A celebration of student, faculty and staff accolades
knightlights
Student Meets Silver Screen Legend and Jimmy Hawkins, child stars Dickie Moore and Paul Petersen, and Mary Owen, daughter of actress Donna Reed.
Gannon student Bobby Sulecki recently fulfilled a lifelong dream and met in person his favorite screen legend, actress Ann Rutherford, at the Kent State University (Ohio) Museum in September 2010. He was the first person to get autographs from Rutherford and Robert Osborne, host on Turner Classic Movies, who were on hand to support the museum and its upcoming exhibition, “Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen.” “Ann has a very sharp memory and is a wonderful raconteur,” Sulecki said. “She is very direct and nothing is off the record. I am so grateful because Ann has helped me with my career. When I heard she would be coming to Kent State, I had to be there!” Sulecki, a sophomore history major, is aspiring to a career as a film historian, covering silent movies, early talkies and the Golden Age of movies and television. Working with Jeffrey Bloodworth, Ph.D., assistant professor of
Sulecki first wrote to Rutherford—who starred in such films as Gone with the Wind and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty—in February 2010, and the following month, she called him unexpectedly. In that and subsequent phone conversations, they developed a friendship.
Bobby Sulecki (right) had the honor of sitting next to Rutherford during the museum’s 25th anniversary gala. history, Sulecki began to interview classic movie stars about their careers as well as their memories of other actors. So far, he has talked with such legends as Joan Leslie, Jane Powell
“This has been the most surreal experience of my life. Attending the museum gala was like going to an Old Hollywood party. I was able to hang around with Ann and her friends and talk movies with Robert Osborne, and they accepted me as one of their own,” Sulecki said. “Since then, Ann and I have stayed in touch and she has appointed me her official biographer, an honor which I hope to accomplish—although it will not be a small task.”
What else are students doing? Alyssa Amyot was crowned Miss Kirtland (Ohio) 2010, ROTC Cadets Julie Ross and Sarah Lawton were named to the top of the National Order of Merit List, nearly a dozen biology students earned awards for their scholarly research—plus lots more! Visit www.gannon.edu/pr/accolades/students for a full listing of these and other recent accomplishments.
Professor Climbs Mount Kilimanjaro In August, one Gannon professor went climbing for a cause. Melissa Peterson, MSN, RN, CRNP, assistant professor of nursing, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise money for Climb for Sight, a nonprofit organization that supports eye clinics in Guatemala. The nontechnical climb requires no prior climbing experience and is sponsored by Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity of Pennsylvania (VOSH/PA). Peterson, who made the trek with her 16-year-old daughter, Deanna, and friend, Jeff Lund, reached the summit of the mountain—Gilman’s Point at about 18,651 feet—after an almost five-day-long climb (it took them one day to descend). They reached their goal of raising $30,000 for the journey, nearly $20,000 of which went directly to fund pediatric sightsaving surgeries in Guatemala. The remainder covered basic costs of the trip, such as transportation, food, lodging and mountain guides.
“I was able to incorporate some of this in my fall courses. When we talk with the nursing students about being sensitive of other people’s cultures, I told them this story. It can be really scary when you’re in a foreign country, have a language barrier and require medical attention,” she said. “Our climb was truly a team effort.”
Melissa Peterson stops to take in the view on day two of the climb.
What else are faculty and staff doing? Marc Adkins, director of the Student Success Center, Timothy Downs, Ph.D., dean of the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, and Kathleen Patterson, Ph.D., director of the Villa Maria School of Nursing, participated in the Leader’s Training Course at Fort Knox, Ky.; Maria Garase, Ph.D., director of the criminal justice program, received the Gerhard O.W. Mueller Innovation Award; Michael Ferralli ’67, chair of the physics department, designed an acoustically correct space in the renovated Erie Art Museum—plus lots more! Visit www.gannon.edu/pr/accolades/facultystaff for a full listing of these and other recent accomplishments.
newsnotes
“I wanted to do it because it was challenging physically and forced me out of my comfort zone. I also thought it would be a good first step toward my long-term goal of doing missionary work as a nurse practitioner,” Peterson said.
Aside from becoming more physically fit, the venture helped the group learn more about perseverance and teamwork: in fact, the trio encouraged a 12-year-old boy to reach the summit after his mother became too ill to continue, and Peterson herself became sick early in the climb.
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