K. CLARKE CRANDELL ’64

J. RONALD “STAR” CAREY ’61

Bucknell Village was constructed post-war to house married GIs coming to Bucknell on the GI Bill. The central drive branched out right and left with more than a dozen buildings, each three units long. Each apartment (which rented for $25 a month in 1962-63) had a kitchen with laundry hookups, a large living room with a kerosene space heater, two bedrooms and a bath.

I recall the tub (as well as the bathroom itself) slanted away from the drain, so I had to scoop the last water uphill so it would drain. Otherwise, it might freeze overnight in the tub. And, yes, that kerosene space heater was inadequate, challenging and dangerous, but it came with the apartment.

Our appliances were very used models purchased from previous tenants, sold on to the next ones when we left. Picture a refrigerator up on legs with the compressor on top.

The community of residents was wonderful, mostly married students, most with a child and a dog. There was communal gardening and babysitting. There was fencing off the ends of two facing units so six apartments could run their dogs or children safely right out their back doors. All the mailboxes were lined up at the gateway to Route 15, and it was a gathering place for collecting the day’s mail, chatting or talking to the cows who came curiously over from their pasture to check on us.

Both my husband and I were full-time students; therefore, we tried to arrange our schedules so one of us was always home with our daughter. I remember careening downhill on my bike after an early class to hand it off to him to pedal furiously uphill for his next class.

Bucknell Village — with its reasonable cost, the support of students, our garden plot and the local farmers market — made it possible for both of us to continue our education and graduate on time. We remember it fondly and still hear from friends we made there over 60 years ago.

BARBARA “BONNIE” HAWK BARNEY ’63

We were recently at Bucknell showing our grandson the campus, and he commented on how nice the Mods were. What a surprise to read they will be replaced. A bit of nostalgia! Seems like yesterday!

Neal I. Fagin ’61

Photo: Courtesy of Lisa Blockus Brown

I am grateful that my mother and the other female students of her generation persevered. They laid the groundwork for generations of women engineers to come. Thank you for honoring these trailblazers by empowering today’s engineering students, surrounding them with role models and equipping them with the skills needed to actualize their career aspirations. There are still ceilings left to break!

Lisa Blockus Brown ’92

Transforming Access

The center, which is scheduled to be fully operational by fall 2023, will focus on students from Bucknell’s pathway scholarship programs: The Gateway Scholars Program, The Charles T. Bauer Scholars Program, The Posse Scholars Program, The Langone and Langone-Walling Scholarships, and The Bucknell Community College Scholars Program.

‘Equity is Everyone’s Work’

Edghill-Walden has more than 30 years of higher education academic leadership experience. She has served in her current position at NIU since June 2020, and also served as interim chief human resources officer for a year during that tenure. She previously served at NIU as senior associate vice president for academic diversity and chief diversity officer for five years.

“I am thrilled that Dr. Edghill-Walden is returning to lead us in the area of equity and inclusive excellence, particularly since she played such a significant role in that area as a student leader,” says President John Bravman. “She brings a vast amount of academic leadership experience, and we look forward to her guidance as we address key strategic goals in equity and inclusive excellence.”

Holding Court

Despite being raised in a Bucknell household, Shaffer grew up near Cincinnati and didn’t visit the campus until her junior year of high school when Bucknell’s basketball team began recruiting her.

Shaffer has been a standout player since at least the sixth grade, when she led her team to an Amateur Athletic Union national championship. As her squad defeated teams from as far away as Alaska, colleges began to take notice.

Bucknell offered Shaffer more than just the chance to play Division I sports. Shaffer recognized that Bucknell’s academic opportunities would prepare her for an array of careers once her time on the court ended.

BOTANICAL BUZZ

A Rare Find

While walking through Australia’s remote Outback in 2019, Bucknell biologists spotted an unusual plant. Further study revealed that it was a new, undocumented species of an Australian bush tomato.

The discovery: Chris Martine, David Burpee Professor in Plant Genetics & Research, first found the plant with colleagues on a trip to Judbarra National Park in 2019. Back in Lewisburg, Martine gave seeds collected from the specimen to Tanisha Williams, Richard E. and Yvonne Smith Post-Doctoral Fellow in Botany, and Jonathan Hayes ’21, who led in the care and study of the offspring used to confirm the new species.

The find: Martine happened upon the exotic plant along a steep trail near a set of stone steps. Inspired by that spot and the ladder-like prickles that adorn the plant’s flowering stems, he and his colleagues selected the name Solanum scalarium. In Latin, “scalarium” translates to “ladder,” “staircase” or “stairs.” Solanum is the largest genus in the nightshade family and includes potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes.

Turning this utopian ideal from wish to reality may seem like, well, wishful thinking. But there are no better places to dream big — and make big changes — than in our cities.

According to the United Nations, 55% of the world’s current population lives in urban areas, and that number is projected to rise to 68% by 2050. “Cities are engines of growth — people move to them to get better life opportunities,” says Professor Ritwika Biswas, geography. “But our society remains unequal. If we really want to restructure society and address those inequities, our starting point has to be cities.”

n idyllic Frank Capra-esque winter scene of Pittston, Pa., with a cherry-red streetcar passing by a bustling Main Street dotted with storefronts, theatres and bank buildings is captured in a painting that occupies prominent wall space in the office of Mayor Michael Lombardo ’86, M’88.

“That piece serves as a reminder of Pittston’s heyday and as a source of inspiration for future possibilities,” he says of his hometown, which lies along the Susquehanna River between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Lombardo has orchestrated an urban revival in this 1.7-square-mile city of about 7,500 people, many of them descendants of anthracite miners and garment industry workers. From the moment you turn onto Main Street from any of the alleys coming from the residential areas of town, the heart of Pittston spills open like a movie set.

Where ghostly, abandoned warehouses and shuttered storefronts scarred the business district just 20 years ago, a vibrant Main Street corridor has taken shape with restaurants, retail establishments, residential units, colorful murals of Pittston’s heroes and icons, and public artwork by local artists. One of Lombardo’s many stretch goals is to have more public art per square inch in Pittston than any other city in the country.

The Right Help at the Right Time

It didn’t take long after my arrival at Stanford to discover that I was no longer the smartest kid in the room. After years of acing my classes while rarely cracking a book, I found myself surrounded by better-prepared classmates who also knew how to study. It was devastating, and being so far away from my family made things even worse.

But in my sophomore year, I took a course with a professor who changed my life. Buoyed by his guidance and encouragement, I switched my major to his field, where I thrived. He became my undergraduate adviser, and later my doctoral adviser, and then my colleague on the faculty — and we remain close to this day.

Community Charms and Challenges

These idyllic streetscapes could be an authentic representation of community pride, but the emergence of place-based groups — like a Main Street organization or business improvement district — could also be behind the curation of the look and feel that draws you in and, ultimately, helps those working and living in that area thrive.

“These groups can be both efficient and effective at tackling place-based challenges and promoting economic development in urban, rural and even suburban areas,” says Jennifer Smolko Vey ’93, a senior fellow and director of the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at the Brookings Institution. “But for as many benefits as these organizations provide, they can also be controversial: Some believe they can exacerbate disparities between communities.”

IN MEMORIAM

Rev. James Hammerlee

Photo: Special Collections/University Archives

In 1966, Hammerlee began a prolific 26-year career at Bucknell. Over the course of his tenure, he served as executive secretary of the Christian Association (CA); adviser to international students; director of student activities and the University Center; coordinator of cultural events and summer conferences; director of the Weis Center for the Performing Arts; University chaplain; and assistant to the president. He received the Burma-Bucknell Bowl Award in 1978 in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

As a pastor, Hammerlee officiated many Bucknell weddings, including Jim Morrell ’74 and Karen Olsson Morrell ’74, who established a scholarship in Hammerlee’s honor in 2000. The Morrells developed such a lasting relationship with Hammerlee that both of their daughters (including Katherine Morrell Munneke ’04, who married Ryan Munneke ’04) requested he officiate their weddings.

“Jim always had his door open and a pot of coffee going,” Karen says. “He was welcoming, enthusiastic and positive, so you just wanted to spend time with him and get on board with whatever he was doing. He and his wife, Betty, always invited students into their home. After we graduated, we kept in touch with them and visited regularly. He was part of some of the most special occasions of our lives.”

Virginia ‘Ginny’ Moriarty P’79, P’86, P’94, G’11, G’19

Photo: Special Collections/University Archives

She and her husband, Edmond N. Moriarty Jr., served as University trustees — Ed from 1984 to 1997, and Ginny from 1999 to 2002, when she was named a trustee emerita. During her years of service, Ginny provided insight and counsel as a member of trustee committees on Complementary Activities, Educational Policy, Greek Affairs and University Relations.

After she graduated from Syracuse University in 1951, Ginny worked as a home economist for General Foods. She met Ed in 1956, and they began building a life together that would include seven children, 17 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She and Ed were married for 41 years when he passed away in 1997.

Although neither Ginny nor Ed attended Bucknell, they developed a deep affection for the University while three of their children — Kathleen Moriarty Skiff ’79, Patricia “Trish” Moriarty Parisi ’86 and J.D. Moriarty ’94 — were students. After Ed’s passing, Ginny and her children organized a family foundation that supports charitable and academic institutions, including Bucknell.

The Moriarty Investment Center was dedicated in 2001, first residing in Taylor Hall. In 2021, the investment center found a new home with the opening of Holmes Hall, where it continues to enhance learning opportunities for all students, particularly those in the Freeman College of Management. This state-of-the-art facility provides Bucknell students in-depth experience with leading technology and software used by investment professionals.

Image: Adapted from Envato

See for Yourself

by Brooke Thames

This past fall, 12 new videos were added to the collection, as well as Spanish-language captions and transcripts for the full tour, rounding out the virtual experience as a complete and inclusive look at what being a Bucknellian is all about — from the food to the clubs to the endless avenues for academic and artistic discovery.

Accessible by clicking or tapping on a marker on the map, the virtual tour’s fresh video content features real students walking viewers through innovative learning and living spaces across the University. Step inside an active chemistry lab in the Rooke Science Center. See the view from center stage at the Weis Center for the Performing Arts and Harvey M. Powers Theatre. Or scope out the cardio stations, weight machines and Olympic-sized pool in the Kenneth G. Langone Athletics & Recreation Center.