W INTER 2015
COLLEGE MAGAZI N E
Partnership GROWTH THROUGH
SURPRISING BUD
ONE STEP AT A TIME
THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN
contents iv
MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
WINTER 2014
winter 2015 MAGAZINE 2 Prelude
Alumna turned employee recalls one of the most special days on the job
4 President’s Letter
Out & About
20 Greyhound Sports 22 Alumni News
Reflecting on the strategic plan process
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24 Class Notes
8 Welcome to the Pack
Two world-renowned musicians receive honorary degrees from moravian college
11 Coming Full Circle How a collaboration between an alumnus and a professor on a CAPSTONE project
became a full-fledged, year-long educational partnership in just one year
14 Our Five-Year Plan Meet Vison2020: Moravian College’s new strategic plan that will guide
the College through the next five years
18 One Step At a Time Tom Turcich ’11 aims to complete a five-year 22,000-mile walk around the world
Moravian College Magazine : Nina Elias, editor; Mark J. Fleming, sports editor; Christie Jacobsen ’00, webmaster; Karen Horn, director of internet marketing; Michael P. Wilson, director of public relations and marketing. Photography: John Kish IV, Nina Elias, Clint Doyle ’15, Michael Wilson. Alumni Engagement: Bob Gratz ’75, director, Amanda Werner ’13, assistant director, Patricia Murray Hannah ’82, assistant director of career development and alumni engagement, Barbara Parry, administrative assistant, class notes coordinator. Copyright 2015 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. Cover: Pete Lega ’85, director of emerging technology at Merck & Co., and Ben Coleman, associate professor of computer science, talk on the top floor of the Ben Franklin Technology Center in Bethlehem, Pa. Turn to page 11 to read more about their partnership.
MORAVIAN COMMUNITY: A horse drawn carriage waits for its next Christmas City passenger with Moravian College’s historic South Campus in the background. WINTER 2014
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prelude
Stories from the Moravian community
Surprising Bud
How one alumna helped pull off a surprise (and surprisingly emotional!) honorary degree ceremony By Julia Gasdaska ’07, Director of Major Gifts
Cyril ‘Bud’ Anderson, right, smiles with Bob Schoenen (left), Moravian College trustee, and President Bryon Grigsby ‘90 just after receiving his honorary degree. RIGHT: Bud, mother Myrtle and brother Donald Anderson pose some time ago. Donald
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I felt like I was on a secret mission for Moravian College on January 11. The mission of the day: surprise one of the College’s dearest friends, Cyril “Bud” Anderson, with an honorary bachelor of humane letters degree at a Sunday morning service at Downey Moravian Church in Downey, California; Bud’s Moravian congregation. Driving along a palm tree lined road in Downey I had precious cargo in the back seat which consisted of our President’s academic regalia, the presidential medallion, and a new blue and grey robe for Bud to wear during the ceremony, along with a diploma which I would hand off to President Bryon Grigsby ‘90 behind the scenes at the church. I was joined by my partner in crime, Moravian College trustee and former vice president for institutional advancement, Bob Schoenen, who flew to California for this special occasion to surprise his dear friend. To my fellow Greyhounds who don’t know Bud as well as I do: he is an Army veteran, had a long career in aeronautical engineering, has a fantastic sense of humor, loves reading the Bible and doing mathematical equations for fun. In fact, one afternoon, a few years ago, when Bud and I were having lunch at his favorite spot, Coco’s Bakery, he asked to show me an equation he was working on as we sat there talking about why we love learning new things. Although he is as smart as a whip, Bud did not graduate from Moravian. Nor did any of his relatives attend Moravian. He became associated with the College following the lead of his brother Donald, who connected with us through the church. Together, Donald and Bud have financially supported our students for nearly 30 years out of the goodness of their hearts and out of the belief that there is no one more deserving of their generosity than the Bud (left) with mother Myrtle Anderson and brother Donald Anderson
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Donald in uniform.
Bud and Julia
students of Moravian College. Bud was genuinely surprised to receive an honorary degree that day. He expected to spend his Sunday going to church with Grigsby and Lea Glembot and, by the end of the day, he had reunited with Jim Hicks ‘75, former Seminary trustee who flew into California to preside over the church service that morning, and Bob, who presented Bud with his degree along with President Grigsby. When Bud accepted the degree, President Grigsby said, “Welcome to the pack!” — to which Bud responded by saying, “I never thought anything like this could ever happen.” By that point, I had tears rolling down my face because I felt like I had been invited into one of the most special Moravian moments since I stepped foot on campus in 2003 as a freshman. After the ceremony, Bud, Bryon, Lea, Bob, Jim and I went out for lunch to celebrate. Sitting at the table, I felt like we were celebrating a family holiday together. It was the same kind of feeling I have when my own family and I are sitting at the table for Easter or Christmas — comfortable, exciting and natural. The kind of feeling in which no photo can capture the moment, the kind of moment I hope all Hounds can experience when we have opportunities to get together. As Bud and I were sitting next to each other at lunch, we talked about the day and Bud said it was the most special moment in his life. Moravian is a more special place now because Bud is an official Greyhound, and we are fortunate that our family includes one of the most compassionate and sincere people — someone who always has a spot for Moravian in his heart. This moment also confirmed something important to me: Moravian is my MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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fromthePRESIDENT Dear Brothers and Sisters of Moravian College, Over the past six months, we have been building the strategic plan for the next five years at Moravian College, and I am proud to unveil that plan in this issue. Thanks to the incredible work of Carole Reese and our consultant Claude Marchessault, we were able to develop a plan that allowed all members of the community to provide feedback as to how we can take Moravian College to the next level. Hundreds of you participated in online surveys or on-campus focus groups. All stakeholders — from students, faculty and staff to alumni, trustees and community leaders — worked on drafts of the plan, and a 36-member strategic leadership team considered all that input to develop the final plan that was approved by the Board of Trustees in January. I am very proud of the plan we created, as I believe it embraces all of Moravian College — its revolutionary history, its dedication to community and partnership, and its unique position in providing professional programs imbued with the liberal arts. More importantly, it is our plan, created by and developed by the entire community. While we have been building this strategic plan, we have not let opportunities pass us that would fit directly into the vision of the plan: on page 11, you will learn we are already furthering the partnership pillar of the strategic plan through a co-op program between Pete Lega ‘85 at Merck and Ben Coleman’s computer science department. We also purchased 1441 Schoenersville Road (the former Bethlehem Racquetball Club) and, with St. Luke’s University Health Network, we plan to build the premier sports medicine and rehabilitation research facility for the Lehigh Valley. Other partnerships will be coming in the future, so I hope you stay tuned and stay engaged. Finally, an embracing community was ranked as the greatest strength of Moravian College. Flip back one page, and you will read about how we have awarded the first honorary bachelor in humane letters to Cyril “Bud” Anderson. Bud is a life-long Moravian and one of those “salt-of-the-earth” men. After a distinguished career in the military, Bud worked in the aeronautical industry and took courses at 16 different community colleges. With all that schooling, however, he never collected a degree. Bud is humble, generous, pious, and intelligent. Both he and his brother Don believed in life-long learning and giving back, and they both left their estates to Moravian as a way to help future generations become Hounds. In closing, as I write this, I am sitting on a plane returning from Florida after a series of alumni visits. I want to thank all of you for taking on your responsibilities of paying it forward for the next generation at Moravian. Alma mater literally means “soul mother;” it is the place that gives you your soul. And the alumni are the angels that make that transformation happen. Bryon L. Grigsby ’90
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Out&About Artist-in-Residence Sean O’Boyle Receives One of Australia’s Highest Honors opportunities,” said O’Boyle, who learned of his confirmed nomination on Dec. 10. O’Boyle’s compositions and conducting accomplishments have been seen and heard in major orchestras around the world. His song cycle “Conflict, Sadness, Victory, Resolution” was performed in October 2014 by the Moravian College Community Orchestra, Moravian College Choir and soloist Suzanne Kompass. In 2000, O’Boyle wrote the broadcast theme for the Sydney Olympic Games, and in 2002 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had the opportunity to hear O’Boyle’s works when he was featured at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Australian composer, conductor and master orchestrator Sean O’Boyle, artist-in-residence in the music department, has been awarded the Member of the Order of Australia, AM. The Order of Australia is the pre-eminent way Australians recognize the achievements and service of their fellow citizens. “As one of only 7,000 Australians to have been bestowed this award, I feel greatly humbled by a country which has given me so many
O’Boyle’s future projects include Creative Generations 2015, Queensland Music Festival 2015, composing an Aluphone Concerto for Dame Evelyn Glennie, composing a work to commemorate the centenary of Australia’s entry into WWI, and creating a composers’ orchestra, all the while continuing to inspire and influence future musicians here at the College. “Recognition for decades of hard work doesn’t come much higher than this,” said O’Boyle. “I’ll still pursue excellence both as a musician and teacher.”
Moravian College Making Headlines 97% of Moravian College nursing students passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) during the most recent testing cycle. Passage of the examination is required for students to become licensed as registered nurses. Our students scored the highest among area programs for this testing cycle.
The College recently acquired a new piece of real estate: 1441 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem, Pa., formerly the 24/7 Fitness Club, will be the future site of a new partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) to develop a center for sports medicine. The program will integrate an academic learning environment with the real-world application of programs and services.
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Moravian College was recognized as a 2015 Top Workplace in the Lehigh Valley by The Morning Call for the second consecutive year.
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Out&About
Join Us, Writers! The Moravian College Writing Conference will return for the second year from Friday, June 5, through Sunday, June 7. The three-day conference provides writers at all stages of their craft to interact with professional artists, make important connections, share their work, and hear the works of others in an intimate, friendly atmosphere. This year’s conference, with a theme of “Stories and/of Home,” offers even more opportunities for students, teachers, and writers to connect through workshops, writer shop talks, panel and roundtable discussions, readings and more. Of particular relevance to LVAIC faculty and staff — as well as to area teachers and students — will be two new workshops: “Exploring the Power of Story through Experiential Learning” and “Once Upon a Time at the Office: Storytelling as a Business Skill.” The conference keynote speaker, Beth Kephart, is the author of nineteen books, including “Handling the Truth: On the Writing of Memoir,” “Flow: The Life and Times of Philadelphia’s Schuylkill River” and multiple young adult novels. Her keynote address, “Where You Live and What You Love: The Landscape of the Story,” will take place on Saturday. To learn more or to register, go to www.moravian.edu/writersconference.
Well “Liked” “Like” Moravian College on Facebook for photos, news, and contests Dear Moravian Women, Congratulations! You were the first women to establish a college (Benigna von Zinzendorf). You were the first women to be ordained as ministers (Rebecca Protten). You were the first women of African descent to be ordained as ministers (Rebecca Protten). Moravian women have been bold, courageous, and ambitious. You have been trailblazers. Let’s recognize and celebrate your accomplishments today, on this International Women’s Day!
423 Likes
Thank you, Heikki Lempa Associate Professor of German and Modern European History Department of History
Book Shelf W Dana S. Dunn, professor of psychology and assistant dean for special projects, adds a new title to his prolific list of works: The Social
Psychology of Disability (Oxford University Press) is the first book to systematically review, update, organize and critique the literature on the social psychology of disability in 30 years. It contains two decades of research, some of which Dunn conducted with his Moravian College students. It is designed to be a resource for clinicians, other professionals and in undergraduate and graduate classrooms as a way to counter stereotypical or biased perspectives aimed at an often underserved minority group. The Social Psychology of Disability was published in January 2015.
W G. Clarke Chapman, Emeritus professor of religion and adjunct for Comenius center, published a new book Universal Health Care as a
Human Right: The Argument of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2014). After a brief history of the religious support for universal health care in the United States, the book demonstrates how Bonhoeffer, a widely respected pastor and ethicist who opposed the widespread church takeovers of the Nazi regime, gave implicit support long ago to the currently polarizing issue of universal health care. The book originally started as an article, in which Chapman applied Bonhoeffer’s views to the debate surrounding President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. He then expanded his research into that of an entire book, in which he delves into the human rights issues surrounding health care and answers several religious arguments that cast doubt on the need for universal health care today.
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It’s Tea Time (Again!) Faculty, staff, and their invited female students were treated to the reincarnation of the Moravian College Women’s Tea on Thursday, February 12. This year’s attendees sipped tea and coffee and munched on scones, cookies and a variety of dips while they mingled among faculty and staff members in the Pricilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex lobby. The setting late-afternoon sun provided a picturesque backdrop for strengthening bonds between the great women of this campus community.
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“I think it’s important for us to bring these young women together in a completely lowstress environment where they’re not being graded or assessed, there’s nothing on the line here,” said Carol Traupman-Carr ‘86, dean of curriculum and academic programs and host of this semester’s tea. “They can talk to friends and meet new ones, talk to faculty and staff that they don’t already know, and share what’s going on in their academic lives.” For the students (and several members of the faculty and staff), this was a first-time event, but the tradition goes back to when Moravian College was a women-only institution; students and faculty gathered for weekly teas, with some being quite formal. As for this new incarnation, Traupman-Carr hopes to hold one business-casual event each semester. “We want to take these students and transform them and make them think about doing things with their talents that never occurred to them before,” Traupman-Carr said. “Those transformations often occur in these one-on-one, personalized settings, and I hope this is the rebirth of a tradition for years to come.”
1 Jan Ciganik (right), adjunct faculty member in art history and administrative assistant for the art department, enjoys a cup of tea with her two student assistants, Caitlyn Heil ’16 (left) and Kaitlyn Coppens ’16 (center). 2 Monique Haney, campus visit coordinator, enjoys the spread with her daughter, Tessa Haney ’16. 3 Christine Bishop ’15 smiles with Liz Yates, assistant dean for residence life, greek life, and first year programs, between sips.
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Ghazal Stity ’15, flanked by former President Christopher Thomforde and current President Bryon Grigsby ‘90, cuts the ribbon on the A. Katherine Miller ’34 Super Lab in the newly renovated Collier Hall of Science lobby last fall. The renovation was a primary capital project for The Campaign for Moravian. The Super Lab envelops several research and educational spaces in the building, including the Collier Physical Chemistry Lab, the Kulp Analytical Chemistry Lab, Reinhard Seminar Room, and Sutliff Instrumentation Lab, all funded by gifts from alumni and friends of the College. Katherine’s — aka, Kitty’s — celebrated career in medical research led to the development of antibiotics and other drugs used in chemotherapy. She was named to the Moravian College Board of Trustees in 1954 and received both the Medallion of Merit and the Comenius Award a Life Trustee in 1994 and receiving an Honorary Doctor of Humanities in 1998. MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE 7 before becoming
Welcome to the Pack Learn more about the two world-renowned musicians who received honorary degrees from Moravian College in February.
JEFFREY BIEGEL The International Steinway pianist returned to campus for a special performance.
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nternational Steinway pianist Jeffrey Biegel took the Foy Hall stage with the Moravian College Community Orchestra on Sunday, February 22. With Artist-In-Residence Donald Spieth, artist-in-residence at Moravian College conducting, Biegel performed a world premiere of renowned composer/ arranger Jeremy Lubbock’s Moods, for piano and strings, as well as Leroy Anderson’s Concerto in C, Sibelius’ Finlandia and Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. Having performed at the College’s inaugural Betty Aierstock Moore Memorial Concert in January 2014, Biegel welcomed the opportunity to return to the Bethlehem campus and partner with Moravian’s community orchestra. “Rather than partnering with a major orchestra, I thought it would be great to allow a young, vibrant university orchestra have the experience to give the first voice to a new work by a very respected composer,” Biegel said. At the conclusion of the performance, Moravian College honored Biegel for his achievements as a world-renowned pianist, recording artist, chamber music collaborator, and champion of new piano music, composer, arranger and educator. Sean O’Boyle AM, artist-in-residence at Moravian College, presented his friend and colleague Biegel to President Bryon L. Grigsby ’90 who conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. “It has been a wonderful opportunity to make music at Moravian College on two occasions,” Biegel said, reflecting on the special evening. “Being bestowed with a Doctor of Humane Letters was one of the most important days in my life, and I sincerely hope it will open new doors to various opportunities at Moravian College!” W
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“It’s incredible for the students, the faculty, and this entire college that these truly remarkable musicians are official Hounds — and they always will be!”
— Sean O’Boyle, artist in residence
DAME EVELYN GLENNIE
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ame Evelyn Glennie was like any other patron checking in at the historic Hotel Bethlehem on Monday, February 16 — surrounded by suitcases, she was just minutes removed from a long, two-day trek to Bethlehem, Pa., from Spartanburg, S.C., where she had given a masterclass with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra and a private performance to some lucky Moravian College alumni. A few hours later, the celebrated solo percussionist would trade her bright red trench coat for a blue and grey commencement robe; following a lecture and demonstration in Foy Hall, Moravian College honored Glennie with an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters for her contributions to the world of music and championing music education. We had the chance to ask her a few questions earlier that afternoon:
The dynamic percussionist shared her thoughts just hours before becoming an official member of the pack.
What were some of the hardest challenges you faced as you began forging a new career? The first thing I asked myself was, where is the repertoire? There’s not enough solo percussion material out there for me to sustain a career. So the first thing I did, which I still do and have spent years doing, is commission pieces from composers. At the beginning I thought the whole process was, well I’ll just ask someone to write something and it would appear and that would be that. But I had no idea they needed to be paid [laughs]. It’s not a five-minute job. Then, I started playing with lots of amateur orchestras in the percussion sections and would approach the conductors after and ask them if they would consider conducting a percussion concerto. And they would look at me and say, “Are there any?” And because of all that commissioning I did, I was able to say, “Why yes, there are!” It was about planting the seeds until someone took me up on something. You have to create your own opportunities. In today’s world, I feel it’s even more important for youngsters to know there’s no expectancy. They’ve got to have an air of patience about how things progress and make sure they create their own path. You have an incredible resume, including Grammy awards and performing at the 2012 London Olympics. What do you feel is your biggest achievement? I think the biggest achievement is sustaining the career, actually. Awards are wonderful things to happen, they’re stepping stones and times when you can reflect and see where things lie. But awards don’t make you successful. Ultimately, no matter how many awards you win, you’ve still got to practice. That doesn’t go away. No one can question the career of a solo percussionist so that when someone else wants to do this, no one can say “no.” That’s the goal. WINTER 2015
You learned you were profoundly deaf at a young age. How did it affect the way you learned what is now your primary set of instruments? In those days, I was dependent on hearing aids. I thought the only way to hear was to turn them up and play everything loud. In my heart I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do but I didn’t know anything else. Then one day during a lesson my teacher was striking a timpani and said, “Evelyn, this resonates a lot. Do you feel that?” And I did. And he then lessened the pitch and asked where I felt it. And he did it several times. That was when I realized the body is like a huge ear; sound is vibration, and it resonates throughout the body. I took my hearing aids off and although less was coming through there, more sound was paid attention to through the body. All of a sudden the sense of touch became the most important sense to me. I still play that way today. W MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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When
Hounds Come Home By Nina Elias
David Zinczenko ’91 is back on Hound territory — but
Hinnefeld, chair of the English department, has already
he’s not shelling out nutrition advice. The best-selling au-
begun shaping the curriculum. “We haven’t offered a
thor, publisher, and editorial director set up a new Lehigh Valley headquarters for his 2-year-old global health and wellness media company, Galvanized, right on campus. The company’s new location, 130 W. Greenwich Street, is the temporary home for what will eventually become the Zinczenko New Media Center, home of a new academic program that will give English, history, and students from other disciplines practical experience in 21st century publishing and storytelling, as well as the
happy to see a 200-level news and feature writing course that will be open to all students who have the required prerequisite, not just students selected for the Media Center program,” she said. There will also be courses offered in digital skills, public relations and marketing, but with a communications and writing focus.
opportunity to work out of a real, functioning newsroom.
The desire to bring his company to Moravian Col-
“Moravian is a special place to me, and it’s where my
lege began only last year, but it fits seamlessly into the
passion for media really began,” said Zinczenko, a Bethlehem native. “I’ve always looked for ways to acknowledge the school’s influence on my career, and sharing
College’s strategic plan for the next five years — to bring a revolutionary professional educational experience em-
what I’ve learned with the entrepreneurs of tomorrow is
bedded within and strengthened by the liberal arts, said
a really fulfilling way to do it.” In its two year run, Galva-
President Bryon Grigsby ’90.
nized has partnered with media giants including Random House and ABC News to produce books, newsletters, apps, websites and magazines. Zinczenko himself is the
“It is my hope that we will eventually be able to build a new media building that houses Galvanized, our Writ-
author of 14 New York Times bestselling books, includ-
ing Center, a news area, our computer help desk and
ing the series “Eat This, Not That!”
other media functions,” he said. “It is a bright future for
Many of the specifics are still in the works, but Joyce
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journalism course regularly for a while now, so I’m very
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Moravian and Galvanized.” W WINTER 2015
Coming Full Circle In just one year, a semester-long CAPSTONE partnership morphed into a twelvemonth academic partnership between Moravian College and Merck & Co., complete with Co-Op internships, curriculum updates, and a Hound hired right out of school. Here’s the story. By Nina Elias
WINTER 2015
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Biernat (left) and McDonald (center) take in valuable advice from Barros one afternoon at Merck’s Bethlehem, Pa. offices.
When Pete Lega ’85 ran into Computer Science Department
Lega and Coleman started making plans again. In November
Chair Ben Coleman at an on-campus career night in October 2013, he
2014, Moravian College was awarded a $95,000 grant from Merck to
had already been given a task by his colleague: find young computer
support the “Future Talent Building for IT and Innovation” project. The
science majors who remind you of yourself when you were a student —
project would continue their partnership in 2015: First with the senior
and bring them to Merck.
CAPSTONE students, followed by summer interns and ending the year
Coleman and Lega have been working together on and off for
with the pharmaceutical company participating in the College’s Co-Op
the last decade in an effort to place computer science seniors at the
pilot program in fall 2015, which will employ three Moravian under-
pharmaceuticals company after graduation. But when the two got
graduates full time at Merck during the fall semester, earning academic
to talking this time, it turned out OpenMRS, a customized medical
credit and getting paid.
records system used most often in developing countries, was on both
“What I love about this is it really gives the students a wide range
of their minds. Merck was interested in gathering data about vaccines
of activities and experiences for their resumes, cover letters, and inter-
via OpenMRS, and Coleman was looking to integrate open-source
views,” says Coleman. “They now have context that you don’t naturally
projects into his coursework.
get out of the curriculum.” And, all the while, giving Lega the chance to
As a result of their meeting, Coleman’s senior CAPSTONE students partnered with Merck the following spring to learn the ins and outs of the coding beast, something Coleman says “you don’t normally get to
fulfill his charge and find motivated computer science students to join his team. So far, he found one: Myles Barros ’14, part of that first group of
experience in an undergraduate program.” Not only did the seniors re-
CAPSTONE seniors and one of the two who was also interning at
fine their crafts as coders, the course also created a hierarchy of student
Merck while completing his degree. Shortly after graduating, Bar-
leaders within the program.
ros became an associate specialist at the pharmaceutical company,
The students did so well, it didn’t take long for Lega to drum up $50,000 from his company to fund a pilot program that would make Merck the client to a group of seven SOAR students over the summer
working with students from his alma mater who are following his path through the partnership. “It was a perfect transition into the real world,” Barros says. “The
of 2014. The SOAR undergraduates spent their 10 weeks building
project was already pushing me to apply my theoretical knowledge to
upon the work started by the CAPSTONE seniors, with the hope to
a real project that was making a difference, while teaching me things
make the medical record system more customizable. “This was an
you aren’t aware of in an academic setting.”
opportunity to be embedded in a real world environment, where they
Barros is also grateful for the opportunity to work with current
had to listen to what the customer wanted and respond to them,” says
students; he feels that he can empathize as they move through each
Coleman, who acted as their “manager” during the summer.
phase of the partnership. “Believe it or not, they teach us stuff!” he
“They really fit in,” Lega says of the undergraduates. “When they show up, it’s like they’re already a part of it. It’s a boost of confidence for them and for the program.” The company was so impressed,
laughs. It’s also another avenue for him to stay engaged with the college as an alumnus. In March 2015, only one year since Barros began his own story
Merck’s vice president invited those students to present their work at
with the partnership, he sat down with Megan Biernat and Charlie
the 4th Annual Merck Tech Innovation Summit that following October.
McDonald, both slated to graduate in December 2016. They’re both
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WINTER 2015
computer science undergraduates
minutes,knowing all about some-
(McDonald also has a math major)
thing else. Moravian offers breadth
who participated in the 10-week sum-
where Merck offers depth, in that we
mer program, and have both been
push each other further within a de-
selected for the first Co-Op program
fined space but we don’t have that,
this fall. Here is a snippet of their
“Oh, I’ve never considered that,”
conversation:
aspect. I think the lab space and Dr.
Megan: Do you know what we’ll
Coleman have a lot to do with that.
be working on this fall?
Charlie: Yeah. I never thought
Myles: I’m pretty sure you’ll be continuing the project the seniors
I would be having the chair of the
are working on — which has to deal
department asking me, “What’s a
with determining adherence rates for
good fit for you? Let’s make sure
diabetes patients on Medicare and the rate at which they are being tested for…what’s it called?
you’re being challenged.” Megan: Dr. Coleman is good at developing a type of family ato-
Charlie: A1C1. Myles: Right! Doctors are supposed to have their patients tested four times a year. The motivating question is: given a data set indicating referrals from a doctor to a clinic for testing, how close to four times a year are doctors in the US getting? Spoiler alert: top tier are getting 1.75 on average. Moravian College: How does it feel to know you’re going to be
mosphere. I was going to major in physics but I didn’t get that sense of community that I get with the CS kids. Moravian College: How does it feel to work directly with someone who was employed in their field right out of school? Megan: I think it makes me appreciate Moravian’s smaller population. I feel like if I went to a bigger school I would never be here having a
applying your computer science skills to something that will affect
Co-Op in the fall of my junior year and internships over the summer. The
real lives?
career prep course we take as part of the Co-Op has been helpful with
Megan: Having the experience last summer shined light on it for me: you can actually make an impact. I never thought I could do something like that with CS. Charlie: I started doing computer development when I was in high school, and that gave me a window into what could be done, but stuff like this blows my mind. Moravian College: Myles, what do you miss most about the computer science program at the College? Myles: The collaboration between students. I miss being able to talk to someone else in the lab and start asking questions and, in 20
networking. Moravian College: Balancing a full-time paid internship with classes during your last semester of college will undoubtedly be a challenge. Myles, any last words for them? Myles: I did the same thing when I was at Moravian, and my advice would be that there will have to be trade-offs. Enjoy the time you have at Moravian and take time for yourself. Take the opportunity you have at Merck to absorb something and apply it and learn how to be in a workplace. I felt really prepared coming out of school, and you will too. W
Students and Merck employees (including Barros, right) collaborate in the company’s new open concept workspace at Bridgeworks Enterprise Center in Allentown, Pa. (credit: Ben Coleman) WINTER 2015
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OUR
Five-Year PLAN BY NINA ELIAS
On January 23, the Moravian College Board of
Trustees put their approval stamp on Vision 2020, the fiveyear strategic plan designed to strengthen enrollment, grow new programs, further partnerships, and improve the College’s financial position. By 2020, the plan will have helped transform Moravian College into a “Unified institution focused on three areas of service: undergraduate education, graduate education, and professional adult education,” as stated in the introduction of the nine-page document. Those three areas will embrace experiential learning and career preparation while staying true to the liberal arts in order to provide future hounds with a revolutionary educational experience that will prepare them to not only go out into the world, but to change it for the better. “We are truly a college on the move,” says President Bryon Grigsby ‘90. “Our board of trustees, faculty and staff understand the challenges we face and the changes we need to make in the areas of curriculum, advancement and finances to thrive. Most importantly, they support those changes.”
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This wouldn’t be the first time Moravian College broke the mold; Grigsby believes the plan calls back to our revolutionary history as a school that threw out the standard model for education for one that was right for society at the time. And now, according to Grigsby, we need to do it again. “Yes, we need to prepare students for careers, but we also need to prepare them with the skills to change careers as the world changes,” he says. “The unification between professional programs and the liberal arts is not and will not be a detriment to Moravian; it will be our strength and differentiator. It is in our DNA.” To grow, transform, and strengthen the college in five years, the plan will divide and conquer its goals in to five pillars. Each pillar contains its own success measures and goals, but the true success of the plan depends upon the ability to work across pillars and grow as one institution. Read on to learn more about the five pillars.
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Pillar I
Pillar II
Academic Excellence & Innovation
Growth Through Partnership
Outcome: Offer outstanding professional and academic experiential learning opportunities imbued with the liberal arts and constant reflection.
Outcome: Provide opportunities for service learning, community service, internships, Co-Ops and other endeavors through qualified partnerships.
Higher education institutions have internship programs — that’s not unusual. But national organizations are finding securing and completing an internship alone is not enough to help students know what they are really learning while they’re interning. “Students need some help in transferring what they learn in the classroom to their everyday work,” says Gordon Weil, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, and co-captain of Pillar 1 during the drafting phase. “We put a lot of emphasis on lifelong learning, but you have to learn how to learn outside the classroom.” One way that’s already happening on campus: internship seminars, a series of semester-long classes for interning undergraduates to learn not just how to read the cultures of organizations and corporations they are now a part of, but also how to become effective in them. It’s a form of reflection, a concept at the core of this pillar and liberal arts education as a whole. “We want reflection to become a habit of mind for them so they’re working through life not as an automaton, but as a contributing member of society,” he says.
To provide a truly revolutionary educational experience, we shouldn’t go it alone. That’s why Pillar 2 has been charged with identifying and pursuing partnerships that provide our students with growth opportunities and experiential learning within the context of an authentic, reciprocating relationship. One perfect example of this already in place is the William Penn Community School Partnership, a multi-year partnership commitment that infuses hands-on learning and expertise into William Penn Elementary through collaborations with students, staff and faculty at both institutions alongside the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. “In this iteration, partnering with an elementary school only sheds more light on the strength of our education program,” says Carole Reese, chief research officer and director of special projects and co-captain of the Pillar with Bob Brill, professor of psychology. The partnership provides field experience and mentoring opportunities for our students, while deepening our connection with the greater community. As with all Pillars, both Reese and Brill hope to explore a connection with Pillar 4 and its goal to increase alumni engagement. “We believe if this Pillar operates at an alumni level, it could really impact and shape the career success of our students,” says Reese.
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Pillar III
Pillar IV
A Culture of Community
Enroll & Retain Students & Engage Alumni
Outcome: Cultivate a sense of community that embraces individual spirit in the service of self and community. “When we work together, we accomplish more. When we spend time in community, we are strengthened. This Pillar aims to increase participation in community events not by forcing attendance, but because the fabric of the place is that we want to because this is who we are. Within this pillar, we also want to spend time and do better at celebrating individual achievement within our community. When we embrace this concept at a higher level, our ability to work together to advance the other ideas in the strategic plan is advanced, so this concept is about teamwork. You may be saying to yourself right now, ‘But Nicole, we already do this.’ And my response is: I agree, but with a caveat. I (and the other members of the committee) think we do this more in silos, and on a more micro-level. We hope this Pillar will bring it to the macro level so we celebrate more as one community instead of just as a collection of smaller communities.” — Nicole Loyd, vice president and dean of students, co-chair of Pillar 3
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Outcome: Identify, enroll and retain students who aspire to participate in our revolutionary educational experience and establish lifelong relationships within our community. If you think the world is a better place with more Hounds in it, then this Pillar is for you—Pillar 4 will aim to grow undergraduate enrollment to 2,000 students in the next five years. But it’s not all about the day program, says Steve Soba, vice president of enrollment management and captain of Pillar 4. “The traditional 18-22 kids are not the only people going to college anymore,” he says. “We need to be flexible, open-minded, and appeal to non-traditional students who may already be working, have some credits under their belt or even already have degrees.” That’s why this Pillar also aims to increase enrollment in both our seminary and graduate schools while other pillars work to add engaging and relevant academic programs. The catch: almost every other college is having the same conversation. One thing that sets us apart is engagement. Part of Pillar 4’s plan is to increase retention and graduation rates while bolstering alumni engagement. That is partly in progress in the form of the Accepted Students Engagement Program, a brand-new pilot program that will connect accepted students with selected alumni who share the same values or areas of interest. Alumni will partner with admission counselors, aiding in the enrollment process while upping their engagement with the college. “We are hopeful these early connections will turn into mentoring relationships in the future,” says Scott Dams, executive director of admissions and co-creator of the program with Bob Gratz ‘75, director of alumni engagement. Alumni involved in this program will make phone calls to both students and parents. “In a world where these students are inundated with impersonal communications, what better way to begin a relationship with our school than with a personal conversation,” says Gratz. If you’re interesting in learning more about this pilot program, contact dams@moravian.edu or gratzr@ moravian.edu.
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Pillar V Entrepreneurial Stewardship Outcome: Generate the resources to fund new initiatives that are consistent with the strategic plan while preserving the integrity and improving the financial strength of the College. You might not know it, but Mark Reed, Moravian College’s vice president for finance and administration, spends a great deal of time pouring over academic proposals. But he’s not debating course titles or class sizes, he’s putting it up against the Pillar 5 test: “New academic programs are a great way to generate revenue without compromising financial strength — but it has to be true to our mission,” says Reed. This Pillar is charged with the task of prioritizing current resources thoughtfully to support the strategic plan while looking for new initiatives that speak to the College’s core values. One of the best examples of this Pillar at work is the budding partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network to develop a center for sports medicine. 1441 Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem, Pa., will be the new site of an integrated learning environment where athletic training majors (who will graduate in five years with a master’s degree) will learn alongside St. Luke’s sports medicine professionals, while giving the pros a space to treat their outside clients. “This is new thinking,” says Reed. “We’ve got to be nimble, and it’s great that we’ve found a way to do that while keeping an eye on the current needs of the students.”
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THE MORAVIAN EFFECT: Tom Turcich
One Step at a Time By Nina Elias
Tom Turcich ’11 takes life-long learning on foot as he attempts a five-year walk around the world 18
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n April 2, Tom Turcich ‘11 will walk out his front door in Haddon Township, New Jersey, and won’t return for five years. During that time, he will have traveled 22,000 miles, most of those on foot, and touched every continent (including Antarctica!) in order to fulfill a dream he’s had for himself since his senior year of high school. “When my good friend passed away in a jet ski accident, it really woke me up,” says Turcich. “When the fog lifted, I realized life is incredibly short, and I needed to pack it all in and do everything I could.” For Turcich, “everything” meant travel the world. He researched others who had attempted a global trek on foot and, like any impulsive teenager, Turcich wanted to take his first step right after high school graduation. But with limited funds and the want of a college degree, Turcich traded his travel plans for a coveted spot on the Moravian College tennis team and a four-year degree in psychology and philosophy. Turcich, or Tommy T, as he was best known on campus, lead a full life as a student-athlete, philanthropist, and fraternity brother. He held several leadership positions after joining Omicron Gamma Omega, and one was one of the most influential forces in acquiring a new, bigger house to accommodate the fraternity’s growing body of brothers. But as busy as he was, he still felt a pull toward his dreams of walking around the world. Turcich knew he needed help with organization, promotion, and possible sponsorship, so he took advantage of the uniquely approachable faculty at Moravian College and reached out to Santo D. Marabella, professor of management, for guidance during his sophomore year. “We never had a class together!” Marabella says with a smile. “But that’s how this school is designed at its core; there’s a strong focus of individualized learning. It’s these kinds of mentoring opportunities with passionate students that keep us all going.”
The two met on a bi-weekly basis throughout Turcich’s time as a student, during which Marabella helped write a mission statement, obtain a domain name, and more. Marabella thought for sure Turcich would start his journey right away. But with many passion projects, says Marabella, it’s easy to get distracted by what he calls “cues” — things like paying student loans, which Turcich did by installing solar panels for his father after graduation. He did that until February 2014. Since then, he’s been focused on making The World Walk happen; he acquired a sponsor, got TheWorldWalk.com up and running, and waited tables and worked for an insurance firm to fund as much of his trip as he can. As of press time, Turcich has enough money to get him across the United States to El Paso, Texas, through Central America, down the western coast of South America, on a boat to Antarctica, and a plane ride to Portugal. From there, he hopes donations and his sponsor, Wildfire Radio, will help him continue his path over the Strait of Gibralter to Morocco, across the southern Mediterranean coast, into Ukraine and Khazikstan, down through China, up the southern tip of Australia, and back across the US from the west. When he’s not flying or on a boat, Turcich will take bike routes and scenic walking paths wherever he can, equipped with little else than high-quality hiking gear, a tent and sleeping pad, lights, knives, a fire starter, water and food, all stashed in a custom-made aluminum rickshaw. He’ll also be equipped with a GoPro and DSLR camera, sending updates and photos to the Wildfire Radio folks who will keep his website running. As far as training goes, Turcich is an avid hiker and believes that experience, plus a bit of good luck, will keep him safe and on course. He’ll aim to walk 15 miles a day, but the only deadline that matters to him is his start date — just one day short of his 26th birthday. “I promised myself I would do it by 25. I’m still 25 on April 2!” W
“When we take that first step to pursue our passion, that’s the success.” Turcich and Marabella met up at a coffee shop in Kutztown, Pa., a few weeks before the big day for one last meeting. “When I heard he was really going to do it, I knew it was a true passion of his,” says Marabella. “Any time is a good time to pursue your dreams, but I think this is the time he’ll have the least amount of negative or distracting cues for him not to do it.” When it comes to following your dreams, it appears Marabella and Turcich are on parallel paths — Marabella is writing plays, producing short films, and penning articles between teaching classes at Moravian College. “We can help them prioritize their dreams and not let their dreams and passions go awry. Not let them get covered in layers and layers of negative or distracting cues,” he says. You can keep up with Turcich’s journey on his website, TheWorldWalk.com; Moravian College will be posting updates on various social media channels, as well. As this issue hits the stands, Turcich is days away from attempting something only few have achieved. He isn’t as nervous as you’d think: “I have this core belief that people are good. If I didn’t really believe it, then I wouldn’t have the courage or the ability to set out on this journey,” he says. Marabella offers him, and us all, one last piece of advice: “There is no failure here. The minute he steps out of his house, he did it. When we take that first step to pursue our passion, that’s the success.” WINTER 2015
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greyhoundsports
WWW.MORAVIANSPORTS.COM
On Their Home Turf
How five alumni made the journey from student athlete to head coach
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By Mark Fleming, Sports Information Director
Moravian College is more than just a campus community comprised of faculty, staff and students — it’s a family.
That familial feeling is what continues to draw alumni back to their alma mater for work; the College employs 95 graduates among its 450-plus workforce. Former student-athletes dot offices all over campus, including President Bryon L. Grisgby ’90, a former men’s soccer player, the College’s Chairman of the Board of Trustees (and former football player) Ken Rampolla ’79, and Bob Gratz ’75, whose face you can find in the football hall of fame. But of all the departments with alumni on their staffs, the athletic department boasts the most impressive numbers: 23 in total, including five head coaches. Take a look at what keeps them kicking up their home turf. Head Softball Coach and Associate Athletic Director John Byrne ’82 came to Bethlehem from North Penn High School as a freshman in the fall of 1978 and has been here ever since. “I was attracted to Moravian by the opportunity to receive a quality education while being able to continue my playing career with a tradition rich baseball program,” says Byrne. And play he did — so well that Robert Snyder, former vice president of the College, couldn’t bear to see Byrne coaching on any other diamond. “It was not my initial plan to stay in Bethlehem after graduation, but toward the end of my senior year, he summoned me to his office to let me know there were openings in the Admissions and Development Offices and suggested that I apply,” Byrne recalls. “I was fortunate to have been selected to an Admissions position and in the spring was allowed to assist with the baseball team.” Byrne went on to became the athletic recruiting coordinator from 1985 to 1998, and Byrne served as head volleyball coach in 1988 and as an assistant football coach from 1989 to 1997. He took over the softball program in 1994 and has led the Greyhounds to 675 wins in 21 seasons with three NCAA Division III World Series appearances, 14 NCAA Division III playoff berths, 17 conference playoff appearances and 15 conference championships. Head football coach Jeff Puksyzn ’97 is another former Greyhound that arrived on campus and never left. Pukszyn’s path to Moravian College started with a minor detour: he played his freshman year at Kutztown University before joining the Greyhounds in the fall of 1994 under current Athletic Director Scot Dapp for his final three seasons. “I was given a great opportunity both academically and athletically while a student here at Moravian College,” he says. “I wanted to be able to give something back to the college and the football program. Talking to Coach Dapp after my playing career was over I wanted to get into coaching and a part-time spot became available on his staff. I jumped at the chance.” It was smooth sailing from there; after graduating, Pukszyn stepped into a part-time coaching in 1997, 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. He moved into the head coaching position on July 1, 2011 when Dapp moved into the role of athletic director. “I had a tremendous experience both on and off the field at Moravian,” Pukszyn says. “I built lasting relationships with players, coaches, and faculty members. Moments that I’ll always remember are beating Muhlenberg all three years I played.”
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“The wins are a little sweeter and the losses are a little tougher when you are representing a part of yourself.” Moravian’s three other head coaches that are also alumni took some time away before deciding to return to Bethlehem and the Greyhound staff. Head Field Hockey Coach Amy Endler ’93 spent ten years as the head basketball and field hockey coach at Roselle Park (N.J.) High School after graduating from the College. As a student, Endler excelled on and off the playing field. “I was not highly recruited as a high school player so when the field hockey coach and coach Mary Beth Spirk, showed a little interest in me, I looked at Moravian more closely,” says Endler. “On my visit, everyone was very friendly and the campus was beautiful. Compared to my other college visits Moravian certainly stood high above them all.” She was inducted into the Moravian College hall of fame and played on the Greyhounds’ national runner-up women’s basketball squad in 1992, so it seemed natural that she would return to the blue and grey an assistant women’s basketball coach. But after one year on the court, Endler stepped into the role as head field hockey coach the following year. She completed her 12th season as field hockey coach this past fall, and continues to work with the basketball team during the winter. Director of Tennis Art Smith ’68 has had two stints at Moravian: the hall of fame inductee served as an assistant men’s basketball coach from 1992 through 2002 and assistant men’s tennis coach from 1997 through 2002. He returned to campus as the head men’s tennis coach in 2011 and took over as the director of tennis this past summer to lead both the men’s and women’s programs. “It was always a dream of mine to coach where I played my collegiate tennis,” he says. “My experiences at Moravian, as a student and athlete, were such that I felt this was a place that I felt the most comfortable.” Head Golf Coach Kevin Edwards ’96 is in the midst of his fifth season leading the Greyhounds on the links. As a student, Edwards was part of the 1994 undefeated conference championship squad. When he’s not coaching, he works as the PGA Director of Golf at Woodstone Country Club in Danielsville where the Hounds host their annual fall and spring tournaments. The pride of the blue and grey brings authenticity to the recruitment process. “I have always felt that my insight and experiences at Moravian have made it much easier to recruit because it tends to be natural,” says Bryne. “It is very easy to speak about a place you have had a good experience yourself.” Morale, teamwork, and sense of pride is also deepens with alumni at the helm of athletic teams, which explains why all five of these coaches are keen to keep younger alumni on their coaching staffs. “The fact that the players you coach will share a common bond as fellow alums is very rewarding. I have never considered my time at Moravian a job, but more of a feeling of ownership and giving back to the institution,” says Byrne. “The wins are a little sweeter and the losses are a little tougher when you are representing a part of yourself.” W
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1 Future football coach Jeff Pukszyn ’97 goes after the tackle in the 1996 homecoming game against Susquehanna University. 2 Amy Endler ’93 (#11) grabs some air against Muhlenberg in this shot from the the 1991-1992 season. She would take her place on the coach’s bench over 10 years later. 3 Tennis coach Art Smith ’65 cheers on men’s and women’s teams at a recent match. 4 Softball coach John Burn ’82 looks on as the Greyhounds compete in the NCAA regional tournament at Rhode Island College. 5 Golf coach Kevin Edwards ’95 gives advice to a current player at Woodstone Country Club last fall.
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alumninews
To reach The Alumni House: 610 861-1366 or www.moravian.edu/alumni
Achievement and Dedication Recognized at Annual Awards Ceremony The Alumni Association honored several of the College’s finest alumni and students at the 14th Annual Alumni Awards on December 13. Three current students were honored for their outstanding accomplishments on campus, and six alumni were celebrated for their tremendous accomplishments in their careers as well as their continued support of Moravian College. Honorees and invited guests enjoyed a dinner reception in Payne Gallery and a night of music at Vespers following the ceremony.
From left to right: Emily Marley ’15, Emily Lambright ’15 and Alexandra Giacoletti ’15, were chosen as the Alumni Association’s Alumni Fellows for their superior scholastic merit and contributions made to campus life and the community; It’s all smiles for alumni award recipients Douglas Bauder ’71, Ron dePaolo ’64, Kathy Ozzard Chism ’77, Joseph Castellano ’61, Borko Milosev ’04 and Geoffrey Roche ’08; President Bryon Grigsby ’90 talks with alumni association board member, Corey Koenig ’11 and Kelly Grab ’11, an award presenter, while enjoying the dinner reception.
Donors Recognized at Pre-Vespers Receptions In early December, hundreds of Moravian College alumni and friends attended pre-Vespers donor recognition receptions before taking in the beautiful music and services.
From left to right: Rev. and Mrs. Donald Sandman and Bryan Sandman ’86 with Jennifer Sandman gather in Peter Hall for the Comenius Society Reception; Andrew Semanick, Nancy Duckworth Semanick ’81 and Ron Semanick ’83 enjoy the Comenius Society Reception.; President Bryon 6 Grigsby ’90 speaks with members of the Cornerstone Society Barry Matthews, including Rich Senker ’96, Annette Landes Frey ’83 and Frank Frey
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Hounds Helping Hounds The Career Center was busy this fall hosting numerous events for students to network with alumni. 61 alumni attended the Coffee and Connections night on campus on November 13th, which included alumni panels for the computer science, political science, and Human Resources and Management departments. Alumni also returned to campus early this January for the 5th annual Backpack to Briefcase event to help 60 students make the transition from student to employee that much smoother. Current students participated in mock interviews and resume reviews with 28 alumni and 14 community partners.
Karli Gnehm ’14 and Jordan Pesce ’12 talk with Photini Petrides ’15 about their careers.
Cathy Wilkins Taylor ’90 does a mock interview and resume review with Tori Danner ’15.
RECENT HAPPENINGS San Diego Greyhounds Gather for First Time in Decades Lisa Roth ’81 and Dave Roth kicked-off 2015 with a reception to honor President Bryon Grigsby ’90 in San Diego, California. Nearly a dozen alumni took in the gorgeous views from the University Club Atop Sympthony Towers and received an in-person update on Moravian College at what was the first west coast event in nearly 20 years. Everyone left with a piece of Moravian College swag to display proudly in the sunshine state. Those in attendance: Tom ’74 and Beth Rappolt, Audrey Hooper ’89, Lisa ’81 and Dave Roth, Alanah Cervantes ’12, Jocelyn Bellew ’99, Matt Dickey, Samantha Beard ’12, Roger ’68 and Carolyn Williams, President Bryon Grigsby ’90, Lea Glembot and Julia Gasdaska ’07.
Hounds from Hershey, Pa. Give Grigsby a Sweet Welcome On November 11, President Bryon Grigsby ’90 met with 45 alumni and friends in Hershey, Pa., at a reception hosted by Anthony (Monk) Morelli ’59 and his wife, Patricia Ann Morelli. The warm, friendly evening at the Hershey Country Club was a sweet culmination to the season. Back row: Pete Chimera ‘88, Morelli ‘59 and Grigsby ‘90 Middle row: Carolyn Morelli and Anita Russoli Bottom row: Bob Russoli ‘60 and host Pat Morelli
SAVE THE DATES!
For details or registration, contact 610-861-1366 or www.moravian.edu/alumni.
April 17
Night of Stars
May 2
Lifelong Learning Spring Symposium
May 4
Golf Classic
May 16
Commencement Legacy Reception
May 29
Founders’ Day
May 29 & 30
50+ Alumni Weekend (Honoring the 50th Reunion Class of 1965 and the classes of 1960, 1955, 1950 Men and Women)
Alumni Meet and Mingle with Lehigh Valley Home Club The Alumni Association and Lehigh Valley Home Club joined forces to host a Meet and Mingle in the Haupert Union Building on Valentine’s Day. Attendees enjoyed wings, and sweet treats between the men’s and women’s basketball games. Among those in attendance: (LEFT) Samantha Houck ‘13, Amanda Werner ‘13, assistant director of alumni engagement, Amanda Walter ‘13, President Bryon Grigsby ‘90 (RIGHT) Melissa Andreas ‘12, Ken Hanna ‘81, Bob Gratz ‘75, director of alumni engagement, Keene Jabbour ‘74 and Jim McAdoo ‘82 WINTER 2015
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classnotes
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CLASS NOTE SUBMISSIONS, GO TO WWW.MORAVIAN.EDU/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 an e-mail address are listed within the notes. Some correspondents without e-mail access are listed below. 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, Alumni Engagement Office, Moravian College, 1200 Main Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.
DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONS: April 1 for the spring 2015 issue. August 1 for the fall 2015 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
1949
Norma Boldt Wynne; nbwynne@aol.com From Richard Artis: June Bright Reese ’43 do you remember an event that occurred about 86 years ago two doors down from your home on Garrison Street? During recess, a class of first or second graders gathered in the alley behind Franklin School. The writer had a secret crush on June Bright and planted a kiss on her cheek. Poor June, thoroughly distressed, sobbed uncontrollably and ran home, two doors away. I don’t recall if I was sent to “The Office” for a paddling. Do you?
1952
Mary T. Pongracz; 321 W. Fourth St.; Bethlehem, PA 18015 Joseph Christ writes that his wife, Elisabeth, passed away on January 20, 2014 just minutes before her 74th birthday.
1959
Kathy Werst Detwiler; kathydetwiler@comcast.net
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Happy Day and Happy Summer news reported by Mary Lesin Mackenzie Ayala: “Bonke Bash” was held May 18th in honor of Coach Scott Bonke. Granddaughter Chloe’s softball team won three games; one thousand friends and family attended the tree planting celebration. A week later granddaughter Jazmin graduated from high school; Scott Mackenzie and Ashlyn joined family for the week long gathering. Jazmin will be attending Iowa with classes scheduled to start August 25th.
John Bregman has permanently relocated to Orlando, Fla., with his wife Melissa. He is enjoying the warm weather and sees his children and grandchildren when they come to visit. He also periodically returns to New Jersey to spend time with friends and family.
From Kathy Werst Detwiler: Our deep sympathy is expressed to Mary Lesin Mackenzie Ayala on the loss of her husband, Jimmy Ayala. Mary also had to share her questions about Northwestern having badly defeated Penn State at our Homecoming. Right on, Mary … long season may be ahead for our Lions.
Ken Sepe and his wife Alice will be spending this winter in New Jersey for the first time in fifteen years. Their children and grandchildren are all in the local area and they love seeing them on a regular basis.
An additional note from Kathy Werst Detwiler: Moravian College Homecoming weekend was a powerful, exciting experience. The Comenius Society Dinner was spectacular. Opportunities were provided for lots of fine fellowship with new (and old) friends. JoAnn and Joe Castellano ’61 were delightful dinner table company, Paul ’60 and Anita Filler ’61 Noonan were enthusiastic pre-dinner guests, John ’59 and Barbara Roberts ’61 Woltjen were fine elevator companions in the Hotel Bethlehem, both Bertie Francis Knisely ’69 and Pat Murray Hanna ’82 were welcoming representatives of the College, and Lois Brunner Bastian ’50 is a delightful representative of the class of 1950. The gathering, the Saturday game, and the Sunday worship at Central Moravian Church were unique and memorable opportunities for Wayne and me; only at Moravian College do such unique experiences occur…bye for now.
1961
Sam Maczko; sfmaczko@yahoo.com I was last on campus for the annual OGO Gus Rampone Memorial Golf Outing in September, 2014, our usual foursome of Ken Sepe, Joe Castellano, Barry Gaal and I participated again this year. Jim McCrudden also participated as part of the winning group of Monk Morelli ‘59, and Roland Passaro ‘57. It was nice to meet President Bryon Grigsby who participated in the outing as well. A highlight of the outing was meeting with present members of the OGO fraternity and hearing about their educational and philanthropic experiences at Moravian. The Fraternity now has a house on campus and their membership is at an all-time high.
Barry Gaal continues to enjoy retirement by playing golf at a local country club and vacationing with his children and their families. Barry retains his membership in several local civic organizations as well.
Joe Castellano has become a grandfather once again as his son, Paul, welcomed his second child (a boy) three weeks ago. Joe was honored at the 2014 Alumni Award Ceremony on December 13, 2014. Joe is a retired human resources executive and is being honored for his tireless work on behalf of Moravian College. Joe has been very active as a member of the Board of Trustees and eventually as President of this group. He will receive the Medallion of Merit award for his magnanimous efforts. Also being honored at this time will be Ron dePaolo ‘64. Ron is an author and editor. His will receive the Comenius Alumni Award for his career achievements. Both are to be commended for their accomplishments. Coincidently, Joe was my roommate for two years and Ron was my Little Brother when he pledged for the OGO Fraternity. Unfortunately this did not enter into their selection. Jim McCrudden plays golf frequently in the warm weather locally and when things get colder he can be found in Arizona doing the same. Recently Jim took a vacation on a paddle wheel boat cruise on one of our river ways. He enjoyed the experience so much he is going to take a paddleboat cruise on the Snake River. As I am writing this, the snow is falling on the day before Thanksgiving. My daughters will be together tomorrow in Portland, Oregon. Irene and I will be here in NJ for a quiet holiday. We were all together in June in Colorado for a week in Breckenridge. When my youngest daughter returned to Oregon, we continued on and spent a week in Grand Lake, Colo., and returned to Ft. Collins, Colo., where my oldest daughter lives.
1964
Notes from John “Sandy” Hutchison: I had not been on campus since graduation day in
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June of 1964. Being an inductee to the Hall of Fame and being recognized for an event that happened 52 years ago was an honor and a privilege. Everyone was so gracious and as Scott Dapp said to me, “It was a great night to be a Hound.” Being in Johnston Hall brought back a moving moment as the class of ‘64 witnessed JFK’s campaign speech in Johnston Hall. And I remember I was taking an existentialism exam when he was shot. Golf was a minor sport then. But, we did play a very competitive schedule. There were 34 schools in the Middle Atlantic Conference in 1962 and 22 teams participated in the golf conference championship that year including Rutgers, Lehigh, Bucknell, Delaware, and Lafayette. Moravian College finished 3rd behind Rutgers and Bucknell that year. The competition was match play rather than stroke play---the only stroke play event was the conference championship — 36 holes played by 88 players on May 14, 1962 at Fox Hill Country Club, Scranton, PA and all play was accomplished in one day. We drove in our own cars and paid for our meals and gas. We played for the love of the game. It was all about the team and supporting each other. Dick Wilsey did remind me that Harvey Cope bought a large portion of steamed clams at dinner on Sunday night and our rooms were paid for. But I also remember being so cold at tee time and frozen finishing the 36th hole. Having people recognize your accomplishment who weren’t even born is an awesome and humbling experience. To be introduced by a fellow junior golfer Bob Buck who I had not talked to in more than 50 years and share a table with friends Bill Flippin, Dick Wilsey , Glenn Rossetti and their wives was wonderful. And for my wife who never saw Moravian College or the people I grew up with, it was a moving experience. If you all come near Tampa, Fla. say hello. I hope I get a chance to see Moravian graduates again and the golf team in the spring. Being a Moravian student and graduate was a wonderful experience and I have many great memories.
1965 Robert Houser; bobhouser1@atmc.net
From Bob Houser: Our 50th class reunion is but four months away. Save the dates; May 29 and 30th. A class letter will be coming out in
mid-February with details and following that, we have a few classmates that will be trying to make contact with each member of the class with a personal invitation and encouragement to attend. If anyone would like to help makes calls, please let me know. It promises to be a great set of events and a time to reconnect — maybe for the last time.
1969 Tim Tedesco; tatsrr@aol.com
Rick Westley writes that his family is in good health. They are enjoying their grandchildren. In October, Rick, Anne and family traveled to San Francisco and throughout the west coast of California. Rick Subber ’69, MBA ’95 writes that he and his wife, Barbara, moved back to Natick, Massachusetts in the summer of 2013. They bought a house one mile away from their son and three grandchildren. The move was tough, especially leaving all their friends in Bethlehem. Today they are settled in and enjoying life. John Swarr ’69 writes that this past year he and his wife celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Arizona where two of her cousins live. They vacationed for two weeks visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Montezuma’s Well, Zion National Park and several other sites in northern Arizona and southern Utah. John says it was quite a different experience for those of us who have lived all our lives in the east. It was enlightening to see how people are living in other parts of the US. John says that, in the DC area, constructing affordable housing projects is getting harder and harder. Real estate costs are rising higher than middle class families can afford much less those with lower income jobs. John questions how housing is supposed to work for the next generation if everything is only being produced and priced for upper income purchasers. At Manna, where John works, he is thankful that his coworkers are being creative in figuring out ways to keep their projects affordable for the low/moderate income market that are first time home buyers in the District of Columbia.
Patricia Cunningham ‘02 was recently named History Teacher of the Year by the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society. She teaches honors economics and government to juniors and seniors at Nazareth High School in Nazareth, Pa. Congratulations, Patty!
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John says he received a Christmas card from Dave Clinton ’69. Dave writes that he has retired after 40 plus years in the insurance business. Alan and Peggy Woodland Leach ’69 wrote in their card that Peggy is involved in senior care for some of her aging relatives. Bill Scheidig ’69 writes that his family lives at Lake Hauto, near Nesquehoning, PA in the western Poconos. Bill retired as a Certified Property Manager after 30 years. He is now a CPM Emeritus, a status he will maintain for the rest of his life. Bill and his wife plan annual trips to St. Thomas and Hilton Head Island. They have three grand kids ages four, three and one. Bill enjoys golf when the weather is good. He likes to hunt pheasant and deer in Pennsylvania while going to South Carolina for boar hunting. Fishing is another of Bill’s past times. He fishes for trout, bass, perch and steelheads in Lake Erie. Bill and his wife have been members of Hawk Mountain for 60 years. The couple enjoy feeding the birds and are sometimes visited by a bear who likes to snack at their feeder. They try to get to Vespers every other year. He is playing trumpet again and the French horn. Bill takes music lessons from a music major graduate from Moravian. When the weather is sunny and warm, Bill fires up the Triumph TR6, a 1971 British vintage sports car and takes it for a spin. Bill previously had two Triumph 650cc motorcycles, but sold them. Wesley Astheimer ’69 writes that he retired in June of last year after 43 years in banking at the age of 68. Wes did a significant amount of US and international travel. He had no trouble maintaining his sanity and keeping busy in the field. Today he enjoys travel, hanging with his three grown children and six grandchildren. Wesley is staying busy with many interests including fly fishing and skiing. Fortunately he and his wife of 42 years, Mary Ellen, continue to be in good health. Wes is hopeful all that can continue for years to come. Art ’69 and Jean Lewis Sheninger ’71 wrote over Christmas. In April their son Bob and fiancée Lauren were married in Houston, Texas where they reside. Following the wedding Art and Jean, along with friends, traveled to San Antonio for a brief vacation. Son Eric, formally Principal at New Milford High School in New Jersey, is now a Senior Fellow for the International Institute for leadership in Education. Eric travels the US and internationally speaking on the use of technology in schools. Eric has a book out titled, “Digital Leadership” which is a best seller. Eric and wife, Melissa and their two children live on Staten Island. Son Jim and his wife Sabrina and their two children now live in Rhode Island where Jim is a Director with CVS Pharmacy. Jean and Art split time between their homes in NJ and Florida. They play a lot of golf in both states. Congratulations to Bob and Lauren Sheninger on the birth of their daughter in MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
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classnotes January as well as the grandparents, Jean and Art. Tim writes that he wishes more Moravian classmates would write news for the Class Notes. I guess we are doing better than some classes, but wishes we would have the most news of all the classes. I have been busy working on the reunion with my committee for our high school class’s 50th. I graduated from Northern Valley regional High School at Old Tappan, NJ. It has been a big project with selecting a date for the reunion. We are busy finding a venue, deciding on a menu, whether to have an open bar, a DJ, selecting a playlist, insurance, helping to locate classmates, posting the reunion on Facebook, committee meetings, arranging for one classmate to develop reunion souvenirs such as engraved glasses, t-shirts and name tag lanyards and on and on. Janet and I are thrilled to have a new granddaughter born April 1st who lives in New York City with her parents Roger and Martha. Roger is a Director at Credit Suisse in New York. Daughter Christina lives in Boston and works at the new Harvard Museum in Cambridge. Daughter, Rebecca and her husband, Daryl resides in Morris Plains, NJ. Becky teaches science at The Kent School in Summit, NJ and Daryl is a science teacher at Ramsey High School in Ramsey, NJ. Their oldest is in second grade and studies gymnastics and drama. We baby-sit the littlest one who is in pre-school. Janet and I care for her during the school week while her parents are teaching.
1972
Terrell McMann; terrellmcmann@gmail.com
Terrell McMann is President of McMann Tax Service, Inc. As an enrolled agent his firm specializes the preparation of income taxes for individuals and the self-employed. His company is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary. His hobbies include ping pong, disc golf, and speech writing. He has been a member of Toastmasters for 17 years and has been named as an Area Governor. His wife, Sandy Magill ’73, is retired as a case worker for the Pa Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation.
1974
Cyndee Andreas Grifo; cyndeegrifo@mac.com
Stephanie Ferenc Henderson writes: I thought I would share what I have been up to for alumni purposes. After so many years, I returned to school and got my MFA in costume design from Michigan State University in 2013. I am currently working at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga. For the past four
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MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
summers I have worked for an opera company called La Musica Lirica. What is special about this is that it happens in Novafeltria, Italy. We build costumes for three weeks and then tour the operas for two. The first two years I was an intern and the second two I have been the costume designer. The students are from all over the U.S. as well as the stage directors and faculty. We all converge on this little town for the duration. It’s exhausting but rewarding! Our son is now 26 years old and works for a media company in Lansing. My husband Paul is retired but is currently a deacon in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. Hope you are all doing well. David France writes: In June 2014 I graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Divinity degree from the Reformed Episcopal Seminary in Blue Bell, PA and am now preparing for ordination into the diaconate. After a year serving as a deacon I will be eligible to apply for ordination as a presbyter. Last December, while still a student, I was hired as the Seminary’s Director of Admission and Recruitment and bookstore manager. This year I am also serving as an Associate Staff member with the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) and will be working with students at Eastern University.
1975
Susan Bacci Adams; sba402@aol.com
On September 7th, 7 of us, who have been friends for over 40 years now (where has the time gone?) gathered for our annual get-together at Scott and Laura Likman Schell’s house for an afternoon of good food, good drink and even greater company.
Bill ’73 and Colleen Senters Witmer ’74 joined us from their retirement home in North Carolina. They just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary by having a barbeque for about 50 people. It was also an opportunity for them to christen their new house in Rock Barn Golf and Spa, Conover, NC. They welcome any and all visitors. Both Colleen and Bill are easing their way into retirement. Bill has his own company, Witmer Imaging, which is a medical imaging company. Colleen assists him when she can, besides playing golf and tennis almost every day! Bill also volunteers with the maintenance crew at the golf course. Colleen says that her sister lives in the same community, so they get to do things together. Nancy Martin Lasher is still working in Orange, NJ as a Master Teacher/Science Content Coach for grades 3-7 and gets to travel to the various schools in the Orange School District. Cindy Lewis-Hart joined us from her retirement home in South Carolina. She is enjoying retirement with her husband, Larry, who is an investment advisor. They enjoy traveling when
the opportunity presents itself. Cindy still keeps in touch with Bobbie Dollinger Leiby and she ran into Bob Gratz on one of her recent visits to Bethlehem. Debbie Lewis Zvanut has been retired for 5 years now, but she is busier than ever! She enjoys basket weaving and has won 2 blue ribbons at the Allentown Fair and second place in a Nantucket weaving in a national competition. She volunteers with the 4H club, Girl Scouts and the Y, teaches basket weaving at 3 different programs, runs a women’s retreat and volunteers with Engineers without Borders. She and husband Carl enjoy traveling whenever they can. Debbie saw Kathy Kerchner McConlogue ’74 at Musikfest this year. Carter Lee works in the office of a local preschool. Her two daughters, Tao in 6th and Emilee in 10th grade, keep her busy with their extracurricular activities. Husband Peter works in Manhattan, traveling into the city from their home in Madison. Laura Likman Schell is enjoying her first grandson; though he lives in Chicago, she gets to see him about once a month and spends time visiting with him on Skype. Laura works at the Ranch House and tutors at the Children’s Dyslexia Center in Reading. Scott still runs the Ranch House and enjoys spending time with his children and grandson. Laura and Scott’s son Blake was married in Charlotte, NC on May 31. Al and I celebrated our daughter Jaqui’s wedding to Charlie Dellaria on March 22. A good time was had by all and now we are eagerly anticipating the birth of our first grandchild at the end of December. I am still teaching kindergarten on Staten Island (at the same school for 22 years!) and am looking forward to retiring this June. Al is still playing with his big machines, working in Brooklyn near the Barclay’s Center. We are both planning to spend our retirements babysitting and traveling.
1977
Tim Ressler writes: Hello to my fellow classmates and friends in both ’77 and ’78. It has been so long since I heard from some of you; we were all such good friends back then. Yes the years take their toll as we all go our separate ways. It would be nice to re-connect. Since graduating I have lived in Pa., N.C., and WA and now retired and living in Texas. I worked in pharmaceutical research culminating as VP regulatory affairs for two drug companies. I retired in 2013. I have two children; one was married in September in Hellertown! Sure would like to hear from some of my classmates.
1980
Molly Donaldson Brown; unsinkable@fast.net Christopher Ochs has published a fantasy novel — Pindlebryth of Lenland: The Five Artifacts. Easton-based attorney Samuel Murray WINTER 2015
WELCOME HOME, HOUNDS!
It was all smiles, blue skies, and Greyhound pride for the Moravian College 2014 Homecoming Weekend Oct. 17 and 18. Campus was buzzing with spirit from the over 1,200 alumni and friends who spent the weekend catching up with classmates, watching the wacky parade floats whiz by, and cheering on our football team. Alumni could play a game of their own at the Alumni Tailgate Party, and several individual class years gathered for their own reunions. Check out these scenes from our favorite weekend of the year, and visit www.moravian.edu/alumniphotos or even more.
The Homecoming parade was as spirited as ever this year!
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1 Many graduating classes held their own landmark reunions on campus over Homecoming Weekend, including the class of 1969, who celebrated their 45th with (front row) Peter Dirga ’69, Chip Turtzo ’69, Bertie Francis Knisely ’69 (back row) Ray Orth ‘69 and Lloyd Goff ‘69. 2 Good food and good friends—what more could you ask for? Front row: Erica Napoli ’04, Toni Campione ’04, Brooke Ehasz Rhinehart ’04, Megan Smith ’04, Amy Miller ’05. Back row: Tony Iannetta ’04, Matt Erney ’04 , Mario Bevilacqua ’05, Jarod Rhinehart ’03, Alex Lombana ’04, and Jody Geiger ’05. 3 Jason Jamula ‘14, Joel Middleton ‘14, Tommy Marlano ‘14, Rob Solano ‘14 and Matt Gutkes ‘14 enjoy a rousing game of corn-hole on the new Moravian College boards. Inset Members of the Moravian College Marching Band show Mo some love after he sprinted across the football field during half time.
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classnotes
Oh, Brother! Brothers of the Omicron Gamma Omega fraternity enjoyed the company of OGO alumni John Callahan ’91, Bob Kafafian ’77 and Ray Bishop ’81 in February. The OGO alumni returned to campus to share the personal and professional lessons they learned at Moravian College through their involvement with the fraternity.
announced his candidacy for Judge in the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas.
1987
1983
Karen Skoyles; skoyles@lakesnet.net Regina Frejer Yorke writes that although the company she works for is located in Provence, she works from home. In the nine years she has been with the company she has had the pleasure of traveling to France four times. She trains French professionals to use English in business contexts and she also helps manage a team of over 80 distance language trainers located all over the world. The job has been rewarding not only professionally but personally as well. She has fallen in love with the French who manage to put a smile on her face every day. Also, putting a smile on her face is her teenage son – even though he possesses a driver’s license.
1985
Lynn Muschlitz LaBarre; labarre@ptd.net Scott Wahl, Avalon’s public information officer since 2008, was named Avalon’s business administrator. Scott was appointed to succeed Andrew Bednarek. Scott, who also will continue as public information officer, will serve a one-year term. Timothy Law Sr., D.O. writes: I have six children and since taking the job at Ohio University I have one son in the medical school here and two daughters in the undergraduate program. One son is still in high school. My older two girls are now out of school and married with jobs! Woohoo! And as we celebrate 30 years since graduation I will
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also be celebrating my 30th wedding anniversary.
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Diane Hvizdak Taylor; dianektaylor@hotmail. com Ray Pfeiffer was named an associate dean for undergraduate programs at Texas Christian University. Randy Ziegenfuss has been appointed Superintendent of the Salisbury Township School District.
1989
Kerri Selland Pepoy; kerripepoy@yahoo.com Paul Kurzeja has been promoted to Associate General Counsel & Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He was also recently appointed to the Board of Trustees for the Charlotte Museum of History. A message from Karen Helms Demarest: I have taught Spanish/English as a Second Language for the past 23 years in grades K-5 in Roxbury. I am married and have three children, Kayla, Kyle, and, Kyra. My husband, Keven, is also a Spanish teacher. I am a Girl Scout leader for both my daughters’ troops, the treasurer of the summer swim team and a union representative at work. In the past year, I became a marketing associate for a direct sales company, Omnitrition, International, which sells pharmaceutical grade vitamins and supplements to aid in energy, better sleep, appetite suppression, and, weight loss/maintenance.
1990
Mary Beth Sierzega Afflerbach; afflerbachmb@ yahoo.com Beth Hance Arnold writes that her son, Nathan, has joined the Moravian Family. Nathan started his freshman year at Moravian in the fall of 2014, planning to study Music Performance on the cello, and he is very happy with the school and his decision to attend Moravian.
1991
Melissa dePamphilis Jarman; mdepamph@ yahoo.com or Christine A. Palermo-Wallach; capw516@aol.com Judith Tobias Chuisano works for Merck & Co. and has just written an article for CIO Insight Magazine. Amy Ellenberger Cara is engaged to Joel Ninos, a May 2015 wedding is planned.
1992
John S. Nunnemacher; moravian92@me.com or Michael Q. Roth; mgr@moravian.edu Denise Coleman serves as State Conservationist for the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Pennsylvania. Under her leadership, the agency commits millions of dollars each year to assist farmers, government agencies and other landowners to voluntarily install conservation measures on their land to protect and/or restore the natural resources in the state.
In June 2014 Michael B. Davidson was the WINTER 2015
recipiente of Winchester Thurston School’s Jane L. Scarborough Award for Excellence in Teaching.
1993 A message from Michelle Litzenberger Trent: In mid-December my husband, David, and I adopted a baby girl and named her Maria Joy. We have been quite busy tending to her every need. We brought her home directly from the hospital 48 hours after her birth. We are thrilled. If we are not yet friends on Facebook, please feel free to send me a Friend request. I can be found on FB as Michelle Litzenberger Trent. I will be resuming part-time work in February.
1995
Derek Reusser; dreusser@ptd.net While in southern India on sabbatical doing scholarly research on tribal history and ecology, Whitney Howarth Nair, Ph.D. met her husbandto-be Sreeraj Nair in the fall of 2012. She was co-awarded a grant to fund her participation in a three year exchange and research project investigating sustainability and indigenous communities in the Western Ghats with faculty at Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam, Kerala, India. The trip proved productive on my counts! Whitney has a chapter in an upcoming publication on Kerala History by Orient Black Swan Press entitled “The Adivasi Struggle in Kerala: Culture, Economy and Quest for Land” (edited by Dr. Suresh Jnaneswaran) and in March 2014 she gave birth to her first baby, Pema Parvathy Nair. The Horwarth-Nair family is all settling back-in nicely to life in central New Hampshire, where Whitney has taught Indian history at Plymouth State University for the last ten years. Sree and Pema love the foliage, but are not so sure about the cold!
1998 Jennie Joshi; Jenniejoshi@hotmail.com Jennifer Carrier Dorman and her husband, Rob, moved to Bad Toelz in southern Bavaria in March 2012. After teaching at a Montessori school in Bad Toelz for several years, they accepted positions at the Integrative Montessori Schule an der Balanstrasse in Munich. They continue to enjoy traveling throughout Europe and have visited Italy, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Austria and Scotland in the past two years.
1999
Christina Fulton; cfulton1124@yahoo.com Jocelyn Bellew and Matt Dickey were engaged in November, 2014 on the Cook Islands. A Fall 2015 wedding is planned.
2000
Faithann Cheslock Barron; LadybugFVC@aol. com or Lisa Hahn-Egan; Lisahahn13@hotmail. com Jon Marketto and his wife Katherine Warren Marketto ’01 are expecting their third child in March 2015. Jon and Katherine are the proud parents of Aidan age 6 and Gregory age 3.
2001
Courtney Parrella; sunshine92779@msn.com Katherine Warren Marketto and her husband, Jon ’00 are expecting their third child in March 2015. Katherine and Jon are the proud parents of Aidan age 6 and Gregory age 3.
2002
Brienne Wilson Rodriguez; briennewilson@ gmail.com Jill Straub Vecchio recently accepted the position of Senior Legal Counsel to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Caucus. Jill lives with her husband Josh and their two boys, Gabriel and Jonathan, in Harrisburg, PA.
2005
Regina LaCaruba; regina.lacaruba@gmail.com Aditya Khanna, Ph.D. is working as a research scientist at the University of Chicago. He works on statistical data analysis, and computational modeling of HIV transmission. Aditya completed his Ph.D. at the University of Washington. Concannon Miller & Co. P.C. announced that Melissa Duarte Daley, CPA has been promoted to Manager in the Audit and Accounting Department.
2006
Lauren Bahnatka Bachner; mollysmomlb@gmail.com Syzane Arifaj, Esq accepted a part-time pub-
Attorney Mickey Thompson has announced that he is running for the District Council seat being vacated by Democrat Lamont McClure at the end of this year. Mickey lives in Bethlehem Township with his two sons and is Chief Operating Officer at Saucon Valley Manor, Whitehall Manor and Pennsylvania Venture Capital, Inc.
1997
Tiffany Shenman; Tiffshen2@aol.com Jennifer Kastle Goudy is now a Program Officer for the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, the charitable giving arm of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Freedom High School’s Jason Roeder is the 2014 Lehigh Valley Live Football Coach of the Year. WINTER 2015
What’s Up, Doc?
Matt Bross ’10 received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. His Moravian College professors Kelly Krieble ’86, Edward Roeder, and Joseph Powlette ’60 stopped by his presentation for support. Fellow physics classmate (and Ph.D. candidate) Ben Sofka ’10 also cheered Bross on.
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classnotes
Jennie Miller ’11 married Dallas Reinhard on September 13, 2014. Leon Edelman ’09 took Kaylyn Syvret as his wife on June 14, 2014. Michael DiCindio, Esq. ’07 and Laura Steff were married on September 13, 2014. Gerald McGlinn ’06 was in the wedding party. The couple is living in Chester County, Pa. Mike recently opened DiCindio Law, LLC in West Chester where he is practicing criminal defense. Katie Kizina ’08 married Eric Frusciante on September 13, 2014 in Stroudsburg, Pa. Members of the bridal party included Ryan Williams ’09 and Andrea Heineman ’07. Jennifer Gillard ’07 married Paul Shotto on September 26, 2014 in Cheltenham, Pa. Lindsay Carpenter Glynn ’05 married Tom Glynn on September 20, 2014 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Amy Miller Knecht ’05 was a bridesmaid. Amy Miller Knecht ’05 and Josh Knecht were married on April 26, 2014 in Catasauqua, Pa. Bridesmaids were Erin Gallagher ’04, Lindsay Carpenter Glynn ’05, Syzane Arifaj ’06 and Sara Williams Buckley ’05. The Best Man was Jody Geiger ’05.
Clockwise from left: Rachel Matus ’10
Laura Centurrino ’01 married James Messier on July 26, 2014. Laura’s brother, Kevin Centurrino ’04 was a groomsman and fellow classmate Abbe Cox Torres ’01 was a bridesmaid. Moravian alum Krista Koe Corona ’01 and her husband attended the celebration as well. Christine Blaschak ’86 and Michael Gossman were married on October 17, 2014. Bridesmaids included Lisa Makuvek Godshall ’84, Mary Kay Greene Ross ’84 and Tammy Jacoby Dilendik ’84.
and Andrew Lynn ’08 were married on June 21, 2014 in Peter Hall on Moravian’s south campus. Andrew and Rachel are both teachers in the Bethlehem Area School District; Allison Story ’10 and Mike Clemente ’07 wed on June 28, 2014; Jenna Coxe ’06 and Zach Zsilavecz ’06 were married on July 26, 2014. Peter Kaplan ’07 was a Groomsman. Mother of the Bride, Patty Barnum Snyder Coxe is a member of the class of 1976.
Births Laura Sahlender Boyer ’07 and Tyler Boyer ’07 are proud parents of a daughter, Vail, born on December 2013.
Stephanie Eddinger Mantz and husband, David, welcomed their first child, Noah on October 24, 2014.
Omar Ramirez ’08 and his wife Marissa Sharon Ramirez ’07 welcomed a baby boy, Owen Michael, on September 9, 2014.
Ellen Blum Hager ’00 and Matthew Hager said hello to their new daughter, Madeleine Rose, on September 5, 2014.
Whitney Howarth Nair, Ph.D. ’95 welcomed a daughter, Pema Parvathy Nair — March, 2014.
Jillian Mlynek McMullen ’07 and D. Patrick McMullen ’07 welcomed their son Finn on August 15, 2014.
Kelly Davis Everitt ’97 and her husband Chad welcomed their son Charles Jr. on March 18, 2014. Charlie joins his big sisters Isabella and Grace.
Stephanie Hachey Webb ’05 is the proud mother of twin daughters, Juliette & Lucy , as of July 19, 2014.
Jennifer Kastle Goudy ’97 and husband, John, welcomed their second child, a son, Jack Thomas Goudy IV on September 9, 2014. Jack joins big sister, Reagan.
Rachel O’Donnell ’00 welcomed a daughter, Thisbe, on August 1, 2013.
Kirsli Spinks ’05 welcomed twins, Piper Grey Spinks-Moskowicz & Porter Joseph SpinksMoskowicz, on October 2, 2014.
Michelle Lala Clark ’05 and husband, Dan Clark, welcomed a beautiful baby boy, Benjamin Daniel Clark, on September 24, 2014. Photographer Michelle is beyond thrilled to have a new subject to photograph. Melissa Nehward Torba ’94, welcomed a daughter, Tatum Artesa Torba, on July 4, 2013.
Benjamin Daniel Clark
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John “Jack” Thomas Goudy
Madeleine Rose Hager
Jessica Smith Pomeroy ’04 and her husband, Sean, welcomed their baby girl Norah Violet on August 4, 2014. Steve Hartenstine ’04 and his wife are the proud parents of a son, Kellen James, born October 14, 2014. Norah Violet Pomeroy
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lic defender position in Northampton County in October 2014. Syzane has also begun working as a solo practitioner in Easton, Pa.
2007 Jennifer Gillard Shotto graduated with a Master of Science degree in NonProfit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice in August 2014. Shawn Martell, an American government and economics teacher, in the Nazareth Area School District, has declared for Bethlehem City Council. Shawn is running as a Democrat.
2008
Amelia Dietrich; ameliajdietrich@gmail.com Rebecca Angstadt Roche and Geoffrey Roche are expecting their first child, a boy, in December. Rebecca and Geoffrey live in Moore Township, Pa. with dog, Dinero. Amelia Dietrich graduated with a Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics and Language Science from Penn State University, in May 2014. Andrew Piccone is engaged to Julia Tumas. They are planning an October 2015 wedding. Andrew recently opened his own photo business specializing in engagement, baby and live music photography. His business is based in New York City. Jennel Yelito is engaged to William Swenson, Jr. Jennel is a sixth grade teacher and head girl’s tennis coach in the Tamaqua Area School District.
2009
Cassidy Thomas; CassidyThomas@alumni.moravian.edu Timothy Lyons completed his MBA from Centenary College in August 2014. He is currently working as a Sales Analyst for Mars Chocolate North America and travels the country lecturing about the History of Chocolate for the Historic Division of Mars.
2010
Kelly Schneider; kellytschneider@gmail.com or Rachel Kleiner; Kleiner.rachel@gmail.com
ing on a project to photograph and interview as many people as I can in Easton. I have been doing this since March of last year. You can see the results on my Facebook page at Facebook.com/BlinkPix. Project title is “Streets of Easton.”
2011 Rachel Kleiner; Kleiner.rachel@gmail.com
2014
Casey Hilferty; caseyhilferty@gmail.com Casey Hilferty has accepted a position at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa, as the Coordinator for the Rauch Center for Business Communications. Her primary responsibilities include working with undergraduate students and adjunct faculty. Jeffrey White is engaged to Brittany Bellucci.
Jennifer Candelora is now engaged to Matthew Babcock. Their wedding will be held at St. Patrick’s Church in Trevorton, NJ on October 10.
2012 Ali Zucal; alizucali@gmail.com Melissa Andreas will be serving as the Interim Assistant Director of Housing at Moravian College through May, 2015. Susquehanna University has announced the hiring of Nicco Dalpiaz as assistant track & field coach. Nicco will work primarily with the pole vaulters and may assist in other disciplines as well. Carolyn Ann Latkovich is engaged to marry Sean Ryan Johnson. Carolyn teaches fourth grade at Cedar Hill School in Basking Ridge, N.J. Sean teaches seventh & eighth grades in Elizabeth, N.J. A fall 2016 wedding is planned.
2013 Michael O’Gorman; mw.ogorman@gmail.com or Emmy Usera; emmyleanna@gmail.com Amanda Werner has returned to Moravian College as the Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement.
Nice Form! President Bryon Grigsby ’90 goes nose to nose with Amos during this year’s Winterfest Celebration.
Phil Viglione graduated from Widener University School of Law in Harrisburg in May. Anthony Falco and Rachel Beck were recently engaged. A July 2015 wedding, at the Hotel Bethlehem, is planned. Laura Hullfish and Jason Caiola announced their engagement on August 16, 2014 at Cream Ridge Winery. Their wedding will take place on October 17, 2015 in New Hope, Pa. Kevin Horn writes: I am currently workWINTER 2015
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In Memoriam ‘May the Souls of the Faithful Departed Rest in Peace.’ Jeanette McCandless Vary ’38 • July 21, 2014 Virginia D. S. Meerbott-McCabe ’41 • July 8, 2013 Bertram Shiner ’41 • January 22, 1941 Virginia Paulson Kocher ’42 • December 13, 2014 William Smythe ’46 • July 28, 2014 Ileen Whitehead Birnbaum ’46 • November 16, 2014 Charlotte Unangst Schisler ’47 • January 1, 2015 Alphonse John Calvo ’48 • September 21, 2014 Robert Flammer ’48 • December 1, 2014 Jerry Duckett ’48 • January 3, 2015 Dr. Bernard Terzigni ’49 • August 20, 2014 William Margetich ’49 • November 7, 2014 Arthur Devlin ’50 • October 13, 2014 Joseph Mayer ’50 • March 6, 2012. Ray Gilbert ’50 • November 18, 2014 Joseph Viglione ’51 • October 29, 2014 Joseph Schrader, Jr. ’51 • December 22, 2014 Rita Kelly Haberle ’52 • December 18, 2014 Joan Savon Rudd ’52 • January 5, 2015
Zeno Zolli, Jr., Ph.D. ’52 • August 2014 LT. Col. Sidney Sosnow, RET ’53 • September 28, 2014 Richard DiGiacomo Dee ’54 • January 2, 1015 Michael Lutkus ’55 • July 10, 2014 John Brelsford ’56 • September 5, 2014 Catherine Daws Baylog ’56 • September 10, 2014 Dr. A. Peter Haupert, MD ’56 • September 27, 2014 Thomas Labert, Sr. ’56 • December 20, 2014 Beverly Bell ’56 • January 21, 2015 Richard R. Saras ’58 • January 16, 2015 Richard Gottwald ’58 • October 21, 2014 Robert Kellow ’59 • August 26, 2014 Mary Polak Barkis ’59 • November 8, 2014 Rose Kachmar Szupper ’60 • December 9, 2013 Rev. Charles Shearer, Jr. ’61 • September 19, 2014 Robert Muth ’61 • July 19, 2014 David Grube ’61 • October 3, 2014. Robert Buss ’61 • August 26, 2014 James Malloy ’62 • September 1, 2014 Dieter Wentz ’62 • September 8, 2014 Russell Miller ’63 • December 2, 2014
John Gross, Jr. ’63 • January 8, 2015 Richard Werkheiser, Sr. ’64 • July 29, 2014 Jeffery Fuehrer ’65 • August 18, 2014 Julius Klement ’66 • October 17, 2014 Thomas Larsen ’66 • December 10, 2014 Jack Scarola ’68 • January 6, 2015. Richard Cope ’68 • July 21, 2014 Robert Lasko, Sr. • August 6, 2014 Richard Cline ’70 • October 15, 2014 Mary Feitig Samet ’71 • August 22, 2014 John Kropf ’73 • December 31, 2014 Robert Plum ’74 • August 13, 2014 Amy Lesser Mende ’76 • October 21, 2014 Thomas Diehl ’80 • November 24, 2014 Tommaso Lonardo ’87 • October 31, 2014 Dimitra Giacoumopoulos Achi ’05 • January 24, 2015 Betty Worthington Schrack ’07 • September 10, 2014 Albert Lazaro ’11 • August 23, 2014 Beatrice Hyman Allen • September 8, 2014 Michele August-Brady • March 13, 2015
Dr. Frank M. Weaver ’49, December 5, 2014 Dr. Frank M. Weaver passed away surrounded by his loving family after 85 wonderful, dynamic years. Weaver graduated from Moravian College in 1949 and was later inducted into the College’s Hall of Fame. While at Moravian College, he was a member of the Rho Alpha Epsilon and Omicron Gamma Omega Fraternity and the Psi Sigma Alpha Honors Fraternity, Student Senate President, a member of the Varsity “M” Club, and captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams. In 1979, he received the Harvey T. D. Gillespie Memorial Award for his continued interest and contribution to the college athletic program. Weaver received his medical degree from Kansas City University and began a 37-year career as an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Allentown Osteopathic Hospital, eventually becoming chairman of that department. He served on the Board of Trustees and Certifying Board at the College of Osteopathic Obstetricians & Gynecologists, became a Specialty Representative to the American Osteopathic Association, and was a member of the American College of Laparoscopists and a Life Member of the American Osteopathic Association. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Donna Olson Weaver, four children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Additional Class Correspondents 1943 • Margaret L. Albright, 129 N. 11th Street, Allentown, PA 18102 June Bright Reese, 801 N. Wahneta Street, Apt. 203, Allentown, PA 18109; bjreese@ webtv.net 1945 • Jane Smith Ebelhare, PO Box 360 Masonville, CO 80541; jabelhare@aol.com 1946 • Ada Zellner Flower, 34 Hilltop Road; Oyster Bay, NY 11771; bromzel@aol.com 1947 • Margaret Loveless Browne, pegbrownenj@medleas.com George Kirkpatrick, 11250 Caravel Circle, No. 308; Fort Myers, FL 33908-5236 1954 • Helen Desh Woodbridge, 3574 Browning Lane; Bethlehem, PA 18017; casw1@verizon.net 1955 • Helen Varady Keyser, 2038 Kemmerer Street; Bethlehem, PA 18017
1957 • Pearl Stein, steinpearl18@gmail.com 1958 • Daneen Jones Phelps, phelps_dani@yahoo.com 1960 • James Houser, jjhmd0831@yahoo.com Peter French, drplfrench@aol.com 1962 • Merr Trumbore, Lomer07@yahoo.com Emma Demuth Williams, eldw@ptd.net 1963 • Bill Leicht, 16819 N. 59th Place; Scottsdale, AZ 85254 wcleicht07@gmail.com 1966 • David Berg, dgberg@erols.com 1967 • Kathie Broczkowski Klein kathieklein45@aol.com 1968 • Jill Stefko, ravenfirephd@yahoo.com 1971 • John Madison, moravianalum@aol.com
1973 • Dennis Jones, djones@lkqcorp.com Priscilla Barres Schueck, Priscilla@volunteerlv.org 1976 • Lisa Mansback Berk, lman405@msn.com June Rhoda, june.rhoda@yahoo.com 1978 • Dawn Allen, Dawnallen726@gmail.com 1982 • Lori Vargo Heffner, laheffner@ptd.net 1984 • Diane Sciabica Mandry, dmandry@pohatcong.org 1986 • James and Lynda Farrell Swartz, jfswartz@kingspry.com 1988 • Dianne Pelaggi Irr, Diannefp@gmail.com 1994 • Denise Bradley, denise.bradley@tevausa.com 1996 • Deb Yuengling Ferhat, jdferhat@comcast.net
For Comenius Center alumni notes: Dee Lohman, lohmand@eastonsd.org or Sherron Quinn, Shquinn222@yahoo.com
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MORAVIAN COLLEGE MAGAZINE
WINTER 2015
MORAVIAN PROUD
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT Moravian College has inspired thousands of its graduates to test their limits, catch the entrepreneurial spirit, and reach for the stars.
Before he even graduated, Shane Burcaw ’14 launched his own nonprofit organization, Laughing At My Nightmare, Inc., which has raised thousands of dollars for muscular dystrophy research. His blog attracted over 500,000 visitors and inspired a book of the same name, which was published in October 2014.
Our Pride is Showing www.moravian.edu/proud
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
1200 Main Street Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18018
PAID
Lehigh Valley, Pa. Permit No. 521
THE MORAVIAN EFFECT
Tom Turcich ’11 is one of thousands of Moravian alumni who followed the passions they discovered at Moravian College.
Tom Turcich ’11 Founder of The World Walk: a five-year, 22,000 mile plan to see the world on foot.
One Step at a Time
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