Sustaining a Legacy of Achievement Sustaining a Legacy

O b i t u a r i e sfamily home in her beloved Lake Nuangola.She attended public schools in Nanticoke untilshe transferred in sixth grade to the WyomingSeminary Lower School, in Forty Fort. Thereshe was inspired by the exceptional teachingand unforgettable presence of the legendaryBessie Garcelon Atwood and a host of otheroutstanding teachers. She excelled in academics,athletics, art, and music both at the LowerSchool and during her four years at the UpperSchool, in Kingston. Thus began a lifelong loveand appreciation for Wyoming Seminary andits teaching staff, who gave of themselves sounselfishly. Outside of school she also enjoyedstudying ballet with Barbara Weisberger and wasone of the two lead dancers in her productionof “Giselle.” Upon graduation from WyomingSeminary with academic honors and exceptionalathletic achievements, Diane entered VassarCollege in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. She received herB.A. from Manhattanville College in Purchase,N.Y., and an M.A. in early childhood educationfrom Bloomsburg University. In 1963, soonafter the beginning of her 18-year marriageto JOHN MAGAGNA ’52, Diane’s extensiveworld travels began with a five-year residencein Tangier, Morocco, a country that she quicklygrew to love. Her years there were marked bythe births of her three daughters and frequenttravel throughout Europe. In 1968, the familyreturned to the Wyoming Valley for affiliationwith the Wyoming Seminary Lower School,during which time their son was born. In 1975,the family moved to Teheran, Iran, stoppingalong the way in Morocco for many happyreunions with old friends. Two years later, Dianerelocated to Bloomsburg, where she foundeda day-care center that she managed for severalyears. During this time she volunteered for theBloomsburg Women’s Center, and was soonhired as the Children’s Counselor/Advocate. Sheremained there for the next twenty years, devotingher time to helping children in need. When herown children were grown, she began a teachingcareer in American schools abroad, includinginstitutions in Egypt, the Republic of Mali, Angolaand Lebanon. Because of her gentle graciousnessand her supportive and compassionate nature,Diane was truly loved by children and adultswherever she went. Her passion for life, art, musicand dance; her spirit of adventure; and most ofall, her love of and compassion for all people,regardless of background, were contagious anddeeply affected all who knew her. Her bravery andstrength of character were inspiring. Diagnosedwith terminal cancer almost 20 years ago andgiven six months to live, Diane battled valiantlyfor many months and finally prevailed. Unhappily,the intense radiation of that period caused bonecancer to develop eight months ago. After lengthyhospitalization and another courageous battle,she was informed that further treatment would beof no avail. In the face of this devastating news,Diane opted to spend her final days at home inBloomsburg with her family. Among the manythings Diane loved and enjoyed most in her fulland rich life, nothing was more important thanher children and their families. Diane will bemissed beyond words by her family and many42friends and by all those, literally from aroundthe world, whose lives she touched. Diane waspreceded in death by her parents and by herbrother, DR. PETER EDWIN RINGAWA, JR.’52. She is survived by her adoring children,all from the Bloomsburg area: Erica Hock;Diane Sherman and husband, Ken; JESSICAMAGAGNA SNYDER ’86 and husband, Rob;and John F. H. Magagna and his partner, ValerieStromberg; by her sister, Deborah Ringawa Luke,of Bloomsburg; by her grandchildren: GavinHawk; Alexandra Brown and husband, Michael;Kelsey and Colby Sherman; and Ethan and RachelSnyder; and by her great granddaughter, AvaBrown.1959JOHN VAN HORN, Dallas, died Tuesday,May 4, 2010. Born on Feb. 16, 1941, he was agraduate of Wyoming Seminary and attended theU.S. Naval Academy. He earned his bachelor’sdegree from the University of Scranton. Johnserved in Korea and Vietnam. He was a memberof Grace Community Church in Dallas andwas an active member of the National RifleAssociation and several veterans groups. Survivingare a niece and a nephew.1969MARK ALLEN, Wilkes-Barre, died on January10, 2011. Mark is survived by his mother,Dorothy Allen, and sister, Beth Allen Decker. Heattended Wyoming Seminary, but graduated fromCoughlin High School. He is a graduate of theUniversity of Denver.EDWIN SHORTZ, Portsmouth, N.H., passedaway on December 21, 2010. He was bornAugust 29, 1950, in Wilkes-Barre, son ofWINIFRED SCHOOLEY SHORTZ ’40, ofNewtown and the late Robert E. Shortz. Heresided and was employed in New Hampshire formany years. Surviving, in addition to his motherare his twin brother, ROBERT E. SHORTZ’69, Wilkes-Barre; sister WENDY SHORTZ’66, Edwardsville; and brother FREDERICKSHORTZ ’73, Chester, Conn.1976PAUL WILLIAMS, New York, N.Y., died onAugust 23, 2010. He was 51 years old. Paul wasexecutive director of the National Association ofIndependent Publishers Representatives (NAIPR)and co-publisher of Bunim & Bannigan, Ltd,books. Despite his encroaching illness, Pauldeployed his years of experience in book sales tobuild and launch Frontlist Plus Universal in 2009,a web-based data service provided by NAIPR freeto booksellers and aimed at fostering the bondbetween independent booksellers and bookstores.Paul had worked in the book world continuouslysince graduating from Haverford College in 1980.He started as a store manager, and later a regionalmanager for the Encore Books chain. In 1985, hebecame manager of the Doubleday Book Shopat 53 rd Street and 5 th Avenue in New York City.Deciding to take his book trade knowledge inhouse,Paul took positions as sales manager andnational account manager at Ballantine Books andGrove Press/Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the 1980s.He went on to serve as director of marketing andsales at Rizzoli International Publications andRoutledge/International Thompson Publishingin the 1990s. He was responsible, with BillGermano, for the “Routledge Revolution,” whichbrought cultural studies to bookstores and readerseverywhere. From 1997 to 2002, Paul devotedhimself to independent publishing, runningHerodias, Inc., a literary press he founded. From2005 to the present, he was co-publisher, withJames Munves, of Bunim & Bannigan, Ltd., apress based in New York and Prince EdwardIsland, dedicated to unique literary works andpolitical nonfiction. He was particularly proud ofB&B’s award winning new translation by StephenPearl of the Russian classic Oblomov. A Quaker,born of a long line of Quakers on his father’sside, Paul was a member of the 15 th Street FriendsMeeting in Manhattan. Surviving are his wife,Livia Tenser, and their daughter, Julia (age four)of New York City, as well as son Corey (age 22),of Lancaster; his mother Irene Sieminski Williams;and his siblings Hugh Jr., David, Margaret andMark.FORMER FACULTY:NORMA J. AGATI, Kingston, passed away athome on December 7, 2010. She was a daughterof the late Angelo and Genevieve CartesanoZanghi. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Normarelocated to the Wyoming Valley upon marryingher beloved late husband, Guy A. Agati. Normagraduated Valedictorian from PhiladelphiaHigh School for Girls. She received a full meritscholarship to the University of Pennsylvaniaand then earned her master’s degree in educationfrom Temple University. Norma also earned herreal estate certification and an associate’s degreefrom King’s College. In her early career, Normataught at Temple University, Wilkes-Barre BusinessSchool, and Wyoming Seminary. Norma held theposition of vice president in her husband’s primarybusiness, Superior Millwork Co., an architecturalwoodwork and cabinetry company locatedin West Wyoming. Norma was founder andpresident of Rosewood Realty of Kingston, a realestate management and development company,which she operated until her death. Norma’s longand distinguished career extended into variouscivic, church, and community organizations.Community boards and involvements includethe Wyoming Valley Children’s Association,Saint Michael’s School for Boys, Mercy HospitalAuxiliary, Catholic Youth Center, Hoyt Library,Luzerne Law and Library, Allied Services/JohnHeinz, Wilkes-Barre Ballet Co., Fine Arts Fiesta,American Red Cross of Luzerne County, GreaterWilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce, EthicsInstitute of NEPA, Citizens’ Advisory Board ofKingston and the Kingston Zoning Board. Normaplaced great value on education and was involved