Jefferson Chronicle-Fall/Winter 2005

ISSUE TWO 2005

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

C H R O N I C L E

RECORD ENROLLMENT AGAIN FOR 2005-2006 FRALIN HOUSE SPRING COMMENCEMENT

JEFFERSONJEFFERSONC H R O N I C L E

&&PHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANTOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANTPHYSICAL THERAPIST ASSISTANTOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSISTANT

Carol M. Seavor, R.N., Ed.D.President

FeaturesTHE REID REPORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

New Healthcare Management ProgramSpring Commencement

FACULTY PROFILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Ave Mitta Finds Her Balance with Family

SPOTLIGHT ON PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . 6, 10Occupational Therapy AssistantVirginia’s Oldest OTA Program

Physical Therapist AssistantPTAs Prepare for Baby Boomers

JEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES

J E F F E R S O N C H RO N I C L E 1

ALUMNI BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Carolyn Mason-Murray ’98Vice President

Natalie Prickitt ’01Secretary

COLLEGE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Stephen MusselwhiteChairman

William R. ReidImmediate Past Chairman

Robert C. LawsonVice Chairman

Nathaniel L. Bishop

Martha Bruce Boggs

Charles Saldarini

The Honorable Philip Trompeter

F. Lee Tucker

Ellen Wade

Joseph Wright

COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION

Carol M. Seavor, R.N., Ed.D.President

Douglas Southard, Ph.D., P.A.-C.Dean for Academic and Student Services

Anna Millirons, C.P.A.Dean for Administrative Services

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Alice CarrRebecca Duff

David Haynes

Mike Krackow

Chase Poulsen

MAGAZINE EDITOR

Diane Hailey

DESIGN

Inprint, Inc.

PRINTING

Seckman Printing

COLLEGE ACCREDITATION

Commission on Colleges of the Southern

Association of College and Schools (SACS)

Jefferson College of Health Sciences

is certified by the State Council of

Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).

Alumni DWIGHT ’99 and NIKKI SEMONES ’94 ATKINSON both spend their days working

in healthcare. Dwight is owner of Active Mobility, Inc., which supplies and engineers

rehabilitation equipment for some of the most severely disabled in Southwest Virginia. Nikki is

the manager of Respiratory Care at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Spending free

time on Smith Mountain Lake helps them relax and get back “to being the people we

were when we were college students and didn’t have all of the responsibilities of life.”

DepartmentsAbout the cover...

CLASS NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13JEFFERSON ADVANCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Jefferson Acquires Fralin House

Cover photo by Ian Bradshaw

Spring Commencement

5

Pho

tos b

y R

ick

Cre

gger

Fralin House rededicated in memory of Horace and Ann Fralin

14

THE REID REPORT

2 V I S I T U S AT W W W. J C H S. E D U O R C A L L 8 8 8 . 9 8 5 . 8 4 8 3

Monty Gross, Margaret Harvey, Rebecca Clark & Mark Raby

Barbara Southard, Brucie Boggs, Cindy Smith & Nancy Agee

Bill Reid & Carol Seavor

Carolyn Webster, Rebecca Clark, Lisa Allison-Jones, Nancy Agee & Carol Seavor

September 3rd was JCHS night at the Salem Avalanche. Over 350 students, faculty, staff, and their families enjoyed an evening at

Salem Memorial Stadium. Dr. Seavor threw out a ceremonial first pitch for the game. •

Jefferson Night at Salem AvalancheP

hoto

s by

Stim

is Sm

ith

Pho

tos b

y D

iane

Hai

ley

MSN RECEPTION AT THE SHENANDOAH CLUB

Catherine and Isaac Sanger help their grandmother throw a strike.

New Employees

On May 28, 2005, Jefferson respiratory therapy students

brought home the win in Virginia’s first Student Sputum

Bowl. Not only does the title give them much-coveted

bragging rights, but also one all-expense paid trip to the

National Convention in San Antonio in December 2005.

The Sputum Bowl has a strange name, but a long history.

It is a knowledge contest that is similar to the game show

“Jeopardy.” Since the mid 1970’s the Sputum Bowl has

been a part of every American Association for Respiratory

Care (AARC) national convention.

“The Sputum Bowl started out as a stump-the-teacher

game, but once people realized the real-life application of

being clinically accurate in a timely fashion, the national

association began holding student competitions,” explains

Chase Poulsen, clinical coordinator of the program and

mentor of the student team.

The questions are complex and clinically relevant,

primarily facts about cellular pathology and mechanical

designs. “The questions and answers have real life significance,”

states Poulsen. Sputum Bowl is well-known in respiratory

circles, and winners are recognized for combining their

depth of clinical knowledge with concise decision-making

skills. “The local medical and respiratory community is

very excited about this first place finish,” says Poulsen. •



WIN TRIP TO SAN ANTONIO CONFERENCE

Amy Halvestine, Shane Thompson and Debra Zerwekh (Sarah Watts not pictured)

Jefferson welcomes many new employees as enrollment grows. They are: Teresa Holler, M.S., clinical coordinator and assistant

professor; physician assistant; Brad MacDonald, M.S.Ed., reference librarian and assistant professor; Ruth Ann Meyers, Ph.D.,director, occupational therapy; Carol Molinari, Ph.D., director, healthcare management; Rebecca Greer, M.S.N., assistant professor;

nursing; Linda Cochran, M.S., assistant professor; respiratory therapy; Janice Taylor, department secretary; Trent Davis, Ph.D.,counselor; Patsy Marshall, administrative secretary; Rosemary Martinez, department secretary; Elizabeth Claybrook, B.A.education technology assistant; Priscilla DuBois, secretary to the president; Thomas S. Trenis, BBA, instructor, respiratory therapy.

Welcome all! •

Respiratory StudentsTHE REID REPORT

Pho

tos b

y D

aryl

e A

rnol

d

Erin E. Porter ’05 explains a surgical instrument to

students from The Healthcare Apprentice Summer Camp

sponsored by the Science Museum of Western Virginia.

Erin completed her Associate Degree in Nursing in May

2005 and is an RN employed by Carilion Health System.

Exposure to a variety of health careers was provided by

staff from Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital,

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, and JCHS faculty.

Jefferson Alumna Goes to Camp

Pho

to b

y D

iana

Will

eman

THE REID REPORT


Healthcare ManagementPROGRAM for PEOPLE with PASSION

Dear Jefferson College Alumni:

As our alumni, you know first-hand the quality and integrity of Jefferson’s

programs, faculty, staff, and students. The College’s newest bachelor’s curriculum,

Healthcare Management, continues that tradition of high academic and professional

standards. Students in this program will analyze the big health care issues and policies

in a small and interactive learning environment.

Healthcare Management is for working health professionals who are seeking a

bachelor’s degree and have a passion for high quality and effective delivery of health

care. The curriculum is a balance of business and liberal arts courses that strongly encourage students to question and analyze

the world of healthcare, while becoming leaders in a constantly-changing industry.

This program uses an accelerated learning approach that integrates distance education with in-class instruction. This hybrid

approach provides working students with greater time flexibility to accommodate busy work and family schedules.

All students take a full load of courses (12 credits/semester) together as a cohort. This enables students to get to know each

other and helps to ensure completion within two years.

Recent labor statistics indicate the demand and salaries for healthcare

managers are growing faster than the national average, and that means more

high-paying job opportunities. Alternatively, for those interested in graduate

studies, this program will successfully prepare students for advanced studies

in clinical and health related disciplines.

If this new program is of interest to you, please contact me at

(540)985-9940 for additional information. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Carol Molinari, Ph.D.

Program Director Dr. Carol Molinari

Apply Now

for Fall 2006!

go to www.jchs.edu for the

free online application

Carilion Employees Note: This program qualifies

for Tuition Advancement!

Pho

tos b

y D

aryl

e A

rnol

d



Lori Arviso Alvord, M.D.gave the CommencementAddress for the estimated1,000 in attendance.

Alvord is associate dean ofMulticultural Affairs atDartmouth Medical School.

Commencement

2005

Pho

tos b

y R

ick

Cre

gger

Spring

With beauty before you, there may you walk.

With beauty behind you, there may you walk.

With beauty above you, there may you walk.

With beauty below you, there may you walk.

With beauty all around you, there may you walk.

In beauty it is finished.

May Commencement took place for the first time in the Roanoke

Performance Hall. An estimated 1,000 family members, friends

and guests came together to witness the conferring of 186

degrees to newly-minted Jefferson graduates.

Lori Alvord, M.D., addressed the graduates, giving her perspective

on the blessings and hope in healthcare. As the first Navajo

woman surgeon to practice in the United States, she shared her

values and beliefs in the Navajo philosophy of a balanced and

harmonious life. •

— Navajo Blessing Way

Physical therapyPTA programs with faculty who know the clinical practice,

who are skilled in curriculum development and classroom

teaching are highly sought after and well-respected. The

Jefferson program has been one of the most popular at JCHS

since its inception. The program continues to expand, and in

2005, the program grew from 24 to 38 seats. “With the aging

population of baby boomers, there is going to be shortages of

PTAs for at least the next five years,” says Program Director

Mike Krackow, Ph.D.

Dr. Krackow joined the program in 1998. “I was very

impressed with the accreditation history of the Jefferson

program when I was looking for a teaching position in the

field. Jefferson’s program stressed the importance of PTA as

a professional career path while many other colleges seemed

to focus more on the technical aspects. Giving students a

broader perspective of the field makes them better prepared

to care for patients.”

PTA Staff: Rebecca Duff, L.P.T.A., Dr. Michael Krackow, P.T.A. and Lynn Freeman, program secretary (not pictured: Michael Peters, P.T.)

Pho

to b

y Ia

n B

rads

haw


Physical Therapist Assistant

BY DIANE HAILEY, Coordinator of Communications and College Relations

In 1969, the first physical therapist assistants in the United States graduated from Miami Dade College in

Florida and College of St. Catherine in Minnesota. For the next 25 years, PTA programs slowly emerged on

community and junior college campuses across the United States. The physical therapist assistant program at

Jefferson began in the fall of 1989, during the first great flood of accredited PTA programs. In 1990, Jefferson

was one of only 96 accredited programs in the United States, and still is one of only four in Virginia.

y Physical therapists have been part of the medical team

since 1900, but in the 1950s and 1960s with major outbreaks

of polio, physical therapists found a need for assistants,

paraprofessionals who could carry out therapy under their

supervision. In 1967, the American Physical Therapy

Association (APTA) officially created the occupational category,

“physical therapist assistant.” Shortly thereafter, criteria were

established for PTA programs by the professional organization

later known as the Commission on Accreditation in Physical

Therapy Education (CAPTE). Physical therapist assistant

programs started their rise in allied healthcare education.

Today, there is ongoing debate over whether or not the

PTA degree needs to move to the bachelor level. While the

APTA is collecting data on the current scope of practice in

the PTA, which varies from state to state, its current position

is that the associate degree is sufficient. The faculty of the

Jefferson program are active members of the APTA, which

keeps them front and center in the debate. “Jefferson is one

of the few bachelor and graduate schools in the country which

also offer the PTA program,” explains Krackow. “We are

well-positioned to take our curriculum from the 2-year to the

4-year requirement.”

PTAs are expected to continue learning during their

entire career and are required to obtain Type I or Type II

continuing education credits for license renewal in Virginia.

Jefferson alumna and academic coordinator of the Jefferson

program Rebecca Duff ’93 knows first-hand the logistical

challenges of license renewal. She is coordinating a continuing

education program at JCHS which will help her fellow alumni

with the process. “Right now we have over 100 alumni and other

PTAs in the Roanoke Valley who are looking for continuing

education to keep them up to date in the field,” says Duff.

Having local continuing education options saves time and

travel costs. Jefferson plans to begin offering workshops in

Spring 2006.

Jefferson is extremely proud of the PTA alumni. They are

well-respected for their sound clinical judgment, professional

behavior, and their outstanding commitment to continuing

education. The excellence in the program is seen in the high

pass rates on the state licensing exam, the steady commitment

of clinical facilities, and the fact that most graduates have

employment offers before graduation. •

Eric Berry ’01 is always looking for new exercises he thinks his

patients will enjoy and help them to a full recovery. His latest

find is actually an ancient Chinese martial art, Tai Chi. Berry

was skeptical when he arrived at the Tai Chi seminar in

Alexandria, but he quickly became a believer.

“The instructor put us in a basic Tai Chi stance and left us

there,” Berry remembers. “By the time he let us move I could

feel the burn and I thought, ‘Hey, this could be good.’”

Tai Chi, as it is practiced in America today, is often thought of

as yoga combined with meditation in motion. Many of the

movements are originally

derived from the martial

arts. In Tai Chi, however,

they are performed slowly,

softly and gracefully with

smooth and even transitions

between them.

Using Tai Chi in therapy

is considered cutting edge.

This generation of PTAs

are open-minded and are

looking into age old estab-

lished exercise approaches

to treat today’s patients.

“They aren’t afraid to seek

out time-tested techniques

and modalities. Looking

to the past to find new

approaches is a testament

to how talented and well-

rounded PTAs are,” says

Program Director Mike

Krackow, Ph.D.

Berry usually treats a patient for four to six weeks. More severe

injuries sometimes require longer rehabilitation. Berry says

after an injury the first order of business is to get the patient’s

pain under control. “Then we immediately move into light

exercising and stretching. When clients have full range of

motion I’m not needed anymore, and that’s a good thing.”

Berry uses Tai Chi with most of his older patients. He says it

helps with balance and preventing falls. Most of the exercises are

for the lower body. Berry says he has witnessed an improvement

in patients’ strength and endurance.“It’s fulfilling to see a patient

getting movement or feeling back,” adds Berry. “The smiles on

their faces speaks volumes, and you feel like you had something

to do with it.” •

Eric Berry, pta ’01clinical director, heartland rehabilitation services

dublin, va

“It’s fulfilling to see a

patient getting movement

or feeling back.”

— Eric Berry

Pho

to b

y Ia

n B

rads

haw



SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI

The Clinician

Love for the unexpected keeps Ave Mitta happily coming back to work every day. Whether she’s seeing occupational therapy

patients or teaching future occupational therapy assistants, every day is unpredictable. Mitta says she loves the fact that

you never know who’s going to walk through the door. Unpredictable is how she describes her days at Woodrow Wilson

Rehabilitation Center, a nationally renowned therapy center in Fishersville, Virginia. WWRC provides comprehensive

medical and vocational rehabilitation. Her focus was adult physical dysfunction rehabilitation. She would teach adults with spinal cord

injuries, MS, ALS and other neurological and orthopedic deficits how to do everyday activities despite their conditions.

FACULTY PROFILE


Ave Mitta o.t.r., assistant professor occupational therapy assistant

work & family: the quintessential balancing act

BY DENISE ALLEN MEMBRENO

Often times these patients needed to

relearn how to go to the bathroom, how

to dress themselves or how to navigate a

grocery store in a wheelchair. “You see

all the things they learn to do, showing

them the technology, it’s pretty amazing,”

says Mitta.

That amazement and job satisfaction

are aspects Mitta was afraid she would

miss when she moved to teaching. In 1993,

after 11 years of seeing patients Mitta

became a professor at what would become

Jefferson College of Health Sciences.

At that time the occupational therapy

assistant program was new. Mitta helped

develop it. “For two years the program

director and I created courses,” remembers

Mitta. “We had to research textbooks

and create lectures.”

Mitta is seeing the OT program

undergo another change. The OT

Professional Organization requires that by

2007 all new OTs must hold a masters

degree. As a result, the last JCHS OT

Bachelors students will graduate in

December 2007. JCHS is working to

develop a Masters in OT program.

Family LifeMitta will tell you, she’s a lucky

woman to have a supportive husband like

David Wiggins. Wiggins is the director

and assistant professor for student services

in JCHS Counseling Services. Ave enjoys

the fact they share the same employer

and understands the nature of each

others’ professions.

They also have a son, 10 year old John.

“My husband and I share the family

responsibilities for everything from John,

school, the dog, the house,” explains Mitta.

“It would be very hard if it wasn’t for him.”

That sharing of responsibility became

very important when Mitta decided to

go to graduate school. She earned her

masters in occupational therapy from

San Jose State University in California.

The program was offered on-line, a

convenience she grew to appreciate.

She says on-line class discussions

required more attention than discussions

in a classroom situation. “You aren’t able

to watch peoples’ expressions,” says Mitta.

“That’s one thing I like to do even with

my own students. I gauge my students’

understanding of a concept by their non-

verbal expressions. That’s not possible

on-line.”

Still the course required class partic-

ipation. Mitta says she was expected to

bring her expertise and knowledge to

online discussions. The course forced

students to participate.

Her husband supported her through

it all. David Wiggins had just completed

his own graduate studies while working

full time and knew first hand the pressures

she was facing.

To balance family, school and work

Mitta suggests prioritizing things. “You

can’t do it all,” she explains. She put her

outside volunteer work on hold to make

sure she had time to spend with her

husband and son.

Mitta and the family like to bike,

hike, or go to the lake for a day. John

plays baseball in the summer and

basketball in the winter. She stays

connected to her son, by keeping a

routine. “Keep those family activities

as much as possible,” suggests Mitta.

“If you take family bike rides, keep to

them. They might not be as long or may

be every other week instead of weekly,

but try to keep those.”

The stress of family, work and

school can be overwhelming.

“Sometimes I go out and run, other

times I read something totally off the

wall that didn’t have to do with school

or work,” recalls Mitta. She also steals

some alone time or goes out to dinner or

a movie with her husband.

Academia“Students are like sponges, everyday

is different,” observes Mitta.

Transitioning from training patients

to teaching students has not been difficult.

“You always look at what the need is,

the format is the same,” explains Mitta.

“Obviously with patients we don’t give a

written test, but we watch them use the

equipment and see if they understand.

OTAs want patients to take the techniques

and incorporate them into their daily lives.”

As a teacher of students Mitta sees

her role as one of a guide and facilitator.

“My goal is to facilitate learning, specif-

ically critical thinking,” Mitta wrote in a

paper for her master’s in OT. “I have

failed as an educator if my students have

solely memorized facts and have not

learned to critically analyze situations.”

She says experience has taught her that

her teaching style and methods sometimes

need to change from year to year. “Just

as there are individual personalities, there

are also “class” personalities. What may

have worked for one class, may not work

for another.”

The medical profession is always

changing. Mitta goes back to working

with patients on a regular basis to keep

up with the advances in her profession.

This allows her to continue to teach

from experience.

Mitta was afraid working with students

would not provide the same satisfaction

as helping a patient regain their life. But

the truth is it’s just a different kind of

rewarding experience.

“When you see students graduate

after two years of challenging classes and

clinicals, it’s wonderful,” says Mitta.

“Some have lost family members

and gone through personal struggles.

They’ve learned to be empathetic with

their patients and are able to use their

self-empowerment to reach out and lift

up people in need.” •



“i have failed as an

educator if my students

have solely memorized

facts and have not

learned to critically

analyze situations.”

Pho

to b

y Ia

n B

rads

haw

Occupational therapy


SPOTLIGHT ON PROGRAMS

As the oldest occupational

therapy assistant program

in Virginia, the OTA

program at Jefferson is

highly-regarded in OTA

education. Each year, the

class is held to about 30

seats, making admission

competitive and training

rigorous. “I see every

student as a future leader

in OTA,” says program

director David Haynes.

“Our students are in the

clinical setting from their

first semester until they

graduate.” The Roanoke Valley is blessed with great depth of

knowledge in the field, thanks to strong health care systems

and numerous retirement and therapy facilities, giving JCHS

students many great clinical options.

The associate of science in occupational therapy assisting is

a two-year degree. Students often spend time trying to decide

between the OTA and Occupational Therapy (OT) degree.

“Occupational therapy is now a master’s level career and many

young people find it difficult to imagine spending six years in

a program as rigorous as occupational therapy. We find that

students who choose OTA are anxious to get to work helping

people and are very happy with their choice,” says Haynes.

“Helping someone overcome their physical dysfunction,

whether it be by strengthening muscles or teaching the use of

a piece of adaptive equipment is extremely rewarding, and the

OTA is generally the person who has the hands-on relationship

with the client to make that happen,” says Haynes.

Jefferson is developing a new master’s in occupational

therapy to replace their long-standing and successful bachelors

in occupational therapy program. Dr. Ruth Meyers joined the

JCHS faculty this year to lead the process of developing

curriculum, identifying possible faculty and planning for

accreditation approvals. “Our goal is to announce the

accomplishment of these milestones in 2007 and, we’re very

excited about the introduction of our second master’s degree,”

says Dr. Seavor, college president. •

There is currently a

projected 38% shortage

of OTA’s nationwide and

this shortage is expected

to remain through 2008,

with many labor experts

believing it could possibly

continue through 2011.

Occupational therapy assistant (OTA) programs have come a long way

since their recognition by the Association of Occupational Therapy

Assistants in 1960. Occupational therapy as a whole began after World

War I, when American hospitals were beginning to see servicemen coming

home with disabilities that did not require medical care, but they did need

assistance in learning how to go about their lives in a different way. At its

core, occupational therapy helps individuals re-enter their lives after a

disabling event, and helps them maximize their current ability.

Occupational Therapy Assistant


Program Director David Haynes, O.T.R., Program Secretary Lynn Freeman,and Assistant Professor Ave Mitta, O.T.R.

pyJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES


SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI

“Our mission is to provide the best devices to the people who

need them most, generally clients who have long-term or

permanent disabilities. When the standard walker or wheelchair

is not enough that’s where we come in,” says Atkinson.

“I still work with patients everyday,” he continues. “But the

reason I got into this is because I saw so many patients in ill-

fitted wheelchairs. When people are in that situation for a long

time, the results are heartbreaking,” he says. An improperly

fitted wheelchair can cause sores on the body. Not only are

these sores painful to the client and difficult to heal, but medical

care for them is expensive. Atkinson says healing a bedsore can

cost Medicare about $75,000.

His career since graduation has been leading up to the creation

of his business. After gaining experience working with patients,

he went to work for INVA Care, the world’s largest medical

equipment manufacturer. As a territory business manager

Atkinson spent much of his time on the road, building a multi-

million dollar sales territory.

But Atkinson grew weary of life on the road and missed his

wife, so he decided to take a leap of faith and put up his own

shingle. He’s based his business on excellence in engineering.

He is one of only 20 practitioners in the state certified by

the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology

Society of North America, and the only person certified in

Southwest Virginia.

Continuing education is a must in the medical field. A point

stressed by his professors at JCHS. So Atkinson stays up to date

on the latest technology by attending several seminars a year.

Atkinson uses high-tech equipment, such as a pressure mapping

system to create the perfect chair for a patient. Atkinson says

the pressure mapping system consists of a thin mat placed

between the patient’s bottom and the chair. The data is sent to

a computer and allows Atkinson to see where and how much

pressure is being put on the body.

He matches the products not only to the patient’s disability,

but to their body shape and size, sometimes even sculpting the

materials for the custom fit.

Other clients require special controls. For example one of

Atkinson’s patients is only able to move one finger three degrees.

Atkinson has created a control using fiber optic technology to

generate a beam of light. The patient moves the wheelchair by

moving his finger through the beam.

“Humans have an innate desire to move,” explains Atkinson.

“I take care of my patients like they were family members.

Giving them comfortable

mobility makes my job

very rewarding.” He says

working with the severely

disabled is especially

inspiring.

Owning his own business

allows Atkinson to set work

boundaries that support

his priorities. “Work is

important but family is the

most important thing and

you really have to know

how to balance it out,”

says Atkinson. To stay

connected with his wife

and beat the stress they

spend warm weather days

on Smith Mountain Lake.

His wife, Nikki, is also a

Jefferson alumnus. She

graduated from the respi-

ratory therapy program in

1994 and is now manager

of Respiratory Care at

Carilion Roanoke

Memorial Hospital.

She helps to make sure the

Atkinson family gets to have fun, too. “In the summer, it’s the

Lake, but when football season rolls around Virginia Tech football

is our outlet,” she says.

Atkinson generously shares his knowledge with the professors

and students at Jefferson College of Health Sciences. He comes

back to his alma mater at least twice a year to keep them up-to-date

on the latest products.

“I enjoy it. It’s nice to get back to the place that changed my life,

my career. The place that gave me the building blocks I needed,”

he says. •

Dwight Atkinson, cota ’99owner, active mobility

salem, va

“Work is important

but family is the most

important thing and you

really have to know how

to balance it out.”

— Dwight Atkinson

Pho

to b

y Ia

n B

rads

haw

Dwight Atkinson ’99 knew in college he had the entrepreneurial spirit. He took his Jefferson education, combined

it with that spirit and created Active Mobility, one of the fastest growing adaptive medical equipment companies in

the Roanoke Valley. Now he is poised to make a difference in the lives of more patients than he ever thought possible.

ALUMNI NEWSJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES


May graduates were treated to the first Alumni Association Senior Send

Off on May 12, 2005 at Jefferson Center. Commencement speaker Lori

Alvord, M.D., of Dartmouth College, NH gave a special reading from her

book, The Scalpel and the Silver Bear.

Jamie Fisher ’05 brought a friend along

Alumni Association Senior Send Off

Coordinator of Housing and Student Activities Julia Dill and Lori Alvord.

Ashlie Ikenberry ’05 and Emily Painter ’05

You’re Invitedto the Alumni Association

at the Roanoke Dazzle!

SeniorSend OFF

The Jefferson Alumni Association ishosting a Senior Send Off to wishour December graduates good luckin their future endeavors!

Join faculty, staff, graduates and fellow alumni for this exciting event!

When: Friday, December 16, 2005

Where: Roanoke Civic Center

Time: Pizza dinner begins at 6:00 p.m.,the game begins at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets are limited- call now to reserve

your seats! 888-985-8483 ext. 89031

or email [email protected]!

1960S

Lynn Hall Coyner NSG ’69, of Staunton,

is director of emergency, obstetrics, and

critical care at Augusta Medical Center in

Fishersville. She also owns and operates

Kenly Hill Farm, an alpaca farm.

1980S

Dona Campbell Blair NSG ’84, of

Ivanhoe, is administrator of Life Center of

Galax. Life Center specializes in chemical

dependency and dual diagnosis and

treatment. She is a registered nurse and

certified in healthcare quality management.

Karen Miller Olson NSG ’85, of Dallas, GA,

is clinical supervisor of pediatrics for Kaiser

Permanente. She is married and has two sons.

1990S

Pam Bernardo NSG ’93, of Salem,

is a community health nurse at Veteran

Administration Medical Center in Salem.

Kathy Doyle Harness PTA ’97, of

Roanoke, practices as a physical therapist

assistant at Friendship Manor Retirement

Community and Carilion Roanoke Memorial

Hospital. She also owns a massage therapy

practice in Roanoke.

Robert W. Hedge II, RTH ’91, is a traveling

respiratory therapist. He has recently

worked at the University of Virginia hospital,

and is currently working in a hospital in

Boca Raton, FL.

Stephanie Carberry OTA ’99, of

Walpole, MA, married Marty Canavan on

August 21, 2004. She works in the marketing

department for Meditech, a medical software

company. She also works part-time as an

occupational therapy assistant at Spaulding

Rehabilitation Center.

Mitzi Ferguson Keeley RTH ’94, of

Roanoke, celebrated the birth of her third

child, Robert Christopher Keeley on

May 15, 2005.

Jamie Morgan Shaw EHS ’99, of

Alamance County, NC, is a paramedic in

Alamance County. She and her husband are

in the process of adopting a baby from Russia.

Kevin Ramsey PTA ’95, of Evington, is

the Rehabilitation Department Manager at

Autumn Care Nursing and Rehabilitation

Center in Altavista.

2000S

Anne Brown OT ’01, and husband Jeff

welcomed a daughter, Reagan Adrianne,

to their family on April 6, 2005.

Lorraine A. Felton NSG ’04, of Roanoke,

works in Patient Access in the emergency depart-

ment of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

B.J. Joyce III EHS ’04, of Myrtle Beach, SC,

is a firefighter/paramedic with Horry County

Fire and Rescue.

Nicole Trexler NSG ’04, of Marion, IN,

is a registered nurse practicing at Marion

General Hospital. She and husband

Matthew have a daughter, Adrianna.

Christopher H. Ward EHS ’02, of Mebane,

NC, works as an IRV Paramedic for Orange

County Emergency Management in Chapel Hill,

NC, a progressive EMS system in North Carolina.

Robert E. White III EHS ’04, of

Gainesville, FL, was married on May 19,

2005 to Elizabeth Dysko at Disney World’s

Wedding Pavilion.

IN MEMORIAM

Mark A. Matherly NSG ’96, of Gretna,

passed away in October, 2005.

CLASS NOTESJEFFERSON COLLEGE of HEALTH SCIENCES



The picnic and game were a big hit with everyone.

About 50 alumni, College faculty and staff enjoyed a summer evening at the

Alumni Association picnic at the Salem Avalanche. Look for information on

the 2006 summer outing in the next Jefferson Chronicle.

On August 16, Jefferson faculty, staff, and honored

guests held a luncheon to dedicate the Fralin House.

The stately building was formerly Carilion’s

Fralin Center for Community Education. Fralin

House will be home to the admissions and financial aid offices for

the College. This new addition to Jefferson’s expanding campus

has a rich history within Roanoke and Carilion Medical Center.

The home was built in 1906 as a residence for Mr. David

W. Flickwir, Esq. and wife Charlotte. The Colonial Revival

structure (sometimes

mistaken for Neo-Georgian)

is a Roanoke treasure.

“The great history books

on Roanoke all pay homage

to this structure,”

says Kent Chrisman of

the Roanoke Historical

Society. “From Barnes’

History of the RoanokeValley, to Whitwell and

Winborne’s ArchitecturalHeritage of the RoanokeValley, this house is

credited with contributing

to the deep stock of

beautiful Southwest Roanoke homes.”

Flickwir, who would later be called Roanoke Hospital’s

“Greatest Benefactor,” was instrumental in the hospital’s

growth in the first three decades of the 20th century. He

had been drawn to Roanoke by the railroad, working at one

time as the superintendent for Norfolk & Western. By 1910,

he had left the company and formed his own civil engineering

and contracting company, Flickwir & Bush, Inc.

A true American Industrialist, he and his partner

engineered and built deck archway railroad bridges made

completely of reinforced concrete, a marvel of its time.

He became

widely known

for building

several archway

bridges for a

project known as the New Jersey Cutoff. The NJ Cutoff

connected the coalmines of Pennsylvania to markets east,

specifically New York City. It is a legendary railroad that

crosses the hills and valleys of western New Jersey with a

total rise and fall of only 11 feet. Contracted by Delaware

Lackawanna & Western Railroad, his work on the NJ Cutoff

not only greatly impacted the economic development of the

northeast, but is considered a pioneering achievement that

has attracted the attention of the engineering profession for

almost 100 years.

However, his most famous masterpiece is the Tunkhannock

Viaduct, located in Nicholson, Pennsylvania, and built in

1915. It is one of North America’s most beautiful bridges,

known as the “ninth wonder of the modern world” and

was the world’s longest concrete bridge at the time of its

completion. Local residents still hold a festival in the fall

each year to celebrate the bridge.

Despite his professional achievements and wealth, he

suffered a great loss when Charlotte died of cancer. Several

years later, he began work to raze and reconstruct the hospital’s

main building to honor her memory. In 1925, the Flickwir

Memorial Unit, which still stands in the heart of modern

Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital was completed. The name

of the hospital still honors this loving and generous tribute.

JEFFERSON ADVANCEMENT

David W. Flickwir, Esq.

David Flickwir who

would later be called

Roanoke Hospital’s

“Greatest Benefactor.”

was instrumental in the

hospital’s growth in

the first three decades

of the 20th century.



Fralin House Rededicated to Honor Memory of Horace Fralin

He later married Mildred Elder, the nursing superintendent

at Roanoke Hospital. Mildred Flickwir was supportive of

her husband’s philanthropy and encouraged him to continue

his service to Roanoke Hospital.

In 1926, as a show of the

Flickwirs’ support of nursing

education, they donated funds

for the construction of the

Flickwir Building on the

north side of the hospital.

This facility housed the

nursing education area and

its students.

Flickwir gave close to a

quarter of a million dollars to

Roanoke Hospital around the

time of the Great Depression,

an astounding level of philan-

thropy. The money was used,

not only to help Roanoke keep

pace with other railroad hubs,

centers of wealth in the industrial era, but also to ensure

that all people had access to hospital care. In the early 1900s,

there was a great sense of community pride by Americans in

the size, architecture, and grandeur of their community’s

hospital. A hospital as modern and progressive as Roanoke

Hospital would have been envied by many cities much larger

than Roanoke.

David W. Flickwir helped set Roanoke Hospital on its course

of greatness, survival, tenacity, and engineering wonder. Not

unlike the bridges that he built, Carilion Roanoke Memorial

Hospital eminates once again, the spirit of ingenuity and

aesthetic splendor. Housed inside, technological advances that

Flickwir could never have imagined, nestles close to his tribute

to Charlotte.

Mildred Flickwir remarried years after David’s death in

1935, and sold the home. It changed hands many times

over the years. Some were kind and preserved its original

architectural intent, while others painted over natural

woodwork and moldings. Some owners did not have the

resources to creatively update the facility to weave modern

code requirements into its original design.

When the property was eventually acquired by

Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley, its present-day

condition finally began to take shape. Paint from the

handcrafted mantels and wainscoting was stripped and

overgrown landscaping was pulled away, allowing passersby

to see this grand dame of Jefferson Street.

Once the preservation was well underway, the CHRV

board decided to name the facility for a generous and

long-serving Roanoke son who had also taken great interest

in healthcare education. Horace Fralin had served as a

member of the board of CHRV for many years, and served as

chairman of the board of Carilion Health System in 1992.

A special dedication in 1991 proclaimed the home

“The Fralin Center for Community Education” to be used

as a multi-purpose facility for community health education.

“Horace Fralin had the clout and wisdom to form

reasonable policy and get it implemented,” says William Reid,

administrator of CHRV in 1991. “Naming the building for

him was a small way to recognize his unselfish leadership,

not only to the hospital, but to health care in Southwest

Virginia,” he continues. “Horace would be very pleased that

new healthcare providers will get their start at the College in

the home named for him.”

Over the past 20 years, employees of Community

Hospital and Carilion Health System have taken time to

recognize the significance of the home to Roanoke and to

health care. Photos of the home, taken in the 1930s, were

made available by Mrs. Flickwir Young before her death,

and she donated the oil portrait of herself, which hangs in

the home’s parlor. •A special thanks to Heywood Fralin, Rick Cregger, Robert Manetta,Lucas and Judie Snipes, and William Reid for their recollections.Photos courtesy of Carilion archives.

JEFFERSON ADVANCEMENT



Warner Dallhouse, Horace Fralin and William Reid

Mildred Flickwir


Holly Eggleston enjoys Fall ’05 Breakfast

Hospital R.A.s Julie Bryant and Heather McCready enjoy relaxing at the Back to School Dinner August ’05.

experienceTHE JEFFERSON

phot

os b

y Ju

lia D

ill

Brandy Roberts and Erica McCann are all smiles at Jefferson’s Back to School Beach Party August ’05.Sierra Williamson will take aim at Lazer Tag August ’05.

Zach Apgar, Robert Weber, Brandy Roberts and Ashley Jones

Change Service Requested

Non-Profit Org

U.S. Postage

PAIDRoanoke, VA

Permit No. 28

Jefferson College of Health Sciences License Plates are now available at

Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles!Go to your local DMV or online at https://www.dmv.virginia.gov

Plates can be personalized with up to 6 letters or numbers!

P.O. Box 13186

Roanoke, Virginia 24031-3186

Jefferson Chronicle-Fall/Winter 2005

Documents

Transcript of Jefferson Chronicle-Fall/Winter 2005