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Alumni & Philanthropy News
Alumni and Friends, Once again, we have the pleasure of sharing news of how Eberly College of Science alumni and friends are helping the college to sustain its standing as a premier institution of research, teaching, and service. The articles that follow provide examples of how college alumni and friends have given unselfishly of their time, energy, expertise, or financial resources to ensure a first-rate academic experience for many future generations of Penn Staters. Our role is that of intermediaries charged with matching your interests and talents with the needs of college faculty, staff, and students. We merely tap into what you already have to offer rather than seek your involvement or participation in ways that may be burdensome or overextended. We strive to find ways for you to become involved that are mutually beneficial and prove to be a prudent investment of your time, energy, and money. On behalf of the Eberly College of Science, please accept our sincere appreciation for all that you do, please consider other ways you can become involved, and please encourage other alumni to become involved as well. Working together, we have made and will continue to make a difference. Joanne T. Cahill Suzanne Sinclair Grieb Response Strong at Midpoint of Campaign
At the midpoint of the University's seven-year fund-raising campaign, Eberly College of Science alumni and friends have committed $49,621,582--83% of the college's $60,000,000 fund-raising goal. Campaign commitments fall under two categories: featured objectives and ongoing support. The featured objectives are special priorities designed to raise money specifically in support of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and programs. Support for featured objectives has been strong. Endowed scholarships, fellowships, and faculty positions have improved the college's competitive ability to recruit and retain the best and brightest students and faculty. Once these students and faculty are on board, private support helps to create and maintain an atmosphere in which they can achieve at a level commensurate with their individual talents. Monies have been raised in support of activities and projects that enhance and round out the student academic experience and the faculty's teaching, research, and service efforts. Since endowments grow and continue to support their intended purpose far into the future, the college's fund-raising efforts focus largely on increasing the endowment. During the life of the campaign, the college will continue to rely on private support to fund ongoing programs and special initiatives and projects outside the realm of the featured objectives. Ongoing support provides monies for faculty research, student and faculty assistance, buildings and facilities, and discretionary funds that give the college and its departments the flexibility to meet vital and timely academic needs. Nicholas Pelick, a 1964 biochemistry alumnus, chairs a committee
of 15 college alumni and friends intimately familiar with the college's
case for private support. Working alongside of Pelick as vice chair
of the committee is Louis A. Martarano, a 1976 chemistry alumnus.
The role of committee members is to spread the word among their peers
of the college's needs, cite their own campaign gift as a firsthand example
of the impact private support can have, and encourage their peers to consider
supporting the college.
"Penn State prepared me for a successful career. By sharing a portion of my financial success with the university, I am helping to ensure that many other Penn Staters are well prepared to succeed in their endeavors," says Pelick, retired President of Supelco, Inc. and current Chairman of the Board of Agrotech, Inc. Pelick's campaign gift creates an endowed faculty chair in the Eberly College of Science--a prestigious position which will attract a world-renowned teacher and researcher to the college to influence, inspire, and shape future generations of students. For more information about the college campaign or to learn how private support can benefit Eberly College of Science faculty and students, contact Joanne Cahill, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Eberly College of Science, 430 Thomas Building, University Park, PA 16802, (800) 297-1429, or e-mail: jtc7@psu.edu.
Eberly College of Science Dean's Chair Endowed The Penn State Board of Trustees recently approved guidelines for a new philanthropic concept: a dean's chair in each of the university's academic colleges. The dean's chairs will ensure that the most visible and important position in the colleges will continue to be held by distinguished and talented leaders-educators. The chairs will both honor the deans and provide them with flexible financial resources to move their colleges forward in ways not currently possible. Currently, deans have few discretionary funds to enhance learning opportunities, extend curricular offerings, create new programs, and provide incentives for faculty. Even the scarce funds that do exist cannot be relied upon for the future because most of them are not in the form of endowments and, thus, do not yield dependable sources of income. This means that creative ideas and concepts often cannot be tested or implemented; only the most basic initiatives can be funded. The steady flow of income provided by the dean's chair endowment will not only maintain existing programs but also advance innovation and reputation. Income from the endowment is designed to give the dean flexible funds on an annual basis to use strategically as opportunities present themselves. The funds are not meant for long-term commitments to support any one project, program, or person. Nor are they meant to supplement the salary of the dean. "Endowing a dean's chair is truly a landmark event in philanthropy at Penn State and in the growth of a college" says University President Graham B. Spanier. "Income from the endowment gives the dean flexible funds to support a variety of academic initiatives within his or her college that almost surely would not be possible without this unique form of private support." Verne M. Willaman, a 1951 biological chemistry alumnus, saw merit in this new philanthropic concept and committed $3 million to endow the Dean's Chair in the Eberly College of Science. The Willaman Dean's Chair is the second dean's chair to be endowed at Penn State. The first was the Schultz Dean's Chair in the College of Health and Human Development. Willaman said his philanthropy to Penn State is a result of the education he received and his own upbringing. "I feel I owe Penn State something for all the good things it did for me," he said. "My college training in chemistry was excellent and gave me a solid foundation for my career. Also, my parents were strong believers in education--my mother taught school for 40 years--and their beliefs have influenced my own values very strongly." Following graduation from Penn State, Willaman served in the U.S. Navy and then joined Ortho Pharmaceutical in 1954. He rose through the executive ranks to become the company's president in 1969 and chairman in 1976. He became a director and member of the executive committee of Johnson & Johnson in 1977 and retired in 1988. He and his wife, Betty, a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, divide their residence between Edwards, Colorado, and San Luis Obispo, California.
Kohudic Faculty Endowment Fund Provides Resources A Lancaster County man whose career has centered on publishing scientific knowledge has committed $1 million to help science faculty in Penn State's Eberly College of Science advance their fields through teaching, research, and service. The Kohudic Faculty Enhancement Fund will be endowed by Melvyn A. Kohudic, who earned his degree in commercial chemistry from Penn State in 1953. In addition to his $1 million pledge, Kohudic is giving $50,000 over the next five years to activate the fund. The fund may be used for such needs as supplies and equipment for research programs, graduate student and postdoctoral fellow appointments, undergraduate research experiences, and curriculum development. "Thanks to Mel's generosity, creative faculty ideas in the Eberly College of Science will not be passed by because of inadequate resources," said Daniel J. Larson, Dean of the college. "This is the college's first faculty enhancement fund ever, and we applaud Mel for his vision in helping us strengthen our disciplines and deliver the very best science education to Penn State students." Kohudic is a former member of the Eberly College of Science Alumni Society Board of Directors, and received the college's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1997. He began his career as a research chemist with Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster. He later worked in publishing with the American Chemical Society and the Society of Plastics Engineers before founding Technomic Publishing Company, Inc., in 1963. Technomic publishes technical information in many fields in print and electronic formats. He recently sold Technomic and is involved in various new ventures.
Scholarship Provides Benefit for Students in Physical Sciences A scholarship has been created to provide much-needed and deserved financial support for physical-sciences students who might otherwise be deprived of a college education. James Kadtke, who earned bachelors degrees in mathematics and physics in 1979, has established the Kadtke Family Endowed Scholarship for students majoring in astronomy and astrophysics, chemistry, or physics. "The Kadtke Scholarship will be an asset in our efforts to recruit and retain the best and brightest physical-sciences students to study at Penn State," says Norman Freed, associate dean of the Eberly College of Science. "Unfortunately, some prospective students must forgo a college education due to financial considerations. Others are forced to choose their university based more on financial aid than on academic fit. The Kadtke Scholarship will provide an opportunity for students to study--notwithstanding financial concerns--in our nationally-ranked physical-sciences departments." As a faculty member at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, Kadtke recognizes that student aid is one of the most pressing needs facing universities today. He is funding the Kadtke Family Endowed Scholarship at Penn State over five years through electronic funds transfer. His pledge payments are automatically transferred from his bank account to Penn State. "It is recognized in the highest levels of government today that science and technology are critical to the future economic growth and security of the United States. While I am not in a position to make a major lump-sum gift to Penn State at this time, my keen interest in supporting science students motivated me to find a way to do so in keeping with my financial circumstances. By spreading my commitment over a period of five years and arranging for payments to transfer automatically from my checking account, I have achieved my goal." Kadtke is currently on sabbatical leave from his faculty appointment at Scripps to work as a science advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Kohout Lecture Series Brings Industry and Academia Together An annual lecture series has been established to bring representatives
from the chemical industry to campus "Through the Kohout Lecture, those in the Penn State academic community will gain insight into industry that they can incorporate into their own academic pursuits. As a result, our graduating students will be more prepared for and successful in industrial careers. Furthermore, it will raise awareness among our faculty of how they can partner with industry in ways that can benefit society as a whole," says Daniel Larson, Dean of the Eberly College of Science. The 1999 Kohout Lecture titled "The Role of Chemistry and the Chemical Industry in a Nation's Innovation Strategy" was presented by Mary L. Good, the Donaghey University Professor at the University of Arkansas. In addition to her faculty position at the University of Arkansas, Good also serves as the managing member of Venture Capital Investors, LLC, a group of Arkansas business leaders interested in fostering economic growth in the area through the support of technology-based enterprises. Frederick C. Kohout earned a doctoral degree in chemistry at Penn State in 1966. He began his industrial career as a research chemist with Mobil Chemical Research. Throughout a 29-year career at Mobil, he worked on a variety of Mobil products, including engine oils and industrial lubricants. His industrial experience included positions as Project Leader for Lubricating Greases, Manager of Materials Science and Environmental Services, Manager and Research Consultant in Composition Research, and Research Consultant in Analytical Services. He retired from Mobil in 1996.
Plans for Necessary Buildings in the Works Architects have been hired and plans are underway for two new buildings that will provide critical space for science faculty and students. A new chemistry building and a new life-sciences building will be constructed and adjoined with an enclosed connector spanning Shortlidge Road. Penn State's nationally-ranked chemistry department currently occupies all or part of six different buildings--many of which are outmoded and also raise environmental and safety concerns. A new, state-of-the-art chemistry building will bring department faculty and students together to facilitate collaboration, help the department sustain and improve on its ranking and reputation, and alleviate environmental and safety concerns. The building, which will provide approximately 200,000 gross square feet of research laboratory space, will be located on Shortlidge Road, on the site of the building formerly occupied by the Paul Robeson Cultural Center. Immediately across Shortlidge Road from the new chemistry building, a new life-sciences building will be built. This new life-sciences building will serve as a focal point for members of the Life Sciences Consortium--an organization of life scientists from seven colleges within the university--to gather for collaborative research and educational innovation and to foster knowledge-based business opportunities. This 145,000 gross square feet building will be connected to the new chemistry building by an enclosed connector across Shortlidge Road. An added bonus to the plans for these two new buildings is the decision to link them physically to several existing science buildings using enclosed connectors. Thomas Building, Wartik Laboratory, Buckhout Laboratory, and North and South Frear laboratories will all be accessible from the new buildings through this network of bridges/walkways. Furthermore, underground tunnels already in place add Althouse Laboratory and Mueller Laboratory to the grouping of connected buildings. "The new chemistry and life-sciences buildings will present new and expanded opportunities not only for the faculty, staff, and students who will occupy them but also for others across the college. By connecting these new facilities to each other and to other science buildings, opportunities for collaboration in teaching, research, and service across the disciplines will open up as well," says Daniel J. Larson, Dean of the Eberly College of Science. A combination of university funds, state funds, and private support will be used to design, construct, and equip the chemistry and life-sciences buildings as well as to construct the bridges/walkways. Two distinguished graduates of the college are leading the volunteer efforts to seek private support: J. Lloyd Huck (B.S. '43 Chem) for the life sciences building and Joseph A. Miller (Ph.D. '66 Chem) for the chemistry building. If you are interested in more information or in directing your annual gift to either of these building projects, please contact Joanne T. Cahill, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Eberly College of Science, 430 Thomas Building, University Park, PA 16802, (800) 297-1429, or e-mail: jtc7@psu.edu
Obituaries Ralph A. Giangiordano, Jr., '74 B.S. Micrb, of Powell, Ohio, died in August 1999. He was employed by the Ross Laboratories Division of Abbott Laboratories. Dennis A. Groller, '71 B.S. Micrb, died in an accident on August 9, 1999 in Somers Point, New Jersey. He was a microbiologist at Alpo in South Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, for ten years. John M.C. Hess, '53 B.S. Chem, died December 8, 1999. He was a former professor of chemistry and most recently interim vice president for academic affairs at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Mary Louise Shaner King, '34 B.S. Ag, '35 M.S. Ag, '40 Ph.D. ABCh, died in Norton, Ohio, on October 2, 1998. He was a former chemist at PPG Industries. Ross S. Rumbaugh, '71 B.S. P M, of Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, died November 25, 1999. He was President/CEO and General Surgeon for 4 Guys, Inc. Delcena Elizabeth Crabtree Schuyler, '34 M.S. Chem, '37 Ph.D. Chem, died on May 20, 1999, in Hockessin, Delaware at the age of 86. She was the first woman to receive a doctorate in organic chemistry at Penn State. Prior to her retirement, she worked for Standard Oil of New Jersey. Robert W. Scott, '39 M.S. Phys, '42 Ph.D. Phys, of Westfield, New Jersey died on September 2, 1999 at the age of 85. He was a former physicist at Exxon Research & Engineering. William E. Scott, '35 B.S. Phys, '36 M.S. Sc, of Oceanside, California, died in January 2000. He was retired president of Scott-Marrin, Inc. Dean Unger, '52 B.S. Phys, died on April 19, 1999 at Connecticut Hospice. A former engineer with IBM, he was the benefactor of two endowments in the Eberly College of Science. The Amos and Annie Unger Memorial Scholarship was established in 1986 and the Dean M. Unger Graduate Fellowship was established in 1987. Louis C. Waller, '37 B.S. P M, a retired physician from Scranton, Pennsylvania, died in April 1999. Edith Waugh died in Connecticut on January 29, 1999. She was one of the establishers of the Dan H. Waugh Memorial Teaching Award in the Eberly College of Science. The Waugh Award was created in 1987 in honor of Dan Waugh, '78 Ph.D. Chem, and is given to outstanding graduate assistant teaching assistants in the Department of Chemistry at Penn State. Isabel Weeks, '29 M.S. Ph Sc, of Jacksonville, Florida, died February 3, 1999.
Alumni Notes 1954 Carl G. Godshall, B.S. PM, was elected to a three-year term on
the Ohio Osteopathic Foundation Board of Trustees at the Ohio Osteopathic
Association's 100th Annual Meeting and Scientific Seminar held in Cincinnati.
Godshall is board certified in family practice and is also a member of
the American Osteopathic Association. 1959 Ruth Ott Lewman, B.S. MedT, married Lloyd Arthur on December 25,
1998. Mrs. Arthur is employed by Clarian Health Partners at the
Methodist Hospital Campus in Indianapolis, Indiana. 1965 Chris Batich, B.S. PM, is a professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department and professor and director of the newly established Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Batich was also elected a fellow in the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in spring 1999. 1967 Peter M. Weiss, B.S. Science, received a Distinguished Service
Award from the more than 3,000 subscribers of FINAID-L, an electronic
mail list utilized by financial administrators and officers throughout
the United States. The award recognizes his role since 1992 in establishing,
organizing, and managing the electronic mail list. In addition,
he received a certificate of appreciation from the Pennsylvania Association
of Student Financial Aid Administrators. A Penn State employee for
more than 25 years, he is now a senior systems engineer at University
Park and assists in the operation of numerous lists, both at Penn State
and elsewhere. 1971 Francis Cano, Ph.D. Micrb, has been elected to the board of directors
of Biomerica, Inc. in Newport Beach, California. Dr. Cano is a business
executive and scientist who has achieved worldwide recognition for his
pioneering work in developing vaccines and building biotechnology companies.
Biomerica is a global medical company devoted to developing, manufacturing,
and marketing advanced medical diagnostic products for the early detection
of diseases. 1972 David R. Still, B.S. Biol, is the founder of Environmental Acoustics, Inc., in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The company devises ways to fix sound pollution and has clients all over the country. Clients include churches, performing arts centers, auditoriums, and other schools and businesses. Hiok Seng Tan, Ph.D. Chem, retired in December 1998 as general
manager of Sunace Kakoh Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. 1973 James R. Freid, B.S. Chem, is director of export sales at Wikoff
Color Corporation in Fort Mill, South Carolina. 1974 Louise Goeser, B.S. Math, was appointed vice president of quality
for Ford Motor Company in March 1999. She formerly held leadership
positions with the Whirlpool Corporation and with Westinghouse Electric
Corporation. 1976 Frederick W. Scalise, B.S. Micrb, recently helped implement the
first "reverse 9-1-1" emergency alerting system to be placed into use
in the United States at Omnicon Environmental Management in Elmira, Oregon.
The computer-based system is designed to rapidly notify by telephone those
citizens of Lane County, Oregon, that are potentially threatened by an
emergency situation. The system relies upon the county's existing
9-1-1 database. Scalise was the project initiator and has served
as project co-coordinator since 1993. 1977 Marc S. Stewart, B.S. Biol, and his family announce their relocation
to Bainbridge Island, Washington. 1979 Catherine Yandel, B.S. CmpSc, has been appointed as chief operating
officer of Electronic Business, Inc. (e-biz), an electronic commerce solutions
developer. She will be responsible for bringing the corporation's
goals and visions to reality by implementing effective operating strategies
and directing the day-to-day operations of the company. The privately
held company was founded in 1998 and is located in McLean, Virginia. 1980 Joseph Ragosta, B.S. Chem, was promoted to senior vice president of research and development for Graver Technologies. Graver manufactures adsorbent and filtration products used in purification of water, pharmaceutical products, food, beverages, chemicals, and wastewater. LTC Thomas Woloszyn, B.S. Chem, ë92 M.S. Chem, was selected to
command the Umatilla Army Depot in Hermiston, Oregon. The installation
contains 15% of the Army's stockpile of toxic chemical warfare munitions
and is the site of a facility to demilitarize and destroy the weapons
in accordance with international treaties. 1981 Dennis P. Cuddy, B.S. Biol, ë82 B.S. Micrb, completed the Masters of Administration in Business degree at The Johns Hopkins University. He is currently the manager of administration and facilities for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Daniel Loeb, B.S. Bioch, is associate professor of oncology at
the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He received his doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill in 1989. 1983 James Humelsine, B.S. CmpSc, and his wife, Mary Kubli, announce the birth of a son, Ryan Patrick Humelsine, on 18 March 1999. The family resides in Neptune, New Jersey. Grover C. McCoury III, A.S. 2CpSc, is a principal software engineer
at Corvia Networks, Inc. in Santa Clara, California. 1984 David Willet, B.S. Sc, spent time in Puerto Rico with the Army Corps of Engineers assisting with the Hurricane Georges recovery effort. 1985 Mark P. Becker, Ph.D. Stat, professor of biostatistics in the School
of Public Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, has been
named a fellow of the American Statistical Association. He received
the award in August 1999 for his outstanding research in categorical data
analysis, for substantive contributions to social and medical statistics,
and for leadership in linking statistics to the social and biomedical
sciences. 1986 Sandy Royer Khouri, B.S. Biol, announces the birth of her daughter,
Katherine Marie, on August 10, 1999. Katherine joins her two-year-old
sisters Allison and Kristen in Westchester, New York. 1989 Joy Atwell, B.S. Biol, was recently promoted to trade marketing manager at Avecia, Inc., in Wilmington, Delaware. Heather Rayle, B.S. Chem, received the 1998 Otto Haas Award for Scientific Achievement from Rohm and Haas for two enabling innovations for the production of the new fungicide RH-7281. The Otto Haas Award recognizes the outstanding and significant contributions to Rohm and Haas Company that are characterized by a combination of the excellence of the science and the scientific approach, the soundness of the scientific methods used, the potential value to the company, and the special contributions of the individual to the accomplishment. Michael Sivak, B.S. Chem, is a life scientist with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in New York, New York. 1990 Shawn P. Gallagher, B.S. Biol, has been awarded the Glenn/AFAR Scholarship for Research in the Biology of Aging. His work is related to the early detection and treatment of glaucoma. He is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware. John Milsom, B.S, Chem, B.S., Biol, has joined the Department of Physics at the University of Arizona as a lecturer for the fall 2000 semester. 1992 Jennifer Peifer, B.S. Biol, and Nicholas Plummer, B.S. Biol, were married on October 9, 1999, in the Chapel at Duke University. Jennifer is a physician assistant in the department of cardiology at Duke, and Nicholas is a postdoctoral research associate in Duke's Department of Genetics. The couple resides in Durham, North Carolina. Curt Wolfgang, B.S. Bioch, received his doctorate in biochemistry from the Ohio State University in June 1999. He is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he is performing research on prostate cancer.
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| This page is maintained by Barbara K. Kennedy: science@psu.edu, (814) 863-4682 and Leta A. Krumrine: LAK15@psu.edu, (814) 863-8453 Eberly College of Science, Office of Public Information, 427 Thomas Building, University Park, PA 16802-2112 This page was last updated on 13 November 2000 If you would like
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