Class Notes

NEWS OF 1964 - Reunion May 21-22, 2004

From the Alumni House:

Arthur Grim has been elected president judge in Berks County. His responsibilities include overseeing court-related departments and assigning cases and chambers.

NEWS OF 1963

NEWS OF 1962

NEWS OF 1961

From Sam Maczko:

Gene Jani is coaching high school players in a prospects’ baseball league in Allentown. He travels from South Carolina to New England with his team during the summer and fall. The goal is to showcase student athletes for college scouts. I met Gene at a game in Randolph, N.J.

Joe Castellano, Ken Sepe, and I continued to play golf through the summer and into the fall. The three of us are well and enjoy retirement.

We joined Barry Gaal at the OGO Golf Tournament, September 26 at the Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course. The tourney raises money for the Gus Rampone Scholarship Fund. Barry still works at Lehigh University as vice president for business services. Other players from our years were Tony Matz ’59, Jim Kritis, Coach Charley Peters ’53, and Monk Morelli ’59.

On October 24, Ken, Joe, and I played in the Rocco Calvo Golf Tournament. Charley Peters and Bill Werpehowski ’51 joined Jim Kritis, an accomplished golfer. Monk Morelli and Jim Frank ’62 also played this one, which was held at Locust Valley Golf Club.

Then we stopped at the Old Brewery Tavern for nostalgic reasons. Sitting at the bar was George Hollenderski ’59, with a steak sandwich and a soft drink. We reminisced about our football days at Moravian. George retired from the U.S. Secret Service in 1986 and started his own security firm. He and his wife are retired and reside in Maryland, where they entertain the women’s softball team each year when they play in Salisbury, Md.

The three of us helped park cars for the Homecoming game, then spent time at the OGO table on the Houndfest field. Ken noticed that most of the people at Houndfest were not yet born when we were in college. (Ken is often a ray of sunlight.) Roy Goshorn ’58, Paul Noonan ’59, and Monk Morelli were the only people we recognized from our college days.

John Bregman celebrated the birth of another grandson. Also, his son Keith ’95 was married on October 11.

Please send me updates on your life since graduation. I’ve had a special request for information from Bruce Robertson.

NEWS OF 1960

From Peter French:

The years pass quickly. In June, I was sent an issue of the Allentown Morning Call with a long article about Gene Salay, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the ceasefire in Korea. It described Gene’s wartime experience and his capture by the North Koreans. He was severely wounded and was fortunate to return home. There was a picture of Gene making Bob Hope an honorary POW. After a long career in business, Gene has worked in veteran’s affairs and now is retired. All this made me wonder what Gene and his classmates who had also served in Korea must have thought of the 18-year-old freshmen they found on campus in the fall of 1956.

I continue to be in close contact with Bill Keller. He and Barbara (Johnson) have lived in Newtown for more than 30 years. Bill retired from the medical-supply business in the late ’90s after building two companies from scratch; Barb retired from teaching three years ago. Their two children are married, and there are three grandchildren and a fourth on the way. Bill and I talk on the phone a couple of times a week.

More news from Ted Wilde. In the last issue, I said he was retired. But there has been much more to his life over the years. It includes work in Guyana and Barbados, the study of international relations and economics at Yale University, and a master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary. He served as executive director of the Moravian Board of World Mission until he came to Prince of Peace Moravian Church as pastor in the ’90s. In this new century, Ted works in Miami/Dade County on public issues and a church-sponsored program assisting immigrants, while his wife, Margaret, teaches religion at Barry University. As Kipling would say: a life in which each minute has been filled with 60 seconds’ worth of distance run.

Please send more information on what you’re doing. Until next spring, from Florida.

NEWS OF 1959 - Reunion May 21-22, 2004

From Kathy Werst Detwiler:

Homecoming 2003 was everything an alum could desire: excellent presentations by Judith Share Yaphe ’66 and April Major ’93, tours of campus by faculty, time to reminisce with old friends, and an outstanding Houndfest and game. April is a former student of our own Joe Powlette ’60, longtime chair of the Physics Department. Roy Goshorn ’58, Monk Morelli, and Izzy Mahalakis all look terrific and are very involved with College activities. Peter Hall was a most pleasant setting for the Alumni Awards ceremony, and there was an outstanding Moravian College Archives exhibit in Payne Gallery (our old South Gym!).

The 50th reunion of Bethlehem High School’s Class of 1953, which included my husband, Wayne, provided an opportunity to chat with Walter Lilly, who is enjoying retirement.

I look forward to seeing you at our 45th reunion in May.

NEWS OF 1958

NEWS OF 1957

Stan Kunkle and his wife, Julie, moved from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Naples, Fla., in September 2002. Stan had practiced as a doctor in Grand Rapids since 1966. The last 14 years of his practice were entirely devoted to diseases and surgery of the eye. He retired in 1999. He served on the board of governors of the Osteopathic College of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, Head and Neck, then became its national president in 1984-85. He also spent many hours on the board of examiners for the field and received its Distinguished Service Award. He enjoys retirement: golf, reading, sports, crossword puzzles, and fitness.

Several class members celebrated the 50th reunion of Bethlehem High School’s Class of 1953 in October. What a terrific time we had, touring the old high school buildings and seeing the wonderful new classrooms and curriculum of Bethlehem Vocational High School. We also traveled by bus to see firsthand the changes in the city of Bethlehem.

I spent time with Jo-Anne Neuman Pessin and her husband, Herb, as well as Kathy Werst Detwiler ’59 and her husband, Wayne, a 1953 Bethlehem High School graduate, and Richard Wright, a graduate of the vocational division, and his wife, Barbara. Joan Schnable Haupert and her husband, Pete, returned from Europe in time for the reunion. I also had a chance to talk to Joan Sabol Langley, Shirley Kunsman Bilheimer, Katie Kapsalis Kehayas, Geraldine Schadle Haines, and Louise Kimminour Dunlap.

NEWS OF 1956

The Moravian women’s basketball team stepped off the plane in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and were greeted by a woman some knew in name but no one knew in person: Eurita Callwood ’70, who was the outstanding senior female athlete for her class year.

Eurita is descended from Caribbean tribes converted by Moravian Church missionaries in Colonial days. Over the last 200 years, many have sent their children to Moravian and Salem Colleges (in Winston-Salem, N.C.) for their education.

It was a pleasant surprise for us to have someone at the airport welcome us to the island. Eurita has been a loyal supporter of women’s basketball for years, but no one from the current team or coaching staff had met her in person. She joined us at our practice and was thrilled to sit on our bench as guest coach during our game against the University of the Virgin Islands. She had some inside information about their team and had taught one of the referees—but despite our secret weapon, we lost. But that didn’t dampen Eurita’s spirit. She came out to support us the next night as well!

On our last night in the islands, we took Eurita out to dinner to thank her for her hospitality. There we learned about her interesting life.

The first time she left St. Thomas was in 1966, when she came to Bethlehem to attend Moravian College. She was an active member of the campus community: a member of the Society for Black Initiative and secretary of United Student Government. She also played on the women’s basketball and badminton teams and tried lacrosse and field hockey for the first time.

After she graduated with a B.A. in English, she attended Moravian Theological Seminary for a year while continuing her athletic career playing for the semi-pro Crestettes in Allentown. She received a master’s degree from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, Richmond, Virginia, with which the Seminary had at that time a joint program.

An active member of the Moravian Church, Eurita first worked for the Moravian Church East/West Indies Province for four years as director of Christian education. Then she moved to the public schools and has been a junior high English teacher for 27 years in St. Thomas. She still keeps in touch with classmates, including Bertie Knisley ’69, director of alumni relations, and has been back to Bethlehem several times since graduation.

We tried to persuade her to come for this year’s alumni game, but we can’t blame her for choosing St. Thomas over Bethlehem in January! We look forward to returning to the Virgin Islands to spend time with our newfound fan and friend.

—Amy Endler ’93 and Mary Beth Spirk

Mary Beth Spirk is head women's basketball coach and Amy Endler is assistant women's basketball coach at Moravian College