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Here are the faculty and staff activities for January 17, 2013.
Faculty and Staff Activities
Dr. Richard D. Clark, earth sciences, presented “EarthCubED: Avoiding Becoming Another Brick in the Wall” at the Workshop “Shaping the Development of EarthCube to Enable Advances in Data Assimilation and Ensemble Prediction.” The workshop was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and hosted by the Unidata Program Center in Boulder, Colo. EarthCube is a scientific community-driven cyberinfrastructure initiative in its early stage of development that is designed to create an open, adaptable, and sustainable information system architecture that will enable the transformation of geosciences research and education.
Congratulations to
Dr. Jennifer L. Jeffrey-Pearsall, psychology, and her husband Bryon Pearsall, on the birth of Riley Margaret Pearsall on December 7.
Obituaries
Jane (Gehman) Barber, 94, died on December 28. She was retired from Millersville University, where she had worked as a clerk typist and been in charge of ordering textbooks for Student Services, Inc.
A. Marie (Constien) Shank, 86, died January 5. She had retired from housekeeping at Millersville University.
In Memoriam: President Emeritus William H. Duncan
Dr. William H. Duncan ’40, president emeritus, died on January 3, at the Mennonite Home, Lancaster. He and his wife, Alma (Pike) Duncan, celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on November 23, 2012.
Duncan was president of Millersville State College (now Millersville University) from 1968 to 1981. He previously served the College as faculty member, supervisor of student teachers, registrar, director of admissions and dean of students.
Born March 20, 1918, in Mifflin, Pa., he was the son of the late Charles R. and Adda F. (Hampton) Duncan. A veteran of World War II, Duncan proudly served with the U.S. Army, where he advanced from Private First Class to Major.
In 1934 Duncan came to Millersville State Teachers College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1940. He went on to receive a master’s degree and a doctorate in education from Penn State University.
Duncan enjoyed a 46-year association with the University. He came to Millersville in 1935, completed his two-year course in 1936, and taught in Strasburg while meeting the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at Millersville (granted in 1940). After several years teaching, serving in World War II, and earning a master’s degree at Penn State University, he returned to Millersville in 1947 as a social studies teacher in the laboratory junior high school. He subsequently left the classroom except for occasional part-time service to devote his time to administrative duties. He held such positions as the director of admissions, registrar, acting dean of instruction and dean of student affairs prior to his appointment as president. He oversaw the continuing building boom of the 1960s and early 1970s, the decline of state appropriations in the 1970s, the change of emphasis from teacher training to liberal arts, and burgeoning enrollments.
He was an active member of Grace United Methodist Church, Millersville. He served on the boards of many civic and community organizations including the Boy Scouts of America, Danforth Foundation, Sico Foundation, the United Way, Parish Resource Center, Urban League, American Heart Association and the YWCA. Dr. Duncan was also a past president of the Millersville University Alumni Association and served as a Life Director of the Millersville University Foundation.
Duncan’s dedication to his family, church and Millersville University were constants in his life. His interests included gardening, trout fishing and hunting. In 1995, the Duncan Alumni House (205 N. George St.) was named in honor of Duncan and his wife.
Contact for Faculty and Staff Activities
To report your staff or faculty activity, email Janet Kacskos at janet.kacskos@millersville.edu.
