SUA PUBLICATION FOR SALISBURYMagazine UNIVERSITY FALL 2021 ALUMNI AND FRIENDS www.salisbury.edu/alumni ALUMNI COACHES BRING IT HOME! COACHES JIM NESTOR AND TROY BROHAWN • page 9 SU In Space Honoring Honors Class Notes page 13 page 15 page 29 SUMagazine SUA PUBLICATION FOR SALISBURY UNIVERSITYMagazine ALUMNI AND FRIENDS 3 What We've Learned When learning went virtual in spring 2020, we had a lot to learn – and some of what we've learned is here to stay. 21 Gulls Get a Grad Walk With large gatherings still a no-go, spring 2021 graduates were invited to “walk” at Sea Gull Stadium. Departments 11 3 Features Lamboni Retires After decades 21 Alumni News of service, Head 27 Athletics Athletic Trainer Pat Lamboni ’78, 29 Class Notes M’80 is moving on to his next adventure. Stay Connected! SU Social: salisbury.socialtoaster.com Alumni Book Club: www.pbc.guru/salisbury Facebook: www.facebook.com/SUAlumni Twitter: @SUalumni On the Cover: Head Coaches (and SU alums) Jim Nestor ’90 and Troy Brohawn ’09 brought home national championships Instagram: @SUalumni with their teams – women's lacrosse and baseball, respectively. Read about these leaders of the flock on page 9. LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/school/salisbury-university 1 SUMagazine Volume 52 • 2021 Letter from the President PRESIDENT Charles A. Wight Dear Sea Gull Family, VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVANCEMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Jason E. Curtin ’98 It is an exciting time to be a member of the Salisbury ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS University community. As we move toward the later stages Susan Maxwell Eagle of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, our attention ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT Jayme E. Block ’97 & M’99 turns to safely bringing our campus population back to full ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT & ANNUAL GIVING STAFF capacity. This fall, we are looking forward to having our Faith Dempsey Michelle Pryor ’13 & M’20 campus life return to our pre-pandemic activity level. We Melinda B. Khazeh look forward to welcoming the Class of 2025 to campus UNIVERSITY EDITOR UNIVERSITY WRITER for the first time as SU students, as well as those current Christine B. Smith M’02 Mikayla Wiseman Salisbury University students who opted to remain at VISUAL IMAGES COORDINATOR CLASS NOTES EDITOR Megan Raymond Faith Dempsey home during the past academic year. There is nothing CONTRIBUTING GRAPHIC DESIGNERS like the energy of an active and vibrant campus. As we Susan Maxwell Eagle Lori Pauling ’11 look ahead to the 2021-22 academic year, I would be Ana Maldonado remiss if I didn’t express my sincere appreciation for how our students, faculty and staff CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jayme E. Block ’97 & M’99 Melinda B. Khazeh have persevered through these trying times. Our ingenuity and ability to overcome obstacles Jason E. Curtin ‘98 NASA together will continue to serve us well into the future. Susan Maxwell Eagle Michelle Pryor ’13 & M’20 Many of you participated in one or both of our virtual SU Giving Days this past year. Joey Gardner Bob Score Stefanie Rider M’94 Erin Smith ’09 & M’11 We sincerely appreciate your support of our students. Giving back to your Alma Mater CONTRIBUTING WRITERS is critical to the success of our institution. Your gift also shows confidence in SU and is a Lili Leonard’ 09 & M’11 Charles A. Wight reflection of the experience you had on campus. Your philanthropy set a new standard for Andrew Martino giving in one 24-hour period this spring, and I again thank you for your support. Each gift ADVANCEMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION STAFF WRITERS Megan K. Baker ’13 Amy Luppens that you make is a part of We Are SU: The Campaign for Salisbury University. We are Jayme E. Block ’97 & M’99 Cyrill Parham in the final stages of our $75 million campaign, and we need your help. Every dollar that Timothy Brennan Michelle Pryor ’13 & M‘20 is given goes directly to our students to provide that margin of excellence that our state Jason E. Curtin ’98 Jason Rhodes Katie Curtin Stefanie Rider M’94 appropriations struggle to cover. Susan Maxwell Eagle Erin Smith ’09 & M’11 As campus opens back up, I invite you to return to your Alma Mater. We need your Melinda B. Khazeh presence and your energy physically on campus. Reconnect with your favorite faculty or staff member who made a difference in your life. Engage in a meaningful dialogue while The SUMagazine is published annually for alumni and friends of speaking to students in a classroom or join us for a reunion of your club or organization Salisbury University by the Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual during Alumni Homecoming Week. The bottom line is that our students need YOU! Giving in conjunction with the Office of Public Relations, with the It’s been wonderful to see and meet with you all virtually, but nothing beats the personal generous support of the Salisbury University Foundation. Please send comments, news and address changes to: connection. I invite you to take a campus tour with your family, attend a game or a Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving performance, or simply drop in for a meal at the Commons. We are looking forward to Salisbury University 1120 Camden Avenue, Salisbury, MD 21801-6837 having you back to campus to reconnect and create new memories that will last a lifetime. call 410-543-6042 (toll free 888-543-0148) With each year that passes, we edge closer to celebrating 100 years of excellence at or email [email protected] Salisbury University. SU’s tradition of being student-centered started when we opened as Salisbury University has a strong institutional commitment to diversity and equal educational opportunities. To that end, the University prohibits a normal school for training teachers in 1925, and that tradition is alive in every classroom discrimination on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, today. If you have a piece of SU history that you would like to share, please review the race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, article on page 20 on how to enhance our collection. Thank you for your continued support religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Direct all inquiries regarding of Salisbury University, and I look forward to seeing you in person on campus soon. the nondiscrimination policy to the Office of Institutional Equity/Title IX Coordinator, Holloway Hall 100, 410-543-6426. Sincerely, Qualified students with disabilities should contact the Office of Student Disability Support Services at 410-677-6536. This magazine was printed on recyclable, chlorine-free paper using vegetable-based, low VOC (volatile organic compound) inks. The Charles A. Wight cover has a water-based, low VOC coating that is recyclable. It is also available digitally at: www.salisbury.edu/alumni/sumagazine President, Salisbury University We invite your comments, criticisms, compliments, corrections and contributions… Please write to: Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, Editor, SUMagazine, 1120 Camden Avenue, Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD 21801-6837. Or email us at [email protected] • The editor reserves the right to publish letters of interest. 2 SUMagazine What Will a Post-COVID SU Look Like? A NEW NORMAL The COVID-19 pandemic changed the to know the SU campus and Salisbury Even so, SU faculty were surprised with way we live and learn. Almost overnight, community. Like undergraduate research, how well the virtual conferences went. Salisbury University faculty had to come faculty mentorship, Living Learning Students were especially engaged in Q&A up with new ways of providing meaningful Communities and civic engagement, the sessions, being attentive listeners and asking learning experiences for their students – first-year experience course she teaches is thoughtful questions about the research of and some of these changes turned out to what is referred to as a high impact practice their peers. Many students took advantage be a benefit. As more people get vaccinated – one that leaves a lasting memory with of the chat feature on Zoom to field their and the world transitions to a “new the student. She says high impact practices questions, where in a traditional conference normal,” not everything will return to ask the student to bring their unique setting, they may have felt intimidated the way it was. Faculty from each of SU’s contributions to the table and a willingness about speaking up. Many students felt more schools and colleges share their experiences to challenge themselves in order to engage confident presenting from the comfort and explain how the post-COVID world of with other people on campus. of their homes rather than in front of a education may look different. When a lot of that hands-on work and conference hall full of people, and this in-person interaction was lost, faculty allowed for more meaningful conversations. Clarke Honors College had to find new, creative ways to ensure Kock predicts that moving forward, they Dr. Stacia Kock students still got the high impact practices will have virtual options for students Faculty Director, Bellavance Honors Program they need. Kock explained that before the to present their research even after the pandemic they would rely on face-to-face restrictions of the pandemic subside. “College campuses engage in a sense of communication; COVID-19 helped them Another change Kock plans to make community. We are individuals bringing figure out other ways to communicate and after the past year is to offer both face-to- to the table all of our unique skills and how to use technology to their advantage. face and virtual office hours.