clarion
u n i v e r s i t y

m a g a z i n e

Summer 2015

Rising star
$160.9 million
annual economic
impact

JULIAN HOWSARE
SIGNS WITH
N.Y. JETS

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.

AGLE’S NE

ST

B
R C LU B

CL ARION

STE

UN

ER

YE
SIT

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. No matter where your team loyalty lies,
give to the Eagle’s Nest and lift up athletics at Clarion!

CU

ES

TA B L

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ISHED 2

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Hatching Fall of 2015

Summer 2015
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clarion

Summ er 2 0 15
Volume 2
Number 2

departments
2

features
12

A Rising Star
Inspired in high school by another Clarion alumnus, Matthew
Walentosky (’14) now works alongside established scientists,
unraveling the mysteries of the universe.

Letters

4 Clarion Digest
Clarion is approved for three new degrees.
Plus: 2015 graduates win awards for their
scholarship * Website wins Silver Stevie award
* Students rebuild what Hurricane Katrina
damaged * Spot the differences * and more
10 Alumni Weekend 2015

17

Space Junk
Professor, astronomer and stellar spectroscopist Sharon
Montgomery, Ph.D., talks about comets – what they are and
how they tell a story.

20

Stunt Girl
Erika Keck (’15) is making a
name for herself in the field
of stunt performing, having
already done stunts for Diane
Keaton and Olivia Wilde, and
currently an understudy with
Marvel Universe Live.

26

Frank Lignelli
Frank Lignelli (’50) fell in love with Clarion University in 1946
and has had a 70-year relationship with the school. A new
scholarship honoring him will help the students of whom he’s
most fond – athletes.

31

Economic Impact
A recent study shows that Clarion University gives a $160.9
million shot in the arm to the fiscal health of Pennsylvania.

34 Sports Roundup
Julian Howsare (’15)
signs with New York
Jets * Adam Annacone
(M.Ed. ’06) helps
Phoenix Suns stay
healthy * Diver Kristen
Day and swimmer
Emilee Gysegem earn
honors * and more
40 Alumni News & Class Notes
48 Courageous Endeavors
College was Clare Novak’s (’79) first experience
away from home, but now she works around the
world in leadership development.

12
On the Cover
Novae and dark matter are becoming a little less
mysterious through the research of Matthew
Walentosky (’14).

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: Chris Rossetti, Michelle Port, S.C. Nolan
Photographers: Rich Herman, David Love, George
Powers (’81), Carol Roth, Jason Strohm (’01, MFA
’05), Brett Whitling, Ricardo Trevino
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

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Board of Governors
Chair: Guido M. Pichini
Vice Chair: Ronald G. Henry
Vice Chair: David M. Maser
Sen. Richard Alloway II
Rep. Matthew E. Baker
Marie Conley
Jane M. Earll
Christopher H. Franklin
Sarah Galbally, governor’s designee
Rep. Michael K. Hanna
Jonathan B. Mack
Daniel P. Meuser
Pedro A. Rivera, secretary of education
Sen. Judy Schwank
Robert S. Taylor
Aaron A. Walton
Gov. Tom Wolf
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)

Letters
I cannot tell you how pleased and
proud I am that you upgraded the
Clarion University Magazine. I am sure
that it cost much more to produce, but
the image that it portrays for Clarion
and its alumni is just wonderful.
The magazine is now on par with
Pitt’s and Penn State’s, which I also
receive.
Way to go Clarion! Thank you!
Bob Bender ‘90
Ballwin, Mo.

Clarion University Magazine is published by the
Division for University Advancement for alumni,
families of current students and friends of Clarion
University. Alumni information is also located at
www.clarion.edu/alumni.
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,

Alumni Association Board of Directors
President: David Bailey (’65)
President-Elect: Deborah Eckelberger (’07)
Secretary: Jean Mills (’59, ’74)
Treasurer: Jonathan Catanzarita (’11)
Floyd Barger (’58)
Daniel Bartoli (’81)
Amanda Blackhurst (‘06)
Angela Brown (’80)
Jeffrey Douthett (’79)
Merrilyn Dunlap (’93)
Elisabeth Fulmer (’64, ’80, ’97)
Lee Grosch (’62)
Sandra Jarecki (’69)
Terri (Tiki) Kahle (’87)
Nancy Lendyak (’75)
Ronald Lucas (’82)
Ashley McCauley (’06)
David Reed (’09)
Adam Ruffner (’06)
Virginia Vasko (’88)
Daniel Zangrilli (’07)

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
Rights, Department of Education, 330 Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201.

Ashton Simonette
Eagle Ambassadors president
Karen Whitney, ex-officio
President of Clarion University
Laura King (’09), ex-officio
Executive Director of Clarion University
Alumni Association

2

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

Letters to the editor can be
emailed to alumni@clarion.edu
or mailed to: Clarion University
Magazine, Seifert-Mooney Center
for Advancement, 840 Wood St.,
Clarion, PA 16346.
All letters should be brief (200
words or less) and include the
name, mailing address and phone
number of the author. The author’s
name and town will be published.
All correspondence may be edited
for length and clarity.

letter from the president

Dear friends,
As I begin my sixth year as president, I continue to be in awe of Clarion University’s
inspiring past, compelling present and fantastic future. Most inspiring to me are the people
who comprise the Clarion family, and the courage and confidence they exemplify and have
bestowed upon others.
Take Frank Lignelli who, in 1946, boarded a bus bound for Clarion and has given, for
70 years, as a student, an athlete, a coach, athletic director, benefactor and continual
supporter of the university and its students, particularly student athletes. Consider Erika
Keck, a 2015 graduate who channels her energy into stunt performing, willingly being
knocked down, flung around and set on fire. Look at 2014 graduate Matt Walentosky and
faculty member Dr. Sharon Montgomery, who, through their research, are unraveling the
mysteries of what lies beyond planet Earth.
As well as showcasing these wonderful folks, it is also a time to acknowledge the
economic impact that Clarion University itself has upon the state, region and local
community.
You, too, are part of the great Clarion family, and I invite you to read about these Golden
Eagles and the impact they are making,
Courageous. Confident. Clarion.
For the Clarion University family, it’s how we roll!

Fly Eagles Fly!

Karen M. Whitney
President, Clarion University

Clarion university
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campus news I clarion digest

Move-in ready

Aug. 21 is move-in day for students,
and Suites on Main North, the first of two
new, suite-style housing units is ready.
The housing will replace 54-year-old Nair
and Wilkinson halls, which are slated to be
demolished.
The $66 million project will provide
housing for students on both sides of
East Main Street and include university-

4

Summer 2015
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related services – such as the book store,
Starbucks coffee shop, a university theater
and food service – on the ground floor of
the complex. Clarion University Foundation,
Inc., in partnership with Clarion University,
developed and is building the project,
funded entirely by student housing fees.

Work continues on Suites on Main
South, which is expected to be ready for
occupation by the beginning of the spring
2016 semester. To get a live look at the
suites, visit http://suitecam.

campus news I clarion digest

2-PERSON SHARED
SEMI-SUITE
on MAIN

2-PERSON PRIVATE
SEMI-SUITE
on MAIN

Clarion university
magazine

5

Campus news I clarion digest

Shanksville Remembrance
Commemorative Service Sept. 11, 2014,
in Shanksville, Somerset County. “My
goal was to bring everyone back to
that tragic day in our country and
remember how they felt. I wanted
everyone to remember the courage and
strength of those passengers who took
down that plane,” Catrillo said.

Matthew Catrillo (’15), a digital
media graduate, took first place
for his television news package,
“Shanksville Remembrance,” in the
Society for Collegiate Journalists 2015
National Contest. Catrillo, a member
of Clarion’s SCJ Chapter, covered the
Flight 93 National Memorial’s 13th

Seeds for

2 8t h A n nua l

2015 Clarion University

regrowth

Friday,
Sept. 1, 2015
Clarion Oaks Golf Club

Benefits
Clarion
athletics
Event: Four-person scramble; Lunch:
11–11:45 a.m.; Shotgun start: Noon
Entry fee: $150; Hole sponsor: $200
Fee includes: greens fees, cart, lunch, tee prizes, hole
prizes, par 3 prizes including hole-in-one and nearest to the pin,
team prizes, door prizes, refreshments, buffet dinner and more.
Registration: Contact athletic director Dave Katis
(’85, M.Ed. ’88) or Dede VanEpps at 814-393-1997. Make checks
payable to: Clarion University Foundation, Inc.
www.clariongoldeneagles.com

Sponsored By: Pepsi, S&T Bank, PSECU
and Wienken Wealth Management

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Seven Venango College students from the SEED
(Studying, Engaging, Exploring, and Discipleship)
Club traveled with the World Changers organization
to Moss Point, Miss., for spring break March 7. Moss
Point is part of what the local population calls
the Invisible Coastline. The area was destroyed by
Hurricane Katrina’s record 14-foot storm surge which
resulted in extensive flooding, even though it is 80
miles from the center of where Katrina hit.
The students assisted with building decks and
ramps, roofing and basic home repairs. Participants
were: Amanda Cameron of Mercer; Nathan Hannah
of Seneca; Elizabeth Haughey of Butler; Raymond
Marino of Boyers; Casey McVay of Franklin (club
advisor); Savannah Mona of Meadville; Emily Quaill
of Emlenton (club president); and Rhonni Seth of
New Castle.

Campus News I clarion digest

2 8t h A n nua l

wins

Website
Silver Stevie

Clarion University won a Silver Stevie
Award for Best Homepage/Welcome Page
at the 13th annual American Business
Awards in June. Clarion University’s
website was redesigned last year in order
to reflect the university’s new brand:
Courageous. Confident. Clarion.

The redesign took approximately nine
months to complete and features a mobilefirst design, user-friendly navigation, a
variety of databases and a reorganized
home/welcome page. The home/welcome

page features a rotating carousel of story
tiles and a spot for university videos.
The university was second to Sony’s
Playstation.Blog, which took home the Gold
Stevie.

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Campus news I clarion digest
Clarion

by the

numbers

Clarion University Alumni
Association president David
Bailey wrapped up his tenure
this year. We asked him to
share some numbers with us
to put his volunteer efforts in
perspective and to give us an
idea, travel-wise, what it’s like
to be president.

In 2014 –

21

Number of
Clarion
events and
activities
attended

37

Number of
nights in a

hotel

volunteer
hours

50

Number of years since David and his classmates
graduated from Clarion. Yes, the Class of 1965
is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Lydia Middaugh (’15), was
awarded the “Best Paper in Panel”
prize at the Pennsylvania-West
Regional Phi Alpha Theta Conference
and Undergraduate Research Forum
April 11 at Westminster College,
New Wilmington. Middaugh’s paper
was entitled “Sir Keith Thomas: The
Historical Magician.”
“Thomas’ book is still considered
to be one of the greatest, most
comprehensive works on the subject
of religion and magic, not just for
history, but also for sociology and
anthropology,” she said.

Summer 2015
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252
Number of

One more important number . . .

The Historical Magician

8

7,876

Number
of miles
traveled
to/from Clarion events
and activities

Good

business
sense

Evan Schindler (’15) won a $5,000
second place award in the PASSHE
Student Business Plan Competition.
He entered his business plan for
Admissian LLC, which will provide
legal consultation on visas, refinement
of documents, personalized branding
of student information and support
services for international students
transitioning to an American university.
The competition, in its fourth year,
seeks state system students who want
to start or grow their own business in
Pennsylvania.

Campus news I clarion digest

new

Three
degree programs
approved
Pennsylvania State System Board of
Governors has approved three new degree
programs for Clarion University: Master of
Science in applied data analytics (big data),
Bachelor of Science in sport management,
and Bachelor of Science in Business

Administration in paralegal studies.
These degree programs will be available
to students beginning with the fall 2015
semester.

Spot the Differences
President Whitney’s summer ride is a Vespa scooter. There are 11 differences in the
photos below. Can you spot them all? For answers, go to www.clarion.edu/vespa.

spotlight on:

Bachelor of
Science in
Nutrition
and Fitness
Why it’s hot
A shift in health care places
emphasis not only on treating sick
people but also on preventing
illness and diseases.

What it’s got
The combination of nutrition and
fitness makes this program unique:
No other state system university
offers this type of program. The
program’s core classes include
a variety of nutrition and fitness
courses, social and behavioral
science courses, as well as courses
that deal with exercise and overall
wellness. Graduates will be
qualified for jobs such as a healthy
lifestyle coach, fitness and wellness
coordinator, personal trainer,
nutrition and wellness consultant,
and weight loss consultant, as
well as careers in corporate
and community-based wellness
programs such as YMCA Silver
Sneakers and Highmark Healthy U.

What’s next
The first classes for this major
begin this fall. To date, 25 students
have declared it as their major.

Clarion university
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alumni 2015
Clockwise, from top left: The class of 1965 reminisces
over lunch; Ernie the Eagle celebrates in style;
Distinguished Award recipients Al Lander and Sandra
Trejos embrace; this tyke gets in the spirit of Alumni
Weekend; an alumna shows that she is Courageous.
Confident. Clarion.; Distinguished Awardees Paul
Palmer, Betsy Kellner, President Whitney, Kim
Lemon, Sandra Trejos and Al Lander; macho men
Bob Dandoy, David Behrs, Todd Pfannestiel and
Joseph Croskey; Dueling Pianos provided musical
entertainment; President Whitney leads a tour of the
new suites; Former Clarion President Joe Grunenwald
and wife Janice at the Distinguished Awards dinner;
a group arrives on campus, ready for the weekend
of fun; golfers play at the Fran Shope Golf Outing;
a band plays at Saturday’s Alumni-Fest picnic; a
student paints children’s faces; a Golden Eagles
cheerleader; alumna Linda Yorkshire and friend cool
down with Ice Cream with the Mascot.

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A Rising Star

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Matt Walentosky looks
to unravel the secrets of
the universe.
For almost 150 years, Clarion University students
have been staring up in wonder at the night sky,
the view unhindered by the bright lights of larger
campuses and towns. For some, this is a fleeting
experience – a quick glance up at the star-speckled
ceiling and then on to the evening’s events. For
others, the twinkling lights above may set the
mood for a late-night romantic picnic, or some
good, old-fashioned stargazing. But for students
like Matt Walentosky (‘14), the night sky holds
secrets and opportunities that can define a lifetime.

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When a star goes nova, it is
essentially blowing away its outer
shell through a nuclear explosion.

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Even before his time at Clarion,
Walentosky was fascinated with the
inner workings of the universe, a
fact he attributes to another Clarion
alumnus.
“I got my interest in astronomy
from a high school teacher, Tim
Spuck (‘88, ‘92 M.Ed.), at Oil City
High School,” Walentosky said. “He
has this philosophy of engaging
students in active research. He’s
well connected with NASA and
other national organizations, and he
strongly believes in learning science
by doing it.”
Under Spuck’s tutelage,
Walentosky attended conferences
across the country and visited the
Spitzer Science Center in California,
where he was able to meet different
astronomers and learn about their
fields of work and study.
A handful of unique experiences
under his belt, Walentosky started
his college career at Penn State’s
Erie campus. As a freshman he
had the opportunity to work
alongside a professor in the
astrophysics department from Penn
State University Park. Still, he felt
something was missing in the land
of the Nittany Lion, and decided
to leave Penn State after two
semesters.
Walentosky came to Clarion to
start his sophomore year, following
in the footsteps of his parents
and sister. Motivated by his love
of astronomy, he enrolled as a
physics major where, he admits, he
struggled a bit early on.
“One of the things that really
made a difference for me was the
individual attention professors could
give me at Clarion,” Walentosky
said. “I wanted to make sure I really
grasped the foundational concepts
... the math and science behind the
things I wanted to do ... and having
professors who were willing to work
with me on that individual level to
make sure I truly understood. That
was important.”

Spiral galaxy somewhere in
deep space .

Walentosky says that establishing a firm
foothold on the fundamentals was vital in
turning him into a strong researcher and
scientific thinker, and opened the doors for
a greater understanding of the higher-level
science work he would soon take on.
After nailing down
his fundamentals,
Walentosky was
presented with another
opportunity to pad
his résumé – one that
would bring him to the
University of Alaska,
Anchorage for backto-back summers
of celestial study.
Under the guidance
of Dr. Travis Rector,
Walentosky studied
images taken over a 20-year period,
analyzing and cataloguing the appearance
of “classical novae” in our nearest galaxy,
the Andromeda Galaxy.
“When a star goes nova, it is essentially
blowing away its outer shell through a
nuclear explosion,” Walentosky said. By
cataloguing these, he explained, Rector

{

and Walentosky helped to pave the way
for other astronomers and scientists to
study the novae themselves, to better
understand the causes, effects and
universal importance of novae.
As any good scientist knows, the actual

where the present-day knowledge is being
shared in any given field,” Walentosky said.
“You need the classroom setting for the
theoretical knowledge, but to really learn
about the here-and-now stuff – the things
you’re going to be working on after college
– you’ve got to go to a
conference.”
“I was fortunate
enough to be able to
get funding through the
undergraduate research
office and the provost’s
office to go to California,
and I made professional
connections and learned
a lot that I wouldn’t have,
otherwise,” he said.
Since graduating,
Walentosky has
embarked on a new academic adventure
at Miami University in Ohio. There, he’s
pursuing a master’s degree in physics
while serving as a teaching assistant.
Never one to leave much room on his
plate, Walentosky is also working with Dr.
Stephen Alexander, a professor at Miami
University, to model a “dwarf spheroidal

}

There are mysteries out
there that we still don’t
understand, and that we’re
working to understand,
and that’s exciting.
research process is only one facet of
the job. Walentosky also helped Rector
record their work in an academic paper
and present their findings at the American
Astronomical Society’s January 2013
meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
“It’s important for students to go to
these kinds of conferences, because that’s

Clarion university
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15

“Dark matter and
MOND are by no means
completely understood
subjects. We don’t know
which of these theories
is right, or even if any of
them are right at all.”

galaxy,” with hopes of learning more
about how these galaxies form.
As Walentosky noted, the dominant
theory among scientists is that these
specific types of galaxies – thought to
defy Newton’s laws of physics – are held
together with dark matter. While he and
Alexander are studying how dark matter
might be interacting with these galaxies,
they’re also attempting to model a different
theory, known as Modified Newtonian
Dynamics. According to MOND, certain
corrections are made to Newtonian
physics at extremely low accelerations.
The two scientists are working to model
the evolution of these dwarf spheroidal
galaxies using both the theory of dark
matter and MOND, and hope to compare
their models to actual observations.
Walentosky believes it is important to
be a skeptic. “Extraordinary claims require
extraordinary evidence,” he said, quoting
Carl Sagan.
“A lot of times people will read about
what’s at the forefront of science and
assume these are completely correct
and fully understood,” Walentosky said.
“Dark matter and MOND are by no means

completely understood subjects. We don’t
know which of these theories is right,
or even if any of them are right at all.
As scientists it’s important to put these
theories under scrupulous review and to
see what the data indicates.”
Beyond that, Walentosky loves his work
because it fascinates and excites him.

“There are mysteries out there that
we still don’t understand, and that
we’re working to understand, and that’s
exciting,” he said. “We’re still seeking
knowledge and making discoveries in all
different fields. That’s what excited people
hundreds of years ago about science, and
it’s what excites me.”

This Hubble Space Telescope
composite image shows a
ghostly “ring” of dark matter
in the galaxy cluster.

Image Credit: NASA

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Summer 2015
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Sharon Montgomery

Every solar system is a
construction site, and
comets are the debris
left over at the site.

Space
Junk

Even when she was a little
girl, physics professor and
astronomer Sharon Montgomery
was mesmerized by space –
specifically the stars in space.
She’d lie out on a football field
in Middleport, N.Y, with her dad,
now a retired chemist, and stare
up at the stars.
“The interest started really
early,” she said.
She’d even look through
his homemade telescope.
Montgomery laughs as she
recalls that it was a really poor
telescope, but the equipment
wasn’t as important as the
interest that it piqued.
One day Montgomery would
look at those same stars with
much better and more powerful
telescopes at some of the
premier observatories in the
world.
Clarion university
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17

Starting in 2010 at McDonald
Observatory in west Texas and then later
in South Africa, Montgomery and her
collaborator, Barry Welsh of the University
of California, Berkeley, would observe the
same stars night after night. And during
some of these observations, she and Welsh
would make some discoveries that are
quite literally out of this world.
They discovered many comets in several
different star systems.
Discovering and studying comets is
important because it answers questions
about star formation and our own planet.
Montgomery said some scientists believe
that Earth’s water was delivered by falling
comets.
Montgomery best explains the role of
comets like this: Every solar system is a
construction site, and comets are the debris
left over at the site.
“The comets are the nails, the hammers,”
Montgomery said. “The comets are the
space junk.” But they also are clues as to
what came before.

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Summer 2015
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The list of stars
possessing detected
comets is extremely
short – in the ballpark
of 15. Montgomery and
her collaborator have
discovered all but
about five of them.
Astronomers look for comets by
observing starlight – “A big comet tail
alters the starlight,” Montgomery said. She
likens it to a streetlight that is altered by
fog when we see it. The gas around the
comet alters the starlight, she said.
“We look for that subtle diminishing of
light that changes night to night,” she said.

The star systems Montgomery and Welsh
were observing are “young star systems,
so they’re still kind of junky,” only 10 to 100
million years old.
That may not seem very young, but
the oldest stars in the universe are about
13 billion years old. The Milky Way (our
home galaxy) contains stars nearly this
old, too. Montgomery’s star systems are
young, even compared to the solar system,
which formed about four and a half billion
years ago. If the universe’s oldest stars are
octogenarians, the sun is a young adult,
and Montgomery’s “young and junky” star
systems are infants, less than half a year old.
Montgomery and Welsh ascertained
the comets they discovered had never
been discovered before by completing
an exhaustive literary search. Also, the
list of stars possessing detected comets
is extremely short – in the ball park of 15,
Montgomery said. She and her collaborator
have discovered all but about five of them.
Also, the presence of comets probably
means that planets are forming, she said.

“Everything we know about stars comes from the starlight.
That’s all we get from Earth.”
“Comets falling into the star are likely
signs of a large, massive planet because,
like planets, comets will generally orbit the
star in stable, circular orbits. In the case
of comets, they are generally expected to
reside far from the star. However, a massive
Jupiter-like planet will tug on these more
distant comets and occasionally pull them
inward. Without at least one planet, it’s
hard to see why large numbers of comets
would be on death marches toward the
star,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery said it’s likely that these
comets no longer exist since they probably
fell into the stars. This also means these
comets won’t be given names.
Evidence of the large amount of debris
once commonplace in our solar system
can be found on the cratered face of our
moon, she said. The rocky worlds in the
solar system were absolutely pummeled
by debris about 4 billion years ago. Today

these comets are safely sequestered far
from the sun in a space called the Oort
Cloud, which may contain trillions of
comets. Only rarely does a comet careen
into the inner part of solar system now,
and that’s why comets like Halley’s Comet
are a big deal, Montgomery said.
In other words, our solar system
has had plenty of time to clean up its
construction site, reducing the number of
comets we are likely to see.
“Most of the large bits of debris were
swept up by the young planets as they
orbited the sun,” Montgomery said.
“Gravity will also help to clean up a
messy construction site since the star
and any planets will pull debris toward
them. Even if the comet does not fall
into the star or the planet, a narrow miss
is likely to change the comet’s orbit so
much that it will be slingshot right out of
the star system.”

Montgomery is an astronomer, but she’s
also known as a stellar spectroscopist.
Stellar spectroscopists spread starlight into
a rainbow of colors and then perform an
“archaeological dig in some respects” of
the starlight, she said. They sift carefully
through the starlight, hunting for subtle
unexpected artifacts of comets.
She and Welsh, as well as another group
in France, are currently the only scientists
hunting for comets by examining starlight.
When viewing any star, Montgomery said
the real magic is in the giant telescopes
themselves, which bundle the faint starlight
in such a way that we can see it.
“Everything we know about stars comes
from the starlight. That’s all we get from
Earth,” Montgomery said.
But whatever we do manage to get from
Earth, it’s important because “every star
has a story to tell,” Montgomery said.

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19

20

Summer 2015
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“

I was always
the kid in the
hallway doing
Spiderman on
the walls.”

Stunt
Girl
From the time she was a little girl,
Erika Keck (’15) has been on the move.
She recalls a time that her mom
couldn’t find her. The young girl
had run a string from the house to
outside, rigged up a pulley and was
propelling herself through the air, with a
trampoline below to catch her if she fell.
“I was always the kid in the hallway
doing Spiderman on the walls,” Keck
said.
Through high school, she channeled
her energy into sports: gymnastics,
taekwondo, basketball, volleyball,
soccer, track and field.
Now an adult with a bachelor’s
degree in communication, Keck finds
herself again imitating superheroes.
This spring Keck, a stunt performer,
began working with Marvel Universe
Live, which “brings more than 25 Marvel
characters to life on one epic quest,”
according to the show’s website. Keck is
an understudy for the Black Widow.
Clarion university
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21

Keck with Diane Keaton
in the film “Meet the
Coopers”

While working alongside Thor could be
intimidating for some, Keck is cool about
it. On her resume she lists some goddesses
of the silver screen for whom she has
doubled, namely Diane Keaton and Olivia
Wilde in the film “Meet the Coopers,” which
opens Nov. 13.
Diane Keaton “is so sweet. She sent me
a gift at the end of the day,” Keck said.
“Olivia Wilde is one of the coolest people
I’ve ever met – always ready with a smile
and a laugh.”
As Wilde’s stunt double, Keck raced
through a hospital corridor, bumping into
things and getting knocked over.
For Keaton, Keck did 12 takes on a ski
jump.

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“Olivia Wilde is
one of the coolest
people I’ve ever met –
always ready with a
smile and a laugh.”
“My back hurt so bad at the end of the
day,” Keck said. “I just smiled and kept
doing my job.”
“As doubles, all stunt men and women
need to act very similar to the character
the actor portrays. Staying in character
is very important,” Keck said. “Some of
my mentors have explained to me they
watch the actor they are doubling very

closely throughout the day. It’s kind of like
studying on the job.”
Would Keck prefer to act rather than
double for actors?
“I would take a stunt gig over an acting
job in a heartbeat,” Keck said. Having
focused on training for stunt work, she said
years of training to be an actor would have
to come before she tried acting.
“Copying what someone has already
acted is different. Someone has already
painted the picture for me how to act. I
think that’s why doubling comes a little
easier to me,” she said. “I don’t have to
create a character. The actress already did
it and I just need to stay in character.”

“I would
take a
stunt gig
over an
acting
job in a
heartbeat.”
It was during her years at Clarion University
that Keck fell in love with the idea of being a stunt
performer. She didn’t know exactly how to break into
the field, but she declared a digital media concentration
along with her communication major, thinking that
knowing the language of the business would help to
propel her.
“I did a lot of hands-on classes, which helped me learn
set etiquette,” she said. “I really took advantage of (the
classes) and tried to learn as much as possible.”
As a member of Film Club, advised by Dr. Michael Torres,
Keck learned what’s involved in filmmaking, and she put her
skills to work, making films on her own.
When she started to think about internships, she contacted
Nancy Mosser Casting, Pittsburgh, where she took advantage
of networking opportunities.
Then she was off to the International Stunt School in Seattle.
“The school teaches you how
to protect your body – to land
on muscle, not anything bony,”
she said. She studied fight
choreography, basic falls, stairfalls,
stunt driving, wire work and
rappelling.
She also experienced being set
on fire.

It was during her
years at Clarion
University that
Keck fell in love
with the idea of
being a stunt
performer.

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23

Being set on fire was the
coldest thing I’ve done with
stunts. There is a special gel
that an under layer of clothing
is soaked in. It is very cold and
clings to your body. Once I
had all of the cotton clothes
on over the cold-soaked layer,
I carefully walked out to the
designated area to be set on
fire.
Designated people circle the
area as safeties. Each person
has a particular job and fallback
if something may go wrong
during the stunt — almost like
animals ready to pounce.
My instructor carefully spread
more of the gel all over my
hands and then moved to my
head. This was my least favorite
part, having all the gel on my
face, in my ears, around my
eyes and nose.
After preparation was
complete, he spread the
igniting mixer on the

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Summer 2015
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“I took a deep breath
and gave him a thumbs up.
He set me on fire.”
designated spot of burn (my
back). At this point, I just wanted
the burn to be over with. I wasn’t
afraid of the burn but I wanted the
gel off my skin.
My instructor asked if I was
ready. I took a deep breath (you
cannot breathe in any of the
smoke throughout the duration
of the fire burn) and gave him a
thumbs up. He set me on fire.
At this point everyone was on
alert. I began to move like I’m set
on fire. This was my first fire-burn
so I moved kind of slowly. Honestly
I did not feel any of the burning.
The stunt was so safe. I didn’t even

feel warm for a long time.
Once I couldn’t hold my
breath any more, I dropped
to the ground as a signal the
stunt was over. One instructor
sprayed a fire extinguisher
on me while, immediately
after, the other instructor
started using a water hose
(low pressure) and patted me
down to make sure all the fire
was out.
I was happy that I did the
stunt but would rather get
paid the next time I do a fire
stunt. The prep for me is the
worst part. That gel is so
uncomfortable to me.

Learning high falls was the most
daunting for Keck.
“You’re up there at 45 feet,” she said.
“They start you at lower heights, so I just
talked myself through it.”
“Stunt school was one of the best
months of my life. It was so much fun;
everything was intriguing,” Keck said.
The profession of stunt performing
demands fitness, which Keck delivers. She

combines cardio and weightlifting.
“I like Insanity Asylum – it’s plyometrics
and cardio. I go to gymnastics two hours
a week, I do Crossfit for endurance, and
weightlifting,” she said.
Her “work hard” mentality comes from
her father.
“He has owned three small businesses,
and he works almost 24/7. He never takes a
day off. When I was little, I was always out

in the truck with him, learning,” she said. “I
always had my hands in grease.”
Before completing school, Keck worked
for her dad, driving the rock truck and
excavator.
Keck plans to complete the Marvel
Universe Live performing tour before
moving on to her next adventure.

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25

“ … intercollegiate athletics should be
both respectable and competitive. It
should reflect a positive image of the
institution in order to make a substantial
contribution in the areas of recruitment,
faculty support, alumni relations and
community spirit. Participation in an
intercollegiate athletic program should
provide an enjoyable and meaningful
experience for the student athlete, one
which will prepare him/her to encounter
the ups and downs of life.”
— Frank Lignelli (’50)

Waldo S. Tippin (right) presents a trophy
honoring Lignelli for Most Outstanding
Athletics and Leadership from 1946-50

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Lignelli

It

was a simple mix-up that brought Frank Lignelli to Clarion University.
Accepted at Penn State in 1946 and wanting to play football, Lignelli

was asked to attend California University for a year or two, as was the
custom at the time. He reported to campus as he was instructed to do and
participated in practices, but when classes began, his records hadn’t made
it to campus. He found himself sitting around and waiting, unable to begin
classes.
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27

Career

Attending college was on the heels of
Lignelli’s 1943-46 stint in the U.S. Navy,
where he served in the Mediterranean and
the Pacific aboard a mine sweeper. Used to
the demands of the military and not one to
be idle, Lignelli took action.
He tracked down his academic records,
which had been sent by mistake to Clarion
University. The registrar told Lignelli he
could still register for classes.
Having never heard of Clarion, Lignelli
traced its location on a map, packed his
clothes and caught a bus north. He planned
to be a Golden Eagle for one year, before
returning to Penn State as a Nittany Lion.

“In 1950, secondary jobs were very
scarce,” he said. “I went to the Allegheny
County superintendent’s office and
explained why I was there. He said we only
have elementary positions available. I said
I’d take one, although I wasn’t certified.”
He spent a year teaching elementary
school in North Versailles Township. He
enjoyed the youngsters and would have
continued teaching, but he was hired as
assistant football coach at Monongahela
High School.

At the end of the academic year,
however, Lignelli had second thoughts
about leaving Clarion.
“I knew everyone at Clarion. I enjoyed my
year there,” Lignelli said. “I stayed.”
By the time Lignelli graduated in 1950
with a degree in secondary education/
social studies, Clarion clearly had benefited
from his athleticism. He earned 11 varsity
letters, four each in wrestling and football
and three in baseball.

(clockwise from top left)
Lignelli (left) with fellow 1946 football
players Al Rappaport, Bill Casper
and Fred Caligiuri
Assistant football coach Lignelli (left)
with Ernest “Turk” Johnson, head
coach, 1957
Lignelli, captain of the 1949 football
team
Head coach Bob Moore (right) with
team captain Lignelli in 1949
Lignelli (left) wrestles an opponent

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Summer 2015
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“That’s my home,” Lignelli said. He spent
six years coaching for his high school alma
mater.
“The president of Clarion State Teachers
College asked me if I’d be interested in
coming to Clarion,” Lignelli said. “I said,
‘Definitely!’”
In fall of 1959, Lignelli re-started Clarion’s
wrestling program as its head coach.
Within seven years he had two undefeated
seasons.

In 1966, Lignelli was promoted to athletic
director, only the third in the school’s
history, a position he held until he retired in
1986. He then returned to the position on
an interim basis.
In his 23 years as athletic director, Lignelli
watched some of Clarion University’s top
athletes develop into nationally recognized
athletes: Reggie WellsSr., one of the top
PSAC basketball players of all time; Sy
Young winner Pete Vuckovich, drafted by

the Chicago White Sox; Alex Sandusky,
drafted by the Baltimore Colts; and
Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, who
won two national wrestling championships
and went on to wrestle professionally.
“The coaches I had, I thought they
were the best coaches in the state – very
successful – and the athletes they recruited
were outstanding athletes,” Lignelli said.
“I’ve had sports writers call me, wanting to
know to what I attribute the success of our

Accomplishments
as athletic director

59

12
125

national team championships

individual athletes with
one or more national honors

Football winning average of
Wrestling winning
average of

70%

75%

Basketball winning average of

15

19

PSAC team championships

straight PSAC men’s
swimming titles

2

national championships
in women’s gymnastics

Increased athletics programs
to
from

7 17

Increased coaches from

60%

straight PSAC women’s
swimming titles
national team titles
and

7 20
to

Instrumental in creation of
scholarship fund

for athletes

first

8

Awards/recognition
1987: National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame
1987: Eastern Wrestling League Hall of Fame
1986: Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
1984: PSAC Wrestling Hall of Fame

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29

The Frank Lignelli
Family Scholarship
The Frank Lignelli Family Scholarship
was established through the
Clarion University Foundation,
Inc., with tremendous assistance
from dedicated friends, peers and
athletes who were either coached by,
teammates of or directed by Lignelli
at some point in his long Clarion
University career. It is with the
spirit of moving Clarion University
athletics further into the future that
this scholarship will promote and
enhance both the wrestling and
football programs.

Eligibility:
• CU recruits or team members of the
wrestling and football teams.
• Wrestler and football player who meets the
eligibility requirements set by NCAA.
• Maintenance of at least a 2.0 QPA at Clarion.
To support the scholarship, thereby supporting
Clarion athletes, make your check payable to:
Clarion University Foundation, Inc., referencing
the Frank Lignelli Family Scholarship Fund
#13880. For more information contact Shawn
Wood at 814-393-1832 or swood@cuf-inc.org.

… that scholarship fund

“is probably the single largest
reason behind Clarion’s
athletic successes.”
— Al Jacks, Football coach

athletics. I say the coaches are the ones I
feel are responsible, along with the student
athletes they recruited.”
Lignelli was a driving force behind the
creation of the Centennial Scholarship
Fund, which was later renamed the W.S.
Tippin Scholarship Fund. Al Jacks, football

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Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

coach at the time the fund was created,
said that scholarship fund “is probably
the single largest reason behind Clarion’s
athletic successes.”
From the time the fund was initiated in
the mid 1960s until his retirement in 1986,
Lignelli raised more than $1 million dollars.

Lignelli, now 90, remains active and
involved in Golden Eagles athletics
through attendance at sport events and
participation in golf outings to support
Clarion athletics.

impact
annual economic impact on
Pennsylvania is $160.9 million

Clarion’s total direct economic impact on the commonwealth is $160.9 million,
according to a study released by Baker, Tilly, Virchow, Krause, LLP. In addition,
the university employs 630 individuals, making it Clarion County’s number one
employer. The report was the result of a study released by the Pennsylvania State
System of Higher Education, which shows that the state system generates more
than $6.7 billion in economic activity each year.

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31

The $160.9 million represents four main spending sources:
institutional spending ($36.8 million); faculty and staff spending
($40.2 million); student spending ($49.1 million) and capital
expenditures ($13.8 million).
“We are proud to be a leading economic engine for the
Clarion community,” said Karen Whitney, Ph.D., president.
“Through the exceptional people we employ, the confident
students who come here to learn and our direct financial
expenditures, we make a profound economic impact on the
region and the commonwealth.”
The report goes on to say that Clarion’s total economic
impact on the commonwealth – direct, indirect and induced – is
$264.6 million, using multipliers obtained through the Bureau of
Economic Analysis Regional Industrial Multiplier Systems.
“Each dollar invested in Clarion University by the
commonwealth via appropriations yielded a return of
approximately $11.89,” the study indicates. Clarion’s
appropriation for the 2013-2014 fiscal year was $22.3 million.

Employment impact

The university also impacts
employment. For each additional $1
million of output by a state system
university, approximately 21.3 jobs were
created or supported. In this manner,
the employment impact of Clarion
University is approximately 3,126 jobs.
University capital expenditures
also support jobs in the region. For
each additional $1 million of output,
approximately 17.9 jobs were created
or supported. In this manner, the
employment impact of Clarion is 248
additional jobs.
The total employment impact of
Clarion University is 3,374 jobs.

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Enhancing
economic
development
in the region

The report notes that the state system
plays a role in enhancing the economic
development of the regions in which the
individual universities reside by assisting in
the development and growth of new and
existing businesses, as well as by increasing
the employment opportunities, both of
which increase economic activity in the
respective areas.
Clarion accomplishes this in various
ways, such as partnering with local
businesses, providing education and
job skills training, providing an outlet
for research and development through
incubators, and providing financial and
technical assistance.

By providing higher
education, Clarion
improves economic
development now
and into the future.

Theatre productions such as
“Grease” provide high-impact
student experiences, and they
bring the community to campus.

SBDC and CARIPD

Clarion University has a Small Business Development Center, which
helps in the growth of its 10-county region in western Pennsylvania
by providing entrepreneurs with the education, information and tools
necessary to build successful businesses.
During 2013, Clarion’s SBDC provided approximately 7,522 hours of
consulting to approximately 524 entrepreneurs, mostly regarding start-up
assistance. In addition, $11.9 million was approved in client financing.
The Gregory Barnes Center is home to the Center for Applied Research
and Intellectual Property Development. Since its inauguration, CARIPD
has conducted contract research and grant-supported research with
11 companies and six individual entrepreneurs and provided initial
consultations for an additional eight potential entrepreneurs. More than
$300,000 has been brought in through grants to support applied research
for them.

Volunteerism and
the Clarion economy
Students learn
leadership skills
on Clarion’s own
ropes course.
Those skills
often are refined
through work in
the community.

Short- and long-term
development
By providing higher education, Clarion
University is not only helping to improve
the economic development in the shortterm, but in the long-run as well. Primarily,
Clarion does this through the granting
of undergraduate and graduate degrees,
but it also does so indirectly through its
purchasing, expenditures, services, and
employing hundreds of people.
Through its various economic
development activities, Clarion successfully
provides an economic competitive
advantage for the county.

Clarion University’s faculty and staff
spent 1,400 hours in 2013 and 1,450 in 2014
volunteering. With an average value of
approximately $22.55 per hour, their total
contribution amounts to $31,570 in 2013
and $32,698 in 2014.
Clarion students volunteered 4,400
hours in 2013 and 4,550 hours in 2014.

To view the complete study,
go to http://www.passhe.edu/
FactCenter/Documents/ Economic
AndEmploymentImpactReport.pdf.

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33

sports roundup

PHOENIX RISING

Adam Annacone shakes
hands with Suns power
forward Markieff Morris (Photo by Barry Gossage/
NBAE via Getty Images)

day there is a
“ Every
moment that will take

W

“

your breath away.

hen Brandon Knight or Eric
Bledsoe scores a big basket or
comes away with a huge steal for
the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, Clarion University
is right there, playing a role in the success.
Adam Annaccone (M.Ed. ’06) is an
athletic trainer/performance and recovery
specialist with the Suns, helping players
stay healthy and recover from the
grinds of the long season.
“It’s a dream,” Annaccone said.
“Never in my life did I think I’d … be in
this position. Every day, there are little
moments when it catches in your head
and it’s like wow – look at where I am
at. Every day there is a moment that
will take your breath away.”
Annaccone’s responsibilities are
multi-faceted, from analytical-based
decision making, to athletic training
duties, to performance recovery aspects
for some of the top basketball players in
the world.
“We collect a lot of physical data on
players,” Annaccone said. “We collect
the data both during practices, by having
the players wear heart-rate monitors and
devices that track their movement, and
during games, with cameras in the rafters
that track the players’ movements and use
algorithms to generate the distance the
player travels and the training load they
put in during the contest.
“I’ll take the data we collect and make
recommendations for practice times,

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Summer 2015
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of things,” Annaccone said. “Everybody is
focused on training, but what gets left out
is the time between games or practice –
from the time the players leave the facility
until they come back – and how they are
assisting their body with recovery. Sleep is
the biggest, number one thing they can do.”
Annaccone’s life now consists
of taking care of million-dollar
“Every time we come back, we athletes, flying on charter planes
and staying in five-star hotels in
are like ‘Wow! Look at what
some of the greatest cities in North
they are doing here! Look at
America, but he hasn’t forgotten his
roots. He believes anyone
what they are building here!’ Clarion
interested in athletic training would
be remiss if they didn’t become a
It’s true what they say – you
Golden Eagle.
leave Clarion but Clarion
“Overseeing your education you
have the president – now to be the
never really leaves you.”
past president – of the National
Athletic Trainers Association.
Having a person like that is absolutely
Injury prevention, something Annaccone
invaluable,” Annacone said of Thornton.
said he learned from long-time Clarion
“But beyond him, it’s the fact that this staff
head athletic trainer James “Thunder”
and this community – it’s a family.
Thornton, is the key to his job.
Clarion is special to both Annaccone and
“I’m a big fan, as Jim Thornton is, of
his wife, Amelia (Harris ‘05) Annaccone, a
injury prevention,” Annaccone said. “It only
starter on Clarion’s 2005 NCAA Division
makes sense to do everything possible to
II-qualifying women’s basketball team.
ensure the athletes are getting the ultimate
“Every time we come back, we are like
care and best practices for keeping them
‘Wow! Look at what they are doing here!
healthy.”
Look at what they are building here!’ It’s
Annaccone also assists the players in
true what they say – you leave Clarion but
body recovery.
Clarion never really leaves you. We have
“Another big part of my job is looking at
nothing but great memories of it.”
sleep and nutrition from the recovery side
participation times, that sort of stuff. I can
predict, off a player’s past numbers, that
he’s going to have a high training load
coming up, so let’s rest him. Or maybe this
player didn’t get a whole lot of activity in a
game or a practice, so maybe we can have
him go a bit longer. ”

sports roundup

CALIPARI ELECTED TO NAISMITH MEMORIAL
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

(Photos courtesy of UK Athletics)

John Calipari (’82) was elected
to the Naismith Memorial Basketball
Hall of Fame, considered the top honor
in all of basketball, April 6 during the
NCAA Division I Basketball Final Four in
Indianapolis.
“I had to pull the car over – and to be
honest, I got emotional,” Calipari told CBS
announcer Jim Nantz. “To be here with
these guys and the dinner last night is just
surreal for me – It’s not something I ever
thought about or thought would happen, so
the call kind of overwhelmed me.”
The Naismith Hall of Fame is a fraternity
unlike no other in basketball. Started in

1959, only 325
coaches, players,
referees, contributors and teams have
been enshrined. Calipari was elected along
with Dick Bevetta, Louie Dampier, Lindsay
Gaze, Tom Heinsohn, John Isaacs, Spencer
Haywood, Lisa Leslie, Dikembe Mutombo,
George Raveling and JoJo White.
Located in Springfield, Mass., The Hall of
Fame Induction is a three-day event, Sept.
10-12. The enshrinement is Sept. 11, and
the ring ceremony is Sept. 12. Tickets are
available at www.hoophall.com.
Calipari, who played basketball for Joe
DeGregorio at Clarion in the 1981 and 1982

seasons, had a solid career with the Golden
Eagles. He was part of the 1981 team that
went 23-6 and advanced to the NCAA Elite
8 before losing. The 1982 season opened
7-0 and ranked third in Division II with
Calipari at point guard. The team ended the
year at 16-11, with Calipari leading the team
with 143 assists.
Putting together a storied collegiate
head coaching career, Calipari has an
on-the-court NCAA record of 635-178 in
23 seasons. The head
basketball coach at
Kentucky for the past
six seasons, Calipari
has led the Wildcats
to a record of 19038 (83.3%), the 2012
NCAA title, an NCAA
runner-up finish in 2014
and the Final Four in 2011 and in 2015, with
this year’s team setting an NCAA record
going 38-1. Also the consensus NCAA
Coach of the Year in 2015, Calipari has
taken Kentucky to the Final Four in four of
the last five seasons. He joins UCLA’s John
Wooden and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as the
only ones to accomplish that feat.
Also philanthropic, Calipari has always
been loyal to his alma mater. He and wife
Ellen created two new endowed basketball
scholarships in the Clarion University
Foundation, Inc., in honor of DeGregorio
and Bill Sacco (’66) in 2010.

ATHLETICS DONATES
$ 8,009 TO CLARION HOSPITAL
CANCER CENTER

Clarion University athletics donates $8,009
to The Cancer Center at Clarion Hospital. Golden
Eagles athletics teams raised the money with various
fundraisers during the 2014-15 season, including
Flipping for Cancer by the men’s and women’s
diving team, and breast cancer awareness events
by volleyball and women’s basketball. In five years,
just over $23,000 has been raised for the Cancer
Center, which uses the donations for various support
activities, including helping to offset transportation
costs, miscellaneous bills and incidentals.
Clarion university
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35

sports roundup

repeats

CLARION’S KRISTIN DAY
CAPITAL ONE NCAA
D-II AT-LARGE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA OF THE YEAR
TEAMMATE EMILEE GYSEGEM EARNS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA HONORS

EMILEE GYSEGEM

Kristin Day

C

larion senior diver Kristin Day
(Reynoldsville/Dubois) was named
June 10 a repeat winner of the Capital
One NCAA Division II Academic All-America
of the Year award in the At-Large Division, as
well as a First Team Academic All-American,
while senior swimmer Emilee Gysegem
(Warren, Ohio/Lakeview) was named a
Capital One First Team Academic AllAmerican in the At-Large category as well.
The women’s at-large program for
Academic All-America includes the sports
of bowling, crew, fencing, golf, gymnastics,
field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing,
tennis, water polo and swimming and diving.
Day, the first Clarion student athlete to
win the Academic All-America of the Year
Award two times, is a two-time First Team

Academic A-A, while Gysegem is also
a two-time Academic All-American,
earning a second team selection in 2014.

Kristin Day

KRISTIN DAY – 4.0 Chemistry/biochemistry
2015 & 2014 Capital One At-Large AllAmerica of the Year
2015 & 2014 Capital One At-Large First Team
Academic All-America
2015 NCAA Division II Swim & Dive Nationals
Elite 89 Award
2015 NCAA D-II One Meter National
Champion/ 2-time A-A
2014 NCAA D-II One & Three-Meter National
Champion
2014 NCAA D-II Record Three-Meter 539.35
points
2014 CSCAA NCAA D-II Female Diver of the
Year
Career (2012– 2015) Three-time national
champion/eight-time A-A
Career four-time PSAC and Clarion scholar
athlete
EMILEE GYSEGEM – 4.0 Business

Congrats 2015 Inductees

Bill Milller and Don Leas
Pa. Aquatic “Hall of Fame”

Bill Miller

36

1979-00 CU Men’s Swim
Record 154-38
16 PSAC Titles
12 Top 5 NCAA Finishes
1992 NCAA “C.O.Y.”
1989-00 CU Women’s
Swim Record 90-20
12 PSAC Titles
11 Top 5 NCAA Finishes
Butler, Pa.-Butler H.S.
Coached at Seneca
Valley and Norwin H.S.

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

Don Leas

1996-90 CU Men’s and
Women’s Diving
36 National Champions
234 All-Americans
CU Men 19 PSAC Titles
CU Women 15 PSAC Titles
CU Women 8 D-11 Titles
NCAA Rules Committee
1996 Olympic Games
Diving Director
Phila., Pa. - Northeast HS
USA & International Div.

management
2015 Capital One First Team Academic AllAmerica
2015 & 2014 PSAC Champion Scholar Award
2015 PSAC Champion 400 I.M.
2015 PSAC Spring Academic Top 10 Award
2015 Vice-president Clarion SAAC
2014 Capital One Second Team Academic
All-America
2014 Vice-president and president Clarion
SAAC
2013 PSAC Champion 200 and 400 I.M.
Clarion record 400 I.M.
Career four-time PSAC and Clarion scholar
athlete

sports roundup
JULIAN HOWSARE
SIGNS WITH
N.Y. JETS

I

mmediately after the NFL Draft
concluded May 2, Clarion University
defensive end Julian Howsare (‘14)
signed a free agent contract with the New
York Jets and is wearing #59.
“I am really excited to sign with the Jets
and can’t wait to get started,” Howsare
said. “It has certainly been a long, but
rewarding road to this point. All the hard
work and sacrifice has paid off and I am
very grateful and thankful to everyone at
Clarion who has helped me along the way.”
The Jets are led by new first-year head
coach Todd Bowles. Bowles was the
defensive coordinator with the Arizona
Cardinals for the last two seasons, the
defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia
Eagles in 2012 and the interim head coach
for the final three games of the 2011 season
with the Miami Dolphins after coaching
there from 2008 to 2011.
Howsare, who participated in the
organized team activities in May and June,
reported to Summer Camp in Florham Park,
N.J., July 23, with the first practice July 24.
The first exhibition game is Aug. 13 against
the Detroit Lions at Ford Field with kickoff
at 7:30 p.m.
“Congratulations to Julian,” said firstyear Clarion head coach Chris Weibel. “He
has been a great leader at Clarion, and he
deserves this opportunity. We are Clarion
proud today.”
A D2Football.com First Team AllAmerican and a Second Team Football
Gazette A-A choice in 2014, Howsare, a
6-foot-3-inch, 255-pound defensive end
from Altoona was named a finalist for both

the Cliff Harris Award and the Gene Upshaw
Award at the end of the 2014 season.
A first team Daktronics and FB Gazette
Super Region 1 choice
this season, Howsare
was honored as the
PSAC-West Defensive
Player of the Year in
2014 for the second
straight season. Also a
First Team PSAC-West
choice, a team captain
in 2014 and consensus
pre-season All-American, Howsare led
Clarion with 86 tackles, 48 solo tackles, 11
sacks for -58 yards, 16 tfl’s for -69 yards,
5 pass break-ups, 3 blocked kicks, 3
fumbles caused, 3 qb hurries and 2 fumble
recoveries.
The 2013 PSAC-West Defensive Player
of the Year, Howsare was a Third Team
Football Gazette All-American, a D-2.com
Honorable Mention A-A, a First Team FB
Gazette Super Region 1 and First Team
PSAC-West selection.
In 2012 Howsare was also voted as a
Third Team FB Gazette All-American, a First
Team All-Region and First Team PSAC-West
choice.

In his outstanding career Howsare
finished with 256 tackles, 57 tfl’s (-270), 39
sacks (-220), 10 blocked kicks, 14 breakups, 9 fumbles caused, 3 interceptions and
2 fumble recoveries in 43 games.
Howsare is a December 2014 sports
management graduate and a Clarion
Scholar Athlete.

CLARION NOTES: The last NFL player
from Clarion was Reggie Wells, who had
a 10-year career as an offensive guard,
center and tackle from 2003 to 2012. He
was drafted in the 6th round in the 2003
NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals and
played with them from 2003 to 2009.
He was the Cardinals’ offensive captain
when Arizona played the Pittsburgh
Steelers in the Super Bowl, Feb 1, 2009.
He also had stints with the Philadelphia
Eagles, Carolina Panthers and San Diego
Chargers. He played in 119 career NFL
games and started 93.
Former Clarion quarterback Jim Alcorn
was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in
the 11th round in 1968. Former great Alex
Sandusky, an NFL All-Pro offensive guard
with the Baltimore Colts, was drafted by
the Colts in the 16th round in 1954.

HOWSARE’S CLARION STATS
YEAR UT

AT TT

2014

48

38

86

11-58

SK TFL FC FR INT BU BLKS
16-69

3

2

1-24

5

3

2013

46

37

83

10-58

18-75

2

0

2-12

4

4
2

2012

26

32

58

14-89

16-102

4

0

0

3

2011

11

18

29

4-15

7-24

0

0

0

2

1

Career

131

125

256

39-220

57-270

9

2

3-36

14

10

Clarion university
magazine

37

sports roundup

C

VEST &
HROVAT
EARN NATIONAL
HONORS
2015 Clarion Sports

Hall of Fame inductees
The Clarion University “Sports Hall of Fame” inducted six new members
on Friday, May 1, 2015 at ceremonies held at Eagle Commons, the new
Dining Hall on Campus. Inductees (seated, left to right, are: Nicolina
(DiLoreto) Pierce (’00, women’s swimming); Dr. Louis “Lou” Tripodi
(1973-2007, honorary – contributor) and Heather Cigich (’05, women’s
basketball). (Standing left to right) Master of Ceremonies Rich Herman,
inductees Dr. William “Bill” English (1972-90, cross country and track
coach), Louis “Lou” Weiers (’87, football) and Francis “Fran” Sirianni (’69,
football, track). Honorees and guests were welcomed by provost Dr. Ron
Nowaczyk. Over 250 guests attended the induction, which also included
a reception prior to the dinner and ceremonies. Founded in 1989, the
Clarion Sports Hall of Fame celebrated its 27th induction class in 2015,
bringing the induction total to 163.

38

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

larion
sophomore
diver Collin
Vest (Larksville)
and veteran
diving coach Dave
Hrovat earned
national honors
from the College
Swim Coaches
Association of
America following
the 2015 NCAA
Division II National
Championships.
Vest, who won the 2015 NCAA Division II One-Meter
national title and placed third on three-meter, was named
the NCAA D-II Male Diver of the Year. In 2014 he also won
the one-meter national championship and was 6th on three
meter. He is now a two-time national champion and a fourtime All-American.
Hrovat, who finished his 25th season at Clarion, was named
the NCAA D-II Men’s Diving Coach of the Year. It was the 24th
time he has won a Coach of the Year award from the CSCAA.
He has won the
men’s award 11
times and the
women’s honor
13 times in his
career.
Hrovat has
coached 44
NCAA champions
and 265 AllAmericans.

sports roundup
KAITLYN JOHNSON

THE ROAD TO RIO – 2016

Kaitlyn Johnson (’11) is the
poster child for the Olympic dream. From
humble beginnings at her local YMCA
pool when she was 4, she has worked her
way to the Olympic trials. She remembers
watching the Olympic Games in first or
second grade and saying to herself, “I want
to be an Olympian someday.”
In December, Johnson qualified for the
2016 U.S. Olympic trials in the 50-meter
freestyle and hopes to qualify next in the
100 free and the 100 butterfly.
“I’m still having fun and I’m still
improving. Let’s see where we are a year
from now,” she said.
Johnson graduated from Uniontown
High in 2007 and placed 6th at the PIAA’s
in the 50-yard freestyle as a senior, but she
did not place in the 100 butterfly. Clarion
head coach Mark VanDyke and former
Eagle great Christina Tillotson Sheets
(’99), a Clarion Hall of Fame inductee and
assistant coach, saw potential in Johnson
and brought her to Clarion.
“You could see she was a diamond in the
rough,” VanDyke said. “She just glided on
top of the water. She had real potential, but
Kaitlyn outworked everyone to get where
she is today. She deserves the credit.”
Johnson was an outstanding swimmer at
Clarion, but her senior year was, in a word,
fantastic.
In 2011 she won all seven events at the
PSAC Championships, including the 50
and 100 free, 100 butterfly and four relays,
was named PSAC Swimmer of the Meet
and went on to earn seven All-America
placings at the NCAA Division II Nationals
in San Antonio. Second in the 100-yard

freestyle and third in the 100 butterfly, she
became a 28-time career All-American (28
is the maximum) and owned nine Clarion
swimming records.
That might have been enough for many
swimmers, but not for Johnson.
“I felt like I hadn’t hit my peak – like there
was more. So I trained for the 2012 Olympic
qualifier and missed the qualifying time in
the 50 free (26.39) by a little more than a
tenth of a second,” Johnson said. She felt
capable of making that qualifying time.

“

I’m still having fun
and I’m still improving.
Let’s see where we are
a year from now.

”

Tillotson recommended Johnson
contact Jim Bocci at the Spire Institute, an
Olympic-style training facility in Geneva,
Ohio. Bocci ended up hiring Johnson to
work and train at Spire, starting in August
2012, which put her in the Olympic hunt.
“The training I received at Spire helped
me push through to my all-time best times
in each event,” she said.
The Olympic long course qualifying time
in the 50 meters is 26.19. In December she
qualified for the 2016 Olympic trials with a
time of 25.92 in Greensboro, N.C. The 100
free qualifying time is 56.49 and the 100
butterfly is 1:01.19. She believes she can
make those cuts as well.
Although getting to the Olympic
trials is extremely rare for any Division II
swimmer, Johnson is not the first Clarion

women’s swimmer to do so. Former
national champion and record holder
Jeanne O’Connor (’84), also a 28-time AllAmerican, went to
the Olympic trials
in 1984 in the 100
backstroke.
Johnson
continues to train.
In May she moved
back home to
Uniontown to
focus every day on
her Olympic trial
run, training at West Virginia University.
Johnson’s training day includes wake-up
at 4 a.m., practice from 5 to 7 a.m. (lift
or swim), run three to five miles, in bed
by 8:30 p.m. Another day mixes in two
swimming sessions or weight training,
giving her six days of workouts and one
day off.
She is also planning an October 2016
wedding to her fiancé Mark Krchnak (’12),
also a former Clarion swimmer.
Johnson recently landed a sponsorship
from Dolfin Swimwear which will run
through the 2016 Olympic trials. She
credits Dave Sheets (’94) former Eagle
All-American and current women’s coach
at Duquesne, for guiding her to the
sponsorship. “Dave gave me some great
advice, I contacted Dolfin, interviewed
with the company, and we came to an
agreement. It’s pretty exciting.”
The 2016 U.S. Olympic trials are June 26
through July 3 in Omaha, Neb. The Games
of the XXXI Olympiad follow Aug. 5–21 in
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Clarion university
magazine

39

Alva Epps Edwards

1975 homecoming queen

40

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

Alumni
Notes
Summer 2015
1967

1978

1986

1972

1979

1987

Andrea (Hereda) Jenkins is retired. She
resides in Ocala, Fla., with her husband,
the Rev. Edward Jenkins II. They have three
children: Katie, Edward III and Timothy.

Susan Moore is a retired graphic designer.
She resides in Norfolk, Va., with her
husband, Jeffrey. Susan has a daughter,
Amber, and a grandson, Evan.

1974

Dennis (’80, ’84) and Theresa (Lahr ’72,
‘98) Wickline reside in Pittsburgh. Dennis
is a senior clinical advisor in the health
economics division of UPMC Health Plan.
He is responsible for building analytic
processes to support the clinical programs
of the health plan.

1976

Gary Daum’s efforts to save the NIH
Community Orchestra in the aftermath
of 9-11 were profiled in New York Times
reporter James Risen’s recent book, “Pay
Any Price,” an analysis of how American life
and culture changed after the 2001 terrorist
attacks. Gary lives in Kensington, Md., with
his wife, Mary, and daughter, Claire. Since
1978 he has been a member of the faculty
at Georgetown Preparatory School, where
he teaches music, computer science and
photography. He also performs with The
Eclectiks, a Celtic fusion band based in
Montgomery County, Maryland.
Dawn (Reitz) Williams recently retired
from Brookville Area School District after
38 years as an elementary school teacher.
She will celebrate her retirement with a
cruise. She resides in Brookville. Dawn has
a daughter, Jessica.

Christine (Holterback) Gerber is a clinical
instructor/supervisor for State University of
NY at Fredonia. She resides in Springville,
N.Y.

Louise (Sottiaux) Schwabenbauer
is director of nursing at University of
Pittsburgh, Titusville. She resides in Oil City.

1980

Doreen (Hawk) Tylinski retired after 34
years of teaching in the Armstrong School
District. She resides in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.,
with her husband, Donald. Doreen has two
children, Andrew and Aleya.

1983

Dr. Erin Miller is the coordinator of the
Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium, The
University of Akron (Ohio), and currently
serves as president of the American
Academy of Audiology, the largest
professional association of audiologists in
the world. She resides in Youngstown, Ohio.

1984

Sue Steis recently graduated form
Indiana University of Pennsylvania with
a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a
minor in psychology. She received the
VANEEP scholarship which provides
upward mobility to employees showing
promise in the field of nursing. She is a
registered nurse for the VA Pittsburgh
Healthcare System, Pittsburgh. She resides
in Kittanning.

Mary Ozechoski is vice president of student
affairs and traditional enrollment for Cedar
Crest College, Allentown. She resides in
Souderton.

Richard and Charlene (Wisniewski ’85)
Hrivnak reside in Pittsburgh. Richard was
recently named to the Plum High School
Distinguished Alumni Association. He is
director of human resources and labor
relations for UPMC and is currently serving
a third term as mayor of Plum Borough.

1989

David and Rae Ann (Ewaskey ’90) Schafer
reside in Eldersburg, Md., with their
children, Alec and Lucy. David is a certified
financial officer for Lift-Off, LLC, Columbia,
Md.

1991

Jane Ryder is a director of client services
for The Editorial Department, LLC, Tucson,
Ariz. She resides in Tucson, with her
husband Zastaury.

1995

Samantha (White) Boucek is senior gifts
processor for Bloomsburg University
Foundation. She resides in Berwick with her
daughter, Kaitlyn.

1999

Michael Chapaloney is executive director
of tourism for the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. He resides in
Harrisburg.

Arturo Pescatore just released his debut
EP, “Another Thorn In My Side,” under the
name Arturo.

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

2000

Christopher McCallion is a freelancer in
the field of video production. He worked
the NBA Finals in Cleveland for NBA
Entertainment. Christopher also works
Indians and Pirates games for MLB and
Columbus Crew MLS games for Time
Warner Cable. He resides in the Cleveland
area with his wife, Anna, and children,
Cassidy and Aiden.

2004

Megan (Trimbur) Gallagher is an assistant
director, engineering advising, for Cornell
University, Ithaca, N.Y. She resides in
Trumansburg, N.Y., with her daughter, Clare.
Jennifer (Ramsdell) Knowlton is director
of marketing and communications for
StoneSprings Hospital Center, Dulles, Va.
She resides in Adlie, Va., with her husband,
David.

2005

Elizabeth (Cipriani) Kuzmicki is a teacher
in the Millcreek Township School District,
Erie. She resides in Erie with her husband,
Jason.
Carrie (Wissinger) Short is associate
director of student financial aid at The
University of Akron (Ohio).
Stephanie (Friend) Divelbliss is a human
resource representative for FirstEngergy
Nuclear Operating Company, Shippingport.
She resides in Pittsburgh with her husband,
David.
Tiffanie (Conaway) Garman is a 5th grade
teacher for Hanover (Pa.) Public School
District. She resides in New Oxford with her
husband, Denton, and daughters, Ava and
Mya.

42

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

2007

Jeff and Megan (Sandeen) Devine reside in
Allison Park. Megan is a behavior specialist/
licensed mobile therapist for Barber
National Institute, Pittsburgh.
The American Association for State and
Local History recently announced that
Brian Fritz is among this year’s recipients
of a Leadership in History award for his
2014 publication, “Scripture Rocks: Why
Douglas Stahlman Carved His Legacy in
Stone.” Brian is a principal investigator for
Quemahoning, LLC. New Castle. He resides
in New Castle with his wife, Amanda.

2008

Stevie (Coble) Posegay is employed with
the North Baltimore (Md.) Aquatic Club.
She resides in Randallstown, Md., with her
husband, Erik, and daughter, Avery.
Marissa Rapone is a marketing coordinator
for Salem Web Network, Richmond, Va. She
resides in Richmond.
Dr. Teagan (Riggs) Hayes is a resident
physician with Washington Health System,
Washington, Pa. She resides in Washington
with her husband, William, and daughter,
Hadley.

2009

James and Emily (Hoover) Weaver reside
in Oil City with their daughter, Lillian. James
is an ARD probation officer for Venango
County Office of Court Supervision. Emily
is an assistant to the executive director
for Clarion Area Chamber of Business and
Industry.
Kelly (DeAugustino) Deasey is a staff
accountant for Connolly, Steele, &
Company, PC, Pittsburgh. She resides in
Pittsburgh.

2010

Josef and Jennifer (Nolan) Gates reside
in Lebanon, Pa. Jennifer is a BHRS
administrator for Pennsylvania Counseling
Services, Lebanon.

2011

Leah Farrell works in trauma administration
for Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh.
Amanda (Rust) Makara is a 4th grade
learning support teacher in New
Kensington-Arnold School District. She
resides in Lower Burrell with her husband,
Jason, and daughter, Madyson.

2012

Nathan and Anna (Ague ‘14) Royer reside
in Youngstown, Ohio, with their children,
Ashton and Carter. Nathan is a manager
for Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Anna is a high
school math teacher at Summit Academy.

2013

Wendy Fossum is a librarian for Lindquist
& Vennum. She runs the technical services
and assists in legal research with a law
firm with more than 150 attorneys in
Minneapolis. She resides in Minneapolis
with her husband, John.
Brandon Teet is an apprentice journey
underground splicer for Duquesne Light
Company, Pittsburgh.
Shane Dawson is a software developer
for Creehan & Company. He resides in
Bridgeville.
Megan Raymond is systems administrator
for Meadville Medical Center. She resides in
Franklin.

In Memoriam
1940s

Reva L. Rack ’41, March 1, 2015
William W. Zeitler ’49, March 1, 2015
John Paul Kapp ’43, March 15, 2015
Helen W. (Weeter) Dreibelbis ’47,
April 2, 2015

1950s

Louis J. Galli ’53, Feb. 7, 2015
Rawlin A. Hilty ’51, Feb. 9, 2015
Mary A. (O’Donnell) Goffus ’56,
Feb. 16, 2015
Marjorie J. (Daum) Petzold ’57,
Feb. 20, 2015
Ralph L. Varrato ’51, March 11, 2015
Elizabeth Ann (Reed) Hanby ’58,
March 15, 2015
Donagene L. (McDowell) DeLong ’56,
April 13, 2015
Joanne Elizabeth Millard ’53, April 15, 2015
Lola E. Maxwell ’51, May 28, 2015
Raymond A. Hogue ’58, June 13, 2015

1960s

Larry R. Whipkey ’64, Dec. 25, 2014
George E. Himes ’67, Feb. 2, 2015
R.R. Walkowiak ’67, Feb. 5, 2015
Joan Carol (Pepperman) O’Brien ’64,
March 5, 2015
Janet (Jenkins) Battis ’67, March 17, 2015
Thomas A. Eshelman ’62, March 28, 2015
Garnet (Lunn) Hormel ’63, April 1, 2015
Paul James Thomas ’65, April 16, 2015
James A. Sheely ’62, April 26, 2015
Richard C. Hohn ’61, May 8, 2015
Sarah S. McMullin ’64, May 25, 2015

1970s

Mark Henry Monge ’72, Jan. 17, 2015
Donald James Graham ’71, Feb. 22, 2015
Richard A. Stokes ’72, Feb. 26, 2015
Raymond E. Hoover ’71, March 10, 2015
Carolyn A. (Levish) McNally ’79,
April 18, 2015
Gary B. Karns ’71, April 26, 2015
John T. Myers ’79, May 8, 2015
Sandra Potter ’71, May 20, 2015
Donna Gail (Best) Kinol ’71, June 2, 2015

1980s

J. Kristan Keppel ’86, Jan. 25, 2015
John Dana Jack ’89, Feb. 8, 2015
Raymond C. Fickes ’86, Feb. 21, 2015
Cheryl Ann Umstead ’89, March 15, 2015
Anna Marie (Gregory) Acklin ’87,
March 18, 2015
Tina L. (Deysher) Huber ’82, May 7, 2015

2000s

Ross Joseph Paulenich ’09, Feb. 24, 2015
Diane Creese ’03, March 2, 2015
Beth-Anne Marie Owens ’05, May 12, 2015
Ronald Michael Yancoskie ’02, May 28, 2015

2010s

Kristy Nicole Young ’10, May 20, 2015

Friends

Susan J. Lemmon, Feb. 16, 2015
Randall J. Sabousky, March 16, 2015
Lee Neely, March 21, 2015
Suzan Albanesi, March 26, 2015
June (McElhattan) Hetrick, April 9, 2015
Amos Wolfgong, May 20, 2015
Jerry Fulmer, May 22, 2015
Dorothy Crawford, May 30, 2015
Michael D. Barrett, June 5, 2015
Larry Elkin, June 11, 2015

marriages
Josef Gates ’10 and Jennifer Nolan ’10,
Oct. 16, 2011
Jeff Devine ’07 and Megan Sandeen ’07,
September 2014
David Divelbliss and Stephanie (’05)
Friend, Jan. 10, 2015

Clarion university
magazine

43

births
Sean (’02) and Amy (Kelso ’05, M.S. ’06)
Daugherty, a son, Evan, June 21, 2013
William and Dr. Teagan (Riggs) Hayes, a
daughter, Hadley Marie, Jan. 31, 2014
Todd and Abby (Burrows ’06) Keck, a
son, Oliver Alan, March 15, 2014
Denton and Tiffanie (Conaway ’05)
Garman, a daughter, Mya KathrynBeatrice, June 13, 2014
Damian and Heather (Good ’10) Hyde, a
son, David Richard, June 13, 2014
Jason and Amanda (Rust ’11) Makara, a
daughter, Madyson, June 16, 2014
Gregory and Allison (Kerr ’06) Brenckle,
a son, Brennan Patrick, Aug. 2, 2014
Nathan and Kelly (Molnar ’99) Wills, a
son, Owen James, Oct. 11, 2014
Ron (’02) and Jessica (Griffith ’04)
Yancoskie, a son, Preston, Oct. 22, 2014
Linas and April (Cole ’06) Ledebur, a
daughter, Olivia Snow, Oct. 31, 2014
Amos and Kim (Foust ’03, M.S. ’05)
Rudolph, a son, Emmett, Nov. 2, 2014
Chris (’00) and Carrie (Schmidt ’02)
Beighley, a son, Owen, Nov. 10, 2014

44

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

Charles and Kristin (Lauer ’08, M.Ed.’13)
Boozer, a son, Waylon Everett, Nov. 20,
2014
Bundy and Nikki (’01) Mackey, a daughter,
Blake Ann, Dec. 3, 2014
Darren and Amy (Johnson) Fedorski, a son,
Mason Alexander, Dec. 21, 2014
Erik (’11) and Megan (Sheehan ’08, M.S.
’10) Whitaker, a son, Henry Erik, Jan. 9,
2015
Dr. Dennis (’01) and Dr. Stacey Slagle, a
daughter, Eliana Jean, Jan. 22, 2015
Erik and Stevie (Coble ’08) Posegay, a
daughter, Avery Ann, Jan. 22, 2015
James (’09) and Emily (Hoover ’09)
Weaver, a daughter, Lillian Rose, Jan. 29,
2015
Jason and Ronice (Nolt ’02) Sceski, a
daughter, Astra, Feb. 7, 2015
Ben and Susan (Sherwin ’02) Radio, a son,
Owen Michael, Feb. 17, 2015
Jason and Miriam (Robertson ’14) Andrus,
a daughter, Gianna Lillie, Feb. 25, 2015
John (’02) and Amber (’11) Alsop-Kimmel,
a son, Niko, Feb. 27, 2015

Michael and Nikki (Plassio ’06) Shannon,
a daughter, Natalie Ireland, Feb. 27, 2015
Derek (’00) and Bethany Pyda, a son,
William Aiden, March 8, 2015
Brad and Jessica (Hummel ’05) Duffola, a
son, Braden, March 16, 2015
Carl (’13) and Tara (Phillips ’06) Martin, a
son, Maxwell Robert, March 21, 2105
Stephen (’04) and Kristen Clark, a son,
Theodore Francis, March 23, 2015
Ken and Carrie (Penwell ’11) Adamo, a
son, Elliot Anthony, March 30, 2015
Chuck and Kelly (Beatty ’95, ’03) Wu, a
son, Ryan Alexander, April 17, 2015
Tim (’05) and Carrie Connolly, a daughter,
Maggie Mae, April 20, 2015
Kurt and Kerry (Smathers ’01) Whitmoyer,
a son, Keefer Garrett, April 23, 2015

babes:
welcome to the world!
bib

Charlie

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 your Eaglet
putting the bib to use, and email a high-resolution photo
to us for inclusion in Clarion University Magazine.

Henry
Jennifer (Baumcratz ’05)
and Jeremy Eisenman,
a son, Charlie John
Eisenman, June 3, 2014

Megan (Sheehan ’08,
M.S. ’10) and Erik (’11)
Whitaker, a son, Henry
Erik Whitaker, Jan. 9, 2015

Eden

Niko

Dirk and Jessica (Dandoy
’05) Matonak, a daughter,
Eden Leigh Matonak, May
20, 2015

Ryan

John Kimmel (’02) and
Amber Alsop-Kimmel (‘11),
a son, Niko Kimmel, Feb. 27,
2015

Kelly (Beatty ’95, ’02) and
Chuck Wu, a son, Ryan Wu,
April 17, 2015

Clarion university
magazine

45

Embraceable
memories
A sentiment often expressed
during a time of bereavement is to
take comfort in memories of the
loved one who has passed. Those
memories can help to soothe the
pain, and that’s the basis of the
concept of memory bears, offered
in conjunction with Clarion Forest
Visiting Nurses Association’s
hospice program.
“Memory bears are a special project of
the hospice volunteers,” according to the
Clarion Forest VNA website. “These caring
volunteers create a unique bear from
an article of clothing that the family has
selected of the deceased patient.”
When Barb Beggs (’74, M.Ed. ’78) retired
after more than 30 years of teaching
high school English, she volunteered to
do clerical work for VNA. The volunteer
coordinator asked her if she wanted to join
the group of volunteers who make memory
bears.
Beggs’ retirement gift to herself had
been a new sewing machine, and she
decided it would be a good way to use the
machine and her sewing skills. She’s been
making the bears for about two years.
“The family has the option to bring
in clothing indicative of the deceased
person’s life,” Beggs said. She has used
favorite articles of clothing, including
denim shirts, nightgowns, T-shirts and
sweatshirts. “It depends on what the family
wants.”

46

Summer 2014
2015
www.clarion.edu

Beggs said it takes between four and six
hours to create a bear.
“Cutting it out is like a puzzle,” she said.
She’s particular about matching designs or
plaids. When the fabric is stretchy – such
as a sweatshirt – she lines it so that it
maintains its shape.
“It takes about half-an-hour to an hour to
cut out, about an hour to sew, and an hour
to an hour-and-a-half to stuff,” she said.
“Sometimes I make clothes – a vest or a
jacket, a hair bow, headband or hat. Those
are more six-hour projects.”
She has created close to 50 bears. When
she completes the project, she returns it to
VNA’s bereavement counselor, who delivers
it to the family. Beggs said she does not
meet the people for whom she makes the
memory bears.

These caring
volunteers
create a unique
bear from
an article of
clothing that
the family
has selected
of the deceased
patient.

Beggs, however, also makes bears for
people outside of her work at VNA, and
in those cases, she is able to see how
meaningful the bear is to a grieving family
member.
One such instance involves her neighbors
and good friends, Jim (’74) and Sally Staab,
who recently lost Jim’s mother. The Staabs
asked Beggs to create a bear, which they
presented to their daughter, Megan (’04).
The article of clothing they selected was
a “Clarion University Grandma” sweatshirt
that Megan had given to her grandmother.
Beggs set to work creating the bear. She
wanted to incorporate the entire design
of the shirt, but the challenge was space.
Ultimately she decided to use the “Clarion”
and “University” portions of the shirt to
make the bear’s arms, and the rest of the
design became the bear’s front.
“It was a labor of love,” Jim Staab said.
“It was meaningful to us to have (a memory
bear), but it was more meaningful to have
had Barb make it.”

The article of clothing they
selected was a “Clarion University
Grandma” sweatshirt that Megan
had given to her grandmother.

Beggs, with
Jim Staab,
set to work
creating the
bear.

Clarion university
magazine

47

Courageous

endeavors

Clare Novak ’76

Clarion was my first experience away
from home. Clarion Speech Team, coached
by Jane Elms, also gave me my first
experiences of being on the road. I loved
traveling, and those first experiences set
the tone for my unexpected career path as
a consultant for leadership development,
working at home and abroad. Since my
Clarion days, I’ve worked in Canada, Egypt,
Kuwait, Pakistan and Ukraine, as well as
visiting or working in 45 of the United
States.
My bachelor’s degree is in secondary
education. I completed my master’s
degree to teach on the college level.
My educational experiences converged
to give me the skills to start my own
business as a consultant focusing on
leadership development. Most recently, I
lived in Pakistan for two years and worked
on a USAID project with the electrical
distribution utilities. My work there was in
human resources and training.

“

I lived in Pakistan for
two years and worked
on a USAID project
with the electrical
distribution utilities.”

SHARE

your

Courageous.

confident.

Clarion.

STORY

48

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu

SHARE

your

STORY
Courageous. confident. Clarion.
is the new tagline associated with the university’s
new brand.

Read Clare’s story

At www.clarion.edu/shareyourstory

you can see the stories of how Clarion
students, faculty, and alumni help each
other—in both big and small ways—to
reach a goal, overcome an obstacle, or just
open a new door.

It is about the perseverance and passion—in
a word, the grit—of Clarion University students,
faculty, and alumni who are striving to meet,
head-on, the challenges of the 21st century.
It’s also about the strength and resilience—
the grace—that they exhibit as they adapt and
innovate not only to achieve personal success but
also to further the greater good of the region and
the state.

We’d love to hear your Courageous.

Confident. Clarion. story, too. Send it,
plus a photo of yourself, to myclarionstory
@mindovermedia.com.

Want to see an example? Read Clare
Novak’s story in this edition of the
magazine.

Clarion university

Clarion University is an affirmative action equal opportunity
employer.
magazine

49

nonprofit org.
u.s. postage
paid
permit no. 2
clarion, pa

840 Wood Street
Clarion, PA 16214-1232
www.clarion.edu

Clarion
University

2015 homecoming weekend
October 2-3, 2015
clarion.edu/alumni
––––––––––

highlights

–––––––––––

Friday, Oct. 2 – Meet the CUAA Board Members, Homecoming Headquarters Gathering
Saturday, Oct. 3 – Alumni Association Parade Reception, Autumn Leaf Festival Parade,
Eagle Endzone Alumni Party, post-game party

50

For more information and schedule of events, visit www.clarion.edu/alumniweekend.
For questions regarding homecoming weekend, call the Alumni Relations Office at 814-393-2572.

Summer 2015
www.clarion.edu