BETHANY SPRING 2017
A C O L L E G E O F N AT I O N A L D I S T I N C T I O N
TODAY
The Inauguration of Bethany College’s 20th president The Rev. Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg
President’s Letter
FACING FORWARD WE ARE ENTERING A NEW CHAPTER IN HISTORY.
Higher education is in transition. This is not a full-throttle move away from the liberal arts in deference to professional skill-based learning; rather, it is a profound time of rediscovery. We are redefining the value of broad-based liberal instruction. We are finding pathways, naming creative interdisciplinary connections, describing new forms of public-private collaboration, and advocating for meaningful 21st century outcomes. Moreover, we are developing data-driven analytics to guide us in evaluating our students, academic programs and strategic initiatives. Terms such as cybersecurity and drone warfare dominate our political and social dialogue. Meanwhile, timeless questions of human relationships and shared life remain the basis upon which we inquire. The classroom and office space are a microcosm of the world we are attempting to navigate. Communities, neighbors, friends, colleagues and cohorts are rich with diversity. This is our world today. This is our landscape for teaching and learning. During this time of year, high school students are in the process of submitting their college applications. They are wrestling with required essays while they consider where to invest their future. I note, as I read these papers, this generation is asking new and intriguing questions— questions that are both highly technical and narrowly skill based with ethical quandaries that span generations. I am compelled to ask: How will our leaders in science, technology, engineering and math answer the dilemmas their research and preliminary conclusions will present to them? What analytical deficit will they have without the benefit of history, philosophy, religious studies, language, sociology, psychology, communication, business studies, political science and the arts?
Bethany College is entering a season of reaffirmation and rediscovery of our mission, out of which will emerge a five-year strategic plan. The task before us is to articulate the combined commitment to liberal arts as well as professional research and skill-based education. We will be developing our STEM majors, attending to questions of cybersecurity, and contributing in research toward advancing knowledge in multiple fields. At the same moment, we will be remembering that education requires depth, breadth and, ultimately, application. I agree with Dr. Cathy N. Davidson, who at the AAC&C Annual Meeting shared, “College has to be more than training for skills soon to be rendered obsolete...College has to arm you to take on a very difficult world, not merely to adapt to it. You go to college, now, to learn how to learn.” (Davidson, Cathy, “Educating Higher,” Liberal Education, Summer 2016, pp. 12–13). his generation of leaders were born with technology at their fingertips; they have witnessed rapid social change, unprecedented leadership transitions, and increasing change in industry. Their future requires current teachers to teach skills that inform the myriad of jobs our graduates will encounter in their lifetime— skills that determine their successful future: an ability to communicate, to document, to reflect, to hypothesize, to consider, to reconsider, to measure, to critique, to serve, and to effect change through advocacy and debate. They must be able to learn from the past and apply this knowledge to the present as they develop their voice. When a student graduates from Bethany College, they will have these skill and more; therefore, I am confident that they will be the leaders with the capacity to change the world.
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Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg
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Bethany Today is a biannual publication of Bethany College. For additional copies of this publication, or more information on the College, please call (304) 829-7221. Editor Rebecca (Guinan) Rose ‘01 Features Editor Brooke Buckner Fehr '93 Contributing Editors Megan Salatino Andrew Woodley Contributing Photographers Todd Jones '85 Martin Santek Photography Design and Production MSK Partners, Inc. Issue Date: Spring 2017 Printed in the U.S.A.
Address all correspondence concerning this magazine, including class notes, submissions and address changes to: OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS BETHANY COLLEGE 31 E Campus Dr. Bethany, West Virginia 26032 (304) 829-7411 or via e-mail to: alumni@bethanywv.edu www.bethanywv.edu/alumni/news
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4 NOTEWORTHY 28 SPORTS 40 ALUMNI NOTES
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LATEST EVENTS, SPORTS, UPDATES AND MUCH MORE
B E T H A N Y W V. E D U
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Heritage For more than 177 years, Bethany College has been a highly contemporary institution based in the tradition of the liberal arts. The College offers a wide array of studies, awarding Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in more than 25 fields of study, many with options for emphasis. Students also have the option of including one or more optional minors as part of their B E T H A N Y programs. C O L L E G E The College’s program of founded March 2, 1840 liberal arts education prepares students for a lifetime of work and a life of significance. Bethany places particular emphasis on leadership and incorporates preprofessional education in dentistry, engineering, law, medicine, physical therapy, public administration, theology and veterinary medicine. Bethany’s 1,300-acre campus is located in the northern panhandle of West Virginia in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains. Pittsburgh, America’s Most Livable City, is a 50-minute drive from campus. Wheeling, W.Va.; Washington, Pa.; and Steubenville, Ohio are less than a half-hour away. Founded by Alexander Campbell, who provided the land and funds for the first building and served as the first president, Bethany has been a four-year private liberal arts college affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) since its inception. This religious body, of which Campbell was one of the principal founders, continues to support and encourage the College, but exercises no sectarian control. Students from virtually every religious community attend Bethany.
Foundation Bethany College is an academic community founded on the close interaction between students and faculty in the educational process. Bethany College values intellectual rigor and freedom, diversity of thought and lifestyle, personal growth within a community context, and responsible engagement with public issues. Its programs are designed to: • Engage the mind through emphasis on discipline in thinking, motivation in the search for knowledge, and acquisition of the intellectual resources for a lifetime of learning • Embolden the spirit through the opportunity for intellectual challenge, collaborative enterprise, athletic competition, artistic expression, personal growth, and meaningful work • Enlarge the world through exposure to the abundant diversity of thought and lifestyle of the human community, support for personal engagement with societies and cultures different from one's own, and commitment to service
Senior Administration Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg President of the College Sven de Jong ’95 Senior Vice President Dr. Larry Grimes, ’64 Vice President for Academic Affairs Eileen Greaf Vice President for Finance Mollie Cecere Vice President for Enrollment Management Jerry Stebbins Dean of Students Stephanie Gordon Assistant to the President
Board of Trustees Jhamal Robinson Thaddaeus Allen Los Angeles, CA Parkersburg, West Virginia Edward J. See Elizabeth S. Athol New Fairfield, Connecticut Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Marsha Smith
Center for Institutional Advancement Sven de Jong ’95 Senior Vice President Greg Caprara Director of Development for Special Projects Laura Rauch Major Gifts Officer Shirley Kemp Director of Advancement Services Ginni Walden Executive Assistant for Advancement
Scarlett L. Foster St. Louis, Missouri
Megan Salatino Communications Assistant
George M. “Ken” Bado San Francisco, California Marc B. Chernenko Wellsburg, West Virginia
Houston, Texas William E. Strickland, Jr. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Lewis P. Wheeler Richard G. Clancy Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Chapel Hill, North Carolina W. Darwin Collins Uniontown, Pennsylvania James F. Companion Wheeling, West Virginia Marie E. de Paris New York, New York
Trustees Emeriti William B. Allen Parkersburg, West Virginia O. John Alpizar Palm Bay, Florida F. D. Bloemeke Alpharetta, Georgia Walter M. Bortz Charleston, South Carolina
Doug Goin Orlando, Florida Fred M. Harris Hagerstown, Maryland Logan Hassig New Martinsville, West Virginia
Neil Christman Alpharetta, Georgia James F. Collins Wheeling, West Virginia George Davis Pasadena, Maryland
Sy Holzer Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Robert W. Ewing, Jr. Jackson, Wyoming
Joyce Pollack Jefferson Wheeling, West Virginia
Thomas P. Johnson, Jr. Poultney, Vermont
Asa Johnson New York, New York
Eugene Miller Boca Raton, Florida
Gregory B. Jordan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Robert Ponton Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Arthur B. Keys, Jr. Washington, Pennsylvania
Ann C. Preston San Francisco, California
Linda A. Lewis, M.D. New York, New York
John W. Renner Cleveland, Ohio
Robert J. McCann Vice Chair
Janet A. Long Elyria, Ohio
William S. Ryan Baltimore, Maryland
John W. Mullen Treasurer
Gayle Connelly Manchin Washington, D.C.
Janet A. Long Secretary
G. Daniel Martich Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Officers of the Board of Trustees Gregory B. Jordan Chair
Robert J. McCann New York, New York John W. Mullen Nashville, Tennessee G. William Newton Nashville, Tennessee Gary M. Novak Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania G. Ogden Nutting Wheeling, West Virginia Robert Nutting Wheeling, West Virginia
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Campus Updates -----------------------------Faculty News -----------------------------Awards & Grants ------------------------------
THREE NEW MAJORS Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity – Information Assurance and International Business will commence in the 2017-2018 academic year. These new programs will be housed in Bethany’s Physical and Computational Sciences Department and Department of Business. The addition of Cybersecurity will focus on the research and development of software and algorithms for protecting digital assets, while Cybersecurity – Information Assurance will focus on developing skills necessary for careers in overseeing the security of an organization including the minimizing of risks and protection of digital assets. A major in International Business will prepare a student to understand the global marketplace, how international factors affect the domestic market, the issues of expanding business abroad, and how to analyze the global business environment.
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Bethany College Welcomes Three New Members to Board of Trustees
International Education’s Generation Study Abroad Initiative
Gregory B. Jordan, Chair of the Bethany College Board of Trustees, has announced the election of three new members to the Board, Logan Hassig ’70, Marie E. DeParis ’83 and Marsha Smith ’73. Hassig is a senior and managing partner at Snyder & Hassig Law Firm. DeParis is the current vice president of marketing and business development for SNY, while Smith is the current secretary for the Disciples of Christ Historical Society Board.
Bethany College has joined the Institute of International Education’s Generation Study Abroad™ initiative to help more Americans gain international experience through study abroad programs. This is one of more than 600 new commitments announced by IIE. IIE’s Generation Study Abroad seeks to mobilize resources and commitments with the goal of doubling the number of U.S. students studying abroad by the end of the decade. Bethany College pledges to require all graduates from the class of 2019 and beyond to fulfill a Global Awareness core component. Additionally, Bethany will attempt to increase study abroad in all forms (for credit, not for credit, traditional semester, and shortterm travel experiences) to 40%, doubling the College’s current study abroad rate by the 2020–2021 academic year. Under the new partnership, Bethany College will take concrete, action-oriented steps to expand opportunities for study abroad. A change to the College’s liberal arts core curriculum occurred in the 2014– 2015 academic year, which requires all students to take a series of courses that promote cultural awareness, international understanding, and a global perspective. The college will also explore the feasibility of offering more short-term study abroad opportunities, particularly in the two- to four-week January and May terms, as well as encouraging more students to engage with academic clubs that travel abroad during spring break.
Bethany College Receives $1 Million Challenge Grant
President Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg announced a $1 million challenge gift from Robert J. McCann ‘80 and Cindy McCann of Madison, New Jersey. With the hopes of attracting other donors to raise an additional $1 million, the infusion will provide funding for technology upgrades, personnel and modern processes to energize the College’s student enrollment and institutional advancement efforts. In 2009, the McCanns established the McCann Family Student Investment Fund with a $1 million gift that makes it possible for Bethany students to gain real life experience by serving as investment professionals. The fund is administered by students who are responsible for researching stocks, making investment decisions, and executing trades. Since the establishment of the fund, the students have significantly increased the value of the initial portfolio.
Bethany Joins the Institute of Bethany College’s PreK–K Education Endorsement Now 100% Online Bethany College’s Education department has announced that its PreK–K Multicategorical with Autism Endorsement is now 100% online. The College received formal notification from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that Bethany’s request to be able to offer the education endorsement fully online was approved. In Dec. 2015, the West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) approved Bethany College’s revised, proposed PreK–K as well as the K–6 and 5–Adult Multicategorical Special Education with Autism Program. The new PreK–K endorsement requires students to complete five courses (14 credit hours), including a six-week clinical student teaching placement in a classroom housing children with autism. In addition to the content-specific coursework, prospective students will complete 300 hours of field or clinical placements in classrooms with children having autism. Field observations are subject to Skype or videotaped review. The program revisions and addition of the PreK–K endorsement will help to fill the vacant teaching positions in the state of West Virginia. To meet the career needs of teachers in the field, courses will be cross-listed as graduate courses so that teachers may add PreK–K to their existing certifications. Practicing teachers seeking the endorsement will be admitted to Bethany College as non-degree-seeking students. This is not a graduate level program, but practicing teachers may receive graduate coursework for the courses if they complete the additional required coursework. For more information about the online PreK–K endorsement, as well as other education programs at Bethany College, please contact the Education department at 304-829-7182.
Bethany Professor Publishes Two Books in 2017 Dr. Jessie Janeshek, assistant professor of English and director of writing at Bethany College, has two book publications forthcoming in 2017. Janeshek’s second full-length collection of poetry, “The Shaky Phase”, is under contract at Stalking Horse Press and will be published in April 2017. Her third chapbook of poetry, “Hardscape”, is under contract at Reality Beach and will be published early in 2017.
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NOTEWORTHY Founded by novelist James Reich and based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Stalking Horse Press is “committed to radical voices in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.” Each author published by Stalking Horse designates a humanitarian or charitable organization to receive a percentage of proceeds from his or her book. Proceeds from Janeshek’s book will go to Girls Not Brides, an organization focused on ending child marriage and increasing the educational opportunities for young women in developing countries. A 2003 graduate of Bethany, Janeshek has taught at Bethany since 2011 after earning her Ph.D. in English at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and her MFA in poetry at Emerson College, Boston. She is also the author of the full-length poetry collection Invisible Mink (Iris Press, 2010) and the chapbooks Spanish Donkey/Pear of Anguish (Grey Book Press, 2016) and RahRah Nostalgia (dancing girl press, 2016) and, with poet Jesse Graves, the co-editor of the literary anthology Outscape: Writings on Fences and Frontiers (KWG Press, 2008).
Bethany’s Education Department Receives Grant to Help Promote Family Literacy Bethany College’s Education department was awarded a $4,100 Leaders of Literacy Grant from the Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA 6). This grant will help fund a variety of services to promote family literacy initiatives in West Virginia. Dr. Sherri Theaker, associate professor of education, chair of Bethany’s Education department, and CAEP coordinator, and Professor Angela Icard, assistant professor of reading education, worked with RESA 6 to collaborate with ideas on how to enhance family engagement and guide students to become life-long learners. The grant will help fund many activities that Theaker and Icard designed. This includes creating a family literacy workshop at an area elementary school as well as having more than 100 elementary students visit Bethany’s Hurl Education Center and participate in digital literacy activities developed by Bethany’s teacher candidates in December of this year.
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Bethany College Annual Fall Convocation Held on Campus Bethany College officially opened the 2016–17 academic year during the College’s Annual Fall Convocation on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 11 a.m. in Commencement Hall. The event featured an address by Rev. Thaddaeus B. Allen [1], regional minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in West Virginia and a presentation of faculty and student achievements. Allen, a 1992 Bethany graduate and Board of Trustees member, gave his address titled “Together We are Stewards of Bethany Pride.” Allen defined Bethany “Bison Pride” as having the characteristics of self-respect, respect for others, a strong student-professor relationship, generosity, possibility and global citizenship. After graduating from Bethany with a degree in accounting, Allen went on to receive his Master of Divinity degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Currently, he studies for his Doctorate of Ministry degree at Lexington Theological Seminary. In 2008, Allen was consecrated and installed by General Minister and President, the Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins at the Regional Assembly. 2 In addition to being a member of the Bethany Board of Trustees, he is also on the Board of Directors of the Pension Fund, Disciples of Christ Historical Society, and the West Virginia Council of Churches. Dr. Larry Grimes, director of church relations, dean of Buffalo Seminary and emeritus professor of English, announced the recipient of the John R. Taylor Memorial Award in Liberal Arts, which is named in memory of John R. Taylor, ’44, professor of English emeritus at Bethany. This year’s recipient was Dr. Carolyn Kitchens, assistant professor of chemistry. Dean of Students Gerald Stebbins announced Phi Mu Sorority as the recipient of the Anna Ruth Bourne Award, which is given each semester to the women’s social group maintaining the highest scholastic standing, and Delt Tau Delta as the recipient of the W. Kirk Woolery Award, which is given to the men’s social group maintaining the highest scholastic standing. Stebbins also presented the Richard B. 3 Kenney Freshman Leadership Award to Alison Irvin [2] and Alexandra Metz [3]. The Richard B. Kenney Freshman Leadership Award is given annually to student(s) who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership and character at Bethany in the previous year.
Pioneer of the Concept of Dark Matter and Its Role in the Universe Delivers Annual Grimes Lecture Series Dr. Adrian Melott, Bethany alumnus and professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, presented the keynote lecture as part of the Larry E. Grimes Lecture Series. A 1968 graduate of Bethany with a degree in physics, Dr. Melott presented his speech, “Blast in the Past: How Supernovae Affected Life on Earth,” in Weimer Lecture Hall.
Melott’s speech gave detailed results that have strongly confirmed that multiple supernovae happened at distances of 300 light years, consisting of two main events: one at 1.7 to 3.2 million years ago and the other at 6.5 to 8.7 million years ago. These findings question whether such supernovae are expected to have had substantial effects on the terrestrial atmosphere and biota. Furthermore, Melott’s speech detailed what may be linked to changes in climate, as well as increased cancer and mutation rates, and whether they are related to a minor mass extinction around the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary. In 1981, Melott received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas. He also has a master’s degree in physics from the University of South Florida and a Master of Divinity from Starr King School for Religious Leadership in Berkeley. During his long-standing academic career, Melott has published over 150 scientific papers as well as receiving a plethora of awards. Some of his highest achievements include being named a fellow of the American Physical Society for “Groundbreaking studies of the origin and evolution of cosmic
structure” in 1996. In 2003, he received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Pi Delta Kappa Education Fraternity. He also received the Barbara Schowen Undergraduate Research Mentor Award in 2013. During his time at Bethany, Melott served as the student body president in 1967 and was a member of the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. In 2002, Melott received Bethany’s Alumni Achievement Award, which recognizes alumni for their achievements and contributions in their profession.
Senior Wins Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society Award
Bethany College senior Stephanie Sowers was named a recipient of the 2016 Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship and was presented with the award by President Rodenberg in Phillips Lounge. Sowers, from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is the daughter of Timothy and Jennifer Sowers and is pursuing a degree in management. Each year, the Sigma Beta Delta Fellowship Program awards over 20 scholarships to qualifying students who exemplify excellence in their academic studies. To apply for a fellowship, students must fill out an application that discusses their work experience, honors and activities, and education. In addition, candidates must provide a 500-word essay discussing their academic strengths, challenges, community involvement, and leadership qualities.
Career & Professional Development Center Opens on Campus Bethany College has opened a new 1,700 sq. ft. Career & Professional Development Center in Morlan Hall. The Center will provide a comprehensive program of resources to help Bethany students and alumni utilize their liberal arts education to
optimize their employment opportunities. This new resource consists of three offices housing the director, the assistant director, and the career counselors/student workers. A large multi-use room can be used for on-campus employer recruiting, career workshops, and career counseling. The Center provides “best practices” resources for students and alumni who need assistance with their career direction or are seeking internships and employment. In addition, the Center will coordinate job fairs and graduate school expos, provide assistance with the Professional Image Center, and assist students in exploring potential careers. Alumni contact and involvement will be critical in measuring a successful placement rate, as well as follow-up surveys and working with a mentor program started by the Alumni Office. With the expansion John Osborne, director, will develop and foster relationships with local companies to identify new internship and employment opportunities for Bethany students and graduates. Amy VanHorn, assistant director, will work with incoming students to develop a solid four-year professional development plan as well as coach upperclassmen to build their confidence, resumes, online presence and professional skills in preparation for employment. To learn more, go to www.bethanywv.edu/careerfund.
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Published Book in 2016 Dr. Holly Hillgardner, assistant professor of religious studies, has authored a new book titled Longing and Letting Go: Hindu and Christian Practices of Passionate Nonattachment. Published on December 1, 2016, by Oxford University Press, this book explores and compares the energies of desire and non-attachment in the writings of two women, one a sixteenth-century Hindu named Mirabai, and the other a thirteenthcentury Christian named Hadewijch. Hillgardner received her B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1995, her M.T.S. from the Brite Divinity School, Texas Christian University in 2005, and her Ph.D. in theology and philosophy with a concentration in women’s studies from Drew University in 2013.
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Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg Installed as Bethany’s 20th President r. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg was installed as the College’s 20th President at the formal presidential inauguration on Friday, October 7, 2016. The traditional ceremony, which took place in Commencement Hall, featured remarks from a broad assortment of prominent academic and religious leaders. Dr. Victor J. Boschini, Jr. [1], chancellor of Texas Christian University, delivered the formal address, which was titled “Gathering-In Life at Bethany College in Celebration of Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg.” “In this inauguration setting, I feel a special sense today. There’s a sense of special history, a sense of hope, and a sense of renewed excitement,” Boschini said. “Bethany has a long history, a 176-year history. What I see in the facts and symbols of Bethany’s story is not just the passage of time, but the passing forward of core values that inform the founding of this College that defines its mission and shape its graduates still today.” Bob McCann [2], vice chair of the Board of Trustees, gave the welcome, while Gary Novak, chair of Bethany’s Presidential Search Committee and Board of Trustees member, introduced the President. Gregory B. Jordan, chair of the Board of Trustees [3], presented Rodenberg with the symbols of her new office and administered the formal charge. “The Board of Trustees believes that the future of Bethany College is bright and its place in the academic world secure,” Jordan said. “We envision the influence of the College
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enlarged, its program strengthened, and its high purposes fused into a shining unity. “Tamara Rodenberg, you have heard the charge and, because you have accepted publicly these responsibilities, I now entrust you with the great seal of Bethany College and proclaim to all those who come in contact with this historic old College that you are indeed the duly elected and properly installed twentieth President of Bethany College.”
Other distinguished speakers welcoming the College’s new President included Rev. Gary Kidwell, president of the Christian Church Foundation; Dr. Chris Dorsey, president of the Higher Education Leadership Ministries; Dr. D. Newell Williams, president of Brite Divinity School; and the regional coordinator for United States Senator Joe Manchin III. Dr. Patrick Sutherland, mayor of Bethany, gave the Town proclamation, while members of Bethany’s faculty,
students and staff gave greetings. Dr. Rodenberg also gave a response and challenge to those in attendance. “To all in attendance, thank you. It is an understatement to say that I am honored to stand here before you. I do so with the recognition that I am one of many to whom the future of this school matters. One of many whom the future depends on,” Rodenberg said. Today, I call on all of you, all of us at Bethany to keep her strong. The strong legacy, the strong reputation of excellence is in front of us. There is work to do, for certain; however, we have inherited a story, a history, and a future that is worth the life effort for our next chapter.” The invocation was delivered by Bethany Board of Trustees member Rev. Dr. Janet Long [4]. Rev. Scott Thayer, chaplain of the College, gave the benediction, while special music was provided by Judy Allison. More than 25 academic institutions sent delegates to the event, and letters of congratulations were received from a plethora of colleges and universities. The flags of 26 states, nine countries, two military branches, and eight Greek organizations were carried by students in the colorful processional, signifying the diversity of the Bethany student body. The delegates and students were joined in the opening march by the Board of Trustees, faculty and officers of the College. [5] A reception was held in the Ogden Dining Room in Benedum Commons following the ceremony. Dr. Rodenberg officially became Bethany’s President on January 1, 2016.
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Heritage, Foundation and the Future President Tamara Nichols Rodenberg’s unanticipated path to Bethany College.
THE FIRST YEAR THAT Dr. Rodenberg has been at the helm of Bethany College has
been a busy one. It would seem that this is only the beginning. “I FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN EVERYWHERE. I’ve been to
New York, Washington, D.C., Florida, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Columbus, Cleveland, Nashville, Atlanta.…” Her words trail off, as she recounts the whirlwind of activity that followed her appointment as the 20th President of Bethany College. To think, it may never have happened, since leading an undergraduate institution was not on her radar. But then, expecting the unexpected, and embracing it, has gotten her where she is today.
HERITAGE RODENBERG BEGAN HER COLLEGE CAREER at Texas Christian University, where she first learned that life often takes an unpredictable path. Originally, she studied marketing and communication, but she was also interested in exploring religion. Rodenberg, therefore,
chose to attend Lexington Theological Seminary, where her background in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) met with her future trajectory in leadership. Pursuing her interest in religious studies, she learned of a program that would enable her to study abroad. Within a semester, she was on the ground studying at the United Theological College in Bangalore, South India. It was a move that would set her on the track she’s been on ever since. Upon returning to the United States, Rodenberg completed her seminary studies and began a season of leadership in ministry. She sensed, however, that she wasn’t quite finished with the adventure of travel and work overseas. Accordingly, she contacted the Common Global Missions Board of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ in the United States and Canada and was offered a teaching
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position with indigenous communities in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Not long thereafter, she and her husband, John, were on their way to Southern Africa. The couple spent the next six years there. Rodenberg focused on building an accredited program certifying leaders who had not had the benefit of high school or an undergraduate experience. Additionally, she identified a need in the community for sustainable small-business education. She opened a program titled “One-Up Business Training.” The program was designed to enable women to identify, plan and implement a meaningful business—offering a viable source of income for their families as well as their rural communities. Rodenberg realized while teaching the certificate program that she wanted to pursue a Ph.D. “All of my peers in the larger institutions, doing similar work, had doctoral degrees. The indigenous community I served was already a marginalized population. It didn’t need a marginalized teacher.” The matter was settled. She returned to the United States in order to pursue her Ph.D., with every intention of returning to Swaziland.
FOUNDATION BECAUSE OF HER PASSION FOR STUDYING ECONOMICS
within the framework of theology, she pursued her Ph.D. in economic development, ethics and social theory. It was a natural combination for her interests. But, it wasn’t long before life experience stepped in once again and changed her course. With the birth of her second child, she postponed her original plans of returning to the Kingdom of Swaziland. Instead, she began garnering graduate teaching experience as an adjunct member of the faculties of Claremont School of Theology and San Francisco Theological Seminary in Southern California. She served in these positions while fulfilling her responsibility as dean of the Disciples Seminary Foundation—an institutional partner with both graduate schools. During her term as dean, a transition occurred at the presidential level, and she was approached by the chair of the Board of Trustees requesting that she accept an interim position as president of the Foundation. She accepted. As president of the Disciples Seminary Foundation, she began to learn about financial and investment management. It turns out that this position was a perfect fit.
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Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg addresses guests at the Installation Dinner.
“It wasn’t a plan; you set out on a track with an interest and let that passion guide you. I was always interested in the interface between religion and society. In particular, how religious affinities and beliefs inform our basic economic choices,” she said. As her interim position drew to a close, she was approached by Brite Divinity School on the campus of Texas Christian University to consider joining the team as vice president for advancement. This serendipitous return to the TCU environment was not only a homecoming, some 26 years after graduating, but also a point of transition. At Brite, the role would be challenging, and for the first time, her work would be externally focused on alumni, donors, foundations and corporate relations. Rodenberg quickly found pleasure in learning why people supported the institution. “Often, very often, there is a story or a person who touched someone’s life in such a tremendous way that that person now seeks a
[Top left] Dr. Rodenberg and family. [Top right] Students celebrate with Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg at the Student Reception. [Bottom] Dr. Rodenberg and Rev. Dr. Timothy James, associate general minister and administrative secretary for the National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
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On Lifelong Learning: “Lifelong learning is the key to happiness.” Rodenberg is a learner and educator at heart. She looks forward to continuing her education through interaction with other leaders in higher education; writing and publishing; participation in the academy; and finally, developing new skills simply for personal fulfillment. She would love to take courses at Bethany College if time would permit. “I am at the stage in my life that I would enjoy courses in art, art history, pottery and creative writing. All of these are offered by talented faculty at Bethany!”
On Liberal Arts: Rodenberg is a product of a strong liberal arts education. She maintains that the students exposed to and transformed by a liberal arts education are the leaders of industry and society. “These are the people we turn to for critical thinking, contextual analysis, and decision making.” She continues, “Students who receive a liberal arts foundation in their education, regardless of their vocational choice, offer the world a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of all aspects of economic, civic, social, cultural and religious life. These are not only the practitioners but also the philosophers of the modern era.” She concurs with studies on liberal education that demonstrate graduates from colleges and universities such as Bethany College make on average $1 million more in their compensation over a lifetime than those who do not have the benefit of this kind of preparation for leadership.
For Fun: Travel: Rodenberg enjoys international travel, having lived in three countries and visited numerous others. What she enjoys most about travel is the immersion in cultures, meeting and getting to know people where they live and experiencing the rich diversity of life in differing contexts. Escaping: Rodenberg loves to explore new areas, taking long drives and randomly finding new places to visit, restaurants to try, and discoveries to be made. Beyond that, her escape is at the movies. She loves the latest movies. One of her all-time favorite classics is “Australia.” Don’t be surprised, though, if you find her at the latest action or drama film or attending live theatre in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., or New York! Figure Skating: When Rodenberg really wants to exercise, her sport is figure skating. Though she does not have the opportunity to skate often, she is looking forward to serving in a part of the country that is committed to ice skating and hockey. She has already been to a Pittsburgh Penguins game with the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity and alumni.
1 4 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
“THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT A SCHOOL
the size of Bethany is that relationships run very deep. One of the goals Bethany has to look at going forward is recultivating relationships with our alumni who have been in diaspora. Bring them home. Reconnect.”
way to give back.” She continued, “Since arriving at Bethany College, I have heard transformative stories of a professor or a staff member who made a significant difference. These graduates are now in a position to give. This is their opportunity to honor someone or to create a legacy so that current students can have a similar formative opportunity. In fundraising, you hear the meaningful story; and, once you hear it, you want to tell it.” She was about to embark on a capital campaign at Brite Divinity School that would be of some duration, when Bethany called. Within a short time, three trusted colleagues approached her separately about Bethany’s search for a new president. While she had no serious thoughts of accepting the position, she decided to visit with the search committee. Her initial conversation was enjoyable, leading her to think that maybe there was something to this possibility. It was then that she rented a car at the Pittsburgh airport and drove for the first time to the college. “Driving here, I thought, ‘where is this place?’ Then I saw Old Main! Old Main has that indescribable impact on anyone the first time they see it. It was a ‘wow’ moment. I did not see that coming. That was my first impression of Bethany.” Conversations continued as the school became serious about Rodenberg as a lead candidate. After another round of interviews, both she and the committee realized it was a call. Rodenberg accepted the position under the advisement and support of leadership at TCU—including Chancellor Emeritus William E. Tucker (himself a former Bethany College president),
current Chancellor Victor Boschini, and Dr. Newell Williams, president of Brite Divinity School.
FUTURE RODENBERG HIT THE GROUND RUNNING ON JANUARY 1, 2016, AND SHE HASN’T LOOKED BACK. During her
first month at Bethany, her goal was to listen to the staff and faculty. She wanted to come away from conversations with a growing understanding of the College’s history, current capacities, and future-looking vision. She encouraged board members, faculty, staff, students and alumni to talk about where they’ve been and what they’d like to see happen here at Bethany College. Throughout her first 100 days, she also wanted to make a clear assessment of the financial condition of the school, and she began working with experts in financial management to clarify initial and long-term steps. Beyond that time, it became about arranging face time with alumni groups so that she could hear a broader story. “Why do people value this institution? How connected are they to it? What kind of long-term base of support do we have that we can ignite?” These were the questions she sought to answer throughout a busy time of travel last winter and spring. She’s been encouraged by what she’s heard. “I wanted to experience and learn the stories. What it was like in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s and ’00s. How it has changed. How it has remained the same. Certainly, the community
Bethany College • Spring 2017 1 5
Dr. Rodenberg with members of the President's Cabinet.
is aware that time marches on, but there are core elements to Bethany that everyone cherishes. Those are the things that we need to continue to value, to keep that essence of what it means to be a Bethanian. That, together with a growing vision of Bethany’s future, is the beginning of setting the course.” Passion for Bethany College and stories of relationships from alumni weren’t the only areas that impressed Rodenberg. It’s clear that academic excellence is alive and well at Bethany, as professors continue to publish and lead their fields. As for the future, Rodenberg knows that she’s landed somewhere special. She wants to make sure that the stories she’s heard are shared for the benefit of current and future students. It’s clear that these important relationships have made all the difference! “The interesting thing about a school the size of Bethany is that relationships run very deep. One of the goals Bethany has to look at going forward is recultivating relationships with our alumni who have been in diaspora. Bring them home. Reconnect,” she reiterates.
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“I WANT TO SEE BETHANY SUCCEED
and exceed where it already is, and one day, go further than it has ever been.” She’s already going about the matter in practical terms. With a diverse alumni community, seeking a solution for how to stay connected is especially relevant. “Social media must be a priority in our communication toolbox,” she states. “Social media is the marketing of the future—of the present, really. Currently, we are undertaking a survey to determine what works best for people both on campus and beyond. We want to know how best to communicate.” She continues, “Bethany is
Dr. Rodenberg (center) at the 175th Gala with Board of Trustees members (l–r), Sy Holzer; Gary Novak; Greg Jordan, Chair of the Board, and Bob McCann, Vice Chair of the Board.
looking at data, recognizing trends, such as the fact that younger generations are leaving Facebook behind for faster social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter, while older populations often prefer Facebook.” Though, Rodenberg notes, “This too is shifting as generations become more and more social media savvy.” Further, she adds, “Learning more about preferred and most impactful communication should lead us to greater efficiencies in allocating our resources, with a goal of creating a targeted marketing plan.” John and their children, Heather and Matthew, who had stayed behind in Texas to complete the school year, have made the transition to Bethany and have settled into Christman Manor at Pendleton Heights nicely. “We are all moved in. I have a full house now, and it looks like teenagers live here,” she says, with a laugh. So, what’s next? It’s pretty simple actually: Dr. Rodenberg is throwing her considerable talent and drive into making Bethany the best that it can possibly be. “I want to see Bethany succeed and exceed where it
already is, and one day, go further than it has ever been.” For Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg, the future is all about protecting the heritage of Bethany College—and building an even brighter tomorrow on its deep foundation. Her goals include setting the college on a strong mission-directed strategic plan, including a renewed academic vigor; developing a solid financial future; focused enrollment growth; reconnecting alumni; renewing current facilities; and building new academic facilities as necessary in order to meet the College’s strategic priorities. “A state-of-the-art science building is a top priority. Of course, I have a couple of other wish-list items as well. But we’ll start there,” she says, with a warm smile. And it seems that chances are good that she’ll accomplish those goals for Dear Old Bethany. Because it’s clear that for Rodenberg, it’s about the journey as much as the destination. “You don’t have to know the end game. But you do have to attend to the steps along the way.”
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Bethany College • Spring 2017 1 7
The Chemistry of Life C A R O LY N K I T C H E N S
has a humble approach to help students “get” science
1 8 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
FA C U LT Y
PROFILE
“THEY SAY THAT TEACHERS breed teachers,” laughs Carolyn Kitchens, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry. Even so, one can’t really characterize her path to the profession of teaching—and specifically, teaching at Bethany—as a direct one. She saw her future firmly in the field of medicine. Appalachian State University might have seemed like a logical choice for Dr. Kitchens’s undergraduate career, since her parents both taught in the math department there. It was her dream to play basketball at the college level that ultimately drew her there, however. While making a name for herself on the court during her freshman and sophomore years, she also settled into coursework, concentrating on a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, a minor in biology, and a premed focus. Her ultimate goal was to become a doctor, until she spent the summer between her junior and senior years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland, participating in a SURF (summer undergraduate research fellowship) program. It was at that point she discovered her love of research. Ultimately, that summer would shift her focus away from an MD degree, and she instead enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh to pursue an interdisciplinary graduate degree in research within the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology. She had planned to go to school much closer to home. But when she interviewed, “It was by far the best program that I interviewed with. The biggest difference was that it was more of a family environment, like Bethany. As soon as you were there, they were going to do everything in their power to help you succeed. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.”
But even at this juncture, she was interested in exploring opportunities to hone her teaching skills. During the second semester of her first year, she presented an idea to the head of her program. “I suggested having second-, third-, fourth- and fifth-year students act as teaching assistants (TAs) for that first semester of classes. It made sense for a couple of reasons: one, you mentor students; two, you get tutoring help. It was a whole different way of thinking for the upper students. You aren’t just memorizing and regurgitating information. Now, you’re applying it. Typically, making that shift is the hardest transition from undergraduate to graduate school. And they went with my idea and they developed a whole new TA program that’s been very successful.” Her enjoyment of the field led to her Ph.D. in molecular pharmacology. After completing her coursework, she embarked on two postdoctoral research opportunities. However, during the first, she had an accident that would lead her away from the field of research permanently. Halfway through the assignment, she broke her back playing ice hockey and had to have surgery to repair the damage. “After that, transitioning back into research was extremely difficult: having to stand, working at a computer all day, working at the lab bench, and always bending at the waist. Fresh out of spinal surgery, it was really difficult for me to do my research with constant pain. And when you’re in pain, you can’t focus.” It was at this point her thoughts turned back to a career in education. “Teaching was always in the back of my mind. It was always there. For me, it’s not about money. It’s about what makes you happy. And at that point, my research wasn’t making me happy. And that’s what transitioned me. I feel like it got me back on my correct path.”
Her next postdoc was set to last for six months, and would have a teaching component. During the assignment, she conducted research during the day, and taught anatomy and physiology to nursing students at a local community college at night. It proved to be a valuable time because she was stuck in a classic conundrum: How does one obtain a teaching position without experience, and how does one come by experience without a position? At the end of the six months, she decided to pursue teaching. She began by reaching out to former mentors via e-mail, and was prepared to wait until a position opened up. It would seem that fate took the opportunity to step in and assist. One of her advisers at Pitt also received an e-mail from Lisa Reilly, The GouldingWoolery Professorship in Chemistry, associate professor of chemistry, and chair of the Department of Physical and Computational Sciences at Bethany, looking for someone to teach organic chemistry and biochemistry in an adjunct position. “He said he literally got our e-mails at the same time.” Two days later, Kitchens drove down to Bethany to interview, and they offered her a position. After a stint as a visiting professor, Kitchens was offered a tenure track position. She sold her house in Pittsburgh and now calls Bethany home. Adjusting to Bethany was easy, as she found the area to be similar to where she grew up on a farm in Boone, North Carolina. “I love the country life, but I love the city life as well,” she explains, and she finds the small village of Bethany, with its close proximity to towns and cities, the perfect balance. Currently, Kitchens teaches Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Medical Terminology, Intro to Pharmacology, Consumer Chemistry, and Chemistry for Non-science Majors. In 2016, she’ll also take her
Bethany College • Spring 2017 1 9
turn at teaching a freshman seminar. When asked about her teaching style, and how she engages the reluctant learner, she offers some insight. “I don’t think of myself above anybody in the classroom. I just have more knowledge about the field than the students do. I try to have a humble approach. I make a lot of corny jokes. A lot of puns. I have no problem humiliating myself for the enjoyment of the students,” she laughs. Her mother especially influenced her to think in terms of working with each student to determine different learning styles. “Everybody can be good at chemistry. I play off the idea that, if I explain something to you, and you don’t get it, maybe I try that way one more time. If you still don’t get it, I know I’m not explaining it in a way your brain can comprehend. This is my biggest challenge in teaching: trying to find that way—how can I explain.” She finds that Bethany’s small class size is especially valuable when it comes to her ability to check for learning among her students. “If I had a class with 100-plus students, there’s no way I could do that. That’s where the Bethany education is ideal. I do have those chances. By the end of the semester, I know every student by name.” However, she does expect students to do their part. After all, this is a partnership. “Toward the beginning of the semester, I reach out, but then it’s also on the student to reach out to me as well.” Helping chemistry to click with the student who has never gotten it is one of the most exciting parts of Kitchens’s job. However, she also appreciates the inherent beauty and order in the study of biochemistry. “It’s the passion of the study, but
2 0 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
also it’s the beauty of biochemistry. All of life—not just humans, all life— comes from just six elements. Just the beauty and order of that is mindblowing. It’s just that mind-boggling question of how, and I think everyone deserves the right to know and explore the ‘how.’” But connecting with students and building relationships is something Kitchens enjoys doing outside of the classroom as well. Since she came to Bethany, she’s taken on other campus roles. In addition to her role as professor, she also serves as the adviser for students on the health sciences track. One big part of that job is acting as the adviser for Pre-health Club, a studentrun club for anyone interested in pursuing a career in health sciences. Originally, the club mostly attracted students interested in going to medical school, but now it has grown to welcome anyone seeking a career spanning the health sciences. Kitchens sees this as an opportunity to open up career pathways to students who might want to take a different track to practicing medicine rather than becoming a doctor. “We’ve really had a push to help students realize there’s more to the health sciences field than just medical school. There are other options and paths you can take that are still in the health profession,” she says. But the opportunity to grow relationships with students outside of the classroom and lab is something Kitchens values as well. Since coming to Bethany, she’s taken on additional roles as faculty adviser to the sisters of Phi Mu, and she also assists in coaching the Men’s and Women’s Track & Field teams in her specialty, javelin.
“In terms of the things I’ve done at Bethany, becoming faculty adviser for Phi Mu was one of the best decisions I made,” adding that she’s built many friendships as the result of the work with the chapter. The opportunity to coach was influenced by a student as well, when one of her students asked her to give him some advice on how to throw the weight for an indoor track and field competition. Sharing a few tips led to an opportunity to assist in coaching the team, and Kitchens is proud that the men have now brought the PAC Indoor Track & Field Championship title home two years in a row. For Kitchens, the opportunities to teach in a field she loves, to advise students charting a course for the health sciences, and to lead in other roles on campus have all led her to believe that she is right where she is meant to be. Validation of her perspective came from someone who originally encouraged her to steer clear of teaching: her mother. In 2015, Kitchens took four of her upper-level pre-health students for a spring break course in Ft. Myers, Florida. After the group completed some community service, they rounded out the visit with some kayaking on Tampa Bay. Kitchens’s mom and brother joined them. “After that trip, my mom came up to me, and she was in tears. ‘You are exactly where you’re meant to be,’ she said. ‘I’ve put everything into teaching, and I have never had a student look at me the way those students looked at you today.’ I tear up thinking about it. And that’s the Bethany experience: the respect and the friendship that’s there between student and adviser.”
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ALUMNI
PROFILE
STRONG MEDICINE Growing up in rural Brooke County, West Virginia, and attending Bethany College perfectly positioned Board of Trustee member LINDA D. LEWIS, MD , to launch a successful career in medical education and the practice of medicine.
L
IKE MANY OF THE DECISIONS THAT DR. LEWIS
has made in her life, the choice to go to Bethany was not a grand dream. It was just the next logical step. “It seemed natural after having gone to summer camp there, and my father working at Wheeling Steel.” If Lewis’s beginnings seem simple and convenient, it’s because they transpired in an organized and systematic way. It seems to be how much of Lewis’s life and career have unfolded: systematically and logically, as she seized the opportunities set before her. Her family moved to Beech Bottom, West Virginia, when Lewis was a small child. Her father was a machinist and superintendent at Wheeling Steel, and the family settled into village life and took their place in the community seriously. Her parents continually modeled a strong work ethic for the four Lewis children. “My parents were pragmatic and down to earth. If you couldn’t cook, hunt, sew and clean, you didn’t live, because you had to put food on the table. They were pioneers.” From an early age, Lewis and her siblings helped with chores, like tending the large family garden. Community service was a requirement as well. “My family was always into the community,” she recalls. “You were expected to get out there and do stuff. We never even had a TV until I was about 14 because we were always out doing something!” The children were tasked with finding a way to make their marks on the world. “My parents said, ‘We don’t care what you do, just as long as you can support yourself.’” As a result, Lewis decided in fifth grade to become a doctor. When it came time to apply for college, Bethany just made sense. Lewis had spent time during her summers at Chi Rho Camp on Bethany’s campus. Wheeling Steel
offered children of its employees scholarships to Bethany, thus making the way forward clear. Lewis had been a leader in her high school, and followed suit at Bethany. “I was the Outstanding Junior Woman, because I was president of everything. Whatever I did, I rose to the top of the organization. What is that? Innate leadership? I don’t know.” However, even though she had little trouble doing her best, she was still challenged by faculty at Bethany to push herself. She remembers a time during her sophomore year that Dr. Bernal Weimer, in particular, spurred her on to the next level. “I did really well my first year, and my second year I took Anatomy. Dr. Weimer handed me back my first exam, and it was a 78.” It was a wake-up call. “He said, ‘I don’t ever want to see a grade like that from you again.’ And he never did.” “John Taylor was the same way. He insisted that I take an advanced freshman English course.” It’s clear that the course didn’t appeal to Lewis. “I had to write a term paper, and I knew that I didn’t know how to write term papers. And I got a C- or a D on it.” Asked what she learned from those experiences, she replies, “I think they stimulate you to think about what you’re doing, and why.” In particular, the exercise helped her to see areas in which she excelled, and how she was wired. “I am a terrible researcher. My mind doesn’t think that way. I learned that when I got my D on Professor Taylor’s term paper. And I knew that I would never do research. I’m much more mechanical,” she muses. Lewis graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in biology and a minor in history in 1961, and was soon off to
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“I’VE HAD AT LEAST FOUR DIFFERENT CAREERS. Talk about
fortunate. And I’m still going. I never really planned any of it. I didn’t go out and seek the opportunities. They just floated by in front of me.” medical school. She had applied to Columbia, Harvard and West Virginia University, but her parents helped her to decide in favor of WVU, as scholarships made the in-state school the most affordable. At the time, she was one of a handful of women accepted into the program. While at WVU, Lewis discovered that neurology was her preferred field. She went on to complete residencies in internal medicine and neurology, the latter at St. Luke’s in New York, and accepted a position running a neurology clinic. After practicing in the field of neurology for a number of years, she was approached to apply for the position of dean of students at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. “I just sort of fell into the job as the dean of students,” she says. Making the transition from attending physician to teacher really wasn’t much of a stretch, especially given Lewis’s experience running the neurology clinic. “[In that setting], you teach medical students, you teach residents. The second year I did it, the graduating class gave me the Teacher of the Year award. I got it again in 1979.” “The search committee wanted to talk to people who
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had been outstanding teachers, so I told them what I thought a dean of students should be. Two days later, the Dean called me and offered me the job.” Lewis thought she’d stay for two years. She left the post 26 years later, having completely transformed the office. She was responsible for bringing several groundbreaking programs to the school, always enlisting the help of faculty and experts. She started The Student Success Network as one of her first undertakings. The student mentoring program had been a success at Berkeley, and was introduced to Lewis by a young member of faculty, Mindy Thompson Fullilove, MD, who attended Berkeley. Within the program, second-year students coach first-year students. Participation has always been extremely high, with nearly 100 percent of first-year students participating, and 50 percent of second-year students involved in the program. It continues to this day. She also identified critical needs in the area of student health services, and was especially aware of growing substance-abuse problems among the student body. To address the issue, she introduced AI:MS, or Addiction Illness: Medical Students. “I brought in Father Daniel Morrissey, a Dominican priest, and asked him to live in a student dorm. He totally revolutionized student care, psychiatric care and drug care. We had huge success, and it was really the second big program of its kind in the United States.” Another program she points to with pride is the Dean’s Advisory Program. Five advisory deans divide the class and meet with students regularly. “It’s been a huge success in preventing drugs and failing out of school, and it creates wonderful esprit de corps.” These programs are her legacy. “I put a lot of programs into place. Not because I had thought of them, but because I saw them other places and they were a novelty. And they’re all still going.” And it’s clear that Lewis has embraced the opportunities that came her way, and continues to do so. While she decided to leave the role of dean of students in 2005, she’s continued to see patients throughout her career in her own practice. These days, when she’s not taking classes in historic preservation at Columbia, you’ll also find her supervising the adult inpatient unit. And you don’t get the sense that she’ll be stepping down anytime soon. Within medicine, she says, “I’ve had at least four different careers. Talk about fortunate. And I’m still going. I never really planned any of it. I didn’t go out and seek the opportunities. They just floated by in front of me.” It’s an indication of what hard work and focus can achieve. While she didn’t plan her path, she took the opportunities that resulted from her hard work and made the most of them. That has made all of the difference, both to herself and to the greater medical community around her.
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STUDENT
PROFILE
A well-rounded experience BRITTANY FULLBRIGHT ’17 , believes that the liberal arts
approach and low student-to-faculty ratio at Bethany has set her up for success in the field of Health Sciences.
T
HE SENIOR, WHO HAILS FROM WADSWORTH, OHIO , is honest when asked about what led her to
Bethany in the first place, however: It was soccer. “I hadn’t heard of Bethany College until I was recruited by my former soccer coach, who saw me play with my club team in a tournament in North Carolina,” she shares. An email invitation to tour the campus and learn more soon followed, and Brittany figured that she might as well have a look at the school. That visit was all that it took. “From the architecture of the buildings and the small,
close-knit environment to the idea of not just being a number in the classroom—all of it really caught my attention.” There’s more to Brittany’s time at Bethany than just soccer, of course. Her favorite sport may have gotten her through the door, but the school’s commitment to small class sizes, attention to detail, and excellence in academics has challenged her and helped to keep her focus. A biology major on a biochemistry track (pre-med) with a minor in mathematics, Brittany hopes to pursue a career as a physician specializing in surgery. In addition to all of the other
Bethany College • Spring 2017 2 3
hats she wears, she’s busy applying to medical schools this year as she continues to explore areas of interest. “I’m not exactly sure what type of surgeon I want to be yet, but I have a really strong interest in neurology,” she offers. While her studies keep her busy, Brittany fills her time outside of the classroom with lots of work and activities. She’s been the captain of the Women’s Soccer team for the last two years, and also serves as the president of the PreHealth Professions Club. In addition, she served as past president for the Biology Club, Tri Beta. Work takes her back into the labs and classrooms of Richardson Hall, as she tutors for the Chemistry and Math departments and serves as both an anatomy lab proctor and microbiology lab prep proctor for the Biology department. This past summer, Brittany also had the opportunity to participate in a summer internship research program at West Virginia University, which was run by former Bethany professor Dr. Jennifer Franko. “I was lucky enough to work in her lab this summer during the research program I participated in,” Brittany says. “I learned so much from her.” Brittany cites the low student-to-faculty ratio as one of Bethany’s greatest strengths, and appreciates the personal attention she receives from her professors. “I have been so incredibly lucky to have been taught by such amazing faculty here at Bethany. I knew I was going to be impacted greatly coming here because of the 13:1 student-to-professor ratio and the one-on-one attention I knew I could have.” Three professors in particular stand out as major influences during Brittany’s time at Bethany. Franko served as her adviser during her freshman and sophomore years. “She pushed me because she knew my goals, but more importantly, she knew my ability. She challenges the critical thinking aspect in order to strengthen problem-solving skills.” Their relationship was just as important to Brittany outside of the classroom. “She was always there if I had a problem. Even if I just needed to sit and chat, her door was always open.” Their relationship continues today, even though Franko is now a faculty member at WVU. She has warm words for Dr. Joseph Walsh, Matthew Quay Ammon Professor of Mathematics and assistant professor of mathematics, as well. She credits him with instilling in her a “higher level of thinking.” As she explains it, “The ideas and concepts that he has brought to my attention have amazed me and have opened my eyes to realizing how incredible the world is in which we live.” Walsh also took time to assist Brittany with a class when she faced a scheduling conflict. “He took the extra time to make sure I never fell behind.” Finally, she speaks warmly of Dr. Carolyn Kitchens, her adviser and assistant professor of chemistry. “It was her biochemistry course where everything clicked for me as far as how amazing the human body is and how it works,” she recalls. “This was the course that really started to get me motivated and determined to pursue my goals, and it
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simply increased my passion for medicine.” Her door is always open to students as well. “Dr. Kitchens has helped me through so much academically and even personally during my time here.” Brittany sees the commitment in the way that each of her professors interacts with students. “All want nothing more than to see all of their students succeed and achieve their goals, and they will go above and beyond to make sure that happens,” she explains. She sees value in the education she’s received at Bethany from more than just those classroom hours, however. Brittany’s had the chance to participate in some enriching trips as well. “During spring break two years ago, I travelled to Costa Rica with the Biology Club on a service trip to help the animal rescue center, Proyecto Asis,” she shares. “We helped clean cages and feed the wild animals that were being rehabilitated from accidents of all kinds. This was such a fun and rewarding experience.” This year, the Pre-Health Professions Club is planning a medical service trip to Mexico. “The program will allow us to work alongside medical doctors, and gives us the opportunity to educate the community about public health and hygiene,” she explains. She and other students see the one-week program as an opportunity to give back to those in need. “To know I would be making a difference in someone’s life before I even become a medical doctor would only make me work harder to pursue my goals as a physician,” she adds. Brittany credits her liberal arts education, and Bethany in particular, for helping her to become a more wellrounded citizen of the world. She also knows that passing comprehensive exams shows the world that “she really knows her stuff.” In addition, she sees the benefit in particular to the field of health sciences. “A degree obtained from a liberal arts college sets you apart from someone else because it says that you have experience or knowledge in multiple areas.” She appreciates that in order to graduate, she’ll need courses in biology, chemistry, psychology, sociology and religion. “Specifically for the health sciences fields, you are dealing with all aspects of a person in your coursework: physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual.” With such a focused approach, one might think Brittany doesn’t enjoy much downtime, but she manages to relax when she can. “Soccer has been my life since I was four years old, so if I do have a little free time, I like to go on runs or just go out and kick the ball around. I love finding an hour or so to play the piano also. Sometimes I just love to sit and enjoy a good movie and relax with friends.” As she nears the end of her time at Bethany and looks forward to her next steps, Brittany sums it up this way: “I could not have seen myself getting a better education anywhere else, nor do I think I would have been a better or more well-rounded individual than I am today.”
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ALUMNI
PROFILE
Type 2 Personality For W. BLAIR GEHO ’60, MD, PH.D., researcher, physician and entrepreneur, the path to a successful career in the field of pharmaceutical research and development all began with an opportunity to attend Bethany College.
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HILE DR. GEHO GREW UP IN CLOSE PROXIMITY to Bethany, it never occurred to
him that he might attend the school. His grandfather worked as the manager of a nearby farm, and Geho would often accompany him on his milk deliveries to the College. Even then, he remembers Bethany as an impressive place. While he had originally considered entering the music field after he graduated, Geho’s attention began to turn more toward the field of medicine while still at Wellsburg High School. Labor Day weekend of his senior year turned out to be a significant time for him. His parents knew of his growing aspiration to become a doctor, and his father suggested that he meet with his cousin’s husband. Dr. Joe LaBarre was in town for the holiday, and welcomed the chance to chat with the young man. LaBarre, as it turns out,
was himself an alumnus of Bethany. When LaBarre asked young Blair what he was currently doing to prepare for a career in medicine, he replied that he was about to embark on his senior year in high school. LaBarre disappeared into the house; when he returned, the sentence he uttered was the beginning of a new path for Geho. “You start Bethany on Wednesday.” It turned out that LaBarre had telephoned Professor Bernal Weimer and told him about the young man. Geho must have impressed Weimer, for he never filled out an application, and began his career at Bethany having never completed high school. Geho recalls his time at Bethany fondly. “It was a culturally enriching place,” he shares. “Dr. Gresham put a lot of effort into trying to teach people to be aware of what was going on in the world.” He also found a collaborative atmosphere among the student body. Students cared about one another’s success, and they helped each other. “When you’re in a college that has a lot of smart people who help each other learn, it becomes a very important model for how learning takes place. And that was the case at Bethany,” he recalls. “Where I was deficient, there were students who filled in as tutors.” Although he found plenty of support among the student body, he also came to appreciate many of the faculty members as well. While he mentions such notable names as Professor Weimer, Dr. Daniel Draper (chemistry), Professor Bradford Tye (mathematics), and Professor John Taylor (English), it was Otto Wendel, professor of organic chemistry, who would prove to be an invaluable connection along Geho’s education path. During his junior year, Wendel suggested that Geho accompany another student for an interview at Western Reserve (now Case Western Reserve University). The professor was primarily interested in his student learning more about a new combined MD and Ph.D. program, which was headed by his friend, Dr. Earl Sutherland. When Geho reached Western Reserve, he was interviewed by Sutherland himself, who offered him a spot in the program
Bethany College • Spring 2017 2 5
before the end of the day. Geho would begin his time at Western the next year, thus embarking on medical school a full year before graduating with his bachelor’s degree. Western Reserve turned out to be an excellent training ground for Geho, as he continued to build upon what he had learned at Bethany. Intrinsic to his success at Western was the notion of an inherent order within the complexity of nature. “I look at biology and medicine and I see the fantastic design of all these living things. One of the things that I got from Bethany was a sense of awe about such things, and I got it from Dr. Weimer. You look at nature, and you pick up a respect for the awesomeness of it. For me, Bethany was a reinforcer of that.” Geho credits Sutherland, who later went on to win a Nobel Prize in 1971 for his discoveries concerning the mechanisms of the action of cyclic adenosine monophosphate, or cyclic AMP, with helping him to develop his approach to research. Seeing the order and normalcy of the body helped him to ask the right questions as he deepened his knowledge of research. “It totally changes the way you look at things. I was heavily trained in what was normal, and you look at disease and see how it’s different from the normal,” he explains. It wasn’t all work during those years, however. Geho found time to pursue activities outside of the program, including involvement in a local church. While attending Sunday School, Geho met his future wife, Marjorie, a nurse. “I don’t know anyone else in the world who could have been a partner through all of the ups and downs and everything we’ve done,” he offers. Geho was named to the faculty of Western Reserve on his 25th birthday while still a student himself. He would continue to serve as a professor for a few more years before embarking on a career at Procter & Gamble. There, he would build upon his work in the field of research. While at Procter & Gamble, he was the original developer for a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which are used in the treatment of osteoporosis. The discovery that led to bisphosphonates used in this manner happened in a very unusual way, however. Geho had been working on skin and dental research, particularly in the development of tartar-control toothpaste, using a chemical that prevented dental tartar from forming. A P&G scientist presented the research at a Gordon Research Conference, which happened to be attended by the head of orthopedic surgery at Columbia University. He had a patient, an 18-month-old girl, who was dying of a very rare genetic disease that caused her muscles to turn to bone. While hearing about the research, he wondered if it could possibly be beneficial to the patient. After calls to the FDA and P&G, he obtained permission to treat her with the therapy. P&G sent Geho to treat the child. The therapy proved successful: She survived, and is thriving today. Over the course of the next 10 years, Geho would treat more than 100 other children suffering from the same rare
2 6 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
condition, and they all survived. From that success, the company went on to experiment with the treatment of metabolic bone disease, like osteoporosis. The drug he ultimately developed, Didronel, is still on the market. The findings from this work also led to the development of bone imaging agents and the technology used today in bone scans. He marvels at what came from this experience. “That whole field of medicine wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for that child,” he remarks. After the groundbreaking research that led to the development of bisphosphonates, Geho turned his attention to diabetes research, and how the body reacts to injected insulin. That led to the understanding of the role of the liver in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The work he was doing coincided with an opportunity to begin his own company. It was at that point that he decided to leave P&G. He founded SDG, Inc., and built upon the momentum of his previous research. He came across an idea, a new way to target insulin that didn’t involve a P&G patent, and began to explore the implications for patients suffering from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The progress toward better understanding and treatment of diabetes has been complex and slow, but steady. Geho’s latest venture, Diasome, has received approval from the FDA for final testing of its insulin additive, which would help the body to utilize injected insulin more effectively. While his medical research keeps Geho busy, he also wears another hat as chief translational officer and adjunct professor for investigative medicine at Case Western University’s School of Medicine. At his medical school alma mater, Geho is responsible for determining which of the University’s research programs have discoveries that could be developed into new therapeutics. The program has led to better grant applications, and the school has leveraged the money it initially raised philanthropically by approximately tenfold. It’s a position that has brought him full circle, back to his medical school, with the benefit of a lifetime of experience in the research and development of new pharmaceuticals. The busy schedule Geho maintains does not permit much time for leisure. While he says his work will not often allow for vacations, he and Marjorie enjoy spending time with their large family, which includes five children and 20 grandchildren. As for the future, he has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. At 77, Geho still works full time. With such valuable work, culminating in a gamechanging breakthrough in the field of diabetes, one can’t blame him. Looking back on the work of a lifetime, he sees the incredible circumstances that led to where he is today. With all that he has accomplished, he credits his faith and the direction of God for the extraordinary and ordered path he’s traveled. “I am a Christian, and that order in my life originates with Jesus Christ,” he shares, without hesitation. But it all began at Bethany. “If I hadn’t gone to Bethany, I never would have had the career I had.”
•
“MY MAJOR WAS CHEMISTRY and
I found the faculty to be easily accessible and very helpful. Bethany has a strong sense of community, and I certainly benefited from campus life.” — Catherine Marshall, Class of 2016
Bethany College • Spring 2017 2 7
SP ORTS
S
Highlights -----------------------------Athletics Recap -----------------------------New Initiatives ------------------------------
Reilly Parker
2 8 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
Indoor Track Championship
2016 Indoor Track & Field Team
The Bethany College Men’s Indoor Track & Field team capped off another successful indoor season by capturing their second-consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference title at the PAC Championships. The Green & White totaled 119.5 points in the event, boasting the top three individual scorers in the process. Leading the Bison to their second-consecutive title were seniors Umar Moore and Kyle Minger as well as junior Andre Butler. All three athletes were crowned PAC individual champions while posting the top three individual scores in the event. Moore led the way, earning both Meet MVP and CoField MVP. The accomplishment marked the secondstraight season in which he had earned both awards. He shattered two of his own PAC Championship marks, winning the long jump with a distance of 23-02.75 and the triple jump with a mark of 45-01.00. Along with his field events, Moore also competed in the finals of the 60-meter dash, capturing a fourth-place finish (7.16). “Umar had huge performances in the PAC Championships,” commented Head Coach Andy Upton. “Not only had he had a big day in his usual events, but if he didn’t score in the 60-meter dash, we probably wouldn’t have won the title.”
Butler earned his first-ever Track MVP honor, capturing a victory in the 200-meter dash (22.24) and finishing third in the 400-meter run (49.67). He also added an eighth-place mark in the 60-meter dash and helped the men’s 4x400-meter relay team to a conference title and school-record time of 3:23.14. “Andre really stepped up for us in his junior season,” remarked Upton. “He had a great overall indoor campaign and brought his best to the PAC Championships during indoor season.” Along with Moore’s and Butler’s victories, Minger added a win in the 400-meter dash, posting a time of 49.35. The win marked the fourth-straight season in which Minger had captured the indoor 400-meter title. He also ran a leg on the champion 4x400 relay team. Capturing the team’s second indoor title in as many years was a total team effort, however, as nine other Bison posted points during the event. Bethany’s top scoring event came in the 400-meter dash as, alongside Minger and Butler, Khallid Young notched an eighth-place finish, giving the Bison 17 points in the singular event. Honorable Mention All-PAC status was earned by freshman Jordan Castro, who captured third place in the
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Andre Butler received PAC Indoor Athlete of the Year from PAC Commissioner, Joe Onderko
mile. He also finished fifth in the 5,000-meter run. Junior Ryan Donnelly also scored in both of those events, finishing fourth in the mile and sixth in the 5k. Donald Bierhals captured a seventh-place mark in the mile run, while Marshall Murray and Austin Davis totaled a fourth- and sixth-place finish, respectively, in the 800. Ed Maxwell rounded out the running events by scoring a sixthplace mark in the 60-meter hurdles. Along with Moore in the field events, junior Aaron Frye tallied All-PAC Honorable Mention status, tying for third in the high jump (5'10''). Wyssmy Despagne also performed well, notching a fourth-place mark in the long jump. Thanks to the total team effort, the Men’s Indoor Track & Field team became the first back-to-back conference champion for the Bison since the Men’s Basketball team accomplished the feat in 2010–11 and 2011–12. “The back-to-back titles were huge for not only the program but for the group of seniors as well,” Coach Upton said. “We had some clutch performances as the title came down to those last couple races. Our senior leadership helped give us the lift we needed, and I’m glad we were able to pull it off.”
Kyle Minger
3 0 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
Volleyball Championship
2016 PAC Championship Volleyball Team
The Bethany College Volleyball Team and Head Coach Courtney Kline entered the 2016 season on the heels of a disappointing finish to 2015. For the second time in three seasons, the Bison were dealt a loss in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship game by the four-time defending champion, Thomas More. With a veteran roster, including senior dynamic twin sisters Dylana and Dakota McKenzie, the Green & White would go on to have the most historic season in Bethany College volleyball history, culminating in the program’s first-ever PAC Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bison faced stiff competition early on, opening the season with a 3-5 record while playing against some of the region’s top teams, including last season’s national runnerup, Wittenberg. In the team’s match against Case Western Reserve, Dylana McKenzie became the school’s all-time kills leader, breaking the previous mark of 1,289 set by Lauren Spegal ’08. Bethany got back on track with its home opener. The Bison defeated Geneva and Thiel to get back to a .500 record heading into their match at rival-Thomas More. There they led a hard-fought fight, but ended up losing during the fifth set.
The Green & White split their next eight matches to move to 11-11 on the season, still sitting near the top of the PAC standings due to a nonconference schedule that included eight regionally ranked opponents. A return visit to the Nutting Gymnasium inside the Hummel Field House was exactly what the team needed. The Bison knocked off Waynesburg and ground out a fiveset victory over Washington & Jefferson to commence what would become a 15-match winning streak. Washington & Jefferson held a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set of its match with the Bison. The Presidents raced out to a 6-1 lead before Bethany notched nine straight points to take a 10-6 advantage. The Bison maintained momentum from there, extending their lead to 20-13, but five consecutive points for the Presidents trimmed the Bethany lead to two points. The two squads exchanged points before a pair of kills by Muhammad closed out the set at 25-23 and sent the match to a decisive final set. After the two teams switched sides at 8-7, the Bison took command of the fifth set to earn the win. Muhammad tallied four of the team’s final seven kills, and a block by Dylana McKenzie and Castro clinched the victory for Bethany. The Bison rolled from there. The Green and White swept each of the next seven matches they played, winning handily
Bethany College • Spring 2017 3 1
over Grove City, Westminster, Saint Vincent, Chatham, Rowan, Stockton and Geneva. Bethany’s next test would be a rematch with Thomas More, this time in the friendly confines of the Nutting Gymnasium. Thomas More took early control of the first set. The Saints held leads of 7-2 and 17-12 before the Bison stormed back. Bethany claimed seven of the next eight points to take a 19-18 lead and recorded the final five points in the set to win 25-21. With the Saints ahead 21-20, Bethany tallied a trio of kills and was aided by Thomas More ball handling and attack errors that closed out the set. The Bison opened up a 16-9 lead in the second set, but a comeback by the Saints tied the game at 22 and forced a Bethany timeout. Thomas More reached set-point at 25-24, but kills by Dakota McKenzie, Muhammad and Dylana McKenzie, consecutively, gave the Green & White a 27-25 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Thomas More recovered and convincingly won the third set, 25-12. After falling behind 5-1 to start the set, Bethany rallied back to take an 8-7 lead. The Saints took control from there, winning 10 straight points to assume command and trim the Bison lead to 2-1 in the match. The fourth set saw 12 tie scores and numerous lead changes, before Bethany finished off the match with five unanswered points to claim the win. After the Bison tied the match at 19, Thomas More recorded kills on three of the next four rallies to take a 22-20 lead. Attack errors by the Saints on the next three points, combined with a kill by Dakota McKenzie, put the Bison a point away from the win. Castro clinched the match on the next point with a kill that vaulted the Green & White to the top of the PAC standings. Dakota McKenzie finished with a season-high 25 kills in the win and was named the PAC’s Player of the Week for her performance. After winning their final three matches of the regular season to clinch a first round bye and home-court advantage throughout the PAC Tournament, the Bison set out to claim what had eluded them since the program’s inception in 1987, a PAC Championship. The Green & White were sharp in their semifinal meeting with Washington & Jefferson, a team who had beaten them earlier in the season. The McKenzie twins paced each other. Each finished with a match-high 17 kills, and senior setter Allie Powell registered 40 assists and set up an offense that finished with a .263 hitting percentage and a 3-0 win to secure a spot in the title match. For the second straight year and the third time in four years, Thomas More stood in front of Bethany for the PAC Championship.
3 2 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
Dylana McKenzie
Thomas More led 9-7 in the first set before the Bison went on to win 12 of the next 13 points, including five kills from Dakota McKenzie, to take a 19-10 lead. The Saints strung points together to pull within four at 23-19, but a kill by Dylana McKenzie and a double-block by senior Alexis Castro and freshman Katie Sparks ended the set. The two team’s exchanged points early in the second set and were tied 6-6 when Thomas More picked up four straight points to take a 10-6 lead and force a timeout. Bethany stormed back with a 10-3 run to take a 16-13 lead, but the Saints responded. Thomas More rolled off six consecutive points to take a 19-16 lead, forcing Coach Kline to burn another timeout. The Green & White rallied back with four of the next five points to even the score at 20-20. The Bison earned the next four points, and Dylana McKenzie put the finishing touches on a 2-0 lead with a kill to send the Hummel Fieldhouse faithful into a frenzy. Thomas More remained composed and picked up a 25-20
win in the third set to force a fourth frame. Bethany raced out to leads of 9-5 and 12-6 early in the fourth set, but the four-time defending league champion Saints managed to claw back into the set and eventually took a 19-18 lead. The Bison answered with five of the next six points to take a 23-10 lead and stand two points away from a victory. Once again Thomas More showed its resiliency and tied the set at 24 all. However, the night belonged to Bethany. The Saints committed an attack error, and junior Sumahhah Muhammad found an opening in the middle of the court and smacked home the championship-clinching point to secure the PAC Title. The team flooded the floor and were joined by the Bison students in attendance, as Bethany celebrated its firstever PAC Volleyball Championship and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Two days later, Bethany saw its name appear in the tournament field and learned that it would travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional and a date against Wittenberg. The Bison came out fast in the first set. The Bison led 109 before rolling off 11 of the next 17 points, including a trio of kills by Dylana McKenzie, to take a 21-15 lead.
Unfortunately, the Tigers rallied and won the set 26-24. The Green & White were unable to rebound, as Wittenberg picked up each of the next two sets to eliminate the Bison from the tournament. The postseason awards came rolling in following the historic season. Dylana McKenzie became the first Bison volleyball player to be named the PAC Player of the Year since Lorraine Ramhoff in 1992. She concluded her decorated career as the program’s all-time kill leader with 1,634 and was later named to the American Volleyball Coaches of America (AVCA) All-North Region Team. Coach Kline was named the PAC Coach of the Year for the second time in her career, and a program-record seven student-athletes were named to the All-PAC Teams. The McKenzie twins were joined by Powell on the first team; Castro and freshman libero Maggie Merren were tabbed Second Team All-PAC, while Muhammad was named an honorable mention. Powell was also recognized for her work in the classroom with her second College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District award for maintaining a 3.96 grade point average (GPA) while pursuing a degree in Biology.
Dakota McKenzie
Bethany College • Spring 2017 3 3
Athletics Recap CROSS COUNTRY With only three seniors combined between the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams, the Bison runners continued to make great strides in the 2016 season, with a pair of underclassmen notching All-PAC at the league’s annual race. The Women’s Team featured one of the best freshmen in the PAC in Kathrin Lehnert. She placed in the top-15 five times during the season, including an 11th place finish at the PAC Championships with a time of 25:12. Lehnert was twice named the League’s Rookie of the Week and finished 63rd overall at the NCAA Regional Meet to narrowly miss a spot at the national meet. At the NCAA Regional Meet, senior Ashley Worst crossed the finish line with a career-best time of 26:25. Junior Gabrielle Goudy and senior Shelva Burns finished 319th and 320th, respectively while senior Alexis
Naples crossed 327th at the event that featured over 370 runners. The Men’s Team opened the season with a second place showing at the Muskingum Relays. Sophomore Jordan Castro paced the men with a time of 24:10 to place third, while junior Donald Bierhals finished just behind him with a time of 24:43.93. At the Washington & Jefferson Invitational, Castro led the Men’s Team with a 10th place finish at 29:13 on the eight-kilometer course. Bierhals clocked the second fastest time on the Bison squad in 16th place at 29:56. Sophomore Alexander Michalenko and junior Lucas Liriano each posted top-50 finishes at 34th and 49th place, respectively. Michalenko finished at 31:15, while Liriano posted a time of 32:49. At the PAC Championships in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Castro posted a top-10 time of 28:25 to earn All-PAC laurels. Lucas Liriano, Austin Davis, and Bierhals placed 46th, 47th, and 48th, respectively, in the 110 runner event. Liriano ran the course in 31:28, Davis in 31:38 and Bierhals finished at 31:42.
FOOTBALL
Jordan Castro
3 4 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
It was a season of highs and lows for the Bethany Football Team under four-year Head Coach Bill Garvey. The Green & White finished the season 3-7 overall, 2-6 in the PAC, including a pair of wins in the team’s final two games to head into the off-season with expectations high for next year. Though the Bison fell short, multiple honors and records were broken throughout the season. Sophomore Daulton Freeman set a new Bethany single-game record at the opening game against Ursinus with three interceptions. Junior quarterback Chase Kinemond broke multiple records throughout the season, including the single-game record for completions with 39, while throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 21 times for 94 yards and three touchdowns to help him break the school’s single-game record for most offensive yards with 511. Senior wide receiver Tyler Ambush also added his name to the record books, breaking the Bethany singlegame record with 18 receptions, while freshman Raekwon Wright finished with 291 all-purpose yards. Senior Jalen Holmes ended his Bison career fourth all-time in school history with 2,701 rushing yards and third all-time with 24 rushing touchdowns. Ambush will
MEN’S SOCCER
Donavan Hayden
graduate tied for fourth all-time with 158 receptions, third all-time with 2,262 receiving yards, and tied for third in school history with 17 touchdown catches. Senior Donavan Hayden became the school’s all-time leader with 360 career tackles and headlined a group of 13 All-Conference selections by being named the PAC Defensive Player of the Year. Hayden led the league and ranked second in all of NCAA Division III with 142 tackles (14.2 tackles per game). His 20 tackles for loss led the PAC and ranked him 10th in Division III, and the three-time PAC Defensive Player of the Week also led the conference and tied for eighth nationally with four forced fumbles during the season. Senior offensive lineman James Norkus, junior defensive end Khalid Pierce, and defensive back/punter Aaron Frye were all named Second-Team All-PAC, with Frye earning honors at both positions. Ambush, Holmes, Freeman and Wright were joined by junior tight end Dustin Hess, sophomore offensive lineman Jaymier Scarbrough, sophomore defensive lineman Daniel Gibson, and freshman linebacker Colin Johnston as AllPAC Honorable Mention selections.
The Bison Men’s Soccer Team finished 2016 with an 8-10-2 record while advancing to the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Tournament, marking their best season since 2010, when they fell in the PAC Championship game to Thomas More. In the PAC semifinal game with No. 1 seed Geneva, the game was scoreless for the first 86 minutes until Geneva had a shot ring off a Bison defender and past the keeper to net the advantage that gave the Golden Tornadoes the win. Senior Callum Appleby played one of his best games of the season, stopping seven shots. Three Bison were listed among the PAC All-Conference list. Senior Jack Waters was named First Team All-PAC, while junior Adam Franco was named Second Team AllPAC, and Appleby garnered Honorable Mention All-PAC accolades. Waters finished the season with 25 points to lead the team while tying for the team lead with seven goals. His point total ranked fourth in the PAC, while his 11 assists were a league best. Franco earned his first All-Conference accolade after tallying three goals and three assists on the season. His most notable goal was against Waynesburg, when he tied the game in the 81st minute to force overtime with the Yellow Jackets. Bethany went on to win 2-1. Appleby also garnered his first All-PAC honors after going 8-9-2 in net this year. His 100 total saves ranked third in the PAC, registering at least six saves in eight games in 2016, with a season high of 11 in the win over Waynesburg.
Jack Waters
Bethany College • Spring 2017 3 5
WOMEN’S SOCCER The 2016 season began a new era of Bethany Women’s Soccer, as first-year Head Coach Jon Arlet took the reins of a program. Arlet, previous assistant coach for Men’s Head Coach Sean Regan in 2013, came from Division II Lock Haven, where he was an assistant coach for two seasons. The Bison played their PAC foes tough throughout the conference slate, but they finished the season with a 3-13-1 record overall. A pair of seniors saw their names appear on the postseason award lists. Senior Julie Slezak was named an AllPAC Honorable Mention, while senior Brittany Fullbright was tabbed by CoSIDA as an Academic All-District recipient for the second time for her work on the field and the classroom. She tied for the team lead in goals and ranked second on the team in points while maintaining a 3.98 grade point average (GPA) while pursuing a degree in Biology.
Yellow Jacket opponent with a 10-7 win in the tiebreaking third set to claim victory. Capaldi won more convincingly with a straight-set sweep at 6-1, 6-3 to notch the Bison a pair of points in the match. Although the season did not go as planned, the future is bright for the Bison, with an abundance of young players set to return next season.
WOMEN’S TENNIS Led by second-year Head Coach Kristin Prokopakis, the Bethany College Women’s Tennis Team experienced growing pains during the 2016 season. The Bison featured only one senior and an underclassmen laden squad that included seven freshman. Sophomores Emily Folk and Francesca Capaldi each earned singles wins for the Bison at Waynesburg. After splitting the first two sets (3-6, 6-3), Folk held off her
Brittany Fullbright
3 6 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
Francesca Capaldi
Bethany College Unveils New Athletic Website Bethany College, in conjunction with Presto Sports, has unveiled a new multimedia website for the Bethany Athletics Department. In addition to the responsive website design, visitors to BethanyBison.com will easily be able to find day-to-day information including up to date stories, season stats, links to live stats and video streams, and schedules for each of Bethany’s 22 NCAA Division III programs. With mobile traffic to websites increasing at rapid pace, the new site is designed to take advantage of that fast-
growing shift. The new site uses responsive design and adapts its layout to the user device, whether desktop, tablet or mobile. This allows fans to experience the full website without compromising content in a mobile environment. The website was developed in partnership with Presto Sports, a leading provider of athletic content management software to colleges and conference offices. With parent company Lokitech, PrestoSports markets solutions for officiating, website design and hosting, award management, merchandising and photo hosting.
Bethany College • Spring 2017 3 7
Home Run Renovations
The Bethany College community, as well as its athletics programs, continues to grow and thrive thanks in large part to the generous donations of its alumni, benefactors and friends of the college. Whether those are in the form of time, effort or monetary support, the Bethany College community could not continue to thrive without your help. One of the new exciting projects that was made possible with the generous donations was the renovation of the Bethany College baseball field. Thanks, in large part, to $350,000 in donations, the Bison baseball team was given new life with upgraded renovations to the infield, dugouts, press box and drainage system. The field’s infield area was replaced with a brand new turf infield that, coupled with the new drainage system placed under the field, has allowed for more consistent play, even through the months of March and April. Brand new dugouts were added to the stadium features, giving the players and coaches a more secure area in which to watch and participate in the games. Additionally, new bullpens and cosmetic and safety changes, such as new paint and brand new fencing, were added to the press box and surrounding areas to breathe new life into the venue. “Babe Ruth is quoted as saying, ‘Every strike leads me
3 8 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
to the next home run,’” remarked Bethany’s 20th President, Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg, during the stadium’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 10. “As we dedicate this field for the College, I want to say to all of our direct donors and the Board of Trustees, today Bethany College has indeed hit a home run.” Many people were involved in putting together this project, which took around six months from start to finish. But perhaps no one was more instrumental than project leader Gary Novak. Novak, a member of the Board of Trustees, was a 1976 graduate of the College and a former Bison outfielder. Prior to speaking himself, Novak was presented with a jersey from Head Coach Rick Carver and the Bison baseball team. “My idol, Roberto Clemente, who wore number 21, was known simply as 'the great one,'" remarked Carver in his speech. “Gary is too humble to want to be considered ‘the great one,’ but there are many similarities.
“Gary is known as the architect of this project, and he undertook the responsibility of this willingly, and without hesitation. How can you thank a man enough for that effort?” Carver went on to say: “Like many leaders, Gary leads by example, and many of our donors gave to this project because it was an honest and trustworthy man like him leading the way.” After receiving his jersey, Novak himself took to the podium to address the crowd that had gathered for the Sunday doubleheader against Thomas More College.
“Baseball, like all sports and activities, is a huge part of the college experience,” he stated. “We wanted to make sure we gave the students something that can contribute to that experience. “Also as in baseball, projects like this are a team sport. We want to thank all of the selfless donations from the donors and trustees, without whom this project would not be possible.”
New Bison Sport:
Women’s Lacrosse Bethany College Director of Athletics Brian Rose announced in September that the department will be bringing a new varsity sport to campus, as women’s lacrosse will be started at the College, possibly as soon as the 2017–18 academic year. The announcement to add the College’s 22nd varsity sport coincides with the decision to officially discontinue the Bethany field hockey program, which was suspended in July for the 2016 season due to a lack of student-athletes. “After a long process through the summer of evaluating field hockey and other options for our 22nd varsity sport, we decided that the best fit for the College moving forward was to start a Women’s Lacrosse program,” said Rose. “The sport continues to grow regionally and nationally, and we are excited to add women’s lacrosse to our department.” “While we look forward to the future of Women’s Lacrosse at Bethany, it was an extremely hard decision to discontinue field hockey,” said Rose. “The sport of field hockey has a history at Bethany, but the situation that developed over the summer and inability to field a team this season, drew us to the conclusion that we needed to go in another direction to balance out our department. I want to thank the student-athletes who donned Bethany colors for the field hockey program the last four years for their hard work. It was their dedication that made this such a difficult decision.” Bethany’s Women’s Lacrosse program will aim to debut in the spring of 2018 as a member of the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC), but if recruiting numbers at this late stage don’t yield a large enough team, the Bison will compete as a club team in 2018 and begin varsity competition in the spring of 2019.
With this announcement, Bethany will join current Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) members Washington & Jefferson, Saint Vincent, Thomas More, Waynesburg and Thiel, who all compete in the ORLC along with Transylvania, Mount St. Joseph, Franklin and Hanover, who comprise the rest of the ORLC out of the Heartland Conference. In addition to the previously listed PAC programs, Westminster will play its first varsity women’s lacrosse season in 2017, and Chatham has announced it will begin a women’s lacrosse program in the spring of 2018 as well. The PAC plans to split from the ORLC and bring lacrosse under the PAC umbrella as a conference sport whenever the league reaches seven full men’s and women’s programs, which could be as soon as 2019. “Lacrosse has grown very quickly in the PAC, which played a role in the decision to start a program,” said Rose. “By getting to compete in the ORLC and possibly the PAC in the future, our program will have a chance to vie for conference championships and honors immediately. We will be competing against our PAC colleagues, which will continue the long-standing rivalries our alumni and fans have enjoyed in all our sports. We are looking forward to building a Women’s Lacrosse program that will contend in a very competitive conference and be another source of Bison Pride for the College and Athletic department.” The Bethany Men’s Lacrosse team, which debuted as a varsity sport in the 2010–11 academic year, is currently a member of the ORLC and recently completed its sixth year of competition. A national search for a Women’s Lacrosse head coach is underway.
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A LU M N I NOTES AN
Class News -----------------------------Marriages -----------------------------Births -----------------------------In Memoriam -----------------------------Bethany Legacy ------------------------------
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CLASS NEWS 1940s William Wells ’44 published Dealey Plaza: The End of Camelot, a book that details the people and events surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s life and assassination.
1950s Dr. Thomas Buergenthal ’57 visited the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta and discussed his experiences as a child survivor of the Holocaust. Former Bethany Board of Trustee member and Director of Athletics Bob Goin ’59 was inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in April 2015. The award recognized the illustrious career of Goin, who was the head football coach and later director of athletics at Bethany before he moved on to serve as director of athletics at California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Florida State and Cincinnati. Goin has previously been inducted into the Penn Hills High School, Bethany College Athletics, and Cincinnati Halls of Fame as well as the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 2013.
1960s Dr. John Niederhuber ’60, the CEO of Inova Translational Medicine Institute, spoke with the Washington Business Journal about how Invoa Health System’s planned personalized medicine center at the Exxon Mobil campus in Merrifield, Virginia could transform the region’s biotechnology industry. Dr. William Wyman ’64 celebrated 40 years as a music teacher and choir director at Nebraska Wesleyan University in October 2014. Throughout his time at NWU, Wyman has received multiple honors, including recognition as the Outstanding Choral Director of the Year and induction into the Nebraska Music Educators Association Hall of Fame. He also received the Roy G. Story Award, which recognized his work to significantly enhance the national stature of NWU. In August 2015, David Seidman ’65 was awarded Director-Emeritus status in recognition of his 10 years as a member of
Bethany’s Alumni Council. Seidman has served on the Council since 2006. Jim Uhrig ’67 traveled to Wheeling with Center for Organ Recovery and Education representatives for a National Donate Life Month flag-raising ceremony at Ohio Valley Medical Center. He spoke to hospital personnel about how an organ donor’s lungs saved his life after he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a rare disease that can be cured only through transplant surgery. He wrote a book titled “Partners 4 Life” about his experience. John Mullen ’69 received The Griffith Insurance Education Foundation’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award during a ceremony held at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) 2016 Annual Meeting in Dallas, Texas.
1970s Dr. Deborah Core ’70 retired from Eastern Kentucky University as Professor Emerita in the Department of English and Theatre in May 2015. Stephen Ruben ’70, the managing director of Ruben/Higgins, a family law firm in San Francisco, California, was a recipient of the Professional Achievement Award at the Chicago-Kent Alumni Awards Celebration in October 2014. Ruben, who is a ’73 alumnus of the Chicago-Kent College of Law, was recognized on behalf of his contributions to the profession and the community. His primary practice is on complex family law litigation, including high-net-worth divorce cases, financial issues, spousal and child support, high-conflict custody disputes and dissolution. Jeff Stuek ’70 was inducted into the Manchester Sports Hall of Fame during its 35th induction ceremony on November 8, 2014. Stuek was recognized for his outstanding swim career, for which he received high school All-State and collegiate All-American honors. Dr. Marc Harshman’s ’73 latest work, “Believe What You Can,” was released by the West Virginia Press in October 2016. Harshman’s second full book of poetry contains poems that were recently crafted, and even features others that were composed years ago. In 2012, he was selected as West Virginia’s poet laureate—an honor announced by former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.
Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” Flanagan ’74 was conferred the title of Vice President Emerita by the Virginia Tech Board of Directors. Before her retirement, Flanagan served as the vice president of development and university relations at Virginia Tech. Bob Jerome ’74 and his son Bryan were featured in an article that discussed their passion for their business, the Art Emporium of Old Saybrook. The frame shop, Bob explained, is not a chain store, but rather a place that preserves and protects photos, art, flags, porcelain, jewelry, clothing and most of all, memories. In 2014, Dr. Bonnie (Bowman) Thurston ’74 had two pieces of poetry appear in books. Her pieces include "Practicing Silence" (Paraclete Press, USA) and "A Play to Pay Attention" (Cinnamon Press, Wells). After more than 40 years in the news business, Bob Orr ’75 retired from CBS News. As the correspondent for Justice and Homeland Security, Orr has led international and domestic coverage of terror plots and major law enforcement events. Orr has contributed to major stories such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden, and the September 11 terrorist attacks. He currently resides with his wife in Naples, Florida. Kappa Alpha alumnus Kirk Collins ’77 led a special effort to place a tree and marker on the college green as a “true testament to Kappa Alpha’s lasting influence on Bethany’s campus” in 2014. The marker reads: “Kappa Alpha Order, Beta Beta Beta Chapter, classes 1974 to 1980. Great memories, endless laughs and lifelong friendships.” Tom Miller ’77, CEO of Regency Global Transportation, was featured on an episode of Our Region’s Business, a Sunday-morning business affairs program co-produced by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and WPXITV and hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Bill Flanagan. A bench along the Brooke Pioneer Trail was dedicated to Judge Joyce DumbaughChernenko ’78 and Marc Chernenko ’78 in May 2015. The bench is in honor of their longtime dedication and support to both Bethany College and the Wellsburg area.
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George M. Davis ’78, CEO of Gemstone Biotherapeutics LLC and a partner at Gamma 3 LLC Investments, wrote an editorial piece for The Baltimore Sun. Biotechnology transfer, Davis explained, can help boost Baltimore’s startups.
Members of the 1966 PAC Football Championship team gathered for a 50th reunion on campus during homecoming 2016.
Dr. Jeffrey Seglin ’78, a lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, was awarded the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award by Trust Across America – Trust Across the World after being named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trust for the fifth year in a row. The Board of Directors of Northwest Florida Helathcare, Inc. (NFHI) named Michael A. Kozar ’79 as the chief executive officer of Northwest Florida Community Hospital (NFCH) in Chipley, Florida. Kozar brings to his new role more than 25 years of health care leadership experience in acute care, acute rehabilitation, long-term care, home health care, hospice and physician practice management. Academy Award-winner Frances McDormand ’79 was featured in an article in The New York Times Magazine titled, “A Star Who Has No Time for Vanity.” In the article, McDormand talks about her role in HBO’s “Olive Kitteridge,” a role she signed into motion as one of the main producers. In 2015, she won the SAG Award for Best Female Actress in a TV Movie or Miniseries for her work in that same role.
1980s UBS announced in November 2015 that Bob McCann ’80 will take on a new role as Chairman UBS Americas where he will focus on clients and strategic priorities across the region. McCann is also the vice chair for Bethany’s Board of Trustees. Elizabeth (Penfield) Stone ’80 coauthored a book with her daughter on teen suicide and recovery titled “Valley of the Shadow.” It was published in January 2014. Stone was also appointed to the Board of the West Virginia Council for the Prevention of Suicide. In May 2015, she graduated with her Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and she is the pastor of two Presbyterian Churches in Bradley and Mount Hope, West Virginia.
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Greg Jordan ’81, Chair of the Bethany College Board of Trustees, has been appointed Chief Administrative Officer of PNC Bank, in addition to his role as general counsel. With his appointment, the Office of Regional Presidents and Corporate Communications will now report to Jordon. Bethany Board of Trustees member, Dr. G. Daniel Martich ’81, has been named by healthdatamanagement.com as one of 30 leading Chief Medical Information Officer Experts in Healthcare. This achievement recognizes Martich for his current and past influence in the CMIO community. Jeff Flick ’82, president and CEO of BD&E, Pittsburgh’s nationally recognized branding and marketing communications firm, has been selected as chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Watson Institute. Flick, who served as vice chairman since 2009, has been actively involved with The Watson Institute for nearly 20 years, and was elected as chairman at the Board’s quarterly meeting in June 2015. Gina (Taibi) Judy ’83 retired December 2014 after 30 years as a public schoolteacher at the middle school level. She was recently accepted into the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, a group that screens for membership. She also holds a churchpianist position in Wintersville, Ohio. George Manahan ’83, founder and CEO of The Manahan Group advertising and public relations firm headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, was honored as a recipient of the “Who’s Who in West Virginia Business” award.
The New York Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored Evelyn del Cerro ’85 for contributing to the winning of a Television Academy Award. The program was titled, “Protect Our Children: Sexting & Sextortion vs. Safe Dating.” Del Cerro is the operations manager for WABC-TV Disney. Susan (Kallquist) Giesmann ’85 received her master’s degree in secondary science education from West Virginia University in May 2016. Currently, Giesmann is a chemistry teacher at Brooke High School in Wellsburg, West Virginia. She resides in Bethany with her husband John and children Matthew and Ana. Christopher Berry ’86 has been named the chair of Maryland’s standardized testing review panel. Governor Larry Hogan appointed Berry along with 18 others to this new 19-member task force that is charged with reviewing statewide public school assessments. Berry is the principal of James Hubert Blake High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. Dr. Karin Wagner ’86 was promoted to director of managed care business development for the New York State Office of Mental Health in 2014. Wagner works on New York State’s Medicaid and other Health Reforms, working directly for the associate commissioner. Mark Bado ’87 received a 2014 Excellence in Club Management Award for his work as master club manager and certified chief executive of the Kansas City Country Club. Bado received the Mead Grady Award for
his leadership when the club undertook a major, $4 million renovation. He is currently a member of the Club Managers Association of America Board of Directors. In July 2015, Dr. Dale Bailey ’90 received the Shirley Jackson Award for best psychological horror novelette. His work titled “The End of the End of Everything” was chosen by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics and academics, with input from a Board of Advisors.
1990s Paul Turner ’90, a member of the Disciples of Christ community, was featured on the Global Ministries website, where he discussed his appointment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Paul Lombardi ’92 and Karolee (Yorko) Lombardi ’91 received the 2014 Corporate Business of the Year award by the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce for their business, Lombardi Development Company. Lombardi Development, a commercial construction company, was chosen due to its involvement in developing Follansbee and its surrounding areas. Joe Fischer ’92 was named northeast regional sales manager of Hickory Harvest Foods. Some of his duties include managing the brand, as well as its affiliate brands I.M. Good and American Confections, for the northeastern part of the United States.
Dr. Michael Hynes ’94 was named the superintendent of schools for the Patchogue Medford School District in New York. In addition, Hynes is also an adjunct assistant professor for Dowling College, teaching courses in School Law, Curriculum and Instruction, and School Leadership. Pete Krull ’94 and his team at Krull & Company have been named among the top 10 percent of B Corps-certified companies in the world. Krull started his company in 2004, and it has since managed diversified investment portfolios for select individuals, institutions, businesses and non-profit organizations. Dr. Amy Callahan-Hayes ’95 was declared Director-Emeritus after her 10+ years as a member of the Alumni Council at Bethany. Shawn Holt ’95 has been chosen to succeed retiring Paul Coleman as the new president and CEO of Maryhaven. Maryhaven is central Ohio’s oldest and most comprehensive behavioral-health center. Holt has worked in the Franklin County nonprofit community for several years and has recently worked at a local behavioral-health center for children and families. Holt took over the Maryhaven CEO post at the end of August. Chris Rorke ’96 was promoted to northern U.S. sales manager for Hardware
Resources in 2015. Recently, Rorke merged with industry leaders Top Knobs and Atlas Homewares, managing sales operations for the three companies. Lending.com announced in November 2015 that Liz (Walsh) Verrier ’96 has been named general counsel for the company. As a chief legal officer, Verrier is responsible for providing legal guidance to Lending.com’s Board of Directors and senior management, and will oversee all legal and compliance matters for the company and its subsidiaries. She is also a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. Prior to joining Lending.com, Verrier was vice president and senior counsel at American Express, where she focused on the emerging payments and technologies business unit, and was a recipient of the 2015 American Express Chairman’s Award for Innovation. Dr. Craig Williams ’96 has accepted a senior level position at Johns Hopkins. Williams previously served as chief of staff to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Kristie (Bower) Barnett ’97, vice president of Wesbanco Trust & Investment Services, danced in last year’s 5th Annual Dancing with the Ohio Valley Stars. The Augusta Levy Learning Center held the fundraiser at the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling. The annual event raises money for services for children with autism in the Ohio Valley.
Lisa (Stanzak) Spera ’92 was chosen as a recipient of the Maryland School Counselors’ of the Year award. Spera was nominated by her school counseling coordinator for demonstrating leadership, collaboration and advocacy. Spera has been instrumental as a school counselor at Carroll County’s Ebb Valley Elementary School by working with system-wide committees on character development and suicide prevention. She also instituted a “Report Card Clinic” to aid her students in improving their academic performance. After 11 years as a member of the Alumni Council, John Paul Blaho ’94 was conferred Director-Emeritus status in 2014. A former president of the Alumni Council, Blaho served an additional year on the Council as immediate-past president. Jerry Gast ’75 also received DirectorEmeritus status for his nine years of service to the Council.
The 2016 inductees into the Bethany College Athletic Hall of Fame were honored on the field prior to the football game at homecoming. Pictured are (l–r) Brian Rose, Director of Athletics and Recreation; Dr. John S. Cunningham, Men's Soccer; J. Thomas Laeng '68, Football; Ray Koch '67, Football; Andrea Paige Pertz Ilkanipour '90, Swimming, Field Hockey; Amy Schafer '03, Softball; and Dr. Rodenberg, President of the College.
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The Bethany College 2016 Alumni Award Recipients, Salvatore Marranca, Alumni Achievement Award; Nick and Nancy Sarap, Community Service Award; Dayna Snell, Community Service Award; and Dr. Larry Grimes, The Robert A. Sandercox Award, were recognized during the Alumni Awards Dinner on Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Commencement Hall.
Eric Day ’04 was hired as the new S.T.E.M instructor at Deale Elementary School in Maryland, teaching grades K–5. Dr. Amy (Housley) Gaffney ’04 has taken on a new role as co-director of the writing center and oral communications center at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Previously, Gaffney was the assistant professor in the Department of Instructional Communication and Research at the University of Kentucky. Kelly (McGrew) Healy ’04 took a new position as policy communications officer at PATH, an international nonprofit organization focused on global health innovation in Washington, DC. In 2015, Lisa (Steets) Hostetler ’04 was listed in the class of “20 Under 40” in the Midlands, South Carolina business community by The State Media Company. Hostetler is currently the managing attorney at LawyerLisa.
Rev. Erin Cooper ’97 received her doctorate from Columbia Theological Seminary in May 2016, and was granted the degree Doctor of Educational Ministry. Bethany Board of Trustees member Jhamal Robinson ’98 has been promoted as the senior vice president of production management of Discovery Communications. In his new role, Robinson is responsible for production management for all of Discovery’s 13 U.S. networks. Previously, he managed the productions of TLC series 90 Day Fiancé, I am Jazz, and Tyler Perry’s Too Close to Home.
2000s Wes Eddy ’00 has been named head football coach at Princeton Senior High School. Prior to this role, he served as the head coach of the Webster County Highlanders. He began his teaching career at Brooke High School, his alma mater, where he was offensive line coach and defensive coordinator for several years. Jennifer Rose ’01 has been appointed to the National Parkinson Foundation Western Pennsylvania Board of Directors. In her new position, Rose will support the work of the organization and provide leadership, strategic governance and organizational oversight. Named a “Pennsylvania Rising Star” for 2013–2014 by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine, Rose serves as
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an elder and special needs planning attorney with Julian Gray Associates. Samantha Martin ’03 has taken a new position as a librarian at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania. In 2011, Martin completed her MLIS degree from the University of Pittsburgh. Kylie (Harvey) McCardle ’03 joined the Alumni Council in September 2014. McCardle is the current vice president of Barclays, and her husband Matt is a 2004 Bethany graduate. Steve Radick ’03 has been named the president-elect and vice president of the Public Relations Society of American Pittsburgh Chapter’s Board of Directors. With the vision to unify, strengthen and advance the profession of public relations, the Public Relations Society of America has established itself as the pre-eminent organization that builds value, demand and global understanding for public relations. Craig Cunningham ’03 performed as part of The Second City Sketch Ensembles, a sketch comedy group in Hollywood, California. Dr. Corinne Costellic ’04 completed her general surgery residency in Michigan State at Garden City Hospital in 2014. In 2015, she completed the breast surgical oncology fellowship and Medstar Georgetown University Hospital.
Katie Tetzlaw ’04, assistant women’s basketball coach at California University of Pennsylvania, helped the team capture the NCAA Division II National Championship for the second time in program history in 2015. Ben Brownlee ’06 has accepted the position of assistant director of championships and alliances, playing rules and officiating at the NCAA. Brownlee has served as the Mountain East Conference associate commissioner for championships and operations since the conference’s inception in 2013. Prior to his time at the MEC, he spent six years with the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Brian Cook ’06 received a Doctor of Education Leadership degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in May 2015. Jessica (Spencer) Benedict ’07 joined law firm Dinsmore & Shohl in Wheeling, West Virginia. She will practice out of the Litigation Department and work with the Torts & Environmental Group. Prior to Dinsmore, Benedict clerked for Judges Mark A. Karl and Arthur M. Recht. She focused on legal research and wrote draft orders, bench memos and case summaries. In December 2014, Rachel Reardon ’08 graduated with a Master of Arts in education from West Liberty University, with a concentration in special education.
Alyssa Roadman ’08 has been named “Teacher of the Year” by Brooke County Schools in West Virginia. A second grade teacher at Hooverson Heights Primary School, Roadman was described by her colleagues as more than deserving of the award. They said that Roadman takes teaching to a whole new level and inspires her students and colleagues daily. Kristen Stevens ’08 received her M.S. in counselor education from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland, in August 2015. Mandy Kaufman ’09 started a new job in March 2015 as an account executive at Lamar Advertising in St. Clairsville, Ohio.
2010s In 2015, April O’Brien ’11 received her master’s degree in education from the University of Southern California. David Bentrem ’12 was appointed to a two-year term on the American Farm Bureau Federation’s national Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee. Bentrem is a partner at Three D Ranch, a 200-acre farm owned by his family since 1963. He also runs a business shoeing horses.
Tyler Eyerman ’15 recently celebrated the grand opening of his new business, Fit Fuzion Nutrition Studios, in Wheeling in summer 2016. Located in Centre Market, Fit Fuzion serves energy shakes with Herbalife products and herbal teas. Recent Bethany graduate Andrew Drilak ’16 received the Google SVA Scholarship for the 2016–17 academic year, and attended the Google Scholars’ Retreat earlier this summer. The scholarship, in partnership with the Student Veterans of America organization, provides assistance to student veterans who are pursuing a degree in the field of computer science. Drilak is an OEF Navy Veteran. Julia Mouch ’16 was named a 2016 Ruby Fellow by West Virginia University. The fellowship includes tuition waivers, a stipend, and a travel grant to assist in furthering research as a graduate student. Mouch is working on a doctoral degree in chemistry from WVU.
MARRIAGES RACHELE FARNSWORTH ’95 and RICHARD HOLMES ’96 were married on July 10, 2015, at the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown, Rhode Island. RACHEL HUFF ’01 and Michael Soria were married on April 12, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jill Del Greco and MATTHEW DONAHUE ’02 were married on November 8, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Bethanians in the wedding were COURTNEY (WILLARD) DAWLEY ’01, MIKE DAWLEY ’02, and SCOTT CUNNINGHAM ’02. SARAH FARMER ’03 and Bradley Waldsmith were married on March 22, 2014, in Gahanna, Ohio. Officiated by Rev. HEATHER (BENTLEY) HICKS ’03, and bridesmaids were APRIL STARINSKY ’02 and EMILY GARDNER ’04. Becky Meyers and RYAN LIEB ’03 were married on June 28, 2014, at Club at Shadow Lakes in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Bethanians in the wedding were GENO OCHAP ’02, DAN FANCIULLACCI ’04, JUSTIN CROTHERS ’04, NICK LION ’04, ANDREW ROSSI ’04, MARK BROWN ’06, and KELLEN LIEB ’08. AMANDA MAYERNICK ’05 and Nathan Wente were married on December 31, 2013, at Niagara-on-the-Lake, in Ontario, Canada. TRICIA CHESNEY ’06 and Michael Ricchino were married on August 31, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. KEVIN GITTNER ’08 officiated the wedding. Melissa Lupo and BRUCE CLARK ’06 were married on October 10, 2014, in Smith Chapel in Erie, Pennsylvania. Bethanians in the wedding were NATHAN SMITH ’04, JON-ERIK GILOT ’06, RAY SZYPULSKI ’06, JEFF WEISBERGER ’06, KEN HOPPER ’06, and CODY SHANNON ’07. JILLIAN KISKA ’06 and Philip Iffland were married on October 22, 2014, at Churchill Manor in Napa, California.
(Front) Dr. Ellen Frank, Carol Grimes, (Back) Samuel Laird, Mark McCoy, Dr. David Fussaro, class of 1966, pose for their 50-year reunion photo.
HOLLY MARTINKO ’06 and Craig Hallman were married in August 2, 2014, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Bethanian CARA (HENRY) HALLDIN ’06 was Matron of Honor.
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ERIKA BRETTSCHNEIDER ’08 and ERIC CORRIGAN ’10 were married on June 27, 2015, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Bethanians in the wedding were TARA PLETCHER ’07, AMY FREEDE ’08, STACY (SHIVE) McNALLY ’08, IAN McNALLY ’09, ANTHONY ADELIANAKIS ’09, JOHN GYURE ’11, and JOE SHIVE ’11. STEFANIE TAYLOR ’08 and Matt Cirilli were married on June 22, 2012, in Oglebay Park in Wheeling, West Virginia. Bethanian JENNIFER MANOR-KEARNS ’08 was in the wedding.
ASHLEY MARINACCI ’10, EMILY PORTER ’10, NICOLE (GILLIS) REDLINGER ’10, TIM STEFANIZZI ’10, DAN GIGLER ’11, LAURA (LINDENFELSER) LOSI ’11, MEGAN McSHANE ’12, and JASON SOLTIS ’12. SAMANTHA HALL ’11 and MATT HARTIG ’12 were married on September 20, 2014, at Shady Elms Farm in Hickory, Pennsylvania. Bethanians in the wedding were Maid of Honor, EMILY BIGLEY ’11, Best Man, BRYCE PATTERSON ’12, ERIK STUMPF ’11, and CHRIS LEASURE ’12. JENNIFER BRISKEY ’12 and Jared Hair were married on October 1, 2016, in Nashville, Tennessee. Bethanians in the wedding were CYNTHIA RICHARDSON ’11 and FRANCIS RIOS ’12.
LISA WORKMAN ’08 and Scott Cannistraro were married on September 24, 2016, in Lisa’s sister’s backyard in Columbiana, Ohio. Bethanians in the wedding were AMANDA (BRADDOCK) EDGAR ’07, ANDREA KOLECK ’08, MEREDITH SHEPOSH ’08, VERONICA JAE ’09, KELLY (MEDKEFF-ROSE) MURRAY ’09, and ELIZABETH STEGER ’09.
BIRTHS
BRIANA BOYD ’09 and Corbin Subrick were married on December 12, 2014, at Mountaineer Casino in New Cumberland, West Virginia.
JoANNA (BURKHOLDER) JOHNSON ’96 and her husband Stephen welcomed their son Logan Earley on October 22, 2014.
KELLY MEDKEFF-ROSE ’09 and Jonathan Murray were married on October 31, 2015, in Cleveland, Ohio. Bethanians in the wedding were SUZANNE (WUNDERLE) KUDRIN ’08, LISA (WORKMAN) CANNISTRARO ’08, JENNIFER (NAYLOR) ESSINGTON ’09, VERONICA JAE ’09, ELIZABETH STEGER ’09, and KATHLEEN THOMPSON ’10. JENNIFER NAYLOR ’09 and BRANDON ESSINGTON ’09 were married on September 27, 2014, in Commencement Hall at Bethany College. Bethanians in the wedding were APRIL NAYLOR ’99, MAC NAYLOR ’02, CAITLIN (FRANKLIN) SKIBA ’08, BRIAN LIPTOCK ’09, AUDREY (FRANK) McGOWEN ’09, IAN McNALLY ’09, KOREY MULLIN ’09, KELLY (MEDKEFF-ROSE) MURRAY ’09, ELIZABETH STEGER ’09, BRANDON MICHAELS ’11, and DAVID HARTMAN ’12. DANIELLE BERTOK ’10 and Michael Zumerling were married on October 2, 2015, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. VICTORIA WOODS ’10 and MATTHEW DAHLE ’11 were married on August 22, 2015, at Simmons Farm in McMurray, Pennsylvania. Bethanians in the wedding were MANDY KAUFMAN ’09, BRADLEY HARTLEY ’10, NELSON MITZEN ’10,
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SEAN KINS ’96 and his wife Aileen welcomed their daughter Samantha Zeryll on April 11, 2011, and son Kassius Jackson on February 22, 2013. KELLIE (CUNNINGHAM) PARKER ’98 and her husband welcomed their daughters Claire Marie on March 21, 2013, and Kathryn Louisa on March 6, 2015. MARY LYNN (HARDEN) MACK ’00 and her husband Ben welcomed their daughter Anna Marie on March 24, 2016. AMY (HARVILLA) ROCINI ’01 and her husband Chris welcomed their daughter Olivia Rose on July 11, 2014. ATIF IQBAL ’02 and his wife Ayesha welcomed their daughter Aniyah on September 18, 2014. She joins big sister Aleeza.
MANDY MERICO ’04 and JOE KESSLER ’00 welcomed their daughter Mia Ryann on April 17, 2016. WHITNEY (GARRETT) BOWMAN ’05 and her husband Thomas welcomed their daughter Lillian Hope on December 4, 2014. AMANDA (BEEKMANN) HURLEY ’05 and her husband Kevin welcomed their son William David on December 19, 2014. NIKKI (BABIK) SLATCOFF ’05 and her husband Michael welcomed their daughter Sydney Anne on December 29, 2014. She joins big brother Sammy. ASHLEY (JOSAY) ZULLO ’05 and her husband Robert welcomed their son Cameron on April 22, 2016. JACOB DAILER ’06 and his wife Meredith welcomed their son Cal Dubie on April 5, 2014. He joins big sister Tessa. MALLORY (ROADMAN) GUINN ’06 and her husband Michael welcomed their daughter Caroline Chanel on January 3, 2015. ALEXIS (RINFRET) McCOY ’06 and her husband Josh welcomed their son Maxwell David on May 7, 2016. JILLIAN (MOORE) McGOWAN ’06 and her husband Kenny welcomed their daughter Elodie Ruth on October 23, 2014, and son Henry Kenneth Scot on January 18, 2016. MEREDITH (VANSANT) SHAH ’06 and RANDY SHAH ’03 adopted their son Marcus James, who was born on January 27, 2016. He joins big brothers and sister Zavier, Emelia, and Julian. BRITTANY (VAVREK) ZEMAN ’06 and BRANDON ZEMAN ’09 welcomed their son Brody on March 14, 2016. KRISTEN (COOPIE) ALLEN ’07 and BRETT ALLEN ’06 welcomed their daughter Madison Avery on October 5, 2014.
ERIC DAY ’04 and his wife Kaitlin welcomed their sons Dylan Danger on October 20, 2014, and Ace Amos on May 21, 2016.
NATALIE (AUL) BARONE ’07 and her husband Brad welcomed their daughter Rory Angela on October 20, 2014. She joins big brother Bailey Harrison.
BRENDA (SORICE) GIROD ’04 and MATTHEW GIROD ’04 welcomed their daughter Nola Elizabeth on November 7, 2014.
JESSICA (SPENCER) BENEDICT ’07 and KURT BENEDICT ’07 welcomed their son Steven David on August 14, 2015. He joins big brother Spencer Ray.
JILLIAN (HOFRICHTER) KLEZIA ’04 and her husband Jeremy welcomed their son Evan Lawrence on May 11, 2014. He joins big brother Reid Tucker.
MEGAN (POLAND) FLEEGLE ’07 and RODNEY FLEEGLE ’08 welcomed their daughter Reagan Elizabeth on September 9, 2014. She joins big brother Tre.
LINDSEY (PASTORIUS) JESIONOWSKI ’07 and her husband Rob welcomed their daughter Audrey Caroline on November 18, 2014. ALEJANDRA (VIVEROS) McFERN ’07 and SHAWN McFERN ’06 welcomed their daughter Leilani Marie on January 2, 2015. JACQUELINE (TRAPP) MOINET ’07 and ZACHARY MOINET ’07 welcomed their daughter Clara Elizabeth on December 8, 2014. AMANDA (KURTA) STARK ’07 and CHRIS STARK ’06 welcomed their daughter Eleanor Elise on May 7, 2015. HEIDI (JENKINS) WILLIAMS ’07 and CLAYTON WILLIAMS ’07 welcomed their daughter Ariah Elizabeth on March 22, 2015. She joins big sister Scarlet Ann. ASHLEY (MAZUR) BINFORD ’08 and her husband Todd welcomed their daughter Maeley Aulene on April 20, 2015. RYAN SIMMONS ’08 and his wife Jeanie welcomed their son Caleb Michael on January 18, 2014. CAITLIN (DIEGUEZ) McLANE ’09 and JOE McLANE ’07 welcomed their son Finnegan Michael on April 21, 2015. KAITLYN (McCORMICK) TAYLOR ’09 and her husband Lucas welcomed their son Braxton Elijah on January 31, 2016. SAMANTHA (HALL) HARTIG ’11 and MATTHEW HARTIG ’12 welcomed their son Mason Christopher on January 12, 2016. MANDA (MYERS) BURGESS ’11 and her husband Patrick welcomed their son Heath Patrick on January 11, 2013. AMIE WARRICK ’13 and her boyfriend Wayne welcomed their son Rex Christian on March 14, 2015.
IN MEMORIAM
ROY W. HECKEL '47 August 3, 2015
MARIAN KATHRYN BODE WYMAN '37 April 27, 2016
LEROY THOMAS DAVIS '47 November 19, 2015
VIRGINIA FORSYTHE RYE '39 November 25, 2015
BENJAMIN COLLINS KENNY '47 November 24, 2015
ROBERT LEE MARTIN '40 February 6, 2015
FRANCES KERFOOT COLLIER '47 March 1, 2016
CATHERINE CORKUM CORBIN '40 May 20, 2015
RICHARD L. HARTLEY '47 July 15, 2016
HESTER ANN HARE ROWE '40 September 22, 2015
ROBERT L. HUESTON '47 July 19, 2016
MARGARET LUCE CROUSE '40 July 10, 2016
FLORENCE BELLI FIORI '48 December 22, 2014
ELOISE IRVIN BORAH '41 July 3, 2015
PETER ILVENTO '48 April 2, 2015
JULIA DOWDY NORRIS '41 September 15, 2016
MARJORIE JEANNE KELLER GWENNAP '48 August 2, 2015
JEAN GIRTON DAVIS '42 December 13, 2014
ALMA ELIZABETH STRICKLIN SCOULAR '48 August 12, 2015
KATHLEEN HAMILTON OTTO '42 August 4, 2015
ARTHUR A. AGRAPHIOTIS AGRAS '48 August 15, 2015
MARY WALDEN DOUGLAS '42 August 5, 2015
ROBERT HARRISON JUDD '48 November 12, 2015
MARTIN D. REITER '42 September 30, 2015
AIMEE H. EATON ROSS '48 February 6, 2016
RUTH BEVERLY MOSER WISE '42 January 9, 2016
JO ANN SMITH PICKETT '48 May 14, 2016
RUTH BRAEM WHITE-WORDEN '42 August 11, 2016
JAMES S. GALLAS '49 December 11, 2014
ESTHER MACKEY KRAUS '43 November 13, 2014
HOWARD T. DIMMIT '49 December 19, 2014
EVA DELLE MCSEVENEY '43 October 7, 2015
VICTOR MCANALLEN '49 June 14, 2015
RAYMOND K. SHELINE '43 February 10, 2016
DAN W. HEATHERINGTON '49 September 27, 2015
SUSAN CARNAHAN LINDSEY '43 July 4, 2016
WILLIAM L. BURTON '49 May 12, 2016
JAMES F. HAWKINS '43 September 16, 2016
ALFRED J. GERGELY '50 May 29, 2015
MARIE NELLIE ALEXY '44 November 18, 2014
VIRGINIA DOLE AUSTILL '50 September 19, 2015
CARLOS ALBERTO JARAMILLO '44 November 2, 2015
RUTH E. THIEROFF FOOSE '50 November 1, 2015
GEORGE W. HOTTEL '44 April 17, 2016
MATTHEW FRANCIS COPPOLA '50 November 5, 2015
MARY ELIZABETH SMITH TRUKA '44 May 22, 2016
HAROLD ROBERT WATKINS '50 December 2, 2015
ELIZABETH NYSWANER LINDSAY '45 December 8, 2014
WILLARD ROBERT BRATT '50 December 20, 2015
WILLIAM M. YOUNG '45 January 23, 2015
JOHN KERCSMAR '50 January 1, 2016
MARTHA MAY BRIGHT BANKS '45 February 7, 2015
PALMER RAY ULMAN '50 January 15, 2016
NANCY ANN WHITEHEAD STANLEY '45 November 9, 2016
SARA LOUISE SIEDENBURG STEPHENSON '50 March 13, 2016
WINIFRED E. HOUGHTON HAMILTON '46 January 21, 2015
HARRY R. BROBERG '50 July 10, 2016
REBECCA JANE CANTRALL '46 March 21, 2015
FRANK POLAND '50 August 15, 2016
MARY EDGAR CLUSS '46 March 26, 2015
FRANK E. SPIELDENNER '50 August 27, 2016
THOMAS SHARPLESS ELY '46 December 22, 2015
ROBERT WALTER HALLEY '50 October 15, 2016
BARBARA KATE ROSE ROSE HEDGES '46 August 18, 2016
DOROTHY DANIEL FRANCE '50 November 2, 2016
LOIS CAROL SCHOONMAKER LOWE '47 July 31, 2015
ROBERT E. VAN SICKEL '51 November 27, 2014
CORNELL LE ROY BEACH '47 September 27, 2015
Bethany College • Spring 2017 4 7
BERYL ANN KECKLEY DIBRACCIO '51 January 20, 2015
SHIRLEY APGAR HAELIG '55 December 6, 2015
WILLIAM L. WETZEL '62 September 13, 2015
JOHN TRENHOLM LANAHAN '74 February 21, 2015
DALE S. LAUGHNER '51 March 18, 2015
IZETTA BEDORTHA MOCABEE '55 December 8, 2015
BARBARA J. YOUNG IBA '62 April 1, 2016
DORSEY JAY JOHNSON '74 October 18, 2015
SARA PATRICIA CLOSE HERSHBERGER '55 January 19, 2016
GARY MICHAEL GRAHAM '62 October 28, 2016
ELIZABETH ALLEN HOVEY '55 May 28, 2016
CAROLE JEAN SCHLOCK '62 November 13, 2016
JANE HANSROTH MEASE '55 September 7, 2016
SALLY ANN BROCKLEY PARR '63 August 15, 2015
JOHN U. DAVIS '56 November 3, 2014
JAMES B. GREENE '63 March 13, 2016
KAY MONTGOMERY MILLER '75 October 22, 2016
ELGIE HORNSBY '56 November 5, 2015
JUDITH ANN NULL HEIL '63 November 6, 2016
DAVID M. KOPOLOVICH '76 May 6, 2016
R. DOUGLAS SPANGLER '64 June 16, 2015
DEBORAH M. MAURER WHITENACK '77 November 9, 2014
ERIC M. ANTILA '51 July 25, 2015 WILLIAM E. PERRY '51 August 8, 2015 MARGARET LAWARE CAMPBELL '51 March 19, 2016 JANE B. BUCKNER HINCKLEY '51 March 26, 2016 S. JOANNE BAIRD NIVER '51 May 29, 2016 PATRICIA ANNE SAXTON CAREY '51 June 19, 2016 WILLIAM CAMPBELL WATSON '51 August 10, 2016 W. PAUL BURIG '51 September 9, 2016 MARIO DIPAOLO '51 September 24, 2016
ROBERT W. SNELSIRE '56 November 16, 2015 EDWARD L. GALLOWAY '56 February 27, 2016 LOIS BERNABO '57 October 18, 2014
SUSAN A. FREY SHIMER '64 July 21, 2015 ERIN ELIZABETH CARRIGAN BLAKE '64 July 22, 2015 ALBERT LAWRENCE FILONI '64 October 15, 2016
JUDY MARQUETTE GENTRY '75 November 15, 2014 SUSAN MARIE WHEELER MCBRIDE '75 August 9, 2015 GEORGE VON DER SCHMIDT '75 August 19, 2015
VERONICA MARIE DOUGHERTY '77 January 9, 2016 STUART ROGER WILLIAMS '77 May 21, 2016 ROSE MARIE CHIODI FLATLEY '77 June 21, 2016
JOHN VUJNOVIC '51 October 26, 2016
MAX H. HOMER '57 October 30, 2014
WESTON WARREN EAMES '51 December 1, 2016
MARLENE JOY WILSON CATHEY '57 December 13, 2014
STUART R. WATKINS '52 March 6, 2015
LUCIEN JOHNSON '57 June 22, 2015
KYLE G. MCMULLEN '52 May 13, 2015
JOEL SIEGFRIED GANZ '57 March 2, 2016
HENRY A. RITHNER '52 May 16, 2015
ELEANOR KNAPP HAYS '57 March 5, 2016
L. ANN WOOLERY GABOR '52 May 19, 2015
CLYDE T. GEORGE '57 July 15, 2016
RODNEY BECK HURL '52 November 30, 2015
LAWRENCE R. PYLE '57 August 8, 2016
MARJORIE BERSETH MILLER '52 March 17, 2016
J. REYNOLDS LEWIS '58 November 12, 2015
JOHN WILLIAM RAYMOND BALLOUZ '67 March 10, 2016
PAUL ANTHONY HAYWARD '83 February 26, 2015
RICHARD WAYNE MURPHY '52 April 14, 2016
FRANKLIN THOMAS JENKINS '58 January 31, 2016
JAMES WAKEMAN HUBBELL '67 October 1, 2016
GREGORY DEAN LOVE '83 July 16, 2016
JACK R. MORRISON '52 July 14, 2016
MARY MARGARET RENNER '58 July 23, 2016
CYNTHIA ANN TAYLOR FOLEY '68 October 14, 2015
JOSEPH M. KRINOCK '84 April 23, 2015
DONALD R. FORD '53 November 1, 2014
ROGER WILLIAM COGLEY '59 August 23, 2015
MARY KATHRYN BRUHN COX '68 December 23, 2015
JANICE MEYER GOTTLIEB '85 February 4, 2016
ROGER E. SHEETS '53 March 15, 2015
CHARLES L. PERRY '59 May 6, 2016
CHARLES N. KOCH '68 February 9, 2016
KATHLEEN POWELL POWELL-NIEMI '87 June 21, 2015
FRANK COPPOLA '53 September 24, 2015
JOHN RICHARD METZNER '59 July 8, 2016
RANDY LEE KIRKWOOD '68 September 29, 2016
D. JEFFREY MANGUS '89 December 9, 2014
ROBERT F. DECKER '53 October 11, 2015
PETE LOUIS STEPHENS '59 September 10, 2016
FRANCIS WARREN BURKE '68 November 16, 2016
ELAINE VELISARIS MANNINA '91 October 5, 2016
CHRISTINE SHECKLER KOZA '53 April 20, 2016
SEBASTIAN VITTORIA '60 September 10, 2015
KARIN SCHRADER '69 July 23, 2015
GERALD MICHAEL SCAVNICKY '96 February 14, 2016
DANIEL W. BERNHARDT '53 June 2, 2016
BRUCE LEONARD RINGLER '60 October 1, 2015
ARNOLD J. SAMUELS '69 December 3, 2015
ERIK GERALD KNOLL '97 September 17, 2015
ROBERT SCHINNAGEL '54 May 27, 2015
H. MILTON PATTON '60 November 27, 2015
JEFFREY H. STUEK '70 October 15, 2015
WILLIAM ADAM RICE '99 September 14, 2016
JUDITH ELLEN CARNAHAN BALDASSARE '54 December 21, 2015
ROBERT NELSON MELOTT '60 March 2, 2016
NANCY LOVETT '71 November 1, 2014
JASON M. CIRILLO '00 March 16, 2015
ROBERT A. SANDERCOX '54 December 27, 2015
ALAN WALTER LEYTHAM '61 November 4, 2014
JEFFREY G. MURREN '71 July 22, 2016
CHRISTOPHER WESLEY TOTA '00 January 21, 2016
JOHN H. FAHEY '54 May 6, 2016
DONALD A. DODGE '61 May 25, 2015
KENNETH G. BURSE '71 September 28, 2016
MATTHEW CHRISTOPHER KLUTKA '03 December 11, 2015
BARBARA LEE COOK KEENEY '54 July 3, 2016
BERNARD AARON KERSHNER '61 May 25, 2016
DENNIS R. HOFFACKER '72 April 22, 2016
T. JOSEPH ALLEN '06 March 29, 2016
ARNOLD E. MAX '54 July 25, 2016
ARTHUR CHARLES LOW '62 June 1, 2015
RICHARD ALLEN PAGE '72 July 18, 2016
CODY DANIEL JEFFERS '07 October 30, 2016
NANCY LEE BEVERIDGE OLIVER '55 June 24, 2015
CECIL DAUGHERTY '62 September 5, 2015
DOUGLAS R. GEIER '73 December 10, 2015
KATHERINE LYNN HAINES '07 November 30, 2016
4 8 Spring 2017 • Bethany College
THOMAS H. HUGHES '65 July 18, 2015 KATHLEEN Z. STACEY '66 January 15, 2015 WILLIAM ORVILLE HICKOK '66 November 19, 2015 JOHN D. BROWN '66 April 29, 2016 ALLAN SCHONBERG '66 August 1, 2016 MARY WILLIS WOODRUFF SATTERWHITE '67 November 15, 2014 GARY WOLOVITZ '67 March 21, 2015
ALAN D. WOODRUFF '77 August 28, 2016 URSULA SANTYMIRE LOOS '78 February 20, 2015 JUDITH ALLENE FRAZE WINSTON '78 July 29, 2016 WARREN TUTT STONE '79 December 29, 2015 HOWARD TOWNSEND '79 November 14, 2016 JOEL KRISTAN KEPPEL '83 January 25, 2015
Turn Your Memories into Your Bethany Legacy!
Planned Estate Giving secures your memories beyond your lifetime. Those special memories of your time at Bethany can last far beyond your years and provide the opportunity for future generations to make their own memories of dear Bethany.
Whether through a bequest in your will, a beneficiary gift from your investments, or a life-income planned gift you can ensure your Legacy for Bethany. No matter your financial ability or hopes for your estate there is a suitable plan for you.
If you are interested in learning more about making your Bethany legacy, contact Darwin Collins, Director of Planned Giving, at (412) 337-4293 or dcollins@bethanywv.edu.
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BETHANY C O L L E G E
Bethany College Bethany, West Virginia 26032-0417
BETHANY TODAY
Magazine of
BETHANY COLLEGE
“BETHANY COLLEGE IS ENTERING a season
of reaffirmation and rediscovery of our mission. The task before us is to articulate the combined commitment to liberal arts as well as professional research and skill-based education.” — Dr. Tamara Nichols Rodenberg