Alumni News 1940s
Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Lenz, D.D., C’46, S’49, D’95, is celebrating his 60th anniversary of priesthood for the Diocese of AltoonaJohnstown. Sebastian “Sibby” LoNigro, C 48, was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at California University of Pennsylvania.
James J. Greer, Jr., C’68, has been appointed Director of the Loyola Retreat House in Faulkner, Maryland. It is a 74-bed retreat center and he is privileged to be its first lay director.
1970s
Rev. Dr. William J. Hisker, P’65, C’69, S’05, was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate by Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, Greensburg on August 10.
Thomas J. Rennie, C’72, was recently elected president of the Southwestern Chapter of the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. James V. Scatena, C’73, was named Business Leader of the Year by the Mason County (Michigan) Chamber of Commerce. Jim and his wife, Patty (Russell), SHU’73, were surprised at the banquet by their two children, their spouses and four grandsons.
1950s
Rev. Peter R. Pilarski, C’55, S’59, of St. Januarius Church in Plum is celebrating 50 years in the priesthood. Rev. Msgr. Arnold L. Gaus, C 56, S’59, recently celebrated his 50th anniversary as an AltoonaJohnstown Diocesan Catholic priest.
Bruce A. Antkowiak, C’74, was the featured Law Day speaker at the Mercer County Bar Association’s Law Day celebration.
Donald J. Accorsi, C’57, and his wife, Joan, celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary on August 8.
1960s
Martin M. Gildea, C’60, is a retired college professor living in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He enjoys working in his garden and walking. Thomas E. Skoloda, Ph.D., P’60, C’64, has recently retired from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. He and Alice are planning a bicycle trip across the United States next summer. They are healthy and happy and looking forward to this part of their life. Andrew M. Tometsko, Ph.D., C’60, was posthumously named distinguished alumnus at Plum High School earlier this year. Dr. Tometsko pursued a graduate degree in biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and eventually earned his Ph.D. while he was part of a team that synthesized the first protein insulin in a lab. One of Andrew’s most important accomplishments was developing a method of assessing the induction of genetic damage, now considered to be essential in determining the safety of new products and therapeutics. A testament to the legacy of the late Dr. Tometsko, Litron Laboratories, has remained in the family and continues to grow. John C. Pranaitis, C’67, has elected to retire after 39 years of service with Transtar, Inc., a subsidiary of United States Steel Corporation.
Charles D. Cleveland, C’72, and his wife, Joan, are enjoying life in Pembroke Pines, Florida with their beagle puppy named Winnie.
Gino F. Peluso, Esq., C’77, was recently installed as President of the Duquesne University Law Alumni Association. He is the first Saint Vincent College graduate to hold this position. His duties include presiding at meetings with the Board of Governors, and officers, along with attending and speaking at law alumni events in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, Washington, D.C., Harrisburg and Scranton, in order to stay connected with alumni and enhance the reputation of the law school. Attorney Peluso has also been appointed to the Advisory Board of the Duquesne University School of Law and is a Trustee of the Scholarship Fund. Assisting law students, both financially and otherwise, is of paramount importance to the Law Alumni Association, which has made significant contributions toward that objective. A former prosecutor in the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office for nine years, Attorney Peluso is entering his 29th year in the private practice of law, and would encourage all “fellow Bearcats,” who are Duquesne Lawyers, to join the Law Alumni Association.
Erich P. Steinhagen, C’79, and his wife, Janice (Malego), SHU’79, own and operate Steinhagen Pottery and have been named to Early American Life Magazine’s 24th Annual Directory of Traditional American Crafts. The Steinhagens’ reproduction 18th-century redware pottery was selected for the honor by a panel of experts hailing from such prestigious institutions as Old Sturbridge Village, the American Folk Art Museum and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. The jury chose what it considered the top craftspeople in the U.S. working with traditional tools and techniques and displaying mastery of the art form, heritage techniques and workmanship, according to the judges. The Directory appears in the August 2009 edition of Early American Life Magazine, a national magazine focusing on architecture, decorative arts, period style and social history from colonial times through the mid-19thcentury.
1980s
Albert J. Novak, Jr., C’81, and his wife, Sally, SHU’81, announce the marriage of their son, Ben, to Abby Collier of Alpharetta, Georgia. The wedding was held at Saint Andrew Parish on May 9. Jim Buscaglio, C’04, served as an usher. Other SVC alumni in attendance included Ben’s Godfather, Mark T. Latterner, C’81 and Paul R. Whiteside, C’82. H. Vance Vargo, C’82, will be the solo trumpeter at the Installation Mass of Bishop Joseph Cistone at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church as the new Bishop of Saginaw, Michigan.
fall 2009
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