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NURTURING THE MERCY MISSION - INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MERCYHURST COLLABORATIONS BENEFIT ERIE COMMUNITY P. 2 STUDENTS SERVE 'BEYOND THE GATES' P. 6 ...
FALL 2018

NURTURING THE
MERCY MISSION
SISTER LISA MARY McCARTNEY
P. 8

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
MERCYHURST COLLABORATIONS BENEFIT ERIE COMMUNITY P. 2
STUDENTS SERVE ‘BEYOND THE GATES’ P. 6
UNIQUE CYBER EDUCATION CENTER OPENS P. 16
HONOR ROLL OF DONORS P. 30
NURTURING THE MERCY MISSION - INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MERCYHURST COLLABORATIONS BENEFIT ERIE COMMUNITY P. 2 STUDENTS SERVE 'BEYOND THE GATES' P. 6 ...
A MESSAGE FROM
THE PRESIDENT
In today’s hypercompetitive higher education ecosystem, universities        market in a big way. We
that are tentative in the face of change will fail to prosper. Mercyhurst   are also holding true to
University has changed in many ways since I took office in 2015,            our roots in educating the
evolving and innovating to better meet the needs of our community of        whole person through
faculty, staff, students and alumni.                                        REACH; this newer core
                                                                            curriculum offers our
Mercyhurst’s student experience – long among the region’s best – has        students both flexibility
become more robust, especially with this fall’s grand opening of the        and choice in pursuing
new amenity-rich sophomore residence, Ryan Hall. We also expect             their interests.
to open an Irish-themed pub on campus in January that will further
enhance the residential experience while creating a safe environment        While we are busy on the campus-front, we have sought to use our
for our students to socialize. As a result of our efforts to attract more   community’s talents in partnership with others in academia, business
underrepresented minority students to Mercyhurst, our student               and government to enrich our city. Through the Mercyhurst-led
population has grown more diverse. In support of that progress, we          Erie Innovation District (EID), we are helping to deploy smart-city
established a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force aimed at fostering a       technology in Erie and recently brought nine new startup companies to
more hospitable and compassionate community of learners.                    town for the EID’s accelerator program.

We know that student success relies heavily on advising and support         Accomplishing these many changes has been the handiwork of a
systems that take into account the developmental and academic needs         dedicated and determined Mercyhurst community. Many years ago,
of our students. To that end, we are bringing all our student support       during her Mercyhurst presidency, Sister Carolyn Herrmann described
efforts – from Learning Differences to the Honors Program – under one       Mercyhurst as “a vital, alive college in which there is no room for
umbrella. As we seek to deliver positive outcomes, like graduating on       complacency or for satisfaction with less than the best...” I believe she’d
time and helping our students get good jobs, we are also reinventing        be pleased with how we are staying true to that message.
our Career Services program to better accomplish these goals and meet
the expectations of students in today’s global marketplace.
                                                                            Carpe Diem.
Perhaps nowhere is change more evident than in our academic
programming. From our distinctive foray into the fields of cybersecurity,
data science and risk management, supported by our new MCPc Cyber
Education Center, we expect to produce highly skilled and sought-after
graduates. Our Office of Distance Learning is working diligently to         Michael T. Victor, J.D., LL.D.
improve students’ access to learning through these new technologies         President, Mercyhurst University
and we have every confidence that it will propel us into the online

                                                                                             ON THE COVER:
                                                                                             Sister Lisa Mary McCartney, RSM, Ph.D. ’71, who stepped down
                                                                                             in May from her full-time position as vice president for mission
                                                                                             integration, is pictured in front of Egan Hall. With the number of
                                                                                             Sisters of Mercy in the Erie community dwindling, Sister Lisa Mary
                                                                                             has spent the past decade working to ensure that the spirit of
                                                                                             the founding Sisters of Mercy continues to thrive at Mercyhurst.
                                                                                             (Photo by Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07)
NURTURING THE MERCY MISSION - INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MERCYHURST COLLABORATIONS BENEFIT ERIE COMMUNITY P. 2 STUDENTS SERVE 'BEYOND THE GATES' P. 6 ...
The Office of Marketing and Public Relations
                                                                 publishes Mercyhurst Magazine twice a year.

                                                                 Magazine Editor
                                                                 Susan Hurley Corbran ’73
                                                                 scorbran@mercyhurst.edu
                                                                 814-824-2090

                                                                 Design
                                                                 Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07
                                                                 jhewitt@mercyhurst.edu
                                                                 814-824-3022

                                                                 Contributing Writers
                                                                 Susan Hurley Corbran ’73
                                                                 Joseph Cuneo
                                                                 Sean Cuneo

INSIDE THIS ISSUE                                                Elizabeth Eidnier ’12
                                                                 Jennifer Smith
                                                                 Deborah W. Morton
2    MERCYHURST PARTNERSHIPS BENEFIT ERIE COMMUNITY
6    STUDENTS BROADEN HORIZONS WITH SERVICE ‘BEYOND THE GATES’   Contributing Photographers
                                                                 Ben Friesen
8    MERCY EMISSARIES COMMIT TO FOSTER MERCY MISSION             Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07
10   EARLY BLACK STUDENTS REFLECT ON EXPERIENCES AT THE HURST    Angela Zanaglio ’16

14   ROBERT MILLER’S LEGACY LIVES ON AT MERCYHURST NORTH EAST
                                                                 Director of Alumni Engagement
16   INNOVATIVE CYBER LAB INSPIRES STUDENTS                      Lindsay Cox Frank ’12 ’14M
18   MIAC EXTENDS STREAK OF SELLOUT SHOWS                        lfrank@mercyhurst.edu
                                                                 814-824-2330
20   SIX HONORED AS DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
21   ALUMNI PROFILES: SUKI FULLER ’05; SCOTT DONNELLY ‘88
22   ATHLETES INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME
23   LONGEVITY OF LAKER COACHES UNIQUE IN DIVISION II
26   IN THE NEWS                                                 Send changes of address to:
                                                                 Alumni Relations
		 BROWN EARNS TEACHING EXCELLENCE AWARD                         Mercyhurst University
		 MARY HOFFMAN ‘74 RECEIVES ROMERO AWARD                        501 East 38th Street
                                                                 Erie, PA 16546
		 BRAD DAVIS NAMED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR                            alumni@mercyhurst.edu
		 MNE LAUNCHES PROGRAM FOR SINGLE MOTHERS
		 ADMIRAL KOHLER GIVEN HONORARY DEGREE
		 JOSEPH NECASTRO ’78 LEADS INNOVATION DISTRICT BOARD
                                                                 If you haven’t been receiving the bi-monthly
		 MASS OF THANKSGIVING HONORS SISTERS OF MERCY                  Alumni eNewsletter, Mercyhurst does not
                                                                 have an active email address for you. Visit
		 RILEY-BROWN NAMED HAFENMAIER DEAN                             mercyhurst.edu/alumni/update to update
28   CLASS NOTES                                                 your information and reconnect.

29   IN MEMORIAM: DR. RANDY HOWARTH
                                                                 We’d love to hear from you. Send your
30   FUNDRAISING YEAR IN REVIEW                                  story ideas, suggestions and comments to
                                                                 scorbran@mercyhurst.edu.
31   HONOR ROLL OF DONORS

                                                                                                                1
MERCYHURST
    GALVANIZES
    CHANGE
    THROUGH
    PARTNERSHIP
    By Deborah W. Morton

    Basketball great Michael Jordan once
    said “Talent wins games, but teamwork
    and intelligence win championships.”
    Whether creating internal partnerships between colleagues and
    departments, partnerships between academia and industry, or
    traditional town-and-gown collaborations, harnessing the skills
    of others is one of the most strategic ways to solve complex
    challenges. Things change when everyone on the team is equally
    invested in the overall purpose and goal.

    Consider Mercyhurst’s involvement in the ERIE INNOVATION
    DISTRICT. By partnering with regional academic institutions,
    government and business, the university is leading a plan to
    transform downtown Erie into a destination for digital-economy
    jobs, particularly in the robust fields of cyber security and data
    science.

    “Together, we are discovering new ways of driving innovation
    to provide our students with internships and job opportunities,
    to provide businesses with a highly skilled workforce, and to
    strengthen our community in terms of economic growth and
    global competitiveness,” said Mercyhurst University President
    Michael Victor.

    But, that’s just the latest in the university’s longstanding
    commitment to collaboration and the power of many. The
    following is an abbreviated look at a few of Mercyhurst’s many
    partnerships and the results they are reaping.

2
Sam Krahe ‘14 works with young clients at Harborcreek Youth Services.

                                                                                          THERAPEUTIC ARTS INITIATIVE
Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper, Erie Civic Institute Director Amy Eisert,         A partnership between Mercyhurst University and Harborcreek Youth
Erie Mayor Joseph Schember and Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny                             Services designed to provide experiential learning for university
                                                                                          students while offering research-supported expressive arts therapies
MERCYHURST CIVIC INSTITUTE                                                                for HYS clients.
A college-community partnership dedicated to the social,
educational and civic well-being of the Erie region and state of                          The longstanding relationship between Harborcreek Youth Services (HYS)
                                                                                          and Mercyhurst University, once focused solely on experiential learning for
Pennsylvania.                                                                             students in the Criminology and Criminal Justice programs, has evolved
                                                                                          over time, most recently through a partnership called the Therapeutic
One of the most exciting results-driven programs coming out of the
                                                                                          Arts Initiative – a mission-driven project overseen by Dr. Maria Garase,
Mercyhurst Civic Institute in recent years is the Group Violence Reduction
                                                                                          associate professor of Criminal Justice and vice president of the HYS Board
Strategy, originally brokered by institute director Amy Eisert. Eisert
                                                                                          of Directors. Through the use of expressive therapies like music, art and
learned of the strategy through an out-of-town training program, and
                                                                                          movement, the program aims to help Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable
subsequently shared it with local law enforcement authorities. With
                                                                                          youth – those who have experienced abuse, neglect and childhood trauma.
buy-in secured, she further assisted in writing the grant that netted
$1.2 million from the United Way and Erie Community Foundation to
                                                                                          “Trauma has been called ‘the great thief,’’’ said Mercyhurst Music Therapy
implement the Group Violence Reduction Strategy.
                                                                                          Director Craig Stevens, who has been instrumental in leading the initiative,
                                                                                          assisted by Sam Krahe, one of music therapy’s first graduates. “Most of
Through the initiative, local law enforcement, concerned residents and
                                                                                          these young people have extreme difficulty trusting and connecting
social service providers meet with individuals who are identified as high
                                                                                          with another person; most have never experienced unconditional love
risk for involvement in group- or gang-related violence. During what
                                                                                          and, because of their experiences, live in a world that does not feel safe.
is termed a “Call-In,” participants are offered resources like education
                                                                                          We are now looking at how early childhood traumas can affect not only
and employment in exchange for stepping away from crime and gang
                                                                                          psychological health, but also physical health, neurodevelopment, and
violence. If they choose to ignore the offer and engage in violence, the
                                                                                          virtually every other aspect of a functional life. Through arts therapy
participants are informed that they will receive focused attention from all
                                                                                          techniques combined with counseling, we are able to address goal areas
levels of law enforcement.
                                                                                          such as self-esteem, self-worth, emotional expression and social skills
                                                                                          development.”
Since the Call-Ins began in April 2017, Eisert said there has not been one
gang-related homicide. Further, thus far in 2018, the city has had only
                                                                                          Together, Mercyhurst students and HYS youth have built trust and rapport
three homicides, the result of two incidents of domestic violence. Other
                                                                                          by working on a number of local initiatives, including the Weed Warriors at
violent incidents, such as people shot, shots fired and robberies, have
                                                                                          Presque Isle project, the Therapeutic Foster Care Family Outreach Initiative
also been dramatically reduced.
                                                                                          and the National Water Dance.

MERCYHURST-FLAGSHIP NIAGARA                                                items from the Flagship Niagara League, and provides
                                                                           support for a number of the league’s existing programs.
PARTNERSHIP
A developmental partnership between Mercyhurst                             Reconstructed in 1988, the Niagara is a replica of the
University and the Flagship Niagara League designed                        square-rigged sailing warship that fought in the 1813 Battle
to create special opportunities for both organizations.                    of Lake Erie. For the past two summers, it has served as
                                                                           the centerpiece of a three-credit history course offered by
Don’t be surprised if someday you spot a Mercyhurst                        Mercyhurst professor Ben Scharff and enjoyed by nearly
University flag waving in tandem with the stars and stripes                20 students who spend two-and-a-half weeks on board
of the U.S. Brig Niagara. Thanks to the initiative of Cal Pifer,           learning traditional seafaring skills.
vice president for external relations and advancement,
Mercyhurst is an “Official University Partner” of the Niagara.             Besides lessons in seamanship and maritime history,
The development sponsorship creates a number of special                    students acquire a deeper understanding of the seafaring
opportunities for both organizations.                                      culture, including sailing terminology, physical skills and
                                                                           familiarity with the social structure of shipboard life.
For Mercyhurst’s contribution, it means potential dockside
receptions for donors and alumni at cities like Buffalo,                   “The Niagara represents a floating extension of Mercyhurst,
Cleveland and Rochester along the Niagara’s sailing route.                 serving as a marketing platform around the Great Lakes,”             Erie alumni socialize at the Niagara.
On the flip side, Mercyhurst offers its guests promotional                 Pifer said. “We consider it a wonderful opportunity.”
                                                                                                                                                                                3
The Mercyhurst Empowerment and Prevention Project team: Mercyhurst Police Chief
    DJ Fuhrmann; Residence Life Director Megan McKenna; Attorney Greg Grasinger
    with SafeNet; project coordinator Rianna Bartlett; project manager Ariel Dodick;
    Dr. Judy Smith, executive director of wellness; Alice Agnew, Title IX officer; and Amy   Elisa Belfiore reads to a class at St. Gregory Preschool.
    Blackman, director of prevention and education for the Crime Victim Center.

    ‘IT’S ON US’ MOVEMENT                                              EDUCATION PARTNERSHIPS DRIVE
    A partnership among Mercyhurst, law enforcement and social service ACADEMIC SUCCESS
    groups to raise awareness and to fight against sexual assault on                         Early on, the Mercyhurst University Education Department recognized the
    college campuses.                                                                        value of partnerships between K-12 schools and universities, both in better
                                                                                             preparing the educators of tomorrow and in increasing the academic
    Thanks to a $300,000 “It’s On Us” grant from the U.S. Department of Justice,             success of today’s youth. From the university’s pioneering Carpe Diem
    Mercyhurst has created an All-Campus Violence Prevention Project in                      Academy to its contribution to autism education in the Erie School District,
    collaboration with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, the Erie Police           it has opened new pathways to creativity, expression and achievement
    Department, the Crime Victim Center and SafeNet.                                         among young people.

    “The key word here is ‘comprehensive’ in that we are working together                    The university’s graduate special education program continues to celebrate
    as partners to create for our campus the best possible education and                     the success of two longstanding partnerships: one with the R. Benjamin
    response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking              Wiley Community Charter School in Erie, and one with St. Gregory Parish
    crimes,” said Dr. Judy Smith, executive director of wellness at Mercyhurst,              School in North East, both in existence for more than 10 years.
    who wrote the grant and serves as project director. Ariel Dodick has been
    hired full time as project manager and Rianna Bartlett as part-time project              Leaders of both institutions said their partnerships with Mercyhurst have
    coordinator. Both are Mercyhurst alumnae.                                                played an important role in driving student success.

    The first phase of the three-year grant, which began in October 2017,                    Last year, for example, elementary teachers at the Wiley charter school
    focused on planning and training. The second phase, which will begin this                partnered with Mercyhurst graduate assistants in a concerted effort to
    fall, is implementation, while the third will concentrate on sustaining the              heighten reading levels across the population. As a result, the majority
    project.                                                                                 of students behind grade-level expectation were able to increase their
                                                                                             reading levels to grade-level expectation or above.
    “We are hoping that together with our partners we can build a program
    that will make a lasting difference in shifting the culture on college                   At St. Gregory’s, educators credit Mercyhurst not only for helping to drive
    campuses, starting with our own,” Smith said. “We are committed to                       high student achievement but also for keeping the doors open. Enrollment
    keeping our students safe and in healthy relationships that respect both                 has climbed each year, starting with 72 students in 2013-14 to 97 students
    men and women.”                                                                          in 2017-18. In addition, 6th and 7th graders ranked among the highest
                                                                                             nationally on the 2017 TerraNova standardized tests in reading, language
    The grant enables Mercyhurst to create a Coordinated Community                           and math. And, for the past three years, 8th graders have scored in the 80th
    Response Team (CCRT) with the goal of expanding victim services and                      percentile in all content areas on the TerraNova standardized tests when
    advocacy, prevention education, and staff training at the Erie and North                 compared to the rest of the country.
    East campuses as well as the Booker T. Washington Center.
                                                                                             The common denominator in both cases, said Mercyhurst Education
    The Crime Victim Center intends to augment Mercyhurst’s efforts by                       Professor Phil Belfiore, is that the schools employ master’s-level Mercyhurst
    providing access to support groups, accompanying victims through the                     students, most of whom are already certified teachers.
    legal system and helping with victim compensation. SafeNet provides
    prevention education, particularly in how to sustain healthy relationships,              “The Mercyhurst partnerships demonstrate the pedagogical leadership
    sheds light on the early warning signs of controlling behavior, and assists              role graduate departments of education should be taking within K-12
    victims with Protection from Abuse orders.                                               education,” Belfiore said. “With these partnerships, we seek to improve
                                                                                             education through our graduate students, who are taught current
                                                                                             evidence-based practices, and our professional involvement at each school
                                                                                             site.”
4
But with Riesmeyer, it’s a bit more personal. His daughter, Megan, is an
                                                                                      AIM student. And he’s familiar with the research that shows as many as 85
                                                                                      percent of college grads affected by autism are unemployed.

                                                                                      “Having a child on the spectrum you come to know that long-term
                                                                                      career success is very difficult,” Riesmeyer said. While unemployment
                                                                                      and underemployment are high, Riesmeyer said it is not a result of the
                                                                                      autistic person’s lack of ability, but often of the interviewer’s inability to
                                                                                      understand this unique demographic.

                                                                                      “Our goal at this point is to establish a bridge between AIM and Wells
                                  Lights over Lake Erie                               Fargo that we can leverage over time as students matriculate college,”
                                                                                      Riesmeyer said.
CITY, MERCYHURST TEAM UP FOR FUN, SMART BIZ
Under the leadership of Erie Mayor Joe Schember and Mercyhurst                        In 2008, Mercyhurst introduced AIM to meet the unique needs of the
President Michael Victor, the city and the university are partnering on a             growing numbers of college students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum
number of initiatives this year. Long famous for its Old-Fashioned Fourth             Disorders (ASD). AIM focuses on building a foundation of self-advocacy,
of July celebration and fireworks display, Mercyhurst stepped up as chief             social skills and sound academic progress. The program has grown
sponsor of the city’s holiday fireworks – Lights Over Lake Erie – on July             considerably in recent years, particularly with the addition of a career
3 from the Bicentennial Tower at Dobbins Landing, and as a presenting                 services component to help AIM graduates be productive and successful
sponsor for the Celebrate Erie summer festival Aug. 16-19 in downtown                 beyond college.
Erie.
                                                                                      “We are very excited about our collaboration with Wells Fargo and are
On a more serious note, the Erie Police Department contracted with                    looking forward to this partnership,” said AIM Director Brad McGarry.
Mercyhurst’s Municipal Police Training Academy at North East to conduct               “The AIM program continues to identify collaborations that will benefit
Civil Service Act 120 testing. Instead of taking a separate exam for the city,        our students and, in turn, we can benefit Wells Fargo’s efforts to develop
as had been the case previously, officer candidates can now take one exam             diversity in their workforce and strengthen their ability to engage autistic
that qualifies them for 26 police departments throughout the region. In               adults for long-term meaningful employment.”
announcing the partnership, Mayor Schember said the move would save
the city time and money, allowing it to focus on minority recruitment.                SHARING PIECES OF THE PAST
                                                                                      Mercyhurst University geologist Scott
And, through Mercyhurst’s leadership of the Erie Innovation District comes            McKenzie has delighted in sharing
the Secure Smart City™ pilot project taking shape on State Street, between            his love of digging up the past with
6th and 12th streets. The project makes way for:                                      thousands of fans. Partnering with
                                                                                      the late Michael Sincak and his wife,
•    Broadband Wi-Fi access across Perry Square.                                      Barbara, was the beginning of acquiring
•    Energy-efficient LED lighting on an estimated 66 existing poles to               a collection of casts, fossils and collectors’
     connect traditional street lighting, increase efficiency and reduce              pieces that ultimately became the Sincak
     costs.                                                                           Natural History Collection at Mercyhurst            Rich Reislund and Scott McKenzie
•    Video surveillance capabilities in Perry Square to enhance security              University.                                         speak at Brown’s Farm Barn.
     and automatically alert authorities to potential threats.
                                                                                      For years, the university opened its doors for the public to experience the
                                                                                      exhibits until they became too vast in size. Then teaming up with the Tom
AIMing FOR EMPLOYMENT                                                                 Ridge Environmental Center allowed even more Erie people and tourists to
Mercyhurst University wants to help graduates of its autism program get               view the collection’s larger samples, like a cast of the teenage T-rex whose
jobs after college, and has long sought out prospective employers to                  fossilized remains were unearthed from northwest South Dakota in 1998.
engage autistic adults for meaningful employment. This year, in an about-
face, world banking leader Wells Fargo came to Mercyhurst, sending five               This summer the university partnered for the first time with Asbury Woods
representatives, from Boston and Pittsburgh, to the Erie campus to discuss            Nature Center to share even more unique finds, these local in origin. Erie
career paths with students of the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM).              area resident Rich Reislund and his two sons, Jonathan, 12, and David,
                                                                                      10, discovered an extraordinary fossil on undisclosed private property in
The April 20 session included mentoring, résumé review and mock                       McKean Township. Upon examination, McKenzie confirmed it as evidence
interviews with the goal of preparing students for possible employment                of what is arguably the most terrifying creature of the Devonian Period –
opportunities at Wells Fargo while helping Wells Fargo learn how best to              Dunkleosteus – a powerful prehistoric fish with thick armor plating and a
interact with people on the spectrum.                                                 bite rivaling that of T-Rex.

“Wells Fargo is committed to a diverse work force,” said Wells Fargo Senior           “This is the first time that we have found evidence of several of the big
Vice President Michael Riesmeyer. “I think a lot of companies realize                 fish at one place in Pennsylvania and that’s very exciting,” McKenzie said.
                                   that creating a diverse community of               “Records show that another collector found one at the same place over
                                   employees helps us better engage the               two decades ago. All three finds are of the same bone of the shoulder
                                   diverse community of people that we                armor, so we could be dealing with a Dunkleosteus graveyard.” In all,
                                    serve.”                                           McKenzie said, more than 350,000 people have viewed parts of the
                                                                                      collection at one exhibit or another since 2006.

                                     President Michael Victor greets Wells Fargo representatives Susannah Geletko,
                                     Michael Bohley, Eugenia Tibamanya and Michael Riesmeyer.                                                                           5
SERVICE WITH
    A DISTINCTLY
    MERCY FLAVOR
    By Sue Corbran
                                                                                                                     Lauren Abbott at Neighborhood Art House

    On paper, it’s a requirement. Mercyhurst students         Hurley and Assistant Director of Community             “It was disheartening to see vets who’ve done so
    must earn one credit – out of the 121 credits they        Engagement Bethany Brun spend months                   much for our country now being able to do so little.
    need to graduate – through a service-learning             coordinating the placements. They have to balance      But it was so rewarding to see them experience the
    experience “Beyond the Gates.”                            the needs of the community agencies with the           music,” Larry added. He’s a business management
                                                              academic, personal and career interests of the         and marketing major from Rochester, New York.
    But Director of Community Engagement Colin                students, and then work around each student’s
    Hurley prefers to think of it as an opportunity – a       unique weekly schedule.                                Lauren Abbott, an Erie native majoring in intelligence
    chance for students to challenge preconceived                                                                    studies, found herself in a familiar setting for her
    notions, broaden their horizons, and perhaps even         A series of written reflections helps students to      BTG placement: the Inner City Neighborhood Art
    be changed for the better.                                assess where they started, where they finished, and    House. She spent many summers there as a child,
                                                              how they were transformed by their work.               taking part in creative arts and crafts. Today the Art
    Like the Sisters of Mercy who left the cloister to work                                                          House provides classes in the visual, performing and
    directly with those in need, students literally go        About 550 Mercyhurst sophomores completed their        literary arts and a safe, caring environment for at-
    beyond Mercyhurst’s iconic front gates. But they’re       Beyond the Gates (BTG) experiences during the          risk children. Lauren assisted the teachers or helped
    also challenged to go beyond some internal gates,         program’s first year. With each spending at least 12   improve literacy with Hooked on Books. Once she
    to overcome anxieties and fears that may have held        hours in the community, that’s well over 6,000 hours   even got to fill in for the ailing dance teacher.
    them back from engaging with “the other,” people          of direct service.
    who are different from them in some way.                                                                         “This experience really let me see how we embody
                                                              Just as important, though, was what the collegians     the Sisters of Mercy and their mission as a university,”
    “As much as our students are giving, they’re              took away from the experience.                         she said. “I can apply what I’m learning and actually
    receiving just as much in return,” Hurley observed.                                                              make a difference in people’s lives.”
    “The experience can be life-changing, because             Larry Staub’s BTG assignment took him to the
    they’re opened up to a whole new worldview.”              Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, where he     Logan Ford mentored and tutored students in an
                                                              spent most of his time in a special unit for those     after-school program at Erie’s Quality of Life Learning
    Some students head across the country or around           with dementia. Sometimes he was the bingo caller,      Center. He particularly remembers working with a
    the world on service trips, but most work with            other times the “pin-setter-upper” for some hallway    young woman nearing graduation from high school
    one of more than 30 Erie-area nonprofits serving          bowling. He particularly liked helping with music      who hoped to become a nurse’s aide. To reach that
    the hungry, the homeless, at-risk youths, refugees        therapy.                                               goal, she had to quickly complete several math
    or the elderly. Each community partner reflects                                                                  courses.
    Mercyhurst’s Core Values and the Critical Concerns        Each patient has his own playlist of familiar music,
    of the Sisters of Mercy, and each assignment calls for    he explained. “It was breathtaking to watch. Once
    person-to-person interaction with people in need.         they recognized a song, it seemed to flip something
                                                              in their brains. They’d smile, or sing along, and
                                                              sometimes even dance.”

6
STILL
                                                                                                              LIVING
Above: Larry Staub at the Pennsylvania
                                                                                                              MERCY
                                                                                                              Students who complete the Beyond the Gates
Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home                                                                                   experience will be ready to go forward and lead with
                                                                                                              conviction – first as students and later as graduates.
Right: Students Monica Tinsley and Tessa                                                                      It’s clear that the call to service still lives in Mercyhurst
Sayre play games with English language                                                                        alumni, wherever they are. Below, see a few snapshots
learners at Pfeiffer-Burleigh School.                                                                         from recent service projects completed by alumni
                                                                                                              chapters in Erie, Cleveland and New York City.

“She didn’t have a good foundation to do the        “We were living the Mercy Mission in a class,” she
math,” he recalled, “and the courses were online,   added. “I still can’t believe I get to be part of it.”
which made it 10 times more difficult.” Together,   A Cleveland resident, she’s majoring in sports
they worked through each problem on her             medicine and pre-med.
practice tests, and she completed three classes
with his help.                                      Tessa Sayre acknowledged she was very nervous
                                                    when she started her placement at Pfeiffer-
BTG gave Logan, an Erie resident who’s double-      Burleigh Elementary School. “I can be really shy
majoring in intelligence studies and political      and wasn’t sure the kids were going to like me,
science, a chance to experience the diversity       plus there was a language barrier to overcome,”
of his hometown. He added, “I find it hopeful       she said. “I wasn’t very experienced socializing
that so many people are excited to engage the       with different types of people.”
community and give back. We’re both giving and
receiving that Mercy mission at the same time.”     To help English language learners at the school,
                                                    Mercyhurst volunteers brought in a tub of board
For Kailee Gorczyca, working with the Gliding       and card games. Playing Uno, Chutes & Ladders,
Stars program was a natural choice. She’d been      Connect Four and Jenga helped students hone
figure skating since she was 6 and, even though     their language skills and learn colors, numbers
she was no longer competing, she found herself      and shapes, all while having fun.
missing it. She spent Monday nights throughout
her freshman year at the Mercyhurst Ice Center      “The unexpected was a little scary,” she added,
helping special needs individuals of all ages       “but I realized that kids, wherever they come
enjoy her favorite sport. She expects to do her     from, are just kids.”
BTG experience there this fall.
                                                    With five years of Spanish study, she was able
Besides developing special relationships with       to ask one of her students questions in his
the skaters she was paired with, she also taught    native tongue. “I was reaching out halfway, and
them life lessons – like how to fall and then get   I think it got him to trust me a little bit.” Tessa’s a
back up again. “Our motto was ‘I can do it. I can   psychology major from Albion, Pennsylvania.
skate,’ which was really empowering for these
kids,” she said.

                                                                                                                                                                              7
IT TAKES A
    VILLAGE...
    EMISSARIES ENSURE MERCY
    SPIRIT ANIMATES CAMPUS
    By Sean Cuneo

    Since Sister Lisa Mary McCartney first came to Mercyhurst as a cadet
    student more than 50 years ago, Mercyhurst has experienced a number of
    milestones.

    The first lay college president. The move to coeducation and the first class of
    men. The first graduate program.

    McCartney’s retirement in May, however, marked another important first for
    Mercyhurst: For the first time in the institution’s 92-year history, Mercyhurst
    does not have a Sister of Mercy employed full time on campus.

    “When I came to Mercyhurst, the president was a Sister, the dean was a
    Sister, Sisters worked in food service, every residence hall had at least one
    Sister. It was a different world,” McCartney said.

    With the numbers of priests and women religious declining on college
    campuses, faith-based institutions increasingly turn to newly established
    “mission officers” to safeguard their founding ideals. In 2008, Mercyhurst
    joined the ranks, naming McCartney as the first vice president for mission
    integration and charging her to assimilate the university’s educational
    mission, Catholic identity and legacy of the Sisters of Mercy.

    “I determined that the role of the vice president of mission would be to tend
    to employees,” she said. “If the employees get the mission, it is they who will
    pass it on through teaching and daily interactions with students.”

    In her first years on the job, a campus-wide survey found that most people
    did not think Mercyhurst’s mission could continue without the Sisters of
    Mercy.

    “Immediately, I thought that’s a perception we’ve got to change,” she said.

    Following a series of discussions with a key group of administrators and
    faculty—“people who couldn’t say no to me,” she said—the decision was
    made to establish a voluntary employee Mercy Mission training program,
    which would become known as the Mercy Emissary Program.

    Loosely modeled on the Mercy Associate program of the Sisters of Mercy,
    the program—which is open to employees of all faith backgrounds—
    consists of a series of monthly gatherings throughout the academic year.
    The first semester addresses Mercy while the second focuses on Catholic
    higher education. The training concludes with a daylong retreat.

    Alumni President Dr. Melanie Titzel and President Michael Victor present Sister Lisa
    Mary with the Sister Carolyn Herrmann Award, Mercyhurst’s highest alumni award.
    Natalie Koons presents a gift to Sister Lisa Mary on behalf of the Class of 2018, which
8   endowed a scholarship in her honor as its Senior Class Gift.
Sister Lisa Mary McCartney is surrounded by many of the faculty and staff who have completed training as Mercy Emissaries.

“We wanted to make it as available as possible,”          “The Sisters were always concerned with the                “Something in the atmosphere catches people
McCartney said. “It’s important to understand the         students. It was nothing for a Sister in a residence       here,” she said. “It doesn’t just attract people who
Mercy Emissary Program as a work of community,            hall to talk directly to the president with a concern      are Catholic; it attracts people who have a depth
and not another committee.”                               about a student,” she said. “Rather than people just       and spirituality, and a sense of faith and service that
                                                          working in their own areas, we need that fluidity for      animates them.”
Employees on the Erie and North East campuses             the sake of the students.”
responded with enthusiasm. During the first year                                                                     For now, though, Mercyhurst is still fortunate to have
in 2015-16, about 40 individuals completed the            Looking ahead to Mercyhurst’s future, change is            a few Sisters working part time on campus in various
program, with about 20 employees taking part in           inevitable. But McCartney is optimistic that thanks        capacities. And as Greg Baker, former director of
each of the past two years.                               to buy-in from the university leadership, the Mercy        campus ministry, steps into the role of vice president
                                                          Mission will continue to make Mercyhurst special.          for mission integration, McCartney still expects to
With fewer Sisters at Mercyhurst than there                                                                          have a presence on campus, visiting with students
once were, the Mercy Emissaries have seized the           “The essential mission identity will protect               and employees and attending sporting events and
opportunity to preserve the Mercy Mission. They do        Mercyhurst from becoming just another mid-size             performances.
so by volunteering at community events, planning          liberal arts college,” she said. “With a clear, vibrant
retreats and prayer meetings, establishing ongoing        mission identity, Mercyhurst can evolve while              “It lets those on campus know the Sisters are still
programs to promote understanding of the Mercy            remaining distinctive, and be effectively nimble.”         here, we still care about the place,” she said. “It also
Charism, and organizing welcome receptions for new                                                                   shows my confidence that I really do believe the
U.S. citizens following naturalization ceremonies in      In addition to the Mercy Emissary program, the             Mercy Charism will be carried on by people of faith,
Erie, to name a few recent activities.                    university has demonstrated its strong commitment          service and goodwill.”
                                                          to the Mercy Mission by weaving it into academics
Notable for McCartney is the role the Emissaries play     through the REACH core curriculum and into campus          As McCartney is often fond of saying, “the Sisters of
in keeping students’ well-being front and center at       life with projects like the Door of Mercy to mark          Mercy don’t have a ‘lock’ on mercy. There is certainly
all times. This philosophy, grounded in a sense of        the Year of Mercy in 2016, to name a few recent            a crying call worldwide for people to be merciful.”
community responsibility, is a characteristic of the      initiatives. McCartney sees this as a testament to
Sisters that McCartney remembers from her own             the way those working at Mercyhurst today seem to          Thanks to her pioneering efforts, Mercyhurst
days as a student.                                        absorb the Mercy Mission and perpetuate the “mist          employees and the growing ranks of Mercy
                                                          in the halls,” as she calls it.                            Emissaries are rallying to answer that call.
                                                                                                                                                                                9
The Mercyhurst group at Peggy Fox’s wedding in 1975: (from left) Beverly Miller, Sharon Ford Watkins, Carol White Mohamed, Val McLaughlin, Karen Gallo Maragolio, Rochelle
     George Wooding, Sandy Sanchez, Kathy Duda Newman, Peggy Fox Lape and Wendy Hackinson Fitzmartin.

     TRAILBLAZERS: FIRST BLACK WOMEN AT
     HURST BONDED TO COPE WITH ISOLATION
     By Sue Corbran

     A quick scan of Mercyhurst yearbooks of the 1950s and ‘60s quickly                     It was Dr. Barbara Chambers, her high school chemistry teacher and
     makes it clear: the student body was just about exclusively white. That                a 1960 Mercyhurst graduate, who encouraged Rochelle to check out
     began to change in the late ‘60s as more black women not only enrolled,                Mercyhurst and arranged for her to visit the campus. The two remain
     but soon made their presence felt on campus.                                           close friends today.

     The first cluster of black women arrived in 1966, and included Alicia King             Peggy Fox Lape, on the other hand, was white and had virtually no
     Redfern ’70, the late Beverly D. Miller ’70 and Rita Hazel Johnson ’71. They           experience with black classmates before she arrived at Mercyhurst
     were soon followed by Carol Blue ‘71, Sharon Ford Watkins ’71, Rochelle                and was assigned to room with Sharon. The two hit it off and roomed
     George Wooding ‘71 and Carol White Mohamed ’73.                                        together for four years. Peggy became an integral part of the black
                                                                                            women’s circle.
     Though they weren’t the only, or even the first, black women at
     Mercyhurst, many of these women gravitated together, forging                           “They were really my center,” she said. “I had white friends, but I
     friendships that have endured to the present.                                          developed so I had more black friends during the four years.

     Being black in a predominantly white environment was nothing new                       “When we walked into the room we were sharing, I was a little excited.
     for several of these women. Carol (Mohamed), Alicia and Sharon had                     But my father walked in, put down my suitcases, turned around and
     all attended mostly white high schools and weren’t fazed by being                      walked out. Mom said he just wasn’t expecting … well, at that point we
     trailblazers at Mercyhurst.                                                            called them Negroes.”

     Rochelle’s high school, John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland, was                  But by the time her dad returned for Father-Daughter Weekend the
     virtually all black, but she said she was actually excited by the prospect of          following spring, things had changed. “He ended up being dad for all of
     studying with white students. “I thought I was pretty smart, and I wanted              us. I told him, ‘See Dad, they’re just like me.’ He got to love them all, and all
     to see if I was as smart as white people,” she added with a laugh.                     of them came to my wedding,” she said.
10
INTENSE BONDING                                             around more African-Americans. She organized
                                                            the Association of Black Collegiates (ABC), which
                                                            included students at Gannon and Villa Maria
                                                                                                                 SPRING OF 1968
All students tend to gravitate toward others                                                                     All the women mentioned spring of 1968 –
like themselves, but for these black women, the             colleges as well as her friends at Mercyhurst.       following the assassination of Martin Luther
bonding was even more intense.                                                                                   King Jr. – as a tough time for black students on
                                                            ABC sponsored social events; hosted an Erie          campus.
While none of them recall facing any open                   appearance by comedian and activist Dick
hostility or overt racism, all agreed that they felt        Gregory; did tutoring and other service projects     Sharon said, “I vividly recall MLK’s assassination
very isolated at Mercyhurst.                                in Erie’s inner city; and even staged a production   and how a number of us were gathered in
                                                            of Jean Genet’s provocative drama The Blacks for     the dorm lounge watching TV and were
“I think mainly there was some passive                      the Mercyhurst Drama Festival.                       devastated by his death and the riots that
aggressive behavior but little overt hostility,”                                                                 followed. And I also remember the insensitivity
recalled Sharon.
                                                            LEAVING THEIR MARK                                   of one individual in particular who said out
                                                                                                                 loud as we watched, ‘I’m so glad my family
Alicia said, “I didn’t feel hostility or negativity,
but I did feel isolated. Coming from D.C.,                  AT MERCYHURST                                        lives in the suburbs and away from all that.’ A
                                                                                                                 heated discussion followed and I’ll leave it at
it was lonely at Mercyhurst. Erie was very,                 Though their number was small, the black             that.”
very different. It may have been more of an                 women were making an impact at Mercyhurst
adjustment to Erie than to Mercyhurst.”                     as well, including Rochelle, who was elected the     Rochelle’s memory is even more wrenching. As
                                                            first African-American president of Mercyhurst       images of burning cities filled the newscasts,
“I did not feel discriminated against, but socially         student government in 1970-71. At that time          she says a white classmate asked her, “If they
we were isolated unless we found a way to                   of growing student activism, the government          told all black people to start killing white
make our own fun,” Carol (Mohamed) said.                    was known as RUS – the Representative Union          people, would you do it?”
“I didn’t experience bigotry, but sometimes                 of Students – and had a voice in the College
there can be some racism just from a sense of               Senate.                                              Peggy said she noticed a change in her friends
superiority. Like, ‘I feel sorry for you because you                                                             during their sophomore year when their
are in a minority race.’”                                   “Mercyhurst had a way of wanting us to               identities as black women were becoming
                                                            experience certain things, to be an officer, to      stronger. “It was hard on me because I didn’t
“There weren’t situations at Mercyhurst that                be involved in politics, to be a leader, and to be   understand why I felt alienated from them,” she
nurtured social life for minority women. There              responsible for someone other than yourself,”        explained. “I wanted things to be the way they
would be mixers, but the people who attended                Rochelle mused. “They encouraged us to run           were. I didn’t think there was anything wrong,
them were majority race,” Carol (Mohamed)                   for office and I really found out about politics     which shows just how naïve I was coming from
noted. Rochelle agreed, “They were dating. We               – about how things could get done if the right       my background.”
weren’t dating – who would we date?”                        person said the right thing to the right people.”
                                                                                                                 It fell to Alicia – who described herself as the
At times they felt overlooked, even invisible.              She noted that her white classmates                  militant of the group – to try to explain the
                                                            encouraged her to run and supported her in the       situation to the university as a whole. “The
In a piece for the Merciad, Rochelle tallied the            election.                                            university was attempting to become more
number of images of black students in the 1968                                                                   sensitive to issues going on in America, and
yearbook. “Out of 312 pictures in the yearbook,             Sharon recalled, “Mercyhurst truly developed         that was one you couldn’t overlook,” she said.
black girls were only in 3,” she wrote. “And out            and cultivated my complete love of theater           In a speech to the college community, she
of eight of us on campus, at that time, only 4              to this day. The Blacks was the first time I was     tried to relate what Dr. King’s death meant
managed to qualify for ‘candid’ photos.”                    involved with and actually acted in a play. I        to African-Americans, and why riots were
                                                            would go on to be involved in several other          breaking out in so many metropolitan areas.
She added, “Just for the record, we read books              theater productions, both onstage and working
in the library. We sleep in class. We talk with             behind the scenes while there. My interest in        Before Alicia arrived at Mercyhurst in 1966,
teachers. We participate in Italian Night. Polish           politics and voter registration issues also began    she said, administrators polled the cadet
Night. Halloween Night. We lay on our beds in               and flourished there.”                               teachers who were on campus that summer
our rooms and study. We wear curlers in our                                                                      to see if there was someone who wouldn’t
hair. We laugh – we cry.”                                   Carol (White) Mohamed recorded another first         mind rooming with an African-American.
                                                            – the first African-American student to receive      Candy Sporer volunteered and the two got
Alicia came up with one solution to the isolation           the Carpe Diem Award, the highest award              along well, sharing a room for two years until
she felt at Mercyhurst and to her need to be                presented to a graduating senior.                    Candy left campus for her full-time teaching
                                                                                                                 assignment.
At a 2013 lunch in Washington, D.C.: (from left) Alicia King Redfern, Peggy Fox Lape, Sharon Ford Watkins,
Carol White Mohamed, Carol Blue.                                                                                 “If there was anyone described as being
                                                                                                                 militant, it would have been me,” Alicia said
                                                                                                                 candidly. “I gave all my professors a hard time
                                                                                                                 because I didn’t think they were emphasizing
                                                                                                                 the black experience enough.”

                                                                                                                 When her art survey course failed to mention
                                                                                                                 African-American artists, she did her own
                                                                                                                 report on Henry Tanner, one of the first African-

                                                                                                                                                                      11
American artists to gain international acclaim.
     “Every time you saw me, you knew what my            DEEP-ROOTED                                        Others have stayed in touch on a one-to-
                                                                                                            one basis. Alicia saw Rochelle because of the
     conversation would be about,” she added. “I
     was in touch with African-American students         CONNECTIONS                                        sorority they both belong to, and met up with
                                                                                                            Carol (Mohamed) when she visited Pittsburgh
     throughout the United States and constantly         All of the women enjoyed successful careers        for meetings and conferences.
     bringing news of what was going on and what         after graduation. And all of them have
     we could do to members of the ABC.”                 maintained relationships with at least some of     “I love all of them today. Chelle and I are in
                                                         the others.                                        touch all the time,” Peggy noted. “I’m fortunate
     Alicia said that, while the other black people                                                         to have them in my life. They were always there
     with whom she has talked over the years said        They’ve attended each other’s weddings,            for me. A real sisterhood.”
     they had enjoyed their college years, her own       celebrated birthdays together, and helped their
     experience was different. “For me it was a battle   friends through childbirth, medical crises and     Rochelle coined another name for that
     every day. … My greatest disappointment was         more.                                              sisterhood. When Beverly Miller died, Rochelle
     because I became so involved with the ABC                                                              wrote a tribute in the form of a prose poem.
     and trying to make the student body and city        “I have to say that Rochelle has been the one      She signed it:
     of Erie aware of what was going on in America       who actively worked to keep us connected
     with African-Americans, I kind of let my studies    through the years,” Sharon said. “The group          Carpe Diem! The true Sistahs of Mercy,
     fall and did not graduate with honors which I       made a point of getting together every few
     should have.” Alicia was Mercyhurst’s last Latin    years through the decades since we left Erie.         Rochelle, Sharon Ford Watkins, Carol “Blue,”
     major.                                              Clearly Mercyhurst created a very special bond         Carol “White” Mohamed, Peggy Fox Lape,
                                                         among us.”                                                        Alicia King Redfern

     ROCHELLE GEORGE WOODING ‘71                                                ALICIA KING REDFERN ‘70
                               Rochelle, who had been diagnosed with                                       Alicia worked with Erie’s Urban Coalition for a while
                               MS before arriving at Mercyhurst, fell ill                                  after graduation, but soon headed to Philadelphia,
                               and was hospitalized during her senior                                      where she earned both a master’s and a doctorate
                               year. She had to complete her English                                       in educational psychology from Temple University.
                               degree during summer school in 1971.                                        She later earned a postdoctoral certificate in
                                                                                                           gerontology from the College of St. Scholastica.
                                Married the following spring, she moved
                                with her husband to Maine’s Loring                                         She’s now retired after teaching at the college
                                Air Force Base and began substitute                                        level for 28 years, most recently at Bloomsburg
     teaching. When they returned to Cleveland, she got another                 University, where she’s a professor emerita. During her tenure there, she
     teaching job, where some of her former teachers were now her               received the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Outstanding
     colleagues. Finally, her husband’s career took them to Chicago,            Women of Color Faculty Award, as well as Bloomsburg’s Outstanding Woman
     where she had a 29-year career with the Chicago Public Schools.            Award and Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award.

     Always a book lover, she had already earned credentials in reading,        Alicia founded the Circle of Sisters, an African-American women’s service
     but she then pursued a master’s degree in library science and              organization, in Bloomsburg; is active with Delta Sigma Theta service
     worked in an elementary school library.                                    organization; and served as eastern regional director, vice president and
                                                                                journal editor of the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education.
     She faced new health challenges in 1989, when she had to go on
     dialysis and eventually needed a kidney transplant. Almost 30 years        She’s currently vice president and will soon assume the state presidency of
     later, she still has the kidney her sister donated to her. Her MS now      the Pennsylvania chapter of PEO, a philanthropic education association that
     confines her to a wheelchair, but Rochelle stays as active as she can      helps women achieve their educational goals.
     with her church and with Delta Sigma Theta, a historically black
     sorority that’s involved in community service including tutoring,          Alicia’s husband, Dr. Carroll Redfern, is also a professor emeritus at
     voter registration drives, and projects to help families.                  Bloomsburg. The first African American faculty member hired by the
                                                                                university, he served as a chair of the special education department for 10
     Mercyhurst honored Rochelle with a Distinguished Alumni Award              years before retiring. They have three daughters and five grandchildren.
     in 1999.

                                                Rochelle George Wooding                                                                  During a visit to Aruba in
                                                                                                                                         July, Alicia King Redfern
                                                                                                                                         chanced to meet 2018
                                                                                                                                         Mercyhurst graduate
                                                                                                                                         Ryan Kronmiller.

12
CAROL WHITE MOHAMED ‘73                                                SHARON FORD WATKINS ‘71
                          Carol took her first job out of college                                   Following graduation, Sharon earned her master’s
                          with Pittsburgh’s Equitable Gas                                           degree in social work at the University of Pittsburgh, and
                          Company as a customer service                                             then earned a fellowship from the National Institute for
                          representative. She used her home                                         Mental Health to study drug and alcohol addiction at the
                          economics training to help customers                                      Washingtonian Center for Addictions in Boston.
                          better use their gas appliances. Six
                          years later, she was promoted into                                      Returning to Pittsburgh, she worked for the Pennsylvania
                          the company’s human resources                                           Governor’s Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse for several
                          department. In 1990, she was                                            years. In 1978, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work
recruited by Duquesne Light, Pittsburgh’s electric utility             for Dorothy I. Height, president of the National Council of Negro Women. That
company, as director of compensation.                                  experience instilled in her a love of activism, public policy and politics that would
                                                                       inform the rest of her work career.
Late In 1994, she was recruited again, joining the University of
Pittsburgh to head up its employment and employee relations            At the end of December 2017, she retired after 23 years as field director of the
divisions. She filled a number of roles at Pitt, but for the last 10   National Breast Cancer Coalition, an organization devoted to ending breast cancer
years before her retirement in 2015 she directed the Office of         through the power of advocacy and action. She loved her work directing and
Affirmative Action, Diversity and Inclusion for all Pitt campuses.     managing grassroots advocates across the country as the coalition forwarded
                                                                       a progressive public policy agenda that included working for passage of the
Since the late 1980s, Carol has been active with Lott Carey            Affordable Care Act.
International Ministries, a global Christian mission community
that now works in 26 countries around the world. She is                While working in Washington, she met and married Alex Watkins Jr. in 1987. A
currently president of its women’s unit, Women in Service              Chicago native and Howard University graduate, he passed away in 1994.
Everywhere (WISE). She has gone on Lott Carey mission trips to
Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, and will         Since retirement, she’s been spending time with her family in Pittsburgh, and is
travel in October to Nigeria. Working with superintendents who         actively involved in her church (Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia)
are natives of these countries, she has served in day care centers,    and in political resistance.
orphanages, soup kitchens and food pantries, and provided
one-on-one counseling at centers for the addicted and women
who have been rescued from human trafficking operations.               Fran Visco, president of the National
                                                                       Breast Cancer Coalition, congratulates
                                                                       Sharon Ford Watkins on her 20+ years
                                                                       of service with NBCC.

BEVERLY DIANE MILLER ‘70
                           An English major at Mercyhurst,
                           Beverly earned a Woodrow Wilson
                           National Fellowship, an award that
                           recognized “the most intellectually
                           promising 1970 graduates who plan a
                           career in college teaching.”                MARGARET (PEGGY) FOX LAPE ‘71
                                                                                                    Peggy majored in elementary education and
                            She went on to earn an M.A. in English                                  taught for 38 years in the public schools of her
                            Literature, with a concentration                                        hometown, Elizabeth, New Jersey. She received
in African-American Literature, from the University of North                                        the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award for
Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973 and completed coursework for a                                      the Elizabeth Public School District in 1998. She
Ph.D. in English at Morgan State University.                                                        retired about 10 years ago.
Beverly taught within the Department of English and Foreign                                       Her husband, James (Jim), is also retired. They
Languages at Fayetteville State University for more than                                          sold their former home in Mountainside and now
30 years, and also taught at Morgan State University, UNC              live on the Jersey Shore. They’ve been doing some traveling and the next
Pembroke at Fort Bragg, Shaw University at Fort Bragg, Durham          move, she says, will be to California, where both their grown daughters live.
Technical Community College and UNC Chapel Hill. She received
multiple National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships
and was invited to speak in Avignon, France. She was active in
                                                                                                                Peggy Fox Lape with daughters Erin and Megan
the community with Steel Magnolias Inc. and Brother’s Keeper.

She died Jan. 8, 2016, after a long, valiant struggle with liver
cancer.

                       Beverly Miller and Rochelle George Wooding

                                                                                                                                                                 13
REMEMBERING
                               ROBERT S. MILLER
                               A MAN WHOSE MISSION WAS TO HELP OTHERS SUCCEED
                               By Jennifer Smith

                               You don’t have to look far to find the impact               “He knew education could uplift a person, give
                               North East business owner Robert S. Miller had on           them a better life, a chance to have a good job and
                               Mercyhurst North East.                                      support their family,” said Julie Griffith, one of his
                                                                                           seven children.
                               But the trustee emeritus, primary benefactor and
                               biggest champion of MNE never wanted the focus              One vehicle for that was the Robert S. and Janet
                               to be on him.                                               L. Miller Family Scholarship Fund created in 2004.
                                                                                           Since its inception, more than 500 students have
                               In fact, Miller, who passed away at age 81 in May,          benefitted from the allocation of nearly $850,000.
                               would have been shocked at the hundreds who
                               filled the Ridge Great Room over several days to pay        Countless others on campus and throughout the
                               their respects.                                             community were inspired by his example and
                                                                                           encouraging words.
                               Miller never sought the spotlight or recognition for
                               his contributions. He felt fulfilled by helping others.     Here are just a few of the MNE success stories made
                                                                                           possible by the generosity of Miller and his family.

     REALIZING
     A DREAM
     Every semester Ashley
     Messenger would write the
     Millers a thank you note for the
     scholarship money she received.

     “You’re making things a lot
     easier,” said Messenger, 26, who
     earned an associate degree
     in hospitality management at
     MNE in 2013, then a bachelor’s
     degree at Mercyhurst University
     in 2015.

     Earlier this year, she realized
     a dream, opening her own
     restaurant, Best Spudz Kitchen,
                                                   RETURNING TO MNE
                                                   Like many students at MNE, Lexi Caldwell had already earned a bachelor’s degree, but
     with Jennifer and Julie Flack                 wanted to take her career in another direction by pursuing an associate degree.
     in the Sunflower Club. Her
     inventive soups, specials and                 “I wasn’t eligible for financial aid, so the Miller scholarship was a huge help financially,” said
     wings are already gaining the                 Caldwell, who graduated in 2016 with her physical therapist assistant degree.
     attention of diners, earning
     her an Erie’s Choice Award                    MNE’s beautiful campus and caring faculty and staff were a huge part of Caldwell’s
     nomination for Best Wings and                 decision to become a student. And also the driving force in her return to campus this year
     an invitation to cater the Dinner             as a full-time employee.
     on the Diamond fundraising
     event for the Erie SeaWolves.                 Caldwell is the new lab supervisor the for the PTA program.

     “This is what I love to do,” she              “It just felt like a perfect fit,” said the 27-year-old who loved physical therapy, but also
     said. “Cooking is my passion.”                interacting with students. “I knew this was the place I wanted to work.”

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