C1 Cover_S06.qxd - Penn GSE - University of Pennsylvania

Bill Kiehl GrEd’07 is the editor of America’s
Dialogue with the World, published by the
Public Diplomacy Council. The book, released
in November 2007, is a collection of a dozen
essays by scholars and practitioners of public
diplomacy. Bill is the executive director of the
Public Diplomacy Council in Washington, DC.
Mary Mazzola GrEd’07 will be co-presenting
a session on Leadership Development programs
in Higher Education at a seminar sponsored by
the Council on Social Work Education. Mary is
the director of Admissions and Recruitment at
the Penn School of Social Policy and Practice.
Barb Risser GrEd’07 has been appointed
president of Finger Lakes Community College
in Canandaigua, New York.
Nancy Morrison GrEd’07 see Raj Bellani
GrEd’07.
Michele Perkins GrEd’07 was appointed
interim president of New England College in
Henniker, New Hampshire, in February.
Michele had served as the executive vice president
since 2003.
continued from page 19
At Home
Even his personal life had a Penn connection: his wife Roberta
Breitmeyer Castetter Ed’33 GEd’37 was a fellow ed school graduate and,
during the course of her own career, a Philadelphia public school principal.
As he tells it, they met through the alphabet. “I met her because of
the way we were seated. You were seated a-b-c in the seats. Her name
was Breitmeyer and mine was Castetter so that’s how we met.
“But it took us about a year before we got married,” he explains. And it
was worth the wait. “We had a great time,” Castetter recalls. “We lived in
Upper Darby and found we didn’t have enough room. We looked around
and found a beautiful stone mansion in Radnor. I was up looking at the
garage, and when I came back, Roberta said, ‘We bought the house.’ She
had a ball there. She built a greenhouse, where she grew orchids, and since
we didn’t have enough money to furnish the place, I got my brother-inlaw
to teach me about carpentry.” Roberta passed away in 2003.
Today, Castetter lives in Waverly Heights, a residential community
in Gladwyne. When he and Roberta arrived there in 1986, he started up
a woodshop that’s still going strong. As he gives visitors a tour, he’s
clearly proud of the shop—and with good reason. With a full complement
of tools and machines, it would inspire envy in the most dedicated
woodworker.
32 | Penn GSE | Fall 2007
Education Alumni Association Board of Directors, 2007-08
Executive Board
Matthew O’Malley GEd`95, President
Jeffrey Berger Gr`91, Vice-President
Josh Krall GEd’96, Secretary
Barbara Russo Bravo CW’68 GEd’69,
Historian
EAA Board of Directors
Susan Ben-Abdallah GEd’00
Dr. Jeffrey Berger Gr`91
Barbara Russo Bravo CW’68 GEd’69
Jerry Caponigro Ed’41 GEd’42
Nicole Cappilino GEd’02
G. Davis GrEd’83
Andrea Emmons-Yoon GEd’00
Dr. Cecelia Evans GEd’76 GrEd’85
Marsha Evans GEd’90
Martin Galvin GEd98 GEd’02
Ken Hartman GrEd’94
Rachel Kiehl GEd’02
Josh Krall GEd’96
Sarah Lewis GEd’04
Patricia Louison GEd’01 GrEd’04
Charlotte Moskowitz GEd’64 GrEd’84
Burton Nadler C’75 GEd’78
Matthew O’Malley GEd`95
Lisa Piraino GEd’06
Liz Victoreen GEd’08
Lisa Zappetti GEd’97
For Castetter, the shop gives him the chance to pursue a craft he loves
and, at the same time, provide a valuable service to his fellow residents.
“I like to design things myself,” he says, pointing to the coffee table that
graces his living room. “And almost every day, I do something for some
resident here, mainly repairing broken chairs.”
Creating New Paths
More than three decades after helping to rescue Penn GSE and more
than six since his tour of duty in World War II, Castetter has once again
rendered an important service. In 2004, he included the School in his
planned giving. As a beneficiary of his estate, Penn GSE will establish the
William B. and Roberta B. Castetter Endowed Fellowship to support students
unable to meet the cost of a Penn GSE tuition.
Says Castetter, “Back in my day, we had good people, but it never
occurred to us that we needed to create a new path, to change education as
the world changed. Today, the Graduate School of Education is much more
focused on creating those new paths.
“What I would wish is that these scholarships get used for really creative
people who see what’s going on in the world and who are interested
in improving education—people who are going to make a difference.”
People just like Bill Castetter. ■