Washington & Jefferson College Summer 2011 Magazine

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HOW 6 ALUMNI MADE IT BIG (AND HOW YOU CAN, TOO)

Thomas Priselac ’73 PRESIDENT AND CEO

CEDARS-SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM

Washington Jefferson C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E

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Thomas Priselac ’73, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System, crosses a bridge to the Los Angeles-based hospital’s Saperstein Critical Care Tower. Priselac is one of six alumni executives featured in this issue, starting on page 10.

On the cover

ARABIC, ACCELERATEDGeorges Montillet, adjunct professor of modern languages at W&J, gives Jettie Field of Carnegie Mellon University a lesson in writing Arabic as part of a fast-paced summer program hosted by the College. To learn more, turn to page 7.

PHOTO BY ERIC MYER

WJWashington Jefferson

C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E

While fi nishing his economics degree at W&J, Ki Seong “Mitchell” Park ’12 can talk to his friends and family at home in Ulsan, South Korea, free of charge thanks to a new Skype booth in the W&J Language Lab. For more information on the booth, turn to page 6.

Phoning home

news

4

sports

17

feature

10

alumni

22

class notes

28

contentsSUMMER 2011

SUMMER 2011 MAGAZINE2

Changing the conversation

When President Obama first was gathering expert opinions to shape his health-care policy, he called together people whom he and his staff identified as national leaders in the field. Six of these leaders were selected to represent the group for a traditional photo-op following their work sessions. As they made their way to stand on either side of the president, one man turned to the person next to him and said, “We’ve worked together for a while now and I never asked you where you went to college.” The other replied, “Oh, I went to a small college in Pennsylvania—you probably haven’t heard of it,” “Funny, that’s what I often say,” said the first. “I went to Washington & Jefferson College.” The response? “So did I.”

One-third of the photographed leaders representing the health-care industry were from W&J. Not bad for a small college with only about 13,000 living alumni. The two men, by the way, were Richard Clark ’68,

chairman and former CEO of Merck, and Thomas Priselac ’73, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System. You can read more about them, and other alumni executives, by turning to page 10.

It is a story played out in boardrooms and at professional meetings across the country. Regardless of the industry—retail, construction, finance, energy, sports, law, hospitality, real estate, education, social services, government—W&J graduates are rising to positions of authority in their places of work. Something about the W&J education, carried out in small classes where faculty can challenge students to be their very best, builds leaders. In those classes, our students learn to think carefully, make cogent arguments and solve problems creatively. In our residence halls and Greek houses, through involvement in student organizations and athletics, our students learn how to think strategically, resolve conflicts and build effective teams. These skills are the foundation of a residential liberal arts education.

Today, it is fashionable to speak of “work-force development” programs only in terms of vocationally specific learning—programs in fields like retail management or criminal justice. While these have their place, the record is clear. A liberal arts education is the finest preparation for a life of leadership in any field.

So, next time someone asks, “Where did you go to college?” I hope you’ll respond with a proud “Washington & Jefferson College.” Together, let’s spread the story of this remarkable college that has produced so many wonderful leaders. We’re small, but we’re mighty!

W&J president’s message

Executive EditorMEGAN MONAGHAN

Associate EditorROBERT REID

ContributorsKERRI DIGIOVANNI ’09

ERIC HOLMBERG ’09

MICHELE KRASNESKY ’12

SCOTT MCGUINNESS

GEORGIA SCHUMACHER ’10

JOSHUA STACHER ’98

ANDREW TABLER ’94

SUSAN STORRICK TIMKO ’89

DesignerJEFF VANIK, VANIK DESIGN LLC

Editorial AssistantPAMELA NORRIS

Student AssistantALLY GILMORE ’12

PhotographersELLIOTT CRAMER

ALEXANDER DENMARSH

JEREMY GLYN

JIM JUDKIS

PAUL MEYER

ERIC MYER

MARTIN SANTEK

SEAN SIMMERS

JOHN WEE

PrinterKNEPPER PRESS

W&J Magazine, published twice a year by the Office of Communications, highlights alumni and campus news about and of interest to more than 20,000 alumni and friends of the College. To receive additional copies or back issues, please call 724-223-6531 or e-mail [email protected].

Letters to the EditorW&J welcomes feedback from readers regarding the magazine or topics related to the College. Submissions may be edited for style, length and clarity.

E-mail us at wjmag@washjeff .edu or mail a letter to:Editor, W&J MagazineOffice of CommunicationsWashington & Jefferson College60 S. Lincoln St.Washington, PA 15301

TORI HARING-SMITH, PH.D.

PRESIDENT

Washington & Jeff erson College Magazine

SUMMER 2011

President Tori Haring-Smith

W&J graduates Thomas Priselac (far left) and Richard Clark (second from left) join President Barack Obama and other national health-care leaders at a policy meeting in 2009.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE 3

Worth writing home about

Dear Editor,

I have just finished reading page by page and word for word the winter 2011 issue of W&J Magazine and want to commend all of the editors, writers and others for making this such a memorable contribution to my many wonderful memories of Jay.

The inspiration for this epistle is that I noticed the Class Notes section started with members of the class of 1955. Of course, that’s the fault of my generation, as there are not too many still around to give you updates on our activities and lives. Of course, the In Memoriam section is quite heavily annotated with past graduates! So, this leads me to contribute some recollections and observations for your next issue.

First of all, I am most enthusiastic of the decision in 1970 to admit ladies to the College. Seeing the power and beauty demonstrated by

those featured in the magazine, notably the group shown on page 12, I regret not being able to enter W&J now! I also enjoyed reading about the athletic prowess of Jay. I am in touch with E. Lee North ’45, a Jay sports historian who keeps me up to date with the progress of the teams, especially football. Congratulations to all of the athletes, administrators and coaches who make the Presidents’ success possible.

I attended Jay under the GI Bill of Rights after serving in the Pacific for three years during WWII and graduated in the class of 1945. I studied under the wise guidance and patience of economics professor Dr. Maurice Waltersdorf. He had a huge influence on my career in business, even though we debated each other furiously (he, the liberal, and I, the conservative!). He had served on one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s economic boards and I could not get him to agree with my father’s passion for the Republicans! In fact, my senior thesis was titled, “The Impact of the New Deal

on the Business Cycle,” a scathing attack on FDR’s policies and reforms. All credit to Dr. Waltersdorf, who still allowed me to graduate with honors.

My career in marketing management has taken me to four major corporations from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. As a result of these varied experiences, I authored and published a book titled, “From Sea to Shining Sea,” which was dedicated to the numerous individuals who have influenced my life and career. After retirement, I engaged in real estate development, real estate sales and food services at a local elementary school. My contributions to my community are in response to what I have received from so many friends and acquaintances.

Washington & Jefferson College has been the foundation of a profoundly gratifying life.

Thank you,Russell A. “Tuck” MacCachran ’45Boulder, Colo.

Letters

Members of the 1970 Presidents’ football team, pictured from left, are: Vince Graziano, Mark Fratoni, Jim Denny, Peter Stracci, Chuck Ream, Jim Boesler, Boyd Yesler, Mike Medden, Rich Pocock, Rob Barone, Bob McLuckey and Peter Ross.

VISIT W&J MAGAZINE ONLINE

Remembering the Presidents

Dear Editor,

Very enjoyable article from Scott McGuinness on the transitional team for W&J football fortunes. I also liked seeing the reunion picture of the 1970 team members, but there was a minor item missing for us old-timers who actually remember the team and saw them play. Can you please provide the names of the 12 handsome not-so-young devils in the photo?

Thanks for the story and for assisting me.

George Kennedy ’69Norfolk, Va.

Watch Dr. Scott’s last lecture

Check out Commencement photos and videos

Learn how students are giving back to the community

www.washjeff .edu/magazine

W&J news

COMMENCEMENT AT A GLANCE

BACK TO THE FUTURE: Quoting Steven Spielberg’s classic 1985 movie, senior speaker Eden Penatzer ’11 (right) told her classmates, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” A biochemistry major, Penatzer plans to attend law school to pursue a career in pharmaceutical litigation.

HATS OFF: Degrees were conferred on 343 graduates at Washington & Jeff erson College’s 212th Commencement ceremony May 21. Of the graduating seniors, 111 earned Latin honors, including 25 who graduated summa cum laude.

A FEW GOOD WOMEN: Distinguished women receiving honorary degrees at Commencement 2011 were, from left, keynote speaker Julie Gerberding, M.D., president of Merck Vaccines; Swin Cash, professional basketball player and philanthropist; Sister Helen Prejean, author of “Dead Man Walking”; and Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and presidential scholar.

SOMETHING BORROWED: Wearing gowns made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, W&J graduates saved 7,314 plastic bottles from ending up in a landfi ll.


For more photos, go to www.washjeff .edu/magazine.


Noted & Quoted

1 “Washington & Jefferson teams up with the children of Tendaba Village,” Scott McGuinness, ncaa.org, July 14, 2011

2 “Job prospects looking better for area college grads in select industries,” Michael Bradwell, Washington (Pa.) Observer-Reporter, May 23, 2011

3 “Super Bowl full of Washington & Jefferson products,” Josh Sickles, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Feb. 2, 2011

4 “Specialized majors: high risk, high reward,” Brian Burnsed, usnews.com, May 11, 2011

5 “Flexible majors can benefit student’s job hunt,” Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Feb. 10, 2011

6 “Corcoran, Borkowski give back to younger swimmers,” Kev Hunter, The Reporter, July 22, 2011

7 “W&J professor resurrects phone booth for Skype at college,” Zak Koeske, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 14, 2011

WHEN I CALLED THEM

AND SAID I’D BE

GRADUATING

ON THE 21ST OF MAY, THEY SAID,

“ C A N Y O U

START O N T H E 23R D? ”

JESSICA SHOUP ’112

I don’t think my education here is defined as much by me being a philosophy major as it is my liberal arts studies. These classes teach you how to think through problems, how to form arguments and how to organize thoughts. BILLY RILEY ’135

T H E J O Y A N D H A P P I N E S S E X P E R I E N C E D A N D

E X P R E S S E D B Y T H E S E K I D S I S U N I M A G I N A B L E .

IT IS, INDEED, PRICELESS. BUBA MISAWA, PH.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE1

I T B R I N G S S T U D E N T S T O G E T H E R and I’m very much for that – using technology to bring human beings together with each other.MICHAEL SHAUGHNESSY, PH.D.,

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MODERN LANGUAGES7

For a small, private liberal arts school in Western Pennsylvania to have as many people that are involved in a world event is significant for us. If you have the will and the skill, what do they say?

THE CREAM KIND OF RISES TO THE TOP.

BILL DUKETT, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS3

Some—not many—know at age 5 [that] they’re going to be a doctor, and that’s great. [But] 18-year-olds rarely know what it is they want to do in life.TORI HARING-SMITH, PH.D., PRESIDENT4

S W I M M I N G H A S B E E N M Y

L I F E , A N D I T ’ S A L O T O F

FUN TRANSFERRING BEING A

S W I M M E R I N T O B E I N G A

COACH, AND HELPING THEM LOVE IT THE WAY

THAT I LOVED IT.C.J. CORCORAN ’126


Making good on its promise to become a more global campus, Washington & Jeff erson

College has named Kristin Crosby as its inaugural director of international recruitment.

Fresh from Bates College in Maine, where she managed the school’s international

recruitment eff orts, Crosby welcomes the opportunity to promote W&J to prospective

students from around the world. W&J Magazine talked with Crosby to learn more about

her plans for increasing cultural diversity at the College.

Q: WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN W&J AND THIS POSITION?

A: I was excited to discover that there was a liberal arts college with great history

and tradition that had not yet set foot in the international recruitment arena and had real room for growth. I am eager to start building the international degree-seeking student population at W&J from the ground up.

Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES W&J AN ATTRACTIVE OPTION FOR

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

A: The opportunities for research and mentoring with professors will be

attractive to international students. Oftentimes, it’s the personal connections that lead students to choose a particular college, and W&J can win on that front.

Q: ARE THERE CERTAIN COUNTRIES YOU WILL INITIALLY TARGET?

A: China and India will be the first two countries I’ll target and hopefully

visit this fall. This is an excellent time to introduce these students to W&J, because the opportunities at many other liberal arts colleges are shrinking. Also, both countries really value education, and U.S.-bound students typically are well-prepared for the rigors of college-level work.

Q: WHAT CHALLENGES WILL W&J FACE WHEN RECRUITING

INTERNATIONALLY?

A: W&J is relatively unknown in the international school arena, simply

because W&J hasn’t traveled internationally to recruit. Students rely on anecdotal information and word-of-mouth recommendations when choosing where to apply. So I will be busy spreading W&J’s name far and wide, educating counselors, students and parents about the unique opportunities offered by the College.

Q: WHAT ARE THE SELLING POINTS OF A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION

TO INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS?

A: So many of the international students I talk to come from large cities and large

schools where they are used to being a number and a face in a crowd. They light up when they hear that they can make a difference on a campus, be known, teach others about their culture, and be an individual.

W&J news

New recruitment director to expand W&J’s global reach

The Language Lab in the Burnett Center is now home to a fire engine-red, British-style phone booth installed with Skype video-chat capabilities. Designed by Michael Shaughnessy, Ph.D., chair of the modern languages department, the booth gives international students an enclosed area to communicate with family and friends all over the world. “For me, it shows that technology can help us do what we have been trying to do for many years: connect people to each other,” Shaughnessy said. “At W&J, we know that connections happen in a variety of languages and we train our students to be proficient in the seven languages we teach.”

Old booth, new possibilitiesSKYPE BOOTH CONNECTS STUDENTS TO THE WORLD

° Replica British phone booth

stands 7 feet, 4 inches tall

° iPad 2 is outfitted with custom

locking enclosure

° Swing arm can be adjusted to

accommodate users of different

heights

° Skype access is free for students

to call anywhere in the world

W&J’s inaugural director of international recruitment, Kristin Crosby, stands on the Esplanade Bridge in Singapore, where she participated in an Asian recruitment tour hosted by the Council of International Schools.

s


1) ARAB CULTURE DOES NOT DEFINE THE MIDDLE EAST

When it comes to the media, many use “Islamic” or “Arab” as a description of the state of events in the Middle East, as if that is enough to explain the deeply rooted social, political and economic situations in the region. However, the Middle East is as complex as any other region, with multiple religions, political and economic systems existing side by side that cannot be defined by a simple label.

2) THE ARAB WORLD IS NOT AN UNCHANGING, ANCIENT LAND

Many of the region’s problems, such as regular conflicts and ongoing poverty, seem as if they have been going on for thousands of years. The truth is that the Arab states were formed in the early 20th century when Arab countries emerged from the Ottoman Empire and the Colonial Era. If we look at this recent state formation, we see how some of these issues and challenges became woven into the fabric of these states, restricting leaders’ options for development strategies when independence was achieved.

3) ARABS ARE NOT UNSUITED FOR DEMOCRACY

Many states in the Arab world have constitutional traditions as well as legislative and judicial bodies. Generally speaking, many Arab citizens would like to empower these more democratic institutions, but they have to confront autocratic leaders and ruling elites in order to do so. When the ruling elites are abusing power or viewed as illegitimate, we see intense politicking and protesting within the Arab world.

4) SUPPORTING STABILITY CAN MEAN SUPPORTING DICTATORSHIPS

In light of such politicking and protesting, many Arab leaders routinely engage in the repression of their populations. Torture is an endemic problem in the Arab world. While American politicians cite their affinities for democracy, the U.S. remains a supporter of some repressive regimes through the transfer of technology, military aid and foreign policy. All of these help the region’s ruling elites more efficiently

control their populations. Many of our nation’s leaders cite the region’s stability as central to U.S. national security interest. But, as the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings have shown, many of our seemingly stable allies have created political systems that are inherently unstable.

things you need to know about the Middle East

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Olivia Jones of the University of Tennessee practices writing Arabic as part of an innovative language immersion program hosted by Washington & Jeff erson College. In collaboration with the Pittsburgh Middle East Institute, 13 students from visiting colleges and universities participated in the month-long program, which required participants to speak only in Arabic while on campus. “We decided to defi ne this W&J immersion program as a preparation for going overseas,” Georges Montillet, adjunct professor of modern languages at W&J, said. “If you acquire your basic language skills, you can experience the country in a whole new light.”

“The Middle East is as complex as any other region, with multiple religions, political and economic systems existing side by side.” – ANDREW TABLER ’94 AND JOSHUA STACHER ’98

ALUMNI POLITICAL EXPERTS SHARE INSIDE INFORMATION ON UPRISINGS

tA

In response to the recent uprisings in the Middle East, Washington & Jefferson College

is looking to two of its own to help bring perspective to the turmoil in the region.

Internationally renowned as experts in Middle Eastern politics, Andrew Tabler ’94, a

Next Generation Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Joshua

Stacher ’98, an assistant professor of political science at Kent State University, were

invited to W&J in March to lead a panel discussion titled, “The 2011 Arab Uprising:

Revolutions and Transitions to Where?”

To clear up misconceptions about the events we see covered in the media, W&J Magazine approached Tabler and Stacher for information they believe our alumni

should know about that part of the world.

W&J graduates Joshua Stacher (left) and Andrew Tabler (right) visited campus to lead a panel discussion on the Arab uprisings.


DR. SCOTT CLOSES CHAPTER AT W&J WITH MEMORABLE LAST LECTURE

Class Dismissed“I am just speechless at the number of people who actually remember me,” said retiring Washington & Jefferson College professor John Mark Scott ’69, Ph.D., hours before giving his last lecture to a packed room at the First Presbyterian Church on a rainy May evening.

Scott’s family, friends, colleagues, and former and current students attended the lecture titled, “A Child of the College: One Boy’s Story,” though, with classes continuing for another week, his students still had a few more lectures left to enjoy.

Talking before the lecture, Scott admitted how much he will miss the College, especially Old Main. “I love W&J, but I am in love with Old Main. Old Main lives. When classes change, the floors vibrate. This place has a heart and a pulse and a mind of its own, and I really adore that,” he said.

He also will miss his regular coffee sessions with students. “We have consumed something, this semester alone, in excess of 45 pounds of coffee,” he proudly shared, noting that this number trumped his old record by nine pounds. Usually, students stopped by in the mornings and afternoons, relaxing in his office, where, in the days leading up to his retirement, a disco ball still dangled from the ceiling, a rubber chicken perched on a shelf, and a tapestry of Pope John XXIII hung near a poster of Clint Eastwood. But instead of taking these items home, Scott auctioned off these and other memorabilia to benefit the student organization Presidents Without Borders (see page 9); even though he is retiring, Scott keeps finding ways to help his students.

Despite his love for W&J, Scott feels that it is time for him to step aside. Compared to his colleagues, he has little interest in the latest technological trends. “I am, in fact, of a different era,” he said. “I’m not trying to be hard on myself; I’m just being realistic. I sit on rock piles. I still howl at the moon.”

Though ready to retire, Scott had one more story to share with the campus community, which led to the composition of what would be his last formal lecture at W&J. The ceremony, which kicked off with congratulatory remarks from President Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D., was highlighted by a performance from the male W&J Camerata Singers, who sang Scott’s personal request—“The Lion Sleeps Tonight.”

After an introduction from longtime friend and colleague Robert Dodge, Ph.D., Scott took a second to express his gratitude to all in attendance before starting his lecture. The story began, he said, about 60 years ago in W&J’s Thompson Memorial Library, where he visited frequently as a child with his father, who, at 92 years old, joined Scott’s family in the audience. His memories of those visits remain vivid; in particular, he recalls the impeccably dressed faculty members, several of whom began their teaching careers around 1910.

“A quick count of rolling decades would suggest that I, personally, have touched more than 100 years of life at the College, or perhaps, more accurately, that 100 years of the life of the College have touched me,” he said.

Scott’s resume is short: outside his brief years in the military, being a W&J professor has been his only occupation. Yet, he described the path to this career as “all so very accidental.” When he was a student at W&J, he never expected to be interested in Russian; that passion developed as a result of being drafted into the Army. And while in the military, he certainly never dreamed that he would become a teacher. But Scott’s life and that of the College kept intersecting, and, in his mid-20s, he accepted a junior appointment at W&J. “For some peculiar reason, the authorities never got around to firing me,” joked Scott, who has been employed by the College for more than 30 years.

Nearing the end of his lecture, Scott told the audience that his story and the College’s story are, in his mind, “two halves of the same story.” He added, “Indeed, the story of the College would have happened without me. My presence changed nothing, but I cherish my part of the story. I’m richer for it by many measures.”

As the clapping slowly subsided after Scott returned to his seat, Haring-Smith approached the podium again with what she called “one point of disagreement” with his lecture. Scott looked questioningly to the President until she gave her explanation: “I believe that your presence has changed this institution.” On this note, the church roared with applause in agreement.

– GEORGIA SCHUMACHER ’10

SCHUMACHER IS PURSUING A MASTER’S IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY.

John Mark Scott takes a few moments in his classroom on the fourth fl oor of Old Main before delivering his last lecture to the W&J community.

“Indeed, the story of the College would have happened without me. My presence changed nothing, but I cherish my part of the story.” – JOHN MARK SCOTT ’69, PH.D.

To watch Dr. Scott’s last lecture, visit www.washjeff .edu/magazine.

Biology major Nick Tyger is the founder of Presidents Without Borders, a student service organization designed to provide medical relief eff orts to the Dominican Republic.

“It is my responsibility to feed off that enthusiasm and leave behind something that future W&J students can continue to build upon.”

– NICK TYGER ’12


Back-to-back medical missions to the Dominican Republic were not enough for Nick Tyger ’12, who created a student service organization at Washington & Jefferson College that he hopes will continue his relief efforts in the region long after he graduates.

The organization, called Presidents Without Borders, aims to connect W&J students with those living in medically underserved areas of the world, including Tyger’s “extended family” in the Caribbean.

“Last year, we expanded from one clinic to three, but I wanted to do more to incorporate service and grow our relief efforts there,” said Tyger, who collaborated with Solid Rock Missions, a faith-based nonprofit group that serves the underprivileged in the Dominican Republic. He has helped raise more than $700 for medical supplies to deliver on his missions, which have been funded through the College’s Magellan Project.

Last summer, the biology major treated more than 2,100 sick or injured men, women and children at the clinics where he worked, checking patients’ vital signs, reviewing their medical histories and providing them with medication. He also had the opportunity to observe a handful of medical procedures.

“The people of the Dominican Republic are very happy people,” Tyger said. “They are very gracious and caring, and they love that you are there.” Making his third trek to the region this summer, Tyger will be joined by nine others from the W&J community, thanks to the interest spurred by Presidents Without Borders. Since the organization was formed this year, membership has grown to more than 40 students.

“The success of Presidents Without Borders has stemmed from the Magellan Project, which has grown enormously under the guidance of President Haring-Smith,” said Tyger, who plans on staying involved with the organization as an off-campus adviser after graduation. “It is my responsibility to feed off that enthusiasm and leave behind something that future W&J students can continue to build upon.”

– ROBERT REID

REID IS THE COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT W&J.

Biology major fosters student service at W&J

Great ScottFew professors in W&J history have

been quoted as often as John Mark

Scott. Here are some more memorable

thoughts from Dr. Scott on:

HIS TEACHING STRATEGY

“I will do anything to cause students to step outside of themselves. Students on my off-campus trips have been cold, hot, hungry, uncomfortable, tired, beleaguered and informed; the thing is—there’s no such thing as too much of a certain kind of information.”

HIS TIME AS A W&J STUDENT

“We took a lot of risks. Gambling was part of the routine—gambling with grades, gambling with credits, and gambling with ideas.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF STORIES

“Our stories are among the few things that can never be taken from us.”

THE THOUGHT OF TEACHING ELSEWHERE

“I could not, I would not, be the person I am at another institution. Maybe I would have been OK, maybe I would have even succeeded, but this experience, the W&J experience, is particular because W&J is a particular place.”

To learn how other students are making a diff erence, visit www.washjeff .edu/magazine.


In boardrooms across the country

and around the world, Washington & Jefferson College

graduates are charged with making the big decisions

that impact their businesses and shape our economy.

With alumni rising to the top of industries ranging

from health care to retail and from government

to education, W&J is earning a reputation in the

workplace for producing leaders of the highest rank.

Whether they are at the peak of their careers or well

on their way, here is a closer look at six executives

who are taking their W&J degrees to new heights.

– MEGAN MONAGHAN

THEFollow

HOW 6 ALUMNI MADE IT BIG (AND HOW YOU CAN, TOO)

Thomas Priselac ’73 PRESIDENT AND CEO, CEDARS-SINAI HEALTH SYSTEM


Researchers at Cedars-Sinai Health System are on the verge of a breakthrough in cardiac medicine. If they are successful, adult stem cells will enable failing hearts to grow into new, healthy organs, giving hope to millions of patients suffering from heart disease.

One of the people driving the revolution is Thomas Priselac ’73, who, as president and CEO of the internationally acclaimed hospital, helps determine which research initiatives are given the green light for funding and support. Heart disease, which takes an American life every 34 seconds, is near the top of Priselac’s priorities, along with cancer and organ transplantation.

It is a responsibility that the CEO, a former biology major at Washington & Jefferson College, takes very seriously. “When I was a student at W&J, I was interested in medicine, but I wasn’t interested in taking care of patients one at a time, which is what physicians do,” he said. “I wanted to be involved in health care in a way that impacted the community more broadly.”

At the helm of the largest private, nonprofit medical center in the Western U.S., Priselac is achieving his goal. The Los Angeles-based medical complex boasts 958 beds, 2,000 doctors, $2 billion in annual revenue and vast research and teaching programs. Yet what Priselac takes the most pride in is the hospital’s top-notch health-care services.

“One of the things I emphasize here is that being the biggest isn’t what is important. What is important is being the best. We work very hard at it,” he said. “That means investing in the right people and making sure they have the resources necessary to do the kind of high-quality work that we ask.”

Often celebrated as “the hospital to the stars,” Cedars-Sinai has a world-class reputation that, combined with its location near Beverly Hills, is a major draw for celebrity patients. Priselac takes that as a compliment but emphasizes that the hospital’s reach extends well beyond the rich and famous. “It’s a good thing that people who can afford to go anywhere in the world choose to come here,” he said. “Yet it masks the fact that Cedars-Sinai cares for people from across the socioeconomic spectrum in Los Angeles.”

Priselac, who landed in L.A. after marrying his wife, secured a position with Cedars-Sinai in 1979 as an assistant administrator. Working his way up the hospital’s corporate ladder, he was tapped for the top job in 1994. After 17 years as CEO, Priselac attributes much of his success to the effort he has invested in building his business relationships.

“I’ve worked hard to be honest with people in all of my dealings with them and to focus on listening to what people are saying to truly understand them,” he said. “I’ve always made it a point to treat everyone I come in contact with respectfully.”

Health-care HeroThe

“WHATEVER ORGANIZATION YOU’RE IN, LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES

TO WORK OUTSIDE YOUR FORMAL JOB DESCRIPTION.”


Richard Clark ’68 CHAIRMAN, MERCK

When Richard Clark ’68 took over as CEO of pharmaceutical giant Merck, the once-reigning top drug maker was facing declining profits, thousands of lawsuits and a shortage of innovative new products to penetrate an increasingly competitive market.

Six years later, under Clark’s insightful leadership, Merck is back on top, reclaiming its status as one of the world’s pre-eminent pharmaceutical companies. With the launch of five new drugs, including the groundbreaking vaccine Gardasil and popular diabetes drug Januvia, Merck is benefiting from a revitalized focus on scientific research.

“The most important aspect of what we’ve been able to accomplish in the last six years is staying focused on what made Merck successful for the last 120 years, and that’s innovation,” Clark said.

Innovation is thriving at the newly expanded company, fresh from a multimillion-dollar merger with Schering-Plough that was spearheaded

by Clark. In addition to boasting a broader range of products, Merck doubled the number of potential medicines in phase-three development—the last stage of research required before new drugs can gain approval from the Food and Drug Administration—from nine to 18, a monumental feat, according to industry experts.

“We were looking for a compelling way to extend Merck’s deep roots in research by expanding our pipeline of products and increasing our geographic reach,” Clark said. “Today, Merck is a stronger, more diverse company better-positioned for the future.”

The merger, only the second in Merck’s history, capped off an impressive run as CEO for Clark, who has since retired from the position to serve as the company’s chairman. Starting his career at Merck as a quality-control inspector, Clark spent more than 30 years rising through the company’s ranks, giving him an insider’s understanding of the corporate culture. Clark considers this to be an advantage for CEOs who

“really have to understand the fabric, the culture and the DNA of the companies they’re leading.”

When it came time to name his successor, Clark turned to fellow Merck insider Ken Frazier, who, like Clark, studied history in college. “History majors make good CEOs,” laughed Clark, who credits his liberal arts education at W&J with honing his communication and critical-thinking skills. A first-generation college student, Clark remains modest about his role in the drug maker’s success, largely attributing his contributions to the unparalleled passion he has for the company’s mission.

“Merck is a very important company, and as a caretaker of the company, I’m just passing through,” Clark said. “In naming my successor, I wanted to make sure that I handed that baton off to another person with the same passion and dedication for this company, because millions of patients throughout the world are depending on us.”

Medicine ManThe

“FIND COMPANIES THAT ARE TRULY INTERESTED IN YOUR CAREER

DEVELOPMENT AND HAVE MISSIONS THAT YOU STRONGLY BELIEVE IN.”


Stephen Ross ’74 CEO, EDCON

Prior to getting the call to head up Edgars Stores as its new CEO, retail veteran Stephen Ross ’74 never had heard of the South African retail chain. Yet a review of the company’s annual report prompted Ross to take the 16-hour flight from New York City to Johannesburg to explore the opportunity.

More than a dozen years later, Ross, who plans to retire from the top job in 2012, has not looked back. For the South African transplant, his decision was based not on career advancement, but on the chance to boost the economy of a nation newly freed from apartheid.

“I thought I could help,” Ross said. “I was so very impressed with the country, the people and the excitement of that particular moment in their new democratic history.”

Since Ross took the helm of Edgars Stores, now known as Edcon, the rise of the retail chain has been remarkable. With a share price in free fall and an earnings slump of 87 percent, South Africa’s largest clothing retailer was struggling.

Today, in the capable hands of Ross, Edcon is a retail powerhouse boasting quadrupled annual sales, 500 new stores and a broader catalog of brands—marking the most impressive turnaround in South African corporate history.

Ross attributes his company’s colossal success to “selling the right product at the right price in the right place.” It is a simple philosophy that drove him to acquire well-known South African retailers— expanding Edcon’s product lines to include top houseware and stationery brands, as well as merchandise ranging from discount to upscale.

With 1,220 stores spread across five countries in southern Africa, Ross is receptive to the needs of his consumers, who, he notes, tend to be “more budget-constrained” than their U.S. counterparts. “That can make them more astute to the intrinsic value of a product,” added Ross, who acknowledges the growing number of options available for today’s South African shoppers.

“Thirteen years ago, the market here had virtually no bespoke international brands,” he said. “Today, we have everything from Gucci and Vuitton to Ferrari and Aston Martin. It truly is an emerging market.”

Hailing from a background in American retail, Ross got his start at Macy’s before holding leadership positions at Sears and Phillips-Van Heusen. Yet the CEO’s fascination with the industry began at Washington & Jefferson College, where the law school-bound English major was exposed to a range of insights into human behavior. “It was a great place to start understanding the mind of the consumer,” said Ross, who started his own small business after graduation before landing his first retail gig.

“I found retail fast-paced, stimulating and fun,” Ross said of the ever-evolving field. “I never thought about a law degree again.”

Retail KingThe

“THINK ABOUT THE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES ONE STEP HIGHER THAN YOURS.”


“DON’T BE AFRAID TO HIRE PEOPLE WHO ARE SMARTER THAN YOU. THE

ONLY THING THAT YOU NEED TO BE IS THE BEST STUDENT IN THE ROOM.”

“THERE IS SO MUCH FLEXIBILITY WITH CAREERS. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED IF YOU

MAKE A WRONG CHOICE OR IF YOU MAKE A CHOICE THAT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT.”

“YOU CAN BE PRESENTED ANY OPPORTUNITY, BUT IT’S WHAT YOU

DO WITH THE OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL.”

Joyce Golonka ’85 PRINCIPAL OF STRATEGY AND TRANSFORMATION

CAPGEMINI CONSULTING

Change AgentThe

Kenyon Bonner ’94 ASSOCIATE DEAN AND DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

Academic AuthorityThe

Jennifer Goldstein Branstetter ’94 SECRETARY OF PLANNING AND POLICY TO

PENNSYLVANIA GOV. TOM CORBETT

Policy MakerThe

When facilitating a meeting on the progress of a global dental company, Joyce Golonka ’85 was the only American in a room of nearly 30 representatives from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland.

It is not a unique situation for Golonka, who has spent much of her career traveling across the globe as an in-demand business consultant for Capgemini Consulting. Adjusting to the challenge of working in a variety of cultures and time zones, Golonka depends heavily on technology to communicate with her clients.

“It used to be cumbersome to log into your computer and the Internet while on business travel, but now all of our tools work wherever we do business,” she said. “We hold a lot of conference calls and Web meetings so that geography does not get in the way.”

Golonka, who is a leader in her firm’s global strategy and transformation practice, is enlisted by large corporations undergoing major changes, whether it is implementing growth strategies, executing mergers and acquisitions, or downsizing.

“In strategy and transformation, we don’t sell packaged solutions. We listen and understand the business challenge the client is facing,” she said. “We

talk about potential solutions that are on the table and share what we have seen with other clients. Then, together with the client, we create a program.”

Working across a broad range of industries—from automotive to high-tech—Golonka points out the need to “get really smart, really fast” when accepting a new project. She also is adept at modifying her consulting style to fit her clients’ diverse needs—a skill she honed as a psychology major at Washington & Jefferson College.

“In a client-serving business such as consulting, you are only successful if you can motivate and influence people,” she said. “Any study that gives you an appreciation for how people think and why they act differently is good training for consultants.”

With 18 years of experience in consulting, a competitive business known for what Golonka calls a “high burnout rate,” the successful change agent has no plans on slowing down her career.

“I think every business consultant gets to the point where you’re working so hard helping other companies that you want to try it yourself,” she said. “For me, the next step will be taking all of the things I learned about running businesses and leading a small- to medium-sized business of my own.”

As 3,800 freshmen descend upon the University of Pittsburgh’s main campus this fall, many will decide within their first six weeks whether or not they will return in the spring, according to Kenyon Bonner ’94, associate dean and director of student life.

To ensure a positive experience for Pitt’s newest students, Bonner established an office dedicated to transitioning freshmen into the campus community. The initiative is producing record-high retention rates at the university, which was ranked by The Princeton Review last year as boasting the eighth-happiest student body in the country.

“We try to get to our students early, because that’s when they’re most attentive,” he said. “Each year, we say, ‘OK, how can we get these students off to the right start and what can we tell them about Pitt and give them in terms of information to help them be successful?’”

While managing the welfare of 17,000-plus undergrads may be a tall order for the young administrator, Bonner directs a far-reaching portfolio of educational and social programs at the university with unrivaled confidence. “It’s really about building a good team of people who are passionate about and very skilled at what they do,” he said.

Topping Bonner’s list of priorities is the need to fully engage Pitt students in the college experience—an ambition that resulted in a first-of-its-kind program designed to “educate the whole student.” Bonner helped implement the university-wide initiative, called the outside-the-classroom curriculum, to enhance students’ involvement in extracurricular activities. “We provide students with a road map that encourages them to participate in activities that will help them become well-rounded,” he said.

It is a mission that rings true for Bonner, a double psychology and philosophy major at Washington & Jefferson College who excelled as a member of the basketball team and as president of the Black Student Union. “College can be one of those experiences that helps you realize your purpose in life,” said Bonner, who credits his mentors at W&J with directing him toward a career in higher education.

“I could have worked in the stock market, I could have worked in pharmaceutical sales, but that wasn’t what lit me up,” he said. Now in his seventh year at Pitt, the aspiring college president plans on earning his Ph.D., but not before completing his first marathon. “I told myself I couldn’t do it,” said the novice long-distance runner, who has worked his way up from a 5K to a half-marathon. “I’m deciding to prove myself wrong.”

When Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett signed a new state budget this summer—with just 15 minutes to spare before the looming July 1 deadline—it marked the first time in nearly a decade that the budget was completed on time.

The deadline was met after some tough decision making by Corbett and an executive team placing Jennifer Goldstein Branstetter ’94 at the forefront of policy creation. As the state’s secretary of planning and policy, Branstetter has been heavily involved in shaping the $27.2 billion plan, which cuts spending by 3 percent while lowering business taxes in Pennsylvania.

“It wasn’t easy, because the one thing the governor promised during the campaign—and is holding firm to—is that he will not raise taxes,” Branstetter said. “Our philosophy is that Pennsylvanians are taxed too much as it is, and to have them shoulder more tax burden is not acceptable. So, we had to make difficult choices.”

Many of those choices dealt with education aid, an area of primary importance to Branstetter, who directed education outreach under Corbett’s reign as attorney general. Addressing what she referred to as misconceptions about the budget cuts, Branstetter stressed that the funds were reallocated in the best interest of the students.

“Ideally, this budget was designed to lay the groundwork of having education funding follow the child throughout school,” said the mother of two, who added that she “wants to guarantee our students are given every opportunity, regardless of ZIP code, to have a quality education.”

Halfway into her first year at the Capitol, Branstetter is embracing the opportunity to affect positive change in the commonwealth. “I want to make sure that Pennsylvania is a whole lot better in four years than it was when we took office,” she said.

The longtime adviser to Corbett entered the political arena fresh out of graduate school after landing her first job as a deputy press secretary in the lieutenant governor’s office. It was an unexpected career path for the Washington & Jefferson College English major, but Branstetter largely attributes her success in politics to her strong writing background. “It’s one thing to create policy; it’s another thing to be able to express and communicate it,” she explained.

With hopes that Corbett is reelected for another term, Branstetter is open to the opportunities that lie ahead in her career—as long as they keep her in Harrisburg. “I don’t think I can ever leave politics,” she said. “Once you get bit by the bug, you can’t walk away.”



EXPAND YOUR NETWORKKeep in touch with people from your past—they are the base of your professional network—then expand. Join a professional or social organization to make new connections in your field. Reach out to W&J graduates working in your desired profession. A great place to grow your network is on LinkedIn.com, where the W&J group can put you in touch with hundreds of alumni in a variety of industries.

BUILD YOUR ONLINE BRANDAccording to a 2009 CareerBuilder survey, 45 percent of employers admit to using social networks to scout for applicants as part of the employment process. How can you ensure that your online identity measures up?

GOOGLE YOURSELF: Make sure the hits reflect the image you want to project.

SHARE YOUR OPINION: Comment on news articles and blogs related to your industry or interests. Remember to use your real name when posting, not a username.

STAY ON THE RADAR: Update your social media profiles with career-related news. If you are job-seeking, let people know. If you’re looking to move ahead in your field, include information about your professional development.

DIRECT THEM TO YOU: Link your social network profiles to your email signature. You’ve worked hard to create a positive online brand — show it off.

TAILOR YOUR RESUMEWhen applying for jobs, one size does not fit all. Resumes and cover letters must be customized for each position. Review the job posting to learn what skills are relevant for the position, and then highlight those skills on your resume. Don’t forget to quantify and show outcomes whenever possible. Employers want to see not just what you know, but how you’ve applied that knowledge successfully in the workplace.

MARKET YOUR SKILLSYou love your company but you’re ready for a new challenge. Preparing for this moment starts at day one of your employment with that company. Begin with taking work seriously. Arrive early, stay late and put in a productive workday. Find a mentor to help guide you. They can help you navigate tricky areas such as company policies and politics. Also introduce yourself to key leaders and champion your skills when there is an opportunity. Get involved with committees and seek out additional professional development opportunities, but make sure your core responsibilities are being completed on time and correctly.

By the Numbers: W&J AT WORK

1,140

Financial fi rms in New York that hired Kaitlyn Ogilvie ’12 as an intern

91%

1,533

Students from the class of 2011 who utilized the Offi ce of Career Services298

TWO HUNDRED FORTY

Twenty-fi ve

3Graduates from the classes of 2008-2010 hired by the Bank of New York Mellon

80ALUMNI WHO SERVE AS CAREER MENTORS TO W&J STUDENTS

Students from the class of 2010 employed or in graduate school six months after graduation

Alumni with profiles on W&J’s LinkedIn group

Job openings posted last year on

collegecentral.com/washjeff

EMPLOYERS COMPETING

TO RECRUIT W&J STUDENTS

AT JOB FAIRS IN 2010

Whether you are seeking your first professional role, looking for a career

change, or getting ready to move up the corporate ladder, you will want

your job-searching skills to be sharp. Susan Storrick Timko ’89, associate

director of career services at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College,

shares four career-building tips.

Take your career to the next levelRESIDENT JOB EXPERT SHARES FOUR CAN’T-MISS TIPS


W&J sports

Despite boasting three Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) titles and setting pool, school and conference records during her first two years as a Washington & Jefferson College diver, Bethany Haver ’12 was not satisfied.

After being shut out of back-to-back NCAA Division III championships, Haver longed to compete at the national level.

“I needed to get to the next level for people to better understand the great things Division III athletes can accomplish,” said Haver, who worked this summer at Akron General Hospital as an exercise physiology intern focusing on cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

Posting a strong third season, Haver captured her fourth and fifth conference championships in February at Grove City College. All signs were pointing to Haver becoming the first women’s diver in PAC history to earn one of the 22 spots at the NCAA championships.

“I felt like I was working toward something bigger and that my season wasn’t going

to end as it had previously,” said Haver, who learned in March that she qualified to compete with the nation’s best divers at the Allan Jones Aquatic Center at the University of Tennessee.

“I had something to prove. I felt that I was of the same caliber as the divers I was going to be competing against,” she said.

Making her mark in the 3-meter national championship, Haver posted 418.45 points in the preliminary round, guaranteeing herself a spot in the finals and an All-America citation, which is given to the top eight finishers in each event. During the finals, she placed fifth nationally with 423.10 points, stunning even herself.

Two days later, Haver felt a new comfort level for the 1-meter preliminaries, clinching another All-America citation after placing third following the opening session. She finished seventh during the final round, raising the bar for herself while bringing visibility to PAC diving.

“I barely was expecting to make it to Tennessee, and there I was, celebrating fifth and seventh

place in the entire country,” she said. “I finally was being recognized

at a national level and I thought to myself, ‘This is why I chose to participate in Division III.’ It made my decision to come to W&J all the more meaningful.”

Diver makes history at national meet

Men’s soccer player Sean Maddock ’11 is the recipient of a $7,500 postgraduate scholarship from the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Maddock, who graduated as a physics major and French minor with a 3.93 GPA, was one of 29 male student-athletes across all NCAA divisions to earn the scholarship.

He became the fourth President in the past five years to receive the prestigious scholarship, joining men’s basketball point guard Matt Drakeley ’10, women’s soccer standout Megan Ferderber ’09 and baseball star Sam Mann ’07.

Maddock, a four-year letter winner and three-year starter on the Presidents’ defense, graduated with a resume full of academic and athletic honors. An Alpha Scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa, Maddock was a three-time All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference honoree and a 2010 NSCAA All-East Scholar. In 2010, he became the 27th CoSIDA Academic All-American in school history.

Maddock is enrolled at New York Medical College, where he plans on earning his doctorate.

NCAA honors W&J

soccer standout

Soccer star and physics major Sean Maddock is W&J’s latest NCAA scholarship recipient.

Bethany Haver became the fi rst women’s diver in PAC history to compete at the NCAA championships.

“I felt like I was working toward something bigger and that my season wasn’t going to end as it had previously.” – BETHANY HAVER ’12

Read about Maddock’s Parisian internship at www.washjeff .edu/magazine.


W&J sports

DouBle

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David Damico ’81*,

Basketball

Michael Pratt ’81,

Basketball

Tony Torchia ’86,

Basketball

Gregg Ferrero ’87*,

Wrestling

Tom Lapcevic ’87,

Wrestling

Alicia Allison ’88, Tennis

Ken Jones ’90, Football

Michelle Rathgeb ’90*,

Tennis

Dave Conn ’91*, Football

David Branchen ’91*,

Basketball

Allison Evanoff ’92*,

Cross Country

Raymond Cross Jr. ’93*,

Football

Michael Jones ’95*,

Football

Christopher Rihn ’96*,

Soccer

Carrie Banaszak ’99,

Volleyball

Jaimee Heffner ’99*,

Track & Field

Jennifer Baumgartel ’01,

Cross Country

Nemanja Kuzmanovic ’03,

Water Polo

Sam Mann ’07, Baseball

Michael Grasso ’08, Golf

Mitch Erdely ’09, Football

Matt Houy ’09, Football

Valerie Schultz ’09,

Softball

Spencer Ahrenholtz ’10,

Soccer

Jessica Barby ’10*,

Water Polo

Pat Kennedy ’11, Baseball

Sean Maddock ’11, Soccer

*Two-time honoree

A Winning Lineup

W&J celebrates tradition of

CoSIDA Academic All-Americans

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PAT KENNEDY ’11

PRESIDENTS

DY ’111

STATS

PAT KENNEDY ’11ATHLETICS

ERA: 4.18Career Record: 18-5Innings Pitched: 179Appearances/Starts:

38/31

Fastball Pitch Speed: 82-86

Strikeouts/Walks: 97/78

Height: 6’1”Weight: 200 lbs.PAC Honor Roll: 4 times

Awards: Three-time All-PAC pitcher

ACADEMICSGPA: 3.94

Major: ChemistryDean’s List: 8 timesFavorite Class: BiochemistryMedical School Acceptances: 2Future Career: Radiologist or SurgeonAwards: Alpha Scholar, Salvitti Senior

Student-Athlete AwardHonor Societies: Phi Beta Kappa,

Gamma Sigma Epsilon


With a third of its Academic All-Americans named in the past four years, Washington & Jefferson College is producing outstanding student-athletes at a greater rate than at any time in its history.

As the premier intercollegiate scholar-athlete award, CoSIDA Academic All-American status has been granted to W&J Presidents 38 times since men’s basketball player David Damico ’81 was given the nod more than 30 years ago. A notable 11 student-athletes, including Damico, have been honored twice.

The latest product of W&J’s Academic All-American streak is Pat Kennedy ’11, who became the second baseball player in school history to earn the elite honor.

“It’s nice to be recognized in both arenas, academics and athletics,” said Kennedy, a three-time All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference pitcher.

Kennedy developed into one of Head Coach Jeff Mountain’s top pitchers during the baseball program’s recent string of success. Posting a 207-104-1 record (.664) since 2005, the team owes 18 of its victories to the 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-handed pitcher.

“It’s all about hard work,” he added. “I don’t view myself as especially gifted in the classroom, but I work my tail off. I think my success in athletics directly resulted from that.”

Kennedy downplays his talents in both areas. He graduated with a 3.93 GPA as a chemistry major and, in the middle of the season, was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

On the pitching mound, Kennedy appeared in 38 games and held an 18-5 career record. The Presidents always played well when Kennedy was that day’s starting pitcher. Between his sophomore and senior seasons, a span of 713 days passed before Kennedy recorded a loss.

After rehashing a day’s worth of classes and looking ahead to a 6 p.m. baseball game, Kennedy reflected on what has been a whirlwind of a daily regimen.

“The first three years of college, I hardly did anything on the weekends except dedicate myself to academics and baseball. It may not be the ideal college experience in a lot of people’s eyes, but it’s rewarding now because I’ve had a more relaxed senior year,” he said. “I definitely made sacrifices, there’s no doubt about it, but if you want to experience success in the classroom and on the field, you have to put in the time.”

Kennedy also credits his coaches and professors for working together to help him achieve his goals. The year before Kennedy arrived on campus, the faculty/coach mentor program was established to facilitate professors’ involvement in the athletics program. Faculty members like John Zimmerman, associate professor of mathematics and mentor for the baseball team, encourage student-athletes to be fully engaged in the classroom and work with colleagues to increase their understanding of intercollegiate athletics.

“If I had an exam, Coach Mountain would let me leave practice early,” Kennedy explained. “If I had a review session, Coach would schedule an early throwing session so I could get my baseball work in and still be able to go and do whatever I needed to do academically.”

Preceding Kennedy in the Academic All-American arena is Sam Mann ’07, W&J’s first baseball honoree and holder of the College’s all-time victories (26) and strikeouts (250) records. Mann, who is working as a law clerk for Clawson & Staubes in Charleston, S.C., echoes Kennedy’s statements.

“I look back and I appreciate what it took to be focused on academics, while also playing a high level of baseball,” said Mann, who played professional baseball in the Frontier League with

the Washington Wild Things and Kalamazoo Kings after graduation. “W&J provides an environment where its student-athletes can be successful in both areas.”

Kennedy, who fell just short his senior year of becoming the 12th two-time Academic All-American in school history, has left behind a blueprint for W&J’s next honoree to step up to the plate. Pitching more than 178 innings and striking out 97 batters, Kennedy closed out his baseball career with a 4.18 ERA and an unprecedented work ethic.

“Looking back on it now, I see the level of dedication it takes,” he concluded. “After classes, I would go to baseball practice, study until 3 a.m., then wake up at 8 a.m. and do it all again. I’m not sure how I did it, but you have to keep a high level of energy and focus. I guess I took an athletic approach to academics. When I’m pitching and an opponent hits a home run, it’s no different than a classmate who did better than me on a test. I don’t like it, and it makes me strive harder to do better.”

– SCOTT MCGUINNESS

MCGUINNESS IS THE SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR AT W&J.

Star pitcher keeps streak of

Academic All-Americans alive at W&J

Star pittcher keeps streak of

Academmic All-Americans alive at W&J

Threat

“If you want to experience success in the classroom and on the fi eld, you have to put in the time.” – PAT KENNEDY ’11

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SUMMER 2011 MAGAZINE

W&J sports

20

W&W&JJ sspppoorrttss W&J sports

Reaching New HeightsPresidents enjoy

sensational spring season

PAC Male High Point award winner Taylor Hockman led the Presidents to a second-place fi nish at the conference meet.


Few spring sports seasons throughout W&J history could equal

the success achieved in 2011 by the Presidents. Unfazed by the

season’s record rainfall, coaches and student-athletes propelled

their teams to new heights, making a bold ascent on the national

intercollegiate athletics scene.

Katelynd McElhany’11

Brad

Cieslinski ’11

Courtney Schrock ’11

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE

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Joe

Bogdewiecz ’11

TRACK & FIELDTrack-and-field standout Michelle Wuenstel ’11 punctuated the spring success in late May by earning W&J’s first NCAA Division III Outdoor All-America honor in a running event. She placed sixth in the 400-meter race at the 2011 NCAA championships in Delaware, Ohio, with a time of 56.67 seconds.

Wuenstel also guided her team to the third Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) championship in school history, joining the 2006 and 2007 squads as the only teams to accomplish the feat. W&J posted 156 points in the six-team field and edged out runner-up Westminster (146 points) for the title.

Katelynd McElhany ’11 stole the show at the championship meet by producing 35 points for her team and earning the PAC High Point Winner/MVP award. She won conference individual championships in the 100 meters, 100-meter hurdles and 400-meter hurdles while leading the 4x100 and 4x400 relay squads to wins. C.J. Corcoran ’12 collected the conference javelin title and earned second place in the high jump. For her efforts, Corcoran was selected as the PAC Field MVP. She joined Wuenstel at the NCAA Division III championships and became the first Presidents woman since Jaimee Heffner ’99 to compete in the javelin national event. Corcoran finished 16th nationally with a top throw of 155’4”.

MEN’S GOLFThe men’s golf team also produced a historic season after winning the program’s 15th PAC championship. The 72-hole tournament victory earned the Presidents a spot in the 40-team championship field at the 2011 NCAA Division III tournament at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro, N.C., in May.

W&J claimed its fifth PAC men’s golf title in the past six years by 34 strokes over defending champion Thomas More. The Presidents’ championship helped clinch the school’s seventh consecutive PAC Men’s All-Sports Trophy, breaking a conference record. Tyler Fewell ’14 led the Presidents with a runner-up finish at the league championship tournament and a First Team All-PAC award. Head Coach Sean Dove was selected as PAC Coach of the Year.

Brad Cieslinski ’11 led the Presidents all season with a 75.1 stroke average. A GCAA PING All-Region selection, Cieslinski made his

third appearance in the national championship tournament and placed 76th in the 205-golfer field. W&J finished in 27th place as a team. Classmate E.J. Morascyzk ’11 held an 80.2 scoring average in 20 rounds and finished his career as an eight-time letter winner, four with golf and four in the winter as a point guard on the Presidents’ basketball squad.

LACROSSEThe most recent addition to the spring sports lineup, women’s lacrosse, continued its dramatic rise on the NCAA Division III scene. For a second-straight season, W&J posted a 13-4 record under Head Coach Kate Scattergood. The sport began playing varsity competition only four years ago, yet made its second postseason appearance this spring.

W&J earned the sixth seed in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Tournament and traveled to third-seeded Alvernia for a quarterfinal-round match. The Presidents received four goals from Lauren Novak ’12 and held on for a 12-10 victory over the Crusaders. Although the season came to an end with a tough 11-10 loss to second seed FDU-Florham in the semifinals, W&J found reason to celebrate as Courtney Schrock ’11 scored her 200th career goal during the setback, setting a benchmark for future Presidents scorers.

Following the season, Cayla Grodotzke ’12 and Julia McLellan ’13 were named to the International Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s All-West Region Team.

BASEBALLThe baseball squad qualified for the four-team PAC tournament at Cene Park in Struthers, Ohio, but fell just short of earning the conference title and a third-straight trip to an NCAA Division III Regional.

The Presidents graduated some of the top performers in school history, led by three-time First Team All-PAC choice shortstop Joe Bogdewiecz ’11. He capped his career as the W&J all-time leader in at-bats (630), runs scored (200), walks (80), stolen bases (61) and triples (12, tied with Justin Benson ’09). He nearly passed Jim Pasquine ’10 for the career hit record (219), while finishing fourth in career RBI (120). Pat Kennedy ’11 wrapped up his three-time all-conference pitching career with an 18-5 record.

W&J alumni

Alumni, parents and students across the country are

logging off Facebook to reach out to fellow Presidents

the old-fashioned way—face to face. Representing

classes from 1945 to 2015, Jays gathered in cities

from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to rekindle

friendships, form new connections and celebrate their

ties to W&J.

AKRON, OH | PITTSBURGH | SAN FRANCISCO | PHOENIX

BONITA SPRINGS, FL | ATLANTA | EASTON, CT | CHICAGO

PRESIDENTS CONNECT OFFLINE

FROM COAST TO COAST

The Original Social Network

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Washington, Pa.Proud parents Gary and Patrice DeLorenzo get ready to cheer on their son, Jon DeLorenzo ’14, at the W&J football home

opener in September.

b

Norfolk, Va.Anne and Bud Falk ’61 hosted

Norfolk-area alumni and parents at their home in September.

c

DallasThe Dallas crew gathers in January for its annual

reunion, hosted by Joanie and Shelly Weinstein ’59.

d


Far Hills, N.J.Classmates Neil Wilson ’53, Joe Thompson ’53 and Joe Boodin ’53 reminisce at the annual New Jersey reunion.

f

PhiladelphiaPhil O’Connell ’74, Stephen

Heverly ’98, Julie Keller Heverly ’99 and Francis Burt

’02 participate in a beer tasting at Triumph Brewing Co.

g

Washington, D.C.The Camerata Singers take a Segway tour of the capitol

before performing for alumni at the home of Patrick

Correnty ’87.

iWashington, D.C.

Class of 2008 graduates reunite at a D.C. happy hour. Pictured from left are: Jason Hilliard,

Stephanie Yeager, Julian Muganda, Alex Byers, Kristen

Schuh and Brian Frank.

i

New York CityLindsay Leone ’09 and Walter

Flamenbaum ’63 meet at W&J’s fi rst networking event at DLA Piper’s New York offi ce.

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Bradenton, Fla.George Inglis ’59 and his wife, Sarah Jane, talk with President Tori Haring-Smith at Rosedale

Golf and Country Club.

j

DenverPresident Tori Haring-Smith

greets Diane Kenney Zandin ’92, Jerry Appelbaum ’47 and Elaine

and Bill Hemphill ’68 .

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W&J alumni

PAST & PRESENT

W&J RadioWAJC-AM, W&J’s first radio station, began broadcasting in 1961, providing entertainment for students in the campus center, freshman dorms and fraternity houses. Today, WNJR-FM reaches listeners within a 30-mile radius, and its staff enjoys working out of a renovated studio in The Commons.

Fifty years after graduating from W&J, 18 members of the class of 1961 faithfully returned to campus for Commencement weekend to be inducted into the College’s Old Guard.

“At our graduation in 1961, I made a vow to myself that I would return 50 years later, and I did,” John Van Aken ’61 said. “I am thankful I was able to participate and renew friendships that go back even longer than 50 years.”

The weekend kicked off with a trip to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, followed by two days of on-campus activities. The celebration culminated at the College’s 212th Commencement, where President Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D., welcomed the class into the Old Guard.

In honor of their 50th reunion, members of the class raised $33,586 in gifts and pledges. A portion of these funds established the Class of 1961 Endowed Scholarship Fund, leaving a lasting legacy and providing permanent support for future generations of W&J students.

1961 WAJC-AM begins operations Sunday, Oct. 8, 1961. Programs include operas, popular music and comedy shows.

1971 The FCC permits W&J to adopt WJCR-FM. A new studio is built in the basement of the Old Gym.

1988 WJCR is denied funding to purchase equipment due to a lack of student interest, forcing the station to close.

1989 The radio station returns to W&J as WXJX, attracting 50 students at its first staff meeting.

2002 W&J launches WNJR, a revamped, student-run station in The Commons, broadcasting at 91.7 FM.

Watch the class of 1961 perfect the Whichi Coax cheer at www.washjeff .edu/magazine.

Class of 1961

marks 50 years

Climbing the Charts: A look back at 50 years of W&J radio


“At our graduation in 1961, I made a vow to myself that I would return 50 years later, and I did.” – JOHN VAN AKEN ’61

I daydream. A lot.

It’s a problem in most areas of my life.

I’m nine times more likely than the average person to trip over an uneven sidewalk or step in a puddle, according to a study I made up. Wet socks are a casualty of having your head in the clouds.

But one of the places where daydreaming served me well was in the radio booth, on Wednesday evenings, hosting “Hangin’ with Holmes” for three years on WNJR.

The two-hour show was a mix of frivolous talk and ’90s rock. Personally, it was a repository for all the fleeting thoughts from my overclocked brain.

It was an exercise in thinking and self-examination for a college kid who lacked direction and hadn’t answered any of those looming life questions you’re supposed to have a naïve handle on at 20.

Even though I couldn’t answer any of those big questions, I had a constant stream of reactions to the small things in life. They became part of the show’s evolution.

In the beginning, I wanted the show to be unique. A noble goal, but hard for a novice to implement.

So, the show started as a crudely constructed soapbox with splashes of irreverence. But it was an uncomfortable transition: I didn’t know how to be personable.

Thankfully, Anthony Fleury, Ph.D., WNJR’s adviser, gives his students the creative freedom to experiment.

It was the freedom to write a 10-minute segment analyzing and ranking the pantheon of Cheerios cereals. It was thefreedom to apply the snarky comments, the drifting thoughts of a grocery store wanderer, into mildly entertaining radio.

The changes paid off. I won the 2008 Pittsburgh A.I.R. Award for the Best College Radio On-Air Personality for a clip about crossing the street. It was a mundane topic brought to life: a fitting example at the intersection of observation and creativity.

I miss that creative freedom. I miss being eager to write journal notes about my observations and saying I need to make that a segment. I miss having the impetus and the luxury to observe my own life—especially on busy days in graduate school at the University of Missouri.

Even though I’m not doing radio anymore, WNJR gives its students other basic tools. Last semester, I was running late to class, which was a problem because I was the first presenter of the day. I had 30 seconds to prepare a five-minute presentation in qualitative research methods. Five minutes is nothing after hosting a two-hour radio show.

At the end of the school year, WNJR gave out awards during a pizza dinner in The Commons. The seniors who worked at the station for three or more years were recognized and asked to say a few words.

I said my time at the radio station is something that I’ll take with me forever because I’m a different person.

I think more originally because of that experience, and that’s a good thing. When I find a way to incorporate that spark of creativity into my writing and reporting, it will vault me beyond the mediocre.

Hosting a show on WNJR was an experience that gave me hope and a sliver of confidence, valuable commodities that I have in short supply.

So, yes, daydreaming paid off for a few years. I don’t have much time for it anymore, in between reviewing financial documents and covering city council meetings for the local paper.

Yet it still takes me an hour to pick up four items at the grocery store. After all, creativity isn’t a switch you can just turn off.

– ERIC HOLMBERG ’09

ERIC IS A GRADUATE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI JOURNALISM SCHOOL AND AN INTERN WITH THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING WORKSHOP IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

AFTER THE SIGN-OFF

WNJR star refl ects on radio career

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“Hosting a show on WNJR was an experience that gave me hope and a sliver of confi dence, valuable commodities that I have in short supply.”

2007 WNJR shifts from a classic rock to music variety format.

2008 A new website is launched. WNJR affiliates with Pacifica Radio Network and College Music Journal.

2009 WNJR takes home five Pittsburgh A.I.R. student awards. Live programming expands to include shows from the college community.

2010 W&J adds communication arts as a major, and the station becomes a lab experience for students.

2011 WNJR begins airing Al Jazeera English news. The studio is renovated to include updated equipment and more-spacious work stations.


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W&J alumni

26

Why did you decide to attend W&J?

David: Coach Mountain contacted me about baseball, and I decided to come for a visit. I had a few friends who were attending W&J already; they showed me around campus and took me to a football game. I thought it was an awesome campus with great academics.

Mr. Trushel: My mother had been promoting W&J to me, so I applied. She was ecstatic when I decided to attend.

Who is your most infl uential faculty member?

Mr. Trushel: Dr. Oliver, who got me through French.

David: Professor Murphy. I like his classes and find them interesting.

What are some of your favorite W&J memories?

David: Winning the PAC championship my freshman year and all the snowball fights that happened during the record snowfalls of 2010.

Mr. Trushel: I remember having to be in a shirt and tie for meals at a certain time at the Lambda Chi Alpha house. Lottie, the cook, made a great baked ham with raisins.

What did W&J teach you?

Mr. Trushel: Discipline. Discipline that has applied to college, law school and my profession.

David: To think outside the box. W&J prepares you for your future by giving you the skills to think critically.

What have you been able to learn from each other?

Mr. Trushel: He’s taught me a lot about baseball. Outside athletics, he is a personable and well-grounded person. He’s also very dedicated.

David: He always has taught me to be persistent at getting what I want. It’s never handed to you; you have to work for it.

– KERRI DIGIOVANNI ’09

DIGIOVANNI IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS AT W&J.

When David H. Trushel ’51, Esq., arrived at W&J as a freshman in the fall of 1947, there were no female students, eight athletic teams and 16 buildings across campus. Fast-forward to fall 2008, and his grandson, David J. Trushel ’12, arrives at the same but very different campus—a co-educational one with 24 athletic teams and more than 50 buildings.

Separated by 61 class years, Mr. Trushel imparted words of wisdom to his grandson about the W&J experience. In a letter he gave to David his freshman year, Mr. Trushel wrote, “There are three Ds that should be the principles of your college life: dedication, determination and discipline. The most important of these is discipline.”

David has taken his grandfather’s advice to heart. An accounting major with plans to become a CPA, he is a star pitcher for the Presidents’ baseball team. Holding the College record for single-game innings pitched, David has twice been named Pitcher of the Week by the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Division III South.

Leading by example, Mr. Trushel applied the same principles to his law career. After graduating near the top of his class from The Dickinson School of Law, Mr. Trushel served as a judge advocate general for the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C. He then returned to the Pittsburgh area, where he consistently ranked as one of the Best Lawyers in America. Now residing in Sarasota, Fla., he serves as president of Advance Cash and Settlement Funding Corp.

Whether excelling on the baseball field or in the courtroom, the Trushels are making the most of their W&J education while strengthening their relationship into a steadfast bond.

W&J TAUGHT ME:

“Discipline.” – DAVID H. TRUSHEL ’51

“To think outside the box.” – DAVID J. TRUSHEL ’12

TH

EN NOW

““

“

In Your Own Words: FIRST JOBS

As members of the class of 2011 prepare

to enter the work force, W&J Magazine

wants to know, “What was your first job

after graduation?” Out of more than 30

Facebook responses, here are some of

our favorites:

Digital marketing associate for Disney Parks at Starcom Worldwide.

– SHARON SHI ’09

CHEMIST FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRM IN D.C.

– JULIE GREBENZ ROTHBARDT ’93

University relations representative for Torino Study Abroad in Italy.

– NICOLE GABLE ’10

Tour guide at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

– GRAHAM STONE ’92

Television reporter in Hagerstown, Md.

– THOMAS FOSTER ’84

Stockbroker with Morgan Stanley.

– PAUL ROSSMONT ’99

Since receiving her W&J diploma more than a year ago, Gretchen Perschke ’10 has embarked

upon a career path that’s anything but traditional. Longing to expand her boundaries, she

packed her bags and moved to Port Stephens in New South Wales, Australia, to work as

a horseback guide for Sahara Trails Horse Riding. Though Perschke returned to the U.S.

in June to attend the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, you can relive her Australian

adventures by following her blog at http://pittsburghtoportstephens.wordpress.com.

From Pittsburgh to Port Stephens: American Girl in an Aussie World

Gretchen Perschke experiences Australian beaches as a horseback guide for Sahara Trails Horse Riding.


GRETCHEN’S BLOG

Just you, the horse, and the sand: your answer to feeling stimulated and inspired on your Port Stephens holiday. Close your eyes and feel the rhythm of hooves hitting the sand beneath you; watch the ocean breeze wisp through your horse’s mane; listen to the sound of the approaching waves; feel the sun on your shoulders.

As you travel across the majestic dunes, take in the vastness of the ancient Worimi Conservation Lands. Feel at ease letting your steady horse do the work as he carries you effortlessly across the dunes on your way to the water.

You arrive atop one last dune for the moment you’ve been waiting for: the million-dollar view of the great Stockton Beach. Your heart skips a beat at first sight of this flawless 32-kilometer stretch. It seems to extend forever, and the

entire length can be seen from where you’re sitting. Following a brief pause to take it all in, the adrenaline begins pumping.

Down you go to the water’s edge! It’s time to pick up the pace and experience the power of your 400-kilogram mount. Every fantasy you’ve ever had of riding a horse through the surf is about to come true. After a refreshingly light ocean spray, it’s time to stop for some photos. The friendly trail guide also doubles as your own personal paparazzi, and she’ll be happy to capture these moments on your camera.

The quick photo session is followed by a journey further down the beach, along the water, and back across the dunes. You’ll be in awe of this massive white sandy beach and its sprawling dunes system. What more refreshing way is there to experience this natural wonder than on a horse?


W&J class notes

28

W&J class notes

W&J class notes

1949Thomas J. Tredici, M.D., Colonel, U.S.A.F., M.C., received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. The award recognizes his distinguished military service, professional contributions and sustained dedication to public service. Tredici serves as a senior scientist at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks City-Base, Texas.

1950John K. Henderson was inducted into the Crawford County Veterans Hall of Fame. He served as a lieutenant in the Korean War, earning the Purple Heart, Bronze Star for Valor,

Presidential Unit Citation, Korean Presidential Unit, and Korean War medal with six combat action stars. During the remainder of his 28-year military career, in which he held the ranks of captain, major and colonel, Henderson’s other honors included the Legion of Merit, Air Medal, Vietnam Medal with four battle stars, Joint Chiefs of Staff Commendation Medal and Legion of Merit first and second oak leaf cluster.

Walter Cooper enjoyed the 2010 Homecoming football game with Jim Philips ’54, John Unice ’65, Tim Hurley ’98 and Graham Knox ’96.

1955Arthur Sohn and members of his “gray guard” received a surprise during their sixth annual W&J reunion in Florida. For the work they did last year in organizing and facilitating the transition of the Haitian earthquake victims into the Sarasota, Fla., environment, the City Council invited the group to a three-day fantasy baseball camp hosted by the Baltimore Orioles. Alumni participants included: A.J. Friedman, Don Kamerer, Demas McVay, Steve Oliphant, Bob Simonin, Paul Smilow, Bulter Waugh and Vic Wood.

W&J honors alumni entrepreneursRailroad executive William Stout ’64 and business leader Samuel Paisley ’72 were named 2010 Entrepreneurs of the Year by Washington & Jefferson College at its annual Entrepreneurial Leadership Dinner in November. The award recognizes alumni and friends of the College who have taken an entrepreneurial approach to starting or building successful businesses.

Stout is the chief executive officer of Atlas Railroad Construction Co. in Eighty Four, Pa. Atlas started as a small business founded by Stout’s parents. Stout worked on the railroad tracks as a teenager and, after graduating from W&J, began an upward career path at Atlas, becoming president and owner in 1986.

“After assuming ownership of his family’s flagship business 30 years after its founding, Mr. Stout embraced the tradition of the company while taking on new, large-scale transit projects to expand the reach of his business from New York City to Washington, D.C., to Maine,” President Tori Haring-Smith, Ph.D., said.

Paisley is a business consultant and investor who most recently served as chief financial officer at Razorgator, Inc., a leader in online premium ticket exchanges and ticket management technology platforms for Fortune 100 companies. With more than 37 years of experience in business, Paisley is an expert in Internet marketing, e-commerce and finance.

“Mr. Paisley is adept at identifying and building on the strengths of businesses to accelerate their growth,” Haring-Smith said. “It is a skill he honed as an economics and mathematics student at W&J, and we are proud to honor his achievements as an entrepreneur and as an authority in finance and corporate strategy.”

W&J established its Entrepreneurial Studies Program in 1986 with the support of Joseph Hardy III, founder of 84 Lumber Co. and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

Joseph Hardy III (right), founder and chairman of 84 Lumber Co., congratulates William Stout (left) and Samuel Paisley (center) on being named W&J’s 2010 Entrepreneurs of the Year.


1958Eugene F. Paluso, M.D., was presented with the Distinguished Citizen Award from The Italian-American Cultural & Heritage Society of Washington County. Paluso served as co-director of Emergency Medicine Services at Washington Hospital and was instrumental in teaching doctors and nurses CPR courses. For the past 45 years, he has practiced medicine at his office in Washington, Pa. He and his wife, Patricia, have five children and eight grandchildren.

1961 Alexander Klotz, D.D.S., is retiring from dentistry after 45 years of practice. Klotz is retiring because of back problems, which his doctor says are job-related. “I like what I do and it’s going to be hard to quit working,” he writes. Klotz served with the U.S. Air Force, working as a dentist at a military base in Maine before settling in Somerset, Pa., where he now resides.

1962Richard Rifkin was named to the newly created position of special counsel to the New York State Bar Association. As special counsel, Rifkin will handle ethics-related inquiries, work on federal legislative priorities, and serve as liaison to several committees.

1963Jerry A. Dorsch, M.D., and his wife have published a textbook titled, “A Practical Approach to Anesthesia Equipment.” This follows their first book, “Understanding Anesthesia Equipment,” published in 2008. Dorsch is retired after working 20 years at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. He spends his time as a farmer raising blueberries, muscadine grapes and persimmons.

Thom F. Rosenberg, M.D., was elected vice president of the Airport Advisory Board for the city of Wichita, Kan., as the city positions itself for the future construction of a new airport terminal. Rosenberg, who has two years left as mayor of Eastborough, continues his work as a specialist in adult and pediatric allergies. He writes, “I am very proud to be a graduate of W&J, as it instilled me with values I will never forget.”

1964Sen. J. Barry Stout was named the 2010 Philanthropist of the Year by the Washington County Community Foundation. Also included among Stout’s honors are the Washington County Library Award, Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania Man of the Year Award and Transportation Advocate of the Year Award. Stout was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1970 and won reelection in 1972 and 1974. His career in the state Senate spanned 33 years.

1966Victor J. Raskin has retired after 42 years of service in the investment business. For the past 10 years, he worked as the chief investment officer of the YMCA Retirement Fund. He plans to join organization boards to stay active. Raskin resides in Manhattan with his wife, Carol.

1967Barrett Burns was appointed to the Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council. The council advises the board on the exercise of its responsibilities under the Consumer Credit Protection Act and on matters in the area of consumer financial services. Burns is the president and CEO of VantageScore Solutions, LLC, and has more than three decades of professional experience in risk and credit management.

1968Kenneth Baker, an estate-planning lawyer with Peacock Keller, co-presented at the continuing legal education program, “The 2010 Tax Act: Implications and Opportunities,” to the Probate and Trust Section of the Washington County Bar Association. A former attorney for the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army, he is a member of the Washington County, Pennsylvania and American Bar Associations and The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

Charles Coleman, Ph.D., has republished his award-winning dissertation as an anthology titled, “Sergeant Back Again: The Anthology of Critical and Clinical Commentary.” His original dissertation was the first to portray combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among Vietnam veterans, specifically through the battlefield experiences of a U.S. Army combat medic.

1969Paul Lucas joined Cogne Specialty Steel USA as the company’s national sales manager.

Edmund J. Wise Jr. is a faculty adviser to the Edmund J. Wise Physician Assistant Society at South College’s School of Physician Assistant Studies in Knoxville, Tenn.

1971Mark Schwartz was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania for his achievements in track and field.

1972 Capt. Lee Mandel, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., completed his three-year tour aboard the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) as a senior medical officer. His twilight tour will be as a command flight surgeon at the Naval Safety Center in Norfolk, Va. Mandel served on the staff of four navy hospitals, did naval flight surgeon training and aerospace residency, served as force medical officer at Commander Naval Air Forces COMNAVAIRLANT and completed two tours as a staff internist with the U.S. Congress.

Harry Reynolds retired from The Hartford Insurance Group after more than 40 years in the wealth management sector. Reflecting back on his career, Reynolds is most proud of his sons. He writes, “They have kept me young, thoughtful, creative, philosophical and financially challenged, but above all have taught me to dream.”

1973 Thomas M. Priselac, president and CEO of Cedars-Sinai Health System, was honored by the Los Angeles Business Journal as its 2011 Healthcare Icon. Priselac was given this award for his leadership and dedication to health care in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. For more on Priselac, see page 10.

Capt. Lee Mandel completed

his three-year tour aboard the

USS George H.W. Bush as a

senior medical offi cer.

’72

Richard Rifkin was named

special counsel to the New York

State Bar Association.

’62


W&J class notes

30

1975Jon Lantz joined the wealth management team of First National Investment Services Co., LLC. Previously, he served as an investment adviser representative for First Commonwealth in Pittsburgh. Lantz was designated by Pittsburgh Magazine as a 2009 Five Star Wealth Manager.

Jess P. Penico, M.D., practices at the Anderson Infectious Disease Center. Board-certified in internal medicine and infectious disease, Penico previously was chief of the infectious disease section and director of the Infusion Clinic at the Medical Center Clinic in West Florida Hospital. He and his wife, Roxanne, have four children.

Joseph A. Veres serves as pastor of Faith United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denver, Pa. He graduated from Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg in 2006 following 25 years of practice as a tax attorney and certified public accountant.

1976Jim Cahoon retired as principal of Bay High School in 2011, a position he held for 12 years. Under Cahoon’s leadership, Bay High was recognized with numerous awards. As principal, he established and advised the

Youth Philanthropy Fellowship and a student mentoring program.

1977Ray Verlinich was appointed vice president of finance and chief financial officer of ESCO Corp. He previously held the positions of vice president and corporate controller. Prior to ESCO, Verlinich spent more than 10 years with PPG Industries.

1978Lene Carpenter and Tom Carpenter ’79 of Las Vegas celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary March 4. They were married in Denmark.

1979Albert Varacallo, M.D., posthumously was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by the DuBois Area Jaycees at the Greater DuBois Chamber of Commerce’s Business Bash. The award was presented to Varacallo’s wife, Luanne, who was joined by their six children and his mother. Varacallo practiced family medicine at Reynoldsville Medical Center and was affiliated with the DuBois Regional Medical Center, where he served as president of

the medical staff. He also was medical director at Christ the King Manor Nursing Home and volunteered as a physician for the community’s free medical clinic.

1980Jeffrey Norton of Cozen O’Conner spoke at the Urban Land Institute’s leadership breakfast on the future of Marcellus Shale Coalition development in Pennsylvania. Norton works in Cozen O’Conner’s business law department and co-chairs the firm’s energy industry team. He also serves as general counsel and secretary to a global advanced biofuels company.

1981David Herchko is the owner and general manager of CertaPro Painters of Pittsburgh East. CertaPro is a national painting company specializing in residential and commercial painting projects.

Gerald Lee Morosco was honored by W&J with the Maurice Cleveland Waltersdorf Award in December 2010. As president of Gerald Lee

Renowned plastic surgeon

appointed industry leader

California-based plastic surgeon Susan Kaweski ’76, M.D., F.A.C.S., represents more than 3,000 physicians as president of the San Diego County Medical Society.

In her role as president, Kaweski was invited to respond to recent health-care reform initiatives in an editorial piece for the San Diego Union Tribune. In the article, “Health reform’s San Diego impact,” Kaweski emphasized the importance of ensuring all patients in San Diego County the ability “to obtain prompt access to affordable, quality health care.”

In a recent address to San Diego physicians, she added, “It is vital that we are proactive in solution building for the upcoming health-care changes and how health care will be delivered in our community.”

Double-board-certified, Kaweski has a solo practice at the Aesthetic Arts Institute of Plastic Surgery in La Mesa, Calif. She also serves as chief of plastic surgery at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego and is on the staff of four other hospitals, including Rady Children’s Hospital. Passionate about medical education, Kaweski is a clinical faculty member at the University of California San Diego and volunteers as a mentor for students who shadow her at her office.

Previously, Kaweski served in the U.S. Navy as a plastic surgery adviser for the surgeon general, retiring as a captain after 21 years of service.

Highly regarded as a leader in her field, Kaweski is chairman of Women’s Plastic Surgeons for the American Society of Plastic Surgery. She also was nominated as San Diego’s 2011 “Woman of the Year,” elected “Woman of the Year” by the American Biographical Institute in 2000, named an honoree for “Notable American Woman” in 2002. She is a past president of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society.

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Kaweski and other female plastic surgeons make up less than one-tenth of the country’s 7,000 board-certified plastic surgeons.

Susan Kaweski, a plastic surgeon in San Diego, is recognized as a leader in her fi eld.


Morosco Architects in Pittsburgh, he is the first arts graduate to receive this award. He is a trustee and past chairman of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and a member of the East Carson Street Historic District’s local review committee.

A. Michael Pratt was named vice chairman of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. He was named to the commission in June 2009, becoming the first African-American commissioner in the turnpike’s history. A partner with Pepper Hamilton, he works at the firm’s Philadelphia and Harrisburg offices and serves as a member of the executive committee.

Judge Steven L. Sterner was appointed as an administrative law judge for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. He has been an administrative law judge with the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals for the Department of Health and Human Services since 2005.

1982Patrick McCaffrey, a corporate attorney with the law firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote of Columbus, Ohio, is a volunteer blood tracker and wildlife conservationist. He also volunteers as a hunter education instructor for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. He used his skills as a lawyer to successfully argue for a rule change in Iowa to permit blood tracking with leashed tracking dogs.

Kevin Ohlson was appointed chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s new professional misconduct review unit by Attorney General Eric Holder. This unit is responsible for all disciplinary and state bar referral actions relating to the Office of Professional

Responsibilities’ findings of professional misconduct against career attorneys. Ohlson is a former officer in the U.S. Army, where he served as both a judge advocate and a paratrooper. He was awarded the Bronze Star in 1990 for his service during the Persian Gulf War.

Stephanie Nicoll Reilly had her art featured at Pogacha Restaurants in Issaquah and Bellevue, Wash. Using alphabet letters and found objects as her base, Reilly builds dimensional pieces on canvas, using layers of texture and color. She also creates art forms for clients using family pictures, names, photos and other personal elements. Reilly resides in Redmond, Wash., with her husband and two children.

1983Timothy Bracken was promoted to vice president and private banker at First National Bank of Pennsylvania in Erie, Pa. He joined First National Bank in 1999, serving as business development officer and bank manager. He lives in Conneaut Lake with his wife, Mary, and his daughter.

David Ruddock was promoted to senior vice president and chief administrative officer for market sales, bank operations and corporate technology at S&T Bancorp, Inc. He has been with the bank for 26 years. Ruddock also serves

on the board of directors for the Pennsylvania Bankers Association’s Security Committee, New Choices Career Development and the YMCA.

Thomas J. Tobin joined Sandmeyer Steel Company as district sales manager of its Midwest sales territory, serving customers in Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. He has more than 22 years of experience in metals sales.

1986Harry Stiffler Jr. was elected to serve as vice president of the Washington County Bar Association for 2011. The 352-member professional organization was incorporated in 1892 to serve the legal profession, its members and the community.

1988Marna McCormick Hicks retired in 2010 after 36 years of service at Fairmont Supply Co.

Tracey Dragovich Melograne has worked as an accountant throughout her professional career. She resides in Peters Township, Pa., with her husband, Phil, and their two sons, Anthony (10) and Nicholas (7). Melograne assists the Office of Career Services at W&J in performing mock interviews for accounting seniors each fall. She writes, “I look forward to reconnecting with those who come back for Homecoming. We may not be as young as we used to be, but it’s the memories that keep us young at heart!”

Beta brothers establish

international travel fund

Thanks to a gift from David White ’77 and brothers of Beta Theta Phi, members of the fraternity will be given new opportunities to study abroad, particularly in Africa.

Established with a gift of $50,000, the Beta Theta Pi Magellan Fund for International Travel falls within the College’s Magellan Project, a program that provides support to W&J students who wish to pursue independent research, study or internship projects during the summer months.

White, founder and president of Universal Hotel Liquidators, is leading a fundraising effort to gain additional support for the fund.

“The strength of our fraternal bond is exemplified by the generous actions of alumni like David White,” Shane Rumbaugh ’12, president of W&J’s Beta Theta Pi chapter, said.

Beta Theta Pi alumni and students gather at Homecoming 2010 to celebrate the fraternity’s new Magellan Fund for International Travel. Alumni pictured with President Tori Haring-Smith include Zach Negrelli, Keith Pisarcik, Paul Medvedo, David White (center), Matt Coulliard, John McCague, Craig Varga and Mike Nettleton.

’82

Kevin Ohlson was appointed

chief of the new professional

misconduct review unit for the

U.S. Department of Justice.


W&J class notes

32

Michael J. Mortimer, Ph.D., has been elected a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters. An associate editor for the Journal of Forestry, he has given more than 50 professional presentations in the U.S., Belgium, Canada, China, France and Sweden. Mortimer is the director of graduate programs for Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment. He teaches graduate courses in natural resource law and policy and environmental conflict management.

1989Linda Barth Bogar, M.D., has been appointed surgical director of the Heart Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Assist Device Program at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. She has worked for six years at Jefferson, where she is an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. She lives in Abington, Pa., with her husband, Tom, and their son, Dylan (1).

1990Jack Gullo reunited with Phi Kappa Sigma brothers Chuck Clontz, Shawn Echard and

Brian Hamlin. This marks their first reunion since they graduated from W&J.

Michele Lago Hanley is the owner of Irwin Eye Care in Irwin, Pa. She has been employed at the practice since 1996. Her husband, Mike Hanley ’89, works as the practice’s accountant in addition to serving as a district manager and forensic accountant for the U.S. Department of Justice. He also is an instructor of forensic accounting at Waynesburg University. They live in Jeannette, Pa., with their son, Sam (4).

Ann Hartle Proudfit was promoted to the dean of student affairs at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio. She also is working toward her doctorate in higher education administration at the University of Toledo. She lives in Avon, Ohio, with her husband, Matt Proudfit, and their children, Jenna (16) and Austin (14). He is a human resources manager at Lockheed Martin. The Proudfits write, “Hello to all of our

1990 classmates, especially our Pi Beta Phi and Delta Tau Delta sisters and brothers.”

1992Scott Keefer was named vice president of public policy and legislative affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, where he will lead legislative affairs and state and federal policy initiatives. Keefer previously served as vice president of policy and legislative affairs for America’s Health Insurance Plans in Washington, D.C.

1993Alexander Chotkowski was promoted to partner with MacElree Harvey, Ltd., a law firm in West Chester, Pa. He has been with the firm for five years and has more than 15 years of civil and criminal litigation experience, including a former appointment as a special assistant U.S. attorney. He represents clients in matters related to personal injury, estate disputes, product liability, medical malpractice and construction mishaps.

Off ensive coordinator Joe Philbin led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl XLV championship.

Former President leads Packers to Super Bowl title

The red and black were well-represented at Super Bowl XLV when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ’81 presented the Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin ’84.

In his three years at the Packers’ offensive helm, Philbin has directed a productive unit, ranking in the top eight in total yards and in the top five in scoring each season. The team’s 1,315 points from the 2007-09 seasons were the most in franchise history over a three-year period, while the 61 turnovers were the fewest in a three-year span.

With 26 years of coaching experience, Philbin came to Green Bay in 2003 after four seasons as offensive line coach at Iowa. He also coached at Harvard, Ohio and Northwestern universities in addition to spending four seasons at nearby Allegheny College.

Philbin’s move from the field to the sidelines began at W&J. As a freshman, he played tight end for the Presidents and, upon graduating in 1984, joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

Although embracing his time in the big leagues, Philbin fondly remembers his experience at W&J. “It’s a small school with a lot of excellent faculty, excellent teachers,” Philbin said in a February interview with the Observer-Reporter. “The teachers really took the extra time, went the extra mile with the students there. I have a lot of good friends that I made there that I stay in touch with today.”

In addition to Goodell and Philbin, the Super Bowl boasted W&J graduate and Pittsburgh Steelers scout Dan Rooney Jr. ’86.

“Super Bowl XLV is a prime example of the great things Washington & Jefferson College graduates accomplish,” Bill Dukett, director of athletics at W&J, said. “To have three graduates play important roles in this worldwide event is a testament to their hard work and certainly shines a light on the possibilities of a liberal arts education and the doors it can open for young men and women.”

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1994Jennifer Goldstein Branstetter was named the secretary of planning and policy to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett. She previously served in the attorney general’s office as the director of education and outreach. For more on Branstetter, see page 14.

Dwight Dachnowicz, owner of Tarrytown Honda in Westchester County, N.Y., was named Northeast chairman of the Honda Dealer Council. The youngest to be named to the three-year position, Dachnowicz will advocate for 114 fellow dealers and act as a liaison between the dealers and American Honda.

Craig Russell was elected partner at Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP. He practices in the areas of commercial finance, real estate transactions, creditors’ rights and commercial loan restructuring and workouts.

Andrew Tabler was interviewed on the PBS “NewsHour” by Margaret Warner concerning the political situation in Lebanon. He is a Next Generation Fellow in the program on Arab politics at The Washington Institute, where he focuses on how the U.S. can engage with Syria in a way that best advances U.S. interests. For more on Tabler, see page 7.

1995Scott Adams was named director of operations for Victaulic, the world’s leader in mechanical pipe-joining systems. He is responsible for developing and implementing the company’s global manufacturing strategy and overseeing several facilities in the U.S. Scott, his wife, Cori, and their two daughters, Katelyn and Brooke, live in Wilmington, N.C.

Gina Gurgiolo was named a senior consultant at the Multnomah Group, where she will lead the technical services department and provide direct consulting to clients. Previously, she worked at The Standard as a retirement plans product manager.

Heather Holmes was named one of Library Journal magazine’s 2011 “Movers & Shakers” for helping to shape the future of libraries and communities across the U.S. Referred to as a “knowledge warrior,” she developed a clinical medical librarian program that provides a reference service within Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, where she works as an information services librarian.

1997Jaeson L. Taylor was named a partner at the law firm of Kelley & Ferraro. He is an experienced trial lawyer who has handled cases regarding personal injury, workers’ compensation and wrongful death. Taylor is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and was selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers magazine’s 2010 and 2011 Rising Star Editions.

Architect designs Pittsburgh’s

home of the year

Gracing newsstands across southwestern Pennsylvania this spring was the work of Mark Frankovitch ’05, whose newly designed residence was named “Home of the Year” by the American Institute of Architects in the March issue of Pittsburgh Magazine.

The honor was the culmination of a project that began on Frankovitch’s daily commute in the South Side of Pittsburgh, where he discovered the building with the rounded side. He soon acquired the property and named the house teres58domus: teres (Latin for rounded), 58 (the house number) and domus (Latin for home).

Frankovitch wanted to incorporate the existing structure into his new design, so he used the concrete roof and block walls to build upward. He added a second and third floor to transform the building into a single-family home and turned the original building into a living room, den and kitchen. He then added two roof decks, two bathrooms, a master bedroom and an office.

At the end of the project, the building’s size was nearly doubled. The 2,400 square feet of indoor living space was further enhanced by multi-leveled roof decks, providing additional outdoor space and expansive views of downtown Pittsburgh.

A history major at W&J, Frankovitch attributed his successful endeavors in architecture to his liberal arts education. “I took several art classes as electives, which helped me understand the importance of the aesthetic component needed in development,” he said. “But it was the accounting, finance and business classes that gave me the necessary skill sets to turn the concept into a reality.”

Mark Frankovitch is the architect behind Pittsburgh Magazine’s 2011 “Home of the Year.”

Heather Holmes was named one

of Library Journal magazine’s

2011 “Movers & Shakers.”

’95

’94

Dwight Dachnowicz, owner of

Tarrytown Honda in New York,

was named Northeast chairman

of the Honda Dealer Council.

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W&J class notes

34

1998Joshua Stacher, Ph.D., was interviewed on the English version of Al Jazeera concerning the Egyptian crisis. He is an assistant professor in the department of political science at Kent State University, where he teaches and researches Middle Eastern politics. For more on Stacher, see page 7.

2000James G. Bittner IV, M.D., will complete a fellowship in advanced minimally invasive/bariatric surgery at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Andrew Chumney presented on title opinions at the Energy & Mineral Law Foundation’s continuing legal education event, “Abstracting Titles in the Appalachian Basin.” A partner at Peacock Keller, Chumney concentrates his practice in mineral law, oil and gas law, and real estate matters.

Cory Goehring earned his doctorate in English from the University of Pittsburgh., where he is a visiting lecturer. He lives in McKeesport, Pa., with his wife, Erica Stockdill Goehring ’01, and their two sons, Fletcher (5) and Jonah (2).

2001Abbie Ginder Parkhurst was hired as director of marketing and communications at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va. Previously, she was director of public relations and marketing at Franciscan Management Services and St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse, N.Y. She also worked as assistant director of media and college relations at Syracuse University and as a reporter for “News 10 Now” in Ithaca, N.Y.

2002Amanda Boehm completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the Center for Cancer Research for the National Cancer Institute. She is a senior editor for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, an Oxford University Press publication in Bethesda, Md., internationally acclaimed as the source for the most up-to-date news on cancer research and treatment.

2003Mark Adams was elected eminent commander of Oriental Commandery #61 of the Knights Templar.

Anthony DeSantis has been named assistant director of systems development at Allied Services, a health-care organization in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Michelle Mantine was honored as the “Recent Graduate Woman of the Year” by Duquesne School of Law in April 2011.

Rischelle Bayless Shaw earned her master’s in education, with a concentration in curriculum and instruction, from Gannon University in August 2010.

2004Jonathan Herbert, D.C., opened his new practice, Northland Applied Kinesiology, in Hermantown, Minn., after practicing for three years in Los Angeles. In addition to treating chiropractic patients, Herbert treats autoimmune diseases, hormone imbalances, autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders.

Vanessa L. Mirkovich received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from St. George’s University in Grenada, West Indies.

2005Chuck Creigh passed the certified public accounting exam and met the requirements for CPA licensing. He works at Bond Beede, a certified public accounting and advisory firm, where he specializes in not-for-profit and employee benefit plans.

Clint Watson earned his master’s in business administration from Montreat College in Montreat, N.C., in December 2010. He is controller of The Greene Group in Davidson, N.C.

Erica Lyn Zimmerman received her master’s in counseling from Edinboro University’s School of Graduate Studies and Research.

2006Samantha Malone received a grant from Duquesne University to participate in the Emerging Leaders’ Extraction and Environment program in Accra, Ghana. She is a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health and a communications specialist at the Center for Healthy Environments and Communities.

PRESIDENT SPOTTING

Former U.S. Congresswoman Melissa Hart ’84 and Jonathan Stehle ’04 (center) participated in a Pittsburgh-area conference titled, “Transparency 2011: The Budget and Your Career.” Stehle is president of the American Association for Budget and Program Analysis, which co-hosted the event with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Hart addressed the increasing importance of transparency in government action.

Amanda Boehm is senior editor

of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

’02


2007Amber Bisch was one of 10 students honored by Pennsylvania State University with the 2011 Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award. She teaches honors sections of organic chemistry at the university.

Jeremy B. Darling is an associate of Dickie, McCarney & Chilcote, P.C., and a member of the firm’s commercial law and litigation group. A member of the Allegheny County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations, he was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Joann Marie Short received her master’s in middle/secondary school instruction from Edinboro University’s School of Graduate Studies and Research.

Andrew Tatgenhorst received his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh in May 2010. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association and a staff attorney for LRP Publications in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

2008Leah Lewandowski is head librarian at Lake Park Public Library in Lake Park, Fla. She received her master’s in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2009.

Irina Staicu earned her master’s in medical sciences from Drexel University’s College of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed her first year at The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Christopher Walker was honored by Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law with the Sidney D. Kline Sr. Scholarship. He has accepted a position with Damon Morey, LLP, in Buffalo, N.Y. At

Penn State, he was active in the Student Bar Association, chaired the intramural sports committee and served as a senior editor for the Penn State Law Review.

2010Marissa Stevens is one of six scholars honored with a graduate scholarship from Gamma Sigma Alpha, an academic honor society. Stevens is studying archaeology at the University of Chicago.

WEDDINGS

1999Heather Jiuliante and Hendrick I. Penn IV ’01 were married May 1, 2010, at the LeMont in Pittsburgh. The bridal party included Joseph A. Bachman III ’00, Michael Easton ’02, Katherine Underwood Herron ’00, Joshua Lyons

’01 and Heyward Penn ’07. Additionally, 30 alumni were in attendance. The couple resides in Pittsburgh.

2000Lindsay J. Ledwich, D.O., and Craig T. Fleishaver were married May, 29, 2010, at Old Saint Luke’s Church in Pittsburgh. Alumni in attendance were Tammy Johnson as maid

of honor, Stacie McKnight, D.O., and Janna Baker Rogers, M.D. Also in attendance were Blake McCandless ’77, Barbara McCandless ’77, Brock McCandless ’06 and Craig Fox ’07, M.D. Lindsay is a rheumatologist with Arthritis and Rheumatic Disease Associates of Pittsburgh. The couple, who honeymooned in Saint Maarten, resides in Pittsburgh.

2003Rachel Weiss Watson and Robert Watson were married June 12, 2010, in the Chapel of Old Main at Washington & Jefferson College. The officiate was Robert Vande Kappelle, Ph.D.

2006Marcy Dunn and Anthony Pol were married Sept. 19, 2009, in Greensburg, Pa. The wedding party included Mark Battaglini ’07, Nicole Dunn ’01, Taylor Frankovitch ’07, Kristen Koeppel and Jamie Rigney. Many alumni also were in attendance. The couple resides in Canonsburg, Pa.

Anne Lauren Reynolds and Michael Thomas Wilmus were married June 5, 2010, at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Washington, Pa. The bridal party included the bride’s brother, Jonathan Reynolds, and the groom’s brother and sister, Todd Wilmus ’03 and Tara Wilmus Smith ’05. Alumni in attendance were Kristen Baressi, Joseph Bond, Michael Buzzelli, Nick Cherish ’07, Jonathan Miller, Ashley Savage Derr, Michael Sklarsky and Richard Soeder.

2007Lisa Teitelbaum and Justin Carr were married May 16, 2010, at Temple Sinai in Pittsburgh. A reception followed at North Hills Holiday Inn. The bridal party included maids of honor Mary Prescott and Danielle King-Astfalk; bridesmaids Amanda Leskinen, Tori Whittier and Katy Jane Tanski; and groomsmen Brian Frank ’08 and Tim Wagner. The bride and groom were joined by their Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters and Phi Delta Theta brothers.

Started a new job

Got a promotion

Tied the knot

Had a baby

If you have news, we want to hear about it! Submit a class note to W&J Magazine by emailing

your name, class year and announcement to alumni@washjeff .edu. Any photos should be

saved as JPG or TIF fi les and be at least 300 dpi in quality.

What’s new with you? Please check all that apply.

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W&J class notes

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NEW ADDITIONS

1994Diane Carlisle and her husband, James Strother, announce the birth of their second son, Nathan Andrew, born Feb. 9, 2010. He was welcomed by brother Nicholas (4). Diane is a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

1998Ryan Hahn and Amanda Merchant Hahn ’00 welcomed their daughter, Campbell Ann, born May 28, 2010.

Heather Miller Purcell and Timothy Purcell ’99 announce the birth of their son, Brannen Noah, born June 9, 2010. Brannen joins brother Caden (4) and sister Addison (4).

Michael Wright and his wife, Laurie, announce the birth of Amelia Marie, born Dec. 3, 2010. She joins big sister Evelyn Ann (5).

2000Julie Folger Woolley and her husband, Jon, announce the birth of their second daughter, Lauren Grace, born Nov. 6, 2010. She joins big sister Hannah (3).

2001Melissa Chop Dirling and her husband, Todd, welcome their first daughter, Ella Grace, born February 2010.

Max Keefer and his wife, Amber, announce the birth of their son, Charlie Broderick, born Feb. 15, 2011.

Joseph Morascyzk and Christina Beam Morascyzk ’03 announce the birth of their daughter, Elena Mae, born Dec. 28, 2010. Elena joins a long line of Presidents, including grandfather Angelo Morascyzk ’77, uncle Ed Morascyzk ’75, and cousins Erika Beam ’11, Stacey Beam ’11, Kristen Lesako ’03, E.J. Morascyzk ’11 and Angela Srsic ’02. Christina writes, “Sign Elena up for W&J and Kappa Kappa Gamma.”

2002Joshua Jeffries and his wife, Golda, announce the birth of their first child, Jackson William, born Oct. 30, 2010.

2003Rischelle Bayless Shaw and her husband, Joshua, welcomed their first daughter, Zoe Eloise, born March 28, 2010.

2004Areti Tsitsiris Alafogiannis and her husband, Vasilli, welcome their first child, Demetra Paraskevi, born Dec. 28, 2010.

2006Lauren George Clemmer and her husband, Shawn, announce the birth of their daughter, Mallory Elizabeth, born July 19, 2010. Lauren is a 12th-grade English teacher in the Albert Gallatin Area School District.

2007Christine Briski Chilcott and her husband, Ross, announce the birth of their first child, Callista Marie, born Jan. 27, 2011.

Danielle Witucki Skowronski and her husband, Rick, welcomed their daughter, Julia Anne, born Oct. 21, 2010.

IN MEMORIAM

Ernest Francis Acheson ’34, Haverhill, Mass., died Jan. 2, 2011, at the age of 98. He enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately following Pearl Harbor, and served in New Guinea and the Philippines. He taught at Syracuse University and Hofstra College (now University) and was a researcher for the Bureau of Municipal Research in Newark, N.J., before retiring in 1969 to Avella, Pa.

Ashley William “Bill” Samson ’37, Venice, Pa., died April 22, 2011, at the age of 95. He was employed by Drakenfeld Co., Hercules Inc., in Washington, Pa., as director of marketing for 43 years until his retirement in 1981. He was a member of the Institute of Ceramic Engineers and Sons of the American Revolution. During WWII, he served with the National Defense Research Council working on rocket fuels.

William R. Dennison Jr. ’39, Washington, Pa., died Feb. 4, 2011, at the age of 93. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII as a lieutenant in the Philippines and as the U.S. naval liaison officer with the British Pacific Fleet aboard the battleships HMS Howe and HMS Anson, which were active during the invasion of Okinawa. After the war, he practiced law in Washington with his father and served as an assistant district attorney. In 1960, Mr. Dennison and Gene Stocksdale opened Route 19 Bowling Center. He and his wife were the sole proprietors of the center for 32 years.

Walter B. Swartz ’40, Tucson, Ariz., died Jan. 25, 2011, at the age of 92. He owned and operated Frontier Liquors, a chain of retail liquor stores, for 25 years and was president of the Arizona Retail Liquor Dealers Association. Mr. Swartz served in WWII in the Royal Canadian Navy, later transferring to the U.S. Navy as a PT boat commander in the South Pacific.

Tyler Goehring Brown ’41, Puyallup, Wash., died March 19, 2011, at the age of 90. He retired from the U.S. General Services Administration in 1975 and served as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1943. He was a member of the Orting school board for 12 years.

Sidney Goldner ’41, Warminster, Pa., died Oct. 7, 2010, at the age of 91.

William C. Haver ’41, Bridgeville, Pa., died Jan. 25, 2009, at the age of 89. He was the owner and operator of Haver’s Pharmacy in Bridgeville and worked at Jeffrey’s Drug Store in Canonsburg, Pa. Mr. Haver was a WWII U.S. Army veteran.


John Randolph Hood ’42, Westwood, Mass., died Jan. 2, 2011, at the age of 90. During WWII, he served in the U.S. Navy as a flight instructor, patrol plane commander and squadron administrative officer. He received the WWII Victory Medal, American Theater Ribbon and Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon. Mr. Hood served as an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 30 years, retiring in 1977. At W&J, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

James Stewart McAllister ’42, Phoenix, died Dec. 9, 2010, at the age of 88. He served in the U.S. Army as a cryptographer during WWII. He was an instructor at W&J and at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He served as an assistant superintendent for business affairs at Rochester Unified School District in New York and held a number of positions at Phoenix Union High School District in Arizona.

James I. “Zack” Wallover ’43, Beaver, Pa., died Jan. 16, 2011, at the age of 89. He served during WWII as an officer with the 1st Defense Battalion in the Central Pacific and the 4th Marine Division on Iwo Jima. He was awarded two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, various combat and campaign ribbons, and attained the rank of captain by the time of his honorable discharge in 1954. Mr. Wallover had served as president of Wallover Enterprises in Strongsville, Ohio, until his retirement in 1991, at which point he became chairman of the board of Wallover Enterprises. At W&J, he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.

William E. Gottschalk ’44, Mount Lebanon, Pa., died April 2, 2011, at the age of 91. He was associated with Anderson Equipment Co., specializing in heavy-equipment sales until his retirement. Mr. Gottschalk was a WWII veteran.

William Wilberforce Hague Jr. ’44, San Antonio, died Oct. 9, 2010, at the age of 87. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII and remained in the reserves for 35 years, retiring as a colonel. Mr. Hague was an active member of the Masonic Lodge, American Legion and Kiwanis Club.

Richard E. Lenhart ’44, Dunbar, W. Va., died Nov. 16, 2010, at the age of 87. He retired in 1988 from Nationwide Insurance, where he worked for 39 years and was the first program integrity officer to manage Medicare for Nationwide Insurance. He served in the U.S. Army and was a member of the W&J football team.

John S. Yanason ’44, Monroeville, Pa., died Dec. 29, 2010, at the age of 94. A passionate traveler, he was admitted to the Travelers’ Century Club, an elite group of people who have visited 100 or more countries. After his retirement as a chemist from Allied Chemicals, Mr. Yanason visited Australia, Antarctica, most countries in Africa, including Madagascar, most European countries, and many in Asia, including Bhutan and Mongolia. He was a 71-year member of the American Chemical Society and a member of the Lithuanian Citizens Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Donald Edwin Hubbard Jr. ’46, St. Simons Island, Ga., died March 18, 2011, at the age of 87. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII, where he was commissioned as first lieutenant and served as a B-24 bomber pilot. Mr. Hubbard was the owner and broker of Hubbard Insurance Agency in Marysville, Wash., until 1990.

Miles Streett Amick ’48, Cumberland, Md., died Feb. 5, 2011, at the age of 85. He was self-employed in a tax and bookkeeping service for many years. Mr. Amick was one of the founding presidents of the H.H. Franklin Motor Club.

Andrew W. Gard ’48, Pasadena, Calif., died Dec. 21, 2010, at the age of 84. With a love for acting and theater, he pursued his career in New York and then continued to Los Angeles, where he worked as a studio carpenter and developed his own carpentry and design business. Mr. Gard was a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the Professional Dancers Society.

E. David Cherup ’49, M.D., Upper St. Clair, Pa., died Nov. 23, 2010, at the age of 88. He served in WWII as a naval aviator officer flying missions from aircraft carriers in the North Atlantic. In 1951, Dr. Cherup set up a family practice, Cherup & Rankin, in Bethel Park, which became one of the largest in the area. An avid Pittsburgh sports fan, Dr. Cherup counted former Steelers coaches Buddy Parker and

Chuck Noll among his patients. He retired in 1990, after 38 years of practicing medicine.

James Albert Hague Jr. ’49, Trafalgar, Ind., died Oct. 17, 2010, at the age of 90. He was a Johnson County deputy sheriff in the 1960s, a parole officer, and executive secretary of the Indiana Parole Board, retiring in 1978. He then became owner and operator of Indian Springs and Tameka Woods golf courses in Trafalgar. Mr. Hague was a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran.

William H. Streett ’49, Warminster, Pa., died Nov. 27, 2010, at the age of 84. Before attending W&J, Mr. Streett enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and served as an aviation cadet until the end of WWII. He was employed by Berwind Corp. in Philadelphia until his retirement in 1991.

E. Earl Autenreith ’50, Patterson Heights, Pa., died Feb. 20, 2011, at the age of 81. He practiced law for 57 years and, at the time of his death, was a partner in the firm McNees, Autenreith, Rackley & Walker. An avid glass collector, he was president of the Pittsburgh Lowell Innes chapter of the American Glass Club. Mr. Autenreith and his wife, JoAnne, authored a book on the Co-Operative Flint Glass Co. of Beaver Falls, Pa.

John A. Croft Jr. ’50, Dover, Del., died March 14, 2011, at the age of 87. He served in the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII in Europe. Mr. Croft worked as an engineer for Columbia Gas for 35 years before retiring in 1985 as director of corporate services. At W&J, he was a member of Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Robert W. Gray ’50, Terre Haute, Ind., died April 14, 2011, at the age of 84. Upon retiring in 1990, he was named associate professor emeritus at Indiana State University, where he previously was associate chair of the English department. Mr. Gray also taught at Syracuse University and W&J. He served as president of Friends of Indiana Libraries and was a member of Kiwanis Club of Terre Haute. He and his wife, Peggy, were supporters of the Terre Haute Community Theater and Terre Haute Symphony.

John P. Hodgson ’50, Gibsonia, Pa., died Nov. 13, 2010, at the age of 86.

Marvin B. Kaufman ’50, Washington, Pa., died Dec. 22, 2010, at the age of 85. He was employed by the state Department of Public Welfare as a case worker for 37 years until his retirement. Mr. Kaufman served in the U.S. Army during WWII in Europe, receiving a Bronze Star, and during the Korean Conflict, where he was stationed in Labrador. He retired with the rank of major from the U.S. Army Reserves. He was a member of the American Legion Edwin Scott Linton Post 175, Veterans of Foreign Wars 928 and Washington County Road Runners, having run more than 30 marathons in his lifetime and finishing every race.

’42

John Randolph Hood served

as an agent with the Federal

Bureau of Investigation for

30 years.

’44

John S. Yanason was admitted

to the Travelers’ Century

Club for visiting more than

100 countries.

’49

Family practice owner

E. David Cherup counted

Pittsburgh Steelers coaches

Buddy Parker and Chuck

Noll among his patients.


W&J class notes

38

Donald R. “Doc” Kennedy ’50, Los Angeles, died March 9, 2011, at the age of 85. Prior to attending W&J, Mr. Kennedy enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the 100th Infantry Division, earning the Bronze Star. He was employed by IBM in Pennsylvania and in California, where he retired in 1991.

Carl H. Lenz ’50, Moon Township, Pa., died Aug. 30, 2010, at the age of 84. He was a WWII veteran flying B-25 aircraft from Tinian and Iwo Jima in the Pacific. Mr. Lenz was a Presbyterian minister, serving churches in Canonsburg, Lyndora and New Salem, along with churches in Buffalo and Alden, N.Y. He received an honorary doctorate of divinity from W&J.

Melvan A. Novak ’50, Fort Wayne, Ind., died Dec. 18, 2010, at the age of 86.

Harold V. Gedney Jr. ’51, McMurray, Pa., died April 25, 2011, at the age of 81. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and retired as a captain. He was a former Boy Scout master and district leader and Order of the Arrow recipient. Mr. Gedney was a

member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764 and volunteered with Meals on Wheels and the snack bar in Canonsburg General Hospital.

William Thompson Holland Jr. ’51, M.D., Scottsdale, Ariz., died Nov. 28, 2010, at the age of 82. He served in the U.S. Air Force and practiced ophthalmology until his retirement in 1991. With a passion for music, Dr. Holland contributed his talents to the Meadville Community Theater and spent his retirement earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. He composed and recorded hundreds of songs, including an original musical, “Hello, Meadville,” commemorating the city’s 200th anniversary.

John Edward DeWalt ’52, Bradford Woods, Pa., died Sept. 10, 2010, at the age of 80.

Robert F. Nale ’55, Olympia Fields, Ill., died Jan. 20, 2011, at the age of 77. He worked for the Harbison-Walker Refractories for 31 years. Highly involved in his community, Mr. Nale founded and produced a newsletter, “The Cape Communicator,” that aimed to improve

the quality of education within his local school district. He was a member of the South Suburban Archeology Society.

Frank J. Ciocci ’57, Sonoma, Calif., died March 19, 2011, at the age of 80. He served as a U.S. Army corporal in Italy and taught high school in Peters Township, Pa., until his retirement. He graduated cum laude from W&J, and was awarded The Henry Wilson Temple Prize in History and the Birch Scholarship Award.

Richard F. Perrault Sr. ’57, Washington, Pa., died Nov. 21, 2010, at the age of 75. He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves. After graduating from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, Mr. Perrault worked as a licensed funeral director for Piatt Funeral Home (now Piatt & Barnhill) in Washington. He was assistant director of development at W&J before moving to Chicago, where he served in the American Judicature Society in a variety of executive positions for 26 years. The society established the Richard E. Perrault Distinguished Service Award in his honor.

Gary S. Alter ’58, Grand Blanc, Mich., died May 18, 2010, at the age of 73. Passionate about maintaining Jewish traditions and building a strong Jewish community, Mr. Alter served as executive director of the Flint Jewish Federation. He valued diverse cultures and strove to be at the forefront of many community and civic projects.

Charles M. Moff at (1918–2011): A W&J Family Tradition

For Charles M. Moffat ’39, who died March 7, 2011, at the age of 93, W&J was a second home during his childhood. He was the grandson of Rev. James David Moffat, Ph.D., a 1869 W&J graduate and president of the College for 33 years, fondly remembered for overseeing the construction of Thistle Hall and Thompson Memorial Library.

Following in the footsteps of his father, James David Moffat II, a 1904 W&J graduate, and his brother, James David Moffat III ’36, Mr. Moffat attended W&J to pursue a degree in mathematics. During his college years, he earned championships as a member of the swimming team and pledged Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

Mr. Moffat went on to serve in the U.S. Army during WWII as a weather station officer in North Africa, Persia and England. Following the war, he served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, retiring as a major.

Leading a 28-year career as a federal bridge engineer, Mr. Moffat worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Public Roads, which became the U.S. Department of Transportation in 1966, and the Federal Highway Administration. Traveling across the U.S. and into Central America, some of his notable projects included the Pan-American Highway in Costa Rica, Interstates 87 and 787 in New York, and the Horace Wilkinson Bridge and Atchafalaya Basin Bridge in Louisiana.

After retiring in 1979, Mr. Moffat stayed active by traveling, sailing, participating in swimming competitions and researching his family genealogy, writing three books on the Moffats’ history.

“For the Moffat family, W&J is an extension of our genealogy,” said his son, Chuck Moffat. “As I watched my dad give us a tour of the W&J buildings, I saw the pride he had in his family, especially when we got to the portrait of his grandfather.”

William Thompson Holland Jr.

composed the original musical,

“Hello, Meadville.”

’51

Charles M. Moff at (left) was the grandson of former W&J President Rev. James David Moff at (right).

Marvin B. Kaufman ran more

than 30 marathons in his

lifetime, fi nishing every race.

’50


Willette Northup-Thompson (1979–2010): For the Love of the Game

A cherished team player, three-year letter winner and member of the 1997-98 Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship team, Willette Northup-Thompson ’01 had a passion for the game of basketball that has outlived her time at W&J.

Mrs. Northup-Thompson passed away Dec. 8, 2010, at the age of 32, after battling a brain tumor for nearly two years. In honor of her athletic accomplishments, W&J established The Willette Northup-Thompson “For the Love of the Game” Award. “This award symbolizes the drive and hard work necessary to be successful in athletics, especially at the NCAA Division III level,” Coach Vicki Staton, who directed the women’s basketball program for 25 seasons, said. “Willie loved the game of basketball. This award is a perfect tribute to her legacy.”

Brian Thompson, Mrs. Northup-Thompson’s husband, presented the inaugural award to Alex Bernardi ’14 at the women’s basketball freshman day game in January. Bernardi, recovering this season from ACL restoration surgery, showed tremendous passion and effort to get back into the game as she transitioned into her college basketball career.

“I feel as though this award personally helped me make it through the obstacles that I was dealt during my freshman year of basketball,” said Bernardi. “I will never forget receiving The Willette Northup-Thompson Award. She seemed like a beautiful woman both in and out, as well as an amazing basketball player.”

Aside from her love of basketball, Mrs. Northup-Thompson was passionate about her career in law. She was the director of advanced education at the Tom Cooley School of Law, after running a private practice for three years. She was licensed to practice law in Michigan and Washington, D.C.

In honor of Willette Northup-Thompson’s passion for basketball at W&J, her husband, Brian, presents Alex Bernardi with the fi rst “For the Love of the Game” award.

Morton Samuel Goldstein ’59, M.D., Bellefonte, Pa., died May 16, 2010, at the age of 72. He served in the U.S. Army as a major during the Vietnam War. Dr. Goldstein practiced medicine in Bayonne, N.J., for 25 years.

Harvey Merton Spiro ’60, C.F.A., P.F.P., Palos Verdes, Calif., died Nov. 11, 2010, at the age of 72. He was vice chairman of investments at Bank of America for many years. Mr. Spiro also was a youth mentor and volunteered for organizations such as Meals on Wheels Association of America.

Carlos H. Arguello ’61, Miami, Fla., died May, 25, 2009, at the age of 72.

Alfred Ward Babb ’61, New Castle, Pa., died Dec. 8, 2010, at the age of 70. He practiced law in Allegheny and Lawrence counties, as well as in California, making him a member of the California State Bar Association, Pennsylvania State Bar Association and the Lawrence County Bar Association. He loved to write music and enjoyed working with computers and electronics.

Michael John Lucas ’62, Charleston, S.C., died Jan. 15, 2011, at the age of 71. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict and later received his funeral director’s license. He owned and operated the Harry C. Tennant Funeral Home in Farrell, Pa., for 10 years before purchasing the Reinhard Funeral Home in Millersburg, Pa., which he operated until he retired in 2005. Mr. Lucas was an Eagle Scout and at W&J, a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

R. Martin Reiley ’63, Bedford, Pa., died March 6, 2011, at the age of 69. He practiced law at the family firm, Reiley & Reiley. While at W&J, he was a member of the wrestling team, Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He was an avid reader, traveler, nature enthusiast, volunteer and conversationalist.

William B. Schonberg ’63, Ph.D., Naples, Fla., died March 29, 2011, at the age of 69. He was a professor of psychology at Muskingum College (now University) and a clinical director of psychological services at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio. Dr. Schonberg then moved to Mansfield, where he was a clinical psychologist for 31 years.

Stanley G. Nodvik ’64, San Francisco, died Dec. 21, 2010, at the age of 70. He worked as a computer specialist and writer in the Philadelphia and Marlton, N.J., areas.

Lewis D. Yecies ’66, M.D., Watertown, Wis., died Jan. 23, 2011, at the age of 66. He established his own allergy, asthma and immunology practice in Watertown in 1984.

Jeffrey A. Hilb ’68, M.D., Louisville, Ky., passed away March 16, 2011, at the age of 65. Remaining very active in his retirement, he competed in 33 Derby Festival miniMarathons, logging more than 55,000 running miles, made biking

trips across the U.S., and participated in a five-day rim-to-rim Grand Canyon expedition. Board-certified in internal medicine, Dr. Hilb was in practice for 27 years, serving on the staff of Jewish Hospital and on courtesy staff at four other Louisville-area hospitals. Named a fellow of the American College of Physicians, he also served on many medical committees. A U.S. Army veteran, he held his master’s in chemistry and doctorate in medicine from the University of Illinois. Son of the late Horace Hilb, head librarian at W&J from 1963-68, Dr. Hilb graduated magna cum laude from W&J as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He stayed connected with his alma mater long after graduation, representing W&J at events such as Spalding University’s presidential inauguration in fall 2010.

Norman Charles Lynn ’69, New Castle, Pa., died Oct. 24, 2010, at the age of 64. Mr. Lynn worked as a foreman for more than 30 years at Castle Brand Meats in New Castle. He also worked for Falcon Logistics in Youngstown, Ohio, in comprehensive logistics for 10 years.

Jeff rey Hilb represented W&J

at Spalding University’s

presidential inauguration in 2010.

’68


W&J class notes

40

James W. Maley III ’95, York, Pa., died Jan. 21, 2011, at the age of 37. He was a parts adviser at York Auto Group for seven years and an active participant in soccer and football. While at W&J, Mr. Maley played football and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity.

Harold J. Cypher ’96, North Strabane Township, Pa., died Dec. 4, 2010, at the age of 70. He served as a petty officer second class in the U.S. Navy amphibious forces and was deployed during the 1961 Berlin Crisis and Cuban Crisis. His ship served as a tracking and capsule recovery vessel for the Project Mercury phase of the space program and as a security vessel for first lady Jacqueline Kennedy during her Mediterranean tour. Mr. Cypher retired from Cooper Power Systems and worked as a self-employed tax accountant for more than 20 years. He was a staff member at Peters Creek Presbyterian Church and a founding member of The Greater Canonsburg Heritage Society, serving as the society’s treasurer for many years.

FRIENDS

Karen A. Collins, Milltown, N.J., died April 22, 2011, at the age of 48. Ms. Collins, who attended W&J, was employed for the past 15 years in the accounts receivable department for IBM.

Julia DiBello, Greensburg, Pa., died Dec. 7, 2010, at the age of 93. She was employed in the food kitchens at W&J for more than 10 years.

George Newton Eaves, Ph.D., Savannah, Ga., died Feb. 15, 2011, at the age of 75. Dr. Eaves taught general biology, general microbiology and zoology at W&J.

John E. Eisaman, Greensburg, Pa., died March 7, 2011, at the age of 84. When he retired in 1992, Mr. Eisaman was the president and owner of McDowell Associates Inc. Insurance Agency. He attended W&J after serving in WWII.

John Clark Eustis, Barrington, N.H., died Jan. 24, 2011, at the age of 85. Before attending W&J, Mr. Eustis served in WWII, having been trained as a U.S. Army Air Corps fighter pilot. He had a passion for aeronautics and engineering, designing and building airplane models, as well as his own ultra-light aircraft.

Rev. Peter J. Gomes, Boston, died Feb. 28, 2011, at the age of 68. Rev. Gomes, one of America’s most prominent spiritual voices and authors against intolerance and the “religious case” against gays, spoke at W&J’s 2009 Baccalaureate service and participated in the Commencement ceremony, where he was presented with an honorary doctorate degree of divinity.

Byron R. Lash Jr., Washington, Pa., died March 8, 2011, at the age of 85. He served in the U.S. Army during WWII and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He received the Combat Infantry badge, a Battle Star and the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon with one

Bronze Star. He retired from Conway Railroads in Beaver County.

William A. Mathewson, Washington, Pa., died Nov. 28, 2010, at the age of 86. He attended W&J. Prior to retirement, Mr. Mathewson was a self-employed photographer.

Palmer Joseph Restaneo, D.M.D., Los Angeles, died Jan. 13, 2011, at the age of 66. Dr. Restaneo, who attended W&J, was a pioneer in laser dentistry. He held a degree in pharmacy and a master’s in psychology.

James Regis Scott, Washington, Pa., died Dec. 14, 2010, at the age of 85. After high school, he joined the U.S. Marines and subsequently attended W&J. Mr. Scott worked for Washington Steel for 31 years, retiring in 1987. He also worked for the U.S. Post Office and Prudential Insurance.

Ralph Britton Shunk, Washington, Pa., died Nov. 25, 2010, at the age of 88. He served in the U.S. Army for nearly three years during WWII and was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, American Theater Service Medal and WWII Victory Medal. Mr. Shunk worked for 39 years at Washington Steel Corp., where he was a rolling mill foreman at the time of his retirement. He attended W&J.

Joseph Kyle Thompson, Ph.D., Frederick, Md., died March 18, 2011, at the age of 90. Dr. Thompson was a U.S. Navy veteran who served in WWII. He retired from the Naval Research Lab, Washington, D.C., after 40 years of service. He attended W&J.

Constance A. Salvitti (1939–2011): Devoted W&J Supporter

Constance A. Salvitti of Washington, Pa., passed away peacefully June 2, 2011, at the age of 72. She was the beloved wife of E. Ronald Salvitti ’59, M.D., a distinguished alumnus and trustee of Washington & Jefferson College.

Together with her husband, Mrs. Salvitti extended her charitable efforts to institutions of higher education, including Washington & Jefferson College, the University of Pittsburgh, and her alma mater, Seton Hill University. Passionate about science education, the Salvittis played a significant leadership role in the construction of the College’s John A. Swanson Science Center, dedicating the building’s majestic atrium and Salvitti Teaching Wing last April.

Cherished by her family and members of the Washington community, Mrs. Salvitti also was active in many local charities, including Washington Hospital, Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Washington County Community Foundation and Washington Christian Outreach.

Widely recognized for her generosity, Mrs. Salvitti was the 2010 recipient of the Philanthropy Award from Zonta International Women’s Club. A former member of the Seton Hill University Board of Trustees and president of the university’s alumni association, she also was honored by the university with its Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award.

In addition to her biology degree from Seton Hill, Mrs. Salvitti received her master’s in physical therapy from the University of Pennsylvania. For more than 30 years, she served as the administrator of Southwestern Pennsylvania Eye Center, a family-owned eye care and ambulatory surgery center.

She was a loving mother of four children, E. Ronald Salvitti II, John M. Salvitti ’88, Kara Conomikes and Jennifer Davis, M.D., and proud grandmother of 12.

Constance Salvitti, pictured with her husband, E. Ronald Salvitti, was a generous supporter of the College.

HOMECOMING & REUNION WEEKEND OCTOBER 21 & 22, 2011

Behind Every Door Lies A Memory...

1802 1806

Celebrating the classes of: 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1995, 1996 & 1997

Register today at: www.jayconnected.com/homecoming

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

P A I DPittsburgh, PA

Permit No. 1183

Washington & Jefferson College

60 South Lincoln Street

Washington, Pennsylvania 15301-4801

HOME SWEET HOME

Which W&J graduate

was the architect behind

Pittsburgh Magazine’s

“Home of the Year”?

To fi nd out, turn to page 33.

PHOTO BY JOHN WEE

FPO

Washington & Jefferson College Summer 2011 Magazine

Documents

Transcript of Washington & Jefferson College Summer 2011 Magazine