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Daemen/Rosary Hill Alumni Association Names Distinguished Alumni for 2008
The Daemen College/Rosary Hill Alumni Association has named six individuals as its Distinguished Alumni for 2008. They are Eileen Rimar Hettich ‘74, Outstanding Service to the Community; Clifford Pyne ’93, and Fran McDonald ‘82, Career Advancement; JoAnne Rogers Szwejbka ‘61, Dedication to the College; and Annemarie George ’66, and Phyllis Krathaus ’98, ‘03 (posthumous), Distinguished Alumni for 2008.
Eileen Rimar Hettich ’74, is being honored for Outstanding Service to the Community. Eileen's impressive record of volunteer activities has directly served many people during her 38 years of volunteerism. She has been a troop leader for over a thousand young girls in the Girl Scouts and, in the process, has directly influenced their lives and responded to their needs. Eileen has taught religion to youngsters and has serviced the needs of all the members of the St. Benedict Parish for many years. She has been the driving force in raising over $90,000 for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, directly increasing the Society’s ability to assist the needy.
Eileen is a member of Board of Directors for the Avi Rosen Chantal Foundation, an organization which has raised over $350,000 to assist in paying excessive medical bills for those in need. She started a foundation to raise money so that more people could learn about organ donation in order to help save the lives of those who might otherwise not survive. Throughout her life, Eileen has been about helping others, particularly those in need. Whenever she has seen a need, she has done whatever could to respond to it. Moreover, Eileen's work experience has reflected her care for others: social worker for Catholic Charities, and Child and Family Services for fourteen years (she was a founding member of the Coalition of Emergency Providers Erie County Task Force on the Homeless); teacher and group facilitator for the Drinking Driver Program of the Niagara County Alcoholism Council; and Director of Alumnae Relations/Special Events Coordinator for the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart.
This year, the Daemen College/Rosary Hill Alumni Association will recognize two alumni for career advancement. Clifford Pyne ’93, recently retired after over 21 years of active military service in the United States Navy as a Nurse Practitioner, serving in an oncology practice in Newport News, Virginia. Pyne began his military career after his enlistment in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. After four years of active duty he transferred to the active reserves, and attended Delaware Technical and Community College to earn his associate's degree in nursing. Upon transferring to Buffalo within months after his graduation, he accepted a particularly challenging job for a novice nurse in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Buffalo General Hospital.
His work at BGH, and sincere desire to return to active duty military service, prompted him to enroll at Daemen to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, which he completed Summa cum Laude. After he was commissioned at his Daemen graduation ceremony as a Nurse Corps Officer in the Navy, he graduated from Officer Indoctrination School in Newport, Rhode Island; and moved with his young family to Rota, Spain, where he worked as a staff nurse at the Naval Hospital. During his tour in Rota, he also traveled to Sigonella, Sicily, to augment the Nursing Staff at that facility for a brief period.
Returning to the states, Pyne was stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, and became aware of the need for intensive outpatient care for patients with congestive heart failure. He subsequently initiated and coordinated a "Heart Failure Clinic" that resulted in substantial savings to the military, and improved access to care for the patients he served. During this time he pursued a Master's Degree as a Nurse Practitioner at the University of Maryland, a four hour commute (one-way) from his Virginia home and family, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Among many other career achievements, Pyne co-authored a book chapter, "Classification of Acute Coronary Syndromes Using 12-lead Electrocardiogram as a Guide," and has also written several professional articles, presented at state and national conferences, and recently accepted an invitation to serve as a guest lecturer for nursing students at Old Dominion University in Virginia.
Daemen’s second career advancement honoree, Fran McDonald ’82, is also a health care practitioner. Established in 1989, the McDonald Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation Center in South Bend, Indiana, has helped more than 30,000 patients. To accommodate a rapidly growing number of patients, McDonald built a large and complete center that includes some of the most sophisticated equipment available, augmented by a staff which provides progressive treatment for even the most challenging problems. McDonald Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation Center is one of the most respected physical therapy centers in the state, serving both business and government. The long list of clients includes Steel Warehouse; Notre Dame University; Martins; the City of South Bend; and patient referrals from more than 250 physicians and chiropractors.
In April of 1995, McDonald Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation Center opened a modern and innovative 13,000-square-foot facility, designed with both recovering patients and professional and amateur athletes in mind. Francis McDonald holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy from Daemen; a Bachelor of Arts in Pre-Professional Studies and Theology from Notre Dame University; and a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Boston University. He is a Registered Physical Therapist, State of Indiana; Certified in Functional Capacity Evaluation; a specialist in manual and orthopedic therapy; and is a former high school football, basketball, and baseball coach. McDonald is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, Sports, Orthopedic, and Private Practice Sections; United Society of Physiotherapists; and the Strength Training Society.
JoAnne Rogers Szwejbka ‘61, is the 2008 honoree for Dedication to the College. Most recently, Joanne graciously accepted the office of President of the Rosary Hill/Daemen College Alumni Association, Buffalo Chapter, for 2007 – 2008. She went on to demonstrate leadership, leading the Chapter Board of Directors in a range of innovative activities throughout her term. These included a program at Art Park during the summer of 2007 and direct involvement in the well-established Daemen College Film Series, done in conjunction with the Daemen English Department, with several alumni introducing films in the series. Joanne also picked up and enlarged upon traditional Chapter activities such as the Holiday gathering; the MusicalFare event; the Duns Scotus Lecture; and the Easter Bunny Brunch. As Chapter President, she was a member of the Alumni Association Board of Governors, and was also a member of the committee to select the Distinguished Alumni in 2007.
This year, the College celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Mass and Brunch on June 1. Joanne was an invaluable member of that committee, serving as Chair of the Music Committee for the Mass, locating an excellent soloist, and providing key advice in the selection of appropriate songs for the event. Demonstrating that no detail is too small, Joanne also worked to design and proof read the event’s program. Finally, during her four years as a student at Rosary Hill College, Szwejbka held several student leadership offices: Freshman – Class Vice President; Sophomore – Treasurer of Student Government; Junior – Recording Secretary Student Government; Senior – Student Government Vice President. Joanne also co-chaired the 40th reunion for Class of 1961.
Annemarie George ’66, and Phyllis Krathaus ’98, ‘03 (posthumous), are the recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Awards. Annemarie George has a long and distinguished record of involvement with the Daemen College/Rosary Hill Alumni Association. Most recently, she has been secretary for the Alumni Association Board of Governors, a position she has held since 2005. In that time she has reworked the criteria for the Distinguished Alumni Award to standardize the nomination process. She has, also, worked on her reunion activities and has been a loyal donor to the College for many years. In addition, Annemarie has helped with the College recruitment and has stayed a loyal alumna for many years.
Annemarie is a distinguished faculty member in the Music Department at Gannon University. In 1988, she was one of an elite group of 28 music educators from across the US to be invited to travel to China, to teach and instruct Chinese music educators for over a month, and she was one of just six professors from that group whose paper was chosen for presentation in Beijing. Most significantly, Annemarie was the only instructor whose presentation paper was published in China by the Chinese music educators. Several articles regarding this event were published in the PMEA Journal; it was also represented at major seminars at state and national music educator conferences.
During her tenure at Gannon, she has served as the founding director of the Schuster Gallery; the alumni recruitment program; the Creative Arts Program; and has written several articles printed in regional and national publications. In 2008, Annemarie was elected Chair of the Faculty Senate for Gannon University. Annmarie has served on community boards, including the Bayfront access Beautification Organization; Mercyhurst Prep Alumni Board; Eucharistic Minister for Holy Trinity Church; Erie Philharmonic Orchestra; and Curricula Development for the Erie School District, to name a few. Among many other career and professional achievements, Annemarie was on the founding National Board of Directors for the National Pastoral Musicians Association/Music Educators Division for six years, and was the first Eastern Regional Coordinator for the NPM as well.
The second recipient of the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award (posthumous) is Phyllis Ann Krathaus ’98, formerly Daemen College Bursar. It was with great sadness that the Daemen community noted Phyllis’ passing on November 28, 2007. She was a respected colleague, close friend to many, and an advocate for animal health and well being issues.
Phyllis began her Daemen career in 1985, in the Student Accounts Office as a Receivables Clerk. She was promoted in 1987 to Student Accounts Supervisor, and again in 2002 to Bursar. Throughout these 23 years, her devotion to the College remained a defining characteristic, one that was known to many. Phyllis focused on keeping the level of precision and efficiency high in her department, and always made time to assist co-workers and students.
After fitting in classes around a busy work schedule, she graduated from Daemen in 2003 with a Master of Science Degree in Global Business. She couldn’t have been more proud of her affiliations with the College and always represented it well.
Along with her love for family, she also had a lifelong passion to help animals, which was always on display – for her own dog and around a dozen or so cats, the birds and squirrels outside her window on the Daemen campus, and hundreds more that benefited from her efforts to help run a local shelter for cats. She was certified in animal first aid and was studying animal holistic medicine at the time of her death. Phyllis inspired, she cared, and she made a difference to many. During her final months of life, she tried to persevere over pain and sickness to do the things she loved, helping animals and serving the College. Her selfless attitude was amazing.