Peter Mervosh
Distinguished Volunteer

Peter Mervosh (’53), a lifelong educator, a Golden Eagle athlete, a former assistant director of admissions, and the organizer of one of Clarion’s largest semi-annual alumni gatherings is one of the recipients of the "Distinguished Volunteer Award" from the Clarion University Alumni Association.

"This is the nicest honor I’ve ever received," says Mervosh. "Nothing I have won in the past can compare to this. It tops them all."

Mervosh and four friends originated the semi-annual alumni parties held in Natrona Heights.

"It started with a party at Bob Coury’s (’52) house and grew to an invitation list of 100 people," says Mervosh. "The response to the invitations is tremendous. We have a hall donated to hold the gathering. In the off years, I have a party at my home for 20 to 25 alumni."

"It is a fun way to keep in contact. The Clarion University Alumni Office is very helpful with these gatherings. President Diane Reinhard has given us her support and attended twice. I never knew that a person could get to know the president of the university so well."

Clarion’s Alumni Office doe the mail invitations to the gatherings. Mervosh and his friends, through various connections, receive donated materials, food, and decorations for the alumni events. A $15 admission and a raffle of donated items have helped support the semi-annual event since 1992.

Mervosh, originally from the Pittsburgh area, came to Clarion as a Penn State freshman in 1949. Then, Penn State sent some of its freshman class to other state related institutions. Coming in as an engineering student, Mervosh liked the campus and decided to stay.

"I liked it here," he says. "I made many friends and switched my major to education. I think I was here during a great time period. Campus was small and I knew everyone. The returning World War II veterans were also here and I think they added a lot to campus."

Mervosh majored in English.

"I loved all of my teachers," he says. "Marie Marwick, Margaret Boyd, and Bertha Nair were great teachers."

He was also a forward on Clarion’s only undefeated basketball team in 1951. That team went on to play in the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament in Kansas City, MO. He was president of both his junior and senior classes, and president of Alpha Gamma Phi Fraternity during his senior year, and was a member of the Varsity "C" Club.

Following his graduation in 1953, Mervosh spent 1953-55 in the U.S. Army. Returning to civilian life in 1955, he taught 14 years in the Penn Hills School District. Clarion called Mervosh back to campus, hiring him as assistant director of admissions, working for Walter Hart in 1969. He left Clarion again in 1971 to join the Highlands School District, where he retired in 1992 with an accumulation of 39 years in education.

Mervosh lives in Lower Burrell with his wife, Glenna (Rose ’53). Glenna received her degree in elementary education and taught three years in Cleveland, OH, and the Penn Hills School District in PA. She also was a substitute teacher for 25 years in Pennsylvania.

They have two children, Kristin (’82) Melville and Peter. Kristin resides in Orlando, FL, with her husband, Edward, and children Eddie and Emily.

Kristin received her degree in business/marketing from Clarion and later earned an R.N. in nursing. She is a substitute teacher in Orlando, FL.

Peter resides in Harrison City, with his wife, Dorothy, and children, Claire, Sean, and Katherine. Peter, a Penn State graduate, is a mechanical engineer in the environmental division at Bechtol Bettis Works in West Mifflin.

Joanne Vavrek
Distinguished Volunteer

Joanne Vavrek has found a calling in volunteering. In more than 20 years of volunteer efforts, she has been successful at completing, "whatever the need might be." The Clarion University Alumni Association is honoring her efforts with the "Distinguished Volunteer Award."

"It is flattering to know that people feel I did a good job," says Vavrek. "Many people have encouraged, helped, and worked with me on various projects. Most of my work, both on campus and in the community, has been a joint effort. The people ultimately provide the results."

Vavrek has tackled several projects for Clarion University and will co-chair the 2002 Spring for Scholars Auction. She served on the auction committee the last two years. During the first four years of the Clarion University Alumni Association sponsored auction, more than $184,000 was raised for student scholarships.

"Co-chair Mary Louise asked me to help with the auction and I accepted," recalls Vavrek about her initial involvement. "It is a challenge to raise money for a specific cause. I was president of the Clarion Free Library Board in the 1980’s when we held a fund drive to build an addition to the building."

Vavrek came to Clarion in 1971 with her husband Dr. Bernard Vavrek, current chair of Clarion University’s Library Science Department. Joanne met her future husband while she was a student at Carnegie Mellon University and Bernard was a student at the University of Pittsburgh. Joanne was working at the Hunt Library.

"I was a stay-at-home mom for many years," says Vavrek. "When the children got older and I had free time, I was approached to help with community activities."

It was something Vavrek continues to do so with much success. She was recently elected to the board of the Sawmill Center for the Arts, and is back for another term on the Clarion Free Library Board. She was also elected to the Clarion Borough Council, where she is serving as vice president. She was also a member of the committee to elect Jim Arner as judge of Clarion County.

Vavrek is also currently on the Governor’s Advisory Council, representing rural library users.

"The council work in an advisory capacity, holding quarterly meetings in Harrisburg," she says. "It serves as a sounding board for library users in the state and other issues involving PA libraries."

During the past 20-plus years, Vavrek has also served as president of the Clarion Free Library Board, the Clarion County Library System Board, the Clarion District Library, the Clarion County Historical Society, and the Clarion University Sandford Gallery Board. The Clarion County Chamber of Commerce honored Vavrek as its "1986 Chamber Citizen of the Year."

"Most of what I have done for libraries is being a fund raiser," she says. "It started with raising money for the addition to the Clarion Free Library. Once we raised the money for that project, I felt we should be able to raise money yearly on a lesser scale. Now I chair the library’s annual phonathon and the library’s annual Autumn Leaf Festival reception. Many people in the community respond to our needs."

Joanne and Bernard Vavrek live in Clarion. They have two grown children, Chris and Jennifer.

Chris (’94) lives in Oakdale with his wife, Judy (’94). He is a network engineer for the TrueFit Solutions in Cranberry Township and she is a sales manager of WCDK/WEIR radio in Wintersville, OH.

Jennifer (’96) and her husband Jeff Burns (’94) reside in Bridgeville. Jennifer is a financial aide director at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. She has a M.B.A. from Robert Morris College and is currently working on an Ed.D. in higher education. Jeff is a senior financial analyst for American Eagle Outfitters.

Lois Albrecht
Distinguished Achievement

Lois (Kindelberger) Albrecht (’52), an innovator with the State Library of Pennsylvania, will receive the Clarion University Alumni Association "Distinguished Achievement Award."

Currently president and chief consultant for FORESIGHT Inc. of Greensburg, Albrecht previously worked for the State Library of Pennsylvania, now called Commonwealth Libraries. While working in this capacity, she chaired the committee that developed the Access Pennsylvania program, allowing PA residents to borrow from any library in the commonwealth.

Albrecht was working for the Washington County Board of Education, Hagerstown, MD, as a systems librarian/school library adviser on automation programs when she became interested in technology. "We worked on an automated media catalog and interlibrary delivery between the local junior college and high school," she says. "The computer systems then, only second generation, had problems handling the information."

"When that project ended, a friend recommended I look for a state job. There was job open at Harrisburg and I was hired. I commuted 85 miles each way to Harrisburg until my late husband, Charles, got transferred into the same area."

Joining the State Library of Pennsylvania, Albrecht worked as a consultant with institutional and public libraries on planning, continuing education, administration, programming of library services, development and evaluation of LSCA grant proposals and projects, resource sharing, and interlibrary cooperation, trustee responsibilities and working with Friends groups. Three years later, in 1975, she became coordinator of advisory services for the Pennsylvania State Library.

Albrecht was responsible for initiation, planning, leadership and direction of all programs of library development, including state aid, LSCA, continuing education, interlibrary cooperation, academic libraries and advisory services to public and institutional libraries. She provided impetus to library and citizen groups to initiate an annual library legislative day and worked on the first Governor’s Conference on Library and Information Services.

"Access Pennsylvania came from a comprehensive plan," she says. "This was before mini-computers became a main stay, but we knew computers would have to be involved. A person on the staff pursued it to implementation after I left."

Albrecht left the job because, "I had no desire to be an appointed bureaucrat. I liked the civil service aspect of the job and changes were planned to make more higher level positions appointed rather than civil service." She decided to establish her on consulting firm, FORESIGHT, Inc.

"We have worked with libraries in PA, NY, VA, and FL on a variety of library projects including collection development, cataloging, personnel services, strategic planning, planning for new library buildings or renovation, and for library director searches and hiring," she says. "If I don’t have someone on staff who can handle the problem, I find others to help as needed." While directing FORESIGHT activities also served as acting director of the Cumberland County Library System, Carlisle, and interim director of the Pennsylvania Library Association.

Born in Wheeling, WV, Albrecht grew up in Oil City. She came to Clarion in 1948 because, "It was affordable, close to home and I liked it. I also had a good friend coming here to take library science and mathematics and urged me to do the same thing. I’m glad I listened to what she said."

Albrecht graduated from Clarion with a double major in library science and mathematics. "I was good in mathematics in high school," she recalled. "I worked as a volunteer page in Oil City Public Library before I came to Clarion. I just loved libraries. The mathematics and the library were a natural combination to me."

She also had help at home and on campus to achieve her goals. "Along with my mother, the biggest influence on my education was my grandfather," says Albrecht. "He was always there for me and my brother. He paid for my first year of college and after that I worked at Continental Can in Oil City to earn my tuition."

On campus, Albrecht found other encouragement. "George Keener of the geography department was a mentor to me," she says. "He encouraged me to do all sorts of things. I learned a lot about libraries and made visits to them during my junior year with Charlie Flack. Galen Ober was a tremendous mathematics teacher and once Dr. George Lewis got me through calculus, I was on my way."

Albrecht continued to earn a master’s degree in library science at the University of Pittsburgh and did additional graduate work in educational technology at the University of Maryland. She was a librarian at Richland Township High School, Johnstown, from 1952-62, and head of technical services for the county system of the Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown, MD, before joining the Washington County Board of Education.

"My mother and brother and later my husband helped me in many ways to succeed in achieving my career goals," says Albrecht. "My family has always been there for me, including my sister-in-law, who is my best friend, and my two nephews and my niece."

Marlin Hartman
Distinguished Service

Marlin Hartman (’59) credits Clarion University for setting him off on the road to success. He has returned the services by helping the University in a variety of fashions, most recently through the establishment of the Marlin and Cleva Hartman Scholarship. The Clarion University Alumni Association will recognize these achievements by presenting Hartman with the "Distinguished Service Award".

"This is a bit of a surprise because I am being recognized for doing something that I enjoy and wanted to do," says Hartman. "Recognition by your colleagues is the best recognition you can receive."

Hartman did not expect to attend college, let alone be honored for his service to a university. He was working in a mill when he was drafted, eventually spent two years in the U.S. Army, including a stint in Korea.

Following his discharge Hartman returned to the mill for a year before getting his chance at college through the G. I. Bill. He made the most of it. Besides earning his degree in mathematics, Hartman participated in athletics and met his future wife, Cleva (Haight ’59).

"I had great professors while I was at Clarion," says Hartman. "George Lewis was the one-man mathematics department, and Galen Ober, John Mellon, Marie Marwick and Margaret Boyd were all tough, but encouraging for their students."

"The way they taught and the time they devoted to us made me want to teach like them and really take an interest in my students. I tried to do for all of my students what my teachers had done for me."

Receiving his mathematics degree in 1959. Hartman went on to earn a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. His first teaching job was in the Apollo School District. He moved from there to the Gateway School District in Monroeville, serving six year as a teacher and a year as secondary mathematics supervisor. He was also Gateway’ baseball coach for four years, leading them to the WPIAL title game at Forbes Field in his last season, where the team lost 4-2.

In the fall of 1967, Hartman joined the mathematics department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He spent 25 years, including six years as assistant department chair, before retiring in 1991.

Hartman’s retirement marked his return to Clarion University.

"I met alumni director Jean Wolf at an Indiana function for Clarion graduates," recalls Hartman. "She asked me about getting involved with the Clarion Alumni Association. The request came at the right time. When I was working at IUP, I couldn’t be involved with Clarion."

Hartman joined the Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1994 and served six years, 1997-99 as its president. He was also the Alumni Board’s representative to the Clarion University Foundation for two years.

"From my observations, I saw the playing field in the State System of Higher Education as not being level," says Hartman about his view of jointing the Alumni Association Board. "I felt I wanted to do something for Clarion that would tilt it back the other way."

He based his Alumni Association Board efforts on similar experiences he had with the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics. By involving more people, the mathematics association grew into a truly statewide organization.

Hartman set about to expand the Alumni Board’s influence, involving younger members, and increasing the member’s involvement, including missions to the state legislature in Harrisburg. "I thought it was important to get more people involved and then step aside and let them work," he says. "I felt that people who were giving up their time to volunteer should have input into what was happening. Various members wrote messages to the alumni, helping to change the view that the Alumni Board was just the president. Everyone had a chance at leadership positions."

True to his beliefs, Hartman stepped aside, leaving the Alumni Board in June 2000. But, his work on behalf on Clarion University was not finished.

Marlin and Cleva recently established the endowed Marlin and Cleva Hartman Scholarship at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. The new scholarship is for a son or daughter of a U.S. veteran. They felt this scholarship would help children of veterans attend college, much as the G. I. Bill helped Marlin to attend college in 1955.

"I see the need for the alumni to become involved with their university through personal time or financial help," sums up Hartman. "Financial support is a big way of leveling the playing field. It is really necessary to contribute at a level that is comfortable for the individual."

Marlin and Cleva Hartman, who are retired from the Indiana Area School District, reside on Indiana, PA. They have three grown daughters, Johanna Harris, Gretchen Nester, and Ariane Urschler.

Dr. Anne Day
Distinguished Faculty

Dr. Anne Day, professor of history at Clarion University at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, is the 2001 recipient of the "Distinguished Faculty Award" from the Clarion University Alumni Association.

"I am overwhelmed by this, it is like a lifetime achievement award," says Day. "It is most gratifying to receive this at the end of my teaching career."

Day retired prior to the beginning of the Fall 2001 semester. She has taught at Clarion University since 1972.

"I have always loved history," says Day about her life’s pursuit. That love is reflected in her teaching. One of Day’s particular passions is orienting students to the larger world. From her initial year at Clarion she has helped students toward that goal.

"Preparing teachers is part of my teaching experience," says Day. "Therefore, I try to model good teaching in my classroom. I want to engage and involve students in the subject matter. I hope my students will be able to think and learn for themselves, so that they become their own learners, thinkers, and teachers…and stand on their own intellectual feet."

One of her early efforts in this area was her participation in Project Flourish, a Clarion program intended to train faculty members to help with the freshman year experience. Two of Day’s teaching efforts pointed to helping students understand history and its context in the modern world. In her popular History in the Headlines, she examined with her students the historic context of ongoing events, affording students the opportunity to learn the background history of contemporary events, how to learn about history, and how history is written. Using a cooperative setting so that students work and learn together, she integrated the use of the Internet in the class for reading international newspapers.

She was one of the founders and continued to be an active participant as a team teacher in Clarion University’s Making Connections program. It was founded in 1992 as a way for first-time college students to become acclimated to their collegiate life. The program helps first-year students establish important connections among the subjects they study, themselves, and the faculty members teaching the courses.

Day enjoys the relationships that developed during these courses.

"The courses involve field trips, and those trips helped build more personal relationships among the teachers and the students," she says. "This carries over into the classroom. Clarion’s students are very conscientious, cooperative, and give me joy. I have also had wonderful colleagues both in the history department and other departments to work with during my time at Clarion."

Besides the previously mentioned courses, Day also taught U.S. To 1877, U.S. Since 1877, American Approach to Foreign Policy, History of the Cold War, Teaching Social Studies, Supervision of Student Teachers, Consumer Economics Workshop, and The Student in the University. She is the author of two texts, History Behind the Headline and Consumer Economics for the Classroom and eight articles.

"I have always enjoyed the students," says day. "They are very conscientious and cooperative, which makes for a pleasant classroom experience. I like them to be their own teachers and because of their feedback, they have helped me to change my teaching. I hope that I have helped them to change and expand their horizons."

Originally from Salem, MA, Day earned her B.A. in history from Emmanuel College, Boston, MA; M.Ed. from Salem State College, Salem, MA; and Ph.D. in history from St. Louis, MO. She has also attended the University of Mexico, Boston State College, and the University of Connecticut Law School. She first taught at Memorial Junior High, Beverly, MA, and at the college level has taught at the University of Hartford, Hartford, CT; University of CT, St. Joseph College, CT; Sacred Heart University, CT; and Niagara University in NY.

This is the second major award for Day this year. In the spring, she was the 2001 recipient of the statewide Suzanne Brown Excellence in Teaching Award from the State System of Higher Education. The Suzanne Brown Excellence in Teaching Award is awarded annually to on of the 5,500 faculty members in the State System.

"This should be an exciting day," says Day looking ahead to Homecoming. "I will enjoy meeting with the alumni and attending the dinner with them."

Malachy McMahon
Venango Campus Distinguished Alumni

Malachy McMaon, (’72) Oil City mayor and businessman, received the Venango Campus Distinguished Alumni Award during commencement ceremonies, May 12.

"This is quite an honor," says McMahon. "For many years when I served on Clarion University’s Alumni Board I helped select award recipients. You never look as yourself as a potential candidate for an award. I see myself as involved with family, work, community, and school, and I accept it as part of everyday life. It is nice to know others look at this as an accomplishment."

McMahon, a lifetime Oil City resident, enrolled at Venango Campus in 1968.

"Although my parents never had an opportunity to go to college, they always stressed the importance of education," recalls McMahon. "I had seven brothers and sisters, so finances were important. Clarion allowed me to attend at a reasonable price."

Like many other students attending Venango Campus then, McMahon worked part-time at Continental Can. The factory had a split shift, allowing campus students time to attend classes and still earn money to pay for their education.

"Venango Campus provided a great opportunity with a great staff of educators," says McMahon. "It was certainly different from high school and a real eye-opener for me at the time. When I was there, campus was Montgomery Hall and Frame Hall. Montgomery was filled with education was at a high level, partly because of the Vietnam War."

Following two years at Venango Campus, McMahon commuted to Clarion for another two years. He received his B. A. degree in social studies in 1972

In the fall of his senior year, 1971, McMahon also married Bernice "Dolly" Campbell, who received her education degree from Clarion in 1973. Locating in Oil City, McMahon started working at Nationwide Insurance and Bernice found a teaching job in the Oil City School District. Both have kept their original jobs with Malachy going on to gain his Pennsylvania Real Estate License and Insurance Broker’s License. He is now the owner and operator of Nationwide’s Oil City office.

McMahon was elected to the Oil City council in 1988 and served two terms. He successfully ran for mayor of Oil City in 1966 and was re-elected in 2000. He was also active on the parish council of St. Stephen Church in Oil City.

He also returned to help Clarion University, serving 1992-98 on the Clarion University Alumni Association Board of Directors.

"I was asked to serve on the board," he says. "I felt my years of attending college were somewhat different from the experiences of other students. I thought I could bring a little different view to the board. It was quite an experience. It is very interesting to see the workings of the university, attend its functions, and meet people on the staff from educators to the president."

McMahon has also volunteered for many years as a fundraiser for the Clarion University Venango Campus Annual Fund drive.

Looking back at his Venango Campus experience, McMahon says, "My hat goes off to the original founders, leaders, and educators who thought that education was important enough to establish the campus. It has afforded a quality education for thousands of local and out-of-town students. I can’t stress enough the importance of the faculty and what they give back to the community. Venango Campus has changed to meet the needs of the students."

McMahon thanks his family for his success.

"I have two great children, Cole and Logan, and an understanding wife, Dolly," he says. "This award is quite an honor and surely caps off a great year. My son, Cole, has selected Clarion as his school of choice for this fall."

Lawrence Cirka
Distinguished Alumni

Lawrence "Larry" Cirka (’73), is in a second career as CEO of UltraBRIDGE, an information technology and data solution for the long term care and assisted living industries. He was successful in the health care administration business before forming his new company.

This success earned Cirka the "Distinguished Alumni Award" from the Clarion University Alumni Association.

"This is quite an honor,’ says Cirka. "It adds more responsibility to my response to young adults, helping them to find their way into real world and achieve success. Clarion is a big part of my life. I received good values and good roots that formed a big part of my life."

College was a new experience for the Cirka family when Larry left Moon Township to attend Clarion.

"My dad worked for J & L Steel, and I was the first member of my family to go to college," he recalls. "The only reason I went is that I wanted to play football.’

Al Jacks, retired Clarion football coach, had much to do with Cirka’s decision.

"Several colleges pursued me to come play for them and were in contact with me, but Al Jacks sent me handwritten notes," says Cirka. "I liked him and the personal attention of the notes, so I picked Clarion."

Jacks also proved beneficial in sending Cirka off on the right career path.

"I had to declare a major as a freshman an I had no idea what I wanted to do," he recalls. "Coach Jacks recommended I try business and it was the right choice."

Arriving early for fall football practices also led Cirka to a meeting with his future wife, Judy (Strachan ’82). Strachan was also on campus for her freshman orientation. By Cirka’s sophomore year, they were married.

The marriage led to immediate problems and experiences that would shape Cirka’s future.

"I was taking college courses, playing football, and I was married," he says. "I needed a job to support my wife and pay for my education.’

The Clarion unemployment office helped Cirka find a match for his needs as maintenance man for the Grandville Nursing Home. During his junior year, he was promoted to assistant administrator overseeing supplies.

"When I graduated with my degree in business administration, I was qualified for the state board test to be a licensed health care administrator," says Cirka. "I passed and received my license. I was hired to operate a newly built health care facility in Warren."

Cirka moved from that job to another with American Medical Affiliates. His first job was in Clearfield, but during a 12-year career, he also worked in Pittsburgh, Florida, and one year in Spokane, WA. before he made a lateral move to join newly-started Integrated Health of Baltimore, MD, in 1987.

Cirka grew with the company, which went public in 1991 and joined the New York Stock Exchange listings in 1994. He was president and CEO when he retired from the firm in 1998. "I was in charge of the nuts and bolts of the daily operation," he says. "The firm grew from a $20 million a year operation to one with 450 facilities with 100,000 employees and $4 billion in revenue," says Cirka.

Retiring in Florida, Cirka found himself still attracted to Baltimore because of the roots his children established in that area. He bought a 50-acre farm in Maryland and started spending part of each year in the area. He left retirement to start UltraBRIDGE.

"I learned leadership, management, and pulling a team together from my time at Clarion," says Cirka. "I was married, going to college, and participating in extracurricular activities, so I learned discipline, time management, and to list things that needed to be done. That has been part of my life from then on."

Cirka says he still uses the knowledge gained from his Clarion business law and business tax classes in his current position.

"Clarion has a great business school," he says. "The professors brought the real world into the classroom. I wouldn’t do anything different if I had it all to do over."

Larry and Judy Cirka split their time between Baltimore, MD, and Bonita Springs, FL. Judy earned her degree in elementary education from Clarion in 1982. She is retired after a career in teaching in Florida and Baltimore.

The Cirkas have three children. Kelly is a healthcare attorney for a hospital; Allysia owns and operates a pet boarding facility; and Benjamin is an accountant working in health care in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.