“ The dress code pontifcated no shorts or jeans (not even on cold, snowy days. Burr-rr, those winters in skirts!); however, slacks and Bermuda shorts and kilts may be worn at picnics, hayrides, or by decorating committees and stage craft crews in carrying out their work. Sneakers may not be worn on Sundays unless…for a picnic or tennis. Evening meals were dress-up, family style afairs served by waitresses like yours truly. Shirley Miller Schilling ‘ - ’ ” - ” - “I just remember always wearing kilts and knee socks, Weejun loafers, matching skirts and sweater sets and blouses with Peter Pan collars with circle pins or button-down shirts. Of course we were never allowed to wear pants on campus. When we had any activity of importance in the chapel we wore academic attire and white gloves. Jane Carney Those frst weeks we had to wear nylons and skirts or dresses. It was like wearing a uniform again, but we got to change each day. We couldn t wear pants until junior or senior year – whatever the temperature was. - Marlene DiTullio Mosco At exactly 6 p.m. we (student workers) “ ’ ” “ organized platters of meat, vegetables and potatoes onto large trays, held these heavy trays one-handed on our shoulders, and lined up in the kitchen. A bell was rung, we came out in a line and began serving dinner. We then stood at our stations on the side of the dining hall waiting to clear plates and bring out dessert. Describing this scene now makes it sound as if Mercyhurst was a fnishing school for wealthy girls!” - Linda Salem Burtis
‘ ’ “Dress was always skirts or dresses—no slacks. We still dressed up to leave campus—coats, heels, gloves—they had loosened up on the hat rule! We still had room checks on Friday afternoon, and there was a demerit system, and one could be campus-ed. - Paula Blood Pitts ‘ ’” ' “Social life was gathering with a group of friends in the suites set aside for that and singing Joan Baez songs while some of the girls played their guitars. There were also Gannon socials - Mixers - on the weekends where you could go and meet guys and dance (and pray you weren t a wallfower!). As far as political issues we were pretty sheltered. I rarely watched TV but we knew the Vietnam War was going on and we sang all the great songs of protest - songs from Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan. - Maureen Milan Carroll ” ’ “For those who didn t date or care to date, fun was had on campus: sledding down the Grottos hills, over the mounds of snow, trying not to hit a tree or break a leg (Oops, someone didn t get that memo!) or raiding the cafeterias fridge in Egan Hall. There were also sing-a-longs with those girls who played their guitars. Card games went on day and night. - Shirley Miller Schilling Life as a commuter ’ ’ ’ ‘ ’ ” ” - “Being a day student never bothered me because right from the beginning I chose to get involved in things. I loved the dorm students and had a lot of fun with them. Jeanne Keim Phillips
Linda Salem Burtis Within three years after graduating from Mercyhurst, Linda Salem had met her husband, David Burtis, in New York City, gotten an MSW from Rutgers University, and become a mother of two daughters. Her working life since then has been varied. She has been an award-winning environmental reporter; a nationally ranked tennis player who ran a large tennis academy; and, since 2000, has worked in the feld of wind and solar energy. “I love this green work and have no plans to retire,” she says. Linda is a peace and environmental activist who has organized a local nuclear freeze march and started several grassroots groups that mobilized her town to keep drinking water clean and minimize air pollution. She and David also enjoy long-distance trekking and have walked several classic routes, including the Tour du Mt. Blanc, which circles Europe’s highest mountain.
Paula Blood Pitts
Mary Patalon Schaaf An elementary education major with a focus in math and science, Mary started teaching even before ofcially graduating from Mercyhurst. She went on to earn a master’s degree in school administration from Edinboro University, but fate intervened in 1977 in what she calls a “seize-the- day moment.”When Merrill Lynch decided to open a branch ofce in Erie, she applied and was hired, launching a 30+- year career in the then-male-dominated world of fnancial advising. After a stint on Wall Street, she came home to Erie, eventually teaming up with the second woman hired here – Craige Pepper Victor – to run educational seminars for women, combining elements of her two careers. Mary was honored several times by Merrill Lynch as one of the top female fnancial advisors in the nation. After retiring from Merrill Lynch, she was recruited to run for public ofce and is now in her second term as Erie County Controller, responsible for protecting taxpayer dollars. Mary has one son and two grandchildren. 9
Paula married Tom Pitts just 13 days after her graduation, so she’ll be celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary as well as her 50th class reunion this June. They met on a train returning from the 1965 World’s Fair in Flushing, New York, and traveled back and forth between St. Bonaventure University and the Hurst for the rest of their college years. Certifed as a secondary science teacher, Paula taught middle school life science in Rome, New York. After a break to raise three children, she returned to work teaching high school science and fnished her career as a high school computer lab supervisor. Over the last 50 years, she also learned to quilt, has been active in whatever parish she has belonged to, and now does volunteer work at her local library in Queechee, Vermont. None of her children attended Mercyhurst, but she’s part of a big Laker family: two of her sisters, a brother-in-law, two nieces and a nephew have all attended the Hurst.
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