SUMMER 2023
Student Stories Introducing
Just Keep Moving
Our Digital Magazine
Christopher Shaddock ’23 is a survivor Dear alumni and friends, I am delighted to invite you to explore Fitchburg State Magazine, our new digital storytelling platform where we will share the milestones of our Falcons from past and present, as well as showing you what’s new at our shared institution. This printed piece will offer you a glimpse of the stories you can explore in full at fitchburgstate.edu/magazine our new digital site. The online presentation is designed to be reader-friendly and up to date, as well as environmentally sustainable, and may be enjoyed from a desktop computer, mobile phone or tablet. Individual stories will also be shareable to social media, and include links to let you learn more about topics that catch your interest. The site also contains all the features we know our readers look forward to seeing in our traditional magazine, including class notes and in memoriam notices. On the site, you will find that these items may be read in a comprehensive list, or searched by individual class decade. Read on to preview the stories you can find online, and let us know what you think. Thank you, and happy reading!
He had worked jobs in radio and food service when he decided, at age 28, to enlist in the U.S. Army (he celebrated his 29th birthday in basic training). “I always like a challenge,” he recalled. “I get bored.” Shaddock spent eight years in active duty for the Army, including assignments in Kentucky and Germany before his reactivation following the terror attacks of 9/11 led to deployments to Iraq and Kuwait. Following his discharge, Shaddock continued seeing the world. He lived for 11 years in Iceland, where his then-wife was from, and eventually moved back to the U.S. A tinkerer since his youth, Shaddock began studying automotive technology and applied science at Mount Wachusett Community College, where he graduated in 2020. In the midst of his studies, he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. He endured two surgeries, a year of hormone therapy, and 45 daily sessions of radiation treatment, all at the height of the COVID pandemic.
Sincerely,
Richard S. Lapidus, President
Christopher Shaddock believes in the importance of forward motion and has learned not to let obstacles derail him. A self-described “late, late bloomer,” Shaddock has followed a winding path toward his degree.
READ MORE ONLINE
“I could have stopped, but I knew I had to keep going,” he said. “I kept going despite wanting to give up, and a few times I almost did.” READ MORE ONLINE