WINTER 2015 UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE TOXIC SHOCK A Temple researcher solves Naples’ cancer riddle. Joseph Labolito V. 22 STUDENTS BROTHERLY LOVE Temple students mentor college-age adults with intellectual disabilities through the Academy for Adult Learning. On campus, in Philadelphia and around the world, Owls spark change that matters. In this issue, students mentor adults with intellectual disabilities; the university offers a new admissions option; a dental program provides care to children in North Philadelphia; and a researcher exposes cancer rates in Italy. TEMPLETEMPLE 2 Letters 3 From the President 4 Campus Voice 5 News 14 Alumni News 37 Class Notes 52 The Last Word 72 143 73 144 74 145 75 146 76 147 77 148 78 149 79 150 80 151 81 152 82 153 83 154 84 155 85 156 86 157 87 158 88 159 89 160 90 161 91 162 92 163 93 164 94 165 95 166 96 167 97 168 98 169 99 170 100 171 16 10126 172 32 RESEARCH ALUMNI COMMUNITY IN THE LAND OF POISON AND FIRE TEST CASE FILLING A NEED A Temple cancer researcher from Naples, Temple now offers an admissions option A program of the Kornberg School of Italy, fights the disease in his lab and in that doesn’t require standardized-test results. Dentistry links low-income children in North his hometown. Philadelphia with preventive dental care. 10 Innovation Dedication: In the new Science Education and Research Center, scientists and students pioneer groundbreaking research. ON THE COVER: Illustration by Eleanor Grosch WINTER 2015 LETTERS During WWII, I was assigned to the 142nd General Hospital in Kolkata, India, from 1945 to 1946. I had a book published in India [A Modern Pilgrim in India: The Diary of an American Soldier, Somaiya Publications, WHAT DO YOU THINK? 1995] that described my days in that nation Owls celebrate history—the world’s, Temple’s and their own. just prior to its independence from the British Empire. I would like to express my deep gratitude Really enjoyed your “Free to Be” feature. for the chance meeting of my wife and for OWL PRIDE Makes me even prouder to be a Temple the beginnings of a wonderful life, along graduate! with productive careers for our two Maj. Margaret Witt, CPH ’12 children. Portland, Oregon Thank you, Temple University! Editor’s note: Witt informed Temple of her John W. Wohlfarth landmark 2011 lawsuit, Witt v. Department of Cloverdale, California the Air Force, which helped defeat the mili­ tary’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. OLDEST OWL? CHECKPOINT CARL Thank you for the superb article “The Truth Tellers” in your fall 2014 issue. John Raines My father, Gerald Booken, MED ’36 was a professor of mine in 1968, and I could (pictured above with his wife, Sandra), not be more proud of the work he, his wife, recently celebrated his 103rd birthday. He Bonnie [EDU ’72, ’79], and others did in attended undergraduate school [at Temple] Media, Pennsylvania. [Writer Renee] Cree I was recently in Berlin, Germany, where I and after three years entered the Medical carefully related these events to the present was invited to participate in a fellowship for School. He went on to serve in the military day with her excellent questions. senior news managers on the 25th anniver­ and then practice general medicine and Coupled with the essay on community sary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I took general surgery. He retired from practice in health literacy (“Community Explorers”), the opportunity to send stories back to my the early 1980s. that piece represents a great direction for a newsroom and, as much as I hate selfies, I Dad spent happy years in Philadelphia and university magazine that takes the times we thought you’d appreciate what I was wearing now lives with his son near Wilkes-Barre, live in seriously. I valued my education at as I filed from Checkpoint Charlie. Pennsylvania. If he is your oldest alumnus, Temple, and I regret that some divisions still Christopher Carl, SMC ’92 I thought you might want to know. perform so much animal research. Maybe Director of News and Programming, WDEL Wendy (née Booken) Peskin you can touch on one of those issues. Wilmington, Delaware Pahoa, Hawaii Wayne Johnson, CLA ’73 Brooklyn, New York THANKS, TEMPLE! I met my wife when we were undergradu­ ates at Temple from 1947 to 1951. I worked at Jefferson Hospital midnight to To share your opinions with the Temple staff, 8 a.m. and then took the subway to classes email [email protected] or send a letter on Main Campus. to Temple magazine, Bell Building, 3rd Floor, 1101 W. Montgomery Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19122. 2 TEMPLE FROM THE PRESIDENT VOL. 68 NO. 2 / Winter 2015 This fall I delivered my first State of Vice President for Strategic Marketing and Communications the University address to Temple faculty. Karen Clarke The event was an opportunity to discuss the tremendous progress Temple has made Senior Director, Strategic Communications Ryan S. Brandenberg Eryn Jelesiewicz in the last year. I believe you will agree that Temple is clearly charging forward. Director of Content Strategy Maria Raha Let me start with our growing national reputation. This year’s edition of U.S.News Copy Editor & World Report’s Best Colleges ranks Temple Kate O’Neill No. 121 overall among national universities. Designers That is our highest-ever ranking and an Trish Brown, Lynda Cloud-Weber, Robert Frawley increase of 11 spots in four years. Temple’s research enterprise also has Correspondence Bell Building, 3rd Floor, 1101 W. Montgomery Ave., never been better. We recently opened Philadelphia, PA 19122 the Science Education and Research Center, which both reflects and improves on the Email [email protected] strength of our research. Last year we had a record $230 million in research expendi­ Website tures. Even as overall national research temple.edu/templemag funding has declined, Temple has experi­ Temple is published by Temple University of the Commonwealth System enced a 32 percent rise in federal research of Higher Education. awards over the past five years. © Copyright 2015 by Temple University Most importantly, our commitment to As I’ve said in the past, it is a tremendous Temple University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all in every aspect of its operations. The university has pledged not to dis­ students remains steadfast. This fall we honor to be the president of such a remark­ criminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status or disability. This policy extends to welcomed a record 4,483 freshmen to able university. I hope every Owl feels all educational, service and employment programs of the university. Temple. That class is our largest, most aca­ a similar sense of pride. demically accomplished and most diverse If you have thoughts on these or other ever, with a record number of Honors and efforts at Temple, please feel free to contact international students. me at [email protected]. We’ve taken a major step to support incoming students with Fly in 4, our innova­ tive plan to help students graduate on time and limit their debt. We’ve also created the Temple Option, an alternative admissions Neil D. Theobald path that will ensure talented students of all President, Temple University KEY TO SCHOOL AND COLLEGE CODES backgrounds have access to Temple’s high- BYR Boyer College of Music and Dance quality education. CLA College of Liberal Arts CPH College of Public Health CST College of Science and Technology Follow Temple! DEN Kornberg School of Dentistry EDU College of Education facebook.com/TempleU twitter.com/TempleUniv ENG College of Engineering FOX Fox School of Business HON Honorary Degree LAW Beasley School of Law MED School of Medicine instagram.com/TempleUniv Temple University Alumni Group PHR School of Pharmacy POD School of Podiatric Medicine SED School of Environmental Design SMC School of Media and Communication SSW School of Social Work youtube.com/TempleUniversity plus.google.com/+TempleUniversity TFM Division of Theater, Film and Media Arts THM School of Tourism and Hospitality Management TYL Tyler School of Art WINTER 2015 3 CAMPUS VOICE MODEL CITIZEN Ryan S. Brandenberg Each year, millions of peo­ ple who have been released from prison end up back behind bars. Jondhi Harrell, Class of 2015, knows this story all too well. While incarcerated for 18 years, he watched as fellow prisoners served their time and left, only to return to jail. After his own release from prison in 2009, Harrell mistakes. I keep a pair of loafers from the prison commissary on founded the Center for J. JONDHI HARRELL a shelf in my closet as a reminder Returning Citizens to of where I came from and what address the problem of OCCUPATION: founder and executive director, Center for Returning Citizens I’ve experienced. LOCATION: College of Public Health, Class of 2015 recidivism. From offering How does the Center for parenting classes to finding Returning Citizens help? What inspired the Center for What are some of the chal­ We currently serve 600 housing and jobs, the cen­ Returning Citizens? lenges for people released returning citizens, and more ter helps former inmates I started putting this program from prison? are coming to us every day. start new lives and avoid together while I was still incar­ People returning home after Counselors meet daily with cerated. Over the years, I’d watch being incarcerated have to 15 to 20 people. We start by returning to jail. guys go home and come back to accept that time moved on with­ finding housing, employment In 2013, Harrell was prison because they were unable out them—families changed, and education opportunities, to adjust to society.