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COLLEGE MAGAZINE
New Department of Rehabilitation Sciences:
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SLAM DUNK! 15TH ANNUAL ALUMNI AWARDS
FIRST ANNUAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP SYMPOSIUM
Alexis Wright ‘15 rebounded from ACL injury to lead Hounds to 2016 NCAA division tournament.
2015 ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME CLASS
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Editor Claire Kowalchik Creative Director Sandra DiPasqua Sports Editor Mark J. Fleming Copy Editors Rachelle Laliberte Nancy Rutman Alumni Engagement Bob Gratz ’75, director Amanda Werner ’13, assistant director Barbara Parry, administrative assistant Director of Marketing and Communications Michael P. Wilson Vice President of Institutional Advancement Gary Carney Vice President of Enrollment Management Steven Soba Copyright 2016 by Moravian College. Photographs and artwork copyright by their respective creators or by Moravian College. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reused or republished in any form without express written permission.
DEPARTMENTS 2 Prelude 4 President’s Letter 5 Out & About 28 Greyhound Sports 32 Alumni News 34 Class Notes 40 A Little Revolutionary
FEATURES 8 A Lucky Guy Bruce Boyer ’63 broke new ground in men’s fashion journalism 44 years ago and is still a leading menswear writer and editor. Here’s his story and five of his must-have best style tips.
12 On the Cutting Edge Moravian College’s brand-new department of rehabilitation sciences is laser-focused to deliver one of the premier programs in the nation.
20 First Annual Shark Tank Goes Swimmingly Michael L. Karapetian ’97 spearheads a successful entrepreneurship symposium for undergraduates, and though four students win prize money, everyone is a winner.
24 Celebrating Family The 15th annual alumni awards, held on Saturday, December 12, recognized six of our own for outstanding achievement: Amy Lesser Mende ’76, Odell Guyton, Esq. ’77, Steven Milligan ’86, Joseph M. Shosh ’88, Jonathan Latiano ’06 and Jessica Preston Grillo ’08.
Cover photo: Anthony Wood
prelude
Stories from the Moravian community
In a speech delivered at the Scholarship Luncheon on November 15, 2015, Jody R. Miller ’70 reflects on his personal transformation from student to scholar during his years here at Moravian College and shares why he gives back.
On Scholarship and GivingB
y Burton L. Kelchner ’43
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In the words of John Amos Comenius, “Not the children of the rich or of the powerful only, but of all alike, boys and girls, both noble and ignoble, rich and poor, in all cities and towns, villages and hamlets should be sent to school.” And when those children—those boys and girls—become young men and women, they should have the opportunity to be educated at a college or university, where, through the guidance and leadership of a caring and forward-thinking administration and faculty, they come to discover for themselves what scholarship and what being a scholar truly mean. When I came to Moravian College in the fall of 1966, I arrived as a student, not a scholar. My high school education consisted of reading and memorizing the works of great men and later regurgitating those words onto the pages of a blue book. That form of education was exactly the type Emerson railed against in his famous chastising speech “The American Scholar,” delivered to the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard in 1837. Like the members of that society, I was “the parrot of other men’s thinking,” not the “Thinking Man,” but during my four years at Moravian College, I became the Thinking Man. My Moravian experience transformed me from parrot to thinker, from student to scholar. I learned to pay attention to detail and to think critically, thoroughly and independently. I learned how to analyze—how to break down material—and how to synthesize—how to put that material back together as it originally existed or, better still, rearrange it into something totally new, exciting and refreshing. I developed the ability to express myself clearly through both the written and the spoken word, and those words and thoughts were mine—not those of the great men from the past. Moreover, I was able to express my thoughts, my ideas, my feelings freely and openly without the fear of harsh, stigmatizing criticism. Finally, in my transformation from student to scholar, I was encouraged to take risks and to explore the realms of my wildest imaginings, no matter how outrageous, far-fetched, or phantasmagorical those imaginings were. After all, the scholar needs to be “a little revolutionary.” The Jody Miller who entered Moravian College in September 1966 was not the Jody Miller who graduated in May 1970. The parroting student entered; the thinking scholar graduated thanks to my experiences at this college and the outstanding nurturing and encouraging guidance of professors such as Lloyd Burkhart, Eugene Jacobson, Jack Ramsey, Marlin Rader, Johanna Ott (“the meanest math professor on the entire campus”), Lilian Knowles Jones, and Dick and Monica Schantz.
If I’m sounding too much like Chanticleer, crowing too loudly at the brink of dawn and waking up all the neighbors, so be it. Sometimes people need to be woken. I freely admit that my passion for this college is often given to hyperbole, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve always believed Moravian College was one of the most underrated schools in the entire Lehigh Valley, the state of Pennsylvania and perhaps the nation as a whole. But that tide is turning. Finally, my alma mater is gaining the attention she so richly deserves, and I credit the new administration, and specifically President Bryon Grigsby and his outstanding administrative staff. So, why do I financially support Moravian College? Because giving feels good and it’s the right thing to do. Not to give would be selfish and mean-spirited, for I would be denying another person the right to experience what I experienced while a student here. I give to help ease some of the financial stress that comes with deciding to attend Moravian College. Today’s educational experience has a very high price tag. I remember my own father’s reaction to the cost of my first semester in 1966: “Are they out of their (expletive deleted) minds?” That fee was a grand total of $750. Today’s families likely have a similar reaction. I give to Moravian because, upon graduation, I became a steward of this institution, and as such it is incumbent upon me to make certain that the estate prospers and survives. I give because I believe in Moravian College. I believe in its purpose, its mission, its goals, its dreams and hopes, its ambitions and aspirations. I believe in the students—they are bright, articulate, eager, polite, respectful, respectable young men and women with enormous potential and promise. Finally, I give to Moravian as a way of honoring my family and of keeping them alive in perpetuity. In truth, my mother should be here today addressing this audience, for it is she who established four endowed scholarships in the fields of sacred music, business and economics, pre-law, and nursing. There is so darn much to say about this College and what it has meant to me, and what it continues to mean to me. Thank you, President Grigsby and all the members of your staff. Thank you, scholarship donors, for your support to this institution and to these students. And most importantly, thank you, scholarship recipients—thank you for choosing Moravian College. Just make certain that upon your graduation you go out and spread the word about your alma mater. Wear your blue and grey proudly, and, as we said in my day, “Give ’em hell, Hounds!”
In my transformation from student to scholar, I was encouraged to take risks and explore the realms of my wildest imaginings.... After all, the scholar needs to be “a little revolutionary.”
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fromthePRESIDENT Truly Revolutionary I hope this magazine finds all my fellow Hounds well. Our alma mater is certainly on a great trajectory as enrollments continue to climb. We are adding new buildings and new programs to our historic campus, and our alumni are becoming more engaged — funding new projects, finding resources to help current students and mentoring the next generation. Moravian College is 274 years old and the sixth-oldest college in the country. More important, our founders didn’t follow in the footsteps of those who went before them and create a school for wealthy boys; instead they built a school for women, because they recognized that to have an educated society, it was critically important to begin with those who would be the first teachers of the children. In this and other ways, our forefathers and foremothers were truly revolutionary in their approach to advancing their community. Today, we draw on that same revolutionary spirit to drive our new rehabilitation and health science programs, which use the liberal arts to make nursing, athletic training, occupational therapy and physical therapy that much stronger than they would be if solely focused on a professional education. We are one of only eight colleges and universities in the country to have such an innovative and integrated program, and through our wonderful partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network, we are able to guarantee clinical placements for all our students. In March of this year, in conjunction with St. Luke’s, we opened our Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, where we will offer integrated athletic training, occupational therapy and physical therapy in a state-of-the-art facility contiguous to the campus. The nearly $7 million renovation to the former 24/7 Fitness Club facility allows students to learn from the best faculty in the industry and then walk down the hall and practice what they’ve learned in the real-world environment of a St. Luke’s clinic — much as they would in a medical school. You can read about our new center and programs on page 12. But our revolutionary spirit isn’t confined to campus. Our alumni carry it with them out into the world, where it fuels their contributions to society and influences their giving back to Moravian. Bruce Boyer ’63 (page 8) revolutionized fashion journalism when he began writing about menswear for Town & Country in 1972. Entrepreneur Michael Karapetian ’97, who is accustomed to generating new ideas, developed and funded the College’s first annual entrepreneurship symposium for undergraduates (page 20), which involved many alumni business owners who served as mentors to our students. And Jody R. Miller ’70, speaking at the scholarship luncheon last fall, shared how Moravian College encouraged him to explore his imaginings to their fullest and take risks. I was so moved by his speech that I asked him if we could reprint it for all to read (page 2). As I close, I say, “Thank you.” Through your consistent giving of time, talent and treasure, we are able to continue to advance the mission of Moravian College and maintain the revolutionary spirit of our founders. Your generosity allows us to offer competitive academic programs, plan for the facilities that will keep Moravian on the cutting edge and benefit students for generations to come.
Bryon L. Grigsby ’90
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Out&About Deans Selected to Help Lead New Vision Diane Husic (far left) has been named dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences, and Gary Kaskowitz (left) is dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Moravian College, encompassing several discipline-based divisions for undergraduate study, has been reorganized into two schools, the School of Natural and Health Sciences and the School of Art, Humanities and Social Sciences. Added to that mix is the Moravian Theological Seminary, giving the College a now-distinctive three-school look. Cynthia Kosso, provost and dean of the faculty, explains: “This new organization will help us enhance our undergraduate
degrees, expand our graduate degree programs, grow our continuing professional development programs and expand our liberal arts reach into professional education.” She adds, “The former graduate and adult education model depended largely on adjunct faculty to support these programs and did not allow departments sufficient control over curriculum and faculty hires, and from an administrative and budgetary perspective, many Comenius Center functions, such as recruitment, admissions and the responsibilities of the registrar, were being centralized already to increase efficiencies.”
To help implement and carry forward this new strategy and vision, Diane Husic, professor of biological sciences, has been selected as dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences and Gary Kaskowitz, associate professor and chair of the department of economics and business, has been named dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Frank Couch, who has served as the dean of the Seminary since 2001, will continue in that position.
Fulbright Scholar Robin Tieperman Robin Tieperman ’15 became the latest Hound to represent Moravian College in the Fulbright Scholar Program. The former Spanish and education major from central Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who accepted an English Teaching Assistantship in Mexico, is the 12th Moravian College grad in the past 15 years to receive this honor. Tieperman will spend the next year teaching English in Mexico, but she believes she’ll be getting an education of her own. “When you get to know the people of another culture, you’re not just knowing a place. You’re knowing the heart and soul of a place,” she said. “Mexico is our southern neighbor, and I think this is a really unique way to learn about each other’s cultures outside of what you hear on the news.”
Robin Tieperman ’15
Hillary Blair Benner Scholarship Fund
A new scholarship fund has been created in memory of Hillary Blair Benner, daughter of longtime faculty member Dawn Ketterman-Benner. The scholarship will be awarded annually to a student from Liberty High School, where Benner attended. If you are interested in making a contribution, contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at 610-625-7909.
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Out&About Moravian College Awards Three Honorary Degrees
IN THE NEWS Moravian College recently received some national attention in the media: President Bryon Grigsby ’90 was quoted in the February 3, 2016, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, speaking about the challenges in fundraising that small colleges face today. On February 22, 2016, The Washington Post shared the story of Moravian College student Kayla Oakes ’18. Oakes was able to continue her education here after a family financial crisis thanks to Mo’s Fund, established in 2014 to serve students and their families who suffer unforeseen monetary hardships.
During the 2015-2016 academic year, the College awarded prestigious honorary degrees to lawyer and activist Mario Joseph, guitarist Tommy Emmanuel, and Moravian College’s artist-in-residence, musician and composer Sean O’Boyle. Joseph, a widely regarded human rights lawyer who plays a leading role in fighting for compensation from the United Nations for its part in his native Haiti’s cholera outbreak, was here to show and later discuss the groundbreaking film “Baseball in the Time of Cholera,” which chronicles the nation’s continuing challenges. Emmanuel, an Australian highly regarded for his complex fingerpicking guitar technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on the guitar, has carved out a remarkable career as a solo artist with a number of award-winning albums and singles. Emmanuel’s countryman O’Boyle is a Member of the Order of Australia, the nation’s preeminent celebration of excellence. An accomplished composer, O’Boyle has had his compositions performed to great acclaim by many of the most respected orchestras worldwide. We applaud all their efforts and welcome them to the extended Moravian College family.
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Mario Joseph (top), Sean O’Boyle and Tommy Emmanuel on guitar are awarded honorary degrees.
Adjunct Professor of Language Arts Peter Richmond penned a letter to the editor of The New York Times Sunday Book Review that was published in its Letters department, January 29, 2016.
BPD’s Greyhound Horse The Bethlehem Police Department has a new member: a 4-year-old Percheron male named Grey, donated by Moravian College’s equestrian team. Grey and his fellow LVAIC-inspired companion, Asa, along with two other horses, allow officers more mobility and better sight lines, and are particularly helpful in wooded areas. As Stephanie Dengler ’16, president of the equestrian team, explains: “The horses help the police out a great deal. They are very well trained, and they help with large crowd events and maintaining order in our community. They are a unique asset to the Bethlehem area.” Grey received his name on October 30, 2015, in a special ceremony on the grounds near Monocacy Hall on Moravian College’s north campus.
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Bookshelf The Oxford Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education Oxford University Press, 2015) By Dana S. Dunn Professor of Psychology Dana S. Dunn hits it out of the ballpark with this comprehensive, cutting-edge compendium of theses in psychology education. Educators, researchers, scholars and administrators in psychology will find current, practical advice on course creation, best practices in psychology pedagogy, course content recommendations, teaching methods and classroom management strategies, as well as advice on administrative and professional issues, such as managing one’s career, chairing the department, organizing the curriculum and conducting assessment.
A Locker Room of Her Own: Celebrity, Sexuality, and Female Athletes (University Press of Mississippi, 2013) Edited by David C. Ogden and Joel Nathan Rosen Just released in paperback, this collection of essays, coedited by Associate Professor of Sociology Joel Nathan Rosen, looks specifically and critically at the nature of gender and sexuality within the contested nexus of race, reputation and sport. The collection explores the reputations of iconic and pioneering sports figures and the cultural and social forces that helped to forge their unique and often problematic legacies. Women athletes discussed in this volume include Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Billie Jean King, Venus and Serena Williams, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Sheryl Swoopes, Marion Jones, Florence Griffith Joyner, Roberta Gibb, Kathrine Switzer and Danica Patrick.
Students and Faculty Attend Historic Climate Change Conference It’s an opportunity of a lifetime: to witness negotiations among the heads of state of 188 nations as they wrestle and debate issues around the mitigation of climate change — one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century — in a historic push toward the first worldwide agreement to rein in global warming. Five Moravian College students were granted that experience.
Class of 2016 members Paige Malewski, Laura McBride, Audrey McSwain and Stephen Stoddard, in Paris for COP21.
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Undaunted by the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, Matthew Bosch ’16, Paige Malewski ’16, Laura McBride ’16, Audrey McSain ’16 and Stephen Stoddard ’16 accompanied Diane Husic, dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences, and Hilde Binford, chair and associate professor in the music department, to the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which took place in Paris from November 30 through December 11, 2015.
Husic and Binford have led a delegation to the conference every year since 2009, when Moravian College became one of only six private liberal arts colleges accredited to serve as civil society observers, putting our students in a rather exclusive group of undergraduates. “The large universities take graduate and lawschool students,” says Husic. “It is very unusual to encounter undergraduates from these institutions.” This year, the delegation observed a tireless global effort, negotiation on a grand scale, that culminated in the 31-page Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, signed by every one of the 188 countries represented.
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Photographs by Alex Crawford of Articles of Style
A LUCKY GUY This is the title that the passionate Moravian College grad and groundbreaking menswear writer and editor Bruce Boyer’63 suggested for his own story. He is, by his own estimation, the only popular fashion writer with a predilection for quoting Chaucer — but then he may be the only popular fashion writer one English lit course shy of his doctorate. We, dear readers, are the lucky ones. by Megan Othersen Gorman
WHAT IS STYLE? “A person who has style is, to me,
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someone who has taken fashion and bent it to his personality. He has made it his.” — G. Bruce Boyer
n Bruce Boyer’s earliest style memory, he is 13 years old. His grandfather has taken him to Hess Brothers department store on Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, near their home in the city’s gritty South Side neighborhood. “We just happened to pass by the men’s department,” he says, a hint of cheery yellow-and-blue argyles just visible at his ankles as he elegantly crosses his legs. “I’ll never forget it — there was this rack of absolutely beautiful Harris Tweed sport jackets that stopped me on the spot. I’d never seen anything so beautiful, and I talked about them for weeks and weeks and weeks, until finally, my mother and grandfather, a steelworker, bought one for me. I was in heaven. Absolute heaven.” Which is where he is still — on top of a menswear moment he helped create. For many years, Boyer was the fashion editor for Town & Country magazine — the first in the publication’s history. He has contributed to Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Forbes, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. He is the author of enough
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books to fill a buttery Italian leather satchel and then some, including “Eminently Suitable,” “Rebel Style: Cinematic Heroes of the Fifties,” “Apparel Arts,” and his latest, “True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear,” just published in September. He serves as guest curator for exhibitions at the Museum at FIT in New York City. He is currently designing a delicious Italian-made flannel to be named Boyer Plaid. And while speaking to this reporter, he had to excuse himself briefly to answer an urgent call from a colleague at Brioni, an exclusive brand specializing in men’s couture. It was a menswear 911 of sorts: “She was making a presentation to her sales staff and needed help distinguishing between a dinner jacket and a smoking jacket,” he casually explains, striding across a Persian carpet in his Historic Bethlehem home overlooking Nisky Hill Cemetery. Needless to say, she got her answer. “It may be shallow,” Boyer concedes. “It’s certainly not a cure for cancer or global warming. But clothing is important. Style is important. It’s one of the ways we invent ourselves, after all.” Writing one’s story is another. MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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authoritative “True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear.” “There’s no one-word literal translation, but what it means is a studied nonchalance. It’s a button left unbuttoned, a tie that’s a little off center. It throws people off a bit. But the effect, psychologically, is a strength held in reserve. You look great while giving the impression that you didn’t even try. Perfection is unattainable, and it’s really not that interesting. Plus, if you look like you’re trying, it smacks of vanity. It’s much better if you look like you just threw something on. It’s a pose — and it’s a good one. I do it myself.”
TRUESTYLE
TRUESTYLE
PERFECT IMPERFECT STYLE: “The word is sprezzatura in Italian,” says Boyer, author of the
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WARDROBE MUST-HAVE:
“A really good blazer,” says Boyer. “You can dress it up, dress it down. It’s perfect for travel. But you should get it right. Americans as a whole tend to wear their jackets too long. A jacket should just cover your backside. It should stop where your derriere meets your leg.”
oyer’s own story began at Moravian College. Not materially (to use a fashion word), of course, but intellectually and even spiritually. “I was not a good student,” he says. “I hated high school, and consequently my marks were not very good. Honestly, I came of age in a poolroom; my education consisted of stealing hubcaps, not savoring Hardy. But my mother, in her great wisdom, wanted me to attend college for at least a year. And so I applied to Moravian and Moravian alone. I wanted to go to a small place. I didn’t want to get lost in a big university, because even at that age, I knew I was kind of lost already.” Boyer was immensely lucky (his phrase): He got in. “And I’ll tell you, from the first day I went to classes, I loved it,” he says, beaming. “Moravian was my intellectual awakening. The experience was like walking into rooms filled with sunlight. It was — and this is no hyperbole — the making of me.” Boyer thrived, graduating with a double major in English and philosophy. He got his master’s at Lehigh University while teaching the bread-and-butter courses for English majors at Moravian College: Comp, Intro to Lit, Literature of Western Civ. He even got most of the way toward his doctorate, also at Lehigh, before abruptly dropping out. A year of Olde English was all that stood between him and the terminal degree. “I loved teaching, and I loved the students,” he says. “But I slowly came to realize that I didn’t, in my bones, love scholarship. And to teach at that level, I needed to be a scholar. Quite literally, of course: I had to have my Ph.D. or be working toward one. And all of a sudden, I didn’t and I wasn’t. My teaching career was done.”
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Once again lost, Boyer searched his mind for what he could do next. “I asked myself, What do you really know something about?” he says. “And ever since I was a little kid, I’d known men’s clothing. I was acutely aware of it, intensely interested in it as a tool, and always drawn to it for as long as I could remember. Men’s clothing was the only resonant answer I could come up with.”
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he year was 1972. The Duke of Windsor, long a style icon, had just died, and there was a flurry of reporting about the duke’s extraordinary manner of both living and dressing. The duke was known for abdicating the British throne in order to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, of course, but also for throwing together as many colors and patterns as he could get away with. Boyer read every piece, as he had for years, rapt by how such an original and creative dresser could be so, well, dull. “I read the articles, every one,” he says, “and felt that no one really got the guy.” So he set out to do just that. “I wrote a piece and sent it to Town & Country, which I thought to be the best home for it,” says Boyer. “My second choice was Esquire and my third, Playboy — simply because I’d heard that they paid a lot.” Town & Country bought that article and, immediately, another. Then the editor asked for a meeting in the magazine’s offices at 56th and Fifth, directly across the street, as Boyer recalls it, from the haute department store Bonwit Teller. Not a trace of ivy in sight. “He said, ‘You know, we’ve never covered menswear before, SPRING 2016
the body — shorter, tighter, little boy suits have been the height of fashion,” says Boyer. “Well, I’m here to tell you, that look is over. Clothing among hip young guys is getting looser. Pleats are back in trousers. The rise [the distance between the waist and the crotch] is getting longer. And higher-waisted trousers that sit just above the hip bones are in. It’s a great look. It makes your legs look longer, it makes you look taller, and it’s more comfortable.”
TRUESTYLE
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LOOSEN UP: “Clothing for the past 20 years for men had been getting closer and closer and closer to
THE INDISPENSABLE ACCESSORY: “The great society photographer Slim Aarons, who did a lot of photo shoots for me at Town & Country, said that if a guy doesn’t wear a pocket square, it looks like something is missing,” says Boyer. “And I agree. I always, always wear one. Try a brightly colored silk square or, if you’re not ready for color, a simple square made of white linen.”
WHEN IN DOUBT, CHOOSE BROWN: “The Milanese wear only brown shoes,” says Boyer. “They say, ‘Black is black, but brown is a hundred colors.’ And I agree. I have about 30 pairs of shoes, and only one pair is black— the pair I wear with a tuxedo. I wear brown with everything. It’s much more interesting.”
A LITTLE REVOLUTIONARY “People have a hard time pigeonholing me. They say, ‘Are you a writer who just happens to write about fashion, or are you a fashion guy who just happens to write?’ I’ve thought about it, and I’m honestly not sure what the answer is. But when I’m with fashion people, I say I’m a writer, and when I’m with writers, I say I’m a fashion guy. It sets me apart. It makes me, yeah, a little revolutionary. Just a little.” — G. Bruce Boyer
because for us, it’s tinged with effeminacy and it’s a little ersatz — but you write about it differently,’” remembers Boyer. “And I knew that I did, because I’d brought Moravian and my literary background — a little bit of ivy, I guess — along with me. I’d quote Shakespeare, Chaucer. My editor came to refer to my writing style as high Mandarin — or, authoritatively sophisticated. And it was.” He pauses just a beat and smiles: “For fashion people.” Boyer became Town & Country’s first menswear editor. He not only conceived of and wrote the articles but was also the stylist on photo shoots. “I got a good education for the second time in my life,” he says, smiling. He became a scholar, an enduring one — a scholar of style. “You know when someone walks into the room and he has style,” says Boyer, whose own style he describes as AngloAmerican with just a touch of Italian — a daring little dash of color. “Whether it’s your particular style or not, you say, ‘Hmmm, I want to talk to that person; he looks interesting.’ You imagine that he’s interesting, simply because his style is interest catching. I believe it was an architecture critic who once said, ‘Beauty is the promise of happiness.’” Not unlike a rack of lovely Harris Tweed sport jackets fortuitously glimpsed at Hess’s. “We’re all born tabula rasa,” says Boyer, the gold in his signature tortoiseshell glasses aglow with light pouring through the winter-bare branches in Nisky Hill Cemetery, a place not too far and yet a world away from the South Side of Allentown. “I invented myself with great intention and an awful lot of luck. Menswear — the study of it, the style — has been very, very good to me.” And he wears the glasses of a scholar to prove it. MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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Photographs by Anthony Wood
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Teaching the use of a laser in the Therapeutic Modalities Lab at the new Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Center.
Moravian College’s brand-new department of rehabilitation sciences is laser-focused to deliver one of the premier programs in the nation. By Claire Kowalchik
On the
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We might be the sixth-oldest college in the country, but we develop future-focused, leading-edge ideas. And yes, we’re small, but we know how to do things in a big way, like build a world-class department of rehabilitation sciences, one that places us among the elite. But then, Moravian College has always been and will always be a little revolutionary. A vision for excellence — it’s in our head. Fighting for excellence is in our muscle. Winning it is our destiny. And our new department of rehabilitation sciences makes that plainly apparent.
THE BIRTH OF A VISION Brilliant ideas do not just pop forth in lightbulb moments. They seed deep and simmer and with time come to the surface, and so it was with the concept for a rehabilitation sciences program. Though the initiative to build this program came from President Bryon Grigsby, he credits his former colleagues at Shenandoah University for planting the idea, which began to take shape as Grigsby considered Moravian’s future and potential growth opportunities. The tremendous projected growth in the field of health care and the College’s partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network provided further fuel. “We have a phenomenal nursing program, which we developed in partnership with St. Luke’s,” says Grigsby. “I began to consider what else we could do together.”
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In the Orthopedic Assessment Lab, students practice patient examination.
Grigsby met with Richard Anderson, president and CEO of St. Luke’s, to explore possibilities, and when Grigsby posed a partnership in athletic training, Anderson’s eyes lit up. As the leading provider of sports medicine services in the region, St. Luke’s was perfectly poised to expand into a partnership with the college. The idea caught spark. Two weeks after that meeting, Grigsby showed up for his workout at the 24/7 Fitness Club, at 1441 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem. The doors were locked. The business had shut down, and in that moment, Grigsby saw not an old rundown gym but a site for a sports medicine and rehabilitation sciences center that would house classrooms and labs for Moravian College graduate studies alongside clinical space for the treatment of St. Luke’s patients. He took his vision to the board of trustees, who saw it and unanimously agreed to support it. The College bought the building, and an idea was on its way to becoming real. St. Luke’s followed up by charging John Hauth, the Network’s senior director of sports medicine relationships, with leading its commitment to and effort in the partnership. It was Hauth who recommended James Scifers as a consultant to the program in October 2014. Scifers, who would go on to be named chair of the department of rehabilitation sciences and director of athletic training and interim director of physical therapy, had been one of Hauth’s students at East Stroudsburg
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University. He and Hauth are among the nation’s leading, award-winning educators and authorities in sports medicine and rehabilitation sciences. They form a perfect partnership in collaboration. (For more about Hauth and Scifers, see “Leaders of the Pact” on page 17.)
SETTING A GOLD STANDARD Partnership, collaboration, integration — these form the foundation of the entire rehabilitation sciences department, run through the individual disciplines, and tie the department into the fabric of the College itself. Scifers, Hauth and Grigsby recognized the importance of this unification and cross-fertilization and used these principles to strengthen the vision for the department of rehabilitation sciences. That the department is being built from the ground up with all disciplines in mind makes this possible. The overarching rehabilitation sciences programming includes graduate studies in athletic training (which launches June 2016), physical therapy and occupational therapy. Unlike the departments of other schools, where these disciplines exist independently and even in separate buildings, our programs will live together under the same roof. The course schedule will be structured so that students from different disciplines
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An Overview of Programs Our new department of rehabilitation sciences offers a seamless line of study from undergraduate through graduate degrees. Here’s the flow: UNDERGRADUATE Health Sciences, BS Students may choose one of three tracks: athletic training and exercise science, occupational therapy or physical therapy. Core classes are identical, but each track has specialized courses. All feed into the graduate programs, and it is easy to move from any of these tracks into any of the graduate programs. Timing: The first class in health sciences was accepted in fall 2015.
GRADUATE A teaching moment in the St. Luke’s clinic.
will be able to take crossover subjects — kinesiology, for example — together, providing students exposure to different perspectives while fostering relationships among individuals working in companion disciplines. Scifers explains that this integration mimics real-world professional experience, where athletic trainers often collaborate with physical therapists in the treatment and recovery of a patient, and physical therapists confer with occupational therapists over how best to return someone to a physical skill. All of these graduate studies, of course, offer the next step above the undergraduate major in health sciences, which accepted its first class in the fall of 2015. While collaboration and interdisciplinary learning create a powerful educational environment, gaining clinical experience working hand-in-hand with top professionals from St. Luke’s is an invaluable opportunity for our students. And once we achieve full accreditation, Moravian College will have the only athletic program in the country to offer clinical immersion across the entire curriculum.
Athletic Training, MS An accelerated option is available (three years undergraduate plus two years graduate). Timing: Students will be accepted to the program beginning summer 2016.
Occupational Therapy, OTD An accelerated option is available (three years undergraduate plus three years graduate). Timing: Students will be accepted to the program beginning summer 2018.
Physical Therapy An accelerated option is available (three years undergraduate plus three years graduate). Timing: Students will be accepted to the program beginning summer 2019. Note: Moravian College must receive accreditation for all graduate programs.
St. Luke’s rents space in roughly one-quarter of the new Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, allowing a palpable partnership of shared expertise and resources between clinicians and educators. Students benefit, but so do St. Luke’s professionals, who will be able to participate with Moravian faculty in collaborative research and stay connected to the
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An anti-gravity treadmill, just one of the state-of-the-art machines.
most current evidence in sports medicine and rehabilitation sciences. This vision is grand, revolutionary and exceptional, and if not unique in every aspect, it is one of a few.
Consider these facts: l Moravian College will be one of only three liberal arts colleges in the United States with a rehabilitation sciences program (when accredited) that places athletic training, occupational therapy and physical therapy under the same administrative and physical roof. l Moravian College will be one of only 11 colleges and universities in the United States to offer graduate programs in all three of the disciplines of athletic training, occupational therapy and physical therapy. l Moravian College will be the only school in the country to offer doctoral degrees in all three of the rehabilitation sciences: athletic training, occupational therapy and physical therapy. And in 2018, it will be one of only four schools in the country and the first in the Northeast to offer a doctorate in athletic training.
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John Hauth (left), senior director of sports medicine relationships at St. Luke’s, collaborates
l Moravian College will become one of only eight schools in the United States with an accredited entry-level doctor of occupational therapy program. l Moravian College is developing an accelerated threeplus-two and three-plus-three cohort program in health sciences in which students can finish their undergraduate health sciences program (three years) and then choose athletic training (additional two years), occupational therapy (additional three years) or physical therapy (additional three years) for their graduate degree.
BUILDING SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY Imagining a modern sports medicine and rehabilitation space was difficult at first. Walking the halls of the empty 24/7 Fitness Club building, visitors saw forgotten towels, combination locks and keys scattered on dirty carpet. Small windows let in little light. “It looked like a crime scene,” remarks Hauth with a laugh. But just as the vision for excellence in the educational piece of the program became
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Leaders of the Pact The implementation of the vision for our new Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center and its programs has been and will continue to be in the capable hands of two leaders with unmistakable commitments to excellence both in the classroom and in the field itself.
with James Scifers, chair of the Moravian College department of rehabilitation sciences.
real, so did the mental blueprint for the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center building and the advanced equipment it houses today. The 43,593-square-foot structure occupies two floors. The west side is home to the St. Luke’s rehabilitation clinic and physicians’ offices, and the east side houses classrooms, faculty offices, conference rooms and comfortable, furnished spaces for student and student-faculty discussion and collaboration. Large windows admit lots of natural light, and the white interior, accented with sky-blue walls, offers a serene but cheerful setting. The clean, fresh environment is the scene of outstanding sports medicine practice, excellent teaching and exceptional learning. All of it is elevated by cutting-edge technology, including an Alter G anti-gravity treadmill, which allows recovering athletes to rehab and build cardiovascular fitness without impact; a Biodex Balance System, which improves balance using a movable platform and a computerized program to challenge the patient’s stability; and a Biodex isokinetic strength machine to test a patient’s strength prior to and during rehabilitation.
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James (Jay) Scifers, D.Sc.P.T., P.T., SCS, LAT, ATC, is chair of the Moravian College department of rehabilitation sciences, director of athletic training and interim director of physical therapy. A leading national authority on health sciences and athletic training, he comes to Moravian College after serving as a professor in the athletic training education program at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. He is the current past president of the North Carolina Athletic Trainers’ Association after serving as the organization’s president for four years. During Scifers’ tenure, the NCATA launched a successful campaign to pass concussion legislation and became the first state organization in the country to introduce a bill to mandate and fund a full-time athletic trainer in every public high school. John Hauth, Ed.D., LAT, ATC, CEAS, is the senior director of sports medicine relationships at St. Luke’s University Health Network. Hauth is the former director of the athletic training program at East Stroudsburg University, where he was honored as Distinguished Professor in 2010. He has presented and published peer-reviewed papers on sports medicine at regional, national and international conferences, and in 2009 was inducted into the Pennsylvania Athletic Trainers’ Society Hall of Fame. Hauth is an authority on athletic training and sports medicine. He worked clinically as the director of athletic training for the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks of the Professional Indoor Football League from 2011 to 2015, and he currently works in a clinical capacity with a variety of the region’s youth and secondary school athletic programs. MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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Practicing skills in the Functional Rehabilitation Lab.
The new learning space includes dynamic classrooms and labs: Orthopedic Assessment Lab. In this room, examination tables are arranged like the spokes of a wheel around a central hub where a circle of video monitors screen demonstrations of techniques as students practice them on their “patients” (fellow students). Distance-Learning Classroom. True to its name, this room allows a professor, practitioner or researcher from anywhere in the world to teach a class remotely to Moravian College students. Video cameras and microphones allow real-time student-faculty interaction. Functional Rehabilitation Lab. In this space, athletes recovering from injury can practice sports skills on a surface that mimics the real-life playing surface, whether that be a field or court.
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Therapeutic Modalities Lab. Here students learn and practice ultrasound, electrical stimulation, laser therapy and more. And the equipment? You guessed it — state-of-the-art, befitting our status as an all-Apple, all-Steinway school. Apartment. Physical therapists and occupational therapists often work with patients to restore their daily-living skills. An apartment that includes a kitchen, bedroom and bath offers the perfect space for students to try out their therapy skills. “In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t have imagined a better space,” says Grigsby. What makes this space perfect is that it was built with an eye and mind to a holistic education. It combines learning with experience, individual study with collective collaboration, and it encourages relationship and varied perspectives. All of these elements are aspects of a liberal arts education.
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INFUSING THE ARTS By every measure, the old saying “what’s old is new again” applies here. Moravian College’s deep roots in the liberal arts date back to our founding in 1742. We have never veered from our commitment to a liberal arts education, and that holds true today for our advancement into the health and rehabilitation sciences. Our undergraduate program in health sciences demands the same LinC requirements as any other major at the College. Students must take courses in math, science, the aesthetic arts and social studies, and many of those same students likely will move directly into our graduate programs. All of it lives on a liberal arts platform. The point isn’t simply to fill students’ brains with knowledge — useful or otherwise — but to open their minds to the whole of exploring, learning and being in the world and to nurture creativity and empathy. “An education in the liberal arts develops a skill set — critical thinking, leadership, ethics and compassion,” says Grigsby. “And wouldn’t we all want a nurse or a clinician who has those skills?” And, yes, that’s a rhetorical question. Moravian College’s new department of rehabilitation sciences is being built for excellence and is poised to stand out as tops in its class because it blends the best of leading-edge practice, programming and technology with a liberal arts philosophy that has endured the ages and is essential to a complete education and wholly learned student.
Getting the Rebound After sprinting down the court for the fast break, Alexis Wright ’15 rocketed upward to catch the ball. As she did so, her right knee hyperextended with a pop. “I came down on it, and it felt like someone jabbed a hot poker in my knee,” says Wright, who had torn her anterior cruciate ligament, one of the ligaments inside the knee joint. It was the eighth game of the 2013-2014 basketball season for the Greyhounds but the final game of the season for Wright, who would go on to have surgery after New Year’s, followed by five months of twice-aday rehab that included regular strength and rangeof-motion work. By the summer, she was running again, and in September, she rejoined the Hounds for the 2014-2015 season, feeling both physically and mentally tougher. “Alexis was determined to return to the player she was prior to injury,” says Mary Beth Spirk, head basketball coach. “She achieved that goal and more.” Indeed, Wright rebounded with flying colors. In her final season this past year (having missed most of the 2013-2014 season, she was eligible to play a year post-graduation), Wright led the Greyhounds to a 20-8 record, a berth in the Landmark Conference Tournament and an at-large bid in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, where the team defeated 15th-ranked University of New England in the first round before falling to 7-seed Tufts University.
Athleticism, grit and good medicine combine for excellence in performance. Alexis Wright ’15 led the Hounds to a winning season. SPRING 2016
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Interns: Karlee Corvasce ’15 Alumnus: Ashley Heiberger ’00 Employer: Bethlehem Police Department
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ZINE
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An alumnus, a professor and a great idea come together in a successful entrepreneurship symposium for undergraduates. And if this was big, wait till next year
FIRST ANNUAL
SHARK TANK GOES SWIMMINGLY By Claire Kowalchik Photographs by Timothy Murphy
Michael L. Karapetian ’97 had a vision. The Los Angeles resident saw himself supporting Moravian College undergraduates interested in starting a business, helping to kick-start their entrepreneurial goals before they headed out onto their career paths. “I wanted to give back to the school, but I didn’t want to just donate money,” says Karapetian. “I wanted to champion a cause. I’ve always been interested in entrepreneurship, and I wish there had been a program encouraging it when I was a student here.”
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“IN CREATING THE WORKER BEES BRAND, I FEEL LIKE I’VE UNCOVERED
Karapetian wasn’t the only one with a vision: Gary Kaskowitz, associate professor and chair of the department of economics and business at the College, had one, too: his, to create a course in entrepreneurship for undergrads. “Whether you’re searching for a job, starting a business or trying to advance in your chosen career, you have to consider these questions,” says Kaskowitz: “What does the world need? What can I do well? And how can I make a connection between the two?” Enter Julia Gasdaska ’07, director of major gifts in the Office of Institutional Advancement at the College. She made the connection between Karapetian and Kaskowitz and invited registrar Lexi Smith to join the conversation, and the inaugural Michael L. Karapetian ’97 Entrepreneurship Symposium was born. “This was a wonderful pairing of an alum and a faculty member that led to a valuable opportunity for our students,” says Gasdaska. And a whole lot of fun.
Head Shark Michael Lazari Karapetian ’97 is the founder, president and CIO of Lazari Capital Management Inc. and Lazari Asset Management Inc. Additionally, he is the founder and managing director of Calibos Sports Management LLC, through which he represents primarily NBA and NFL talent. A philanthropist, Karapetian donates time and money to the communities where he has lived and worked. Among other efforts, he has served on the committee boards for Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Kempton, Pennsylvania; Bat Conservation International (BCI) in Austin, Texas; and the Acopian Preserve—a protected space for the federally threatened bog turtle—in southeastern Pennsylvania. 22
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The Concept
Karapetian suggested the symposium be modeled after TV’s famous “Shark Tank,” in which novice entrepreneurs present their business plans to a panel of judges comprised of savvy, seasoned, wealthy businessmen and -women, who decide whether or not to invest in the proposed concept. In the Moravian College version, 13 students unveiled their ideas — developed within the framework of Kaskowitz’s course in entrepreneurship with the help of an alum mentor — to a panel of alumni judges. The four ideas the panel deemed the best were presented, one at a time, to judges Karapetian, Gasdaska, and Patricia Mulroy. And this being Shark Tank — the College’s version, anyway — prize money (i.e., investment dollars) would be awarded: $2,000 for first place; $1,500 for second; and $500 for third. While students vied for the final four, business owners led forums on best practices. Dan Petrozzo ’91, co-founder of Verilume, which delivers software solutions for IT operations, and A.J. Leahy, president and CEO of POM-CO, a producer of compact personal-safety devices for college students, led a discussion about lessons learned in launching a business. Robert Kafafian ’77, president and CEO of the Kafafian Group Inc., consultants to community financial institutions, spoke on the life decisions entrepreneurs face. And Steve Boerner, founder and president of Hatch House Ventures LLC, shared advice gleaned from his experience as owner of an incubator/consulting firm for startups.
Students in the Tank
The real draw, of course, was the tank, where all the sink-orswim action took place. The judges were amply impressed by the innovative business plans presented by all 13 of the new entrepreneurs. But four ideas rose quite naturally to the top.
They were:
First Place: Emily James ’17 for Fab Floor. A dancer, James knows the agony of practicing moves and routines on concrete floors, so she came up with Fab Floor: dancer-friendly, nonpermanent flooring that can be rolled up and easily SPRING 2016
MY OWN PERSONAL ’BRAND’—STRONG, CONFIDENT, A LEADER.”
transported and laid down on top of home or studio floors. James’ design uses interlocking but separable planks of wood linked by straps. James couldn’t speak more highly of the rewards of participating in the Shark Tank. “I feel as though I could run my own Fortune 500 company with the confidence this experience has given me,” she says.
reviews of vendors, so he developed an Angie’s List–esque resource for manufacturers of metal products. “I came to Moravian College with the idea that I would want to start my own business someday,” says Runne. “This experience has given me the push to really get started on it.” To paraphrase ABC “Shark Tank” shark Mark Cuban: He now has skin in the game.
Second Place: Ronald Mendizabal ’17 for Orbit Leash.
And that’s a good thing—that’s an entrepreneur.
Mendizabal has a pit bull, and walking him can be a challenge. So Mendizabal decided to take matters into his own hands—or, should we say, out of his hands — by developing the Orbit Leash. The leash connects to a belt via a ball at the attachment point, which allows the leash to move along a channel within the belt, 360 degrees around the body, for hands-free walking.
Advice from Alumni
Third Place—a Tie: Courtney Morris ’17 for Worker Bees. A beyond-the-allowance idea, Worker Bees is a handheld electronic device that makes chores more fun for kids. Children choose a task listed on the device, and when they complete it, they send notice to a parent’s smartphone or computer. Based on the quantity and quality of the work completed, Worker Bees picks a local activity — musical, artistic, scholastic or athletic, according to the child’s interests—and sends a discount on the fee as a reward.
Here, the alumni mentors:
“This has been a great experience for me as it took me out of my comfort zone,” says Morris. “It showed me how much I’ve grown while attending Moravian College. The encouragement of students, staff and faculty has helped me gain confidence that I didn’t have three years ago. In creating the Worker Bees brand, I feel like I’ve uncovered my own personal ‘brand’— strong, confident, a leader.”
And Dylan Runne ’16 for MFG Source.com. After observing his family’s involvement in the manufacturing industry, Runne saw a need for manufacturers to have a source for unbiased SPRING 2016
Students gained a wealth of information about developing a business plan in the classroom, but at Moravian College, we also understand the value of real-world experience. To that end, Gary Kaskowitz, then associate professor of economics and business and now dean of the School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, paired students with alumni entrepreneurs so students could learn from men and women who have built their own businesses.
Justin Bennett ’04, Bennett Financial Group, offering financial services to individuals
and businesses
Susan Cancian ’95, Integrative Nutrition Practice, developing health care programs for individuals and groups Joe Durso ’09, Durso Management Group LLC, providing management consulting Casey Hoffman ’06, Vistex Composites, manufacturer of advanced thermoset and thermoplastic composite products
Michael Jacobsen ’79, Jacor Publications Inc., a custom publisher Gregory Jones ’09, Feel Good Movement Clothing Gary Sandercock ’63, Cryotech International, a cryogenic equipment specialist
servicing several industries, including food and beverage, entertainment, aerospace, satellite and many more; Sandercock sold the company in 2010
Drew Shreter ’12, POMAC, a network of orthotics and prosthetics practices Britt Simon ’95, Attorney at Simon Law Group Robin Stankowski ’97, RLN Organizing, a professional organizing firm Bob Thear ’98, Robert C. Thear and Associates, an accounting firm
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CELEBRATING
Odell Guyton, Esq ‘77 and daughter, Kiley Jeanelle Guyton Acosta ‘03
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Family First Odell Guyton, Esq. ’77 was honored with the Comenius Alumni Award for outstanding achievement in his field of work.
Alumni, family and friends gathered in Foy Hall, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to honor six among them for outstanding achievement at the 15th annual alumni awards, held on Saturday, December 12. And the celebratees were: Odell Guyton, Esq. ’77 Steven Milligan ’86 Amy Lesser Mende ‘76 Joseph M. Shosh ’88 Jonathan Latiano ’06 Jessica Preston Grillo ‘08
(
Odell Guyton, Esq. ’77 grew up in a tenement apartment on the south side of Newark, New Jersey. His father, just two generations removed from slavery, didn’t get much further than 8th grade, and Guyton’s own prospects didn’t appear to be substantially brighter. “One of my elementary school teachers told me I’d never go to college,” he recalls. Still, Guyton’s mother believed firmly in the value of a good education. So on the day of a citywide competition that would award two full scholarships to Pingry, a college preparatory school in nearby Basking Ridge, she insisted Guyton and his dad postpone their squirrel-hunting plans so that Odell could take the test. Guyton may not have gotten a squirrel that day, but he did bag the highest score—and a place at Pingry. From Pingry, Guyton went to Moravian College, where he studied criminal justice, a new major at the time. “I had an early interest in law school,”
SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATION
)
Nominations are now being accepted for this year’s alumni awards. To nominate a fellow alum, go to the alumni recognition page on the Moravian College website. The deadline for submitting a recommendation is May 4, 2016. If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Werner at wernera@
moravian.edu or call (610) 861-1342.
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says Guyton. “I wanted to go into law enforcement.” And he did, becoming assistant district attorney under Mayor Ed Rendell in Philadelphia and eventually working his way up to deputy district attorney. Later on, he was appointed Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. From that post, Guyton successfully prosecuted hundreds of perpetrators of sexual assault and more than 200 drug gang members, prompting him to take the long way home from the office most nights. “I needed time to transition,” he says. “I really didn’t want to take the job home with me. I wanted a clear head and heart to be with my family” whom he calls his highest achievement. “Successfully raising my kids, nurturing a loving and lasting marriage and having strong relationships with my children,” Guyton says—“that was everything.” And his success? It was evident in the remarks of his daughter, Kylie Jeanelle Guyton Acosta, Ph.D. ’03, who introduced her father in Foy Hall as “an incredibly inspiring and beautiful, beautiful man” as Guyton’s wife and relatives beamed in the audience.
Clockwise from left: Odell Guyton, Esq ’77 accepts his award alongside his daughter and Alyson Remsing ’03; Ken ’81 and Pat ’82 Hanna congratulate alumni fellow Kate Polles ’17 (right) at the postceremony reception; a full house celebrates award winners at Foy Hall. MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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A Son’s Inspiration Steve Milligan ’86 received the Haupert Humanitarian Award for building TOPSPORTS, a sports program for young children with special needs. Fifteen years ago, Steven Milligan ’86 and his wife, Ann Marie, were looking for a sports activity for their son, who was then 5 and has autism. The only athletic opportunity available for children with special needs at the time was Special Olympics — and kids had to be 8 years old to participate. A first-generation college student and member of the 1982-83 Moravian College Hall of Fame soccer team, Milligan knows grit. “I am not a person who sits around waiting for someone to do something for me,” he says. “Moravian College taught me to take risks and to make opportunities for myself.” Which is exactly what Milligan did— he founded TOPSPORTS, which welcomes any and every child with special needs. And what began as a soccer program serving six children has evolved into an organization that offers several recreational and athletic activities for more than 500 special needs children throughout Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery counties. “TOPSPORTS offers a safe haven for children to participate in sports while their families take a deep breath and relax,” says Milligan who feels so very, very good that he is making a difference in so many families’ lives.
Loving Moravian Amy Lesser Mende ‘76 was posthumously awarded the Medallion of Merit in recognition of outstanding service to Moravian College and the Alumni Association. How many ways did Amy Lesser Mende ’76 show her love of Moravian College? She volunteered on the Alumni Weekend, Homecoming and Antiques Show committees. She served as chair for the latter’s Garden Gate Café and led the initiative for an art auction to raise funds for Reeves Library. She volunteered for the College’s 250th anniversary celebration and several years in various capacities for the Alumni Association’s Lehigh Valley Home Club. She also served two terms on the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. She did all of this and more for 40 years while managing chronic kidney disease. “Amy was one of few kidney dialysis patients who worked full time,” says her husband Bob Mende ’74, who accepted the award on Amy’s behalf. “She refused to be defined by her illness and put aside her own challenges to serve the world.” Amy passed away in October of 2014, but her legacy of serving our world lives on.
A Man of Action Joseph M. Shosh ’88, professor and chair of the department of education at Moravian College, was presented the Benigna Education Award for outstanding contribution to the field of education. A self-described “poor farm kid from Lower Nazareth Township,” Joe Shosh, ’88 now toils on the national and international landscape as one of the world’s foremost Action Researchers, leading inquiry into the practice of education with the goal of improving the profession and, as a result, student engagement and learning. He is one of five international initiators of the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA) and currently serves as chair of the Executive Committee of ARNA’s Coordinating Group. Since arriving at Moravian College, Shosh has motivated students, faculty members and the administration through his innovative undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs. He teaches courses in literacy education, composition and educational research, in addition to supervising secondary education candidates in Pennsylvania, New York City, and London. He has also started several advanced-degree and certification programs at the College.
Left to right: Steve Milligan ‘86 with Dawn Ketterman-Benner; Bob Mende ’74 and Patti Price
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Big-Picture Thinker Jessica Preston Grillo ‘08 received the Emerging Leader Award presented to an alumna or alumnus for his or her leadership and dedicated service to Moravian College and who graduated within the past 10 years.
Portrait of the Artist Jonathan Latiano ’06 is the recipient of the Young Alumni Achievement Award presented to an alumna or alumnus who has achieved exceptional success in his or her profession and who graduated within the past two to 10 years. After graduating from Moravian College with a degree in fine arts and an emphasis in sculptural painting, Jonathan Latiano ’06 headed for New York City and took a job as an art handler, working for a company that transports paintings and sculpture from one part of the world to another. Eventually, he became a project specialist, designing and building the insides of the crates used to move pieces of art—a practice that sparked his interest in sculpture. In the apartment he shared with friends, he turned his bedroom into a sculpture studio and slept in the living room. Latiano had found his calling. “I loved my friends, I loved my life,” he says. “But things were going well in the studio, and I decided to apply to a Master of Fine Arts program.” Latiano ended up in Baltimore at the Maryland Institute College
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Clockwise from top left: Joe Shosh ’88 and Martha Reid, professor of English; the evening’s award winners; Jessica ’08 and Michael ’04 Grillo with Archer; the Alumni Fellows; Jonathan Latiano ’06 (right).
of Art, where he worked 10 hours a day, seven days a week. “I figured, if I was going to give up my life in New York,” he says, “I was going to make it count.” Count it did—it even added up to tremendous success. Latiano now creates large, site-responsive installation sculptures that explore the sciences as they investigate concepts of time and our perceptions of it. In 2013, he won the prestigious Mary Sawyers Baker Prize in Art, which led to his first solo museum exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Latiano was recently awarded his first major permanent public arts commission by the City of Baltimore, which is scheduled to debut in 2017. He also teaches at the Maryland Institute College of Art, American University and the Corcoran College of Arts and Design at George Washington University.
Now in her fifth year as a member of the Alumni Board—first as secretary, then communications chair and now as president-elect—Jessica Preston Grillo ‘08 is proud of the role she has played in the board’s development. “We have come a long way,” says the full-time recruiter for Decision Resources Group in Parsippany, New Jersey. “We were once seen just as a fund, but now we work closely with the office of alumni engagement and with Bob Gratz. We’re doing a really good job now supporting the college’s initiatives.” Grillo’s leadership goals for the board are to stay focused on the big picture, build a relationship with the engagement office, develop plans to further involve alumni in Moravian College and help new graduates become engaged. Additionally, Grillo has helped establish the Central New Jersey Alumni Group and has facilitated multiple Hound Hours in the central Jersey region. With her levelheadedness, big-picture outlook and willingness to take risks, the soon-to-be president of the Alumni Board is sure to help good things emerge for Moravian College and its alumni.
For Latiano, being a little revolutionary led to a lot of success and happiness.
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greyhoundSPORTS
2015
PRESENTING THE
Hall of Fame Class
Top to bottom: Christina Scherwin ’05; 1995 women’s cross country team; Heather Bortz ’05; Stephanie Rickards Corrigan ’99
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Pictured in photos from left to right: Heather Bortz ’05, Stephanie Rickards Corrigan ’99, Christina Scherwin ’05, James Van Natta ’59; 1995 cross country team; James Van Natta
The 2015 Class of the Moravian College Athletic Hall of Fame — the College’s 28th — was inducted November 6 in Johnston Hall. The honorees were Heather Bortz ’05, Stephanie Rickards Corrigan ’99, Christina Scherwin ’05, James Van Natta ’59 and the 1995 Greyhound women’s cross country team. by Mark Fleming Heather Bortz ’05 was a four-year letter winner at shortstop for the softball squad. She was also the Greyhounds’ first National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American, named to the Second Team in 2003 and 2005 and the First Team in 2004 as the Hounds reached that year’s national championship game. Bortz set eight school records during her career and still holds four today, including marks for most career at-bats, hits, and batting average as well as hits in a single season. In addition to multiple team and division accolades, she also had a 44-game hitting streak extending from her sophomore to her junior year that remains the collegiate softball record for all divisions of the NCAA. Stephanie Rickards Corrigan ’99 played four years on both the volleyball and basketball teams. In volleyball, Rickards Corrigan set 13 records, including marks for blocks in a career and career hitting percentage. She is the only player in school history with more than 1,000 kills and 500 blocks, setting the school record at the time of 1,422 kills in her career. A three-time Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth League All-Star selection, she twice made the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Mid-Atlantic Region team and helped lead her team to NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 1997 and 1998. She also played an integral role on the basketball team, contributing 433 points and 363 rebounds for her career. Her excellence on the court was matched by her excellence in the classroom: She finished her
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degree at Moravian College with a 4.0 GPA and was a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. In addition to being honored as the 1998 GTE/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-American of the Year, the top volleyball student-athlete in Division II, Division III and the NAIA, Rickards Corrigan was a two-time GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American in volleyball, making the Second Team in 1997 and the First Team in 1998, and she was honored on the MAC AllAcademic Team six times in her career between both sports. Christina Scherwin ’05 was a three-year standout in track & field. A two-time NCAA Division III national javelin champion, Scherwin won the 2002 and 2003 NCAA titles in the javelin in addition to setting what is still the NCAA Division III meet record in 2003 with a toss of 55.34 meters. She captured seven Middle Atlantic Conference titles, winning the shot put both indoors and outdoors in 2002 and 2003, the javelin both years, and the discus outdoors in 2003. Scherwin also finished as the runner-up in the high jump at the MAC indoor meet in 2003 and was third in the long jump at that same meet. A two-time winner in the javelin at the prestigious Penn Relays, Scherwin also competed for her native Denmark in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and the 2005 World Championships. James Van Natta ’59 won two baseball letters before signing a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization
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Pukszyn Scores! Now Accepting Nominations for the 2016 Hall of Fame
Jeff Pukszyn earns Regional Coach of the Year honor.
You can find the nomination form at http://moraviansports.com/ information/HOF/index. The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, November 11.
after his sophomore season. Van Natta had a 14-4 record in just two years on the mound for the Greyhounds, including identical 7-2 marks in 1956 and 1957. In 1956 he recorded a 7-4 victory over Lafayette College in his collegiate debut for a Moravian College team that finished the year at 15-2, including 11 straight wins to open the season. Van Natta would later play four seasons in minor leagues with the Pirates and Dodgers organizations, including stops in San Angelo, Texas, where he pitched to his brother John, a catcher also in the Pirates organization. The 1995 Women’s Cross Country Team finished third in the NCAA Division III championships at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. This marked the Greyhounds’ third straight top 10 finish at the DIII championships and matched the 1993 squad with a program-best third-place finish. The 1995 season marked the third straight year that the Lady Harriers captured the Middle Atlantic Conference title, and the team had a second-place finish at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional. Two members of this squad, Tracy Wartman ’96 and Tara Wartman McClimon ’98, are already Greyhound Hall of Famers. The other five runners who helped the team to their third-place finish were Justine Johnson ’96, Kasie Hornberger Seymour ’98, Becky Page Hillary ’98, Kristie Reccek Fach ’99 and Amy Zimmerman Conley ’99. Other members of the team include Shannon McDonald DiSora ’96, Jen Makem ’97, Kathy Stiely Frank ’97, Angie Stetler Shepherd ’98, Tina Mabey Weikart ’98, Jocelyn Bellew ’99, Amy Cavanaugh Balash ’99, Amy Gugger Ford ’99, Denise Pierantozzi Mapes ’99, Monica Shutte ’99 and Kristin Smith ’99. The 1995 squad was coached by Mark Will-Weber and assisted by Richard Ollman.
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Jeff Pukszyn ’97 (left) at the AFCA Coach of the Year dinner with George Bright, director of athletics and recreation for Moravian College.
After leading the Greyhounds to an 8-3 record this fall and a berth in the Inaugural Centennial Conference-Middle Atlantic Conference Bowl Series, Moravian College Head Football Coach Jeff Pukszyn ’97 has been named the American Football Coaches Association Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year. Said George Bright, director of athletics and recreation: “We are extremely proud of Coach Pukszyn and his coaching staff. Jeff is an inspirational leader and an exemplary individual who continues to raise the bar by implementing a championship culture for Moravian football. The best, I’m sure, is yet to come.” The AFCA recognizes five regional Coach of the Year winners in each of the association’s five divisions: Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and NAIA. The winners are selected by active members of the association who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions. In Division III, Region 2 is made up of the teams in the Centennial Conference, the Middle Atlantic Conference, the New Jersey Athletic Conference and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Pukszyn is the first Moravian College football coach to be recognized by the AFCA as a Regional Coach of the Year, and he is just the third coach from the Centennial
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“We are very grateful that Moravian athletic teams were willing to volunteer their time with our students.” — Ellie McGuire, community school coordinator, Marvine Elementary School Conference to be honored since 2005. “What an honor,” exclaimed Pukszyn, citing his exceptional coaching staff and players. “The players this year were a special group. They all put in a lot of hard work starting last January and during spring ball in April, and that work ethic continued through the workouts they did on their own in the off-season and into the fall. We talk about team wins; well, this is really a team award. I couldn’t have received it without all the people that surrounded the Greyhound football family this year.” Pukszyn has led a resurgence of the Greyhounds’ program in his five seasons as head coach. Moravian had three straight 2-8 seasons to begin Pukszyn’s coaching career before a 5-5 campaign in 2014 and this year’s 8-3 mark. Pukszyn joined the Moravian College staff as a part-time coach in 1997 after a three-year playing career during which he was named to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team in 1994 and 1996. He was also a two-time team captain. He joined the coaching staff full time in 1999 as defensive coordinator and added the titles of assistant head coach in 2001 and special-teams coordinator in 2007 before taking the head coaching position on July 1, 2011.
“We are very grateful that Moravian athletic teams were willing to volunteer their time with our students,” said Ellie McGuire, community school coordinator through the AmeriCorps VISTA program. “The athletes are great role models, and our students were given the opportunity to run and play while learning about new sports and the potential to play these sports at the collegiate level.” Physical activity is often lacking in the daily lives of Marvine’s students, principal Karen Gomez pointed out. Their bodies crave it — but so do their spirits. “I enjoy helping out the community,” said senior baseball student-athlete J.J. Jordan, “and I had a great time playing with the kids at Marvine. But seeing the smiles on their faces and knowing I made a positive impact on their lives was the most rewarding thing. Some of the kids might not have the greatest lifestyle at home, so it was important to me to make my time with them special.” “Working with the kids was so much fun,” echoed junior women’s tennis player Brittney Eady. “To see them having fun and smiling and being active and knowing I played a part in that — it just felt great.” The feeling was definitely mutual.
Team M&M
Moravian student-athletes teamed up with Marvine Elementary School. The Moravian College department of athletics and recreation partnered with Marvine Elementary School for an after-school program that ran for an hour on Wednesdays from October 14 to April 27. Student-athletes from each of Moravian’s 20 teams and cheerleading squad began each session with a 10-minute talk about the importance of hard work to achieve athletic and academic success. Then the Greyhounds simply played their sport or a variety of games with the students over the rest of the hour. The combination? Winning. “The partnership was a wonderful experience for both schools,” said Moravian College Assistant Director of Athletics and Recreation Sara Steinman. “College studentathletes made a huge impact on the kids from Marvine. Not only did they promote physical activity, but they inspired a younger generation to dream big and to reach their goals.”
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alumninews Homecoming 2015 was one of the largest yet! The weekend kicked off on Friday, October 23, with the Annual Rocco Calvo Golf Tournament; more than 90 golfers spent their day at Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course to raise money for the Rocco Calvo Scholarship. We wrapped up the day with the Homecoming return of alumnus John Gorka ’80. A famed American folk singer/songwriter, Gorka performed an intimate concert in Peter Hall. Saturday morning started early with the President’s State of the College Address followed by the Homecoming Parade. Then — in the big draw — more than 1,400 alumni came out for the Homecoming Tailgate and to cheer on the Greyhounds as we beat the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats. Fun was had by all attendees, who noshed on delicious food-truck food, vied for the prize for best tailgate, painted pumpkins, smiled in the photo booth, and got their faces painted.
Clockwise from top: Jody Miller ’70, Martha Neff ’70 and Hugh Gratz ’70 catch up after 45 years; women of the class of 1975 reminisce about the good times; a group of AST sisters; painting pumpkins; the class of ’75 celebrates their 40th at the Red Stag.
Coffee and Connections
Ninety alumni came to campus on November 11, 2015, to offer career guidance to students. Many departments hosted dinners and panels as part of the new Hounds Connect at Home program before everyone gathered in the HUB for Coffee and Connections. Above left to right: Ronni Mendizabal and Richie Gazzola discuss their plans with alumnus Matthew Mutarelli ’07; John Dicher ’13 talks with a student; business alumni sit on a panel for Dr. Katie Desiderio’s class.
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Evening on Main Street More than 200 alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff descended on Main Street for a night of preholiday shopping capped off by a gathering at the Red Stag Pub and Whiskey Bar. Businesses offered exclusive discounts for Moravian shoppers, who were encouraged to stop by Hotel Bethlehem for cookies and cider! The Moravian STARS — student alumni representatives — man the tables at Hotel Bethlehem.
Fireside Story Time with President Grigsby and Mo Our first ever Fireside Story Time was a big hit. More than 100 alumni and children joined President Grigsby and Mo in the HUB for cookies and milk and a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” followed by a visit from Santa.
Hound Hawk Watch
Above left: Steve Vanya ’79 scans the skies.
Led by biology professors Frank Kuserk and Diane Husic, several alumni hiked the Kittatinny Ridge at Bake Oven Knob in Germansville, Pennsylvania, this past fall to look for migrating raptors. It was a beautiful and educational day for all.
A Presidential Visit to North Carolina
Pre-Vespers Receptions
President Bryon Grigsby ’90 met with alumni of the College and Seminary at receptions held throughout North Carolina last fall. Thanks to Timothy Gardner ’73 and Lynn Castagnoni Gardner ’74 for hosting in Wilmington, Margaret Couch ’80 in Winston-Salem and Paul Kurzeja ’89 in Charlotte.
Donors of all levels gathered for food, drink and fellowship before enjoying Christmas Vespers at Central Moravian Church.
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classnotes MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE publishes all class notes that we receive. We reserve the right to edit for space or style. Some information may appear only online at www.moravian.edu/classnotes. All class correspondents with e-mail addresses are listed within the notes. If your class year is not shown or does not list a named correspondent either here or online, e-mail your information to alumrel@moravian.edu or mail to Barbara Parry, Office of Alumni Engagement, Moravian College, 1200 Main St., Bethlehem, PA 18018. DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONS: May 1 for the Summer 2016 issue August 1 for the Fall 2016 issue
PHOTO POLICY FOR CLASSNOTES: • Please send us your image as a jpg file at 300 dpi. • We publish one photo per wedding or birth. • We welcome photos of gatherings of alumni. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Go to www.moravian.edu/classnotes.
1959
Kathy Werst Detwiler; kathydetwiler@comcast.net Jeanette Mirne Cornblatt writes that she and her daughter, Wendy, were sorry to miss the reunion at Alumni Weekend 2015. Jeanette plans to be here next year and looks forward to seeing everyone then. In the meantime, if you are in her general area (between Asbury Park and Long Branch, NJ), let her know, and she will try to meet up with you. From Kathy Werst Detwiler: Winter would not be Christmas without a visit to Bethlehem and attendance at our Moravian College Vespers. Wayne and I were honored to attend the Central Moravian Church Putz on the first Saturday in December. Later we were invited to the President’s Reception (in our own South Campus Chapel), followed by a memorable walk to participate in the Vespers at Central. The program was deeply moving; the music was very special. Breakfast the next morning at Hotel Bethlehem was hosted by Pat and Monk Morelli. Their friends Kathy and Harry were in attendance, as were JoAnn and Joe Castellano ’61. Many old Moravian College tales and lots of new ones were exchanged; we had lots of laughs and fun together—a mini reunion. Thank you, Pat and Monk, JoAnn and Joe, for all that you do for our Moravian College. Bye for now.
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1964
Ron dePaolo; rondep@myfairpoint.net Andrew Semmel; andsemm@aol.com Yo, classmates, where are you? There must be some news that you should be telling us: Children and grandkids doing all sorts of wondrous things, you and spouse on far-flung adventures to exotic locales, big changes in your life — you know the kind of stuff we mean. But for the last few issues of the magazine, there hasn’t been a peep out of you. Silence is not in keeping with our reputation as one of Moravian College’s most accomplished classes. After our terrific 50th reunion, when so many old friendships were renewed, so many great memories shared, we (your new class correspondents) believed we would be inundated with enough material from you that we would need a special edition just to print all of it. NOT! So a gentle admonition from the two of us: Unless you want to read endless stories about our fishing trips in Maine or our culinary adventures in Arlington, VA — our two annual get-togethers for the past 40 years or so —you better start sending us news of your doings. The other alternative is that we start making stuff up about you. Cheers, Andy and Ron
1967
Kathie Broczkowski Klein; kathieklein45@aol.com Betsey Brown Anthony writes: What a great roommate reunion Lynn Balfour Owens, Priscilla Toni Hodges, Carol Kriebel Read and I had in January. Lynn has wanted the three of us to come visit her on lovely Marco Island, FL, where she spends the winter. The weather was perfect for sightseeing. Of course no one has changed, and we picked up where we left off 35 years ago — the last time the four of us were together. We feel blessed to have remained special friends after our college days.
1969
Tim Tedesco; tatsrr@aol.com Noel DeSousa writes that he recently attended his 50th high school reunion. He graduated from Easton Area High School in Pennsylvania in 1965. Their mascot was the Red Rover. Noel said it was a blast. Judy Gashler writes that 9 years ago she learned her daughter, Jennifer, who lives in Sarasota, FL, was expecting. This would be Judy’s first grandchild, so she sold her house in Oakland, NJ, quit her job and moved to Sarasota. Over these past 9 years, Judy has enjoyed her experiences with grandchildren Gillian, age 9, and Ethan, age 5. Recently her son, James, changed jobs and also relocated to Sarasota, and the family is enjoying great times together. Judy has retired from her customer service work and is enjoying volunteering in the library bookstore, reading and talking about new books. She also spends time helping out in her grandkids’ elementary school.
1939 Scott Dapp, former athletic director for Moravian
College, visited with Vic Weiss ’39 (above) who turned 101 in November 2015. “He shared a lot of great memories from his Moravian College days,” says Dapp. A Francophile at heart, Judy attends a weekly French conversation group with a great bunch of retirees who want to keep their French language skills sharp. She has traveled to Italy, Paris and Provence, and this past spring she spent two weeks in an apartment in St. Germain becoming immersed in a Parisian neighborhood. A side trip to Normandy was a truly moving experience, as it recalled both the history of France and that of our soldiers on D-Day. Judy looks forward to more traveling and enjoying the beautiful weather and gulf in Sarasota. Mike Siegel writes that as of last January, after more than 35 years, he has retired as a health care IT executive and consultant. Mike and his wife, Gail, moved back to Savannah, GA, in the summer of 2010 and really enjoy the area. They celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary in September, and their daughter, Shanna, and her spouse live in Raleigh, NC, so Mike and Gail see them often. Mike volunteers for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America; SCORE; his synagogue (third oldest in the United States); the Kiwanis Club and the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Oceanographic Institute on Skidway Island, where he and Gail live. Mike especially enjoys the Marine Extension. It allows him to spend time with children from preschool to high school age as he introduces them to the wonders of the coastal Georgia environment. Mike is also pursuing his hobby in nature photography (help, Greg Fota) and his passion for golf. Gail is the primary organizer for the local Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation chapter and its fund-raising events. She also volunteers for the neonatal ward at the local medical center and is involved with book clubs and other local special-interest groups. Now that Mike is retired, he and Gail have begun to travel more. This past spring they visited Holland to see the tulips, and in 2016 they will visit Costa Rica,
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1967 Dick Chaiet, Wayne Dovan and Gary Henry catch up over lunch in Bucks County, PA.
1967 Connie Urschitz Gilbert took first place at the Historic Bethlehem Partnership’s Blueberry Festival for her blueberry pie. Besides being a wonderful artist, she also has excellent cooking and baking skills.
Spain and Portugal. Mike is looking forward to seeing Hank Fieger when they visit Barcelona. On November 4, Gail and Mike had dinner with Bertie Knisely during one of her alumni visits in the South. Mike says it is always great to see Bertie and catch up. Eric Ruskoski writes that his global business travels have slowed down. He and his wife, Sandy, now spend New Year’s Day through the end of May at Wild Orchid, their home in St. Lucia, West Indies. It’s always an adventure, and it’s nice and warm there in January. They are happy to report that their children, Thor, 28, and Chelsea, 25, have launched productive careers and lead happy and fulfilling lives. Eric has been able to visit with some Moravian alumni pals, including Paul Martinelli at his restaurant; Captain Alan Leach, the fisherman; Art Sheninger, an avid Parrot Head in Florida; and Sam Tull, who lives two islands south of Eric and Sandy in Bequia, a pirate hideout in the Grenadines. All of them are enjoying life. From Tim Tedesco: On October 3, I attended my 50th Northern Valley Regional High School reunion. I was a local member of the committee arranging for a venue, menu, playlist, DJ, reunion gift and speaker, and I helped find as many of the 300 graduates as possible. Facebook was a great help in locating people after 50 years. We had many meetings, back-and-forth e-mails and phone calls. We were able to find about 160 classmates; 133 attended the event. Sadly, nearly 40 members are deceased. We all received a class gift—a glass with all of our classmates’ names embossed on it. Other committee members compiled a directory with biographies, deceased members’ obituaries, living members’ names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. The directory was a nice memento and useful book for classmates to use for years to come.
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1969 Eric Ruskoski (middle) enjoys memories and dinner with Paul Marinelli (right) and his wife, Angel, at Tre Famiglia in Haddonfield, NJ. The couple’s restaurant was voted Best Italian Restaurant in South Jersey for the ninth year.
1969 Bill Scheidig (right) salmon fishing on the Columbia River in Oregon. “My wife caught the biggest salmon — 22 pounds, 38 inches,” says Scheidig.
1970
School Districts for 35 years, was inducted into the Lancaster-Lebanon League Wrestling Hall of Fame last year and am currently serving my second term on the Lehigh University Wrestling Board of Directors. I have six grandchildren as well.
Arlene Forest Sjoblom and her husband, Jerry, are now both retired. They have left Oregon to relocate to the East Coast. They miss Oregon but are happy to be closer to friends and family. They are having fun exploring Delaware and look forward to getting back to the Moravian campus now that they are so much closer. From Dale Dietrich: I am a retired high school mathematics teacher. Wrestling for Moravian in the ’60s opened many doors for me. I coached wrestling in the Warwick and Manheim Township
1971
John Madison; moravianalum@aol.com John “Chuck” Prestosh was installed as the 20th president of the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP). The event took place at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, FL, in October 2015, during ACOEP’s annual Scientific
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classnotes Assembly. ACOEP represents more than 3,000 active emergency physicians and includes another 2,000 osteopathic residents and students. Chuck has been a member for more than 30 years and has served on the board of directors since 2006. He also held the office of secretary before his election as president. He is board certified in emergency medicine, and since 1987 he has worked in the emergency department at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem, where he is the program director of the Osteopathic Emergency Medicine Residency. Chuck and his wife, Jaralee Wieand Prestosh, reside in Nazareth, PA.
1972
Terrell McMann; terrellmcmann@gmail.com From Terrell McMann: I recently visited with Dinesh Pandya and his wife, Kelly. His daughter lives with them while attending school, and his two boys are away at college. Dinesh recently sold his podiatry practice and is picking up hobbies to fill his free time.
1973
Dennis Jones; djones@lkqcorp.com Priscilla Barres Schueck; Priscilla@volunteerlv.org Edward Narlesky writes that he was a selfemployed certified public accountant for 35 years in Pennsylvania and New Mexico, and he retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he was a team leader in the benefit accounting department, responsible for maintaining the communication and reporting between management, support vendors and the benefit and investment committee.
1975
Susan Bacci Adams; sba402@aol.com You can now follow Moravian College Class of 1975 on Facebook! From Susan Bacci Adams: I would like to thank the reunion committee for all of their hard work to make Homecoming a great time for all who attended. Special thanks to Bob Gratz, Bobbie Dollinger Leiby, and Cindy Lewis-Hart. Bette Kovach says that following 27 years as public relations director for Bethlehem Steel, she still has steel in her veins. She has since worked for two other steel producers in the same capacity and is now working with American Metal Market, the voice of the North American metals industry, as a marketing manager and feature writer for its monthly magazine. Bette telecommutes from her home in Bethlehem. Her husband is retired, and their daughter is an elementary school teacher of ESL in Fairfax County, VA, outside Washington, DC. Nancy Martin Lasher is the science coach for the Orange (NJ) Public School District and also teaches ESL at a local community college at night. Patti Baltz Reiser works as a pathology supervisor at Pocono Medical Center. She enjoys spending time with her granddaughter.
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John Raines praises Bob Gratz for alumni engagement. He states that Weyerbacher at the Brewery was a genius move, and he also had fun hanging out with fellow alums. Linda Eagan Penrod was formerly vice president of sales and marketing for a tech company. She has just started a new career in commercial real estate with Zommick McMahon in Blue Bell, PA. She has one daughter, Lauren, age 23, who works at T.J.Maxx. Diane Walters Scholl has a 26-year-old son. She works for the Department of Banking and Insurance in Trenton, NJ, and lives 2 miles from the beach. She gets to walk the boardwalk every night and has remained best friends with Carol Brown since college. Cindy Lewis-Hart is enjoying retirement immensely. She loves to craft and travel. Since moving to South Carolina several years ago, she is trying to learn the Southern lifestyle! Debbi Lewis Zvanut spent two weeks traveling in Peru to see Machu Picchu. The highlight of the trip was going to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands for five days. She says that it was a dream come true to see the giant tortoises. While in Ecuador, Debbi and her husband, Carl, went to the equator, which runs through the highest point in Ecuador. Debbi continues to teach basket weaving and is a fused glass artist. Jeanne Helms Ring is enjoying retirement and her grandchildren. She travels to see them in California and Missouri. Bobbie Dollinger Leiby is retired and loves to travel. She and her husband, Bob, befriended the Rev. Paulo Myts, who is from Ukraine. He is married with two children, and they are Bobbie’s adopted grandchildren. She and Bob travel to British Columbia to visit them. They had an opportunity to hold a kangaroo at the zoo in Kelowna and are looking forward to visiting Atlantis in the Bahamas very soon. Denise Oldenhoff has been retired for 3 years. She has two toy poodles that are therapy dogs, and she visits patients at the hospital twice a week. The dogs also compete in agility contests. One dog, Lucy, will get her championship soon. Denise enjoys going to doggy camps in Lake George, NY, and Stowe, VT. Dave Simpson and his wife recently celebrated their 40th anniversary at a party given by their children.
Walter Latimer recently retired after 19 years with IBM. He enjoys traveling and has lived in Boulder, CO, for the past 25 years. He wants to volunteer with the Denver Museum of Natural History and Science. Walter has three married children, one grandchild and a second on the way. Gerry Bailey is semiretired from the computer industry and is a substitute teacher in Ocean County, NJ. He also does software development online. Gerry is the proud dad of two and a grandfather of five. Bob Gratz retired from New Jersey Public Education. His last job was superintendent of schools in Hackettstown, NJ. He is currently director of alumni engagement at Moravian College. He and his wife, Nancy, enjoy spending their free time with their grandchildren. As Bob says, he is “living the dream.” Joe Antal remarried last year. Both Joe and his wife teach at Memorial High School in West New York, NJ, where he coached football for 20 years. Joe plans to retire in about 3 years. He has three rescue dogs: a golden retriever, a beagle and a black lab. Donna Stayton Pipeling has retired after 38 years as an accountant for nonprofit organizations, plus 1 year as a consultant. She now has time to pursue hobbies, such as Bible studies. Dan Pipeling recently retired after 25 years as the chief of police for the Supreme Court of the United States. He also spent 13 years with the National Security Agency. Now he is enjoying his three grandchildren, who are 11, 9 and 7. Susan Bacci Adams retired this past June after 23 years with the New York City Department of Education. Husband Al retired from the construction industry in April. He ran heavy equipment for the past 40 years and was involved in cleanup after the towers collapsed on 9/11 and after Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012. They are enjoying traveling (celebrated their 40th anniversary with a trip to Hawaii) and their first grandchild, Charles Allen Dellaria, who was born on January 3, 2015.
1984
Diane Sciabica Mandry; dmandry@pohatcong.org Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking and capital markets division of Guggenheim Partners, announced that Diane Rinnovatore joined the firm
Dear Class of 1976:
Please mark your calendar for the 40th class reunion, scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 15, as part of the Homecoming festivities. More detailed information is to come about the events planned as part of the festivities. If you are interested in helping to plan the reunion, please contact Amanda Werner at the Office of Alumni Engagement. Thank you!
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At the Heart of the HUB Andrew Piccone ’08, freelance photographer “I worked with Ann from the beginning of my sophomore year through my senior year. She has an uncanny ability to empower the students she works with and help them feel that their work at the HUB desk is truly important and that being a spokesperson for our school is a great honor, but she also cared about us as people. She was our boss, our friend and our stand-in parent.” Melissa Andreas ’12, director of housing and event management, Moravian College
Ann Claussen ’74, director of the Haupert Union Building and event management, retires after 20 years of serving the Moravian College community. Overseeing events, serving on a multitude of committees (sustainability, arts and lectures, dining, the multifaith council, the institutional diversity council), chairing the Friends of Reeves Library, managing the campus calendar, pitching in on Spirit Week and Homecoming, directing Family Day and, of course, mentoring the HUB’s student managers—these were just some of the reasons Ann Claussen ’74 was in almost-constant motion during her 20 years as director of the HUB and event management. “A week didn’t go by when someone didn’t ask me what I thought about a conference, meeting or program or how to put a room together for an event,” she says. “Every day brought something new. It was so much fun. It never felt like a job. I loved it.” Claussen loved interacting with faculty, students and staff and helping them plan and promote their activities
in January 2016 as a senior managing director in the investment banking division’s Structured Products Origination business.
1985
Lynn Muschlitz LaBarre; labarre@ptd.net Paula Colizzo Lewinski writes: On October 24, 2015, our class had its 30th reunion. Laughs, reminiscing and fun were had by all. Some were only able to make it during the day to tailgate at Homecoming, and others joined us later at Fegley’s Bethlehem Brew Works (where Orr’s department store used to be). All who couldn’t make it were missed! From Lynn Muschlitz LaBarre: If you’re on Facebook, be sure to go to our class page — Moravian College Class of ’85 — to see pictures.
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so that when they looked back on their events they could be proud. “The best part of my job was meeting and working with students and developing a relationship of mutual respect,” says Claussen. And for that, she is cherished. Here, a few of her former students share their memories: Debra Leibensperger Klokis ’04, assistant director of employer relations, The College of New Jersey “I appreciate Ann for always lending a listening ear, for being a strong support to those of us who were away from home. Ann has always been a mentor and someone I aspire to be like both professionally and personally. She has a sincere approach and has always worked very hard at her job while remaining completely dedicated to her family.”
1990
Mary Beth Sierzega Afflerbach; afflerbachmb@yahoo.com Aydin Onur writes: After 16 years of residence in Boston, MA; San Jose, CA, and New Mexico, I returned to Bethlehem — my final destination. I enjoy teaching, innovating, Internet-based service companies, and hobbies. I am increasingly gravitating toward philanthropy. I have been participating in Moravian alumni events, mostly in theater and musical performances. Love adventure travel.
1993
George Hrab, an accomplished musician and drummer for the Philadelphia Funk Authority, was a speaker for TEDxLehighRiver at their third program of presentations and conversation last September at Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown, PA. George
Andreas recalls the day Claussen supported her in a meeting of the Pavilion Renovation Committee: “Being a student on the committee among several high-level executives, I was hesitant to speak up against designing that space with our traditional blue and gray colors, which I felt were dull and dreary. But when a student’s opinion was solicited, I proposed using reds and wood tones to make the space feel warm, and I suggested that we incorporate Moravian College pride in other ways. Ann jumped to support that idea and turned the conversation to ways, other than color, that we could enhance College pride. That is why we have the wooden star on the brick wall, photos of students around the space and Moravian College engraved in the chairs. Ann’s work on this committee truly influenced the look, spirit and functionality of the Pavilion that we know and love today.” Kelsy-Ann Adams ’14, account executive, AT&T, Atlanta “Ann instilled in us a strong work ethic and emphasized the importance of being prepared, being professional and taking pride in what you do, and that you do whatever it takes to get the job done. “I love Ann,” Adams adds warmly. “She will always be that special boss, that special mentor…I’m so grateful.” As are all of us here at Moravian College and beyond. Thank you, Ann, for your energy, your spirit, your good work and your loving support. We wish you continued love and happiness in the years to come.
has traveled to four continents, promoting critical thinking, science and skepticism through story and song.
1994
Denise Bradley; denise.bradley@tevapharm.com Drew Menten was selected as a 2015/2016 Fellow in the Leading for Change Fellowship Program for Leaders in Public Service at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. Anne Shea Gaza, partner with Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor LLP, was included in 2015’s Women Leaders in the Law and has also been honored with the highest peer rating awarded to lawyers — the AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell. Those who are identified as Women Leaders in the Law are profiled in a special section of Fortune, which
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classnotes also features Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women. According to Fortune, these women leaders exhibit the highest level of professional excellence. Diane is a partner in her firm’s intellectual property section and serves as cochair of the firm’s diversity committee. An accomplished litigator, she represents national and international clients in significant intellectual property and commercial cases in Delaware’s state and federal courts. A Fellow in and Delaware State Chair of the American Bar Foundation, Diane is also a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of America and was recently named to the IAM Patent 1000. She also serves as a neutral arbitrator through the American Arbitration Association. Diane has written and spoken extensively on areas relevant to her legal practice.
2001
Courtney Parrella; sunshine92779@msn.com Dustin Levy recently began working with the Science Careers Forum at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is giving career advice to students and early career professionals in the technology sector.
2002
Brienne Wilson Rodriguez; briennewilson@gmail.com Emily Shertzer competed in the marathon of the World Military Games in Mungyeong, South Korea, in October as a representative of the United States and the US Air Force.
2004
Jessica Naugle Bodor; jln13@comcast.net Emily Ralph Servant writes: I have been working in the ministry (I’m an ordained Mennonite pastor), but after moving to Baltimore this summer, I began focusing on writing my dissertation full time; I’m a Ph.D. candidate through the University of Manchester (England). In my spare time, I work with churches going through transition or conflict, do writing and voice-over work and serve as an adjunct instructor for Eastern Mennonite University.
Births Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. His design collaborative recently released its first book, “CO-LAB: Collaborative Design Survey” (BIS Publishers) and launched a companion website. Mike Lorenz released three new albums in the past 12 months. He writes: Looking back on the past year, I really can’t believe how much I’ve been able to accomplish and how much hope and excitement it gives me for the future. If you haven’t already, go online and check out my new music. I recently uploaded my first-ever EP to celebrate 5 years of making, recording and releasing original music. Much of my new music would not have been possible without the support of Tired Hands Brewing Company in Ardmore, PA. I have been playing music there almost every Thursday night for nearly 3 years. My association with such a successful and wonderful group of people has fostered some great friendships and given me opportunities I would never have dreamed of before.
2009
The Entomological Society of America announced that Todd Johnson was one of its 2015 award winners. In the fall of 2013, Todd began a Ph.D. program in entomology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
2011
2006
Rachel Stevens graduated in August 2015 with a master’s in nursing, earning her advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP) degree. She has accepted a position working in the Gainesville (FL) Area Emergency Department and Trauma Center and as a locum tenens (someone who fills a job on an as-needed basis) in San Diego in the emergency department. She has also declared partial residency in Spain and is currently pursuing fluency in Spanish and Euskera for her position as a locum tenens in Europe’s top-rated hospital and trauma center, Clinica Universidad de Navarra.
2012
2007 Ryan Shelley is currently teaching design full time at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He received his master’s in graphic design from
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Jennifer Coffin Dodd ’99 and Joshua Dodd ’99 welcomed a son, Peter, on October 29, 2015 Jamie Marks Corvino ‘04 and Brian Corvino ’02 welcomed a daughter, Maeve, on July 31, 2015
of Osteopathic Medicine in Backsburg, VA, in May 2016. All will begin their residencies in July 2016. Michael Facchiano graduated with a master’s of education and teaching certification in December 2015 from Kutztown University. He is pursuing teaching positions in secondary education social studies and middle level mathematics.
2013
Michael O’Gorman; mw.ogorman@gmail.com Emmy Usera; emmyleanna@gmail.com Amy Baker Trapp, former human resources director for the city of Allentown, PA, was hired as human resources director for Northampton County, PA, last October.
2014
Casey Hilferty; caseyhilferty@gmail.com Zachariah Rivenbark graduated cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in May 2015. He is currently serving as a law clerk for the Honorable R. Stanton Wettick in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.
Lauren Bahnatka Bachner; mollysmomlb@gmail.com Jennifer Mendelson Miller received her doctorate of education from Immaculata University.
Christine Roach Reckamp ‘06 and her husband, Todd, welcomed a son, Ezekiel James
Rachel Kleiner; Kliner.rachel@gmail.com
Ali Zucal; alizucali@gamail.com Josh Miller left his teaching position with the Upper Perkiomen School District to become an assistant principal at Emmaus High School in the East Penn School District. Both districts are in Pennsylvania.
Ezekiel James Clinton Reckamp
Allison Shelly writes that she is interning at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History while attending graduate school at George Washington University. Josh da Silva and Jackie Held will be graduating from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in June 2016. Tim Layng and Cassandra Phillips will be graduating from Edward Via College
On September 20, 2015, FireRock Productions won four Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, including one for “A Will to Survive,” Shane Burcaw, executive producer/writer.
2015
Marisa Clark and Dylan Ricciardi ’14 have announced their engagement. Marisa is employed as a graphic and web designer, and Dylan is employed as an IT reporting analyst. Their wedding is planned for June 2016.
SPRING 2016
Weddings Jocelyn Bellew ‘99 married Matthew Dickey on October 3, 2015, in a vineyard in Paso Robles, CA. Guests included Kasie Hornberger Seymour ’98, Scott Seymour ’95, Tina Mabey Weikart ’98, Angela Stetler Shepherd ’98, Rebecca Page Hillary ’98, James Hillary ’99 and Brian Diaz ’99. Emily Ralph ’04 married Ryan Servant on June 20, 2015. They had a small family wedding on June 20 at Black Rock Retreat in Lancaster County, PA. Rachel Beck ‘10 married Anthony Falco ‘10 on July 18, 2015, at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem. Rachel Riggs served as bridesmaid. Other Greyhounds in attendance were John Gilbert ’07, Kristin Haynie Gilbert ’10, Francesca Falco ’15, Ashlee Scarborough ’08 and Kaitlyn Boyer ’10.
Rachel Beck ‘10 and Anthony Falco ‘10 were married on July 18, 2015.
Laura Hullfish ‘10 married Jason Caiola on October 17, 2015, in New Hope, PA. Kathryn Kane was a bridesmaid. Their wedding was attended by fellow Moravian alumni Gerard Longo ’10, Caitlyn Wyand ’10, Jacqueline Seidler ’10, Andrea Vassa ’08, Kimberly Porcino ’11 and Meghan Kopp ’12. Kate Lewis ’10 married Trever John Sweeney ’11 on June 6, 2015, in Camden, ME. Seamus Dubuss ’11 was best man, and the wedding party included Chris Kalis ’11, Dan Belowich ’11, Sarah Becker Jackson ’10 and Leslie Pope ’10. Heather Nederostek ’10 married Matthew Billera on April 25, 2015. Suzanne Yeager ’11 married Daniel Diehl on September 12, 2015. Caitlin Worrich ’12 married Stephen Heckman on October 3, 2015, at Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem. The service included a love feast. Anne Hoffman Mills and Allison Shelly ’12 were in the bridal party.
Laura Hullfish ‘10 married Jason Caiola on October 17, 2015.
In Memorium Mary Buckman Dedekind ’33 • November 11, 2015 Betty Sweitzer ’42 • October 16, 2015 James Hughes ’45 • December 2, 2015 Gladys Hejl Labaj ’47 • November 6, 2015 Theodore Halkias ’49 • November 16, 2015 Peter Pezzuto ’55 • December 5, 2015 Janet Shallcros Siecke ’55 • November 19, 2015 Carolyn Edwards Simmons ’57 • September 25, 2015 Sally Longenbach Higgins ’58 • November 5, 2015 Donald Yates ’59 • January 10, 2016
SPEING 2016
Joan Albrecht Clifford ’61 • June 20, 2015 Dimitri Diamandopoulos ’61 • November 22, 2015 Robert Miller ’61 • October 5, 2015 Thomas Fromhartz ’62 • October 4, 2015 Glenn Jurek, M.Div. ’64 • September 13, 2015 Capt. Robert Wilkens, USN (Ret.) ’65 • December 28, 2015 James Andorker ’66 • October 30, 2015 William Clark Rodda ’68 • September 1, 2015 Kristen Anna Harberg Van Orden ’69 • November 7, 2015 Rev. Anna Deppen Lutz ’70 • January 9, 2016 Barry Foulk ’75 • September 13, 2015 Carl H. Sucro ’75 • July 22, 2015
John Machell, Jr. ’78 • December 10, 2015 Joseph Buragino ’83 • November 1, 2015 David Hoke ’84 • October 31, 2015 Anne Noversel Welty ’12 • December 8, 2015 James Jesse Perry, Jr. ’14 • October 16, 2015 Joan McKeon Barry — former Alumni House staff • November 16, 2015 Delight D. Breidegam — parent, grandparent, life trustee and benefactor • September 9, 2015 George “Fritz” Halfacre — former coach and friend of the College • September 27, 2015 Walter Williams — former trustee • November 28, 2015
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a littleREVOLUTIONARY
The Good Samaritan Karen Purkey ’13, finance manager for Samaritan’s Purse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, visits with agricultural workers. Below: Purkey plays with village children.
Karen Purkey ’13 busts any stereotype you might conjure of the dull accountant dutifully crunching numbers in some corporate cubicle. The Moravian College grad from Kempton, Pennsylvania, did an internship with Samaritan’s Purse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the spring of 2014, and she hasn’t left, having accepted a fulltime position as finance manager for the organization. We caught up with Purkey recently via e-mail to learn how it’s going.
What is your role with the organization?
In what ways is this work meaningful to you?
I oversee the financial activity for all of Samaritan’s Purse’s programs that are run out of DRC. I handle day-today financial transactions, including managing several national staff accountants, paying bills, and posting transactions in the general ledger. I also assist with preparing monthly financial reports for our current programs and budgets for future programs.
Why Samaritan’s Purse?
How has your liberal arts education at Moravian College helped prepare you for this experience?
The best part is being able to see how the work I am doing contributes to changing people’s lives. I spend most of my time in the office, working on Excel spreadsheets, writing checks and coding transactions. But when I get to visit our agricultural projects and see displaced people working hard and proudly displaying the fruits of their labor, or when I attend a children’s club in one of our safe spaces and watch them laughing and singing, the value of my work becomes palpable.
I had heard of the organization and the relief work they were doing in many countries. When I discovered their accounting internship program, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to use my education to serve with an organization that I feel makes a difference in the world. I also saw it as an opportunity to have an adventure and experience another culture.
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My job requires much more than accounting knowledge, and because of that I am very grateful for the liberal arts education I received at Moravian College, which has helped me successfully navigate the cultural and communication challenges I face here in the DRC.
SPRING 2016