Sam '82 and Linda-Lee Troiani '83 Niedbala ... - Asoundstrategy

Fall 2006 Cover Story
Above, Linda-Lee and Sam with children Jackie and Carl
Linda-Lee and Sam began dating
when she was a freshman at
ESU. Married now nearly 22 years
and blessed with two children, Carl
John and Jacqueline, the Emmaus
pair still seem like college sweethearts,
gently adding to each other’s
thoughts and clarifying each other’s
points.
Naturally, they have a tender
spot for the university. That affection
is one of several reasons they
agreed to co-chair ESU’s comprehensive
campaign, Today’s Dream,
Tomorrow’s Reality, and to contribute
$ million toward the $ 5 million
goal.
As they will tell you, ESU not
only brought them together, but
it also gave them the academic
grounding and the guidance they
needed to chart their futures. In
his sophomore year, Sam was a
physical education major by default—he
liked the track program
and couldn’t pinpoint an alternative
course of study. Professor Dennis
Erb wouldn’t let that decision
languish. “What do you want to do
with your life?” he probed.
“Everyone needs a mentor who
will ask those questions,” Sam says.
“We concluded: Chemistry. And
that really changed my life and my
career path forever.”
The professor warned him that
the course of study would be a hard
one, but Sam was determined. Making
up for lost time, he scheduled 8
credits of chemistry each semester
of his senior year. “That’s how I lost
my hair,” he jokes.
Another professor, Philip Keim,
urged Sam to pursue graduate study
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“This effort is important and will
set ESU apart and make it com-
petitive with private schools. Why
shouldn’t ESU students have the
same opportunities and the same
caliber of facilities that private
schools have? They are part of
the majority of our country, and
they’re going to be running it
some day. They need to have the
best.”
RFM Photography, Allentown
Linda-Lee Troiani Niedbala ’83
25
TODAY’S DREAM,
TOMORROW’S REALITY