Pamela Gehron '74 Robey

Head Researcher

When Pamela Gehron '74 Robey was a biology major at Susquehanna, her science professors taught her to "follow her hunches instead of the crowd." Since then, her dedication to independent thinking has helped Robey make several important breakthroughs in the study of bone cell biology and diseases.

Today, Robey is chief of the Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, as well as head of the Skeletal Biology Section within that branch.

Among her achievements, Robey is known for pioneering a technique to grow bone cells that still retain their nature outside of the body, allowing scientists to isolate bone genes. Together with another scientist, she also further characterized skeletal stem cells - cells that manufacture the precursors to mature cells that are located in bone marrow.

Robey, who holds a Ph.D. in biology from The Catholic University of America, also has started clinical studies at the National Institutes of Health on a bone disease, seeking to understand how mutations alter bone stem cells. These mutated cells go on to create diseased mature cells, therefore causing the disease.

The researcher attributes her achievements to the training she received at SU. "The biology professors were just fantastic. They taught more from the literature than from textbooks, and they were really passionate about their work. It was just inspiring," Robey says.

She is also grateful to her literature professors. "They taught me how to write, and in science, writing is so important, because you have to communicate your results," she says.

On the horizon for Robey is research exploring the use of cells to create new bone. She is starting a study on regenerating bone in the skull and hopes to work with the Department of Defense in the future to assist with the number of soldiers returning from Iraq with head wounds. Many soldiers are being injured in the head because it is often too hot there to wear their shields.

Robey has worked primarily with bone diseases and has always felt compelled to study disease. However, when she was first approached about working with bone diseases, Robey says she thought, "Oh my gosh, bone is so boring! But then I got here, and bone is anything but boring. It's so dynamic."

Pamela Gehron '74 Robey was recognized with an Alumni Leadership Award during this year's Homecoming Reunion Weekend.

-Erin Markel '07

Marla McNally '79 Phillips

Signing Talent

Marla McNally '79 Phillips never dreamed of opening a music publishing company. To her, the term "music publishing" was nebulous. In 1989, though, after working for Warner/Chappell Music, Phillips and business partner Linda Blum did just that, by founding Emerald Forest Entertainment. The company continues to occupy their energy 18 years later, with its starry catalog including pop artists Marilyn Manson, Sophie B. Hawkins and Brownstone.

At Susquehanna, Phillips majored in music and minored in theatre, and was inspired by her professors to "push harder." "Harriet Couch always believed in me, even though I never fit any of the traditional 'music major' descriptions," Phillips says. "Meeting Bruce Nary and connecting with the acting and directing departments solidified where I truly belonged at SU, which was somewhere between both departments."

Music runs in Phillips' family. Her mother and grandmother were performing artists, and her husband of 20 years, Lee Phillips, heads the entertainment division of a law firm, where he is a partner. Her stepsons Eric and Derek are also in the music industry.

The couple's daughters, Courtney and Camille, are "the best two bands I ever signed," Phillips says. "At one point, I called us the Van Trapp Family. Lucky for them I can't sew anymore, or we would have those special outfits made out of the curtains."

Music is central to Phillips' volunteer efforts, as well. A Santa Barbara, Calif., resident, she serves on the board of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts and heads two committees connected to the restoration of The Granada, the city's historic theater.

Following their first venture, Phillips and Blum founded another publishing company in 1994. They subsequently sold this business in 2005, but not before signing several new talents, including Macy Gray, who would win a Grammy Award in 2002. According to Phillips, developing an artist takes years, and her companies sometimes have signed only three acts a year. "We felt they were the luckiest acts on the planet!" she says.

They operate on gut instinct and commitment. In evaluating talent, Phillips says, "We have to feel that the lead is a 'star,' that the songs are strong - especially if the outside team around the project fails - and that they are willing to work as hard as or harder than us." The partners are always looking at the big picture, and for artists who have drive. "You can't push artists or anyone to succeed," she says, "but sticking with them is the key."

Marla McNally '79 Phillips was recognized with an Alumni Achievement Award during this year's Homecoming Reunion Weekend.

-Amanda Cherian '03

Peter de Mets '93

Sound Direction

When Peter de Mets '93 enrolled at Susquehanna University, his intention was ultimately to become a Lutheran pastor. Then one day, Choir Director Cyril Stretansky asked him to conduct one of the choir's songs.

"I was in paradise," de Mets remembers. "I found my life. I knew where I wanted to be. I needed to make music this way. I truly believed, then and now, that it was my purpose in life."

Fourteen years later, de Mets has conducted operas and musicals, directed choirs and church music, and composed pieces performed around the country. He recently was commissioned to write a piece celebrating the Olympic spirit, which is scheduled to premiere in China in March 2008. De Mets also teaches voice and musical theatre at the Mercer County High School for the Performing Arts, where he additionally serves as the staff accompanist for their dance program.

De Mets does not stop there, however. He is the repertoire and standards chair for the American Choral Directors Association's Pennsylvania Chapter, and recently provided music direction for an off-Broadway musical revival.

If de Mets had to choose a favorite among his many activities, it would be the opportunity to conduct his own creations, because "I love composition and conducting," de Mets says.

Between balancing all these activities and being a father to two boys, de Mets says, "Sometimes it is very difficult to keep everything in the air, but because I don't have a full time 'day job,' things are a little easier for me. Most projects have an end to them, so I try not to schedule too many projects at the same time."

De Mets was encouraged to apply to Susquehanna by Stretansky, whom he met at a choral festival.

By attending, he had the rare opportunity to study voice, composition and conducting simultaneously. De Mets credits his musical family for inspiring his path, as well as Stretansky's leadership. "Cy's consistent dedication to nothing more than excellence in the choral art was an inspiration to all of us who were fortunate enough to sing for him," de Mets says.

Peter de Mets '93 was recognized with a Young Alumni Award during this year's Homecoming Reunion Weekend.

-Erin Markel '07