GENEVA M A G A Z I N E
SPRING 2017
Transformed Lives The Football Ministry of the Sullivan Brothers
Commencement 2017 How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?
FROM THE PRESIDENT C A L V I N
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T R O U P
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
I Thessalonians 5:11
In Chapel this year, our campus community explored the topic of courage. In one case, we had to consider a common misconception about courage, that courage is primarily an individual virtue or act. Although we must enact courage personally, we don’t do so alone. We are made in the image of God; we are social beings. God created us to live personally in families, in communities and with our friends. According to the scriptures, God designed the universe, in part, to call us to encourage other people and to give them courage to face the issues of life.The core of courage is heart. And the good news is that we aren’t alone; courage is a team activity. Giving someone courage – encouraging them – is good but not necessarily nice. Courage does not try to help someone develop a positive mental attitude. Courage does not just say nice things to people to make them feel better, especially when it isn’t true. Courage seeks to strengthen hearts in the midst of challenges, distress and troubles. Scripture gives us three basic instructions about how to encourage one another. First, we have to concentrate. We need to be attentive to when those people closest to us need encouragement.To achieve that level of awareness, we must read what is happening in their lives and be prepared to encourage them at every time and in all seasons. Second, we need to be constructive, to cultivate a mindset of building others up.The people who encourage us most are not those insightful critics ready to correct everything we think and do. Critique cannot produce courage. Encouragers do not employ criticism to fix others. Instead, because we love our neighbors, we take the next step – diagnosing to provide constructive assistance and help to address the troubles they face. Finally, we are called to encourage one another with great care. When we become fainthearted, we need each other for encouragement. All of us experience situations that scare us, cause anxiety and tempt us to lose heart. In such moments, we need each other the most. We can remember seasons of grief, sorrow, pressure and distress – moments when we need someone who loves us to come alongside and bear us up.Togetherness is the nature of our lives, of our work and of our ministry, and God’s mercy brings us together as we continually seek to walk with Christ in the face of spiritual opposition from the enemy.
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God blessed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego with each other during their trial by fire. Jesus Christ sent out the disciples two by two. Paul was never alone on any of his journeys; he always brought people along with him, sometimes four or five. God created us to need one another. You need encouragement in your work and so do I. None of us is that strong. It’s not good for us to be alone. The substance of our courage comes from Christ, and Christ comes alongside us. The scriptures talk about the Holy Spirit as One who comes alongside, and we are to do the same thing for one another, to come alongside and encourage people who really need to be able to practice courage. Courage comes to us through our companions, friends, family and community.Therefore, encouragement – giving courage to one another – is a core virtue and practice within the Geneva community. I am daily encouraged by our students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors. Above all, courage comes to us in the person and the work of Jesus Christ. We need not lose heart or fear acting out of cowardice rather than courage. Christ has come, is coming again and will raise us. He will encourage us. Let’s join Him in encouraging one another by concentrating, constructing and caring in deliberate, courageous ways.
deliberate, courageous ways. Calvin L.Troup President
GENEVA M A G A Z I N E
SPRING 2017 Geneva Magazine is published two times per year for Geneva College alumni, donors, students and parents. It showcases the college and its constituencies as they strive to fulfill the college’s mission. Opinions expressed in Geneva Magazine are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial review board or the official position of the college. EDITOR DAN DIETER DESIGNER BEN LICHIUS EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD DR. MARVIN DEWEY JOLYNN FREY LARRY GRIFFITH ’85 CHERYL JOHNSTON DAVE LAYTON ’88 DR. RICHARD TALBERT DR. CALVIN L. TROUP ’83 VAN ZANIC ‘93
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS GREGORY BEECHAUM, JR. ANDREW DOMENCIC OLIVIA FORTON JENNIFER GLEIM ERIKA KAUFFMAN JACOB YARNELL
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Please send feedback to editor@geneva.edu or Geneva Magazine, Geneva College, 3200 College Ave., Beaver Falls, PA 15010.
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From the President
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Life “G” Award: Carolyn Mellenkopf
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Campus News
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God and Neighbor: Judge Kathy (McFarland ‘78) Gardner
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Seniors Prepared for Service
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Athletic News
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Opportunities are Bigger in Texas
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Faculty News
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In Memoriam
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Finding Freedom from Insta-Anxiety, Perfectionism and Shame
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That’s Auell, Folks!
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Class Notes
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Commencement 2017
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Transformed Lives: The Football Ministry of the Sullivan Brothers
God & Neighbor:
Kathy (McFarland ‘78) Gardner, KS Appeals Judge BY HOLLY ( VIZINO ‘15) EMERY Photo Credit: Stephen Koranda, KS Public Radio
Although “Hometown Success” or “Ring by Spring”
are catchphrases that could describe the life of the Hon. Kathryn Gardner ’78, Geneva’s motto (“For Christ and Country”) best captures her personal mission. Even as a judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals, she continually puts the needs of family, state and hometown first.“I have enjoyed each job I’ve had, but the greatest challenge and the greatest reward of my life has been having children and raising them to love the Lord,” she says.
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Gardner met her husband,Timothy Gardner ‘76, at Geneva and they celebrated 39 years of marriage this May.They have three daughters: Sarah, 27, Rachel, 25 and Hannah, 23. Sarah, who is now married and the mother of two girls, recalls,“Faith and family always came first, and the rest revolved around that.”
areas of study. A semester in France during her junior year at Geneva reminded her of God’s omniscience and the breadth of His kingdom. Gardner has loved French since junior high school and continues to attend a French speaker’s club. Her English studies also prepared her for a legal career. “I use my English degree daily,” says Gardner.“My work as an attorney for 30 years, and now as an appellate
Faith and family always came f irst, and the rest revolved around that.”
Gardner was born in Sterling, Kansas and has spent most of her life in Topeka, Kansas.“Growing up in the Bible Belt and the Kansas plains was great,” she comments. “People are hardy, hopeful and family oriented.”
After attending Sterling College for a year, Gardner wanted to expand her French studies but continue attending a small, Christian college. She transferred to Geneva on the recommendation of her father, Dr.William Joseph (Joe) McFarland, who was a student at Geneva earlier in life and would go on to become a beloved Geneva president from 1984-1992.There she majored in English, minored in French and earned her teaching certificate for middle school and high school in both subjects. Since then, she has enjoyed many benefits from these 3
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Kathy Gardner with her father, 17th President of Geneva College Dr. Joe McFarland, and her daughter. (Photo Credit: Kathy Gardner)
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judge, requires a good grasp of grammar, clear writing skills, a love of reading, a penchant for problem solving and some analytical aptitude. I highly recommend an undergraduate degree in English for students planning to attend law school.”
She specifically remembers Geneva professors Norman Carson (English) and David Carson (Political Science) challenging her to think beyond the text and clearly articulate her beliefs. During her senior year in college, Gardner developed an interest in religious liberties cases and believes her natural skills and interests suited her for a legal career.
She quotes Micah 6:8 as her theme verse and challenge for life:“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Walking humbly, Gardner has adapted her career to the changing needs of her family through the years. While her husband finished his undergraduate degree, Gardner taught English and French at a high school for two years before attending law school at the University of Kansas. Later, her husband’s employment as a State Trooper for the Kansas Highway Patrol moved them from Topeka to Wichita, then back to Topeka 14 years later.“Accommodating his career required job changes for me – changes I did not always desire at the time, but which, in retrospect, worked for good,” reflects Gardner. She went on to become a research attorney for a judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals, an assistant attorney general for the State of Kansas and a law clerk for a federal trial judge. Following the birth of her eldest daughter, Gardner worked for 12 years as a litigator in private practice.Then in 2015, she was appointed as a judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
- Micah 6:8
month and writes opinions in one third of those cases,” she says.“The workload is intense and demanding but the cases are interesting! Most days you’ll find me in my office reading briefs or memos, doing research on other cases that may be similar to the one I’m trying to decide, or writing my decision in a case.” Gardner says that she lives out her faith in several ways. She observes that although her approach to the legal field has been similar to many of her secular peers, she holds a different worldview. She recognizes that man’s judgment is imperfect and that God’s law and justice will prevail. She and her husband continue to share many values with Geneva, loving their neighbors through church and community involvement.They attend Topeka Bible Church, and for the past two years, Kathryn and Timothy have enjoyed volunteering weekly at Neighborhood Empowerment Transformation, NET Reach, an outreach of the Topeka Rescue Mission. NET Reach attempts to reduce homelessness and poverty in a challenged and impoverished neighborhood.
“When a person goes to trial and loses, he has a right to appeal the case,” explains Gardner. In her state, most of these appeals are decided by groups of three judges on the Kansas Court of Appeals. For two days each month, they hear oral arguments from both sides. After reviewing evidence and performing careful research, the judges determine whether a new trial is necessary. “Each judge usually decides between 21-30 cases each
AUTHOR
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback announces nomination of Kathy Gardner to Court of Appeals. (Photo Credit: The Topeka Capital-Journal)
Whether in the courtroom, the family room or fellowship hall, Judge Kathryn Gardner sets an admirable example of a life in Christ’s service. Sharing her mother’s dedication to faith and family, Gardner’s daughter, Sarah shares,“I hope I’m half the mother and woman she is.” G Holly (Vizino ’15) Emery has written for publications including Geneva Magazine, The Beaver County Times and RP Witness. She joined Pittsburgh Fellows and worked for UPMC until joyfully marrying Samuel Emery in January 2017. 4
Student Opportunities are Bigger in Texas Thanks to Alumnus BY HOLLY ( VIZINO ‘15) EMERY
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his summer, five Geneva students will travel to Pasadena, Texas for an exciting internship at Kaneka North America (KNA). KNA’s internship is more than a well-organized summer opportunity, though; professors and students agree that what sets this program apart is the alumni relationship behind it.Tom Garrisi ’78 annually brings college students to his company to work, learn and provide leadership opportunities for employees, a relationship that benefits everyone involved. After graduating from Geneva in 1978 with a B.S. in Chemistry, Garrisi continued to California State Polytechnic University, where he earned another bachelor’s degree, this time in chemical engineering. He went on to work for Air Products, then moved to Texas for an opportunity at Kaneka North America (KNA) in 1987. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas and currently works as an engineering fellow for KNA. In this role,
he coordinates ongoing training for KNA professionals, and he expanded and organized the internship program in 2015. KNA, a wholly owned subsidiary of the diversified Japanese chemical company Kaneka Corporation, makes polymers and remains the world’s largest manufacturer of the food supplement, CoQ-10. KNA employs approximately 450 fulltime employees and has manufactured in Pasadena,TX for about 35 years. Applying the Kaneka internal mission to dream, participate and contribute to the company, Garrisi invites employees to mentor the interns one-on-one for the summer. Unlike many internship programs that may hire interns primarily for their labor, KNA uses the internship program to also provide leadership experience for their own employees. KNA interns receive lots of hands-on attention and direction, while both mentor and student gain confidence in the field. Garrisi says engineers remain the largest group of summer interns. Process engineers address questions like,“How can we expand the process? How can we make a better product?” Project engineers install changes designed by process engineers and negotiate with contractors and equipment suppliers. Reliability engineers ask “Why did this equipment fail prematurely?” Last year, one intern addressed how to safely load a diesel tank, designed an access system and determined how to build it out of readily available materials.
Clint Dubec and Alex Farkas
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Garrisi says that KNA is surprised by the quality and quantity of work interns accomplish in just twelve weeks of the summer. By engaging mentors, KNA raises their next level of managers. The program has grown in size each year and has the potential to expand further as more employees become mentors.
2017 will be the third year of the internship program and the second year to accept out-of-state students. In 2016, Alex Farkas and Benjamin Mills, two of Geneva’s senior engineering students, participated. This year, five of the 15 interns will be from Geneva College. Farkas will return, joined by Brendan Hamilton, junior chemistry major, Molly Hindman, junior environmental engineering major, and Sarah Kinney and Ethan Stahl, junior chemical engineering majors. Finding good interns is only possible with the help of professors who will promote these programs in the classroom, says Garrisi. “The people at Geneva are enthusiastic and go out of their way to make it happen.”
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When he began recruiting interns, Garrisi reached out to Dr. John Stahl, who was his classmate when they were students at Geneva. Stahl now faithfully promotes the program to his students by personal contact, posting flyers and emailing information. Mills says that Dr. Stahl’s email inspired him to apply.
T he people at Geneva are enthusiastic and go out of their way to make it happen.” Geneva’s Career Development Center helps students with resume preparation.The center’s Director, Joy Doyle, has worked with all the Geneva interns, to improve their interviewing skills. The internship benefits the students academically and professionally. Between mentoring, classes with Garrisi and practical experience, Farkas and Mills felt they made great strides in these areas. Mills says his experience at KNA prepared him for two of his senior level classes, Chemical Reactor Design and Thermal Design and Optimization, and gave him a better understanding of the fulltime process engineering positions for which he is now applying. Alex Farkas agrees,“The Kaneka North America internship was a great experience and opportunity to grow as an engineer in the professional field. Not only did I get practical experience from other engineers, but I was given my very own project to work on. It was very rewarding to be given an engineering problem and ultimately work to implement a solution.”
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Although KNA is a long way from many students’ homes, Garrisi does all he can to make the move to Texas pleasant for his interns. Both he and Stahl say that spending a summer away is a great “growing up experience.” KNA provides a small relocation assistance, and the students rent a room for the summer.This year KNA set up a Facebook page for interns to help each other find housing and communicate easily with each other. Stahl encourages students to find a local church near their internship for worship and fellowship, reminding them,“God has people in all places.” Ben Mills says that although finding
Ben Mills and Stephen Sanchez community was challenging, attending and serving at a local church made a difference as it provided the opportunity to make friends outside of work. Best of all, Stahl observes that partnering with alumni like Garrisi helps Geneva accomplish the mission “to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor,” and the students concur.
God has people in all places.” “Tom Garrisi understood the liberal arts education we had,” says Mills.“He had a good idea of how to bring that into the workforce in a way that is perhaps more marketable than that of a secular school. Working with people from Geneva College helps you maximize what you learned because they know what you learned and how to apply it.” Partnerships with alumni can greatly influence students and their careers, but the blessings are mutual. KNA is just one example of an alumni relationship benefitting student, employer and school for God’s glory. G
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Psalm 23: Finding Freedom from Insta-Anxiety, Perfectionism & Shame S P E E C H BY D R . A N T H O N Y B R A D L E Y
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For the students of Geneva: Anthony Bradley shares an important message. Parents, alumni and friends: today’s young Christians face extraordinary challenges.
am going to talk about the intersection of anxiety and depression and perfectionism and social media. I’ve noticed that a lot of Christians coming out of the church, campus ministries and Christian colleges feel a pressure to be something extraordinary that the scriptures don’t say you have to be. At least for some of our students at King’s College in New York City, they are obsessed with their grades because they are afraid of being ordinary.They think they have to be extraordinary sorts of Christians. Christian campuses ought to have students that are the least stressed out of any cohorts of students in the country.The two concerns that are causing the most anxiety on our campuses are grades and stress about social life. Oddly enough, according to the data, Instagram and Snapchat make that anxiety even worse, thanks to the “fear of missing out,” also known as FOMO. What the social media platforms all have in common is they make us feel inadequate because we do not measure up. When your Snapchat story is boring and your friend’s Snapchat story is fun and hilarious, you look at your account and think, I’m a loser. Or when you look at the Instagram pages of people that you don’t know, you look at their bodies, their clothes, their vacations and
SPEAKER Dr. Anthony Bradley • • •
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Associate Professor of Religious Studies,The King’s College in New York City Research Fellow, The Acton Institute Author of Black and Tired, Liberating Black Theology, Aliens in the Promised Land, and John Rawls and Christian Social Engagement.
GENEVA MAGAZINE
their families, and you look at your own body, your own clothes and your own family, and you think you are inadequate. We add on top of that the encouragement to be super Christians, sinless Christians, unbroken Christians.You have to have good grades.You have to be good and really smart.You have to have relationships with people, but you can’t ever touch them because that is sinful.You can’t spend a lot of time with people you are not already like.You have to do something really special for God in terms of your career.Your family puts these expectations on you, and there is this added pressure to do all these things for the Lord which increases the levels of anxiety and depression and self-medication. Students are constantly tracking their phones for text messages, constantly checking to see if people are doing something or saying something that they ought to know about. It’s not that these social media platforms are evil or have some sort of sadistic plan to ruin our lives and take us over. It’s that we have lost our capacity to exercise resilience because we are already stressed out, anxious and depressed about our performance, about measuring up, about being super and extraordinary kinds of people. Christian culture can make this worse. There are three sources of anxiety and depression even within the Christian subculture.The first is achievement pressure.The second is isolation from parents – being emotionally, spiritually, psychologically disconnected.The third is touch deprivation. Unfortunately, even within the context of the church, there is this pressure to be successful professionally.You have to get
good grades in order to go to a good school like Geneva, to get a good job, to get married so you can live a nice comfortable life, have kids and then you can rest and repeat. Some people view this achievement as God blessing you.They think this is what it means to be a godly person.To them, godliness tracks this American dream narrative of good grades, school, career, marriage, house, kids, soccer, football and repeat. The pressure for success has made perfectionism a major problem. Perfectionism says,“You have to have the perfect job, not just a job, the perfect job that meets your interest, your desires, that checks all the boxes. It has to pay you really well or you don’t have a job at all.” Perfectionism wants you to have the perfect thing or nothing at all. The other variable is isolation from parents. Studies show that children of affluence are less close to their parents than children who live in poverty. By close, I don’t mean physically close but emotionally where there is a real connection. Parents can be overly involved and controlling at the same time their kids still feel isolated. Suburban children’s needs for emotional closeness may often suffer as the demands for parents’ professional careers erode relaxed family time, and they spend more time home alone.To medicate the feeling of isolation, lots of students turn to drugs and alcohol and food and being at the gym. So, what we find in terms of the data is if you are from a lower income family, you are much more likely to have a better relationship with your parents than kids from higher income families.
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Lastly, I would like to talk about touch deprivation. Our society is suffering from chronic touch deprivation. What we have done is to so sexualize touch that American parents touch their children less than parents in other cultures.Touch is associated with things like positive body image. Anxiety is associated with touch deprivation, as is depression and aggression. Students who are much more physically affectionate with their parents have higher academic performance and better grades. Stress levels also decrease in contexts of high touch family.
from touch deprivation, who are freed up from performance pressure, because we are the people who are actually being cared for by God. The very first verse of Psalm 23 that many of you had to memorize when you were little is “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” When we are truly able to embrace the reality that the Lord is our shepherd and that we don’t need anything else; that we are fully and sufficiently provided for; that the sovereign and triune God loves us and cares about us; then we are free. I will know that I am fulfilled, that my body is fine, that my social life is fine. And when I see images on social media, they don’t make me feel inadequate because I am already adequate. In Christ, you are already adequate today. In fact, you can’t be more adequate than you already are. You have the full benefits of being a child of God.There is nothing that you lack because your triune God cares about you, and the second person of the Trinity was resurrected for our good. We have been given the Holy Spirt to comfort us, care for us and guide us as we live the lives that God intends for us, wants for us and has destined for us.
In Christ, you are already adequate today. In fact, you can’t be more adequate than you already are.” Christian colleges ought to be the place where there is no isolation, where there is no performance pressure, where there is no feeling of inadequacy because of the ways we are heavily involved in loving and caring for each other. When non-Christian colleges see us they ought to be jealous because of the kind of communities we have on our campuses – absolutely chilled and relaxed and less anxious. They should ask,“How come those Christians at Geneva are so chill and so relaxed, right? Why are they not freaking out about their futures? How can they be so calm?” Because they are being cared for by God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. G
In Case You Missed It...
When you combine achievement pressure, parental isolation and touch deprivation with social media applications designed to make you think they can meet those needs for you, you get cycles and habit forming activities that allow advertisers to make tons of money but don’t actually solve problems. One of my interests is to help Christians believe that they are actually sufficiently given everything they need to be what God has called them to be and to do. I want Christians to be the kind of people who are not isolated from each other, who don’t suffer
Watch this year’s JG Vos Memorial Lecture given by Dr. D.A. Carson on Feb. 8, 2017 on Geneva’s Youtube channel by visiting: www.youtube.com/genevacollege 8
Commencement 2017
M AY 6, 2017
Geneva College conferred degrees on 413 graduates at
ceremonies marking Commencement on Saturday, May 6. A chilly, rainy day could not dampen the celebratory mood of graduates, faculty and administration. President Calvin L.Troup awarded internationally known expert on Reformed Christian Theology, Rev. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson with an honorary Geneva doctorate degree in a hooding ceremony. Dr. Ferguson presented the message “How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?” to the traditional undergraduate class of 2017. His address is printed in its entirety here. SPEAKER Rev. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson • • • • • •
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Ordained minister in The Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Teaching Fellow with Ligonier Ministries Chairman of the Board of the Banner of Truth Trust Publishers Evening preacher in St. Peter’s Free Church, Dundee, Scotland Professor of Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, and Redeemer Seminary, Dallas Ministered three congregations in Scotland and South Carolina
GENEVA MAGAZINE
“How Shall We Sing the Lord’s Song?” Rev. Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson Commencement Address to Graduates at Geneva College, May 6, 2017
President Troup and members of the board who are present with us here; the distinguished faculty, a good number of whom I’ve already met, and I’ve been impressed by their distinctiveness and their distinguishedness; and madam chairman of the Board of Trustees, and also to you, Dr. Watt, for your warm welcome to me: First of all, let me say what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to address our graduates and to look forward to hearing more of you in the future. When Dr. Watt met us at the airport, his first words to me were,“You’re not what I expected.” I have this theory about commencement addresses — that they are among the least memorable addresses anyone is ever called to give. So, I had developed a kind of mythology about the reason why I was being invited to Geneva College in Western Pennsylvania. I had come to the conclusion that the board, recognizing
the unmemorable nature of commencement addresses, thought that if they could get somebody who sounded either like Shrek, or perhaps Sean Connery, or even from the side view looked like Mr. Bean, then at least the graduates would feel: I can’t remember what he said, but wasn’t he that Shrek voice?
going home. I wasn’t brought up in a home that had central heating (Scotland can be cold). So, as a four-year-old boy, eager to read, and apparently having learned to read, I used to get into my parents bed in the morning when they had left it (it was centrally-heated). And I would find
It really is a great privilege and honor to address you today and to try to say some things that I hope really will be memorable to you.You are facing a new stage in your life leaving Geneva College, which at least by my observation over a period of 30 years, has grown not only in the offerings it has, but in stature, in physical facilities, in the commitment and power and ability of the faculty.You have been greatly blessed by the education that you have received. I want to say, as a kind of mouthpiece to your parents, grandparents, friends, that I know the faculty here are profoundly grateful for the privilege you have given to them. In most places, you don’t graduate until all the money is paid in, and so I assume that many of you are heaving a sigh of relief or wondering who will give you another mortgage. But this is a great and glorious day for you, and we all rejoice with you and are grateful for you. I suspect that it is impossible to graduate from this institution without knowing the question that’s asked in the 137th Psalm, from which the title of these remarks is drawn.The exiles in Babylon who hanged their hearts on the willow trees, their captors taunted them saying,“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”The response in the Psalm, as you’ll remember, is “How can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?”
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You have been living as college students in a land of promise and blessing, and now many of you are going out into, what is for you as Christian believers, as graduates of this institution, a very alien and strange land.The great question for you really is this question: Has your education prepared you to sing the Lord’s song, the song of your Lord Jesus Christ, in the land in which you are being called to serve him? One more thing about that Psalm is that the Psalmist himself suggests that there were those who were unable to sing it. If you turn over a number of books in the Bible, you come across four young college graduates who gave a wonderful illustration of what it means to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land. I’ve never met them, but I’ve loved them since I was a child. I wasn’t brought up in a church-
Has your education prepared you to sing the Lord’s song... in the land in which you are being called to serve him?”
my grandmother’s old Bible that the family had kept, and as a little boy tried desperately to find the Book of Daniel. Eventually finding it, loving to read of these four young men — Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego — who sang the Lord’s song in a strange land. I want to make a few comments about them because they are familiar to all of us, and to ask the question: What enabled them to sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? They don’t do this anymore in academic books, but in my day the answer was usually to be found in the back of the book.Teachers
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have become wiser now than to do that.The answer to the question is at the back of the book of Daniel:Those who know their God will stand firm. Of course, the knowledge of the Lord is the heart of the Bible’s message. Remember Jeremiah saying,“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, the rich man in his riches, the strong man in his strength, but let him who knows me boast in this, that he knows me, that I am the Lord.”
These are words, in a sense, that the Lord Jesus picked up at a high point of personal emotion when he prayed on the evening of his crucifixion,“Father, this is eternal life - to know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”That was so obvious in these four Hebrew boys: their knowledge of the Lord; their marvelous sense that He was with them; and the power that He gave them.The way in which He surrounded them, strengthened them, blessed them, reassured them and gave them poise enabled them to live for the Lord’s glory. In every single conceivable situation, they were able to do that because they knew that the Lord was sovereign.
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The very first words of the Book of Daniel give us a hint.They knew that Nebuchadnezzar had come from Babylon to Jerusalem to besiege their home city, but they recognized it was the Lord who had given Jerusalem into his hands. Every step of their way, they looked to this promise of God that they had, in a sense, learned from their forefather Joseph. Even when men and women seek to do evil, the Lord is sovereign, and he turns things together for the good of his people, and for their blessing. So they were able to trust Him because they knew that he was the Lord of every situation. That’s something that transforms your life, doesn’t it? That you know that whatever comes to you, comes to you only because it passes through the hands of your Heavenly Father. Because that is true, you are immortal in his service
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until your work is done. So, trust this sovereign God, and he will protect you.They were able, also, to stand because they knew the truth of God. In their case, it had been poured into them by their parents back home in Jerusalem — certainly not in the pagan college from which they graduated. In the case of many of you, also, the truth of God has been poured into you by loving parents; but for all of you, the truth of God has been poured into you by a loving and a devoted faculty.You’ve had the privilege that many of us have not had of being taught that all things are held together by Christ, that although you do not know everything, because you trust in the Lord, you know something about everything, and that because you know him, you actually know something about those who are not believers who may protest and, indeed, may eventually persecute you.You know that they know that God is and spend their lives in a thousand different ways seeking to deceive themselves into the conviction that he does not exist, and all the while creating coping mechanisms that so often end up in the psychiatrist’s office because in their heart of hearts they are running away from the God whom they know to be. My dear young friends, you need to take great confidence in the truth of God and also in this truth whenever you encounter opposition.
T he truth of God has been poured into you by a loving and devoted faculty.” A couple of weeks ago, I read in the London Times an obituary notice of the Russian playwright, poet and novelist Yevgeny Yevtushenko. I knew his name exclusively for one reason – he had come to the United Kingdom in the days of the Cold War, and he had met England’s most distinguished contemporary novelist, Sir Kingsley Amis. He was astonished to find that Kingsley Amis did not believe in God. He assumed, you know, every Englishman believes in God. He said to Kingsley Amis,“Is it true, Sir Kingsley, that you do not believe in God?”To this, one of the most distinguished atheists in the country responded, “Yes, it is true; but it’s more than that, you see. I hate him.” It was one of the clearest illustrations of a man of learning, distinction and gifts I had read in the United Kingdom. In his antagonism against God, recognizing before he could
recapture the words that he was a God-haunted man who would not bow to him. You need to be reassured as you go out as witnesses to Jesus Christ in this world that you know of something that those who may demean your Christian faith do not know about themselves.You will be strong and helped by the truth of God.These young men, they were helped by the knowledge of God’s sovereignty; they were helped by the knowledge of God’s truth; and in some ways they were also helped by the knowledge of God’s presence.The three boys were faced with the fire unless they bowed to the new idol of Nebuchadnezzar, trusting that the Lord would be with them and that the promises of His word would come true. In situations they could not imagine being able to stand in, He would stand with them. And Daniel. I wonder if Daniel was like I was as a little boy. I hated David with a perfect hatred.This little boy, a well-meaning aunt introduced me to, who sat on a rock with a cherubic face, a spotless robe and a shepherd’s crook that clearly had never been used, and composed the 23rd Psalm. Until I recognized that this was not an infant David but a man who had been through dark valleys and from those dark valleys had begun to speak about the Lord as his shepherd who was with him,“You are with me.Your rod, your staff, they comfort me.” There are few things, my friends, that will make you stronger than this knowledge.The Lord Jesus Christ, who has promised never to leave you, never to forsake you and always to be with you to the end of the age — He will be with you. I think of my fellow countryman, David Livingstone, standing in a situation just like this in the University of Glasgow, his arm hanging limp from where he had been mauled by a lion in his African explorations, saying to young men and women like yourselves,“Jesus has promised me that he will be with me to the end. Since He is a gentleman and has never failed to keep his promise, that promise will come true for me and also for you who come to trust him.” And so, those of the faculty who have taught you, who love you, for whom you are a kind of second family in many ways, the families that surround you, the friends who are here, and I myself bid you to go and sing the Lord’s song in what is becoming an increasingly strange land.Trust his power, and trust his truth, and trust his presence, and he will be with you to the end of your life, and then by his grace, for all eternity. With thousands of others, I commend you to Jesus Christ and to serve Him for His glory. May God bless you and keep you. G
“Life G” Award:
Carolyn (Metcalfe ‘62) Mollenkopf The “Life G”Award is the highest alumni honor presented annually to a graduate who has best carried out the College’s motto,“Pro Christo et Patria.”This year’s recipient, Carolyn (Metcalfe ‘62) Mollenkopf, was chosen for her service that embodies the mission of Geneva College, and whose efforts on behalf of the College, community and nation have been exemplary. Mollenkopf graduated in Geneva’s class of 1962. While at Geneva, she was an active member in the campus community as a cheerleader and choral singer among other activities. She remembers that “most classes were taught in the ‘sage on the stage style,’ but the professors were kind, caring and spiritual in their contact with students.” After graduating from Geneva, Mollenkopf taught third grade for three years before taking a 12-year maternity leave during which she raised two sons. She worked the next 32 years as the librarian for Baltimore County Public schools, responsible for serving all 13,000 county school employees. She was also a concierge at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Baltimore for 24 years. Since moving to Maryland, she’d longed to return to Geneva and support the many concerts, plays and sports activities about which she’d been reading.“I wanted to be back on campus and be a cheerleader for Geneva and its students.” Mollenkopf has experienced a “second life” at Geneva acting as a chaperone for The Genevans and New Song choral groups tours. She also serves as an alumni representative when Geneva sports teams play in Maryland and south central Pennsylvania. She lunches with students and spends time with parents and loyal fans. She specifically enjoys watching the play of the football and volleyball teams. Mollenkopf is thankful for her time at Geneva and the education she received enabling her wonderful career.“I am glad I attended a Christian college that was staffed by those who demonstrated Christian love and the value of individuals.” She continues to take every chance to support Geneva.“My interaction with students, faculty, administration and parents has rewarded me with richness beyond what I could have imagined. I look forward to many more years of supporting Geneva in a variety of ways. My heart will always skip a beat when I hear the alma mater.” 12
Graduates Prepared for Service The Geneva graduates who walked off the stage on ceommencement day are walking into new experiences as they begin their lives as alumni. Here’s a sampling of the plans they shared with us.
Evan Wehr graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics. He will attend Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III College to pursue a graduate degree in Information Security, Policy and Management.
Melissa Reabe, a graduate with a degree in Human Services, will work as a Fellow with the Coalition for Christian Outreach in mentored ministry. She will partner with The University of Memphis and Hope Church in Tennessee.
Hannah Kennedy, a native of Oil City, Pennsylvania, graduated in December 2016 with a Bachelors of Arts in Writing. She was immediately accepted into the Masters of Fine Arts Creative Writing Program at Carlow University in Pittsburgh.
Hannah Troup, a graduate with a degree in Communication Disorders, will attend Purdue University in Indiana for her graduate degree. She chose Purdue because of its excellent Speech-Language Pathology program and her familiarity with good churches in the area.
Jesse Doss graduated from Geneva College with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, and minors in mathematics and missions.Thanks to the engineering program he was able to pass the FE exam and earn a position at Civil and Environmental Consultants, Inc. in the Pittsburgh area.
Michael Kearney, a Communication graduate concentrating in Public Relations, grew up in Mount Sinai, New York. Michael was accepted as a Graduate Assistant in the Master’s in Rhetoric and Philosophy of Communication program at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Luke Gatchell graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science. He is working at Hyland Software, Inc. in Cleveland as a front-end web developer.
2017
Isaac Baugh, a graduate with degrees in both Biblical Studies and Philosophy, plans to attend Westminster Seminary of California in his home state.
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Heather Vizino graduated with a B.S.B.A. degree in accounting and this fall joins the audit staff at public accounting firm Grossman Yanak & Ford in Pittsburgh. She is working on CPA certification this summer.
Contact with Reality by Dr. Esther Lightcap Meek DR. ESTHER LIGHTCAP MEEK, Philosophy professor, authored a new book Contact with Reality: Michael Polanyi’s Realism and Why It Matters, published by Cascade Books. Is knowledge discovered, or just invented? Can we ever get outside ourselves to know how reality is in itself, independent of us? Philosophical realism raises the question whether in our knowing we connect with an independent reality--or only connect with our own mental constructs. Far from being a silly parlor game, the question impacts our lives concretely and deeply. Modern Western culture has been infected with antirealism and the doubt, skepticism, subjectivism, relativism and atheism that attends it--not to mention distrust and arbitrary (mis)use of reality. Premier scientist-turned-philosopher Michael Polanyi stepped aside from research to offer an innovative account of knowing that takes its cue from how discovery actually happens. Polanyi defied the antirealism of the twentieth century, sounding a ringing note of hope in his repeated claim that in discovery, we know we have made contact with reality because “we have a sense of the possibility of indeterminate future manifestations.”And that sense marks contact with reality, because it is the way reality is: abundant, generous, and fraught with as-yetunnameable possibilities.
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This book examines that distinctive claim, contrasting it to the wider philosophical discussions regarding realism and antirealism in the recent decades. It shows why Polanyi’s outlook is superior, and why that matters, not just to scientific discoverers, but to us all. In this lively book, Esther Lightcap Meek does more than simply make a compelling case for Polanyi’s realism in the context of dominant epistemologies and philosophies of science; she also brings out a beautiful dimension of Polanyi’s thought that is not often seen, deepening its metaphysical underpinnings through creative engagement with contemporary thinkers.This book makes a much-needed contribution to the reception of Polanyi--and offers a fresh, new way to think about reason more generally.”
Faculty News DR. DAVID KENNETH SMITH Professor of Music, led The Genevans on a multistate tour from PA to Florida over spring break 2017. They spread the good news of the gospel to 16 different churches and schools, ministering to hundreds of people along the way. They performed in Pittsburgh and steadily made their way through West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina until finally reaching Florida. On the return trip, they sang in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Martinsburg, WV. On the final day, the choir sang a tribute to the 40 lives lost during the 9/11 attacks at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
PROFESSOR PAUL POTEETE joins the faculty as a member of the Engineering and Computer Science Department in the fall. Poteete will teach Computer Science courses. He earned a Masters in Information Systems and Operations degree from the Naval Postgraduate School and is currently working towards a doctorate at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
DR. JONATHAN M. WATT, Professor and Chair, Department of Bible, published three articles in separate collections. The articles are: “Gregory of Nazianzus on Language,” “IAKWBOU Contra Mundum: Anti-Language and the Epistle of James,” and “Getting Along: Politeness Theory and the Gospels.”
- D. C. Schindler,Associate Professor of Metaphysics and Anthropology, Pontifical John Paul II Institute,Washington, DC
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That’s Auell, Folks! BY DA N DIE TER
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The mental picture of me standing beside my girls, all
three of us together at Geneva in cap and gown, kept me moving forward,” says Tracy Auell.The mental picture became a reality on Commencement Day, when mom,Tracy, received her Master’s in Leadership Studies degree alongside her daughters, Lynsey and Natalie, who graduated with a Master’s in Organizational Leadership and Bachelor’s in Music Business, respectively. Advice from Tracy’s grandmother echoed in her head,“It’s never too late to get an education; they can never take it away,” but it remained an unfulfilled item on her “bucket list” until Lynsey told her about her own pursuit of a Masters in Leadership degree at Geneva.“I was instantly intrigued,“ Tracy says. “When she described the program… and the online option, I decided to enroll.” Tracy works in the Human Services field and looks forward to using her newly acquired leadership skills to help her become a better leader professionally, and a better mom and Christian, as well.
earn my masters so that I would be a better instrument in His hand in the areas that he called me to,” Lynsey recalls.“I came to Geneva looking for education and have received so much more than I expected; two degrees with a lifetime of memories.” The challenge of juggling work, school and the everyday activities of life seemed overwhelming at times for both Tracy and Lynsey. But a network of family and classmates provided the encouragement and support to complete the program. “This community has played a major role in my life since coming to Geneva in 2010. I have been blessed to be involved and glean so much education, deeper faith, friendships and a better awareness of how God can use me,” Lynsey says. Natalie Auell is a gifted musician and singer-songwriter who is following God’s calling for her life to Nashville with plans to use her music business degree to pursue a career in the music industry.
“I am so proud of the fact that my girls have taken on the challenge (Left to Right) Lynsey, Natalie and Tracy Auell of college, no matter what the For Lynsey, who earned her obstacles, and as a mom, the fact that undergraduate degree in Communication from Geneva in I could personally share the moment with my two girls was 2014 and serves as an Enrollment Counselor in Geneva’s incredible,”Tracy says.“The moment we stood outside John Department of Professional & Online Graduate Studies, earning White Chapel for a photograph was surreal and completely her Master’s degree is proof that God is faithful.“I wanted to fulfilling. It is a moment I will cherish forever.” G 15
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March Matchness Thank you alumni and friends for your generosity! In March of 2017, Geneva College Trustees along with the Board of Advancement committed to matching up to $160,000 for every dollar donated! The donations from students, friends and alumni of
Geneva College surpassed the matched amount with a total of $289,565. A grand total of $449,565 was raised. Thank you for continuing to support Geneva College and the work done through it by the grace of God.
The March Matchness giving challenge results are in!
728 Generous Donors
Over
$289,000 $160,000 Raised by Alumni, Friends and Students
Matched by the Geneva College Trustees & Advancement Board
The Grand Total Raised...
$449,000+ Thank You! Geneva.edu/give
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(Top, Left to Right) Bob Razzano, Gene Sullivan, Geno DeMarco (Bottom) Jeff DeSantes, Don Sullivan, Gary Warman
Transformed Lives
The Football Ministry of the Sullivans Brothers BY BILL A LL M A NN
The sport of baseball traces its roots to Abner Doubleday. Basketball goes back to James Naismith (with an early path through Geneva College). As a sport, football doesn’t have any such obvious roots. At Geneva, though, the roots are more traceable – in 1890, Geneva fell to Pitt 10-4 in its first game. It would take another season for that first win - 42-0 over Westminster. Since that time, the program has had its highs, its lows, and 17
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its transformations in both style and structure – including moving from the NAIA to the NCAA. One of the biggest transformations in style came in the 1970s, when the Sullivan brothers arrived on campus. Don arrived first as an assistant coach and assistant dean of students in 1975. He kept both duties until 1986 and later became dean of students and athletic director. Gene followed a year later as the head football coach, completing the Sullivan duo at Geneva, and the program hasn’t been the same.
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T hey showed that the things said on the f ield aren’t just words. Anyone that played for them can’t help but be inspired.”
The Golden Tornadoes have since found success on the field – Gene won 75 games before stepping aside as the head coach in 1992. He led Geneva to the NAIA semifinals in 1987, losing to a team that later had to forfeit its win for using ineligible players. After stepping aside as head coach, he remained as an assistant on Geno DeMarco’s staff, stepping in as the defensive line coach and three of his players (John Schmitt, Seth Rsenberger, and Blaise Karlovic) were named All-Americans.The fourth, Paul Warsing, would have been an All-American in most years, but getting the entire line honored just doesn’t happen.
“Geneva is a great place for academics,” says Frank Whalen, who played for the Golden Tornadoes from 1982-85 as a nose guard and has just been named the head coach at Knoch High School.“But what separates Geneva is guys like Don and Gene that care. “They were extremely steady and great role models.That consistency is what I’m Iooking to copy at Knoch – they showed that the things said on the field aren’t just words. Anyone that played for them can’t help but be inspired.” The impact of the Sullivans, in fact, was usually felt off the field before it got the chance to be on the field.
“I played for Gene, coached for Gene, and he coached for me. Not too many guys can say that,” says Geno DeMarco, who replaced Gene as head coach and later Don as the Geneva Athletic Director.“As a player, his impact on me was far more than football and, after I hired him, my respect for him grew. “He stepped down and moved to the defensive line - he was an offensive guy but he got after it and made three of his guys All-Americans – they had the talent but still very few coaches could have done that. “When I was a player, Gene talked to us about more than football, and that was the first time a coach had ever done that. He taught me that he cared about me as a man – a lot. “You can talk to a lot of people and they’ll tell you Don had a tremendous influence on them, too, but he wouldn’t take credit. He was real with us and identified with us. I remember talking with him as a senior linebacker. At that time, I didn’t know cover 2 from cover 3, but he would teach me defense and drawing the Xs and Os from a defensive perspective. He simplified it and got me thinking about coaching.” The impact of the Sullivan brothers, though, isn’t measured in success on the field. 18
pure honesty floored me a little but that’s Gene.That’s the greatest compliment – he was interested in what was best for me.”
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Razzano continues,“Don was my linebacker coach and I wasn’t the easiest guy to coach, especially as far as telling me to do this or that – my brother (Rick) taught me and he played five years in the NFL.What I respected about Don was that he understood that and let me go. He didn’t make me something I wasn’t, he knew my immaturity and let me grow.
Gene knew that – he knew football was short-lived and just a means to an end – the education is what matters. T hat’s why we still talk about him.”
“I tell kids now those are the things in life that matter. I’m still in the record books there 34 years later and I show kids that, then tell them that’s not what matters; the degree is what matters. Gene knew that – he knew football was shortlived and just a means to an end – the education is what matters.That’s why we still talk about him.” People still talk about both of them and only tangentially is it about something that happened on the football field. The character they showed – and instilled - is what has stood the test of time. “I remember Gene when I came to Geneva, looking to transfer from Richmond,” says Bob Razzano, who played linebacker for the Golden Tornadoes and set a record for tackles (since broken) in 1983. He is still fifth in career tackles.“I brought a tape and I’ll never forget what Gene told me as we were watching it. “He looked at me and said ‘Bobby, you sure you want to come here, you don’t belong here.’The truthfulness of Gene Sullivan is only matched by my mother. He wasn’t as interested in making the football team better as much as he was in me.That speaks volumes about the man he is. His
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What separates Geneva is guys like Don and Gene that care.” GENEVA MAGAZINE
“As a young man there, they disciplined me when I screwed
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Don said that if all you had to do to be saved was to rely on what you’ve done, why did Jesus have to die? T hat stopped me in my tracks.”
up and mentored me. Without them, I wouldn’t be the same,” says Jeff DeSantes, who played at Geneva from 1981-84 and later coached as well. He is now a national field development manager for an insurance company.“They showed me that my walk as a man is more important than football and built me up as a man, showed me a good balance between on and off the field.” That balance, in fact, carried into the very foundations of Geneva players’ souls. “I spent a lot of time with Don, both as defensive coordinator and dean of students,”Whalen says.“He was instrumental in
my coming to faith. I was raised as a Catholic, but I didn’t understand salvation as it is in the Bible until Don. I was in Don’s office once and some of my teammates were there. “Don said we’ve been praying for you that you’d be saved. I was taken aback. I said what do you mean – I pray, I don’t cross all my Ts but I do what I’m supposed to do. Don said that if all you had to do to be saved was to rely on what you’ve done, why did Jesus have to die? That stopped me in my tracks. I had no idea about grace, but that’s when I understood the gospel for the first time.” That kind of impact isn’t measured in wins or losses, either. G
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CAMPUS NEWS
Geneva Adult Degree Program Delivers Criminal Justice Geneva College now offers an online Criminal Justice program in the Adult Degree Program beginning in the fall of 2017. A Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice can qualify current law enforcement officers for promotion or diversification, and it enables others to receive employment in many criminal justice professions. Dr. Millie Johnson, who served as a Sergeant in the Pittsburgh Police Department for 15 years, leads the program. Dr. Johnson, a Geneva alumna of the Adult Degree Program and Graduate Program in Leadership, says that many adults who work in law enforcement, corrections or any other field in criminal justice are looking to expand their skills and knowledge. The program’s fully online feature enables students to benefit from teaching by experts from across the country. “Our program gives students a wide variety of instructors and an opportunity to study all levels of criminal justice—federal
agencies like the FBI and DEA or municipal policing.” The most important aspect of the new program, according to Dr. Johnson, is Jesus. She says, “There is a dark side to the criminal justice system. Well, here at Geneva we’re going to operate by the example of Christ to bring light to that system.” Nationally, the growth of employment opportunities in criminal justice fields is among the highest of all job categories. Regionally, Allegheny County has the largest number of employers in justice, public order and safety of any county in Pennsylvania. More information about the fully online, adult degree Criminal Justice program is available: geneva.edu/adult-degree/ majors/criminal-justice.
March for Life 2017 Two Geneva freshmen stepped out as leaders in a big way this semester when they organized a bus trip for students, staff and community members to attend the March for Life in Washington D.C. The coach bus, chartered personally by Michael Shemer and Laura O’Neil, left Geneva at 6 a.m. on January 27 carrying about fifty pro-life supporters headed for the March.
Geneva Presents Casting Crowns Concert Geneva partnered with Generation Exodus to bring Casting Crowns’ “The Very Next Thing Tour” to PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh in a night of God-honoring music on March 4, 2017. Supporting artists Danny Gokey and Unspoken also performed. Geneva made a visible impression at the concert with an ocean of gold and black scarves worn by ticket purchasers. Geneva’s Cheryl Johnston, Director of Marketing Services & Public Relations, and sophomore student Olivia Forton spoke from the main stage to an audience of about 8,000 about Geneva’s Christ-centered educational mission. Casting Crowns has earned at least 20 music awards, including numerous Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Dove Awards, Readers’ Choice Christian Music Awards and a Grammy Award. With award-nominated and award-winning singles, such as “Who Am I,” “Jesus Friend of Sinners” and “Praise You in the Storm,” they have sold over five million albums.
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Michael, who’d attended the March three times in the past, and Laura, eager to go for the first time, felt it was their duty as prolife advocates to get others involved in supporting the March. Laura says, “As one of the demographic that is most affected by abortion—the generation dealing with the pressure to have and support abortion and also the group most affected by the millions missing because of abortions—it is vital for me and my fellow college students to take a stand against this unseen holocaust.” Michael and Laura’s leadership was driven by a fervent love for the Lord and a desire to serve His people. Geneva is proud to support these students who followed God’s call to take a stand for what they believe in.
CAMPUS NEWS
Geneva, CCBC Reach Transfer Agreement
Announcing Anonymous Estate Gift
Geneva College and the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) have reached a transfer agreement to enhance their partnership for current and future students. The agreement enables students to more seamlessly transfer the credits from their CCBC associate degree to corresponding bachelor’s degree programs at Geneva. Geneva College President, Dr. Calvin Troup spoke enthusiastically about building a stronger academic connection to CCBC. “Geneva College is excited about developing these new agreements with CCBC because of the value for students and the ability to serve students together. The new approach of using creativity and collaboration in higher education is essential in addressing the ever-changing needs of students.”
Geneva College is pleased to announce receipt of an unrestricted estate gift in the amount of $921,000. The anonymous donor was an alumnus from the 1940s who valued his Geneva degree, allowing him to pursue his dream to teach in higher education. He was a lifelong supporter of Geneva and its mission and was determined to focus his philanthropy giving toward Geneva through his estate. We are so grateful for the generosity of this alumnus. Estate gifts often provide the largest gifts that a college like Geneva receives. Unrestricted estate gifts often go to the Board-directed endowment fund, thereby strengthening the financial base of the institution. They also allow the Board to direct a gift toward a direction of greatest need or opportunity to expand its mission. A portion of this gift will be used to begin a new program. This program of study will provide opportunity to attract a new group of students, in an area of growing need, with good pay, that demonstrates the influence of the Gospel. The beginning of this program will be announced in the future.
Students Earn Early College Credits Geneva launched its Early College Program last year to provide an inexpensive way for high school students to receive college credit. These students have three options for participating: on campus, online or even in their own high school.
Transfer Credits From CCBC Program
To Geneva Program
Professional Pilot
Business Administration or Missions/Aviation
Air Traffic Control
Business Administration or Missions/Aviation
Aerospace Management
Business Administration or Missions/Aviation
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Business Administration or Missions/Aviation
Process Technology
Professional Studies in Management, Human Resources, Organizational Leadership
Engineering
Engineering (Biomedical, Chemical, Electrical and Mechanical Concentrations)
Business Administration
Business Administration/ Accounting or Sport Management
Sports, Arts and Sport Management Entertainment Management
The on-campus courses taken by Early College students are usually general core classes in subjects like natural science, English, math, philosophy, or social science. Online students learn alongside other Geneva College students in the same virtual classroom. Four Christian high schools are now offering courses for Geneva credit. Those classes, also general core, are dependent on the qualifications of the high school faculty. Students involved in any of the Early College programs may attend special events on campus, such as guest speakers hosted by the Geneva Visiting Artist and Lecture series. Dr. Jeffrey Cole, Director of the Early College Program, says that offering college credits to high school students builds familiarity with Geneva and promotes the college’s mission in high school settings. High school students interested in the Early College Program at Geneva College can visit Geneva.edu/earlycollege for more information. 22
Scenes from A Geneva Fairytale, 2016 Film Fest People’s Choice Award winner.
Af icionados
Honoring Christ Through the Arts
Film Fest
at Geneva and assists regularly at Pathway Church with video production.
There are numerous opportunities for students at Geneva to experience the arts and express the creativity and talents endowed by their Creator. One avenue for students to put these interests into action is through the annual Film Fest. Each fall, students create short films to be submitted, judged, chosen and then shown at this event. Whether participating in the movie making process itself through acting, producing, directing, recording, or editing or watching as an audience member, students can enjoy the imagination, ingenuity and artistry behind each of the works shown.
“While the videos I make outside of Pathway don’t always carry an overtly Evangelical message,” Field says, “I still desire to reflect Christ in the quality of work and the wholesomeness that is lacking in many of the movies of the 21st century.”
On December 10, Film Fest featured six films including Breaking Dab, Unknown, A Geneva Fairytale, X-Men Schism, Absent and Little Red Riding Hood. With comedy, action and drama all represented, the audience was touched and moved by the submissions. Produced by Michael Field, A Geneva Fairytale won the People’s Choice Award as best film. Desptite studying computer engineering, Field’s interest in filmmaking led him to participate in every Film Fest during his fouryear education at Geneva. Field makes videos on a regular basis. Some of these include videos involving engineering projects, roller coasters, the Humans Versus Zombies Geneva event, aerial videos using a quadcopter drone and chapel videos. In addition, he has served as a Video Production Intern
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Aligned with this mission, A Geneva Fairytale is a wholesome, light-hearted film for the entire family and can be viewed at YouTube.com/fieldfilmz.
Inspector Hound & One Act Plays Geneva’s Theater program is for students who desire to express their creativity in live performance. With two major productions and several student-led productions each year, students can share their talents on the stage, inspiring an enjoyment of the arts in other students and the wider community. During the spring semester, Geneva College performed Tom Stoppard’s “The Real Inspector Hound” at the Bagpiper Theater, directed by Dr. David Kuhns. The parody in the absurdist tradition follows two theater critics who become involved in the insane setup of a country house murder, whodunit mystery. Eight Geneva students comprised the cast with many others assisting with various roles of the production. The Bagpiper Theater was also the location of five student-directed One Act Plays in April. Tyler Piper directed his own original play “A Friend Nobody Wants.” Piper says, “It’s an interesting dynamic because we get to use what we’ve been taught and apply it to our own cast, along with finding new and unique ways to direct.” For those who love music, several avenues of opportunity open up. Whether singing in The Genevans or Broadway Review, performing at the My Generation Night (MGN) talent show or playing in Jazz Band, students can share their talents and gifts to the glory of God.
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I am truly thankful for the education Geneva provided for me. The faculty and staff work hard to provide an education that is genuinely Christ-centered. My Geneva experience would not have been possible without the generosity of alumni, and it makes me want to be a part of making that experience possible for future students.” - Nathan Sneller ’17
Fund
Geneva
Your generosity makes the difference. Alumni like you have a special role in making Christ-centered education a reality. You can help students like Nathan Sneller make an impact in the world for Christ by supporting the Geneva Fund. Nathan plans to pursue dentistry as a career and to serve Christ through his profession and beyond. The Geneva Fund is an essential part of bringing the mission to life - equipping students for faithful service to God and neighbor. The fund impacts every area of life at the college. And your gift to the Geneva Fund prepares the next generation of Christian leaders for a wide-range of vocations. Almost all Geneva students receive some form of financial aid to make their Christ-centered education possible. Scholarships funded by your gifts to the Geneva Fund help young men and women who need it most.
Geneva.edu/give
ATHLETIC NEWS BY VA N Z A N I C ‘93
Celebrating Athletic Excellence As the academic year came to a close, the Geneva College athletic department reinstated its season ending awards banquet. Each of its 16 athletic teams gathered together on Reading Day for the Athletic Banquet to recognize excellence in and out of the athletic arena for the 2016-17 school year. “It is important to get our student-athletes together and recognize the hard work of so many throughout the academic year,” says Director of Athletics Van Zanic. “We have so much to celebrate throughout our department; it was a great setting to have the student-athletes and their peers together for one last time before the summer break.” In addition to recognizing individual team awards and overall athletic accomplishments, President Calvin L.Troup addressed the student-athletes as did keynote speaker Rob Smith. Smith, a 1983 Geneva graduate and soccer alumnus, serves as the Executive Director of the Kent County (Delaware) Regional Sports Complex named DE Turf. Head coaches from Geneva’s 16 varsity programs addressed the gathering and gave a quick recap of the 2016-17 season. Additionally, each handed out awards honoring their Most Coachable Player and the Best Teammate as voted on by the student-athletes. Gib McCracken
Nicole Bartoletta
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GENEVA MAGAZINE
Geneva College celebrated the great success of the men’s soccer program, which brought home the 2016 men’s soccer Presidents’ Athletic Conference crown for the first time after finishing the regular season with a perfect 8-0 conference mark. Gib McCracken, who was a first team AllConference and All-Region performer, took home the Male Student-Athlete of the Year Award. On the women’s side, Nicole Bartoletta, who broke six school records in indoor and outdoor track and finished 9th in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III national meet, was awarded the Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award. The Male and Female Rookies of the Year Awards went to All-Conference freshmen performers Ethan Moose in men’s basketball and Casey Farkasovsky in softball, respectively. The Community and Character Awards, which are presented to a male and a female student-athlete who best represents Geneva College on campus and throughout the community, went to senior men’s basketball player Chaese Vaudrin and senior women’s basketball player Rachel Larson. While Vaudrin helped to enhance Geneva’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes group, Larson spearheaded the #Wynnthebattle campaign across Geneva’s campus and throughout the PAC to support head coach Lori Wynn’s
battle against cancer. Larson herself then handed Coach Wynn the 2017 Award for Courage in recognition of her amazing fight this past year with ovarian cancer.
Ethan Moose
Casey Farkasovsky
Chaese Vaudrin
Rachel Larson
While there was much to celebrate in the athletic arena, Geneva student-athletes also excelled in the classroom. In the fall, Geneva placed more student-athletes on the PAC honor roll (3.6 GPA or higher) than any other school in the conference. Geneva faculty athletic representative Denise Murphy-Gerber recognized the top men’s and women’s athletic teams for their work in the classroom with the highest overall GPA. She then awarded individual academic honors to Johnathan Shoaf (3.95) for the Highest Male Athlete GPA and Clara Sevy (3.85) for the Highest Female Athlete GPA. Geneva athletics experienced a memorable year. The future continues to shine bright for the Golden Tornadoes as we look to the 2017-18 academic year and more success on and off the field for Geneva College. G Geneva boasts one of the most ardent fan bases in all of NCAA Division III sports. Attendance at Golden Tornadoes’ home football games this year was an average of nearly 4,500, which ranks Geneva number 10 in the nation.
Coach Lori Wynn
Men’s Track & Field Team Wins PAC Title The Geneva College Men’s Track and Field team won its first ever Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship on Saturday, April 29 at Geneva’s Merriman Athletic Complex. Geneva’s depth enabled student-athletes to pick up points in 17 separate events, resulting in a wide victory margin. Geneva scored 145.5 points while the team from second place Thomas More College tallied 116 points.
Johnathan Shoaf
Clara Sevy
Geneva College Head Coach Phil Thompson, who was awarded PAC Coach of the Year, says, “It’s a great feeling. I couldn’t be happier. It was an unbelievable meet. Everything went right.” Individually, Aaron Tedys won the 400 meter with a time of 49.01 seconds, and he was also a part of the 4x100 relay team, along with Alex Parker, Cam Unrath, and Henry Kennedy, that took first place with a time of 41.58 seconds. 26
YEAR IN REVIEW
6 27
Save the Date OCTOBER 6-7, 2017
Reunion years: 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012
IN MEMORIAM 30s Dr. Milton L. Caplan ’38 on March 7, 2017 Anna (Batz ’38) Chotiner on July 19, 2016
40s
Leona B. (Weekley ’52) Lorkovich on March 1, 2017 Howard D. McMahan ’52 on December 19, 2016 Thelma J. (Hamilton ’53) Byerle on March 10, 2017 Steve J. Mulik ’53 on January 28, 2017
Dorothea (Freker ’40) Rhodes on January 11, 2017
Ann P. (Cunningham ’53) Oakes on January 22, 2017
Erskine E. Harton ’41 on October 16, 2016
Robert L. Edwards ’54 on November 24, 2016
Helen Jane (Hugus ’42) Kane on December 26, 2016
Harry D. Milnes ’54 on March 17, 2017
Elizabeth A. (McLaren ’44) Weimer on November 20, 2016 Elizabeth “Betsy” (Hammerle ’55) Brown on December 28, 2016 David A. Edgecombe ’45 on May 19, 2016
Shirley A. (Shannon ’55) Patterson on February 24, 2017
Blanche (Baughman ’45) Shafer on March 9, 2017
Rev. Horace B. Pollock ’55 on March 7, 2017
Dr. Bruce C. Stewart ’45 on December 25, 2016
George S. Vonakis ’55 on October 26, 2016
Esther H. (Sarver ’47) Ardary on October 23, 2016
Janet D. (Stuehling ’56) Zoeller on November 30, 2016
William P. Elliott ’47 on April 26, 2017
Louis J. Gache ’57 on February 10, 2017
Alice K. (Hardy ’47) Trapp on November 25, 2016
Carolyn J. (Wilson ’57) Harkins on January 26, 2017
Glenn L. Wilson ’47 on December 9, 2016
Thomas B. Bradshaw Sr. ’58 on April 16, 2017
Hugh N. Houck ’48 on December 23, 2016
Marshall P. Hargett ’58 on January 15, 2017
Fred A. Jackson ’48 on October 8, 2016 August E. Bottonari ’49 on April 17, 2017 Paul E. Gallagher ’49 on October 27, 2016
Katharine (Willson ’58) Plowmaker on October 27, 2016 John Tartline ’58 on April 11, 2017
Jack R. Goodman ’49 on November 7, 2016
Alexander E. Daniel ’59 on November 14, 2016
Harold J. Johns ’49 on January 17, 2017
John A. Gordon ’59 on February 10, 2017
50s
Raymond Lopez ’59 on January 25, 2017
James P. Borsody ’50 on October 25, 2016 Robert E. Linn ’50 on February 23, 2017 James H. Marshall ’50 on December 24, 2016 Raymond D. Gibson ’51 on October 18, 2016 Ernestine J. (Casteel ’51) Mooney on February 16, 2017 Richard B. Nehrich Jr. ’51 on March 18, 2017 Fred A. Bowie ’52 on May 2, 2016
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Dr. John L. Parrish ’58 on October 17, 2016
GENEVA MAGAZINE
Thomas A. Mansfield ’59 on August 25, 2016 Landis P. Morgan ’59 on August 16, 2016 Rudolph W. Smolar ’59 on March 31, 2017 Donald B. Torbich ’59 on February 1, 2017
60s Eileen E. (Beaver ’61) Cartwright on January 30, 2017 William B. Teasdale ’61 on April 23, 2017
Roger N. Alms ’62 on November 8, 2016
Theresa C. (Rozzi ’77) Mastren on March 10, 2017
John W. Madden ’62 on March 9, 2017
Dwight B. Adams ’78 on November 21, 2016
Eugene M. Margiotti ’63 on April 13, 2017
90s
Albert T. Kittner ’64 on February 4, 2017 Merrill S. Lentz Jr. ’64 on January 21, 2017 Dennis A. Ciani ’65 on April 4, 2017 Linda E. (Dooley ’65) Jagerski on March 13, 2017 Joseph J. Sendek ’65 on January 26, 2017 George C. Thomas ’65 on March 4, 2017 Joseph W. Cochran ’66 on April 17, 2017 Joan L. (Rasmussen ’66) Glenn on February 13, 2017 Charles E. Hall ’66 on February 2, 2017 Alyce L. (Gower ’67) Grubbs on January 7, 2017
Mary J. Verbe ’91 (DCP #009) on April 19, 2017 Debra A. (Shope ’93) Freeman on October 23, 2016 Janet E. Inches ’93 (DCP #030) on November 6, 2016 Laurel A. Stupka ’99 (DCP #105) on April 27, 2017
00s Nicholas C. Bruich ’00 (DCP #119) on November 21, 2016 Araina D. (Howard ’02) Tivis on February 12, 2017 Edward D. Wallace Jr. ’02 on January 4, 2017
10s Dana K. (Neapolitan ’12) Ellis on February 24, 2017
Friends
Kenneth L. Young ’68 on January 21, 2017
John B. Schaefer on May 6, 2017
James E. Hardie ’69 on January 21, 2017
Mildred Couch on February 20, 2017
Edward D. Mihalyi ’69 on February 7, 2017
Dr. Peter E. Howe on December 23, 2016
Lauren G. (Wickline ’69) Naugle on January 30, 2017
George B. Robinson on November 24, 2016
70s
John A. Shearer Jr. on January 26, 2017
Stanley K. Bollinger ’70 on December 31, 2016 Eric A. Miles ’70 on February 19, 2017
Floy M. Smith on April 7, 2017 William G. Thomas on October 11, 2016
Jesse J. Molnar ’70 on October 22, 2016 Richard W. Trenary ’70 on April 8, 2017 D. Paul Weimer ’70 on January 20, 2017 Duwayne L. Baird Jr. ’71 on March 29, 2017 Dr. Gwendolyn (Jones ’72) Farmer on November 3, 2016 Joseph C. Kinslow ’72 on February 7, 2017 Nancy L. Ball ’73 on January 12, 2017
Denotes members of the
Heritage Society, which recognizes the valuable contributions of alumni and friends who include Geneva in their estate
Henry L. Walden ’73 on April 26, 2017
and/or financial plans by gifts made through annuities, chari-
Bruce M. Hockenberry ’74 on January 12, 2017
table trusts, gifts of life estates, undivided partial interests in real
Ruth V. Bell ’76 on March 8, 2017
estate or life insurance, and gifts made through their will. To learn more, visit geneva.edu/planned-giving/heritage-society. 30
CLASS NOTES Class Notes are available on Geneva.edu. Visit the site to learn about fellow classmates, and submit an update so they can remain connected with you.
40s Dr. Ralph ’40 and Naomi (Smith ’42) Kilpatrick celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on January, 5 2016.
James McFarland ’59 resides in Sun City West, AZ. 60s Edward “Ted” Broadfield ’61 recently retired from Missouri Metals, LLC as President/General Manager, after 52 years in aviation and aerospace industries. He and his wife Brenda have been married 54 years and are currently residing in Lake Saint Louis, MO. Ted is currently serving as an elder in their church, and attending bible study fellowship. He is enjoying retirement by hunting, playing golf and traveling to visit grandchildren.
and served in the Ridgefield Park, NJ RPC, before taking up the ministry in 1995 of the Geneva RPC which merged with the First RPC of Beaver Falls in 2004. Also, after 19 years, Bruce retired from the Geneva College Board of Trustees Friday, 3 February 2017. He remains on the Geneva College Board of Corporators. 70s David ’71 and Constance (Openshaw ’71) Troxell, now retired and living in Sun City West, AZ, welcomed their 13th grandchild, John Luke Peter Troxell, December 2016. John is the son of David Joshua ’12 and Amanda Troxell.
Michael Clinton ’64 is a retired professional engineer. He and wife Having served as Administrator and Marjorie have four children and reside Chief Financial Officer for more in Evergreen, CO. than 38 years of employment at the Reformed Presbyterian Home in Dr. Vivian (Davidson ’43) Hewitt was Annetta (Keys ’66) Kronz and husband Pittsburgh, Bill Weir ’73 retired in awarded the Lifetime Achievement Ronald reside in Fairfax, VA. September 2016. His wife Rose Award by the University of Pittsburgh, (Rutherford ’75) continues employment Linda (Hannen ’67) Boilegh resides in at Eden Christian Academy in the School of Information Sciences on Toronto, OH. October 7, 2016. On October 22, North Hills of Pittsburgh. Their 2016 Dr. Hewitt received a promotion daughters Jennifer (Weir ’00) George Geraldine “Gerry” (Reed ’67) in The Most Venerable Order of the and Natalie (Weir ’05) Faris became Burkholder retired as a United Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem to 4th generation Geneva graduates when Dame, as sanctioned by Her Majesty Methodist pastor from the Virginia graduating in their respective years. Annual Conference. She and husband Queen Elizabeth II, the Sovereign Barry reside in Stephenson, VA. Head of the Order. On May 12, Frederick Arnold ’72 recently returned 2017, she was awarded the Heinz full time to Beaver Falls, PA after History Makers Medal of Innovation in Myrna (Little ’67) Porter is the owner of commuting weekly to Washington, Paulson Centre Executive Office Suites DC and Arlington, VA for 13+ years Education. and looking forward to retirement once as a consultant to US Department the business is sold. She and husband of Homeland Security. Fred is the 50s Pete have three children and reside in Vice President & COO of Le, Arnold Robert Varkony ’57 and his wife Lake Suzy, FL. Sarah split their time between & Associates. He and wife Sherry Orlando, FL and Glenville, NC. Bob (Mitchell ’72) have one son and reside Bruce Backensto, ‘69 retired from serves as a VFW chaplain and vice in Beaver Falls. the Gospel Ministry in the Reformed commander as well as president Presbyterian Church of North and board member of the Glenville America, 31 May 2014 after serving Community Development Center. his final 19 years as the Teaching Elder of the Geneva/First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Beaver Falls, PA. He was ordained and installed Teaching Elder of the Sterling, KS, RPC 31 May 1972. He was the Church Planter, Organizing and First Teaching Elder of the Springs Reformed Verner Welsh ’73 resides in Novelty, Fellowship, Colorado Springs, CO OH with wife Jill. They have one son, 31
GENEVA MAGAZINE
Justin. Vern is a Medical Science Liaison for V. Welsh Medical Sales Consultant. His company is ranked in the top 5 in the nation representing Transdermal Therapeutics Inc.
Pamela (Polesiak ’87) Brossman was hired as the senior editor at the YGS Group in York, PA. She is responsible for the publications of this large marketing and communications firm. Her husband Mike Brossman ‘87 is Cheryl Webb ’76 retired in 2014 from the lead pastor of Calvary United teaching nursing at the Community Methodist Church in York. College of Beaver County. She 90s also taught nursing at Mt. Aloysius College and Butler County Community Vicki (Porter ’90) Pasterik and her husband Michael serve as church College and worked as a therapist and researcher at STAT Nursing multiplication facilitators with Every Community for Christ, the church Consultants. In her retirement Cheryl is working on projects which include multiplication catalyst of One Mission knitting caps for preemies and making Society, in the Amazon River region quilts for soldiers and veterans. of Peru, South America. They provide training in evangelism, discipleship Michael Plank ’77 married Marsha and church planting as well as Kampes on April 22, 2017. Mike also equipping and encouraging those has a new grandson, Carter Emerson called to serve as pastors. Vicki and Claybrook, born on February 12, Michael have 9 children and when 2017 to daughter Emily Claybrook they are not in Peru the family resides and her husband Bill. Mike is a Senior in Corry, PA. Director at the University of Maryland Medical Center. He and Marsha Matthew Fuss ’94 earned his Ph.D. reside in Havre de Grace, MD. from Duquesne University in 2016. He and wife Chelle (Simons ’93) have Rita Schalkwyk ’77 has eight children two children, Zane and Logan, and and resides in Red Deer, Alberta, reside in Grove City, PA. Matt is an Canada where she is a social worker. Associate Professor of Business at Geneva College. David DeWall ’78 is a Systems Administrator for Erie Insurance. He W. Calvin Smith ’96 married (after and wife Pamela have one son and being widowed in 2012) Teri Erickson reside in Erie, PA. Smith on April 2, 2016, and relocated from Roanoke, VA, to Loudoun County, 80s VA. Calvin is Senior Counsel at James Edwardson ’81 resides in Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, PLLC, in Willow Grove, PA. Leesburg, VA. Thomas Hanrahan ’82 resides in Lexington Park, MD. Jon O’Data ’82 graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science in September 2016 and is employed at the Gabauer-Lutton Funeral Home in Beaver Falls, PA. Darren DePaul ’97 is a pastor and resides in Clinton, CT with his wife Alan Harrison ’84 was appointed CEO Jenny and two daughters Amelia and of ToolBank USA. Alan brings 20+ Ellianna. years of successful experience in both private industry and non-profit sectors Darrick Dean ’98 had his first novel to his new position at ToolBank USA. published in August 2016. Among
the Shadows is the first in a series of fantasy novels. He blogs about writing and books at darrickdean. com. Brian ’98 and Shannon (Jones ‘99) Dewar announce the birth of their son Kaleb Patrick Jones Dewar on April 19, 2016. Kaleb joins big sisters Aubrey (7) and Avery (5) at home. Big brother Kade went to Heaven at a week old. The family resides in Upland, IN where Brian teaches in the Department of Biology at Taylor University.
Derek Seipp ’99 resides in Allison, PA with his wife Holly and daughters, Cassandra and Alanna. He is a published author with his most recent book, Innovation in World Mission. 00s Rachel (Merrick ’01) Richardson and husband James reside in Grove City, PA. David Stahurski ’01, ’04 (MSOL) resides in McKees Rocks, PA with wife Christine and children Luke and Joey. Dave is the Vice President – Investment Real Division at First National Bank in Pittsburgh. Rebecca Parkin ’02 spent summer 2016 studying ongoing research projects such as radio tracking, cheetah conservation and ecosystem management as well as the design of school and community programs in Namibia. Rebecca, an outdoor education manager at Lake Metroparks lives in Chesterland, OH, and took the graduate course 32
in pursuit of her master’s degree from Miami University’s Advanced Inquiry Program.
licensed professional counselor. The family resides in Pittsburgh.
Conor ’04 and Ashley (Marchini ’05) Dawley welcomed son Avin Joseph Dawley, born December 29, 2016. Avin joins big sister Samantha Joy. The Luke Duriancik ’09 and his wife Dawley family resides in Erie, PA. Cortney were married on October 15, 2016. They currently reside in Pittsburgh, PA.
Ashleigh (Verrillo ’04) Meeker and husband John welcomed their first child, Daphne Lucille, on October 27, 2016. Ashleigh is a Clinical Care Manager at Beacon Health Options. The family resides in Durham, NC.
10s John Bennett ’10 is the Director of Franchising for Sunny Days In-Home Care and recently expanded the company into the Chicago, IL area. John and wife Ashley (Grueso ’09) have a daughter, Avalyn Michelle, and reside in McMurray, PA.
David Ketter ’10, MAHE ’13 was ordained a priest by Bishop James Hobby of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh on February 4, 2017 at Robert Arata ’07 earned his Doctorate Church of the Savior in Ambridge, PA. of Physical Therapy from the University Jill (Hanson ’10) married Ben Moore of Nevada – Las Vegas and is a coon September 24, 2016. She is a owner of Athletes Physiotherapy. He and wife Sunshine have two children, Senior Tax Accountant at Blue & Co. The couple resides in Shelbyville, IN. Aryana and Andrew. The family resides in Henderson, NV. Susan Singer ’10 (DCP #007) recently transferred from the Pennsylvania Julia Bavuso ’08 received her BSN Emergency Management Agency to from Robert Morris University. She moved to the UK in July 2016 and has a position as the Lead Emergency been working at a children’s hospital Preparedness Planner for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s in London. Bureau of Public Health Preparedness. Christopher ’08 and Jessica (Johnson Shaka Sydnor ’10, MAHE ’12 is the ’09) Gage welcomed son Greyson Assistant Dean of Students at the Everett Gage on July 2, 2016. Greyson was born at only 28 weeks University of Virginia. Wife Heather (Knight ’10) graduated with a Master’s and spent his first two months in the NICU. He is now happy, healthy and in Social Work from the University of thriving at home. Chris is a Senior HR Cincinnati. They welcomed son Isaiah Generalist at NEP, Inc and Jessica is a Jabari on April 15, 2015. The Sydnor family resides in Charlottesville, VA. 33
GENEVA MAGAZINE
Mary Ann Miller ’12 resides in Beaver Falls with her husband David and two children, Sydney and Camden. She is the Membership Director at the Beaver County YMCA as well as a personal trainer, health coach, USA Swimming certified coach and American Red Cross Safety Instructor. Bryan Visingardi ’13 is a supervisor at Arnett Carbis Toothman LLP. He and wife Rachael reside in Poland, OH. David DeWall ’15 is working as a graduate assistant while pursuing an M.S. in International Affairs, with a concentration in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Rhetta (King ’15) and Brendan Byham ’16 were married in the summer of 2016. The couple resides in Pittsburgh. Holly (Vizino ’15) married Samuel Emery on January 7, 2017 in Pittsburgh. The couple now resides in Munhall, PA. Courtney (Aldridge ’15) married Tyler Kish. Courtney is an elementary school teacher. The couple resides in Warren, OH. Daniel Cox ’16 resides in Scotland, PA. He moved to China in January of 2017 to teach English. Samantha Jensen ’16 resides in Center Valley, PA. She is engaged to be married to Daniel White ’16 in the summer of 2017. Darrin Tarasovich ’16 resides in Coraopolis, PA. He is currently employed by Michael Baker International. Photos appear after the corresponding class note.
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