11sum alumni herald

6|Saving a National Wildlife Landmark 24|Meet the Alumni Boardin this issue

Alumni HeraldEast Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Summer 2011 Volume 22, No. 3

Teacher Education Program Provides Graduates Distinct Advantage

Page 3

My PDS (Professional Development Schools) experience was an eye-opener into the true teaching profession.

“”Carrie Fisher ’11, who completed

her student teaching work this spring at Ramsey Elementary School in Stroudsburg and graduated in May.

Detzi triplets ’79 after 32 years... still a unique story

0

Honorary Doctorate toC. A. Tony McMunn ’69

Page 19

ESU Alumni Herald

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ESU Alumni Herald ESU Alumni Herald

Notice of Nondiscrimination

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin,

religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran’s status in its programs and activities in

accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding this policy:

Director of Diversity/Ombudsperson, 200 Prospect Street, 115 Reibman

Building, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301 570-422-3656

Robert J. Dillman, Ph.D. University President

Frank Falso President and CEO ESU Foundation

Editor Mike Saraka

Director of Alumni Engagement

Design and Production Office of University Relations

Photography Shane Izykowski Jeff Phillips ’07

Phil Stein Bob Weidner

ContributorsRyan Baumuller

BGA StudiosSusan Field

Brenda E. Friday, Ph.D.Greg Knowlden M’04Jennifer Leckstrom

Marilyn J. LoPresti ’08Phyllis RaffertyBetty S. RussoMike Saraka

Douglas F. SmithChristine Tatu ’08

Melanie VanDerveer ’11Sheree B. Watson

Bob Weidner

Dear Friends:

With summer classes in session and the fall semester quickly approaching — some reflections on what has been happening at ESU.

As the spring semester came to a close, the state budget outlook, while still challenging, got at least somewhat brighter.

In March, Governor Tom Corbett proposed a plan that threatened a 50 percent reduction in state funding to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. This was a dire prospect that inevitably and reluctantly would have meant higher percentage increases in tuition, and likely would have put an education at ESU and other state universities out of reach for many.

Then in May, state House Republicans introduced a budget plan that would restore some of these cuts to public and higher education. Under this plan, the state university system allocation would amount to a 15 percent reduction. While this is definitely a move in the right direction, we of course do not yet know what the final numbers will be.

We know that we will be tightening our belt with fewer funds in the coming year. Now it is just a matter of finding out how tight the belt must be. We remain committed to providing a quality education

at a reasonable cost, no matter how uncertain and uncomfortable the economic times.

And quality education is just what our cover story on ESU’s Professional Development School is all about, in so many ways. This program partners ESU with local schools to provide an enhanced classroom experience for students in our education programs. Not only do our students learn how to teach in a truly hands-on way, but they also gain extra experience that is making a real difference when they enter the job market. School districts know that ESU graduates teachers who have already had full classroom experience, and our education majors are first to be hired.

In fact, this issue is full of ESU success stories, whether it is Tony McMunn ’69 who received a rare Honorary Doctorate and whose story is inspirational, Alicia Marinelli M’07 whose sports management degree has been instrumental in her work for the IronPigs, or Dave Dunning ’74, a Fortune 150 corporate president who inspired all who heard him deliver the May undergraduate commencement address.

And finally, I will mention that I have announced my decision to retire next year, after having the privilege of serving this university for more than 15 years. There are a number of strategic projects I look forward to completing in the year ahead, which I expect to be very busy and productive. And then, as of June 30, 2012, I look forward to having some real quality time to spend with my family.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Dillman, President

Alumni HeraldThe Alumni Herald is the official publication for

East Stroudsburg University’s alumni and is published three times a year.

Please address all correspondence to:

Office of Alumni Engagement East Stroudsburg University Foundation

200 Prospect St.East Stroudsburg, PA 18301

(570) 422-3530 (800) 775-8975

Fax: (570) 422-3301

E-Mail: [email protected] site: www.esufoundation.org

Opening Remarks

Summer 2011 Table of Contents 1

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ESU FoundationAhnert Alumni Center 800-775-8975www.esufoundation.org

Frank FalsoPresident and Chief Executive Office

Betty RussoVice President for Development

Mike SarakaDirector of Alumni Engagement

Brooke DonovanAssistant Director of Alumni Engagement

Greg WilsonMajor/Planned Giving Officer

John RossMajor/Planned Giving Officer

Ryan BaumullerDirector of Special Projects

Angela BeersDirector of Corporate and Foundation Relations

Belinda DiazDirector of Information Systems

Laurel BruceProspect Research Analyst

Bill GuslerAssistant Director of the Annual Fund

Ayla SiemonAssistant Director of the Annual Fund/Phonathon

Christine PrinceSenior Accountant

Michelle Ljubicich ’05Special Events/Stewardship Manager

Wendy DickinsonGift Processor and Donor Records Specialist

Laurie Schaller ’10Executive Assistant and Scholarship Funds Administrator

Marion WeidmanAdministrative Assistant to the Vice President

Chris Morris-ErnestBookkeeper

Phyllis RaffertyAdministrative Support Specialist

Board of Directors

Mark J. Mecca ’96President

James T. “Rocky” Rogers ’85Vice President

Anne M. Morton ’96 Secretary

James R. Barchiesi ’05Kevin C. Broadhurst ’99 David J. Comiciotto ’91

Edward J. Curvey ’63Kelly (Oswald) Fox ’94

Barrett Trevor Gouge ’94William J. Horvath ’70

Gail A. Kulick ’88Jesse W. Landon ’81

Marcus S. Lingenfelter ’95Ted E. Martz ’47

Christie (Everett) Mendez ’98Shirley (Neas) Merring ’57

Charles J. Morton ’64

James B. Nesbitt, Jr. ’74Lanae S. Patton ’11Brian A. Pedone ’05

Bernard A. Peruso M’91Ritchey J. Ricci ’65

Michael J. Romano, Jr. ’74Collette Ryder ’96Paul A. Scheuch 71

Paul E. Shemansky ’96Richard D. Vroman ’67

Christopher S. Yeager ’74Lawrence A. Zaccaro ’77

EmeritiEugenia S. Eden ’72

Dr. Betty (Collins) Henrie ’44Bryan L. Hill ’71

James “Pat” Hyde ’63 Phyllis M. Kirschner ’63

Dr. Frank Michael Pullo ’73 Dr. Faye (Dallmeyer) Soderberg ’58

Virginia (Hauserman) Sten ’71John E. Woodling ’68

DepartmentsMessage to alumni, inside front coverUpcoming Events ..............................28In Memoriam .................................... 28“Who’s Doing What”..........................30

FeaturesESU team makes way for return of native plants ...........................6Sigma Pi makes a comeback at ESU ............................................8ESU students benefit from NASA partnership .............................15Sheska retires as men’s soccer coach after 29 years .................16Meet the new director of alumni engagement ............................ 23Meet the new alumni board members ........................................24Lehigh Valley IronPigs host “ESU Night” .....................................26Nassau County Police Department home to 2 ESU alums.......... 29

Cover StoriesReal-World Teaching:Professional Development School(PDS) program paying off in job market

3

Detzi triplets learned value of teamwork at ESU10

At left Carrie Fisher ’11, B.S., Elementary Education, student teaching through the PDS program at the Ramsey Elementary School in Stroudsburg.

Honorary Doctorate to C. A. Tony McMunn ’6919

Births ................................................32Weddings ..........................................32Giving Opportunities , inside back cover

ESU Alumni Herald2


The second semester has been a busy time at the ESU Foundation. Our team has put in a great deal of time and energy on developing further enhancements to our ESU Foundation website, making it more functional and user-friendly. You’ll find information about upcoming events, blogs, news about alumni and photos of alumni, students and campus.

You can access the online community, WarriorsNation, using your alumni ID found in the mailing address box for this magazine. Please take a moment to visit our sites at esufoundation.org or esualumni.org and let us know what you think!

Our new alumni engagement director, Mike Saraka, working closely with our Alumni Association board, has begun to put together a wide range of new programs and services to better respond to the needs of our alumni body.

We are particularly pleased with our newly revamped alumni awards process and how it more efficiently allows our most noteworthy alumni to be recognized for their service and achievements. Take a moment to review the awards available and the nomination process at our website by visiting esualumni.org/awards.

I think you will enjoy reading blogs posted by Krysta Weiss ’11 at esualumni.org/yablog on student experiences and now as an alumna facing the challenges of life after college.

In addition, Mike and the board are pleased to announce a new approach to celebrating Homecoming at ESU. We’ve followed many other institutions by merging Alumni Weekend and Homecoming into one larger event which recognizes reunion classes and alumni award honorees at the same time. This new format also provides more opportunities for alumni to attend a variety of events and allows us to recognize our alumni in a more cost effective manner without sacrificing quality or quantity.

The Foundation’s fundraising teams have been working feverishly to help ESU respond to our ever expanding

financial needs in the face of these most challenging and uncertain economic times.

As President Dillman points out, we remain committed to our mission to provide a high quality education at a reasonable cost. Certainly, private contributions from our alumni and friends will play a greater and increasingly important role in that pursuit, especially through annual scholarships and financial aid designed to help keep an ESU education affordable.

Our ESU Annual Fund provides an opportunity for you to impact students with your charitable gift. If you have already made your gift to the ESU Annual Fund through the Foundation this year, please accept our heartfelt thanks.

If you haven’t made your annual fund gift yet, you may do so online at esufoundation.org/givenow. The site is secure and allows you to restrict your gift to an area that interests you.

I am very happy to let you know that the ESU Foundation and Alumni Association boards have decided to participate in separate but coordinated strategic planning processes to better respond to the ever-changing and complex issues facing our alumni and the University. This exercise will ensure we are best prepared to support the University’s strategic needs as we develop and carry out our yearly plans for our own alumni and development programs and services. I look forward to sharing more on this exciting endeavor in our next Alumni Herald issues.

Finally, I must salute President Dillman for his outstanding work on behalf of ESU and our alumni body during his 15-year tenure as ESU’s 12th president. Surely he will be missed when he leaves the university next year, but we wish Dr. and Mrs. Dillman the very best during their well-deserved retirement!

Sincerely,

Frank FalsoPresident and CEO

ESU Foundation, Inc.

CEO’s Focus: Alumni and Your University

Summer 2011 3

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Students who are learning to be teachers enter local classrooms

as part of a learning community in ESU’s Professional Development Schools Program are at the forefront of a growing national trend.

A professional development school is a partnership between a university’s teacher education programs and local schools, and provides graduates with a distinct advantage when heading into a tight job market.

“Our teacher candidates spend a great deal more time in classrooms learning alongside master teachers than the ‘typical’ student teaching experience,” says Dr. Pat Pinciotti, special assistant to the dean for ESU’s elementary education PDS program. While there are also PDS relationships in the university’s special education, secondary education, and health and physical education departments, the elementary program is the largest and most comprehensive.

The year-long student experience in a Professional Development School includes two consecutive days each week as an apprentice in a local classroom, working alongside a master teacher for one semester. This means the ESU apprentice teachers already have about 150 hours of school experience before returning to the same classroom for one half of their student teaching semester.

“My PDS experience was an eye-opener into the true teaching profession,” says Carrie Fisher ’11, who completed her student teaching work this spring, working with teacher Ann Horvath at Ramsey Elementary School in Stroudsburg.

“I was able to see how a full day happens,” said Fisher, who graduated

in May with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education. “In prior experiences, I would come in and teach one solitary lesson but through this experience I was able to teach consecutive lessons and see changes in the students’ understanding of the concept being taught.”

Traditional short-term student teaching programs can leave student teachers feeling like guests in the classroom, with little opportunity for involvement or input. The year-long PDS relationship combines the resources of the university and schools to create a new culture that spans old boundaries, driven by student needs.

“They become an integral part of the life of our school and an important presence in the lives of our students,” says Mary Bowers, a Ramsey Elementary teacher. “It is wonderful to have future professionals who are blending the concepts learned in the classroom at ESU with the classroom of primary age students.”

Fisher appreciated the chance to work with the same class for a full school year, and to see the changes in those students from the beginning of the year to the end.

“It is remarkable, especially when you

think how you made a difference in that child’s life by working with them,” she said.

“Having been an elementary school principal, I clearly see the difference in preparation,” says Dr. Andrew Whitehead, chair of the Department of Early Childhood Education. “Our students are better prepared for the challenge of the classroom. Our candidates have the professional edge and principals can see that.”

This extra time in the classroom also is giving ESU graduates an edge when they look for teaching jobs after graduation.

“They often look more like second-year teachers in their first position, confident and competent,”

Real-WorldTeaching

Continued on next page

Professional Development

School program paying off

in job market

Chis Spinogatti ’11, B.S., elementary education, student teaching at Ramsey Elementary in Stroudsburg.

ESU Alumni Herald4


Pinciotti says, noting that PDS graduates gain strong planning and assessment skills, have better classroom management, incorporate more strategies to reach students from diverse backgrounds and abilities, and find ways to provide more meaningful, integrated learning.

“I have seen the PDS program aid in the development of a more professional, refined and confident teacher,” says Gail Kulick ’88, principal of Resica Elementary School in the East Stroudsburg School District.

The program gives prospective teachers the opportunity to “try out” different strategies, and then to refine their skills during student teaching. In a job interview, ESU graduates stand apart with the extent of their experience.

“Our students are often offered jobs on the spot at job fairs across the country, because they know the rigor of the PDS experience and the quality teacher this produces,” says Pinciotti. “Yes, there are challenges in this economy ... but if there is a job ... our ESU students are at the front of the line.”

ESU’s Professional Development School program began in 1999 as an option for students. As of fall 2003, all students intending to be certified

in elementary education K-6th grade must participate in the two-semester program. Pinciotti coordinates the elementary education program’s university and school faculty members, as well as the students.

The university now partners with 17 schools in the Bethlehem, Easton, East Stroudsburg, Pleasant Valley and Stroudsburg districts. The PDS theme, “Where Everyone is a Learner,” summarizes the program’s four distinct functions: improve the clinical preparation of new teachers, enhance the professional development of existing teachers, promote innovation and hands-on research to improve instruction, and provide quality education for pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade students.

Dr. Gina R. Scala, a former special education administrator and chair of the Special Education and Rehabilitation Department, believes this model reinforces the integrated

coursework and collaborative relationships across faculty in the PDS program.

“The students see what true collaboration is and how it functions with a high degree of flexibility and consistency,” Scala says.

“In addition, the integrated assignments foster a real sense of across-curriculum planning that will result in increased achievement for the students as well as the students they teach. Finally, the Collaboration in the Inclusionary Practices class is integrated into the entire PDS curriculum, which supports the need to plan for all students and to integrate students into schools successfully.”

Teachers at the partner schools benefit from having extra help in their classrooms, and also from the exchange of ideas.

“For my class, it means more small-group instruction, more opportunities for my students to be heard, and more opportunities to experience best practices,” says Stacey Leon, a fifth-grade teacher at Governor Wolf Elementary School in Bethlehem. “Not only are they benefitting from these amazing lessons and opportunities, but I am also learning.”

Dr. Pamela Kramer Ertel, dean of the College of Education, agrees that the learning spreads many ways.

Continued

I have seen the PDS program aid in the development of a more professional, refined and confident teacher.

“”Principal Gail Kulick ’88,

Resica Elementary School in the East Stroudsburg School District

Lindsay Williams ’11 engages young students at Ramsey Elementary School in Stroudsburg this spring.

She graduated in May with a bachelor of science

degree in elementary/ special education.

Summer 2011 5

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“The ESU students are learning cutting-edge strategies and ideas in their classes, and can bring that to the elementary classrooms,” she says. “The elementary teachers also give the PDS students ideas. The mentor teachers feel like they’re having an influence on the next generation of teachers.”

The PDS concept is based on the model of a teaching hospital.

“There are some things — many things — that you cannot teach in the college classroom about a profession. You must experience it in an authentic context, like doctors and lawyers,” says Pinciotti. “I remember that the first day one fall, our students were in their new PDS classroom: September 11, 2001. How could we teach that in our college class … how to act in a national crisis as a teacher? You had to be there, see it, feel it.”

Pinciotti gives a vivid description of the transformation students go through in the program.

“The semester begins and they think like college students ... it is all about them, their grades, their needs, their view of teaching from the student’s side of the desk, their view of children, culture, diversity.”

And then, just about mid-semester, their thinking and attitude starts to change.

“They begin to refer to ‘my students,’ ‘my classroom,’ ‘my

school,’ in ‘my community,’ ‘the conversation I had with my mentor,’” Pinciotti notes. “They begin thinking like teachers. … Their reflections on lessons become richer, more authentic, more connected to the practice of teaching. Their thinking shifts to being all about the

children and their learning. … and in the process they become better learners and teachers.”

She acknowledges that it is not always an easy process.

“There is a lot of performance anxiety in the beginning, false starts, high expectations, learning to handle constructive feedback, questioning, and self-doubt. For those who have had the enjoyment of the ‘college life,’ the challenges seem to be harder, to daily perform as a professional, to be accountable for student success, to consistently think and act from the other side of the desk … this

can be a challenge.“But it is a worthwhile journey

when they are successful in student teaching. And when they get that first job, they look back and know it was worth every minute.”

The program is also labor-intensive for those teaching in the program as well.

“It takes tremendous commitment on the part of the faculty to really do this well,” says Kramer Ertel. “You are trying to support the students, support the faculty, try to be a good partner and collaborate and problem-solve.”

Extended time at the PDS site and continuing support from the university are essential to implement a Professional Development School program, she says, one of the main reasons why other universities don’t offer it.

“I try to advocate to keep these things going, even though there’s some extra cost involved,” the dean says. “It becomes harder as the budget gets crunched tighter.”

The program is one worth fighting for, Kramer Ertel says.

“The PDS is opening students’ eyes,” she says. “They know they have to work really hard and become committed to the profession. They get a picture of how complex teaching really is, and the professional expectations.”

This ultimately increases the teacher retention rate. “In the end, starting their professional lives in a PDS learning community helps prevent them from leaving, because they know that they’re getting into and the rewards of teaching.”

And, the value of the program is reaching beyond teachers and student teachers.

“When we have parents requesting that their son or daughter be placed with a teacher because that teacher has a history of mentoring East Stroudsburg University’s pre-service teachers, we know we are doing something right,” says Leon. “For that, I am tremendously grateful.”By Susan Field and Kim de Bourbon

Elementary education major

Agatha Patrick ’11 spends time with

eager students at Ramsey

Elementary School in Stroudsburg.

Apprentice Teachers Host Elementary

Students on CampusESU hosted more than 65 third-grade students from Donegan Elementary School in Bethlehem in April, showing them what a day on campus is like.

Twenty-five elementary education majors who are part of the Professional Development School program conducted activities for the third-graders in the morning and took them to the ESU dining hall for lunch.

After lunch, the students watched a planetarium show and then joined Earth Day celebrations on the quad.

The day ended with a tour of campus on their way to Kemp Library for an environmental story reading.

ESU Alumni Herald 6


It is clear and warm as the mid-morning sun peeks through the trees at the Tannersville Cranberry Bog. On this day in early April, looking across a newly-cleared 40-foot stretch of peat and moss,

Dr. Raymond Milewski describes his hopes for the space.

“Rare plants used to grow here,” said Milewski, associate professor of biology and chair of the steward-ship committee for the bog, which is owned by The Nature Conservancy. “We cleared the wild plants out on a test basis to see what will happen. Hopefully, the added sunlight will allow those rare plants to bloom again.”

More than a year ago, Milewski submitted a pro-posal to The Nature Conservancy for permission to clear areas to give the native plants a chance to reap-pear near the bog’s boardwalk. After the plan was ap-proved, Milewski led a group of ESU students, alumni, and a retired faculty member to work Saturdays in fall, winter and early spring. Volunteers removed trees, shrubs, and invasive plants out of three designated ar-eas. The removed vegetation was converted to mulch.

Milewski hopes to see the return of plants he used to see growing in the bog, such as yellow-eyed grasses, a rare white-fringed orchid, rose pogonia orchids, some rare sedges and various carnivorous plants.

“In early 1986 or 1987 when this area was open, I met an old man, who remembered back to the ’20s and ’30s when the space was full of orchids. He said people used to pick the flowers for the altars for one of the local churches,” said Milewski, who has a doctorate in plant ecology and has worked at ESU since 1979. “We’d like to get those orchids back again.”

The project space was chosen in part because it is a spot where naturalists stop to talk dur-ing their educational tours. “We want to create

something that will be a vista, where you can look across and see vegetation,” Milewski said.

Two additional areas have been cleared to encourage the growth of sedges, cotton grass, bog

rosemary, pale laurel and cranberry. An endangered species of butterfly, the cranberry-bog copper, needs cranberries for its caterpillars to feed on.

Though the desired vegetation hasn’t grown in the bog for decades, Milewski explained that seed banks stay preserved in the moss and are still viable

for years buried in wetlands and bogs. If the test areas are successful, Milewski plans to propose a new vegeta-tion management plan for other areas of the bog.

The project has been a valuable experience for students.

“I am passionate about environmental issues, and the plant management project provided me with a hands-on way to help with ecological management,” said Victoria Schaller, a graduate student in biology in-terested in conservation management and restoration.

Another graduate student, Jennifer Vranicar, is working on creating an educational bulletin board for the parking lot at the bog.

A bog is a wetland dominated by a dense growth of sphagnum moss, underlain by peat rather than mineral soils, and having acidic water. The Tanners-ville Cranberry Bog, located on Cranberry Creek, is a prime example of a boreal bog — a wetland typically found in northern latitudes. Its moss acts like a wet, spongy air conditioner, which allows plants found in more northern climes to grow there. The Tannersville bog is the southernmost boreal bog east of the Mis-sissippi River and is designated as a National Wildlife Landmark.

The Cranberry Bog is 100 acres and the reserve to protect the bog is nearly 1,000 acres. A

boardwalk suspended on floating barrels was installed in the 1980s, to allow for guided

tours. Another loop of boardwalk was installed by the Air National Guard in the early ’90s. The bog is not open to the public, but guided tours are offered regularly.

By Susan Field

For more information on the Tannersville Cranberry Bog and guided walking tours, call the Monroe County Environmental Education Center, (570) 629-3061.

Saving the Tannersville Cranberry Bog, a National Wildlife Landmark

ESU Team Makes Way for Return of Native Plants

We want to create something that will be a vista, where you can look across and see vegetation.

“

Dr. Raymond Milewski (pictured above)Associate professor of biology Chair of Tannersville Cranberry Bog stewardship committee

Summer 2011 7


Saving the Tannersville Cranberry Bog, a National Wildlife Landmark

ESU Team Makes Way for Return of Native Plants

BOG POGONIA ORCHIDS:Copyright © 2009 Prem Subrahmanyam, All Rights Reserved. Used with permissionCOTTON GRASS: Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS

We want to create something that will be a vista, where you can look across and see vegetation.”

Dr. Raymond Milewski (pictured above)Associate professor of biology Chair of Tannersville Cranberry Bog stewardship committee

Graduate student Nick Ernst is working on an ornithology

grant and thesis.

ESU Alumni Herald 8


Sigma Pi Makes a Comeback at ESU

Founding Alumni Members Take on Extensive Renovations in a

Quest to Bring Their Fraternity Back to its Original Grandeur

TopThe Sigma Pi house on

Smith Street in East Stroudsburg in 1966.

Above Bill Horvath ’70 (red cap)

and Jeffrey Dennis ’69 put the finishing touches on the

Sigma Pi living room.

At right From left, Sigma Pi alumni Bill Horvath ’70, Karl Dickl

’63, Jeffrey Bruno ’84, Al Urban ’74, Marlin Evans

’68, Chris Yeager ’74, Charlie Breidinger ’69,

Larry Moyer ’64 and John Gudikunst ’63.

Summer 2011 9


A group of young men is trying to revive Sigma Pi, the East Stroudsburg University fraternity whose late-night parties and run-ins with the law led to its charter revocation in 2006.

Neighbors can breathe a sigh of relief, however.Members of what was once known as the white party

house on the hill are working to reinstate their charter under the guidance of their founding members. Their new philosophy focuses on community outreach and academic achievement, said Beta Psi Chapter President Zach Kaytes.

“We aren’t looking for guys with the party mentality. We have a target on our back. Any little mistakes we make will be blown up into a big deal,” said the ESU junior.

In contrast to their predecessors, the new members have vowed to have a “dry house” that does not allow alcohol.

They’ve also started a series of fundraising events on campus, including an annual wiffleball tournament started last year which raised $5,000 for the American Heart Association.

The fraternity was denounced by the university and its own national chapter in December 2006 when then-members were found to have violated policies on alcohol and hazing.

“At that time, Sigma Pi had fallen behind on its bills, on its mortgage, on its taxes, water bill and electricity bill,” said founding member Larry “Doc” Moyer ’64.

Moyer served as president of the local chapter from 1963-64, when the fraternity was in its heyday. The

fraternity has been part of ESU since 1961, and was the first to come to campus. The Smith Street house is owned by the fraternity’s alumni.

“We were pioneers. We were well received. All the visible leaders in the sports on campus were part of the fraternity,” he said.

Shortly after the group’s charter was revoked, founding members returned to the house to find it in ruins.

“They took out the walls. They took out the mantle, which we found in the woods. They took out the plumbing, the wiring, the bathroom fixtures and every piece of furniture,” Moyer said.

In 2007, the founding members began undertaking extensive renovations on the house, which had been deemed uninhabitable by East Stroudsburg Borough officials.

In January 2010, nine ESU students moved in. In November 2010, another 28 men were initiated into the group, which will be considered a colony until they can reinstate their charter.

ESU officials banned the group from receiving another charter for five years, a term that will expire this December, just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Beta Psi.

Kaytes said the local group has grown to fifty members.

By Christina Tatu ’08

Reprinted courtesy of the Pocono Record

ESU students hold the Sigma Pi flag after being inducted into the newly revived fraternal organization.

ESU Alumni Herald 10


When the Detzi triplets of Wind Gap graduated from high school, only two of them had intentions of going on to college. But Joe, John and Jeff all had to make the decision.

“Our father said it was all of us or none of us going to college, so we had to convince Joe to go,” said Jeff.

Joe ended up being glad he went. “Without my dad forcing us to make the decision together, none of this would have happened,” he said.

Once the decision was made, only one school was on their minds – East Stroudsburg University. And a little football recruiting didn’t hurt one bit.

The three brothers were the only set of identical triplets playing college football at the time, according to Joe, and because of that, received a lot of publicity for the college. And with two sets of twins also on the team at the same time, there was plenty of talk, on the field and off.

In their four years of playing football at ESU, the team won every game but three, and played in three

conference championships, including the 1978 game that won ESU the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference title. Publicity came in all forms for the triplets and the school, including photos in Sports Illustrated.

“Producers of the TV show ‘To Tell the Truth’ saw the article in the New York Daily News and called the university,” said Joe. “We got a lot of attention because of being triplets, and then more attention because of football.”

The Detzis were on the show in 1977 when they were sophomores, and remember watching it in the common area of Laurel Hall, where they lived.

After graduation in 1979, the trio went their separate ways for a while.

Jeff, an education major, taught seventh grade for

Triple Sense of Teamwork

Summer 2011 11


three years after college. He also tried out for professional football.

John, an economics major, served in the Navy from 1982 until 1987.

Joe, a recreation major, stayed in the area to help out with the family restaurant, Detzi’s Tavern. The popular Wind Gap restaurant and bar was opened in 1960 by their parents, Mary and LeRoy “Reno” Detzi, and all three boys worked there as they grew up.

Life eventually brought the brothers back together.

“My father passed away in 1982 and the business fell into our laps,” said Jeff.

Joe ran the restaurant until 1990,when John came back to Wind Gap. Jeff followed in 1996, and the triplets continue to manage the family business to this day.

They thank football for helping them develop the teamwork needed to keep the tavern going.

“A lot of what helps us work together so well was growing up together paralleled with the football career we had. There’s teamwork you need to have. We have it here and had it at ESU,” said Jeff. “It’s a tough business to run and you need to cooperate and have teamwork. We have that here with our staff as well.”

Some of the triplets’ favorite memories are of their time living on campus. They all agreed that some of their best times in school were spent

Triple Sense of Teamwork

Jeff Detzi, Joe Detzi and John Detzi, all 1979 graduates, relax outside Detzi’s Tavern in Wind Gap, which they own and operate together, using teamwork skills gained on the Warrior football field.

Continued on next page

Learned at ESU



Continued

on the football field. They also said they’ll never forget their professors. And since the three of them are in ESU’s Athletics Hall of Fame, the memories will live on forever.

“We had some tremendous teachers that I’ll never forget. The friendships with our teammates and everyone at the school are great remembrances of ESU,” said Jeff.

The ESU memories don’t stop there.“I was thrilled my daughter Alexa went to ESU.

She played women’s basketball, and was a sports management major,” Jeff said. John’s stepdaughter Erica graduated from ESU this year.

Detzi’s Tavern gives back to the community and gets involved every chance they get. They will be entering their wings into the Pocono Wing-Off this year for the seventh time. They are also involved in a charity golf event in Wind Gap to help build a new YMCA.

“We get nice support from the community,” said Jeff. “ESU has been very good to us, so we give back.”

The sports-themed restaurant has changed a little over the years. New menu items and an addition are the biggest changes. Jeff runs the kitchen and Joe and John run the front of the house. A few things are constant – sports and ESU memorabilia on the walls and at least one of the triplets are at the restaurant during working hours.

“We are not absentee owners. We are here everyday,” said Jeff. “It’s a family place that’s family run and unique.”

Detzi’s Tavern, 570 Lehigh Ave. (Route 512), Wind Gap. www.detzistavern.com.

By Melanie VanDerveer ’11

Football triple play. The Detzi triplets from Wind Gap, Pennsylvania, linebacker Joe (left), offensive linemen John (center), and Jeff gave triple trouble to opponents during the late 1970s.


Food Football Fireworks Fun Festivities

ESUALUMNI.ORG/HOMEcOMING

H o m E c o m i N G 2 0 1 1

You Can Come Home again!Friday, October 21 • Saturday, October 22 • Sunday, October 23

Kick Off ESU’s Homecoming With Our Fireworks Spectacular!

Celebrate the Night Warrior Style!

Three Days of Exciting Activities

Join Us For Any and/or All of the Events

See Schedule on Back Cover



Profiles of Aspiring Young AlumniFutures Transformed...

Meet Justin ’11 ESU = Opportunities“Your education can be whatever you want it to be. You just have to put your mind to it,” says Justin Cirone, East Stroudsburg University Class of 2011. Justin has recently put his mind to laying the foundation for a medical degree through his ESU coursework. With a double major in Biology and Spanish, a minor in Chemistry, and some high scores on his MCAT exams, Justin is well prepared to begin his studies at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical school, where he will be a member of the MD class of 2015.

Justin’s professors helped him build his impressive resume/transcript by doing whatever was necessary to resolve scheduling con� icts and assist him in reaching his goals. Working together, they found solutions to accommodate Justin’s jam-packed schedule, yet still allow him to graduate with two very di� erent majors - all within a four-year time frame.

“I can’t imagine attending a school where people don’t know each other and professors don’t know your name,” remarked Justin. He feels it was the close connections between ESU’s sta� and students that made it possible for him to arrange meaningful research projects, � nd hands-on work at the nearby hospital, obtain internships, and even study abroad in the Dominican Republic.

As a Resident Advisor for three years, Justin has also met and helped hundreds of his fellow classmates. He credits ESU with fostering a strong sense of community on campus, saying, “At ESU, there are so many familiar faces wherever I go. It is common to see students helping each other with their studies or to see professors dining or casually conversing with their students.”

Clearly, Justin has worked very hard to meet his goal of attending the medial college of his choice. By attending ESU, fully immersing himself in his classes, and connecting with the supporting network around him, he was able to succeed. “It’s all about making the most of what is available and taking advantage of all that is here at ESU,” says Justin Cirone.

Emily Ward’s transformation began by getting involved in on-campus clubs and organizations her second semester freshman year. From there, during her sophomore year she began what would become a three-year commitment serving as a Resident Advisor. Over time, she became involved in student government and sought out even more leadership roles, eventually becoming ESU’s Student Senate President.

On the academic side, Emily discovered her new interest in pursuing a career in law and worked with her professors and mentors to help her chart that challenging new course. Once she made up her mind that she not only wanted to graduate with a degree in Political Science/Pre-Law, but also with majors in Sociology and Spanish, along with a minor in International Studies, there was no stopping her.

Initially, Emily chose ESU because it was close to home – yet, four years later, she feels she is more than ready to relocate to Boston and attend Northeastern University School of Law for the next part of her academic journey. “ESU offers great opportunities and equips you with the tools you need to make your own way,” says Emily Ward.

“Your education can be whatever you want it to be. You just have to put your mind to it,” says Justin Cirone, East Stroudsburg University Class of 2011. Justin has recently put his mind to laying the foundation for a medical degree through his ESU coursework. With a double major in Biology and Spanish, a minor in Chemistry, and some high scores on his MCAT exams, Justin is well prepared to begin his studies at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical school, where he will be a member of the MD class of 2015.

“I can’t imagine attending a school where people don’t know each other and professors don’t know your name,” remarked Justin. He feels it was the close connections between ESU’s staff and students that made it possible for him to arrange meaningful research projects, find hands-on work at the nearby hospital, obtain internships, and even study abroad in the Dominican Republic.

As a Resident Advisor for three years, Justin has also met and helped hundreds of his fellow classmates. He credits ESU with fostering a strong sense of community on campus, saying, “At ESU, there are so many familiar faces wherever I go. It is common to see students helping each other with their studies or to see professors dining or casually conversing with their students.”

Emily Ward

Justin Cirone

ESU Sparks Transformation“As a senior in high school, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to leave home for college. But over the past four years at East Stroudsburg University, I have found a second home,” says Emily Ward, ESU Class of 2011. From a self-described quiet, shy and reserved freshman, Emily not only found a home at ESU; she also found her voice and life’s direction.

Her transformation began by getting involved in on-campus clubs and organizations her second semester freshman year. From there, one thing lead to another and during her sophomore year she began what would become a three-year commitment serving as a Resident Advisor. In this role, she says she learned to resolve problems, manage time e� ectively, and work with many di� erent people and situations. Over time, she became involved in student government and sought out even more leadership roles, eventually becoming ESU’s Senate President.

On the academic side, Emily discovered her new interest in pursuing a career in law and worked with her professors and mentors to help her chart that challenging new course. Once she made up her mind that she not only wanted to graduate with a degree in Political Science/ Pre-Law, but also with majors in Sociology and Spanish, along with a minor in International Studies, there was no stopping her. Again seeking the assistance and support of her professors and mentors, Emily was able to create a schedule that would meet her ambitious goals and timetable. She was even able to squeeze in a summer of study in Spain.

Initially, Emily chose ESU because it was close to home - yet, four years later, she feels she is more than ready to relocate to Boston and attend Northeastern University School of Law for the next part of her academic journey. “ESU o� ers great opportunities and equips you with the tools you need to make your own way,” says Emily Ward.

With three majors, a minor, and a wealth of diverse volunteer experiences and extra curricular activities too numerous to list, Emily’s made ESU work for her. As a result she is moving out and moving on with con� dence, a solid academic foundation, and invaluable life experiences that she will carry with her wherever her path leads.

Meet Emily ‘11

Summer 2011 15


NewsESU

A new NASA flight facility aimed at advancing space exploration is partnering with The Marine Science Consortium (MSC), on Wallops Island, Va., and adding a significant new component to the existing nonprofit educational MSC facility. The MSC offers marine and environmental science research and field study opportunities for ESU students, faculty and others.

Partners in the MSC, including ESU President, Dr. Robert Dillman, attended the ribbon cutting for the new NASA facility in March. It is located adjacent to the Marine Science facility and will be a significant additional academic and research resource for ESU students, faculty and other PASSHE universities.

Recognizing the educational value of the original Wallops Island field study resource the university has broadened the facility’s research and field study capabilities over the years. It is now working with the new NASA Flight Facility to continue to enhance associated academic opportunities for ESU students and faculty and other PASSHE partners in the Consortium.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, according to NASA representatives, signals a new era of space exploration. Its new Horizontal Integration Facility (HIF), will support medium-class space mission capabilities.

The first customer to use the new HIF facility will be Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., with its Taurus II launch vehicle. “With this state-of-the-art building, NASA demonstrates its commitment to the success of the nation’s commercial launch industry,” said NASA

Administrator Charles Bolden, “We have already seen some fantastic progress and are looking forward to more this year. Wallops, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport and Orbital have been working together to bring the Taurus II vehicle to the launch pad this coming fall under tough mission schedules. That effort is impressive and a model we should emulate whenever possible.”

Orbital will conduct missions for NASA under the agency’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services project and Commercial Resupply Services contract. Integration of the Taurus II at the new facility will begin this month, with the first launch expected later this year. “Today is about bringing jobs, jobs and more jobs to the Lower Shore—jobs for today and jobs for tomorrow,” said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, chairwoman of the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science, oversees NASA funding. “I’m so happy to see our federal facilities like Wallops bringing the innovation economy to the community with this world-class

international launch site that will soon launch science missions and take cargo to the International Space Station.”

According to Dr. Dillman, the new NASA facility creates incredible learning opportunities for students at ESU. “This is an exciting day for ESU. As members of the MSC, we’ve already created deepening partnerships, specifically with NASA. Today’s celebration simply expands those opportunities for our students and faculty to develop exclusive collaborative research through the use of NASA’s aerospace technologies”

“The Horizontal Integration Facility is a vital part of our operation at the Wallops Flight Facility,” said Dave Thompson, chairman and CEO of Orbital Sciences Corp. “The capability it provides to process two Taurus II vehicles simultaneously puts us in an excellent position to support NASA with missions to the International Space Station.”

The HIF facility is 250 feet long, 150 wide and 60 feet high. Its bay provides dual horizontal processing with 70-and 50-ton bridge cranes. Built in approximately 16 months, the HIF has adjacent laboratory and warehouse space. Its safety features include a deluge fire suppression system and a blast-attenuating wall.

Other MSC member institutions are: Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, Millersville University of Pennsylvania, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, California University of Pennsylvania, St. Francis University, Wesley College, West Virginia University, Wilkes University, York College of Pennsylvania and the Virginia Space Flight Academy.

From left, Dr. Thomas Tauer, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, and ESU President Robert J. Dillman, at the ceremony to open the new Horizontal Integration Facility at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va.

NASA Flight Facility Partnership Adds New Educational Research and Field

Study Opportunities at Wallops Island

ESU Represented at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for New NASA Flight Facility Aimed At Advancing Space Exploration(Issued 1/10/11)



Jerry Sheska ’68, a member of the East Stroudsburg University Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete and coach and the winner of 15 PSAC men’s soccer championships in 29 seasons, retired as the Warriors’ head coach at the end of the spring semester.

Sheska holds the PSAC record, ranks fifth among Division II coaches and 22nd in NCAA history with 424 career victories, had a .719 winning percentage (424-156-32) and led his alma mater to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances in his unparalleled tenure as head coach.

His 2010 team played in the PSAC title game for the 20th time in 29 seasons and finished with a 13-6-1 record, the 28th straight winning season under Sheska’s guidance. The Warriors reached the final with a 1-0 victory over Millersville for his final career win before tying Shippensburg, 1-1, and falling 3-2 in penalty kicks after 110 minutes in the last of his 612 games on the sidelines.

Along with his remarkable success as ESU’s men’s head coach, Sheska started the women’s soccer program and was the first head coach from 1992-94. He posted a 39-10-2 record in three seasons and was the PSAC Coach of the Year in both sports in 1994 when he won both PSAC titles on the same day in Altoona. His men’s team

had an 18-4 record that season and the women went 18-2 to earn the PSAC’s first-ever championship in the sport. The 1994 women’s soccer team was inducted into the ESU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008.

Sheska will continue as a faculty member at ESU and will assume additional responsibilities in the Sport Management department. He has been a member of the ESU faculty for 23 years and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health and physical education from ESU and a doctorate from Madison University.

“I would like to thank all of the players and coaches who have been associated with the Warriors’ soccer program for the

last three decades, and all of those who built the program with Howard DeNike, John Eiler and John McKeon to establish the remarkable soccer tradition at ESU,” Sheska said.

“I’m extremely humbled to be part of a program that has produced so many outstanding players, both as students and young men. This has been a great experience because of the people who put in the work to make it better.”

Sheska came to East Stroudsburg in 1964 and was a three-year letterwinner as a catcher and first baseman in baseball and midfielder and back in soccer in the days before freshmen could play on varsity teams.

He played soccer for McKeon and was a member of the Warriors’ 11-2 team in 1965 which made it into the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament, and was co-captain of the 1967 team that went 6-2-4. In baseball, he played one season for Ken Sisson and two for Vern Walsh on teams that had winning records all three years.

Sheska served in the Army, including a tour of duty as an infantry sergeant in Vietnam, after his graduation in 1968. He played semi-professional baseball for seven years and taught and coached soccer for 10 years in Denville, N.J. before returning to East Stroudsburg.

Sheska replaced McKeon as head coach in the fall of 1982, and over the next 25 years, built a dynasty that stands up against any program in any sport in the history of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. His teams won conference titles in 1985, 1989, 1992-95, 1997-03 and 2006-07, had nine undefeated seasons in PSAC regular season play, and had three different streaks of at least 15 consecutive conference victories including the postseason.

Sheska Retires From Soccer After 29 Years

Coach Sheska’s Teams Won15 PSAC Championships

and made 16NCAA Tournament Appearances

Coach Sheska on the sidelines with his 2008 team at a match being played at ESU.

Summer 2011 17


Jeremy Gigliotti selected by San Diego PadresJeremy Gigliotti

’11, the first All-America pitcher in ESU baseball history, capped a record-setting senior season when he was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round of this year’s Major League Baseball Draft. Gigliotti was the Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, a consensus All-American and a semifinalist for the Division II Player of

the Year and will begin his professional career with the Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds in single-A.

Gigliotti set the school record with 238 career strikeouts and had a 1.04 ERA, 80 strikeouts and 14 walks allowed in 69.0 innings, including ESU’s first no-hitter in 10 years with a 2-0 shutout at Mansfield to help pitch the Warriors into the PSAC Playoffs and NCAA Atlantic Regional, where their third-place finish was the best in school history. He led Division II with 4.57 hits per 9 innings, was third in ERA and set the PSAC record with 27.2 consecutive scoreless innings. ESU finished 27-20, its third season with at least 25 wins in four years under head coach John Kochmansky.

Prall named head coachEvan Prall ’07, a two-time first team Associated Press

Little All-America wide receiver for the Warriors football team in 2005 and 2006, has been named head football coach at Riverside High School in Taylor, Pa.

Prall holds every major season and career receiving record for ESU, compiling 236 receptions, 4,093 yards and 50 touchdowns in four seasons.

Women’s lacrosse notches first tournament winSeniors Molly O’Hara ’11 and Michelle Mangiaruga

’11, two of the top three goal scorers in program history, led ESU to its first win in the PSAC Lacrosse Tournament in 25 years with a 16-8 quarterfinal victory at Gannon. O’Hara was named first team All-PSAC for the second straight season and had 55 goals and 18 assists, finishing her career ranked second with 177 goals. Mangiaruga earned her third All-PSAC honor, had 46 goals and 27 assists and ranks third with 148 career goals.

Senior Xeni Barakos ’11 was also All-PSAC and Brittany Bissell ’11, Christine Bradley ’11 and Jamie Wesztergom ’11 were also key seniors. Jane Koeniges was named the PSAC Coach of the Year as ESU finished with a 10-9 record.

SubSCribe To The WArriorS eleCTroNiC NeWSleTTer AT WWW.eSuWArriorS.Com

ESU track & field crowns four All-AmericansSenior Lynn Mayer ’11 earned All-America status in

the indoor and outdoor high jump, senior Negus Graham ’11 claimed indoor honors in the 400, junior Josh Hontz was the runner-up in the javelin and sophomore Rose Mascoli was third in the 10,000 and fifth in the 5,000 to give ESU four All-America athletes in track and field this year.

Mayer’s six All-America certificates are the most in school history and helped her earn ESU’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year. She was the runner-up indoors and tied for third outdoors. Graham was an All-American for the third time and will leave ESU with four individual and four relay school records.

Hontz’s finish was the best by an ESU men’s athlete since 1982 and Mascoli became the first multiple All-American at the same NCAA Championship meet for the Warriors. She set three distance records in outdoor track and was also an All-American in cross country during the fall season.

Jacobs wins wrestling titleSenior Jeff Jacobs ’11 won the NCAA Division II

Super Region 1 championship at 174 pounds, while junior Ed Ebewo (197) also qualified for the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, held at Nebraska-Kearney.

ESU qualified two wrestlers for the NCAA Championships for the second straight year. Jacobs is ESU’s first regional champion in its second Division II season.

Men’s basketball advances to PSAC semifinals againThe Warriors men’s basketball team advanced to the

PSAC semifinals for the second straight season, marking the first time the program has made consecutive trips to the PSAC Final Four since going three straight seasons from 1990-92.

Head coach Jeff Wilson ’86 guided ESU to a 16-12 record and its fifth trip to the PSAC Tournament in the last six seasons. Wilson moved into third in school history with 141 wins in his first nine seasons and coached two All-PSAC East selections in senior Mike Tobin ’11 and sophomore Duane Johnson, the team’s leading scorer.

Alumni Rugby Day attracts more than 100ESU held its annual Alumni Rugby Day on April 30.

The men’s club was celebrating its 26 -year anniversary, while the women’s club was celebrating 15 years.

With more than 100 ESU rugby alumni in attendance, the day started with breakfast at Teddy’s, followed by a women’s and men’s alumni match at Mary Street Fields, and then back to Teddy’s for dinner and awards.

ESU rugby team alumni are encouraged to join our Facebook page (East Stroudsburg University Rugby Alumni). To contact the ESU Rugby Alumni Association, contact Joe Tchorz ’89 at (201) 725-4478 or [email protected]. And make plans to stop by the Rugby Alumni tent at 2011 Homecoming on October 22.



“If you are willing to meet opportunity and challenge head on then you will succeed,” Dave Dunning ’74, told the Class of 2011 as it was about to graduate this spring.

Dunning, group president of Power for Fluor Corporation in Greenville, S.C., was the keynote speaker at ESU’s two undergraduate graduation ceremonies on May 7. Both a morning and an afternoon ceremony were needed because of the large number of graduates.

“Don’t let your legacy be defined by what others do,” Dunning said. “Remember, your legacy will be a marathon and not a sprint.”

Dunning majored in health and physical education, and has completed executive education programs in finance and leadership at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and in strategic negotiations at Harvard University.

As group president of Fluor, a Fortune 150 company, Dunnig is responsible for the company’s activities in the global fossil-fueled, environmental compliance, nuclear generation and solar and wind renewable industries. Throughout his career, he has been assigned increasingly higher levels of responsibilities in the areas of engineering, operations, quality inspection, quality assurance, project development, sales and executive management. He has 37 years of direct power industry experience, including 34 years of service with Fluor.

Founded as a construction company in 1912, Fluor now develops solutions for complex global projects in industries including chemicals and petrochemicals, commercial and institutional, government services, life sciences, manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, power, renewable energy, telecommunications and transportation infrastructure. The company has offices in more than 25 countries across six continents.

Dunning is also a member of the board of directors for the United States Energy Association in Washington, D.C., and the Powerspan Corporation in New Hampshire.

He was a member of the Foundation Board at ESU from 2007 to 2010, and now sits on the Global Benefits and Benefits Administrative committees at Fluor.

Dave recently served as the chairman of Fluor’s Corporate Sales Board. He represents Fluor as a featured speaker at various global industry events and was recently a guest on CNBC LIVE during CERAWeek’s annual conference.

Dunning lives in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife, Christina. They have three daughters: Brooke, Lauren and Abby.

Fortune 150 Executive Inspires Spring Grads

Dave Dunning ’74 addresses graduates at one of ESU’s two undergraduate commencement ceremonies on May 7.

Dave Dunning ’74

Summer 2011 19


East Stroudsburg University conferred an honorary doctor of public service degree on prominent businessman and philanthropist C.A. Tony McMunn ’69 on May 7. The honorary degree, rarely given by the university, honors Mr. McMunn for his contributions to social and civic engagement, and philanthropy to the community and the university.

Mr. McMunn enrolled at East Stroudsburg in 1962. He became a member of the Warriors soccer squad that won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship that season. He left the university in 1964 to serve in the Vietnam War as a member of the 161st Combat Aviation Company.

He returned to campus in 1967, the year he met Patricia Lythgoe, his future wife. Pat earned a degree in physical education and the couple married the weekend after she graduated in June 1968.

Tony earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education, social sciences, the following year. During the early years of his career, he worked in sales and management positions with Rockwell International in Pittsburgh. He was transferred to Minneapolis, Minn., and worked there until 1976, when he left to open his own business, C.A. McMunn & Associates Inc., a manufacturer’s representative agency.

McMunn started a second company in 1985 called Power Products Distributing, which imported consumer products from China for major U.S. retail stores.

A third business, Tricam Industries, was launched in 1991-92 as his initial venture into manufacturing. The company developed a line of ladders and other products sold at home improvement stores across the country.

Tricam has expanded its product mix to include lawn and garden carts, power equipment such as pressure washers and air compressors, household step stools, and replacement tires and tubes. Headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., the privately held company has exceeded $150M in annual sales and has received many regional and national honors. Tricam now has offices in Naples, Fla., Atlanta, Ga., and Shanghai, China.

Pat Lythgoe McMunn ’68 is now retired after a successful teaching career. She is a world-traveler and passionate home decorator. The interior designs of the McMunn homes, featuring her collections of antiques and art work, have been featured in a decorating magazine.

At East Stroudsburg University, the McMunn name is associated with many significant initiatives. In 1992, the family established the McMunn Soccer Grant-in-Aid Fund at ESU and supported the soccer program for a number of years.

In 2004, the family purchased a restaurant and hotel in Ireland, called McMunn’s of Ballybunion. The pub provided two-year internships for ESU students in the hotel, restaurant and tourism management program, giving them global experience about the trade.

In 2005, the McMunns made a significant commitment to build the McMunn Planetarium, located in the state-of-the-art Hoeffner Science and Technology Center, which opened in 2008. In addition to its academic value to ESU students, the planetarium provides educational opportunities for local school children and the Monroe County community in general.

Tony and Pat McMunn celebrated their 43rd anniversary this June. Their son Ryan lives in Shanghai, China, and their daughter Meghan lives in Atlanta, Ga.

Entrepreneur Alumnus Receives Honorary Doctorate

C.a. TOnY McMunn ’69

Pat Lythgoe McMunn ’68 and C.A. Tony McMunn ’69 in ESU’s McMunn Planetarium.



A record 1,125 students received degrees at separate commencement exercises for undergraduate and graduate students this spring. A total of 914 bachelors and two doctorates were awarded, in addition to 209 graduate level degrees.

ESU held three separate graduation ceremonies, one for graduate students May 6, and two ceremonies for undergraduate students May 7. All three ceremonies were held in Koehler Fieldhouse.

During the May 7 commencement ceremonies, Emily Ward of Allentown received the University Leadership Award, ESU’s highest non-academic senior honor, awarded for demonstrating leadership in student officer positions and in other extracurricular activities.

Ward received three bachelor’s degrees, in sociology, Spanish and political science. Barbara Haug, Doylestown, received the University Service Award, which is presented to an outstanding senior who has demonstrated exceptional service to the university through on-campus extra-curricular activities. To be eligible for the awards, a student must have attended the university for at least two years and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.60 or above.

Haug received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education/Spanish.

Eli Berman, M.D., served as grand marshal for the graduate commencement. Berman, secretary of the ESU Council of Trustees, is a retired physician, and is retiring this year as a professor of exercise science.

Seewoonundun Bunjun, Ph.D., a recently retired professor of economics, served as the grand marshal for undergraduate commencement exercises, and also served as the keynote speaker for the graduate commencement exercise.

Bunjun joined the ESU faculty in 1979 and retired from ESU in May 2010.

ESU alumnus Dave Dunning ’74 group president of Fluor Corporation’s Power Group in Greenville, S.C., was the keynote speaker for the undergraduate commencement exercises. (See story on page 18.)

ESU conferred an honorary doctor of public service degree on alumnus and nationally prominent businessman and philanthropist, C.A. Tony McMunn ’69 during the undergraduate commencement ceremonies. (See story on page 19.)

ESU also awarded its first master of science degrees in information

security to Nicholas Hetrick, Douglas McKee ’11 and Derrick Sutherland during graduate commencement.

WINTER COMMENCEMENT: The university awarded 670 degrees at its two winter commencement exercises in December.

The university awarded 511 undergraduate degrees, 157 graduate degrees and two doctor of education degrees on Dec. 17 and 18 at Koehler Fieldhouse.

Doctor of education degrees were awarded to Peter Pappalardo and Gregory C. Farley ’10.

Record Class of 1,125 May Graduates

University President Dr. Robert Dillman, left, joins Dr. Seewoonundum Bunjun and Dr. Eli Berman before the start of the graduate commencement in May. Bunjun was the keynote speaker for the graduate ceremony, and was the grand marshal for both undergraduate exercises. Berman served as grand marshal for the graduate ceremony.

Bob Weidner

ESU’s Degree Programs:

Bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees are earned through the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business and Management, and the College of Education and College of Health Sciences.

ESU’s graduate program awards master of education, master of science, master of public health, and master of arts degrees. The university also offers a cooperative doctor of education degree program and will offer, in partnership with Shippensburg University, an MBA degree program beginning in spring 2012.

Summer 2011 21


The third annual ESU Scholarship Luncheon was held at the Keystone Room on March 27, giving student scholarship recipients an opportunity to meet their scholarship donors.

This year the program captured the ESU Foundation’s Annual Fund theme of:

“Imagine – Inspire – Impact”The event was attended by more

than 150 people including students, donors, parents, faculty and Foundation and university staff.

Keynote speaker William Cramer, a founding board member of the ESU Foundation and president of the Cramer, Swetz & McManus law firm of Stroudsburg, told the audience how he and his wife Barbara are motivated by their desire to give others the opportunity to realize a quality education.

The couple established the Cramer Family Men’s Basketball Annual Scholarship, as well as

the Joan Brimer-Cramer Endowed Scholarship in honor of Bill’s mother, a 1941 graduate of ESU.

“A scholarship is not merely financial aid; it comes with the caring that is extended so students can benefit in ways much more than financial,” said Bill Cramer.

Scholarship recipient Samuel Cappella, an ESU junior from Bangor who is working on a dual major in computer science and computer security, with a minor in mathematics, expressed his gratitude for having received three scholarships: The 2010/11 Kathryn A. Mullins Memorial Marching Band Annual Scholarship, the Professor Richard Prince Memorial Endowed Scholarship, and the Eugene Stish Endowed Scholarship. He said the award has made a lasting and positive impact upon him.

In concluding the festivities, ESU Foundation President and CEO Frank

Falso reiterated the Foundation’s appreciation of the donors “who continue to pass the spark of inspiration to our students.”

Samuel Cappella, a junior from Bangor, Pa., received the Professor Richard Prince Endowed Scholarship, the Kathryn A. Mullins Memorial Marching Band Annual Scholarship and the Eugene Stish Endowed Scholarship. Cappella is majoring in both computer science and computer security, with a minor in mathematics.

2010-11 ESU scholarship recipients attended the Annual Scholarship Luncheon to meet those whose donations made the scholarships possible. Front row, from left: Danielle Zimmerman ’13, Kimberly McFadden ’12, Maureen Ordnung ’12, Kelsey Tucker ’11, Allison Galvin ’13, Mary Dennis ’14, Brian L. Wiltbank ’11, Kelly Aprahamian ’11, Lauren Riggs ’11, Amanda Dice ’10, Sheryl Comer ’13, Tesla Atkins ’11, Julie Kibui ’14, Manuela Benites ’11, and Daniel Medrano ’12. Middle row: Samuel Cappella ’12, Emily Cooper ’11, Kirstin Copeland ’12, Laura Brunner ’12, Laura Dildine ’12, Taylor Guth ’13, Emily Mohr ’11, Marisa Bloom ’11, Jessica Pro ’11, Amber Trunfio ’13, Joshua Swick ’14, Joseph Moschella ’10, Carla De La Mata ’14, and Brandon Tigar ’13. Back row: Matt Marshall ’11, Tyler Kapish ’12, Phil Domschke ’12, Michael Tobin ’11, Jason Miszler ’10, Taylor Groff ’14, Jordan Kain ’14, Daniel Caffrey ’11, Cody Berry ’11, Hugh Thornton ’13, and Mark Kalo ’11.

ESU Students Say ‘Thank You’ To Scholarship Donors



Dear ESU Alumni,

By the time you receive this magazine, my term as president of the Alumni Association will be in its final year. It has been an exciting 12 months for ESU, the Alumni Association and the Foundation.

First, we worked through a re-organization that created a stronger more self-sufficient ESU Foundation. Second was the hiring of a new alumni director (I will touch on this later). And third, are the new residence hall construction projects on campus.

As we are entering a new fiscal year for the Alumni Association Board of Directors, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the eight individuals who are retiring from the board - Roger DeLarco ’80, Nick DiGregory ’76, Robert Edwards ’55, Robert Kearn ’58, Debbie Kulick ’80, John Lambert ’54, Sandra “Pinky” O’Neil ’57 and Robb Ruiz ’08.

These members have been an invaluable part of the formation of the alumni board that exists today. Without

their knowledge, experience, encouragement and support, the last three years I have served as president would not have been as successful. I am pleased to publicly thank them.

I also want to welcome the new board members who have recently been elected to start their terms of office.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank John Ross for his years of service as alumni engagement director. His dedication to serving the alumni of ESU will not be forgotten and I want to wish him luck in his new position as a major gift officer with the Foundation.

And with that goodbye, we say hello to Mike Saraka. I am very excited to be working with Mike. His experience and enthusiasm have made an immediate impact on the Office of Alumni Engagement.

I can tell you that your Alumni Association is working very hard to establish new programs. In the past year, we have created the Alumni Outreach Program geared to organizing and holding regional alumni events with the help of alumni ambassadors.

We have also revamped our Alumni Awards program to allow for an easier nomination and improved recognition process.

A new student/alumni outreach program is being designed to educate students, before they even graduate, about the value of becoming involved alumni. Making career connections with ESU alumni, networking and participating at alumni receptions and reunions are just some of the things this program will be developing.

In conclusion, although I may only have one year left as president of your Alumni Association, I have many goals left to be accomplished. I encourage you to get involved with the alumni of East Stroudsburg University, whether it is applying for a position on the board becoming an ambassador, attending a regional event or giving to the ESU Annual Fund.

Please visit the website to find more information about these areas of involvement. And if you would like to contact me directly, you can email me at [email protected] or the alumni office at [email protected].

Yours in Warrior Spirit,

Mark J. Mecca ’96President, ESU Alumni Association

P.S. Make sure you register on WarriorsNation! Go to esualumni.org

Alumni Association President Mark Mecca ’96 welcomes university graduates to the growing ranks of ESU alumni — now more than 38,000 — at commencement ceremonies on May 7. Alumni Association presidents traditionally deliver a short inspirational welcome message to the new alumni at Commencement.

Alumni President Invites You To ‘Get Involved!’

Summer 2011 23


Since stepping into his new role as director of alumni engagement, Mike Saraka has been working on introducing new initiatives designed to attract even more alumni involvement with the university. His goal is to do the same with the surrounding community.

“We’re starting with our alumni board of directors and one of the first things we’re doing is having a strategic planning retreat to talk about how we can make the board members’ experience as meaningful and rewarding as possible,” Saraka said.

Saraka, whose appointment was effective Feb. 14, is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic and comprehensive university alumni engagement program.

He came to East Stroudsburg University Foundation from Slippery Rock University where he managed the alumni relations program for more than 10 years. He previously served as director of career services at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. as a residence director for Bloomsburg University, and as an investigator and adjudicator for the United States Office of Personnel Management in Boyers, Pa.

He was a second lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard from 1989 to 1995, and since 2007 has served as a human resources sergeant.

With 12 years of alumni relations experience behind him, Saraka knows what works and is keeping up with the ever-changing trends.

“A new trend is social-networking sites and the utilization of them. We redesigned and revamped our online community, WarriorsNation,” Saraka said. “A lot of planning and thought went into the site, and we combined it with Facebook.”

The alumni community can find valuable information on the social media site, Facebook, as well as WarriorsNation. A few things that can be found on the site include alumni news, updates on what people are doing today, class notes, events and research on former classmates.

Another change Saraka is actively working on involves merging Homecoming events and Alumni Day.

“Homecoming always attracts more alumni than Alumni Day, so it seems to make more sense to focus on one big event with more resources than either event had individually, while simultaneously making the one big event, Homecoming, more cost effective,” Saraka said. “We are also bringing back the Homecoming parade downtown and on campus, and combining the community with the college for Homecoming.”

Saraka has seen more student demand for access to alumni in recent years, particularly in the area of career networking.

“I think a lot of alumni offices are trying to reach out to students to learn what it means to be alumni before they graduate,” he said. “We want to create an ESU student alumni ambassador program.”

Saraka holds a master of arts degree in student personnel from Slippery Rock University (1989), a bachelor of science degree in communications from Clarion University (1986), and studied communication at Union County College in Cranford, N.J. He is a member of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Pennsylvania Council of Alumni Associations.

He has also written for Slippery Rock University publications including The ROCK Magazine, SRU Alumni News and the SRU Harris Alumni Directory, among others. He has presented at CASE conferences on issues including student affairs and alumni relations.

Saraka, his wife, Maureen, and their daughter, Madeline, have relocated to the Pocono region from New Castle, Pa.

By Melanie VanDerveer ’11

Your New Director of Alumni Engagement

Some of Our Priorities:• Creating an ESU Student Alumni

Ambassador Program

• Creatively combining events

• Utilizing the latest social media



David Comiciotto ’91received his bachelor of science degree in computer science. He is an independent IT consultant in the healthcare and finan-cial industries. Comi-ciotto serves on the board of directors for the Conservancy of Montgomery County, participates in coach-ing youth soccer and baseball, and is active with the United Way. He is from Schwenks-ville.

Lynn Fisher Hauth ’08received her bachelor of science degree in elementary education. She is employed as a therapeutic support staff member at Northwestern Human Services. Hauth received the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties Honor Award and also graduated summa cum laude. She is the spouse of ESU Professor Dr. John Hauth and the proud parent of a current ESU student.

Lanae Patton ’11received her bachelor of science degree in psychology, and is the youngest member of the Alumni Association board of directors. Patton served as a two-year member of the university Council of Trustees. She also served as a student mentor for undeclared students, qualified for the dean’s list seven consecutive semesters, was a member of Psi Chi and Sigma Xi, and received the 2010 ESU Parent’s Association Scholarship. She has volunteered at Ginger Thomas Home for Lutheran Social Services in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Patton is from Breinigsville, where she is a consultant for David’s Bridal.

Brian Pedone ’05received his bachelor of science degree in computer science with a minor in mathematics, and was a member of the honors program. A founding member of the ESU Boxing Club, he is the owner of Pedone’s Heavy Hitters. His other company, ABS Software, provides internships to ESU students. Pedone is the entrepreneurial leadership coordinator for the ESU Research and Development Division. In 2008, he was named one of Businessweek’s Top 25 Entrepreneurs (under 25) and a Pocono Record Power Broker. He serves the Queen of Peace Church Pastoral Council and CCD Religious Education Program, as well as Good Shepard’s Maternity House. He is from Saylorsburg.

Ritchey Ricci ’65received his bachelor of science degree in biological sciences education and a master of education in 1973. He spent 34 years as an administrator and educator in the Easton School District. As an ESU student, Ritchey was involved in Student Council, the Entertainment Council, Sigma Pi fraternity and a member of the Presidential Committee for Students. Ritchey is a past member of the Forks Township Board of Supervisors, a past president of the Rotary Club of Easton, a volunteer at the State Theater of the Performing Arts and a past president of the board of directors for the Padua Federal Credit Union. He is from Easton.

Introducing the New Members of the ESU Alumni Association Board of DirectorsA sincere welcome to the 10 newly elected members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors who are profiled below. The new members bring the full complement of Directors’ membership to 31. They also bring with them a wide variety of professional skills, experience, and talents and they represent a wide variety of graduating classes. The Board meets four times a year in August, November, April and June. Among other duties, the Board addresses issues surrounding: alumni, academic and scholarship recognition; fundraising; alumni events; and, suggested presidential initiatives related to the Alumni Association.

Summer 2011 25


Collette Ryder ’96received her bachelor of arts degree in music. As a student she was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, worked as a resident adviser, and was a member of the Choir and Pop/Jazz Singers. She is the manager of special projects at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she is responsible for contract review, web content, development and grant writing. Ryder’s volunteer experience includes the American Cancer Society (2005-08), the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (2003-07) and the Lance Armstrong local events in 2003, 2005 and 2007. She is from Huntingdon Valley.

Paul Scheuch ’71received his bachelor of science degree in health and physical education, and master of education degrees in health science and physical education, and athletic training in 1977. He worked for the Abington Heights School District for more than 35 years and for three years at Marywood University. While at ESU, Scheuch was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon and Phi Epsilon Kappa (the health and physical education honorary fraternity), and served as a graduate assistant and student athletic trainer. He was inducted into the Northeast Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2002. He has served on the National Ski Patrol at Montage Mountain, as an American Heart Association CPR instructor and as an American Red Cross WSI Instructor. He is from Waverly.

Paul E. Shemansky ’96earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1996 and Master’s Degrees, one in Political Science in 2001, and another in History in 2004. Paul works in communication and public relations with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. His years of experience have placed Paul in the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives, in the areas of Public Policy and Community and Public Relations. He also served as a Stroudsburg Borough Council member from 2001 to 2005. While at ESU, Paul was involved with the Student Senate and was a professional tutor.

Richard Vroman ’67(re-elected for second term) received his bachelor of arts degree in mathematics. He entered the Navy after graduating; receiving a commission as an ensign in October 1967 and served a 27-year career. He earned a master’s degree in computer systems management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., in 1973. Richard ended his naval career in Mechanicsburg as the commanding officer of the Navy’s largest central design activity for logistics and financial automated information systems. Working in private industry for a short time, Vroman was a senior federal civil servant managing software development for the Navy. He retired in 2008 and resides in Suffolk, Va.

Christopher Yeager ’74(re-elected for second term) received his bachelor of science degree in elementary education and a master of education degree in 1981. He is the principal at Wantage Elementary School in New Jersey, and was assistant superintendent and superintendent at Great Meadows School District in New Jersey. Christopher also served as principal at elementary schools in Allentown and Palmerton. He earned a doctorate from Penn State University and resides in Bangor.

Introducing the New Members of the ESU Alumni Association Board of DirectorsA sincere welcome to the 10 newly elected members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors who are profiled below. The new members bring the full complement of Directors’ membership to 31. They also bring with them a wide variety of professional skills, experience, and talents and they represent a wide variety of graduating classes. The Board meets four times a year in August, November, April and June. Among other duties, the Board addresses issues surrounding: alumni, academic and scholarship recognition; fundraising; alumni events; and, suggested presidential initiatives related to the Alumni Association.



President Robert Dillman and university mascot Burgy took the mound at

Coca Cola Park in Allentown during a special ESU Night at the IronPigs on April 9.

Posing for photographs with IronPig mascots FeFe (left) and Ferrous (far right) are Dr. Dill-man and Burgy. The president threw out the official first pitch of the game against the Syracuse Chiefs.

Faculty, staff, students and alumni came out to show their school spirit and enjoy one of the first home games of the season for the Lehigh Valley Triple-A Philadelphia Phillies affiliate.

Kevin Quintero, graduate admissions counselor, left, and Michael Southwell, assistant vice president for instructional support and outreach, greet IronPigs fans and ESU guests as they pass through the gate at Coca-Cola Park before the start of the baseball game. The ESU reps came well-prepared with materials about ESU’s graduate studies and summer sessions programming.

University Relations intern and communications studies major Amanda Stecko ’11 (above, in red) had an opportunity to shadow Alicia Marinelli M’07, manager of Marketing Services for the IronPigs, before the start of the game. Stecko watched from near the dugout with other event sponsors, looking on as Dr. Robert Dillman threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Bob Weidner photos

ESU Night at Lehigh Valley IronPigs(Phillies Triple-A Affiliate)

Summer 2011 27


“I have always loved sports and am so fortunate to have been able to turn this passion into a full-time career,” says Alicia Marinelli M’07, marketing services manager for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a minor league baseball team in Allentown.“ESU has played a huge role in making this possible.”

Marinelli decided to attend ESU to pursue a graduate degree in sport management when she was offered a gradu-ate assistantship to work with the women’s soccer and softball teams. This allowed her to begin working in her field immediate-ly, while simultaneously taking classes and making the connec-tions that would soon launch her career.

“From the first moment I set foot on campus, I was immediately comfortable, always warmly welcomed by the admissions staff, stu-dents, coaches and faculty,” she says.

Joining the Sport Management Club turned out to be a great way for her to network and gain real-world experience while building lasting friendships and fond memories.

“I still go back for the annual Puma sporting goods sale and enjoy meeting the students who are doing exactly what I was doing just a few years ago,” Marinelli says. “It’s a fun way to stay connected and give a little something back to a pro-gram that means so much to me.”

Marinelli found ESU’s influence extends all the way to New York City, where she took on an internship at Madison Square Garden working in support of the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.

“One of my professors helped me get an interview there,” she notes. “The hiring manager knew what a great reputation ESU has, and I believe that influenced his de-cision to hire me. On my first day, he introduced me to some ESU alumni on staff and I instantly knew I’d be among friends.”

That internship turned into a long-term assignment after graduation, and was a piv-otal experience.

Does she have any advice for stu-dents?

“Networking is the key to suc-cess,” she says. “Your connections to your professors and friends at ESU will help you more than you could ever imagine.”

“I appreciate everything ESU has done for me and am grateful that it continues to be such an im-portant part of my life and career. I will forever be ESU proud! ”

ESU Alumna Makes Marketing Magic With IronPigs

Bob Weidner

Alicia Marinelli M’07 with Ferrous, mascot of the IronPigs Triple-A baseball team in Allentown.



Alumni Luncheon Hosted by Tom Leshko ’57 at the Army/Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., on April 10.more than twenty alumni attended the luncheon. From bottom of stairs are: James Viola, ’84; Bill moyer, ’61; Tom Leshko, ’57; Theresa Liberatori, ’88; Ed curvey, ’63; Jeanette Leshko, ’58; Smiley Shackleford, ’85; Jim morrissey, ’75; Frank Falso, cEo/President of ESU Foundation; mike Bahl, m’00; Watson Bullock; Jane Bullock, ’65; and, at the top of the stairs is Jacquelyn Hakim ’88 & m’90. The youngster’s name is Anthony Liberatori.

In MemoriamMary Farrell Urban ’30Mildred Edinger Fritzinger ’37Mary Moreland Fogel ’39Samuel Wells ’41Louis Zwirek ’42Eleanor Brewer Wright ’44Virginia Kerrick Henning ’45

Dorothy Schultz Zieger ’47Joseph Frankenfield ’49Mary Rose Kello Tito ’50Berta Katz Sharp ’51Rev. Donald Bachtell ’54Constance Madden Drake ’57Marion Serfass Kresge ’57Ralston Jones ’58Alan Kornish ’58

Sandra Secor ’58Richard Graham ’61Marion Barhight ’62Connie Harnum Nipple ’64Jane Greene ’66Thomas Riedmiller ’67Bernadine Young Crahall ’68Richard Hodges ’72Lorraine Ryan Intintolo ’73

Karen Robbins Nosel ’77Lawrence Pawlush ’77Karen Hoffner Burke ’79Mamadou R. Ndiaye ’87Paul Fiske ’88Deborah DePalma Green ’89Terence Butler ’93Sarah Palmisano ’98Dominick Hoover ’04

Monday, August 1Prince Hall Golf Tournament8 a.m. - 4 p.m., Mount Airy Casino and Resort, Mount Pocono. 22nd Annual Educational Scholarship Golf Classic benefits Prince Hall Endowed Scholarship Fund at ESU.

Friday, August 5Men’s Basketball Golf OutingWater Gap Country Club, Delaware Water Gap

Saturday, August 20ESU Alumni Night at Nationals Park.5-9:30 p.m. Nationals Park, Washington, D.C. Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies. $25 per person, includes one free drink before game.

Saturday, September 17Alumni Tailgate/Philadelphia Union Soccer Game Chester, PA

Saturday, September 24President’s Gala (by invitation only) Science and Technology Center, ESU This exclusive event honors our most generous donors! For information about the President’s Circle, please contact Ryan Baumuller, Director of Special Projects (570) 422-3270

Monday, October 10Annual Retired Faculty and Staff Luncheon Keystone Room, ESU

Friday, October 21Annual Alumni Awards Banquet Keystone Room, ESU

Upcoming Events

For more information about these and other upcoming events, visit esualumni.org/events

Saturday, October 22Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet Keystone Room, ESU

Friday-Sunday, October 21-23Homecoming Weekend ESU campus – See details on back cover

Sunday, December 4Radio City Christmas Spectacular Bus Trip 11:45 a.m.-11 p.m. $99 per person for the show and round-trip bus service.

Help Us Go Green!To help ESU with its “green” efforts, one issue of the Alumni Herald will be sent out electronically. To receive notification of this issue being released fill out the form below and mail it in the envelope enclosed in this magazine. Or visit esualumni.org/emailupdate and submit your e-mail address electronically!

Name: __________________________________

________________________________________

Class Year: ______________________________

E-mail: _________________________________

Summer 2011 29


East Stroudsburg University alumni work in a variety of fields – from education and biology to communications and these pursuits can take them around the world. And sometimes they can find themselves working side by side without even knowing about their shared educational experience. Such was the case with Danielle Perez ’90 and Robert Hillman.

Danielle Perez, a special victims detective with the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island, N.Y., graduated from ESU in 1990 with a degree in hospitality management but pursued a career in law enforcement after encouragement from her brother, a lieutenant with the NYPD.

“As a special victims detective, a typical day is very busy,” she says. “It is always important to remain objective because things are not always what they appear to be, and there are many twists and turns throughout the investigation. Oftentimes, what you think the case is and what it turns out to be are entirely different once the evidence is evaluated. It requires keeping an even balance between being a psychologist and a cop.”

Working in an adjoining office to Danielle’s at the NCPD is robbery squad detective Robert “Barney”

Hillman, who studied at East Stroudsburg from 1970-1973, when ESU was East Stroudsburg State College. He left college before graduation to join the police department, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who also dedicated their lives to law enforcement.

Perez joined the Nassau County force in 1997 and Hillman has been on the force for 38 years with no thoughts of retirement. The duo discovered their shared alma mater by chance when Perez overheard Hillman talking to his partner about East Stroudsburg. Hillman had been selected to work a homicide cold case as his investigation involved a sex offender that Perez was responsible for registering.

“It was fate that Barney and I ended up working at the same police department,” said Perez. “In a department of 3,699 officers, the odds were very slim that we ever would have discovered our connection.”

Both officers lived at Shawnee Hall on campus, although 20 years apart.

“I am honored that I share this connection with a decorated detective such as Barney, and I am even more proud that our alma mater is ESU,” said Perez.

LAW & ORDERESU CONNECTION UNIT

Nassau County Force Boasts Two From ESU

Robert “Barney” Hillman, who attended East Stroudsburg from 1970-73, and Danielle Perez ’90, both work at the Nassau County Police Department on Long Island.

ESU Alumni HeraldWho's Doing What30


Who’s Doing What1950s

Janet Dicks ’55, ESU Athletic Hall of Famer, was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in

Harrisburg. She was a college standout in athletics, and an Olympic track and field competitor. She was a member of the 1952 U.S. track and field team which competed in Helsinki, Finland.

1960sJack Childs ’67 retired after an illustrious 35-year Hall of Fame career as Drexel University’s head wrestling coach.

He has compiled a record of 421-270-9, the most active victories in Division I wrestling. In 22 of his 35 seasons at Drexel, he posted at least 10 wins.

Three ESU alumni couples spent a vacation week in Aruba at the Bucuti and Tara Beach Resorts. From left are Dave Rittenhouse ’70, Diane Swallow Rittenhouse ’69, Diane Killino Reviello ’69, Philip Reviello ’70, Dee Dee Haley Richardson ’71, and Mike Richardson ’69.

1970sDawn Ketterman-Benner ’70 earned her 250th career win as Moravian College’s head women’s tennis coach. She is the

all-time winningest women’s tennis coach in school history, and in her 25th season in charge of the Moravian program.

Jay Miller ’70 was inducted into the York Area Sports Hall of Fame for his standout career as a high school soccer coach for

East Lebanon County from 1970-77 and as a collegiate head soccer coach for the NCAA Division II University of Tampa. His team won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1981. Miller is also a member of the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Anne McDonnell Armezzani ’71, a Scott Township resident, left the Abington Heights School District after 39 years of teaching junior high school English. She has been volunteering with the Abington Area Community Classroom, a continuing education program for adults.

Tom Burlington ’73 is the new pastor of the Dille Parish UCC in his hometown of Le Raysville in Bradford County.

James Sando ’73, a resident of North Wales, Montgomery County, has been re-elected by acclamation to the board of trustees of the Public School Employees’ Retirement System.

Bruce Leib ’74, a longtime fixture in Hazleton basketball, reached his milestone 600th career win this season. Leib

has an overall record of 600-186 at Mullen, Hazleton, Hazleton Area and Central Dauphin East schools.

Robin Giombetti Olivetti ’78 is a production/planning/scheduling/material controller for Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control.

EDITORIAL NOTEPlease note that “Who’s Doing What” lists the year alumni received their undergraduate degree from East Stroudsburg University. ‘M’ denotes master’s degree.

Starting in the next issue, we will include news about faculty members (F) and friends of the University. (FR).

To submit “Class Notes,” simply contact us at [email protected] or go to esualumni.org/classnotes with your information. You can also call 1-800-775-8975 or fax us at 570-422-3301. We are happy to publish your information. It is our policy not to publish engagements or pregnancies; however, we publish marriages and births.

Please note that the editorial staff makes every effort to publish the information given to us by alumni as it is received. Due to space and deadline restrictions we sometimes have to edit or cut the information. Our intent is to publish as much as possible about ESU alumni, but due to the volume of submissions we receive sometimes that is not possible.

Summer 2011 Who's Doing What 31


1980sDavid Super ’80 achieved distinguished graduate honors from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. He is a deputy project manager of Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment at Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, Va.

Connie Jaeger Meehan ’81 was promoted to senior vice president/director of human resources at Lakeland Bank in Oak Ridge, N.J.

Dee Bernhardt ’82, philosophy lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, was recognized with

the Reverend Charles Forsyth Award from the Catholic Campus Ministry Association. The award recognizes outstanding leadership in campus ministry. Bernahrdt is director of campus ministry at St. Augustine University Parish and adviser of the Catholic Newman Community.

Scott Cannon ’86 has owned and operated Video Innovations in Plymouth for 22 years. He and his wife, Sherri, have been married for six years. They have two children: Gabi, 15, and Lily, 4.

Melinda Mullery Hanlon ’86 was named principal at Holy Savior Academy, a new regional elementary school

in South Plainfield, N.J.

Dan Mykovich ’86 is food and beverage director of four Caesars Entertainment Corp. casinos in Las Vegas: Flamingo, Harrah’s, O’Shea and Imperial Palace.

Salome Thomas-El ’86, a motivational speaker, award-winning teacher and principal, was the featured

speaker at the annual Impacting Student Learning Conference at Augusta (Ga.) State University. Thomas-El, who has written two best-selling books,“The Immortality of Influence” and “I Choose to Stay,” is a regular contributor on “The Dr. Oz Show,” and has appeared on C-SPAN, CNN, NPR and the Oprah Radio Network.

R. Griggs Levy ’87 received the top sales awards for 2010 and the first quarter of 2011 from SuperMedia, LLC, where he is a

major account specialist. He lives with his wife, Judy, of 16 years and their two daughters, Lauren, 13, and Morgan, 7, in southern Chester County. Morgan’s godmother is Dr. Nancy Weaver ’74, assistant to ESU’s vice president for student affairs.

John Baddick ’88 was appointed vice president, VSAT System Engineering, at Comtech Data EF Corporation. Baddick directs the technical efforts for the company’s Advanced VSAT satellite communications systems.

1990sKaren Petersen Pasquel ’90, a reading specialist in the Easton Area School District, achieved National Board

Certification in 2010 in the area of specialized literacy.

Dawn Townsend Tyler ’90 is a visiting instructor of education at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, W.V.

Dawn Becker Duncan ’92 has been named vice president for development and alumni relations at the Fashion

Institute of Technology in New York City. Duncan has a master of science degree in education from the University of Tennessee.

Salima Sane Kane ’90 M’92 is the operations manager for the United Nations in Harare, Zimbabwe. She has also interned at CNN and the U.S. Capitol.

Steven M. Lambert ’93 is the director of administration and industry relations at the NYU Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management.

Wendy Peiffer Insalaco ’94 is the marketing communications coordinator at Father Martin’s Ashley, a

nationally recognized private, non-profit alcoholism and drug addiction treatment center in Havre de Grace, Md.

Lori Pio Jacques ’96 M’00 is the vice chancellor for alumni relations at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and resides in Raynham, Mass.

2000sCarolan Elliott Clay ’00, of Coatesville, is happily married and has three children: 4-year-old twins Nathan and Hannah, and daughter, Madelyn.

Ginger Furman Muhaw ’00 is running for a seat on the Clayton (N.J.) Board of Education. She and husband MarcAnthony have three children: Gianna, 5; MarcAnthony Jr., 4; and Genevieve, 18 months. She is a troop leader and founder of Girl Scout Daisy Troop 61219 in Clayton.

ESU Alumni HeraldMarriages | Births32


Craig Whitten ’03 completed his first marathon at Disney World in January 2010. He raised more than $800 for the Rally

Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research as part of the Rally Athlete Team.

Gary Schubert ’04 received ESU’s annual Sigma Xi Outstanding Science Teacher Award for 2011. He was honored at a

banquet in April at the Stroudsmoor Country Inn, Stroudsburg.

Joe Paulus ’09 is an instructor and media liaison at Little Linksters, LLC and a student at the Golf Academy of America studying golf business and complex operations management.

Paul Wagner ’10 has been training at an athletic facility in Arizona to try out for the U.S. Olympic Team in the hammer

throw competition. He took second in the weight throw in the 104th Millrose Games, and qualified to compete in the USA National Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. He is ranked seventh nationally and 20th worldwide.

Weddings2000s

Jennifer Lawler ’02 and Don Trentham ’07 were married on July 21, 2007 at Moonlight Basin Lodge in Big Sky,

Mont. The couple resides in Billings, Mont.

Cheryl Fries ’03 and Ryan Roff were married Aug. 27, 2010 in Williamstown, N.J. Stephanie Harris Mosher ’03 was a bridesmaid. The newlyweds honeymooned in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The couple live near Cape May, N.J., where Cheryl works at Cape Regional Medical Center.

Justine Grilz ’08 and Michael Hurley ’08 were married Oct. 2, 2009 at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wilkes-Barre.

Births1980s

Billy Abramson ’88 and his wife, Collette, announce the birth of their son, Charlie

Reds Abramson, Oct. 5, 2010 in Los Angeles. Billy is a television editor and creative director at Braintrust Creative.

Donna Sproule Owens ’88 announces the birth of her daughter, Colleen Rose, Jan. 2, 2009.

1990sJulie Brescia Leetz ’97 and husband, Darrell Leetz, announce the birth of daughter, Charlotte Grace, on Nov. 24, 2010.

2000sMichelle Keating Sibel ’00 and her husband, Stephen, and son, Christian, announce the birth of Brennan Wesley, Nov. 3,

2010. The family resides in Collegeville where Michelle recently graduated from Villanova University (August 2010) with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. She is a registered nurse at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne.

Jennifer Rotondella Cosmark ’04 and Chuck Cosmark ’00 announce the birth of their daughter,

Emmalynn Ann, March 2, 2010.

Melissa Mallick Switzer ’04 and husband, Jake, announce the birth of their son, Sawyer Jacob, Dec. 12, 2008.

Chinmay Jain ’05 and wife, Prachi, announce the birth of their daughter, Deshna Jain, Nov. 10, 2010.

Loriann Pipech Vargo ’06 and husband, Jed, announce the birth of their daughter, Jessica, Jan. 28.


PRESERVING THE FUTURE WITH YESTERDAY’S MEMORIES

Trudy Piatt discovered a simple way after her

husband’s unexpected passing. “My husband (Dr.

Cummings A. “Jake” Piatt ’61) was my life. He

played football and he loved ESU. I felt I wanted

his legacy to carry on.” By informing the ESU

Foundation of her desire to make a gift through her

will and discussing what she hoped to accomplish,

Trudy was able to structure her bequest gift in

a way to accomplish several goals—helping to

complete the Turf Project at Eiler-Martin Stadium

and strengthening the Dr. Cummings A. “Jake”

Piatt ’61 Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

To make an IMPACT today for ESU students and faculty, please visit www.esufoundation.giftplans.org or contact us at 570-422-3333 or [email protected]

E U FOUNDATION

“Jake’s memory will live on, not only through

his name, but with every athlete or student

who receives this scholarship. I wanted the Dr.

Cummings A. ‘Jake’ Piatt ’61 Memorial Endowed

Scholarship to be for a football player or a

secondary education major, whoever needs it

most.” While downplaying her generosity, Trudy

stresses her gifts are about the education offered at

ESU. “I love the small school feel; students always

seem to receive the personal attention they need.

I’m happy to be able to give what I can to East

Stroudsburg University.”

How do you honor your spouse and partner in life of over 40 years?

Piatt Ad.indd 1 6/8/11 1:34 PM


East Stroudsburg University Foundation Henry A. Ahnert, Jr. Alumni Center200 Prospect StreetEast Stroudsburg, PA 18301-2999

HomeComing WeeKenDFRiDAy | OCT. 21Alumni Day of Observance Service | 1 p.m. Keystone Room – Honoring deceased alumni

Alumni Reunion and Awards Banquet5 p.m. cocktails, 6 p.m. dinner. — Enjoy the tastes and textures of a new level of inspired hors d’oeuvres. Followed by a delicious sit-down dinner featuring an awards ceremony with special guests. Join us as we honor all anniversary classes as well as distinguished alumni award recipients.

Homecoming Fireworks9 p.m., Eiler-Martin Stadium — Kick off ESU’s homecoming festivities with a fireworks spectacular. Celebrate the night, Warrior style!

SATURDAy | OCT. 22Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony | 9 a.m.

Alumni Continental Breakfast Reception 9:30 a.m., Alumni Center

Homecoming Parade | Noon A feeling of joy in the air ...You can bet there will be moments to treasure, and plenty of food and drinks to share! Class members are welcome to ride or walk in the parade. Past classes have rented golf carts, created floats, rode in convertibles, rode bicycles or walked. One class member from each anniversary class will be chosen to serve as an honorary parade marshal.

Alumni Pre-Game Tailgate Tent | 11 a.m., Alumni Center — Theme: “Southwest Fiesta.” First Down… Second Down… Third Down… Touchdown! Ready for some Warrior Football? Mayhem, music and munchies at the Pre-Game Tailgate Party!

Football Game3 p.m. — ESU vs. Millersville

Post-game Alumni Reception6 p.m. — Siamsa Irish Pub

SUNDAy | OCT. 23Reunion Recognition Breakfast Buffet and Planetarium Show10 a.m. — Enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet, where all reunion classes will be recognizedThen journey through the stars, constellations and celestial highlights of the current sky at ESU’s McMunn Planetarium show.

This schedule is subject to change. More events may be added as we become aware of other alumni groups organizing their reunions.

Check http://esualumni.org for updates, and look for your invitation in the mail this summer.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or 570-422-3691

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