44 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | CLASS NOTES last spring to receive the 2025 Fred Beste III Partnership Award given by the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA. This is awarded to “an individual or organization whose strong vision, dedication and commitment have helped advance the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, aligning with the mission of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners.” The press release from Lehigh Industrial and Systems Engineering Professor Emory Zimmers, director of the Lehigh University Enterprise Systems Center, of which Gus is managing director, notes: “Gus has been helping students and companies since the early days of ESC. He became managing director after exiting his own startup company incubated at the Ben Franklin Technology Partners in 2010. Throughout his career at the ESC, Gus has worked with over 100 companies, successfully completing more than 1,000 ESC projects and mentoring at least 500 students. “In addition to his duties at the ESC, Gus has also served as a professor in the business college teaching Bus. 01 for seven years and ‘Executing the Business Plan’ in the MBA program for 15 years. In the engineering college, Gus worked with me supporting experiential learning with challenging company projects as part of the ISE Senior Capstone Course for 15 years. He played a central role in the creation of the national award-winning Leadership Development Course and Leadership minor. He also led the founding of the Innovation and Leadership Residency Club that helped over 30 startup companies using 250 students during a 10-year run.” And he’s our class president, still doing an excellent job in that role. We—and Lehigh—are lucky to have him. ’75 Thom Hirsch, 139 McHenny Court, Chester, MD 21619, ThomasHirsch44@ outlook.com Two columns ago, I inquired whether any Lehigh couple has been married longer than Amy (Satuloff) Lemle and Craig Lemle ’74. The Lemles were married in 1976. Coincidentally (we did not collaborate), the great journalist Bill White ’74, who writes the Class of ’74 column, raised the same question in his column. Well, Bill and I heard from several couples and found out that Jill (Frey) Duerig ’74 and Tom Duerig ’74 were married in 1974, and so were our classmate Sybil (Fischman) Stershic and Mike Stershic ’74. The Duerigs were married 15 days before the Stershics! So those two couples have been married for over 50 years. They were followed closely by Kathy (Kane) Schlegel and Bill Schlegel ’74, who were married in 1975, shortly after our graduation. The Schlegels may be the longest-married Lehigh couple who were married in the Lehigh Chapel. Congratulations to the Duerigs, the Stershics, the Schlegels and the Lemles, who have been married for 50 years or nearly so. What an achievement to be proud of. If anyone has any information that completes this picture, please let us know. It would be interesting to know who the longest-married Lehigh couple is who were married in the Lehigh Chapel and had children who attended Lehigh. Recently I reached out to Glenn Grant, who was on the wrestling team, and learned of his distinguished judicial career. After graduation, Glenn received his law degree from Catholic University in D.C. and began his legal career as assistant corporation counsel for Newark, N.J. By 1986, he was appointed Newark’s Corporation Counsel. Three years later, he became the business administrator responsible for day-to-day management of the City of Newark’s workforce. In 1998, Glenn began serving as a judge on the Superior Court of Essex County, N.J. He later served as chief judge of the Newark Municipal Court and presiding judge in the Family Division for the Essex Vicinage. In 2008, Glenn was appointed administrative director of the New Jersey court system, and his responsibilities included serving on many judicial reform committees for the State. Judge Grant retired in April 2025. Glenn and his wife, Judge Roslyn Holmes Grant, have two children, Taylor and Glenn, who attended Howard and Rutgers universities. It was so great to hear from Glenn and to learn of his many contributions to his community, city and state. My family and I were at Lehigh during Founder’s Weekend and visited the renovated Clayton University Center. In my view, the renovation is extremely well done and suited toward today’s students—wideopen spaces, inviting eateries including a pub, and places to meet, study and just talk and socialize. We were able to visit the meeting room whose renovation was sponsored by our class’s 50th reunion gift. The room is strategically positioned off the main meeting room. Our class is recognized with both a glass-embossed plaque outside the door to the meeting room and in the listing of our class on the wall of major sponsors of the renovation near the north entry closest to the Alumni Memorial Building. Also on the wall of sponsors are the names of several of our classmates: Jacqueline (Smith) Askin and Ron Askin, Marilyn Blacher-Reich, Wendy Brouwer, Vince Forlenza, Julie Griscom McGraw and Nolan Rothkopf. Much appreciation for the generosity of our class. When you are next at Lehigh, check out the meeting room and sponsor wall list. In addition to our 50th reunion class gift, you may remember that, during our senior year, we established a Class of ’75 scholarship fund. Many of us donated $20 a year for 20 years. The fund still exists and supports a scholarship for a student each year. I recently received information indicating that we provided a scholarship to Aaron Humes ’28. Aaron is from Frederick, Md., and is studying engineering. During his freshman year, Aaron threw shot put and discus for Lehigh’s track and field team. Thanking us for the scholarship, Aaron wrote: “The scholarship has contributed in a huge way to my aspirations and academic goals. [It] has also affirmed that Lehigh, my first choice, was the right choice … [The scholarship] gives me the assurance of not having to worry financially so that I can focus my energy on academics and competitive sports.” ’76 Paul Laschiavo and Jamie Holbrook, Lehigh 76correspondents@gmail.com. George Freestone spent the 40-something years since graduation doing systems and change management work at Air Products & Chemicals. Among other things, this allowed him and his wife, Carroll, to visit the Great Wall in Badaling, China. Their two children have provided three grandsons, whom they visit often. In retirement, George and Carroll completed visits to all the then-current 30 Major League Baseball parks in the U.S. and Canada. It must have been quite an endeavor! He put together a neat YouTube video that you can find by searching his name. After retiring from General Motors, Preston Crabill moved to the Charlotte, N.C., area. It had something to do with kids, grandkids, golf and nice weather, compared to Detroit. He was on an advisory committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in D.C. for three years and is now on a board of a local nonprofit helping address food insecurity. He and Dan Grgurich recently had a nice encounter at a local golf tournament. Preston’s also working on the class reunion. My [Paul’s] fellow Kappa Sig and sophomore roommate Doug Hawxhurst checked in to say that he and Val have four grandkids and three of his boys work for the youngest! Like the rest of us, he cannot believe that he has a 38-year-old son! He and Val now live on a sixacre farm and help the kids on occasion. Valerie did a painting of the view from my room in the
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