Mercyhurst Magazine Fall 2021

Class Notes

The ’70s Larry Walczak ‘74 recently had several of his artworks purchased by Aesthetics, Inc. for the new Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center being built in the Pittsburgh area. Walczak has artwork in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Brooklyn Museum of Art as well as several private collections. He currently has a collage in the Erie Art Museum Spring Show and an online exhibition by FLATFILES Gallery of New York City.

The ’00s Carrie (Tappe) Schreiber ‘00 was recently named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women. She currently works as a Commercial Banker in Baltimore and serves on the Board of Directors for several nonproft organizations including Marian House Inc., The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore, The United Way of Central Maryland, and the YMCA of Central Maryland’s Community Leadership Board.

Noelle Lelakus ‘04 ‘08 ‘12 married Matthew McClellan on Feb. 20, 2021, in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The Matron of Honor was Jo (Alspaugh) Theisen ‘08. Noelle is employed as a nurse practitioner at AdventHealth Carrollwood and Matthew is an anchor/reporter at Fox 13 News, both in Tampa, Florida.

Will Ursprung ‘76 was featured in the 2021 publication of Art Folio in the Sculpture/ Dimensional section for his steel object collage piece, Diaspora de la Penitentiare . Ursprung focuses on creating collages out of found objects by juxtaposing textures to create unique visuals. Art Folio is “a publication of the best in abstract

Margaret (Peggy) Harold-Rauch ‘06 completed her Master of Science from Bufalo State College in science education. Her master’s paper focused on the public education system in the United States, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as utilizing scientifc phenomena in the classroom to engage students. Heather (Uhl) Geiger ‘06 and her husband, Aaron, welcomed a daughter, Cora Geiger, on Feb. 5, 2021, in Johns Creek, Georgia. Colleen Lanigan Hordych ‘07 and her husband, Jake, welcomed a baby girl, Georgia Marie on Aug. 18, 2020. Georgia joins big sister Lydia. Lisa Bannister ‘08 started a new job as Business and Computer Teacher at Parma High School in Parma, Ohio, in August 2021. She was previously employed at Lake Erie Correctional Institution in Conneaut, Ohio, since 2016 as a Career Tech business teacher. Dara Swisher ‘08 married Brent Shultz on Oct. 10, 2020, in an intimate ceremony in Virginia Beach. Dara and Brent are performing and teaching artists in New York City.

and contemporary work from around the world as decided on by a jury of professional artists, museum curators, gallery owners, art consultants, and collectors.” The ’80s Donald Gibbon, D.O., ‘86 was promoted to the position of Executive Director/Regional Chief Medical Ofcer with Aetna Medicaid, a CVS Health company. In this position, Dr. Gibbon oversees the executive leaders for medical management, their market performance, and ensures high quality of care for Aetna Better Health plans in Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In addition to this new role, Dr. Gibbon remains

the Chief Medical Ofcer of Aetna Better Health of West Virginia. He graduated from the Kirksville, College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, and is board certifed in Emergency Medicine.

Thomas Parilla ‘88 was selected to be a Final Day Speaker at the 2021 Steel, Metals, and Minerals Conference. The Parilla Investment Group currently owns Multiple Gold & Silver Mines in New Mexico, and 1 Fluorspar Mine & Mill in Arizona. The ’90s

Kristin (Peterson) Pierce ‘08 was recently awarded two 2020 Nautilus Book Awards for her fourth and ffth children’s picture books, The Sweet Dreams Express: A Meditative Bedtime Journey and Hazel Mist Hypnotist . As the author and founder of Inner Compass Books, Kristin creates mindfully crafted children’s books that are full of impact, inspiration, and empowering messages to help our youngest generation establish self-awareness and growth mindsets from an early age.

Kathryn (Kolker) Miller ‘09 and her husband, Christopher, welcomed a son, Cooper James, on Feb. 1, 2021, in Fairport, New York. Cooper joins big sister Blakely.

Kevin Courtright ‘91 was named the 2021 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Faculty Member of the Year. The award recognizes a faculty member who consistently exhibits exemplary teaching skills, presents a well-developed personal philosophy of teaching, and demonstrates mastery of their discipline. He is in the Criminal Justice, Anthropology, and Forensic Studies Department.

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