Scott M. Beatty ’91Q&A

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.

Helen M. (Schmidlen) Adams ’57 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

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

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SCOTT BEATTY ’91

Scouts, American Association of University Women, Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County, Women’s Alliance, YWCA, Planned Parenthood, Women in Politics, and the Lancaster County Commission on Women. Helen was recognized by multiple organizations for her leadership. The YWCA acknowledged her as Woman of the Year in 1985. She was presented the Jean Royer Kohr Award in 1991 and was awarded the Girl Scouts Thanks Badge by the Penn Laurel Council in 1981 and 1985. Helen was a former Juniata Alumni Trustee and Alumni Association President. With her husband, she received the Alumni Service Award in 1995. Helen is survived by husband William Adams ’57, daughter Debra Adams ’81, son Kurt, and a grandson.

Gail J. (Steiner) Grothe ’58 July 25, 2019—After completing retail school, Gail held various positions in the retail field. She worked at Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. She was also employed by Christianity Today magazine in Carol Stream, Ill., while living in the Chicago area for almost two years prior to moving to Florida in 1989. Gail retired from Neilsen Media Research in Dunedin, Fla., after being a top-rated research interviewer for nearly 20 years. Gail was involved with and supported many Christian organizations including The Gideon’s International, The Christian Academy in Media, Pa., The Christian Women’s Club of Florida, Word of Life Ministries, and Youth for Christ. She was also the Sunday School Superintendent of Marcus Hook Baptist Church in Marcus Hook, Pa. She served in various ministries at Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater, Fla. She is survived by husband Martin Grothe Jr. ’57, daughter Cheryl, stepdaughter Jamie, and stepsons Martin, David, and Johnathan.

W. Bryan Staufer ’58 June 25, 2019—After graduating from Juniata, Bryan went to the University of Maryland School of Medicine and received his M.D., later completing his residency at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He practiced pediatric medicine for 40 years. Bryan was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed farming, gardening, bird hikes, and working on his 50-acre farm. His favorite hobbies included traveling to visit loved ones, reading, canoeing, cross-country skiing, identifying rare species, volunteering as a lighthouse keeper with his wife, and participating in the amateur radio club. Bryan was preceded in death by parents Wilfred Staufer ’30 and Esther (Harley) Staufer ’30, and is survived by wife Kathleen, daughters Amy and Kerri, sons David and Mark, and sister Marjorie (Staufer) Smith ’64.

Elizabeth A. (Nazzaro) Trimber ’58 Aug. 14, 2018—Bette was a member of Perry Highland Women’s Club for over 30 years. Bette was a breast cancer survivor and participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure every year. She was preceded in death by husband Carl, and is survived by daughters Sharon and Lisa.

Edward J. Edenfield III ’59 July 23, 2019—Edward worked in the Dean of Graduate School’s office at Princeton University for 24 years. He was also the executive director of the NJ Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association and Impact Exhibits International. He loved the outdoors, spending many summers hiking in the Adirondacks with his sons. He and his wife volunteered at a prison ministry in New Mexico. Edward is survived by wife Carol, sons J. Mark Edenfield ’84, Edward, Shaun, and four grandchildren.

Robert J. Ewald ’59 July 2, 2019—Robert is survived by wife Judy.

Roberta A. (Savage) Maass ’60 July 25, 2019—Bobbe was preceded in death by husband Robert and is survived by daughters Elizabeth, Annette, and Suzanne, and 12 grandchildren.

Harold C. Grimm ’61 June 27, 2019—After graduating from Juniata, Harold received a master’s degree from SUNY Potsdam Teachers College. He taught social studies at Goshen High School in N.Y. for 34 years. He enjoyed golf, travel, food, gardening, square dancing, learning, and teaching. He is survived by wife Patricia, daughters Sharon and Karolyn, and two grandchildren.

Jack M. Heading ’61 Jan. 26, 2019—is survived by wife Susan E. (Eshbach) Heading ’62.

David L. Helsel ’61 July 2, 2019—While at Juniata, David lettered in track, football, and wrestling. A wrestling award was established in his name. After graduating, he entered the U.S. Army and worked with the medical corps. He later became an inmate counselor at the PA Department of Corrections, personnel manager at Black and Decker’s headquarters, vice president-administration at US News & World Report in Washington, D.C., and ran his own consulting firm in Florida. He later moved to Virginia to be closer to family. He is survived by wife Jackie, daughters Michele and Lisa, and two grandchildren.

S. Rodney Mellinger ’61 July 31, 2019—Rodney served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He retired from the Mechanicsburg Naval Depot and spent his time doing things he loved. Rodney enjoyed hunting, knife making, woodcarving, and restoring antique cars. He is