Ursinus Magazine Fall ’18

M A G A Z I N E

THE SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE FLIP OVER for the 2017–2018 Year in Review

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VO LU M E #1 24 | FA L L 2 01 8

Third class postage paid at Utica, N.Y. Ursinus Magazine is published seasonally three times a year.

Copyright © 2018 by Ursinus College

DEAR READERS,

Editorial correspondence & submissions: Ursinus Magazine 601 E. Main Street Collegeville, Pa. 19426 610-409-3000 ucmag@ursinus.edu CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Thomas Yencho tyencho@ursinus.edu MAGAZINE EDITOR Ed Moorhouse emoorhouse@ursinus.edu CREATIVE DIRECTOR Bill Burg bburg@ursinus.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER Erica Gramm CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE Photography: Jeff Fusco and Jim Roese Editorial: Jack Croft, Geoff Gehman, Mary Lobo ’15, Susan Tuttle and Jennifer Meininger Wolfe MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD Abbie Cichowski ’10, Mary Lobo ’15, Mark Ouellette, Rosemary Pall P’12, Pamela Panarella and Jennifer Meininger Wolfe URSINUS COLLEGE PRESIDENT Brock Blomberg SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Jill Leauber Marsteller ’78 ONLINE MAGAZINE (URSINUS.EDU/MAGAZINE) Erin Hovey ’96 CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER Jacqueline D’Ercole, Kristin Maag and Marty Parkes The mission of Ursinus College is to enable students to become independent, responsible and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education. That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world.

When I became president in 2015, I challenged the Ursinus community to think differently, take risks, go big and make Ursinus great. At the time, I had no doubt that all of you would rise to the challenge. But I continue to be impressed with just how high you raise the bar.

To that end, I’m excited to present this special edition of Ursinus Magazine, which, when you flip it over and read right to left, includes the 2017-18 yearin-review. I invite you to read about not only the moments, but the people who helped shape our year, one in which we built upon our promise to become a “first choice” institution for students, faculty and staff, as well as for the neighboring community, and through philanthropic efforts. That vision is deliberately reflected in Ursinus 150, the college’s strategic plan, which is built upon seven bold and imaginative strategic objectives. This year was one in which we produced unparalleled opportunities for Ursinus, fostering creative and innovative thinking; strengthening diversity and inclusion across campus; recruiting and retaining high-caliber students, faculty and staff; and ensuring long-term financial stability in order to strengthen Ursinus’s position as a national leader in the liberal arts.

Thank you for being a part of it. Go Bears!

BROCK BLOMBERG

President

This year ... we produced unparalleled opportunities for Ursinus, fostering creative and innovative thinking; strengthening diversity and inclusion across campus; [and] recruiting and retaining highcaliber students, faculty and staff.

CONTENTS

ON THE COVER What does it mean to be sustainable? From soil health research on the Ursinus farm to using GIS technology in environmental studies classrooms, Ursinus students, faculty and staff collaborate to make Ursinus a greener place to study, work and live. Meanwhile, alumni are doing their part to protect the world’s waterways.

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GETTING TO KNOW

BENEATH THE SOIL

Leah Joseph, an associate professor of environmental studies, is a geologist who teaches global climate change.

Her research expeditions—including one this fall to Lake Ontario—are quite thrilling.

Ursinus researchers are focused on how to make agriculture more sustainable. One way to do that is to dig deep and pay more attention to soil health.

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FIELD OF STREAMS

MODERN MAPMAKING

McGrath sisters Emily ’07, Lauren ’12 and Olivia ’15 use research skills learned at Ursinus to help improve the world’s waterways.

The use of geographic information systems (GIS) has grown to become an important part of environmental science research at Ursinus.

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THE BURNING QUESTION Rich Wallace, a professor of environmental studies, asks if our relationship with nature is catastrophic.

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SUSTAINABILITY BY THE NUMBERS

Just how sustainable is the Ursinus campus? Kate Keppen ’05, director of sustainability, provided the stats to show how we’re doing our part.

THE GATEWAY

FIRST ABELE SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

BREAKING GROUND ON THE COMMONS Construction on the Commons, the new “front door” to the Ursinus campus at Main Street and Fifth Avenue, began in September.

Scheduled to open during fall 2019, the 16,805-squarefoot space will be a welcome center for prospective students and their families and a new hub for social activity on campus, as well as a destination for alumni and members of the local community. All will be welcome to visit the Commons and make use of its meeting spaces, bookstore and coffee house as Ursinus opens its doors to even more families through this new welcoming gateway.

LEVINTHAL PHOTOGRAPHS DONATED TO THE BERMAN The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art has been gifted 34 large-scale, 20-by-24-inch Polaroid photographs by American artist David Levinthal from his Wild West series. Begun in 1986, the series uses toy models, figures and artificial settings to construct an elaborate, three-dimensional fiction for the camera. The donation is valued at over $650,000 and is one of the most significant donations of work by a living artist in the Berman Museum’s history. The Wild West photos will be part of a future Berman exhibition.

(left) rendering courtesy of Bernardon

Funded with generous support from Will Abele ’61 and the Abele Family Foundation, Ursinus has established the Abele Scholars Program. It provides high-achieving students with demonstrated financial need $10,000 in financial aid, in addition to funding for “startup” costs, such as the purchase of a laptop or required books; academically enriching pursuits such as internships, summer courses or academic conferences; and assistance with student debt upon graduation. The aim of the pilot program is to increase access and affordability of an undergraduate liberal arts education.

FOSTERING INCLUSIVE CONVERSATIONS This fall, Ursinus established two new programs designed to support the college’s efforts to create an even more diverse and inclusive campus environment: inclusive community grants and inclusive community fellowships. The grant program provides $250 to $2,500 in funding to faculty, staff or students to implement a campuswide project that promotes dialogue on topics such as race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, religion and more. The semesterlong fellowship program includes a course release and $4,000 in funding to allow an Ursinus faculty member to pursue a project that advances the work of diversity and inclusion on campus.

(second from left) photo courtesy of David Levinthal

PAYING IT FORWARD But it was Ursinus, he says, that gave him the opportunity to attend college and study under professors who were accomplished experts in the subjects they taught, as well as dedicated to their students.

The only problem is, he doesn’t know who to thank. Fifty years later it remains a mystery. At the end of February 1966, in his senior year at Souderton Area High School, Dupont was told that Ursinus Coach Dick Whatley wanted him to come over to the college to talk about playing football there.

Because of that invitation, he applied and earned an academic scholarship. But to this day, Dupont has been unable to discover who opened that door for him to attend Ursinus. He has his suspicions: maybe his high school football coach, or a high school social studies teacher who had graduated from Ursinus, or a student he had played football with in high school who graduated a year ahead of Dupont and went to Ursinus.

I want to do something that will make a difference in someone else’s life.

WHEN GEORGE E. DUPONT ’70 signed a seven-figure estate intention last year that will support student scholarships, he looked at it simply as paying back a debt he owed.

“Neither of my parents graduated from high school,” he says.

“My dad taught me the value of work. My mom taught me the value of an education. My high school football coach taught me the value of teamwork. And at Ursinus College, I received a well-rounded education that equipped me with the tools that I needed, used and continued to develop throughout my entire career.”

Dupont says he owes his successful career to the education he received at Ursinus. With it, he rose from a service technician to executive positions at American Motors/Jeep Corporation and Land Rover North America. He stayed on with Ford Motor Company for three years after they bought Land Rover and then retired in 2005.

photo JEFF FUSCO

Nevertheless, as the first member of his family to go to college, Dupont understands how that opportunity can transform a young person’s life—especially for those who could not otherwise afford a college education. His generous gift to Ursinus College’s Keep the Promise campaign will ensure that future students will have the same life-changing opportunity he did.

“This is the payback. I owe someone for introducing me to Ursinus,” Dupont says. “I owe some professors for making sure that I got out the front door, not the back door. I just want to help some other kids who would never consider Ursinus, or couldn’t afford to go to school there. I want to do something that will make a difference in someone else’s life.”

—By Jack Croft

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE GATEWAY

THEN & NOW

No matter the decade, chances are if you were an Ursinus student, you spent at least some of your time at the corner of Main St. and Fifth Ave. The building is shown here in the 1964 Ruby prior to a renovation. In her book, Images of America: Trappe and Collegeville (Arcadia Publishing, 2017), author Lisa Minardi ’04 says “Operated by the Winkler family during the mid-1900s, the College Drugstore carried ‘biologicals,’ as well as prescription medication and household supplies. A soda fountain was added in the 1950s and quickly became a popular local hangout.” The building is now home to Marzella’s Pizzeria (above). Adorned with Ursinus sports photos and other memorabilia on the walls, it remains a popular spot for Bears past and present.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE GATEWAY

photo JEFF FUSCO

GE T TING TO KN OW

LEAH JOSEPH This Ursinus geologist’s research goes to great depths (literally) to study climate conditions of the recent—and not so recent—past.

This fall, your global climate change course will take you and your students to the edge of Lake Ontario and to the Finger Lakes.

What do you hope to find there?

In this class, we spend a bit of time learning about different types of records of climate conditions. This includes learning about ocean and lake sediment (the sediment accumulates through time and can record some of the conditions under which it was deposited). So, we’re taking a research boat out on Seneca Lake to collect sediment sequences in cores from the bottom of the lake. I love for my students to have the opportunity to see the process of obtaining samples from the (near) start. I’ve found that students really appreciate the opportunity to participate in the fairly unusual experience of going out on a research vessel to collect sediment cores, are much more invested in analyzing the samples that we have collected ourselves, and gain a better sense of both the fun and the challenges inherent in “doing science” and of working on real samples and data.

Being on a research vessel sounds quite thrilling. What—or where— would be your dream research expedition and why?

I do really enjoy being out at sea on research expeditions. There are a number of ways to consider a dream research expedition: location, research, results, good community, safe travels, etc. Although it’s not my current field of oceanographic research, one of the very first papers I wrote in my undergraduate oceanography class made me want

to one day go down into the deep sea in a submersible (such as Alvin) and observe the really interesting varieties of life, as well as the geologic features found at deep sea hydrothermal vents at mid-ocean ridges. Maybe one day I’ll be able to get to view the ocean from deep below.

Students ... are much more invested in analyzing the samples that we have collected ourselves, and gain a better sense of both the fun and the challenges inherent in “doing science” and of working on real samples and data.

What can we learn from previous climate conditions that can inform how we think about the impact we have on climate in the future?

Studying previous climate conditions helps us understand how the Earth’s climate systems work and the extent of climatic variability that the Earth has experienced in the past. This is key information in predicting changes that will happen from the combination of natural and human-caused alterations to the climate system in our modern world and into the future. These predictions are valuable in deciding what to do, and how quickly to act, in regard to reducing our impact on climate and helping particularly vulnerable communities adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.

Anyone who is familiar with Pfahler Hall has probably seen the mineral collection there. Do you have a favorite?

That’s hard to say! There were so many spectacular specimens donated to Ursinus that form this collection. What I found when we were working through curating and labeling them was that I would be wowed by one sample that I was looking at, then pick up the next and be amazed by something different about the next one. Sometimes a specimen is visually appealing (color, sparkle, crystal shape, size, etc.); sometimes there’s something a little different about them that one might not usually see. Sometimes one has to look closely, but the minerals exhibit both the regularity/ predictability, as well as the variation, often present in nature and I find that really appealing.

So, do you have a favorite geologic timeframe?

I think probably starting with the Paleozoic all the way through recent times would be my favored (very broad) timeframe. To get more specific than that would be hard. As soon as I start to remember all the different things that developed, grew, or changed during each time period, I would switch my answer accordingly! I do probably have a particular fondness for fossils from the earlier periods of the Paleozoic though; a lot of my initial exposure to geology and the fossils from this interval came during my time as an undergraduate in upstate New York.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE WELL

BENEATH

THE SOIL On Ursinus College’s organic farm, students and faculty are digging deep to understand the impact that soil health has on agriculture.

BY MARY LOBO ’15 Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE WELL

ust across a secluded, winding road from the Ursinus campus, tucked back

by Hunsberger Woods on a quiet, twoand-a-half-acre tract of land, is the college’s own slice of farmland.

You might not even know it exists— unless you happen to be an Ursinus rugby player stopping by on your way to the practice field—if you’re simply passing through Collegeville down busy Main Street, heading toward bustling Germantown or Ridge Pikes. But it’s there, vibrantly green and typically busy with sustainability fellows; a greenhouse, a barn and an outdoor sink with a water pump adding to its charm.

Established in 2004, the Ursinus organic farm wasn’t always like this, at least in recent years. Kate Keppen, director of sustainability, joined the Ursinus staff in 2016. Prior to that, the farm was unmanaged and unused for a little more than a year while the office of sustainability was being reshaped.

She immediately set to work tackling the massive job of restoring it to a working, thriving farm. But before anyone could dive into growing any of the sought-after vegetables again, there was a lot of work to do: rehabilitating the community plots, fixing fence posts and cleaning up what nature had taken back.

Two years later, roughly a quarter of an acre of the land is actively farmed while the rest is used for leisure and teaching opportunities.

But that only tells part of the story—the part that’s on the surface.

Beneath the soil—well, that’s where the real work begins.

“We’ve really gotten away from taking a look at what’s happening underground,” Keppen says generally of farming practices. “There’s a rich environment underneath the soil made up of invertebrates, bacteria and fungi that make an intricate, unseen food web and help to release nutrients that our plants can use.”

“We’ve been farming as a culture for thousands of years,” Keppen says.

But rather than pay close attention to the biology of soil, “the goal was to grow food quickly, in large abundance, and with minimal costs,” particularly after World War II and the onset of innovative agricultural technologies, she notes.

“We know that greater attention to soil health is the way we can sustain food production over the long term and hopefully support sufficient food production to feed global populations.” (above) Jess Greenburg ’21 works on the Ursinus organic farm.

“So, when I talk about soil health, it’s really about how our soil can function in a way that supports our plant health,” Keppen says.

One of the most important goals for Keppen, along with faculty and student researchers at Ursinus, is to farm organically, sustainably and by considering the sometimes-overlooked impact of soil health, something that isn’t ignored here.

Denise Finney, an assistant professor of biology, says there are a lot of different ways to measure or assess soil health and the scientific community is still trying to figure out what makes soil “healthy.”

“At the same time we’re doing a lot of work to help farmers in particular build soil health,” she says. “We know that greater attention to soil health is the way we can sustain food production over the long term and hopefully support sufficient food production to feed global populations.”

Finney works closely with her students at the organic farm, as well as on the Robert and Shurley Knaefler Whittaker Environmental Research Station (WERS) on Third Avenue in Trappe, to approach the vital questions surrounding soil health.

(right) Students participate in a day of service.

One such question is particularly relevant to organic management systems, a topic with which Madison Moses ’20 is intimately familiar.

Organic farmers, Moses says, must use different techniques to manage weeds, pests and fertility because they can’t spray chemical pesticides or use chemical fertilizers. On any given day out at the campus farm, Moses can be found taking soil samples with a soil probe, a device that looks similar to a pogo stick. Her goal? To track nitrogen to make sure there is enough for her plants, but not so much that this important nutrient becomes a pollutant.

“I compare nitrogen dynamics in the soil to see how the systems organic farmers use to manage weeds— like tilling or applying straw or black plastic mulch—can affect nitrogen leaching and plant growth based on soil nitrogen concentrations and, specifically, nitrogen mineralization,” she says.

It’s a project that Moses, an environmental studies major, designed on her own in consultation with Finney.

Finney’s own work investigates ways to increase crop diversity in agriculture and, in turn, the ecosystem functions that support food production and reduce environmental pollution from agriculture. And Cory Straub, an associate professor of biology,

studies the ecology of insects in agricultural systems, with the goal of identifying management strategies, like increased crop diversity, that reduce the need for insecticides that threaten environmental and human health.

“They’re going to be the problem solvers of the future,” Finney says of the students actively involved in this research. “It’s challenging to do these kinds of research projects at a smaller school where we don’t have all of the resources that a big agriculture school has. But we have the people, and we can have unique conversations across disciplines, and we can prepare students in a very holistic way to deal with major challenges to sustainability.”

Beyond the research, dedicated students like Moses plant and tend to crops and help with volunteer opportunities on the organic farm, which attracts students across all disciplines to volunteer. From chemistry students to dance majors, everyone is welcome and encouraged to become an active part of creating an environmentally friendly campus.

“We have volunteers from Greek organizations, sports teams and people who just feel like coming out,” says

photos JEFF FUSCO (above left, above right) JIM ROESE (bottom right)

Jess Greenburg ’21 (pictured above left, with Keppen (center) and Moses (right), who, like Moses, is an Ursinus sustainability fellow. “Just seeing people reconnect with the land that grows their food is really cool.”

“Some folks see it as a place to grow vegetables for the college’s cafeteria.

They see it as a production farm,” Keppen says. “Other folks see it as a great learning opportunity for classes and research with hands-on learning for students. Some think of it as a hub of innovation and sustainability. We’re all of that.”

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE WELL

FIELD OF

Rivers and streams ebb and flow, oceans roar, and across the globe, it’s becoming even more essential to protect waterways, which are vitally important to the world’s ecosystems. McGrath sisters Emily ’07, Lauren ’12 and Olivia ’15 are doing their part to sustain these crucial resources.

BY ED MOORHOUSE

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE WELL

AUREN MCGRATH ’12 is almost knee-deep in water.

Morning clouds are giving way to sun, a welcome respite from the endless rain that saturated eastern Pennsylvania about a week earlier.

She gently lowers one end of an instrument into the flowing Ridley Creek and lets it dangle from a long cord while she studies numbers instantly produced on a digital screen on the other end. It’s measuring water conditions in real time.

Minutes later, a short walk along a muddy path leads to another instrument—this one not a portable tool, but a permanent fixture on the bank of the creek—called an EnviroDIY sensor station. It measures water temperature, conductivity, depth and, perhaps most importantly on this day, turbidity—a description of water clarity typically dictated by the concentration of the sediment suspended in the water.

“With all of the rain we’ve had this summer, we’ve had a lot of flood events that have allowed us to capture all of the muck and the mud that’s been transported,” Lauren says.

She points to an area near the walking path where displaced debris had been abandoned after the creek’s overflowing waters began to recede.

“You can see where the water line was. This whole area was covered. You couldn’t walk here.”

LAUREN MCGRATH ’12 photos JEFF FUSCO

Lauren is the director of the Watershed Protection Program at Willistown Conservation Trust in Newtown Square, Pa., where she conducts water quality monitoring throughout the Ridley, Crum and Darby Creeks. The trust covers 190 stream miles. The goal of the protection program is to ensure the long-term health of these streams through monitoring, restoration and best management practices.

After the deluge, Lauren’s work becomes even more significant. “We’re quantifying how much sediment was moved during one three-hour storm event,” she says. The sediment that has made the journey could have a major impact on water quality downstream.

“Everything we do on land impacts water quality, from how we mow our lawns to how we maintain our open space,” Lauren explains. “And by focusing on that, it shifts the framework of how we look at water. It’s not only a land feature. It’s a dynamic living system. Improving water quality in your immediate area benefits your downstream neighbors who you may never meet. As stewards of the headwaters of these streams, we’re responsible for quality of water for everyone else.”

Stewardship of the world’s waterways is a responsibility that Lauren and her sisters, Emily McGrath ’07 and Olivia McGrath ’15, are taking very seriously.

In the pacific northwest of the United States, Olivia spent some time working for a nonprofit organization

EMILY MCGRATH ’07

that monitors how beavers influence Washington’s streams; mentored high school students on marine science at the Seattle Aquarium; and is currently a community volunteer focused on improving the health of Puget Sound while preparing to pursue her master’s degree.

And a world away, Emily is preparing for a trip to Australia, where she’ll work in tropical systems researching sponges. She recently earned her doctoral degree at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand’s largest research university.

IT’S A TYPICALLY WARM THURSDAY AFTERNOON IN AUGUST WHEN EMILY Skypes with Ursinus Magazine, but in New Zealand, it’s winter.

In her role as a postdoctoral assistant, she spent some time at the Fiordland National Park, known for its glaciercarved fiords, where she worked with the Department of Conservation on a project assessing deep water systems in this protected area, primarily focused on protecting an ecologically and culturally important place on the South Island.

“The work was really cool just because it’s largely an unknown ecosystem,” she says. “For the most part, it’s considered fairly pristine. It’s really important for the native New Zealanders—the Maori people—because it’s considered a sacred place to them. If that area were

OLIVIA MCGRATH ’15 (above right) Emily McGrath works in a lab in Australia.

to be degraded, it would really affect New Zealand’s waterways.”

It’s a deviation from the work she’d previously done—which was centered on tropical ecosystems, giant barrel sponges and coral reef ecology—but the end game is the same.

“It’s trying to assess damage caused by people, and trying to determine how we can mitigate it,” Emily says. “In the event that’s not possible, how can we stop further influence from people?”

Emily’s research lab is primarily underwater and she says her passion for the world beneath the surface has roots at a diving club at Ursinus.

“If I could stay down there all the time, I would,” she says. “It’s incredibly quiet and meditative. You can focus on exactly what you’re doing. [Being underwater] certainly makes it more challenging, compared to doing work in a lab, but it’s more representative of natural processes in some instances.”

Now, working in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Emily will focus on climate change impacts on a variety of organisms within coral reefs at the National Sea Simulator (SeaSim), a world-class marine research aquarium facility.

“Once such a prominent member of an ecosystem declines or disappears [in this case, corals], what replaces it will represent a shift of all the ecosystems on the reef,” she explains.

BACK IN THE UNITED STATES, OLIVIA MCGRATH is focused on Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean along the northwestern coast of Washington. It harbors a diverse group of ecosystems and organisms.

aquarium’s Youth Ocean Advocate program was particularly meaningful to him. That conversation “solidified why I am in this field,” she explains.

“Even if I am not directly working in the field, I can still inspire others to make a difference in their own way, and that is invaluable.”

“We have everything from cold water corals to the iconic orca,” she says through an email exchange with Ursinus Magazine.

“What makes this system so unique is its proximity to the city and civilization; its cultural importance and the diversity of life.”

No matter where they are in the world, and even dating back to growing up on a farm in Benton, or getting their feet wet in Ursinus research labs, the McGrath sisters are each focused on one goal: sustaining a thriving and diverse ecosystem for years to come.

However, she says the sound is at a high risk of both chemical and sound pollution, runoff and destruction.

“That we all ended up doing something with water is incredible, and I guess a little odd,” Emily says. “I’m extremely proud of them.”

“So many species rely on the sound to raise young and feed, making it that much more important to preserve and prevent any further damage,” she says.

“We span the gamut from the headwaters down into the ocean in our interests,” Lauren says. “I think that’s pretty neat.”

Even as someone who didn’t grow up in an area where marine mammals are common (the McGraths are from Benton, Pa.), Olivia says she quickly developed “a passion and empathy for conservation of marine mammals that use the sound every day.”

But perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of her experiences has been mentoring young people who share her passion for conservation.

“To have the ability to help teens figure out their paths in life and potential careers was such an honor,” she says of her time at the Seattle Aquarium.

“This role wasn’t just science education, but also teaching life skills, job etiquette and time management.”

In one instance, a high school student told Olivia that the

(right) Lauren McGrath stands in the Ridley Creek.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE WELL

THE

MODERN M

MAPMAKERS Ursinus students and faculty in environmental studies as well as in the humanities are utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) to create modern-day maps and in-depth analyses that tell a richer story about the landscapes that surround us.

BY ED MOORHOUSE Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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THE WELL

ong before Google Maps, the earliest cartographers used mathematical calculations and astronomical observations to sketch out their best assumptions of what our world looked like. It was data that provided a key assist to understanding the interplay of space and distance.

can inspire new questions and new avenues of research.”

Centuries have come and gone and technological advances have been made since those early days of mapmaking, but data isn’t playing any less of a role.

Hurley’s research often takes place at the intersection of environmental science and policy. His classes examine human-environment interaction and the ways that people relate to, understand, use, degrade and steward nature. Thinking about space and using mapping techniques is part of that work.

Finding new types of data and ways to integrate them are at the heart of Ursinus’s efforts to foster innovative digital liberal arts learning.

“What it allows us to do is view and think about things spatially, and to broadly think about distance and elevation,” says Tristan Ashcroft, an Ursinus lecturer in environmental studies. “As an instructor, it’s a big deal. It allows me to do things I simply wasn’t able to do before. There’s an entire class that exists [at Ursinus] because we have GIS capability.”

The study of the environment is inherently spatial and the use of GIS has grown to become an important part of environmental science research.

The technology allows users to enter spatial data and organize layers of information into visualizations that map and analyze watersheds, land use, storm water management, landscape ecology, climate and a host of other environmental applications.

“To have the greatest impact, data needs to be made visible,” says Gene Spencer, chief information officer (library and information technology) at Ursinus. “Displaying data on a map can turn it into useful information that

The college’s information technology division has helped many faculty begin to incorporate GIS into their classrooms. Patrick Hurley, an associate professor of environmental studies, says it’s become an important tool across the curriculum.

“I take those methods as a way to expose students to the practical complexity of the theoretical discussions we have. To me, it’s hard not to talk about these things without looking at real landscapes, whether using air photos or maps of specific areas,” Hurley says.

“Visualizing environmental phenomena, including through map-making, is an empowering tool that allows students to learn and generate new insights.”

Perhaps the best example of this is by integrating story maps—which combine maps with narrative text, images and multimedia—into the teaching and learning experience. Hurley’s classes have recently created and published three of these maps: one that offers an in-depth look at restoring a Zacharias Creek tributary in Upper Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County; a reforestation effort in Hunsberger Woods; and a “Bears in the Woods” project that digitally chronicles the trees on the Ursinus campus.

In Gwynedd Township, Hurley says, “The real learning process here is teams of students talking to

landowners, decision-makers and various stakeholders to generate new knowledge about how these people participate and experience storm water management in the area.”

The advantage, Hurley says, is allowing students to tap into those local experts and resources to gain a better understanding of environmental issues, rather than just reading it in a book or listening to a lecture. And, once the story map is published, it serves to educate other communities in the region who may also be wrestling with similar challenges.

“We’re putting something out into the public domain, and that’s a key motivator,” Hurley says of getting exposure for Ursinus-led undergraduate research.

Reforestation at Hunsberger Woods, located off Ninth Avenue across from the Ursinus campus, is an ongoing collaboration between the college, the borough of Collegeville, the Montgomery County Conservation District and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

In 2015, Ursinus students planted trees there and GIS certainly played a role.

“You’d like to plant trees, but how are they going to do?” Ashcroft asks. “Can we quantify reasons why some of the trees will live and some won’t survive? Should they be closer to shade? Should they be in lower or higher elevation? Does species selection matter? GIS allows you to quickly analyze that information.”

Today, efforts have been focused on ongoing stewardship and management of the woods, Hurley says.

“We’re lucky to have, in Hunsberger Woods, a laboratory for nature

conservation and natural area stewardship,” Hurley says. And through a story map created by previous Ursinus students, “a resource that current students can use in classroom learning. They’re seeing and reading research produced by their peers.”

Sarah Becker ’20, an environmental studies major, says she has mostly been analyzing GIS outputs in her work as a student. Still, she is interested in pursuing research questions where GIS data can be used to analyze the spatial components of urban foraging practices that would otherwise be difficult to visualize.

TO HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT, DATA NEEDS TO BE MADE VISIBLE ...

DISPLAYING DATA ON A MAP CAN TURN IT INTO USEFUL INFORMATION THAT CAN INSPIRE NEW QUESTIONS AND NEW AVENUES OF RESEARCH.

“I believe that GIS provides a more concrete spatial context within which to consider environmental problems,” Becker says. “There is a substantial spatial component to environmental issues that is inherent to studying relations in the landscape. Having a means with which to visualize the relationships between different features of the land simplifies that task.”

GIS isn’t limited to environmental studies. Spencer notes that it has “many potential uses in analyzing and displaying information across nearly every discipline, using data sets that are available from outside sources or those that we create here locally on campus.”

While environmental science students may be looking at the distribution of trees on campus (a common use of such tools), English students may be studying the movements of characters throughout New York in a series of novels, or health and exercise physiology scholars may be researching the incidence of concussion injuries across the country.

Using methods of mapping, spatial analysis and narratives to examine human influence on nature is driving another research project Hurley has taken on, this one funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities. In early 2018, Ursinus was one of 23 colleges nationwide awarded a prestigious humanities connections grant from the NEH. Hurley is co-leading the project, titled “Trajectories of Transformation,” with Meredith Goldsmith, a professor of English and associate dean of the college. It includes an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students who will examine the suburban environment from literary, historical, scientific and social scientific perspectives.

“It is designed to link the big questions of the humanities to those of the social sciences and natural sciences,” Goldsmith says.

GIS technology is important to fostering these types of interdisciplinary endeavors, and as it continues to be put to use in Ursinus classrooms, students and faculty are looking forward to even more opportunities to collaborate on GISinformed research projects.

“It’s another arrow in the quiver,” Ashcroft says. “GIS is one of those buzzwords and our students are becoming GIS literate, which is a big deal because it can present a lot of opportunities for students when they graduate. And, it’s a big deal because we’re able to expand on how we do digital liberal arts at Ursinus.”

View the story maps created by Patrick Hurley and his students at ursinus.edu/magazine.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

23

CONVERSATIONS

T H E B U R N I N G Q UE STI O N

IS OUR REL ATIONSHIP

“Our willingness to increase risk to both human and ecological well-being, and willfully sacrifice virtually all aspects of the natural world in the interests of energy development, has been ongoing since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s.

During this period, the human population has grown from 1 billion to 7.5 billion. As a result, human-nature coexistence now stands on a knife’s edge.”

Disasters are deeply revealing. The 2010 blowout of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico occurred because government and industry safety measures were overmatched by the operation’s regulatory and technical complexity. Personnel were improperly trained and supervised, corners were cut on safety, the installed technology failed in dozens of ways, and response efforts were inadequate to address the scope and scale of the catastrophe. As a result, 11 people died and 210 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf. It is by far the worst oil industry disaster in history.

Similar safety problems occurred in the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster in Japan, in which three reactors suffered partial meltdown and one exploded, and radioactive material was widely released into the ocean, coastal zone and residential areas. In 2018, radiation levels in the plant itself remain lethal.

In the U.S. and Canada, we are witnessing a similar inability to address complexity in the massive expansion of oil and natural gas development on public and private lands, resulting in safety violations, surface and groundwater contamination, pipeline siting and construction conflicts, boom-and-bust community economic cycles, and massive ecological degradation. Most recently, our current U.S. presidential administration has made several disturbing moves to increase domestic development of oil and gas resources, including proposing to open 100% of the nation’s coastal waters, reducing the size of national parklands, and decreasing protections for endangered species and ecosystems.

Myriad other interests are ignored in this political calculus, including tourism and recreation, fisheries and wildlife conservation, mitigation of climate change, the vast quality of life benefits that people reap from living near or having

WITH NATURE

by RICHARD WALLACE, professor of environmental studies

access to unspoiled lands and waters, and the intrinsic value of the very existence of the species and ecosystems that comprise our natural heritage. Our willingness to increase risk to both human and ecological well-being, and willfully sacrifice virtually all aspects of the natural world in the interests of energy development, has been ongoing since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s. During this period, the human population has grown from 1 billion to 7.5 billion. As a result, humannature coexistence now stands on a knife’s edge.

Richard L. Wallace is professor of environmental studies at Ursinus College and codirector of the college’s Robert and Shurley Knaefler Whittaker Environmental Research Station. He arrived at Ursinus in 2002 as founding chair of the Department of Environmental Studies, where he helped develop the undergraduate program on a foundation of reflective practice steeped in the theory and methods of integrative problem-solving. He teaches courses on land stewardship, biodiversity conservation, food and agriculture, and the theory and practice of integrative problem-solving.

Environmental scholar Thomas Fleischner calls natural history the “practice of intentional focused attentiveness and receptivity to the more-than-human world, guided by honesty and accuracy.” The success of human evolution is due to this practice—it allowed us to figure out what to eat, what materials to use, how to survive in varied climates and habitats, and all else that has led us to our modern condition. Our current trajectory is toward the loss of natural history, and represents an “extinction of experience,” the effects of which have both immediate and evolutionary consequences.

The question is: what decisions will we make to ensure future generations of humans and nonhumans the quality of life they deserve? The science of ecological degradation tells us that our needs are urgent. Among them: to restore natural history to its rightful place at all levels of education, and to take an activist approach to teaching and learning, in which we train students to be skilled advocates and leaders in economic and policy decisions that will ensure human and ecological sustainability.

At Ursinus we have been hard at work on this for nearly 20 years—as demonstrated by the work of our students, faculty, staff and alumni highlighted in this issue.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

25

CONVERSATIONS

SUSTAINABILITY

BY THE NUMBERS WASTE REDUCTION

48

CUBIC YARDS OF ITEMS (or 5,253 lbs.) kept out of dumpsters during Ursinus’s sustainable move-out in 2018. These items were apparel, dorm furniture, appliances and décor that found new homes with other Ursinus students or went to other local organizations to be reused.

20 to 24

CUBIC YARDS OF CARDBOARD collected and recycled during the 2018 sustainable move-in. Ursinus is a landfill free campus. Our waste stream is recycled or goes to a waste-to-energy incineration plant.

2016-17 WASTE TO ENERGY:

488 TONS OF MATERIAL

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

11

SUSTAINABILITY FELLOWS, a leadership program managed by the Office of Sustainability that engaged 461 STUDENTS in the 2017-18 academic year.

4

STUDENT-MANAGED CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS that are related to sustainability.

TRANSPORTATION

15 BICYCLES for students to use on campus, around town and on local trails through the Ursinus bike share program. Membership averages

120 STUDENTS, FACULTY & STAFF.

FOOD

2,568.4 lbs.

190 lbs. of food on .15 acres of land produced at the Ursinus farm, which is managed with organic and low resources.

of food recovered and donated during the spring 2018 semester for Wismer on Wheels*.

*Ursinus participates in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge. In 2017, the EPA recognized Ursinus as one of 13 organizations and businesses that have documented the highest amounts of food waste diverted from landfills.

1,300

GROUNDS

TREES

on the campus of Ursinus College, which is a member of the Arbor Day Foundation’s certified Tree Campus USA program.

The program works across the nation to recognize colleges and universities that meet their standards of tree care and education. Ursinus has a three-acre naturalized storm water basin, which accepts 38 ACRES OF THE CAMPUS’S STORM WATER RUNOFF. This basin has native plants and has been retrofitted to slow the flow of water, which helps improve the water quality of the nearby Perkiomen Creek.

CARBON FOOTPRINT

is the target year for Ursinus to reach carbon neutrality.

METRIC TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT (MT CO2e)

Lowering our emissions is a substantial achievement, given the growth of our campus. Between 1990 and 2013, Ursinus increased its student body by approximately 58 percent and its building area by 344,000 square feet (a 42 percent increase), but still lowered emissions. The decrease is a result of a number of factors: sustainability measures adopted by our facilities department; the fuel mix of our purchased electricity; and the college’s switch from oil to natural gas.

in 2013 was the LOWEST emissions since 1990 and a 15% decrease from 1990. Data is currently being assessed for 2017.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

27

CONVERSATIONS

LOST & FOUND

AD

Ursinus College takes its name from 16th century reformer, teacher and thinker Zacharias Baer (1534–83), who took a Latin version of his German name and became known as Zacharias Ursinus. But what do we know of his teachings? This centuries-old book may give us a clue. His theological writings are captured in this hardcover volume archived in the special collections section of the Myrin Library. As far as college archivists can tell, it’s the oldest book in the library. It turns 406 years old this year. Now, can anyone help us translate Latin?

29

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018 photos JEFF FUSCO

HOMECOMING & FAMILY WEEKEND

photos JIM ROESE

LIFE IN PIXELS

Generations of Bears migrated to Collegeville during one big weekend to celebrate Ursinus. Two signature events, Homecoming and Family Weekend, were combined this year to offer more programming and meaningful experiences to the entire community. The celebration began on Sept. 21 with the Grizzly Gala and continued through the entire weekend, including milestone reunions for the classes of 2013, 2008, 2003, 1998, 1993, 1988, 1983 and 1978.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

31

CLASS NOTES Strengthening Education Abroad Kelly Johnson ’17 is one of 31 winners of a Princeton in Latin America fellowship. The fellows make significant contributions to socially responsible development work with 16 partners based throughout the Americas, addressing issues such as accessibility/ inclusion, community health, conservation, education, and girls’ and women’s economic empowerment. Johnson’s fellowship will take her to the Dominican Republic, where her background in Spanish and peace and social justice will be put to work. She started the fellowship as an English teacher at Liceo Científico Dr. Miguel Canela Lazaro—a school for students in grades 6-12, in the Hermanas Mirabal province. The school has a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math)-based curriculum and also focuses on teaching students to contribute to their society and develop critical-thinking skills.

1940s

Harriet L. Vonder Tann ’47 recently celebrated her 92nd birthday. She has three children, nine grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren and says that life is good.

1950s

J. Donald Schultz ’50 writes that he is impressed by the very engaging, well-illustrated format of Ursinus Magazine and its engaging articles about campus life, outstanding faculty and alumni. He says it makes him proud to be a Bear!

Editor’s note: Thanks, Donald!

Ed Dawkins ’55 has published a new book, Reckless But Lucky, that includes various accounts of his time at Ursinus (See “Reflections” on page 38). Later this year, Ed plans to publish a book about poetic living.

photo (above) BEN ALLWEIN ’18

Faye Dietrich Berk ’59 reports that she has been president of the resident’s association at the Westminster Village Retirement Community for the past two years.

1960s

Bob Naylor ’68 has just published his second book, Artful Ministry: The Use of the Arts in All Facets of Parish Ministry. In addition to being the lead consultant with In Church Imagining, a consulting and coaching ministry for local churches and clergy, he is an active basketball player and is joyfully married to Gretchen Hoffman.

1970s

Greg Wenhold ’75 writes that after 39 years of active parish ministry, he has transitioned to a new position representing

World Vision in the greater southwest region of the United States. World Vision is a transformational change agent in global communities where poverty exists. Its focus is child sponsorship, community development and clean water initiatives.

Ed Gilroy ’77 was named the North Carolina Athletic Director of the Year at the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association’s annual conference.

Sharon McGowan ’77 and Mike McGowan ’78 celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.

1980s

Frank A. Mazzeo ’88, cofounder of Ryder, Mazzeo & Konieczny, which is devoted to Intellectual Property Law, was named a super lawyer 2016 and 2017.

BEARS’ DEN

I N MEMO RI AM

GEORGE C. FAGO

1990s

Ron Kimmel ’90 and Carol Kimmel ’90 share that Ron continues to practice internal medicine and is a vice president at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Connecticut, while Carol is a pediatric occupational therapist in her town’s school system. They will soon celebrate 25 years of marriage.

Harley Rubin ’94 has accepted a position as adjunct lecturer at Southern Methodist University’s Temerlin Advertising Institute for the fall 2018 semester. Harley will be teaching a course in content marketing, drawing from 23 years of professional experience.

2000s

Tracie Johnson ’13 won the 2018 Equal Justice Works Fellowship, a prestigious honor where she will represent and advocate for young women of color with criminal records to increase their access to meaningful employment opportunities and fight intergenerational poverty.

Tracie will be hosted at Community Legal Services, Inc. Michael Taddonio ’13 graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and began a three-year residency program in internal medicine.

Scott Taddonio ’13 graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and began a four-year residency program at Geisinger Medical Center in Anesthesiology.

Brian P. Blake ’00 has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Blank Rome LLP as an associate in the consumer finance litigation group.

Collin Takita ’16 and Nicole Gruzin ’16 were engaged on the beach in Bermuda in May 2017.

They will marry in December 2018. They say that attending Ursinus was one of many steps of their adventure together.

2010s

BIRTHS

Alexandra Adams ’11 joined Ursinus College as an adjunct professor and will be teaching trial advocacy during the fall semester. She also coaches the Ursinus mock trial team.

Christine Dobisch ’13 recently earned a juris doctor from the Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Vinny Di Meglio ’09, a daughter, Elizabeth Marie, on April 3, 2018.

Karen (Boedecker) Wernick ’10 and Casey Wernick, a daughter, Miriam Aliza, on May 29, 2018.

A professor emeritus of psychology, George C. Fago passed away April 2.

Fago, an Ursinus faculty member for 35 years, served as department chair from 1976 to 1991 and co-led the Ursinus in Florence program during fall 2002. He is known for encouraging and fostering student research, and he worked with large numbers of students, many of whom presented their work at national and regional conferences. He was recognized for excellence in teaching with the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award in 1979. The Professor George C. Fago Prize, endowed by George Bause ’77, was established upon Fago’s retirement in 2005. The prize is awarded to a graduating psychology major who has excellent scholarship in psychology and acceptance to a graduate school of social work, criminology or criminal justice. A member of the American Psychological Association, his area of specialty was cognitive development.

He is remembered for his leadership in the revision of the Ursinus curriculum in the early 1980s and for designing the freshman advising program that he coordinated for many years.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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DEATHS

1950s

1970s

Joan (Kahn) Miller ’50 died March 20, 2018.

William J. Hamilton Jr. ’70 (Evening) died Nov. 26, 2017.

Robert A. Reichley ’50 died May 15, 2018.

Kathleen “Kathy” S. (Ogden) Welch ’71 died May 7, 2018.

Beverly (Schofield) Whitney ’50 died June 11, 2018.

Evelyn “Ev” L. (Easley) Hoffman ’76 died May 16, 2018.

Joyce (Lownes) Robinson ’42 died May 28, 2018.

Ray D. Sothern ’51 died April 25, 2017.

Mark T. Mankowski ’78 died Aug. 5, 2018.

Carl B. Hoffman ’43 died March 13, 2018.

Wayne C. Woodward ’51 died June 11, 2018.

Beatrice (Weaver) McConnell ’44 died July 7, 2018.

Robert M. Henderson ’52 died July 14, 2018.

Regina A. Foley ’96 died August 12, 2018.

Doris J. (Titzck) McKinney ’45 died May 23, 2018.

Ralph R. “Richard” Thomas ’52 died May 10, 2018.

Alicia T. (Longshore) Flannery ’97 died May 28, 2018.

Ethel “Ebbie” P. (Poinsett) Unsworth ’46 died July 11, 2018.

Mark “Tom” Goldenberg ’55 died April 23, 2018.

2000s

1930s Charlotte R. (Tyson) Paris ’37 died Dec. 16, 2017.

1940s

John G. Kristensen ’47 (V-12 Program) died May 28, 2018.

1960s

1990s

Edward Z. “Zach” Stewart ’05 died July 18, 2018.

Dorothy F. (Helms) Gruber ’48 died July 10, 2018.

Carol (Davis) Bond ’60 died May 8, 2018.

Edna (Daniels) Parker ’48 died July 19, 2018.

Susan (Mertz) Zeigfinger ’61 died April 25, 2018.

Leander (Lee) P. Tori Jr. ’48 died April 20, 2018.

William R. Briggs Jr. ’62 died July 15, 2018.

Dorothy (Kuntz) Drummer ’49 died Aug. 1, 2018.

Calvin L. Moyer ’63 died June 20, 2018.

Phyllis (Stein) Lazarus ’49 died May 24, 2018.

David S. Raub ’67 died June 29, 2018.

H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest died Aug. 5, 2018.

Ruth (Meyer) Neumann ’49 died April 12, 2018.

Barbara J. Allen ’69 died April 24, 2018.

Gladstone T. Whitman died June 9, 2018.

Rebecca “Becky” J. (Boswell) Yates ’49 died May 5, 2018.

Barbara D. (McKaraher) Bray ’69 died June 20, 2018.

Eleanor Shaheen died August 30, 2018.

In Memoriam David G. Phillips, a former professor of biology, died May 12, 2018.

Friends of the College Elaine Heist died Aug. 2, 2018.

BEARS’ DEN

IN M E M O RIAM

BILL RACICH have won the prestigious Chris Clifford Award, while six others were named Outstanding Wrestler at the Centennial Conference championship meet.

legend in collegiate wrestling, Racich served as the Bears’ head coach since 1980. He ranks first in wins among all men’s single-sport coaches ever to serve at the college, fourth on the NCAA’s all-time list for all divisions, and second among all active coaches.

He suddenly and unexpectedly passed away on Sept. 21, 2018.

Under Racich, Ursinus established itself as the flagship wrestling program of the Centennial Conference.

The Bears won 11 conference championships, including five straight from 2003 to ’07, to become the only school in league history to accomplish that feat. He coached 56 Centennial Conference champions and more than 200 Middle Atlantic and Centennial Conference place-winners, and saw 17 All-Americans and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans go through his program. Five Ursinus wrestlers

photo JEFF FUSCO

“From the first day, we’re focused on graduating our student-athletes, getting them into grad school and helping to parlay that into a career,” he said in 2016. “That’s what we’re thinking. Wrestling—that sorts itself out. The main prize is going to every class. The most important letters in a student-athlete’s life here are G-P-A, not W-I-N. We’ll win, but they need to be solid students and leaders in the campus community. That’s our goal.”

A coach for the better part of four decades, Racich brought an incredible enthusiasm for his role as a teacher and mentor, and leaves behind a legion of student-athletes who were forever changed for the better by his presence.

One of them, Scott Flannery ’92, penned an article for Ursinus Magazine following Racich’s induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame earlier this year.

“He built a family the spans four decades of combatants,” Flannery wrote. “Men who are undoubtedly more successful in life because

they had Coach. He stressed the importance of supporting each other and pushing each other to be successful, but when the whistle blew you were accountable for yourself and there were no excuses. Coach knows how hard he can push an athlete to get their best and they often discovered they had another gear only he know about. Oh—and once you found it—he would push you to the next one.”

As a head coach, Racich was named coach of the year 13 times over his time in the Pennsylvania Ches-Mont League, Middle Atlantic Conference, Centennial Conference and NCAA East Regional. During Racich’s storied career at Ursinus, the Bears never had a losing season; his 1988-89 team set the current standard of 21 dualmeet wins.

In 2001, Racich was inducted into the Ursinus College Hall of Fame for Athletes. Perhaps even more impressive is the academic success his student-athletes have enjoyed through the years. Under Racich, 91 Ursinus wrestlers have been named NCAA Division III Scholar AllAmericans, including nine in 2017. All senior letter winners Racich coached have graduated from Ursinus.

“Bill always used to talk and joke about ‘living the dream’ and how great it was to coach kids,” Ursinus Director of Athletics Laura Moliken said. “He’d say, ‘they don’t really change; you just have to adjust how you teach the sport.’”

You can read Flannery’s entire tribute to Racich, as well as a biography about Racich and his accomplishments, at ursinus.edu/magazine.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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1

3

2

4

5

WEDDINGS

6

1 Christine Keough ’08 and David Baron ’08 were married on July 16, 2016. 2 Emily M. Short ’14 and Thomas J. Steiner Jr. ’14 were married April 21, 2018. 3 Carina Murphy Brown ’11 and Matthew James Zuber ’11 were married on May 12, 2018.

4 Molly Blew ’12 and Chris Howard ’12 were married June 16, 2018. 5 Grace Gennaro ’13 and Michael Rosa were married July 16, 2017. 6 William Freeman ’10 and Elise Sassone ’10 were married on April 28, 2018.

URSINUS WEDDING PHOTOS Ursinus Magazine publishes wedding photos in the magazine as well as online. Please send your favorite wedding memories. Digital photos can be emailed to ucmag@ursinus.edu.

Ursinus College reserves the right to reject publication of photos that are not of publishable quality. We regret that we are not able to return print photographs.

Questions can be addressed to the Office of Alumni Relations, 610-409-3585, or by emailing ucmag@ursinus.edu.

IT’S

easy

TO FALL IN

AT Wedding packages are available for 2019!

Alumni receive a 25% discount on space rentals!

Ursinus

Contact case@ursinus.edu or 610-409-3002.

BEARS’ DEN

ALUMNI EVENTS

GUESS WHO HAS A BIG BIRTHDAY COMING UP?

NONPROFIT AND GOVERNMENT ALUMNI NETWORKING BREAKFAST Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018 Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia Join Rob Wonderling P’16, chair of the Ursinus Board of Trustees and president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, for a networking breakfast with fellow alumni in the nonprofit, philanthropy and government relations industries. Breakfast will be provided.

Please contact the alumni relations office at ucalumni@ursinus.edu or call 610-409-3585 to register or with questions.

KEEP THE PROMISE CAMPAIGN RECEPTION IN WASHINGTON, D.C. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018 The Army Navy Club, Farragut Square, Washington, D.C. Gather with alumni, parents, students and friends of the college for an evening celebrating Ursinus hosted by Ann Helfferich Mackenzie ’77 and Graham “Mac” Mackenzie ’74. Learn about the Keep the Promise campaign, hear plans for the college’s sesquicentennial anniversary and discover how you can make an impact on the lives of students.

HANDEL’S MESSIAH Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2 Bomberger Hall, Ursinus College Conducted by John French, William F. Heefner Professor of Music.

George Frideric Handel’s oratorio has been a tradition at Ursinus since 1937.

This year marks French’s 40th year conducting these concerts. Tickets for the performances are $10 for general admission and $5 for students, and must be purchased online in advance at ursinus.edu/tickets. For more information, please call the box office at 610-409-3030.

ALUMNI WEEKEND 2019 Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, 2019 Ursinus College All alumni are invited to experience Ursinus College and see what is new today, as well as remember the traditions that make Ursinus special. We will be celebrating the milestone reunions for 1969, 1964, 1959 and 1954, and recognizing all members of the Red, Old Gold and Black society throughout the weekend.

Spoiler alert: IT’S US! To celebrate, we’re planning a special anniversary issue of Ursinus Magazine and we want to hear from you.

Who are the college’s unsung heroes—the folks who are part of the fabric of our proud institution and traditions, but may not command all of the headlines? We want to feature them in a story.

Send your nominations to ucmag@ursinus.edu with the subject line “Anniversary Issue.”

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

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ALUMNUS CHRONICLES LIFE AS “RECKLESS BUT LUCKY” In his new memoir, Ed Dawkins ’55 recalls a unique and adventurous life, including vivid memories of his time as an Ursinus student. Read more of his tales at ursinus.edu/magazine. By Geoff Gehman Not only was he not suspended for his tomfoolery, he says, he was rewarded.

Stieb Pancoast, the college’s dean of men and baseball coach, allowed Dawkins to compete in a wrestling tournament after narrowly escaping a bucket of water tipped by Dawkins at his person.

My life has been all about doing your own thing, going your own way, not getting caught up in other people’s paths for you.

Ed Dawkins ’55 asked his wife, Bev ’56, to photograph him a half hour after he was savaged by a shark. He wasn’t in shock. He wasn’t trying to comfort his shocked spouse. He simply wanted to show the world, and remind himself, what it looks like when your face and upper body are rearranged by predatory teeth.

Vietnam soldiers, dodging a stampede of wild beasts and turning the Ursinus campus into an amusement park for pranks. He essentially casts himself as Walter Mitty rewritten by Ernest Hemingway.

Somewhat immunized to pain by a host of nasty wrestling injuries, Dawkins had the calm clarity to quip about his scary condition. “If you think I look bad,” he told Bev before she snapped a memento, “you should see the shark!”

“My life has been all about doing your own thing, going your own way, not getting caught up in other people’s paths for you,” says Dawkins from his 30-acre, savannah-like spread in Winters, Calif. “Embracing your passion, indulging in your imagination, putting everything aside to grab ahold of something special and damning the consequences.”

This real tall tale surfaces in Reckless But Lucky (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform), Dawkins’s new autobiography of anecdotes about his adventures as a herpetologist, hand surgeon and bull rider in life’s rodeo.

Brimming with irreverent wit and reverent wonder, he writes of repairing

At Ursinus, he spread his intrepid spirit as a dean’s list student, a champion wrestler who didn’t lose a point as a senior, a fishing instructor for the faculty’s children and a peerless prankster. Football players and cops were recruited to remove a cow he hauled into an upper-floor dining hall.

photo provided by PARKER BOLDEN

Five years after graduating from Ursinus, Dawkins was hit by an underwater train. The surgical intern was spear fishing in Panama when a shark slammed him out of the blue. Luckily for him, the predator was content to eat his face mask, mistaking it for human flesh. A week after receiving over 100 stitches, he appeared in a photo in Life magazine, which was tracking shark attacks. Head wrapped in bandages, looking like a wounded mummy, he was saluted by the headline “Reckless, But Lucky.”

He writes vividly about tying chipmunks to his clothes to attract snakes at a reptile-repository, pinning wrestlers with a novel grip too painful to escape, jumping with Bev onto a tree stump in a barren river plain to avoid a herd of javelina frightened by gunshots. His memoir doubles as a love letter to his wife, a retired teacher of general science and biology and mother of their three children.

“Life is so full if you allow it to be and one of the bonuses, one of the gifts, is that stories just bubble up until you’re buried in them,” he says.

REFLECTIONS

THIS DOG DEFINITELY CONTINUES TO DO TRICKS!

AND WE CAN SHOW YOU A SURE WAY TO MAKE A TAX-WISE GIFT FROM YOUR IRA ASSETS

ACT NOW! Congress made the IRA charitable rollover provision PERMANENT in 2016!

Direct gifts to Ursinus College from your IRA can: • Be an easy and convenient way to make a gift from one of your major assets.

For your gift to qualify for benefits under the now-permanent law: • You must be 70½ or older at the time of your gift.

• Be excluded from your gross income in the year of the gift: a tax-free rollover.

• The transfer must go directly from your IRA to Ursinus College.

• Count toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD).

• Your total IRA charitable gift transfer(s) cannot exceed $100,000 per calendar year.

• Your gift must be outright—no planned gift arrangements are allowed.

For information on how to structure such a charitable gift, please contact us today or visit our gift planning website at ursinus.giftplans.org and choose How to Give/Gifts from Retirement Plans.

Mark P. Gadson, Executive Director Leadership Giving and Advancement Operations 610-409-3164 | mgadson@ursinus.edu The information contained herein is offered as general informational and for educational purposes. Please consult your advisers for applicability to your personal situation.

Ursinus Magazine • Fall 2018

39

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE 601 E. Main St. • Collegeville, PA 19426-1000 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

PAID

UTICA, NY PERMIT NO.566

photo BEN ALLWEIN ’18