Answer Special Call to Serve - King's College

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NEWS ON CAMPUS Patrick O’Connor ’64 speaks at the dedication of the Parents Corner fountain that honors his mother and father. Seven of Patrick and Helen O’Connor’s ten children attended the dedication ceremony. Shown, from left, is John ’62, Joseph ’68, James, and Patrick J. O’Connor ’64, Mary Ellen McCormick, Patricia Curran and Thomas O’Connor ’73. Parents Corner Dedicated The newest campus landmark was dedicated and its donors recognized at a ceremony held recently. A fountain located in the newly named Parents Corner of O’Connor Park (formerly College Park) was funded by a gift from Patrick J. ’64 and Marie O’Connor in memory of Patrick’s parents, Patrick and Helen O’Connor. The fountain was built and the park renamed as a result of a donation by O’Connor and a matching gift from the law firm which he serves as vice chairman, Cozen O’Connor, to the Legacy of Excellence Campaign. Patrick was one of Patrick and Helen’s six sons who graduated from King’s, five of whom became lawyers. At the dedication, Father O’Hara noted that the fountain not only pays tribute to Patrick and Helen O’Connor, but all parents whose sacrifices allow their sons and daughters to attend King’s. Representatives of Cozen O’Connor remarked how they were impressed by “a sense of morals and personal responsibility” exhibited by King’s graduates that have been recruited by the firm. “I’ve always loved parks and I’m glad that I can help establish this permanent imprint on the campus of King’s College,” said Patrick O’Connor. Azar named recipient of McGowan Scholarship Rachel Azar, a senior majoring in marketing and accounting, has been selected as the recipient of the William G. McGowan Scholarship at King’s for the 2009-2010 academic year. A resident of Allentown, Azar is a consistent Dean’s List student and a member of the Aquinas Society, Beta Gamma Sigma and Mu Kappa Tau honor societies. She was also the recipient of a King’s sponsored Moreau Scholarship. She recently completed a summer internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Florham Park, N.J. During her internship, she researched and analyzed a company’s financial position, market strength and other factors for a potential client acquisition. During the previous two academic years, she participated in two national accounting competitions sponsored by the prestigious accounting firm. At King’s, she is vice president of Student Government, treasurer of the campus chapter of the Columbiettes and a level two certified tutor. The McGowan Scholarship is a partial-tuition award named in honor of William G. McGowan, a 1952 graduate of King’s who went on to a successful business career as the founder and chairman of MCI Communications Corporation. The scholarship is awarded to a full-time student who is pursuing his or her primary major within King’s McGowan School of Business. Candidates must by entering their senior year and have achieved a minimum grade-point-average of 3.0. Also, candidates for the scholarship must be nominated by at least one faculty member of the McGowan School of Business, which holds international accreditation by The Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business. 10 Pride ✦ Fall 2009
Faculty Profile Laurie Ayre Reading plays a significant role in everyday life, whether it’s done to stay informed or purely for enjoyment. Associate Professor of Education Dr. Laurie Ayre has turned this fundamental skill into a career, devoting herself to educating future teachers to foster literacy in young children. Laurie was raised in Glendive, Montana, a small rural town located near the pine and juniper studded badlands of Makoshika State Park. As one of six children growing up in an isolated area (the nearest major airport is 225 miles away), Laurie recalls her childhood being centered on family; she remembers taking piano lessons and French from her grandmother and playing games in the gravel streets with her brothers and sisters. When it was time to pursue higher education, Laurie wanted a college with a Catholic identity that was close to home. She selected the University of Mary in North Dakota, where she became the first member of her family to earn a college degree, majoring in elementary education with minors in music education and French. A college bus trip to New York introduced Laurie to the East Coast. She traveled by bus with a group of five women to New York to visit landmarks and museums and attend theatre productions. During her stay, a massive snowstorm hit the Big Apple. “I remember the look on people’s faces,” says Ayre. “They were wondering why these women, including two Benedictine Sisters, were helping push cars out of the snow! Where we’re from, we were just used to it.” After eight years as an elementary teacher in Glendive Public Schools and teaching English and music at St. Mary’s Grade School in Bismarck, North Dakota, Laurie knew her true calling would be reading. She wanted to learn more to help children improve this fundamental skill and pursued a master’s degree in reading education from Montana State University in Billings. Her ultimate career goal was to teach the craft so, knowing she needed a doctorate to teach at the college level, she enrolled at Syracuse University. As she prepared for her dissertation, a professor told her about an open position at King’s College and suggested she apply because he had heard positive reviews about the College and saw similarities between Wilkes-Barre and her hometown in Montana. Although the topography is completely different, Laurie noticed the connection: working-class families and a friendly atmosphere. Since 1995, Laurie has worked in the College’s education department, where she currently serves as associate professor teaching undergraduate literacy classes. Most of her courses take place off campus at afterschool programs, such as the Kid’s Café at Heights-Murray Elementary School and McGLynn Learning Center at Boulevard Townhomes. After a month of lecture, Laurie accompanies 20 students per class to the off-campus locations where she helps undergraduates work one-on-one with children to develop and improve reading strategies. During her spare time, Laurie likes to read, mostly biographies, especially of past presidents. She is enamored by the French culture and practices speaking the language with a close friend, who is a native of France, and with a group of faculty and students who meet during the semester to speak the language once a week. One of her passions is singing, which she considers a work-in-progress. She has taken lessons and plans to continue them in the future with a former student, who has a background in music from prestigious Ithaca College. When considering the path her life and career has taken to this point, Laurie took a moment to reflect, smiled and said: “If you try to do your best, and continue to grow, God takes care of you.” Pride ✦ Fall 2009 11
Page 1 and 2: FALL 2009 Deacons- King’s Graduat
Page 3 and 4: Contents Fall 2009 PRESIDENT Rev. T
Page 5 and 6: Kevin Clark Mathematics, football a
Page 7 and 8: Dustin Stark, who received a degree
Page 9 and 10: Deacon Gene Kovatch is shown with s
Page 11: King’s Earns Place on CCAP/Forbes
Page 15 and 16: Faces of King’s Jacintha Burke Ad
Page 17 and 18: Matt Easterday named Head Swimming
Page 19 and 20: Knoblauch, Venarchick Achieve Rare
Page 21 and 22: Athletic Schedule Winter 2009-2010
Page 23 and 24: King’s Easter Egg Hunt Despite a
Page 25 and 26: R e u n i o n King’s Annual Reuni
Page 27 and 28: Campus Neighbor Celebrates Part of
Page 29 and 30: Alumni Profile Mike Angley ’81 Mi
Page 31 and 32: Joseph Newcomer ’94 was promoted
Page 33 and 34: Alumni Births Congratulations to Jo
Page 35 and 36: Donor Profile Richard A. Alley, M.D

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