Lehigh University: Alumni

 

     

2008 Honor Roll of Alumni Club Volunteers Nominees

Sarah (Jones) Girotti '93	Richard D. "Dick" Schmidt '42
Jen Crimmins Keen '96	Kent Snyder '53
Charlie Lieb '70	Sandy Stelling '91
Walter L. "Pat" Moran II '52

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Sarah (Jones) Girotti ’93
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, March 2006

Over the past six years, Sarah (Jones) Girotti '93 has paved the way for making the Lehigh Club of Boston into one of the most successful clubs to date. A member of the Boston Club for more than five years prior to her current role as president, she continues to bring new and exciting events to the area. The Living the Legacy Scholarship Reception was instituted under her leadership, and traditional club activities such as the well-attended Red Sox games have been abundant.

Girotti graduated cum laude with a BA in psychology and a minor in English. During her four years on South Mountain, she was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta and LUV, and was a Peer counselor. She went on to receive a job as a paralegal with Hale and Dorr in Boston from 1993-1995 before attending graduate school at New York University, where she earned an MA in elementary education and special education in 1997. Girotti then became a teacher with Beverly public schools from 1997 to 1999 and eventually an educational consultant with Imperial Software from 1999 to 2002. She is currently living in Winchester, Mass., with her husband, Gary, and her two children, Emily (2 years old) and Justin (4 months old).

She chose to attend Lehigh after she became hooked by the beautiful campus during an East Coast college tour with her parents. "Over the course of 1,000 miles, 20 universities, and two weeks, I saw it all — but fell in love with Lehigh the moment I stepped on campus. I felt instantly at home and found the Lehigh family adage to be true immediately. I returned to Boston and filled out my application immediately! Lehigh was the only university I applied to!" When asked about a specific professor, activity, or experience that made an impact on her college career, Girotti fondly remembered her freshman-year English professor who embraced different ways of thinking in the classroom. "She listened to us carefully, accepted our different perspectives, and even invited us to her home for a celebratory end-of-semester dinner. I try to replicate the respect and faith she showed in each of us in my daily interactions with others, as I remember how powerful an impact it had on me." She also recounted fun memories of a beautiful fall day when the musician Meatloaf came to Sayre Park and she spent time dancing and singing with her new friends.

Girotti says that her Lehigh experience has meant everything to her. "Every day I find myself tapping into different aspects of my Lehigh experience — facing challenges with an open mind, or a phone call to an old friend ... through working for my community, or planning an Alumni Club activity, Lehigh is never far from my mind — or my heart."

Jen Crimmins Keen ’96
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, March 2006

Jennifer Crimmins Keen '96 has contributed many years of hard work and dedication to the Lehigh Club of Boston by being active in every aspect of it. She has held every position imaginable, including Alumni Admissions Outreach coordinator, president, and secretary. Other positions she has held in the university are alumni admissions interviewer, Lehigh University Alumni Association board of directors, co-chair of the reunion committee, and class agent.

Crimmins Keen graduated with a BS in finance and was very active in varsity track and field throughout her four years, serving as team captain her senior year, and played varsity soccer her freshmen year. She also received the Track & Field Coaches' Award, the ECAC Senior Merit Award and the Patriot League Academic Achievement Award, and she is a former school record holder for indoor track. Upon graduation, she accepted a job with Mellon Private Asset Management as a senior trust specialist until 1998, when she began working as an investment associate for Bank Boston. In 1999, she accepted a job with PNC Advisors as vice president and portfolio manager, which is the position she holds today. Along the way, Crimmins Keen received her Chartered Financial Analyst designation, or CFA. She currently lives in Plainville, Mass., with her husband, Thomas (TJ) R. Keen Jr., where she volunteers for the Big Sister Association and is a frequent platelet donor for the American Red Cross.

When asked why she came to Lehigh, she explained that its outstanding academic reputation, excellent business programs and Division I sports program brought her to South Mountain. Her college athletic career ultimately had the greatest impact on her life at and away from Lehigh. "It required a large commitment to participate in and excel at a Division I team that practiced and competed six days a week, from the beginning of the school year until final exams in the spring. Along with fantastic memories of friends and competitions, it helped me learn time management techniques that I still use to this day."

Crimmins Keen's best memories are those of hanging out with friends after class and parties on the Hill, but overall, simply enjoying her time on campus. "These relationships and memories bring me a great sense of satisfaction and joy, and I am happy that I can be involved in such a fine institution and promote our school among those in the Boston area."

Looking back at her time at Lehigh, Crimmins Keen has nothing but warm feelings. "I can't imagine myself having received such a great education with such a talented and friendly group of people anywhere else! The Lehigh family is one that I will cherish forever!"

Charlie Lieb ’70
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, December 2006

The Lehigh Home Club has been extremely successful because of the dedication, innovation and leadership of Charlie Lieb, who has served as president from 2001 to 2006.

Charlie earned his BS in marketing from Lehigh in 1970, graduating with honors and as an ECAC Scholar Athlete. He went on to obtain his MBA from Lehigh in 1971. As an undergraduate, Charlie played football and in 1969, was honored as team MVP, All-American, and All-ECAC. He was also an active member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

Upon graduating, Charlie pursued a career in the business world serving as manager of purchases for Westinghouse Furniture Systems (WFS) from 1980 to 1984 and then as vice president of customer resources for WFS from 1984 to 1992. He then moved on to serve as vice president of North America operations for WFS through 1996 and, since then, has served as vice president of North America product development and engineering for Knoll, Inc. During this time, Charlie was also very active in his community. He served on the Gettysburg Kiwanis board of directors from 1978 to 1980 and from 1986 to 1990, held a position on the board of directors for the Kent County Red Cross of Michigan and the Grand Rapids Boy Scouts of America.

As an alumnus, Charlie has been extremely involved, serving as treasurer and vice president of the Lehigh Club of Pittsburgh from 1971 to 1978, in addition to his involvement with the Lehigh Home Club. In 1980, he received the Young Alumnus Award, at his 10-year Lehigh Reunion, in recognition of his hard work and commitment. Charlie has also served on the board of advisors for the College of Business and Economics since 1998, and the Greek Advisory Council since 2004.

Charlie said that he chose Lehigh not only for the strong athletic program and the academic challenge but also because of the people he met on campus visits and the alumni he encountered during the recruiting process. Charlie recounted numerous professors and role models who inspired him and instilled strong values of commitment, risk-taking and perseverance, which he feels have directly contributed to his success and moral character. He shared many wonderful memories of his years as an undergraduate, from Saturday morning classes, learning the real meaning of fraternal bond, great athletic matches, and "saying goodbye to classmates/friends on graduation day, knowing they will never be far in mind or spirit, and 'there' if I needed them." As an alumnus, Charlie has delighted in maintaining and strengthening these bonds, as well as enjoying meeting Lehigh alumni all over the world, and "having the opportunity to help (in a very small way) keep Lehigh all it can be for alumni and undergraduates."

Charlie says that his Lehigh education has been crucial in preparing him for his success in life. He praises Lehigh as an environment where students are "taught to think, to ingest course matter, to reason, to suffer and fail, yet rise again, to grow socially, to discover diversity in many forms and appreciate and endure opposing points of view; these things form the basis of your life and your life's work."

Charlie and his wife, Kathy, live in Bethlehem and are the proud parents of Allison, who graduated from Lehigh in 2006 with a BS in accounting, and Emily. While Charlie will be missed as president, his involvement and achievements will not be forgotten!

Walter L. "Pat" Moran II ’52
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, July 2006

Lehigh shines for alumni in southern Arizona because of its dedicated Alumni Club president, Walter L. "Pat" Moran II '52. As an alumnus, Pat has contributed a great deal of time and energy to the university, serving not only as president of the Southern Arizona Club, but also as president of the Lehigh Regional Club of Northern New Jersey in the 1960s. Upon graduating from Lehigh in 1952 with a BS in business administration, Pat went on to excel in his chosen field. From 1955 to 1992 he worked as a self employed manufacturing representative covering the entire East Coast. He was recognized for his achievements in "Who's Who in American Business and Commerce" in 1990.

Pat says he chose Lehigh for his undergraduate studies because it was "close, but not too close, small (2,500 in 1948) and well rated and had a nice fit and feel." While at Lehigh, he was extremely active, serving as president of NSA, president of Alpha Kappa Psi and a member of Scabbard and Blade, and he was honored as a Distinguished Military Student. He remembered Professor Elmer Bratt of the business school as being extremely influential on his Lehigh experience by serving as a mentor, counselor and friend, particularly during his years as president of Alpha Kappa Psi.

Pat recounted many wonderful memories of his undergraduate years, most pivotally his realization during his junior and senior years that 'I was in the place I should be, that I was bright and well equipped to face the 'real world.' Lehigh has the knack of preparing students to excel, not just compete." He also reflected on how Lehigh has affected his success in life, both personally and professionally, and credits Lehigh for preparation for success in the competitive world.

Pat currently lives with his wife, Daz, in southern Arizona. He continues to bring great pride and honor to his alma mater through his professional success as well as his continued dedication and service to Lehigh.

Richard D. "Dick" Schmidt ’52
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, July 2006

Lehigh may be far from his Fountain Hills, Ariz., home but it’s never far from Lehigh Club of Arizona President Richard D. "Dick" Schmidt's heart! Schmidt earned his BS in business from Lehigh in 1952, where he was a member of Delta Upsilon and served as its president in 1951. He also was the manager of the football team during his four undergraduate years and became head manager in 1951.

Upon graduating, Dick went on to pursue a career in the business world, working at Brook Chevrolet in Bound Brook, N.J., from 1952 to 1960 as a sales manager. He then embarked on a 37-year career at Executone, working his way up in sales to become the manager of the health care sales division. He relocated with Executone over the years from New Jersey to Denver, until finally settling in Arizona in 1988. There, he continued to work in the health care sales division, becoming a sales trainer in addition to becoming the regional manager for western distribution. In 2002, he embarked on a new ambition, owning, as well as working for, the Executive Delivery Service in Fountain Hills, Ariz., which delivers for title companies all over the Phoenix area.

When not busy with his extensive career, Dick has stayed extremely involved in his community through countless organizations and leadership positions. He served most recently as chairman of the Fountain Hills Parks and Recreation Commission, overseeing a $25,000 campaign for night-time lights to contribute to ADOG, a dog park support organization.

Dick said he chose to study at Lehigh because it had a "great reputation, right size, near to home, yet far away from home, had a beautiful campus and a highly rated business program." His best memories from Lehigh included many great professors, in particular Aurie Dunlap of the history department for influencing his views on involvement in the community and politics. He credits much of his interest in "success" to his involvement with the Lehigh football team and said it was inspirational "seeing the program develop from many years of mediocrity, getting better when I arrived at Lehigh, and culminating with an undefeated season and a national ranking." This experience helped him realize that with good planning and great teamwork, anything can be a success.

His most treasured memories were his experiences with being a member of Delta Upsilon. He says that living with "35 different, enjoyable, hard working, hard-partying, involved-with-everything guys was perhaps my defining time at Lehigh." Dick says there is hardly a day that Lehigh does not pop into his head, and he has valued his years and experiences as an alumnus.

Dick Schmidt currently lives with his wife, Carolyn, in Arizona, and continues to be extremely active in his career, community and commitment to Lehigh. He epitomizes the role of a devoted alumnus, and we are delighted to recognize him for all that he has done.

Kent Snyder ’53
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, December 2006

The energetic nature of the Lehigh Club of Western Carolina is due in large part to the enthusiasm and dedication of club President J. Kent Snyder '53. He has been the driving force behind the activeness of the club over the past several years and continues to plan and execute cultural and educational events for the alumni in the area.

Kent's main priority in choosing an undergraduate institution was that it boast a strong engineering program and was a reasonable distance from his home in Staten Island, N.Y. He found that at Lehigh and graduated in 1953 with a BS in mechanical engineering. All of the professors in the mechanical engineering department, especially Professor James Epps, had an astounding impact on his education, as well as the chair of the math department, Professor George Raynor, and Professor Frank Fornoff in the chemistry department. He describes his undergraduate years as "a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun" and was appreciative of his fellow classmates who were "wonderful, especially the returning WWII veterans." Kent went on to later earn an MS in math from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1968.

After leaving Lehigh, Kent embarked on his engineering career with several different companies, including Engineer Worthington Corporation in Harrison, N.J., from 1953 to 1956, Foster Wheeler Corporation in New York City from 1956 to 1969, Ford Instrument Company in New York City from 1959 to 1960, Litton Corporation in New Rochelle, N.Y., from 1960 to 1964, General Electric in Cape Canaveral, Fla., from 1964 to 1969 (where he worked on the Apollo moon launch), and General Electric in Oklahoma City, Okla., from 1969 to 1970. After General Electric was sold to a variety of different companies, he stayed with all the successors as a disk drive reliability engineering manager from 1970 until he retired in 1998.

He feels that the Lehigh University name and reputation "was magical for getting a job. I learned a work ethic at Lehigh that was extremely useful all my life" and that his undergraduate experience was "a wonderful start for adult life, being equipped with an education appropriate for my chosen field."

As an alumnus, Kent became involved with his alma mater, especially the Alumni Clubs program in western Carolina, which was re-established in 2001. He held the role of vice president from 2003 to 2005 and then became president in 2005 and has been active in the role ever since. He was an integral part in the writing of the club's bylaws in 2003, as well as planning and executing several fall and spring luncheons and Lehigh vs. Lafayette telecast parties.

Along with the Lehigh Club of Western Carolina, Kent has been busy within his community. He has been active in Furman University's "Learning in Retirement" program, where he presided as curriculum chair for three years (also teaching a variety of courses), vice president from 2004 to 2005, and president from 2005 to 2006, as well as helping raise $500,000 toward a new building on campus, and he currently holds a membership role in the Education Task Force for Greenville Vision 2025. When Kent lived in Oklahoma, he was active as an evening adjunct instructor at Rose State College in Midwest City, Okla., for 12 years, held the role of president of the Oklahoma City section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), then became an ASQ Fellow in 1988, and was elected regional director of ASQ from 1988 to 1990.

Kent currently lives in Greenville, S.C., with his wife, Marge, and is the proud father of Edwin, Nancy, Laurence, Thomas and the late Kathleen. The Alumni Clubs program is grateful for the vigor and passion that Kent Snyder '53 has brought to his alma mater and the western Carolinas!

Sandy Stelling ’91
Nomination taken from LEHIGHLIGHTS, Oct. 2007

Sandy Stelling’s dedication to the Alumni Club of the Pacific Northwest is truly outstanding.  Sandy lives in Seattle, Wash., with her husband, Cliff, and two stepdaughters, Lauren (19) and Audrey (18).  Her contributions to the club have been countless since she joined in 1991. She has hosted many freshman acceptance and sendoff events, alumni happy hours and Lehigh/ Lafayette telecasts, and has even hosted Lehigh professor visits with alumni. Sandy has reached out to her community as well through involvement with the Washington State Women’s Soccer Association since 1994, and the Big Sisters of King County since 1998.  She has also attended the American Association of University Women's Expanding Your Horizons Conference in 1997 and 1998.

Sandy earned her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, graduating from Lehigh in 1991.  During her four years at the university, she established herself by acting as the president of Pi Tau Sigma, the mechanical engineering honor society. She was also an active member of the national engineering fraternity, Tau Beta Pi, the Society of Women Engineers, and the Lehigh Women’s Soccer Team.  She chose Lehigh for its outstanding reputation for engineering, and also remembers feeling extremely comfortable with both faculty and students on her visits to Lehigh’s beautiful campus.  Although she notes that many faculty members had an impact on her time at Lehigh, Sandy remembers three in particular who have resonated in her educational and personal life.  Professor Robert Wei’s mechanics class provided a challenging lesson, teaching Sandy how to really “think like an engineer.” She also credits her experience in Professor Perry Zirkel’s law class as an informative and liberating break from the engineering curriculum, and she has a strong personal relationship with Professor Terry Hart '68, who currently teaches at Lehigh.

Graduating on South Mountain on a warm early June day is one of Sandy’s fondest Lehigh memories.  “The personal sense of accomplishment was overwhelming,” she says. In her time as an alumna, Sandy has experienced a similar feeling of achievement when she ran a half-marathon in San Francisco in 2005.  Sandy speaks to the power of the event, noting, “The confidence that comes with accomplishment, after much hard work, is so empowering.” These memories would not have been possible without the contacts that she made during her time at Lehigh, many of whom continue to be some of her closest friends.

In her professional life, Sandy currently works with Alaska Airlines as a director of operations strategy and support.  She worked for the Boeing Company for eight years, and believes that her education has proven to be an invaluable tool in her “professional adventure.”  The Lehigh experience instilled in her many diverse talents, and a belief that she can do anything she sets her mind to.  Sandy finds Lehigh students and graduates to be exceptionally hardworking and driven people who are nurtured in a very unique environment.  She entered the professional world with “a superior education and a sense of responsibility to contribute (or do good) in our world.”  She believes Lehigh has prepared her well for this role.

The Lehigh Club of the Pacific Northwest and the Alumni Association are certainly grateful for all of Sandy’s time and efforts.  Her devotion to the club has allowed the members of the Lehigh family in Washington and Oregon to connect and reminisce.  Even though she is thousands of miles from campus, Sandy Stelling’s pride and spirit are strong and infectious, bringing some of the best things about Lehigh to the Pacific Coast.