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Lehighlights

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the Director
Sendoffs
L/L Telecasts
Presidential Reception
Lehigh in London

Networking Receptions
Florida & California Swings
N. Ohio Spotlight
Kent Snyder '53
Charlie Lieb '70

 

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

 

Happy Holidays from Lehigh University!

With our Winter Edition of LEHIGHLIGHTS, we have the opportunity to reflect on the fall and fondly remember the many Alumni Club gatherings that brought our family together all over the globe. From London to Los Angeles, the Alumni Clubs network brought us together to experience the thrill of sporting competition, the exhilaration of educational events and the joy of spending time with our loved ones at the many family friendly activities.

This edition also gives us a chance to look ahead in anticipation of the new events and activities that will continue to bring us together in support of Lehigh University as well as provide an opportunity to advance ourselves and expand our network.

Mark your calendars for some of the exciting events that are coming this year…

January: Meet fellow alumni AND current Lehigh students at the annual Career Networking receptions. Click Here to find locations, dates, register online and GET CONNECTED!

February and March: Join the Alumni Clubs in Florida and California as we welcome Lehigh University's 13th President, Alice P. Gast. Click Here for more information and GET ENGAGED!

April: Come back to South Mountain as we join the Lehigh Community in the Presidential Inauguration. It is a weekend filled with activity on the campus and in the community. Click Here for more information and GET INVOLVED!

The Alumni Clubs Web site will be undergoing a major renovation to make it easier for volunteers and alumni to get information and get together!

Please visit often and feel free to contact us at alumniclubs@lehigh.edu with your comments about this or anything else!

With warmest wishes to the entire Lehigh Family,

Jill Anderson '91
Director, Alumni Clubs


QUARTER IN REVIEW

 

Class of 2010
Incoming Student Sendoffs

Throughout the months of July and August, the Class of 2010 was welcomed with open arms by current students, alumni, faculty and staff, and friends with Incoming Student Sendoffs! These events were held in over 30 locations across the country – From San Francisco to Vermont to Houston! Over 1,300 attendees (an all time high!) were warmly received into the homes of generous alumni and parents, which gave the Sendoffs an even greater Lehigh family feel. These events gave incoming students an excellent opportunity to talk with alumni and current students about what life is like on South Mountain, as well as a venue for parents to receive a better understanding of what their children would be embarking on. The Incoming Student Sendoffs were the perfect way to welcome the newest additions to the Lehigh family!

 

Lehigh/Lafayette Telecasts

From Utah to Cape Cod to Tampa Bay, alumni, family, and friends were able to immerse themselves in the excitement of the 142nd Meeting of College Football's Most Played Rivalry with this year's Lehigh vs. Lafayette Telecasts! Even though the Brown and White did not walk away victorious, on November 18th over 2,000 attendees enjoyed a beautiful, fall afternoon of football, food and drink. The Telecast Parties were an excellent way for Lehigh and Lafayette fans to join together and get in the spirit of the game!

 

Home Club
Presidential Reception

Presidential ReceptionOn September 20th, The Lehigh Home Club welcomed President Alice P. Gast into the Lehigh family with a cocktail reception in the John A. Cable '45 Arrival Court, in front of the Alumni Memorial Building. Former Home Club President Charlie Lieb '70 formally welcomed President Gast into the family and then current students, alumni, family and friends of the Lehigh community were able to hear from President Gast on her initiatives for the university as well as how her first couple months on South Mountain have been. Attendees were also given the opportunity to speak with the President one on one! It was an incredibly successful evening, with over 250 people in attendance!

 

Lehigh in London

Lehigh in LondonAlumni Clubs went international this fall – Lehigh in London was held on November 2nd at The Naval and Military Club in downtown London! The cocktail reception was attended by dozens of alumni, as well as special guests Greg Farrington, president emeritus and distinguished university service professor, and Joseph R. Perella '64, Founding Partner of Perella Weinberg Partners, who spoke on international investment banking and his views on the trends in global mergers and acquisitions. The event was a great way for Lehigh family members living abroad to connect and it was an outstanding success!

 

SAVE THE DATE

 

Career Networking Receptions

One of the greatest strengths of a Lehigh education is the power of the alumni network! Career Networking Receptions (CNRs) provide a phenomenal opportunity for alumni to network with each other and current students. Please visit www.lehighalumni.com/go/cnr for information on dates and times, locations and to register online!

 

Florida and California Swings

Various Alumni Clubs throughout Florida and California will be welcoming President Alice P. Gast throughout the months of February and March 2007! Please Click Here for detailed information!


CLUB SPOTLIGHT

Lehigh Club of Northern Ohio

The Lehigh Club of Northern Ohio boasts one of the most active and involved Lehigh alumni bases in the country! They have worked hard to establish a strong community through baseball outings, family days, and various dinner and cocktail receptions featuring representatives from the university. Seeing that the Club is far from South Mountain, the alumni who participate do an outstanding job of creating that same Lehigh feel in the Midwest.

Bill HullThe Club's success has been due, in large part to Club President, Bill Hull '71, who first became involved in the Club through a desire to meet new people with similar interests, because he had just relocated to the area from Dallas, TX. The Club had not been active for some time so, with Steve Villas '75, Steve Bigach '75 and Nancy Lattin Davis '75, he set out to revitalize the Club. Also, the Club gave Bill the opportunity to be involved with the university through organizations that he had missed out on during his undergraduate years.

Bill attributes the Club's success to its Board and the new enthusiasm and drive added by its newest members. "I have always believed that some of the best participation and times we have enjoyed over the last 21 years has come from mixing a smattering of newer graduates with the skills and experience of the existing Board members." Key Board members who have been influential in the success of the Club's events are Sonia Mintun '83, Kathy Schlegel '75, Steve Bigach '75, Nancy Lattin Davis '75, and Chuck Frankel '62. The Club's most successful events include a reception with the Lehigh Wrestling Club at the 2005 Wrestling Dual Meets at Cleveland State University, a reception with the Lehigh Club of Ohio Valley and Ron Yoshida, Provost Emeritus, at the historic Gwynn mansion on the cliffs of Lake Erie, a Cleveland Indians Baseball Outing, and this summer's Class of 2010 Incoming Student Sendoff.

Some of the long-term goals of the Club are to provide more comprehensive programs that include speakers from the university and to increase involvement from the greater Ohio alumni. Their main goal is to become more active in the "Summer on the Cuyahoga" program, which attempts to attract the best and brightest of new graduates to the area. It offers summer internships for undergraduates to introduce them to the Cleveland area and the Club is actively working to get all involved.

The Club's uniqueness is credited to its close ties to all of its members, especially between its Board of Directors. Bill is quoted as saying,"We have a tight knit, committed Board who together offers a variety of programs to the membership over each calendar year, despite the fact that we are one of the smaller clubs."

We appreciate all of the hard work and dedication the Lehigh Club of Northern Ohio has given to its alumni population and the university and are excited to see what the Club does next!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

Kent Snyder '53

Kent SnyderThe energetic nature of the Lehigh Club of Western Carolina is due in large part to the enthusiasm and dedication of Club president, J. Kent Snyder '53! He has been the driving force behind the activeness of the Club over the past several years and continues to plan and execute cultural and educational events for the alumni in the area.

Kent's main priority in choosing an undergraduate institution was that it boast a strong engineering program and was a reasonable distance from his home in Staten Island, NY. He found that at Lehigh and graduated in 1953 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering. All of the professors in the M.E. department, especially Professor James Epps, had an astounding impact on his education, as well as the chair of the Math Department, Professor George Raynor and Professor Frank Fornoff in the Chemistry Department. He describes his undergraduate years as,"a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun" and was appreciative of his fellow classmates who were "wonderful, especially the returning WWII veterans". Kent went on to later earn a M.S. in math from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1968.

After leaving Lehigh, Kent embarked on his engineering career with several different companies, including Engineer Worthington Corporation in Harrison, NJ from 1953 to 1956, Foster Wheeler Corporation in New York City from 1956 to 1969, Ford Instrument Company in New York City from 1959 to 1960, Litton Corporation in New Rochelle, NY from 1960 to 1964, General Electric in Cape Canaveral, FL from 1964 to 1969 (where he worked on the Apollo moon launch), and General Electric in Oklahoma City, OK from 1969 to 1970. After General Electric was sold to a variety of different companies, he stayed with all the successors as a Disk Drive Reliability Engineering Manager from 1970 until he retired in 1998.

He feels that the Lehigh University name and reputation "was magical for getting a job. I learned a work ethic at Lehigh that was extremely useful all my life" and that his undergraduate experience was "a wonderful start for adult life, being equipped with an education appropriate for my chosen field."

As an alumnus, Kent became involved with his alma mater, especially the Alumni Clubs program in Western Carolina, which was re-established in 2001. He held the role of Vice President from 2003 to 2005 and then became President in 2005 and has been active in the role ever since. He was an integral part in the writing of the Club's bylaws in 2003, as well as planning and executing several fall and spring luncheons and Lehigh vs. Lafayette Telecast Parties.

Along with the Lehigh Club of Western Carolina, Kent has been busy within his community. He has been active in Furman University's "Learning in Retirement" program, where he presided as Curriculum Chair for three years (also teaching a variety of courses), Vice-President from 2004 to 2005, and President from 2005 to 2006, as well as helped raise $500,000 toward a new building on campus and he currently holds a membership role in the Education Task Force for Greenville Vision 2025. When Kent lived in Oklahoma, he was active as an evening adjunct instructor at Rose State College in Midwest City, Oklahoma for 12 years, held the role of President of Oklahoma City section of American Society for Quality (ASQ), then became an ASQ Fellow in 1988, and was then elected Regional Director of ASQ from 1988 to 1990.

Kent currently lives in Greenville, South Carolina with his wife Marge and is the proud father of Edwin, Nancy, Laurence, Thomas and the late Kathleen. The Alumni Clubs program is grateful for the vigor and passion that Kent Snyder '53 has brought to its alma mater and the Western Carolinas!

 

Charlie Lieb '70

Charlie LiebThe Lehigh Home Club has been extremely successful because of the dedication, innovation, and leadership of Charlie Lieb, who has served as President since 2001. 2006 marks Charlie's last year as Home Club President, and as he passes the torch onto incoming President Sean Hart '90, we recount his outstanding service and contributions, not only to the Home Club but the greater Lehigh community.

Charlie earned his B.S. in marketing from Lehigh in 1970, graduating with honors and as an ECAC Scholar Athlete. He went on to obtain his MBA from Lehigh in 1971. As an undergraduate, Charlie played football and in 1969, was honored as Team MVP, All American, and All ECAC. He was also an active member of Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Upon graduating, Charlie pursued a career in the business world serving as Manager of Purchases for Westinghouse Furniture Systems (WFS) from 1980 to 1984 and then as Vice President of Customer Resources for WFS from 1984 to 1992. He then moved on to serve as Vice President of North America Operations for WFS from 1992 to 1996 and since then, has served as Vice President of North America Product Development and Engineering, Knoll. Inc. During this time, Charlie was also very active in his community. He served on the Gettysburg Kiwanis Board of Directors from 1978 to 1980 and from 1986 to 1990, held a position on the Board of Directors for the Kent County Red Cross of Michigan and the Grand Rapids Boy Scouts of America.

As an alumnus, Charlie has been extremely involved, serving as Treasurer and Vice President of the Lehigh Club of Pittsburgh from 1971-1978, as well as his involvement with the Lehigh Home Club. In 1980, he received the Young Alumnus Award, at his 10-year Lehigh Reunion, in recognition of his hard work and commitment. Charlie has also served on the Board of Advisors for the College of Business and Economics since 1998, and the Greek Advisory Council since 2004.

Charlie said that he chose Lehigh not only for the strong athletic program and the academic challenge but also because of the people he met both on campus visits and the alumni he encountered during the recruiting process. Charlie recounted numerous professors and role models who inspired him and instilled strong values of commitment, risk-taking, and perseverance, which he feels have directly contributed to his success and moral character. He shared many wonderful memories of his years as an undergraduate, from Saturday morning classes, learning the real meaning of fraternal bond, great athletic matches, and "saying goodbye to classmates/friends on graduation day, knowing they will never be far in mind or spirit, and 'there' if I needed them." As an alumnus, Charlie has delighted in maintaining and strengthening these bonds, as well as enjoying meeting Lehigh alumni all over the world, and "having the opportunity to help (in a very small way) keep Lehigh all it can be for alumni and undergraduates."

Charlie says that his Lehigh education has been crucial in preparing him for his success in life. He praises Lehigh as an environment where students are "taught to think, to ingest course matter, to reason, to suffer and fail, yet rise again, to grow socially, to discover diversity in many forms and appreciate and endure opposing points of view; these things form the basis of your life and your life's work."

Charlie and his wife, Kathy live in Bethlehem and are the proud parents of Allison, who graduated from Lehigh in 2006 with a B.S. in accounting, and Emily. While Charlie will be missed as President, his involvement and achievements will not be forgotten!