Ursinus Magazine Spring/Summer ’19

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SMALL, BUT MIGHTY

ONE SMALL STEP

TRIALS FOR CHANGE

The FUTURE program molds high school students into Ursinus science scholars.

A decade after brain surgery, Renee Butler ’21 pursues her passion in neuroscience.

Bonnie Clarke ’87 is at the forefront of cutting-edge cancer screening developments.

BEST. WEEKEND. EVER.

HOMECOMING & FAMILY WEEKEND SEPTEMBER 20-21, 2019 For more information visit ursinus.edu/homecoming Office of Advancement | 610-409-3585 | ucalumni@ursinus.edu

VOLUME #126 | SPRING/SUMMER 2019

Ursinus Magazine is published seasonally three times a year.

Copyright © 2019 by Ursinus College Editorial correspondence & submissions: Ursinus Magazine 601 E. Main Street Collegeville, Pa. 19426 610-409-3000 ucmag@ursinus.edu

DEAR READERS,

CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER Tom Yencho tyencho@ursinus.edu MAGAZINE EDITOR Ed Moorhouse emoorhouse@ursinus.edu CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dominic Monte dmonte@ursinus.edu GRAPHIC DESIGNER Erica Gramm CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ISSUE Photography: Jeff Fusco, Dan Z. Johnson, Mark Likosky, Dominic Monte and Jim Roese Editorial: Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque ’95, Mary Lobo ’15, Steve Neumann, 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 P’18 ONLINE MAGAZINE (URSINUS.EDU/MAGAZINE) Erin Hovey ’96 CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER Jacqueline D’Ercole, Kristin Maag 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.

I’m truly proud of all that we accomplished at Ursinus this past academic year—one that saw an extraordinary commitment to the liberal arts while simultaneously re-envisioning the future of our campus. We moved forward with our new core curriculum, Ursinus Quest: Open Questions Open Minds; made significant headway with our campus master planning process; and successfully transitioned from one “grand opening” to another “groundbreaking,” when attention turned to the Commons and, more broadly, the re-conceptualization of our campus gateway. All of those achievements set the stage for our historic 150th anniversary, which we will begin celebrating this September. Be sure to check your mailboxes for a special anniversary issue of this magazine in the fall, and I hope you will join us for our 150 Fest on September 1. Until then, I’m pleased to present to you this latest issue of Ursinus Magazine, one that focuses in part on how some members of our community are both contributing to and inspired by the sciences. Thank you for making this academic year one of so many memories. I hope you have a wonderful summer.

BROCK BLOMBERG

President

“

I’m truly proud of all that we accomplished at Ursinus this past academic year.

”

CONTENTS

12 ON THE COVER Through programs like FUTURE, Ursinus is clearing the way for students like Joe Pantel ’21 (cover) and Aliyah Stephens ’21 (inside) to participate in rigorous liberal arts and STEM programming before they begin their first college semesters. These are a few success stories.

photo DAN Z. JOHNSON

GETTING TO KNOW

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Dr. Patricia Lott is one of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s 32 Career Enhancement Fellows for 2019-20. She talks to Ursinus Magazine about digital history and more.

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OFFICE SPACE

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As collections manager for thousands of ancient Egyptian artifacts at the Penn Museum, Jacquelyn Fox ’11 holds a key to the past.

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ONE SMALL STEP

TRIALS FOR CHANGE

Renee Butler ’21 had brain surgery as a 9-year-old. The experience inspired her to study neuroscience at Ursinus College and she is determined to help children with pediatric brain conditions.

Bonnie (Nemeth) Clarke ’87 is working on clinical trials for cutting-edge developments that will be used in the screening of various cancers and other conditions. One is currently pending FDA approval.

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CoSA BY THE NUMBERS

LOST & FOUND

On April 25, Ursinus held its annual Celebration of Student Achievement, a day when the entire campus community comes together to recognize research, artistic and experiential endeavors.

When Ursinus dance professor Jeanine McCain returned home to Montana, she discovered something unexpected: a small piece of Ursinus history.

THE GATEWAY

NEW SUMMER PROGRAM FOR FIRST-GEN STUDENTS Ursinus is introducing prospective college students from rural areas to a liberal arts curriculum through its new Freedom, Citizenship and Equality summer program. It is funded by the Teagle Foundation and aims to acquaint high school students with college using Ursinus’s flagship Common Intellectual Experience (CIE).

The first cohort of high school students for the twoweek intensive academic experience beginning in July will come from Upper Perkiomen High School in Pennsburg, Montgomery County. They will also be mentored by current Ursinus students and will receive college credit upon successful completion of the program.

STUDENTS RECEIVE HIGH ACADEMIC HONORS DAVIS LECTURERS SPARK DISCUSSION, REFLECTION Joanne M. Braxton and Eboo Patel delivered Davis Visiting Professor of Judeo-Christian Values lectures at Ursinus during the spring semester.

The professorship was established in 1988 through the generosity of Thomas G. and Nancy B. Davis.

Braxton discussed “moral distress” and “moral injury” in relation to nursing and military psychology. Patel (below), a leading voice in the movement for interfaith cooperation, talked about religious diversity. He is the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), a national nonprofit organization working to make interfaith cooperation a social norm.

photo (second from left) DAN Z. JOHNSON

SIX IN A ROW FOR WOMEN’S SWIMMING This winter, the women’s swimming team turned in a record-breaking performance en route to its sixth consecutive Centennial Conference crown. The Bears won all five relays, rewriting the conference and championship meet record book in four of them. All told, eight of Ursinus’s 14 gold medals over the four-day championship came with new conference records attached. Sophie Lear ’22 was named the meet’s Most Outstanding Performer and Most Outstanding Rookie Performer. She joins Peyten Lyons ’19 as the only two swimmers in conference history to garner both awards at the championship meet.

Ursinus students flexed some academic muscle to close out the 2018-19 year.

Jason Bennett ’19 (below) became the 12th Ursinus student to be awarded a Fulbright fellowship since 2007. He’s studying physics in the Netherlands this summer. AJ Belville ’21 earned a scholarship from the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia and will spend his junior year at the University of Glasgow. Julia Dorsherimer ’19 earned the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship and is pursuing her Ph.D. at Columbia University.

Madison Moses ’19 and Shannon Kiss ’20 earned scholarships from the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation.

HONORING ALUMNI EXCELLENCE Four Ursinus alumni and two graduating students were recognized for their academic and professional accomplishments, humanitarian efforts and exemplary loyalty to Ursinus on April 13 during Alumni Weekend.

(From left to right): Matt Weintraub ’90, President Brock Blomberg, Megan Shaine (daughter of Ross Doughty ’68), Samuel C. Totaro Jr. ’69, Elizabeth Cannon ’10, Susana Zelaya Rivera ’19 and Johnathan Myers ’19.

MATTHEW WEINTRAUB ’90 Alumni Award for Professional Achievement

S. ROSS DOUGHTY ’68 Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin Educator Award

SAMUEL C. TOTARO JR. ’69 Alumni Award for Service to Humanity

Weintraub serves as district attorney for Bucks County, Pa. Over the course of his career, he has tried more than 100 cases before juries and judges.

He is a volunteer at Ursinus College involved with the college’s extern and pre-law mentoring programs.

The late Dr. Doughty devoted his life to education and to Ursinus. Over his 43 years of service to the college, he served as history department chair on two separate occasions, lent his leadership to the education department as acting chair and was an advocate and volunteer for the International Relations Program.

Totaro is well known for his accomplishments in the field of adoption law and related adoption litigation, having participated in over 4,000 adoptions of children. As a student, he helped underserved groups while a member of the college’s service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega. Totaro is currently a partner at Curtin & Heefner LLP.

ELIZABETH CANNON ’10 The Rising Star Alumni Award

JOHNATHAN MYERS ’19 Senior Alumni Award

SUSANA ZELAYA RIVERA ’19 Senior Alumni Award

As a student, Cannon was integral to the creation of UCARE at Ursinus and currently works as senior associate director at Civic House at the University of Pennsylvania. She interfaces with Penn students in support of community service and social advocacy work in the West Philadelphia community and beyond.

Myers earned bachelor’s degrees in applied economics and English while distinguishing himself in academics, extracurricular activities and athletics. As president of the college’s investment club, he helped lead a student-managed investment fund, which was used to make a donation to the Ursinus Annual Fund.

Zelaya Rivera earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and a self-designed culture and health studies major while minoring in Latin American Studies.

Through her scholarship and research, she has worked to address global issues of social justice and health equity. Her research has centered on aspects of health and health care outcomes for people of color.

photo JIM ROESE

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

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THE GATEWAY

photo DOMINIC MONTE

GE TTIN G TO KN OW

PATRICIA LOTT An assistant professor of African American and Africana Studies, American Studies, and English, Lott is one of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s 32 Career Enhancement Fellows for 2019-20 and is working on a digital history project that examines race and equity at Ursinus. At the conclusion of the fall 2019 semester, she will unveil the digital project during a special campuswide event in celebration of the college’s sesquicentennial anniversary. She is also working on a book project about memory and slavery in the North.

If you could interview one person from history, who would it be and why?

The very first person who comes to mind is Harriet Wilson. She was a woman of African descent who was bound in New Hampshire. In 1859, she wrote a narrative called Our Nig, which is a fictionalized account of her experience. I first read it as an undergrad. I write about her and I think about her a lot. I have a lot of conversations with her in my head. After she was released, she went on to sell her own hair products—this was the 19th century—and she became a prominent Spiritualist. I’d like to talk to her about her experiences being bound, and her life as an entrepreneur. Her story has had such a profound impact on me.

You’re creating a digital archive of the history of race and equity at Ursinus. What have you learned through your research that surprised you, or that you found most interesting?

As early as the 1870s or 1880s, the Ursinus community was surveyed on whether or not Ursinus should admit black students to the school. The students voted yes in the majority. Also, Ursinus began admitting African American male students in the 1950s, but then there’s this big question here in the 1970s on whether or not we should admit black women. That’s

something that I’m still curious about. Why was there a gender gap and what accounted for it?

I’m also interested in learning more about what happens after black women were admitted to the college and how it changed the dynamics of campus life here.

“I write about [Harriet Wilson] and I think about her a lot. I have a lot of conversations with her in my head ...

Her story has had such a profound impact on me.”

Why is it important to create a digital archive of history?

Archives and repositories hold traces of the past. When you digitize materials like that, you can make them available to a broader audience. It will be important to share this research so that not only current students can see it, but so that it has a broad reach for alumni, former faculty and staff, the local community and beyond. It’s Ursinus history and we want to put Ursinus on the digital map, so to speak, and get

more people engaged in conversations about our history as it relates to contemporary issues.

What’s on your summer reading list?

It’s an Afrofuturist book by Rivers Solomon called An Unkindness of Ghosts. We talk in my classes about futurity and technology and race and gender. This book features characters who are transgender and nonbinary, which I haven’t seen as much in Afrofuturism before, so I was really drawn to it.

I’m a few chapters in and I’d like to include it in one of my classes.

You taught a course about Afrofuturism, which is a major theme in Marvel’s Black Panther comic books and movies—and you even took the class to see the movie.

In Black Panther, Wakandans use the fictional element vibranium to power their technology. What would you use it for?

Well, I am a professor, so I’d love to invent technology that could grade papers for me!

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

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THE GATEWAY

OFFICE SPACE KEEPER OF THE ANCIENT PAST With some 55,000 centuries-old artifacts from Egypt on hand, Jacquelyn Fox ’11 serves as a gatekeeper of sorts at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

An assistant collections manager there, the Ursinus alumna takes inventory and handles unpacking and storing the delicate objects at an off-site location, as well as some of those that have to remain at the museum. With great care and attention to detail, Fox works toward the betterment of storage and safety for the objects, and takes on photography and cataloguing, creating a record of ancient history.

Fox sharpened her collections skills at the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art on the Ursinus campus, an experience that “changed my life,” she says. Originally intending to major in biology, she carved out a new path working with the Berman’s impressive collection, assisting with museum renovation and serving on its 20thanniversary committee as a student.

Working at the Berman “elevates the knowledge of students who want to go into this field,” Fox says. “It’s so invaluable to learn how a museum works. That’s not very prevalent on many college campuses. That experience led me right to where I wanted to be.”

After Ursinus, Fox earned a master’s degree at Seton Hall University and then landed at Penn Museum, which is dedicated to ongoing crosscultural discovery. Its exhibitions and events welcome visitors to uncover the mystery of the ancient past, something with which Fox has become quite familiar.

At Ursinus, she says, “I got a lot out the core curriculum and learned how to think critically. I was able to gain a perspective I am now applying to my field.”

photo JEFF FUSCO

Ursinus Magazine • Winter 2019 Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer

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THE WELL

small,

but

MIGHTY

BY STEVE NEUMANN

The FUTURE program at Ursinus represents what’s possible for underserved students.

D

uring their participation in the FUTURE Program at Ursinus in the summer of 2017, roommates Justin Martinez ’21 and Joe Pantel ’21 made a fairly important discovery: if you try to fry bacon on the front burner of the kitchen stove in North Hall at six in the morning, you’ll set off the fire alarm and wake everybody up.

But the far more important discovery they made during their time in the program was the value of the connections and relationships they made before even starting their college career at Ursinus.

STEM fields. The program was based on studies showing that early involvement in undergraduate science research is an effective way to improve retention and outcomes for students from those populations.

“It made me feel very comfortable,” says Pantel, a biochemistry and molecular biology major from Seaside, N.J., “because I did get to know a lot of upperclassmen, so it just wasn't so daunting trying to make new friends when getting to Ursinus the first day.”

Established through a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 2012, the program, which is part of the college’s Parlee Center for Science and the Common Good, targets underserved students prior to (or immediately following) their first year at Ursinus. Each student participant completes a four-week summer research experience mentored by an upper-class student and a faculty member.

“The connection we all have was the research, of course, but it was the program that brought us together as friends,” says Martinez, a chemistry major from Carteret, N.J. FUTURE (Fellowships in the Ursinus Transition to the Undergraduate Research Experience) provides early research opportunities to members of underserved populations in

“The program helps them build this little community so that, even if the coursework gets challenging, they believe that they can do it,” chemistry professor and FUTURE program faculty member Amanda Reig says.

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photo DOMINIC Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019 MONTE

THE WELL FUTURE program experience, is now working with Reig, adding metals to synthetic proteins in order to see what applications they could be used for later.

While the rates of undergraduate research in the sciences are high at Ursinus—about 68% for all STEM majors—a full 90% of FUTURE program participants engage in subsequent research.

“I guess one way to think about it is small, but mighty,” Reig says. “We don't have 40 students that are impacted by this, but I think every person that has participated in the program— the students, the mentors and the faculty—would tell you that it has been a very win-win-win kind of thing.

Research is the core of what we do as scientists, so getting students involved in that as early as possible is important to their development as scientists and vital to keeping them or convincing them to continue that path.”

Both Martinez and Pantel have continued down the scientific path since their time in FUTURE. Martinez has been continuing the research he began on spinal cord regeneration in axolotls (Mexican salamanders) in biology professor Ellen Dawley’s lab, and will be working with Dawley again this summer, this time in a dual role.

“This summer he is going to be the upper-class mentor for one of my FUTURE students,” Dawley says. “It's nice when it comes full circle like that.”

Pantel, who chose to work on the uses of nanotechnology in chemistry professor Mark Ellison’s lab for his

“I didn't think I was going to like research,” says Pantel, “but it made me fall in love with it and sent me down the path of wanting to go to grad school.”

“The FUTURE Program gave me more confidence to just keep on going with the science field,” Martinez adds.

“When I first walked onto campus it was kind of surreal, because I’ve seen those kinds of labs. It was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Martinez and Pantel are just two of the success stories to come out of the FUTURE program. Another student in their summer cohort was Aliyah Stephens ’21, a first-generation biology major from Mullica Hill, N.J. “Justin’s one of my closest friends now,” Stephens says. “It’s nice I met a study buddy in the summer who I can lean on and go to whenever I need help.”

That kind of support is priceless, because juggling college-level coursework, extracurricular activities and a healthy social life can be overwhelming at times. But Martinez, Pantel and Stephens all agree that their experience in the FUTURE program gave them the confidence and grit to tackle challenges and keep going when things weren’t working out the way they planned. After all, what all the sciences share in common is that their experiments fail much of the time, so scientists have to learn how to overcome failure if they’re to succeed.

And while Martinez, Pantel and Stephens are still considering options for their next steps after Ursinus, Julia Dorsheimer ’19 has already decided on her post-graduate plans.

A chemistry major and math minor from Honeybrook, Pa., Dorsheimer earned a National Science Foundation fellowship to pursue her Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Columbia University in New York City, a choice she was able to narrow down thanks to her experience with the FUTURE program.

Dorsheimer got her first research experience through the FUTURE program the summer before starting at Ursinus in Reig’s lab. At that time, she focused on biochemistry, which combined two of her interests from high school.

But after an internship at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals following her sophomore year, which she enjoyed tremendously, she had a conversation with chemistry professor Ryan Walvoord, who suggested she do organic chemistry research in his lab if she was interested in a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

“I could tell that Dr. Reig just knew that my interest was lying more with organic chemistry than biochemistry,” Dorsheimer says, “so we did a little switch.”

“She figured out that that's really where her passion is,” Reig says.

“To me, that is something that's important—she learned what it meant to do research, and then once she found something she was really excited about, she was able to use that foundational experience to become successful in that area.”

Another FUTURE program student who solidified her passion while at Ursinus is Serena Schaefer, who graduated in 2018 with a double major in math and computer science and a minor in creative writing. She is now working as a software engineer at Microsoft in Bellevue, Wash., after having an internship there during her senior year.

“I think being able to solve problems on my own in the FUTURE program has definitely prepared me for actual

(Clockwise from top) Justin Martinez ’21 and Aliyah Stevens ’21 gained a passion for scientific research during the FUTURE program.

software development work,” Schaefer says. “The FUTURE program isn't isolated; the idea is to continue doing research and continue the connections you formed with the other students and professors beyond those four weeks during that one summer.”

Schaefer, who helped lead a robotics team in her first year of high school, hopes to use the skills and experiences she’s gained through the FUTURE program, and Ursinus in general, to help others from underserved populations.

“I hope to be a mentor for a team of underprivileged kids,” Schaefer says, “because I know that I was given a chance, and not everyone gets that chance. Not everyone knows about the opportunities. I'm very passionate about STEM education so I hope to do more in that area.”

Biology professor Simara Price shares Schaefer’s passion for both STEM and helping underrepresented student populations. She is now coordinator of the FUTURE program.

“I am interested in this work because I have navigated my career as an underrepresented student,” Price says. “I know how important it is for students to see other students that look like them, that have experiences like them, and to see them in the lab doing research.”

“ I know how important it is for students to see other students that look like them, that have experiences like them, and to see them in the lab doing research. ” Price, who has a doctoral degree in biology from Drexel University, didn't participate in undergraduate research until the spring semester of her senior year, but it changed her whole life trajectory.

“This one professor from Argentina was the first faculty of color that I had,” Price says. “I felt comfortable approaching her, so I know how pivotal, literally, it can be. Working in her lab I realized that I hadn't even scratched the surface of what biology had to offer.”

In addition to the FUTURE Program, Ursinus has also had the W.R. Crigler program for over thirty years, and just added the new Teagle Foundationfunded Freedom, Citizenship and Equality program for students who are members of historically underrepresented groups.

“The value that I see in these programs,” Price says, “is providing underrepresented students with the opportunity to feel included from an early stage in their career. Research has already shown that getting students engaged who don't have the academic capital or cultural capital coming into college is important for retention.”

Participants in the FUTURE program have shown higher persistence as STEM majors (92%) and increased four-year graduation rates in STEM disciplines (85%) compared to their peer group (65% and 61%, respectively).

Terrence Williams, director of Ursinus’s Institute for Inclusion and Equity, says that retention is the result of the strength of the relationships that anchor people to the institution—just as Martinez, Pantel, Stephens and the others have experienced for themselves.

“Our job is to make sure our students are connected with the people who are going to be their lifelong friends and mentors,” Williams says. “We very quickly get folks ingrained in the kind of liberal arts education we’re great at, with a singular focus on nurturing the student community emotionally, socially and academically.”

Williams is also the coordinator of the Crigler program, named for Ursinus’s first African American graduate in 1956, which offers a four-credit course during the summer before the students’ first semester at Ursinus.

“They’re really getting the full Ursinus liberal arts experience from day one and it’s incredible,” Williams says.

photos JEFF FUSCO

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

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BY MARY LOBO ’15 AND ED MOORHOUSE

Ten years after walking out of the hospital on her own following brain surgery and an arduous recovery, Renee Butler ’21 is studying neuroscience at Ursinus College and is determined to help children with pediatric brain conditions.

photo DOMINIC MONTE

THE WELL

“I had no idea that I had actual brain surgery.”

Renee Butler’s first thought when she awoke from a seven-hour procedure was that she must have just been through another round of endless tests.

Perhaps an MRI or a CAT scan. Anything to determine what was causing the intense migraine headaches and severe neck pain that were so bad she could barely get out of bed.

“My entire head was pounding, and it radiated down my body,” says Butler, a rising Ursinus College junior who vividly remembers the experience from more than a decade ago.

But a stroke? And then brain surgery to resect an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that caused it? Nine-year-old Renee couldn’t fathom it.

“It was pretty stressful,” she recalls of that day in September 2008. “It was stressful after I found out that I had actually gone through all that, but also empowering because I realized that I overcame all of it when I didn’t know what was actually going on.

I was able to push through.”

While arteries take oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the brain, veins carry the oxygen-depleted blood back to the lungs and heart. A brain AVM disrupts this vital process. An arteriovenous malformation can develop anywhere in the body, but it occurs most often in the brain or spine. The congenital abnormality is so rare that it affects less than one percent of the population. It could rupture and bleed into the brain and cause significant neurological damage. It can also be fatal.

When doctors at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia discovered what was causing Renee’s intense headaches, they decided to act quickly and operate. She awoke to her family gathered by her bedside, weeks of physical therapy ahead and a new passion: the science of the brain. A passion that would lead her right to Ursinus.

“No one else is going to make you walk.”

Re-learning how to do simple tasks that usually come naturally can be frustrating, especially for an active, energetic 9-year-old. After her surgery, Renee began an arduous four-anda-half-week rehabilitation plan that would get her moving again. She worked on fine motor movements in her hands and ankles, even practicing getting on and off a school bus to prepare her for her return to normalcy at home and at school.

Physical therapy would continue for more than a year after she left the hospital, but before that, she was determined to walk out on her own.

“My main supporter was definitely my mom,” Renee says. “She would hold my hand when I was sad at night, but when I was in physical therapy, she gave me my space because she knew that I needed to do it on my own.”

“She looked at me and said, ‘No one else is going to make you walk.

Only you.’” And with those words of encouragement guiding her, Renee harnessed her strength and began to walk again.

Weeks after surgery, on October 21, 2008, the next hurdle would be to walk out of Children’s Hospital on her own. No wheelchair. No crutch. She sat nervously on her hospital bed as piles of paperwork for her release were signed. She was excited, but her cane and her walker were no longer by her side to help her walk.

This would be the first time she would walk a distance this far alone.

“I don’t want other kids to have to go through it, too.”

She took one small step. Then another.

And before she knew it, she was able to walk out of the hospital by herself.

What was that moment like? Butler gets emotional thinking about the day.

“I felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel,” she says, tears welling in her eyes. “I was so proud of myself and everything I achieved.”

“I made a few really good friends during my time at the hospital,” she says. “It was good to talk to them because I think they taught me a lot about perseverance.

A lot of them had conditions that were worse than mine. It made me feel like I could keep going.”

It gave her a new perspective and, as she got older, her curiosity and passion for research led her to look into college neuroscience programs. Nearly eight years from the day she walked out of the hospital on her own, Butler toured Ursinus. She was impressed by Pfahler Hall and the steep staircase the leads to its front entrance and was instantly drawn to the research opportunities afforded to undergraduates.

“I knew that this was the place that I needed to be,” she says.

“I think if I didn't go through my experience I wouldn't be as passionate about neuroscience as I am,” Butler explains. “It definitely opened my eyes and made me realize that this is very important to me. The brain is such an interesting research area because it’s so complicated. It’s so intricate. After my surgery, I would read about AVM and other conditions, recent developments and technology. It was eye-opening. And I thought, ‘I’m going to be the one to go find more information so that I can help children.’ I don’t want other kids to have to go through it, too.”

“It ’s going to feel just as exciting as the day I walked out of the hospital.”

Butler is now focusing on a major in neuroscience and minor in psychology.

Soon, she hopes to gain research experience under Joel Bish, an associate professor of psychology who specializes in neuroscience. She also works at a behavioral rehabilitation center in Exton, Pa., and looks forward to discussions with the practice’s resident psychiatrists and therapists.

“I want to have a huge impact on research. That’s my goal,” she says. “I want to find ways to help children with pediatric brain trauma and work with them on their recovery. I just know that I want to make a difference.”

When she graduates from Ursinus in two years, Butler will again be taking first steps. The circumstances will be different, but she’ll still be a little nervous—and confident.

“Finally walking out into the world with all the support that I need behind me and being fully prepared is going to feel just as exciting as the day I walked out of the hospital on my own. I'm going to be just as emotional.”

Butler’s time in the hospital sparked a passion for learning about the brain, but also for helping children who might be experiencing something similar.

photos provided by RENEE BUTLER ’21

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

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Should We Be Playing God? W

ith the advent of new technology, the genomes of living things can be edited to produce desired effects. Could this mean an end to all human disease? That question was posed to a group of students, staff, alumni and members of the neighboring community at a daylong class during Ursinus’s inaugural Minerva Term, a continuing education opportunity held over Alumni Weekend. The course was co-taught by Rebecca Lyczak, a professor of biology, and Paul Stern, a professor of politics. They debated the topic for Ursinus Magazine.

Rebecca Lyczak Genome editing is a technique that a scientist could use to change a person’s DNA. But should it be used to prevent human embryos from inheriting a genetic disease? There is no easy answer.

To understand the ramifications, it’s important to first understand the process, called CRISPR. A scientist would insert into a fertilized embryo a guide RNA that matches the mutation she wants to fix, as well as a protein called Cas9. Working together, they find the mutation and cut the DNA. The scientist also adds a template piece of

DNA with the correction for the mutation.

The cell then uses that new DNA as a template to fix the DNA sequence.

If you were a parent worried that your child would inherit a genetic disease—like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell anemia, for example—this method could potentially eliminate it. But it’s not without controversy. Are you just making the change you say you’re making, or are other genes being changed that can get passed on to future generations? The DNA must be changed early on in a one-cell embryo

before it begins to divide in order to ensure the entire embryo will have the corrected DNA sequence. This means any modifications could then be passed down. So even if the technology is proven safe, you’ve changed genetics for generations to come. Where do you draw the line for acceptable use?

No one thought it would be done in humans at this time, but we’ve arrived at that reality with the recent announcement that twin girls have been born after a scientist used CRISPR to edit one of their genes.

This makes the need for discussion of acceptable use paramount. The scientific community has been discussing the issues and is trying to come up with ethical guidelines for genome editing in humans. One

possible application is to use it as a therapeutic treatment and apply it to a person who already has a genetic disorder, which would only impact the person being treated.

I do think there will be enough support, eventually, to use the technology to “cure” genetic diseases in embryos—as long as it is proven safe—with a focus at first on diseases that don’t have alternative treatments. A concern is, once it is approved for this use, will people want to edit their embryos for enhancements, like higher IQ or physical strength?

I’m in favor of using it as a treatment or therapy for existing genetic conditions, but as a scientist, I’m concerned about manipulating DNA in single cell embryos. As scientists, I believe there is nothing wrong in admitting that there are things we can’t understand, such as the long-term impacts of changing genomes over generations. It’s foolish to think that fixing a mutation now won’t have a greater impact in some way in generations to come.

Paul Stern When considering the politics and ethics of such new developments, it’s important to look back at the founders of modern science, authors such

as Francis Bacon and René Descartes, to understand the arguments and the impetus for what we’re doing today.

These thinkers explicitly rejected the classical view that the goal of inquiry is, above all, to satisfy the human desire to know. Bacon and Descartes criticized this approach as fruitless, especially insofar as its focus was on endlessly controversial questions concerning the human good or the ultimate origin and purpose of the universe. Knowledge should instead be for the sake of utility; it should, in Bacon’s famous phrase, be directed to “the relief of man’s estate.” By this he meant that the goal of knowledgeseeking should be to address those needs that all humans have: to be free of pain and disease, to live more comfortably, and, most basically, to live longer.

These aspirations have shaped our world for several hundred years. But precisely because they have been so thoroughly fulfilled, our power to alter nature having grown exponentially, the question they pose has only become more acute: How should we use the vast power we have acquired? The events of the 20th century, when it became painfully clear that scientific progress need not go hand in hand with moral progress, have made this question even more urgent.

In some scientific circles, the feeling is simply to be bold and see

what happens. Yet many express reservations about safety, while others make a deeper objection, one that persists even or especially once concerns about safety are answered: is it right to change ourselves in the proposed ways? Do we know what’s good for humans with sufficient clarity to make these judgments?

Is it advisable to seek to be “better than human?” And it’s not at all clear that there’s a sufficiently bright line between therapy and enhancement to guide these decisions.

The more success we have in the lab, the more urgent and important become these debates. The National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Medicine have collaborated on recommendations for guidelines on how to use the technology in humans. But these guidelines suggest the problem. At one point, the goal of gene-editing is put in terms of “health.” But elsewhere the goal is said to be “human well-being.”

It’s unclear where health ends and well-being takes over.

The guidelines suggest another thorny issue in their call for any regulations to be developed with a view to cultural differences. It would seem that such regulations, to be effective, would require global buy-in. Who rightly makes such a decision? Scientists should, no doubt, be involved. The decision can’t be theirs alone, if only because most scientists have no special training regarding these issues.

But, finally, non-scientists must also have their say because it’s a decision that bears on all of us.

illustration ERICA GRAMM

THE WELL

photo MARK LIKOSKY

BY ELLEN COSGROVE LABRECQUE ’95 Bonnie (Nemeth) Clarke ’87, director of the Clinical Trials Network at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) in Reston, Va., is helping change the way pediatric tumors and cancer are being detected and, as a result, cured.

I

magine this: Your newborn is suffering seizures and in between episodes is exceptionally drowsy—almost comatose. Tests reveal his blood glucose levels are extremely low. If the seizures continue and the glucose levels remain untreated, the baby could suffer permanent neurological deficits, cerebral palsy and potentially death.

Your baby’s symptoms are diagnosed as Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI). If it is the focal type of CHI, there may be a lesion of beta cells on the infant’s pancreas. If the lesion is surgically removed, there is a 99 percent survival rate with your baby growing up normally with no neurological damage. But the tumor is less than 15 millimeters in size Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

23

THE WELL

and can be hard to detect with an MRI. Additionally, because the tumor is so rare—presenting in only one out of every 50,000 infants—doctors can mistakenly attribute symptoms of the lesion to other causes.

application (NDA) for the radioactive drug 18F-DOPA, which, once injected, will be able to help detect the lesion instantly. She should know by the end of 2019 whether the FDA approves the drug.

An Ursinus alumna is on the cusp of helping change all this.

“We have to demonstrate the drug is safe and efficacious and I think we have the data to do both,” Clarke says.

Bonnie (Nemeth) Clarke ’87 is director of the Clinical Trials Network (CTN) at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

SNMMI is a nonprofit scientific and professional organization that promotes the application of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging to help detect diseases.

PET (Positron-emission-tomography) scanners are used with injected radioactive agents, or drugs, into a body, allowing doctors to see problems at a cellular level. This means it can target diseases more closely and earlier than other types of scans. Clarke is in the middle of filing a new drug photos MARK LIKOSKY

One of Bonnie’s great strengths is being at the nexus of myriad initiatives and being able to identify impactful opportunities and actually act on them,” says Dr. John Sunderland, a physicist at the University of Iowa, who works with Clarke. “There is no better example than the 18F-DOPA story. Bonnie recognized a significant opportunity to really help these infants (and their families). She galvanized a group of professionals including the head of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Imaging Program, physician researchers from the U.S. and Canada, scientists and regulatory experts, and orchestrated the submission of

the NDA. Please understand, drug companies typically submit NDAs with resources 100 to 1,000 times what Bonnie had to work with.”

The biggest hurdle in the application process is getting FDA approval for the facilities that make this drug.

Because the agent has a half-life of 110 minutes, the facilities need to be close enough to hospitals so the drug can be delivered in a timely manner.

In addition to working on investigational drugs, Clarke also helps to organize and facilitate education seminars all over the country. The seminars spread awareness of the symptoms of CHI and other diseases, mostly cancers, as well as promote the possible detection and treatment agents that are available— or will eventually become available—in Clarke’s field.

Clarke grew up in Harmony Township, N.J., a rural area in the northwest section of the state. Neither of her

parents attended college. As a senior in high school, she knew she wanted to study medicine, but her parents didn’t feel they had the background to guide her school search, so they sought the advice of the town doctor. He encouraged Clarke to apply to Ursinus.

Graduating with a biology degree, Clarke didn’t go on to medical school, but landed a job at Johnson & Johnson in their clinical research and trials division. She worked closely with physicians and researchers in drug trials on everything from oral contraceptives to antibiotics and antiepileptics. Clarke loved the research.

“I spent half my time at a doctor’s office pouring through medical charts and distilling information,” she says.

After 15 years at J&J, Clarke, who lives right outside of Washington, D.C., took time off to be a stay-at-home mom to her three kids. Then after a chance conversation at her daughter’s baseball game in 2009, she was recruited to join SNMMI as the director of CTN. The science of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging is highly specialized.

There are elements of chemistry, physics, physiology, engineering, biochemistry, medicine and business.

Clarke attributes a lot of her base knowledge to her Ursinus education.

“Chemotherapy aims at any fast-growing cell, which is why your hair falls out and your platelets and white blood cell count drops,” explains Clarke. “It is killing anything that reproduces quickly.”

In molecular imaging, doctors inject patients with a radioactive drug that finds the cancer cells, and then once discovered, injects the same drug with a different radioactive agent attached that would attack only those cells.

This targeted treatment means a cancer can be treated without causing the patient to suffer other adverse effects.

Targeted radiotherapies are joining standard chemotherapies and immunotherapies in the fight against cancer.

Ursinus to become a doctor, her journey led her on an even more enriching path in the medical world.

“Ursinus is a pipeline for so many different fields, and students are prepared to join any one of them,” Clarke says. “The future of medicine is already here.”

Clarke continues to work on many of these new drug studies every day.

She is also working on standardizing PET scanners for trials and continuing to organize education symposiums for physicians. And while she does so, she is thankful that even though she chose

“Working on this new drug application (NDA), there is a huge chemistry portion I have to write,” she says. “I have thought many times about Dr. Ron Hess, who was my organic chemistry professor at Ursinus, and how much that class has helped me through the years. My science background from Ursinus has proven invaluable.”

The field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging is rapidly expanding.

The precision drugs being developed treat cancer by targeting only the diseased cells.

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

25

CONVERSATIONS

CoSA BY THE NUMBERS The annual April tradition of Ursinus’s Celebration of Student Achievement (CoSA) is one that showcases the dedication and countless hours that our students put into research projects throughout the year. The event was held across campus on Thursday, April 25. Here’s a peek inside this year’s impressive breadth of work.

390

student participants (with some involved in multiple presentations)

185 poster presentations

7

performances

34

student artists showcasing original work in the annual student exhibition in the Berman Museum

photos JIM ROESE, MARK LIKOSKY

83

additional academic presentations (non-poster and non-performance)

1

29

day of classes postponed to celebrate the incredible work

Bonner leaders

12

Scholars in Service

5

UCARE Service Fellows

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

27

CONVERSATIONS

LOST & FOUND J

eanine McCain found something a bit unexpected during a visit to an antiques mall during a trip home to Montana: a piece of Ursinus history.

The dance professor, who attended the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont., where she earned her bachelor’s degree, had been perusing various collections from antiques vendors when she spotted a round, black tray with an old Ursinus College logo in the center.

“No one out there [in Montana] had ever even heard of Ursinus and in that moment, I feel like everything stopped,” says McCain, whose performance research blends the physical moving body with digital technology and art installation. “It’s almost as though I didn’t know where I was for a second. There were no other college items, no other trays like this one, and it just stood out to me. I immediately texted Karen Clemente [an Ursinus professor of dance] and she told me that it shows that I’m meant to be here.”

The serendipitous moment was one certainly meant for the pages of Ursinus Magazine’s “Lost & Found.” Upon closer inspection, college archivist Carolyn Weigel suspects that the tray could come from the 1950s or 1960s, a date range where she found similar logos to the one on McCain’s tray.

But the exact origin or timeframe of this particular logo remains a mystery.

The logo is certainly unique, and it will appear on some very special Ursinus sesquicentennial “swag” to help celebrate the college’s 150th anniversary this fall. For more on the anniversary, visit ursinus.edu/150years. And, if you recognize the logo—or happen to have an item with this particular logo on it—let us know! Email ucmag@ursinus.edu.

“I immediately texted Karen Clemente and she told me that it shows that I’m meant to be here.”

photo JIM ROESE

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

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ALUMNI WEEKEND Hundreds of proud Ursinus alumni came back to campus on April 12 and 13 to reconnect with classmates and to meet current students and faculty. The weekend included tours, speakers and the opportunity to sit in on classes. The classes of 1964, 1969 and 1959 celebrated milestone reunions.

photos JIM ROESE

LIFE IN PIXELS

COMMENCEMENT

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rhiannon Giddens delivered the commencement address during a ceremony in which 320 graduates turned their tassels and received bachelor’s degrees on the Berman Museum lawn on Saturday, May 18. “Each of you are already on the path of your journey, your exploration of who you are in order to find out what you are meant to do in this life,” Giddens said. “Don’t be afraid of a challenge.” On the evening before commencement, the graduates participated in the traditional baccalaureate service representing the many faiths of the student body. Collegeville Mayor Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III spoke to the graduates.

photos JIM ROESE

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

31

CLASS NOTES 1940s

Lois (Manning) Hillman ’45 celebrated her 95th birthday in July and is still enjoying her home of 43 years.

Rev. W. Dean Evans ’48 has retired from active service as an interim and supply priest in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, a career he has held for 35 years following a past career as an educator.

1950s

Paul L. Doughty ’52 writes that he is sorry that he was unable to attend his 67th class reunion to reminisce about Ursinus highlights with Rhoda and Jane. He adds he reads the latest issues of Ursinus Magazine with interest in various changes around campus and is impressed with student international activities surrounding contemporary world issues. He also adds that as an anthropologist who worked for many years in Peru and elsewhere in Latin America, it is interesting to discover two Andean archeologists/anthropologists on the current faculty.

C. Ross Westley ’58 has retired from medical practice after 22 years as commission officer in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Indian Health Service and 32 years with Kaiser-Permanente in Denver, Colo.

1960s

Loretta Podolak Finnegan ’60 received the Surgeon General’s Medallion from Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Admiral Brett Giroir and First Lady Melania Trump.

Martin L. Dresner ’61 writes that although he has finally retired, he is still active in the Tucson Jazz Society.

Don Fessman ’61 ran his 68th marathon in Washington, D.C., with a time of five hours and 44 minutes at the age of almost 79.

He and his wife, Margee, live in Stuart, Fla. Nancy (Divelbiss) Broz ’62 writes that she was a keynote speaker at the International Vascular Dementia Conference in Amsterdam in February. The topic, Alzheimer's caregiving, was based on her blog AlzheimersWife.Wordpress.com.

Broz, who recently retired from Fairleigh Dickinson University, is a resident of Haddonfield, N.J. Marilyn (Maurer) Casey ’62 shares that she and her husband, Bill, spent a month in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tasmania and New Caledonia.

She adds that it was a great trip with gorgeous scenery and the best part was meeting many new people and making new friends.

Harry Manser ’65 retired as a division physician for the New Jersey State Police in September 2018.

Gwendolyn Faust Punchard ’67 shares that she is a docent at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the CEO of Comstar Supply in Collegeville, Pa., and that she has five grandchildren and is a world traveler.

Robert E. Steward Jr. ’68 and Helen D. (Dixie) Steward ’68 celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in October 2018.

1970s

Harry Marcy ’70 writes that he is loving life on the Chesapeake.

Susan Benner ’76 writes that 2018 was a big year of changes.

She retired and is loving it.

Her daughter, Samantha, graduated from Montclair High School and is a freshman at the University of Maryland.

James Fooskas Jr. ’78 has been the president of National Bank of Malvern since 2010.

Christopher Warren ’79 has been appointed by Investors Bank to the position of senior vice president and team leader for the commercial banking team in the Burlington and Camden county markets.

1980s

Andrea Rosenberg Martinez ’82 raised over $10,000 for the Foundation Fighting Blindness through multiple fund-raisers

BEARS’ DEN

in hopes of funding research for a cure for retinitis pigmentosa, a blinding genetic disease that affects her husband and children.

She also shares that her youngest child is a high school junior in a four-year engineering program, her middle child just started medical school in Georgia, and her oldest child is a pediatric/trauma certified traveling nurse.

James R. Birchmeier ’83 continues to practice law in South Jersey and currently serves as the Municipal Court Judge in Upper Township, Dennis Township, Corbin City and Stone Harbor.

Kevin L. O’Neill ’83 retired from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (now Pfizer) after 26 years. He started a consulting firm that focuses on commercial strategy for biopharmaceutical products. His firm, ForeRunner Strategy, helps life science companies plan to commercialize their technologies.

Raine (Mackinstry) Fussner ’85 and her husband, Jeff, celebrated 30 years of marriage. They also became empty nesters and enjoy spending time traveling and visiting Ursinus friends. This summer, Raine spent a beach weekend with Vicky (Lauricella) Ailey ’85, Michele (Wlazelek) Bubb ’85, Lora (Zimmermann) Dunnigan ’85, Sherry (Mierzejewski) Hessenthaler ’85, Karen (Alberti) Jewell ’85, Linda (Troutman) Magargee ’85, and Devin Murphy ’86 and Julie (Turnbull) Malesich ’87.

1990s

Ruthann J. (Gundersen) Woll ’97 was promoted to partner in the tax services group at RKL LLP in January 2019. She was also selected as a 2019 Woman of Influence by Lehigh Valley Business.

2000s

Harry Michel ’03 and Kelly Ireland ’05 have been accepted into Backstage Capita’s inaugural accelerator cohort, a program that boasts an acceptance rate of less than 2 percent.

Eileen Hughes P’03 writes that she is enjoying retirement, but she misses the students.

Steven Malagari ’06 was elected Pennsylvania State Representative for the 53rd district.

Julie A. Balko ’08 accepted a position as assistant professor of anesthesiology (tenuretrack) at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She also recently achieved board certification and is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia.

2010s

Abby Hare-Harris ’07 has been announced as one of 12 Bloomsburg University’s Stephen J. Jones Professional U Fellows. Her research focuses on the identification and phenotypic characterization of rare genetic variants in individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Zachary Shamberg ’10 has been promoted to president and chief executive officer of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association.

Margaux Mazur ’16 is happy to announce that she has accepted a position at Product Investigations Inc. as a clinical research coordinator. She will be performing clinical testing for cosmetic companies.

Bernard Steyaert ’19 is working part-time with his UC Digital Spark partner from last summer while enrolled in Columbia University’s engineering program. He credits Ursinus and the U-Imagine Center for helping teach skills like pitching, idea development and goal planning.

BIRTHS

Fallon (Szarko) Esposito ’04 and Joseph Esposito welcomed a son, John, on January 13, 2019.

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

33

DEATHS 1940s J. William Ditter Jr. ’43 (Honorary Doctor of Laws ’70) died April 7, 2019.

Irene (Schweitzer) Molzahn ’53 died May 25, 2018.

E. Kathryn “Eppie” (Schaeffer) DeWane ’66 died March 31, 2019.

Robert Ihrie ’43 died March 31, 2019.

Carolyn (Ertel) Seifrit ’54 died January 26, 2019.

Geraldine V. (Clark) Keenan ’69 died February 14, 2019.

Dorothy “Dottie” M. Nyce ’45, M.D. died January 24, 2019.

Thomas J. “Jack” McNeill ’56 died March 12, 2019.

1970s

Joel E. Reed, '45 (V-12 Program), M.D., died April 7, 2019.

Richard M. Blood Sr. ’58 died January 19, 2019.

James A. Halkins ’48 (V-12 Program) died April 4, 2019.

D. Willis Hartman ’58 died January 25, 2019.

Elizabeth “Betsy” A. (Eschelman) Grant ’49 died April 8, 2019.

Robert E. Pauli ’58 died December 28, 2018.

Nancy (Pharr) Minnich ’49 died March 22, 2019.

Michael J. Drewniak Jr. ’59 died January 27, 2019.

Robert H. Schreffler ’49 died February 3, 2019.

Thomas M. McCabe ’59 died February 10, 2019.

1950s

1960s

Richard D. Kropp ’50 died April 18, 2019.

Wilson “Wil” R. Lorentz ’60 died March 25, 2019.

Nancy (Vadner) Chance ’51 died January 23, 2019.

David Darley ’61 died April 20, 2019.

Effie (Siegfried) Cumpstone ’51 died April 23, 2018.

Archibald “Arch” A. McKown ’61 died March 25, 2019.

Bernita Gross Stanwood ’51 died December 10, 2018.

George Pasfield Jr. ’61 died January 21, 2019.

Richard E. “Dick” Ludwig ’52 died February 7, 2019.

Lois Ann (Gillroy) Burns ’62 died December 19, 2018.

Erwin T. Musko ’52 died January 23, 2019.

Harry H. Pote Jr. ’64 died March 25, 2019.

Bruce M. Anderson ’53 died in late 2017.

William J. Miller III ’65 died January 13, 2019.

Donald R. Kline ’73 died June 23, 2018.

John T. Robertson ’74 died March 15, 2019.

1980s Mark J. Krauss ’84 died April 7, 2019.

Lisa (Sipple) Caruso ’85 died January 31, 2019.

Geoffrey S. Pinter ’87 died April 23, 2019.

Eric C. Wilson ’87 died March 18, 2019.

Michael C. Troemel ’88 died April 5, 2019.

1990s Jennifer “Jeni” B. (Grace) Voiner ’99 died April 5, 2019.

BEARS’ DEN

IN M E M O RIAM

ROSS DOUGHTY ’68 “He inspired us to be the best at what we do, and his example will live on in all of us who knew him.”

S. ROSS DOUGHTY ’68, a proud Ursinus alumnus, longtime professor and historian, and celebrated member of the Ursinus community for more than 50 years, passed away on Thursday, March 28, after a valiant battle with ALS. Doughty dedicated his life to education and to Ursinus, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in history. He went on to earn his master’s degree and Ph.D. in European history from Harvard University and, in addition to his training as a British historian, studied early modern and modern Europe, Germany, military history, international politics and world history.

At Ursinus, Doughty anchored the history program since 1975, in addition to leading Ursinus in a number of other capacities. He was history department chair for 19 years over two extended terms and lent his leadership to the education department as acting chair.

He also assisted in the establishment of the East Asian studies minor and enthusiastically supported the international relations program.

“Ross Doughty was an amazing mentor to me as an undergraduate at Ursinus, a terrific and supportive colleague after I joined the English department, and a close friend for over 40 years,” said Rebecca Jaroff ’81, an associate professor of English. “He inspired us to be the best at what we do, and his example will live on in all of us who knew him, as we both mourn his loss and honor his legacy.”

He won the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1980 and in 1993 and was one of the first people to be inducted into the Tau Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa at Ursinus. Deeply committed to the transformative value of international education, Doughty served as codirector of the Ursinus in Tübingen program and was co-leader of the summer study in Japan program, as well as a visiting professor of history and English at Tohoku Gakuin University in Sendai, Japan.

He was the Ursinus campus coordinator of the Bucks and Montgomery County regional National History Day program since its inception in 1996, a program that was renamed in his honor in March of last year. Doughty served on the executive council of the Speaker’s House in Trappe; was the history department

co-organizer of the Ursinus College Yom Hashoah (Holocaust remembrance) program; was the college representative for James Madison scholarships; and served as a reviewer for several history textbooks and manuscripts. Most recently, Ursinus honored Ross with the 2019 Henry P. and M. Page Laughlin Educator Award for outstanding contributions in the field of education.

“I would not be the person and the academic I am today without Ross’s example to guide me and his generous, unwavering mentorship to support me,” said Susanna Throop, an associate professor and department chair of history. “I remember that when my first monograph came out, I gave him a copy. I learned from students and colleagues that he carried that book with him all day, to classes and meetings, showing it to everyone he encountered. I don’t have words for how tremendous his pride in me made me feel. Now, as I continue to grow as a leader, I think of Ross—his example, and his faith in me—virtually on a daily basis. He will always be with me, and I’m so grateful to have known him.”

A memorial service was held on Saturday, May 4, in Bomberger Hall.

Memorial contributions may be made to the ALS Hope Foundation or the S. Ross Doughty ’68 Endowed Scholarship at Ursinus College.

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

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WEDDINGS 1

2

1

2

Alyce Rasmussen ’10 and Tim Brandon ’10 were married on June 30, 2018.

Chrissy Rosci (McNamara) ’07 and Rob McNamara were married on October 6, 2018.

3

Kimberly Bullock ’14 and Philip S Quick IV ’13 were married on September 30, 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.

IT’S

easy

TO FALL IN

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

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

If we told you that you can: Make a charitable gift

Be eligible for an immediate income tax charitable deduction

Receive payments for yourself and/or someone else for your life/lives at a future start date that you choose

Would you be interested?

If so, we would like to talk to you about a deferred payment charitable gift annuity.

This special version of a charitable gift annuity is available to qualified persons during our Keep The Promise campaign.

It may be especially appealing to people who have not yet retired, but would like to supplement their future income once they do.

Please contact Mark P. Gadson for a complimentary, personalized illustration outlining the benefits based on your specific circumstances.

Mark P. Gadson Executive Director of Leadership Giving and Advancement Resources Direct phone: 610-409-3164 Email: mgadson@ursinus.edu Note: Income payments must begin no later than 10 years after the date of the contract. Gift annuities are not offered in all states.

Ursinus Magazine • Spring/Summer 2019

37

LET’S GET SOCIAL!

@UrsinusCollege #Ursinus

@ursinusmenslacrosse

@alexjsoriano

@centennialconf CHAMPS! @rhiannongiddens

Freshman year I didn’t even think this was possible. 4 years later, I got my B.S in Health & Exercise Physiology.

Now onto get my Masters in Occupational Therapy at NYU. Man, I’m grateful for the amazing experiences, the L’s that became lessons, my friends, and family that helped me get here today. #ForeverActionJackson : @rodcoplin

In 2005 my life, career, creativity, & spirituality were changed by a semester in Sendai. I have my alma mater to thank for that & for equipping me w/the curiosity to go continue my study of #JapaneseHistory at Pitt. Thank you @UrsinusHistory ! #BecauseofUrsinus #twitterstorians @riversidewings

Day 3 of Summer: I’m ready to move back to Ursinus @swaggy_maggie13

Well it’s as close as I’m ever gonna get to an actual doctorate - first commencement speech at @ursinuscollege!

Congrats to the class of 2019!

150 WAYS TO CELEBRATE OUR ANNIVERSARY YEAR! Sunday, September 1, 2019 Food Trucks • Wine and Beer Garden • Games Live Music • Community and Craft Vendors Sculpture Scavenger Hunt • Moon Bounces Free Family Fun • and more!

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