Robert Marchesani Jr. ’83 received the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) Gold Medal on April 14 at the 2013 NIC annual meeting in St. Louis, Mo.

First presented more than 70 years ago, the NIC Gold Medal is presented for lifelong service to the interfraternal community and is the highest honor that the NIC can bestow. Recipients of the Gold Medal are models of selfless service, visionary leadership, and courage of conviction. When considering nominations, the awards committee takes into account tenure of service, interfraternal leadership, and a dedication to advancing the fraternal movement.

A member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, Bob has dedicated more than 30 years dating back to his freshman year at IUP to making fraternity a better experience. His service to the fraternal movement includes service on the boards of his fraternity and the NIC, speaking engagements, and facilitating educational programming for undergraduates and alumni. The pinnacle of his interfraternity service was serving as NIC chairman from 2008–2010, and as coeditor of the 20th edition of Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities.

At IUP, Bob served as Interfraternity Council president and secretary and was a founder of the IUP chapter of the Order of Omega Greek honorary society. After graduating from IUP, he worked as assistant executive director of the NIC and then as director of development for the Phi Kappa Psi Educational Foundation.

Professionally, Bob is senior director of oncology new product planning for the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company.

Founded in 1909, the North-American Interfraternity Conference is the trade association representing 75 international and national men's fraternities. Through advocacy, collaboration, and education the NIC works to ensure that fraternities can operate in an environment conducive to their success.

Mike Bires ’77 was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame on April 28, 2013.

He was honored on the basis of his 33-year career as a sports reporter for the Beaver County Times.

Mike played on the IUP freshman football team in 1973 and worked for the Penn for most of his time at IUP.

Jerry Parfitt ’79 has been named the chief financial officer at Familylinks, Inc., a nonprofit human services agency serving a wide range of populations and focused on behavioral, social, and developmental health issues. Jerry will provide financial leadership for the Banksville Road-based organization.

A graduate of IUP with a B.S. in Business Administration, Jerry has a long history of working on the executive team of local health care and nonprofit organizations. He previously served as director of finance at Passavant Memorial Homes and Subsidiaries, where he worked since 2006. He also served in the same position at the Allegheny Valley School from 1984 to 2006. He resides in Oakmont.

West Allegheny School District superintendent John DiSanti ’76 has been named recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Educator Award by the University of Pittsburgh’s Tri-State Area School Study Council. The award was presented at the 65th annual School Board and Distinguished Educator Banquet on March 21.

The Distinguished Educator Award acknowledges exceptional leadership by practicing administrators, retired educators, and university faculty who have a proven commitment to the mission of preparing all students to make contributions to both our democratic society and the world community.

“Dr. DiSanti is a visionary leader who… represents the best of our profession and has not only shaped a great school district, but has and is shaping education in our state and region,” said Diane Kirk, director of the Tri-State Area School Study Council. “He is a person of great integrity, and his commitment to his profession, his colleagues, his community, and his students is without equal.”

“Since the beginning of his tenure at West Allegheny, Dr. DiSanti models drive, determination, and tenacity for his administrative team,” added Chris Assetta, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at West Allegheny School District. “Through vision and expertise, his intensity has enabled the West Allegheny School District to emerge as a leader in education as students develop skills and competencies necessary to become productive citizens in the evolving world of the 21st century.”

DiSanti has served as the superintendent of schools in the West Allegheny School District since 2005. Prior administrative positions include superintendent of Derry Township School District in Hershey and Deer Lakes School District. First named superintendent when he was 31 years old, he holds the distinction of being one of the country’s youngest administrators to rise to that position.

DiSanti earned his bachelor’s degree from IUP, his master’s degree from Westminster College, and his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. He resides with his family in Oakdale, Pa.

Ryan Moton M’07 and Deidrinelle Rouse ’04, M’07 plan to wed on December 31, 2013, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Deidrinelle is an assistant director of residence life at the University of Akron, overseeing the residential education program.

Sculptor Jim Bright ’69, M’81 and painter Joanne Landis bring together their own intimate vision of shape and color in the “Spirit and Substance” exhibit at the Station Gallery in Lock Haven, Pa., opening on Saturday, May 4, 2013.

Both artists have shown extensively, sharing their interpretation of human interactions with the world around us. Jim’s sculptural visions imply human movement and studies of growth through carved wooden or cast pieces, while Joanne captures each special environment in her canvases.

Jim is a Pennsylvania sculptor specializing in the time-honored processes of carving and casting. He has a B.S. degree in Art Education and a M.A. degree in sculpture from IUP. He also studied sculpture at Penn State and Lucca, Italy.

The study of relationships in form and space related to organic subject matter has occupied much of Jim’s work throughout his career. Specific themes include human interactions, implied human movement, and studies of growth. He emphasizes the sympathetic use of sculptural materials, with special attention to the unique characteristics of each piece of local hardwood used in the carving process.

His bronze works range in scale from intimate tabletop pieces to life-size outdoor sculptures. While most sculptures are the result of his personal interest and inquiry, he welcomes the inherent challenges of commissions.

Joanne works exclusively with the figure, creating an environment for each which matches its internal geography. Her primary interest is in that space between worlds: internal and external, physical and mystical.

Both Jim and Joanne have shown extensively throughout the Northeast, winning numerous awards in some of the more prestigious juried shows in the region. Their work is a wonderful contrast of two and three dimensions while maintaining a common thread of a contemporary style.

“We are fortunate to be able to attract such amazing artists to the Station Gallery,” said Ron McGinnis, president of the Clinton County Arts Council. “Both Joanne and Jim bring an exciting and fresh approach to the visual arts that is difficult to find in rural Pennsylvania. The ‘Spirit and Substance’ exhibit will expose the community to a completely different type of art.”

The exhibit will be at the Station Gallery from May 4–18, with the gallery’s first-ever Saturday evening opening on May 4 from 6:00–9:00 p.m. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday–Friday from 1:00–8:00 p.m., and Saturday from 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

The wedding of Melissa Shetrom ’99, M’00 and Aaron Bronstetter on September 29, 2012, in Lancaster was to be featured on the Southcentral Pennsylvania reality show Dream Weddings in mid-March and afterward on the Dream Weddings website.

The Dream Weddings package, which they won at a bridal show, was worth an estimated $15,000 and included three nights at the Riviera Maya, Melissa said.

Among Melissa’s bridesmaids was Karen Coon ’99. Other alumnae in attendance were 1999 graduates Beverly Miller Dunham, Karen Dominici Kline, Denise Posney O’Malley, Stephanie Pantano Onufer, and Hope Riley Smith.

As company manager of the national tour of Tony Award-winning War Horse, Darren Doutt ’93 said he finds himself working 12-hour days, six days a week, to handle the business logistics of running the show.

The play, about a young man who enlists to serve in World War I after his horse is sold to the cavalry, features horses that are life-sized puppets, each manipulated by three puppeteers.

A resident of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, Darren said the tour has stops in 30 cities planned for 2012–2013 and is scheduling more than 40 the following year.

See a backstage look at the War Horse national tour.

Mike Stefanick ’65, M’71 recently published a book titled A Common Sense Approach to Discipline, a book for parents, teachers, counselors, or anyone working with children.

The book lays a foundation and provides proven practical principles for developing an effective plan for discipline and for working with children. More details about the book and the author can be found at Mike’s website.

Jennifer Wechs Fedder ’92 and her husband, Dennis, welcomed their son, Soren Hanns Fedder, on August 16, 2011. The photo shows Soren taking a break during the 2012 IUP Kennywood Day.

For his achievements in audio mixing and sound design for broadcast documentaries, Karl Kalbaugh ’87, of Silver Spring, Maryland, received the Discovery Arts and Sciences Award for Post-Production.

American Circulation Innovations has named Randall Brant ’81 as chief revenue officer.

“In the two years since Randall joined ACI, our company has explored new opportunities, opened new markets, and most importantly, grown revenues,” said Keith Somers, company president.

Brant has served as vice president of Sales and Marketing since joining ACI in early 2011. His responsibilities include sales, marketing, public relations, digital/social marketing, events, contract administration, and customer experience.

“Our multichannel strategy has created interest among publishers,” said Brant. “And our Do No Harm launch process has created efficiencies while providing quality service.”

“ACI is in its fifth decade of print distribution,” Somers said. “In addition to continuing steady growth in print distribution, one of Randall’s objectives is to help the company develop new revenue streams in other areas. Our business is constantly evolving.”

“It’s like Wayne Gretzky says,” Somers added. “You need to skate to where the puck is going.”

Before joining ACI, Brant held leadership positions in print, digital, and niche publishing with several major U.S. newspapers, including the Dallas Morning News, Detroit News and Free Press, Denver Post, Salt Lake Tribune, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Retired teacher Constance Neal Casserly ’70 has written a book, The House of Comprehension, published by Compass, an imprint of Brigantine Media. This engaging book includes 40 student/teacher activities and offers English teachers of grades six through nine a program that meshes the teaching of literature with the elements of literature. This, in turn, shows students the importance of structure in any literature, and helps them to create their own durable houses of comprehension.

Constance is a retired teacher/curriculum writer/novelist living outside of Washington, D.C. Her young adult novel, A Fine Line, was published in 1993 by May Davenport, Publishers. She has written numerous educational articles: “The Use of Collages in Developing Self-Concept,” published in English Teacher’s Quarterly; “Banish Those Dialogue Demons,” a lesson plan on dialogue format, published in the National Council of Teachers of English’s 1992 Ideas Plus, Book Ten; a unit plan entitled “The Many Faces of Love,” focusing on Romeo and Juliet and A Fine Line, published in the English Journal’s “Notes” magazine in December 1994 and republished in the book Teaching Literature in High School: The Novel; and a study guide for A Fine Line, published by May Davenport, Publishers. She has also spoken on the subject of teen dating abuse at Optimist clubs and has been a speaker at writing conferences. Recommended by county reading specialists, A Fine Line was submitted for the 1993 IRA Book Award.

An English teacher in the Fairfax County Public Schools system for 25 years (retired June 2011), Constance taught English, journalism, and creative writing at the secondary level. She was awarded exemplary status for each evaluation cycle. She was selected six times for Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, and was included multiple times in Marquis Who’s Who of American Women. She taught in an alternative secondary school for behaviorally disadvantaged adolescents, an adolescent psychiatric hospital, and a boys’ correctional institution before moving to public schools.

An Indiana native, Constance attended Keith School, which later became the University School, and received a B.S. in English Education from IUP in 1970. She has taken numerous courses from the University of Virginia and George Mason University.

Constance created a reward program for positive behavior management at the alternative school, and she was written up in the United States Congressional Record for instituting the only positive behavioral activity, a drama program, at the correctional institution. During her years at the intermediate school level, she sponsored the school newspaper, developed a highly effective and popular creative writing program, and was the liaison from her school with the Fairfax County Juvenile Courts. She published a writing magazine, the Writer’s Block, and a poetry book from her writing classes’ pieces, Split Personalities. She also published a student-written booklet, How to Survive Intermediate School. During her 19 years at the high school level, she was the sponsor of their newspaper, the Stinger, as well as the sponsor of the school’s Virginia High School League Trophy Class award-winning literary/art magazine, Scribe. Three times, Constance was the chairperson for the Principal’s Committee on Excellence in Writing, which sponsored a writing conference with local and national authors at the school and brought published writers into the classroom.

Constance lives in Herndon, Va., with her husband and has two adult children.

Melissa Irion Sorokas ’04 and her husband, Andrew, are proud to announce the birth of their first child, daughter Mikayla Ruth. Mikayla was born on a special day: December 12, 2012. The family lives in Northern Virginia and is enjoying every minute together.

Even though he retired from the IUP Art Department three years ago, Chris Weiland ’72 is continuing the “harvest to use” practices he helped to initiate at the Center for Turning and Furniture Design.

When six catalpa trees fell in a microburst in Greensburg, Chris harvested the wood and has begun turning it on the lathe.

A reading and book launch party for the artist’s book Words of Love, by Mark Rutkoski ’73, will take place on Wednesday evening, February 13, 2013, at De Robertis Pasticceria & Caffé in New York City.

Taking its title from a 1966 pop song by the Mamas and the Papas, Words of Love is an index of the words and their frequency in the complete sonnets of William Shakespeare. Words of Love is both art object and literary experiment, investigating poetry through the lens of accumulation. Replacing the structural repetition of the sonnet form with pure repetition of words, Rutkoski disassembles the construct of love as erected by its most iconic architect. This text is for anyone who knows the truth of the lyrics, “worn out phrases and longing gazes / won’t get you where you want to go.”

Including an introduction by Annette Gilbert (translated by Vivien Knussi) and visual art by Klaus Killisch, Words of Love is published by Les Figues Press, Los Angeles, as part of the TrenchArt: Surplus Series. it is available at the Les Figues Press website.

Neal Bronder ’74 was recently promoted to project executive of Renier Construction.

Neal, who joined Renier in 1989, has worked over 30 years in the construction industry. He was most recently a senior project manager at Renier Construction. As project executive, he will utilize his vast experience in commercial, industrial, and multi-family construction to serve clients in the Midwest.

“Neal is deeply valued by our clients, and we couldn’t be more delighted for him to take this next step at Renier. His working knowledge is extraordinary, and our architects and engineers have always appreciated his ability to complete the most challenging projects,” William Heifner, president of Renier Construction, said.

Neal has worked as a foreman, superintendent, estimator, and project manager on projects in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, and Arizona. He has deep roots in the construction and building industry; Neal’s father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all involved in it. He traced his genealogy back to the 1640s, and his earliest ancestor’s occupation was “zimmermann,” which is German for carpenter.

Through Renier, Neal is a member of the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio and the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. He volunteers his time with the Boy Scouts of America and Abundant Life Lutheran Church in Hilliard. Neal and his family reside in Columbus, Ohio.

In addition to this show, Dominick has exhibited in private and corporate collections, including National Academy of Art, Butler Institute of Art, Mainstreams USA, Penn Memorial Museum, Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Westmoreland Nationals, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center.

Willard was employed by the Clearfield Area School District as an art teacher and supervisor of art for 36 years. In retirement, at the age of 92, he continues to paint and exhibit in local, regional, and national shows.

More Alumni Extra news about Willard Dominick 

A book by Michele (Shelley) Takei M’83, She-Q –Why Women Should Mentor Men and Change the World, was published by Praeger Publishing. It is available on Amazon.

She-Q: Why Women Should Mentor Men and Change the World

This book takes readers on a fascinating intellectual journey that showcases She-Q as the next great emerging intelligence—a force that can remake the world.

It is a provocative view to say the least, drawing on science and experience to propose that women are without doubt the superior sex. Women, She-Q declares, are far better able than men to integrate thinking and feeling. They are more rational, more moral, and more creative than males—and should no longer accept a male-defined world.

The hypothesis of She-Q: Why Women Should Mentor Men and Change the World is straightforward, its potential enormous. Females, She-Q declares, are the superior, whole-brained, empathic sex. Society’s failure to recognize that fact has caused women to labor under a limited, male perspective, skewing their knowledge, capping their wisdom, and separating them from Nature, themselves, and each other. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Interweaving personal vignettes with broad-based research, the book marshals evidence from history, science, psychology, and philosophy to underscore the validity of She-Q. It shows how the female brain works differently from the male brain, better integrating the left and right hemispheres so that She-Q transcends both IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional intelligence). Laying out a new, feminine-based understanding of the way women and men think and behave, author Michele Takei demonstrates how women can apply this new-found knowledge to mentor the men in their lives—and achieve true equality.

Highlights

• Proposes and explains a new theory of human understanding—She-Q
• Shows that female equality still exists only within a male-defined game where feminine qualities such as connection, feeling, empathy, compromise, and compassion are valued less than one-dimensional, power-based thinking
• Utilizes personal vignettes to illustrate She-Q in action
• Draws on the latest neurological and sociological research to demonstrate that women possess a wisdom that is different from and, in many ways, more advanced than the male-based perspective of knowledge
• Discusses ways in which women can use She-Q to mentor and change the men in their lives

Michele Takei holds a doctorate in transpersonal psychology and women’s studies from Union Institute. She has been professor at numerous universities where she has taught courses in both traditional and transpersonal psychology. Takei has worked with thousands of women as the director of a single parent and homemaker program, as well as in her private psychological practice. She is the owner and trainer of MARI (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument), a Jungian-based psychological assessment based on symbols and colors.

Michele lives in Raleigh, N.C.

Chad Pearce ’02 is a new business development manager for 4CTechnologies.

Chad joined 4CTechnologies from KForce Staffing & Solutions, where he worked as a client relations manager, bringing with him eight years of experience working with the information technology industry. As a business development manager, Chad will actively work to expand and foster 4CTechnologies client and industry relationships.

“We’re proud to begin 2013 with an even stronger commitment to our clients and their unique technology needs,” Michael McSwaney, vice president of Business Development, said. “Chad has the knowledge and experience in technology consultative sales to build up on this foundation and help our clients grow their businesses.”

Chad graduated from IUP with a degree in Management Information Systems.

Joseph Lipsitz ’07 has attained his Certified Financial Planner designation. The CFP designation recognizes a standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning.

Joseph has been an affiliated financial advisor with L&M Financial since 2009. He graduated summa cum laude from the Robert E. Cook Honors College at IUP with a B.S. in Accounting. He is a chartered federal employee benefits consultant and a certified public accountant.

The CFP certification process, administered by the CFP Board, identifies to the public those individuals in the U.S. who have met rigorous professional standards and agreed to adhere to the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism, and diligence when dealing with clients.

CFPs are required to master nearly 100 integrated financial planning topics, including general principles of financial planning; insurance planning and risk management; and employee benefits, investment, income tax, retirement, and estate planning.

L&M Financial representatives have been providing benefit programs and financial services to individuals, families, and small businesses since 1972. The company has offices in both Buffalo and Rochester.

Before the December 2, 2012, Ravens vs. Steelers game, Dean Cottrill ’88 (right) got into the holiday spirit with Jim Hostler ’90, wide receiver coach for the Ravens, and former Ravens cheerleader Molly George Shattuck ’89.

Since early 2011, Rick McMaster ’72, M’74 has been a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics  (STEM) advocate for IBM, working with education and business to create alliances that promote STEM in P-20 and choosing  best practices for IBM to endorse. He has recommended Florida State University’s CPALMS (Collaborate, Plan, Align, Learn, Motivate, Share) as a best practice to vet resources for K-12 teachers, highlighted the Innovation Academy jointly developed by IBM/Boulder and the St. Vrain Valley School District for elementary and middle school students, delved into Fujitsu’s support of Japan’s Future Schools program, and begun discussions with the National Science Foundation on how to improve coordination among STEM programs. He uses social media to communicate innovations in STEM solutions within IBM and outside the company. This includes tweeting as DrKold and a monthly column in the MIT STEM Pals newsletter. He has contributed two videos to the MIT BLOSSOMS video library: “How Cold is Cold, What is Temperature” and “How Cold is Cold, Properties of Materials.”

In June 2012, Rick was elected to a two-year term on the board of the Corporate Management Council, American Society of Engineering Education, where he is also a member of the K-12 Special Interest Group. He is also a member of the National Science Teachers Association and continues to serve as a community outreach adviser to Design Squad Nation, WGBH, Boston, Mass., and to Cyberchase, WNET, New York, N.Y.

In a classroom demonstration, Rick McMaster uses a Van de Graaff generator to make aluminum pie plates fly.

In recognition of his efforts to support STEM outreach, Rick was included in the One Hundred Who Make a Difference as part of IBM’s Centennial Celebration. He continues as his alter ego Dr. Kold in demonstrating the physics of very cold media, and has also developed a micro-volts to mega-volts demonstration which he presents as Professor Sparky. A demonstration and hands-on activities exploring the properties of sound and waves has recently been developed.

On April 14, 2012, at the castle at Maryvale, John Rekus M’90 wed Mary Jo Putney of Batavia, N.Y.

John is a consulting engineer in private practice. Mary Jo is a New York Times List bestselling romance novelist.

The couple resides at their Ruxton, Md., estate with four cats.

Don Rigone ’64 noted “We had a great time catching up on things since some of us have not been together since graduation.”

He completed the trip on October 22, six days ahead of schedule, when he pulled his Lincoln Town Car into Springfield, Illinois.

Straub said he made the historic trip for personal and patriotic reasons. He wanted to check off his “bucket list” a longtime goal of visiting each state's capitol building and jokes that he "prefers to have big goals with short deadlines."

But more importantly, he would like to encourage all Americans to re-read the Gettysburg Address and to honor our veterans, the main reason why Lincoln was asked to make "a few appropriate remarks" at the November 1863 dedication.

On the steps of each Capitol, Straub "invited to recite". That is, he invited residents to join him on the steps in reciting the Gettysburg Address. When they do, he hoped they would realize how that "great task" and "unfinished work" Lincoln referred to is ongoing and continues today.

"I have always felt a strong connection to Abraham Lincoln," Mickey said, "not just because he was our first Republican president, but because of Lincoln's connection to my birth state (Pennsylvania) and my adopted state (Illinois).”

Ultimately, he hopes that Americans will re-commit to Lincoln's core principles and that of our founders: God, Liberty, Unity and Equality. Those principles were prominent in the Gettysburg Address and throughout Lincoln's life.

Concerned with the direction of the country, Straub believes, “We need to re-claim Lincoln's core principles and have a new birth of freedom to help ensure that it long endures.”

For more information, including an updated blog and details on how to make a donation, visit 50 Capitols In 50 Days or Reclaiming Lincoln. (All net proceeds will benefit veterans’ organizations.)

IUP graduate Jack O’Laughlin ’96, M’97 is a well-respected senior member of the human resources team at Edmunds.com, an online resource for automotive information and winner of multiple outstanding workplace awards. Because of his 12 years of dedication, Jack can take advantage of the company’s sabbatical program, which allows any employee with 10 or more years of service to take an extended paid leave to pursue personal or professional enrichment opportunities.

On June 18, 2012, Jack headed to Tokyo to volunteer at a place called Second Harvest Japan. Although it has been in existence for a decade providing support to the needy in Tokyo, since the earthquake and tsunami disaster last year, Second Harvest Japan has provided much-needed support to the Tohoku region. In addition to food package preparation and distribution, Jack took time with the group’s volunteer coordinator to share his human resources knowledge and assisted in preparing communications for foreign company partners.

“IUP’s standard of excellence and civic engagement are thoroughly demonstrated by our beloved Jack O’Laughlin,” said Stephanie Mar, media relations manager for Edmunds.com. “He is a fine example of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s influence to motivate people to go ‘Beyond Expectations.’ I hope the IUP alumni can share in the pride that Jack has provided his Edmunds.com family for over a decade.”

Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information website. Its acclaimed mobile site, Edmunds.com Android app, and five-star Edmunds iPhone and iPad apps make car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and on the go. Its automotive enthusiast website, InsideLine.com, is the most-read car publication of its kind. Its highly regarded mobile site and iPhone app features the wireless Web's most comprehensive gallery of automotive photos and videos. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit.

Kathryn, a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma, is a retired teacher living in Indiana. A member of Delta Sigma Phi, Terry retired after 21 years in the Army, 22 years with First Commonwealth Financial Corporation, and four years as an independent contractor. He lives in Indiana. Louise, a former president of Sigma Sigma Sigma, is a retired elementary school remedial math teacher and instructional support teacher. A resident of Bethlehem, she also worked as an adjunct professor at Moravian College.

Photo IDs, left to right, are Louise Ballman Kinter, Terry Bunton, and Kathryn Rend Armstrong

Pictured from left to right: Dane, Keith Robinson ’77, Jim Colaianne ’70, M’78, June Colaianne ’75, M’82, Bob Prosperi ’75, and Mark Bedont ’69, M’76.

Bob, Keith, and Jim were ushers at Dane and Janet’s wedding in Washington, D.C., in 1987. Keith, who works for Purdue University, and Dane, now retired from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, were shipmates in the Navy in the early 1970s. Bob, an historian and battlefield guide in Gettysburg, and Dane were roommates at IUP in the mid-1970s after both got out of the military and again briefly in graduate school at Penn State. Dane was Jim’s best man at his wedding to June. Jim is a project engineer in the Pittsburgh area, and June is an executive at Mellon Bank. Mark works for the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington.

Diana Brush ’82, M’83 was recently elected secretary of the Pennsylvania Association of Parliamentarians, a branch of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP).

NAP is the largest and oldest association of specialists in the rules for conducting meetings in the United States. Professional parliamentarians serve as consultants to all types of organizations, ranging from dog clubs to units of government, and provide a range of services from advising the chair on proper procedure, to drafting bylaws, to presiding at meetings. The Pennsylvania Association was founded in 1957.

Brush, of Brookville, is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is employed by Clarion University as interim director of the Career Services Center.

Brush has provided workshops on parliamentary procedure for college students, local and regional organizations, and state and national conferences for over 20 years. Most recently, she presented to career professionals at the 10th annual Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Employers state conference in Pittsburgh, Pa.; provided educational sessions to students and advisors attending the Pennsylvania Future Business Leaders of America 61st State Leadership Conference, held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, where she also judged the Parliamentary Procedure and E-Career Portfolio competitions; and served as a volunteer parliamentary aide at the Girl Scout USA 52nd National Convention in Houston, Texas.

Once again, Lyn Davis Banghart ’71 (right, in white) attended the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Academy.

An article about the experience appeared in the New York Times, featuring another photo of Lyn. The article was written by one of the clarinet participants, who is a journalist for the newspaper.

In addition to playing side by side with the BSO musicians under the direction of Marin Alsop, she performed in a horn quartet with Philip Munds, principal horn of the BSO, and two other Academy participants.

Read more about Lyn and her husband, John Banghart ’71, and their experiences with the 2011 BSO Academy.

Tracy Searight ’94, an author and teacher, recently published Salem Township and Delmont, the newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

Several years ago, Tracy moved with her family to Delmont and became intrigued with the unique history of the area, becoming a member of the Westmoreland County Historical Society. She compiled vintage images from the collections of Bob Cupp, Robert Z. Yaley, and local residents as well as her own personal collection, and she hopes that this work will bring back memories and inspire the telling of future stories so the history of the coal patch communities and Delmont are not forgotten.

As early as 1885, Salem Township’s supply of coal attracted companies to build mines and “coal patch” towns. In 1916, Slickville was the last coal patch town built in Salem Township. When the demand for soft coal declined, the companies abandoned the mines, leaving the towns to survive on their own. Delmont, originally known as Salem Crossroads or New Salem, is one of the oldest boroughs in Westmoreland County.

Formed around a spring that was eventually piped to a watering trough that still remains, Delmont boasted a busy stagecoach route and was one of the main stagecoach stops on the Northern Turnpike. The arrival of the railroad left little need for stagecoaches, but Delmont continued to survive. In 1993, the Pennsylvania Turnpike 66 opened just south of Delmont in Salem Township, bringing promise to a community once disappointed by Northern Turnpike’s decline. Salem Township and Delmont provides a glimpse into the rich history of these communities.

Highlights of Salem Township and Delmont:

• Coal and patch communities
• Churches
• Roadways
• Salem crossroads’ water trough
• Shields’s gift

Salem Township and Delmont is available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing (888-313-2665).

Tracy lives in Delmont with her husband, Kevin Dibert ’93, and four children. When not doing historical research, she enjoys spending time with her family.

David Wiedlich ’02 and his wife, Kellie McGavin ’03, are proud to introduce their six-month-old son, Lukas Matthew Wiedlich, sporting his new IUP gear.

Jason Grusky ’05, a graduate of the IUP Mathematics Education program, is a high school math teacher at Punxsutawney Area High School and a proud member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle.

“I’m one of the 15 “top hat guys” that conduct the yearly holiday on February 2 with Punxsutawney Phil.”

Four out of the 15 members of the Inner Circle are graduates of IUP: Jason, Ron Ploucha ’71 (Phil's main handler), Butch Philliber M’84, and AJ Dereume ’03.

“Six of us have been meeting monthly for about 14 years,” she said. “We are all retired now, and often wonder how we found time to teach with our busy lives!” This photo was taken at a local restaurant in Meadville, Pa., and the group meets at different location each month.

Seated, from left: Jane Ludwig Broudy ’65, Leila Esper Bekic ’67, Lorraine Mailki Biel ’66
Standing, from left: Barbara Delafield Mitchell ’65, Mary Bowser Mohr ’66, Mary Sue Prokop ’66

Jane Ludwig Broudy ’65 lives in Mt. Lebanon, Pa. She taught in the Pittsburgh city schools, retiring from Stevens Elementary School in 1999.

Mary Bowser Mohr ’66 taught in Reserve Township Elementary near Pittsburgh on Mt. Troy Hill and then Tussey Mountain in Saxton, Pa., and the Hollidaysburg Area School District in Hollidaysburg, Pa. She now lives in Ft. Myers, Fla., and Bedford, Pa.

Mary Sue Prokop ’66 taught in Harrold Junior High School, Hempfield Area School District, for one semester and South Allegheny High School, South Allegheny School District, for 35 years. She lives in North Braddock, Pa.

Barbara Delafield Mitchell ’65 taught in Rockford Public Schools, Rockford Ill.; Churchill Area School District; and Woodland Hills School District in Pa. She lives in Wilkins Township.

Leila Esper Bekic ’67 taught at East Allegheny, MillcreekTownship, and Erie Country Day School, and retired from Erie City School District. She resides in Erie, Pa.

Lorraine Mailki Biel ’66 taught in Butler Area School, Butler, Pa., and Mentor Schools, Mentor, Ohio, where she also resides.

Joseph Grunwald ’90 is the new associate vice president in the Upper St. Clair office of Hefren-Tillotson, Inc., one of Western Pennsylvania’s largest independent investment advisory and financial planning firms.

Grunwald will specialize and advise clients in the areas of investments and retirement estate and tax planning.

He is a certified financial planner, an investment advisor representative, and a licensed agent for life, accident, and health insurance. He also has extensive experience in employee pension and benefit plans through his previous employment at the University of Pittsburgh, West Penn Allegheny Health System and TIAA-CREF.

A resident of Upper St. Clair, Grunwald earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from IUP.

“As our practice continues to grow, we are delighted to have Joe join our team in Upper St. Clair,” said Kimberly Tillotson-Fleming, chief executive officer of Hefren-Tillotson. “With his focused areas of expertise, he is an important addition to our expanding effort in meeting individual client needs in Pittsburgh’s South Hills.”

Jeramie Byers ’10 married Nathanael Dean on May 26, 2012, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Uniontown, Pa.

Several IUP alumni were in the bridal party: maids of honor Misty McCurdy ’10 and Jenna Lloyd ’10, best man Joshua Jones ’11, and bridesmaids Jessica Martin ’11, Sara Johnson ’10, Stacie Vance ’10, and Jill Sheehe ’10. Alumni in attendance were Megan Pavlick ’10 and Erin Bratton ’10.

The newlyweds honeymooned in Hong Kong, China, for two weeks.

Jeramie is an interior designer at Douds Furniture in Plumville, and Nathanael, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, works at the Indiana Gazette as well as studying Asian Studies and Religious Studies at IUP, expecting to graduate in December 2012.

Nathanael Dean (right) and best man Josh Jones

From left: Jenna Lloyd, Alexandria Byers, Stacie Vance, Sara Johnson, Jeramie Dean, Misty McCurdy, Jill Sheehe, Monali Dean, and Jessica Martin

Helen Brown ’93, national campus recruiting manager for Vector Marketing Corporation, was recently awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE). The award was presented on June 5, 2012, at EACE’s annual conference in Portland, Maine. Vector Marketing is the single-level direct sales division for Cutco Cutlery Corporation, the largest kitchen cutlery manufacturer in North America.

The Distinguished Service Award honors outstanding and lasting contributions of such magnitude and quality to both EACE and the advancement of the field at large as to merit public recognition and acclaim. This special award, not given every year, honors member(s) whose leadership, literary, and/or scholarly contributions have an impact nationally or internationally.

Brown, who resides in Doylestown, Pa., received a B.A. in International Studies from IUP and began her career selling Cutco with Vector. Upon graduation, she continued selling Cutco, working as an assistant manager. After opening a branch office in York, Brown spent three years as a district manager in both Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. In October 2001, Brown was promoted to northeast region campus relations manager, where she was responsible for building positive recruiting relationships with colleges and universities in the northeast region. She was promoted to national campus recruiting manager in July 2011 and is currently responsible for working with the campus recruiting efforts in the U.S. and Canada.

Brown has been active in the EACE since 2001 and served as the organization’s president during the 2009–2010 academic year.

“I am honored to receive the Distinguished Service Award from such a meaningful organization as the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers,” Brown said. “Vector Marketing has always been dedicated to helping college students develop the business skills they will need to succeed in their future careers, and I can think of no better organization than the EACE to partner with toward this goal.”

Fairport Asset Management announced the appointment of Jonathon McAwley ’76 as advisory member of its investment committee.

McAwley currently serves as PPG Industries’ director, Benefits Investment and Financing, with responsibility for the investment activity of the U.S. DB and DC plans and oversight of international plans in Canada, the U.K., and the Netherlands with assets totaling over $7 billion.

“I am really looking forward to having Jonathon join the committee. In his role of director, Benefits Investment and Financing at PPG, he is aware of the challenges facing both U.S. and European pension management,” J.T. Mullen, Fairport’s chief investment strategist, said. “I believe his perspective will be an excellent addition to the investment committee.”

McAwley joined PPG in 1982 as part of the Internal Auditing Department. He held management positions in numerous departments, including Biomedical Systems, Corporate Treasury, and Chemicals. McAwley joined the Coatings operation in 1998 and became the director, Financial Reporting, responsible for consolidating the monthly financial results for the $5-billion coatings operations around the world. Next, he led PPG’s successful Sarbanes-Oxley compliance effort and served briefly as the corporate director, Financial Reporting, before assuming his current role in March 2006.

McAwley graduated from IUP with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a minor in Economics.

CJ Jaynes ’79, M’82, assistant commander for NAVAIR logistics and industrial operations, made naval history with her promotion to flag officer during a ceremony on August 1, 2012.

With her new rank, Jaynes became the Navy’s 79th woman promoted to rear admiral as well as the first woman at NAVAIR and in the Navy’s aerospace maintenance duty officer community to achieve flag officer.

“CJ’s a motivator and a visionary, continuously developing and finding innovative ways to meet every challenge put in front of her,” Commander NAVAIR Vice Admiral David Architzel said.

Hundreds of co-workers, family and friends witnessed the promotion ceremony of the Greensburg, Pa., native, which was presided over by Architzel.

Jaynes said the honor was not earned alone. “I owe a great deal of thanks to my peers, mentors, the wonderful Navy family with whom I’ve served, and the unfailing support of my friends and family,” she said. “I am very fortunate to have such solid support network.”

In her current position, Jaynes supports all naval aviation aircraft, weapons, and systems operated by sailors and marines. She is also responsible for overseeing logistics support efforts for both fielded and developmental aviation systems.

Her U.S. Navy career includes operational tours with Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance departments in Mayport, Fla., Diego Garcia, and Lemoore, Calif.; with Training Squadron Eighty-Six (VT-86) in Pensacola, Fla.; Patrol Squadron Five (VP-5) in Jacksonville, Fla.; and officer-in-charge commander, Strike Fighter Wing Pacific.

Her acquisition tours include the Naval Aviation Engineering Service Unit in Philadelphia; the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (PMA-290); F/A-18 Program Integrator Defense Contract Management Command Northrop Grumman, El Segundo, Calif.; and with NAVAIR in Patuxent River, Md., several with the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265); Aircrew Systems Program Office (PMA-202); and Naval Air Traffic Management Systems (PMA-213).

Jaynes received a master’s degree in business administration from Norwich University in 2008. Her awards include the Legion of Merit (two), Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (four), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal (with Service Star), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and numerous unit awards.

Commander of the Naval Air Systems Command, Vice Adm. David Architzel, and Rear Adm. CJ Jaynes’ daughter attach shoulder boards to Jaynes’ uniform during her promotion ceremony Aug. 1 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. (U.S. Navy photo by Steve Kays)

(continued below)

From left: Captain Mark Collins, Major Aaron Felter, Lieutenant Megan McFarling

Captain Collins, of Easton, Pa., studied Political Science, Economics, and Criminology while at IUP and went on to earn his Master of Public Policy degree at Georgetown University, where he enrolled in ROTC. He currently serves as the 2-321 Airborne Field Artillery Battalion Logistics Officer (S4), supporting over 460 paratroopers and 500 Afghan National Security Forces spread over two districts. Captain Collins coordinated and supervised the fielding of over $18,000,000 worth of equipment throughout Task Force Professional, augmenting the $152,000,000 of theater-provided equipment and organizational equipment to ensure Task Force Professional maintained an advantage over the enemy. Captain Collins simultaneously partnered with the Afghan National Army’s 4th Kandak logistics officer to fortify their relationship and assist his partner in requesting logistical support from the ANA Kandak. Captain Collins’ ability to teach, coach, and mentor his ANA partner resulted in the 4th Kandak routinely exercising and exhausting their logistical support channels prior to requesting assistance from the U.S., which was a stark difference from when Task Force Professional arrived.

Captain Collins credits his IUP education with his ability to take a multifaceted approach to the multiple, unique situations he has encountered during his two deployments to Afghanistan. He prides himself on his IUP education, since his triple major enabled him to view an issue from three points of view for a more holistic approach. Additionally, his extracurricular activities (SGA, Co-Op Board, IUP Ambassadors, and Board of Governors) honed his ability to solicit information and ideas from multiple sources to make more informed decisions as well as work with people with varying backgrounds and beliefs. As a young platoon leader in Western Afghanistan, he had to quickly partner with coalition forces from Italy and Spain in conjunction with the ANSF to traverse unforgiving terrain with hostile enemies emplacing IEDs and shooting small arms at the coalition forces. On many occasions, he had to quickly assess a situation, generate courses of action with input from his troops, coalition, and ANSF partners, and make a decision which often impacted the lived of the 46 paratroopers in his platoon. Instead of freezing in times of high stress, he used his foundation from IUP to enable his platoon to accomplish their mission. Despite being in a different region of Afghanistan with a different position this deployment, he still draws on his skills honed at IUP on a daily basis.

Lieutenant McFarling, of Hazleton, Pa., studied Finance while at IUP. Her current duty position is the Brigade Medical Supply officer. Her function is to serve nearly 4,000 troopers across a battle space a little over the size of Rhode Island by ensuring that medical supplies reach the numerous aid stations set up at forward operating bases. She routinely escorts convoys of life-saving medical equipment along Highway 1, the main artery that travels east toward Kandahar. Megan utilizes her IUP experience of attending the MANage Business Competition with our sister school, PESIT, in Bangalore, India, during her senior year while interacting with the local nationalists in Afghanistan. The trip was her first time in Asia and provided insight with interacting with people of different countries, especially those who do not speak the same language. While competing in the MANage Competition, LT McFarling won the category of Best Overall Manager. She attributes the win to her leadership experience in the IUP ROTC BN and during her numerous leadership roles in school clubs, which included PBL, Alpha Xi Delta, and Phi Gamma Nu. Her college experience is able to help her make life-saving decisions during daily operations in Afghanistan.

Major Felter, of Pittsburgh, Pa., earned his bachelor’s and graduate degree in Criminology from IUP a decade apart. His current duty position is the Battalion Operations Officer (S3) for 2-321 Airborne Field Artillery. He is responsible for the operational planning for 400 paratroopers that must secure over 360 square kilometers, for approximately 9,000 civilians, and for training a local police force, building community resiliency, and helping local leaders work with higher levels of district government.

He left IUP in April 2011 after serving as an assistant professor of Military Science. His intent in teaching ROTC at IUP was to ensure new lieutenants entering the Army had high standards and were able to adapt under stressful situations. He credits his own experience at IUP during his undergraduate years for developing skill sets to “think outside the box”—something he used as a lieutenant in Iraq 2003–2004.

Lieutenant McFarling was a cadet at IUP for three years while Major Felter instructed there. “The IUP ROTC Department has the unique experience of having cadets become leaders that eventually may cross path with their former cadre” Major Felter said. He knew when teaching ROTC that one day a cadet he taught may be leading America’s sons and daughters inside his unit. This statement holds significant gravity, as one of his former cadets now leads convoys of over 40 paratroopers through areas that can be peaceful in one instant and lethal the next.

Major Felter credits IUP alumni like Mark and Megan for choosing to serve as a superior international liaison for what IUP can produce. Many students complete study abroad and bring accolades to Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Graduates of the almost 2,000 Army officers produced from IUP have served in nearly every country around the world, conducted humanitarian assistance to those in need without hesitation, and, over the past 11 years, deployed numerous times in support of the global war on terrorism. IUP alumni everywhere should be proud in knowing their alma mater is serving internationally.

Members of the Fury Brigade will start to redeploy in the early fall, completing their successful tour as part of Operation Enduring Freedom XII. Major Felter, Captain Collins, and Lieutenant McFarling would like to thank the Alumni Association for sending the IUP pennant in the photograph. It was flown over Forward Operation Base Azizzullah on the Fourth of July, 2012, and they will return it to IUP upon their return home.

The marriage of Scott Byrom ’04 and Melanie Hudak took place on July 6, 2012.

Guests included IUP alumni Brian Eyerman ’03 (groomsman), Brandon Hunt ’03, M’06 (groomsman), JT Hood ’05, Jason Borkowski ’04, Corey Lowry ’04, Erica Farber Lowry ’03, and Bobby Finley ’03.

From left: JP McFeely, Brian Eyerman, Brett Kelly, Scott Byrom, Brandon Hunt, Eric Byrom, Tony Fusaro

Stephanie Urchick D’04 has been appointed to the Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees. She will serve as a trustee until the end of June 2014. Trustees are responsible for managing the business of the Foundation, the not-for profit corporation supported solely by Rotarians and other’s voluntary contributions.

The current board of trustees consists of 15 appointed Rotarians from throughout the world, including Australia, Spain, the United States, Scotland, Korea, Canada, Brazil, Taiwan, India, Uganda, and Japan. Stephanie was selected as a trustee because of her outstanding passion and involvement in Rotary and commitment to Rotary’s highest ideal of Service Above Self.

“The world starts in our back yard, but it doesn’t end there. Helping others and impacting lives around the world begins with a single person,” Stephanie said. “The Foundation is the arm of Rotary which educates and improves the quality of life for people and children most in need, and I am honored to have been chosen as a trustee of this responsibility.”

Stephanie joined Rotary in 1991 and is currently a member of the Canonsburg-Houston Rotary Club. She served as Rotary District 7330 governor in 1998–1999 and was a representative for the Council on Legislation in 2004 and 2007. Her international service with Rotary includes traveling to India and Nigeria for National Immunization Days, securing mammography equipment in Poland, and installing bio-sand filters in homes throughout the Dominican Republic. She is a Rotary benefactor, Bequest Society member, and major donor and has received the Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award.

Stephanie is executive director of the Southpointe CEO Association and the Southpointe Property Owners’ Association. She handles business development for Robert Morris University and owns a presentation-skills coaching business.

She graduated with her Doctorate in Leadership from IUP in 2004 and received a Master’s in Education from Duquesne University in 1985 and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania is 1976. She lives in Canonsburg, Pa.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are 1.2 million Rotary members in 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary clubs have been serving communities worldwide for more than a century. Western Pennsylvania Rotary Districts 7280, 7300, and 7330 consist of 135 Rotary clubs which hold 3,903 members as of July 1, 2012. For more information, visit Rotary.

Carol Ackerman (center) receiving the award from Andreas Bindszus of Phillips Healthcare, sponsor of the Clinical leadership Award, and Jill Arzouman, treasurer of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses.

Carol Ackerman M’07, a registered nurse clinician on 3Mansfield at UPMC McKeesport, received the 2011 Clinical Leadership Award.

The award was presented by the Academy of Medical-Surgeon Nurses at the 20th annual convention, held in Boston on September 8 with over 1,000 attendees.

The award celebrates a medical-surgeon nurse whose leadership qualities emulate the highest of professional standards and who has improved the image and practice of medical-surgeon nurses.

Carol’s nomination for this award detailed her clinical expertise and compassionate care for her patients. Her accomplishments include authoring a booklet, “A Chemotherapy Guide for the Medical-Surgical Nurse,” and publishing “not on My Watch: Treating and Preventing Pressure Ulcers” in the January 2011 MedSurg Nursing.

Carol is a certified nurse in medical-surgical nursing and is preparing to sit for the Gerontology Certification exam. She is a certified teacher to the elderly, serving as a facilitator for the Agless Wisdom program. She also leads the effort for community outreach, helping to raise funds for the support of cancer patients and their families.

Dorothy Gardner Dringman ’55, a retired teacher, has traveled extensively to Alaska, New Zealand, and Australia. During her travels, she made a new friend with this baby kangaroo, who “loves to snuggle!”

Dorothy lives in Berthoud, Colo., where she “designed, built, and moved into [her] final home.”

Bob Marchesani (right) receiving the Eddie Knight Award of Merit

Phi Kappa Psi National Fraternity presented Bob Marchesani ’83, M’89 the Eddie Knight Award of Merit during its recent convention in San Antonio, Texas.

Marchesani is the 21st member of the fraternity to receive the award, which is named after an 1893 initiate at the fraternity’s Wabash College chapter who was a stalwart of Phi Kappa Psi over his life.

Marchesani has served in a variety of elected and appointed volunteer roles on the national, regional, and local level since his initiation into the fraternity in 1979. Between 2008–2010, Marchesani also served as chairman of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, the trade association of all men’s college fraternities.

Jeff Gittler ’80, CPA and a partner in the Philadelphia accounting, tax, and business consulting firm Citrin Cooperman, was the top-earning participant in the 2012 Relay for Life, held June 22–23, 2012, in Ocean City, N.J. The event held particular significance for the accounting firm, as Jeff will celebrate one year of being cancer-free in August.

The company’s team, named Citrin Cooperman Cares, raised more than $5,500 in the fight against cancer through its participation in the event, and Jeff raised more than $2,100.

“I hope that my success will be an inspiration for others who are similarly diagnosed,” Jeff said. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel after a cancer diagnosis. I would like to thank my colleagues who participated in this year’s Relay For Life, as well as the wonderful donors who helped us far exceed our fundraising goal of $1,000.”

In June 2011, Jeff was awaiting surgery to treat kidney cancer. Today, thanks to an exceptional surgeon and the support of his family, friends, and coworkers, he is cancer-free.

Relay For Life provides an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At the event, teams camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Relay For Life is a 24-hour event in recognition of the fact that cancer never sleeps. Relay participants do not have to walk all night, but each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Members of the Citrin Cooperman Cares team camped out at Ocean City High School, taking turns walking the track.

“Citrin Cooperman is proud to support the American Cancer Society and our own Jeff Gittler through the firm’s participation in Relay For Life,” Mark Carrow, Citrin Cooperman managing partner, said. “We thank our team members and donors for their assistance this year, and look forward to supporting and participating in Relay 2013.”

Jeff brings more than 30 years of experience to Citrin Cooperman and is a member of the firm’s Quality Control Group. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a technical manager at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Since 1980, he has worked for a number of accounting firms in Eastern Pennsylvania, providing accounting and tax services to a variety of industries.

The Citrin Cooperman Cares Relay for Life Group. Jeff Gittler is in the back row, in front of the ferris wheel.

Front row: Ryan Kennedy ’10
First row, from left: Ryan Stefan ’07, Ben Kift ’09, Craig Wilson ’08, Charles Gouldner ’79, Dan Chimino ’08
Second row, from left: Maureen Cassidy Trovato ’80, Heather Bowden Oglesby ’97, Katie Morgan Gouldner ’09, Jason Gouldner ’09, Sarah Gibbs ’11, Claire Greenhill ’09, Cathy Kowalski Gouldner ’80
Third row, from left: Andrew Shantz ’08, Steve Seaman ’88, Tyler Harner, Keith Myers ’06, Emily Clawson ’09, Karyn Kowalski Mrowka ’97, Nicole Blessing ’10

Annemarie Vaccaro M’96 has just published Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth. This timely book chronicles the struggles of LGBT youth and offers strategies for support.

Recent studies find that LGBT youth face bullying at a much higher rate than their straight peers and gender conforming peers and are at increased risk for suicide. Without support, LGBT youth struggle interpersonally and academically. The authors illuminate these challenges as well as the triumphs of LGBT youth through compelling personal narratives from more than 100 LGBT individuals and allies. Safe Spaces chronicles the lives of LGBT youth of all ages, weaving together recent news stories, research studies, and public policy trends. Action Steps and Reflection Points are embedded throughout, offering readers positive and tangible ways to make their own homes, schools, and communities more inclusive and welcoming of LGBT people.

“Campus Pride commends the authors of this timely and thoughtful book. This is a ‘must read’ for anyone wanting to help make safer, more welcoming places for LGBT youth.”
—Shane Windmeyer, founder/executive director, Campus Pride

Safe Spaces points readers to a host of community and national LGBT resources and includes a bibliography of academic, policy, and news material related to LGBT issues. Readers will learn creative ways to support LGBT-friendly teachers, coaches, community leaders, and family members and to challenge those that are not.

Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth is available for sale online and Amazon.com.

About the Authors

Annemarie Vaccaro, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Rhode Island. She has served as a facilitator for the national Campus Pride professional development series for LGBT student advisors and is cocreator of a faculty fellows program designed to assist college faculty in making their curriculum LGBT inclusive. Her research on diversity has been published in various journals, including Journal of LGBT Youth, Journal of GLBT Family Studies, and Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health.

Gerri August, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of Educational Studies at Rhode Island College. She serves on the board of Infinity Volunteers and has cofacilitated a workshop series aimed at training teachers on diversity. She was recently honored as an Education Alliance Fellow at Brown University and is a faculty advisor for the LGBT student organization at Rhode Island College.

Megan Kennedy, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Education Department at Westfield State University. She has copresented at regional and national conferences on the topic of LGBT literature in the classroom and is a faculty advisor for Westfield State University’s LGBT student organization.

Financial professional Victor Conrad ’87, CFP, ChFC, AIF, CPA, founder of Pinnacle Financial Strategies, an independent wealth management firm located in Wexford, Pa., has been named a 2012 Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager by Crescendo Business Services. Victor was also named as a Five Star Wealth Manager in 2009, the inaugural year for this recognition, as well as in 2010 and 2011.

Those named Five Star Wealth Managers represent less than 7 percent of the wealth managers in the Pittsburgh area. Recipients were selected using extensive research via mail and phone of approximately 40,000 high-net-worth residents in the Pittsburgh area and Pittsburgh Magazine subscribers. In addition, approximately 6,000 surveys were sent to leaders of local financial services companies. Only wealth managers with at least five years of experience were considered.

Each wealth manager was reviewed for regulatory and civil judicial actions as well as customer complaints as reported by FINRA and other regulatory agencies. Then, before finalizing the list, the wealth managers were reviewed by a blue-ribbon panel comprised of knowledgeable individuals from within the financial services industry. Safeguards were in place to reduce the ability of the panel members to influence the final selection of recipients based on company affiliation.

Michael Lambert, right, receives the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from David Curd, president of Harrison-Middleton University

Michael Lambert ’68, M’69 was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, degree by Harrison-Middleton University, Tempe, Arizona, a nationally accredited “Great Books” university.

The degree was awarded in recognition of Michael’s 40 years of outstanding service to the field of accredited distance education.

Michael joined the staff of the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) in 1972 following service in the U.S. Army Reserve Quartermaster Corps. He was appointed executive director of DETC in 1992. DETC is the federally recognized accrediting association for free-standing distance education colleges and universities.

Michael was named an IUP Distinguished Alumnus in 1998.

He serves with former IUP President David Werner on the Council for Higher Education Accreditation's (CHEA) Committee on Recognition, a national body that is charged with recommending which accrediting associations merit formal  recognition by CHEA.

Michael, a native of Indiana, has been married to Carol Kofmehl Lambert ’68 for 43 years, having raised three sons. They live in Springfield, Virginia.

Kate Glaws ’07, an IUP alumnus and current doctoral student in the School of Physical Therapy at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, has been selected for the Sports Physical Therapy Residency Program at the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

The residency is one of 22 APTA-credentialed programs in sports physical therapy in the United States.

Kate was selected from among 30 applicants to the program and will begin the 16-month residency after graduating with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Belmont in August 2012.

“This is a notable accomplishment for Kate, as this process is highly competitive due to the limited number of positions available in the United States,” Michael Voight, a professor in the School of Physical Therapy at Belmont, said. “Kate exemplifies all of the characteristics required to excel in this type of post-graduate education. The residency at OSU is considered one of the best in the country with a very distinguished faculty.”

The OSU residency provides opportunities to receive clinical training in sports physical therapy from physical therapists and physicians specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine, to participate in research at the University’s biomechanics research laboratory, and to treat sports patients. Residents gain experience working with OSU’s athletic programs, treating athletes in Division I sports, club sports, and at USA National Governing Body of Sports Medicine events. Residents also instruct orthopedic and cadaveric labs in OSU’s entry-level PT program.

As a PT student at Belmont, Kate coauthored a research study with fellow students Sarahann Callaway, Melissa Mitchell, and Heather Scerbo and faculty members Mike Voight and Pat Sells. The study explored the relationship between peak pelvis rotation, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus strength on a golfer’s handicap. The study was published in the June 2012 edition of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

Kate entered the DPT program at Belmont after graduating from IUP’s Cook Honors College with a degree in accounting. At IUP, Kate was team captain of the women’s basketball team for two years, and, in her senior season, led the Crimson Hawks to the PSAC Conference Championship and the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen, where she was selected to the All-Tournament team. She also was named to ESPN the Magazine’s Academic All-District II Women’s Basketball First Team in 2007 following a Second Team selection in 2006.

Darlene Farren Piazza M’85 was appointed director of Nursing for Pleasant View Retirement Community.

Darlene graduated with an A.S.N. in Nursing from Mount Aloysius College (Cresson, Pa.), a B.S.N. and M.S.N. from Gwynedd-Mercy College (Gwynedd Valley, Pa.) and a Ph.D. in Administration and Leadership of Non-Profit and Public Sectors from IUP.

She has served as director of Nursing and director of Residential Services in Skilled Nursing and Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Before coming to Pleasant View, she was director of Nursing at 58th Street Presbyterian Home in Philadelphia. She has also held numerous positions in the long-term care industry, including corporate manager of Quality, Regulatory, and Corporate Compliance and manager of Occupational Health. During her tenure in Acute Care, she served as a nurse manager, critical care manager, and vice president of Nursing.

In addition to her extensive experience and education, she is a licensed nursing home administrator and personal care administrator in Pennsylvania, and she holds numerous certifications in healthcare safety and occupational health.

Darlene resides in the Philadelphia area.

Molly Blehi Filler ’04 and her husband, Joshua Filler ’04, are sharing this photo of their 20-month daughter, Violet Bean.

“My husband and I met at IUP and graduated in the summer of 2004 (me with a B.A. in Communications, he with a B.A. in Communications and Philosophy),” Molly said. “We desperately tried to have our July 7, 2006, wedding on campus, but were denied by the powers that be. Nevertheless, I insisted on having our wedding photos taken in the Oak Grove (a place near and dear to my heart).

“We currently reside in Madison, Wis. I am an e-learning designer for Epic, a company that develops electronic medical record software, and my husband is now a college professor in philosophy at a small liberal arts school in Ripon, Wis.”

Newlyweds Molly and Joshua Filler in the Oak Grove

“We took these pictures of Violet and I thought of sending them on—just so I could brag about a very special “product” of our matriculation and so you (or whoever might be interested) could see that, though we’re far from IUP, we still show our school spirit!”

William Davie Jr. ’91 received the U.S. Department of Commerce’s highest honorary award, the Gold Medal, for his role in providing vital new statistics about the health care, transportation, and financial sectors of the U.S. economy to public and private data users. Secretary of Commerce John Bryson presented him with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

William is assistant division chief for Research and Methodology in the Service Sector Statistics Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. He lives in La Plata, Maryland, with his wife, Heather, and children, Emma and Ryan. He is the son of Mary Oravec Davie ’61, M’64, of Vintondale, Pennsylvania.

Luke Hingson ’08, an associate at Colliers International Pittsburgh, earned a Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) degree from Georgetown University, where he completed his thesis on Public and Private Partnerships and their impact on urban redevelopment.

“Luke’s sabbatical at Georgetown represents two important achievements for our firm; Luke accelerated his success in the industry, and our clients are in a better position to grow their investment portfolios through Luke’s new contacts and educational experience,” said Gregg Broujos, managing director and founding principal at Colliers International Pittsburgh.

Luke is a specialist in investment brokerage services, responsible for assisting with the acquisition and disposition of investment properties for both institutional and private clients. Prior to joining Colliers International, Luke worked as an associate with NAI Pittsburgh Commercial. Before that, he worked as an intern in the finance department for the Fortune 500 company Bombardier Transportation. He also has past experience working for a marketing solutions company as a sales representative.

Luke is a native of Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and a licensed real estate salesperson in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He brings vast experience to the commercial real estate industry with a focus on investment property sales. His responsibilities include assisting Colliers International expand its services to various organizations and institutions throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region.

“I’m extremely excited to be back at Colliers International Pittsburgh,” Luke said. “Our national investment services group is positioned well globally to service our investors at a very high level. I want to thank the Pittsburgh office for their tremendous support while I was pursuing my master’s degree at Georgetown.”

In addition to the MRED degree, Luke holds a Bachelor of Science degree from IUP, with a major in Finance, Marketing, and Accounting. He is a Dean’s List student and received the Award of Achievement at IUP. He is also an active volunteer with the Brother’s Brother Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based international charitable organization which has provided more than $3.4 billion in humanitarian supplies to people around the world.

Margaret “Peggy” Pisula Miller ’80 was recently welcomed as a project manager in Rettew’s environmental engineering group.

“Peggy brings to Rettew a wealth of experience in working with the federal government and proven expertise in water and wastewater,” said Mark Lauriello, president of Rettew.

Miller is responsible for business development in the federal market sector. Specifically, she is tasked with building and maintaining client relationships in the federal market and coordinating with project managers and subconsultants on a wide range of federal government projects. Miller also provides project management expertise on various water and wastewater projects. She works primarily from Rettew’s Mechanicsburg, Pa., office.

Miller has more than 20 years of experience working with several governmental agencies on the federal level, including the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, she has more than 31 years of experience in water and wastewater system investigation; design, operations, and treatment; management; regulatory negotiation; permitting; and federal, state, and local regulation compliance. Her project management experience includes a wide range of diverse environmental and engineering projects. She is well versed in permit preparation; design, operations, and maintenance evaluations; water quality evaluations; and water quality investigations and laboratory studies, including process pilot plant studies, permit applications, permit management, and expert witness testimony for court proceedings.

An active member of the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association (PMAA), Miller represents PMAA on several Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection advisory committees, including the Chesapeake Bay Point Source Advisory Committee, the Chesapeake Bay Water Implementation Plan (WIP) Phase I Committee, and the Chesapeake Bay WIP Phase II Committee. She is also a member of the Central Pennsylvania Water Quality Association, the Society of American Military Engineers, and the Water Works Operators’ Association of Pennsylvania.

Miller has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She resides in Hanover, Adams County, Pa.

Rettew is an Engineering News-Record top 500 design firm providing engineering, transportation, environmental consulting, planning, and surveying services.

She received a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 to pursue a career as a digital and audiovisual archivist.

In February 2012, Leslie Miller Purser ’80 was promoted in the United States Army Reserve to Major General.

Her husband (a retired Army officer) and their children, both officers in the Army, did the honors. The Chief of the Army Reserve and commander of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, Lieutenant General Jack Stultz, officiated the ceremony in her hometown of Towanda, Pa.

From left: First Lieutenant Justin Purser, Captain Jennifer Purser, Major General Leslie Purser, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Joe Purser, and Lieutenant General Jack Stultz

In the 2012 edition of Chambers USA, Kim Burke ’77, of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, was named a “Top Ranked” attorney and a “Leader in Their Field” in Natural Resources and Environment.

Chambers and Partners, based in London, prepares several renowned directories worldwide which rank leading lawyers based upon their reputation among peers and clients.

Keith Allen ’79, M’83 has been named senior vice president of human resources and chief human resources officer for Froedtert Health. In this role, Allen will be responsible for ensuring that human resource initiatives are closely aligned with Froedtert Health’s overall strategic objectives, working closely with leadership to define human capital requirements and programs, and to oversee critical functions, including recruitment, retention, assessment, succession, management development, compensation and rewards, work practices, quality initiatives, and change management.

Allen comes to Froedtert Health from the University of Maryland Medical System, where he served as vice president of human resources for seven years. He previously served in human resources leadership roles for Baltimore-based Lifebridge Health, Memorial Health System in Springfield, Illinois, and Pittsburgh-based Allegheny University Hospitals.

“With a deep background in multi-hospital academic and community medical environments, Keith brings a proven track record to Froedtert Health,” Dennis Pollard, Froedtert Health’s chief operating officer, said. “Specifically, his experience with championing the implementation of a comprehensive customer service program is well aligned with our commitment to performance excellence.”

Allen holds a master of arts degree in industrial and labor relations and a bachelor of arts degree in criminology and sociology, both from IUP. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.

Froedtert Health is a regional health care organization made up of Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee; Community Memorial Hospital, Menomonee Falls; St. Joseph’s Hospital, West Bend; and Froedtert Health Medical Group.

From July 7 to August 11, 2012, the Race Street Artists’ Co-op in Martinsburg, W.Va., presents “Rivermaids,” photographer Dane Konop’s (B.A. English 1975) visual paean to the continuing allure of the magical spirits that humans for millennia have believed inhabit springs, lakes, and streams, usually in female form.

The collection includes archival-quality photos of six local beauties on the Potomac River who reveal their obviously adventurous spirit and special rapport with the water.  The show opens July 7 with a catered reception from 7:00–9:00 p.m. at the Co-op.  Parental discretion is advised, as the collection includes nudes. 

For more information, e-mail DKonop@aol.com or call 304-876-3628.

Konop lives in Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Kelley Gordon D’09 is proud to announce the birth of her daughter, Emma Katherine Gordon-Reed, on January 31, 2012.

Rising from the swamps of Savannah, Georgia, a musty and unrepentant sound can be heard: Conquistadork, the full-length debut album of comedian Phil Keeling ’05.

Recorded by producer Zach Graber to a full house at the Muse Arts Warehouse on February 17, 2012, Conquistadork packs the better part of an hour with murder biscuits, Internet-fuelled moral quandaries, and miscellaneous deviancy that calls for timpani beside the bed.

Keeling’s previous work includes his tenure as an editor and columnist for the viral site ClassyHands.com, in addition to performances as far from home as the Hollywood Improv.

Hailed by Connect Savannah as “a charter member of (Savannah’s) loosely-knit association of funnymen and women,” Keeling has been the driving force behind a renaissance of indie stand-up that sprung from open mics in Savannah in 2009. Since taking up the mic, Keeling’s work has guided the current comedy scene from what was once a sleepy tourist side-step into a vital and competitive culture. Performers learn from each other. Hecklers spill their guts. Venue owners have started paying their talent. These are the rumblings of a storm hurtling toward bigger things, with the first thunderclap brought down by Keeling’s debut.

Conquistadork is available for download at CDBaby.com and Amazon.com, with preorders for the compact disc accepted at the MurderBiscuit website.

Nicole Bader and Maury Povich

After working at WIUP-TV as a host for a daily talk show (In a Nutshell) during her undergrad years, Nicole Bader ’08 moved to New York City to work for NBC’s The Maury Show after a successful summer internship. After rising to associate producer during her three and a half years with NBC, her contact came to an end, “and I decided to spread my wings.”

Nicole’s next opportunity came with the Style Network’s Jerseylicious reality show. She will be featured on a couple of episodes, including the season finale (airing in summer 2012) with major camera time while she was brought on as an event planner, taking advantage of her background in producing and planning. On Jerseylicious, she will be launching her own event planning company.

2K Millennium Promotions have just hired Nicole, giving her another opportunity to market and publicize for companies such as the Yankees, Knicks, Nets, 76ers, and many popular salons and day spas in the tri-state area.

An associate professor of rhetoric and writing at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Amy Clark D’05 has two books coming out this year.

Success in Hill Country, published by the Napoleon Hill Foundation, is a collection of oral histories by Appalachians who have achieved success using Hill’s principles from his bestseller Think and Grow Rich.

A second book, Talking Appalachian: Voice, Identity, and Community, which she co-edited with retired IUP English professor Nancy Hayward, will be published by the University Press of Kentucky. A collection of research, fiction, and creative nonfiction, this volume combines scholarly and interpretive works about Appalachian dialects from Western Pennsylvania to Northern Georgia. The co-editors assembled a panel on the subject for the Appalachian Studies Association’s national conference at IUP in March.

Amy is founding director of UVa-Wise’s Appalachian Writing Project, a nonprofit that aims to improve the teaching of writing. Her dissertation, “In Our Mothers’ Words: The Vernacular Literacy Practices of Central Appalachian Women,” was a finalist for the James Berlin Dissertation of the Year Award. She also won the Harrison Award for Outstanding Teaching at UVa-Wise in 2005.

She makes her home in Big Stone Gap, Va., with her husband, Bryan Spain, and their two children.

Photo: Tim and Angel Cox

Elaine Allen ’04, CEO of Perfect Perceptions Publishing, announces the release of her debut novel, No Ordinary Love, in April 2012.

We think that when one door closes another one opens, but what if love had a revolving door?

Discover friendships riddled by sex, lies, and love. Casey and Catrina grow up fast in North Philadelphia; spending their adolescent years running the rough streets, chasing their dreams and their men. Read how their lives unfold and get put back together in this fast-paced coming of age drama. Take a rollercoaster ride through their tragedies and triumphs, and share in their determination, their faith in friendship, and their love as they discover that Love is anything other than Ordinary.

This book will take you down memory lane, evoking emotions that allow you question or test your theory about what you think you’d do in certain circumstances pertaining to matters of the heart.

You can find this book in print and ebook format at Amazon.com, Createspace.com, and directly from Perfect Perceptions Publishing, where you will find an excerpt from the novel. An exerpt is also available here.

Margaret Judge Amoroso ’79, an attorney with the Pennsylvania labor union and employment law firm Willig, Williams, & Davidson, has been appointed as an interim member of the Township Council of Middletown Township in Delaware County, Pa. Recently sworn in, Amoroso is filling a vacancy in the Township’s Second District. She will run for the permanent seat in the April 24, 2012, special election.

From left, first row: Colleen Lissey, Susan Jones Harper, Millie Vitolo Gallo
Second row: Bob Whalen, Ricki Pirozzi Krivijanski, Janet Hilderbrand, Marilyn Yesko Whalen, Pat Gurgovits Watson, Ron Smith
Third row: Bill Stout

Bill started a four-year term in January 2012 as a Millvale, Pa., borough councilman and was elected president pro tempore. That same month, he was elected to the board of the Society for the Preservation of the Murals of Maxo Vanka at St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale and is the new director of docents and docent training. He also finished his first year as vice president of the Millvale Community Library board of trustees.

Salisbury University (Md.) appointed Dane Foust ’81, M’83 as vice president of Student Affairs.

“After thoroughly vetting a number of excellent candidates, I am very pleased to announce that Dr. Dane Foust has emerged the top finalist and has accepted my offer,” said SU President Janet Dudley-Eshbach.  “Dr. Foust has served the community extremely well since 2006 when he came to Salisbury as our associate vice president of Student Affairs.  More recently, upon the departure of Dr. Ellen Neufeldt last summer, Dane has served as interim vice president of Student Affairs.  Accordingly, he brings significant knowledge of the campus community, enrollment management, assessment, retention, housing and all areas of student support to the vice presidency.”

“I’m grateful for this opportunity provided by President Dudley-Eshbach. It is a pleasure to work at an institution that is moving forward,” Foust said.  “These are challenging times for higher education.  Fortunately, there is strong leadership here, with a positive ‘get it done’ attitude.  I’m proud to be part of this team.”

Foust holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s in student affairs from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and for more than two decades has worked at campuses in Pennsylvania and New York as well as Salisbury.

With many years of experience in housing and residence life, Foust is an enthusiastic supporter of SU’s Living Learning Communities, which now offer some 15 options ranging from the performing arts to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).  He was a leader in the development of SU’s $45 million Sea Gull Square residence-retail complex and the ongoing renovation of the campus’ traditional residence halls.  In the coming year, that work will focus on Choptank and Chester halls, six-story, 234-bed high rises, undergoing some $12.5 million in renovations.  The new buildings will have state-of-the-art living-learning community classrooms.

As an active accreditor for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Foust has reviewed seven institutions nationwide, giving him valuable insights into campus success.  Foust said he will continue to champion a strong collaborative approach to shaping the culture and look of SU.  Foust is also a believer in the Fulton School of Liberal Arts’ curriculum reform, which encourages outside-the-classroom collaborative learning.  He cited a recent program co-sponsored by the Graduate Student Association, Student Government Association and the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement about gay marriage which generated considerable student conversation and debate.  “I want timely and thought-provoking programs such as this to grow,” he said.

One critical area for the university that Foust oversees is student enrollment and recruitment.  Many times prospective students apply to more than one campus.  The university tracks, for assessment purposes, which institutions they apply to.  The top five “cross over” campuses for SU students for this upcoming year are James Madison, UMBC, University of Delaware, UMCP, and Towson, he said.  Among the top 25 are Penn State, Drexel, Virginia Tech, George Mason, South Carolina, and other well-regarded campuses.   “Salisbury is keeping good company with many institutions with strong academic reputations.  In addition, countering national trends, the number of SU applicants is up by more that 10 percent so far this year, and the academic quality of incoming students is continuing to rise as well.”

One of Foust’s passions is volunteerism.  He is a graduate of Leadership Maryland, a select group of executives who are informed of the critical issues facing the state. In the greater community he has served with Shore Leadership and is a member of the board of directors of Village of Hope. 

As director of student life on the Semester at Sea program, he led almost 700 students around the world on a 100-day educational experience.  As part of the program, they traveled to South Africa, where they assisted in programs designed to nourish small children.  He also led students to India, where they worked with children whose parents had been killed by a tsunami and were living at an orphanage sponsored by Mother Teresa.  “In their voyage around the world, they learned what a privilege it is to be part of the country we live in.  It is something to be proud of—and we have a global responsibility.  Only one in 1,000 people worldwide has a college education.  Programs that teach college students service, civility, and community responsibility are important to me.”

Student affairs divisions traditionally play crucial roles in American higher education.  According to a front-page feature in the current Chronicle of Higher Education, the nation’s most highly regarded academic news source, the American model of learning outside the classroom increasingly is being adapted and implemented globally.  Higher education providing  “a holistic student experience of both academic and personal development,” long held in the United States and Canada,  “is gaining currency on other continents.”  Student services to cultivate leadership and citizenship, career and employment opportunities, mental and other health counseling, and student retention—these and more are becoming part of university programs in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, the Chronicle said. 

In North America, such services are usually under the umbrella of student affairs.  Foust will lead a division of 16 areas and offices with a staff of 130.

Gustave Guenther before the start of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on February 4 in Fairbanks, Alaska (Dean Cunkelman photo)

Alaskan dogsledder Gustave Guenther, featured in “Call of the Wild” from IUP Magazine’s Fall-Winter issue, finished 13th in the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. He completed the thousand-mile course from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon, on February 16 in 11 days and 19 hours.

“I was extremely pleased. It’s an extremely competitive race,” said Gus, who graduated from IUP in 2011, though he entered with the Class of 1990. Gus noted that, in a typical Yukon Quest, as many as one-third of participants don’t finish because of the course’s difficulty.

Gus’s team had a rough start, he said. Three of the dogs developed kennel cough early on, and Gus had to give them plenty of rest to keep their immunity up. Eventually, he had to leave three dogs with a handler and finish the race with a smaller team. Despite that, he consistently had some of the fastest running times of the race.

“The dogs were very healthy and amazing,” he said. “The last 50 miles of a thousand-mile race, I was stepping on the break. They were running stronger and stronger. Twelve days across some of the roughest wilderness, and they were thriving.”

The weather was warm compared to last year, when temperatures dipped to 50 below zero, Gus said. While it was 20 to 30 below for the Alaskan portion of the trail, temperatures were around zero on the Canadian side. Gus combated the relative warmth by running after dark, which he said he prefers anyway.

Gus Guenther and his team of dogs lined up at the start of the race February 4 in Fairbanks, Alaska. (Dean Cunkelman photo)

He described the trail as far more challenging than that of the Iditarod, a race he’s run twice, yet the dogs fully recovered within a week. In fact, two weeks after finishing the Quest, they were to start the better-known thousand-mile trek.

What makes that possible is the dogs’ training, Gus said. “A 50-, 60-, or 70-mile run is just another afternoon to them. They’re in the peak of their condition. I’ve been doing this 20 years, and I’m still amazed at how they continue to get stronger.”

At the halfway point, Gus wondered how they would go another 500 miles pulling so much weight. “Not only did they do it, but they’re happy to do it.”

In addition to testing the dogs’ strength and endurance, the course allowed Gus to push his own limits. “You’re testing yourself against the elements,” he said. “Someone could die out there.”

While Gus was pleased to receive prize money, which goes to the top 15 finishers, he said it offsets the costs of racing only a bit. The bigger prize was seeing the “wild, untouched area” where the course led him. “That will stick with me for the rest of my life,” he said.

“I went in knowing that, if I make it back with healthy dogs and without frostbite, it’s a successful race.”

Fellow Alaskan and alumnus Dean Cunkelman ’98 was on hand to take photos of Gus near the start line. Dean has worked as a safety specialist at ConocoPhillips on Alaska’s North Slope for the last three years. “I love Alaska because I love adventure,” Dean said. “And it is endless here.”

Patricia Orendorff Smith ’64

Patricia Orendorff Smith ’64 can count nearly 40 family members with connections to IUP.

• Her father, Harold Orendorff, came to Indiana State Teachers College in 1958, Patricia wrote. He became chair of the Music Department and later the first dean of Fine Arts in Sprowls Hall. Orendorff Auditorum, named in his honor, was demolished with the renovation of Cogswell Hall, but the Harold S. Orendorff Music Library now stands in its place.
• Patricia’s mother, Genevieve Grace Snyder Orendorff, attended IUP at age 75, taking a course in literature.
• Her brother Harry Orendorff majored in Math and minored in Chemistry. His wife, Carole Peterson Orendorff ’60, majored in Elementary Education.
• Sister JoAnne Orendorff Peterson ’84, now deceased, earned her degree in Elementary Education. Her son, Richard Peterson, studied Computer Science. Her daughter Karyn Peterson Jones ’87 majored in Respiratory Care, and Karyn’s daughter Melissa Jones is studying education. JoAnne’s daughter Kathleen Peterson Zuchelli ’92 studied Early Childhood Education. And, JoAnne's grandchildren David, Shawn, and Andrew Carley also attend or attended IUP.
• While Patricia earned her degree in Elementary Education, her husband, the late Theron C. Smith ’63, studied in Mathematics. Their son Thomas Smith ’92, earned a degree in Safety Science, and his wife, Julie King Smith, received a bachelor’s in Communications Media in ’91 and a master’s in Adult and Community Education in ’93. Patricia and Theron’s son Robert Smith ’95 studied Criminology, and his wife, Kristie Katzenbach Smith ’95, majored in Nursing. The Smiths’ daughter, Lisa Smith Spencer, received a master’s in Adult Education and Communication Technology in ’03. Lisa’s daughter, Brittany Spencer, is studying English at IUP. Another granddaughter, Ashley Carmo, a student in the Robert E. Cook Honors College, is studying Fashion Merchandising. Her father, Thomas Carmo, studied Criminology at IUP.
• Patricia’s sister Mary Beth Orendorff ’68, now deceased, majored in Elementary Education.
• Brother Richard Orendorff ’72 studied Social Science and Liberal Arts, and his late wife, Rita Luther Orendorff, studied Elementary Education. Their daughter, Julie Orendorff Brunetto ’01, majored in Health and Physical Education, and now teaches in the department at IUP.
• Sister Judy Orendorff Adams ’75 earned her degree in Elementary Education, and her daughter Paula Adams studied Art at IUP.
• Sister Cathy Orendorff Nolen ’72 studied Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.
• Brother David Orendorff studied Mathematics.
• Sister Debra Orendorff Henninger ’75, M’79 received both of her degrees in Music Education. Her husband, Warren Henninger, received a bachelor’s in Biology in ’70 and an MBA in ’83. Three sons also attended IUP: Michael Henninger ’06 majored in Journalism, Brian Henninger ’08 studied Spanish Education, and Jonathan Henninger ’11, a student in the Cook Honors College, majored in Biochemistry and minored in Mathematics and Spanish. Jonathan now attends Harvard University and has a medical sciences grant to obtain a Ph.D. in Developmental and Regenerative Biology from the Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate program.
• Sister Roberta Orendorff Borgo ’77 studied Speech and Hearing. Her husband, Robert Borgo ’77, majored in Management.
• Sister Lori Orendorff Layer ’80 majored in Management Information Systems.
• And, cousin Carol Snyder Costanzo ’77 studied Special Education.

David Dougherty ’95

David Dougherty ’95 and his six siblings all graduated from IUP. And the family’s IUP ties have grown through marriages and children. Their parents are the late Owen Dougherty, a longtime football and baseball coach at IUP, and Virginia Dougherty, who received a master’s degree in English from IUP.

• Oldest sibling Edwin Dougherty ’82 has a daughter Laura, who graduated from IUP in 1997.
• Sister Virginia Dougherty Broadbent ’78 is married to Al Broadbent ’78, who was inducted into the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. Al was an All-PSAC soccer selection who played every minute of every game during his IUP career.
• Sister Ellen Dougherty Litzenberger ’84 is married to Jim Litzenberger ’85. Two of their daughters, Erin and Alyssa, currently attend IUP.
• Brother Robert Dougherty ’85 also served as a member of the IUP Council of Trustees.
• Brother Owen Dougherty ’88 was a graduate assistant for the IUP soccer program.
• David’s wife, Stephanie Modrak Dougherty ’92, has ties of her own to IUP. Her father, Thomas Modrak ’65, a former IUP football player who has held front office positions with a number of NFL teams, was inducted into the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Her mother, Sandy, taught in the Health and Physical Education Department.
• Brother Patrick Dougherty ’97 is married to Amy DeFurio Dougherty ’90. Amy’s father, Anthony DeFurio M’68, is a professor emeritus and former chair of the Art Department, and her mother, Nancy DeFurio, worked at the university for many years. Amy also has siblings who graduated from IUP: brothers Tony DeFurio and Kenneth DeFurio, both in 1986, and sister Mary Beth DeFurio Brown in 1994.

Maxine Corbett ’97, owner of Richlin Interiors, is a recipient of an American Society of Interior Designers South Florida Chapter 2011 Design Excellence Award. Corbett was honored in the Historic Renovation–Residential category for her inspired restoration of Victor Alfred Lundy’s Herron House.

“With any historic renovation, my primary drive is to remain true to the structure’s original aesthetic,” said Corbett. “Working on a landmark such as the Herron House allowed me to celebrate Lundy’s vision while also bringing modern industry elements and practices into place.”

The Herron House was designed by Lundy, a noted architect (United States Tax Court Building, Sarasota Chamber of Commerce), in 1957. Lundy exemplified the Florida-based Sarasota School of Architecture school of thought, which was a regional adaptation of Modernist architecture during the 1940s. A trademark design element of Lundy was innovative roof designs, a distinct feature of “Sarasota Modern” and a major design component of the Herron House.

Corbett was tasked with reviving Lundy’s baroque sensibility to the distinct home. Vaulted southern pine arches, shaded outdoor areas, intricate brick layouts, and purposeful plays on natural light were just some of the features that had been altered by prior owners. The restoration project extended to every element of the house, such as the exterior pool reconfiguration, rotted wood arch replacement, and a major kitchen renovation. When completed, Herron House was again a harmonious theater of light and shadow for the occupant as originally intended. Images from Corbett’s historic restoration project can be found by visiting this Flickr gallery.

Corbett’s efforts were honored on September 24, 2011, at the Design Excellence Awards Ceremony and Celebration. This year’s competition received a record number of entries. Corbett’s entry and all others were judged by an anonymous, out-of-state ASID chapter.

“The Herron House is now being enjoyed by its new owner in great style and, more importantly, in the intended fashion set down by Victor A. Lundy. This additional recognition for my part in restoring a visionary’s masterpiece has made this project even more fulfilling, if possible,” Corbett said.

In addition to being the principal owner/designer of Richlin Interiors, Corbett has served on the board of directors for ASID and as president of the organization’s South Florida Chapter from 2007–2008. A graduate of IUP, Corbett holds a bachelor’s degree in Interior Design and Housing.
Since 1999, Richlin Interiors has specialized in high-end, contemporary, and 20th-century modern designs. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, Richlin Interiors is committed to sustainable design and recognizes the impact buildings have on the environment and society.

Lyn and John Banghart with Marin Alsop

In June 2011, John Banghart ’71 and Lyn (Evelyn) Davis Banghart ’71 attended the BSO Academy, an annual, intensive, week-long study program that helps musicians reach new levels of artistic achievement through learning and performance opportunities with the world-class Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Marin Alsop.

BSO Academy participants experience the creative process of a finely synchronized ensemble first-hand—right alongside BSO players, many of whom have worked together in this orchestra for more than 25 years. There is no other program in the country quite like it. In addition to orchestra rehearsals, sectionals, master classes, and personal lessons, there were enrichment classes led by BSO musicians, activities with Maestra Alsop, and lectures led by local experts. Academy participants and BSO musicians performed together under the leadership of Alsop at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in a full orchestra finale concert.

John Banghart and David Fedderly

John had the privilege of playing alongside David Fedderly, principal tuba with the BSO, and Lyn played second and third horn with the excellent horn section of the BSO. A highlight at the academy for Lyn was meeting world-famous horn player Barry Tuckwell. A video with John and Lyn and other members of the academy can be seen at the BSO Academy website.

Phil Munds, Lyn Banghart, and Barry Tuckwell

John and Lyn graduated from the Music Department at IUP, both with B.S. degrees in Music Education. John studied tuba, and Lyn, flute and piano. Besides holding the position of chief operating officer at the Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund, John is a piano tuner and technician and plays principal tuba with the Mid Shore Community Band in Easton, Md. He is also a member of the Burnished Brass Quintet.

The Bangharts at orchestra rehearsal

Lyn is currently a freelance musician as a piano accompanist and vocalist and has been playing french horn for three years, after a shoulder problem made it difficult to hold the flute. She is studying horn with Philip Munds, principal horn of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Ken Bell, Munds’ assistant and horn professor at Gettysburg College. Lyn is principal horn with the Mid Shore Community Band and plays with the Burnished Brass Quintet.

The Bangharts also sing in the Tidewater Singers, a 24-member choir, and sing bass and soprano in the Tidewater Quartet.

Both the Banghart and Davis families are well represented at IUP. John’s grandmother, Katherine Quiggle Banghart ’18, was a graduate of the Indiana Normal School. Lyn’s mother, Evelyn Thornton Davis ’36, graduated from Indiana State Teachers college as did her sister, Merelyn Davis ’64, currently of Burbank, Calif., where she has retired from the music editing business and now works in photography. Both mother and sister were graduates of the Music Department. Merelyn, previous owner of Merelyn Davis Music, received the IUP Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006. John and Lyn’s son, John Banghart V, currently of Herndon, Va., attended IUP and went on to graduate from Towson State University with a degree in English. He currently works for NIST in the Computer Security Division. His wife, Rebecca Capper Banghart ’91, was also a graduate of IUP, where they met. Rebecca works for Booz Allen Hamilton in structural system design. They have two sons, Stephen, 17, and Jeffrey, 14.

The Bangharts at sectional rehearsal

They also have a daughter, Hannah Walthier, who graduated from Westchester University with a degree in oboe performance. She currently works for Cigna as a customer service senior associate. Her husband, Ethan Walthier, is a graduate of Temple University and works as a photojournalist in the Bethlehem/Allentown area for WFMZ.

John and Lyn met at IUP and have been married for 41 years.

Kelly Reese ’10 received the American Society of Interior Designers South Florida Chapter 2011 Design Excellence Award. Reese was recognized in the Product Design Fixtures–Attached category for her work on a client media wall.

“My goal in creating this wall for our client was to strike a balance of function and form, as he had requested.” Reese said. “While needing to maintain an efficient way to house the electrical components, I wanted to still provide an aesthetic that was pleasing to the eye. I’m honored that ASID FSC recognized those efforts.”

Reese was noted for her achievement by ASID FSC at the 2011 Design Excellence Ceremony and Celebration held September 24, 2011. The competition is judged by an anonymous, out-of-state ASID chapter. This year, ASID FSC received a record number of entries.

As noted in the award submission, Reese’s vision for the media wall included hiding the electrical elements behind a total of eight panels. The panels, a mix of both perforated and non-perforated Spinneybeck leather, were then attached to the unit via Velcro. The end result was a focal point that provided a contemporary visual while still achieving the needs of a robust media center. Images from Reese’s Media Wall project can be found by visiting this Flickr gallery.

“Kelly’s work with Richlin Interiors has continued to complement and enhance our presence in the Florida interior design community,” said Maxine Corbett, Richlin Interiors principal owner and designer. “I’m very proud of Kelly’s recognition by ASID FSC with the 2011 Design Excellence Awards. Her design choices have not only continued to please Richlin Interiors and her clients, but also industry professionals.”

Reese, an allied member of ASID and a LEED green associate, joined Richlin Interiors in 2010. Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Reese graduated magna cum laude from IUP with a B.S. in Interior Design. Additionally, Reese studied in Florence, Italy, with the Florence University of the Arts while studying Italian Renaissance architecture.

Since 1999, Richlin Interiors has specialized in high-end, contemporary, and 20th-century modern designs. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, Richlin Interiors is committed to sustainable design and recognizes the impact buildings have on the environment and society.

Lou Grenci ’79 has been promoted from district manager to regional vice president, Northeastern Region, at Marmon/Keystone Corp., effective January 1, 2012. Grenci will oversee the Butler, Rochester, Cleveland, Hebron, McConnellsburg, New Castle, and Southampton branches.

Grenci started with Marmon/Keystone in 1982 as a junior accountant, and then advanced through positions in accounting, purchasing, inside and outside sales, management of materials and logistics, and branch management.

He holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from IUP. He and wife, Terri Kepple Grenci ’79, reside in Butler, Pa., with their daughter and son.

The Education Department and Community Engagement Department at Propel Braddock Hills High School would like to welcome Matthew Spangler ’08, M’11 to the team. Matthew is the Education Program Manager at WYEP, a radio station located in Pittsburgh. He studied Communications Media and has a Masters in Adult Education and Communication Technology from IUP. Matthew originally found his way to WYEP as an audio production intern after finding a passion for radio at his school's radio station.

Matthew is diving right in to his position teaching radio production at Braddock Hills and Andrew Street Propel schools, leading Teen Center programs and helping to create media for the Holiday Hootenanny.

A peer-reviewed paper written by Suzanne Evagash Miller ’65 has been published by the University of Oxford, Oxford, England. The paper featured the results of a study she created involving the use of contemporary and classic children’s literature to help students distinguish between leaders and bullies.

In March 2011, she was selected to present her findings to academics from around the world who have special interests in children’s literature as they convened at Oxford for an Oxford Round Table symposium.

Miller is professor emerita in the department of education at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. She received a B.S. in Business Education from IUP, an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Penn State, and her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Duquesne University.

In a career that spans more than 45 years, she has taught in elementary, secondary, and higher education settings.

Russ retired last year as the assistant special agent in charge of the United State Secret Service’s Chicago Field Office. Throughout his 25-year-career, he served on the presidential details of George W. Bush and William J. Clinton.

Russ lives in Downers Grove, Illinois, with his wife, Stacy Tannehill Collett ’86, and their 16-year-old triplet daughters, Caitlyn, Devin, and Kelsey. Stacy, a freelance writer for a series of business and high technology magazines, has also coached the local high school cheerleaders, qualifying the team for state championships the last two years.

Burns White LLC announced the promotion of Theresa Cignetti ’97 to member status.

Since 2004, Cignetti has specialized in workers’ compensation issues and litigation, representing both self-insured companies and insurance carriers before workers’ compensation judges, as well as the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. In addition to litigation-related matters, she advises employers on a wide variety of risk management issues related to workers’ compensation, as well as Medicare compliance.

Burns White LLC is a full-service law firm that provides corporate, litigation and consulting counsel to clients operating across a broad spectrum of industries nationwide.

Kelly Fisher Cherry, a local author who graduated from IUP in 1996 with a degree in Journalism, is writing under the pen name of Kelly Killian and recently self-published her first book. Love, Emily – A Love Story from the Files of Jessica Summer is the first book of a series of love stories centering on young women in their 20s who all seek relationship advice from Jessica Summer.

The book is available on the Nook, Kindle and in paperback from Amazon. 

Kelly started out attempting to publish her books the traditional way, by finding an agent who would buy the rights and market the book for her. But, upon learning more about the process, she began to think that in this day and age, it might be more beneficial to take the route of self-publishing.

“Things are different than they were ten years ago,” she said. “With the inception and subsequent popularity of e-readers, coupled with social media marketing on the Internet, an author’s fate is really in his own hands. No one is going to care about my book as much as I do, and no one is going to take the time and attention I will to get my book out there.”

While it is possible for an author to publish on Amazon without having a publisher, Kelly opted to start her own publishing company, Divi Publishing, LLC.

“I wanted to keep my options open as far as publishing goes,” Kelly said. “There are so many people out there who want to write books, and if I can help them out by publishing them through my company, it’s something I would consider doing.”

About the Author

Kelly Killian was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town most historically noted for a devastating flood in 1889 and known by those who live there for the steel mill industry and the grounded, humble, friendly attitudes of their neighbors. Kelly is a graduate of Conemaugh Valley High School and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a degree in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations. After graduation from college, Kelly’s first professional job took her to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, where she still resides today with her husband and three ragdoll cats.

About the Series

The Jessica Summer Series involves women of all different backgrounds who have one thing in common—confusion in their love lives. Each one of them has turned to seeking the advice of Jessica Summer to help them straighten out whatever issues they are encountering throughout their journeys. The advice is not always followed, but the story surrounding the letters is heartwarming, fun, and relatable to women who have found themselves in relationship struggles at one time or another in their lives.

Love, Emily is the first book of the Jessica Summer Series.  The next book, Love, Rachel, is coming soon in 2012. For updated information on this author and the series, please visit the Kelly Killian website.

Bob Cunningham ’93 is one of the 100 top Impact and Education Game Changers, featured in the Huffington Post on October 13, 2011. 

As headmaster of the Gateway Schools, Cunningham oversaw building of the school’s new home on the Upper West Side, which opened this fall as the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified school in Manhattan, where he hopes to cultivate a “healthier learning environment.”

The Gateway Schools in New York City serve lower and middle school students ages 5 to 12 who have learning disabilities and their families.

“Today, we observe the inauguration and founding of Western Illinois University. It is a day of celebration, a day of hope, and a day where we observe the past, the present and the future,” Tomas said, addressing members of the board of trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, the university community, and others. Thomas was named president in January 2011 and began his duties July 1.

Thomas, who hails from Calhoun, Alabama, earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his master’s degree from Virginia State University and his bachelor’s degree from Alabama A & M University.

Find Thomas’ complete inaugural address.

WIU President Emeritus Al Goldfarb (left) and WIU Board of Trustees Chair Michael Houston (right) present Jack Thomas with the official WIU presidential hood, medallion, and cap during the Sept. 23 investiture ceremony. Photo courtesy of WIU Visual Production Center.

James “Jamie” Flaherty ’02 married Rebecca Bouboulis on August 6, 2011.

IUP grads in attendance at the ceremony included best man Heather Woodside ’00 and, filling in for father of the groom, Terrence Flaherty ’75.

Back row, from left: Terrence Flaherty, Troy West ’02, Josh Kamerer, Allen Yeckley ’99, M’01, Mike Chapman ’05, Mike “Red” Briggs ’05, Tatianna Losk ’04, Sumin Chacko, Tom Schwarz
Front row, from left: Jessie Schaney Kamerer ’05, Janine Schaney Briggs, Meghann Schaney Chapman ’02, Heather Woodside, Matt “Puff” Rafferty ’01, Jamie Flaherty, David Stitt ’02, Doug Augustine, Justin Kulik ’00, Darlene McCallum McDonald, Kevin McDonald ’99
Missing from photo, but in attendance, was Jason Spearman

Christopher Taylor ’99 has been named the new president of the Clay Studio, a world-renowned ceramic arts learning center located in Philadelphia, Pa. Taylor is succeeding Amy Sarner Williams, who will step down after 10 years as the leader of the organization.

"I am very excited to join the team of the Clay Studio. Along with the board, staff, and community of artists, we will be working to plot a course that builds upon our success and strengthens our position for years to come," Taylor said.

Taylor was selected after a nationwide search. He brings a wide variety of experience and skills to the position of president of the Clay Studio. He is a passionate, charismatic arts leader with diverse experience in nonprofit governance, fundraising and strategic planning. Among his talents are a strong sense of aesthetics and curatorial ability, superb relationship-building skills, and a gift for synthesizing information and creating consensus.

Prior to this appointment, Taylor has held positions as executive director of a contemporary art museum in Montana, associate director of a major arts festival in Pittsburgh, and a cultural program director in Chicago. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to start his own arts consulting firm, TaylorArts Group, which served small and mid-sized arts organizations in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Philadelphia. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Taylor earned a Master of Arts in Administration and Policy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a B.F.A. in Sculpture and a B.A. in Religious Studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Honoring the history of the organization, Taylor's appointment continues in the Clay Studio's tradition of having an artist as its leader. Taylor said, "In my heart, I am a sculptor and a clay artist. I was honored this past summer to be a partner with the Archie Bray Foundation and its 60th Anniversary Celebration in Montana. I look forward to working with the Clay Studio team on a mission that supports contemporary ceramic arts and ceramic educational programming."

The board of directors overwhelmingly approved Taylor's appointment. Chair of the Board Brian Bernhardt said, "We are very excited to hire Christopher Taylor as the next president of the Clay Studio. Over the past ten years, the Clay Studio has been fortunate to have Amy Sarner Williams at its helm, helping to bring the organization to such a strong financial position and level of prominence within the field. Taylor's appointment comes at an opportune time in the Clay Studio's history, and the board of directors is confident in Taylor's ability to lead the organization in its next stage of growth."

Taylor begins his tenure on November 14, and Sarner Williams will step down as President & CEO in mid-December.

For further information, contact VP for Institutional Advancement Christina Edleman at christina@theclaystudio.org or 215-925-3453 x13.

All IUP Phi Kappa Theta brothers are invited to visit a website with many more photos from the reunion and the near and distant past, plus forums for everyone to catch up with each other. For more information, contact Bruce Dries ’84 at bvdries@iup.edu.

Mark Brancato ’75, Randy Kahler ’73, M’75, “Hoopie,” John Stubanas ’75

John King ’79, M’81, Bob Doersch ’79, Ed Kashmere ’81

Phi Kappa Theta Reunion

Randy Kahler Joins the Class of Spring ’72

Steve Kowitz, John Krietzer

She writes:

In 1979, on second floor Shafer Hall, I met a skinny guy with Peter Frampton hair. He had sparkling blue eyes, a quick wit, and an infectious laugh. We were soon inseparable. He was a Management Information Systems major and I was in the Special Education Department. Our divergent choices precluded classes together, but we spent countless hours attending campus events, listening to music, partying with friends, and just talking. We grew up together.

We kept in contact after IUP, and made numerous pilgrimages during football season to enjoy the stadium and reflect on the changes on campus. We lost contact for a few years, but rekindled our friendship in 2007. By 2009 our deep friendship had become an intense commitment to support each other for life. After a romantic proposal, our wedding plans included a strong mutual desire to embrace our past and reconnect with many wonderful friends from IUP, the majority from the class of 1982.

The wedding day and the IUP reunion on June 25, 2011, were together an epic event. Alumni traveled to the Bedford, Pennsylvania, wedding site from Maine, Texas, New Jersey, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

—Melissa Moorhead Flynn

Front: Hazel Walters Braun, ’82, Cristal Swartzbaugh Sheaffer, ’82.
Back: Joel Sheaffer ’91, Marilyn Frasca Neal, ’80, M’88, Steve Brookbank, ’82, Christopher Flynn, ’86, Melissa Moorhead Flynn, ’82, Robert Berringer, ’82, David Funk, ’82, James Jacobsen, ’82, David Plusquellic, ’82, Jon Gaunt, ’82, James Janderchick, ‘82

St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh has named Joseph Thaner ’77 as director of Business Development.

Joseph most recently served as director of Practice Management at West Penn Allegheny Health System.

He earned his Master in Health Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and received his bachelor’s degree from IUP.

Joseph lives in Regent Square.

Clark and Eleanor Volansky Bouch, of McDonald, Ohio, celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on August 27, 2011.

The party was attended by 200 family members and friends. Guests arrived from several states, including Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia, and Washington.

Eleanor graduated from IUP in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Arts Education. She and Clark were married Sept. 2, 1961, at Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Sykesville, Pa., and have lived in Ohio since 1962. They have three sons, Joseph, Stephen, and Andrew, and two daughters, Christine and Amy. Clark and Eleanor have also been blessed with eight grandchildren. The anniversary couple received a trip to Branson, Mo., from their children and grandchildren.

All of Eleanor’s siblings also attended the celebration, which took place at Ciminero’s Banquet Center in Niles, Ohio: Michael Volansky, Betsy Woodling, and Georgeann Bianco.

Babst Calland, one of the Pittsburgh region’s leading law firms, announced the addition of Benjamin Bolinger ’07 as an associate in its Business Services Group.

Benjamin’s practice includes real estate and natural resource law. He concentrates on issues concerning oil and gas well development, including title analysis and leasing issues for natural gas well developers. He was formerly with Delaney, Dougherty, and Fritz, P.C., an oil and gas boutique firm. He earned his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2010 and his B.A. from the Robert E. Cook Honors College at IUP. While an undergraduate, Benjamin was employed as a title abstractor by Attorney Michael Delaney, whose clients were natural gas operating companies.

Due to the outstanding achievements of the late U.S. Navy Commander Michael Carl ’77, the Chemical and Biological Defense (CBD) Most Accomplished and Responsive to the Fleet Award has been renamed the Michael J. Carl Chemical and Biological Defense Most Accomplished and Responsive to the Fleet Community Member(s) Award.

A graduate of Indiana High School and the son of the late Major Martin J. Carl, RET USAF, and Nelda Carl, Michael joined the Navy after graduating IUP and retired a commander.

Michael died unexpectedly this past year. He was the first recipient of the award, established in 2006, and led transformational changes in how the Navy supported sailors and Marines with CBD individual protective equipment, continuously demonstrated technical stewardship by ensuring such requirements were met.

The renamed award was posthumously awarded to him and his fellow team leads, Mike Taft and Bill Bradley.

“As team leads of the Chemical and Biological Defense Individual Protection Readiness Improvement Program (RIP), all three distinguished themselves by demonstrating an extraordinary achievement record during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. They were a model of excellence in that they rapidly and professionally responded to the needs of the Fleet Forces in ensuring that each deploying sailor was provided with fully serviceable, properly fitted CBR Defense individual protection equipment. Their efforts directly contributed to a historically successful level of individual readiness protection for our fleet operational sailors against any chemical, biological, or radiological threat.” (from official news release)

Above: Commander Capt. Thomas Brovarone (left), Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, and Acting Technical Director Edwin Stewart (right) present posthumously, on behalf of Naval Sea Systems Command and the NSWC PCD, the Michael J. Carl Chemical and Biological Defense Most Accomplished and Responsive to the Fleet Community Member(s) Award on August 16, 2011, to Mr. Carl’s surviving wife and daughters: (from left ) Viola Carl, Brittany, and Michaela. Systems Modernization and Supportability Branch Head Mike Taft and IPE Program Commodity Area Manager William Bradley were also recognized as two of Mr. Carl’s colleagues who have played—and continue to play—a significant role in revitalizing and modernizing NAVSEA’s Chem-Bio Defense Individual Protective Equipment program, increasing the U.S. Navy’s Sailors’ readiness against CBD threats. Photo: Dan Broadstreet

“I particularly like to photograph nature, flowers, and landscapes because it reminds me of growing up in the Allegheny Mountain region of western Pennsylvania,” Linda said. “Photography is my meditation; it is very relaxing and gets me away from the urban sights and sounds, which aren’t always so appealing.”

The exhibit exclusively displayed photographs that Linda takes on her personal time, but she also takes a lot of photographs as the visual information specialist for the Client Services Team at the Farm Credit Administration. In fact, largely because of Linda’s photography and graphic design skills, the agency has received many awards over the years through the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area, including Best Photography and Use of Images, Communicator Awards of Distinction, the FCA Distinguished Service Award, and a three-award win.

Read more about Linda’s photography exhibition (PDF).

Alumni pictured from left include Tammy Nulph Calderone ‘85 (second), Scott Leya ’85 (fourth), Sally Winiarczyk ‘84 (fifth), Joe Kralik ’87 (eighth), and Linda Hagopian ‘86 (ninth).

The group is planning another reunion during the summer of 2012 at the house of Scott Leya in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. They hope that this reunion will continue to grow in participants.

For additional information regarding the 2012 reunion, those that lived on fifth floor Esch during the 1981–82 school year can contact Joe Kralik at JFKDec7@gmail.com.

From left (back row): Steve Cunningham ’02, Abby Thaner Cunningham ’02, Craig Sicignano ’03, Heather Papp Sicignano ’02, Melissa Repko, Tim Hohos ’92, Nicole Jordan ’02, Lindsay Cotter Wiefling ’06, Christy Circle McCombie ’06, Zachary McCombie ’05, M’09, Alexa McCombie
Center front: Emma Borghi, Keri Cotter Cox ’03, Jennifer Yates Scarfone ’04
(roommates are in bold)

Laura Beerley Arnoldt ’06 and Peter Arnoldt ’08 were wed on July 9, 2011, in Philadelphia, Laura’s home town.

The couple now lives in Pittsburgh.

The Hon Kachina Council announced that Dr. Barbara Eiswerth ’85 is one of six honorees to receive the Hon Kachina Volunteer Award, Arizona’s most prestigious celebration of volunteerism. The presentations will be made October 1, 2011, at the organization’s thirty-fifth annual awards ceremony.

Each honoree will receive a one-of-a-kind hand-carved Hon Kachina doll, considered by the Hopi Indian culture as the most powerful healing Kachina, and a cash award for their nonprofit organization.

Barbara is the director and founder of Iskashitaa Refugee Harvesting Network, which supports Tucson-based refugees from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East by harvesting and distributing thousands of pounds of food from backyards and local farms to assist families in need.

From the Hon Kachina Council press release:

Dr. Eiswerth downplays her growing notoriety as leader of Iskashitaa, a group of refugees from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who partner with local Tucson volunteers to harvest approximately 75,000 lbs. of fruits and vegetables each year from backyards and local farms. These foods are then redistributed to refugee families and other Tucson organizations that assist families in need.

Coordinating complicated efforts to utilize local food resources that might have otherwise gone to waste is just the beginning of Dr. Eiswerth’s involvement with refugees. She becomes part family, part employment counselor, part advocate, and part friend to those who often arrive in Arizona with very little of any of the above. Even though she dedicates much of her time and energy into helping these new residents, Dr. Eiswerth would say the relationship gives her back far more than she gives.

“She’s just got a real way of quickly identifying and relating to their journey what they’ve been through and wanting to use that journey, wanting to learn as much as you can about their culture and their experience and what they have to teach her,” said Natalie Brown, who works with Dr. Eiswerth as a resource coordinator at Iskashitaa and nominated her for the Hon Kachina recognition.

Dr. Eiswerth’s biggest fans are the refugees themselves, who describe her frequently as “an angel” or “an answer to our prayers.”

“Barbara is my idol,” says Hari Nepal, who arrived in Tucson two years ago from Bhutan. While her family initially struggled, Dr. Eiswerth stepped in to help them adjust. Nepal recently graduated high school, earned a scholarship to the University of Arizona, and plans to become a gynecologist. “I have learned so much from her, and she inspires me to give back daily.”

Dr. Eiswerth’s work is also developing a reputation for her hometown as one that not only welcomes refugees from difficult situations across the globe, but one that embraces them and helps them succeed.

“For somebody like that to forget herself and care about others, it show us that as a refugee you could be loved anywhere you go—especially in Tucson,” says recent refugee Chris Garang.

To Dr. Eiswerth, her efforts are as much about demonstrating what a community can—and should—do in this trying economic environment.

“The only way we’re going to come out of this economic crisis, the only way we’re going to build a community is if we get out in the community and share our talents… and friendship,” Dr. Eiswerth says.

About Hon Kachina

Since 1977, more than 375 nominees have been honored for their dedication to causes that include health care, neighborhood revitalization, youth and senior activities, the arts, education, justice, housing, nutrition, or social services. Many have given what they can at great personal sacrifice.

The Hon Kachina Council, affiliated with St. Luke’s Health Initiatives, is a group of servant leaders from the business and professional community who promote volunteerism by recognizing ordinary individuals doing extraordinary things, applauding them and presenting them as an example to motivate others to volunteer.

Michelle Agulia Allan ’96 has been selected for the Legal Intelligencer’s 2011 edition of “Lawyers on the Fast Track.”

Michelle is a partner in the that Medicare Compliance Practice Group of Burns White LLC.

With the help of the editorial staff of the Legal Intelligencer, a group of eight evaluation panelists from across the commonwealth selected twenty-seven Pennsylvania attorneys for what it calls “the future leaders of the state’s legal community.”

Of the five attorneys selected from Pittsburgh, Michelle was the only woman. She is a 2002 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and a 1996 graduate of IUP. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Allan covered general and suburban news for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and Murrysville Star.

Ms. Allan is the fourth Burns White attorney to be selected as a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” in the ten-year history of the award. Each “Lawyers on the Fast Track” nominee had to be under the age of forty. The panelists also paid particular attention to four areas: development of the law, advocacy, community contributions, and service to the bar.

Full profiles of this year’s honorees will be included in a supplement published in the Legal Intelligencer on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. The winners will also be honored at a dinner at the Crystal Tea Room in Philadelphia on November 3.

Joseph Rooney ’87, a long-time academic and publican, has published a new book, The Flying Hound.

He has spent most of his career as a professor and administrator in higher education. “One of my positions brought me to Dublin, Ireland for three years. During that time, I had the opportunity to take students on many tours of the country. This experience served as the motivation and inspiration for a novel that is called The Flying Hound.”

His first book, The Flying Hound is a tribute to the many trips he conducted and the many people he met along the way.

Joe now lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., with his wife, Kelly, his kids, Joe Jr., Lawrence and Melissa, and their three hounds, Cheeca, Mr. Big, and Chowder.

About The Flying Hound:

The book is an epic adventure of life, love, and friendship. Join John Frawley as he discovers everything Ireland has to offer. Along the way he learns about friendship, love, and, most importantly, himself.

The Flying Hound can be ordered through LuLu.com or his website, joerooneybooks.com. It is also available through iTunes for download and through Amazon.com.

Peggy Kracht Scalpello, Audrey DeMaria McGreevy, Shirley Ullom Filcik, Joan Everly Boyd, and Gwen Lewis Botti have met at least once or twice a year, with or without families. (Most of their spouses are also IUP grads: Jim Botti ’55 and the late Bob Scalpello ’53, Jules Filcik ’53, and Bill Boyd ’52).

This photo show five of them at their most recent get-together with their favorite celebrity, Arnold Palmer, at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe (Pa.) Airport in September 2009. Shirley Ort Henry was unable to attend this year’s outing.

From left: Peggy Kracht Scalpello, Audrey DeMaria McGreevy, Shirley Ullom Filcik, Joan Everly Boyd, and Gwen Lewis Botti

Anita Kaltenbaugh M’94 wants everyone to create their own “travel bucket list” and become inspired to travel more.

She has written a book to share secrets, tips, tricks, and advice to affording more vacations and how to plan for them. Travel Secrets— Insider Guide to Planning, Affording, and Taking More Vacations is a book about, well, travel secrets! Secrets to enrich your life. Secrets that will get you off the couch and traveling more. With a chapter focused on a list of ways to “go green and afford enough money for a vacation,” you can discover how to travel more and save the planet. Another chapter—dedicated to the hottest smartphone applications, IPAD apps, and websites—can assist you with organizing all the travel websites out there. By the end of the book, you will have your travel bucket list started.

Anita started her traveling career early. Before landing in the IUP Student Affairs Program, she lived in the Midwest, east coast, the south, and the southwest. A former graduate hall director at Wallace Hall, fraternity house advisor, and intern with the Major Events Department in the College Activities Office, she has fond memories of her time spent at IUP and in the Indiana community.

From working in student development at Arizona State University and Western Maryland College, her days now find her living in Phoenix, Ariz., and in a charming little beach town on the Sea of Cortez in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, with various destinations in between.

In the last three years, Anita and her husband, Darrell (whose traveling legacy just happens to include the great, great grandson of William Clark of Lewis and Clark), have taken over ninety-nine vacations.

Anita is still traveling and is currently working on her next novel.  With over one hundred articles published in various publications, she writes a monthly travel column for the Rocky Point Times newspaper.

Travel Secrets— Insider Guide to Planning, Affording, and Taking More Vacations is available on Amazon.com, Kindle, Nook, and Barnes and Noble.

“Merideth, Monica, and I met our freshman year in Lawrence Hall (which I was told no longer stands!),” Courtney said. “I can’t remember how we met (I do remember sitting next to Monica at dorm orientation), but we were inseparable during those four years, and have been best friends ever since! No doubt our lives have changed a lot since graduation . . . we’ve been throw some tough times, but our bond is just as strong as it was on graduation day, when we all said goodbye and moved to different places to start our lives as young professionals.

“Merideth and Monica were in my wedding (which took place in New York City last fall), and it meant so much that they were part of my big day.”

Courtney, a senior media associate for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, lives in Staten Island with her husband, Christopher.

From left: Merideth McIntyre-Richards ’00, Courtney DeNicola-Nowak ’00, and Monica DelRosso ’00

Ellen Quinn McCabe ’84 has joined LarsonAllen as a principal leading the firm’s state and local tax (SALT) practice. She works across all of the firm’s industry lines, helping clients maximize tax advantages, minimize tax exposure, and stay compliant within single or multi-state filings.

“Each state has a different set of rules—it’s almost like fifty different countries,” Ellen said.

Her tax services include income and franchise, sales and use, employment tax, unclaimed property, and personal property. In addition, McCabe will be in charge of building a team to help grow LarsonAllen’s SALT practice.

Ellen has more than twenty-five years of professional experience in the government, private sector, and public accounting. Prior to LarsonAllen, she led the SALT practice for Ernst & Young’s Cleveland-area location. She has assisted clients with legal entity restructurings, due diligence, nexus reviews, voluntary compliance, audit resolution, business registrations, and tax compliance.

Ellen sits on the board of the Basal Cell Carcinoma Nevus Syndrome Life Support Network and is a member of the Ohio Society of Public Accountants (OSCPA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. She earned her bachelor’s degree from IUP and a master’s degree in taxation from Robert Morris University.

The book, illustrated by Beth Owermohle, is available on the Books by Beth and Becca website.

“With a combined total of forty years of teaching, we have seen the challenges that face teachers, students, and families,” Becca said. “These hardships often appear out of nowhere. Our goal is to help explain to children that life often presents adversity, but with knowledge, understanding, and humor they can successfully navigate their way through the hard times.

“I believe that the strong foundation I received from IUP has allowed me to continue to reach my goal of helping children in the therapy setting, in the classroom, and beyond.”

A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to charity. The book is available through their website or at Amazon.com.

Dave Flippo ’80 released his fourth CD, Tao Tunes (Oppilf Records), with his Chicago-based jazz quartet Flippomusic.

Dave, who received his B.A. in Music Composition from IUP, adapted the English text of eighteen chapters of the ancient Tao Te Ching into lyrics, and set and arranged them in more than ten different styles, including jazz, Latin, and contemporary. He plays as both pianist and vocalist with group members Dan Hesler (saxophone/flute), Donn De Santo (bass), and Heath Chappell (drums).

Guest artists include Larry Gray (cello), Neal Alger (guitar), and Hamid Drake (percussion).

Flippomusic has been performing and recording Dave’s compositions in Chicago since 1992 and has released two “world-jazz fusion” CDs: Tendrils of Light and Ganesh on Southport Records, plus his vocal debut, When the Heart is Strong..., on his own Oppilf Records. Lyrics and audio clips can be found at the Flippomusic website.

Cherriney Kondor’s son, SPC Martin W. Kondor

After the son of Cherriney Wilson Kondor ’76, M’77 was killed by an IED in Iraq in 1974, she devoted herself to developing a living memorial to all veterans. The installation will begin in the spring of 2012.

Cherriney is working to raise funds for the $750,000 memorial. While her organiztion is currently asking for in-kind contributions for supplies and labor, donations to the nonprofit will also be important. Toward that end, memorial bricks are being sold. Each brick, with three lines of fourteen characters, will become a part of the garden. There are also several naming levels of sponsorship.

“Our biggest challenge now is to raise about $150,000 to purchase the black granite Wall of Valor and inscribe the names,” Cherriney said. “The more people who know that the Gold Star Garden is coming, the better.”

The dedication of the Veterans Memorial Gold Star Healing and Peace Garden takes place next summer on Saturday, June 9, 2012. The park will be located at 1000 Vander Avenue in York, Pa.

From the Gold Star Garden website:

The Veterans Memorial Gold Star Healing and Peace Garden is a thoughtfully designed commemorative arboretum dedicated to all who serve in the United States Armed Forces. This living monument is a gathering place to honor and remember, especially those fighting in the war on terror.

“Gold Star” is a term derived from American Gold Star Mothers Inc., who were formed in 1928 as a family response to lives taken during the first World War. Now, Gold Star is applied to family members who have lost a loved one serving in the U.S. military.

This living monument will be a gathering place for those who want to commemorate the lives of those who volunteered to protect this country.

For more information, visit the Gold Star Garden website and the Gold Star Healing and Peace Garden page on Facebook.

Layout of the Gold Star Memorial Garden

A series of meditative spaces, the Garden is arrayed around the Central Plaza of Honor. Each area is planted with a particular color to represent a core value of character trait found at the heart of all service personnel.

• Red represents Courage
• Orange represents Duty and Service
• Yellow represents Rememberance
• Green represents Healing
• Blue represents Fidelity
• Purple represents Valor
• White represents Honor

The Toronto Transit Commission has recognized David Veights ’80 for outstanding performance.

David, an employee of Delcan, received the Employee Recognition Award for his work on the Transit Expansion Program, an environmental assessment of a thirty-three-kilometer light rail line under a very aggressive schedule mandated by the client.

David has over thirty years of experience in the transportation field and has been with Delcan since 2008. He currently serves as the senior project coordinator for a twenty-kilometer light rail line along Eglinton Avenue through midtown Toronto.

He also developed a monitoring system to verify compliance with the requirements of Ontario Regulation 231/08, the Transit Project Assessment Process, for use in all Transit City projects.

Besides receiving his B.S.in Regional Planning from IUP, David earned his Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Murray Risk Management and Insurance hired Jason Gouldner ’09 as a risk control consultant in the Risk Control Department.

Jason’s primary responsibility will be to provide risk control and safety services to a variety of Murray clients, specializing in municipalities.

Prior to Murray, Jason was employed as a field safety professional for Amerisafe, Inc., where he was a specialty provider of workers’ compensation insurance focused on small to mid-sized employers engaged in hazardous industries, primarily construction, trucking, logging, agriculture, oil and gas, maritime, and sawmills.

Jason lives in Harrisburg, Pa.

The book A Civil War Family was the result of Robert Scott Craig M’64 visiting the National Archives to search for information about his great-great-grandfather.

“Looking at a picture with his eyes staring at me, I was inspired to investigate all my ancestors that fought in the Civil War,” Robert said. “This is their story.”

A Civil War Family (The Battling Blacks of Butler County, Pennsylvania During and After the American Civil War) covers the participation of the author’s ancestors from Butler County, Pennsylvania, who fought in the American Civil War. Beyond the story of each of these fourteen first cousins with the surname of Black, the book is a treasure of the major battles of the American Civil War.

A copy of the book has been donated to the IUP Department of History.

A solo exhibition of new work by Alisha McCurdy ’08, M’09 took place in June 2011. “In the Seams” was exhibited at the Oasis Gallery in Marquette, Michigan. 

Alisha is at work completing her Master of Fine Arts degree at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York. Her work was selected for exhibition in the Best of SUNY (State University of New York) Student Exhibition, which took place in June at the New York State Museum in Albany.

Three of her artist books were featured in a group show, Honoring the Page, at Gallery North in East Setauket, New York, along with fellow artists Peter Freleng, Larissa Grass, and Sungsook Setton.

“Finally, I am most honored to be named the MFA recipient of the Maurice M. and Miriam H. Goldberger Fellowship for Fine Arts during 2011–2012,” Alisha said. The fellowship is awarded annually to two graduate students, one in M.F.A. art studio and another in M.A./Ph.D. art history and criticism studying at Stony Brook University.  Each recipient is elected by the department faculty based on artistic scholarship and merit.

“I look forward to dedicating the funds awarded to my upcoming solo and group thesis exhibitions taking place November 2011 and February 2012 respectively,” Alisha said.

Visit Alisha McCurdy’s website.

A new book by Joni Cole ’80 is due in September 2011. Titled Another Bad-Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior, the book falls into a genre that Joni terms “humor that matters.” Material from the book has already been nominated for a 2011 Pushcart Prize.

“While this book falls in the ‘humor’ category, the material is often quite serious,” Joni said. “One piece, in particular, deals with the loss of my best friend from IUP, who died right before his fiftieth birthday.”

Here is one early review of Another Bad-Dog Book:

“This is a remarkable book, filled with stories that will touch the hearts and minds of any reader who has ever been over-attached to a pet, fought with her hair, stalked her high school crush, said long goodbyes to loved ones, or tried to talk (and talk and talk) her way through a mid-life crisis. Honest, hilarious, even passionate, Joni B. Cole makes you want to phone (not email) this new best girlfriend. Get it, read it, share it.”
—Barbara Hannah Grufferman

In addition to Another Bad-Dog Book, Joni is the creator of the three-volume “This Day” series, including Water Cooler Diaries: Women across America Share Their Day at Work (“fascinating and eye-opening,” according to Publisher’s Weekly). She is also the author of Toxic Feedback: Helping Writers Survive and Thrive, and is a frequent speaker at writing conferences around the country, including a past gig at IUP!

Patrik holds degrees in political science and history, has interned at the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College in 1983, and is now enrolled in the graduate National Security Studies Certificate program with American Military University.

Description of the Liberty Cipher:

On June 8, 1967, the USS Liberty, a lightly armed electronic listening ship flying the American flag on a clear day, was attacked in international waters and nearly sunk by Israeli Defense Forces air and naval units. The U.S. Navy and the Johnson Administration covered up the fact that the attack was deliberate. Now, over forty years after the attack, the truth can be discerned. From analysis of public accounts and old policy truths we can see that it was the Israeli intention to communicate to the U.S. military that it should not cooperate with the Soviets in forcing the Israelis to settle the raging 1967 mid-East war. As this book reveals, even the U.S. Navy’s report, done under pressure from the Johnson White House, tells the reader that the attack was highly coordinated and the report was rushed. Experienced researcher-writer Patrick Pacalo peels back the layers of the formerly classified onion revealing the only possible truth about the action.

The twenty members of Citrin Cooperman’s team gathered at Ocean City High School and took turns walking and running around the school’s track, and raised $15, 652 in honor of the Society’s mission to eliminate and prevent cancer.

The Citrin Cooperman team. Jeffrey in the in the middle in the very back row with the purple shirt – different from the rest of the crew

“The fight against cancer is a cause that is near to my heart, so it was moving to see my colleagues rally and support this great program and organization,” Gittler said. “Relay for Life is a life-changing event that gives people a chance to celebrate the lives of those we know that have battled cancer, to remember lost loved ones, and to fight back against this major health problem.”

Gittler is a member of the firm’s quality control group. Prior to joining, Gittler served as a technical manager at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Since 1980, he has worked for a number of accounting firms in Eastern Pennsylvania, providing accounting and tax services to a variety of industries.

His show, “Viva L’ Arte: Willard Dominick Retrospective,” ran for three months in spring 2011 and featured works from after World War II to the present. 

Willard Dominick in his studio

Willard is recognized for his acrylic paintings and for his sketches done during the war while in the infantry in the Pacific theater. His collection of WWII journals and drawings is housed at the War College, U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, in Carlisle, Pa. In addition, author Joseph Maggioni is writing a book about Willard Dominick’s experiences on the WWII battlefield, including his illustrations.

Colin Ratner ’97 ran his first marathon at the Pocono Run for the Red Marathon on May 15, 2011.

Colin, a combat veteran from Afghanistan and ROTC scholarship recipient, works for Amico Corporation as territory manager for eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

Colin, his wife, Cindi, and their two daughters

Paul Lang M’75 has been appointed interim provost at Northern Michigan University. His term will begin June 2, 2011, and run through June 30, 2012. Lang has worked at NMU since 1997, most recently as dean of the College of Professional Studies.

“Paul's leadership of the College of Professional Studies has been exceptional,” NMU President Les Wong said. “His responsibility for the Jacobetti Center programs and some of our largest baccalaureate programs—nursing, criminal justice and teacher certification—gives him exceptional awareness and knowledge of the breadth and depth of our academic effort. He also served on the administration bargaining team with the AAUP and NMUFA faculty unions. I have considerable confidence in Paul to sustain, if not improve, the momentum occurring in our academic areas.”

Lang joined NMU as a professor of criminal justice and head of the department. In addition to those responsibilities, he was appointed associate dean of the College of Professional Studies in 2002. He later served as interim head and director of the School of Technology and Applied Sciences before his promotion to college dean.

“Frankly, I’m honored and humbled to have been chosen,” Lang said. “They’re putting a lot of confidence in me and I’m going to live up to it. There is a lot of work to be done and I intend to do it and do it well. There’s also a lot for me to learn. I plan to spend the next month or two educating myself and getting comfortable in the position. Fortunately, there are a lot of people I can depend on for good information to make that task easier.” 

Lang has represented NMU in several community partnership programs. He is on the line tech program advisory board, working closely with the Lake Superior Community Partnership Foundation and regional power company officials. He also serves as the university’s representative with the Michigan Works! job development program and is a member of the U.P. steering committee for the Michigan Prisoner Release Initiative.

—Northern Michigan University news release

Professor of Business Administration Lynn Shuster ’69 received the Todd A. Milano Faculty Excellence Award at Central Penn College’s 2011 commencement ceremony.

“Professor Shuster embodies the college’s core values, drives students to succeed and leads by example,” Central Penn College’s Provost Janice Moore said. “She is committed to her students, continually building student skills and holding them accountable for what they are taught. She also has a deep knowledge, understanding, and passion for the classes which she teaches. Her expertise, enthusiasm, and dedication to the students are obvious.”

A resident of New Cumberland, Pa., Shuster has taught at Central Penn for more than thirty years in several capacities. Currently, as a professor of business administration, she teaches classes in accounting, algebra, and statistics.

“This is the only job I've ever loved!” Shuster said. “I take great pride in my students’ accomplishments during their days here and after they graduate.”

Read the full press release from Central Penn College.

Night view of the University of Valladolid

Joan Stossel Pun ’65 wants everyone to know that a reunion of former participants in the IUP–Valladolid program is being planned for the end of July 2012 in Valladolid, Spain.

2012 marks the end of the fiftieth trip in this long-standing program between IUP and Universidad de Valladolid, and many events will take place.

For more information, visit the IUP Valladolid Program webpage, or write to valladolid09@live.com.

We hope to see you there!

In 2005, the article “Travels Through Time” was published in IUP Magazine’s onlineWeb Exclusives. See pictures and read about the history of the study program that placed students in Spain.

Frank Lewandowski ’76 has published the science fiction book Light Years from Tranquility.

A sequel to Light Years from Paradise, his new book takes place in the distant future, “where an enemy of Mankind is destroying space colonies, causing human expansion among the stars to come to a halt. Unaware these events have been taking place, Starship Captain Erik Houston is en route back to headquarters. He can't stop thinking about Zama, a female Believer from his last mission. A shocking discovery aboard his ship causes him to question her motives. Despite his concerns, he seeks to get reassigned to her planet. Instead, his superiors send his crew and him on a high-risk mission to a star system where two rival species are about to go to war. Some highly improbable events unfold that seem meant to be, almost as if an unseen hand were guiding things. First Officer Fred Montoya, a religious skeptic, begins to feel his long-held views may be wrong. Perhaps there is a God after all. The story offers adventure and a romance that transcends time and space.”

Light Years from Tranquility is available from Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Registered dietitian Sarah Bronder Marcy ’05, M’06 has been named the 2011 Young Dietitian of the Year by the Kansas Dietetic Association (KDA).

This award recognizes a dietitian thirty-five years of age or younger who demonstrates involvement at the local, state, and national levels of the American Dietetic Association and provides leadership and advancement in the field of dietetics.

Marcy received the honor for her leadership and achievements with state and district associations. She held KDA positions of 2011 Council on Professional Issues chair and 2010 CPI chair elect, and served on KDA’s website renovation ad hoc committee and the Wichita District Dietetic Association’s National Nutrition Month committee.

Marcy (below, at right) was presented her award at KDA’s annual conference in Wichita on April 15, 2011.

Marcy holds a Master of Science degree in Food and Nutrition and has worked as a clinical dietitian for Via Christi Health in Wichita, Kansas, for the past three years. She currently resides in Wichita with her husband, James, and son, Landon.

From left: Bruce Wigo, Bob Ogoreuc, and Mary Hayes, daughter of Judge Harold Martin, for whom the award is named. Photo courtesy of Bob Ogoreuc

The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) conferred the 2011 G. Harold Martin Award to Robert (Bob) Ogoreuc ’89, president of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA), at a May 7 awards ceremony at its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The award is given annually to an individual who exemplifies “long and exceptional leadership, insight, and dedication to the water safety of children and the cause of making ‘Every Child a Swimmer’.”

“It’s wonderful to have our president honored in this way,” said Kim Burgess of Ft. Lauderdale, National Drowning Prevention Alliance interim executive director. “The NDPA has been promoting water safety since its founding in 2004, and Bob has been instrumental in helping the alliance to achieve its mission to be a catalyst in the prevention of drowning. In recent years, the group has expanded our focus on promoting swimming as an important ‘layer of protection’.”

“Not connected to the award, but as another milestone for the NDPA,” Burgess said, “the National Drowning Prevention Alliance recently moved its offices to the ISHOF headquarters, and we are excited and grateful to be associated in this way with the International Swimming Hall of Fame.”

“Bob was a natural choice for this award,” Bruce Wigo, ISHOF president and CEO, said. “He’s devoted his career to teaching aquatics, and he volunteers in numerous capacities. Bob constantly shares his love for and appreciation of the vital role of swimming in saving lives. He has worked with the Ocean City Beach Patrol, with the American Red Cross, and with numerous other organizations to promote swimming and to train others in water safety and rescue techniques.”

“I am humbled and honored to be chosen for this award,” said Ogoreuc, an assistant professor at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. “It’s not only a personal milestone, but I’m pleased that it will bring more attention to the important work being done by the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, especially our partnership with the CPSC’s Pool Safely campaign.”

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance is currently working on a federally funded, national public education program that complements the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely campaign. The Pool Safely campaign aims to reduce childhood drownings and prevent drain entrapments through public education, training programs, and strategic partnerships. The campaign fulfills requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, which became a federal law in 2007.

Parents and pool owners are encouraged to download the free resource, “Layers of Protection,” at NDPA.org and to visit PoolSafely.gov for safety tips, informational videos, and children’s games and activities.

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death to children nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, in 2007, 3,443 people drowned in the U.S. in all bodies of water. Of these, 2,758 were children younger than fourteen years of age. Moreover, for every child who died, almost four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries. Half of those treated (1,380) were admitted to the hospital or transferred for a higher level of care. Many victims suffer permanent brain damage.

The CPSC estimates that, each year, about three hundred children younger than five drown in swimming pools and spas, and more than three-quarters of emergency room submersion injury cases involve children younger than five.

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance is a volunteer-driven 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2004. NDPA members are dedicated to preventing drowning for all age groups in all bodies of water through public education, advocacy, and strategic partnerships. The public is invited to join by visiting the National Drowning Prevention Alliance website.

The International Swimming Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that operates a dynamic shrine dedicated to the history, memory, and recognition of the famous swimmers, divers, water polo players, synchronized swimmers, and persons involved in lifesaving activities and education.

The Pool Safely campaign fulfills requirements of Section 1407 of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (P&SS Act). The 2007 law is named for the seven-year-old granddaughter of former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker who drowned in 2002 when she became trapped on a hot tub drain.

At the time of her passing, Christine was a professor at Monmouth University in N.J. She was forty-three years old. She died on April 12, 2011.

Dennis Marsili ’84, M’03 has a new job at IUP’s Criminal Justice Training Center. Most recently a detective sergeant in the New Kensington Police Department with nearly a quarter-century in law enforcement, he has also just published his first novel, Excessive Forces: A Pittsburgh Police Thriller. The book offers “a gritty, yet realistic” look at “the fascinating dichotomy of policing.”

Information about ordering can be obtained from World Association Publishers or at Amazon.com.

Judy Nemenz Umstead ’63 and Marilyn Miller Harvey ’48 enjoy staying musically active in their retirement years.

Both have been singing in a community chorus in the Northern Neck town of Montross, Va., for many years.

Both also earned Music Education degrees from IUP and taught in public schools systems until retirement.

Photo, from left: Business Hall of Distinction 2011 inductees Donna J. DeFilippi, Eugene J. O’Sullivan, Florence J. Mauchant, and Joseph C. Manzinger

Business Day, in its thirty-third year, is the college’s premier event, bringing together more than seven hundred students with business leaders for networking and business career programming.

Hall of Distinction honorees for 2011 are Donna J. DeFilippi, tax partner, Sisterson & Co. LLP, Pittsburgh; Joseph C. Manzinger, president and CEO, the Hillman Company, Pittsburgh; Florence J. Mauchant, CFA, Partner HT Capital Advisors, LLC, New York; and Eugene J. O’Sullivan, CFO, Elliott Co., Pittsburgh.

The goal of the Hall of Distinction is to recognize the professional success and good citizenship of graduates of the college and others associated with its advancement.

“The Eberly College is extremely proud to be inducting four new members into its Hall of Distinction,” said Dr. Robert Camp, dean of the Eberly College. “They are being honored for their commitment to professional excellence, their status as role models within the business community and to the broader society, and their long-term support of the university.”

Donna J. DeFilippi

DeFilippi, ’78, Accounting, of Center Township, Beaver County, is Sisterson’s first woman partner since its founding in 1926. She is the firm’s partner-in-charge of tax services to individuals, and also directs the firm’s personal financial planning practice.

DeFilippi is involved with Sisterson’s recruitment, performance management, alternative work arrangement, and professional development initiatives that promote expertise and talent retention throughout the firm. Sisterson has been named as one of the Best Accounting Firms in the nation to work for in 2009 and 2010 by Accounting Today.

She is a certified public accountant, a certified specialist in estate planning, a personal financial specialist, and a general securities representative with securities and state insurance licenses.

In 1999, DeFilippi was named one of Pennsylvania’s Best 50 Women in Business by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. She was also honored with the 1999–2000 Outstanding Accounting Alumni award by IUP’s Accounting department.

She served as a board member and treasurer for various organizations, including the Girl Scouts Trillium Council, Executive Women’s Council, and Pittsburgh Disabilities Employment Project for Freedom. She has also maintained strong ties with IUP through her involvement with the Business Advisory Council, with her dedication to the annual recruitment of accounting students from IUP for entry-level positions with the firm, and with presentations to the Student Accounting Association membership. Eight members of Sisterson’s professional staff–including DeFilippi—are IUP graduates.

Joseph C. Manzinger

Manzinger, ’81, Accounting, of Baden, Pa., began his professional career at the Pittsburgh office of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as a member of the auditing staff. After graduating from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, in 1986 he joined Parker/Hunter Inc., a regional investment bank in Pittsburgh.

Manzinger joined McKinsey & Co. in 1988. During his two years at McKinsey, he worked on several client engagements focused primarily on value creation through strategic acquisitions. Although based in Pittsburgh, he spent considerable time in McKinsey offices in New York, London, and Paris.

In 1990, Manzinger joined the Hillman Co. in Pittsburgh. He was elected to the board of directors in 2000 and appointed president and CEO in 2004. He has served on several boards of public and private companies in the past.

Manzinger served one term on the board of directors of the Foundation for IUP. In 2006, he completed ten years of service and retired as chairman of the board of Pittsburgh Vision Services, a nonprofit organization providing comprehensive services for the blind. Manzinger is currently on the board of trustees for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. He has also served two terms on the board of directors of the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh.

Florence J. Mauchant

Mauchant, MBA ’85, of New York, has spent her professional career in the field of finance. In her current position, she heads the firm’s asset management activity and has overall responsibility for all cross-border new business activity.

Before joining HT Capital Advisors in 1999, Mauchant worked for Banque Nationale de Paris, a French Bank, as a credit analyst covering European companies; Generale Bank, a Belgian Bank, now part of the Fortis Group; and Schroders, a U.K.-based merchant bank, as a vice president in their Structured Investments Group.

She is active in various nonprofit and civic groups. She volunteers and serves as a trustee at the Lycée Français de New York, a leading French-American K-12 school in the United States, and was chairperson for the school’s investment committee.

Mauchant earned a graduate degree from the Institut Commercial de Nancy (France). She is a chartered financial analyst. She is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and the Financial Woman’s Association.

Eugene J. O’Sullivan

O’Sullivan, ’71 Accounting and Economics, of Pittsburgh, got his first job in public accounting with Schneider Downs & Co., a regional firm based in Pittsburgh. O’Sullivan earned his CPA certificate while there.

O’Sullivan later moved to Joy Manufacturing in a corporate tax position. Over seventeen years, he was promoted to positions of tax director, general auditor, treasurer, and CFO. After he was elected treasurer in 1986, Joy received a hostile tender offer, culminating in a leveraged buyout of the company, and O’Sullivan was given the opportunity to join the LBO group.

O’Sullivan then left Joy to join the Conair Group, a closely-held manufacturer of equipment for the plastics industries. Following eleven years at Conair, O’Sullivan joined Elliott Co. in Jeannette as CFO, a position he has held for the past eight years.

O’Sullivan is president of the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre and serves on the Council of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He spent six years as a member of the board of the Foundation for IUP, chairing the investment committee for five years, and was actively involved in Phase I of IUP’s Residential Revival. He is a member of the Eberly College Business Advisory Council.

The Eberly College of Business and Information Technology has been recognized for seven consecutive years in the Princeton Review’s Best Business Colleges guidebook. In March 2010, the college was selected as one of the top fifteen graduate business programs in the nation by the Princeton Review’s second annual Student Opinion Honors for Business Schools.

The college was recently notified of its continued business accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International following a peer review, in which the college demonstrated that it continues to meet the association’s accreditation standards.

The college first achieved accreditation of its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in business administration from AACSB in May 2001.

“There are no limitations in what you can do, except the limitations in your own mind as to what you cannot do.”—Anonymous.

Words of wisdom spoken by this anonymous author are words that 2007 IUP graduate Shayla Solomon abides by. Solomon chooses to lead her life with no limitations with her mind, body, and soul. While she leads a life of success in the communications world, she has not forgotten about her community, her college career, future goals, and her passions. As the 2009 crowned winner of Miss Virgin Islands, Solomon is able to lead her life and her career with “no limitations.”

Born and raised in the St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands, Solomon came to IUP for her college education and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications Media. During her time at IUP, Solomon was involved in several honor societies and served as a radio host for WIUP-FM and a producer/television host for WIUP-TV. Now that Solomon has graduated and captured the title of Miss Virgin Islands, she has been able to take her “no limitations” attitude and apply it in the communications field.

Currently, Solomon serves as the public information officer in the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs. As the chief spokesperson of the department, Solomon undertakes large responsibilities, including managing and distributing all of the information to the press, media, consumers, and general public. She is also charged with the task of creating and monitoring programs and activities to educate the public, as well as preparing and editing press releases, newsletters, and department performance reports.

However, serving as a public information officer is not the only position Solomon holds. In the past three years, Solomon has served as the producer for Graffiti Street, the Virgin Islands’ only teen talk show. Solomon had been part of the show throughout high school, but has now taken her participation to a whole new level. Currently in the show’s seventeenth season, Solomon is in charge of assisting the director in the overall operations and organization of the program. She organizes and manages promotions, community service events, social activities, fundraisers, and cost expenditures. In addition, she also is responsible for auditioning and selecting cast members, supervising the cast and production crew, gathering and organizing information for guests for the show, and coordinating and accomplishing pre-production and post-production tasks.

In all her success, Solomon has the right to feel very accomplished thus far in her young life. Solomon has not only been crowned Miss Virgin Islands, but she has also had the opportunity to compete in the Miss America Pageant. Solomon credits her success to having such a strong passion for all of the components of communications media. Solomon knew since she was in the eighth grade that she was going to make a life for herself in this field. She prides herself in her achievements at IUP, in her pageant competitions, and in being able to give back to her community of the Virgin Islands through her work with Graffiti Street.

Despite all of her accomplishments, Solomon does not plan on stopping anytime soon. This spring, Solomon made the decision to go back to school to pursue a master’s degree in Education. Her aspirations do not only come from her career success, but from her time spent at IUP. Solomon accredits her future goals from taking undergraduate classes at IUP and using the inspiration professors gave her to believe in herself. Looking back, Solomon never thought she would make it to where she is today, but now she has decided she is exactly where she wants to be.

Courtney Buchna is a 2011 Communications Media graduate.

The three told stories and recalled people and memories of their time in Rooney and at IUP. They even tried to remember the actual recipe to the fabled “Rooney Punch,” but to no avail. They plan to get together again next year, and hope that they can get in contact with more Rooney-ites from that era.

From left: Tom Becker, Scott Steele, and David Lafferty

Tom lives in Annville, Pa., with his wife, Lori, and has worked as a respiratory therapist for the last sixteen years at the Hershey Medical Center, in Hershey, Pa.

Scott lives in West Grove, Pa., with his wife, Lorrie, and has worked for DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware, for the last thirteen years as director of Business Controllership.

David lives in Southampton , N.J., with his wife, Roxane Kreger Lafferty M’85. He has worked at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., for the last nineteen years as the associate head men’s basketball coach.

Blank Rome LLP announced that Terry Henry ’84 joined the firm as vice chair of the Life Sciences industry team and partner in the Product Liability, Mass Torts, Insurance group. 

Terry has more than fifteen years’ experience in general commercial litigation and products liability defense, representing companies that design and manufacture medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and home safety products. He will be based in Blank Rome’s Philadelphia office. 

Before Blank Rome, Terry was with Cozen O’Connor as chair of the Life Sciences Practice Group in the Commercial Litigation Department.

He serves as national coordinating and trial counsel, and as regional counsel in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He also counsels clients on compliance and industry standards in order to mitigate risk and navigate the nuances related to product manufacturing in a heavily regulated industry.

Terry has spoken and written on emerging issues in the life sciences industry, and has sponsored a Life Science Leadership Conference that addressed key issues affecting the industry.

Prior to joining private practice, Terry was a captain with the United States Army, and he is the recipient of a Bronze Star and Meritorious Service Medal.

Terry Henry is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Third Circuit. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Widener University School of Law and his B.A. from IUP.

The presentations feature compelling, professionally produced video vignettes, followed by a brief commentary by the Henrys, Bluemling, and Butz. They covered the consequences of underplanning and underprotecting in easily-ignored areas such as buy-sell agreements, business valuations, and exit/retirement strategies.

The Henrys are the co-owners of Henry Wealth Management, located in Bridgeville, Pa.

Bluemling is a certified public accountant and certified valuation analyst with the Pittsburgh top twenty CPA firm of Malin Bergquist.

Butz is cofounding partner of the Smith Butz law firm, of Canonsburg, Pa.

From left: Thomas Butz, Phil Henry, Dan Henry, David Bluemling

John Miller ’77, vice president of Information Technology for American Textile Company, was honored as the Chief Information Officer of the Year, in the Enterprise Category, by the Pittsburgh Technology Council.

John’s thirty-four years of IT experience in the industry, his track record for successfully planning and implementing system integrations, and his management strength helped to earn him this recognition. He has been key in the company’s corporate expansion process by reviewing all systems and processes throughout the company to identify areas of improvement and opportunities to leverage technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

Cohosted by the Greater Pittsburgh CIO Group and the Pittsburgh Technology Council, the CIO of the Year program honors individual technology executives from industry, nonprofit, academia, and government. Nominees are recognized for their innovation and creativity in planning and deploying their enterprise systems, future technology goals, management philosophy, and service to the industry and community.

Jill Ashbaugh Earman M’94 earned an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Leadership from Duquesne University in December 2009, and was recently published in Technology Leadership in Teacher Education: Integrated Solutions and Experiences, (2010, Eds. Yamamoto, Penny, Leight, and Winterton).

Jill is the coordinator of curriculum and instruction for Indiana Area School District and serves as secretary for the Southwestern Region Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Nicola is a kindergarten teacher, and Jason is a geologist and a 2003 Juniata B.S. graduate.

From left: Patricia Barkman M’78, D’81, Celia Miles D’80, Frank Como ’57, Margaret Reid D’80

What a great surprise run in!

I heard a bunch of people talking about the weather behind me as I was entering my office. I turned around and we all started talking about what a great day it was. One conversation lead to another, and he told me where he was visiting from.

I told him I went to IUP.

He said “I taught at IUP.”

And we quickly connected the dots that we were both from the Art Department. He said to me, “You are not Kwang, are you?”

And I said, “You are Ned?”

We were jumping up and down and screaming! Is that cool or what?

That sure was one of the great days of my life.

Keith Krzeminski ’84 was named chief operating officer and executive vice president of Amplifi Commerce, an international e-commerce consultant to major retailers.

Keith will have oversight of the company’s operations, client delivery, and business units.

Prior to joining Amplifi Commerce, Krzeminski was senior vice president, finance and chief accounting officer at McAfee, Inc., the world’s leading dedicated security technology company, where he oversaw worldwide finance and operations organizations. His executive experience also spans senior positions with EDS, Quaker State, Home Interiors & Gifts, Inc., and Coopers & Lybrand, an international accounting firm.

Keith is a certified public accountant and an active member of Financial Executives International, where he serves as a board member in the Dallas chapter. He holds his bachelor’s degree in business administration from IUP.

David Mastovich ’87, M’92, owner and president of Massolutions, Inc., published the book Get Where You Want to Go: How to Achieve Personal and Professional Growth Through Marketing, Selling, and Story Telling in late 2010.

In the book, Mastovich takes a practical, real-world approach to help readers tell their stories, convey their ideas, and maximize the impact of their message. Told through personal anecdotes, statistical data, and trends in the marketplace, Mastovich skillfully delivers his message in an easily readable format. He interjects humor and wit, business, and even sports to keep the book flowing.

“Whether you are leading people, managing processes, or selling ideas, products, or services, Get Where You Want To Go offers strategies to help tell your story, convey your ideas, and maximize the impact of your message: ideas to increase sales and generate new customers; management and leadership techniques to get the most out of your resources, human and otherwise; and real-life examples that show real-world application of strategies and tactics.”

Get Where You Want to Go is available online at Lulu.com, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. Details about ordering the book may also be found at the Massolutions website.

Massolutions, Inc. is a strategic marketing firm based in Pittsburgh with a second office in Johnstown, Pa.

Meaghan Tiberio ’01 has joined the Fairmont Pittsburgh hotel as catering sales manager, where she will sell and coordinate social events and weddings.

Prior to joining Fairmont Pittsburgh, Tiberio worked for Stetson Convention Services as an event and project manager. She began her hospitality career as a flight attendant with ATA Airlines and then as a sales assistant at the Peninsula Chicago. Tiberio also held previous positions at the Westin Convention Center and the Wine Loft in Pittsburgh.

Tiberio obtained her B.S. in Child Development/Family Relations degree from IUP.

Fairmont Pittsburgh is in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh. The four-diamond, 185-room property is LEED certified at the Gold level and features a contemporary art and industry design theme.

On February 9, 2011, Emily Batluck ’52, of Upper Saddle River, N.J., married John Auld.

Jeff Bird ’85, president of the Sigma Chi Delta House Corp. and Alumni Association, says that alumni, actives, and friends of Sigma Chi , both golfers and non-golfers, are welcome at the event.

The outing takes place Friday and Saturday, August 19–20, at the Meadow Lane Golf Course, 510 Hamill Road, Indiana, Pa. Tee time is noon, with check-in at 10:00 a.m. There will be a pig roast and lodging at the Sig House. 

Register at the Sigma Chi, Eta Omicron chapter website. Proceeds benefit Camp Orenda and the House Corporation.

For more information, contact tomsinclair100@hotmail.com.

Pictured: Dennis Morgan ’74, Michael Basca ’73, Alan Maciejewski ’74, John Wood ’76, Richard Byerly ’77

Ron Shuma ’86 (left) and Michael Sarkozi

On August 15, 2010, Ron Shuma ’86 and Michael Sarkozi were married in front of family and friends in a ceremony officiated by Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum in East Hampton, N.Y.

Because New York State has not yet legalized same sex marriages performed in the state of New York, but recognizes same sex marriages performed in other states which have legalized same sex marriage, the couple was legally married in Connecticut ten days earlier in a private ceremony also performed by Rabbi Kleinbaum, at the courthouse in Greenwich, Conn.

      Michael is a managing director at JP Morgan in New York, N.Y. Ron is a certified professional organizer and the owner/founder of A+ (APlus) Organizing in New York City.

The couple resides in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City, and they also have a home in Southampton, N.Y.

Other IUP alumni attending the wedding were Ron’s childhood next-door neighbors Gina Gleydura Garfield ’82 (left) and Sophie Gleydura Crook ’84 (right), pictured with Ron’s brother, Brian Shuma.

Cindy is the executive director for the Police Officers of Scottsdale Association’s outreach program.

The spring training game featured the San Francisco Giants vs. the Milwaukee Brewers.

Dwayne Wirfel ’00 is an information technology specialist for the National Energy Technology Laboratory. Dwayne will work on software and system administration projects.

Previously, he worked on infrastructure and data center operations for the Alaska Army National Guard.

Dwayne grew up in Johnstown, Pa., and earned his computer science undergraduate degree from IUP and his Master of Science in Management–Project Management from Colorado Technical University, and he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in business with a specialization in project management.

He lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and intends to move his family this summer to their new home in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is the Department of Energy’s only government-owned, government-operated national lab. NETL focuses on America’s economic prosperity, which requires secure, reliable energy supplies at sustainable prices. NETL implements a broad spectrum of energy and environmental research and development programs through its own research staff and through funded research at other labs, universities, and industry.

Communications Media graduate Michael Williams ’03 has released his first book, Native Womb: Going Back to the Beginning.

The book is a reflective piece of how Michael found his biological family after having been adopted out into an entirely different family as a Ward of the Court of New York City’s Child Welfare System.

Michael (also known by his prose performance alias name Ray Michaels) has lived in Pittsburgh, Pa., for over five years building his professional career in the online higher education industry.

In his spare time, Michael is co-managing artistic director for the Langston Hughes Poetry Society of Pittsburgh, helping to serve the educational and public communities in Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio, as an educational performance artist and lecturer.

He is the son of the late Freidman Bach Williams (adopted father) and Lorraine Steadman (adopted mother) and the late Jo-Ann Harth (biological mother) with seven siblings combined between both biological and adopted families.

From the publisher:

“Native Womb is a nonfiction faith-based memoir account of a miracle family reunion that brought an African-American family together after being abruptly separated from each other since 1979 by the decision of New York City’s Child Welfare System.

“The highlight of this amazing story focuses on the chance that a young African-American male had to successfully locate his biological mother after being separated from her for nearly eighteen years.

“Faith, hope, and courage has allowed this reunited family to face the truth about what happened and work together to heal from their painful family past.”

For more information, visit PublishAmerica.com or write to mynativewomb@gmail.com.

“Although our graduation dates are all over the board, we knew each other because we all went to Indiana about the same time. Mark started at Indiana in ’65, and the other three of us started in ’66,” Dane said. All four of us served in the military. Bob and I went on active duty before returning to graduate. Mark went in the Army and to Vietnam after getting his bachelor’s, then returned to graduate school while Bob and I were still there. Mark was a Theta Chi and Jim was a KDR. Bob and I were GDIs.”

From left: Mark Bedont ’69, M’76, of Centreville, Va.; Robert Prosperi ’75, of Gettysburg, Pa.; James Colaianne ’70, of Wexford, Pa.; and Dane Konop ’75, of Shepherdstown, W.Va.

Mike Epps being surprised with his Teacher of the Year award

After teaching in public school for nineteen years, Mike Epps ’87 was named Teacher of the Year for 2010–2011 at Manalapan-Englishtown Middle School in New Jersey.

“I teach eighth-grade computers, and find it very rewarding. I’ve also taught sixth and fifth grades,” Epps said.

“I love the look and content of IUP magazine, and have very fond memories of my years at IUP (1983-1987) and, especially back then, the price was right!”

He can be reached at mlepps@optonline.net.

A photograph by Dane Konop ’75 has been selected for inclusion in the prestigious seventy-eighth annual Cumberland Valley Photographic Salon at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in Hagerstown, Md.

Dane’s photo, Aciona 188, a classically inspired, reclining nude posed just off his riverfront near Shepherdstown, W.Va., is one of eighty-two photographs by photographers from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia chosen for the show, which was open to both professional and amateur photographers.

The exhibit is open daily except Mondays until March 6 at the museum, which is located on Museum Drive in the Hagerstown City Park.

Jack Thomas D’90, provost and academic vice president at Western Illinois University, has been named the university’s eleventh president, effective July 1, 2011.

“This is a very humbling experience, and I am honored to be chosen as the eleventh president of Western Illinois University. I am so thankful and blessed,” Thomas said.

Thomas has served as provost and academic vice president at Western since January 2008.

For the full press release and video of Thomas, visit the WIU website.

Mauro Wolfe ’90 has joined Duane Morris LLP’s Trial Practice Group as a partner in its New York office, bolstering the firm’s national White-Collar Criminal Defense, Corporate Investigations, and Regulatory Compliance division. Wolfe joined Duane Morris from Dickstein Shapiro LLP.

A former senior enforcement attorney at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and a former federal prosecutor, Wolfe's practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense; securities enforcement, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations; complex civil and administrative litigation; internal corporate investigations; and data security and privacy matters. He has represented U.S. and foreign corporations, corporate executives, government officials, and others in a broad range of white-collar criminal cases involving securities and commodities, bank and procurement fraud, customs and export violations, and bribery.

Wolfe is a frequent lecturer on white-collar crime, internal investigations, data security, and privacy matters, as well as Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues. He recently spoke on the topic of global anti-corruption in Cape Town, South Africa, before an international audience of accountants, auditors, and business consultants representing over fifty countries.

Wolfe has extensive experience working with various U.S. and international law-enforcement agencies and securities regulators, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Defense–Criminal Investigation Task Force, U.S. Secret Service, the SEC, the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Swiss Central Authorities, New Scotland Yard, the British Columbia Securities Commission, and the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York state securities regulators.

He served as the assistant U.S. attorney in the Securities and Healthcare Fraud Unit in Newark, New Jersey. Prior to that, Wolfe was the special assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, where he worked in the Criminal Division, Major Frauds Unit. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior attorney in the Enforcement Division of the SEC’s Philadelphia District Office and as an assistant district attorney for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Narcotics Division.

Wolfe is a member of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers. He is the founder of the New York Hispanic Partners and Senior Corporate Counsel Group and is a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and its New York and New Jersey regions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of New Jersey Alumni Association, and the Association of Securities and Exchange Commission Alumni. Wolfe also serves on the board of directors of LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

Wolfe earned his J.D. in 1996 from Temple University Beasley School of Law and his B.S. in 1990 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Duane Morris LLP, a full-service law firm with more than seven hundred attorneys in twenty-four offices in the United States and internationally, offers solutions to the legal and business challenges presented by today’s evolving global markets.

Karl Sprenger ’91 graduated in December 2010 from Penn State University with a doctorate in Instructional Systems.

Karl currently is employed by the Kiski Area School District as a physics teacher.

Kathleen Kelley ’70 was named the 2011 Pennsylvania Superintendent of the Year by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators.

She is the superintendent of the Williamsport Area School District in Williamsport, Pa. Operating in her current district since 2006, she previously has worked as superintendent of the Indiana Area School District, as well as in a number of administrative positions in school districts throughout western Pennsylvania.

Kelley received her Ph.D. in Instructional Studies/Language Communications from the University of Pittsburgh in 1984, her master’s of education at California University of Pennsylvania in 1972 and her bachelor’s degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1970.

Melissa Irion ’04 and Andrew Sorokas were married on November 6, 2010, in an outdoor ceremony at the Golden Horseshoe Inn by Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

Melissa is manager of Periodicals and Online Communications for Kaiser Permanente. The couple lives in Falls Church, Va.

Real estate department chair Robert Gundlach, Jr., ’84 and associate Kimberly Freimuth will present the program “The Permit Extension Act of 2010: Learning How to Maximize Value for Your Company” to members of the Home Builders Association of Chester and Delaware counties at the Paoli Design Center on December 17, 2010.

They will discuss how the recently approved Pennsylvania Permit Extension legislation and Federal Fiscal Code Legislation may impact businesses. Both are members of the Warrington, Pa., office of the law firm Fox Rothschild LLP.

Colleen Conrad Stump ’76, M’82, associate vice president for University Advancement and director of Publications at Frostburg State University, received the 2010 University System of Maryland Board of Regents Staff Award, the highest honor bestowed on USM staff employees, for exceptional contribution to the institution.

“I am not surprised that Colleen was selected by the USM Board of Regents for this prestigious award; she exemplifies all that quality and excellence is about in higher education,” FSU President Jonathan Gibralter said. “She performs her job with a focus upon only what is best for our students and our institution. I am very proud of this highly skilled and enormously professional staff member.”

Stump, a member of FSU’s staff since 1983, was credited with her leadership in the development of FSU’s publications, marketing materials, and the university’s brand identity as director of Publications. In 2009, she was appointed associate vice president for University Advancement, which added to her duties the oversight of media relations, marketing, social media, and fundraising publications.

The Regents’ Staff Award recognizes the achievements of salaried and hourly employees of the University System of Maryland which is comprised of twelve universities. Award winners are nominated based on letters and recommendations by colleagues.

Styrofoam cups from the article "Oceans in Deep"

When Doug Strange M’77 from Kutztown, Pa., read the article “Oceans in Deep” in the latest issue of IUP Magazine, one photo in particular caught his eye.

Doug Strange's Styrofoam cups

“Steve Hovan wasn’t unique in sending a Styrofoam cup into the depths of the ocean, Doug said. “While performing pollution studies onboard the RV Annandale with Dr. Bill Dietrich around 1975, we did the same thing… and I still possess my Styrofoam cups.”

Doug also retained his “Sutton Button.”

“While I attended IUP for my master’s program, Sutton Hall was threatened with demolition. A concerted effort saved the main hall, and only the two wings were torn down. I have my “Sutton Button” that was used to raise awareness of the building’s significance to the university.”

Courtney DeNicola ’00 married Christopher Nowak on November 5, 2010, in Queens, New York City. In attendance at the wedding were IUP alumni Monica DelRosso ’00 (bridesmaid), Merideth McIntyre-Richards ’00 (bridesmaid), Deb Sollenberger ’00, Jennifer Mitchell ’00, and Jessica Hazen-Necci ’01.

A Journalism major at while at IUP, Courtney is a senior media relations officer at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She and Chris reside on Staten Island.

“Interestingly enough, “Courtney said, “Monica and her fiancé now own a photography and entertainment company in Lighthouse Point, Florida, called Picture It Perfect. (Monica is also a full-time elementary school teacher.) Their company took the photo. They do great work!”

As a result of an IUP alumni event held in February 2010 in Scottsdale, Ariz., two graduates from the class of 1935 had the opportunity to meet and renew their friendship after seventy-five years.

Because Arnold Steiner had brought his 1935 yearbook to the alumni event, a third party recognized that both Arnold and Marjorie Lantz Kaufman are living in Phoenix. The two class members met for lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed sharing memories about their college days at Indiana.

Arnold was graduated from Indiana with a degree in Secondary Education, and Marjorie earned a degree in Music. Both were members of Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in the field of education.

Arnold, who retired from the business world, lives in his own home in Phoenix. He still drives and plays bridge five days a week. Marjorie recently moved with her husband of seventy-five years to a retirement home in Phoenix. She is retired from teaching, has traveled to over eight-five countries, and continues to play the piano.

Russ Collett ’83 is chief operating officer and member of the board of directors for security firm IPC International Corporation, based in Bannockburn, Illinois.

Russ retired last year as the assistant special agent in charge of the United State Secret Service’s Chicago Field Office. Throughout his twenty-five-year career, he served on the presidential details of George W. Bush and William J. Clinton.

As COO of IPC, Russ will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company, including new business development, personnel management, and the continual advancement of capabilities and performance standards.

Russ lives in Downers Grove, Illinois, with his wife, Stacy Tannehill Collett ’86, and their sixteen-year-old triplet daughters, Caitlyn, Devin, and Kelsey.

Stacy, a freelance writer for a series of business and high technology magazines, has also coached the local high school cheerleaders, qualifying the team for state championships in the last two years.

From left: Gary Elkin ’78, Terry Gillespie ’77, Jeanne Kogut Wardrop ’77, Darla DiCicco Elkin ’77, Dan Wardrop ’77

Gary, Terry, Jeanne, and Dan all worked together at the IUP Housing Office during their undergraduate years.

Stephanie Russell ’06 married Jerome Courtney August 27, 2010, in Poland, Ohio.

Katharine Welsh ’06 served as maid of honor (see below).

Stephanie is an accounting specialist at First Chatham Bank in Savannah, Ga. Jerome works as a sales representative for Lance Snack foods.

The couple lives in Richmond Hill, Ga.

From left: Stephanie Russell '06, Jerome Courtney, Katharine Welsh '06, Gregory Courtney, Cori Meeke, Ted Russell, Sharon Courtney, Marc Saculla

“The hardest thing about taking this photo was having Chloe stand still because of her excitement over being back in school with her friends and teachers,” Kurt Kondrich said on the first day of second grade for his seven-year-old daughter.

Chloe, who was born with Down syndrome, received a strong foundation from outstanding professionals in early intervention and early childhood education. She is fully included in her school, and is reading at a second-grade level.

Kurt, a 1985 IUP Criminology graduate, was a police officer in Atlanta and a deputy sheriff in Fort Myers, Fla., and moved back to Pittsburgh in 1993. After Chloe’s birth, he began attending meetings of the Pittsburgh/Allegheny County Local Interagency Coordinating Council in order to learn about her preschool options. He soon found himself on the statewide ICC as a parent member, and shortly afterward he changed careers to become chair of the Governor’s Advisory Council for Early Intervention. In 2007, he earned his master’s degree in Early Intervention from the University of Pittsburgh. Kurt is now director of Community and Family Outreach at Early Intervention Specialists, a certified provider serving several Pennsylvania counties, and continues to educate the public about the importance of early childhood intervention.

Chloe was featured on the cover of the September issue of EP Magazine, the family and professional journal for the special needs community. Kurt shared a copy of the cover and accompanying article, which is available here as a PDF.

“The article shows what a priceless gift children with Down syndrome are to our world, and reinforces the truth that ‘the smallest voice can have the largest impact’,” Kurt said. “Chloe has planted more positive seeds in seven years than most people do in a lifetime, and she shows the true face of abilities for individuals with disabilities. I feel very blessed that God would entrust me with such a precious gift!”

Michele Renz ’93 has joined Cottrill Arbutina Professional Services as a senior accountant.

Michele will provide audit and accounting services for governmental entities, including public school districts, municipalities, and municipal authorities as well as for credit unions.

Before joining Cottrill Arbutina, she was a project manager and controller for a marketing services firm in Illinois, and earlier was a senior accountant at Honeywell International’s Sensing and Control Division, also in Illinois.

Michele has served in women’s and children’s ministries at church, including coordinator of Mothers of Preschoolers and teaching Sunday School. While in Illinois, she was a board director and treasurer of Cornerstone Credit Union and on the finance committee of St. Thomas Church.

Tiffany Aiello is director of Sales for Hampton Inn and Suites, located at the Chestnut Ridge Resort in Blairsville, Pa.

She previously worked at Copper Beach Townhomes, serving as a leasing sales and marketing consultant for placing both short and long-term guests.

Tiffany is a 2009 graduate of IUP, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. She is currently pursuing additional coursework in the hospitality industry. She lives in Indiana, Pa.

A 1983 graduate from the IUP School of Business, Bryan Owens was promoted to Brigadier General in the U.S. Army on August 16, 2010.

BG Owens, Commandant of the U.S. Army Infantry School, lives in Fort Benning, Ga.

Victor Conrad ’87, CFP, ChFC, AIF, CPA (inactive), founder of Pinnacle Financial Strategies, an independent wealth management firm located in Wexford, Pa., has been named a 2010 Five Star: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth Manager by Crescendo Business Services.

Mr. Conrad was also named as a Five Star Wealth Manager in 2009, the inaugural year for this recognition.

Those named Five Star Wealth Managers represent less than 7 percent of the wealth managers in the Pittsburgh area. Recipients were selected using extensive research via mail and phone of approximately 40,000 high-net-worth residents in the Pittsburgh area and Pittsburgh Magazine subscribers. In addition, approximately 6,000 surveys were sent to leaders of local financial services companies. Only wealth managers with at least five years of experience were considered.

Each wealth manager was reviewed for regulatory and civil judicial actions as well as customer complaints, as reported by the Financial Industry Regulating Authority and other regulatory agencies. Then, before finalizing the list, the wealth managers were reviewed by a blue-ribbon panel comprised of knowledgeable individuals from within the financial services industry. Safeguards were in place to reduce the ability of the panel members to influence the final selection of recipients based on company affiliation.

Mike Konold, his wife, Denise, and their four children: Bailey, Logan, Alaina, and Alyssa

With less than six months until his graduation from the University of Maryland as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Mike Konold ’95 suffered a spinal cord injury.

From Allegheny General Trauma Hospital, where surgeons relieved pressure on his spinal cord and fused three of his vertebrae, Mike was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he became a patient at the same trauma unit where he had been a nurse for six years.

After extensive evaluation, Mike was transferred to the Kernan Rehabilitation Hospital in Baltimore, where he will remain for an indefinite period of time until he is able to go home to his family (his wife, Denise Delcoco Konold ’93, and their four children: Bailey, 11; Logan, 9; Alaina, 6; and Alyssa, 5).

Download the full story of Mike Konold (PDF).

Mike has very limited movement in his upper and lower extremities. He is not able to feed himself, nor walk, nor sit up by himself. His progression at this time is questionable, and he is currently in a lot of pain, which is being managed by pain medication.

His brother, Steve (’91), sent this information to Alumni Extra along with word that a benefit fund has been set up through PNC Bank to help support Mike and his family during this difficult time.

“I am asking that you would consider helping Mike’s family financially and aid in his recovery by helping to lessen the financial burden that this tragedy has created,” Steve writes. “Those of you who know Mike know that he is the most compassionate, caring, and giving person you will ever have the privilege of meeting. Mike always has a good attitude and has so much to offer. He is a perfect fit for the medical field in which he is striving to excel and which is even more evident by the outpouring of support he has received from those who knew Mike professionally....

“We are asking that you please help his family during his recovery by giving a donation to lessen the financial burden which will aid in his recovery. No donation is too small. Let’s help Mike so that he can help others!”

1. To donate anonymously, visit any PNC Bank and make a deposit to the “Benefit Fund of Michael Konold.” To find the location of a PNC bank near you, go to the PNC website.
2. If you would like to send a note of well wishes to Mike and his family, please write a check made payable to the “Benefit Fund of Michael Konold” and mail it to his brother, Steve Konold, at 304 Hances Point Road, North East, Maryland 21901.

Download the full story of Mike Konold (PDF).

“I decided in the Spring, after having lunch with Nancy, that I would try to have a few of the “Sisters” for lunch at my place in June,” Lucille said. “We had such an enjoyable afternoon that we are planning another get together in September. We also are trying to find a few more sisters to join us for lunch at that time. Anyone reading this who would be interested in joining us, please contact me at epbraun@comcast.net or 724-265-2838.”

From left: Lucille Consolaro Braun ’63, Nancy Matthews Patton ’63, Karen Fisher Krenitsky ’62, Barbara Klemencic Bly ’78

“A friend that I worked with for twenty-one years invited my husband and me for dinner. Barbara ‘Bunny’ Bly and her husband were also invited,” Lucille said. “We both recognized each other almost immediately. We hadn’t seen each other for over forty-nine years!”

Barbara lives in Sarver, and her interests include belonging to a Model T club. She discontinued her college education and married Cliff Bly ’62, M’68. She returned to IUP many years later and graduated in 1978.

Lucille and Karen, a retired elementary teacher, reunited at another mutual friend’s house for lunch about five years ago. “Karen’s sister, Amy, was also a Beta and an IUP graduate, and was also at lunch at this friend's house. Hopefully she can join us at our next together,” Lucille said.

“Nancy and I have exchanged Christmas greeting for many years. After graduation, we met again when our daughters were attending art classes at Carnegie Museum in the mid-70s. In April 2010, we got together for lunch—thirty years after the art classes.”

Nancy lives in the South Hills near Pittsburgh. She is a retired elementary teacher and still volunteers during the school year at the same school where she taught before retiring.

“I’m also a retired teacher,” Lucille said. “I taught for many different school districts over many years, and retired from Shaler School District in 1999. My husband and I both love to travel. We have been to at least fifty different countries and have seen the entire USA many times over.”

Susan Shank ’97 was recently elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors for Women’s Business Network, Inc. Susan is an assistant vice president and business development officer with S&T Bank, where she has worked for the past twelve years. She started her career as a part-time employee, and within six years advanced to be a full-time branch manager. Currently, she manages the S&T Bank employee banking program, called “On the Job,” where she teaches others how to be financially healthy in both school and on the job. 

Susan, a resident of Homer City, Pa., donates her time to helping her communities grow through her involvement with various local organizations. She is the marketing/public relations chair of the Indiana Chapter of Women’s Business Network, a member of the Homer City Women’s Club, and a member of the Homer City United Methodist Church, where she serves as the worship team leader, worship committee chairperson, and youth leader. She has been active in getting God’s word out to others through mission trips to places such as Poland and South Africa. Her unselfishness in helping others was recognized in 2007 when she was named Indiana County Female Civic Leader of the Year.

Women’s Business Network was founded in 1989 and provides an environment for support and assistance for entrepreneurial and established women-owned businesses in Southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit the Women’s Business Network website.

Edward Cruz M’06 married Juliana Ferraz on May 30, 2010, in Miami, Fla.

Edward, originally from Allentown, Pa., has lived in Miami for two years and is assistant director of the Graduate Student and Alumni Programs at the University of Miami.

Juliana and her family moved from Brazil to the U.S. about twenty years ago, and she has lived in Miami for the past seventeen years.

The newlyweds honeymooned on a cruise through the western Caribbean, with stops at Georgetown, Grand Cayman Island, and Cozumel, Mexico.

Edward and Juliana celebrate with current IUP student Bethany Lauster (left) and her husband, Sean (right), Edward’s best friend and a member of the wedding party.

Barker received two Chief of Information’s (CHINFO) 2009 Thompson-Ravitz Awards for excellence in the Navy’s Public Affairs program. In addition, she was named CHINFO’s 2009 Junior Civilian Public Affairs Officer of the Year and earned her military command a team award.

Jacqui Barker accepted the Thompson-Ravitz award for excellence in public affairs from former CHINFO Rear Admiral William Thompson (left), USN (Ret.), and present CHINFO Rear Admiral Dennis Moynihan, USN.

The Officer of the Year designation was for Barker’s leadership, execution of required strategic communication tools, and tactics, not only for her organization, but also for CHINFO’s civilian career management and training efforts worldwide.

This is the highest honor in Navy Public Affairs, recognizing an individual who made a significant impact on Navy public affairs by demonstrating exceptional initiative, commitment, effort, and competence.

Barker earned the team award for leading the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division—a team of thirteen—and delivering an internal, two-way communication that included a communication audit plan. The team’s efforts improved understanding, efficiency, education, and morale among Navy and civilian personnel and their families.

Barker, who lives in Panama City Beach, Fla., with her active-duty husband, James, is a member of the National Defense Industrial Association’s Women in Defense, a Jeanette Rankin Foundation supporter, the 2009 chairman of the Public Relations Subcommittee, and the Bay County Chamber of Commerce.

She presently attends Gonzaga University’s graduate distance education program and will graduate in December 2011 with a master’s degree in communication and a certificate in Servant-Leadership.

In 2005, Barker graduated from the Public Affairs Qualification Course at the Defense Information School at Ft. Meade, Md. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Science at IUP (where she was a David J. Rovnan scholarship recipient), she interned at the White House. Barker is a former IUP public relations employee and Whitefish Pilot reporter.

—June 2010

Note: This article contains graphic content.

Read Robyn’s personal account of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath.

Chronology of Haiti Visit: January 12–15, 2010

By Bruce McGraw, Cochair, Haiti Task Force, Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville (N.J.)

Tuesday, January 12

The purpose of the 2010 mission trip to Haiti was to sustain and expand support for Harmony Ministries. To that end, a medical team of twenty from three churches (Shiloh Baptist Church, Trenton; Kingdom Church, Ewing; and the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville) arrived in Port-au-Prince by air from JFK airport about 1:30 p.m. We had left Lawrenceville with our personal carry-on luggage and thirty-three duffle bags filled with medicines, vitamins, supplies, reading glasses, cell phones, painting and medical equipment, sleeping bags, and air mattresses.

Late in the afternoon, after clearing immigration and customs, we were on our way to the mountain village of Thoman in a truck/bus with wooden benches climbing the switchbacks of a mountain road. We noticed rock slides to the side and ahead and rolling dust clouds in the dry river beds below. Joking that it was an earthquake, the “joke” soon turned into reality when our host, Pastor Luc Deratus, received a cell phone call that his church and school in Port-au-Prince had collapsed, trapping people who had gathered for a prayer service, and that there were reports that the Palace and the Cathedral had collapsed. Then the phone went dead.

The remains of Harmony Church in Port-au-Prince

As darkness fell, we ate a meal of rice, beans, and chicken brought up the mountain with us. Little did we know that this warm meal would be our last until Thursday night. We tried to get information from a radio, but heard only static and the words “tsunami watch” and “Mexico.” We worshipped that evening with members of the Thoman church and slept on the floor of the school.

Robyn: “During the night, we began to feel the aftershocks. Some of us sought refuge under desks. Each time an aftershock began, my water bottle would shake hard enough on the desk that I’d hear it. I would jump up and head for the door. It was my aftershock alarm. As I rested on my sleeping bag, I prayed that somehow my husband Jim would know that I was okay. I thought that if he felt that I was okay, then my daughters and my family would be at ease. Throughout the night, we heard the villagers praying, wailing, crying, and chanting. The sounds of the drums and the desperate cries will be forever etched in my memory.”

Wednesday, January 13

Beginning shortly after dawn, following a brief reading and prayer that reminded us that “we are not alone,” we provided a scheduled medical clinic for well over three hundred families. Anxious about members of the Port-au-Prince church, we abandoned painting, health seminars, and recreational activities we were prepared to give and focused on the medical clinic.

As we were about to close early, people who had travelled up the mountain brought a man and a youth with crushed limbs. For some of us, that is when the reality of a major earthquake set in.

Robyn: “We attended to over 350 people. High blood pressure, malnutrition, ear infections, arthritic ailments, skin rashes, and wounds were common. The line to the clinic was long and constant, but the people seeking help were patient and so thankful. The morning went by quickly. We were so busy that at times I had forgotten about the earthquake.

Robyn Park Campbell ’92 (left) at the clinic with survivors of the Haitian earthquake

“During the late morning, people began arriving at the clinic, injured in the earthquake. They traveled up the mountain seeking medical attention. Then a young boy about twelve was brought to us. He was suffering from a closed brain injury. We were not equipped to handle his injuries. It was both frustrating and heartbreaking. A man was brought to us in incredible pain. His friends carried him in on a wooden door with a severe open fracture. Dr. Levandowski stabilized the fractured leg with a limb that he sawed from a mango tree, a sleeping bag, Saran Wrap, and duct tape. We gave him pain medication and directed them to head for the Dominican Boarder.

“After tending to those injured in the quake, we started to get a better grasp of the severity of the devastation that we would later encounter. We packed and headed down the mountain. We all tried to search for cell service in order to send out a message that we were safe. At one point a message did go out, but then the service went out again. We had no idea if the text message went through.

“As we drove closer and closer to Port-au-Prince, we noticed more and more damage. Once in the city, the devastation was everywhere. Cars were crushed. Houses, apartment buildings, schools, churches were all destroyed. They were pancaked, each floor collapsing onto the floor below... houses and building reduced to rubble, arms and legs jutting out of the piles of concrete. The horrific images that were televised were real and they were widespread. The dead were piled on the streets. The people walking were stepping over them. They were in shock….walking….just walking…with nowhere to go. Their faces showed pain and disbelief. We continued towards our hotel. I did the only thing that I thought I could do in that moment. I prayed. I prayed...”

Not knowing what to expect, and with the advice to be flexible and “go with the flow,” we travelled to Port-au-Prince.... The parks and streets were filled with people. Twice, our security guard forcefully pushed men away who tried to board our bus. When we arrived near our hotel, we could see down the street that it had pancaked.

Pastor Luc went to find a place for us to stay. On his return, he said, “There was no one at the hotel”—his way of saying it was destroyed.

It was then that we decided to head for the U.S. Embassy. Seeing the great need of so many people, some in the group wanted to stay and offer help in the chaos, but we had no supplies or infrastructure. All of the medicines, gear, and sleeping bags were on a second truck somewhere on its way to Port-au-Prince. To ensure our future effectiveness and not become victims ourselves, the safety and security of each member of the group was paramount. We proceeded to the embassy.

Wednesday-Thursday, January 13–14

the embassy staff collected passport information and sent e-mails to our families that we were safe. We each signed a five-page promissory note to pay the U.S. government the equivalent of coach fare from Port-au-Prince to wherever we were to be airlifted in the states.

Since we had three doctors, an R.N., and folks with medical experience, the embassy asked us to set up a medical facility in a conference room to treat U.S. citizens who needed to be evacuated by helicopter.

Robyn: “We set up a triage in the one section, and created an emergency area in a conference room. Members of our team provided pastoral care to those in shock. We gave out crackers and cookies. Our doctors and nursing support staff provided medical care with very little supplies. We carried patients on stretchers to the helicopters, and we mopped floors.

While at the embassy, we met two young seminarians, Renee and her husband’s cousin, Jon. They had been trapped in the collapse of the St. Joseph’s Home for Boys. Renee and Jon had managed to free themselves and crawl out from the rubble, but her husband, Ben, did not. They arrived in shock. Our group took them in, and Jon and Renee became part of our group and were eventually airlifted out with us. (On return to the states, four members of our group went to Iowa for the husband’s memorial service, which was broadcast over the Internet.)

Assisting earthquake survivors at the clinic

“The smells of infection, the crush wounds, the fractures, and the cries of those in pain will never be forgotten. I will forever be inspired by the dignity and spirituality of the Haitian people. Their faith in God’s steadfast love was uplifting. They showed such strength that I will always remember that in their darkest hour, in their physical pain, through the loss of their entire extended families, they showed me hope through their unwavering faith in God.”

Most of the injuries were broken and crushed bones and lacerations. Even though we quickly ran out of supplies that the embassy had given us, as well as the pain killers and antibiotics solicited from those waiting to be airlifted by plane, we operated the clinic from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening, when an Air Force medical team of doctors arrived. Each member of our group provided assistance—carrying makeshift stretchers, treating injuries, cleansing wounds, offering comfort, engaging in prayer, and giving shoes, clothes, and money to patients and their families. We “slept” each night outside on the grass and sidewalks and ate snack food we had brought with us. Thursday night, the embassy staff gave us MREs, the first substantial food since Tuesday evening. Early Thursday evening, the group paused for a moment of prayer.

Pastor Luc Deratus (right) talks with a man who lost his children

One member of our group was a Chinese citizen with a U.S. permanent resident card (“green card”). We were told that American citizens would be airlifted first, with green card holders last. We insisted that the twenty of us were a group and that all should be treated the same. Maintaining the integrity of the group was essential to the well-being of each member. Late Thursday morning, several of us were privately assured that we would be treated as a group and the embassy staff thought our request to travel together would be honored. It was.

Friday, January 15

Thursday night, around 11:00 p.m., we were given five minutes’ notice to load into SUVs to be taken to the airport, where we were flown in an unmarked “special ops” turbo prop to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and then the next morning by commercial jet to JFK. We were greeted Friday afternoon by family and, yes, the press. Our church staff did a superb job with our families, supporting them when they did not know whether or not we were safe, and helping them with our return.

Members of the mission trip to Haiti from the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. Robyn Park Campbell ’92 is at far right with the pink cap.

the embassy staff was terrific in supporting us and keeping us informed. We are grateful beyond words to Pastor Luc, our host, our driver, and our security guard, Solomon, who stayed with us through the ordeal until we arrived at the embassy. They saw the destruction and feared for their families, but they stayed with us. Pastor Luc’s wife survived; our security guard’s wife did not.

We have learned since our return that Pastor Luc hired a doctor and distributed the medicines, vitamins, tarps, air mattresses, and sleeping bags from the second truck to those most in need.

We are now organizing a consortium of seven churches (three Presbyterian, two Episcopal, one Baptist, and one nondenominational) to focus support on rebuilding and sustaining four schools, three churches, and a medical clinic. Additional churches and organizations are encouraged to join in support of Harmony Ministries in Haiti.

Pastor Luc Deratus (left) surveys the devastation

Robyn: “Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Prior to the earthquake, one half of the population did not have access to clean water. Malnutrition and anemia are prevalent. Order, safety, comfort and the basic needs of survival—clean water, shelter, and food—barely existed before the earthquake. Following the earthquake they were nonexistent.

“The catastrophe has caused the world to take notice of the plight of the Haitians. Now we should challenge ourselves, as human beings, to take action. Do not let the people of Haiti be forgotten. Do not let those who have died be forgotten. Please continue to support the ongoing efforts of those committed to change for Haiti.

Our group, our congregation, and the consortium of churches that are working together remain committed to Pastor Luc, Harmony Ministries, and the people of Haiti. And as the people of Haiti said to us over and over again, ‘Mesi, Mesi, Mesi.’ Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Read Robyn’s personal account of the Haiti earthquake and its aftermath.

Haitian children at a makeshift church

Note: The purpose of the consortium of churches and organizations is to facilitate coordinated support among its members. Central to the purpose is regular and consistent communication among its members. The focus of support of the consortium for Harmony Ministries includes:

• The rebuilding and maintenance of Harmony Ministries’ facilities: churches, schools, and medical clinics
• Maintaining the programs and services of the churches, schools, and clinics
• Helping with the personal needs of the founder and pastor of Harmony Ministries and his family.

To make a monetary gift, please make your check payable to the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, writing Haiti in the memo, and send it to The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, 2688 Main Street, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.

—May 2010

[This article accompanies “Notes from Haiti,” a daily log about the experiences of Robyn and other members of the Haiti Task Force from the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville (N.J.) during their trip to Haiti that coincided with the earthquake of January 2010.]

As I sit here in my office staring at a red duffle bag on the floor, I’m reminded of the Bible passage in Luke 9:10-17. The story is about how five thousand were fed with five loaves and two fish. After reading my story, I encourage you to read Luke 9:10-17 and think about how are things are possible with God.

As a member of the Haiti 2010 Mission Team, I was responsible for purchasing and providing lunches and snacks to the team members, Pastor Luc, and Pastor Luc’s security team. I was also responsible for carrying a first aid kit with me at all times for the group’s personal use. As I strolled around the grocery store, I tried to find foods that were packed with protein and packaged in individual wrappers. I was told this was very important to minimize the spread of germs. So, I found peanuts, peanut butter crackers, Nutragrain bars, trail mix, and cookies. Rich had suggested whole-wheat tortillas and jars of peanut butter. I thought that it was a great idea, and purchased two jars of peanut butter and as many whole-wheat tortillas as I could find. We purchased Gatorade powder and individual packs of Gatorade powder for water bottles. It didn’t seem like much when we packed it into the red duffle bag. It didn’t cost much either. It was less than one hundred dollars to feed lunch and daily snacks to twenty-five people a day for four days.

As we gathered in the airport in New York, we all had purchased water and many had additional snacks packed as well. Being on a special diet, I had brought along protein bars and purchased two 32-ounce bottles of water. Hydration and protein were a priority.

When we arrived in Haiti we began to locate and count our checked luggage. Most of our duffle bags were green. The red food duffle, which was marked “Schafer” because it had belonged to Mac Schafer, was spotted and packed with the rest of the duffle bags onto the tap-tap carrying our team and our personal bags. All of our other supplies were placed in another tap-tap. [ed. note:Buses in Haiti are called tap-taps, because riders tap to stop and get off. Most tap-taps are brightly painted and named, many with a Christian theme.]

On the road to Thoman, everyone was excited about our trip. Many of us enjoyed a snack from our personal supplies of trail mix, crackers, and dried fruit and drank from the water bottles we had filled in the airport, all the way up the mountain. We were quite cramped in the tap-tap. At one point Kesner looked over at me and asked if I was comfortable. I was aching from the way I had to sit on the luggage. I didn’t mind though, and replied that I was fine. I told Kesner that I didn’t want to be comfortable in Haiti. I didn’t expect to be comfortable. I wanted to be outside of my comfort zone, because any discomfort I would endure was nothing compared to the everyday life that the Haitians had to endure. The sun was warm, the grass and fields were green, the flowers were colorful, and the air was fresh. What a glorious day!

One moment we were excited with anticipation, and then the earth shook. Shortly before arriving in Thoman, Kesner pointed out a rising dust cloud. Kesner asked Solomon if he knew what was making the dust cloud. Solomon believed it to be coming from heavy machinery. Bruce joked that perhaps it was an earthquake. A short time later we arrived in Thoman and we were informed that Bruce was correct—it was an earthquake.

I think that the beginning of the journey is an important part of my story, because before I knew that the earthquake had occurred, I was relaxed. As soon as I was told about the earthquake, everything changed. My entire mindset shifted into a form of survival mode. This survival mode had a definite effect on how I handled my responsibilities with the “red Schafer duffle.” I became very protective of that bag. It was our only supply of food. The first night we had a wonderful meal of chicken with beans and rice. Pastor Luc had also brought a cooler of water, soda, and ice up the mountain. We did not need any food from our supply.

We had a prayer service in Thoman that had an amazing impact on me. The villagers were awake most of the night singing, praying, and playing the drums. They were scared and remained outside in the fields because of the aftershocks. I recall the drastic difference of my experiences of the Earth’s beauty and turmoil. One moment you are gazing at the most brilliant stars ever seen, then the next running outside when the earth would shake. I would then remember that Solomon’s wife and others at Pastor Luc’s church were missing when the church roof collapsed.

After a very long night of multiple aftershocks and minimal sleep, we began our day with prayer. We ate from our red duffle. Nutragrain bars and peanut butter tortillas were the popular breakfast items. A few sodas were left and were the only source of caffeine for those who needed it. Our day became one of uncertainty. Many questions were asked: Do we stay in Thoman? Do we head down into Port-au-Prince? What about our water supply if we stay? Not knowing how long we would be on the mountain with limited supplies of food and fresh water stirred an uneasy feeling within me. I felt responsible for feeding the team. I immediately filled both of my 32-ounce bottles with water and placed them in my backpack. It was time to stay hydrated, but to be conscious about not wasting water. The red duffle was closed and placed in a secure area. I began to think about needing to cut back and ration our supplies.

Throughout the morning, we ran the medical clinic. We treated over three hundred people. We began treating a few people injured in the earthquake from Port-au-Prince. They traveled hours up the mountain seeking medical attention. We began to realize it was worse, much worse than we initially thought. It was decided that we would quickly pack and head down into Port-au-Prince. We thought we would try to check in at our hotel. After the clinic was broken down, we repacked the tap-taps and headed back down the mountain. The red Schafer duffle was once again placed on the tap-tap with the team. I do believe that most of us had no idea what we were about to witness.

We did not pause to eat in Thoman before heading out. We snacked on items in our backpacks; trail mix, dried fruit, cheese, and crackers. As we drove down the mountain, I noticed that the mood was much different than the ride up the mountain less than twenty-four hours before. We were tired and dirty. Some of us later shared that we were fearful of what we were going to encounter. Some were quiet, knowing that we were about to face something that was horrific and devastating.

Although the mood on the bus was drastically different, the sun was shining brilliantly, the sky was blue, and the Haitian mountains and lake were truly an amazing sight. As we continued down the mountain, we began to see damaged buildings and homes. As we drove closer and closer to Port-Au-Prince, the damage became catastrophic and widespread. Buildings were crumbled. Many had collapsed and the floors had pancaked. The dead were piled on the streets. After I saw the first person lying dead on the street I prayed. I decided that I would pray each time I saw a body. There were so many that I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and continuously prayed. I didn’t know what else to do. The injured were everywhere. People appeared to be in shock. They were walking with nowhere to go. Bewildered, shaken, and injured, they walked. I remember thinking that the last time I felt this way was September 11, 2001. I recalled the shock and fear of those injured and the desperate cries of those who lost loved ones. People were searching for survivors and recovering the deceased. The thousands quietly walking, some sobbing, many injured, with nothing but the clothes on their backs will be forever etched in my memory.

The streets of Port-Au-Prince were extremely busy. People walked everywhere, but they were not frantic or panicked—just in shock. We made our way to the hotel, but it was determined to be unsafe. The decision was made to head to the American Embassy. Pastor Luc and his wonderful men were committed to our safety, and they were not going to be able to do what they needed to do for their families and their congregation while trying to ensure our safety. I believe that heading to the embassy was the safest, smartest, and the only option. When we arrived at the embassy, we lost the tap tap that had been carrying our supplies—but we still had our personal belongings and the red Schafer duffle! We entered as a team of twenty. Our leaders spoke with the embassy staff and informed them that we had doctors, nurses, some medical supplies, and pastoral staff. We hugged, cried, and said farewell to Pastor Luc, Solomon, and the others.

Once inside the gates, I had mixed emotions. I had always felt safe, and had never once feared for my life. Should I be relieved? I had a restlessness to help, but also to be responsible and ensure my safe return to my family. Now at the embassy, I saw the television reports that were on constantly. I felt as though I was kicked in the stomach when I saw what our family, friends, congregation, and communities had to endure for over twenty-four hours, unaware that we were safe. From somewhere within I said, “Snap out of it, and get to work.” And so I did. We all did.

I chuckle writing this because I don’t know what the embassy staff first thought about our team when we arrived. We sort of just took over. We were respectful, but the fact is that we did take over. We set up a triage in one portion of the embassy. We set up a medical clinic for the critical patients in another area. Kesner made announcements in both English and Creole. There were over 250 people that first afternoon when we arrived. Most had nothing to eat since the earthquake. Some were in shock. Many were injured. We brought in our supplies and luggage. We had cookies in the triage to treat low blood glucose and shock. I went around with crackers and cookies from our red Schafer duffle. The youngest and elderly were fed first, as well as those who were diabetic. After each of them received a pack of crackers, I went around and made sure everyone else had a pack. I’m still amazed how we fed all those people with only a few boxes of crackers!

We filled out paperwork and continued to treat the injured and those who were in shock or just needed to talk. We met many people during our stay and heard many stories. We realized that the embassy needed our team’s assistance, and we decided we would stay until military medical help arrived. Once this decision was made, I once again thought we needed to reevaluate our food supply. We had to be careful to ration what we had. We needed to save the food for those who needed it most. People were entering the embassy constantly, many needing medical attention. I wasn’t being mean or stingy—just practical, not knowing how long we would be there. We began to use the Gatorade powder. We mixed it with water supplied by the embassy. This was a great way to keep those at risk hydrated.

We met many people, and our team of twenty grew to twenty-two when we welcomed John and Renee into our fold. John and Renee had arrived at the embassy earlier in the day. They were in Haiti with Renee’s husband, Ben, who was also John’s cousin. John, Renee, and Ben—all seminary students—were working at St. Joseph’s Home for Boys when the earthquake occurred. The walls shook and crumbled, and the ceilings collapsed. John and Renee managed to crawl out and escape, but Ben did not make it. Renee and John had listened as Ben sang his favorite hymn. Then it went quiet. They stayed in a field all night, and then went back again to find Ben. The decision was made to make their way to the embassy. This is where we met them; confused, dirty, tired, and broken. Joan and Lori comforted them. Joan was able to provide much-needed counseling and pastoral care. They prayed, cried, and held on to one another throughout the night.

During the night, Joan led a lectio davina devotion in the courtyard of the embassy. She picked Luke 9:10-17. It was a very powerful devotion and reflection for me. I connected to that passage and to our experiences. I also recognized that our red Schafer duffle bag was always full. From that point on, I relaxed a bit about handing out food, but was still mindful not to be wasteful.

On Thursday evening, the embassy invited our team to a private feast. All twenty-two of us gathered in our makeshift clinic and feasted on MREs. It was a great treat! The military arrived, and we knew that after they set up their MASH unit our assistance was no longer needed. We had heard so many different stories about our pending departure. We had expected to be in Haiti on the embassy grounds for a few days. After that we would be flown to the Dominican Republic. We decided to reevaluate our supply in the red Schafer duffle bag. After eating, we saved all unopened MREs. We also received an additional MRE, and we stockpiled and saved those as well. We filled our water bottles and were ready, but ready for what? We were ready for whatever might happen next.

The embassy gave us a great gift—the opportunity to shower! Our team was permitted to use the pool showers. But immediately after showering, we found out that we were leaving! It is still a mystery to me how we were there one minute and then within three minutes loaded into vehicles and driven to the airport.

Before heading out, we had an amazing opportunity to share our goodbyes with the embassy staff. Within only a few short days, we had bonded and will be forever connected. I believe there were multiple reasons why we were able to fly home that night. I’ll save those theories for another story.

We were still unsure what would happen. We had to be prepared. We had our red Schafer duffle and our water bottles. Rumors of being stranded on the tarmac for days were on my mind. We flew to Puerto Rico on a special ops plane, and arrived in the middle of the night. The airport was closed, but they gave us food and shelter in one of the offices. We flew out the next morning and headed for New York.

I felt guilty when we arrived home and I realized that we still had food. Why didn’t we leave it behind? Then I was reminded of the end of the Luke passage: “...and all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.” We fed, we ate, and we still had some leftover. I still cannot believe we had enough to feed all of those people.

After three months, the red Schafer duffle bag still sits open on the floor. A few MRE meals, packs of cookies, mostly crushed, and couple of Nutragrain bars can been seen inside. There it sits—reminding me of so many things: the story of the loaves and fish, those we helped in Haiti, those we left behind. Seeing the name Schafer was a connection to family and to home and a reminder of the strength I had drawn from those at home praying and thinking about me. It also reminds me of how we can make a difference in Haiti, and that we cannot forget where we have been, what we have seen, and what we have experienced. Every time I see that bag, I recommit myself to Pastor Luc, to Harmony Ministries, and to the Haitian people.

Her sister would like to connect with those who knew Diane during her time at IUP. Please contact Carol at carolance@gmail.com.

—May 2010

Photo from Shiprock: Stefan Brodsky (right) with his crew: videographer Mark Camacho (center), of Centennial, Colo., and audio technician Tony Milford, Jr. of Ft. Defiance, Ariz.

“This program was shot in 2008 on areas on or adjacent to the Navajo Nation, including Shiprock, N.M.; Cove, Cameron, and Flagstaff, Ariz; and Montezuma Creek and Mexican Hat, Utah,” Brodsky said. “Also featured in our film is historical news footage of Three Mile Island, donated by WGAL-TV News in Lancaster, Pa.”

One of the company’s previous programs produced for UNC, about the Navajo Long Walk, is called Empty Hogans—A Return to Hweelde and is on continual display at the Bosque Redondo State Memorial in Fort Sumner, N.M. It will be shown on May 28, 2010, at the Navajo Nation Library and Museum in Window Rock, Ariz., as part of the Treaty of 1868 Commemoration in the Navajo Capital.

Stefan Brodsky and his second grandchild, Dominic Robert Medina, born May 13, 2009, in Longmont, Colorado.

Brodsky and Co. recently won the “Spotlight on Excellence” award from Rural Electric Communicators, a national association of rural electric cooperative communicators, for a video produced for United Power of Brighton, Colo., and its “Sol Partners” program.

On location in Cove, Ariz., an area that at one time held some 230 uranium mines. It’s now said the only people living in Cove are widows, as all of the uranium miners who worked there are now deceased. The Navajo Nation, as a government entity, has enacted a permanent ban on all uranium mining on tribal lands.

Brodsky and his wife, Roberta, live in Thornton, Colo., where their company is located. Established in 2005, Brodsky & Company LLC offers strategy and media services for corporations, governmental entities, nonprofit groups, and selected political candidates, groups, and issues.

—May 2010

“It was apparent to me that some fellow IUP alumni or students had been there as well,” Matthew said, as evidenced by the photo at right.

“I also had a chance to spend some time shadowing Dr. John Perkins (below). He was a civil rights activist in the 1960s and is also founder of the Christian Community Development Association.”

Matthew is a National Youth Development Specialist for World Vision.

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

Tim Hayes ’82 (B.A. Journalism), president of Pittsburgh-based professional communications firm Tim Hayes Consulting, recently earned the 2010 Cicero Speechwriting Award for “Be Explosive! Maximizing Chances from Chaos,” a commencement address written for the president of Alcoa Defense, Inc. 

The Cicero Award is one of the most prestigious national competitions for excellence in speechwriting.

—April 2010

Charles Biddle is among seven artists featured in the exhibition Process: How Art Gets Made, on display at the Concept Art Gallery, 1031 S. Braddock Ave., at Regent Square in Pittsburgh. He is exhibiting a working photograph of the Pet-O-Mine sign in Omaha, including a palette of pencil colors used in his finished work, to illustrate his method.

For more information, read about Chuck and his work at Post-Gazette.com and view his video segment at In the Frame: Artists in Their Own Words.

—March 2010

Daniel Henry ’84, a partner with Henry Wealth Management, LLC, earned the Chartered Life Underwriter professional designation from the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa.

—February 2010

Once again, Linda Toki ’87, a visual information specialist in the Office of Management Services at the Farm Credit Administration, received first place in the Best Photography and Use of Images (small agency) category from the 2009 Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area.

“We also won in the categories of Best Overall Communications Program and Most Innovative Campaign Technique,” Toki said.

Both Toki and her team have received numerous awards for their work, including Communicator Awards of Distinction and the FCA Distinguished Service Award, in addition to the previous three-award win.

(February 2010)

After four-and-a-half years in South Korea, Brian Deutsch ’05 returned to Pittsburgh in February 2010. While teaching English in South Korea, he also contributed to several local newspapers and magazines and maintained a blog on South Korean culture, education, and events that averaged roughly 1,500 visitors a day.

“In January I had photographs and an interview published in a guidebook to living in South Korea, Moon Living Abroad in South Korea” Deutsch said. The book shares “insider secrets” on moving to South Korea. Many of the photographs used in the book appeared previously on his blog, Brian in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla—a province in the southwest of South Korea).

“In February, a local newspaper, the Korea Times, published an article on me to discuss my blog and my thoughts on living, working, and writing in South Korea.” The article, noting that Deutsch’s blog was occasionally quoted in mainstream Korean media, also revealed that he was voted the Angriest Korea Blogger in the Golden Klog Awards, held by English language blog the Hub of Sparkle! He also won the Most Thought Provoking Blogger award.

Follow the links above to read more about Deutsch and his fascinating story, including his fear of leaving a “void” in both the national and provincial blogosphere when he stops blogging because some of the things he discusses, even beyond tourist and festival coverage, are not being addressed by anyone else.

(February 2010)

Phyllis Lovely Gallant ’84 passed away on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, after a short-term illness. She was 52.

Phyllis was a coordinator/family case manager for fifteen years at the Prince of Peace Center in Farrell, Pa., and was responsible for writing grants to help keep the program operating. She also ran the H.O.P.E. Advocacy Program.

She married Steven Gallant, Jr., in 1986. They had a daughter, Christie, and two sons, Aaron and Bryant.

Phyllis was of the Catholic faith and enjoyed flowers, gardening, cooking, and baking.

At Phyllis’s request, there were no services. Friends may sign a guestbook at the Flynn Funeral Home website.

Memorial contributions in honor of Phyllis may be made with checks to the H.O.P.E. Advocacy Program in care of the Prince of Peace Center, 502 Darr Ave., Farrell, PA 16121

(February 2010)

Tracy is a teacher at Salem Crossroads in Delmont, Pa., where she lives with her husband, Kevin Dibert ’93. 

“We actually met at Wallace Hall,” Tracy said. “We broke up, and I married someone else. We found each in 2005—twelve years later! Long story short, Kevin and I married on June 6, 2009.”

Detective Pancake can be found at Author House and at the Delmont Library. By the end of February 2010, it will also be available at Barnes and Noble and at Amazon.com.

“This is the first of three books I will publish this year,” Tracy said. “My second is called The Sister that Won't Stop Talking, and the third is The Sister Who Knows it All.”

Find out more at the Detective Pancake website and also on the Detective Pancake page on Facebook.

(January 2010)

Jill Ashbaugh M’94 and Dennis Earman ’93 were married on December 6, 2009.

Jill’s son, Luke Piper, is a freshman in the Robert E. Cook Honors College, majoring in Biology/Pre-Medicine.

(January 2010)

Troy and Shelley Mix

Shelley Cook ’06 and Troy Mix were married on August 8, 2009, in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Olmstedville, N.Y., with several IUP alumni in attendance. The wedding was followed by a reception at the Alpine Homestead.

Shelley, from Oxford, Pa., graduated from IUP with bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Political Science. She is now a program coordinator at the University of Illinois in Champaign, where Troy is pursuing doctoral studies in Regional Planning.

After a wedding trip to Quebec City, Canada, the couple returned to their home in Urbana, Ill.

From left: Lois Carroll Hogue ’06 (Elementary Education), Jim Hogue ’05, M’06 (Political Science/Employment and Labor Relations), Kate Szupowal, Troy Mix, Shelley Cook Mix ’06 (Journalism and Political Science), Meghan Kasun ’06 (Elementary Education), bridesmaid Katie Kasubick ’06 (Elementary Education)

(January 2010)

“Now that I'm back in the U.S., I'm taking the role of global applications engineer for one of the product lines that I supported in Asia,” Henry said. “We make the world’s best copper digital I/O cables for supercomputing applications.”

As the Asia-Pacific technical leader in the Electronic Products Division of W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc., Henry hired and trained all of the applications engineers from Delhi, India, to Tokyo, Japan, and many places in between. His role also included consulting on the start-up of the company’s first manufacturing plant in Asia, located in Shenzhen, China.

His overseas job produced an added benefit.

“While I was living in Hong Kong, I met and married a wonderful woman,” he said. His wife, Cynthia, gave birth to Henry Yates III on December 14, 2009.

“Thankfully, he looks more like my wife than he does me,” Henry said.

Carole Drury ’84 sent in this photo of their latest reunion, this time at a bed and breakfast in Hagerstown, Md.
Front row, from left: Lisa Sommers-Diemert ’83, M’84, Tracy Stoyer-Lang ’83, Karen Yancosek-Dionise ’84, and Carole Austin-Drury ’84 
Back row, from left: Margit Hotz-Neiman ’83, Cathy Austin-Haas ’84, Lori Tallarico-Rodgers ’84

“We take turns planning the weekend. We try to get together annually, but it doesn’t always work,” Carole said.

Margit lives in Quakertown, Pa., Cathy in Ambler, Pa., Karen and Lisa in Pittsburgh, Lori and Tracy in the D.C. area, and Carole in New Jersey. Margit and Cathy are high school teachers (French and Special Ed respectively). Lisa runs her own coffee shop, Lori is in the computer business, and Carole is office administrator for a speech pathologist.

“Tracy and Karen work too, but honestly, we talk more about our personal lives than our careers,” Carole said. “We do a lot of talking about the great time we had at IUP. In fact, we never stop talking the whole time we’re together!

“We’ve been so lucky to be such great friends still after all these years, although we don't get to see each other very often. We were all in each other’s weddings, and now our children are going off to college and we are supporting each other through the tough times of our parents getting older.”

“This was a reunion celebrating a wonderful friendship that has lasted twenty-six years.” Carole added. “And hopefully we will all be friends for at least another twenty-six years!”

(December 2009)

Vince Benigni ’83, an associate professor of Communication, has been named the NCAA faculty athletics representative at the College of Charleston. Vince, who has taught at the college since 1999, was also named graduate director for the Department of Communication in January 2009.

(December 2009)

Mark Tate ’96 (right) joined Brad Miller ’85 at the November 29, 2009, Eagles-Redskins game in Philadelphia. Mark lives in Langhorne, Pa., and Brad lives in Levittown.

(December 2009)

     Back row: Matt Synder ’05, Annie Baltzer ’06, Brian Levan ’02, M’04, Athena Broadbelt Levan ’04, Chelsie Miller ’04, Austin Matsko ’06, Josh Levan ’05, Cory Stanislaw Ham ’04, Jillian Traczuk ’05, Russell Bergstresser ’05, Kevin Sobotka ’05, Matt Stokes ’05

Front row: Jessica Guy Levan ’07, Phuc Nguyen ’05, Jim Herlihy ’05, Kelcy St. Clair ’06, Amy Thurston ’05, Kelly McCallion Gipprich ’05, Matt Gipprich ’05, Katie Cosgrove ’04, Leigh Richardson Bergstresser ’05, Jennifer Johnson Wimer ’04

(December 2009)

Venturing on a cross-continental journey was always a dream for author and avid bicyclist Doug Freedline ’85, M’89. After a failed attempt in 1974, Freedline enlisted the company of a friend three years later and set out to finish what he started. In his new book, Summer of 1977: A North American Bicycling Odyssey, Freedline outlines the life-altering bike trip that would take him around the Great Lakes, across Canada, down the Pacific Coast, across the Rockies, to the tip of Florida, and then back home to Pennsylvania.

This memoir chronicles Freedline’s more than 9,000-mile, four-and-a-half-month road trip that began and ended in Indiana, Pa. The book demonstrates how one man’s dream served as the impetus for finding the courage to enroll in college, earn a degree, and go on to motivate others to improve their lives.

Doug Freedline was born in Indiana, Pa., where he currently resides with his wife, two cats and his mountain bike. Since his youth, Freedline has bicycled more than 60,000 miles, which took him to five Canadian provinces and more than twenty states. Freedline is an outreach mobile therapist who serves families in their homes.

(November 2009)

     In the fifties photo, left to right: Kathy Kightlinger McBride, Marge Lebedda Butzler, Janet Neigh, and Andrea Matola Lauer.

In the 2009 photo (below), the order is reversed. When Andrea sent the photos to IUP Magazine, she noted, “Sadly, three months after the fiftieth reunion, Janet Neigh passed away unexpectedly.”

(November 2009)

Jessica Necker ’04 and Sean McAlonan were married in Abington, Pa., on June 20, 2009.

Many IUP alumni were in attendance, including some of Jessica’s Alpha Xi Delta sisters.

Back row: Brittany Kemp, Mary Judge Skurecki ’02, Jamie Fleming Walsh ’03, Kim Lennon ’05, Danielle Ferri Crane ’04
Front row: Alyssa Hunter Keebler ’06, Amber Shutter ’03, Jessica Necker McAlonan ’04, Becky Smolens ’02, Katie McAlonan Vahey ’03

Joe, an account executive with Albert Gallatin Home Care, is also a firefighter/EMT with the Mount Lebanon Fire Department and is the Pennsylvania state chairman for the Sons and Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors. A member of the Sigma Nu fraternity, he was also the first manager of IUP’s HUB Rock Cafe from 1989 to 1991.

Barb is the IT manager for PHW and is a professed member of Mother Teresa’s Lay Missionaries of Charity.

Guests at the wedding included Joe’s sisters,  Patricia Kralik Tylka ’79 (Alpha Sigma Alpha) and Karen Kralik ’75 (Alpha Gamma Delta); his brother-in-law, Terry Tylka ’80 (Lambda Chi); Barb’s sister and brother, Elaine Cyphers ’83 and Barry Cyphers ’76; Linda Hagopian ’86; Deacon Joe Compomizzi ’85 (Phi Psi); Kathleen Connelly Tobin ’85, M’92; and best man Kevin Hughes ’92.

Clergy at the mass included Father Boniface Hicks, O.S.B., Father Jacques Daley, O.S.B., Father David Dreisch (a firefighter with Joe in Mt. Lebanon), and Deacon Joe Compomizzi.

The couple honeymooned in Riviera Maya, Mexico, visiting the Mayan ruins in Chichen Itza and swimming with the dolphins at Isla Mujeres.

Judy Simons Jackson ’81, senior executive assistant to the chief procurement officer at Honeywell International in Phoenix, Ariz., traveled to Lancaster, Pa., for her sister's wedding in October 2009. While in Pennsylvania, she reunited with Karen Wutzke Rubrecht ’80, who teaches FACS at Gainesville Middle School in Gainesville, Va., and Patty Mitchell Waseman ’81, receptionist and cash receipts clerk for the Stock and Leader law firm in York, Pa., for breakfast at the Cracker Barrel in Frederick, Md.

From left: Patty Mitchell Waseman ’81, Karen Wutzke Rubrecht ’80, and Judy Simons Jackson ’81

From left: Maureen Ryan, Mascot George, Meredith Giantsos

Maureen Ryan ’86 was looking for an event planner at George Washington University, and found a great one in Meredith Giantsos ’07.

“During the interview, we discovered that we had the same professors at IUP, albeit twenty-one years apart,” said Maureen. “Meredith laughed, but I cried when I realized how old I was!

“There was no doubt that Meredith was the perfect person for the job, and it’s great to have someone to reminisce with about the fun times at IUP (and Al Patti’s).

“Some of us had not seen one another for over twenty-five years,” Lou said. “There were six of us who hung out together, but one couldn’t make it to the reunion.”

Graduation, May 1979—From left: Lou Vigliotti, Mark Embeck, Bill Hoffman, Bob Slack, and Dan Bruni

Reunion, September 2009—From left: Lou Vigliotti, Mark Embeck, Steve Bauer, Bob Slack, and Dan Bruni

Lee Zoeller ’86, a partner at the international law firm of Reed Smith, was elected president of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation for 2009–2010.

His duties as president will include participation in the institute’s training schools, symposia, and seminars held around the United States. He will preside over Board of Governors meetings and, together with IPT administrative staff at the headquarters in Atlanta, direct the institute’s many activities.

Zoeller is the chairperson of Reed Smith’s State Tax practice group and is resident in the firm’s Philadelphia office. He has represented business taxpayers in litigation before administrative boards and courts in the United States for over twenty years, providing multistate tax advice to corporations on various state income, franchise, and sales tax issues.

The Institute for Professionals in Taxation is an international organization dedicated to promoting the uniform and equitable administration of state and local taxation of businesses.

Merelyn Davis ’64 with Dan DiCicco when she returned to IUP in 2006 to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award. “Dr. DiCicco was a professor of mine (oboe, Wind Ensemble) when I attended IUP way back when!”

A photograph by Merelyn Davis ’64 was chosen to appear in a show at the Brand Library Art Galleries in Glendale, Calif. The exhibition, “Beginnings,” runs from September 19 through October 23, 2009.

The piece, called “Inside Out,” is an image of an abandoned sofa that she saw beneath a nearby freeway bridge. “It sounds like an odd subject, but the juxtaposition of the sofa’s shape and the gritty background, not to mention the combination of colors and textures, grabbed my attention,” Davis said. “And the picture also seems to have grabbed the attention of the curator, because I am one of seventy-five artists—selected from seven hundred national entries—whose work will be exhibited in the show!”

Up until two years ago, Davis owned a small (four-person) music editorial company called Merelyn Davis Music, doing music editing for Dream On, Friends, Drew Carey, George Lopez, and other shows. “After I closed the company, I had time to start developing a new/old love for photography, and I spend much of my time these days shooting and playing on Photoshop.” Davis said. “Although I have won a few awards over the past couple of years, they were mostly in amateur competitions. This is my first inclusion into a juried show at a proper gallery.”

Her home town is Barnesboro, Pa., “—now called Northern Cambria, pity... Since then, I have lived in York, Pa.; San Francisco; Glasgow, Scotland; Pittsburgh; and now I live in Burbank, Calif.”

After receiving a B.M. in Music Ed from IUP in 1964, Davis went on to earn an M.M. in Music Theory from IU in Bloomington, Ind. “I have always been in the business of music until recently, although I still compose and arrange—mostly for a capella voices.

“I am a Mac girl, and love my iPhone!” she added. “My other passion is travelling.”

Isaac Carter Beach was born on September 7, 2008. He was 8 pounds 14 ounces and 19¾ inches at birth. He is the second child for Jamie Heider Beach ’00, ’01 and her husband, Capt. Ben Beach (USMC). The family resides in Jacksonville, N.C.

Jamie is a stay-at-home mom who occasionally works as an R.N. for the oncology clinic. She is also an active volunteer as the Family Readiness Advisor for her husband's squadron, HMLA 467, and with the nursery committee and ladies ministry of First Baptist Church. Their other child is Kendall, who turned three on June 30, 2009.

The law firm of Cozen O’Connor has named Mark Opalisky ’84 as shareholder.

He is a member of the firm’s Philadelphia office and practices in the subrogation and recovery department, with a focus on insurance subrogation litigation. Opalisky has successfully litigated federal and state court cases throughout the United States, including the District of Columbia.

Opalisky received his J.D. from the University of Memphis in 1987, where he was an editor on the Law Review and a member of the school’s national mock trial team. He previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable A. Joe Fish, judge of the U.S. District Court, District of Texas.

It took many years, but Indiana State Teachers College student William Keister ’51, M’65 finally received a sweatshirt featuring his alma mater. Once the cool weather arrived at his home in Desert Hot Springs, California, he slipped it on and sent Alumni Extra the photo.

“I can recall that in 1947-51, we did not have access to Indiana sweatshirts,” Keister wrote. “I can remember that as student body president, the dean arranged a trip to Columbia University in New York City for the secretary, treasurer, and myself to attend. I was given the honor of delivering a speech to a convention of college elected student body government personnel.

“We traveled by train and stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. What a wonderful memory. We, from Indiana, did not have identity sweatshirts. Now, I have one!

“Sorry to hear of Dan DiCicco’s passing. Since I was before his time, I did not have the pleasure of knowing him.”

William Keister, U.S. Army Air Corps, September 1946

Isabel Vogel, IUP’s oldest living graduate, turns 107 on August 30, 2009.

Isabel graduated from Indiana Normal School  in 1929. Among her many lifelong accomplishments are her having taught in a one-room schoolhouse.

She was married for more than fifty years to Max Vogel (deceased 1982). She has five children and many more generations of family who live all over the United States and the world.

Isabel currently resides at St. Andrews Village in Indiana, Pa. She is known for her acerbic wit. Still reading novels at nearly 107, she also enjoys receiving letters from family—and loves dessert!

IUP alumnus Jason Capizzi

Members of the university community attended the Steelers Pre-practice Picnic on August 2, 2009, sponsored by the IUP Alumni Association.

Along with food and drink, the picnic included a raffle for Steelers memorabilia and VIP viewing access for practice. After the picnic, everyone traveled to the “Hill” to watch the Steelers take the field.

Patti Klausing Simmons ’72 was one of many taking pictures, including that of alumnus and former IUP football player Jason Capizzi (at right). His parents said that while Jason started his collegiate football career at Pitt, the best thing that ever happened to him was when he transferred to IUP.

Patti noted that alumni and guests enjoyed a great lunch at on the St. Vincent’s campus, with most everyone dressed in Steeler black and gold. Door prizes included IUP shirts, Steeler Training Camp ball caps, Steeler football jerseys, and VIP on-field passes. Chances were sold for three tickets to the Steeler preseason Super Bowl rematch with the Arizona Cardinals.

John Simpson ’79, the Steeler marketing representative, talked to the group about Steeler camp and showed off his Super Bowl ring—and let people try it on!

All six Super Bowl trophies were on display (with a guard standing watch!), as Mr. Rooney requested that they be at camp for the first week or so.

“Even with the rain, the whole experience of being at Steeler camp very organized, from parking to getting to the field to the store set up with Steeler stuff',” said Patti.

Click on any image to begin a slideshow. Mouse over the picture to find forward or backward buttons or use your left and right arrow keys to proceed through the slideshow.

The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center appointed Marianne Dayhoff ’76 as their first on-staff respiratory therapist.

Dayhoff, with over twenty years of pediatric healthcare experience, will ensure the Children’s Home utilizes best practices regarding teaching and discharge planning for respiratory patients. Other responsibilities include creating a respiratory program and reviewing and revising all respiratory policies and procedures.

“Marianne’s new position will help educate and train hospital staff about respiratory equipment available for young patients,” said Pamela Schanwald, CEO of the Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center. “She will support the Children’s Home’s mission, which places a special focus on teaching families to care for their child’s medical needs.”

Previously, Dayhoff worked at Pediatric Specialists in Pittsburgh.

Anita Fisanich Foster ’85, Rich Miller ’85, Jackie Blocher Moran ’84, Linda Tharrington Osteraa ’85, Laura Lipinski Dragos ’85, and Steve Collins ’84 traveled from as far as the states of Washington and Florida to the Kile’s home in Maryland. The friends had found each other on Facebook and planned a get-together that included their families. Many of the group had not seen each other for over twenty years.

From left: Anita Fisanich Foster ’85, Delta Zeta; Rich Miller ’85, Sigma Nu; Jackie Blocher Moran ’84, Alpha Sigma Alpha; Linda Tharrington Osteraa ’85, Alpha Sigma Alpha;  Laura Lipinski Dragos ’85, Delta Zeta; Lizanne Pezzetti Kile ’85, Delta Zeta; Steve Collins ’84, Theta Chi; Dave Kile ’85, Delta Sigma Phi

Several of us from IUP Class of 1974 got together to celebrate our thirty-fifth reunion, and attended some of the events on the Alumni Weekend in June. We toured the new “suite” dorms and the lovely Breezedale (what we knew as “Elkin House”), and took a stroll down fourth-floor Sutton, where we all lived our freshman year at IUP! We enjoyed the dinner-dance in the Blue Room, walking through the Oak Grove, and retelling lots of college stories—we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves!

From left: Kyra Troyan Niklewicz; RoseAnn Ruoti Hill; Bobbie Miller Hart; and Elaine Walls Reed

From left: Bobbie Miller Hart; RoseAnn Ruoti Hill; Kyra Troyan Niklewicz; and Elaine Walls Reed

“I was attracted to First National Bank because of the experienced leadership team and ongoing dedication and support the bank has to the communities it serves,” Beer said. “I look forward to contributing to FNB’s business portfolio offerings.”

Beer has over twenty-seven years’ experience in the financial institution industry. Previously, he served as senior vice president, senior portfolio manager for RBS/Citizens Business Capital; vice president, manager special assets for National City Corporation; senior investment manager for Westinghouse Credit Corporation; and senior account manager, asset based lending as well as internal auditor for Equibank.

An Accounting major, Beer earned an MBA from IUP and a B.S. degree from Robert Morris University.

From left: Rich DiStanislao, Jim Colaianne ’70, Dane Konop ’75, John Winger ’70

Jim is a biochemist for Sunoco in Wexford, Pa.  He worked for Ed Coleman’s (IUP Chemistry faculty member) rafting expedition service when we were students, as a whitewater guide at Ohiopyle.

Dane and his wife, Janet (an alumnus of Indiana University), currently live in Shepherdstown, W.V.

John has lived in Las Vegas for the past ten years as a construction consultant and is in the process of moving back to Pennsylvania.

Dane, John, and Jim knew each other quite well, all growing up close to each other in the Apollo/Spring Church area, remaining friends throughout college at IUP, and staying in touch after school.  I met John and Jim at IUP, and became close friends with John when I moved to Kittanning, where we became hunting and fishing companions.

The canoe trip down the Kiski River on July 5, 2009, was a stroke of luck, as the guys just happened to be getting together and John was visiting from Las Vegas.

His latest post covers the tragic events of August 4, 2009, when a gunman shot twelve people at a fitness club, killing three, before turning the gun on himself. Henninger’s photos were featured in the newspaper’s coverage of the story.

Photo courtesy of Michael Henninger/Post-Gazette

This photo is from the July 19, 2009, party.

From left: Lauren Melnick ’05, Homecoming Queen 2005; Chad Jurica ’07, M’09, Homecoming King 2005; LuJean Boring Dettorre ’76, M’80, Homecoming Queen 1976; Ab Dettorre M’76, Head Football Coach, Blairsville High School

Donna, Gary, and Allison on Allison’s graduation day

Donna Henning Henry ’82, M’83 and her husband, Gary Henry ’82, got to watch their daughter, Allison Henry ’09, graduate from IUP in May with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Donna said she made Allison a scrapbook for the occasion, and it was nostalgic to see photos of Lawrence Hall (where she and Gary lived freshman year) and Shafer Hall (where Allison lived), since both buildings were facing demolition.

Donna on her undergraduate graduation day in 1982 with faculty member Marie Bahn

Hubbard, a ten-year National Guard veteran, is with the 1-150th Armored Reconnaissance Squadron (ARS), a cavalry unit based out of Bluefield, WV. The unit is working on numerous projects to assist the people of Iraq in improving their ability to self-govern. Captain Jason Webb, the S-1 personnel officer and public affairs officer with the 1-150th ARS, has worked closely with IUP in support of the Federal Tuition Assistance program. Webb sent the following message requesting assistance with the group’s projects. 

Our unit is working to improve the economic and living conditions of the Iraqi people, and we are providing security through the 2010 elections.

Some of you have asked how you can assist us, so I wanted to let you know a couple of ways you can help.

1. We are currently working on renovation projects in five schools for Iraqi children within the Yusufiyah Nahia district. These schools would educate 4,000 children, but they are not allowed to attend unless they have school supplies. We are currently trying to gather supplies for these children. If any of your schools would like to send school supplies for these children, please feel free to send them to the following address:
   
   CPT Jason G. Webb
   HHT 1-150TH ARS
   APO AE 09322
   
   Types of supplies that are needed:
   • Rulers
   • Pencils
   • Pencil Sharpeners
   • Large Erasers
   • Colored pencils
   • Notebook Paper
   • Composition books
   • Folders w/ inside pockets
   • Zippered pencil bags
   • Blunt-end scissors
   • Backpacks
   • *Please no crayons...they would melt in the Iraqi summer heat!
     
2. During our deployment, the CAV PRIDE Support Group will raise funds to ship care packages, send calling cards, take care of our soldiers’ families should there be unmet needs, and raise funds for our homecoming celebration. One of the group’s goals is to ensure that no soldier has to pay to attend a homecoming celebration held in his or her honor. If your college or university would like to donate to the CAV PRIDE Support Group, this donation would go to a great cause and be very appreciated. To make a donation to this cause, please contact Sheila Rakes at sheila.rakes@suddenlink.com.

Also, if you do provide support with either of the above, please contact me at jason.g.webb@us.army.mil so that I can write a story about your college or university for publication back in West Virginia and here in military publications in Iraq. We are very thankful for any help we can receive in either or both of these endeavors.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers for our soldiers!

Kris Anderson '08

Hello, my name is Kris Anderson and I graduated from IUP with a degree in Finance in May 2008. Recently I joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training Program to help raise money for LLS.

I am also running the 2009 Chicago Marathon on October 11 in honor of Ben, a seven-year-old boy with Downs Syndrome currently in treatment for leukemia in Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. He was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia two years ago and is a great kid with a great personality. I am more than honored to be completing the marathon for him.

At the same time, I am raising $3,750 to help fund cancer research to save the lives of those in treatment like Ben. I am reaching out to all at IUP for your support. Any donation is greatly appreciated by me and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Here is a link the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has set up for me to collect donations.

If you would like more information, please feel free to e-mail me at kristopher.j.anderson@bnymellon.com.

All donations are 100 percent tax deductible. As an added incentive, anyone who donates $100 or more will receive a 2009 Chicago Marathon shirt from me!!

On behalf of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, thank you very much for your support. I greatly appreciate your generosity.
Please use this link to donate online quickly and securely, plus to learn more about my progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by e-mail, and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

Kris Anderson with his father at graduation

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. More than 823,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers. I am hoping that my participation in Team in Training will help bring them hope and support.

P.S. I would appreciate it if you would forward this page to as many people as you can to encourage them to donate as well. Thanks again.

—Kris

Once again, Linda Toki ’87 received awards for her print designs. A visual information specialist in the Office of Management Services at the Farm Credit Administration, Toki received two 2009 Communicator Awards of Distinction for Print Design for the 2007 FCA Annual Report and the 2007 FCSIC Annual Report.

From left: Lucille Berkley Nast ’49, Maxine Beebe Hufnagel ’49, Velma Brown Forsythe ’50, Ruth Van Ormer Shaul ’49, Lorrayne Cuthbert Fogg ’49, and Anne Faulkner Lachenmayer ’50.

Submitted by Cyndy Shock Shaul ’78, M’79.

June 2009

The couple resides in Indianapolis, Ind., where Kristy is managing editor for Angie’s List magazines.

June 2009

Each year Norristown Area CTC honors individuals for their ongoing dedication to helping Norristown area youth and families stay safe and drug free. Norristown Area CTC brings community residents and leaders together to prevent substance abuse and violence in order to secure a safer, more caring, and better educated environment in which youth can live and grow to be productive members of the community. For more information, visit Norristown Area CTC.

Konnick, at right, with the other award recipients: Lt. Kevin McKeon, commander of the Criminal Investigations Division, Norristown Police Department; and Meaghan Kerper, truancy abatement coordinator, Norristown Area CTC

June 2009

Richard Peltz ’78 joined Avant IMC as a senior management consultant. Avant IMC is a joint venture between Dering Consulting Group, a strategy, management consulting, and training development firm, and Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm.

With more than thirty years of experience, Peltz brings an array of experience in government management and operations, having worked at both federal and state levels of government in creating opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and an improved quality of life for citizens. He has worked extensively with the private sector, as well as with officials at all levels of government, on projects ranging from telecommunications to freight and high-speed rail.

Based in the firm’s Harrisburg headquarters, Peltz is responsible for project leadership related to public transit, passenger and freight rail, transportation, and infrastructure facilities. His duties include project oversight and coordination and quality assessment and control.  

Prior to joining Avant IMC, Peltz was appointed by former President George W. Bush as the alternate federal cochair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. In this position, he served for six years working on job creation, skills training, health care, infrastructure, energy development, and transportation issues. He also served as deputy secretary for Local and Area Transportation at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation from 1995 through 2002. Prior to joining PennDOT, Peltz managed U.S. Rep. Bill Clinger’s congressional district, where he was instrumental in bringing more than $1 billion worth of public and private economic development activities into the area.

Peltz holds a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from IUP. He is also a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government program for senior executives in state and local government.

June 2009

Robert Marchesani, Jr., ’83 was elected to a second term as chair of the North-American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) board of directors at the group’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

First elected to the NIC board in 2004, Marchesani was re-elected in 2006 to a second term and was elected vice chairman. In 2008, he was elected to his first one-year term as chair.

As chair, Marchesani will continue to be an active partner in interfraternal discussions regarding the identification of opportunities and challenges facing the fraternity and sorority world. He has been an active participant in discussing relevant solutions utilizing the NIC’s strengths and resources, and he will continue to appropriately educate and influence college and university leaders in a way that benefits member fraternities, continue key NIC initiatives that develop fraternity leaders, and further relationships with public policy decision makers. In addition, Marchesani will travel around the country speaking to, guiding, and assessing NIC member fraternities and other fraternal umbrella organizations.

A marketing executive at Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Company, Marchesani is a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and has a twenty-five-year history of service to both the NIC and his fraternity. Not only is he a former member of the Phi Kappa Psi professional staff, he also was the first former NIC staff member to be elected board chair.

“The men of Phi Kappa Psi look forward to Bob’s continued leadership in advancing the NIC’s mission,” said Shawn Collinsworth, Phi Kappa Psi’s executive director. “I am confident that Bob will continue an open dialogue with the member organizations throughout this centennial year of the organization, and that he will continue to help guide the priorities and growth of the NIC.”

Marchesani earned his undergraduate degree in 1979 from IUP, where he became a member of Phi Kappa Psi. He later earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Indianapolis. He and his wife, Marlene Smith Marchesani, and their three children, Allison, Andrew, and Matthew, reside in Indianapolis.

The NIC is a hundred-year-old trade association whose membership includes seventy-three international and national men’s Greek-letter social fraternities with more than 5,300 chapters on more than eight hundred campuses throughout Canada and the United States. Founded in 1909, the NIC works to ensure that fraternities can operate in an environment conducive to their success through advocacy, collaboration, and education.

June 2009

That’s how Steve Wiedmaier ’73 describes his passion for all things IUP. The organizer and first president of the Northwestern Pennsylvania alumni chapter, Steve attends all football games, home and away, and attends other IUP athletic events in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

He and his wife, Cindy, live in Warren, Pa., and it’s hard to miss that it’s the home of an IUP fan. His golf clubs have IUP head covers, the blanket Cindy uses at football games is handmade, their cars have always had IUP colors, and he designed a custom-made bicycle done in IUP colors.

“I called the IUP College of Fine Arts to get the exact color numbers, and the frame builder did the painting,” Steve said. “It’s a masterpiece!”

Just recently, on his birthday, Cindy presented him with an IUP corn hole game, made and decorated by their niece and her boyfriend. “I could fill a room with my IUP stuff,” Steve said.

“When I worked (I’m now retired), IUP grads always got primary consideration when I hired,” he said. “Everything has been done for the same reason—recognition for and support of IUP. I have recruited over a dozen students for the university, including one who is currently interning at the Culinary Academy and one who will be an incoming freshman this Fall.”

“I’m just a loyal IUP grad and athletics fan,” Steve said. “It’s fun.”

May 2009

John Widmann ’85 continues as City Carillonneur for the City of Frederick, Md., playing the forty-nine-bell Joseph Dill Baker Carillon. He is also a general/vocal music teacher, K-5, at Frederick County Public Schools (working at Tuscarora Elementary School), and is director of Music and the organist at Frederick Presbyterian Church, all three in the City of Frederick.

Widmann plays concerts out of town as a guest carillon and organist artist, playing in both the Netherlands (Dokkum and Groningen) and Netherlands Antilles (Curacao) this last summer 2008. His 2009 concert schedule will take him to Montreal to the Carillon at the Oratoire St. Joseph du Mont Royal (July 5) and to Pennsylvania, where he will play in the guest series at Washington Chapel in Valley Forge on August 5.

May 2009

“My college roomies traveled from Pennsylvania, Colorado, Maryland, and Delaware!” Karen said. “They loved escaping the cold winter weather and were awed by the beauty of the desert.”

Joining Karen were Donata Magnani Malone ’79, Marta Tridico Urban ’79, Sheree McQuaide Wagner ’78, Gwen Lacoe Arnold ’78, and Jayne Cramer Bahrenburg ’85.

Front, from left: Donata Magnani Malone ’79, Marta Tridico Urban ’79, Karen Vincent Kos ’79.
Back, from left: Sheree McQuaide Wagner ’78, Gwen Lacoe Arnold ’78, Jayne Cramer Bahrenburg ’85.

Their previous reunion was in Colorado in 2007. Plans are being made for a 2011 reunion in Maryland.

May 2009

From left: Guy Wall ’67, M’71, Frances Squires ’71, Bill Sweigart ’67, Ruth Garvey-Nix ’80. (Not pictured: Billy Long D’98.) Photo: Patrick Pfister

Originally from Pittsburgh, Ruth Garvey-Nix ’80 (B.S.Ed. Nutrition Education/Dietetics) credits her experiences as a student leader at IUP with helping her gain a master’s degree in College Student Personnel and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration.

“As an undergraduate, I served as a Community Advisor in the residence halls for three years and was in the marching band for three years,” Garvey-Nix said.” I have had various positions in Student Affairs departments at different institutions and have been serving as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at IU Southeast for six years.

“During my open interview at IU Southeast, as I was trying to explain Indiana University of Pennsylvania to a group of Indiana University staff and faculty members, someone from the back of the room yelled, ‘Go Indians!’ I don’t recall how I responded, but I beamed, knowing someone understood IUP pride. After the interview, I introduced myself to that person. . . Professor Guy Wall.”

Guy Wall ’67, M’71, a native of Jeannette, Pa., earned his Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction/Educational Psychology with a focus on science education “…due in large part to my undergraduate work study position with the late Dr. Richard Waechter, professor of Biology at IUP.” The position involved assisting Waechter in his bird migration studies at the U.S. Department of the Interior-licensed bird-banding operation at College Lodge.

“While teaching in the Greensburg-Salem schools and after a stint in the U.S. Army, including a tour in Viet Nam, I earned the M.Ed. in Elementary Science Education with Waechter as my thesis advisor,” Wall said. “Here at IU Southeast, I have taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses in elementary education, educational psychology, and curriculum development. I have served as dean of the School of Education for twelve years, as vice chancellor for Student Affairs for three years, and as president of the faculty senate for two years.”

While serving as dean of the School of Education, Wall hired Frances Squires, who had earned the same master’s degree from IUP while also working with Waechter.

“Later, I read with interest in the IUS employee newsletter that among the new hires in 1990 was a Dr. William E. Sweigart, in the English Department. Bill and I had been good friends as undergraduates at IUP, meeting in the registration line in the old Keith School and both living in Whitmyre Hall as freshmen.”

From Glassport, Pa., Frances Squires ’71 earned her M.S.Ed. at IUP with Richard Waechter as his advisor. She is currently president of the IUS Faculty Senate for 2009–2010.

“My master’s thesis was a study in homing instincts in Slate-colored Juncos, i.e., the snow bird,” Squires said. “I participated in the bird banding operation directed by Dr. Waechter and expanded it for my master’s thesis. After graduating from IUP, I taught science education at the middle school in Ebensburg, Pa. I went on to The Ohio State University to earn a Ph.D. in Science Education and Environmental Education. Since then, I have taught science methods and environmental science courses at Wilmington College in Ohio, Eastern Illinois University in Illinois, and at Indiana University Southeast.

“After being hired at I.U. Southeast, I discovered that several other faculty members were alumni of IUP, namely Bill Sweigart, Ruth Garvey-Nix, and Billy Long. It’s a small world.”

Immediately after graduating IUP, William Sweigart ’67 went into the Peace Corps and taught math and science in Liberia, West Africa, for three years. Returning to the U.S., he taught English in upstate New York (Norwich) and then moved to California, where he earned an M.A. in English and American Literature at San Francisco State and, ten years later, a Ph.D. at Stanford.

“At IUS, I am a member of the English Department, and I have been running the Writing Program for many of the last eighteen years,” Sweigart said.

“While attending IUP, I was an editor of the Penn. When I was interviewed at IUS in 1990, I left campus with a copy of the IUS Bulletin. Once offered the position for which I interviewed, I began reading the Bulletin carefully and was astonished when one name on the list of faculty members jumped off the page: Guy O. Wall. No, it couldn’t be, I thought. Not the Guy Wall that I knew so well at IUP. Yep, the same. Somehow we had both landed at another Indiana campus, but this time in New Albany, Indiana. Now we share another set of academic memories, including a week-long IU Faculty Leadership Institute that we attended in 1998.”

Billy Long D’98 is an assistant professor of Criminal Justice at IUS.

Located in New Albany, Indiana, IUS is one of the eight campuses of the IU System.

May 2009

These four NDPA members have made a difference in the world of aquatics and as drowning prevention advocates. IUP was well known for its aquatic program and world class “aquatic schools” led by Dr. Ralph Johnson.

Downing pointed out that May is Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Month. “This is a good time to remind IUP that drowning prevention is everybody’s business!”

Tyson is a founding NDPA board member, president-elect for 2008-09 and 2007-08, and aquatic coordinator for the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at the University of Texas–Austin.

LeClerc is Aquatics Division manager for the City of Albuquerque.

Downing is the owner of Pool Safety Solutions, Inc., San Diego, Calif., and a Katchakid sales executive.

Ogoreuc is NDPA Education Committee chair and an assistant professor at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit the National Drowning Prevention Alliance website.

May 2009

Sam Scavo ’61 sent photos from the 2008 IUP alumni reunion in Naples, Florida. The twelfth annual reunion, held at the Lely Resort, was a huge success.

“Naples is a lovely area—plan now to attend next year.” Sam said. “The list of alumni interested in attending this event continues to grow. What an opportunity it is to get away from the winter blahs and see old friends!”

Photo gallery: Dinner

Photo gallery: Poolside Reception

Photo gallery: Golf

Timothy Warner ’86 recently joined the law firm of Cavitch, Familo, Durkin & Frutkin. Warner’s practice will focus primarily on litigation involving commerce and business, ERISA, employment, and probate law. He will also counsel clients on litigation prevention as well as legal matters related to business and employment.

Warner previously served as chairman of the Litigation Section of the Cleveland Bar Association and has been recognized as one of Ohio’s Super Lawyers. He also served as a law clerk with the Honorable Alice Batchelder of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and he was also with the firm of Spieth, Bell, McCurdy & Newell.

A graduate with honors from IUP and Syracuse University College of Law, Warner served as an editor of the Syracuse University Law Review. He previously served as an adjunct professor at the Cleveland Marshall College of Law and, prior to attending law school, spent four years working for members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Warner is admitted to practice law in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

May 2009

Gary DeLorenzo ’74

Gary DeLorenzo ’74 received the Ben Bauman Award for Excellence, recognizing faculty excellence and service, at the forty-eighth annual International Association for Computer Information Systems international conference, which took place in October 2008 in Savannah, Georgia.

DeLorenzo is an assistant professor in Computer Information Systems in the Eberly College of Science and Technology at California University of Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Patrice, have two children, Lisa and Jon Michael.

Prior to joining academia, DeLorenzo spent more than thirty years in manufacturing and banking, serving as manager, senior systems analyst, technical consultant, programmer, and various other technical positions. During his business career, he served for more than fifteen years as an adjunct faculty member, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses. While serving as a manager with Pittsburgh Plate Glass and pursuing graduate studies, DeLorenzo applied his research techniques to his work, applying qualitative ethnographic field method techniques to business information requirements analysis. During his last year with PPG he also served as a Visiting Professor in the Robert Morris University graduate program.

In his nomination for the award, Robert Morris Professor Fred Kohun stated that “Serving as Visiting Professor confirmed what his years of adjunct teaching had led him to discover: his love of teaching and academic life.”

In addition to teaching, DeLorenzo has published a number of papers in academic journals and has made numerous conference presentations, both nationally and internationally. Since joining the faculty at CALU, he has formed a partnership with the John Heinz History Center to secure service learning opportunities for his students by providing database development and technical support to help manage the museum’s hundreds of thousands collections.

“On a personal note, all of my best to IUP both past and present,” DeLorenzo said. “It was truly an exceptional experience for me as a student.  Professor Les Spencer helped groom me for the computer information systems profession, of which I have spent a lifetime enjoying the work. Plus, some of my best friends are classmates from IUP.” DeLorenzo also noted that he was a Beta Lambda 260 in the Theta Xi fraternity.

May 2009

President/CEO Don Mathis and vice president Avril Weisman congratulate Larry Koziarz on his appointment to the Board of Examiners for the Baldrige National Quality Program.

May 2009

Jennifer Lamendola Covello ’84 of Norwalk, Conn., has created My Life...A Chronicle of the Journey, a keepsake book for children birth to five years old which provides parents a means to create the story of their child’s life.

This past year, Covello formed Frittabello, LLC and created the My Life journal. In addition to traditional baby book information, My Life...A Chronicle of the Journey includes guided messaging for each important event, milestone, and age. Parents can also include pictures to create a true storybook feel.

A recent Living Now Book Award bronze medal winner, the My Life baby journal may be purchased on line at her website, Frittabello.

A native of Long Island, N.Y., Covello has a background in Information Technology and Marketing. Over the course of eleven years in IT, she managed computer networks, ran workshops, and developed financial reporting systems. During this time, she achieved Novell LAN certification. She also spent fourteen years with MasterCard Worldwide, honing her marketing expertise in product management and related functions such as strategic planning, business development, marketing communications, and sales training.

As a mother of an ADHD child, Covello is an advocate for children with ADHD and will donate a portion of her book proceeds to organizations that support and advocate for ADHD children and their families.

Covello holds a B.S. degree in Management Information Systems from IUP and an MBA in Marketing Management from Pace University (NY). She is the mother of two.

May 2009

Wendy Williams ’05 wed Benjamin Smith on April 11, 2009, at Fort Hunter Park in Harrisburg, Pa. The couple honeymooned on the Carnival Miracle cruise.

From left: Tiffany Casper, Wendy Williams Smith, Rachael Gamaldi, Jessica Tucker Walker, and Melissa Wilson

Many of the bride’s attendants are IUP alumni, and the bride’s brother, Corey Williams, is a current student. Maids of Honor were Chelsie Williams and Jessica Sipe ’05. Bridesmaids included Tiffany Casper ’05, Racheal Gamaldi ’05, and Jessica Tucker Walker ’05. Other guests included alumni Melissa Wilson ’05 and Pauline Cummings Ferrari ’05. Groomsmen were Dan Smith, Alston Boyd, Giulio Marchi, Kevin Uhland, and Brian Campbell.

From left: Jessica Tucker Walker, Tiffany Casper, Wendy Williams Smith, Jessica Sipe, and Melissa Wilson

Wendy is an officer recruiter for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and Ben is a shop manager of World Cup Ski and Cycle. They reside in Harrisburg.

May 2009

CPT Stephen Mihalacki ’01 is in the middle of his second tour to Iraq. This time, though, he is accompanied by an IUP flag thanks to the generosity of the IUP Alumni Association.

“I appreciate all the support and well wishes from everyone, especially from some of my former Economics professors like Dr. Jozefowicz and members of the Robert E. Cook Honors College,” said Mihalacki. “I look forward to coming home soon and visiting campus again. I hear the new residence halls are beautiful.”

The photo shows Mihalacki and CPT Kevin Fromknecht ’02 (and fellow ROTC classmate) holding their new IUP flag outside of their living quarters at Camp Taji, Iraq.

Mihalacki sent a previous update during his first tour in 2004.

(April 2009)

Photo of Alana Smith by Amanda Lucidon ’01

Amanda Lucidon ’01 is the recipient of the International Award of Excellence, Feature Story, Multi-Media, in the sixty-sixth annual Pictures of the Year International Competition.

Her presentation told the story of Alana Smith, a California School for the Deaf ballerina who excels, yet cannot hear a word of instruction from her instructor. The story with the multimedia presentation was by staff writer Julia Glick.

Pictures of the Year International conducts the international competition as a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. More than 46,000 images from entrants were reviewed during the three weeks of judging. Since its founding in 1944, POYi has become the oldest and one of the world’s largest and most highly respected photojournalism competitions. For six decades, newspaper and magazine photographers have sent their strongest images to be judged in an annual contest started by the late Cliff Edom, the University of Missouri professor who coined the term “photojournalism.”

View Amanda Lucidon’s award-winning presentation.

From left: Eric Hangeland, Jim Devine, Dan McCuen, Jim Hoover, Peggy Lepley-Hermann, Susan Lepley Miller, Dan Fritz

In a supportive role were honorary coaches Peggy Lepley-Hermann ’49 and Susan Lepley Miller ’72, M’76, wife and daughter respectively of coach Eugene Lepley M’60.

Said Hoover, “It’s a good reason to get back in shape, have some fun, and support the current team. I’d like to see it become an annual event.”

The Big Indian alumni edged out the competition 38-36. Alumni swimmers are urged to contact Hoover at jimphoenix@aol.com or current Crimson Hawks coach Chris Villa at cvilla@iup.edu.

April 2009

A licensed clinical psychologist specializing in early childhood development issues, Ginger Cillo Martin M’04, D’07 has joined Cognitive Dynamic Therapy Associates (CDTA), a multispecialty psychology group practice with offices in Oakland and Wexford, Pa. Martin, a Pittsburgh native who earned her doctor of psychology degree at IUP and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Allegheny College, will divide her time between the Oakland and Wexford offices. She worked previously in Sarasota, Fla., and Washington, D.C.

“Ginger’s background adds significant depth and breadth to the psychological counseling services we offer,” Robert Schwartz, president of CDTA and director of the practice’s Human Sexuality Program, said.

“Her experience providing child therapy services in hospitals, child in-patient units, and outpatient clinics qualifies her to help children and families deal with all kinds of behavior problems,” added Lawrence Glanz, vice president of CDTA and director of the practice’s Anxiety Disorders Program.

Lora Lee Phillips, 18, was killed in a 1987 traffic accident believed to have been caused by a drunken driver. Sam and Ralph, who are her brothers, are alumni of IUP.

Sam Phillips ’91, of Indiana, is interim assistant vice president for Administration at IUP. Ralph Phillips is president of Kensington Financial Services, Inc. of Lower Burrell.

“We have had a scholarship for three years at IUP that we fund through Lora’s Foundation,” said Ralph Phillips. “But now with this endowment, even if we’re not around, this will always be here in Lora’s memory. It’s no consolation to losing her, but it sure does make us feel good that they will be awarding this scholarship in her honor one hundred years from now.”

Through both the IUP and a Penn State scholarship, $1,000 will be awarded each semester to students who show financial need and demonstrate community involvement and strong continuing academic excellence.

Lora Phillips, a Kiski Area High School graduate, was the soloist with the Penn State stage band, was active in her Leechburg church, and was a volunteer at Citizens General Hospital in New Kensington. She was attending the New Kensington campus of Penn State at the time of her death, but was in the process of transferring to IUP for her junior year with the intention of graduating from the Indiana university as so many of her family members had done since it was known as Indiana State Teachers College.

Ralph Phillips, left, and Sam Phillips with IUP president Tony Atwater

Dr. Atwater said, “These endowments are extremely important to the university, because they provide stability for long-term growth to serve our students. And with the financial crisis, without these kinds of scholarships, many students wouldn’t be able to attend.”

Each year, the foundation and family holds several fundraising events to benefit the Lora Phillips Foundation and her scholarships at Penn State and IUP—including two Battle of the Bands at Penn State, a golf outing in the Indiana area, and a classic car and motorcycle rally in the New Kensington area.

In 2009, the twelfth annual Lora Phillips Memorial Golf Classic will be held at the Chestnut Ridge Golf Club in Blairsville on Saturday, June 6. The sixth annual Lora Phillips Memorial Motorcycle Rally will be held at Woodpeckers Grill in Upper Burrell on Saturday, October 3.

To date, the foundation has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships at IUP and Penn State. The foundation has been presenting financial support to students attending Penn State since just after Lora’s death, and that scholarship is also endowed.

Students interested in applying for the scholarships can find applications in their respective financial aid offices, on line at LoraLee.org, or they can contact the Lora Phillips Foundation Trust directly at 724-334-1950 or via e-mail at info@loralee.org.

More information about Lora and the foundation can be viewed at a website created to honor Lora, LoraLee.org, through pictures and the words she left behind. The website also contains information needed to participate in the foundation’s many activities.

Judy Sinick Stormer ’98 was hired as director of Finance at Fiduciary360. In her new position, Stormer coordinates all accounting functions, taxes, budgeting, audits, and benefits plans and will assist in contract negotiations. She joined fi360 following seven years as assistant treasurer at CS McKee, a Pittsburgh investment firm. She received an M.B.A. degree with a concentration in human resources from Waynesburg University and earned a B.S. degree in education from IUP. She resides in McDonald, Pa.

For the second year in a row, Karl McCall ’91, Hershey Lodge Beverage Manager, was invited by a panel of judges to participate at the Grand Marnier and Navan Mixology Summit in Vail, Colo., from April 5 to 7, 2009.

Grand Marnier and Navan hire only one hundred of the nation’s top bartenders as consultants to participate in the summit. Last year, McCall was the only participant from Pennsylvania to be offered an invitation. His selection was based on his application, industry experience, commitment to the profession, and quality of drink recipes submitted. Grand Marnier and Navan tap the expertise of those chosen to help them build their brands. At the summit, McCall will share his recipes using Grand Marnier and Navan in a mixology consulting lab.

McCall has been with Hershey Entertainment and Resorts since 2000. At the lodge, McCall is responsible for the purchase of all liquor and beer for the property as well as composing all wine and cocktail lists. He is in charge of pairing wine, beer, and liquor with food for all lodge restaurants as well as the convention center. McCall also creates new beverage programs and specialty beverage events. He is the in-house expert regarding the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board laws.

A favorite part of his job is developing all signature drinks and specialty punches for the lodge. His signature drink is the Bloody Mary—his own secret recipe—served in the Hershey Grill for Sunday brunch.

Since joining the Lodge, McCall has authored a Wine Spectator award-winning wine list for the former Fireside Steak House at Hershey Lodge. His cocktail creations have also been featured in Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits Quarterly. McCall has brought the best the world has to offer in premium beverages to Hershey Lodge, including premium wines by the glass and Hennessy Elipse, the world’s most exclusive cognac.

(February 2009)

From left: Terry Blakney ’88, friend Bill Daugherty, Dave Klanica '88, and Dan Kupas ’88

The law firm of Burns, White & Hickton, LLC, promoted Michelle Agulia Allan ’96 to partner as of Jan. 1, 2009.

Allan, of South Fayette, works in the Litigation Group preparing Medicare set-aside arrangements in the settlement of workers’ compensation claims. She received her Bachelor of Arts degrees from both IUP and the University of Pittsburgh (1999). She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 and is a member of the American, Pennsylvania, and Allegheny County bar associations.

Jon Pina ’72, M’78, M’89 of Indiana, Pa., contributed the chapter “Emergency Preparedness—Regulatory Issues” to the new two-volume American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) The Safety Professionals Handbook. The book, after four years of development, involved more than 250 occupational safety, health, and environmental professionals and includes information from more than 900 professional member survey responses on every key job safety topic.

Pina is a PA/OSHA consultant and faculty member in the Safety Science Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a technical advisor on the Indiana County Local Emergency Planning Committee. He is also an active professional member of ASSE and the ASSE Western Pennsylvania Chapter.

The Safety Professionals Handbook features seventy-nine chapters on such topics as management of safety engineering work, risk assessment, workers’ compensation, hazard control, physical hazards from an industrial hygienist perspective, fire dynamics, ergonomics, personal protection equipment (PPE), and cost analysis and budgeting.

The contributing authors—ASSE members, practitioners, researchers, and academics—each average roughly twenty years of experience in the field of occupational safety, health, and the environment.

A percentage of the royalties for the new book will go to the American Society of Safety Engineers and Joel M. Haight Scholarship in Penn State University’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, to be administered by Penn State.

Founded in 1911, the Des Plaines, Ill.-based ASSE is the largest and oldest professional safety organization and is committed to protecting people, property, and the environment. Its more than 32,000 occupational safety, health, and environmental professional members manage, supervise, research, and consult on safety, health, transportation, and environmental issues in all industries, government, labor, and education. For more information, please vivit the ASSE website.

December 2008

From left: Robert Schwartz, executive director, Juvenile Law Center; James E. Anderson, executive director, Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission; Julia Stasch, vice president of the Program on Human and Community Development, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Among his successes is his work with the Pennsylvania Council of Chief Juvenile Probation Officers. JCJC and the Chief’s council engaged all sixty-seven Pennsylvania counties in the aftercare reform effort which will result in a closer alignment between juvenile probation and residential program providers leading to better planning and outcomes for youth returning home after placement. Most recently, he was instrumental in the passage of legislation promoting mental health services for delinquent youth by protecting them from self incrimination for comments made during screening, assessment, and evaluation.

“As the executive director of the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, Jim Anderson has been an invaluable leader of the Models for Change initiative in Pennsylvania,” said Robert Schwartz, executive director, Juvenile Law Center. “With Jim’s leadership and commitment, JCJC’s contributions to the Models for Change effort have gone well beyond anyone’s expectations.” 

Anderson has been the executive director of the JCJC for over twenty-two years. “Jim and JCJC have made a vital impact in the policy and legislative arena,” added Schwartz. “Because of him, we have access to legislators on both sides of the aisle. He solves problems in a remarkably effective way, with unerring instincts and unmatched decency.”

Models for Change efforts in Pennsylvania are coordinated by Juvenile Law Center, a Philadelphia-based public interest law firm that has been advocating for children in jeopardy since 1975.

Models for Change Pennsylvania is part of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s $120 million Models for Change national initiative to reform juvenile justice across the country. Sixteen states are now involved—four “core” states working on a range of state and local reforms, including Pennsylvania, Washington, Illinois, and Louisiana; and twelve as part of three action networks focusing on disproportionate minority contact, mental health and juvenile indigent defense. The Models for Change initiative is an effort to create successful and replicable models of juvenile justice system reform through targeted investments in key states, and seeks to accelerate progress toward a more rational, fair, effective, and developmentally appropriate juvenile justice system.

“Attached is a picture of our bundle of joy. We sure had a lot for which to be thankful this Thanksgiving.”