Westminster Welcomes Four Distinguished Alumni Lecturers

Four Westminster alumni: the Rev. David Dawson, Dr. Amy Herschell, Leslie Lawhead Imse, and Dr. Garth Patterson, will give Distinguished Alumni lectures Oct. 20.

Dawson, a 1969 Westminster graduate who resides in New Wilmington, will deliver his message to the Religion, History, Philosophy, and Classics Department. Dawson was ordained by the United Presbyterian Church in 1972 and continued his education at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Yale Divinity School. He was a pastor at Jamestown Presbyterian Church, mission funding counselor for the Synod of the Northeast Presbyterian Church (USA), and is currently executive Presbyter for the Presbytery of Shenango Synod of the Trinity. His mission study travel has taken him to Israel-Palestine, Sudan, Cuba, Japan, Kenya-Ethiopia, Dominican Republic, Lebanon-Syria, China, Singapore, Thailand, Egypt, and Mexico. He has written numerous articles on mission funding and other related areas.

Contact Dr. Dwight Castro, chair of the religion, history, philosophy, and classics department, at (724) 946-7150 or e-mail castroad@westminster.edu for more information on Dawson.

Herschell, a 1995 Westminster graduate who resides in Pittsburgh, will speak to the Psychology Department. After graduating magna cum laude in 1995, she continued her education at West Virginia University, where she received her Ph.D. in child clinical psychology. She is currently a post-doctoral research associate in child and adolescent psychiatry at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine, where her research is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health National Research Scholar Award. Herschell's talk, "Bridging science and clinical practice: Implementing evidence-based treatment for children in community settings," focuses on her current work on the dissemination of effective child clinical treatments to outlying communities.

Contact Dr. Mandy Medvin, Gibson-Drinko Distinguished Chair of Psychology, at (724) 946-7360 or e-mail medvinm@westminster.edu for more information about Hershell.

Imse, a 1980 Westminster graduate who resides in Simsbury, Conn., will speak to the Music Department. She continued her education at the University of Connecticut, where she earned a master's in voice performance and music education. During her career, she has been recognized as "Teacher of the Year" and was awarded the "Celebration of Excellence" by the Connecticut Department of Education. Her choirs have performed with the Connecticut Opera Company, the Manchester Symphony, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, while her ensembles have been selected to perform with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the National PTA Conference, and the Connecticut Scholar/Leader Banquet. Imse has served on numerous committees with the Connecticut Department of Education and has conducted several choral workshops for the American Choral Directors Association of Connecticut.

Contact Dr. Robin Lind, director of choral activities, at (724) 946-7278 or e-mail lindra@westminster.edu for more information about Imse.

Patterson, a 1996 Westminster graduate who resides in Brookston, Ind., will speak to the Chemistry Department about "Liberal Arts Fostering the Entrepreneurial Spirit." He received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Purdue University. Patterson, who co-founded Griffin Analytical Technologies, LLC, with Dennis Barket Jr., claims that his Westminster liberal arts education prepared him for the many roles he plays in his company. Griffin and Barket, who were classmates at Purdue, wrote a business plan to commercialize a chemical detection device based on Patterson's research and won three of the four contests they entered. Encouraged by this success, they began securing the necessary funding to start their business. After only five years in existence, the business has grown to include over 30 employees and serve the critical markets of homeland security, defense, environmental protection, and research and development.

Contact Dr. Martha Joseph, chair of the Department of Chemistry, at (724) 946-7295 or e-mail josephm@westminster.edu for more information about Patterson.

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