Saint Vincent Magazine Summer 2015 by Saint Vincent College

SAINT VINCENT M A G A Z I N E

Summer 2015

Thomas Tull Legendary Entertainment

Upcoming

Events

Alumni and Friends Golf Outing

June 5, Latrobe Elks and Champion Lakes Golf Clubs

Prep Reunion 2015

June 12-14, on campus

The Marvelous Wonderettes Saint Vincent Summer Theatre

May 28 to June 14 Purchase tickets at www.stvincentstore.com

Tuesdays with Morrie Saint Vincent Summer Theatre

June 18 to July 3 Purchase tickets at www.stvincentstore.com

Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp Check back for summer training camp dates as the football season approaches www.stvincent.edu/trainingcamp/

Saint Vincent Summer Theatre Gala July 10 To receive an invitation to the Gala call 724-805-2901.

Into the Woods Saint Vincent Summer Theatre

July 9 to July 26 Purchase tickets at www.stvincentstore.com

Moon Over Buffalo Saint Vincent Summer Theatre

July 30 to August 16 Purchase tickets at www.stvincentstore.com

Athletic Hall of Fame

September 12, on campus

Alumni Homecoming and Fall Family Weekend

Friday to Sunday, October 2-4, on campus

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: www.stvincent.edu

On Solid Ice: Jason, C’07, and Jeanine Seidling, C’08

ason graduated with a degree in communication in 2007, after covering the Steelers’ training camp for the Saint Vincent website for three years in college. Thanks to a connection he made with the Steelers, he now works for the Pittsburgh Penguins as the manager of communications, where his job involves handling player media requests and managing the team’s statistics. Jason credits professors with real-world knowledge in the media and communication field for his success. “Dr. Melissa Cook was experienced in the field, so she was able to impart a lot of real-life knowledge and examples that paid off once I got jobs. Since much of my work is based around writing, Jeff Zidek’s work with me both in the class ‘Writing for Media’ and during my work study went a long way toward making me good enough at the professional level. My biggest take-away is to make connections—that’s how I got my job.” Jason’s favorite Saint Vincent memory was storming the court when the basketball team came back from a double-digit deficit, in one of the few games he did not have to broadcast. eanine works as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in Pittsburgh, where she interacts with individuals with disabilities to help them prepare for, find and maintain employment. After graduating from Saint Vincent in 2008 with a degree in psychology, she went on to receive a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Pittsburgh, a program which provided the opportunity to work as a pre-doctoral fellow for the Cognitive Skills Enhancement Program. Jeanine’s father, who had worked in the same office for 38 years, was her biggest career influence. In college, Dr. Chris Oldenburg’s ‘Abnormal Psychology’ class provided a solid foundation for her career. “The class allowed me to explore in depth a variety of disabilities and gave me a wonderful basis to build on. “I can never find enough good things to say about my time there and the wonderful experiences,” she said. “Deciding to attend Saint Vincent was one of the best decisions of my life!” A friend introduced the couple in 2011, and in 2013, they were married in the Basilica. As they put it, “The rest, as they say, is history.

—Kathryn Klawinski

Departments

Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 4 Message More Features 9

Rabbi Edelstein Honored

New Bishop of Greensburg, Academic Conference, Archabbot honored

News Briefs

Rogers Center Senior Fellow, Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award winner, new Dean

Faculty 23

Brother Albert Gahr and Dr. Timothy Kelly receive awards; faculty publications, lectures

Commencement

Sports

Bearcat athletic teams get new logo, winter and spring sports roundup

Alumni

Upcoming events; Jim Bendel returns, John Elliott given award, Alumni News and Notes

26 Carrying on a basketball legacy S a in t V inc e n t M a g a z ine ARCHABBOT AND CHANCELLOR Rt. Rev. Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B. PRESIDENT Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B. EDITOR Kim Metzgar svmagazine@stvincent.edu DESIGN Kim Metzgar & Jordan Hainsey PRINTING Laurel Valley Graphics ALUMNI NEWS COORDINATOR Mary Ann Dunlap PROOFREADER Carol Riddle

Summer 2015 Volume 12, Issue 3

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jordan Hainsey Kathryn Klawinski Kim Metzgar Don Orlando Miranda Senchur Sports Information Office Alexis Zawelensky

Saint Vincent Magazine (United States Postal Service Publication Number USPS 5144-8000) is published by Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for alumni, parents and friends. Third class postage paid at Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Alumni Office, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650-2690. Saint Vincent College reserves the right to accept or decline submissions of both information and photos for use in the Saint Vincent Magazine, based on content, quality, timeliness and suitability, at the discretion of the editor.

PHOTOGRAPHERS Sports Information Office Office of Alumni Relations Ken Brooks Peter Finger Jordan Hainsey Jack Krall Kim Metzgar Don Orlando Skylight Photography Tribune-Review

Saint Vincent College subscribes to a policy of equal opportunity in the classroom, workplace and programs, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, veteran status, national origin, marital status, genetic history or disability. To learn more, visit: http://www.stvincent.edu/ Legal-Information/.

Cover: Thomas Tull, chief ex-

ecutive officer of Legendary Entertainment, arrives on campus prior to giving the Threshold Lecture. Photo by Kim Metzgar and cover art by Jordan Hainsey.

“W

A Message From The President

e are the recipients and the originators of goodness and generosity—the type of grace that makes God smile and smile regularly. You need to remember because you are the recipient of this type of grace and generosity; you can never turn your back on it. … More importantly, because you are the recipient of this, you are called to also give it back, to give it to the people you meet, and the Gospel tells us that everyone we meet is our neighbor.” —DR. CAROLYN Y. WOO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES EXCERPT FROM COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS, MAY 9, 2015 Dear Alumni and Friends,

his has been a year of inspiration at Saint Vincent College, one during which our students have been called again and again to serve the Church and the world—and have responded with generous hearts. To close the year, our Commencement speaker, Dr. Carolyn Woo, shared a story from her life as a young postgraduate student trying to navigate the American educational system. With help from a generous-hearted professor—who has remained a lifelong friend— she was able to succeed beyond her wildest dreams. As you can see from her quote, and her address on Pages 13-15, she encouraged our students, in return for the grace they have received, to give of themselves to the world. I am pleased to say that our students do, from spring break mission trips to spending time with residents at senior care homes to helping area students who need assistance with reading, and much more. And they hope to continue to give back; our senior recipient of the President’s Award, Zachary Ligus, plans to return to Haiti, where he made a mission trip, to share his expertise after he earns his medical degree. Our older alumni also inspire us: At our spring Honors Convocation, 1999 graduate Eric Kowalski, who spent two years serving in the Peace Corps in Guatemala, encouraged our seniors to be global citizens. He drew from the Rule of Saint Benedict in urging students to live well by following the five practices of work, prayer, study, hospitality and renewal (See Page 38). You will also read in this issue (See Pages 34-35) about John Elliott, a 1965 graduate and member of the Board of Directors, who received an honorary doctorate in 1985. John has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Legal Intelligencer, a legal journal. While John has been repeatedly recognized as one of the state’s top litigators, this award also recognized him for a lifetime of pro bono work, including a recent lead presentation at the Pro Bono Institute’s conference in Washington, urging expansion of legal services to the indigent elderly and veterans. I must share the sad news of the passing of one of our longtime professors, Dr. Bill Dzombak, who died May 14. As a young chemist, Bill had worked with a team under direction of the legendary Admiral Hyman Rickover on the cooling system for the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus. After he joined the Saint Vincent chemistry faculty in 1953, his Physical Chemistry course became known as the key demanding course in the major. I had the good fortune to read with him Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book and Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. He will be greatly missed. Thank you for your continued love and support of Saint Vincent. Please continue to share your stories of how Saint Vincent graduates are sharing God’s love and serving the world.

God bless, Brother Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., President

HEROES AN INSPIRATION TO

LEGENDARY ENTREPRENEUR By Kim Metzgar

Man of Steel, Legendary Pictures

“If someone had told me when I was a kid that I would have had this journey I would have found it unbelievable,” he said prior to giving the Threshold lecture at Saint Vincent College on April 16. “I have been blessed.” Born in Binghampton, New York, to a single mother, Tull abandoned plans to become an attorney after graduating from Hamilton College and started a chain of laundromats. Delving into finance, he entered the private equity business, became president of Convex Group and later chief of operations of Tax Services of America. His firm’s investments included the enter-

eroes have inspired Thomas Tull since childhood. They still do. Today, as chief executive officer of Legendary Pictures—maker of films such as 42, Unbroken, Interstellar, Batman Begins and other Dark Knight movies—he has the opportunity to bring those heroes to a global audience and transport that audience “into a place that’s larger than ourselves with themes and images that capture the imagination.”

Saint Vincent Magazine

Above, Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., chancellor of Saint Vincent College; Thomas Tull, chairman and chief executive officer of Legendary Pictures; and Father Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., executive vice president, Saint Vincent College, in the Fred M. Rogers Center.

Summer 2015

how to run a business. I know how to tell a story.’ And I believed that talent can rise to the top.” He has immersed himself in the film business, noting that aside from aerospace and defense, movies are America’s biggest export, with some films netting about 65 percent of their incomes in the international market. The Great Wall is presently being filmed on location with Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, William Dafoe and an all-star Chinese cast comprised of some of the most notable names in the Chinese film industry. The country, he said, is a market that will only grow. Describing his business plan, Tull noted the company has offices in Los Angeles, Boston, London and Beijing. Each of his films has its own business plan. A movie such as 42, the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball, had a different audience than other movies, so Tull created a marketing plan for a specifically domestic audience and adjusted the budget accordingly. He noted that unlike film marketing even a decade ago, social media can make or break a movie in a matter of days, or even hours. Hollywood marketers, even just a few years ago, could put together a great movie trailer “and get people to go to the movie even if it was not so good. Today, with social media, you can’t do that. There is nowhere to hide. If a movie opens on the east coast Friday, by the time it hits the west coast the same day, tweets and social media can affect the box office.” Without “story, story, story,” he said, and “compelling characters, it would be difficult to pull any of this off. Different is great. A distinct story, interesting characters, content is important,” more so now than

tainment field, something he had always been interested in. In his early 30s he resigned from Convex, raised $600 million in equity to finance movies and created Legendary Pictures. Legendary then entered into a partnership with Warner Brothers to jointly finance and produce movies. A few years later Tull became Legendary’s majority owner. The company currently partners with Universal Pictures to create films and he is now on a short list— with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, among others—as one of Hollywood’s most financially successful movie makers. The spring Threshold Lecture was not the California resident’s first visit to Saint Vincent—as a part-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he has made numerous trips to Latrobe to attend training camp. When he accepted Father Paul Taylor’s invitation to speak, he said he wanted to spend some time here, and to get to know the students. It might have also been a little gratitude for the monastic community’s relationship with the Steelers, he joked, as “Father Paul has prayed me through many Sunday afternoon Steeler games.” After arrival on campus and a tour of the Archabbey Basilica with Archabbot Douglas and Father Paul, Tull rode on the Mister Rogers’ Neighorhood Trolley to the Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion, where he met with a group of Honors Students, offered insights and encouragement, and even some insider information as he encouraged them to pursue their own dreams. “When I put Legendary together,” he said, “my friends had an intervention with me. They said ‘why are you doing this? You have no experience in Hollywood. You’ll get eaten alive.’ I told them ‘I know Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

ever before. His discussion with the students ran the gamut from questions about business to commerce to augmented reality applications to social media to digital assets, internet security, art, knowing the Chinese language, sports and even philosophy. Tull called Saint Vincent students “sophisticated” and praised the liberal arts curriculum for allowing them to fully develop their range of knowledge. “They are young, smart and engaged.” The day before his talk, Tull, a huge sports fan, had attended Jackie Robinson Day at the Pittsburgh Pirates game. He used the baseball movie as one example of responsibility to the story. “I screened it with Mrs. Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, who is in her 90s.

• “The movie we are making in China right now, The Great Wall, is based on a story I conceived as a boy. The Great Wall of China is one of the few features on earth you can see from satellite imagery. Since I also like monsters, I wondered, ‘what were they keeping out when they built it? ’”

• “There have been some scripts that we have turned down, Gravity, The Departed. I loved the scripts but I felt I also needed to be fiscally responsible. They were great movies.”

• “Heath Ledger [1979-2008], who played the Joker in The Dark Knight, was a great loss. We had more to say about the Joker. But we are human beings, too. His death was tragic. We have to rerun and rethink what that third movie can be. We’re in the human being business, and sometimes these young stars have tragic endings.”

Thomas Tull invited Joanne Rogers, wife of the late Fred Rogers, Archabbot Douglas and the students who attended the Master Class to a screening of the documentary Fastball by writer and director Jonathan Hock and produced by Tull.

• “Other than the birth of my children and marrying my wife, the first year I was an owner of the Steelers was unreal. We won the Super Bowl, beat the Cardinals. There have been very few moments of completely unfiltered joy. That will be something I will remember for the rest of my life. It was surreal.”

• “My first year as an owner with the Steelers was 2009, the year we won the Super Bowl. The players love the movies. When they see me they say ‘T. Tull, put me in a movie. Look at this face.’ There is a reason they are in the Dark Knight. We brought Batman and Pittsburgh and the Steelers together. When we were shooting at Heinz Field and there were chunks of it missing, Mr. Rooney was looking a little concerned. I promised him, ‘we will put it all back together’.” • “Pittsburgh is my favorite city in the world, with the topography and the architecture, the hills, the rivers. This is Gotham.”

Saint Vincent Magazine

• “The technical side of investment was a lot easier. Investing was a lot easier with my own money. Here it is art versus commerce.”

• “The tax rebates in Canada and the U.K. are hard to ignore, but since Pennsylvania has implemented the tax credit, the interest in shooting here has grown. If we can shoot in Pittsburgh we will.”

• “The Sony movie piracy has had an impact on all of us. We store our movies in different chunks, on different servers, all over the world, as a precautionary measure.”

• “We are at a crossroads with what can be done with engagement and content and virtual and augmented reality, a crossroads between science and magic, the stuff of Arthur C. Clarke.” Summer 2015

Thomas Tull teaches a master class to Honors Students in the Luparello Lecture Hall prior to giving the Threshold Lecture.

We wanted it to be factual and not preaching, but also to rise above the chatter. It doesn’t necessarily matto tell a great story. She loved it. I’m proud of the ter what you have to say, but that you have something national conversation it started.” different to say.” He mentioned the film We are Marshall, the tragic It is also important to recognize a masterful screentrue story of the West Virginia university where 75 play or book and how to translate it into film, or people, including 37 football players and five coaches television or DVD. Most people in Hollywood turned were killed in a plane crash. down 300, he said. The fantasy “Going into that town all of war film, based on a comic sethese years later and treating ries retelling of a battle within them with respect was important. the Persian Wars, was released These were people who had lost in 2006 and grossed over $450 some or all of their family memmillion. A sequel followed in 2014. “Everyone in town passed. They bers.” said ‘no one ever cares about Tull is “one of the best movieancient Greece and they die at the makers in the world,” said Arthur end.’ Didn’t they know this about J. Rooney II, president of the Titanic, too? Pittsburgh Steelers, who intro“I would say one of the reasons duced him at the Threshold lecthat we focus on heroic stories at ture. “Thomas has proved what Legendary is that we make movhe can accomplish. He comes from a world most of us are not ies that I want to see. And somevery familiar with. Hollywood is times, in our daily lives, finding an unusual place to exist in and relief or escapism is being able to homas Tull is one of the to do business in. But he remains be transported into a place that’s best moviemakers in the a genuine, humble person and larger than ourselves with themes world.... But he remains a genuine, I’m happy to call him my friend. and things that capture our imagihumble person and I’m happy to “Thomas brings what is going nation. That’s what I have always call him my friend.” on in the world of media to the gravitated toward, whether it’s —Pittsburgh Steelers President and co-owner team,” Rooney said. “He shares Batman or Superman or Jackie Arthur J. Rooney II, who introduced him. our values.” Robinson. During the Threshold Lecture, “Follow your passion. Be able, Tull addressed the entertainment no matter where you are from, no experience and content delivery. matter what you want to do, to follow your passion. “When I was a kid, I had a video camera. Everything Try to have the relentless drive and the opportunity to was done by appointment. You went to the movies at do that. It is both a challenge and an opportunity.” this place, at this time. Now there is so much media, To see a video from the event visit: https://www. ® ® Netflix , YouTube , you have to have a distinct voice youtube.com/user/saintvincentcollege

“T

Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

President, Archabbot Welcome New Bishop

rchabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., chancellor, and Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., president, were on hand to welcome Bishop-elect Edward C. Malesic as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg during the announcement at Saint Joseph Center on April 24. A priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg, Bishop-elect Malesic will be ordained and installed on July 13. At the time of his election he had been serving as pastor of Holy Infant Parish, York Haven, since 2004, and was overseeing the relocation and construction of a new church and parish center. A priest since 1987, Bishop-elect Malesic received a bachelor of arts and a master of divinity degree from the Pontifical College Josephinum, and a licentiate in canon law from

the Catholic University of America. He served the Tribunal in various capacities, including auditor, adjutant judicial vicar and secretary for canonical services. He was appointed judicial vicar in 2006. “The Benedictine Community at Saint Vincent joins Bishop Brandt and the clergy, religious and lay persons of the Diocese in welcoming Bishop-elect Edward Malesic as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg,” said Archabbot Douglas. He noted that “Bishop-elect Malesic brings a wealth of pastoral experience and administrative wisdom from his years of service in the Diocese of Harrisburg.” The archabbot indicated that “the Benedictine community looks forward to working with Bishop-elect Malesic in all of the pastoral, educational and mis-

Saint Vincent Magazine

sionary apostolates of Saint Vincent.” Brother Norman lauded his previous experience in campus ministry at several universities, which will serve him well in his ongoing collaboration with Saint Vincent and the other private and public universities in the diocese. In his welcome, Archabbot Douglas said, “we proudly extend to Bishopelect Malesic our heartiest congratulations, best wishes and promise of prayerful support as he begins his ministry as the Chief Shepherd of the Diocese of Greensburg. May God bless his leadership and ministry with the clergy, religious and lay persons of the Diocese of Greensburg.” In addition to his assignments in various parishes throughout his diocese, Bishop-elect Malesic has served as campus minister

at four different universities there. At his press conference he said that “campus ministry has been a huge part of my life.” Bishop-elect Malesic has made several retreats at Saint Vincent Archabbey in recent years and knows many of the Harrisburg priest alumni of the Seminary. He said he looks forward to getting to know the students at Saint Vincent and at all of the schools in the Diocese of Greensburg. “I just want to encourage the campus ministers to continue to promote the Church on campus and bring the students together where they can experience the Church at its best. What I try to do at Campus Ministry is to bring the students together, and we can say this is the best Church that we can give to you and you can make it even better by participating.”

Summer 2015

CHAIR IN CATHOLIC-JEWISH DIALOGUE HONORS RABBI JASON EDELSTEIN

“We Begin At The Same Place” By Kim Metzgar

Two men, one a Catholic priest, another a Jewish rabbi, began a dialogue, rooted in their faith, 50 years ago. Nothing was taboo and everything was possible. Their conversation topics through the years were influenced by current events, war and peace, scandal, the digital revolution, terrorism. They were searching for meaning. They still are. Father Campion Gavaler, O.S.B., who was chair of the Theology Department of Saint Vincent College in the mid-1960s, was involved with the first national Catholic-Jewish colloquy hosted at Saint Vincent College in January of 1965. The event brought together more than a dozen Jewish and Catholic scholars, who opened a

o mark the 50th anniversary of the second Vatican council’s Nostra Aetate, Saint Vincent College has established the Rabbi Edelstein Chair for Catholic-Jewish Dialogue. The chair will advance in significant ways the college’s commitment to mutual understanding and appreciation between the faiths which share such a common spiritual heritage. dialogue based on listening, inquiry and mutual respect, and resulted in a book, Torah and Gospel, edited by Philip Sharper. Father Campion also took note of the mandates of the Second Vatican Council, and in particular, Nostra Aetate, released on Octo-

Saint Vincent Magazine

ber 28, 1965. After the colloquy, Father Campion said, “everybody afterward said we listened to each other. We learned from each other. We respected each other. I saw a need for that dialogue to continue at Saint Vincent, and I thought we needed a

Jewish scholar among our teachers.” Thus began a long relationship between Father Campion and Rabbi Jason Z. Edelstein, one that continues to this day. Having a Jewish rabbi on a predominantly Catholic campus has had the hoped-for influence on students, both past and present. Saint Vincent hopes the dialogue will continue long into the future with the establishment of the Rabbi Edelstein Chair for Catholic Jewish Dialogue. “Our theologies differ from one another,” Rabbi Edelstein said, “but we begin at the same place.” “Since 1968 Rabbi Edelstein and I have had lunch together every week,” Father Campion said. Terming it as perhaps the “longest lunch in history,” the rabbi noted that “nothing interfered with what seemed to be a natural interchange that took place between us. We became more and more comfortable with one another and that opened the window to all kinds of interreligious dialogue.” The two men discovered that despite the variety of lunch table topics, they consistently returned to the same theme, “the meaning that all of us seek. The rabbi said that they “realized this is the same question, the same topic that Second Vatican Council raises, ‘we Summer 2015

Rabbi Jason Z. Edelstein, has led the Catholic-Jewish dialogue on campus for more than 50 years. seek meaning together’.” “Meaning is not something that we construct,” he continued. “Meaning is something that we discover. We prize meaning.” For those who are open to God’s help, he said, his signs will “direct us in terms of how to fulfill our particular destiny.” Rabbi Edelstein has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of New Hampshire, B.H.L., M.A.H.L., and D.D. degrees from Hebrew Union College, and a D. Min. degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and was

rabbi, now rabbi emeritus, at Temple David in Monroeville. He has taught classes such as American Judaism, History of Jewish Thought and Holocaust Questions. He is also well known to the hundreds of priests who have taken his classes while in formation at Saint Vincent Seminary. Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., chancellor of Saint Vincent College and Seminary, was one of the many students who took the rabbi’s class. “While in the seminary I was privileged to be a student in Rabbi Edelstein’s

Saint Vincent Magazine

Jewish Studies course,” he said. “Since that time Rabbi Edelstein has had a formative influence on my life, not only as an outstanding teacher, and wise counselor but as a dear friend. His presence at Saint Vincent has been a special blessing. I pray that the chair for Catholic-Jewish Dialogue, named in his honor, will further mutual respect and appreciation throughout our Christian and Jewish communities.” For Roxanne Ruminski, C’08, Rabbi Edelstein’s class led her on a life-changing journey to 11

Poland. “Having Rabbi Edelstein’s class was a very moving experience,” she said. “It inspired me to pursue a trip hosted by the Agency for Jewish Learning. I visited different concentration camps and the hometowns for two survivors who were also on the trips. It was a transformative experience and I recognized that that trip and Rabbi Edelstein’s class had both inspired me to pursue a career in cyber-crime investigations, where I am able to use the gifts that I have been given to protect people and overSummer 2015

all to do good.” Jennifer Sylves de Lanas, C’05, an English teacher at Trinity High School in Washington, Pennsylvania, recalled that “the most powerful ideas were not necessarily the ones that were shouted the loudest, but rather the ones that required quiet deliberation. That was something so fruitful and so interesting. In a world of so much promotion, in a world where extroverts get all the attention, these two very learned men taught me something about authenticity, taught me something as a young adult about what it means to truly work with others in the real world.” “The rabbi’s class begged me to take the time to stop, to listen, to connect with someone. It’s given me the opportunity to be a better teacher. It’s given me the courage to stand up for young people and be a better leader. It’s given me the grace to be a better spouse. And hopefully I take the message I received from the classroom at Saint Vincent to the real world and help me be that ambassador to my students, to stop and listen, to not judge, to try to counsel, to try to mentor, to guide.” “This kind of class provides an opportunity and a venue to see that two individuals with, yes, similar but also very different beliefs are able to hold a very civilized dialogue that really is powerful,” said Michael Funfar, C’97. “It just really made me feel that there is more to this world than one

viewpoint. There are multiple viewpoints and nobody is necessarily right and nobody is necessarily wrong. “Every faith asks the same question,” said Zachary Zuck, C’15, “the mystery of where we are going, why we’re here. To be able to share each other’s ideas

“The truth is in that reality you have the chance to change the world on a daily basis, and in Rabbi Edelstein’s class you learned how to be the person who can bring that reality into the world that you touch.” While many students have been affected by the

Father Campion Gavaler, O.S.B., left, with Rabbi Edelstein.

on the Rabbi Edelstein Endowed Chair for Catholic-Jewish Dialogue visit www.stvincent.edu/rabbi.

it’s a great leap forward. It’s a way to start discussion on the big questions in life, questions that we’ve all been wondering about.” “Every day we meet new people, people we like, and people we don’t like,” said Father Bonaventure Curtis, O.S.B., director of development for Saint Vincent Archabbey and Seminary.

Saint Vincent Magazine

relationship of the Benedictines and Rabbi Edelstein, others have been as well. Actor Stuart Pankin has starred in many productions of the Saint Vincent Summer Theatre. He noted that “40 years ago my fiancée Joy and I sought out help for our interfaith marriage from our dear, dear friend Father Tom 12

Devereux. He suggested we talk to Father Campion. Father Campion gave us terrific advice and introduced us to a rabbi friend. That friend was Rabbi Jason Edelstein, who together with Father Campion helped us incorporate into our ceremony the essential elements of Catholic and Jewish tradition.” Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who has spent numerous summer training camps at Saint Vincent, said that “as a professional athlete, I know firsthand how effective great communication and dialogue is in achieving success for our team. In a time of growing tensions, this endeavor is a real step in promoting peace, tolerance, understanding and respect.” “My father is obviously a man of great faith, and he has devoted his life to that,” said the rabbi’s son, Joe Edelstein, who is helping to endow the chair. “I think that it’s hard to have anything but reverence for him. Dialogue is merely the platform upon which things start.There’s no telling where that dialogue will take us. It will open doors and the hope is that it can be something that takes on a life of its own. “Our world is a divided world,” said Father Campion. “So instead of lamenting it. I think it’s incumbent for us to do something about it. This is what we are meant to do. It’s our mission as a Catholic college to try to bring people together.”

Summer 2015

GRACE IN A COMPETITIVE WORLD Dr. Carolyn Woo, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Relief Services, gave the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate May 9 at Saint Vincent College.

ommencement is “a very special occasion for me,” Dr. Carolyn Y. Woo, president and chief executive officer of Catholic Relief Services, told Saint Vincent College’s Class of 2015. “I’ve been in academia almost all my life and this is one of my most favorite ceremonies.” “I just want to say that program that you all have is a very special memento,” Dr. Woo said, “and I’ll tell you why. When my father passed away in 1981, amidst his things, I found my commencement program among his most treasured possessions. My older sister, who was just four years older, passed away two years ago, and among her things I also found my commencement program. This is how special it is. It just looks like a program with lots of names. But it’s people who love you, and that carries Saint Vincent Magazine

so much. It’s about the dreams of a family, it’s about sacrifices, it’s about love, it’s about all the good times, it’s also about all the sleepless nights that your parents went through to see you through this point. It’s truly the life of a family captured in that commencement program. So I just want to say treasure it and make sure that your grandparents, siblings and parents have a copy.” Dr. Woo received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Saint Vincent in addition to giving the address. An accomplished educator and widely-respected Catholic leader, Woo has been a prominent speaker on the subject of faithful Catholic education and frequently shares her ideas regarding what a Catholic college should be. CRS is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. “You are here today, not only on your own effort, but through the love and support and sacrifices of the people who love you,” Woo said. “Today, during the commencement ceremony, one of the common themes that I talk about is grace and a competitive world. “The reason is that I know you’re excited, you’re 13

Summer 2015

I didn’t own anything, I didn’t even have a car, I didn’t have any income, I didn’t buy anything, I just came to the dorm and went to school and ate in the dorm. So I finished my undergraduate program and it was probably not the wisest decision but I decided to get a Ph.D. in Taking part in the Saint Vincent College commencement program on May 9 were, from left, a field that I didn’t know Most Rev. Lawrence E. Brandt, J.C.D., Ph.D., fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Greensburg; anything about called Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., chancellor; Dr. Carolyn Woo, chief executive officer strategic management. of Catholic Relief Services, who received an honorary degree and gave the address; J. It sounded kind of fun.” Christopher Donahue, chairman, Saint Vincent College Board of Directors; Brother Norman She was first put into Hipps, O.S.B., president; Dr. John Smetanka, vice president of academic affairs. a master’s program, “53 credit hours in 11 months. It was a very, very intense program but I was done with school, your parents don’t have to pay tuition ready for it.” She recounted taking a course on business anymore, that’s excitement. You don’t have to take exams writing, where students had to analyze a case of a anymore, that’s a relief, but most of you are a bit anxious. particular company with a particular problem. Her first case I know you have prepared well and you will succeed received a C grade, which is a failing grade in graduate professionally. But there is a question: Will I do well in the school. world? Will there be a place for me? Will there be welcome “I was just completely stunned. I remember my face or is it a place that you have to really elbow to find your getting so hot. I remember holding that and wondering if own place? What can you count on? Can you count on people were looking at it because I was very embarrassed. generosity, can you count on goodness, or are those the By the time I got back to my room, I was beyond things that the monks and the abbot tell you, but now is embarrassment and into panic. I was on a scholarship and the end of a ‘bubble’ and, quote, unquote, you’re going I thought, ‘Oh no, everything is crumbling.’ My first case into the ‘real world?’ Is this a place so competitive that it assignment and I failed. This is even for sort of a nothing all depends on how you do, how well you do, otherwise course, supposedly, it’s only one credit hour. How will I you will be left at the bottom? Is there enough oxygen pass through this program? Why did I choose graduate for everyone in the bottom? What is this world that we’re school? Should I just pack up and go home? Clearly I don’t going into? And will you do well?” belong in this field of study. Should I change to another Woo told the graduates her own story. After finishing field of study? Is it too late?” her undergraduate degree as a foreign student from After speaking with her teacher, Mrs. Ruthanne Hong Kong at Purdue University, “I only lived in a dorm, Schlarbaum, they determined that Woo had been writing Dr. Carolyn Woo was featured in Foreign Policy, about a subject—in this case a pup tent—that she knew representing CRS, as one of the “500 Most Powerful nothing about, and she admitted composing long sentences People on the Planet” and one of only 33 in the category with bigger words so that the paper looked impressive. of “A Force for Good.” Her Catholic News Service monthly “We decided that I would think about the case, I would column took first place in the 2013 Catholic Press jot down my talking points, my thinking points, my Association Awards in the category of “Best Regular analysis, and at the end of one week I would go visit with Column—Spiritual Life.” her and she would talk me through the case to make sure She is the author of a book published by Our Sunday that I understood what the concept was, what we were Visitor, titled Working for a Better World, an account of talking about. Then I would have one more week to write it her own life as well as the critical work she oversees at out. I just want you to know, every day of that first week, CRS in helping people worldwide in neglected, devastated I thought about that case, even when I was showering, and often dangerous locales. and I would go visit with her. The happy story of that case Before joining CRS, Woo served from 1997 to 2011 as is that I went from a C to a B to a B+ to three As and she dean of the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College gave me an A for the course.” of Business. Earlier, she served as associate executive Her writing instructor stayed in her life, the instructor’s vice president for academic affairs at Purdue University. Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

husband serving on the Purdue faculty with Woo. The couple later helped her settle at Notre Dame, and after Woo moved to Catholic Relief Services, the Schlarbaums, then living in Philadelphia, hosted fundraisers to introduce Woo to their friends in the church there. “I tell that story to illustrate the incredible amount of generosity and goodness in the world,” said Woo. “Not everyone is Mrs. Ruthanne Schlarbaum, but this is also not the most unusual heroine in our life. To imagine a young woman needing help on a writing course, standing in the basement of the business school at Purdue University, in the middle of a cornfield, knocking at the door of a faculty member; this is the daily fare of students and teachers. It happens every day. It happens at the lowest level, when teachers meet their students in preschool all the way to all of your experiences at Saint Vincent. “That is the regular interaction between us and the different relationships that we have in the most normal routine and daily way. We are the recipients and the originators of goodness and generosity. The type of grace that makes God smile and smile regularly, you need to remember because you are the recipient of this type of grace and generosity; you can never turn your back on it. You may run into people who do not demonstrate it, but you cannot just ignore the presence of it. More importantly, because you are the recipient of this, you are called to also give it back. To give it to the people you meet, and the Gospel tells us that everyone we meet is our neighbor. “You also have to remember to not be afraid. I could

have just walked away in terror and in panic from my master’s program. But I would not ever have learned. I would not have learned how to write or go beyond the obstacle. I know all of you are relieved to not have any more exams, quizzes and so on. But I hope you never stop learning, I hope you don’t stop stretching yourself, I hope you don’t just go for the things that you know and are comfortable with, I hope that when you are given an assignment you have never done before to welcome it on your journey of learning. But the most important thing to remember is that we have never been alone in our journey. In my own journey, I have come to many points like in a river when I don’t have a boat and no bridges and I don’t know how to move on anymore. I go to church, I go to daily Mass, and that’s when I turn things over to God and you have to learn to do that, too; to know that God is in your life. “You are sent with all of your gifts into a world, into a world whose soul needs solidarity,” Woo said. “I recently had a dinner conversation with quite a number of CEOs and I asked them, ‘What gives you hope?’ Each one mentioned the next generation; the young people they have raised, the young people they work with. They said that our hope is the next generation, which is you. So from Saint Vincent you are called, and you have the responsibility as well as the training to go out into the world, to bring God’s love with you, to trust in that power and that spirit, to be gentle, to be excellent, and above all to bring His love to everyone. God bless you.”

Make a Gift to HELP a student 724-805-2949

Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Annual Academic Conference Features All Disciplines By Kathryn Klawinski

he twelfth annual Academic Conference, held on April 22, displayed the research, abilities and accomplishments of students from every discipline at Saint Vincent College. Here are just a few of the many exhibits and presentations. Christopher Vaughn and Jessica Smrekar, “Analyzing Mineral Differences in Tree Swallow Eggshells Due to Acid

Saint Vincent Magazine

Mine Drainage,” explored how mine drainage affects the animals in the environment, specifically tree swallows who eat insects that dwell near the mine drainage. Using the eggshells, the students showed that a difference exists in the calcium concentration between the shells of birds who laid their eggs near acid mine drainage and those who laid their eggs elsewhere. Hannah Truong, Rachel Hast, and Tessa Hennessy, “The Use of Forward Chaining and Least to Most Prompting in Teaching Students with Multiple Disabilities to Tie their Shoes,” worked with students in the special education curriculum at a local school to teach them to tie their shoes using a series of steps. Their instructional technique proved successful in expanding the students’ ability to tie their own shoes with little to no prompting. Kyle Metsger, “Effects of Steam Buffering Capacity on Crayfish Ecology in Headwater Streams of Southwestern Pennsylvania,” tested the streams of Pennsylvania, which are subject to acid rain, to see what the effects of the acid rain-water are on crayfish populations. While Metsger predicted that higher acid levels would decrease the number of crayfish, the opposite proved to be true due to the lack of predatory fish in more acidic streams. Sean Merritt, “All Roads Lead to Ike: The Interstate Highway System in the 1950s,” demonstrated how the interstate highway system came to be and why the 1950s was the decade when it came into existence. His poster showed how the highway system both shaped and was shaped by the time period in which it was built. Aaron Stein, “Making Pong: Bit by Bit,” created a circuit which plays a simplified version of pong. The microchip within the circuit uses interrupts to drive different functions, including several simultaneous lights, the speed of the ball and the increasing difficulty of the game as it proceeds. Logan Tautkus-Berry, Stephan Castine, April Smith and Brother Lawrence Machia, O.S.B., “Mechanical and Optical Calibration of the New Saint Vincent College Telescope” and “Photometric Calibration of the New Saint Vincent College Telescope,” calibrated the new telescope in two different ways. They composed a student-user manual for future use in mechanical and optical calibration and determined limiting imaging depth of the camera-telescope with the photometric calibration. Brendan Vaughan and Cole Gerber, “Music’s Effects on Mood and Morality,” tested whether music can affect how people view sexual harassment. Using various music videos, the study showed that men in pro-equality conditions showed higher tension than women, and women in misogynistic or neutral groups showed higher tension than men. Music did not, however, seem to affect the tolerance for sexual harassment in this study. 16

Summer 2015

On behalf of Adelphoi U.S.A., Latrobe native and golfing legend Arnold Palmer presented the Arnold Palmer Spirit of Hope Award to Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., at a recent banquet. Photos from Adelphoi, courtesy of Skylight Photography.

Archabbot Douglas Receives Spirit Of Hope Award Saint Vincent Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., received the Arnold Palmer Spirit of Hope Award from Adelphoi recently, the award being presented by Latrobe native and golfing legend Arnold Palmer at a reception held May 17 at the Fred Rogers Center. Adelphoi is a not-forprofit child care agency that serves more than 2,500 youths annually through group homes, foster care and adoptive services, education, mental health services, in-home services and aftercare. Headquartered in Latrobe, it has over 700 employees serving in Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. “For nearly 50 years Archabbot Douglas has focused much of his attention on children and youth. He realizes that they are our best hope and their best hope is when we foster them and provide opportunities for their growth and development,” the citation read. “As a monk and priest, he is regularly reminded while praying the Psalms of children and hope. In Psalm 127 he would read, ‘Behold, children Saint Vincent Magazine

are a heritage from the Lord and a reward.’ And in Psalm 71, ‘But I will hope continually and will praise You yet more and more.’ “He is also guided by the Rule of Saint Benedict, which enjoins all monks to ‘respect the elders and love the young,’ to ‘never lose hope in God’s mercy,’ and to be open to constant conversion in our lives. “Archabbot Douglas would also have as a great model the patron saint of Saint Vincent, Saint Vincent de Paul, who is always portrayed with children and who too focused his life on the welfare and education of children.” In his role as the Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Archabbot Douglas serves as the spiritual leader of the first monastery established in the United States and one of the largest monasteries in the world. He is also the chancellor of Saint Vincent College and Saint Vincent Seminary. The Benedictines of Saint Vincent continue to staff over 25 parishes in seven dioceses in the eastern United States, 17

Summer 2015

Benedictine Military School in Savannah, as well as campus ministry programs at Penn State University (State College) and West Virginia University (Morgantown). In addition to his responsibilities in this country, the Archabbot is also the spiritual leader of monasteries in Brazil and Taiwan. Archabbot Douglas attended Catholic grade schools at Saint Joseph, Everson, and Holy Cross, Youngwood, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy from Saint Vincent College in 1968, a master of divinity from Saint Vincent Seminary in 1971 and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee in 1977. He was professed as a Benedictine on July 11, 1966, and ordained to the priesthood at the Archabbey Basilica on May 21, 1972 by Bishop William G. Connare of Greensburg. He was first elected by his fellow monks on January 8, 1991 to become the eleventh Archabbot of Saint Vincent. On March 1, 1991, he received the Abbatial Blessing from Anthony G. Bosco, Bishop of Greensburg. He was re-elected on May 11, 2010. Prior to his election as Archabbot, Archabbot Douglas had served for five years as Secretary for Education of the Diocese of Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1991 and pastor of Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish, North Side, Pittsburgh from 1984 to 1986. At Saint Vincent College he served as chairman of the Department of Psychology from 1979 to 1984 and associate academic dean from 1983 to 1984. From 1978 through 1983, he was also a member of the staff in the Behavioral Science Department at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The Archabbot also served as a psychological consultant to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood from 1978 to 1984. Archabbot Douglas is a member of the Board of Trustees of the McFeely-Rogers Foundation, the Extra Mile Education Foundation, Saint Vincent College and Seminary Board of Incorporators, Saint Vincent College Board of Directors, the

Arnold Palmer and his wife, Kit.

Saint Vincent Seminary Board of Regents, and the Board of Directors of the Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Georgia. During his years as Secretary of Education in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, he also served as a member of the Saint Anthony School for Exceptional Children Board of Directors and the DePaul Institute Board of Directors. He is a member of “Power of 32,” a four-state regional visioning and civic engagement project that includes 14 Western Pennsylvania counties. In 1992, Archabbot Douglas was named “Man of the Year in Religion” by the Pittsburgh Vectors Society and in 1995, received an honorary degree from Saint Vincent College. In the fall of 1999, he received an honorary degree from Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, Republic of China. The Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey founded the original Fu Jen University in Beijing, the first Catholic University in China, in the 1920s. Today the Benedictines have a priory in Taiwan and teach at Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei. Archabbot Douglas received the Distinguished Service Award from Oakland Catholic High School in the fall of 2000. The award was given in recognition of his role in the establishment of Oakland Catholic High School during his years as Secretary of Education for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Archabbot Douglas, Arnold Palmer and Father Paschal Morlino, O.S.B., a monk of In 2004, Saint Vincent Saint Vincent Archabbey who founded Adelphoi. College created the Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B. Minority Scholarship in recognition of his participation in the establishment of the Extra Mile Education Foundation and the Crossroads Foundation in the Diocese of Pittsburgh and for his support of scholarships for minority students at Saint Vincent College. In October 2008, Archabbot Douglas received the North Side Hall of Fame Award from Ambassador Dan Rooney and Kevin McClatchey for his contribution to elementary and secondary education in the Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Pittsburgh and for his continued support of expanding educational opportunities for minority students from the Pittsburgh area. In November 2009, Archabbot Douglas was the recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Westmoreland Fayette Council, Laurel Hills District of the Boy Scouts of America. The award recognized his leadership role in enhancing the Westmoreland/Fayette region through his commitment to the educational and cultural life of the area. In 1993, Archabbot Douglas co-founded the “Benedictines of East Asia, Oceania and the Philippines,” an organization to facilitate collaboration among Asian monasteries. The organization brings together monastic communities from throughout East Asia for dialogue on monastic issues and to work together on common projects to expand programs to create greater awareness of Benedictine spirituality and values for candidates for the monastic life and for the general public. Archabbot Douglas

was also appointed by Abbot Primate Notker Wolf, head of the Benedictine Confederation in Rome, to serve as a member of the International Benedictine Commission on China. Under the leadership of Archabbot Douglas, Saint Vincent Archabbey, College, Seminary and Parish have undergone major developments, including a new bypass and entrance road to the Saint Vincent campus, the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, the Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, the Carey Student Center, the Elizabeth Roderick Center and The John and Annette Brownfield Center, a new organ in the Archabbey Basilica along with restoration of the Basilica Crypt, the construction of two college dormitories, Rooney Hall and Saint Benedict Hall, the renovation/restoration of the Archabbey Basilica, construction of a new parish center for Saint Vincent Parish, renovation of Prep Hall and the Latimer Family Library, the establishment of a minority scholarship program named in his honor and the construction of the $40 million Sis and Herman Dupré Science Pavilion. The son of the late Sylvester and Evelyn (Jackamonis) Nowicki, he was born in Everson, Pennsylvania on May 8, 1945. He is one of four children. His brothers are Edward Nowicki of Greensburg, and Lawrence Nowicki of Harrisburg. His sister is Mrs. Dean (Sylvia) Sickenberger of Greensburg.

From left, Blair Kucinski joins Archabbot Douglas, Arnold Palmer and Adelphoi Board Chairman Ralph Liberatore during the annual Adelphoi Spirit of Hope Reception at the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent on May 17. Photo by Kim Stepinsky reprinted courtesy of The Tribune-Review.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Hedda Sharapan Named Senior Fellow; To Work With Fred Rogers Recordings Hedda Sharapan, L.H.D., has been named PNC Grow Up Great Senior Fellow at the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media, it was announced by Executive Director Rick Fernandes. Sharapan joins the Center to work on a special initiative to analyze audio recordings of conversations between Fred Rogers and the late Dr. Margaret McFarland, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. Those conversations served to form the themes and child development philosophy behind episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Through this project, Sharapan will evaluate a number of episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and reverse engineer them back to

the original recorded conversations to illustrate how complex early childhood theory evolved into deep and thoughtful programming for young children. “We believe we have found the one person who can truly grasp this project,” Fernandes said. “Hedda Sharapan was not only Dr. McFarland’s student at the University of Pittsburgh, she was also Fred’s colleague, having worked with him on the Neighborhood series since

it began in 1966. Hedda will present her findings at the 2016 Fred Forward Conference as part of our renewed commitment to fostering the social and emotional development of young children.” Sharapan is recognized as a legend in the early learning field. Working to extend Rogers’ legacy, she is a frequent presenter at national conferences on early childhood education. As the director of early childhood initiatives at The Fred Rogers Company, Sharapan is responsible for communicating Rogers’ philosophy in multiple ways: developing workshops for early childhood educators; working on books, articles and brochures for parents, families and professionals; and speaking around the country to educators, parents, religious, business and community groups.

She also consults on the PBS series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. She earned a master of science degree in child development from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Carnegie Mellon University. In 2011, Sharapan received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association for Family Child Care in recognition of years of dedicated service to family child care. She authors a professional development e-newsletter that is sent monthly to more than 12,000 subscribers. Sharapan was honored by Saint Vincent College with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the December 2013 commencement ceremony where she gave the address.

Fred Rogers Center, Erikson’s TEC To Partner On Report The Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media will partner with the Technology in Early Childhood (TEC) Center at the Erikson Institute in Chicago to release an inaugural report on technology and interactive media for young children, said Rick Fernandes, executive director. The report, planned for 2016, will explore key issues, the latest research and best practices for the use of technology with young children. It will take a whole-child approach to the research, especially focusing on social-emotional development. As a resource for educators and families, the report will examine how and why technology tools and digital media should be used to support healthy child development and provide recommendations on selection, use, integration and evaluation. Saint Vincent Magazine

“We have a shared vision and values and are informed by Fred Rogers’ approach,” Fernandes said. “This is an important opportunity to address digital media literacy for children, families and educators as an essential skill for 21st century learning. We will explore teacher workforce development and issues of access and equity.” “The centers are thought leaders at the intersection of child development, early learning and children’s media, so bringing together the talents and experience of both teams expands our reach and increases our influence,” said Dr. Chip Donohue, director of the TEC Center. “Together we will provide guidance to the field about what we know, what we’re learning and what matters most for young children, parents, families and educators in the digital age. Report findings will be unveiled at the 2016 Fred Forward Conference. 20

Summer 2015

President’s Award Winner Zachary E. Ligus, a biochemistry major from North Huntingdon, has been named the 41st winner of the President’s Award, given to the member of the graduating class who embodies outstanding academic achievement, student leadership and community service. President Brother Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., made the award at the spring Honors Convocation. Ligus served as a residence hall prefect, captain of the varsity swimming team, senior class senator, member and treasurer of Alpha Chi honor society, member and vice president of membership of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Chemistry Club. The Dean’s List student participated in the Honors Program and was named a Collaborative Learning Program Emerging Research Scholar. He will study allopathic medicine at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He was named to the Men’s Swimming and Diving First Team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) for three years, PAC Academic Honor Roll, PAC-SAAC Scholar Athlete of the Month, SAAC Men’s Spring Most Valuable Player (2012 and 2014), PAC Men’s Swimmer/Diver of the Week (five times) and Corvias ECAC Division III-South Swimmer of the

Week (twice). He earned three career PAC Champion titles, holds six individual school records, three individual pool records and four relay pool records. Other finalists for the award included: Aliethia E. McLeod of Mandeville, Jamaica. The Dean’s List student was president of the International Students’ Union, president of Alpha Chi national honor society, vice president of Tri Beta national biology honor society, senior adviser to Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, and served as vice president and secretary of Visionaries of Having One People Evolve club (H.O.P.E.). She will attend Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy with a Chancellor’s Scholarship to pursue a doctor of pharmacy degree. Carly J. Meholic of Latrobe.The cross country team member and Dean’s List student finished among the top seven in every race and participated in the

Saint Vincent Magazine

NCAA Mideast Qualifier four times. She received the YWCA Sportswoman of the Year Award for individual excellence. She also was a track team member, and served as Student Government Association Executive Board vice president in 2014, among many other activities. After graduation, She plans to teach secondary mathematics. April L. Smith of Latrobe served as president of the Physics Club, and received a Community Service Award in 2014. The Dean’s List student has been honored with membership in Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, Alpha Chi honor society, Theta Alpha Kappa honor society, Sigma Pi Sigma honor society completed service projects to Taiwan/China with campus ministry and to Haiti with service learning and plans to do a service trip to Guatemala in the future. She will attend Cleveland State University to pursue a master’s degree in the applied 21

science of medical physics and to work clinically with cancer patients and to become involved with service organizations such as Partners in Progress or Catholic Relief Services. Justin A. Teets of Connellsville was president of his freshman and sophomore classes, chair of the Alumni Relations Committee and served two terms as president of the Student Government Association Executive Board, was a student representative for the committees responsible for the Barista, Bonaventure and Gerard Hall renovations and the construction of the outdoor basketball court. The recipient of the Father Gilbert Burke Alumni Council Scholarship, Teets has been honored with membership in Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society.He plans to work in commercial lending with Somerset Trust Company. Robert J. Tokarski II served as a freshman senator and member of the Academic Affairs Committee, as sophomore class vice president and was a participant in the Saint Vincent College Honors Program for four years. The Dean’s List student made a presentation of his undergraduate research at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver. He was a member of the soccer team. He will attend Ohio State University for a Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry. Summer 2015

15 Seniors Accepted To Professional Health Schools

New Dean of Admission

Stephen P. Neitz has been named dean of admission, effective June 1, succeeding David Collins, assistant vice president of admission since 2001, who is retiring. A graduate of Marietta College with a bachelor of arts degree in media management, Neitz earned a master of science degree in higher education administration from Syracuse University. He has also completed continuing education at the Harvard Institute as well as other workshops. Neitz has been an active member of the National Catholic College Admission Association and is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. He brings more than 30 years of successful service in administrative positions in admissions, financial aid, marketing, media, communications, planning, retention and college leadership at Medaille College, Le Moyne College, Mount St. Mary’s University and York College.

Fifteen seniors at the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing have been accepted to professional health schools and will pursue studies in dentistry, allopathic and osteopathic medicine, optometry or veterinary medicine. Dean Dr. Stephen Jodis, pictured below, right, congratulated, front row, beginning second from left, Kierstin Ackinclose, a biology major from Greensburg, University of Pittsburgh School of Dentistry; Vincent Anto, a biochemistry major from Ligonier, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Kylie Auman, a biology major from St. Marys, College of Optometry at Salus University; Michael Centore, a biochemistry major from Canonsburg, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech; Jeffrey Donatelli, a biology major from Hatboro, Temple University, Maurice H.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Kornberg School of Dentistry; Daniel Egan, a biology major from North Huntingdon, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University; and Lauren Fockler, a biology major from Windber, Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Back row, from left, Zachary Ligus, a biochemistry major from North Huntingdon, University of Pittsburgh Medical School; Alexandra Mientus, a biology major from Sarver, Lake Erie College of Medicine; Kelley Sedlock, a biology major from Northern Cambria, Ohio State University School of Optometry; Carissa Smith, a biochemistry major from Mercer, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine at Virginia Tech; Marina Ulhaq, a biology major from Panama City, Florida, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; and Colton Westerbeck, a biology major from Latrobe, Palmer College of Chiropractic. Dr. Michael Rhodes, left, associate professor of biology,

is chairperson of the Pre-Professional Health Committee. Not pictured are Anthony D’Onofrio, a biology major from Greensburg, Lake Erie College of Medicine; and Emily Satkovich, a biology major from Somerset, Trinity School of Medicine. Admission to professional schools is highly competitive and Saint Vincent’s preprofessional health committee, composed of faculty from within and outside the natural sciences, works closely with individual students to help them achieve their goals. They assist with selection of courses and extracurricular experiences and provide opportunities to learn about admission, schools and careers. Acceptance to professional schools is based on academic performance, commitment to service, knowledge of the health professions, interpersonal skills, leadership and professional school admission examinations.

Summer 2015

In the photo at left, Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., president of Saint Vincent, at left, and Dr. John Smetanka, vice president for academic affairs, at right, present the Boniface Wimmer Faculty Award to Dr. Timothy Kelly, professor of history. In the photo at right they present the Quentin Schaut Award to Brother Albert Gahr, O.S.B., assistant professor of biology.

Timothy Kelly, Brother Albert Gahr, Receive Faculty Awards Dr. Timothy Kelly, professor and chairperson of the History Department, received the Boniface Wimmer Faculty Award at the Spring Honors Convocation. Named for the founder of Saint Vincent and the pioneer of Benedictine monasticism in the United States, the award recognizes a senior faculty member for sustained teaching excellence. Kelly earned a bachelor of arts degree in social studies from Rutgers University, a master of arts degree in history from the University of Texas, Austin, and a Ph.D. in social history from Carnegie Mellon University. Kelly is the author of numerous academic articles, essays, book chapters and books. His book, The Transformation of American Catholicism: The Pittsburgh Laity and the Second Vatican Coun-

cil, was published by the University of Notre Dame press in 2009. Kelly has served as Faculty Council president and chaired a number of important task forces and committees. He is the chairperson of the Academic Leadership and Scholarly Affairs Committee and is a member of Faculty Council, the Academic Conference Committee and the Benedictine Pedagogy Committee. This year he was inducted as an honorary member of Alpha Lambda Delta, the firstyear student honors society and gave the keynote address at the induction ceremony. “In addition to Dr. Kelly’s exemplary scholarship and leadership, his passion for teaching and his commitment to his students stand out,” Smetanka said. Kelly and his wife, Kim, reside in Pittsburgh. They have three children.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Brother Albert Gahr, O.S.B., assistant professor of biology, was honored with the Quentin Schaut Faculty Award at the Spring Honors Convocation. The award is named in honor of Father Quentin Schaut, O.S.B., who was a professor of English and the seventh president of the College. It recognizes contributions, leadership and achievements of a junior faculty member to the curriculum and life of the College. Brother Albert earned a bachelor of science degree with honors in biology from Saint Vincent College in 1995. He received a Ph.D. from West Virginia University in genetics and developmental biology in 2002. His dissertation studied the embryonic and postnatal muscle growth in the chicken and the mouse. He continued post-doctoral research studying rainbow trout genomics in West 23

Virginia at the USDA’s National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture. He earned a master of arts degree in monastic studies from Saint Vincent Seminary in 2012. A member of the monastic community since 2008, he made solemn vows in 2012, the same year he joined the biology department faculty. Besides teaching, supervising student research projects during the fall and spring terms and establishing his own research program, he serves as a co-principle investigator for a National Science Foundation S-STEM grant in biology. Student feedback, Smetanka said, includes his passion for biology, his respect for his students and his concern for students’ mastering difficult material. He is the son of Raymond and Diana Gahr of Kersey. —Don Orlando Summer 2015

Dr. Watkins Elected To National Committee Dr. Margaret Watkins, associate professor of philosophy, has been elected to a three-year term on the executive committee of The Hume Society, an international organization that promotes scholarship on all aspects of the work of David Hume (1711-1776). The announcement was made by Dr. Jacqueline A. Taylor, president of The Hume Society and professor of philosophy at the University of San Francisco. Hume was a philosopher, historian, economist, literary figure and one of the most important thinkers to write in English. The Hume Society has approximately 600 mem-

bers from 50 countries. Among its most important activities are the sponsorship of the journal, Hume Studies, and its hosting of annual conferences that meet at various locations around the globe. Watkins’ election to the governing body of The

Penn State University Press will publish a book by Ben Schachter, professor of visual arts, Contemporary Jewish Art: Graven Images, Melachot and Conceptual Art in 2017 or 2018. The book is a synthesis of his work over the past ten years and will offer an entirely new approach to the interpretation and study

of Jewish art. “Until now,” Schachter said, “most studies examine Jewish art through the lens of the prohibition against graven images. These works demonstrate the political, historical, religious and artistic implications of the law. And yet, Jewish artists press on. What is it that motivates them especially as more and more work includes explicitly religious subject matter? One might think that these images are devotional or related to the practice of Judaism. But this is also a mistake. “Instead,” he said, “artists are using avant-garde practices to interrogate the role of art by including religious subject matter. However, the ideas to which they turn

Hume Society is recognition of both her academic accomplishments and her sound administrative judgment. The executive committee meets online throughout the year and in face-to-face meetings at the annual conferences. Among its business activities are the appointment of editorial board members for Hume Studies, the oversight of conference planning and the handling of various membership and organizational matters. She will also serve as editor of the Hume-Value Theory section of Philpapers.org, an index and bibliography for research in philosophy.

Penn State University Press To Publish Schachter Book

Saint Vincent Magazine

are not exclusively based in iconography but the rich and complex experience of Jewish life well beyond common Judaica. Folklore, Jewish law and customs are all fair game for these artists’ critical eyes. “This book will look at art being made by American, British and Israeli artists. Their work challenges, explores, expands and generally grapples with Judaism from a wide range of perspectives including Orthodox lifestyles, feminist perspectives and even nearly irreverent pranks. The artists do not dismantle religion as the avant-garde demands but use contemporary strategies and artistic methods, making contemporary Jewish art that much more important.” 24

New Translation for Gil-Montero Michelle Gil-Montero, associate professor of English, has a new book of poetics in translation: Dark Museum, by Maria Negroni, noted Argentinian poet, essayist, novelist and translator. Negroni has received the International Prize for Essay Writing from Siglo XXI, the 2002 PEN Award for best book of poetry in translation, for Islandia; the 2000-2001 Octavio Paz Fellowship for Poetry and the 1997 Argentine National Book Award, for El viaje de la noche.

Theatre Gala On July 10 The 26th annual Saint Vincent Summer Theatre Gala will be held Friday, July 10. A festive evening of gourmet food, fellowship and professional theatre is planned, featuring Stephen Sondheim’s Brothers Grimm-inspired musical, Into the Woods. For more details call 724-805-2901. Summer 2015

Dr. Petrany Publishes Article Dr. Catherine Petrany, assistant professor of theology, published an article, “Instruction, Performance, and Prayer: The Didactic Function of Psalmic Wisdom,” in The Shape and Shaping of the Book of Psalms: The Current State of Scholarship, edited by Nancy deClaissé-Walford, published by SBL Press. “This article began as a conference presentation at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting,” Petrany said. “It addresses the relationship between the biblical Wisdom books and the Book of Psalms in the Old Testament. “Scholars have long debated why didactic, Wisdom-like passages appear in the Psalter, since the Psalms primarily functioned

as liturgical texts associated with Israel’s life of worship,” she said. “The article examines several psalms which display a mix of human teaching and direct address to God. It concludes that, rather than functioning as a moral exhortation such as in the Wisdom book of Proverbs, the Wisdom of such psalms teaches the art of prayer.”

Dr. Kehoe Gives Lecture

Dr. Karen A. Kehoe, associate professor of history, lectured this spring about Mary Ann Bickerdyke, a nurse and health care reformer during the Civil War. “In many ways, the professionalization of military nursing began during the American Civil War as women took over the care of critically ill and wounded patients,” Kehoe said. “The transition was not easy and the nurses frequently had to fight military and medical hierarchies and the social mores of the time as well as death and disease. Among the outstanding women involved in that struggle stood Mary Ann Bickerdyke, a midwesterner who was

Dr. Junlei Li Gives Keynote Address Dr. Junlei Li, co-director and associate professor of early learning and children’s media at the Fred Rogers Center, presented the keynote address for the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC) Month of the Young Child celebration dinner at the Carnegie Museum of Art. The Month of the Young Child is a national monthlong celebration to focus on the necessities of all young children and their families and the importance of early learning and child development within all children. The event, hosted by PAEYC, honored all early childhood practitioners and educators throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Mayor Bill Peduto and the National Association for the Education of Young Children board President Carol Brunson Day attended. “The evening is a celebration of all the

Octave On Air For WQED Radio Show

beloved by ‘her boys’ and ‘outranked’ General William Tecumseh Sherman.” The lecture was given in conjunction with the Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery’s exhibit, The Civil War in Pennsylvania and The Coverlet Casualty.

Saint Vincent Magazine

On March 23 Thomas Octave, assistant professor of music was interviewed on WQED Classical Radio, by Anna Singer, host, about the world premier of Nancy Galbraith’s “Passion According to Saint Matthew.” Octave discussed the new work of Galbraith, her music and its relationship to women in music and women’s history. 25

professionals who work with young children and who advocate on behalf of young children. Early childhood education is not just about the development of young children—it is about the development of human beings. The core values that drive each early childhood educator are the same that ought to guide how our society as a whole helps children learn in school, out of school, in college and beyond,” said Li. Li’s research lab, Incubator 143, partners with educators, trainers, advocates, researchers and nonprofits to create positive change for young children and their families by incorporating developmental and behavioral science, communication and design and social change theory.

Dr. Sommers Gives Lecture Dr. Susan Mitchell Sommers, professor of history, gave the Charles A. Sankey Lecture in Masonic Studies at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario. Summer 2015

Jimmy Petruska: Carrying On A Basketball Legacy By Kim Metzgar

immy Petruska, C’04, G’11, has always loved basketball, playing in high school and growing up with a coach—his mother, Dana. A successful high school coach, she had a long tenure at Mars and is presently at Deer Lakes. “Basketball wasn’t even in the plan when I came here,” said Petruska, entering his fourth full year leading the women’s basketball team at Saint Vincent. “I wanted to be a history teacher, and I wanted to have the summers off,” he said. But his love of basketball never died. He played in summer leagues and helped his mother out occasionally. When she asked him if he was interested in assisting with her high school team, his interest was piqued, and as a sophomore in college he began providing some support in the summer league. His dedication and love for hoops became evident in his junior year of studies when he began a backbreaking commute working as her assistant—each day driving 104 round trip miles from Latrobe to Butler County. He spent three years at Mars, including the year after he got his first degree from Saint Vincent. Then, while working at Velocity Sports Performance, he began a year at Pine-Richland High School as assistant to Sherri McConnell, wife of Mike, a Division I basketball official, and sister-in-law to Suzie McConnell-Serio, currently the University of Pittsburgh’s head women’s coach. After four years as a high school assistant—two while still a college student—Petruska slowly came to the conclusion that he wanted to coach at the college level. “I sent out about 30 emails to coaches,” he said. “Kristen Zawacki was the first to respond.” It was the summer of 2006, and he was hired virtually “on the spot,” to return to Saint Vincent as Zawacki’s assistant. “I was a graduate assistant coach in 2006,” he said, working on a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. “In 2007 I became the first full-time assistant in the program.” It was his third year with the Bearcats and he was all of 26. Now, just 11 years after graduation, he was named Presidents’ Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Petruska has led the team to three 20-win seasons with a 98-33 record. This year the Bearcats had a 22-5 overall record and finished second in the conference. Success has not come without difficulty. His first two Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Team Recruits Ready For Success Coach Jimmy Petruska’s Bearcats will only lose three players, Taylor Mathers, Ally Schmidt and Jessica Welch, but his recruits for next season should have no issues adapting to a team that once again hopes to compete for the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship. Commitments to the team, said Petruska, who does all of the recruiting, include: • Bucktail High School’s point guard Maria Morgan, the school’s all-time leading scorer, with 2,407 career points, and an All-State Girls’ Basketball selection. Morgan was named Class A First Team by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers, averaged 28 points per game and shot 44 percent from the field. • Brianna McLaughlin, a guard from Muncy High School, whose team competed with Morgan’s during the regular season. Off-season, the two played AAU basketball togethseasons as an assistant were during the transition from NAIA basketball to NCAA Division III ball. “We struggled,” he said. “In my first year we were 10 and 13.” He and Zawacki spent “hours and hours talking about what previous teams did, and how to build a championship team in D-3 competition. We had to become creative with our recruiting efforts. “She told me a lot about past recruiting to help me understand the program,” Petruska said. “It took years of dedication on her part to put together a winning team. She taught me about budgeting and how to strategically schedule non-conference opponents to help the team prepare for the season, to give them challenges as well as momentum.” When Zawacki died unexpectedly on Christmas day in 2010, Petruska was named interim coach. The team had been 9-1 at the time of her death and finished the season with a 25-4 record. The next year he was named head coach. This year’s team finished the regular season at 21-4 and ended the season 22-5 after a playoff run. The Bearcats lost by ten to top-ranked Thomas More in the conference final. Petruska credited his seniors, Jessica Welch, also a lacrosse team member, Ally Schmidt and Taylor Mathers, as well as other team members and assistant coaches Ashley Campbell and Kurt Mattern for this season’s success. Mathers, whom Petruska had recruited as a freshman, was named to the Division III South Women’s Basketball All-Star Team, in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. The recognition was the fifth major overall honor for Mathers, who has been previously recognized Saint Vincent Magazine

er for Michael Bailey, who coached NBA star Allen Iverson, and Kelly Mazzante, who played in the WNBA. • Caroline Cree, a 1,000 point scorer for Carmichaels High School, ranked 12th in the WPIAL and City League Girls Basketball final regular season scoring leaders. • Lucy Bujdos, Indiana High School, who will play tennis too. • Meaghan Murphy of Belle Vernon High School, a perennial playoff contender in western Pennsylvania. • Katie Ryan of Turkeyfoot High School, who finished with over 1,000 points and over 1,000 rebounds. “I want fine athletes,” Petruska said, “If they have a bad attitude, or they don’t respect their parents or an official or their coach, we keep away. The same goes for their grade point average. Our team goal is a 3.5 GPA. I want to recruit great student-athletes who are ready for success on and off the court.” by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, CoSIDA, YWCA Westmoreland County and D3hoops.com. Mathers, a twotime First-Team All-PAC player, was ranked among the PAC’s best in average points (18.5), rebounds (7.8), blocks (33) and field goal percentage (58.3) this season. During her three-year SVC career, she totaled 1,032 points while pulling down 483 rebounds. She has been an interesting story, Petruska said. “When Taylor was a freshman she practiced for a week, then decided to quit and focus on academics. She didn’t play her sophomore year. In her junior year, she was in the fitness center working out, and I was being social and I asked her if she ever missed playing basketball. She said ‘I miss it so much.’ Later I asked her if she would consider coming back. I got an immediate ‘yes’.” He noted that Mathers’ statistics are even more impressive considering that she has only played for three years, including this year as a graduate student. And, “as a fifth-year senior, her connection, her bond to the freshmen was something I had never witnessed.” He hopes that influence will continue through next season’s team. The coaching honors this year, while a surprise to him, were also humbling. “I give a ton of credit to my players,” Petruska said. “They had to buy into me and into my vision for this program. I demand a lot academically. Our team goal is a 3.5 GPA. A Saint Vincent education is not an easy task. Even socially I have very strict rules,” he said. Following in the footsteps of Kristen Zawacki, he has contributed to the overall program record of 610-309 and winning percentage of .663. After all, Petruska has a tradition to uphold. 27

Summer 2015

Teams Get New Logo

Participants in the unveiling of the new Bearcat athletic logo included, from left, Sue Hozak, associate athletic director; Suzanne English, vice president for admission, marketing and communications; Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., president, and Father Myron Kirsch, O.S.B., athletic director. new athletic logo was unveiled this spring, something a little fiercer than the traditional Saint Vincent Bearcat. “It’s a new beginning to an old tradition,” said Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., president. “The mascot has been around since 1924. If you looked at the old Bearcat logos, they were kind of laid-back. This one is a little more tenacious. It has a little edge to it.” After members of the student body asked about refreshing the current logo, art director George

Saint Vincent Magazine

Fetkovich, C’80, began work on the design in the fall. Testing was done on various options with alumni and students, and a branding company also advised. Fetkovich made the eyes of the Bearcat more piercing and an open mouth shows its teeth. “The new logo system, created through a partnership with nationally-known athletics branding firm SME Branding Inc., will give added support to our successful Bearcat athletics program,” said Suzanne English, vice president for admission, marketing and communications.

Summer 2015

Winter & Spring SPORTS ROUNDUP LACROSSE After earning both the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference regular season and tournament titles, the Saint Vincent women’s lacrosse program garnered a lot of recognition from the league in its postseason awards and all-conference teams. Fourth-year head coach Jym Walters earned Ohio River Women’s Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year honors, after guiding the Bearcats to an 8-1 regular season and then the inaugural ORLC Championship. Walters helped the Bearcats establish a new singleseason record for wins (13) and led SVC to a second

straight conference title. Ten players were recognized on the All-ORLC teams. Molly Snyder and Katie Uhring were both lauded as first team members. Maggie Nelson, Sarah Wallerstedt, Helena Shoplik, Kelsey McMillen, Jessica Welch and Michelle Mitchell were recognized as Second Team All-ORLC. Finally, Hannah Carroll and Amie Dobracki received Honorable Mention accolades. After joining the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference, the men’s lacrosse team finished the season with an overall record of 9-7. The team ended with a loss to Transylvania University in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference championship game. Senior Nick Pensyl

finished his career with more than 100 career goals.

swimming

The women’s swim team had a successful season both in and out of the pool. End-of-season records for the women’s team include a fourth-place finish at the PAC Conference meet at Grove city, seven All-PAC academic recognitions and the PAC Sportsmanship Award. Individual awards were many. Freshman Marla Turk boasted a second place finish at the conference meet with a time of 5:10:93 in the 500 Free finals and established a new school record in the event. Also at this meet, sophomore Marissa Frollo set a new

school record in the 100 Freestyle final where she placed third with a time of 53.14. The women’s team finished with a record of 4-6. The men’s team claimed third at the PAC Championship meet at Grove City. New school records were set by sophomore Xander Emili with a time of 1:55:87 in the 200 IM and senior Zach Ligus, who placed first in the 200 free relay with a time of 20.64 in his 50. Ligus also had a first-place finish in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 46.44 and Junior Matt Crum took first with a time of 16:40:56 in the 1650 freestyle. The men rounded out their season with a 6-3 record

PAC Champion Women’s Lacrosse Team members are senior Amie Dobracki, junior Jess Heuler, sophomore Anita Onufer, junior Kelsey McMillen, senior Jessica Welch, junior Helena Shoplik, junior Jackii Hauser, senior Kaylea Schreibeis, freshman Maggie Nelson, sophomore Hannah Carroll, junior Natalie Onufer Jr., freshman Alex Piampiano, sophomore Sarah Wallerstedt, junior Bridget Synan, senior Christine Cook, sophomore Emma Weaver, senior Michelle Mitchell, senior Mary Wilcox, senior Natalie Ambrozic, junior Katie Uhring, senior Alyssa McCuistion, senior Ashleigh Pollick, freshman Katie Stallings, senior Molly Snyder, freshman Delaney Dobracki. Head women’s lacrosse coach is Jym Walters and graduate assistant Kaley Burkardt. They are pictured with, at left, Brother Etienne Huard, O.S.B., a monk of Conception Abbey, who served as team chaplain, and Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., president. Walters, also pictured at right, captured conference Coach of the Year honors.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

and athletes received All-PAC student-athlete recognitions.

BASKETBALL

The men’s team finished the season with a record of 22-7 and claimed its third straight PAC Championship title over Waynesburg. Senior Sean Kett was named to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference First Team. Junior Pat Jones was named to the Second Team, and junior J.C. Howard received All-PAC honorable mention. Coach D.P. Harris was voted conference Coach of the Year. With Kett being the only graduating senior, the Bearcats look forward to similar successes with their returning team next winter.

track

The men’s track program continued its tradition of excellence this year by excelling in both indoor and outdoor meets. As a team, the harriers finished second at the indoor PAC Championship meet and a strong fourth in the April outdoor meet. Junior Vince Tonzo was recognized as the Men’s Indoor Track and Field Track athlete of the week by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference after taking first place in the mile at the team’s first ever indoor meet. He set a school record in the 800 meters. Despite the women’s team’s small number of participants, it had a strong presence on the track. At the Grove City Outdoor PAC Championship meet, the team finished 9th while only competing in three events. Standouts at this meet included sophomore Gina Valotta and freshman Maggie Czapski who took fourth place in the 800 meter and 5000 meter races.

golf

The men’s golf team finished its spring

From top, left to right, are Molly Snyder and Katie Uhring, women’s lacrosse; Nick Pensyl, men’s lacrosse; Marla Turk, women’s swimming; Xander Emili and Zach Ligus, men’s swimming; Vince Tonzo, men’s track; Gina Valotta and Maggie Czapski, women’s track; Micah Markatone and Jake Reed, men’s golf; Samm Firestone and Liz Loftus, women’s golf; John Malone and Steve Janik, men’s baseball; Samantha Emert and Emily Duerr, women’s softball; Tyler Brinton, men’s tennis. Saint Vincent Magazine

season by placing second in the PAC Championships with an overall team score of 1,248, only 5 strokes behind first-place W&J. Senior Micah Markantone earned the 2014-2015 Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Year and also won the title at the championship after shooting a four-round total of 299. Junior Jake Reed, a PAC Player of the Week, finished the championship in fourth place. Both Markantone and Reed finished the season as All-PAC First Team performers. For the women, Samm Firestone and Liz Loftus secured All-PAC Second Team honors for their performances at the PAC Championship. The team finished fifth in the tournament.

baseball

Freshman Eddie Kilkeary was named Hitter of the Week by the PAC, featured on D3baseball.com on their Team of the Week, and was named Corvias ECAC South Player of the Week. The team finished 18-20 overall, 10-14 in the PAC. Senior John Malone led the team with a .464 batting average in 110 at bats. Senior Steve Janik was 4-4 on the mound to lead the team in pitching victories.

softball

Sophomore Samantha Emert was named to the PAC All-Tournament Team and finished the season with a 12-6 record on the mound and a 1.25 earned run average. Freshman Emily Duerr led the team with a 4.80 batting average in 100 at bats. The Bearcats secured a spot in the 2015 PAC Softball Championship Tournament, but lost to top-seeded Bethany in the elimination game. The team finished the season with a 24-11 record. The 24 wins matches a single-season high.

tennis

The men’s tennis team concluded its 2015 season with a sixth-place finish in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. The team entered the flighted tournament with mixed seeding, the highest being Tyler Brinton, the #2 seed at fourth singles. He lost in the championship match against Grove City’s Jon Graber. In doubles, Chris Andrejcik and Vince Anto lost in the doubles consolation match. —By Miranda Senchur and Alexis Zawelensky Summer 2015

Golf Outing Marks 58th Year ALUMNI FRIENDS

Saint Vincent Prep Alumni will return to campus June 12-14 for the Prep Reunion, the first since the passing of Samuel A. Folby, Sr., 94, P’38, of Latrobe, in 2014. In 1957, Sam founded the Saint Vincent Alumni and Friends Golf Outing which will celebrate its 58th anniversary on June 5. The World War II Purple Heart recipient served for a number of years as Assistant Director of Development at Saint Vincent College and was frequently referred to as “Mr. Saint Vincent.”

Alumni Office

Saint Vincent College

http://www.facebook.com/SVCBearcatAlum

300 Fraser Purchase Road Latrobe, PA 15650-2690 724-805-2568 alumni@stvincent.edu Saint Vincent Magazine

http://www.youtube.com/user/saintvincentcollege @SVCBearcat 31

Summer 2015

Coming Soon Prep Alumni To Be Honored At 2015 Reunion To A Town Near You!

Saint Vincent Preparatory School Alumni will honor 14 men at the Prep Reunion June 12 to 14. ALUMNUS OF The Alumni Office is planning DISTINCTION AWARDS a number of regional alumni EDWARD G. KELLY, P’59 of events. For information: alumPittsburgh ni@stvincent.edu, 724-805attended 2568. View the Saint Vincent Georgetown event calendar at stvincent. University for edu, or like SVCBearcatAlum a bachelor’s on Facebook. degree in ecoGolfing nomics, then June 5, Latrobe Elks and graduated from Marquette Champion Lakes Golf Clubs University Medical School, Milwaukee. He had general Alumni and Family surgery and orthopedic surZoo Day gery residencies at the uniJune 6, Pittsburgh Zoo versities of Cincinnati and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pittsburgh and fellowships at the University of SouthPrep Reunion 2015 ern California and University June 12-14, on Campus of Iowa. He was a lieutenRichmond, Virginia ant commander in the U.S. Beach Marine Corps, a surgeon June 24-25, Happy Hour in Vietnam and at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Boston. Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo He has been vice president, July 28-30, Happy Hour president-elect and president of the medical staff at Alumni Council Mercy Hospital. He is now a Summer Picnic August 1, Pleasure Acres Farm volunteer medical director with Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center. Alumni and Friends FATHER MARIO FULGENSporting Clays Event ZI, O.S.B., P’59, C’64, S’68, August 2, Seven received a Springs Resort bachelor of Atlanta arts degree August 13, Happy Hour from Saint Vincent ColSt. Louis lege in 1964, August 27, Happy Hour and master’s degrees from Saint Vincent Athletic Hall of Fame Seminary and the StigmaSeptember 12 tine Fathers in Campinas, Brazil, in 1968. He has also Denver Alumni done further studies at the Happy Hour Catholic Pontifical University September 17 of Campinas, Brazil. A monk Saint Vincent Magazine

of Saint Vincent Archabbey, he has served as pastor of Saint Gregory the Great Parish in Virginia Beach since 2000. He served the Archabbey’s priory in Brazil from 1967 to 1995, when he returned to serve as pastor of Saint Vincent Basilica Parish for five years. ROBERT L. CITRONE, P’59, C’63, of Mechanicsburg got his degree in economics from Saint Vincent, which led him to jobs in sales and management. He became general manager at Diebold Corp., which makes banking equipment, and moved up to vice president of sales, services and support in six states. At the headquarters in Atlanta he was responsible for 500 employees and 25 offices. Now retired, he has volunteered with the Red Cross, Cursillio program, church council and Boy Scouts. He is a mentor to patients coping with kidney failure. GEORGE R. PUSKAR, P’61, of Rockledge, Florida, received a bachelor of arts degree from Duquesne U n i v e r s i t y. He spent his career with Equitable Real Estate Investment Management, starting in Pittsburgh in 1966, then worked in New York and Atlanta, serving as chairman and chief executive officer for the last

10 years. He served on the boards of four New York Stock Exchange listed public companies and many real estate trade groups. He joined the board of World Team Sports in 1995 and is actively involved with World Team events. In 2011 he was appointed to the initial board of the U.S. Paralympic Committee. REV. LEONARD W. STOVIAK, P’65, is pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in the Diocese of Greensburg. A native of Uniontown, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1973. Father Len began his priesthood at Immaculate Conception Parish in Irwin and has also served in Belle Vernon, Scottdale, Connellsville, Masontown and Greensburg, returning to Scottdale before arriving at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in October of 2008. HALL OF FAME AWARDS ROBERT E. BUCK, P’63, of Grove City, has been a mathematics professor at Slippery Rock University for 31 years. He received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Georgetown University, a master of science degree in mathematics from the University of Dayton, a master of arts degree in statistics and a doctorate in topology from the University of Pittsburgh. In Summer 2015

1989 he began an actuarial science program at Slippery Rock and today is a national leader in actuarial science education. He is a statistical consultant to the Center for Foodborne Illness Research and Prevention. PETER P. GUERRERA III, P’64, of Sandusky, Ohio, spent 42 years of his career in education, including 17 as a school superintendent. He received a bachelor of science degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master of education degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He has written numerous articles for education jounrals and penned a children’s book. He was selected Superintendent of the Year in Ohio; Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year and has received other awards. He presently is active with Habitat for Humanity. JOHN E. HARVAN, JR., P’59, C’66, of Irwin served for three years in the U.S. Army interspersed with completing his bachelor of science degree in mathematics at Saint Vincent College. Now retired, he sold computer systems for many companies including Sequent, and in 1994 created the Giant Eagle Advantage Card®, something he called the most significant employment event of his sales career. He also was owner of The Sleepy Hollow Inn and Tavern for nine

years. THOMAS R. JENKINS, P’65, C’69, of Mechanicsburg, earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology at Saint Vincent, then received a master of social work degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 28 years, managing the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice and Job Welfare programs. He moved into the not-for-profit sector with Abraxis, a residential treatment program for juvenile offenders, serving as chief operating officer there and at Cornell Companies, a corrections company. Most recently he was chief executive officer of Nurse Family Partnership, an evidencebased home visitation program for first-time, at-risk pregnant moms. He retired in December. NORMAN R. MIHM, P’65, C’69 of Renfrew is retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), where he worked for 31 years, the last 21 in Pittsburgh. He has a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Saint Vincent. He was in the U.S. Army Reserves and attended the Defense Language Institute (Russian). At the FBI, he was a firearms instructor, worked security at the 1996 Atlanta summer Olympics, and worked the investigation of Eric Rudolph, the Olympic

Saint Vincent Magazine

bomber. He was a frequent participant in the Pennsylvania Police Olympics. He was also an air enforcement officer with the U.S. Marshall Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. FATHER WARREN MURRMAN, O.S.B., P’56, C’61, S’65, has also received a doctor of sacred theology degree from Munich U n i v e r s i t y, Munich, West Germany, and a diploma in liturgical science from the Liturgical Institute in Trier, West Germany. A member of the Benedictine Monastic community since 1958, he has primarily worked in the Archabbey’s educational apostolates, serving as a faculty member at Saint Vincent Seminary since 1969, where he was academic dean for 11 years. He taught at Saint Vincent College for a number of years and has served on the boards of the College and Wimmer Corporation, the Monastic Council of Seniors and director of liturgy for the Archabbey. ROBERT E. PEZZOLI, P’66, C’70, of Stevensville, Maryland, is a retired vice president of HealthCare Access, Maryland, Inc., and has worked for much of his career in the health care industry in senior management. He earned a bachelor of science in history, and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Pittsburgh 33

Graduate School of Public Health. His volunteer service includes the American Heart Association, Baltimore City and County Chambers of Commerce, and Red Cross. THOMAS G. WAGNER, P’66, is an attorney in St. Marys. He has a bachelor of arts in general arts and sciences and a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering from Penn State University, and a juris doctor degree from Villanova University School of Law. In 2006 he was named Solicitor of the Year by the County Commissioner Association of Pennsylvania. He has been solicitor for Elk County for 23 years as well as solicitor for St. Marys City. He is active in St. Marys Parish, serving as director of the adult choir and is a member of the finance council. SERVICE AWARD MATTHEW P. KRISTOFIK, P’65, C’75, of Lower Burrell earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Saint Vincent. He served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service for six years between graduating from the Prep and College. He was employed in the Department of neurosurgery at Montefiore and West Penn Hospitals in research and was a member of the Tissue Culture Association. He has been active in the American Wine Society for 20 years and the Prep Alumni Association for many years. Summer 2015

John M. Elliott, C’63, Given Lifetime Achievement Award

n May 20, The Legal Intelligencer awarded John M. Elliott, C’63, D’85, its “Lifetime Achievement Award” as “an attorney who has had a distinct impact on the legal profession in Pennsylvania.”

Elliott, chairman and chief executive officer of the Elliott Greenleaf law firm, with offices in Philadelphia, Blue Bell, Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Wilmington, Delaware, is a senior shareholder and has over 45 years of trial and appellate experience in complex commercial litigations. “When I came to Saint Vincent,” he said, “I was the first generation of my family to go to college. My dad was a mechanic, a product of the Depression, and his grandfather was a coal miner. His father starved to death in a mine cave-in.” He recalled Benedictines such as Father ArmandJean Baldwin, Father Christopher Fullman, Father Canice Welsh, Father Aelred Beck, Father Egbert Donovan (later archabbot), Father Eric McCormack, who taught philosophy, and Father Max, who was third base coach on the baseball

team. “They all had a very significant and affirmative influence on me, not only academically, but spiritually. Saint Vincent is a great place of the spirit. Its values are very fortifying as you go through life.” Elliott graduated with highest departmental honors in economics, and was a four-year varsity baseball letterman and captain of the 1963 West Penn Conference championship baseball team. He is a member of Saint Vincent’s Athletic Hall of Fame and returns to campus regularly as a member of the College Board of Directors. He has served on the college’s Council of Advisors of the School of Humanities and Fine Arts. He recalled Coach Oland ‘Dodo’ Canterna, as well as many teammates from the baseball team. Elliott detailed not only the roles they played with the team, but their career successes, exemplifying the close-knit nature of the team and the Saint Vincent community. After graduating from Saint Vincent, he went to

Saint Vincent Magazine

Georgetown University Law Center, graduating in 1966 with highest honors in constitutional law, conflicts of law and legal ethics. After graduation he took a job with Dilworth Paxson in Philadephia, staying there until 1984. Elliott’s firm has had a range of attorneys on staff, including the late Governor Robert P. Casey; and former state Senator Michael J. Stack, III, the present lieutenant governor. “We’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “We have a lot of hard-working lawyers, a range of diversity. We’ve tried to make sure the face of the firm is the face of the community, the people you’re going to meet in the courtroom.” Elliott recently was a lead presenter at the Pro Bono Institute’s Washington, D.C. conference, along with United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, urging expanded legal services to the indigent, the elderly and returning veterans. “They basically promote legal services to those who cannot really pay for it,” he said. “The elderly, the handicapped, returning veterans, minorities.” Elliott’s public service includes serving as a commissioner of the Delaware River Port Authority representing Auditor General Robert P. Casey of Pennsylvania from 1970 to 1975. He was chosen by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to serve as chairman in 1985-1986, the 34

vice chairman in 1984 and a member from 1980 through 1986 of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, supervising the ethics of Pennsylvania’s attorneys. In 1989 and 1991, he was appointed by the secretary of state of the United States of America to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Conference on the Human Dimension (Paris) and Conference on Democratic Institutions (Oslo). He was awarded an L.L.D by Saint Vincent College in 1985. In 1995, Cardinal Cahal B. Daly of Ireland dedicated the Salamanca Archives at Saint Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland, in Elliott’s honor, and in 2001 Cardinal Desmond Connell of Dublin conferred upon him the Gold Medal of Saint Patrick. Elliott has also served as a member of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, and as a member of the Environmental Quality Board of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was the chairman of the Philadelphia Bar Association Environmental Quality Committee and served as the chairman of the Urban Committee, Citizens Advisory Council, Department of Environmental Resources, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Philadelphia Coal Rail Task Force, of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Advisory Commit(Continued on Page 35) Summer 2015

Elliott (Continued from Page 34) tee, and was a presidential appointee of the White House Coal Advisory Commission. He has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s House of Delegates; Board of Directors: Pennsylvania Law Institute; Mann Music Center, and the Walnut Street Theatre. Elliott has served as a faculty member and lecturer for the American Law Institute; American, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Bar Associations; the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and has authored numerous publications. He is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court; the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit; the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Western and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the Supreme, Superior and Commonwealth Courts of Pennsylvania. He has been active in federal and state court, and served as chief counsel for the Pennsylvania Coal Mining Association in the 1970s and 1980s. Elliott’s Lifetime Achievement Award is among 15 The Legal Intelligencer has given, including to former Governor Tom Ridge. “I don’t know what specific aspect of my legal career and practice they focused the award on,” he said. “I’m honored to be included.”

Alumnus Pendleton, C’01, Gives Keynote Address

Saint Vincent students observed national Martin Luther King Jr. Day with “A Day of Celebration 2015: Fulfilling the Dream” featuring a dream center, African drum ensemble, multimedia presentation, arts and crafts, student poetry and a dinner and keynote talk by Janard Pendleton, C’01, program manager for the office of college and career readiness at the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Welcoming Pendleton, second from left, to the Fred M. Rogers Center, were Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B.; Stuart Hall, a member of the Visionaries of H.O.P.E. club, who delivered King’s “I Have a Dream” speech; Jada Pannell, club vice president; Nubia Williams, club president; Alydia Thomas, coordinator of multicultural and residence life; and Brother Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., president.

Historian Dunkerly, C’95, Has New Book Robert M. Dunkerly, C’95, has a new book, To the Bitter End: Appomattox, Bennett Place, and the Surrenders of the Confederacy. Dunkerly, who was featured in the Fall 2014 issue of Saint Vincent Magazine, is a park ranger at Richmond National Battlefield Park. He is also author of The Confederate Surrender at Greensboro and co-author of No Turning Back: A Guide to the 1864 Overland Campaign. The new book offers a fresh look at the various surrenders that ended the war, bringing forth little-known facts and covering often-overlooked events. Dunkerly notes that each surrender—starting at Appomattox and continuing through Greensboro, Citronelle, and the Trans Mississippi—unfolded on its own course. Many involved confusing and chaotic twists and turns. The book’s website is http://tinyurl.com/oc8zday.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Jim Bendel, C’60, D’85, Returns To Saint Vincent

James D. Bendel has been named director of planned giving and will rejoin the college’s administrative staff on July 1. Executive director of the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County since 2012, Bendel is a founding partner of CFWC, which was established in 1995. It merged with The Pittsburgh Foundation in 2010. “I have known Jim Bendel for years—in our work at The Pittsburgh Foundation, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County and Saint Vincent College,” said Maxwell King, president and chief executive officer of The Pittsburgh Foundation. “He is a man of exceptionally strong character and great ability—a leader of great integrity who has accomplished so much in his long career. He has done a wonderful job for us at the Community Foundation, and I know he will do a great deal for Saint Vincent. The College is one of the treasures of western Pennsylvania, a wonderful institution, and it is great to think of Jim adding value there. We will miss him greatly and will cheer on his continued success.” “We are honored to have Jim Bendel return,” said Brother Norman Hipps, O.S.B., president. “He has been associated with Saint Vincent throughout his life both as an alumnus and in various administrative roles. He loves Saint

“T

HE COLLEGE is one of

the treasures of Western Pennsylvania, a wonderful institution, and it is great to think of Jim adding value there. We will miss him greatly and will cheer on his continued success.” —MAXWELL KING, PRESIDENT AND CEO, THE

PITTSBURGH FOUNDATION

Vincent. I know that he will be an effective adviser to our alumni and friends who want to make a commitment that will benefit the future of this institution.” Bendel, C’60, D’85, earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science. He was active in the student government, served as president of his sophomore and junior classes, was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, participated in varsity tennis and was honored with the John J. Maloney Award, recognizing him as the most outstanding member of his graduating class. He received a master of arts degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. He was honored with the College’s Letterman of Distinction Award/Athletic Hall of Fame and with the conferral of an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Beginning his career as a high school teacher at Serra Catholic High School, Bendel returned to Saint Vincent in 1968 as the director of development and was responsible for initiating the college’s annual giving fund and other long-term programs that benefited the College and involved alumni and friends. He joined Adelphoi Village (now Adelphoi USA) as executive director in 1976, where he served for nearly 30 years and oversaw the expansion of programs from one group home to 22, plus foster care and other services that provide treatment and support for troubled youths. He returned to Saint Vincent in 2004 and served in the Institutional Advancement Office until he became head of the Community Foundation. He retired as a captain after 26 years in the U.S. Navy, four years on active duty and 22 years in the Naval Reserve. 36

In addition, Bendel served as coach of the women’s tennis team for a decade. He was named Humanitarian of the Year by Westmoreland County Community College, Man of the Year by the Mental Health Association of Westmoreland County and a Pittsburgh Pirates’ Community Champion. He was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals as Fundraiser of the Year, by the Latrobe Area Chamber of Commerce with its Community Service Award and by the Financial Planning Association of Pittsburgh with the First Class Patriot Award. He also served as board president of the Westmoreland County Community College Foundation and headed its first capital campaign. Bendel, a native of McKeesport, is a resident of Unity Township. He and wife, Kathy, have five children and six grandchildren. Summer 2015

Working For Saint Vincent Students, Graduates Jeff Ansell, C’90, of Cockeysville, Maryland, is senior vice president and group executive at Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. The company is a worldwide leader in tools and storage. Ansell and his team members recently gave a tour of the Stanley Black & Decker University in Towson, Maryland, to Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki, O.S.B., and Father Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., executive vice president of Saint Vincent College. Jeff’s wife, Jackie, C’92, is also a Saint Vincent graduate. Jeff Ansell is helping to set up recruitment opportunities for graduates as well as internship opportunities for students with his company. Pictured, from left, are Ralph Doran and Stephen Subasic from Stanley Black & Decker, Archabbot Douglas, Jeff Ansell, Father Paul and W. Starrett Esworthy of Stanley Black & Decker.

California Golfing

College alumni recently gathered recently at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego for a golf outing. Pictured are front, from left, Herb Boyer, C’58; Adam Henger; Joe Scarpo, C’84; Anthony Scarpo; Steve Karlovic; Bob Taylor, C’68; Richard Taylor; Mark Sherwin; John Perchak, Sr., C’69; John Perchak, Jr.; Mike Perchak; Father Paul Taylor, O.S.B., C’87, S’92 and Paul Giunto, C’70. In the back row, from left, are James Boughner; Ben Del Prince; D.P. Harris, C’13 and Tom Dias. Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Eric Kowalski, C’99, Speaks At Spring Honors Convocation Eric A. Kowalski, C’99, who served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala and is now an international business development consultant, returned to Saint Vincent to give the address at the spring Honors Convocation. Kowalski’s work focuses on targeted sell-side mergers and acquisitions, licensing strategy and negotiation, project management and business development consulting for a variety of firms in the United States, Asia, Israel and Europe. While earning a bachelor of arts degree with a double major in economics and political science, he also played four years on the varsity soccer team and attended scholarly programs at Georgetown University, University of Zagreb, University of Helsinki and the University of Köhn. He spent two years in the Peace Corps, serving in Guatemala, taught at the University of Pristina in Kosovo, then returned to the United States for a master of science degree in public policy and management from the School of Public Policy and Management at the H. John Heinz III College at Carnegie Mellon University. He was a finalist in the U.S. Presidential Management Fellows program. Kowalski told members of the senior class and their families and friends to be global citizens. He

discussed community and citizenship in the context of both Aristotle’s Eudaimon life and the Rule of Saint Benedict. “Eudaimon is actually

Deaths Joseph A. Halula, P’37, C’41, 95, on January 7.

Rev. Domenick A. DeBlasio, S’40, 101, on November 10, 2014.

Rev. Msgr. John T. “Ted” Carter, C’46, S’49, February 17.

Carl C. Markwood, M.D., C’49, on May 5, 2014. Francis R. Perri, M.D., Sc.D., P’43, C’49, D’88, on January

two words—eu meaning well and daimon meaning divinity or spirit,” he said. “Therefore, one can say that to live a eudaimon life is to live divinely or spiritually connected to God. However, Aristotle never went quite that far. Rather he believed that to live a eudaimon life was regarded as living well. A deeper understanding is that if we guide ourselves by using reason, and if we reason well, we will live well and therefore live a happy life. It is also true that to do anything well requires excellence or in the case of Aristotle, it requires virtue. “The Rule of Saint Benedict takes a similar approach, which revolves

around the five practices of work, prayer, study, hospitality and renewal,” he said. “Saint Benedict urges a balance between work and prayer and to use every hour that God grants us to ensure that time is not wasted, whether we are working in our communities, praying with our faith community, seeking wisdom to become a more sagacious citizen, being hospitable to our friends and strangers in our communities to be a more magnanimous citizen or reflecting on our weaknesses with God in order to be a more humble citizen. “We can all relate to

John F. Farrell, C’50, on

John B. Flannery, Ph.D., C’62, on February 2.

January 11.

(Continued on Page 39)

Ray G. Sarver, M.D., C’50, on

Martin B. O’Malley, C’63, on

January 16.

February 23.

J. Donald Hensler, D.M.D., C’53, on April 6.

November 12, 2014.

Rev. William G. Rutledge, S’53,

Daryl W. Rhea, Jr., C’64, on

on November 20, 2014.

Timothy T. McTaggart, Ed.D., C’71, S’75, on February 9.

Rev. Jerome M. Weiksner, S’55, on January 10.

John A. Fetchero, Jr., D.O., C’73, on January 19.

Michael J. Shaughnessy, M.D., P’56, C’60, on February 22.

Louis A. La Marca, C’73, on January 8.

Adrian C. Bisignani, C’59, on

James A. Merva, C’78, on

22.

April 8, 2012.

December 29, 2014.

Michael B. Rich Jr., C’43, on

John M. Singer, C’60, on

Gary S. Thomas, D.O., C’81,

February 14.

October 25, 2014.

on February 25.

Joseph W. Petrosky, C’48,

Joseph Mazikas, D.D.S, C’61,

Laura Riddle Wilkinson, C’02,

on December 26, 2014.

on December 11, 2014.

on March 15.

Thomas E. Evans, P’50, on

Louis F. Florian, C’58, S 62, on

William Dzombak, retired pro-

April 14.

October 6, 2014.

fessor of chemistry, on May 14.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Summer 2015

Professor Emeritus William C. Dzombak: 1921-2015

Dr. William C. (Bill) Dzombak, 93, of Latrobe died Thursday, May 14, 2015. He was born on December 4, 1921, in McKeesport, son of the late Charles and Sophie Dzombak. He earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Purdue University. After completing his doctoral work, he taught for one year at Providence College, Rhode Island, and then accepted a position with the Argonne National Laboratory in 1949. There

Kowalski

(Continued from page 38) Saint Benedict and his Rule because citizenship and community are interconnected, as it is nearly impossible to have a progressive community milieu if the citizens are not ethically or morally sound.” After graduation from Saint Vincent, Kowalski decided to join the Peace Corps and eventually became a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala working with cooperatives and mainly with coffee. A few years later he received an offer letter to work for Ericsson, the worldwide leader in telecommunications technology and services in Japan. “Be humble, not arrogant; be courageous, not afraid; and be inquisitive not indifferent,” he said. —Don Orlando

he worked with a team of civilians and U.S. Navy scientists and engineers on the reactor cooling system of the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus. Among other experiences during this scientificallyheady venture, he interacted with the brilliant and intense Admiral Hyman Rickover, “father of the nuclear navy.” He lived near the University of Chicago, and took advantage of scholarly opportunities there in his off hours. One of these opportunities was a series of lectures by the famous Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain. Following the first of these lectures, he introduced himself to Agnes Reiter, a student waiting in line to meet the noted philosopher. They attended the remaining lectures together. In 1953, a former graduate student peer from Purdue, Benedictine Father Xavier Mihm, notified Dzombak of a faculty position in chemistry at Saint Vincent College. He was

Saint Vincent Magazine

offered and accepted the position. Bill and Agnes were married in Saint Vincent Basilica in November 1953 with Father Xavier presiding. A renaissance man, he reveled in the integrated, open scholarly environment at Saint Vincent. In addition to various courses in chemistry, especially his infamous physical chemistry course, Dzombak helped introduce and lead the Great Books program in the 1960s, and he taught semester-long seminar courses on “The Ascent of Man” by Jacob Bronowski, “How to Read a Book” by Mortimer Adler, and other focused studies. Dzombak and his courses were remembered with a combination of appreciation, terror, perplexity, and respect by many alumni. He retired from teaching at Saint Vincent in 1986 after 33 years, and was honored by the College as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He began a second career as a volunteer for a number of organizations, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Conemaugh River Dam Project, the Conemaugh Valley Conservancy, the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club, the Saltsburg Historical Society, the Pennsylvania Canal Society, and others. In his retirement, he authored two books: “Salt in the Conemaugh Valley: The

Importance of the Conemaugh Salt Works in the Early American Salt Industry (1800-1860),” and “Canal to Pittsburgh: A Documentary History of the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works (18261864).” The energetic and scholarly way in which he conducted his life was an example for his children, grandchildren, and students. He is survived by his wife, Agnes (Jo); daughter Deborah McMahon and her husband Stephen of Pittsburgh; son David Dzombak and his wife Carolyn Menard of Pittsburgh; daughter Laura Warren and her husband Douglas of Richmond, Vermont; son Ivan Dzombak and his wife Paula Penrod-Dzombak of Pinckney, Michigan; daughter Stefanie Puccetti and her husband John of Pittsburgh; sister Doris Salama and her husband Magdy of Kingwood, Texas; and sister Barbara Poole of Vista, California. He was the grandfather of 15: Elizabeth, Jenna, Patricia, and Joseph McMahon; Daniel, William, and Rachel Dzombak; Kathleen and Gregory Warren; Christopher, Rebecca, and Jesse Dzombak; and Justin, Adam, and Jacob Puccetti. Memorial contributions may be made to the William C. Dzombak Chemistry Scholarship Fund at Saint Vincent College.

Summer 2015

Class News

The class of 1962 held its third annual golf outing in Tampa, Florida, in March at the Carrollwood Country Club. Pictured, from left, are Don Demsher, Bill Wydo, Ron Blase, Bob Belan and Dick Payne.

1960s Daniel Jamieson, C’68, and his wife, Maxine, recently celebrated the wedding of their youngest son, Stephen, C’01, to Christin Brown, C’02, at the Basilica. Additionally, their grandchild, Stanley Thomas DiCicco Jamieson, the child of their oldest son, Daniel, and

his wife, Jessica DiCicco, will celebrate his first birthday. Dan writes that he was humbled to represent SVC at the installation of the new president at Saint John’s University in October and Felician College in May.

Stephen P. Yanek, C’68, represented Saint Vincent College at the Inauguration

of Goucher College’s 11th President, Dr. José Antonio Bowen, on April 24 in Baltimore, Maryland.

life. The joys and struggles are all part of the journey we as people go through in a lifetime.”

Jean AbiNader, C’69, recently

joined Raymond James as a vice president, investments for the newly-created Beaver, Pennsylvania office. He brings to Raymond James over nine years of experience as a financial adviser to individuals, families, businesses and institutions throughout the Pittsburgh area and the country.

completed his 10th year at the helm of the MoroccanAmerican Trade and Investment Center (MATIC) where he promotes bilateral business opportunities. His son, Faris, 28, is a business development manager at EnTrust Capital, an investment management firm; while his daughter, Millan, 27, completed her MSW at UT/ Austin before heading on to a Ph.D. in social work program in the fall. After 40-plus years he has reconnected and hangs out with two former roommates, Dennis Skocz and Jim Pepper.

The Honorable Raymond J. Zadzilko, C’69, represented Saint Vincent College at the Inauguration of The Honorable Paul J. McNulty as the ninth president of Grove City College on March 23.

1970s Walter G. Spark, C’76, writes, “I have two great kids and two fantastic grandkids. Jesus is Lord.”

Daniel W. Piccuta II, C’77,

Charitable Gift Annuities

GET a fixed income for life when you make a gift of

$10,000 or more to Saint Vincent College. A Charitable Gift Annuity will generate a tax deduction in the year of your gift. Distribution rates are dependent upon your ages, and current interest rates determine the annuity rate that Saint Vincent can offer. For more information on life income gifts or other giving opportunities, contact: JAMES BENDEL, DIRECTOR OF PLANNED GIVING, Institutional Advancement, 724-805-2948. http://saintvincent.planmylegacy.org/

Saint Vincent Magazine

recently completed an Ironman Competition in Hawaii, where he and his wife, Christina, moved for their retirement.

1990s Heidi S. (Broman) Peters, C’97, published a book, Redbird: A Memoir through the Coloradobased company Crosslink Publishing, crosslinkpublishing. com. She lives in the suburbs of Pittsburgh with her husband and two children. “All the material in my book was inspired by real

Jerry Marsico, JD, CFP®, C’99,

Louis G. Izzo IV, D.P.M., C’95, announces the opening of a new office serving the Harrison City area of Penn Township. He and his wife, Maribeth, have two sons, Hunter, 4, and Josh, 18 months.

Tricia L. Henry, FIC, CLTC, C’95, a financial associate with Thrivent Financial in Greensburg, has received the 2014 National Quality Award in recognition of her quality service to clients and successful sales achievements. The award is conferred by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Falls Church, Virginia, and the Life Insurance Marketing and Research Association, Hartford, Connecticut. This is the fourth time that Henry has received the award. In addition to the NAIFA award, Henry was honored with the Quality Service and Rising Star Awards from the National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counselors, Waterloo, Wisconsin. These awards go to field agents who have demonstrated excellence in serving their clients.

James Gebicki, C’99, was hired by Advanced Disposal as municipal marketing and government affairs manager for the western Pennsylvania Marketplace.

Summer 2015

2000s

Ranallo & Aveni LLC, a Cleveland-based law firm, announced the addition of Joshua T. Morrow, C’05, to lead its litigation practice. Morrow will provide experience in the firm’s litigation practice in the areas of real estate, construction and foreclosure law. Morrow also possesses experience in general commercial litigation, appellate practice and post-judgment collection. His prior experience includes work at a regional firm in Cincinnati, where he practiced as a civil litigator for several years. He has received numerous accolades during his career including being named an Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star in consecutive years from 2012 through 2015. Morrow received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Saint Vincent College, and his juris doctorate, with distinction, from Ohio Northern University College of Law where he served as executive editor on the Law Review.

Sherrie E. Dunlap, C’09, was awarded the 2015 YWCA Rising Star Award at the 20th Annual Westmoreland County Winners’ Circle Awards Luncheon in May. She is the director of Development for CASA of Westmoreland, Greensburg. The YWCA Rising Star is awarded to a woman of 35 years of age or younger

who exhibits early professional success and the potential to obtain great achievement. The nomination noted that Dunlap displays these qualities as well as the willingness to help others, especially women and young girls. The Winners’ Circle Awards Program, presented by Seton Hill University’s E-Magnify women’s business center, recognizes women, men, businesses or organizations who advocate for women, women-owned business and the community.

Abigail M. (Chabitnoy) Kerstetter, C’09, a poetry student in the Colorado State University master of fine arts program, has been named as one of the winners of this year’s Association of Writers and Writing Programs Intro Awards, and her poem “Blackout” will be published in a forthcoming Hayden Ferry’s Review. The Intro Journals Project is a literary competition for the discovery and publication of the best new works by students currently enrolled in AWP member programs. Program directors nominate students’ works, which are selected for publication in participating literary journals.

Joseph L. Ring, C’09, has joined Martin Law as an associate. He focuses primarily on Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law and comes to the firm from the workers’ compensation department of Post & Schell in Philadelphia.

Saint Vincent Magazine

Genie Fratto, C’14, is employed as a teacher by Latrobe Elementary School.

Condolences Zoltan Kristof, C’63, and Matthew J. Kristof, C’89, on the loss of their brother and uncle, respectively, Ernest Kristof of San Antonio, Texas, on May 3. He is a graduate of Villanova University School of Law. While earning his degrees, Ring served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, where he rose to the rank of sergeant. In 2006, he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and, upon returning, utilized the Montgomery G.I. Bill to help fund his education. Martin Law has 15 attorneys and five offices in Bristol, Allentown, Reading, Malvern and Philadelphia.

Jean AbiNader, C’69, on the

2010s

father, William Dzombak, on May 14.

Alyssa N. McKinney, C’12,

James W. Fetchero, D.O., C’79; Robert M. Fetchero, D.O., C’83; on the death of their brother, John A. Fetchero, Jr., D.O., C’73, on

will graduate in May with her doctorate of pharmacy degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is employed by Rite Aid.

Jessa Shay Paruch, C’12, earned a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College. She is employed as a technical program specialist in Washington, D.C., for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.

Kevin J. Wanichko, C’12, is the cross country, track and field coach, and sports information director at Chatham University.

Erica P. Alcibiade, C’14, received her white coat at the White Coat Ceremony at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harrogate, Tennessee.

death of his father, Jean Sr., 104, of Silver Spring, Maryland, on February 1.

Daniel W. Noel, C’75, on the death of his daughter, Sarah Noel, on February 5.

Richard E. Terrify Jr., C’78, on the loss of his mother, Dolores L. Terrify on November 18.

Dr. David A. Dzombak, C’79, and Ivan G. Dzombak, C’83, on the loss of their

January 19.

Michael L. Matthews, C’86; Kathleen A. (Matthews) Newill, C’90; and Mark E. Matthews, C’98, on the loss of their father, Coach Bernie Matthews, on February 1.

Nancy Adamrovich Ramaley, C’86, on the loss of her mother, Anna Adamrovich, on April 7.

Joan Aungier Davis, C’95, on the loss of her father, Ronald H. Aungier, on April 7. Stacy Thompson, C’06, on the loss of her brother, Matt, on January 26.

Angela L. Perlik, C’08, on the loss of her brother, David, on April 14. Summer 2015

Engagements Russell George Daniels, C’06, to Julie Catherine Pacinelli. Their wedding will be held in Erie on August 21.

Thomas F. Cocchi, C’13, to Colleen A. Fisher, C’13. The wedding will be held on August 8 at Saint Vincent Basilica.

Anna-Maria Skop and Frank R. Chappell, C’08, celebrated their wedding in the church of Saint Palais in Saint Palais sur Mer, France, hometown of the bride, on January 10.

Krinock, C’11; Curt Colaianne, C’12; Ryan Riazzi, C’12; Aaron Seckar, C’12; Rebecca Sandor, C’14; and Dr. Rob DePasquale, C’75, professor of accounting.

Lindsay S. Heider, C’13, to Lara Kelly, C’06, to Shea Simpson, C’06. The couple plans a June wedding in Pittsburgh.

Regina B. Gamberoni, C’07,

Jackel, C’14. Other Bearcats in attendance were Shane

Charles Fennell. They will be married this summer.

James Mitchell Orange, C’13, to Kelsey Elizabeth Harris, C’14. Their wedding will be held

Births

in October.

to Donald Lee Dashiell III. The couple will be married on June 27 in Youngwood.

Tara E. Karns, C’09, to Christopher A. Wright, C’09. The wedding will be held at Saint Vincent Basilica on October 31.

Autumn (Coleman) Purdy ‘C’98 and her husband,

Katie Tamagno, C’09, to Mike Love. A May wedding is planned. Natalie A. Giles, C’11, to Matthew Toscano. A July 18 wedding is planned in Oil City.

Kalyne Linville, C’11, to Paul Heinmuller, C’10. The couple will be married July 31 at Saint Vincent Basilica.

Alyssa N. McKinney, C’12, to Caleb Michael James Dodd. A September wedding is planned.

Kevin J. Wanichko, C’12, to Genie Fratto, C’14. A 2015 wedding is planned.

Kristen Fuhrman C’09, married Justin V. Tantlinger, C’13, to Chelsea R. Hoese. A May wedding is planned with a ceremony in Minnesota and reception to celebrate in Pennsylvania. The couple will reside in the Monroeville area.

Taylor Marie Nitkiewicz, C 15, to Matthew K. Remaley. A May 14, 2016 wedding is planned.

Marriages Mary K. Detwiler, C’00, and Troy Pasquinelli on November 9 at Saint Mary’s Church, Elk County. The newlyweds are now living in Jefferson Hills.

Saint Vincent Magazine

William Brindza on July 5, 2014 in Laceyville, PA. They currently reside in Wyoming where she is a school counselor.

Matthew, announce the birth of their son, Jude Matthew, on March 18. He joins his siblings, Mariah, Cassius and Lydia.

Alexis D. Davis, C’11, and Kenneth M. Scavnicky, Jr. in August. The couple traveled to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic for their honeymoon. The two reside in Blairsville. Amanda C. Jackel, C’11, and Daniel J. Ciccone, C’12, wed on October 11 at Saint Barbara Catholic Church. Saint Vincent alumni in the bridal party were bridesmaids Heather Niezelski, C’11, and Kim Yanicko, C’11, and groomsmen Ryan Kunkel, C’12, and Anthony

Julian Matthew Meloy was born on December 1, 2014 at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Julian is the first child of Kimberly (Morelli), C’08, and Luke Meloy, C’06.

Summer 2015

KING LUDWIG VIOLIN BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE Matthew McCarthy C18, a violin music performance major, recently repaired and restrung a violin that was donated to Saint Vincent by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. It is among the few musical instruments left on campus that were sent to Boniface Wimmer by King Ludwig in the 1850s. “To work on an instrument that contains so much Saint Vincent history was truly amazing,” McCarthy said. Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah were performed at Saint Vincent in 1853, and they are reputed Saint Vincent Orchestra, 1885 to be the earliest performances of these works in the United States. As McCarthy worked on the violin, and later played the instrument, he said, “ I couldn’t help but think of all of the past performers who used the instrument and all of the incredible music that was played on it.” The King Ludwig Violin is now part of a new permanent display on view at the Saint Vincent Gallery that features instruments and artifacts from early Saint Vincent.

—Jordan Hainsey

Contact the Office of Institutional Advancement 724-805-2949 | www.stvincent.edu/ studentsfirst

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 110 Mailed from Zip Code 15650

Saint Vincent College Quality Education in the Benedictine Tradition

300 Fraser Purchase Road Latrobe, PA 15650-2690 www.stvincent.edu

OCTOBER 2 TO 4, 2015 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

ALUMNI HOMECOMING FALL FAMILY WEEKEND