Bonaventure Magazine | Summer 2023

BONAVENTURE The Magazine of St. Bonaventure University

Vol. 15, No.1, SUMMER 2023

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Paying Tribute to a Cherished Uncle

It’s been 70 years since alumnus James Sullivan’s remains were identified and returned to his family following his death in a North Korean prisoner of war camp. May graduate Grace Foley is proud to help keep his legacy alive.

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Cover Story

For more than 50 years, Fr. Dan Riley’s words, actions and legendary laugh have left an indelible mark on the lives of thousands of Bonaventure students.

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Crank up the Volume

When we asked alumni about their favorite music during their time on campus, it definitely struck a chord. Tunes from Van Halen, Paul Anka, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Beatles, and of course, The Boss, all made alums’ music hit lists.

INSIDE

Reunion Photos . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Off the Shelf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 The Pathway to Success . . . .20 Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Weddings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Alumni Voices . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Editor, Beth Eberth Contributors Susan Anderson, ’11 Danny Bush, ’13, ’15 Tom Donahue, ’76

Tom Missel Jack Steger, ’22, ’23

Submit Class Notes: www.SBUmagazine.com Address changes: www.sbu.edu/alumniupdate Additional contacts: Office of Alumni Services www.sbu.edu/alumni (716) 375-2302

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.

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Pr es id e n t’s M es sage

I’m energized by meeting the Bonaventura famiglia from Allegany to Italy and everywhere in between

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ou think you learned the with BonaResponds students for a day basics in elementary of hurricane relief over spring break, school, those indelible leshost SBU’s Alumni Council at our sons that stick in your brain forOlean home in October, and celebrate ever, even after you’ve hit life’s the best and brightest of our Jandoli 55-year mile marker.

School in New York City at the “Thirty days hath September, Hellinger Awards.

April, June and November. All the No question, it’s been a whirlwind, rest have 31, excepting February but a year full of experiences that alone.”

Betsy and I have been blessed to be a Little did I realize that the part of. months in a college president’s calPerhaps the most meaningful trip we endar have like 42 days — or so it made, with some trustees and alumni, seemed during my whirlwind first was to Italy this spring to visit the year as the leader of this remarkhometowns of our patrons, Bonavenable institution. ture, Francis and Clare. I’ve felt the emBut I want to be clear: As busy as brace of our Franciscan spirit since I I’ve been, I couldn’t be more stepped on campus last summer, but to thankful for the experiences I’ve walk in their historical footsteps gave had, meeting so many members of me an even deeper appreciation of why the Bonaventure family, both on this university has left such an imprint campus and in our passionate on so many people. alumni network.

We even had the chance to visit Coming on board last summer Magliano de Marsi, home of the While in Italy this spring, Jeff and Betsy Gingerich visited with the university on the brink of Pietrobattista family, descendants of the hometowns of the university’s patron saints and first president. publicly launching our Bolder the family of Fr. Panfilo da Magliano, Bonaventure campaign, I fully unour first president. Former University derstood that I’d hit the ground running — or, more precisely, President Margaret Carney went door to door in the village driving and flying. more than 15 years ago to find them and invite them to our Including the public launch of the campaign at Buffalo’s High150th anniversary celebration in 2008. (They thought so much mark Stadium in September and the Gaudete Awards event May of their visit that they sent their daughter, Flavia, ’19, abroad to 18 in Washington, D.C., I traveled to 18 events across the counearn her degree from SBU.) try, from Boston to Florida to California, talking about the sigThe family could not have been more gracious welcoming us nificance of the campaign for the future of the university. into their home, which didn’t surprise me at all. They’re just as I’m grateful you heard our message. With two full years left in much a part of the extended Bonaventura famiglia as the 500 the $125 million campaign, we’re more than 75% of the way to alumni who came home last month for Reunion Weekend. goal.

But, make no mistake, my favorite part of my first year has Academic facilities, starting with the renovation of Francis Hall been right here on our beautiful campus. Watching our faculty to accommodate the DePerro School of Health Professions, were and staff work their magic to provide the essential Bona’s extop priorities in the early stages of the campaign. We’re making perience and getting to know our incredible students has been solid progress on fundraising for the Jandoli School, which is inspiring and motivating. Dinner with the friars is rejuvenatvital to bring the facilities in our revered communication school ing. Theater performances, athletics matches, dance performinto the 21st century. ances, concerts, recognition ceremonies and kickball games Now, the focus of the campaign turns to the athletics pillar. A are just a few of the opportunities that I’ve had to watch our new weight and performance center, an indoor turf practice facilstudents be extraordinary Bonnies. ity for outdoor teams, basketball practice facility, and upgrades to It’s been quite a trip so far. I can’t wait to see where this year the existing turf fields are included in the overall project. With takes me and where, together, we can take St. Bonaventure. more than 20% of our student body doubling as Division I athletes, providing these students with facilities to help them become more competitive in the Atlantic 10 is essential.

Aside from the donor events, I also had the opportunity — among many others — to share a pint with fans before the Bonnies thumped Notre Dame outside Belmont Park, break bread Dr. Jeff Gingerich with friars at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, volunteer in Florida University President

SUMMER 2023

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Camp u s N ews

Stephen Mimnaugh named VP for Mission Integration

Fr. Stephen Mimnaugh, O.F.M., has been named vice president for Mission Integration at the university. Serving as interim university chaplain since August 2022, Fr. Stephen began his new post May 1.

Prior to relocating to St. Bonaventure in January 2022, Fr. Stephen was pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida, a thriving downtown parish of 1,600 families.

During his tenure as pastor, the parish was honored by Catholic Charities Diocese of St. Petersburg, Inc. for its steadfast commitment to serving Tampa’s homeless during the pandemic.

After graduation from the University of Vermont, Fr. Stephen worked in commercial banking for three years before entering the diocesan seminary. But two years later, he discerned that God was not calling him to the diocesan priesthood. Transitioning to real estate finance, Fr. Stephen soon relocated to his adopted home of Philadelphia.

Ten days after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Fr. Stephen contacted the Franciscan Friars of Holy Name Province. He was ordained in 2009 and spent 11 years ministering in New York City at St. Francis of Assisi Church and St. Francis Friends of the Poor, Inc. Read more about Fr. Stephen at www.sbu.edu/FrStephen.

Alumni Burden, Davis and Mulhern join Board of Trustees

Three alumni who’ve had distinguished professional careers have been named to the Board of Trustees at St. Bonaventure: Donna Burden, Esq., ’84, Joe Davis, ’79, and Mark Mulhern, ’82.

They will be officially sworn in at the board’s September meeting on campus.

“I can’t thank the Nomination and Board Governance Committee enough for their diligent efforts in the search process for new trustees,” said Michael Hickey, ’84, Board chair. “I look forward to the wisdom and perspective Donna, Joe and Mark will lend to our board.”

Burden is a founding member of the Buffalo law firm of Burden, Hafner & Hansen, LLC. Davis is the retired managing director of Morgan Stanley Fund Services.

Mulhern retired in 2022 as the chief financial officer of Highwoods Properties Inc., an officefocused real estate investment trust headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

Work this summer in Plassmann Hall includes replacing the building’s original windows.

Ground floor of renovated Plassmann classrooms to be ready for use this fall Renovation work in Plassmann Hall is continuing this summer as crews replace the original windows in the building and transform basement offices into state-of-the art classrooms that will be ready for occupancy this fall.

The entire project includes renovations and space reallocations of the basement, second and third floors of the 64-year-old structure. Faculty offices will be moved from the basement to the second and third floors and classrooms will be renovated and resized on the second and third floors in addition to the classrooms added in the basement. The rest of the building will be completed by fall 2024.

The $11.5 million project will create more modern and instructionally appropriate classrooms, add student gathering spaces, student-instructor and student-student collaboration spaces and create faculty offices that allow for proximity to classes and collaborative research among faculty across the liberal arts.

SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS

OT program earns accreditation

The Master of Science in occupational therapy program at SBU was approved for accreditation for a full seven-year term by the Accrediting Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).

Part of the Dennis R. DePerro School of Health Professions, the program welcomed its first cohort of students in August of 2021, operating with provisional ACOTE accreditation as it began the rigorous process of seeking full accreditation.

The ACOTE accreditation report recognizes university leaders for their “vision and commitment” to the OT program, and the importance of the university’s core values

in shaping the program’s curriculum. It also cites the university’s financial commitment in providing “outstanding space and innovative materials and technology.”

The School of Health Professions is housed in Francis Hall, which underwent an $18 million renovation project in 2020-2021 in order to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the OT program and the school’s other offerings, which include master’s programs in physician assistant studies, public health and nursing, as well as undergraduate programs in nursing, public health and health science.

Learn more at www.sbu.edu/OT.

Jerseys of basketball greats Kenville, Lynch, Waltman added to Reilly Center rafters Camp u s N ews

Three greats of St. Bonaventure basketball joined elite company this past year as their numbers were added to the Reilly Center as part of jersey recognition ceremonies.

The jerseys of the late Bill Kenville, ’53, the only Bonnies men’s basketball graduate to win a championship at the NBA level, as well as women’s basketball standouts Kathy Lynch, ’81, and Hilary Waltman were all lifted to the RC rafters during the season.

Kenville graduated with five scoring and four rebounding records with the program. His college career merited him All-America Honorable Mention honors in multiple years from the Associated Press, United Press International and Catholic Colleges.

During his time at Bona’s, he helped lead the program to the NIT, the top national postseason tournament at the time, in both 1951 and 1952. He was inducted into the St. Bonaventure Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971.

Kenville enjoyed a pro basketball career after being selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1953 NBA Draft.

He played point and shooting guard for the Nationals from 1953-1956 and with the Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons from 1956-1960. The highlight of his professional career was playing in two championship series with the Nationals, winning the NBA Championship in 1955. He was the high scorer in the seventh and deciding game of the championship.

Kenville’s No. 20 jersey was recognized during a halftime ceremony at a November Bonnies game.

The No. 22 of Lynch and Waltman

Family members of the late Bill Kenville, Class of 1953.

also now adorns the Reilly Center.

Waltman is one of the best players to ever don the Brown and White, ranking as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,106 points. She remains one of just two players in the 2,000-point club along with Dana Mitchell, ’10. In addition to leading the program ranks in scoring, Waltman stands as the program’s all-time leader in steals with 317.

She became the first player in Bonnies program history to earn Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team accolades twice, garnering the honor in 1997-98 and 1998-99 after earning a Second Team nod as a sophomore.

Waltman also received Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors.

Waltman earned induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.

Lynch was a trailblazer for all fu-

Director of Athletics Joe Manhertz congratulates Hilary Waltman (left) and Kathy Lynch.

ture Bonnies women’s basketball players, becoming the first 1,000-point scorer in program history. At the time of her graduation in 1981, Lynch held the program record with 1,029 career points, a feat accomplished before the installation of the three-point line.

Following graduation from St. Bonaventure, Lynch moved into officiating where her career would take her until her retirement in 2020 after more than 20 years at the NCAA level and nearly 40 overall with the whistle. Along with working Division I women’s basketball games including powerhouse Tennessee and UConn teams, Lynch also worked NCAA Division II and Division III national championship contests.

In 1991, Lynch became the first female member of the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame.

SUMMER 2023

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Celebrating a memorable Alumni Reunion

Thank you, Bonnies!

To all Bonnies who attended Alumni Reunion, June 1618, we express our deepest gratitude. Your presence and enthusiasm made this gathering truly extraordinary. To those who couldn’t join us, your absence was felt, and we carried your spirit throughout the weekend.

The reunion was a whirlwind of reconnecting with fellow

Bonnies, sharing stories, and forging new connections. The joy and laughter that filled the air remind us of the lasting bonds you formed at St. Bonaventure.

We encourage you to stay connected and continue to inspire one another, no matter where life takes you. Once a Bonnie, always a Bonnie!

u View hundreds of Reunion photos | www.sbu.edu/BonaFlickr

u Stay up to date with alumni events & news | www.sbu.edu/alumni u Save the date for Reunion 2024 | June 7-9

We were thrilled to have so many alums from the Class of 1973 join us for their 50th anniversary year.

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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

Members of the 1967-68 men's basketball team talked about their remarkable 23-0 season that is etched in Bonnies basketball history during “The Perfect Panel: Tales from the Original Iron Man 5.” Pictured from left are Bill Butler, Gene Fahey, John Hayes, Larry Weise (coach), Vinnie Martin, Art Roberts (manager), and Jim Satalin. Watch an archived recording of the discussion at http://bitly.ws/JqcW.

Marianne (Letro) Laine, ’68, and Dan Collins, ’73, (center) were honored as the 2023 William P. “Stax” McCarthy Alumni of the Year during a Reunion Celebration in the Reilly Center that featured food and dessert stations, class photos and live music. They are pictured with the late Stax McCarthy’s son, Tom, ’10 (left), and widow, Tena (Skrobacz) McCarthy, ’78.

University President Jeff Gingerich (left) and Director of Athletics Joe Manhertz (right) congratulate the Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023: Megan Van Tatenhove, ’12 (women’s basketball), Andrew Nicholson, ’12 (men’s basketball), Sam Maheu, ’09 (men’s soccer), former baseball head coach Larry Sudbrook, Jessica Jenkins, ’12 (women’s basketball), Adrian Blaszczak, ’06 (men’s swimming), Tricia Cuti, ’98 (women’s swimming), Brian Pellegrini, ’07 (baseball), and Cody Vincent, ’08 (baseball).

SUMMER 2023

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Off th e Sh elf

Fictional St. Bonaventure hero David Brownington and his brainy cohort, JW Gomez, seek to retrieve their invention from the hands of a turncoat in “Heaven Ride, Book Three: Kill Time” by John Eccleston and Kerry Gleason, ’82. The stakes could not be higher in this actionpacked techno-thriller as friends form a rogue band of insurgents who must confront the Russian military and science consortium to complete their mission.

In “Kill Time,” David is joined by allies to embark upon a top secret mission with global consequences. The finale provides an alternative vision for what Heaven Ride is and the power it may yield. “‘Heaven Ride Kill Time’ wraps up the trilogy with the same fact-based fiction, which adds to the potential reality of events. David Brownington, being a Bonnie, is a great main character because he’s thrown into conflict between his Franciscan values and pure evil that could devastate the world,” Gleason said.

Gleason is a former editor of The Bona Venture who now lives in Denver.

“The Architecture of Dreams and Other Stories” is a new release from John Callaghan, ’67.

The collection of evocative short stories about men and women searching for new lives, peace and freedom is available on Amazon.

In the story “Contrails,” a young woman plans an escape from her suffocating life and plots a new beginning for herself and her baby.

“Custer’s Last stand” tells of a boy confronting the truth about his grandfather.

“Razor Blades and Kisses” recounts a puzzling case of adult mutism.

The settings take readers to an isolated farm, a suburban community, a Florida condo, a mental hospital, and a hiking trail in the Atlas Mountains.

An elite soldier chosen for greatness.

An empire extending its reach. Will love or loyalty carry through until dawn?

“Beneath a Crescent Moon: An Ot8

BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

toman Empire Novel” by 1982 alumnus Mark Macedonia takes place in Europe, 1529.

In this richly detailed look at a pivotal period from the past, Macedonia weaves an epic romance set against political maneuvers.

With lush prose and historically accurate characters, he offers an intimate window into the trials and tribulations of a powerful sultanate battling for European supremacy.

David Rowntree, ’54, shares memories from his 68 years of marriage to his wife, Marge, in his memoir, “Our Lifelong Love Affair.” He found the writing a form of combatting his grief following his wife’s passing in 2018, but also as a way to share the inspiration of their lifelong success with newlyweds or those contemplating marriage.

The stories in the book began a few days before David began his studies at St. Bonaventure College and recount the couple’s adventures while living on the East Coast, on the West Coast, in Alaska, and in Hawaii. The Rowntrees have a legacy of serving others. They have volunteered at their children’s schools and with their churches, helped children receive life-changing surgeries from Shriners Hospitals for Children, and built homes with Habitat for Humanity.

Br. Gregory Cellini, O.S.F., ’16, is the author of “Transform Yourself – Transform the World, A Franciscan View of Career” published by Tau Publishing.

The book takes the reader through Br. Gregory’s incredible journey from a 29-year career in big pharmaceuticals to his true purpose as a Franciscan brother. His candid exploration of purpose, introspection and reflection provides practical tips on how to create a life and career of deep meaning.

“This book – the first on the subject matter – will enlighten and, more importantly, inspire the reader to view their career in a Franciscan way. As one reads this book, they will have the

chance to define and embrace a wider view of their contribution and move beyond personal success to actions that transform themselves and transform the world,” he said.

Br. Gregory’s primary ministry is at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where he is director of the Office of Mission, Ministry and Interfaith Dialogue, and an adjunct professor. He also hosts “Thank God For Monday,” a weekly radio talk show about the workplace.

Amy L. Sayward, ’91, is the co-editor of “Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History since Reagan.” The book is designed for teachers looking for new perspective on teaching the recent past, the period of U.S. history that is often given the least attention in classrooms.

Less of a traditional textbook than a pedagogical Swiss Army knife, the volume offers a diversity of voices and approaches to teaching a field that, by its very nature, invites vigorous debate and puts generational differences in stark relief. Topics range from social movements around identity and representation to debates about migration, climate change, drugs, education, law enforcement and U.S. foreign policy.

Sayward is a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University. She is the author, co-author or editor of several books, including “The United Nations in International History and Tennessee Histories.”

>>> WE LOVE MAIL! We are happy to print brief summaries of new books, CDs and other multimedia works published by SBU alumni, faculty and staff. Send a copy of the book or CD and summary press release to magazine@sbu.edu or: 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.

Camp u s Ne ws

Commencement

2023

Congratulations to the 421 graduate and 406 undergraduate students in the Class of 2023!

For hundreds of photos from Commencement weekend events and celebrations, visit www.sbu.edu/BonaFlickr. A photo of Fr. Dan Riley receiving his honorary degree appears on page 14.

“We are sent out into the world with the love and support of our friends, family, and this university to give that love back to those around us. It’s not an easy task, but it is what sets us apart from other graduates.”

— Undergraduate student speaker Valentina Cossio Siles of Seminole, Florida

“This path I’m walking isn’t just for me. It’s for all those who were told that they couldn’t or weren’t allowed to because they were different. I’m so grateful that this university has given me the tools, skills and education that I need to move forward on the next part of my new journey.”

— Graduate speaker Richard Vara of Houston, Texas

SUMMER 2023

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LT. JAMES SULLIVAN

Graduation holds special significance to student who pays tribute to Korean POW

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BY BETH EBERTH

ack Green was born the year his uncle, Lt. James F. Sullivan, ’49, graduated from St. Bonaventure College. Four years later Green would be standing graveside, equally scared and excited as a 21gun salute boomed into the Boston air and signaled the end of Sullivan’s funeral.

It’s been 70 years since Sullivan’s remains were identified and returned to his family following his death in a North Korean prisoner of war camp. And it’s been nearly that many years since Sullivan’s beloved class ring from St. Bonaventure made it all the way from eastern Asia to his family in Massachusetts.

In mid-May, that ring made its way back to St. Bonaventure as Class of 2023 graduate Grace Foley proudly kept Sullivan’s legacy alive. Foley’s stepmom (and Jack Green’s sister), Bernadette McKinsey, had a brooch created with the stone from the ring, and Foley wore it during Commencement exercises on campus.

“I said I would love to wear it and represent him,” said Foley, who is from Somerset, Massachusetts, and earned a bachelor’s degree in strategic communication.

Foley, who has visited the Veterans Monument on campus to see Sullivan’s name etched on the stone, said she wanted to wear the memento as a tribute to McKinsey and her family “because they have been a major part of my life.”

“I wanted to keep the tradition going.

Bernadette has been a part of my life since I was in middle school,” she said.

At St. Bonaventure, Sullivan would major in art, fall in love, and join ROTC. g

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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

Photo by Danny Bush p Grace Foley displays the brooch created using the stone from Lt. Sullivan’s SBU class ring.

p At the top of the page, Lt. Sullivan’s name on the War Memorial at St. Bonaventure; photo by Danny Bush.

p Above, an ROTC yearbook photo from the late 1940s, courtesy of University Archives. James Sullivan is pictured in the back row, fifth from the left. t At left, top, a photo of Lt. Sullivan and his Army dogtags; photos courtesy of Green/Sullivan families.

SUMMER 2023

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ccording to family history, the class ring was given to Sullivan by a college girlfriend.

When his unit was facing combat, the men were stripped of their possessions. Sullivan kept the ring under his tongue for days, and gave it to a service member who was returning back to Massachusetts.

At a post-war rally, Sullivan’s mother, Katherine Sullivan, was approached by her son’s friend, who delivered the ring fully intact.

As a young child, Green recalls his grandmother calling other Gold Star Mothers, sharing remembrances of James and retelling the stories of receiving life-altering telegrams about her only son.

“I think it helped her as some type of catharsis,” Green said.

Around Dec. 1, 1950, Sullivan’s unit

Grace Foley is pictured following Commencement with her stepmom, Bernadette McKinsey, and her dad, Tom Foley. A strategic communication major, Grace was honored in the spring as the School of Communication’s 2023 Woman of Promise.

was out of ammunition and surrounded in a Chinese attack in Kunu-ri. Ninety of the men from the unit were withdrawn successfully, but 50, including Sullivan, were listed as missing in action. Later that month, Sullivan’s parents would receive a telegram indicating he was MIA. In a Feb. 11, 1951, letter to his parents, Sullivan wrote, “I am alive and well. I am a POW in North Korea. The Koreans and Chinese People’s Volunteers are treating us well and showing us every consideration.”

The date of Sullivan’s death is unknown. Growing up, Green, McKinsey and their two siblings had been told their uncle died of starvation as a prisoner of war. Other reports indicate the camp he was being held in may have been hit by an Allied Forces airstrike because the North Koreans failed to mark the area as a POW camp. He was missing for a couple of years before his remains were identified in 1953.

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orn in Boston, Sullivan attended the highly competitive Boston Latin School, where he was an impressive athlete as a member of the football, baseball and hockey teams. After high school graduation, Sullivan enrolled at St. Bonaventure, at the time Documents still several years shy of becoming a university, to pursent to sue a degree in art.

Lt. Sullivan’s Sullivan’s aunt, Sr. Mary Assunta Leonard, O.S.F., parents was an important part of the Franciscan community and a top administrator at the nearby St. Francis Hospital. This may have been how he knew of the area and decided to attend St Bonaventure. Sullivan’s body was identified by X-rays he had voluntarily given while working as a repair person at St. Francis while he was in college.

Green is moved by his niece’s gesture to honor Sullivan’s short but impactful life.

“He had such a short life; the least we can do is spend some time remembering him and respecting his sacrifices at such a young age,” Green said.

(Beth Eberth is director of university communications at St. Bonaventure.)

B Some historical information for this article was provided by St. Bonaventure’s Archives.

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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

Fr. Dan Riley, ofm, has been a fixture in the student section at Bonnies basketball games.

A Path Unimagined

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For more than 50 years, Fr. Dan Riley has inspired countless students and alumni

BY TOM MI SSEL

im Shaffer had narrowed his college decision to two: big-city Marquette and small-town St. Bonaventure. Hailing from Portsmouth, Ohio, a small city on the Kentucky border the size of Olean, Shaffer’s parents had a clear preference.

“Going to a big city like Milwaukee scared the bejesus out of my parents,” said Shaffer, Class of ’04. “But I was still torn.”

Until he attended Spring Into Bonaventure, the university’s capstone recruiting event for admitted students.

“The thing that really sold me,” Shaffer said, “was being in the Reilly Center when Fr. Dan (Riley) told us, ‘We want you because the world needs you.’ That really resonated with me.”

Today, Dr. Shaffer is the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Chair of Civil Discourse at the University of Delaware and director of Civic Engagement and Deliberative Democracy with the National Institute for Civil Discourse at the University of Arizona.

For more than 50 years, Fr. Dan Riley’s words, actions and legendary laugh have left an indelible mark on the lives of thousands of Bonaventure students. His profound impact was formally recognized in May when Fr. Dan — Bill Riley, as his 1964 classmates know him — received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater at the 2023 Commencement ceremony.

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SUMMER 2023

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p University President Dr. Jeff Gingerich (right) and former Provost Dr. Joe Zimmer place the doctorate hood on Fr. Dan Riley during Commencement in May. q Below right, Fr. Dan is pictured with family members prior to the Commencement ceremony. Below left, Fr. Dan is pictured at age 7, as a high school senior and as a college senior.

In 1959, when Bill Riley was considering which college to attend, such an honor would have been impossible to foresee. Bonaventure wasn’t on his short list. He had endured what so many legacy students do.

“I was up to here with it, with my uncles and all their stories about Bonaventure,” said Fr. Dan, whose uncles were alumni. Thomas, ’30, was a state assemblyman from Monroe County in the ’40s and ’50s and John “Rip” Riley, ’30, played baseball at Bona’s, was scouted by Giants Hall of Famer John McGraw and made it to spring training with the Baltimore Orioles.

But his father, James “Jake” Riley, convinced him to visit Bonaventure one summer day before his senior year at Charlotte High School in suburban Rochester.

“I was this grumpy teenager in the back seat of the car on the trip down,” Fr. Dan recalled. “And then we go to the library, meet Fr. Irenaeus (Herscher), meet at least three other friars including Jerome Kelly … and I just knew almost right away. This was the place.”

Fr. Dan didn’t come to Bonaventure with any plans to be a friar, however. Dr. Ray Sommers, a Bonaventure grad of 1932, helped Fr. Dan survive a serious case of nephritis (kidney inflammation) when he was 3 years old and his sister, Ellen, survive spinal 14

BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

meningitis when she was just 6 months old.

“Kids, especially boys, were dying from nephritis at that time because there was really no treatment for it, but Ray was one of the best diagnosticians in Rochester so I had a great love for doctors and the healing profession and wanted to be one,” Fr. Dan said.

His desire to heal shifted from the body to soul not long into his academic career.

“Fr. Gervase White opened my eyes to theologians like Teilhard de Chardin and Thomas Merton and it began to feel like a world that was coming alive for me,” Fr. Dan said.

“I read a couple of biographies on Saint Francis and was just entranced by his life. It was beginning to romance me.”

Fr. Dan wasn’t as entranced by the rigidity of the Catholic Church and its devotion to ritual over service and engagement, a perspective that diverged from his childhood experience.

“What I experienced (as a kid) was a wholesomeness of faith, not an obligation for it,” he said. “I remember wanting to go to church because I wanted to be with my family, but I didn’t have to go. I learned the rosary for my family, not because some nun was telling me I had to. Too often, religion back then was confined to rules and regulations. It was a moralized way of looking at the world rather than engaging God. The Franciscan world is about engagement and that’s what I wanted to do.”

By his sophomore year, he switched his major to philosophy, often visited the chapel in Devereux Hall to “learn prayer by praying,” and became an advocate for civil rights and social justice. Upon graduation from Bona’s, he joined the Franciscan Order in 1965 and professed his first vows in 1966.

“

WHILE FURTHERING HIS EDUCATION in Washington, D.C., at The Catholic University of America and Washington Theological Union, Fr. Dan was deeply moved by Martin Luther King Jr.’s social ministry, serving as co-chair of the task force of religious for Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

“The summer before Dr. King was killed, I lived with a group of guys in downtown D.C. in a mixed-race community, taking classes, not trying to minister but just living there. It was a wonderful experience,” Fr. Dan said. “We were taken into the headquarters of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and they asked if we could come down and be with them because King had been shot; this is before we knew he was killed. Even before he was killed, I was committed to working with the Black population and was received well among them as a white guy.”

Before he was ordained in 1971, Fr. Dan’s hope was to be assigned to minister at a historically Black college or university, but the province said, “Bonaventure is basically falling apart with spiritual direction” and he was the only one at Holy Name Province who had a master’s degree in campus ministry.

“Fr. Reginald (Redlon, university president) and Fr. Joe Doino, a wonderful friar and mentor of mine, basically said, ‘We need you up here,’” Fr. Dan said. “I really didn’t want to go, but if that’s where I was needed …

When you aren’t able to clearly say no, then maybe it’s a yes.”

In his first stint at Bonaventure (1971-1974), Fr. Dan collaborated with friars Dan Hurley, Hugh Eller, Gervase White and Robert White to invigorate Campus Ministries. They began taking students on retreats to an old farmhouse that once served as a rectory. The retreats were the seedling that would grow into Mt. Irenaeus a decade later.

“I was the hippie friar so the kids seemed to gravitate toward me,” said Fr. Dan, who was a minister-in-residence in Devereux Hall for 30 years.

“The bonding and reflection that took place on those retreats was amazing.”

Fr. Dan oversaw the conversion of the old maintenance building into the Thomas Merton Ministry Center, and the opening of Olean’s first Warming House in 1974, which started as a drop-in center for lonely adults before offering in the early 1980s a meal to hungry, homeless and disadvantaged people.

Photos at right from By then, however, Fr. Dan became “burnt out,” disenthe top: students at chanted with the resistance to change at a time that dethe Mountain in manded it. He left in 1974 to co-found, with other friars, an 1996; Fr. Dan and Br. urban house of prayer in east Boston, doing street ministry, Joe Kotula with Patrick Brutus, ’09; dealing with interracial issues and concerns for the poor.

He then added to his résumé director of Vocation Ministry and Fr. Dan with Bob McCarthy, ’76. for Holy Name Province from 1975-1978.

The students have given me so much that I’m barely aware of what I’ve given them. It’s been a gift to be involved in their lives and to see their sincere desire to come alive and experience God in their own way.

– Fr. Dan Riley

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p Fr. Dan with Br. Kevin Kriso, O.F.M., and the late Fr. Dan Hurley, O.F.M.

u With Curtis Middlebrooks in 2009.

q Greeting guests at the Mountain’s 30th anniversary celebration.

“I learned from so many great friars here, but too many of them were resistant to the changes of the times and having a hard time dealing with it all,” he said.

But like Michael Corleone in the “The Godfather III,” the province pulled him back in four years after he left Bonaventure.

Fr. Charlie Finnegan, O.F.M., provincial minister of Holy Name Province, told Fr. Dan he’d like him to return to St. Bonaventure, but “to take with him this time his dreams for doing regional vocation ministry.” He agreed.

“It was different this time,” he said. “Fr. John O’Connor (Class of ’75) had done a lot of excellent ground work to establish what we’re still doing today, and we had a full team of friars and sisters and lay people, maybe eight people, doing this work. We were the only college in the state doing service work to this extent.”

In a life committed to building community, and armed with a Tim Shaffer said that when he was a promise from his province to grow student at SBU, “Dan gave me a good his regional ministry, Fr. Dan revisense of how you think about sometalized the dream of a retreat center thing, how you hear other people and for contemplation and reflection. A you hear the world around you.” Twenty Mountain advisory board made up years later their relationship continues. of campus and civic leaders was formed in 1981.

“We had a wonderful combination of people who were vigorous about the idea,” he said, his voice cracking. “This wasn’t just me. We can’t do these things alone.”

In 1984, the Mountain’s board of directors purchased 204 acres in rural Allegany County, 20 miles from campus, to establish Mt. Irenaeus. The project culminated with the dedications of Holy Peace Chapel in 1990 and the Mountain’s signature House of Peace in 1995.

Dedicated to contemplation and simple living for people of diverse backgrounds and all faiths, Mt. Irenaeus has added a significant dimension to the Bonaventure experience for students who’ve embraced its mission.

“The Mountain is simply an invitation for us to come alive,” Fr. Dan said.

INTRIGUED BY WHAT HE LEARNED in Fr. Allen Weber’s Intellectual Journey class, Tim Shaffer, the Delaware professor, switched his major from journalism to theology over Christmas break his freshman year. He quickly became involved in University Ministries and traveled with Fr. Dan to Merton’s Hermitage near the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky and to California for a series of Mountain on the Road conversations.

“It was fascinating and a chance to get more deeply involved in talking about the things that we care about, the factors that are important in people’s lives, and how we are connected to each other,” said Shaffer, who won the Doino Award for Community Service as a sophomore.

“Dan gave me a good sense of how you think about something, how you hear other people and you hear the world around you.”

After completing his master’s in theology at Dayton, Shaffer recon-

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nected with Fr. Dan, who named him the vice president of Ministry and coordinator of Mt. Irenaeus Ministries, Programs, and Activities.

“That basically meant I lived at the Mountain (for a year) and I drove the van to bring student groups up to the Mountain,” Shaffer said with a laugh. “But I did lead and organize the programming. It was during this time that I really committed to not only the contemplative dimension, but the social action piece.”

What Shaffer admires most about Fr. Dan is that he “values perspectives that aren’t his.”

“He is always about including and not excluding,” said Shaffer, who is working with Fr. Dan on the idea Fr. Dan talks with Hamaad Khan, ’20. of adding a Center for Civil Discourse at the Mountain.

“How do we listen deeply to one another and to the wisdom that others have? He’s always been deeply committed to that.”

“I have always appreciated Dan’s emotional vulnerability,” Shaffer said. “He’s helped me, and I’m sure a lot of people, be HAMAAD KHAN, ’20, SHARES Shaffer’s admiration. more transparent in expressing myself, in allowing people to He visited the Mountain periodically as a Franciscan Health be expressive in a way that ‘society’ might diminish. He has Care Professions student and a member of Asian Students in such an ability to connect with people in such a disarming Action. His Muslim faith was never a barrier. way. Fr. Dan is authentically Fr. Dan.” “On his first visit to the Mountain, Hamaad looks over at Fr. Dan has been part of Karen Pulaski’s life since freshman me, and here’s this vibrant, good-looking guy, relates well orientation in the summer of 1980. with people, and I tell him, ‘I think you’re going to be a “He has a way of really seeing a person and finding a way to authentically invite someone in — all within the first few minutes of meeting them,” said Pulaski, ’84, whose husband died at a young age. “He impacted my faith immediately and over the years I’ve known him, Fr. Dan brought God to life for me, Fr. Dan brought God to life for and helped my faith move from something I ‘did’ on Sundays to a way of walking through the world.” me, and helped my faith move Because of the impact Fr. Dan has had on her life, Pulaski from something I ‘did’ on decided to live at Mt. Irenaeus the past year.

Sundays to a way of walking “He is my mentor and my spiritual adviser,” she said, “but most important, he is my companion, my friend and my through the world. brother — in every sense of the word — through the good days and the bad.”

— Karen Pulaski Despite the reservations he harbored about first coming to Bonaventure as a student, and returning to work in Campus leader,’” Fr. Dan said. “And he says to me, ‘Father Dan, I Ministries in 1971 and 1978, Fr. Dan, now 80, feels blessed by want you to be my mentor.’” the relationships he’s developed and nurtured with countless Khan quickly came to embrace Fr. Dan’s spirit of inclupeople since 1960. sion and the ecumenical nature of his trips to the Mountain.

“It blows me away when they call or text me because I never “They weren’t religious events, but spiritual ones, human thought I could make that kind of difference,” he said. “The events where we were all just connecting as people from difstudents have given me so much that I’m barely aware of what ferent faiths and cultures,” said Khan, who’s in his third of I’ve given them. It’s been a gift to be involved in their lives and four years at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s to see their sincere desire to come alive and experience God in campus in Bradenton, Florida, pursuing a career in physiatry. their own way.”

Khan’s parents had such respect for Fr. Dan’s desire to learn (Tom Missel is chief communications officer at St. more about their son’s faith that on Family Weekend of his Bonaventure.) sophomore year, Khan’s father handed Fr. Dan a paper bag.

Inside was a copy of the Quran.

“His father said to me, ‘Fr. Dan, I’m so glad my son chose Scan the QR code you to be his mentor.’” to listen to Fr. Dan’s Fr. Dan choked back tears recounting the moment. He podcasts as he chokes up pretty easily these days, but Shaffer loves that reflects on life at about him.

Mt. Irenaeus.

“

”

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Embracing the Southwest

Photos by Danny Bush Senior Multimedia Producer

n alum’s love of the Southwest and respect for the history and culture of indigenous people led him to bequeath a stunning collection of Southwestern artwork to the Regina A. Quick Center of the Arts.

The contemporary collection from the late David Van Buren, ’69, contains 27 paintings and drawings, 64 pieces of Southwest pottery by artists whose families have been creating pottery in the traditional manner for hundreds of years, and a collection of modern Kachinas that help bring to life the culture of the American Southwest.

Van Buren graduated magna cum laude in 1969 p At the top of the page is a It was while serving as a visiting scholar from St. Bonaventure, where he had majored in traditional style large olla by Zia in criminal justice at Northern Arizona English literature and psychology and minored in artist Sofia Pino Medina (1932University, researching peacemaking and philosophy and classical languages. He later would go on to earn a Ph.D. in criminal justice from SUNY 2010). Above, a handpainted seed the tribal courts of the Navajo Nation, that pot by James Augustine of Acoma, Van Buren fell in love with the American Albany in 1984.

Southwest. He embraced its history and “The Van Buren collection adds a new dimension New Mexico. to the University Art Collection,” said Evelyn Penman, assistant culture and spent part of each year traveling and learning about indigenous people, notably the Hopi. director and senior curator at the Quick Center. “Premiering Van Buren contacted the Quick Center in 2020 to talk with this fall alongside other cultural art from our collection, it will eventually be integrated into our contemporary galleries so that the director about making his art collection a gift to the art center. When Van Buren died unexpectedly in November of it can be acknowledged as the exceptional art that it is.”

2022, plans were made to travel to Wisconsin to pack up the Van Buren had a long and prestigious career at the University artwork and bring it to campus. of Wisconsin-Platteville. In 1975, he joined the faculty as an asNow that the collection is on campus, it is being cataloged sistant professor in criminal justice. He retired in 2013 after and photographed before being assembled into the exhibition serving as associate vice chancellor and dean of graduate studthat is planned for the Quick Center. ies for 13 years.

A

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p Colored pencil drawing titled “Spirits From The Peaks” by Wally Lokakema

q Below left, a Hopi Kachina titled “Maasaw” carved by Lenno Polingyumptewa. The Maasaw promised to watch over the Hopi and ensure a smooth passage into the afterlife. Below right, a Hopi Corn Maiden Kachina.

p “Oyster Catcher” by Tlingit First Nation carver Shawn Karpes of British Columbia u “Flicker and Owl” rattle by Karpes

p Details of a Hopi “Silent Warrior” carved by Gilbert Naseyowna

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Th e Pathw ay to Su c c e ss B e gin s W ith Yo u .

This is a story of courage and determination.

It is a tribute to Jeannie Bionda, a member of the Class of 1994, who boldly blazed her own path in life and succeeded — but who died too young.

And it is the beginning of the story of the powerful difference she will make in the lives of future students.

A daughter’s life’s work becomes A Legacy of Possibility Jeannie Bionda (at left) and her SBU classmate Jennifer Lange loved the outdoors, whether it was skiiing or backpacking.

J

eannie Bionda “ran at a different speed” than most people, remembers her mother, Donna Bionda. “It wasn’t that she lacked patience. Jeannie was just faster than others,” Donna said. “She challenged herself in order to learn confidence. She was determined that there be a point to her life. That she be seen.

That she be heard.”

“Perhaps one day you’ll understand Why I needed so much more.

Though you were warm and safe, I want to make my own roar.”

- Excerpt from Jeannie Bionda’s journal

St. Bonaventure University became Jeannie’s chosen path to success. Arriving on campus in 1990 as an English major, she made many friends, especially with Jennifer Lange, ’94. Jeannie played soccer during her grade school and high 20

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school years. At St. Bonaventure she developed a new skill, a new enjoyment — skiing.

She balanced her studies with extracurricular activities like joining the Ski Club and working on the college yearbook, the Bonadieu. Arguably, her most transformative experience was the study abroad trip to Oxford during her junior year through the Francis E. Kelley Oxford Program.

“That was life-changing for her,” said Donna.

Jeannie lived and studied at Somerville College of the University of Oxford in England for six weeks. Its origins as one of the few places a female could achieve a degree no doubt intrigued Jeannie. From diving deep into all that Oxford offered, including a reading of Hamlet in a graveyard, Jeannie knew what she wanted to do in life: become an attorney. Upon earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at St. Bonaventure, she headed to Villanova University School of Law in the

fall of 1994.

“She had a dreadful first year,” Donna said. “Law school was coldly competitive, in stark contrast to St. Bonaventure’s friendly and encouragingly supportive academic environment.”

But Jeannie persevered.

Not only did she pay her own way through law school, she received the Law Alumni Award upon graduation for having shown the greatest scholastic achievement from the end of her first year to the end of her second year.

To celebrate her graduation, Jeannie and her beloved “Bonnie BFF,” Jen, went off to Europe to enjoy what they called their “last student backpacking trip.” She took the opportunity to explore, knowing the results of the bar exam, $80,000 in student loans, and uncertainty about a job awaited her return.

After passing the bar in New York and New Jersey, Jeannie prepared to launch her career. Lack of experience presented

CONTINUED 4

Bolder because of the Bonaventure Fund w ww.sb u .ed u /do n ate

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

a challenge in securing an opportunity as a young lawyer, but Jeannie was determined.

She accepted a paralegal job in the Park Avenue New York office of Kaye Scholer, LLP, and after just three months was offered a position as an attorney in the firm’s Corporate Real Estate Department.

Eight years later, at 33 years old, Jeannie became a partner. In 2017, Kaye Scholer merged with Arnold-Porter, LLP. Jeannie’s favorite charity was the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and she was a regular participant in its Run for the Wild event to raise awareness of the threats facing wildlife at the Bronx Zoo and around the world. From 2012 until 2019, she led a team including her mom and her niece and nephew focusing on the WCS’s Bronx Zoo’s chosen animal of the year. A loving aunt, she let her family choose their team’s name and image (carefully pre-selected by

Another Bonathon season begins in the fall. Add us to your select phone list: (716) 375-2000.

Your backing of The Bonaventure Fund ignites and inspires students to manifest their true potential.

Through your annual gift, you help boost financial aid and scholarship support for deserving students, enhance academic resources, generate an array of extracurricular programs, and infuse learning spaces across campus with the latest technology.

From the freshmen whose scholarships made the difference in bringing them to campus to the seniors who sharpen career goals through the Career and Professional Readiness Center, every dollar you donate helps pave the way to success!

Please make your tax-deductible gift today.

WAYS TO GIVE

Jeannie, herself). She was devoted to her family; her niece and nephew honor their adventures with “Aunt Nini” through continued support of her treasured cause.

For a star that rose fast and shined bright, the end came far too soon. Jeannie was diagnosed with cancer — news she kept to herself. She succumbed in February 2021.

To celebrate Jeannie’s life-changing Oxford experience, Donna sponsors students via the Oxford Annual Scholarship, hoping future Bonnies are equally inspired like her daughter.

Additionally, Donna created the JCB Endowed Scholarship at St. Bonaventure, which benefits a female majoring in English in honor of her daughter’s life.

For Donna, the preservation of Jeannie’s legacy continues by putting into action the treasure Jeannie worked so hard to establish. To help others open their own doors. To make their own roar.

Online Visit www.sbu.edu/donate Mail St. Bonaventure University 3261 W. State Road P.O. Box 2519 St. Bonaventure, NY 14778 In Person Room 217, Murphy Professional Building

Venmo @BonasGiving Be sure to mention your area of support in the “what’s it for” section Matching Gift Your employer may match your gift — visit www.sbu.edu/matchinggifts Recurring Gift Use your credit card or bank account to make automatic monthly donations Phone Call us at (800) 664-1273

Annual Fund gifts aid comprehensive campaign

Your annual gift will also aid in the Bolder Bonaventure fundraising campaign. We call the campaign “comprehensive” because it will benefit almost every area of campus.

Since the beginning of its silent phase in 2018 through May 31, 2023, more than $96 million has been raised toward our $125 million goal. Your annual support of The Bonaventure Fund will help the university achieve that goal while meeting the day-to-day needs of pursuing our vision and mission.

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Our hearts are full!

Th e Pathw ay to Su c c e ss B e gin s W ith Yo u .

Rejoice!

Three standout individuals were honored this past May at St. Bonaventure’s Gaudete Medal Celebration at The National Press Club Ballroom in Washington, D.C. This year’s honorees were (from left) Kevin C. O’Connor, D.O., FAAFP, ’88, physician to the president of the United States, Janet Bodnar, ’71, editor-at-large, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and Mark H. Tuohey III, ’68, senior counsel, BakerHostetler.

The Gaudete Medal is one of St. Bonaventure’s highest awards. It is bestowed to outstanding business and community leaders who exemplify the same spirit expressed through the life and teaching of St. Francis of Assisi. This year’s event raised more than $22,000 for student scholarships.

Luncheon speakers included (from left) Arts & Sciences Dean David Hilmey, former University Trustee Les Quick III, Deandre Allen, and University President Jeff Gingerich. Below, Deandre is pictured with Donna Bionda.

Celebration of Excellence

A favorite springtime gathering on campus is the Celebration of Excellence. The luncheon and academic showcase offer scholarship and grant recipients the chance to meet with their generous benefactors.

Deandre Allen, ’23, received the Oxford Annual Scholarship and spent six weeks last summer studying at Trinity College of the University of Oxford. He shared highlights of his study abroad experience during the luncheon.

The international exposure expanded Allen’s worldview, helping him realize the diversity of cultures and that he doesn’t have to be “rich or older to travel the world.”

Allen thanked his benefactor, Donna Bionda, who established a scholarship in memory of her daughter, Jeannie Bionda, a member of the Class of 1994.

“The purpose of Jeannie’s life continues through giving to another human being,” Donna Bionda said.

Giving back with a legacy gift

Alumni give back to St. Bonaventure in a multitude of ways. They host events, assist departments on campus, talk with prospective students, and join in the Reunion Class Challenge.

For the Class of 1971, they celebrated their 50th Reunion (a year late due to COVID concerns) with a Legacy Gift of $230,000 for Mission Integration.

Presenting the check to Janet Glogouski, interim vice president for University Advancement (center), are Vinnie Cartelli, ’71, and Denise Benner,’71.

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Photos from these and other events are available at www.sbu.edu/BonaFlickr

Help build a Bolder Bonaventure w ww.sb u .ed u /do n ate

In a constantly changing world, our cherished and timeless Franciscan values are more relevant — and more needed — than ever before. Your investment in the Bolder Bonaventure fundraising campaign will ensure that the university remains a place where students can continue to grow in their moral, intellectual and physical capacities, and where a strong commitment to Franciscan ideals thrives.

IGNITE CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES Athletics

The world of the NCAA Division I is ultra-competitive, and while our teams are highly regarded, we are not keeping pace with our Atlantic 10 peers. It is time to transform St. Bonaventure’s athletics facilities.

Jandoli School of Communication

A degree from the Jandoli School means not only that our graduates have learned from the best, but that they are prepared to claim their spot among them. While our story is steeped in success, our current facilities in the outdated Murphy Building are woefully inadequate.

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Franciscan Mission and Ministries

programs, increase enrollment, and build a healthy endowment.

Our Franciscan charism calls us to inspire the soul. Your support is needed so that we can continue to enhance faith through liturgical programs, sacraments, worship experiences, and spiritual development.

Academic Mission and Student Experience

Every initiative at St. Bonaventure is designed to offer students an intellectual journey that explores a larger context for their personal, professional, and civic lives. With your support, we can revitalize the campus, expand academic

Ignite and inspire future generations through your investment in A Bolder Bonaventure. www.sbu.edu/ABolderBonaventure

The Bonaventure Fund

Gifts to this fund have the most immediate and powerful impact across campus. They enrich the educational experience, strengthen student support programs, and expand financial aid.

They also position the university for future success by alerting corporations, foundations, and major publications to our strong network of alumni support.

DePerro School of Health Professions

The popular DePerro School is a vibrant hub on campus, offering in-demand graduate and undergraduate health care programs. While the school’s success is exciting, more support is needed to fully realize a broader health care learning environment.

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CLASS NOTES

4 4 SHARE YOUR CAREER NEWS WITH THE BONA NATION!

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.

1962

Joyce (Malerba) Goldstein was honored as the Woman of Distinction by the Staten Island Chapter of New York State Women Inc. Thomas Hannon retired “for good” in 2011. He and his wife, Andrea, have been full-time residents of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, since 2020. They have three children and eight grandkids.

1964

Meredith Anne (McConnell) Elmore (center) celebrated her 80th birthday at a party with family and friends on Nov. 6, 2022. Among the tributes was a book about her written by her daughter.

1968

Rev. Dr. William Butler is a chaplain with AdventHealth Hospitals Inc. and a pastoral care & community minister at the First Baptist Church of Orlando.

During his career, Butler worked more than 30 years as an ordained minister and more than 30 years as a clinical psychotherapist.

1970

Tom Drinkwater, a four-year member of the SBU and ROTC rifle teams, was honored as a Tom Downing Fellow at the Ruritan National Convention in Kingsport, Tennessee, “in appreciation for selfless personal effort.” The Ruritan national service organization focuses on fellowship, goodwill and community service in local communities. Only 1% of Ruritan members have received this honor. Drinkwater served two years as district governor of the Ruritan Rockingham District in Virginia, as well as two years as commander of his American Legion Post in Woodstock, Virginia. He also serves as district deputy for the Knights of Columbus. Drinkwater joined 24

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the Knights’ Father Tom Plassmann Council while he was a student at St. Bonaventure. He and his wife, Eileen, live in Fort Valley, Virginia, where he keeps busy with his firearms business and garden since his retirement from the Army civil service.

1973

David Resch is marking 50 years in the financial services industry in 2023 and 20 years since co-founding Post Resch Tallon Group, Inc.

1974

Valerie (Wiech) Cronin is vice president of the YWCA Niagara Frontier Board and is a board member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Tonawandas. Robert Lindsey (and ’75) is executive director of International Doctors in Alcoholics Anonymous (IDAA). He is the first nonphysician to head up IDAA. Founded in 1949, IDAA provides an international network of addiction recovery support for doctoral level health care professionals and their families. During his career, Lindsey has worked at the local, state, national and international levels in roles including serving as CEO of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD), CEO of Friends of Recovery New York, director of Community

Brown & brawn Frank Squillace, ’86, and Tom Nash, ’71, are Charlottesville, Virginia, workout buddies.

Relations for the Betty Ford Center, and executive director of New York State Council on Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. Lindsey credits his BA in psychology and MS in counseling from St. Bonaventure for introducing him to a life of service to others. He has received numerous awards for his service, but the most meaningful was the Friars Award from the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement for his decade-long chairmanship of the Board of Directors of St. Joseph’s Rehabilitation Center in Saranac Lake. Lindsey and his wife, Cassandra, live in Saratoga Springs.

1975

Joe Rakowski marked 20 years at The New York Times in March, having worked on the metro, national, foreign and opinion desks. He lives within walking distance from the Long Island Sound shore in Connecticut with his wife, Terri Yannetti, a writer and editor. He has fond memories of St. Bonaventure and the then-Department of Journalism under Dr. Russell Jandoli.

1977

Dr. John Robert Greene (also ’78) retired with the rank of professor emeritus from full-time teaching at Cazenovia College, where he had taught for 42 years.

1978

Kim Yaeckel Dixon is serving as president of Partnering for Peace: Friends of Peace Corps and Rotary International.

Partnering for Peace supports a formal memorandum of understanding between two organizations with the almost identical goals of friendship and peace throughout the world.

Peace Corps and Rotary communities work together on joint projects in the U.S. and in the countries of Peace Corps service.

Dixon has returned from living in the country of Georgia, first with a Peace Corps assignment, and then on her own

Clas s N o te s

to work with several NGOs. She is remarried and looking forward to showing her husband, Tom Ziko, her old haunts at St. Bona’s.

1981

Patrick Brennan of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, has formed PBrennan Communications Consulting LLC to serve clients with his expertise in accelerating change, reinforcing values and culture, increasing manager effectiveness, and aiding post-merger and acquisition integrations. He is also the executive director of American Dreams, an Advisor Group foundation, which focuses on increasing diverse representation in financial services as well as financial literacy in high school and college students. Lori V. Quigley, Ph.D., interim president of Medaille University, was named to the 2023 City & State Higher Education Power 100 list, which recognizes New York’s most influential academic leaders who are making a substantial difference in spurring job

Visiting the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Members of Students in Money Management (SIMM) were present for the closing bell on the floor of the NYSE on March 13, along with Bona alums Mary Beth Vigneron, ’84, and Nick Rivera, ’14. The students spent two days meeting various alumni in their Metro New York offices, networking and learning about future opportunities. Founded in 2004, SIMM is an experiential learning program in which students in any major can learn about the investment process while helping to manage approximately $500,000 in real financial assets.

Frank promoted to three-star general

growth, advocating for policy changes or advising city and state government officials. As a Seneca Nation, Wolf Clan member, Quigley emphasizes integrity and equity in her work. She has been actively involved in advocating for higher education and Native American education for more than 30 years. She serves as the ombudsperson for the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Board of Directors. In that role, she continues her efforts to advocate on a national level to advance comprehensive, culture-based opportunities for Native Americans. In 2004, Quigley earned a prestigious U.S. presidential appointment to serve on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, where she served as chair until 2007. She also served as the chair of the Native American Indian Education Association of New York for more than 10 years, and has

Patrick D. Frank, ’89, was promoted to lieutenant general (threestar) and assumed command of U.S. Army Central in July 2022. Prior to that he served as chief of staff of U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, and before that as the commanding general of the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Throughout his career he has served in a variety of command and staff assignments including deputy commanding general and acting senior commander of the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas; executive officer to the commander of Operation Resolute Support of the International Security Assistance Force; and executive officer to the vice chief of staff, U.S. Army. He formerly served as commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team “Spartans,” 10th Mountain Division, deployed in the surge of forces to Kandahar, Afghanistan, for Operation Enduring Freedom XII-XIII; commander of 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry “Black

Lions,” 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, deployed to Baghdad as a part of the surge during Operation Iraqi Freedom-V; aide to the secretary of the Army; deputy G-3 and brigade S-3 in the 101st Airborne Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom-I; and had company commands in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, where he also deployed as a staff officer in support of Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti, and during a tour with the 3rd Infantry Division, Germany, in support of Operation Desert Storm. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, the Combat Infantry Badge, the Ranger Tab, Air Assault Badge and Parachutist Badge, and the Expert Infantryman Badge.

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Camp u s Ne ws

served as the chair for the Seneca Gaming Corporation Board of Trustees.

1982

Anne Sweeney Holliday is the communications coordinator for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany. She previously worked as the news director for WESB Radio in Bradford, Pennsylvania, for more than 15 years and as a general assignment reporter for The Bradford Era newspaper for several years.

Fran Machina left the Syracuse University Whitman School of Business to become the director of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) in Rome, New York. He will lead 1,000 employees providing an array of accounting and finance support to the U.S. Army, Defense Health Agency and the U.S. Special Operations Command.

1983

Danielle (Belliveau) Dehm has fulfilled a personal goal of completing a doctorate in executive leadership from St. John Fisher University after a career in education spanning 37 years as a kindergarten teacher, principal at Victor Primary School, adjunct professor, and Region 11 representative to the School Administrators Association of NYS (SAANYS). “A second career as an assistant professor in the Educational Leadership Department at SUNY Oswego and coaching many leaders throughout the state highlights the possibilities in retirement,” she writes.

Brady Sullivan is a defense attorney in the Veterans Court of Florida. He is also a member of southwest Florida’s Team Rubicon, a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises, and a sailing captain with OceanVenture, which provides team building for veterans.

1984

Dr. Cairenn “Kerry” O’Donnell Broderick retired in 2017 to pursue a second ca26

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Dominick Marrone, ’91, is an actor in L.A. who worked on the film “A Man Called Otto” with Tom Hanks, the TV show “American Rust” with Jeff Daniels, and the film “The Snack Shack” with Gabriel LaBelle of “The Fabelmans.”

reer as a labor relations specialist with New York State United Teachers in the Tarrytown Regional Office after a 33-year teaching career, which included 10 years as the president of the White Plains Teachers’ Association. She and her husband, Michael, live in White Plains, New York, and have four sons. Rob Buckla, Ed.D., is leading the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools’ Alumni Relations and Development office as associate director of schools for alumni relations & development. Since May 2017, Buckla had served as vice president of Advancement at Lake Forest Academy, a diverse day and boarding school on the North Shore of Chicago. In that time, more than $34 million in philanthropic investment has been secured through his leadership, including more than $23 million added to the endowment through the Inspire & Invest campaign. Throughout his 37-year career, Buckla has directed or served on the senior leadership of eight capital and endowment campaigns, including the $250 million Fueling Innovation campaign at Illinois Institute of Technology. Dr. Mary (Shannon) Colson has been certified by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) as an advanced certified autism specialist. Colson specializes in providing mental health services to children and adolescents. The goal is to increase available services to her clientele, including autism assessments and Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) services for those with Tourette syndrome.

Laura Noe has been leading the all-vol-

unteer Branford Refugee Resettlement/Helping Families Settle (BRR/HFS) group in Connecticut for the past two years. Most recently 50 volunteers — including Noe — collaborated with Integrated Refugee & Immigration Services (IRIS) in New Haven, Connecticut, to assist a couple who had fled Kabul, Afghanistan, in August 2021 just as the Taliban took control. For a year, the volunteers worked together to raise funds,

Laura Noe (center) with refugees Laila and Mosa.

find and furnish a home, and prepare for the couple’s arrival. They also threw a community baby shower for the couple and opened a 529 college savings fund for their newborn daughter. “One of the many goals of refugee resettlement is helping families belong,” Noe writes.

1985

James Libby was elected a Maine state senator to the 131st Maine Legislature representing District 22. Jack Lorenz (MBA, ’88) retired from Cutco Corporation June 1 after 40 years of service.

Ray Collins and Roxanne Baker were classmates 40 years ago in the journalism program, but today they have a different connection: Realtor and client.

Collins helped Baker buy her “dream condo” on Sarasota’s Bayfront.

Baker is a retired teacher who is now a film critic, does podcasts and works for the independent bookstore Bookstore1Sarasota. Collins is a former TV news anchor who is among the top 2% of residential real estate agents in Florida specializing in relocations, investment properties and second homes.

1986

Camp u s N ews

Dr. Leslie Wilk Braksick was awarded the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) Network of the Association of Behavior Analysis International (ABAI). The award is given to individuals who have fundamentally advanced the understanding or application of behavioral principles in organizational settings. Braksick, the co-founder of two companies, author of five books and hundreds of articles, and practitioner for more than three decades, relies on the science of human behavior to enable business and individual success. She is often tapped by top executives and boards to provide coaching, insight and advising during times of strategically important transition and intense strategic change. MyNextSeason, a company she co-founded and co-leads, helps companies and leaders navigate important career transitions. ABAI has been a world-leading supporter of the advancement of the science of behavior analysis and a hub for the community since 1974. Founded in 1982 as a special interest group of ABAI, the OBM Network develops, enhances and supports the growth and vitality of organizational behavior management through research, education, practice and collaboration.

1988

have won literary awards. Berry is working on his seventh novel, centered on the American Civil War.

1991

Alan Delozier has published articles that feature the works of two important St. Bonaventure figures – journalist Roi Ottley and longtime St. Bonaventure President Rev. Thomas Plassmann, O.F.M. Delozier and Dr. Larry Greene of Seton Hall University published a book chapter titled “Two African American Journalists Confront World War II: Perspectives on Nationalism, Racism, and Identity” that appeared in the book “Reporting World War II,” published in April by Fordham University Press. Delozier also published the journal article “ATLA Plus Database: An Examination of Traditional Research Methodology, Diversity of Content, and Modern Usage Trends,” which appeared in the June 2022 issue of Religious Studies Review.

1993

Sean Savery is celebrating his fifth year at Sonim Technologies as the senior director for customer experience. Since COVID allowed him to work remotely, he left San Diego and moved to Cape Coral, Florida, to start traveling the country and exploring new places. Staying 60 to 90 days gave him a chance to see some exciting and beautiful cities, including St. Petersburg, Denver, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. Boise, both Portlands (Maine and Oregon) and international stays in Montreal and Mexico

Thomas Berry ran the New York City Marathon on Nov. 6, 2022, and the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2023. He will run the Chicago Marathon in October, which will allow him to complete all three major world marathons in the U.S. He started running at age 50 as means to stay healthy and has completed more than 100 long-distance races in that time span. Berry works at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as a vice president in the IT department. He and his wife have five grown children. In his spare time he writes and publishes historical fiction novels, several of which SUMMER 2023

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Clas s N o te s

City are on the radar next. “When people ask where I live, I simply say I live on Instagram and Facebook and wherever Delta Airlines takes me!” He invites alums to follow his travels on IG at sps817 and send him ideas on great travel spots he might like.

1994

Time Ventures, a venture capital fund in Colorado that just raised its second fund.

SpringTime’s first fund invested in 35 early stage startups across the U.S., including two companies valued at more than a billion dollars. SpringTime was featured in the startup industry’s leading publication, TechCrunch, last November.

Michael Dabaie was promoted to publishing editor at WSJ.com. He has worked for Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal for more than 22 years.

1996

It’s a small world after all Monica Penner, ’00, ’02, proves that Mickey is a Bonnies fan!

Christine Staley is the senior director of marketing and Fairchild Studio at Fairchild Media Group, overseeing the integrated marketing, event sponsorship and custom content teams dedicated to Women’s Wear Daily, Footwear News, Beauty Inc., Sourcing Journal and Rivet.

1997

Just chillin’ in Antarctica Col. John Valentin, ’75, became a member of the faculty at the Command and Staff College, Quantico, Virginia, after retiring from 32 years as an active duty officer in the United States Marine Corps. He and his wife, Col. Cynthia J. Valentin, USMC (Ret.), continue to travel to exciting destinations throughout the world. They inaugurated the new year with a trip to Antarctica, and brought the spirit of St. Bonaventure to the “end of the earth. Go Bonnies!”

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Jane (Cucinell) Solnick, the “face of Con Edison” in Westchester County, has won Con Edison’s Living Our Values (LOV) award, the company’s highest honor. Solnick is the director of Regional and Community Affairs for Westchester.

For 15 years, Solnick has helped Westchester through major weather events, from the flooding caused by Hurricane Ida in 2021 to the devastation of back-toback nor’easters Riley and Quinn in 2018, and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. On blue sky days, Solnick is out and about building and fortifying relationships with the diverse network of elected officials from Westchester’s 39 municipalities in its service territory, the county government and its business and nonprofit leaders. Solnick serves on the board of directors for agencies including the Westchester Parks Foundation, the Westchester County Association, the Business Council of Westchester and the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber Foundation. She lives in White Plains and has three sons and two grandchildren. Rich Maloy is a managing partner at Spring-

2000

Mark P. Frank was promoted to colonel on April 27. In the photo above, his daughter Maria pins the rank of colonel on her father during the promotion ceremony held at the Joint Force Headquarters in Latham, New York.

Frank began his military career in 2000, when he graduated from St. Bonaventure as a Distinguished Military Graduate. Frank holds a master of strategic studies degree from the U.S. Army War College, a master of arts degree in public administration from Webster University, and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from St. Bonaventure. He serves as the full-time G1 (human resources officer) for the New York Army National Guard. Frank and his wife, Kristin, ’02, have four children.

2002

William H. Holzerland, Esq., was appointed to the federal government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) in March and serves as the deputy chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mike Neel was elected as the 2023 fire chief of the Bowmansville Volunteer Fire Association in Lancaster, New York. Neel has been a volunteer

Clas s N o te s

firefighter/EMT for 25 years and served as the director of MERT during his senior year at St. Bonaventure. He continues to work in information technology as a senior systems engineer at PCB Piezotronics in Depew.

Neel lives in Lancaster with his wife, Marissa, and two children. Adam Whiting was promoted to director of operations at Catholic Charities Family and Community Services, a human service agency of the Diocese of Rochester. In his role, Whiting coordinates tasks of support teams, including Purchasing, Facilities, IT and other business process units. He directly supervises a team of purchasing specialists serving the agency with wide ranging goods and service procurement needs.

He is also responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of agency procedures around these support functions.

2006

Joe Werkmeister was hired by Newsday to cover local government and news on the East End of Long Island. He previously worked as the editor of two community newspapers.

2008

Dr. Alex Cole is executive director of Graduate and Professional Education at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

For the last five years he has worked as the director of admission for Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences’ Worcester, Manchester and online students. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Laura (L’Esperance) Cole, ’09, and three daughters.

2010

David Seyler is the head brewer of a new brewery, Stones Throw Brewing Company, in Goose Creek, South Carolina.

2013

Chris Banasiewicz was promoted to customer service program manager for JLL (Jones Land LaSalle). His client is Delta Air Lines and he works closely with the Delta Corporate Real Estate department located at the corporate campus in

Alums reconnect in St. Thomas Members of the classes of 1986, 1987 and 1988 celebrate life, friendship and major life accomplishments in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Pictured from left are Tony Dubin, ’86, Mary (Mahoney) Santini, ’87, John “Chooie” Santini, ’86, Jim Mis, ’86, Mary (Gannon) Mis, ’87, Michele (Rouleau) Trietley, ’88, and Rick Trietley, ’86 (who recently completed his Doctor of Education in higher education leadership).

Atlanta. He says the best part of his job is traveling across the country to create and install facility service request QR codes for Delta Air Line facilities and all Delta Sky Clubs. One of his most recent projects incorporates geotagging into the request form so that the location and other data auto populates, saving the user time.

“If you’re flying through the Detroit airport, you will see one at your Delta gate,” Banasiewicz writes. He notes he is proud to be on this account, which received the company’s Account of the Year Award in 2022. Allie Leis, Ph.D., successfully completed her doctorate in epidemiological science at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in June of 2022. She was immediately hired as a research faculty member in the Epidemiology Department at the UM-SPH. Her research focuses on the intersection of cardiometabolic disease and obesity, in addition to long-term outcomes of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV infection.

2020

Jonathan Clancy (also ’21) is coordinator of University Advancement Services at Mars Hill University in North Carolina.

Bonnies tour European holiday markets Two generations of Bona’s grads experienced the traditional holiday markets in Germany and Luxembourg. Katie Czaja, ’09, and her brother, Sean, visited Mike Czaja, ’82, and his wife, Jeanne Schorsch, who live in Kindsbach, Germany. During their visit, the family explored the markets in Bernkastel-Kues (Katie and her dad, Mike, are pictured) and Cologne, Germany, and Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Also known as a Christkindlmarkt, or Weihnachtsmarkt, the markets are a fun way to participate in a popular, multicultural European holiday event.

BonaResponds to volunteer at medical pop-up clinic

BonaResponds will once again partner with Remote Area Medical (RAM) and other local agencies for a Sept. 9-10 clinic in Olean offering free dental, vision and medical care. Visit BonaResponds.org to learn more or watch updates throughout the weekend.

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B ir th s / Ad options

Welcome Baby Bonnies!

Jacob Michael to Danielle (Cessario) Binda, ’00, and Dan Binda Robbi Juno to Amber and Joe Maurer, ’00, ’03

Peyton Grace adopted by Kathleen (Curran) Mazurkiewicz, ’03, ’05, and Jason Mazurkiewicz

Anthony Patrick to Colleen (Smith) Dunn, ’04, and Michael Dunn

Campbell Gray to Katie (Kozsan) Maxwell, ’08, and Brian Maxwell, ’07, ’08 Chase Patrick to Samantha and Adam Corbin, ’08

Benjamin Jack to Erin (Farrell) Gracia, ’07, ’08, and Josh Gracia

Bridget Schrader to Mary (Schrader) Burke, ’11 and Anthony Burke, ’11, ’12 Finley Leigh to Nicole and Nicholas Clancy, ’18

Alumni Deaths

A directory of deceased alumni is available on Bona’s Online. Register at www.sbu.edu/alumni.

Charles R. Colvin, ’49, Naples, Florida Rev. Owen F. Shanley, ’49, Galway, New York Joseph G. DeMaria, Esq., ’50, Rochester, New York* John W. Campion, ’51, Jamestown, New York Dr. Edward G. Emerling, ’51, Honolulu, Hawaii Edmund L. Finley Jr. , ’51, Oneida, New York Francis M. Gardina, ’51, Columbus, Ohio Donald B. Riester, ’51, Kingston, New York Gerard O. Rocque, ’51, Fredonia, New York Rev. Alexander A. DiLella, O.F.M., ’52, St. Petersburg, Florida Dr. Edwin H. Dombrowski, ’52, Swansboro, North Carolina Ronald M. Caffoe, ’53, Fishers, Indiana Robert M. Sassone, ’53, Olean, New York Harold J. Carota, ’54, Watsonville, California Alexander F. Di Lella Jr., ’54, Vero Beach, Florida Richard D. Grisanti, Esq., ’54, Buffalo, New York Edward W. Habert Jr., ’54, Lynbrook, New York Dr. Marvin J. Konz, ’54, Yardley, Pennsylvania Raymond L. Mastoloni Sr., ’54, White Plains, New York Dr. John B. Muth, ’54, Colorado Springs, Colorado Rev. Philip A. O’Donnell, ’54, Las Vegas, Nevada Eugene J. Parana, ’54, Havertown, Pennsylvania James R. Rodgers Sr., ’54, Getzville, New York John A. Kreuz Sr., ’55, Columbus, Ohio* Henry L. Raiche, ’55, Wappingers Falls, New York Robert R. Raymond Sr., ’55, Naugatuck, Connecticut Carl P. Saglimben, ’55, Allegany, New York Francis L. Michelini, ’56, Force, Pennsylvania Michael J. Doyle, ’57, Endicott, New York Sr. Maureen C. Hall, O.S.F., ’57, Kingston, Jamaica Dr. Thomas J. Rainville, ’57, Bedford, New Hampshire Lt. Col. (Ret.) Howard J. Killian Jr., ’58, Moline, Illinois David Kleberg, ’58, Syracuse, New York P. J. Mahoney, ’58, East Hampton, New York Anthony J. Pace, ’58, Ridgefield, Connecticut James D. Sheffer, ’58, Bradford, Pennsylvania William K. Sprague, ’58, Allegany, New York Timothy L. Brewer III, ’59, Burke, Virginia* Col. Franklin T. Gaglione, ’59, Manlius, New York Dr. William O. Kerr, ’59, Wiesbaden, Germany Paul R. Wieland, ’59, Great Valley, New York Robert G. Burns, ’60, Crystal River, Florida Thomas S. Cembalski, ’60, South Glens Falls, New York Garrett E. Croyle, ’60, Altamonte Springs, Florida Lt. Col. (Ret.) Albert J. Erickson, ’60, Rochester, New York Dr. Donald W. Fornes, ’60, Sarasota, Florida John R. Grussler, ’60, Yardley, Pennsylvania Terrance H. Kearney, ’60, Breinigsville, Pennsylvania George J. Richardson, ’60, Shaker Heights, Ohio Joseph F. Carls, ’61, Charlottesville, Virginia Rev. Joseph Gregorek, ’61, Erie, Pennsylvania Bernard E. Gustina, ’61, Fort Mill, South Carolina Sr. Robert Mary Smith, ’61, Allegany, New York Dr. Frederick Wenck Jr., ’61, South Lake Tahoe, California Richard C. Alence, ’62, Lithia, Florida Pasquale J. Zavaglia, ’62, Elmsford, New York M. William Corr, ’63, Mesa, Arizona Joseph D. Stevens II, ’63, Altoona, Pennsylvania

*Seraphim Legacy Society member

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Alu mn i D e ath s

Rev. Donald W. Buggert, ’64, Washington, D.C. William F. Burns, ’64, Lake Villa, Illinois Sr. Eva M. DiCamillo, O.S.F., ’64, Allegany, New York Demetrio Marra, ’64, Olean, New York Sr. Victoria Masterpaul, O.S.F., ’64, Allegany, New York E. P. Rypl, ’64, Canton, Connecticut John E. Severson, ’64, Glenside, Pennsylvania N. B. Wydysh, ’64, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia Sr. Paul C. Gagne, O.S.F., ’65, Allegany, New York Sr. Margaret R. Gilmore, ’65, Allegany, New York John R. Haglund, ’65, Venice, Florida Thomas G. Warren, ’65, East Rochester, New York Brian Harvey, ’66, Holtsville, New York Joan M. (Brown) Kraft, ’66, Irvine, California Rev. Daniel J. Kresinski, ’66, Erie, Pennsylvania David D. Pitcher, ’66, Apalachin, New York Joseph E. Potter, ’66, Centreville, Maryland Dr. James F. Swiencicki, ’66, East Amherst, New York Dan J. Tobin, ’66, Hobe Sound, Florida G. Martin Iversen, ’67, Wakefield, Massachusetts Paul E. Stappenbeck, ’68, Utica, New York James J. Welch, ’68, Daniel Island, South Carolina Sr. Anne H. Wusteney, ’69, Allegany, New York Francis S. Brieaddy, ’70, Syracuse, New York Ann M. Dunphy, ’70, Wellington, Florida E. Patricia Rocco, ’70, Fort Myers, Florida Lyle R. Chastaine, ’71, Stamford, New York Paul A. Kuhn, ’71, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania Dr. Randolph E. Sarnacki, ’71, Ball Ground, Georgia Steven C. Sockett, ’71, Breckenridge, Colorado Kathleen A. (Lippert) Bloom, ’72, Albuquerque, New Mexico Sr. Irene M. Mulholland, ’72, Allegany, New York Dr. Neal J. Johnson, ’73, Kinnelon, New Jersey Michael J. Gleason, ’74, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Robert R. Colombo Jr., ’75, Bradenton, Florida David R. Moshier, ’75, Allegany, New York William E. Widmer, ’76, Amherst, New Hampshire Marcia J. (Wittmeyer) Duffy, ’77, Eden, New York Amy G. (Grayson) Pesesky, ’77, Norfolk, Virginia Kathleen Damp Wright, ’80, Sandy, Utah JoAnn DeMarco, ’80, Jamestown, New York Maureen A. (Davis) Batesky, ’81, Allegany, New York Marianne M. (Manning) Decker, ’81, Bridgeport, New York Francis I. Fatigati, ’81, Rancho Murieta, California Joseph A. Lehosky, ’81, Eldred, Pennsylvania James F. Mauro, ’83, Niagara Falls, New York Gerri A. Behan Shayer, ’84, Germantown, Tennessee Gregory McClune, ’85, Rochester, New York Sr. Frances M. Bonczar, ’86, Enfield, Connecticut Mark G. Chilton, ’86, Syracuse, New York David Close, ’86, Bradford, Pennsylvania Joseph D. Trabold, ’87, Rochester, New York Sean P. Gleason, ’88, Liverpool, New York Ruth M. Hurd, ’88, Olean, New York James R. Mathieson, ’88, Portville, New York Joseph M. Pica, ’89, Endicott, New York Hilary J. (Farnella) Blixt, ’90, Buffalo, New York Margaret C. De Long-Duch, ’90, Murrysville, Pennsylvania Robert J. Hodge, ’92, West Rutland, Vermont Timothy S. Perugini, ’92, Long Beach, California Alicia M. (Regan) Kuranda, ’93, Crystal Lake, Illinois

Daniel C. McGarry, ’94, Ithaca, New York Cara A. (MacDonald) Lindgren, ’97, Marcellus, New York Michael L. Hart, ’01, Chicago, Illinois Kellie K. (Halgas) Dugan, ’03, St. Petersburg, Florida Sean M. Fleming, ’07, Woodbury, New Jersey

Friends & Parents

James L. Boser, Allegany, New York Linda Cully, Patchogue, New York Rita C. Fitzsimmons, Freehold, New Jersey Carolyn Flanagan, Binghamton, New York Robert Hamel, Fairport, New York Sr. Jean Hayes, Allegany, New York Kim Helper, Franklin, Tennessee Walter J. Hoag, Celina, Ohio Jane F. Jacques, Portville, New York* Lorraine Joyce, Andover, New York Norma Kestler, Burt Lake, Michigan Suzanne Peraza, Celebration, Florida Mary Jane Reddington, New Rochelle, New York Dolores Small, Rochester, New York

In Memoriam

Maureen Brennan, who worked in the housekeeping department at the university from September 1967 until February 2002, died Nov. 13, 2022.

Adam Dreismeier, a graduate student in the university’s nursing program, died April 12, 2023.

Dr. George Evans, a professor in SBU’s School of Communication from 1966 to 1995, died June 12, 2023.

Larry Johnson, an instructor in St. Bonaventure’s military science program, died Jan. 27, 2023.

Neal Johnson, Class of 1973, former president and CEO of Special Olympics New York, died Dec. 29, 2022. Johnson was honored by the university with an honorary doctorate in 2014.

Thanks to his leadership, the state’s organization grew into the largest Special Olympics program in North America and the sixthlargest in the world. Johnson was instrumental in establishing annual programming between St. Bonaventure and Special Olympics 15 years ago.

Carl Saglimben, Class of 1955, a four-year member of the Bonnies, superintendent at Hinsdale Central School for 20 years, and an icon in the local basketball community, died Jan. 22, 2023.

Bob Sassone, Class of 1953, a star player for the Bonnies and an assistant coach during two of the most successful eras of St. Bonaventure basketball, died Feb. 5, 2023. He represented St. Bonaventure in 13 postseason tournaments as a player and a coach. On the sidelines in a coaching role, he was an integral part of the Bonnies’ Final Four team in 1970 as well as the 1977 NIT Championship victory as an assistant coach.

Paul Wieland, Class of 1959 and a former member of the Jandoli School faculty, died Feb. 16, 2023. Wieland taught broadcasting in the School of Communication from 2002 until his retirement in 2017, although he continued to teach periodically as an adjunct beyond his retirement.

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We d d in gs

Grace Neylan, ’17, ’18, and Matt Mattia, ’16

Bonaventure Magazine Submission Guidelines To submit your announcement for an upcoming edition: • use the enclosed envelope • email magazine@sbu.edu • use the online form at www.SBUmagazine.com

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. Photographs that have been shared on social media or via text have likely been compressed and will not be large enough to reproduce in the magazine.

The university is prohibited from publishing copyrighted photographs, unless accompanied by written permission from the photographer.

Photos are published at the discretion of the editor. Photos that include banners or other insignia of the Brown Indian 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 achievements.

St. Bonaventure is supportive of our Catholic Church’s teachings. Publication of announcements provided to us by our alumni does not necessarily imply an endorsement by the university.

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Makenzie Bush, ’17, and Alexander Szakelyhidi, ’17

Katelyn Chiccino, ’17, and Jeremy Unterborn

We d din gs

Jen Stype, ’13, and Adam Hartwig

Megan Ziemianski, ’12, ’13, and Timothy O’Brien

Kelley Sweetser and Patrick Gill, ’04 Nicole Albright, ’14, and Kristopher Jones

Additional announcement

Sharon Grier and Tom Franczyk, ’67

Blayne Marion, ’18, ’19, and Chuck Pierce, ’17, ’18

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We d d in gs

Kristie Manzella, ’13, and Ted Jarmuz

Emma Riley, ’10, and John Manente

Amanda Naujoks, ’98, and Keith Monaco

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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

Talia Coveleski, ’06, and Vivek Ladsariya

Emily Beilman and Cody Didas, ’16

We d d in gs

Bridget Hogan and David Abriatis, ’09, ’10

Elizabeth Grady, ’13, ’14, and Kyle Zamiara, ’14

Bailey Hatch, ’19, ’20, and Zachary Wartella, ’18

Stephanie Dolliver, ’16, and Ben Marcus, ’16 SUMMER 2023

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We d din gs

Mikayla Place, ’16, and Tommy Bellucco, ’15, ’17

Sandra Andrade and Eric Adornetto, ’08

Naomi Parekh and David Ross, ’07 36

BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

Elizabeth Erdle, ’10, ’12, and William Scott Harrelson

Nicole Schuman, ’03, and Kevin Nibley

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Abigail Koetting, ’18, and Patrick Spadaro

Bridget Tomlinson and Sean Dwyer, ’06 Stacie Emarine and James Walter, ’98

Chyann Piendl, ’18, and Trystan Rushia, ’17, ’18

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Alu mn i Vo ic es

The Music Scene Song showed us the way

Music is a big part of college life. In the last issue we asked if there’s a song you associate with your time at Bona’s, one that transports you back to campus the second you hear it. Read on – and try not to sing out loud.

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“Show Me the Way” by Dennis DeYoung transports me back to the University Chapel where we gathered to pray for loved ones in the Gulf War in 1990. Each of us could come forward to mention a soldier we knew in the war. One student knew several soldiers and had pictures of them.

This song reminds me of the camaraderie and support from everybody praying for our military and asking God for their return. It plays in my head even now and I can feel my friends hankering for the end of war and peace to come to all nations.

Cisca (Sugiro) Peszynski Class of 1993

Another ‘Beautiful’ weekend

On Friday afternoons my friend Mary Jane and I would walk back from “main campus” to our rooms in Francis Hall. As we made our way around the Francis Hall Chapel we would be serenaded with the song “Beautiful Girls” by Van Halen.

Through an open window, our friends Mary and Anne would be waiting in Mary’s room to start the music as we came into view. That song would signal the start to our weekend. The song “Beautiful Girls” will always take me back to those fun-filled days and my friends on second Francis.

Martha Zenns Class of 1981

Alu mn i Vo ic es

Chillin’ with Marley

Hearing anything from Bob Marley’s “Legend” album takes me back to walking by the double-porch house on Main Street and seeing my friends and rugby teammates smiling and greeting people as they walked up.

It brings back memories of springtime at Bona’s, as the weather warmed and the sound of Bob Marley seemed perfectly made to echo its relaxations around friends enjoying a cool one together outside on a Friday afternoon in the warm sun.

That music on a sunny day outside can transport me back 30 years, right to that place and moment in time.

Scott Salvato Class of 1993

Velvet Underground & tea

Whenever I hear the album “White Light, White Heat” by the Velvet Underground, it always reminds of a beautiful sunny spring day in the late ’80s.

Jonathon Falls (Class of ’92) and I hosted an impromptu tea party on the porch at Shay-Loughlin. We cranked the Velvet Underground and read poetry.

Epic carefree times.

Here’s a little cartoon memorializing the decadent soiree.

David LoTempio Class of 1991

’70s ’Skeller soundtrack

In creating a soundtrack of the ’Skeller in the early ’70s, countless songs could be included, but three are musts: • “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” by Chicago (a good lyric to take back to philosophy class for discussion) • “13 Questions” by Seatrain (a shortlived but terrific band that appeared in concert at Bona’s and gained many fans) • “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot (played over and over by John Kerr, ’73, a superb campus singer/songwriter in his own right) Hearing any of these tunes today, I am transported back to campus.

Evan McElroy Class of 1974

Rock the Dev quad

“Rock the Casbah” was released by The Clash in 1982 and it echoed loudly through the quad in Devereux Hall. I remember hearing it blaring like it was yesterday. We listened to WSBU’s morning show, which also blasted “Slit Skirts” by Pete Townsend, another favorite that reminds me of Bona’s.

Kathy Stewart Class of 1985

Dialing in a ‘Wild Weekend’

I was at Bonaventure from 19621966, a golden age of early rock when, aside from vinyl, AM radio was the essential music medium.

So many songs of that era remain favorites. (Thanks, Ron Meyer and SiriusXM.) One I still associate with late afternoons-evenings in second Rob. WKBW in Buffalo was our rock station. DJ Tommy Shannon adopted the ’63 instrumental hit “Wild Weekend” as his theme song and it played, at least in part, hourly.

Your question brought back a clear memory of hearing that song in the dorm and on the lawns outside open dorm windows. A good memory.

Richard Yeazel Class of 1966

The good Journey

Nightlife melodies

In a monthly Zoom meet-up of fellow alumni, this question raised a spirited debate that turned toward the Allegany nightlife.

“Dead Flowers” by The Rolling Stones carries indelible memories for John Paul Fanning and Colleen Griffin-Underhill, both ’94, evoking memories of Lou Ruby holding court at Hickey Tavern.

Linda (Fawls) Miyares and Caitlin (Read) Falls, both ’92, agreed the sultry sound of David Coverdale from Whitesnake equates with big hair, the ’80s and Gonzo’s in Allegany.

The Burton had two contenders, according to Caitlin and Kelly Donovan-DiVirgilio, ’94, with “American Pie” by Don MacLean and “Piano Man” by Billy Joel.

David LoTempio Class of 1991

“The Sopranos” finale usurped the power over Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’,” but I really was “the small town girl / livin’ in a lonely world” who couldn’t wait to start my freshman year in fall of 1981.

The indelible memory of the scent of autumn leaves and stale beer from whatever party happened the night before we arrived, and of moving my stuff into Devereux Hall is linked with Neal Schon’s guitar riffs and Steve Perry’s gorgeous voice.

Our Class of 1985’s collective excitement was as potent as electricity itself and will be linked forever with Journey’s “Escape” album.

Roxanne Baker Class of 1985

We were feelin’ all right

Every time I hear “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, it reminds me of the ’Skeller at closing time, standing in a circle with friends, swaying to the music.

Liz Manning Class of 1988

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‘Grove’ was our groove

“China Grove” by the Doobie Brothers was ubiquitous on campus, especially at Bona basketball games. Years later, I had the pleasure of dining with Jeff “Skunk” Baxter of the Doobies and was able to thank him in person for creating something that, to this day, evokes memories of the special times I shared with friends and the entire Bona’s community.

I dare anyone in the Class of ’79 to not sing along when they hear that song.

Patrick Hailey Class of 1979

The Boss takes me back

During my freshman year at SBU in 1975, when everyone on my floor (3rd Rob) returned from Thanksgiving weekend, the sounds of Bruce Springsteen’s new album “Born to Run” could constantly be heard.

Ever since that time, whenever I hear the first few notes of “Born to Run” I’m instantly back on 3rd Rob in the glow of the Christmas lights with The Boss echoing through the halls. The campus was abuzz with the Merry Christmas Melody Marathon, and finals were looming. I am truly glad that I have that musical memory link back to Bonaventure, oh so long ago.

Bill Sandwell Class of 1980

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Springsteen live for $10?

“Mack the Knife” always played at least once per night in the Rathskeller.

I lived on 3rd Rob, 3rd Shay and 3rd Francis. Music was always a big part of Bonaventure.

I saw Bruce Springsteen in 1977 at the Reilly Center for $5 or $10. See if you can see him for that today!

Peter Frampton’s “Show Me The Way” was the No. 1 hit in the summer of 1976. First semester of my freshman year that song played out of every campus hall.

Mark “Mickey” Gentili Class of 1980

WITW was our MVP

There is no song other than “Wade in the Water” that reflected those incredibly memorable years at SBU. Hearing the first few bars of the song immediately transports me back to the raucous, rocking Reilly Center circa the Bob Lanier years.

“Wade in the Water” was the unifying song that heralded the basketball team’s entry onto the court. The climate was electric and the song lit the fuse. It ignited rituals that doomed opponents. It was game on and good luck!

To this day, WITW lifts my spirit. A wonderful touchstone to an amazing time.

Dah-dah-dah-dahdah! Can you hear it?

Judith Keenan Miller Classes of 1973, 1976

Crank up the volume

“Mack The Knife” was in constant rotation at Allegany’s Club 17. And everyone sang along at the top of their voice.

I owned a reel-to-reel tape recorder that could play three hours of uninterrupted music. My roommate owned a PA amp with speakers. We would put them in the window, start the tape and lock the door. You could hear the music all the way at Reilly Center.

“Give Me One More Chance” by Wilmer and the Dukes; Neil Young’s “Down By The River;” the “Woodstock” album; Billy Joel’s “Piano Man;” Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed and Confused;” and so many more.

Robert J. Lindsey 3rd Dev East Bears Class of 1974

‘Diana’ still stays with me

While I have many favorable memories of my days at St. Bonaventure, one of the most memorable was Paul Anka’s song “Diana.” It seemed like that song was playing every time I was in the Rathskeller and I still associate the two in my mind after all these years.

Robert Haas, Ph.D. Class of 1960

So much to remember

During my time at Bonaventure, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the entire “Crash” album by Dave Matthews Band. The first seven notes of “So Much to Say,” first song on the album, take me back to the Dev hallways, off-campus parties, and lying on a blanket on the lawn of the townhouses, in shorts, trying to catch some rays in 50 degree weather, blasting that song from our CD boomboxes.

It played from every stereo in every dorm room and I can’t listen to that album without getting a huge smile on my face, thinking of my closest friends.

Lesley (Francis) Stroot Class of 1999

Alu mn i Vo ic es

Hammered into my head

Thanks to John Kane, then-general manager of the campus radio station, many of us spent 1962 listening to “If I had a Hammer.” John was enamored with Peter, Paul and Mary, then a little-known folk group, and incessantly played “Hammer” on WOFM. Then, somehow, he finagled to have the group come to campus and headline the 1963 Fall Festival. To this day, whenever I hear PP&M I think of St. Bonaventure and John Kane.

Lee Coppola Class of 1964

There goes the gray

In the late ’60s, early ’70s, it was common for campus to be covered by a blanket of snow from early November to early spring.

There were long periods of gray days and snowfalls.

After a prolonged period of gray days in the early spring of ’70, with snow still on the ground, the campus enjoyed a gloriously cloud-free day and plenty of sunshine. Blasting from the top floor of the Dev quad and echoing through campus was the Beatles song “Here Comes The Sun.” It was hilarious and every time I hear this song I think of that day.

Tom O’Connor Class of 1972

Spring 2007

Goo Goo Doll love

Decembe r 2 02 2

“Let Love In” by the Goo Goo Dolls.

On March 20, 2007, a packed Reilly Center enjoyed a hits-filled set from Buffalo’s own Goo Goo Dolls. We had two other RC concerts during my time. In fall ’05, we had Howie Day and a very young Brandi Carlile. Ben Folds followed in spring ’06, playing to fewer than 500 of us midweek.

The Goo Goo Dolls was the first concert my girlfriend and I attended together. Believe it or not, she agreed to marry me in 2011 and has attended 90 concerts with me. It all started with this one.

Joe Centanni Class of 2009

Nightly ‘Mack’ attacks

I attended SBU from 1970-74 and worked at the ’Skeller as a bouncer, bartender and finally assistant manager.

“Mack the Knife” was always played every night, usually late in the night so that the crowd could sing and go crazy. This was also the theme song at Club 17 during my years at SBU and someone would usually be dancing on the tables while it played. I admit, on at least one occasion that table dancer was me.

Good memories of great times at SBU. Joe Costa Third Dev Bears Class of 1978

‘Wade’ fired up the crowd

First, an explanation: I was an undergrad from ’73’75 but didn’t graduate; however, I got my M.A. in history in ’96. So my song memories are from the ’70s.

The song I think of the most when I think of Bona’s is Ramsey Lewis’ cover of “Wade in the Water” as the basketball team came out for pregame warmups. The pep band would play it from the bleachers behind a basket and Howie Harrison would dunk the ball and fire up the crowd.

And “Reach Out (I’ll be there)” by the Four Tops was THE classic ’Skeller song du jour.

Joe Marren Class of 1996

FOR THE NEXT EDITION: Summer is the perfect time for traveling. Did you study abroad when you were a student?

Share an anecdote from your experience or tell us how it impacted you. Tell us in 100 words & share a photo if you have one: magazine@sbu.edu.

We’ll print a collection of responses in the winter 2023 issue.

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FACES & PLACES ALUMNI CHAPTER EVENTS

1.) Buffalo Advent Service Day – December 11, 2022

2.) Pittsburgh Post-Game Gathering – February 11, 2023

3.) NYC Spring Service Day – June 17, 2023 4.) Charlotte Pre-Game Gathering – February 22, 2023

5.) Washington, D.C., Giving Day Happy Hour – March 15, 2023 www.sbu.edu/AlumniEvents

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BONAVENTURE MAGAZINE

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