Ursinus College - Winter 2011 Magazine

URSINUS Wi nte r 2 0 1 1

MAGAZINE

President-elect Dr. Bobby Fong on Leadership and the Liberal Arts

Despite chilly weather, it was a warm welcome for Dr. Fong on October 29, 2010 when a crowd of students, faculty, trustees and staff gathered on the steps of the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art for the announcement that the Board of Trustees had elected Dr. Fong as the 13th president of Ursinus College.

In This Issue Features Introducing Dr. Bobby Fong 8

Ursinus welcomes Dr. Bobby Fong as its 13th president.

He talked with us about plans for Ursinus, his love of literature and the importance of a liberal arts education.

20 The Gift of the Honeybee Alumna Suzanne King 1966 helps teach stewardship by giving away one of her honeybee hives.

14 Making It Work

Lori Piccone 1992 decided to dig deeper into how mothers determine the best way to manage careers, even if it involves putting them on hold.

Full citation for the painting The Choice shown above can be found on page 16.

Profiles

33 Floyd Berk 1957 traveled to Cambodia as a volunteer for Flying Doctors of America.

24 Taste Tested

Anupy Singla 1990 returned to her family’s recipes and discovered a joy worth savoring with her children.

Campus News 3 Aakash K. Shah 2010, of Cliffside Park, N.J., has been named a Rhodes Scholar.

Class Notes

31 Gaylen Gawlowski 1996 won an Emmy Award for her work on the televi­sion reality show Top Chef.

On The Cover

Dr. Fong outside Olin Hall on a recent visit to Ursinus.

Photo: Joan Fairman Kanes.

Dear Readers, I am pleased to reflect on the historic events which have occurred since Ursinus Magazine was published early last Fall. Dealing with a presidential transition brings its own challenges, but a gathering for the late John Strassburger on Sept. 26 brought us together in a meaningful way to celebrate his life and love for the liberal arts.

On Oct. 29, the campus was energized by the announcement that Bobby Fong Ph.D., currently President of Butler University in Indiana, was elected unanimously by the Board of Trustees as Ursinus College’s 13th President.

That morning he had engaged a number of students, faculty and staff in a meeting in The Kaleidoscope. He was then introduced by Board Chair Spencer Foreman M.D. 1957, and me, on the steps of the Berman Museum, to an enthusiastic campus crowd. Dr. Fong was also warmly received during a reception in The Berman Museum later in the fall. You can learn more about him and see the webcast of the presidential announcement on our web site: www.ursinus.edu/BobbyFong. You can also view an inspiring biographical film and watch Dr. Fong chat with Professor of History Dallett Hemphill.

Love of the liberal arts led Dr. Fong to Ursinus, and we are fortunate to have such a leader. Highly regarded in U.S. higher education, and an internationally renowned scholar of Oscar Wilde, Dr. Fong’s academic roots are in the liberal arts. He was a professor of English at Berea and the Dean at Hamilton College.

As if that news is not exciting enough, Ursinus learned in December that 2010 graduate Aakash Shah was selected to be our first Rhodes Scholar.

Combined with the 20th anniversary of the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art and the opening of its new addition, Ursinus continues to move forward at a rapid pace. I hope you will become part of all that is going on, including a fundraising drive to enable the installation of a turf field to accommodate our athletes, and the Board Challenge campaign (see page 39), both important initiatives.

In this issue of Ursinus Magazine, Dr. Fong speaks exclusively to you, the alumni and friends of the College, about his hopes and aspirations for Ursinus. We look forward to getting to know Bobby Fong even better in the coming months, and we wholeheartedly welcome him, his wife, Suzanne, and their two sons to the Ursinus family.

Sincerely,

Ursinus Magazine Volume CIX, No. 2, Winter 2011

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

Copyright 2011 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 Director of Communications Wendy Greenberg wgreenberg@ursinus.edu Editor Kathryn Campbell kcampbell@ursinus.edu Class Notes Editor Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995 elabrecque@ursinus.edu Publications Coordinator Blanche Allen 1990 ballen@ursinus.edu Contributing to this Issue Jeffrey Morgan, Joan Fairman Kanes, Jim Roese, Lisa Godfrey, Hilary Schwab, David Hysek 2011 Allison Cavanaugh 2013, Becky Walter 2012 Design Jeffrey D. Morgan Photography & Design www.jeffreydmorgan.com Chair, Board of Trustees Spencer Foreman M.D. 1957 President John E.F. (Jef) Corson Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean Judith Levy Senior Vice President for Advancement Jill A. Leauber Marsteller 1978 Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing Richard DiFeliciantonio Vice President for Finance and Administration Winfield Guilmette Vice President for Student Affairs Deborah Nolan Vice President for Development Jim Baer 1966

John E.F. Corson President, Ursinus College

PAGE 2 URSINUS MAGAZINE

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.

(L to R) Spencer Foreman M.D. 1957, Bobby Fong and John E.F. Corson on steps of Berman Museum.

Ursinus Magazine is printed on recycled paper.

Gateway The

URSINUS CAMPUS NEWS

districts. Ursinus President John E.F. Corson and President-elect Bobby Fong both spoke to the ideals that the Rhodes organization emphasizes.

“You represent the high ideals of Ursinus and liberal education: preparation for citizenship and leadership,” wrote Fong, who is currently President of Butler University in Indiana. Corson noted that Shah’s civic engagement activities at Ursinus spoke to his desire to be of service to others, and that Shah has credited his faculty mentors at Ursinus. “Aakash is a wonderful first-time Rhodes representative from Ursinus.”

Aakash K. Shah 2010

First Rhodes Scholar for Ursinus

Ursinus celebrates the announcement by the Rhodes Trust that Aakash K. Shah 2010, of Cliffside Park, N.J., has been named a Rhodes Scholar. Shah, now in his first year at Harvard Medical School, graduated with distinguished honors research in sociology and honors research in biology and neuroscience. He received bachelor’s degrees in Biology, Neuroscience and Inequality Studies, with minors in Chemistry and Sociology. “At Ursinus you’ll be prepared to enter the field and to really be a pathfinder,” says Shah, who was a Goldwater Scholar, Zacharias Scholar, Bonner Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

As a biology and neuroscience major, he became interested in the applications of medicine and public health. He plans a career combining clinical and academic medicine with global health policy. “I hope to serve in multiple capacities as a physician, an academic and an active player in policy,” he says. “Between Dr. Rice giving me the social guidance, to Dr. Lyczak in the lab, they’ve forced me to bridge those connections. Getting this wellrounded liberal arts education has prepared me to serve across disciplines and in multiple capacities.”

Shah, the first Rhodes Scholar for Ursinus, joins 32 American men and women chosen as Rhodes Scholars representing the U. S. The Rhodes Scholarships provides all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England. Possibly the most celebrated academic award, the Rhodes scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of Cecil Rhodes. The newly announced scholars were selected from 209 finalists from 88 different colleges and universities by Committees of Selection in each of 16 U.S.

Periclean Faculty Leader

When Domenick Scudera adopted his three-legged therapy dog, Festus, he could not predict that the relationship would lead to a fresh outlook on theater and civic responsibility. It has helped remind him that theater is a powerful tool for change. “Although I knew this intellectually,” Scudera says, “it was only when I was able to put it into practice myself that the message became ingrained and permanent.”

That message is the basis for a spring semester class, “Community-Based Theater and Civic Engagement.”

Scudera was selected by the national civic engagement organization Project Pericles, as a Periclean Faculty Leader.

His students will explore the history, Domenick Scudera theory and practice of communitybased theater, and decide on their own project in the community.

Periclean faculty leaders create and teach courses that address issues of social concern and enhance student involvement. Although Ursinus is the only Periclean college to have a theater course designated as a civic engagement course, it is a natural topic for civic engagement, says Scudera, Associate Professor of Theater.

Scudera’s relationship with Festus, who had endured terrific hardships as a puppy, he says, led to a theater piece several years ago, Festus The Three-Legged Wonder Dog, based on the experiences of dog and educator as a certified therapy team. The duo still visits Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital and Children’s Hospital.

This work also inspired Scudera to volunteer with the AIDS Fund of Philadelphia. As Festus helped others to heal, says Scudera, WINTER 2011 PAGE 3

“People found his approach to life to be amazingly positive and motivational.” Inspired by this success, Scudera created a solo performance under the Jilline Ringle Solo Performance Program grant. He and Festus performed the piece at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2008 and at the National Conference for the Association for Theater in Higher Education in Denver.

Developing the Ursinus course, he adds, was a way to put service and theater together. “I am thrilled that I am able to use my theater skills to inspire others to be more accepting of difference and disability, and to spur others to become service volunteers,” Scudera says. “This work has real purpose and is what I was meant to do.” Scudera’s work covers comedy as well as serious issues. The graduate of Colgate University with an MFA from Penn State, regularly directs for the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater and The Waitstaff Comedy Troup. This past fall, Scudera directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, at Ursinus, and The Real Housewives of South Philly for Waitstaff. He will direct Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit March 2 through 20th at the Delaware Theater Company in Wilmington, Del. He hopes that his students will gain a deeper understanding of the community and its needs, and will create positive and necessary change. - WG

Mike McGarvey Jersey Retired

Ursinus recently retired the basketball jersey of former standout guard Mike McGarvey. McGarvey, who wore the No. 11 jersey, is now assistant men’s basketball coach. He graduated in 2006 with 1,460 points and 754 assists. He holds the school and Centennial Conference record for assists in a career and led the conference in both steals and assists in each of his four seasons. A Lower Gwynedd, Pa., native, McGarvey was a four-year starter who led Ursinus to three Centennial Conference championships. He was a three-time All-Centennial selection including a two-time first-team pick. Off the court, McGarvey was on the Dean’s List at Ursinus and was a finalist for the Jostens Trophy in 2006, which honors the best Division III men’s basketball player in the country in the fields of academics, athletics and community service.

McGarvey (far right) celebrates before a game this fall with Director of Athletics Laura Moliken and Basketball Head Coach Kevin Small.

Community Partnership Parade

The Berman Museum of Art joined forces with the Collegeville community and nationally-acclaimed group Spiral Q Puppet Theater to produce a successful Partnership Parade in November. The parade showcased the evolving partnership between the PAGE 4 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Spiral Q Puppet Theater and The Berman Museum of Art joined forces with the Collegeville community for a Partnership Parade in November.

campus and the Collegeville community, facilitated in this project by the Berman Museum and expressed through community-based art. The group marched along the streets of Collegeville and then gathered for a finale on the lawn in front of the Berman Museum, where they were greeted by the Ursinus Jazz Band musicians and one of Spiral Q’s super-sized puppets, holding out its arms to embrace the crowd. The parade reached its fitting end with participants mingling and enjoying food and festivities together, demonstrating the power of art and arts-based partnership.

- David Hysek 2011

Faculty Books

Professor of Philosophy and Humanities Carlin Romano guides us through Philadelphia’s dark side, as editor of Philadelphia Noir (Akashic Books), a collection of original short stories set in Philadelphia neighborhoods. The Philadelphia neighborhood settings join the critically-acclaimed 41-volume Akashic Noir series in locales from Copenhagen to Haiti, and Istanbul to Moscow, as well as numerous cities in the United States. Editor Romano has been Critic-at-Large of The Chronicle of Higher Education for the past 10 years, and was Literary Critic of The Philadelphia Inquirer for 25 years before leaving the paper in 2009. In 2006, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism.

Romano writes in his introduction that although “Philadelphia Blanc makes a more sensible title for a volume of local stories than Philadelphia Noir,” Philadelphia’s history is “anything but all Brotherly Love.”

Walter Greason, Associate Professor of History, American Studies, and Coordinator of African American and Africana Studies, has published a narrative and pictorial

history focusing on four generations of suburban American families. The Path to Freedman, Black Families in New Jersey (History Press) is aided by a private collection of family photographs taken from 1935 to 1995. The early migrant families created the foundation for future generations through their family values, morals, work and education. The book documents their histories after World War I and follows African Americans who move outside the large cities of New Jersey. Greason has published on race, separation and metropolitan growth in publications such as Planning Perspectives, Journal of African American History, and Next American City Magazine. He is a widely known expert on the suburbs, especially in New Jersey and New York.

Author Junot Diaz’s novel The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao was chosen as the inaugural text for “Ursinus is Talking about...” an extracurricular program intended to encourage members of the Ursinus College community to engage both with the text chosen for the semester and with each other. Diaz, who received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for the criticallyacclaimed book, spoke on campus in October. “Diaz’s visit proved that the Ursinus community had embraced this idea,” says Elizabeth Kessler, Assistant Professor of Art and Liberal Studies. Kessler coordinated the program with the help of other faculty, staff, and students. “I was thrilled by how many students, faculty, and staff came to his presentation. But more importantly, in the weeks after he left, they have continued to think and talk about the things he said, about the novel, about gender and identity, about writing and about art.”

More than 300 people attended Diaz’s reading in the Lenfest Theater. The author had lunch with a group of 16 faculty, students, and staff and led a seminar with 20 students. After the public presentation, students waited to have him sign their book. “He had a conversation with every person in the line,” says Kessler. “Our hope was to demonstrate to everyone that intellectually rich and stimulating discussions can happen outside the classroom, to demonstrate that there are great rewards to be found in pursuing such experiences for their own sake.”

The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art: Upcoming Exhibitions SPACES, PLACES & IDENTITY: ROBERT FRANK “PORTRAITS” January 18 - April 17, Main Gallery Opening Reception: Sunday, January 23, 2011 - 2 to 4 p.m.

This exhibition will explore Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank’s redefinition of the notion of portraiture through his work before, during, and following the production of his most wellknown collection, The Americans (1958/59). The works featured in the exhibition will be borrowed from the Archives and Special Collections at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

By juxtaposing more traditionally-understood portrait images of Frank’s family members, friends, and colleagues with more broadly, less conventionally-conceived “portrait” images of people and places, the Berman Museum will be able to show a selection of photographs never published and never before exhibited, and will also add a new set of scholarly perspectives and ideas to the discourse about Frank and his work. The Berman Museum’s Associate Director for Education, Susan Shifrin, will co-curate the Frank exhibition with F. Michael Angelo, the University Archivist at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

DUST SHAPED HEARTS: PHOTOGRAPHS BY DONALD E. CAMP January 18 - April 17, Upper Gallery Artist Reception: Sunday, January 23, 2011 – 2 to 4 p.m.

With his ongoing series Dust Shaped Hearts, Don Camp seeks to counter stereotypes of African American men and women, presenting images of those who have quietly, yet profoundly, enriched our culture. The series has expanded to include men and women of all races, acknowledging that the struggle against ignorance and intolerance is a universal one. Camp’s work is characterized by both the unique process he uses to produce his prints as well as by his in-depth exploration of the dignity and nobility that can be found in the human face. Camp’s work has been recognized with a number of awards, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and NEA and Pew Fellowships in the Arts.

He is an Assistant Professor and Artist in Residence at Ursinus College.

Donald E. Camp “Dust Shaped Hearts: NOLA The Acrobat, Michael” Lithograph ed. 85/150 Casein and earth pigment mono-print on archival watercolor paper 30" x 42" in Photographed and printed 2008 WINTER 2011 PAGE 5

Joseph Pennell (American, 1857-1926) “New York Skyline” c. 1920, watercolor and pencil on paper, 7" x 10", BAM1992.160 / Purchased with funds donated by Muriel and Philip Berman

Public Programs Related to Both Exhibitions

“Look Again” – A multi-event public program designed to engage audiences in looking closely - and then looking again - at the images on display in the Museum’s two photography exhibitions.

Please check www.ursinus.edu for dates.

Special Events

Tuesday, March 22 • 7 p.m. – Main Gallery, Berman Museum - Dr. Mary Cappello, Professor of English at the University of Rhode Island and author of several award-winning non-fiction works, will give a public talk on her most recent book, Swallow: Foreign Bodies, Their Ingestion, Inspiration, and the Curious Doctor Who Extracted Them, on the life and work of Dr. Chevalier Jackson, a pioneering laryngologist sometimes referred to as one of the very first ENT specialists.

• 8 p.m. – Main Gallery, Berman Museum – Cappello’s talk will be followed by a book-signing reception, and paired with a performance by students in Prof. Nzadi Keita’s English 209 Spoken Word class, who will respond to photographs taken by Dr. Chevalier Jackson himself of the “foreign bodies” he extracted from his patients over the years of his practice.

by Joseph Pennell, Giovanni and Antonio Martino, Albert Jean Adolphe, Dong Kingman, Walter Emerson Baum, Colin Campbell Cooper, Fernand Leger and others.

Dr. Amy Myers, the director of the Yale University Center for British Art, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

by John E. F. Corson, during a ceremony in Bomberger Hall. She spoke about the impact that the late President John Strassburger had on the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art; how architecture and renovation support academic goals, and the importance of museums to their communities. After the honorary degree ceremony, there was a ceremonial ribboncutting of the new wing. The honorary degree ceremony and black tie gala the next evening capped a celebratory week of events celebrating both the new wing and the 20th anniversary of the Museum. For more information and more photos, see page 41.

In the new Pfeiffer Wing, Spring 2011

Feb. 1 to June 1 - The Urban Landscape: Ancient to Contemporary from the Permanent Collection This exhibition in the Museum’s Pfeiffer Wing will feature works PAGE 6 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Dr. Amy Meyers and Lisa Tremper Hanover, Director at Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art

Ursinus Football’s Chris Rusiewicz Named Assistant Coach of the Year

Sustainability Staff Ursinus welcomes two new staff members to increase the sustainability efforts of the College. Shannon Spencer is the new Climate Action Manager. She will oversee the design and implementation of the College’s climate action plan under the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, signed by President Strassburger in 2007, as a way to establish goals for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with College operations. Spencer holds two master’s degrees: in Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia and in Environmental Studies from Yale University. She has substantial experience in planning and environmental project management.

Maryanne Berthel 2010 is the new Sustainability Program Coordinator. She will coordinate the College’s sustainability programs, including recycling, composting, and the organic garden. Berthel earned a B.A in Environmental Studies from Ursinus where she gained critical experience in projects related to sustainability.

The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) announced that Ursinus College associate football coach and defensive coordinator, Chris Rusiewicz, has been named as the Assistant Coach of the Year by the organization. Staff representatives from NCAA and NAIA football-playing schools are asked to nominate an assistant for consideration each year. From those nominations, a winner is selected by the AFCA Public Relations Committee.

The winners of this award were selected from Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III and the NAIA. “It’s a great honor to not only be recognized for what was done on the field, but more importantly the impact off the field,” says Rusiewicz. “I appreciate the support that surrounded me to allow us to do the things we did to be successful.”

The Assistant Coach of the Year award was first presented in 1997 and was created to honor assistant coaches who excel in community service, commitment to the student-athlete, on field coaching success and AFCA professional organization involvement.

“Once again, five outstanding assistant coaches have been selected for their dedication, not only to their teams, but to their communities,” said AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff. “Often times, the head coach receives much of the credit for his team’s success, but any head coach is only as good as his assistants. Much of an assistant coach’s work is done behind the scenes. It is our pleasure to bring it to the forefront.”

Sustain UC

Ursinus students are very active with sustainability efforts on campus. They collaborate with members of the faculty, staff, and administration on projects involving resource conservation, recycling, energy efficiency, landscape and water resource management, organic farming, purchasing and contracting policies, and other issues.

Students work on sustainability projects as part of class assignments/activities, Summer Fellows, Honors Theses, independent studies, and other venues coordinating with various offices on campus as necessary, including Residence Life, Facilities, and the administration.

Many individuals and student groups engage in activities or outreach related to sustainability issues with two groups, SustainUC and UCEA, focused primarily on environmentalism/ sustainability.

Editor’s note: At press time it was announced that Rusiewicz would be leaving Ursinus for Guilford College in North Carolina where the 33-year-old would become the head football coach.

- Jim Wagner WINTER 2011 PAGE 7

The

Road Ahead A Conversation with Dr. Bobby Fong

“At the end of the day, what we hope to achieve in education is not simply to give students mastery of a body of knowledge, but the opportunity to grow into their own best selves. To the extent that cultivation of character, leadership, and service to others are important fruits of a college education, they are best engendered in a liberal arts-oriented program.�

- Dr. Bobby Fong

PAGE 8 URSINUS MAGAZINE

WINTER 2011 PAGE 9

When Dr. Bobby Fong arrives this summer for inauguration as the 13th president of Ursinus, the College will begin a new stage in its 142-year history. A renowned scholar of the poet and writer Oscar Wilde, Dr. Fong graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and earned his Ph.D. in English at the University of California-Los Angeles in 1978. His dissertation research formed the basis for his scholarship in the works of Oscar Wilde. He is the editor of Poems and Poems in Prose, volume one in the Oxford English Texas edition of the “Complete Works of Oscar Wilde,” and the author of several essays and monographs on literature, higher education, religion and baseball. His parents emigrated from Guangdong province in China and spoke Cantonese. Dr. Fong, 60, was born and raised in Oakland, California.

Neither of his parents lived to see him graduate from college.

Dr. Fong, currently president of Butler University, admires Ursinus for its dedication to high quality liberal arts education.

“To the extent that character and leadership and service to others are important, as part of a college education, that is best engendered, I think, in a liberal arts oriented program,” he says. One of a handful of Asian American college presidents across the country, Dr. Fong’s academic career began at Berea College in Kentucky, where he taught from 1978 to 1989. He was a Fellow with the Association of American Colleges in Washington, D.C. and became Professor of English and Dean of Arts and Humanities at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

After serving there from 1989 to 1995, Dr. Fong accepted a position as Dean of the Faculty and Professor of English at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., where he stayed until accepting the Butler presidency in 2001. Under Dr. Fong’s administration, Butler experienced record-breaking fund-raising, balanced budgets, growth in endowment and improvements to the campus infrastructure. Active in many higher education associations, Fong is now Treasurer, and in line to be the Vice Chair, and then Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges and Universities Board of Directors. The avid baseball fan and card collector is also on the Board of Directors for the Indianapolis Indians. He and his wife, Suzanne, an attorney who grew up in Maryland, have two sons.

Ursinus Magazine: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself and about leadership in your career?

Bobby Fong: “One very important quality in a leader is the humility to know that the community is smarter than the leader trying to figure out everything by himself. It doesn’t mean that I don’t have good ideas, but I don’t have all the good ideas.

Leadership isn’t a matter of doing for others, but doing with others. What I consider achievements in my administrative life have been realized because I was working with other people.”

Ursinus Magazine: Where do you see Ursinus in ten years?

What will this College become known for under your leadership?

Bobby Fong: “We want to be a premier national liberal arts college. That’s a trajectory already established at Ursinus, dating back not only to John Strassburger but to his predecessors as well.

Dr. Fong and his wife, Suzanne Dunham Fong, an attorney who grew up in Maryland.

PAGE 10 URSINUS MAGAZINE

“Going forward, we need to find the appropriate balance between liberal education and experiential education. Simply asserting that we want to be a pure liberal arts college would not bestposition us to be educating the students that we want to make room for – those of modest means that we want to serve.

“If we’re going to be egalitarian, it means we need to equip students who have to answer the crucial question of how they will make a living after graduating. It’s not enough to say we are preparing students by giving them a liberal arts education for its own sake.

That leaves many of our students economically out in the cold.

We do them a disservice by not addressing prospects for postbaccalaureate employment and graduate study. We need to create opportunities for experiential education and internships that will give our students an advantage in being able to enter the job market upon getting the baccalaureate. Strengthening counseling for our students’ preparation for grad school is a priority.

“I am a child of immigrants. Both my parents had passed by the time I began college. For all that I relished my undergraduate experience at Harvard, I was always thinking about how I needed to get a job and earn a living to keep body and soul together. I was fortunate enough to have graduate and professional school options, but not every student may want take that path.”

Ursinus Magazine: How did you connect with Oscar Wilde?

What do you find compelling about his work that you might apply as a leader?

Bobby Fong: “I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in English literature at UCLA. It was my wife, Suzanne, who suggested that because I loved working with primary sources and I was concentrating in the Victorian era, I should see what manuscript collections they had from the 19th century. The University of California system is very strong in 17th and 18th century literature. But there wasn’t much primary source material in the 19th century at UCLA except for the world’s largest collection of Oscar Wilde manuscripts.

William Andrews Clark, a bibliophile, was guided in his literary acquisitions by one of the librarians at UCLA. After he died, the Clark Library was bequeathed to the university. By that time, he had amassed this wonderful collection of Wilde manuscripts. So, in a way, I fell into it. I’m one of the fortunate scholars who can actually laugh at his own scholarship. Wilde can be profound, but he is also one of the funniest writers in the English language.

“Since 1976, I’ve worked on Wilde as a scholarly specialty. He was both an insider and an outsider: An Irish Protestant who made good in Victorian England. A married man with two sons who came to terms with his homosexuality in adulthood and pursued his passions in a time when homosexuality was considered a crime. He came from a prominent family and achieved literary immortality, but there were aspects of him that always made him an outsider. For me, particularly as a person of color, trying to understand Wilde has helped me understand where my own journey, and those of my students, fits into the pursuit of the American Dream, of outsiders trying to become insiders. His experiences, and my own, have impelled me to be a voice for tolerance and appreciation of diversity.”

Ursinus Magazine: What is the personal or professional achievement that makes you most proud?

Bobby Fong: “Among professional achievements that I know will endure is my work on Oscar’s Wilde’s poetry for the Oxford University Complete Works of Oscar Wilde. It’s the standard text.

So long as people are interested in Wilde and Wilde’s poetry, that’s something with which I’ll always be associated. The other professional achievement is my decade at Butler University. I went to an institution that was struggling financially and unsure of the future of its mission. Over the past ten years, we were able to not only stabilize operations but achieve unprecedented heights in fundraising and in the size of its student body while sharpening its commitment to undergraduate liberal education. Last spring, it became known as the school where the basketball players

attended class the day of the NCAA National Championship Game. That underlined the academic seriousness of the enterprise.

That’s a legacy I’m glad to have contributed to building.

“On a personal level, it would be my decision years ago at another college to resign in protest of a decision not to hire a candidate for a position because he was gay. It was a way of keeping faith with Oscar. To do otherwise would have been a betrayal of literary friendship.”

Ursinus Magazine: Was that a difficult decision to make, or was it easy?

Bobby Fong: “It was hard on the family because my decision was controversial in the community, and we lost relationships and reputation because of it. I also thought I was throwing away an administrative career when I did it. So that made it apparently foolhardy from a professional perspective. But it was easy in the sense that sometimes you’re faced with choices that may be diffiuclt but not ambiguous. In the movie Chariots of Fire, the Scottish athlete Eric Liddell decides on principle that he won’t run on a Sunday and thus gives up a chance at Olympic glory. His friend asks him, do you have regrets? And his answer is, ‘Regrets, yes – but no doubts.’ ” Ursinus Magazine: Tell us about your favorite books and movies.

Bobby Fong: “When I’m reading for pleasure today, I prefer biography and history. I don’t read as much fiction as I used to, WINTER 2011 PAGE 11

know them by name and face. We hoped that each would choose a liberal arts college, and in both cases they did. What most parents fail to consider is that size is a determinate of pedagogy.

Now you can go to a large university, and if you major in Arabic or linguistics, you would probably get the individualized attention that you’d get at a liberal arts college. But if you go into English or government or economics or chemistry, you’re going to be in lecture halls with dozens, if not hundreds, of kids. I constantly say to students who choose to go to large universities, at least get in honors programs or something where you can be differentiated. Furthermore, true education is about more than the training of the intellect: it is about the development of the whole person. At the end of the day, what we hope to achieve in education is not simply to give students mastery of a body of knowledge, but the opportunity to grow into their own best selves.

To the extent that cultivation of character, leadership, and service to others are important fruits of a college education, they are best engendered in a liberal arts-oriented program.”

Ursinus Magazine: Are there opportunities here – personal or professional – that you could not pursue at Butler?

Dr. Fong gets a Bear hug after the campus announcement that Fong will be the next president.

but I find stories of people and movements in history as spellbinding as fiction. I just started David McCullough’s The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge, in part because my older son is living in Brooklyn. When I’m on the road, which is a fair amount, I download to my Kindle biographies of baseball players. I was introduced to American life largely through baseball and by reading children’s biographies of baseball players. Today, baseball’s become a scholarly endeavor in its own right.

“Some favorite movies include the aforementioned Chariots of Fire, Twelve O’ Clock High, which is a character study in leadership, and Mr. Holland’s Opus, a wonderful evocation of how teaching becomes a calling.”

Ursinus Magazine: What text has had a profound influence on you?

Bobby Fong: “Robert Bolt’s A Man for All Seasons. I cherish not only the play itself, but the preface to the play that Bolt wrote to explain why he chose a Catholic saint to be “a hero of selfhood.”

He has some remarkable things to say about integrity, personal responsibility, and cultivating an authentic self.”

Ursinus Magazine: You have a son who graduated from Connecticut College and one at Bowdoin. Did you and your wife, Suzanne, give them any advice in their college search?

Bobby Fong: “We said to both Jonathan and Colin that for their undergraduate years, they should consider places small enough to PAGE 12 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Bobby Fong: “If I have had a regret at Butler, it’s that given its size – 330 full-time professors, and 450 staff – Butler was the first place I have served where I didn’t know most of the faculty or the staff by name and face. That’s one of the reasons why I got into liberal arts education in the first place, because the size and nature of community put a premium on developing relationships. What was so impressive about comments from our recent Rhodes Scholar Aakash Shah was the sense that Ursinus’ support of him as an individual began the day he came to an admissions interview. This continued all through his four years at Ursinus. By size and personal commitment, Ursinus faculty, staff and administrators look for a way of making a difference one life at a time.”

Ursinus Magazine: This is your first introduction to the alumni, through the alumni magazine. What would you like to convey to them?

Bobby Fong: “For so many alumni, Ursinus was a transformative experience. It was a gateway to opportunities, personal and professional, that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. We depend on alumni support to make the Ursinus experience available to the next generation. I would simply urge alumni to think about paying it forward. You can help to make an Ursinus education accessible to those who require need-based scholarships, those who deserve to work with the latest in scientific equipment, those who need one’s advice and networks to obtain an internship or work opportunity. We talk about the importance of time, talent, and treasure. At the heart of it is alumni giving of themselves out of gratitude and love.”

- Wendy Greenberg and Kathryn Campbell

Walking Across England The Fongs enjoy travel. They blogged about their adventures during a 192-mile trek across England in 2009 to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary. Here is a page from their story.

Climbing up 1000-foot Dent Hill, our last obstacle today, was a challenge. The English don’t seem to believe in switchbacks, so the trail followed the hill pretty much straight up. It was not too steep, but the climb was relentless. We also had our first introduction to the limits of the guidebook we have been following. It seemed to indicate that we should turn left, as did a signpost, but the trail we seemed to need went up. The map, and some fellow walkers behind us, helped us sort out our confusion, but we have learned to be more cautious. Losing our way just means lengthening the day’s walk, possibly by miles, and the taxis we have joked about finding in an emergency simply do not exist out here. We finally reached the top and collapsed against a huge stone cairn.

We could look all the way back to the Irish Sea and see both a nuclear power plant Dr. Fong and his wife Suzanne at the ruins of Crackpot Hall and dozens of windmills - England is far ahead of the US in developing alternative energy sources. A small brown cardinal-sized bird hovered above us, singing its heart out. We had met a skylark, and now we will hear Vaughan Williams’ “Lark Ascending” with new ears.

The long journey starting at St. Bee’s on the west coast of England

Read more about their journey at www.butler.edu/president/websnap/documents/WalkEngland.pdf WINTER 2011 PAGE 13

PAGE 14 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Making It Work

By Lori G. Piccone 1992

One alumna has put her career on hold while raising her sons.

She examines the creative ways mothers today balance work and family.

G

athering up our weekly recyclables one quiet Sunday night, a dusty frame caught my eye. Curious, I pried it from behind the pile of folded paper grocery bags. “Salutem in Domino!” It was my Ursinus diploma, mislaid but intact. I don’t know when it officially got demoted to its place behind the junk mail, but I was determined to find it a better home.

I proudly hung my proof of a great college education on the wall of my home office and got to thinking. It has been nine years since I left the corporate cube world for a “round-the-clock” job as a feeder, burper, rocker and diaper changer. I’ve slowly moved up the ranks to chef, chauffeur, maid, secretary, teacher, even vice president of the PTO! Indeed, after nine years of long days, I have grown to cherish raising boys and playing homemaker. (Well, not so much the latter.)

I know my mothering is far from over, but now my inner Ursinus graduate is rearing her 40-year-old head. And the big questions have started churning: “What will I do when the kids are at school all day?” “Do people know I hold a B.A. in English?” “Should I take a job that pays less than I pay my babysitter?” “Should I go back to grad school?” “Who will walk the kids to the bus stop, do the grocery shopping, finish the laundry and clean the house?”

“Should we get a dog?” “Do I look cool blasting Bon Jovi from my minivan?” “Who am I?!?”

Raising Children and Making Choices

Many of us have the option to choose what role our careers will take in regard to childrearing because of the strides, and sacrifices, our foremothers made both since the 1960’s as far back as the women’s suffrage movement and further. In fact, according to data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 66 percent of mothers with children under the age of 17 work either full or part-time. That is up from 38 percent in 1970. [Parker, K., (October 1, 2009). “The Harried Life of the Working Mother,” Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center] In her new book, Maternal Employment: Marvel or Menace,* Catherine A. Chambliss, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Ursinus and a clinical psychologist, notes that while women do have more choices now, it’s still an unaccommodating workforce for mothers. “The whole issue is super-emotionally charged,” she says. “There really aren’t clear directions for families.”

What is clear is that there is usually a non-linear career path for mothers. Her 25 years of research shows that most women actually shift between working full-time and part-time and staying home with their children. It’s not until they and their children survive adolescence that most mothers go back to working full-time permanently.

Francoise Gilot (French, b. 1921) “My Children in Brittany”, 1974 Lithograph ed. 85/150 30" x 22" Gift of Muriel and Philip Berman. Permanent collection, Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art at Ursinus College.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 15

While I have spent time in the workforce, I have primarily chosen the role of a stay-at-home mom. I wanted to know how some of my fellow Ursinus alumnae have been juggling family and career.

Reconnecting with a few Ursinus friends, I learned how these moms are making it work. With a few surprises, and many heartfelt responses, my exploration revealed that the mommy landscape is evenly divided between mothers who work full-time, work part-time and stay at home. It turns out that exactly 66 percent of my friends are working in some capacity.

Part-Time Job: The Best of Both Worlds?

This option is the Holy Grail for many women. I’ve witnessed several friends who work part-time happily and successfully. I’ve even dabbled in it over the years with freelance writing and working odd jobs for friends. But what is it really like over the long-term?

is in trying to gain proficiency in a new field and increase earning potential.” But she loves having the flexibility to drive her children to school and be involved with their activities.

Full-Time Job and Loving It (Most of the Time)

“After three months of being home with my son,” says Erika Compton Butler 1994 of Bel Air, Md., “I went back to work fulltime. I had been at my job as a community newspaper editor for 15 years and loved it.” While Compton Butler misses spending time with her toddler, she loves her job and has earned seniority, which also gives her flexibility. Plus, she says, “My job gives me an identity more than solely as a mom.”

My fellow English major, Diane Griffin Miller 1992, praises her full-time career. A high school English teacher since graduating from Ursinus, Miller wouldn’t change a thing. “The choice was not a difficult one for me because I love my job,” she says. “I feel like it is just as much a part of me as the other aspects of my life, and allows me to be a member of my family as a person who feels fulfilled.” Miller also provided insight into how she and her neighbors, working and stay- at- home moms alike, team up for the benefit of their children. While she sometimes relies on a neighbor to take her daughter’s forgotten French horn to school, her own “tight ship” time management skills, essential for a dual-working couple, are revered and emulated throughout her neighborhood.

Marlene Baron Summers, “The Choice”, Detail, 1999

Maria Costa Woytek 1992, who was a director of advertising and is now coordinating her church’s youth ministry, can speak to the ups and downs of part-time work. “At times, it’s felt like double-trouble,” she says. “Trying to be a stay-athome mom and an employee sometimes has seemed more challenging than doing just one or the other.”

The positive aspects of this choice are many, according to Sheri Fasolo Wrzesniewski 1990, who is a financial analyst at an investment firm. “My schedule allows me to be home for the kids before and after school,” she says. “I can also volunteer in the classroom or at school events.” Wrzesniewski says that continuing to work has had personal benefits because she is using her education and enjoying life in the adult world as part of a successful team.

Oil on linen, 50" x 60", Gift of Jerry Summers, D.D.S., BAM2008.074

There are setbacks to be sure, such as not being as advanced in a career. That translates to less money and juggling childcare.

But for Lynne Ashman Inverso 1990 of Robbinsville, N.J., her part-time job as an elementary school physical education teacher can be the best of both worlds. “I feel completely blessed to have found a part-time teaching job,” she says.

However, for many part-time working mothers, the path isn’t smooth. Take my Tau Sig sister Karin Hoerrner Eckerson 1992 of Fredricksburg, Va., who just went back to work part-time after being home with her children for more than five years. “I am now in the struggle phase again as I have chosen a new career,” says the former social worker turned interior designer. “The struggle PAGE 16 URSINUS MAGAZINE

As with any choice, working full- time can have its down side. Some women said that working mothers are perceived as less committed because of taking maternity leave or days off to care for sick children. In fact, a 2008 report from the Families and Work Institute showed that the greater responsibility employees, men or women, take in the routine care of their children, the lower their earnings. [Bond, J.T., Thompson, C., Galinsky, E. and Prottas, D. (2002). “Highlights of the National Study of the Changing Workforce.” New York, NY: Families and Work Institute] Since women are more likely than men to be primary caregivers, well, you can do the math.

Another alumna says that the combination of the lack of upward mobility with the guilt of missing school functions and the cost of daycare, makes for a very stressful situation. But considering that employed women in dual-earner couples contribute 44 percent

of annual family income, it’s easy to see why moms want or need to work. [Families and Work Institute 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce.]

Overall, the full-time career option is a mixed bag of choice and obligation. Some have happily remained employed and enjoyed the personal and financial benefits, while others have taken this path out of necessity either due to family income needs, divorce, or other circumstances.

Stay-at-Home Mom: A Full-time Job, Too

I’ve made and heard all the jokes: ‘I’m a domestic engineer’, ‘I have my MRS degree, we all know them. When people ask me what I do, I sheepishly say, “I’m at home with the kids right now.” Then follow up with, “But I volunteer at school a lot.”

While I’ve never regretted my decision to stay home with my sons, I’ve always looked to others to justify why my college degree got tucked away. Cue alumna Audra Boettcher Myerberg 1993 who lives in Boston with her husband and two young children. “It was hard to go from working 10-hour days as an event planner to full-stop with a newborn,” she says. “But my husband travels a lot for work, and we didn’t want to worry about childcare.”

For Sue Panzone Rosica 1990 staying home full-time was a gradual process. While she went back to working full-time as a pharmaceutical sales representative after her twins were born, she called it quits when baby number three came along. “It was quite an adjustment, but we realized how much extra money we were actually spending when I was working,” she says. “Now my kids know that I am always there.” She loves being able to volunteer at school and have the time to cook healthy dinners for her family.

Despite living on less money and sacrificing career potential as a social worker, Kara DeZago Komasz 1992, from Perkasie, Pa., knows she made the best decision for her family. “I like being able to drive my son to kindergarten; I like taking my kids to the pool in the summer; I like being able to get my errands and exercise done during the week so I can spend more family time on the weekends.”

I can’t say for sure whether my big questions were answered after hearing the experiences of other mothers. But Dr. Chambliss provided some valuable insight for every family working to make the best choices for their children. “No matter what choices you make,” she says, “believing in what you’re doing is 90 percent of happiness.” Through her extensive research on maternal employment and its effect on families and society, the bottom line, she found, is that the mother’s happiness is the key to the children’s happiness.

For now, I will continue with the layered responsibilities, joys and challenges of a mom who has decided to stay at home with her children. And if you look closely, you’ll be able to pick me out in the school drop-off line by the bright yellow bear paw on my back window.

Lori Gosnear Piccone lives in Devon, PA, with her husband and two sons. For the first time in nine years she can go to the Acme by herself and find time at home to sit down to write an article.

She’s still deciding what she wants to be when she grows up.

For now, she is very happy being the steady quarterback for neighborhood football games in her yard.

*About Dr. Chambliss’s book, Maternal Employment: Marvel or Menace—the Views of Children, Young Adults, and Parents (Nova Science Publishers, November 2009). This timely book compiles 25 years of research, including 35 studies and research from over 150 Ursinus students. It describes numerous empirical research investigations exploring attitudes toward maternal employment. Large samples of young adults were asked a wide variety of questions about their experiences and plans for the future. The impact of maternal employment on relationships with parents was a particular focus of several of these studies. Several studies also explored the views of adolescents, to see if younger individuals saw things differently. Children from both suburban and urban backgrounds were compared. Parents were also surveyed. Their perceptions of the effects of maternal employment on their own and others’ families were assessed. Finally, cross-temporal and cross-cultural examinations were conducted, to examine changes in attitudes over time and place. These studies allow the reader to consider the long-term consequences of maternal employment and to juxtapose empirical findings with conventional assumptions about the impact of maternal employment. Some of the findings are consistent with cultural myths, but other findings sharply contrast with conventional wisdom. Reviewing this research will be helpful to those interested in exploring how their families helped to shape their lives, and those formulating career and family plans. Reading this research may enable them to make more informed personal choices.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 17

Dr. Catherine Chambliss takes a break between classes to talk about her new book, “Maternal Employment: Marvel or Menace - the Views of Children, Young Adults, and Parents” (Nova Science Publishers, November 2009).

PAGE 18 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Summing it Up Professor Catherine Chambliss on Mothers, Careers, and the Balancing Act. After reading the book, will readers be more optimistic that there can be a work/life balance for mothers?

Absolutely! The only consistent difference we found when we compared young adults whose mothers had combined employment and family life to those whose mothers had been nonemployed was that those with employed mothers were stronger advocates of maternal employment. Apparently it worked out pretty well for them. Not surprisingly, these children were more likely to be planning to have a dual paycheck family themselves. Our findings indicate that when young adults with employed mothers look back on their childhoods, they typically don’t fault their mothers for having chosen the juggling act.

Do women tend to be tougher on each other in the workplace or more supportive? And is there support for both decisions that women make – whether it’s to stay at home or return to work?

I think that usually employed mothers have a keen understanding of the value of workplace flexibility, and generally support other parents by trying to maximize this. Of course, some mothers who combine work and family successfully may be insensitive to the special circumstances of other families (such as a child’s disability), and therefore have unreasonable expectations of coworkers.

Some non-employed mothers are still made to feel defensive about their choice, just as some employed mothers still feel apologetic. Spousal support seems to be especially crucial to maintaining a mother’s commitment to her employment choice.

Tensions seem to run a bit higher in families where the father was raised by a mother whose employment choice was different from that of his wife. Given that we’ve found that young adults are very loyal to whatever type of family they experienced growing up, it’s likely that future couples will have more challenges when partners come from different maternal employment backgrounds.

In what way have things improved and how have they become more challenging? What factors make it difficult for mothers to succeed at work?

Day care center options have multiplied dramatically and working remotely is more often possible. On the other hand, quality day care is quite expensive and many workplaces now expect 24/7 employee availability. Extended families are less critical of maternal employment than they were when it was

rarer, but the fact that there are also now more employed grandmothers has reduced their ability to serve as a valuable childcare resource.

More fathers now embrace having a large role in the lives of their children, but in most cases mothers remain the family “managers” (with all the demands attendant to that role). Many employers have reduced their travel expectations, but children’s school-free summers remain a challenge for many employed mothers.

Workplace flexibility makes all the difference for many employed mothers, because young children often get sick and mothers of older children don’t want their jobs to compromise their children’s opportunities for involvement in sports and other extracurricular activities. Mothers are grateful when given the freedom to work around their family needs and often make heroic sacrifices to fit everything in.

Did your research reveal any “optimum” time for mothers to return to their careers?

No one size fits all. Children tend to be pretty resilient, but some have trouble adjusting to day care as infants, and some mothers don’t have the energy to return to work while their nights are still regularly disrupted by feeding and then teething. However, while a few careers may tolerate a long absence, many impose a huge penalty. If a mother’s skills quickly will become obsolete, a shorter delay before returning to work can ultimately make life easier on the family (especially if it means that she will have more control over her schedule in the future).

How much of a factor does guilt play in a mother’s decision to work or stay home?

I think fear, anxiety, and guilt still figure prominently in these decisions. Since virtually all mothers feel their child’s wellbeing is their highest priority, so long as any voices in the media continue to argue that maternal employment endangers children, many mothers will continue to worry about whether it’s safe for them to resume work outside the home. On the other hand, especially when so many fathers have been laid off due to the recession, anxiety about financial security and maintenance of health insurance drive other women to go to superhuman lengths to keep their jobs to protect their families. Our research should reassure these women that their children are likely later on to admire them for taking on the challenges associated with maternal employment.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 19

Bees The Gift of

By Kathryn Campbell

One hive of honeybees starts a beekeeping project, reaping both educational and environmental rewards.

T

he black Toyota rumbled across the grass and came to a stop beside a meadow. As Sue King 1966 stepped out and slowly pulled back a tarp covering the flatbed, she wore the expression of a worried mother. King was delivering a hive of honeybees to the Ursinus organic garden. She had raised and observed them with such keen fascination, giving them up caused a twinge not unlike what many parents feel when first leaving a child at college.

steadily pumped smoke from a canister to calm the bees. Within thirty minutes, the mobile hives were stable, new residents to the garden that is also home to a group of free-range chickens. They soon quieted and began navigating in and out of the hive. King says they will locate water and food sources and even recognize familiar human keepers. The group toasted their arrival with a spoonful of fresh honey.

Growing up, King learned beekeeping from her father. She wanted to share the passion with her alma mater and contacted the Ursinus Environmental Studies Department about donating one hive.

Beekeeper Warren Graham Jr. came with King this September to help the bees make a successful adjustment. Graham, a longtime beekeeper and Master Gardener in Delaware County, was optimistic.

Together they directed students and Associate Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies Leah Joseph in gingerly lifting and placing the hive away from the bustle of garden activity.

Sue King in the Ursinus organic garden happily donated a precious hive of honeybees.

Usually gentle and easy to work with, the bees were flying excitedly as they adjusted to the new surroundings. “If they come too close, just put your head in the tree branches,” instructed King. “They don’t like the leaves.” Graham, his head covered in a mesh veil, PAGE 20 URSINUS MAGAZINE

WINTER 2011 PAGE 21

“The interconnectedness of all life is what we must pay attention to now. The bee crisis is an opportunity to evolve and find solutions to heal the earth’s ecosystem.”

- Sue King, beekeeper

A family tradition. Kimmy Bullock 2014 learned beekeeping from her grandmother, Sue King.

King continues her beekeeping as a hobby with her grandchildren, including granddaughter, Kimberley Bullock 2014. “Bees are engaged in what I consider the most important profession on earth, pollinating 100 percent of our fruits and vegetables,” says King, a former high school teacher, and author of the book, Sacred Animal Wisdom. “The interconnectedness of all life is what we must pay attention to now. The bee crisis is an opportunity to evolve and find solutions to heal the earth’s ecosystem.”

Beekeeping is important, says Professor Joseph. “There are environmental issues going on with bees right now which has many of them dying and can have a major impact on agriculture,” she says.

The bees adjusted well to their new surroundings, says Julia Bull 2012. “It took them two days or so to get the lay of the land, but they seem to be doing great,” says Bull, who fed them “bee tea” a mixture of sugar, water, and a variety of herbs every day. “The bees love the orchard and the herb garden,” she says. “I’m so happy to be a part of this project. Beekeeping is extremely important, especially as the honey bee population continues to dwindle. The bees give us so much. Without them, we could not survive. The least we can do is to make an attempt at helping them survive.”

PAGE 22 URSINUS MAGAZINE

The honeybees that came to the United States from Europe in the 1600s are an introduced, non-native species, says Ursinus Professor of Biology James Sidie, whose thesis was on honeybee neurobiology and behavior. “Nevertheless they have become integrated into the fabric of North American ecology and agriculture,” says Sidie. The list of insect-pollinated crops constitutes 15 percent of human direct dietary input and most of the diversity in our diet. But the number of commercially managed honeybee colonies in the U.S. has declined from 5.9 million in the 1940’s to 4.3 million in 1985 and 2.7 million in 1995, according to the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign.

In fact, the role of the honeybee in our environment and food system is so crucial that approximately one in every three bites of food that we consume depends on bees for pollination, according to Vivian Wang, Litigation Fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York City.

“Honeybees contribute about $15 billion of value to U.S. agriculture – the crops they pollinate include apples, almonds, berries, cucumbers, and pumpkins,” says Wang, who became a beekeeper

after working on a lawsuit over an insecticide called spirotetramat, which is potentially toxic to honeybees. “Bee populations have experienced significant declines in recent years. A phenomenon called Colony Collapse Disorder occurs when adult bees abandon seemingly healthy hives en masse, leaving behind brood and honey stores – without the worker bees, the colony dies.”

The Natural Resources Defense Council has been working to protect pollinators, Wang says. “Researching the causes of pollinator decline is ongoing, but likely factors include global warming, exposure to pesticides and industrial chemicals, habitat loss, nutritional deficiencies, and parasites and diseases. The pesticide spirotetramat was first approved in 2008 for nationwide use on hundreds of crops. The chemical interferes with insects’ ability to synthesize fats and studies show that it may have negative effects on bees’ reproduction and the long-term ability of the hive to survive.”

King, who has given talks locally about beekeeping, is pleased that more people are becoming interested in the activity. She hopes the hive in residence at the Ursinus three-acre organic garden will continue to inspire students to pursue the work of environmental stewardship. “The honeybee is an awesome creature that captivates our hearts and minds,” says King. “They are gentle and possess the knowledge to take flower nectar, place it in perfect six-sided wax containers, ferment it and create a product that keeps indefinitely.

The honeybee suggests a piece of the secret of immortality.”

“Honeybees contribute about $15 billion of value to U.S. agriculture - the crops they pollinate include apples, almonds, berries, cucumbers, and pumpkins.”

- Vivian Wang, Litigation Fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council.

With the onset of winter, the bees in the Ursinus organic garden continue to do well, says Julia Bull. “They are now in the hive for the winter, and we’ll see what happens when we open it up again in the spring,” she says. Students built a structure around the hive to protect them from the wind, snow, and rain. Sue King’s help has been immeasurable, she says. “If I was too busy to make food, Sue would drive up and drop some off. I am very thankful to have both Sue’s and Warren’s guidance in this project.”

Plants Pollinated by Bees Okra, Kiwifruit, Onion, Celery, Carambola, Beet, Rapeseed, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, Turnip, Mustard, Caraway, Safflower, Chestnut, Watermelon, Tangerine, Tangelo, Coffee, Crownvetch, Hazelnut, Cantaloupe, Cucumber, Squash (plant), Quince, Carrot, Buckwheat, Strawberry, Soybean, Cotton, Sunflower, Walnut, Flax, Lychee, Lupine, Macadamia, Apple, Alfalfa, Cactus, Avocado, Lima bean, Scarlet runner bean, Plum, Cherry, Apricot, Almond, Pear, Boysenberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Redwood Sequoia, Tomato, Eggplant, Clover (not all species), White clover, Alsike clover, Crimson clover, Red clover, Arrowleaf clover, Blueberry, Alfalfa, Southeastern blueberry, Broad bean, Vetch and Grape.

Source, Natural Resources Defense Council.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 23

Taste Tested, Mother Approved

By Robert Strauss

Singla cooks with her daughters, Neha and Aria. They help test new recipes.

A

s so often happens with mothers of young children, Anupy Singla 1990 explains, her epiphany came about three years ago, when her daughters were two and four years old.

“I had great nannies, but none of them were able to make Indian food,” says Singla, who at the time was a television reporter in Chicago. “My mother made sure we had Indian food growing up.

I just decided I needed to make a connection with my roots and teach my children what their roots were.”

So Singla talked it over with her husband, Sandeep, and within a week, had handed in her resignation after a decade on the air.

But instead of becoming a stay-at-home mom, putting together delicate curries for her children’s lunches, Singla decided she had a calling to teach everyone about Indian food The result: The Indian Slow Cooker: 50 Healthy, Easy, Authentic Recipes, (Agate Publishing, $19.95).

PAGE 24 URSINUS MAGAZINE

“Most people might think, ‘Oh, a slowcooker, not so cool’,” says Singla. “But this is a modern way of cooking traditional Indian recipes.” People don’t have time, or sometimes the inclination, to be at the stove to do things so intricately, she says, but Indian food lends itself well to what she calls slow cooking, which is inherently easier at home.

“Anupy is a great reporter. She is witty, but her stuff is thoroughly researched and that is what I love about her stories,” says Janet Fuller, the food editor at the Chicago Sun-Times, where Singla has been writing stories for the last two years. Fuller was so impressed with her work that she arranged for her to meet the publishers at Agate, just north of Chicago, who Fuller said are the “go-to” people for cookbooks in the Chicago area.

Singla says those who knew her growing up in King of Prussia, Pa, northwest of Philadelphia, and at Ursinus would certainly not have pegged her as a cooking expert of any sort.

“I sure didn’t talk about it,” she says. “I think it comes from denying a part of myself, because that would have been a stereotype – the faithful Indian wife.

“My mother reinforced that. She said that I was going to have a career. She had a job, but she wanted more for my brother and me,” says Singla.

grandfather’s cooking. Her mother-in-law has added a few, but Singla also enjoyed experimenting with new twists on the recipes.

“Sometimes when I was trying the recipes out, I would have eight slow cookers going at once,” she says. “I needed people to be taste-testers.”

So Singla went to Ursinus and then worked on Capitol Hill in Washington as a congressional aide, then got a master’s degree at the University of Hawaii and the East/West Center in Japanese.

She had intended to go into the foreign service, presumably in Japan, but while waiting for her placement, got a job with Bloomberg, the business news service, in Princeton.

“Suddenly, I decided that I was going to like asking questions instead of maybe evading answers to questions,” she says. Bloomberg seemed ready to send her to Japan to take advantage of her degree, but then she met Sandeep, who was from Chicago. Out she went to the Midwest to cover the livestock and grain markets, then switched to TV to cover financial markets instead, before becoming a feature reporter on the local Chicago Tribune stations.

Then Neha and Aria came, and so did the desire to teach them about things that were not around their heterogeneous neighborhood and friendships in Chicago. Singla herself had been born in India and came to the Philadelphia suburbs with her parents for her father’s engineering job when she was three.

“I only spoke Hindi, and I started learning English, I think, mostly from Sesame Street,” she says. At home, even though the family was bent on assimilation, her mother cooked Indian food and her father’s father, when he would visit from India, would take over the stove as well.

In college, Indian food often meant take-out, but in grad school, she started using a slow cooker or “Crockpot,” remembering some of her grandfather’s recipes. Her mother would write down her own recipes on index cards and send them to her.

“And I would routinely lose them,” Singla says. “And she would write them down again and send them. I guess I just wasn’t that interested until the girls came.”

Singla credits History Professor Ross Doughty for swiveling her 180 degrees into writing.

“As an Indian-American raised in this country by traditional parents, I was expected to try to go to medical school,” she says.

But as she was taking courses from Doughty, she was not doing well in organic chemistry. He worked with her on honing her writing skills. Soon she realized her future was there.

She had been writing food stories for the Sun-Times.

She started a blog (indianasapplepie.com), and invited some of her commentators on the blog over for the taste-tests. The girls started testing, eating and loving the food, too, which has pleased Singla all the more.

“The goal was to make them, in a sense, more international, but also in touch with their heritage,” she says. “Food was just the right way to do it, it turned out.”

Singla’s next goal is to have a cooking show, not entirely Indian, but international. She has filmed a pilot episode. Cooking shows, she says, have gone more toward competition or personality.

“I want to go back to teaching people to cook,” says Singla, who collects editions of Martha Stewart’s Every Day Food. “Every child’s legacy should be good food, and I tell parents that if we are not supplying that, how can they appreciate it.”

Robert Strauss is a former reporter for Sports Illustrated and the Philadelphia Daily News, now a freelance writer living in Haddonfield, N.J. He contributes to publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Sports Illustrated.

Strauss has a book coming out in the spring, Daddy’s Little Goalie, a memoir about being the father of girl athletes. Andrews/McMeel is the publisher.

The Indian Slow Cooker has as its basis those index-card recipes from her mother, combined with some of the memories of her WINTER 2011 PAGE 25

PAGE 26 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Behind The Lens In Africa

A semester spent traveling around the world deepened her love of photography.

B

ecky Walter 2012 has lived in Kenya every other summer since she was seven years old. The Environmental Studies Major is an adopted member of a Maasai family, has studied chimpanzees at Jane Goodall’s sanctuary in Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria and researched elephants in Kenya for the organization Save the Elephants.

“Africa is so much a part of me,” says Walter, a gifted photographer who spent extended periods in the bush with her parents and sister. “I always feel it pulling me.” The family was introduced to Kenya through her father, Bart Walter. His career as an internationally-acclaimed sculptor brought the family to Africa where he could observe wildlife for his art. Back in the U.S., she helped to raise orphaned hawks, owls, songbirds and bats on her parents’ 20-acre property in Maryland. “Other kids had baby dolls,” says Walter. “I had baby birds.”

Photos taken by Becky Walter while she was studying in Africa and India.

Walter chose Ursinus for its strong liberal arts program. “I thought I would be a hard-core Bio major with photography on the side,” she says. “At Ursinus, I discovered the Environmental Studies major was a better fit for me. I want to spread awareness about the larger picture of conservation and use my photography to get people involved.”

As a sophomore, Walter participated in a semester around the world to study the major biomes and document them through her photography. Students in this unique study abroad program focused on the ways in which different biomes are affected by global warming.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 27

“It was amazing,” says Walter, who photographed whales and their calves in Alaska and elephants in Tanzania. The pace was challenging, the travel rigorous and the accommodations were barebones. But it was all worth the chance to explore some of the world’s most beautiful places, she says. “I was doing photography every day and I realize that’s exactly who I am.” Two biology courses and a writing course were part of the program. Other destinations she explored included Thailand, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Egypt, Turkey, Germany and Norway.

As part of the class, Walter collaborated with Environmental Studies Professor Patrick Hurley to use her photography in an independent study project that examines the themes of globalization and the environment. “Her photos are spectacular,” says Hurley. When Walter was 16, she worked for

Dr. Iain Douglas Hamilton’s organization, Save the Elephants in Kenya, East Africa. And in 2007, the summer before arriving at Ursinus, she studied chimpanzees in Tanzania with conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall. “Becky shows great talent and has terrific potential,” says Dr. Goodall.

Walter swears by her Canon Rebel. “That’s the camera that I really got into photography with after my mom taught me on her old film camera,” says Walter, who is searching for an internship this summer in Africa. “The Rebel was with me all through my internships at Save the Elephants and the chimp sanctuary.” A native of Union Bridge, Md., Walter will exhibit her work in the spring of 2011 at Carol County Community College in Maryland.

See more of her photography on her blog: naduboi.blogspot.com.

- Kathryn Campbell

Photos taken by Becky Walter while she was studying in Africa and India.

PAGE 28 URSINUS MAGAZINE

Life in

Madagascar

(L) Enjoying a rare day off in Madagascar are Amanda Finch, Madeline McEvily, Christian Rice, Assistant Dean for Civic Engagement and Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion (Visiting) at Ursinus and Liam Marston. (R)Children near a cooking pot in Toliara, one of the poorest areas of Madagascar.

E

xtreme poverty is the reality in Madagascar where the average daily income is 75 cents. But Ursinus sophomores, Liam Marston and Madeline McEvily lived in the small African country for five weeks and left inspired. As Bonner Leaders, they and senior, Amanda Finch, lived and worked this summer in Toliara, one of the poorest areas of Madagascar. The group stayed with Ursinus alumna, The Rev. Patricia McGregor 1981 and her husband, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd M Gregor. The McGregors are evangelical missionaries who have been in Madagascar since 1991, with a five-year hiatus in Kenya. This is the second time they have hosted Ursinus students. In 1999, they opened their home to three students who taught English at a local school.

“Our house is in a slum in the center of extreme poverty,” says Todd McGregor, who was consecrated the first bishop of Toliara at St. Laurent’s Anglican Church in Antananarivo, Madagascar in 2006. “Madagascar is called the Forgotten Island or the Lost Island. These are the poorest of the poor.” The students who visit are given an authentic experience in learning how to bridge the gap between cultures and build community, he says. “The poverty here is the single biggest issue,” says Patsy McGregor, who was ordained as a Deacon in 2005 and ordained priest in 2006 by Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi, Anglican Church of Kenya.

“If there is a stress that we feel, it is not being able to fix it. But somehow in the midst of the poverty, we see that there is a joy and peace that comes through the relationships that people have with one another. We’re here to learn from the people of Madagascar, to live with them and to love them.”

The students spent their days teaching English and researching ways in which the country could improve its tourism economy.

Finch 2011 led the Madagascar project, focusing on ESL (English

as a Second Language). Christian Rice, Assistant Dean for Civic Engagement and Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion (Visiting) at Ursinus, accompanied the students on the first half of the visit. Finch says she learned “how beautifully” a community can work together. “We were accepted into an economically poor community which was warm, welcoming and full of rich relationships,” says Finch. “I was immersed in poverty, music, language differences, exotic foods, different sounds, smells, foliage and animals. I was challenged to develop a curriculum to teach English and to live completely outside of my comfort zone. In Madagascar, I discovered my values, beliefs and who I am as a person.”

Marston says the experience helped to renew his drive to follow his dream of working in international development. “The people were so poor, but so inclusive and generous. They showed me the best community I have ever been a part of,” says Marston, a business major from Needham, Massachusetts. Most of their time was spent teaching in Toliara, but they did explore Madagascar’s natural beauty. During a trip to Isalo, a national park, the students visited a resort and learned ways in which workers there were supported through education.

Five weeks and a world away from home was a life changing experience, says McEvily, 19. “I knew going into the trip that as one of the poorest countries in the world, we were going to poverty that is unheard of in the United States. No matter how much you prepare for a trip like this, there is no way that you can be completely ready,” says McEvily, a business major from Interlaken, New Jersey. She was most stirred by the happiness of the people they met. “The way of life and set of values was so different from things we see in the United States.”

- Kathryn Campbell WINTER 2011 PAGE 29

1992

Barbara A. Brungess was recently promoted to Vice President, Corporate and Investor Relations of AmerisourceBergen in Valley Forge, Pa. She is responsible for investor relations and external communications for the company.

1997

Brian Faso is the principal of Miramar High School in Miramar, Fla.

2000

Hadley Ann Schmoyer returned from Moldova where she volunteered as a teacher for Spark the Wave Moldova in which she trained Moldovan youth in leadership and community service skills.

She is now working as a kindergarten associate teacher at the Wilmington Friends School in Wilmington, Del.

2006

Suzanne Marie Smith, D.O., was awarded the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine this past June. She is continuing her medical training at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby, Pa.

2009

Kaitlyn Sutherland was named the new head field hockey coach at Boyertown High School, Pa., this past fall. While at Ursinus, Sutherland was named an all-American in 2006. She was also named All Centennial Conference Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

2010

Amber Berkins was hired as a site coordinator for LIFT-Chicago, Pilsen Office. LIFT is a nonprofit organization that trains college students to work directly with low-income families, offering individuals help in finding employment, housing, public benefits and tax credits, as well as obtaining referrals for services including childcare and healthcare.

Sean H. Hall was the running backs coach at Averett University in Danville, Va. this past fall. Hall also helped with Averett’s strength and conditioning program. He was a four-year letter winner in football and track and field at Ursinus.

Roger Lee was accepted into a dance company for the 2010-11 performance season. He is now a dancer for SHARP Modern Dance Company in Philadelphia. He is currently working towards a Master’s of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University.

BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS 1987

Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Curcio (Denise Sadjian), a daughter, Souleigha, on Dec. 2, 2009.

Emmy Award for Top Chef Producer Gaylen Gawlowski 1996

Gaylen Gawlowski, Vice President of Current Programming at Magical Elves, won an Emmy Award for her work on cable television reality show Top Chef.

“Top Chef has always been considered the underdog in the Reality Competition category because the show is a cable show with a lower budget and viewership than the big network programs we are up against,” says Gawlowski, who walked down the red carpet at the Emmy Awards this summer. “Finding out that we Emmy winner Gawlowski on the red carpet with her husband, Russ. won held special meaning because it showed that our peers in the entertainment industry held the quality of our work in high regard. Hearing Top Chef announced at the Emmys was incredible and surreal. But, getting up on stage with thousands of people staring at you, not to mention the thought of millions watching at home, is absolutely intimidating!”

Gawlowski enjoys the hectic Hollywood pace, but her favorite role is being a mother.

“My most important job is being a mom to my two boys, Noble and Alistair, and wife to my husband, Russ, who is an actor and stay-at-home dad. In the few hours before my husband and I pass out asleep each night, we are working on writing a script for a one-hour comedy pilot.”

- Kathryn Campbell

1997

2000

1998

2002

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Crouse (Angela Lisa), a son, Ryan Joseph, on April 27, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Beisser (Stephanie Sullivan), a daughter, Jordan Marie, on Sept. 27, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Marco Pagnoni (Diane Kuehmstedt), a daughter, Sara Olivia, on April 12, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Stroble (Erin Fitzgerald), a daughter, Anna Lee, on July 9, 2010.

1999

2004

Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Lucas (Erica Heil), a daughter, Ainsley Harper, on Oct. 21, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Brian Swankoski (Julia Campbell), a son, Jack Robert, on June 21, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Block (Christine Kenny, MD), a daughter, Caroline Rose, on Sept. 10, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Russo (Jamie Eissler), a son, Crew James, on July 7, 2010.

Dr. and Mrs. John Sears, a son, Benjamin Jax, on Aug. 30, 2010.

Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Schreiner (Auden Hess), a daughter, Annie, on May 3, 2010.

2007

Mr. and Mrs. Christopher L. Weller, a daughter, Elsie Grace on Sept. 5, 2010.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 31

MARRIAGES & COMMITMENTS 1966

Carolyn (Wolf) Spanier, Ph.D., and Lee Ladwig were married on Oct. 30, 2010.

1999

Melissa Forbes and Christopher Bennett were married on Sept. 3, 2010.

2002

Jillian C. McFadden and Thomas Lockton were married on July 23, 2010.

Katie Sullivan and Robert Jensen were married on Sept. 16, 2010.

2004

Susan Kildea and James Andrew McCrea were married on June 6, 2008.

2005

Caroline Vowler Biswanger and John Steven Bera were married on April 17, 2010.

Erin Obermeier and Eric J. Shipe were married on June 19, 2010.

Eden Swick and Andrew Hade were married on July 31, 2010.

2006

John Steven Bera and Caroline Vowler Biswanger were married on April 17, 2010.

Charles J. Schaffer died on August 31, 1995.

1937

Lillian (French) Thompson died on September 17, 2010.

1939

Eleanor Louise (Rothermel) McGuinness died on July 31, 2010.

1940

Dorothy (Cullen) Mills died on August 26, 2010.

ALUMNI DEATHS

Acquilla “Peg” (Stettenbenz) Muller died on October 9, 2010.

1932

Lois (Taylor) Bardsley died on October 7, 2010.

Elsie (Kerth) Allen died on October 15, 2010.

1935

Frank S. Meade died on October 26, 2008.

Russell S. Fisher died on September 10, 2010.

Steering Youth Toward Science Susan (Scherr) Hoffman 1961

Susan Hoffman had a “problem” that would make anyone envious. In 2005 she had too much money in her bank account. Or, to be more accurate, the Northern Virginia Chapter of Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), a non-profit organization, had too much money. She was its president.

Hoffman sought a philanthropic mission.

Susan Hoffman 1961 A long-time advocate of combining quality education with information technology, she approached people on the information technology side of Fairfax County Virginia School Systems, to see if they had any needs that AFCEA could help fund. “We talked over four proposals that would make the best use of our funding,” Hoffman says. “The one that jumped out was a four-part educational series called, Flight School, a video aiming to teach fourth through eight graders about science and technology through the historical, scientific, and technological aspects of flight.”

PAGE 32 URSINUS MAGAZINE

1936

Hoffman, who works as an associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and technology consulting service firm in McLean, Va., liked the idea of steering kids towards science, math and engineering at an early age. An English major at Ursinus, Hoffman pounced on an opportunity to learn information technology skills at an early stage of her career, and never looked back. “You can’t approach a kid in high school and say ‘You should be an engineer,’” says Hoffman. “It is almost too late by then. Flight School is intended to get kids interested in the sciences sooner rather than later.”

The first episode was sent, free-of-charge, to schools over cable and satellite signals, in the spring of 2007. Then three others followed. The series reached about 16,000 schools nationwide with the potential of reaching 10 million students. “Sue not only secured the funding, but helped us secure a lot of experts in the field to come and talk on camera as well,” says Tracey Jewell, a manager for Fairfax County Public Schools, who oversaw the production of Flight School. “She was so passionate about the project and became a real champion for the series.”

Flight School won numerous awards, including a regional Emmy.

Hoffman won a Heroine in Technology Award presented by Women in Technology and the March of Dimes and she now hopes to find funding for a fifth segment of this series in the near future. For now, if Flight School inspired even one student to pursue a career in science or math, that would be more than enough for Hoffman. “All we have to do is spark an interest in just one kid out there,” she says. “If science and technology are made interesting, kids can see for themselves just how wonderful a career in this field really could be.”

- Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995

Missions of Mercy Floyd Berk 1957

“I had never practiced medicine under these kinds of conditions,” says Floyd Berk about his 2010 humanitarian trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. “We were using the basic tools including an otoscope, a stethoscope, or even just a flashlight, to examine patients and make a diagnosis. There were no laboratories. We couldn’t order X-rays or cultures.”

He traveled to Cambodia with his wife, Romayne, his son, Carl Berk M.D. and other volunteers for Flying Doctors of America, a charitable medical mission. For two weeks, the medical group performed surgeries and provided care to impoverished people living in remote areas of the country. Despite the primitive working conditions, Dr. Berk and his son, who are ear, nose, and throat specialists, performed surgeries on thyroids, adenoids, sinuses, and salivary glands.

When word got out that medical care was available, people traveled over mountains to reach the clinic. In two weeks, the team conducted about 40 surgeries, but still had to turn hundreds of people away. “These people have never had any kind of medical Artist Françoise Gilot with Romayne and Floyd Berk at a small gathering in support of the Berman Museum of Art, 2008.

Floyd Berk and his son, Carl Berk M.D., in Cambodia.

care,” Dr. Berk says. “We were working at their local hospital, but my son brought a whole suitcase of our own sutures. We did the best we could, but we went without some things.” This was Dr. Berk’s second trip with Flying Doctors. The first was in 2009 to the Sacred Valley in Peru. He plans to do another trip in 2011.

This past September, Berk spoke about his experiences in Boston at the Humanitarian Forum of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, a head and neck surgery foundation.

Dr. Berk spent nearly 50 years helping people in the U.S., before becoming involved with Flying Doctors. After graduating from Ursinus, he obtained his medical degree from Temple University.

He had his own ENT practice in Tucson, Ariz. from 1969 until his retirement in 1995. After retiring from his practice, he lectured at the University of Arizona Medical School until 2007. Dr. Berk has four children, and each chose to work in the field of medicine. In addition to Carl, two others are nurses, and one is an MRI technician.

“I always made it clear to them,” Dr. Berk says.

“You go into medicine because you love it, not because of me.” Carl agrees with his dad, but admits the idea of helping people in Cambodia was made more enticing by the opportunity to travel with his father. “Not too many fathers and sons get to go on a trip like this together,” Carl says. “I knew this already, but the trip reminded me what a competent, compassionate and caring doctor my father is. His patients are lucky to have him.”

- Ellen Cosgrove Labrecque 1995

WINTER 2011 PAGE 33

1941

Nicholas Thomas Barry, Jr. died on September 13, 2010.

Richard P. Deitzler died on September 26, 2010.

Joseph Harrison, Jr., M.D. died on October 10, 2010.

1942

Dorothy Louise (Freking) Altman died on June 16, 2009.

1964

John T. Harsch died on November 23, 2010.

1966

1950

Frederick W. Binder died on November 22, 2010.

Thomas F. Swan died on July 31, 2010.

Ralph A. Ritrovato, D.D.S. died October 30, 2010.

William L. Keller died on August 25, 2010.

Julia (Hogg) Hastings died on August 17, 2010.

Richard “Dick” J. Lyttle died on March 7, 2007.

Mary (Richards) Mitchell died on December 31, 2006.

Herbert D. Tucker died on August 12, 2010.

1943

Dr. Homer W. Boysen died on November 5, 2010.

Dr. Reginald J. Raban died on October 9, 2010.

1946 V-12

John S. Adams died on July 1, 1986.

Joseph J. Daley, Jr. died on March 22, 2005.

Richard E. MacDonald died on August 6, 2008.

1947

Joseph A. Bowman died on November 6, 2010.

1948

Reid H. Porter died on August 20, 2010.

1949

Robert L. Schultz died on November 23, 2010.

IN MEMORIAM

Professor of Politics Emeritus F. Donald Zucker, 82, died Nov. 11 in his home. Mr. Zucker was a professor of political science from 1958 to 1987. He was also a musician, composer, and writer.

In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in political science, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in music from Bryn Mawr College; studied at Cherubini National Conservatory Of Music, Florence; and the New School of Music, Philadelphia. He founded and directed the Meeting House Strings Chamber Orchestra; I Concertisti, a baroque quartet and the Delphi Camerata, a madrigal ensemble.

PAGE 34 URSINUS MAGAZINE

1951

William E. Walton died on May 15, 2007.

Robert W. Rieve died on September 26, 2010.

Ralph B. Ziegler died on January 1, 1990.

Frank P. Baskins died on November 21, 2005.

1956

Hildegard Wiencke-Lotz died on July 7, 2010.

Allen S. Mullin died on December 16, 1997.

1967

William L. “Bill” Styer died September 11, 2010.

1969

Glen D. Hay died on July 10, 2010.

1970

Thomas A. Miller died on April 6, 2009.

1971

Joseph P. Turner died on August 14, 2010.

1981

Donald D. Williams died on May 13, 2001.

1984 Eve.

Linda L. Eckert died on July 7, 2008.

1985 Eve.

Janet (Pratt) Kerwien died on August 24, 2008.

Marlene L. (Bauerle) Hall died on October 24, 2010.

1961

1989 Eve.

Deborah (Doyle) Wiesser died on December 29, 2006.

Shirley (Connerton) Seibel died on July 26, 2010.

Doris Marie (Fiehs) Matchett died on October 7, 2010.

1962

Robert E. Bennett died on April 19, 2010.

1963

Roger A. Place, Ed.D. died on August 23, 2010.

Dr. Zucker composed Fantasia on Puer Natus in Bethlehem; Mass for Strings; and Chorale, Prelude, Passacaglia and Fugue on Veni Creator Spiritus; which were performed by the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.

He also wrote many other works including The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, an oratorio performed for the 350th anniversary of the founding of Rhode Island by Roger Williams; and set to music the epic poem Columbus: Dream and Act. He authored two memoirs, I Remember Trieste and I’m Still Here. In addition to his bachelor’s degrees, he earned a master

of arts degree and doctoral degree in political science from Pennsylvania State University.

He received a Fulbright Scholarship for study in Florence, Italy.

Professor of Politics In addition to his Emeritus F. Donald Zucker wife of 46 years, Barbara Martin Zucker, Ursinus Class of 1966, he is survived by his son, F. Andrew, grandchildren and a sister.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Cristina Jordan.

President Emeritus John Robert Strassburger April 6, 1942 – September 22, 2010

President Emeritus John Strassburger

President Emeritus John Robert Strassburger, who served as president for more than 15 years, died Sept. 22, 2010.

An American historian who dedicated his career to liberal education, he was born April 6, 1942, in Sheboygan, Wisc. He spent his childhood in Milwaukee, where he worked summers as a steel worker and machinist, and picked cauliflower.

Dr. Strassburger earned his undergraduate degree from Bates College in 1964; his master’s degree from Cambridge University in 1966 and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1976. Dr. Strassburger also holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Tohoku Gakuin University in Japan. He was inaugurated as the 12th president of Ursinus College in January 1995, and retired this past June 30. Before coming to Ursinus, he was Dean of the College, Professor of History and Executive Vice President at Knox College. He was Acting Assistant Director and

Program Officer of Education Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. Strassburger also served as the Director of the Center for Regional Studies at Hiram College and was a member of the Hiram College History Department from 1970 to 1982. He was also co-director of the Hiram in Dublin program. During his presidency at Ursinus College, summer research fellowships, study abroad and a nationally hailed “Common Intellectual Experience” first-year course have become the College’s hallmarks. The campus was transformed by his commitment to the liberal arts as evidenced by ecological open spaces, new and expanded science facilities, residence halls, The Floy Lewis Bakes Field House, The Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center, the Eleanor F. Snell turf field and a new wing on the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art.

Dr. Strassburger wrote and lectured about architecture, history, and especially the benefits of a liberal arts education. He authored six “Occasional Papers” published at Ursinus College, and numerous editorials and commentaries published in USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

He served as Chair of the Board of the Council of Independent Colleges and on the boards of the American Academic Leadership Institute, the American Council on Education, the President’s Council of Project Pericles and the Lenfest Foundation.

He was married to Gertrude (Trudy) Mackie Strassburger. They are the parents of Sarah (Andy) and Trudy (Ben), and the grandparents of Julian and Stella.

Please see information on The Board Challenge to honor Dr. Strassburger.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 35

For the third straight season, the Ursinus College field hockey team was one of the four teams left in the NCAA tournament as the Bears (20-1) defeated Middlebury in the NCAA quarterfinals. “I have really enjoyed working with this team,” says Laura Moliken, director of athletics and head field hockey coach.

“They take what they do seriously and they love to win. I am so proud of all they have accomplished.

As a coach, it’s great to see them achieve their goal of being able to challenge for a National Championship.”

This was the team’s fifth trip in six years to the Final Four. The Bears were defeated in November by top-ranked Messiah in the semifinals hosted by Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

Homecoming

2010

Big crowds, clear skies and a multitude of athletic events made Homecoming on October 23, 2010 a great success. Alumni and students cheered on Bears Field Hockey, Football, Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s Soccer teams.

Friends new and old gathered at the Biergarten, where live music made the gathering festive and fun. Children played at the “Kindergarten” activity area. Please join us next year for this event that is a wonderful way to stay connected with Ursinus friends.

Career Services

GOING PAPERLESS

The Ursinus College Career Services Office announces a transition from our paper credentials file service to Interfolio, the premier online credential file management service for colleges and universities. This partnership brings the Ursinus community an easy, safe, reliable service, available 24/7. The credential service previously hosted in the Career Services Office has been discontinued as of September 1, 2010.

If you currently have a file with letters of recommendation being stored in the Ursinus College Career Services Office you have the following options available:

You may transfer the contents of your Ursinus College credentials file to Interfolio. In order to begin utilizing Interfolio’s credentials file services, you will need to create your Interfolio account at www.interfolio.com, then complete and return the file transfer form located on the Career Services Web page. We will send your file to Interfolio to be added to your account.

You may close your Ursinus College credentials file and have the contents destroyed. You may send your file to a different institution.

If you are currently in graduate or professional school, you may choose to have Ursinus College send your file to another institution’s credential file office. You will need to make your own arrangements to open a file at your other institution. Please note this does not affect your Ursinus College transcript, which remains available through the Registrar’s office.

Any questions or concerns?

Please contact the Ursinus College Career Services Office at career@ursinus.edu or 610-409-3599.

To learn more about Interfolio, visit their web site at www.interfolio.com WINTER 2011 PAGE 37

Bret Wiest (2009) and Laura Martin were married August 14, 2010.

David Gaft (1998) and Jennifer Hershowitz were married June 27, 2009.

Russell Sarault (2003) and Abbey Smith (2003) were married July 19, 2008.

Caroline (Vowler) Biswanger (2005) and John Steven Bera (2006) were married April 17, 2010.

Barbara Donald (2007) and Zachary Coale (2007) were married November 21, 2009.

Jillian C. McFadden (2002) and Thomas Lockton were married on July 23, 2010.

Erica Maurer (2004) and Joseph McColgan (2000) were married on April 17, 2010.

We welcome news of Ursinus weddings! Please continue to send information and photos to Ursinus Magazine, Bomberger Hall, P.O. Box 1000, Collegeville, PA 19426. Digital photos can be e-mailed to ucmag@ursinus.edu.

Ursinus Magazine 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. A second option for brides and grooms is to send a close-up for the magazine, and a group shot for the Online Community.

Questions can be addressed to the Office of Alumni Relations, 610.409.3585, or by e-mailing ucalumni@ursinus.edu.

PAGE 38 URSINUS MAGAZINE

The Ursinus Board Challenge Ursinus makes great leaders. We admit hopeful, bright students who are filled with potential. The commitment of a liberal arts education transforms them and we graduate dedicated and responsible leaders, critical thinkers and lifelong learners. We can’t do this work without your help. Scholarships are a critical part. That is why the Board of Trustees decided to honor John Strassburger’s leadership with a challenge to the Ursinus family.

The Board has pledged $3 million to inspire and encourage new and increased gifts to the Annual Fund for student scholarships and financial aid.

Accept the Challenge.

Pledge a new or increased gift to the Annual Fund for three years and support our students our future leaders.

Make your gift today.

www.ursinus.edu (Click on Support UC)

WINTER 2011 PAGE 39

PAGE 40 URSINUS MAGAZINE

The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art Celebrates Expansion The Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art hosted a series of brilliant events this fall to celebrate its 20th anniversary and the opening of the new Henry W. ’48 and June Pfeiffer Wing. An Open House welcomed families from the local community to the Museum on October 24. Artist lectures later that week with Karl Kuerner and George Anthonisen offered insights to their work on display in the galleries. Kuerner is a landscape painter whose work celebrates the beauty of the Brandywine region, and Anthonisen is a well-respected sculptor whose work figures prominently in the museum’s new sculpture terrace, named for the Berman Foundation. The Museum also hosted an honorary degree ceremony for Dr. Amy Myers, the director of Yale University Center for British Art, and a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception which formally dedicated the new spaces. Finally, a formal gala on October 29th completed the week of festivities.

The vibrant black-tie gathering defined the beauty and culture that the Berman Museum of Art has added to Ursinus community in its 20 years.

(Bottom, L to R) George & Ellen Anthonisen with daughter, Rachael, and son, Daniel. Lisa Tremper Hanover and Hank Pfeiffer. Joan and Don Parlee with Nancy and Bill Conger. Nancy Berman, Rebecca Bloch Gold, Adam Gold, Max Bloch-Kiss.

WINTER 2011 PAGE 41

URSINUS

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

LANDSDALE, PA PERMIT NO.267

MAGAZINE

PO Box 1000 Collegeville, PA 19426-1000 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Save the Date!

Alumni Academy & Reunions Weekend

June 3-5, 2011