Seton Hall Magazine Spring 2018

SETON HALL A home for the mind, the heart and the spirit

On the Front Lines of Trauma Dr. Christopher Fisher ’93

SOLDIER, COUNSELOR, CHAPLAIN, PRIEST Chaplains with Seton Hall Connections

Spring 2018

SETON HALL Spring 2018

Vol. 28 Issue 3

Seton Hall magazine is published by the Department of Public Relations and Marketing in the Division of University Advancement.

Interim President Mary J. Meehan ’72/M.A. ’74/Ph.D. ’01 Interim Vice President for University Advancement Matthew Borowick ’89/M.B.A. ’94 Associate Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing Dan Kalmanson, M.A. Director of Publications/ University Editor Pegeen Hopkins, M.S.J.

features 18 When Tragedy Strikes . . .

Trauma surgeon Christopher Fisher ’93 helped save victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year.

22

Priests with Seton Hall connections have influenced the lives of fellow servicemen and women.

Art Director Ann Antoshak Copy Editor Kim de Bourbon News & Notes Editors Viannca I. Vélez ’10 Rita Damiron Tallaj Ashley Wilson ’17 Research Assistance Alan Delozier, University Archivist

Send your comments and suggestions by mail to: Seton Hall magazine, Department of Public Relations and Marketing, 519 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079; by email to shuwriter@shu.edu; or by phone at 973-378-9834.

Cover: Dr. Christopher Fisher ’93 at

Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas.

Facing page: Detail of a statue of Saint Joseph, located in the garden behind Presidents Hall.

www.shu.edu

The Few. The Proud.

Catholic Military Chaplains

departments

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22

From Presidents Hall

4 HALLmarks 10

Possibilities

12

Roaming the Hall

The childhood struggles of Leo S. Ricketts ’18 drive his social advocacy.

Psychology professor Susan Nolan promotes the emerging field of international psychology.

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Profile

16

Profile

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Sports at the Hall

32

Alumni News & Notes

44

Last Word

10

Dr. Arthur Ammann ’62 fights international disparities in AIDS treatment.

Through his support of the University, James Malgieri ’82 hopes to inspire others to follow suit.

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FROM P R E S ID E N T S H A L L |

M A R Y J. M E E H A N ’ 7 2 / M . A . ’ 7 4 / P H . D. ’ 0 1

A GR AND

Welcome

S

ince the opening of Walsh Library in 1994,

For current students and Pirate alumni, Bethany Hall

Seton Hall’s campus has grown increasingly

features a flexible event space that can host get-togethers

modern and more beautiful. New buildings

of any size, from intimate luncheons to gala dinners.

have been added to the landscape and

We eagerly anticipate hosting many alumni events in

several historic structures have undergone renovations

this facility, including this year’s Many Are One Alumni

to meet the needs of current and future students.

Awards Gala on June 8. So Bethany Hall is truly a place

Our efforts to create a first-class living and learning environment have borne fruit. Students cite Seton Hall’s

of welcome for the entire Seton Hall community — from future students to Golden Pirates.

facilities and picturesque setting among the many reasons they decided to enroll at the University. Likewise, alumni who come back to campus tell us they are astonished by the improvements we have made, and by those we hope to make in the future.

Against that backdrop, I am excited to introduce Bethany Hall, the latest addition to our campus. Standing near the main entrance to campus just inside the Farinella

STANDING NEAR THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO CAMPUS JUST INSIDE THE FARINELLA GATE, BETHANY HALL PROVIDES ELEGANT SOLUTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY’S INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS.

Gate, this new architectural icon provides elegant solutions to many of the University’s infrastructure needs.

By serving as a welcome center for visitors and a new home for Undergraduate Admissions, Bethany Hall trans-

2

The addition of Bethany Hall to our South Orange

forms the first impression of Seton Hall for prospective

campus was made even more meaningful by the Uni-

students and their families. It is here that high-school

versity’s decision to dedicate the building to President

students and their parents meet admissions personnel,

Emeritus Monsignor Robert Sheeran ’67, S.T.D. in recog-

learn about the University and depart for campus tours.

nition of his 30 years of priestly service to Seton Hall.

Since opening in January, the building has freed

Monsignor Sheeran, who was the University president

up space on campus that was formerly occupied by

from 1995 to 2010, is regarded as one of the most signif-

Undergraduate Admissions. And Bethany Hall’s location

icant Seton Hall leaders in the modern era. His vision is

— highly visible from South Orange Avenue and Centre

largely responsible for the University’s emergence as an

Street — improves the external perception of Seton Hall

eminent institution of Catholic higher education with

as well.

a national and international scope. He requested that

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

HELP US ‘GET TO 10’ As a member of the Seton Hall community for five decades, I can think of many times when the Pirate community came together to achieve something spectacular. I know I can count on my fellow alumni to show their solidarity with Seton Hall and with our current students.

Since I became interim president last year, I’ve placed a major emphasis on increasing the percentage of undergraduate alumni who make a yearly gift to Seton Hall. There are many good reasons for graduates like you and me to support our alma mater. I can say without a doubt that Seton Hall gave me an excellent foundation — intellectual, moral and spiritual — upon which I created the rest of my life. I am sure that the University has had a similar positive impact on you.

Making a small gift is not a small gesture. It is a recognition of the critical role that Seton Hall has played in our lives. Yet for the past few years, only about 8.5 percent of undergraduate alumni show their appreciation to the University in this way. I know we as a Pirate comthe building be named Bethany Hall, after the Biblical

munity can do better, which is why I am asking all of you

village where Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus

to help us reach a new goal this year: 10 percent giving

received Jesus into their home, as a place of friendship

from undergraduate alumni.

and community.

A driving force behind the effort to dedicate Betha-

Reaching this very achievable benchmark will not only improve the educational experience for today’s

ny Hall in Monsignor Sheeran’s honor was Seton Hall

Seton Hall students, it will help the University rise in

Regent James O’Brien ’82, senior managing partner at

prominent collegiate rankings, many of which use the

Napier Park Global Capital, who made the lead gift with

alumni giving rate as a metric by which to rate each

his wife, Judy, and encouraged other alumni to recognize

institution. In this instance, the actual amount of the

our president emeritus by making meaningful contribu-

gift is secondary to the gift itself.

tions. My great thanks go to the O’Briens and everyone

Under my direction, the Seton Hall Fund is reaching

who expressed their love for Monsignor Sheeran in this

out like never before to ensure that our “Get to 10”

special way.

campaign is a success. Our fiscal year ends on June 30,

I hope you have a moment to visit Bethany Hall the

which is when we expect to have received gifts from

next time you are on campus. Please consider taking

5,114 graduates. If you haven’t already shown your

advantage of the many events we are planning for our

support to the University during this year, please visit

new space, or just stop by if you are in the area. Your

www.shu.edu/giving to learn more about how you can

alma mater is always eager to welcome you home.

help. Please make a gift today. n

3

HALL m a r k s

SHU in the news “Playing a hard line with Iran isn’t going to get us anything. It’s not going to get them to do what we want in any way, shape or form.”

Martin Edwards, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Newsweek, on how the Trump administration’s rhetoric might be hurting its diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.

“I was in denial for a while, but every time we asked the question, ‘why do you watch fewer games?,’ it came back the same way — the protests.”

Rick Gentile, Seton Hall Sports Poll, in an Associated Press article that cited the Sports Poll findings.

“We believe that there is much synergy in promoting entrepreneurship and small business ownership.”

Joyce Strawser, Stillman School of Business, New Jersey Business, discussing a new partnership with the New Jersey Small Business Development Center program.

Diverse Teachers for Diverse Classrooms

M

aking sure future teachers reflect the diversity of their classrooms is the goal of the University’s new partnership with

a national mentoring program called Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers.

Seton Hall is the first New Jersey college to partner with TSTT, a nonprofit organization formed 23 years ago to address the teacher diversity gap in U.S. schools.

“I developed teaching approaches that align to each of the creative elements of hip-hop — employing techniques such as emceeing, B-boys and girls, graffiti art and breakdancing.”

Edmund Adjapong, College of Education and Human Services, Education Post, on using hip-hop and youth culture to engage students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.

TSTT students receive economic and academic support, networking opportunities and career guidance, and the first group is expected to attend the University this fall.

“Seton Hall is proud to welcome a new generation of academically strong and culturally diverse students to fulfill the promise of community-based teaching candidates who will take their skills

Matthew Pressman, College of Communication and the Arts, The Washington Post, on challenging the influence and decision-making of media organizations.

“We know that we are created in God’s image, but have we thought, really deeply, of the consequences and responsibilities of that truth?”

Julie Burkey, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, Catholic News Service, on understanding a spirituality of work and deepening our relationship with God.

4

and passion back into their home communities to teach,” said Maureen Gillette, dean of the College of Education and Human Services.

“I passionately believe in community-based education and ensuring that each and every child, but especially those children who are learning in our nation’s most challenged schools, get an education that will allow them to reach their goals in life, and positively contribute to society.”

Bettye Perkins, founder, president and CEO of TSTT, noted that the partnership with Seton Hall will allow economically challenged students to expand their horizons and “to study at this great college and thrive in a culturally stimulating and challenging educational environment.”

Photo by Earl Richardson

“… for those who care deeply about the future of news, the most important decision confronting policymakers concerns the digital duopoly of Facebook and Google.”

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

A PLACE OF WELCOME

T

he University’s new campus welcome center is being

years as president. “For Jesus, Bethany was a place

dedicated to Monsignor Robert Sheeran ’67, S.T.D.

of welcome and hospitality that embodies our mission

president emeritus of Seton Hall. The center, which

at Seton Hall as ‘a home for the mind, the heart and

opened in January 2018, was named Bethany Hall at Monsignor Sheeran’s request, in honor of the welcoming Biblical village of that name.

Bethany was the location where Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus received Jesus into their home.

Like the new campus centerpiece, Bethany was a place of friendship and community.

The concept is one that James O’Brien ’82 understands well. “My family and I have been fortunate for many years to first have engaged with the warmth and caring

the spirit.’”

Bethany Hall, a multipurpose building for visitors and the Seton Hall community, offers event space and meeting rooms as well as serving as the central location for admissions activities.

“Generous alumni and friends like Jim and Judy demonstrate the impact our graduates continue to have long after graduation,” said Interim President Mary Meehan ’72/M.A. ’74/Ph.D. ’01.

O’Brien, a member of the Board of Regents, is senior

of Monsignor Sheeran ministering to us as a priest and

managing partner at Napier Park Global Capital. During

pastor, then experiencing his vision and leadership as

more than 30 years in finance, he has been honored

a University president,” said O’Brien, who with his wife,

many times for his servant leadership, including the

Judy, was the lead donor to the building project. “His

University’s 2013 Many Are One Humanitarian Award.

life’s actions for us and many families at Seton Hall are resonant with the lessons of Bethany.”

“I see this name as an acknowledgement of much

“This project represents all the best about Seton Hall in so many ways,” said Meehan. “The building itself will be the first point of entry for future Pirates, welcoming young people just beginning their lifelong relationship

who served the University for 30 years, including 15

with Seton Hall.”

Photo by Kristine Foley

that Seton Hall represents,” said Monsignor Sheeran,

5

In Brief l Wagdy Abdallah, professor of accounting, earned a “Bright Idea Award” for an article on transfer pricing that appeared in the International Journal of Accounting and Taxation.

The award is made to New Jersey business school faculty members whose publications significantly advance knowledge in their discipline area and deliver relevant findings to business practitioners. l Zheng Wang, director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies in the School of Diplomacy and International Relations, organized and served as co-facilitator for a conference in China that was supported by the Henry Luce Foundation and was designed to foster dialogue between the United States and China about the South China Sea disputes. l Four prominent figures in education of Irish descent from Seton Hall were among those inducted into the national honor roll of the 2017 Irish Education 100, published by The Irish Voice: Deirdre Donahue Yates, dean of the College of Communication and the Arts; Phyllis Shanley Hansell, professor and former dean of the College of Nursing; Hugh Dugan, director of United Nations engagement in the School of Diplomacy and International Relations; and Father Brian X. Needles, director of Campus Ministry.

6

l Poets & Quants named the Stillman School of Business one of its 2017 “Best Undergraduate Business Schools.”

The Princeton Review also recognized the school as one of the “Best 267 Business Schools” for having an outstanding on-campus M.B.A. program. l The Kelly Memorial Foundation honored Bonita Stanton, dean of the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, as Humanitarian of the Year at its Eighth Annual John V. Kelly Memorial Foundation dinner. l Samikkannu Thangavel, associate director of the Institute of NeuroImmune Pharmacology, received a $2.1 million research award to be allocated over five years from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Drug Abuse to conduct research on how drug abuse affects Neuro-HIV/AIDS sufferers. l The Stillman School’s Gerald P. Buccino ’63 Center for Leadership Development earned, for the fourth year in a row, a No. 1 ranking in the LEAD (Leadership Excellence and Development) Awards sponsored by HR.com. Specifically, the Buccino Center was named the No. 1 Certificate Program with Emphasis on Leadership/Organizational Development.

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

BY THE NUMBERS

Seton Hall University Arts Council For the 2017-18 Academic Year

7

Organizations involved in the Arts Council

4

Seton Hall Theatre productions each year

5

Poetry-In-The-Round readings l Bonnie Sturm, associate professor of the College of Nursing and director of the Ph.D. Program in Nursing, was inducted as a fellow into the New York Academy of Medicine for her scholarly achievements, including her mentorship of doctoral students. l The Curse of Rigoletto, an award-winning poster designed

by William Haney, professor of art and design in the College of Communication and the Arts, was featured in three international performances of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in France and Italy during 2017. l Education Week ranked Robert Kelchen, assistant professor of higher education in the College of Education and Human Services, as No. 54 out of 200 top educational scholars and public influencers in the United States as part of its 2018 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings. l Monsignor John A. Radano, adjunct professor of systematic theology in the Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology, wrote the official response to the international Catholic-Methodist dialogue document of 2016: “The Call to Holiness: From Glory to Glory.” The response was published on the Vatican website in October 2017.

3

Classical Concert Series performances

4

Jazz ’n the Hall concerts

65

Singers in the University Chorus

2

Number of musical ensembles in the choral program

27

Professional artists featured in the Walsh Gallery 7

HALL m a r k s

New Home for the Health Sciences

S

eton Hall University will launch its new comprehen-

The new School of Medicine, which was developed to

sive Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus

fill the shortage of physicians in the state and address the

this summer. Located in Clifton and Nutley, New

increased interest in community-based health care and

Jersey, on the former site of Roche Pharmaceuticals,

population health, will open in July. The school received

the campus will feature world-class facilities for health-

its preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee

science research and discovery, housing Seton Hall’s

on Medical Education (LCME) in February, an essential

College of Nursing and School of Health and Medical

requirement in the complex process of establishing a new

Sciences as well as the new Hackensack Meridian School

medical school.

of Medicine at Seton Hall University.

The campus creates a forward-thinking approach to

“We are proud that Seton Hall will be in the vanguard of team-based interprofessional healthcare education,”

healthcare education, bringing together future doctors,

said Interim President Mary J. Meehan ’72/M.A. ’74/

nurses and health professionals in the fields of medicine,

Ph.D. ’01.

nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupa-

“This new campus will provide our students with

tional therapy, athletic training and speech language

the skills they need to succeed in the health sciences —

pathology.

not just now, but well into the future. Hackensack

This innovative team-based training reflects the future

Meridian Health is an ideal partner for this new endeavor: a distinguished leader in health care with an integrated

cooperation and communication among health profession-

hospital network that offers our students a wealth of

als and greatly strengthen patient care.

clinical opportunities.”

Photo by Michael Paras

of healthcare delivery. The approach will vastly improve

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SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

SMALL BUSINESS GOES BIG AT STILLMAN

T

he Stillman School of Business

sure for our students. Consistent with

has partnered with America’s

our mission of transforming concepts

Lynch Wealth Management financial

Michael Barna ’83, a Merrill

Small Business Development

into practice, our students are going

adviser, and Steven Gomez, M.B.A.

Center New Jersey to host an SBDC

to see firsthand the issues and chal-

’09/M.A. ’09, executive director

affiliate office on campus.

lenges that small business and entre-

of Greater Newark Enterprises

preneurs face today and the measures

Corporation, helped bring the

they can take to overcome those.”

SBDC to campus.

“We are doing something that’s going to help our community and will connect the Stillman School

The office provides assistance,

“I think this public-private

to entrepreneurs and small busi-

customized one-on-one counseling

partnership is a significant step

nesses,” said Dean Joyce Strawser.

and training seminars for students

in raising awareness about the

“At the same time, this provides

as well as Essex County entrepre-

magic that is happening here at

great learning experiences and expo-

neurs and small business owners.

Seton Hall,” Gomez said.

A First for ‘Gen 1’ Students

A

group of new students arriving on campus as the first in their families to attend college were introduced to Seton Hall last summer through a special 10-day orientation program developed especially for them.

The pilot “Gen 1” program was designed to immerse the first-generation students in college life and introduce them to everything they need to know in order to succeed at the University.

“We want our students to feel connected and understand the language of college,” said Tracy Gottlieb, vice president of Student Services.

Freshman Studies mentors and peer advisers — all first-generation students

themselves — shared information about financial aid and scholarships and explained resources such as the library and the Career Center.

Students attended daylong workshops designed to provide advice, brush up on math and writing skills, and meet administrators and faculty. Gottlieb shared her top college tips, including how to manage time and the importance of asking questions.

And support for the “Gen 1” class is continuing, as more than 70 faculty and staff, all first-generation students themselves, are serving as mentors throughout the year.

“The whole program is centered around support and belonging,” added Gottlieb.

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PO S S IB IL ITIES |

TRICIA BRICK

AN ODE RESILIENCY TO

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SETON HALL MAGAZINE

I

SPRING 2018

n the autumn of his junior year, Leo S. Ricketts ’18

that he came out of a background of adversity but that

spent three days busking under Seton Hall’s Xavier

didn’t make him lesser for the effort,” said Rev. Forrest

Hall, playing blues and jazz on his alto saxophone, a

Pritchett, program director for the Martin Luther King

donation box at his feet. Beside him stood a manne-

Scholarship Association and a longtime mentor. “Instead,

quin in tattered clothes, holding a list of statistics

it gave him a sharp perspective on how to equip himself

about homelessness. The campaign raised more

to go further in life, how to help others, and how to go

than $500 for Covenant House New Jersey’s Newark

back and serve his community of origination.”

shelter for homeless youth.

As he looks forward to graduate work in history,

Homelessness, hunger and other conditions of poverty

education, urban planning and sustainability, Ricketts

are part of the reality of many students’ daily lives, and

continues his volunteer work. “My heroes have all

in his volunteer work as an educator, a mentor and an

been people of service — whether they’re fighting for a

advocate, Ricketts speaks candidly about the stark realities of economic inequality and systemic oppression.

But his dedication to service arises from a deep belief in a connection among all people that transcends social and economic divisions.

“My draw to service came from what I’ve been through in life,” he

community, putting together a lunch

THE CHILDHOOD STRUGGLES OF LEO S. RICKETTS ’18 DRIVE HIS SOCIAL ADVOCACY.

said. “I’ve been homeless multiple

meal at a soup kitchen or taking two minutes to teach a kid to tie his shoe,” he said.

He speaks with profound appreciation of the many individuals who have supported him in what he describes as the “continuum” of his educational journey, from his days as an Upward Bound student living in a low-income

times. We’ve been without food and electricity. I’ve seen

neighborhood in Newark to his Seton Hall graduation in

domestic violence. I’ve seen people shot and stabbed

December. He often worked two jobs to support him-

in my community. I’ve seen drug addiction. I know what

self and his family while taking a full course load and

it feels like to be on the other side. Going through that,

contributing many hours to his service commitments. He

you learn that every person is entitled to dignity and

experienced homelessness and even hunger. Yet from that

humanity. You want to make things better.”

adversity he has cultivated a connection with mentors,

Ricketts, a history major, involved himself in service throughout his time at Seton Hall. He served as chair

students, colleagues and strangers in need.

He recalled an encounter from the 2016 Semester

of Operation X, a mentorship program for minority male

at Sea program: While coordinating a project in rural

students in Newark-area elementary and middle schools,

Trinidad and Tobago, he led a team of students in

designing curricula on topics ranging from social justice

painting the home of a woman and her daughter. As

and active citizenry to “how to tie a tie.” He coordinat-

they worked side by side, he spoke with the woman,

ed international service projects as a Semester at Sea

trading stories of her life and of his experiences as a

IMPACT scholar. He contributed to a powerful support

young black man in America.

system through the Black Men of Standard student Photo by Erin Patrice O’Brien

|

“That’s what building community is,” he reflected. “You

organization. He has been a leader in advocacy and

learn about people, you learn about their experiences,

fundraising for homeless youth.

and it makes you a little more human, a little more

For these and other contributions to the University community, Ricketts was named one of six recipients of

willing to work to make the world a better place. That’s what service is.” n

Seton Hall’s 13th Annual Servant Leader Awards in 2017.

“Leo is really the consummate servant leader, in

Tricia Brick is a New York-area based writer.

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ROA M IN G T H E H A L L |

CHRISTOPHER HANN

PSYCHOLOGY GOES GLOBAL Professor Susan Nolan consults on decision-making around the world.

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SETON HALL MAGAZINE

S

usan Nolan always longed to travel, but never

talking about their work on local radio. “They were

indulged her wanderlust until she earned

taken seriously,” Nolan says. “They were able to

her bachelor’s degree and bought a one-way

shed light on a problem they were concerned about

ticket to France, where she spent nearly a

in their school.”

year teaching English. “Ever since I lived in

SPRING 2018

At the United Nations, working with the American

Paris,” she says, “I’ve loved traveling abroad,

Psychological Association, Nolan brought psychology

living abroad, meeting new people, learning

research to NGOs, U.N. staff members and mission

how things work in different places.”

employees from across the globe, and served on com-

Nolan has only bolstered her international credentials

mittees on mental health and sustainable development.

since arriving at Seton Hall as a psychology professor

Though the latter role was not her specialty, Nolan gave

in 1999. She’s spent two yearlong sabbaticals working

herself a crash course on sustainability, and before her

with non-governmental organizations and universities in

term was done she helped coordinate a panel discussion

Bosnia and Herzegovina, five years as an NGO represen-

titled “Consumption and the Rights of Mother Earth.”

tative to the United Nations, and a year advising a global

“The misconception about psychology was that

human-rights group. She also created Seton Hall’s first

it’s all about clinical psychology, but there’s so much

course in International Psychology.

research outside of that,” Nolan says. “There’s the whole

Meanwhile, Nolan has published scores of articles

field of environmental psychology that looks at human

and chapters as well as co-authored two textbooks. In

decision-making and how we can change decisions

2014 she received the Albert B. Hakim Faculty Service

and behaviors related to the environment.”

Medal for her work in helping to shepherd Seton Hall through a reaccreditation process.

“She is somebody who bridges the idea of conducting

Nolan returned to Bosnia for her second sabbatical in 2015-16 as a Fulbright scholar. Working from the University of Banja Luka, she studied the Bologna

research and bringing it into the classroom,” says

Process, which seeks to impose a system of college-

psychology professor Andrew Simon, with whom Nolan

level standards across Europe, and its impact on

has collaborated. “This is really a valuable contribution

teaching psychology in higher education.

that Susan makes.”

During her first sabbatical in 2005-06, in Bosnia,

During a term with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Nolan was an on-call scientist

Nolan consulted with NGOs conducting research

for the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law.

projects, training their members in public opinion

She helped the center develop surveys of civil society

research and data analysis. Among them were groups

groups in Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.

focused on women’s rights and election-related

Nolan’s international experience has shaped her

issues and an activist youth group interested in local

approach to teaching and her research back at Seton

politics. Nolan connected with the groups through the

Hall. Her work on the Bologna Process has led to

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

a book proposal on assessment in higher education,

She also worked with a dozen determined highPhoto by Erin Patrice O’Brien

|

school students who countered several overdose deaths

now under review by a publisher.

“I’m now much more aware of the research that

among their classmates by conducting a survey on

psychologists miss,” Nolan says, “if we are not explicit

substance-abuse problems in their community.

in seeking out work by international colleagues and on

With Nolan’s help, the group randomly selected 50

international topics.” n

students from each school to take part in the survey, analyzed the data, and then disseminated it, also

Christopher Hann is a freelance writer and editor in New Jersey.

13 13

P ROFIL E |

C A S S A N D R A W I L LYA R D

Medicine WITHOUT BORDERS DR. ARTHUR AMMANN ’62 WON’T REST UNTIL PATIENTS RECEIVE ACCESS TO LIFE-SAVING AIDS TREATMENTS — NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE.

I

n 1983, Dr. Arthur Ammann ’62 embarked on a strange late-night road trip. One of his young

ogist for an autopsy. So Ammann packed a cooler with

patients had died, and he suspected the 4-year-old

dry ice, got in his car, and drove 35 miles from San Fran-

might have had a new condition called AIDS. If he

cisco to Sonoma County to find his patient’s remains.

was right, the pediatrician and his colleagues would

Growing up the son of working-class German

need blood and tissue samples to work out how a

immigrants in Brooklyn, Ammann never expected

disease that seemed to mostly affect gay men had

to find himself at the front lines of a burgeoning

come to afflict a child.

1 14

But the child’s body had already been sent to a pathol-

epidemic. He wasn’t even sure he would get into medical

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

SPRING 2018

school. His acceptance to Seton Hall’s College of Medi-

Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University,

cine and Dentistry (which was later absorbed into what

which opens in July.

became the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New

But researchers began to make headway. They iden-

Jersey) still seems hard for him to fathom decades later.

tified the virus that causes AIDS and found a drug that

“Enthusiastic, very focused professors gave this kid from

seemed to block its activity. They also found a drug that

Brooklyn an opportunity to do research,” he says. “That

curbed transmission from mother to child. “By 1996 we

was unbelievable.”

had 30 different treatments,” Ammann says. “It was an

At Seton Hall, Ammann grew interested in immunology, a relatively young field that seemed ripe with possibility for new discoveries. In 1971, he accepted a position at the

extraordinarily exciting time and discoveries were just being made continuously.”

Ammann soon realized, however, that great discover-

University of California, San Francisco Medical Center,

ies aren’t enough — they have to reach the people who

and wanting to study children with rare genetic immune

need them, and he is among those who have been fighting

disorders, he set up the first immunology lab in the

to make that happen. In 1999, Ammann founded Global

northern part of the state.

Strategies for HIV Prevention (now Global Strategies),

Soon after, Ammann and his colleagues ran a series

an organization that supplies HIV testing and drugs to

of pivotal clinical trials that led to the 1976 approval of

prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to their

the pneumococcal vaccine, a shot that protects against

children, along with many other health services. The

bacterial pneumonia and meningitis. Since that time,

organization has done a lot of good, but to Ammann it

the vaccine has saved millions of lives.

never feels like enough.

But Ammann set that work aside after the AIDS

In September 2017, Ammann came back to Seton Hall

epidemic hit. When gay men began to fall ill in San

to discuss his new book, Lethal Decisions: The Unnec-

Francisco with what looked like an immune disorder,

essary Deaths of Women and Children from HIV/AIDS,

physicians turned to Ammann. “We were the only

which addresses many of these issues. He also met with

laboratory in Northern California that had the ability

pre-med students, whom he hopes will eventually take

to look at the immune system and define it as either

up the fight for justice and equality in health care. He

normal or abnormal,” he says.

wants them to know that they can make a difference.

Doctors soon realized the illness wasn’t confined to gay men. In 1982, Ammann met two children who also

That might sound trite, he says, but it’s true.

Stanton also is committed to making sure that hap-

seemed to have this mysterious new syndrome. The first

pens, saying the new school of medicine will have a laser

was the toddler who inspired Ammann’s late-night trip

focus on reducing disparities in health care so that every-

to Sonoma County. The other was a 2-year-old boy who

one can enjoy good health regardless of race or income.

had received more than 20 blood transfusions. One of

Ammann, who will turn 82 this year, doesn’t see

those transfusions came from a donor who later devel-

himself slowing down anytime soon. On a recent trip to

oped AIDS. “We felt it had to be an infectious disease,”

Africa, he met a group of women with HIV. “If you listen

he says. “We had a very uneasy feeling that this was

to their medical histories it sounds like you’re 20 years

going to be big.”

back in the AIDS epidemic,” he says. “They’re being

They were right. By 1991, about 180,000 Americans were living with AIDS, and many of those patients were Photo by Jason Doiy

|

neglected because of who they are.”

As long as this kind of inequality persists, Ammann

children. “I can’t describe to you what pediatric hospital

can’t imagine stopping. “I’m going to keep on battling,”

wards looked like in that period. They were filled with

he says. n

infants and young children who were dying of the disease,” says Dr. Bonita Stanton, dean of the Hackensack

Cassandra Willyard is a freelance writer in Madison, Wis.

15

P ROFIL E |

BOB GILBERTHANN

OUT IN FRONT WITH HIS SUPPORT OF THE UNIVERSITY — THROUGH DONATIONS AND VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP — JAMES MALGIERI ’82 HOPES TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

J

ames Malgieri ’82 seems destined to have

“If you believe Seton Hall made a difference in your life,

attended Seton Hall. When he applied, his sister

why wouldn’t you want to do that as well? The value

Mary ’80 was already a student, along with his

of a Seton Hall education has been immeasurable for so

future brother-in-law, Stephen Kelleher ’81, who

many alumni. I was fortunate that becoming an adult

would become a good friend. And 12 of his high-school

happened at the same time as my Seton Hall graduation.

classmates were about to become Pirates. The clincher,

That’s not a coincidence.”

though, came from his mother. “You can go anywhere you want,” Malgieri recalls her saying. “But if you don’t

else can make their dreams come true,” Vicki Malgieri

go to Seton Hall, we’re not paying for it.”

adds. The couple intends to expand their endowed

Malgieri, who went on to an accomplished career on Wall Street, laughs at the memory. Even then he understood that an excellent education would open the door to

scholarship, which currently totals $200,000, opening the door to a Seton Hall education to still more students.

The scholarship’s first recipient was Andrew Paparelli

success — and that Seton Hall could do that for him. At

’17, an accounting major who is now a financial analyst

his first job interview at Morgan Stanley, he was quizzed

at Ethicon, the medical device division of Johnson &

on the Federal Reserve’s use of monetary policy to adjust

Johnson in Somerville, New Jersey. Paparelli met Jim

interest rates. His crisp answers to the tough questions

at the 2017 Stillman School of Business scholarship

came, he says, “right out of my Money and Banking

breakfast, and says his benefactor “took the time to get to

class.” He got the job.

know me. He really cared about people getting through

Sharing that kind of knowledge with students in financial need was the impetus for the James ’82 and Victoria Malgieri Endowed Scholarship, which the couple established to provide “direct impact that can affect lives.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Jim explains while encouraging other alumni to become benefactors:

16

“We want to leave a legacy behind so that somebody

school. He wanted to know that the funds were going to someone who deserved it.”

The scholarship will help pay Paparelli’s student loans, which are a challenge for most college students today.

Since then, Malgieri Scholarship awards have gone to four other Stillman students: Catherine Gbogi, a management major, and Laura Colantonio, Andres

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

LEAVING A LEGACY James ’82 and Victoria Malgieri have endowed a scholarship for Stillman School of Business students in need.

Torres, and Adara Gonzalez, all marketing majors. Each

“As students, we gained business knowledge and the

was awarded $1,200, with the input of Stillman Dean

skills we needed to move forward in our careers. There

Joyce Strawser.

are many fine business schools, but Seton Hall is unique.

Jim’s volunteer leadership at Seton Hall has grown

It imparts practical knowledge along with a commitment

along with his philanthropy. Today, he is a member of the

to service and ethics based in traditional Catholic values.

President’s Advisory Group, the recipient of a 2017 Many

“Creating this scholarship is one of the most important

Are One service award from Stillman and a member of

things Vicki and I have ever done. We’ve been blessed as

the school’s visioning group. He also serves as an adviser

a family. I have had a wonderful career. Seton Hall has

to Stillman’s dean.

played a major role in my life, and I am grateful for the

Photo by Darren Miles

One of his most rewarding experiences is the dinner

opportunity to help shape its future. Knowing we can

he hosts each year for a small group of Stillman students.

leave a legacy that will help affect the course of students’

Their “thirst for practical knowledge is boundless,”

lives is an inspiration for Vicki and me. It’s my greatest

he says. “Any contact I have with Seton Hall students is

hope that making this commitment will inspire many of

particularly inspiring and rewarding.”

my fellow alumni to leave a legacy, too.” n

As Jim reflects on his own time at Seton Hall, he sees the University as more than an educational institution.

Bob Gilbert is a freelance writer based in Connecticut.

17

WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES…

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SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

Trauma surgeon Christopher Fisher ’93 and his team treated more than 200 victims in the aftermath of the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas.

By Molly Petrilla

L

ast October, when Ryan Mulvaney ’96/J.D. ’02 heard that someone had opened fire at a music festival in Las Vegas, he immediately thought of his friend Dr. Christopher Fisher ’93.

Fisher lives and works in Las Vegas,

and Mulvaney could picture him and his wife, Misty, checking out that country music festival. Had they been in the crowd?

Mulvaney texted Fisher. He texted him again. He called. His friend didn’t respond to any of it.

“Then I started to get nervous,” he says.

Where was Fisher? What if something had happened to him?

Fisher is one of Mulvaney’s best friends and has been since their fraternity days at Seton Hall. Mulvaney had been in Fisher’s wedding in 2016, and Fisher had a new baby at home. He had to reach him.

Finally Mulvaney got in touch with Misty, who told him that her husband had pulled on his scrubs and

Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center

rushed to the hospital where he worked, and where shooting victims were arriving not only in ambulances, but by the carload.

“Once I knew he was safe and at that hospital, I felt comforted by it,” Mulvaney says. “I knew that in the midst of horror, he would make people OK — either by saving their lives or doing everything in his power to save them.”

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MOLLY PETRILLA

A

s the medical director of trauma services at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, Fisher is used to chaotic shifts and

life-or-death decisions. But no other night in the ER could have prepared him for October 1, 2017, when he

what he wanted to do when he arrived at Seton Hall in 1989. “I only went into biology because

I liked it and I liked the sciences,” he says.

Mulvaney was three years behind Fisher in school and

led a team of surgeons, physicians and nurses in treating

a fellow member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. Mulvaney

more than 200 victims of the deadliest mass shooting

was also one of very few students who had a computer

in the country’s history.

in his room. (At that time, only one in every four or five

For Fisher, the unforgettable night started around 9:30 p.m., when one of his partners at the hospital texted him about a mass casualty incident.

“We get a lot of alerts that usually end up being false

U.S. households owned one.)

Fisher had gravitated toward the study of biology by then and was targeting medical school. “He was not somebody you’d see at fraternity parties or the bars

alarms or a lot of minor injuries,” he says. “But I thought,

around town,” Mulvaney says. “More often than not, he

I’ll just throw on my scrubs and get ready anyway. Then

was in my room, at my computer, working on his home-

my pager started going off with the first gunshot wounds.”

work. It wasn’t that he was antisocial. It’s that even at

He got to the hospital about 20 minutes after the first victims had started to arrive. “There were nurses

a young age, he was focused on five years down the road.”

When his friends got into a jam, Fisher was the

running gurneys out to the ambulance waiting area

one who helped them. If someone got hurt during a flag

to bring patients in, and the ER was just overflowing,”

football game, he took them to the medical center in

he says. “We have white floors, and those floors were

East Orange. “If your car broke down, who are you

pink that night because there was so much blood.”

gonna call?” Mulvaney says. “Chris. You’d want Chris.”

He says that on a typical day, Sunrise Hospital

After Seton Hall, Fisher continued on to medical

may receive 20 trauma patients. That night, of the 851

school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of

people injured in the shooting, more than 200 came to

New Jersey. During clinical rotations, he discovered

Sunrise — 120 of them with gunshot wounds. (Other

that a 12-hour day in surgery seemed to fly by when

injuries occurred from trampling and similar run-ins

compared with a shorter, nine-hour day in medicine.

during the panic.)

When Fisher got to the hospital, he headed straight to

“I liked the immediacy,” he says. “If someone has appendicitis, you take out their appendix and they

the operating room, where a patient was waiting for him

immediately feel better, versus giving someone medicine

on the table. He treated gunshot wounds all through the

and it might take a week before they start getting better.”

night, one surgery after another. By the next morning, he had performed five back-to-back, life-saving surgeries.

“I don’t think I started to process it until three or four

Through his residency at Pasadena’s Huntington Memorial Hospital, he discovered a passion for trauma work in particular. He says there’s an adrenaline element

days later,” he says of that night. “Everybody goes into

to it — and as a fan of fast cars and motorcycle racing,

an automatic mode and you just do what you have to do.

Fisher is into adrenaline.

I don’t think anybody really thought about the gravity of the situation until much later.”

For Fisher, it sank in when he returned home and saw

3 20

L

ike many freshmen in college, Fisher wasn’t sure

“The minute the trauma pager goes off and you’re waiting for the patient to come in, your heart starts pumping and your blood gets going, and it’s just very

his wife and 2-month-old daughter. “I felt so grateful,”

intense,” he says. “It’s funny, because when I’m away

he says, “that I was able to come home to them and that

from work, I don’t want any stress. But I guess at work

they were OK.”

I kind of seek it out.”

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

For Fisher, the unforgettable night started around 9:30 p.m., when one of his partners at the hospital texted him about a mass casualty incident.

I

n 2005, Fisher helped develop Sunrise Hospital into

warmth, but she says Fisher is the opposite: calm, easy-

a trauma center — a designation that requires 24/7

going and deeply connected to the people he treats.

coverage in medical subspecialties and round-the-

She says his level-headed leadership was essential the

clock surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses who are

night of the Las Vegas shooting. “And at the end, when

dedicated solely to trauma work. Sheri Stucke, a nurse

everything was over and [our team] sat down and talked

practitioner, joined the Sunrise trauma team a few

about things, he made sure everybody was OK,” she says.

months after Fisher arrived and they’ve worked together

“If anybody needed to talk, he was there for them.”

ever since.

“Our group is almost like a family,” she says, “and he’s the one who watches out for everybody.”

Just as Mulvaney looked up to Fisher during their time at Seton Hall and still relies on him for guidance in both his career and personal life, Stucke says other

Fisher credits his Catholic faith, strengthened during his time at Seton Hall, with helping him through the night of the shooting and other difficult times. He says the strong sense of compassion that’s woven into campus life stuck with him, too.

“Your faith is something that you can really lean

trauma surgeons at Sunrise respect Fisher and approach

on to help you make sense of things and provide some

him for advice.

comfort,” he adds. “Whether you pray to get some

“And it’s not just our group,” she adds. “Orthopedic

understanding, pray to do the best job that you can, or

surgeons, neurosurgeons, cardiovascular surgeons —

take comfort from your religion to get over the trauma

they all go to him if there are problems or issues because

of something like this — I think it’s helped me in all of

they know he will look into it and solve it.”

those ways.” n

Stucke notes that surgeons sometimes have a reputation for being temperamental or lacking in bedside

Molly Petrilla is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.

21 4

A FIRST Father Matthew Pawlikowski, M.D.M. ’98 is the first Catholic priest to serve as the senior chaplain at West Point.

22 1

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

THE FEW. THE PROUD. Catholic Military Chaplains. ★★★

Though Catholic priests are underrepresented as chaplains in the U.S. military, priests with Seton Hall connections have made an outsized impact in their service of fellow servicemen and women. By Kevin Coyne

T

he letters are tattooed in five vertical

brag about those guys. That’s our history; that’s our story

lines down Father Matthew Pawlikow-

and they’re heroic stories. People listen to stories.”

ski’s right tricep, as orderly as soldiers in formation. They spell out the last

Father Pawlikowski has told these stories in Afghanistan,

names and death dates of five wartime

Germany, Egypt and on Army bases across the United

priests who gave their lives for others:

States. Now a colonel, he tells the tales at West Point,

Kolbe, Washington, Kapaun, Capodanno and Watters.

Four of the priests were, like Pawlikowski, M.D.M.’98,

U.S. military chaplains. Three of them — Emil Kapaun,

Photos by Erin Patrice O’Brien

Since becoming an active-duty Army chaplain in 2000,

where he is the first Catholic priest to serve as the senior chaplain at the U.S. Military Academy.

Outside his office hang the portraits of a long line of

Vincent Capodanno and Charles J. Watters ’49 —

Protestant ministers who preceded him. Inside the office

received the Medal of Honor. Two — Watters and John P.

hang photos of the chaplains whose names he has made

Washington ’31 — had Seton Hall ties, like Pawlikowski.

a part of his own body, and on the windowsill is a photo

The fifth, Saint Maximilian Kolbe, was a Polish priest

of his tattooed arm next to Father Watters’s gravestone at

imprisoned during World War II who took the place of

Arlington National Cemetery. On his desk is his breviary

a stranger marked for death at Auschwitz.

with a photo on its cover of a priest-chaplain friend

“These are heroes of mine,” says Father Pawlikowski, who got the tattoo while stationed at Fort Bragg in 2010.

Before that, he carried a dog tag honoring his heroes. “I

praying over a bloodied Marine in Iraq.

“Here’s an American doing a job most of us would rather not do, and are not willing to do, but that needs

23 2

FE ATU R E |

KEVIN COYNENN

to be done. And he puts his life on the line, and he gets

ther Washington, Father Watters and the long line of Seton

himself hurt,” Father Pawlikowski says, pointing to

Hall priests who have served both God and country in the

the Marine in the photo. “He’s entitled to the ministry

military. “That’s a pretty impressive pedigree,” he says.

of the Church, and so we have to be there.”

Father Pawlikowski, 53, knows about doing both

★ ★ ★

those jobs, because he was a West Point graduate, Army Ranger, paratrooper and infantry officer before

FATHER PAWLIKOWSKI first considered the priest-

he became a priest.

hood as a seventh-grader at Immaculate Conception

“I think soldiers and service members tend to have a little more oomph than other people, no matter

School in Secaucus, New Jersey.

During Army Ranger training, he found himself

what it is. So if they’re living their faith life, they’re

leading his squad in prayer each morning. “‘Help us

living it well. And if they’re sinning, they’re sinning

to serve one another’ — that was our prayer,” he says.

with gusto,” he says. “But honestly, I see that as a virtue.

“The last 10 days of Ranger school, this is one time

They have a zest for life. So I love serving soldiers,

God spoke to me with absolute clarity. God said, ‘Yes,

and I’m not at all bothered by their coarseness or their

I want you to be a priest.’”

rough edges. I don’t think Jesus was bothered by people’s rough edges.”

After six years as an infantry officer, Father Pawlikowski arrived at Immaculate Conception Seminary. “My first

Father Pawlikowski switched to the Army Reserves in

day at Seton Hall, I walked over to the ROTC detachment

order to study for the priesthood at Immaculate Concep-

and said, ‘Hey, how would you like an unofficial chaplain

tion Seminary at Seton Hall, where he learned about Fa-

for the next couple of years?’” he says. He often talked to

★★★

“I brag about those guys.

That’s our history; that’s our story and they’re heroic stories. People listen to stories.” ★★★

3 24

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

the cadets about Father Watters, after whom that ROTC de-

later, people were talking about me as the priest who

tachment was named. “There was a little monument to him

advanced the wider use of the sacrament of the anointing

on the grounds, overgrown by bushes. We moved it, put it

of the sick.”

in a more prominent spot, put a light on it, and read his Medal of Honor citation. It moves you to tears every time.”

Ordained in 1997, Father Pawlikowski was a civilian priest for three years, as required by both the archdiocese

What people were talking about recently was a photo of Father Pawlikowski kneeling in his dress uniform behind the bench at the 2016 Army-Navy football game.

“I pray the rosary at every football game, but this was

and the military, serving at Saint Thomas the Apostle in

Army-Navy, so I planned to pray all four mysteries, one

Bloomfield, New Jersey, before returning to active duty.

per quarter, basically,” he says. Time was short in the

He worked as a chaplain at West Point from 2007-09

fourth quarter and Navy was ahead. “It was pretty tight,

before returning to the military academy in 2015 as the

so I said, ‘Well, maybe I should pray like I mean it,’ and

senior chaplain.

I got on my knees. I do want Army to win, and I certainly

Ministering to soldiers and their families has widened

tell God that, but what I’m supposed to do is pray the

his view as a priest — he began to offer the sacrament

rosary. I shut my eyes and I could hear cheers, but I was

of the anointing of the sick to those whose hurt was

trying not to focus on that. My job was to pray the rosary.”

mostly hidden. “We have soldiers coming back and they

The cheers Father Pawlikowski could hear as he prayed

have PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder],” says Father

were inspired by the touchdown that gave Army the lead

Pawlikowski. “They have these wounds that are not

in the game — and their first win over Navy in 15 years.

physical wounds, but they’re real wounds, and they’re in need of healing. I would like it if when I die, 30 years

Read about more Seton Hall chaplains on pages 26-27.

★★★

Since becoming an active-duty Army chaplain in 2000, Father Pawlikowski has told these heroes’ stories in Afghanistan, Germany, Egypt and on Army bases across the United States. ★★★

25 4

★★★ BAND OF BROTHERS Here are the stories of a few other military chaplains with Seton Hall connections (in addition to Father Pawlikowski and Father James Hamel ’88/M.D.M. ’92/M.A.T. ’99, who was featured in our Fall 2007 issue), who exemplify modern-day priestly service in the military.

★★★

The North Atlantic, 1943 Just before 1 a.m. on February 3, 1943, the Dorchester, a passenger liner pressed into service as a troop carrier, was steaming toward an American base in Greenland.

Among the 900 men on board was Father John Patrick Washington ’31, a graduate of Seton Hall College and the Immaculate Conception Seminary. Father Washington was a young parish priest when Pearl Harbor was attacked, but soon after enlisted in the military and became a chaplain.

That night from a German U-boat prowling the Atlantic a torpedo hit the Dorchester midship, and frigid water poured in.

As it sank, the Dorchester listed at such a steep

Vietnam, 1967 On November 19, 1967, near Dak To, Vietnam, paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade advanced on Hill 975, which they thought had been cleared of the enemy.

It had not. Among the men heading into this ambush was a priest whose 12-month tour had ended in July, but who had signed on for six months more: Father Charles J. Watters. He carried no weapon but his faith.

After graduating from Seton Hall and Immaculate Conception Seminary, Father Watters ’49 worked as a chaplain in the Air National Guard while serving as a parish priest in the Archdiocese of Newark. He joined the Army as a chaplain in 1964.

Known for staying close to combat, Father Watters tended to the wounded and gave Last Rites to those slipping beyond medics’ help. “Without hesitation and ignoring attempts to restrain him, Chaplain Watters left the perimeter three times in the face of small arms, automatic weapons and mortar fire to carry and to assist the injured troopers to safety,” Father Watters’s Medal of Honor citation reads. “When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Watters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety.”

Chaplain Watters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded.

angle that many of its lifeboats could not be launched.

★ ★ ★

Amid the chaos, Father Washington, a rabbi, and two Protestant ministers calmly handed out life jackets.

When none were left, the chaplains took off their own

The Pentagon, 2001

and gave them to four young soldiers.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Father Frank

Some of the 230 men who survived caught a final glimpse of the chaplains, arms linked, praying together

of Washington, D.C., the nearest Catholic chaplain when

as the ship slipped into the sea. The four men, symbols

terrorists sent American Airlines Flight 77 crashing into

of wartime solidarity and sacrifice, were posthumous-

the Pentagon.

ly awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Congress

“People were absolutely shell-shocked,” he says. “In

attempted to award them the Medal of Honor, but the

times of crisis everybody needs prayer, and people found

conditions of the incident prohibited it. Instead they

in prayer — you could see it in their faces — tremendous

were awarded a Special Medal for Heroism.

comfort.”

★ ★ ★ 26 5

O’Grady, M.D.M. ’81 was working at Fort Belvoir south

Father O’Grady stayed at the Pentagon for five nights.

He and the Protestant chaplain serving with him soon

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

settled into a grim routine. “The young soldiers who were

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SPRING 2018

Father O’Grady, 72, retired as a lieutenant colonel in

the casualty team would go in to bring out the remains,

January, the oldest chaplain in the Army. His departure

and we would go in with them. It was pitiful to see. Their

diminished the already thin ranks of Catholic chaplains

hands were burnt to the computer, some of them,” says

— currently there are just 84 out of 1,200 Army chaplains.

Father O’Grady, who received an Army Commendation Medal. “They would carry out the remains, and we would pray over them. It was all done at night so that nobody would be around.”

★ ★ ★

Portland, Maine, 2018

Father O’Grady was serving at Our Lady of Pompeii

“One thing we’ve got plenty of is Protestant chaplains,”

in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1987 when a worshiper asked

says Father Peter Uhde ’78, M.D.M. ’80 who retired last

him to say Mass for an Army Reserve unit in nearby

year after 40 years of military service, the last 17 as

Lodi. By 1994, at the age of 49, Father O’Grady became

an active-duty Army chaplain. He joined the Air Force

an active-duty Army chaplain, serving in South Korea,

Reserve as a seminarian, having spotted a recruiting

Germany and several bases in the U.S.

poster in the mailroom. From 2010 to 2012, his job was

Since 2011, he has been making rounds at Walter Reed

to recruit other chaplains. “You go any place you might

Medical Center. “Many, of course, their faith is pretty weak,

be able to find a priest,” he says, “and quite honestly,

as you can imagine,” Father O’Grady says of the wounded

not just priests, but rabbis and imams. I was recruiting

soldiers he sees. “I try to give them a sense of hope.”

for clergy, who were desperately needed.” n

“You go in with a smile on your face and you sit down by their bed. And then, if they want to talk, you ask them

Do you know of other Seton Hall military chaplains?

where they’re from. Many of them won’t want to talk

Share their story with us at shuwriter@shu.edu. Find

about their previous assignment; so we don’t bring that

Father Hamel’s story at blogs.shu.edu/magazine

up. You end up asking, ’Would you like to pray? Would you like a prayer?’ Whatever they want — it’s all about them.”

Kevin Coyne is a freelance writer based in New Jersey.

27 6

SPO R T S |

SHAWN FURY

Star Student

F

or anyone seeking the ideal student-athlete —

ethic,” Landes did her best. She was among the Pirates’

someone who excels in sports, the classroom and

leaders in minutes played each of her final two seasons,

the community — it’s difficult to find a better

and her efforts in both the midfield and the back

example than Katie Landes ’17.

helped the team to achieve seven shutouts during her

Now a graduate student in diplomacy and interna-

tional relations, as an undergrad Landes performed

three seasons as a starter.

Logging so many minutes and playing in the BIG

well as captain of the women’s soccer team and was a

EAST, one of the best conferences in the country, helped

superstar away from it. In addition to graduating with

give Landes great perspective. She appreciated knowing

a perfect 4.0 GPA, the history major who also pursued

“I’m playing against some of the best competition in

a minor in Spanish participated in the Student Athletic

the country, playing against girls who are nationally

Advisory Committee and Seton Hall’s Leadership

ranked players. That drives me as a player.”

Academy, and worked with One Love, a foundation that combats violence in relationships.

In the words of her history professor Sara Fieldston, “Katie is a rare gem.”

The Stony Point, New York, native lived in the Netherlands with her family from the age of 9 months to 5 years old, and always loved learning about the world around her. Both of her parents, Gary and Suzy Landes, work for

“I was lucky enough to grow up in a house that was very accepting, and we’re all very curious about different cultures.”

the United Nations.

“I was lucky enough to grow up in a house that was very accepting, and we’re all very curious about different cultures,” says Landes, who has four older siblings.

helped make her a standout in her major. She always

“We don’t have typical dining room conversations in our

enjoyed history and “in college that only grew. I learned

family. … They’re not diplomats, but that’s what gave

things I never learned in a generic history class before,

me an exposure in this field and they’ve been helpful in

and I love learning about new things, new people,

guiding me along with it.”

experiencing new things, and seeing how history has

Landes was the top student in her class at North Rockland High School and a star soccer player, leading

really explained who we are.”

Professor Fieldston — who taught Landes in the

her team to the state title game. Her academic and

history of New York City and in a class about America

athletic prowess led her to Seton Hall, where she

since 1945 — says that in addition to her enthusiasm and

developed into a starter and, ultimately, became the

preparation, Landes “always did the reading and was

team captain.

able to engage with it in a really meaningful way. She’s

As someone who “tried to lead with a great work

28

As a student, she is driven by a love of the past, which

also a really strong writer.”

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

For a long time, Landes believed she would become a Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics

lawyer, but the wide-open possibilities offered from a graduate degree in international relations and diplomacy

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SPRING 2018

reading, digesting the words on the page and synthesizing them in my own words.”

She doesn’t know where in the world those skills

attracted her to that specialty. Landes hopes to land an

will take her. “Frankly, whatever she puts her mind to

overseas internship in Geneva or The Hague, and says

she’ll be good at,” Fieldston says. “Whatever career

she eventually might follow her parents to the United

she chooses, she’s going to do really well, because of

Nations. But she’s also looking at a possible internship

who she is.” n

as an analyst with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, noting, “Analysis is one of my strong points. I love

Shawn Fury is an author in New York City.

29

SPO R T S |

SHAWN FURY

“Everything he gets involved with he takes seriously. He doesn’t take anything for granted and he appreciates everything.”

30

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

Be Like Mike

M

ichael Nzei grew up in Nigeria, moving

ballgame,” Nzei says of adjusting to the sport, “but

to the United States in 2012, just three

everything carries over — strength, agility, change of

years after starting to play basketball. In

balance, the footwork.”

less than a decade, Nzei has transformed

List, has been a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic

contributor in the Seton Hall men’s basketball program

team, and was named to the National Association

on a strong BIG EAST team.

of Basketball Coaches Honors Court. He also serves on

An academic redshirt when he arrived at Seton Hall,

the student-athlete advisory committee, which discusses

Nzei took some time to adjust to college life after attend-

student-athlete welfare and NCAA legislation while

ing Our Savior New American High School in New York.

promoting school spirit and community involvement.

But over time, he has turned himself into a standout

He also tutors other students. “Everything he gets

student-athlete and, perhaps more impressively, into a

involved with he takes seriously,” Sasso says. “He doesn’t

face of the school.

take anything for granted and he appreciates everything.”

As part of the Seton Hall Blue Crew, Nzei leads

This summer, Nzei will spend three months as an

tours for prospective students. Roberto Sasso, associate

intern with the financial-services company Cantor

athletics director for student-athlete development and

Fitzgerald, where he’ll learn everything from market

leadership, works near the coaches’ offices, and says

analysis to sales to trades. Nzei thought he did well

when they bring recruits and parents to campus, “You

during a two-hour interview with the Cantor people,

kind of hope that Mike walks by on those visits so you

but didn’t expect to hear about the position for a week.

can stop him and say [to the recruits], ‘Hey, this is a guy

Instead they were on the phone later that day telling

that I want you to be like by the time you’re a senior.’

him they wanted him.

He’s such a great ambassador for the University that

Photo courtesy of Seton Hall Athletics

An economics major, Nzei is consistently on the Dean’s

himself from a soccer-playing kid to a standout

Nzei misses Nigeria, where his family still lives, but

you want to introduce him. Because you know if these

he focuses on his life now and what’s ahead. He works

student-athletes can turn out like Mike, not only will

with a host family who serve as missionaries, talking

you have great people, the teams are going to win, too;

with kids in poverty, teaching them about basketball,

that’s the type of guy you want on your team.”

and telling them about his life story.

For the Pirates, the 6-foot-8 Nzei brings energy and

He says he may someday return to Nigeria to help

rebounding skills to the court and a willingness, he says,

his homeland with what he’s learned at Seton Hall and

“to fit in where I’m needed and where I can help the team.

in the States.

I’m just a gamer.” That doesn’t always involve scoring a

“If I said I didn’t miss it, that would be a lie,” Nzei

lot of points, but when Nzei does shoot he makes it count,

says. “But if you keep looking back, it’s going to hold

converting roughly 60 percent of his shots from the floor.

you back.” n

It’s an impressive career for a player who spent his childhood kicking a ball, not shooting it. “It’s a different

Shawn Fury is an author in New York City.

31

NE WS & N OTE S

alumni

50s

The Cannata Report, founded by Frank Cannata ’55, held its 32nd Annual Awards & Charities Dinner in November, surpassing $2 million raised for charities nationwide since its inception, with more than $500,000 raised over the years for Hackensack University Medical Center. … Thomas J. McKeown ’55 wrote Londonderry Farewell: An Untold Story about his experiences working to close a U.S. Naval base in Northern Ireland … Gerald W. Tamburro ’58 was elected mayor of Monroe Township, N.J.

60s

Diane Sawyer, M.A. ’65 received two first place gold medal awards for her novel The Tell-Tale Treasure from the Florida Authors and Publishers Association. … Father Anthony Borka ’66/M.D.M. ’75 joined the American Old Catholic Church after suffering a stroke and remains active celebrating Mass at a nursing home every Sunday. … Richard J. Fafara ’66 gave the 2017 Etienne Gilson Lecture of Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. … David P. Ferguson ’67 published Chasing the Stars: The Amazing Life of William Wallace Campbell, recounting Campbell’s 40-year directorship at the Lick Observatory and his presidency at UC Berkeley and National Academy of Science. … Dr. Philip Caropreso ’68 was named second vice president-elect of The American College of Surgeons. … Robert V. Paschon, J.D. ’68 led the Ocean County, N.J., Veterans Day Parade in November.

70s

Louis LaSalle, M.B.A. ’71 was honored with the NJBIZ 2017 ICON Honors Award, which recognizes New Jersey business leaders more than 60 years old. …

Johanna S. Ruberto ’71/Ed.D. ’03 was named interim superintendent of the Flemington-Raritan (N.J.) School District. … Donald DiPette ’73 was named president of the Southern Medical 32

Association. … Bruce Schonbraun, M.B.A. ’73 was named chairman of Saint Barnabas Medical Center Board of Trustees. … Phyllis Sisco ’73 and Joe Sisco M.A. ’97 celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in January. … Ellen O. Tauscher ’74 was appointed to the board of directors of BAE Systems Inc., an international defense, aerospace and security company. … E. Betty Levin, M.A. ’75 published a memoir, Becoming Betty and is a practicing psychotherapist at age 91. … Allen Galorenzo ’77 is the managing partner of the executive recruiting firm Foster Mckay; he and his wife, Joann, recently welcomed their first grandchild, Lyla Danielle. … Joseph C. Bondi ’78/M.B.A. ’85 is the new president of Family Service Association’s board of directors. … Louise A. Kelleher ’78 joined the insurance practice of Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial. … Geraldine Peten, M.A.E. ’79 was appointed to the Arizona House of Representatives to fill a vacancy.

80s

Douglas B. Johnson, J.D. ’80 was named a Lifetime Achiever by Marquis Who’s Who, a publisher of biographical profiles. … Bob Leszczak ’81 will be releasing his 10th book, Single Season Sitcoms of the 1990s: A Complete Guide, and an upcoming independent film, The Price for Silence. … Jamelle Hoskins-Nnakwe ’81/M.A.E. ’88 wrote a bilingual Spanish/English children’s book, I Can Speak Two Languages. …

Rosalyn Waters-Maxwell, M.A.E. ’81 was acknowledged by the Greenville Neighborhood Alliance in Jersey City, N.J., with a certificate of achievement.

She also received a citation from the New Jersey General Assembly and the Jersey City, N.J., council. … Joseph Macdonell ’81 is president of the East Coast Hockey League team Rapid City Rush, affiliated with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. … Susan (Sisko) Pasake ’82 retired after 35 years of teaching in New Jersey. … Joseph Sangregorio ’82 was named senior vice president and chief human resources officer at AMRI, a global contract research, development

and manufacturing organization. …

Henrik Tvedt ’84 was named senior vice president of product and delivery channel manager at Lakeland Bank’s Oak Ridge, N.J., location. … Derek Burke ’85 was appointed president and CEO of FSC Securities Corporation. … Catherine Broderick ’85/J.D. ’88, supervising assistant prosecutor of Morris County, N.J., was honored by the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey for Outstanding Advocacy Over a Career.… Laura Lampron ’85/M.B.A. ’90 was named businesswoman of the year by The Sparta (N.J.) Independent. …

Mary Jo Codey, M.A.E. ’86 retired from teaching at Gregory Elementary School in West Orange, N.J. … Kevin O’Toole ’86/J.D. ’89 was appointed chairman of the board of commissioners of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. … Mary E. Clyne ’87/M.S.N. ’93/ Ph.D. ’12 was inducted as a member of the Bloomfield (N.J.) Rotary Club. …

David B. Katz, J.D. ’87 was elected to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges board of directors. … Scott E. Miller ’87/M.B.A. ’91 and Kathleen Harmy Miller ’88 celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Paris and London. … Doreen M. DeMartino ’88 was promoted to chief operations officer for Damco Distribution Services Inc. … Joseph Defeo ’88 joined Avison Young, a real-estate services company. … Andrew J. Dowd ’88 joined Lakeland Bank as vice president of project management. … Steven M. Fusco ’89 was elected vice chairman of Sussex Bank. … Dawn M. Mueller ’89 wrote a journal article, “Market Orientation and Worker Type: Knowledge Workers vs. Talent Workers and Their Influence on the Organization,” and joined IBM as vice president of marketing for the company’s North America Global Business Services.

90s

John A. Johnson ’91 was named chief medical officer of Virginia Premier Health Plan Inc. … David McBride ’91 was named executive director of Thames River Innovation Place in New London,

PROFILE World-Class Citizen Photo by Special Agent Andrew Lu

T

raveling the world has taught Crista Cornavaca, M.A. ’11 that understanding diversity is important everywhere.

She has come a long way since leaving the School of Diplomacy and International Relations with her graduate degree and going to work for the State Department. She has risen from working on international parental child abduction cases to working in the Secretary of State’s office and completing assignments in China and Nicaragua.

She now focuses on inter-agency cooperation, legislative briefings and the preparation of State Department officials representing Middle East issues on Capitol Hill.

“A lot of conflicts come from a lack of understanding or a lack of seeing other people’s perspectives,” Cornavaca says. “Whether it’s a small group of people, or perspectives on foreign policy in international relations, it’s still applicable in both settings.”

Her global outlook was born at Seton Hall.

“Being constantly surrounded by that type of stimulation, of constantly meeting people from all over the world, really gives you an appreciation for diversity and really makes you crave that.”

After working at a few unpaid internships, Cornavaca moved to Washington, D.C., to start her career as a federal contractor in international relations. She eventually became a federal employee, working on children’s issues until moving to the office of Secretary of State John Kerry, where she organized travel arrangements requiring her to travel all over the world.

“Working at the State Department, especially when you’re working overseas, you need to be open to other cultures, languages, point of views and ways of doing things,” she says.

She now is the congressional affairs officer for the Middle East bureau in D.C., handling requests for reports or briefings from Capitol Hill.

Although her schedule is busy, she finds time to mentor students who come to D.C., encouraging them to reach out for advice.

“There are so many ways to get to your final destination, and to think there’s one path that will take you there is a rookie mistake,” she says.

“Follow what drives you and follow your passion.

You’re probably going to end up in a place where you didn’t know you wanted to be, but you’ll probably end up really happy.” | ASHLEY WILSON ’17 33

NE WS & N OTE S

Pirate Babies 1. McKenna (Ronquillo) L. Schray ’13/M.A. ’14 and Francis Schray ’13, a boy, Francis Xavier III, on April 6, 2017.

2. Aanchal Nebhnani ’06 and Banty Patel ’06, a boy, Ace Shea, on May 31, 2017.

3. Daniel Chin ’08 and Jessica Hill-Chin ’11, a girl, Emily Grace, on August 18, 2017.

4. Anna Maria Calka ’14 and Kamil, a boy, Oliver, on January 15, 2017.

5. Brooke Moran ’03 and Michael, a girl, Emilia Sullivan, on March 17, 2017.

1

2

3

4

34

5

SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

Tying the knot 1. Simone Welcome, Ed.D. ’17 to Kent Thompson, M.A. ’12/Ed.D. ’15 on August 12, 2017.

2. Erica Cuoco ’12 to Dominick Scavelli ’12 on July 28, 2017.

3. Shana Reyes ’08 to Andrew Walther on July 28, 2017.

4. Amanda Elisabeth Genabith’12/ M.B.A. ’14 to Thomas B. Kennedy, M.B.A. ’15 on July 15, 2017.

5. Patrice Kubik ’12 to Michael Weeks ’12 on October 15, 2016.

1

2

4

3

5

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alumni

NE WS & N OTE S

36

Conn. … Christopher P. DePhillips, J.D. ’92 was named vice president and general counsel of Porzio Life Sciences LLC. … Hollis A. Heichemer, M.A.E. ’92 presented her exhibition Fullness is Never Excessive at the Dedee Shattuck Gallery in Westport, Mass. … Patricia Sheridan, M.S.T. ’92 was appointed chief financial officer at MedAmerica Properties Inc. …

Elizabeth A. Daly, J.D. ’93 was named North America house counsel manager at Chubb. … William C. Matsikoudis ’93/J.D. ’97 ran for mayor in Jersey City. … Michelle McLaughlin ’93/M.B.A. ’99 was named executive vice president and property manager at Chubb. …

Annmarie Simeone, J.D. ’93 was elected president of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. … Christina B. Duncan, M.A. ’94 was named interim executive director of Milagro House, which provides housing for mothers and children in Lancaster, Pa. ... Gary Patterson ’94/M.P.A. ’98 celebrated his third anniversary of opening the law firm Vigorito, Barker, Parker and Patterson. … Karen Y. Swift ’94 joined the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office as the chief technology officer. … John Bonczek ’95/ M.B.A. ’97 was named president of 1547 Datacenters, a company providing customized data centers. …

Susan D. Hairston, M.P.A. ’95 joined the board of governors of Union County College in Cranford, N.J. … Angela B. Brown, J.D. ’96 was appointed vice president of VCB Financial Group. …

Nataliya Ioshpa ’96 was featured in Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare. …

Muhammad I. Umar, M.S.T. ’96 was named president and CEO of Urban League of Hudson County (N.J.). …

Walter E. Boright, Ed.D. ’97 presented his photo selection View of Historic Kenilworth from the Skies at Kenilworth (N.J.) Historical Society. … Matthew W. Lawrence ’97 was named principal of Mahopac (N.Y.) High School. … Tracy A. Matozzo ’97/M.A.E. ’08 was named first female principal of Haddonfield (N.J.) Middle School. … Paul A. Petruzzi, M.A. ’97 published his first book, How Their Medical Knowledge Shaped the Poetry of Two Physician Poets: John Keats and William Carlos Williams. … Darlene

Rader ’97 was promoted to director of inventory and stations services at CBS Television Network. … Joe Sisco, M.A. ’97 celebrated the 28th anniversary of ordination as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Paterson. … Helen Strus, M.B.A. ’97 became the director of marketing and communications for Metlife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets. … Richard J. Filipow, M.A.E. ’98 serves as a special police officer for Fairfield (N.J.) Public Schools. … Robert Gilmartin Jr., J.D. ’98 joined the New Jersey law firm Tanenbaum Keale as counsel. … Vincent R. Lodato, J.D. ’98 was promoted at Sills Cummis & Gross, a Newark, N.J.-based law firm … Joseph A. Paparo, J.D. ’98 joined the Porzio, Bromberg & Newman law firm as a principal in its real-estate practice group. …

Janine F. Riscica Gribbin ’98 was named Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., supervisor of special education. … Barbara M. Bini Martin, J.D. ’99 and Victoria Flynn, J.D. ’99 opened The Law Office of Flynn Martin LLC. … Father Miroslaw K. Krol, M.A.T. ’99 was named new chancellor for Orchard Lake (Mich.) Schools. …

Elizabeth Shea, J.D. ’99 joined the law firm of Porzio Bromberg & Newman. …

Denise Walsh ’99/J.D. ’02 was hired as assistant general counsel at EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant. … Barbara L. Hadzima, Ed.D. ’99 was appointed secretary of the County College of Morris Trustees.

00s

Randall Koch, M.P.A. ’00 was honored by the Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative of Hackensack, N.J., for his work at the volunteer medical clinic. …

Paul R. Semendinger, Ed.D. ’00 published a motivational book, Impossible is an Illusion, and a children’s book, Principal Sam. … Michael T. Herbert, J.D. ’01 was promoted to sergeant in the Livingston (N.J.) Police Department … Shevelle McPherson, J.D. ’01 was inducted to the National Association of Professional Women’s VIP Professional Woman of the Year circle. … Gladys

Henriquez ’02 launched Anti Bullying Clothing Co. to promote social justice through apparel. … Carla Del Priore ’03/M.A.E. ’05 made her perpetual vows with the Felician Sisters community. … Brian J. Dowd ’03 was promoted to captain of the Parsippany, N.J., Police Department. … Lauren Fraser, J.D. ’03 and Janine Cerra, J.D. ’08 opened the law firm Fraser Cerra in Sparta, N.J. …

Robert A. Fraser, M.A. ’03 was promoted to sergeant in the Sparta Township Police Department. … Ryan Philp, J.D. ’03 joined Hogan Lovells’ New York office as partner. … Coy Rudd, M.S.I.B. ’03 was named senior vice president of surplus lines excess at IAT Insurance Group. … Gregory Floyd, M.A.T. ’04 was named executive vice president of mission at Eva’s Village, a social services organization in Paterson, N.J. … Balpreet K. Grewal-Virk ’04/Ph.D. ’15, an expert in population health at Hackensack Meridian Health, worked on the transition team of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. … Nadine Savino, M.S.J. ’04 invented the G Cap, a stretchable bottle cap for children, which is being sold at Walmart. … Mark A. Socha ’04 was named new director of sales at EM4X, a foreign exchange aggregator. … Nasiba Adilova, M.A. ’05 launched The Tot, a blog and store for parents. … Jennifer DeMaio ’05 joined Premier Plastic Surgery Center of New Jersey as a nurse injector. … Sean R. McGowan, J.D. ’05 joined Bertone Puccini, a Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., law firm. …

Allison L. Quatrini ’05 was hired as an assistant professor of political science and international global affairs at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. … Richard M. Zygadlo, M.B.A. ’05 retired after serving as the commander of Fort Bliss’ General Support Aviation battalion for three years. … Jai Bhatt, J.D. ’06 joined the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys. … Georgianna DiopoulosGrogan Ed.S. ’06 was appointed as principal of Warwick Valley School District Middle School in New Windsor, N.Y. …

Brad T. Jankowski, J.D. ’06 joined the law firm Haile Shaw & Pfaffenberger. … Aaron G. Ilano ’06 was hired as a vascular surgeon at Albert Einstein in

Many Are One

ALUMNI BENEFITS JUNE 8, 2018

In 2018, Seton Hall’s 32nd annual Many Are One alumni awards gala will return to campus to be held in the new Bethany Hall. Join more than 400 fellow members of the Seton Hall community in celebrating the accomplishments of this year’s honorees. Visit www.shu.edu/manyareone for more information.

Don’t Miss Out! Are you taking advantage of all the benefits available to you as a Seton Hall graduate?

Don’t miss out on car rental and insurance discounts, library and career center services, discounts for the Seton Hall University bookstore — and much more! To learn about all of the benefits offered, visit www.shu.edu/alumni.

PIRATE PRESS Do you receive the alumni Pirate Press e-newsletter? Subscribe and receive exclusive discounts on Seton Hall merchandise as well as special promotions. To subscribe, email Alumni Relations at alumni@shu.edu.

ALUMNI CARD Thousands of alumni around the world carry the Seton Hall alumni card. Do you?

On campus and beyond, your alumni card represents your pride in Seton Hall and gives you access to special discounts, contests and promotions.

Get your free card now at www.shu.edu/alumni 37

alumni

NE WS & N OTE S Philadelphia. … Michael A. Ramos, Ed.D. ’06 was named director of campus ministry and chaplaincy at Sacred Heart University. … Larry Szablewski, M.A. ’06 joined Century 21 Worden & Green as a real-estate agent. …

K. Mallory Brennan, J.D. ’07 partnered with Shearman & Sterling LLP. … Adam “Xin” He, M.S. ’07 was named as a new director of iFresh Inc., a Chinese supermarket group. … Robert J. Horowitz ’07 was appointed vice president of corporate development at Evergreen Insurance & Risk Management. … Jon Adler, M.A. ’09 was appointed director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance at the U.S. Department of Justice. … Nancy Elbassiouny, M.A. ’09 was honored by the president of Egypt and the minister of emigration and Egyptian affairs as one of 30 Egyptian female expatriates living all over the world to represent Egyptian expat women. … Laura Maxwell ’09 joined Greenberg Trauring’s West Palm Beach office as an associate.

10s

Nicole Homer, M.A. ’10 published her first full-length poetry collection, Pecking Order. … Benjamin K. Bliven, M.A. ’11 was named police chief of Wausau, Wis. … Laura B. Garrido ’11 was elected to the Nursing Board by the American Health Council. … Tommy Ibrahim, M.H.A. ’11 joined Integris as chief medical officer. … Ricky J. Jewell ’11 and Patricia G. Jewell ’13 celebrated their first year of marriage. … Gary R. La Spisa II ’11 was named assistant vice president for government affairs at the New Jersey Apartment Association. … Kelly Montgomery, M.A.E. ’13 was nominated for 2017-18 New Jersey State Teacher of the Year. … Helen Becz, J.D. ’14 joined Brach Eichler as a health law associate. … Dana Terry, M.A. 14 submitted her master research project to the peer review journal Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism. …

Michael St. John, Ed.D. ’15 returned to Felix Festa Middle School in New York as a school principal. …

Michael Trentin, J.D. ’15 joined Riker Danzig’s Bankruptcy Department as 38

an associate. … Joshua J. Wilkin, Ph.D. ’15 was appointed dean of students at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. … Angelica Halat, J.D. ’16 joined Riker Danzig’s Products Liability Group as an associate. …

Alyssa Musmanno, J.D. ’16 and Amberly N. Beye, J.D. ’17 are new associates at the Day Pitney law firm. … Tiffanie Blackmon-Jones, M.A. ’17 is director of communication at DeSoto Independent School District in Texas. … Richard Kalinowski, J.D. ’17 joined the law firm Zetlin & De Chiara’s New York office. …

Reuel Mebuin, Ph.D. ’17 was elected national president of MACDA-USA, the Mantung Cultural and Development Association. … Nahnsejay Mouwon ’17 and Gabriell Pascarella ’17 attended the United Nations 61st Commission on the Status of Women.

Baby Pirates Daniel Chin ’08 and Jessica Hill-Chin ’11, a girl, Emily Grace, on August 18, 2017.

Anna Maria Calka ’14 and Kamil, a boy, Oliver, on January 15, 2017.

McKenna (Ronquillo) L. Schray ’13/M.A. ’14 and Francis Schray ’13, a boy, Francis Xavier III, on April 6, 2017.

John Lucibello ’01 and Elizabeth, a girl, Kaitlin Mary, on May 12, 2016.

Brooke Moran ’03 and Michael, a girl, Emilia Sullivan, on March 17, 2017.

Vanessa (Musella) Schubring ’04 and Richard Schubring ’03, a girl, Emma Lynn, on July 31, 2016.

Aanchal Nebhnani ’06 and Banty Patel ’06, a boy, Ace Shea, on May 31, 2017.

Weddings Amanda Elisabeth Genabith ’12/M.B.A. ’14 to Thomas B. Kennedy, M.B.A. ’15 on July 15, 2017.

Jennifer Corona ’09 to Jason Krumenaker ’08 on April 22, 2017.

Patrice Kubik ’12 to Michael Weeks ’12 on October 15, 2016.

Simone Welcome, Ed.D. ’17 to Kent Thompson, M.A. ’12/Ed.D. ’15 on August 12, 2017.

Erica Cuoco ’12 to Dominick Scavelli ’12 on July 28, 2017.

Alexis L. Maisonet ’13 to Brandon L. Mobley ’15 on June 24, 2017.

Shana Reyes ’08 to Andrew Walther on July 28, 2017.

Andrea Beth Katz, J.D. ’14 to Marshall Aaron Spevak on September 16, 2017

In Memoriam Joseph V. Derbyshire ’42 Daniel A. Danik ’44/M.D.M. ’48 Lorraine Strollo ’47 John C. Badenhop ’49 William P. Cunniff ’49 John J. McDermott Jr. ’49 Joseph F. Sotterly ’49 Richard V. Ott ’49 Arthur A. Carrione ’50 Leon Critides ’50 Herman Czarnecki Jr. ’50 Paul Fertell ’50 William R. Frost ’50 Lawrence W. Galligan ’50 Robert G. Palomba ’50/J.D. ’56 Stephen J. Bartos Jr. ’51 Robert J. Boyle Sr. ’51 James G. Cappuccino ‘51 Richard T. Fitzgerald ’51 Frederick P. Frank ’51 Paul A. Gangi ’51 Jerome A. Power ’51 Bernard E. Schrum Jr. ’51 Donald G. Belliveau, M.D. ’52 John Criscuolo ’52 Fred T. Fraterrigo ’52 Thomas P. J. Gavin Sr. ’52 Edwin P. Harkins ’52 Stephen M. Kilcarr ’52 Patrick J. Oates ’52 G. Thomas Burns ’53 George J. Coughlin ’53 Louis C. Kachulis ’53 John L. McDermott ’53 Philip A. Peters, M.A.E. ’53 Louis J. Crossin ’54 Doris E. Evanik ’54 Thomas W. Klipper ’54 Joseph H. Kressman ’54 Joseph M. La Motta ’54 Olga A. Masluk ’54 Ronald T. Millis Sr. ’54 Alfred J. Murphy Jr. ’54 James B. Sullivan ’54 Frank J. Churak ’55 John J. Riley ’55 Michael J. Slane ’55/M.B.A. ’65

PROFILE A Shot in the Dark

W

hen Patrick Smith ’97/M.A.E. ‘11 and Chris Suchorsky ’99 met on the Seton Hall wrestling team, they had no idea that years later their friendship would lead to an award-winning sports documentary.

Smith, director of Christian service and assistant athletic director at Saint John Vianney High School in Holmdel, N.J., has come a long way since his time as a religious studies student. But some things never change — like his passion for wrestling.

And Suchorsky, a film director and cinematographer, has been busy running his own production company and filming shorts for brands such as AOL, Bacardi, Jaguar and Pepsi.

But they connected in helping and documenting the efforts of another wrestler, Anthony Ferraro, a high-school student who battled adversity in the sport due to his blindness.

Suchorsky’s film “A Shot in the Dark” chronicles Ferraro’s life and career. It has been shown at four film festivals to date, and it won the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature at the Tacoma Film Festival.

More importantly, though, the movie has fulfilled a promise Suchorsky made to the Ferraro family when Anthony’s brother Ollie — who had the initial

idea for the documentary — died before the film was done. Suchorsky shared directing credit with him on the finished film.

Anthony Ferraro was only in eighth grade when his persistence to become a wrestler paid off and he went 24-1 for a season.

Smith had become familiar with Ferraro’s story through his work as a high-school wrestling coach. Once he witnessed the boy in action, he knew he had to help the young wrestler reach his goals. When many schools weren’t willing to accommodate a disabled wrestler, Smith knew he had to do something, and got Ferraro settled into Saint John Vianney High and onto the wrestling team.

Ferraro would go on to earn 122 wins during his high-school wrestling career from 2010 to 2013, becoming a two-time district champion. During his senior year, he won the Outstanding Wrestler honor at the Elizabeth Minuteman Classic and the Brick Memorial Mustang Classic.

“Ultimately at the end of the journey, Anthony has given more to me, to Saint John, than we have ever done for him,” Smith says. “So, it’s one of those in giving you receive … but it came back to me and my community 10-fold.” | ASHLEY WILSON ’17 39

alumni

NE WS & N OTE S Lee J. Straube ’55 Peter J. Yannotta ’55 Edward J. Keaveney ’56 William R. Petrillo ’56 Edward J. Rahuba ’56 Henri A. Deldonna ’57 Robert H. Frank ’57 Donald J. DiPasquale ’58/M.D.M. ’76 Joseph M. Finizio Sr. ‘58 James F. Robbins ’58 Edward J. Toy ’58/J.D. ’63 John V. Bonito ’59 Richard F. Wraback ’59 Lucille A. Adams, M.A.E. ’60 Sylvia G. Cohn, M.A.E. ’60 Floyd G. Henderson ’60 Nora Molyneux ’60 Carolyn J. Scott, M.A.E. ’60 Monica A. Seifert, M.A.E. ’60 Richard J. Tarashuk, M.A.E. ’60 Alan L. Wohl ’60 Frank M. Cerreta ’61 George A. Hilla, M.A.E. ’61 Donald J. Meliado, J.D. ’61 John D. Methfessel ’61/J.D. ’64 Joan Meyers Smith ’61 Betsy A. Coyne ’62

Ida C. Dejohn ’62 James P. Devine ’62 M. Angelo Dicamillo ’62 Robert B. Haggerty, J.D. ’62 Marie G. Maio, M.B.A. ’62 James B. Nienstedt, M.B.A. ’62 Walter W. Barnes ’63 Lawrence J. Bruther, M.D. ’63 Ronald M. Cannella ’63 Jack Korbman, M.A.E. ’63 Joseph R. Monaco ’63 Howard J. Leichtnam ’64 John J. Palitto ’64 Joseph S. Prestifilippo ’64 George L. Steciuk ’64 Betty A. Toy ’64 Joseph T. Wickens ’64 Sister Virginia Walsh, M.A.E. ’64 James F. Bouffard ’65/M.D.M. ’75 Raymond J. Lacara ’65 Vincent L. Lupo Jr. ’65 Richard P. De Melo ’65 George W. McDevitt ’65 Marcella A. Raymond, M.A.E. ’65 Joseph G. DeBenedictis ’66 Joseph J. Devincenzo ’66 Thomas J. Conlon ’66

Sheila A. Keefe, M.A.E. ’66 Stanley W. Jachym ’66 Frank J. Spano, M.A.E. ’66 Donald R. Wilderotter, M.A.E. ’66 John H. Behnken Jr. M.A.E. ’67 John R. Bergren ’67 Anthony J. Blunda ’67 Robert A. Keenan ’67/M.B.A. ’75 Thomas A. Koza ’67 Felix G. Martino, M.A.E. ’67 Patricia E. McGeehan ’67 George M. Onacilla ’67 Sister Rose C. Gonzalez, M.A. ’68 Raymond Springberg, J.D. ’68 John A. Strama Jr. ’68 Neil H. Wiederkehr, J.D. ’68 Henry S. Wright, M.S. ’68 Charles F. Albrecht, M.B.A. ’69 Andrew J. Baumgartner ’69 Walter M. Bielanowski, J.D. ’69 Robert W. Burton, J.D. ’69 Robert M. Comollo ’69 Frank J. Cundari ’69 William J. Gallagher Jr., M.A.E. ’69 James P. Guy ’69 George M. Logan ’69 Robert A. Winter, M.A.E. ’69

Save the Date

Black Alumni Weekend June 23 – 24

Seton Hall Weekend Saturday, October 21

Seton Hall University Campus

Seton Hall University Campus

For more information, email michelle@shublackalumni.org

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SETON HALL MAGAZINE

Rosina Diperi ’70 John J. Hughes, J.D. ’70 John E. Schlapkohl, M.B.A. ’70 Charlene Axelrod, M.S. ’71 Jacqueline S. Huggins ’71 Thomas F. Nieto ’71 Patrick J. Roma ’71 George Sciarrino ’71 Paul E. Tinnesz ’71 John A. Van Allen ’71 Howard W. Weber, J.D. ’71 Frank V. Burke, J.D. ’72 June T. Cuddihy, M.A.E. ’72 Rosemary M. Karl, M.A.E. ’72 Margaret M. Shorten, M.S. ’72 Edward V. Riedinger ’73 Albert J. Barr, J.D. ’74 Judith Barbarito ’74 Nichola Chanda, M.A.E. ’74 Richard Rizk, M.A.E. ’74 Paul M. Cafone ’75 Lawrence Chammings, M.A.E. ’75 Karl E. Friend, J.D. ’75 Arras M. Praskach Jr., M.B.A. ’75 Paul Everett Klapp, M.A.E. ’76 Michael C. Santoro ’76/M.D.M. ’79 Patricia D. Bobko, M.A.E. ’78

Coming to a City Near You! Seton Hall’s Office of Alumni Relations is celebrating an important milestone — a network of 100,000 alumni — with a tour of 100 cities across the United States. We want to meet with as many alumni as possible from New Jersey to California, Illinois to Texas and everywhere in between.

We have already visited more than 30 cities and have met with hundreds of Pirates to celebrate.

See where we are headed next by visiting www.shu.edu/100K

Frank Cozzarelli Jr., J.D. ’79 Douglas C. Furlong, M.B.A. ’79 Ann S. Giesguth, J.D. ’79 Kevin L. Shambaugh, M.A. ’79/J.D. ’82 Robert Sabo ’80 Rosemarie Bernick, M.S.N. ’81 Robert A. Lincoln ’82 Roberta R. Romano ’82 Jean Bensen ’83 Gina M. St. George ’84 Janet S. Lynch, J.D. ’84 Charles L. Wetenhall ’84 John G. Duch, J.D. ’85 Barbara A. Hyland ’85 Joanne E. Snyder ’85 Kathleen M. Yudd, M.S.N. ’85 Marian M. Clough, J.D. ’86 Patrick J. Kennedy Jr., ’86/M.P.A. ’93 James Crown ’87 Daria A. Sweeney ’87 Walter Cespedes ’88 Maria Florio, M.B.A. ’88 Sue A. McGlade, J.D. ’90 Louise M. Fiore, M.A.E. ’91 Beth A. Mazzocchi-Ayers, M.A.E. ’92 Ann P. Skinner ’92 Frank B. Inzitari, M.B.A. ’93

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SPRING 2018

Frank J. Contino ’94 Caroline D. Van Dyke ’94 John M. Byrne ’95 Linda Boeye ’96/M.S.N. ’12 Beverley R. Liposky, J.D. ’96 Peter A. Porter Jr. ’96 Donna M. Karlis ’97 Joseph A. Montuoro, M.B.A. ’97 John D. Paire ’99 Robert F. Conway, M.A.E. ’02 Patricia A. Leegan, M.S. ’02 Thomas Paulhus, M.A.E. ’02 Matthew D. Schmitz, M.S. ’02 Michael A. Stokes ’04 David A. Gourley, M.H.A. ’07 Jessica L. Palmieri ’08 Brian J. Discount, J.D. ’09 Daniel V. Kuczynski, M.A. ’16

Friends Carolyn Bentivegna Settimio (Sam) Ferrara David Gourley Anne M. Harris

In Honor of Veterans In December 2017, Seton Hall alumni laid wreaths on the graves of fallen veterans at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., and Somerset Hills Memorial Park in Basking Ridge, N.J. The volunteer opportunity, offered through the Alumni Relations volunteer program, was part of Wreaths Across America, a larger national effort to remember the lives of veterans.

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NE WS & N OTE S

Pirate Pride Tag us in your Pirate Pride photos @setonhallalumni or email us alumni@shu.edu

Don’t have a Pirate bandana yet? Visit www.shu.edu/alumni to request yours.

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PRIDE IN ACTION 1) Kristine Palazzo Dunbar ’89 and Tracy Hayden Monari ‘86/M.A. ’87 at Disney World.

2) Catherine Karros Rork and Mikael-Ali Mogues ’17 at a Rockland Boulders baseball game in Pomona, N.Y. 3) Steph Bigley ’74 in Rome 4) Carl Morris ’15 and Augustine Altomare ’14 in Hong Kong 5) Christos Paizis ’13/M.B.A. ’15 and Meghan Borowick ’16 show their Pirate Pride at the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

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4

5

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SETON HALL MAGAZINE

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SPRING 2018

Make a Difference.

The wedding of Alexis L. Maisonet ’13 to Brandon L. Mobley ’15 on June 24, 2017

Share your news...

Have you been promoted? Earned an advanced degree?

Been honored for professional or personal achievements?

Recently married? Added a baby Pirate to the ranks? We want to know! Visit us at alumni.shu.edu and share your success. Your news may be published in an upcoming issue of Seton Hall magazine.

If you can’t log on to alumni.shu.edu, fill out the form

Volunteer with Seton Hall and help make the University and our communities stronger and brighter — together.

below with your news and send it to: Department of Alumni Relations Alumni News and Notes 457 Centre St., South Orange, NJ 07079 Fax: (973) 378-2640

The Office of Alumni Relations, in partnership with campus organizations and local communities, provides graduates with University-driven, certified volunteer opportunities.

Name

A few ways you could give back while reconnecting with Seton Hall: n Recruit prospective students at local college fairs

or on-campus recruitment events n Mentor students n Lead a regional alumni chapter or alumni club

Class Year(s) and Degree(s) from Seton Hall

Home Address

Phone

n Perform community service n Attend events on campus

Email Address

n Serve on our boards and committees n Volunteer virtually

News to Share:

Fill out our survey and start volunteering with Seton Hall today! www.shu.edu/volunteer

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LA S T WO R D |

PEGEEN HOPKINS

Will the Real Rosie the Riveter Please Stand Up?

What draws you to these kinds of investigations?

They are an outgrowth of my scholarly work. I’m a historian of propaganda, and I believe that if history is going to be valuable at all, we have to take care of it.

If I can look at an image and

The “We Can Do It” poster from World War II is one of the

say, “Oh, that’s me,” and

country’s most iconic images. For years, it was believed

everyone starts believing me just because I said so, and

that the illustration of a woman in a polka dot bandana,

if it gets repeated enough times that it becomes treated

rolling up her sleeves to work in a defense plant, was

as fact, that’s not real history. Once I realized that the

based on a photograph of Geraldine Hoff Doyle, who

woman in the photograph, Naomi Parker, was still alive, I

recognized her likeness. Media accounts repeated the

realized there was urgency, because by that time, she had

idea that Doyle was the inspiration for the poster, and

realized that somebody else’s name was attached to her

over time, that association solidified. But when Doyle

image. And try as she might, she couldn’t fix the record.

died in 2010 and media outlets identified her this way, James J. Kimble, associate professor in the College of

What was your main takeaway from this investigation?

Communication and the Arts, decided to investigate.

Just how amazing the power of belief is. We often say,

When he unearthed an original copy of the photograph

“seeing is believing,” but it’s really the reverse: “believing

thought to be the basis for the poster, Naomi Parker was

is seeing.” When we believe something, that influences how

identified on the back, not Doyle. Naomi Parker Fraley

we see. If I look at that poster and I believe it’s Geraldine

passed away in January 2018. Seton Hall magazine

Hoff Doyle in it, I’m going to see evidence that supports

editor Pegeen Hopkins spoke with Kimble to learn more

that belief. And, if I don’t believe it’s Naomi Parker, and she

about his scholarly investigation.

presents me with some evidence, I’m not going to see her evidence because I’m believing something else first.

You found the photograph in a dealer’s shop?

1942 that looked eerily similar to the one Geraldine Hoff

What are your thoughts about counteracting inaccurate narratives that can grow so quickly?

Doyle thought she saw herself in. It looked like the same

It’s only likely to get worse. We need more people who

woman, just in a different pose. I spent about a week

are willing to be cynical. This is something I talk about

here on campus taking both photos around and showing

with my students. I teach a seminar, Propaganda, Religion

people: “Is this the same woman? Is this the same

and War, and when my students come up at the end of

woman?” Everyone agreed that it was. I did a reverse

the semester and say, “I feel more cynical after taking this

image search of the Time magazine image on Google.

course,” I’m delighted. Because to me that means they’re

I had done this with the other photo numerous times,

much less likely to take messages at face value. And they’re

and that search had just taken me to all the websites

much more likely to question when someone says, “Oh, I’ve

that say the image was of Geraldine Hoff Doyle. But

seen this 27 different places. It must be true!” I want my

this photo was unknown to me; the search took me to a

students to say, “How do you know that?” That’s the only

dealer in Memphis. I got in touch with the organization

real force we have to maintain accuracy in the face of social

and they said they had both photos of the woman. The

media and the speed that information, or fake information,

captions were glued to the back.

flows. It’s just harder and harder to fight that fight. n

I did. I came across a photo in Time magazine from

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A CHALLENGE FROM INTERIM PRESIDENT MARY J. MEEHAN ’72/M.A. ’74/PH.D. ’01 Get to 10!

President Meehan has challenged the Seton Hall community to reach 10% in undergraduate alumni giving by June 30.

Your support will not only help improve the educational experience of today’s students, it will also enhance the University’s reputation.

Reaching 10% will help raise our annual rankings in U.S. News & World Report and give your Seton Hall degree even more value.

Join your fellow Pirates.

Help Seton Hall “Get to 10.”

Give today at www.shu.edu/giving

Department of Public Relations and Marketing 519 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079

PRESORTED STD NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID STRASBURG, VA PERMIT #201

Your estate gift will leave a lasting imprint on Seton Hall.

Increase your retirement income, and possibly lower your taxes, with a charitable gift annuity. Remember Seton Hall in your will or through your retirement plan. Help yourself while helping others. To learn more, visit www.shu.edu/plannedgiving or contact: Joe Guasconi, J.D. 973-378-9850 • joseph.guasconi@shu.edu or Nora Nasif Rahaim 973-378-9878 • nora.rahaim@shu.edu

Make a difference in the lives that follow. Leave a legacy to Seton Hall in your estate plan.