CLARION
U N I V E R S I T Y

M A G A Z I N E

FALL 2019

CLARION

You wouldn’t
think a chainsaw is
beneficial to a forest
that is slowly being
rebuilt, but you’d
be wrong.

FA L L 2 0 1 9
VOLUME 6
NUMBER 2

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

12 Clarion renews commitment to education

4 Clarion Digest

As of July 1, the School of Education is a standalone entity
with Dr. Gwyneth Price as dean. Learn Price’s goals for the
future and meet education alumni who are making Clarion
proud.

Students conduct research to prove that a type of

22 River of the Year

Marketing Association Hall of Fame; Delbrugge is

Some of Clarion River’s tributaries once were lifeless due
to the effects of acid mine drainage and sedimentation, but
faculty, students and alumni have put their Clarion education
to work, improving the streams in the river’s watershed.

28 Priceless

With four Daytime Emmy Award nominations for editing the
game show The Price is Right, La-Aja Wiggins Hernandez (’06)
is making a name for herself in Hollywood.

moth larva will eat polyethylene, a possible solution
to plastic waste; Clarion students represent Costa
Rica at Model UN; Hammerstrom named to Legal
new dean of College of Arts and Sciences; Clarion
celebrates 17th annual Juneteenth.

10 Clarion shines in state, national spotlight
32 Sports Roundup
CU Sports Hall of Fame inducts five, including a
third tennis player from Norb Baschnagel’s reign
of excellence; underclassmen lead track and field
championships; two golfers earn at-large spots in
prestigious golf championships; Don Leas and Chuck
Nanz are remembered as architects of the swimming
and diving program.

One such person yielding a chainsaw is Luke Bobnar, a
2010 Clarion University biology graduate with a minor in
environmental sustainability. Bobnar works for the Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy, which is working to restore the
Allegheny National Forest to its original splendor.
The project involves strategically cutting down trees and
placing them in and across streams and bodies of water to
provide habitats for fish and other wildlife.
Bobnar explained that our forests are relatively young
and thick. The large trees that would naturally fall across
streams and fall in flood plains in a natural ecosystem are
not present, due to industrial clearcutting that occurred in

Pennsylvania more than a century ago. Clearcutting is the
practice of clearing trees in a uniform way.
“It’s left our streams bereft of habitat in many places,”
Bobnar said.

ON THE COVER

40 Class Notes

Clarion renews its focus on teacher preparation.

48 Courageous Endeavors

Bobnar estimates that the Allegheny National Forest
should have between 70 and 380 large trees per mile, per
stream. “We should naturally be chock-full of wood, and
we’re not,” Bobnar said.

Starting a new job is never easy, but with exceptional

The wood, which they place either in the water or across
the water, provides a cover and a habitat for fish, which
need a cool place to swim in the summer, as well as a place
to hide from predators such as other fish and birds.

honors.

preparation through Clarion’s early childhood/special
education program, Jarred Hannold (’18) concluded
his first year of teaching with Rookie of the Year

READ MORE AT
WWW.CLARION.EDU/BOBNAR

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

1

CLARION
UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE

President: Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson
Executive editor: Tina Horner
Co-editors: Sean Fagan (sports); Amy Thompson Wozniak (’02, MS ’06)
Design: Bryan Postlewait (‘04)
Contributors: Michelle Port, Hope Lineman (‘10, MS ‘16)
Photographers: Adam Reynolds (’15), Bri Nellis (’16)
Address comments and questions to:
Clarion University Magazine
Center for Advancement
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
840 Wood St., Clarion, PA 16214
Email: alumni@clarion.edu
Visit Clarion University on the Web at www.clarion.edu.
Clarion University Magazine is published by the Division for University
Advancement for alumni, families of current students and friends of Clarion
University. Alumni information is also located at www.clarion.edu/alumni.
Clarion University of Pennsylvania is committed to equal employment and equal
educational opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, affection or sexual orientation, age, disability 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.
Direct equal opportunity inquiries to:
Director of Social Equity
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
216 Carrier Administration Building
Clarion, PA 16214-1232
814-393-2109

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Board of Governors
Chair: Cynthia D. Shapira
Vice Chair: David M. Maser
Vice Chair: Samuel H. Smith
Rep. Tim Briggs
Audrey F. Bronson
Joar Dahn
Donald E. Houser Jr.
Rodney Kaplan Jr.
Barbara McIlvaine Smith
Marian D. Moskowitz
Thomas S. Muller
Noe Ortega, designee for Sec. Rivera
Pedro A. Rivera, secretary of education
Rep. Brad Roae
Sen. Judith L. Schwank
Meg Snead, designee for Gov. Wolf
Neil R. Weaver
Gov. Tom Wolf
Janet L. Yeomans
Council of Trustees
Chair: J.D. Dunbar (’77, MS ’79)
Vice Chair: Milissa Steiner Bauer (’84)
Secretary: James L. Kifer (MBA ’83)
Susanne A. Burns
The Honorable R. Lee James (’74, MBA ’83)
The Honorable Donna Oberlander (’91)
Larry Pickett (’77)
Howard H. Shreckengost (’83)
Neil Weaver (’00)
Tree Zuzzio, student trustee
Alumni Association Board of Directors
President: Theresa Zacherl Edder (’91, MS ’05)
President-Elect: David Reed (’09)
Treasurer: Michael Phillips (’03, MBA ’04)
Secretary: Will Price (’09, ’11)

Jonathan Catanzarita (’11)
Michael Chapaloney (’99)
Henry Crawford (’02)
Jeffrey Douthett (’79)
Chelsea Signorino Ewing (’15)
Lee Grosch (’62)
Sandra Hollenbaugh Jarecki (’69)
Bridget Linnan Kennedy (’90, MS ’07)
Thomas Launer (’10)
John Marshall (’87)
Barry McCauliff (’72)
Chris Myers (’12)
Ryan Peffer (’03)
Robert Schmidt (’69)
Joseph Sciullo (’02)
Samantha Noblit Thauvette (’09)
Shannon Fitzpatrick Thomas (’92)
Virginia Cole Vasko (’88)
Glenn Zary (’97)

We have an abundance of wonderful projects happening on campus. The True North Initiative is steering our path
toward our future success. One of the initiatives that came out of the TNI is the relaunch of the School of Education.
I am proud and pleased to share with you that, effective July 1, our School of Education is once again a freestanding
entity with its own dean. Clarion University has embarked on a renewed commitment to education as a cornerstone of
our past and of our future.
Led by Dr. Gwyneth Price, former director and now dean, our School of Education leads the way in many areas.
Our programs are recognized nationally for the exceptional preparation of undergraduate students as well as graduate
students. In fact, Clarion is the only university in Pennsylvania authorized to offer Competent Learner Model courses for
college credit, and our special education department is one of few in the commonwealth with a curriculum that embeds
applied behavior analysis.
Teachers prepared at Clarion University launch careers all over our country and the world, thanks to the strength of
our faculty, our community partners, and the diversity of the clinical educational experiences we offer. Our students
benefit from exposure to rural schools, larger schools and private schools, and complete field work in a variety of
settings such as Cook Forest State Park and the Elk Country Visitors Bureau.
Have no doubt that Clarion University’s rich history in and reputation for excellence in education and teacher
preparation continues! Education is thriving and growing!
Onward and upward!
Dr. Dale

Kirsten Davis
Eagle Ambassadors President
Ann Thompson ex-officio
Director of Alumni Engagement

President, Clarion University

Dr. Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson ex-officio
President, Clarion University

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CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

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STUDENT NEWS I CLARION DIGEST

STUDENT NEWS I CLARION DIGEST
CLARK interns WITH D.C.
CORRECTIONS INFORMATION COUNCIL
Sadie Clark served a 10-week summer internship with District of Columbia
Corrections Information Council, an independent body that monitors the
conditions of confinement where D.C. residents are incarcerated. Clark read
and responded to letters from inmates and logged the correspondence, and
she assisted with a site inspection. The internship was done through the
Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.
Clark will graduate in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology/psychology with a minor in social work, and an Associate of Science in criminal
justice. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in social work and work in a
federal correctional institution to advocate for inmates, improve conditions
and lower recidivism rates.
She is active in Marching Band and Kappa Kappa Psi-Epsilon Phi. She is
a French tutor and will begin work at CU Movies on Main this fall. She has
worked as a model since 2015, appearing in ads for ModCloth clothing, in a
short film by Point Park University students, and in the November 2018 issue
of Marie Claire magazine.

(From left) Jasmine Hobson, Gerald Bickel and Emily Rahalla, and Mitchell Long (not pictured) have supported their
hypothesis that the Greater wax moth larvae will eat polyethylene, which is used in plastic.

STUDENT RESEARCH
COULD HELP reduce PLASTIC WASTE
What if the solution to the world’s plastic woes is only
an inch long and typically found at the end of your fishing
hook?
Students Gerald Bickel, Jasmine Hobson, Mitchell Long
and Emily Rahalla, and their research advisor Dr. Andrew
Keth, have supported their hypothesis that the Greater
wax moth in larva form will eat polyethylene, which is
widely used in plastic.
In the abstract explaining their research, which took

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FALL 2019
WWW.CLARION.EDU

two years, the students wrote, “This insect was chosen
because it typically consumes beeswax, which shares a
functionally similar structure to polyethylene.”

CLARION STUDENTS represent COSTA RICA AT MODEL UN
Fourteen students participated in the National Model
United Nations Conference last spring at the UN
Headquarters, New York.
As delegates for the Republic of Costa Rica, they interacted with delegations in seven different UN committees and
worked on resolution papers on different crucial topics. The
students received an Honorable Mention Delegation Award.
Economics professor Dr. Sandra Trejos networked with other

faculty members who either teach a Model UN class or
advise a Model UN club.
“The range of skills (speaking, writing, research,
negotiation, cooperation, diplomacy) the students develop
at this conference is extensive and I hope we can pursue
this opportunity further given the experiential learning to
experience,” Trejos said.

The end result – they were right.
“Our data showed that larvae eating polyethylene were
as likely to make it to adulthood as those consuming
beeswax. This means that G. mellonella (the Greater wax
moth) may be a viable method for reducing plastic waste,”
their abstract stated.

CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

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STUDENT NEWS I CLARION DIGEST

ALUMNI NEWS I CLARION DIGEST
ASN CLUB WINS
CORE challenge
TO REGISTER
ORGAN DONORS
Clarion University – Venango Associate of
Science Nursing Club received first place in
the Center for Organ Recovery & Education
College Challenge in which clubs raise awareness about organ, tissue and cornea donation
and register new organ donors. Top prize was
$1,000.
“The students were very creative with events
to promote organ donation and held a shamrock and shake event for St. Patrick’s Day that
was extremely successful,” said Chris Weidle,
nursing faculty and club advisor.
Members of the CORE Challenge Team
were: Steph Zimmerman, Lisa Bowser, Angela
Remmick, Clint Eakin, Hannah Keyes, Katrina
Favreau, Ali Fleming, Christina Weidle, Debra
Flaherty and Helen Baker.
Combined, the clubs that participated in the
challenge registered 334 people as organ and
tissue donors, potentially saving 2,672 lives.
The ASN Nursing Club pulled in 80 of those
new donors.
The challenge is held annually in April as
part of national donor month.

LAUGAND SERVES INTERNSHIP WITH
CENTER FOR rural PENNSYLVANIA
R.J. Laugand, a senior majoring in math and economics, is a summer
intern in Harrisburg’s Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bicameral, bipartisan
legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the general
assembly. He assists with data analysis, mainly looking at hospital finances
before and after Medicaid expansion.
Laugand, who will graduate in December, has played basketball for the
Golden Eagles for four years. He was named a scholar-athlete and has earned
dean’s list distinction six times. He has served on the Student Advisory
Council for two years and is a member of Math Club.

HAMMERSTROM
NAMED TO LMA

hall of fame

Jeanne Burger Hammerstrom
(’86), chief marketing officer for
Benesch, was named to the Legal
Marketing Association’s Hall of
Fame, which recognizes lifetime
achievement in the legal marketing
industry and outstanding contributions to LMA.
Hammerstrom brings 30 years of
legal marketing experience to her
post at Benesch. During her tenure,
Benesch has grown substantially in
size and reach, joining the AmLaw
200 and perennially earning recognition as one of Northeast Ohio’s
Best Workplaces, and it was named
one of BTI Consulting’s Badass
Business Development Firms.

KIEHL HONORED
AS WOMAN OF

excellence

Renae Kluk Kiehl (’98), senior
counsel and deputy corporate
secretary for Capital BlueCross,
was recently honored as a YWCA
of Greater Harrisburg Woman of
Excellence. The award is given
to 30 of central Pennsylvania’s
leading female professionals and
community volunteers who have
made significant contributions to
their communities and/or
companies.
After graduating from Widener
Commonwealth Law School in
2008, Kiehl served her country
and state as a judge advocate in
the Pennsylvania Army National
Guard, rising to the rank of major.
Under her leadership, Pennsylvania
opened a full-time Trial Defense
Services office to ensure that all
Pennsylvania soldiers have access
to defense counsel.

BETTS
RECOGNIZED
FOR commitment
TO STUDENT
SUCCESS
Dr. Thomas Betts (’85),
professor of chemistry at Kutztown
University, has been named the
2019 recipient of the College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Outstanding Faculty Award. This
honor recognizes a faculty member
in the college with a consistent
and conscientious commitment to
student success, both in and out of
the classroom.
Betts has been with Kutztown
University since 1992. He has dedicated himself to undergraduate
research, having served as a mentor in more than 50 undergraduate
research projects with 60 students.
Prior to his tenure at KU, he served
as both a research chemist and
laboratory manager for Quaker
State Motor Oil Corporation.

Katy Mapes (’19) and grandmother Jeanette Brothers Fillgrove (’64)
stand outside of Hart Chapel, where Mapes’ Bachelor of Science in
Nursing pinning ceremony was held and where Fillgrove received her
education degree in 1964.

After graduating, Laugand plans to pursue a career in a business-related
field in the Pittsburgh area.

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CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

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CAMPUS NEWS I CLARION DIGEST

CAMPUS NEWS I CLARION DIGEST
DR. LAURA DELBRUGGE leads,
AS DEAN, THE COLLEGE OF ARTS
AND SCIENCES. SHE STARTED JULY 1.

“We are excited to have Dr. Laura Delbrugge join us as the new dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences,” said Dr. Pam Gent, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs.
“Laura was selected as a result of a robust year-long national search. She is forward
thinking and a solutions-based leader who understands the realities of higher education.”
Delbrugge joins Clarion from Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she served as a
tenured professor of Spanish and as the chair of the Department of Foreign Languages.
She has worked there since 1998, but also worked as an assistant professor at Clarion
from 1997 to 1998.

plugging in TO THE SUN
Solar-powered charging stations are in place in
the outdoor seating area of Starbucks, located at
Suites on Main South. Purchased through sustainability grant money, the environmentally friendly
stations are an added convenience for students and
guests. The 100-watt solar panels are mounted on
fiberglass umbrellas. Each unit has two Apple and
two Droid ports, four USB ports and a 2.1-amp
fast charge.

PHI DELTA THETA activates TO AID AREA MAN

Richard and Nancy Diener are staging a rebellion, and Phi
Delta Theta fraternity is standing with them.

17TH ANNUAL juneteenth
MARKS ‘400 YEARS
OF RESILIENCE’
Pennsylvania State Representative Jake Wheatley Jr.
(D-Allegheny) delivered the keynote address, “400 Years of
Resilience,” at the 17th annual Juneteenth celebration June
14 in Hart Chapel. Junior philosophy/pre-med major Kaitlyn
Sobiech, a native of the Bahamas, was emcee.
Juneteenth began in Texas. Although the Emancipation
Proclamation was issued Jan. 1, 1863, slaves in Texas didn’t
receive word until two-and-a-half years later, on June 19, 1865,
that they were free. This year, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf
declared Juneteenth to be a holiday in the commonwealth.
Clarion’s Juneteenth is sponsored by: Clarion University and
its African American Caucus and NAACP Student Chapter, and
Clarion Chamber of Business and Industry.

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Four years ago, Richard was diagnosed with primary
lateral sclerosis, a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,
also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
ALS is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that
slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow
and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages
two to five years from the time of diagnosis. PLS impacts
the body in the same way, but it progresses more slowly.
Last January, Nancy opened up to coworker Alyssa
Katz-Domitrovich (’14, MS ’15), whose husband, Josh (’13,
MBA ’15), is a brother of Phi Delta Theta. Josh shared the
Dieners’ story with his fraternity, whose national
philanthropy is ALS.
“Clarion University’s Phi Delta Theta chapter decided to
dedicate all fundraising proceeds during the spring 2019
semester to the Diener family,” Josh said. “Furthermore, the
chapter volunteered its services to support yard cleanup
and chores at the Diener home.”
Nancy said the group was able to talk with her husband
before beginning the chores. She said it’s important for
them to see how the disease affects an individual.

“We were very grateful for the opportunity to aid the
Diener family in their courageous battle against ALS,” said
Phi Delta Theta brother John Danvers. “This kind of work
in the community really exemplifies the spirit of Phi Delta
Theta.”
Additionally, Clarion’s entire Greek community, which
includes nine fraternities and sororities, donated more than
$500. In April, the Dieners attended Phi Delta Theta’s 25th
anniversary event, where the fraternity presented a check
for $1,100.
“It’s overwhelming,” Nancy said of the support given to
her family.
As the Dieners look ahead to Richard’s Rebellion – the
team effort of family and friends taking part in the Pittsburgh Walk to Defeat ALS in September – Richard is very
weak and has lost 17 pounds in less than a month. He is still
on his feet, but it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to do the walk.
Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed
with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose
their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the
world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.
To donate in Richard’s name to the Walk to Defeat ALS, visit
web.alsa.org/goto/richarddiener.
CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

9

We have a lot
to brag about at
Clarion University.
ranked among the
BEST

FULBRIGHT
SCHOLARS

BY US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

BACHELOR’S
BUSINESS (non mba)
EDUCATION (grad)
MBA
NURSING (grad)

TOP 5 BEST

clarion.edu/USNWR19

clarion.edu/VETERANS

MOST
AFFORDABLE
BY BEST VALUE SCHOOLS

BSBA IN
REAL ESTATE

clarion.edu/REALESTATE

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LIBRARY SCIENCE

programs are

2018-2019

IN THE WORLD

ranked #1

Our faculty, staff and students do great work, and that work is recognized by
nationwide organizations in the number of rankings, accolades, honors,
achievements, distinctions and general high fives that we have received. We think
you'll be singing our praises, too, after you visit www.clarion.edu/rankings.

PENNSYLVANIA
UNIVERSITIES FOR
MILITARY
BY MILITARY TIMES 2018

ranked in the
TOP 150
REGIONAL
COLLEGES

THREE FACULTY
ONE STUDENT

THE MOST IN PASSHE

ONE OF TWO PASSHE SCHOOLS
WITH A FULBRIGHT STUDENT
TOPPRODUCING.FULBRIGHTONLINE.ORG

MORE THAN

50%

of athletes are

ranked in the NO. 1 IN THE
SAFEST
TOP 5
NATION
COLLEGES
online
2019 STUDY.COM

COLLEGES

IN PENNSYLVANIA

clarion.edu/ONLINE

ranked in the
TOP 25
online

IN THE NORTHEAST

ENGLISH DEGREES

(GPA OF 3.2 OR HIGHER)

BY COLLEGECHOICE.NET

clarion.edu/RANKINGS

clariongoldeneagles.com

clarion.edu/ONLINE

IN THE NATION

IN AMERICA
2019

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR
HOME SAFETY AND SECURITY

BY ONLINECOLLEGES.COM

SCHOLAR
ATHLETES

BY US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

clarion.edu/LIBSCI

clarion.edu/RANKINGS

ranked in the
TOP 50

IN THE COUNTRY
BY US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

MASTER OF SCIENCE
IN NURSING
FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS

clarion.edu/MSN

88%

OF GRADUATES

ARE
EMPLOYED
within

NINE MONTHS
OF GRADUATION

clarion.edu/CAREER
CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

11

Education: A commitment to the future
This spring, President Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson
announced the university’s relaunch of the School of
Education as a freestanding entity, effective July 1. It had
been part of the College of Arts, Education and Sciences.
Dr. Gwyneth Price, who has led the school as director for
two years, is dean.
The decision is the result of ongoing dialogue since
Pehrsson’s arrival in July 2018. Price’s leadership and
innovative thinking in working with the faculty and staff
in both education and special education departments
helped to move the discussion forward. As dean, Price will
oversee the school’s budget, curriculum and scheduling
decisions, and she will make personnel decisions.
“We are proud of our tradition in providing cutting-edge
programs to educate future teachers, such as following
best practices and going beyond state mandates for
certifying special education teachers,” Pehrsson said.
“That put Clarion ahead of the curve when the commonwealth reversed 2008 legislation dividing certification into
two age groups.”

Building on a solid foundation
“I see us broadening our horizons in terms of keeping
the kernels of solid, evidence-based teacher preparation,
then expanding that to embrace innovation,” Price said.
“We have confidence that what we’ve been teaching
historically has been the right thing, but we also have confidence that our faculty engage in research and continually
update what they’re doing. We have been on the forefront
of developing programming that prepares graduates to be
better teachers of all students.”

“A teacher affects eternity;
he can never tell where his influence stops.”
Henry Adams

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SCHOOL OF
EDUCATION
in Pennsylvania with national accreditation, boasting 15
nationally recognized programs, and has one of six special
education reading programs in the state with International
Dyslexia accreditation.

A leader in teacher preparation
Clarion University is leading the way on many efforts.
The School of Education has one of the first early
childhood education programs in the state to implement
a full-year teacher residency, which will begin this fall.
Student teaching will be done the entire last year of the
program, with coursework integrated into the student
teaching experience. It is the only university in Pennsylvania authorized to offer Competent Learner Model courses
for college credit, and Clarion led the development of
and was the first school to offer the Skills for Teacher
Leadership Endorsement. Additionally, the innovative
intervention specialist program boasts a 100 percent
employment rate.
“There are schools that will hire Clarion graduates
before any others,” Price said. Clarion University has more
than 15,000 education alumni.

“Under Gwen’s leadership, the School of Education
will develop a strategic plan specific to education. This
is necessary to be able to address the existing teacher
shortage in special education, math and sciences, and the
looming teacher shortage in all areas,” said Dr. Pam Gent,
provost. “It is also necessary as we begin to pilot new
and innovative ways to educate future teachers. Gwen is
a strong and talented leader who understands this and is
willing to lead our teacher education programs to meet
the challenges of the next generation of learners.”
The launching of the School of Education aligns
with the university’s True North Initiative and its six
priorities for moving the university forward. It builds on
the momentum gained through 150 years of consistent
excellence in teacher preparation and development of new
programming. Clarion University is one of 17 universities

Dr. Gwyneth Price
CLARION UNIVERSITY
MAGAZINE

13

HARMO N I O U S W I T H L E A R NI NG
“My mind is abuzz when I enter the room,” said Dr. Joe
Harmon ('93) about stepping into his classroom each
morning. “I do a mental check of what I want to accomplish
and what I need to do before the students enter the room.”
When the students arrive, his focus is on engaging them
in learning. Harmon teaches civics at Redbank Valley
High School.
“My students know that my goal for them is to learn,
not chase points or a grade,” Harmon said. “Civics and
history are more than memorizing ‘dead men and dates.’
It’s instilling the ability to think critically about the content,
make connections, analyze, evaluate and so on.”
One way he does that is by creating experiences for
students beyond the classroom and the curriculum.
“For the last two years, I have taken my 8th grade civics
students to experience a naturalization ceremony at Heinz
History Center. This year, I was able to take 50 students to
the U.S. Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.,” Harmon
said. He covered most of the cost himself, saving money he
made from speaking engagements about his trip to Poland
to tour Holocaust sites.

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Another example is the Student Edcamp that he and
another teacher spearhead. Held each year before the
holiday break, the event brings in community members,
alumni, fellow teachers and students to design learning
stations throughout the school. Students can choose what
they want to attend, and, ultimately, they learn a skill or gain
knowledge that’s not typically part of the curriculum.
In-classroom experiences are just as engaging.
While teaching 8th grade economics, Harmon posed the
question, “If you could start a business, what would it be?”
Instead of the 10-minute discussion he had planned, the
students spent the entire class discussing the topic.
Knowing he was on to something, he created a unit that
spans 15 class periods.

“I could just sit down and teach prices and marketing, but
when they’re actually doing, that’s when they’re learning,”
Harmon said.

Harmon said. “Since graduation, this student attained a
teaching degree and is teaching secondary social studies for
Butler School District.”

He measures his success in three ways: “First, success is
when a student is inspired by a teacher to go beyond the
classroom learning and/or curriculum. Next, I define success
by students pursuing learning over a letter grade or points.
Lastly, I define success by the ability to evoke positive
change and growth in students, whether in their learning or
in their disposition to learn.”

Harmon doesn’t stop being a teacher when the school day
ends.

He is particularly proud of having received a note from a
senior upon graduation. “He told me that since 8th grade,
he was inspired to be a history teacher because of me,”

“I spend countless hours beyond the classroom talking
with students, doling out advice, sharing a joke or a story,
listening to their stories, hearing about their plans for
the future, and so on,” he said. “Further, I live within the
community where I teach, and I realize my responsibility
as a role model. I know that how I behave in and out of the
classroom, how I treat others, what I say and do – are all on
display and can have powerful ramifications.”

The first day of the unit, students in small groups
brainstorm to develop business ideas. The second day is
spent doing market research. Methodically, the students
go through steps until the final day of the unit when they
present – in “Shark Tank” fashion – the business plan
they developed.

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SERVICE

through

EDUCATION
“It showed me that I can make an impact with my peer group
One of the most important lessons that Antoinette
and with other students,” he said. He continued to the Master
Parker McDonald (’00) learned from her elementary
of Education program. Through a graduate assistantship, he
school teachers is that she is more than her circumstances. Antoinette took that message to heart. She knew since further refined his leadership skills.
she was a young girl that she wanted to have that same
As teachers, Antoinette and Sean knew those skills led to
influence on children.
successes with their students. Now, each holds an administra“It definitely increased my motivation to be better than tive position – she as principal and he as a human resources
staffing manager – where the skills are essential. Both are
I ever imagined,” Antoinette said.
employed by Prince William County Schools, Virginia.
A guidance counselor’s recommendation led her to
Antoinette works with a student population that is 70
Clarion. Her path was clear. She would become a teacher.
percent Hispanic. Many are learning English as a second
***
Before he graduated from high school, Sean McDonald language. Sean works with 5,000 employees from culturally
(’97, MEd ’01) was working at McDonald’s. He didn’t plan diverse backgrounds.
to attend college. That changed when a family friend took
Situations they experienced as students at Clarion have
him to Clarion University during Black Arts Weekend.
helped them navigate the real world.
“Everyone I came into contact with embraced me,” he
“Being from the urban center of Pittsburgh and going to
said. He felt at home; he applied and was accepted.
rural Clarion prepared us for real life,” Sean said.
Sean began classes that summer through the EducaThey view education as a way to serve others, and to truly
tional Opportunities Program, which strives to make the
serve, flexibility of thought is key.
ideal of education a reality. His EOP experience led him
to face a difficult truth: He was not as well prepared for
“With social media and technology, we must be inventive
college as his counterparts.
in our expectations of kids being critical thinkers, so we must
His passion became guiding the next generation to be
on par with their peers. He would become a teacher.
***
As education majors Antoinette and Sean were immersed in the values of acceptance, encouragement and
appreciation of diverse people, cultures and ideas.
For Antoinette, the Building Bridges program, which
facilitates communication and understanding among
students of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, helped
her learn to respect and embrace differences and to be
attentive to the needs of others.
For Sean, the university-wide attention to the needs of
students allowed him to build the skills and confidence
required to become a leader.

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meet kids exactly where they are,” Antoinette said.
“We have to be innovative. It’s not just about Pennsylvania
or Virginia – it literally must be a global perspective,” Sean
said. “The students have to be marketable no matter where
they live.”
The rewards are innumerable.
“One is providing the love, attention, support, motivation and
overall belief in all students to be amazing – paying it forward,
just like my teachers did for me,” Antoinette said. “My heart is
full because I gave back,” she said.
“It’s not about money or fame. It’s about knowing that the
educational journey can positively change lives,” Sean said.
“Education is a gateway to every career. It is life changing.”

GOLDEN EAGLES at the top
Regan Weldon, Lori Murtha and Melissa Niedbala are Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit’s top three female administrators in special education.

The School of Education is proud of its excellence in
preparing teachers, and three of the best examples of that
excellence can be found in one place: Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit. Melissa Gring Niedbala (’02, ’03 MS),
Regan Weltner Weldon (’89) and Dr. Lori Welch Murtha
(’92) are the top three female special education
administrators at BVIU.
Niedbala began her career there in 2003 as a special education teacher and was promoted to supervisor of BVIU’s
New Horizon School in 2014. It was a wonderful coincidence
for her when, five years later, she discovered that Murtha,
the new supervisor of early intervention, was also a Clarion
alumna. The trifecta was complete in 2010 when Weldon
joined the team as New Horizon School supervisor. Weldon
was promoted to director of special education in 2014.
“It is coincidental that the three of us are working at the
same school. We were thrilled to realize we were all Clarion
grads,” Weldon said. “We work extremely well together and
attribute that to our camaraderie as Golden Eagles.”
Each of the alumnae has her own memories of Clarion
University, as well as her own thoughts about major
influences on her career, but the common denominator is
the foundation laid as undergraduates in the special
education program.
“We all agree that Clarion gave us the foundation that
we needed to get into the field of special education,” said
Weldon, speaking for the group. “We believe that having
graduated from a university known for education helped us
climb the educational ladder.”
At Clarion, it was the devotion to special education of Dr.
Lisa Turner and Dr. Pam Gent that most influenced Niedbala

and resounded with her. After completing her bachelor’s
degree, she remained at Clarion for a year to complete her
master’s degree in rehabilitative sciences. She has since
become certified in special education supervision through
Penn State.
Weldon, who earned her master’s degree in education
and special education supervision at Slippery Rock
University, said it’s the lessons of Clarion’s Dr. Dan Shirey
that have stuck with her.
“He was my toughest professor, but the one from whom
I learned the most,” Weldon said. “He was ultra-critical of
my work, but that helped me to become the strong special
education leader that I am.”
Murtha and her staff rely on evaluations for early intervention identification. She said Dr. Lynn Davis, who taught
the assessment and evaluation course at Clarion, was an
important part of her education.
“Early identification is critical for children with developmental delays,” Murtha said. After Clarion, she graduated
from SRU’s Master of Elementary Education program with
certification as a reading specialist, then completed a
Doctorate of Education in Special Education through the
University of Pittsburgh.
For each of the women, the reward in their work is
helping special needs children learn and prepare for the
next step in their education, as well as assisting them in
finding the services they need to become independent
members of society.
“It is gratifying to watch students progress and to see
the smiles on their faces every time they walk through the
door,” Niedbala said.
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A PLACE
in the heart
Dr. John McCullough remembers former colleague
Dr. Brian Maguire as a completely selfless person who was
devoted to students “100 percent.”
“He would spend hours at night answering emails, solving
problems and buying supplies for students,” McCullough
said. “He was always working with people. He was the kind
of person who, if you asked him a question and he didn’t
know the answer, would spend hours researching and the
next day would know the answer, whether it was ‘What
book is good if you’re being bullied’ or ‘How do you change
the engine in a 1979 Cavalier.’”
He was a tireless supporter of students – whether
“6-year-old first graders or 25-year-old graduate students,”
according to his obituary – and they loved him.
Chrissy Boryenace met Maguire when her then-threeyear-old daughter attended a summer reading camp that he
and Dr. Kathleen Murphy supervised.
“Dr. Maguire and I struck up a conversation about
children’s literature and our mutual passion for authors
and illustrators. What impressed me at that point was how
joyfully Dr. Maguire talked about literature and its impact on
children, his college students and adults,” Boryenace said.
The conversation turned to Boryenace’s career; she had
passed the reading specialist test but was interested in
graduate coursework. Maguire invited her to bring a resume,
and two weeks later he had arranged a graduate assistantship for her to pursue the two-year graduate reading
specialist program.

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ways they could excel, and celebrate their achievements,”
she said.

Provide students to help meet established needs of the
community; and

“If kids didn’t like to read or didn’t feel good about
themselves, he would find what they were interested in.
If they were interested in fishing, he’d help them explore
fishing,” Defibaugh said. “He’d find what would make them
light up, help them work toward a goal and feel successful.”

Provide a location for community groups to gather on the
weekends for developmental and educational programming.

When she started college, Defibaugh recalls her dad being
invested in the thought that he wanted to treat his students
the way he hoped her professors would treat her. He also
modeled how he wanted his students to behave with their
future students.

“As a student in his graduate courses, he encouraged me
to grow in every conceivable way,” she said. “I was teaching
preschool at the time, and he volunteered in my classroom,
found resources for me and pointed me in research
directions I had not previously considered.”
It transformed her life.
“I am the teacher I am today because of his mentorship,”
Boryenace said.
Teachers Traci Blazoski (’02) and Marcy Best Sundling
(’02) said they were blessed to have had Maguire in
elementary school (Traci in sixth grade, Marcy in fifth and
sixth grade), then again as Clarion University education
students. They recall his personal mark of excellence –
moose drawings.
“The moose drawings were always something he put on
our assignments when he graded them,” Blazosky said. She
recalled his Bullwinkle voice. “Even as sixth graders, we
loved seeing those moose drawings on our papers and to
hear him talk in his silly voice. When both Marcy and I had
him in class at the university, he brought back the moose
and drew it on our college papers, too.”
Cara Defibaugh, Maguire’s
daughter, said the moose
drawings began as a way to
encourage students.
“It came from the fact that
he had a heart for students
who didn’t fit the norm. He
could see potential in the
kids and would look for

“He had a huge advisee load. People wanted him. He
would always respond, but he wouldn’t just respond. He
provided feedback. He didn’t want to just put an A on a
paper. He felt the feedback was important and was an
encouragement to his students,” Defibaugh said.
Maguire retired as a professor in May 2015. He passed
away in September of the same year.
His absence left a void in the School of Education.
“He went out of his way in terms of time, resources and
finances to support students,” Boryenace said. “Clarion
University lost a treasure when he passed away, and there
has been a hole in the education program that has been
hard to fill.”

Storytelling was an important component of Maguire’s
life. Maguire and others performed at area school, church
and community functions as “Dr. Brian and Friends.” One
of the goals of Dr. Brian’s PLACE is to bring the art of
storytelling to Autumn Leaf Festival. Other plans include a
“School of Education has Talent” day in which contestants
show off their teaching skills, a professional development
series for students and local teachers, a workshop at which
local writers will present to students and teachers, and a
computer workshop for members of the local Veterans of
Foreign Wars post.
McCullough said community and alumni involvement in
Dr. Brian’s PLACE is welcome.
“If someone has ideas for professional development
or resources for our students or adult learners, they can
contact us to get involved,” he said.
Contact drbriansplace@clarion.edu. To support Dr. Brian's
PLACE, contact Jamie Koshak at (814) 393-1813 or
jkoshak@cuf-inc.org.

That void led to Boryenace, McCullough and Murphy
developing Dr. Brian’s PLACE, which opened March 27. Its
mission is to provide professional development with Act 48
credits for local teachers and resources for Clarion education students, and to foster community engagement.
More precisely, the purpose of Dr. Brian’s PLACE is to:
Provide a location where School of Education students
can get additional support, borrow resources, and develop
skills critical to their success in field placements;
Provide block and student teachers with resources,
support and remediation;
Provide a lending library of books, manipulatives, and
adult resources that School of Education students can use
to complete coursework or fieldwork;
Engage the community in leadership, language and
literacy learning events;
Provide tutoring for basic skills and teacher certification
exams;

Maguire at a Keystone Elementary School performance
of Dr. Brian and Friends.
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That’s especially important, because the camp ranges in
age from preschool to eighth grade. The games also feature
some type of word component so that literacy skills work
with the movement.

THERE’S A MOVEMENT
HAPPENING IN
TEACHING TOMORROW’S
EDUCATORS.
In recent years, school districts have started eliminating
classes in specialty areas. Classes such as music, art and
physical education have taken a hit in favor of more time for
other academic areas so that mandatory test scores may
improve, or in some cases, so districts can save money.
This caught the attention of Dr. Amy Shannonhouse, an
associate professor in the department of education, who
has a background in physical education.
Her dissertation, “The Effects of Physical Activity on
Academic Achievement in Kindergarten Aged Children,”
examined those benefits after she worked with kindergarten
students for one year.
Shannonhouse worked with physical education teachers
and high school students who took the kindergarten class
to physical activity stations each morning before regular
lessons began.
For 20 minutes, students engaged in activities like “Dance
Dance Revolution,” a bike game and a virtual boxer game, to
name a few.
Her kindergarten students’ test scores improved in the
areas of language arts and literacy. Shannonhouse explained
that when you introduce any intervention you see other
positive changes such as improved body mass indexes,
improved behaviors, improved focus and better academic
grades, which was the case with the kindergarten class she
studied.

20

“IT’S CREATIVE MOVEMENT TEAM
BUILDING, WHERE ALL CHILDREN
GET TO BE SUCCESSFUL
WITH THE ACTIVITY,”
SHANNONHOUSE EXPLAINED.
Dr. Amy Shannonhouse

The education program emphasizes integrating
fundamental motor skills into content areas.
When you combine movements with literacy (i.e. have
children write their name in the air or hop when they hear
words that have the “op” sound) you are helping brain
development and motor skill development.
That enables children to be efficient movers, which leads
to physical health and improved self-esteem. For young
children, what they can or cannot do with their bodies in
gross motor and fine motor skills is connected to how they
feel about themselves, Shannonhouse explained.

Every time she presents movement strategies at conferences, she gets feedback that incorporating motion into
lessons is something educators aren’t doing, but should be
doing. To her, the feedback means this is a message worth
sharing.
Shannonhouse would like to take this message to school
administrators. She said teaching to the whole child would
result in overall wellness and, therefore, increased academic
performance. Teaching to the whole child means including
music, art and physical education in curriculums and never
cutting recess as a punishment.
“It’s a detriment. Administrators focus on teaching to
the PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment),”
Shannonhouse said.
In the next year, Shannonhouse would like to get the word
out to even more educators, starting with education majors
at Clarion.

Shannonhouse uses various tools to combine physical
activity with learning. She has music CDs that put a fun spin
on learning health concepts, while also getting children to
move.
“We are showing future teachers how to do it, and giving
them some different resources,” Shannonhouse said.
Clarion University students in the pre-K block take a
course called Motor Learning and Development, which
teaches fundamental motor skills, creative movement and
nutrition education.

“You never want to have young children sitting still,”
Shannonhouse said.

Another way Shannonhouse and the education department are helping the next generation of teachers is
through its summer reading camp. Graduate students who
are preparing to become reading specialists create literacy
activities and select books related to a theme. The graduate
students then develop movement strategies and brain
breaks for the camp.

Shannonhouse said research reinforces the idea that
physical activity positively affects learning, so much so, that
Clarion University professors are now teaching education
students the art of brain breaks.

A game as basic as tag can be used, but it must be
inclusive. Shannonhouse explained you could have a tag
game where some players are ‘it,’ but others free people
from the frozen position, teaching empathy for others.

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Shannonhouse has been busy the past couple of years
spreading the message and sharing strategies for movement in the classroom at national conferences like the
National Association for the Education of Young Children
and for the education fraternity, Kappa Delta Pi. In addition
to national conferences, Shannonhouse presented
“Increasing Empathetic Behaviors in Preschoolers through
Creative Movement Activities” at Clarion University’s Early
Childhood Conference in April.

She has shared the message of movement in education at
nearby schools and for professional development days for
Catholic schools in the Erie Diocese.

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Clarion River was voted 2019 River of the Year,
an about-face from 20 years ago when it was one of the state’s most polluted
waterways. Many hands have worked together to improve the river, including
faculty, students and alumni of Clarion University.

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Clarion River has 63 tributaries and flows through
parts of McKean, Elk, Forest, Jefferson and Clarion
counties. The river is formed at Johnsonburg in
central Elk County by the confluence of its east
and west branches. The east branch, approximately
15 miles long, rises in northeastern Elk County and
flows southwest through East Branch Clarion River
Lake to join the west branch. The river flows
generally west-southwest across western
Pennsylvania in a tight, meandering course
past Ridgway and Clarion. It joins the Allegheny
from the east in western Clarion County
approximately five miles south of Emlenton.
The Clarion is a designated part of the National
Wild and Scenic River program.
An aerial view of a passive treatment
system managed by Mill Creek Coalition.

ACID MINE DRAINAGE
As early as the 1880s, coal mines were developed using
gravity drainage to prevent excessive water accumulation in
the mines. As a result, acid mine drainage – water polluted
by acid, iron, sulfur and aluminum – drained away from the
mines and into streams.
AMD is formed when pyrite, an iron sulfide, is exposed
and reacts with air and water to form sulfuric acid and
dissolved iron. Some or all of this iron can precipitate to
form the red, orange or yellow sediments in the bottom of
streams containing AMD.

United States Environmental Protection Agency said
AMD is one of the most serious water pollution problems
for Region 3, which includes Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia.
Among the 37 Pennsylvania counties negatively affected
by acid mine drainage, Clarion County is number one for the
number of miles of waterways negatively affected. Jefferson
County ranks fourth.

MILL CREEK COALITION
In 1990, Clarion professors Dr. Terry Morrow and Dr. Pete
Dalby organized a conference that drew in people from the
community and surrounding areas. It included the National
Guard’s Punxsutawney unit, the Army Corps of Engineers
and area conservation districts.
“It was investigative,” Morrow said. “Could we actually do
anything with (acid mine drainage)? Where’s the research
at this point? What is our knowledge? Is anyone interested
in being involved?”
From that gathering, Mill Creek Coalition was formed.

The results are devastating to aquatic plants and animals.
The sediments coat not just the stream bed, but also the
leaves and plant debris in the stream bed. The coating
prevents them from biodegrading, a process that provides
food and habitat for aquatic insects and animals.

“Today, we take grassroots watershed groups for granted.
In 1990, there really weren’t any,” Dalby said. “With regard
to extensive mine drainage, people just wrote those
streams off. The formation of MCC was an effort to bring
back the dead stream.”

Dr. Andy Turner, biology professor, said mining practices
have changed, and coal companies not only take precautions to prevent AMD from occurring in new mines, but they
also help to correct and prevent damage from AMD that still
flows from old mines. Drainage can continue for 100 years
or more after mining activity ceases.

Field trips to AMD-affected waterways were a regular
occurrence for students in Morrow’s, Dalby’s, and (later)
Turner’s classes and in the BIOS Club they advised. Then,
passive treatment systems relied on vegetation – cattails,
namely – to absorb the iron.
Morrow with then-student Alicia Ramsey

24

Turner’s biology students get a firsthand look at a passive AMD treatment system.

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The system requires very little monitoring and lasts
about 15 years before needing to be replaced. Since it was
organized, MCC has raised and spent about $30 million to
restore water quality in the area. More AMD remediation is
yet to be done. Current faculty and students remain active
in the group.

A NATURAL LABORATORY
Iron settles here rather than flowing into the waterways.

“On the simplest ones – if there was not too much iron
and was enough alkalinity – it worked,” Morrow said. In
some areas, however, the problem was far from simple.
“Really, it was two students, Doug (Kepler) and Eric
(McCleary), who went from a different direction.”

RIVER OF LITTLE FISH
The name Damariscotta is Native American, meaning
“river of little fish.” When Eric McCleary (’84) and Doug
Kepler (’85) decided to start a company that would
restore streams by improving water quality, the name
perfectly described the work they intended to do and the
result they sought.
“Clarion River has been a part of my life since I was
a little guy. I grew up on the river,” McCleary said. “The
lower Clarion River didn’t have much life in it. Now, it’s one
of the best kept secrets for fisheries.”
As biology students at Clarion University, McCleary and
Kepler had studied the orange-stained tributaries in the
Clarion River watershed. They knew acid mine drainage
was what had caused – and was still causing – the problem. An abandoned coal mine can continue to seep AMD
for 100 years or more.
“At that time, there was a lot of inertia institutionally
that said you can’t (treat the AMD-impacted streams)
passively – you have to use chemicals,” McCleary said.
The problem with chemicals is that they require
24-hour-a-day monitoring and produce waste product –
not so with passive systems. Both systems typically cost
the same to implement, but a passive system is much less
expensive to maintain.

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HOWE BRIDGE
Together, McCleary and Kepler developed a large-scale
passive treatment system that was first implemented at
Howe Bridge, which spans Mill Creek in Jefferson County.
The system, now used worldwide to restore waterways,
was a game changer in AMD remediation. It was MCC’s
first project.
Simplified, their system uses a series of limestone drains
and settling ponds between the source of the AMD and
the waterway into which it flows. The limestone raises the
pH of the AMD-tainted water, which causes the iron to
precipitate. The iron remains in the settling ponds, and the
water that flows into the waterway has a pH conducive to
sustaining aquatic life.
“We didn’t go into (forming Mill Creek Coalition) with
any idea of how to identify which stream to address first,”
Dalby said.
They chose the most adversely affected site in the
county: a portion of Mill Creek at Howe Bridge.
“Doug and Eric came up with the idea for the Howe
Bridge design,” Morrow said. “It was a grassroots event
with volunteers, very little money and a lot of pro bono
work on the part of contractors.”
The National Guard’s Punxsutawney Unit was an
engineering unit that had old bulldozers and equipment,
and they basically built the system for free as part of their
training. When the National Guard’s equipment got stuck
and they couldn’t proceed, Simpson Excavating in Corsica
donated machinery to use.

“We are, of course, very active in working in the watershed,” Turner said. “Combining student education with
community service, all in a field setting, is really what sets
our program apart.”
Turner said he and fellow biology professors Dr. Steve
Harris and Dr. Kurt Regester have applied research
programs based in the watershed and maintain strong
connections with the state agencies responsible for
managing fisheries and water quality.
“Our graduates populate those agencies,” Turner said.
“We contribute directly to protection and restoration by
being the boots on the ground and indirectly by training
the professionals who now manage the river.”
That includes Alicia Ramsey (’17), a student who
worked on AMD remediation with Turner, Morrow
and Dalby.
In June, Ramsey was talking with her 8-year-old son
Trey about what he had done that day in science camp.
One of the activities was showing that a sponge placed
in water will absorb what’s in the water, including
pollutants, just as fish absorb what’s in the waterways
where they live.

The lesson Trey learned that day is the basis for the
work that Ramsey does every day as an erosion and sedimentation/dirt, gravel and low volume roads technician
for Clarion Conservation District. In her role, she addresses
the runoff of sediment into streams.
The materials generally come from two sources: dirt and
gravel roads, which are common in rural areas, and waste
sites from construction, such as the dirt removed to widen
the roadway at the Interstate 80 interchange in Monroe
Township.
According to Clarion Conservation District, Pennsylvania
has more than 17,000 miles of dirt and gravel roads, which
must be maintained to protect nearby streams from
runoff and sediment from unpaved roads. By raising road
elevations, reshaping banks, installing drainage pipes and
planting natural buffers, Pennsylvania waterways and their
inhabitants are shielded from the damaging effects of that
pollution.
The issue began to get attention nearly 30 years ago,
when a group of anglers had to cut short their day of
fishing after a thunderstorm came through. The water
had become too muddy. After some sleuthing, the group
determined that road sediment had washed into the
stream during the storm. That began conversations about
prevention.
“Sediment is pollution,” Ramsey said. “The goal is to
keep clean water clean.”
Erosion and sedimentation controls are used where soil
is disturbed by development, timber harvesting or highway development, according to CCD. Control plans include
measures that promote the maintenance and protection of
existing water quality and its uses.
“Any sort of improvement will improve each individual
stream or water body," Ramsey said. “Those streams all
run somewhere, and much of Clarion County is in the
Clarion River watershed. Any improvements we make to
the streams will impact the river.”
Former student Ramsey, now an erosion and sedimentation specialist, guides
Clarion student intern Jonathon Best as they inspect a site. Below, netting holds
ground cover in place while grass seed germinates.

“We buried a lot of limestone and put in settling ponds
to collect the iron,” Dalby said. “When we saw that it was
successful, we were on top of the world. A lot of people
started studying it, from the Bureau of Mines in Pittsburgh
to people in Germany. It became famous.”
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Hernandez grew up in the Hill District in Pittsburgh with
her three sisters and her single mother, who at the time
was addicted to drugs. (Her mother has been drug free for
the last 22 years and now helps other addicts recover at a
well-known hospital in Pittsburgh.)
Her situation in life resulted in bullying by her classmates
and some consequent fights, but deep down Hernandez
knew that education would be her way out. Teachers also
impressed that upon her throughout her life.
“I feel that when I was growing up, and in college, people
have always rallied around me,” Hernandez said. “I’ve
always felt supported and that people saw something
special in me.”
Growing up, Hernandez remembers walking to the public
library and devouring books.
“I love learning. I loved competing,” Hernandez said,
recalling her time in spelling bees.
It was that spirit which landed her a college scholarship to
Clarion University of Pennsylvania and the title of Journalist
of the Year by the Society for Collegiate Journalists.

S

She was set to become a journalist until she took a
production class that introduced her to film editing.
“Writing came naturally to me. In editing, I saw my
potential,” Hernandez said.

ome little girls

dream about their

wedding, but La-Aja Wiggins
Hernandez (’06) dreamed about
becoming successful so she
would never be poor again.
What she probably did not
expect is that her success would
also mean she would be a fourtime Daytime Emmy nominee for
editing on the Price is Right.

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As part of the class, Hernandez had to make a documentary. Her subject was her sister Dolores and the stereotypes
she faced as a teen mom. She showed the final product
to her family and they loved it, which struck a chord with
Hernandez.
“Oh my gosh, I can make people cry,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez knew her path had changed and wanted to go
where the jobs would be and where she could learn more
about editing. With recommendations from two communication professors, she headed to graduate school in San
Francisco.
However, when she was in graduate school, she felt like
it was more of the same education she received at Clarion.
She specifically wanted to study editing and discovered she
could do so at Video Symphony Post-Production Institute in
Burbank, California.
While she was in editing school, she was a contestant
on “The Moment of Truth,” a show on FOX in which people
competed against a lie detector test for a chance to win $1
million. During the taping of the show, she had the oppor-

tunity to ask the producer who was responsible for editing
the show.
Hernandez called the editing company, Chainsaw Edit,
and scored an interview. The interview went well, and the
hiring manager told her to call Chainsaw when she
graduated.
One month before she was done with school, she had a
job with Chainsaw Edit. Her first editing job was on “Don’t
Forget the Lyrics” hosted by Wayne Brady. She worked from
6 p.m. to 2 a.m. and earned $1,000 per week.
“It was a dream come true,” Hernandez said. “They left me
by myself with millions of dollars of equipment,” she said in
amazement.
Hernandez, who did not know anyone in the industry, did
her best and asked questions.
“I kept getting job after job,” Hernandez said.
For about five years, she worked in reality TV, landing
assistant editing jobs on “American Idol,” “America’s Got
Talent,” “Jersey Shore,”
“The Sing-Off,” “Face
Off” for the SyFy
channel, shows for
the Country Music
Television channel and
Black Entertainment
Television.
Finally, she broke out
of reality TV with work
on the first season of “The
Talk” on CBS. She soon found
herself interviewing for the first
assistant editor position on “The
Price is Right.”
Hernandez said that long-time
host Bob Barker was almost exact
on his timing, which didn’t require
much editing. However, when
Drew Carey took over the
show he liked using editors,
especially since he
comes from a comedic
and television series
background.
“He’s very much
aware of the skills that
editors bring to a show
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There’s nothing like the people you spent four years with in
college.”
That’s the downside of California. “Sometimes you don’t
get to know your neighbor.”
That and everything is expensive. She said even when you
make good money it doesn’t go as far.
Living in California and being in this industry does have
its perks. She is a member of the Television Academy of
Arts and Sciences and has been a mentee of the American
Cinema Editors’ Diversity Mentorship Program. Because she
is in these prestigious organizations, she’s received invitations
to some popular and exclusive events, including a private
screening of “The Black Panther.” Only 100 people, including
the film’s stars, attended the event at a mansion in the
Hollywood Hills.

“I was very starstruck,” Hernandez
recalls. “Lupita Nyong’o and Danai
Gurira were there. Angela Bassett
touched me!”
She said it was so surreal that she had to go out on a
balcony to compose herself.
However, if you know anything about Hernandez, it’s that
rubbing shoulders with celebrities, while fun, isn’t the most
important thing in her life. Hernandez met her husband, Alex
Hernandez, when they were both students at Video Symphony, and together they have a 3-year-old boy.

and is not shy about using them. In fact, while taping the
show, he’s remarked to our live audience, ‘Don’t worry, the
editors will cut that out!’” Hernandez said. “I always smile
when he says things like that.”
The editor required an assistant to help share the editing
duties, and the need has only continued to grow.
“Our department has gotten significantly larger,” Hernandez said. Within two years she was promoted and is now
one of four editors on the show.
She edits the show for length, which can mean removing
a person’s long decisions or something that always makes
her laugh – butt cracks.
“People spin the wheel and their butt cracks show,”
Hernandez said with a laugh.

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She also edits clips for the TV news and social media
posts. The trick to her trade, however, is for no one to
notice.

She said the good thing about working in the industry
is that everyone is as driven as the next person is, but it’s
odd when a friend becomes famous.

“All of our edits have to be invisible. That’s the craft of
editing,” she said.

“This is Hollywood. It attracts all different kinds of
people,” she said.

Her love of editing also seems to fit the aspect of her
personality that is slightly shy.

It’s also one of the reasons she likes “The Price is Right”
so much. She likes seeing people from different backgrounds being happy for each other and rooting for each
other, especially in today’s climate.

“I like to work behind the scenes,” she said.
She may have to get used to a little bit of limelight as she
received two Daytime Emmy Award nominations in May,
one for Outstanding Multi-Camera Editing and the other for
Outstanding Sound Mixing. This was the third time she was
nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing and the first time
for Outstanding Multi-Camera Editing.

“I love this show. I catch myself smiling when I’m editing
it. It’s a really great show,” Hernandez said.

She also relishes the opportunity to give back to the
community and filmed a video segment for the Love Yourself
Program, which celebrates and empowers fourth and fifth
graders as they transition to middle school in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Public School counselor Shandia Booker (‘06)
created the program and knew Hernandez would be a great
source of inspiration for the youth.
In Hernandez’ video, she advises students about having a
positive life and future.
For a girl who grew up dreaming of being successful, it
seems as though her dreams are coming true, one edit at
a time.

When it comes down to it, the people is what she misses
most about Pittsburgh and Clarion.
“There’s nothing like the people you grew up with.
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SPORTS ROUNDUP

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Clarion University Sports

HALL of FAME
welcomes five

Clarion Sports Hall of Fame inducted five new
members to its ranks - Bob Betts (’82), D.J. Bevevino (’77),
Susie Fritz (’88), Logan Pearsall (’10) and Don Wilson (’75)
– in a ceremony April 28 in Gemmell multi-purpose room.
The evening was filled with laughter and reminiscence as
generations of Golden Eagles came together to celebrate
the successes of the past and present, as well as look
toward the future.
Here is a look at some of the special moments from that
warm spring night in Clarion!

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SPORTS ROUNDUP

SPORTS ROUNDUP

trio

Ashley McCluskey

OF UNDERCLASSMAN
LEAD THE WAY AT
TRACK AND FIELD
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alice Fernald

The Clarion track & field team closed out its 2019 outdoor
season with a good showing at the PSAC Outdoor Championships, with a trio of underclassmen providing the bulk of
team points on the track and in the field.
Ashley McCluskey came up just short of scoring in the
Javelin at the 2018 Outdoor Championships, but she made
up for it in 2019 with a fifth-place finish and the best toss
of her college career. The sophomore tossed the javelin
40.54m, her best throw of the season and the second time
in her career that she topped 40 meters.
On the track, freshman Alice Fernald followed up her
lights-out performance at the Indoor Championships with
another scoring run, this time taking seventh in the 400m.
After gutting out the windy conditions in the preliminary

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heats, Fernald posted the best time of her short college
career in the finals, crossing the line in 58.53 seconds.
Rounding out the individual scoring performances was
Allison Gates, who represented the distance events well
with an eighth-place finish in the 10,000m. A grueling event
that is as much about mental stamina as it is physical, Gates
crossed the line in 40:29.12 to add on to Clarion’s points
total.
The Golden Eagles also showed their stuff in the 4x400m
Relay on the final day of the championships. The quartet of
Fernald, Letizia Collini, McKayla Hoover and Courtney Young
took second place in their heat and seventh overall with a
time of 3:59.95, with Fernald’s blazing fast 58.99 anchoring
the relay.

Allison Gates
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SPORTS ROUNDUP

SPORTS ROUNDUP
Mitch Faulkner

Golf

CLARION
SENDS
MULTIPLE
GOLFERS TO
CHAMPIONSHIPS

For the first time in nearly a decade, multiple Golden Eagles
competed at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region men’s
golf championships, as Nathan Sandberg and Mitch Faulkner
earned at-large spots in the prestigious field in early May.
Sandberg and Faulkner represent the first Clarion men’s
golfers to compete in the Atlantic/East Regional since Sean
Edgar did it in 2017. That was the second of Edgar’s two
appearances in the regional tournament, but Clarion had not
had multiple competitors at the event since the entire team
qualified in 2012.
The event was held May 9-11 at Totteridge Golf Club,
Greensburg, with Faulkner and Sandberg showing well
among the best in the region. The two Second Team All-PSAC
selections finished in the upper echelon of the 107-player
field, with Sandberg placing 14th and Faulkner taking 17th,
the best finishes for Golden Eagles men’s golfers since Ross
Pringle took 11th at the 2012 tournament.
The success of Faulkner and Sandberg is just another
feather in the cap of head men’s golf coach Marty Rinker,
who just completed his 10th season at the helm of the Golden
Eagles. Taking over for the late Clarion Sports Hall of Famer
Al Lefevre in August 2008, Rinker has coached Clarion to
three NCAA Division II Regionals as a team and four total
appearances by individuals in Regional action.

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Nathan Sandberg

BRAINS AND BRAWN
The NCAA announced its list of Division I teams earning
Public Recognition awards for their academics in May, with
the Clarion wrestling team among the programs ranking
in the top 10 percent of their sport in the most recent
Academic Progress Rate (APR) results.
The APR is an annual scorecard of academic achievement
for all Division I sports teams, with this report based on
scores from the 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18
academic years. APRs for programs in the top 10 percent of
their respective sports ranged from 987 to a perfect 1000.
The Golden Eagles were the only of the former Eastern
Wrestling League programs to be recognized this year. In
total nine programs were honored this year: Bucknell, Cal
Poly, Clarion, Columbia, Lehigh, Penn State, Stanford, Air
Force and Wisconsin.
Over the last five years, academics has become a cornerstone of the Golden Eagle wrestling program. The

In addition to the historic rivalries and opponents that
Clarion wrestling fans are accustomed to seeing, the Golden
Eagles will welcome a new crop of opponents in 2019-20 as
the team becomes an affiliate member of the Mid-American
Conference. The MAC will welcome all seven of the former
members of the Eastern Wrestling League into the fold this
year, making the MAC the second-largest conference in
NCAA Division I.
“Clarion University is very much looking
forward to competing in the Mid-American
Conference as an affiliate member,” said
Clarion director of athletics Dr. Wendy
Snodgrass. “The opportunity to join a
highly competitive conference enables our
wrestling program to continue to compete
at the highest level and elevates our entire
institution. We are excited to honor the rich history of our
program with this next chapter.”
“Joining the Mid-American Conference is a great opportunity for our wrestling program. We have valued our time
in the Eastern Wrestling League, and we are proud of the
tradition that we leave behind,” said Clarion head coach

National Wrestling Coaches Association recently announced
that Greg Bulsak and Evan Delong were both named NWCA
Scholar All-Americans for 2018-19, the third such honor for
Delong and second for Bulsak. Clarion also boasted the
greatest number of EWL Scholar-Athletes with 17 wrestlers
cracking the list in 2018-19.

Keith Ferraro. “We look forward to the competitive rigor
of the MAC. This change brings about great opportunities
for our program to establish new traditions and to build
new rivalries. We look forward to these changes and feel
honored to have the responsibility of helping to enrich the
MAC for the years to come.”
Current MAC wrestling membership includes
Buffalo, Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern
Illinois and Ohio, along with affiliate members
Missouri, Old Dominion and SIU-Edwardsville.
With the announcement to join the MAC,
Clarion and other EWL partners that are also
Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference members have informed the PSAC that they will no
longer participate in the conference’s annual
championship.
“This new affiliation requires that we concentrate fully on
our Division I membership and other scheduling opportunities,” Snodgrass said. “We thank the PSAC for helping us
make a move for the betterment of our wrestling program.”

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SPORTS ROUNDUP

SPORTS ROUNDUP

winners,

RIGHT OFF THE BLOCK

In 2019, the Golden Eagles swimming and diving programs
boasted seven All-American nods at the Division II championships,
Christina Sather became a two-time national Diver of the Year, and
the swimming team remained a force in the PSAC, even without a
pool in which to practice.

BASCHNAGEL ON HAND

FOR induction OF THIRD PLAYER

Earlier this year, Susan Fritz (’88) became the third
member of the Golden Eagles tennis team to earn a spot in
the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame, joining teammates Tammy
Myers (’91) and Lisa Warren Dollard (’90) on the list of
all-time greats. The trio were part of the greatest era of
tennis in Clarion history, when then-coach Norb Baschnagel
led the team to multiple conference championships and
national rankings.

A two-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach
of the Year (1988-89), Baschnagel coached Clarion to four
consecutive PSAC championships from 1986 to 1989. The
Golden Eagles was one of the toughest teams in the nation
in that time, ranking first in the NCAA Division II East Region
in three consecutive years and taking eighth at the 1988
NCAA Division II Nationals.
The Golden Eagles went undefeated in dual match play
from 1986 to 1988, winning 28 straight regular season dual
matches entering the 1988 NCAA Championships. Clarion
was the only team selected from the East region while

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Warren and Fritz were also selected to compete in the
individual championships, with Warren playing both singles
and doubles. The Golden Eagles finished 16th in the Volvo/
Collegiate final rankings, Warren ranked 28th in the nation in
singles, and the doubles pairing of Warren and Fritz ranked
21st in the final rankings.
Things kept rolling in 1989 when Warren became the first
four-time PSAC No. 1 Singles champion and won her second
straight PSAC Player of the Year award. Baschnagel earned
his second consecutive coach of the year laurel, as Clarion
became the first women’s tennis team to win four straight
PSAC team championships.
Baschnagel’s success also included his time as an
assistant with the Golden Eagles men’s basketball program.
During his stint as assistant men’s basketball coach, Clarion
had a record of 159-67, won or tied for first in the PSAC
West five times, made it to the NAIA Nationals in 1977 and
1980 and the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1981.

It was also a year of mourning. Don Leas and Chuck Nanz – who
coached Clarion swimming and diving to national and international
prominence – passed away in the spring, both at the age of 84.
Leas’ 24-year career was unequaled by any coach in the nation
from 1966 to 1990. His divers won 36 individual national championships and 234 All-America placings. Named NCAA Division II
Coach of the Year in 1984 for swimming and diving, he was twice
selected as NCAA Division II Men’s Diving Coach of the Year in
1988 and 1989.
He helped the men’s swimming team win 19 straight PSAC titles
from 1971 to 1989 and the women’s team capture 15 PSAC crowns
and eight Division II National Championships between 1977 and
1986. In 1977, Leas was inducted into Clarion University Sports
Hall of Fame, and in 1999 he was the International Swimming
Hall of Fame’s Paragon Award
Don Leas
winner. In 2012, he was recognized
with the Duraflex International
Diving Award for his outstanding
international contributions to the
sport of diving.
In USA Diving, Leas chaired
almost every committee, including
rules, certification, safety and
membership. He was the technical
and administrative liaison to FINA
World Trials, Goodwill Games,
FINA World Cup, US Olympic

Festival, NCAA, AAU and USOC.
He was an advisor and referee of at least 10 international
events. At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, he served as diving
coordinator. Leas consulted on many diving videos for the Athlete
Institute and was involved with writing the rules and regulations
for competitive and technical diving. He was author or editor of 12
books on diving and diving rules.
Nanz was hired in 1968 to build a swimming program at Clarion.
He spent the first year organizing, then teamed with Leas in
1969-79 to debut the program. The team took second place in the
PSAC that year, then won seven straight conference championships
from 1971 to 1977.
In Nanz’s eight season, Clarion had an impressive dual meet
record of 74-10, with three teams going undefeated. Several of
those teams placed in the top six in both the NAIA and NCAA
nationals, and each year under his direction, the Eagles were 13th
or better at nationals. The momentum continued even after Nanz
left the program. The Golden Eagles men’s swimming team won 24
PSAC championships.
In 2010 he was inducted into
Clarion University Sports Hall of
Fame, one of 11 men’s swimming
and diving athletes to be in the
Hall of Fame.

Chuck Nanz

With his dedication to the
university spilling into the
community, Nanz’s influence went
beyond collegiate competition. He
started the Eagle Summer Swim
Camps – a learn-to-swim program
for area children – that continue to
this day.
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A look back…

ALUMNI NOTES Fall 2019
DEMCHAK RECOGNIZED FOR LIFELONG
COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION
Dr. MaryAnn Demchak (’79) received the Distinguished Faculty Award
from the University of Nevada, Reno. The Distinguished Faculty award
honors the faculty member who demonstrates a commitment to excellence
and exemplary performance with significant achievement in his or her area
through service to citizens of the state and/or the university community. She
has served as the educational specialties department chair, associate dean
of the College of Education, chair of the University Research and Grants
Committee, and director of the Special Education Graduate Program. For the
last 28 years, Dr. Demchak has been the Project Director for the Nevada Dual
Sensory Impairment Project, which provides services to schools, teachers
and parents of students who have both deafness and blindness. She has
dedicated her entire career to improving the lives of children with severe
disabilities. Dr. Demchak resides in Really, Nev.

1989

Stephanie Madden Purgerson
is chief operating officer for
Nanoracks, Houston. She resides
in Flower Mound, Texas.

1990

Dr. Laura Kidder McNeill
received a doctorate degree
in instructional leadership and
technology from the University
of Alabama. She is employed at
Samford University, Birmingham.
Laura resides in Birmingham.
Todd Dieffenbach is chief
financial officer for Skills of
Central PA, Inc., State College,
Pa. He served as a field artillery
Officer in the Pennsylvania
National Guard for 20 years,
holding the rank of major. Todd
has two children, Kiley and Matt,
and resides in Sandy Ridge.

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1997 Sequelle

1992

Angela Morton is employed
by the Crawford County Drug
and Alcohol Executive Commission, Meadville. She resides
in Meadville with her son Isaac.

1997

Dr. Daniel Shevock and
Dr. Mercedes Boggs (’99)
reside in State College with
their daughter, Penny. Daniel is
an adjunct instructor for Penn
State Altoona. He recently
published a scholarly book,
“Eco-Literate Music Pedagogy” with Routledge.

1999

Heather Shultz Dippold
is an associate attorney for
Burns White LLC, Pittsburgh.
She resides in Pittsburgh with
her husband Michael and
daughters: Keara, Teagan and
Gwenn.

2000

Dr. Chris and Jennifer
Kibler Davis reside in Virginia
Beach with their children:
Emma, Noah, Addison, Kristen,
Victoria and Carter. Chris is a
chief information officer and
assistant professor of education and instructional technology for Virginia Wesleyan
University, Virginia Beach.

2006

Sheena Hoover Sundin is a
marketing manager for Hayes
Design Group Architects,
Pittsburgh. She resides in
Pittsburgh with her husband
Jamie and son Aidan.

2007

Jennifer Chamberlin
Krishart is employed as
therapeutic staff support
for Evergreen, Luzerne. She
resides in Wilkes-Barre.
CLARION UNIVERSITY
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WE WANT TO

know about YOU!

And so do your Clarion classmates. It’s easy to share your latest personal milestones and
professional accomplishments in the pages of Clarion University Magazine. Just send us a note!
Visit www.clarion.edu/alumni-update

2010

Hunter Jones is a reference librarian for the Belleville Public Library,
Belleville, N.J. He resides in West
Orange, N.J., with his sons, Matthew
and Gregory.
Katelyn Monrean Hollingshead (’16
ASN) is a case manager registered
nurse for Clarion Forest VNA, Clarion.
She resides in Clarion with her husband James.

2013

2014

Casey and Lauren Szoszorek
Dunleavy (’15) reside in Erie. Casey is
a digital marketing specialist for Eriez
Magnetics. Lauren is an event manager
for Larson Texts.
Wesley and Brittany Kowatch
Sprankle (’18) reside in Manassas,
Va., with their son, Carson. Wesley
and Brittany are both teachers for
Manassas City Public Schools.

Thomas and Taylor Myers
McConnell (’13) reside in Clarion.
Tom is the Clarion County treasurer.

2018

Dr. James Condon is a certified
registered family practice nurse
practitioner for UPMC Hamot Medical
Park – Johnsonburg. He resides in
St. Mary’s with his children: Brittany,
Rachel, Sophia and Olivia.

IN MEMORIAM
1940s

1980s

Friends

April 6, 2019

March 22, 2019

Feb. 10, 2019

Margaret Zuendel Rumbaugh (’45)

Daniel E. Mikuta (’81)

1950s

Flora W. Wheatley Todd-Doster (’83)
Jan. 28, 2019

Charles E. Nanz
March 23, 2019 (former faculty)

May 6, 2019

Mary Joy Tegtmeier Kennedy (’84)
March 12, 2019

David J. Zacherl
March 24, 2019

Patrick J. Connelly (’85)
March 11, 2019

Allan Larson
March 26, 2019 (retired faculty)

Douglas William Burchard (’88)
March 14, 2019

Sarah L. Bedick

Loretta Allegretto (’54)

William Hajdukiewicz (’56)
May 7, 2019

1960s

Victor A. Beck (’63)

June 8, 2019

John P. Wallo (’64)
March 5, 2019
Robert C. Castagna (’67)
May 6, 2019
William A. Yost (’68)
March 9, 2019

1970s

Mary Jeanne Kurtzhals Schmader (’71)

2000s

Jamie Sundin
and
Sheena Hoover ’06,
Aug. 31, 2018

Feb. 8, 2019

Denise Diane Holowell Irwin (’05)
April 23, 2019

Robert E. Leonard
April 15, 2019 (retired faculty)

April Sue Sheatz Martinez (’06)
May 26, 2019

Donald Ericsson Leas
April 25, 2019 (retired faculty)

2010s

Susan Althea Miller Baker (’71)
Feb. 11, 2019

March 19, 2019

Thomas Craig Brink (’72)
April 8, 2019

Joseph Levi
March 31, 2019
Alberta K. Nelson Cole (’73)
April 3, 2019 (retired staff)

Wayne B. Geissinger (’71)
Jan. 23, 2019

Gary Lee Brinker (’71)
June 6, 2019

March 29, 2019

Kay Hopwood (’04)

Jan. 7, 2019

MARRIAGES

Robert Kaufman

Jessica Marie Stephens (’12)

Justin John Gerasimek (’13)
May 6, 2019

Velma McMaster
May 10, 2019 (retired staff)
John Morris
May 27, 2019
Nancy Stover Jones
June 12, 2019

Emilee Elizabeth Kephart Burtop (’14)
May 2, 2019

Sandra Shofestall Siegel (’72)
May 28, 2019
Debra S. Sloan Dean (’73)
June 16, 2019
Donna J. Simpson Carey (’74)
March 30, 2019
Martha M. Nestich Novelly (’75)
April 26, 2019

42

Dilip K. Ghosh (’78)
March 11, 2019
FALL 2019
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UNIVERSITY

CLARION

CLARION

Our gift to baby Eagles of Clarion alumni is a dashing new bib!

UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY

To receive a bib, visit www.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 University Magazine.
For more information, call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 814-393-2572.

AREANA

Areana Amelia Preston, daughter of
James and Christine (Campbell ’11)
Preston, born April 5, 2018

MEREDITH

Meredith Lois Lewis, daughter of
Justin and Kelli (Dixon ’10) Lewis,
born Nov. 19, 2018

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GUNNAR

AVA

Ava Carmella Toborowski, daughter
of Thomas and Karlena (Price ’16)
Toborowski, born March 17, 2019

ELINOR

Elinor Grace Wilmoth, daughter of
Anne (Acton ’11) and Luke (’11) Wilmoth,
born Nov. 23, 2018

ELIZABETH

Elizabeth Ann Fox, daughter of
Michael and Kelli (Straw ’05) Fox,
born May 5, 2018

Gunnar Michael Raydo, son of
Eric and Beth (Lawrence ‘04) Raydo,
born Aug. 25, 2018

KIRSTEN

Kirsten Anne Hanson, daughter of
Adam and Tiffany (’16) Hanson,
born Jan. 13, 2019

JOSEPHINE

Josephine Mae Fargiorgio, daughter of
Lisa and Jordan (’10) Fargiorgio,
born July 18, 2018

LUCIANO

Luciano “Luca” Orlando Martinez,
son of Orlando and April (Sheatz ’06)
Martinez, born May 26, 2019

KENZLEE

Kenzlee Ann Campbell, daughter of
Hannah (Arnett ’15) and Alexander (’11)
Campbell, born Aug. 29, 2018

OLIVIA

Olivia Sue Harbison, daughter of
Nicole (Riger ’14) and Zachary (’14)
Harbison, born Nov. 28, 2018

CLARION UNIVERSITY
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45

2019 Distinguished Awards

Clarion University Alumni Association is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s awards.
They will be honored Friday, Oct. 4, at the annual Distinguished Awards Dinner and Ceremony, held on campus.
To purchase tickets, visit clarion.edu/alumnievents.

Nominations for the 2020 Distinguished Awards are now being accepted.
Visit clarion.edu/awards to view the category criteria and make a nomination.

ALUMNI CHAPTERS
An alumni chapter is a grassroots organization for alumni to connect with one another, engage with the Alumni
Association, and stay connected to the university through leadership and volunteer opportunities, student outreach,
local events, and social and professional networking. Find your chapter at clarion.edu/alumnichapters.

The chapters are looking for steering committee members. If interested, send email to:
Philadelphia – phillyclarionalumni@gmail.com
Pittsburgh – Michelle Vensel at mvensel@gmail.com or Brad Jones at jonesb@pghfdn.org
Venango – alumni@clarion.edu

Distinguished Faculty
Dr. Sharon L. Montgomery

Professor, Chemistry, Mathematics & Physics, Clarion University

Distinguished Young Alumni
Brandon Gray (’14, ’15)

Lead Technologist, CT Department, Central Florida Regional Hospital

Washington DC Metro Area (DMV) – alumni@clarion.edu
Harrisburg and Cleveland (new chapters) – alumni@clarion.edu or call 814-393-2572.
If you would like to form a chapter by location or interest (marching band alumni, black alumni, theatre alumni, etc.),
call the Office of Alumni Engagement at 814-393-2572.
Congratulations to our Philadelphia Alumni Chapter
for their contributions to their community. Many
thanks to the alumni who came together to give their
time to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Montgomery
and Delaware Counties. All had a great time at the
Habitat for Humanity ReStore this past April!

Alumni enjoyed a performance of “Grease” at Barrow
Civic-Theater with a pre-theater reception hosted by the
Venango Chapter. The Venango Chapter includes individuals
who attended the Venango campus, or who attended Clarion
campus and reside in Venango County.

Distinguished Service
Dr. Leah M. Chambers

Associate Professor, English & Modern Languages, Clarion University
Co-Founder, Community Learning Workshop

Dr. Richard D. Lane

Professor, English & Modern Languages, Clarion University
Co-Founder, Community Learning Workshop

Distinguished Venango Alumni
Angela C. Shontz Harriett (’07, MEd ’12)
Reading Specialist, Oil City Middle School

Congratulations to the DC Metro Area Chapter for
their kickoff event, “Build Your Own Bob’s Sub Day.”
It was great to bring a taste of Clarion to you. Special
thanks to Patrice D’Eramo-Flack (’86) for hosting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

For a full schedule of events, visit

clarion.edu/alumnievents.
AUG. 24-25: Volleyball Alumni Weekend

Distinguished Alumni
Michael P. Rastatter, Ph.D. (’72)

FALL 2019
WWW.CLARION.EDU

OCT. 4: Distinguished Awards
OCT. 4-6: Homecoming Weekend
NOV. 2: Party for a Purpose – King of Prussia

Chair, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Retired
Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
Vice President and Founder, Reading Comprehension Solutions, LLC

NOVEMBER: Pittsburgh Chapter Stuff a Bus with Toys for Tots

Jeffrey R. Schmeck (’80)

JAN. 22-24: Florida Alumni Gatherings – The Villages & Tampa

Executive & Co-Founder, Miner Fleet Management Group

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SEPT. 28: Baseball Alumni Game

JAN. 20-21: Alumni Golf Outing – Port Charlotte, Fla.
MARCH 11-13: California Alumni Gatherings – San Diego & Los Angeles
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COURAGEOUS

endeavors

JARRED HANNOLD

NEW TEACHER NAMED ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Jarred Hannold, a 2018 graduate of the dual early
childhood/special education program, was honored as Rookie
Teacher of the Year by Patrick Copeland Elementary School in
Hopewell, Va., where he is a special education inclusion teacher for
kindergarten and second grade.
Jarred is one of the few teachers who is certified in both general
education and special education. He said that being knowledgeable
in both areas has helped his ability to co-teach in the inclusion
classroom setting.
“Stepping into a classroom as a new special education teacher,
I was nervous for the first couple of days because of the two
grades I was working with and the inclusion model.
Our school uses the inclusion model in which the special
education teacher pushes into the general education
classroom to provide services (instead of pulling the
children out to a separate room).
As a new special education teacher that has never had
the opportunity to see fully how the model works, I was
nervous, yet interested to see it in action. It took a couple
of days for me to adjust to each grade I was servicing and
to my crazy schedule of running between kindergarten
and second grade. I had never had to provide services for
two separate classrooms in two separate grades, all in the
same day.

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FALL 2019
WWW.CLARION.EDU

The challenge of balancing two grades and a model
that I have not had much experience in made for quite a
learning experience. I feel that my willingness to ask
questions, to advocate for myself, taking on additional
tasks in the school, my ability to make personal connections
with each student, and reaching out to their parents aided
in my winning of Rookie of the Year.”

“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

Clarion University Foundation, Inc.
Larry W. Jamison ’87
Director of Planned Giving
814-393-1926
ljamison@cuf-inc.org

Simple ways to make your mark on the future:
• Make a gift through your retirement plan
• Give life insurance you no longer need
• Donate appreciated stock and save on taxes
• Consider a gift of real estate
• Make a gift that gives you fixed payments for life
• Make a gift that protects your assets

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.

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NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 2
CLARION, PA

840 WOOD STREET
CLARION, PA 16214-1232
WWW.CLARION.EDU

OCTOBER 4-6, 2019
CLARION.EDU/HOMECOMING