admin
Mon, 02/02/2026 - 19:04
Edited Text
clarion
u n i v e r s i t y
m a g a z i n e
WINTer 2015
Kristin Day
NCAA Woman
of the Year
Viva
Italia!
Getting
excited
about
Women’s
soccer
making a
difference
in Uganda
Cy Young
winner
Vuckovich
honored
The 2015-16 school year marks a
monumental first for Clarion University:
We are proud to announce the launch of the
Clarion University Eagle’s Nest Booster Club.
Today, the nest shows our beloved Ernie as a baby eagle, but with your help and
donation to the booster club, you will help Ernie become a fully grown Golden Eagle.
The goal of the Eagle’s Nest Booster Club is to support all athletic teams and the athletics
department at Clarion University.
Y EAGLE’S NES
TB
R C LU B
CL ARION
STE
UN
E
IT
RS
OO
IV
All of our teams strive for success, and all of our student athletes are deserving of your support.
While you are welcome to designate any gift over $100 to the sport of your choice, please consider
thinking of all Clarion student athletes as members of one team.
CU
ES
TA B L
01
ISHED 2
5
No matter where your team loyalty
lies, give to the Eagle’s Nest and
lift up athletics at Clarion!
Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu
clarion
W int er 2 0 15
Volume 2
Number 3
departments
2
features
4 Clarion Digest
Clarion gets the top spot in the Best Online
Colleges for Pennsylvania ranking.
Plus: The new Suites on Main and renovated
Becht Hall are open. CU Mentor links students
with professionals in their field. Senior Hannah
Gloeckl says “Poetry Matters” with events for
campus and community.
12
Heart for
Uganda
Alyssa Cooper Sande (M.Ed.
’06) is making a difference in
Uganda, helping to provide
food, shelter and education
to the children.
18
10 Alumni Gatherings
Not Just for Kicks
Stephanie Harris (’12) missed playing soccer after college, so
she founded a semi-pro team in Pittsburgh.
24
Viva Italia!
Since graduating in 2013,
Daniel LaFata has visited
seven countries. He’s currently
calling Italy home, teaching
English to middle schoolers
and working on acquiring his
Italian citizenship.
30
Letters
Oh, What a Day
With two national diving titles and a 4.0 undergraduate GPA,
Kristin Day (’15) capped off her undergraduate career by being
named NCAA Woman of the Year.
34 Sports Roundup
The Altoona Curve
honors two-time Cy
Young winner and
former Clarion baseball
standout Pete Vuckovich
with a special evening
and a throwback bobblehead.
40 Alumni News & Class Notes
48 Courageous Endeavors
Leann Martin found that Clarion had the one-two
punch she needed with its ROTC and Bachelor of
Science in paralegal programs.
On the Cover
Champion diver and
4.0 graduate Kristin Day
is named NCAA Woman
of the Year in
Indianapolis.
30
Clarion university
magazine
1
CLARION
UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
President: Dr. Karen Whitney
Executive editor: Tina Horner
Co-editors: Rich Herman (sports); David Love (’86,
’87); Amy Thompson Wozniak (’02, M.S. ’06)
Design: Brenda Stahlman
Contributors: Michelle Port, S.C. Nolan (’14);
Samantha Beal
Photographers: Rich Herman, David Love, Adam
Reynolds (’15), George Powers (’81), Jason Strohm
(’01, MFA ’05), Brett Whitling
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Board of Governors
Chair: Guido M. Pichini
Vice Chair: Marie Conley
Vice Chair: David M. Maser
Sen. Richard Alloway II
Rep. Matthew E. Baker
Ronald G. Henry
Jane M. Earll
Christopher H. Franklin
Todd Garrett
Chelsea E. Getsy
Rep. Michael K. Hanna
Jonathan B. Mack
Joseph F. McGinn
Pedro A. Rivera, secretary of education
Sen. Judy Schwank
Robert S. Taylor
Aaron A. Walton
Harold C. Shields
Gov. Tom Wolf
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,
Council of Trustees
Chairperson: James L. Kifer (’83)
Acting Vice Chairperson: Howard H. Shreckengost
(’83)
Vice Chairperson: J.D. Dunbar (’77, M.S. ’79)
Secretary: Milissa Bauer (’84)
Dr. Syed R. Ali-Zaidi
Susanne A. Burns
The Honorable R. Lee James
The Honorable Donna Oberlander (’91)
Randy Seitz (’09)
Jeffrey J. Szumigale (’82)
Darren Young, student trustee
families of current students and friends of Clarion
University. Alumni information is also located at
www.clarion.edu/alumni.
It is the policy of Clarion University of Pennsylvania
that there shall be equal opportunity in all of its
educational programs, services, and benefits, and
there shall be no discrimination with regard to a
student’s or prospective student’s race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation/
affection, gender identity, veteran status, or other
classifications that are protected under Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, and other pertinent state
and federal laws and regulations. Direct inquiries
regarding equal opportunity, Title IX or services and
facility accessibility to: Assistant to the President
for Social Equity/Title IX and 504/ADA Coordinator,
Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 207 Carrier
Administration Building 16214-1232. Email jgant@
clarion.edu or phone 814-393-2109. Inquiries may
also be directed to the Director of the Office for Civil
Alumni Association Board of Directors
President: Deborah Eckelberger (’07)
President-Elect: Jeffrey Douthett (’79)
Secretary: Jean Mills (’59, ’74)
Treasurer: David Reed (’09)
David Bailey (’65)
Floyd Barger (’58)
Daniel Bartoli (’81)
Angela Brown (’80)
Jonathan Catanzarita (’11)
Elisabeth Fulmer (’64, ’80, ’97)
Lee Grosch (’62)
Sandra Jarecki (’69)
Terri (Tiki) Kahle (’87)
Nancy Lendyak (’75)
Ronald Lucas (’82)
Ashley McCauley (’06)
Chris Myers (’12)
Virginia Vasko (‘88)
Daniel Zangrilli (’07)
Glenn Zari (’97)
Morgan Woodin
Eagle Ambassadors president
Rights, Department of Education, 330 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201.
Karen Whitney, ex-officio
President of Clarion University
Laura King (’09), ex-officio
Executive Director of Clarion University
Alumni Association
2
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Letters
Clarion University Magazine arrives in
your mailbox just three times a year, but
it’s a year-round project for the magazine
production team. In fact, as you hold this
issue, we’re already planning the spring
2016 magazine, choosing stories that
illustrate Courageous. Confident. Clarion.
and, hopefully, help you maintain your
connection to the university.
When we debuted the redesigned
magazine one year ago, we listened to
feedback from our alumni and friends, and
I believe that together, we’ve developed a
publication that reflects the university and
its people.
We still are listening. In fact, we’ve
built into the magazine a place (this very
spot) for you to share your thoughts and
insights. We invite you to write to us and
let your voice be part of Clarion University
Magazine.
Please include your name, relationship
to the university and a phone number
for verification (but not publication).
Letters should be 150 words or fewer and
pertaining to the magazine content.
Email letters to alumni@clarion.edu or
mail them to Clarion University Magazine,
Seifert-Mooney Center for Advancement,
840 Wood St., Clarion, PA 16214.
Tina M. Horner
Executive editor
letter from the president
Dear Clarion Family,
As Clarion’s president, the moments that make me proud are abundant. We are most proud of the many, many
students and alumni succeeding and exemplifying Courageous. Confident. Clarion. These are the qualities that
create champions. Champions come in all shapes and sizes, from the traditional champion of athletic sport, to the
academic champion who masters an area of study, to someone who passionately champions a cause to save the
lives of others.
Kristin Day (’15) has consistently challenged herself academically and athletically, making time to serve the
community, too. Along with earning national diving titles and a 4.0 undergraduate GPA, NCAA recognized her
efforts by naming her Woman of the Year, a first for a Pennsylvania athlete.
Alyssa Sande (’12) is a champion, too. Her challenge is improving the lives of Africa’s children through Heart for
Uganda, the mission she founded. Sande lives in Uganda, among the people the organization helps, providing
food, shelter and education.
I can’t talk about champions without mentioning our own Pete Vuckovich, who went on to play for the White Sox
and win two Cy Young Awards. His story exemplifies how confidence in one’s abilities translates into success.
I hope that you, as part of the Clarion University family, also feel honor in the achievements of these alumni, as well
as your own. Clarion graduates are making a difference, exhibiting the trademark Golden Eagles grit and grace.
Congratulations to our Courageous. Confident. Champions!
Fly Eagles Fly!
Karen M. Whitney
President, Clarion University
President Whitney
with Pete Vuckovich
Clarion university
magazine
3
Campus news I clarion digest
Achievement
spotlight on:
Master of
Science in
Applied Data
Analytics
(big data)
Why it’s hot
This is an area geared toward
analyzing big data sets, categorized as
so large there’s no data program big
enough to analyze them.
What it’s got
Students will learn the design and
manipulation of large data sets for
a specific application, whether it be
finance, marketing, management,
health care, social science, political
science, education or many other
fields. A prerequisite structure is
necessary to build the student’s skill
set, tool by tool, to work into a fairly
deep technical background. Students
are required to have a programming
course and a statistics course before
starting the program. The degree
program is open to any undergraduate
major who desires to leverage their
training with a big data specialty.
Only 80 schools in the country offer
the degree, and no other state system
school currently offers it.
Recognition of
excellence
Clarion received the top spot in
the 2015-2016 Best Online Colleges
for Pennsylvania rankings by
AffordableCollegesOnline.org, a leading
resource for online learning and college
affordability information.
Clarion’s online accounting degree
is ranked seventh in the nation by
bestcolleges.com, which compiles its
rankings using data from the IPEDS and
College Navigator databases.
Clarion star
Graduate student William Snyder
(’15), celebrated two years of and more
than one thousand visitors to Stars Over
Clarion, a planetarium show he created
and produces, Nov. 5 in Peirce Planetarium.
Snyder, of Apollo, who holds a bachelor’s
degree in physics with a concentration in
astrophysics, began showing Stars Over
Clarion in November 2013. The series, held
the first Tuesday of each month, explores
constellations, planets and other celestial
items. Shows concentrate on that month’s
visible elements, offering the community
a look at Clarion’s changing heavens
throughout the year.
Merit-based scholarships for freshmen
What’s next
The first cohort of 30 students will
begin classes in fall 2016.
4
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Merit scholarships for seniors in the high school class of 2016 who
meet academic criteria have been created. Students with a high school
GPA of 3.0 or higher and an SAT score of at least 1,000 (critical reading
and math) or ACT score of at least 21, will be awarded between $1,000
and $3,000. “These scholarships are in response to the fact that we are
getting more academically talented applicants to Clarion each year,”
said Ron Nowaczyk, Ph.D., Clarion provost. “We want to reward these
students for their accomplishments and help them and their families
make Clarion their college of choice.” Eligibility will be determined
through the admissions process. Students will be notified of their award
shortly after receiving letters of admission to Clarion. The scholarship,
open to all majors, is renewable for three additional years, as long as the
student maintains a 3.0 GPA.
Campus News I clarion digest
Golden Eagles marching band
looking ‘sharp’
The arrival of this season’s long-anticipated band
uniforms ushered in a new era for the Golden Eagles
marching band. According to band advisor Casey Teske,
Ph.D., professor of music, Clarion’s previous 17-year-old
uniforms were due for a makeover.
“(They were) an old, classic West Point design,” Teske
said. “Nothing really stood out.”
But after administration agreed last August to buy
innovative outfits, President Karen Whitney made it
clear she wanted the new look to be student-driven.
Band students began researching ideas, bringing them
to Teske and eventually narrowing them down to two
options. Of those choices, a never-before-seen style was
selected.
“The students were very clear, they wanted to make a
statement,” Teske said. “And they did.”
Marching band director Jeremiah Dobo explained
the uniform design is based on Bluecoats, a Drum Corp
International group. The new uniforms no longer include a waist coat
with braid, but a longer, open-fronted trench coat that falls to the knee.
The pants feature a tuck stripe down the front, rather than side.
“We no longer use shakos,” Dobo said, “Now it’s a helmet with a
phantom plume that wraps around.”
poetry matters
Hannah Gloeckl,
a senior English
major from
Bethel Park,
created, as her
Honors project,
“Poetry Matters,”
a series of events
for children
and adults.
Gloeckl said the
importance of
literacy and an
easy way to teach and reinforce literacy brought
her to the shorter medium of poetry. Events
included a graffiti poetry event for older children
and young adults, a poetry workshop for kids, a
poetry reading for adults and an all-ages open
mic night held in partnership with Clarion’s
literary magazine, Tobeco.
Marching band members also bear gold sashes that
sparkle in different types of light. Overall, Teske describes
the uniforms as “popping.” He and Dobo agree the
campus and community response to the outfits has been
most agreeable.
“We’ve gotten a lot of compliments,” he said.
Miles Gloriosus
The theatre season opened in
October with “Miles Gloriosus
– The Braggart Warrior.”
Written in Latin by Plautus
2,200 years ago, the comedy
features a boastful Greek
captain, clever and conniving
servants, an aged lusty next
door neighbor, a beautiful
courtesan and an innocent
girl who is separated from
her beloved. Each character is
placed into a situation where
hilarity ensues.
Theatre professor Bob
Coleen E. Scheerbaum as Scaledra, pleading with Sam
Levy, who adapted the play
Atwell as Periplectonomus not to punish her, as Casey
Martz as Palaestrio looks on, glad that he is not being
for Clarion, said the play was
punished this time.
chosen for production because
of its humorous streak. The department had not produced a classic comedy for
a while: “Miles Gloriosus” fit the bill. His adaptation was inspired by late 1950s
and early 1960s sitcoms.
Clarion university
magazine
5
Building news I clarion digest
Construction
Suites on Main opens
Clarion celebrated the grand opening of Suites on Main North on Founders Day, Sept. 10. The
public grand opening included a ribbon cutting, refreshments, live music and tours of the building.
The $61 million Suites on Main project, built with Silver Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design standards, features a geothermal heating and cooling system. LEED encourages use of
sustainable building materials – recycled materials available nearby to save on transportation costs
– and sustainable operations such as geothermal heating/cooling to save on utility costs. Both
buildings total more than 230,000 square feet with 373 suites. Space for 728 students is available.
Suites on Main South, slated to open in January, will house the Clarion University Store, Starbucks
and Denny’s Den. Wilkinson and Nair halls are scheduled for demolition this winter.
6
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Building News I clarion digest
Becht Hall
The renovation of Becht Hall is complete and is serving as a centralized place for
students to go to get their questions answered and their needs met. “Our philosophy
is to make it as easy and efficient for students to get the support and resources they
need in one physical location,” said Ron Nowaczyk, Ph.D., provost. The building now
houses the offices of Registrar, Student Financial Services, Clarion Online, Computer
Help Desk, Residence Life, Judicial and Mediation Services, Auxiliary Operations,
Center for Wellness, Admissions, Honors, ROTC, Writing Lab, Tutoring and Testing,
Disability Support Services, Career Services, International Programs, Minority Student
Affairs, SOAR, Advising Center and TRIO Student Support, as well as a coffee bar,
meditation room and lounges for veterans, ROTC and international students.
Renovation
Clarion university
magazine
7
Campus news I clarion digest
A new program is connecting Clarion University business
and information sciences students with professionals in
their field.
10th annual
GIS
conference
CU mentor
CUmentor is designed to link alumni and employer partners with
current students to facilitate mentor-mentee partnerships that foster the
sharing of knowledge and experience,” said Josh Domitrovich (’13, MBA ’15),
coordinator for career mentoring and internships in the Center for Career and
Professional Development.
The program’s goals are three-fold:
• Provide students with opportunities for professional
development, networking and information/idea exchange
with professionals in their academic area;
• Provide opportunities for alumni and employer partners
to connect with the university and play a notable role in
current students’ future endeavors; and
• Establish partnerships between alumni and employer
partners and students to facilitate career exploration and
career coaching.
The idea for the program was pitched by Lindsay Banner (’07), a member
of the College of Business Administration and Information Sciences’ advisory
council. Banner, who holds a BSBA, will be among the mentors. Domitrovich
will begin matching mentees with mentors at the end of the students’
sophomore years by using a unique algorithm to provide the best possible
match. Initially, CUmentor opportunities will be available to students with
majors and minors in the College of Business Administration and Information
Sciences. Within two years, Domitrovich hopes to implement the program
university-wide.
For information, visit www.clarion.edu/cumentor.
8
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
The 10th Northwest Pennsylvania
Geographic Information Systems
conference met Oct. 15 and 16.
Among other things, GIS supports
new business markets, assists in
911 operations and natural disaster
emergency management and
handles data analysis for oil and
gas exploration. Digital maps on
mobile devices allow users to acquire
information almost instantaneously,
but GIS is more than that, said Yasser
Ayad, Ph.D., professor of geology
and coordinator of the conference.
“It is used to identify environmental
problems and help calculate and
specify different solution scenarios.”
The field of GIS has existed for nearly
30 years, but it is still considered
an emerging field. The conference
included concurrent sessions,
exhibitions and poster presentations.
PASSHE News I clarion digest
Chancellor
calls for
creativity,
innovation in
‘State of the
System’ address.
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is at a crossroads and must
become even more creative and innovative to ensure both the viability of the
system and to best meet the needs of students and the commonwealth in
the future, Chancellor Frank T. Brogan said in October’s State of the System
address.
“We must be willing to challenge every assumption in order to ensure a
sustainable future for each of our 14 universities within the system,” Brogan
said. “We must innovate and collaborate to achieve greater efficiencies as we
work to deliver Pennsylvania’s best value in higher education.”
The state system universities continue to adapt their programming to meet
the needs of students and the commonwealth, Brogan said. (see right)
“Since July 2014, the board of governors has approved 29 new academic
programs, including five doctoral degrees,” Brogan said. “These programs were
developed with the future in mind — in fields where there is growing demand
for well-educated, well-trained professionals. A number of these programs are
collaborative efforts among two or more state system universities.”
Brogan said the state system this year will take an exponential step forward
in ensuring even greater alignment of our degree programs with the demands
of students and the commonwealth.
“We’re conducting a system-wide supply/demand gap analysis that will
enable us to see — region by region — the kinds of degree programs that are
needed in areas such as science, technology, the arts, the humanities, health,
business and education,” Brogan said. “The connection between the state
system and Pennsylvania’s economic vitality is undeniable. Our successes, our
challenges, our opportunities are the foundation of Pennsylvania’s future.”
While it is important that the universities continue to serve their traditional
student base, Brogan said they must do more to increase accessibility to
community college transfer students and adult learners who want to pursue a
degree while maintaining their careers and families.
“This will require us to offer more programs in flexible times, places and
modes of delivery,” he said. “Think about this: there are more than 1 million
Pennsylvanians who started a degree but never finished. We must reach out
to those individuals to let them know they have options at a state system
university, and ensure we are organized in a way to meet their needs.”
“The connection between the state system and
Pennsylvania’s economic vitality is undeniable. Our
successes, our challenges, our opportunities are
the foundation of Pennsylvania’s future.”
Here’s how
Clarion is meeting
the chancellor’s
challenge
Pennsylvania State System
Board of Governors has
approved new degree
programs for Clarion University.
Most recently, Clarion was
approved to offer the MS in
accounting. The interest in
this program is primarily from
accounting professionals who
need 150 credit hours in order
to receive CPA certification.
Classes will prepare students
to sit for the CPA exam which
consists of four segments
including auditing, financial
accounting and reporting,
regulation, and business
environment.
Additional
degrees approved
in 2015
• MS in applied data analytics
• BS in sport management
• BSBA in paralegal studies
Clarion university
magazine
9
alumni 2015
Alumni and friends donned rain gear to celebrate Homecoming
2015. Clockwise, from top left include: Clarion ROTC marching
in the parade; homecoming queen Emily Smith and king Lance
Whitehead; associate vice president Dr. Brenda Sanders Dede;
a clown; a young alumna; President Karen M. Whitney; alumni
office staff Sammi Beichner, Emily Weaver (’09) and Laura King
(’09); Ernie the Eagle with some young friends; student Janine
Strohm; cheerleaders marching along Main Street; student and
rugby player Diamond Rodriquez; Georgia Yamalis (’15) and
friend; former Clarion President Joseph Grunenwald. In the
center photo is Robert “Bo” Garritano (’66) and wife Joyce.
10
WINTER
2015
Spring
2015
www.clarion.edu
www.clarion.edu
Clarion university
magazine
11
Heart
for
Uganda
When Clarion University alumna Alissa Cooper Sande (M.Ed. ‘06)
was 7 years old, she dreamed of Africa. Specifically she dreamed
of helping the children of Africa. In 2009, she moved to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, to make that dream a reality.
“I do believe that God just put that on my heart,” she said of her
7-year-old self.
12
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
A child in Uganda hauls
water above his head.
People in Africa often have
to travel many miles to get
clean drinking water.
Sande comforts a child in
Uganda, where many of the
children have been orphaned
by AIDS and political conflicts.
Presently, students can attend school up
serious problem affecting Kyenjojo. When
to sixth grade.
children, especially girls, have to walk far
“The need is so great, yet the
distances to get water they can fall victim
finances are limited,” Sande said.
to sexual assault, so bringing water closer
Another project is getting potable
to each community helps protect them.
drinking water to each community. The
Sande said sexual immorality is a
ministry discovered that the government
major problem there, with the local
already installed hand-pumped water
culture dictating that females of any
wells in the district,
age are not allowed
they just needed to
to say no to a man’s
be repaired. So far,
sexual advances.
Sexual immorality is a
Heart for Uganda
It has created a
has fixed 10 of the
major problem there
culture where rape
wells, providing
is prevalent and the
with the local culture
water to 1,000
dictating that females of AIDS epidemic is
people. Another 40
spreading.
any age are not allowed
hand-pump water
“Our district is
wells need to be
to say no to a man’s
one of the highest for
repaired.
AIDS,” she said.
sexual advances.”
Along with
Another effect it’s
providing water,
having is that young
there is the job
people are starting to
of educating the village about water
have sex at an alarmingly early age – as
such as proper hygiene, potential cross
young as 4 years old – because they are
contamination with livestock, and
mimicking what they’ve been shown or
learning how to care for the wells.
are trying to get love in this way, Sande
“The children don’t think anything of
said.
drinking dirty water,” Sande said.
Further complicating the problem is
Contaminated drinking water is a
that it’s not customary to report sexual
problem because it leads to sickness,
assault, so it continues, Sande said.
Sande said.
“Until hearts change, nothing is going
Getting clean water closer to
to change,” Sande said. “It’s going to be
villagers also is important because of a
God doing it.”
“
In the time since, she has married
a native Ugandan, had two children,
fostered several more and been a
witness to much change in her village.
Among the biggest change is the
addition of a children’s village where
a medical center, school and home for
orphans has been constructed.
Sande hopes her ministry, Heart
for Uganda, can expand its medical
center by adding a women’s ward as
well as increasing its area for admitted
patients. The ministry also would like
to add another grade to the school.
Clarion university
magazine
13
Another hurdle is combating
jealousy in the village.
Sande said the ministry has to be
careful to help not only the children,
but the parents as well, because
feelings of jealousy are so prevalent in
the culture.
“Changing the mindset is one of
our biggest hurdles,” she said.
In that same way, some people in
the village are upset with the progress
the ministry has been making. Sande
said sometimes when people are poor
they can’t understand that the things
the ministry is doing is to everyone’s
benefit.
“In that sense people want to
destroy what we’re doing,” she said.
It’s just another example of how
“poverty really has a negative effect.”
But it’s not all sad news. Sande
shared the story of a boy whose
name is Treasure.
Sande and
Treasure
Treasure was badly abused by his
alcoholic grandmother and turned to
stealing and living on the streets. He
became a known thief in the village,
putting his life at risk, because often
thieves are killed – even if they’re
children. Eventually, Treasure stole from
the mission’s church. Instead of pressing
charges, Heart for Uganda took him in
and gave him a home in the children’s
village.
Sande said the change has been
amazing, with Treasure excelling at
school and responding to love. She
told him, “Your name is Treasure for a
reason.”
“Now he’s going to become the
treasure he was meant to be all of his
life,” she said.
Did you know?
Heart for Uganda has gained
momentum, in part, because so many
people have embraced founder Alissa
Cooper Sande’s vision for the ministry.
Those who have supported the ministry
have done so in a variety of capacities by
either working behind the scenes in the
United States or by traveling to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, on mission trips.
Many of the supporters are Clarion
University alumni and employees who
have found that their degrees or present
occupations come in handy in assisting
the organization.
Sande’s Clarion degree is a Master of
Education as a reading specialist. Part of
her mission is a school which opened in
February 2013 and has quickly gained a
reputation as a place where children get
a quality education.
“I have been able to use the
knowledge that was imparted to me to
improve the educational system in the
area where I stay. My master’s degree
from Clarion University has empowered
me to equip the teachers in the area of
reading and writing,” Sande said.
14
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
“The teachers need so much training,”
said Linda Bryce Coulson (’02, M.Ed. ’12).
Coulson was part of a mission trip
in 2013 and thought she’d be working
primarily with the children, but she felt a
burden for the teachers, whose occupation
is considered one of the lowest in Uganda.
“The teachers are hungry for
knowledge,” Coulson said.
Sande holds workshops for teachers
to help them better serve the students.
She models her own instruction of reading
so teachers may observe and apply the
techniques in their own classrooms.
Reading is not a school subject in
Uganda, and, because of that, the illiteracy
rate is 63 percent for females and 79
percent for males in elementary school.
“Many children are completely unable
to read and write, even in higher grades.
I have been given many opportunities
to teach the children and improve their
reading and writing skills,” Sande said.
Sande said changing Uganda’s
education system is one of her goals.
Volunteers have found other ways to
serve in the ministry.
When Margaret “Margy” Port (’77) went
to Kyenjojo in 2011 she was surprised how
her educational background helped her
communicate with the children there. She
attended the mission trip with her husband,
who was going to lend his agricultural
expertise, but she wasn’t sure how she’d be
able to serve. She soon found her niche and
used alternative communication strategies to
overcome language barriers, particularly with
children.
Brenda Sanders Dédé found her
administrative skills to be valuable. Dédé is
Clarion’s associate vice president for academic
affairs, but in Uganda she worked to manage
and organize the pharmacy at the medical
clinic. Dédé said you never know how your
skills are going transfer in another country.
For others, their skills are used closer to
home.
Because the organization has so many
projects, the Heart for Uganda Board would
like to establish an internship program for
Clarion students and alumni in which they
can offer their expertise to Heart for Uganda
in areas such as business management,
marketing and education.
Change hasn’t been taking place just in the hearts of the
villagers.
Early in Sande’s missionary career, she was working in an
orphanage, and so was Victor Sande, a native Ugandan. She
became interested in him, but she didn’t want to be interested in
him.
“I didn’t want to marry an African man,” she said.
Her resistance had a great deal to do with the differences in
their cultures, and the feeling was mutual.
“He didn’t want to marry an American,” she said.
As they worked together, it was clear they were meant to be
married.
“It was truly God that brought us together, because we would
not have married each other,” Sande said.
They now have two children, Caleb, 5, and Vanea, 3. They also
have two children from the village who stay with them yearround. Another six children stay with them when they are home
from school breaks. None of them has been officially adopted,
but they all have found a home with the Sandes.
It turns out that marrying a Ugandan has had its perks. First,
her marriage allowed her to assimilate into the culture in a way
that she would not have had she remained single or married
another American. She prepares food like an African woman does
and has a greater understanding of the culture now than ever
before.
Also, Victor has helped her save money at the ministry
because he knows the
local customs and knows
what products and
services should cost.
Even with her
marriage, however,
she will always be the
Mzungu, or the white
Ugandan children amuse
person, whom people
themselves near some
available water.
can’t help but stare at
when she goes into town.
“I never really totally
fit in,” she said.
Her children also
receive the same Mzungu
label because they are
biracial and noticeably
lighter skinned than
people from the village.
People tend to think
differently about her, too,
because she’s from the
United States.
“People don’t think I
have problems because
I’m American,” Sande
said.
The Sande Family
Victor, Caleb, Vanea and Alissa
didn’t want to marry an
“ I African
man. He didn’t
want to marry an American.
It was truly God that
brought us together.
”
Clarion university
magazine
15
Five things Alissa
Cooper Sande misses
about the United
States.
1. My family and
friends.
2. Hot showers.
3. Comfort – There are
a lot of comforts in
America.
4. Nice roads.
5. Pizza.
In Uganda, there have been
times of political unrest
and it has brought some
frightening moments.”
Those factors can make it lonely
for her, but Sande is undeterred.
“It’s in my heart. I wouldn’t feel at
home if I wasn’t there,” she said.
In Uganda, there have been times
of political unrest and it has brought
some frightening moments.
“Right after I got married to my
husband, there was rioting and he had
to hide in a church,” Sande said.
Another time, a group of political
dissidents were going town to town
and raping villagers. Sande had heard
that they were coming to Kyenjojo,
and was worried, but fortunately they
never came.
Sande said the government is
good about protecting its citizens
from the dangers of political unrest.
“I think America can be scarier,”
she said.
Sande said there are different lines
of security when she compares the
United States to Uganda. When her
husband visits the United States,
he often is surprised to see people
park their cars outside without
guards.
“Our culture is built around trust,
and theirs is built around distrust,”
she said.
She said there are many
misconceptions about the safety
in Uganda and it’s not what people
envision.
“I don’t really get afraid very
often,” she said.
What does worry her?
“It’s easy to feel like you’re doing
nothing,” Sande said.
She said coming back to
the United States gives her an
opportunity to review her photos of
the village children before and after
they became part of the ministry.
The progress in the photos is
noticeable and gives Sande hope.
Five things Alissa
Cooper Sande would
miss if she ever left
Uganda permanently.
1. The kids.
2. Laid-back lifestyle.
People aren’t so
busy.
3. Family and friends
over there.
4. Climate/weather.
5. Opportunities.
The school in Kyenjojo’s children’s village is gaining a
reputation where children can get a quality education.
16
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
“
Some people in the village
are upset with the progress
the ministry has been making.
Sometimes when people are poor
they can’t understand that the
things the ministry is doing is to
everyone’s benefit. ”
Slowly hope is coming to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, in the form of supplies
and fresh water.
She speaks about Heart for
Uganda at area churches and
organizations when she visits the
United States, which is another
way for her to recognize what the
ministry has accomplished.
Mission teams to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, are being assembled for
next summer. People on mission
trips to Sande’s village have the
opportunity to perform a variety
of needed tasks such as teaching,
counseling and being part of the
medical team.
The easiest way that people can
help the ministry is to simply pray,
Sande said.
“My dreams could have never
been fulfilled if people hadn’t stood
with me in support,” she said.
She also encourages people
to look for needs in their own
communities.
“You don’t have to go to
Africa to see people in need,”
Sande said. “I think we should
encourage each other to make
the world a better place.”
To learn more, visit www.heartforuganda.org.
Clarion university
magazine
17
Steel City FC players
take the field.
18
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Not
Just for
Kicks
Alumna Stephanie Harrison
(’12) has added a new team
to the City of Champions and
hopes to inspire girls in the
region to get in the game.
When Harrison moved from Clarion to
Pittsburgh after graduation, she thought that
helping to coach the soccer team at Chatham
would fill the void she felt after her final collegiate
soccer game. She’d played for Clarion’s women’s
soccer team for four years while she studied for
her bachelor’s in psychology and “loved every
minute of it.”
Being able to stay on the soccer field while she
worked on her master’s and Ph.D. in counseling
psychology felt like the best of both worlds.
Harrison soon learned, though, that she wasn’t
ready to coach; she missed playing.
Stephanie Harrison
Clarion university
magazine
19
“Soccer was sort of
just mine. It was really
my space away from
everything.”
“I knew at the time that I wanted to
keep playing, but I told myself, ‘Coaching
will be fine,’” Harrison said. “But then I
found myself driving home from games,
starting to cry and wishing I’d been
able to be on the field. Even at practice
I just wished I were playing instead of
coaching.”
Despite her limited free time, Harrison
set out to find a team willing to take
her on as a defender. A small-town girl
from Butler, she expected that a city
like Pittsburgh would hold countless
opportunities for someone in her position.
“I looked around, and as I was
researching, it sort of slowly dawned on
me; this city has two men’s soccer teams
– the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and the Fort
Pitt Regiment – but there isn’t a single
women’s team,” Harrison said.
Somewhat dismayed, Harrison told her
academic advisor about her failed search.
“I went to my advisor’s office and
just kind of casually talked about my
20
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
“I looked around,
and as I was
researching, it
slowly dawned
on me; this city
has two men’s
soccer teams but
there isn’t
a single
women’s team.”
disappointment, and she just looked at me
and said, ‘You should do something about
that.’” Harrison said. “So I decided to.”
Thus, Steel City F.C., Pittsburgh’s semipro women’s soccer team, was born.
It’s clear that – along with a competitive
streak a mile long – Harrison has lived with
this decisive nature her whole life. Though
each of her six siblings dabbled in soccer
when they were young, she was the only
one who stuck with it.
“I think I just wanted to be different
from them,” she said.
Harrison continued to play through
elementary and middle school. By the time
she was 15, she was ready to play on a club
team. Her parents, though supportive of
her passion, couldn’t commit to driving her
to games across the region while working
and raising her siblings.
Determined to play, Harrison didn’t
let that stop her. She attended the first
practice where she met Jordan Daloiso
(‘12), who lived in the neighboring town
of Kittanning and whose parents
offered to take Harrison to games and
practices. Soon after, as Harrison and
Daloiso transitioned quickly from new
teammates to best friends, Harrison
realized for the first time that she
wanted to play soccer in college.
Part of this revelation came from the
peace Harrison found on the field.
“Soccer was sort of just mine,”
she said. “My parents would ask, ‘Oh,
how did the game go?’ and things like
that, but it was really my space away
from everything.” Beyond its physical
benefits, Harrison joked that soccer
was a good way to avoid doing chores
around the house.
After four successful years of high
school and club soccer, Harrison settled
on Clarion as her new home. She found
an immediate connection with the
squad’s coach at the time, Nina Alonzo,
forsaking even California University
of Pennsylvania, whose
women’s soccer program
has a recent history of
notable success.
Along with the school
and the soccer program,
like so many before her,
Harrison says the town
of Clarion won her heart
almost immediately.
“I loved Clarion as a
Harrison playing soccer for the Golden Eagles
town,” she said. “Especially
Main Street. It’s so cute and
there’s a lot going on. I really just fell in
“That year I played every minute of
love with it the first time I visited.”
every game,” Harrison said proudly.
It didn’t take long for Harrison to
Her senior year was not quite as
decide on Clarion, especially when
successful, as Harrison was riddled with a
Daloiso revealed that she, too, would
series of injuries. Still, she fondly looks back
be a Golden Eagle.
on all of her time on the Clarion pitch.
The pair played all four years on the
“We sometimes had trouble winning
women’s soccer team, though Harrison
games and, well, scoring, but we were a
singles out her junior year as her
good team, and I loved the people I got to
standout season.
play with.”
Steel City FC
Clarion university
magazine
21
That love for the game was a major
part of what drove Harrison to form
Steel City F.C., though she soon found
that her new endeavor wasn’t quite as
straightforward as lacing up her cleats
and stepping onto the field.
“Honestly, I had absolutely no idea how
I was going to make it happen,” Harrison
said. “But I had a lot of people who were
willing to help me, and a lot of support
from the community.”
Among those involved were Harrison’s
Harrison’s team, in action
22
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
two sisters – a lobbyist and a lawyer – who
helped secure nonprofit status for the
team and organized a network of potential
donors and sponsors.
During the fundraising campaign,
Harrison made contact with a UPMC
employee whose daughter played soccer.
According to Harrison, he was thrilled
with the idea of a team for his daughter to
watch and look up to, and got the team’s
information into the hands of the right
people at UPMC. The organization soon
became a lead sponsor for Steel City FC,
donating the expertise of their athletic
trainers and providing financial support for
the team.
Harrison also credits Betsy Warren,
Chatham’s head soccer coach, for her
help in organizing tryouts and helping to
staff the team, and Daloiso, who – though
studying abroad in Ireland – managed the
team’s Facebook page, a major element in
the team’s online presence. She also thanks
the city of Pittsburgh itself.
“It’s such a strong
community. Even at
our first game, we
had more than 150
people show up.
Obviously, I cried.”
A Steel City FC player goes for the ball.
“I don’t think this would have worked so well or
taken shape so quickly in any other place,” Harrison
said. “I think people in Pittsburgh – from Councilman
Dan Gillman who constantly helped set me up with the
right people, to the different businesses that clearly
wanted to support a women’s sports team in the city –
they’re the ones who really made this happen.”
“It’s such a strong community. Even at our first
game, we had more than 150 people show up,” she
said. “Obviously, I cried. Especially seeing people with
their daughters at these games. It’s mind blowing.”
When it comes to getting girls into sports, Harrison
doesn’t just talk the talk; she’s writing her doctoral thesis
on the subject, exploring the psychology behind young girls
who play sports. Though her paper is unfinished, Harrison’s
early research has found that women who played sports at
a young age tend to be more assertive and confident than
their non-athlete counterparts.
Steel City F.C. isn’t alone in its effort to inspire young
women to pursue sports, and with the success of Team USA
in winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Harrison believes
now is the perfect time to get involved.
“People are really starting to realize that these women
are athletes, and they’re good athletes. And it’s just getting
people excited about soccer in general, as well as women’s
soccer,” Harrison said.
“After the World Cup, I think parents will start to say,
‘Oh, my daughter is enjoying this or my son is enjoying this,
and hey there’s this local team – let’s go check them out,’
and that can get kids even more excited about playing.”
In its inaugural season, Steel City F.C. tallied six wins,
two losses, and one tie, though Harrison noted that both
losses were to the top team in their division.
“It was a whirlwind,” Harrison said. “When I look back on
it, I can’t believe how quickly it went from being a concept
in my head to being a real thing.”
“It was a ton of work,” she said with a laugh. “I think my
school work this year might have taken a hit but – hey – I
made it.”
To learn more about Steel City F.C. and find out how you
can support the team, visit www.SteelCityFC.com.
When it comes to getting
girls into sports, Harrison
doesn’t just talk the talk;
she’s writing her doctoral
thesis on the subject.
Those daughters, Harrison reflected, are a big part
of why Steel City F.C. exists.
“As we went through the process of creating this
team, it actually became less about me,” she said.
“Yes, I wanted a team to play with, but I realized I also
wanted a team for young girls to look up to.
“If you grow up in Pittsburgh – it’s a city of
champions. Little boys dream of playing on the
Steelers or the Pirates, but girls don’t have as many
opportunities. So seeing girls, whether they’re 6 or 16,
come to a Steel City game – that was incredible.”
Players invited young girls to take the field during a pre-game
ceremony.
Clarion university
magazine
23
Viva iTalia!
LaFata at the top of the
Pyrenees Mountain range.
Daniel LaFata is a free spirit travel blogger born
and raised in a small farm town in northwestern
Pennsylvania. While attending Clarion University, he
discovered his love for writing and adventure. Daniel
plans to live his life on the road and never have a
permanent home. (From DanielLaFata.com)
24
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
The summer after his freshman year at
Clarion University, Daniel LaFata (’13)
wanted to arrange a gathering for his
group of friends in Erie, where he lived.
“Nobody’s schedule was lining up, so
I took a long weekend and stayed at
one friend’s house one night, another
friend’s the next night,” he said. “I liked
the feeling of waking up and going to a
new city.”
“We’d bike to a
town, the next day
we’d build all day,
then we’d wake up
and bike another
100 miles.”
When he returned to Clarion in the
fall, LaFata continued to explore new
places through university organizations.
He traveled to New York City with
Psychology Club, Miami with ABLE,
Washington, D.C., with a feminist group,
New Orleans with Political Economics
Club. He capped off his senior year with
a trip to Boston with International Club.
Bike and Build
With his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies
in hand, LaFata had one more trip to take before
he settled into the 9 to 5 routine. He signed
up for a cross-country excursion with Bike and
Build, a group that “engages young adults in
service-oriented cycling trips to raise money and
awareness for the affordable housing cause,”
according to bikeandbuild.org.
“I read about (Bike and Build) freshman year;
a girl from Erie did it. I cut out the article and
came across it every once in a while,” LaFata said.
“Going into my senior year, I thought there would
be no better time to go than the summer after
graduation.”
Riders are asked to raise $4,500 to help with
Bike and Build’s mission of providing affordable
housing. LaFata wrote letters to “every person I
Clarion university
magazine
25
Berlin graffiti wall
LaFata during a Bike and Build break
at Slide Rock State Park, Arizona.
ever met,” and he stood in front of Walmart
with a can and a poster. He reached his goal
a month before the trip.
The 27 bicyclists started their 4,000-mile
trip in Portland, Maine, riding 80 to 100
miles a day.
“We’d bike to a town, the next day
we’d build all day, usually with Habitat for
Humanity, then we’d wake up and bike
another 100 miles,” LaFata said. “On build
days, we literally experienced every step of
building a house – sometimes clearing the
lot, other times pouring cement, putting up
walls, putting a roof on.”
“(The trip) took 77 days. We ended in
Santa Barbara, Calif.”
More to see
After Bike and Build, LaFata stayed
in Chicago with a girl he met on the trip.
He was planning to move there, but they
broke up. After, he moved with friends
to Philadelphia, but he only stayed two
months. Then, his best friend from college
moved to Austin, Texas.
It was February in Pennsylvania, and
LaFata was complaining to the friend
about the cold.
“It’s 75 degrees here,” the friend told
him. LaFata was off to Austin.
“I was a bartender and I worked in a
coffee shop, but my ‘big boy’ job was at
AT&T.” LaFata said. “My plan was to live
Lafata’s states visited map
Travel day
Break time
26
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
cheap and save money for two years,
then travel the world. I only made it six
months, but I had enough saved to do
some traveling.”
His first journey into a life of
travel was to hike the Camino de
Santiago trail in Spain. He had read
about the trail after hearing friends’
stories of hiking it. His plane landed in
Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 2015.
“I figured I’ll start in Denmark and
figure out how to get to Spain to
walk this trail,” he said. “I used ‘couch
surfing,’ which is pretty much travelers
helping travelers. There’s no exchange
of money – it’s pretty much the
essence of human kindness.”
Wear and Tear
LaFata and friends he met at a
Barcelona hostel hike Montserrat.
Lafata painted as musician “Goyte”
He admits he was nervous at the initial
thought of staying with strangers.
“I was having a minor freakout before
the first couch surf, but it was one of the
nicest girls I’ve ever met. She said, ‘I just
bought groceries. I can cook you dinner,’”
he said. “It was amazing. It was like that
everywhere I went.”
LaFata explored for a month before he
arrived in Spain. He started to walk the 500mile trail April 22.
“My plan was to walk all of it. I ended
up walking about 400 miles,” LaFata said.
“The whole point was the walk itself. I felt
like I’d grown a ton spiritually and mentally.”
He concluded his journey by volunteering
at the hostel there before returning to the
United States June 1 … briefly.
Viva Italia!
“I grew up with a fairly rich Sicilian
culture, listening to my grandparents
talk Sicilian to each other. It’s always
been a dream to go there,” he said.
LaFata’s grandfather was born in
Sicily, which makes him eligible for
Italian citizenship.
“As long as you can link one blood
relative back, you’re eligible,” he said.
He lined up a job teaching English
in an Italian school and jetted back to
Europe in September to begin his work
there.
“It’s only three months. It’s
demonstrating proper dialect for
middle school students. It gives me the
opportunity to get my feet wet and see
Volunteering at a hostel
Along the Trail
LaFata was mesmerized by a field of yellow as he
hiked the Camino de Santiago.
if I like it. If I do, it’s easy to find a fulltime teaching job,” LaFata said.
In Italy, LaFata is seeing and doing
all that he can. He has started the
process toward citizenship, which will
allow him to live anywhere in Europe.
He’s learning to speak Italian. He tried
scuba diving. He’s been to Milan and
Rome, toured the Sistine Chapel and
visited the Coliseum.
He keeps a video record of his
travels, which he edits and narrates
before posting them on YouTube,
labeled with the event and the
numbered day of his life. He also
maintains a blog which also features
videos of his travels at www.
DanielLaFata.com.
LaFata with friends he met
on a Barcelona Beach
Clarion university
magazine
27
Hair
I was a quiet
7th grader getting
excited for summer
break. Like every
middle school boy,
I had a crush on a
fellow classmate.
So when my middle
school crush told me
I would look good if
I grew my hair out,
little young and naive Daniel would do exactly that.
That summer I let it grow long, covering my
ears and draping over the back of my neck. Within
a year I had forgotten all about my original reason
of growing it out, and kept it long because I
enjoyed the style.
For years I kept it long, usually just below
the bottom of my ears. It wasn’t until around
Thanksgiving 2011 that I realized that the longer
my hair got, the more compliments I was getting
on this. It was at that point that I decided I should
be sharing my hair with others that are unable to
grow such luscious locks.
I looked into several hair donation organizations
and eventually found that Pantene Beautiful
Lengths was the right fit for me: the minimum
requirement was only eight inches and they
guaranteed that 100 percent of the hair would be
donated. My new reason for growing it felt good
and it kept my dad off my back from constant
requests to get it cut.
Around the beginning of summer 2013, just
before my Bike & Build trip, I decided to chop it
all off. I went into a beauty salon with my friend,
Jesse. To my surprise it was not long enough. I
learned that in order to have enough to donate, I
would need to shave my head bald – a style I was
not welcoming.
I waited a few months, rode my bicycle across
America, and when I got back I returned to the
same beauty salon. This time it was plenty long,
with enough left over to leave about an inch for
styling. The hair stylist tied my locks into two
ponytails and made the cut.
When she made the first chop, I couldn’t help
but cringe. I thought of all the time it took for my
hair to get this long, the countless awkward stages
it had to go through to finally flow smoothly. All of
this to eventually disappear between two scissors.
But it was all worth it because now some cancer
patient will have a donated wig with my hair to
help style her head.
28
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
It’s the people
As LaFata travels, he sees spectacular sights, but the people he
meets have made as much of an impression on him, maybe more.
“My most amazing experience was when I was couch surfing in
Milan, Italy. I found one girl online, and she said I could stay with
her. Typically couch surfers are people in their 20s. She lived in a
really nice, upscale condo. Her dad was a lawyer and her mom was a
fashion designer. They welcomed me in. The dad was from Sicily – I
said I was, too. The joke was that if you’re from Sicily, you’re related –
it’s just an island.
The second night I was there, their nephew was graduating from
law school. They were going to a dinner celebration for him and
invited me. I hopped in the car like one of the family – me and two
daughters in the back, the mom and dad in the front. At dinner it
was a long table of all Italians, yelling at each other, all speaking their
native tongue. I couldn’t be more immersed in the culture than having
a family dinner.”
LaFata said that nine times out of 10, if you talk to people, they’ll
help you out.
“We’re communal creatures. We’ve lived in communities or tribes
since the caveman days. It’s instinctive to help each other out.”
LaFata with his
Italian family.
Philosophy
“Open yourself up and let the universe do its thing. It’s going to
help you out, guide you to where you need to go,” LaFata said.
“To me, the most important thing is having a lot of fun and
doing what you love. It doesn’t matter if you’re not making a ton of
money,” he said. “I never want to do the 9 to 5, Monday to Friday.”
LaFata said his dream is constantly evolving.
“I’ve never had a ton of money, and honestly, I don’t care if I
ever do. I’ve learned very quickly that money doesn’t really play
a factor in what I want to do,” LaFata said. “I can very easily live
a week on $100 or less and travel while I am doing it. Most of the
time I spend less money while on the road than I do when living in
a city.”
“I know that whatever my dream is, it has to be on the road.
I feel most content and most in tune with myself when I’m
traveling,” he said. “I constantly hear older adults saying, ‘If I could
do it all over again …’ I say, why don’t you just do it now? Life is
way too short to give up on a dream.”
Losing a close friend emphasized that philosophy.
By the numbers
3
400
number of
trips across
number of miles hiked
on the
the Atlantic
36
number of
american
States Visited
Camino De Santiago
7
number of
countries
visited
4,000
miles biked
on Bike and Build
20,000 (more or less)
“Meg (Kays ’12) was like my sister.
She had big dreams – she wanted to
move different places and see different
things. She was passionate about
helping people – her dream was to
eventually run her own non-profit,”
LaFata said. She died after being hit by
a car while running.
“Everyone talks about planning for
the future and getting a stable career.
What’s the point? You can go for a run
and get hit by a car,” he said. “Live so
you don’t have any regrets.”
LaFata travels on a shoestring
budget, funded by working in various
places. “You don’t need money to do
what you love; you find ways to do it,”
he said.
Clarion
Days to
complete bIke
and Build ride
20s
Average age of
Couch
Surfers
number of Precious days
for living the dream
His method for labeling his videos
by the numbered day of his life recently
hit 9,000. Thinking of his life as day by
day enhances his appreciation of it.
“I have maybe 20,000 more days to
do what I want to do,” he said. “I can’t
waste any of those days – all of those
days are precious.”
LaFata and Meg Kays
77
number of
“I originally chose Clarion because of
the business program, but in my senior
year of high school I took a psychology
class,” LaFata said. “Before I even got
(to Clarion), I switched my major to
psychology, then I changed it eight
more times.”
The various majors reflected
LaFata’s openness to learning.
“I took an English class, and it
wasn’t like English in high school. You
can write whatever the hell you want
to write about. You can even swear if
you want to,” he said. “Then I took a
philosophy class and thought it was so
amazing.”
LaFata said he cherishes the
opportunities Clarion gave him.
“Whatever I wanted to do – if I
wanted to learn more about philosophy,
there’s Philosophy Club; more about
psychology, that opportunity was there,”
he said. “I wanted to go to a leadership
conference in Miami, and I had to write
a paper to be able to go. I came back
and helped plan a leadership conference
at Clarion. The next year I wanted to
speak, and that opportunity was there –
anything I wanted to do.”
Going into his senior year, LaFata met
with his advisor, Joseph Croskey, who
looked at his classes and told him he
could have his degree in liberal studies.
He thought about staying an additional
two years to focus on writing, but he
graduated in May 2013 with a bachelor’s
degree in liberal studies, with minors in
psychology and business.
Clarion university
magazine
29
Oh,
what a
Day
30
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Former Clarion University diver Kristin Day (’15) was
named the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year Oct. 18 at the
Westin – Indianapolis.
“I was so shocked – and ecstatic at the same time when
she called my name,” Day said. “What an unbelievable
feeling that all of that hard work and sacrifice has paid off
like this.
Day is the first winner of the NCAA Woman of the Year
Award from any Pennsylvania-based university, and only the
fourth NCAA D-II athlete honored with this award. Clarion is
the only PSAC school to have had a finalist for the Woman of
the Year Award, and the Golden Eagles have had three. Prior
to Day’s nomination, finalists from Clarion included Kayla
Shull in 2013 and Dr. Jamie Wolf (Jackel) in 2007.
Q&A
What was your mindset in Indianapolis,
while waiting for Woman of the Year
announcement?
I was actually really nervous leading up to the
announcement. I did not think that I would be the
winner, but as I waited for them to announce who had
won, I sat in hope that it would be me.
There’s a great
shot from that
night of your dad
squeezing you
close. What do
you recall about
that moment?
“My parents recognized
my talents and wanted
to make sure I fulfilled
my potential, and for
that, I cannot be more
thankful.”
As soon as they
called my name I was in
shock and did not really
know what to do or how
to react, but my dad just pulled me in for a hug and
luckily the photographer captured that moment.
I understand Jamie Wolf is your idol. How did
you come to know about her?
How have your parents have helped you
achieve in athletics and academics?
What about her do you admire?
My parents have provided every opportunity for me
to achieve to the extent of my talents in both athletics
and academics. My mom drove an hour and 45 minutes
one way, three days a week, to take me to gymnastics
practice, just so I could have the opportunity to reach
my potential. My parents built a gym for me, and
my mom became my coach when I wanted to start
trampoline and there were no gyms within two hours.
My mom also worked with my school as I grew up so
that I would be challenged to get the best education
possible. My parents recognized my talents and wanted
to make sure I fulfilled my potential, and for that, I
cannot be more thankful.
Clearly, you have a wonderful work ethic.
How did that develop?
My work ethic is a product of my parents and older
siblings (one brother, one sister). I saw from each of
them that if you work hard you can reach goals and be
successful. I actually picked that up at quite a young
age, probably around 7 or 8, and once I applied it to my
life, it became a part of me.
I did not know about her until I came to Clarion. Once I
saw her posters and awards in the pool area and realized
how successful she was, I knew that I wanted to follow in her
footsteps.
I admire how well rounded she is. She is incredibly smart,
amazing at diving, a generous woman, and just a fantastic
role model.
In what ways did she inspire you?
She inspired me to utilize the opportunities and tools
around me to reach the goals that she did while at Clarion,
and beyond. Her achievements were so incredible to me and
I just wanted to be able to achieve a fraction of what she did.
Have you met her?
I did meet her when she was inducted into the Hall of
Fame at Clarion. I only talked with her for a short time, as
she was busy with her own celebration, but she was just as
amazing in person as I had imagined.
Did you hear from her after your Woman of
the Year announcement?
Yes. Not long after the announcement she notified coach
to tell me congratulations! It is still mind boggling to me that
she was not awarded the Woman of the Year, but I was. I still
feel that she deserves it more than I do.
Clarion university
magazine
31
Q
& A
Were there competitive lows to go with the
highs?
Of course. I had many lows with competitions and
also at practices. The tough times were motivation
for me though; I used them as a learning experience
and motivation to work harder and not make the
same mistakes again. Losing also taught me about
sportsmanship and how to overcome defeat.
What is your
relationship with
Coach Hrovat?
Day and Hrovat
Coach is like a father
figure to me. He is a
fantastic coach who
made it enjoyable to go
to practice, but he also
helped me become an
incredible diver. He has a
special way of coaching
that was perfect for
me. He was also always there to talk or help in any way
possible.
Coach Hrovat said you constantly improved,
from the first time you dove for him until
the last. Have you surprised yourself at how
you’ve developed as a diver?
Yes and no. I am surprised that I managed to take
three national titles, but I am not surprised that coach
developed me the way that he did. As an athlete, I strive
to improve at every practice and every meet, so with his
incredible coaching it was not a surprise that he could
shape me into something so great. Coach truly has a gift.
What is your proudest moment in
competition?
I am most proud of my junior year at nationals (2014). I
was not expecting to achieve both national titles, so being
able to dig deep, perform my best, set an NCAA record
and get named Female Diver of the Year was a great
moment for me.
32
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
You recently turned 21, and you’re in your
first year of medical school. Have you
always wanted to be a doctor?
I have wanted to be a physician ever since I had elbow
surgery when I was 11. The orthopedic surgeon that I
visited was amazing and inspired me to become a great
physician just like him. He really connected with me and
cared about getting me back to my sport as quickly and
healthy as possible, and I was truly inspired.
You’re so young and have already
accomplished so much. Of what are you
most proud?
I would have to say that I am most proud of this
award. Being named Woman of the Year wraps up all
of my previous accomplishments. This award takes into
account all of the things that I have done throughout my
life – athletics, academics, community involvement and
leadership, so to be given this well-rounded award is
something I am very proud of.
Young women
scholar-athletes will
now look to you as a
role model. What is
your advice to them?
Set goals and remind
yourself of them each and
every day with everything
you do. Hard work comes
from the desire to reach your
goals, so if you continue to
think of your goals and how
important they are to you, you will reach them in no time.
Work hard and enjoy the ride; it will all be worth it when
you accomplish what you set out to do.
“What a great night for Kristin Day
– and for Clarion University,” Clarion
President Dr. Karen M. Whitney said.
“Tonight we not only celebrate her award,
but especially what the award stands for.
Her accomplishments in the classroom,
in community service and as a national
champion diver show Kristin’s commitment
to personal excellence in everything she
does. We congratulate her on this great
honor and know she is the epitome of
Courageous. Confident. Clarion.”
“This is a great honor for Kristin - we
are so proud of her and what she has
accomplished” said Clarion athletic director
Dave Katis. “She represents what is best
about our student athletes at Clarion
and the reputation our athletes have
exemplified over the years. Everyone here
is Clarion proud tonight.”
Day graduated in May with a degree
in chemistry and a concentration in
biochemistry, earned 153 credits with a
perfect 4.0 GPA. A daughter of Dennis
and Susan Day of Reynoldsville, Day is
a four-time Clarion and PSAC Scholar
Athlete, plus a two-time Spring Top 10
PSAC award winner. She is currently
enrolled at Lake Erie College of
Osteopathic Medicine on an NCAA PostGraduate Scholarship.
The NCAA Woman of the Year
program honors the academic
achievements, athletics excellence,
community service and leadership of
graduating female college athletes
from all three divisions. To be eligible,
nominees must have completed eligibility
in their primary sport. The NCAA Woman
of the Year selection committee selects
the Top 30 – 10 from each division and
then three finalists from each division.
The Committee on Women’s Athletics
selects the winner from the Top 9.
Day accepting
the Capital One
NCAA Division
II Academic
All-America of
the Year award
Day is one of the most decorated
athletes that has ever attended
Clarion. Named in July as the
Capital One NCAA D-II Academic
all-America of the Year, she was
a two time At-Large Academic
All-America of the Year (2015,
2014), the PSAC Pete Nevins
Scholar Athlete of the Year, the
NCAA D-II Elite 89 award winner
at swimming nationals, a threetime NCAA Division II National
Champion and an eight-time
career All-American.
She won the NCAA D-II onemeter national title this year, while
finishing fourth on three-meter.
In 2014 she won both NCAA
championships. She won the
three-meter springboard title,
setting a new NCAA record. She
followed that with a one-meter
national title. For her efforts she
was named the CSCAA NCAA D-II
Female Diver of the Year.
Day executes a
back 1 ½ pike
In 2013, Day finished third on the
three-meter board and fifth on
one-meter, and in 2012 she was
second on three-meter and fourth
on one-meter.
Clarion university
magazine
33
Life
inside
the
Diamond
–
Pete Vuckovich
Every modern baseball historian has heard the name Pete Vuckovich.
A right-handed pitcher with a distinctive moustache and even more
distinctive personality on the mound, Vuckovich holds a number of
accolades that will cement his place in the history books. He led the
American League (AL) in wins in 1981 and won the 1982 AL Cy Young
award, awarded each season to the best pitcher in each league. He also
recorded the first shutout and the first save in the history of the Toronto
Blue Jays’ franchise. And as a small-town boy turned big-league star,
his story is the stuff of dreams for little leaguers everywhere.
Vuckovich first stepped onto the
baseball diamond at Clarion University
in 1971 (then Clarion State College),
after a successful high school career in
his hometown of Johnstown. A fierce
competitor and self-proclaimed “confident
young man,” he was eager to help his
team defeat its competition, and optimistic
that his success would lead to a shot at
34
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
playing baseball professionally.
Months prior, he’d told head coach Joe
Knowles he could “play anywhere except
catcher.” In high school, Vuckovich had
spent a good deal of time on the pitcher’s
mound, filling in across the infield when
needed.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but
I was cocky back then,” Vuckovich said.
“Coach Knowles said I’d play second base
– the position I had probably the least
experience with.”
In the early games of the season, a more
senior second basemen took the field while
Vuckovich took a seat on the bench. After
watching his team lose a double-header,
though, he thought, “I’m better than any
guy out there.” While most players might
Vuckovich as a Golden Eagles
baseball player, throwing his
first no-hitter.
keep this thought inside, Vuckovich
marched up to his coach at the next
practice and voiced his opinion.
“I told him just that, and he put me in
at second base the next game,” he said,
with a laugh.
As it turned out, Vuckovich proved
himself. He was, by all accounts, a
great infielder. But it was another act
of confidence that set Vuckovich up for
his major-league career. During batting
practice, with the available pitcher
resting his arm for an upcoming game,
Knowles asked if anyone could pitch for
the team. Vuckovich volunteered.
“The first batter I pitched to was a guy
named Gary Nuss. He was an All-American
hitter the year before,” Vuckovich said. “I
threw about three pitches to him and he
starts screaming and hollering. Our coach
comes running in from the outfield thinking
somebody was hurt, and Nuss says, ‘Coach,
this is the best pitcher I’ve ever seen in my
life.’”
Naturally, Knowles took a closer look at
Vuckovich’s pitching and quickly put him in
the starting rotation, where he stayed for the
remainder of his four years at Clarion.
Off the field, Vuckovich loved the location
and the “quaintness” of the town of Clarion
during his time at the university. He
was also fond of Frank Lignelli, the
athletic director at the time, whom
Vuckovich said “was kind of like a
father to me; he kept me in line.”
In both classes and at baseball
practice, Vuckovich admits he wasn’t
the easiest person to teach or coach. “I
was stubborn, so it was probably hard
to get through,” he said. “I knew what
I wanted, which was to be a ballplayer.
I knew what I could do. Coach Knowles
tried to change up some aspects of
how I pitched, or how I batted, and I
resisted.”
Clarion university
magazine
35
Vuckovich shined as Clarion’s pitcher.
Though he may have frustrated
his coaches, Vuckovich clearly did
something right. In his senior year at
Clarion, he signed with the Chicago
White Sox after being chosen in the third
round of the 1974 Major League Baseball
draft. He is one of 13 players in Clarion
history to have signed an MLB contract.
In his first season with the Denver
Bears, the White Sox AAA minor-league
team, Vuckovich and his teammates won
the championship. The following year,
Vuckovich continued to shine, and the
manager of the White Sox took notice.
On an off-day for the White Sox,
Vuckovich said, manager Chuck Tanner
was scouting his team’s minor-league
talent. Impressed with what he saw from
Vuckovich, Tanner made him an offer.
“He said, ‘You’re coming with me
to the majors,’ Vuckovich said. “And I
said, ‘I don’t want to go.’ He was pretty
surprised. He asked what I meant and
said that I was the first person he’d ever
heard of who didn’t want a call up to the
major league.”
Always the competitor, Vuckovich
explained to Tanner that he wanted
to stay with the Bears for the AAA
championship, which he believed the
Bears would win again.
“He said, ‘Okay, I’ll make you a deal.
You come back with me to the White
Sox, and when the playoffs start, I’ll
send you back here to pitch.’” Vuckovich
agreed, and Tanner kept his word. That
year, Vuckovich and the Bears made it
to the championship series, but lost the
championship in extra innings of game
seven.
While his start in the majors was
unconventional, Vuckovich says that his
first day at that level is one of his fondest
memories of baseball.
“I don’t remember much about the
first game, specifically. It was against
Minnesota,” he said, stating that it was
the realization of his childhood ambition
that made the day so special.
Over the course of his 11-year pitching
career, Vuckovich played for the White
Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, the St. Louis
Cardinals, and the Milwaukee Brewers,
starting in multiple playoff and World
Series Games. With a career record of
93-69, 882 strikeouts, and a 3.66 ERA,
He said, ‘You’re
“
coming with me to
the majors,’ and I said,
‘I don’t want to go.’
36
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Vuckovich with
former Clarion
athletic director
Frank Lignelli
A
member of both the Western
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and
the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame,
Vuckovich was recently honored by the
Pirates’ AA affiliate, the Altoona Curve
during “Pete Vuckovich Bobblehead
Night.” The first 1,500 fans in attendance
received a bobblehead designed to reflect
Vuckovich’s Clarion days, a tribute to his
local roots and his time with the Pirates.
“It was an honor to be a part of that
night,” he said. During the evening’s
festivities, Vuckovich threw out the
night’s first pitch and was interviewed
on-field by the Curve’s general manager
Rob Egan. He was also reunited with
Frank Lignelli, with whom he watched
the game.
Vuckovich throws out the first pitch at the Altoona Curve’s Pete Vuckovich
Bobblehead Night. Those attending received a Clarion University-clad
Vuckovich bobblehead.
he fulfilled the dream inspired by his
childhood heroes, Roberto Clemente,
Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal. In fact,
early on in his career, Vuckovich tried to
emulate Marichal’s pitching style, and
was once compared to the Giants righthander in an article.
“I haven’t kept many things from my
playing days, but I clipped that article
out of the newspaper and kept it,” he
said.
Vuckovich’s passion for the game
didn’t fade when his playing days
ended. Since retiring in 1986, he
has served as a color commentary
announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers,
a pitching scout and coach for the
Pittsburgh Pirates, and special assistant
to the general manager of the Seattle
Mariners. He was even involved in a
Hollywood version of baseball, playing
the Yankees slugging first-baseman
Clu Haywood in the 1989 film “Major
League.”
“Baseball is what I love. It’s what I
do,” he said.
“Baseball has been my whole
life. It’s what I know, and I
know it better than most.”
Throughout his years on the
road with various teams, Vuckovich
has almost always kept a home in
Johnstown.
“It’s home. It’s where I grew
up, and where my wife and I met.
Even when I was playing, in the
offseason we always came home to
Johnstown,” he said.
It was in Johnstown that
Vuckovich and his wife Anna raised
their three children, Louis, Pete Jr.,
and Damian. Pete Jr. is a Clarion
graduate who, like his father, was
drafted by the Chicago White Sox
after a successful collegiate career.
Though his professional run was cut
short by an injury, he is now a lawyer,
which Vuckovich raises as a testament
to Clarion’s academic prowess.
“I think Clarion can provide
anyone any opportunity they want
if they’re willing to work for it and
apply themselves,” he said. “I got
a great education, even though, I’ll
admit, I was more focused on being a
ballplayer.”
Vuckovich is now back home in
Johnstown, keeping an eye out for his
next venture.
“Baseball has been my whole life,”
he said. “It’s what I know, and I know
it better than most. If an opportunity
comes my way, I might take it.
Otherwise, I’m happy being a
retiree.”
Clarion university
magazine
37
CLARION FOOTBALL–“RESTORE THE PRIDE”
When Chris Weibel took
the reigns as Clarion’s head
football coach Feb. 6, 2015,
he had one mission: Restore
the pride and passion of
Clarion football.
Mission accomplished!
Clarion opened the 2015 season with
a 7-0 record and a 4-0 start in the PSACWestern Division, reigniting the Eagles’
proud football tradition.
The season has brought back the
memories and excitement of past
outstanding teams and traditions formed
by former coaches Waldo Tippin, Al Jacks,
Charlie Ruslavage, Gene Sobolewski and
Malen Luke.
The echoes reach back to the 1952
undefeated Lions Bowl and undefeated
1966 PSAC championship teams. Twentyseven consecutive non-losing seasons from
1961 through 1987 established the pride
and consistency of the tradition. Of course,
the 1996 NCAA Final Four team, of which
Weibel was a part, was an equally proud
edition.
38
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Weibel’s formula for 2015?
“We talked from day one about
restoring the pride and passion of Clarion
football,” Weibel said. “We explained we
expect hard work, discipline and quality
character out of each player, but we also
talked about turning them loose, so to
speak, to play with a love and passion for
the game that we felt was missing. In other
words – let’s have some fun.”
Fun indeed. Weibel unleashed a new
look, wide-open offense that looked to
get to the end zone on every possession.
Quarterback Connor Simmons, wideouts
Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro and
running back Delrece Williams provided the
fuel that powered the Eagles.
“We changed our approach from the
past. We wanted to play exciting football,
and we wanted our fans to be able to come
out and enjoy watching us play,” Weibel
said. “That means scoring points.”
The wins piled up. The season opener
at Lock Haven saw Clarion pound the Bald
Eagles 40-13 with Simmons passing for 407
yards and 4 touchdowns. After knocking
off Millersville 27-21, the Eagles dominated
Cheyney, winning 59-6. Simmons tossed
four touchdown passes, three to Lehman.
Opening the PSAC-West schedule at
pre-season top pick Gannon, the Eagles
served notice that they were for real with
a 47-31 win. The offense dominated as
Simmons threw four touchdown passes to
Lehman, and Delrece Williams rushed for
148 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Running their record to 7-0, Clarion
topped Mercyhurst (41-27), Edinboro
(36-23) and Seton Hill (44-29). Against
Mercyhurst Simmons passed for 441 yards,
third most at Clarion in a single game.
Versus Seton Hill Clarion set a single game
record with 676 yards of total offense.
Williams rushed for 201 yards and had
108 receiving yards as the offense
continued to spread the wealth.
Weibel’s 7-0 start was the best for
Golden Eagles football since the 1983
team, coached by Gene Sobolewski,
started 7-0 and went on to win the PSACWest and PSAC championships.
The 4-0 Western Division record
was the best since 1996 when thenquarterback Chris Weibel led Clarion to
an 11-3 record, the NCAA East Region
Crown, the Lambert Cup and the NCAA
Final Four.
A few new additions have added to
the fun of football again at Memorial
Stadium. Weibel, with the help of the
football alumni, has a victory bell to ring
following every Eagles win. The bell was
donated by former player Jeff Golias
(‘82).
Provost Ron Nowaczyk donated a
cannon, reviving on old tradition of firing
it after every Clarion touchdown. Chad
Thomas used Pepsi funds to purchase an
inflatable Eagle which forms a tunnel for
the players to run through during pregame introductions.
Although the Eagles finished the
season 7-4, Clarion football fans are
already looking forward to 2016, when all
of Clarion’s offensive fire power returns.
Junior quarterback Connor Simmons
completed 228 of 405 passes for 3,582
yards and 34 touchdowns, all new
single season records. Simmons broke
Weibel’s 1996 records of 2,880 passing
yards and 32 touchdowns, Craig Ray’s 216
completions (1994) and Ben Fiscus’ 383
attempts (2012).
Junior receiver
Matt Lehman caught
15 touchdown passes,
surpassing the old
mark of 13 by Alvin
Slaughter in 1998,
while also grabbing
67 aerials for 979
yards. Junior Kevin
Genevro averaged a whopping 21.5 yards
per catch while clutching 42 passes for
886 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Sophomore
Delrece Williams
rushed 182 times for
978 yards (eighth best
in school history) and
six touchdowns and
caught 31 passes for
465 yards and four
touchdowns.
“The players
really deserve all the
credit,” Weibel said
of the season. “We needed to change
the attitude – the culture, and we had
to gain the trust of the players. Getting
off to a good start was really important
in reaching our most important goal –
restoring the pride and passion of Clarion
football. Now it’s up to us to keep this
thing going.”
HoWSARE
ASSIGNED TO
N.Y. JETS
PRACTICE SQUAD
Julian Howsare (’14), former
Clarion University All-America
defensive end/linebacker, was
signed Sept. 6, 2015, to the New
York Jets practice squad and has
remained there during the Fall
NFL season.
Howsare, who signed as an
outside linebacker with the Jets
immediately following the NFL
draft, also saw time at fullback
and on special teams during
the New York Jets 2015 preseason games. Howsare gained
significant playing time in the
pre-season games with the Jets.
He was in for 85 plays, including
55 on offense. He started the
final pre-season game against
the Philadelphia Eagles and had
one catch for six yards.
The Jets are led by new firstyear head coach Todd Bowles.
Practice squad members can
be called up to the game day
roster at any time and activated
to play for their NFL team.
They do not have guaranteed
contracts. The NFL generally
allows players to be on NFL
practice squads for up to two
to three years, depending on
circumstances.
The son of Karyn Stalter and
John Howsare, he is a December
2014 Sports Management
graduate and a Clarion Scholar
Athlete.
Clarion university
magazine
39
40
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Alumni
Notes
Winter 2015
1968
Jacqueline Taylor was elected president of
Brierly Heights Women’s Club, West Mifflin.
The group raises money for scholarships,
a senior girls’ tea and community services.
Jacqueline is retired from West Mifflin
School District.
1975
Paul Antolik retired after 40 years working
in various management positions in the
transportation industry, most recently
with the management group at AAA East
Central headquarters in Pittsburgh. He
resides in Pittsburgh and plans also to
spend time in Hilton Head, S.C.
1984
Dr. Timothy Gerken had his photographs
shown at the 39th Street Gallery at the
Gateway Arts Center in Prince George
County, Maryland. He is an associate
professor of humanities at SUNY Morrisville.
Timothy resides in Garrattsville, N.Y.
1990
Richie Summerville is entering his second
season as the play-by-play voice of
Hampton University athletics. He is also
working for ESPN Radio 94.1 in Virginia
Beach, Va. Richie resides in Virginia Beach.
1991
Jane Ryder is director of editorial and client
services for The Editorial Department, LLC,
Tucson, Ariz.
1993
2004
Jon Sitler has been named managing
editor of the Times Observer newspaper
in Warren. He previously was sports writer,
news writer and sports editor for the
daily newspaper. He was sports editor for
the Clarion Call while attending Clarion
University. Jon resides in Warren with his
wife, Shannon, and children, Jordan and
Chase.
2007
Julie Jacobs is chief financial officer for
Warren General Hospital, Warren. She
resides in Clarendon.
1994
Tracey (Cowan) Colwell is a speechlanguage clinician for Riverview
Intermediate Unit, Clarion. She resides in
New Bethlehem with her husband, Conan.
1997
Todd Freidhoff is office manager for
John Henderson Company, Johnstown.
He resides in Johnstown with his wife,
Amanda, and son, Corbin.
1999
Shane and Alicia (Hall ’00) Shaffer reside
in Martinsburg, W.Va., with their children:
Noah, Sydney and Kennedy. Shane is an
assistant principal and Alicia is an autism
specialist, both for Berkeley County
Schools.
Jeff Alley is a revenue accounting manager
for VCE, Richardson, Texas. He resides in
Dallas.
Josh McAdoo is a real estate appraiser. He
resides in Clarion with his wife, Lynnsey,
and daughter, Molly.
2008
Caleb Young is an upper school history
teacher and assistant athletic director for
Dayspring Christian Academy. He resides in
Elizabethtown with his wife, Maria.
Amy (Bauman) Faith is a special education
teacher in the Hampton Township School
District. She resides in Pittsburgh with her
husband, Christopher.
2011
Shawn Hallowell is assistant principal,
cluster director, educator and high school
coordinator for The Intergenerational
School, Cleveland. He resides in Cleveland.
Alicia Dittman is a front desk agent,
assistant to front desk manager, at the
Foxburg Inn Hotel, Foxburg. She resides in
Parker.
Clarion university
magazine
41
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
2012
Aaron and Samantha (Shiring ’13) Shriver
reside in Midland, Mich. Samantha earned
a chemical engineering degree from Case
Western. She is a process engineer for
Dow Chemical. Aaron is an accountant for
ValuePoint.
Ashlee Swales is an algebra teacher for
Putnam County. She resides in Palm Coast,
Fla.
2013
Kara (Smith) Starceski is a library assistant.
She resides in Pittsburgh with her husband,
Dan, and daughter, Olivia.
Kyleigh Vrettos is the collection and
circulation librarian for University School of
Nashville, (K-12). She resides in a suburb of
Nashville with her husband, James.
Erika Minster is a specialist for USAA,
Phoenix.
Christina Loscar is a news producer for
WRIC-TV, Richmond, Va. She resides in
Chesterfield, Va.
Darryl and Erica (Carbaugh) Main reside
in Marietta. Erica is a high school social
studies teacher in the Red Lion Area School
District.
marriages
Conan Colwell and Tracey Cowan ’94, April
17, 2014
Christopher Faith and Amy (’08) Baumann,
July 11, 2015
Aaron Shriver ’12 and Samantha Shiring
’13, Aug. 1, 2015
In Memoriam
1940s
Evelyn (Rupert ’45) Heath, July 5, 2015
Orville E. Myers ’41, July 23, 2015
1950s
Barbara (Deininger ’57) Frederick,
June 1, 2015
Raymond A. Hogue ’58, June 18, 2015
Sergio Valori ’52, June 18, 2015
Raymond G. Sacolic ’52, Aug. 1, 2015
Jack O. Hackett ’54, Aug. 9, 2015
Robert L. Mohney ’52, Sept. 11, 2015
1960s
Darlene G. Cowden ’64, June 20, 2015
Margaret (Martin ’67) Phipps, July 10, 2015
David E. Louder ’68, Aug. 7, 2015
42
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
1970s
Donna (Best ’71) Kinol, June 2, 2015
Frank P. DeFina ’75, July 26, 2015
Candace S. Lauer ’76, Aug. 1, 2015
1980s
Michael E. Bendig ’85, July 30, 2015
Gregory M. Smith ’82, July 31, 2015
1990s
Jeffrey L. Shick ’91, July 30, 2015
Leslie Lubiano ’97, Aug. 24, 2015
2010s
Benjamin L. Hause ’12, June 26, 2015
Friends
Robert H. Hoover, June 3, 2015
Michael D. Barrett, June 5, 2015
Larry Elkin, June 11, 2015
Paul Stehle, June 19, 2015
Brady Kadunce, June 20, 2015
William Schierberl, June 28, 2015
Conrad Wolbert, Aug. 29, 2015
Joseph L. Michael, Sept. 1, 2015
Paul J. McCrory, Sept. 1, 2015
Gerald Trainer, Sept. 6, 2015
Wilfred L. Messenger, Sept. 6, 2015
Brian E. Maguire, Sept. 7, 2015
Diana Coury, Sept. 20, 2015
Sally (Harris) Staab, Sept. 21, 2015
Marie E. Garbarino, Sept. 29, 2015
Births
David (’12) Watson and Katie (’14)
Delaney, a daughter, Peyton Marie,
May 2, 2014
Brian (’09) and Audra (Sheatz ’10)
Shontz, a son, Lincoln, July 7, 2014
Paul Johngrass and Courtney (’01) Baxter,
a daughter, Camdyn Jo, July 7, 2014
Mark and Amanda (Rozik ’04) DeCarlo,
triplets: two sons, Patrick and Andrew, and
a daughter, Rosaleena, Sept. 16, 2014
Jason Neubauer and Lauren (’08)
Stauber, a daughter, Leila Marie,
Oct. 11, 2014
Dan and Moira (Brown ’10) Shingledecker,
a daughter, Ruthie Ann, Nov. 2, 2014
Aaron (’12) Gluvna and Sara Sample, a
son, Jaxon Joseph, Jan. 18, 2015
Ryan (’02) and Heather (Bennett ’03)
Miller, a daughter, Alivia, March 6, 2015
Nick and Andrea (Russell ’06) Lewis,
a son, Jackson Joseph, April 16, 2015
Douglas and Jennifer (Kaltenbach ’07)
DuSchied, a daughter, Liliana Ruby,
April 30, 2015
Joseph (’08) and Kristin (Jack ’07)
Cunningham, a daughter, Morgan,
Elijah (’10) Daubenspeck and Amber (’09)
McMillen, a girl, Abigail, May 14, 2015
Cory (’08) and Katie (DePree ’08)
Wagner, a daughter, Claire Eileen Wagner,
May 21, 2015
Joshua and Kerry (Perks ’10, M.Ed. ’13)
Wallace, a daughter, Hannah Elizabeth
Amon, May 22, 2015
Josh (’07) and Lynnsey McAdoo, a
daughter, Molly, May 23, 2015
Eric and Beth (Lawrence ’04) Raydo, a
daughter, Kaylynn Grace, June 27, 2015
Trevor (’10) and Heidi (Horst ’10) Miller,
a daughter, Ellie Lia, June 28, 2015
Luke (’01) and Mary Benedict, a son,
William John, June 29, 2015
Jon (’01) and Cristina Longwill, a son,
Edward and Meghan (Knotts ’04)
Gabrielson, a son, Anders Michael,
Tyler George, May 24, 2015
July 1, 2015
Dan and Kara (Smith ’13) Starceski, a
daughter, Olivia May, June 1, 2015
Ryan (’08) and Stacey (Belsterling ’07)
Wolkiewicz, a son, Rory, July 3, 2015
Jeff (’02) and Kristen Kardes Walch, a
daughter, Kylie Jo, June 2, 2015
Jason (’06) and Christine (Leskovec)
Kooser, a son, Jackson Allen, July 28, 2015
Alex (’05) and Valorie (Rankin ’08)
McKinney, a daughter, Maylynn,
Josh (’09) and Olivia (’12) McGarvey,
Mack Elliott, Aug. 1, 2015
June 11, 2015
Jason Curll and Amy (’98) Keener-Luderer,
a daughter, Gracelyn June, June 12, 2015
Jason (’07) and Jennifer (Weaver ’06)
Pollock, a son, Owen Paul, Aug. 31, 2015
Phillip and Tara (Roberts ’06, MLS ’07)
Little, a son, Theodore Francis,
June 12, 2015
May 7, 2015
Clarion university
magazine
43
babes:
welcome to the world!
bib
Ellie
Our gift to “baby Eagles” of Clarion alumni is a dashing new bib! To receive a bib, let us
know about the new addition to your nest by emailing to alumni@clarion.edu:
• Parents’ names
• Graduation year of alumni
• Baby’s gender and name
• Date of birth
Once you receive your bib, take a picture of
Braden
your Eaglet putting the bib to use, and email
a high-resolution photo to us for inclusion in
Clarion University Magazine.
Eliana (Ellie) Jean Slagle, daughter
of Dr. Dennis C. (’01) and Dr.
Stacey B. Slagle, born Jan. 22, 2015
Alivia
Maylynn
Braden Troy Duffola, son of
Brad and Jessica (Hummel ’05)
Duffola, born March 16, 2015
Liliana
Alivia Denise Miller, daughter of
Ryan (’02) and Heather (Bennett
’03) Miller, born March 6, 2015
Maylynn Grace McKinney,
daughter of Alex (’05) and
Valorie (Rankin ’08) McKinney,
born June 11, 2015
Alivia
Jaxon
Liliana Ruby DuScheid, daughter of
Jennifer (Kaltenbach ‘07) and Douglas
DuScheid, born April 30, 2015
Oliver
Astra
Jaxon Joseph Gluvna, son of
Aaron (’12) Gluvna and Sara
Sample, born Jan. 18, 2015
Astra Sceski, daughter of
Ronice (Nolt ‘02) and Jason
Sceski, born Feb. 7, 2015
44
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Oliver Alan Keck, son of Todd and
Abby (Burrows ’06) Keck, born
March 15, 2014.
Payton
Ruthie
Olivia
Payton Marie Watson, daughter
of David Watson (’12) and Katie
Delaney (‘14), born May 2, 2014
Ruthie Ann Shingledecker,
daughter of Dan and Moira (’10)
Shingledecker, born Nov. 2, 2014
Olivia Snow Ledebur, daughter
of Linas and April (Cole ’06)
Ledebur, born Oct. 31, 2014
Claire
Leila
Claire Eileen Wagner,
daughter of Katie (DePree
’08) and Cory (’08) Wagner,
born May 21, 2015
Lillian
Leila Marie Stauber, daughter
of Jason Neubauer and Lauren
(’08) Stauber, born Oct. 11, 2014
Jackson
Lillian Rose Weaver, daughter of
James (’09) and Emily (Hoover ’09)
Weaver, born Jan. 29, 2015
Jackson Allen Kooser son of Jason
(’06) and Christine Kooser, born
July 28, 2015
Theodore
Theodore Francis Little, son of Philip
and Tara (Roberts ’06, MSLS ’07)
Little, born June 12, 2015
Clarion university
magazine
45
Three
alums
Linda Kovanis Harcrow, Jane Ohrman
Pisor and Joanne Wisniewski Winters,
all class of ’69 alumni, visited Clarion
this fall, for the first time since they
graduated 46 years ago. The women
reminisced on campus, bought some
new Clarion gear and strolled through
downtown, noting the same friendliness
that existed when they were students.
Three Class of ’69 alumni returned to
Clarion University in October, their first
visit since graduating 46 years ago.
Linda Kovanis Harcrow, Jane Ohrman
Pisor and Joanne Wisniewski Winters,
along with another friend and classmate,
Georgianna Winters, have been taking a
trip together once a year for the last six
years. Pisor’s Pittsburgh high school class
was celebrating its 50th reunion this
year, so the group decided on a trip back
to western Pennsylvania.
The trio enjoyed reminiscing at
Becht Hall, their first dormitory, and
Givan Hall, where they also lived. Their
campus excursion also included a stop
at the library, which is new since they
were students.
“I worked there,” Joanne said. “It was
wonderful to see the new library. There
were lots of kids in there studying, plus
artwork and sculptures.
Downtown they were disappointed
that Harry’s Pizza and the movie
theater were no longer operating.
They remembered eating at Captain
Loomis when their parents came to
visit.
Although some things have
changed since they left Clarion in
1969, they were delighted to find the
same friendliness among students
and townspeople alike.
1970s Clarion Basketball
Clarion basketball players from the 1970s
gathered in Clarion: (front row, from
left) Dave Zinkham (’76), Kevin Stroupe
(’76), Gary Walters (’76); (second row)
Dave Rooney; Carl Grinage (’77), Sonny
Cicero (’73), Joe Sebestyen (’73), Don
Wilson (’75); (third row) Carl Jefferis
(’72), Ron Peden (’73), Tim Corbett (’75),
Pete Belcher (’76), Coach Tom Beck, Rein
Pold (’73), Reggie Wells (’2008), Bob
Ondrasik (’76).
46
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Love
You
Miss
you
Wish you
were here
W
hile Santa is being inundated with requests for robot dinosaurs and Frozen palace
playsets to appear under the trees of youngsters, we wondered what’s on the wish list for
college students. We asked, “If you were unable to go home for the holidays and your only
way to communicate with your parents was by writing a letter, what would you say?”
Not surprisingly, material items were out and heartfelt expressions were in. Here’s what
students had to say:
I’d simply say, “Thank you.” They always have my back.
Dean Puleio, Clarion
Junior communication major
I’d only express love. That’s what’s important –
material things don’t matter.
Caitlyn Holohan, Orwigsburg
Senior Speech Pathology major
I’d tell them not to worry and I’m doing fine. I’d wish
them a happy holiday and ask them to try to come
to see me, because I miss them.
Emily Snow, Butler
Sophomore history major
I’d let them know I love them and the semester
is going well.
Nick Gagliano, Hershey
Sophomore communication major
I’d thank them for everything they’ve done for me
and express my gratitude for their support.
Dustin Parsons, Clarion
Graduate student, rehabilitative sciences
I love them and miss them. I’d tell them Christmas is one of
my favorite times of the year, watching my brothers and sisters open presents and
going to the church service, even though it’s long. I’d say I miss the family tradition
of going to my grandparents’ house to open stockings.
Shamour Talbert, Sharpsville
Freshman biology major
I love them so much and wish they were here.
I’m working so hard and need the break of
interacting with my brothers, sisters and parents.
I’d tell my mom to tell my dog I miss him and love him.
Erica Greer, Monroeville
Freshman biology major
Thank
You
Clarion university
magazine
47
Courageous
endeavors
Leanne Martin
“
I like the aspect
that they are
strong and
confident and
that they’re
willing to lay
down their lives
for others.”
When sophomore Leanne Martin decided
to come to Clarion, it already fit her
courageous lifestyle.
Martin, a Franklin native, always had an
interest in the military, starting with joining
the National Guard and then Clarion’s ROTC
program.
“I like the aspect that they (the military)
are strong and confident and that they’re
willing to lay down their lives for others.”
In addition to Clarion’s ROTC program,
Clarion University also has a Bachelor of
Science in paralegal program – something
that fit into Martin’s future plans.
Martin knew she’d need a Bachelor of
Science degree to one day enter law school
and was excited when Clarion announced
the Bachelor or Science in paralegal
program was approved.
The program is enabling her to pursue
her dreams. She’s already participating in a
paralegal internship with Franklin attorney
Diane E. Hasek, Esq.
Her goal is to work her way through law
school as a paralegal.
Martin doesn’t have her sights set on a
particular law school yet, but she’s sure of
one thing – her decision to come to Clarion
was a good one.
“Clarion is close to home – somewhere
I’ve always known and loved.”
Correction
48
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
In the summer 2015 issue of Clarion University Magazine, incorrect
information was listed about alumna Clare Novak. Novak graduated
from Clarion in 1976, and she is ABD in her pursuit of her Ph.D.
Take the
Clarion Alumni
survey today.
surveymonkey.com/r/AlumniCU
Get a free travel mug and receive automatic
registration for the opportunity to win Visa
gift cards, tickets and other cool prizes!
Help strengthen the
Clarion Alumni Network by
taking the survey on your
smartphone now.
Clarion university
magazine
49
nonprofit org.
u.s. postage
paid
permit no. 2
clarion, pa
840 Wood Street
Clarion, PA 16214-1232
www.clarion.edu
Welcome All Clarion Alumni Jan. 18-19, 2016
18
Monday
January
Mid-Winter
Punta
Gorda
River City Grill
Cocktails/Dinner
5:30 p.m. • 6:30 p.m.
131 W Marion Ave,
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Golf
19
Tuesday
KINGSWAY COUNTRY CLUB
Lunch Buffet
11:15 a.m.
$20
Golf Scramble 12:30 p.m.
$45
Dinner Buffet
6:30 p.m.
$35
13625 SW Kingsway Cir, Lake Suzy, FL 34269
January
Port
Charlotte
Music will be provided
by Al Holland – former
member of The Platters.
Come joins us for any
or all of the events: lunch,
golf, or dinner.
Rooms will be available
at a reduced rate at the
Holiday Inn Express.
Ask for Clarion’s rate
by January 13, 2016.
941-764-0056
Take I-75 exit 170; go East;
Hotel is 1/10 of a mile
on the right.
Kingsway Country Club:
Take I -75 ; exit 170; go East;
Club is one-half mile
on the left.
RSVP to attend by
January 13, 2016 to:
Wayne Norris
Jack Bertani
Diane Beatty
888-327-0280
941-627-0162
814-393-1832
SPONSORED BY ALPHA GAMMA PHI
u n i v e r s i t y
m a g a z i n e
WINTer 2015
Kristin Day
NCAA Woman
of the Year
Viva
Italia!
Getting
excited
about
Women’s
soccer
making a
difference
in Uganda
Cy Young
winner
Vuckovich
honored
The 2015-16 school year marks a
monumental first for Clarion University:
We are proud to announce the launch of the
Clarion University Eagle’s Nest Booster Club.
Today, the nest shows our beloved Ernie as a baby eagle, but with your help and
donation to the booster club, you will help Ernie become a fully grown Golden Eagle.
The goal of the Eagle’s Nest Booster Club is to support all athletic teams and the athletics
department at Clarion University.
Y EAGLE’S NES
TB
R C LU B
CL ARION
STE
UN
E
IT
RS
OO
IV
All of our teams strive for success, and all of our student athletes are deserving of your support.
While you are welcome to designate any gift over $100 to the sport of your choice, please consider
thinking of all Clarion student athletes as members of one team.
CU
ES
TA B L
01
ISHED 2
5
No matter where your team loyalty
lies, give to the Eagle’s Nest and
lift up athletics at Clarion!
Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu
clarion
W int er 2 0 15
Volume 2
Number 3
departments
2
features
4 Clarion Digest
Clarion gets the top spot in the Best Online
Colleges for Pennsylvania ranking.
Plus: The new Suites on Main and renovated
Becht Hall are open. CU Mentor links students
with professionals in their field. Senior Hannah
Gloeckl says “Poetry Matters” with events for
campus and community.
12
Heart for
Uganda
Alyssa Cooper Sande (M.Ed.
’06) is making a difference in
Uganda, helping to provide
food, shelter and education
to the children.
18
10 Alumni Gatherings
Not Just for Kicks
Stephanie Harris (’12) missed playing soccer after college, so
she founded a semi-pro team in Pittsburgh.
24
Viva Italia!
Since graduating in 2013,
Daniel LaFata has visited
seven countries. He’s currently
calling Italy home, teaching
English to middle schoolers
and working on acquiring his
Italian citizenship.
30
Letters
Oh, What a Day
With two national diving titles and a 4.0 undergraduate GPA,
Kristin Day (’15) capped off her undergraduate career by being
named NCAA Woman of the Year.
34 Sports Roundup
The Altoona Curve
honors two-time Cy
Young winner and
former Clarion baseball
standout Pete Vuckovich
with a special evening
and a throwback bobblehead.
40 Alumni News & Class Notes
48 Courageous Endeavors
Leann Martin found that Clarion had the one-two
punch she needed with its ROTC and Bachelor of
Science in paralegal programs.
On the Cover
Champion diver and
4.0 graduate Kristin Day
is named NCAA Woman
of the Year in
Indianapolis.
30
Clarion university
magazine
1
CLARION
UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
President: Dr. Karen Whitney
Executive editor: Tina Horner
Co-editors: Rich Herman (sports); David Love (’86,
’87); Amy Thompson Wozniak (’02, M.S. ’06)
Design: Brenda Stahlman
Contributors: Michelle Port, S.C. Nolan (’14);
Samantha Beal
Photographers: Rich Herman, David Love, Adam
Reynolds (’15), George Powers (’81), Jason Strohm
(’01, MFA ’05), Brett Whitling
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Board of Governors
Chair: Guido M. Pichini
Vice Chair: Marie Conley
Vice Chair: David M. Maser
Sen. Richard Alloway II
Rep. Matthew E. Baker
Ronald G. Henry
Jane M. Earll
Christopher H. Franklin
Todd Garrett
Chelsea E. Getsy
Rep. Michael K. Hanna
Jonathan B. Mack
Joseph F. McGinn
Pedro A. Rivera, secretary of education
Sen. Judy Schwank
Robert S. Taylor
Aaron A. Walton
Harold C. Shields
Gov. Tom Wolf
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,
Council of Trustees
Chairperson: James L. Kifer (’83)
Acting Vice Chairperson: Howard H. Shreckengost
(’83)
Vice Chairperson: J.D. Dunbar (’77, M.S. ’79)
Secretary: Milissa Bauer (’84)
Dr. Syed R. Ali-Zaidi
Susanne A. Burns
The Honorable R. Lee James
The Honorable Donna Oberlander (’91)
Randy Seitz (’09)
Jeffrey J. Szumigale (’82)
Darren Young, student trustee
families of current students and friends of Clarion
University. Alumni information is also located at
www.clarion.edu/alumni.
It is the policy of Clarion University of Pennsylvania
that there shall be equal opportunity in all of its
educational programs, services, and benefits, and
there shall be no discrimination with regard to a
student’s or prospective student’s race, color, religion,
sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation/
affection, gender identity, veteran status, or other
classifications that are protected under Title IX of
the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, and other pertinent state
and federal laws and regulations. Direct inquiries
regarding equal opportunity, Title IX or services and
facility accessibility to: Assistant to the President
for Social Equity/Title IX and 504/ADA Coordinator,
Clarion University of Pennsylvania, 207 Carrier
Administration Building 16214-1232. Email jgant@
clarion.edu or phone 814-393-2109. Inquiries may
also be directed to the Director of the Office for Civil
Alumni Association Board of Directors
President: Deborah Eckelberger (’07)
President-Elect: Jeffrey Douthett (’79)
Secretary: Jean Mills (’59, ’74)
Treasurer: David Reed (’09)
David Bailey (’65)
Floyd Barger (’58)
Daniel Bartoli (’81)
Angela Brown (’80)
Jonathan Catanzarita (’11)
Elisabeth Fulmer (’64, ’80, ’97)
Lee Grosch (’62)
Sandra Jarecki (’69)
Terri (Tiki) Kahle (’87)
Nancy Lendyak (’75)
Ronald Lucas (’82)
Ashley McCauley (’06)
Chris Myers (’12)
Virginia Vasko (‘88)
Daniel Zangrilli (’07)
Glenn Zari (’97)
Morgan Woodin
Eagle Ambassadors president
Rights, Department of Education, 330 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201.
Karen Whitney, ex-officio
President of Clarion University
Laura King (’09), ex-officio
Executive Director of Clarion University
Alumni Association
2
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Letters
Clarion University Magazine arrives in
your mailbox just three times a year, but
it’s a year-round project for the magazine
production team. In fact, as you hold this
issue, we’re already planning the spring
2016 magazine, choosing stories that
illustrate Courageous. Confident. Clarion.
and, hopefully, help you maintain your
connection to the university.
When we debuted the redesigned
magazine one year ago, we listened to
feedback from our alumni and friends, and
I believe that together, we’ve developed a
publication that reflects the university and
its people.
We still are listening. In fact, we’ve
built into the magazine a place (this very
spot) for you to share your thoughts and
insights. We invite you to write to us and
let your voice be part of Clarion University
Magazine.
Please include your name, relationship
to the university and a phone number
for verification (but not publication).
Letters should be 150 words or fewer and
pertaining to the magazine content.
Email letters to alumni@clarion.edu or
mail them to Clarion University Magazine,
Seifert-Mooney Center for Advancement,
840 Wood St., Clarion, PA 16214.
Tina M. Horner
Executive editor
letter from the president
Dear Clarion Family,
As Clarion’s president, the moments that make me proud are abundant. We are most proud of the many, many
students and alumni succeeding and exemplifying Courageous. Confident. Clarion. These are the qualities that
create champions. Champions come in all shapes and sizes, from the traditional champion of athletic sport, to the
academic champion who masters an area of study, to someone who passionately champions a cause to save the
lives of others.
Kristin Day (’15) has consistently challenged herself academically and athletically, making time to serve the
community, too. Along with earning national diving titles and a 4.0 undergraduate GPA, NCAA recognized her
efforts by naming her Woman of the Year, a first for a Pennsylvania athlete.
Alyssa Sande (’12) is a champion, too. Her challenge is improving the lives of Africa’s children through Heart for
Uganda, the mission she founded. Sande lives in Uganda, among the people the organization helps, providing
food, shelter and education.
I can’t talk about champions without mentioning our own Pete Vuckovich, who went on to play for the White Sox
and win two Cy Young Awards. His story exemplifies how confidence in one’s abilities translates into success.
I hope that you, as part of the Clarion University family, also feel honor in the achievements of these alumni, as well
as your own. Clarion graduates are making a difference, exhibiting the trademark Golden Eagles grit and grace.
Congratulations to our Courageous. Confident. Champions!
Fly Eagles Fly!
Karen M. Whitney
President, Clarion University
President Whitney
with Pete Vuckovich
Clarion university
magazine
3
Campus news I clarion digest
Achievement
spotlight on:
Master of
Science in
Applied Data
Analytics
(big data)
Why it’s hot
This is an area geared toward
analyzing big data sets, categorized as
so large there’s no data program big
enough to analyze them.
What it’s got
Students will learn the design and
manipulation of large data sets for
a specific application, whether it be
finance, marketing, management,
health care, social science, political
science, education or many other
fields. A prerequisite structure is
necessary to build the student’s skill
set, tool by tool, to work into a fairly
deep technical background. Students
are required to have a programming
course and a statistics course before
starting the program. The degree
program is open to any undergraduate
major who desires to leverage their
training with a big data specialty.
Only 80 schools in the country offer
the degree, and no other state system
school currently offers it.
Recognition of
excellence
Clarion received the top spot in
the 2015-2016 Best Online Colleges
for Pennsylvania rankings by
AffordableCollegesOnline.org, a leading
resource for online learning and college
affordability information.
Clarion’s online accounting degree
is ranked seventh in the nation by
bestcolleges.com, which compiles its
rankings using data from the IPEDS and
College Navigator databases.
Clarion star
Graduate student William Snyder
(’15), celebrated two years of and more
than one thousand visitors to Stars Over
Clarion, a planetarium show he created
and produces, Nov. 5 in Peirce Planetarium.
Snyder, of Apollo, who holds a bachelor’s
degree in physics with a concentration in
astrophysics, began showing Stars Over
Clarion in November 2013. The series, held
the first Tuesday of each month, explores
constellations, planets and other celestial
items. Shows concentrate on that month’s
visible elements, offering the community
a look at Clarion’s changing heavens
throughout the year.
Merit-based scholarships for freshmen
What’s next
The first cohort of 30 students will
begin classes in fall 2016.
4
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Merit scholarships for seniors in the high school class of 2016 who
meet academic criteria have been created. Students with a high school
GPA of 3.0 or higher and an SAT score of at least 1,000 (critical reading
and math) or ACT score of at least 21, will be awarded between $1,000
and $3,000. “These scholarships are in response to the fact that we are
getting more academically talented applicants to Clarion each year,”
said Ron Nowaczyk, Ph.D., Clarion provost. “We want to reward these
students for their accomplishments and help them and their families
make Clarion their college of choice.” Eligibility will be determined
through the admissions process. Students will be notified of their award
shortly after receiving letters of admission to Clarion. The scholarship,
open to all majors, is renewable for three additional years, as long as the
student maintains a 3.0 GPA.
Campus News I clarion digest
Golden Eagles marching band
looking ‘sharp’
The arrival of this season’s long-anticipated band
uniforms ushered in a new era for the Golden Eagles
marching band. According to band advisor Casey Teske,
Ph.D., professor of music, Clarion’s previous 17-year-old
uniforms were due for a makeover.
“(They were) an old, classic West Point design,” Teske
said. “Nothing really stood out.”
But after administration agreed last August to buy
innovative outfits, President Karen Whitney made it
clear she wanted the new look to be student-driven.
Band students began researching ideas, bringing them
to Teske and eventually narrowing them down to two
options. Of those choices, a never-before-seen style was
selected.
“The students were very clear, they wanted to make a
statement,” Teske said. “And they did.”
Marching band director Jeremiah Dobo explained
the uniform design is based on Bluecoats, a Drum Corp
International group. The new uniforms no longer include a waist coat
with braid, but a longer, open-fronted trench coat that falls to the knee.
The pants feature a tuck stripe down the front, rather than side.
“We no longer use shakos,” Dobo said, “Now it’s a helmet with a
phantom plume that wraps around.”
poetry matters
Hannah Gloeckl,
a senior English
major from
Bethel Park,
created, as her
Honors project,
“Poetry Matters,”
a series of events
for children
and adults.
Gloeckl said the
importance of
literacy and an
easy way to teach and reinforce literacy brought
her to the shorter medium of poetry. Events
included a graffiti poetry event for older children
and young adults, a poetry workshop for kids, a
poetry reading for adults and an all-ages open
mic night held in partnership with Clarion’s
literary magazine, Tobeco.
Marching band members also bear gold sashes that
sparkle in different types of light. Overall, Teske describes
the uniforms as “popping.” He and Dobo agree the
campus and community response to the outfits has been
most agreeable.
“We’ve gotten a lot of compliments,” he said.
Miles Gloriosus
The theatre season opened in
October with “Miles Gloriosus
– The Braggart Warrior.”
Written in Latin by Plautus
2,200 years ago, the comedy
features a boastful Greek
captain, clever and conniving
servants, an aged lusty next
door neighbor, a beautiful
courtesan and an innocent
girl who is separated from
her beloved. Each character is
placed into a situation where
hilarity ensues.
Theatre professor Bob
Coleen E. Scheerbaum as Scaledra, pleading with Sam
Levy, who adapted the play
Atwell as Periplectonomus not to punish her, as Casey
Martz as Palaestrio looks on, glad that he is not being
for Clarion, said the play was
punished this time.
chosen for production because
of its humorous streak. The department had not produced a classic comedy for
a while: “Miles Gloriosus” fit the bill. His adaptation was inspired by late 1950s
and early 1960s sitcoms.
Clarion university
magazine
5
Building news I clarion digest
Construction
Suites on Main opens
Clarion celebrated the grand opening of Suites on Main North on Founders Day, Sept. 10. The
public grand opening included a ribbon cutting, refreshments, live music and tours of the building.
The $61 million Suites on Main project, built with Silver Leadership in Energy and Environment
Design standards, features a geothermal heating and cooling system. LEED encourages use of
sustainable building materials – recycled materials available nearby to save on transportation costs
– and sustainable operations such as geothermal heating/cooling to save on utility costs. Both
buildings total more than 230,000 square feet with 373 suites. Space for 728 students is available.
Suites on Main South, slated to open in January, will house the Clarion University Store, Starbucks
and Denny’s Den. Wilkinson and Nair halls are scheduled for demolition this winter.
6
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Building News I clarion digest
Becht Hall
The renovation of Becht Hall is complete and is serving as a centralized place for
students to go to get their questions answered and their needs met. “Our philosophy
is to make it as easy and efficient for students to get the support and resources they
need in one physical location,” said Ron Nowaczyk, Ph.D., provost. The building now
houses the offices of Registrar, Student Financial Services, Clarion Online, Computer
Help Desk, Residence Life, Judicial and Mediation Services, Auxiliary Operations,
Center for Wellness, Admissions, Honors, ROTC, Writing Lab, Tutoring and Testing,
Disability Support Services, Career Services, International Programs, Minority Student
Affairs, SOAR, Advising Center and TRIO Student Support, as well as a coffee bar,
meditation room and lounges for veterans, ROTC and international students.
Renovation
Clarion university
magazine
7
Campus news I clarion digest
A new program is connecting Clarion University business
and information sciences students with professionals in
their field.
10th annual
GIS
conference
CU mentor
CUmentor is designed to link alumni and employer partners with
current students to facilitate mentor-mentee partnerships that foster the
sharing of knowledge and experience,” said Josh Domitrovich (’13, MBA ’15),
coordinator for career mentoring and internships in the Center for Career and
Professional Development.
The program’s goals are three-fold:
• Provide students with opportunities for professional
development, networking and information/idea exchange
with professionals in their academic area;
• Provide opportunities for alumni and employer partners
to connect with the university and play a notable role in
current students’ future endeavors; and
• Establish partnerships between alumni and employer
partners and students to facilitate career exploration and
career coaching.
The idea for the program was pitched by Lindsay Banner (’07), a member
of the College of Business Administration and Information Sciences’ advisory
council. Banner, who holds a BSBA, will be among the mentors. Domitrovich
will begin matching mentees with mentors at the end of the students’
sophomore years by using a unique algorithm to provide the best possible
match. Initially, CUmentor opportunities will be available to students with
majors and minors in the College of Business Administration and Information
Sciences. Within two years, Domitrovich hopes to implement the program
university-wide.
For information, visit www.clarion.edu/cumentor.
8
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
The 10th Northwest Pennsylvania
Geographic Information Systems
conference met Oct. 15 and 16.
Among other things, GIS supports
new business markets, assists in
911 operations and natural disaster
emergency management and
handles data analysis for oil and
gas exploration. Digital maps on
mobile devices allow users to acquire
information almost instantaneously,
but GIS is more than that, said Yasser
Ayad, Ph.D., professor of geology
and coordinator of the conference.
“It is used to identify environmental
problems and help calculate and
specify different solution scenarios.”
The field of GIS has existed for nearly
30 years, but it is still considered
an emerging field. The conference
included concurrent sessions,
exhibitions and poster presentations.
PASSHE News I clarion digest
Chancellor
calls for
creativity,
innovation in
‘State of the
System’ address.
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is at a crossroads and must
become even more creative and innovative to ensure both the viability of the
system and to best meet the needs of students and the commonwealth in
the future, Chancellor Frank T. Brogan said in October’s State of the System
address.
“We must be willing to challenge every assumption in order to ensure a
sustainable future for each of our 14 universities within the system,” Brogan
said. “We must innovate and collaborate to achieve greater efficiencies as we
work to deliver Pennsylvania’s best value in higher education.”
The state system universities continue to adapt their programming to meet
the needs of students and the commonwealth, Brogan said. (see right)
“Since July 2014, the board of governors has approved 29 new academic
programs, including five doctoral degrees,” Brogan said. “These programs were
developed with the future in mind — in fields where there is growing demand
for well-educated, well-trained professionals. A number of these programs are
collaborative efforts among two or more state system universities.”
Brogan said the state system this year will take an exponential step forward
in ensuring even greater alignment of our degree programs with the demands
of students and the commonwealth.
“We’re conducting a system-wide supply/demand gap analysis that will
enable us to see — region by region — the kinds of degree programs that are
needed in areas such as science, technology, the arts, the humanities, health,
business and education,” Brogan said. “The connection between the state
system and Pennsylvania’s economic vitality is undeniable. Our successes, our
challenges, our opportunities are the foundation of Pennsylvania’s future.”
While it is important that the universities continue to serve their traditional
student base, Brogan said they must do more to increase accessibility to
community college transfer students and adult learners who want to pursue a
degree while maintaining their careers and families.
“This will require us to offer more programs in flexible times, places and
modes of delivery,” he said. “Think about this: there are more than 1 million
Pennsylvanians who started a degree but never finished. We must reach out
to those individuals to let them know they have options at a state system
university, and ensure we are organized in a way to meet their needs.”
“The connection between the state system and
Pennsylvania’s economic vitality is undeniable. Our
successes, our challenges, our opportunities are
the foundation of Pennsylvania’s future.”
Here’s how
Clarion is meeting
the chancellor’s
challenge
Pennsylvania State System
Board of Governors has
approved new degree
programs for Clarion University.
Most recently, Clarion was
approved to offer the MS in
accounting. The interest in
this program is primarily from
accounting professionals who
need 150 credit hours in order
to receive CPA certification.
Classes will prepare students
to sit for the CPA exam which
consists of four segments
including auditing, financial
accounting and reporting,
regulation, and business
environment.
Additional
degrees approved
in 2015
• MS in applied data analytics
• BS in sport management
• BSBA in paralegal studies
Clarion university
magazine
9
alumni 2015
Alumni and friends donned rain gear to celebrate Homecoming
2015. Clockwise, from top left include: Clarion ROTC marching
in the parade; homecoming queen Emily Smith and king Lance
Whitehead; associate vice president Dr. Brenda Sanders Dede;
a clown; a young alumna; President Karen M. Whitney; alumni
office staff Sammi Beichner, Emily Weaver (’09) and Laura King
(’09); Ernie the Eagle with some young friends; student Janine
Strohm; cheerleaders marching along Main Street; student and
rugby player Diamond Rodriquez; Georgia Yamalis (’15) and
friend; former Clarion President Joseph Grunenwald. In the
center photo is Robert “Bo” Garritano (’66) and wife Joyce.
10
WINTER
2015
Spring
2015
www.clarion.edu
www.clarion.edu
Clarion university
magazine
11
Heart
for
Uganda
When Clarion University alumna Alissa Cooper Sande (M.Ed. ‘06)
was 7 years old, she dreamed of Africa. Specifically she dreamed
of helping the children of Africa. In 2009, she moved to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, to make that dream a reality.
“I do believe that God just put that on my heart,” she said of her
7-year-old self.
12
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
A child in Uganda hauls
water above his head.
People in Africa often have
to travel many miles to get
clean drinking water.
Sande comforts a child in
Uganda, where many of the
children have been orphaned
by AIDS and political conflicts.
Presently, students can attend school up
serious problem affecting Kyenjojo. When
to sixth grade.
children, especially girls, have to walk far
“The need is so great, yet the
distances to get water they can fall victim
finances are limited,” Sande said.
to sexual assault, so bringing water closer
Another project is getting potable
to each community helps protect them.
drinking water to each community. The
Sande said sexual immorality is a
ministry discovered that the government
major problem there, with the local
already installed hand-pumped water
culture dictating that females of any
wells in the district,
age are not allowed
they just needed to
to say no to a man’s
be repaired. So far,
sexual advances.
Sexual immorality is a
Heart for Uganda
It has created a
has fixed 10 of the
major problem there
culture where rape
wells, providing
is prevalent and the
with the local culture
water to 1,000
dictating that females of AIDS epidemic is
people. Another 40
spreading.
any age are not allowed
hand-pump water
“Our district is
wells need to be
to say no to a man’s
one of the highest for
repaired.
AIDS,” she said.
sexual advances.”
Along with
Another effect it’s
providing water,
having is that young
there is the job
people are starting to
of educating the village about water
have sex at an alarmingly early age – as
such as proper hygiene, potential cross
young as 4 years old – because they are
contamination with livestock, and
mimicking what they’ve been shown or
learning how to care for the wells.
are trying to get love in this way, Sande
“The children don’t think anything of
said.
drinking dirty water,” Sande said.
Further complicating the problem is
Contaminated drinking water is a
that it’s not customary to report sexual
problem because it leads to sickness,
assault, so it continues, Sande said.
Sande said.
“Until hearts change, nothing is going
Getting clean water closer to
to change,” Sande said. “It’s going to be
villagers also is important because of a
God doing it.”
“
In the time since, she has married
a native Ugandan, had two children,
fostered several more and been a
witness to much change in her village.
Among the biggest change is the
addition of a children’s village where
a medical center, school and home for
orphans has been constructed.
Sande hopes her ministry, Heart
for Uganda, can expand its medical
center by adding a women’s ward as
well as increasing its area for admitted
patients. The ministry also would like
to add another grade to the school.
Clarion university
magazine
13
Another hurdle is combating
jealousy in the village.
Sande said the ministry has to be
careful to help not only the children,
but the parents as well, because
feelings of jealousy are so prevalent in
the culture.
“Changing the mindset is one of
our biggest hurdles,” she said.
In that same way, some people in
the village are upset with the progress
the ministry has been making. Sande
said sometimes when people are poor
they can’t understand that the things
the ministry is doing is to everyone’s
benefit.
“In that sense people want to
destroy what we’re doing,” she said.
It’s just another example of how
“poverty really has a negative effect.”
But it’s not all sad news. Sande
shared the story of a boy whose
name is Treasure.
Sande and
Treasure
Treasure was badly abused by his
alcoholic grandmother and turned to
stealing and living on the streets. He
became a known thief in the village,
putting his life at risk, because often
thieves are killed – even if they’re
children. Eventually, Treasure stole from
the mission’s church. Instead of pressing
charges, Heart for Uganda took him in
and gave him a home in the children’s
village.
Sande said the change has been
amazing, with Treasure excelling at
school and responding to love. She
told him, “Your name is Treasure for a
reason.”
“Now he’s going to become the
treasure he was meant to be all of his
life,” she said.
Did you know?
Heart for Uganda has gained
momentum, in part, because so many
people have embraced founder Alissa
Cooper Sande’s vision for the ministry.
Those who have supported the ministry
have done so in a variety of capacities by
either working behind the scenes in the
United States or by traveling to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, on mission trips.
Many of the supporters are Clarion
University alumni and employees who
have found that their degrees or present
occupations come in handy in assisting
the organization.
Sande’s Clarion degree is a Master of
Education as a reading specialist. Part of
her mission is a school which opened in
February 2013 and has quickly gained a
reputation as a place where children get
a quality education.
“I have been able to use the
knowledge that was imparted to me to
improve the educational system in the
area where I stay. My master’s degree
from Clarion University has empowered
me to equip the teachers in the area of
reading and writing,” Sande said.
14
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
“The teachers need so much training,”
said Linda Bryce Coulson (’02, M.Ed. ’12).
Coulson was part of a mission trip
in 2013 and thought she’d be working
primarily with the children, but she felt a
burden for the teachers, whose occupation
is considered one of the lowest in Uganda.
“The teachers are hungry for
knowledge,” Coulson said.
Sande holds workshops for teachers
to help them better serve the students.
She models her own instruction of reading
so teachers may observe and apply the
techniques in their own classrooms.
Reading is not a school subject in
Uganda, and, because of that, the illiteracy
rate is 63 percent for females and 79
percent for males in elementary school.
“Many children are completely unable
to read and write, even in higher grades.
I have been given many opportunities
to teach the children and improve their
reading and writing skills,” Sande said.
Sande said changing Uganda’s
education system is one of her goals.
Volunteers have found other ways to
serve in the ministry.
When Margaret “Margy” Port (’77) went
to Kyenjojo in 2011 she was surprised how
her educational background helped her
communicate with the children there. She
attended the mission trip with her husband,
who was going to lend his agricultural
expertise, but she wasn’t sure how she’d be
able to serve. She soon found her niche and
used alternative communication strategies to
overcome language barriers, particularly with
children.
Brenda Sanders Dédé found her
administrative skills to be valuable. Dédé is
Clarion’s associate vice president for academic
affairs, but in Uganda she worked to manage
and organize the pharmacy at the medical
clinic. Dédé said you never know how your
skills are going transfer in another country.
For others, their skills are used closer to
home.
Because the organization has so many
projects, the Heart for Uganda Board would
like to establish an internship program for
Clarion students and alumni in which they
can offer their expertise to Heart for Uganda
in areas such as business management,
marketing and education.
Change hasn’t been taking place just in the hearts of the
villagers.
Early in Sande’s missionary career, she was working in an
orphanage, and so was Victor Sande, a native Ugandan. She
became interested in him, but she didn’t want to be interested in
him.
“I didn’t want to marry an African man,” she said.
Her resistance had a great deal to do with the differences in
their cultures, and the feeling was mutual.
“He didn’t want to marry an American,” she said.
As they worked together, it was clear they were meant to be
married.
“It was truly God that brought us together, because we would
not have married each other,” Sande said.
They now have two children, Caleb, 5, and Vanea, 3. They also
have two children from the village who stay with them yearround. Another six children stay with them when they are home
from school breaks. None of them has been officially adopted,
but they all have found a home with the Sandes.
It turns out that marrying a Ugandan has had its perks. First,
her marriage allowed her to assimilate into the culture in a way
that she would not have had she remained single or married
another American. She prepares food like an African woman does
and has a greater understanding of the culture now than ever
before.
Also, Victor has helped her save money at the ministry
because he knows the
local customs and knows
what products and
services should cost.
Even with her
marriage, however,
she will always be the
Mzungu, or the white
Ugandan children amuse
person, whom people
themselves near some
available water.
can’t help but stare at
when she goes into town.
“I never really totally
fit in,” she said.
Her children also
receive the same Mzungu
label because they are
biracial and noticeably
lighter skinned than
people from the village.
People tend to think
differently about her, too,
because she’s from the
United States.
“People don’t think I
have problems because
I’m American,” Sande
said.
The Sande Family
Victor, Caleb, Vanea and Alissa
didn’t want to marry an
“ I African
man. He didn’t
want to marry an American.
It was truly God that
brought us together.
”
Clarion university
magazine
15
Five things Alissa
Cooper Sande misses
about the United
States.
1. My family and
friends.
2. Hot showers.
3. Comfort – There are
a lot of comforts in
America.
4. Nice roads.
5. Pizza.
In Uganda, there have been
times of political unrest
and it has brought some
frightening moments.”
Those factors can make it lonely
for her, but Sande is undeterred.
“It’s in my heart. I wouldn’t feel at
home if I wasn’t there,” she said.
In Uganda, there have been times
of political unrest and it has brought
some frightening moments.
“Right after I got married to my
husband, there was rioting and he had
to hide in a church,” Sande said.
Another time, a group of political
dissidents were going town to town
and raping villagers. Sande had heard
that they were coming to Kyenjojo,
and was worried, but fortunately they
never came.
Sande said the government is
good about protecting its citizens
from the dangers of political unrest.
“I think America can be scarier,”
she said.
Sande said there are different lines
of security when she compares the
United States to Uganda. When her
husband visits the United States,
he often is surprised to see people
park their cars outside without
guards.
“Our culture is built around trust,
and theirs is built around distrust,”
she said.
She said there are many
misconceptions about the safety
in Uganda and it’s not what people
envision.
“I don’t really get afraid very
often,” she said.
What does worry her?
“It’s easy to feel like you’re doing
nothing,” Sande said.
She said coming back to
the United States gives her an
opportunity to review her photos of
the village children before and after
they became part of the ministry.
The progress in the photos is
noticeable and gives Sande hope.
Five things Alissa
Cooper Sande would
miss if she ever left
Uganda permanently.
1. The kids.
2. Laid-back lifestyle.
People aren’t so
busy.
3. Family and friends
over there.
4. Climate/weather.
5. Opportunities.
The school in Kyenjojo’s children’s village is gaining a
reputation where children can get a quality education.
16
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
“
Some people in the village
are upset with the progress
the ministry has been making.
Sometimes when people are poor
they can’t understand that the
things the ministry is doing is to
everyone’s benefit. ”
Slowly hope is coming to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, in the form of supplies
and fresh water.
She speaks about Heart for
Uganda at area churches and
organizations when she visits the
United States, which is another
way for her to recognize what the
ministry has accomplished.
Mission teams to Kyenjojo,
Uganda, are being assembled for
next summer. People on mission
trips to Sande’s village have the
opportunity to perform a variety
of needed tasks such as teaching,
counseling and being part of the
medical team.
The easiest way that people can
help the ministry is to simply pray,
Sande said.
“My dreams could have never
been fulfilled if people hadn’t stood
with me in support,” she said.
She also encourages people
to look for needs in their own
communities.
“You don’t have to go to
Africa to see people in need,”
Sande said. “I think we should
encourage each other to make
the world a better place.”
To learn more, visit www.heartforuganda.org.
Clarion university
magazine
17
Steel City FC players
take the field.
18
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Not
Just for
Kicks
Alumna Stephanie Harrison
(’12) has added a new team
to the City of Champions and
hopes to inspire girls in the
region to get in the game.
When Harrison moved from Clarion to
Pittsburgh after graduation, she thought that
helping to coach the soccer team at Chatham
would fill the void she felt after her final collegiate
soccer game. She’d played for Clarion’s women’s
soccer team for four years while she studied for
her bachelor’s in psychology and “loved every
minute of it.”
Being able to stay on the soccer field while she
worked on her master’s and Ph.D. in counseling
psychology felt like the best of both worlds.
Harrison soon learned, though, that she wasn’t
ready to coach; she missed playing.
Stephanie Harrison
Clarion university
magazine
19
“Soccer was sort of
just mine. It was really
my space away from
everything.”
“I knew at the time that I wanted to
keep playing, but I told myself, ‘Coaching
will be fine,’” Harrison said. “But then I
found myself driving home from games,
starting to cry and wishing I’d been
able to be on the field. Even at practice
I just wished I were playing instead of
coaching.”
Despite her limited free time, Harrison
set out to find a team willing to take
her on as a defender. A small-town girl
from Butler, she expected that a city
like Pittsburgh would hold countless
opportunities for someone in her position.
“I looked around, and as I was
researching, it sort of slowly dawned on
me; this city has two men’s soccer teams
– the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and the Fort
Pitt Regiment – but there isn’t a single
women’s team,” Harrison said.
Somewhat dismayed, Harrison told her
academic advisor about her failed search.
“I went to my advisor’s office and
just kind of casually talked about my
20
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
“I looked around,
and as I was
researching, it
slowly dawned
on me; this city
has two men’s
soccer teams but
there isn’t
a single
women’s team.”
disappointment, and she just looked at me
and said, ‘You should do something about
that.’” Harrison said. “So I decided to.”
Thus, Steel City F.C., Pittsburgh’s semipro women’s soccer team, was born.
It’s clear that – along with a competitive
streak a mile long – Harrison has lived with
this decisive nature her whole life. Though
each of her six siblings dabbled in soccer
when they were young, she was the only
one who stuck with it.
“I think I just wanted to be different
from them,” she said.
Harrison continued to play through
elementary and middle school. By the time
she was 15, she was ready to play on a club
team. Her parents, though supportive of
her passion, couldn’t commit to driving her
to games across the region while working
and raising her siblings.
Determined to play, Harrison didn’t
let that stop her. She attended the first
practice where she met Jordan Daloiso
(‘12), who lived in the neighboring town
of Kittanning and whose parents
offered to take Harrison to games and
practices. Soon after, as Harrison and
Daloiso transitioned quickly from new
teammates to best friends, Harrison
realized for the first time that she
wanted to play soccer in college.
Part of this revelation came from the
peace Harrison found on the field.
“Soccer was sort of just mine,”
she said. “My parents would ask, ‘Oh,
how did the game go?’ and things like
that, but it was really my space away
from everything.” Beyond its physical
benefits, Harrison joked that soccer
was a good way to avoid doing chores
around the house.
After four successful years of high
school and club soccer, Harrison settled
on Clarion as her new home. She found
an immediate connection with the
squad’s coach at the time, Nina Alonzo,
forsaking even California University
of Pennsylvania, whose
women’s soccer program
has a recent history of
notable success.
Along with the school
and the soccer program,
like so many before her,
Harrison says the town
of Clarion won her heart
almost immediately.
“I loved Clarion as a
Harrison playing soccer for the Golden Eagles
town,” she said. “Especially
Main Street. It’s so cute and
there’s a lot going on. I really just fell in
“That year I played every minute of
love with it the first time I visited.”
every game,” Harrison said proudly.
It didn’t take long for Harrison to
Her senior year was not quite as
decide on Clarion, especially when
successful, as Harrison was riddled with a
Daloiso revealed that she, too, would
series of injuries. Still, she fondly looks back
be a Golden Eagle.
on all of her time on the Clarion pitch.
The pair played all four years on the
“We sometimes had trouble winning
women’s soccer team, though Harrison
games and, well, scoring, but we were a
singles out her junior year as her
good team, and I loved the people I got to
standout season.
play with.”
Steel City FC
Clarion university
magazine
21
That love for the game was a major
part of what drove Harrison to form
Steel City F.C., though she soon found
that her new endeavor wasn’t quite as
straightforward as lacing up her cleats
and stepping onto the field.
“Honestly, I had absolutely no idea how
I was going to make it happen,” Harrison
said. “But I had a lot of people who were
willing to help me, and a lot of support
from the community.”
Among those involved were Harrison’s
Harrison’s team, in action
22
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
two sisters – a lobbyist and a lawyer – who
helped secure nonprofit status for the
team and organized a network of potential
donors and sponsors.
During the fundraising campaign,
Harrison made contact with a UPMC
employee whose daughter played soccer.
According to Harrison, he was thrilled
with the idea of a team for his daughter to
watch and look up to, and got the team’s
information into the hands of the right
people at UPMC. The organization soon
became a lead sponsor for Steel City FC,
donating the expertise of their athletic
trainers and providing financial support for
the team.
Harrison also credits Betsy Warren,
Chatham’s head soccer coach, for her
help in organizing tryouts and helping to
staff the team, and Daloiso, who – though
studying abroad in Ireland – managed the
team’s Facebook page, a major element in
the team’s online presence. She also thanks
the city of Pittsburgh itself.
“It’s such a strong
community. Even at
our first game, we
had more than 150
people show up.
Obviously, I cried.”
A Steel City FC player goes for the ball.
“I don’t think this would have worked so well or
taken shape so quickly in any other place,” Harrison
said. “I think people in Pittsburgh – from Councilman
Dan Gillman who constantly helped set me up with the
right people, to the different businesses that clearly
wanted to support a women’s sports team in the city –
they’re the ones who really made this happen.”
“It’s such a strong community. Even at our first
game, we had more than 150 people show up,” she
said. “Obviously, I cried. Especially seeing people with
their daughters at these games. It’s mind blowing.”
When it comes to getting girls into sports, Harrison
doesn’t just talk the talk; she’s writing her doctoral thesis
on the subject, exploring the psychology behind young girls
who play sports. Though her paper is unfinished, Harrison’s
early research has found that women who played sports at
a young age tend to be more assertive and confident than
their non-athlete counterparts.
Steel City F.C. isn’t alone in its effort to inspire young
women to pursue sports, and with the success of Team USA
in winning the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Harrison believes
now is the perfect time to get involved.
“People are really starting to realize that these women
are athletes, and they’re good athletes. And it’s just getting
people excited about soccer in general, as well as women’s
soccer,” Harrison said.
“After the World Cup, I think parents will start to say,
‘Oh, my daughter is enjoying this or my son is enjoying this,
and hey there’s this local team – let’s go check them out,’
and that can get kids even more excited about playing.”
In its inaugural season, Steel City F.C. tallied six wins,
two losses, and one tie, though Harrison noted that both
losses were to the top team in their division.
“It was a whirlwind,” Harrison said. “When I look back on
it, I can’t believe how quickly it went from being a concept
in my head to being a real thing.”
“It was a ton of work,” she said with a laugh. “I think my
school work this year might have taken a hit but – hey – I
made it.”
To learn more about Steel City F.C. and find out how you
can support the team, visit www.SteelCityFC.com.
When it comes to getting
girls into sports, Harrison
doesn’t just talk the talk;
she’s writing her doctoral
thesis on the subject.
Those daughters, Harrison reflected, are a big part
of why Steel City F.C. exists.
“As we went through the process of creating this
team, it actually became less about me,” she said.
“Yes, I wanted a team to play with, but I realized I also
wanted a team for young girls to look up to.
“If you grow up in Pittsburgh – it’s a city of
champions. Little boys dream of playing on the
Steelers or the Pirates, but girls don’t have as many
opportunities. So seeing girls, whether they’re 6 or 16,
come to a Steel City game – that was incredible.”
Players invited young girls to take the field during a pre-game
ceremony.
Clarion university
magazine
23
Viva iTalia!
LaFata at the top of the
Pyrenees Mountain range.
Daniel LaFata is a free spirit travel blogger born
and raised in a small farm town in northwestern
Pennsylvania. While attending Clarion University, he
discovered his love for writing and adventure. Daniel
plans to live his life on the road and never have a
permanent home. (From DanielLaFata.com)
24
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
The summer after his freshman year at
Clarion University, Daniel LaFata (’13)
wanted to arrange a gathering for his
group of friends in Erie, where he lived.
“Nobody’s schedule was lining up, so
I took a long weekend and stayed at
one friend’s house one night, another
friend’s the next night,” he said. “I liked
the feeling of waking up and going to a
new city.”
“We’d bike to a
town, the next day
we’d build all day,
then we’d wake up
and bike another
100 miles.”
When he returned to Clarion in the
fall, LaFata continued to explore new
places through university organizations.
He traveled to New York City with
Psychology Club, Miami with ABLE,
Washington, D.C., with a feminist group,
New Orleans with Political Economics
Club. He capped off his senior year with
a trip to Boston with International Club.
Bike and Build
With his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies
in hand, LaFata had one more trip to take before
he settled into the 9 to 5 routine. He signed
up for a cross-country excursion with Bike and
Build, a group that “engages young adults in
service-oriented cycling trips to raise money and
awareness for the affordable housing cause,”
according to bikeandbuild.org.
“I read about (Bike and Build) freshman year;
a girl from Erie did it. I cut out the article and
came across it every once in a while,” LaFata said.
“Going into my senior year, I thought there would
be no better time to go than the summer after
graduation.”
Riders are asked to raise $4,500 to help with
Bike and Build’s mission of providing affordable
housing. LaFata wrote letters to “every person I
Clarion university
magazine
25
Berlin graffiti wall
LaFata during a Bike and Build break
at Slide Rock State Park, Arizona.
ever met,” and he stood in front of Walmart
with a can and a poster. He reached his goal
a month before the trip.
The 27 bicyclists started their 4,000-mile
trip in Portland, Maine, riding 80 to 100
miles a day.
“We’d bike to a town, the next day
we’d build all day, usually with Habitat for
Humanity, then we’d wake up and bike
another 100 miles,” LaFata said. “On build
days, we literally experienced every step of
building a house – sometimes clearing the
lot, other times pouring cement, putting up
walls, putting a roof on.”
“(The trip) took 77 days. We ended in
Santa Barbara, Calif.”
More to see
After Bike and Build, LaFata stayed
in Chicago with a girl he met on the trip.
He was planning to move there, but they
broke up. After, he moved with friends
to Philadelphia, but he only stayed two
months. Then, his best friend from college
moved to Austin, Texas.
It was February in Pennsylvania, and
LaFata was complaining to the friend
about the cold.
“It’s 75 degrees here,” the friend told
him. LaFata was off to Austin.
“I was a bartender and I worked in a
coffee shop, but my ‘big boy’ job was at
AT&T.” LaFata said. “My plan was to live
Lafata’s states visited map
Travel day
Break time
26
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
cheap and save money for two years,
then travel the world. I only made it six
months, but I had enough saved to do
some traveling.”
His first journey into a life of
travel was to hike the Camino de
Santiago trail in Spain. He had read
about the trail after hearing friends’
stories of hiking it. His plane landed in
Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 2015.
“I figured I’ll start in Denmark and
figure out how to get to Spain to
walk this trail,” he said. “I used ‘couch
surfing,’ which is pretty much travelers
helping travelers. There’s no exchange
of money – it’s pretty much the
essence of human kindness.”
Wear and Tear
LaFata and friends he met at a
Barcelona hostel hike Montserrat.
Lafata painted as musician “Goyte”
He admits he was nervous at the initial
thought of staying with strangers.
“I was having a minor freakout before
the first couch surf, but it was one of the
nicest girls I’ve ever met. She said, ‘I just
bought groceries. I can cook you dinner,’”
he said. “It was amazing. It was like that
everywhere I went.”
LaFata explored for a month before he
arrived in Spain. He started to walk the 500mile trail April 22.
“My plan was to walk all of it. I ended
up walking about 400 miles,” LaFata said.
“The whole point was the walk itself. I felt
like I’d grown a ton spiritually and mentally.”
He concluded his journey by volunteering
at the hostel there before returning to the
United States June 1 … briefly.
Viva Italia!
“I grew up with a fairly rich Sicilian
culture, listening to my grandparents
talk Sicilian to each other. It’s always
been a dream to go there,” he said.
LaFata’s grandfather was born in
Sicily, which makes him eligible for
Italian citizenship.
“As long as you can link one blood
relative back, you’re eligible,” he said.
He lined up a job teaching English
in an Italian school and jetted back to
Europe in September to begin his work
there.
“It’s only three months. It’s
demonstrating proper dialect for
middle school students. It gives me the
opportunity to get my feet wet and see
Volunteering at a hostel
Along the Trail
LaFata was mesmerized by a field of yellow as he
hiked the Camino de Santiago.
if I like it. If I do, it’s easy to find a fulltime teaching job,” LaFata said.
In Italy, LaFata is seeing and doing
all that he can. He has started the
process toward citizenship, which will
allow him to live anywhere in Europe.
He’s learning to speak Italian. He tried
scuba diving. He’s been to Milan and
Rome, toured the Sistine Chapel and
visited the Coliseum.
He keeps a video record of his
travels, which he edits and narrates
before posting them on YouTube,
labeled with the event and the
numbered day of his life. He also
maintains a blog which also features
videos of his travels at www.
DanielLaFata.com.
LaFata with friends he met
on a Barcelona Beach
Clarion university
magazine
27
Hair
I was a quiet
7th grader getting
excited for summer
break. Like every
middle school boy,
I had a crush on a
fellow classmate.
So when my middle
school crush told me
I would look good if
I grew my hair out,
little young and naive Daniel would do exactly that.
That summer I let it grow long, covering my
ears and draping over the back of my neck. Within
a year I had forgotten all about my original reason
of growing it out, and kept it long because I
enjoyed the style.
For years I kept it long, usually just below
the bottom of my ears. It wasn’t until around
Thanksgiving 2011 that I realized that the longer
my hair got, the more compliments I was getting
on this. It was at that point that I decided I should
be sharing my hair with others that are unable to
grow such luscious locks.
I looked into several hair donation organizations
and eventually found that Pantene Beautiful
Lengths was the right fit for me: the minimum
requirement was only eight inches and they
guaranteed that 100 percent of the hair would be
donated. My new reason for growing it felt good
and it kept my dad off my back from constant
requests to get it cut.
Around the beginning of summer 2013, just
before my Bike & Build trip, I decided to chop it
all off. I went into a beauty salon with my friend,
Jesse. To my surprise it was not long enough. I
learned that in order to have enough to donate, I
would need to shave my head bald – a style I was
not welcoming.
I waited a few months, rode my bicycle across
America, and when I got back I returned to the
same beauty salon. This time it was plenty long,
with enough left over to leave about an inch for
styling. The hair stylist tied my locks into two
ponytails and made the cut.
When she made the first chop, I couldn’t help
but cringe. I thought of all the time it took for my
hair to get this long, the countless awkward stages
it had to go through to finally flow smoothly. All of
this to eventually disappear between two scissors.
But it was all worth it because now some cancer
patient will have a donated wig with my hair to
help style her head.
28
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
It’s the people
As LaFata travels, he sees spectacular sights, but the people he
meets have made as much of an impression on him, maybe more.
“My most amazing experience was when I was couch surfing in
Milan, Italy. I found one girl online, and she said I could stay with
her. Typically couch surfers are people in their 20s. She lived in a
really nice, upscale condo. Her dad was a lawyer and her mom was a
fashion designer. They welcomed me in. The dad was from Sicily – I
said I was, too. The joke was that if you’re from Sicily, you’re related –
it’s just an island.
The second night I was there, their nephew was graduating from
law school. They were going to a dinner celebration for him and
invited me. I hopped in the car like one of the family – me and two
daughters in the back, the mom and dad in the front. At dinner it
was a long table of all Italians, yelling at each other, all speaking their
native tongue. I couldn’t be more immersed in the culture than having
a family dinner.”
LaFata said that nine times out of 10, if you talk to people, they’ll
help you out.
“We’re communal creatures. We’ve lived in communities or tribes
since the caveman days. It’s instinctive to help each other out.”
LaFata with his
Italian family.
Philosophy
“Open yourself up and let the universe do its thing. It’s going to
help you out, guide you to where you need to go,” LaFata said.
“To me, the most important thing is having a lot of fun and
doing what you love. It doesn’t matter if you’re not making a ton of
money,” he said. “I never want to do the 9 to 5, Monday to Friday.”
LaFata said his dream is constantly evolving.
“I’ve never had a ton of money, and honestly, I don’t care if I
ever do. I’ve learned very quickly that money doesn’t really play
a factor in what I want to do,” LaFata said. “I can very easily live
a week on $100 or less and travel while I am doing it. Most of the
time I spend less money while on the road than I do when living in
a city.”
“I know that whatever my dream is, it has to be on the road.
I feel most content and most in tune with myself when I’m
traveling,” he said. “I constantly hear older adults saying, ‘If I could
do it all over again …’ I say, why don’t you just do it now? Life is
way too short to give up on a dream.”
Losing a close friend emphasized that philosophy.
By the numbers
3
400
number of
trips across
number of miles hiked
on the
the Atlantic
36
number of
american
States Visited
Camino De Santiago
7
number of
countries
visited
4,000
miles biked
on Bike and Build
20,000 (more or less)
“Meg (Kays ’12) was like my sister.
She had big dreams – she wanted to
move different places and see different
things. She was passionate about
helping people – her dream was to
eventually run her own non-profit,”
LaFata said. She died after being hit by
a car while running.
“Everyone talks about planning for
the future and getting a stable career.
What’s the point? You can go for a run
and get hit by a car,” he said. “Live so
you don’t have any regrets.”
LaFata travels on a shoestring
budget, funded by working in various
places. “You don’t need money to do
what you love; you find ways to do it,”
he said.
Clarion
Days to
complete bIke
and Build ride
20s
Average age of
Couch
Surfers
number of Precious days
for living the dream
His method for labeling his videos
by the numbered day of his life recently
hit 9,000. Thinking of his life as day by
day enhances his appreciation of it.
“I have maybe 20,000 more days to
do what I want to do,” he said. “I can’t
waste any of those days – all of those
days are precious.”
LaFata and Meg Kays
77
number of
“I originally chose Clarion because of
the business program, but in my senior
year of high school I took a psychology
class,” LaFata said. “Before I even got
(to Clarion), I switched my major to
psychology, then I changed it eight
more times.”
The various majors reflected
LaFata’s openness to learning.
“I took an English class, and it
wasn’t like English in high school. You
can write whatever the hell you want
to write about. You can even swear if
you want to,” he said. “Then I took a
philosophy class and thought it was so
amazing.”
LaFata said he cherishes the
opportunities Clarion gave him.
“Whatever I wanted to do – if I
wanted to learn more about philosophy,
there’s Philosophy Club; more about
psychology, that opportunity was there,”
he said. “I wanted to go to a leadership
conference in Miami, and I had to write
a paper to be able to go. I came back
and helped plan a leadership conference
at Clarion. The next year I wanted to
speak, and that opportunity was there –
anything I wanted to do.”
Going into his senior year, LaFata met
with his advisor, Joseph Croskey, who
looked at his classes and told him he
could have his degree in liberal studies.
He thought about staying an additional
two years to focus on writing, but he
graduated in May 2013 with a bachelor’s
degree in liberal studies, with minors in
psychology and business.
Clarion university
magazine
29
Oh,
what a
Day
30
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Former Clarion University diver Kristin Day (’15) was
named the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year Oct. 18 at the
Westin – Indianapolis.
“I was so shocked – and ecstatic at the same time when
she called my name,” Day said. “What an unbelievable
feeling that all of that hard work and sacrifice has paid off
like this.
Day is the first winner of the NCAA Woman of the Year
Award from any Pennsylvania-based university, and only the
fourth NCAA D-II athlete honored with this award. Clarion is
the only PSAC school to have had a finalist for the Woman of
the Year Award, and the Golden Eagles have had three. Prior
to Day’s nomination, finalists from Clarion included Kayla
Shull in 2013 and Dr. Jamie Wolf (Jackel) in 2007.
Q&A
What was your mindset in Indianapolis,
while waiting for Woman of the Year
announcement?
I was actually really nervous leading up to the
announcement. I did not think that I would be the
winner, but as I waited for them to announce who had
won, I sat in hope that it would be me.
There’s a great
shot from that
night of your dad
squeezing you
close. What do
you recall about
that moment?
“My parents recognized
my talents and wanted
to make sure I fulfilled
my potential, and for
that, I cannot be more
thankful.”
As soon as they
called my name I was in
shock and did not really
know what to do or how
to react, but my dad just pulled me in for a hug and
luckily the photographer captured that moment.
I understand Jamie Wolf is your idol. How did
you come to know about her?
How have your parents have helped you
achieve in athletics and academics?
What about her do you admire?
My parents have provided every opportunity for me
to achieve to the extent of my talents in both athletics
and academics. My mom drove an hour and 45 minutes
one way, three days a week, to take me to gymnastics
practice, just so I could have the opportunity to reach
my potential. My parents built a gym for me, and
my mom became my coach when I wanted to start
trampoline and there were no gyms within two hours.
My mom also worked with my school as I grew up so
that I would be challenged to get the best education
possible. My parents recognized my talents and wanted
to make sure I fulfilled my potential, and for that, I
cannot be more thankful.
Clearly, you have a wonderful work ethic.
How did that develop?
My work ethic is a product of my parents and older
siblings (one brother, one sister). I saw from each of
them that if you work hard you can reach goals and be
successful. I actually picked that up at quite a young
age, probably around 7 or 8, and once I applied it to my
life, it became a part of me.
I did not know about her until I came to Clarion. Once I
saw her posters and awards in the pool area and realized
how successful she was, I knew that I wanted to follow in her
footsteps.
I admire how well rounded she is. She is incredibly smart,
amazing at diving, a generous woman, and just a fantastic
role model.
In what ways did she inspire you?
She inspired me to utilize the opportunities and tools
around me to reach the goals that she did while at Clarion,
and beyond. Her achievements were so incredible to me and
I just wanted to be able to achieve a fraction of what she did.
Have you met her?
I did meet her when she was inducted into the Hall of
Fame at Clarion. I only talked with her for a short time, as
she was busy with her own celebration, but she was just as
amazing in person as I had imagined.
Did you hear from her after your Woman of
the Year announcement?
Yes. Not long after the announcement she notified coach
to tell me congratulations! It is still mind boggling to me that
she was not awarded the Woman of the Year, but I was. I still
feel that she deserves it more than I do.
Clarion university
magazine
31
Q
& A
Were there competitive lows to go with the
highs?
Of course. I had many lows with competitions and
also at practices. The tough times were motivation
for me though; I used them as a learning experience
and motivation to work harder and not make the
same mistakes again. Losing also taught me about
sportsmanship and how to overcome defeat.
What is your
relationship with
Coach Hrovat?
Day and Hrovat
Coach is like a father
figure to me. He is a
fantastic coach who
made it enjoyable to go
to practice, but he also
helped me become an
incredible diver. He has a
special way of coaching
that was perfect for
me. He was also always there to talk or help in any way
possible.
Coach Hrovat said you constantly improved,
from the first time you dove for him until
the last. Have you surprised yourself at how
you’ve developed as a diver?
Yes and no. I am surprised that I managed to take
three national titles, but I am not surprised that coach
developed me the way that he did. As an athlete, I strive
to improve at every practice and every meet, so with his
incredible coaching it was not a surprise that he could
shape me into something so great. Coach truly has a gift.
What is your proudest moment in
competition?
I am most proud of my junior year at nationals (2014). I
was not expecting to achieve both national titles, so being
able to dig deep, perform my best, set an NCAA record
and get named Female Diver of the Year was a great
moment for me.
32
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
You recently turned 21, and you’re in your
first year of medical school. Have you
always wanted to be a doctor?
I have wanted to be a physician ever since I had elbow
surgery when I was 11. The orthopedic surgeon that I
visited was amazing and inspired me to become a great
physician just like him. He really connected with me and
cared about getting me back to my sport as quickly and
healthy as possible, and I was truly inspired.
You’re so young and have already
accomplished so much. Of what are you
most proud?
I would have to say that I am most proud of this
award. Being named Woman of the Year wraps up all
of my previous accomplishments. This award takes into
account all of the things that I have done throughout my
life – athletics, academics, community involvement and
leadership, so to be given this well-rounded award is
something I am very proud of.
Young women
scholar-athletes will
now look to you as a
role model. What is
your advice to them?
Set goals and remind
yourself of them each and
every day with everything
you do. Hard work comes
from the desire to reach your
goals, so if you continue to
think of your goals and how
important they are to you, you will reach them in no time.
Work hard and enjoy the ride; it will all be worth it when
you accomplish what you set out to do.
“What a great night for Kristin Day
– and for Clarion University,” Clarion
President Dr. Karen M. Whitney said.
“Tonight we not only celebrate her award,
but especially what the award stands for.
Her accomplishments in the classroom,
in community service and as a national
champion diver show Kristin’s commitment
to personal excellence in everything she
does. We congratulate her on this great
honor and know she is the epitome of
Courageous. Confident. Clarion.”
“This is a great honor for Kristin - we
are so proud of her and what she has
accomplished” said Clarion athletic director
Dave Katis. “She represents what is best
about our student athletes at Clarion
and the reputation our athletes have
exemplified over the years. Everyone here
is Clarion proud tonight.”
Day graduated in May with a degree
in chemistry and a concentration in
biochemistry, earned 153 credits with a
perfect 4.0 GPA. A daughter of Dennis
and Susan Day of Reynoldsville, Day is
a four-time Clarion and PSAC Scholar
Athlete, plus a two-time Spring Top 10
PSAC award winner. She is currently
enrolled at Lake Erie College of
Osteopathic Medicine on an NCAA PostGraduate Scholarship.
The NCAA Woman of the Year
program honors the academic
achievements, athletics excellence,
community service and leadership of
graduating female college athletes
from all three divisions. To be eligible,
nominees must have completed eligibility
in their primary sport. The NCAA Woman
of the Year selection committee selects
the Top 30 – 10 from each division and
then three finalists from each division.
The Committee on Women’s Athletics
selects the winner from the Top 9.
Day accepting
the Capital One
NCAA Division
II Academic
All-America of
the Year award
Day is one of the most decorated
athletes that has ever attended
Clarion. Named in July as the
Capital One NCAA D-II Academic
all-America of the Year, she was
a two time At-Large Academic
All-America of the Year (2015,
2014), the PSAC Pete Nevins
Scholar Athlete of the Year, the
NCAA D-II Elite 89 award winner
at swimming nationals, a threetime NCAA Division II National
Champion and an eight-time
career All-American.
She won the NCAA D-II onemeter national title this year, while
finishing fourth on three-meter.
In 2014 she won both NCAA
championships. She won the
three-meter springboard title,
setting a new NCAA record. She
followed that with a one-meter
national title. For her efforts she
was named the CSCAA NCAA D-II
Female Diver of the Year.
Day executes a
back 1 ½ pike
In 2013, Day finished third on the
three-meter board and fifth on
one-meter, and in 2012 she was
second on three-meter and fourth
on one-meter.
Clarion university
magazine
33
Life
inside
the
Diamond
–
Pete Vuckovich
Every modern baseball historian has heard the name Pete Vuckovich.
A right-handed pitcher with a distinctive moustache and even more
distinctive personality on the mound, Vuckovich holds a number of
accolades that will cement his place in the history books. He led the
American League (AL) in wins in 1981 and won the 1982 AL Cy Young
award, awarded each season to the best pitcher in each league. He also
recorded the first shutout and the first save in the history of the Toronto
Blue Jays’ franchise. And as a small-town boy turned big-league star,
his story is the stuff of dreams for little leaguers everywhere.
Vuckovich first stepped onto the
baseball diamond at Clarion University
in 1971 (then Clarion State College),
after a successful high school career in
his hometown of Johnstown. A fierce
competitor and self-proclaimed “confident
young man,” he was eager to help his
team defeat its competition, and optimistic
that his success would lead to a shot at
34
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
playing baseball professionally.
Months prior, he’d told head coach Joe
Knowles he could “play anywhere except
catcher.” In high school, Vuckovich had
spent a good deal of time on the pitcher’s
mound, filling in across the infield when
needed.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that, but
I was cocky back then,” Vuckovich said.
“Coach Knowles said I’d play second base
– the position I had probably the least
experience with.”
In the early games of the season, a more
senior second basemen took the field while
Vuckovich took a seat on the bench. After
watching his team lose a double-header,
though, he thought, “I’m better than any
guy out there.” While most players might
Vuckovich as a Golden Eagles
baseball player, throwing his
first no-hitter.
keep this thought inside, Vuckovich
marched up to his coach at the next
practice and voiced his opinion.
“I told him just that, and he put me in
at second base the next game,” he said,
with a laugh.
As it turned out, Vuckovich proved
himself. He was, by all accounts, a
great infielder. But it was another act
of confidence that set Vuckovich up for
his major-league career. During batting
practice, with the available pitcher
resting his arm for an upcoming game,
Knowles asked if anyone could pitch for
the team. Vuckovich volunteered.
“The first batter I pitched to was a guy
named Gary Nuss. He was an All-American
hitter the year before,” Vuckovich said. “I
threw about three pitches to him and he
starts screaming and hollering. Our coach
comes running in from the outfield thinking
somebody was hurt, and Nuss says, ‘Coach,
this is the best pitcher I’ve ever seen in my
life.’”
Naturally, Knowles took a closer look at
Vuckovich’s pitching and quickly put him in
the starting rotation, where he stayed for the
remainder of his four years at Clarion.
Off the field, Vuckovich loved the location
and the “quaintness” of the town of Clarion
during his time at the university. He
was also fond of Frank Lignelli, the
athletic director at the time, whom
Vuckovich said “was kind of like a
father to me; he kept me in line.”
In both classes and at baseball
practice, Vuckovich admits he wasn’t
the easiest person to teach or coach. “I
was stubborn, so it was probably hard
to get through,” he said. “I knew what
I wanted, which was to be a ballplayer.
I knew what I could do. Coach Knowles
tried to change up some aspects of
how I pitched, or how I batted, and I
resisted.”
Clarion university
magazine
35
Vuckovich shined as Clarion’s pitcher.
Though he may have frustrated
his coaches, Vuckovich clearly did
something right. In his senior year at
Clarion, he signed with the Chicago
White Sox after being chosen in the third
round of the 1974 Major League Baseball
draft. He is one of 13 players in Clarion
history to have signed an MLB contract.
In his first season with the Denver
Bears, the White Sox AAA minor-league
team, Vuckovich and his teammates won
the championship. The following year,
Vuckovich continued to shine, and the
manager of the White Sox took notice.
On an off-day for the White Sox,
Vuckovich said, manager Chuck Tanner
was scouting his team’s minor-league
talent. Impressed with what he saw from
Vuckovich, Tanner made him an offer.
“He said, ‘You’re coming with me
to the majors,’ Vuckovich said. “And I
said, ‘I don’t want to go.’ He was pretty
surprised. He asked what I meant and
said that I was the first person he’d ever
heard of who didn’t want a call up to the
major league.”
Always the competitor, Vuckovich
explained to Tanner that he wanted
to stay with the Bears for the AAA
championship, which he believed the
Bears would win again.
“He said, ‘Okay, I’ll make you a deal.
You come back with me to the White
Sox, and when the playoffs start, I’ll
send you back here to pitch.’” Vuckovich
agreed, and Tanner kept his word. That
year, Vuckovich and the Bears made it
to the championship series, but lost the
championship in extra innings of game
seven.
While his start in the majors was
unconventional, Vuckovich says that his
first day at that level is one of his fondest
memories of baseball.
“I don’t remember much about the
first game, specifically. It was against
Minnesota,” he said, stating that it was
the realization of his childhood ambition
that made the day so special.
Over the course of his 11-year pitching
career, Vuckovich played for the White
Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays, the St. Louis
Cardinals, and the Milwaukee Brewers,
starting in multiple playoff and World
Series Games. With a career record of
93-69, 882 strikeouts, and a 3.66 ERA,
He said, ‘You’re
“
coming with me to
the majors,’ and I said,
‘I don’t want to go.’
36
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Vuckovich with
former Clarion
athletic director
Frank Lignelli
A
member of both the Western
Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame and
the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame,
Vuckovich was recently honored by the
Pirates’ AA affiliate, the Altoona Curve
during “Pete Vuckovich Bobblehead
Night.” The first 1,500 fans in attendance
received a bobblehead designed to reflect
Vuckovich’s Clarion days, a tribute to his
local roots and his time with the Pirates.
“It was an honor to be a part of that
night,” he said. During the evening’s
festivities, Vuckovich threw out the
night’s first pitch and was interviewed
on-field by the Curve’s general manager
Rob Egan. He was also reunited with
Frank Lignelli, with whom he watched
the game.
Vuckovich throws out the first pitch at the Altoona Curve’s Pete Vuckovich
Bobblehead Night. Those attending received a Clarion University-clad
Vuckovich bobblehead.
he fulfilled the dream inspired by his
childhood heroes, Roberto Clemente,
Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal. In fact,
early on in his career, Vuckovich tried to
emulate Marichal’s pitching style, and
was once compared to the Giants righthander in an article.
“I haven’t kept many things from my
playing days, but I clipped that article
out of the newspaper and kept it,” he
said.
Vuckovich’s passion for the game
didn’t fade when his playing days
ended. Since retiring in 1986, he
has served as a color commentary
announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers,
a pitching scout and coach for the
Pittsburgh Pirates, and special assistant
to the general manager of the Seattle
Mariners. He was even involved in a
Hollywood version of baseball, playing
the Yankees slugging first-baseman
Clu Haywood in the 1989 film “Major
League.”
“Baseball is what I love. It’s what I
do,” he said.
“Baseball has been my whole
life. It’s what I know, and I
know it better than most.”
Throughout his years on the
road with various teams, Vuckovich
has almost always kept a home in
Johnstown.
“It’s home. It’s where I grew
up, and where my wife and I met.
Even when I was playing, in the
offseason we always came home to
Johnstown,” he said.
It was in Johnstown that
Vuckovich and his wife Anna raised
their three children, Louis, Pete Jr.,
and Damian. Pete Jr. is a Clarion
graduate who, like his father, was
drafted by the Chicago White Sox
after a successful collegiate career.
Though his professional run was cut
short by an injury, he is now a lawyer,
which Vuckovich raises as a testament
to Clarion’s academic prowess.
“I think Clarion can provide
anyone any opportunity they want
if they’re willing to work for it and
apply themselves,” he said. “I got
a great education, even though, I’ll
admit, I was more focused on being a
ballplayer.”
Vuckovich is now back home in
Johnstown, keeping an eye out for his
next venture.
“Baseball has been my whole life,”
he said. “It’s what I know, and I know
it better than most. If an opportunity
comes my way, I might take it.
Otherwise, I’m happy being a
retiree.”
Clarion university
magazine
37
CLARION FOOTBALL–“RESTORE THE PRIDE”
When Chris Weibel took
the reigns as Clarion’s head
football coach Feb. 6, 2015,
he had one mission: Restore
the pride and passion of
Clarion football.
Mission accomplished!
Clarion opened the 2015 season with
a 7-0 record and a 4-0 start in the PSACWestern Division, reigniting the Eagles’
proud football tradition.
The season has brought back the
memories and excitement of past
outstanding teams and traditions formed
by former coaches Waldo Tippin, Al Jacks,
Charlie Ruslavage, Gene Sobolewski and
Malen Luke.
The echoes reach back to the 1952
undefeated Lions Bowl and undefeated
1966 PSAC championship teams. Twentyseven consecutive non-losing seasons from
1961 through 1987 established the pride
and consistency of the tradition. Of course,
the 1996 NCAA Final Four team, of which
Weibel was a part, was an equally proud
edition.
38
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Weibel’s formula for 2015?
“We talked from day one about
restoring the pride and passion of Clarion
football,” Weibel said. “We explained we
expect hard work, discipline and quality
character out of each player, but we also
talked about turning them loose, so to
speak, to play with a love and passion for
the game that we felt was missing. In other
words – let’s have some fun.”
Fun indeed. Weibel unleashed a new
look, wide-open offense that looked to
get to the end zone on every possession.
Quarterback Connor Simmons, wideouts
Matt Lehman and Kevin Genevro and
running back Delrece Williams provided the
fuel that powered the Eagles.
“We changed our approach from the
past. We wanted to play exciting football,
and we wanted our fans to be able to come
out and enjoy watching us play,” Weibel
said. “That means scoring points.”
The wins piled up. The season opener
at Lock Haven saw Clarion pound the Bald
Eagles 40-13 with Simmons passing for 407
yards and 4 touchdowns. After knocking
off Millersville 27-21, the Eagles dominated
Cheyney, winning 59-6. Simmons tossed
four touchdown passes, three to Lehman.
Opening the PSAC-West schedule at
pre-season top pick Gannon, the Eagles
served notice that they were for real with
a 47-31 win. The offense dominated as
Simmons threw four touchdown passes to
Lehman, and Delrece Williams rushed for
148 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Running their record to 7-0, Clarion
topped Mercyhurst (41-27), Edinboro
(36-23) and Seton Hill (44-29). Against
Mercyhurst Simmons passed for 441 yards,
third most at Clarion in a single game.
Versus Seton Hill Clarion set a single game
record with 676 yards of total offense.
Williams rushed for 201 yards and had
108 receiving yards as the offense
continued to spread the wealth.
Weibel’s 7-0 start was the best for
Golden Eagles football since the 1983
team, coached by Gene Sobolewski,
started 7-0 and went on to win the PSACWest and PSAC championships.
The 4-0 Western Division record
was the best since 1996 when thenquarterback Chris Weibel led Clarion to
an 11-3 record, the NCAA East Region
Crown, the Lambert Cup and the NCAA
Final Four.
A few new additions have added to
the fun of football again at Memorial
Stadium. Weibel, with the help of the
football alumni, has a victory bell to ring
following every Eagles win. The bell was
donated by former player Jeff Golias
(‘82).
Provost Ron Nowaczyk donated a
cannon, reviving on old tradition of firing
it after every Clarion touchdown. Chad
Thomas used Pepsi funds to purchase an
inflatable Eagle which forms a tunnel for
the players to run through during pregame introductions.
Although the Eagles finished the
season 7-4, Clarion football fans are
already looking forward to 2016, when all
of Clarion’s offensive fire power returns.
Junior quarterback Connor Simmons
completed 228 of 405 passes for 3,582
yards and 34 touchdowns, all new
single season records. Simmons broke
Weibel’s 1996 records of 2,880 passing
yards and 32 touchdowns, Craig Ray’s 216
completions (1994) and Ben Fiscus’ 383
attempts (2012).
Junior receiver
Matt Lehman caught
15 touchdown passes,
surpassing the old
mark of 13 by Alvin
Slaughter in 1998,
while also grabbing
67 aerials for 979
yards. Junior Kevin
Genevro averaged a whopping 21.5 yards
per catch while clutching 42 passes for
886 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Sophomore
Delrece Williams
rushed 182 times for
978 yards (eighth best
in school history) and
six touchdowns and
caught 31 passes for
465 yards and four
touchdowns.
“The players
really deserve all the
credit,” Weibel said
of the season. “We needed to change
the attitude – the culture, and we had
to gain the trust of the players. Getting
off to a good start was really important
in reaching our most important goal –
restoring the pride and passion of Clarion
football. Now it’s up to us to keep this
thing going.”
HoWSARE
ASSIGNED TO
N.Y. JETS
PRACTICE SQUAD
Julian Howsare (’14), former
Clarion University All-America
defensive end/linebacker, was
signed Sept. 6, 2015, to the New
York Jets practice squad and has
remained there during the Fall
NFL season.
Howsare, who signed as an
outside linebacker with the Jets
immediately following the NFL
draft, also saw time at fullback
and on special teams during
the New York Jets 2015 preseason games. Howsare gained
significant playing time in the
pre-season games with the Jets.
He was in for 85 plays, including
55 on offense. He started the
final pre-season game against
the Philadelphia Eagles and had
one catch for six yards.
The Jets are led by new firstyear head coach Todd Bowles.
Practice squad members can
be called up to the game day
roster at any time and activated
to play for their NFL team.
They do not have guaranteed
contracts. The NFL generally
allows players to be on NFL
practice squads for up to two
to three years, depending on
circumstances.
The son of Karyn Stalter and
John Howsare, he is a December
2014 Sports Management
graduate and a Clarion Scholar
Athlete.
Clarion university
magazine
39
40
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Alumni
Notes
Winter 2015
1968
Jacqueline Taylor was elected president of
Brierly Heights Women’s Club, West Mifflin.
The group raises money for scholarships,
a senior girls’ tea and community services.
Jacqueline is retired from West Mifflin
School District.
1975
Paul Antolik retired after 40 years working
in various management positions in the
transportation industry, most recently
with the management group at AAA East
Central headquarters in Pittsburgh. He
resides in Pittsburgh and plans also to
spend time in Hilton Head, S.C.
1984
Dr. Timothy Gerken had his photographs
shown at the 39th Street Gallery at the
Gateway Arts Center in Prince George
County, Maryland. He is an associate
professor of humanities at SUNY Morrisville.
Timothy resides in Garrattsville, N.Y.
1990
Richie Summerville is entering his second
season as the play-by-play voice of
Hampton University athletics. He is also
working for ESPN Radio 94.1 in Virginia
Beach, Va. Richie resides in Virginia Beach.
1991
Jane Ryder is director of editorial and client
services for The Editorial Department, LLC,
Tucson, Ariz.
1993
2004
Jon Sitler has been named managing
editor of the Times Observer newspaper
in Warren. He previously was sports writer,
news writer and sports editor for the
daily newspaper. He was sports editor for
the Clarion Call while attending Clarion
University. Jon resides in Warren with his
wife, Shannon, and children, Jordan and
Chase.
2007
Julie Jacobs is chief financial officer for
Warren General Hospital, Warren. She
resides in Clarendon.
1994
Tracey (Cowan) Colwell is a speechlanguage clinician for Riverview
Intermediate Unit, Clarion. She resides in
New Bethlehem with her husband, Conan.
1997
Todd Freidhoff is office manager for
John Henderson Company, Johnstown.
He resides in Johnstown with his wife,
Amanda, and son, Corbin.
1999
Shane and Alicia (Hall ’00) Shaffer reside
in Martinsburg, W.Va., with their children:
Noah, Sydney and Kennedy. Shane is an
assistant principal and Alicia is an autism
specialist, both for Berkeley County
Schools.
Jeff Alley is a revenue accounting manager
for VCE, Richardson, Texas. He resides in
Dallas.
Josh McAdoo is a real estate appraiser. He
resides in Clarion with his wife, Lynnsey,
and daughter, Molly.
2008
Caleb Young is an upper school history
teacher and assistant athletic director for
Dayspring Christian Academy. He resides in
Elizabethtown with his wife, Maria.
Amy (Bauman) Faith is a special education
teacher in the Hampton Township School
District. She resides in Pittsburgh with her
husband, Christopher.
2011
Shawn Hallowell is assistant principal,
cluster director, educator and high school
coordinator for The Intergenerational
School, Cleveland. He resides in Cleveland.
Alicia Dittman is a front desk agent,
assistant to front desk manager, at the
Foxburg Inn Hotel, Foxburg. She resides in
Parker.
Clarion university
magazine
41
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
2012
Aaron and Samantha (Shiring ’13) Shriver
reside in Midland, Mich. Samantha earned
a chemical engineering degree from Case
Western. She is a process engineer for
Dow Chemical. Aaron is an accountant for
ValuePoint.
Ashlee Swales is an algebra teacher for
Putnam County. She resides in Palm Coast,
Fla.
2013
Kara (Smith) Starceski is a library assistant.
She resides in Pittsburgh with her husband,
Dan, and daughter, Olivia.
Kyleigh Vrettos is the collection and
circulation librarian for University School of
Nashville, (K-12). She resides in a suburb of
Nashville with her husband, James.
Erika Minster is a specialist for USAA,
Phoenix.
Christina Loscar is a news producer for
WRIC-TV, Richmond, Va. She resides in
Chesterfield, Va.
Darryl and Erica (Carbaugh) Main reside
in Marietta. Erica is a high school social
studies teacher in the Red Lion Area School
District.
marriages
Conan Colwell and Tracey Cowan ’94, April
17, 2014
Christopher Faith and Amy (’08) Baumann,
July 11, 2015
Aaron Shriver ’12 and Samantha Shiring
’13, Aug. 1, 2015
In Memoriam
1940s
Evelyn (Rupert ’45) Heath, July 5, 2015
Orville E. Myers ’41, July 23, 2015
1950s
Barbara (Deininger ’57) Frederick,
June 1, 2015
Raymond A. Hogue ’58, June 18, 2015
Sergio Valori ’52, June 18, 2015
Raymond G. Sacolic ’52, Aug. 1, 2015
Jack O. Hackett ’54, Aug. 9, 2015
Robert L. Mohney ’52, Sept. 11, 2015
1960s
Darlene G. Cowden ’64, June 20, 2015
Margaret (Martin ’67) Phipps, July 10, 2015
David E. Louder ’68, Aug. 7, 2015
42
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
1970s
Donna (Best ’71) Kinol, June 2, 2015
Frank P. DeFina ’75, July 26, 2015
Candace S. Lauer ’76, Aug. 1, 2015
1980s
Michael E. Bendig ’85, July 30, 2015
Gregory M. Smith ’82, July 31, 2015
1990s
Jeffrey L. Shick ’91, July 30, 2015
Leslie Lubiano ’97, Aug. 24, 2015
2010s
Benjamin L. Hause ’12, June 26, 2015
Friends
Robert H. Hoover, June 3, 2015
Michael D. Barrett, June 5, 2015
Larry Elkin, June 11, 2015
Paul Stehle, June 19, 2015
Brady Kadunce, June 20, 2015
William Schierberl, June 28, 2015
Conrad Wolbert, Aug. 29, 2015
Joseph L. Michael, Sept. 1, 2015
Paul J. McCrory, Sept. 1, 2015
Gerald Trainer, Sept. 6, 2015
Wilfred L. Messenger, Sept. 6, 2015
Brian E. Maguire, Sept. 7, 2015
Diana Coury, Sept. 20, 2015
Sally (Harris) Staab, Sept. 21, 2015
Marie E. Garbarino, Sept. 29, 2015
Births
David (’12) Watson and Katie (’14)
Delaney, a daughter, Peyton Marie,
May 2, 2014
Brian (’09) and Audra (Sheatz ’10)
Shontz, a son, Lincoln, July 7, 2014
Paul Johngrass and Courtney (’01) Baxter,
a daughter, Camdyn Jo, July 7, 2014
Mark and Amanda (Rozik ’04) DeCarlo,
triplets: two sons, Patrick and Andrew, and
a daughter, Rosaleena, Sept. 16, 2014
Jason Neubauer and Lauren (’08)
Stauber, a daughter, Leila Marie,
Oct. 11, 2014
Dan and Moira (Brown ’10) Shingledecker,
a daughter, Ruthie Ann, Nov. 2, 2014
Aaron (’12) Gluvna and Sara Sample, a
son, Jaxon Joseph, Jan. 18, 2015
Ryan (’02) and Heather (Bennett ’03)
Miller, a daughter, Alivia, March 6, 2015
Nick and Andrea (Russell ’06) Lewis,
a son, Jackson Joseph, April 16, 2015
Douglas and Jennifer (Kaltenbach ’07)
DuSchied, a daughter, Liliana Ruby,
April 30, 2015
Joseph (’08) and Kristin (Jack ’07)
Cunningham, a daughter, Morgan,
Elijah (’10) Daubenspeck and Amber (’09)
McMillen, a girl, Abigail, May 14, 2015
Cory (’08) and Katie (DePree ’08)
Wagner, a daughter, Claire Eileen Wagner,
May 21, 2015
Joshua and Kerry (Perks ’10, M.Ed. ’13)
Wallace, a daughter, Hannah Elizabeth
Amon, May 22, 2015
Josh (’07) and Lynnsey McAdoo, a
daughter, Molly, May 23, 2015
Eric and Beth (Lawrence ’04) Raydo, a
daughter, Kaylynn Grace, June 27, 2015
Trevor (’10) and Heidi (Horst ’10) Miller,
a daughter, Ellie Lia, June 28, 2015
Luke (’01) and Mary Benedict, a son,
William John, June 29, 2015
Jon (’01) and Cristina Longwill, a son,
Edward and Meghan (Knotts ’04)
Gabrielson, a son, Anders Michael,
Tyler George, May 24, 2015
July 1, 2015
Dan and Kara (Smith ’13) Starceski, a
daughter, Olivia May, June 1, 2015
Ryan (’08) and Stacey (Belsterling ’07)
Wolkiewicz, a son, Rory, July 3, 2015
Jeff (’02) and Kristen Kardes Walch, a
daughter, Kylie Jo, June 2, 2015
Jason (’06) and Christine (Leskovec)
Kooser, a son, Jackson Allen, July 28, 2015
Alex (’05) and Valorie (Rankin ’08)
McKinney, a daughter, Maylynn,
Josh (’09) and Olivia (’12) McGarvey,
Mack Elliott, Aug. 1, 2015
June 11, 2015
Jason Curll and Amy (’98) Keener-Luderer,
a daughter, Gracelyn June, June 12, 2015
Jason (’07) and Jennifer (Weaver ’06)
Pollock, a son, Owen Paul, Aug. 31, 2015
Phillip and Tara (Roberts ’06, MLS ’07)
Little, a son, Theodore Francis,
June 12, 2015
May 7, 2015
Clarion university
magazine
43
babes:
welcome to the world!
bib
Ellie
Our gift to “baby Eagles” of Clarion alumni is a dashing new bib! To receive a bib, let us
know about the new addition to your nest by emailing to alumni@clarion.edu:
• Parents’ names
• Graduation year of alumni
• Baby’s gender and name
• Date of birth
Once you receive your bib, take a picture of
Braden
your Eaglet putting the bib to use, and email
a high-resolution photo to us for inclusion in
Clarion University Magazine.
Eliana (Ellie) Jean Slagle, daughter
of Dr. Dennis C. (’01) and Dr.
Stacey B. Slagle, born Jan. 22, 2015
Alivia
Maylynn
Braden Troy Duffola, son of
Brad and Jessica (Hummel ’05)
Duffola, born March 16, 2015
Liliana
Alivia Denise Miller, daughter of
Ryan (’02) and Heather (Bennett
’03) Miller, born March 6, 2015
Maylynn Grace McKinney,
daughter of Alex (’05) and
Valorie (Rankin ’08) McKinney,
born June 11, 2015
Alivia
Jaxon
Liliana Ruby DuScheid, daughter of
Jennifer (Kaltenbach ‘07) and Douglas
DuScheid, born April 30, 2015
Oliver
Astra
Jaxon Joseph Gluvna, son of
Aaron (’12) Gluvna and Sara
Sample, born Jan. 18, 2015
Astra Sceski, daughter of
Ronice (Nolt ‘02) and Jason
Sceski, born Feb. 7, 2015
44
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Oliver Alan Keck, son of Todd and
Abby (Burrows ’06) Keck, born
March 15, 2014.
Payton
Ruthie
Olivia
Payton Marie Watson, daughter
of David Watson (’12) and Katie
Delaney (‘14), born May 2, 2014
Ruthie Ann Shingledecker,
daughter of Dan and Moira (’10)
Shingledecker, born Nov. 2, 2014
Olivia Snow Ledebur, daughter
of Linas and April (Cole ’06)
Ledebur, born Oct. 31, 2014
Claire
Leila
Claire Eileen Wagner,
daughter of Katie (DePree
’08) and Cory (’08) Wagner,
born May 21, 2015
Lillian
Leila Marie Stauber, daughter
of Jason Neubauer and Lauren
(’08) Stauber, born Oct. 11, 2014
Jackson
Lillian Rose Weaver, daughter of
James (’09) and Emily (Hoover ’09)
Weaver, born Jan. 29, 2015
Jackson Allen Kooser son of Jason
(’06) and Christine Kooser, born
July 28, 2015
Theodore
Theodore Francis Little, son of Philip
and Tara (Roberts ’06, MSLS ’07)
Little, born June 12, 2015
Clarion university
magazine
45
Three
alums
Linda Kovanis Harcrow, Jane Ohrman
Pisor and Joanne Wisniewski Winters,
all class of ’69 alumni, visited Clarion
this fall, for the first time since they
graduated 46 years ago. The women
reminisced on campus, bought some
new Clarion gear and strolled through
downtown, noting the same friendliness
that existed when they were students.
Three Class of ’69 alumni returned to
Clarion University in October, their first
visit since graduating 46 years ago.
Linda Kovanis Harcrow, Jane Ohrman
Pisor and Joanne Wisniewski Winters,
along with another friend and classmate,
Georgianna Winters, have been taking a
trip together once a year for the last six
years. Pisor’s Pittsburgh high school class
was celebrating its 50th reunion this
year, so the group decided on a trip back
to western Pennsylvania.
The trio enjoyed reminiscing at
Becht Hall, their first dormitory, and
Givan Hall, where they also lived. Their
campus excursion also included a stop
at the library, which is new since they
were students.
“I worked there,” Joanne said. “It was
wonderful to see the new library. There
were lots of kids in there studying, plus
artwork and sculptures.
Downtown they were disappointed
that Harry’s Pizza and the movie
theater were no longer operating.
They remembered eating at Captain
Loomis when their parents came to
visit.
Although some things have
changed since they left Clarion in
1969, they were delighted to find the
same friendliness among students
and townspeople alike.
1970s Clarion Basketball
Clarion basketball players from the 1970s
gathered in Clarion: (front row, from
left) Dave Zinkham (’76), Kevin Stroupe
(’76), Gary Walters (’76); (second row)
Dave Rooney; Carl Grinage (’77), Sonny
Cicero (’73), Joe Sebestyen (’73), Don
Wilson (’75); (third row) Carl Jefferis
(’72), Ron Peden (’73), Tim Corbett (’75),
Pete Belcher (’76), Coach Tom Beck, Rein
Pold (’73), Reggie Wells (’2008), Bob
Ondrasik (’76).
46
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
Love
You
Miss
you
Wish you
were here
W
hile Santa is being inundated with requests for robot dinosaurs and Frozen palace
playsets to appear under the trees of youngsters, we wondered what’s on the wish list for
college students. We asked, “If you were unable to go home for the holidays and your only
way to communicate with your parents was by writing a letter, what would you say?”
Not surprisingly, material items were out and heartfelt expressions were in. Here’s what
students had to say:
I’d simply say, “Thank you.” They always have my back.
Dean Puleio, Clarion
Junior communication major
I’d only express love. That’s what’s important –
material things don’t matter.
Caitlyn Holohan, Orwigsburg
Senior Speech Pathology major
I’d tell them not to worry and I’m doing fine. I’d wish
them a happy holiday and ask them to try to come
to see me, because I miss them.
Emily Snow, Butler
Sophomore history major
I’d let them know I love them and the semester
is going well.
Nick Gagliano, Hershey
Sophomore communication major
I’d thank them for everything they’ve done for me
and express my gratitude for their support.
Dustin Parsons, Clarion
Graduate student, rehabilitative sciences
I love them and miss them. I’d tell them Christmas is one of
my favorite times of the year, watching my brothers and sisters open presents and
going to the church service, even though it’s long. I’d say I miss the family tradition
of going to my grandparents’ house to open stockings.
Shamour Talbert, Sharpsville
Freshman biology major
I love them so much and wish they were here.
I’m working so hard and need the break of
interacting with my brothers, sisters and parents.
I’d tell my mom to tell my dog I miss him and love him.
Erica Greer, Monroeville
Freshman biology major
Thank
You
Clarion university
magazine
47
Courageous
endeavors
Leanne Martin
“
I like the aspect
that they are
strong and
confident and
that they’re
willing to lay
down their lives
for others.”
When sophomore Leanne Martin decided
to come to Clarion, it already fit her
courageous lifestyle.
Martin, a Franklin native, always had an
interest in the military, starting with joining
the National Guard and then Clarion’s ROTC
program.
“I like the aspect that they (the military)
are strong and confident and that they’re
willing to lay down their lives for others.”
In addition to Clarion’s ROTC program,
Clarion University also has a Bachelor of
Science in paralegal program – something
that fit into Martin’s future plans.
Martin knew she’d need a Bachelor of
Science degree to one day enter law school
and was excited when Clarion announced
the Bachelor or Science in paralegal
program was approved.
The program is enabling her to pursue
her dreams. She’s already participating in a
paralegal internship with Franklin attorney
Diane E. Hasek, Esq.
Her goal is to work her way through law
school as a paralegal.
Martin doesn’t have her sights set on a
particular law school yet, but she’s sure of
one thing – her decision to come to Clarion
was a good one.
“Clarion is close to home – somewhere
I’ve always known and loved.”
Correction
48
WINTER 2015
www.clarion.edu
In the summer 2015 issue of Clarion University Magazine, incorrect
information was listed about alumna Clare Novak. Novak graduated
from Clarion in 1976, and she is ABD in her pursuit of her Ph.D.
Take the
Clarion Alumni
survey today.
surveymonkey.com/r/AlumniCU
Get a free travel mug and receive automatic
registration for the opportunity to win Visa
gift cards, tickets and other cool prizes!
Help strengthen the
Clarion Alumni Network by
taking the survey on your
smartphone now.
Clarion university
magazine
49
nonprofit org.
u.s. postage
paid
permit no. 2
clarion, pa
840 Wood Street
Clarion, PA 16214-1232
www.clarion.edu
Welcome All Clarion Alumni Jan. 18-19, 2016
18
Monday
January
Mid-Winter
Punta
Gorda
River City Grill
Cocktails/Dinner
5:30 p.m. • 6:30 p.m.
131 W Marion Ave,
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
Golf
19
Tuesday
KINGSWAY COUNTRY CLUB
Lunch Buffet
11:15 a.m.
$20
Golf Scramble 12:30 p.m.
$45
Dinner Buffet
6:30 p.m.
$35
13625 SW Kingsway Cir, Lake Suzy, FL 34269
January
Port
Charlotte
Music will be provided
by Al Holland – former
member of The Platters.
Come joins us for any
or all of the events: lunch,
golf, or dinner.
Rooms will be available
at a reduced rate at the
Holiday Inn Express.
Ask for Clarion’s rate
by January 13, 2016.
941-764-0056
Take I-75 exit 170; go East;
Hotel is 1/10 of a mile
on the right.
Kingsway Country Club:
Take I -75 ; exit 170; go East;
Club is one-half mile
on the left.
RSVP to attend by
January 13, 2016 to:
Wayne Norris
Jack Bertani
Diane Beatty
888-327-0280
941-627-0162
814-393-1832
SPONSORED BY ALPHA GAMMA PHI