Congratulations and best wishes to the following Lehigh staff and faculty who have retired in the past year. Photos are included of those retirees who attended the 2014 Lehigh Appreciation Dinner.
Laura J. Cambiotti
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Laura Cambiotti has retired after 40 years of service to Lehigh. Her supervisor appreciated Laura’s professionalism and confidence, particularly during the transition to OneCard expense reporting. She was also instrumental in ensuring that students navigated their course of study through the program. Over the past decade, she also led formal and informal yoga classes for EES and the broader Lehigh Community. Her insight and experience will be missed. Laura is continuing to teach and practice yoga. She and her husband will enjoy spending summers with their grandchildren in Idaho and traveling abroad.
Patricia A. Chase
Facilities Planning
Pat Chase has retired after 40 years at Lehigh. She is very well known across the university for her leadership in the Planning and Projects organization and for her extracurricular activities. She served as chair of ERAC, on the Alumni Executive Board, and frequently supported classes with real world project experience. She played on the “Gross Profits” softball team and still is a member of the Choral Union. Pat’s supervisor notes,“Her dedication to the institution and its community was displayed every day.” In retirement, Pat is spending more time with her husband running their family business and helping her mother, and, on occasion, sleeping in.
Elaine M. Clymer
Admissions
Elaine Clymer retired after more than 24 years of service. While working in the Admissions Office, Elaine was always there to lend a hand with special events like Open House and Candidates Day. Her supervisor says she was always thought of as a team leader and mentor. Elaine was proud of her association with Lehigh and is especially proud that her three daughters are all Lehigh graduates. Since retiring, she is volunteering at her church, knitting and spending time with her two granddaughters.
Norman J. Girardot
Religion Studies
Norman Girardot is University Distinguished Professor in Religion Studies within the College of Arts and Sciences. His special research areas include Chinese religious tradition, especially Daoism, popular religious movements (e.g. the posthumous Elvis Presley cult), the intellectual history of the study of China and the rise of the discipline known as “comparative religions,” and the relation of religion and outsider/ vernacular/visionary art. Dr. Girardot has served as department chair of Religion Studies. He has many books and other publications to his credit including his award-winning The Victorian Translation of China: James Legge’s Oriental Pilgrimage (2002), which has appeared in Chinese translation (2008 and 2011).
Janice E. Kish
Accounts Payable
After fifteen years in the Controller’s Office, Janice Kish retired this year. Throughout her years as an accounting assistant, Janice demonstrated a strong dedication to the purpose and mission of her office and Lehigh. Her supervisor notes that her dedication especially showed in her excellent customer service to vendors and in her interactions with the students who visited Accounts Payable. In retirement, Janice is enjoying relaxing and spending time with her grandchildren.
Dolores A. Krause
Accounts Payable
Dolores Krause retired as senior accounts payable coordinator after more than 34 years of service to Lehigh. In her spare time, she plans to spend time with her children and grandchildren.
Rosemary H. Krauss
Martindale Center
Rosemary Krauss served Lehigh for 27 years, retiring as a coordinator. The students in the Martindale Center greatly appreciated the interest she took in them. Her colleagues also enjoyed Rosemary’s cheerful demeanor.
Elizabeth S. MacAdam
Engineering Research Center - ATLSS
Betty MacAdam retired as an administrative clerk in ATLSS after more than 34 years of service to Lehigh. She enjoyed participating in various wellness programs, including the LU Marathon, where she walked 26.2 miles in a two-week period. Her supervisor notes that Betty had a passion for helping everyone she came into contact with at ATLSS. She displayed a “get the job done” attitude, and her colleagues will miss her vast historical knowledge of the ATLSS Research Engineering Center. Betty is now busy pursuing her interest in quilting and has joined the Silver Sneaker program to stay active.
Helen P. Mack
LTS Library Access
After 44 years working several different areas of LTS, Helen Mack recently retired. Helen’s supervisor says that she had a wonderful knowledge of acquisitions and loved the challenge of finding obscure books and videos. She also collaborated with faculty on a multi-year-grant-funded Islamic collections project, gathering scholarly materials for the use of Lehigh and scholars around the world. Her elegant and concise writing style was greatly appreciated. Her knowledge of the latest dining and films in the Valley will be missed. In retirement, she’s enjoying traveling, and continuing to discover new restaurants and films.
Lisa Masterson
Athletics
Lisa Masterson spent most of her nearly 35 years at Lehigh managing the Stabler Arena box office. She was instrumental in procuring the New Era ticketing system, and also helped develop the John Woltjen Award. Lisa also served on other committees, including the Women and Minority Diversity Committee in the 1980s. For 2½ years, along with many others across campus, Lisa worked extensively on making the Dalai Lama’s 6-day visit to Lehigh University a huge success. She and her colleagues sold over $1,000,000 in tickets for this event. Her colleagues will miss her attention to detail and the respect she had throughout the entertainment industry. Lisa is enjoying traveling with her husband and reclaiming her overgrown garden in retirement.
Shirley Matlock
Modern Languages and Literature
Shirley Matlock retired after more than 44 years of service at Lehigh. Her supervisor says she was an integral part of the team, often going beyond her formal duties. She had an excellent knowledge of Lehigh and knew her way in very complex situations. Her colleagues say she was a joy to work with, welcoming change and new ideas. With her wealth of experience, Shirley was always on top of the different moments of the academic year, keeping her department chair on track and well organized. Her interactions with students were always empowering, and she is truly missed by her team.
Jacqueline Matthews
Human Resources
Jackie Matthews retired after serving as Lehigh’s associate vice president of Human Resources for more than eleven years. Jackie was an active participant in many important activities at Lehigh, served on the board of the LGBTQIA center, supported a variety of searches on campus, and supported many charitable organizations connected to Lehigh. Jackie’s former supervisor notes that she was a force to be reckoned with, always working for the best that Lehigh could be,and should be. She was patient, dedicated and an absolutely fun person to work with and to advance all that matters for Lehigh. Jackie is continuing her volunteer work and enjoying traveling the highways and backroads with her husband on their trike.
John G. Nyby
Biological Sciences
John Nyby is a professor of Biological Sciences and has been with Lehigh since 1977. He earned his PhD at the University of Texas in psychology specializing in behavioral genetics and neuroscience and did a 3-year postdoctoral fellowship at Florida State University before coming to Lehigh. His research in behavioral neuroendocrinology has been supported by grants from both NSF and NIH. He has authored many publications, made numerous presentations, and chaired symposia at national and international meetings. Before transferring to the newly formed Department of Biological Sciences in 1995, he was chair of the Psychology Department for 5 years. He also founded and, until his retirement, directed the popular undergraduate major in behavioral neuroscience. His immediate plans upon retirement are to get his golf handicap down to where it belongs and to try to stay in sight of Ian Birky when they cycle together.
Janet T. Pfingstl
Development Office
Janet Pfingstl retired after 24 and a half years of service. She joined Lehigh in 1989, working first in the Gift Processing Department. She moved to the Advancement Research Department in 1998, where she was promoted from biographical management to prospect management analyst. Her supervisor Sharon Upton says, “A difficult data question would come up and Janet took it upon herself to look into it. She always kept me informed, coming back to me with the answer and always took the next step, to ensure the data was corrected so it would not show up as a mistake in future reports.” We will miss her tenacious ability to figure out the complicated questions. Janet and her husband have moved to Arizona, to be near their children and grandchildren.
Kathryn S. Plotts
Dean’s Office, PC Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science
Kathy Plotts retired after more than 34 years of service to Lehigh. In addition to the position she retired from, she also worked in the department of Chemical Engineering, the Emulsion Polymers Institute, and the graduate school. She was exacting in her work, down to ensuring that the dean knew how to pronounce the names of every graduate. Her supervisor says that she wanted anything she prepared to be perfect. In retirement, Kathy is doing volunteer work, traveling and spending time with family. Her colleagues will miss her humor and grace. In her supervisor’s words, “She is one of the most kind and considerate people I know.”
Ricky L. Rupp
University Police
After nearly 26 years, Officer Ricky Rupp retired as a police officer at Lehigh. Ricky volunteered in benefit basketball games and was mentor to many younger officers over the years. He was always open to learning new ways of policing, and kept up with technology. His supervisor says that the force will miss his open communication, and his willingness to listen and to consider change. In retirement, Officer Rupp has moved to Nebraska where he will be able to spend more time with his grandchildren.
Sally A. Schray
Chaplain’s Office
Sally Schray retired from the Chaplain’s Office after more than 31 years at Lehigh. Prior to that, she had worked in the Drug and Alcohol Services Office. While at Lehigh, Sally participated in Day of Caring, the Giving Tree program, Cancer Awareness programs, and the Christmas Exchange. She also served on ERAC and the Parking Appeals Committee. When the Dialogue Center opened in 2008, Sally was reluctant to move, but that’s where the Chaplain’s Office went and that’s where she set up her new office. It wasn’t long before she claimed the space as her own and worked to make it inviting to the various people and groups who came into the building, including those visiting the new Muslim Prayer Room, which continues to see walk-in traffic every day. Sally made a difference in people lives at important moments in their lives, and she will be missed for who she is and what she brought of herself into a job she loved. Sally continues to work part-time at Matey’s Restaurant in Fountain Hill, but most of her time is spent with her grandchildren, voraciously reading books on her Nook, and watching her new flat screen, high-definition television.
William R. Scott
History
William Scott earned his PhD in history from Princeton University in 1972. He joined Lehigh’s Department of History in 1992 and is the founding director of Africana Studies. Dr. Scott was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in African American Studies in 2003. He has many scholarly documents and articles to his credit. Dr. Scott’s current writing project is a book: Origins of the Ethiopian Ethos in Black Thought, 1690-1790. He is currently a member of the National Council, South African
Educational Program.
Barbara H. Traister
English
Barbara Traister has a PhD from Yale University and taught briefly in the Midwest at Kalamazoo College before coming to Lehigh in 1973. She teaches 16th- and 17th-century British literature, Shakespeare, and literature about medicine. She has held fellowships from NEH, the Rockefeller Foundation, ACLS, the Folger Shakespeare Library, and the Chemical Heritage Foundation. She has been a scholar in residence at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. Her publications include Heavenly Necromancers: The Magician in English Renaissance Drama (Missouri), The Notorious Astrological Physician of London (Chicago), Anonymity in Early Modern England (co-edited with Janet Starner for Ashgate), and numerous articles on early modern drama, medicine, and magic. At Lehigh she has served as chair of the English department, as associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, and as university ombudsperson. In retirement she hopes to complete her book on Holinshed’s Chronicles, to travel, and to spend time with her grandchildren.
Ramamirtham Venkataraman
Mathematics
Ramamirtham Venkataraman earned his PhD in engineering and fluid mechanics from Brown University.He joined the Center for the Application of Mathematics at Lehigh in 1968 and served as an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics within the College of Arts and Sciences since 1983. He has many publications and technical reports to his credit.
Susan A. Verbalis
CAS Dean’s Office
Susan Verbalis will be retiring after 36 years of service to Lehigh. In addition to working in the CAS Dean’s Office, she worked in the Registrar’s Office. She attended many theatre and musical presentations during her years on campus. Susan has a firm but caring approach to the students of the college. Her supervisor says she has a big heart and remembers everyone’s birthday. Her generosity with her excellent baking skills was greatly appreciated, and her colleagues say that in addition to her presence in the office they will miss her cream cheese pound cake most of all. Susan is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, her garden, her needlework, and her friends.
S. David Wu
Dean’s Office, PC Rossin College of Engineering & Applied Science
S. David Wu is currently dean of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science and holder of the Iacocca Chair. In a 27-year career at Lehigh, Dean Wu devoted significant effort toward the creation of multidisciplinary programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including the Integrated Business and Engineering (IBE) program, Integrated Degree in Engineering, Arts, and Sciences (IDEAS), Global Citizenship, Masters in Analytical Finance Program, and the Center for Value Chain Research. During his 9-year tenure as the dean, Dean Wu recruited over 40% of the current faculty in engineering. He raised funds to promote undergraduate research, to endow new faculty chairs, and to build a new facility for health research. Effective July 1, 2014, Dean Wu will serve as provost and executive vice president for George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.