Ursinus Magazine - Spring 2013

URSINUS Spring 2013

MAGAZINE

growing great

ideas

Explore: World of Food

n

Update: Strategic Plan

n

Lecture: Polio and Peter L. Salk M.D.

Commencement

2013

“The Ursinus experience means building character in addition to having opportunities to delve into your studies and discover your interest,� says new graduate Daeun Jeong.

Pictured here moments after the Ursinus College 2013 Commencement ceremony, Jeong was the recipient of The Biology Teaching Assistant Award, awarded to an outstanding biology laboratory teaching assistant. She will return to her hometown of McAllen, Texas, and hopes to teach English in Korea. Photo: Dan Z. Johnson

FEATURES

in this issue

Mapped and Moving

12

President Bobby Fong talks about the Strategic Plan for Ursinus College. Ratified by the Board of Trustees in June 2012, the plan guides the efforts to strengthen and advance the College over the next five to seven years.

“We are committed to liberal arts residential education while knowing that what we do can be enhanced in terms of consistency and quality,” says President Fong. “That’s a very different vision from colleges that are needing to remake themselves. Let Ursinus continue to be Ursinus.”

Growing Great Ideas

Explore the worlds of restaurant owners, chefs, viticulturalists, producers of fresh seafood, food writers and community organizers. Whether practicing sustainable fishing habits or sautéing the most savory of offerings, these alumni made a commitment to providing sustenance to the world. Bon appétit!

14

Chasing the Light

22

After a rewarding career in medicine, Eugene Morita 1958 retired and returned to his passion of photography. His focus nowadays? Traveling the world, capturing beautiful images of nature, and exhibiting and selling his art.

Faith Forward

Chanelle Houston 2006 was vacationing when she was hit by a car while leaving a parking garage.

Houston’s journey began with a glimmer of hope. Today she charges toward possibilities that once seemed out of reach.

CAMPUS NEWS

5

Scientist Peter L. Salk M.D. visited campus for a lecture and to introduce a film about the polio vaccine his father, Dr. Jonas Salk, developed.

26

CLASS NOTES

28

Michelle Noreski 2005 begins her sports medicine fellowship program this summer as a doctor for the Philadelphia Phillies.

ON THE COVER

Molly Devinney 2011 stands on the roof of South Philadelphia High School where she is planning to build a garden. She talks about bringing fresh food, and ideas, to a Philadelphia community. Photo by Steve Falk, illustration design by Jeffrey Morgan. Story p. 14.

letter from the

president

Dear Friends, The busy spring semester culminated with a moving and meaningful 140th Commencement. Our speaker, writer and philosopher Sam Keen (Class of 1953), was an inspiration to the Class of 2013 and duly received an honorary degree.

Dr. Keen, whose writings I have admired since I was an undergraduate, is an example of how a liberal arts education can lead to unexpected paths. An undergraduate history major, he segued into philosophy, religious studies and even became a practitioner of the trapeze.

Also in these pages you will read of other alumni who took paths that may have veered from early career aspirations. They include a cadre of alumni who provide us sustenance from a vineyard, from rooftop gardens, from the sea and in the economically challenging restaurant business. They told us that their liberal arts education and the attendant capacities for critical thinking, judgment, and effective communication were instrumental to their success.

To maintain the strengths of our mission of liberal education, we have just completed the first year of implementation for Transformative Education: A Strategic Plan for Ursinus College. In this issue I answer some questions, posed by members of our faculty, about its process and progress.

We also celebrate stories of resilience, including an alumna whose spiritual strength helped her cope with a paralyzing accident and a young alumnus in service to inner-city African-American youth.

I hope to hear your own stories during Alumni Weekend May 31 through June 2. Two of those stories are here: Eugene Morita, Class of 1958, is a physician who takes us on a journey through the lens of his camera. In addition to his stunning photography, we feature Dottie Osmun, Class of 1963, who is celebrating her 50th reunion. Her charity work through her music is admirable.

I hope reading Ursinus Magazine continues to enliven your connection with Ursinus.

Go, Bears!

Bobby Fong, President

PAGE 2 URSINUS MAGAZINE

URSINUS MAGAZINE VOLUM E C X I I , NO. 2

SPRING 2013

Third class postage paid at Lansdale, Pa. Ursinus Magazine is published seasonally three times a year.

Copyright 2013 by Ursinus College.

Editorial correspondence and submissions: Ursinus Magazine, P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426-1000.

(610) 409-3300 or e-mail: ucmag@ursinus.edu

Editor Kathryn Campbell kcampbell@ursinus.edu Director of Communications Wendy Greenberg wgreenberg@ursinus.edu Senior Writer Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995 elabrecque@ursinus.edu Class Notes Editor Jennifer Meininger Wolfe jwolfe1@ursinus.edu Contributing to this Issue Steve Falk, Linda Johnson, Joan Fairman Kanes, Dan Z. Johnson, Rob Karosis, Wendy Baker, Eugene Morita 1958, Robert Strauss, Jim Wagner, Erin Hovey 1996, And the Ursinus College Archives Design Jeffrey Morgan JDM Creative Advertising, LLC www.jdmcreative.com Chair, Board of Trustees Alan P. Novak 1971 President Dr. Bobby Fong Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Dr. Lucien (Terry) Winegar Senior Vice President for Advancement Jill A. Leauber Marsteller 1978 Vice President for Enrollment Richard DiFeliciantonio Vice President for Finance and Administration Winfield Guilmette Vice President for Student Affairs Deborah Nolan The mission of Ursinus College is to enable students to become independent, responsible, and thoughtful individuals through a program of liberal education. That education prepares them to live creatively and usefully, and to provide leadership for their society in an interdependent world.

BY THE NUMBERS Ursinus College Facts & Figures Ursinus Admissions Office received 15,000 inquiries and 4,000 applications for 450 places in the

450

first-year class for students arriving in 2014.

710 alumni and parent volunteers, including National Council Liaisons, Young Alumni Council Members, Reunion Committee Members, Career Ambassadors, and Guest Visitors to Campus, have given their time to UC this fiscal year.

The Berman Museum of Art’s collection spans more than 11 countries, including China, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, USA, and Thailand.

489 The number of Alumni Career Ambassadors who are involved in mentoring

Ursinus 93 YARDS The 93-yard touchdown pass from Bears junior quarterback Chris Curran to sophomore wide receiver Darius Jones in the fall of 2012 is the

Wrestling Team finished with 11 Wins and 1 Loss this season.

4

Number of Ursinus students and alumni selected as bone marrow donors for the Be the Match Registry.

All four men successfully underwent the donation procedure, helping perfect strangers.

or are part of an internship program.

UC Gymnastics team qualifies to Nationals for the first time in five years with a score of

185.725.

longest in school history.

More than 25% of Ursinus students study abroad before they graduate, and of those students most go for one semester.

Last year the Annual Fund raised

$1,981,908 from 6,034 donors.

SPRING 2013 PAGE 3

gateway the

URSINUS CAMPUS NEWS

Innovation, Risk & Competing Organic Farming Exploring Gang Culture Retiring Faculty Bound for Yale University Salk's Son Speaks on Vaccine

Innovation, Risk and What it Takes to Compete

A speaker series on innovation and leadership was launched with a visit by Joseph DeSimone 1986, who spoke with students and faculty February 11.

An innovator in nanotechnology, DeSimone is Chancellor's Eminent Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State University. “As an entrepreneur, it is crucial to be able to understand and make judgments in context – to see the big picture and make connections among concepts, among seemingly disparate fields of study, and among people with different perspectives, personalities, and areas of expertise.”

His lecture, in Musser Auditorium in Pfahler Hall, was titled “Translating Basic Science into Products and the Role of Diversity in Making that Happen.” A leader in the field of nanoscience, DeSimone, an Ursinus Trustee, alumnus and parent, has published over 290 scientific articles and has 130 issued patents in his name. The lecture series reflected the view that students should learn to take risks and develop curious minds in order to thrive in the competitive world today. An innovator and entrepreneur, DeSimone was a stellar example for students who wanted to learn how those qualities are put into practice.

President Bobby Fong, Joe DeSimone Ph.D., Eric Williamsen, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Victor J. Tortorelli, Samuel H. and Anna M. Hess Professor of Chemistry

DeSimone is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, an adjunct member at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and Director of the Institute for Advanced Materials, Nanoscience and Technology and the Institute for Nanomedicine at UNC. In 2012 he was named director of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC. n

Rev. Richard T. Schellhase 1945

At Home in the Universe

The Rev. Richard T. Schellhase 1945 lectured on campus as the holder of the Davis Visiting Professorship of Judeo-Christian Values. The talk this January at the Lenfest Theater, Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center was titled “Some Thoughts About Being at Home in the Universe.” The Rev. Schellhase graduated in 1945 and served as Assistant Professor of Religion at Ursinus from 1956 to 1964 and received an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Ursinus in 1968. As Alumni Secretary at Ursinus, he planned and executed the first successful Capital Campaign among alumni, which resulted in the Wismer Dining Hall and the Power Plant. He also was the wrestling coach.

He is a member of the First Congregational Church in Berkeley, Calif. He received a degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary, and attended the University of Edinburgh and the Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia. His philanthropic career accomplishments include a decade as the Director of Development for the Buddhist Churches of America Endowment Foundation. He also served as Vice President for Development, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif., and as Vice President for Development, Lancaster Theological Seminary. The Davis Chair of Judeo-Christian Values was established by Nancy Davis in honor of her late husband, Thomas, Class of 1952, a former Trustee. n

PAGE 4 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Impacts of Salk’s Polio Vaccine

Scientist Peter L. Salk M.D. visited campus this January for a lecture and to introduce a film about the polio vaccine his father, Dr. Jonas Salk, developed. The talk was held in the Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center and open to the campus and community. The event included a screening of the documentary film “The Shot Felt ’Round the World.” This event was a program of The Center for Science and the Common Good at Ursinus College, which provides opportunities for all Ursinus students to consider the impact of science on the common good and to learn to better communicate scientific research to the public. It is funded by a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Dr. Salk is the President of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation in La Jolla, Calif. He is currently devoting attention to the various aspects of his father’s legacy and is actively addressing present and future challenges to global health and wellness. n

Scientist Peter L. Salk M.D.

Civic Agriculture and the Future of Food Junior Sarah Huang was awarded the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) Fellowship last semester. The $48,900 award recognizes Huang’s commitment to meet the country’s environmental challenges by continuing her education beyond the undergraduate level and eventually pursuing a career in an environmental field. Huang, an Environmental Studies and Sociology double major from Waterford, Conn., is the fifth Ursinus student to win the scholarship and was one of only 38 other Fellows from colleges and universities across the country to be honored in 2012.

The award will go toward her education, as well as travel and living expenses for a paid summer internship with the EPA's Environmental Justice department in Anchorage. “I’ll work with tribes in the area to learn more about how they are impacted by climate change and how better to prepare the tribes…for the upcoming changes with the climate,” says Huang, who is also a UCGreen Sustainability Fellow.

It will be the second time within a year that Huang will be enriching her liberal arts education with hands-on experience.

In the fall, as part of Professor Rich Wallace’s Food, Society & the Environment class, Huang and her classmates explored agricultural and food systems theory through a partnership with the Longview Center for Agriculture, a Collegeville farm that is dedicated to using organic and sustainable practices.

Once a week, Wallace and his students would work there in several capacities that supported Longview’s mission and the class objectives.

Sarah Huang 2014 was awarded a paid internship in Alaska this summer. She is a UCGreen Sustainability Fellow.

The course is designed to help students “think about food and agriculture, learn about the food systems in which we live, and place what we learn in the context of interdisciplinary environmental studies,” says Wallace, Chair of environmental studies, who introduced the course in 2003. “I focused largely on the philosophy of sustainable food systems, and contrasted it with the industrial food system that dominates our economy and our food choices. The partnership [with Longview] was all about community development in the exurban Philadelphia area – a course design that turns our community and surrounding area into a living classroom in a way that wouldn’t be possible if we focused on issues further afield.”

For Huang, working on the farm made her feel like she was part of something bigger: civic agriculture and the future of the food system. “Not only did we learn about the ways in which our food system works currently,” she says, “but we also learned remedies toward producing real food that is safe for people and the land.” n By Jennifer Meininger Wolfe SPRING 2013 PAGE 5

Class of 1954 Endows Chair in Ethics

Associate Professor Kelly Sorensen was named the first Class of 1954 Chair in Ethics. The Ursinus College Class of 1954 endowed a Chair in Ethics to teach, publish, guide students in research and help them develop reflective judgment. An Ursinus faculty member since 2004, Dr. Sorensen has had a significant impact on countless students, his field, and the College, according to College Dean Terry Winegar, Vice President for Academic Affairs. Sorensen was promoted to Associate Professor in 2009. “Dr. Sorensen is an inspiring, enthusiastic and challenging teacher, who creates new courses, mentors honors students and routinely participates in the Summer Fellows program,” says Dean Winegar.

With an interest in countering unethical corporate activities which have permeated the business landscape in the last decade, the Class members raised money for the Chair. “This will greatly enhance our academic offerings in an important area that is becoming known as one of our strengths,” says President Bobby Fong. “Sincere thanks goes to the committee: Ben Maliken, Jay Kern M.D., Robert Hartman, Stephen Rovno, Jack Popowich, Marvin Rotman, Paula Schwenk, Richard Eshbach, Katherine Gellman, Robert Guth, Richard Glock, Ellsworth Faust, Charles Ramsey, Joan Smith, Marilyn Bernhard, Paul Shillingford and the late Ann Welch. Dr. Kern said the members’ viewpoint is that an endowed Chair could have a “meaningful, perpetual influence on campus life, and beyond.”

Recognized for excellence in both teaching and scholarship, Dr. Sorensen earned an Ursinus Pearlstine Grant in 2008, and a First-Year Advisor of the Year award for 2008-2009. The Chair in Ethics will teach and publish about theoretical and applied ethics in the lives of students, the College community and global society, and help students develop reflective moral views inside and outside the classroom. n

Did someone say

Berlin?

• Dinner at the Berliner Fernsehturm; old East German TV tower with revolving restaurant • Guided tour and lunch at the Hamburger Bahnhof Contemporary Art Museum • Tours of the Pergamon Museum, Neues Museum, the Reichstag, Gemaldegalerie, and the contemporary art gallery district Mitte in Old East Berlin

JOIN US in Berlin on July 18th and 19th

Charlie Stainback, Director Berman Museum of Art, invites donors to join him, Matt Shoaf, Associate Professor and Chair of the Art Department at Ursinus, and Jill Leauber Marsteller 1978, Senior Vice President of Advancement at Ursinus, on a guided tour of some of Berlin’s most noted museums and historic sites.

Be the first to sign up for this exciting opportunity to travel the streets of Berlin with our knowledgeable Director who has visited Berlin countless times over the past decade. His understanding of the Berlin art scene and Professor Shoaf ’s passion for antiquities and art will make this a memorable and exciting adventure. Travel and lodging (at Hotel Bleibtreu) are the responsibility of each participant. An event fee will also apply. For more information, including a detailed itinerary for this exclusive trip, please contact Charlie Stainback at 610.409.3406 or cstainback@ursinus.edu. n

Scholarship Supports Careers in Scientific Research Dominic Castanzo, a Biology major with a minor in Biostatistics, has been awarded The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The prestigious Goldwater award supports students seeking careers in research in the sciences with an award of up to $7,500. Castanzo, of Clarks Summit, Pa., joins an Ursinus tradition of students winning this award – joining eight Scholars in the last 10 years. “I’m confident my time in grad school will help me decide on a career between industrial research and the research and teaching that comes with a professorship,” says Castanzo, a Dean’s List student.

Castanzo is a junior and one of 16 college students in Pennsylvania to be awarded the scholarship. Nationally a total of 271 students won the award this year. The Goldwater Scholars were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,107 mathematics, science, and engineering students who were nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide. His research has been in the lab of Professor Rebecca Lyczak, investigating the role of the centrosome positioning in polarity establishment in C. elegans embryos through characterization of the pam-1 mutant. He continued this research as a Summer Fellow in 2012, supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. In addition, in the lab of Professor Dale Cameron, Castanzo is investigating the role of molecular chaperones in the formation, propagation and toxicity of prions (infectious, self-propagating, misfolded proteins) in yeast.

He recently was accepted into a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program at Ohio State University. n PAGE 6 URSINUS MAGAZINE

When Tau Sigma Gamma welcomed 15 new members into the sorority in fall 2011, it was a special night for alumnae, too. The new sisters present that night are now rising seniors. Pictured here in Pfhaler Hall are 20 alumni who graduated in 2012 and 2013. Suzanne King 1966 and Betty (Umstae) Musser 1945, both in Tau Sigma Gamma when they were students, are pictured in front. Betty was president in 1945. Sue’s granddaughter, Kimmy Bullock 2014, was a new pledge that night. Sue and Betty were on campus for a movie screening the same night that the students were welcomed into the sorority. When the students surprised them with a meeting, it was a wonderful experience. Currently there are 28 members of Tau Sigma Gamma on campus.

Moving On Ursinus says goodbye and thank you to several faculty and staff members who retire at the close of the academic year. As teachers and leaders, Deans Ellen Matthews and Annette Lucas and Professors John Moore Wickersham, Frances Novack, James Sidie and Robert Rand Davidson made an impact on countless lives.

Ellen Matthews began her career in education as a high school teacher in 1969. She arrived at Ursinus in 1992 as an adjunct Math instructor. In 2003, she became the Dean of Continuing Education. Four years later, she took on the role of Director of Tutoring and Disability Services. During her 45 years at Ursinus, Annette Lucas taught French and served as an administrator in the Dean’s office. Lucas was Chair of the Department of Romance Languages and later Chair of the Modern Languages Department. She has taught every French course in the curriculum. Her commitment to education was honored at the 1986 Ursinus Commencement ceremony, where she received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, and was honored again in 2010 when she received the Laughlin Service Award. While in the Dean’s Office, Lucas served as an Assistant Dean and eventually became Associate Dean and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.

John Moore Wickersham came to Ursinus in 1972 as a new Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, having studied at the University of Pennsylvania and New College, Oxford, and having earned his Ph.D. in Classical Philology from Princeton University. He retires this spring as Professor of Classics. Professor Wickersham exemplified the title “scholar-teacher,” receiving the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1994 and the

Laughlin Professional Achievement Award in 2001. He has written and published numerous scholarly articles and books on Latin and Greek history and mythology.

Frances Novack’s career as a French professor at Ursinus spans 35 years.

A number of awards highlight Novack’s academic history, including two summer grants from the National Endowment for Humanities and two Fulbright Fellowships. Novack said her greatest source of pride stems from the work she has done for the Ursinus community, particularly with Hillel, the College’s center for Jewish student activities.

Professor of Biology James Sidie has been a part of the Ursinus community since 1983. He plans to complete his master’s degree in computer science and to continue teaching.

During his 40 years at Ursinus, Robert Rand Davidson has shouldered a variety of responsibilities and titles, including the exercise and sports science department chair, Director of Athletics, swimming coach and athletic trainer, all the while teaching courses in Exercise Sport Science. Throughout his career, Davidson has earned over a dozen awards, including six from the Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, a professional society in which he has held chair positions.

This is a portion of an article that originally appeared in the Grizzly, the Ursinus student newspaper. n

By Olivia Schultz 2015, double major in Media and Communication Studies and Art History and Rosemary Clark 2013, double major in Media and Communication Studies and English

Bound for Yale University

Grace Soloff was elected as Ursinus’s first member of Chi Omega Lambda, the National Honor Society for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). “It is an honor to be selected,” she says. “My classroom and research experiences as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major at Ursinus have inspired me to explore the field of biochemistry beyond my time as an undergraduate. I will be continuing my studies this summer as I enter the Ph.D. program in Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology at Yale University.”

Soloff was one of 16 students elected nationwide. With her election, Ursinus is able to form a local chapter of the honor society. She finished her coursework in December and is currently working at GlaxoSmithKline. The past summer she worked in a Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program at Carnegie Mellon University.

Soloff earned Distinguished Honors in BCMB for her work in the research lab of Dr. Koeppe. “I am grateful for the guidance of my professors at Ursinus,” says Soloff, of Collegeville, Pa. “The opportunity to pursue independent research with Dr. Julia Koeppe was a large motivating factor in my desire to continue research and attend graduate school. My academic advisor, Dr. Eric Williamsen, and professor, Dr. Rebecca Roberts, provided invaluable support and advice.” n

Associate Professor of Biology Rebecca Roberts, Soloff and Eric Williamsen, Associate Professor of Chemistry.

SPRING 2013 PAGE 7

Hitting the Right Notes on Community Day

The Bearitones were a soulful part of the entertainment for Community Day April 20. Ursinus partnered with The Collegeville Economic Development Corp. (CEDC) to provide outdoor family fun. Food, fire trucks, facepainting, games and live music made the day a success. n

Student Research: Exploring Gang Culture in South Africa William Godfrey spent six months in South Africa working with youth in prison and learning how gangs impact the lives of young South Africans. Godfrey, who graduated in May, plans to join the Peace Corps.

My study abroad experience in Cape Town, South Africa, was one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my life. The time I spent in my service site at Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison stands out the most. The prison is in the Cape Town suburb of Tokai, in South Africa. The most famous former inmate of the prison was Nelson Mandela, who was released from Pollsmoor in 1990 and later served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Working with the South African branch of the international non-profit Young in Prison, I organized and led life-skills courses and creative arts activities for young men and women in Pollsmoor Prison from January to June of 2012. I was responsible for creating and mediating discussion-based classes on different subject matter including HIV, gangs, and violence. Gang culture is an ever-present problem among communities in Cape Town, especially in township areas. Visiting schools and working with young men and women in prison, I learned that gangs are perceived as the only means of ensuring safety and a way of life. There are limited opportunities in these townships due to the conditions brought about by apartheid. Gangs wield power and influence and can offer protection to their members, so kids join these gangs because it is the best or only option open to them.

Through my work in Pollsmoor Prison, I was able to become part of an effort to help young people out of this cycle of crime and to give them the skills and opportunities to succeed. Nothing was more rewarding than to meet young men and women who were determined to succeed and eager to learn. This experience helped me to understand more fully the opportunities afforded to me by my race, my nationality, and my income level. It is crucial to understand that the issue of gangs is less an issue of young people making terrible and uninformed decisions, and more a reflection of young people living in a social structure that necessitates these choices.

The knowledge and experience I gained through my time in Cape Town and my studies as both an international relations and French major at Ursinus have prepared me to pursue a career working across borders and on issues facing communities throughout the world. I am going through the placement process for the Peace Corps and plan to pursue a master’s degree when I return from service. Under the direction of my advisors, Dr. Frances Novack and The Hon. Joseph H. Melrose, I have been given the knowledge and opportunity to understand the many different and unique cultures representing Africa. n By William Godfrey 2013

Princeton Review

Ursinus College is included in the downloadable book, The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges, published by The Princeton Review. The Princeton Review, in collaboration with the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), released the fourth annual edition of its free guidebook citing the most environmentally responsible “green colleges.”

The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges 2013 edition profiles 320 schools in the U.S. and two in Canada that demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation. n PAGE 8 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Commencement

2013 Graduating seniors Samuel Brenner and David Yazbeck were commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Marine Corps immediately following graduation.

President Bobby Fong (center) listens to Baccalaureate speaker Msgr.

Michael Doyle (L) and Commencement speaker Samuel Keen 1953.

One of the 410 graduates receives a diploma from President Fong.

Senior Class President Lauren DiCairano shares a podium moment with student speaker Kristin Cichowski.

Commencement speaker Samuel Keen encouraged the graduating seniors to take a “leap of faith” during the 140th Commencement Ceremony May 10. A philosopher, author and trapeze artist, Dr. Keen is a 1953 graduate of Ursinus. The ceremony was a “homecoming” for him, he said. Dr. Keen, who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, told the graduates that they must discover their own definition of vocation. “Vocation is a promise that is coiled up in your DNA,” he said. “Are you ready to leap into the life that is calling you?”

Msgr. Michael Doyle, the Baccalaureate speaker May 9, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. He told the graduates to have courage and to have compassion. “Heroes and cowards feel the exact same fear but heroes respond to it differently,” he said. Father Doyle is the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, N.J., and a community leader and activist.

Reflecting on graduation day.

At the Commencement, three faculty members were recognized for their teaching, scholarship and mentoring. The Laughlin Award for outstanding scholarly work, endowed by Henry P. Laughlin, M.D., Class of 1938, was given to Associate Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science April Kontostathis. The H. Lloyd Jones Jr. Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Advising, established to honor Lloyd Jones, a member of the English department from 1947 through 1988, was awarded to Associate Professor of Education John P. Spencer. The Lindback Award for Outstanding Teaching was awarded to Associate Professor of English Rebecca Jaroff.

SPRING 2013 PAGE 9

the arts

museum / theater / dance / music

Rite of Spring, The Student Art Exhibition “My work is a study of duality,” says Erik Stumpo. “Through my photography, I attempt to document transient moments in which conflicting ideals symbiotically exist. Hopefully, these ambivalent moments galvanize a viewer to reconsider each ideal separately, and thus amplify or alter their previously perceived nature. Most of my work is set in transitioning Philadelphia neighborhoods, areas that are intrinsically replete with conflicting and amorphous meaning. I believe I am drawn to Philadelphia because my hometown of Jenkintown, Pa., is close to the city.”

Brenna Simon 2015 poses in front of her art, which is inspired by memory and takes time to make.

Stumpo, a junior art major and a pre-med student, says his work is focused on documenting the changing landscape of transitioning neighborhoods.

“The student exhibition at the Berman offered me an unparalleled opportunity to showcase my work to a much larger audience than I normally would be able to,” says Stumpo. “In doing so, the Museum essentially granted me the greatest gift an artist can receive – publicity.” n

Whatever you do, don’t call them masks. They are heads.

That request comes from the artist Brenna Simon 2015.

“The process of creating each individual head, all began with the one titled ‘Original’ – which was sculpted entirely by my own hands,” says Simon, who sculpts the pieces from her memories of features. “I remembered the spacing, the structure, the size,” she says. “No tools were used to measure the spacing. I decided to investigate the technical world of molds. With the molds created from the ‘original’ head, I manipulated both of them and material casted upon them, and the topical treatments applied to them afterwards. It grew into becoming this collection of individual heads.” The original piece was made from clay, but they can vary from plaster to wax.

Photo by Erik Stumpo , Untitled

“It takes a really long time,” she says. “My pieces (result) from the evolution of spontaneous moments or, more frequently, an obscure thought.”

Every spring at Ursinus, art students are invited to exhibit their work at the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art. The media that the students work with includes painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installations, mixed media and photography. Simon’s art was exhibited along with the work of fellow student artists: Justin DeChillo, Noelle Goldcamp, Jacqueline Kimmel, Madeline Lesage, Magdalena Parks, Delicia Wharton, Rachael Frawley, Lea Marano, Mara Berzins, Rachel Blunt, Jenny Phillips, Erik Stumpo, Mary Altamuro, Emily Immel, Rachel Bonner, Kyle Peterson and Monica Reuman.

PAGE 10 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Visitors view student art and photography at The Berman.

uc athletics

spotlight on excellence

Curtis Watkins 2014 reacts after pinning his Johns Hopkins University opponent in the Centennial Conference Championship match.

Wrestling

It was a stellar season for the Ursinus men’s wrestling team. In February, the team swept a Centennial Conference tri-match by defeating both Johns Hopkins 25-9 and Stevens Tech 32-6 to improve to 4-0 in the conference and 7-1 overall. “It was a great year as we had so many young guys contribute,” says Bill Racich, Head Wrestling Coach. “For me, personally, this was a very special group of studentathletes as they actually demonstrated care for one another. We went 11 wins 1 loss.” n

Gymnastics

The Ursinus women’s gymnastics team proved their mettle this season. Senior Joanna Warren led the Ursinus College gymnastics squad to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships for the first time since 2008. She was the only mem­ber of the team to earn All-America honors by finishing in sixth place on the uneven bars (9.550) at the Championship in Whitewa­ter, Wis., in late March. The team finished in sixth place overall. Warren and fellow seniors Erica Schnebel and Stephanie Schmidt were also named Academic All-Americas by the NCGA.“I’ve never Stephanie Schmidt 2013 met a more determined competitor than Joanna,” says Coach Jeff Schepers.

“She is an amazing athlete and keeps the team so driven and motivated as well. We are going to miss her fierce spirit tremen­dously next year.”

The Bears qualified for Nationals by finishing third at the ECAC Championships earlier in the month in Cortland, NY. War­ren tied for third on the bars and Assistant Coach John Dao was named ECAC Assistant Coach of the Year.

“This year’s slogan was, ‘the drought is over, let the reign begin’,” says Schepers. “The goal this year was to break the drought,” he says. “Yes, we were in a drought when it came time to qualify as a team, it’s been five years.

This year, goals were set early, and with hard work and dedication, we made Nationals as a team and we were proud to rep­resent Ursinus at this event.” n - Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995

SPRING 2013 PAGE 11

Mapped and Moving One of the milestones in President Bobby Fong’s first year was to lead Ursinus through the process of developing Transformative Education: A Strategic Plan for Ursinus College. (To see the full report and progress reports: www.ursinus.edu/strategicplan). Ratified by the Board of Trustees in June 2012, the plan guides our efforts to strengthen and advance the College over the next five to seven years. In May, the first annual update on strategic plan implementation was released, both in the form of a brief report card and in a more expansive progress report.

In a wide-ranging interview with Ursinus Magazine, President Fong noted, “We believe that undergraduate education for 18 to 22 year-olds is best accomplished by continuing to do well what Ursinus historically has done. We are committed to liberal arts residential education while knowing that what we do can be enhanced in terms of consistency and quality. That’s a very different vision from colleges that are needing to remake themselves. Let Ursinus continue to be Ursinus.”

Ursinus Magazine went to the keyholders of Ursinus education – the faculty – and asked them to pose questions to Dr. Fong with regard to aspects of the strategic plan.

Ursinus Magazine: The Strategic Plan has eight priorities and 33 recommendations. What goals in it are most important to the kind of Ursinus education we provide our students?

Priorities One and Two – Maintain the academic strengths of the College while assessing each academic program to identify areas of distinction and create initiatives to link academic learning with applied learning and post-baccalaureate work – address the ends of an Ursinus education. The other priorities – managing the size and shape of the student body, making Ursinus a workplace of choice for faculty and staff, improving town-gown relationships, improving alumni relations and strengthening fundraising – are means to those ends.

With regard to Priority One, we seek ways to maintain the academic distinctives of the College, most especially the importance of a curriculum that endeavors to rehearse three overarching questions: What does it mean to be human? How should one live? What is the universe and one’s place in it? We want to equip a graduate both to make a living and to live a full life.

Going forward, we are exploring how to extend our emphasis on the three big questions beyond the Common Intellectual Experience (CIE) through the four years of a student’s education.

We also are committed to a rigorous education where students obtain knowledge and skills conducive to critical thinking, integrative analysis, and adaptability to new situations. Increasingly we are interested in how can we provide opportunities for our students to cross between programs, whether in terms of interdisciplinary studies or double majors and minors.

Priority Two declares that education is not simply the province of the classroom. The residential community is where we go from theory to practice in rehearsing the arts of citizenship. We also want to multiply opportunities for our students to go beyond the confines of the College campus through internships, experiences abroad, and philanthropic and service projects. Our expectation is that we are preparing our students for the next chapters of their lives.

So, for me the most important goals are those that lead us to strengthen the academic program and the overall residential experience of our students.

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Joel Bish, Assoc. Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience Coordinator: Given limitations of fiscal and personnel resources and a plethora of campus-wide priorities established by the strategic plan, how has the institution begun to move from the planning phase of the strategic plan to the implementation phase without straining or weakening existing programming?

A strategic plan enables us to be more focused in how we use our existing organization and resources. For example, curricular reform is a continuous process. We should be examining the curriculum on a periodic basis. What the strategic plan has done is offer particular directions for that examination. We are also looking for ways to strengthen our ties beyond the campus. It is a matter of being more deliberate in how we spend our time in this area. I think people will be gratified to know how much has already happened within the existing structures of the College. Of the 33 recommendations, we have made good progress in 28 of them as described in the progress report and report card. And we are just starting.

We will have to devote additional resources to aspects of the strategic plan.

One example is the prospect of establishing interdisciplinary centers like the Center for Science and Common Good. The expectation for a center proposal is that it should have promise of being able to garner additional monies to support and sustain operations, whether through grants or fundraising. In fact, priorities identified in a strategic plan determine the particular items that will comprise goals in a comprehensive campaign.

Nonetheless, I would emphasize that so much of the work of any organization, especially a college, is governed by overarching priorities that provide direction for existing efforts. That’s the purpose of the strategic plan, and it has already begun to bear fruit, as the details of our one-year update demonstrate.

To see the full report and progress reports:: www.ursinus.edu/strategicplan

Patrick Hurley, Asst. Prof., Environmental Studies Dept.: In what specific ways do you hope students will blend the theoretical learning of the classroom with their practical experiences on and beyond campus?

We are evolving a vision of “liberal arts plus.” We do not want to compromise the primacy of a liberal education as the best preparation for a fully lived life. But Ursinus must support our students in realizing the practical ramifications of their studies. We are committed to an enlarged palette of opportunities for on-and-off campus experiential education.

In many cases, this takes the form of internships at potential places of employment or at non-profits at which our students are doing service learning. We want to multiply opportunities through the use of alumni networks within corporations and through increased contacts with companies and trade associations.

Beyond internships, we should also mention activities such as student research with faculty and through the Summer Fellows program; managing the organic garden; being a Green Fellow, CIE Fellow, or a Fellow with the Center for Science and Common Good; and organizing off-campus service activities for the entire campus through UCARE (Ursinus Center for Advocacy, Responsibility, and Engagement). We’re encouraging students to apply their learning before they graduate. Whether they proceed to advanced study or employment, they will be more attractive candidates because of their experiential education. This is a thematic focus of the strategic plan, and we are providing activities that embody it.

Jonathan Marks, Assoc. Prof. of Politics and International Relations: In Priority Four of the plan, we affirm that the “College must maintain its well-deserved reputation of being accessible to the financially needy.” What tools do we have at Ursinus to help us continue to enroll and provide aid for financially needy students?

We live in a world where innovation best takes place when people of diverse perspectives work together on a problem, who can provide pieces of the solution because team members bring different orientations to bear. For this reason, we seek students who represent different life experiences, whether by class or cultural background, because such diversity enhances the education of all. The most important tool to maintain access is the way we handle tuition and financial aid. The majority of our students receive some help with regard to underwriting the cost of college. Most of that aid is provided by taking gross tuition revenues and applying a portion of it as redistributed financial aid to students who have need. During academic year 2011-12, Ursinus provided $35.4 million in college financial aid, some from endowment but most from redistributed tuition revenues. We are committed to being accessible to financially-challenged students who have the potential to benefit from an Ursinus education.

A major item in the prospective comprehensive campaign will be raising money for scholarships, whether they be endowed or “spend down” funds where over time we will distribute the entire sum of a particular gift.

Carlita Favero, Asst. Prof. of Biology: Regarding retention, which student groups are particularly vulnerable, and how is the college strengthening retention under the strategic plan?

Our area of greatest concern would be first-generation college students who have not previously experienced academic culture. We want them, and all students, to be able to make good use of time and effort with regard to their studies and not to be overwhelmed by the multitude of responsibilities that have to be managed in the course of living independently. Some students are superbly ready for college, whether by the fortunate circumstances of family upbringing, good schooling, or personal discipline.

But there is a cohort of students for whom the academic experience can be a challenge.

With regard to strengthening retention, a retention committee has been established that is doing good work in tracking our students. Much of our work is preventative maintenance, helping students get started at the beginning in the right way, but also important is an early warning system that alerts us to students going off the tracks. We are not shy about asking, “What can a professor, or in many cases a coach or an advisor, do in terms of early intervention before a student gets in over his or her head?”

Paul Stern, Professor of Politics: Why does the strategic plan place the cultivation of judgment at the heart of Ursinus’s liberal arts education?

The emphasis on nurturing judgment is Ursinus’s way of getting at questions of value and character. We don’t exist in a world where the response to a complex problem is a matter of pushing buttons to obtain a convergent or right answer. Most positions of responsibility call for deliberation because there may be more than one way of reaching a reasonable conclusion on a matter. Judgment is being able to calculate an optimal solution where there may be a different answer at different times in an organization or individual’s life, and being able to ascertain changes that call for a different response.

When a doctor has to choose among therapies for a patient, or when a manager needs to determine the different ways to motivate members of the team, their judgment must encompass not only a pragmatic determination of ends but also a moral response that takes into account other people’s interests and the long-term consequences of making a choice that has implications for the welfare of others.

At Ursinus, “judgment” characterizes the responsible exercise of discretion.

Ursinus Magazine: How do you feel about the progress made this year enacting the strategic plan?

I am encouraged by the progress people have reported. Beyond the grand vision, so much of strategic plan implementation is accomplishing specific activities toward realizing a goal. I very much have appreciated the actual day-to-day things that have changed and that will cumulatively result in a wholesale improvement of our community. That is happening at Ursinus right now. In one year, we have made strides, and the progress is palpable. n

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growin great

ideas Hard at work in the food industry, these Ursinus alumni are restaurant owners, chefs, viticulturalists, producers of fresh seafood, food writers and community organizers. Whether practicing sustainable fishing habits or sautéing the most savory of offerings, this group has made a commitment to providing sustenance to the world. Their liberal arts education played a role in guiding them down this delicious path. Bon appétit!

Prospectors in search of gold flocked to the Sierra Foothills more than 150 years ago.

Pennsylvania. It was always relaxing and you felt you were being productive as well.”

Andy Standeven arrived here just over a decade ago on a different, but no less passionate, mission. He had a flourishing career in toxicology, primarily with California biopharmaceutical firms. But he was searching for a counterpoint to the scientific work he had started after graduating from Ursinus in 1987.

In El Dorado, the sunlit canyons and rolling hills were breathtaking. “I came to El Dorado, to look around, and it was just beautiful.”

“I was on a quest of wine-tasting, traveling around California and hoping to find a place where we could start a vineyard,” says Standeven, 47. He had carefully tended to a backyard vegetable garden growing up in suburban Philadelphia and loved working with the land. “I had gardened all my life,” he says. “Tomatoes and whatever you could grow in Southeastern

In 2000 Standeven and his wife, Elizabeth, an anthropologist, bought a 39acre parcel of land not previously cultivated for grapes and made their first plantings. In 2002, they planted six acres of grapes. At that time Andy was still working in firms along the California coast. He tended the vineyard, which they named Shaker Ridge, only when time allowed.

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The promise of the land called to him. “I decided I wanted to live up here,” he says. “And grow wine grapes.”

PHOTO | WENDY BAKER

ng

Andrew Standeven 1987 out in the fields of Shaker Ridge Vineyard in El Dorado, California. He and his wife, Elizabeth, sell the grapes they grow to winemakers.

When he was an Ursinus student, Standeven’s plans were to become a doctor. But a friend started talking about toxicology, and his attention turned to the science, which marries aspects of biology, chemistry and pharmacology to study the adverse effects of drugs or chemicals. After graduating from Ursinus, he earned a Ph.D. at Dartmouth. While working in a post-doctoral program in North Carolina at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology, he became interested in wines, and their pairings with food.

When he moved to California, he was employed at notable firms like Allergan and Amgen. At Allergan, Standeven worked on retinoids, a group of vitamin-A-like chemicals, as part of a team trying to identify ones which might cure or ameliorate a variety of diseases. At Amgen, his work concerned biologics (biotech drugs) to salve the debilitating effects of chemotherapy.

Shaker Ridge was not a vineyard when the Standevens bought it in 2000. It took several years to get the varietals they planted established; to grow stronger vines that would support better grapes. They planted their first vines in 2002 and, finally, by 2006, they were ready to sell their grapes to winemakers.

“It wasn’t as if people were driving by and asking us to buy our grapes. We had to do a lot of marketing, often online,” he says. Eventually, Shaker Ridge earned a good reputation and winemakers, primarily boutique wineries or serious home winemakers, have found it. He always loved zinfandel, so Standeven found a cousin varietal called primitivo, primarily grown in southern Italy, which, together with barbera, another Italian red-wine grape, are Shaker Ridge’s specialty. Because he feels the El Dorado area is like Portuguese wine country, Standeven also has several varieties of grapes generally used for port-style wines.

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Teaching people how to make healthy, delicious Indian food is Anupy Singla’s passion.

Wines made with Shaker Ridge grapes have won numerous awards, and Standeven prides himself on trying to be the best in both his professions.

“The science training I received was important, and I use it both in my day job in toxicology and in the vineyard, but technical knowledge is of limited value if not communicated effectively.”

The Standevens, and their daughter Anna, age 8, have settled in the Sierras at their vineyard property. Today Andy consults, mostly for biopharmaceutical companies, so he can be close to his family and the vineyard. “Wine is only as good as the grapes you start with, and that is where I think we can do the most good,” he said.

“You wear lots of hats when you work on a farm, and in the sciences it is not that different,” says Standeven. “It’s important to keep learning. Whether speaking to a vineyard crew in Spanish, or writing a summary of toxicology findings for the FDA, I find that clear communication is critical, and my liberal arts education laid the foundation for that.”

ered commodities after moving to Chicago. Today, teaching people how to make healthy, delicious food is her full-time passion. “It is about making healthy, Indian cooking easy and accessible to the Western market,” says Singla, a mother of two young daughters. She wrote The Indian Slow Cooker two years ago and released her second book Vegan Indian Cooking in 2012.

“I also launched a spice line, a spice box that sells in Williams-Sonoma and other retailers, and will be launching my own line of Indian simmering sauces this year.”

Singla also teaches cooking classes at Whole Foods and Williams-Sonoma stores. “I am working on my third book and continue to offer recipes on my web site, www.indianASapplepie.com. If we play our cards right, I hope you'll eventually find my products on most grocery store shelves.”

All the excitement and hustle is not without its wrinkles, she says. “I rarely get all my laundry done and the house is rarely picked up. But small prices to pay for a growing business!”

accessible indian cooking

behind the lines, a chef's view

The last year has been about growth and investment for Anupy Singla 1990, co-founder, Indian As Apple Pie. The former journalist returned to her childhood love of cooking several years ago and now is managing a successful career as an author. Before she switched to writing about food, Singla was a business reporter for Bloomberg News in Princeton and cov-

Amanda Chiampi 1999 is familiar with the demands of the restaurant business. As Executive Chef at Doc Magrogan’s Oyster House in Philadelphia, Chiampi has experienced the challenges of working in the food industry.

The hours are long and unconventional and most of them are spent on her feet. “I thrive under the pressure and the pace,” she says.

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When Chiampi graduated from Ursinus as an English major, she wanted to write the next great American novel. While writing, she held onto a part time job at an Applebee’s restaurant that she first got in college. While her writing is still a work in progress, her restaurant career has taken off.

She found where she belonged when she switched from working as a waitress at Applebee’s to helping in the kitchen. Chiampi enrolled at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia and earned a degree in culinary arts. She worked as sous chef at George’s in Wayne and at McCormick and Schmick’s in Philadelphia before becoming head chef at Doc’s this past August. Her degree in English indirectly helps her career – “I write menus more properly than anybody around,” she jokes – but she also feels her time at Ursinus has far-reaching benefits. “What I learned helps me think ideas through clearly,” she says. “Really, my education affects every decision I make.”

Chiampi has also kept Ursinus in mind when hiring assistant chefs. Steve Farber 2011 joined Doc’s this past December to run the grill.

“Even if we didn’t have the Ursinus connection I would have hired Steve,” says Chiampi. “He’s talented and has a real knack for the business.” Farber, who studied business at Ursinus, also graduated from the Restaurant School in Philadelphia. And although he likes working in the kitchen, he plans to blend his business and culinary degree more closely in the future.

“I want to open a fast casual restaurant like Chipotle but with Mediterranean food,” says Farber. “I know how to run both the business and the food side of things. It’s the perfect combination.” Farber, 24, studied business at Ursinus and also graduated from the Restaurant School in Philadelphia.

He knew he didn’t want a “desk job” after college, and he always loved to cook. Culinary school was the perfect next step for him. Prior to his current position, he worked at Le Bec Fin in the city doing food prep, and within a couple weeks was helping make the dinners. He also worked at Cadillac Grille in the Wells Fargo Center, a member’s only steakhouse for season basketball and ice hockey pass holders. Farber is now in charge of the grill at Doc’s, cooking the seafood and steaks. And although he likes working in the kitchen, he plans to blend his business and culinary degree more closely in the future.

changing careers, finding success A psychology major at Ursinus, Maureen James Cumpstone graduated in 1979. Her liberal arts education, she says, “shaped my ability to be a success in the future.” She met her husband, John Cumpstone 1977, at Ursinus. After graduation, Cumpstone worked in her academic field and later earned an MBA from LaSalle College. But when her mother died suddenly in 1996, Cumpstone was faced with a difficult choice. Her parents, Rose and Charles James, had run the family restaurant since 1972. For the business to continue, she knew the family would have to join forces and try to keep the restaurant thriving. She made the choice to help the family restaurant and left her career in human resources.

“We were able to withstand the downturn,” she says. Cumpstone attributes that success to investing time in relationships with peer businesses in the neighborhood. The strip is a historic one, and Sorella Rose, is the 202-yearold centerpiece. Today Cumpstone is confident enough about the future of the family business that she is encouraging her son to go into the restaurant business as well.

sustainable sushi, nourshing the soul Bun Lai is already the co-owner and head chef of Miya’s, what he terms the first sustainable sushi restaurant in the world. A 2013 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist for Best Chef Northeast, Lai is also an environmentalist, social activist and philosopher who incorporates all these passions into his restaurant’s menu and mission. Miya’s has been featured in many of the top food magazines for his efforts including Food & Wine, Saveur, and Eating Well.

“It’s not good enough for me to cook for the sake of cooking,” Lai says. “I really want our meals to be as soulfully nourishing as they are delicious.”

Unlike other Ursinus alum who immigrated into the food biz, Bun Lai is a native. His mother, Yoshiko Lai, is a Japanese nutritionist who opened Miya’s in New Haven, Connecticut in 1982. Lai left Ursinus in 1991 after his junior year to join his mother, and changed the menu into a sustainable one about 10 years ago. They use domestic and local seafood and only the kind that isn’t overfished such as clams, oysters, mussels, sea robins and dogfish. His family also owns two fishing boats and members of the staff, including Lai, scuba dive in the Long Island Sound. They recently bought an eight-acre farm where they plan to grow their own organic vegetables.

“Foreign seafood tends to be caught or farmed in a way that is not ethical,” Lai explains. “We serve a cuisine that is largely ocean-based, so it is really important for us to get our hands wet and know where the food comes from.” In addition to being sustainable, Lai’s dishes have an international flair. He combines spices and ingredients used by different cultures all over the world to make delicious and unique combinations. He credits this multicultural approach to his international studies at Ursinus.

“The courses I took on different societies really had a big impact on me,” Lai says. “I believe the meals I make from eclectic ingredients symbolize what is possible if diverse people lived in harmony as well.”

“When I took over, I switched careers,” says Cumpstone, who was a human resource consultant with a non-profit organization in Phila.

The family renamed the restaurant Sorella Rose after her mother. The historic inn stands on Bethlehem Pike in Flourtown, a suburb of Philadelphia.

Over the past 15 years, Sorella Rose has weathered challenges including the economic downturn in 2007 when consumers and companies cut back on spending and entertaining. But the restaurant diversified to include banquets, weddings, and off-site catering.

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"The critical thinking and decision-making skills I cultivated at Ursinus have helped me build an authentic program that works for this school, its students, and the neighborhood," says Molly Devinney 2011.

Lai’s passion for sustainable seafood and holistic living is contagious. He speaks with a soft relaxed tone and seamlessly switches topics from his passion for wrestling (he wrestled for three years at Ursinus) to his hope that customers eat with their hands.

“Since most of us use tools such as forks and chopsticks to eat, there is a sensual disconnect that happens between us and our food,” he writes on his blog, “I think it would be awesome if everybody ate with their fingers.”

Lai is a sought after public speaker and has spoken on sustainability at Google, Yale University, and Williams College. He was the 2011 keynote speaker of the American Fisheries Society where he spoke for an hour in front of scientists from around the world. He also spends a lot of time speaking with customers, educating them about the importance of eating sustainably and living a holistic life. He’s had multiple offers to open up more restaurants across the country, but hasn’t been tempted yet.

“It’s important for me live simply and breathe deeply,” he says. “I want to create my life, rather than have my life dictate how I spend my time.”

to the roof!

(With shovels, seeds and imagination) The sky is quite literally the limit for the plans of some young gardeners hoping to use the roof of their school in South Philadelphia to plant crops.

Providing fresh fruit and vegetables to the surrounding community is one of the primary goals for the project headed by Molly Devinney 2011. Another goal is encouraging the students to cultivate a life-long appreciation for the natural world.

Devinney works for a local nonprofit, the Lower Moyamensing Civic Association (LoMo), designing, implementing and promoting a studentled garden program with corresponding education and community programs at South Philadelphia High School (SPHS). “The critical thinking and decision-making skills I cultivated at Ursinus have helped me build an authentic program that works for this school, its students, and the neighborhood,” says Devinney, who was hired in March, 2012. “SPHS is a diverse public high school with a large population of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), in a neighborhood home to both life-long South Philadelphians and immigrants from Italy and Southeast Asia.”

A week into building this program at SPHS, Principal Otis Hackney walked into the garden, introduced himself to Devinney, and glanced up at the roof. He asked what she thought about growing food up there. “I was floored,” says Devinney. “I was new to the school and neighborhood and I was being encouraged to literally think ‘the sky’s the limit’.”

Devinney stands where the garden eventually will be on the roof of South Philadelphia High School.

Since that first week, every idea that a student, teacher, and neighbor suggested has been considered, discussed and shared. From a biology student’s desire to build a pond, a senior citizen’s idea to take an aggressive stance on litter, to the principal’s idea for a rooftop farm, everything was plausible. The ground-level gardens have been in place since March 2012 and produced food from April to November of last year. The roof garden will be actively producing food when funding is secured and the farm is constructed, which will be 2015 at the earliest.

“My growing space is small, but the ideas are infinite,” she says. “However, when you work in a school, your ideas are limited (and expanded) by the

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willingness to participate and collaborate of teachers, students, and administration. The school relished the new green space; from the Headstart Pre-K students to seniors looking for their community service project, students and teachers wanted to get their hands dirty.”

It is a worth-while sacrifice, she says. People in the neighborhood stop at the farm stand to buy the fresh greens, plump blackberries and bright red radishes. “But they stay, talk, and buy produce because our prices reflect what they pay for food at our biggest competitors: fast food and corner stores.”

Devinney says the culinary arts students are the cornerstone of the program; taking the “Farm-to-Table” cuisine trend to another level by being both the farmer and the chef, she says. From homemade pesto to raspberry tarts, everything that comes from the garden is run by the students who plant, maintain, water, harvest, wash, prepare, cook, eat and sell the produce.

Devinney and the SPHS students have expanded past the garden fences to collaborate with biology and environmental science classes and tackle other sustainability issues around campus. “The campus is a pillar of the community,” she says. “People walk through to get to the subway and bus station, play stickball on the pavilion, walk their dogs on the grassy area and ride their bikes around the parking lot. Why not make it model for sustainable design strategies for a city determined to be the greenest city in America?”

“My goal isn’t to convince every student to pursue a career in farming,” she says. “I want youth to learn how to grow food so they get a taste for healthy self-sufficiency and feel empowered to take an active role in the food system and their lives.” Of the SPHS students, 96 percent are in the reduced or free lunch program. “Increasing access to fresh, healthy produce for them is our top priority, which is why students sell produce at a low-cost farm stand in the school and in the neighborhood. The challenges I face are the daunting challenges everyone fighting for food justice faces, but we happen to have a McDonald’s restaurant across the street.”

As a non-profit, LoMo’s greening initiative relies on grants and the power of creativity. “Without the pressure of needing produce sales to cover our operation, it simply wouldn’t be possible,” she says. “The students and I are free to set prices for our chemical-free produce well below market standards for organic produce.”

Outside the school is a grassy strip of land bordering Broad Street and mostly used by neighborhood dogs. The wildlife was limited to a few squirrels and there was no real designated spot to relax. “We told the students to share what they would want to see,” says Devinney. “Then we imagined an outdoor classroom that will feature only native flowers, grasses, and shrubs, attract wildlife they don’t normally see.”

The kids quickly dreamed up a natural area that would serve as a neighborhood park with benches, pathways and informational signage that they could create. “We handed biology students tape measurers and they mapped the space, dug soil samples to send to a university lab, and talked about the ecological benefits of transforming the space into the SPHS Arboretum.” To learn more about SPHS Gardens' plans to grow on the roof visit projexity.com

Good Compost- Good Food Spring and summer are the busiest seasons for Walter Larkin 1957 and Nancy Larkin who run a successful organic composting business in Schwenksville, Pa. Over the years, they enjoyed their rambling property, raising different farm animals as side hobbies at Barnside Farm. The idea for organic composting came to Nancy after reading a magazine article about government agencies trying to stop organic materials from entering landfills. The Larkin’s land had always been beautiful, but now it might be useful, too. It seemed like a great opportunity, she thought. They could use their land as a compost facility, recycling organic matter and turning it into something useable.

In late winter, the two walk the property together inspecting the rich growing resource. They are almost dwarfed by the massive, dark mounds of mulch and compost that look like mountains.

Walt and Nancy have invested time and research into learning what elements make up the best ingredients for mulch and compost. “Isn’t this color great,” says Nancy, as she rolls the chocolate-colored fibers in her hands. Walt’s main role is machinery repair and he also serves as the delivery truck driver. The toughest part of the business has been handling cross neighbors who complained about odors from the compost. But slowly, they are making progress, says Nancy. Today Barnside Mulch and Compost is a thriving, 100-percent organic, mulch and topsoil facility certified with the U.S. Composting Council. n

PHOTO | JOAN KANES

Walt, a retired dentist and avid skier, was hesitant. But eventually, he was convinced that it would be a resourceful way to have the land “work” for them. After several years of investigating and obtaining the legal permits by working through Department of Environmental Protection regulations, the couple started their composting business in 2000. They started by accepting leaves from a trash hauler and later, added sticks, branches and organic waste to the list of accepted material.

Walter and Nancy Larkin enjoy their time together running an organic composting and mulch business. It’s hard, they say, but rewarding work.

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safe shellfish, maine’s resource The view from Lori Howell’s small office window is pristine. But the tranquility of the salt ponds that trail off of Maine’s Piscataqua River belies a rigorous and competitive industry. As vice president of Spinney Creek Shellfish Inc., Howell works with her husband, Tom, and family to ensure the safety and high quality of the shellfish they process and sell to wholesalers and restaurants.

Their labs and sterilizing tanks purify and process oysters, little neck and long neck clams harvested from the waterways from Virginia to Prince Edward Island. During the busy summer season they process 150,000 pounds (or 3000 bushels) of shellfish each week. Last year Spinney Creek sold over 50,000 boxes of shellfish. Howell believes the quality of the product

needs to be superior because it represents the image of Maine and one of the main resources of the state.

“We perform tests of shellfish meats as well as growing and process waters on a regular basis to ensure that only the highest quality shellfish leave our doors,” says Howell, who received her law degree from Franklin Pierce Law Center in 1985 and practiced law for ten years.

“This is much more fun than practicing law,” Howell says about the business that started in 1983. The work, complicated and unrelenting, is in the fishery industry where Spinney Creek’s purification facilities are one of only four in the United States. The lab is evaluated annually by State and Federal Laboratory Evaluation Officers to insure that they maintain adequate equipment, that proper techniques are applied and that analysis is correct. “The process used to purify the shellfish is called depuration,” says Howell. “It’s the process of removing pathogenic organisms that may be present in shellstock by using a controlled aquatic environment as the treatment process.”

A worker cleans clams at Spinney Creek Shellfish.

PHOTO | ROB KAROSIS

“I was able to study anything I wanted at Ursinus,” says Lori Howell 1980.

“There were so many opportunities. I learned how to work hard and I don’t regret any of it.”

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PHOTO | ROB KAROSIS

An aerial view of Spinney Creek Shellfish.

Though the method is centuries old, Howell says it has improved, and much of that has been a result of the research and writing that she and her husband have done. At Spinney Creek, a multi-species processing facility, they use high intensity ultra-violet light to treat the water. “This is fairly common technology in use in drinking water plants, in aquariums and other areas.

The dosage we use is very high to ensure drinking water quality in the plant and also to ensure that the receiving waters are protected.” We spend a lot of time and resources finding reliable sources and vendors of shellfish.

Growing up in landlocked Morris Plains, N.J., Howell never imagined she would be working in a highly-scientific seafood processing industry. Her

paths cross daily with local fisherman as well as government agencies and politicians. She must be up to date on regulation and water safety and she speaks frequently at meetings of the Members of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources. Her education at Ursinus helped to prepare her for a very interesting and rewarding career. “I was able to study anything I wanted at Ursinus,” she says. “There were so many opportunities. I learned how to work hard and I don’t regret any of it.” n Ellen Labrecque, Kathryn Campbell, Robert Strauss and Wendy Greenberg contributed to this article.

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Two Sandhill cranes, Bosque Del Apache, NM. “I like this picture because they are isolated in the image, although they are surrounded by other cranes.

I photographed them as they were going through the water and took a lot of pictures.

You get lucky sometimes and I did with this image. They are wading through the water like poetry in motion.�

Chasing

Light the

By Kathryn Campbell

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After a rewarding career in medicine, Eugene Morita 1958 retired and returned to his passion of photography. Now a second career is full sail, as Morita travels the world capturing beautiful images and exhibits and sells his art.

Born into modest circumstances, Eugene Morita 1958 still heard from a very early age that he would go to college. “It was a given” says Morita, the second of five kids. He lived in Seabrook, N.J., and went to high school in Bridgeton. His father was born in Japan and immigrated to the United States at the age of 15. His mother was born into a Southern Californian family. Their marriage was arranged.

“I had a great time as a kid and did all the things kids do to have a good time,” he says. But there were challenges, too. The family was interned during World War II in California and Colorado. His father took a job in Seabrook as did many other internees. “He did this because he could work to support us,” says Morita. “Many Japanese-Americans moved back to California, but we stayed.”

As a child, Morita was competitive with his older brother, Paul. “That put some drive in me to find work that would give me a sense of accomplishment,” he says. “I was always interested in getting things done. My parents did not ask for money that I made delivering papers, so I spent it. Even at my young age, working gave me a sense of accomplishment and independence.”

In high school, Morita played tennis with Pete Jespersen, 1956. “One day he asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t have a clue. I was only a sophomore, and Pete was a senior. Pete said he was going to Ursinus and then to med school to become a doctor. It was that simple. I looked to Pete

as a mentor, and followed his lead.” Morita still visits Jespersen when he is in Bridgeton and he knows that he was the primary influence in his decision to become a physician.

At Ursinus, Morita majored in chemistry with plans to become a doctor.

He did well enough to be accepted at Jefferson Medical College, where he graduated in 1962. “I am grateful to Dr. Wagner, our premedical advisor.” Dr. Paul Raymond Wagner was the J. Harold Brownback Professor of Biology and taught at Ursinus from the year he graduated in 1932 until 1970.

He received his M. S. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

“I remember getting my acceptance letter from Jefferson the summer between my junior and senior year. I was working in a ketchup factory. I lay on an empty pallet, looked at the letter and said, ‘Damn I am going to be a doctor! I owe Dr. Wagner and Ursinus a lot.” Morita completed his internship at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia and was accepted to an internal residency there. But then he was drafted and assigned to Thailand.

“On my way to my assignment, I spent a day- and-a-half visiting San Francisco. That short visit changed my life. I realized I was never going back to Philadelphia for my medical residency. After my assignment in Thailand was over, I did a medical residency and a nuclear medicine fellowship at Letterman Army Medical Center at the Presidio of San Francisco.”

SPRING 2013 PAGE 23

Mt. Zion ‘reintroduced’ Morita to photography. “He suggested I join the Marin Photography Club. Herb has since passed away but he knew how much I appreciated his mentorship. I have not looked back since and have achieved honors in the camera club organizations,” says Morita.

As his skills improved, he started exhibiting. “I don’t make enough to call it a full-time profession but it helps pay for some of my expenses in photography. Going from a hobby, to selling my pictures was a simple decision. I had exhibits and to my surprise folks liked my pictures and I began to sell them.

Winning in competition is exciting, but getting paid for a picture you hung at an exhibit is even better. It validates your picture-taking.”

Morita talks with his granddaughter, Lily.

He treasured his assignments with the Army which included tours at the teaching hospitals. He was Chief of Nuclear Medicine at Fitzsimons in Denver, then returned to Letterman to be the chief.

Morita met his future medical partner, Ken McCormack, while he was an internal medicine resident taking a nuclear medicine rotation at Letterman.

After two years as chief there, he was asked by McCormack to join him in a teaching hospital at Mt. Zion in San Francisco.

“We practiced together for 19 years, and then Ken retired. I told Ken many times how grateful I was for changing my life, and my family’s, by asking me to join him.” Morita had married Helen Haugh in 1965, and together they had four children.

“Ken was a consultant, then a teacher, a partner and my friend. The last time I saw Ken was in November 2012, a few weeks before he died. He was ill and the visit was short. We did not say too much but we connected.”

A passion for photography started very early for Morita. He began taking pictures as a teenager. His job as a paperboy funded the newly found hobby.

John Nakamura taught him to how to work in the darkroom. “So again, there was a mentor to help along the way,” says Morita. “The best job I had growing up in Seabrook was working in the darkroom at Seabrook Farms during a summer. I bought cameras that I could afford and continued taking pictures.

What I like about picture taking is the satisfaction of seeing something and capturing that moment. The best light is in the early morning, late afternoon and sunset.”

During the early years in San Francisco, he did some shooting, but it remained a side hobby. By 1998, Herb Kaufman a friend and allergist at PAGE 24 URSINUS MAGAZINE

He hopes that those who see his pictures and purchase them have a connection to his work. “Nature plays an important role in my images. It didn’t at first because creatures are hard to shoot. They don’t stand still. Eventually, I got some very good telephoto lenses so getting close was easier. I love the morning light, the light before the sun comes up can be a Technicolor show. Birds and animals are very active in the early morning and evening. So this combination of great light and moving creatures is a great opportunity.” Morita was inspired by a book by Jeffery Moussaieff and Susan McCarthy, When Elephants Weep. “It’s a great read and still in print. It’s about animal behavior.”

The world continues to serve as his palette. Morita has traveled across Africa, Alaska, Antarctica, Costa Rica, Japan and China. One of his favorite places is Bosque Del Apache in Southern New Mexico, a migratory bird sanctuary.

It is a magical place, says Morita. “In the morning, the sun is coming up and you hear honking of snow geese but you don’t see them then suddenly the early morning sky is filled with these birds taking off and landing to feed. I love nature photography because it is a primal experience.”

As a photographer, he says, he does not fear failure and he welcomes criticism. “I sometimes don’t like what I hear, but I listen and learn from it.”

Criticism and learning helps you to get unstuck and move on, he says.

“I’m comfortable in my own skin so I don’t feel defensive. And some comments are quite positive. The areas that I am trying to develop are creative processing of the images that I’ve taken. It it has been fun, with some success and many failures. It’s having an idea then trying to make it happen.”

One of his photo sales at a retirement home in Marin County, California, stands out. “A picture of a cheetah on Cheetah on the termite mound. a termite mound with wonderful back lighting on it was purchased by woman who was 100 years old. I asked to meet her and asked why she bought the cheetah picture. She said simply that she enjoyed it in the exhibit wall but she wanted to see it ever morning when she woke! It makes me smile every time I think of her

“I love nature photography because it is a primal experience.” comments. I have a picture of her with the picture. She’s now 103.”

Family continues to be at the center of Morita’s life. When he married Helen Haugh in 1965 they raised their four children, Trish, Pam, Laura, and Marc.

Although he and Helen divorced 19 years ago, they have remained close.

Neither remarried and in the last three years she has been devastated by a central nervous system lymphoma.

“Helen still is herself but profoundly affected by the cancer and treatment. I have been involved with her care since the outset of her illness,” says Morita.

They treasure the time together with their six grandchildren; Sachi, Micah, Audrey, Jack, Lily, and Sam. “And they are all smart and good-looking and way above average!”

Though photography and spending time with grandchildren take most of his time now, Morita often looks back with appreciation on his medical career and the friendships he forged. The accomplished and generous physicians in endocrinology Morita has worked with have been a source of inspiration. “I remain friends with many,” he says. “Over the years, I’ve made it a point to thank those who made a difference in my life.”

“I have enjoyed teaching throughout my medical career, in the Army, Mt. Zion and UCSF. I was really fortunate to work with really good people and extraordinarily competent physicians.” In 2000, the graduating residents

tools of the trade

The hands of the Ikebana Artist, Ohara, Japan.

in radiology at UCSF voted Morita the best teacher for the years of their residency. “It was a remarkable honor for me,” he says. “But what I enjoyed most in practice was caring for patients. Most of my patients were related to disease of the thyroid, both hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer. During my medical career, there was development of radioactive treatments for metastatic disease to bone. I remember a call I received from a son of a prostate cancer patient I had treated. When he called, I was away and he left a lengthy message stating that for months after treatment his father was free of pain when he died. He called to thank me. When I had finished listening to the message, I just sat there moved by what I had just heard. This and other like it were the most rewarding experiences in medicine.” He finished his medical career retiring in 2009 as Emeritus Clinical professor of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, UCSF. Whether caring for patients, or taking a picture, says Morita, it’s the journey that’s exciting. n

Morita uses two single lens reflexes, along with a macro lens, 14 mm fisheye, 16-35 mm wide-angle, 24 to105 mm zoom, 100-400 mm zoom telephoto and a 500 mm telephoto lens, all made by Canon, on his 5D Mark III and 7D cameras. He purchased a Sony NEX 7. “It is small and compact and the pictures taken are very sharp, in my mind that this type of camera, will at some point replace the single lens reflex camera (SLR). The Canon equipment I use is very heavy when I travel. I place a large, very heavy case into the overhead bins. The weight is about 25 pounds. At my age, I am concerned about the weight. The equipment is the tool to get ‘the shot.’ The rest is up to me.”

SPRING 2013 PAGE 25

faith forward

PHOTO | JOAN KANES

By Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995

Most people would hear this news, and their world would crash in on them.

Houston’s world opened up. Not the way she originally envisioned her path unfolding. But it was a journey she was ready and willing to accept almost right away.

Houston’s story is the ultimate tale of resilience. Her life is filled with service toward the poor and disenfranchised. She grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in a Christian family with values of faith and altruism. Her mother, Reverend Frances Houston, was pastor of the Mashpee Baptist Church in Mashpee. Houston’s father, Donald, a devout churchgoer and volunteer, worked at a resort and golf club.

“Honestly, from the day she was born, Chanelle was grateful for everything most people take for granted,” says Rev. Houston. “She was thankful for waking up in the morning and being alive, for the food on her table and the roof over her head. She was wise beyond her years, really.”

At Ursinus, Houston continued to live a life of faith. In addition to being swim team captain in both junior and senior year, she also was student assistant to Reverend Charles Rice, the college chaplain.

“I knew from the time Chanelle was a freshman that she had a restless spirit for what is right,” says Rice. “I knew she had a compassionate soul and genuine conviction.”

Chanelle Houston’s journey began with a glimmer of hope. Today she charges toward possibilities that once seemed out of reach.

Houston visited campus this winter and caught up with Roby Rice, age 10.

Roby is the son of Reverend Charles Rice, Ursinus Chaplain.

It was August 2009 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Three short years after Chanelle Houston graduated from Ursinus with a Biology Degree, she was vacationing with her family. On the last night, Houston was hit by a car while walking in a parking garage. Her world immediately went dark.

“I don’t remember being hit, or much about that whole night,” she says. “I just remember waking up in the hospital in a full-body brace. The doctors told me I had a three-percent chance that I would ever walk again. I thought to myself, ‘Phew, a three-percent chance! So I do have a chance!’”

PAGE 26 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Houston graduated in 2006 and worked at the I Read Every Day Camp in a low-income section of Philadelphia. For six weeks, Houston helped improve literacy for young children. The following spring, she traveled to Santiago, Chile to work with Dr. Rebecca Kohn from Ursinus. She helped with Kohn’s Fulbright research as well as looked after Kohn’s son. In the fall of 2007, Houston took a position with the National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps Program in Washington, D.C. She worked at The Women’s Collective, an agency for women and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. After her year with AmeriCorps, Houston began working as a Committee Coordinator at Social and Scientific Systems doing HIV/AIDS clinical research.

“Looking back, I realize all these years of helping others really helped prepare me for the challenges I was about to face,” Houston says. “I had already learned everybody has their own hardships and misfortunes to handle.”

The night of the accident, Houston was rushed to the Sentara Norfolk Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia, where she underwent a 10-hour surgery to help repair her spine. She remained unconscious for a week, as an army of family and friends arrived from around the country to offer support.

“Chanelle was optimistic from the start,” says Alison Walker, Houston’s best friend from Ursinus who drove from Washington., D.C. to be with her.

“During her third week in the hospital, I washed her hair. I didn’t realize at the time, but water was pouring down her back as I washed. Chanelle just said to me, ‘I don’t even care, I’m just glad I can finally wash my hair.’ She was already happy about small victories.”

Houston remained at the hospital in Norfolk for the next three months. She was in the Intensive Care Unit for four weeks, living with a tracheotomy tube to help her breath. After relearning how to breathe on her own, she spent the next six weeks doing inpatient rehabilitation. When Houston was discharged to begin outpatient therapy at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Washington, D.C., her spinal cord diagnosis was T6 ASIA A, which indicates a complete spinal cord injury from below her chest.

Still, Houston was ready to fight to walk again.

“I knew I was going to do everything I could to make that diagnosis false,” she says. “I never doubted I would walk again.”

When Houston arrived home, she had to adjust to life in a wheelchair. She was also in chronic pain and endured constant muscle spasms due to the severity of her injuries.

“When she was first released from the hospital, she didn’t look like Chanelle, she looked like hospital Chanelle,” says Walker. “She was still wearing the brace to protect her spine. She had scars on her throat. I look at pictures from then and can’t believe the progress she’s made. It’s remarkable.”

with,” says Seward. “She told me she wasn’t going to let this injury stop her from doing anything. She was so in-tune with her body and also had this incredible drive and determination that most other people in this situation don’t have.”

While Houston began therapy, four hours of grueling rehab, four days a week, her father came to D.C. and lived with her for eight months to help her adjust.

Houston also swims and has completed two open water swims. One of those was a one-mile swim in the Potomac River in October 2011. It was just 42 degrees outside. She also learned how to drive again using specialized hand controls.

“My legs aren’t quite strong enough to push a gas and brake pedal yet,” she explains. “I’m hopeful I’ll eventually be back to driving a regular car though.”

“It was a no-brainer that me or her mother would come and help out,” Donald says. “Honestly, Chanelle was so independent and capable of doing her own thing so quickly. I probably stayed longer than she really needed or wanted me.”

The Houstons secured a wheelchair- accessible apartment near her job at Social and Scientific Systems in Silver Spring, Maryland. She returned to work part time in 2010.

Houston maintained a relentlessly upbeat attitude, but adjusting to life in a wheelchair posed staggering challenges. Everything took longer to do than before. Getting showered and dressed took sometimes triple the time it had before the accident. She relied on the D.C. metro system to travel everywhere, but she realized the transit system was poorly maintained for people who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

Houston has progressed to a level of independence never thought possible by her doctors. She’s working full-time and has a standing frame that enables her to stand at work while continually strengthening her legs. She can walk short distances using a rolling walker or crutches. She can also stand short periods of time without holding onto anything. When Houston uses her chair, she is totally independent and can transfer in and out of it with ease.

“Looking back, I realize all these years of helping others really helped prepare me for the challenges I was about to face,” Houston says.

“I had already learned everybody has their own hardships and misfortunes to handle.”

“I would get out at a subway stop and realize the elevator wasn’t working, so I couldn’t get back to street level,” Houston explains.

“It was so frustrating, I sometimes would just break down and cry. Then, I’d pull myself together, take the subway to the next stop and take a bus back to where I needed to go in the first place.”

Houston also had to learn how to deal with people who lacked “wheelchair etiquette.” People would lean on her chair, or even try to push Houston without asking permission first. At times, a sudden push was painful, or even caused her to lose her balance and almost fall out of the chair.

“I’d have to explain to people that my chair is my personal space,” she says.

“I’d say, ‘you wouldn’t lean on somebody’s back, so why would you lean on somebody’s chair?’ ” Houston wrangled with day-to-day challenges and continued to tackle her therapy sessions. She started simply by learning how to stay balanced while sitting without her brace on. Then, she learned how to “transfer,” or move from place-to-place. She progressed so quickly from one goal to the next that her physical therapist, Katie Seward, had to keep coming up with more challenging goals.

“From Day one, Chanelle was the most positive person I had ever worked

While Houston continues to heal herself, she is making other people’s lives better along the way. She is a member of the Metro Accessibility Advisory Committee, where she advocates for improving DC’s Metro System not only for wheelchair users, but also for visually and hearing impaired people. She also mentors patients with spinal cord injuries at NRH where she continues working out.

“It means a whole lot more to talk with somebody who has already been through what you are going through,” explains Houston. “To hear somebody say, ‘I know how you are feeling.’”

Houston has adjusted heroically to her circumstances. She hasn’t given up her goal to achieve that three-percent chance of walking again. Seward, her physical therapist, believes this could someday be possible. That hope remains a possibility not only because of her physical improvements, but also because of her unshakable mental strength.

“A negative attitude doesn’t get you anywhere,” Houston says. “I truly believe you can accomplish anything with a positive mindset and your mindset helps your body heal. Even before the accident, I lived this way.”

Houston continues to thank God for the overwhelming support that both she and her parents received from family, friends and people they had never met. She says that support is why she is where she is today. She has created her own web site, chanellescause.com, which includes her blog, videos, and information on spinal cord injury in order to keep the people supporting her informed of her progress and recovery. On the site there is a quote from Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events, that truly expresses her story best of all: “Sometimes what seems to be a series of unfortunate events is really the start of a journey.” n SPRING 2013 PAGE 27

events Regional Summer Send-Off Events for First Year Students and Parents | July/August New York City, San Francisco, Boston and D.C. Connections

For additional information, as dates and locations are finalized, please visit our National Council webpage at www.ursinus.edu/NationalCouncil.

UC by the Sea | Saturday, August 17 4-8 PM Golden Inn Hotel & Resort 7849 Dune Drive • Avalon, NJ 08202 Join Ursinus College Alumni and friends for fun in the sun at our 26th annual celebration of UC by the Sea. Enjoy beachside BBQ and beverages with your UC buddies!

For more information, registration and accommodations, please visit: www.ursinus.edu/UCbytheSea.

Family Day | September 21 Enjoy a day of entertainment and enriching activities filled with food, music, games and events. You will gain valuable insight into the academic, athletic and social communities at Ursinus College all while visiting with your favorite community member – your son or daughter! We hope that you will take the opportunity to meet with faculty & staff, cheer on the Bears and support the many talents of our students.

Homecoming Weekend | October 18 – 19

RiverCrest Golf Club, Phoenixville & Ursinus College Campus

Save the date for a weekend full of Homecoming festivities!

Mark your calendar for the second annual Grizzly Gala on Friday evening, featuring the Slippery Band at RiverCrest.

Plus, if you’re a member of one of the following organizations celebrating reunions this year, you don’t want to miss it!

• 25th Anniversary Celebration of Media & Communications Studies • 10th Anniversary Celebration of Neuroscience • Kappa Delta Kappa • Phi Kappa Sigma • Tau Sigma Gamma • Zeta Chi • Football • Lacrosse • Swimming • Student Affairs Leaders

2013 Ursinus College Hall of Fame for Athletes Induction Ceremony & Reception | November 16 5-8 PM Ursinus College Campus

PAGE 36 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Weddings

Fran Cunniffe 1999 and William Marshall were married on March 16, 2013.

Maureen Smeltz 2005 and Christopher Ryals were married on January 12, 2013.

Anthony Russo 2005 and Melissa Rosato were married on November 30, 2012.

SPRING 2013 PAGE 37

Marianne Conway 2009 and Adam Cramer were married on April 6, 2013.

Monyca White 2000 and Jon Veen were married October 6, 2012.

Tyler Brill Caron 2006 and Tara Buschur were married on November 17, 2012.

Jennifer Rae Fouse 2005 and Alex Kang were married on October 7, 2012.

Tiffany Friedman 2007 and Kevin Murphy 2005 were married on October 5, 2012.

Jenny Kostishion 2009 and Mark Heusser 2009 were married on October 13, 2012.

Matthew Stehman 2010 and Sarah Hurtt 2010 were married on August 11, 2012.

Laura Ng 2009 and Joseph Ellwood 2009 were married on August 11, 2012.

PAGE 38 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Lisa Injaian 2006 and Jarrod Hoover were married on April 28, 2012.

Carly Chiriano 2007 and Ted Piotrowicz 2005 were married on August 11, 2012.

Kelly Field 2007 and Jeremy Bonneville were married on October 6, 2012.

Ursinus wedding photos

Ursinus Magazine publishes wedding photos in the magazine as well as online.

Please send your beautiful wedding memories.

Send photos to Ursinus Magazine, P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426. Digital photos can be e-mailed to ucmag@ursinus.edu.

Ursinus College reserves the right to reject publication of photos which are not of publishable quality. We regret that we are not able to return print photographs. The wedding date must be given and the group photograph should include only Ursinus alumni.

Please sign onto the Ursinus online community: www.ursinus.edu/alumni for full captions including names of the Ursinus alumni pictured in the photo. Questions can be addressed to the Office of Alumni Relations, 610.409.3585, or by e-mailing ucmag@ursinus.edu.

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Our Official Ursinus Social Media Directory can be found on news.ursinus.edu or directly here news.ursinus.edu/college-communications/social-directory SPRING 2013 PAGE 39

field notes

Creek

Life

The Search for What Ails the Water

Students work with Goddard collecting water samples and invertebrate specimens.

PAGE 40 URSINUS MAGAZINE

From left: Emily Short, Maria Abatuno, Melanie Phillips and Sarah Polekoff examine samples of creek life with Goddard.

Many early mornings Biology Professor Kate Goddard wades through Darby Creek collecting samples of the invertebrates that live there. The creek flows along the northwest side of the Delaware Bay and was once a vital source of water for the early inhabitants of southeastern Pennsylvania. The Darby Creek watershed arises just south of Valley Forge in Berwyn and Radnor and is separated from the Schuylkill River watershed by ridges that parallel Route 202.

It grows larger as it collects water from tiny tributaries and winds through Waterloo Mills in Berwyn, owned by the Brandywine Conservancy. Eventually, it flows into the John Heinz National Wildlife refuge marsh, an area that is invaluable to migrating ducks, geese, swans, eagles and many other birds.

creek from roads, it collects road salt in winter and heat from hot asphalt in summer. As the rain drains from lawns and golf courses it carries fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides into the creek. All of these manmade factors, including the heat, can affect the fish and other inhabitants of the aquatic environments.”

Goddard’s research in the Darby Creek watershed examines how storm water and the soil and contaminants that it carries affect creek life. In a second project, she and her students are examining the effects of the removal of a dam on the organisms in the creek.

About 20 students have participated in the Darby Creek research.

Goddard is pleased to have five students working on these projects as well as alumni who now are working at the Long Island Aquarium, applying to grad school, in grad school, in the Army, in med school or applying to med school and teaching high school. “It is exciting for my students and me to investigate questions that have a practical local application- providing data that will help to improve our interaction with this waterway that has been important in our region for centuries.”

“In both studies our subject is community of insects and other invertebrates (animals without backbones),” says Goddard. “These animals are food for the fish, and the fish are food for herons, egrets, and kingfishers, so they are vital to the ecosystem. If one takes a water sample, it is unlikely to find measurable amounts of chemicals unless you sample right below where chemicals are released into a creek, but these animals are bathed in contaminants every day of their lives, so they can tell us a lot about water quality by their presence and absence. Some have been shown to be tolerant of pollution and others are intolerant. We analyze which species are present and which are absent to get a measure of water quality. The invertebrates are the animals emulated by the hand tied fly-fishing flies created by fly fishermen.”

Plain old dirt has proven to be a major problem for the aquatic life of the creek today. “The shallow roots of grasses (as opposed to trees and bushes) do not hold soil well and allow the land along and near creeks to melt away. Rapid flow of water across impervious surfaces adds to the rush of water into creeks and the resulting erosion that turns creeks cafe au lait color after a storm.”

It has been surprising to see how building on the land can affect lakes and streams, she says. “The building of towns throughout the Darby Creek watershed led to a high percentage of land being covered up by impervious surfaces such as roads, roofs, and parking lots – thus there is less open ground there is to absorb the rain. The storm water pours rapidly into the creek leading dangerously fast moving and deep waters. The creek escapes its banks and floods roads and even homes. In addition, as the rain runs directly into the SPRING 2013 PAGE 41

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