Graduates of Distinction

Name: Paul C. Foote
Field of Work: Inventor, Author
Year of Graduation: 1924
Education: Bloomsburg State College
Career Highlights: invented the zoom lens for Hollywood cameras that is still used today for television and motion pictures; helped design optical equipment for the Apollo space program in the early 1960's; wrote three books and various articles on his research
Induction Year: 2001
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Name: Frank J. Golder
Field of Work: Educator, Humanitarian
Year of Graduation: 1926
Education: Bloomsburg State College
Career Highlights: contributed greatly to the education and welfare of students and the community of Bloomsburg as a whole; founded Little League baseball in Bloomsburg in 1938; started the baseball program at Bloomsburg High School in 1946 - elected chairman of PIAA District 4 - inducted into Bloomsburg University's Hall of Fame in 1988
Induction Year: 2001
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Name: Edward C. Keller
Field of Work: Scientist, Educator
Year of Graduation: 1950
Education: Penn State University; University of North Carolina
Career Highlights: did post-doctoral work in biochemical genetics and statistics at West Virginia University; wrote more than 150 publications; co-founded the Foundation for Science and Disabilities and Science Education for Students with Disabilities in the 1970's which helps disabled students achieve academic success; selected a Distinguished Science Educator by the NSTA; inducted into the Hall of Fame for Persons with Disabilities
Induction Year: 2001
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Name: Rodney Kelchner
Field of Work: Educational Leader
Year of Graduation: 1952
Education: Bloomsburg State College
Career Highlights: led the improvements to Mansfield University which kept the university open; served on an NCAA governing board of college presidents for Divisions I, II, III; president of Mansfield University from 1983-1998
Induction Year: 2001
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Name: Barbara Babb
Field of Work: Lawyer
Year of Graduation: 1969
Education: Cornell Law School
Career Highlights: teaches family law at the University of Baltimore School of Law; created a court division in Maryland dedicated exclusively to family issues; created the Center for Families, Children, and the Courts at the University of Baltimore
Induction Year: 2002
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Name: John Douglas Klingerman
Field of Work: Entrepreneur
Year of Graduation: 1961
Education: University of Maryland
Career Highlights: owns JDK Management which manages over 50 businesses including local nursing homes, hotels, and restaurants that employ over 4,000 people in 5 states; involved with a church-run charitable organization that helps local people
Induction Year: 2002
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Name: Eileen Albertson Chapman
Field of Work: Legal Pioneer
Year of Graduation: 1963
Education: Bloomsburg State College; Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary; The National Law Center; the George Washington University; The Naval War College; US Marine Corps
Career Highlights: worked as the only female lawyer in the Marine Corps from 1972-1975; presided as the first woman trial military judge and appellate military judge in the Navy and Marines; named the first woman president of the Department of Naval Clemency and Parole Board; retired after 30 years as a colonel in the US Marines
Induction Year: 2003
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Name: Ed Schuyler, Jr.
Field of Work: Journalist
Year of Graduation: 1953
Education: Washington and Lee
Career Highlights: reported sports for the Associated Press from 1960-2002; considered one of the top horse racing experts in the country; won the Nat Fleishman Award in 1980 for excellence in boxing journalism; selected AP national boxing writer from 1970-2002
Induction Year: 2003
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Name: Roy D. Snyder, Jr.
Field of Work: Admiral, US Navy
Year of Graduation: 1945
Education: Georgetown Law School, US Navy
Career Highlights: retired Navy admiral; worked closely with the Pentagon and Congress; retired as an admiral in the US Navy
Induction Year: 2003
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Name: Thomas C. Cox
Field of Work: Inventor, Educator
Year of Graduation: 1954
Education: Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science; US Army
Career Highlights: helped to develop flame retardants for upholstery, chemicals that prevent odors in clothes, and a moth-proofing agent that is applied permanently to wool fabric; recognized as an authority in fiber chemistry; has 2 US patents; helped to create Stainmaster carpet for DuPont in 1985; worked in his South Carolina community helped prisoners earn their high school equivalency diploma
Induction Year: 2004
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Name: Sarah Jane "Salty" Ferguson
Field of Work: Career and Work-force Professional
Year of Graduation: 1953
Education: Professional Athlete
Career Highlights: played right-fielder for the Rockford Peaches, an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team based in Illinois; recognized with a signed baseball and a name plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY; appears briefly at the end of the 1992 move "A League of Their Own"; encourages character development as a motivational speaker; inspires participation in women's athletics
Induction Year: 2004
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Name: Harry L. Magee
Field of Work: Industrialist, Philanthropist
Year of Graduation: 1920
Education: Career and Work-force Professional
Career Highlights: managed the Bloomsburg carpet factory called Magee Carpet from 1940-1966 as one of central Pennsylvania's leading industrialists; managed the Magee Carpet which employed up to 3,000 workers at one time; began a radio station in Bloomsburg (WHLM); shared his money for community projects like the expansion of the Bloomsburg Hospital; started the Town of Bloomsburg's airport
Induction Year: 2004
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Name: Harry Hoffman, Jr.
Field of Work: Aviator, Medical Researcher
Year of Graduation: 1960
Education: US Naval Academy
Career Highlights: flew 200 missions in Vietnam as a Navy jet pilot; shot down with minor injuries; awarded the Purple Heart; admitted to Mensa (IQ in top 2% of population); presented his medical research pertaining to spinal injuries among pilots forced to eject from plane cockpits to NATO; selected by NASA for astronaut training in the early 1970's
Induction Year: 2005
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Name: Douglas Rhone
Field of Work: Medical Researcher
Year of Graduation: 1958
Education: Alexian Brothers Hospital School of Nursing, Benedictine University, University of Illinois, College of Medicine at University of Illinois
Career Highlights: recognized as a top physician in the Chicago metropolitan area; named the chief pathologist at Illinois Masonic Medical Center; researched incompatible blood types between mothers and fathers which led to the development of a vaccine now used to prevent disease in newborns; researched the source of enzymes found in blood which has allowed hospital laboratories to identify what specific organ in the human body is diseased; founded & developed the largest pathology reference laboratory in Chicago
Induction Year: 2005
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Name: Harry Shuman
Field of Work: Musician
Year of Graduation: 1936
Education: Mansfield State College, Wayne State University, US Army
Career Highlights: toured in the 1940's with the Big Bands (Jimmy Dorsey and Woody Herman); recorded with Bing Crosby; played at the Hollywood Palladium; inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Museum in Sharon, PA along with other members of The Skylarks, also known as the Velvetones and the Blue Moods
Induction Year: 2005
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Name: Merrill A. Deitrich
Field of Work: Business Executive
Year of Graduation: 1938
Education: Bloomsburg State College, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, US Marine Corps
Career Highlights: enlisted in Marines in World War II; trained as a fighter pilot; worked as a financial executive with Ford Motor Company for 20 years; started and managed the Ford credit companies in Europe, Latin America and the Pacific region where foreign customers could finance new vehicles
Induction Year: 2006
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Name: Roland R. Eveland
Field of Work: Educational Leader
Year of Graduation: 1947
Education: University of Memphis, US Air Force
Career Highlights: retired as a first lieutenant in the Air Force; successfully integrated the middle school in Memphis Tennessee while he was the principal in the 1960's; involved at the community level with YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, Little League and his church
Induction Year: 2006
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Name: John E. Palevich
Field of Work: CIA Operative
Year of Graduation: 1951
Education: US Army
Career Highlights: enlisted in the US Army; worked as an undercover CIA officer during the Cold War; worked for the CIA for more than 35 years; helped to recruit spies from the Soviet KGB to be spies for the US
Induction Year: 2006
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Name: Joan Marie Leiby Jenks
Field of Work: Medical Trailblazer
Year of Graduation: 1963
Education: University of Pennsylvania
Career Highlights: started hospice for the homeless in Philadelphia in 1998; wrote or contributed to numerous books and professional articles; taught medical-surgical courses, including critical care nursing and professional issues in nursing; worked as a nurse for a non-profit hospice agency; cared for people with terminal illnesses in their homes
Induction Year: 2006
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Name: Jill Lynne Byrem (Lacy J. Dalton)
Field of Work: Entertainer, Philanthropist
Year of Graduation: 1964
Education: Career and Work-force professional / Entertainer
Career Highlights: toured with Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr. and Charlie Daniels; selected as country music's top new artist in 1979; wrote songs and produced her own CDs; worked to protect the wild ponies in Nevada
Induction Year: 2010
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Name: George Keller
Field of Work: Educator, Animal Trainer
Year of Graduation: 1916
Education: Columbia University
Career Highlights: worked as an art teacher at Bloomsburg State College; donated a husky as the first mascot at Bloomsburg State College in 1933; trained lions, tigers and bears near his home in Lightstreet; presented his animal show at Atlantic City and Disneyland; toured with Ringling Brothers Circus, played at Madison Square Garden
Induction Year: 2010
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Name: David H. McCormick
Field of Work: Presidential Adviser, Educator
Year of Graduation: 1983
Education: US Military Academy at West Point; Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University; US Army
Career Highlights: served in the first Gulf War; served as Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security; served as Deputy National Security Advisor to the President for International Economic Affairs; joined the US Treasury as Under Secretary for International Affairs from 2007-2009; recognized as the Distinguished Service Professor of Information Technology, Public Policy and Management at Carnegie Mellon University
Induction Year: 2011
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Name: Richard L. Robbins
Field of Work: Educator, Author
Year of Graduation: 1980
Education: Bloomsburg University; West Chester University; University of Nevada
Career Highlights: serves as Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at Bucknell University; nationally and internationally published author, national consultant on issues in higher education; member of the Editorial Board for peer reviewed NACADA Journal; certified parapsychologist
Induction Year: 2011
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Name: Maurice B. Stein
Field of Work: Philanthropist, Athlete
Year of Graduation: 1954
Education: Brandeis University
Career Highlights: inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame at Brandeis University; selected as the chairperson of the American Camping Foundation; served with Midnight Run, a group that feeds the homeless; owned and directed Camp Echo Lake, a week-long scholarship camping program for disadvantaged children
Induction Year: 2011
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Name: Robert J. Coladonato
Field of Work: NASA Engineer
Year of Graduation: 1964
Education: Clarkson College of Technology; University of Maryland
Career Highlights: employed by NASA at the Goddard Space Flight Center for 33 years; became the Chief Engineer for the Structural Loads Analysis Branch at Goddard Space Flight Center; recognized as an expert in structural testing, analysis, and design for spacecraft and instrument systems; received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal
Induction Year: 2012
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Name: Donna J. Coombe
Field of Work: District Justice
Year of Graduation: 1962
Education: Career and Work-force Professional
Career Highlights: elected District Justice for Town of Bloomsburg, Montour Township and Scott township from 1982-2009; recognized for her efforts in support of highway safety programs; worked on alternatives for dealing with first-time underage drinkers; began Columbia County Law Day, a day set aside for students to learn about the law and see court in action
Induction Year: 2012
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Name: Duane R. Greenly
Field of Work: Inventor, Business Leader
Year of Graduation: 1968
Education: Bloomsburg University; Morehead University
Career Highlights: led growth in several businesses, including Ames True Temper; holds two patents; established a community garden which donates food to local food banks; awarded the Massachusetts Governor's Award of Excellence for Lean Manufacturing
Induction Year: 2012
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Name: Gloria Marks VanCleave
Field of Work: Civil Service
Year of Graduation: 1947
Education: The University of Texas at Austin; US Navy
Career Highlights: elected as first civilian to receive the Civilian Superior Achievement Award from the United States Navy, Point Magu Naval Missile Center, CA; nominated for United States Navy's Federal Woman of the Year; developed computers in fighter aircraft during the Vietnam War; founded and owned "The LOG," a Texas newspaper; contributed as an active member of the Institute of Electrical Engineering and the American Legion
Induction Year: 2013
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Name: Thomas James
Field of Work: County Judge
Year of Graduation: 1966
Education: Dickinson College; Dickinson School of Law; University of Nevada
Career Highlights: elected as Judge at the Court of Common Pleas; honored by the Boy Scouts of America as an Eagle Scout and a member of the Scouting Heritage Society; served in numerous community canonizations, including Columbia-Montour Mental Health, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble, Columbia County United Way, and Bloomsburg Hospital Board of Directors
Induction Year: 2013
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Name: Sam Bidleman
Field of Work: Educator
Year of Graduation: 1972
Education: Bloomsburg State College
Career Highlights: served 33 years as a Bloomsburg educator and leader of Red and White, Prometheus, and yearbook; elected Pennsylvania School Press Association Teacher of the Year in 2003; awarded Lifetime Achievement Award, Journalism Education Association 2012; coordinated Angel Dance and Tree Fest at inception; inspired/developed Graduates of Distinction for the Bloomsburg Area School District
Induction Year: 2014
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Name: Donna Hileman Slack
Field of Work: Health Care Professional
Year of Graduation: 1960
Education: Abington Memorial Hospital School of Nursing
Career Highlights: volunteered for over 40 years with Davis Corner Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad and the City of Virginia Beach Department of Emergency Medical Services; awarded the Virginia EMT Instructor of the Year 1989; received the 2010 R.C. Dailey Award for excellence in EMS from the Tidewater EMS Council (highest regional EMS award); awarded Health Care Hero Award for Excellence in EMS 2010
Induction Year: 2014
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Name: Isabel P. Tarr
Field of Work: Humanitarian
Year of Graduation: 1959
Education: Career and workplace professional
Career Highlights: led community efforts against racism and discrimination; co-chaired the Task Force on Racial Equity for 20 years; advocated for better understanding in diversity; provided diversity training based on facts and truths regarding hate groups
Induction Year: 2015
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Name: Dr. Richard A. Nesbitt
Field of Work: Health Care Professional
Year of Graduation: 1972
Education: Bucknell University, Northeast Missouri State University, Thomas Jefferson University
Career Highlights: practiced medicine as a hometown doctor who was both loved and respected by his patients, staff, and peers; awarded Mitrani Foundation scholarship for his doctoral degree; established volunteer education to nurses for advanced life support and emergency room nurse training; elected President of Medical Society of Columbia County; created hospital procedures and patient protocol still in use today at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital
Induction Year: 2015
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Name: Anthony J. Waskie, Ph.D.
Field of Work: Educator
Year of Graduation: 1964
Education: Bloomsburg University, New York University
Career Highlights: teacher of languages and history; professor, Temple University; historian – co-founder, Civil War Institute; author and lecturer; recognized authority on U.S. Civil War
Induction Year: 2016
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Name: Captain Mark Bridenstine
Field of Work: Captain, United States Navy
Year of Graduation: 1982
Education: University of Notre Dame, Naval Postgraduate School
Career Highlights: 106th Shipyard Commander of Norfolk Naval Shipyard; received Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (five awards), Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal (two awards), Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal
Induction Year: 2017
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Name: Veronica Smiley Grazer
Field of Work: Marketing and Brand Communication
Year of Graduation: 1992
Education: Georgetown University, Universite de Jean-Moulin, Harvard Business School
Career Highlights: Co-Founder of The Curiosity Company, Founder of Visionary Women, recipient of the World of Children Board of Governors' Award
Induction Year: 2018
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Name: Will Ralston
Field of Work: Film and Television
Year of Graduation: 1989
Education: New York University
Career Highlights: Sound editor on over 60 feature films, including The Big Lebowski, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and many more. Supervising sound editor of The Wire, Emmy Winner for Generation Kill, Write on Treme and The Deuce and Co-Producer on The Plot Against America.
Induction Year: 2021
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Name: Christine Wanich Bradway, Ph.D., RN
Field of Work: Health Care Professional and Educator
Year of Graduation: 1975
Education: Clarion University; Wilkes University; University of Pennsylvania
Career Highlights: Gerontologic Nurse Practitioner; Professor of Gerontological Nursing, University of Pennsylvania; recognized nationally and internationally for advancing nursing science; Awarded fellowship status in the American Academy of Nursing and American Geriatrics Society; American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Award; Norma M. Lang Distinguished Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy.
Induction Year: 2021
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Name: Karen Smith Coates
Field of Work: Legal Pioneer
Year of Graduation: 1981
Education: Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania; Dickinson School of Law
Career Highlights: Practiced law in the private sector in Harrisburg working as a litigator before joining the PA House staff as Chief Counsel to the House Judiciary Committee in 2007; Appointed as Director of Legislative Affairs for Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus in 2010; Broke a glass ceiling as the first female appointed to the highest position in the PA State House as Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015
Induction Year: 2022
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Name: Daniel Klingerman
Field of Work: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Year of Graduation: 1983
Education: Bloomsburg University
Career Highlights: Founder and CEO of the Liberty Group. Board of Trustees for UPMC, First Community Foundation Partnership of PA, Bloomsburg University. Penn College Foundation, Pennsylvania Board of Governors. Philanthropic Endeavors: Student Scholarship Programs at Bloomsburg University. Pennsylvania College of Technology, and Lycoming College. Provided for the expansion of UPMC Hillman Cancer Research Center, Madigan Library at Penn College, Penn College Athletic Offices, and Klingerman Family Ed. Conf. Center
Induction Year: 2022
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Name: Spencer "Skip" Niles, ED.D.
Field of Work: Counselor and Educator
Year of Graduation: 1972
Education: Bloomsburg University; Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Crozer Theological Seminary; Lehigh University (M.ED.); The Pennsylvania State University (ED.D.)
Career Highlights: Ranked as one of the most influential deans in the United States. Autor/Co-Author of over 140 publications in the fields of Counseling and Career Development. Held the positions of Dean and Professor at William and Mary, Penn State, and Virginia. Professor and Co-founder of THRIVE Research and Intervention Center. Twice President of the National Career Development Association, Past-Editor Career Development Quarterly, Lead Creator of Hope-Action Theory.
Induction Year: 2023
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Name: Rob Schwimmer
Field of Work: Pianist, Composer, Thereminist, Haken Continuum player, Ondioline player, Teacher
Year of Graduation: 1973
Education: Bloomsburg High School and then out into the wide/cruel world of real music work
Career Highlights: Global Tours & Collaborations: Performed worldwide with Simon & Garfunkel at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Colosseum. Played with Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, and the Boston Pops. Award-Winning Work: Contributed to Oscar- and Grammy-winning albums, including 12 Little Spells by Esperanza Spalding. Acclaimed Performances: Known for Rhapsody in Blue with orchestra, solo concerts, and adding theremin to Vertigo with The Orchestra of St. Luke’s.
Induction Year: 2025
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