Donna Hernandez retired from MU in the Spring of 2020. She was hired as a part-time Clerk-Typist 1 in December of 1986 into the department that had recently been renamed as Industry & Technology at that time. Eventually she became our full-time secretary upon the retirement of Fay Bledsoe. Donna served the university for 33.5 years, retiring as a Clerk-Typist 3, the highest rank in the secretarial classification system. Below is an excerpt from the message I sent to the faculty after Donna had announced her retirement by email a day or so earlier:
By now you have probably read your emails. First, a little sports talk. There are two professional athletes you may have noticed on my wall in the office. Brad Park was an ice hockey player for the New York Rangers. In 1973/74 he led the team in scoring as a defenseman –an almost impossible feat. The other is Thurman Munson, a catcher for the New York Yankees. In 1971 he committed only one error all season playing the most difficult fielding position in baseball. Sometimes big guys intentionally try to run you over and knock you unconscious ( that type of play at the plate resulted in his lone error all season). Well, Donna was that kind of perfectionist. She influenced the department in so many positive ways, and life in the Land of Oz will not be quite the same without her. I always felt so blessed that we had her on our team. How many times and how many people she has helped over the years would be difficult to calculate, but I know her attention to detail made us all look good. From everything she was supposed to do, to even the things she was not necessarily hired to do — like academic advisement and adult therapy, she was always the consummate professional. As I told her in my letter to her yesterday, “Always know that we are never going to be able to replace you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you have done for the department throughout the years. Words cannot express the gratitude of those who have worked with you, both in the past and in the present. In my mind, there was Burl Osburn, and there was Donna Hernandez!”
Enjoy your retirement Donna, and thank you for your service! You can email Donna at donna.hernandez@millersville.edu if you would care to drop her a line.
Dr. Tom Bell retired from MU in June 2021. Dr. Bell served as a professor of Graphic Communications and Technology & Engineering Education from the fall of 1995 through the Spring term of 2021. During his 26 years of employment at MU he taught numerous courses in the Graphic Communications area including Desktop Publishing, Contemporary Printing, Communication & Information Systems, Print Media Systems, and Research & Development in Graphic Communications . For many years Dr. Bell also taught a professional course in the Technology & Engineering Education program entitled Foundations of Technology & Engineering Education and a General Education course entitled Technology & Its Impact on Humans. In addition to his teaching responsibilities Dr. Bell also served as Trustee to the Beta Phi Chapter of the Epsilon Pi Tau honorary fraternity. In this role Dr. Bell provided guidance and oversight for many chapter initiation ceremonies that were held each Fall. Among his national commitments, Dr. Bell was also active with the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation. He served terms as President of the Graphic Arts Education Association and the International Technology & Engineering Education Association. Congratulations to Dr. Bell upon his retirement from Millersville University from the entire AEST family of alumni, emeritus faculty and friends. You will be missed.
Jim Deisley, Laboratory Technician, retired from MU in the Spring of 2020. After serving in the Air Force, Jim completed his degree in the department and worked in various roles and as a mechanical contactor for several years. He came to MU from the United States Postal System as the department was transitioning into the newly renovated Osburn Hall. Jim maintains his Millersville email and can be contacted at Jim.Deisley@millersville.edu.