Juniata Magazine-Spring 24

Forging a Unique Partnership

Innovation, Infrastructure, and Impact

A Commitment to Equipping Students for Success

Integrating Technology and the Liberal Arts

Tackling Health Disparities, Narratives and the Return of the Juniata College Press

Dear Friends,

Lauren Bowen, Ph.D. bowenl@juniata.edu

We know that our students thrive when we put theory into practice and build a spirit of exploration on our campus community. Whether through internships, mentored research projects, study abroad experiences, or community-engaged learning, Juniata students are always engaged in experiential learning and seeking out new opportunities to engage with the world around them in meaningful ways. I am proud of how we rely on experiential education to live our mission and provide our students with an engaging personalized education.

Experiential learning requires a commitment by our Juniata faculty to create hands-on experiences that will connect valuable knowledge and skills to real-world career opportunities. The faculty also understand that experiential learning demands a commitment by our students to embrace the possibilities and open themselves to an education that goes beyond what they first imagined. The Juniata faculty have purposefully and intentionally designed a curriculum to ensure all students are given these opportunities; I hear alumni celebrate these moments in their Juniata experience and current students attest to their power.

I invite you to delve into the pages of this magazine and join us on this journey of discovery. Immerse yourself in the transformative power of experiential learning and how it shapes the lives of our students, faculty, and alumni. Together, let us celebrate the boundless curiosity and unwavering dedication that define the Juniata experience.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as acting president this semester during President Jim Troha’s sabbatical; it has been an immensely rewarding experience for me. I am also appreciative that President Troha has taken advantage of a sabbatical; this leave afforded him, among other things, the opportunity to visit several liberal arts colleges to learn from their best practices. His insights and experiences will define how we address the demands of a rapidly changing higher education environment. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for our shared mission of lifelong learning and growth

All my best,

Lauren Bowen, Ph.D. Acting President, Spring 2024 Provost

Students and faculty have formed a remarkable partnership with the historic East Broad Top Railroad, producing a comprehensive guidebook, documentary, and museum exhibit, and contributing to the railroad’s archives program.

A Moving Event

A historic recreation of Juniata’s 1963 book move in 2023 brought together generations of Juniatians, who reflect on the shared experience and sense of community then and now.

Forward-thinking infrastructure projects exemplify a commitment to equipping students for success in an ever-changing world.

Tackling

Collaboration between Juniata and Broad Top Area Medical Center addresses health disparities and narratives to provide better healthcare and resources in Huntingdon County.

Juniata’s cross-disciplinary approach to a liberal arts education fosters technological integration and enhanced student experiences.

Elizabeth Homan Vice President for Strategic Marketing & Communications homane@juniata.edu

David Meadows ’98 Executive Director of Career Development & Alumni Engagement meadowd@juniata.edu

April Feagley g’23 Editor Assistant Director of Communication feaglea@juniata.edu

Angie Ciccarelli

Cover: Students and faculty, including, clockwise from top right, Connor Green ’24; Jim Tuten, Charles R. and Shirley A. Knox Professor of History; Ryan Kough, associate professor of integrated media arts; and Sammy Bellin ’22, partnered with East Broad Top Railroad.

East Broad Top Railroad Archive

Technician Sammy Bellin ’22 worked as an intern at the historic site and was integral in preserving archival documents and images.

Photo by Matthew Malkiewicz

Students Craft Guidebook, Documentary, and Museum Exhibit for Historic Railroad

By LAWRENCE BIEMILLER

These days it’s no surprise that colleges want students to spend some time putting into practice what they’ve learned in classes. But it is a surprise when a historic narrow-gauge steam railroad teams up with a liberal arts college and its students produce a 116-page guidebook, a 15-minute video documentary, and a semester-long museum exhibit — in addition to serving as interns in the railroad’s just-established archives program.

That’s what has happened since early 2020, when a new nonprofit foundation acquired the East Broad Top Railroad (EBT), a National Historic Landmark about a half an hour south of Juniata in Huntingdon County. The railroad is known for its handsome steam locomotives and its intact circa-1910 machine-shop complex, but it had been closed since the end of 2011, and many of its fans had doubted it would ever reopen.

Now, four years later, trains are again carrying passengers behind EBT steam locomotive No. 16. And Juniata students and faculty members have been involved with the railroad in ways that have benefited the EBT and given students unique opportunities.

Students in a special history course, for instance, researched and wrote much of a brand-new guidebook for visitors to the railroad — a guidebook that was designed and laid out by students in two Integrated Media Arts classes. IMA students also produced a memorable video about the railroad’s reopening, and students in two museum studies courses organized and mounted a popular 2022 exhibit about the railroad at the Juniata College Museum of Art.

“The history really fascinated me,” said Sammy Bellin ’22. Bellin was among the students invited to the guidebook class by Jim Tuten, Charles R. and Shirley A. Knox Professor of History. “It’s great reading about wars and great historical events,” Bellin said, “but this is very in-depth history that I could relate to.” Among his articles for the guidebook are accounts of the local iron, coal, and tanning industries, of passenger service, and of the EBT’s most influential president.

“Visiting the East Broad Top Railroad as a part of our initial research was such an amazing experience,” said Emily Kaltenbaugh ’23, project manager for the IMA team that designed and laid out the 116-page, heavily illustrated guidebook. “Getting to see the buildings and the archives in person made me excited to design with that history in mind.”

Kaltenbaugh said having the railroad as the design client in a practicum taught by Ryan Kough, associate professor of Integrated Media Arts, was invaluable. “Rather than mock-up page layouts for a final project, we got to mock-up pages, make edits, and hold a final product in our hands. That’s something special.”

Beyond the courses that worked with the railroad, three Juniata students have had summer internships in the EBT’s new Archives and Special Collections program, where they’ve made tremendous contributions. The first was Bellin, who was the first archives intern and was hired as the railroad’s archives technician after graduating. Brian Standfest ’23, a second intern, was subsequently hired for a full-time archives job elsewhere.

Third intern Connor Green ’24 organized thousands of EBT maps and drawings during the summer of 2023. A fourth Juniata intern is expected this summer.

“The Juniata relationship is one of the great things that has happened” since the EBT reopened, said Henry Posner, III, who is board chair of the EBT Foundation, Inc., and chairman of the Rail Development Corp., based in Pittsburgh. “I think it’s logical that we would partner with the preeminent academic institution in the region,” said Posner, who also teaches one course a year at Carnegie Mellon University. “It came together in a very natural and fruitful way.”

The East Broad Top is an unusual survivor among railroads. It was built from 1872 to 1874 to bring coal from mines on the Broad Top to a new, high-tech iron furnace near the Blacklog Narrows. The elevation of the coal mines, however, required surveyors to plan a route that twists and turns as it claws its way up the mountainsides, plunging into one tunnel and looping back on itself before plunging into another. To save money during construction, the investors decided to build the line narrow gauge, with rails three feet apart instead of 4’ 8 ½”, which was then well on its way to becoming the standard gauge for American railroads.

The advantage of 36-inch gauge was that its smaller equipment could negotiate sharper curves, so the line could be routed around obstacles instead of having to be dug through them. The disadvantage was that EBT cars couldn’t run on the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which the EBT met in Mount Union. This was to have interesting implications later — implications you can read about in the guidebook.

In 1908, with steel supplanting cast iron, the Rockhill [iron] Furnace closed. The railroad thrived, however, by concentrating on moving Broad Top coal, which was advertised as “smokeless” and sold well though World War II. By 1956, however, demand for the coal had all but evaporated, and the EBT ran its final common-carrier trains in early April. The property was sold to an Indiana, Pa., salvage dealer, Nick Kovalchick, presumably for scrapping.

But that never happened. In 1960, Kovalchick reopened about four miles of the East Broad Top as one of the nation’s first tourist railroads, catering to the nostalgia that people who had grown up with steam railroading felt as diesel locomotives took over. The move was an immediate success, and the railroad was soon designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1983, a handful of model railroaders created the Friends of the East Broad Top, an all-volunteer group that eventually began working not on models but on real EBT buildings and cars, as well as on evangelizing on the railroad’s behalf.

Nick Kovalchick’s son Joe continued the tourist operation, but in the 1990s he began looking for a buyer. When none had appeared by the end of the 2011 season, he closed the railroad but allowed volunteers of the Friends of the East Broad Top to continue preservation efforts. In 2018, a Juniata alumnus who had grown up near the EBT, Stephen Lane ’18, was among a handful of people who worked with a longtime Friends member, Brad Esposito, on creating a nonprofit to acquire the railroad. Along with Posner, two other key players brought in by Esposito were Wick Moorman, a former president of Norfolk Southern and of Amtrak, and Bennett Levin, an influential rail-preservation

Brian Standfest ’23 was honored by PennACE (the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Employers) in recognition of his work with the EBT.

Photo by Matthew Malkiewicz

Students studying Integrated Media Arts worked with volunteers at East Broad Top Railroad to document their work through photography and videography.

Photo by Ryan Kough

advocate from Philadelphia. In early 2020, the new EBT Foundation, Inc., acquired the East Broad Top.

That summer Tuten devised the course aimed at creating a new guidebook for the railroad, which had been relying on a historic booklet since 1979. A book written about the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, in Colorado, offered a model that incorporated history, geology, and a description of the route, so Tuten recruited not only history students but also students studying English, environmental science, and geology. Complicating the effort was the COVID pandemic, which placed strict limits on travel — but trips within the county were allowed. “I wasn’t sure how much students would get interested in the story of a historic railroad, but especially after we came to visit, they were hooked,” Tuten said. “They’re not ever going to see trains the same way again.”

Kough’s IMA students were hooked, too. Tuten had suggested bringing Kough into the project to handle designing the book, but as soon as she brought students to visit the railroad, Kough said, “everyone on that team saw the potential to capture oral histories — it’s a living and working and breathing museum.” Three students, Ashley Purvis ’21, Hayley Purvis ’21, and Tatum Poirier ’21, quickly began recording the interviews that make up their documentary, “The East Broad Top Way” (https://tinyurl.com/EBTdoc).

While the book was in the editing phase, another project developed. The railroad and the Friends had come together to hire an archivist, Julie Fether Rockwell, whose first task was to figure out how much archival material the EBT had and what shape it was in. With help from Bellin, the first archives intern, she was able to estimate that the railroad alone had some

5,000 linear feet of maps, drawings, correspondence, board minutes, and so forth, almost of it in good condition and almost all of it unseen for decades. That led to conversations with Kathryn Blake, director of Juniata’s Museum of Art, about the possibility of an exhibit, which Blake suggested could be organized and mounted by museum studies students as a real-world challenge. The exhibit, in fall 2022, included photos, tools, locomotive inspection records, train orders, and even a scale model of the EBT shops borrowed from the Bricktown Model Railroaders Association in nearby Mount Union. It drew many visitors who had never been to the museum before, Blake said.

Standfest, who worked with Rockwell and Bellin in the summer of 2022 as the second archives intern, said that if he hadn’t spent that time at the EBT, he might

not have been hired for his current job at the Army National Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle, Pa., where, “I’ve learned new skills but also used skills Julie and Sammy showed me during my internship,” he said. “Reading theory is important in any field, but it is equally or more important being able to apply the theory to real-world practice. I was lucky to work with Julie on handling various artifacts and documents to help care for and preserve them.”

After several delays, “A Brief Guide to the EBT: Living Relic of the Industrial Age” went to the printers in fall 2023, in an unusual collaboration. The college revived its Juniata College Press to be the new volume’s official publisher, and the Friends of the EBT financed the printing and is handling distribution through its online company store. “The EBT is an abundant

Preserving and promoting the history of the East Broad Top Railroad was the mission of students, alumni, and faculty, including, clockwise from top right, Sammy Bellin ’22, Ryan Kough, Jim Tuten, and Connor Green ’24.

Photo by Lawrence Biemiller

source of fascinating tales that bring life to the site and machinery,” said Andy Van Scyoc, the Friends president, of the guidebook project. “The Juniata students have captured a delightful sampling of these stories to provide an enticing entry into the rich EBT legacy.”

“Once it had been sent to the printers and we were waiting for it to arrive,” said Tuten, “I felt a particular pride about this work — more than I’ve felt about almost any other teaching I’ve done. I know lots of colleagues around the nation who never get to do a project like this that grew and featured the talents of Juniata students.”

Photo by Ryan Kough

Integrated Media Arts students created a 15-minute documentary featuring the history of the East Broad Top Railroad.

A ‘Moving’ Event Book Move Connects Generations

Six decades separate the book moves of September 19, 1963, and December 5, 2023, but the shared experience now connects generations of Juniatians. In 1963, the fall semester opened with a celebration and a challenge, how to move more than 60,000 volumes from the Carnegie Library to the newly built L.A. Beeghly Library across campus? The answer was a carefully choreographed enlistment of students, staff, and

faculty volunteers who completed the job in just one day. With the Beeghly Library renovated and reimagined as the Statton Learning Commons, Juniata planned a similar celebration as the reopening neared. A historic recreation of the 1963 book move drew student, faculty, and staff volunteers, as well as alumni and other members of the Juniata community who were present at the original event.

President James Troha led the procession of volunteers who gathered for the 2023 Book Move, carrying books into the new Statton Learning Commons.

Photo by Joyce Yong

“Part of what made the day fun was that in 1963, students were required to participate, and this time, they were invited. I was thrilled to see how many people were there. I was surprised when the student government president (Paul Leech ’24) said he heard about the 1963 book move when he was in his first year and was excited to participate when he was invited this time.

Having been a part of the committee that worked on Ellis Hall, which was the first committee I served on at the College, I am thrilled to have lived long enough to see a building that will be a college center. I was tickled to take part in this.”

— Betty Ann Cherry, professor emerita of history

Photo from the Juniata College Archives

From the left, Justine Kobeski Black ’08, director of the Statton Learning Commons; Betty Ann Cherry, professor emerita of history; and Sue Esch ’68, professor emerita of mathematics, took part in the 2023 Book Move.

Photo by Maggie Eckroat ’26

“There was a lot of excitement surrounding moving the books and a lot of school spirit. They shut down the school, and just about everyone showed up. You got up that morning and went over to Carnegie Library, where they gave you an armful of books. We stayed in line, crossed Moore Street toward Founders Hall, then across 18th Street and Beeghly Library. There, one of the librarians told us where to put the books we were carrying. By 2:30 p.m., every book in the place had been moved.

As we walked past, the band played on the steps of Founders Hall, and they gave away certain prizes and gift certificates over lunch. This created a real sense of community. It was more than just moving books from one place to another.”

— Dan O’Sullivan

’64

Photo from the Juniata College Archives

Betty Ann Cherry, professor emerita of history, and Dan O’Sullivan ’64 reminisce about the 1963 Book Move.

Photo by Joyce Yong

“The thing I remember most is the sheer amount of organization—it moved like the proverbial clockwork. We walked in file, and someone put a stack of books in our arms. Someone told us where we needed to go, and we stayed in line behind the person in front of us. When we were done, we got back in line and did it over and over again. No one questioned, partly because we were brand new at the college. We were still wearing our dinks [hats formerly worn by first-year students] and different color socks. We had to wear one blue and one yellow during our first year, at least the girls did. This was one of our first experiences at college. It worked beautifully. Whoever took the books from us knew exactly where they went and would stock the next shelf and so on.”

— Sandy Andoniades Loughlin ’67

Bob McDowell ’67, left, and Sandy Andoniades Loughlin ’67 were first-year students during the 1963 Book Move.

“It took all day to get it done! Dr. Ellis led the pack. We started in the morning and made a constant parade on a loop back and forth from Carnegie Library to Beeghly Library until every one of the 60,000 volumes was moved and shelved. We would pick up books at Carnegie Library, then stay in line and in order—that was important—so that the books were in the positions they needed to be in to be shelved in the proper places. It was very well organized. It was a very warm day, so we were tired puppies after seven or eight hours. But we got every last book moved. Both events, in 1963 and 2023, are all about community. This was the perfect example of the way we do things at Juniata. Even though the recent move was ceremonial, it honored a piece of our past that was very important.”

— Bob McDowell ’67

Photo by Maggie Eckroat ’26

Innovation, Infrastructure, and Impact: Juniata College Builds for the Future

By PATELIN NOWAK ’24

Avisionfor the future is taking shape across Juniata’s campus, brick by brick and beam by beam. Guided by the principles of experiential learning and community, this endeavor is an investment in transformative spaces designed to equip students to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

“Whenever we strengthen infrastructure, we do so in the spirit of enhancing accessibility and promoting sustainability because those are values that matter enormously to us,” said Acting President and Provost Lauren Bowen

“As living and learning in a campus environment changes with the needs of students today, our buildings

have to adapt to those needs,” Jim Watt, vice president for advancement and new strategic initiatives, explained. “That can be hard because you must design a building based on your demands in 10 or 20 years.”

Juniata has risen to that challenge, carrying out projects that will be sustainable and easily adaptable for many generations to come. Recent examples are the Statton Learning Commons, formerly known as Beeghly Library, and the Halbritter Center.

The momentum continues with enhancements planned for South Hall and currently underway at the Sill Business Center. These developments promise to create a vibrant and dynamic space for Juniata and the community.

Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts

Shining a Spotlight on Creativity

Artistic expression takes center stage in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts. Recent modernizations boast enhanced acoustics, lighting, and technology for student performers, visiting artists, and community events.

“Whether it’s a rehearsal or the actual performance, the renovations will give students the capability to do things they couldn’t before,” said Barry Halbritter ’65. “I’m just one person, but one person can make a

“Whether it’s a rehearsal or the actual performance, the renovations will give students the capability to do things they couldn’t before. I’m just one person, but one person can make a difference by pursuing a dream.

— Barry Halbritter ’65

Acting President and Provost Lauren Bowen welcomed prospective students and their families in the newly renovated Rosenberger Auditorium during an admitted students event.

Photo by Joyce Yong

Shane Moran, archive and special collections librarian, speaks with a student at the Statton Learning Commons.

Photo by April Feagley g’23

difference by pursuing a dream. It just so happened that I wasn’t the only one with this dream.”

He and his wife, Marlene Robinette Halbritter ’62, were inspired by their passion for the facility and the arts to support the renovation project. This passion was shared by the Class of 1973, who fondly recalled attending class and watching performances in Rosenberger Auditorium during their time at Juniata.

Statton Learning Commons

“One of the classes we had our first year was focused on film, and we spent at least once a week seeing a film at Halbritter, starting with silent movies and going up to Hitchcock—some movies were 3-4 hours long,” recalled Mary White ’73, chair of Juniata’s board of trustees.

“Statton Learning Commons has been a dream, a plan, and an idea for years. To take the project from the initial idea to designing a building and watching the construction and to having folks in it may be the deepest sense of satisfaction I have had in my professional life. It’s been magnificent.”

— Lauren Bowen, Acting President and Provost

Since they spent so much time there, the class wanted up-to-date, comfortable, and accessible seating for current and future students. The Class of 1973 raised $3,576,319.73 for their 50th Class Reunion Legacy Gift, donating a portion of those funds to replace the approximately 900 seats.

Renovations include new seating (with added accessibility), carpeting, curtains and electricallyoperated blinds, house lights, audio/visual technology, and a stage extension in Rosenberger Auditorium; and repainting throughout the Center. Three updated practice rooms will be completed by early summer.

Where Technology Meets Scholarship

When the Statton Learning Commons opened its doors, the overwhelming enthusiasm and rapid adoption of the technologically rich spaces testified to the need for 21st-century collaborative learning and gathering spaces on campus.

“Walking into the Statton Learning Commons on the day it opened was thrilling. When I stopped in at 10 a.m., students started filling the space. By noon, there was a line at Fisher Café,” Bowen shared. “It was so exciting to see students collaborating and gathering, using the space as we had hoped and imagining new ways, too. The energy, enthusiasm, and excitement exceeded my expectations.”

Juniata broke ground in April 2022, with lead donors Tim Statton ’72 and Kathy Stavru Statton ’72 wielding shovels to mark the occasion. From the outset, the space’s concept blended traditional library functions with collaborative zones, individual study areas, and social seating, with cutting-edge resources at every turn. The Statton Learning Commons was designed to ignite the spark of knowledge and empower students to succeed in their academic ventures.

“Statton Learning Commons has been a dream, a plan, and an idea for years,” said Bowen. “To take the project from the initial idea to designing a building and watching the construction and to having folks in it may

Photo by Lawrence Biemiller

Henry Gibbel ’57 and his wife, Joanie

be the deepest sense of satisfaction I have had in my professional life. It’s been magnificent.”

The Statton Learning Commons has changed how students learn and interact and will continue to positively influence many generations of students to come.

South Hall

Rethinking the Old with New Support

Soon to be named Gibbel Hall in recognition of their generous gift, South Hall is slated to undergo a metamorphosis. Located between Lesher Hall and Knox Stadium, South is home to students and athletic offices. Henry Gibbel ’57 and his wife, Joanie, have provided $1 million for an infrastructure update and have challenged alumni and supporters to match their donation.

“I’ve been so blessed and had the joy in life to go to Juniata College,” explained Henry Gibbel.

Renovations to South Hall will powerfully impact students’ lived experiences. Living facilities designed to sustain students through their four years powerfully influence the classroom experience.

“Your dorm room is your home away from home,” Joanie Gibbel said about why they chose to support improvements to South Hall. “College is a time to grow up, learn, and make friends.”

“Crafting common areas that meet students’ collaborative and interactive needs, thinking about both the design and the aesthetic experience of the building, considering the way students approach it and the way they approach one another in it—all of those things matter in terms of thinking about and creating the spaces and places where education happens,” Matthew Damschroder, vice president of student life and dean of students, said.

Reconfigured floor plans will create additional communal spaces alongside upgraded rooms that offer comfort and privacy. Modernized bathrooms, improved energy efficiency, and the integration of new technologies will enhance a sense of well-being that directly supports students’ academic success.

Sill Business Center

Supporting a Stronger College and Community

The Bob and Eileen Sill Business Center (SBC), a launchpad for business leaders, will soon offer 8,630 additional square feet of office space in support of local economic development.

“It is part of our mission and strategic plan to be well connected to the community, and you certainly see that in Statton and in Sill,” said Bowen.

A $1 million renovation of Sill’s third floor was made possible through the work of Watt and his team, who worked to secure grant funding through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and $290,000 in philanthropic investment.

Sill amplifies the value of the College to the community. Businesses housed in SBC have distinct and different missions, and yet they thrive through their shared presence. The SBC also supports the economic vitality of Huntingdon by creating jobs and giving Juniata students real-world learning opportunities through internships, service-learning projects, and collaborative research.

“Having affordable space near Juniata gives us proximity to talented students who have done paid internships and helped our businesses succeed,” said Regina Lamendella, George ’75 and Cynthia ’76 Valko Professor of Biological Sciences, who is the co-founder of two businesses in the SBC, WrightLabs and Contamination Source Identification (CSI). “The other beautiful thing is that virtually all of our employees are Juniata grads. To retain that talent here has been wonderful for the town. These employees choose to live here, contribute to the economy, purchase homes, and are integral to the community.”

Envisioning the Future

More Than Just Bricks and Mortar

These infrastructure advancements are more than just bricks and mortar; they represent Juniata College’s unwavering commitment to providing its students with an unparalleled educational experience. These projects are possible because of the generous support of donors who want to invest in the future, laying the foundation that will shape generations of Juniata graduates.

“People give because they are committed to the student experience. Their generosity makes these expansions, for the buildings we are creating or remodeling, obtainable in the fastest, most affordable way possible,” Watt shared. “Our job is to connect donors’ passions to how they can help students today. Sometimes, that’s through endowment or scholarships, and sometimes, it’s through infrastructure. Connecting those passions to buildings that will make a difference in the lives of students today is one of the greatest jobs we have.”

Sill Business Center’s third floor is undergoing extensive renovations that are slated for completion this summer.

Photo by Tristan delGiudice

The Juniata women’s volleyball team hoists the 2023 DIII Women’s Volleyball National Championship trophy on December 2, 2023.

Kara Mette ’24, competed in the 400-meter medley relay during a home meet in November.

Juan Armando ’25 went up for the ball against Stevens Institute of Technology.

celebrated a goal in a Landmark Conference victory over Goucher.

Jay Gajiwala ’27 competed in the 200-meter freestyle during a home meet in November.

Juniata’s men’s basketball team was crowned Eastern College Athletic Conference Champions following their win over Alvernia College on March 10, 2024.

Aimee Buffington ’24

Tackling Health Disparities, Narratives

By JOE BURRIS

Sarah Worley ’00, director of community engaged teaching and learning, discusses rural health initiatives with Dr. John Roth, CEO of Broad Top Area Medical Center.

Photo by Cole Handerhan

Broad Top Area Medical Center CEO John Roth remembers when there were 348 independent hospitals across Pennsylvania, each designed to address specific community health needs across the state’s urban and rural landscape.

Yet over the last few decades, he says, 348 has shrunk to about a dozen, with many hospitals replaced by health systems that often aren’t tailored to specific communities. For rural Pennsylvania, the shrinkage has created large swaths of territories where sick people have no nearby doctors’ offices or hospitals, no public transportation to far-away facilities and no Wi-Fi to access virtual care.

It has also deprived rural communities of healthcare professionals who lived, worked and played among the families they treat and learned the histories and stories behind patients’ medical charts.

Broad Top Area Medical Center (BTAMC) and Juniata College have taken a deliberate approach to address Huntingdon County’s overall health and wellbeing. In recent years, the two institutions have forged partnerships to share best practices, implement innovations to examine root causes behind some of the region’s most pressing health disparities and provide better, more accessible care and resources.

Broad Top is the area’s only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), institutions that furnish medical care for underserved populations. Broad Top has 12 locations in the Huntingdon area, offering medical, dental, pediatric and walk-up services—all administered with an operating philosophy that patients will not be denied services based on an inability to pay.

As a liberal arts college, Juniata provides a wellrounded, integrated approach to understanding health as more than just the absence of disease by immersing students with both classroom, experiential and community-based learning across many departments and disciplines. It has made community engagement a core part of students’ academic experience, helping them understand lived experiences of their neighbors while exploring such topics as rural poverty and healthcare inequities.

Together, the two institutions are working to ensure that they are equipped to serve Huntingdon County—as separate entities and as partners.

“In areas where community hospitals have retreated there have been the creation of health care deserts,” said Roth. “FQHCs have stepped into these areas, and we have seen tremendous growth. We are for the poor, the elderly, the medically underserved. We focus on the physical, mental and oral health.”

“But if we were to limit what we do to just these lanes, we would leave out a lot of issues that impact patients’ health, social determinants of health,” said Roth, who presented “Leveraging Collaboration to Support Community Engagement & Sustainability,” along with Juniata Director of Community Engaged Teaching and Learning and Professor of Communication Sarah Worley ’00 at the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers annual conference in fall 2023. “That’s where the partnership with Juniata comes in. With the skill set that it has, and with Juniata bringing America’s brightest to our area, I think if we work together with an innovative and creative manner, we may be able to impact some of these social determinants of health.”

That was Worley’s goal when she approached Broad Top about the partnership. She also sought to increase community engagement offerings for students at a school where 95% participate in hands-on learning.

“Typically, people hear, ‘community engagement,’ and they think direct service—dig a hole, paint a fence, cut a tree,” said Worley. “Direct service has a place, but we are really trying to lean more into those mutually beneficial and reciprocal partnerships that are rooted in learning and research and other forms of community engagement.”

Worley also oversees Juniata’s Preventative Health AmeriCorps VISTA positions in partnership with Broad Top and is part of the school’s Internal Community Health Working group—comprising faculty, staff and VISTAs— that meets regularly with Broad Top. The group includes:

• Bethany Benson, professor of art, who oversees the current Workforce Development VISTA in partnership with Huntingdon County Business and Industry

• Liz Mansberger, assistant professor of biology, who is involved in Juniata’s Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Ambassador program and its Community Health Worker efforts

• Tricia Hunt, director of health professions and point person for AHEC Ambassador program

• Lee Ann DeShong-Cook, assistant professor of social work, who works closely with many community partners

• Amanda Page, associate professor of English, and program director for Juniata’s National Endowment for the Humanities Rural Experience grant project

• Tia Warrick, director of public health and assistant professor of biology

• Kathy Westcott, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology, who oversaw the previous Mental Health Needs Assessment VISTA project in partnership with Penn Highlands Huntingdon Hospital

“The group meets regularly to collaborate, share information, coordinate and support each other’s work,” says Worley. “The working group also annually facilitates a Social Safety Net Simulation for students that also includes our community partners, like Broad Top, who have valuable expertise and perspective to contribute to the simulation.”

Worley said that the makeup of the group of people across departments and disciplines illustrates why a liberal arts college like Juniata is suited to tackling complex issues like community health.

She added, “Through the social determinant of health framework, which recognizes the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a variety of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks, all of us have something to contribute to the work the CDC divides into five domains: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.”

Juniata VISTAs remain in the area for at least a year after graduation to work as capacity builders in partnership with local organizations. They help strengthen local organizations and community groups by developing programs, securing resources, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. VISTA members also create projects that expand opportunities for individuals and communities affected by poverty. They help increase access to education, healthcare, job training and other resources.

Autumn Eyer ’23, who is now an AmeriCorps VISTA Preventive Health Coordinator at BTAMC, facilitates a program that provides credentials for clinical medical assistants and creates patient-facing deliverables to bolster BTAMC’s pursuit of gaining the Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) designation. The PCMH model is an approach to delivering highquality, cost-effective primary care. Using a patientcentered, culturally appropriate, and team-based approach, the PCMH model coordinates patient care across the health system.

Patelin Nowak ’24 worked as a digital marketing intern at Broad Top Area Medical Center and was integral in updating the provider’s social media presence to reach residents.

Photo by Cole Handerhan

Photo by JD Cavrich

Secondary experience, primary focus

By JOE BURRIS

Juniata College, a school in rural central Pennsylvania, might not appear to have much in common with Alabama’s Black Belt, a region named such for its dark, rich soil but also known as home to some of the poorest and most racially segregated jurisdictions in the country as well as the site of many pivotal moments in America’s Civil Right’s history, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Yet the Black Belt is the backdrop of a ten-day study away experience offered by Juniata. The Comparative Rural Experience is part of Juniata’s Rural Experience secondary emphasis, which provides students with learning opportunities and coursework with an off-campus study component to give students opportunities to compare rural perspectives. The program is anchored at the University of West Alabama in Sumter County, AL, a jurisdiction bordering East Mississippi. Components of the Comparative Rural Experience include collecting narratives from people’s experiences in both regions and critically examining the factors that contribute to the disparity in poverty rates.

Territa Poole, associate professor of psychology and codirector of Juniata’s NEH Rural Experience grant, says that both Sumter and Huntingdon counties are areas that, like much of rural America, were often left behind during and after the nation’s Industrial Revolution. Rural areas, she says, still struggled years later despite federal policies that were intended to move our country forward, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal and Lyndon Baines Johnson’s Great Society programs. “As a nation, we’ve been able to drive the poverty rate down in general to about 12 percent on average, but we’re stuck,” said Poole. And while 12% may not seem like a big number, it still means that there are at least 40 million people living in poverty in the United States, with nearly a quarter of them being children under 18 years old.

Though Huntingdon County has more than three times the population of Sumter County, the jurisdictions are similar in terms of smoking rates, high school graduation rates, percentage of residents with bachelor’s degrees and

commute time. Yet they are also remarkably different. For example, Huntingdon County is more than 90 percent White, while Sumter County is more than 70 percent Black. And the poverty rate of Sumter County is more than twice that of Huntingdon County (31.1% vs. 13.2%).

Additionally, Poole explains, “In places where you find large historically Black communities, it’s also common to observe that poverty is experienced differently and has a markedly devastating effect not seen in other areas. So, while there is certainly poverty in Huntingdon, it looks very different than the poverty found in Sumter County.” But these differences open up an opportunity for students, through Juniata’s National Endowment for the Humanities grant and the new secondary emphasis, to think and learn about why poverty continues to plague rural communities, for them to consider both contemporary and historical aspects of poverty, and to engage in narrative imagination to envision a world where poverty is alleviated in both Huntingdon and Sumter counties.”

Through its Rural Experience Secondary Emphasis, Juniata students are exploring the socioeconomic and historic factors to compare the real experiences of rural people through oral histories, historical archives, and collaborations with local organizations.

In this way, the methods and approaches of humanities fields can expand student perspectives as they explore topics such as rural poverty, healthcare equity and environmental justice. Amanda Page, associate professor of English and director of the NEH Rural Experience grant, said that the goal of the course is to ensure students analyze stereotypes associated with rural areas and how those stereotypes interfere with how the government and other people throughout the country view rural places.

“When you talk to people and find out why they live where they live and what their lives have been like,” added Page, “it works against the limited perceptions of rural folks.”

Eyer also assists Nikki Meals, BTAMC executive assistant, in implementing a workforce marketing grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. This grant seeks to retain and attract health care providers in rural Pennsylvania.

“We have a cohort of employees moving through the program and getting their credentials,” said Eyer. “We are also hoping to retain those qualified individuals in Huntingdon County, and we have been reaching out to other community partners to extend the opportunity to rural high school students.”

Page said that Juniata’s work and its partnership with Broad Top has bred more on-campus institutional interest in rural issues and a desire to ensure that students in all disciplines take a humanities-centered approach to understanding the forces shaping rural lives.

“By and large, rural poverty is studied either in sociology

departments or from a general poverty studies angle,” said Page. “What we think that we can do as a liberal arts college is expand that scope to look at the stories we tell about rural people, the way stereotypes or narratives about what it means to be rural shape policy and intersect with more traditional ways of looking at rural places.”

Already the effort has inspired current and former students to be part of the solution.

“As a Juniata student I had my community engagement requirements to graduate, but I didn’t feel nearly as connected [to the surrounding community] as I do now,” said Eyer, who grew up in Reading, about two hours from Huntingdon. “I’m getting to know the culture and the ruralness of the area, which is very different from where I grew up. It makes me feel satisfied to offer opportunities to help this county receive quality medical care that it wouldn’t otherwise receive.”

Defining Health Equity

Source: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement, Going Beyond Clinical Walls: Solving Complex Problems (October 2014).

For the Altmanshofers, Healthcare is a Family Affair

By JOE BURRIS

Duncansville podiatrist Dr. Bert Altmanshofer ’81 used to make rounds at a local community hospital with young daughter Kate at his side, and, while he examined his patients and their wounds, she took note of dad’s temperament.

“Seeing him in public, seeing that people are so trusting of him and willing to communicate with him, and seeing that he’s so friendly and open, that taught me a lot about dealing with patients in smaller populations,” said Kate Altmanshofer ’21, whose interest in attending Juniata was spurred by campus trips alongside her father.

Though unintentional, Bert instilled in Kate an understanding of the unique medical challenges faced by people in rural populations—as well as the desire to connect with each person to bring more quality care

to their community. She is now a student at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WV, eager to forge her own path in medicine, grounded in a Juniata education, and guided by her father’s example.

“I was fortunate to have a choice in where I attended in medical school, but I chose a school that reminds me a lot of Juniata,” Kate said. “It’s a small school. You get to talk to your professors. It just felt like the right choice for me.

“She picked the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine because of its focus on rural care,” said Bert, who once worked in neighboring Altoona, one of the largest communities in the area. He now works in small rural clinics in Huntingdon County, continuing to specialize in such areas as wound care, foot and ankle pain, and diabetic foot problems.

Student interns Olivia Henry ’26, left, and Anna Dill ’25, right, talk with Dr. Bert Altmanshofer ’81 at Broad Top Area Medical Center.

Photo by Cole Handerhan

Dr. Bert Altmanshofer ’81 and daughter, Kate Altmanshofer ’21

Photo courtesy of Dr. Bert Altmanshofer

He now treats people who once had to travel to Altoona for their foot care. During a recent snowstorm, Bert made three local home visits. He said to this day, he relishes patients saying, “Thank you.”

“I always dabbled in the rural health care process,” Bert said, “and that’s where I spend my efforts now, trying to create the awareness that we can go to the ‘woods’ and deliver more care. For a lot of these folks that I’m treating now, I’ve treated members of their families when they came to the ‘big’ town to see me.

“Now I am able to use that skillset and provide evaluations, wound care, and treatment plans,” Bert added. “We can provide that small office surgery care instead of them having a major trip to a larger area for many minor surgeries of the foot and ankle.”

Bert says during his time at Juniata, student preprofessional health clubs visited newly constructed rural clinics. These visits included an introduction to rural healthcare recruitment by the National Health Service Corps and other local groups that recruit physicians.

Bert says regardless of where doctors train, educating community members is key to improving health outcomes in rural areas. That includes patients and providers in an area prone to increased severity of ailments such as diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular disease, aging, limited ambulation, and obesity.

According to Pennsylvania’s County Health Profiles, Huntingdon County’s diabetes mellitus death rate is the only cause of death that exceeds the state average. Bert and Kate share concerns about the area’s prevalence of the disease, which can lead to heart and kidney problems as well as impaired vision and limb amputation.

“I think one of the biggest concerns is getting them onto the appropriate specialists,” Bert said. “I get a lot of folks that now, in 2024, have never seen a foot and ankle care provider, and they are in their 70s or 80s with substantial health issues.”

“Those in rural areas are underserved in specific ways that are unique to geography, culture, heritage and so forth,” said Kate. “As a provider, it’s important to be cognizant of these special things that impact these areas

and bring to the table your expertise to help work with these populations and help improve health outcomes.”

As a child, Kate said she always envisioned becoming a doctor. But that vision crystalized when she took part in Juniata’s bioethics secondary emphasis, which prepares students in biology, health and other professions to resolve ethical dilemmas and amplifies disparities in the healthcare system and social determinants of health.

The secondary emphasis includes required courses such as Science and Human Values and Justice, which explores ethical obligations of scientists to society as well as the role that technology, as a form of applied science, plays in everyday lives.

“That’s when it clicked for me,” Kate said about the secondary emphasis. “That’s when I said, ‘Oh, this is where I can make a difference; I can take the things I’m learning here and the things that I’ll learn in med school into a community with me.’”

Kate said that when she told her father of her goal to become a doctor, “He was very excited and very proud, but he also told me to be smart, work hard, know what you’re getting into, because it’s a lifelong learning dedication.”

Already her father’s tutelage and her Juniata schooling have helped prepare Kate for lifelong learning, enabling her to see how one impaired organ can affect the entire body.

“The body is truly a unit,” Kate said. “And even if you’re just going to a podiatrist to get your feet looked at, that can have implications on your endocrine system. Everything is connected.”

Kate says that though she has not yet mapped out her post-medical school plans, she’s already considering a return to Huntingdon County. Going on rounds with her dad as a child enabled her to get comfortable with talking to other providers, patients, and patient’s families. The opportunity to do so as a doctor would be too good to pass up.

“It’s definitely a consideration,” Kate added. “It’s where I grew up, where I went to school. Those areas all served me and helped me become the person I am, so I think it would be very special to give back to those communities.”

A Multidisciplinary Approach Transforming Student Experiences

By DERON SNYDER

A student in Alison Fletcher’s “Engineering, Empire & Environment” course discussed their final project with Dennis Johnson, Blechschmidt Professor of Environmental Science at the end of the fall semester.

Photo by April Feagley g’23

Madison Seipp ’26, who is studying history, usually shies away from courses that involve engineering or the environment.

But Seipp signed up for Engineering, Empire and Environment anyway, figuring it must be a “cool class” because it was taught by Alison Fletcher, the W. Newton & Hazel A. Long Professor of History.

The course, which Seipp confirmed was cool, exemplifies Juniata offerings that embrace hands-on use of technology and connect to multiple disciplines, integrating liberal arts principles into technical fields. Fletcher decided to teach the course in response to Juniata’s burgeoning civil engineering and environmental engineering programs.

The final project required students to select an engineering feat from the British Empire and build their own three-dimensional model. They worked in close conjunction with Justine Kobeski Black ’08, director of the Statton Learning Commons, and Tom McClain ’94, assistant director of instructional technology. Students incorporated a wide range of technological advances into their projects, including micro:bit devices, 3-D printers, and a 14-foot-long riverbed simulator. They concluded their work by recording a short podcast about their project.

Fletcher shared that students selected a wide variety of projects, mentioning the Anglo-American Submarine Cable, U Bein Bridge, Crystal Palace, and Victoria Bridge, among others. “They had to tell a story about their project. The storytelling in many ways is at the heart of this.”

Seipp chose to create the Spitfire, the World War II airplane renowned for its performance and crucial role in the Allies’ victory. She came away with greater appreciation for interdisciplinary practices and enjoyed the way engineering, the environment and history intersect.

“Before this class, I was kind of opposed to learning about this new technology but now I see the possibilities of what it can create and do,” said Siepp. “It’s gotten me more open minded about how I view technology and use it in my day-to-day life, especially when doing academic work.”

Madison Seipp ’26 created a model of the Spitfire, a World War II airplane, as her final project for “Engineering, Empire & Environment.”

Photo by April Feagley g’23

Fletcher says the course worked well because it attracted students from diverse programs of emphasis. In addition to history students, the class consisted of students from environmental engineering, museum studies, accounting and STEM. Many had never done anything like the final project.

“When it all came together at the end, they were so excited by what they had created,” Fletcher said. “They wanted to show it to others, so I invited people for presentation day.

“I wasn’t quite sure how it would end up, but the students were amazing,” she said. “They were creative. They put in hours of work and had to do the research, the building, and then had to build a podcast and tell a story, which for me was very important.”

Seipp walked away with an additional benefit from the experience.

“I actually have a job now on the instructional design team [at the Statton Learning Commons],” Seipp said. “It kind of exposes people—both students and staff—to new technology we have on campus, especially in the library.”

There’s a river in the lab

Dennis Johnson, Blechschmidt Professor of Environmental Science, helps oversee a massive piece of technology acquired by Juniata in October of last year.

Two of Fletcher’s students used the Emriver EM4 Stream Table to examine water flow in their recreation of the Thames Embankment. The table, which can hold 70 gallons of water and 360 pounds of media, can simulate floodplains, deltas, groundwater processes and sediment transport. The students created a historical model of rivers in the United Kingdom and demonstrated the effects of tide and erosion.

“It’s a unique piece of equipment,” Johnson said. “To my knowledge there are only three or four in Pennsylvania and relatively rare for schools our size. We just ordered another nice piece of equipment—a flume—that will be added to the lab.”

Johnson plans to invite Juniata education students and host connection classes in the summer. He said students use the stream table regularly every week and are drawn

to the water’s movement. “I always joke that if we put pizza and televisions in there, we’d never leave; we’d just sit there [and watch the water],” he said.

The ability to visualize effects and make hands-on adjustments is a game-changer for students’ experience in the lab.

“I can’t tell you how many times I see people in there,” Johnson said. “When the river is running, it’s mesmerizing. It’s pumping water and sand is moving, and the students are just laughing...you can take this [knowledge] from the lab to the field. ”

Johnson is also excited about a grant that will allow an increased use of drones by multiple classes, including geology, communications, and physics. Additional drones are on order as students learn how to become certified and licensed by the Federal Aviation Administraton.

“We did a course at our Raystown Field Station and ended up doing some really nice aerial photographs,” Johnson said. “We made a video on what it’s like to be at the field station. We’re going to grow our use of drones and several departments are interested in that.”

Environmental engineering students utilize the Emriver EM4 Stream Table to simulate waterway ecology as they investigate erosion prevention, stormwater mitigation, and flood control.

Photo by Cole Handerhan

by Cole Handerhan

More in-house tech for hands-on use

Johnson isn’t the only faculty member who’s looking forward to students’ work with new equipment.

Juniata recently added an IC PMS Multicollector to its assemblage of technological devices. The instrument is used for high precision isotope ratio analysis of liquid and soil samples. Ryan Mathur ’96, professor and department chair of geology, said he’s used multicollectors in labs all over the world. While they typically cost more than $1 million, “Luckily Penn State was getting another one and I was able to get this one at a greatly reduced price,” he said.

In his Environmental Geochemistry class, Mathur takes students to mining sites where they use devices to take samples of the groundwater and surface water. They return to the lab and make their own measurements, interpreting and analyzing the information in reports.

“It’s an eye-opening experience for the students,” Mathur said. “One, they get to go out and collect the information. Two, it kind of goes against what they were initially thinking they’d find. I do that on purpose to show that you have measure and figure stuff out.”

As he continues, “The students get the opportunity to practice science while using the instruments. So, it’s much different than typical science classes.”

Instrumentation has a heavy presence in other classes, including Geoarchaeology where many students might not be as familiar or comfortable with the gadgets.

“There are historians in there, game studies people and museum studies people,” Mathur said. “I make tasks for everyone to do and then rotate them around, so they get a chance to press the buttons and do stuff, see how the numbers are generated.”

Juniata’s technology lets students glean results from their samples in person, instead of waiting for data sent back from an outside lab. Mathur said the discovery process is enhanced when it occurs in real time, like when his class returned from a field visit with three different types of metal.

“We had no idea,” he said. “We thought they were all lead but we found out some were zinc and the others were mixtures of zinc and copper and zinc and iron. Everybody was going crazy because they didn’t understand. Everyone was thinking it would be all lead.”

The immediate connection between samples and data leads to better work on both ends. “Seeing the results happen even though they might not understand everything makes it more real,” Mathur said. “And you see it in the output, too... The reports are far superior with the stuff that we collect now.”

Ryan Mathur ’96, professor of geology, and Kiran Patil ’24 use their lab’s IC PMS Multicollector to determine high precision isotope ratio analysis of liquid and soil samples.

Photo

Kushal Adhikari, assistant professor of environmental engineering, presented the results of undergraduate research with Christopher Brumbaugh-Cayford ’24 and Bryson Osborne ’24 at the 18th Annual River Symposium at Bucknell University.

Kushal Adhikari, assistant professor of environmental engineering, presented the results of undergraduate research with students at the 18th Annual River Symposium at Bucknell University. These presentations included “Lab-scale Green Stormwater Infrastructures: Integrating Research and Teaching” with Christopher Brumbaugh-Cayford ’24; “Stormwater Management Using Low Impact Developments (LIDs): Case Study from Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA” with Ashley McWilliams ’24; and “Water Quality Assessment of Muddy Run, Pennsylvania, USA,” with Bryson Osborne ’24. The research projects conducted with McWilliams and Osborne have been accepted for oral presentations at the 2024 World Environmental & Water Resources Congress (ASCE-EWRI Congress 2024), a peer-reviewed conference with corresponding research articles currently under review.

Nikki McLellan Ayers ’06, director of athletics, attended the 2024 NCAA Convention in January 2024. Nikki accepted an award on behalf of the Juniata Athletics Department alongside current field hockey student-athlete and vice president of DIII National SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee), Lillian Case ’25, for recognition of the great work Juniata SAAC does each year with the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania Fall Sectional. The award was given by the National Association of Division III Administrators (NADIIIA).

Jack Barlow, Charles A. Dana Professor of Politics, was a guest with Ed Vaizey of Times (UK) Radio on the decision of the Colorado Supreme Court to deny Donald Trump a place on the ballot on December 20, 2023. He was interviewed by Marta Garde of EFE News Service (an international Spanish-language news service) on Donald Trump’s eligibility for the ballot. Barlow was interviewed

by Michael Liebowitz of the Rational Egoist podcast on the life and writings of Gouverneur Morris on January 6, 2024. Barlow presented “What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Nation: Gouverneur Morris and the Birth of American Constitutionalism” to a conference celebrating the life and work of Professor William B. Allen in Washington, D.C., in June 2023.

Hannah Bellwoar, professor of English, was elected as vice president of Small Liberal Arts College Writing Program Administrators (SLAC-WPA). This position is a four-year term—one year as vice president, two years as president, and one year as past president. Bellwoar presented a workshop, “Cultivating Mentoring Relationships in our Writing Programs,” at the SLACWPA conference.

William Blades, assistant professor of physics and engineering physics, submitted a research proposal, “Localized spin-magnetic moments and heterogenous band gaps in two-dimensional metal alloys,” which was accepted by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) 2D-Crystal Consortium (2DCC).

Lauren Bowen, provost and professor of politics, presented “How Provosts and Vice Presidents of Advancement Can Work Together to Generate New Sources of External Funding Revenue” with Jim Watt, vice president for advancement and new strategic initiatives. She co-presented “New Program Development, Program Assessment, Efficiency Gains and Prioritization” at the annual CAO (Chief Academic Officers) Institute of CIC (Council of Independent Colleges), Tampa, FL, November 2023.

Hannah Bellwoar, professor of English, “Cultivating Mentoring Relationships in our Writing Programs,” at the Small Liberal Arts College Writing Program Administrators conference.

Kristin Camenga, associate professor of mathematics and director of advising, co-presented “Academic Coaching for Faculty” at the Penn State Advising Conference on September 21, 2023. She participated in a panel discussion, “Reimagining Academic Recovery for Students on Academic Warning and Probation,” at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Annual Conference on October 6, 2023. Camenga presented “Filling in the Gaps for Calculus I Students: Building in supplemental instruction at a small liberal arts college,” at the Joint Mathematics Meetings on January 4, 2024. With collaborators Rebekah B. Johnson Yates of Houghton University and Douglas Knowles of Cornell University, she presented “The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Finite Field Numerical Ranges, on January 3, 2024.

Pat Christopher, head baseball coach, presented at the USA Baseball Coaches Clinic held at West Virginia University (WVU) in November 2023 alongside coaches from WVU and Potomac State. He also held the first coaching clinic at Juniata with guest speakers from Chatham University, Mt. Aloysius and St. Vincent for local high school, junior college, and club coaches.

Lynn Cockett, professor of communication, presented “In Theory/In Reality: Using Reality TV in your Pedagogy” at the Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy at Virginia Tech University in February 2024.

April Feagley g’23, assistant director of communication, completed her master of organizational leadership degree at Juniata. She was the keynote speaker at the Pennsylvania Student Press Association’s Regional Student Journalism Competition in November 2023.

Amy Frazier-Yoder, professor of Spanish and Hispanic cultures, published a book, “Creators and Created Beings in Twentieth-Century Latin American Fiction.” She also presented “Male-Order: Plastisex© Gynoids and Displaced Women in Juan José Arreola’s ‘Anuncio’”, as part of the panel “Displaced and Replaced: Migrants, Marxists, Exiles, and Sex Dolls in Latin American Cultural Production” at the Mountain Interstate Foreign Language Conference in October 2023.

Amy Frazier-Yoder, professor of Spanish and Hispanic cultures, published a book, “Creators and Created Beings in Twentieth-Century Latin American Fiction.”

John Crum, assistant professor of criminal justice, presented “A Social Network Analysis of Campaign Contributions in PA Criminal Justice Elections” at the American Society of Criminology Conference, in November 2023. Crum’s research assistant, Daniela Scipioni ’25, presented a poster, “Police Militarization & Drug Policy: The Impact of Marijuana Liberalization Policies on 1033 Program Justifications,” as part of their research at the American Society of Criminology Conference in November 2023.

Brittany Carr DeHaven ’09, assistant athletic director for enrollment, retention, and student success, participated in the BOSCA (Business of Small College Athletics) Regional Workshop, attending sessions on DEI, Leadership, best practices, mental health strategies, and human resources in athletics. The workshop was held in October 2023 at Kutztown University.

Douglas Glazier, professor of biology, published five research articles, including “Interactive effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on metabolic rate” with co-author Vojsava Gjoni in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (the oldest scientific journal in the world), “Scaling species interactions: implications for community ecology and biological scaling theory” in academia biology, “Commentary on the biphasic ontogenetic metabolic scaling of the American eel Anguilla rostrata” with Alex Forlenza ’22 and Heather Galbraith ’01 in physiological and biochemical zoology, “Temperature, resources, and predation interact to shape phytoplankton size–abundance relationships at a continental scale” with several co-authors in Global Ecology and Biogeography, and “The Relevance of Time in Biological Scaling” in Biology. He also authored or co-authored two chapters in the book “Springs of the World: Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation Status.”

Tracy Stough Grajewski ’86, assistant professor of accounting, business, and economics, was named to the board of directors for AAA-Central Pennsylvania.

Benjamin Grant, assistant athletic director for athletic communications, and Jarrett Kratzer, assistant athletic director for sports performance, were accepted into the NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) Senior Mentoring Institute and will attend the annual convention in Las Vegas in June for the official program. The Senior Mentoring Institute is a yearlong program designed to assist up and coming athletic administrators through their path to the AD (athletic director) chair. Ben and Jarrett will participate in the two-day program in June and will continue the program with another in-person session to be held at Stony Brook University in the fall of 2024. Jarrett also participated in the BOSCA (Business of Small College Athletics) Regional Workshop attending sessions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, leadership, best practices, mental health strategies and human resources in athletics.

Katie Hildebrand Hoffman ’01, assistant professor of education, co-presented “Active Learning Strategies as a Tool for Inclusion” with Karen Fries of Francis Marion University at the Lilly Conference in in October 2023.

Patricia Hunt, director of health professions, took Olivia Henry ’26 and Anna Dill ’25 to speak on a panel focused on the undergraduate premedical experience at the Pennsylvania Mountains Rural Health Conference held at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Hunt and seven students visited the Penn State College of Medicine to participate in Primary Care Day.

Jill Keeney, Charles A. Dana Professor of Biology, presented a workshop, “ORFans and proto-genes: Engaging students in bioinformatics through the study of yeast genes of unknown function,” at the Cell Bio 2023 in Boston, MA, on December 2, 2023. Keeney published “CURE on yeast genes of unknown function increases students’ bioinformatics proficiency and research confidence” in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education with many other colleagues from institutions across the US.

Jim Latten, professor of music, published “Fall Marching Bands, AWP (Adequate Weekly Progress) Assessments, & Concern for Excellence: A dream, or reality?” in the Winter 2023 edition of PMEA news, the state music education journal.

Monika Malewska, professor of art, was a featured artist in “Co Na Deser?” (What’s for Dessert), a twoperson exhibition with Paweł Czekański at Piękna Gallery, Warsaw, Poland, in January 2024. In October 2023, she exhibited at Biennial 2023 in the International Competitive Biennial Survey of Contemporary Painting Gallery Exhibition at Manifest, Cincinnati, Ohio. Malewska was a part of the Maake Summer Group Show, Maake Projects Gallery, curated by Emily Carol Burns in State College in August 2023.

Tori Quinn, head women’s lacrosse coach, participated in the annual IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association) convention in November. Tori participated in educational sessions around rules changes, tactical plays/schemes and attended a high caliber recruitment event as part of the convention.

Kim Roth, professor of statistics and mathematics, began her four-year term as an associate editor of The College Mathematics Journal in January 2024.

Meghan Shoff, athletic trainer and compliance coordinator, attended the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar in Indianapolis, IN. Meghan was able to participate in NCAA reporting educational sessions and workshops around NCAA rule changes for Division III.

James Stumpo, head men’s lacrosse coach, and Jace Cornell, assistant men’s lacrosse coach, attended the IMCLA (Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaching Association) in December 2023. The coaches participated in educational sessions around rule changes, tactical plays/schemes, DEI and mental health strategies for student-athletes.

Blake Treadwell, head football coach, and the Juniata football staff attended the annual American Football Coaches Associate Convention in Nashville in January 2024. The coaches took part in networking, educational

sessions on new plays, new health and safety practices and offensive/defensive schemes.

Belle Tuten, Charles A. Dana Professor of History, published “Using Problem-Based Learning in the ‘Medieval Medicine’ Classroom,” in The Once and Future Classroom: Resources for Teaching Medieval Studies 18/1 (Spring 2024).

Jim Tuten, Charles R. and Shirley A. Knox Professor of History, presented “Critical Acts of Commensality and Cultural Capital: How Madeira Wine Served Social Functions Among Anglo-phone elites (1815 to 2000),” and “Modernity and Globalisation in the Atlantic World: Relationships, Dialogues and Exchanges,” in Funchal, Madeira, on November 23, 2023. Tuten co-edited “A Brief Guide to the EBT: Living Relic of the Industrial Age” (published by the Juniata College Press in 2023) with Ryan Kough, associate professor of integrated media arts, and Lawrence Biemiller.

Jim Watt, vice president for advancement and new strategic initiatives, was quoted as an expert in the field

JUNIATA TRAVELS TO UN CONFERENCE

For the third consecutive year, a delegation of Juniata College faculty and students attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference as an observer organization. This year’s conference, COP 28, was held November 30 through December 12, 2023, in Expo City, Dubai, UAE.

Juniata’s delegation was comprised of Matt Powell, professor of geology; Kushal Adhikari, assistant professor of environmental engineering; Elisha Stenger ’24; Bailey Saunders ’25; Isabel Kruse ’24; and Kei Takahashi ’24.

“Our hope is to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for our students that bridges the gap between learning and action, and that specifically explores the interplay between scientific results and policy decisions,” said Powell. “Last year, only 13 U.S. liberal arts colleges were admitted observers. We believe the experience helps us fulfill our mission to build ethical leaders in a global community, and advance our demonstrated commitment to climate action and international engagement.”

Juniata was one of about 15 liberal arts colleges participating as observers.

of advancement in the 2023 Crescendo Philanthropy Study entitled, “How Active Planned Giving Programs Beat Downward Giving Trends”. The study looked at 371 nonprofit organizations and the factors that led to their success.

David Widman, professor of psychology, co-authored “Possible influence of psychological distance to women’s intrasexual mating competition, with Maryanne L. Fisher and Rebecca L. Burch, published in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Along with Jason Brandon ’24, Alexandra Carrol ’24, Sydney Garner ’25, Geun Min Kim ’25, Weston Phares ’23, and Renee Waite ’24, Widman published “Psychophysical measurements during the priming of intrasexual competition” in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. Widman and Burch presented the poster “Further evidence that intrasexually competing women do not discount the future” to the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex (SSSS) In New Orleans, in November 2023.

1966

Pat J. Bruno Jr. has published his first book, “How Can I Not?: Reflections on a Life Evaluating and Treating Victims of Child Maltreatment”. He shares the impact of his 45-year career as a Child Abuse Pediatrician in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.

1973

Stephen J. Crowley was installed as moderator for the Presbytery of St. Augustine for a one-year term.

Kelly L. (Crain) Wike was named a distinguished alumna of Tyrone Area School District and was honored during alumni recognition weekend.

1976

Patricia Ann Dunlavy received the David K. Goodman Jr. Community Service Award during the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce’s 22nd Annual Awards Gala. Ann is a board member, membership committee co-chair, and part of the community service committee for the Huntingdon Rotary Club.

1970

Daniel B. Hoover received the 21st Blair County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award for Business Excellence. The prestigious award goes to individuals who are not only leaders in local business but also in the community. Dan is the co-chair and CEO of Spring Cove Container and Allegheny Mountain Spring Water and has been involved in numerous philanthropic efforts in the area, focusing on early childhood education. He has served as chairperson for the Child Advocates of Blair County Board of Directors for more than 20 years.

Bruce R. Erb recently retired after two successful terms as a Blair County Commissioner.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER FEBRUARY 7, 1974

A relatively unknown musician on the brink of making it big. A liberal arts college in central Pennsylvania. Car trouble in Ohio and a nearly canceled concert. A sock with a hole in it. Students filling the auditorium after midnight for a concert that proved well worth the wait. These are just a few of the memories Juniata alumi shared on the 50th anniversary of a concert to remember with Billy Joel.

CLASS NOTES

1977

Alice (Herritt) Stenstrom’s USTA 65 and older league 6.0 Women’s Doubles team recently became national champions.

1978

Henry “Hank” W. Hallowell III has been elected president of the board of directors for the America Transportation Experience, AACA Museum, Inc.

Bruce Bader ’70, manager of the student union and director of student activities from 1972–1974, said the concert was booked through the William Morris talent agency. Their limited budget of $3,500 secured a “young act out of New York City that was doing great in the local club scene.” Billy Joel was not well known, but the promise of a great show at the right price put the Piano Man on the concert schedule at Juniata.

Unlike tickets for his current tour, which exceed $1,000 for floor seats, students were charged $2 to attend.

“Big money for a starving student at the time,” said Mark Francischetti ’76.

Hope seemed lost when the time for the concert rolled around and the star performer was nowhere to be found.

When the musician finally reached campus, about three hours late, a hole in his sock was a setback overcome in a truly Juniata way. Doris Goehring, technical director at the then-Oller Hall, darned his sock for him (and didn’t even ask for an autograph!).

William H. Kepner received the ATHENA Award from the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry for his role in promoting women in business.

1979

Stephen J. Koreivo has published his second book, “Fifty Years of Tailgate Tales: The Good, the Fun, and the Ugly”. He discusses 50 years of his experiences with college football and all that comes with it.

With great sadness, Li Mitnick announces the passing of her son, Brendan Vaughn McGrath, on Dec. 1, 2022, from complications of brain cancer. He was a son, husband, father, and a veteran of the National Guard and United States Army. Brendan was a donor to Gift of Life. He was 38 years old. He was much beloved. His memory will be a blessing.

Joel took the stage, endearing himself to the late-night/ early-morning crowd by telling them, “If you’re crazy enough to be here, I’m crazy enough to play for you.”

Two months after his concert, his single, “Piano Man,” hit the Billboard Top 40 and the musician rocketed to fame!

Maggie Eckroat ’26, right, discussed the 1974 Billy Joel concert at Juniata College with Mardi Frye-Dunklebarger ’77 and husband, David, at a 50th anniversary listening party organized by Jim Latten, professor of music.

1981

Douglas F. Klepfer has retired after 36 years in his private podiatric practice. Doug and his wife Sharon (Randolph) Klepfer ’82 are currently enjoying retirement in Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay.

1989

1984

Yvonne M. (Mykut) Martin retired from her role as the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO after 24 years.

1987

Diane M. (Matlesky) Ingbritsen has joined the Willig, Williams & Davidson law firm as an associate. Diane’s experience in insurance law and employer benefit policies will be an asset to the firm.

Laura M. (Singel) Scott has started a new position as director of the Mitchell Leadership Institute at Maryvale Preparatory School in Baltimore, Md.

Lauren R. (Smith) Imgrund has accepted a new position as the associate director of partnerships and civic engagement at the National Park Service in Washington, D.C.

Holly L. Morreels started her own independent consulting business. She provides training, consultation and critical incident stress management services to organizations facing a wide variety of challenging employee-related issues and crises.

1991

Scott M. Beatty’s “Nightwing: Year One – The Deluxe 20th Anniversary Edition” is being released by DC Comics on August 6, 2024. Additionally, his critically acclaimed “Year One” stories featuring Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing have been collected in an exclusive box set to be released September 3, 2024.

1992

Jason K. Miller led the Waverly High School Wolverines football team to win their first-ever New York State Championship. He has been coaching the team for 31 years.

1993

Jill E. (Huntley) Taylor represented her trial consulting firm, Taylor Trial Consulting, this past March during a special on CNN with Anderson Cooper.

1996

David E. Christopher has been selected as the West Chester Area School District’s new superintendent.

Angela D. (Wolf) Thompson has been appointed to the Kish Bank and Kish Bancorp Board of Directors. She is also the founder and CEO of Thompson’s Candle Co. and a partner in other local Huntingdon businesses.

Christopher S. McClellan spoke at Juniata recently for students interested in pre-med and other pre-health careers. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and was the first surgeon in Pennsylvania to perform outpatient hip and knee replacement.

Deborah J. Nardone will be the new executive director for the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds. She will work to ensure that conservation efforts will build cleaner and healthier communities throughout Pennsylvania.

Sarah C. Worley, professor of communication and director of the center for community engagement at Juniata, received the ATHENA Award at the Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce’s 22nd Annual Awards Gala.

2001

Ray A. Ghaner has been appointed to the Community State Bank’s board of directors. He is also currently a partner in the law firm Gill, McManamon & Ghaner in Huntingdon.

2003

2006

Emily M. Coyle was elected to serve a threeyear term on the Plunkett Cooney board of directors.

2010

Kari E. Dundore-Shrout has joined the faculty at Jamestown Community College as a biology instructor.

2007

Jesse D. Shaw has joined the Pullman Regional Hospital and Inland Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine Clinic of Pullman and Moscow. The hospital is expanding access to sports medicine with the addition of Dr. Shaw, who is a sports medicine physician.

2008

Thomas C. Hartzell has started a new position as the campus sustainability program coordinator at Calvin University and has been named director of the sustainability fellows cohort.

2009

Casey T. Chew was featured in a Spotlight Talk with the Wharton Esherick Museum to discuss creating set design inspired by photographs of Wharton Esherick’s work from 1931.

Kelcee G. (Miller) Mace has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer by the Washington County Board of County Commissioners.

Bennett M. Rea was recently interviewed on NPR about his blog, Cookin’ with Congress. His blog chronicles recipes shared by US politicians, from mayors to presidents, with some truly interesting results.

2012

Tine L. (Guldbrand) Helton has joined the 2024–2026 Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) Foundation Board of Directors.

Michael L. Kraft is now an assistant coach for the Penn State Men’s Volleyball team.

Jenny Wang has been named one of the 40 Under 40 by PRWeek. Honorees are rising individuals in the communications, marketing, and PR industries.

2013

Kenyatta M. Robles spoke at Juniata on Oct. 23, 2023, on the topic of Making a Movement: Building Collective Power for Radical Change.

2014

Samantha M. (Rock) Koyen is the new executive director for Crossroads at Big Creek, a nature preserve and learning center in Wisconsin.

Jacob M. Oster is one of 10 recipients of the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2023 Science Policy Fellowships. He is studying how fish respond to stress from hypoxia and mercury as a Ph.D. candidate at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

2016

Drew V. Eline is a wildlife biologist for the UintaWasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah.

2018

Elijah S. Hall is one of 10 recipients of the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2023 Science Policy Fellowships. He is researching the impacts of climate change on plant-pollinator interactions in the southwestern United States as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Riverside.

2019

2020

2022

Brooke A. (Emery) Kurtz has accepted a new position as the principal for Tussey Mountain Middle School.

Emily M. (Hoffeditz) Consoletti has been promoted to senior associate at Boyer & Ritter.

Hanneliese Scheel is one of the new field hockey coaches for Revere High School. She began playing field hockey in second grade and continued to play throughout her time at Juniata.

Priscilla K. (Jenkins) Smith ’02 and Michael S. Smith ’02 were married April 23, 2023.

Jack W. Berkebile ’10 and Michelle Olsen were married Nov. 4, 2022.

Jenna E. (Palmer) Gurbal ’16 and Ronald L. Gurbal ’16 were married Aug. 12, 2023.

Victoria L. (Arthur) Lamberson ’14 and David R. Lamberson ’13 were married May 27, 2023. In attendance were (l–r) Jeremy Papuga ’14, Victoria (Arthur) Lamberson ’14, David Lamberson ’13, Sara (Garside) Ellis ’12, Liam Sharp ’12, Emily (Harakal) Palmer ’14, Virginia Robbins ’14.

Rachel (Weigel) Black ’17 and Austin J. Black ’17 were married Nov. 11, 2023. In attendance were (l–r, back row) Brent Sterner ’17, Jonathan Phillips ’17, Joseph Orso IV ’17. (l–r, front row) Brittani LaFollette ’17, Sarah (More) Steffin ’17, Sarah (Spencer) Roof ’17, Rachel (Weigel) Black ’17, Austin Black ’17, Elise Onjack ’17, and Rebecca Lynch ’17

Amy E. Orner ’17 and R. Caleb Norville ’17 were married Oct. 8, 2023.

Hannah N. (Blackburn) Cizek ’18 and David Cizek were married April 23, 2023.

Camille G. (McMath) Grimaldi ’21 and Gavin D. Grimaldi ’19 were married July 8, 2023. In attendance were Brandon Martinazzi ’19, Jacob Holsopple ’20, Jacob Swank ’21, Claire Alfree ’22, and Gabrielle Brown ’23. Mya E. (Decker) Roberts ’23 and Alexander Roberts were married Oct.1, 2023. Alumni in attendance (lr) were (l–r) were Paul Leech ’24, Sam Reid ’24, Alexander Roberts, Mya (Decker) Roberts ’23, Judah Eveleth ’23. (l–r, front row) Brei Bilder ’24, Aspen Leskowsky ’25, Corihna Harris ’23

Brittany R. (Strouth) Nixon ’13 and Gregory R. Nixon Jr. ’14 are pleased to announce the birth of their son, Owen Reid, on Nov. 5, 2023.

Mary Elizabeth R. Petrie ’15 and Joshua Sullivan are pleased to announce the birth of their son Gabriel Sullivan, on July 23, 2023.

I

Daniel Hueglin ’71 met his new dentist, Amanda M. Stough ’00 . The two quickly realized their Juniata connection, and Daniel describes Amanda as the best dentist he’s ever had.

Donna (Heckman) Stapleton ’69 met R. Scott Stephenson ’87 at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia. Scott is the CEO of the Museum, and Donna enjoyed the engaging exhibits.

Robert E. Yelnosky ’85 met Jeffrey J. Wood ’76 on a cruise while at port in St. Maarten.

Lester J. Dupes ’87 and his wife, Linda D. (Selcher) Dupes ’88, vacationed in Zurich, Switzerland to celebrate 35 years of marriage and Lester’s 36 years in environmental chemistry. By coincidence, the hotel they were staying at was hosting the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad. While there, they met Joseph D. Houck ’08 who serves as a mentor for the United States Team.

Andrea L. (Abel) Faller ’01 and her husband, Adam R. Faller ’04, met Luke M. Kresse ’20, a park ranger at Natural Bridges Monument in Utah, while on vacation with their children. They felt an immediate connection from their shared experience at Juniata.

We want to print your story . . . Tell us about any unusual or surprising places or circumstances where you met a Juniatian and we will include it in an upcoming issue of the Juniata Magazine. Please send your story and photos to: Alumni Office • Juniata College • 1700 Moore Street • Huntingdon, PA 16652 Email: alumni@juniata.edu

Emilie M. Deffenbaugh ’22 (right) met four Juniatians who all participated in counting mail-in ballots for the Blair County Elections office. She met recently retired Blair County Commissioner Bruce R. Erb ’76, Allison G. (Di Vito) Senkevich ’12, Scott D. Andrews ’13, and Michaela E. Dempsie ’16.

Members of the Class of 1973 gathered to celebrate their 50th reunion including, front row from the left, John Summerville, Vinnie Francischetti, Bob Waggoner, Carol (Hartman) Fleisher, Bonnie (Rosewarne) Engel, Garnice (Popp) Leer, Fred Leer, Carlos Alejandro, Erika (Weaver) Schleifman, Kelly (Crain) Wike, Sue (Lyter) Vayo, Chris Tomlinson, Chris (Shaffer) Henricks, Joan (Hiser) Wertz, Greg Dimoff; second row, Adele Taylor, Burt Allman, Anne (Dutlinger) Kahn, Dennis Stahl, Rick Fornadel, Tom Ziegler, Bill Bittner, Ed Richards, Tom Herrman, Anne (Broderick) White, Mary (Frye) D’Ambrosia, Sue (Conrad) Manari, Judy Feairheller, Eileen Flieg, Dee Adcock, Joe Coradetti, Rick Phalunas, Mary White, Tom Horn, Jeff Laudenslager; third row, Roger Rockwell, Edward Quinter, Carole (Minney) Ziegler, Barb (Bailey) Mastrorocco, Don Mastrorocco, Jennifer (Margerum) Costello, Nancy (Keech) Percival, Fred Mason, Kathy (Maurer) Marschka, Margie (Bartleson) Perry, Shirley (Houchin) Hunter, Cindy Hoover, Lenny Stumpf, Lorraine (Rakauskas) Bergstresser, Randy Ruddek; fourth row, Tom Wynn, Tom Rinaldi, Steve Peoples, Joe Sollenberger, Patrick Fleagle, Keith Black, Kathy (Kindron) McCartney, Jim McCartney, Gary Maclay, Bill Bowers, Paul Valasek, Doug Marschka, Marsha (Saylor) Dibbern, Donna (Bailey) Schwenzer, Linda (Wachsmuth) McKonly, Jane Hardcastle, Kathy (Ney) Hay, Buffy (Linson) Berry, Karl Bergstresser, Frank Pote, and Dave Hawbaker.

Class of 1963 60th Reunion

Class of 1983 40th Reunion

Class of 1988 35th Reunion

Members of the Class of 1978 gathered to celebrate their 45th reunion including, front row from the left, Mark Woyner, Bill Bruner, Rick Heath; second row, Christie (Coyne) Link, Marty (Linton) Boden, Marianne Porsch, Carolyn (Setzer) Diercksen, Ann (Shultz) Labe, Audrey Seasholtz, Pam (Julius) Forest, Doreen (Patras) Cramer, Kathy (Jacobs) Crowther, Bonnie (Books) Cochard, Laura (Fillman) Strine; third row, Bob Thompson, Gene Boden, Ted Boyer, Rusty Hoover, Dick Smith, Randie (Cain) Albright, Dom Dilelsi, Dave Vila, Phyllis (Bradley) Dodd, Laurel (Baittinger) O’Brien, Janet (Bechtel) Manspeaker, Sue (Bryce) Whiteside, Jen (Belcher) Christman, Gail (Zimmerman) Wills, Donna (Winger) D’Andrea; fourth row, Alan Wirt, Steve Rossi, Tom Platten, Rich Bloser, Stan Nosal, Tom Dubler, Lane Klobucar, Bob Stockett, Brian Manspeaker, and Chris Hart.

Class of 1968 55th Reunion

Class of 1993 30th Reunion

Class of 1998 25th Reunion

Remembering those we have lost.

Mark Hochberg Professor of English

J. Peter Trexler Professor of Geology

Hochberg retired in 2017, he had six colleagues in the English department. He had been teaching here longer than four of those colleagues had been alive. During the nearly five decades of his tenure at Juniata, Hochberg taught American literature through a variety of courses including Major American Writers I and II, The Short Story, Literary Theory, and (the wildly popular) Dirty Books. Thousands of students soaked in his lectures and sweated through his blue book exams—all while staring at his yellow sneakers tied with brightly-colored shoelaces.

When I was one of Dr. Hochberg’s students, I knew that he was a brilliant man. My classmates and I learned a great deal about Hemingway and Fitzgerald through his insights. We also spent much of our class time wondering how long he had been growing his magnificent beard and guessing at what was in the pockets of his ever-present fishing vest. For years, students had theories about both. They also had a suspicion that Hochberg was actually William Faulkner. People said there was no way that he could know that much about Faulkner’s books unless he wrote them himself.

When I returned to Juniata as his colleague, he became a staunch advocate for me. As chair, I set out to update the English POE and modernize our departmental curriculum. Mark was the first person to contribute ideas and new courses. I recently told his dear wife, Sue, how much I appreciated and respected him for that—so much that I even forgave him for the time that he made me read Go Down Moses.

For years, our colleagues and I sat in many meetings with him, admiring his sharp wit, uncanny institutional memory, and unfailing sense of logic. He used all three to help keep the English department grounded in the practical. That can be tough when the room is filled with people who teach poetry and fiction all day. We shared genuine gratitude for his candor, for his commitment to our department, and for the knowledge he shared with our students and with us. We were sad to see the end of his era on campus when he retired. Forty-six years is an incredible amount of time to devote to one institution. I don’t know if we will ever see the professional longevity that he enjoyed here again. We were even more shaken by the news of his passing. We aren’t likely to find anyone again who could quite fill his vest.

By AmyE.(Heptner)Mathur’96, head of the Humanities Division, chair of the English Department, and associate professor of English

See obituary on page 59

Gracious, humble, kind, the consummate gentleman. These are characteristics of Pete Trexler that I recognized from the moment I arrived on campus in the fall of 1978, joining the team of Trexler and (Robert) Washburn in the Geology Department at Juniata. Pete was, of course, the founder of that geology program and it was apparent in both the allegiance of geology alums and in their trajectories, that Pete had respected, coached, and shepherded well the first decade and a half of students through the program.

Without question, Pete knew his Pennsylvania geology, and he shared his understanding generously and effectively, establishing a pattern of hands-on learning and field experience that both excited students and prepared them well for future endeavors. He promoted curiosity at the same time as he instilled professionalism.

Pete was much more than a motivating instructor of geology. He was a team player. As department chair he was supportive and flexible, accepting the less rewarding assignments alongside the stimulation of upper-level courses. He engaged as enthusiastically in the gen-ed program’s team-taught courses as he did his specialties–paleontology and stratigraphy, and he promoted that teaching mindset to his departmental colleagues.

Pete modeled the phrase “lifelong learner”. He was an avid reader of history, a supporter of the arts, and an enthusiastic follower of the opera. His admiration and love for his wife and two daughters, between them a dentist, a doctor, and a veterinarian, explains, perhaps, why the Juniata geology department was such a welcoming environment for women scientists, even as the profession as a whole had a history of being a man’s domain.

Pete was a quiet and generous listener and was devoted to his family, to his farm (White Oaks, in Donation), and to his horses. These became the centerpieces of his life after retirement. I bumped into Pete quite often in the grocery store, and up until a few years before his passing he was forever the same, in both appearance and demeanor. He remained, even in those grocerystore moments, a caring, friendly and supportive presence. I am grateful to have spent my career in a small-college, studentcentered geology department, led by a person as kindly and eventempered as Pete Trexler.

By LarryMutti, professor of geology emeritus

See obituary on page 59

Amanda M.

(Zug) Fritz ’40

OBITUARIES

Jan 19, 2024 — Amanda was Juniata’s oldest known living alumna at the time of her death, reaching the age of 105. She worked in the ticketing office for the Pennsylvania Railroad, now Amtrak, for 36 years, which provided her free train trips anywhere in the United States. She enjoyed traveling and went on many cruises in her lifetime. She loved golf, games, and could often be found playing pinochle or cards. Amanda was preceded in death by husband Jacob; she is survived by stepson Larry and two grandchildren.

Marion A. (Ecker) Painter ’41

Aug 24, 2023 — Marion lived to be 104. She taught for 35 years at school districts in the Philadelphia and Gettysburg area. She was a foreign exchange teacher from 1948 to 1949 in Manchester, England. While abroad, she had tea with Princess Elizabeth and the Queen Mother and took part in an audience with Pope Pius XII. Marion enjoyed crocheting, gardening, and tutoring neighborhood children. Marion was preceded in death by husband John, brother Jacob Ecker ’38, and son David; she is survived by daughter Barbara and one grandson.

Ruth C. (Rittenhouse) Rollinson ’48

Sept 20, 2023 — Ruth graduated from Juniata with a degree in chemistry, and quickly started work as a chemist at the Institute of Paper Chemistry at Lawrence College. She enjoyed playing the organ and piano and was deeply involved in the church. Ruth devoted herself to the education of children in her local community and taught all ages. She tutored small children and taught chemistry at her local high school. Ruth was preceded in death by husband Sam and son Selby; she is survived by sons Lon, Martin, Matthew, and James.

Julia M. (Emigh) Fletcher ’49

Sept 17, 2023 — Julia graduated from Juniata with a degree in home economics. Julia had a love for antiques and even restored her historic home in Ithaca, N.Y. She was a remarkable piano player, loved flowers and gardening. Julia was preceded in death by husband Alan

Fletcher ’50 and sister Ann (Emigh) Rivers ’44; she is survived by daughters Cynthia, Lois, Anne Fletcher ’74, and Carol Fletcher ’78, and 10 grandchildren.

Phyllis (Gibbs) Sidorsky ’49

Dec 30, 2023 — Phyllis met her husband in the Juniata theater productions. She was in the cast, and he was the stage manager. She began work as a social worker, before turning to her long-time love of libraries and receiving her master’s in library science. Phyllis was a librarian at the National Cathedral School for 20 years. She was a prolific reviewer of children’s books. Her reviews appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, and other professional journals. Phyllis loved painting and gardening. She was very active in many organizations including the Herb Society of America, Meals on Wheels, and served on Juniata’s Alumni Council. Phyllis was preceded in death by sister Shirley (Gibbs) Lewis ’40, husband Raymond Sidorsky ’50, and daughter Erica.

Harold D. Brocht ’50

Nov 24, 2023 — Don served in the United States Marine Corps from 1945 to 1952 and achieved the rank of sergeant. He taught music at Robertsdale High School and then Tussey Mountain High School, and after 38 years retired in 1987. He was the first paramedic for the R.W. & BT Vol Fire Co. Ambulance Service and was the deputy coroner for Huntingdon County for more than 15 years. He attended and was the choir director of Robertsdale Church of God. He is survived by wife Jackie, daughters Jana, Dawn, and Beth, son David, and eight grandchildren.

Donald L. Robinson ’51

Nov 15, 2023 — Don obtained his minister’s license in 1947 and was ordained in 1951. He served as Pastor of the First Church of the Brethren in Wyomissing for 31 years. Don was dedicated to mental health awareness and worked to spread awareness about the subject in his local communities. Don was awarded the Alumni Service Award and Church-College Service Award by Juniata and chaired Juniata’s Church-College Relations Committee.

OBITUARIES

Don was preceded in death by brother Paul Robinson ’35; he is survived by wife Eleanor, sons Jim and John Robinson ’76, daughter Jane (Robinson) Wiggins ’77, and eight grandchildren, including Jason Robinson ’08, Emily Wiggins ’08, and Joshua Robinson ’10.

Louise A. (Wengert) White ’51

Oct 24, 2023 — Louise received a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland. She worked as a social worker for several child welfare agencies, before retiring from the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital as a psychiatric social worker. Louise met her husband at a dance for incoming students at Juniata and they were married for nearly 65 years. Louise volunteered at Brookside Gardens and Mason-Dixon Community Services. She enjoyed gardening, traveling, reading, and collecting antiques. Louise was preceded in death by husband Louis White ’49; she is survived by daughters Karen and Barbara, son Stephen, and six grandchildren.

Barbara J. (Warner) Coolidge ’52

Jan 19, 2024 — Barbara retired from the National Institutes of Health as the head of the histo-pathological section of the National Cancer Institute. She wrote a lab manual that is still in use, along with several research papers. Barbara was a lifelong member of the Church of the Brethren, where she held many responsibilities. She was a past president of the VFW Auxiliary, Post 9862 and volunteered for the Girl Scouts, Driving for Cancer, and various school and civic organizations. She loved to travel and visited 49 out of the 50 states, as well as countries around the globe. Barbara was preceded in death by husband Edward and son Robert; she is survived by daughter Patricia, son Russell, and three grandchildren.

Gertrude (Griffin) Frey ’52

Aug 16, 2023 — Trudy taught nutrition and home economics through Penn State and Rutgers extension agencies. She was also a registered dietitian at Warren Hospital and Eastwood Nursing Home. Trudy volunteered for and was a member of Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church, Daughters of the American Revolution, Warren County Pamona Grange, and

Stewartsville Grange, the latter of which she met her husband of 61 years. She was a prolific quilter and knowledgeable about antique quilts, she was a member of several sewing organizations and won multiple awards for her quilts. She is survived by husband Bob, sons Bruce and Robert, and two grandchildren.

Rhoda (Clemmer) Gaugler ’53

Sept 24, 2023 — Rhoda was a dental assistant in her husband’s dental practice. She enjoyed music and was a choir director at Zion Mennonite Church. She enjoyed cooking, baking pies, and spending time with her grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husband, George Gaugler Jr. ’50 and brother Lake Clemmer Sr. ’50; she is survived by sons, George, Dale, and Tim, and eight grandchildren.

Betty (Carpenter) Johnson ’52

Jan 19, 2024 — Betty graduated from Juniata with a degree in elementary education and English. Betty and her husband, Richard, were in a couples bowling league together. They enjoyed gardening, landscaping, and reading. They also traveled extensively throughout the United States and abroad. Betty was a wonderful elementary school teacher and gave her all to help every child within her classroom. She was preceded in death by father R. Otis Carpenter ’26 and husband Richard; she is survived by daughter Sharon and five grandchildren.

William H. Miller ’53

Jan 12, 2024 — Bill worked as a thoracic surgeon. He served as a base surgeon in the United States Air Force from 1959-1961. He worked as a cardiac surgeon in Pittsburgh from 1969-1993 at Shadyside Hospital, Forbes Health System, and St. Margaret Memorial Hospital where he was Chief of Surgery. He is survived by wife Sally, daughters Jennifer, Rachel, and Sara, and five grandchildren.

Carmon Ellis Sollenberger ’53

June 22, 2023 — Carmon received a degree in sociology while at Juniata. He will be dearly remembered by loving friends and family.

Robert P. Bridenbaugh ’54

Jan 24, 2024 — Robert started his medical practice in 1963, and only missed two days of work in the 38 years of his professional career. He loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed camping with his sons, deep-sea fishing, reading, tennis, and beekeeping. Robert was preceded in death by wife Donna and siblings George Bridenbaugh ’47, Edwin Bridenbaugh ’51, and Mary Jane (Bridenbaugh) Hinish ’56; he is survived by sons Andrew Bridenbaugh ’86 and Benjamin Bridenbaugh ’87, and six grandchildren.

David M. Hercules ’54

Jan 20, 2024 — David received his PhD in analytical chemistry from MIT in 1957. He taught chemistry at Juniata from 1960-1963, and then at MIT from 19631969. He later taught chemistry at University of Georgia, University of Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt University. David was an accomplished scientist and received many awards for his achievements including the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh Award, the American Chemical Society National Award in Surface Chemistry, the American Chemical Society National Award in Analytical Chemistry, and the Alexander von Humboldt Prize. David is survived by wife Shirley (Hoover) Hercules ’66, daughter Sherri (Hercules) Sokolovich ’97, son Kevin, and four grandchildren, including Katie Correia ’10.

Jeanie W. (Tait) Mourikas ’54

Oct 25, 2023 — Jeanie taught high school English in New Jersey and New York. She also worked at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem and volunteered at the Peabody Institute Library in Danvers, Mass. Jeanie provided a loving home to the cats she adopted. She played piano, was in a handbell choir, and in her later years took up painting. Jeanie was preceded in death by husband Charles; she is survived by daughters Marianne and Karen, and two grandsons.

Carol E. (Lowdermilk) Schaffner ’54

Jan 10, 2024 — Carol graduated from Juniata with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1954, the

same year she married husband, Clair. She was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Geneva and volunteered for many community organizations. Carol was preceded in death by husband Clair Schaffner ’51, brother Donald Lowdermilk ’57 and son Scott; she is survived by daughters Diane, Bonnie, and Lori, and seven grandchildren.

Ruth L. (Walker) Stewart ’54

Aug 26, 2023 — Ruth worked as a nurse both in the public and private spheres. She enjoyed ensuring that children had access to the best possible health care. She loved singing, choral, and orchestral music, theater, and traveling. She traveled both nationally and internationally with the Philadelphia Boys Choir and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. Ruth was preceded in death by husband William; she is survived by daughter Phoebe, and sons Bradley and Stephen, and two grandchildren.

John D. Keiper ’55

Aug 21, 2023 — John and his wife, Joyce, served various Churches of the Brethren for over 50 years. John enjoyed classical music, travel, camping, antiques, cars, emails, and peace concerns. John was preceded in death by father D. Howard Keiper, Class of 1924, mother Nancy (Graybill) Keiper, Class of 1924, and wife Joyce; he is survived by dear friends.

Sylvia E. (Shuler) Byers ’56

Oct 12, 2023 — Sylvia earned her master’s degree from Penn State and went on to teach in elementary schools in Elizabethtown, Pittsburgh, and Rochester, NY She also worked at her church’s daycare. Sylvia was devoted to raising her children and enjoyed cross-stitching, ceramic painting, and singing. She supported numerous Christian ministries and participated in women’s bible studies. Sylvia was preceded in death by mother Grace (Madeira) Shuler ’56, husband R. Lee Byers ’58 and brother Luke Shuler ’49; she is survived by sons Timothy and Stephen, daughters Anne and Lara, and six grandchildren.

Vivian F. (Livingston) Confer ’56

OBITUARIES

Nov 28, 2023 — Vivian worked as a high school math teacher before becoming a cataloger at the Public Library of Union County. She enjoyed reading, gardening, and doing crossword puzzles. Vivian was preceded in death by husband Larry Confer ’56 and son Jeffrey; she is survived by sons Jonathan and Gregory, daughter Lisa, and four grandchildren.

Margaret R. (Sims) Cunningham ’56

Sept 4, 2023 — Margaret taught elementary music education before transitioning to be executive assistant to the dean at Widener Delaware Law School. She enjoyed working on puzzles, being in gardens, and spending time with friends and family. She founded and directed the chorus at Maris Grove Senior Living Community for 10 years. She was preceded in death by husband Robert, and former spouse Charles; Margaret is survived by children Linda and Carl, stepchildren Kathleen and Michael, and two stepgrandchildren.

Barbara A. (Ehly) Harned ’56

Dec 31, 2023 — Barbara retired as a teacher in the Mechanicsburg Area School District. She was a devoted member of the Mechanicsburg Church of the Brethren, serving as a deacon, financial secretary, and a member of all four commissions. Barbara was preceded in death by husband Ellis; she is survived by son E. Michael, daughter Ann, and two grandchildren.

Alfred P. Nyce ’56

July 11, 2023 — Al had a career in banking for 29 years before retiring as an employee of Core States Bank in 1998. He was a devoted member of the Ambler Church of the Brethren and a charter member of the Ambler Choral Society. Al was a former member of the Juniata College Church-College Relations Council. After retiring, he volunteered for the Food Bank of the Hatfield Church of the Brethren, the American Cancer Society, and Family Promise Montco. Al enjoyed singing, the Philadelphia Orchestra, sports, non-fiction reading, and traveling. He and his wife Betty Lou traveled to 47 of the 50 states, as well as 20 countries.

Al was preceded in death by siblings William Nyce ’48 and Gwen (Nyce) Hartzel ’49; he is survived by wife Betty Lou and daughter Jacqueline.

Bernard M. Oriss ’56

Sept 13, 2023 — Bernie taught social studies and history for the Woodland Hills School District until his retirement. He was twice awarded the Pennsylvania State Education Association Teacher of the Year Award. Bernie was a veteran of the U.S Air Force, and he served in the Korean War. He was the coach and athletic director for Scott High School, North Braddock, and was inducted into the East Boro Hall of Fame for Basketball and Baseball. Bernie enjoyed golfing, gardening, and attending events for his grandchildren. Bernie was preceded in death by brother James Oriss ’62; he is survived by wife Rosalie (Langer) Oriss ’57, son Timothy, daughter Karen, and four grandchildren.

Richard E. Kramer Jr. ’57

Sept 27, 2023 — While at Juniata, Dick received the Stanford Mickle Award for distinction in athletics. He worked for the General Electric Company for 36 years before retiring from the Lockheed Martin Corporation in 1995. He served on Juniata’s Alumni Council and Board of Trustees as an Alumni Trustee. He volunteered following his retirement, including being the President of the Rotary Club of Lancaster South from 2000-2001, and was active in his local churches. In addition to their own children, Dick and his wife were surrogate parents to their two nieces. Dick was preceded in death by wife Carol (Jenkins) Kramer ’57; he is survived by his daughters Laurie and Leslie, and two grandchildren.

Rosalie M. (Langer) Oriss ’57

Oct 28, 2023 — Rosalie taught elementary school in Allentown and North Braddock, Penn. before she retired. She enjoyed crafts, sewing, gardening and was a dedicated member of St. Agnes Parish. Rosalie was preceded in death by husband Bernard Oriss ’56; she is survived by son Timothy, daughter Karen, and four grandchildren.

Vernon C. Brown Jr. ’58

OBITUARIES

Aug 9, 2023 — After graduating from Juniata, Vernon served in the United States Army in Germany and was honorably discharged with the rank of SP5. He worked at the Red and White Supermarket in Greensburg, Penn. and then became a sales representative for Nabisco. He was promoted to Nabisco Headquarters where he worked in the Marketing Department, Merchandising, Product Manager, and Statistical Analysis. Vernon appeared in the 1972 National Award Volume of Outstanding Young Men of America by the United States Jaycees. He is survived by wife Linda, children David, Brian, Matthew, and Aimee, and seven grandchildren.

William J. Hartman ’58

Jan 15, 2024 — Bill attended Juniata before graduating with his degree from Lock Haven University. He worked as a teacher and principal in the Mifflin County School District for over 35 years. Bill organized the Teacher’s Credit Union which is now known as the First Area Credit Union. He served as board president for 50 years. He was a member of the Chief Logan Lions Club and Trinity United Church of Christ where he taught Sunday school for more than 50 years. He also sang in the choir and served as president of the church council. Bill volunteered for Meals on Wheels and the Lewistown Hospital. Bill is survived by wife Edwina, sons Brent and Cory, daughter Deborah, and nine grandchildren.

James L. Butler ’59

Nov 22, 2023 — Jim served in the United States Army for two years before graduating with a biology degree from Juniata. Jim worked as an environmental scientist specializing in water quality management at Gwin Dobson & Foreman Engineers for 28 years. He enjoyed music, hunting, fishing, biking, skiing, and tennis. Jim was preceded in death by daughter Amy; he is survived by wife Doris (Brumbaugh) Butler ’59, daughters Susan and Diann, son Norman, and five grandchildren.

Michael H. Miller ’59

Oct 11, 2023 — Mike retired as the vice president of finance at Blaw Knox Construction Equipment Company.

He was a member of the Mattoon Country Club and the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church. He enjoyed golfing, traveling, walking his faithful dog, Scooter, and spending time with his family. He is survived by wife Linda (Kerr) Miller ’60, daughters Karen and Valerie, and a grandson.

Judith E. (Barrowclough) Taylor ’59

Nov 26, 2023 — Judith received a degree in elementary education while at Juniata and then her master’s degree at Stephen F. Austin State University. She taught language arts and then was principal of Humble Elementry School in Humble, Texas.

Dorothy V. (Marker) Wierer ’59

Oct 27, 2023 — Dottie worked as a home demonstration agent for 4-H and homemakers’ clubs. After marrying she moved to a small Appalachian town where her husband worked as the town doctor, and Dottie as his office manager. Dottie traveled with her family throughout Europe and hosted foreign exchange students from Spain and Costa Rica. She loved birdwatching, family picnics, and going on walks. Dottie is survived by husband Charles, daughters Kristi and Karlynn, and one grandson.

Hans G. Schroeder ’60

Nov 12, 2023 — Hans worked as a general contractor with his brother Wes. Their company, Schroeder Brothers, served the Bucks County area for over 50 years. Hans was one of the earliest proponents of the Libertarian Party in Pennsylvania and was their local candidate for U.S Congress in 1980 and 1982. He enjoyed going on cruises, but skiing was his true passion, holding a season pass to Blue Mountain until his death. He was dedicated to the many dogs he and his wife, Judith rescued during their time together. Hans was preceded in death by wife Judith.

Darcey F. Bohince ’62

Nov 4, 2023 — Darcey worked as a dentist for 33 years before retiring in 2004. He loved games, golfing, traveling, working in his yard, and rooting for all Pittsburgh sports teams. He also painted murals for his family and did woodworking. Darcey was preceded in

OBITUARIES

death by sister-in-law E. Carol (Young) Knepper ’56; he is survived by brother-in-law Telford Knepper ’55, daughters Rebecca and Kerin, and four grandchildren. Sadly, Darcey’s wife Judy (Knepper) Bohince ’62 passed away several weeks after him.

Judy A. (Knepper) Bohince ’62

Jan 21, 2024 — Judy taught chemistry and physics at the high school and college levels. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an honors society for female educators. She won the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching from the National Science Foundation, the American Chemical Society High School Chemistry Teacher Distinguished Service Award, the Virginia Electric Energy Council Outstanding Teacher Award, and was a Tandy Technology Scholars Outstanding Teacher National Finalist. She dedicated herself to helping students both in and outside of the classroom and served as a coach for the physics competition teams and varsity cheerleading squad. Judy was preceded in death by father Forrest Knepper ’27 , husband Darcey Bohince ’62 , and sister-in-law E. Carol (Young) Knepper ’56 ; she is survived by brother Telford Knepper ’55, daughters Rebecca and Kerin, and four grandchildren.

Lydia A. Eastburn ’63

Nov 1, 2023 — Lydia graduated from Temple University Medical School and Loma Linda University’s OBGYN residency program. She practiced obstetrics and gynecology at Providence Hospital in Anchorage, Alaska from 1974–2002. Lydia was also a clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Washington College of Medicine. She loved travel and reading, and she especially took an interest in the accomplishments of women. Lydia is survived by sister Celia.

Gail A. (Vesta) Ulager ’63

Feb 5, 2024 — Gail majored in mathematics at Juniata and worked as a math teacher for the Moon Area School

District, and was a remedial math coordinator and instructor at Robert Morris College. She was a devoted member of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church. Gail and her husband were proud of their Slovenian heritage and were involved in their local Slovene-American community. Gail loved to read and to bake. Gail is survived by husband Frank, daughters Lisa and Linda, son Jim, and seven grandchildren.

Marie A. Zeller ’63

Dec 26, 2023 — The summer after Marie graduated from Juniata, she participated in the March on Washington. She often looked back on this event with great pride. Marie settled in San Francisco in 1969 and developed her interest in city planning while working for future United States Senator Dianne Feinstein. After managing Feinstein’s office during her mayoral campaign in 1971, Marie joined the City of San Francisco Planning Department. She worked as a city planner and was also a member of the City’s Planning Commission. She served Juniata as a member of Alumni Council and the Board of Trustees. Marie loved her home, her cats, yoga, tai chi, and visiting family. Marie was preceded in death by mother Juanita (Holsopple) Walker ’40; she is survived by many loved ones including niece Carrie Zeller ’00

Stephen W. Burger ’65

Dec 13, 2023 — Steve taught for 33 years, and much of that time was spent teaching third grade at Troy Elementary Center East. He also served in the Army Reserves for 31 years as an instructor for combat engineers. Steve is survived by wife Judith (Rose) Burger ’65, daughters Sharon and Kari, and eight grandchildren. Steve and his wife, traveled to all 50 states and over 40 National Parks.

Kenneth Howie III ’68

Dec 8, 2023 — Kenneth started his career as a teacher, and then transitioned to the role of counselor for high schools in the Easton area. He changed careers and retired as director of human resources for a pharmaceutical company. Kenneth loved music and was dedicated to karaoke nights at his local American Legion Veteran’s

Association. He enjoyed basketball, tennis, trivia, piano, and was an avid Eagles fan. Kenneth loved to spend time with his friends and family. He is survived by wife Virginia, sons Kirk and Jason, daughters Jennifer, Sebrena, and Julie, and 10 grandchildren.

John R. Hayes ’69

Sept 30, 2023 — John was the assistant football coach at Tyrone High School from 1969-1978 before becoming the head football coach at Bellwood-Antis High School from 1980-2017. He amassed 323 wins, numerous district, and conference championships, and three appearances in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state semifinals. He was inducted into the Central Pennsylvania Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010, the Pennsylvania State Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. He will be remembered fondly by those in the Bellwood-Antis community, especially his former athletes and coworkers. He was preceded in death by son Joshua; he is survived by wife Victoria.

James C. Zeger ’69

Dec 29, 2023 — Jim taught math from kindergarten to the college level at the Maryland Correctional Institute. He also served as Mayor for Mercersburg for a time. Jim and his wife dedicated themselves to volunteer causes in their local community. They volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the Tuscarora School Board, the Franklin County Democratic Party, and the Mercersburg Lion and Lioness Clubs. Both Jim and his wife were recipients of the Melvin Jones Award, the highest honor from the Lion’s Club. Jim was preceded in death by wife Linda; he is survived by daughters Heather and Holly and three grandchildren.

Clyde J. Gwinn ’70

Aug 2, 2023 — Clyde received a degree in biology from Juniata and went on to receive his medical degrees from Hershey Medical Center in 1974 before persuing a long career in medicine.

Janice C. (Fodor) Dudek ’71

Dec 24, 2023 — Jan worked as a farm manager for an environmental education center, a counselor for a group home for adults with developmental disabilities, and as a bookkeeper for a local company. She taught at Sharon Daycare Center for almost 25 years before retiring in 2019. Jan volunteered for many environmental causes and always made time to work at town hall on election day. She loved to travel, and enjoyed camping trips, beach trips, and trips to National Parks. Jan was preceded in death by sister Susan (Fodor) Kime ’69; she is survived by husband Mike, son Ben, and daughter Sarah.

Thomas G. Hollinger

’72

Dec 24, 2023 — Thomas worked at First Penn National Bank in Philadelphia and continued to be interested in the banking field for his entire life. He moved to Connecticut in 1981 and was an active member of the community there as a Little League coach, President of the Clinton Touchdown Club, and a member of the Board of Finance and Town Council. He enjoyed spending time with his friends and family and would travel to Aruba annually. He was a devoted fan of all Philadelphia sports. Thomas is survived by wife Sarah, sons John and David, and four grandchildren.

James M. Smith ’72

Jan 5, 2024 — Jim loved his family and his church. He enjoyed entertaining and playing the piano. His favorite sports teams were the Orioles, Ravens, and Hokies. Jim is survived by wife Linda Mae, daughter Jennifer, son Michael, and six grandchildren.

Eric A. Crouch ’73

June 10, 2023 — Eric received a degree in psychology from Juniata. He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard Crouch, and Hazel Crouch, both retired Juniata employees. He will be remembered by dear friends and loved ones.

Stephen A. Gelnett ’73

Dec 29, 2023 — Steve worked for construction companies throughout his career and retired as the vice president

of sales for the CUNICO Corporation. He was active in the First Assembly Church of God and was a leader in the Royal Ranger Program. Steve and his wife Barbara, opened their home to a wide variety of people, such as foreign exchange students and unhoused individuals. Steve is survived by wife Barbara (Gahan) Gelnett ’73, brother Thomas Gelnett ’79, sons Benjamin and Jacob, daughter Alison, and five grandchildren.

Timothy E. Jablonski ’73

Dec 4, 2023 — Tim graduated from Juniata with a degree in history. He was known for making friends wherever he would go and would always greet people with a smile. He is survived by wife Katie, son Jason, and brother Michael Jablonski ’74.

Noreen M. O’Connell ’76

Nov 15, 2023 — Noreen worked as a paralegal for the Phoenix Life Insurance Company and later TransAmerica. In her retirement, she gardened, spent time with friends, and traveled. Noreen’s favorite place to visit was Anguilla in the Caribbean. She was a wonderful baker. Noreen is survived by her partner, Ronald.

Charles H. Weatherby ’76

Dec 31, 2023 — Charles began his career in his family business, selling John Deere farming equipment. He later owned and operated a laundromat for many years. After he retired, he spent time as a limo driver and a stayat-home dad. He was a member of the Pitman United Methodist Church and enjoyed boating, golfing, farming, and family trips. He is survived by wife Mary Katherine, sons John and Tyler, and daughters Kelly and Kaitlyn, and one grandson.

Tay R. Waltenbaugh ’79

Dec 17, 2023 — Tay worked as the chief executive officer at Westmoreland Community Action for nearly 30 years. He also founded Westmoreland Human Services, Inc. Tay dedicated his life to helping raise people out of poverty. For his contributions to the community, he was recognized by the Mary Riegler-Chislaughi Friend of the Poor Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the Greensburg/Jeannette NAACP. He received the Seton

Hill University Entrepreneurial Excellence Award as well as the Top 100 People in Central Pennsylvania and Beyond Award from Pennsylvania Business Central. He enjoyed the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his family. Tay is survived by wife Brenda, children TR, Lane, and Kara, and two grandchildren.

Lori A. (Mengel) Fischer ’84

June 30, 2023 — Lori taught for 20 years at Lower Dauphin School District, briefly taking a break to raise her children and work in the children’s ministry of her church, the Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church. Through her ministry, she supported the American Foundation for Children with AIDS. Along with 14 other women, she raised money for this organization and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Lori enjoyed knitting, board games, bird watching, camping, participating in Bible study, and taking pictures. What she most enjoyed in life though, was spending quality time with her friends and family. Lori is survived by husband Samuel, sons Caleb and Seth, and stepson Matt.

John R. Skoner ’86

Aug 7, 2023 — John graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 1990 and decided to specialize in endodontics. He became the 1,122nd endodontist to be certified by the American Board of Endodontics. He published three clinical articles in the Journal of Endodontics. In addition to his private practice, he taught in the endodontic clinic at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. He valued his time at Pitt, instructing the next generation and learning new technologies. John loved his entire family, colleagues, patients, and friends. John is survived by his brother David Skoner ’76.

Michael G. Schell ’88

Jan 11, 2024 — Michael was the lead engineer for McGuire Nuclear Station. He was a member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church and a former member of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. He enjoyed exercising, fishing, and hunting. Michael was preceded in death by wife Christina (McDonald) Schell ’87.

Valerie S. (Schmoyer) Ford ’90

Sept 21, 2023 — Val enjoyed teaching and homeschooled her children prior to working at Dock Mennonite Academy and Souderton Area High School. She was extremely dedicated to her children and will lovingly be remembered by them. She served in college campus ministry, Christian camping, tutoring, and nannying. Val loved biology, as she donated her body to science to continue to teach and serve others. Val is survived by husband Michael Ford ’82 and children Jacob, Emma, Nicole, and Rebekah Ford ’19.

Brenda (Laverty) Armstrong ’93

Feb 27, 2023 — Brenda worked at Yale University in the Environmental Health and Safety Office for 30 years. Brenda enjoyed spending time with her family, kayaking, having BBQs, walking her dogs and being in the woods. In the past couple of years, Brenda and Josh hiked throughout New England, traveled to Spain, Canada, Turks and Caicos and several National Parks. Her most important work in life was raising her sons Jake and Ryan. Brenda is survived by husband Josh and sons Jake and Ryan.

Andrew S. Maxwell ’96

Jan 3, 2024 — Andrew was the featured master brewer at John Harvard’s Breweries in Philadelphia and then Pittsburgh. He then became head brewer and Chief Operating Officer at Rivertowne Brewing. He earned multiple gold and silver medals at national brewing competitions. Andrew enjoyed saltwater angling, boating, and watching his children succeed in whatever they set their mind to. Andrew was preceded in death by grandparents Samuel Livengood ’38, Ollie (Meyers) Livengood ’38, LeRoy Maxwell ’36, and Pauline (Kauffman) Maxwell ’35; he is survived by wife Melissa (Lutz) Maxwell ’95, parents LeRoy Maxwell Jr. ’63 and Judith (Livengood) Maxwell ’65, uncle Samuel Livengood ’76, brothers John and David Maxwell ’92, sister-in-law Krista (Hawbaker) Maxwell ’93, and children Aengus and Finley.

Daniel C. Tanner ’96

Jan 9, 2024 — Daniel served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged in 1971 with the rank of Private First Class. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and the Combat Action Ribbon. He worked as a correctional officer at SCI Rockview, Bellefonte for almost 20 years before receiving his degree in social studies from Juniata. He taught at Juniata Valley High School until he retired in 2011. He was also a former continuing education substitute at Juniata. He was a member of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church. Daniel is survived by wife Betty, sons Daniel and Michael, daughter Dorothy, and 11 grandchildren.

Scott D. Woolcock ’98

Sept 24, 2023 — In high school, Scott distinguished himself on the soccer, basketball, and baseball teams, and he continued to play soccer at Juniata. He was previously an enrollment counselor for Juniata and was currently employed as an independent contractor. Scott was an avid reader and fan of all Philadelphia Sports Teams. He cherished the time spent with his three beloved children. He is survived by sister Hope (Woolcock) Hand ’99 and children Lucas, Sophia, and Shane.

Dion J. Lattanzi ’18 g’19

Jan 16, 2024 — Dion received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Juniata. He played basketball and football in high school and continued his football career while at Juniata. He worked for iPipeline in their accounting department and was known for his hard work and dependability. Dion enjoyed playing video games and spending time with his friends and family. Dion is survived by his parents, brothers Gregory and Anthony, and sisters Jada, Jasmine, and Shaquasha.

Galen T. Miller-Persico ’22

Sept 18, 2023 — Galen graduated with a degree in economics from Juniata. He will be dearly remembered by father Matthew, mother Amanda, stepfather Joe, and loved ones.

Mark R. Hochberg

Dec 17, 2023 — Mark attended the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University. He taught English literature at Juniata for 47 years. Mark is survived by wife Susan, children Jonathan, Joanne, Kate, Tom, and Maggie; and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by son Andrew.

Harriet B. Kaylor

Nov 5, 2023 — Harriet received a bachelor’s degree in education from Manchester College in Indiana and then her master’s degree and Ph.D. in curriculum instruction from Penn State University. Harriet began her career teaching English Conference at Juniata. She then taught elementary school in a two-room schoolhouse with one other teacher. In the 1970s, Harriet began teaching social studies at the newly built Huntingdon Area Middle and High Schools. Harriet volunteered for the Pennsylvania State Prison Society for over 25 years, becoming a well-known visitor and advocate for prisoner rights. She received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Juniata in 2019. Harriet enjoyed traveling the world with her family and was an avid gardener, walker, reader, puzzler, and 5k runner. She was an integral part of the Stone Church of the Brethren. Harriet was preceded in death by husband Earl Kaylor Jr. ’46; she is survived by sons David and Jonathan, daughter Susan, and six grandchildren.

J. Peter Trexler

Oct 24, 2023 — Pete received his bachelor of arts and master of science degrees from Lehigh University in 1950 and 1953 and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1964. He served in the United States Navy as a radioman for two years. Pete began his professional career as a geologist with the Lehigh Portland Cement Company and was subsequently employed by the United States Geological Survey. He began his career as a professor of geology at Juniata in 1962. In 1976, he was the recipient of the college’s Beachley Distinguished Teaching Award. Pete retired in 1989. He was a member of the Huntingdon Presbyterian Church, where he served as an elder for several terms. Pete loved to travel and was proud to have visited more than 50 countries and all U.S. states except Alaska and Hawaii. He was preceded in death by wife Virginia; he is survived by daughters Margaret and Virginia, and four grandchildren.

Campus Prepares for 146th Commencement Ceremony

Juniata College’s 146th Commencement

Ceremony will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024. The commencement speaker will be Angela Montag Jones ’01, director of business and legal affairs (original series) at Netflix, based in Los Angeles, Calif.

Jones and D. Holmes Morton, a Pennsylvania physician specializing in genetic disorders affecting Old Order Amish and Mennonite children, will also receive honorary degrees at the ceremony. Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in politics at Juniata, then completed her juris doctorate at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in 2004.

At Netflix, Jones manages a team of attorneys that handle all aspects of Netflix’s global licensed agreements, providing guidance on talent-related issues and managing Netflix’s overall relationships with the U.S.-based studios that produce these shows. Also, Jones was responsible for building up the production legal team in Netflix’s London office and oversaw several of Netflix’s UK-based productions.

Before joining Netflix, Jones spent 10 years working in Philadelphia: first, as an associate in the business and finance group at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, where she counseled clients on mergers and acquisitions, public and private

company finance and securities law, and later as a senior counsel at Comcast, where she handled a range of content acquisition deals for Comcast’s Cable division.

Dr. Morton, who lives and works in Pennsylvania, is renowned for his humanitarian efforts. Morton served in the United States Merchant Marines before earning his undergraduate degree at Trinity College and completing his doctor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. His experiences during his residency led him to work with the Pennsylvania Amish community, and in 1989, he founded the Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pa. Then, in 2017, he founded the Central Pennsylvania Clinic in Belleville, Pa. Morton’s commitment to providing healthcare to underserved communities is a testament to his unwavering dedication. He was also honored as one of Time magazine’s “Heroes of Medicine” in 1997.

In 2006, he was awarded a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” to acknowledge his groundbreaking work. He collaborates with Juniata College, where he hosts research students and plays a vital role as an instructor in Juniata’s bioinformatics graduate program.

D. Holmes Morton Angela (Montag) Jones ’01.

ALUMNI WEEKEND

June 6–9, 2024

Register for Alumni Weekend 2024 and join your classmates on campus for a weekend of recalling old memories and creating new ones! For more information and updates, please visit www.juniata.edu/alumniweekend

CHOIR REUNION

June 7–8, 2024

Calling all Juniata Choir alumni! Join us on campus to sing with choir alumni across the generations. Rehearse under director Dr. Russ Shelley, reconnect with your choir friends, and share a concert with campus and the community. For more information and updates, please visit www.juniata.edu/choirreunion

Juniata Today www.juniata.edu/virtualtour

this magazine

Isabel Kruse ’24 issued a challenge in her speech at this year’s Bailey Oratorical, calling on students to celebrate the campus community with a revival of mattress dominoes, last held in 2009. A total of 87 students (and their mattresses) lined up on the quad with lots of laughter for an act of choreographed chaos and community.

Photo by Samantha Benham ’25