MIXING PASSION WITH PATIENCE:
Patricia Brletic ’75, Ph.D. The John A. Swanson Science Center has been home to Patricia Brletic ’75 for only one year, but her office looks well broken in thanks to her shelves that overflow with chemistry books and a plant with fronds that reach the ceiling. The plant, which grew from a date seed that Brletic planted the year she started teaching, is symbolic of the professor’s distinguished 34-year career with the College. Just outside her window is a view of Lazear Chemistry Hall, where Brletic got her start conducting experiments as a college student. The aspiring chemist, who first arrived at W&J as a freshman in 1971, is a member of the College’s second co-educational class. As part of the female minority on campus, Brletic recalls facing some social obstacles, including a strict 11 p.m. curfew. Yet she remembers appreciating the educational opportunities W&J offered to men and women alike. Brletic, who described herself as a “typical W&J student” spent her Wednesdays in the laboratories, where she became passionate about research and experimentation. Originally a pre-health student, she soon turned her focus away from the medical field, choosing to further develop her interests in mathematics and analytical chemistry. After graduating from W&J in 1975, she went on to earn her master’s in chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. It was during this time she returned to W&J as a temporary faculty instructor. At only 24 years old, Brletic worked side-by-side with faculty members nearly twice her age and acted as an authority figure to students who were just a few years younger than her. “One of the most difficult challenges for me
was calling my previous professors by their first names,” she said. The first time Brletic gave a lecture, she remembers the still of the classroom signifying that students were patiently waiting for her lecture to begin. Insecurity and fear overwhelmed the young professor, who never sought public attention. To get through her first day of teaching, Brletic heeded a piece of advice from a seasoned colleague, “The students are here to focus on the material. You are here to translate the material into a form that students can understand.” During her career at W&J, Brletic has transformed from a nervous young instructor into a distinguished faculty member. Today, students describe her as brilliant, quiet, and, most notably, patient. “Dr. Brletic was extremely patient with our class as we learned experimental techniques that many of us had not experienced since high school,” said an English major who signed up for her course on environmental chemistry. Among science majors and non-majors alike, Brletic may be known best for her laboratory-based courses that combine the principles of chemistry with interesting applications. Her most popular courses are on the chemistry of brewing and the biochemistry of nutrition and health. According to Brletic, the curriculum has changed significantly since her days as a student, most notably in the development of minors and the addition of interdisciplinary science majors like biochemistry. Yet she notes that the faculty’s dedication, as well as the students’ enthusiasm, remains timeless.
Faculty Flashback As a 26-year-old professor, Nick Cavoti started wearing suits during his first year of teaching at W&J to fit in with his more seasoned colleagues. He has worn a suit to work ever since.
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WINTER 2011 MAGAZINE
“W&J has always had good students who want to learn.”
“W&J has always had good students who want to learn,” she said. “The College is a great place, and the students have made it better.” – JACLYN PHILLIPS ’11
A 1975 graduate turned faculty member, Patricia Brletic had difficulty calling her former professors by their first names and shied away from public speaking. Today, she is known for commanding the attention of her students, not to mention the respect of her colleagues. After taking over the women’s basketball team in its second season, Vicki Staton instilled a renewed sense of spirit into her players, who, at the time, had yet to win a game. Under her leadership, the team has won 12 conference championships.