2 A True Bonaventure Man Joe Flanagan retired in July after being the face of the alumni office and thousands of alumni events for 36 years Championing the Sciences The Maydonovitch siblings, grateful for the foundation that Bonaventure gave them to go out in the world and be successful, have funded a chemistry fellowship at the university. True Grit The student run business consulting club known as C4 is alive and thriving today because its core group of students refused to stop working with local businesses through the pandemic. OINSIDEfftheShelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 The Pathway to Success . . . .18 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Alumni Voices 42 Vol 14, No 2, SUMMER 2022 Bonaventure Magazine Office of Marketing & Communications 3261 W State Road P.O. Box 2509 St. Bonaventure, NY 14778 (716) 375 2000 magazine@sbu edu Bonaventure: The Magazine of St Bonaventure University is produced twice a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications TheMagazine of St.Bonaventure University 161822 Editor, Beth Eberth Contributors Susan Anderson, ’11 Danny Bush, ’13, ’15 Tom Donahue, ’76 Tom Missel Jennifer Pulver BONAVENTURE Submit Class Notes: www SBUmagazine com Address changes: www sbu edu/alumniupdate Additional contacts: Office of Alumni Services www.sbu.edu/alumni(716)3752302
P r e s i d e n t ’ s M e s s a g e
Betsy and Jeff Gingerich
Thank you for the warm welcome SUMMER 2022
I could sense it during the interview process earlier this year with trustees and so many members of the campus community I saw it with my own eyes, in staggering numbers, when I went to the NIT in New York, just three weeks after I was named president. But not until I attended Reunion, June 3 4, and had the chance to talk with so many alumni did I fully comprehend the unique and special community that is St Bonaventure University.Whenyou’re being interviewed, everyone tends to be on guard a bit, wanting to make sure they paint a positive picture so they don’t send you running for the exit if they’re too candidTheengagement I had with folks at the Reunion, however, was organic and spontaneous. All Betsy and I could feel at the events we attended Friday and Saturday was a remarkable sense of community that affirmed what everyone had told us responsibility to carry on this extraordinary tradition of student transformation and to continue the incredible momentum Dr. DePerro and Dr Zimmer have established over the last five years. Indeed, challenges lie ahead for St Bonaventure Issues about affordability, the saturation of colleges in the Northeast, and the rapidly evolving policies related to Division I athletics will keep us on our toes for years to come, but I am more confident than ever that with your continued support we can navigate these choppy waters. I look forward to meeting many more alumni as I prepare to hit the road soon to launch the public phase of our Bolder Bonaventure campaign To those alumni and friends of the university I’ve already met, thank you for making Betsy and me feel like we already belong to this incredible community. Dr Jeff Gingerich University President throughout the weekend And I saw it in your embrace of Betsy and me and how warmly you med us into the family. This truly o many alumni told me, a l place.” though I didn’t officially start sidential role until June 21, I ven a great gift being able to Reunion and the Board of es meeting the following nd Being able to dive head first is special community just days rriving in Olean allowed me the unity to gain a deeper tanding of what makes this niquebecame clear with each passing sation is how impactful the scan mission is on our students umni and how much they iated our friars and the values we . I met so many fundamentally eople who want to contribute to rld and make it a better place. ant to because of their rmational experience at Bona’s. o gave me pause because I left eekend feeling a tremendous
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Joyce Pavia Hanson, ’80, owner of Hanson Marketing Communications, is a co author of “What is Blockchain? An Easy to Understand Guide That Simplifies the Ba sics of Blockchain,” available on Amazon The ebook includes chapter quizzes and gives readers the opportunity to receive free digital currencies to practice navi gating in the crypto space. Hanson is an instructor in the Master in Communications program at Syra cuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications She writes about blockchain, cryptocurrencies and Web 3 0 With the publication of “The Cine matic Challenge, Filming Colonial America volume 3 The International Era 1976 2000,” John P. Harty Jr., ’69, has completed his decade long goal of publish ing a complete history of the production of films about Colonial America released in the 20th century. He has tried to give a clear, objective presentation of both the consensus and progressive interpreta tions of the Colonial period as repre sented in the motion pictures
William McKeever, ’85, has pub lished “Secret Places of Western New York: 25 Scenic Hikes” with his wife, Jennifer Hillman. A full color guidebook to 25 unusual, hidden or out of the way scenic treasures along wooded trails from Niagara to Zoar Valley and beyond, the book is available at secretplace sofwny.com.“TheIronScar: A Father and Son in Siberia” is the ninth collection by Bob Kunzinger, ’83. “Iron Scar,” a memoir of travels across and through Siberia, is available from Madville Publishing of Texas. The book is the literal and metaphoric journey of moving across life and learning to let go and has been praised by peo ple such as actor Martin Sheen and bestselling author Tim O’BrienKunzinger is a writer living in Virginia. W.E. “Bill” Wynne, ’68, hopes his debut book, “Understanding and Com bating Racism: My Path from Oblivious American to Evolving Activist,” will not only explain his journey of enlighten ment about how and why systemic racism continues to exist in America, but also to help others see what he’s seen, learn from his journey, and act in a positive way to mini mize it. Wynne had earlier found himself to be “educated but un taught, involved but unknowing, Catholic but spiritually reserved, white but unwittingly blinded by the ubiqui tous whiteness surrounding him.” Over the years, these realizations caused him to turn his interest to racial and social justice concerns, a passion that has evolved throughout his adult life. In his book, Wynne draws upon his work in the nonprofit sector, a decades long engagement in which he held lead ership roles in many church and community organizations, and his friendships with a diverse group of peo ple and professionals to present his “Path from Oblivious American to Evolving Activist.”
Lori (Danielson) Tritt, ’81, is the author of “Little Joe’s Triumphant Christmas,” a children’s book about a new elf, Little Joe, who strug gles with his new job in Santa’s work shop. A special, kind friend helps him real ize his potential and how hard work pays off. Tritt is a retired first grade teacher who lives in North Carolina. The book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Xlibris Press. A short film by Chris Dell, ’07, was screened at the Upstate New York Film Festival in Williamsville June 6. The film, “Wild Iris,” is a 12 minute short that was shot in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Dell wrote, directed, produced and was the lead actor in the horror thriller. The plot is about a father (played by Dell) looking for his daughter who went missing on a school volleyball trip However, all the evidence he gath ers indicates to him that he might actu ally be the perpetrator The film was shot in one night on a $1,000 budget. For more about the festi val, visit www.unyff.com.
John McCarthy, ’83, ’89, has re leased two books on creative thinking and innovation. “The Innovator Next Door: 50 Stories of Creative Inspiration to Spark New In the Box Thinking” fea tures stories about people’s innovative thinking to address interesting chal lenges, such as the invention of the windshield wiper and the idea behind putting wheels on suitcases. In the second book, “Driving Forward in Reverse: 50 Car Metaphors for Coun selors, Teachers, and Life Coaches to Help Others Navigate Life,” McCarthy offers multiple auto related metaphors applicable to change processes. From li cense plates to pit crews to traffic lights, this book uses car experiences that edu cators and mental health professionals can use with students and clients in con ceptualizing issues in life. Both books were published by Sun coast Digital Press in Sarasota, Florida. McCarthy’s professional writings have been featured in Huffpost.com, Cleve land.com, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, The Psychotherapy Networker, and Counseling Today. He was a professor in the Department of Counseling at Indi ana University of Pennsylvania from 2001 2021 and served as a lecturer at Seattle University in 2021 2022. He blogs at creativestrengths.com.
Doyne’s memoir is a coming of age story about a young woman suspended between two worlds, as well as the love, loss, heal ing, and hope she experiences along the way. Her inspiring tale shows readers an important truth: The power to change the world exists within all of us. Doyne and co founder Tope Malla have been recognized around the world for their sustainable community based work at BlinkNow. Chris Meadows, ’93, ’98, points out some of the roadblocks, challenges, and opportunities that await student athletes and families who pursue D 1 scholarships on the road of travel basketball in his book, “I AM D 1, How to Conquer the World of Travel Basket ball.”Inhis decades of train ing and coaching basket ball and seeing athletes go on to Division 1 programs, Meadows has seen some tremendous success stories, as well as players and families who strug gled along the way, for various reasons. Over the years, he compiled experiences and observations into concrete thoughts that became the foundation for this book This book is written for the parent who wants to support and advocate for their child as well as for the student athlete as they learn to own the journey
5SUMMER 2022 O f f t h e S h e l f We are happy to print brief summaries of new books, CDs and other multimedia works pub lished by SBU alumni, faculty and staff. Send a summary press release to magazine@sbu edu or via snail mail to: Bonaventure magazine 3261 W. State Road P.O. Box 2509 St Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure, NY 14778 All books mailed to the magazine are shared with Friedsam Memorial Library for its collection >>> WE LOVE MAIL!
“Decisions at Fredericksburg: The Fourteen Critical Decisions That Defined the Battle,” was published by the Univer sity of Tennessee Press as part of its Command Decisions in America’s Civil War series.Thebattle of Fred ericksburg took place Dec 11 13, 1862, on the eve of President Lincoln’s Emancipa tion Proclamation, set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 1863. The fed eral government needed a battlefield vic tory to help give teeth to the proclamation. Instead, federal com mander Maj Gen Ambrose Burnside led the Army of the Potomac to its most lop sided loss of the war Civil War buffs love to ask “What if,” and a new book co edited by Mackowski offers readers the chance to explore some of the war’s most popular questions.
“The Great ‘What Ifs’ of the American Civil War: Historians Tackle the Con flict’s Most Intriguing Possibilities,” pub lished by Savas Beatie, is a collection of 14 essays co edited by Mackowski and Brian Matthew Jordan, Ph.D. Savas Beatie also published “Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspec tives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War,” which Mackowski co edited with Dan Welch. For the book, Mack owski and Welch drew on the work of 22 historians to tell the story of the last 11 months of the war in Virginia Maggie Doyne, who was awarded an honorary degree in December 2015 from St. Bonaventure, has released her memoir, “Between the Mountain and the Sky: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, Healing, and Hope.”Doyne is co founder of the BlinkNow Founda tion and Kopila Valley Children’s Home and School in Surkhet, Nepal. At age 19, she used her babysitting money and worked with the local community to build a home for or phaned children in war torn Nepal In 2010, she and her team opened a school for 500 of the region’s most impoverished children. Throughout the past decade, BlinkNow and Kopila have worked to deepen and grow the or ganization through grassroots community development efforts.
“Revolution,” “The Black Robe,” “The Last of the Mohicans,” “The Broken Chain” and “The Patriot.” Harty believes that by relating these Colonial films to the broader historical and cultural context within which they were made it will enable readers to better understand why so few Colonial films were produced and how difficult the road was to critical and financial success. Vol ume 3 is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other retailers. Harty is a regular guest contributor to the inter national film magazine Cinema Retro, which is read in more than 20 countries worldwide Dr. Chris Mackowski, a professor in the Jandoli School of Communication, has published three more books on the Civil War in recent months.
The university is accepting students in two new majors starting this fall
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The School of Health Professions at the univer sity was renamed and dedicated in May as the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions. Les Quick III, ’75, and his wife, Eileen, in con cert with Jim, ’76, and Nina, ’79, Meyer donated a total of $8 million in support of the School of Health Professions They enhanced their gifts last year on one condition that the School of Health Professions be named for Dr DePerro Les Quick and Jim Meyer co chaired the search committee that ultimately led to trustees hiring DePerro in November 2016. The Health Professions initiative was champi oned by DePerro from the moment he officially became president of St. Bonaventure in June 2017 until his passing March 1, 2021, due to complications from COVID 19. “Without his vision, we wouldn’t be here today,” Meyer said. “What we should remember about the students who are going to graduate from this school is that they are so needed, par ticularly in the communities around St. Bonaventure and in Western New York.”
HEALTH PROFESSIONS
SCHOOL OF
DePerro’s wife, Sherry, and sons, Andrew and Dr Dennis DePerro’s wife, Sherry, and sons, Andrew (left) and Matt
DePerro was also awarded an honorary doc torate by the university, an idea first broached informally shortly after he passed away but not kick started until Jack Steger, ’22, approached his fellow senior class officers. The Class of 2022 was the last class at SBU to share a full pre pandemic year with DePerro.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Communica tion, Social Justice and Advocacy is grounded in the Franciscan principles that define St. Bona venture while being married to the pragmatic coursework of its renowned Jandoli School of Communication.SBUhasadded a major in Economics to its suite of undergraduate programs in the School of Business The B B A and B S degree programs are designed to help students examine the pro duction and consumption of goods, and analyze real world issues such as international trade, poverty, taxes, crime, and education SBU adds two new undergrad majors
University school named after late President DePerro Matt, accepted the degree. Though he served less than four years as president, DePerro left a lasting imprint on the school and its future.Located in iconic Francis Hall, the School of Health Professions offers four undergraduate programs (B.S. in Health Science, B S in Public Health, RN to B.S. in Nursing, and a Dual Degree Nursing Program) and four graduate programs (Master of Public Health, Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and Master’s Entry to Nursing Prac tice).Just five years old, the DePerro School has 158 undergraduate and 74 graduate students. The Quick and Meyer families have long been generous supporters of the universityLesQuick earned a B.B.A. in fi nance from St. Bonaventure and has served more than 25 years on the university’s Board of Trustees. He is a founding partner of Simon Quick Advisors.JimMeyer earned a bachelor’s de gree in economics in 1976 and an MBA in 1979 from St Bonaventure He served as an SBU trustee for 10 years. In December 2020, he retired after 16 years at SiriusXM where he rose through the ranks to become CEO Nina Meyer is a 1979 journalism and mass communication graduate.
Welcome new Board officers and trustees!
Initiatives such as the addition of 24 new academic programs since 2015 have helped fuel the success. For fall 2022, all five of the university’s academic schools saw an increase in fresh man confirmations with the Jan doli School of Communication leading the way with a 46% in crease.Since 2015, overall student en rollment has increased at the in stitution by 30% to 2,604 undergraduate and graduate stu dents. The university expanded its online graduate programs over the last several years, at tracting students from all over the country. Last fall, overall graduate enrollment reached a record high of more than 800 students.
SUMMER 2022 7 C a m p u s N e w s ADMISSIONS
Five students representing WSBU 88 3 FM The Buzz had a front row seat to hone their interview skills and expand their professional network as they broadcast from Radio Row during Super Bowl Week in February Only a handful of college radio stations are granted access during Super Bowl Week amid the dozens of national and international news outlets Pictured with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen are (from left) Nate Solomon, ’24, Tom Seipp, ’23, Nic Rohloff, ’22, Carter Ray mond, ’23, and Tyler Smith, ’23,
Freshman enrollment for fall at a 20-year high Hono r society co nduct s Fill the Pack sc hool supply drive
A front row seat on Radio Row
The university’s confirmations for fall are at a 20 year high, up 22% over fall 2021 and more than 53% higher than fall 2015. The university expects to wel come 580 freshmen to the Class of 2026 The previous four freshman classes at St. Bonaven ture 2018 through 2021 were the four largest in the last 13 Tyears.heuniversity has seen in creases in nearly all of its re cruitment territories, with significant increases in its Buf falo, Rochester, Syracuse and local New York and Pennsylva nia markets Out of state stu dents come from 26 states and eight countries, making up more than 24 percent of the freshman confirmations.
Students in St Bonaventure’s education honor society, Kappa Delta Pi, teamed up with the Olean City School District to provide teachers in the district with spring school supplies “As preservice teachers, we have seen the need for school supplies in the classroom and know that it is an all year need,” said Victoria Cleary, ’22, who served as 2021 22 president of the Kappa Delta Pi chapter at SBU Pictured above from left are Olean School District business administrator Jenny Bilotta, SBU students Lauren Sparacio, Dyllon Gartley, Grace Weber and Victoria Cleary, and Olean Interim Superintendent Dr Karen Geelan St. Bonaven
ture’s Board of Trustees elected new board officers all of them alumni at its June meeting. The board also appointed four new trustees. Michael Hickey, ’84, was elected as board chair. Steve Barry, ’88, and Carol Schumacher, ’78, were elected vice chairs, and Fr. Dan Horan, O.F.M., ’05, was elected secretary. New trustees named to the board were Patrick “Pat” Doyle, ’81; Sr. Margaret Magee, O.S.F.; Mark Murphy, ’91; and Susanna Stitt, ’99.
Hickey Schumacher Horan Barry
2022 C a m p u s N e w s BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE8 Commencement St. Bonaventure saluted 749 graduate and undergraduate students and honored three remarkable alumni at its 162nd annual Commencement in May. Receiving honorary degrees during the ceremony were Adrian Wojnarowski, ’91, ESPN Senior NBA Insider; Tom Marra, ’80, retired president and CEO of Symetra Financial Corp ; and retired Brigadier Gen Maureen Keenan LeBoeuf, ’76, the first woman to chair a department at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. For more photos and an archived video of the ceremony, visit www.sbu.edu/Commencement. q From left are Acting President Dr Joseph Zimmer, Maureen Keenan LeBoeuf, Adrian Wojnarowski, Tom Marra, and Board of Trustees Chair John Sheehan Make sure you surround yourself with truth-tellers, with those whose love is unfailing and honesty unflinching. Adrian Wojnarowski, ’91 “
2022 9 C a m p u s N e w s SUMMER 2022 Reunion May 20-22 The university’s first Alumni Reunion in three years was held May 20 22 as we welcomed back the Class of 1972 and prior classes. Highlights of the weekend in addition to just being able to share a laugh over a Burton burger included class dinners, open houses and a conversation with members of the 1970 Final Four team Check out more photos at www.sbu.edu/BonaFlickr. Save the date for Reunion 2023 | June 16-18
BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE10 C a m p u s N e w s 2022 Reunion June 3-5 Classes celebrating their 10th through 45th class reunions gathered on campus June 3 5. The classes of 1973 and after made the weekend count as they visited old campus haunts and reminisced with former roommates Check out more photos at www.sbu.edu/BonaFlickr.
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Two years after the pandemic forced the Class of 2020’s graduation celebration to an online platform, nearly 120 members of the class flipped their tassels in person in the Reilly Center Dubbed as GradUnion 2020 a hybrid weekend of graduation and reunion students also were able to participate in the traditional Baccalaureate Mass and Candlelight Ceremony as well as a picnic and events hosted by the Alumni Office. Congratulations, Class of 2020. We can’t wait to see you back for your regular alumni reunion in 2025! Check out more photos at www sbu edu/BonaFlickr C a m p u s N e w s BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE 12 2022 GradUnion June 17-19
C a m p u s N e w s 13SUMMER 2022 Your class has learned the hard way that life is not always fair. And somehow, someway – you have figured out how to move forward, how to keep going and live the dreams that have been forming in your hearts. Alice Miller Nation Director of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern “
Alumna Cari Matejka, ’03, ’04, wants every child she meets to have a bright future, whether they’re from the city of Olean or a small African village. That’s why Matejka be came a teacher and also why she founded a nonprofit in Uganda. Matejka, CEO of Literacy of Love (LoL) and an Olean middle school teacher, began her journey to help educate children in economi cally depressed regions around the world through partnerships with the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) program at St. Bonaventure. For two years, Matejka connected her middle school students to students in the Bahamas through the School of Business’ SIFE program (now known as Enactus) Matejka traveled twice with the SIFE group to the Bahamas to work with students and eventually learned about Embrace It Africa, another outreach mission at the university. In 2012, Matejka visited and taught at the Ugandan village where Embrace It Africa volunteers spear headed their work By 2016, the East African children had cap tured Matejka’s heart and she began to build her own nonprofit organization, Literacy of Love The organization’s mission is to provide a home and support for children so they can develop a sense of belonging and to ensure an education to children who would otherwise not have an opportunity to attend school It’s also very important that the children be purposely raised with the in tegrity of their culture, Matejka said The children’s home provides basic care, but more importantly, it unites the children through a common opportunity for an education “This is not a place to adopt children, but to grow children into adults who can change their own community. Valuing, reinforcing and intentionally using common cultural practices and not insisting on foreign ways gives the pro gram authenticity,” she said. These children come from poverty that is unknown to those in rural Western New York. The homes in Mpigi are typically made from mud with one large room and no indoor plumbing Water is gathered daily from a communal source. Many children arrive at the LoL home with little or no education, mal nutrition, disease, and disabilities. Having a steady home for these children gives them a stable core, a sense of family. Currently, LoL is home to 50 sponsored children. Another two to 10 children in desperate need remain on a waiting list Matejka explained that these chil dren are typically family members of children already at the home or mem bers of the community who hear about their work via word of mouth Most of the children’s families are so poor that they cannot provide the most basic needs, Matejka said
Love Action
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Transforming into t Ssema is Literacy of Love’s first graduate He is the owner of a salon in the village and plays soccer for a local team p A family outing at Mpanga National Forest, where Cari and the children made a music video for an upcoming project that features LoL’s talented dancers, singers, and songwriters
“Sometimes I feel I am torn between two worlds, but I work every day to keep the mission growing and moving for ward,” she said She is appreciative of her Bonaventure ties and the inspi ration that Embrace It Africa ignited Three of her core sup porters are alumni and one is a former Bonaventure faculty member.Shesays
p Those assisted by LoL range from babies to grandparents These preschoolers will be the first generation in the program to never miss school or feel the desperation and threat of an insecure education.
Students who started in the program in elementary school are now graduating college and trade schools. A young man named David has graduated medical school and is a doctor Another, Jude, completed college to become a medical lab technician Both will be part of the medical center that Mate jka plans to build this summer. Many children at the home are taught trades such as weld ing, barbering, and tailoring Several students are already real izing their goals with small businesses, such as a pig farm, a welding shop, operating a tourism business and a tailor shop With these grown children now becoming productive citizens of Uganda, Matejka feels sustainability is in sight: Several of these business owners are now taking LoL’s older children as apprentices and teaching them their trade For Matejka, hope for a future for these once destitute chil dren is becoming a reality.
To learn more about the LoL organization, visit: www literacyoflove org @literacyoflove @literacyoflove carimatejka1@gmail.com help her carry out LoL’s mission to break the cycle of genera tional poverty while providing a family that gives these children hope.“The needs are endless, but the possibilities are endless, too,” Matejka said.
Franciscan values shine through the people who
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Additional pictures from Matejka’s visit this summer to the home will be on display in October at Olean Public Library
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at St Bonaventure is hosting a photo exhibition called “Literacy of Love” that runs through July 31. This exhibition of Cari Matejka’s photos showcases the often difficult but always hopeful life in Uganda
During the worst of the pandemic, LoL pro vided not only a home and food to its children, but also food and medical assistance to many of the children’s families While Matejka was in Uganda in December 2021, a widowed mother was invited to spend the holiday with her two children who live at the home The woman told her children and Mate jka that the home was “paradise” where her children have a safe home to live, can attend school, have clean clothes to wear and food to eat every day. With a strong foundation formed with the school, the future mission, Matejka said, “is to become an independent commu nity in which graduates of the program help to start busi nesses, mentor younger students and help change the future for these children and their families.”
“LoL provides structure, counseling, and guidance for the children so that they can see hope for their future,” she said The pandemic hit Uganda as hard, if not harder, than in the United States
“That’s Joe I was at two funerals in one week this summer and he was there,” McCarthy said. “Joe’s Franciscan to his very core and unfailingly kind. In all of his years at Bona’s, he went way beyond what his job description called upon him to do But a lot of the things he’s done are only known by the people he did them for. He never wanted any applause.”
Flanagan didn’t have much choice but to be applauded June 4 when he received, to a rousing ovation, the Alumnus of the Year Award at the Alumni Reunion Weekend reception in the Reilly Center His colleagues kept the award a surprise, primarily be cause he would have pooh poohed the idea had he known in advance.
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Story by Tom Missel | Photos by Danny Bush Joe Flanagan retired in July after being the face of the alumni office and thousands of alumni events for 36 years Joe Flanagan, ’74
A true BonAventUre man I was giving the eulogy so I wasn’t going to risk being late to my dad’s funeral I didn’t expect anyone except the pastor to be at the church when I arrived. I certainly didn’t expect to see Joe Flanagan sitting at the back of the church, especially since I told him pointedly the week before, “I really appreciate the sentiment, Joe, but DO NOT cut your vacation short to come.” Ann (Flynn) McCarthy has been “great friends” with Flanagan for 50 years, both graduates of Bona’s Class of 1974. That tale didn’t surprise her at all.
Fr Dan has known Flanagan since he was a sophomore at Bonaventure and called him “a deeply thoughtful man who’s always held family and faith at the center of his life ” “It’s been a privilege to work with Joe because he’s so much more than the person who organizes our (Mountain on the Road) trips,” Fr Dan said “He’s a true Franciscan minister to our alumni who shares his thoughts when he’s in the room. I don’t know of anyone in love with the university’s mission more than Joe ” Tom Missel is chief communications officer at St Bonaven ture. “If there was ever a guy who should be saluted, it’s Joe,” McCarthy said After 36 years of devoted service to his alma mater two as a residence director and 34 as alumni director Flanagan retired July 19. (He’ll stay on board start ing this fall as a part time employee to coordinate the Mountain on the Road series with Fr. Dan Riley, O.F.M., founder of Mt. Irenaeus).
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Alumni Services Director Joe Flanagan, ’74 (center), is usually the person surprising a graduate with the Alumnus or Alumna of the Year Award at Reunion Weekend It was Flanagan’s turn to be surprised in June, however, when Acting President Dr Joe Zimmer (left) and Vice President for University Advancement Bob Van Wicklin an nounced him as the 2022 recipient This job gave me a vocation where I was working for something bigger than myself. Joe Flanagan “
“He’s the kindest, most caring boss I’ve ever had,” said Retchless, who will take over Flanagan’s role as alumni director in July “He al ways tells you to put family first, and he means it.”
“I think the hardest part will be not being here all the time to see where we’re going because we’re in such a good place right now,” Flanagan said “You want to see where the university is headed with this new president and still be a part of that because I think Jeff is going to be great. I’ll miss serving with him.”
never lost sight of what matters most: family, friends and faith.
The back of Flanagan’s alumni trading card is filled with some remarkable stats: attending or overseeing close to 2,000 alumni events; going to hundreds of fu nerals and wakes; and traveling more than a million miles on the job and that’s only driving miles. He’s lost track of all the air miles. Good thing he loves to travel“Iwent a day early to an alumni event in Washington state not long ago just to drive into Oregon because I hadn’t been there yet,” said Flanagan, who only needs to cross off Alaska and Hawaii on his list of states to visit Oregon was the last of the continental 48. Flanagan readily admits that St Bonaventure has played a pivotal role in shaping the spiritual and profes sional person he’s become. “This job gave me a vocation where I was working for something bigger than myself,” Flanagan said. “I al ways knew this place is bigger than any one person’s sense of who they are. We’re bringing the gospel, and I mean that in a very wide sense, to the world And the spiritual aspect to this job made me feel very comfort able and supported, especially with the friars. That’s something that’s kept me going even on the worst days.”Thetwo people with whom he’s worked most closely the last 24 years Lucia Scotty for 22 years and Lind say Retchless for the last two called Flanagan the “ultimate boss.” When Scotty’s mother was dying from cancer in the late 1990s, Flanagan was generous in al lowing her time away from the office to tend to her mom.Forall his dedication to the university, Flanagan
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aving enjoyed rewarding careers after gaining a strong base of knowledge at St. Bonaventure, siblings Corinne and Daniel Maydonovitch are now establishing a chemistry research fellowship at the school.Corinne, a member of the Class of 1972, enjoyed a 40 year career as a clinical researcher at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D C Dan, who graduated in 1977, worked as a chemist at Exxon before earning a doctorate from the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. He spent the next three decades practicing family medicine. “We’re just very grateful for the foundation that Bonaven ture gave us to go out in the world and be successful,” said Corinne “That’s why we are so appreciative and want to give back to the university and to the students.”
The Maydonovitch Research Fellowship in the Depart ment of Chemistry will support one student per year for a 10 week summer research experience with a chemistry fac Katie Heitzman, Class of 2022, talks with Corinne and Daniel Maydonovitch in the chemistry lab Looking on is Dr Scott Simpson, associate professor of chemistry ulty member It will provide an immersive learning experience, al lowing the student to gain hands on, employable skills. The fellow ship will also enable faculty to expand their scholarship and generate peer reviewed publications with students “This tremendous gift creates the time, space and resources nec essary for our students and faculty to engage in complex research projects,” said Dr. Megan Walsh, acting dean of the School of Arts and Sciences “We are deeply appreciative of all that Corinne and Dan do to ensure that we sustain and grow our vibrant chemistry program Their dedication will enrich the experiences of our current students and also many future students in the years to come.”
THE MAYDONOVITCH SIBLINGS have long championed the sciences at St Bonaventure, helping to usher in a new era by supporting the construction of the Walsh Science Center and renovations of De La Roche Hall In 2016, they established the Anne and John Maydonovitch Endowed Scholarship in memory of their parents. Following that Maydonovitch siblings fund chemistry research fellowship Championing the sciences
ST. BONAVEN TURE was an obvious choice for the brother and sister as one of their uncles, Fr. Basil F Lobby, O F M , taught chemistry here for 11 years before be coming the university’s purchasing agent in the early 1960s.Though there were four chemistry majors in their family, Corinne soon learned it was not a major sought by many fe males at the time There were only two or three female chemistry students in class with her, and men still outnumbered women on campus.Sheexplained, “In a way, St. Bonaventure prepared me for my time at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which Michael LaRock, Class of 2022, works in the chemistry lab The Bonaventure community has much to celebrate. We have welcomed Dr. Jeff Gingerich as our 22nd president, and this fall we will welcome the largest in coming freshman class of the last two decades. Credit for this milestone belongs in part to our generous donors. Your yearly gift to The Bonaventure Fund helps boost scholarship aid. As you read this, the admissions team is busy recruiting the Class of 2027 with the scholarship and financial aid packages you helped create Please continue the good work Make your Bonaventure Fund gift today by completing and returning the enclosed en velope or visiting www.sbu.edu/donate.Thestudentsyouhelp today become alumni who help to morrow And that’s what being a Bonnie is all about!
Bonaventure Fund donors provide vital scholarship aid
they were among the lead donors who helped the university acquire upwards of a million dollars in instrumentation for the Chemistry Department Research Lab located in De La Roche Hall. This research fellowship is another way of saying thank you to St. Bonaventure and to the parents who taught them the value of knowledge and hard work
was a male dominant environment. I came to love working in the military, where there was a real sense of cama raderie ” Dan developed a fondness for family practice early in his medical career “People want a physician to know and un derstand them. I enjoyed taking care of families through the generations, from zero to 90,” he said “It was especially rewarding to make house calls.”
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They hope the fellowship offers students the chance to challenge themselves, pose incisive questions and get ex cited about their research. Dr Scott Simpson, associate professor of chemistry and the recent awardee of a National Science Foundation CA REER grant, said that the Maydonovitch Research Fellow ship will empower students as they learn to navigate the complexities of research and gain hands on skills in the lab. “It definitely gives our students a competitive edge both in and out the classroom,” Simpson said. “Many colleges do not provide opportunities for meaningful undergradu ate research. Through the labor of its faculty, support from its alumni and the drive and curiosity of its stu dents, St Bonaventure University does ”
The siblings grew up as the middle of four children in South Plainfield, New Jersey, in a family where problem solving was a nightly enjoyment and higher education a long range goal. Their father, a first class machinist at Lockheed Martin, would talk about the day’s work chal lenges. Their mother loved tutoring her chil dren and helping with schoolwork“Ourparents came of age during the Depres sion,” said Corinne. “They had to help their families financially and didn’t have the oppor tunity to pursue higher education. So it was important to them that their children attend college.”
For Dr. Paula Scraba, O.S.F., an associate professor of physical education, that job is being a minister in residence.“Thereis something very unique about servant lead ership,” she said. “That’s why I live in the residence halls with students and do the hospitality of Popcorn Tuesday. We come together to break bread. It pro vides the opportunity to build relationships.”
Dr Paula Scraba, O S F , (above) is well known on campus for her wide selection of Bona gear At right, she and Griffin Witte, a physical education major, take a break from the Special Olympics Unified Basketball Compe tition hosted on campus each spring
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Griffin Witte, a rising senior physical education major from Webster, New York, and member of Bona’s swim team, PAC and the wellness group, has volunteered with Scraba for the past two years “I’ve seen firsthand how hard she works to be in volved with the campus community and to help es tablish connections between people,” he said. u Enjoy the full story online at www.sbu.edu/DrPaula
Known affectionately as “Dr. Paula,” Scraba also leads the SBU initiatives with Special Olympics New York and guides the Physical Activity Club (PAC), Student Athletic Advisory Council and the Student Athlete Fellowship and Wellness Club She is also team chaplain for soccer, softball and lacrosse.
T h e P a t h w a y t o S u c c e s s B e g i n s W i t h Yo u
Members of the St Bonaventure community gathered in the Doyle Hall Conference Center on May 5 to honor scholarship and grant recipients and pay tribute to the donors whose gen erosity makes such a difference in their lives. Guest speakers included scholarship recipient Jordan Mejia, a member of the Class of 2023, and St. Bonaventure trustee emeritus Leslie C Quick III, ’75 Mejia, a broadcast journalism major from Manhattan, shared how the power of the Bona network and the inspiration of scholarships put him on the path to success When his grandmother, who was his primary guardian, passed away in 2019, Mejia feared he would have to put aside his higher edu cation goals.
Dr. Paula Scraba, O.S.F., advocates for others
“I thought my dream of attending college was over,” he said “But thanks to scholarships, I am able to have this fantastic opportunity at St Bonaventure and not only make an impact on campus as a resident assistant and a member of the Med ical Emergency Response Team, but also in the surrounding
“The job I don’t get paid for is the job I enjoy the most.”
2022 SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON
Leslie C Quick III, ‘75, and his wife, Eileen, joined Jordan Mejia, Dr Joseph Zimmer and Bob Van Wicklin at the spring scholarship luncheon University, students gratefully pay tribute to scholarship donors community as a volunteer emergency medical responder with Allegany Rescue and EMS.” Mejia is the recipient of the Robert M. Spaulding, ’51, Memo rial Scholarship and the Fr. Mychal Judge, O.F.M., Endowed Scholarship.
6Seated (from left) are Jane Jacques and Dane Surra Standing (from left) are scholar ship recipients McKenna Preston, ’22, Mary Sabatelle, ’22, and Sam Mallare, ’23 If you would like to create a scholarship in honor or in memory of someone important in your life, please contact Angela Nelson, director of donor engagement, at (716) 375 2308 or anelson@sbu.edu.
J ane Jacques, 94 years old and a resident of Portville, New York, has been attend ing St Bonaventure’s scholarship lunch eon for 20 years. She and her sister, Lillian, established the Felix A. Jacques Scholarship in 2002 in memory of their brother. A dedicated and beloved biology teacher, Dr. Jacques worked for the university for 38 years In 1965, he was awarded a grant of $40,000 for biological research from the Heart Institute of the National Institute of Health. He also helped establish the first Faculty Senate at the univer sity and served as chair of the Health Profes sions Evaluation Committee. A member of the U S Army Air Corps in World War II, Dr. Jacques earned a bachelor’s degree (1950) and a master’s degree in zoology (1953) from the University of Iowa. He received his Ph D in biology and physiology from St. Louis University in 1960. It was Dr Kenneth E Anderson, chair of the Department of Biology, who encouraged Dr. Jacques to join St. Bonaventure’s faculty in 1963He was a member of numerous professional societies, such as the American Institute of Bio logical Sciences (AIBS), the American Associa tion for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), The American Physiological Society, and the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions. He was a member of the American Association of University Professors. He was also the chief health adviser for the university from 1977 until his death in 2001. “Felix loved teaching Even after he retired, he continued to come into his office in the biology department almost every day,” Ms Jacques said. “My sister and I felt that the best way to perpetuate the legacy he left with so many stu dents was to create a scholarship fund.”
Continuing the legacy of Felix A. Jacques, Ph.D.
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Through the years, Ms. Jacques has received notes from her brother’s former students as well as recipients of his scholarship, sharing news of their lives and careers
5Felix A Jacques, Ph D , was a faculty member for 38 years at St Bonaventure
Pandemic doesn’t deter business students in C4
Hold that thought as we fast forward to today, when we find C4 as a key player in a multifaceted network of programs aimed at helping local busi nesses find and solidify their footing in still chal lenging economic times. Students in their C4 Jackets and their adviser, Dr Todd Palmer (far right), pose in front of the giant Bonnies logo on the side of the Burton, a principal client through the pandemic
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“I’ve worked with a lot of student teams, but no body has owned it like these students,” said Palmer “They found a way to continue working with several Allegany bars and cafés through the pandemic year because they were sincerely worried about them. They would not stop, and it was an honor to be part of their journey.”
true Grit
Q : What’s the difference between the leg endary rock band The Beatles and St. Bonaventure University’s student run business consulting club known as C4? A : When the going got tough, The Fab Four broke up. And the only hurdle before the lads from Liverpool was a clash of egos.
By Tom Donahue
C4, on the other hand, had to confront a global pandemic, a big red stop sign that froze the world in its tracks, threatening to not only halt the work of C4, but send the club back to square one, if not dis mantle it completely. But C4 is alive and thriving today because its core group of students refused to stop working with local businesses through the pandemic, said Dr Todd Palmer, associate professor of management, chair of SBU’s management and marketing programs, founder of C4 and the club’s faculty adviser.
“I wasn’t allowed in there, and we couldn’t meet anywhere on campus. We couldn’t organize,” said Randall. But the need for C4 was greater than ever “A lot of businesses were in total chaos,” said Palmer, and among those hardest hit by COVID 19 restrictions were bars and restaurants. “We were back on campus, but we were socially distanced and had all these rules. That’s when the guys in C4 came to me and said, ‘Hey, Palmer, we still want to do this ’ One of my graduate assistants, Mark Vaccaro, was really keen on this. Mark had worked in C4 for three or four years prior and was now my grad assistant in charge of C4, but he realized that because of COVID he was in charge of nothing
The accelerator is named for the late Erick Laine, former CEO and chairman of Cutco, and a former member of St. Bonaven ture’s Board of Trustees. Serving as the third leg in a tripod of support for local busi nesses is C4. When five Cattaraugus County businesses were se lected as the Laine Accelerator’s very first clients in 2021, they were strongly encouraged to work with C4.
But back to the pandemic year. In March of 2020, campus was shut down and students were sent home to finish that spring semester in virtual classrooms. Campus reopened for fall semester 2021, but under strict new rules aimed at preventing the spread of COVID 19. For instance, Randall, who was starting his junior year, couldn’t walk out of his on campus apartment to visit a fellow C4 class mate who lived in the apartment right next door.
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Those players include St. Bonaventure’s Innovation Center, which puts SBU students at the core of efforts to help budding en trepreneurs turn ideas into startups, then into thriving, scalable businesses.Thecenter was created in 2020 with a pledge of $500,000 from Olean philanthropists James Stitt, executive chairman of the Cutco Corp in Olean and a former member of St Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, Carol, former longtime executive director of the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation
The Stitts, along with Palmer and Dr. Matrecia James, dean of St. Bonaventure’s School of Business, helped establish the center and recruit its executive director, Tom Cullen, a 2000 SBU gradu ate and one of the many Bonaventure alumni with whom Palmer has networked for many years Cullen had startup experience of his own, having spent nearly 20 years in Chicago where he founded a high speed trading firm and a software development consulting business. Then there’s the Laine Business Accelerator, a program that provides startup companies and established entrepreneurs with a three month boot camp featuring a range of services to fine tune and grow their businesses, from management training and office space to venture capital financing. Funded by the Olean Business Development Corporation’s Erick Laine Entrepreneurship Fund, the Laine Accelerator is a collaboration involving more than a dozen businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions, such as the Olean Campus of Jamestown Community College.
“It ended up working out incredibly well,” said Charlie Randall, who earned a BBA in marketing in May and is now an admissions counselor at SBU “It meant that businesses were coming to us, and were committed to working with us, instead of us having to go door to door asking if businesses needed help. It really set us up for success Last year was the craziest and most successful that C4 has ever seen.”
“People lose interest in a club pretty quickly when there’s no work for them to do,” he said. Instead of hitting the “pause” button, C4 got to work, re cruiting not only new businesses with which to engage, but new C4 members. “Dr Palmer had this idea to bring together bars and restaurants that were having problems as a result of COVID,” said Vaccaro “So we brought in about 10 students who were interested in C4, split them up, and had them reach out to different bars and restaurants in town ”
Engagements were opened with several Allegany taverns and restaurants including the Burton, the historic Main Street bar and restaurant. While C4 members were able to connect with the busi ness owners through virtual platforms, campus COVID re strictions made it difficult for the club to conduct a key aspect of its operation: weekly group debriefing and strat egy sessions. So every Sunday, Palmer and his C4 students met in the backyard of a student’s off campus house in Allegany, sit ting in a big circle, careful to maintain social distancing and other COVID safeguards.
Jon Boilard, who earned his BBA in accounting in May, was one of new C4 recruits that year and remembers being impressed by the commitment of the club members. “Just seeing everybody’s determination, traveling to this person’s off campus house and sitting in the backyard, no matter what the weather was like and sometimes it was freezing out was something I wanted to be a part of,” he said. “Everyone was serious about what they were doing and we all wanted to do well. You don’t find that a lot of places.”Randall admits that there were few “hard deliverables” presented to the club’s handful of clients in that COVID restricted year But that’s not the point, said Palmer. “At least we were treading water The students under stood that maintaining the club’s structure, recruitment and training was absolutely essential,” he said. And if the club had not continued to meet? “To be honest, we would have probably had to restart everything,” said Palmer “A university is a collection of all
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u If you are interested in working with C4, the SBU Innovation Center and/or the Laine Business Accelerator, please contact Dr. Todd Palmer at tpalmer@sbu edu
Kristen Reynolds, who worked closely with the Burton as a member of C4, earned her MBA from St Bonaventure in May “I remember Mark saying, ‘We have to do something,’ and he was talking to the other members of the club. I for get whose idea it was, but someone said, ‘Let’s meet at someone’s house off campus.’”
At the time, Vaccaro, now an auditor for the Big Four ac counting firm Ernst and Young in New York City, was in the last year of the university’s five year accounting/MBA program, and when he peered into the future he didn’t like what he saw.
Not a good omen, you might say “We’d done our risk analysis, but the one thing we didn’t factor in was a pandemic and it happened four months later,” said Przesiek Meanwhile, because of the new owners’ strong ties to the university, they’d already expressed an interest in connecting with St. Bonaventure students. “We worked with Dr. Palmer to get a couple of students, and that’s where C4 came in,” said Przesiek. “And God love them, because this was during the pandemic, right? First you’re closed, then you’re open, but with very limited capacity, limited hours and really tight rules for masking and other things. So the students were trying to navigate those waters along with us We challenged them to come up with ideas to expand the scope of the Burton from a business perspective, and they did great work.”
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When the Burton came up for sale in 2019, it caught the attention of Przesiek and three of his Bona buddies, John Flanagan, ’89, Brian Attea, ’89, and Kevin Patwell, ’88“Three of us had worked at the Burton, two of us met our wives there, and all of us have a very strong connection to the university,” said Przesiek. “So when it popped up for sale the text messages started flying We ended up making the deal happen in De cember of 2019. It was actually Friday the 13th.”
If you wonder if that matters, fast forward again to present day and ask David Przesiek of Scottsdale, Arizona, who earned a dual degree in marketing and management from St Bonaventure in 1989 and has enjoyed a career in the risk re lated side of health care.
David Przesiek, ’89, is a co owner of the Burton
“
The Burton became a focal point for C4, said Vaccaro, who worked the account with Kristin Reynolds, who earned her MBA from St. Bonaventure in May. “They were new owners and were all Bona grads, so they really wanted to work with the school and establish a long lasting relationship Working with them and keeping them at the center really helped us,” said Vaccaro. As a direct result of C4’s work, the Burton started a trivia night “It created another night for us and the students love it; I mean they love it,” said Przesiek. C4 was also challenged to help bolster the Burton’s social media presence and their work “changed our strategy,” Przesiek added. “The students sharpened the messaging, created more consistency and helped with the recruitment of more followers What they brought us was greater connectivity to our customer base, particularly to students.”
This upcoming year C4 may be working with up to 10 companies. I think it’s going to be a great year because of those students who busted their butts two years ago to have meetings in a backyard. Dr. Todd Palmer these little communities that make the place go, and if you let a community go it takes a long time to rebuild it The fact that these students were able to keep C4 going was super important.”
The relationship was so beneficial that McClain hired Lauciello as Paragon’s social media content manager “She manages all our social media and she’s just rock ing it,” said McClain “Her voice, her tone, how she writes, her research … Our numbers have gone up over 100 percent in our engagement, so she’s on it, she’s wonderful. We can’t say enough good things about CeCi. I think of Bonaventure and the School of Business in the highest regard.”
But the C4 story likely has a different ending had that core group not been committed to working through the pandemic “That was absolutely essential,” said Palmer. “It was these stu dents, who quietly embodied Franciscan values better than anyone, who moved this along This upcoming year C4 may be working with up to 10 companies. I think it’s going to be a great year because of those students who busted their butts two years ago to have meet ings in a backyard. “Unlike the Fab Four, C4 kept the band together ” (Tom Donahue, ’76, is the content webmaster at St. Bonaventure.)
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These students are really good, and the nice thing about our students is they can do whatever, from research to nuts and bolts.” School of Business Dean James is also impressed by the work of C4 “These students take what they learn in the classroom, and through experiential learning, and apply it in the business community in ways that make an immediate and long term positive impact,” she said. “Dr. Palmer and the student consultants embody our mission and personify engagement impact and innovation I am very proud of C4 I believe these are the young leaders who will change the business world for the better ”
p Dr Kryn McClain (left) and Paulina Colonna, co owners and operators of C4 client Paragon Behavioral Health Services q Charlie Randall, who earned his MBA in May, in a virtual meeting with Paragon’s Dr Kryn McClain
A similar C4 success story is told by Olean native Dr Kryn McClain, co owner and operator of Paragon Behavioral Health Services. Paragon has 80 employee and maintains three offices, one of them in Olean, its main office for outpatient programs. Paragon is one of the businesses selected as the Laine Accelera tor’s five inaugural clients last fall “We didn’t know we’d be gaining access to C4. Frankly, I’d never heard of C4 before,” said Mc Clain, who earned her master’s in community men tal health counseling from SBU in 2011 Assigned to work with Paragon were C4 mem bers Randall and his classmate Cecilia Lauciello, who will complete requirements for her bachelor’s degree in management this summer McClain, remembering her own days as a college student, had modest expectations, which Randall and Lauciello blew up on day one “They were just phenomenal. I was definitely not that mature and motivated at that age,” said McClain “The quality of these two was something I don’t think I’ve ever seen in undergraduates They were on point, pro fessional and they knew their stuff.”
The praise showered on C4 students doesn’t surprise Professor Palmer “Take social media, for instance,” he said. “Charlie Randall can spend hours talking about analytics, how to analyze competitors and how you’re comparing to them. And Maddie Heyden and Brianna Shay (both BBA man agement, 2022) worked extensively with their client, ac tually setting up and implementing marketing events. Then there’s Jon Boilard, a great accountant who worked extensively with his client on their accounting system
27SUMMER 2022 had an office in the Publishing Office for two decades. Virga is also the co founder of a museum in Ballina, Ireland, The Jackie Clarke Collection, which was visited by students from St Bonaventure several years ago. “In this, my 80th year, I feel mighty blessed,” he writes In 2021, Virga celebrated the 56th anniver sary with his partner, James McCourt 1969 Mary Ann Holden was honored by the Genesee Valley School Boards Association as the 2021 recipient of the Albert Hawk Award for her contributions to education and service to her community’s school board. Holden is in her 20th year on the Dansville School Board and 16th as its president.
To submit professional news for the next issue of Bonaventure magazine, drop us a note in the enclosed envelope, fill out an online form at www.SBUmagazine.com or email magazine@sbu.edu. Submissions may be edited for clarity or length.
44 SHARE YOUR CAREER NEWS WITH THE BONA NATION!
1971 Retired Lt. Col. Paul Bishop is teaching for the University of Phoenix and serving as a U.S. Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer. He served for 20 years in the Ma rine Corps and for 28 years as a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Of ficers’ Training Corps in structor. Molly Kulesz-Martin, Ph.D., having retired in 2021 from Oregon Health & Science University, is professor emerita of the C l a s s N o t e s
1962 Tim Holland was one of the featured authors at the May 21 Suffolk Mystery Authors Festival He participated in a panel on “Setting it right,” the art of making the setting of a story work for both the characters and the reader. In formation about the festival and the topic can be found at www tim holland.com. In addi tion, Holland has joined the board of di rectors of the Williamsburg Book Festival, which will be held Oct. 1 (see www.williamsburg bookfestival org) On June 22, his new novel, “Deception A Sidney Lake Lowcountry Mystery,” was released Marilyn (Bonsee) Stetar, who re tired after a long career in manage ment at M&M Mars, earned certification in English as a Second Language (ESL) at The New School in New York City. She teaches ESL at Ka plan International as well as volunteer ing at The English Speaking Union and The International Center in New York City, and the University of Southern Silesia in Wroclaw, Poland. She also co chairs financial literacy programs for The Transition Network in New York City Stetar divides her time be tween her home in Clinton, New Jer sey, and the Upper West Side 1964 In 2021, Vincent Virga’s first novel, “Gaywyck” (1980), was celebrated in “The Romance Novel in English: A Survey in Rare Books, 1769 1999,” by Rebecca Romney as the creator of two new genres the gay gothic and the gay romance Virga has researched, ed ited, captioned, and designed more than 650 picture sections for trade books, including dozens of interna tional bestsellers He has authored a number of books, including “Eyes of the Nation: A Visual History of the United States,” and “Cartographia: Maps as Cultural Documents,” both written with the support of curators at the Library of Congress where Virga NAAB News As part of the National Alumni Association Board’s spring meeting, incoming president Pat Doyle, ’81, thanks outgoing president Kayte Malik, ’03, for her leadership, service and dedication Doyle’s two year term as president began July 1
1975 Ginger (Broderick) Stawicki retired after more than 43 years in education, including as math instructor, juvenile detention education coordinator, social and mental health management and be havior intervention specialist (great way to end my career assisting and helping elementary students and staff). She has moved to Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina, and welcomes any Bonaventure buddies to visit! Bob Straub is an ordained deacon for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, and a chaplain for the Prince George Fire & Emergency Services. He was among those featured in a diocesan newspaper article (catholicvirginian.org) about fire, EMS and police chaplains.
Alumni from the Class of ‘79 supported Bona’s basketball at a winter gathering at the Glennon home in Leesburg, Virginia Pictured from left are Mary Ann (Hickey) Glennon, Lauretta (LaValley) Viglianco, Eileen (Barry) Kalukin, Debbie (Leitner) Frey, and Donna (Rucci) Collins
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1981 Marguerite C. (McDonald) Garrison was a recipient of a 2021 Meritori ous Presidential Rank Award A Presidential Rank Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the federal career civil service, and these awards are critical to recognizing the hard work and important contributions of dedicated civil servants in the American federal workforce The Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive is the second highest annual award given to selected Bona Basketball Rally
Department of Dermatology and Cell & Developmental Biology, Solid Tumors Program chair emerita of Knight Cancer Institute, and mentor of Integrated Training in Quantitative and Experimen tal Cancer Systems Biology (ICSB). She is director emerita of the Montagna Symposium on the Biology of Skin, which is approaching its 70th anniver sary, and founding director of the Biol ogy of Skin Foundation to support this annual meeting and its global educa tional and public health mission. In 2020, she joined the St Bonaventure University Board of Trustees.
1973 Daniel O’Neill retired after a 17 year business career in New York City and a 25 year teaching (history) career at St Anthony’s High School on Long Island. June 2022 marked 15 years since he re ceived a kidney transplant. The donor was his wife.
1978 Kim Dixon is president of Partnering for Peace: Friends of Peace Corps and Rotary (www.partneringforpeace.org). Partnering for Peace is an all volunteer nonprofit organization with the goal to form partnerships between Rotary International Ro tarians and the United States Peace Corps vol unteers and returned vol unteers. Dixon served with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Georgia (2014 2016). She also served in a refugee camp from the 2008 war when Russia invaded Georgia After her service, she returned for another 1½ years to work on addi tional projects on her own, primarily to support the first hospice in Georgia (www.afgeorgia.org). She awaits an op portunity to safely visit again In the meantime, Dixon has relocated back to Raleigh, North Carolina, and is looking forward to bringing her new husband, Thomas J Ziko, to see the beautiful Bona’s campus and favorite old haunts.
1972 Brian Biggane was awarded first place in sports writing by the Florida Press Club for a story on the 61 year love affair between longtime foot ball coach Howard Schnellenberger and his wife, Beverlee, which ap peared in the February 2021 edition of The Coastal Star, a monthly newspaper in eastern Palm Beach County Thomas Servoss is celebrating 38 years selling real estate in Melbourne, Florida.
Victoria M. (Scaccia) Peltier wel comes former classmates and friends to touch base with her with their own up dates She is retired but remains an in clusive early childhood educator and advocate by volunteering in her church and community. Peltier has been study ing more about faith and humanity as well as better ways to educate all learn ers since COVID forced schools to close and isolated many from any contact with teachers or online learning sources. She is also a volunteer mental health peer supporter and advocate. She has five children and seven grandchildren Tom Ren has relocated to Roaring River, North Carolina, to be closer to his immediate family and start easing his way into retirement on a little piece of wilder ness paradise called “Blessed Solitude.” He says, “With 1,000 feet of Roaring River bottom and 48 wooded acres with a creek and several springs, I truly feel blessed.” Ren had spent almost 41 years in Colorado.
1982 Daniel Marren was a co recipient of the Bar Association of Erie County’s 2021 Award of Merit, an honor that is reserved to recognize extraordinary cir cumstances Marren was recognized for exemplary dedication for ensuring the courts were operational during the COVID 19 pandemic and for commit ment to the service of the bench, bar and public at large. Marren retired from the New York State Unified Court Sys tem in 2022 after 16 years as the confi dential law clerk to the District Administrative Judge of the 8th Judicial District, Hon. Paula Feroleto, JSC (Jus tice of the Supreme Court) Marren was in private practice for 20 years before entering public service.
1984 JG “Greg” Faherty, owner and CEO of www.a perfect re sume com, launched a new résumé preparation service, www million dollarresumes.com, spe cializing in custom trésumé/coverletter/LinkedIn/execuivebiopackagesforsenior executives and CXOs. A certified professional ré sumé writer with more than 20 years of experience operating his résumé busi ness, he has also provided résumé writ ing classes for schools, business organizations, companies, and nonprof its. Recognized as a leader in the indus try, Faherty has consulted for several internet résumé companies, helping them create business strategies and go to market plans. He is also the author of “The New Guide to Writing a Perfect Resume.” Joe Martone was named communications man ager for the Diocese of Buffalo He is responsi ble for managing the day to day communica tions in the diocese that contains 160 parishes in an eight county region, with more than 560,000 Catholics, 38 Catholic elementary schools, 13 high schools and seven colleges and universi ties
1995 Becki Whitcombe is the majority owner and managing partner of Curtin
1983 Kathleen (Holland) Kurtz has moved into the systems side of the resi dential construction industry after 38 years on the operations side. “I am ex cited to be putting my many years of ex perience into a new position,” she writes.
1993 Eileen (Franczak) Cavalier has been promoted to chief financial officer at Citizen Advocates, Inc., a nonprofit organi zation that makes lives better for people with in tellectual /developmen tal disabilities, people with mental health care needs, and people in re covery from substance use disorder. She has worked in various finance roles in the New York state nonprofit arena for the past 25 years.
1994 Carrie Carter has returned to TTR Sotheby’s International Realty in the role of senior vice president Carter has been licensed as an associate broker since 1996 and has served numerous neighborhoods within Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Rebecca (Smith) Hoag completed a master’s degree in religious edu cation from Felician Uni versity in May of 2020. She earned her degree while teaching middle school religion classes (as well as serving as campus minister and STREAM coordinator) full time at St. Mary’s Elementary school in Lancaster, New York, a posi tion she held for seven years. In July 2021, she started a new position at the parish as director of faith formation.
29SUMMER 2022 C l a s s N o t e s career senior executive service (SES) members The award may be given to no more than 5% of the members of the SES in any given year. Meritorious Rank Award recipients receive 20% of basic pay, a framed meritorious certifi cate featuring a silver emblem signed by the president and a silver Rank Award pin Garrison is deputy inspector gen eral for Administrative Investigations with the Department of Defense
1986 Linda J. Harris, a certified public ac countant, has joined Johnson, Mack owiak & Associates (JMA) of Fredonia as partner She will focus primarily on the tax as pects of the practice, which includes oversee ing tax preparation and consultations regarding individuals, estates, corporations and partnerships Before joining JMA, Har ris owned her own certified public ac counting firm, Linda J Harris, CPA Prior to that, Harris worked in the pri vate sector as a senior accountant for a large manufacturing firm and had worked at JMA when the firm was known as Coppings, Johnson, Mack owiak and Myott. An active member in her community, Harris is involved with several charities including 4 H, the M.S. Society and the Community Reinvest ment Committee.
1988 Steven Barry, who has been with KPMG for 34 years, was promoted to national partner in charge of inspections. His new responsibilities include monitoring audit quality in KPMG’s Americas Region and splitting time be tween KPMG’s offices in Washington, D.C., and New York. Thomas Berry completed the 126th Boston Marathon on April 18 He started running five years ago and has finished more than 80 races, including sev eral marathons and ultra marathons. He finds it a great way to stay fit and exercise Berry plans to run the New York City Marathon this year and focus on completing the remaining major world marathons. Michael Wood became a certified safety professional (CSP) in November of 2021. Wood is senior vice president of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment with TEAM Industrial Services.
Whitcombe, LLC. In October of 2021, she was honored to be named the Outstanding Pro Bono Community Honoree by the Lake County office of Prairie State Legal Services, in recogni tion of the pro bono services she has provided over the years. Ryan Gallo is head men’s bas ketball coach and assistant ath letic director at St Mary’s High School in Lancaster, New York. Gallo has coached basketball and football at the professional, collegiate and high school levels for the last 25 years In March, Gallo’s men’s basketball team won the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association Class B state championship. 1997 Dr. Marc DelMonico led the 2021 effort of the U.S. Confer ence of Catholic (BishopsUSCCB) to ap prove competen cies for minister formation and certification for Catholic pastoral care in prison ministries, and for certified Catholic correctional chaplains. In his role as USCCB director of certification for ecclesial min istry, he worked with colleagues in the Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition and the National Asso ciation of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) to develop these compe tencies, which will help prepare Catholics across the country for the work of providing spiritual care for those who are incarcer ated or affected by incarceration in any way, including those in immigrant detention Del Monico also worked closely with NACC as it updated minister for mation competencies for Catholic pastoral caregivers in the health care field, including for certified Catholic health care chaplains, and for pastoral min isters to the elderly, sick and those receiving in home care For more information, visit Del Monico’s website, churchmd.com. Dr. Julie Fitz patrick was appointed to a three year term as chair of the Department of Business Admin istration and Accounting in the School of Business at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia. The department, home to 13 full time faculty members and more than 300 students, has been accredited by the Association to Advance Col legiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for its programs in ac counting, public accountancy, fi nance, management, and marketing since 2017. Fitz patrick joined the faculty at SUNY Fredonia in 2007 and is an associate professor of fi nance Paul and Jackie (Smith) Murphy, members of the Class of 1985, attended the NIT game with their daughter, Bridget Paul is pictured with Bona legends Jim Baron, ’77, ’86, and Jim Satalin, ’69 Baron was the captain of the 1977 NIT championship team coached by Satalin Paul attended that game with his late brother, William C Murphy, Class of 1976
Cheering on the Bonnies at MSG
C l a s s N o t e s BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE30
Gerald Stragazzi, a Class of 1960 alumnus, attended the Na tional Invitational Tournament game at Madison Square Gar den game with his sons, Mike (left) and Matt
2004 Timothy Shaffer, Ph.D., will start a new position this fall as the first Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse at the Univer sity of Delaware’s Joseph R Biden, Jr School of Public Policy and Administration Shaffer will be respon sible for developing and guiding the deliv ery of the SNF Ithaca Initiative’s academic curricula and experiential learning programs SNF Ithaca serves not only as UD’s home base for civil discourse, but as a national hub where students from across the country come together and develop the civil civic engagement skills that will strengthen democracy
31SUMMER 2022 C l a s s N o t e s
2001 Andrea Emery was promoted to senior manager of program finance at SRC of North Syracuse. Emery started her ca reer with SRC in 2014, most recently serving as manager of program finance, a role in which she forecast and tracked revenue and costs, providing guidance to analysts and program managers across the en terprise. In her new role, she will pro vide active direction and coaching to the finance team and work closely with colleagues to provide business insight Tim Spring was promoted to re gional manager for the Northeast Re gion at LeafGuard. 2002 Heather Ahern left the telecom in dustry, where she spent the last 20 years, and started a new chapter in her ca reer as a business de velopment specialist with AmerisourceBer gen in its Community & Specialty Pharmacy division. Ranked #8 on the Fortune 500, AmerisourceBer gen is one of the largest global phar maceutical sourcing and distribution services companies, helping health care providers and pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers improve patient access to products and en hance patient care. Penny (Soto) Myler was promoted to associate reg istrar for curriculum management at St. John Fisher College in Rochester in November 2020 She previously worked for 15 years in the admissions office, and held the position of assistant director of transfer and graduate admissions.
Several Bonnies were present when the Buffalo Division No 1 Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) held a ceremony at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (OLPH) in Buffalo to present a $2,000 donation to the parish Standing in the front row are church pastor Fr Paul Siel, ’77, New York State AOH District 2 Director Craig E Speers, ’72, and AOH Division President Kevin Lafferty, ’02 The funds will be used for the re pair of stained glass windows in the church SBU board transitions It was Bonnies succeeding Bonnies on the Board of Directors for the Meeting Planners Interna tional (MPI) Upstate New York Chapter. In May 2021, Sam Toscano, ’89, transitioned to presi dent of the chapter, succeeding Theresa Wutzer Moore, ’87 Toscano gifted the outgoing presi dent an SBU T shirt Toscano, of Syracuse, is the sales manager at 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton, New York Moore is the associate di rector for the New York State Council of School Superintendents, handling conference design and communications Both alums are certified meeting professionals
2005 Brian Sidney Smith (also MBA, ’06) is a regional sales manager with G.L. Huyett.
2006 Keith W. Brennan, MD, is a board certified physician in internal medi cine with a specialty in geriatric medi cine (New York University Langone Winthrop Hospital) and has been ap pointed as associate professor of inter nal medicine for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai He lives in Long Beach, New York, with his spouse and twin daughters Ryan
An interdisciplinary scholar, through out his work and research Shaffer fo cuses on the role of civic professionals in institutional settings such as gov ernmental and non governmental or ganizations in relationship with diverse communities In joining the SNF Ithaca Initiative and Biden School, Shaffer will help grow new course offerings focused on civil dis course and a series of new programs and special events designed to foster a healthier vision of democracy
1999 Michael Fessel (also ’05) was named elementary principal and cur riculum coordinator at Clymer Central School District in Western New York Shannon Hunter is regional vice president of care management at LIFEPlan CCO NY, one of seven New York State Care Coordination Organi zations formed in 2018 to meet the needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by collabo rating with service providers through a health home model
2012 Spencer Timkey (also ’13) com pleted his first winter as owner of The Boardroom Snowboard Shop in Ellicottville, which was founded by his parents in 1984 He worked there throughout his Bona tenure before purchasing the business in the summer of 2021 The Boardroom special izes in snowboard retail, equipment rental, outerwear and specialty branded apparel. Timkey worked with a local artist to develop a modern logo as the store initiated a rebrand. He and his wife, Molly, welcomed their son, Tan ner, last November.
2019 Cassidy Kyler is the director of special programs for Tupper Lake Central School District 2020 Genaro “Tristan” Colon has earned top honors in a number of Brazilian jiu jitsu competi tions, including, in 2021, the Long Island Challenge Series 1 Cham pion, the North American Grap pling Association Atlantic City Champion, and the Pride Brazil ian Jiu Jitsu Champion. In 2022 he earned the Grappling In dustries Cham pion title. Colon is an Exos performance coach at Google in New York City Alumni team wins Olean Macker Three St Bonaventure alumni representing Bysiek CPA, PLLC, won the championship of the Gus Macker Corporate Cup June 10 The co ed basketball tournament is held annually in Olean Area businesses enter teams in a double elimi nation March Madness style bracket and com pete against each other until a winner is determined The Bysiek CPA team went unde feated in the tournament Pictured from left are alumni Arnim Alexander, ’15, Ed Bysiek, ’02, and Mckenna Maycock, ’19 Future Bonnies in front include Royal Alexander (Class of 2044) and Sylvia and Juliana Bysiek (Class of 2036)
BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE32 C l a s s N o t e s
2011 Kryn (Palmquist) McClain is presi dent and co owner of Paragon Behav ioral Health Services, which earned Great Place to Work certification in 2022. This year, 84% of Paragon’s 80+ employ ees said it’s a great place to work 25% higher than the average U S company Founded in 2017, Paragon is a 100% women owned behavioral health company with locations in Olean, as well as Reading and Ephrata, Pennsyl vania. Paragon’s services include indi vidual intensive behavioral health services (IBHS) for autistic children and youth, mental health counseling, and autism testing and assessment This year, Paragon is set to launch a group IBHS program for 3 to 5 year old chil dren and is partnering with a virtual re ality software programming company to develop a platform of applications to as sist autistic youths with independent living skills Last year, Paragon was a fi nalist in Olean’s Laine Business Acceler ator Program, which partners with St Bonaventure’s Innovation Center. Through this program, Paragon devel oped infrastructure to grow, strengthen its network within the community, and set on a course to continue scaling serv ices. This resulted in a 500% growth in the outpatient mental health program in Olean.
2015 Michelle (Love) Robertson (also ’20) is a school counselor at St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Maryland, where she recommended seven students for St Bonaventure’s Bonnie and Reilly junior scholarships “All seven candidates were awarded the scholarships,” she writes. “It is a privilege to recommend such high achieving students to an incredible school like St Bonaventure ”
2008 Jody Bill is an instructor of special ed ucation at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and teaches in the Early Child hood/Early Childhood Special Educa tion program. Emily Ciraolo (also ’09) joined Cisco as CX Communica tions manager to support program and change management initiatives for the company’s customer experience organi zation. Katelyn E. (Dieffenderfer) Niedermier has been appointed an administrative law judge by the New York State Office of Temporary & Dis ability Assistance Previously she was a senior staff attorney at Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc , where her practice was focused on eviction defense, fair housing litigation and tenant advocacy Niedermier lives in Buffalo with her husband and daughter Ian Nolan was named director of new communities for KIPP Texas Public Schools in October of 2021 Prior to this new role, Nolan served as a regional director of opera tions for Great Hearts Texas for two years, and was an assistant principal of operations for three years at IDEA Pub lic Schools in San Antonio. This marks his 11th year in education and sixth year in operational leadership.
Talbot and his colleague Matt Parrino won two prestigious awards for their work on SHOUT! The Buffalo Football Pod cast The duo won first place for Best Podcast in the New York Press As sociation 2021 Best Newspaper Contest and first place for Best Sports Show at the Syra cuse Press Club Awards. Talbot and Par rino cover the Buffalo Bills for Syracuse com and NYUP com
33SUMMER 2022
A McDonald’s All America nomi nee in his native D.C., he started his collegiate career at Washington State before transferring back to the East Coast with the Bonnies He was one of the first key building blocks in turning around Bonaventure’s pro gram under head coach Mark Schmidt, immediately making his mark by draining 81 three pointers in his first SBU season of 2008 09. Matthews graduated as the pro gram’s single season 3 point record holder, drilling 101 treys as a senior In just 61 games of action, he ranks seventh all time in career Bonnies threes (182). He was also instrumen tal in creating a culture of winning. Bona teammates who were under classmen his senior season would go on to capture the A 10 championship just two years later.
“Coming to St. Bonaventure is one of the things that helped me in life because it was so welcoming,” Matthews said “It was a place that felt like home. There were times I had down moments, but I was able to speak to people who helped me there. Bona’s really played a huge role in my life to where I am today.”
For now, Matthews’ sneakers will remain a limited edition for family and friends and potentially be up for retail sale next year In the mean time, stars such as Drake, Future and 2 Chainz will be wearing the shoes this year. Read a longer version of this story at gobonnies.com.
He’s one of the world’s most in demand shooting coaches, working with numerous NBA and WNBA athletes to perfect their shot. He’s also worked with a long list of celebrities, frequently featured on his social media accounts. Followed by more than two million fans on In stagram, Matthews has found stardom through features by ESPN, Jordan Brand, Sports Illus trated, an appearance in a Mountain Dew com mercial, and showing off his form in NBA2K with game creators showcasing his shot He even has a cameo in the Netflix movie, “Hustle.” His work as a shooting coach has earned him respect from all corners of the basketball globe and the biggest names in the basketball and entertainment worlds Now, some of those stars will be wearing a set of Lethal Shooter Air Jordans. Matthews made his tory in June with the announcement of his Air Jor dan 36 Low player edition. He’s the first trainer to have a PE assigned to him by Jordan Brand The shoe features a black and gold design that was made to be worn both on and off the court His favorite feature, though, might be the insole which bears his “Stay Locked In” logo in concrete with flowers printed on the tongue. “The flower represents making it out of the toughness of Washington, D C ,” he says “I grew up in D.C., born and raised, so to have a shoe that represents my city and someone who didn’t give up is a blessing. “I wanted to be the first trainer ever with a shoe I want to break barriers, but to do that takes a lot Chris Matthews makes history with new Jordan player edition Chris Matthews of hard work and believing in your self If you’re a part of something where you feel like concrete is keep ing you down, if you keep working hard, that rose is going to come through the concrete.”
When he wore the Brown and White as a mem ber of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team, Chris Matthews, ’10, rained threes in the Reilly Center. Today, he’s known worldwide to millions as “Lethal Shooter.”
All photos must be of good reproductive quality Pictures submitted electronically must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Original images from a camera or cell phone work best. Photo graphs that have been shared on social media or via text have likely been com pressed and will not be large enough to reproduce in the magazine. The university is prohibited from pub lishing copyrighted photographs, unless accompanied by written permission from the photographer.
Brooke Shaughnessy and Kevin Mjaatvedt, ’11 Katie Sinclair, ’16, and Samuel EGovan rin Woodruff and Jeff Madigan, ’08
BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE34 W e d d i n g s To submit your announcement for an upcoming edition: • use the enclosed envelope • email magazine@sbu edu • use the online form at www.sbu.SBUmagazine.com
Caitlyn Morral, ’18, and Gunnar Brooks, ’15, ’18
Bonaventure
Photos are published at the discretion of the editor Photos that include ban ners or other insignia of the Brown In dian mascot will not be accepted Don’t forget to notify us of your new name or address! Update your contact information at www.sbu.edu/alumniupdate or send an email to alumni@sbu edu St Bonaventure University takes pride in its alumni and joyfully shares the news of their lives and achieve mentsStBonaventure is supportive of our Catholic Church’s teachings. Publica tion of announcements provided to us by our alumni does not necessarily imply an endorsement by the univer sity. Magazine Wedding Guidelines
35SUMMER 2022
Leskovics,
Staszyn,
Lauren Saglimben, ’17, and Dean ’08 Kelly ’12, and Jed ’13 ’17, and JW Cook, ’17
Whitcomb,
W e d d i n g s Jessica Laursen,
BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE36
Lauren Hill, ’16, and Mike Lawhead, ’15
W e d d i n g s
Rachel Szal, ’12, ’13, and Blake Morrison Michelle McKernan, ’12, and Nick Muccioli, ’10
’13,
’01 Allie Deal, ’19,
Julie Mann and Gregory Schulz, and Farley, and Brian Carey, ’12, and Brandon Cooperstock
Conor
’19 Emma Patwell, ’15, ’16,
’16 Amy Miller,
37 W e d d i n g s SUMMER 2022
Sophia Lee to Laura (L’Esperance) Cole, ’09, and Alex Cole, ’08
BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE38 W e d d i n g s
Aileen Kelly to Katie and Matt Welton, ’01
Calvin John to Pamela and Jeffrey Connors, ’02 Greer Meryn to Meredith (Volpe) Euwer, ’02, and James Euwer Annalivia Quinn to Mary and Logan Abplanalp, ’07, ’20
Maggie Young, ’14, ’17, and Taylor Rosenberg, ’14
Annie Rose to Haley Chouinard and Patrick Hosken, ’12 Gianna Catherine to Lauren (Capotorto) Didio, ’13, ’15, and Trey Didio, ’14, ’15
B i r t h s / A d o p t i o n s
Penelope Ann to Jennifer (Hassen) Burkardt, ’15, and Nick Burkardt Brody Michael to Courtney (Newhouse) Crow, ’18, and Bradley Crow, ’16
Emma Sue to Amber (Willoughby) Maynard, ’08, ’12, ’17, and Rob MaynardAllisonLynn to Katelyn (Dieffenderfer) Niedermier, ’08, and Jared Niedermier Sophia Necole to Taylor (Janak) Spear, ’11, ’12, and Martin Spear, ’11 Amos Stanley to Molly Ingult, ’13, and Dan Michael, ’11
Abigail O’Connell, ’18, ’19, and Peter Sauter, ’18, ’19
A l u m n i D e a t h s 39SUMMER 2022
By MIKE VACCARO, ’89 | Courtesy of the New York Post
There was an unspoken melancholy sur rounding Lanier that weekend. He’d been through some health issues, and just getting to Olean from Arizona had been a chore. Most of his life, he was a gregarious, outgo ing soul, eager to engage on any subject you like. Now, he spoke in quiet, hushed tones. “It’s good to be here,” he said “It’s good to be with my brothers.”
Bob Lanier A legend on And off the Court
Above, Bob Lanier speaks to a cheering crowd in 2007 when the basket ball court in the Reilly Center was named after him In the upper right, Lanier is pictured with teammate Billy Kalbaugh and Larry Weise, head coach of the Final Four team
But for Lanier, who died May 10 at 73 after a short illness, home was St. Bonaventure. Home was the company of team mates with whom he led the Bonnies to the brink of immortal ity Home was this small, out of the way corner of the Southern Tier, where he left behind a vintage pair of his size 22 Chuck Taylors and an enormous chunk of his heart “I learned to be a man here, and how to treat people the right way,” he said in a quiet moment that De cember weekend in 2019, when Lanier and the rest of the 1969 70 Bonnies gathered to be feted on the 50th anniversary of the team’s remarkable trip to the Final Four. “I learned about love and about loss and how to handle them both.”
The morning after learning of Bob Lanier’s death, Mike Vaccaro, ’89, said: “The spirit of St Bonaventure is bigger than any one person, but no singular soul in 164 years has ever brought more honor, dignity, glory and love to bear at Bona’s than Bob Lanier ” Later that day in the New York Post, Mike reflected on Lanier’s legendary life, the foundation of which was laid at St Bonaventure
Bob Lanier was home, for the final time He may have been born in Buffalo, blossoming into a star at Bennett High School after getting cut from the team as a soph omore He may have become an essential part of two different NBA franchises, in Detroit and in Milwaukee, both of which retired his No 16 jersey He may have earned a bust at the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. And he may have settled into a happy civilian life as an assis tant coach to Don Nelson with Golden State, and then as the NBA’s global ambassador under two commissioners, David Stern and Adam Silver, spreading more goodwill at the game’s grassroots level than anyone ever has. He did that from the warmth of Arizona.
Lanier’s passing left an entire sport in mourning. Lanier was an eight time All Star, won the 1974 All Star Game MVP, av eraged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in 15 seasons when his nightly opponents included the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Willis Reed and Nate Thurmond, Dave Cowens and Wes Unseld. He was legit as a player, don’t worry about that But he was also an active voice in the National Basketball Players Association He was something of a greeter for young players entering the league, forever offering his phone num ber, telling them to lean on him whenever necessary, generous with advice. And he spent so much time spreading the league’s
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Joseph M Letro Jr , ’50, Canfield, Ohio
Hugh J Muldoon, ’62, Carbondale, Illinois Rev James T O’Hara, ’62, Erie, Pennsylvania
Gerald T Caffrey Jr , ’56, Hallstead, Pennsylvania Klem A Czelusniak Jr , ’56, Lansdale, Pennsylvania Sheldon C Staves, ’56, Liverpool, New York
Mary M (Stinneford) Andersen, ’63, New Hartford, Connecticut
A l u m n i D e a t h s MAGAZINE40 Rev Thomas Kemp, ’47, Stafford, New York Rev Blaise F Reinhart, O F M , ’49, Loudonville, New York Dominic L Santoni, ’49, Binghamton, New York
Maj Gen Norbert J Rappl, ’52, Rochester, New York
Robert M. Iagrossi, ’58, Clifton Park, New York
Alumni Deaths A directory of deceased alumni is available on Bona’s Online Register at www.sbu.edu/alumni
Rev. Frederick F. Lukehart, ’58, Youngstown, Ohio
Edward T Constable, ’53, Mason, Ohio Dr. Alan B. Whitehouse, ’53, Leawood, Kansas Edward F. Rhodes, ’54, Binghamton, New York
Charles L. Schmitt, ’58, Liverpool, New York
Anthony J Murray, ’50, Troy, New York
Edward D McDonald, ’51, Le Roy, New York
BONAVENTURE
Walter P Horylev, ’51, Hilton, New York
James C. Dunfee, ’59, Vestal, New York
Former university president Fr. Neil O’Connell passes away at 84 gospel that, as Kenny Smith noted on TNT just hours after his passing, “he wasn’t just an ‘ambassador.’ He was actually The Ambassa dor ” And, of course, there was this eternal tribute from Ka reem, as Roger Murdock, in the movie “Airplane!”: “Tell your old man to drag Wal ton and Lanier up and down the court for 48 minutes!” It was Lanier’s misfortune to spend 10 years with some terribly pedestrian Pistons teams, then five years with the Bucks when they were very good just never good enough to bypass the 76ers or Celtics in the East. That was disappointing. But the genuine heart break of Lanier’s life came in March 1970. The Bonnies beat Davidson and N C State and were crushing Vil lanova midway through the second half of the East Re gional final when Lanier collided with Nova’s Chris Ford a future Detroit teammate and tore his medial collateral ligament. So while his teammates played Jacksonville in the Final Four a week later, try ing to figure out how to guard twin 7 footers Artis Gilmore and Pembrook Bur rows, Lanier was in a hospi tal bed in Buffalo, eating his heart out There were times when he could joke about that. The Bonnies never did get a crack at UCLA, which was between the Kareem/Wal ton eras and had Steve Pat terson playing center “Steve Patterson!” Lanier exclaimed over the tele phone one night in 1990. “You call Steve Patterson, tell him to meet me on any court he wants, and I’ll drop 35 on him tonight, at age 42! In my street clothes!” But he also felt a nagging sense that he’d let his team mates down. Those team mates never felt that way of course. They’d been treated to an up close view of great ness. And the folks who care about the Bonnies Well, when Lanier was in troduced at halftime that December weekend in 2019, the ovation lasted two min utes and would’ve stretched further if Lanier hadn’t pleaded for a mo ment to talk. “The injury hurt my heart,” Lanier said. “But this university has always shown me nothing but love. This is home. And it is so good to be home ” PAGE >>
Elmer C. Henretta, ’59, Rochester, New York
Joseph M. Quirk, ’60, Westfield, New Jersey
Roy T. Mulcahy, ’61, Vestal, New York
Penn J. Steuerwald, ’61, Valatie, New York
John M. Bierfeldt, ’62, Little Valley, New York
Dr Joseph F Greer, ’63, Conway, Arkansas
Michael A Kvasnak, ’63, Bosque Farms, New Mexico
Joseph R Ganem, ’62, Pleasant Valley, Connecticut
Thomas D. Dolan, ’61, North Richland Hills, Texas
Detlef J Frank, ’64, Kettering, Ohio John E Reynolds, ’64, Buffalo, New York
John C Brigham, ’57, Medford, New Jersey Dr Eugene J Chap, ’57, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Francis R O’Connor, ’57, Fayetteville, New York
Edward J Waters, ’64, New Canaan, Connecticut
Thomas E. Evans, ’61, Marietta, Georgia
Sylvio G Landry, ’62, Fort Myers, Florida
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS
Dr. Richard Fossati, D.D.S., ’61, Englewood, New Jersey
Ralph J. Stellwagen, ’55, Aurora, Colorado
Louis P DiMarino, ’51, West Chester, Pennsylvania
Martin J. Luff, ’58, Juno Beach, Florida
James L Delmonico, ’62, Baldwinsville, New York
Daniel J O’Neill, ’57, Fairport, New York
John F Connors Jr ,* ’58, Sanibel, Florida Lt Col (Ret ) Anthony B Cresci, ’58, Augusta, Georgia
Joanne Fragale, ’62, Newport News, Virginia
Joseph W. Burden Jr., ’56, Williamsville, New York
Rita S (Schleigh) Dunne, ’50, Pitman, New Jersey
Bernard G Streb, ’57, Reston, Virginia Paul H Titus, Esq , ’57, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Richard T Barber, ’58, Chesterfield, Missouri
Samuel D Costa, ’63, Smethport, Pennsylvania
Anne M. Lennon, ’58, Rochester, New York
Michael J Gamble, ’65, Kane, Pennsylvania
William F. Smith, ’61, Appleton, New York
Fr. Neil J. O’Connell, O.F.M., ’60, Allegany, New York
Lawrence H Richards, ’64, Westerville, Ohio
John A Wolfteich, ’52, Rockville Centre, New York
Warren C Lutzel, ’51, Charlestown, Rhode Island
James F Harron, ’58, Brookfield, Connecticut
Fr Neil J O’Connell, O F M , former presi dent of St Bonaventure, died March 24 at the age of 84 He was a professed Franciscan friar for 63 years and a priest for 58 years. In 1990, Fr. Neil was appointed president of St. Bonaventure, serving until 1993. After leav ing St. Bonaventure, Fr. Neil served in a num ber of pastoral ministries in New York City, while continuing to teach part time at various colleges and universities. In 2016, Fr. Neil retired from active ministry at St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, Florida. He returned to Western New York, moving to the health care facility at St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany in 2019.
Brian E O’Connell Sr , Olean, New York
Robert J Lanier, ’70, Chandler, Arizona Edward B. Honeck, ’71, Buffalo, New York Msgr. Kevin T. O’Neill, ’71, Buffalo, New York
Christine Conner, who served several years as an adjunct fac ulty member in the university’s counselor education program, passed away April 24. John F. Connors Jr.,* ’58, a member of the St Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame and a key part of Bonnies men’s basketball nationally ranked teams during his undergraduate years, passed away Dec 25, 2021 A co team captain in 1957, Connors earned recognition as Bona’s most valuable player that season and played on two St Bonaventure NIT teams (1957, 1958) Connors had served as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees and Athletics Hall of Fame Committee
Jonathan A Fox, ’67, Matthews, North Carolina
Mary R (McCormick) Kenrick, Orchard Park, New York
William J Miori, ’81, Depew, New York
Charles R Bauer, ’66, Bay Head, New Jersey Dr Dennis J Daley, ’66, Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Dr Ann E Reda, ’82, Pequannock, New Jersey
James P Kinsella, ’79, Marstons Mills, Massachusetts
Brian P McArdle, ’93, Pomona, New York
Thomas A Buttafarro Sr , Jamestown, New York
Charles J Swick, Meadville, Pennsylvania
Christine M Conner, ’02, Allegany, New York
Richard J Reuscher, St Marys, Pennsylvania Frank B Roth, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Violet (Corson) Butler, Olean, New York
Dennis Hughey, Hamburg, New York
Friends & Parents
Raymond J Marten, Rockaway Park, New York
Richard W Doney, Schenectady, New York
Rita (Fahey) O’Sullivan, ’67, Watertown, Connecticut
Marie A. Inneo, ’74, Chesapeake, Virginia Marylou (Campbell) Irons, ’74, Eldred, Pennsylvania Robert E. Stout, ’74, Allegany, New York
Stacy L Amodio, ’03, North Collins, New York
Ronald Tormey, Bradford, New York
Gary M Harvey, ’89, Allegany, New York
Charles M Ward, Allegany, New York
Ann E (Lanio) Thaney, ’82, Webster, New York
James F Sullivan, Lewis Run, Pennsylvania
John P Wehner, ’65, Rochester, New York
David Schummer, who taught philosophy full time at the uni versity from 2003 to 2007, passed away May 1 Ann L. Swan,* a member of the Board of Trustees, passed away April 16. She and her husband, the late William E. Swan, ’69, were passionate supporters of St. Bonaventure throughout their lives. In 2012, Ann Swan committed a $3 million gift to St. Bonaventure’s School of Business Campaign as a means of honor ing Bill’s commitment to the Franciscan tradition while also con tinuing the couple’s extraordinary legacy of philanthropy. The William E. & Ann L. Swan Business Center at St. Bonaventure is named after the Swans. Paul Titus, a member of the SBU Class of 1957, passed away Feb. 19. An ardent supporter of his alma mater, he championed the faculty, staff and students. He also served 10 years as a mem ber of the Board of Trustees. His son, John Titus, graduated from St. Bonaventure in 1991, and his grandson, Paul L. Menke, earned his master’s degree from the university in 2017.
The Hon William J Quinlan, ’69, Troy, New York Sr Claudia M Hagerty, ’70, Immaculata, Pennsylvania
James J Cullum Jr , ’67, Delray Beach, Florida
In Memoriam
Carol A (Szot) Batt,* ’76, Amherst, New York
41SUMMER 2022 *Seraphim Legacy Society member A l u m n i D e a t h s
Gerard M Verdi,* ’67, San Rafael, California
Martin J Dolan, Huntington Station, New York
Shannon A Spillane, ’80, Annapolis, Maryland Martha Krampf, ’81, Easton, Maryland
Daniel H Daniels, ’83, Olean, New York
Anne M Kloc, Rochester, New York
Richard J Smith, Charlotte, North Carolina
Margaret C. (O’Malley) Bothner, ’75, Olean, New York
E Timothy Kenneally, ’67, Rockville Centre, New York
Paul W. Ogiba, ’75, Vail, Arizona Sr. Mary C. Barton, LL.D., ’76, Fallsington, Pennsylvania
Jean R. (Redding) Bassano, ’73, Allegany, New York Dr. Joseph E. Jani, D.P.M., ’73, Moon Township, Pennsylvania John R. Burns Jr., ’74, Falconer, New York
Michael V Jurbala, ’85, Syracuse, New York
Ronald P Shoup, ’85, Duke Center, Pennsylvania Garth P Swanson, ’86, Stafford, New York
Peter M Burns Sr , ’68, East Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Kathleen L (Graves) Shelander, ’91, Eldred, Pennsylvania
Joyce M. Resch, Rochester, New York
David B Brown, ’69, Boca Raton, Florida
Dr Donald J Bucalo, D D S , Enfield, Connecticut
Carol L (Laffey) Morrison, Depew, New York
Peter B. Hanley, ’65, Edgewater, Florida Louis G Marquardt,* ’65, Succasunna, New Jersey
James J. Snyder, ’71, Olean, New York Betty M. (Simons) Elder, ’72, Olean, New York Rev. Ronald J. Pecci, O.F.M., ’72, Beacon, New York
Thomas F Strickler, ’76, South Bend, Indiana
Delores S (Schreckengost) Cross, Cuba, New York Kevin Healy, Camino, California
Erna A (Stalzer) Langdon, ’66, Candler, North Carolina
Ruth A Kirkpatrick, ’03, Allegany, New York
Philip E Stark, ’67, Olean, New York
John J McCormack Jr , ’66, Vero Beach, Florida Sr Frances M Sheehey, ’66, Allegany, New York
John J. Cronin, ’74, North Tonawanda, New York
Pamela J. (Spears) Briggs, ’75, Marrero, Louisiana
John J. McCormack Jr., a 1966 alumnus, former member and vice chair of St Bonaventure’s Board of Trustees, and longtime supporter of the university, was a retired executive at TIAA CREFF In 2000, he established the John J McCormack Jr Scholarship He passed away Feb 6 Dr. Vinay Y. Pandit, who taught marketing at St Bonaventure for 26 years, passed away March 15, 2020
Paul Bigwarfe Sr , Watertown, New York
Joan D Joseph, ’87, Cuba, New York
Donald A Johnston, ’66, Rochester, Minnesota
Mary (Doyle) Dluhy, ’66, Washington, D C DeAnn F Dollard Morris, ’66, Davenport, Florida
Jean E Hannon, Rochester, New York Marion Hoey,* Cheektowaga, New York
T HE DAY BEFORE OUR CH RISTMAS BR EAK START ED IN 19 56 , B onaventure hosted its annual party for the underprivileged children in the area To help finance the party, along with many other events, we put a new watch (not self winding) in a box and sold chances on picking the time that the watch would stop running The nearest guess would win the watch and about $200 in cash
A l u m n i V o i c e s
FOR THE NEXT EDITION: If you could return to St Bonaventure as a student for one day, what’s one thing you would do? Tell us in 100 words: magazine@sbu.edu. We’ll print a collection of responses in the winter 2022 23 issue of Bonaventure magazine
More students than ever arrive on campus with their own wheels. But that wasn’t the case for earlier generations. In the previous issue of the magazine we asked alums how they got to campus carpool with a buddy from their hometown, a brutal bus ride from New Jersey, or perhaps thumbing it across Route 17. Here’s what grads from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s had to say.
I HITC HH IKED BET WEE N SBU AN D TH E N EW YOR K CIT Y A REA a number of times in the late ’60s It was a seven hour drive back then I remember one amazing trip I walked from Devereux Hall out to Route 17 in front of campus, stuck out my thumb, and the first car stopped and took me all the way home We stopped at the iconic Roscoe (N.Y.) Diner for lunch. I tried to pay but the driver wouldn’t let me. Bill Donovan, ’6 8
To my great surprise, I was the winner. After all the shouts of “FIX FIX” died down, we went to the Burton to celebrate our good fortune and such a great day. Obviously, since I was the big winner that night, the beers were on me. Before the evening was over, all my prize money and the bucks in my wallet were gone. To get back home to Philly the next day, I had to borrow the train fare (boarded in Olean) from Ray Mulvey, the owner of the Burton. Yes, I did return to the Burton, paid Ray back and even lived to enjoy a few more beers. Pax et B onum, B ob Haenn, ’58
BonaBound
BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE42
WH EN I E NT ERE D SBU IN T HE FALL OF 1965, I was among the first women to live on campus in Shay Loughlen nts from the NYC metropolitan area New York City, Long 86 did not exist To travel home and back to Bona’s we had to consuming! It was two lanes the ride from campus to Long ne hours, depending on the number of stops along the way ack then with a fellow Bonnie was $5, one suitcase The rides enturous with good memories A true Bona Venture B onnie B owes Duran, ’6 9
EVEN T HOUG H IT ’S BE EN MORE THA N 5 0 YEAR S, I remember my first night on campus I never had a car at school. My dad drove me to campus and I moved into my room, 201 on second Fal. I immediately bonded with several other freshmen on my floor. That first night on campus, while my dad slept in the dorm, five of us from the floor went out to Route 17 to hitchhike to the Bowlean bowling lanes in Olean After a few minutes, a Volkswagen Beetle stopped to pick us up Inside were five girls We crammed into the car and as the 10 of us drove toward Olean I remember thinking to myself, “This is going to be an amazing four years. ” I was right about that and to this day I remain lifelong friends with guys from second Fal! Glenn Keidel, ’7 2
Carolyn Delaney Hopkins Kirsch, ’72
TR AVEL FR OM BRO OKLYN TO ST. B ONAVEN TU RE IN TH E ’6 0s was, to say the least, an adventure. For the first three years it was on the often delayed “Wear y Eerie Wacklana” (Erie Lackawanna Railroad) from Hoboken to Olean (with attendant subway, Port Authority train and taxi). By senior year, it was a trusty ’59 Rambler (a tank, but it ran in the winter!), carpooling with paying classmates and stopping at a McDonald’s at the halfway point in Binghamton G erard J. Monaghan, ’67 I CA ME TO ST B ONAVEN TU RE IN SUMMER OF 19 66 FOR A JOUR NALISM IN TER NSH IP My future husband’s best friend drove the three of us to campus. It was a trip of only an hour from our small Cattaraugus County town; for me it might as well have been a journey to another world. I was 17, spending weeks on campus with other students to learn about journalism through the direction of Dr. Jandoli. I don’t remember the car or anything significant about the trip except for the early morning fog cropping up as we hit Ischua I do know the trip changed my life as I eventually became a full time student at B onaventure and married my boyfriend/carpool mate Way more memories than can be expressed in 100 words envelop me as I write this, along with so much appreciation for my B onaventure education and experience. One car trip laid the foundation for so much of my life.
43SUMMER 2022 A l u m n i V o i c e s
3261 W. State Road P.O. Box 2509 St. Bonaventure, NY 14778 If the magazine is sent to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, drop us a note to magazine@sbu edu A new gathering space for students, alumni and the surrounding community celebrates the late Ryan Marchiori, ’08, ’09, and his love of the outdoors. The Marchiori Pavilion in front of Devereux Hall features two natural gas fire pits, a large gas grill and ample seating Marchiori passed away after a car accident in the fall of 2019. His family established a memorial fund that allowed for a donation to the Warming House with the remaining funds leading to the creation of the pavilion and fire pit Senior class gifts from the classes of 2020 and 2021 were specifically donated to this project, along with contributions from friends and alumni. The pavilion quickly became a favorite meeting spot during reunion and other summer events.
