I N T R O D U C I N G T H E

Never in my wildest dreams as a young woman did I imagine that Iwould have the opportunity to meet the Pope. What a memorablelife event it was last April when Pope Benedict XVI visited theUnited States and the Catholic University of America to address thepresidents of the nation’s 200-plus Catholic colleges and universities.

It was a festive and holy atmosphere in which the Pope delivered his apostolic,scholarly and hospitable remarks, including a message of how the goals ofscholarship and education at America’s Catholic colleges and universities are “anespecially powerful instrument of hope.” He expressed great appreciation for ournation’s long history and strong tradition of Catholic education and for the “gift ofhope these institutions have imparted to generations of immigrants enablingthem to rise from poverty and take their place in the mainstream of society.” Hedescribed Catholic colleges/universities as “an outstanding apostolate of hope,seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs” of all the studentsentrusted to us.

Consistent with Pope Benedict’s description, at Gwynedd-Mercy College we seek to educate the whole person –-intellectually, spiritually, physically and morally and anticipate that our students will have the determination ofhope as they make meaningful contributions to the world beyond our campus borders. For almost 150 years inPhiladelphia and more than 60 years in Gwynedd Valley, there’s been a running thread of hope that has given wingsto our improbable start and flight to our distinctiveness. At GMC, our students are learning and experiencing, inthe Pope’s words, “in what” and “in whom” it is possible to hope while also being inspired to contribute to societyin a way that engenders hope in others.

As we begin a new semester and a new calendar year, especially at a time of historic political transition in our nation,all of us are hopeful for a bright and better future for our world. We hope for wisdom-filled leaders capable of listeningto a cacophony of voices, finding a path that resolves tensions and elicits broad support, and creating a society thatvalues the worth and dignity of all persons. Strengthening and underlying our hope for the future is grounded inthe notion of a common good, and a belief that nothing is more important to actualizing our hope for humanitythan education. Education gives students the tools and abilities to know what’s possible, as well as the audacity tohope for a better and more just world.

As the representative of the College community last April, I was blessed to be in the presence of the Pope and tobe reminded of the great gift that hope is to our own lives and to the lives of those we influence. The Pope’s finalwords about hope are appropriate not only for college presidents but for all of us:

“To all I say: bear witness to hope. Nourish your witness with prayer. Account for the hope thatcharacterizes your lives by living the truth which you propose to your students. Help them to knowand love the One you have encountered, whose truth and goodness you have experienced with joy.”

To all our loyal alumni, friends and benefactors, I thank you for your generous and ongoing support that givesvoice to your confidence and hope for our future. I pray also that your life may be blessed with hope.

Kathleen Owens, PhDPresident

President’s Message Winter 2009

HOPE

Gwynedd-Mercy CollegeToday is published twice ayear for the alumni andfriends of the College. Yourcomments and suggestionsare welcome.

Gerald T. McLaughlinVice President for InstitutionalAdvancement

Charlene DiSarloDirector of Public Relations& Marketing

Editor:Megan Gilmore

Assistant Editor:Meghan Decker

Creative Director andProduction Manager:Donna Smyrl

Contributors:Meghan DeckerCharlene DiSarloMegan GilmoreMia McGlynnChris PanterWillow Wilson

Design:Kim Austin Graphic Design

Photography:Fernande DavisCharlene DiSarloMegan GilmoreLianne HartmanKimberly KennedyMary KleinLindsey KulpEvans LubinMegan McCauleyRobert NeroniPeter OlsonChris PanterJim RoeseDonna Smyrl

On the Cover:Hobbit House teacher NicoleDiliberto ’97, ’05 helps oneof her autistic students puttogether a puzzle.

ContentsInside Cover

President’s Message

Campus News

2 Uncovering the Life of Major Griffith Jones

5 Developing Our Distinguished Mercy Graduates

6 Full of Solutions

7 Face to Face with a Prisoner

9 Home Is Where the School Is

10 Student Nurse Gains Leverage

12 Introducing Gwynedd-Mercy College’s Autism Institute

16 New Trustees Appointed

17 The Perfect Match

19 Fall Season Wrap-Up

Alumni News

21 Faith in the Face of War

24 A Passion for Nursing

25 Breaking Into the Music Industry

27 New Director of Alumni Relations

27 Class Notes

A PRIMARY SOURCE RESEARCH PROJECT

the Life of

MajorGriffith

Jones

2 Today

UncoveringGriffith Jones, a Philadelphianative born around 1812, wasthe eldest son of Amos Jones andJane Harr. Jones grew up inPerry County, a rural area justwest of Harrisburg, where hisfather owned much property andseveral businesses. Sometime inthe 1830s, he married MaryBacon (c. 1812-1851), but it isnot known where, though thecouple was living in Philadelphiain 1850 and in Norristown at thetime of Bacon’s death. Jones andBacon had at least two childrentogether, a daughter namedAmelia J. (“Jenny”) (c. 1834-1912)and a son named Francis B.(“Frank”) (c. 1839 - ?).

Although age 49 and quitewell-to-do, Jones enlisted inHarrisburg on October 3, 1861as captain of Company A of theNinth Pennsylvania Cavalry. OnJanuary 1, 1862 he marriedagain, this time to JosephinePreston Chambers (c. 1831-1896)from Louisville, Kentucky, whomhe no doubt met whilecampaigning in the WesternTheatre of the Civil War. Theyhad no children but Chambersacted as a loving stepmother toFrank and Jenny. After servingmore than two years in the army(with a promotion to major onJanuary 13, 1863), Jones resigneddue to illness/disability onDecember 2, 1863. Recoveringfrom his compromised healthacquired through military service,Jones became quite a prominentbusinessman. Throughout hislong life, Jones accumulatedextensive land holdings in bothPerry and Montgomery countiesand was owner of a grist mill inDuncannon and an iron works inPottstown.

Jones died on February 15, 1888at age 75 of uremia at his residencein Philadelphia and was buried inWoodlands Cemetery where hiswife and daughter eventuallyjoined him.

Left: Major Griffith Jones c.1812-1888

Background: Sample page from aletter showing cross-hatched writing.

In the age of Internet searchengines like Google and instantdata bases like Wikipedia, it isoften assumed that whateverinformation one craves, no matterwhat subject, it can be found witha few clicks of a button.

In the case of Major Griffith Jones, amember of the Ninth PennsylvaniaCavalry during the Civil War, anInternet search simply doesn’t suffice.Major Jones served in the UnionArmy for more than two years andnumerous primary source documentsfrom historical archives in Pennsylvaniaattest to his distinguished militaryrecord and great personal sacrifice.However, no biography exists and thehundreds of letters he wrote before,during and after the war have neverbeen compiled, transcribed, edited orpublished. Professor Wayne A. Huss,PhD, who teaches history and chairsthe Humanities Division at Gwynedd-Mercy College, has access to many ofthese original letters, the basis for amajor research project unraveling themystery of just who Major Jones was.

Dr. Huss and GMC seniors KimberlyKennedy and Stephen Long set out toresearch the Civil War letters of MajorJones over a summer-long project in2008. The opportunity presented itselfthrough the SouthEastern PennsylvaniaConsortium for Higher Education(SEPCHE), which established thefaculty-student undergraduate researchproject funded by the Barra Foundation.Dr. Huss served as faculty mentor toKennedy and Long, both history andsecondary education majors.

The three-member team visited atleast a half dozen historical societies,including the Civil War and Under-

ground Railroad (CWUR) Museum ofPhiladelphia, the Historical Society ofPennsylvania, the United StatesMilitaryHistory Institute in Carlisle, Pa., andthe Pennsylvania State Archives inHarrisburg, as well as other locationsin Philadelphia, Montgomery and Perrycounties. The timing of the researchers’visits to some of these locations waspivotal. The CWUR Museum was in atransitional period when they arrived,preparing to close for two years whileit moved to a new location. Only twoweeks after the team finished its visitsto the museum, all of the neededmaterial and information had been

shipped out of its current location.Because of the looming deadline, theteam made four daylong visits in fourweeks, in order to maximize thelimited time available.

One of the innovative research methodsthat Dr. Huss and the studentsemployed was using a digital camera

to photograph all important researchmaterials. By photographing thedocuments rather than trying totranscribe them on site, the team wasable to collect nearly 4,000 images,thus bypassing the usual unwieldymethods of research. The team hopeseventually to put together a series ofCDs containing all the images thatwere recorded. “We’re big ontechnology,” Dr. Huss said.

In addition to using modern technology,the research team also engaged intypical “old-fashioned” reading andresearching of both primary and

secondary sources. Together, theresearchers spent many hoursexamining letters, wills, deeds,church records, as well as officialgovernmental military and pensionrecords, and regimental histories.Through these sources, they were ableto compile day-to-day accounts of MajorJones’ regiment on a spreadsheet so

Today 3

Kimberly Kennedy, Professor Wayne Huss and Stephen Long research old records inLourdes Library.

4 Today

that they knew exactly where the NinthCavalry Regiment was on any givenday. This was helpful in verifying someof the dates on the original lettersfound in the various archival sources.

Dr. Huss, Kennedy and Long uncoveredinteresting personal information aboutMajor Jones, such as his close-knitfamily. Both his brother and his sonserved in the war, while his secondwife was from Kentucky, a border

state. Major Jones would even writetwo or three versions of his letters,debating which one to send since thewar so clearly divided the viewpointsof northern and southern citizens. Itbecame obvious to the research teamthat although he was passionate abouthis own personal beliefs, he exhibitssensitivity to his readers, which werenormally his wife, her southern rela-tives, and other family members. Theteam also found Major Jones’ lettersto be extremely loquacious, with afluid writing style, almost like poetry.

“These are letters of a well-written,educated man, who has strong feelingsabout a lot of things,” Kennedy said.“He is very sensitive to the political

nature of what he is writing about andhow his views might not alwayscoincide with those of his in-laws.”

The letters were challenging for theteam to decipher. Some range in lengthfrom five to 15 pages with sentencesspanning across the pages in severaldirections, making them difficult totranscribe. The letters are also writtenin long-hand script used 145 years ago.The amount of time it took to read the

letters was consuming. “We almost hadto translate the letters, and it’s not alwaysclear what is written in them,” Long said.

Another challenge was map coordina-tion. The team had to examine bothperiod and contemporary maps todetermine where some locations werethat Major Jones mentions. Then theywould check the regimental record toconfirm the location.

“That was very time-consuming in thebeginning, but it was a necessary tool,”Dr. Huss said. “It’s something that weneeded to create in order to fill insome of the gaps in our research thatare only going to be complete oncewe read all of the letters.”

For Dr. Huss and the students,exploring Major Jones and the NinthPennsylvania Cavalry has been muchmore than a research project. Theygained great personal satisfactionfrom the experience.

“It really felt good to be able to workon a project that mirrored an interestof mine,” Kennedy said. “As a non-traditional student, everything that Ido with school always has to counter-balance with my life, and this was anopportunity for me to work onsomething that I really wanted to doand not something that I had to do.”

Long agreed with Kennedy. “I’velearned so much from this projectabout going to different places, waystechnology can be used withhistorical research, and makingconnections at different areas, suchas the Pennsylvania HistoricalSociety,” Long said. “I’ve gainedknowledge and experience in somany different areas and I’m verygrateful for it.”

Dr. Huss saw first-hand the enthu-siasm that his students carriedthroughout the project. “It wasa delight professionally andpersonally to see that what Ienjoy and love can be conveyed

to somebody else and carried on,” hesaid. “And I couldn’t have asked for abetter team to work with.”

Although the SEPCHE projectofficially ended in August, Dr. Huss,Kennedy and Long are attempting tocontinue their research, despite nolonger receiving funding for theirwork. The team hopes to one daypublish a book on their research andeducate others about the unknownMajor Jones.

“Right now it feels like we’ve done alot, and we’re very happy with whatwe have, but we want the project tokeep growing,” Dr. Huss said. �

Today 5

Developing Our Distinguished Mercy GraduatesThe General Education curriculum gets a facelift

A well-rounded General Educationhas always been a hallmark ofGwynedd-Mercy College’s academiccurriculum, but has recently beenimproved upon to continue meetingthe demands of a modern education.A new General Education curriculum,which consists of Signature anddistribution courses, and a First YearExperience (FYE) program, wasadopted in fall 2007. In the nearfuture, the College will incorporate acapstone course during students’ finalyear of their baccalaureate degree.

“Every program currently has acapstone experience,” said ThomasGilmore, chairperson of the GeneralEducation committee. “Rather thanduplicating the capstone, it will beinfused into General Education.”

General Education courses cover sixsubject areas: religious studies,philosophy, psychology/sociology,technology/science/mathematics,English, and history. Each area ishighlighted by a Signature course, inwhich students learn about modern-dayissues as it relates to the subject.

“In each of the six areas, we assurethat a student has studied at anacademically challenging level,

incorporating writing, researchand/or lab work, grappling withcontent and applying it to today’sproblems. For example, ethniccleansing, cloning, global warming,terrorism, abortion, geneticengineering and jihad,” Gilmore said.

The curriculum is designed to introducefirst-year students to the Collegethrough the FYE program, which hasrecently become popular in collegesand universities. It will help studentstransition into their new roles asmembers of the college community.They learn what is expected of themas a student and how to manage thoseexpectations.

Students are familiarized with collegelife through three aspects of the FYEprogram – academic foundations,student development and Mercyheritage. The academic foundationssection focuses on topics such as aca-demic integrity, information literacyand the many resources available tostudents. The Mercy heritage portionof FYE has students participating incommunity service while exploringtheir personal and social responsibili-ties. The student developmentsegment incorporates co-curricularevents such as lectures, films, cultural

events, and lessons on financial,physical and mental wellness.

“We try to engage the students inconversations about topics that willensure their success and those thatcan impede their success,” RebeccaSignore, coordinator of FYE, said.When students complete the program,they are better prepared to besuccessful members of the Gwynedd-Mercy College community, she added.

The first year of FYE proved to be avaluable learning experience forstudents and faculty. Students had theopportunity to assess the program atthe completion of each semester.“The students were forthcoming withtheir feedback and let us know thatthey wanted more time on some topicsand less on others,” Signore said.This information was used by the FYEteaching team to improve the coursefor future classes. “My intention is tocome back to the initial FYE classwhen they graduate to explore furthersuggestions,” she said.

Together, the FYE, Signature andcapstone courses all cultivate“Distinguished Mercy Graduates”who are fully prepared for theirfutures. �

Rebecca Signore, coordinator of FYE, instructs her students.

6 Today

The Campbell Solution Center (CSC)launched during the fall semester as aone-stop shop to direct students withquestions related to administrative andfinancial matters. It is located in thenewly renovated Campbell Hall building.

“The idea was for Gwynedd-Mercy Collegeto offer a concierge service where studentscould address billing, financial aid, courseregistration, IDs, parking and auto regis-tration all in one place, rather than goingfrom building to building for assistance,”Cheryl Lynn Horsey, PhD, vice presidentof Student Services, said.

Students have the option of visiting theCenter in person or having their questionsanswered by calling or sending an e-mailto the Campbell Solution Center.Extended hours are also available forstudents who attend class in the evening.

Students are assisted by student supportspecialists, who are crossed-trained in allaspects of service to fully help bothstudents and parents. Most inquiries areabout tuition, loan status and registrationand 90 percent of the questions areanswered on the spot. The Center alsomakes available two personal computersso that students can complete loanrequirements and review their accountinformation or course schedules.

“The CSC is running smoothly and I’mexcited to see its continued success,”Chet Rispoli, PhD, director of the Camp-bell Solution Center and Career Servicessaid. “By streamlining processes, wetruly created a model that is studentfocused.” �

GMC alumni are welcome to contact the Campbell Solution Center to obtain their transcripts.

Alumni may also contact Career Services for job postings or any career-related issues by calling

215-646-7300, ext. 230 or sending an e-mail to careerservices@gmc.edu.

The Career Services Web site is www.gmc.edu/students/careerservices/.

Full ofSolutionsCampbell Solution Center

Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

215-641-5595campbellsolutioncenter@gmc.edu

Today 7

S uch was the case for 17-year-old Earl Rice one earlymorning in 1973. Rice andhis friend had been walkinghome from a party in West

Chester, Pa., when they saw an elderlywoman stumble out of a bar, holdingher purse under her arm. The twofriends exchanged agreeing glances,swiftly grabbed the woman’s purse andran. She spun around, lost her balanceand hit her head on the concretesidewalk as the teenagers took off.

Because of his actions, Rice got notonly the $450 that was in the woman’spurse, but also life in prison withoutparole. The woman had died from theimpact of her fall.

“It only took nine seconds from themoment we decided to steal her purse

to the time that she fell to theground,” Rice said. Those nineseconds changed his life forever.

Students in the “Corrections” courseof the Criminal Justice program heardRice’s account firsthand during theirvisit to Graterford Correctional Facilitywhere he is an inmate. Rice was triedas an adult at the age of 17, while his16-year-old accomplice was tried as ajuvenile, serving only three to fouryears.

Several students were so alarmed bythe devastating results of his impul-sive crime that they decided Rice’sstory needed to be told, especially tohigh school students.

“The teen years are notorious forbeing the prime time of stupidity and

Criminal Justice StudentsMeet Inmate Number AM1732

Sometimes making decisions in a flash is unavoidable –steering a car to dodge a deer or catching a glass vase thatwas knocked off a table – but sometimes actions are resultsof quick, poor decisions. Decisions that lead to tragedy.

recklessness,” sophomore SamanthaSkirka said.

In order to convey how important it isto think before you act, Criminal JusticeProgram Director Walter Zdunowskiand his students are putting together adocumentary with help from filminstructor Evans Lubin. They hopeto show high school students thedocumentary to teach them to makesmart decisions.

“We all have done those little, impulsive

things that we wish we could takeback,” Zdunowski said.

Skirka, Zdunowski, Lubin and seniorJennifer Kozminski had the opportu-nity for an extended interview withRice.

“The whole time, I couldn’t believethat I was sitting across the table froma convicted murderer,” Skirka said.“It’s one thing to read his story in thenewspaper clippings, but to be able tosit across from him, shake hands with

him, question him and hear himdivulge all of the events of his life andof the crime was so edifying.”

Skirka also accompanied Zdunowskiand Lubin to visit with Rice’s fatherand brother in Delaware. “Lookinginto the eyes of family members whohave lost their son/brother to jail wasso sad,” she said.

The students, who are working on theproject not for school credit but forpersonal interest, appreciate that Riceis sharing his story with others as alesson in doing the right thing.

“The Earl Rice project will probablybe what I remember most when I lookback on my college education,” Skirkasaid.

For more information regarding theCriminal Justice program, visit theSchool of Arts and Sciences’ web pageon gmc.edu and follow the links forcriminal justice. �

8 Today

(Above) Student Samantha Skirka (left) wasgreatly impacted by her visit to the prison.

(Left) Students and Criminal Justice ProgramDirector Walter Zdunowski discuss theirprior visit with Earl Rice at GraterfordCorrectional Facility.

“We all have donethose little, impulsivethings that we wish wecould take back.”

Today 9

When I finished 10th grade at the age of 15, I neverimagined that in four short years I would be a seniorat Gwynedd-Mercy College. But here I am, majoring inEnglish, planning to graduate in spring 2009 to continuewith my educational and career goals. And if it weren’t forhomeschooling, I would have missed the amazing time Ihave had in college.

My parents decided to homeschool my four older sistersand me for several reasons. First, they wanted a Christianenvironment for their children, whichthey felt that many public schoolslacked. Second, they liked the flexibleschedule that homeschooling offered.And third, they felt that homeschoolingoffered room for my sisters and me topursue subjects that we were interestedin and to grow intellectually at our ownpace, whether that was slower or fasterthan the pace set by public schools.

A typical day for me was about six toseven hours of school, pursuing thebasic required subjects as well as othertopics that interested me, such as music, art and literature.My mom was my primary teacher, guiding me throughmy studies until about seventh grade. At that point, I wasmostly able to teach myself, asking for help only with theconcepts I found difficult. I think that this really helpedprepare me for college because it ingrained in me a goodwork ethic and the ability to work independently.

Participation in sports at the local public school was not anoption for homeschoolers at the time that I was being edu-cated at home, though that has fortunately changed. Thiswasn’t a huge problem for my sisters and me – we couldform a decent sports team ourselves. But my parents did

enroll me in extracurricular activities like gymnastics andhorseback riding, and my sisters and I would put onamateur plays and do other creative projects. I was neverat a loss for a creative outlet.

I was often faced with questions or judgments from thoseoutside of homeschooling. Most of the questions wereharmless, such as if I was allowed to go to school in mypajamas (I wasn’t!), but sometimes there would bestereotypes. One of the most common stereotypes about

homeschoolers is that they are sociallyinept. I definitely disagree. Although Ihave met some socially awkwardhomeschoolers, I have also met just asmany socially awkward students frompublic school. I think that more thingsthan just school determine a child’ssocial growth. Another stereotype is thatall homeschoolers are sheltered andignorant of the “real world.” Again, Ithink that depends on the choices thatparents havemade to allow their childrento have wide and varied experiences. Ifeel that even without a public school

education, I was able to have just as much of an idea of theoutside world as someone who was not homeschooled.

I was in 10th grade when I took the SATs with my oldersister, Emera. I subsequently applied and was accepted toImmaculata University in 2005 at the age of 15. I hadn’tplanned to start college at such a young age. At first, I feltthat maybe it was a bad decision and that I might not likethe classes or be able to handle the workload. I soon foundout that I really enjoyed learning at the college level and,when I transferred to community college, I discovered mypassion for English and literature. With two years ofcollege behind me, I chose to transfer to Gwynedd-Mercy

Most students come to Gwynedd-Mercy College from area public or private high schools. But for some students, life beforeGMC didn’t include catching a bus or going to Homecoming. These students were homeschooled and bring with them aunique and varied background. Willow Wilson is just 18 years old and will be graduating this spring. She recently internedin the public relations office and shared her story with us. We learned about her unique, accelerated education, as well asother fellow students who have a homeschooling background. These students give a glimpse into their lives before GMC andhow homeschooling prepared them for the rigors of college life.

Home Is Where the School Is

10 Today

College because I felt that it would offer a quality education,reward hard work, and provide the small classroomenvironment that worked so well for me at home. I’ve metso many wonderful teachers and fellow students – I’veactually met more homeschoolers here than I have anywhereelse. I didn’t know many homeschoolers outside of myfamily growing up so it was a nice surprise.

I look forward to completing my degree and pursuing mygoal of becoming an English professor. I’ve had theopportunity to be involved in the production of TheGriffin, GMC’s literary magazine, and The Gwynmercian,the College’s newspaper. I also was an intern in theCollege’s public relations office and a tutor at the AcademicResource Center. If it weren’t for my parents and theirdecision to homeschool my sisters and me, I might nothave had the opportunity to go to GMC and gain theeducation and experiences that I have had. �

Other GMC Homeschoolers

John Messina“At first, I wished that I went to public school,but then I realized what benefits I wasgaining from homeschooling. I really didlike homeschooling because I felt that Ilearned a lot and it provided me with moreof a stable and disciplined work environmentwhich allowed for more retention of knowledgeand ultimately helped to prepare me forcollege,” said Messina, a freshman Englishmajor, whose homeschooling curriculum wasbased on ancient orator education (math,Latin, grammar, theology and philosophy).

Michael Pflueger“Homeschooling gave me self-motivation, timeto focus on subjects that I wanted to learnand time to read books that I wanted to read.It gave me experience with taking the initia-tive to study on my own and learn without ateacher force-feeding me information.However, I do not believe that homeschoolingis for everyone. It takes a great deal ofparental involvement and some children justperform better in a public school classroomenvironment. Nevertheless, for children likeme, homeschooling can be the best way toapproach their education,” said Pflueger, ajunior math and secondary education major.

StudentNurseGains

LeverageDisturbed by thecarelessness ofthe Nigerianhospital whereher sister’snewborn died,sophomoreOmolola “Lola”Akinmadelovowed that shewould never seethese medicalmistakes happenagain. Shortlyafter, she beganstudying for hernursing degreeat Gwynedd-Mercy College.

I

Today 11

“I left Nigeria a long time ago, butthere are still some things that welack in my country,” Akinmadeloexplained. “When my sister had herbaby, she went to what was supposedto be one of the best hospitals there.”

Akinmadelo’s interest in nursing wasre-affirmed when she and herclassmates observed the institutionalreview board (IRB) of Einstein Hospi-tal, an opportunity offered throughher “Morality and ContemporaryHealth Care” course, taught byBrother David Schultz, FSC, PhD.

The IRB reviews doctors’ proposalsfor new treatments, drugs, surgicalprocedures and new equipment. Theyare responsible for staying informedabout what doctors are proposing andweighing risks, side effects andbenefits of treatments. The IRB alsoconfirms that there is no conflict of in-terest between the primary physician,principal investigating physician andthe drug company, aspects allobserved by Brother David’s class.

“We check that the physicians don’thave stock in the drug company andsubsequently push the drug throughwithout adequate testing,” BrotherDavid, an IRB member for five years,said.

Wanting to be an active part of theIRB process, Akinmadelo sent “lotsand lots of e-mails” before she wascontacted by the board, passed therequired online training course and,at age 30, became the first-evercollege student to be a member ofEinstein Hospital’s IRB.

“I’m the youngest by about 30 years,”Akinmadelo said. “I feel like theirdaughter or grandchild. But I’mexcited to represent my generationof people.”

As a member, Akinmadelo gets to bepart of a board that is vital to protectingcountless medical patients’ well-being.

“Being a member of the IRB makesyou want to read more about thingsyou see and things we talk about. I’m

going to be a nurse and I’m going tohave to make decisions by myself formy patients and some of the things thatwe’ve talked about have helped me.”

In fall 2008, the IRB reviewed threeproposals: a new drug for schizophrenia,a new treatment for jaundice innewborns and a new type of diagnosticmachine for breast cancer.

“It’s not just studying academically ina classroom,” Brother David said. “She’sactually seeing how some of this canapply to real people and real life.”

Every year doctors give the IRB aprogress report on their experimentsand, after three years, the treatment willbe reviewed and either rejected oraccepted by the FDA for distributionto hospitals nationwide. “Lola will bemaking life and death decisions forpatients suffering from severeillnesses,” Brother David said. �

Student Omolola Akinmadelo and assistantprofessor Brother David Schultz, FSC, PhD,meet with fellow members of the institutionalreview board at Einstein Hospital.

12 Today

There are more than one millionautistic children in America – anepidemic that brings with it countlessconcerns and issues for the parentsand educators who care for the fastest-growing population of special needschildren. Autism, a bio-neurologicaldevelopmental disability, includes fiveautism spectrum disorders (ASD) –autism, Aspergers, Rett’s Syndrome,Childhood Disintegrative Disorderand PDD-NOS (Pervasive Develop-mental Disorder-Not OtherwiseSpecified). Gwynedd-Mercy Collegesaw a need for educating our aspiringteachers and community members,thus becoming the driving forcebehind the creation of the AutismInstitute.

The Institute, which launched lastyear, strives to support scientificallyresearch-based best practicesfor individuals onthe autism spectrumby identifying needs,seeking appropriatefunding and providingdevelopmental andeducational services.

Under the supervision of DeborahSchadler, PhD, assistant professor andcoordinator of undergraduate education,the Institute (run through GMC’sSchool of Education) provides essentialinformation for our students majoringin elementary and special education, aswell as area teachers and administrators,

parents of autistic children and anyinterested communitymembers, allthrough a series of workshops.

“We want to provide direct serviceto Gwynedd-Mercy Collegestudents and the community,”Dr. Schadler said.

Dr. Schadler was inspired to createthe Institute by her close work withspecial needs children over the last35 years and her completion of aprofessional certificate in autism fromPenn State University’s College ofEducation two years ago.

Workshops (including summerworkshops for teachers to earn Act 48credits), professional developmentactivities and on-site service programswere conducted throughout last year.As a result of these initiatives, a diversegroup of area preschools wasselected for intensive on-siteinterventions during the 2008-2009academic year. The Valie GenuardiHobbit House of Gwynedd-MercyCollege, Bright BeginningsPreschool of McNeil Laboratories

in SpringHouse, Pa., Salford MennoniteChild Care Center in Harleysville, Pa.,and Tiferet Bet Israel Preschool inBlue Bell, Pa., are visited weekly byDr. Schadler, or by a member ofTeamWork Wins, a local organizationthat assists the Institute and serves asa resource for people with “invisiblechallenges.”

I N T R O D U C I N G GW Y N E D D - M E R C Y C O L L E G E ’ S

Today 13

Dr. Schadler visits Hobbit Housewhile the preschool is in session. Ahandful of more than 100 studentsenrolled exhibit symptoms of ASD orare already formally diagnosed.

“I have inconspicuous interaction withall of the children, noting the strengthsand weaknesses of every child. Iobserve the classroom dynamic andthe children’s “appropriate response,”then write a report for RoseannePollock, the director, as well as theclassroom teachers. This is an informalevaluation that can be shared with theparents (when a child is “at risk” forASD),” Dr. Schadler said.

Every Hobbit Houseteacher has attended the

Institute’s workshopswhere they all saythey learned valuable,

new informationthrough the workshop’s

hands-on approach. “This issuch an important issue. You cannever have enough information,”Pollock said. Dr. Schadler’s daughter,Catherine Schadler, MEd, an adjunctprofessor at GMC and special educationteacher at Vernfield ElementarySchool in Souderton, Pa., also sharedher expertise by conducting one ofthe workshops last year.

Hobbit House teachers acknowledgethe many challenges they face caringfor children on the autism spectrum.Each child is different, they said, andtherefore requires personalizedattention to accommodate his/herpersonality.

“These students appear to be of aboveaverage intelligence, often brilliant,but they may be having difficultymastering social skills. Hobbit Houseis the perfect setting for them tointeract with other people,” PatriciaClemmer, a teacher at Hobbit House,said. These are also students whomay prefer to be alone and not seekout playmates, but can be veryreceptive and loving toward teachers,Cynthia Lastowski, another HobbitHouse teacher, added.

Hobbit House prides itself on being atolerant and accepting preschool.“Here we accept everyone andcelebrate their uniqueness. We alltry to be nurturing,” Pollock said.

When a teacher suspects that a childis “at risk” for ASD, they objectivelyobserve the child’s symptoms thenshare these observations with theirparents. A child who shows only onespecific interest, plays with only onetoy everyday, repeats sounds or flaps

Hobbit House teacher Nicole Diliberto ’97, ’05helps one of her autistic students

put together a puzzle.

their arms alertsteachers thatthey may be onthe autism spectrum.

The way that parents react to hearingthese observations is mixed. “Parentsnever like to hear that their child isless than typical or normal,” Pollocksaid. Some parents will ignore thesymptoms, while others take thenecessary steps towards having theirchild formally diagnosed. Months oftesting by various specialists willusually confirm a teacher’s intuition.Other parents may acknowledge thatsomething is different with theirchild, but consult with a pediatriciannot well-versed in diagnosing autism,who tells them that their child will“grow out of it” and that they are just“quirky.” They are quirky, but thatdoesn’t mean that they will grow outof it, Pollock said.

Students on the autism spectrumlearn flexibility and coping skills atHobbit House which will help themflourish in school and eventuallybecome productive members ofsociety, Tara Nika, preschool teachersaid. “The biggest misconception isthat these children are intellectuallyincapacitated. They’re definitely not,”Dr. Schadler said.

With a combination of treatmentplans, children with ASD candramatically improve their behavior,especially if treatment is started veryearly in life, as the Institute stronglysupports. Developmental and speechtherapy, preschool teaching withdetailed daily logs of a child’sactivities and behavior are just someof the ways that a child’s symptomscan be addressed.

Communication, patience and trustare key ingredients in the relationshipbetween Megan McCauley and theSmith family.* Megan, a December’08 graduate with an elementary/special education degree, and Chrisand Liz Smith met during last Febru-ary’s Autism Institute workshop. TheSmiths, of Horsham, have a 4-year-oldautistic son and attended the workshopto become better educated about hiscondition while Megan wanted tobuild upon what she was learning inher education courses and studentteaching. Megan, who baby-sat for 10families, was the perfect fit for theSmiths who scoped out the attendingGwynedd-Mercy College students tofind an experienced baby sitter. TheSmiths wasted no time, inviting herover to their house the night afterthe workshop to baby-sit their fourchildren.

“I initially entrusted Megan with mychildren because not only did sheexude responsibility and kindness atthe conference, but she has chosento work with children as her careergoal. I also thought Megan had topossess a passion for children and animmense amount of patience to pursuea career dedicated to educatingchildren. I was more than right.Megan is the kind of young womanthat you pray your own daughter turnsout to be like. I wasn’t aware of howtalented she is with special needschildren until I saw her interact withmy kids. They love her and I can seewhy. We are blessed that she is inour lives,” Liz said.

The feeling is mutual, as Meganenjoys watching the Smith childrengrow.

A C L O S E R L O O KBut funding for this issue is minimal.Last January, the Institute received agrant from the Child DevelopmentFoundation ofMontgomery County andformed the SPECTRUM (SupportingSuccessful Practices in Early Childhood– Connection, Training, Resources –A Unified Mission) Project whichfocuses on supporting MontgomeryCounty preschools in identifying andresponding appropriately to behaviorsof students on the autism spectrum.

“This is so important – one in 150 births– sowe need to find out why,” said JosephDiMino, DO, director of health at theMontgomeryCountyHealthDepartmentand member of GMC’s President’sCouncil. “This is costing the UnitedStates a lot of time and money. Basicallythe biggest contributions the AutismInstitute can bring are public awareness,parent information and resources, andthe education of people.”

Gwynedd-Mercy College is “ahead of thecurve,” along with being located in acounty participating in a very importantnational autism study, Dr. DiMino noted.

“No other local institution is doing whatwe’re doing. The Federal government

has a national children’s study, a 21-yearproject following 100,000 people innine sites, Montgomery County beingone of them. The study will recruitpregnant or soon-to-be-pregnant womenand study absolutely everything,”Dr. DiMino said.

As far as the future of the Institute –the hope is that it will only get bigger.Expanding upon existing programs,providing appropriate therapeuticsupport from the College’s specialeducation majors, providing an autismcertification program, and formalizingshort period respite care services forfamilies of children on the autismspectrum, are just some of the planson the horizon.

“We want to continue to identifyneeds and link the resources of theCollege to those needs. We want toget better at what we’re doing andcontinue to support preschools, as weknow that identifying a child early isso successful. Community programssuch as Story Hours conducted byGwynedd-Mercy College educationstudents is also something that I wouldlike to see happen. There’s so muchthat we can do,” Dr. Schadler said.

For more information about programsoffered by the Autism Institute, visitwww.gmc.edu, “About GMC” link, orcontact Deborah Schadler, PhD atschadler.d@gmc.edu, 215-646-7300,ext. 160. �

Dr. Deborah Schadler supervises theAutism Institute.

14 Today

Today 15

GMC student and local family connect at Autism Institute workshop

“The best part about baby-sitting forthe Smiths is the amount of love theirchildren show me. The whole familyrespects me and it shows that theyappreciate me coming over to care fortheir children. It is also a wonderfulexperience for me to watch theirchildren grow and see the children’spersonalities form,” Megan said.

But caring for an autistic child doescome with its share of challenges.For Megan, staying on a routine andbreaking through any communicationbarriers proves the most difficult,while for Liz it’s the emotional upsand downs.

“The peaks and valleys are so highand so low on this path of autism. Theroller coaster ride is challenging, butI would not change a thing about myson. He has taught my husband andme many life lessons. The biggestchallenge for us was when we had the“aha” moment and we knew what waswrong. We witnessed him struggle

and miss physical, verbal and socialmilestones that came so naturally andeasily for the typical child. Finally weknew why and could begin workingon the problem. Unfortunately, after adiagnosis, parents are left wondering,“Now what?” There was no directionand it felt like we were recreating thewheel we knew already existed butcouldn’t find. I would say as a parent,feeling hopeless in this new worldof an autism spectrumdisorder was theworst feeling. Con-versely, being able toreach into our son’sworld with somethingas simple as a pictureexchange program feltamazing! Little by little, we educatedourselves, found the services that ourson needed and began to see littlesuccesses – his first verbal word, hisfirst independent steps, his first timeasking to go to a neighbor’s house,”Liz said.

Since the workshop, the Smiths haveenrolled their son into Gwynedd-Mercy College’s Valie GenuardiHobbit House because its teachershave all attended the Institute’sworkshops and are experienced inworking with children on the autismspectrum. Liz and Chris credit theworkshop they attended for gaining abetter understanding of their son andfor connecting with helpful people inthe community who work with autismin a variety of ways.

“The workshop that I attended wasincredibly informative. With a son onthe spectrum, I was already armedwith an incredible amount ofinformation regarding ASD, earlyintervention, screenings, diets andunconventional treatments. I washowever, pleasantly surprised by howmuch I benefited from the day-longworkshop. Part of the workshopfocused on what it feels like to be achild on the autistic spectrumnavigating through sensory overload.There is so much information andsupport out there. You just need to findit. The workshop gave me direction. I

only wish I had attended shortlyafter my son’s diagnosis. Itwould have saved me a lot oflegwork. It was also veryenlightening to hear theperspective of an educator.It brought tears to my eyeswitnessing the care and

passion that they have for theirASD students whom they desperatelytry to impact daily. I also gainedinformation just by simply networkingwith other parents that attended theworkshop,” Liz said. �

*Name has been changed for confidentiality

GMC student Megan McCauley, center, with the Smith family.*

On Monday, September 8, Gwynedd-Mercy College held its 22nd Annual Golf Tournament*at Old York Road Country Club in Spring House, Pa. Friends and business partners ofthe College enjoyed lunch and a beautiful day on the course. The day ended with dinnerand an awards ceremony. Proceeds from the golf outing amounted to $79,170 – arecord amount for the annual event and an increase of $8,120 from the previous year.

This year’s tournament was sponsored by Peter Carlino, Keystone Mercy Health Planand Turner Construction and organized by committee members Mark Craney and JayHaenn (co-chairs ), Richard Hubbert, Regina Lowrie, Mia McGlynn, Donna Smyrl andRichard Stys.

The 23rd Annual Golf Tournament will be at Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club onOctober 12, 2009.

*To view photos from the golf tournament please visit the GMC web site at: www.gmc.edu/giving/events.php.

GOLF TOURNAMENT

16 Today

Helen K. Lafferty, PhD,returns to Gwynedd-Mercy College afterpreviously serving as amember of the Board ofTrustees from 1993 to2002. Dr. Lafferty iscurrently serving asFirst College Professor

of the Liberal Arts and Sciences atVillanova University. She received bothher bachelor’s and master’s degrees fromYoungstown State University and herdoctorate from the University ofPittsburgh. Dr. Lafferty has alsocompleted post-doctoral studies at theInstitute for Educational Management atHarvard University and at the Universityof Pennsylvania.

After several years of experience insecondary education, Dr. Lafferty dedicatedher career to Villanova University. Shestarted there as an academic counselor,advanced to the assistant and thenassociate dean of the College of LiberalArts and Sciences, and was appointed tointerim vice president for academicaffairs. In 1992 she was appointed asuniversity vice president, a position sheheld until 2008.

Joseph C. Scodarialso earned hisundergraduate degreefrom Youngstown StateUniversity. Scodari hasdevoted his entire34-year career to thepharmaceuticalindustry. He has served

in high ranking positions such as vicepresident of Strategic Marketing atSterling Drug Inc., senior vice presidentand general manager for the Americas atRhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.,and president and CEO of Centocor, Inc.Most recently, Scodari was WorldwideChairman, Pharmaceuticals, for Johnson& Johnson from 2005 to 2008.

Currently Scodari is serving as vice-chairman of the board of the BiotechnologyIndustry Organization (BIO) and amember of its executive committee.Previously, he has served as a director ofBIO and also chairman of the PennsylvaniaBIO. Scodari was a member of the boardof overseers at Robert Wood JohnsonSchool of Medicine, director ofPharmacyclics, Inc., and a member ofthe board of trustees of the University ofthe Sciences in Philadelphia. �

New Trustees Appointed

The winning foursome, Jim McHale, Dave Bisbee,Bobi McHale and Gene Delaney.

Gwynedd-MercyCollege has

appointed twonew members to

its Board ofTrustees.

Today 17

The Perfect Match

Gwynedd-Mercy College’s men’s soccer teamhelped to grant a birthday wish to Luke Ronco,whom the team “adopted” in August 2008 through

the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Nine-year-old Luke, whohas been battling a brain tumor for the last six years, saidthat he wanted to spend his birthday “with mysoccer team.”

Throughout the soccer season, Luke,his parents, Nicole and John, and histhree sisters attendedmany practicesand home games. Luke would oftenbring homemade “Go Griffins”posters, Coach Dave Bontemposaid. Luke also participated in thecoin toss before games and hungout after games with the team andhis sisters.

On December 3, Luke and his family(of Whitehall, Pa.) attended the GriffinMadness pep rally where he received manybirthday surprises. First, the Roncos had dinnerin the cafeteria with the soccer team. Then it was onto the pep rally where Luke received a huge addition to hisPEZ dispenser collection, among other gifts.

Coach Bontempo learned about Luke’s love of PEZ beforethe game and, with help from his wife, daughters and son,collected more than 500 PEZ dispensers to present to Luke.Luke had to earn the PEZ dispensers with a one-timebasketball shot made with the help of two GMC basketball

players and men’s basketball coach, John Baron.With that shot, Luke’s collection instantly

doubled tomore than 1,000 PEZ dispensers.

Luke was also presented withdozens of birthday cards, a bookautographed by Pat Croce, aT-shirt and hat autographed bySt. Joseph’s University coach PhilMartelli, a poster autographed byPenn State University’s basketballteam and a large birthday cake.For Luke it was “the best birthday

ever,” Nicole said.

Luke’s presence on the soccer teamhas touched every teammate, they said,

as his shining personality in the face of such aserious disease exemplifies amazing strength and

maturity. For teammate Andrew Severns, Luke has made atruly lasting memory.

(Top) The first team photo after Luke Ronco’s induction. (Center) Luke, newly inducted into the soccer team, high fives his teammates.

18 Today

“Luke has become another teammateon our soccer team. He loves crackingjokes with us and we really haveenjoyed our time with him,” Severnssaid. “He is a very smart kid. I havenever seen anyone his age hold aconversation as well as he can.”

Teammate Sean Meehan is alsoimpressed with Luke’s likabledisposition.

“I am pretty sure everyone on theteam would agree we are blessed witha very intelligent and fun-loving kid.Luke is far from a shy boy. Since dayone he has had no problem interactingwith the team at all. He is quick to giveus high fives and is always cheeringfor us at our games. He is also morethan willing to teach any of us aboutPEZ and answer any questions wehave. He acts as if he is a part of theteam and has known all of us foryears. Luke is the most mature andpersonable 10-year-old I have evermet and he will forever leave a markon every team member’s heart. Weare truly lucky that we are able tohave such an amazing young boy as ateammate,” Meehan said.

Luke has also helped to solidifyMeehan’s career path, he said.

“As a nursing major, Luke has greatlyinfluenced my future. My interactionswith him have helped me to realizethat I would like to pursue my nursingcareer in pediatrics. It is because ofhim I realize howmuch I enjoy workingwith kids.”

Both Luke and his family have had animpact on the team, Coach Bontemposaid.

“The Roncos have a level of strengththat is unable to be measured. Theyneed us, but at the same time they areshining examples to learn from,” he said.

Luke’s parents are extremely gratefulfor the soccer team and their newGwynedd-Mercy College family.

“Luke probably will never fullyappreciate the impact that thisrelationship has had on our lives, butwe will continue to remind him everyday,” Nicole said.

Coach Bontempo has since collectedeven more PEZ dispensers for Lukeand has arranged for some of his highschool friends to send Luke birthdaywishes. Speaker of the PennsylvaniaHouse of Representatives DennisO’Brien has put together aproclamation for Luke from theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania tohonor his birthday, PennsylvaniaCongressman Patrick Murphy sentLuke a special birthday greeting andCaptain Chris Ferguson, a NASAastronaut who recently returned froma space shuttle mission, sent Luke anautographed birthday card andphotograph.

Photos from the event and a link toLuke’s Web site can be viewed atwww.gmc.edu. �

The soccer team looks on as Luke blows outhis birthday candles after the GriffinMadness pep rally.

Luke shakes M.E.R.V.’s hand as CoachBontempo prepares to surprise Luke withhis birthday presents.

Today 19

The women’s tennis team won the firstteam championship of the ColonialStates Athletic Conference under itsnew name as the Griffins took downCabrini College in the final, 5-2. Withthe win the squad will represent theCSAC in the NCAA Division IIIwomen’s tennis team tournament comeMay 2009. The team, who finished witha 15-2 mark and a perfect 10-0 confer-ence record, also captured titles at theCSAC Individual Championships assenior Ashley Bowie won a medal at #5singles and partnered with freshmanJessica Scarpello to win at #3 doubles.Senior Alana Rumpel was also gold at#2 singles as the team collected eightmedals overall. For his efforts, HeadCoach Jim Holt was named Women’sTennis CSAC Coach of the Year.

The Griffin cross country teamsexperienced a great deal of successlast fall. The men captured theprogram’s first-ever conference title inwinning the CSAC Championship.The team, by placing five runners inthe top 10, was able to defeat KeystoneCollege by a five-point margin. JohnWatts (third), R.J. Every (fourth),Brendan Sharp (seventh), Dan Geary(ninth), and Matt VanDenHengel(10th) were all named all-conferenceand will continue to play next season.The men’s squad also captured teamtitles at the Delaware Valley CollegeInvitational and the Goldey-BeacomFall Classic.

The women’s cross country teammanaged a second-place finish at theCSAC Championships by placing fourrunners on the all-conference team.Erica Matticola (second), Alycia Tran-chitella (fourth), Katherine Klinges(fifth), and Regina Sellman (12th)were also all-league and will return.

The successes continued at the NCAADivision III Regional Championshipas the men posted their first-ever top20 finish (16th). The accomplishmentshave not gone unnoticed around theregion as Head Coach Mike Wernerwas named the Cross Country CSACCoach of the Year.

Second-year coach Neil Johnsonguided a young women’s soccer teamto a late-season run to get the teaminto the CSAC Championship, finishingwith an 11-10 mark and an 8-2 leaguerecord. The team’s five-game winstreak ended in the league title game,falling at Marywood University, 2-0.This was a big turnaround for theteam compared to last season asJohnson recruited 11 new members, allof which made an immediate impact.The league’s Rookie of the Year,Gwen Conte, led the conference ingoals scored (14). The team alsohosted a semifinal playoff contest,knocking off Centenary College, a teamthat defeatedGMC in the regular season,1-0. Conte was a first-team all-leaguepick while seniors MacKenzieArmstrong and Kerrin Doran weresecond team selections.

The 2008 fall season was one toremember as two teams brought

home championships, two more wererunners-up, and two coaches were

named Coach of the Year.

FALL SEASONWRAP-UP

Another second-year coach guidedher team to the CSAC playoffs, asLaura-Ann Lane and the GMC fieldhockey team produced two first-teamall-league selections with senior VictoriaGeppert and junior Olivia Wilson. OnOctober 4, the squad, in conjunctionwith the women’s soccer team, hosteda fundraiser for the Susan G. KomenFoundation for Breast Cancer Researchas “Think Pink” was the theme of theday. The teams wore pink wristbandsto mark the occasion. On the field, theteam ended 7-12 for the season and5-4 in conference play to qualify forthe CSAC playoffs for the secondstraight year.

The men’s soccer team got off to arough start, not winning until theirseventh game, netting a 1-0 win atHaverford College on September 24.The Griffins earned their first home

win on October 8 in a 3-2 win overBaptist Bible College. The groupcollected three conference wins, twoof which were away games, finishingwith a 4-14-1 record. Senior Ed Prattearned a spot on CSAC’s All-LeagueSecond Team while sophomore MattMeier and freshman Tom Petroskiearned spots on the league’s HonorableMention Team.

With seven freshmen this season, theGriffin volleyball team went throughthe growing pains of a very youngteam in hopes to build up a leaguecontender for future seasons. Sevenfreshmen saw quality playing timeand the experience will pay dividendsdown the road. The team perseveredto earn a 4-22 overall record and a 3-7league mark. Junior Jessica Rufe washonored with a spot on the CSACAll-Sportsmanship Team. �

20 Today

NEW CONFERENCE TITLELast summer the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) officially

changed its name to the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC).

“This is an exciting time for the conference,” Commissioner Amy

Frankenstein-Friedman said. “The new name recognizes that we

have member schools that are not in Pennsylvania. And, after

years of being confused with other conferences that are similarly

named, we will be able to create a new identity and really stand

out from the crowd.”

As of July 1, 2008, the member institutions of the CSAC are:

Baptist Bible College, Cabrini College, Cedar Crest College,

Centenary College, College of Notre Dame, Gwynedd-Mercy

College, Keystone College, Immaculata University, Marywood

University, Neumann College, Rosemont College and Philadelphia

Biblical University.

Today 21

Gwynedd-Mercy College alumnaand former French teacher recounts her inspiring

WWII survival in her compelling memoir and speech.

Fernande “Freddie” Davis sent this photoof herself to her future husband, Bill, whilehe was serving in the war.

(Top) The lane on which Freddie lived inMontzen, Belgium.

“People were nervous and fearful. Talkof war was everywhere. Would there beanother war? Would Germany invade usagain? Would our army be able to stopthem? These fears were expressed byeveryone I met on the street. Then camethat fateful day of May 10, 1940. Sirensscreamed through the dawn of ourpeaceful Andenne. We ran out into thegarden and street to stare up at the sky.We saw what we thought was a squadronof the Belgian Air Force approaching, onlyto be horrorstruck at the sight of swastikason the tails of the planes. Total panic setin as we ran to the radio to find that, yes,“les Boches” (the derogatory wordused to describe the German invaders)had invaded Belgium oncemore.”

This is the dramatic account of war tornBelgium duringWWII as told by Fernande“Freddie” Davis, a 1968 graduate ofGwynedd-Mercy College and formerFrench teacher. Davis was just 16 whenthe Germans invaded her hometown ofMontzen, Belgium. She decided to jointhe underground, a Belgian resistancemovement, risking her life for two and ahalf years to perform clandestine dutiesincluding carrying false documents andfallen allied airmen to safety.

As guest speaker at October’s CommonHour (a forum where guest speakerspresent on a variety of topics for students,faculty and staff), Davis recounted thisperiod in her life as written in hermemoir, Girl in the Belgian Resistance:A Wakeful Eye in the Underground. Inher speech, she credited her strongfaith in God and her family, along withher sheer determination and ability tocommunicate with the enemy, to hersurvival.

As the third child of eight siblings,Davis helped her parents in a smallgrocery store that was run out of thebottom floor of their home. Life wassimple, but there was always a feelingof uneasy fear that loomed over themever since WWI. Fears were confirmedMay 10, 1940 when Germany declaredwar on Belgium.

Davis’ father knew it was coming, sheexplained, as he read both French andGerman newspapers and built a bunkerin preparation. Life during the warwould change dramatically. Childrenwere forced to leave school at age 14 or15 to work, something Davis neverwanted to do.

22 Today

“I never got the feeling I was going tostay in school,” she explained in herCommon Hour speech. “Whenever Iwould bring up school to my father healways said “maybe” and left it at that.”

The bordering villages were threatenedby invasion and danger. Before the warbegan, Davis left school as her fatherarranged for her to stay with a friend heknew from his days as a soldier in WWI.Davis set off to live in Andenne, Belgiumwith her father’s friend and his sistershe referred to as “Mademoiselle.” Shewas sent to keep Mademoiselle companyand do chores around the property. Lifewas uneventful and “boring” for a while– until she heard the planes.

“I thought they were Belgian planespracticing,” she said.

But they weren’t. They were Germanplanes equipped with bombs, soonfollowed by the German soldiers’cannons and war equipment and theGestapo who patrolled the streets.

“The mood of the people was fear.People started running,” she said.

Davis knew that she couldn’t run homebecause she would be traveling furtherinto danger. Few people in Andennehad transportation. They were farmersand working people that used anythingthey had with wheels to move theirpossessions, she said.

“Thousands of families with horses andwagons, even wheelbarrows, werefleeing. They were stacked with bundlesof clothes, pillows, mattresses, cooking

utensils and food, leaving space only forthe elderly and a few small children toride. Bicycles and motorcycles too, hadmeager possessions strapped on, as allheaded for safety into France. Anunimaginable tableau! We were a massof humanity bound by the same fearand panic,” she wrote.

With two suitcases and her belovedEaster hat from her mother, Davis andMademoiselle rode their bicycles southto Beauvais, France.

German planes shot at evacuees andFrench troops on the streets for daysand Davis andMademoiselle eventuallyfound a farm equipped with a smallbunker. They hid for more thantwo hours with French civilians,hearing gunshots and debris fallingas they waited to escape.

“Artillery fire was raging, cannon shellswere flying over the rooftops, airbornedebris and orders screamed fromevery direction. On theouter side of the farmcompound, the farmerhad dug a hole in theground, deep enoughfor his family to standin. It had a few dirtsteps to go down anda piece of corru-gated aluminum ontop, which servedas the roof; dirtand stones werepiled on top ascamouflage,” shewrote.

The battle raged on and the Germansovertook Beauvais. Soldiers eventuallycaught up with Davis and Mademoiselleas they uncovered the bunker in searchof anyone that wasn’t German. Davisemerged and spoke German to thesoldiers, convincing them that she wasa German visiting relatives hiding in thebunker. Learning German in schoolsaved my life, she explained. “I becamea good liar to survive the war,” she said.

The soldiers demanded that Davis be atranslator for their army. Planning her

escape, she convincedthem that she wastired and neededa night’s restbefore shebegan. Thesoldiers plannedon returning to

pick her up thenext morning. That

night, she

Freddie (middle)and her familyin the gardenbehind theirhome inMontzen,Belgiumin 1937.

The family home inMontzen, Belgium.

Freddie’s false identification card.

Today 23

and Mademoiselle began their journeyback to Belgium, passing the bodies ofdead villagers and animals along theway. Back in Andenne, the estate theyshared was vandalized by enemy soldiers.

This began Davis’ long journey (alone)across Belgium, which was occupied byGermans now. She walked for threedays to Montzen to see her parents andsiblings. Her hometown, along with 10other bordering villages, had beenannexed to Germany. She could not stayhome so she returned to Andenne untilshe was drafted in 1942 to work in anammunition factory in Poland. Shereported to the train station for thedraft, but when the train wound arounda curve headed towards a German-builtviaduct, she and three others jumpedoff and rolled down a hill, escaping theirbleak fate. Refusing to work for the“Reich,” she went to her uncle, a priestin Liege, where she obtained a falseidentification card and false workingpapers. This made it possible for her tojoin the underground movement andget involved in its many dangerous andclandestine activities.

Davis remembers the many times shewas stopped by German guards and hadto pretend to be German. Once, shereceived orders from a disguised under-cover agent traveling with a little boy.The agent instructed her that if she wasasked any questions by the guards sheshould lie and say that she was theboy’s caretaker and that they were ontheir way to the sanitarium because theboy had tuberculosis. This was a well-planned but dangerous plot that workedaround the boy’s clothes and red kerchief

to allowDavis to deliver false identificationcards to a nearby convent to save fallenflyers (British and American fighterpilots) from getting arrested by theGestapo.

By 1945 the Americans arrived to liberateBelgium. This marked Davis’ return toMontzen and emotional reunion withher family.

Then she met Bill Davis, a soldier fightingin the 29th infantry regimen. They fellin love, both knowing that eventually hewould leave. Four and a half monthslater, Bill set off for Germany.

“On his departure, he gave me this order:“You will look at the moon every night,send love and kisses, and remember thatsomeday we shall be together.” It wasour mutual vow, our secret engagement!Little did we know that those dreamsand promises would not come true forfive more years. My life had changed sodrastically. I was in love and living onhope, and Bill and I had a moonlightrendezvous every night,” she wrote.

She kept their engagement a secretfrom her overprotective father who wasthe sole provider for her and heryounger siblings (Davis’ mother hadpassed away the previous year). Davisalso returned to school, studying atBrügmann University School ofNursing in Brussels.

Four years passed without a word fromBill. Unbeknownst to Davis, her fatherhad been receiving and hiding Bill’slove letters, unwilling to accept that hisdaughter would date an American

soldier and move abroad. Finally, Bill’slast letter made it into Davis’ hands dueto a friend’s efforts. The letter asked forDavis to marry him and she sent back“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

With her father’s reluctant blessing sheleft nursing school and married Bill,moving to Doylestown, Pa., in 1949.

In the United States, Davis returned tocollege, attending Temple Universityand subsequently Gwynedd-MercyCollege to earn her bachelor’s inFrench. She went on to teach French atGwynedd-Mercy Academy ElementarySchool, then at her alma materGwynedd-Mercy College for about fiveyears, finally teaching at GermantownAcademy for more than 18 years.

Fifty-four years of marriage, two children,five grandchildren and one great-grand-child later, Davis is forever grateful tothe American soldiers who liberated herhomeland. Now residing at Foulkewaysat Gwynedd, a retirement community,Davis reflects on her journey and feelsfortunate to have the opportunity toshare her story with others.

Davis can still be spotted on campusattending weekly mass and as a guestspeaker for history classes.

Girl in the Belgian Resistance: A WakefulEye in the Underground by FernandeDavis is published by Beach LloydPublishers and is available for purchaseat www.BEACHLLOYD.com or call1-866-218-3253, ext. 8668. �

Freddie poses with her book after her Common Hour speech in October 2008.

Freddie andBill Davis in apark in Liege,Belgium while

they weresecretly dating

in 1945.

The villa whereFreddie stayed withMademoiselle inAndenne, Belgium.

Wedding phototaken of Freddieand Bill Davis on

October 27, 1949.

24 Today

The nursing field attracts those who havea passion for helping others when theyare most in need. Nurses dedicate theircareers to caring for others. For Dr. MaryAnn McGinley-Fitzpatrick, a 1976Gwynedd-Mercy College alumna whoserves as senior vice president for PatientServices and chief nursing officer atThomas Jefferson University Hospital(TJUH) in Philadelphia, this is whatnursing is all about.

Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick was 24 yearsold and working full-time at TJUH as aregistered nurse when she decided toreturn to school for her bachelor’s degree.As a staff nurse she worked with nursingstudents from various schools, but wasparticularly inspired by those from GMC.“I was most impressed with the quality ofthe Gwynedd-Mercy College students andtheir expert instructors providing superbpatient care,”Dr.McGinley-Fitzpatrick said.

A neighbor also served as inspiration andshowed her the meaning of selflesslyhelping others in need.

“I have always loved helping people. I’llnever forget my neighbor, Mrs. ElizabethAckley, who through her example intro-duced me to the notion of becoming anurse. She was a registered nurse andshe was always so positive about whatshe did. She was forever helping peoplein the neighborhood and at church,all the while exuding an energy thatcame from her professional commitmentto caring for others. She was bothexcited and encouraging when sheheard that I decided to become a nurse,”Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick recalled.

Initially attracted to the care of the elderlythrough the GMC curriculum, she studiednursing administration and gerontologicalnursing for her master’s degree at theUniversity of Maryland, later receivingher doctorate in health education atTemple University.

“The best part about what I do is theability to make a difference when people

are most in need.We (nurses) see patientsfrom cradle to grave. I get paid to dowhat I love most – design and administerinnovative models of care and teach. Ithrive on it. It’s all very exciting.”

Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick extends herpassion for continued learning and theexchange of new ideas beyond the hospitalsetting by serving on the Commissionon Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)Board of Commissioners. During hertenure on the CCNE Board, she servedas chairperson of a nation-wide task forcecharged with developing accreditationstandards for hospital-based nurseresidency programs.

“It is an opportunity to exchange thoughtswith individuals who are committed toeducation and academics. I like therichness of the exchange of differentperspectives with a commitment toimprovement and change.”

Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick, who won theNursing Excellence National Nurse of theYear Award last year, has since returnedto GMC, serving on the Board of Trusteesand as chair of the Nursing AdvisoryBoard. “It is an opportunity to contributein a very special way, having been analumna of the college that helped form thebeliefs I have and provided the foundationfor my professional career.”

And after more than 30 years away fromcampus, Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick is awareof all of themany changes at her almamater.

“The College has moved forward in somany great ways, from advances in thetools to teach students including asimulation lab within the School ofNursing, to the innovative curriculum ofthe various programs. At the core ofthis success is the College’s leadershipand selection of exceptional faculty.Finally, a significant improvement is thediversity of the student body andtransition from being primarily acommuter college.” �

DINNER IMPOSSIBLE COMES TO TJUH

Last May, Dr.McGinley-Fitzpatrick and the TJUH staffhad the unique opportunity to participate in theFood Network show Dinner Impossible. The show,which aired on October 22, celebrated NursesWeek (the week of May 12), honoring more than200 nurses with a dinner and reception.

Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick met the show’s videoproduction assistant, Nicholas Smalarz, when he wasa student volunteer at TJUH. Smalarz was lookingfor a topic for the show in the Philadelphia areawhen he remembered how nurses were honoredannually during National Nurses Week at TJUH.

Three former patients were chosen to assist at theevent, chosen by their letters of gratitude to thenurses that helped to save their lives. A youngmedical student studying at TJUH: Jefferson MedicalCollege who survived a brain aneurism, a middle-aged mother of four whose tumor went undiagnosedfor 10 years before she went to TJUH, and a motherof two who survived a heart attack at the age of38 all served as sous chefs, along with the show’shost/head chef, Michael Symon and his crew.

They prepared a multi-course meal in the hospital’sDorrance H. Hamilton Education Building under theshow’s “impossible” premise of serving a large groupof people with limited resources and no planningwithin a tight time period. Guests dined on carrotsoup, olive-cured tuna with fennel salad, roastpork, rib eye steaks, spring vegetable ragoût andbanana pudding topped with coffee caramel.

While nurses (“the best kept secret” in the healthcare industry, according to Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick)from TJUH were honored that night, Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick looks ahead to the future of thehospital’s pursuit of Magnet Status, an awardgiven by theAmerican Nurses’ Credentialing Center,an affiliate of the American Nurses Association, tohospitals that satisfy set criteria designed to measurethe strength and quality of excellence in nursing care.

(Top) Dr. McGinley-Fitzpatrick and a TJUHdoctor go behind the scenes to assess theprogress of the “impossible” meal.

A Passion for Nursing

Today 25

Q: Congratulations on being declared best newcountry talent in Pennsylvania allowing you tocompete in the northeast regional round of theColgate Country Showdown in October 2008(after being nominated by 92.5 FM WXTU inPhiladelphia). What was the outcome?

A: “Thank you! It was an amazing experience being able torepresent the state of Pennsylvania and also 92.5 WXTU.I performed in the regional round on October 25 andgave, what I believe, one of the best performances ofmy life!” The judges ended up picking a younger malewho was more “old school country” as their winner,she explained. “But the trip was definitely worthwhilefor me as I was able to network and make some reallygreat connections in the industry.”

Q: You were also a contestant in the 2004 AmericanIdol competition. What was the best part of theexperience?

A: “Being a contestant on Season Three of American Idolwas insane! Honestly, to this day, I still can't quitebelieve that I made it on the show! My favorite part ofthe experience was definitely getting to know thecelebrity judges, Simon Cowell especially,” she said.Cowell was the one who told Kulp to adopt the stagename Lindsey McKay so she sounded more like astar. Meeting fellow contestants was also a high pointfor Kulp, who befriended such well-known contestantsas Jennifer Hudson, George Huff and Diana DeGarmo.“There were 117 people in the country that made it toHollywood – it was like meeting 117 people just likeme. The off-camera moments were truly the best partsof being on American Idol.” Kulp also met SeasonOne runner-up Justin Guarini in 2006 when she wonthe grand prize in a talent search hosted by Guarini atthe Trump Marina Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

Lindsey Kulp and American Idol host Ryan Seacrestduring the first round of auditions.

We caught up with 2008 graduate Lindsey Kulp, a Lansdale, Pa., nativeand aspiring singer ready to take on the music industry equipped withthe business savvy she got from her alma mater.

26 Today

Q: What do you think of pastAmerican Idol winners?Does someone like CarrieUnderwood inspire your popcountry career aspirations?

A: “I think it’s incredible whatAmerican Idol has done for itscontestants. I finished in the top 57on Season Three and I find itawesome how many doors wereopened for me. Carrie Underwoodhas just exploded in the popcountry music scene and thatgives me a boost of confidencebecause I think, “If she can do it,why can’t I?” She has definitelybeen an inspiration for a lot ofpeople.” Kulp also lists some of herfavorite musical artists as MariahCarey, Whitney Houston andChristina Aguilera.

Q: What are your ultimate goalsfor your music career?

A: “Ultimately, I want either a recorddeal or a job as a professionalsongwriter. There are so manyavenues when it comes to musicand the industry. As long as I canbe doing something in the musicindustry, I’ll be happy,” said Kulp,who writes songs with her managerand mother, Joyce Kulp whileworking with local music talentBrett Kull. Kulp is focusing onfinishing her first album, havingcompleted seven songs alreadywith five more expected to befinished this spring.

Q: You graduated with a bachelor’sin business administration lastyear. How has it helped you sofar? Overall, how did yourGMC education prepare you?

A: “I want to put that degree to work.As a musician, it’s important tohave both a musical and businessbackground in order to pursue amusic career. I’m taking everythingI've learned in my business classesand applying them to my businessas an independent artist. I’m alsopursuing a career in business,preferably in a pharmaceuticalcompany,” Kulp said, who currentlyworks in the accounting andadministrative department atIndependent Research Group, Inc.,a company that investigatesinsurance fraud. Kulp also learnedvaluable public speaking skills andhow to be comfortable speaking tocrowds. “The greatest thing aboutthe classes I took at Gwynedd-MercyCollege was that I had to give a lotof presentations. Public speakingis something that must be learnedand practiced in order to have anysuccess. Gwynedd-Mercy Collegedid an outstanding job in makingsure that students learned theskills necessary to be a successfulpublic speaker. This is a skill thatmakes me shine when comparedto other job candidates.”

Q: Why did you choose GMC?

A: “It is such a prestigious school notonly in Pennsylvania, but in thecountry. I wanted a great, privateschool education that fit my crazyschedule – Gwynedd-Mercy Collegefit that requirement for me,” Kulpsaid of her first choice college aftergraduating from Lansdale CatholicHigh School.

Q: What was your favorite aspectof attending GMC?

A: “My favorite part of going toGwynedd-Mercy College was theintimate classroom setting. Theclasses were small and each studenttruly had the opportunity to knowthe professor on a first-hand basis.I loved walking through the hallsand having all the teachers knowmy name,” Kulp said.

Q: What would be your best piece ofadvice for a new GMC student?

A: “First, get to know your professors.They are there to help you succeed.Second, make a lot of friends and alot of connections – it will come inhandy when you’re looking for ajob. Third, make the most of yourclasses!”

Visitwww.myspace.com/lindseymckaymusic

to hear her latest single.

NEW DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS

ShannonBlacker

Shannon Blacker joins the InstitutionalAdvancement staff as the new director ofAlumni Relations. Blacker, of Havertown, Pa.,began November 10 and will be responsiblefor providing leadership and direction foralumni programs and activities, recruitingalumni volunteers and planning alumnievents and fundraising.

“I’m really looking forward to buildingrelationships with Gwynedd-MercyCollege’s alumni and forming targetedevents that will bring them back tocampus,” Blacker said.

Her most recent job was as associate direc-tor of reunion and student programs in theAlumni Affairs and Annual Giving Office atTheWharton School of the University ofPennsylvania where she experiencedmanaging alumni relations, event planningand marketing. Before that, Blacker workedfor two years as an administrativeassistant in Alumni Affairs at her almamater, the University of Scranton.

Blacker has a bachelor’s in philosophy with aminor in human services and is currently acandidate for the master’s in higher educationprogram at the University of Pennsylvania.

Today 27

1968Dr. Michele (John) Sabino, ofHouston, Texas, celebrated her fifthyear as executive director of UniversityAdvancement at the University ofHouston – Downtown.

1974Mary (Spollen) Skilton, ofJeffersonville, Pa., is a school nurseat St. Katherine of Siena.

1975Anne Allendorfer, of Johnstown, Pa.,is the Director of Surgical Services atUPMC Bedford Memorial Hospital.

Karen (Pirolli) Cramer, of Little EggHarbor, NJ, retired from teaching after32 years in December 2007.

Deborah (Stanek) Reast, of Hatfield,Pa., is president of Yours, Mine andHours, Inc. personal assistant andconcierge services.

1979Sarah (Charity) Hill, of Willingboro,NJ, is a full-time school nurse in theCamden, NJ, school district, and apart-time psychiatric nurse at TrentonPsychiatric.

1980Deborah (Manahan) Benick, ofHamilton Square, NJ, is attending theUniversity of Pennsylvania for cat-scantraining.

1981Jeannette (Rickner) Eddowes, ofLancaster, Pa., is a nurse practitionerand adjunct professor at ImmaculataUniversity. She has been married tohusband Geoffrey for 22 years and hasthree teenage children: Benjamin,Christopher and Emily.

Dr. Barbara (Muller) Gavin, ofHorsham, Pa., had a son, Robert,graduate from Hatboro Horsham HighSchool in June 2008 and a daughter,Donnell, graduate from Yale Universityin May 2008 with a BA in English.

Sharon (Lynagh) Scanlan, ofPerkasie, Pa., graduated with amaster’s from La Salle University inDecember 2008 and is currentlyworking as a social worker at LutheranRetirement Community.

1982Mary Dugan-Jordan, of Havertown,Pa., is proud to announce that herdaughter, Genevieve, is currentlyenrolled in the Cardio Thorostic Tech-nology program at GMC.

Alumni News Winter 2009

Class Notes

28 Today

1984Elizabeth (Cardamone) Bongard, ofHatboro, Pa., recently reconnectedwith one of her favorite teachers, SisterJane Streibig, who taught her in 1964.

Bonnie (Bohanek) Goedert, ofShorewood, Ill., has been a nurse for 24years.

Lee Parenti Kenney, of Philadelphia,Pa., retired from her position as aclinical researcher for RoxboroughMemorial Hospital.

1985Lisa (Sweeney) Savini, of NorthWales, Pa., has been a product managerat SiemensMedical Solutions for 22 years.

1986Michelle Boardsley ’84/’86, ofDoylestown, Pa., is a Senior HealthPhysicist for the Nuclear RegulationCommission. She recently publishedan article in the Journal of NuclearMedical Technology titled “NRCInspections: Performance-Based andRisk-Informed.”

Joan Gudknecht-Finno ’82/’86, ofPerkasie, Pa., graduated with hermaster’s in nursing from La SalleUniversity last May. She is a nursepractitioner at Hahnemann UniversityHospital, Department of EmergencyMedicine and an adjunct professor ofnursing at La Salle University.

1989Patrice DeMaria, of Warrington, Pa.,is busy taking care of her three children:Michael, 7, Katie, 5 and Tommy, 2.

Barbara (Mortimer) Thompson, ofLansdale, Pa., is a medical secretary forDock Woods Community, a clinicalsupervisor for GMC students in the Schoolof Allied Health’s HIM Program and hasa daughter who is a 2001 GMC graduate.

1990Ellen (Morton) Pinter, of Springfield,Pa., has been working as a nurse at BrynMawr Hospital for 18 years, working inthe ER for 13 of those years. Her daughter,Joy, got married to Dr. James Hutchingsand has a son, Preston. Her son, Brian,recently married Jessica Alteri.

Mary Walker ’89/’90, of East Point, Ga.,has been a nurse for the past 30 years.

1991Mary (Smith) Mahr, of Pottstown, Pa.,is working as a genetelogic specialistnurse for an independent contractorand as a school nurse at PottstownElementary. She has five grandchildren.

Letizia (Peloro) Martelli, of PlymouthMeeting, Pa., teaches sixth grade atOur Lady of Victory Regional School.

Cynthia Visco-Ludwig, of Glenside, Pa.,is busy taking care of her three sons:twins Michael and Mark, 12 andDanny, 10.

1993Carolyn (Wisniewski) McCreary, ofPerkasie, Pa., was recently namedPlumstead’s township manager.

Barbara Tournier, of Horsham, Pa., isan adjunct professor of philosophy.

1994Tawanda (Wilson) Brown, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., is currently an RNstaff/night supervisor at KindredHospital.She has four children: Marquise, 14,Makayla, 10, Lamont, 5 and Melody, 3.

Joann (Romanelli) Geslak ’87/’94, ofLewiston, Maine, is currently workingas Director of Perioperative Services atCentral Maine Medical Center. She alsorecently celebrated her 33rd weddinganniversary to husband, James.

Class Notes PolicyGwynedd-Mercy College welcomesupdates from alumni to include in thissection of Today magazine. We makeevery effort to ensure the accuracy ofthis information. If there is an error oromission of any kind, please accept ourapology and notify the alumni office ofthe mistake immediately. Class Noteshave been edited for space and clarity.

How to Submit Class Notes•Submit the “Update Your Information”form at www.gmc.edu/alumni. It maytake two issues of Today for your updateto appear. If you submitted an updatethat has not been published after twoissues, please call the alumni office toensure that it will be included in a futureissue. There can be a significant timedelay between deadlines and theactual appearance of your update.

• You may also e-mail your update toShannon Blacker, Director of AlumniRelations, at alumni@gmc.edu or callthe alumni office at 215-641-5554.

• Photos (digital images preferred) arealso welcomed. Photos submitted bymail cannot be returned.

Calling for Class Editors!The alumni office is actively recruitingclass editors to act as liaisons betweenthe College and classmates. Class editorswill maintain contact with classmatesthrough postcards, phone calls andpersonal notes. They will submitinformation about their classmates forpublication in the Today magazine.Please contact the alumni office if youare interested in learning more aboutthis new opportunity to reconnect withother alumni.

We want to hearfrom you!

Today 29

To Kristin Conley ’06, of Pottstown, Pa.,a daughter, Olivia on August 19, 2007.

To Bethany and Damian Gaspari ’07,of Collegeville, Pa., a son, MatthewEdward on October 30, 2007.

To Christina Grega ’99, of Colmar, Pa.,a daughter, Abigail McMullen onNovember 8, 2007.

To Shannon Hauser ’03, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., a son, Donald Loganon March 9, 2007.

To Matthew Hoffman ’05, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., a daughter, AubreyRose on December 11, 2007.

To Renato and Kathryn Lajara ’02/’08& ’04/’08, of Lower Gwynedd, Pa., ason, Jaden Alexander on January 6, 2008.

To Nicole Nacarelli ’05/’07, ofSanatoga, Pa., a daughter, Ariana onJuly 20, 2007.

To Stacey Parsons ’96, of West PalmBeach, Fla., a son, Aidan Christopheron April 20, 2007.

To Leah Pinto ’04/’06, of Dresher, Pa.,a son, Brian in April 2008.

To Noelle (Romanzo) and Brian Plajer’05, of Lansdale, Pa., a daughter, Kylieon March 16, 2008.

To Dr. Maureen (Rauchet) Sestito’76, of Lansdale, Pa., a grandson,Joshua on January 9, 2008.

To Chris and Rachelle Seasholtz ’04,of Lansdale, Pa, a daughter, Paige inApril 2008.

To Kimberly Talley ’02, of Royersford,Pa., a granddaughter, Rella Nicole onFebruary 27, 2008.

To Deacon Henry Tucker ’82/’87, ofPerkasie, Pa., a granddaughter, JessicaMarie Burhouser on January 3, 2008.

To Pamela and Brian Waldron ’06, ofHarleysville, Pa., twin daughters, LilyAnneliese and Rose Adelaide on July21, 2008.

To Jeffrey and Jill (Tarman) Wilkinson’91 & ’92, of North Wales, Pa., a son,Jacob in March 2008.

To Michelle Yager ’05, of Ambler, Pa.,a daughter, JamieMarie on July, 18, 2007.

ToAdrienne Zeigler ’02, of Kempton, Pa.,a son, Alexander on February 27, 2008.

Jaden Alexander Lajara

Kylie Plajer

Congratulations!Griffin Babies

Lily and Rose Waldron

JacobWilkinson

30 Today

Ann (Dougherty) Gordon, ofSouthampton, Pa., opened a holistictreatment center called Angels Walk onRosebuds in Southampton.

1996Kristen (Kletzel) Hindley, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., is a readingintervention teacher in the NorristownArea School District.

Katherine (Loos) Major ’94/’96, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., is a nurse managerfor the Venous Access Program at theUniversity of Pennsylvania. She marriedDavid Major on October 13, 2007.

1997Diane Friel, of Perkasie, Pa., is studyingfor her BSN online at Drexel University.

Donna (McCracken) Hyatt, of EllicottCity, Md., is a stay at home mother ofthree to: James 4, Owen, 3 and Connor,1. Her husband, Patrick, continues theMercy tradition at Mercy MedicalCenter as a gastroenterologist.

1999Ann (Deasy) Colebaugh, of ChesterSprings, Pa., teaches undergraduatepediatric clinical at Villanova University.

Lisa Marie (Curry) Heyward, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., currently teaches“Introduction to Computers” at ManorCollege and works at CredentialFinancial. She received her MBA fromRosemont College in 2006 and plans onreceiving her doctorate from EasternCollege in 2009.

2000Karen (Usic) Arakelian, of Laurel,Md., is an accountant at Prince GeorgeCounty Memorial Library System.

Denise Edwards, of Willow Grove, Pa.,is receiving a doctor of Education (EdD)in educational leadership management

and policy at Seton Hall University. Sheexpects to graduate in May.

Sandra Gelet, of Spring City, Pa.,recently retired from MethactonSchool District.

Robyn (Bodman) Killeen, of Glenside,Pa., has been married to husbandMatthew Killeen for eight years andhas two sons: Ryan, 3 and Brayden, 1.

Eric McCulla, of Horsham, Pa.,accepted a position as assistantprincipal at Delaware Valley CharterHigh School last October.

John Trezise, of West Chester, Pa.,was recently appointed principal ofWorrall Elementary School.

2001Nesreen Al Anbar, of Ambler, Pa., ispursuing her doctorate in public healthat Drexel University.

Donna (Giammarco) Chevoor, ofNorth Wales, Pa., has two children:Luke, 3 and Jemma, 2.

Melissa Emmett, of Wellsville, Pa.,teaches the ASN nursing program atHarrisburg Community College andhas a daughter, Ava, 1 with herhusband Brian.

Joanne (Epps) Massa, of LafayetteHill, Pa., has been married for nearlytwo years to husband Brian Massa.

Martha J. Schilling of Dresher, Pa., isthe new chair of the Suburban Chamberof Commerce Board of Directors. Sheis also an investment adviser and princi-pal of Schilling Group Advisors, LLCbased in Dresher.

Jaime (Strawley) Schofield ’99/’01,of Chalfont, Pa., recently graduated fromJeffersonMedical Center with her MSN.She is a nurse practitioner (oncology)at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathryn Strouse, of Doylestown, Pa.,was appointed as the first femaledirector of the Middle Bucks Instituteof Technology.

The Griffin is a literaryjournal sponsored andpublished each yearby Gwynedd-MercyCollege. Members ofthe College as well aswriters from aroundthe world submit theirliterary works which arereviewed by GMC faculty and students forconsideration in the journal. Poetry, shortstories and reflections will be accepted andreviewed for publication. To see storiesfrom the 2008 journal, go to www.gmc.edu/students/clubsorganziations/thegriffin.php.The Web site also lists guidelines forsubmitting the various genres.

Along with your submission, pleaseinclude a brief biography noting yourgraduation year and degree fromGwynedd-Mercy College, youroccupation, the city and state in whichyou reside and any literary accomplish-ments. Additionally, please providecontact information including your name,address, phone number, and e-mailaddress. Also include a self-addressedstamped envelope and we will reply toyou letting you know if your entry wasaccepted for the journal.

Entries can be submitted throughoutthe school year and sent on disk witha corresponding hard copy to:

The Griffinc/o Dr. Donna M. AllegoGwynedd-Mercy College1325 Sumneytown PikeP.O. Box 901Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437-0901

Alumni WritersSubmit Your Storiesfor The Griffin

Sister MariaChristi Nawn, RSM

Last August, SisterMaria Christi Nawn,RSM, died at theage of 84. Shetaught for two yearsin the business department at Gwynedd-Mercy College and continued on as itstreasurer from 1958 to 1971.

Sister Lois McDonough, RSM, whopreviously served as vice president ofInstitutional Advancement at Gwynedd-Mercy College, credits Sister MariaChristi’s role as treasurer for theCollege’s financial stability andsustained growth.

Born Virginia M. Nawn in 1923, she wasthe youngest of 13 children. Shegraduated from Lansdowne High Schoolin 1942 and received her bachelor’sdegree in humanities from VillanovaUniversity in 1961.

Sister Maria Christi entered the Sistersof Mercy in 1948 and professed her vowsin 1950. Before coming to Gwynedd-Mercy College, her ministries includedteaching at several grade schoolsthroughout the Philadelphia area.

From 1971 to 1989, Sister Maria Christiserved as business manager andtreasurer at Merion Mercy Academy aswell as treasurer for the localcommunity of the Sisters of Mercy inMerion. Sister Maria Christi held theposition of director of physical plant atMcAuley Convent in Merion from 1989to 2000 and continued to serve on thestaff at the convent until 2008.

In Memoriam

Today 31

2002Pinhua Harman ’01/’02, of Souderton,Pa., has worked for Allegro in theengineering department for the past 10years. She also has two children.

Christina Iezzi, of Willow Grove, Pa.,teaches sixth through eighth grade atSandy Run Middle School.

Paul Staley, of Chesapeake, Va.,graduated from Troy University lastJune with a master’s in businessmanagement.

2003Kimberly Bruno, of Pottstown, Pa.,was recently promoted to charge nurseat Phoenixville Hospital.

Thomas Burke, of Nazareth, Pa., wasrecently promoted to assistant principalat Stroudsburg High School.

Damian Caggiano, of Philadelphia,Pa., graduated from the police academylast summer.

Theresa “Terry” Capaldi, ofHarleysville, Pa., is starting a newbusiness, TLC Consulting.

Denise (Harmon) Distel ’00/’03, ofHatboro, Pa., has taught special educationat Pennsbury High School for the pasteight years and has three children:Kellen, 3, and twins Ian and Erin, 1.

Louis Farrell, of Hatfield, Pa., teachessocial studies at Upper PerkiomenHigh School in Pennsburg. Studyingfor his doctorate in public archeologyat Temple University, Louis founded anarcheology club at UPHS.

Angela Jackson-Case, of NorthWales, Pa., received her master’s fromthe University of Phoenix in 2005 andis an adjunct professor at GMC’sCenter for Lifelong Learning.

Matthew James, of Philadelphia, Pa.,had been a police officer for one year.

Thomas Magdelinskas, of Langhorne,Pa., is the athletic director for NeshaminyHigh School.

Danielle Meyer, of Lansdale, Pa., wasrecently promoted to nurse manager atAbington Memorial Hospital. She iscurrently enrolled at ImmaculataUniversity.

Shellie Peters, of Elkins Park, Pa., isteaching in the Philadelphia SchoolDistrict.

2004Teresa Carboy, of Royersford, Pa., isan assistant principal for the Spring-FordArea School District.

Sara Cervantes Weber, of Moorestown,NJ, received tenure at Cherry HillElementary School where she teacheskindergarten.

Deborah Daniels, of Horsham, Pa.,was promoted to the director of com-munity care at Evercare in Ambler, Pa.

Keisha Liggett-Nichols, of Ponte Vedra,Fla., accepted a job as vice president ofoperations for Citi Bank.

Steven Matakonis, of Abington, Pa.,accepted a new position as automationengineer at ABB Automation.

Ryan Porter Maxwell, of Lansdale,Pa., graduated from the PhiladelphiaCollege of Osteopathic Medicine lastJune and will begin his graduatemedical education soon.

Michele Mullen, of Lansdale, Pa.,received a new job as a care managerfor COSA, Delaware County Service forthe Aging.

Vita Parisi, of Collegeville, Pa., is anRN for ABC Pediatrics, a member ofthe Lehigh Valley Physicians Group.She has a daughter, Gisella, 1.

Nicole Zappone, of Glenside, Pa.,teaches fifth grade at Holy ChildSchool in Philadelphia, Pa.

2005Debbiann Allen, of Doylestown, Pa.,started her own business “Below ZeroPetites” for women smaller than a sizezero.

Alison Egitto, of Abington, Pa., isworking on her master’s in education atGratz College in Melrose Park, Pa.

Jenee Lee, of Philadelphia, Pa.,teaches sixth grade literature andscience at Richard Allen Prep School.

Tara O’Toole, of Blue Bell, Pa.,teaches math at Spring-Ford HighSchool.

Thomas Quinn, of Springfield, Pa., isa professor of American history atPhiladelphia University and has servedas a Democratic committee memberfor three years, recently running forthe 165th District of the PA House ofRepresentatives.

Raquel Riad, of Lansdale, Pa., receivedher master’s in social work fromFreemont College in May. She is abehavior specialist for the FriendFoundation.

Andrew Ruhf, of Ridley Park, Pa., isthe assistant principal at MasteryCharter School in Philadelphia.

Ann Szalwinski, of Wyncote, Pa.,received her master’s in English fromArcadia University last May.

Pamela Veneziale, of Bensalem, Pa.,teaches third grade in the PhiladelphiaSchool District.

Valerie Ward, of Fort Washington, Pa.,teaches fourth grade special educationat Colonial Elementary School.

Sharon Washington, of Philadelphia, Pa.,has a daughter who recently graduatedfrom the University of Maryland andanother daughter who is currentlyenrolled in culinary school.

2006Asia Ali-Hawkins, of Philadelphia,Pa., is assistant principal for theSoutheast Delco School District.

Sara Ashnoff, of Southampton, Pa., iscurrently studying to be a CertifiedPublic Accountant.

Robert and Susan (Kramer) Dann’03/’06, ’04/’07, of Ambler, Pa., havebeen married for 16 years. He recentlyreceived his auctioneering licensewhile she received her real estatelicense.

Jennifer Derstine ’95/’06, of Lansdale,Pa., is a library media specialist forPerkiomen Valley South ElementarySchool.

Rauchaun Berkley-DuPree, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., is the dean of studentsat True Bright Academy Charter School.

Marcie (Miller) Evangelist, ofRoyersford, Pa., is a special educationteacher in the Lancaster SchoolDistrict.

Geraldine “Geri” Greco ’04/’06, ofBlue Bell, Pa., received her Bachelorof Science in May 2006 and is anadministrator at Merck and Company.

Sarah Greer, of Philadelphia, Pa., isthe head lacrosse coach at KutztownUniversity.

Alima Grier, of Melrose Park, Pa.,became chemo certified last Januaryand plans to return to GMC for moreclasses.

Tiffany Hackshaw, of Yeadon, Pa., isa cardiovascular specialist atPennsylvania Hospital.

Steven Harrell, of Philadelphia, Pa., isan account executive forwww.cities2night.com (locally,www.Philly2Night.com).

Bobbie Kelly, of King of Prussia, Pa.,provides autistic support at FriendshipElementary School.

Michael Kennedy, of Hatfield, Pa.,recently began teaching for thePhiladelphia School District.

Sarah Kensey, of Manheim, Pa.,received her master’s in reading andteaches third grade in Lancaster.

Paul Labance, of Levittown, Pa.,accepted a new position as lead labtech at Bristol-Meyers-Squibb.

Mindy LaBar, of Warrington, Pa., is aRN at Jefferson Hospital.

Dana Lanzar-Starkey, of Royersford,Pa., is a fifth grade teacher in theSpring-Ford Area School District.

Jill Lebieolzinski, of Warminster, Pa.,accepted a new job as a sixth gradeteacher at St. Alphonsus in Maple Glen,Pa.

Julia Lindell, of Roslyn, Pa., accepteda new job as a fourth grade teacher atMcKinley Elementary School in theAbington School District. Her son,Jack, just celebrated his first birthday.

Michele Martin ’02/’06, of Scottsdale,Ariz., is teaching at the CulinaryInstitute in Arizona.

Margaret Morris ’01/’06, of Ambler,Pa., accepted a new job as humanresources representative at Liberty atHome.

James Rugh, of Eagleville, Pa., retiredfrom the Navy in March 2008.

Amanda Stewart, of Upper Chichester,Pa., is on a missionary trip to Africauntil May. She is a nurse in the intensivecare unit at Children’s Hospital ofPhiladelphia.

Lisa Quinn, of Hatboro, Pa., is ateacher and after school director atRainbow Academy for Little Scholars.

2007Elaine Alexander ’05/’07, ofHarleysville, Pa., is proud to announcethat her son, Thomas, graduated fromGMC last May.

32 Today

Janine Reiner ’05/’07, of Collegeville,Pa., works at Thomas JeffersonUniversity Hospital.

Matthew Young, of Newark, Del., hasworked for Christiana Care HealthSystem since 2007. He was acceptedinto the Perioperative InternshipProgram at CCHS and is continuing hisnursing education at ImmaculataUniversity.

2008John Brady ’89/’05/’08, of Phoenixville,Pa., received his master’s in educationadministration in December 2007. Heteaches business education atNorristown Area High School.

Dianne (Depew) Brand, of Telford,Pa., is a nurse clinical analyst for GrandView Hospital.

Dorthea Kramer ’04/’08, of Hatfield,Pa., received her BS in businessadministration last May from GMC.

Barbara (Tillotson) Townsend’91/’02/’08, of Horsham, Pa., receiveda master’s in nursing and is currently ageriatric clinical nurse specialist.

InMemoriamMargaret Ann “Pegge” (Hertzog)Dill ’79, of Williamsport, Pa., passedaway on September, 19, 2008 at herhome. She is survived by her children,David, Cheryl and Karen, and hergranddaughter, Serena.

Jeremy T. Kircher, Sr. ’99, ofPennsburg, Pa., passed away onSeptember 24, 2008 at his home. He issurvived by his wife of three years,Kimberly, and their two sons, Jeremy,Jr. and “Jax.”

Anne G. McGinn ’81, of Oreland, Pa.,passed away on October 30, 2008 at theage of 60. She is survived by her husband,Melvin E. “Gene” Adams, and her twobrothers, Michael and Terrance.

Today 33

Joyce (Buettner) Bacino ’58, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., celebrated her 50thwedding anniversary last summer.

Kelly Blood ’07, of Telford, Pa., marriedTom Ardt on February 23, 2008.

Jeannie Campbell ’96/’98, of Philadel-phia, Pa., is engaged to David Silvestre.A summer 2009 wedding is planned.

Melissa Della Porta ’04/’06, of Ventnor,NJ, is engaged to Michael Tomon. AMay 2009 wedding is planned.

Melissa DePiano ’97/’99, of King ofPrussia, Pa., is engaged to Chris Chinnici.A June 11, 2009 wedding aboard theExplorer of the Seas cruise ship isplanned.

John Dolan ’03, of North Wales, Pa.,married Estelle Wynn on September25, 2008.

Lindsay (Edelman) Effing ’05, ofLanghorne, Pa., married Bill Effing onSeptember 13, 2008. Their weddingparty included Chris Edelman ’11, TaraSmith-Hughes ’04, Jill McCann ’04,Kelly Kilpatrick ’05, Anna Procaccino’05 and Brian Schmidt ’05.

Lynn Haines ’06, of Philadelphia, Pa.,married Paul Haines on June 30, 2008.

Meghan Hansell ’06, of Pennsburg, Pa.,is engaged to Timothy Joseph Carr. ASeptember 2009 wedding is planned.

Lauran (Dunn) Haywood ’03, ofMedford, NJ, married Jared Haywoodin April 2008.

Kristen Helker ’05, of Philadelphia,Pa., is engaged to Mike Giorgi. AnOctober 3, 2009 wedding is planned.

Tracey Hill ’99, of Ottsville, Pa., marriedGary Konefal on July 5, 2008.

Stefanie Londo ’05, of Philadelphia, Pa.,is engaged to Tom Cirlley. An August2009 wedding is planned.

Marisa Carapucci Lynch ’96, ofChurchville, Pa., celebrated her two-yearwedding anniversary with husbandJames on August 5, 2008.

Trisha Melton ’06, of Philadelphia,Pa., is engaged. A June 2009 wedding isplanned.

Congratulations!Engagements, Marriages

and Anniversaries

Lindsay Effing’s wedding party

Lynnand PaulHaines

Save theDate!

Amy Newns ’06, of North Hills, Pa., isengaged to Joseph Ferguson. A July2009 wedding is planned.

Davin Orlowski ’05, of Harleysville,Pa., married Stephanie Martin on July26, 2008.

Monica (Michetti) Panetta ’07, ofNorristown, Pa., married Ryan Panetta onNovember 14, 2008. They are expectingtheir first child, a son, in February 2009.

Michelle (Costa) Perry ’00, of Kingof Prussia, Pa., married Edmund Perryin February 2008. They have threesons: Edmund Jr., 7, Sebastian, 2 andTristan, 1.

Michael Reid ’05, of Philadelphia, Pa.,got married in July 2008.

Jennifer Reilley ’05, of Pottstown, Pa.,married Charles Kehs on September,13, 2008.

Erica Ryan ’00/’02, of Laurel Springs,NJ, married William Shaw in November2008.

Ieshia (Dolison) Stevenson ’06, ofPhiladelphia, Pa., married KevinStevenson on July 5, 2008.

Mary Sweeney ’56, of Bryn Mawr,Pa., celebrated her 50th weddinganniversary on September 13, 2008with husband Charles.

Sarah Marie (Houwen) Sweeney ’07,of Horsham, Pa., married Thomas Josephon July 18, 2008. Joanne Deacon ’07 andAlyssa Frank ’08 were bridesmaids.

Janine Thomas ’05, of Nutley, NJ, isengaged to John Macari. A July 2009wedding is planned.

Hillary Tubbs ’07, of Thornton, Pa., isengaged to JacobWalker of Doylestown,Pa. An April wedding is planned.

Colleen Tyler ’05, of Meadowbrook,Pa., married Mark Holmes onSeptember 22, 2008.

Sara Welsh ’05, of Lansdale, Pa.,got married on October 9, 2008.

Erin (Bradshaw) Wentz ’06, ofRichlandtown, Pa., married JustinWentz on May 17, 2008 on CaptivaIsland in Florida.

Monicaand RyanPanetta

Sarah Sweeney’s wedding party

Michelle Perry and family

All Business and Computer Information Sciences alumni areinvited to the Business School Reunion and celebration ofDean Trotter’s 30 years of service at Gwynedd-Mercy College.An evening cocktail party will be held on campus on Saturday,April 25, 2009. Check back for more details at:

www.gmc.edu/alumni/events.php

Save theDate!Nursing

50th AnniversaryCelebration

October 16-17, 2009 (Friday and Saturday)at Gwynedd-Mercy College

Weekend will include:• Symposium • Breakout Sessions• Alumni Reception • Black Tie Dinner

Who is invited:• All nursing alumni• Current and former nursing faculty• Clinical agencies

Mark your calendars now for Homecoming Weekend,which is always celebrated during the last weekend in

September as part of Mercy Week.

2009HOMECOMINGWEEKEND

For updates regardingHomecoming Weekend2009, continue to visit theGMC alumni page atwww.gmc.edu/alumni.

(Left to right) Laura Howell ’11,Dave Smith ’10 and Matt Johnson ’10.

Laura Howell knew that she wanted to become a plastic surgeonever since her days as a high school cheerleader when she injuredher nose and had to undergo reconstructive surgery. “Retainingthe ability to breathe normally meant so much to me, and I wantedto help other people in the same way,” Howell recalled. With helpfrom dedicated Gwynedd-Mercy College professors, Howell, asophomore biology major, has been able to begin her longeducational journey towards becoming a surgeon. Her advisor inparticular, Dr. Felicia Corsaro-Barbieri, has helped her to stay ontrack. “I have a clear path to follow to meet all the requirementsfor each of the medical schools I’m considering,” Howell said ofthe personal attention she credits to her success. As she looksforward to applying for a pre-med program this summer sheknows that she will receive the education and guidance needed toprepare her for yet another field experience. “That’s what I loveabout GMC – everyone here makes me feel like I’m a student thatthey really take pride in and care about.”

While Howell is training to become a physician, Matt Johnson issetting his sights on the world of business and accounting. As theson of a single mother and one of six siblings, Johnson neverthought it would be possible to get a college education. His highgrades and basketball skills were noticed by large state schools,making the dream of going to college a reality. But it was the smallclass sizes, strong values and most importantly the financial aidthat drew Johnson to GMC. As a successful student, Johnson enjoyspassing along the message to other aspiring college students thata degree is within reach. He had the opportunity to do so as avolunteer camp counselor for the Beacon Program at St. Martinde Porres School in his hometown of Philadelphia. “I wanted themto know that there’s money out there for them to go to college,that they’re not on their own,” he said. Johnson hopes to attainan internship this summer and continue to work towards hisultimate goal of working for the FBI. “I know that an accountingdegree can help me with many different career fields.”

Dave Smith is following his “true calling,” studying to becometriple certified in early childhood, elementary and special education,along with a minor in biology. “I went to another school before Icame to GMC and didn’t know what I wanted to do. But then Itransferred here and found my niche,” he said. Smith serves asstudent director for GMC’s Adult Services program, president ofthe Student Athlete Advisory Committee and a captain of themen’s basketball team, which also fits into his ultimate careerplans. “My future goals are to become an educator for specialneeds students and a high school basketball coach. Eventually, Iwould like to move back home and take over the reigns at myalma mater. I began substitute teaching in my home district inSouth Jersey when I am home, as both a way to earn money andgain experience in the classroom.”

While these students have their own unique goals and stories totell, they all have had their futures brought into focus at GMC.With the help of your generous donation, the College can maintainits reputation of a tradition of academic excellence that comes fromour small class sizes, personal attention and family atmospherethat is GMC. Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders and withyour donation you can take pride in knowing that you arecontributing to GMC’s unparalleled financial assistance thatmakes a college education a possibility for so many students. �

To give, please call the Office ofInstitutional Advancement at215-641-5550, or mail checkspayable to Gwynedd-MercyCollege, Office of InstitutionalAdvancement.

Office of Institutional Advancement1325 Sumneytown PikeP.O. Box 901Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437-0901

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDLansdale, PAPermit No. 444

How will you bringyour high school teen’sfuture into focus?Attend Gwynedd-Mercy College’sSpring Open House

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Starting at 9:45 a.m. in the Julia Ball Auditorium.

To R.S.V.P. call 1-800-DIAL-GMC or e-mailadmissions@gmc.edu.

Gwynedd-Mercy College offers more than 40 academic programsin health care, business, education and the arts and sciences. Ourvibrant campus life includes four residence halls, 20 Division IIIvarsity sports, a new turf field and more than 30 student clubsand activities. Students can also take advantage of study abroad,internships and career opportunities.

gmc.eduGraduates— bring your career into focus through ourmaster’s programs in education, nursing and business.For more information, visit gmc.edu.