Warren Herrold '41
Stephanie Haase '60 Moore
Joseph "Jay" Snyder '64
Jayanthi Jayawardena '96 Wolf

The Care Deliverer

Dr. Warren Herrold '41

By his own account, Dr. Warren Herrold '41 says he simply would not have gone to college had it not been for Susquehanna University. But to college he went, his undergraduate years leading to medical school and then a successful family medicine practice of more than 50 years.

Growing up in Port Trevorton, Pa., Herrold and his brothers were an integral part of their father's family business. In order to produce enough income to put his sons through college, the senior Herrold needed the help of his sons. So going away to college was not an option for them. Fortunately for the boys, not far up the road was Susquehanna University. The proximity of Susquehanna allowed the Herrold brothers to attend college (Warren, George '25, James '28, and Lewis '30 Herrold) while still working in the family store before and after class.

While Herrold acknowledges that he and brothers helped as much as they could, he says it was their father who made the biggest sacrifice. "We worked but it was nothing compared to my dad. He did everything he could to put us boys though college," he says. To honor their father and mother, Warren and his brothers established the John C. and Sally Herrold Scholarship.

After Susquehanna, Herrold headed to Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and then began his practice in Mt. Wolf, Pa. He estimates that he delivered more than 1,500 babies during his career, many of them at home. Herrold was one doctor who made house calls - not just in the early days, but throughout his career.

Why, in an age when house calls are all but unheard of, did he provide such a service? "I love the people I took care of, if someone needed me to come to their house, how could I say no?" Herrold says.

That love was certainly reciprocated, as was evident at a retirement celebration for Dr. Herrold in 2000 where hundreds of people from Mt. Wolf gathered to honor the man who cared for them and their families for decades. Herrold is quick to acknowledge those that made it possible for him to have such a career, including his brother Lewis, who was a fellow physician and a partner in Herrold's practice. He also remembers a special young nurse at York Hospital he met early in his career; before her passing in 2003, Warren and June Herrold were married for 58 years.

"All my success is because of June. This job is 24/7. June raised our five children so I could have a career. I miss her 100 percent," Herrold says.

Dr. Warren Herrold will be recognized with an Alumni Service Award on Sunday, October 7, during Homecoming Reunion Weekend 2007.

-Mary Cammarata Markle

 

A Superlative Volunteer

Stephanie Haase '60 Moore

"Can you help?" is a question that Susquehanna alumni will on occasion be asked by their alma mater. Time and time and time again, the response from Stephanie "Steffie" Haase '60 Moore has been, "Yes." Her involvement with Susquehanna has flourished after graduation, having served with the Alumni Association, on the Alumni Board, with the Alumni Parent Admissions Network (APAN), and as her class 25th reunion chair.

"I'm always just happy being a worker," Moore says, simply. When prodded, she shares her memories of a time before Greek houses lined the avenue, when there were about 500 students at the university and only two sororities, of which one - Alpha Delta Pi - she was a member. Her volunteerism was born there, in the sorority service activities.

More connections to Susquehanna emerge. It was here that Moore met her husband, Gary '61. Their first child, Scott '83, who unfortunately succumbed to a recurrent illness at twenty-nine, also attended Susquehanna, where he was extremely happy.

Early on, to tend to her son's health, Moore opted to be a homemaker. But not only did she tend to her family, she often volunteered or did substitute work, so much so that people began calling. She served on the local library board, catered, helped in church and in friends' offices, and served as a substitute teacher. And then one day Susquehanna called.

As she discusses her involvement with APAN, it's clear that Moore takes great pleasure in volunteering for her alma mater. Participation in the group allows the Wilton, Conn., resident to represent the university in its recruitment efforts. She enjoys telling parents how their children would benefit from a Susquehanna University experience.

How has Susquehanna changed her life? There are the obvious answers: meeting her husband, opportunities for service, her overall college experience. "I really didn't expect college to be as wonderful as it turned out," Moore admits, laughing.

She adds, "During my second or third year, a new president came, and that was wonderful because there were a number of us who were involved in getting Dr. Weber known and getting to know him and his wife." When asked if the welcoming students were part of a student organization, Moore answers, "No, just active students."

And "active" is what Moore has remained.

Stephanie Moore will be recognized with an Alumni Service Award on Sunday, October 7, during Homecoming Reunion Weekend 2007.

-Amanda Cherian '03
Cherian teaches writing at Washington University in St. Louis.

Calling the Shots

Joseph "Jay" Snyder '64

Whether on the battlefields of Vietnam or in the umpire's chair at Wimbledon, Joseph "Jay" Snyder '64 has never been afraid to put his life or judgments on the line.

That fearless attitude has parlayed into tremendous opportunities for the former English major whose career has spanned military and government service, globe-trotting work as a tennis official, and a post as director of the U.S. Open.

"I guess I couldn't hold a job," jokes Snyder, who graduated from Susquehanna's peaceful campus to Army jump school and a tour in Vietnam.

During his year as a rifle platoon leader, Snyder sustained two battlefield injuries. The second wound sent him to Pennsylvania's Valley Forge military hospital, where his "pen pal" came to visit, with happy results.

"Jeanne and I have been married 40 years," he laughs.

After serving as a public relations officer for the Army's Golden Knights Parachute Team, Snyder found a spot on Pennsylvania Governor Ray Shafer's staff, launching a career in public service that culminated with leadership of the state's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, which helps disabled individuals live independently.

"Disabled people just need a chance to get past that first barrier to work," Snyder says. "You really could see results."

Meanwhile, the former Crusader tennis player maintained a parallel career as a tennis official. In fact, Snyder was one of the first truly professional tennis referees, certified in the early 1980s at a school supported by Arthur Ashe.

Since then, Snyder has traveled the world, from Paraguay to Australia to Seoul, calling shots at the Davis Cup, the Olympics, Wimbledon, and the French Open - where his language "crib sheet" blew away just before his first match, leaving Snyder language impaired.

In 1993, the Harrisburg, Pa., resident was recruited to serve as director of the $200 million U.S. Open, a post he held until semi-retirement in 2002. "That was like being captain of a ship," he says.

Although his passports overflow with stamps, Snyder stays close to the university.

Jay Snyder will be recognized with an Alumni Leadership Award on Sunday, October 7, during Homecoming Reunion Weekend 2007.

-Beth Fantaskey Kaszuba

 

Honored Grad Guards Health

Jayanthi Jayawardena '96 Wolf

While making the world a better place may be the stereotypical goal of the altruistic college graduate, Jayanthi Jayawardena '96 Wolf can actually say that she has done so. As a research fellow at Merck & Co. Inc., Wolf has, among other achievements, contributed to the development and marketing of a vaccine which prevents the transmission of some forms of the cervical cancer-causing human papillomavirus, or HPV.

At Merck, Wolf says, "Our goal is to develop vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs." The HPV vaccine to which she contributed, GARDASIL(TM), is the first vaccine which guards against cervical cancer.

Wolf has served as toxicology program manager for six products in development. She has also written sections of marketing applications for new drugs and responded to questions from international regulatory agencies reviewing the substances.

Wolf chose to major in biochemistry at Susquehanna out of a desire to make contributions to human health. There, Wolf said, she gained "a strong foundation to pursue a graduate education in the life sciences" and connected with many science professors and classmates "whose friendships have been a tremendous source of support and inspiration." Chief among these is her husband, Kurt Wolf '99.

Wolf went on to study cellular immunology at Princeton, where she was selected to be a visiting graduate student at the Curie Institute in Paris. Shortly after holding a prestigious fellowship at Princeton University and receiving her Ph.D. in molecular biology in 2001, she was hired as a senior research biochemist at Merck.

There, Wolf says, "I use the scientific knowledge that I learned in undergraduate and graduate school and apply it to products that are in the development pipeline." She has been recognized by Merck with an achievement award and a Key Contributor Award for her work with GARDASIL(TM).

"It's a very rewarding experience to see a vaccine that we've been working on for many years be launched as a product that will make a difference to the health of women worldwide," Wolf says.

Jayanthi Jayawardena '96 Wolf will be recognized with a Young Alumni Award on Sunday, October 7, during Homecoming Reunion Weekend 2007.

-Erin Markel '07