Mercyhurst Magazine
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
tsA VOL. 21, ISSUE 1 NOVEMBER 2004 -from fKe. Editor It happens every year. That moment of clarity when I realize how much work behind the scenes has been necessary to fuel Mercyhurst on a day-to-day basis, laying the foundation for this institution to evolve into exactly what it has become. Sometimes it strikes me when the finishing touches are being discussed at a planning meeting for com mencement, usually only days before the celebration begins and hundreds of family members flood through the Gates. Sometimes it happens as I look out over the crowds gathered for the annual Fourth of July event hosted by Mercyhurst College, knowing that our maintenance and security staffs have been on the clock for hours, and have little to no hope of going home any time soon. Sometimes I am simply walking across our beautiful campus when I start thinking about the people who keep the windows clean, the weeds pulled, our students in the right class with the right professor, and the freshmen snuggled safely in their residence halls (and the RIGHT residence hall to boot). I consider the students who dedicate hours organizing and supporting events such as Christmas on Campus, the college's March of Dimes WalkAmerica team and fund-raisers like Rotoracfs 5K run. The thought always brings a smile to my face, a mix of pride and awe at what we achieve every single day. To be honest, this year it took on new significance when, as a novice homeowner, I realized anew how much effort is invested in keeping our campus functioning. Worn out from the 30-minute shoveling job required on my own puny driveway one snowy January morning, I sat in my warm, dry car at the stop sign in front of Old Main and marveled at the cleaned walk ways, the neat drives. Maybe the process isn't perfect, but I always wonder how early those nearly invisible folks must get up before toiling away for hours to prepare our campus for those lucky enough to walk on shoveled paths? Rarely do we remember, in our professional lives or in our personal worlds, to say thank you to those who labor behind the scenes. Often, engrossed in our own lives, we also forget that our colleagues and friends are more than their titles, and often have fascinating hobbies they nurture out of sight. What we'd learn if we all slowed down, watched more, listened better. So, in this Mercyhurst Magazine, Debbie Morton and I took a small step back, slowed down, watched and listened, and now we want to share with you some of the delightful stories about the stories hidden behind the neatly manicured hedges. of (Sonfents Sister Damien.., Manic for muskie: Pittman breaks stereotypes as thrill-seeking angler It's a family thing: Behind the scenes with maintenance and housekeeping Forensic Files draws 'Hurst into 'whodunit' genre Fo** wKom fke bell foils Working surreptitiously is alumna's approach to improving the community - ^J^fkind of gets you in the gut. You walk one victim at a time 8 into the O'Neil Tower and glance to your right, expecting her there, but she's gone. 'Hurst dishes out support for soup kitchen 10 Sister M. Damien Mlechick, RSM, '56, who would have celebrated her 20th year of Kathy Zurn ... more than pearls and pumps 12 service to the college at this year's Christmas party, died Aug. 20 at the age of 83. Pizza, beer and bones ... students confront death to safeguard life 14 Sister was like an old flannel shirt that you pull out of your closet on a brisk autumn In his own words ... faculty Vern Wherry writes from new classroom in Baghdad 16 day - familiar, warm, dependable; she aged, but she never seemed to wear out. That's why Raise $20 million plus - Check. 17 rounding the corner and not seeing her at her Preserving the Legacy campaign success reverberates through campus switchboard in the tower is still so unnerving. You never figured on life without her. Building community keeps residence life staff on their toes 20 Affectionately known as "Damie" or "Auntie D.," she was, without a doubt, the As good as it gets ... Intelligence studies basks in global radiance 22 Lakers' biggest fan and one of the college's most fiercely loyal supporters. Seeking solace on the slopes 24 Each day, from her greeter's post outside the chapel, she showed her ability to make all Class Notes 26 human encounters, however ephemeral, feel both special and personal. Snap to, Shutterbugs! 28 The characteristic Voice of Mercyhurst, she was like an unexpected spray of holy Taking a swing at golf... on the Pilates mat? 30 water on passersby, always finding favor, dis pensing advice, and spreading goodwill. Cool air blows through Old Main ... a history-making change 31 Although instantly recognizable, it was not so much the big voice as it was the little deeds Column: The Magnificent Seven in a Bob Heibel Production 32 that defined Sister Damien. At athletic events, there was no more effusive fan, and you knew she was there 1 lv U upon hearing the clang of her cowbell. At Halloween, she ladled candy into the wicker ^£' basket on her desk and urged everyone to indulge. At Christmas, she would don a & Times Old Newsies apron over her habit and peddle memorial newspapers to benefit the annual Needy Fund. She lived with a nobility of service that is Issue Editor The Office of Public Relations, a division of the the hallmark of the Sisters of Mercy, with Gennifer Biggs Institutional Advancement Office, produces whom she shared her life for 65 years. And, with that dignity came an immense vitality Director of Public Relations and Publications Mercyhurst Magazine. that, in the end, did not fail her. Hers was a [email protected] great old age, not a stifled one. She remained 814.824.3315 Vice President of Institutional Advancement young at heart, and the young themselves, the Gary L. Bukowski, CFRE 73 Mercyhurst students who so loved her and she them, sensed that. Contributing Writers For all the love she so unselfishly impart Gennifer Biggs Director of Alumni Services ed, she did not hesitate to dole out construc Deborah Wallace Morton, Assistant Director Patricia Liebel '53 tive criticism when she saw fit. She'd champi of Public Relations [email protected] on the cause of a neglected flowerbed or a Telephone: 1.800.845.8568 bathroom in need of housekeeping. Otherwise, she put everything in God's Photographers Local calls: 824.2538 hands. Such was the abiding faith that let her Gennifer Biggs Fax: 814.824.2153 live this life to the fullest in preparation for Paul Lorei the next. Debbie Morton Send your change of address to: Perhaps no one put it better than Danielle Prokop '05 Mercyhurst Magazine Mercyhurst President Dr. William P. Garvey Mercyhurst College who said, "In many ways, Sister was the spirit of the college, and we deeply mourn her pass Class Notes Editor 501 E. 38th St. ing. She represented the best ideals of the Tammy Roche Gandolfo 76 Erie, PA 16546 past, but she lived very much in the present. It [email protected] Fax: 814.824.2473 is like the light has gone out in that front hall 814.824.2004 way and it will be a long time before it is turned back on again." mbk ^^ N o M B E R 2 0 0 4 M awe tor mus I I I Pittmata breaks stereotypes as fKHll-seeki^vg arvg er It's been said that no other ^ freshwater fish offers the combina tion of size, strength, ferocity and "big game" appeal as the muskie. The fact that the toothy leviathans have a super bad attitude makes them all the more enticing to die-hard muskie angler Barbara Pittman. What's amusing, and Pittman is inclined to laugh along, is the sight of her elfin frame, at 5-feet 2-inches, 130 pounds; going head-to-head with a thrashing, gnash Once inclined ing 49-inch super-sized fish, the king of her to yield to stereo collective catch so far. types, nowadays she'd Muskie are the largest member of the rather blast the ^ pike family, with maximum lengths and smithereens out of them, and weights exceeding 5 feet and 70 pounds. can be as obstinate in her tem "They hit hard and there is this huge When you're perament as the fish she hunts. J commotion and chaos on the boat when you "My mother always told me I could do using a medium- are bringing them in," she said. "It is tremen anything I wanted to do and, when I looked heavy action 7- dously exciting." around, it was the men who were having all foot rod and casting What's even more incongruous, though, the fun," she said. "They were hunting and 4- to 5-ounce lures for is that Pittman exhibits an almost docile fishing and doing things that women typical an average of six hours a demeanor ly did not do in the '50s and '60s, before there day, your arms and shoulders feel it. Plus around the was much impact from the women's move reeling in a fish that fights you every bit of Mercyhurst ment." the way is strenuous at best. campus, That was then and this is now. She stays educated about her sport, where she A self-proclaimed feminist and late familiarizing herself with everything from teaches writ bloomer, Pittman was 33 when she entered weather conditions that impact muskie fish ing and college as a freshman.