Spring 2012

Pat Moran (now deceased):

Hi, '52'ers!  Another column from cooler Tucson and another reminder that our glorious 60th Reunion is a little over two months away.  Plan to be in Bethlehem on May 18th and 19th, 2012. Don’t miss it!

 Recently Daz and I were at the movies here in Tucson and bumped into Paul Walton and his wife, Edna.  They were celebrating Paul's 84th birthday.  Paul said he will be at my 11^th straight Lehigh‑Lafayette telecast party in November.

 Cass Camarda (deceased) sent along a great catch‑up e­mail detailing his change of careers from clothing manufacturer to senior vice president of Weichert Commercial Brokerage.  Cas and Lockie have been married 58 years and have four children, one Lehigh grad, eleven grandchildren, and one great‑grandchild.  Cas has long been active with the Lehigh Wrestling Club as past president and now on the board of directors.  The Camarda’s active life includes visiting their “clan" and taking cruises, most recently to Venice and Turkey.  Thanks, Cas, for a great update.

 From the university came a Deans Advisory Council Profile on Norm Merksamer (deceased).  After Lehigh, Norm earned a master's from Columbia, then his C.P.A., and was an independent member of the New York Stock Exchange, active on the trading floor for 25 years.  Since graduation, Norm and his wife, Geraldine, have been extremely generous to Lehigh.  Their support has included a memorial scholarship in honor of Norm’s parents, discretionary fund for the Dean of the College of Business and Economics, and funding for projects in the Rauch Business Center, Alumni Memorial Building, the Financial Services Laboratory, and Goodman Stadium.  Recently, the Merksamers had their name listed in Leadership Plaza in recognition of their generosity to Lehigh.  In recognition of his efforts, Norm’s classmates honored him with the Alumni Award at his 40th Reunion.  He received the prestigious "L‑in‑Life Award" in 1990.  He received the Eugene G. Grace Award from the University in 2002 and the James Ward Packard ME 1884 Distinguished Service Award in 2004.  If my memory serves me, I remember Norm telling me that while an undergraduate he had some financial problems at home and was in danger of having to leave school.  The university came to the rescue and Norm has never forgotten that generosity.  Bless you, Norm, for all you have done for Lehigh.

From Bill Erdman, our tireless webmaster, comes a report of a cross‑country jaunt.  Boy, this guy loves long driving trips!  From May to August the Erdmans drove 15,000 miles.  They escaped the heat of Orlando, Fla., enjoyed 85 degree temps or less on most of the trip, and survived a low of 17 degrees in Bend, Ore.   These are tent‑on‑the‑ground campers and they survived rain, snow, hail, earthquakes, hurricanes, porcupines, and bad drivers along the way.  Bill and Kay, you are hardy folks.  Well done!

That's all I've got for now.  

Deceased

• Michael S. Kaszyski
• Joseph B. Moyer

Pat (now deceased)

The 2012 Lehigh Alumni Awards

The Alumni Award is given during Reunion year to a member of the celebrating class who has given continuing support of their time and talent to the university, as well as has contributed significantly to the civic, religious, social, industrial, business and professional life of their respective communities.  It is the Lehigh University Alumni Association’s highest award.  Congratulations and thank you to this year's winners!

Class of 1952 - Ralph Fortney,
B.A. Conservation 1952