Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Interview Of Fred J. Foley, Jr., Ph.D., Fred J. Foley Ph.D., Jeanmarie Turner

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Dr. Fred Foley, Jr. was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in December of 1946. His parents were Fred Joseph Foley and Doris Nelson Foley. He moved to the Philadelphia area with his family when he was four years old. He is married, has three children and four grandchildren. He lived in Delaware County growing up. Dr. Foley attended St. Andrew's Grade School and Monsignor Bonner High School for Boys. He attended St. Joseph’s College as an undergrad majoring in Politics. He graduated with a B.A. in Politics in 1968. He attended Princeton University for his Master’s and Ph.D. programs. He graduated …

Interview Of William E. Watson Iv, Ph.D, William E. Watson Iv Ph.D., Richard K. Girkin

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Dr. William E. Watson was born in 1962 in New York City. The son of musicians, he moved to Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania with his mother and twin brother in the mid-1970s. Graduating from Lower Merion High School, Dr. Watson attended Eastern College for his Undergraduate degree in History. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania for his Masters and completed his Doctorate in Medieval Studies., with minor concentrations in Russian History and Islamic History. Dr. Watson taught at both Drexel University and La Salle University as an adjunct professor before going full-time at Immaculata University in …

Interview Of Richard Kestler, F.S.C., M.A., Richard Kestler Fsc, Alexandria Moraschi

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Brother Richard Kestler, FSC. was born John Kestler on January 8, 1942 to John and Alice Kestler. He grew up in the Oxford Circle section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Brother Richard attended elementary school at his parish of St. Martin of Tours and went on to La Salle College High School, graduating in 1960. By this time, he made the decision to join the Christian Brothers and began this process for about a year before attending La Salle College. He graduated in 1965 with a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and gained a Master’s in Theology soon after. Brother Richard also has Master’s …

Interview Of Richard Mshomba, Ph.D., Richard Mshomba Ph.D., Daniel Miller

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Dr. Richard Mshomba is an economics professor at La Salle University. He was born in Tanzania and spent his early adult life working for the Tanzanian government. When he was 27 he came to the United States to attend school at La Salle College. While attending La Salle he lived with the brother of a local Bishop who helped to get Richard accepted to La Salle. Richard spent three years at La Salle College earning his degree in Economics. After talking with his professor Richard Garrison, he decided to apply to graduate school at the University of Delaware. While he …

Interview Of John Mackin, John Mackin, Alex Palma

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John Mackin was born in 1943 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He moved to Longbeach, New York when his father returned home from WWII. Soon after his family moved there, they moved again to Collingswood, New Jersey. Finally, his family moved to Cherry Hill, New Jersey when John was 16. John attended public and Catholic school growing up and attended Boston College for his higher education. John hit a rough page after college during which he struggled with alcoholism. At the time of the interview, he worked at the La Salle University Connelly Library. A position he got in 1984 while the …

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 Joseph Grabenstein, F.S.C., M.A., M.Ed., M.L.S., Joseph Grabenstein, F.S.C., Wesley Schwenk

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Brother Joseph Grabenstein is the Head Archivist of the La Salle University Archives and also manages the Brothers of the Christian School, District of Eastern North America Archives that are housed here at La Salle. He worked as an assistant archivist from 1992 until 1994 and was made head archivist January 1, 1994. Grabenstein was born in 1950 in Cumberland, Maryland to Herman and Irene Grabenstein. He is a 1968 graduate of Bishop Walsh High School and received his Bachelor of Arts in History in 1973 from La Salle College. He taught a variety of classes including history, geography, religion …

Interview Of John Lukacs, Ph.D., John Lukacs Ph.D., Leo Wong

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John Lukacs was born in 1924 in Budapest Hungary. He grew up in a middle class family raised by a Roman Catholic Father, and a Jewish mother. While he received most of his education in Hungary, he went to high school in Great Britain during his teenage years. During the Second World War, he was drafted into a forced labor battalion for much of the war. When German troops occupied Hungary in late 1944, he had to avoid getting sent to death camps by avoiding German patrols. In addition, he had to avoid being caught in the crossfire during the …

Interview Of Finn Hornum, Finn Hornum, Michael Laskowski

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Finn Hornum was born in 1932 in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father was a businessman and his mother a homemaker and civil servant. He attended the University of Copenhagen. He moved to the United States in 1955 and graduated from Haverford College with a degree in Sociology. He enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Sociology and Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his coursework but not the dissertation thesis (ABD). He started teaching at La Salle University in 1967, was promoted to Assistant Professor, and served as Department Chair for many years. He retired in 2005.

Obituary:

Passed away …

Interview Of Michael R. Dillon, Ph.D., J.D., Michael R. Dillon, Ph.D., J.D., John A. Prendergast

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Dr. Michael Richard Dillon (1942-2020) was a Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at La Salle University in Philadelphia. He grew up in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb just outside of Chicago, where he spent many years before opting to attend the University of Notre Dame for his undergraduate and, later, his graduate and doctoral degrees. Dr. Dillon first came to La Salle in 1968, where he spent 17 years as a member of the Political Science Department under the Chair at the time, Robert Courtney. After obtaining a J.D. from Temple University, Dr. Dillon left La Salle in …

Interview Of Sidney J. Macleod, Jr., M.F.A., Sidney J. Macleod Jr., M.F.A., Amy E. Brooks

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Sidney MacLeod (often called Sid) was born in 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. He is the oldest of three children and the only boy. He earned his M.S.S. at Saint Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota and his M.F.A. at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. After graduate school he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he served two years on several domestic military bases. He began working at La Salle in 1959. In 1961 he married his wife, Mary Jane. They have four children (three sons and one daughter). He continues to work at La Salle full-time. When he retires he …

Interview Of Helen Gidjunis, Helen Gidjunis, Paula Gidjunis

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Interview topic: Mrs. Helen Gidjunis is a life-long resident of Philadelphia. The majority of her life she spent growing up in the shadow of La Salle College – now University. She moved to Uber Street in 1934, while La Salle’s groundbreaking occurred on February 29, 1928 at its fourth and current location at 20^th Street and Olney Avenue. She has observed the neighborhood change for seventy-nine years. When she married in 1949, she moved one street west to 20^th Street. She has been her block captain for many years and still retains that position and as such has …

Interview Of Peter J. Finley, Ph.D., Peter J. Finley Ph.D., Meghan Bassett

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Peter J. Finley Sr. was born an only child to parents John J. Finley and Margaret Francis Dunn in 1931, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. He grew up in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. Peter attended St. Francis Xavier School for grade school, La Salle Prep School afterwards—located at 1240 North Broad Street at the time—and La Salle College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1953. Peter’s connection to La Salle began early in his childhood; his father, John J. Finley, was in the College’s graduating class of 1924. Peter earned a master’s degree at the College …

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 Carl Clayton, F.S.C., Carl Clayton, John Young

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Brother Carl Clayton was born George Clayton in 1938, the youngest of four boys, whose family resided in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Calvert Hall High School and received a scholarship to attend La Salle College in Philadelphia, PA, beginning in September 1956. After a brief time as a student, Mr. Clayton decided to enter the Christian Brothers order. He completed his spiritual and intellectual training and took the name Damian Carl. Eventually his name would change to just Carl. Br. Carl reported to Pittsburg Central Catholic in September 1961 and was later assigned to La Salle High School in 1963. …

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

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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 Paul Joslin, F.S.C., Paul Joslin, Donna Sharer

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Brother Paul Joslin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 3, 1946. He grew up in Colwyn, Delaware Country, Pennsylvania which is adjacent to southwest Philadelphia. He attended West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys where he was introduced to the Lasallian Christians Brothers. During the middle of Brother Paul’s junior year of high school, he became a Juniorate and on June 15, 1964 became a Novitiate in the Christian Brothers. Brother Paul studied Spanish at LaSalle University, then LaSalle College, as an undergraduate from 1965 – 1969. He earned a Masters degree in Spanish from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, …

Interview Of John J. Rooney, Ph.D., John J. Rooney Phd, Lauren Woodring

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Dr. John J. Rooney was born in 1923 to a working class family in South Philadelphia. He went to primarily Catholic schools and during his childhood, witnessed three World Series from his house. He started attending La Salle University in 1940, majoring in chemistry. During World War II, he left school to join the Navy as a flight instructor. He came back to La Salle and graduated in 1946. From there, he went to Temple University to get a master’s and then Ph.D. in psychology. During this time, he simultaneously went to school, taught first chemistry and then psychology at …

Interview Of Joseph O'Grady, Phd, Joseph O'Grady, Patricia Kissling

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Dr. O’Grady was born in Germantown, formerly Irishtown, Philadelphia, Pa, in 1934. He attended North East Catholic High School and then attended La Salle College beginning in 1952 majoring in History and Education. While at La Salle he participated in the army program, ROTC, the Caisson Club, and several other organizations. Upon graduation in 1956 he attended Notre Dame University to obtain his Master’s Degree. Immediately following Notre Dame he attended the University of Pennsylvania in 1957, where he worked toward his Doctorate Degree. While working on his doctoral dissertation he was offered a job, by the Christian Brothers, to …

Interview Of William F. Burns, Major General Usa (Retired), William F. Burns, Anthony Delcollo

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Major General William F. Burns (b. 1932 in Scranton PA and d. 2021 in Carlisle, PA) grew up in a number of places during the time of the great depression and spent much of his childhood living in the greater Philadelphia area. General Burns attended middle school, high school, and college in Philadelphia. He attended La Salle College High School and La Salle College (now La Salle University), graduating from La Salle in 1954. He was part of the ROTC during college and joined the Army after graduation around the time that he married his wife to whom he is …

Interview Of Arthur Bangs, F.S.C., Ph.D., Arthur Bangs F.S.C., Ph.D., Caitlin Haug

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This Interview was conducted in order to collect the oral history of Brother Arthur Bangs and his time spent as Brother of La Salle, which includes his time outside and within the campus of La Salle University. This interview was conducted in Brother Bangs' office in Olney Hall on the second floor at La Salle University. Brother Bangs was born in 1932 in Philadelphia, where he went to West Catholic High School. He then furthered his education by joining the Brothers of La Salle upon graduation and entered as a student at La Salle College. After graduating from La Salle, …

Interview Of Arthur Grover, Arthur Grover, Joseph M. Curley

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At the time of the interview in 2007, Mr. Arthur Grover was the Director of Security and Safety at La Salle University. He was appointed to this position in November of 2004. Since the interview his role and the work of his department has evolved. In 2013 he was Assistant Vice President of Security and Safety. Mr. Grover is a graduate of La Salle University, class of 1977, majoring in Criminal Justice. Following his graduation from La Salle, he joined the Philadelphia Police Department where he served for over 20 years. Mr. Grover held a number of positions as he …

Interview Of Francis Tri Nguyen, F.S.C., Ph.D. Part 2, Francis Tri Nguyen Fsc, Melissa Schellinger

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Francis of Assisi Nguyen von Tri, was born in Shanghai, China in 1938. When the Communists took over China, his family left the country for Hanoi, North Vietnam. In 1954, when the French were defeated, they fled the Communists again, and settled in South Vietnam. He was raised a Catholic, and enrolled in the Christian Brothers order at a young age. While completing his formation for the Christian Brotherhood, Brother Francis began teaching students at various age levels. He entered into higher education, completed a Bachelors degree, and went on to pursue a Masters degree in Sociology after receiving a …

Interview Of Francis Tri Nguyen, F.S.C., Ph.D., Francis Tri Nguyen Fsc, Melissa Schellinger

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Francis of Assisi Nguyen von Tri, was born in Shanghai, China in 1938. When the Communists took over China, his family left the country for Hanoi, North Vietnam. In 1954, when the French were defeated, they fled the Communists again, and settled in South Vietnam. He was raised a Catholic, and enrolled in the Christian Brothers order at a young age. While completing his formation for the Christian Brotherhood, Brother Francis began teaching students at various age levels. He entered into higher education, completed a Bachelors degree, and went on to pursue a Masters degree in Sociology after receiving a …

Interview Of Edward A. Turzanski, M.A., Edward A. Turzanski, Steven Gilligan

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From the La Salle University website (12/5/2013):

Edward Turzanski is a political and national security analyst who has held a number of posts with the federal government, and can authoritatively comment on the following areas: International Relations; U. S. Foreign and Defense Policy; Intelligence and Counterintelligence: Terrorism and Counterterrorism, Domestic and Foreign policy issues related to the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union; Congress and the American Presidency; Media-Political process and relations. In addition to his classroom work, Turzanski is also La Salle University's Assistant Vice President for Government and Community Relations. In that capacity, he maintains …

Interview Of Joseph Burke, F.S.C., Ph.D., Joseph Burke, Robert Robesch

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Br. Joseph Burke was born in 1945 and passed away in 2016. He grew up in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. He attended La Salle College High School, graduated in 1963 and joined the Christian Brothers. He earned his B.A. degree in English from La Salle College in 1969, a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Miami in 1971, and a Ph.D. in Human Behavior from United States International University in 1973. Brother Burke joined the La Salle College Psychology Department in 1973, and served as Department Chair from 1978-1986. In 1996 he was awarded a yearlong Fellowship …

Interview Of James Kenney By Cristopher Aguilar, James Kenney, Cristopher Aguilar

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A 45-minute interview of Philadelphia Councilman James Kenney. Part 1 focuses on his memories of his time as a student at La Salle College. Part 2 touches upon a variety of political topics.

Interview Of Mary Currie, Mary Currie, Millie Hopper

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Mary Currie was a member of the La Salle University grounds crew at the time of the interview and in 2013, when the interview was posted to Digital Commons. She grew up in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia. She graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School in 1974 and began working at La Salle in 1986.