CLARION
magazine

SUMMER | 2024

PennWest University – Clarion

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Golden Eagles and friends,
Since becoming president of
western Pennsylvania’s second-largest
public university, I, along with my wife,
Kristy, and our son Bryce have been
warmly embraced by an amazing
community of educators, students,
alumni and community members.
We are humbled and touched by what
we can only describe as a uniquely
western Pennsylvania welcome.
I already know that the power of
PennWest is in its people and in this
special place we now call home.
As a business strategy professor
by training and an academic at heart, I stepped into this role enthusiastic
about the work that has been done to establish PennWest. Because the
previous administration budgeted appropriately, PennWest will continue to
see infrastructure improvements and a commitment to student outcomes
across all three campuses.
Our students are caring for others through charitable projects.
Our educators are putting their talents to work on campus and in the
community. Our alumni are making a difference through career success
and civic engagement.
The impact of service and achievement among the people who make
up PennWest is brought to life in this edition of the Clarion Magazine.
Built on the solid foundations of three historically significant
institutions, PennWest is poised for a future that is intentional, sustainable
and student-focused. I look forward to continuing this important
work together.
In our short time here, we have marveled at the splendor of western
Pennsylvania and the beauty of the Clarion campus. As my transition
committee begins its work, I hope you’ll join me as I begin a conversation.
Follow me @PennWestPresident on Instagram and stay tuned for details on
a new podcast.
We are already feeling a buzz on campus in anticipation of every new
student. They are the beating hearts and unmistakable power of PennWest.
With gratitude,

Correspondence
Office of Communications
PennWest Clarion
840 Wood St.
Clarion, PA 16214
communications@pennwest.edu
President
Dr. Jon Anderson
Vice President of University Advancement
James M. Geiger
Executive Director of Communications
Wendy Mackall
Executive Director of Creative Services
and Brand Identity
Bill Berger
Managing Editor
Tina Horner
Writers
Kristin Brockett
Sean Fagan
Christopher LaFuria
Amy Wozniak ’02, ’06G
Editor
Gloria Ruane
Photography
Sean Fagan
Zach Frailey
Jeff Helsel
Brianna Kirkland ’16
Design
Philip Haragos
Deborah Henry
Bryan Postlewait ’04
Greg Sofranko
Past issues of Clarion Magazine can be found
at issuu.com/pennwestuniversity

Dr. Jon Anderson
PennWest is committed to equal employment and equal educational opportunities
for all individuals regardless of gender, gender identity, race or color, ethnicity,
national origin or ancestry, age, mental or physical disability, religion or creed,
genetic information, affectional or sexual orientation, veteran status, or other
classifications that are protected under Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990, and other pertinent state and federal laws and regulations.

CLARION
magazine

Give Us Your Feedback!
PennWest is partnering with CASE
(Council on the Advancement and
Support of Education) on a readership
survey. Your feedback will help us plan
future editions of Clarion Magazine.
tinyurl.com/ClarionMagSurvey

SUMMER | 2024

10 CLARION
COMMENCEMENT
DEPARTMENTS
4

CAMPUS NEWS

6

FEATURES

12

WE’RE BETTER TOGETHER

16

RECIPES FOR SUCCESS

24 KEEPERS OF THE FLAME
26 ATHLETICS
32 ALUMNI NEWS
36 WINGS UP
37 ADVANCEMENT

14 BUILDING FOR
THE FUTURE

26 GOLDEN

EAGLES
SP0RTS
DIGEST

After falling in the Atlantic Region
championship match in 2022,
the mood around the Golden
Eagles volleyball team was one of
unfinished business.

CLARION MAGAZINE

3

CAMPUS NEWS
CLARION STUDENTS AWARDED OVER $6K IN BIZPITCH COMPETITION
Imagine a one-stop animal care facility that provides
veterinary, grooming, boarding, training and rescuing services for
all animal species.
PennWest Clarion senior pre-veterinarian major Gage Gray
won $3,000 with his idea for such a facility – called Animal
Buddy Care – during the 6th annual Student BizPitch
Competition Nov. 15.
“Ever since I was able to talk, I have said
I want to be a veterinarian,” Gray said. “This
passion for animals and the drive to be a vet
had encouraged me to one day open my
own clinic. While going through the logistics
of what I really wanted to do with my own
clinic and what I wanted to offer, I came up
with a very large project to treat any animal
for any problem they may have,” Gray said.
“Over the years, this plan developed into ‘Animal
Buddy Care.’ ABC is more than just a veterinary
clinic. It is a service to treat any animal for any problem,
A through Z.”
Although Gray had the idea for ABC and the passion to
make it a reality, he didn’t have the business knowledge to get it
off the ground.
“After working closely with the (PennWest Clarion) Small
Business Development Center – specifically Hailee Liptak and
Cindy Nellis – I was able to make the idea look more like reality.

4

CLARION

Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I did
without the help of Hailee and Cindy,” Gray said. “I am beyond
grateful for all the knowledge I gained from this competition and
for the opportunities this provides me with for the future.”
In its sixth year, BizPitch is open to part-time and fulltime students at PennWest Clarion. Students develop
and deliver an effective, professional business
pitch presenting an innovative and marketable
business concept that is both technically and
economically feasible and profitable.
Second place winner Samurah Curry
is a senior communications major. For
BizPitch, she developed B.E.Y.O.N.D the
Art Foundation, a nonprofit that provides
community art classes for ages 5 and older.
Her $2,000 prize will go into a business
startup fund.
Third place winner Giovanni Catalone, a senior
environmental biology major, developed The Pot of Gold,
a flower pot and an app that will monitor the health of a plant so it
will be easier to take care of. He received a $1,000 prize.
The $250 Fan Favorite prize, which is decided by the
audience, was awarded to juniors Mackenzie Schwerzler, a
marketing major, and PJ Wheaton, an accounting major, for
Alt. Creations, a service that makes home-cooked meals for
college students.

CAMPUS NEWS

Croskey, Watson highlight MLK legacy at
annual breakfast
PennWest Clarion hosted the 12th annual Martin Luther
King Jr. Community Breakfast Jan. 15. The theme “The
King Legacy: Progress Through Peace,” was selected to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of King’s Nobel Prize for
Peace. Dr. Joseph Croskey, Clarion professor and director of
PASSHE’s Frederick Douglass Institute, delivered the keynote
address. Secondary education/English major Bupe Watson was
the student speaker; Watson said at Clarion, she is living King’s
dream of little Black boys and little Black girls holding hands
with little white boys and little white girls.

Seifert Series brings Tamburitzans to campus
The Pittsburgh-based Tamburitzans kicked off the
2024 programming of the endowed Mary L. Seifert Cultural
Series with a public performance Feb. 9 on campus and
visit to Clarion Area Elementary School to perform for the
students. The folk dance and music ensemble preserves
and celebrates international cultural heritages through
artistic performance, while awarding performers with
scholarships for their contributions to the arts.
The Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series was established to
provide the university community with cultural experiences
that inspire learning through thoughtful discussions.
The series has brought to campus memoirist, poet and
civil rights activist Maya Angelou; film director, producer,
screenwriter and actor Spike Lee; Tibetan monks;
comic strip creator and author Alison Bechdel; Pulitzer
Prize finalist poet Martin Espada; Holocaust survivors
photographer Lisa Shifren; and renowned poet and
visionary Yehoshua November, and many others.

Venango Veterans Club donates flags
Members of Venango Veterans Club donated more than
1,000 American flags that they have collected for their annual
Veterans Day programs to the PennWest campuses in California,
Clarion and Edinboro.
Last year, the club marked a decade of the Flags for the
Fallen service project. Annually, they have delivered Christmas
gifts to elderly veterans in Venango County’s nursing homes,
raised funds for the Venango County Humane Society and
participated in community cleanup days. Club members
conducted a Dogs for Dogs picnic April 15. All Venango
students received a free hotdog, pop and potato chips, and
were encouraged to donate pet food, toys or other items for the
animals at Venango County Humane Society.
Club members include: (front row, from left) Vice president
Paige Dunkle, Gwyneth Wadding, Isabella Monarch and
Britteny McClellan; and (back row, from left) U.S. Army veteran
and president Brett Wassink, advisor Mark Conrad, treasurer
Thaddeus Wynkoop III and U.S. Army veteran Daniel Theriaque.

ECOLOGY
with a side of
EDUCATION
O

n a warm, sunny day last fall, biology
professor Dr. Andrew Turner led
his class on a field trip. Sort of. They
visited a wildflower meadow rather than
a field, and the destination was mere
steps outside of Grunenwald Center for
Science and Technology.
Their assignment was to collect and
identify wildflowers. Students selected
flowers that appealed to them and
used an app to find their common and
Latin names. Turner then pressed and
cataloged the flowers to be used as an
educational tool for future students.
More than an outdoor classroom,
though, the meadow is meeting a crucial
ecological need.
Meadows once were plentiful, but
they’ve diminished in number in favor of
property development. As meadows have
disappeared, so have the bees, butterflies

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CLARION

and birds that are essential to pollination.
Without this ecological process, the
world’s food supply is threatened.
According to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 35% of the world’s food crops
depend on animal pollination: That’s one
out of every three bites of food eaten.

Clarion’s commitment
For the past two decades,
Clarion has adhered to a commitment
of sustainability for new buildings
and renovations. For the structures
themselves, that has included choosing
sustainable materials, using geothermal
heat pumps, designing restrooms to
conserve water, and installing
motion-sensing lights.
The focus on sustainability
extends outside of the buildings to
the landscaping.

In 2019, as the renovation of Tippin
Gymnasium and Natatorium neared
completion, the outside of the facility
was being considered. In front of Tippin,
native plant species create rain gardens
that help to manage stormwater runoff.
Between Tippin and the Grunenwald
Center for Science and Technology, an
intentional wildflower meadow is home
to wildflowers and habitat for the insects
and animals that provide the pollination
essential to the world’s food supply.
“The meadow has butterflies, moths
and other insects, and dozens of species
of native bees,” Turner said. “That’s one
of the goals: to keep the native
pollinators healthy.”
During winter, when the meadow is
dormant, its benefit continues for seedeating birds.

FEATURE

by Tina Horner

“One of the wonderful things is there is a
lot of biological diversity with a native meadow.
There is none with a lawn,” Turner said.
The meadow has garnered curiosity
from the campus community and passersby.
Turner said it took the plants a while to establish

atmosphere and restores it to soils.
The meadow is mowed once a year in the
fall. Additional upkeep is limited to weeding.
“We (weed) mechanically. Students
volunteer to come out and help me weed. It helps
to chip away at invasive species,” Turner said.
Weeding, too, is
educational.
“Ten to 15 students
come out. I teach them
the names of the plants
and how to distinguish
native and non-native
species,” he said.

Restoration ecology

themselves, so for a time, no one knew what the
meadow was. “Now, it’s more obvious that we
have an intentional planting. The signs help a lot,”
he said.

Educational signs
Late last summer, the facilities department,
headed by Chad Thomas, installed signs at the
edge of the meadow. The signs picture the native
flowers within and list some ways that meadows
are beneficial. His goal was to educate faculty,
staff, students and the community about the
meadow, and to allay concerns that the area
wasn’t being maintained.
“One of the attractive aspects of a meadow
is that it requires less maintenance than a lawn,”
Turner said. “You don’t need to mow (regularly),
you don’t need to water, you don’t need to
spread herbicides.”
Turner said a traditional lawn that requires
regular mowing contributes to climate change,
whereas a meadow removes carbons from the

“There is a field
of applied ecology
devoted to how we can
restore and maintain
endangered ecosystem
types,” Turner said. “There
is a diversity of efforts
to restore old growth
forests in Pennsylvania,
recreating wetlands. Lots
of agricultural fields have
been drained; students are going in and flooding
the fields, restoring natural hydrology and the
plant ecology that would have lived there.”
“There are alternatives to a traditional lawn.
You don’t have to have a monoculture lawn; there
are more environmentally friendly alternatives,”
Turner said. “A traditional lawn is a biological
desert. The environmentally friendly options
require less time and money, and they have
environmental benefits.”
People with minimal outdoor space can still
make a difference.
“If you put a container of native wildflowers
on your back porch, you’ll see hummingbirds and
butterflies there,” Turner said. “If everyone set
aside 10 to 20 percent of their lawn as a native
meadow, it would be a huge improvement. It
would be a tremendous habitat for butterflies
and birds.”

CLARION MAGAZINE

7

Removing stigma of
mental health issues
by Tina Horner

Stella Chierico,
left, sophomore
psychology and criminal
justice major, and
Hailey Fry, a senior
communications major,
both members of the
Clarion swim team

M

organ Rodgers was a bright, tenacious and
talented high school athlete. She excelled in the
classroom and on the lacrosse field. She was
loved by family and friends and was an inspiration to many.
Recruited to play Division 1 women’s lacrosse in college, she was
optimistic about her future.
Before the beginning of her sophomore year, she sustained
a knee injury and spent the following 12 months enduring surgery
and rehabilitation. Feeling a loss of control over her life, her selfworth took a major blow. She felt isolated from her team and was
stressed by other relationship issues.
The anxiety which she had successfully treated in high
school returned, along with depression. This time she didn’t reach
out for support, and she endured the mental health battle alone.
She died by suicide July 11, 2019, at the age of 22.
Golden Eagles swimmer Stella Chierico’s northern Virginia
high school was near the high school Morgan had attended, and

8

CLARION

Morgan’s name was known in the area. Chapters of Morgan’s
Message were established in the local area, including at
Chierico’s school.
Chierico’s busy schedule kept her from joining the
organization in high school, but she decided to get involved
in college. When she began classes at PennWest Clarion, she
searched for a Morgan’s Message chapter on campus. Finding
none, she decided to start one.
Her initial outreach for membership was to her teammates.
Among them is Hailey Fry, who offered to help. Together, they
co-founded the PennWest Clarion chapter of Morgan’s Message.
They, along with women’s soccer player Alayna Wicker and
wrestler Casper Hinckley, are club ambassadors. They host
meetings, organize fundraisers and arrange dedication games
and meets, which are games or tournaments dedicated to
Morgan’s Message.

Two such events were held last fall. The first was a women’s
rugby match which offered spectators temporary tattoos, T-shirts,
ribbons and wristbands emblazoned with the Morgan’s Message
logo, a mosaic butterfly drawn by Morgan with a semicolon – a
suicide prevention symbol – added to the center. The second was
a November swim meet against Bloomsburg University, which also
has a chapter of Morgan’s Message. There, swimmers wore swim
caps with the logo.
Fry said the dedication events provide an opportunity to tell
Morgan’s story. They represent teams coming together to fight one
cause and break the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
With the support of swimming coach Bree Kelly, who came
on board as advisor, membership in PennWest Clarion’s chapter of
Morgan’s Message is growing. Kelly has coached for 16 years, 14
of them at Clarion, and has helped countless students with their
mental health issues.

“It most definitely is more prevalent than we may think,” Kelly
said. “These student-athletes have so much more pressure and
stressors than ever before.”
MORGAN’S MESSAGE ISN’T JUST FOR ATHLETES
“Anyone can come to the meetings,” Chierico said. “We want
to increase awareness for mental health for everyone.”
The Morgan’s Message organization stresses that
ambassadors should not be giving advice.
“Our job is to connect people with resources,” Chierico said.
For information about the Clarion chapter, email
morgansmessageclarion@gmail.com and follow on Instagram at
@MorgansMessageClarionU.
More information and merchandise are available on the
organization’s website, MorgansMessage.org.

CLARION MAGAZINE

9

PennWest C
Commencem
Makayla Guzik, Speech Language Pathology
Sabrina Swetoha, Speech Language Pathology
Victoria Swetoha, Speech Language Pathology

Kenneth Rose
Biology

Bearer of Mace Jeanne M. Slattery
Professor, Psychology

London Fuller

Interdisciplinary Studies
and Biology

Shane Hutchinson (left),
Secondary Education

Logan Donnel (right),

Middle Level Education

Fall 2023
10

CLARION

Sam Santangelo
Tech Theater

Clarion
ments
Lauren Kostovski, Speech Pathology and Audiology
Chloe Blashford, Speech Language and Audiology
Sydney Spang, Biology

Goldie Atte
Nursing

Bearer of Mace Anthony J. Vega

Professor, Geosciences

Emanuel Bowden

Exercise Science

Isabelle Cellucci, Business/Corporate Communications
Charli Smith, Accounting

SPRING 2024
CLARION MAGAZINE

11

We're
Better
Together.
A

t Pennsylvania Western University, we believe that
collaboration fuels growth and that together, we can create
something greater than ourselves. PennWest isn't a onesize-fits-all institution. It's where potential is nurtured, where paths
are crafted according to our students’ passions, and where the
knowledge they gain becomes a platform for lifelong success.
With expanded resources, diversified programs and a
strong support network, PennWest has opened doors to infinite
possibilities. Here are just a few examples of how students are
benefiting from our combined strengths:

PENNWEST LEADERSHIP ACADEMY EMPOWERS
LEADERS OF TOMORROW
Emerging student leaders at the California, Clarion and
Edinboro campuses are engaging in personal and professional
development training workshops as part of the PennWest
Leadership Academy.
Led by faculty, staff and community experts, a blend of
in-person and virtual sessions focus on communication strategy,
conflict resolution, time management, increasing efficiency,

12

CLARION

career development, wellness, emotional intelligence,
team building and leadership styles. Students also
have access to cross-campus networking opportunities
through the two-year program.
More than 160 students have participated in
the program since its founding as the President’s
Leadership Academy at Clarion in 2019. Each
campus now has two 15-student cohorts.

BETTER TOGETHER
by PennWest Staff

STUDENTS RETURN
FROM ITALY
FULL OF PASTA
AND LESSONS IN
SUSTAINABILITY
Veni, vidi, vici! PennWest
students traveled to Italy in
August and returned home to
complete coursework relevant
to their summertime adventure.
Students could earn up to six credits
by taking two three-credit classes, including Special Topics in Business, taught by Dr. Chad Smith,
and Special Topics in Atmospheric Science, taught by Dr. Anthony Vega. Both professors are based
at PennWest Clarion.
Upon their return, groups of students created mock businesses with an environmental
sustainability component. Teams presented their projects “Shark Tank”-style, and outside experts
served as judges. Since 2015, Clarion students have traveled to destinations such as Belgium, Italy, New
Zealand, Portugal and Iceland. The 2023 trip was open to students at all three PennWest campuses.

PENNWEST ADVANCES TO FINAL PHASES
OF FINANCIAL PLANNING CHALLENGE
A team of three PennWest finance and
personal financial planning students advanced
to the final phases of the nationwide Financial
Planning Challenge, hosted by the Financial Planning
Association, Ameriprise and the Certified Financial
Planner Board of Standards.
After preparing exceptional comprehensive
financial plans for two hypothetical clients in round
one, Sarah Keating (Edinboro), Olivia Lewandowski
(Edinboro) and Jacob Campbell (California) competed in the finals alongside teams from Texas Tech University, the
University of Arizona, the University of Akron, the University of North Florida, the University of Denver, Ohio State University
and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

CENTER FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE PROMOTES
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION
PennWest’s Center for Faculty Excellence, a faculty resource that supports high-impact learning practices,
scholarship and academic innovation, is fostering collaboration through cross-campus workshops, professional
development funding, guest speakers and a book club.
Recent events include a presentation by Dr. Jane Thierfeld Brown, assistant clinical professor at Yale and director of College
Autism Spectrum. The presentation focused on two topics: Supporting neurodivergent students through effective academic
advising and a discussion on class assessments and promoting academic success for neurodivergent learners.

CLARION MAGAZINE

13

FOR THE
FUTURE
Clarion dedicates Admissions Welcome Center
as John S. Shropshire Hall

Clarion dedicates Admissions Welcome Center as
John S. Shropshire Hall

F

ormer dean of admissions
John S. Shropshire ‘61 was
known as an advocate for equality.
Having broken ground as the first
Black dean at Clarion, the first Black
person elected to public office in
Clarion County and the first Black
head coach of high school athletics in
central Pennsylvania, racial equality
was important to him. More important

14

CLARION

to Shropshire, though, was equality of
opportunity among all people, and he
knew that education was how it could
be achieved.
Last fall, PennWest Clarion completed
a $9.4 million renovation of the former
Egbert Hall, transforming it into a
state-of-the-art admissions welcome
center where prospective students

will be introduced to the opportunities
inherent in a PennWest Clarion
education. The building was
dedicated Oct. 6 as John S.
Shropshire Hall, an architectural
representation of Shropshire’s
encompassing warmth that said
“you are welcome here.”

The building – completed in 1939 – was named
for Dr. Walter Egbert, an accomplished and noteworthy
dean of men. Initially, Egbert Hall was a dormitory –
a home away from home where students
transformed from kids into confident, respected
professionals. More recently, this building has
housed administrative offices. It’s fair to say that
thousands of students’ lives been impacted by
the work that was done within these walls.
The Admissions Welcome Center will continue to
be a place where students’ lives are transformed
through education. Staffed by a full admissions team,
John S. Shropshire Hall reflects its namesake’s belief
that by keeping students in the center, we would end
up in the right place.

California Science Building
A 67,000-square-foot building will be constructed to
house the chemistry, biology and physics programs at the
California campus. In addition to state-of-the-art
laboratory spaces, there will be a computer classroom
lab as well as collaborative work, study and meeting
spaces throughout the building. Construction is
tentatively scheduled to begin in fall 2024 and end
in late fall 2026.

Baron-Forness Library
Edinboro’s Baron-Forness Library reopened in January,
marking the completion of major renovations. In addition
to upgraded elevators, HVAC, electrical, plumbing
and fire suppression systems, the library now features
expanded seating, 28 group study rooms, seminar space,
a 3,000-square-foot art gallery and a brand-new entrance.

CLARION MAGAZINE

15

PENNWEST GRADS BAKE, BREW AND GRILL THEIR WAY
INTO SUCCESSFUL CULINARY VENTURES

Pretzels. Coffee. Burgers.
Not only does that sound like an appetizing menu
to satiate the hungry stomach, but the trio is also a sign
of successful experiential ventures from graduates of
Pennsylvania Western University campuses.
Each of these menu items comes with its own story
of PennWest grads who found their calling in the culinary
arts through grit and determination – and some delicious
taste testing.

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CLARION

Following her graduation from Edinboro and a career in
higher education, Katie Spangenberg ’16 found her calling
serving homemade munchies and piping hot coffee at
Bean & Bear Café.
While a student at California, Jonathan Sakaguchi ’23
saddled up the barbecue and won a statewide burger
competition among three grill masters.
Edinboro graduate Amanda Sanko ’13 and Clarion faculty
member Marc Sanko, who earned his master’s degree from
Edinboro in 2013, found support – and a captive audience –
from family and friends to open a pretzel shop in their town.

FEATURE

by Christopher LaFuria

Katie Spangenberg ’16 and
Jason Spangenberg ’14
established Bean & Bear
Café in Edinboro in 2023.

Spilling the beans with a
new coffee shop
Katie Spangenberg hasn’t
always been in the coffee business.
But she has been around a segment
of the population most reliant on the
caffeinated beverage: college students.
Katie and her husband, Jason,
are both graduates of Edinboro with
degrees in business administration
and management and business
administration/accounting, respectively.
They live in the Edinboro area and
witness the hustling college students
scurrying to class and study halls.
That’s why it made sense for
Spangenberg to open Bean & Bear
Café within walking distance of
Edinboro’s campus.

“It was a big jump for us, but we
didn’t hesitate,” she said. “We were
just looking to fill a gap that existed in
Edinboro, and we’re doing just that.”
Named after the couple’s pets
Muenster “Bear” and dog-in-law
Fletcher “Bean,” Bean & Bear, located
at 222 W. Plum St. in Edinboro,
features a small-plate, niche menu with
homemade baked items and an array
of coffee from Happy Mug, an Erie-area
coffee wholesaler.
After opening during
Homecoming Week 2023,
Spangenberg noticed that the coffee
shop has become an extension of
campus, with students studying and
taking virtual courses from its tabletops.

Spangenberg said that she
created a cozy, dark academia vibe in
the shop with an interior that reflects a
bookish and intellectual study.
“We’ve had a very positive
reaction from the students and the
customers who have become regulars,”
she said. “It’s a little off the beaten path
but close to campus and
very walkable.”
A self-proclaimed “Type A”
personality and business owner,
Spangenberg not only runs business
operations and staffing, she also throws
on the apron to cook and serve her
customers. She has also become a job
creator in Edinboro with a staff
of 14 – mostly high school and
college students.

CLARION MAGAZINE

17

While a student at
California, Jonathan
Sakaguchi won the
2023 Giant Eagle
Ultimate Tailgreatness
competition.

Best burger in the business
Making the perfect burger is
more than just slicing onions, crisping
the perfect strips of bacon, collecting
a small pool of barbecue sauce for
the dippers and molding the perfectly
seasoned patty.
Cooking, for Jonathan Sakaguchi,
is an opportunity to pay tribute to his
late father, Jeff, who was instrumental
in molding the California grad’s love
of food. During his stint in the Navy,
Jeff Sakaguchi traveled to Germany,
Spain and Australia to explore the local
cuisine. He would bring stories and
recipes back to Jonathan. And a love
for cooking was established.
“When I got to a certain age, my
dad said to me, ‘You're old enough to
start learning how to cook. Here's how

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CLARION

you do it.’ And it kind of just went from
there,” said Sakaguchi, who studied
English at California and also pursued a
minor in music.
This family arrangement and a
newfound obsession with cooking
led him to discover the Giant Eagle
Ultimate Tailgreatness competition in
October 2023.
When he arrived at the
competition, Sakaguchi found his flattop grill, cast-iron skillet and ingredients
to make his signature smash burgers.
When his plate was finished and he
observed the entries from the two other
grill masters, the novice chef Sakaguchi
felt the pains of being an imposter.
Then the announcer called the
name of the winner:
Jonathan Sakaguchi.

“When the announcer called my
name, my jaw hit the stage,” he said.
“And when I won the contest, knowing
my dad’s birthday was coming up, my
first thought was I wish my dad could
be here for this.”
Now Sakaguchi, who was honored
as 2023 California Homecoming Court
royalty, can add grill master to his
resume as he took home the $2,500
Giant Eagle prize for the best-burger
competition and tickets to a Pittsburgh
Steelers game.
“This has been an absolute wild
ride for me – like the ups and downs
of a roller coaster, emotionally,”
Sakaguchi said. “This was one of life’s
incredible moments.”

A local business that’s
well-kneaded
What do you do when the
tasty snack you enjoy can’t be found
anywhere you look?
Marc and Amanda Sanko, two
pretzel-loving academics living in
Morgantown, West Virginia, found the
salty delights weren’t prevalent in their
new town.
The answer to this dilemma was
simple: Make them yourselves. Little
did the Sankos know this concept
would turn into a new business venture.
“Marc loves cooking, so he
decided that he was going to figure
out how to make them himself for me,”
Amanda said. “After he made them a
few times at home, we started taking
them to friend gatherings, and they
quickly became a hit there as well.”
Fast-forward to moving to Clarion
and having their son, Grady, and twin
daughters, Mara and Cora, Marc and
Amanda implemented their pretzel
creations for birthday party menus.
“We finally decided that enough
family and friends had told us that
the pretzels were good enough that
people would buy them,” Amanda said.
“So, I started doing my research and
proceeded to take the steps to start a
business. “
After the idea sprouted for
the Sankos, the husband-wife team
approached Clarion’s Small Business
Development Center, which provides
entrepreneurs with the education,
information, and tools necessary to
build successful businesses.

Amanda (Morley) Sanko ’13
and Marc Sanko M ’13 serve
up gourmet pretzels at
Penns Woods Pretzel
Company in Clarion.

With the paperwork finalized
and the business plan in place, it was
time to find a location to produce the
pretzels for the new Penns Woods
Pretzel Company. Since both Marc
and Amanda work full time, their ideal
location needed to be cost-effective
and convenient.
That’s when they found Clarion
Modern Markets, located at 606
Main St. in Clarion, a collection of
rentable space and kitchens for local
entrepreneurs to produce and sell
their goods.
“We were very excited about
the potential to get into that space,”
Amanda said. “It was the perfect space
at the perfect time.”
With all the missing pieces falling
into place and continued confidence
boosts from family and friends, the
Sankos confirmed that their decision to
start the business was the right one.
“The idea came from a love of a
tasty treat,” Amanda said.

“But our family and friends’ words
of encouragement and the help of local
organizations and the community really
brought the idea to life.”
So far, the response from the
community has been wildly positive.
During the company’s soft opening, a
line of customers wrapped around the
building and down the block, waiting
for a mouthwatering delight.
“We are very thankful for our
little community,” Amanda said. “It
feels good to have such a supportive
community behind our business.”
As the business continues to grow
and ideas for new recipes and products
pop up, the couple has their eyes set
on bigger goals for the business.
“Our little dream is to one day
walk into a local ballpark, stadium or
zoo and Penns Woods Pretzel be the
pretzel you see in their warmers and
people walking around with,” Amanda
said. “Maybe one day that will be us.”

CLARION MAGAZINE

19

New murals
highlight
enduring
campus
legacies
One-of-a-kind murals were installed
in prominent locations at California,
Clarion and Edinboro. Featuring iconic
images that celebrate the history,
capture the spirit and embrace the
culture of each campus, the photoready works of art were carefully
crafted in a casual, illustrative style to
welcome visitors and inspire the next
generation of learners.
Funding for this mural was donated
by C
larion University Foundation, Inc.

20

CLARION

CLARION CAMPUS MURAL

Designed by Philip Haragos and Bryan Postlewait

CLARION MAGAZINE

21

ALL
WRAPPED
UP
Aspiring athletic trainers in MSAT program
T

wo Pennsylvania Western University
students are having the time of their
lives working alongside seasoned
athletic trainers for Division I college
football teams.
Gillian Romanchok is at North
Carolina State and Emily Lodge
is at the University of Georgia,
completing what is known as an
immersion rotation in PennWest’s
Master of Science in athletic training
curriculum. Students are required
to fulfill two semesters of hands-on
training during the second year of
the MSAT program.
“An immersion rotation is a
practice-intensive experience that
allows the student to experience
the totality of care provided
by athletic trainers,” explained
PennWest’s MSAT Program
Director Rich Patterson. “This
allows students to participate in
the day-to-day and week-to-week
role of an athletic trainer.”
PennWest faculty members
had connections to each program,
but both women had to interview and earn
their spots.
“I was looking for an opportunity with
a Power 5 football program because I want
to pursue an athletic training position in
either Division 1 football or within an NFL
organization,” Romanchok said.
Lodge plans to apply for NFL internships
for next year, but she also wants to experience
different clinical settings and to advocate for
women’s rights and gender equality within the
athletic training profession.
Gillian Romanchok

22

CLARION

The National Athletic Trainers’
Association reports that approximately 56% of
members are female, but some professional
organizations, such as the National Football
League, have fewer female athletic trainers
than men. Patterson said the NFL has made
“significant efforts to increase opportunities for
females in both full-time positions
and internships.”
Before they can reach any of these goals,
the women have been fully immersed in what
it means to be an athletic trainer, which can
require long hours. Romanchok’s average day
starts at 5 a.m.
“The beginning of the day starts with
treatment, rehabilitation and pre-practice
taping hours before the team heads to
meetings. While the team is in meetings, we
(the athletic training staff) perform emergency
equipment checks, practice emergency CPR
and spine boarding situations, or complete
game day preparations for the upcoming
game,” Romanchok said. “After practice,
athletes will come into the athletic training
room to receive post-practice treatment.”
Lodge’s typical day starts a little later –
at 8 a.m. – for treatment hours with the
student-athletes.
“During this time, I am typically
assisting my preceptor with treatments and
rehabilitation with the athletes. However, I am
developing my own patient load and have
progressively been given more autonomy,”
Lodge said.
Lodge explained that preceptors
supervise and engage students in clinical
education and must be licensed health care
professionals and be credentialed by the state
in which they practice.

IN
D1
FOOTBALL
m get hands-on training room experience
“My day ends about an hour after practice,
when the players are finished with any postpractice treatment,” Lodge said.
Both women agree their experiences
have been vital to their education as they
have learned new treatment modalities, how
to work with new rehabilitation equipment,
and practice innovative rehabilitation
techniques.
“During our first game, I was involved in
spine boarding of an athlete with a suspected
cervical spine injury. Not many athletic
trainers can say they have experienced a
spine boarding situation, so it was truly an
eye-opening learning experience to be a part
of,” Romanchok said.
To be part of this major and profession,
Romanchok said it takes a person who isn’t
afraid to hit the books or spend a great deal
of time on the road with a team.
“Students who wish to enter the
MSAT program must have a strong science
background, specifically in human anatomy
and physiology, as the curriculum follows a
medical-based education model,” Patterson
said. “The most successful students are
generally well organized with a good work
ethic and a desire to help people return to
sport participation or work.”
Lodge added that students in the field
must not be afraid of failure.
“In order to gain the most from clinical
experiences, you have to step outside your
comfort zone to learn and try new things,”
Lodge said. “Not everything is going to work
the first time or go as planned. The ability to
adapt to change is very important in athletic
training.”
Before beginning the MSAT, they both
had a solid foundation by obtaining Bachelor
of Science degrees in nutrition and fitness
from PennWest Clarion.

“I chose to receive my undergraduate
degree in nutrition and fitness because
athletic training requires a strong background
in exercises science, physiology and anatomy.
Additionally, I also received extensive
knowledge in nutrition, which I can use to
my advantage to help guide athletes in all
aspects of their return to participation,”
Romanchok said.
Lodge said her undergraduate degree
gave her plenty of career opportunities and
helps her address all aspects of a patient’s
recovery.
In addition to sharing the same
undergraduate degree, both women have
backgrounds in athletics, which piqued their
interest in their undergraduate and graduate
studies.
“I chose the athletic training major
because of my interest in anatomy and
biomechanics,” Lodge said. “During my
career as a track and field athlete, I worked
with many athletic trainers because of injuries
I sustained during participation and enjoyed
learning about ways to prevent, recognize
and rehabilitate chronic and
acute injuries.”
Romanchok shared similar sentiments
regarding her love of the profession.
“There is truly no other feeling in this
world like knowing I have made a positive
impact on a patient and helped them
return to something they love,” Romanchok
said. “Athletic training combines my love
of the sports community and allows me to
help athletes treat and rehabilitate injuries
perfectly. Truly the best of both worlds.”

Emily Lodge

CLARION MAGAZINE

23

K EEP ER S

OF

T HE

FL A ME

PACKARD FOSTERS WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT IN CLASSROOM

PACKARD
24

CLARION

KEEPERS OF THE FLAME
by Tina Horner

D

r. Brandon Packard, assistant chair of the Department of Computer Information Science,
is PennWest Clarion’s recipient of the second annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Keepers of the Flame Award from Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
The award recognizes an
individual from each of the 14 State
System university campuses for their
contributions to creating and promoting
diverse, equitable and inclusive
environments that cultivate a sense
of belonging. The award recipients
were announced during PASSHE’s
annual DEI Summit held in November at
Shippensburg University.
“Each recipient of the
Pennsylvania State System of Higher
Education’s Keepers of the Flame
award embodies the best in humanity –
demonstrating a commitment to raising
awareness about important issues and
advocating for ‘doing the right thing,’”
said Dr. Denise Pearson, vice chancellor
and chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
officer at the Office of the Chancellor.
“PASSHE university communities have
long understood the intersection

between academic excellence, DEI and
student success. This year, we are truly
pleased to celebrate the contributions
of Dr. Packard and the other recipients,
and we lift them up as role models to
emulate. It is a privilege to honor them.”
Packard has a strong connection
with PennWest Clarion and the
community.
Recognized for his kindness
and acceptance of everyone, Packard
was nominated for the Keepers of the
Flame award by PennWest Clarion
students. He is known on campus for
creating a welcoming environment
in his classroom that allows students
to succeed, regardless of their
background, and in which every student
can feel valued and respected.
Earlier in November, Packard
received the Special Equity Award
during PennWest Clarion Student

Senate’s 29th Annual Equity Dinner and
Awards Ceremony.
Packard arrived on campus as an
undergraduate student and earned a
bachelor’s degree in 2013. Following
graduation he attended graduate
school at Drexel University, where he
focused on game artificial intelligence,
game design, and machine learning.
Packard returned to Clarion to share
his passion for computer science and
educate the next generation
of learners.
In addition to serving as an
assistant professor, Packard is an
advisor to computer science clubs on
the Clarion campus. In this role, he
engages with each student to ensure
all individuals find inclusion and have a
feeling of belonging in the group and
on campus.

Screen captures show scenes
from Packard’s self-made
video game, FailRoad. Packard
stated that he feels immense
pride in its creation, having
made all of the code and all of
the art himself.

CLARION MAGAZINE

25

GOLDEN EAGLES

PERSEVER
IS ELFVIN’S MAGIC IN RECOVERY FROM STROKE
It was an otherwise unremarkable Thursday afternoon in
December 2021, smack-dab in the middle of wrestling season.
With a tri-meet against Stevens Institute of Technology and
Messiah coming up in just two more days, Trevor Elfvin was
working out with teammates Casper Hinklie and Max Wohlabaugh
in the Golden Eagles’ wrestling room, getting in an extra cardio
session after practice. After a short time on the treadmill, Elfvin
started working on the elliptical machine. That’s when he first
noticed something wasn’t right.
“After two or three minutes, I looked over at Casper and told
him I thought I needed a drink of water,” Elfvin said. “He gave me
his water bottle and I remember it just dripping out of my mouth.
It just started getting numb. Then I felt it hit my right arm and went
all the way down to my foot.”
It didn’t take long for Elfvin’s teammates realized that the
situation was serious. They brought him to the athletic training
room in Tippin Gym, where head athletic trainer Mike Chesterfield
soon realized what might seem an unlikely scenario: Elfvin was
exhibiting stroke symptoms.
“Who expects a 22-year-old athlete to be having a stroke?”
Elfvin said. “At first, they thought maybe I had gotten hit in the
head, but at one point Mike (Chesterfield) said, ‘Wait a minute, this
seems like a stroke.’”
Elfvin was joined in the hospital by coaches Keith Ferraro
and Brock Zacherl, with the former staying by his side until his
family could make the trip across the state. More than that,
Ferraro provided the comfort and support Elfvin needed during
one of the scariest moments of his life.
“I mean, I was scared,” Elfvin continued. “I’ve heard of
people having strokes before, but they were all much older, and
everyone I’ve known that’s had a stroke has died. So yeah, I was
really, really scared.”
“When Ferraro got to the hospital, he told me that no matter
where they took me, even if it was in an ambulance, he was
going and he was sticking by my side no matter what,” Elfvin
said. “That’s when I knew I was going to be alright, because I had
someone with me that was going to fight for me and make sure I
got what I needed.”

26

CLARION

Elfvin doesn’t remember much of his night at Clarion
Hospital, but he does remember that his next trip was a helicopter
ride from Clarion to St. Mary Medical Center near Philadelphia the
following day. If the gravity of his situation hadn’t hit home yet, it
did then.
“I had always seen these helicopters flying around and
thinking, ‘Wow, whoever’s in there had something pretty serious
happen.’ Then I thought, ‘Oh crap, something serious happened
to me.’”
That’s not to say that Elfvin was lacking any of his signature
outgoing personality.
“I started chatting with the flight crew, and I remember I
kept asking them questions until they knocked me out,” Elfvin
chuckled. “I woke up when we landed and I started talking to
(a crew member) again, and she said, ‘Damn, do you ever
stop talking?’’’
Elfvin spent the next week in the hospital, with many of his
friends and family making appearances to check in on him. A
battery of tests eventually found that he had a small hole in his
heart, one that would require surgery after the start of the new
year. When asked to schedule a date, he made sure he took
into account the important things: finding a way to cheer on his
teammates, as well as his girlfriend, Golden Eagles swimmer
Autumn Fortney, in their respective athletic events.
“I figured, well, the wrestling team was going to be 15
minutes away when they went to Rider in February…” Elfvin said
with a grin. “But I also realized if I didn’t make it to the PSAC
Swimming Championships to cheer her on, I was going to be in
REAL trouble!”
The latter event came just a few days after his surgery,
meaning his brother Nick would be the one driving him from
Langhorne to Carlisle. Dealing with the aftereffects of surgery
while pacing a pool deck and cheering on the Golden Eagles
proved to be a challenge.
“I was dealing with pain the entire time,” Elfvin said, citing
the incision points in particular. “But I just wanted to be as
supportive as possible.”
Of course, there was another big question that remained.

RANCE

SPORTS DIGEST

What would the rest of Elfvin’s wrestling career look like?
Would there even be a wrestling career after this?
“When I was in Clarion (Hospital), all I was worried
about was ‘Am I going to live?’” Elfvin said. “Sitting at St.
Mary’s, I started to have doubts, but then I started to
make my peace with it.
“I decided if that was it, and all I was able to
do was come back and be on the team and be
supportive to my teammates, then I could be
satisfied with that.”
During follow-up appointments, his
team of doctors – including a neurologist
and a cardiologist – concluded that Elfvin
could try to continue to wrestle. He was
able to slowly ramp up his physical activity
into August before was cleared to begin
training in earnest, and Elfvin decided to
jump right into wrestling. It did not go well.
“I got back here August 2 and tried to
wrestle right away, and I just died,” Elfvin said.
“After nine months where I couldn’t really do anything,
trying to get back into one of the most demanding Division I sports was a
huge challenge.”
It was a challenge Elfvin was ready to accept. In late October, the team held
their annual Blue/Gold match, where he competed against his teammate Gavin
Wilmoth in an exhibition. He didn’t remember much about the match –
“I couldn’t tell you a single second” – but Elfvin felt as if a weight had been lifted.
“Once it was over, everything hit me at once,” Elfvin said. “It wasn’t pretty –
none of my matches are – but I it felt so amazing after everything I had
been through.”
Elfvin finished the 2022-23 season, eventually earning the team’s starting
spot at 157 pounds and competing all the way through the Mid-American
Conference Championships in March. The ultimate win-loss record he posted was
secondary to the biggest win he recorded, which was being able to return at all.
“At some point, I told myself I didn’t really care how all of it goes, it was just
more important to be able to do something I’ve loved for so long,” Elfvin said.
“There were times in the short term I was disappointed, matches I thought I could
have won that I let slip away. But I wasn’t mad thinking about the big picture of the
year. I could have been dead, and instead I was still given the chance to wrestle.”

CLARION MAGAZINE

27

GOLDEN EAGLES

DIG
DEEP

SENIOR TRIO LEADS VOLLEYBALL TO FIRST ELITE EIGHT SINCE 2010
After falling in the Atlantic Region championship match in
2022, the mood around the Golden Eagles volleyball team was
one of unfinished business. Not content to let their volleyball
careers end on that note, and with the prospect of the 2023
NCAA Division II Volleyball championship being held in Pittsburgh
in 2023, three of the team’s seniors – London Fuller, Julia
Piccolino and Abigail Selfridge – made the decision to run it back
with their teammates one more time.
It proved to be a good decision. The Golden Eagles battled
near the top of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
standings for much of the season, reaching the conference
championship match for the third consecutive season before
falling to Gannon in a five-set nail-biter. Undeterred, the team
earned a bid to the Atlantic Regional and stormed through the
bracket there, pulling off three straight shutout wins, including a
sweep over IUP in the championship match Dec. 2.
The promise of the season was fulfilled. The Golden Eagles
punched their ticket to the Elite Eight for the first time since the
2010 season, putting them among the nation’s best, vying for a
national championship. Clarion put up a fight against reigning
national champion and eventual 2023 finalist West Texas A&M,
falling in the quarterfinal round, but with their heads held high.
“When we walked off the court, it didn’t negate the fact that
we just had an amazing season,” said head coach Jennifer Herron

28

CLARION

immediately after the match with West Texas A&M. “This is a
group I couldn’t be more proud to coach.”
“It blows my mind how far this group has come,” Herron
said of her upperclassmen, who were part of one conference
championship, three straight appearances in the conference
championship match and back-to-back regional finals. “They’re a
group of athletes that just decided that they wanted to outwork
everybody else, and that group started taking everyone that came
into this program and telling them this is how we do it here. That’s
something as a coach you’re always pushing for, but you don’t
always see it come to fruition, and to see the shift because they
decided the work was going to be necessary is special.”
The team’s success brought on individual accolades as
well. Junior outside hitter Cassidy Snider had arguably the
best individual offensive season in program history, earning
All-American honors from both the Division 2 Conference
Commissioners Association and the American Volleyball Coaches
Association, taking home First Team and Second Team laurels,
respectively. Fuller finished off a Clarion career that made her
one of the program’s most decorated players, earning AVCA
All-America Honorable Mention honors to mark her third straight
year as an All-American. Piccolino, meanwhile, finished her career
with more than 1,300 career kills, putting her among the best in
program history.

SPORTS DIGEST

JULIA
PICCOLINO

LONDON
FULLER

CASSIDY
SNIDER
CLARION MAGAZINE

29

Competition meets Camaraderie
to benefit Clarion athletes

W

hen two teams engage in competition, a victor generally emerges. Last spring, students
were the winners when PennWest Clarion’s Sig Tau Gamma and Alpha Gamma Phi – the

Sig Taus and the Gammas, for short – went head-to-head in the Athletic Fund Challenge.
The challenge generated nearly $50,000 to support Golden Eagles athletes through scholarships.

The Sig Taus raised $18,239 through 62 individual donors,
and the Gammas raised $31,209 through 88 individual donors.
Neither fraternity has had an active chapter on campus
since the 1970s, but the brothers have remained
committed to their organizations, to Clarion, and, most
importantly, to Clarion students.
Both fraternities collected donations from
brothers who had not donated in a while, as
well as some brothers who were making their
first donation.
The idea for the challenge came from
Paul “Hook” Palmer, a Sig brother since he
was a Clarion student in the late 1950s and
early 1960s.
“He wanted to challenge other fraternities,”
said Gamma president Dan Wolovich, to whom
Palmer initially reached out. “The Sig Taus and
Gammas have always been competitive, within intramural
(sports), especially.”
Wolovich was all for it.
“From what I understand, back in the late ‘50s and early
‘60s, the campus was relatively small, but there were three
fraternities and four sororities,” said Barry McCauliff, who
worked with Palmer to organize the Gammas for the fundraising
challenge. “They started Greek Night.”
McCauliff said much of the history is hearsay, but his
understanding is Greek Night evolved into the Greek Olympics
10 or 15 years later.

30

CLARION

“Greek Olympics became popular, and fraternities worked
pretty hard to outdo each other in a nicely spirited way,” he said.
“We’ve enjoyed a very nice camaraderie in a competitive sense
for a number of years.”
Years later, the competition between the two
fraternities is still nicely spirited, but it’s purposeful.
Gammas and Taus primarily comprise athletes;
around 90 percent of the brothers were involved in
college athletics. Both fraternities have scholarships
that benefit Golden Eagles athletes. The Gamma
scholarship is divided among all of the sports on
campus; the Sig Tau scholarship is strictly for football
now, but they plan to include other sports in the future.
“The passion we see from these two fraternities
to give back to their alma mater is infectious,” said Chris
Anderson, director of Athletic Giving for PennWest. “I hope
that this will spur more alumni groups to consider giving
back to their Golden Eagles in the years to come. Not only do
these groups have a chance to rekindle bonds from their time
at Clarion, they also have an amazing opportunity to make a
big impact on future Golden Eagles who will walk on the same
grounds as they did.”
The coaches are grateful for the efforts. Head football
coach Ray Monica said the scholarships benefit student-athletes
by helping them reach their academic goal of graduating with a
degree. It assists with recruitment, too.
“It helps us keep a competitive edge in the region,” he said.

ΣTΓ
ΑΓΦ

CLARION MAGAZINE

31

alumni
news
in
memoriam
1950s
Dr. Samuel J. Rogal ’56
is the author of 92 published
scholarly books, the latest of
which has been issued as
“A Biographical Sketchbook
of Nineteenth-Century
Methodist Ministers, Preachers,
Missionaries, and Exhorters at
Work in Great Britain, the
Americas, and Other Parts
of the World.” He was the
principal speaker at the
North Central Jurisdictional
Convocation of the Illinois
Great Rivers Conference
on Archives and History
in July 2023. He delivered
a paper, “Bishop Matthew
Simpson’s Funeral Address to
Abraham Lincoln.”

1990s

David Gibbons ’92 was
named president of UPMC
Central Pennsylvania, which
covers Adams, Cumberland,
Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton,
Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon,
Mifflin, Perry and York counties.
He began his work with UPMC
in 2009 as president of
UPMC Northwest in Venango
County, went on to become
executive vice president and
CEO of UPMC Hamot in 2012
and was promoted to senior
vice president of the Health
Services Division and market
president for the northwest/
north-central regions in 2021.
He began his medical career
as an oncology nurse.

member for coverage of the
conference’s student-athletes,
coaches and teams. He is
known as the voice of Clarion
Golden Eagles sports and has
spent 36 years broadcasting
various sporting events for
Clarion.

as a certified physician
assistant in the emergency
department and
trauma center. She is a
member of the American
Academy of Physician
Assistants and Pennsylvania
Society of Physician Assistants.

2010s

Karen Pierce ’18 is the
director of Henderson
Memorial Public Library,
Jefferson, Ohio. She began
in December. Previously,
she was director of Erie Public
Library.

Dr. Cecelia Harmon ’19
is a mixed animal general
practitioner at Drummond
Animal Hospital, New
Bethlehem. In addition,
she educates animal owners
through her YouTube page,
“Dr. Cecelia Bedelia,” and a
column she writes for an area
newspaper.

Nick Neupauer ’93 has
announced that after 17 years
as chief executive officer of
Butler County Community
College, he will retire Dec. 31.
Mike Kalinowski ’92 was
the 2023 recipient of the
George Heaslip Award
which recognizes a media

32

CLARION

Brittany Mealy ’19 has joined
the medical staff of Penn
Highlands Healthcare, DuBois,

Gina Mazzocchi ’15, a
licensed counselor with over
six years of experience in the
mental health and substance
abuse fields, recently
opened her practice, Thrive
Counseling Services LLC, in
Clarion. Her mission is to
provide a judgment-free zone
for people to process their
emotions and unresolved grief,
trauma and challenges so that
they can have a safe place to
heal and grow.

alumni news
2020s

Jennifer Moran ’13 is director
of Pittston Memorial Library,
Kingston, Pennsylvania.
She lives in Forty Fort with
her husband and two dogs.
They have an adult son.

Ariel Venesky ’10 is director
of admissions and marketing
for Clarview Nursing and
Rehabilitation Center, Sligo. She
is responsible for identifying,
developing, and maintaining
referral relationships and is
responsible for all aspects of the
internal admission process.

John Mozzocio ’01 was
appointed in November as
superintendent of Penn Hills
School District, Pittsburgh.
With more than 20 years of
education experience, he
previously was director of
pupil services for New Castle
School District.

in memoriam
1940s

Maxine M. Mong Lauffer ’45, May 14, 2023

1950s

William C. Brochetti ’50, Aug. 31, 2023
Irene Vobrak Tkatch ’52, June 14, 2023
Donald A. Stemmerich ’53, April 12, 2023
Charlotte Anne Abbey ’55, Oct. 16, 2023
Elizabeth Seybert Shoup ’55, April 23, 2023
Joan Parmeter Nolan ’56, April 3, 2023
Dora J. Hetrick ’57, July 2, 2023

1960s

Doris J. Calhoun Grubb ’60, April 16, 2023
Gildo R. Torchia ’61, May 7, 2023
Robert J. Cloherty ’62, June 28, 2023
Henry J. Sullivan ’62, Aug. 5, 2023
Esther L. Behrens Dininny ’63, June 21, 2023
Jesse Oscar McKee ’63, July 15, 2023
Barbara E. Morgan Mesol ’63, Aug. 4, 2023
Martha Kay Haas Karg ’64, April 3, 2023
Arthur Richard Broge ’65, Aug. 15, 2023
Kenneth James Burgun ’65, Sept. 23, 2023

Janice Lee Mitchell ’65, April 10, 2023
John J. Berne ’66, July 8, 2023
Penny A. Lewis McCleary ’66, July 17, 2023
Louis J. Toth ’67, April 15, 2023
Dennis C. Lloyd ’68, June 21, 2023
Michael J. Zaccari ’68, May 18, 2023
Lorna J. Hutton ’69, Nov. 23, 2023
Dennis L. McDonald ’69, April 4, 2023
Terri L. Dunkle ’69, July 3, 2023

1980s

1970s

Mildred J. Hartzell Stahlman ’89, July 8, 2023

Sally L. Murray Henry ’71, July 1, 2023
Cathy S. Stinard Love ’71, April 24, 2023
Sharon M. Holleran Porterfield ’71, May 27, 2023
Lorraine E. Lach Fitch ’72, May 24, 2023
Charles E. McLaughlin ’72, Aug. 9, 2023
Sheila Smith ’72, March 26, 2023
Gary Lee Lasher ’73, April 25, 2023
Dennis P. McMasters ’73, May 31, 2023
Vera L. Renwick Evans ’74, Nov. 1, 2023
Barbara Jo Sendry Turiak ’75, June 20, 2023
Robert T. VanEpps ’77, Dec. 4, 2023

Kimberly Leona Byerly ’80, April 18, 2023
Deborah S. Boring Sanderson ’80, May 20, 2023
Daniel Guy Bartoli ’81, June 10, 2023
Dennis D. Murray ’83, May 11, 2023
Robert R. Kollar ’84, April 18, 2023
Thomas C. Ramage ’85, June 9, 2023
David M. Staskiewicz ’85, July 12, 2023
David N. Love ’86, Sept. 24, 2023

1990s

Jane E. Allio Detrie ’90, Oct. 16, 2023
Mary Jo Hyler Rhode ’90, July 1, 2023
Kevin Andrew Sebunia ’90, Aug. 12, 2023
Debra Jean Hollis ’91, May 28, 2023
Devan Spencer Pippin ’94, Sept. 1, 2023
Molly Theresa Preshak Singer ’94, June 9, 2023
Gregory Max Stiver ’94, April 21, 2023
Brendan Peter George ’97, Aug. 19, 2023

2010s

Carol Ann Jewell Bylaska ’10, Sept. 6, 2023
Dianne K. Dunlap ’13, April 2, 2023
Gregory Thomas Bean ’14, May 3, 2023

CLARION MAGAZINE

33

CLARION

BABY
EAGLES

Aurora Kostelnik,
daughter of Christopher ’15
and Kirsten Bare ’15 Kostelnik,
born Aug. 2, 2022

Antonio Arthur Barone,
son of Kelsey Monro ’20
and Dominic Barone,
born Sept. 13, 2022

Amelia Rae Wees,
daughter of Tyler and
Amanda Kepler Wees, born
Nov. 11, 2022

Bella Marie Lemasters,
daughter of Kasey and
Lauren Greb ’11 Lemasters,
born Dec. 23, 2022

Addison Shae Blevins,
daughter of
Evin Blevins (Cal ’13) and
Reanna Buzza ’17, ’18M,
born July 16, 2023

Aidan James and Liam Francis Hyman,
sons of Dylan ’15 and
Laurel Pierotti ’16 Hyman,
born Aug. 9, 2023

Juliet Louise Conn,
daughter of Nathan and
Elizabeth “E.J.” ’07 Conn,
born Aug. 22, 2023

Zoe Grace Slisz,
daughter of John and
Madeline Robinson ’15 Slisz,
born Aug. 30, 2023

Otto Pan Maddox,
son of Katie E. Delp ’07
and Scott Maddox,
born Oct. 15, 2020

Grant Michael Berezansky,
son of Nathan and
Britney Olsavsky ’09 Berezansky,
born Jan. 12, 2022

Verna Rose Bowman,
daughter of Brian and
Shanna Bowersox ’10 Bowman,
born March 31, 2022

Logan Atlas Aikins,
son of Gabriella N. Oglietti ’16
and Devin Aikins,
born June 27, 2022

Keilian Chapman Keen,
son of Nathan C. ’06 and
Gina M. Miller ’09 Keen,
born Jan. 24, 2023

Crew Wilder Allen,
son of Lucas ’11 and
Laura Ferruchie ’08 Allen,
born March 10, 2023

Brycen Chase Trithart,
son of Brett and
Alyssa N. Trithart ’21 Burkett,
born March 23, 2023

Evelyn Leanne Roscoe,
daughter of Cameron and
Vanessa Wutter ’12 Roscoe,
born March 23, 2023

OUR GIFT TO BABY EAGLES
OF CLARION ALUMNI IS A DASHING NEW BIB!
To receive a bib, visit clarion.edu/babybib and complete the
online form. Once you receive your bib, take a picture of your
Eaglet putting the bib to use, and email a high-resolution photo
to us for inclusion in Clarion Magazine.
For more information,
call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 814-393-2572.

John Paul Catrillo,
son of Matthew ’15 and
Lisa Kopczyk ’14 Catrillo,
born Sept. 20, 2023

CLARION MAGAZINE

35

#WINGSUP
ELI BRINSKY

W

hen the Pittsburgh Steelers exit the locker room and
run onto the field, the elite athletes’ bodies are ready
to perform at optimal levels, capable of explosive strength and
speed. The professional athletes have spent their lives training
their bodies to do the extraordinary.
Their physical conditioning plays a significant role in the
athletes’ preparation, but equally important is their nutrition.
For the past two seasons, Dr. Kim Schwabenbauer, RD, CSSD,
PennWest professor within the nutrition and fitness concentration
of the exercise science program, has worked with the team,
tailoring their nutritional intake to the specific needs of the
professional athletes. During last year’s training camp, she
employed an intern who knows a thing or two about preparing his
body for competition.
Senior Eli Brinsky is a member of the Golden Eagles
wrestling team and a nutrition and fitness major at PennWest
Clarion.
“I chose this field of study because I have always been
interested in living a healthy lifestyle, and I wanted to pursue a
career that connected to my background as a student-athlete,”
Brinsky said. “I chose Clarion because I loved the small-town
atmosphere, and I could not pass up the opportunity to continue
my wrestling career at a storied program with amazing coaches
and teammates.”

36

CLARION

Brinsky’s internship responsibilities included researching
nutrition supplements, helping to develop recipes for smoothies
and electrolyte popsicles, and assisting in other
nutrition-related tasks.
“When researching supplements, we are looking to see if
they are approved by NSF Certified for Sport, which is a
third-party testing company that ensures the supplements are not
contaminated with banned substances,” Brinsky said.
When creating recipes for smoothies, the focus is on
high-protein and antioxidant-rich ingredients to help the athletes
recover properly after their workouts and practices.
“High-protein ingredients like whey protein powder and
Greek yogurt assist in muscle building and recovery. Antioxidantrich ingredients like blueberries and raspberries help prevent
tissue damage from free-radicals that are a result of exercise,” he
said.
Hydration is key for athletes at all times, but especially
during training camp because of the extreme heat.
“Electrolyte popsicles are a fun alternative to regular
Gatorade and other electrolyte sources,” Brinsky said. “We ensure
that the popsicles have adequate sodium and potassium to help
the athletes prevent dehydration and rehydrate after practices.”
After graduating, Brinsky plans to pursue a master’s degree
in nutrition and obtain registered dietitian credentials.

“It takes a noble person to plant a seed for a tree that will one day
provide shade to those whom he may never meet.”
~D. Elton Trueblood

DR. HAROLD V. HARTLEY AND
CAROLYN J. HARTLEY SCHOLARSHIP
The Hartleys were lifelong supporters of Clarion University.
Dr. Hartley was recruited to Clarion in 1963 to teach speech
pathology and audiology. He was founding chair and established the
graduate program for the Department of Communication Sciences &
Disorders. Dr. Hartley was active in faculty governance and in
establishment of the faculty union. Mrs. Hartley taught in the College
of Education. Both were active in the community. This scholarship is a
memorial to them and to the many students they impacted.

DR. NICHOLAS J. BEZAK SCHOLARSHIP
Dr. Bezak was a professor of mathematics at Clarion from 1968
until his retirement in 2001. The oldest of six children, he grew
up on a farm in eastern Ohio. He worked at a grocery store to
pay for his Bachelor of Arts degree and continued to work on
the family farm. He stayed true to living among the working
class. Two of his brothers created this scholarship to advance
the education of future scientists and to pay tribute to him and
the students he taught.

Larry W. Jamison ’87 | Director of Planned Giving
814-393-1926 | ljamison@clarion.edu

Clarion University Foundation, Inc.
A copy of the latest financial report, registration filed by this organization, and a description of our programs and activities may be obtained by contacting us at: Clarion University Foundation, Inc., 840 Wood Street, Clarion, PA 16214, 814-393-1610. Clarion University Foundation, Inc. was formed in Pennsylvania. If you are a resident of one of the following states, you may obtain financial information directly from the state agency: Florida: A
COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE, WITHIN THE STATE, 1-800-435-7352 (800-HELP-FLA), OR VISITING www.FloridaConsumerHelp.com. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. Florida Registration #CH43617. Georgia: A full and fair description of our
programs and our financial statement summary is available upon request at our office and phone number indicated above. Maryland: For the cost of copies and postage, from the Office of the Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis, MD 21401. Mississippi: The official registration and financial information of Clarion University Foundation, Inc. may be obtained from the Mississippi Secretary of State’s office by calling 1-888-236-6167. Registration
by the Secretary of State does not imply endorsement. Nevada: Contributions may be tax deductible pursuant to the provisions of sec. 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. §170(c). New Jersey: INFORMATION FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CONCERNING THIS CHARITABLE SOLICITATION AND THE PERCENTAGE OF CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHARITY DURING THE LAST REPORTING PERIOD THAT WERE
DEDICATED TO THE CHARITABLE PURPOSE MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY BY CALLING 973-504-6215 AND IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT: http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/charfrm.htm. REGISTRATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. New York: Upon request, from the Attorney General Charities Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10005. North
Carolina: Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available from the State Solicitation Licensing Branch at 1-919-814-5400. The license is not an endorsement by the state. Pennsylvania: The official registration and financial information of Clarion University Foundation, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not
imply endorsement. Virginia: From the State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, PO Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218. Washington: From the Secretary of State at 1-800-332-4483 or http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/. West Virginia: West Virginia residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305. Registration
does not imply endorsement. Wisconsin: A financial statement of the charitable organization disclosing assets, liabilities, fund balances, revenue and expenses for the preceding fiscal year will be provided to any person upon request. REGISTRATION WITH A STATE AGENCY DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THAT STATE.

STONER FAMILY
SHOWS
GRATITUDE
FOR CLARION
THROUGH
PHILANTHROPY
John and Jan Stoner met on a Sunday morning in the fall
of 1971 when each was walking with a friend to Forest Manor,
the coed dormitory where the four then-Clarion State College
students lived.
They were from the same part of Pennsylvania – John went
to high school in Hershey, Jan in Lower Dauphin. They didn’t
know each other before college, although their lives seemed
destined to intersect: John was a frequent visitor to a farm across
the road from where Jan lived.
Although their academic trajectories were quite different
– John was a marketing major, and Jan was an elementary
education major – they found themselves together in Mr.
Leonard’s health class the spring of their freshman year.
He asked her out a couple of months into the semester.
Having a common love of sports, their first date was at a
basketball game.
“I followed sports since I was 11 or 12,” Jan said. “I went
to swimming, basketball and gymnastics. I particularly loved
wrestling.”
The couple took advantage of any concerts, plays or
activities on campus. They wanted to experience all they could.
They dated throughout college and graduated together in
1975, then returned home to Dauphin County, where they married
that fall.
Jan taught elementary school for five years, until the couple
was expecting their daughter, Jen.
Around the same time, John, who worked in sales for

38

CLARION

Jackson Manufacturing wheelbarrow company, got the idea to
open a family-run athletics supplies store.
“I took Jen from the time she was two months old to work at
Stoners’ Sporting Goods,” Jan said. “It was fun because we had
Jen in her little walker thing. It worked pretty well.”
Initially, Jan’s sister was a partner and her parents helped
to run the store. The sister left to pursue other interests, so the
last five years that they had the store, it was owned and operated
by John and Jan. Jan was at the store full time, and John, who
continued to work for Jackson Manufacturing, helped when
he could.
Jackson Manufacturing eventually was acquired by True
Temper, which added John to the marketing staff. He moved
through the ranks, becoming director then vice president of
marketing, and eventually president of True Temper Lawn and
Garden. When True Temper was bought by a private company,
which put in its own people, John was fired.
“The day I was fired, I had a call from a headhunter for
Steinway’s sister company, Conn-Selmer,” he said. “After several
months, I was the president of Conn-Selmer.”
The Stoners sold the store and relocated to northeastern
Indiana for the job. The move put them closer to Notre Dame,
where their daughter was a student.
Both in Pennsylvania and Indiana, Jan stayed busy with
philanthropic work.
“In Pennsylvania, I was very active with the Girl Scouts. I
became a leader and was part of the local team that runs Girl

Scouts. I had a friend who was a kindergarten teacher; I helped
kids learn the alphabet and worked with those who were behind,”
Jan said. “When we moved (to Indiana), I went into the schools,
first to kindergarten, then I worked with a third-grade teacher to
help kids learn math facts. Also, for 12 years, I volunteered at a
women’s center and helped in the clothes closet.”
She stopped volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic to
avoid the risk of exposure.
Around the same time, John retired from Conn-Selmer.
“Our daughter had visited, and she got me hooked on
walking to Starbucks for coffee,” John said. “I would get up at 6
or 6:30 every morning. I couldn’t mow the lawn, so I would walk
to Starbucks. One day while walking back, I decided I wanted to
spend the rest of my life with Jan and not do this anymore.”
Through Conn-Selmer, John had interacted with people such
as Alex Van Halen, Maroon 5, Green Day and Rascal Flats.
“Paul McCartney contacted me and invited me to come to
see him when he was playing in Wrigley Field eight to 10 years
ago. He asked me to meet with him,” John said. Ludwig Drums is
part of Conn-Selmer, and John commissioned Ludwig to build a
snare drum for McCartney.
“I took it to him,” John said. “He really enjoyed it. We had our
picture taken with him, and we talked quite a bit.”
Although John loved the company and the industry, and had
had a great career with them, a few months later, he concluded
his career and retired after 20 years at Conn-Selmer.
The Stoners had done well, and they decided they wanted
to give back to Clarion, which shaped their lives and careers.
They began with a scholarship.

“We want to help students attend college, ones who might
not be able to afford it,” Jan said. “(Clarion) changed our lives. It
truly changed our lives to the good.”
They wanted to do more. This year, the Stoners committed
to a substantial gift to renovate the Still Hall auditorium.
“We were looking to donate to some project, and (Still Hall)
is the business building,” said John, who had had many classes in
Still as a marketing major. He cited the orange carpet on the walls
of the auditorium and the outdated technology as motivation to
help with the project. “We thought, ‘We have the funds to do it,’ so
we did.”
The renovation is in the design phase. One of the people
who gave input about the design was the Stoners’ daughter, Jen,
a marketing professor at the University of North Dakota. UND
just opened a new business building, and one of the outcomes is
increased enrollment.
John hopes that the renovation will have a similar effect for
Clarion.
“I think when you take people through facilities, if it looks
like it’s up to date to what it should be, it’s a big plus,” he said.
The renovation, which includes a full gutting of the
auditorium, is scheduled to begin in May 2024 and be completed
at the end of July 2024.

“I’m really thankful to Clarion
for everything we have.”
CLARION MAGAZINE

39

PennWest Clarion
840 Wood St.
Clarion, PA 16214

SAVE
THE
DATE

October 4 and 5

For more information, visit
PennWest.edu/clarion-homecoming