Mount Union Chamber of Commerce. He was very active in local organizations and also sang with the Potter’s Band. He worked at Remington Rand until moving back to Huntingdon County, Pa., where he operated several small businesses. John recently published a book, The Unlikely Railroad, about the Lewistown and Tyrone Railroad and had a book in progress about Juniata College. He wrote for magazines such as Bandwagon, The Keystone, Timber Transfer, Car Collector, Wheels of Time, and Motor Coach Age. He was an amateur magician and photographer. He was also a collector of classic cars and buses. John is survived by wife Dorothy (Fogle) Corson ’56, daughters Deborah and Nancy, sons Patrick and Michael Corson ’82, and five grandchildren.
Urania B. Linn ’55 Oct. 19, 2019—After graduating from Juniata, Urania moved to Venango County, Pa., where she became a home economist for the Venango County Extension Service.
A Hero for Creativity Scott Beatty ’91 studied English with a focus on creative writing while at Juniata, but said many of his classes “scratched a few other creative itches,” including astronomy, geology, archaeology, and the filmography of Charlie Chaplin. His creativity continues to drive his work as a DC Comics writer, college professor, and freelance writer.
Q: How did Juniata help prepare you for your career? A: I had the good fortune of studying under professors who indulged my quirks and encouraged my writing, including Ralph Church, Mark Hochberg, and Catherine Merrill. The late Bill Hofelt employed me as a peer tutor at Juniata’s Writing Center, which helped me secure a teaching assistantship during graduate school at Iowa State University. Q: What is your favorite thing about your job? A: Today, I’m both a writer and teacher of writing, so I still get to indulge my passion for chronicling the exploits of fantastic heroes while fostering the skills of a new generation of writers. Q: What has been your favorite thing to write? A: I’ve been blessed to have checked off my “bucket list” a great number of my favorite comic book characters, particularly Dick Grayson as both Robin the Boy Wonder and his adult alter-ego Nightwing in my Robin: Year One and Nightwing: Year One graphic novels at DC Comics. Q: What is your favorite color and why? A: I wouldn’t be a true Juniatian if I didn’t say blue and gold. Q: What is your favorite Juniata memory? A: There are so many! But if I had to say just one, it would be the time I dressed as Cupid, clad only in an adult-sized diaper, cardboard wings, and high-top white leather Nike sneakers, in order to deliver a Valentine’s Day message to fellow Juniata alum Jennifer Myskowski ’93 in the college cafeteria. I was lauded for my courage, awarded a free meal by the manager of food services, and eventually happily married Jennifer in 1995. Q: How did you get into comic book writing? A: I’ve loved comic books since I was 5. I rediscovered my passion for the genre in grad school and pursued various avenues to break into the industry. Following grad school, I was editor of a toy magazine, which allowed me to pursue connections that ultimately opened the door to first working for DC Comics and then many other companies. I was fortunate to have mentors on both sides of the editorial desk who gave me writing jobs and a chance to prove my skills and build up a portfolio of work that in turn opened up other doors in children’s books, animation, young adult fiction, and even (fingers crossed) some recent Hollywood connections.
—Isabella Bennett ’20, Juniata Associate for media relations
2020 Spring |
June 27, 2019—After graduating from Juniata, Helen taught high school English. She was passionate about women’s issues and spent her life advocating for them through her volunteerism. She was a supervisor for Lancaster Township, Pa., for 12 years. Helen volunteered for Girl
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SCOTT BEATTY ’91
Helen M. (Schmidlen) Adams ’57
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