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Homecoming 2016
w HOMECOMING 2016 x
october 7 • 8 • 9
President Richardson and her husband, Dr. Randy Richardson, are all smiles during the couple’s first Titan Homecoming parade.
MORE PHOTOS FROM HOMECOMING ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE!
HOMECOMING 2016 WAS A TIME OF RECOGNITION, RECONNECTION, AND REJOICING. FROM PRESIDENT RICHARDSON’S FIRST WESTMINSTER PARADE RIDE TO THE CLASS OF 1966 50TH REUNION CELEBRATION, IT WAS A GREAT
HOMECOMING SNAPSHOTS
The annual
Homecoming celebration is a series
of Titan traditions—
the festive parade along Market Street, reminiscing with old friends on the quad, and taking in the football game down at Burry Stadium.
Dorothy Pollock ’46 representing Shenango on the Green
Volunteers from the Class of 1966 judge the floats in the Homecoming parade.
Abigail Arrigo, Sigma Kappa, and Carl Carpenter, Sigma Phi Epsilon, were crowned Queen and King.
William White ’57, center, receives a certificate of appreciation from the Diversity Alumni Committee during Homecoming Weekend. Also pictured, from left, are the Rev. Jeannette Hubbard, director of diversity services; Dr. Dava James ’74; Candace Okello ’11; and the Rev. Jim Mohr, campus chaplain.
Save the Date!
Homecoming & Reunion Weekend October 13-15, 2017
Alumnus and guest carillonneur Doug Gefvert ’71 sounds the bells. The 42-bell carillon was featured during Homecoming, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the last addition of bells given by the Class of 1956.
A moment in time
Westminster’s 2016 graduation day found my husband, Ron, and me once again parked in our RV in the gravel lot next to Brittain Lake, close to the dock. We like that area of campus, as it is usually quiet at night but alive with students during sunny spring and autumn days.
However, on this particular morning, the weather was cold and a light mist of a rain was falling, o and on. Ron walked up the hill to attend baccalaureate service while I opted to stay in the warmth of our traveling motel.
I sat on the couch, having my hot morning tea, reading a John Grisham novel, and occasionally looking out the window across the water. It was very quiet—until I heard loud, female voices and laughter. As I looked up from my book, I saw a group of eight senior women who had just come from the morning service, still wearing their commencement gowns and mortarboards, walking in the grass from the south end of the football field track to the dock. There they stopped, still talking loudly. And then it became quiet.
It was then that I experienced what I describe as a moment, something so unexpected and out of the ordinary that it makes a deep and lasting impression. Obviously planned in advanced, one at a time, each young woman walked to the end of the dock, sat on the damp wood, and faced down the lake. The other girls took their seated classmate’s picture, cell phones at the ready.
I wondered, as I watched, what each of those young people was thinking as she looked into her future, soon to leave the structure and security of Westminster and the daily closeness of friends. What were her thoughts? Could she—should she—at only 22 years of age have any real idea of what her life would become? She surely could not—should not—see, down across the lake, the joys and sorrows, the successes and failures that all lives bring.
When their self-composed ceremony was over, oblivious to my witness, the chatter and laughter resumed, and they walked back toward the stadium stands and out of my sight and into their own futures. I felt both excited and anxious for each one of them. I wondered if they would return in 50 years to Westminster, to the dock, and perhaps ponder where the futures they had peered into so long ago had led. I wish I could see them.
I thought back to the day, June 6, 1966, that my classmates and I sat on Senior Terrace looking at Dr. Orr—and perhaps past him into our own futures that were about to begin. Like those eight young women, the unknown lay ahead and all we could do was walk toward it.
~ Excerpts from a speech made by Barb Johnson Hustwit at the Class of 1966 50th reunion dinner in October
The Class of 1966 processes to Senior Terrace at Westminster’s 112th Commencement on June 6, 1966.
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY GIFT — The Class of 1966, represented by Graham Johnstone and Barbara Johnson Hustwit present their gift of $170,859.50 to Westminster College during Homecoming Weekend in October. A portion of the funds will benefit the Class of 1966 Scholarship.
CLASSREUNIONS
View more HOMECOMING photos on Westminster’s Flickr page!
EACH YEAR, ANNIVERSARY CLASSES AND CLUSTERS ARE INVITED TO GATHER FOR A REUNION PHOTO ON SENIOR TERRACE. IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO MEET FRIENDS, SHARE STORIES AND REMINISCE BEFORE HEADING TO LUNCH OR THE FOOTBALL GAME. IF YOUR REUNION YEAR IS NEXT YEAR, MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND!
ALUMNI AWARDS
The Westminster College Alumni Citations are presented each year during Homecoming & Reunion Weekend, recognizing alumni who have achieved significant accomplishments in their professions or made meaningful contributions to the community or Westminster. The Outstanding Young Alumni Award recognizes alumni of 15 years or less who are making significant contributions as they build career and serve their communities or Westminster. The Rising Titan Award is presented to a current student who shows extraordinary promise to serving the community.
Alumni Citations
LAUREL A. PHYTHYON ’74
Laurel A. Phythyon is a 1974 graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1974 and a master of education degree in 1981. Phythyon spent 41 years teaching a variety of grade levels in the Warren Area School District, as well as other local and regional institutions. An outstanding educator, she has been identified for numerous recognitions and awards, including the Jennings Scholar award from Kent State University. She has been an active volunteer on her Westminster reunion committee and is an avid supporter of the Jerb Miller Scholarship Program.
JANICE TWADDLE ’74
Janice Twaddle received a bachelor’s degree in English and elementary education in 1974. For the past 22 years, she has served as the corporate relations manager for the United Way of Allegheny County and has spent many decades logging volunteer hours for the partner agencies that United Way supports. As a result of her very strong volunteerism, Twaddle was named Outstanding Vector of the Year. In addition, she is a member of The Diamond Club for her role in ticket sales for the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been a very passionate volunteer for Westminster College, serving on the Alumni Council as both a general member and president. She serves on the Pittsburgh Regional Alumni Committee and assists during Homecoming.
WILLIAM W. RANKIN ’60
William “Bill” W. Rankin graduated magna cum laude in 1960 with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and business administration. He also earned an MBA from Pace University in New York. Rankin is the former vice president of employee resources for Pfizer’s Consumer Health Care Group and was instrumental in establishing its worldwide consumer organization. Additionally, Rankin was an active member of the College’s Board of Trustees. He has endowed two scholarships and served as the lead donor for the newly-established Bill Rankin Golf Center. He is a member of the Towering Titan Sports Hall of Fame, as well as an active member of his church.
Young Alumni Award
JACKLYN GATES ’04
Jacklyn M. Gates received her bachelor of science degree in chemistry under the direction of Dr. Peter M. Smith, professor and program coordinator for chemistry. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2008. Following a postdoctoral fellow position in Germany at the Technical University of Munich, she returned in 2010 to work at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She was recently awarded the 2016 DOE Early Career Grant, designed to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers. Gates makes an e ort to serve as a campus speaker when in the area and strives to connect with Westminster students while at national conferences.
President Richardson, standing second from left, congratulates the 2016 Alumni Award recipients. In front from left are Chloe Knappenberger ’17, recipient of the Rising Titan Award, and Jacklyn Gates ’04, Outstanding Young Alumni Award winner. William Rankin ’60, Laurel Phythyon ’74, and Janice Twaddle ’74, back row from left, earned Alumni Citations.
Rising Star Award
CHLOE KNAPPENBERGER ’17
Chloe Knappenberger is a senior early childhood and special education major. She is an active volunteer dedicating time to Westminster College’s Preschool Lab and New Castle’s Walker House, as well as serving as a peer mentor. She is the recipient of the Farmerie Elementary Education Scholarship, the Clara E. Cocherille Scholarship, and the McQuiston Outstanding Service Award. She is a member of Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Sigma Pi, Mortar Board, SPARK, and Council for Exceptional Children. She is president of Westminster College’s Dance Theatre and Sigma Kappa sorority, and serves as service chair for the Student Government Association (SGA). She is involved with Westminster Concert Choir, Sweet Trebles a capella group, and her home church choir.
