J. Richard Aronson
Economics
Dr. Aronson earned his PhD from Clark University. He joined Lehigh University as assistant professor of economics in 1965. He was promoted to associate professor in 1968 and full professor in 1972. He was appointed director of the Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise in 1980. His research in the areas of public finance and public choice have appeared in the Economic Journal, the Journal of Finance, the National Tax Journal, the Public Finance Review, Public Choice, and Publius. He serves as a member of the Employee Retirement Commission for the State of Pennsylvania. He is also Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of York, Heslington, England, where he twice served as a Fulbright Scholar. Dr. Aronson has received four Lehigh teaching awards during his tenure.
Henry Baird
Computer Science & Engineering
Dr. Baird is a professor for the Computer Science & Engineering Department and has been with Lehigh since 2004. He is co-director of the Lehigh Pattern Recognition Research Laboratory and director of the Lehigh Document Analysis and Exploitation project. Dr. Baird earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Princeton University. He has many publications to his credit and has been awarded several patents. Dr. Baird has received several honors and awards throughout his distinguished career, such as the Outstanding Contributions Award of the International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition in 2003. He was elected Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineering and of the International Association for Pattern Recognition.
Joseph W. Boligitz
Human Resources
Joe Boligitz recently retired after 13 years at Lehigh, mainly as the Senior Systems Administrator in Human Resources. He was a member of the Data Advisory Committee and the Crisis Management Committee. Joe especially recalls Hurricane Sandy as a memorable Lehigh moment for him. “Working both from home and from the office via remote desktop, we met the filing/transmission requirements, as well as the required maintenance of internal personnel data. Employees’ data remained current and accurate.” Joe also served as part of the team that created a crisis volunteer sign-up system for staff and faculty. In retirement, Joe is traveling, working on photo and video projects, flying radio-controlled aircraft, and looking forward to quality golf time.
Roseann Bowerman
Arts & Sciences LTS Support Team and LTS Client Services
After 35 years in LTS, Roseann retired as the Social Sciences Librarian and Manager of Client Services for the CAS team. While at Lehigh, she took Spanish classes at the university. Roseann’s interest in other cultures extended to her work as well. She writes ,“Several years ago I befriended a graduate student from Turkey . . . Because of her encouragement my husband and I traveled to Turkey and she was a wonderful guide.” In retirement, she’s volunteering with the Baha’I community and is working on her Spanish in preparation for a trip to Spain this spring. She is also hoping to spend more time in Central America and dreaming of an Amazon River trip.
Pei Yue (Pauline) L. Chu
Enterprise Systems Implementation
After 31 years at Lehigh, Pauline retired as a Senior Analyst in LTS. In addition to her work responsibilities, Pauline was involved on campus as a member of the Lehigh Choral Arts. She also participated in the Monday Miles walking group and the annual Day of Caring. In retirement, Pauline is volunteering at Lehigh Valley Health Network and the New Bethany Ministries Soup Kitchen. She is also learning to cook delicious dishes.
Janice M. Csrnko
Residential Services
Janice retired after 38 years at Lehigh in Residential Services. She is a past recipient of the John and Barbara Woltjen Award. In her nearly four decades of work here, she was responsible for making nearly 100,000 room assignments for students. Over the years the system for matching students evolved, but she says the goal was the same: “To make the best roommate matches possible to ensure a smooth experience for our students.” Janice is now working to better her golf game, tackling home improvement projects, and helping her parents. “And, of course,” she said, “missing my Rathbone Hall crew!”
Josephine Engel
International Relations
Jo retired after 25 years at Lehigh, most recently as Coordinator in the International Relations Department. She also held positions in the Purchasing Department. She enjoyed participating in many of Lehigh’s wellness programs over the years. Reflecting on her career, she said: “The most rewarding part of my position was my interactions with students. I thoroughly enjoyed assisting them in any way I could and my goal always was to help make their experience in the department and at Lehigh a good one. I have been blessed to know many young women and men who passed through our halls.” In retirement, Josephine is doing a little traveling, enjoying spending more time with family, and organizing a canasta card club.
Jody E. Hijazi
Library and Technology Services
Jody retired this year after 28 years in LTS. In addition to her work in document delivery, she also volunteered during the annual book sales and Day of Caring events. Jody is enjoying spending time with her family and volunteering in Lower Saucon. Jody recalls a reference request that was especially poignant. “A Lehigh person had a request to find information about his brother who died in the war,” she said. “I found the article in a newspaper on microfilm. It had the name of the submarine and what happened to it. The person was so glad to find out what happened after all those years.”
Jeanette S. Galitsky
The Writing and Math Center
Jeanette retired after 17 years at Lehigh, most recently as an administrative clerk in the Writing and Math Center. She also worked in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. Jeanette enjoyed using Taylor Gym and participating in lunchtime walking groups and the Turkey Trot. She also volunteered during commencement, MOOV In, and the Dalai Lama’s visit. She also loved the holidays: “My coworkers and I always looked forward to dressing up for Halloween. I always tried to decorate the office for various holidays and my candy dish was legendary!” In retirement, Jeanette is walking her new Shih Tzu, volunteering at church and the garden club, and spending more time on her favorite hobbies.
Marcia Hamm Groover
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Marcia began her career at Lehigh in the dean’s office of the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science and retired after more than 32 years from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Over the years, she volunteered on many university committees, including ERAC, where she served a term as chair. In retirement, Marcia is continuing her education and involvement as a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturalist and is enjoying volunteering with Penn State’s Master Gardener program. She is also able to spend more time traveling with her husband, Mikell. Of her time at Lehigh, Marcia writes, “It would be difficult to sort through and pick one memorable moment after so many years at Lehigh. . .but I know that I made a difference.”
Timothy E. Hinkle
Human Resources
Tim retired after 28 years in Human Resources. While at Lehigh, Tim organized and delivered retirement programs for LVAIC member employees and made presentations at national conferences on retirement planning. Since retiring, Tim says, “I’ve been shoveling a lot of snow.” He has taken the first of six trips planned for this year. He’s also been relaxing and thinking about the future. Tim shared a special memory: “Some time after one of our elderly retirees died, her husband came in with some paperwork for us; and he told us how much his wife had always enjoyed dealing with our office, and how highly she spoke of us and our assistance. It was a very touching tribute I have always remembered.”
Carolyn M. Hudacek
Philip and Muriel Berman Center for Jewish Studies
Carolyn retired as coordinator of the Berman Center this year after 17 years at Lehigh. In addition to relaxing and enjoying time with her grandchildren, Carolyn is also busy making Raggedy Annie dolls and patterns.
Olga Jacoby
Music
Olga retired as Department Coordinator after more than 20 years of service. While at Lehigh, Olga served on ERAC and Concerned Staff for Change in CAS. She is now enjoying volunteering and spending time with her grandchildren. Olga’s fondest memory at Lehigh was a time when choir members demonstrated generosity of spirit to a dying woman. A woman named Gloria contacted Olga: “Her dear mother had ALS and had a very short time to live. She said that her mother had always loved the Star of Bethlehem on South Mountain. She decided that as a gift, she would get her up the mountain to see it close up. She called to ask if any Lehigh students could possibly meet them there to sing a few Christmas carols.” Even though it was the same night as a choir party, 20 members showed up and sang under the Star of Bethlehem. Olga says, “Gloria sent me pictures of that wonderful night—her mother on the stretcher bundled in blankets, the students singing. My favorite picture is when there is no singing, just their young faces aglow with beautiful smiles.”
Arthur King
Economics
Dr. King joined Lehigh University in 1976 and earned his PhD from Ohio State University in Economics. He established Lehigh in Prague summer program in 1994 and directed it annually until 2011. From 1999-2003, he served as the Senior Associate Dean for the College of Business and Economics. Dr. King is secretary to the Lehigh University Faculty since 2007. He serves as a board member for the Visiting Nurse Association of St. Luke’s Health Care System and on the Scientific Committee of the International Health Economics Association (iHEA). Dr. King has many publications and presentations to his credit. He currently serves as Academic Committee Chair, Knudson Churchill Scholarship Trust.
Kenneth Kraft
Religion Studies
Dr. Kraft, professor of religion studies, is a scholar of Japanese Zen and socially engaged Buddhism. At Lehigh he served as chair of the Religion Studies Department and as director of the College Seminar Program. In 2005, he received a Lindback Foundation Award for distinguished teaching by a senior member of the faculty. His book Eloquent Zen: Daito and Early Japanese Zen was selected as an “Outstanding Academic Book” by Choice magazine. His anthology of present-day Zen masters and scholars, Zen: Tradition and Transition, is widely used in college courses; the book was translated into French in 1993.
Linda Lefkowitz
Modern Languages and Literatures
Dr. Lefkowitz has a PhD in Spanish language and literature from Princeton University, and taught at Lehigh for 30 years for the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. She taught courses on Don Quixote, practical business Spanish, and Post Spanish Civil War literature and film. She also directed Study Abroad programs in Spain.
Ursla S. Levy
Energy Research Center
Ursla served as Administrative Manager for the Energy Research Center for 25 years before retiring. She loved the interaction with graduate students most of all. As she wrote: “My work experience has been enriched by the dozens of graduate students who have earned their masters and PhD degrees through the Energy Research Center. I was proud to be associated with a university that attracted such fine young women and men to pursue their graduate degrees here. Really, I wanted to adopt most of them!” In retirement, Ursla is serving on the board of directors for the Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem and looking forward to more time playing the piano, taking adventures with her husband, and seeing girlfriends and grandchildren more often.
Robert Lucas
Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics
Dr. Lucas served as Associate Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, and conducted research on the computer-aided design of machine systems, and integrating optimization and expert system decision-making tools with CAD/CAE modeling and analysis algorithms for the design and evaluation of virtual machines. He joined the Lehigh faculty in 1959 as a graduate assistant and has been a fixture in the department ever since. Dr. Lucas is a technical and engineering consultant with more than 50 publisher’s text and manuscript reviews, and has written the book, Problem Solving in Engineering—Mechanical Engineering. He is a two-time recipient of the Pi Tau Sigma Teacher of the Year Award, and is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and of Sigma Xi. He earned his BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering at Lehigh.
Gisela M. Nansteel
International Students and Scholars
Gisela recently retired after more than 32 years in the Office of International Students and Scholars, where for many years she was the senior immigration specialist. Throughout her career at Lehigh, Gisela served on committees including those looking at health insurance, I-9 compliance, and preparedness. Gisela says she always gave her all to keep the international students and scholars “legal” and advise them through the quagmire of immigration, visa, and tax laws. As she said: “I traveled the world from my desk.” She misses the students and scholars but is now enjoying traveling to Florida visiting friends, cruising, spending time with her grandchildren, and helping her parents.
C. Robert Phillips
History
Dr. Phillips, trained in both ancient history and literature, specializes in the history of the Roman Empire, Greco-Roman religion, and the history of classical scholarship. He has strong interests in the sociology of knowledge and literature. Widely published on Roman religion, early Christianity, and magic, he is finishing a book on Roman religion for Johns Hopkins University Press, and starting a commentary on the Roman religion passages of Festus for Oxford University Press. He received his PhD from Brown University.
Allen R. Quier
University Police
Allen retired after 26 years as a security guard with the LUPD. For him, patrolling campus during the power outages and storm damage Lehigh experienced in the fall of 2011 and 2012 was a memorable moment when he felt he especially demonstrated his dedication to the safety of the university. In retirement, Allen is helping his daughter and spending more time on his favorite hobbies, including shooting sports, fishing, and searching for flea market finds.
Sara K. Rodgers
Library and Technology Services
After 20 years of service in LTS, Sara Rodgers is retiring this year. Sara held several positions at Lehigh over the years, most recently Chief Information Security Officer. Sara’s project leadership included helping Lehigh better identify people and property on campus. She writes: “In the early 1980s as the first Property Manager, I led a campus-wide inventory project to identify and tag all assets valued at $500 or greater throughout the university, creating our first centralized, computerized asset management system. In 2008, as the Manager of Identity and Access Management, I worked with a team to refine role classifications to better identify people and provide more appropriate access to computing resources.” Sara is looking forward to doing “all the things” she has been putting off, including visiting friends and family, volunteering, and exercising.
Jeffrey Sands
Biological Sciences
Dr. Sands was a professor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Biological Sciences. He served as department chair from 1988 to 1994. Dr. Sands received the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1999 and the Stabler Award in 1983. He served on several committees throughout his career such as chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Tenure Committee, and chair of the Faculty Personnel Committee. His research areas included virus origins, evolutionary genetics, and integration of physics into biology education.
Gregory J. Schulze
Athletics
After 35 years at Lehigh, all of them in various roles in Athletics, Greg retired this year as Director of Athletic Facilities and Events. While at Lehigh, Greg served as ERAC chair, co-chair of the University Forum, and advisor to Beta Theta Pi. He also served on three presidential inaugural committees. Eagles training camp is, not surprisingly, one of Greg’s most memorable moments. One particular day, over 25,000 fans descended on Lehigh. Greg said: “I put out a call for help. Everyone responded with an overwhelming effort to address the overflow conditions. The end result had a highly positive impact on the Lehigh Valley and all the fans that day.” In retirement, Greg is traveling, boating, fishing, and catching up on lots of projects.
David A. Shook
Athletics
After more than 27 years of service to Lehigh, including over 20 as head coach of the men’s and women’s tennis teams, David hung up his racket this year. He has fond memories of the hundreds of players on the 40 teams he led during his time at the university. In addition to his work duties, David also served as a community liaison for Project Impact and volunteered at the start of the Women’s Center. Since retiring, David is enjoying working as a deckhand on the tall ship Kalmar Nyckel and seeking out new volunteer activities.
Sharon L. Siegler
Library and Technology Services
After 44 years in Library and Technology Services, Sharon retired from the position of Engineering Librarian. She also served as Associate Director, University Library, during her time at Lehigh. Sharon recalled a “spirit of Lehigh” moment: “We had a power failure late one afternoon. The emergency lighting came on so all was calm… until an alarm bell kept ringing... I discovered that one of our staff (notoriously afraid of elevators) was trapped between floors.” After finding someone to help free her colleague, heavy smoke sent Sharon into action, making sure everyone got out safely. “I thanked everyone profusely, congratulated the nervous elevator victim on her composure throughout, and had a cup of tea for my dinner, as it was then 6 pm and I had the evening reference shift.” These days, Sharon is traveling, reading, knitting, sewing, studying foreign languages, and spoiling her grandchildren.
Jean Soderlund
History
Dr. Soderlund was a professor in the Department of History. She earned her PhD from Temple University. Dr. Soderlund is a historian of 17th and 18th century British America, with special interest in questions of ethnicity, gender, religion, and class. She has authored Quakers and Slavery: A Divided Spirit, co-authored Freedom by Degrees: Emancipation in Pennsylvania and Its Aftermath, and published articles on women in colonial British America. She is currently writing a history of the Lenape Indians within colonial Mid-Atlantic society.
Gerald L. Trumbauer
Facilities Services
Gerald retired after 28 years as an electrician with Facilities Services, most recently for the Mountaintop Campus. Gerald says in retirement he’s enjoying life “like never before.” Of his time at Lehigh, Gerald said: “My favorite aspect of all of my years and work at Lehigh was working with our grad students. Several times I helped them to design and build the electrical systems on their new experiments at the Mountaintop Campus. The students were very professional, polite, easy to work with, and appreciative. I enjoyed working together with them to get their equipment set up.”
Lenore (Chava) Weissler
Religion Studies
Dr. Weissler served as department chair of the Department of Religion Studies from 2010-2012. She earned her PhD from Pennsylvania State University. She is the author of Voices of the Matriarchs: Listening to the Prayers of Early Modern Jewish Women and Making Judaism Meaningful: Ambivalence and Tradition in a Havurah Community. Dr. Weissler has been active in several campus organizations. She is on the board of the Jewish Student Center/Hillel, and was a founding member of Safe Space, an organization dedicated to reducing homophobia on campus. She has also played an active role in the Women’s Studies Program and the Berman Center for Jewish Studies, and served on various campus committees.
John J. Yurasits, Jr.
University Police
John retired after 22 years of service as a security guard at Lehigh. His colleagues wrote: “He worked in the rain, snow, heat, and freezing temperatures. He was an extremely dedicated employee and a trusted colleague. Despite the weather conditions on campus, he did not call out sick in over 12 years. That shows the type of dedication John had toward his job at Lehigh.” Now that he’s out of the elements, John is enjoying spending more time with his family. - See more at: http://spotlight.sites.lehigh.edu/article.php?id=633#sthash.dBy4AR4H.dpuf