75th Anniversary Commemorative Book

The Heart and Soul of Manor

What an amazing 75th Anniversary year we had at Manor College! The years pass quickly, and we cherish every moment with our students and each other. It feels like only yesterday that we launched our 75th year celebration during our annual Founders Day in January of 2022. Since then, we’ve followed our tagline for our year - Celebrating Our Past, Transforming Our Future

The numerous stories from our history and about our alumni make apparent that, while our institution has grown so much from its humble beginnings at the “Betsy RossYellow House” in 1947, the spirit of our ministry of educational work has persisted through the years.

Take the story of Rosemary (Hennessey) Kelly ‘65. She recently shared how she might not have attended college without her mother’s help. Her Manor College memories included her “cherished moments” of snacking with friends between classes and fun times on the yearbook staff. She said that

“Manor has this atmosphere where everyone cares about each other,” explaining our campus culture during the 1960’s.

Raphael Ayeni ’22, graduated just last May. He is a native of Singapore who enrolled at Manor College as a shy 17-year-old. He said, “Singapore is this small dot on the map. At Manor, I met people from Chicago, Alabama, all over the country. I’m going to miss how close everyone was.”

Raphael is a wonderful example of the universality of Manor’s mission. Some think of Manor as a small institution, but its mightiness and global impact must not be underestimated. What we do, every day, is transforming lives and changing the outcomes for families and communities and more.

Our work is our calling and our history. We design our future, too.

Manor College continues to evolve with our collective leadership. Our strategic plan is guiding us with the goal of future growth and

eventual university status. Regardless of what our environment looks like, one thing about Manor College will remain certain: We will continue to create an inclusive learning environment supporting our students and community members, just as the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great did when they founded us back in 1947. Thank you, Sisters. May God bless Manor College and all of our community. Here’s to another 75 years for Manor College. Go Blue Jays!

Dr. Jonathan Peri, PhD, JD President, Manor College

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF BELONGING

Manor College celebrated our 75th Anniversary throughout 2022. We started out the year with our Founders Day celebration. Dr. Matthew Smalarz, author of the Manor College book, delivered several book presentations across the area during the year. We included our 75th Anniversary in our commencement ceremonies, bringing back several alumni to be a part of the festivities. We’re happy to celebrate our anniversary with everybody and thank you for the great year!

PHOTO BY JOHN COOKE

ANTHONY

THE HEART AND SOUL OF MANOR COLLEGE

FOR MANY, ANNE KICZULA ‘71 IS THE FIRST PERSON THEY MEET AT MANOR COLLEGE. HER BASILIAN SPIRIT REFLECTS THE CORE OF WHAT THE INSTITUTION IS ALL ABOUT.

It’s seven o’clock in the morning and the aroma of freshly percolated coffee drifts through the hallways of Basileiad Manor. Anne Kiczula’s coffee at the Manor College front desk is the work of a legend.

For decades, Kiczula has started her morning taking out the large percolator, making her perfectand secret - mixture of flavors and clicking on the pot. She lays sweet treats on the front desk along with any Manor College pens or stickers she has available and greets students, faculty and staff alike with the same, friendly, “Good morning! How are you?”

“What it is about the coffee,” said Mike Landis, a Manor College Professor and lover of Anne’s brew since 1994. “It’s parallel to understanding Anne’s magic.”

A LEGACY ON FOX CHASE ROAD

Kiczula grew up in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia, located in North Philadelphia just west of Hunting Park. Her parents, both Ukrainian immigrants, spoke only Ukrainian at home. When she went to school, she had to learn English, “because my parents said you had no other choice.”

Keeping to their Ukrainian roots, her parents sent Kiczula to St. Basil’s Academy in Jenkintown - a school started by the Ukrainian Sisters of Saint Basil the Great. After graduating from there in 1955, she began working at a photography studio on Broad Street.

Several years later, she read an ad in the paper for a secretary position at Manor Junior College.

“I came up here and made an appointment at the yellow house (the original Manor College building located near the horse barn where the college held its first classes),” Kiczula said. “I was interviewed, waited, and a week later I was hired.”

Kiczula began her work as a secretary, but when Mother of Perpetual Help Hall opened in 1961, Kiczula ran the bookstore. She attended classes at Manor Junior College, eventually graduating with her Associate’s Degree in Secretarial in 1971.

“My parents were happy about that,” Kiczula said. “They were great parents. They helped us and gave me the opportunity to go to college.”

YOU BELONG HERE, ALWAYS

Kiczula began working at the front desk on the first floor of Basileiad Manor in 1982, making Manor College’s 75th year her 40th year at the desk.

In that time, she’s seen major changes at the institution. Among the changes are the inclusion of men into the student body in 1988, the awarding of Bachelor degrees in 2018 and numerous renovations to all three buildings.

Kiczula was hired under

Manor College President Sister Euphrosyne Gewetchka. She’d work under five additional presidents - Sister Jerome Roman, Sister Olga Kisch, Sister Miriam Claire Kowal, the longest tenured president Sister Mary Cecilia Jurasinski, and the institution’s first lay and male president, Dr. Jonathan Peri.

What didn’t change was the You Belong Here culture - an environment cultivated long before the saying became the institution’s catchphrase.

“Manor was always this happygo-lucky place,” Kiczula said. “The students were wonderful. The faculty, the staff, the sisters - they were always so personable and helpful to anyone who needed it. Even if the sisters needed to go pray, they’d go and come back to help a student who needed it.”

A CARING LEGACY

Kizcula’s legacy at the desk stretches beyond a cup of coffee and a conversation.

“She’s the embodiment of the Basilian ethos - that community spiritedness,” Landis said. “You see it with the way she treats everybody. No one is higher than another. Even the delivery people who come in, she makes them feel comfortable and loved.”

Stasia Mento-Moloney ‘86, who worked at Manor College for two years after graduating, remembered when she returned as a member of the Board of Trustees in 2013.

“I was shocked that she remembered me,” Mento-Moloney

Top, Anne Kiczula helps Father Horner fill his plate with traditional Easter dinner - Svyachene in 1971. The event was sponsored by the Ukrainian Club and was an annual affair at Manor College.

Right, Anne Kiczula answers the phone at her desk in 1980. She’s been the welcoming face at the front desk of the college for decades.

Far Right, Anne Kiczula dressed for dancing in traditional Ukrainian garb in 1956 as part of an event at Manor Junior College.

said. “It’s hard to remember people from 1987 to 2013, that’s a long time.”

Mento-Moloney recalled while she was employed at Manor College, she’d talk to Kiczula and vent about whatever frustrations life threw her way. Kiczula listened - and offered wise advice.

“When we reconnected, Anne remembered all the details, not just who I was,” Mento-Moloney said. “You can tell that she really took the time to listen.”

Ruben Charmelus ‘16 began his friendship with Kiczula after working in the Marketing Communications Office at Manor.

Every time he’d walk by her desk to go to the office, she’d strike up a conversation. The topic didn’t matter, but talking with Kiczula was a safe haven.

“Anne has a very specific personality where anybody from any background can come in and have a relationship with Anne,” Charmelus said. “If it wasn’t a Haitian born in New York like me, it could be someone from Ukraine. It could be someone from anywhere. Anne has this ability to create and cultivate relationships because she cares about you.”

‘I KNOW I CAN GO TO HER’

Someone who knows Kiczula’s caring side better than most is Chrystyna Prokopovych, the Curator of the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center at Manor College.

Prokopovych first remembers Kiczula being in her life in the late 1950s, as Kiczula and Prokopovych’s parents were close friends. When Prokopovych was in 7th grade, the dress she wore to the dance that year was from Anne. The families were close enough that they went fishing or to the mountains together.

“If I had to use a word to describe Anne, it would be kind,” Prokopovych said. “She’s a Mama Bear. She’d do anything to protect her family and help out anyone who needed it.”

One time stands out more than most. When Prokopovych’s mother died in 1983, her children stayed with her mother-in-law while Prokopovych went to the viewing. When she returned, Prokopovych entered the house to find Kiczula in the kitchen cooking Borshch -

a traditional Ukrainian beet soup.

“She just made me feel like everything was going to be OK,” Prokopovych said. “She’s everybody’s mother. That’s the way I feel about it. No matter what I need, I know I can go to her.”

BUT WHAT MAKES THE COFFEE SO GOOD?

It’s the existential question that everybody asks when standing near Kiczula’s desk - what makes that coffee so great?

“I can’t tell you all the secrets, but everyone will ask,” Kiczula laughed. “The half and half is the secret to a good cup of coffee. That’s one.”

Prokopovych believes Anne’s recipe might have a touch of cinnamon. “I’ve tried to duplicate it, but I still haven’t figured it out,” she said.

Landis thinks it has something to do with the way it’s madepercolated, not dripped into a pot. But the real answer lies deeperthe physical coffee is great, but the

fact that someone cares enough to make you a pot of joe every-singleday means so much more.

“It’s the way that she goes above and beyond to make sure you’re happy,” Mento-Moloney said. “She asks, ‘can I get you some water?’ or ‘ would you like a snack?’ and you know it’s coming from a place of love.”

Charmelus adds, “If you ever had an issue, she will go out of her way to solve that problem.”

That coffee, and Kiczula’s desk, are the heart of the institution. It’s not just that the coffee is good, but the decades of relationships developed at that desk with Kiczula at the center of it all.

“Her compassion makes people gravitate towards her,” Charmelus said. “She’s the cornerstone of this campus.”

Landis added, “She’s the embodiment of what makes Manor the place that it is. It’s something magical - it’s the feeling that you get with her. A true sense that you belong here.”

“For my first year at Manor College, I lived in the dorms. That was a fabulous experience. We had curfews and if you were up too late, you were “grounded’ by having to stay on campus. Once a week, we had to go to 6:30 Mass - in the morning! Mother Julia would come in and wake us up.”

ANNE ‘BAMBI’ DEAROLF ‘67 (far left)

“Singapore is this small dot on the map. At Manor, I met people from Chicago, Alabama, all over the country. I’m going to miss how close everyone was.”

RAPHAEL AYENI ‘22

MANOR MEMORIES

ALUM LIVES “A LIFE OF HELPING OTHERS” ACROSS THE WORLD

OLYA YARYCHKIVSKA, PH D ‘07 ATTRIBUTES MANOR COLLEGE WITH GIVING HER THE START AND DIRECTION NEEDED TO HAVE A CAREER IN BIOLOGY AND FUELING HER DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS.

The last line in Manor College’s mission statement reads, “Manor graduates are prepared to serve society effectively and compassionately.” Olya Yarychkivska, Ph D ‘07 embodies those words to perfection.

“I’m just trying to do my best and live a life of helping others,” Yarychkivska said. “I want to give back to others. That inspires me. These are the ways that I found to realize the talents that I have and what I can do.”

Ukrainian community. She enrolled in the institution not long after immigrating to the United States.

“It’s really quite known in that community as a perfect place to start your education,” Yarychkivska said. “It gave me the ability to get a jump start on my career.”

Manor College stood out immediately as a place where, if Yarychkivska needed help, she was able to find it quickly. Whether it was advice on financial aid, guidance from a beloved Chemistry teacher, or a friendly check in from Manor’s long standing receptionist, Anne Kiczula, she received personal assistance from just about everyone at the college.

Without Manor College, Yarychkivska believes she wouldn’t have had as much direction in her educational and professional career.

“I remember being a freshman when my chemistry teacher began talking to me about grad school,” she said. “I didn’t think

I remember being a freshman when my chemistry teacher began talking to me about grad school. I didn’t think about graduate school as a freshman, but he pushed me in that direction early and showed me the experiences I needed to gain before then, and that really changed my trajectory.

In her 15 years since graduating from Manor College, Yarychkivska started a pair of nonprofits – Razom, a group that serves to create, build towards a more prosperous Ukraine, and Save SMA Children, a subgroup of Razom aimed to provide treatment to children with spinal muscular atrophy.

Yarychkivska first heard about Manor College through the

about graduate school as a freshman, but he pushed me in that direction early and showed me the experiences I needed to gain before then, and that really changed my trajectory.”

While at Manor College, Yarychkivska won the national and prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. After being

nominated by Manor College faculty, the scholarship is awarded to students seeking to complete their education at four-year colleges. The scholarship opened her eyes to an entire network of scholars nationwide.

“They do this summer weekend where you go to Johns Hopkins, and I was extremely inspired,” Yarychkivska said. “The scholarship also gave me the financial security to continue my education and focus entirely on learning without needing a job. A true blessing.”

After graduating from Manor, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Biological Sciences from Drexel and a Doctorate of Philosophy from Columbia University in New York City.

Currently, she’s working at The Rockefeller University in New York City as a Postdoctoral Fellow, studying apoptotic linker cell death in C. elegans and mammals.

Had it not been for Manor College’s small class sizes and personalized attention, Yarychkivska believes her career may have been different.

“It was such a good thing for me to be in a small environment when I was getting accustomed to the future,” Yarychkivska said. “I got the support I needed from everyone in the Manor community and that really changed my trajectory.”

SPURRED BY BOYFRIEND’S

DEATH, MANOR COLLEGE GRAD SEEKS LIFE IN LAW

SHERESA PALMER ‘22 BELIEVES MANOR COLLEGE GAVE HER THE CHANCE TO MAKE AN IMPACT, BOTH AT THE COLLEGE AND IN LIFE.

Sheresa Palmer ‘22 lives by the saying, “God only gives his battles to his toughest soldiers.”

“People look at me and say that you smile so much, you wouldn’t know you went through anything,”

Palmer said. “But I’m not afraid to tell my story. There’s somebody else out there that has their own story and wants to get help, but just doesn’t know how to say it.”

While she was a student at Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia, Palmer wasn’t interested in dating and focused on her schoolwork. That was until she met Jeffrey Jarvis.

“There was something about him where I could just be his friend,” Palmer said. “We ended up becoming best friends.”

The pair became high school sweethearts. Jarvis loved her determination and being “a whole woman” that focused on her goals. Palmer gave birth to the couple’s son, Jay’len Jarvis, in 2014.

“When we got together, he told me, ‘I’m ready to treat you right,’” Palmer said. “God brought us together.”

Palmer knew Jarvis lived a dangerous life growing up around drugs. She knew his upbringing and would ask why he sold drugs, but never knew how deep things were.

“He never brought it around me,” Palmer said. “But that was his environment. He was around people that only sold drugs.”

Palmer knew the harsh reality of the streets. In her words, there’s only two ways out – jail or death –but she often prayed for a third way out for Jarvis.

In November 2015, she had a dream that he was murdered. A few days later, she received a text from him saying, “Sheresa, I’m sorry. I love you and I’m happy I had my child with you.”

“You knew something was happening,” Palmer said. “He was letting bygones be bygones with me.”

On the evening of December 22, 2015, Palmer returned home from Christmas shopping with Jay’len when she got a call from her friend.

Jarvis was shot ten times, including four times in the chest, on North Carlisle Street. An ambulance rushed Jarvis to the hospital before Palmer arrived on scene. He died that evening.

Growing up and seeing Jarvis’ lifestyle – knowing that it came out of his surroundings – inspired Palmer to pursue a career in criminal justice.

“I want to make an impact on drugs, sexual assault and more,” Palmer said. “There’s more factors that go into a ruling than whether someone is guilty or innocent.”

She transferred into Manor College after another institution shut down.

“When the school shut down, I questioned what I should do,”

Palmer said. “I didn’t want to be on my deathbed thinking I should’ve done something. I had to get up and find a school. Then I found Manor.”

At Manor College, she found an environment with professors that supported her.

Manor College.”

Palmer earned her Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Manor College in 2020. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration in May 2022. During

training team in preparing legal internship programs and training for the newest class of lawyers studying the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Palmer is currently taking Masters Courses in Forensic Psychology at Neumann University and is studying for the LSAT. She hopes to pursue a doctorate degree. Her ultimate goal, however, is to become a voice for the voiceless and an advocate for those needing help.

“Manor College was welcoming and I prayed on it,” Palmer said. “I knew I could make an impact. Professor Mary Sims made sure I got where I needed to. I could call her any time of night. She helped me with papers and looked out for me.”

Palmer made her Manor College career count. She was nominated in 2020 for the Mother Josaphat Award – the institution’s highest student award. She received the Unsung Hero award from Manor’s Student Affairs team for “putting her heart and soul into everything she does, even when the work goes unrecognized.” Palmer also served as a member of Rotaract, Social Justice Club and the Women’s Soccer team.

Professor Sims remembered a time where, after a Rotaract meeting, Palmer left and returned with a gigantic bag of clothes for Manor’s Career Closet.

“She always does her best, even when she has so much to do as a full-time Mom and employee,” Professor Sims said. “She’s very caring, involved and has done so much for the causes at

her college career, she interned with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.

She continues to work with the office to this day. A week before graduation, she received a promotion and became a training coordinator. Her job guides the

“I didn’t have that role model when I was growing up,” Palmer said. “My family raised me well, but sometimes you need a little extra push when you think you’re going to give up. I tell my son, ‘I don’t care about how anybody else feels, you have a voice. You are who you are. Stick up for yourself and keep going until you achieve what you want.’”

Left, Palmer always tells her son, Jay’len, to have a voice and to stick up for himself. “Keep going until you achieve what you want.”

Right, Sheresa Palmer after she received a nomination for the Mother Josaphat Medal in 2020.

Manor College was welcoming. I knew I could make an impact. Professor Mary Sims made sure I got where I needed to.

Manor College allowed me to mature and grow. Being at Manor allowed me to have time to myself, which was important to make my family proud after all that they have done to get me here. RIMMON GREENIDGE ‘03

INSPIRED BY EXPERIENCE, MANOR COLLEGE ALUM SERVING AS ICU NURSE

As a child, Aldrin Reginald ‘20 spent a large chunk of time in and out of hospitals with chronic respiratory issues. His respiratory system was very sensitive to the environment and dust. Just getting through days without sneezing and throwing up was rough.

“There’s dust everywhere,” Reginald said. “We tried a bunch of different medications, but nobody knew what to do with it.”

Over time, Reginald grew out of his respiratory issues, but the condition left a more positive mark in his life – a love for health care.

“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to work in a hospital,” Reginald said. “I wanted to make an impact in the recovery of patients and, because I spent so much time in hospitals as a kid, I wanted to find a way to give back. Knowing that people made a difference in my life and knowing I can do that for someone else helped me build my own experiences.”

Today, Reginald lives his childhood dream, serving as a nurse in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia.

“It all just fell into place,” Reginald said. “I didn’t know what unit I was applying for until I met the manager.

The ICU isn’t normally given to young nurses. It’s not uncommon to see patients hooked up to numerous machines to keep them alive. Patients can fail or pass away in an instant, Reginald said.

“The first day I showed up, my heart sank,” Reginald said. “Walking in, I looked into one room and the first emotion I saw in the patient’s eyes was fear. That was rough.”

He started the unit in an externship program last year, but was hired in July to work in the unit full time. Along the way, others on the staff eased him into the pressures of the unit. They started by introducing him to the different machines and processes first before letting him work with patients.

“I’ve gotten used to it now, the flows and unpredictableness of the environment,” Reginald said. “It’s normal to be uncomfortable. It’s what allows you to do your job well. No one working in an ICU should be comfortable, it’s what allows you to act quickly if a patient fails.”

Reginald credits his career in nursing to the guidance he received while attending Manor College. He first found the institution after several high school friends attended classes here.

“It was a place where I wouldn’t feel as intimidated,” Reginald said. “Bigger schools can be a lot mentally. I knew coming to Manor would mean smaller class sizes and a tight community to support me.”

That support paid off later in

college when he decided to change his major to pursue a nursing path.

“I kept trying to figure out what to do with my degree and I ended up speaking with Dr. Julie Senecoff and she helped me figure out the path I should take,” Reginald said. “When I said I wanted to pursue nursing, she helped me find a path and search for nursing schools after I received my degree.”

Reginald says coming to Manor College was vital to his nursing career.

“I don’t have the words to describe how Manor helped me, but they helped me through everything I needed,” Reginald said. “Whether it was Dr. Senecoff, Coach John Dempster helping me as an international student or Dr. Jonathan Peri providing me insight, everyone did what they could to see me succeed.

“Even at work, I still use things that I learned at Manor,” Reginald said. “Even if it’s not a health care class, there’s something you can use in your everyday life. Absorb everything you can.”

ALDRIN REGINALD ‘20 SAID HE STILL USES SKILLS HE LEARNED AT MANOR COLLEGE IN HIS NURSING CAREER.

Aldrin Reginald ’20 poses with Dr. Jonathan Peri during a recent visit to Manor College.

CAREGIVER TURNS LEGACY OF HELPFULNESS INTO CAREER PATH

siblings and friends to make it here.

“She’s the kindest person you’ve ever met,” her grandson, Davion Chaney ‘22, said. “When people fall flat on their face and need a place to stay, she’s the one they go to.”

College. When working at the Northeast Family YMCA and attending classes became too much, he withdrew.

During his first years at the YMCA, Chaney discovered a love for working with children. He already had experience working with children since his mother served as a foster parent.

“I witnessed a lot of things that happened to children before they came to my mom,” Chaney said. “I saw how she helped people and that’s also what I wanted to do.”

After speaking to the childcare director at the YMCA, Chaney returned to Manor College. He continued to take care of his grandmother while he took classes but knew he needed that push to cross the finish line.

“There were plenty of times I almost gave up,” Chaney said. “Dr. Cherie Crosby-Weeks and Ms. Elinore Leonards, they were on top of me. They kept saying, ‘This is your year to graduate’ and helped me get through.”

On May 12, 2022, Ms. Gloria watched through Facetime as Chaney walked across the graduation stage to receive his degree. He returned that afternoon and gave the degree to her to take a photo. Through the challenge of working through classes, growing his career and life as a caretaker, Chaney achieved his dream – an achievement he credits to Manor College.

“Manor is a place where they want to see you succeed,” Chaney said. “Manor makes you feel like you’re at home and you never have to worry about getting the help you need.”

Everyone is safe and at home with Gloria Parkin. “Ms. G” or “Ms. Gloria”, as most of the Mount Airy neighborhood knows her, takes pride in being the bubbly face that helps people get on their feet.

As the oldest of 13 children, she arrived first from Jamaica, and once she got situated in Philadelphia with her own children, opened the door for her own

When Ms. Gloria needed help after having a stroke and being diagnosed with dementia, Chaney sprung into action.

“I didn’t want to see her go into a nursing home,” Chaney said. “I wanted to take care of her rather than asking a stranger to do it.”

Before Ms. Gloria’s diagnosis, Chaney (Northeast High School) had been pursuing a degree in computer science at Manor

Chaney plans to take a semester off and return to Manor College to begin work on his Bachelor’s degree. He hopes to open a group home for teen boys, helping the same children that his mom helped years ago.

“I don’t want it to be a group home, I want it to be a home home,” Chaney said, “the kind of home where Christmas comes and the living room is full of gifts. This is a home where they can be loved.”

DAVION CHANEY ’22 JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO HELP HIS GRANDMOTHER AFTER YEARS OF WATCHING HER CARE FOR OTHERS.

Davion Chaney (left) poses for a photo with Manor College Professor Kim Farmer at the 2022 Commencement Ceremony in May.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Everyone who has walked the halls at Manor College has made an indelible mark on the institution, but some have left an even greater, lasting impact. These movers and shakers are the ones who helped make the college what it is today.

We’ve interviewed a few of them who are part of the college to celebrate our 75th Anniversary. You can find their interviews by searching for Manor College on Spotify, or by scanning the QR codes.

DR. CHERIE CROSBY-WEEKS has been part of the Manor College community for the past 11 years. She’s the Director of Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes, Program Director of Teacher Education and Professor of Early Childhood Education. During this chat, Dr. Crosby-Weeks talks about her career, why she thinks Manor is such an important place, and her favorite booksboth for adults and children.

PROFESSOR MIKE LANDIS is the Chair of Humanities and Social Sciences Division of Arts and Sciences at Manor College. He’s been with the institution since Spring 1994. During this conversation, he talks about the differences between the early 1990s and today, what Manor College students have taught him and his prior life in Alaska.

CHRYSTYNA PROKOPOVYCH has been the Curator of the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center at Manor College for 29 years. She talks about the center’s importance, her ties to the Ukrainian community, and the “embroidery factory” her family had growing up.

GINA BURKE ‘82 EMBODIES

important to me, and the things I learned there at Manor and with the club still apply to my current life.”

AS A CO-OWNER OF TREVI ITALIAN RESTAURANT IN GLENSIDE AND A FARMERS INSURANCE AGENT, GINA DISALVO BURKE ‘82 KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS TO START SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS VENTURES FROM THE GROUND UP.

The entrepreneurial spirit is a quality embedded in a person’s DNA. It’s a constant desire that drives someone to go out on their own and work towards something they’re passionate about.

Gina DiSalvo Burke ‘82 would know that better than anyone. It’s why the Manor College graduate owns two local businesses,

including TreVi, a delicious Italian Restaurant and Winery in Glenside.

Burke believes Manor College sparked that entrepreneurial spirit. One of her business professors owned his own restaurant in addition to teaching. That, combined with her job at a pretzel bakery, influenced her career as an entrepreneur.

Burke grew up in Philadelphia and came to Manor College from Melrose Academy. She was looking for a small, local campus and Manor fit that description. While at Manor, she became part of the founding members of a business club and served as its treasurer.

“I just wanted to be engaged with Manor,” Burke said. “The students and community were

She utilized those skills during her biggest challenge as an entrepreneur. In January 2020, Burke’s son suggested that TreVi should set up an online ordering system. Two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and the system became a vital cog of the business’s survival.

“Thank God we did that, because our online orders started rolling in and it just took off,” Burke said. “We had the tools in place to accept the demand, although it could be overwhelming at some points.”

As Burke navigated her businesses through the pandemic, she continued to lean on her education from Manor College.

“Manor College provided me the education to know how to manage and market myself,” Burke said. “It’s amazing to think about what you’re learning in the classroom and how it’s going to be applied to your life.”

“ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT”

CREATING A LEGACY ON FOX CHASE ROAD

Manor College has come an incredibly long way over 75 years. It’s seen political dignitaries visit and been the site of large festivals. Our walls are where nurses took their first steps, veterinary technicians cared for their first animals and entrepreneurs first developed their businesses. Most importantly, this is a place where tens of thousands of students can come for a supportive communitya true home. Here are some of the biggest moments in Manor College’s history.

Manor College, originally called St. Macrina College, was founded by the Ukrainian Sisters of Saint Basil the Great as a fouryear liberal arts college.

Manor College is officially chartered and incorporated by the higher education system of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to grant Associate’s Degrees. 1959

Mother of Perpetual Help Hall opens. 1961

St. Josaphat Hall opens. The hall holds the first dormitories on campus complete with kitchens and common areas.

Manor College attains Middle States Association accreditation.

1969

The Basileiad Library opens on campus.

1978

The Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center opens its doors on campus.

1988

Manor College becomes a fully coeducational institution as men are admitted into day classes.

2015

Dr. Jonathan Peri becomes Manor College’s first lay President and first elected male President.

Manor College is authorized to award Bachelor’s Degrees by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

MANOR HISTORY

REMEMBERING OUR ROOTS

Manor College was founded by the Ukrainian-based Sisters of Saint Basil the Great in 1947. We’ve maintained our Ukrainian roots ever since, whether that be at Ukrainian festivals or through our Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center, established on our campus in 1978. Here’s some of the ways we’ve celebrated through the years.

REMEMBERING WHEN LEONID KRAVCHUK, UKRAINE’S 1ST PRESIDENT, VISITED CAMPUS

KRAVCHUK VISITED CAMPUS ON MAY 10, 1992 AS PART OF A LARGER TOUR OF PHILADELPHIA. HERE’S HOW THAT VISIT CAME TO BE.

The world remembered Leonid Kravchuk, the first Ukrainian President who died on May 10, 2022.

Kravchuk is hailed as the man who led Ukraine to independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He served as the Ukrainian President from 1991 to 1994.

Following his election in 1991, Kravchuk visited Manor College’s campus as part of a larger tour of Philadelphia on Mother’s Day, May 10, 1992.

Kravchuk’s visit was organized by Dr. Leonid Rudnytzky, a then La Salle University professor and father of Manor College’s Director of Student Records and Institutional Heritage, Nicholas Rudnytzky.

Following Ukraine’s independence on December 8, 1991, Dr. Rudnytzky began thinking it would be a great idea to have Kravchuk visit Philadelphia and

the academic community. As a professor teaching Ukrainian literature, he developed contacts with Ukrainian diplomats.

Three weeks before La Salle’s 1992 Commencement, Dr. Rudnytzky spoke with Brother Patrick Ellis and received the go-ahead to confer an honorary degree to Kravchuk. That left Dr. Rudnytzky organizing a tour of Philadephia in just three weeks.

“His trip became the subject of international publicity,” Dr. Rudnytzky said. “He wanted to learn what Philadelphia was like and that’s how he came to Manor.”

On the multi-day tour, Kravchuk would see the Ukrainian Cathedral in Center City and had traffic stopped on the Schuykill Expressway to watch the boats on the river.

Dr. Rudnytzky said Kravchuk left most amazed by Manor College. The institution was founded by the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great, a Ukrainian religious order, in 1947.

“Manor is a Ukrainian institution, that’s why we made sure to send him there,” Dr. Rudnytzky said. “We wanted to show him the only college with Ukrainian roots.

He knew there were Ukrainian churches in America, but Manor was this special Easter Egg for him.”

Nicholas Rudnytzky added, “Manor College is America’s only Ukrainian institution for higher learning, and Kravchuk was amazed we even existed. There was, nestled in the community, a wonderful little Ukrainian culture that was reminiscent of home.”

Kravchuk’s visit was well attended, with an estimated 1,000 people on Manor’s campus to welcome him with open arms. Kravchuk toured the Ukrainian Heritage Center and sat for a meeting with the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great.

The entire tour received international press coverage. Dr. Rudnytzky said he received publications from a friend in China or Japan that covered the event.

The significance of Kravchuk’s tour still resonates today, Nicholas Rudnytzky said. “Ukraine was a fledgling democracy at the time visiting the world’s oldest democracy. The tour laid the foundation for a very positive outlook of Ukraine from the Western World.”

MANOR HISTORY

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED

Did you know that many of Manor College’s earliest graduates completed degrees in various fields of secretarial work? Court reporting and music were once majors at Manor College. Here’s a quick glance through some of those programs.

Mother Olga was very unhappy with the yearbook staff. We had a picture - it was me and my friend - we were in some class and something funny happened. We are laughing our heads off. Sister Olga didn’t like that because we weren’t being studious.

BARBARA OSINSKI ‘66

LIVING IN MANOR’S BACKYARD, ALUM GRATEFUL FOR CHANCE TO GROW

ROSEMARY (HENNESSEY) KELLY ‘65 ALMOST DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE AT ALL. SOME HELP FROM HER MOM AND THE SISTERS OF SAINT BASIL THE GREAT CHANGED ALL THAT.

Manor College always had a presence in Rosemary (Hennessey) Kelly’s life. Her childhood home in Rydal was a mile-and-a-half from Manor’s campus.

Despite the distance, Kelly ‘65 never believed she would attend Manor College – or any college for that matter.

“I never really thought that much about going to college because I knew my father didn’t think we had the money to spend for college,” Kelly said, “but my mother intervened.”

Not long after Kelly graduated from Bishop McDevitt High School, her mother approached her. With a summer job and some savings, Kelly’s mother could provide the help. With only a few weeks before the start of school, Kelly called and applied to Manor College.

“They were very gracious,” Kelly said of the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great. “I had a meeting with Sister Miriam Claire, and was introduced to Sister Lawrence and Mother Olga. After my meeting with them, that’s how I ended up going to Manor.”

Kelly remembers Manor fondly. The Sisters left a lasting impression, including Sister Laura, who worked in Manor College’s music department.

“She had this positive, saintly presence,” Kelly said. “I didn’t even have her for a class, but I remember she would play the piano and talk with the students. Her love for them exuded her presence, filling the room and being a lovely person.”

What she didn’t realize while attending Manor College was the bond she’d create with a group of friends – one that still holds until this day.

“McDevitt was a large school, so when I came to Manor, I met friends who went to McDevitt that I hadn’t met previously.”

The friends met taking similar classes at Manor. Kelly remembers the down times, taking trips in someone’s convertible to grab a snack between classes or fun times on the yearbook staff. Those days resulted in a lifelong friendship between Kelly and three other Manor alums.

“Manor has this atmosphere where everyone cares about each other,” Kelly said. “Everyone was

incredibly friendly.”

Kelly graduated from Manor College in 1965 with her Associate’s Degree in Secretarial. She went on to work at UNIVAC, performing general secretarial and administrative work – the highlight of which was meeting Gracy Mary Hopper, a pioneer in computers and a Navy Admiral.

She believes that without Manor College, she wouldn’t have had the confidence to succeed in the real world.

“Manor College gave me a positive attitude,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t expected of me to go into higher education after high school. Now, you see in today’s world how important that education is, and I can look back and know that it was important that I went as well.”

Looking back, she is still astonished that she even made it into Manor College in the first place.

Kelly said, “I applied very late and they gave me the chance to attend when I had not thought school was an option. I was able to walk there every morning and home every afternoon. That’s what endears me to Manor, they gave me the tools to succeed.”

Rosemary Kelly works on the Foxprints newspaper in 1965.

MANOR HISTORY

The more things change, the more they stay the same at Manor College. Take a look through the lives of Manor students both past and present.

2021 2022

BASILEIAD LIBRARY ON DISPLAY

THESE WOOD CUTOUTS DEPICTING THE MANOR COLLEGE LIBRARY APPEAR

IN OFFICES ACROSS CAMPUS.

The Artifact: Wooden Cutout of the Basileiad Library

The Details: Look through several offices at Manor College and you’ll find a wooden cutout of the Basileiad Library on a shelf or displayed on a desk.

The artwork was created in 1997 in celebration of Manor

College’s 50th anniversary. Inscribed on the back of the pieces is the following: The Basileiad Library of Manor Junior College, Located in Jenkintown, Pa. (A Suburb of Philadelphia), is a two and one half story library/administration building. Administrative offices are located on the ground and third floors. The library, housed on the second floor and balcony level, has a capacity of 60,000 volumes. The current collection includes 41,000 books, periodicals, and newspapers. A law library consisting of 4,000 volumes, and the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center Collection of Ukrainian Books are also part of this library.

The wood cutouts are fairly rare, as only 100 were made.

“PROMETHEUS” AND THE MANOR JUNIOR COLLEGE GIRLS CHOIR

MANOR COLLEGE’S

GIRLS CHOIR WAS JOINED BY THE “PROMETHUS” IN 1974.

The Artifact: A vinyl disk recorded by “Promethus” and the Manor Junior College Girl’s Choir in the 1970s.

The Details: “Prometheus,” an all-male choir that traveled

throughout the United States and Canada, performed in front of a large crowd at Manor College in 1970. The group was conducted by Michael Dlaboha and performed Ukrainian melodies in the auditorium.

Sometime after the concert, Prometheus recorded the vinyl in accompaniment with the Manor Junior College Girls Choir.

According to the 1971 Macrinian, the performance included Ukrainian melodies, with Miss Maria Meducha, Manor College’s translator, explaining the story behind each of the songs.

The vinyl was recorded and released on March 2, 1974.

THE MANOR COLLEGE FOXES?

AS EVIDENCED BY A SMALL GLASS, MANOR COLLEGE ONCE WENT BY THE FOXES.

The Artifact: A small glass with a fox over the Manor Junior College name.

The Details: Today, Manny the Blue Jay proudly roams around campus, spreading his wings at open houses and at sporting events, but Manor College wasn’t always the mighty Blue Jays.

In the early 1950s, Manor Junior College’s basketball team was occasionally known as the “Foxtrotters.” Several references to the name were made in the student newspaper at the time.

When intramural sports debuted in the 1950s, the teams were referred to as the “Manorettes.”

Manor College wouldn’t become the Blue Jays until the 1980s due to the Jenkintown campus being abundantly populated with Blue Jay birds.

BLUE JAYS THROUGH THE YEARS

The wood-lined walls of the Manor College gym or the soccer field with scenic Alverthorpe Park in the distance are the backdrop to decades of success in athletics for Manor College. In its 75th year, Manor College sent two athletic teams to their respective USCAA National Championship Tournaments. Here’s a few images to remind us of the success our mighty Blue Jays have had with an eye for the future.

MANOR COLLEGE’S FIRST ALL-AMERICAN REFLECTS ABOUT HIS TIME ON CAMPUS

The pandemic was tough for everyone. Looking back two years later, Mark Colville ‘14 realizes that what was a tragedy for some ended up being an opportunity for him.

Colville began working in the hospitality industry five years ago. He loved making sure guests were happy and tasks got done. It was a “life changing” experience.

When the pandemic began in March 2020, Colville was laid off. He spent six months looking for work in an industry among the hardest hit by the situation. He found a home at the Cambria Hotel in Center City, Philadelphia. Over the next two years, he worked his way up between a pair of hotels. He’s currently the Corporate Sales Manager for Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Valley Forge.

“You just had to learn on the job,” Colville said. “I took it with everything I had in me and learned everything I could.”

What made the biggest difference, he said, is the support he received from his director.

“I worked with him for five years and he really invested the time in me,” Colville said. “It really worked out.”

Having that kind of support is nothing new for Colville. He attended Manor College from 2012 to 2014 and remembers having a similar support system here.

“It’s a really tight-knit community, and the teachers were there for me,” Colville said. “They really instilled in me that what effort you put in leads to the result you put out. Everyone was on your side and wanted to see you succeed.”

Colville started his college career at a community college. He worked full time and went to school part time. After two years, he made the decision to go back full time.

“I knew I had to either commit to going to school full time or just get into the work life,” Colville said. “I don’t think I was ready to jump into a four-year school, so going to Manor was a great fit.”

Colville said Manor was a great fit for his academics, but what he’s best known for is his career on the soccer field. He became Manor College’s first All-American student-athlete for soccer. He remained the only Manor College athlete named to an All-American team in any sport until men’s basketball player Rahmaad Dejarnette was named a 2022 USCAA All-American.

In 2013, he led NJCAA Division III with 22 assists and 10 gamewinning goals. He finished second nationally in points (68) and shots (86). He holds Manor College career records in goals (47), assists (37) and points (131).

“There were a lot of standout stars on that team,” Colville said.

He credits Manor College Men’s Head Soccer Coach and Athletic Director John Dempster with fostering a strong team.

“John was one of the reasons I even came to Manor,” Colville said. “He’s a father figure to a lot of kids and he takes pride in it. He’s not just a coach. He makes sure your schoolwork is done and that everything is good off the field.”

Manor College made an impression because everyone –

from staffers and faculty to fellow students – held you accountable.

“Everyone was on your side and wanted to see you succeed,” Colville said.

If he could give advice to current students, Colville said to take advantage of your time at Manor College and push through what life throws at you.

“It might seem tough then –and there’s going to be tough times – but you’ll get through it,” Colville said. “You’re there to better your life. You have to get it done and put in everything you can. Keep your head up and know there’s people willing to help you.”

MARK COLVILLE ‘14 CURRENTLY IS THE CORPORATE SALES MANAGER FOR EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON PHILADELPHIA VALLEY FORGE. HE REMAINS ONE OF ONLY THREE ALL-AMERICANS IN MANOR COLLEGE HISTORY.

THE BLUE JAYS BEST SHOOTER

AARON BROWN ‘06 HOLDS SEVERAL SCHOOL RECORDS MORE THAN 15 YEARS AFTER HE TRANSFERRED. HE REMAINS THE ONLY 1,000 POINT SCORER IN SCHOOL HISTORY.

Aaron Brown had a reputation in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. Hoopers knew him as the kid you can’t leave open – the kid with the basketball court in his backyard.

Brown’s grandmother and parents owned houses next to each other. As a kid, the family tore down a fence separating the properties and built a basketball court.

“I was only six years old and I couldn’t dribble,” Brown said, “but it didn’t matter. I could shoot and that’s what I needed.”

Years of shooting thousands of shots helped turn Brown into a legend – the best Manor College scorer of all time.

Brown graduated from Strawberry Mansion High School in Philadelphia in 2004. He played shooting guard in the same backcourt as Philadelphia’s leading career scorer, Maureece Rice. The pair led Strawberry Mansion to a pair of Public League Championships in the early 2000s.

After high school, Brown intended to play at another university. When the head coach was fired, Manor College assistant coach Guy Moore brought Brown to become a Blue Jay.

“Manor College was closer to home and allowed me to focus more,” Brown said. “I already knew several players here, so it made a lot of sense.”

Brown brought the Blue Jays success, making the conference tournament twice. His individual statistics made him a legend.

After scoring more than 500 points his freshman year, Brown went on a tear to start his sophomore season. He averaged more than 35 points in his first eight games.

“Anywhere inside of the half court line felt like a good shot for me,” Brown said.

He went on to set Manor College records in season points (671), points per game (30.5) and career points (1,202). He remains the only 1,000 point scorer for the Blue Jays in the institution’s history.

“Playing at Manor was the first time that I got to create with the ball in my own hands,” Brown says. “It gave me a chance to see what I could do as the main scoring option.”

Brown credits his teammates for motivating and training with him.

“I had a few teammates who would be in the gym working out at 6 a.m.,” Brown said. “We’d shoot before and after practice, too. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Brown left Manor College in 2006. He transferred to University of South Carolina Aiken to continue his basketball journey.

“It was different coming from a place the size of Manor to being at a school with over 10,000 people,” Brown said. “It took me time to adjust to the schedule.”

At USC-Aiken, Brown’s basketball journey took a turn. During a common drill in practice, Brown went up for a layup. As he came down, a teammate fell into his leg, breaking his tibia and fibula in the process.

“It was a pain I never experienced before,” Brown said.

The following year, he transferred to another institution in Oklahoma. In a few practices, he knew his career was over.

“My lateral movement wasn’t what it used to be,” Brown said. “I didn’t have the same lift on my jump shot. That’s what ended everything for me.”

Despite the setbacks, Brown views the injury in a positive light.

“I appreciate it because it got me used to not playing anymore,” Brown said. “It helped me focus on other things in life. I love basketball, but it made me focus on my actual future.”

At USC-Aiken, Brown changed his major to Psychology. He currently works at Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia as a technician in the behavioral health unit.

“No day in the unit is the same,” said Brown, who works with drug and alcohol patients. “I wanted to see the progress people can make in their lives.”

He returned to Philadelphia after college and married his wife, Naomi. The pair have four children, ranging from 1-15 years old.

Brown still plays basketball from time to time at the local gym, sinking shots from beyond the arc. While his playing career is over, he credits Manor College with setting him up for a future without the game.

“Manor College was the first place where I put work into a craft,” Brown said. “This was where I committed to working on myself the most.”

THE NEXT 75 YEARS

We asked our Manor College community for their vision of the future for Manor College.

“My hope is that we expand to include more Bachelor’s and Master’s programs in the future. We’re happy here and we want to stay here.” Donna Payne

“My hope would be that we grow and expand, that we maintain a very strong, Catholic identity and continue emphasizing our Ukrainian Heritage. To me, that makes our institution unique.”

Dr. Virginia Saunders

“My prediction is that Manor will have a nursing program in the future. That’s because I want to further my education and I’d love to do it here.”

Peralte

“I hope that in the years to come, Manor College will continue to be the welcoming community that it is to Ukrainian families.”

“I hope they keep doing events that bring us together to help us destress. It’s a small college and events like this make us a great community.” Halee Grubb

“I predict that our sports programs are going to get bigger. They’re killing it right now, so I can totally see them expanding.”

“I predict that we’ll be a college that prepares students for the workforce and opens them up to opportunities for upward mobility.”

“I hope that the community at Manor College will stay as close knit as it currently is. Even if the community expands, I want it to stay connected.” - Emma Titus

Alexandra

Katie Mastrocola

“In the future, I can see Manor College having double the buildings and becoming part of the NCAA. That would be an awesome goal.”

Aiden Holman

Professor Mike Landis

Professor David Blyweiss

What will the world look like in 75 years? How will Manor College change in the future?

NEYSHA MEDINA

DENTAL HYGIENE MAJOR

Presidential Ambassador, Women’s Volleyball

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

“I feel like I’m alongside students who work hard, but also know how to have fun.”

SAMUEL McFARLANE

DENTAL HYGIENE MAJOR

Presidential Ambassador, Men’s Basketball

Hometown: Abington, PA

“Manor College made me feel like it was home.”

DR. CHERIE CROSBY-WEEKS

DEAN AND PROFESSOR

Business, Education and Professional Studies

“Manor College is a place where you can find who you really are.”

MARK COLVILLE

LIBERAL ARTS MAJOR | CLASS OF 2014

Business Travel Sales Manager, Embassy Suites by Hilton

Hometown: Fishtown, PA

“That’s how it felt the first day here. You felt like you belonged here.”

ALENA VOTCHITS

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION MAJOR | CLASS OF 2014

Realtor | Lovely Philly Home

Hometown: Northeast Philadelphia

“Manor College was huge in helping me in my career.”

Scan the QR code to see our 2022 Manor Spotlight videos.

PRACTICAL NURSING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

STARTING FALL 2023

The Manor College Practical Nursing Certificate program prepares students to become care providers, filling an industry need at a critical juncture.

Graduates will be clinically skilled and holistically prepared to view each patient with health factors impacted by mind, body and social determinants.

The program can be taken in three semesters for full-time students or six semesters for part-time learners. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to apply for the Licensed Practical Nurse state board examination.