1846 Spring '23, Vol. I No. 2, Renewal

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

IDear Alumni, Friends, and Families,

t is a season of renewal at Saint Vincent College! Our students and faculty have returned from spring break energized and ready to face the final stretch of the academic year. I also write this message during the season of Lent, which is a time of spiritual renewal. God’s mercies are renewed every morning (Lam 3:22-23). Renewal is also a particular theme of the Sustainability pillar of our Strategic Plan 2021-2026 and our work at Saint Vincent College to care for one another by caring for the world around us.

In this issue of 1846, you will read about collaborative research in the wetlands, fields, and woods of our campus and at the Winne Palmer Nature Reserve. You’ll read about alumni making their marks in broadcasting, film, data science, medicine, and military service. You’ll learn about a dynamic group of freshman leaders answering a call to service, and you’ll also explore the legacy of Latrobe’s favorite neighbor 20 years after the launch of the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College.

Over this spring break, I joined Dr. Jeff Mallory, Dr. Dana Winters, Father Francois Diouf, and five students on a life-changing and renewing visit to the Abbey of Keur Moussa near Dakar, Senegal, which was led by Father Francois, a monk of Keur Moussa, who now serves as Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at Saint Vincent College. Abbot Olivier and the community welcomed us and provided generous hospitality. We saw many parts of this beautiful country and participated in the prayer, work, and music of the monks (in August 2022, The New Yorker magazine published an article about the Abbey and its music, “The Monks Who Took the Kora to Church.” I recommend it for your reading). Throughout the trip, our group learned much about sustainability through the monks’ efforts in their region.

We are honored to partner with the Abbey of Keur Moussa and many other Benedictine monastic communities throughout the world—and we are excited to be welcoming some Senegalese students in the fall 2023 class.

In addition to the trip to Senegal, our students and faculty visited many areas of our world over spring break: Italy, Germany, Guatemala, England, and Ireland. We look forward to sharing more about our trip to Senegal and other spring break trips in our summer issue.

The story of Saint Vincent College continues, and the spirit of renewal is in the air.

Looking Forward,

Rev. Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B. President

Traveling as part of the Saint Vincent College contingent to Senegal were Dwight Collins, Jr.; Isaiah McElroy; Dr. Dana Winters; Father François Diouf; Gina Beneccio; Courtney Rodick; Lauren Brennan; Fr. Paul Taylor, O.S.B.; and Dr. Jeffrie Mallory.

C’20

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1846@stvincent.edu

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DEPARTMENTS

2 News Briefs

13 From the Archives 20 Office Space

30 Class Notes

32 By the Numbers

Check out the next installment of 1846: The Podcast featuring Dr. Dana Winters, C’06, Executive Director of the Fred Rogers Institute

ON THE COVER

Campus spring scene illustration by designer Ellie Powell, highlighting the Saint Vincent Basilica.

news briefs

MOCK TRIAL TEAM VICTORIOUS

Herman Dupré Inducted into Ski Hall of Fame

The U.S. National Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame posthumously inducted distinguished SVC alum Herman Kress Dupré, C’53, during a March ceremony in Big Sky, Montana. The Hall of Fame recognizes “athletes and visionaries who have significantly enriched the global sports of skiing and snowboarding in the United States.” Dupré developed one of the largest snowmaking systems in the world at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, where he served as chief executive officer from 1955 to 1992.

The Saint Vincent Mock Trial team won the Saint Bonaventure tournament in Olean, New York, on November 4. An extracurricular activity available to students, Mock Trial simulates a trial compiled by the American Mock Trial Association.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

The Saint Vincent College Players presented Once Upon a Mattress February 23-26. The musical, directed by Mr. Gregg Brandt, Producing Artistic Director for Saint Vincent Summer Theatre and Assistant Professor of Theatre, is a reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale, The Princess and the Pea

PAC Champions

The Women’s Basketball team captured the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship with a come from behind 68-52 win over Chatham University at a sold out and raucous Carey Center on March 4, earning a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Albert J. Novak, Jr., was appointed as the Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Relations in early September. Novak most recently served as Excela Health’s Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer and previously worked at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, where he led the largest fundraising campaign in Western Pennsylvania history, raising $2.135 billion.

FELLOW NAMED

The Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College recently welcomed its first Fellow in Mental Health and Wellbeing, neuropsychologist Dr. Rebecca Zill. Dr. Zill and the FRI staff are working to understand the challenges facing Saint Vincent College students and to develop a series of supports that will focus on equipping students with the necessary knowledge and skills to advocate for their own mental health as well as the wellbeing of their peers.

HOMECOMING CELEBRATED

Statue Dedication

On Thursday, October 27, Saint Vincent College held a blessing and dedication ceremony for a new statue of a young St. Benedict, which was placed outside the campus post office, in the middle of the College’s campus. Created by American artist Chas Fagan, the statue sits on a base within a fountain. The base, a gift from the Class of 1968, is inscribed with the phrase “Prefer nothing to the love of Christ.” The statue was blessed by Archabbot Martin de Porres Bartel, O.S.B., pictured above.

Saint Vincent hosted its annual Homecoming Weekend September 16-18. During an on-field ceremony at halftime of the football game versus Thiel, Shelby Stoner and Kody Johnson were named Homecoming Queen and King, respectively.

Dr. Amanda Draper has been selected as the 2022-2023 Fellow for the Gretsch Fellowship in Children’s Music at the Fred Rogers Institute. As a Gretsch Fellow, Draper will examine the Fred Rogers Institute archives for artifacts that illuminate Fred Rogers’ approach to inclusivity for people with disabilities.

Read more and get the latest Saint Vincent College news at 1846.stvincent.edu/news.

Zach Flock

Charting a Course to a More Sustainable Future

In a world full of buzzwords, “sustainability” gets its fair share of use. The United Nations defines sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

“As reflected in the Strategic Plan, the sustainability of the College is grounded in policies and practices that are economically, environmentally, and socially just,” said Christine Foschia, Vice President for Strategic Engagement and Mission. “Saint Vincent has a long-standing commitment to environmental issues, in keeping with the Benedictine hallmark of stewardship for the natural environment.”

At Saint Vincent, through efforts big and small, we’re creating a more sustainable campus to meet the needs of Bearcats for generations to come.

A MORE EFFICIENT APPROACH

Over time, things break. That’s one of the certainties of life. Yet, with each break comes opportunity: to fix, to improve, and to implement solutions that simply weren’t available to previous generations.

“One of the things that is crucial to our development as we look to move into the future of sustainability and renewable energy is addressing an aging infrastructure,” said Joshua Guiser, Vice President for Finance, Treasurer, and Chief Financial Officer for Saint Vincent College. “With an aging infrastructure, you lack efficiency. A big consideration for us is not just using different types of energy, but more efficient use of energy.”

Case in point: every Saint Vincent alum is likely familiar with the boiler system, a complex network of steam pipes starting at the powerhouse and snaking its way across the campus. The steam heat runs through administrative buildings, classrooms, and residence halls, warming the buildings. Once

cutting edge, it’s a system that has seen better days. “The sheer distance steam is required to travel creates an inefficiency,” added Guiser. “Energy is lost as you go through that process. Taking steam that far [across campus], displaces energy, which means you’re using more water and gas, which means more cost.”

To remedy the situation, recent projects have moved certain areas of campus, including Saint Benedict Hall and the new Student Life and Hospitality Hub, off of the campus-wide boiler system and onto independent boiler systems.

Guiser noted that the Saint Benedict Hall project alone led to a decrease in water usage of approximately 5,000 gallons per day.

The shift to independent systems also allows greater flexibility in regulating temperatures across campus.

“When we have a warmer day in peak winter season, individual buildings having their own systems makes it easier to adjust without turning off the heat everywhere,” said Guiser.

The primary boiler itself has been converted to run on natural gas rather than coal, which is a cleaner, cost-saving alternative.

“The long-term plan is to try to get campus off of the large boiler system and onto individual heating systems for each building,” said Guiser. “If there’s an issue that would potentially happen in one of the steam lines, it could affect the entirety of campus. On their own systems, an event is only going to affect a particular building.”

In other words, a win for the College and a win for the environment.

The Fred M. Rogers Center and the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion utilize geothermal heating systems, which uses the temperature of the ground below to heat or cool the building above.

According to Guiser, similar systems could be utilized in future projects as well.

A BRIGHT ALTERNATIVE

Another way Saint Vincent’s reliance on outside energy sources has been reduced is through the installation of solar panels. Currently, solar panels line the roofs of the Dupré Science Pavilion and the Dale P. Latimer Family Library.

“There are obvious benefits to utilizing solar power as an energy source and reducing our dependence on an outside electric provider, including environmental and cost savings,” notes Guiser. “A lesser known benefit of these solar panels is the ability for our students to utilize the data.”

The data includes the fact that over the past three fiscal years, more than 435,000 kilowatt hours of electricity have been generated by solar panels on the Saint Vincent campus.

For students studying sustainability, the panels provide real-world metrics on the effectiveness of solar energy.

“Our students can use the available data for projects that they might do in different classes, so it’s an educational opportunity for students that we are excited to be able to provide.”

And for those wondering if tapping into solar energy in Pennsylvania might not be the perfect solution, Guiser notes that solar is only one piece of the sustainability puzzle.

“We have been having conversations with a number of different organizations and programs to find out other ways that we could add solar, add geothermal, or a variety of other opportunities to be more environmentally conscious with our utility usage. We’re not looking at just one solution, but a combination.”

Foschia also noted the importance of partner-

ships, including the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF). “They are a valued partner,” she noted, “providing guidance, technical expertise, and significant grant funding to support the use of renewable energy sources, improvements in energy efficiency, and a reduction in the College’s carbon footprint.”

“The timeliness of this whole initiative makes sense given both the environmental focus and economic atmosphere we are operating in. Both electric and gas rates are quickly rising,” added Guiser. “We are happy to see an immediate impact, but [we’re] equally excited that these initaitves allow us to start the beginning phases of how we can be more environmentally friendly across the entire campus community. At the end of the day, being more efficient with our energy usage and utilizing different types of energy changes the overall impact that we’re having on the environment for the better.”

HOSPITALITY YIELDS SUSTAINABILITY

In 2020, Saint Vincent officially broke ground for the construction of the new Student Life and Hospitality Hub, comprised of a new Seminary dining space, the Amil and MaryAnn DiPadova Hall; a renovated Community Center Dining Hall for the College; and updated kitchens, storage areas, and meeting spaces.

Albert Novak, C’81, Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Relations and member of the College’s Master Planning Committee, noted that such projects are viewed through the lense of sustainability.

“The Master Plan helps build a vision for what our campus and facilities should look like for a decade or more,” Novak explained. “It forces us to be thoughtful and deliberate when rebuilding,

Dale P. Latimer Family Library

remodeling, and maintaining our campus. Sustainability must be our guide as we consider these issues.” While visitors to the Student Life and Hospitality Hub see a transformed space with fresh paint, new furniture, and modern amenities, the most impressive changes may be the ones that go unseen. “One of the things that happened with the Dining Hall is we were able to upgrade some of our utilities and infrastructure as part of the overall Student Life and Hospitality Hub project because of the location of it,” said Guiser.

Since work was already being done in the area, Guiser explained that it made sense to address outdated infrastructure—including the boiler system—as a part of the project.

“We need to keep a long-term approach to everything we do, so anytime we think about adding some sort of new system, we figure out what parts of campus it can benefit to ensure everything we take on is done in an efficient way.”

With the construction of new kitchen facilities, additional opportunities for efficiency presented

themselves. Commercial-grade, high-efficiency appliances mean less energy consumption to prepare meals for students, faculty, staff, seminarians, and guests.

“Any new equipment and appliances we purchase are going to be high efficiency, which is similar to what most people are trying to do within their own homes, but these products are designed to be highefficiency on a commercial level,” said Guiser.

And the improvements don’t end there: even the signature hanging lights in the Dining Hall and the fixtures throughout the Student Life and Hospitality Hub use less energy. Similar lighting upgrades have been made in Alfred Hall as well.

“Having conversations proactively like we do at Saint Vincent allows us to keep these intiatives in mind for the next project and to improve every chance we get.” Novak added, “It’s the right thing to do from an environmental perspective, and frankly it’s also the right thing to do from a fiscal perspective. Our supporters want to know that we are meeting these goals and being good stewards of their investment.”

Through long-term planning and constant improvement, Saint Vincent administrators are charting a course toward a more sustainable future, taking a College founded in 1846 into the 21st century and beyond. ♦

“Improvements that reduce energy usage— and waste—are a win for the College and the environment.”

– Josh Guiser

The renovated Dining Hall.

Stewards of the Water

In a lab in the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion, Beth Bollinger, C’95, is hard at work analyzing water samples. Meanwhile, down the hill in an orange-tinted pool of water, another kind of work is being done all by itself.

This isn’t a lab in a traditional sense; it’s the Monastery Run Improvement Project, a group of manmade wetlands on the Saint Vincent campus.

Bollinger, who describes the wetlands as a natural water filtration system, has played an integral role in the project, which was started by Fr. Earl Henry, O.S.B.; Br. Norman Hipps, O.S.B.; and Drs. Caryl and Daryl Fish, chemistry professors in the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Computing, since 2000.

The project began in 1993, spearheaded by Saint Vincent with the involvement of the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and other industry partners. The goal is to address years of mine drainage, a problem that occurs throughout the region.

“Southwestern PA, especially our area, was in the Pittsburgh coal seam,” explained Bollinger. “It was a very good coking coal, very valuable. The mines are everywhere, and [mine runoff] is everywhere.”

Mine water enters the wetland out of the long-shuttered coal mines, carrying with it dissolved iron and other materials into the wetlands.

“Water comes in, hits oxygen, it starts to oxidize the iron,” explained Bollinger. “So, the iron rusts and forms particles, and then it makes the particles that will eventually clump together and fall to the bottom of the pond.”

This is the natural process by which the wetlands filter the water. Without any electronic or chemical intervention, water bubbles up from the mines and flows through a series of five ponds across 20 acres of land before eventually reaching the Loyalhanna Creek. As it mingles with cattails and other vegetation, iron particles fall to the bottom, and

gravity carries the water to the next pond.

“We want to slow that water down so that the iron can settle to the bottom, and then as we get less and less [iron particles], those cattails help it, too,” said Bollinger. “We don’t even care if the cattails are alive or dead. Because they’re still bright orange. They’re still acting as filters.”

The orange color means the wetlands are working; it’s evidence of the iron being filtered out of the water.

“You start to see it’s a little bit less orange, more iron precipitates out and falls to the bottom, and that continues for four more ponds,” Bollinger added. “That happens for five ponds and then it goes out into the stream essentially clear.

“But you can tell if a goose has been at our wetland because it’s got an orange belly,” Bollinger laughed. “You can just tell!”

According to Bollinger, maps show mines traversing much of the Saint Vincent campus, though mining maps aren’t always perfect.

“Everywhere under Saint Vincent was mined, except for the Basilica and the cemetery,” Bollinger noted. One of the biggest challenges to maintaining the wetlands? “Muskrats,” commented Bollinger.

“All of our water transfers in Wetland #3 through pipes, and the pipes are about 12 inches. We have muskrats, and muskrats like to dam things up. And then all of a sudden, I’ll do my visual drive-by and the water’s up, and so I know it’s time to go down [and intervene].”

Another sign that the wetlands are working is the buildup of sludge in the ponds, which requires maintenance on an average of every 10 years. But even sludge creates an opportunity for reuse.

“The sludge is just iron oxide that’s settled to the bottom, and it actually gets sold to a paint company,” Bollinger noted. “The company that harvests it has a sludge basin up by Wetland #1. They put it in there, they let it dewater—the water drains back into the wetland— and then they process it to sell to a paint company.”

In addition to the environmental impact, the wetlands create a unique opportunity for SVC students.

“If you stand at the deck of the Gristmill, there’re four little ponds. We call those mesocosms. Those are for student research,” Bollinger, who teaches a class called Science of Abandoned Mine Drainage, explained. “Some seniors do environmental work, chemistry, quantitative analysis. One of the chemistry labs does a whole project where they pick an experiment to test down there.”

And for the community, the wetlands have become a bit of a tourist attraction, too.

“Tons of people walk down there,” Bollinger pointed out enthusiastically. “They walk dogs. There are birders. Every once in a while, they’ll find a rare bird. One year, we had tundra swans passing through, and all of a sudden, flocks of people were coming and taking pictures.”

For Bollinger, managing the wetlands is more than a job—it’s a responsibility.

“One of the values of the Benedictine tradition is stewardship,” she noted. “We wanted to make sure we were good stewards and that what was created is taken care of. Sustainability is about making sure we don’t destroy something for future generations.”

BETH B O L LINGER

SEATS OF POWER

Four women head the freshman class leadership team.

PHOTOGRAPHY Liz Palmer STORY Noah Aftanas

As long as the Saint Vincent College Student Government Association board has existed, the executive leadership positions presented to students have tended to be dominated by men. For the first time in Saint Vincent history, women made up every executive leadership position of the freshman class. These young women, freshmen Molly Hudson, Madisen Geesaman, Olivia Trotter, and Bailey Nicely, are ready to lead their class through the following semesters, each of them with goals to better SVC and its community in mind.

MADISEN GEESAMAN ★ Vice President

MOLLY HUDSON ★ President

An education major and member of the women’s soccer team, Molly Hudson was the Vice President of her junior and senior class at Norwin High School, which is the main reason she wanted to continue to be on student government when she started college at SVC. “I like to be a part of organizing events for our class,” Hudson explained. “I participated in SGA here to get involved and help contribute to the positive changes around Saint Vincent.”

Sidelined by an injury, Hudson missed the entirety of the soccer season but was happy to have SGA as another group to be a part of. “I like the routine of meetings on Sunday nights,” she noted.

“It’s exciting to see the new changes, even from week to week, and hear about progress from certain projects that are being worked on,” Hudson added. “Every week there is something new and exciting going on here.”

During her term on SGA, Hudson hopes to increase student involvement and growth of clubs on campus, helping everyone find and participate in an activity they enjoy.

As for the role of women in leadership, Hudson is excited and proud of her fellow officers: “We can strive together to improve the whole campus and recognize that we are working on something bigger than ourselves.”

“I decided to be a part of SGA in college because I wanted to make a difference here,” explained Madisen Geesaman, a political science major and soccer player from Shillington. Similar to her counterparts on SGA, Geesaman served on student government in high school and decided to continue in that role moving into college.

Geesaman enjoys working with the other women on the SGA board and thinks they help each other out. “Together, we are an optimistic group of women who all have different majors. This is good because we all see different students and parts of campus.”

The leadership qualities, Geesaman noted, that’ve been instilled in each of the representatives has been very helpful. “The four of us show great leadership skills that [extend to] other clubs and activities on campus. Having four women make decisions for the freshman class is what we need,” she said.

There are a couple specific areas she would like to improve in her time on SGA, including improving walkways around campus and making The Shack more accessible to students.

OLIVIA TROTTER ★ Secretary

A native of Altoona, Olivia Trotter got involved in SGA for a very personal reason: “I wanted my voice to be heard and to be a good representative for the freshman student body,” Trotter explained.

Trotter, a biology major, is proud of how she and the other women in leadership positions work together. “I feel [that we] work so well together due to the empowerment of us all being

women and because we’re constantly building each other up,” she said. “We communicate our thoughts to each other constantly and talk about what could be improved on and how we can make Saint Vincent College a better place for everybody.”

Trotter said it’s very encouraging to see so many females step up in SGA and discussed how empowering it is for so many freshman women to work together in what’s typically been a maledominated field. “I am beyond lucky to be a part of and collaborate with these intelligent women,” she remarked.

“I was welcomed with open arms,” she added, “and I just want to improve upon that for the class below me so they have an even better experience.”

BAILEY NICELY ★ Treasurer

An engineering major from Beaver Falls, Bailey Nicely’s high school student government experience led her to become interested in taking on that challenge in college. “All four years of high school I was the class treasurer, and I thought it was a good way to meet people, so I thought SGA would be a good way to do that here at Saint Vincent,” she explained.

Nicely, a lacrosse player, has been involved in sports in one way or another since she was three years old, so she’s always felt at home in a team environment. Now, she’s using that experience to grow as a member of SGA. “Working on the student government is like playing on a sports team, and it’s nice to have that balance with other people,” Nicely explained.

Through her teamwork with the other members of SGA, Nicely hopes to bring more activities back to campus that haven’t been possible over the last couple of years due to the Pandemic, explaining that “It [will] be nice to bring back some of those things.”

She’s optimistic about SGA’s potential since the new women in leadership roles work so well together. “We are all organized and put together, so I think it has been working out well for us since we have been on SGA.” ♦

Clockwise from top: Bailey Nicely, Treasurer; Olivia Trotter, Secretary; Molly Hudson, President; Madisen Geesaman, Vice President.

Traditional ART

What inspires an artist? That single word— inspiration—that so consistently reveals itself when discussing art becomes a starting point that then ripples into a series of other questions. For Ben Schachter, Professor of Art, inspiration comes from the influence of something close to him.

“Generally, my ideas come from the Bible and Jewish texts. I am Jewish, so I read from that perspective—that is where I source most of my material,” said Schachter. “It’s always a goal to read more, and as I read, an image or idea comes to mind, and I want to express it.”

One of Schachter’s projects that expresses Jewish tradition was recently selected as a finalist in Solstice magazine’s Summer Contest in the graphic literature category. In addition to publishing graphic literature, Solstice focuses on publishing fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and photographic works that promote diverse voices and encourage conversations.

Entitled Las Huellas del Diablo, in just a few pages, Schachter’s bold images translate and unite the ancient wisdom of Jewish traditions into a depicted, contemporary casino scene.

“The Jewish tradition has its own wisdom tradition that has been written down, called the Tanakh, that contains stories and where the sages and rabbis of old discuss and argue ideas,” explains Schachter. “For the Solstice piece, there was a line in the Tanakh written by a rabbi describing the dangers of a ruin . . . one of the dangers being that you might encounter a demon.” The rabbi in the text goes on to describe that if one is worried about this danger, then they should dust ash around their house, revealing the footprints the demon left behind.

Schachter discusses that this story evoked vivid images that he wanted to “put in a new place.” Rather than just illustrating a replication, he wanted to make it more contemporary and change the way it was told, which leads to his idea of the casino setting.

“In the Solstice piece, there is a man in a casino who knocks over his ash tray and the chicken footprints wind up in the ash, so it’s a retelling of the same idea,” Schachter says. “The way I drew those pictures started to enrich as I was doing it. I thought of the casino scenario and thought about the question, ‘Where would ash naturally be?’ As I was doing that, I had no other plans

Inspired by the Jewish tradition, Ben Schachter connects art and the human condition

except the man winning and knocking over the ash.” Schachter also had to consider what would cause the man to win: “Hence the three matching images on the lottery machine, and if you notice, they are pictures of devils, which reflects back to the demons in the Jewish text,” he says.

For the creative process of this piece, Schachter describes that he was guided by a page limit while also consistently editing and revising to make the images stronger. “Solstice wasn’t asking for this type of content specifically, but it was a shorter design, so the idea that I already had, this was the place to put them out. The images also started to match the story more and more,” he says. When asked about a project’s completion point and being content with the final product, he laughed and noted, “That is sometimes arbitrary. For this piece, I had a deadline. It is about knowing oneself or when to stop.”

Appearing in Solstice magazine is not the first accolade that Schachter has received for his work. In 2020, a billboard he designed was chosen for the inaugural Emma Lazarus Art Award by the organization Combat Anti-Semitism. The design parallels the proverb “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” with Schachter’s reading, “Apples are good. FIGHTING ANTI-SEMITISM is better. Did you fight yours TODAY?”

“The Emma Lazarus Art Award demonstrates that design has an audience,” explains Schachter. “An audience places certain demands on the artist or the designer. When the designer can meet those demands, the work is successful. With that in mind, I am glad that I can meet the demands of an audience.”

A concept that Schachter discussed is that sharing art is a driving factor, with the subject matter guiding the process— an idea that has evolved throughout his life. “I’ve always drawn, I’ve always used my hands to make something visual, whether it was artwork from just doing or artwork from imagining and then doing,” he says. “I’ve made a lot of work from the first kind. Now I am concentrated on the way I imagine something and having it look that way.”

Schachter is also the director of the Visual Arts Division of the Fine Arts Department in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Having taught at Saint Vincent for 19 years, he’s learned a few things along the way.

“The connection between art and teaching is just practice. I tell my students often that art is like a sport—there is a physical element to moving the hand or the arm in a way that the brain imagined,” says Schachter. “I hope that my students can see how I do something to learn about how to do it, and the same is true when I see them do the work. It is always a two-way street when watching or helping someone else, you learn something passively that way.”

A foundational idea of art that Schachter discusses is the idea that art is natural—it is part of the human condition. It is a natural mode of expression, just as words and movement are other modes of communicating ideas. “Some people talk more than others; some people make art more than others. It’s natural,” he says.

Schachter holds a Master of Science and Master of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute. He reflected on his experience there, explaining how he began with painting and moved onto sculpting with electrical hardware, then incorporating new ideas from the Jewish tradition that he was unaware of before. One of these ideas was the eruv map, a symbolic boundary that he describes as a drawing in space with a line around a community in the urban environment.

“From entering Jewish texts creatively in that example, here I am looking for other stories and ideas,” Schachter says.

Inspiration will keep guiding him along the way. ♦

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Guy Davis, Archivist and Collection Curator

One of the oldest buildings on campus is the Saint Vincent Gristmill. Designed by local millwright George Washington Bollinger, the structure was constructed in 1854 with additional segments added in 1855 and 1883. Unlike other buildings on the Saint Vincent campus, the Gristmill was constructed of wood and stone with brick making up the foundation and chimney. In use for well over 100 years, the mill stones would grind the wheat gathered from the Saint Vincent farmland into flour. The flour would then be used by the Benedictine brothers and sisters to make the bread that would feed the residents of the College, Monastery, and Prep School. Additional loaves would be sold to the public.

Operation of the Gristmill continued unabated until the fire of 1963 destroyed the large ovens on campus that were used to bake the Saint Vincent bread. At that point, the mill was reduced to occasional use. By 1976, farming operations at Saint Vincent ceased, and the Gristmill’s physical plant began to deteriorate rapidly. A committee was formed in 1986 to determine if funding might be available to save the structure. The situation looked bleak, and the possibility that the historic building would likely be razed seemed inevitable.

Eventually, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Gristmill and Surrounding Area recommended “that the Gristmill be closed and dismantled by December 31, 1994.” Taking exception to that recommendation, today’s president of Saint Vincent College, Father Paul Taylor, presented

to then-Archabbot Douglas Nowicki a strategic plan to save the mill. Several grants from the Allegheny Foundation, chaired by Richard M. Scaife, and from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation gave some hope that the historic building might yet be saved. A third grant from the Pennsylvania Heritage Parks Program combined with the two other grants helped initiate the restoration and renewal of the mill.

The old Gristmill remains not only as a symbol of the vision, hard work, and determination of the Benedictine monks who settled here to raise and feed a community, but as an active, functioning resource in today’s world. The massive mill stones still grind wheat into the flour needed by Brother Angelo Lichtenstein and his team of monks for the bread, hot cross buns, and other food products that they bake in Saint Vincent’s kitchens. A general store, founded by Father Philip Kanfush, O.S.B., is also located within the mill and is operated by Brother Andre, O.S.B., and several volunteers. Products at the store include flour, jams, crafts, and many other items. The mill also provides a learning center for the students of the Bearcat B.E.S.T. program: the quiet, safe spaces within the mill allow for group instruction, practice of independent living skills, use of kitchen and laundry facilities, and preparation for vocational internships. The students and staff not only find peace and harmony within the walls of the old mill, but also opportunity.

Once slated for demolition, today the historic Saint Vincent Gristmill has a renewed purpose—not only by providing a key ingredient needed for the raising of freshly-baked bread in the Saint Vincent ovens, but also space needed for the raising of the skill levels and hopes of a new generation of students. ♦

Emma Lee

FRED ROGERS I

One week before the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Fred M. Rogers Center building, Dana Winters was packing up her dorm room. Saint Vincent College had been her home for four years, intertwining with the earliest years of the establishment of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media. The next nine years would see Dana through a graduate program in student development, work with parents navigating career shifts during the 2008 recession, support of hundreds of inmates seeking education and opportunity upon their release, a Ph.D. in sociology and education policy, and evaluation of early childhood systems. At the end of nearly a decade of experience across education and family-facing systems, she found her way back to Saint Vincent. In her first role as Research Associate at the Fred Rogers Center, Dr. Winters was able to marry her understanding of the vast pressures impacting families and educators with Fred Rogers’ deep and simple approach to supporting children and the adults who love and care for them.

Today, 20 years after the launch of Fred’s ongoing work out of Latrobe and Dana’s days as an undergraduate at Saint Vincent College, Dr. Winters is the Rita McGinley Executive Director of the newly-named Fred Rogers Institute (FRI). She has worked across all initiatives and facets of the organization, and in this new role, she’s prepared to ensure Fred’s legacy carries forward into the coming decades.

F R I A Neighbor Just Like You

“We are at a beautiful moment in the lifespan of this work that Fred Rogers chose to launch in his hometown of Latrobe and in partnership with his friends at Saint Vincent College. The 20 years since our founding, and since Fred’s death, have certainly proven that this legacy is not only enduring, it is absolutely essential,” said Dr. Winters. “The next 20 years will be about deepening our work in service of children’s helpers and continuing to learn old and new lessons from Fred’s life and work.”

In June 2022, the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media announced it would move forward under a new name: the Fred Rogers Institute. The name change gives deeper clarity to what the organization has always been and intends to be—an organization rooted in the work of Fred Rogers, seeking to help the helpers.

Think of the children first.

- FRED ROGERS

“When we entered into our strategic planning process, it became evident that the way we described our organization from an internal perspective was sometimes different from who the world thought we were,” said Dr. Winters. “In a sense, we haven’t really changed as an organization, but instead we have better aligned our name and mission to who we are and who we hope to continue to be.”

When Fred chose Saint Vincent College as the home of his Archive, it was, like everything Fred did, a very intentional choice. Even while larger institutions, like Yale University, threw their hats into the ring to host Fred Rogers in his final years of work, Fred chose to go back to the town and place that raised him. His intention for his Archive and the accompanying organization was not for

it to be a museum to his legacy, but rather a place of learning and growing for new generations of children’s helpers.

A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE

On a Saturday in late January 2021, nearly 100 social workers, teachers, administrators, librarians, and others who serve children and families, gathered on Zoom for a full day of learning as part of Educators’ Neighborhood. Educators’ Neighborhood is a year-long program created by the Fred Rogers Institute that brings together a cohort of individuals from across the world who learn together, primarily through virtual meetings, and consider how to deepen their application of Fred Rogers’ work and theory to their work with children. Julie Oudin and Jennifer Baumgartner participated in the 2021-22 cohort of Educators’ Neighborhood and have been active as continuing participants in this year’s cohort. They both shared that the community-building of the program has been vital to them, personally and professionally. In Julie’s words, “Over and over again I find myself feeling enormously grateful to be a part of this community, especially at this time. The two programs I was working with both ended as a result of the Pandemic, and I found myself feeling more isolated, professionally, than ever. The connection we maintain helped me immensely.”

Jennifer expressed that “The supportive nature of this community of perfect strangers, (at the beginning), but who really took time to listen, and practice that listening that we see so beautifully done by Fred Rogers and the neighborhood—I think that those are the two major things [I’ve gained from Educators’ Neighborhood]. A sense that I’m not alone in this work that I’m trying to do. And also this idea of how important it is to stop and listen. Those are probably the two big lessons for me.”

One key approach to building this kind of community across children’s helpers in Educators’ Neighborhood is to bring participants together in small and large groups to reflect on clips from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, consider selections from Fred’s writing, and discuss how the lessons in these pieces can influence the work educators do with children. Emily Uhrin, the Archivist for the Fred Rogers Archive housed at the Institute, regularly selects episodes, speeches, scripts, and more to act as the basis for learning and discussion in Educators’ Neighborhood. She also supports participants with their personal inquiries into Fred’s

Please think of the children first. If you ever have anything to do with their entertainment, their food, their toys, their custody, their child care, their health care, their education—listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them.

theories and approaches, frequently pulling pieces of Fred’s work that speak to an issue or question shared by an educator. As Archivist, Emily also hosts the 100+ researchers per year who visit Latrobe to study, learn, and ultimately create, from the original materials housed in the Archive.

“Helping researchers is one of the most rewarding parts of my work,” said Uhrin. “Each person who has studied in the Archive has helped me develop a greater understanding of Fred because they are interpreting the materials through different perspectives.”

One of Fred’s clearest visions for his work at Saint Vincent was for students studying to enter careers that would touch the lives of children— whether they be aspiring teachers, medical professionals, media creators, or marketers—to have a grounding in their studies that would help them to think of the children first. Students at Saint Vincent today have a breadth of opportunities to learn about Fred’s legacy and how it applies in their lives and to create and develop new projects that serve children and their helpers.

Erin Brody, a sophomore English and Theology major, walks down the hill from her dorm two or three times a week to work in the Incubator 143 Lab, the student research and development lab, at the Fred Rogers Institute. Erin works primarily in the Fred Rogers Archive, helping Emily Uhrin to catalog new additions to the 22,000 items currently housed in the Archive.

“One of my favorite things about my different activities and classes here at Saint Vincent is getting to learn more about a person I’m studying. I didn’t watch Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood much as a child, but working in the Archive is the best way I can imagine learning about Fred’s philosophies and how to apply them to life. I’m enthralled by getting to see the original pieces Fred used and the words he wrote. Having those materials right in front of me lets me really ponder what he was about and take it in.”

In addition to Erin’s work in the Archive, she is part of the Fred Rogers Scholars program. The Scholars is a merit-based scholarship that gives students an opportunity to connect their particular area of interest with the work of Fred Rogers to develop specialized knowledge in how Fred’s legacy integrates with their areas of study and extend Fred’s practice and principles in a variety of professions.

For the past two years, students in the Fred Rogers Scholars program have partnered with the

Latrobe Arts Center to create engaging exhibits about Fred’s life and work. This work is supported by the Council of Independent Colleges’ Humanities Research for the Public Good and has allowed students to explore deep questions about Fred and share their

learnings with the community. Last year’s exhibit considered the ways Fred Rogers himself and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was influenced by his hometown.

“A lot of the time people assume he was from Pittsburgh,” Erin shared, “but so much of what he was about was actually formed when he grew up in Latrobe. It all started with his family and this community, and we wanted to show how much Latrobe impacted Fred Rogers while he was living and still now impacts his legacy.”

Interior and exterior views of the Fred M. Rogers Center.

Courtney Rodick is a current graduate assistant with the Fred Rogers Institute while she completes her Master of Science in Criminology, with the ultimate goal of working in human trafficking prevention. Last year, Courtney co-lead one of the teams that created the exhibit. “My team focused our part of the exhibit on how the Neighborhood of Make-Believe was informed by Latrobe. It was really fascinating to discover all the connections and similarities.”

This year’s exhibit, which ran February 25-March 25 at the Latrobe Art Center, considers music and writing in Fred Rogers’ work.

“Music was such an important part of Fred’s life,” Erin shared. “Even the smallest bit of research on Fred and his relationship to music will show so much about how music helped him emotionally as a child. He was often sick as a child, but he had a piano, and he would often play how he was feeling. He’d bang on the piano when he was upset or play

had talent shows in the Neighborhood of MakeBelieve, and Fred would show how each puppet or actor had a different thing they excelled at, but ultimately King Friday would say it was wonderful to see all the people coming together to share. Fred made it clear that he thought people should use their talents and share them. Music you make might give people that same freedom that it helps you feel.”

Fred Rogers Scholars connected with guests at this year’s exhibit about their work and research and also hosted a children’s activity for younger guests. Students and Fred Rogers Institute staff alike were thrilled to be able to share this unique offering with the community.

“Last year we had photos of Fred as a child, this year we [had] more of the lyrics and original scripts,” Erin said. “Fred had an unusual way of composing music; he’d often write down the lyrics first and then the music would follow. For many

melancholy music when he was sad. Music was a form of therapy for him, and he wanted to show that to children through his program.”

Courtney and Erin are just two of the 29 of students in the last few semesters who have been part of developing a question, conducting research in the Archive, and designing an exhibit to engage others with their findings. As Erin explained, “In this exhibit we’re showing that music, reading, and writing allow people to express themselves, and it doesn’t matter how skilled you may be in any of those things, as long as you enjoy it and find peace through it. There were episodes of the show that

people who create music, it’s the opposite. I found the original handwritten lyrics to ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ and other iconic Fred songs. It’s so neat to see the edits he made; it gives you a sense of his vulnerability in creating and in his thought process.” ♦

Fred Rogers Scholars teamed with the Latrobe Art Center for a Rogersthemed exhibit in March, 2022.

Visit the Fred Rogers Institute website at fredrogersinstitute.org.

ANNIVERSARY EVENTS

When Fred Rogers’ mother told him to “look for the helpers” when he saw scary things in the news, she likely couldn’t have imagined that those words for her son would go on to be a comfort and inspiration to generations. As the Fred Rogers Institute has grown over the past decades, it has continued to focus on this important idea of “the helpers”—those caring adults who offer children secure relationships and care, encourage curiosity and wonder.

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Fred Rogers Institute and in honor of the 20th anniversary year of Fred’s death, this year the Institute announced the inaugural 2023 Fred Rogers Institute Helper Awards. Informed and inspired by the legacy of Fred Rogers, the Helper Awards are an opportunity to honor and recognize the individuals who care for children in ordinary and extraordinary ways in their daily and professional lives. Nominations for Helper Awards were accepted from the general public across 10 categories, including first responders, community leaders, educators, and more. Awardees will be honored on September 23, 2023 at The Neighborhood Gala: A Celebration of Children’s Helpers and the 20th Anniversary of the Fred Rogers Institute. Save the date for this special celebration of Fred Rogers, his lasting legacy, and the helpers who uphold his example of deep care and respect for children.

Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else. I’ve felt that many times. My hope for all of us is that “the miles we go before we sleep” will be filled with all the feelings that come from deep caring—delight, sadness, joy, wisdom—and that in all the endings of our life, we will be able to see the new beginnings.

- FRED ROGERS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LYNN JOHNSON/OHIO UNIVERSITY COLLECTIONS.

Laptop Bag

My laptop bag goes everywhere I go and carries more than just my laptop. Anything that I need for that day is most likely going to be transported in my laptop bag. My day starts and ends with my laptop bag in one way or another.

SVC Plaque

The plaque is important to me because I actually made it with my own hands during my first visit to Stanley Black and Decker (SB&D) in Towson, MD, with the McKenna School and SB&D scholarship winners in 2018.

SVC Flag

The flag represents SVC, which has been a big part of my life since I first arrived on campus as a student in the fall of 1997. I grew to love SVC very quickly and have had a relationship with the College that’s lasted 26 years.

MSMOE Thermos

Not only does this item represent SVC and the Master of Science in Management: Operational Excellence program, but it’s also used for my favorite beverage, which is coffee. Whether it’s grading exams, developing lesson plans, or advising students, my coffee keeps me going.

office space

BY MORGAN STOUT

If you need a recommendation for a good steakhouse in the area, Dr. Terrance Smith is your guy (two of his personal favorites are Texas de Brazil and Fogo de Chão, both in downtown Pittsburgh). His favorite pastimes are eating—spaghetti and a good steak—and watching movies—with the odd Walking Dead episode thrown in; he’s a big fan of Negan. The second-highest scorer in SVC Men’s Basketball history, Dr. Smith was named to the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 and is trying to encourage his daughter, who’s about to finish up her freshman year at SVC and who, at the age of 8, built the little train toy Dr. Smith proudly displays on his bookcase, to follow in his path of basketball and business administration at Saint Vincent (“She’s still figuring out what she wants to do,” he explained). Dr. Smith’s path at Saint Vincent has been a special one, and Aurelius 122 is a testament to that 26 (and counting)-year relationship.

Ohio State University Tin Bucket

My Ohio State University (OSU) tin bucket is a representation of my love for the Buckeyes. Growing up close to OSU, I was exposed to the atmosphere of campus and the football tradition that exists there. SVC will always be #1, but the Buckeyes are not far behind.

Personal Serviceman Sculpture (Gift)

This item was a gift from my fellow officers when I finished my time in the service (12 years in the Army with three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan). The sculpture is a reminder of the many servicemen and women who I had the opportunity to work with during my service.

Step into Dr. Smith’s office at 1846.stvincent.edu/officespace.

The Birds and the Bugs

The signs of spring erupt at the Ides of March as the birds return from their southern migration. While the bees buzz by ears and the buds of flowers begin to sprout from the lion and lamb days, the season of new starts to grow. With the change of seasons comes fresh research opportunities at Saint Vincent for professors Dr. Michelle Duennes, Assistant Professor of Biology, and Dr. Jim Kellam, Associate Professor of Biology, who take this season of new to dive deeper into their research that begins to flourish as the days get a little longer.

Duennes became infatuated with bugs and the world of entomology early on in her undergraduate career at Mount Saint Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and that infatuation eventually landed her in Central America during her studies at University of Illinois UrbanaChampagne, where she studied population genetics in bumblebees. Today, she brings that passion to the lab in the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion, also known as the Duennes Lab.

She’s lead several students through their senior research projects, though

Courtney Cecere

Bugs

the education and enthusiasm of Duennes herself resonated with one student in particular. With the idea of studying genetics, senior biology student Clare Mulcahy and Duennes began diving further into their research on Spotted Lanternflies.

An invasive species native to Asia, the Spotted Lanternfly causes serious damage to trees, vines, crops, and other plants. They can lay egg masses with more than three dozen eggs, and they leave behind a sugary substance that encourages the growth of black, sooty mold.

eggs, Duennes, Mulcahy, and National Geographic reporter Jason Biddle took to the Pittsburgh Steelers tailgate areas to gather samples.

Following a recent National Geographic article publication, Duennes was invited by the United States Department of Agriculture to be part of the consortium of researchers working with Spotted Lanternflies.

“I’m hoping we can serve as a resource for other larger, million-dollar research projects, but also continue our own work,” Duennes explained.

“Although Clare’s project is limited to only 18 months, I’m eager to continue working even after she graduates. I would like to do a project where we collect Spotted Lanternflies every year, preserve them in ethanol, and look at local adaptation as they evolve over time in this area.”

Although Duennes is unsure of their effect on campus itself, she believes this invasive species may become harmful in the near future. With the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve (WPNR) having found their first fly on the grounds, Duennes is concerned with monitoring their presence on campus now and in the future.

“This is a rare opportunity as an entomologist to be somewhere at the very beginning, or yearzero, of an invasion and to track it over time,” explained Duennes.

With the help of the Saint Vincent Community, Duennes and Mulcahy were able to gather numerous samples of this invasive species in an attempt to understand its roots.

“The goal for this project is to see if we can try, using genetic tools and techniques, to pinpoint where Spotted Lanternflies in Western Pennsylvania are coming from,” said Duennes. “It’s quite similar to a forensic genealogy investigation.”

Duennes references the ideas of Penn State University researchers who assert that large events could be possible transmission points of these flies. With the hypothesis of vehicles being the mode of transportation for Spotted Lanternfly

“The research being conducted at Penn State shows the species damages the younger trees more than the older ones” Duennes commented. “Regardless, I would really like to have my classes monitoring the species on campus to make sure we are controlling and mitigating the damage they could do, especially to the trees recently planted.”

Fromparticipating in triathlons and studying at the College of the Atlantic, an oceanfront campus directly across from Acadia National Park, Jim Kellam considers himself to be a very outdoorsy person. As an Associate Professor of Biology, he finds joy in teaching and researching in the world of ornithology, the study of birds.

“I knew I wanted to be a professor of birds. I have the job that I dreamed of since I was in high school,” Kellam reflected.

With his self-designed education, Kellam took his research to Purdue University where he received his Ph.D. while studying wild birds. Today, he gets to continue his research, coming full circle from where he started: at a small liberal arts college.

Clare Mulcahy and Dr. Michelle Duennes examine Spotted Lanternflies.

Visit the Duennes Lab at maduennes. wordpress.com.

Birds

One of the highlights of the semester for Kellam and his students is his single credit course called World Series of Birds, which includes a birding competition in Cape May, New Jersey. Because of the course and the excitement of his students who go bird watching at Twin Lakes Park, Kellam received a generous gift from an anonymous donor to continue his research and education in ornithology at Saint Vincent.

As an expert in woodpecker biology, his research has expanded more than ever before.

“In the past year, I have started three or four different research projects that are all designed to involve students and to include public outreach and education in ornithology,” explained Kellam. “Specifically, they include ornithology activism and encouraging people to love birds and making sure people know that you can study birds here and how important they are.”

One of Kellam’s projects takes place at the abandoned mine drainage ponds near the wetlands and studies the effects of poor water quality on the birds.

“There are 52 bird boxes [that] are meant to attract tree swallows and eastern bluebirds. The hypothesis is that reproductive output, the number of chicks, and the weight of both the chicks and the adults is reduced for those who build their nests near the ponds compared to the same species nesting farther away.”

But, there are challenges with studying these birds and the types of research being done. “If there is no pattern, then you keep doing it anyway until you find the pattern,” said Kellam. However, there is the question of whether the research is complete, or if there is more data that needs to be collected to see these differences. “I would be delighted if I found no difference, which is another reason why I need a lot of data.”

The WPNR serves as the perfect location to monitor birds and their nesting and eating patterns. With a camera directly facing a bird feeder that streams 24/7 on YouTube, Kellam has been able to gather data on the different types of birds who visit the feeder.

“[The bird feeder camera] has a lot of possibilities for research purposes because we

can follow the seasonal patterns and study the migration, which can help us with measuring biodiversity at Winnie Palmer,” said Kellam.

Kellam began his sabbatical leave at the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester to focus on his research right on the SVC campus. Involving several student helpers and assistants, his research will focus heavily on woodpeckers, specifically their eating and nesting patterns.

“The goal of the research is to figure out how the woodpeckers know where to peck the wood to find food because it’s not random,” said Kellam. “We don’t know how they are using visual cues—are there cracks or insect holes—or are they able to hear and feel the reverberations in their beak.”

On top of his research, Kellam offers weekly bird walks at the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve at 7:30 on Wednesday mornings during which those who go on the walk can learn to identify birds by sight and sound.

For both Kellam and Duennes, continuing their research has been a vital part of their careers. Fortunately for both, they have found a way to incorporate their passions into their work—something that many aspire to do. Passing on their knowledge and excitement for the little things in life, whether those things be hearing the birds chirping or watching the bugs come back to life, Kellam, Duennes, and their students look forward to those warmer days ahead. ♦

Dr. Jim Kellam displays a bird box.

Scan here to view the Saint Vincent College live bird feeder cam.

A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

Growing up in suburban Pittsburgh, Suzie Cool, C’15, always knew she wanted to work in the media.

“I ran around with a camcorder and recorded myself doing everything. I thought I was the best anchor this side of the Mississippi,” she recalled.

Fast forward to present day, and the 2015 Saint Vincent College graduate has achieved her goal…and then some.

Though less than seven years removed from her time at SVC, Cool’s career has taken her across the eastern seaboard, working in professional baseball, hockey, and lacrosse. After spending nearly four seasons as multimedia journalist/sideline reporter/in-game host for the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans of the Internation al Hockey League and the Rochester Nighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, Cool recently accepted a new position as director of promotions and entertainment and pre-game and on-field host for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, a minor league affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Cool’s first taste of working in professional sports came during her junior year at Saint Vincent, when she was hired as a ball girl for the Pittsburgh Pirates. A year later, through her studies in the Communication Department, she landed an internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins, which, she says, remains one of the most formative moments of her professional career.

“What really helped me was the fact that Saint Vincent requires you to have an internship prior to graduating,” she said. “I was pretty stressed out heading into my final semester about finding one, and I went to a couple of interviews and just couldn’t seem to find the right fit. Finally, I landed a media relations internship with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Working with the Pirates made me realize I wanted to work in sports, and the internship with the Pens made it clear to me that I could do this. I’m not just a ball girl. I can actually work inside a sports organization.”

Upon the completion of her internship with the Penguins, Cool was determined to pursue a career in sports and was promptly presented with a bevy of professional opportunities in the Pittsburgh region. She quickly real-

ized that this career path would be both mentally and physically demanding, but she remained undaunted.

Between 2016 and 2018, she never held fewer than two jobs at once, serving in such capacities as media production intern with Root Sports Pittsburgh, in-gamehost for the Wheeling Nailers hockey team, in-game host and team reporter for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team, on-field/ in-game host for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and social media coordinator for AT&T Sports Pittsburgh.

Jim Berger

Following this baptism by fire in the Pittsburgh region, Cool moved south, accepting a position with the Salem Red Sox, a minor league affiliate of the major league team of the same name. She began her tenure in the southern Virginia town in a role that she was accustomed to: on-field host and media assistant. Less than halfway through her first summer in Salem, Cool was thrust into the role of color commentator for Red Sox broadcasts, becoming the first female broadcaster in the history of the Carolina League. The next season, her broadcasting role with the Sox grew, as she teamed with longtime announcer Melanie Newman to form the first all-female announcing team in professional baseball.

While she remains grateful and humbled by the experience, Cool doesn’t view herself as a history-maker.

“I have never really seen anything I’ve done as being ‘the first,’” she said. “I’ve always just gone and done the job that I’ve wanted to do while hoping that I’m doing it justice along the way. It’s just a little bit of a bonus to say barriers were broken. There’s still a lot more work to be done, however, and you can’t get lost in the hype of a history-making moment for too long.”

Cool’s fondest memories from Saint Vincent remain her experiences as a four-year member of the Bearcat softball team. And while it allowed her to form memories, inside jokes, and lifelong friendships with her teammates, her softball career also led to an unexpected opportunity in the summer of 2021.

A year after making headlines for her accomplishments

in Salem, Cool was cast for the Pittsburgh-filmed Amazon TV series A League of Their Own, a remake honoring the 1992 hit film of the same name starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis that chronicled the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League of the early 1940s.

“It really was a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” said Cool. “In the summer of 2021, people kept sending me the application to be in the show. After it got sent to me about a dozen times, I decided to put together a video of myself going through baseball drills in my backyard, along with some highlights of my time as a ball girl. I think about 3,000 people applied, and I was one of 76 asked to try out in person. After a two-day tryout, 40 of us got picked.”

Cool was initially cast as a baseball-playing background extra who would appear on the various teams featured throughout the show. Shortly into filming, however,

traveling so much to New York because I still had to do my job in Rochester. I’m definitely glad I had that experience, though.”

While she admits that having worn so many hats has at times been overwhelming, she credits her time at Saint vincent College for preparing her for such a hectic, fastpaced career.

“Saint Vincent gave me a very well-rounded education,” she said, “which has helped me every day in my career path. At SVC, you learn to be open to whatever opportunity may be in front of you. The core classes and my education in the Communication Department really complemented each other well, both with the things I was able to learn and the time management. I have a lot of different skillsets that I utilize to this day that I’m sure I wouldn’t have learned had I had gone to another college.”

she added the role of body double for one of the main characters, played by Molly Ephraim, who was pregnant throughout the course of filming.

“We got mistaken for each other every single day,” said Cool. “At the beginning of filming, I was primarily still just a background player for all of the teams, but it didn’t take long before I was Molly in all the scenes in which she didn’t have a close-up or a line. Anything she does baseball-wise on the screen over the entire season, it was actually me.”

Throughout filming, Cool maintained her employment as multimedia journalist for the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans of the International Hockey League and as on-field host for the Rochester Redwings, the Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, which led to dozens of round trips to Pittsburgh. While grateful for her time on the set of “A League of Their Own,” she’s not sure if she’d want to do it all again.

“Toward the end of the summer, I was treated almost like a principal actor,” she said. “I had my own trailer, they tailored my own outfits, I had fantastic hair and makeup people. But I would never know what the shooting schedule was week-to-week. It could be frustrating. I was

From Saint Vincent College to PNC Park, from Salem to Allentown, Pennsylvania, and from hockey arenas to TV sets, Cool’s professional journey has been a whirlwind that has allowed her to build an impressive résumé. But as far as her end goal?

“If you would have asked me in 2014 when I started as a ball girl, ‘How long will it take to be a sideline reporter?’ I’d have said maybe three to five years,” she said. “And here I am, nine years later. Do I still want to be a sideline reporter? Or do I want to be a play-by-play announcer? A color analyst? Something else? How much longer will it take me to get there? How much more work? The dues never stop. The hard work never stops. And for me, even if that end goal comes, there will always be a new one that follows. And a new one that follows that.

“After I moved to Rochester,” she continued, “I remember telling my dad that every day that I’m away from home, every day that I’m working, I’m one day closer to being able to call him and tell him that I made it. Every day you stay in the game, you’re one day closer to that dream. Never give up on that.” ♦

Saint Vincent gave me a very well-rounded education. At SVC, you learn to be open to whatever opportunity may be in front of you.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED BY SUZIE COOL

LIFE IN CHRIST WEEK

BY MADISON KOZERA, ENGLISH MAJOR, OF ABINGDON, MD

Everyyear, students return to their spring semester ready to begin anew, and, at Saint Vincent, they are reminded of SVC’s Catholic, Benedictine roots during Life in Christ Week. Several years ago, President Father Paul Taylor created Life in Christ week to remind the school of the lessons that Jesus taught us: to keep kindness and charity in the hearts of those that come to campus.

This year, January 15 through the 22, students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to take part in the events put on by Father Paul and Campus Ministry. “Life in Christ Week,” said Father Paul, “celebrated three concurrent events that united themselves around the person of Christ: The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the National Sanctity of Human Life Day, and the National Holiday for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”

To round out the week, students had the opportunity to attend a presentation on the Great Fire by Fr. Maximillian Maxwell, O.S.B., in recognition of the 60th anniversary of the fire. The event was hosted by the Latrobe Historical Society.

Although Life in Christ week has come to a close, we can take the lessons and experiences shared from Christ with us through the year. We look forward to what the next Life in Christ week will hold, where we’ll be reminded once more of the connection that we all share with the Lord. ♦

Key events from the week:

▾ Pastors J. Anthony and Tiffany Gilbert, C’03, from Another Level Ministries gave a talk on Wednesday, January 16, after Mass. The vision of Another Level Ministries is to “educate and empower believers to live the heavenly life in every area of life on earth.” The Gilberts are the founders of Voices of the Unborn, and Ms. Gilbert — affectionately known as Pastor Tiff —serves on Saint Vincent College’s Board of Directors.

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▴ On Friday, January 20, students attended the March for Life in Washington, D.C. Since 1974, March for Life has grown to include hundreds of thousands of participants who gather together in the nation’s capital to celebrate life.

On Monday, January 16, Carlos Carter (second from right) was the guest speaker during Martin Luther King, Jr. Day festivities. Joining Carter in the photo are Dr. Anthony Kane, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students; Saint Vincent College President Fr. Paul Taylor, O.S.B.; and Dr. Jeff Mallory, Saint Vincent College Executive Vice President.

Justin Petrovich, Ph.D.

POSITION AT SVC

Assistant Professor of Statistics and Business Analytics

YEAR GRADUATED 2014

MAJOR Math and Finance

IF YOU COULD GIVE YOURSELF A NEW NAME, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Boniface Dimitri Petrovich

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CLASS TO TEACH? Econometrics

GERRY OR ROONEY? Aurelius

CATS OR DOGS?

I’ll probably get in trouble for this because we own a cat, but I’m a dog person.

FAVORITE MEAL IN THE CAF?

I always liked Pastabilities.

WHICH CLASS AT SVC WOULD YOU REPEAT IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY?

Econometrics (so it’s not a coincidence that it’s now my favorite class to teach) with Dr. Hutchinson.

FAVORITE MEMORY AT SAINT VINCENT?

It ought to be meeting my wife, Jessica (Kissel) Petrovich, C’16, on the March for Life trip.

class notes

For a comprehensive, regularly-updated list of Class Notes, including birth, engagement, marriage, career, and other announcements, or to submit a class note of your own, go to 1846.stvincent.edu/classnotes

Marla Turk: A Logical Progression

Although SVC teaches students about the hallmark of stability across their four years, frequently they find that change can lead their lives toward finding that consistency. Marla Turk, C’17, discovered that the need to travel and try new things aided her in achieving her passions. Majoring in economics and mathematics, she found that the structure of her classes pushed her to become more adaptable. “The amount of logic and knowledge from my math classes…has aided me in being able to adapt quickly to learn to code,” Turk noted. After taking the opportunities and global trips that the McKenna School offered her, she found a love for traveling and gained a greater perspective of varying businesses in the real world.

Having enjoyed her summer internship at PNC Bank, upon graduation, Turk began her career in Pittsburgh. Although she enjoyed her first job and believed it provided numerous possibilities for her future, she wanted something more. Eventually, after three years, she was ready to start fresh and branch out more in her career. “I wanted to move out west to be in better weather and work with data that pertained to marketing and customer behavior,” said Turk. When a career as a Data Scientist working at MGM Resorts International presented itself, the move to Las Vegas, Nevada was easy, and her wish was fulfilled. Soon, she wished to go a step further, and about a year and a half ago, she accepted a position at Block, Inc. as a Data Developer.

Despite the changes that appear to frequent her life and career, Turk continues to go with the flow and advocate for her career, always searching for the joys present in her current situation. ♦

Adam Jakubek: Drawn to Serve

Whhile reflecting upon his 15 years of active duty in the Navy, Commander G. Adam Jakubek, D.O., C’04, says he felt he was always drawn to serve, following in the footsteps of his father, David Jakubek, C’83, much like he did when he chose to attend Saint Vincent College.

Jakubek finished his high school career in northern Virginia, and while his friends were off to large state schools, he was solely focused on Saint Vincent. “I felt a smaller school would best prepare me for my goal of becoming a physician,” he recalled. While at SVC, a Navy recruiter presented Adam with an opportunity to make his goals of becoming a physician and serving his country coincide, and upon graduation he was off to Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and interning at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. Juggling the rigors of medical school and naval training proved to be difficult for Jakubek, but he credits the high standards his professors set for him at Saint Vincent for his successes. “Dr. Jim Barnett refused to let me settle for less,” he stated. “That personal connection with your professors makes a huge difference.”

Having served all over the globe, from Okinawa, Japan to Afghanistan, and back to Virginia, Jakubek still looks back fondly on his time at Saint Vincent. Whether that be living on the fifth floor of Aurelius Hall in the Summer of 2000 or prefecting in the newly-opened St. Benedict Hall in 2003 where he had the pleasure of living next to Fr. Rene Kollar. “He was always late to my pod meetings, but I gave him a pass since he always paid for the Hotel Loyal pizza.”

Jakubek has continued to further his education and qualifications throughout his time in the Navy, including attending an intensive 30-day training at sea, writing a thesis paper on improving the management of neurological conditions at sea to become a Submarine Medical Officer, and becoming a board-certified neurologist. He’s stationed back at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA, where he resides with his family. ♦

Jakubek on the bridge of the USS Rhode Island, Oct. 2018

Rhodora Donahue Remembered

IN MEMORIAM

NAME

Raymond J. Smoko, Sr., C’72

Vincent S. Simmers, Sr., C’77

John A. Brenkus, C’61, S 65

Joseph Werstuik, C’77

Peter T. Horn, C 79

Thomas C. Badstibner, P’50, C’54

David K. McGuire, Ph.D, C’57

Deborah (Plack) Taylor, C’89

John T. Gordon, C’69

Kenneth J. Planinsek, C’82

A. Simeon Whitehill, C’59

Joseph P. Fletcher, C’71

Vicki L. (Smith) Hickle, C’91

Francis A. Seitam, C’56

David A. Tomko, C’60, S 64

Most Rev. Rembert G. Weakland, O.S.B., L.H.D.,

P’44, C’48, S’51, D’87

DATE OF PASSING

January 10, 2022

June 24, 2022

July 17, 2022

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August, 4, 2022

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August 22, 2022

Rhodora

Jacob Donahue passed away on December 12, 2022, at the age of 97. Mrs. Donahue was a devout Catholic and devoted wife and mother of 13 children with 84 grandchildren and 168 great-grandchildren. She and her beloved husband, John F. “Jack” Donahue, took seriously their vocation to each other as married Catholics and as parents to pass on the gift of faith that they cherished in their own lives. Mrs. Donahue was passionate about the importance of faithbased education, which was a cornerstone in her relationship with Saint Vincent College.

Mrs. Donahue made a transformational gift to endow the Saint Vincent College Center for Catholic Thought and Culture. Crafted to engage Faith and Reason in the modern world with students, faculty, and visiting scholars, the Center has emerged as a leader in that dialogue, which is so important in our society today. Led by Executive Director Dr. Jerome Foss, the Center has sponsored a new minor program of study called “The Sanctity of Life,” and it produces a yearly scholarly journal, Conversatio. Mrs. and Mr. Donahue also made a gift to Saint Vincent Seminary, establishing the Pope Benedict XVI Chair for Biblical Theology and Liturgical Proclamation, which has significantly advanced the scholarship of those preparing for priesthood.

Mrs. Donahue’s understanding of faith and vocation is concretely and practically based in the family, also known as the “domestic church” or “little church” from the documents of Vatican II. She cared for many people as if they were brothers or sisters or sons or daughters. Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., President of Saint Vincent College, tells the story that she wanted to encourage him to get healthier and so made a thoughtful gift to him to tune up his bicycle so that he would be encouraged to exercise. Father Paul reflected on the gift upon Mr. Donahue’s passing, saying, “I am motivated all the more to ride that bicycle because she is keeping an eye on me from Heaven!”

Mrs. Donahue and her family have and continue to be dear friends of Saint Vincent and the College Community. Her spirit of philanthropy with purpose and results has enabled Saint Vincent College to excel in the academic and spiritual formation of our students. Our Bearcats have benefited greatly from her gifts, and that benefit will live on in our community. We remain very grateful and continue to be inspired.

Atty. Stephen J. Meyer, C’87

Katherine A. (Barcovtch) Lowanse, C’14

Edmund F. Avolio, P’53, C’57

Rev. Vernon A. Holtz, O.S.B., C 58, S’62

Joseph H. Murton, D.P.M., C’85

G. Bruce Jenkins, C’54

Dr. Ferdinand “Fred” Soisson, Jr., P’47, C’51, D’82

Michael P. McCarthy, M.D., C’61

Arthur P. Sundry, P’46

Joseph P. Lesko, C’62

Samuel L. Paolo, C’51

The Honorable Henry E. Shaw, Jr, C’61

Joseph P. Zanella, C’59

Louis F. Zylka, C 58

Thomas R. Little, P’62, C 66

Rev. Damian J. Warnock, O.S.B., C’75, S’79

Gerard J. Davidse, II, C’75

Ronald J. Fracalossi, C’61

Charles J. Tripoli, M.D., C’52

Rev. Russell J. Maurer, C’56, S’60

Harold V. Muller, Jr., C’60

Robert “RJ” Okunewick, C’22

Brian J. Smith, C’80

Rev. Cornelius P. Chang, O.S.B., C’58, S’62

William E. McCowan, C’80

Terence E. Moore, M.D., C’76

Rev. Leo J. Pleban, C’56, S’60

Neal Genemore, C’79

John J. Reilly, C’68

Richard J. Kramarik, C’68

Jerome M. Feret, C’61

Scott N. Newton, C’79

J. Anthony Glasstetter, P’50, C’54

Patrick W. Holstead, C 92

Joseph B. Luketich, C’69

August 24, 2022

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January 10, 2023

Father Vernon, 91, a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey for 66 years, died Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

Father Damian, 89, a monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, died Friday, October 28, 2022.

FROM THE Art Collection

The Fountain, n.d.

Laura Sylvia Gosse

(English, 1881-1968)

oil on canvas

28 x 20 inches

Gift of Michael and Aimee Rusinko-Kakos

Learn more about this piece at 1846.stvincent.edu/collection.

picture perfect

Many years ago, at one of the often-held mixers Saint Vincent College and Seton Hill College cohosted prior to each going co-ed, Ann Mikulski was there, intending to take photos for the Setonian Magazine, but unfortunately, her camera was not working properly. An observant young man from Saint Vincent, Fred Moore, C’67, offered to check her photographic equipment. In a brief moment, he identified the problem, and within a few minutes fixed it. Ann was back in business, and the two were smitten.

That moment served as the beginning of a relationship that grew into a marriage that has blossomed for well over 50 years, throughout which they cultivated a lifelong interest and love of theater, music, and the arts.

Ann and Fred have always supported the arts. At Saint Vincent, they have graciously financially supported the completion of the Verostko Center for the Arts. And recently, they took the lead in having the Montserrat Boys Choir perform in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica.

Fred and Ann credit SVC and SHU not only for bringing them together but also for giving them the foundation upon which they could build happy, successful lives that have ultimately allowed them to readily be philanthropic to their alma maters. Far into the future, students will benefit from the partnership of Ann and Fred that was forged by a simple act of kindness many years ago.

To read more of Ann and Fred’s story and to find out how you can provide support to students for years to come, visit saintvincent.planmylegacy.org, or contact Jim Bendel at james.bendel@stvincent.edu or 724.244.4805.