MERCYHURST COLLEGE CLASS NOTES
Danielle DeMatteo ’00 married Jeremiah Dabolt on Sept. 26, 2009, at Deerhurst Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, N.Y. Members of the wedding party included Dr. Tracy Bacik-Brausa ’99 and Kara Wurst McGrath ’00. The couple spent two weeks traveling in Hawaii before returning home to Buffalo. Scott Fiorina ’04 and Meghan Lang ’05 were married Aug. 25, 2007, at St. John Bosco Church, Parma, Ohio. They currently reside in Painesville, Ohio. Other Mercyhurst alumni in the wedding party included: Doug Morally ’04, Jessica Allison ’05, Megan Johnson ’05 and Sheena Kieffer ’06. Jennifer Cufri ’05 married Michael Tucci on Sept. 26, 2009, at St. John Vianney Church in Mentor, Ohio. They now reside in Painesville Township. Kelly Martin ’05 married Ryan Leszczewski on Sept. 19, 2009, at Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Pickerington, Ohio. The wedding party included Mindy Gates ’03 as matron of honor and Melissa Springer ’03. Elizabeth Tasker ’05 married Timothy Immarino on Sept. 12, 2009, at the Chapel of the Divine Word in Cleveland, Ohio. Autumn Hamady ’05 was in the wedding party, and Carrie Rose ’05 was cantor for the Mass. Elizabeth and Tim live in South Euclid, Ohio.
Jennifer Anderson ’06 married Timothy Michel on Oct. 10, 2009, at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Butler, Pa. They spent their honeymoon in Hawaii and now reside in Prospect, Pa. Jennifer is a service coordinator at Community Care Connections and Timothy is a supervisor at Adams Manufacturing. Ryan Bessey ’06 married Lindsay Drzazga on Nov. 7, 2009, at Our Lady of Victory Basilica in Blasdell, N.Y. Philip Ganci ’06 was the best man. Ryan and Lindsay live in Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., where Ryan works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ellen Karstedt ’07 and Jason Zittel were married July 25, 2009, in Eden, N.Y. Members of the bridal party included Jessica Introna ’07 and Amber Chutz ’07. Ellen’s sister, Paula, a current student at Mercyhurst, was maid of honor. Ellen and Jason are now living in Hershey, Pa. Ellen is the daughter of Amy Blood Karstedt ’80 and Gordy Karstedt ’80. Colleen Davis ’08 ’10 and Ken Dowse ’07 are engaged to be married. They are planning an Oct. 23, 2010, ceremony. Amanda Placek ’08 married Aaron Wood on May 1, 2010, at Grace Church, McKean, Pa. Members of the bridal party included Sally McKenney ’08 and Elizabeth Ellis ’08.
BIRTHS Kathleen Nicholson Mahon ’89 and husband Daniel had a daughter, Delainey Kathleen, on March 9, 2010. She joins big sister Shea. The Mahons reside in Wexford, Pa.
Brian Aarons ’92 and Shannon Campion had a son, Rylan August Aarons, on Oct. 1, 2009. Kristen Churchill Melan ’92 and husband Peter had a daughter, Sophia Catherine, on Nov. 19, 2009. She joins big brother Patrick. Jule Gardner Banville ’95 and husband Lee had a daughter, Kate Gardner Banville, on Dec. 8, 2009. Jule lives in Missoula, Mont., and has taught classes at the University of Montana School of Journalism. Jennifer Petersen ’95 and Jeffrey Wisneski had a son, Linus Antti Wisneski, on Dec. 12, 2009, at Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa. Kimberley Bolek White ’96 and husband Jeff had a daughter, Sophia Adrien, on July 18, 2009, in Elmhurst, Ill. Tamerine Kolniak Tarnish ’97 and husband Steve had their first son, Nathan William, on Nov. 5, 2009, in Buffalo, N.Y. Carla McCutcheon Wienke ’97 and husband Todd had a son, Mason Emmett, on Oct. 27, 2009. Mason joins big sister EvaRose Marie. Craig Young ’98 and Tricia Petrich Young ’98 had a daughter, Brooke Susan, on Feb. 21, 2010, in Willoughby, Ohio. She joins big brothers Wyatt and John. Ryan Wienand ’99 and Amy Pieczynski Wienand ’00 had a son, Jacob Michael, on June 6, 2009. He joins big brother Miles.
Megan Laverty Bruno ’00 and husband David had a daughter, Mia Marie, on Oct. 1, 2009, at National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. She joins big sister Emma. Thomas Reznik ’01 and Annie DeMeo Reznik ’02 had a son, Anthony Thomas, on Oct. 20, 2009, in Howard County General Hospital. They also have a daughter, Caroline. Allison Oberle Wakeman ’01 and Jesse Wakeman ’00 had a daughter, Abigail Elizabeth, on March 26, 2010. Abigail joins big sister Olivia, 2. They live in Newark, Del. Mandy Weaver ’01 ’07 and husband Gerald had a son, Isaac James, on Jan. 26, 2010. He joins brother Josh and sisters Lindsey and Victoria. Brandon Gabler ’02 and wife Rachel had their first child, daughter Juniper Elise, on Oct. 7, 2009. Alison Stahre Heramb ’02 and Ryan Heramb ’02 had a son, Charles Raymond (Charlie), on Sept. 26, 2009. He joins brothers Jack and Sam and sister Ellie. Michelle Mogel Hosford ‘02 and husband Donnie welcomed their third child, daughter Soraya Ainslee, on Aug. 17, 2009. Soraya joins bothers Mason and Aidan. The Hosfords reside in Erie, Pa. Jennifer Palladino Noe ’02 and husband Patrick had a son, Luke Paul, on Jan. 22, 2010, in Buffalo, N.Y. Jeffrey Halladay ’03 and wife Nicole had a daughter, Lillian Catherine, on May 31, 2009, in Savannah, Ga.
Were you to Google® “handheld journalism,” you’d discover Wilwohl’s blog (handheldjournalism.com) tops the search list.
offered an editor/writer position with the StarLedger. He’s since left to enhance his multimedia talent at Patch.com.
As a Mercyhurst student, Wilwohl was the first to move the Merciad student newspaper to an online edition and to deliver a more investigative approach to college news. His forward-thinking wasn’t lost on an industry that in recent years has issued more pink slips than business cards.
“Mercyhurst gave me the background and confidence to do what I’m doing now,” he says. “What’s great about Mercyhurst is that you can make and sustain relationships that you never could at a larger college. I still call my Merciad adviser, Bill Welch, for advice.”
Wilwohl says the Star-Ledger listened to some of his ideas, and the Huffington Post now captures his tweets for its technology edition. He’ll likely make even more inroads when his new book, All the News That Fits in Your Pocket, comes out this fall. There will not be a printed version, just one that can be captured on handheld devices, like the Kindle®, and as an “app” on the iPhone® and iPad®.
In fact, he had two newspaper job offers before he even left campus, opting to take his first with The New Jersey Herald in hopes of breaking into the New York market. Eight months later, he was
While journalism is a business Wilwohl is passionate about, he refuses to accept the status quo, and cautions other professionals to think outside the newsroom.
He says he has no idea where technology will take him in today’s rapidly evolving information delivery age, but he plans to be at the front of his class regardless.