A.G. “Terry” Shaffer ’61

At 25, A.G. “Terry” Shaffer ’61 had already reached a crossroads in his career. He was an English and history teacher at Danville High School. He liked teaching, but always felt he would continue in education until a career he would be more passionate about came along. When an opportunity arose with an organization dedicated to serving children and young adults, Shaffer joined Kiwanis International and was able to apply his passion to his profession. Over his 35-year career, he has served in a number of leadership roles and traveled the world for the organization that has over 8,000 clubs in 90 countries.

After joining the organization full time, he was promoted in 1969 to the director of club service. Over his career, he has served as club secretary, division and district chair, and president of three different Key Clubs. He has been named Kiwanian of the Year three times. In 1994 Shaffer was appointed executive director of Kiwanis International, the position from which he will retire this fall. His service with Kiwanis will continue, as he was elected the 2004-05 lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis’ Indy Metro Division of Indiana, and has agreed to serve as an archivist for the organization.

On behalf of Kiwanis, Shaffer has traveled to 29 countries including Malaysia, India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Some visits were made as part of Kiwanis’ first worldwide service project. In the mid-‘90s Kiwanis joined forces with UNICEF to battle iodine deficiency disorder, an epidemic effecting children in lesser developed countries. Shaffer explains his commitment to this endeavor. “The Kiwanis community is not found just in our backyard. Our clubs are absolutely devoted to meeting the needs of our local communities, but a slice of our efforts has to be beyond that.” The project raised $75 million dollars and Kiwanis continues to work with UNICEF to monitor the project and encourage continued funding.

Former Susquehanna women’s basketball coach and SU hall of famer, Thomas Diehl is a fellow Kiwanian. He says “Terry is a dynamic individual who wears many hats but gets results. The key to his success is his ability to relate to individuals and have a sincere interest in many people’s lives. He is never too busy for a friend and many people throughout the world can say the same thing.”

Shaffer lives in Indianapolis, Ind. with his wife, Nancy, who had worked as a production assistant for Kiwanis Magazine. Currently, his work with the local and district Kiwanis is largely devoted to Riley Children’s Hospital, a member of the Children’s Miracle Network. Shaffer is also a volunteer for the Salvation Army and Cystic Fibrosis.

– Mary Cammarata Markle

Remember This Titan

Nancy Musser ’76 Cody

Imagine watching a Hollywood film where real events from your high school years, including a high school romance, are suddenly retold as a nationwide story. It happened to Nancy Musser ’76 Cody, with the 2000 release of the Walt Disney production “Remember the Titans,” the story of a town torn apart by racial segregation but united by an undefeated football team.

Cody, the widow of Bill Cody ’72 and mother of twins including recent voice major grad Allison ’04, has no problem remembering the year 1971 as a “Titan” at Alexandria, Virginia’s, racially integrated T.C. Williams High School. She was a cheerleader and girlfriend to football standout Gary Bertier, the film’s main character.

Depicted as the fictional “Emma” in the Disney film, Cody says she was not racist despite how the movie portrays Bertier’s girlfriend. The film also took liberties with chronology, timing such things as their breakup and Bertier’s devastating auto accident for dramatic impact, she says. But Cody was not fazed by Hollywood’s decisions to alter her character or the plot.

“I understand why they made it look like a struggle in the football game,” she said. “We were a powerhouse and shut out a lot of teams.”

Looking at old notes from her high school boyfriend and reflecting back on Bertier’s crippling injuries, it is hard for Cody to not get choked up. “It was a rough time. My dad had just died from a heart attack in July, and then Gary’s accident was in December.”

Bertier, an All-American linebacker who had received numerous awards for his football prowess, eventually went on to participate in the Paralympics, earning a gold medal in the shot put at the wheelchair games. In 1981, 10 years after his first accident, he was killed in a crash caused by a drunk driver.

Cody, meanwhile, had graduated from Susquehanna, married in 1977, and for the next five years taught history at Middleburg High School, where she also served as head cheerleading coach and student council advisor. She currently works as a department manager for Bon-Ton in the Susquehanna Valley Mall.

Cody was thrilled to be one of 71 original Titans who were invited to attend the “Remember the Titans” premiere at Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 26, 2000. Guests included former President Bill Clinton and Denzel Washington, the star of the film.

For Cody, it was a welcome chance to relive her high school years. “Every high school has a story to tell,” she says, “and to think they picked my high school is amazing.”

— Adriana Sassano ’04

Virtual Entrepreneur

Alyssa Andreadis ’99 Gregory

When Alyssa Andreadis ’99 Gregory couldn’t find a job she loved in the “real world,” she created her own virtual reality, carving out an employment niche in cyberspace. Last November, Gregory left a traditional nine-to-five position to launch avertua, a “virtual assistant” firm that provides clients with a range of services from data entry to web design – all on-line.

“I was working with a career coach because I couldn’t really find a job that was a good fit for me,” Gregory says. “She introduced me to the whole idea. It seemed like a great next step for me.” She describes her decision as “really taking a plunge.” That plunge was into largely-uncharted seas; according to the International Virtual Assistants Association, “VAs,” as virtual assistants are sometimes called, have only been around for a few years.

Gregory, a corporate communications major, credits SU with preparing her for her new career. Along with gaining communication skills in the classroom, she completed work study with the University’s Office of Publications, where she developed her expertise in design. In the years since graduation, Gregory had already built up a client base as a part-time freelance web and graphic designer. As a virtual assistant, she provides those services, as well as letter writing and mailing, proposal writing, typing and word processing, data entry and management, and other services that help clients do more without having to add personnel or buy new equipment.

Because the work is done via e-mail, fax, phone and the avertua Web site (avertua.com), Gregory is able to conduct business from her home in Morristown, N.J., and still handle clients from all over the country. “I have very few clients who request to meet with me personally,” she says, explaining that she contracts with firms based in California, New Mexico and Massachusetts, as well as in her home region.

“One of the biggest challenges with having a business like this is that it’s project-based,” Gregory notes. With around 30 clients, the result is that work is not always steady. However, Gregory says present business is booming beyond her expectations. “I’m really busy,” she says. “In fact, I’ve even thought of hiring a VA for myself.”

– Beth Fantaskey Kaszuba