|
Alumni Profiles
|
 |
When Dr. Nelson Bailey '57 traveled to Honduras this April, it wasn't for a family vacation. Rather, the Susquehanna alumnus, who practiced dentistry in Selinsgrove for 30 years, joined a medical team led by his son Jonathan, a professor of surgery at The University of Illinois Medical School.
It was Bailey's fourth trip to Honduras in nine years, and one of 25 international volunteer clinic trips he has made. These excursions have taken him across five continents – from Central Siberia to the Amazon River basin – to provide free quality dental and medical care to those in need.
One such trip took Bailey to Iraq. In May 2003, just a few months after the U.S.-led invasion of the country, Bailey was part of a small medical team that made its way to Basrah ahead of many of the larger, more noteworthy humanitarian organizations.
In a journal entry made during his time in Basrah, Dr. Bailey chronicled one morning in a hospital following a night of Iraqis firing small weapons into the air to celebrate the lifting of United Nations sanctions against Iraq: “Bert, our peripatetic itinerant neurosurgeon, was put to work in the morning. Two small children received injuries from falling small arms projectiles. Both had penetrating wounds through their thin, fragile crania. And they both will be neurologically compromised for a lifetime. One received the further folly of a destroyed orbit. ‘War' should be a longer word that is more descriptive.”
Bailey began this post-retirement vocation with a trip to Guatemala in 1998. While Bailey is quick to downplay attention to his volunteerism, he is freer in sharing some of what he's learned. “Along the way I started to develop a ‘global' perspective,” Bailey says. He has become passionate about communicating the need for more American educational programs focused on foreign cultures, especially those of the Middle East. He admits that his own misconceptions left him unable to answer many of “the hard questions” posed by his Muslim colleagues in Kosovo, the West Bank and Iraq.
“We cannot rely on the media to accurately inform us,” Bailey says. “America needs more scholars, more academic programs focused on the Middle East. Only then can we hope to have more success with our foreign policies.”
— Mary Cammarata Markle
Grassroots Groundbreaker
Nancy McGuire ’83 Stevens
 |
“People told me I couldn’t win because I wasn’t doing all the glitzy things,” says Stevens, who was inaugurated in January 2006. “I wanted to meet people face to face.”
While her opponent spent about $50,000 on the race, Stevens spent less than $20,000 on her winning strategy.
“We did a lot of coffees in people’s homes,” she says. “When I’d go to senior centers, I would bake cookies and my kids would wrap them up. That’s how grassroots we were.”
Stevens continues to reject “business as usual” as mayor of Marlborough, a city of approximately 36,000, located about 30 miles west of Boston.
“I have a totally different management style,” she says. “I’m a very inclusive manager and work across all departments.”
The New Jersey native and her husband, Dan, settled in Marlborough 15 years ago. Stevens quickly became involved in the community, serving on the city’s School Committee to advocate for her children’s education. That experience led to a successful run for City Council – and her subsequent bid for the mayor’s office, against an incumbent.
“It was a natural progression, but not something I had planned,” she says. “If you had asked me eight years ago if I’d be sitting here as mayor, I would have laughed.”
Stevens says her Susquehanna marketing degree helps her manage what is essentially a $120 million business.
“We have an awesome responsibility on a daily basis,” she adds. “The quality of life for the residents we represent has to be a top priority.”
Marlborough’s mayors serve two-year terms, so Stevens, seeking re-election, is in campaign mode again. Although the 24-7 demands of the job have been “a huge surprise,” Stevens believes serving as mayor is the perfect position for her. “I truly love my job.”
As Marlborough’s first female mayor, Stevens is also proud to serve as a role model for her children, Danny, 15, and Kelsey, 18.
“I never realized the significance of being the city’s first woman mayor to my daughter until after the election,” Stevens says. “She’s so proud of what I do.”
Excellent Adventures
Bill McCullough ’91
 |
“I wasn’t really aware of a path in that area,” says McCullough, who became station manager during his senior year. “Where I came from, in my high school, there was no radio station or TV station.”
So where exactly did this new path lead him? Sixteen years and five Emmy awards later, we catch up with McCullough. He now owns a successful studio, Wonderland Productions, in addition to performing in a band called “The Robinsons” with his wife, Vanessa. He’s also grooming his two- year-old son, Jett, on the drums.
McCullough admits this wasn’t what he imagined back at Susquehanna when, as he says, “I think Bob Gross saw something in me and made me believe in myself.” After graduation, he went to work for QVC, and later HBO, as a video editor and director.
Only eight years after graduation, in 1999, McCullough won his first Emmy award for the HBO Sports documentary Howard Cosell: Telling It Like It Is. The prestigious recognition was timely, as McCullough had just left HBO to found Wonderland Productions.
“I wanted to create some sort of a magical creative place that would enable creative people to come together and work on special projects,” he says. McCullough’s vision for his company was quickly realized, as evidenced by his winning another Emmy for the NBC-commissioned GM Moments that ran as part of its coverage of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and three more for the documentary Gameday NY: Jack Lummus.
Today, Wonderland has a clientele that includes HBO, Fox Sports, NBC, ABC, and Spike TV. McCullough’s recent films include the HBO documentary Cutting Edge and the Fox Sports documentary Eye of the Storm. There is a social aspect and depth to McCullough’s work – Cutting Edge, for example, challenges stereotypes by exploring conversations in a Harlem barber shop where black men air their personal lives, as well as intelligent political opinions. Eye of the Storm presents the story of the LSU football team persevering through a remarkable season in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
“It’s what makes me sleep at night,” says McCullough, who continues to weave social aspects into his work so that his films may have a contribution to society.
– Amanda Cherian ’03 teaches writing at Washington University in St. Louis.
Organizing Connections
Venus Ricks '01
 |
Being involved is nothing new for Ricks, who studied sociology at Susquehanna and works in the Office of Residence Life at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. As a student, she was involved in a myriad of activities, including working as the Office of Multicultural Affairs office manager and a head resident, and serving as SGA treasurer and a member of the Presidential Transition Committee.
Ricks collaborated with three young alumni, Lisa Sangster '01 Cleveland, Adria Belin '04 and Rodney Moorhead '00. Together, they chartered SU's Alumni of Color Association (AOCA), an alumni special interest group formed to provide support and networking opportunities to alumni and students of color.
After discussing her interest with then Director of Alumni Relations Shari Trembulak '93 Mangels, the four alumni reached out to others with promotional e-mails and phone calls. When they found that task to be difficult because many alumni do not update their contact information with the university, the group turned to social networking Web sites Facebook and MySpace. These entrepreneurial strategies proved worthwhile, as the group of 10 official members continues to grow.
The AOCA hosted a kickoff gathering in Washington D.C., in April 2006, and later held its first business meeting and networking reception during Homecoming Reunion Weekend on September 30, 2006. “I think the event went very well,” says Ricks of the Homecoming weekend event, which 15 students and 13 alumni attended. “It was a great opportunity for students to meet alumni and talk about what is happening at Susquehanna. It was great to give advice for the future,” says Ricks.
The association hopes to impact the Susquehanna community in several ways. Besides fundraising to support the future efforts of the association, the group is also eager to create regional networks and host events for alumni to reconnect with one another. “We have so many alumni all over the country who would be glad to get together closer to where they live,” says Ricks.
On campus, the association plans to launch a mentoring program to provide students of color with professional advising and networking opportunities. Connecting current students and alumni is a priority for the group. “I think there is always a need for alumni. An institution is only as strong as its alumni,” Ricks adds.
• Interested in joining the Alumni of Color Association?
Contact Lisa Sangster '01 Cleveland by e-mail at sangster2@netzero.com or phone at (610) 551-9198.
–Tracey Markow '07
Markow interned in the Office of Communications during the fall 2006 semester.
