RPTM Kudos and Announcements 02-01-05
Congratulations Alumni
Kyleigh DeMicco (’04), kdd117@psu.edu, past president of the RPTM Student Society and the NRPA Student Board Citizen Liasion, authored the article “The Push to Get Students Involved” which appeared in the Fall 2004 Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society Student Newsletter.
John Spencer (’98g ), jspencer@chesco.org, is a regional park ranger for the Chester County (Pennsylvania) Parks & Recreation Department and the park resource branch president for the Pennsylvania Recreation & Park Society (www.prps.org). John is also the interim president for the newly created Shaver’s Creek Alumni Interest Group of the Penn State Alumni Society.
Wade Gurysh (’97), wgurysh@sauconvalleycc.org, was named the head golf professional at the Knollwood Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. He will be relocating from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was an assistant golf professional at Saucon Valley Country Club. Wade also serves as the vice president of the Penn State PGM Affiliate Program Group.
Margaret Persia (’73), miskelly@ptdprolog.netmail, is an assistant professor at East Stroudsburg University in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Congratulations Students
David Walters, a Penn State soccer team captain this past season, was recently named to the NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-America team for outstanding athletic and academic performance. He received second team Scholar All-America honors and previously was named to the NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-East Region first team.
Congratulations Faculty
The Encyclopedia of Leisure and Recreation in America, co-edited by Garry Chick, was selected by the American Library Association’s Reference and User Services Division as one of 22 Outstanding Reference Sources for 2005.
Deb Kerstetter, along with Bill Hendricks, presented “Life as a Professor: Props for Your Peeps” at the Society for Park and Recreation Educators Teaching Institute at California State University in Sacramento in January 2005. The session identified characteristics of the current generation of students, recognizing their academic and social pressures, and ways to mentor them.
In the News
The January 26 issue of The Daily Collegian contained the article “Program Educates Africans on Health,” describing HealthWise, a program developed by Linda Caldwell and Ed Smith. The HealthWise curriculum is being used in Cape Town, South Africa, an impoverished area with high rates of substance abuse and HIV, to teach youth to use their free time in positive ways.
Sean O’Connor (’01), sdo107@pga.com, assistant golf professional at Augusta National Golf Club, was recognized in the January issue of Golf World Business Magazine as one of “The 25 Best Merchandisers.” Penn State Golf Shop was also listed as one of the “All Time 100 Best Golf Shops.”
*If you have accomplished something you would like to share with the RPTM crew, please notify me. Also, if you are aware of accomplishments or quotes by our alumni, students, or staff, please let me know so I can share the news. Thank you! – John Dattilo, Professor and Department Head jxd8@psu.edu