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Father Damian DuQuesnay, who had been the oldest living monk in the Order of Saint Benedict of Florida, passed away on May 8. Greatly loved and admired by colleagues, students, faculty, and staff, he was a remarkable man of faith.

Born on July 24, 1918, in Highgate, Jamaica, Father Damian graduated from Jamaica College Prep and Saint Benedict College (now Benedictine College) in Atchison, KS, in 1943 with a BS in zoology. He received his MS from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, in 1951.

He was ordained into the Holy Priesthood on the Feast of Corpus Christi Day, June 20, 1946, by Bishop Emmet Michael Wash in the unfinished Abbey Church. Father Damian was the first Jamaican to ever wear the habit of a Benedictine.

Father Damian taught numerous subjects at Saint Leo College, including biology, histology, and zoology. He also served two separate terms as department chair of the science faculty. He was prefect in the prep school for 10 years, where he taught algebra, biology, chemistry, French, geometry, Latin, and religion. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching students at both the prep school and the college. When asked what type of teacher he was, he simply said “fair.”

Father Damian was appointed abbey prior in 1957 and also served as novice master and brother master. After his retirement from the Saint Leo faculty, he was chaplain to Holy Name Monastery, a responsibility he held for four decades but eventually relinquished at age 90 due to his limited mobility.

He was the abbey botanist and remained faithful in his daily devotionals and prayers right up until his passing.


Harrell-second-from-leftDr. Teresa Harrell, instructor of speech and senior academic advisor at the Langley Education Office, passed away June 26.

She graduated with distinction from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in social work and educational policy in 1972. In May 1994, she was awarded her PhD from the University of Minnesota, majoring in training and development in the College of Education. Dr. Harrell had served at the Langley Office since 2006 and is remembered for her fierce dedication to the success of our students.


HomanDr. Scott R. Homan, associate professor of management at the Savannah Education Center, passed away on June 23. He graduated from Purdue University in 1988 with his bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and supervision; he earned his master’s degree in the same discipline the following year. After a stint at Anderson Consulting in Chicago, he decided to pursue his love of teaching and completed his doctorate degree from Texas A&M University. He joined Saint Leo in Spring 2013 and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in business management.


reynoldsJohn “Jack” Reynolds, who served on the Saint Leo Board of Trustees from 1990 to 2012, passed away on April 17. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from St. John’s University at night and his Master of Business Administration at the Stern School of New York University (also at night) and attended the advanced management program at Dartmouth College. He was employed for 10 years by W. R. Grace and for many years by ITT, rising to the position of corporate vice president and division president. He was a trustee emeritus at the time of his death.


RiddleWalt Riddle, retired Saint Leo University and Sunshine State Conference (SSC) publicist, passed away on May 7 after a lengthy illness. Celebrated as a gifted writer and a transformational figure for both Saint Leo University athletics and the SSC, Riddle first came to Saint Leo’s University Campus in 1989 as the sports information director and special events coordinator. The following year, he assumed the duties of SSC assistant commissioner and sports information director, and helped the conference establish its first central office. Under Riddle’s guidance, the SSC developed one of the nation’s largest NCAA Division II television packages.

Riddle remained with the Sunshine State Conference until 2001, when he returned to his duties as Saint Leo’s sports information director. In 2006, he transitioned to a new role as Saint Leo’s director of athletic marketing and Green and Gold Club coordinator, a job he held until his retirement in 2011.

“The Sunshine State Conference and Saint Leo University lost a friend, leader, and mentor with the passing of Walter Riddle,” said Francis X. Reidy, Saint Leo’s director of athletics. “He had a positive impact on many young coaches and sports information directors around our league. Walt was instrumental in helping Saint Leo athletics transition to its current state of success.”


RosenbaumDr. Burt Rosenbaum, for nine years an adjunct professor at Saint Leo College, passed away on March 30. After graduating from the College of the City of New York with a degree in mechanical engineering, he began his career at NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), which became NASA, and published about 30 applied mathematics research papers with emphasis on statistics. Several of his papers contributed to NASA’s successful Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, for which he received the Apollo Achievement Award.

He continued his studies at Case Institute of Technology (now Case Western Reserve University) while working, marrying and starting a family. In June 1957, just six months shy of his 35th birthday, he received his PhD in theoretical physics.

After retiring from NASA in 1973, Dr. Rosenbaum and his new family moved south and eventually to Florida, where he accepted an adjunct position at the University of Tampa. For the final nine years of his second career, he remained at Saint Leo College teaching mathematics, statistics, physics, and computer science until 1994.


VerdinJules Verdin, a member of Saint Leo University men’s soccer team and the 2014 Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, died on July 7 in a hiking accident in Switzerland. He was 19 years old.

“The Saint Leo soccer community mourns Jules’ death,” said Keith Fulk, Saint Leo’s head men’s soccer coach. “He was one of the best players I had the privilege and honor of coaching, and he was a constant student of the game—always asking questions about how he could improve his game. I think he really matured during his first year here at Saint Leo, from the time he arrived to the time he left campus at the end of the school year, and that’s what you want to see in your students.”


Eva Jo (Osborne) Lent ’57
December 25, 2014

Gerald H. Frost ’59
March 2, 2015

Michael “Mike” J. Mead ’68
January 21, 2015

Thomas F. Vigliotta ’71
July 4, 2015

Michael R. Arnold ’73
January 2, 2015

Francis “Frank” T. Christopher ’74
March 2015

George Brayton ’75
October 3, 2012

Linda J. Tremont ’75
October 3, 2013

Robert E. Hutchinson ’77
October 10, 2014

Michael T. Chiappetta ’79
April 25, 2015

Ann B. (Roper) Myhre ’79
December 25, 2013

Jack L. Treese ’79
October 1, 2014

Daniel P. McBath ’84
February 23, 2015

Faison D. Robinson ’84
June 15, 2015

Barbara B. Miller ’86
July 23, 2015

Jerome Polon ’87
October 29, 2014

Rex R. Chambless ’89
December 7, 2014

Janice R. Wiley ’89
February 19, 2014

Howard P. Bennett ’90
January 18, 2012

Nels W. Marvin ’90
September 1, 2007

Donald N. Hiemstra ’92
January 22, 2015

William R. Widhalm ’96
February 3, 2015

Robin L. Lindin ’98
August 24, 2012

Charlene Jackson ’04
June 13, 2015

Harold Ludwig ’05
August 26, 2008

Jack M. Webb ’09
January 30, 2015

Hazel J. Williams
December 2, 2014

Sister M. Dorothy Neuhofer ’49, OSB, passed away on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. She was a member of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. Sister Dorothy, as she liked to be called, was the university archivist and special collections librarian at the Daniel A. Cannon Memorial Library, and she held the rank of professor. She worked for the university for a remarkable 50 years, and was honored for that special milestone in August 2015. Sister Dorothy resided at Holy Name Monastery among the other Benedictine Sisters of Florida, including her sibling Sister Mary Clare Neuhofer. At the time of her passing, Sister Dorothy held the role of archivist of the monastery. She had served as prioress of the community at an earlier time.


Bullard,-MarcianMarcian Bullard, a University Campus sophomore who was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems, was involved in a fatal automobile accident on December 27, 2015.


Dennis,-JackieJackie Dennis, a student majoring in human services at the Gwinnett Education Center, passed away on January 17, 2016. She is survived by numerous family members, including
a son and daughter.


John Fiengo ’69, onetime director of Alumni Relations and vice president of Development for Saint Leo College, passed away June 19, 2015. After earning his BA in English, he aspired to be a teacher, but that was not to be fulfilled until later in life. His interest in helping others led him to various positions with the United Methodist Church, the Children’s Cancer Center, and Volunteers of America, where he served as the director of Development and Public Relations. His altruistic career eventually culminated at Wharton High School in Tampa where he helped students with criminal convictions obtain their GED—a job he found very demanding, but also very rewarding. He was a lifelong friend to his former Saint Leo classmates and could always be counted on for support in their endeavors.


Foley,-BillBill Foley, an associate professor of accounting and professor emeritus, passed away on September 23, 2015.


Timothy R. Giampavolo, a student studying psychology at the Pasco-Hernando State College-New Port Richey Education Office, passed away November 24, 2015.


Osborne,-GaryGary Richard Osborne II, a Lakeland Education Center student, passed away September 22, 2015. He was studying for his associate degree in liberal arts and was awarded the degree from Saint Leo posthumously. A talented musician and songwriter, he had plans to attend Belmont University in Nashville to pursue his commercial music degree.


Sams,-FredFred A. Sams ’82, a graduate of Saint Leo College and adjunct professor in the Graduate Criminal Justice program, passed away on November 19, 2015. His career in law and criminal justice began when he was accepted as a member of the FBI in 1967. Over the years he served with multiple police and sheriff departments and as the director of forensics and crime labs for two agencies. He was a regionally prominent forensic investigator and consulted on many homicides and major death cases. Sams served in the U.S. Army in Special Forces, Army Criminal Investigation, and S-2 Intelligence. The American College of Forensic Examiners awarded him the distinction of Fellow, as well as Diplomate in Law Enforcement Expert and Diplomate in Homeland Security.


ZimmermanAshley (Henderson) Zimmerman ’10 passed away on December 22, 2015. She had been an administrator in the MBA program from 2006 to 2011 and was instrumental in the buildup of the online MBA during Saint Leo’s transition from its partnership with Bisk in 2007.

 

 

 


Hugh “Mickey” McLinden ’47
January 21, 2016

J. Kenny DesRosier ’48
October 9, 2015

Raymond O. Howd ’49
September 10, 2014

Dorothy Neuhofer ’49
October 14, 2015

William “Bill” McKeown ’54
September 16, 2015

Robert “Bob” Parkinson ’61
August 14, 2014

Samuel Meo ’63
November 11, 2014

Francis P. Neuhofer ’63
November 29, 2015

Brodie Rowe III ’64
November 13, 2012

Constance (Dawe) Snell ’64
September 17, 2013

Frank C. Mikusi, Sr. ’68
July 27, 2015

Frank J. Seeley ’68
August 17, 2015

John F. Fiengo ’69
June 19, 2015

Edward J. Tancig ’70
August 3, 2015

Charles M. Durian ’73
November 6, 2015

Lucille B. Emberton ’78
May 7, 2015

Stanley P. Morrison ’78
November 11, 2015

Rupert D. Cobb ’79
January 8, 2015

Claude C. Huffman ’79
January 27, 2012

Fredrick Hendrick ’80
May 11, 2015

Carolyn Kiehl ’81
June 11, 2015

Lyle Everett Thomas ’81
August 21, 2015

Richard “Rusty” Ross ’82
September 11, 2014

Fred A. Sams ’82
November 19, 2015

Jenine Jezek ’83
June 16, 2015

Miles H. Prewitt ’85
March 25, 2011

Thomas “Tommy” Lee ’86
August 21, 2015

Donald D. Parker ’87
October 31, 2015

Billie Dodds Schache ’87
December 9, 2007

Samuel William Brightbill ’88
October 8, 2015

Gale LaFountain ’91
January 7, 2016

Sandra (Bradford) Mordoh ’01
September 9, 2010

Clarence Peacock ’02
August 5, 2015

Aubrey Vigneault ’05
April 9, 2015

Carolyn Steward ’07
October 9, 2010

Harold L. Nelson ’08
April 4, 2015

Melanie Bancroft Richeson ’08
May 25, 2015

Victoria L. Walker ’10
November 27, 2015

Ashley (Henderson) Zimmerman ’10
December 22, 2015

When Saint Leo University launched its Doctor of Business Administration degree program in 2013, it hoped to lure the nation’s best and brightest. That aspiration has been realized with highly intelligent and experienced students joining the first two cohorts. Patrick Plummer is one fine example.

23Plummer has already enjoyed a successful career, having started two health care data businesses and subsequently selling them. In his mind, he was always guided to do what was best for medical patients, and he believes that his companies attained that goal. Along the way, he also collaborated with Virginia Commonwealth University professors on a health care strategy textbook, a project that made him begin thinking about giving back to the next generation.

Now age 50, this Mechanicsburg, PA, native decided that he wanted to go back to school and become a professor, so he began looking for just the right program. Over the last several years, he had researched as many as 30 doctoral programs, but none was exactly what he wanted. Then in January 2014, he did another Google search and found Saint Leo. Within 45 minutes of perusing the website, he knew this was the place he wanted to be.

Catherine, Patrick, Grace, and CarolynA devout Catholic, Plummer was drawn to Saint Leo’s Catholic identity and Benedictine tradition. He even commented, “If I could be a married priest, I would.” He believes that approaching matters from a Catholic basis always makes things clearer for him.

Having sold that second business in December 2013, Plummer and his wife wanted to have a meaningful family trip for themselves and their two daughters, ages 13 and 14. So in August 2014, they traveled to Italy, where they spent two and a half weeks touring the Vatican and the surrounding sites. They enjoyed seeing the pope give his weekly address, amidst tens of thousands of people. “When Papa Franco appeared,” Plummer remembered, “the crowd roared, like someone had scored a touchdown.” Even with a sudden downpour, no one’s spirit was dampened. They also toured the Sistine Chapel and St. Mark’s Cathedral, and viewed The Last Supper. His daughters agreed: “the best trip ever.”

The trip involved so much history—so much emphasis on God, religion, and faith—that Plummer returned, even more determined to make a difference for young people.“I want students to know that you don’t have to be a schmuck to succeed in business,” he explained. “Sometimes it is hard to absorb that message in corporate America. It is easy to take the wrong path if that’s what you think you have to do.”

Plummer is currently on his way to his dream of being a professor, and his goal is to complete his dissertation by December 2016. For now, he is enjoying his time as a student.

“It is a lot more work than I expected,” he said with a laugh. “There is so much reading, and writing, writing, writing. But having the cohort has been a big surprise. I am amazed at how close we have all become in such a short period of time.”