Notables:

James Ebben, former dean and interim president at Siena Heights between the terms of Lou Vaccaro and Sister Cathleen Real, passed away Nov. 30, 2020. In 1987, he became the first lay president of Edgewood College, a position he held for 17 years.

 

 

 

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Dr. Mike Dawson passed away on Nov. 16, 2020. Siena Heights University hosted a memorial service for the former board member and benefactor Aug. 14 in O’Laughlin Stadium and Dawson Field. “Doc,” as he was affectionately called, left a great legacy at Siena Heights, as well as in the Lenawee community. He was a member of the SHU Board of Trustees for 21 years, serving as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee for many years. He also was a volunteer football coach, and was a very generous benefactor to the university, particularly in athletics. In fact, the field at O’Laughlin Stadium is named after Mike and his late wife, Lynne. “We are a grateful community to Mike and for Mike,” said SHU President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD. “He served this community in so many ways over so many years. He is an example to all of us as one who persevered through adversity, who cared enough to support the things he loved, and who found his way into our hearts in special ways.”

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Edwin Maloney, who started and built the men’s lacrosse program, passed away June 8, 2021. Maloney began the Saints program in 2010 and compiled an 87-51 record, including several appearances in national tournaments. He was the CCLA, MCLA and WHAC Coach of the Year in 2015, and came to Siena Heights after a legendary career as a high school coach and administrator. He was inducted posthumously as part of the 2021 SHU Athletic Hall of Fame class during Homecoming Weekend in October 2021. He was aware of the honor before his death.

 

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DeMarco Dickerson ’20 signed a contract to play professional basketball in Sweden in July 2021. Dickerson, a former standout for the Siena Heights men’s program, averaged more than 20 points and six rebounds a game during the 2019-20 to earn first team All-Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference honors. Dickerson will play for the Swedish Basketball League’s Umea team. Dickerson is the third SHU men’s player to play professionally in recent years, joining Jerrell Martin and Keith Jordan.

 

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From The Sites:

Battle Creek

2006
Damon Knapp was promoted to administrative lieutenant at the Sturgis (Mich.) Police Department. He has been with the department for 18 years in various positions.

2015
Tim Hill was named the deputy director at Maple Towers in Sturgis, Mich. In April 2021. He manages day-to-day operations and is a retired U.S. Marine and investment advisor.

Amanda Miller was promoted to assistant finance director for the City of Coldwater (Mich.). She joined the city as a staff accountant in 2017 and will now work directly with the finance director and BPU director in day-to-day financial operations.

Jackson

2012
Lauren Sager was named the dean of student services at the Jackson Area Career Center in January 2021. She previously was a cosmetology instructor at the center since 2013.

Lansing

2001
Dennis Myers was inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Cross Country, Track and Field and Half Marathon Coaches Association Hall of Fame in November 2020. Myers led four different community college programs to success, including Lansing Community College.

2015
Claire Corr joined the Michigan Center for Holistic Medicine as vice president. Corr has been a patient of the Center’s Lansing clinic since August 2018. She has more than 25 years of experience in health care, and has worked in business development, public administration and community relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the United Auto Workers, Sparrow Health System and McLaren Health Plan.

2016
Dawn Carson was named the chief of the East Lansing Fire Department in September 2021. She has been with the department since 1994 and is the first female chief in the department’s history. She was promoted to lieutenant in 2011, captain in 2013 and deputy chief in 2016.

Monroe

2015
Michael Opfermann was ordained a Lutheran pastor during a ceremony Sept. 13, 2020, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Ida, Mich.

Online

2013
Kimberly Krosnowski MA recently earned the Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives credential. ACHE has an active membership base of over 48,000 members, and only 9,100 healthcare leaders have earned this premier credential. She is the associate vice president of Operations: Metro Region Radiology, System Radiology, Respiratory and Sleep for ProMedica.

2014
John Allen was named Ferris State University’s new Department of Public Safety director in January 2021. He previously was chief of the Melvindale Police Department, since 2016, and also served in the department as a road patrol sergeant, patrol lieutenant and detective lieutenant.

2016
Jay Rendon was named the police chief of Davison Township (Mich.) in July 2021. He has been with the department for 26 years as a patrol officer, traffic investigator, K-9 handler, detective, sergeant and lieutenant.

2018
Everette Robbins was appointed by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform in August 2021. Robbins is the chief of police and director of public safety for Huron (Mich.) Township. The task force will focus on analyzing the juvenile justice system while recommending proven practices and strategies for reform grounded in data, research and fundamental constitutional principles, according to the State of Michigan.

2020
Erin Young recently was hired as a trust operations specialist with Greenleaf Trust. Young is responsible for settling equity, fixed income and mutual fund trades for Greenleaf clients.

2021
Tessa Simmons was promoted to branch manager for County National Bank’s branch in Jackson, Mich. She has five years of banking experience.

Southfield

1999
Chad Grant was named the new executive vice president and chief operating officerfor McLaren Health Care on July 8, 2021. Grant was previously the president of McLaren’s central region, directing the hospital operations of McLaren Flint, McLaren Greater Lansing and McLaren Lapeer Region. In this new role, Grant oversees all hospital operations across the organization. The McLaren system comprises 15 hospitals, including 14 in Michigan and one in Maumee, Ohio.

Main Campus

1978
Constance Swander retired after nearly 50 years in forensic science, including the last 35 years as a civilian laboratory director with the Michigan State Police in June 2021. Swander started as a medical technologist in 1967. After 18 years as a serologist, she joined the MSP working in forensic science. She has served on the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Board, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board, the FBI Criminal Justice Advisory Policy Board and was the MSP Civilian of the Year in 1992.

1982
Ann Gildner works in the Industrial Arts Institute Studio as Artist in Residence. She is a welding instructor for ornamental welding and CAD/CNC plasma machining in Onaway, Mich. She has been in the arts for more than 40 years, and has awards in mixed media painting and ceramics.

John Meszaros retired from Holy Cross Children’s Services in April 2017. In 2013, he and his wife started a maple syrup business in Northern Michigan called The Pileated Forest. That business continues.

1985
John Detro was the first physician’s assistant to be named a command surgeon for a four-star headquarters with the U.S. Army. In June 2021, he arrived at the U.S. Special Operations Command. He is responsible for establishing policy and providing oversight for all special operations medical personnel of all services. He and his family are based in Tampa, Fla. He plans to retire in 2023 after 36 years of service.

1990
Scott Dienes was named to The Best Lawyers in America® 2021 edition. Attorneys were recognized in nearly 390 listings in a number of legal practice areas. Dienes specializes in land use and zoning laws.

Connie Mills retired after 35 years as a teacher at Blissfield Elementary School in July 2021. She was a second-grade teacher for most of those years.

1991
Shelly Vander Veen will retire as the Claremont (Calif.) Police Chief on Nov. 10, 2021. She began her career in Claremont in 1993 as a reserve officer but was soon hired full-time and working as an officer for seven years. In 2000, she was promoted to corporal and assigned to the detective bureau and three years later promoted again to sergeant. She served as a lieutenant for seven years, with five years supervising the detective bureau and two as a watch commander. Vander Veen was named chief in 2016. She was honored as officer of the year twice, four times as the police department’s supervisor of the year, and received the city employee of the year award in 2013. She also received the department’s award of excellence three times, along with the police commission distinguished service medal.

1999
Kristin Baty Watts MA was named head of The Bright School in Tennessee in September 2020. She previously was the director of St. Anne’s Day School and Enrichment Programs in Atlanta.

2000
Jennifer Bennett ’07 MA was named the first principal of Lakers Online, the West Bloomfield School District’s remote learning option for K-12 students in September 2020. Her previous experience includes work as a technology media specialist, a teacher in grades 4-6, an instructional coach, an assistant principal and a principal in Monroe Public Schools, as well as a principal in Northville Public Schools and a literacy coach in the West Bloomfield School District.

2004
Anthony Butler completed his course of study and was awarded Doctor of Ministry degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta in May 2020.

Curtis Parsons released his autobiography “Memoirs of Mayhem,” in April 2021. The former Lenawee County Emergency Management coordinator spent 40 years in the field. His book “give citizens a glimpse into the trials, tribulations and trauma – but also the humor – that those in the police, fire and emergency medical fields face on a day-to-day basis.” The book is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

2005
Kalen Larson was appointed as the new managing principal in August 2021 by Thornburn Associates.

Molly Moore MA was named the new director of family services at Habitat for Humanity of Monroe (Mich.) in September 2021. She previously served as executive director of the Philbeck Foundation, was community outreach director for Children with Hair Loss and executive director of the Foundation at ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital.

2007
Matthew Larson was appointed to the Michigan Correctional Officers’ Training Council by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The council establishes standards regarding training and education as prescribed in the Correctional Officer’s Training Act. Larson, who is an associate professor of criminal justice at Wayne State University, will serve on the council until March 2024.

Melanie Nowak was named the new principal at Dexter High School in April 2021. Nowak previously served as the career and innovation coordinator for Farmington Public Schools and was a former high school mathematics and English teacher.

2012
Kendall Acho is the chief operating officer of FirstDown PlayBook, a digital playbook that consists of more than 35,000 unique plays featuring new installations three times a week and detailed coach points for every play. FirstDown PlayBook recently partnered with the NAIA, becoming the official playbook of NAIA football.

2013
Olivia Smith is a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on identifying the food safety risks posted by wild birds due to agricultural intensification. She examines the various relationships between farming practices, land-use practices around farms and crop contamination by birds. Her findings were published in 2020 in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

2014
Travis Mielcarek was named assistant vice president, commercial loan officer for GenoaBank’s Perrysburg/Rossford (Ohio) Branch in December 2020. He is responsible for expanding the bank’s footprint throughout the community by introducing both new and existing customers to the GenoaBank experience.

Gabe Murley was named the athletic director at Lansing (Mich.) Everett High School in March 2021.

2017
Stefan Wilkinson was named the varsity football coach at Morenci High School in March 2021.

2018
Hanna Orr was named the district nurse for Adrian Public Schools in May 2021. She previously worked the last three years in the surgical intensive care unit at Henry Ford Allegiance Hospital in Jackson, Mich.

Ty Schafer was named the athletic director at Bear Lake High School (Mich.) in January 2021.

2019
Lucielle Gould was named the new competitive dance coach at Madonna (Mich.) University in October 2021.

Deaths—Alumni

Sister Martina Shields OP ’42
Sister Marie Bride Walsh OP ’43
Sister Thomas Lawler OP ’44
Jean Wealton ’44
Sister Marie Emery OP ’46
Sister Alma Messing OP ’46
Sister Rita Schiltz OP ’46
Barbara Leite ’48
Sister Margaret Swallow OP ’49
Sister Barbara Hengesbach OP ’50
Sister Mary Reagan OP ’50
Mary Konarz Sheldon ’51
Sister Mary Jo O’Hanlon OP ’51
Sister Patricia O’Reilly OP ’51
Sister Mary Scheibel OP ’51
Sister Mary Wischmeyer OP ’51
Sister Madonna Black OP ’52
Halina Nosal ’52
Alice Di Cicco ’53
Margaret Houlihan ’53
Sister Jean McAllister OP ’53
Sister Edith Zemke OP ’53
Sister Mary Nugent OP ’54
Sister Therese DeCanio OP ’55
Sister Anne Lees OP ’55
Sister Mary Rybarczyk ’55
Lorraine LaCoy ’56
Sandra Hinze Newman ’56
Valerie Apel Dryden ’57
Sister Noreen Burke OP ’58
Mary Ann Conte ‘59
Sister Anne Monahan OP ’59
Sister Thomas Monahan OP ’59
Sister Anne Cenci OP ’60
Sister Leontia Cooney OP ’60
Sister Maureen Fay OP ’60
Sister Helen Laier OP ’60
Sister Arlene Seckel OP ’60
Sister Patricia McCarty OP ’61
Sister Jeannine McGorray OP ’61
Sister Kathleen Sutherland OP ’61
Sister Mary Tindel OP ’61
Sister Helen Mayer OP ’62
Sister Marie Parker OP ’62
Elizabeth Birnstihl ’63
Donna Puehler ’63 MA
Sister Sarah Fergus OP ’64
Sister Dorothea Gramlich OP ’64
Dean Lange ’64
Alice Arnett ’65
Sister Mary Rieman OP ’65
Matilda Szarlotetta ’66
Sister Sharon Beckmann OP ’67
Nancy Heavey ’67
Sister Mary Moran OP ’67
Jerome Kujawa ’68
Mauree McKaen ’68
Linda Hansen ’70
Sister Therese McCall OP ’70
Sister Carol Dulka OP ’71
Jim Kerekes ’73
John Frayer ’74
Jacqueline Osgood ’75
John Warner ’76
Michael Bull ’77
Mary Ann McRobert ’79
William Sissen ’79
Roberta Ludwig ’80
Ann Hughes ’82
Catherine Mascarin ’82
Barbara Meyer ’82 AA
David Sharpe ’82
Eugene Morrow ’84
Mary Nessler ’84
Jennifer Funk ’85
Paul Dzyak ’86
Marta Marsh Gilson ’87
Elizabeth Klinker Peck ’88
James Lambertus ’90
Diane Powe-Reister ’90 (Metro Detroit)
William Seguin ’90
Danny Hooker ’91
Andrew Kozal ’91
Jennifer Bladzik ’92
William Coulter ’93
Rebecca Powers ’95
Jeannette Stersic ’95
Elizabeth Maxwell ’95, ’99 MA (Metro Detroit)
Carmen Traub ’96 MA
Alyson Rich ’97
Walter Stachura Jr. ’01
Marybeth Cottington ’07
Ryan Proxmire ’16
Mitchell Prater ’18

Deaths—Friends

Bob Badra—Adjunct faculty at Kellogg Community College, Lake Michigan College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College from 1995-2017.

Don Christensen—SHU online course designer.

Sister Jane Farrell, IHM—History faculty member who chaired the humanities division in the early to mid-1970s.

Stephen Fried—Adjunct faculty at SHU’s Monroe County Community College from 1991-2012.

Jack Jesse—Clinical Mental Health Counseling faculty member.

Paul Mannino—Former adjunct faculty in Southfield and Monroe campuses from 1998-2012.

Marilyn Okos—Former director at SHU’s Kellogg Community College Center.

Craig Sidelinger II—Former adjunct faculty for Online Program.