W&J Magazine Summer 2018

SUMMER 2018

Washington C O L L E G E

Jefferson M A G A Z I N E

Exhibiting Excellence W&J students hit it out of the park with exhibit for Flight 93 National Memorial

Washington & Jefferson College Magazine SUMMER 2018 Editor SARAH DUDIK

Editorial Assistant TORY IRWIN

Contributors ERIN FAULK JONES ’08 SEAN KING KERRI DIGIOVANNI LACOCK ’09 KAYLA MADDEN

Designer JEFF VANIK, VANIK DESIGN LLC

Photographers ELLIOTT CRAMER MARTIN SANTEK

Printer FREEPORT PRESS

W&J Magazine, published twice a year by the Office of Communications, showcases alumni and campus news of interest to more than 20,000 alumni and friends of the College.

We want to hear from you Know of a good story we should tell? Need additional copies or back issues? Want to tell us what you thought of this magazine?

Email wjmag@washjeff.edu or send a letter to: Editor, W&J Magazine Office of Communications Washington & Jefferson College 60 S. Lincoln Street Washington, PA 15301 If your contact information has changed, please let us know at alumni@washjeff.edu.

W&J's 219th Commencement was held in the James David Ross Family Recreation Center for the first time, allowing for improved conditions for graduates and guests despite the weather.

ON THE COVER: NPS Regional Superintendent Stephen Clark, Assistant Professor David Kieran, Ph.D., and the History 410 class with a Flight 93 commemorative flag.

Washington C O L L E G E

Jefferson M A G A Z I N E

SUMMER 2018

W&J IN EVERY ISSUE

Presidential 1 Perspectives 2 News

W&J Women in STEM Researchers partner with USDA Forest Service

23 Sports

Why W&J was the right choice

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The recent revival of the Pittsburgh area means a world of opportunities for W&J alumni.

W&J FEATURES

7 9 13

27 Alumni

Join us for Homecoming 2018!

Class of 1968 reunites

32 Class Notes

First-Hand History Freshman travel to Europe for immersive Holocaust education

Exhibiting Excellence History students hit it out of the park with exhibit for Flight 93 National Memorial

Above & Beyond Young alumni explore their passions and find ways to create change

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PRESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVES Dear W&J Alumni and Friends, While chatting with a new freshman at a recent chips-and-salsa gathering on my front porch, I asked, “How many colleges did you consider before deciding on W&J?” “I applied to 30 and was accepted at 24,” she said. “I visited 12 colleges and universities, but W&J was the place I felt most at home.”

The “College Search” has become a rite of passage for many families, so it didn’t surprise me to hear of her extensive travels. Applying to numerous institutions has become increasingly common as competition for students has intensified over the last decade because the number of American 18-year-olds has steadily declined as a result of lower past birth rates.

Dr. Knapp talks with students during a chips and salsa reception held at the President's House It was also no surprise that a visit to during the first week of classes. our campus helped make up her mind.

We know from experience that getting to know our terrific faculty, staff and students is the deciding factor for many prospective students. Yet Meeting so many of our graduates allows me to say confidently it is often the encouragement of a W&J alumnus that prompts to prospective students and their families that a degree from a visit in the first place. A word from an enthusiastic graduate Washington & Jefferson College is a lifetime membership in a elevates our college among the many options considered by the family of 14,000 living alumni who are eager to help our students excellent students we attract. find internships and jobs, and who continue to support each other throughout life’s journey.

I am pleased that some of our alumni even support our efforts by greeting and speaking with visiting families. In the article that Today we are engaged in a collaborative strategic planning begins on page 13, you will read about four of our young graduates process to envision the W&J of tomorrow. Thanks to the steadfast who recently joined me in a panel presentation for dozens of high support generations of alumni, we look to the future with school seniors and juniors. They shared how their W&J education confidence that Washington & Jefferson College will always be prepared them for early success in their careers and offered helpful known for an education of the highest quality and relevance in our advice on how to navigate college life. fast-changing world.

Kelly and I have enjoyed the privilege of getting to know countless W&J alumni over the last year. We’ve taken part in more than 20 events in cities from coast to coast – gatherings where members of graduating classes spanning five or more decades are often present.

We are impressed by our graduates’ abiding loyalty to their alma mater and are inspired by their stories of how their W&J experience prepared them for successful lives and careers.

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With my gratitude,

John C. Knapp, Ph.D. President and Professor

NEWS

commencement 2018 Throughout their time at W&J, the Class of 2018 challenged themselves both academically and professionally. They presented their work at national and international conferences and earned impressive scholarships. Now they are ready to take these experiences and apply the knowledge they gained at W&J to prestigious graduate programs, jobs, and internships after graduating May 19, 2018.

This was the first year the ceremony was held in the climate-controlled James David Ross Family Recreation Center. W&J President John C. Knapp, Ph.D., wished the 307 graduates the best as they prepared to depart from the College during the Commencement ceremony.

Dennis Blackwell '18 and Zach Walker '18

“Very shortly you will join the ranks of W&J alumni – a network of thousands who are proud to share an uncommon bond. They will embrace and support you as one of their own as you find that love for this college burns bright around the world and across many generations,” Dr. Knapp said.

Are you a new alumnus/a who is looking to get involved?

Visit jayconnected.com to see how to connect with your alma mater.

Marlon Brown '18

Ashton Grimm '18 and Keesha Lockette '18

Pulitzer Prize winning writer George Anders and peace builder and professor Mary Montague with members of the platform party

The Class of 2018 processes across Beau Street from Old Main

Minh Le '18 celebrates with members of her family

Dr. Knapp smiles as he exits the recreation center after the ceremony

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NEWS

W&J researchers partner with USDA Forest Service There are 308 million ash trees in the forests of Pennsylvania, and one invasive insect poses a threat to all of them. In the Allegheny National Forest in northwest Pennsylvania, a team of scientists and foresters is working together to monitor the health of ash trees—with the help of researchers from W&J. The goal is to blunt the effects of emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive beetle from Asia that has killed hundreds of millions of trees across the eastern United States and Canada.

A new grant of nearly $16,000 from the USDA Forest Service’s State and Private Forestry branch is allowing for an expanded ash monitoring effort as well as an expanded team. In May, W&J joined the monitoring effort and will help establish how the spread of EAB is affecting the health of ash trees in the Allegheny National Forest.

“We are excited to partner with research scientists at the USDA Forest Service to better understand the spread and impact of EAB on the forests in eastern North America,” said Associate Professor of Biology Jason Kilgore, Ph.D. “This will also give Washington & Jefferson College undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in meaningful research and collaborative work.”

“This unique collaboration among research, the Allegheny National Forest, and Washington & Jefferson College has the potential to help land managers in every state with emerald ash borer,” said Northern Research Station Research Ecologist Kathleen Knight. “Ultimately, the knowledge we gain from this project will help forest managers and policy makers plan for, reduce, and mitigate the ecosystem impacts of EAB.”

Dawlton Nelson ’21, environmental studies major, works with USDA Forest Service technicians to measure the diameter and assess the canopy condition of ash trees to evaluate the effects of emerald ash borer.

Softball team “adopts” Florida classroom W&J’s softball team prepared for spring break by “adopting” a second-grade class in Clermont, Florida.

Coach Marissa Rush was approached by a representative from the PFX Games, a tournament held in Clermont, where the team played during spring break. The representative asked Rush if the players would be willing to write letters and send a few small gifts to the kids, many of whom don't have a lot. The team took the project a step further, with each player sending a gift for a specific student, many of which were personalized for the child receiving it.

Taylor Andres ’19, a communication arts major with an emphasis in public relations, made a painting of a letter “H” in a dirt biking design after she learned her second grader, Hunter, was interested in the sport.

“Being able to write a little note to these kids and brighten their day with a gift was something I was proud to be a part of,” 3

SUMMER 2018 MAGAZINE

Andres said. “I also think it's a great thing to give kids something to look forward to in the classroom. Education is so important for children and sometimes a simple activity like this can be enough to get them excited about going to school.”

The class adoption gave the team an opportunity to represent the College to young children, show them what it means to be an athlete at W&J, and encourage them to pursue their dreams.

2018 graduates selected to teach in Europe W&J alumni Kayla Conforti ’18, Michaela Culley ’18, and Victoria Healy ’18 are traveling to Europe to teach during the 2018-19 school year through programs affiliated with the U.S. Fulbright program.

“W&J students tend to be well qualified for these awards. Our students’ recent track record of winning Fulbrights reinforces that everything we are trying to do at the College— facilitate the development of well-informed, global citizens with uncommon integrity— is working,” said Assistant Professor of Russian and Fulbright Program Advisor Susan Vdovichenko, Ph.D. The students were selected for the following programs: • Conforti earned a teaching assistantship through the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). She will travel to Brittany, France, to teach English at L'Académie de Rennes.

• Culley accepted a position from Fulbright Austria as a United States Teaching Assistant.

She will be teaching English at a high school level in Innsbruck, Austria.

• Healy was selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Bavaria, Germany.

W&J’s ties to the Fulbright program are a staple of the College. Earlier this year, W&J was named a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars and Students by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

This summer, 30 German students stayed on campus for a three-week Fulbright education program. This is the second year W&J has hosted German students. The College is one of only two institutions in the nation that host these groups.

Professor receives award for composition Assistant Professor of Music Kyle Simpson received an honorable mention from The American Prize in Composition, 2017-18, in the student orchestra division for his work, “On the Road Suite.” Simpson’s piece features text by author Jack Kerouac set to original music.

“I was traveling across the country with my wife and we were listening to the audio-book of On the Road as read by actor Matt Dillon. The words and imagery painted such a vibrant and distinct picture of late 1940's America. I kept thinking of how this adventure could be represented in musical terms,” Simpson said.

Community Outreach makes a difference in Washington Presidents are known for finding ways for ways to improve their community.

Each year several W&J students are chosen to serve on the Community Outreach Team, an initiative based in the Office of Community Engagement that puts students in internships and similar experiences with community service organizations throughout Washington. In the 2017-18 school year, 19 students partnered with 18 organizations in a variety of areas and acted as program coordinators with these agencies, performing tasks including volunteer recruitment, educational program development or facilitation, and media and communication support.

Hannah Cristofano ’19 spent the year working with Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania and has developed a passion for legal advocacy and serving the community.

“I think it’s important for us to be involved in the community because it gives a different perspective to students about what actually goes on when we step outside the campus bubble,” Hannah said. “The community gives so much back to us; there’s no reason why we can’t all be involved to make Washington a better place.”

The suite of music focuses on specific moments from Kerouac’s novel, and tries to form a smaller narrative from it. Simpson found inspiration from some of his favorite artists from the 1940s, including Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copeland, and Duke Ellington, incorporating sounds from the era in his composition and coupling it with narration from acclaimed local jazz vocalist Patrick Arena.

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NEWS

W&J Women in

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers were historically considered a boys' club. Today, an increasing number of women are making an impact in the field - including on campus.

W&J's Women in STEM online interview series put our professors in the spotlight. The full interviews can be seen at wjmagazine.org.

With the support of the outstanding faculty, W&J students also are seeing success in the STEM fields, pursuing research opportunities, presenting at national conferences, earning fellowships, and going on to Ph.D. studies.

HOW DID YOU BECOME INTERESTED/ INVOLVED IN YOUR FIELD OF STUDY?

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO TEACH OTHERS ABOUT YOUR FIELD?

Associate Professor of Mathematics Faun Doherty, Ph.D.: My parents are both teachers of mathematics. They were able to teach in different countries as I was growing up since math is pretty much a universal language. I wanted to do the same. I was only planning to get a master’s degree, and pursue a doctorate in something else but I did well, and enjoyed it.

Associate Professor of Chemistry Jennifer Logan Bayline, Ph.D.: I enjoy the challenge of chemistry. It always felt like a puzzle to me, one that I could solve by mastering the rules and applying logic.

I liked that I could reason out “an answer.”

I also love all the different aspects of teaching chemistry—from lecturing, to lab work, to mentoring students one-on-one in independent research. The job never gets old. I enjoy seeing the moment when a student solves a problem on their own or collects beautiful data and realizes, “Yes, I, too, can do this.”

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Deborah Polvani, Ph.D.: My tenth grade chemistry teacher, Mrs. Russell, first sparked my interest in chemistry. She was a fantastic teacher who made chemistry fun and exciting. Ever since I had this class in high school, I knew I wanted to pursue chemistry in college and as a career. She prepared me very well for my college major in chemistry.

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Professor of Mathematics Jennifer Kline, Ph.D.: My dad was a college professor so I knew what that life was like, and then as an undergraduate I had too many teachers who weren’t able to communicate mathematics

in a way I thought was effective. I learned how to teach myself, and I remember thinking about my (all male) teachers, “Guys, this isn’t that hard. Can’t you see there’s a better way to explain this?” So I knew teaching math at a college level was something where I could make an impact.

Associate Professor of Biology Kelly Weixel, Ph.D.: I love science. I want others to be fascinated by the world around them and find a way to ask questions about it.

Teaching gives me the opportunity to inspire others to be careful observers. Even if they do not become scientists themselves, I want them to value scientific exploration.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR YOUNG WOMEN INTERESTED IN STEM STUDIES? Professor of Biology Alice Grier Lee, Ph.D.: Expect to work hard, be who you are, be sure to love what you do or find something else, and infuse passion into your work every day. Keep being surprised and delighted by learning and discovery.

Professor of Computing and Information Studies Amanda Holland-Minkley, Ph.D.: Don’t be afraid to try things out and fail a little bit. If you are only taking on challenges you know you can master, you’re holding yourself back.

Ultimately, the things you can do are more important than the grades you earn.

W&J alumna improves method for detecting cervical cancer

Anne Abbruzzese Hurley ’75 is credited with revolutionizing women’s healthcare for co-inventing ThinPrep®, a liquid-based cytology method of preparing and viewing gynecological specimens for examination, in the early 1990s.

Hurley worked for a variety of medical research companies, including Johnson & Johnson and Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems (BDIS). After leaving BDIS, she and two peers started Cytyc Corporation and began the process to improve cervical cancer detection. It was during that time that the ThinPrep® method was created. Today, ThinPrep® is the most widely used Pap test in the United States.

“Not many people – even those of us in the field – get to partake in ground-breaking science. There are so many constraints, even in an academic setting. But at Cytyc, we were able to do so, and we were the ones asking the questions,” said Hurley.

“That was really gratifying as a scientist and pathologist. And of course, we increased the early detection of cancer and are saving lives. What more could we ask for?”

Prior to ThinPrep®, many efforts were made to enhance the sensitivity and specificity of the Papanicolaou (Pap

‘‘’’

Early on, my profession was male-dominated. I just kept pushing all the boundaries. I was not okay with not being at the top of my field just because there were no women before me.

— ANNE ABBRUZZESE HURLEY

smear) in order to increase the detection of cervical cancer. From Hurley’s research and development, liquid-based gynecology has evolved – outperforming conventional Pap tests thanks to improved fixation, decreased obscuring factors, and standardization of cell transfer.

Hurley has written more than 50 scientific and technical publications and has three patents for the ThinPrep® Pap test including The ThinPrep® Processor, The ThinPrep® Methodology, and ThinPrep® PreserveCyt® Solution.

She earned her bachelor’s degree at W&J in biochemistry with a minor in philosophy. She also holds master’s degrees in immunology from the University of Pittsburgh and in medical education from

the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Hurley completed her postdoctoral education in analytical cytology at Harvard Medical School.

Hurley was part of one of the first classes of women to graduate from W&J. She had a similar experience as one of the only women in the science field she entered after graduation.

“Early on, my profession was male-dominated,” said Hurley. “I just kept pushing all the boundaries. I was not okay with not being at the top of my field just because there were no women before me.”

Hurley is a certified clinical research professional and is considered an expert in the ethics of medicine and the law of clinical trials. She currently serves as a medical officer / policy analyst for the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), where she combines her knowledge of cytology and regulatory governance to set up new policies within an ethics framework.

To learn more about Hurley’s career and accomplishments, visit jayconnected.com/hurley.

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Freshmen journey to Germany and Poland for immersive Holocaust education W&J is known for offering its students unique opportunities to travel. Sixteen freshmen had the chance to take advantage of one of these trips before the end of their first year on campus.

Students in the German Film Course, taught

by Michael Shaughnessy, Ph.D., traveled to Germany and Poland, which included a trip to the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp to witness what they’d studied in the classroom. They examined how Germans deal with their complex history through the study of memorials, museums, and centers dedicated to the study of the Holocaust.

“We wanted to get students abroad in their first year and let them have that international experience so they can then share their experience with others throughout their college education,” Shaughnessy said. “Taking students from a classroom setting and getting them in an international setting to apply what they’re learning is a really incredible thing W&J is doing.”

Getting out into the field was an important opportunity for the students, who were all nominated by their advisors and W&J professors to take the special topic course.

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Visiting sites they had only ever read about or seen in films altered the way they understand the history surrounding World War II and the Holocaust.

Gaining that understanding came from a comprehensive study of artifacts in Munich, Germany, and Krakow, Poland. The students discovered new names in history they hadn’t discussed before, met with citizens of each country to hear their perspectives, and even learned more about their own personal histories. One such student, history major Samantha Kramer ’21, has relatives who were held at Auschwitz and other concentration camps.

“It was really hard for me to go there, but it was also very important for me. It was the first time anyone in my immediate family had gone there,” she said. “It was almost a spiritual experience for me to connect with that part of my family history and to be able to go there and realize the truth of what happened.”

Students only had to pay $300 in travel costs thanks to alumni gifts that helped make the trip affordable for a wide range of students.

Students pose on a stone bridge dating from the 12th century outside of Regensburg, Germany.

“The fact that I was able to go to Germany for only $300 and experience these things that are so ingrained into my own family history was life-changing,” Kramer said.

One source of support for the trip was the Swick Fund, established by John Swick ’47, a generous W&J donor with a passion for international travel. He created the fund to encourage students to see the world. Swick had never left Pennsylvania before serving in the Marines in World War II, but went on to visit 108 countries in his lifetime. Though he passed away in 2015, Swick's mission

to broaden the minds of students through travel continues.

“Alumni support of study abroad is the primary reason why so many students are able to travel,” Shaughnessy said. “The generosity and vision of alumni like John Swick has improved how we teach at W&J by providing the students with first-hand, real-world experiences that make them stand out among their peers.”

These experiences that take students out of the classroom and away from what they are familiar with allow them to gain a global perspective that will benefit them both in their time as students and as they move beyond W&J. “Going abroad is something that really does change your life. It takes you out of the small world that a lot of students live in today and it opens the world up for you,” said Ty Bedillion ’21, who is on the 3-2 engineering major track. “You’re not just thinking about Washington, Pennsylvania, anymore when things happen—it’s the entire world.”

Portraits of Holocaust victims are displayed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Oświęcim, Poland.

The Remah Synagogue in Kraków, Poland, was completed in 1557. It was sequestered during the Holocaust, but the building survived and has since been restored.

Students with professors Michael and Christy Shaugnessy in the Kazimierz district of Kraków, Poland. The district was the historic Jewish quarter of the city before World War II and has experienced a recent resurgence in its Jewish population and culture.

Through a variety of tours and discussions, students worked with experts from the Auschwitz Jewish Center to learn about historical and contemporary Jewish life in Poland.

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FEATURE

Exhibiting Excellence W&J students hit it out of the park with exhibit for Flight 93 National Memorial

One of the showcase items in the exhibit was the signed ball that former President George W. Bush used to throw out the first pitch in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series. The item was on loan from Bush's personal collection.

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Caroline Delulius '19 walks guests through the exhibit at its opening.

C

reating a museum exhibit for a national audience isn’t

something most undergraduates have the opportunity to

do, but nine W&J history students had that chance last spring and

attended the debut of their exhibit, “Down but not Out: Baseball after September 11, 2001,” at the Flight 93 National Memorial in April 2018.

A visit years earlier to the Flight 93 National Memorial started a conversation between Assistant Professor of History David Kieran, Ph.D., and National Park Service (NPS) Regional Superintendent Stephen Clark.

The idea of a student-driven presentation sparked both of their imaginations, and they started to think about how to structure a class to make it meaningful for students and to meet the exhibit standards at the site.

Experiential learning adds value to a standard college education. It takes students and professors out of their traditional roles in the classroom environment and places them in a situation where learning is achieved by doing. While deadlines and grades are important in every class, when students work in real-world environments the budgets are limited, their partners are professionals outside of the academic environment, and the audience is the public. During the spring semester, Kieran’s History 410 students faced the challenges of coming together with their classmates, getting creative, and finding solutions to these problems while balancing academic responsibilities.

The idea for the project began when students in Kieran’s 9/11 and the War on Terrorism class visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in the fall of 2016. After the tour, they discussed the topics of their research papers with Clark, the superintendent of the five NPS units of Western Pennsylvania.

Abby Cunningham ’17 captured Clark’s

attention when she mentioned that she was investigating the connection between 9/11 and baseball. As a former baseball player, Clark started thinking about an exhibit on the subject and reached out to Kieran to see how W&J could be involved.

“The National Park Service is a world-renowned organization. We have high standards,” Clark said. In terms of creating an exhibit that fits with the tone of the memorial, Clark said, “it has to be respectful, and it has to have a nexus to this story.”

Clark and Kieran began to talk about how to structure a student-led class to provide an exhibit for the site. Those discussions led to the development of the History 410 Museum Exhibit Class, where nine motivated students had just under four months to create a museum-quality exhibit from scratch.

Students began the class by developing the syllabus and grading scale. Instead of handing them a set of directions, Kieran supported the students in creating their own road map.

“The experience of completely taking charge of the course as a class, rather than a professor-led course, was something none of us had undertaken,” Shannon Boehm ’19 said.

“Our students learn best when they are solving a real-world problem and having an impact on the community,” Kieran said. “When they tackle and solve those problems in their coursework, they

NPS Regional Superintendent Stephen Clark, Assistant Professor David Kieran, Ph.D., and the nine members of the History 410 class with the Flight 93 commemorative flag Clark presented to the class.

leave college prepared to take on what they will inevitably confront in their professional lives and as citizens engaged in civil discourse - complicated problems that resist simple solutions. They can be confident that they can do so, because they already have.”

Faced with real-world deadlines and logistics, the students began outlining the project. This involved figuring out how to work as a team, determining how their skill sets fit in with the rest of the group, adhering to style guides and budgets set by the NPS, learning the process of exhibit design, working with vendors to produce displays, and reaching out to large professional organizations across the country.

Some of the organizations the students worked with are household names, like Major League Baseball, the Pittsburgh WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE

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Caden Meier '19, Liam Casey '19, Cameron Lumley '19, Jonathan Cadez '19, and Harley Moyer '19 pose with prop baseballs from the exhibit.

Pirates, Louisville Slugger, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giulianni, and the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

“W&J creates critical thinkers who are adept at multidisciplinary thinking through a careful intersection of class structure and extracurricular opportunities,” Harley Moyer ’19 said. “We are able to jump from logistics issues, to communication with professional contacts, to theoretical research very quickly because all of us are able to think in a very holistic, liberal arts-minded way.”

Working backwards from the exhibit’s opening day of May 5, the students set out to determine what was important for the public to know about baseball’s role in helping Americans respond to national tragedy and war. The class divided into three groups, each of which focused on an era of baseball history: the colonial period through World War I; World War I through the year 2000; and from 2000 to the present.

The challenge of presenting their work in such a public way was a unique one. The exhibit needed to explain the connection between sports and national identity as well as resonate with visitors of all ages. They also had to quickly determine which objects they would try to acquire for the exhibit so that they could get them on site in time.

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The members of the class took the task seriously. On average, they put in around 100 to 120 hours on the project outside of the scheduled class hours. The work yielded results; they found that both the NPS and their professional contacts across the country respected their work and were willing partners.

“We were amazed that these organizations took us very seriously and were willing to work with us,” Katie Prinkey ’19 said.

Some of the big-ticket objects displayed in the exhibit included the World Series jacket Giuliani wore to a game and the signed ball that former President George W. Bush used to throw out the first pitch in Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, less than one month after the 9/11 attacks.

Getting the signed baseball was a home run for the team. The one-of-a-kind object was the most valuable object in the exhibit, requiring special transportation as well as additional security on site. While negotiating the logistics had a few hurdles, the students and the NPS were able to work out terms so that the ball could be part of the display.

With the items secured, the research done, the script complete, and the posters printed, the class was ready to go on site

Clark and Katie Prinkey '19 review their talking points before the press conference at the exhibit opening.

and take the final steps towards making their class project a real exhibit. In addition to the displays and objects, the exhibit included an interactive area where visitors could try their hand at throwing out the first pitch.

“This project was a lot to take on, but the nine of us and Dr. Kieran were all able to overcome any obstacles and differences to create something we are proud of,” Boehm said.

“The [students] not only hit a home run, but they hit a grand slam with bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th,” Clark said.

“This was an exhibit that could have been fabricated by professionals.”

Seeing their work open to the public on May 5 meant that the hours of work they had put in were at an end and their project was complete.

“The day the exhibit opened we all breathed a sigh of relief,” Boehm said. “It was a pleasure to see all our hard work pay off and to see it finally become a reality and not just a series of goals we had met.”

Down but not Out: Baseball after September 11, 2001, was displayed in the learning center at the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pa., from May 5 to July 8, 2018. Pieces of the exhibit have been moved into the archives at the site where they will be held in perpetuity.

Assistant Professor David Kieran addresses the audience at the exhibit opening.

Family and friends who attended the ceremony were impressed with the scope of the final project, but later in the day the impact of their work settled in on the students who stayed to see the exhibit open to the public.

“When I saw people walking through, I knew that those 120 hours were worth it,” Prinkey said.

Seeing a father pick his child up to see an object in the exhibit case and talk about it started to reveal to the students the exhibit’s significance to unknown numbers of future visitors.

“That really resonated with me, the idea that he was using what we had researched and learned to teach his kid. That’s the moment that it really went beyond a school project,” Moyer said.

As Prinkey points out, she and her classmates were four or five years old when the attacks happened. Future generations of students will have little or no memory of these events. What they do know will come from resources like the ones these students have researched and created.

Clark said he has heard nothing but positive feedback from his staff and from the thousands who have passed through.

The media attention given to “Down but not Out” drew in visitors, both to the memorial and to the exhibit itself. It was even mentioned on Fox News in a segment on “The Five” with Dana Perino.

While Dr. Kieran, Stephen Clark, other collaborators, and the students themselves were all impressed with the final results, one visitor in particular was struck by the quality of the exhibit and the caliber of the students and professor working on it.

The exhibit gave an overview of the history of baseball in America from the colonial period through the present.

Abby Cunningham, the student whose paper initially inspired the collaboration, received an invitation to the opening from the class and was present at the event in May. “I was in awe when I saw all of the work they put into it; those students did a remarkable job of bringing it to life,” she said. “I knew those students and Dr. Kieran would do a great job with this exhibit, but they definitely exceeded my expectations.

It’s truly humbling to play even the smallest role in such a prestigious memorial.”

Cameron Lumley '19 arranges artifacts in an exhibit case.

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Above Beyond These four W&J young alumni are making a difference in the Pittsburgh area and beyond. Find out how they are reaping the benefits of a liberal arts education and succeeding in their careers, while still finding time to give back to their alma mater.

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Matthew Rudzki Many W&J alumni go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities, and Matthew Rudzki ’08 is no exception.

He started his first term as an elected official in his hometown at age 24, before he graduated from Duquesne University School of Law. Rudzki now serves as the mayor of his hometown of Sharpsburg, Pa., and is one of the youngest mayors in the Pittsburgh area.

He was elected in 2017 after serving on the Borough Council from 2011 until sworn in as mayor in January 2018, where he estimates there was at least a 30-year age gap between him and his fellow councilmembers.

Rudzki grew up in Sharpsburg with a strong sense of community. His father, Leo Rudzki Jr., retired as the police chief after 41 years with the Sharpsburg Police Department. His grandfather, Leo Rudzki Sr., served on the Borough Council for more than 20 years.

“I love my community and I love giving back to my community,” Rudzki said.

“Sharpsburg has shaped me and my family.”

Rudzki’s desire to stay close to home led the history and German double major to

W&J, but a chance encounter freshman year also led him to spend time abroad.

After performing well on the German entrance exam, Professor of Modern Languages Mike Shaugnessy, Ph.D., placed Rudzki in a 200-level German class his freshman year. While Rudzki had intended to take German eventually, Shaugnessy’s early involvement led Rudzki to choose a German major and spend a semester in Cologne.

Rudzki is grateful for his Freshman Forum advisor Professor of Computing and Information Studies Charles Hannon, Ph.D., and to Shaugnessy for taking an interest and making time to seek him out.

“It’s the one-on-one contact you might not get at a bigger school,” Rudzki said. “It was a life-changing moment.”

During his senior year, Rudzki applied to law schools and to a Fulbright fellowship in Austria with encouragement from Joseph Moser, Ph.D., an assistant professor who taught German at W&J from 2002-2012.

He was accepted to both, and deferred law school for a year to have another chance to gain valuable experiences abroad.

He spent another three summers in Europe while in law school, returning to Cologne and traveling while establishing a continental study of European law while working for one of his professors.

In addition to his European travels, Rudzki also took part in an intersession trip with Professor of Political Science Buba Misawa, Ph.D., to Senegal and The Gambia.

While he enjoyed his time abroad, his heart never strayed far from his hometown.

International travel helped shape his world view, but it also reminded him of his goals to improve his own community.

“It makes you aware of how other people live and of your surroundings at home,” Rudzki said. “You can apply the ideas and concepts that work well elsewhere in most communities.”

He now resides in Sharpsburg with his wife, Bridget, and is working to make the Borough a place that the couple, as well as a new generation of residents, can enjoy for years to come.

Bridget moved to Pittsburgh from Ohio in 2011 and works as a nurse practitioner at

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feasibility study. He emphasizes a community-oriented policing style within the Borough and hosts Coffee with a Cop events for residents.

Recently, he helped guide the town through two devastating floods in a three-day span by coordinating with first-responders and public works departments throughout the region and using social media to keep residents informed.

UPMC Shadyside Hospital. She initially had mixed feelings about Sharpsburg which, like much of Pittsburgh, stagnated after the closing of mills in the 1970s and 1980s.

But over the last few years, Sharpsburg has benefited from an influx of new businesses downtown, its proximity to the thriving Lawrenceville area, a riverfront location in a good school district, and - at least for now - its affordability. She now enjoys seeing the evolution and adding her thoughts to the conversations about development.

While grabbing a beer at Dancing Gnome Brewery in downtown Sharpsburg, Rudzki chats with the owner about the mural being painted on the exterior of the building, exchanges pleasantries with a few of the local personalities, and catches up with his former elementary school teacher, who owns an art gallery and community gathering space down the street. He enjoys the daily interactions with people he has known all of his life, but Rudzki is also pleasantly surprised at the amount of people he doesn’t know who are appearing with increasing frequency in the town of 3,500.

“Three years ago, only a dedicated few believed this was possible,” Rudzki said of the increase in new businesses and new residents.

Dancing Gnome was one of the first businesses to move into downtown three years ago. As the brewery’s reputation grows, it continues to attract outsiders to the streets of Sharpsburg. Hitchhiker Brewery, just a few blocks away, has its own growing reputation that also compels visitors to get off at the Sharpsburg exit on PA 28.

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Grants at the local, state, and federal levels of more than $6.5 million since 2016 have allowed for many other improvements in the Borough. These include a library renovation, updates to the riverfront park, creating a gateway portal for the town, property acquisition, and the reduction of blighted properties from 200 to less than 20.

Rudzki also collaborates with three other millennial mayors from Southwestern Pennsylvania. The group shares ideas on governance, hosts events together, encourages and endorses other young political candidates, and uses their voices to effect change at the local, state, and federal levels.

“It gives people a sense of pride and a sense of place and draws visitors,” Rudzki said of the new gateway portal and additional revitalization. While this attracts younger residents, he notes that “the lifetime residents are buying into it and embracing the town it was before.”

Rudzki’s passion for the place that molded him and his family are what drive him, and what prompted his election.

In his last year as a Councilman, Rudzki introduced legislation that was passed

by Council to set a target for Sharpsburg to become a Sustainable Pennsylvania Platinum Certified Community. To earn this distinction, communities in Pennsylvania must adopt further policies and practices to save money, conserve resources, and protect the environment. He also introduced resolutions creating the Sharpsburg Environmental Advisory Council and Historical Commission, and supported a Complete Streets bill in order to make Sharpsburg a more pedestrian-friendly community. For these initiatives, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development awarded Rudzki the Governor's Award for Local Government Excellence earlier this year at the Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg.

Since becoming mayor, Rudzki has spearheaded talks between neighboring communities that led to four municipalities entering into an agreement with the state to undergo a police regionalization

“Residents were looking for a fresh face and a fresh approach to old problems,” he said. “They saw how committed I was to the community.”

Rudzki balances his mayoral duties as an attorney at Giuffre Law Office in Aspinwall, Pa., where he has been working full-time since he graduated from law school and passed the bar exam in 2013.

“It’s like he has two full-time jobs,” Bridget said about her husband.

Even while walking down the street, Rudzki remains alert to see if he recognizes anyone and keeps an eye out for any new developments. As he stops to remove a piece of trash from the sidewalk, his level of dedication to making Sharpsburg a better place is apparent.

Whether it’s the addition of solar panels on the library, a new streetscape on Main Street, or a new coffee shop or winery, Rudzki is enthusiastic to discuss any topics related to the 23 blocks that comprise his Borough.

“Sharpsburg has always been my home and will always be my home,” Rudzki said.

her psychology major to go into social work. While in graduate school, she began to integrate her history into her goals, and started advocacy work.

“I started [advocacy work] when I was in graduate school because there were some things that needed to change. I realized that my own experiences were valuable in that it was important for me to start speaking up so I can help people currently going through similar situations,” she said.

After graduation, Biddle became a licensed clinical social worker, doing outpatient therapy, a role she filled for five years while also balancing her volunteer advocacy work. At the beginning of July, she transitioned into a job supervising foster care caseworkers and in-home therapists at a kinship foster care agency.

Nico’Lee Rohac Biddle After Nico’Lee Rohac Biddle ’12 had first-hand experience with the challenges of being part of the foster care system in the United States, she became determined to fix it.

As she recounted in a recent article she wrote for Teen Vogue, Biddle was removed from her home at age 14.

“By all outward appearances, I grew up in a “normal” American family. My dad worked in construction and my mom was a registered nurse. We had a four-bedroom house, a large yard, and a dog. I was a cheerleader with straight-A grades in school. But my family also had problems— our worst being that both of my parents were addicted to heroin,” she wrote in the Teen Vogue article, titled “How Prevention Services Could Help Youth Avoid the Foster Care System.”

“My experience with foster care began one Thanksgiving when I was 14 years old, when I went to court with my parents after my sister had a fight with my mom and left the house. The judge told my parents that if they didn’t comply with

random drug screenings, they would remove me from their care—even though I had food, clothes, and a safe place to live.

On the day of the first random drug test, my parents were arrested for falsifying vehicle inspection stickers on our family vehicle (we didn’t have the money to pass the car inspection legally). Thus, my parents failed to appear for the drug test, and I went into foster care.”

Though her parents had their struggles, they did their best to do right by their children. After Biddle was taken from their home, her parents’ addictions worsened.

They each later passed away from complications from their addictions.

When she arrived at W&J, Biddle began to form close relationships with her peers as a cheerleader and with her sorority sisters in Kappa Kappa Gamma, though she shared her personal story with very few of her friends.

As she worked on understanding her experience and what she wanted to become, Professor of Psychology Elizabeth Bennett, Ph.D., suggested that Biddle use

As part of her advocacy, she works to correct the misinformation that surrounds the foster care system and improve the system in areas where it falters.

“I think the misconceptions are that most parents don’t care about their kids, or that kids who grow up in foster care or have experienced foster care are somehow bad or responsible for what happened to them,” she said.

Biddle now focuses on the experiences of the families and children she works with to inform her approach to advocacy and to the changes that should be made to reform the system. Her main focus is keeping families intact and ensuring that they have the support they need to stay together before they are broken up, not after.

“With advocacy, a lot of it is to try to prevent trauma that kids who are in foster care experience,” Biddle said. “It’s really important to take care of yourself and have a strong support system while doing that type of work.”

With this network in place, and continued support from the connections she created at W&J, Biddle hopes to prevent the situation that happened to her from happening to future generations of children.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

realize at the time was that trip would play a significant role in his future beyond W&J. After graduation, Frazier wasn’t sure what to do next. That’s when his friend Emily Thompson ’11 mentioned that she could help him get a job teaching English as a second language at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, where she had spent the previous year.

John Frazier III What can you do with an English and philosophy double major and a minor in east Asian studies?

If you’re John Frazier III ’12, you do a little bit of everything. Frazier has taught in Asia, earned his master’s degree in public and international affairs, served as CEO of a technology startup, and currently works as COO of his family’s glass company.

His path from college to COO has not been a straight shot, but his ability to adapt has served him well at each turn.

He started at W&J as a sophomore, transferring after spending his first semester at Bucknell University. Though Frazier grew up near Washington, Pa., and generations of his family attended W&J, he had been looking to branch out from the area and experience something new. But he quickly discovered that everything he was looking for in his education could be found at the place he’d known all his life.

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He hit a speed bump early in his time at W&J, when lackluster grades in economics and accounting deterred him from the business major he’d planned to pursue.

He switched gears and focused on his love for English and writing instead, taking advantage of a wide variety of opportunities including theater, radio, and the newspaper.

However, one trip abroad during his sophomore year would give him another interest to pursue.

“I went to China on an intersession trip with Dr. Gai and it was life-changing,” Frazier said. “We went to five or six cities around China, one of them being Hong Kong. I decided that I wanted to learn more, so I took a history course or two with Dr. Caffrey and a year of Chinese language with Dr. Yang.”

The trip to China led Frazier to pick up a minor in East Asian Studies. What he didn’t

“I accepted the job without thinking about it and it was one of the best years of my life,” Frazier said. “I really got to know students and it was wonderful.”

He returned to the Pittsburgh area to work after his year abroad and was accepted into the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, with the recommendations of his W&J connections. As part of his graduate studies, he spent six months in South Korea at Seoul National University furthering his global education.

In his pursuit to understand other languages and cultures, Frazier and some friends founded a technology startup called uTranslated Technologies, a re-imagining of language translation services that cut out the middlemen with the goal of making translation more streamlined and affordable.

They first floated the idea for their company in 2015 at the Startup Blitz at Pitt, a 24-hour competition for student

‘‘’’project and believe in your If you really believe in your

team, just go for it. Don’t be afraid to fail at something.

That’s one thing I learned here at W&J. — JOHN FRAZIER III

startups where the team made their pitch to potential investors in a scenario like the TV show, Shark Tank. Their win in the Startup Blitz led them to complete the Pitt Blast Furnace program, a facilitator for student startups that provides education and connections to the innovation and entrepreneurship community. After winning a second competition in 2016, uTranslated was accepted into the Alphalab Startup Accelerator, a nationally ranked software accelerator based in Pittsburgh.

“It was then we thought, ‘Okay, we’ll actually go for this,’” Frazier said. “We were pursuing it before as a side project but that was when it was like, ‘This seems real now.’”

When it came time to make pitches and speak in front of large audiences, Frazier found himself reaching back to experiences like the W&J Theatre Slam! where students have 24 hours to create and stage plays, something that paralleled the situation he found himself in during the Startup Blitz. uTranslated started seeing success and gaining traction in the industry. It was

designated one of the 40 Best University Startups by the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer in 2017 and won second place in China’s Chunhui Cup, a national startup competition, as well as the competition’s Award of Excellence.

These accolades earned Frazier, the company’s CEO, a spot on Pittsburgh’s 30 under 30 list.

As the market evolved and changed, the company found a shift in interests from investors and customers. After some consideration, Frazier and the other members of the company decided to move on. Many went on to large companies, including Google, Amazon, Facebook, PNC, and Airbnb.

The experience of taking an idea and making it a real, thriving company is something that Frazier never planned on being part of, but that will stick with him.

“If you really believe in your project and believe in your team, just go for it.

Don’t be afraid to fail at something,” Frazier said. “That’s one thing I learned

here at W&J. I flunked economics and accounting and I went on to get a master’s degree in economics.”

Frazier came back to his roots and joined his family business, Frazier-Simplex Inc., a glass engineering, design, and manufacturing firm. He’s been in his current position of COO for a little more than a year and is excited to bring a startup mentality to a business that recently celebrated its 100th year.

“We’re going to try to build this up, try to innovate, and see if we can stretch this thing out for another 100 years,” Frazier said.

His nimble approach to education has helped him make the switch from technology to manufacturing. His unorthodox journey has encouraged him to take chances and learn from his experiences.

“The school really teaches you how to learn, how to throw yourself in a new situation, learn want you need to, adapt, and excel at it,” he added. “I’m really glad I never had an easy course here.”

Along with encouraging current W&J students, Frazier is sharing his wisdom with his younger sister, Frances Frazier ’18, who graduated this spring with a degree in Studio Art and now works as a User Experience Designer at SDLC Partners in Downtown Pittsburgh.

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Rachel Mastromarino Although Rachel Mastromarino ’10 considered a career in teaching, her interest in English and art led her to the museums of London where she found her future profession.

A drawing course with Professor of Art Patrick Schmidt her freshman year led to a second art course, after which Schmidt encouraged her to pursue the major. While she had already declared majors in English and studio art before an intersession trip to London, the experience allowed her to make the connection between art and education in museum work and provided her with the nexus to combine these interests into a career.

Back at W&J, Schmidt continued to guide Mastromarino by enrolling her in a 300 level art history course, typically taken by seniors, when she was only a sophomore.

The class solidified her interest in museum work and led her to a semester abroad in Florence studying art. After graduation, 19

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‘‘’’

Our exhibits are not just giant playgrounds; learning is happening.

— RACHEL MASTROMARINO

she earned a master’s degree in museum studies from Johns Hopkins University.

“Sharing knowledge and getting people passionate about art is what I found myself gravitating towards,” Mastromarino said. “I don’t consider myself a fantastic artist, but I think I have a good eye for design that I use that a lot in my job now.”

Her current job as the traveling exhibits manager at the Children’s Museum in downtown Pittsburgh allows her to combine the aesthetics of exhibit design with a focus on educating the public. Her job duties include assisting in the creation of new exhibits, marketing existing assets, brand management, working with partners

such as The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and Fred Rogers Productions, and ensuring exhibit quality from site to site.

Mastromarino started at the museum as an unpaid intern in 2011 and rose through the ranks from a part-time museum associate to a full-time manager. Prior to Mastromarino’s arrival, the museum lacked a strong focus on traveling exhibits, and only traveled one exhibit from 2007 to 2014.

After grant funding allowed the museum to create a new traveling exhibit, “XOXO: An Exhibit About Love & Forgiveness,” it decided to expand the traveling exhibit program. As a result of this decision, the museum launched its Business

Development Initiative in 2014 with Mastromarino in the role of the business development coordinator. As the initiative grew, she took on the role of traveling exhibits manager in 2016. The museum has seen success with its traveling exhibits, and produced five new exhibits, one per year, between 2014 and 2018.

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is one of less than 10 producers of children’s traveling exhibits nationwide.

Organizations across the country pay to house these exhibits in their spaces for certain periods of time, with the revenue generated coming back to the museum.

The museum also leverages its expertise to offer consulting services on exhibit design and marketing to like institutions.

“Giving is very unpredictable,” Mastromarino said. “We have to be entrepreneurial and figure out what we’re good at and how we can earn some of our own money while still fulfilling

"XOXO: An Exhibit About Love & Forgiveness" premiered in Pittsburgh in 2014 and now tours the country. The exhibit centers on teaching visitors about love and forgiveness through interactive experiences that focus on communication. The foreground of the photo showcases "Tone Phones," which allow visitors to visualize their voices on the projected surface showing them that it's not what you say, it's how you say it. XOXO has traveled to a variety of museums including the Muhammad Ali Center and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights.

our mission and reaching more children across the country.”

Each exhibit has a 10-year lifespan and is displayed at two or three locations per year, meaning approximately three million people will interact with an exhibit produced by Mastromarino and the 10-person exhibits team over its lifetime.

A wide assortment of considerations goes into determining the factors of an exhibit.

“Most children’s museums create spaces with only their youngest visitors in mind, but children don’t come to children’s museums alone. We create exhibits that we believe are interactive and engaging for the entire family, from zero to 99, regardless

of what knowledge they are bringing with them,” Mastromarino said. “We believe in the value of good design, that if you respect children and design well for them that they appreciate art the same as adults.”

In addition, the components of the exhibit must travel well, as it will be loaded and unloaded onto trucks and set up in a variety of different spaces over its lifespan.

“I have to deal a lot with 53-foot tractor trailers, which I never thought I would be doing,” she said.

Exhibit prototypes go through a testing period with staff evaluators and researchers to determine what is needed to provide the best visitor experience.

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Finalized exhibits debut at the museum in Pittsburgh for six months before hitting the road. This gives museum staff additional time to create the materials needed to promote the exhibit, as well as identifying any problems that may arise once it is open to the public.

Once the exhibits begin to travel, Mastromarino manages them from afar, following along with the reaction they receive in the press and on social media.

The Very Eric Carle exhibit, most recently on display in Bettendorf, Iowa, received a mention in USA Today’s travel section as one of the top ten museum exhibits in the country to see this summer.

While her exhibits travel from coast to coast, Mastromarino and her husband Alex Patterson ’11, chose to stay close to the friends and connections they made during their time at W&J and have settled in Pittsburgh.

Mastromarino came to Washington from Reading, Pa., to be a part of the field hockey team and have a small college experience. She met Patterson, a football player from Cincinnati, through athletics at Cameron Stadium.

“We always joke that living here is a short term plan, but it’s been almost eight years now,” Mastromarino said. “Pittsburgh is such a vibrant city right now, it’s been a really exciting time to see how much things have progressed and changed.”

The team-oriented environment that drew Mastromarino to W&J allowed her to make close connections and find her passion, leading her to a career that capitalizes on the thriving arts scene of nearby Pittsburgh.

“I really believe in what we do and our mission,” she said. “Our exhibits are not just giant playgrounds; learning is happening.”

Find out if the Children’s Museum exhibits are traveling to a city near you: pittsburghkidsdesign.org/traveling-exhibits.

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Dr. Knapp hosted an alumni panel with John Frazier ’12, Rachel Mastromarino ’10, Nico’Lee Biddle ’12, and Matthew Rudzki ’08 where prospective students had a chance to hear from successful young alumni about their time at W&J and how it has benefitted them in their careers so far.

Alumni involvement key to engaging new Presidents On a cold Friday night in February, Nico’Lee Biddle ’12, John Frazier ’12, Rachel Mastromarino ’10, and Matthew Rudzki ’08 returned to their alma mater to share their journeys of discovery, scholarship, and success with prospective students. While what drew them to the College differed, the group was united in their appreciation for the experiences they had at W&J that allowed them to create their own paths after college.

The lessons they learned on campus led them to create meaningful connections with professors, discover new interests, travel around the world, and find their voices. While their stories are not unique among recent classes of Presidents, they exemplify the value of a liberal arts education and advantages of a small college environment. Their combinations of in-class pursuits, educational opportunities outside the classroom, and extracurricular activities built a foundation that allowed them to thrive in their chosen fields.

The group also spoke to prospective students about how the supportive community you find at the College doesn’t disappear once you leave campus. There is a lifelong bond that connects professors, teammates, classmates, and fellow Presidents across the world. This robust network of W&J alumni embodies the spirit of our motto “Juncta Juvant,” Together We Thrive.

In an increasingly competitive higher education market, our alumni can amplify our voice by sharing good news about the College and talking to future students about why W&J may be right for them.

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SPORTS

Winter/Spring Sports Roundup Fifty-eight winter/spring student-athletes earned a spot on the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Spring Academic Honor Roll.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The Presidents finished with a 22-6 overall record, tied for the sixth most wins in a season, and played in the played in the PAC Championship.

Head Coach Jina DeRubbo won her 400th career game, seventh PAC Coach of the Year award, and first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Coach of the Year award.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING Theo Skoric ’18 and Kaitlyn Pawcio ’18 competed at the 2018 Mideast Diving Regionals in Ithaca, N.Y., after both claimed First-Team All-PAC honors.

The men's golf team with head coach Matt Kluck and their PAC title.

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INDOOR TRACK & FIELD Harley Moyer ’19 was the PAC champion in the one-mile, 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter runs and earned PAC Indoor MVP for second straight season. He helped W&J place second as a team at the PAC Championships. Moyer was named an Academic All-American for the second consecutive year, making him W&J's 13th multiple time Academic All-American.

Krista Sudar ’21 was the PAC champion in the weight throw.

WRESTLING Mike Heinl ’20 (141), Sam Florentino ’18 (157), Hunter Neely ’20 (165) and Jared Walker ’20 (174) earned individual PAC championships in their weight classes. The team came in second place overall at the PAC Championships.

Bryce Schnatterly '18

Sam Florentino, Heinl and Daniel Florentino ’21 were named Scholar All-Americans by the National Wrestling Coaches Association, with Daniel Florentino being the first freshman in W&J history to earn the honor.

BASEBALL The PAC regular season champions had a 16-2 record in the conference and a record of 28-16-1 overall.

Bryce Schnatterly ’18 was named PAC and ECAC Division III Pitcher of the Year.

Schnatterly was also a ABCA First Team All-Region, D3baseball.com Third Team All-Region selection.

The team received a Team Academic Excellence Award from the ABCA. Schnatterly and Mullen Socha ’19 were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Baseball First Team.

W&J landed a conference-record 13 players on the 2018 All-PAC baseball teams.

SOFTBALL The team improved their record by nine games from the 2017 season with a 13-21 record.

Rachel Johnson ’19 was named an Honorable Mention All-America by Fastpitch News and a Second-Team Academic All-America. She was selected to the All-PAC and All-ECAC Division III First Teams, as well as being the ECAC Division III Rookie of the Year.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE The program made their third straight Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC) Championship appearance, finishing with a 13-4 overall record, including a 9-1 record in the conference.

Dr. Knapp and women's basketball head coach Jina DeRubbo after her 400th win in January.

Caroline Kallos ’18 was named ORLC Defensive Player of the Year for third consecutive season. She concluded her time at W&J with six career records and five single-season records, and represented the Presidents in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Senior All-Star Game.

Sara Maute ’20 landed on the IWLCA First Team All-West Region, and Kallos was on the Second Team. The team was named an Academic Honor Squad by the IWLCA. MEN’S LACROSSE The Presidents improved their record by two wins from the 2017 season with a 7-10 record and broke the program’s single-game scoring record vs. Earlham (W, 26-0) Seven players represented W&J on the All-ORLC teams, including Ben Ward ’20 on Second Team.

OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD Harley Moyer ’19 was the PAC champion in the 1,500-meter, 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs, securing both Track Most Outstanding Performer and Overall Most Outstanding Performer awards. He went on to place 11th in the 10,000-meter run at NCAA Division III National Championships in La Crosse, Wis.

Jarrod Webb ’19 (men’s shot put), Dwight Nelson ’19 (men’s 400-meter hurdles), and Krista Sudar ’21 (women’s discus) also won PAC titles.

MEN’S GOLF The program won their 18th PAC title by 13 strokes after erasing a 16-stroke deficit entering the final round. They competed in their seventh NCAA Division III National Championship, their first since 2015, and tied for 38th.

WOMEN’S GOLF The team finished fourth of five at the PAC Championships. Kaitlyn Vogel ’18 won fall medalist honors and was two strokes away from an individual title.

WOMEN’S WATER POLO The team finished fourth at the CWPA Division III Championship.

MEN’S TENNIS The team finished with a 14-4 record, the most wins in a single season, and earned a perfect 8-0 mark in the PAC. They placed third at PAC Championships and earned their first postseason berth with an ECAC Division III bid.

Max Perilstein ’19 won the fourth singles flight at the PAC Championships.

Caroline Kallos '18

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SPORTS

The Right Decision Eddie Nogay ’14 was able to pursue both his dreams of playing college baseball and working towards attending law school at W&J. This piece, written by Nogay, was originally published on pacathletics. org as part of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s Personalities of the PAC series. The series ran during NCAA’s Division III Week, a celebration of the division's unique philosophy that equally values academics, athletics, and student-athletes' involvement in a full and rich campus life.

‘‘’’

One spring afternoon a few years back, it struck me that I had made the right decision. The urge to play college baseball paired with the idea of pursuing a worthwhile degree motivated me to be selective in choosing which college to attend.

Playing a college sport was the dream, but acceptance into law school was always the goal. I wanted both. It didn’t seem balanced to have to pick between the two and spend my undergraduate years pursuing one and abandoning the other.

In particular, I felt a strong urge to compete at the next level while earning a degree that would prepare me to excel in graduate school.

What I realized on that spring afternoon, while sitting in the library during my final semester of law school and watching the W&J baseball team compete for a Division III National Championship on my laptop, was that my decision to attend Washington & Jefferson College enabled me to do both.

Washington & Jefferson College is a small, private liberal arts college about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh and a reasonable drive from where I grew up. For me, the location could not have been better. As one of triplets, I was influenced by my brother’s decision to attend WVU and play baseball, and my sister’s choice to attend Pitt to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian. We would all be attending colleges within 75 miles of one another along Interstate 79. At W&J, I was right in the middle – literally and figuratively.

As a member of the W&J baseball team, I learned the importance of punctuality, accountability, and time management. These are habits I practice every day in the real world. A winning tradition, top-notch facilities, and a recruiting class of other student-athletes that wanted to get it done both on the field and in the classroom validated my decision to attend W&J. Our team twice competed in the NCAA Tournament, chased down school records, and won championships.

I look back and realize how lucky I was to have such an amazing opportunity, an opportunity to surround myself with like-minded, driven individuals and play for a coach who emphasized academic excellence and attention to detail. I have benefitted immensely from the routine-driven lifestyle that I led as a D-III student athlete and would not be where I am today without that life experience. My “former teammates” are now life-long friends, and I have a calendar filled with upcoming wedding invitation dates to

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Nogay toes the rubber in a postseason game at Ross Memorial Park in 2014.

prove it. We stay involved in each other’s lives and make it a point to meet up every so often and relive those stories that only get better with time.

Looking back, I really appreciate the well-rounded liberal arts education I received at W&J and the life lessons gained from four years as a college athlete. W&J taught me to think critically, pursue my interests, and keep an open mind. During my studies in English and philosophy I developed an interest in poetry and literature and an intellectual curiosity about the world around me. These traits enabled me to excel later in law school.

I graduated at the top of my law school class, passed the bar exam, and earned a clerkship with a federal judge. Many people at W&J played a major role in my success.

Reminiscing on the details of fall ball games under the lights at Ross Memorial Park, 5:30 a.m. conditioning sessions in the gym, spring trips to Florida, and bus rides to away games all over the PAC comprise some of my most cherished memories. I chose to play baseball at a Division III school so that I could compete from day one, surround

Nogay and his teammates celebrate winning the 2013 PAC Championship at Ross Memorial Park.

Nogay at a wedding with former teammates

With Mike and Mark Lesako at a W&J golf outing

myself with good people, and never lose sight of my goals for life after college.

From incredible professors to teammates who became my brothers, W&J provided a college experience that was equal portions academics and athletics. That balance, I believe, is the true essence of a Division III student-athlete —or as the Romans phrased it, “Mens sana in copore sano”— a healthy mind in a healthy body.

I will always be grateful that my parents encouraged me to attend W&J and for the opportunity to earn a degree from a top-notch school and play college baseball.

I will carry with me those unforgettable experiences and enduring life lessons, and always give credit to W&J.

Nogay graduating from WVU Law

Eddie Nogay graduated from West Virginia University College of Law, passed the bar exam, and is currently employed as a federal law clerk for a United States District Judge. He earned a NCAA postgraduate scholarship and was named a Division III baseball All American. Nogay finished his pitching career at W&J with a record of 28-2.

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Homecoming & Reunion Weekend

october 12 & 13, 2018 Celebrating the classes of 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, & 1998 Rediscover the magic of your college years during Washington & Jefferson College’s main event: Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, October 12 & 13. See old classmates, make new friends, visit favorite professors, and experience the campus as it is today.

A weekend of good times awaits, and it won’t be the same without you.

Enjoy activities for the whole family as you cheer on student athletes, meet friends at the Tailgate Lunch, and wrap up the weekend with the popular Fifth Quarter celebration.

Don’t forget to toast the 2018 Alumni Award winners!

It’s sure to be a weekend of events filled with all the unique spirit that makes W&J one spectacular place to be. Come one, come all!

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SUMMER 2018 MAGAZINE

Washington & Jefferson College

Homecoming & Reunion Weekend Event Highlights Friday, October 12

3:30 p.m. – A Taste of Washington Join us for a sampling of food and drink from some of Washington’s favorite local businesses.

5 p.m. – Veterans Memorial Service A special service to honor the 199 W&J students and alumni who lost their lives serving their country.

Speaker: MG Steven R. Grove ’83 7 p.m. – Annual Homecoming Dinner Join fellow alumni and friends of the college for this celebration featuring the presentation of the annual alumni awards. Reserved seating for reunion classes.

Alumni Award for Achievement Diane Sims Thompson, M.D. ’90 Distinguished Service Award Richard T. Clark ’68 Outstanding Young Alumni Award Jonathan Flickinger ’05 (posthumously)

Saturday, October 13

NEW! 10:30 a.m. – Celebration on Chestnut Street Join W&J Greek Organizations along Chestnut Street for a fun morning of music, breakfast appetizers and learning about Greek life at W&J. Both current and former chapters will be present.

NEW! 11:30 a.m. – Student Clubs Spotlight Meet current students and learn about many of the student organizations on campus including the Black Student Union, Student Government Association, Sustainability Club, WNJR Radio, and more.

Noon – Tailgate Lunch Bring your family and appetite to the family-friendly tailgate lunch. From balloon artists and a snow cone truck to games and crafts, there’s fun for everyone under the big top!

2 p.m. – Football: W&J vs. Geneva College Cheer on the Red & Black at the Homecoming Game.

Tickets are available at the gate.

4:30 p.m. – Fifth Quarter Join your friends and classmates for post-game music, food, and drinks at this annual favorite! Be sure to visit the photo booth!

To view a complete schedule of events and to register, visit

JAYCONNECTED.COM/HOMECOMING WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE

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ALUMNI

Class of 1968 reunites, remembers time on campus

To celebrate 50 proud years as W&J alumni, 47 Presidents from the Class of 1968 came back to campus for a three-day reunion, May 17-19, 2018.

The reunion weekend provided former classmates with the opportunity to renew old friendships, tour the campus to witness the changes that have taken place since their student days, and play a significant role in the 219th Commencement as the newest members of the Presidential Guard.

In honor of their reunion, the Class of 1968 raised over $4.3 million for numerous W&J funds, including more than $290,000 to create the Class of 1968 Endowed Scholarship Fund.

The fund eases the financial burden on students while also empowering them to attain their academic goals and take advantage of once-in-a-lifetime learning experiences.

To view more photos from the celebration, visit jayconnected.com/1968.

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What was W&J like in 1968?

Enrollment: 856 Class of 1968: 213 Tuition: $1,500 Room: $350 Board: $575 Books & Supplies: $65

ACADEMICS

STUDENT LIFE

WJAC announced full programming, including evening hours of radio music.

Simon & Garfunkel performed during the prom concert.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Poet Robert Wilbur spoke at fall convocation.

Dionne Warwick sang at the 1967 prom. She was late, but the Pi Lam quartet stepped in until she arrived.

The Department of Mathematics phased in six high-speed rotary calculators, a desktop computer, and an IBM key-punch unit for their new “Computing Room.”

Dr. John C. Trever spoke about seeing the Dead Sea Scrolls at spring convocation.

SPORTS Rick Orwig was selected to the All-PAC basketball team.

The tennis team finished as co-champions in the PAC competition.

Kappa Sigma’s float, “Railroad the Redcats,” won first prize in the homecoming parade.

Anthony & The Imperials, The Vogues, and The Marceles performed during Pan-Hellenic and Greek Swing Out. Buskin Club presented “Arsenic and Old Lace.”

Richie Havens and the O-Jays played at the spring formal.

The Commons dining room opened April 1968.

Jock Sneddon was named to the All-PAC golf team.

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ALUMNI Class of 2018 Works to “Give It Forward Together” in Senior Gift Campaign W&J’s Class of 2018 embraced the philanthropic spirit this spring by selecting the Give It Forward Together (GIFT) Scholarship Fund as the designation for this year’s senior gift campaign.

The GIFT Fund was created at W&J in 2009, during a global economic downturn, to support students who find themselves unable to pay tuition or other related college costs due to unforeseen financial difficulties.

A few common situations for W&J students who received GIFT Fund assistance include a parent suddenly passing away; a parent diagnosed with a debilitating disease (such as cancer) or other degenerative illness; a parent suddenly furloughed; or families that suffered excessive damage to their homes and financial distress due to natural disasters such as fires, hurricanes, and flooding.

The GIFT Fund has been utilized more than 200 times since its inception. During the Class of 2018’s time on campus, more than 40 students benefitted from the fund.

Knowing the impact of the fund on their classmates during the last four years, the Class of 2018 stepped up to help their fellow students as well as future Presidents. The 62 percent of new graduates who made gifts to the campaign marked W&J’s highest senior class gift participation level in recent years.

Cole Grecco ’18, Josie Madden ’18, Jazmyn Meredith ’18, and Kira Baierl ’18 (left to right) presented the check for the GIFT Fund to the Board of Trustees in May. Other members of the senior class gift committee included Erica Ankney ’18, Josef Dreher ’18, and Lea Faddis ’18.

Thanks to the generosity of Trustees and other alumni who agreed to match the senior gifts, more than $17,300 was raised to benefit the GIFT Fund.

For more information on the GIFT Fund, please contact a member of W&J’s Development & Alumni Relations team. A staff directory is available at jayconnected.com.

Pints with Professors Alumni from the Pittsburgh area and W&J professors came together at the Pints with Professors event at Southern Tier Brewing Company on the North Shore in June.

The Office of Alumni Relations hosts events for alumni from coast-to-coast to reconnect with their alma mater, reunite with classmates, and meet other members of the W&J family.

From museum tours and wine tastings to networking receptions, join us to celebrate your W&J connection!

Visit jayconnected.com/events for a listing of where we’ll be. If you don’t see your city on the list, email alumni@ washjeff.edu to start planning a regional gathering!

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SUMMER 2018 MAGAZINE

Michael Roth '15, Jamie March, and Jason Kilgore

Leslie Dunn, Courtney Brennan '16, and Haley Roberts '14

Katelyn Vannoy '14, Tim Klitz, and Coni Salinas '14

Patricia Easton '74, Walter Cox '82, and Richard Easton

CLASS NOTES 33 Alumni News 37 Weddings 37 Junior Presidents 38 In Memoriam

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CLASS NOTES

1944

1959

1962

Kenneth Reed joined the Navy after his junior year at W&J and served in the Hospital Corps. While in the Navy, he met and married his wife, Naomi, a lieutenant in the Navy Nurse Corps. After the war, he returned to W&J and graduated in 1947.

Upon graduation, he was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a chemist and advanced to chief chemist. Prior to his retirement, he was director of the Conral Technical Services Laboratory in Cleveland.

After retirement, he was a volunteer with SCORE for 15 years. For the last 15 years, he has volunteered five days a week at Garvey Manor Nursing Home at Hollidaysburg, Pa. He lost his wife to Alzheimer’s disease in 2015 after 68 years of marriage. He turned 97 March 5, 2018, and is looking forward to his 100th birthday.

Ron Miller was selected as the 2018 recipient of the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) Denny Magruder Distinguished Service Award for more than 20 years of volunteering in various capacities for the OVAC, including his part as the driving force in establishing the 50-year all-star football reunion. He was honored at the 15th Annual OVAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in August 2018.

Frazier-Simplex Inc. celebrated its centennial in July 2018. The company is a fourth-generation family engineering operation, primarily supporting the glass industry as well as sustaining its machine shop. Each of the family business leaders has been a W&J graduate. The company was started in the summer of 1918 by Chauncey Frazier.

Chauncey then relinquished the reigns to his son, John Earl Frazier I, Class of 1922, who was succeeded by John II, who will be succeeded by John III ’12, currently the chief operating officer. Francis Frazier ’18, sister of John III, is also a W&J graduate.

1955

“Mort Davidson, Don Kamerer, Steve Oliphant, Paul Smilow, and Arthur Sohn reunited in Florida for the 13th year during the Florida State Fencing Federation State Championship. The group has been getting together annually since celebrating their 50th reunion at W&J. This year, Mort came to the west coast to defend his senior crown. He won the foil championship and got Paul and Don to compete in the Epee’ Competition (something they learned at W&J from Dr. David Newhall). They impressed many of the competitors with their correct posture and moves. Both made it to the third round. Steve and Arthur couldn’t get the necessary parental approval forms, so they were delegated to care for the gloves, masks and cutlery.”

–Arthur Sohn

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Michael Zimmerman, M.D., Ph.D., published a new book entitled, My Patients Were Mummies. He also recently visited Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan, where he gave the keynote lecture for a workshop on ancient Egyptian burial customs and a lecture on medical practice in ancient Egypt.

1960

Bertam Lubin, M.D., has been improving the lives of children in the Bay Area for nearly half a century by addressing factors that affect the lives of socio-economically challenged children and their families.

In support of this goal, he is responsible for developing a world-class hematology program with a focus on sickle cell anemia, an internationally recognized research institute, and an affiliation with University of California, San Francisco to secure and sustain the future of hospital services to the community. In addition, he serves on the board of directors for the Human Rights Center at UC Berkley and the Opportunity Institute, was the first pediatrician to serve as the CEO of Children’s Hospital Oakland, and was most recently the chairperson of the Medi-Call Health Advisory Panel to the Department of Health Care Services.

1965

Ronald Freiwald is now professor emeritus of mathematics at Washington University in St. Louis. He was a faculty member there for 47 years until his retirement in July 2017. In addition to teaching and advising, Freiwald was the director of undergraduate studies in mathematics for more than 20 years.

1968

Executive Officer of the Peoria Company, First Lieutenant Jon Corey was honored for his distinguished military service in Vietnam at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh. He was selected to the Hall of Valor which honors veterans from Pennsylvania who went above and beyond the call of duty based on his citation of the Silver Star for gallantry in action. He has also been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star for Valor, Air Medals for Valor, Purple Heart, Soldiers Medal, Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation, Valorous Unit Citation, Republic of Viet Nam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Combat Infantryman Badge, Army Air Combat Crewman Badge, RANGER Tab,

Airborne Badge, Jungle Warfare Expert Badge, Special Forces RECONDO Badge, and several other medals.

1974

Betsey Hurwitz-Schwab was inducted into the Maryland Daily Record’s Top 100 Women in Maryland Circle of Excellence in April 2018 after being selected as a Top 100 Woman three times. Top 100 Women are recognized for a combination of their achievements in business, community involvement, and mentoring other women.

1975

Sue Alman, Ph.D., and her colleague, Sandra Hirsh, from San Jose State University hosted a national forum in the summer of 2018 to discuss how libraries can effectively utilize blockchain technology with a grant awarded to the San Jose State University Research Foundation.

Alman and Hirsh are the principal investigators for the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant project.

David Drabkin was selected to serve as chair of the congressionally mandated “Section 809 Panel” (www. section809panel.org).

Drabkin succeeds former chair, Dee Lee. The panel is studying Department of Defense procurement and recommending changes to that system.

1971

John Jamison and Suzanne “Sukey” Rogers Jamison, owners of Jamison Farms, along with Ernie Ricci ’77, owner of Ricci’s Italian Sausage, appeared on the premier of Rick Sebak’s show “Meat Pittsburgh!” in February 2018 on WQED.

1972

Rev. Gary Augustin volunteered in Puerto Rico as a mental health worker when

Hurricane Maria devastated the island in September 2017. Augustin, who serves as the clinical director of the Samaritan Counseling Center Hawaii, served over 200 patients per day during the month of October at a community health center in Puerto Rico. He is currently interim employed by the Department of Health and responds to national disasters through the National Disaster Medical Services.

with more than 20 years of experience in the profession.

Kimberland is the senior director, marketing strategy & digital engagement, for UPMC Insurance Services Division.

Lee Mandel published his newest book, “Sterling Hayden’s Wars” in May 2018, through the University Press of Mississippi.

The book is an authorized biography of the late film star, war hero, and author Sterling Hayden (The Asphalt Jungle, Dr. Strangelove, The Godfather).

Walter Lober had been certified as a specialist in the practice of workers’ compensation law by the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Workers’ Compensation Law Section. Lober is an attorney at Edgar Snyder and Associates in Pittsburgh.

1977

Steve Shetler retired from Pennsylvania State University in May 2016 after 38 years of work in human services. He maintains his licenses as a psychologist and professional counselor in Pennsylvania.

1980

John Massella was honored as the 2017 Addiction Educator of the Year. Massella is a licensed professional counselor and director of the California University of Pennsylvania’s Office for Students with Disabilities. He has played a key role in developing the university’s innovative Prevention Awareness Recovery Center.

1987

Frank King assumed duties as chief counsel for the Army Material Command Legal Center - Aberdeen Proving Ground in April 2018. King served on active duty as an Army judge advocate for more than 25 years before his retirement last year at the rank of Colonel.

1991

Kelly Kimberland was inducted into the PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Hall of Fame in January 2018. The Hall of Fame recognizes public relations professionals

1996

Jennifer M. Cloonan joined Comcast as the director of government and external affairs in September 2017.

Cloonan began her lobbying career in the Bay Area with the Home Builders Association of Northern California. She also held government affairs posts with the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the REALTORS® Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, and Range Resources.

1999

Robert Filander represented W&J during the inauguration for Austin College's new president Steven P. O’Day.

2000

Andrew Burkett, Ph.D., received tenure as a professor of English at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., and has published his book Romantic Mediations: Media Theory and British Romanticism.

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CLASS NOTES Richard Weibley joined Blank Rome LLP’s Pittsburgh office in the commercial litigation group.

Weibley focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation, representing businesses and business owners in contract and business disputes, intellectual property matters, and corporate governance disputes.

2005

James Silsley joined Strassburger, McKenna, Gutnick, and Gefsky as an associate.

The Jonathan Flickinger Giving Heart Award was established by Delta Tau Delta in honor of their advisor and mentor who was killed in a car accident in December 2017. The first awards were given to service-minded brothers at a memorial service on campus in May. Garrett Harter ’19 was the Giving Heart Recipient and three other DTD brothers, Cameron Lumley ’19, Alessandro Martin ’20, and Richard Habgood ’19 also received donations to their charities of choice.

Flickinger’s family, including parents Tom ’77 and Debra ’77, will present the award annually in his memory.

University in May 2018. Her dissertation research dealt with groundwater-climate change interactions in a Michigan row crop system and an urban system in Botswana. She was selected for a David H. Smith Conservation Fellowship through which she will investigate water quality in Iowa as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Kansas.

2007

Ryan Schrift was elected to his second four-year term to city council in Belmont, N.C., in November 2017. Schrift operates a financial planning and investment advisory firm.

Matthew Sutphen joined Leech, Tishman, Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC, as an associate in the firm’s taxation and corporate practice groups in the Pittsburgh office. Sutphen will focus his practice on international, federal, and state planning and tax controversy matters, as well as corporate and transactional matters for domestic and international companies.

2008

Jordan Bush was named to the 2018 Super Lawyers’ Rising Stars list, which recognizes the best up-and-coming attorneys in the state under 40 that have practiced law for 10 years or less. Bush is currently a personal injury attorney with Edgar Snyder and Associates.

2009 2006 Bonnie McGill completed her Ph.D. in ecosystem ecology from Michigan State 35

SUMMER 2018 MAGAZINE

Alana Galvin has been appointed to the Pennsylvania chapter board of directors for Gift of Adoption. In her role, Galvin will help Gift of Adoption expand its reach across

Pennsylvania and unite more children in need into safe and loving families. Galvin currently serves as an audit supervisor with Sisterson & Company, LLP, in Pittsburgh.

2010

Marissa Stevens completed her Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. As an Egyptologist and social historian, her doctorate research focused on the study of 21st Dynasty (1070-950 BCE) funerary papyri and the members of the Theban priesthood who developed, commissioned, owned, and used such documents. She is currently a collegium of university teaching fellow and instructor of record at UCLA.

2011

Alexandra “Alex” Cabonor, Esq., was selected as a member of the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Rising Star Class of 2018 as an attorney under 40 who excels in her chosen field.

Cabonor has been licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania since October 2015 and is currently the senior associate attorney at Lisa Marie Vari & Associates, P.D. in Pittsburgh, practicing primarily family and domestic relations law.

Marc Koszak recently accepted a position with Aptiv (formerly Delphi Technologies) as an engineer/operator in their autonomous vehicle division after spending 5 1/2 years

working in the automotive restoration business helping build custom cars.

Marc is also the vice president of the Pitt Birds Thunderbird Club and is an active volunteer for both the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and the FIRST Robotics Competition. He restores and collects vintage and rare vehicles.

Justin Mondok co-founded Thrive Mahoning Valley with Christopher Tennant in response to an influx of Puerto Ricans relocating to the Mahoning Valley area seeking relief following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. More about Thrive Mahoning Valley can be found online at thrivemv. org. Mondok was also selected as one of 15 engaged residents from Warren and Youngstown, Ohio, for the 2017 Emerging Leaders program at The Raymond John Wean Foundation.

2012

Jeremy Bennett has joined KeyBank as vice president, senior payments advisor, covering the Western Pennsylvania market.

2014

Morgan Baxter graduated from Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine with her doctorate in podiatric medicine in May 2018. She will be doing her three-year surgical residency at the Heritage Valley Hospital in Beaver, Pa. Andrew McInnis and Jake Meyers ’15 collaborated on several environmental education and English teaching programs in Cambodia. McInnis is a retuned Peace Corps volunteer from Panama who co-founded the Cultured Roots Project, an NGO whose mission is to teach environmental conservation in conservation in remote communities across Papua New Guinea,

the Philippines, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Meyers is a returned Peace Corps volunteer from Benin and a current Fulbright fellow in Cambodia researching wildfire management in the floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake.

Katelyn Vannoy graduated from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine with a doctorate of veterinary medicine in May 2018. She will be working as an associate veterinarian at VCA Met Vet West in Robinson.

2015 Morgan Morelli graduated from The University of Toledo College of Medicine. She will be completing an internal medicine residency at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Samuel Lapcevic launched his new business, Be The Wondering, in September 2017. The site, bethewondering.com, hosts original writing and features a clothing line.

Twenty-five percent of the profits from clothing sales are donated to non-profits that assist those with mental illness.

Continued my education Started a new job Switched careers Became a published author Traveled the world Got married Had a baby Reunited with fellow alumni Began retirement

WHATEVER YOU’VE BEEN UP TO, WE’D LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT IT! jayconnected.com/classnotes

Or, send us an email at alumni@washjeff.edu

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CLASS NOTES

WEDDINGS

Nathan Roberts ’05, D.O., FACOS, and Jennifer Perestock were married in 2017. The couple first wed on the island of Anguilla and subsequently had a Catholic ceremony at St. Ursula’s Church in Allison Park, Pa. The couple resides in Tulsa, Okla., with their two dogs.

Ali Walsh ’10 and Ed Hirsh ’11 were married April 28, 2018, at Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh. A reception was held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in the Music Hall Foyer.

Kelly Meeder ’09, Christina (Festa) Sullivan ’10, Kara (Kohler) Preffer ’10, Elizabeth (Buechli) De Vors ’09, Jess Revtai ’10, and Kayla (Pringle) Erdely ’11 served as bridesmaids. Cory Walsh ’07, Jim Kuntz ’11, Joe Kelly ’11, Jon Pugh ’11, and Joe Pulver ’11 served as groomsmen. The couple resides in New York, N.Y. Amy Anderson ’14 and Mark Wesolek ’15 were married July 8, 2017, at Westminster Church in Pittsburgh, followed by a reception at Bella Sera. Alumni in the bridal party included; Samantha Gagliardo ’14, Samantha Chorney ’14, Zoe Levenson ’14, Cory Bauer ’15, and JT Healy ’14.

Dent Holden ’11 and Rachel Shaw ’13 were married in Danville, Va., April 7, 2018. Dent is a social studies teacher at George Washington High School in Danville. Rachel is the youth librarian for Rockingham County, N.C. The couple celebrated their marriage with friends and family on W&J’s campus during the summer of 2018.

After 38 years, 9 months, and 14 days, Steve Shetler ’77 and Jerry Wion were finally married June 29, 2017.

JUNIOR PRESIDENTS Samuel J. Davis ’72, Esq., welcomed a grandson, Samuel Joel Walker, born March 30, 2016. Samuel Joel Walker is the son of Davis’ daughter, Courtney Davis Walker and her husband Brian Walker, of Pleasantville, N.Y., and joins older brother six-year-old Nathan Solomon Walker. Davis and his wife, Regina, reside in Uniontown, Pa., where Davis has been practicing law with his firm Davis & Davis since 1976. The couple has a second daughter, Mere Davis, an actor living in New York, N.Y.

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SUMMER 2018 MAGAZINE

Jonathan Vranovich ’08 and Amanda Nicastro Vranovich ’09 welcomed their second daughter, Adalynn Jane, born March 14, 2018. She joins big sister, Annabelle Rose, who was born Feb. 16, 2016.

In Memoriam

1930s Joseph P. Bishop ’39, Westerly, R.I., died March 12, 2018, at age 99.

1940s Warren E. Gregg ’42, Williamsburg, Va., died Dec. 26, 2017, at age 96.

Harry Butson ’45, Chestnut Hill, Pa., died Nov. 23, 2017, at age 92.

Gordon Vaughan Thompson ’46, Clinton, Tenn., died Nov. 25, 2017, at age 94.

John G. Tucker III ’47, Washington, Pa., died March 19, 2018, at age 91.

John A. MacPhail ’48, Spartanburg, S.C., died Dec. 15, 2017, at age 93.

James K. Cooper ’49, Southbury, Conn., died Feb. 26, 2018, at age 91.

1950s Harold Brodell ’50, Warren, Ohio, died May 22, 2018, at age 89.

James K. Davis Sr. ’50, Richland Township, Pa., died Sept. 14, 2017, at age 91.

Richard B. Lyon Sr. ’50, Pittsburgh, died Feb. 16, 2018, at age 90.

Richard “Dick” Haddad, Upper St. Clair, Pa., died June 9, 2018, at age 89.

Haddad was a trustee at W&J from 1987 until 1999, when he was named trustee emeritus. He received an honorary Doctor of Public Service from W&J in 2000.

He sponsored the Basic Issues Forum at W&J, which brought in noted philosophers and scholars to discuss ideas and concepts being explored in philosophy and religion.

“Richard Haddad was a good Trustee and faithful contributor to the College. He had wide intellectual interests and his contributions to W&J’s educational mission were many,” said Andy Rembert, Professor of Philosophy. “He was a kind man who was always wrestling with deep questions about life and the universe. He represents what is best about W&J.” He is survived by his wife Susan; four daughters, Julie, Betsy, Sarah, and Katie; thirteen grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

Robert McGowan ’51, Zelienople, Pa., died Jan. 18, 2018, at age 91.

Roger Rollin ’52, Central, S.C., died Dec. 10, 2017, at age 87.

Richard W. Noll ’51, St. Clairsville, Ohio, died Feb. 19, 2018, at age 90.

J. Walter Dauber ’53, Mt. Joy, Pa., died Jan. 12, 2018, at age 86.

Alan Schuler ’51, San Diego, Calif., died April 26, 2018, at age 88.

Malcom Reed ’54, Edgartown, Mass., died April 9, 2018, at age 86.

Stuart McCombs Jr. ’52, Louisville, Ky., died Jan. 14, 2018, at age 87.

Richard Carson ’56, East Liverpool, Ohio, died Dec. 13, 2017, at age 83.

James Condrin ’56, of Galena, Ohio, died Dec. 9, 2017, at age 82.

David H. Rosenstein ’56, Mercer Island, Wash., and Albuquerque, N.M., died April 10, 2018, at age 83.

Justin Swank ’09 and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed a baby girl, Vivian Rae, born Feb. 16, 2018. Vivian shares her birthday with her mom.

John Todd ’10 and his wife, Lindsay, welcomed their first child, John (Jack) Todd IV, born Jan. 4, 2018.

John Elder ’57, Latrobe, Pa., died May 25, 2018, at age 83.

Charles Weirich ’57, East Washington, Pa., died April 29, 2018, at age 89.

Willard A. Gower Sr. ’58, Whitehall, Pa., died April 4, 2018, at age 84.

1960s William Abraham ’61, St. Clairsville, Ohio, died Feb. 7, 2018, at age 78.

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CLASS NOTES

Ray Douglass ’45, Bradenton, Pa., died Jan. 10, 2018, at age 94.

Friends

He had a long and successful managerial career with Bell of Pennsylvania, now Verizon.

James K. Barr Jr., West Chester, Pa., died April 1, 2018, at age 84.

In honor of his father, D. R, Douglass, W&J Class of 1914, a high school teacher and principal, Ray and his brother, Jim, established the D.R. Douglass Scholarship Fund in 1997. This scholarship provides funding to students studying mathematics at W&J. Douglass enjoyed hearing from scholarship recipients over the years, and continued to be a generous donor to the Fund until his passing.

Lillian Bell, Iowa City, Iowa, died Dec. 12, 2017, at age 100.

Suzanne Birmingham, Exton, Pa., died Jan. 23, 2018, at age 85.

Richard Bruno Chalecki, Evanston, Ill., died Feb. 11, 2018, at age 85.

Thomas M. Donaldson, Santa Ana, Calif., died Jan. 28, 2018, at age 84.

Freidrich R. Crupe ’59, Davidsonville, Md., passed away June 12, 2018, at age 80.

Matthew Edward Johns, Peters Township, Pa., died Feb. 6, 2018, at age 37.

Understanding the importance of training the next generation, Fred established annual outstanding achievement awards and summer internships for both W&J and U.S. Naval Academy economics students.

Bonnie Willard Johnson, Washington, Pa., died Jan. 27, 2018, at age 65.

Kathy McMillen, Kittanning, Pa., died Dec. 11, 2017, at age 64.

For those who knew him, Crupe’s two proudest achievements were establishing the W&J Economics Award and becoming a Naval Academy sponsor. Fully embracing these roles, he and his wife Christiane built what would turn out to be lifelong relationships with dozens of W&J students and Midshipmen. His commitment to, and unwavering encouragement for, every young adult he mentored will be considered his strongest legacy.

Celestine Mooney, Warrensville Heights, Ohio, died April 10, 2018, at age 94.

David Everett Paine Sr., Bristol, Va., died Jan. 3, 2018, at age 75.

Catherine Pritts, Strabane, Pa., died May 17, 2018, at age 82.

Robert Reineke, Nicholasville, N.Y., died Feb. 25, 2018, at age 88.

Emil Stanish, Wilmington, N.C., died June 10, 2018, at age 67.

Donald Anthony Muncie ’61, Washington, Pa., died March 6, 2018, at age 82.

John C. Porter Sr. ’73, Parkton, Md., died May 3, 2018, at age 68.

Sanford Pinsker ’63, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., died April 29, 2018, at age 76.

Wayne Campbell ’75, Ellicott City, Md., died Aug. 19, 2017, at age 63.

David W. Seitz ’66, Richmond, Va., died April 15, 2018, at age 74.

George F. Postlethwait ’75, Prosperity, Pa., died Feb. 1, 2018, at age 79.

Robert Arnold ’69, Warren, Pa., died May 1, 2018, at age 72.

Margaret Leitch Thompson ’79, Washington, Pa., died March 27, 2018, at age 91.

1970s Marc M. Feldman ’71, Orlando, Fla., died Feb. 21, 2018, at age 68.

Clifford “Cliff ” W. Martin ’73, Cherry Hill, N.J., died April 4, 2018, at age 67.

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SUMMER 2018 MAGAZINE

1980s Michael P. Wandrisco ’88, Scott Township, Pa., died March 27, 2018, at age 53.

Robert Smith III, Ravenna, Ohio, died April 4, 2018, at age 62.

Janice B. Valerio, Geneva, N.Y., died March 11, 2018 at age 63.

CLASS NOTES

Legendary W&J coach and administrator James (Jim) A. White passed away July 25, 2018, at age 84.

White impacted the lives of student-athletes at W&J for more than three decades. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and was a 2013 inductee into the Washington & Jefferson College Athletic Hall of Fame.

White served as the head men’s tennis and wrestling coach from 1965 to 1997. He also spent 21 years as an assistant football coach at the College. For more than 20 years, he coached a sport during every season of the academic year: football in the fall, wrestling in the winter, and tennis in the spring. He served as head or assistant coach on 89 different W&J athletic teams.

“Jim White was beloved by the student-athletes he coached and the colleagues he worked with,” said Director of Athletics Scott McGuinness. “Our current coaching staff strives to make meaningful impacts like Jim accomplished every day of his career.

A true President, he will be greatly missed by the W&J community.”

White, who also served as Associate Director of Athletics during his W&J career, guided the Presidents’ wrestling program to three of the program’s five Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships (1965, 1966, 1995). The 1965 title came during his first year as a coach.

White’s tennis teams also enjoyed tremendous success, winning the only four conference team championships in

school history (1967, 1968, 1969, 1986).

White coached 66 PAC individual tennis or wrestling champions, five NCAA All-Americans, and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.

“He was more than a coach, but also a mentor and a father figure,” said Angelo Morascyzk ’77, who both wrestled for White and served as an assistant wrestling coach with White. “As an 18-year-old trying to make a decision on where to attend college, I knew I’d be in great hands with Coach White. His caring and compassionate side was easy to see. Coach White was a natural fit for NCAA Division III athletics. His teams had a lot of success, but it wasn’t about the wins and losses. For Coach White, he wanted his athletes to enjoy the entire student experience at W&J.” Upon his retirement, White received an honorary doctorate from W&J and with his wife, Claire, relocated to Long Beach Island, N.J., in 1997. For the next 17 years, White was employed at Loveladies Tennis Foundation in the summers, where he lived out his dream of playing tennis every day. Two of his daughters, Laura Anne Bartley ’89 and Lisa White ’91, are W&J graduates.

Nothing Nothing beats beats seeing seeing the the winning winning play. play. Make Make sure sure you’re you’re there! there!

The The chill chill in in the the air air means means fall fall sports sports are are underway. underway.

Join the Presidents this season and help bring home Join the Presidents this season and help bring home aa win win for for W&J. W&J. The full schedule of sporting events can be found at gopresidents.com.

The full schedule of sporting events can be found at gopresidents.com.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE

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Washington & Jefferson College 60 South Lincoln Street Washington, Pennsylvania 15301-4801

HOME OF THE BRAVE! W&J’s Camerata Singers, under the direction of Susan Medley, performed the national anthem before a Pirates game at PNC Park in April.