Business Commons^™

Interview Of Michael R. Smith, Michael R. Smith, Bradford J. Morith

All Oral Histories

Michael R. Smith is an alumnus of La Salle University, Class of 1982, with a degree in accounting. He was born in 1960 at Nazareth Hospital in the Greater Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up along the Roosevelt Boulevard of Northeast Philadelphia in the Holmes Circle neighborhood. He attended and graduated from Father Judge Catholic High School in Philadelphia in 1978. He decided upon La Salle University and attended La Salle as an accounting major from 1978 to 1982, the latter being his graduation year. Legacy wise, Michael is one of many La Salle graduates in his family, …

Interview Of Margaret "Peggy" Emme, Margaret Emme, Carlos M. Contente

All Oral Histories

Margaret “Peggy” Walsh Emme was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1957 at Nazareth Hospital. Her parents are Marita A. Dunphy and Richard J. Walsh. They both owned business while Mrs. Emme was a child. Her mother owned a small boutique in the basement of her parents’ house (Mrs. Emme’s maternal grandparents) and her father owned a local tavern. Mrs. Emme would help out at both of these businesses. Mrs. Emme is the oldest of five children. Her four younger brothers are: Richard, Michael, Brian, and John. She attended Catholic school as a child, first attending St. Bernard’s Parochial School and …

Interview Of Ruth Jenkinson, Ruth Jenkinson, Kevin W. Lynch

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Ruth Jenkinson was born in West Philadelphia, one of eight siblings, four boys and four girls. Her family moved to Roxborough in 1952, and she and her siblings were soon enrolled in Catholic Schools, the boys going to Roman and the girls attending Hallahan. After graduating High School in 1964, Mrs. Jenkinson worked briefly in electronics, building and testing circuit boards before marrying in 1968. She has two children. In 1981 she accepted a position as Cataloguing Library Technician at La Salle University. After working briefly as a Payroll Clerk in the Human Resources Department she became Secretary to the …

Interview Of Margaret Mccoey, M.S., Margaret M. Mccoey, Matthew Riffe

All Oral Histories

Margaret “Peggy” McCoey is the Director of Graduate Programs in Computer Information Science, Information Technology, and Economic Crime Forensics at La Salle University. Born in the Oxford Circle section of Philadelphia in 1957, Peggy grew up in St. Martin of Tours parish attending their grade school before going to Little Flower High School. After graduation in 1975, Peggy entered La Salle University an undergraduate where she received a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Peggy received a master’s degree from Villanova in 1984. Beginning in 1982, Peggy McCoey has taught at La Salle University in some capacity. Throughout the 1990’s, Peggy …

Interview Of John Mccloskey By John Fallon, John Mccloskey, John Fallon

All Oral Histories

John McCloskey was born in 1920 in Philadelphia’s Olney section. Born into a working-class Irish Catholic family, McCloskey moved to Cornwell Heights, Pennsylvania, in Bucks County, in 1924. He graduated from Northeast Catholic High School in 1938. He held several jobs before settling in at Crown Cork & Seal’s seamless can manufacturing plant located at I Street and Erie Avenue in Philadelphia’s Kensington section. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. He was selected to instruct future pilots in the operation of B-17 Bombers. He attained the rank of First Lieutenant. Following his time in the Army, McCloskey …

Interview Of Thomas Lorandeau, M.B.A., Thomas Lorandeau, Eric Lorandeau

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Thomas Lorandeau was born in 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For the first four years of his life, Thomas lived in the Wissinoming section of Philadelphia, directly across from Wissinoming Park. When Tom was four, he and his family moved to the Juniata Park section of Philadelphia. Tom has four siblings, all brothers; he is the second child in the family. Tom, and all of his brothers, attended Holy Innocents for elementary school and Northeast Catholic High for Boys for their secondary education. In 1970, Tom began his undergraduate studies at, then, La Salle College (University). During his time at La …

Interview Of Robert S. Lyons, Jr., Robert S. Lyons Jr., Christina Becker

All Oral Histories

Robert S. Lyons, Jr. (1939-2013) graduated from La Salle College in 1961. The following is his obituary from McGhee Funeral Home:

"Robert S. Lyons, Jr., of Upper Southampton, died Wednesday, June 5, 2013. He was 73. Born June 29, 1939, in Philadelphia, PA, Bob was the son of the late Robert and Catharine Lyons. Bob is survived by his; beloved wife Joan M. Lyons (nee Lang); children, Joanne Jenkins (Ken), Robert P., M.D. (Renee), Richard (Leanne), David (Julie), and Gregory. He will also be missed by his 11 grandchildren. Bob Lyons, the author of Palestra Pandemonium: A History of the …

Interview Of James Szczur, James Szczur, Christopher Spaman

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Mr. James Michael Szczur was born in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, PA in 1947. He grew up in close proximity to both his grandparents. He was an only child of his parents, who were also born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Jim, as he was asked to be called during the interview, attended Catholic grammar and high school in Philadelphia. Upon completion of high school, he attended seminary for about 2 years in western PA. He left the seminary and returned home when his father suffered a heart attack. He was drafted into the army in 1968 during the …

Interview Of Daniel Burke F.S.C., Ph.D., Daniel Burke F.S.C., Ph.D., Christopher A. Thompson

All Oral Histories

Interview with Brother Daniel Burke FSC. Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1926, Brother Daniel, an Irish-American, went to an all Italian grade school where he emerged as an art student and class valedictorian. His father fought in World War I and survived. After the war, Brother Daniel’s father, also Daniel Burke, was a automobile sales and repair man, then worked on the staff of the Registrar of Wills, Allegheny County, PA. His mother worked at the newspaper, the Pittsburgh Press during the depression. Brother Daniel went to high school at La Salle Hall in Ammendale Maryland, and College at Catholic …

Interview Of Marianne S. Gauss, M.B.A., Marianne S. Gauss, James Brightman

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From the university website (11/19/13):

Professor Gauss has been a member of La Salle University’s faculty for over 20 years. Her primary responsibility has been teaching Strategic Management, International Management, Presentation Skills for Business, and Introductory and Intermediate Statistics. Additionally, she teaches in the MBA program and in an executive MBA program in Basel, Switzerland. She has won the Lindback Award for distinguished teaching and the University’s Faculty Distinguished Service Award.

Professor Gauss’ prior commercial banking experience, as both an internal auditor and financial analyst, has been redirected in a voluntary role to a local credit union. She was a …

Interview Of Gerald Fitzgerald, F.S.C., M.A., M.B.A., Gerald Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Dewald

All Oral Histories

Br. Fitzgerald became a Christian Brother in 1965, graduated from La Salle College in 1970 with a degree in accounting and became a high school teacher. He returned to La Salle for his MBA in 1978-81. He served as Director of Admissions at La Salle.

From the La Salle University website (12/2/2013):

Accounting Professor Brother Gerald Fitzgerald, F.S.C., received his B.S. in Accounting from La Salle University, a M.A. in Psychology from Villanova University, and a MBA from La Salle University. He serves on the Board of Trustees and on the Finance Committee for the San Miguel School, Camden, NJ. …