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Recalling Landmark Visits to Widener-PMC

December 7, 2011

What do Cecil B. DeMille, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Barry Goldwater, Bob Hope, Bruce Springsteen, and Barack Obama have in common? All have appeared on the Main Campus of Pennsylvania Military College or Widener.

Those are some of the ones we know about.  Help us find others. Please send us your memories of notables visiting campus – be they politicians, military leaders, artists, entertainers, writers, scientists, or others of influence. You can send a note via the comments field of this blog post, on Facebook, or in an e-mail to jsstarnes@widener.edu. (And make sure you tell us the year of their visit. )

There is more information on the visits by DeMille, Eisenhower (pictured in 1963 with PMC cadet John Lance Geoghegan), Goldwater, and Springsteen in the Connections Timeline in the Digital Collections of the Wolfgram Memorial Library’s Widener University Archives.

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Widener Sources Needed on Breast Cancer

December 5, 2011

We are planning a story for the spring issue of Widener Magazine focusing on biomedical research into new methods of fighting breast cancer being conducted by a faculty member.   Dr. Bin Wang, an assistant professor  in the School of Engineering, is working to develop therapies for patients who resist chemotherapy.

In addition to Dr. Wang and medical doctors being interviewed, we want to hear the stories of alumni, their families, and others in the Widener community who have battled breast cancer.  If you would like to discuss your story, please contact Jennifer Dublisky at jadublisky@widener.edu or 610-499-1329.

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In Search of … 1950s PMC Promotional Video

December 2, 2011

Ronald Litwack in 1956

Harry Litwack distinctly remembers staying home from the second grade to watch his older cousin Ronald Litwack – a cadet at Pennsylvania Military College in the mid 1950s – appear on a television spot that aired in the Philadelphia area promoting the school.

Ronald Litwack graduated from PMC in 1956 and went on to medical school and ultimately opened a pediatric practice in Willingboro, N.J., that he maintained for 30 years.  He retired in the late nineties and died in January 2003 (Click here to see his obituary.) Since his death, a granddaughter and grandson have been born.

Harry Litwack is hoping to find the video of his cousin to share with the family.  He remembers that it aired on one of the network-affiliated Philadelphia stations.  If you remember the spot or know where video of it can be found, please post a comment on this blog or e-mail me at jsstarnes@widener.edu.

– Sam Starnes, Editor

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Widener Chemical Engineering Triplets

November 28, 2011

Thank you to everyone who replied last week to my request for information on triplets who’ve attended Widener or PMC.  Four people responded to identify the Wenrich triplets — pictured in 2001 from left to right, Patrick, Philip, and Ryan.  All are ’05 graduates with degrees in chemical engineering (Ryan was a double-major, also earning a degree in chemistry.)  Older brother Sean is an ’01 graduate, also in chemical engineering.

Today, Ryan is a process engineer for Adhesives Research in Glen Rock, Pa.; Patrick is a senior sales engineer with Evaporated Coatings, Inc. in Willow Grove, Pa.; and Phil and Sean are both environmental engineers working for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in Harrisburg.

If anyone knows of other triplets who attended Widener or PMC, please post a comment on the blog or send me an e-mail at jsstarnes@widener.edu.

–Sam Starnes, Editor

 

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The Pride of Widener Basketball

November 23, 2011

By Nathalie Carril-King ’12

With a victory of 82-56 against local rival Swarthmore, the season for men’s basketball is off to a great start.

The team is 4-0 and I am excited to see what else is in store. Last week the Pride won by an astounding 68 points when they beat Penn State Mont Alto by the score of 115-47 at the Widener Tip-Off classic tournament.

Widener men’s basketball will be hosting Alvernia University at 8 p.m. Nov. 30.

Women’s basketball is now 2-2, with their next home game against Alvernia at 6 p.m. Nov. 30.

For more information and a list of games, see the men’s schedule here and the women’s schedule here.  Come support the team and be a part of the spirit. We hope to see you here!

Nathalie Carril-King is a senior from New York City majoring in international business and marketing management.

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In Search of Widener-PMC Triplets

November 21, 2011

I’m planning a story for the spring Widener Magazine about the Conover triplets from Egg Harbor Township, N.J.  The 20-year-old juniors are from left to right:  Ray, a hospitality management major and member of the swimming team; Emily, an elementary education major and member of the cross country and track teams; and Hayley a nursing major who competes on the swimming and track teams.

Do you know other triplets (or even quadruplets or quintuplets) who attended either Widener or PMC?  If so, please contact me by posting a message on this blog or e-mailing me at jsstarnes@widener.edu.   — Sam Starnes, Editor

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International Power Couple: Former CIA Spy and Ambassador to Iraq to Speak at Widener

November 15, 2011

The  authors of two books that were the basis for the film “Fair Game” –  former CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson and her husband, Joe Wilson, the former ambassador to Iraq — will speak at Widener University at noon Monday, Nov. 28 in the University Center Webb Room.  The event is free and open to the public but tickets are required.

Valerie Plame Wilson — whom her husband has referred to as “Jane Bond” — is working on a series of spy novels, the first of which will be released next year, The New York Times reported in March.  The couple was featured in an in-depth profile in Vanity Fair magazine in January 2004, and she told the magazine in an interview last year that although she is a good shot with an AK-47, “mental skills” are more important to a CIA agent’s success or failure.

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Widener Veterans Day Ceremonies on Tap

November 10, 2011

The freshly painted flagpole in front of Old Main will be the site for the Veterans Day ceremony at Widener University at 11 a.m. Friday.  The ceremony includes military hymns, laying of a wreath in honor of veterans, a 21-gun salute, taps, lowering of the colors and a guest speaker — U.S. Army Col. Kirk Whitson. Whitson, a native of Missouri whose father fought in World War II, last year was interviewed for an oral history of Afghanistan and Iraq by the National Journal that you can read online. 

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Widener Alumnus Elected Mayor of Chester

November 9, 2011

John Linder, a 1976 Widener graduate, won the Chester mayoral race Tuesday, unseating incumbent Mayor Wendell N. Butler Jr.  by a healthy margin.

Linder earned his bachelor degree from Widener in behavioral sciences.   He is now a professor of social sciences at Delaware County Community College, and also serves as the Chester City Council”s director of public safety.  Read more about the race in the  Daily Times.

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Stargazing Tonight at Widener Observatory

November 7, 2011

Saturn -- photographed at Widener Observatory, September 2010

With darkness coming earlier now that Daylight Savings Time has ended for this year,  Monday nights on Widener’s Main Campus means the powerful observatory atop Kirkbride Hall will be open to the public for stargazing from 6-7 p.m.   (The observatory will be open tonight and the following four Mondays, as well as for Friday evening sessions — see the observatory page for details.)

For more on how enjoyable an experience this can be, check out the blog post by Ms. Bee: The Good News in Chester Schools.   On a Friday night in September she chose the observatory over watching a Phillies game on TV or going to see the Widener soccer games at PPL Park, noting that “the real stars won out.” She continued,  “In the main observatory, we saw the moon by telescope so close and clear it was like being on the moon. This was an amazing sight. A couple turns of the observatory and we saw Jupiter. Very cool! Another deck and another view of the moon, ended with a really good stargazing night.”

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