepreneurial thinker,” Leahy said. “Never satisfied with the status quo, Dr. Ridley in five years has made a significant contribution to engineering education at Wilkes. His vision for a new direction for the Allan P. Kirby Center promises to transform entrepreneurial education at the University and impact the development of new enterprises in the region.” The Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship was established in 1993 with a focus on teaching the principles of free enterprise and entrepreneurship. The center’s core mission is to educate and encourage young people with the vision, ambition and agility to launch and run the businesses of the future. An annual lecture series, The Allan P. Kirby Lecture in Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, has brought leading experts in business and politics to the campus and community. 3 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 3 10/6/14 9:15 PM �on campus Distinct School of Nursing Established Beginning With 2014-2015 Academic Year Wilkes Debuts New Web Site Wilkes has established a distinct School of Nursing, becoming the only higher education institution with a separate nursing school in northeast Pennsylvania. The move, which began with the start of the 2014-2015 academic year, allows Wilkes to better respond to a growing demand for nursing programs regionally and nationally. Anne A. Skleder, senior vice president and provost, said that the move allows for a stronger focus on nursing education and reflects Wilkes’ larger academic mission. “Creating a separate Wilkes University School of Nursing will add to the University’s unique academic footprint. Wilkes will have seven separate schools and colleges similar to a much larger university but our programs will be offered in the mentoring culture of a small liberal arts university,” Skleder said. Skleder also announced that Deborah Zbegner Deborah A. Zbegner is interim dean of the School of Nursing. Zbegner, who had served as director of Wilkes graduate nursing programs, will provide leadership and guidance over undergraduate and graduate programs. A national search for a permanent dean will be conducted in the coming year. Wilkes’ undergraduate and graduate nursing programs grew significantly over the last few years. Additional growth is expected due to an expanding job market for nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects nursing jobs to increase by 19.4 percent by 2022. A nursing student practices administering oxygen on a manikin in the nursing simulation center. WILKES | Fall 2014 PHOTO BY LISA REYNOLDS Get ready for a new experience when visiting Wilkes’ web site. A newly designed site with improved navigability will debut at www.wilkes.edu some time in October. A poster campaign on campus, pictured here, piqued interest in the soon-to-be unveiled site. Pharmacy Professor Eric Wright Studies Role of Community Pharmacists in Health Care Eric Wright, associate professor of pharmacy practice, has received a $600,000 research grant from the National Association of Chain Drugstores Foundation to expand the role of community pharmacists within the health care team. Wright is partnering with Geisinger Health System and participating pharmacies Eric Wright in central and northeastern Pennsylvania in conducting the study. “This research is focused on how we can expand the role of the pharmacist to reduce the rate of 30-day readmissions among high-risk patients,” says Wright, principal investigator, who holds a joint appointment as a faculty member in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy at Wilkes and research investigator at Geisinger’s Center for Health Research. “Our goal is to significantly reduce the percentage of patients readmitted with high-risk conditions, such as heart attack, pneumonia, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by June 2016.” Wright explained that some readmissions are due to medication errors, adverse reactions to medication or lack of adherence. Wright will analyze what he calls a “warm handoff,” which occurs when a hospital pharmacist forwards a discharged patient’s medical information to the patient’s preferred pharmacist. Provided with this information, the community pharmacist can better evaluate a patient’s medication needs. The pharmacist can then perform an extra consultation with the patient to ensure he or she understands prescription information, when and how to take the drug and its possible side effects. 4 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 4 10/6/14 9:15 PM �athletics PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESS Colonels Defensive Back Omar Richardson Balances Responsibilities By Bill Thomas ’13 Omar Richardson is thinking about the future. Specifically, he’s thinking about his post-graduate plans to pursue a two-year residency specializing in oncology after completing his doctor of pharmacy degree in 2016. It’s a specialization that holds personal resonance for Richardson. “I got into pharmacy because I always liked chemistry, and my dad is in the medical field too, so that influenced me a lot. But my main reason for getting into the healthcare field is to give back to people who have cancer,” says Richardson, whose father commutes to a job as a CT scan technician in Brooklyn. “I’ve lost multiple family members to cancer and I still have family members winning the fight against cancer. I’ve lost my grandfather, aunt and cousins, and I have two aunts right now who are winning the battle against cancer. I don’t mind telling people about my family’s battle with cancer because it’s what motivates me to do well in school and reach my goals.” Staying motivated is key for Richardson. Not only is the East Stroudsburg native enrolled in a challenging major at Wilkes, he’s also a defensive back for the school’s football team. Many students would find maintaining the balance between such demanding priorities to be an obstacle. For Richardson, though, the level of time management required to maintain a rigid schedule of classes, labs and athletic practice is just what he needs to keep him grounded. “My first semester of college was rough. That was the only semester I didn’t play football,” Richardson says. “My lowest GPA was my first semester, but once I started playing football, I started doing way better. It actually got easier for me. “...my main reason for getting into the healthcare field is to give back to people who have cancer.” Omar Richardson is playing his final season for the Colonels. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK It gives me less time to play around and procrastinate. It helps me focus, knowing I have to do this, this and this, in this amount of time.” That focus has earned Richardson a regular spot on the dean’s list. It also earned him a place on the 2014 USA College Football Division III Pre-Season All-American Second Team – Defense. Despite all this, Richardson is quick to admit that he wasn’t always a model student, nor a star athlete. “I actually got into sports as a consequence for my behavior. I used to get into trouble here and there at school, so the principal advised my parents to put me in a sport, which changed my life as I know it,” he says. “Football has been my number-one sport since 7th grade. I chose football over all other sports because football opened many doors for me, from an athletic acknowledgement standpoint to a tool to use to better my academic standing.” He says he’ll miss the sport that’s given him so many opportunities. WILKES | Fall 2014 – Omar Richardson 5 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 5 10/6/14 9:15 PM �PROFESSIONAL Alumni and Faculty Predict Future Trends In Their Fields -------------------➔ By Helen Kaiser Ask 10 business experts to predict the future of their industries— and get 10 different answers. Ask Justin Matus, assistant professor and director of the MBA program in the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, and he boils it down to one point. “We always have winners and losers in business,” Matus says. “The winners are the ones who find the way to match their strengths to the demands of the market place. This fundamental will not change.” Even as the fundamentals of business success remain constant, the means to achieve it continue to evolve. As the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership marks its 10th anniversary, Wilkes magazine takes this opportunity to reach out to business faculty and successful business alumni. We asked them what changes we can expect to see WILKES | Fall 2014 in their fields over the next decade. Their insights echo certain themes—including the continued globalization of business, rapid increases in technology and the development of products and services individually tailored to the consumer-driven market. The experts also anticipate there will be a critical need for workers to become lifelong learners and to develop skills to become sensitive leaders. Here are their insights: 6 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 6 10/6/14 9:15 PM �JEFFREY R. ALVES Dean, Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership Professor of Entrepreneurship Wilkes University Expertise: Entrepreneurship JOHN CEFALY ’70 Executive Vice Chairman, Brokerage Division Cushman & Wakefield Inc.   Expertise: Commercial Real Estate The real estate industry historically has been a very local business with local customs and traditions of how business is serviced and conducted. Presently, however, it is evolving and will continue to evolve into a more global business. Practices are being standardized as international organizations gain a much greater foothold in the marketplace. We must make adjustments in how these organizations are serviced. Transactions with compensation earned as deals are completed will ultimately evolve into a model where compensation will be less risk oriented and will be based more on fees as a result of ongoing advisory business. In other words, brokers will less likely be earning commissions as opposed to earning fees based on advice and strategy. Transactions will be only part of what a real estate firm will be compensated for. In order to serve the large international firms, a global platform will be required. Major real estate firms will need to be all things to all companies—providing top-down to bottom-up services starting with advice and strategy, business consulting, benchmarking and best practices to ongoing maintenance of the client’s facilities. The need and use of technology has expedited this process. Fewer people will be needed to service these accounts as technology will connect the various far-flung offices of these international mega firms. DAN CARDELL ’79 Chairman Chicago Quantitative Alliance Expertise: Investment Management In the past 20 years, there has been a movement toward the use of more quantitative methods in the investment management process. This “quantification” has been driven primarily by rapid changes in the computing power available to professional investors. This trend toward the use of more quantitative techniques will not only continue, but also will accelerate in the upcoming years. As a result of these changes, investment firms will require exceptional skills in the fields of mathematics, statistics and computer science. The days of subjective decision making based on a “gut feeling” are long gone. Today’s markets are driven by hard data and algorithms written by Ph.D.s with advanced programming and data management skills. Portfolio decisions are likely to be driven by probability-based, multi-factored models, and trading strategies are now measured in micro-seconds. The investment business has also become increasingly global, requiring around the clock trading strategies and an understanding of international business relationships, currencies and worldwide economic trends.  WILKES | Fall 2014 I have had the good fortune of serving on the executive committees and as president of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) and more recently the International Council for Small Business (ICSB).  Since my early involvement with entrepreneurship education in 1978, we have seen entrepreneurship evolve from a concept focused on creating value through the launch and growth of businesses to the recognition that entrepreneurial thinking and attitudes are important and pervasive in many areas of our lives, both here and around the world.   We are seeing this in the United States as public and private support for entrepreneurial activities expands, both for micro and high-potential ventures.  Indeed, public policy has moved in the direction of advocating entrepreneurship as the generator of economic development. Globally we are seeing the same thing.  What is fascinating and encouraging is the fact that this “entrepreneurial revolution” is occurring in countries with the full range of political philosophies and systems—from democratic to dictator to socialist and communist and from developed to developing countries.  Entrepreneurship is helping to level the playing field between the classes, ethnic groups and sexes.   7 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 7 10/6/14 9:15 PM �DENISE CESARE ’77 President & CEO, Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania Expertise: Health Care ANTHONY J. DaRe ’00 WILKES | Fall 2014 Agency Principal Within the last several years, we have seen a definitive movement to consumerism and a retail market within the health care sector. This shift to a more consumer driven market will continue to have an impact on all sectors of the health care industry: patients/consumers, employers, providers, health insurers, drug manufacturers and government. Coupled with the move to a consumer-centric focus will be the continued aging of the population (in particular, the baby-boomer generation), resulting in an increased demand for health care. Over the next decade, we can expect to see changes designed to improve both the value and convenience of the patient experience. As consumers are becoming increasingly responsible for larger portions of their health care costs, we’ll definitely see investments in technology aimed at assisting the consumer in comparison shopping for both providers and health plans, and decreasing the hassle involved with both financing and delivery. Consumers can expect improvements in transparency tools to assist in choice of provider, showing cost and outcome information; as well as advances in telemedicine, allowing the patient to receive care in lower cost settings, including at home, without sacrificing quality. More employers will increase offerings of their own private insurance exchanges, or participate in regional or national exchanges, to have greater control over benefit offerings and provider networks to appeal to their employees. Payers (i.e. insurers) and providers are already dealing with a significant increase in the amount of regulation and oversight as a result of the recently implemented Affordable Care Act. We can expect to see continued consolidation as well as integration, both within and among these sectors. With the increased attention to cost to consumers, both payers and providers need to achieve efficiency and scale to compete for consumer choice. This means not only administrative efficiency within all of the health care sectors, but also efficiency in managing the patient. There will be a push toward leveraging clinical data for patient management and improved experiences. “We’ll definitely see investments in technology aimed at assisting the consumer in comparison shopping for both providers and health plans.” BSI Corporate Benefits LLC. Expertise: Employee benefits/health care Over the next decade, the courts will decide what health care reform ultimately looks like. It will still be around in 10 years, but it will change quite a bit based on changing Washington, D.C., administrations and various court decisions. There are certain fundamentals that every company looking to remain competitive and control the bottom line should follow in regards to employee benefits and health care over the next decade. “Skin in the game:” For employees, deductibles and co-pays will continue to rise; and the popularity of Health Savings Accounts will continue to explode and most likely take over the majority of the market. The concept is simple: does an employee care what an MRI costs if the cost out of their pocket is zero or minimal? Absolutely not. Will an employee care about the cost of an MRI if it’s his money? Absolutely. For employers, self-funding will continue to rise in popularity. Self-funding allows an employer to take control of medical spending with protection via stop-loss insurance. We will see employers taking the lead in controlling health care costs by negotiating directly with hospitals. Large employers will do it directly; smaller companies will do it collectively through various consortiums. Insurance companies currently handle this responsibility, and they do not do it well. The employers who ultimately pay the claims are not just going to sit at that table, they are going to own the table. Transparency: Not many people know that the cost of an MRI in the same machine varies greatly from place to place. In the next 10 years, everyone will know. Employees will care about cost (see above), and technology will be available for not just price comparison, but also quality comparison at the click of a button. Need a prescription drug? Type it into your smartphone and find out which pharmacies carry the medicine, how much it costs, and how far away from you it is. The power of the consumer is coming to health care in a major way. Ten years and 10,000 per day: That is the number of baby boomers who will turn 65 every day for the next decade. They are living longer; they are working longer, and their health care costs are going to skyrocket. How does our current health care system accommodate them and who is going to subsidize the cost of their care are major questions to resolve. 8 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 8 10/6/14 9:15 PM �KATHLEEN HOULIHAN ’95, MBA ’01 Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems and Marketing  Jay S. Sidhu School of Business Expertise: Social Media and Business Senior Vice President, General Mills President, General Mills Canada Expertise: Global Food Manufacturing At General Mills, our product offerings and business model are constantly evolving to meet consumer demand around the globe. No longer is packaged food “one size fits all.” Consumers today want differentiated products that are tailored to meet their individual needs, ranging from taste to convenience to nutritional value to sustainability to social responsibility and more. As a company, our key strategy to counter these changes is focusing tightly on our consumers—what they like to eat, where they like to shop and how they approach cooking today. As consumer preferences and shopper habits evolve, I believe the most successful companies will possess deep consumer empathy and be characterized by their high level of integrity, transparency, agility and nimbleness and best-in-class speed to market. In order to achieve these measures of success, food manufacturers and retailers will need to place increased pressure on attracting and retaining talented employees across the business who are capable of dealing with a higher level of complexity. In the end, the ability to accurately assess unmet consumer needs proves you have a right to win and executing with brilliance will separate the winners from the also-rans. THE NEW SIDHU The opening of the 2014-2015 academic year saw the opening of a new home for the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership. The University Center on Main was transformed via a $3 million renovation into the school’s new headquarters. The building boasts a room that simulates a stock exchange trading floor complete with stock ticker, high-tech classrooms, faculty offices and meeting rooms for students. Pictured below is the new videoconferencing classroom. For more photos of the new Sidhu home, visit www.wilkes.edu/newSidhu. WILKES | Fall 2014 DAVID DUDICK ’79 The word-of-mouth/social networking approach was very effective in the past (think Tupperware™ parties in the 1960s), and it will continue to generate sales for organizations in the future. New technologies in the area of social media, however, are now more focused on listening to customers and uncovering new ways of understanding consumer behavior than with creating social networks. Companies that have access to Big Data are more interested in mining existing social media channels and in comparing social media data with other types of data that exists in the company databases. Social media, meaning the use of digital social networking sites to create opportunities for educating the customer and for commerce, is only one of many tools that are emerging. Companies will also use new strategies to reach customers more effectively in the future. Two of these innovations are proximity marketing and tracking devices. Proximity marketing will allow businesses to identify the customer’s approximate age, gender and other traits. When a customer walks by a device in the store it will advertise products based on the customer’s characteristics. The computer will recognize who the best customers are for each product, and develop a database of what the purchase triggers are for each customer persona. Social media and other technologies will continue to evolve, and companies will continue to learn about their customers from listening. Organizations that are agile enough to meet customer needs will have the greatest chance of survival. 9 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 9 10/6/14 9:15 PM �JUSTIN MATUS Assistant Professor and Chair, Business Division Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership Expertise: Strategy I think the biggest change in the field of business strategy will be finding new ways to survive and thrive in a more global market. Specifically, there is a trend across all industries for more consolidation—not just within the United States, but across all countries on all of the continents. We are seeing bigger and bigger companies and less and less competition. The great unknown is what governments and policy makers will do in light of these trends.  There is already some pushback against corporations growing bigger and bigger (too big to fail), the lack of competition and the formation of what are essentially oligopolies and even duopolies.Yet the regulatory environment has thus far been rather tepid in trying to slow down the pace of these mergers, acquisitions and consolidations. As I look out over the horizon of 10 years and the effect this will have on “strategy,” I think in many ways it will be just like any other force on an industry. There will always be winners and losers. What may change is the how of winning. To use a sports metaphor, think about the game of football and the evolution of the forward pass. Can anyone imagine winning an NFL game today without a lot of passing? Yet 75 years ago the game of football was dominated by teams that primarily ran the football. In the business world today, the how of winning is typically simply having low prices or high-quality products. In the future a business may need to build its strategy around something else, perhaps by building a strong emotional connection to each customer through social media, data mining and semi-customized products and services. In the field of medicine we are not that far off from diagnosing patients through DNA testing and genetics at a very specific individual level, and soon we will be custom-manufacturing drugs for a specific patient such that each patient has a much nuanced diagnosis and treatment. In that same sense of individualism, strategy for the masses may go the way of football’s ground game of the 1930s and Wal-Mart’s everyday low prices of 2014.   THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION Over the past several decades, the United States has evolved from the preeminent world leader to one of the group of preeminent world leaders. Concurrently, both business practitioners and academics have witnessed the evolution of business over these decades as we have progressed— willingly or unwillingly—from an ethnocentric to a global business economy. During this time, our nation, perhaps because of its ongoing dominant role in world affairs, has been the country that has been the slowest to adopt a global perspective; and, as such, its businesses have also been the slowest to adjust to the challenges of a global economy. Unfortunately, U.S. institutions WILKES | Fall 2014 of higher education have been even slower to acknowledge the DAVID RALSTON ’69 Professor and Knight Ridder Research Fellow College of Business Florida International University changing face of business in the 21st century. Consequently, our institutions of higher education have lagged far behind the better universities of Europe and Asia in regard to the internationalization of business curricula. 10 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 10 10/6/14 9:15 PM �JAY S. SIDHU MBA ’73 Chairman and CEO, Customers Bank Expertise: Banking In my view, there are three main developments that will become more prominent in business or any kind of industry over the next decade. First, the development of authentic leadership will be a key need as we move toward more technological and less human interaction. The style of a leader will be important and different than it is today. Leaders and their employees will need to develop mutual trust and responsibility for meeting clear goals. With sophisticated methods of measuring employee performance and processes being used more and more, employers can know what their employees are doing all of the time. Just as during the Industrial Revolution when company measurements of how many widgets were being produced caused anxiety for employees, these new technologies may impact employees in the same way. Whether employees are working at home or elsewhere, leaders will need to use a higher level of human skill sets, because they will not have eyeball-to-eyeball contact to interact with and develop their team. Leaders will need to be much more sensitive to keep employees motivated and meeting goals and will need to reward them for performance. Secondly, we have only scratched the surface in the effective use of technology in white collar jobs. Technology will have a major impact not only in what we do and where we work, but in how we provide the highest level of service to our customers and how technology can be of better use to the corporate team. Thirdly, in the upcoming decade the pace of change will be three to five times faster than what we have seen in the last 10 years. We will need to be extremely passionate about continuous improvement and continuous learning. Twenty-five years ago, post-college learning was mainly on-the-job. Within the past five to 10 years it has come to mean what you pursue yourself—whether to improve your current credentials or to train for new employment after a job was eliminated. The ones who can adapt to this change will have a higher level of success. I believe the vision of the Sidhu School is completely aligned with educational needs of this changing environment. Its mission is not just to educate and develop the technical skill set or the core competences expected from business managers today, but to develop the human skills of authentic leaders that can adapt to all types of challenges in this rapidly changing environment. It’s a unique business school, one of its kind at least in the northeast United States. To read more of Ralston’s assessment of international Far-sighted U.S. universities, such as the University of South business education and the reflections of Wilkes Carolina and Thunderbird School of Global Management, business faculty Anthony Liuzzo, Marianne Rexer which internationalized their curricula decades ago, have seen and others on the future of business education, a growing number of other universities follow their lead and please visit www.wilkes.edu/futureofbusiness. start to internationalize their curricula over the past decade. different course content, because teaching management, marketing, finance and accounting based on the international rules of the game is substantially different from teaching these Those universities that are now just thinking about internationalizing are behind the curve; those that haven’t yet started are going to find themselves left behind and having trouble finding students to fill their classes a decade from now. disciplines from the provincial approach that has permeated Furthermore, some business schools develop an international the discipline in the U.S. for the previous several decades. To business program in which perhaps 10 to 20 percent of the this point, we need to acknowledge that change is daunting; business students major, and they consider their work done. and casting a blind eye on the reality of change certainly may What we see in the more progressive schools is a movement be easier and more comfortable, especially for the myopic. toward internationalizing the entire business curriculum so that all students are prepared to be successful in the business world of today, not just a small percentage of them. WILKES | Fall 2014 Internationalization requires a modified curriculum and 11 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 11 10/6/14 9:15 PM �Nick Barno ’13 calls on a student in his classroom at Sri Utama School in Johor Bahrun, Malaysia. PHOTO COURTESY NICK BARNO Passport to Experience WILKES | Fall 2014 WILKES ALUMNI TEACH AT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IN MALAYSIA By Geoff Gehman The Chinese boy was overwhelmed at his new school in his new country of Malaysia. His screaming disturbed his teacher, Rebecca Gallaher ’12, who was already dealing with four Korean students with no English skills and others with suspected learning disabilities. Gallaher’s gut instinct told her that he would improve with more personal attention. She enlisted an unlikely classroom ally: the boy’s nanny. The nanny made sure he followed lessons properly and promptly. She admonished him to improve his awful handwriting. She even took notes so he wouldn’t have to decipher his own notes at home. The nanny experiment exceeded expectations. Daniel became a fine student, one of the best fourth-grade scientists. Gallaher predicts her “super adorable” pupil will prosper in fifth grade, where he’ll be taught by Kaitlyn McGurk ’12, her partner in a program that has sent Wilkes undergraduates to student teach at Sri Utama International School in Kuala Lumpur. McGurk, Gallaher and Nick Barno ’13 are the first Wilkes alumni to return to teach full time in Malaysia after student teaching there. The Wilkes exchange with Sri Utama began after Gina Morrison, an associate professor in Wilkes’ Division of Global History and Languages, was on sabbatical studying the policies of Malaysian female educators in Kuala Lumpur in 2010. She needed a school for her adopted daughter, Victoria. She found Sri Utama, which opened in 1994, the year Morrison first visited Malaysia with her husband, William, a Malaysian of Indian heritage. Impressed with each others’ commitment to education, Morrison and Dato Fawziah, the school’s founding CEO, began working together. She asked Morrison to teach American 12 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 12 10/6/14 9:15 PM �methods—creative games, classroom management, inclusion—to Sri Utama teachers. In exchange, she decreased tuition for Morrison’s daughter. The arrangement worked so well, the women expanded the novel plan after Morrison returned to Wilkes. In 2011, the first group of six Wilkes undergraduates began teaching at Sri Utama, monitored by veteran teachers for seven weeks. All their costs—airfare, lodging, food, recreational trips—were paid by Dato Fawziah. One of Dato Fawziah’s beneficiaries is McGurk, who majored in elementary education and now teaches fifth- and sixth-graders at the school. Sri Utama, in turn, has benefited from McGurk’s initiatives: an art exhibit, a poetry contest involving parents, the after-school programs Reading Rally and Girl Power. She’s also introduced volleyball, her varsity sport at Wilkes, to a country mad about badminton. Teaching in another country has not been without challenges. McGurk has struggled with Malaysian educational norms: poor technology; lecture-based teaching; frustratingly slow, frustratingly polite decisions made by committee. For Barno, the biggest challenge is teaching English for the first time to students who don’t know English. A history major at Wilkes, he’s made learning a new language easier for seventh- to ninth-graders at the Sri Utama branch in Johor Bahru, a city near Singapore. He’s added classes for struggling students and a friendlier textbook, the lavishly cartooned “Cool Ways to Improve Your English.” Gallaher, who also has a degree in elementary education, was asked to teach lessons about peer pressure, forgiveness and fears—subjects much trickier to teach than English. She encouraged a native Korean to discuss his fear of not returning to his homeland, and a Sudan native to discuss his fear of returning to the country where his father was murdered. Both Dato Fawziah and Morrison have helped make the Americans more Malaysian. McGurk now loves Nasi Lemak, coconut rice with toasted peanuts, fried anchovies and sambal, a chili sauce. Barno digs Chinese New Year, which has more fireworks than eight New Year’s eves. Gallaher follows the Malaysian practice of walking shoeless in homes, which delights her mother. The Wilkes graduates admire the extraordinary tolerance of Malaysians, a celebration of races and religions that Morrison calls “a national treasure.” Muslims attend Christmas parties. Christians eat in Muslim homes during Eid al-Fitr, the three-day feast after Ramadan’s fast, and everyone celebrates Chinese New Year. “On the whole, the people of Malaysia know how to look past the qualities that divide us,” says Barno, “and focus on the things that bring us together.” Indeed, Gallaher couldn’t teach the American civil rights movement because her Malaysian students couldn’t fathom whites oppressing blacks. The Malaysian alliance keeps growing. Last year Wilkes hosted two scholarship students from the Sri Utama branch in Johor Bahru. “On the whole, the people of Malaysia know how to look past the qualities that divide us...” Top, Barno and his students enjoy a relaxed moment. Center, Kaitlyn McGurk ’12 and some of her fifth- and sixth-graders pose in her colorful classroom. Bottom, Rebecca Gallaher ’12’s students show off medals they won. PHOTOS COURTESY NICK BARNO, KAITLYN MCGURK Gallaher has learned lessons in Malaysia that she can use in any classroom anywhere. “I’ve learned that if you’re ever in doubt, don’t run to a book and look it up,” she says. “Follow your basic instincts; go with your gut... I’ve also learned that you can’t always go with your first impression, your first judgment. The problem might not be that a student is stubborn; it might be that he simply doesn’t speak your language.” WILKES | Fall 2014 AND REBECCA GALLAHER 13 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 13 10/6/14 9:15 PM �WILKES | Fall 2014 Jason Evans ’00 dons attire that reflects the laid-back nature of doing business on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Opposite, Evans takes a break from a busy schedule. PHOTOS BY ANTHONY MARTINEZ 14 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 14 10/6/14 9:15 PM �JASON EVANS ’00 BUILDS VIDEO BUSINESS ON MAUI By Bill Thomas ’13 Moving to Maui might just be the best decision Jason Evans ’00 ever made. It might also be his most spontaneous. “My dad did a lot of traveling for work, so I was able to go to Hawaii a few times when I was younger, at about 13 or 14. Then I went there again when I was about 24, around 2005. I remember I was telling the people I was with how I always wanted to live there. I love the water, I love the weather and the food, I love scuba diving, wakeboarding and surfing – but there was no TV in Hawaii that I could be involved in,” Evans recalls. Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 15 At the time, the communication studies graduate was working as a producer for Philadelphia-based Banyan Productions, on the top-rated TLC show “Trading Spaces.” “When we got back to the hotel, The Maui Visitor Channel was on. I joked that I could work for those guys. On a whim, I cold-called them to see how often their turnover was and it turned out they were looking for a producer right then and there.” For two years, Evans produced television commercials, programming segments and long-format productions for the Maui Visitors Bureau and the Four Seasons resort at Manele Bay on the island of Lana’i. Then he decided to take another chance. Hoping to provide Hawaii, a small market with few options for media production, with a fresh, forward-thinking alternative, Evans started his own company based in Maui, SilverShark Media. “The way media is going now, if you’re not creating for more than one platform, you’re really limiting your scope,” Evans said. “Television is an industry, like a lot of creative arts industries, whether it be music or art or whatever, where changes in technology have made things more accessible. You don’t have to have a million-dollar bankroll to run a company; you need creativity and talent.” 10/6/14 9:15 PM �That philosophy has already landed SilverShark several noteworthy projects. In addition to commercials and company marketing videos, SilverShark produces “Making Over Maui,” a weekly web-based series for Maui Na Ko Oi, a regional magazine. “Making Over Maui” features local businesses performing positive makeovers within their communities. One notable episode featured “House M.D.” and “Tron: Legacy” actress Olivia Wilde. The company has also worked on such national programs as the Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” and the Golf Channel’s “The Haney Project.” Evans worked with professional boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, Food Network star Mario Batali, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Angie Everhart and Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine during one three-month period for the Golf Channel program. In 2010, SilverShark was nominated for the Maui Mayor’s Small Business Award. Evans attributes his success to his proactive nature—it was he who approached Maui Na Ka Oi with the “Making Over Maui” idea—and the head start he got on the technical side of television production from Wilkes University. “I always knew I was going to be in television... I wanted to go somewhere that I could actually get hands-on experience early.” “Making Over Maui” host Lia Krieg laughs with employees of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. working for Habitat for Humanity, while Evans, in foreground, and his crew film an episode of the long-running web series. Above, Evans poses with “Awesome Planet” host Philippe Cousteau Jr., center, and camera operator Mark Gambol, right, at Yellowstone National Park. WILKES | Fall 2014 PHOTO BY JOHN HARA. 16 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 16 10/6/14 9:15 PM �Evans celebrates the success he’s found in Hawaii. Jason Evans ’00, Maui, Hawaii B.A., Communication Studies, Wilkes Career: Owns and operates production company SilverShark Media, nominated for the Maui Mayor’s Small Business Award, 2010. Notable: As freelance produce for “Awesome Adventures” was nominated for a 2014 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Travel Program and also was nominated as producer. Favorite Wilkes Memories: Working on the Wilkes Left, Evans oversees shooting of an episode of his Emmy-nominated syndicated educational travel show “Awesome Adventures” in Maya Bay, Thailand, with host Nicole Dabeau and two local teens. show “The Colonel’s Edge” for three years with close friends January Johnson ’00, Matt Reitnour ’01 and Dave DiMartino ’01. Calling Wilkes football and basketball games for radio and television. WILKES | Fall 2014 -- I “I always knew I was going to be in television, and knowing that I wanted to be in that industry, I wanted to go somewhere that I could actually get hands-on experience early. I didn’t want to wait until my senior year for my first chance to produce something,” Evans says. “I went into that Wilkes television studio and I helped create a sports show in my sophomore year that continued for three more years. I got to edit. I got to host. I got to shoot. I got to work in front of the camera and behind it. During my junior year, when I was doing my internship at ABC in Philadelphia for their sports department, I felt advanced. Just having access to the technology put me a few steps ahead of everybody else.” Not one to be idle, Evans also keeps busy as a freelance producer for Bryn Mawr, Pa.,-based Steve Rotfeld Productions, working on three nationally syndicated educational children’s shows, including “Awesome Planet” hosted by Philipe Cousteau Jr., grandson of famed undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau. Another freelance project, “Awesome Adventures,” was nominated for a 2014 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Travel Program. “My very first shoot day with Nicole (Debeau), the host for ‘Awesome Adventures,’ was on the big island of Hawaii,” Evans recalls. “We had a boat trip set at sunset to see lava flowing into the ocean. When we got there, a heavy swell had rolled in and it was a 45-minute boat ride blasting over high seas, but it was one of the more incredible things I’ve seen: lava dropping off the cliff into the water like a waterfall. You could hear it sizzle.” Though Evans’ work keeps him on the move with little downtime, don’t expect him to slow down and settle for soaking up the Hawaiian scenery any time soon. For Evans, who once felt like “a small fish in a small pond,” the growth of SilverShark is a never-ending process. “Right now, one project I’m most proud of are the videos for the Fairmont resort brand, a very respected, very well-known brand around the world. We were able to do marketing videos for the Fairmont resort on Maui, which led to us doing work for the Fairmont in Sonoma, Calif.,” he says. “That’s nice to be able to show that, yes, we’re located on a small island in the middle of the ocean, but we can still bring quality to northern California, where San Francisco is an hour away and full of production companies that would chomp at the bit for the same project. To have people in a company who don’t even know you decide to pick you over a local company, that’s a great feeling. It shows the potential SilverShark has for growth beyond its geographic center.” 17 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 17 10/6/14 9:16 PM �S S A 8 -CL E 0 ’ LD A T E R ND A I NHOSA WOER ABE i nt Hu 9 ’7 T s u IS UN LD AN lock H OU ICI bert B W US y Ro M ar By G ng r fo WILKES | Fall 2014 s es cc Su Nate Hosie is at home hunting in his native Pennsylvania woods, above, and on stage playing guitar in Nashville, right. PHOTOS COURTESY “HEADHUNTERS TV.” 18 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 18 10/6/14 9:16 PM �Nate Hosie ’08, Montdale, Pa. Career: Host and producer for “Headhunters TV” on the Outdoor Channel. Notable: Guitarist who has been the opening act for country music superstars Luke Bryan, Brantley Gilbert and Travis Tritt. Favorite Wilkes Place: The Student Center and the Rifkin Café. It always had such a great atmosphere. launched the idea for “Headhunters TV.” Hosie is one of the Outdoor Channel show’s hosts. It’s allowed him to hunt with some of the legends of Nashville music, paving the way for another kind of career, one actually spawned during his time at Wilkes. During his recovery from the broken neck, Hosie had a lot of free time. “I got bored with video games after a month and started to teach myself to play guitar,” he says. “My sister Marla knew how to play a few things and the things she showed me amazed me.” The keen ear he developed from calling turkeys for almost 15 years—imitating their clucks, purrs, putts, cackles and yelps—paved the way for perfecting the sound he made from finger picks, bending, hammering, plucking and strumming on a six-string guitar. When he got back to Wilkes, he and some friends formed the band Maybe Someday, which played quite a few gigs at Murray’s Inn on Penn Avenue. Just 10 months after Marla helped him learn to play the guitar, she was killed by a drunken driver. Hosie dedicated himself to becoming a better guitar player in her honor. Some of the country music celebrities Hosie hunted with for “Headhunters TV” were impressed with his music. Earlier this year, he opened for Luke Bryan at the Archery Trade Association Show and for Brantley Gilbert at the Great American Outdoors Show in Harrisburg. Hosie worked on preproduction and composition of songs in Scranton with Jimmy Reynolds. In August, he opened for Travis Tritt at the Buckmaster Show in Montgomery, Ala. “I’ve written some songs and am working on others, doing them in the studio to find a unique kind of sound that is fitting for me musically,” Hosie says. Once he gets the sound to where he wants it, he’ll be heading to Nashville for the actual recording sessions of music that is a blend of country and rock. While Hosie’s no longer in Maybe Someday, maybe is becoming more definite for him, and someday is on his horizon like the red-yellow sunrise over the canopied forest. WILKES | Fall 2014 c ountry music superstars like Luke Bryan and Travis Tritt call him “The Turkey Slayer.” It’s a nickname friends—famous and not-sofamous—have given Nate Hosie, 2008 Wilkes graduate, budding Nashville recording artist, and one of the hosts of the “Headhunters TV” hunting show on the Outdoor Channel. Hosie is a Montdale, Lackawanna County, native and resident, born and bred in the outdoors world of hunting and fishing in northeastern Pennsylvania. An All-State cornerback for Lakeland High School in 2003, he enrolled at Wilkes to major in elementary education and play football for the Colonels. Hosie had a decent freshman year under Coach Frank Sheptock, but three days into his first winter break, his life changed dramatically. “My buddy got into an accident and wrecked his truck when we were going deer hunting, and I broke my neck,” he says. “The doctors told me I’d never be able to play football again.” Despite nearly being paralyzed from the injury, Hosie moved forward with hope rather than dwelling on the loss of his promising athletic career. He had already become a prizewinning turkey caller by the time he entered Wilkes, and that gave him something to hold onto as he worked his way through a three-month period of rehabilitation while missing a semester of college. Hunting eastern turkeys and white-tail deer in Pennsylvania was a passion since grandfather Josh and father Marty started getting him used to Penn’s Woods as a 5-year-old. Hosie followed his dad and granddad into the woods with a cap gun as a youngster, just spending some quality family time while learning the ins and outs of hunting. He liked deer hunting, but turkey hunting absolutely intoxicated him. “When I started turkey hunting, the interaction with them by calling, and them gobbling back, that conversation back and forth is something I took to,” Hosie says. Neighbors Bob Casella and Butch Maiolatsi taught their young Jedi about the cadence and volume of calling, the intricate details that separate good callers from great callers. Those skills launched him into turkey calling contests. Friends started called him “The Turkey Slayer” because of his turkey hunting prowess, an activity he honed by imitating the calls turkeys make, calling them in ever closer before lowering the boom, so to speak. After graduating from Wilkes, Hosie began working with Top Calls, a turkey call company based in Potter County, Pa. Hunter’s Specialties, another calling company, began using him as a videographer and producer with Harrisburg, Pa., native Matt Morrett’s hunting show. During some hunting industry trade shows, Hosie became friends with outdoors personality Randy Birdsong, who Bachelor of Arts, Elementary Education 19 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 19 10/6/14 9:16 PM �alumni news The Colonel’s Summer Vacation If you thought you saw the Colonel frolicking in the sand this summer or taking in the sites in Italy, you might be right. This summer, the Colonel has been traveling with alumni, faculty and staff all over the nation and even internationally. The Office of Alumni Relations distributed cardstock colonels for people to take on their many summer adventures. We encouraged everyone to participate by snapping a photo with the Colonel showing the location, and send it to the Alumni Office. We added all of the photos to our Facebook photo album, which you can find by searching Wilkes University Alumni Association. A map of his travels was displayed during Homecoming 2014. Everyone kept the Colonel very busy this summer, and he’ll continue his travels throughout the year. For your own cardstock Colonel, contact alumni@wilkes.edu. Alumni Association board members helping at summer orientation were, from left, Matt Berger ’02, Cindy Charnetski ’97, Cheryl Jaworski MBA ’09, Ellen Hall ’71, Ian Foley ’14 and John Sweeney ’13. ALUMNI RELATIONS PHOTO Members of the Alumni Association Board Participate in Campus Events The many locations visited by the Colonel during his summer travels included the coast of Maine, a salt water taffy store at the New Jersey shore and the Roosevelt home in Hyde Park, N.Y. WILKES | Fall 2014 Alumni Discount Available for Legacy Students Do you have a college-age child or grandchild interested in Wilkes University? Wilkes is now offering an alumni discount for undergraduate students of $500 per year of attendance (up to four years), which amounts to $2,000. We value our alumni and hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to pass on the Wilkes legacy to one of your family members! To begin the process, contact the Office of Admissions to schedule a personal visit by calling (570)408-4400 or emailing admissions@wilkes.edu. Members of the Alumni Association board of directors welcomed more than 500 first-year students and their families to Wilkes during both sessions of First Year Orientation this summer. Several board members participated including Matt Berger ’02, president Cindy Charnetski ’97, Ian Foley ’14, vice-president Ellen Stamer Hall ’71, secretary Kathy Heltzel ’82 MBA ’85, Cheryl Jaworski MBA ’09, Kristin Klemish ’04 and John Sweeney ’13.  Alumni board members took this opportunity to welcome everyone to campus and make first-year students feel like Wilkes will be a home away from home. The board members were able to mingle and engage with incoming students during a continental breakfast hosted by student affairs.  “I had a wonderful time welcoming our first-time students at orientation. The topic of conversation among board members was how we wished we could relive our school days all over again!” says Cheryl Jaworski MBA ’09. Look for members of the Alumni Association board of directors at other campus events such as Welcome Weekend, admissions open houses and Family Day. 20 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 20 10/6/14 9:16 PM �giving back Celebrating Colonel Connections During their trip to Wilkes-Barre, Weinkle also took Kennedy to meet a rabbi in the area. Kennedy’s interaction with the rabbi’s three children provided her with the opportunity of a job teaching Sunday school at the congregation. “Getting a job in the area definitely affected my decision to attend Wilkes,” recounts Kennedy. “It gave me some security and more of a sense of belonging in Wilkes-Barre. This job also pushed me in the direction of making my decision to be an education major.” Kennedy is involved in many different clubs and activities. She is involved in Programming Board, Inter-Residence Hall Council, the Homecoming Student Team and the Dance Team. She also serves as the president of her class in Student Government. “I’m thrilled with how well she’s done,” Weinkle says. “There’s no question that she is really in her own element at Wilkes, doing everything that she wants to do.” Kennedy entered her second year at Wilkes this fall. “My first year at Wilkes University went really well. I could not have asked for a better experience and I cannot wait to come back for more. I made a ton of great friends and I learned a lot, not just through school, but about myself as well,” Kennedy says. Although Weinkle has recommended Wilkes many times, Kennedy is the first student to take him up on his recommen- Sophomore student Sarah Kennedy and Joseph Weinkle ’63 celebrate their shared Wilkes experience outside the Henry Student Center. Weinkle encouraged Kennedy to apply to his alma mater. dation. But he says that any alumni can help young students make decisions on where they choose to go to college, simply by having a meaningful conversation. He recommends just starting with a few questions regarding the student’s wants and needs from a school. “Remember what it was like to think about choosing a college for yourself; you talked to people who cared enough to ask you those questions or someone who had knowledge and insight about different college opportunities.” Weinkle says that his time at Wilkes is truly what influences him to recommend it to others. REFER A FRIEND! Introduce a young person to Wilkes University Have a relative, neighbor or friend starting the college search process? Introduce him or her to Wilkes University! Open houses are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15, and Saturday, Jan. 31. Or schedule a personal tour with a prospective student by calling the Office of Admissions at (800) WILKES-U Ext. 4400 or registering online at www.wilkes.edu/visitwilkes. Make sure to mention that you’re an alum! WILKES | Fall 2014 After graduation, the memories you made in college stay with you on your journey throughout life. Joseph Weinkle ’63 passed those memories to a prospective student, who became a current student once she received Weinkle’s guidance. Weinkle introduced Sarah Kennedy, class of 2017, to Wilkes University and she hasn’t looked back since her tour at Wilkes. Weinkle, who has lived in Pittsburgh for 41 years, has known Kennedy since she was an infant because they are members of the same synagogue. Children from the congregation affectionately refer to him as “Uncle Joe.” In this role, he has helped Kennedy and other young people to navigate through their day-to-day challenges in life as well as the college selection process. “I had no idea where I wanted to go to college, but I had an idea of what size and type of school I wanted to attend,” says Kennedy. “I was considering eight schools and had been accepted into most.” Through multiple conversations with Kennedy, Weinkle realized that she could fit in at Wilkes, a place he regards as a second home. “I suggested that Sarah try looking at my alma mater,” says Weinkle, who majored in business administration at Wilkes. “I told her, ‘I think you’ll find what you’re looking for.’” And Weinkle was correct; she found it. “Honestly, I do not think I would have found Wilkes if it wasn’t for Joe,” says Kennedy. “It might have come across on College Board in my school searches, but I do not think I would have clicked the link if he did not suggest it.” One of the things that really sealed the deal was when Weinkle gave Kennedy a personal tour. He brought her to campus after she was accepted; her parents were unable to take her that day. 21 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 21 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes Tara Kojsza ’99 MBA ’03 Sees Small Business as Bigger Enterprise Tara Kojsza ’99 MBA ’03 lowers a batch of fresh-cut boardwalk real products: real cream, real Oreos, real Chips Ahoy cookies. fries into the deep fryer. “Consistency, quality and customer That makes a difference.” service, those are our top three priorities,” she says. She’s just But Jessee’s Place is more than hoagies and soft serve treats. opened her concession stand at Scranton’s Nay Aug Park and For Kojsza, the business is about the relationship between the already she’s filling orders, rushing from fryer to fridge to front proprietors, clerks and customers. “We watch our kids grow counter to serve a young customer. This is the second year in a up,” Kojsza explains, referring to her young customers. “We five-year contract Kojsza has with the city to operate the stand teach the kids how to tie their shoes and count money.” She beside the city pool and her sixth year as the proprietor of asserts that small businesses like Jessee’s Place are about the Jessee’s Place, a mom-and-pop ice cream stand located across relationships that develop. These relationships include those from the Scranton Farmers Market. between Kojsza and the high school and college students who Kojsza graduated from Wilkes in 1999 with a bachelor’s she employs, calling them “my girls.” degree in business administration. She worked for Tri-State Health, gaining experience in sales before returning to Wilkes as a full-time graduate student. She earned her MBA in 2003 and took a sales manager position at PepsiCo, where she oversaw Tara Kojsza ’99 MBA ’03 shows off a soft serve creation. Opposite, the store’s signature t-shirt. PHOTO BY FRANCISCO TUTELLA. operations in nine Pennsylvania counties, putting 5,000 miles on her truck per month. Aiming for what she calls the “gold standard in sales,” she left Pepsi and pursued a position at Sanofi-Aventis, a multinational company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Fourteen interviews later, Kojsza beat 1,700 candidates for the job. She excelled and worked for the company for two and a half years. Then she realized, “It was everything I thought it wasn’t.” After re-evaluating her priorities, she returned to her roots and bought an ice cream stand. “Small business is in my blood,” she states, referring to the Sterling General Store, a bar, restaurant and general store operated by her grandparents. “I learned to make change at the age of five. Thirty years later, we’re selling the same Italian hoagie for $3.” In addition to the Italian hoagie, she sells soft pretzels, burgers and ice cream at her two locations. “We’re the flurry headquarters,” she says. “You name it, we create it.” Among the shop’s signature flurry creations—a blend of soft-serve ice cream and premium mix-ins—are Rice Crispy Treat, Fruity Pebble WILKES | Fall 2014 and Chocolate Crunch flurries. Kojsza stresses the quality of the product she offers. “My ice cream is top-notch. We use all “I learned to make change at the age of five. Thirty years later, we’re selling the same Italian hoagie for $3.” 22 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 22 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes Undergraduate Degrees 1960 Gordon Roberts was appointed artistic director and conductor of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. --<'e-.s.seE'' ""~ .s ~ ,..~ f'L-AC..E~ SCMN 570- ~ Kojsza’s father, brother Ryan MBA ’14, and mother Lori ’92 MBA ’97, help her run both establishments and sell food at festivals and events in which the business participates. “My family is huge into what I do,” Kojsza states. “My mom is awesome. She’s my best free asset.” That family atmosphere followed Kojsza at Wilkes. 1961 Richard “Dick” Cobb selfpublished Ambrose: Civil War Journey, which recounts his great-grandfather’s call from his Iowa farm to service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The idea for the book came to Cobb while on location to film the movie Gettysburg, in which he appeared as one of the six “Hot Heads of the 2nd Maine.” The book has been added to the Jefferson Library at West Point; the archival collection of the United States Army Military history; U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, Pa.; and Iowa’s Historical Society. 1974 Barry H. Williams MBA ’81 received the Volunteer Service Award from the Northeastern Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants at the chapter’s annual meeting on May 22. He was recognized for his participation in the organization’s volunteer leadership and financial literacy programs. Williams is dean of the McGowan School of Business at King’s College. 1978 Cynthia Mailloux received the 2014 Pauly and Sidney Friedman Excellence in Service Award from Misericordia University, where she is professor and chair of the department of 1969 Raymond Downey was married to Donna Wisnieski on April 19, 2013. Andy Matviak ’70, the groom’s college roommate, performed the ceremony in Sidney, N.Y., where Matviak serves as mayor. Pictured at the wedding, left to right, are Wisnieski, Downey and Matviak. nursing. The award is given to a faculty member in recognition of service for the university and greater community. “The cool thing about Wilkes is that my mom, brother and I all had the same teachers. They know my family. Besides being mentors, the faculty are friends.” Kojsza still remains in touch with business school faculty members, including Larry Cohen, left, pictured with his wife, Sally, Wilkes President Patrick Leahy and Mike Wood, Wilkes vice president for external affairs, at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry annual awards luncheon. Wilkes was presented with the chamber’s Pride of Place Award in the community enhancement category for the Lawrence and Sally Cohen Science Center. The $35 million building, which opened in fall 2013, is named for the Cohens, who gave the largest single gift from an alumnus in University history in support of the project. 1957 professors Anne Batory and Wagiha Taylor. When asked what she considers the best aspect of her job, Kojsza says without hesitation: “It’s a lot of fun. There’s nothing more cream cone to someone and putting a smile on her face.” – By Francisco Tutella WILKES | Fall 2014 gratifying than handing an ice 23 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 23 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes 1982 Christine Lain-Sarno was chosen as the Frankford Township School Teacher of the Year 2013-2014. She is a third-grade teacher at the school in Branchville, N.J. Lain-Sarno resides in Wantage, N.J. with her husband Chuck and two children, Skyler and Nikki. 1986 Michael Yencha was appointed president of the Northeastern Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants for the 2014-15 year. 1989 Bill Evanina was appointed director of the office of the National Counterintelligence Executive after 25 years of working for the United States government and 18 years for the FBI. 1990 John Serafin began a new position as vice president/ Luzerne county commercial marketing manager of Fidelity Bank in Kingston, Pa. Keith Silligman earned an additional bachelor of science degree in accounting from Bellevue University after retiring from a 20-year career in the health care management field. He lives in Omaha, Neb., with his wife, Nancy, and children, Ashley and Christopher. 1994 James Bruck MBA was promoted to the rank of major in the Civil Air Patrol. He currently serves as the public affairs officer with Scranton Composite Squadron 201. Matthew McCaffrey is the new director of admission and institutional advancement at Canton Country Day School in Canton, Ohio. He resides in north Canton with his wife, Andrea, and three children, Matthew, 11, Katy, 9, and Abby, 3. McCaffrey purchased his home from fellow Wilkes alumnus William Downey ’69, who built it in 1977. 1995 Sharon L. Brittingham earned a doctor of divinity from the American Institute for Holistic Theology in May 2013 and was ordained an interfaith clergyperson in May 2014. Timothy Williams was among 28 teachers nationwide selected to participate in the American Geological Institute’s K-5 Earth Science Teacher Leadership Academy in Houston, Texas. He is 1979 WILKES | Fall 2014 1976 Philip Besler, right, was joined by Anthony Shipula ’78, left, during spring 2014 in bringing Besler’s 58-foot 2008 Sea Ray Sedan Bridge from his home in Charleston, S.C., where he lives with wife Carol Gusgekofski Besler ’76, to Long Beach Island, N.J. Gary Blockus received the 2014 Professional Keystone Press Award for top Sports Beat Reporting in Division I from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association for his coverage of the outdoors. The competition included sports writers covering professional and major college teams at large-circulation newspapers. Blockus, a reporter at The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa., also received an honorable mention in the sports story category. a national board-certified teacher, teaches third grade at Gilbert Magnet School for Creative Arts in Las Vegas, Nev., and instructs professional development classes throughout the Clark County School District in science, literacy and teacher leadership. 1998 Michael T. Beachem IV was chosen to attend the selective NASPA, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education’s Mid Manager Institute in Albany, N.Y. The intensive, five-day program provides an opportunity for advanced student affairs professionals to interact with and learn from experienced senior administrators. Beachem is associate director of resident life at International House Philadelphia. 1999 Ronald S. Honick Jr. was promoted to senior vice president, audit manager at First National Community Bank, Dunmore, Pa. 2000 Donna Talarico-Beerman MFA ’10 earned the master of business administration degree from Elizabethtown College, Pa. She also completed the regional leadership and professional development program Leadership Lancaster, where she was selected as class speaker at the program’s graduation festivities. She is director of integrated marketing at Elizabethtown College and lives in Lancaster with her husband, Kevin Beerman ’01. 24 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 24 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes Jonathan Perloff ’94 Designs Award-Winning Medical Devices Jonathan Perloff ’94 never thought he’d be working with cadavers when he earned his mechanical engineering degree from Wilkes. But that’s exactly what he does to test the devices he designs for Globus Medical, a company specializing in innovative technologies for patients with spinal disorders. Working with design team doctors who serve as consultants to Globus, Perloff designs devices that improve the quality of life for patients while streamlining surgery techniques. Becker’s Spine Review, an industry trade publication, recently recognized Perloff and his team for LATIS, a lumbar interbody spacer that is inserted in patients with degenerative disc disease. It provides stability for individuals who have had discs removed. The publication recognized it as the outstanding spine device for 2014. The device is designed to allow surgeons to use minimally invasive surgical techniques to insert it—a significant step forward. Perloff, who was the lead engineer on the project, has applied for two patents for the LATIS device and already holds never dreamed of doing when he came to Wilkes. “I’m a motorhead guy,” Perloff jokes. “I was always tinkering Jonathan Perloff ’94 stands in a showroom displaying the many medical devices designed by engineers at Globus Medical. PHOTO BY SAMUEL SUNDERSINGH, GLOBUS MEDICAL with cars. Most people who go into mechanical engineering devices to market. Because medical devices must meet Food want to design cars and airplanes.” and Drug Administration requirements, some new products His first job after graduation was with CFM technologies in West Chester, Pa., a firm that makes wet processing equipment for etching also must go through clinical trials before they can be used. Sometimes Perloff finds himself in the operating room with and a surgeon trying his device. cleaning silicon wafers for the “They don’t want someone semi-conductor industry. He also worked at Lutron Electronics in Coopersburg, Pa., and Knoll Furniture in East Greenville, Pa., before joining Globus in January 2008. Perloff says it takes three “I was always tinkering with cars. Most people who go into mechanical engineering want to design cars and airplanes.” from sales,” he says. “They want the guy who designed it who can answer his questions and who he can give feedback.” Perloff says his current work gives him the greatest years to bring a new device to satisfaction of anything he’s market, with two years from the done in his career. initial sketch or concept to full production. “We have a lab with “It’s nice to be able to do something to make someone’s life doctors on the design team,” Perloff says. Cadavers are used better,” he says. “It’s very rewarding to know that something to help design devices that will be used in the human body. you do will help them to sit up in a wheelchair, get rid of An in-house machine shop allows prototypes to be produced chronic back pain, correct scoliosis, or even walk again.” quickly, cutting down the time that it takes to bring new – By Vicki Mayk MFA ’13 WILKES | Fall 2014 another for an earlier medical device he designed. It’s work he 25 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 25 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes 2001 Adam VanWert Pharm. D. (See Graduate Degrees 2003). 2001 Edward Kollar has been appointed principal at ParenteBeard. Kollar has over 30 years of professional accounting experience, including 14 years in public accounting. He is a certified public accountant in Pennsylvania, an IRS enrolled agent and certified specialist in estate planning. He is treasurer of the Estate Planning Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania. 2002 Joseph Casey and Brooke Anne Polachek were married on Aug. 10, 2013, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Swoyersville, Pa. The groom teaches at Wyoming Valley West Middle School. The bride is a physician assistant at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. The couple honeymooned at the Riu Palace in Aruba. They reside in Kingston, Pa. 2006 Benjamin Damick and Jeannine Koneski were married on Oct. 12, 2013, in Ithaca, N.Y. The groom is employed as a web developer and the bride is a hair stylist. The couple resides in Rochester, N.Y. Pa., on July 6, 2013. The couple honeymooned in Fiji and currently reside in Uniontown, Ohio. 2010 Jarrod M. Buzalewski received a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. 2012 John “Randy” Keiser and Stacy Kaiser were married on June 6 at the Luzerne County Courthouse in Wilkes-Barre. The groom is entering his final year at the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. The bride is a registered nurse. The couple plan to hold a larger ceremony to mark their first anniversary on June 6, 2015. Graduate Degrees 1981 Barry H. Williams MBA (See Undergraduate Degrees 1974) 1989 Gerard Champi MBA was appointed an at-large representative on the board of directors at First National Community Bank, Dunmore, Pa. 2003 Adam VanWert Pharm.D was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Wilkes University. 2007 Shannon Curtin MBA ’09’s first poetry chapbook, File Cabinet Heart, published in June, won the 2014 Mini Collection Competition. 2010 WILKES | Fall 2014 Katie Nealon passed the Pennsylvania Bar exam. She is an associate at Munley Law, a personal injury law firm in Pennsylvania. 2008 Rex Harris participated in Pennsylvania Cage Fight 18 at the Kingston Armory on May 23. The event marked his return after a two-year hiatus to competitive mixed martial arts. 2009 Peter Dombroski and Melinda Gentilesco were married at St. Martin of Tours Church in Susquehanna, 2006 John A. Bednarz Jr. MA has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in the field of workers’ compensation for the seventh straight year. Only 5 percent of Pennsylvania lawyers obtain the status, and Bednarz is the only attorney practicing in the workers’ compensation field in Wilkes-Barre to have earned the designation. 26 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 26 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes In Memoriam 2009 Shannon Curtin (see Undergraduate Degrees 2007) Janell Marie Stapert MS and James Barna MS were married Aug. 5, 2013, on a beach in Maryland. The bride teaches first grade and the groom teaches physical education in the Greater Nanticoke Area School District. 2010 Donna Talarico-Beerman MFA ’10 (See Undergraduate Degrees 2000) 2011 Alison Carr MS and Ryan Arcangeli ’14 MS were married on June 15, 2013, in St. Jude Parish in Mountain Top, Pa. The bride teaches health and physical education and the groom teaches history in the Crestwood School District. 2012 Jessica Hritzko was featured in the Reading Eagle “In Our Schools” feature. She teaches fifth grade at Bethel Elementary School, Bethel, Pa. Courtney L. Kuklentz MS joined the Parkland School District’s administration team as coordinator of special education. 2014 Suzanne Murray-Galella EdD was awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor of education at Wilkes University. 1942 Katherine P. Freund, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died May 21, 2014. She was a teacher for 30 years with the Wilkes-Barre Area School District at GAR Memorial High School. Joseph C. Kelly, Jenkintown, Pa., died on March 2, 2011. He was a veteran of World War II. After graduating from Bucknell University and Brooklyn Law School, he was an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Philadelphia. 1948 Claire F. Beissinger, Baltimore, Md., died May 23, 2013. She was an elementary school music teacher for 32 years in White Plains, N.Y.,Verona, N.J., and Greenlawn, N.Y. 1949 Retired Col. Edward F. Corcoran, Ph.D., U.S. Army, Columbia, S.C., died April 8, 2014. He was a decorated war veteran. Howard J. Dinstel Sr., Palm Harbor, Fla. died May 20, 2014. He started his career at Pfizer, then worked at Greenstein’s Pharmacy and Dinstel’s Pharmacy, until the mid 1970s. Later he worked at Cook’s Pharmacy, Shavertown, and Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, Kingston. 1951 Michael D. Kotch, M.D., Nanticoke, Pa., died June 12, 2014. He graduated Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia in 1955. He served in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1959, stationed in Fulda, Germany, as the commanding officer for the 501st Armored Medical Company, attached to the 14th Armored Cavalry. He worked as private practice general practitioner in Nanticoke for almost 40 years. 1954 Michael J. Lewis Jr., Kingston, Pa., died June 12, 2013. During his first year at Wilkes, he led a student revolt against the custom of hazing freshmen, which received national press recognition. He negotiated a truce between freshmen and upperclassmen. He was a U.S. Navy veteran. Lewis graduated Columbia University Law School and was later appointed to the Pennsylvania State Attorney General’s office, where he oversaw the awarding of pensions of coal miners stricken with black lung disease. 1955 George Saunders, Walnutport, Pa., died June 28, 2014. He was a general adjuster for Saunders Associates and a general adjuster for General Adjustment Bureau. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. 1956 Sylvia I. Bator, Tilbury Terrace and Edwardsville, Pa., died on May 16, 2014. She was a guidance counselor for the LakeLeham School District and a receptionist for the Russin Funeral Homes. Patricia Stout Williams, Clemmons, N.C., died March 6, 2014. 1957 William DeMayo, Corona del Mar, Calif., died July 11, 2012. He served the U.S. Army in Korea and later started his own export business in California. WILKES | Fall 2014 2008 Joshua Swantek PharmD was promoted to major. He is an Air Force reservist at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. 27 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 27 10/6/14 9:16 PM �class notes 1959 Michael Goobic died April 15, 2014. He served in the military in Korea. He later worked in marketing, most notably with Johnson & Johnson for 15 years. He also coached baseball and served as a volunteer at the Westfield Memorial Library. Scott Threthaway, Palm City, Fla., died Jan. 23, 2014. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. Following retirement from Carter Wallace, where he worked as a national sales manager, Threthaway taught mathematics in the Martin County School System. 1960 Joseph F. Andrejko, Woodbridge,Va., died June 11, 2014. 1961 Judith Lamar, Harbeson, Del., died on Nov. 7, 2013. She worked as an elementary school teacher in Maryland and northern Virginia area, and was a Loudoun County master gardener instrumental in establishing a teaching demonstration garden in Leesburg,Va. 1967 Jane Pesavento Grogan, Kingston, Pa., died June 3, 2014. 1969 Paul W. “Pepper” Merrill II, Kingston, Pa., died July 7, 2014. While at Wilkes he played football as a defensive end, earning all MAC honors as a member of “The Fearsome Foursome” Golden Horde. Merrill started his career as an insurance adjuster for General Adjustment Bureau before he established Merrill Associates, which he operated for more than 20 years. 1972 Richard Otto Sarmonis, Trucksville, Pa., died June 27, 2014. He was employed by General Foods, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council of the Boy Scouts of America and retired in 2008 from Leeward Construction. 1975 Rita M. Mercuri, Yatesville, Pa., died June 20, 2014. She worked as an elementary and intermediate music teacher for the Pittston Area School District for 35 years and was the organist for the First Presbyterian Church in Pittston for 40 years. 1988 Albert Timko, Harveys Lake, Pa., died May 25, 2014. He was a biology teacher at Luzerne County Community College and was known as “the crab man” in Luzerne County, selling crabs roadside on weekends. 1991 Keith Kohut of Scott Township, Pa., died Feb. 27, 2014. He was controller at Olympia Chimney, Scranton, and earlier worked for Lockheed Martin. Michael W. Kuchera, Chambersburg, Pa., died January 12, 2012. He was employed by JLG Industries. 2000 Cheryl Ann (Spudis) Manchester, New Milford, Pa., died March 23, 2012. She taught mathematics and technology for 32 years in the Blue Ridge School District. Friends of Wilkes Dorothea W. “Dottie” Henry, Dallas, Pa., died July 29, 2014. The University’s student center and gymnasium are named for Mrs. Henry and her husband, Frank M. Henry. Mr. Henry served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1977 through 2006. The Henrys have been generous benefactors of Wilkes University, with significant gifts made in support of the student center, the Henry Gymnasium and the Cohen Science Center. Before moving to the Wyoming Valley in 1960, Mrs. Henry worked as a social worker in the Lutheran Welfare Service, Milwaukee. She was a former Sunday school teacher at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and a board member of the Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries. She was a member and past president of Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Auxiliary as well as a member of Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Auxiliary and chaired the Geisinger Gala. Faculty Stanley B. Kay, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died July 4, 2014. He was a professor of philosophy at Wilkes College. As a philanthropist, he gave many donations to Wilkes College and others. WILKES | Fall 2014 Raymond N. Sordoni, Kingsville, Md., died on May 21, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army. 1965 James R. Ward, Jacksonville, Fla., died March 10, 2012. He was a certified public accountant and served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. 28 Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 28 10/6/14 9:16 PM �■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ S • A •V• E T• H • E D • A •T• E MAY 30 , 20 1 5 • 6 P .M . W ESTMORELAND CLU B , WILKES -BARRE 2015 PRESIDENT’S MEDAL RECIPIENT JOHN REESE former Wilkes University athletic director and wrestling coach WE SOLD OUT! The Inaugural Founders Gala, held on June 7, 2014, raised over $250,000 for the newly established First Generation Fund. Don’t miss the opportunity to support first-generation college students at Wilkes University. Mark your calendar now to join us! For more information, cont act Lisa Everitt-Ensley at lisa.everittensley@wilkes.edu or 570-408- 4137. Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 3 10/6/14 9:16 PM �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events October 1-31 Faculty Exhibition 2014, Sordoni Art Gallery 9-13 Fall Recess 21 Gardner Lecture Series: Strategies for Teaching Special Needs Students at Graham Academy, 4:30 – 6 p.m. Marts 214 25 “Passport to Science,” Community Open House, 10 a.m – 1 p.m., Cohen Science Center November 1-30 Faculty Exhibition 2014, Sordoni Art Gallery 1 Family Day 2014 4 Gardner Lecture Series: Northeast Innovation Alliance, 4:30 – 6 p.m., Marts 214 7-9 Wilkes University Theatre Presents: Carrie – The Musical, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., Darte Center 11 Gardner Lecture Series: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Luzerne County, 4:30 – 6 p.m., Marts 214 12 “Navigating the Landmines of Conflict in the Landscape of a Family Business,” Family Business Alliance, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Henry Student Center Ballroom 14-16 Wilkes University Theatre Presents: Carrie – The Musical, 8 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., Darte Center 15 Instant Decision Open House 16 Empty Bowls benefiting local food banks, Ballroom, Henry Student Center 21 Chorus/Chamber Singers Concert, 7:30 p.m., St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Wilkes-Barre 22 Civic Band Concert, 7 p.m., Darte Center 23 University Orchestra Concert, 3 p.m., Darte Center December 1-14 Faculty Exhibition 2014, Sordoni Art Gallery 4 Jazz Orchestra Concert, 8 p.m., Darte Center 6 Chambers Singers Performance with the Arcadia Chorale, 8 p.m., Covenant Presbyterian Church, Scranton 7 Chambers Singers Performance with the Arcadia Chorale, 3 p.m., St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Wilkes-Barre 7 Flute Ensemble Concert, 7:30 p.m., Darte Center 8 Fall 2014 Classes End 10 “Texas Patriarch, The Rise and Fall of Family Dallas Dynasty,” Family Business Allance, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Henry Student Center Ballroom For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. Wilkes_Fall2014_FINAL.indb 4 10/6/14 9:16 PM � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2014 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Fall 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Fall 2014 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/746e5d964510536d7ca7e069f2050e6f.pdf b3403052537775690db9d19a6c2648f9 PDF Text Text WINTER 2014 Commanding Presence Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88 Leads Air Force Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas INSIDE: 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEACON �president’s letter VOLUME 8 | ISSUE 1 Wilkes Matters S ince becoming president of Wilkes, I have emphasized time and again the integral role this institution has played in northeast Pennsylvania. Wilkes has always answered a need. In the midst of the Great Depression, Wilkes was founded as Bucknell University Junior College to educate the men and women of this community, many of whom were first-generation college students. In the University’s earliest days, these men and women were the sons and daughters of immigrant coal miners. Wilkes continues to educate the men and women of this community, the sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, of a variety of this region’s constituents. Wilkes also has always supported its surrounding community. Many of its degree programs have helped to bolster the local economy by drawing industry to the region. Wilkes instituted a degree in electrical engineering in the 1960s which helped to bring RCA, now Fairchild Semiconductor, to the area. Later, in 1996, Wilkes launched our School of Pharmacy, drawing companies like CVS Caremark to the region. These are just two examples of the many I could cite to demonstrate this school’s commitment to and belief in the region. These examples tell us one indisputable fact: Wilkes matters. Wilkes matters to its students, both current and past. Wilkes matters to its community and to this region. It is time to celebrate the unique role of our University. This June, we will commemorate Wilkes’ distinctive history while also beginning a new endeavor for the future of our University. On June 7, 2014, the inaugural Founders Gala will take place. This event will celebrate our proud history while also raising money for the First Generation Fund, a new initiative established to support our continued mission of educating first-generation college students. About half of our incoming freshmen still identify themselves as the first generation of their family to attend a four-year institution of higher learning. The First Generation Fund will support Wilkes’ ongoing tradition of educating these young people from this community and beyond. As part of the Founder’s Gala, I will award the President’s Medal to honor an individual who has helped enhance the student experience here as well as advance the University’s mission. The inaugural award will honor Joseph Savitz ’48, a member of the first official class to From the time of his installation in 2012, graduate from Wilkes College. Joe has been a Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy has trustee of the University for more than 25 years, emphasized the unique role that Wilkes plays in northeast Pennsylvania. chaired the board PHOTO BY EARL AND SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC from 1975-1978, and earned the title of trustee emeritus. Joe Savitz epitomizes the mission of Wilkes: a successful individual who has made giving back to the University and the surrounding community a priority. I invite alumni and friends of the University to join us as we honor Joe and celebrate our extraorDr. Patrick F. Leahy dinary University—its history and its future. Wilkes University President WINTER 2014 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Vice President for Advancement Michael Wood Executive Editor Jack Chielli M.A.’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Bill Schneider, M.A.’13 Francisco Tutella Intern Christine Lee Layout/Design Quest Fore Inc. Printing Pemcor Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng M’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 M.S.’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Interim Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Coordinator Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Tom Ralston ’80 Vice President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Secretary Ellen Hall ’71 Historian Laura Cardinale ’72 Wilkes magazine is published three times a year by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications and Government Relations, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �12 6 16 18 contents 6 Commanding Presence Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88 uses lessons learned at Wilkes as commander of Air Force Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88 reviews the troops completing Air Force basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. AIR FORCE 12 �Editorial Octogenarian Wilkes’ student newspaper has chronicled campus developments, student life and world events for 80 years. 16 �Illuminating Engineer Caleb McKenzie ’70 is a leader in the field of architectural lighting design with work gracing buildings worldwide. DEPARTMENTS 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 20 Alumni News 22 Class Notes Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. Wilkes magazine is available online at www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline 18 Sportacular The inductees to Wilkes Athletic Hall of Fame set records on Wilkes sports teams spanning five decades. F,j FPO FSC WILKES | Winter 2014 FEATURES 1 �on campus Phage Hunting is Focus for Wilkes First-Year Students WILKES | Winter 2014 It’s Tuesday afternoon in the Cohen Science Center and students in Christian Laing’s first-year foundations class are discussing new viruses named Pebbles, SVS7 and Two Ks. The strangely named viruses are actually groundbreaking discoveries made by members of the class. Fifteen freshmen—including pre-pharmacy students, undecided majors and others—are engaged in scientific research that has led to the discovery of previously undiscovered viruses known as bacteriophages. Students have the privilege of naming their discoveries. The phage hunting class was developed by Laing, assistant professor of mathematics, biology and computer science, and Kenneth Pidcock, associate professor of biology, through their participation in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance. The two Wilkes faculty members received a membership grant from HHMI to participate in the alliance, which comprises 26 colleges and universities across the United 2 States. Member schools all focus on teaching students biological techniques via hands-on research. At Wilkes, it’s being done in this class for freshmen in their first semester. “The class works the same way that science works,” Laing explains. That means each student engages in the scientific process that begins with collecting soil samples, putting the soil through an enrichment process and then plating the samples on petri dishes. The students then track the growth of the viruses. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. The students concentrated on a unique group of viruses that fall under Pidcock’s area of expertise as a microbiologist: viruses associated with the bacteria streptomyces. The viruses associated with this bacteria have the potential to be used as an alternative treatment against some bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. This focus makes the group unique among Science Education Alliance schools. The alliance schools have isolated about 4,000 new viruses in this research. Laing uses a step-by-step process to introduce the class to the aseptic techniques needed for scientific research. The multi-step approach to isolate the viruses is a lesson in the painstaking work that scientists must use. “They need to isolate and purify the samples, and they need to do it at least three times to be sure they have a pure phage, a pure virus,” Laing says. “They’re getting to know the science behind the big picture.” The long process ends when the DNA of the virus is sent to a genomics center that sequences the genomic DNA—the final confirmation that the virus is a newly discovered phage. Sergey Svintozelskiy, a freshmen biology major from Wilkes-Barre, says the research focus separates it from traditional laboratory classes he’ll be taking. “This is more the way it really works in science. Here, everyone is working at their own pace,” he says. Freshman Emily Gicewicz, a pre-pharmacy major from Albany, N.Y., says, “I really like the fact that we are doing techniques that most people won’t be doing until they’re upperclassmen. And I like that it’s really cutting-edge research. You won’t get to do that in many other classes.” Students in the class are continuing their work in the spring 2014 semester. “They’re getting to know the science behind the big picture.” Freshman Sierra Smith of Lewistown, Pa., samples her newly discovered bacterial virus, which she named Pebbles. PHOTO BY VICKI MAYK �on campus ON THE MENU The location of the dining hall may have changed from the Dining Commons to the Henry Student Center, but food remains central to the college experience for Wilkes students. Vegetarian and other healthy dining options have been added to the menu over the years, but traditional fare like pizza, burgers and pasta remains among the most popular. Here’s a snapshot of the volume of food served up weekly at Henry’s Food Court. OVER 2,000 MEALS ARE SERVED EVERY DAY ACROSS THE CAMPUS DINING FACILITIES 1,700 HAMBURGERS ARE PRODUCED WEEKLY BY THE GRILL IN THE CAFETERIA Wilkes Senior Dominick Costantino Receives National Public Relations Scholarship Dominick Costantino, a senior communication studies major, received the 2013 Betsy Plank Scholarship from the Public Relations Society of America. Costantino, a resident of Hanover Township, Pa., is the first Wilkes student to receive a national public relations scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to a junior or senior college student preparing for a career in public relations who has demonstrated academic achievement, leadership, practical experience and commitment to the field. It was presented in October at the society’s international conference in Philadelphia. The society is the premier professional organization for the public relations field. He is a dean’s list student and board co-chair of Zebra Communications, Wilkes’ student-run public relations agency. Several of the accounts Costantino handled at Zebra were named Account of the Year. In addition, he serves as co-chair of the annual Tom Bigler High School Journalism Conference and is a member both of the Public Relations Student Society of America and the National Society of Leadership and Success. His internship experience includes positions at WBRE TV in Wilkes-Barre and in the corporate communications department at Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania. He was named Intern of the Month at Wilkes during both internships. Communication studies student Dominick Costantino is the first Wilkes student to receive a national public relations scholarship from the Public Relations Society of America. PHOTO COURTESY ZEBRA COMMUNICATIONS OF FRENCH FRIES ARE DEVOURED EACH WEEK 1,900 CUPS OF SOUP WERE MADE PER WEEK IN THE 2012-2013 ACADEMIC YEAR 4,800 LBS. OF WHOLE APPLES ARE EATEN EACH SEMESTER Wilkes will launch the first collegiate marching band in northeast Pennsylvania and add two new intercollegiate sports—women’s golf and women’s swimming—in fall 2014. The band will be directed by Philip G. Simon, who is in his 10th year as director of instrumental studies at Wilkes. The band is expected to debut at the Colonels’ first home football game in fall 2014. It will perform in drum corps style and will include wind and percussion musicians and color guard. Women’s golf and women’s swimming—both NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports—will begin competition starting in the 2014-15 season in the Middle Atlantic Conference. The expansion will increase the number of intercollegiate offerings at Wilkes to 18, with eight men’s sports and 10 women’s sports. Assistant football coach Harry Armstrong will coach the golf team. The University is in the process of hiring a part-time swimming coach. Locations for practice and competition for both teams are being negotiated. The Wilkes men’s golf team plays home matches at the Huntsville Golf Club in Shavertown, Pa., ranked as the fifth best golf course in Pennsylvania by Golf Digest. Wilkes is negotiating with the nearby Wilkes-Barre YMCA for use of the pool there. WILKES | Winter 2014 Marching Colonels, New Women’s Sports Debut in Fall 2014 7,400 LBS. 3 �on campus Sidhu School Offers Degree Program in Sport and Event Management The Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership will offer a new undergraduate degree program in sport and event management starting in fall 2014. The program will allow students to develop expertise in business and event management applied to the world of sport and recreation. It requires students to complete multidisciplinary and sports management courses as well as an internship in the sports and event management field. Internship opportunities include positions with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team, the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre RailRiders minor league baseball team and sports management positions with the Pocono Dome and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The program will allow students interested in sports, music or theater to plan, analyze and operate a sports or event-centered entity. Potential careers in the sports and event management industries include sports medicine, education, venue management, event planning and communications. For more information, visit www.wilkes.edu and click on the Jay S. Sidhu School link under Academics. Kimberly Ference Pharm.D.’03 Named Pharmacist of the Year Kimberly Ference, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, was named the 2013 Pharmacist of the Year by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA). The award is presented to the pharmacist who demonstrates dedication to the profession, contributes time and effort to the various professional organizations, furthers the profession through community service, and embodies those qualities which exemplify the profession. Ference currently serves as the faculty advisor to the student chapter of the pharmacists association. This is the second consecutive year a faculty member from Wilkes has been honored with this award. Last year, Adam Welch, associate professor of pharmacy at Wilkes, received the award. Wilkes University pharmacy students who nominated Kimberly Ference for Pharmacist of the Year pose with her at the awards ceremony. Pictured from left to right: Courtney Graham, Sara Bellanco, Kimberly Ference, Eliza Daubert and Sarah Maheady. WILKES | Winter 2014 Frank Sheptock Resigns As Colonels Football Coach 4 Wilkes University head football coach Frank Sheptock has resigned from his position as coach of the Colonels to accept the position of director of athletics at Berwick Area School District in Berwick, Pa. Sheptock came to Wilkes in 1990 under former head coach Joe DeMelfi and served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach from 1992 to 1995. He became the seventh head coach in the program’s history in January 1996. He led the Colonels to a 107-81 record, including two NCAA and seven ECAC postseason berths during his tenure, winning a Middle Atlantic Conference championship in 2006 when Wilkes finished a school-best 11-1. He is the school’s most winning coach, surpassing the legendary Rollie Schmidt. “Frank has spent the majority of his professional career as a head coach and changed the face of Wilkes football and introduced so much more than ‘playing football’ to the student athletes he coached,” says Wilkes Athletics Director Addy Malatesta. The University is conducting a search for Sheptock’s replacement. �MOST VALUABLE PLAYER athletics Ashley Ream Earns Honors On and Off The Field By Bill Schneider M.A.’13 Wilkes senior Ashley Ream recalls it was cold and windy as the sun began to disappear behind Back Mountain. The Women’s Field Hockey Freedom Conference championship game was tied at one goal apiece as Wilkes and rival Misericordia University went into overtime. “I remember thinking we had to keep going and keep scoring. I encouraged everyone to keep the momentum going,” Ream says. “We had to win!” And win they did: 2-1. Immediately following the Nov. 9, 2013, game, Ream learned she had been named most valuable player and a first team all-conference field hockey player for Wilkes. Ream is a mid-fielder from Manheim, a small southern Pennsylvania town near Lancaster, surrounded by farm country. Growing up, it was Ream’s two older brothers who introduced her to sports and, coupled with the support of her parents, she pursued soccer, swimming and field hockey in high school. “I knew I was better at field hockey,” says the elementary and early childhood education major. Her skill has been proved at Wilkes, where, for the past two seasons, Ream has averaged 2.7 shots per game. Last September Ream and the field hockey team also scored off the field in their community service contributions. For the second consecutive year, the team was awarded the Sandrino Plutino Community Service Award, given to the varsity sports team contributing the most community service. Each member of the team performed 24 hours of community service. Ream especially remembers volunteering at Ruth’s Place, an emergency homeless shelter for women. “It was a completely new experience,” she recalls. “We brought food and cooked dinner as the residents told their stories of adversity. The experience helped me better appreciate what I have.” The team also volunteered at Hillside Farms, working in the garden, on the farm and at the annual Christmas tea and tour of the cottage. “We are a team, and will always have each other for support,” says Ream, an elementary and early childhood education major who has a 3.79 grade-point average that earned her a spot among the Colonels Elite, the Wilkes honor society for athletes. She says psychology classes have been the most difficult part of her curriculum at Wilkes. Her favorite classes have been neuro psych and education classes where she observed at various local elementary schools, including Heights-Murray, Dodson, Dallas and Lake-Lehman. Ream will student teach in the fall and hopes to land a job as either a substitute or regular teacher. She credits the encouragement from language arts and early education literacy professor Diane Polachek in helping her reach her goal. “I really enjoy working with kids,” says Ream. WILKES | Winter 2014 PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK. 5 �COMMANDING PRESENCE WILKES | Winter 2014 Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88 Leads Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland During Time of Change 6 By Vicki Mayk �Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88, San Antonio, Texas Bachelor of Science, Math, Wilkes Master of Science, Aeronautical Science, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Master of Science, National Resource Strategy, Industrial College of the Armed Forces Career: Commanding Officer, Joint Base San Antonio- When Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88 learned she was assigned to command Air Force Basic Military Training at Joint Lackland, U.S. Air Force Notable: Commands more than 6,500 officers and airmen at base where every recruit in the U.S. Air Force receives training Favorite Wilkes memories: Playing field hockey under Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, shortly coach and mentor Gay Meyers, living in McClintock Hall after sexual misconduct scandals there (Cooper) Garcia, Maria (Saracino) Mooney—all members made national headlines, she said just two things to her commanding officer. with Sandra (Catina) Panzitta, Lisa (Mirin) Lokuta, Kim of Wilkes Class of 1988—and doing a 6 a.m. show on campus radio station WCLH, “The D & T Show,” named for Liddick and friend Tracy Hebron. “ I’m ready, sir,” Liddick recalls telling question I asked was, how soon? He said, ‘Within days.’ ” Since assuming command at the base in September 2012, Liddick has been charged with carrying out the 46 recommendations made for improvement following an investigation by Chief of Air Force Safety Maj. Gen. Margaret H. Woodward. The investigation followed a scandal cited as one of the largest in military history. It included some 31 female recruits reporting infractions, ranging from rape to inappropriate relationships. At least 34 military training instructors were investigated, and to date 26 have been convicted by court-martial. Four received disciplinary action and two are still under investigation. “Certainly it was a challenging job coming in and, looking back, it hasn’t been the easiest job,” she says. “It’s helped that I am someone who believes in doing things by the book. If you are fair and consistent and you train folks to understand the rules and meet your expectations, and hold them accountable, you are going to succeed.” Lackland is where every U.S. Air Force enlisted recruit completes basic training. Annually more than 35,000 active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members begin their training there. Opposite page: Col. Deborah (Marquart) Liddick ’88, left, is commander of Air Force Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where some 35,000 recruits entering the Air Force annually receive basic military training. PHOTO COURTESY LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE Liddick quickly defines her fundamental role heading a group with more than 5,500 trainees under her command in any given week. “We’re going to make sure that they’re properly trained and ensure that they’re safe while they are doing it,” she says without hesitation.“You have to make sure that everyone is safe under your command. That’s your job as a commander.” It was not Liddick’s first major assignment. Prior to Lackland, she was chief, Maintenance Division, Directorate of Logistics, Installations & Mission Support, Joint Base San AntonioRandolph, Texas, and from 2010 to 2012 she commanded the 56th Maintenance Group at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, the largest fighter maintenance group in the Air Force. More than 2,600 officers and enlisted personnel were under her command at that assignment, maintaining 138 F-16 Fighting Falcons. Liddick traces her interest in an Air Force career to when she was still a student at Carle Place High School in her hometown of Westbury, located on New York’s Long Island. “I didn’t have anyone in my immediate family in the military,” she recalls. “I was at one of those college fairs and I picked up a brochure from the Air Force Academy.” Entering the service academy became her goal and her congressman nominated her. She was not accepted. “I was crushed,” she says. Completing a college Air Force ROTC program became her backup plan, and the choice led her to Wilkes. Three factors played a role in her decision to go there. “It had ROTC, I could play field hockey and it was a small school, far enough from Long Island that I couldn’t come WILKES | Winter 2014 the four-star general. “The only other 7 �Wilkes alumnus Col. Mark Rado ’80, deputy to the adjutant general of the U.S. Army, grew up on Long Island with Liddick and attended the same high school. Rado, who also has spent his career in the military, has a special understanding of what it takes to be promoted. “You have to work your butt off to make colonel in the Air Force,” Rado states. “If you’re not a pilot, you WILKES | Winter 2014 have to be a great leader.” Above, Liddick presents Tech. Sgt. Nathia Jacks with her military training instructor hat, which is a symbol of completing the military training instructor training. Liddick has instituted new procedures for training the instructors. Right, Liddick, seen in her formal military portrait, is part of only 1 percent of all Air Force personnel to achieve the rank of colonel. PHOTOS COURTESY LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE 8 home on the weekend to do my laundry, but close enough that I could come home on holidays,” Liddick says, chuckling. She and her father, Frank Marquart, a retired New York City firefighter, visited campus and met women’s field hockey coach Gay Meyers. “She was a huge role model for me,” Liddick says of Meyers, who died in 2011. “She was the main reason why we picked Wilkes. She walked us around campus and my father and I felt she would be a good mentor for me.” Liddick majored in math—one of the majors qualifying her for an Air Force scholarship. She was one of only three math majors in her graduating class. “Out of the three people, I was not the smartest,” she quips, adding, “Getting the math degree was one of my biggest challenges in life. But it gave me the confidence that I could do anything.” The small classes allowed her to receive personal attention. “It was like being tutored individually,” she says. She cites that kind of personal attention as one of the positives of attending Wilkes. “No one is there to make you fail. All of the faculty are there to make you succeed. The whole experience at Wilkes was great. Wilkes was really the foundation. Who I am today is because of Wilkes.” Some of her fondest memories involve playing field hockey and living in McClintock Hall, where having just 12 hall mates gave the living experience a family feeling. “We used to say it was worth the walk,” she says, referring to McClintock’s position on South River Street two blocks from the center of campus. Maria (Saracino) Mooney ’88 was a friend from McClintock. Although Mooney remembers that she and Liddick were “normal college kids going to campus parties,” she offers a �Right, Air Force trainees begin the monkey bars obstacle as part of their basic military training. The monkey bars are part of the confidence course at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where Liddick is commander. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ROBBIN CRESSWELL Bottom right, Col. Mark Camerer, 37th Training Wing commander, left, presents the 737th Training Group guidon to incoming commander Col. Deborah J. Liddick as Chief Master Sgt. Kenneth Williams, 737th Training Group superintendent, looks on during the assumption of command ceremony Sept. 21, 2012, on the parade grounds at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Liddick commands the Air Force’s only basic military training group. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/ROBBIN CRESSWELL “We’re going to make sure that they’re properly trained and ensure that they’re safe while they are doing it,” she says without hesitation. “You have to make sure that everyone is safe under your command. That’s your job as a commander.” WILKES | Winter 2014 description of her friend that would indicate her future success. “If I were to pick three words to describe her, they would be focused, goal-oriented and determined,” Mooney says. Mooney’s mother, Doris Saracino, then Wilkes athletic director, also remembers the “tall redhead” on the Wilkes field hockey team. “She was the most committed person I’ve ever seen,” says Doris Saracino. “Whatever she did, she was greatly committed.” It’s a trait that has stayed with Liddick, professionally and personally. “I’m a goal setter,” Liddick states. “I like to set goals for myself and for the organization. If you set goals, good folks will rise to that expectation. If you want to achieve something, it’s good to set goals. For example, I want to get 100 percent on my PT (physical training) test. That’s my goal. I’m in the high 90s. If I set the goal of being in the 90s, then I’d probably only be in the 80s.” Her goal-oriented mindset carries over to activities she pursues in her spare time. “I run half marathons, three or four times a year. I just ran the San Antonio Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I have all my medals on my wall. I run for myself, to keep myself motivated, to keep myself in shape.” She remembers setting high goals for herself when she left Wilkes. Confident that she wanted to make a career in the Air Force, she says, “I went in as a second lieutenant and, because I believe in setting goals, I wanted to be a general.” She chose a technical career path, training in aircraft maintenance and munitions. Liddick says she’s never focused on the fact that she’s a woman in the male-dominated military. “I consider myself an officer in the U.S. Air Force first,” she states. “I’m someone who’s a maintenance officer who just happened to be female.” A maintenance officer has a behind-the-scenes role with a high level of responsibility. She has supervised staff assembling munitions and maintaining aircraft both in the United States and on deployments overseas. When she was assigned to Hill Air Force Base in Utah, she supervised crews building bombs that were loaded on airplanes used in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She also has been deployed overseas a number of times. Liddick served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a munitions officer with an F-16 fighter wing; NATO Operation Deny Flight as an A-10 squadron maintenance officer; and operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as an expeditionary maintenance squadron commander with a B-1 bomber group. 9 �“No one is there to make you fail. All of the faculty are there to make you succeed. The whole experience at Wilkes was great. Wilkes was really the foundation. Who I am WILKES | Winter 2014 today is because of Wilkes.” 10 Above, airmen repeat the oath of enlistment at the basic training graduation ceremony, at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO/STAFF SGT. VERNON YOUNG JR. Opposite page above right, Col. Deborah Liddick presides at a graduation ceremony. PHOTO COURTESY LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE Liddick does not find deployments difficult. “When I was deployed with my unit, it was easier because you can be focused on the mission. At home, there are more distractions: maybe your spouse is sick, or you’re figuring out who is going to pick up the groceries,” she says. “When you’re deployed, you can completely focus. My spouse was at home. He had to deal with paying the bills and shoveling the snow.” Liddick’s husband, Terry, is a wildlife biologist and pilot with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where his responsibilities include tracking migration of ducks and setting dates for hunting season. The couple married on July 4, 2000, in Las Vegas. Picking the date was easy: “I knew I would have the day off work,” Liddick says. Her husband is a native of Berwick, Pa., less than an hour from the Wilkes campus, but the two didn’t meet until she was stationed in Utah. Their assignments frequently separate them, but, Liddick says, “Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I think we appreciate each other more.” The separations will end in 2014, when Liddick retires from the Air Force. They will move to the home they built in Spearfish, S.D., in the area where Terry Liddick conducts his wildlife work. When Liddick was promoted to colonel in 2009, her husband was among those she thanked publicly for their support and encouragement. She is among the few in the Air Force who achieve the rank. Less than 1 percent of airmen are promoted to colonel, and the honor is bestowed less frequently to non-pilots. �“I had one female trainee tell me, ‘Ma’am, I failed all my life. I failed at college and I failed at home. I came here to basic military training, and I succeeded. I can’t wait to tell my dad,’ ” Liddick relates, adding, “When we graduate 600 airmen, to see them stand there—they look about 2 inches Wilkes alumnus Col. Mark Rado ’80, deputy to the adjutant general of the U.S. Army, grew up on Long Island with Liddick and attended the same high school. Rado, who also has spent his career in the military, has a special understanding of what it takes to be promoted. “You have to work your butt off to make colonel in the Air Force,” Rado states. “If you’re not a pilot, you have to be a great leader.” Liddick, he says, has displayed leadership since her high school days. Liddick emphasizes that she isn’t accomplishing her goals alone. “I always go back to my field hockey experience and my ROTC experience at Wilkes,” she says. “It’s a team effort. I learned the importance of teamwork. I cannot do this job—or any job—alone.” When she first took command at JBSA-Lackland, there were 11 officers on her leadership team. Now there are 51, from captains to majors. In addition to those officers, the base now also has more senior enlisted leaders like chief master sergeants. Such a team has been necessary to help initiate the many changes needed at JBSA-Lackland, many of which have involved changing the culture at the base. “It’s a slow process,” Liddick acknowledges. “I’ve been here 14 months, and every day we make progress.” She pauses. “I say it’s like turning the Titanic, slowly.” In addition to implementing 46 recommendations made after the Air Force investigation, Liddick has initiated changes of her own. Previously, the military training instructors—referred to as MTIs—who train recruits had completed their own training in one of seven squadrons. “People weren’t being trained the same way,” Liddick explains. “I established a trainer squadron that everyone is assigned to, so that everyone is learning the same rules, learning the same tasks, in the same way.” She does not focus on the challenges of change. Instead she finds satisfaction in the job that is the primary focus of her command: ensuring the success of the new flights of airmen who enter the training program every eight weeks. She enjoys the day in, day out routine of monitoring their training. “I say that every day is different, but every week’s the same.” She is actively involved in the process, welcoming each new class of 400 to 800 airmen, participating in physical training with them every day, attending some of their classes, and officially welcoming them to the Air Force. “On Friday, we have parade, where I get to salute each of them and administer the oath of enlistment.” What she enjoys the most, perhaps, is watching the growth that is possible for individual recruits during that time. “I had one female trainee tell me, ‘Ma’am, I failed all my life. I failed at college and I failed at home. I came here to basic military training, and I succeeded. I can’t wait to tell my dad,’ ” Liddick relates, adding, “When we graduate 600 airmen, to see them stand there—they look about 2 inches taller than when they arrived. When I see where they have come over the last eight weeks, it’s tremendously satisfying.” WILKES | Winter 2014 taller than when they arrived.” 11 �aman ’10 By Andrew M. Se WILKES | Winter 2014 uld be the day that wo n O . 47 9 1 in ay y June d pped tion on a cloud g a banner-wra u in it p st as in gr n w as o w s o it ley, wh Wilkes became l. t Eugene S. Far en d si re P , near Chase Hal ay D ed r er te th ar ga h C o h as w eople remembered ed a crowd of p m co el w , m iu d s parted. o ked p m” as the cloud u cs. er V and flower-flan ve “A ’s rt about its specifi Moza y b in rs d se te p as u p er s rm oru ent or info ior The school’s ch emorate the ev m m co l University Jun el to n er ck k u B ar m en r h o w t c momen There is no sign t be ls of the histori ai et d e es College migh th k s, il n W o ti as u it d st re in te char At many other College became owever, historic h , es k il W t A . forgotten ritten hotographed, w moments are p about, analyzed the and archived in ool pages of the sch newspaper. 12 �Humble Beginnings Like Bucknell University Junior College, the newspaper started on the third floor of a building along West Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre, where several students planned the publication. The first issue of The Bison Stampede was published on Oct. 4, 1934, and is nothing like The Beacon, today’s student paper. It was published twice a month and had only four, three-column pages with a handful of witty articles and poems. The staff wanted to grow, however. “The opportunities for participation of the individual in producing this publication will be many,” the editors wrote in the first issue. Their fellow students rose to the challenge. Over 25 reporters joined the handful of editors by the newspaper’s third issue on Nov. 1. Within a year, the paper had added an extra column to every page and began publishing photographs of the class presidents and team captains. They also sold advertising to local businesses, such as the YMCA Luncheonette on West Market Street and the Mayflower Chocolate Shoppe on Public Square. By the beginning of the 1936 school year, however, The Bison Stampede vanished “into the wilderness,” as Wilfrid H. Crook, the faculty adviser, wrote. “In these modern days of air-mindedness a bison stampede is as out of place as its contemporary the covered wagon.” Over the next 11 years, the newspaper took on the name Bucknell Beacon. The paper covered the college’s expansion, the start of World War II and the use of atomic bombs on Japan. In 1947, the newspaper took on a new name—like the college it served. Appropriately, the school and newspaper were named after John Wilkes, an English journalist from the 1700s. Wilkes fought for the right to publish a newspaper criticizing the country’s king. Since its name change, the paper has reported on visits to campus by former and future presidents, well-known entertainers and some of the most important and influential people in modern times.The bulk of the reporting, however, has always been devoted to Wilkes itself—the academics, athletics and activities. HIGHLIGHTS FROM 80 YEARS OF WILKES’ STUDENT NEWSPAPER World events and campus events graced the pages of Wilkes’ student newspaper during its 80 years of existence. From its days as The Bison Stampede to its more modern incarnation, the paper is a primary historical document chronicling events of the day, student life and the history of the University. SEPT. 27, 1957 Stark Learning Center was dedicated and was heralded on the front page. NOV. 7, 1957 Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Wilkes to speak at its weekly assembly in a program sponsored by the Collegiate Council for the United Nations. PHOTOS BY EARL & SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC WILKES | Winter 2014 This year marks the 80th anniversary of the publishing of the first issue of Bucknell University Junior College’s student newspaper: The Bison Stampede, the publication that today is The Beacon. In those eight decades, the newspaper has chronicled current events, campus events, student concerns and campus controversies. Many of the students who spent part of their academic careers reporting, writing and editing for the paper look back on that time as a period when they gained invaluable career skills and made lifelong friends. “It gave me the confidence to pursue a career in this business,” Paul Domowitch ’77 says. “After I left there, I just felt I knew what I was doing and that I was heading in the right direction. And no matter where I ended up, I’d be fairly successful.” Domowitch, who served as The Beacon’s sports editor, is now a professional football columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. 13 �i(l,a,red NOV. 1, 1968 The Beacon covers the dedication of the Farley Library with a full page headlined “Tribute to a College President,” honoring President Eugene Farley. Serving And Learning “To me, the student newspaper should be a reflection of student life—both the good and the bad,” Jim Edwards ’80 says. Edwards, who served as the paper’s editor-in-chief, went on to have a successful career in advertising. He currently works at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin, Texas. “We were given free reign,” he says of the paper’s independence. “Every time there was a touchy subject at the college itself, we would go after it.” Those touchy subjects include the early and rocky start of an academic program and a cheating scandal. “If people are screwing up, harming other people JAN. 10, 1969 or not doing what they Conyngham Hall burns. One of the college’s original should be doing, bringing buildings, it housed the math department and some that to light can bring offices of the engineering and art departments. about positive change.” Julie Melf ’05 says writing for The Beacon manager for WNEP-TV, the local gave her the opportunity to meet and affiliate for ABC in the Scranton and learn about members of the Wilkes Wilkes-Barre area. community. “I was assigned to do a story Covering a growing college—especially on a cafeteria worker who passed away at one with an ever-expanding athletics the school,” she says. “He was an elderly department—takes up a lot of a student’s guy who smiled and everybody liked time. “That was pretty much my life him. It was just going to be a story about in college. I spent a lot more time him passing away.” doing that than studying and going to Instead, Melf discovered that the class,” Domowitch says. “I still remember gentleman held raffles while he was driving up for a wrestling match to East alive for the students who were his Stroudsburg in the middle of a blizzard.” closest friends. The raffle winners were He made it to the match with the help of sent on trips, such as cruises. “Nobody cinderblocks in his car’s trunk for traction. really knew this guy did all this,” she Of course, there’s more to putting out says. “It was great to honor and pay a newspaper than going to events and tribute to him.” writing. “We had to sell our own ads and Melf was the assistant news editor all copy had to be submitted by Tuesday at The Beacon and is currently a news WCLH: THE VOICE OF WILKES FOR 42 YEARS “This is WCLH FM in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania,” said student disc jockey Dave Bickel as Wilkes University’s radio station began its first broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, 1972. Standing near Bickel, a history major from Plymouth, Pa., were Francis J. Michelini, University president, faculty advisors Harold Cox and James Berg, and station manager John Margo. WILKES | Winter 2014 The listening audience, according to university archives, included 200 people, although the station had 14 the capacity to reach nearly 700,000 people through a transmitting antenna located four miles south on Penobscot Knob in Hanover Township. The antenna transmitted from WCLH’s control room at 175 watts. “The Beacon served as the eyes of the campus,” says Brad Kinney, Wilkes professor emeritus of communications and director of broadcast services from 1979 until 1990. “WCLH served as its voice.” Student broadcasters received real-world experience during the four decades since WCLH was founded. To read more about the history of campus radio, visit www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. ~ Ulllf �SEPT. 11, 2012 The Beacon adopted a new format for Teamwork Beyond reporting the news and managing the paper’s day-to-day business, the reporters and editors formed close bonds. For Melf, the newspaper staff was a lot like family. When she couldn’t attend graduation with the rest of her class, the newspaper stepped in. “They decided that they we were going to have a private graduation ceremony in The Beacon’s office before I left. It was incredible,” she says. “I felt like it was the perfect graduation, because I fell so much in love with The Beacon and the staff was like a family. It was great to have them to send me off.” Domowitch says the times he spent working for The Beacon were some of the best of his Wilkes career.“The relationships I made then were really special,” he says. “It was a close staff and those kinds of times you always remember.” Edwards says the newspaper’s staff was a lot like a team. “You had a team and you had to make sure the team was working effectively,” he says. Conversation Starter APRIL 8, 2008 Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama visited Wilkes-Barre while on the campaign trail. The newspaper’s reach goes beyond its office. In addition to creating a close-knit group of reporters, editors and mentors, the paper is also a conversation starter for students, faculty, staff and alumni. Miller says most students and professors read the paper during his time at Wilkes. “It’s sort of a record of what’s happening at the school,” he says, adding that the paper continues serving that purpose. “I think it starts a conversation.” its front-page design, using a single color photo for a cover story and a chimney on the left side promoting stories inside. In addition to sparking discussion, Melf says the paper holds people accountable. “We were like the watchdog of the community,” she says. “Not to sound cliché, but it’s what we did. We took those roles seriously. If we saw someone doing something that wasn’t right, we wrote about it.” Edwards says the newspaper’s reporters are put in the middle of everything on campus and become resources and familiar faces for students. “I just remember certain times when I was walking on campus to a building and someone would stop and say, ‘I read your story and it was great.’ ” “I think it’s a great platform for student ideas and opinion and I was happy to be a part of it. I’m thankful for it,” Edwards adds. “I hope it always exists.” BEACON ALUMNI Celebrate this milestone at a reunion during Homecoming, Sept. 26-28, 2014. Andrew M. Seaman is a journalist for Reuters in New York. He covers medicine, health, science and research for the world’s largest news agency. He served as The Beacon editor-in-chief during his time as Wilkes. WILKES | Winter 2014 morning,” Edwards says. “Someone laid out the paper and then we printed about 2,500 copies.” Domowitch said the paper was published like any other newspaper when he was at Wilkes. It still is. Edwards compares the paper to a mini-business. “We had responsibilities, a budget and procedures,” he says. Bill Miller ’81 credits his time as a Beacon reporter for sparking his interest in public relations. “I think it prepared all of us,” says Miller, now president of New York’s Galison Publishing and a Wilkes trustee. “Communication is so important in whatever job you do. I think being part of the paper and learning good writing was vitally important.” Edwards agrees that working for the newspaper provided him with lasting skills. “I just think The Beacon was really the first positive working experience I had and it’s left a huge imprint on me,” he says. “Problem solving, being resourceful, discipline, managing your time, that skill set came from working on The Beacon and going to college at Wilkes.” 15 �ILLUMINATING ENGINEER Architectural lighting designer Caleb McKenzie ’70 dramatizes shopping centers, skyscrapers and soccer stadiums WILKES | Winter 2014 By Geoff Gehman 16 Caleb McKenzie ’70 is discussing his lighting design for the upper exterior of the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, a beacon of luxury for over a century. He considers the Beaux Arts building “a little jewel box,” so he decided to polish the gems. He lit the ornate cornices and whimsical windows with an elegant wash of metal halide, creating the gentle illusion of a colossal candelabrum. “You want the effect to be interesting but not overwhelming,” says McKenzie in his office, nearly 20 blocks from the St. Regis. “You want to make people look but not stare. It’s not the Washington Monument. And it’s not Las Vegas either.” Showcasing without showing off has been McKenzie’s mantra during his 30-plus years as a designer for T. Kondos Associates, an architectural lighting design firm that has created lighting for everything from the 101-story Taipei Financial Center to Arena Corinthians, the new World Cup soccer stadium in Brazil. �Caleb McKenzie ’70, New York, N.Y. Bachelor of Arts, Fine Arts, Wilkes Career: Senior Associate for T. Kondos, an architectural lighting design firm Favorite Wilkes memory: Studying with Philip Richards and other open-minded arts professors. “They introduced us to the cross-pollination between landscapes and abstracts, jewelry and pottery, short films and happenings. They gave us a wide exposure to forms, colors and styles without dominating us. They gave you your own head.” Continuing contribution to Wilkes: McKenzie sponsors a scholarship for a junior engineering student named after his late uncle/mentor Cromwell Thomas, longtime head of the Wilkes engineering department, and Thomas’ wife, Beryl. The scholarship was established by McKenzie’s brother, Jeff, a real-estate developer who took graduate courses at Wilkes. Two very different projects illustrate McKenzie’s style, which he calls “thoughtful drama.” He is jazzing up the Intercontinental Santo Domingo hotel with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps that turn suspended glass tubes into chandeliers. Crumpled fabric bags are lit from below using a form of indirect lighting called cove lighting. He lightened the darkness in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan by placing brighter, more efficient bulbs in old chandeliers and by adding new copies of the original fixtures. In the church’s lobby he used a cove of low-voltage, warm-color lamps to accentuate icons set in gold tiles, magnetizing their mystery. Sometimes his projects are beset with problems: poor installations, budget cuts, ribbons of red tape. He spent a decade on the cathedral project, waiting for designs to be approved and funds to be raised. He ended up working with three bishops and two priests, one of whom is the father of George Stephanopoulos, the television journalist and former presidential strategist. For McKenzie, the last decade has been a roller coaster of revolutions in technology and taste. Architects have enriched and complicated his job by designing extraordinary glass structures; the 101-story Taipei Financial Center, for example, resembles a stack of 101 lanterns. A growing demand for cheaper, greener energy has led him to use lamps with fewer watts and more power. Restricted by costs and codes, he works overtime and a half to create subtle sparkle. “Ten years ago we had to sell the look and the intent,” says McKenzie of T. Kondos Associates’ work. “Now architects and owners come to us for ideas outside the box. They may not understand the new lamping or how color changes on buildings. But they like our American look, our big ‘Wow!’ factor.” McKenzie has become a bigger fixture in his field. He was elected recording secretary of the New York section of the Illuminating Engineer Society and also co-chairs the organization’s Richard Kelly Grants, which are awarded to budding visionaries. He relishes the freedom to work on pet projects: a Paris-style bistro called Gastronomie 491; a $10 million duplex penthouse; a club/ villa community with windmill-powered energy. “I love the big variety of my job,” says McKenzie. “That’s why I’ve stayed so long; that’s why I have no wish to retire. I’m not here at 7 o’clock in the morning for my health. I’m here because I want to be here, because every day is different.” “I was ahead of my time and out of my mind at the same time. Many people thought that, and still do.” See a gallery of buildings from around the world MORE ON THE WEB with lighting designed by Caleb McKenzie ’70 and hear tips on factors to consider when choosing your own lighting for home or office. Go to www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline. Opposite page, Caleb McKenzie ’70 stands in Gastronomie 491 on New York City’s Upper West Side. McKenzie designed the lighting for the store which combines a cafe and market. PHOTO BY DAN Z. JOHNSON WILKES | Winter 2014 He’s aimed for subtle theatricality whether lighting landscapes for shopping centers or icons in a cathedral. His mission is to make people feel better in buildings that look better, to not only illuminate but enlighten. When McKenzie was in elementary school in Montclair, N.J., he just couldn’t understand why someone couldn’t produce paint with filament electrified by the flip of a switch. “I was ahead of my time and out of my mind at the same time,” he says with a laugh. “Many people thought that, and still do.” McKenzie’s appreciation for architecture grew during his parents’ Sunday driving tours of houses. His appreciation for fine arts expanded at Wilkes, where his teachers insisted that an abstract sculpture could be as important as an ancient vase. After graduation he picked up tips about lighting and arranging in a Manhattan gallery, where he met Andy Warhol and hung a Winslow Homer seascape owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. His apprenticeship continued with a firm that planned space for General Electric and a designer who illuminated Neiman-Marcus stores. In 1984 McKenzie began his second hitch with Theo Kondos, a leader in lighting international buildings with an American flair. It was Kondos who trained McKenzie to balance creativity with practicality, efficiency with effervescence. 17 �1997-98 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM The 1997-98 men’s basketball team is the only team to play in an NCAA Tournament Final Four game. The team finished the season with a 26-5 record and a Freedom Conference title. Last year, The Citizens’ Voice recognized the team as one of the top 25 greatest teams in Wyoming Valley history. SPORTACULAR Wilkes University Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees Honored for Winning Ways The latest group of alumni inducted into the University’s Athletics Hall of Fame was honored on Jan. 25 during a special half-time ceremony at a Colonels basketball game. WILKES | Winter 2014 PATRICIA DAVIS GABORIC ’67 FIELD HOCKEY/WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 18 Gaboric is a four-year letter winner in field hockey and basketball. She was named Wilkes Field Hockey Player of the Year in 1963 and Wilkes Player of the Year in basketball in 1965. In 1964, she earned Wilkes Athlete of the Year and Beacon Athlete of the Year honors. During four seasons playing point-guard, Williams led the Wilkes team to a 9918 overall record. He was part of two conference championship teams and is the only player to have played in two Elite 8s and a Final Four game in the NCAA Tournament. He ranks in the top 10 in four statistical categories. JAY WILLIAMS ’98, PHARM.D.’00 MEN’S BASKETBALL �Schroat finished his career with a 49-4-7 dual record, standing seventh all-time on the University’s dual record list. In his senior year, he finished second at the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association. He was the 1989 Wilkes Open champion at 150 pounds and named to the Wilkes Super 16. MIKE SCHROAT (IMHOTEP BOUKMAN) ’91 WRESTLING WHITNEY BULL HOLLOWAY ’03 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Holloway played the forward position and ended her career averaging a double-double in points and rebounds. She finished seventh all-time on the University’s scoring list. She ranks in the top 10 in seven statistical categories, holding the record for career rebounds and free throws attempted. She was named the 2002-03 Jostens Division III Player of the Year. Ninotti set three pitching statistics records and ranks second in all-time innings pitched and wins. She was a four-time All-Freedom Conference performer and finished her career with a 1.48 earned run average, striking out 229 batters and recording 13 shutouts. LISA HARTMAN NINOTTI ’02 – SOFTBALL Davis was a four-time First Team All-MAC midfielder and led the Colonels to their first and only conference championship in 1975. He earned First Team All-ECAC honors as a sophomore, set the record for goals scored and won 80 percent of his face-offs during his career. He was selected to the New Jersey Chapter of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. MORE ON THE WEB Read extended bios and complete statistics for the 2014 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees in the online version of Wilkes magazine. Go to www.wilkes.edu/ wilkesmagazineonline WILKES | Winter 2014 BRUCE DAVIS ’78 – MEN’S LACROSSE 19 �alumni news SAVE THE DATE Alumni and Students Make Connections for the Future Through Internships WILKES UNIVERSITY Remember what it was like to be a student at Wilkes? In addition to all of the fun, there was the inevitable stress that came with selecting a career and developing skills necessary for you to excel post-graduation. Now imagine being able to help guide a student through this challenging process and help him or her find success. When you offer a student an internship opportunity or access to your professional network you’ll do just that. “Our alumni are a great asset and very willing to make career connections. I think that they find it just as rewarding as the student they are helping,” says Sharon Castano, who coordinates the internship program at Wilkes. “We are always looking for quality internship opportunities, especially in accounting, sports management, biology and criminology, particularly within governmental agencies.” Here’s how you can help: • Inquire about internship opportunities within your organization. • Ask yourself if a specific project at your company would provide valuable experience for a student interested in entering that field. • Share these opportunities with the alumni office. HOMECOMING SEPT. 26, 27 & 28 Athletics Alumni and friends! Plan to come back to campus to celebrate the tradition of Wilkes athletics. Connecting the Dots WILKES | Winter 2014 More than 30 alumni and 80 students came together for a night of networking at the annual Connecting the Dots event. This opportunity, as well as internships and the mentoring program, are all ways in which alumni can make a difference in preparing Wilkes students for the future. 20 If your organization doesn’t offer internships, consider providing an opportunity for students to shadow you or other members of your company for a day. This experience can be just as useful, especially for underclassmen who are still exploring career options. For more information, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (570)408-7787 or sharon.castano@wilkes.edu. �Alumni/Student Mentoring Program Provides Opportunity for Susan Maier Davis ’85 to Impact Nursing Students Mentoring current Wilkes nursing students is a cause for celebration for Susan Maier Davis’ 85—a celebration of her mentees’ success. “There is no greater feeling than hearing the excitement in their voices when they call to tell you they passed the boards and became an RN, got their first job as an RN or ‘survived their first night’ as a charge nurse,” says Davis, who is senior vice president of operations for SMV Management Co., and a veteran nursing executive. “I could not be more proud of their success and know that each of them will continue to make a positive impact in the lives they touch as well.” For the past three years, Davis has been part of the Wilkes experience for nursing students who have participated in the University’s alumni/student mentoring program. The initiative, which was established in 2009, aims to provide meaningful relationships between alumni and students and prepare these students for the professional world. Alumni and students matched via the mentoring program interact a minimum of four times each semester. This can be done in person or via phone calls or email. Students are required to complete assignments related to their interactions with their mentor. The alumni office sponsors mixers to introduce alumni and mentees and the meetings may be arranged via Skype or Facetime if mentors live too far to attend in person. Susan Maier Davis MS, RN, CRRN ’85, Laurel, Md. Senior Vice President of Operations, SMV Management Company LLC Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Wilkes Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration, University of Maryland, University College According to Davis, being a mentor is “the ability to positively touch and make a difference in the life of a student. For me, it is making an investment in the future of nursing by helping the next generation of nurses be successful through shared opportunities of learning and growth together.” Davis’s current mentee, Gina Lemoncelli, a junior nursing major from Scott Township, Pa., describes their relationship: “I have learned from Susan that the sky is the limit. She has shown me that anything is possible in nursing and the opportunities available to someone are endless.” Davis says that she became a mentor because she appreciates the strong education she received at Wilkes and is grateful for the mentors who gave her advice. She cites Lee Terry from the English department and Jan Steelman from the nursing department for their roles. She credits Terry with igniting a passion for learning that ultimately prepared her for the rigors of graduate school. She recalls Steelman’s ability to teach her students how to think critically and use the nursing process to care for patients with dignity and respect. “When you mentor a student, you will have the chance to use the knowledge, skills and experience that you learned at Wilkes and professionally to help impact the life of a student in ways that will be invaluable for both of you. Being a mentor gives me the chance to ‘pay it forward’ and act as a coach to help students develop skills, meet their goals and maximize their potential with confidence,” she says. Carly Cappello ’13, one of Davis’s former mentees, echoes her belief in “paying it forward.” “I am definitely hoping to mentor a student in my future. They are at such a critical time in their lives where they still need guidance…,” Cappello says. Davis notes that she also benefits from the relationships she develops with her students. “Mentoring is not a one-way relationship. My mentees have helped my knowledge grow as well by sharing thoughts on new graduate programs, technology and changes in the nursing program at Wilkes. They inspire me with their enthusiasm, dedication and passion towards nursing and their drive to be the best nurses possible.” Susan Maier Davis ’85, right, and her mentees Gina Lemoncelli, a junior nursing major, and Carly Cappello ’13 talk about the nursing profession together at a recent Wilkes event. “Being a mentor gives me the chance to ‘pay it forward’ and act as a coach to help students develop skills, meet their goals and maximize their potential with confidence.” WILKES | Winter 2014 Paying It Forward giving back 21 �class notes Coaching a Community Dressed in his signature navy pants, white shirt and tie, Joe archives. After graduation, Frappolli ’69 coached the Florence High School football team he to a 46-0 win. It was Frappolli’s 400th game, capping 40 years a graduate degree when his as head coach at the Florence Township, N.J., school. “I never former high school offered looked at the numbers,” Frappolli says. “It didn’t hit me until I him a teaching position. He walked onto the field and saw ‘400’ on the banners.” accepted and also pursued a Frappolli adopted his coaching dress from his mentor and contemplated pursuing “Nothing ever stays the same. We’ve seen a degree of success because we adapt and adjust.” relationship with his girlfriend, former Florence High coach, Joe Papp. He explains, “I wear the Donna. They were married just before he became the school’s shirt and tie out of respect for the profession and the game, head football coach after two years as an assistant. but also to remind me to keep my mind when others on the sidelines start losing theirs.” Under Frappolli’s leadership, the Florence team has won over 280 games, 20 division championships and six state titles. He Frappolli says that each year brings new players and challenges. “Nothing ever stays the same. We’ve seen a degree of success because we adapt and adjust. This is what makes you successful in marriage, in your family and at your job.” takes no credit for those achievements. “The students won He sees his job as more than just coaching football. He uses the games. Our success is due to the dedication of the student his Wilkes education to instill values and encourage his players athletes, the fan base and the families.” to give back to their community. Each year the Florence football He was inspired to become a coach by legendary Wilkes football team takes part in the Food for the Needy Program, a holiday gift coach Roland Schmidt, on whose Golden Horde team he played drive and Read Across America. The team also holds a free youth quarterback, defensive back and on special teams. Frappolli meets football clinic for underprivileged children. with former teammates at least once a year to catch a Wisconsin Badgers basketball game coached by teammate Bo Ryan ’69. Mary Ellen Cassidy, a former student who worked as his secretary at Florence for 13 years, confirms his humility and At Wilkes, Frappolli studied history and worked with Harold ability to inspire. “He has brought pride to our little town but Cox, professor emeritus of history, organizing the University would never take credit for any accolades. ‘There is no ME in TEAM,’ he says after every game as the community gathers around the team’s huddle to hear his words of wisdom.” – By Francisco Tutella Joe Frappoli ’69 meets with his players on the sidelines. PHOTO COURTESY FLORENCE HIGH SCHOOL WILKES | Winter 2014 ATHLETICS 22 �class notes 1964 REUNION: SEPT. 26-27 Alan Gubanich—see 1977. 1966 Timothy Swanson received the Joseph C. Donchess Distinguished Service Award from Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School for the exceptional community service he performed at the school during his 44-year career. 1977 Karen Szychowski Rogowicz Dussinger, her husband, Joe, and their standard poodle, Carlos, were on their way back home from a month long cross country trip to visit national parks when they ran into fellow Colonel Alan Gubanich ’64, his wife and two dogs in Brigham City, Utah. 1979 REUNION: SEPT. 26-27 John Ralston is the culinary services director of the Orchard Cove retirement community in Canton, Mass., and was recently honored by the community with a scholarship in his name. As culinary services director, Ralston oversees a team that produces between 450 and 500 meals per day. 1982 Maurita (Greis) Elias and her husband, Robert, celebrated their 10th anniversary as owners of the Woodhouse Day Spa in Kingston, Pa. Prior to opening the spa in 2003, Elias owned two Party City franchise locations. After seeing the day spa in Victoria,Texas, Elias sold her previous businesses and bought the chain’s first franchise. She and her husband are company shareholders and helped founder Jeni Garrett expand the business. 1990 Joseph C. Smith was installed as the 81st president of the Pennsylvania Podiatric Medical Association on Nov. 9, 2013, during the association’s House of Delegates Banquet in King of Prussia, Pa. Smith is a podiatric Darron Fadden and Jessica Januzzi Fadden were married on Sept. 7, 2013, at Fiddle Lake Farm in Thompson, Pa. The groom fell in love with the bride’s family’s pizza while at Wilkes and then fell in love with the bride in 2012. The groom is an outside sales representative for Brazill Brothers Inc. The bride manages her family’s restaurant, Januzzi’s Pizza. They reside in Pittston, Pa. 2005 physician at Berks Foot & Ankle Surgical Associates, Inc., in Reading and a veteran of the first Persian Gulf War. 1993 Christopher Scalese joined best-selling author Jack Canfield and a select group of America’s leading experts to co-author Dare to Succeed:The World’s Leading Experts Reveal Their Secrets to Success in Business and Life—and Dare You to Succeed! On the day of release, the book reached best-seller status in eight Amazon.com categories. Scalese contributed a chapter titled “Want To Be Set For Retirement? Walk The Road Less Traveled.” He is president and founder of Fortune Financial Group, a financial planning firm which helps clients achieve their ideal retirement. 1995 William Noone was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame.While attending Wilkes, Noone was a member of the MAC Championship baseball team and was named MAC Freedom League most valuable player. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and was inducted into the Wilkes University Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. 1996 Christopher C. Dunbar was named faculty specialist in occupational therapy at the University of Scranton. 1998 Michael Kaschak was elected a fellow of the Association of Psychological Science, the largest international organization of psychology researchers. He also received an Outstanding Young Investigator Award from the Psychonomic Society, an experimental cognitive psychology organization. Kaschak is an associate professor of psychology at Florida State University. Amy Luyster was promoted to assistant vice president of The Scranton Plan, an arm of the Scranton Chamber of Commerce. She is responsible for coordinating and implementing marketing strategies, including the Northeastern Pennsylvania Regional Bioscience Initiative, which provides site location and financial assistance to firms interested in moving to or expanding within Lackawanna County. 1999 REUNION: SEPT. 26-27 Corinna Sowers-Adler sang at the 24th Annual New York Cabaret Convention on Oct. 10. She was invited to sing by the Mabel Mercer Foundation’s artistic director and was joined on stage by Broadway and Cabaret legends. 2000 Michael Schreiber and Kyle Masteller ’02 make up onethird of the hip-hop boy band, The STOP Boys.Their music can be found on iTunes, Spotify and other online outlets. 2002 Beth Danner Kinslow and husband Milt now reside in Anchorage, Alaska. Kyle Masteller (see 2000). 2008 Heather Amanda Gatto and Christopher F. Cuff were married June 1, 2013. The WILKES | Winter 2014 Undergraduate Degrees 23 �class notes Kandice Avery and husband Thomas Bross welcomed a son, Oliver Thomas Bross, on Oct. 01, 2013. Avery is a senior pharmaceutical sales representative at Merck Pharmaceuticals in Wilmington, Del. Bross is a manager of decision support at Thompson Reuters in Philadelphia. Oliver has a 16-month-old sister, Vivienne Colette. The family resides with their four dogs and cat in Swarthmore, Pa. 2006 Timothy M. Sullivan was named supervisor for the new branch of the Thomas M. Sullivan Funeral Home in Girardville, Pa. married on July 13, 2013, at St. Aloysius Church in Wilkes-Barre. The bride teaches sixth grade mathematics in the Hanover Area School District. The groom is a special education teacher in the Hazleton Area School District. They reside in Mountain Top, Pa. James Walko started at ParenteBeard, a top 25 accounting firm, as a staff accountant in the Lancaster, Pa., office. 2010 John Eli Hollock passed the CPA examination. Hollock works as a staff accountant at JonesKohanski & Co. Mallory Marie Zoeller and Robert Joseph Hudak were Katie Nealon graduated summa cum laude from bride is the childcare director for the Wilkes-Barre YMCA. The groom works for the U.S. Department of Justice. Wilkes is Shared Legacy for Mother and Daughter From the Bahamas A Wilkes education is a legacy shared by many alumni and their and Stephen. Wells-Davies, who children. But when Italia Wells-Davies ’80 of Nassau, Bahamas, has a master’s degree from Kent brought her daughter, Simone, to campus this fall, the mother and State University, spent 25 years daughter may have achieved first-time status among Wilkes’ many teaching in public schools before legacy families. joining the Anglican Episcopal The pair may be the first mother and daughter from another Diocese as its deputy director of country to both attend Wilkes. Although University records don’t education. In that role, she was definitively confirm this, they are surely among very few legacy responsible for human resources families not from the United States. for WILKES | Winter 2014 Anglican Central Education Authority, covering Bahamas, a community college, for two years. The president there four schools on three islands in had been in talks with Wilkes administrators about establishing a the Bahamas. In July 2013, she teaching exchange. “After enquiring one day about prospects of became the authority’s director. continuing my education he promised to make contact with his 24 the Italia Wells came to Wilkes after attending the College of the Daughter Simone also friends. A few days later, he called me into his office and said that attended the College of the I could get a scholarship,” Wells-Davies recalls. Bahamas for her first two years. Simone Davies, left, and her mother, Italia Wells-Davies ’80, may be the first Wilkes legacy from another country. For the daughter of a single mother, it was a tremendous She first planned on attending opportunity. She traded the sunny climate of her native country college in Tampa, Fla. But the for the more variable temperatures of northeast Pennsylvania. Her more she considered what Wilkes had to offer, the more interested roommate, Doreen Walker ’81, who lived with her in the Sterling she became in attending her mother’s alma mater. She enrolled at Hotel, was from California. “We got up every morning from the Wilkes as a psychology major. PHOTO BY BRIDGET GIUNTA HUSTED ’05 end of September and looked to see if it had snowed,” she says, Wells-Davies moved Simone into student apartments at 41 West, chuckling. Later the two moved on campus to Chesapeake Hall, located on the corner of West Franklin and Northampton streets. now part of Roth Hall. “I can look out the window and see where I lived,” Wells-Davies says. Wells-Davies earned her degree in English literature and returned to the Bahamas where she entered the civil service and became a schoolteacher. She met and married Stephen Davies, an Episcopal priest, and they had three children—Simone and older brothers Bryant – By Vicki Mayk Were you a Wilkes international student whose child has attended or graduated from the University? Let us know your story: Write to us at Wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu �2012 Christopher Fadule joined JonesKohanski Consultants & Certified Public Accountants as an accountant in the Sugarloaf, Pa., office. 2011 Christopher Hopkins has been named sports editor at The Sentinel in Carlisle, Pa. Jason Raymond Woloski and Paran Mukhija Pharm.D. were married Dec. 22, 2012. The bride works as a pharmacist for Rite-Aid.The groom is completing his final year of medical school at Drexel University College of Medicine and will pursue a residency in family medicine.The couple resides in Philadelphia with their English bulldog Bubba. Jeremy Weinstock was named to the dean’s list at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, Calif. She was named the 2013 Outstanding Business Law Graduate. those perspectives as their more 2005 Andrew Doster MS was hired as the new principal of the Towanda Area Elementary School. He previously served as principal of Mountain View Elementary School and Mountain View Junior/Senior High School. Philip Tochelli III Pharm.D. and Corrin Ceccarelli were married Nov. 9, 2012. The bride is proprietor of Bella Spazio Salon & Spa, and the groom works at Walgreens and teaches as an adjunct professor at Wilkes’ School of Pharmacy. 2003 James M. Hollands Pharm.D. has been named associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Lee is a senior communication studies major. – By Christine Lee futures with absolute clarity.” the potential of our scholars here in Gary. I see their bright ending educational inequity remains the same. I’m struck by from the educational landscapes of Hawaii, our passion for particulars of our work here in Gary look very different Comparing Indiana to Hawaii, Kaitlin says, “While the services at Gary Lighthouse Charter School. received a promotion in early fall and is director of student physical education at Lighthouse College Prep Academy. Steve director of teacher leadership for mathematics, art, music and through a rigorous, arts-infused program. Kaitlin serves as a Columbia which prepares students in grades K-12 for college a network of charter schools in seven states and the District of educators at Lighthouse Academies in Gary, Ind. Lighthouse is In July, the couple started the next leg of their careers as experience,” she says. education and that was the most valuable aspect of my professionally. “They really gave me a framework to view Kaitlin credits Teach for America with helping her develop and Steve headed the school’s special education department. the island of Oahu. Both taught special education students, they taught at Waipahu High School in Waipahu, Hawaii, on in instructional technology. From 2008 until summer 2013, degree in elementary and special education and a master’s certification through the program. Steve has a bachelor’s U.S. Kaitlin, a musical theatre graduate, received her teaching least two years in low-income communities throughout the recent college graduates and professionals to teach for at eliminating educational inequality by enlisting high-achieving REUNION: SEPT. 26-27 Christopher Scalese MBA (see Undergraduate Degrees 1993). enrolled in Teach for America, an organization dedicated to After graduating, she and Steve her to teach there. affluent peers,” she says. It inspired opportunities kids who didn’t have the same because they were talking about was concerning to me, especially “Hearing “lazy” and disinterested in learning. students there being described as friends who are teachers on the islands. Kaitlin recalls the During their junior year at Wilkes, the Karpinskis visited reach their potential. island paradise yielded opportunities to help at-risk students Karpinski ’08 and Steve Karpinski ’08 MS ’10, going to the and beaches usually come to mind. For Kaitlin (Taber-Miller) 1994 Graduate Degrees Jef Bauman and Amanda (Karaffa) Bauman MS ’11 united in marriage on June 29, 2013, at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, Duryea, Pa. Wedding photos were taken around Wilkes’ campus to capture its beauty and to show their Colonel pride. Pictured in front of Weckesser Hall are, from left, Jordan Washko, Sam DeAlba, Andrea Smallcombe ’08, Fallon Plis, John Bauman, Dr. Lindsey Sabol O.D. ’09, Justin Huff ’09, Dr. Melissa Jones D.O. ’09, Stephanie Coleman, Sydney Bauman, Isabella Bauman and Paige Washko. 2009 class notes When someone thinks of visiting Hawaii, images of palm trees Educational Odyssey Takes Couple from Hawaii to Heartland ~ 25 WILKES | Winter 2014 �class notes In Memoriam 1944 Loretta Farris, Wilmington, Del., died Aug. 14, 2013. She was a teacher at Wyoming Seminary, Crestwood High School, Wyoming Area Senior High School, and also taught in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. Ruth T. (Tischler) Voelker, Shaverton, Pa., died July 3, 2013. She was a member of Pi Mu Epsilon national mathematics honor society. 1946 Jean E. (Lampert) Lewis, St. Davids, Pa., died April 14, 2013. She worked for Merck, Sharp and Dohme. 1947 George J. Kuzmak, Toms River, N.J., died March 11, 2009. He owned and operated Middlesex Chemicals. WILKES | Winter 2014 1948 Reese E. Pelton, Dallas, Pa., died Aug. 22, 2013. He taught at Wilkes University, various local public schools and Luzerne County Community College. Pelton was also a musician and leader of a swing and dance band, the Reese Pelton Orchestra. 26 1949 Edmund A. Sajeski, Arlington, Va., died June 11, 2011. Sajeski served in the U.S. Army and was a World War II veteran. He worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. 1950 Martin “Marty” E. Blake, Milton, Ga., died April 7, 2013. After serving in the U.S. Army, Blake spent his career in the sports industry and was the director of scouting for the National Basketball Association. Anthony Urban, Jr., Bethlehem, Pa., died March 15, 2013. He was a veteran of World War II. Urban worked as a chemist and metallurgist for Bethlehem Steel. 1951 Leonard (Bart) Bartikowsky, Warminster, Pa., died Oct. 19, 2013. Bartikowsky was a Navy veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He served as vice president of his familyowned jewelry business. John “Jack” H. Ellis III, Kingston, Pa., died June 8, 2013. He was a veteran of World War II. He was employed by Glen Alden Coal Company and Kingston National Bank. 1952 John D. Brna, Rosemont, Pa., died Feb. 14, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army and was a World War II veteran. Dr. George F. Scheers, Hazleton, Pa., died Oct. 7, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army and established a medical practice. 1953 Thomas F. Minemier, Whitehall, Pa., died July 5, 2013. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard. 1954 Hendrick Marr, Harford, Pa., died Oct. 18, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army and taught music at Mountain View School in Kingsley, Pa. Alden F. Wagner Jr., Lancaster, Pa., died Jan. 23, 2013. Wagner was a Navy veteran of the Korean War. He worked for Pennsylvania Power and Light. 1955 John J. Kearney, Cherry Hill, N.J., died Oct. 11, 2013. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. Kearney also was a teacher at North Hanover Township School at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., for 33 years. 1956 Dr. Stanley Abrams, Portland, Ore., died July 1, 2012. He was a clinical and forensic psychologist. Dr. John Sherwood Sr., Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Oct. 13, 2013. He was a veteran of World War II. Sherwood practiced family medicine for over 30 years. 1957 Joseph A. Loftus, WilkesBarre, Pa., died Oct. 1, 2013. Loftus served in the U.S. Army and was a veteran of the Korean War. He was employed by Atlantic Refining and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. 1959 Theresa E. Abate, WilkesBarre, Pa., died Sept. 22, 2013. She worked as a registered nurse and director of nursing at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Helen Grace (Miller) Burke, Duryea, Pa., died July 25, 2013. She taught at Holy Rosary School. Barr Gartley, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Aug. 29, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy and worked for the Pomeroy’s department store chain. Charles A. Sorber, Austin, Texas, died Oct. 18, 2013. He was an academic administrator for the University of Texas and also served as the dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. 1960 Richard E. Barber, Madison, N.J., died April 10, 2013. He was a mechanical engineer for Allied Signal/Honeywell. Leonard M. Hendricks, Williamsburg,Va., died Sept. 13, 2013. Hendricks was a veteran of the Korean War. He worked in the hospitality industry. William S. Michaels, Dallas, Pa., died Oct. 16, 2013. He worked for the Brick Industry of America. 1961 Jean Ruth (Belles) Harry, Plymouth, Pa., died July 1, 2013. She taught modern art at Luzerne County Community College. 1962 Stanley C. Bigoski, Kingston, Pa., died Sept. 16, 2013. Bigoski was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was the controller for Chaucer Press in Pittston, Pa. �class notes 1963 Robert Ainsworth, Florence, Miss., died Sept. 30, 2013. He was a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars, serving in the U.S. Navy for over 40 years. Dolores Grabko, WilkesBarre, Pa., died Aug. 17, 2013. She coordinated Luzerne County Community Living arrangements for rehabilitation and disability services. 1965 John T. Balla, Jackson Heights, N.Y., died Oct. 28, 2013. He worked for the U.S. Treasury Department. Jeanne Ann Fadusko, WilkesBarre, Pa., died Sept. 1, 2013. Fadusko was a veteran of the Vietnam War. She also worked for the American Red Cross. administrator for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. 1968 Michael J. McGlynn,WilkesBarre, Pa., died Aug. 20, 2013. He was a teacher in the Catholic high schools of the Diocese of Scranton and a journalist for The Citizens’ Voice. 1966 Barbara L. Tayoun, Laflin, Pa., died Sept. 22, 2013. She was an elementary school teacher and guidance counselor for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. 1971 John J. Flynn, Fairfax, Va., died Sept. 29, 2013. He was a speechwriter for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and a docent for the Library of Congress. John Ginocchetti, WilkesBarre, Pa., died Aug. 11, 2013. Ginocchetti was a veteran of the Vietnam War, where he served in the U.S. Army. He worked as chief financial 1972 Karen M. (Wrublewski) Riley, White Haven, Pa., died April 24, 2013. She worked as director of education and staff development for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre. 1973 Dennis G. Hollod, Somerville, N.J., died Feb. 11, 2013. He was employed by Innovative Educational Programs and AT&T. Dennis M. Millett, Cherry Hill, N.J., died March 2, 2013. He worked for Pathmark Supermarkets. Remembering Doris Bartuska ’49 Although she was 84 when she died, Doris Gorka Bartuska’s American Association of Clinical obituary quipped that she was “39 and holding.” The phrase Endocrinologists and one of the embodied her characteristic humor. Recognized as a pioneer first female voting members of for women in medicine—and one of Wilkes’ first female the house of delegates at the graduates to become a physician—Bartuska’s work stimulated American Medical Association. She was the 2008 recipient of on prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and smoking, the Pennsylvania Medical including smoke-related disease. Society’s Distinguished Service Bartuska ’49, who died Aug. 4, 2013, recalled what it was Awards, which recognizes a like when she first attended Wilkes, which was then Bucknell physician who has demonstrated University Junior College. “There were only two women on a campus,” she said. “Myself and Dorothy Pickering. I was a student achievement as judged by his or in the fine arts program, taking classes in voice, piano and organ.” her peers. She became the 23rd Then her life forever changed. “It was in college that I realized Pennsylvania physician to win lifetime of significant that a career in science or medicine was a goal which I had never this highly prestigious award, and joined a distinguished list of imagined,” Bartuska said during an interview for the “Changing previous recipients, including Jonas E. Salk and C. Everett Koop. the Face of Medicine” website sponsored by the U.S. National Her dedication as a teacher was recognized with numerous Library of Medicine. “I was always optimistic and interacted with awards that honored her devotion to academic excellence, other people. I joined the pre-med club, visited hospitals and mentoring, patient care and leadership as a role model for medical schools, and my career path became obvious.” women in medicine, including an honorary degree of Doctor of Bartuska served as president of the Philadelphia County Science from Wilkes in 1997. After receiving the Master of the Medical Society, president of the medical staff at the Medical American College of Endocrinology award in 2009, Bartuska College of Pennsylvania, president of the Philadelphia Endocrine recalled that she was overwhelmed. “There’s something about Society and president of the American Medical Women’s the feelings you get when your peers recognize you. It’s the Association. She was also a founding board member of the icing on the cake.” WILKES | Winter 2014 national interest in a woman’s health agenda with emphasis 27 �class notes Rita (Wallace) Muskauski, Hatfied, Pa., died June 18, 2013. She taught elementary school in the North Penn School District. 1975 Herbert A. Mill, Hunlock Creek, Pa., died Aug. 6, 2013. He served in the U.S. Army and worked for Procter & Gamble, Pennsylvania Power and Light, and McCrory’s Store in Shavertown. Helen (Brennan) Stoffa, Jim Thorpe, Pa., died March 20, 2013. She was a registered nurse at the L.B. Morris Elementary School. 1977 Dr. Colin E. Forsyth, Barnstable, Mass., died March 15, 2013. He worked at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, Mass. and Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton, Mass. Edward J. Misakonsis, Vidalia, Ga., died April 24, 2011. He served in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force and worked as a nurse anesthetist. 1979 Thomas F. Rash, Hanover Township, Pa., died Oct. 2, 2013. He worked for the Tobyhanna Army Depot and InterMetro Industries. 1987 Albert L. Ryzner, Pittston, Pa., died Aug. 28, 2013. He was employed by Cremard Insurance. 1988 John J. Hoffman, Lansdale, Pa., died Oct. 29, 2013. He worked for Air Products. 1995 Jeremiah H. Connell, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Aug. 13, 2013. He worked at State University of New York, Penn State, Luzerne County Community College, Wilkes University and King’s College. 2007 Claire E. Krapf, Gordon, Pa., died March 27, 2013. She taught at North Schuylkill High School. 1998 Jennifer Melissa StecGagliardi, Dorrance, Pa., died Oct. 21, 2013. She worked in the microbiology environmental lab at Kirby Memorial Health Center. Faculty 2000 Warren Erdman III, Allentown, Pa., died March 17, 2013. Erdman was a veteran of the U.S. Army and Civil Air Patrol. He worked as a teacher for the Allentown School District. Trustee Emeritus 2004 Michael R. Onley II, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., died Oct. 13, 2013. Known as DJ Mo, he was a popular disc jockey at WCLH. Richard A. Fuller Sr., Dallas, Pa., died Sept. 20, 2013. He was professor emeritus of art and chairperson of the art department at Wilkes from 1969 until 2000. Richard L. Pearsall, Dallas, Pa., died Oct. 25, 2013. He served in the Strategic Air Command of the U.S. Air Force. Pearsall co-founded Craft Associates, a national furniture manufacturing company and for many years served as a member of Wilkes University’s Board of Trustees. In 1997 Pearsall Hall was dedicated in honor of his daughters. Remembering Faculty Member Ted Engel The passing of Sidhu School of Business and Leadership finance people are not the most literate through his great use Associate Professor Ted Engel on Nov. 1, 2013, was an occasion of adjectives.” for colleagues past and present to reflect on his impact during WILKES | Winter 2014 more than 40 years at Wilkes. 28 Engel was born in Pittsburgh but spent most of his youth in Florida, earning both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the “ ‘Good morning, Dick,’ was how he greeted me nearly every University of Miami. During his tenure at Wilkes, he served as morning as he arrived in his office in Breiseth Hall. We are both dean of the School of Business, Society and Public Policy, chair morning people,” says Sidhu School professor emeritus Richard of the commerce and finance department, and became the first Raspen ’67, MBA ’77, who recalls first meeting Engel in 1973 as dean of the Wilkes School of Business. a Wilkes graduate student. “He would enter the classroom and “The Sidhu School’s accreditation by the Accreditation write several points on the chalkboard of things he wanted to Council for Business Schools and Programs was a direct result cover… and he covered all of them.” of Ted’s perseverance,” says Raspen. “The ACBSP recognized “He was a gentleman and a gentle man who had an amazing Wilkes as a quality academic institution that met the standards vocabulary,” associate dean and associate professor of the of a national accreditation and raised the bar. It was through Sidhu School Justin Matus says. “Ted dispelled the theory that Ted’s association in the 1980s that put us on the map.” �■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ JU N E 7, 20 14 • 6 P .M . W ESTMORE LAND CLU B , WILKES -BARRE Join Wilkes University and President Patrick Leahy to celebrate the University’s heritage of educating first-generation college students. Proceeds from this new event will support the First Generation Fund, recently established to provide additional scholarships to make a Wilkes education attainable for first-generation students. The President’s Medal will be awarded at the gala, acknowledging someone who has helped enhance the student experience and advance the University’s mission. The inaugural award will be presented to: Joseph Savitz, Esq. ’48 For sponsorship and ticket information, contact Susan Dantona Jolley at susan.jolley@wilkes.edu or call (570) 408-7832. To learn more about the Founders Gala, see President Patrick Leahy’s message on the inside front cover of Wilkes magazine. ■ �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events February 1 through May 11 A World Apart: The Legacy of George Gabin, Sordoni Art Gallery 12 Alumni Event, Wilkes Pocono Center, Bartonsville, Pa., 6 p.m. 13 Gardner Education Forum Series: Child Abuse and Mandatory Reporting, featuring Karen Lindsey,Victims Resource Center, Mart Center, Room 214 14-15, 21-22 The No-Frills Revue, theatre production, 8 p.m. Darte Center 16, 23 The No-Frills Revue, theatre production, 2 p.m. Darte Center 19 Alumni Event, Boca Raton, Fla. 20 Gardner Education Forum Series: The Dances: A Documentary of Music of the 60s and 70s in the Wyoming Valley, featuring William Bachman, instructor of communications at Penn State, Wilkes-Barre, Marts Center, Room 214 25 Allan P. Kirby Lecture Series: Jack Uldrich, “Why Future Trends Will Demand Unlearning,” Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. March 1-9 Spring Recess 5 Family Business Alliance Lecture Series: “Leadership Lessons Learned from Lincoln,” featuring Matthew Pinsker, Dickinson College, Henry Student Center, 5 p.m. 12 Gardner Education Forum Series: EDUtainment, featuring Bryan Svencer, 4th grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, East Penn School District, Marts Center 214, 4:30 p.m. 22 VIP Day 2014 28 2014 Wilkes University Engineering Olympics April 3-5 Check Out Chekhov, An Evening of One Act Plays, 8 p.m. Darte Center 6 Check Out Chekhov, An Evening of One Act Plays, 2 p.m. Darte Center 17-21 Holiday Recess 23 Family Business Alliance Lecture Series: Economic Summit, featuring Sam Fraundorf, President of Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors, Henry Student Center, 5 p.m. 27 Max Rosenn Lecture, Sen. Richard Lugar, Darte Center, 7:30 p.m. 30 Classes End May 8 Alumni Event, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Railriders 17 Commencement, Marts Center For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Winter 2014 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 2014 magazine Wilkes Magazine https://omeka.wilkes.edu/omeka/files/original/c34950f0bb6e39c8ef3f2a4c74aa3a2d.pdf 29e68d8a00680e1940daf252ab779c99 PDF Text Text S P R I N G/ S U M M E R 2 01 5 The Fine Art of Humor JOE DETTMORE ’76 MAKES THE DAILY SHOW A VISUAL MASTERPIECE �president’s letter VOLUME 9 | ISSUE 2 Welcome to the 12-Month Campus SPRING/SUMMER 2015 WILKES MAGAZINE University President Dr. Patrick F. Leahy I Vice President for External Affairs Michael Wood ’m always surprised when asked if Wilkes is open during the summer. I can tell whoever is asking has never visited during that time, or they would know the answer: Wilkes offers classes and cultural events on campus year-round. I’ve made growing our summer offerings a priority since becoming president. It’s good business—and it enriches our students and the surrounding community to have a college campus that is full of activity from January through December. Summer classes at Wilkes have long been a popular option for our own students as well as those from other colleges who are home for the summer and living nearby. These students use the summer to get ahead by taking required courses for general education or their majors. Since 2010, Wilkes has offered an average of 100 classes during summer sessions, drawing more than 500 students. Summer also is prime season for research and we have dozens of students working with faculty mentors in their labs or in the field, gaining valuable, hands-on experience. And when I say “in the field,” that sometimes can mean outside of northeastern Pennsylvania. For example, this summer, Ned Fetcher, a member of our biology department, will take students to the Alaskan tundra to conduct research under the auspices of a National Science Foundation grant. College students aren’t the only ones who benefit from summer at Wilkes. We also President Patrick F. Leahy presides at spring commencement—an event that marks the welcome high-school, middle-school and end of the regular academic year and the elementary-school students, many of whom start of summer sessions at Wilkes. PHOTO BY LISA REYNOLDS may eventually choose to join the Wilkes community as undergraduates, to campus. Our athletic coaches offer sports camps for young athletes. Our education students offer reading and arts camps for elementary school students, and we’re encouraging our country’s future women scientists in our Women Empowered by Science (WEBS) camp. I’m proud to say that some of the talented young middle-school students who first come to Wilkes in WEBS eventually enroll as college students in our science programs. These are just a few highlights. Our first-year students also join us in either June or July for a three-day weekend to choose classes and begin to become acclimated to college life. It’s one of my favorite duties as president to welcome our new crop of Colonels. There’s nothing sleepy about summer at Wilkes. I invite you to stop by and see our campus in action this summer. Dr. Patrick F. Leahy Wilkes University President Executive Editor Jack Chielli MA’08 Managing Editor Kim Bower-Spence Editor Vicki Mayk MFA’13 Creative Services Lisa Reynolds Web Services Craig Thomas MBA’11 Electronic Communications Joshua Bonner Graduate Assistant Francisco Tutella MA’15 Bill Thomas ’13 Layout/Design Kara Reid Printing Pemcor Inc. EDITORIAL ADVISORY GROUP Anne Batory ’68 Brandie Meng MA’08 Bill Miller ’81 George Pawlush ’69 MS’76 Donna Sedor ’85 ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFF Director Bridget Giunta Husted ’05 Associate Director Mary Balavage Simmons ’10 Alumni Event and Communication Manager Jacki Lukas ’11 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Cindy Charnetski ’97 Vice President Ellen Hall ’71 Secretary Kathy Heltzel ’82 MBA ’85 Historian Tom Ralston ’80 Wilkes magazine is published three times a year by the Wilkes University Office of Marketing Communications, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766, wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu, (570) 408-4779. Please send change of address to the above address. Wilkes University is an independent institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. The university provides its students with the experience and education necessary for career and intellectual development as well as for personal growth, engenders a sense of values and civic responsibility, and encourages its students to welcome the opportunities and challenges of a diverse and continually changing world. The university enhances the tradition of strong student-faculty interactions in all its programs, attracts and retains outstanding people in every segment of the university, and fosters a spirit of cooperation, community involvement, and individual respect within the entire university. �12 6 14 16 contents 6 Many Happy Returns Faculty who graduated from Wilkes reflect on why they’ve come back to teach at their alma mater. 12 �The Fine Art of Humor Joe Dettmore ’76 is seen on the set of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. PHOTO BY DAN Z. JOHNSON Joe Dettmore ’76 elevates sight gags to an art form as creative director for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 14 �Humanitarian Effort Dr. Thomas J. Kaschak ’75 founded the Vietnam Medical Project to bring medical care to the southeast Asian country. 16 Engineering Diplomacy Randa Fahmy ’86 has forged a career crafting energy policy and negotiating diplomatic alliances. DEPARTMENTS 2 On Campus 5 Athletics 19 Alumni News 21 Class Notes Have a story idea to share? Contact us at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu or Wilkes magazine, 84 W. South St., Wilkes-Barre, Pa. 18766. Wilkes magazine is available online at www.wilkes.edu/wilkesmagazineonline F,;S FPO FSC WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 FEATURES 1 �on campus New Enterprise Center Launches Student, Faculty and Staff Businesses Wilkes students, faculty and staff will receive expert help to start businesses at the Wilkes Enterprise Center, an incubator supporting businesses started by members of the Wilkes community. An initiative of the Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Wilkes, the center Kraken Boardsports is one of three businesses run by Wilkes students housed in the new Wilkes Enterprise also reflects the University’s commitment Center, which opened in March. Pictured here, from left, are Dan Lykens ’15, a Wilkes electrical and mechanical to support Wilkes-Barre by attracting new engineering dual major; Brandon Carey ’15, a marketing major; Mike Grobinski ’15 and Alex Planar ’15, both mechanical engineering majors. The young entrepreneurs are receiving help to launch their business via the businesses downtown and retaining talented Enterprise Center. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK individuals to work locally. can interact with other businesses and in a professional manner,” Nine business startups are housed at the enterprise center, Lykens states. which opened in March 2015 on the sixth floor of the Luzerne “We can use all the resources Wilkes offers. We don’t need Bank Building on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre. Students to buy time at machine shops or our own tools, and Studio run three of the businesses, including Kraken Boardsports, an 20 (a student-run production club in the integrative media outdoor recreation products manufacturer. department) helped us design our website.” Wilkes senior electrical and mechanical engineering major The other six businesses at the center are run by Wilkes faculty Daniel Lykens, founder, chief operations officer and partnership and staff. They include Four Hound Solutions, a company started owner of Kraken Boardsports, says that the enterprise center by Wilkes associate professor and chair of electrical engineering has helped his company connect with local business leaders and and physics David Carey ’83 MS ’98. The company provides offers resources that have kept startup costs to a minimum. automated testing solutions and employs Wilkes alumni. “The Wilkes Enterprise Center has helped us tremendously Most businesses in the center receive support in the form of with networking. Most of our connections are with people we office space and advising from an executive in residence and a met directly through the center or who the center suggested team of volunteer business advisors. Advising may include help we contact. It has been a huge stepping stone for being able with business plans, marketing and other things needed to grow to reach out and talk with professionals in the area, to ask the businesses. questions and to learn how the business field works so that we WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Pharmacy Students Demonstrate Winning Ways in Clinical Competitions 2 Students in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy earned honors in clinical competitions and awards programs during spring semester 2015. Among the award-winning students were: Nicholas Stauffer of Barto, Pa., was selected to receive the U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health Pharmacy Practice Award. The award was established to recognize pharmacy students’ contributions to public health pharmacy practice. Stauffer was nominated for the award for a campaign to make the University a smoke-free campus, antibiotic use education in Guatemala, and for a web application he developed to monitor medication use. It is the second time a Wilkes student has received the award. Bethany Sharpless of Lansing, N.Y., and Lindsey Coval of Phillipsburg, Pa., placed fourth in the 19th annual American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Clinical Skills Competition, held during the society’s Midyear Clinical Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. A record 127 teams from pharmacy schools across the country competed. Alysha Lopez of DuBois, Pa., won the 2015 “Know Pain, Know Gain” competition held Feb. 21 at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s Mid-Year Conference in Harrisburg. Lopez is a fourth-year pharmacy student at Wilkes. �on campus Since becoming a peer educator in Wilkes’ first-year student sexual misconduct training program, Katharine Marianacci has found her impact is extending far beyond the classroom. “I’ve had students approach me on the greenway or at the gym to tell me how helpful the program was and give me feedback on how we’re doing,” the sophomore psychology major and Dallas, Pa., native says. “It’s great to know the students are listening and they hear what we have to say. If it’s resonating with them enough that they remember me later on, that’s a sign that at least some of our mission is being fulfilled.” Another sign of the program’s effectiveness is its recent selection as the 2015 Grand Gold Excellence Award by NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. A major national award, it honors the program for its innovation and effectiveness in educating students about preventing sexual assault. “This isn’t a one-person award. This is an institutional award,” says Philip J. Ruthkosky, associate dean of student development and coordinator for the program. “I’m proud to be part of an institution that strives beyond compliance, that implements these programs with a mind toward what’s best for our students rather than simply checking off something we’re required to do by the federal government.” That desire to go above and beyond has shaped Wilkes’ unique approach to its training program. While federal law requires all colleges and universities to provide some form of sexual misconduct education for freshmen, few have developed a program that is as comprehensive and campuswide an initiative. “The subject is a complicated one, so our philosophy is that it can’t be just a one-and-done hour-long session at orientation or something like that,” Ruthkosky says. “Our program training paradigm includes a portfolio of programs. It consists of 10 different programs that range in intensity from a 60-minute, small-group bystander session, where we teach students how to recognize signs of when somebody might be at risk and how you can intervene safely, to a large-group presentation by the Victims Resource Center, to an online test on our sexual misconduct policy. Each one is intended to build on and complement the others.” Among the notable approaches Wilkes uses in its program is a five-minute video that shows how bystanders can identify and intervene against possible sexual misconduct. Produced by alumni filmmakers Ryan Wood ’13 and Todd Oravic ’13, the video features Wilkes students playing roles in scenarios set in a realistic party setting. Creative Writing Program Celebrates 10th Anniversary The low-residency graduate creative writing program will celebrate a decade focusing on the craft and business of writing when it observes its 10th anniversary during the June 2015 residency. A 10th anniversary gala is planned for Saturday, June 20, for current students, faculty and alumni of the program. Other festivities during residency week from June 19-26 will include the June 24 dedication of the creative writing building as the Harold Cox Building. The new name honors Harold Cox, history professor emeritus, who teaches the research class for creative writing and who is a special benefactor of the program. PUBLISHING POWERHOUSE Wilkes creative writing faculty, students and alumni have: Published over 100 NOVELS, MEMOIRS, NONFICTION WORKS Produced over PLAYS Publ;shed over CAMPUS GATEWAY PROJECT LAUNCHED Wilkes broke ground for its $1 million campus gateway project in April. The project, pictured in this artist’s rendering, will create a dramatic entryway to the Wilkes campus on South Main Street between the University Center on Main and 141 S. Main. The gateway will lead across South Franklin Street to the heart of campus on the Fenner Quadrangle. New safety features include raised pedestrian crosswalks on South Main and South Franklin streets. The project is expected to be completed in August 2015. so ' ~~OKSOR POETRY COLLECTIONS Produced over 40 NEW FILMS Published HUNDREDS OF ARTICLES, POEMS AND SHORT STORIES WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Wilkes Program Earns National Award for Educating Students About Sexual Assault 3 �on campus Raymond Dombroski ’78 and Stelios Patsiokas ’75 Join Board of Trustees Two alumni with distinguished careers in developing communications systems have joined the Wilkes University Board of Trustees. Raymond E. Dombroski ’78 of Malvern, Pa., has been with Comcast Corporation since 2000 and now serves as senior vice president of product development and voice development. After receiving his electrical engineering degree from Wilkes, he began his career in communications with RCA Laboratories in satellite and video systems in Princeton, N.J. In 1988, he was founding partner of Metrophone/ Metromedia, where as vice president of engineering and operations, he built satellites and developed the cellular communications company. The company was sold to Comcast in 1992. Stelios Patsiokas ’75 of Deerfield Beach, Fla., is the chief innovation officer and corporate vice president for Sirius XM Satellite Radio, where he has worked for 15 years. A native of Serres, Greece, Patsiokas came to Wilkes University on a full academic scholarship and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. After earning a master’s degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, he went on to a career at Motorola. He was hired by XM Satellite Radio in 1998 and with his team of engineers created the technology that allowed satellite radio to fly. He’s the holder of over 25 US patents in the areas of RF communication systems and wireless devices. Patsiokas was the University’s May 2014 commencement speaker. Raymond E. Dombroski ’78 Stelios Patsiokas ’75 WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Zebra Communications Marks 15 Years of Helping the Non-profit Sector 4 Communication studies majors Talia Pantano and Marisa Farronato accept the award honoring Zebra Communications as top fundraiser for the Salvation Army. Presenting the award is Herbert “Chip” Godfrey of the Salvation Army’s advisory board. When it comes to earning their stripes in public relations, Wilkes students have a head start thanks to the student-run agency Zebra Communications. The organization, founded in January 2000, is observing its 15th year of providing both service to the Wyoming Valley community and hands-on experience to communication studies students. Established by Jane Elmes-Crahall, agency executive director and professor of communication studies, Zebra works with non-profit organizations in the community. More than 100 agencies have been clients since its founding, including Candy’s Place, the Victims Resource Center, Children’s Miracle Network, the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Wilkes-Barre Area Educational Improvement Foundation and the Salvation Army. Recalling how she established the agency, Elmes-Crahall says, “Establishing Zebra was a logical next step after including real clients from the community in every public relations course that I taught at Wilkes since 1985, when I was first hired.” Public relations services have been provided and more than $100,000 has been raised by Zebra for these agencies. More than $18,000 of that amount has been raised for The Salvation Army, a Zebra client since 2006. The account team from Wilkes was recognized in 2014 as its top fundraiser, beating out 60 other groups that raise funds for the organization. It’s the fourth time Zebra has come in first. �athletics Quiet Conqueror Matt Grossman Becomes Wilkes’ First National Champion Wrestler in Decades When you meet Matt Grossman, Wilkes’ first wrestler to win a national championship since 1975, he may not be what you’d expect. As dominating and aggressive as the Lancaster, Pa., native is on the mat, in person he’s soft-spoken and modest. Though his accomplishments are impressive—in addition to upsetting two top-ranked wrestlers to win the 2015 NCAA Division III 133-pound national championship, Grossman was also named Middle Atlantic Conference Rookie and Wrestler of the Year—he is humble and grateful for his opportunities. “I had a lot of great help. (Wilkes University junior and fellow wrestler) Guessepe Rea was a great practice partner, and our coaches are amazing,” says Grossman, a freshman management major. “Coming in as a freshman, I had some high goals for myself. Once I started wrestling some of the better kids in the country, some of the kids who are ranked really high, who are All-American status, and I actually started beating them, I realized my goals could be even higher.” Grossman’s trust in his coaches is something both he and head coach Jonathan Laudenslager ’99 credit for his success. While Grossman is quick to share the credit, Laudenslager is equally quick to note that Grossman’s achievements are rare for a reason. “In my 12 years of coaching, I can think of maybe one other kid who’s won a championship like this as a freshman. Matt has earned every bit of success he’s had,” Laudenslager says. “He remains steady from the first whistle to the last. He’s got a great intensity level. I don’t think there was a morning that went by that I didn’t see him in the weight room getting an extra 30 minutes on the elliptical in.” Laudenslager says that the place where Grossman’s intensity and consistency will help him most is in the classroom. “He’s been getting really good grades, and that’s the most important thing. I always tell him, it doesn’t matter if you’re a four-time national champ. If you don’t get a degree and a good education, we haven’t really helped you,” Laudenslager says. Taking that advice to heart, Grossman is already thinking about the future. Of course, wrestling is still in Grossman’s blood. His father was a wrestling coach. Grossman himself has been at it since first grade. That, he says, is one of the reasons he’s paired his major with a minor in sports and event management. “I’ve grown up around it. I can’t imagine not being a wrestler. It’s who I am,” he says. “It will always be a part of my life, even after I’m done competing, whether I’m coaching or something along the lines of that.” Freshman Matt Grossman is Wilkes’ first national champion in wrestling since 1975. PHOTO BY CURTIS SALONICK WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 By Bill Thomas ’13 5 �Faculty Pay Forward Their Wilkes Experience in the Classroom By Helen Kaiser, additional reporting and research by Francisco Tutella and Bill Thomas ’13 LIKE THE THEME FROM THE TELEVISION SHOW “CHEERS,” Wilkes is a place where everybody knows your name according to assistant professor of nursing Joyce Chmil ’87 M.H.A. ’91, M.A. ’07, M.S. ’10. Wilkes was—and is—a comfortable place. “Faculty talked to you like you were made to be here,” she says, recalling her student days. She’s not alone. For about three dozen faculty members who earned Wilkes undergraduate degrees, there’s just something about the University that creates a striking affinity—so striking that it drew them back to campus to continue the relationship with their alma mater. Scott Bolesta Pharm.D. ’00 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, PHARMACY PRACTICE PHARM.D., WILKES These faculty are forging links with today’s generation of students in hopes of giving back some of what they received when they were students. They remember the positive experiences they had with accessible professors in a welcoming atmosphere. Unanimously, the returnees recalled faculty who made a difference in their lives and inspired them to achieve success in their careers. They emulate them in teaching today’s students. Several of these alumni share thoughts about their return—and about the “aha moment” when they knew college teaching was their calling. CAREER PATH: After graduating in the inaugural class of Wilkes’ doctor of pharmacy program—he was literally the first to receive his diploma— Bolesta completed a pharmacy practice residency at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson and a critical care pharmacy residency at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington. He then worked as a critical care clinical pharmacist at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore and as a clinical pharmacist in critical care and cardiovascular medicine at Geisinger Medical Center. RETURNING TO WILKES: “Even while doing my post-graduate work I WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 knew I wanted to return to academia,” he says. Bolesta worked at hospitals to get the practical patient-care experience he could share with his future students. When a position at Wilkes became available, he knew that he’d had a positive experience there as a student and that he and his wife wanted to move back home to be near their families and begin one of their own. Bolesta is married to the former Kelly West Pharm.D. ’01, and they have two sons: Andrew, 8, and Brian, 3. 6 BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Dr. Anne Lin, former chair of the pharmacy practice department, Hue Tran, who taught cardiology pharmacy, and Wendy McKenzie, critical care pharmacy, were mentors. AHA MOMENT: “I get the same feeling as a faculty member that I had as PHOTOS BY EARL & SEDOR PHOTOGRAPHIC a student—but from a different perspective. At a small university campus it’s easy to have an informal exchange between students and faculty. Whether it’s a five-minute, 20-minute or an hour-long conversation about career choices and the future, these are aspects a student can’t get just sitting in the classroom.” �David R. Carey ’83 M.S.’98 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND INTERIM CHAIR, ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING B.S., ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING; M.S., ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, BOTH FROM WILKES PH.D., CLARKSON UNIVERSITY. CAREER PATH: After graduation, Carey worked full-time as an engineer at the Tobyhanna Army Depot while pursuing his master’s degree. He subsequently worked as an engineer for several private firms, eventually assuming leadership roles in those companies. He returned to Tobyhanna before being hired full-time at Wilkes. RETURNING TO WILKES: While earning his master’s degree, Carey gave a presentation on integrated circuits to the Wilkes faculty. His presentation so impressed Professor Thyagarajan Srinivasan that he asked Carey to teach as an adjunct. When a full-time position opened in 2013, Carey was hired. AHA MOMENT: As an engineer, Carey developed test systems for antilock brakes, automotive speed control, Blackberry phones and even the very first Xbox video game console. Carey says, “I look back and I say, ‘Okay, the antilock brakes and the safety devices, those things have meaning to me.’ But the Xbox? How is that going to affect the rest of the world compared to a student I have who’s going to go out and design something that could possibly save a life or change the world?” BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Carey cites two faculty from his undergraduate days: professors Gary Dolny and Umid Nejib. Dolny connected course material to its real-world application, while Nejib, famous for his toughness, instilled discipline. CAREER PATH: Charnetski worked two years for Systems Research Company in Philadelphia while pursuing his doctorate. The company had various contracts with government agencies to perform systems psychology studies. Carl Charnetski ’70 PROFESSOR, PSYCHOLOGY RETURNING TO WILKES: While attending a conference in New B.A., PSYCHOLOGY, WILKES York City to present his dissertation, Charnetski encountered Robert Riley, former chair of Wilkes’ psychology department, who invited him to apply for a faculty position. M.A., PH.D., PSYCHOLOGY, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY AHA MOMENT: In 2001 Charnetski authored a book about his research, Feeling Good is Good for You: How Pleasure Can Boost Your Immune System and Lengthen Your Life. That led to an invitation to speak at the 92nd Street Y in New York City—renowned as an intellectual venue for culture, arts, entertainment and conversation. While the auspicious appearance was meaningful, he says he also derives much pleasure out of seeing his students at Wilkes go on to earn their doctorates and achieve success in their fields—knowing that he has played a significant role in their lives. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Charnetski entered college as a history major, but he switched to psychology after taking an introductory course from Riley. “He was an interesting and entertaining lecturer, and I knew this is what I wanted to study for the rest of my life: human behavior,” Charnetski says. He has tried to emulate his mentor in hopes of inspiring a new generation. 7 �Joyce Victor Chmil ’87 M.H.A.’91 M.A.’07 M.S.’10 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, NURSING, AND DIRECTOR OF THE CLINICAL NURSING SIMULATION CENTER B.S., NURSING, M.H.A., M.A., CREATIVE WRITING, M.S., NURSING, ALL FROM WILKES PH.D., DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY CAREER PATH: You could almost say Chmil never left Wilkes—save for attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to earn a nursing doctorate in 2014. As an undergrad, a working professional taking graduate classes or an adult educator teaching CPR here, Chmil always felt at home at Wilkes. Her early years in nursing were spent in the critical care unit at Nanticoke State General Hospital and the progressive care unit at Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre. When the opportunity arose for an education position within the hospital she accepted it. This put her in the right place at the right time to fill a vacancy at the Wilkes’ nursing learning resource center, now the Clinical Nursing Simulation Center. RETURNING TO WILKES: Chmil was hired in 2004 and became a tenure-track faculty member last fall. BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Mary Ann Merrigan, now associate dean in the School of Nursing, worked in the learning resource center when Chmil was an undergraduate, interacted with her when Chmil taught CPR classes at Wilkes adult education, and was the one who hired her to direct the Clinical Nursing Simulation Center. AHA MOMENT: “I just love teaching—especially when you see the light bulb go on for a student because you explained something a different way and they finally got it. That’s a great moment,” Chmil says. CAREER PATH: After graduating from Wilkes, Churcher worked for the American Lung Association in the Wyoming Valley doing fundraising and public relations. She later joined the Times Leader, where she worked for seven years, first for its weekly newspaper and later moving to the newsroom, where she reported on crime, courts, politics and education. RETURNING TO WILKES: “One of the faculty Kalen Churcher ’96 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, COMMUNICATION STUDIES, AND ADVISOR FOR THE BEACON B.A., COMMUNICATION STUDIES, WILKES M.S., UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON PH.D., THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY members here, Jane Elmes-Crahall, (communication studies professor) contacted me while I was still working at the Times Leader and asked me if I wanted to teach a public speaking class.” Churcher discovered she loved teaching, and it prompted her to earn her doctorate. She taught at Niagara University in New York for six years before coming to Wilkes in fall 2014. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 AHA MOMENT: Churcher says, “Being the advisor for The Beacon was something that 8 I really looked forward to and have fallen in love with. Even though I don’t do much freelance writing for newspapers anymore, I still have ink in my blood, and I get to do that with the students here.” BIGGEST INFLUENCE: She admires the relationship that Elmes-Crahall has with her students and tries to emulate her. She also remembers Bradford Kinney, professor emeritus of communication studies. “He had so much energy and passion, and that’s something I try to incorporate into my classes,” she says. Perhaps most importantly, she remembers the sense of ethics that she learned from journalism professor Tom Bigler. “It’s an honor to be filling the role he filled here all those years ago.” �Holly Frederick ’92 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING B.S., ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, WILKES M.S. AND PH.D., THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY. CAREER PATH: Frederick’s college internship with a private corporation was illuminating. Squirreled away inside a warehouse, she filed industry regulatory updates into a 10-foot long row of binders. It was an essential job in the days before the Internet, but Frederick found it wasn’t for her. “It pushed me to go on to graduate school.” RETURNING TO WILKES: Frederick learned that Wilkes was in need of an adjunct professor to teach a mechanical engineering CAD lab. While it wasn’t her specialty, she jumped at the opportunity. She also told an undergraduate mentor, Sid Halsor, professor of environmental engineering and earth science, that she’d be available if any environmental science courses needed staffing. She gradually taught more courses and was hired full time, first as a visiting assistant professor in 2009 and as assistant professor in 2013. BIGGEST INFLUENCE: She easily lists Halsor; Mike Case, retired professor, geoenvironmental science and engineering; Owen Faut, professor of chemistry emeritus; and John Orehotsky, professor of physics and engineering—saying they encouraged her as a student and were later a pleasure to work with as colleagues. AHA MOMENT: Frederick says one of the things she has discovered is that different students learn in different ways. “I know that I need to reinforce what I teach in lectures in the lab setting and to use real-world examples too. Hopefully everything becomes clearer the more ways you present it.” CAREER PATH: Gardner jokes that he didn’t have to apply for a job. School districts called the University and told them what jobs needed to be filled. “I started teaching history in 1967 at Northwest Area High School and was playing music on weekends with Eddie Day and the Starfires,” Gardner recalls. “I was torn between teaching and music. The band had written songs, recorded, and achieved local and regional success. But early on I decided I really liked what I was doing in the classroom.” After earning his doctorate, he entered the administration at Northwest, becoming assistant principal, principal and finally superintendent of schools. Robert S. Gardner ’67 M.S. ’72 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EDUCATION B.A., HISTORY, M.S., HISTORICAL EDUCATION, WILKES PH.D., TEMPLE UNIVERSITY School District for 36 years. Things were going well and I started looking for a new challenge and a place to refresh myself. I retired from Northwest and came back to Wilkes as an adjunct professor. I was hired full time in 2007.” AHA MOMENT: Gardner says he enjoys developing partnerships with local schools that allow students to experience what he calls “authentic teaching situations” where they can grow and develop. BIGGEST INFLUENCE: “My mentor was Dr. Doug Lynch, who’s now department chair of education at the University of New England. I stepped into his position here.” WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 RETURNING TO WILKES: “By 2003, I’d been at Northwest Area 9 �Del M. Lucent ’03 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS B.S., BIOLOGY, B.A., PHYSICS, WILKES M.S., PH.D., STANFORD UNIVERSITY CAREER PATH: After graduating from Wilkes with two degrees, Lucent spent a year working at his father’s winery in upstate New York before entering graduate school at Stanford University. He credits his Wilkes experience with enabling him to enter the prestigious graduate program. “Every semester after my freshman year at Wilkes, I performed research and was a teaching assistant. This enabled me to cultivate strong relationships with my professors, who wrote me great letters of recommendation. That and my two degrees set me apart when I applied to Stanford,” he says. He never considered becoming a biophysicist before entering Stanford, which has a particle accelerator and where Vijay Pande introduced him to the Folding@home project. He completed his doctorate and, in January 2010, he went to Australia, where he worked in biomanufacturing at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Australia’s national science agency, until June 2012. “As a bioengineer I designed enzymes, combining experimentation and theoretical work.” RETURNING TO WILKES: Lucent joined the Wilkes faculty in June 2012. “When I graduated in 2003, I was the last physics graduate. In 2012, the University was bringing back the B.A. in physics and starting a master’s program in bioengineering,” Lucent says. “I never thought the opportunity to pursue bioengineering in my hometown would show up. Plus in Australia I was half a world away from my family, which was hard.” BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Lucent entered Wilkes planning to become a medical doctor. “After my first year I discovered that I really liked physics, and I decided to also major in biology because I planned to go to medical school. Then I realized that my interest wasn’t in medicine but biology. The way Dr. (William) Terzaghi, biology professor, taught his introduction to biology course, asking why the world is as it is, sparked an interest in molecular research.” AHA MOMENT: “My experience in world travel has put me in a position to be a more WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 effective advisor, especially to students like me,” Lucent says. “When you’ve been far away, you see your hometown differently, you see the good. I believe Wilkes is a special place. Being here and being able to give students the opportunities that Wilkes gave me is fulfilling. These are students with the same hopes and problems I had as an undergraduate. I find it fulfilling to go out of my way and help them attain their goals.” 10 More than 30 Wilkes faculty earned their undergraduate degrees at the University. Is your favorite faculty mentor among them? Check out our More On The Web feature to see the full list of faculty who earned their undergraduate degrees at Wilkes and learn more about them. Go to www.wilkes.edu/facultyalumni. �Marianne Rexer ’85 CAREER PATH: Rexer began her career in an auditing position with a national firm in Boston and later its tax department in Providence, R.I. She then taught accounting at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R.I. PROFESSOR, ACCOUNTING, JAY S. SIDHU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP RETURNING TO WILKES: A native of Mt. Carmel, Pa., Rexer says she moved back in 1990 to take a teaching position at Wilkes. “The truth is I never expected to stay in Pennsylvania, because I liked travel. I thought I’d stay a few years and then find another adventure.” Over the past 25 years, however, she has loved watching her students develop. B.S., ACCOUNTING, WILKES M.S., BRYANT UNIVERSITY BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Rexer says the best accounting professor she ever had was Fred Croop, formerly at Wilkes and now dean of the College of Professional Studies and Social Sciences, Misericordia University. “He would look at how you were doing a problem and try to understand why. You have to teach different students differently, by taking into consideration how they are thinking.” PH.D., DREXEL UNIVERSITY AHA MOMENT: At her first job, as she taught others the high-tech skills they needed, Rexer found that she liked teaching people how to do things. Being back at Wilkes, she has felt the connections with the students and with the time when she was a student here. “I was, am and always will be a Waller girl,” she says, recalling her years as a Wilkes student living in the Tudor Revival-style mansion known as Waller Hall. Matthew Sowcik ’00 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, LEADERSHIP STUDIES, JAY S. SIDHU SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP B.A., PSYCHOLOGY, WILKES M.A., COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY CAREER PATH: Sowcik worked at Cigna in New York City in organizational development and human resources while pursuing his master’s degree. RETURNING TO WILKES: The tragedy of 9-11 triggered a desire to return to family in northeast Pennsylvania. He began consulting for companies like La-Z-Boy, The New York Times and Mohegan Sun. He also became an adjunct instructor in Wilkes’ psychology department. He was encouraged by former Wilkes President Tim Gilmour, Jay Sidhu MBA ’13 and former Sidhu School Dean Paul Browne to go for a Ph.D. in leadership studies. As a result, he transitioned from administrative staff member to full tenure-track faculty member. BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Sowcik likes to say that he and his brothers “grew up” at Wilkes because their father, Mark Sowcik, campus psychologist, was instrumental in developing the counseling program for the student affairs department. Now, full circle, Matt Sowcik’s daughter, Marrisa, will enter Wilkes in the fall. Sowcik also recalls that it was Professor Carl Charnetski ’70 who recognized his passion for industrial organization psychology and gave it a boost by involving him in research. He also cites Jeffrey Alves, dean of the Sidhu School, Anne Heineman Batory ’68, professor, and Marianne Rexer ’85, professor. AHA MOMENT: “I fondly remember being at Wilkes with my father; now I see my own children here. Every Tuesday we go to the cafeteria together. With my students, I see that passion for leadership that I remember discovering.” WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 PH.D., GONZAGA UNIVERSITY, SPOKANE, WASH. 11 �The Fine Art of WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 H UMOR HUMOR 12 Joe Dettmore ’76 Makes The Daily Show A Visual Masterpiece By Jacqueline Lukas ’11 Joe Dettmore ’76 relaxes during a lull in production on the set of The Daily Show, where he’s left his mark as creative director. PHOTOS BY DAN Z. JOHNSON �else needed to done. Invaluable experience!” His next stop was WNEP, Channel 16, also in Scranton, before moving to of Joe Dettmore’s co-workers had left. He was relaxing in the break network jobs at Good Morning, America on ABC and the NBC room when a visitor asked for directions. Nightly News with Tom Brokaw. The man, a little disoriented, said, “How do you get out of here?” Dettmore left NBC to become design director at WFSB, It was only later that Dettmore realized he’d just spoken with Channel 3 in Hartford, Conn., where his team won three one of the most influential filmmakers in history: Martin Scorsese. New England regional Emmys for graphic design and more It’s all part of a typical day for Dettmore ’76, creative director at than 12 Broadcast Design Association Awards. His former boss The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. at NBC hired Dettmore to help launch MSNBC, where he During his decade on the satirical entertainment news show, received three national Emmys for broadcast design for the he’s turned around while at his desk and seen J.K. Rowling, graphic look of the network, before joining The Daily Show Christopher Walken, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Steve Jobs with Jon Stewart in 2005. and President Barack Obama. However, that hasn’t made him star Years of practice as a news artist gave Dettmore skills struck. “It’s just regular people doing their jobs,” says Dettmore. to meet the The Daily Show’s tight deadlines. Preliminary With host Jon Stewart leaving in August 2015, Dettmore—who scripts arrive at noon with what Dettmore describes as “solid plans to stay on—reflects on work behind the scenes at one of scripts” coming at 2 p.m. outlining graphic needs for a 4 p.m. the most lauded shows in television history. It’s received 50 Emmy nominations and won 19. The Peabody Awards— considered the equivalent of a Pulitzer Prize for Joe Dettmore ’76, broadcasting—honored the show twice for election Rutherford, N.J. coverage, in 2000 and 2005. “It’s an historical thing. People have tried to Bachelor of Fine Arts, imitate it, but no one can do it like we do on a daily Fine Arts, Wilkes basis,” says Dettmore. “It’s not only Jon, but also all of Career: Creative Director the pieces behind the scenes and people who work for The Daily Show with very hard every day. As the creative director, my work Jon Stewart consists of all the graphics you see on the show. I’m Notable: While at Wilkes, challenged every day because the graphics we create Dettmore was one of the only have to fit a joke. They have to be funny and be students to play football and conveyed in the correct way.” major in fine arts. His colleagues are quick to acknowledge his contributions. Jen Flanz, Daily Show executive Favorite Wilkes memory: producer, says, “Joe’s hard work and dedication to Some of his greatest friends The Daily Show has always been a great asset to our Joe Dettmore ’76, left, is the man behind are still those he met at Wilkes. the sight gags for Daily Show host Jon team. His creativity and talent, as well as his ability Stewart, who leaves the show in August. to visualize a joke, is a big part of what makes our machine work.” rehearsal. There’s more fine-tuning after rehearsal, with edits The visual jokes are diverse. A logo for a restaurant called Olive from Stewart and the producers that need to be completed by Bucks combined elements of Starbucks and Olive Garden. A story 6 p.m. for the show’s taping. about racist remarks made at a University of Oklahoma fraternity The most recent challenge for Daily Show staff was the led to changing a familiar beer can to read “Bud White.” announcement that Stewart would leave in August. Stewart A first-generation college student when he came to Wilkes, he personally told the crew. Dettmore, has nothing but praise for is thankful for training as a fine arts major. “I still think one of the him. “Jon is a really hard-working guy. Of course he’s very most important things about my job is the fact that I can draw,” talented and he’s a comedic genius, but he’s worked very hard says Dettmore. “A lot of people are under the impression that if to accomplish all that he has.” He says that Comedy Central you know Photoshop, then you should be able to do it all.” fully intends to keep the show on the air. Comedian Trevor A Wilkes-Barre native, Dettmore has been in the news business Noah has been named as replacement. for 35 years. He got his start when he returned home after While Dettmore is staying with the show, he’s taking pursuing a master’s degree at Syracuse University from 1977 to improvisation and storytelling classes in New York City. He’s 1978. A rugby club teammate told him about a job at WDAU, also come full circle with the subject of the play he’s writing. Channel 22 in Scranton. Dettmore describes his responsibilities Its action centers on a Wilkes-Barre rugby club.� in that first job, saying, “photographer, editor, designer, courtroom sketch artist, studio camera operator, film processor and whatever WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 IT WAS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND MOST 13 �Left, Dr. Thomas Kaschak ’75 practices podiatry in Fresno, Calif. Right top, On a trip to Vietnam, Kaschak, right, is assisted in surgery by Dr. Bac Si Ky. Below, American colleague Dr. Allen Jones explains an x-ray to a patient, while Dr. Stephen Bui, , Dr. Do Van Thanh and Kaschak listen. HUMANITARIAN EFFORT , Dr. Thomas J. Kaschak ’75 Heals with the Vietnam Medical Project By Rachel Luann Strayer MFA ’12 WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 THIS PHOTO COURTESY KAISER PERMANENTE. OTHER PHOTOS BY CISSY KASCHAK 14 When Dr. Thomas J. Kaschak ’75 was invited to join colleagues and residents from the Stanford University School of Medicine on a 1998 trip to Vietnam, he thought it was a once-in-alifetime opportunity. Kaschak, now a podiatrist with Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Fresno, Calif., recalls thinking, “When am I ever going to do this again?” He now knows the answer: In May 2015, Kaschak will make his 15th trip there. Trips are now made under the auspices of the Vietnam Medical Project, the humanitarian group he directs. On that first trip, Kaschak was awed by the landmarks he recognized from news coverage of the Vietnam War. Arriving at the Da Nang Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Center, wonder turned to shock when his first patient walked in on his hands and feet because his knees bent forward instead of back. “I expected typical hammertoes and bunions,” recalls Kaschak, a native of Hazleton, Pa. Instead, the common ailment was clubfoot, a condition of the foot rotating inward rather than pointing straight out from the body. “Not only was I unprepared for what I had to do surgically, but with what little supplies were there....I was very humbled,” Kaschak says. For 12 days he performed surgery in tight quarters with few supplies. When clinic director Dr. Hoang Van Cue invited him to return the following year, Kaschak’s first response was no. “I thought I made a mistake in going,” he says of the initial visit. He couldn’t forget the invitation. In 1999 Kaschak went back for three weeks, joined by his wife of 32 years, Cissy. “What we saw was heartbreaking,” Kaschak says. “At the end of that first day she just broke down.” Kaschak says his wife immediately loved Vietnam, reaffirming his own feelings. “I was falling in love with the people and the country.” �Dr. Thomas Kaschak, Clovis, Calif. Bachelor of Science, Biology, Wilkes Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, California School of Podiatric Medicine Career: Podiatrist, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, Fresno, Calif. Notable: Founder of the Vietnam Medical Project, which brings free surgeries and medical care to Vietnam. Favorite Wilkes Memory: Working as a teaching assistant in several biology labs and daily walks along the river with his Irish setter, Cory. The dog drew the attention of many students. “Just about everyone knew his name but not mine!” Kaschak says. Cissy has since been dubbed the unofficial social director of their trips. Kaschak describes a formal meeting with the prime minister about the Ministry of Labour—Invalids and Social Affairs wanting to close the Da Nang clinic. Cissy relaxed the atmosphere by asking questions about the minister’s wife and children. “We were drinking buddies by the end!” says Kaschak. The minister agreed to keep the clinic open and to build the new Da Nang Women and Children’s Hospital, completed in 2012. After studying biology at Wilkes, Kaschak followed his roommate, Dr. Louis Caputo’77, to San Francisco, where he graduated from the California School of Podiatric Medicine. He completed a two-year residency in Detroit. His career has included work at the VA Palo Alto (Calif.) Health Care System, and his time with the Stanford medical residency program, which first brought him to Vietnam. He worked at the San José Medical Group before joining Kaiser Permanente, where he was honored with the Sidney R. Garfield Exceptional Contribution Award in 2012 for his work in Vietnam. In a video developed for the award presentation, his colleague neurologist Don Yoshimura said, “Tom is a humble and unassuming guy who has been able to achieve some extraordinary things.” Kaschak believes he benefits more from the experience in Vietnam than his patients. He remembers a little girl with two clubfeet who cried at the sight of her foot pointing forward for the first time. She waited a year so he could be the one to perform surgery on her other foot. Another time, the father of a patient wanted to repay Kaschak, who joked that he would love a cold drink. The man returned with a leaf wrapped around a cold can of Coke—the only payment Kaschak has ever received for his work. “These are the things that bring you back,” Kaschak says. Another reward has been watching the growth of Dr. Do Van Thanh, a young resident who “wouldn’t even suture” during Kaschak’s first visit. Thanh visited Kaschak in 2003 and returned to the United States in 2008, working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and studying the Ponseti Method, a nonsurgical treatment for clubfoot. Thanh is now acting hospital director in Da Nang. “He performs hip surgeries,” says Kaschak. “He instructs me.” “Providing the tools we need to do the job is the biggest challenge,” he says. Kaschak is applying for non-profit status for the Vietnam Medical Project to help raise funds for equipment. Podiatrists, orthopedic surgeons, pediatricians, and obstetrician/ gynecologists will join his trips. Seventeen years ago, Kaschak would not have imagined it. Now he says, “I can’t see me not doing this well into the future.”� WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Above, Kaschak enjoys a moment with Ca, the grandson of a Vietnamese friend and restaurant owner. Right, Kaschak instructs Kaiser Permanente medical resident Dr. Annie Nguyentat during surgery. Nguyentat accompanied him on a 2013 trip to Vietnam. 15 �Randa Fahmy pauses in front of the White House—a familiar part of the landscape in her career in government and as a consultant in Washington, D.C. PHOTOS BY STEVE BARRETT WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 ENGINEERING 16 Diplomacy Randa Fahmy ’86 Negotiates in the International Arena By Geoff Gehman �Fahmy grew up in a truly worldly home. She and her siblings, Roya Fahmy ’82 and Raef Fahmy ’84, were encouraged to embrace foreign cultures from Lebanon to Italy by their mother, Iran, a native of Iran, and their Egyptian father, Mahmoud, now a Wilkes emeritus professor of education. “Our parents always taught us to have a healthy understanding of the world,” says Fahmy, a member of the Wilkes board of trustees. “They told us how equally important everyone was, how important it was to be a good global citizen.” Fahmy majored in political science and international relations at Wilkes. Her interest in law was sparked by a summer internship with Robert Gillespie, the Luzerne County district attorney. Her interest in politics was sparked by working for H. John Heinz III, the late Pennsylvania senator. Her desire to work in Washington was sealed by volunteering on a congressional campaign for Kingston native Marc Holtzman. Fahmy received a law degree from Georgetown University, joined a blue-chip law firm in Washington and worked as a congressional liaison for the National Association of Arab Americans. Lobbying for peace through diplomacy earned her the position of foreign-policy counselor to Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan. When he became U.S. secretary of energy in 2001, she became the associate deputy secretary of energy under George W. Bush. An energy-policy novice, Fahmy brought herself up to speed with six straight months of daily 45-minute tutorials from career civil servants. “Once you get a presidential order,” she says, “you snap into shape.” She snapped into shape enough to help supervise oil-emergency strategies for the International Energy Agency and to help write the first national energy policy, a playbook for diplomacy, security and self-sufficiency. She’s particularly proud of launching a formal working group with the U.S., Canada and Mexico, a rare alliance between energy producers and consumers sharing borders and common interests. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Randa Fahmy ’86 was working overtime to broker a deal between her client, a well-known American maker of highly sensitive defense equipment, and a Middle Eastern country well known for working with Americans. Along the way the international strategist discovered a fairly odd obstacle. Middle Eastern officials, she learned, were reluctant to award a contract to an American corporation that sent them representatives from their European branches. She ordered her client to fly a half-dozen American employees, including a receptionist, to meet the Middle Eastern leaders the next day. Then she moderated two days of intense discussions, insisting to her hosts that her nearly century-old American client could indeed obtain a large number of complex U.S. government licenses to sell its equipment. The project ended up taking six years, a dozen flights and all of Fahmy’s skills as a boots-on-the-ground business negotiator and diplomatic translator. Getting all sides to speak the same language—even when they speak the same language—is her specialty as founding president of Fahmy Hudome International, a consulting firm that specializes in market-entry strategy and energy policy. She succeeds by combining comprehensive knowledge, fierce logic and feisty humor. 17 �Fahmy started her own consulting firm in 2003. The next year she was asked to represent Libya after the country had agreed to abandon its weapons of mass destruction in exchange for the Bush administration not deposing Muammar Gaddafi, its longtime dictator. Initially wary, she accepted the assignment largely because of the intriguing challenge of transitioning Libya off the U.S. list of terrorist countries. For two years Fahmy lobbied for Libya’s political transition. She secured the cooperation of the National Security Council and the Department of State, leveraging Libya’s post-9/11 cooperation with American counterterrorism officials. She received Capitol Hill support for the newly appointed Libyan ambassador to the U.S. Serving as a two-nation liaison, she communicated American policies concerning the Middle East. This diplomatic engineering paid off in May 2006, when the Department of State removed Libya from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. “I can’t tell you the process was easy or timely,” says Fahmy. “I didn’t expect it would take two years. On the day the Bush administration announced the removal, it was a mere one-day story in the media. What I can tell you is that it was a very interesting foreign-policy study. The ultimate message is that peace is definitely better than war. As someone famously said, to make peace happen, you don’t talk to your friends, you talk to your enemies.” Fahmy was criticized by those who perceived her as Libya’s lobbyist. She didn’t really mind the flak; for her, a flak jacket fits almost as comfortably as a Chanel suit. “You know you’ve made it when you’ve got enemies,” she says with a laugh. “I tell people that when you Google me, don’t believe the bad stuff and don’t believe the good stuff. Just sit down with me and get to know me and I’ll tell you the truth.” In 2006 Fahmy had another breakthrough. The Wall Street Journal published her op-ed piece “Hidden Assets,” where she urged the U.S. government to employ loyal Araband Muslim-Americans to fight terrorism as diplomats, interpreters and intelligence advisors. The essay led to a meeting with then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, which resulted in a new program dispatching Muslim- and Arab-Americans to other nations to explain religious diversity in America. Fahmy stays sharp by outlining her missions with Roman numerals, a practice she learned at Wilkes and Georgetown. She stays sane by laughing. “Clearly, Washington is a rough-and-tumble place, and if you are involved in this world you cannot take yourself seriously,” she says. “I’ve survived here for 30 years with a bit of humor and a lot of hard work and grit. I simply do not let anything bother me. I got that confidence from my parents, who told me: ‘You can do anything you want to do.’” Fahmy shares this message with her teenaged daughter. Alexandria’s three passports contain the stamps of 14 countries. Her mental passport is stamped with the Fahmy family creed: “God blessed the United States, but he created the world.”� “THE ULTIMATE MESSAGE IS THAT PEACE IS DEFINITELY BETTER THAN WAR. AS SOMEONE FAMOUSLY SAID, TO MAKE PEACE HAPPEN, YOU DON’T TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS, YOU TALK TO YOUR ENEMIES.” Randa Fahmy ’86, Washington, D.C. Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and International Affairs, Wilkes; Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Career: President, Fahmy Hudome International, a government relations and strategic consulting firm in the nation’s capitol. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Notable: Served as associate deputy secretary of 18 energy under George W. Bush and, as a consultant, was instrumental in helping to re-establish U.S. diplomatic relations with Libya. Favorite Wilkes memories: Having lunch and discussing philosophy with her father, professor emeritus of education Mahmoud Fahmy. She also fondly remembers bringing fellow students home on weekends to dinners featuring her mother’s lasagna. Fahmy stands at the corner of Connecticut Avenue and K Street, the famous corridor for Washington lawyers. �alumni news 2015 Alumni Association Scholarship Recipient Named The 2015 Alumni Association Scholarship was awarded to Adam Wychowanec ’16, son of William Wychowanec ’94. Adam is a junior double-majoring in business administration in management and marketing with a minor in leadership. He is president and Pennsylvania state secretary of Phi Beta Lambda, a business leadership organization, a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and a phonathon student leader. “The most rewarding opportunity at Wilkes is the ability to do whatever you want. This scholarship has helped my family more than I can even imagine,” says Adam. Celebrating with Alumni Association Scholarship winner Adam Wychowanec are alumni association board members, from left, Tom Ralston ’80; Ted Yeager ’72; Dr. Jon Ference Pharm.D. ’03; Taylor Moyer, student government president; Chris Sommer ’94, Anita Mucciolo ’78; Clayton Karambelas ’49; Cindy Charnetski ’97; scholarship recipient Wychowanec; Ellen Stamer Hall ’71; Anastasia Mauger, senior class president; Bill LePore ’94; Kristin Klemish ’04; and John Sweeney ’13. For the past year, the Colonel has traveled the world with alumni, visiting places near and far. He’s mingled with penguins in Antarctica with Cheryl Polak Woloski ’80 and John Woloski Jr. ’81; experienced landmarks in Iceland with Donna Talarico Beerman ’00 MFA ’10; posed with Elvis at Graceland with Amy Hetro MBA ’12; and relaxed on the beach with many alumni in locations along the East Coast. Now it’s time for the Colonel to get professional and join alumni in the workplace, like he did with these five alumni, pictured left. If you would like to bring the Colonel to work, contact the alumni office at alumni@wilkes.edu or (570)408-7787 and we’ll send him to you. We’ll share photos on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/WilkesAlumni. (Don’t worry, you can still bring him on your road trips and other adventures!) The Colonel traveled to work with these Wilkes alumni. Pictured from left to right at Pella Windows of New England are Kevin Gerhart ’11, Alex Makos ’14, David Hadley ’82, owner of Pella Windows of New England, Anthony Griseto ’12, and Jeff Simpson ’11. Don’t miss the Colonel in Makos’ pocket! WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Take the Colonel to Work 19 �giving back Dr. Mark Stair ’70 Shares Passion for Veterinary Practice With Wilkes Student Wilkes junior biology major Brianna Smith’s part-time position at the Trucksville Dog and Cat Hospital is more than a job. It’s an opportunity to be mentored by Dr. Mark Stair ’70 at his practice in Dallas, Pa., and to explore her passion for the veterinary field. Such opportunities with alumni are typical for Wilkes students during college. Smith was able to connect with Stair through the assistance of Eileen Sharp, the pre-professional advisor at the University. “I’ve been working under Dr. Stair for eight months and have logged more than 700 experience hours,” says Smith. Smith, who is also minoring in chemistry, knows that this opportunity is unique and rewarding. “Thanks to Dr. Stair, I have never been more sure of what I want to spend the rest of my life doing,” Smith says. When Stair was an undergraduate biology student, mentorship opportunities were not as readily available, but he found a mentor in Charles Reif, professor emeritus of biology. “He taught me and everyone who took his courses a great Dr. Mark Stair ’70, Trucksville, Pa. deal about the natural world,” Married to Maureen Clinton Stair ’70 says Stair. “My relationship with Bachelor of Science, Biology, Wilkes Dr. Reif wouldn’t fit the strict definition of a mentorship, but Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, he saw in me someone with University of Pennsylvania potential in the biological Career: Veterinarian at the Trucksville sciences and encouraged me Dog and Cat Hospital every way he could.” Now Stair stresses the importance of gaining pre-professional experience for students before graduation. “Today Wilkes students enjoy a pre-professional health sciences program which helps them prepare in the best way for application to professional schools, a valuable service which didn’t exist when I was a Wilkes student,” says Stair. Dr. Mark Stair ’70 and junior biology major Brianna Smith have shared experiences working together at the Trucksville Dog and Cat Hospital in Dallas, Pa. “It is my greatest hope that I can provide future students with an experience similar to what I have been given.” – Brianna Smith Because Stair has someone watching and learning from what he does, he tries to embody what he believes is most important about being a practicing veterinarian, which is respect and compassion for all life, human and non-human. “I try to convey to anyone who shadows or works for me that the veterinarian, first and foremost, has to put the animal’s quality of life first, and all other considerations second,” Stair says. “Brianna also sees the difficulty and frustration that can occur in trying to do this, but anything worthwhile, including veterinary medicine, will not always be easy.” Through Dr. Stair’s time, patience and effort, Smith now understands all the demands associated with being a veterinarian. “My future can go in many directions. As long as I land working with animals, I will be more than happy,” says Smith. Stair believes she can achieve her goal because of the passion for learning she displays. The mentoring experience has proven so valuable that Smith is already looking forward to the time she can provide it to students. “It is my greatest hope that I can provide future students with an experience similar to what I have been given,” says Smith. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 EMPLOY A WILKES INTERN 20 Did you know that 1,415 undergraduate Wilkes students have completed internships to gain valuable professional experience in real-world settings? You can help provide these opportunities by inquiring about internships with your organization and, if you’re in a position to supervise an intern yourself, giving him or her access to your professional network. Students from any academic discipline, especially those in sports management, accounting, biology, criminology and computer science, can benefit from an internship. Share your opportunities by contacting the alumni office at alumni@wilkes.edu or (570)408-4134. �class notes A Brief History of Seven Killings Reaps Accolades for Marlon James MA ’06 Marlon James MA ’06’s newest novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, received a long list of accolades from the national and international literary community. Nominated for the PEN Open Book Award by the PEN American Center, A Brief History of Seven Killings placed on the BBC’s “The Top 10 Books of 2014” and The New York Times Book Review’s “Top 10 Books of 2014.” It also was named a best book of the year by The Washington PHOTO BY JEFFREY SKEMP Post, Time, Newsweek, Publishers Weekly and BuzzFeed Books, among others. The novel received a 2015 Anisfield-Wolf Book James related how he “kept running into dead ends” with Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle this and another character, and considered the stories failed Award for fiction. In April, James won a Minnesota Book Award attempts at novellas, until a friend told him that he was writing for his novel. The book has also been optioned by HBO. one story. And despite there being eight killings in the novel, The nearly 700-page novel opens with the 1976 assassination attempt on reggae singer Bob Marley and chronicles the James told Meyers he retained the original title because A Brief History of Eight Killings would be “so unsexy.” lives of gunmen, drug dealers, CIA agents and ghosts, taking James was part of the first cohort of the Wilkes Graduate readers from West Kingston, Jamaica, to New York City and Creative Writing Program. He teaches English at Macalester back to Jamaica over a 30-year span. College, St. Paul, Minn. James’ other publications include the James appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers and novels John Crow’s Devil and The Book of Night Women, which discussed the inspiration for his novel. “I was writing a story was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award about this sexually conflicted gay man in Chicago trying to kill for fiction. Undergraduate Degrees 1964 Gary Einhorn visited southeast Asia, traveling through Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and South Korea from Jan. 2 to Feb. 8, 2015. 1968 Roger Beatty was inducted into the Plains, Pa., Sports Hall of Fame. Beatty was the last football coach at the former Plains Memorial High School. He also coached the junior high baseball team, leading them to 106 wins, eight Wyoming Valley Conference championships and two District 2 titles. William Stinger and Phil Besler ’76 completed the Beach to Battleship Half-Ironman triathlon in Wilmington, N.C. The triathlon consisted of a 1.2-mile open water swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile run. The Colonel was there to cheer them on. Gail Wallen is a staff chaplain at Banner University Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz. She is also a consultant for Southern Arizona’s Holocaust Group and is responsible for the development of Holocaust military programs, which include working with components of the German military in the United States. 1976 Phil Besler (See Undergraduate 1968). 1977 Kurt Franke retired in January 2015. He is now able to spend more time pursuing his public ministry. 1978 James Siberski presented “I Have What? What Do I Do?” at the Alzheimer’s Association’s fourth annual Early Stage Symposium “The Future of Dementia Care” on May 6 in Grantville, Pa. He is assistant professor and coordinator of the geriatric care management program at Misericordia University, Dallas, Pa. Clark Speicher has been volunteering for three years with the American Diabetes Association Central New York Tour de Cure since retiring from the U.S. Air Force in WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 this Jamaican guy,” he said. 21 �class notes 2008 and Lockheed Martin in 2012. Speicher is planning committee chair for the Tour de Cure, which is the largest single fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association in central New York. 1979 Jeannie Swartz O’Donnell and her husband, Norbert, own O’Donnell Winery LLC in Berwick, Pa. Jeannie is a senior consultant for Altegra Health in Los Angeles, Calif. She and her husband reside in Berwick with their two sons, Corrigan and Rory, and their dog, Olive. 1982 Bruce R. Williams was elected to the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians Board of Governors at its meeting in Las Vegas, Nev. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 1983 David Carey MS ’98 has been named interim chair of the department of electrical engineering and physics at Wilkes. He, wife Jen Ogurkis Carey ’83 and son John Carey ’10 MS ’12 formed Four Hound Solutions LLC. Daughter Lauren Carey ’08, MFA ’12 developed the company’s web page through her job with Web.com. Four Hound Solutions is located in downtown Wilkes-Barre in the Wilkes Enterprise Center. 22 affairs for the Maine Department of Labor. She lives in Woolwich, Maine. 1985 REUNION: OCT. 2–4 Tom McGuire was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference-Sports Information Directors Association’s 2014 University Division Irving T. Marsh Award recipient. The annual award is presented to a person who has exhibited excellence in the field of sports information. McGuire is director of sports information/athletic marketing and promotions and assistant director of marketing communications at Bloomsburg University. 1986 Paul Cummings of Albany, N.Y., co-authored a mathematics article titled “Thickness of Feathers.” The article appeared in the journal Communications in Algebra, Volume 42, Issue 12, 2014. Ellen Van Riper was appointed city attorney for the city of Winslow, Ariz., in May 2014. David Orrson of Shavertown, Pa., earned a promotion to vice president, credit administration manager, in the lending division at ESSA Bank & Trust. He manages credit administration, ensuring that loan-servicing activities comply with operative policies, procedures and regulatory requirements in the Lehigh Valley, Pocono Mountains, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton markets. 1984 Susan Havrilla Wasserott was appointed to the position of director of legislative 1988 Deb Pavlico published her nonfiction book Conversations With Women: The Journey Toward Self-Esteem. A resident of Forty Fort, Pa., Pavlico is a self-employed counselor/ psychotherapist and a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania. She also teaches part time at Marywood University. 1991 James F. Burke was appointed executive vice president and chief lending officer at Wayne Bank. He manages the commercial loan portfolio of the corporate bank and oversees the commercial lenders in Wayne, Lackawanna, Pike, Monroe and Luzerne counties and the Lehigh Valley. 1992 Michael J. Mellody earned a promotion to chief financial officer at Jack Williams Tire Company Inc. 1993 Mark Malacavage published a book of photography titled My Cape May with Schiffer Publishing. Malacavage is director of the senior living program at Bayada Home Health Care and lives in Trucksville, Pa. 1996 Sarah Vandermark started the Advising Success Center at New Jersey Institute of Technology. The center serves all transfer, undeclared freshman and at-risk students. Vandermark completed a doctorate in counselor education in May 2014. 1999 Maggie Redmond and Joel W. Lipperini were married at Eagle Beach, Aruba, at a site overlooking the sunset. The bride received a master’s degree in nursing from Widener University, Chester, Pa., and a master’s degree in health care administration from Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas. She is employed at Regional Hospital of Scranton. 2000 REUNION: OCT. 2–4 Nathan Lipton was appointed to the board of directors 1992 David Morris was promoted to director of engineering for Pennsylvania at Frontier Communications. Morris resides in Olyphant with his wife, Dana, and daughters, Giavanna and Katarina. 1999 Joseph Fadden and his wife, Michele, welcomed their son, Bailey, on Jan. 21, 2015. Bailey measured 21 inches long and weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces. �class notes 2001 Mary McCabe Dunn (See Graduate 2005). Corey Yanoshak and Amy Nesevich Yanoshak welcomed their third child, Lincoln, in March 2014. Corey teaches business education at Lake Forest High School in Felton, Del. Amy teaches fifth grade at Greensboro Elementary School in Greensboro, Md. The couple reside in Dover, Del., with daughter, Ava, and sons, Cole and Lincoln. 2002 Matthew Diltz MBA ’04 was married to Mallory Diltz on June 22, 2013. The couple reside in Bloomsburg, Pa. Jennifer Evans Lipton (See Undergraduate 2000). Stefanie Henninger Taylor and her husband, Andrew, welcomed their daughter, Mackenzey Chando, on June 2, 2014. Mackenzey weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 19.5 inches long. 2004 Selena (Bednarz) Clark and Brandon Clark of Flanders, N.J., welcomed their second child, Cameron Michael, in April 2014. He joins big sister Leah Rose. It All Began at Wilkes: Alumni Couple Display Colonel Pride at Wedding When it came time for Lindsay (Behrenshausen) Hopkins ’11 to choose the colors for her wedding to fellow Wilkes alumnus Christopher Hopkins ’11, she was stumped. Then the groom-to-be made a suggestion. “Chris said, ‘Why don’t we just do Wilkes colors since that’s where we met and where our story began?’ ” Lindsay recalls. “It was perfect, so we just ran with it from there.” She adds that she loved the fact that the colors were the groom’s choice. “It is one that is so often dramatized as the bride’s choice….always a feminine color that the groom inevitably hates.” Although many alumni couples incorporate some nod toward being a Colonel in their nuptials, Lindsay and Chris made it a Wilkes wedding from beginning to end when they tied the knot on Sept. 20, 2014. From the navy and gold pompoms that guests waved when they exited the church to the blue and gold striped socks sported by the groom, best man and groomsmen, it was navy and gold all the way. The bridesmaids wore navy dresses and carried yellow flowers while groomsmen had navy and yellow ties and yellow boutonnieres. A welcome table at the reception featured two Wilkes-themed prints. One was a cityscape of Wilkes-Barre against a blue background and the other featured the couple’s names, wedding date and the words “It all began at Wilkes University.” The reception photo booth had props that included large Wilkes foam fingers. Posing with her maid of honor, Allison (Slatinsky) Brock ’11, using such props was fitting, Lindsay says, “since she Above, blue and gold pompoms greeted newlyweds Lindsay (Behrenshausen) Hopkins ’11 and Christopher Hopkins ’11 when they exited the church at their Wilkes-themed wedding. Below, left, maid of honor Allison (Slatinsky) Brock ’11 and the bride display Wilkes pride with a blue and gold color scheme in bridesmaids gowns, bouquets and, below right, blue and gold striped socks for the groom, best man and groomsmen. was a cheerleader and I played softball while at Wilkes.” Brianna (Edgar) Hinze ’12 also was a bridesmaid. “Wilkes is so special to us and is what brought us together, so we felt it was only fitting that we celebrate such a special place and time in our lives,” Lindsay says. Did your wedding include any Wilkes details—from colors and flowers to decorations? We’re looking for examples for a future feature story on planning a Wilkes wedding. Please share yours at wilkesmagazine@wilkes.edu. Be sure to include your contact information, including a phone number. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 for the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners. He works for the Pennsylvania Department of the Auditor General in Harrisburg, Pa., as a forensic auditor and investigations advisor. He lives in Pottsville, Pa., with his wife, Jennifer (Evans) Lipton ’02, and their two children. 23 �class notes Jude Gerard Koval and Erika Lynne Zavada were married on July 5, 2014, in St. Monica’s Catholic Church, West Wyoming, Pa. The groom is a certified public accountant and audit manager in Washington, D.C. 2005 REUNION: OCT. 2–4 Thomas Charles Reynolds Jr. and Leanne Marie Bozym were married Dec. 7, 2013, at Holy Cross Parish at Saint Patrick’s Church, Olyphant, Pa. The bride is an elementary school counselor with Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit. The groom is a certified golf instructor at Leadbetter Golf Academy at Crystal Springs Resort, Franklin, N.J. The couple reside in Milford. 2008 Megan Grace Butler and Santo David Zanghi were married July 18, 2014, at Our Lady of the Snows Church, Clarks Summit, Pa. The bride is a pharmacist for CVS Pharmacy. The groom is a health and physical education teacher at South Scranton Intermediate School and owns and operates Zanghi’s Sun and Snow Landscaping. The couple reside in Scranton. Lauren Carey MFA ’12 (See Undergraduate 1983) Christopher Dallas’s son Tanner Christopher was born on June 30, 2013. Lisa Ann Dreier and husband Jared Clossen welcomed a child, Teddie Marie Clossen, on Dec. 21, 2013. They live in Wilkes-Barre. N.C. He and his wife, Kelly, reside in North Carolina. Dawn Freemore joined the staff of real estate agents at Realty World Rubbico Inc. She lives in Kingston, Pa. 2009 Bethany Toczek Gerdy (See Graduate 2011). Cheryl Gressley received her master’s degree in public administration on Dec. 14, 2014. Christopher Mayerski MBA ’10 and his wife, Kelly McGlone Mayerski, celebrated the first birthday of their son CJ in August 2014. The family resides in Springfield, Pa. Patrick McAndrew accepted a position as vice president at Container Products Corp., headquartered in Wilmington, Kathy Dalton Wagner accepted a position as an analyst with a small business in Havre de Grace, Md., that specializes in information technology software development and consulting. 2011 Valentina Machinas Beneski and Matthew Clarence Miller were married on Sept. 27, 2014, in St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Glen Mills, Pa. The couple reside in Warrington, Pa. 2011 2005 WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 2002 24 Alanna M. Bath and Raymond C. Slater were married on Oct. 25, 2014, at Stroudsmoor Country Inn, Stroudsburg, Pa. The bride is employed by Fulton Financial Corporation in Cherry Hill, N.J. The groom is employed by Freedom Mortgage and Cherry Hill Mortgage Management. The couple honeymooned in Paris and reside in Cherry Hill, N.J. Timothy Mirra and Laurie Agresti were married on Sept. 21, 2013, at St. Lawrence Chapel in Harrisburg, Pa. The groom is a senior accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. The bride is a senior auditor at Fulton Financial Corporation. Participating in the wedding party were maid of honor Abbey Agresti ’13, bridesmaid Erin Langermasini ’09, and groomsmen Brian Brown ’07 and Justin Rogers ’07. The couple reside in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Mason Harriman and Michelle Taylor were married on Oct. 12, 2013, at Caldwell United Methodist Church in Caldwell, N.J. The groom is an officer in the U.S. Air Force. The bride is a registered nurse at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Megan Dickinson ’11 was a bridesmaid at the ceremony, and John Hawkins ’11 and Andrew Hiller ’11 were groomsmen. Also celebrating were Nicole Persing ’11, Tyanne Lyman ’11 and Anthony Mirable ’11. The couple reside in Dayton, Ohio, at WrightPatterson Air Force Base. �class notes 2010 Susanne O’Shea Burns PharmD and Tim Burns PharmD were married Sept. 20, 2014, at St. Michael’s Church, Jessup, Pa. The bride is a clinical pharmacist at Geisinger Kistler Clinic, Wilkes-Barre. The groom is employed by CVS/Caremark in Hanover Township, Pa. The couple reside in Old Forge, Pa. Pictured at the marriage ceremony, first row, from left to right, are Heather Washenko ’08, Kate Kushmerick, Katie Mecca, Koryn Gallagher ’08, Kiersten Burns, Brian Roland PharmD ’10, Steve Reichwein, Carmen Winters ’08 and Sam Craven PharmD ’10. Second row, from left to right, are Anna Dunlap PharmD ’10, Ann Beynon, Anna Marushock, Jill Wasko, Tara Mullen, Susanne O’Shea Burns, Tim Burns, Zac Wilson ’07, Ed Burns, Paul Connolly PharmD ’10, Kevin Gorsline PharmD ’10 and Steve Zerbe PharmD ’10. 1990 REUNION: OCT. 2–4 Anthony Torquato MBA joined the Royal Bank of Canada as the director of U.S. Credit Review in New York City. 1991 David Orrson MBA (See Undergraduate 1986) 1998 David Carey ’83, MS (See Undergraduate 1983) 2002 Corey Yanoshak MBA (See Undergraduate 2001) 2004 Stephanie Smith Cooney PharmD was elected to a twoyear term on the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association Educational Foundation’s board of directors. Smith Cooney is a clinical community pharmacist and owner of Gatti Pharmacy in Indiana, Pa. Matthew Diltz MBA (See Undergraduate 2002). 2005 REUNION: OCT. 2–4 Mary McCabe Dunn MBA and her husband, Shawn, welcomed their daughter, Erin Elizabeth, on July 13, 2014. Victoria Maskinas PharmD and Chadwick Tucker were married on June 6, 2014, at the Appletree Terrace, Dallas, Pa. The bride is employed as a pharmacist with CVS in Havelock, N.C. 2010 REUNION: OCT. 2–4 Megan Grace Butler PharmD (See Undergraduate Degrees 2008). Sharon Erby MA was a Wilson College Writers Series presenter. She read from her collection of short stories titled Parallel. Erby is professor of English at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa. Donna Malies MA had a production of her one-act play Broken performed as part of the 24 Hour Pensacola Little Theatre on March 21, 2015. Kristin Marie Wempa PharmD and Matthew Ryan were married on Aug. 23, 2014, at St. Faustina Kowalska Church in Nanticoke, Pa. The bride is a clinical research associate with Renaissance RX in West Virginia. Bethany Toczek Gerdy PharmD was married to Matt Gerdy on Aug. 9, 2014. 2012 John Carey MS (See Undergraduate 1983). Jason Jolley MBA of Dallas, Pa., was promoted to vice president and assistant branch manager at PNC Bank. 2014 Tom Weeks MS received his master’s degree from Wilkes in school business leadership in May 2014. He is chief information officer at the University of Tampa in Florida. 2014 Heather Brooke Lowery MFA and Austin Carl Free were married on June 28, 2014, at St. James Chapel in St. James, Md. The bride is an executive assistant/estimator with Preferred Arbor Care in Hagerstown, Md. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Graduate Degrees 25 �class notes In Memoriam 1944 Mary Varker Lytle, Portland, Ore., died Nov. 9, 2013. She worked as a medical technologist for many years. 1947 Eleanor Meehan,Wilkes-Barre, died Jan. 31, 2015. She worked at Pomeroy’s Department Store and became involved in the Friends of Plymouth Public Library, serving on the library’s board of trustees. 1948 Anthony J. Bartoletti, Wilkes-Barre, died Feb. 27, 2015. Bartoletti served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and with the U.S. Air Force in the South Pacific theater. Bartoletti started his career at Michael Baker Jr. Engineering, Hughes Corporation and Cult Industrial before founding Parsons Sales Co. Inc. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 1950 Victor Minetola, WilkesBarre, died Jan. 18, 2015. He was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II. 1951 George William Troy, Jenkins Township, Pa., died Feb. 4, 2015. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. He spent time at a POW camp in Lubeck, Germany. He was a supervisor for the Department of Disability Claims and Adjudication in Wilkes-Barre. 1949 William G. Luetzel, Allentown, Pa., died Dec. 8, 2014. He was a corpsman in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He was employed by General Electric and Dacar Chemical. 1953 Paul W.T. Warnagiris, Winchester, Va., died on Sept. 24, 2013. He was a member of the U.S. Army and served in Korea. He was an employee of IBM in Endicott, N.Y., and of Sears in Kingston, Pa. Warnagiris and his wife established, published and edited the Wyoming Valley Observer and a series of weekly shoppers in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties called The Neighbors. In Monroe County, Warnagiris published the Pocono Today shopper and the weekly Monroe County Sunday Herald. Albert John Stratton, Wyomissing, Pa., died Nov. 21, 2014. Stratton was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He served as associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine 1954 Thomas J. Goblick Jr.,Wayland, Pa., died March 30, 2014. He worked for nearly 50 years as an engineer, leader and mentor at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and was Clifford King Parker, Shavertown, Pa., died Nov. 13, 2013. He owned Parker Fuel Co. and operated Lower Demunds Road Storage. 26 for 25 years before serving as director of psychological services at Wernersville State Hospital from 1979 until 1990. a Fulbright Scholar in 1958 at the University of London’s Imperial College of Science and Technology. He was involved in the initial studies of satellite navigation that led to the now widely used global positioning system. He also worked on the first Federal Aviation Administration program, which developed the Mode S air traffic surveillance and datalink system, now the standard air traffic surveillance system used worldwide. Ted Kanner, Rockville, Md., died Nov. 14, 2011. He served as an executive vice president of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. He established the Council on Jewish Life and served as an interim director of the School of Communal Service at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is survived by his wife, Annette (Reiner) Kanner ’54. 1955 Judith Hopkins, Atlanta, Ga., died Aug. 8, 2014. She had a distinguished career as a librarian, specializing in cataloging at such colleges as Mt. Holyoke,Yale, the University of Michigan and, for 27 years, at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She received the Margaret Mann Citation for her contributions to her field and was the list owner of AUTOCAT, a worldwide online library cataloging discussion group. Joseph Owen Yanovitch, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., died Nov. 6, 2014. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and became Jacksonville’s Amateur Athlete of the Year for his world records in power lifting. 1958 Mary Craig Pugh, Warner Robins, Ga., died July 4, 2014. She worked as a teacher in the Houston County School District in Georgia. 1959 Charles J. Gareis, Manassas, Va., died Jan. 9, 2015. He was an auditor for the U.S. General Accounting Office and a U.S. Army veteran. William J. Mann, Harveys Lake, Pa. died Feb. 2, 2015. He taught at Cayuga-Onondaga Area School District, N. Y,, until retiring in 1986. He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. Reginald S. Travis, Sarasota, Fla., died Aug. 11, 2014. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War from 1953 until 1955, and was employed for 32 years by pharmaceutical company Warner-Lambert (now Pfizer). 1960 Edwin A. Duncan, Laflin, Pa., died Jan. 7, 2015. He owned and operated Master Piece Industry. Doris Gademan Stephens, Barrington, R.I., died June 20, 2014. She served as a public health service nurse on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, as a civilian nurse in Thailand during the Vietnam War and as a pediatric nursing instructor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Massachusetts General Hospital. �class notes 1961 Catherine (Brominski) Kovac, Birchrunville, Pa., died Jan. 19, 2015. Kovac retired as a registered nurse educator from Norristown State Hospital after 25 years. She also was a nursing educator at Haverford State Hospital and most recently was the health code enforcement officer with the Lansdale Department of Health. 1968 James V. Brong, Coopersburg, Pa., died Dec. 14, 2013. He worked as a project accountant for Fuller Co., later known as FLSmidth of Bethlehem, Pa., for 20 years before retiring in 2003. He served in the U.S. Navy. Arthur H. Trevethan, Westerville, Ohio, died April 10, 2014. He retired as an executive at Nationwide Insurance. 1971 Edward Blazejewski III, Wilkes-Barre, died July 3, 2014. He was dean of students at Coughlin High School in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. A mathematics major at Wilkes, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Scranton. 1975 RoseAnn Cordora Williams, West Pittston, Pa., died Nov. 24, 2014. She was a professor at Wilkes University before taking over her family business, Wyoming Valley Beverage. 1976 The Rev. Deborah Ann Hargraves, Luzerne, Pa., died Dec. 23, 2014. She retired as a sales associate for local time-shares. Jack W. Keller, Larksville, Pa., died Dec. 29, 2014. He was the former owner of Pocono Family Eyecare in Pocono Summit, Pa, and was last employed by Northeast Eyecare. 1981 Maire A. Box, Kingston Township, Pa., died Jan. 20, 2015. She worked at the former Nesbitt Memorial Hospital as an emergency room nurse for 19 years and, most recently, with Eye Care Specialists Kingston Surgery Center. 1982 Robert Francis Burns, Jr., Trucksville, Pa., died Nov. 19, 2014. He was a registered nurse at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital for 18 years and was employed by the Bayer Corp. for 12 years. 1984 Betty Lou (Henry) Furman, Pittston, Pa., died Jan. 1, 2015. She operated a dairy farm in Mehoopany for 25 years with her husband. Furman also worked for Procter & Gamble and later served as executive director of the Endless Mountains Tourism Bureau. From 1989-1996, she was a missionary in Zimbabwe with her husband. 2000 Jessica Marie (Murry) Range, Elizabethtown, Pa., died Dec. 22, 2014. She was employed by Pleasant View Retirement Community in Manheim, Pa., prior to accepting a position with Weis Pharmacy in Elizabethtown. Jane Lampe-Groh Administration As Wilkes magazine went to press, the University community learned that Jane Lampe-Groh, dean of student affairs emerita, died on May 7, 2015. Lampe-Groh joined Wilkes in 1969. During her tenure, she served as dean of women, associate dean of student affairs and dean of students, touching the lives of hundreds of Wilkes students. She retired in 1997. An article remembering her long career at Wilkes will appear in the fall 2015 issue of the magazine. Faculty James L. Merryman of Bear Creek Village, Pa., passed away on April 14, 2015 after an 18-month struggle with ALS. Merryman was professor of anthropology at Wilkes University for more than 25 years. “Since 1989, Jim Merryman has been a champion on our campus for diversity, inclusion and cross-cultural understanding,” said Wilkes President Patrick F. Leahy. “His enduring legacy will be his shaping of the intercultural perspectives of the thousands of students he taught at Wilkes. We will miss him dearly.” Last fall, Leahy and Merryman were joined by Wilkes faculty and staff on the steps of the Farley Library to take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to raise awareness about and funds to find a cure for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Merryman received his bachelor’s degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, his master’s degree from State University of New York at Binghamton and his doctorate from Northwestern University. He is survived by fellow anthropologist, wife and research partner of over 42 years Nancy and their daughter Juliann. The University celebrated Merryman’s life at a memorial service at the Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts on May 2, 2015. An extended memoriam celebrating Merryman’s impact on the Wilkes community will appear in the fall issue of Wilkes magazine. WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 Richard “Dick” Rawley Wileman, Prospect, Ky., died March 1, 2015. A marketing and sales professional for most of his career in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, he was active in retirement in Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, alumna Raye Thomas Wileman ’60. 27 �class notes Michael Bianco ’60 Michael Bianco of Palo Alto, Calif., a dedicated volunteer in mid- to later-stage life and supporter of Wilkes, died on Feb. 8, 2015. A native of science companies. West Pittston, Pa., he was a political science major as a A U.S. Navy aviation officer, Wilkes undergraduate. He also earned a master of public he served in Vietnam. An administration degree at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public active supporter of Wilkes Administration at the University of Michigan. Bianco went on University, he served on the to enjoy a distinguished career in the banking and finance University Council and was industry, joining Chase Manhattan Bank in 1968 and working in a class chair for the Wilkes Japan for the bank from 1970-1973. Fund. Bianco also was active He subsequently served as managing director and national in community service, serving partner, corporate financial consulting for Arthur Andersen & as a director of the Korean- Company, and president and chief executive officer of Loeb American Rhoades Securities Corp., a company that was later merged Commerce, a national director into Lehman Brothers. He was chairman and chief executive of Junior Achievement and of officer of American Capital Markets Group since 1993 and at the Enterprise Network of Silicon Valley. the beginning of 2014 became a general partner at Life Science Equity Partners LLC, a $150 million fund investing primarily Chamber of He is survived by Marcia, his wife of 47 years, three children and two grandchildren. Friends of Wilkes Remembering Edward Elgonitis, Campus Friend For 40 Years Wilkes University lost a special member of its campus him one. But he was doing this to four or five different groups community on Jan. 9, 2015, when Eddie Elgonitis passed away of kids, and they’d all bring him cookies. Whenever he’d take a after nearly 40 years at Wilkes. day off, I’d go by his area and there’d be little stacks of cookies The face of the mailroom, Elgonitis got to know many all lined up across the desk,” Yeninas says, chuckling. members of the staff, faculty and student body, even knowing Prior to working in the mailroom, Elgonitis worked for individual students by name and talking to them about their many years on the facilities staff. Before being hired by Wilkes classes and upcoming tests. directly, he worked as an employee of ABM, a private company Jim Yeninas, who worked with him in the mailroom, contracted by Wilkes for custodial services. Though he officially remembers Elgonitis—ever the prankster—indulging his sweet “retired” at one point, it didn’t take, and he was soon back on tooth. “Students would stop by to talk to him before lunch, and campus, working part-time in the mailroom. he’d tell them a sad story about how ‘no one ever brings me Matthew DiBernardo, Wilkes’ former assistant head football cookies anymore.’ So they’d come down afterward and bring coach, spoke at Elgonitis’ memorial service in February 2015. He recalls Elgonitis as a regular at Wilkes sports events, always found sitting in his favorite spot. And he was just as consistent in other ways. “No matter what was going on, if things were good or if they were bad, if we were doing well or if we were struggling, Eddie WILKES | Spring/Summer 2015 was always the same guy you could go and talk to. There’s not 28 a lot of people like that in life. He always put a smile on your face,” DiBernardo says. The Wilkes mailroom has been named in Elgonitis’ honor. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Paula, and four children. Eddie Elgonitis, center, is pushed by President Patrick F. Leahy during the survivors round at Wilkes’ Relay for Life celebration benefiting the American Cancer Society. �WILKES HOMECOMING OCTOBER 2-4 , 2015 Family of Colonels Whether you are friends who are like family, actual relatives or teammates, we’re one big family of Wilkes Colonels. Members of the classes ending in 0s and 5s, A-list, men’s lacrosse, communication studies, business, psychology, and political science alumni are invited to celebrate reunions. Highlights of the weekend will include: • Pints with Professors • Opening of our new campus gateway on South Main Street • Recognition of the 1975 MAC championship men’s lacrosse team • Share the Spirit Saturday night celebration • Twist and Stout Bar Tour • 50th Reunion gatherings • Reunions at the Tailgate Tent • Many family-friendly activities Tell us about your family of Colonels! Share your stories and photos by emailing alumni@wilkes.edu. Visit www.wilkes.edu/homecoming for the latest information. �w WILKES UNIVERSITY Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766 WILKES UNIVERSITY calendar of events June 8 First Summer Session Classes Begin 8 Nine-Week Summer Session Classes Begin 11 Dr. Lori’s Antiques Appraisal Comedy Show, 6-8 p.m. Miller Room, Henry Student Center 11 New Jersey Alumni Event, 6 p.m., Ellery’s Restaurant and Pub, Middlesex, N.J. 25 63rd annual John Chwalek Open, Irem Country Club, Dallas, Pa. 28-29 New Student Orientation I 29-July 2  Boys and Girls Basketball Camp, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Marts Sports and Conference Center July 6-23 Wilkes University Conservatory Summer Dance Intensive, Darte Center 10 First Summer Session Classes End 12-13 New Student Orientation II 13 Second Summer Session Classes Begin 17 Wilkes University Open House For Prospective Students 20-24 Advanced Placement Summer Institute 20 Women’s Soccer Clinic, 10:00 a.m.-3 p.m. Ralston Athletic Complex 20-Aug. 30  The Reading Academy, Breiseth Hall 20-Aug. 30  The Arts Academy, Breiseth Hall 25 Summer Youth Baseball Camp, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Artillery Field 26-Aug. 1  Women Empowered By Science (WEBS) Summer Camp, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. August 11 Nine-Week Summer Session Classes End 14 Second Summer Session Classes End 28 Move-in Day for First-Year and Transfer Students 28-30 Welcome Weekend 31 Fall Semester 2015 Classes Begin September 5-7 Labor Day Recess 13 Summer Commencement, 1 p.m., Marts Sports and Conference Center 19 Wilkes University Open House For Prospective Students 19 Elite Prospect Baseball Camp, 3-6 p.m., Artillery Field October 2-4 Homecoming For details on times and locations, check www.wilkes.edu and www.wilkes.edu/alumni or phone (800) WILKES-U. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2015 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2015 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Alumni Magazine, 1947-present Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Description An account of the resource <p>An archive of Wilkes University Magazine, from 1947-present. The magazine went through various names including <em>Wilkes Alumnus</em>, <em>Wilkes Quarterly,</em> <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, and the current title, <em>Wilkes Magazine</em>. Some editions for the <em>Wilkes Universe</em>, will have multiple issues within the file record. Our holdings may be missing editions for certain years due to having no physical copy within the collection. </p> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wilkes University Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Wilkes University Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Wilkes University Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1947-present Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wilkes Magazine, Spring 2015 Subject The topic of the resource Alumni Relations Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Marketing Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2015 magazine Wilkes Magazine