Delco Press Club welcomes Villanova women’s hoops coach
RADNOR » In celebration of Women’s History Month, The Press Club of Delaware County will present Villanova women’s basketball coach Denise Dillon as special guest on Wednesday, March 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum, 301 Iven Ave., Radnor Township.
The Press Club and guests will begin the event with a tour of the multi-level museum, which has seven galleries with permanent collections displaying personal memorabilia from notable county athletes. In all, there is 150 years of Delaware County sports history on display.
The first floor includes the Mickey Vernon Gallery, dedicated to Delco baseball lore; the Jane Barkman/Mary Ellen Clark Wide World of Women’s Sports Gallery; and the hometown Radnor Township Sports Atrium Gallery.
On the second floor are the Ted Meredith Olympic Gallery; the Emlen Tunnell Football Gallery; the Jack Ramsay Basketball Gallery; and the All-Sports Gallery.
Following the tour, Dillon will share her thoughts on the traits honed during her time as a Villanova student athlete that have allowed her to excel during her coaching career. The Villanova Varsity Club Hall of Fame inductee has 17 years of Division I head coaching experience.
Dillon took the reins from Harry Perretta, who retired at the end of the 2019-20 season after 42 years leading the program.
A product of Perretta’s renowned career, Dillon had served as the head coach at Drexel University for 17 years.
She is the winningest head coach in Dragons history, with 329 career victories during her time at the helm. Under her leadership, Villanova is currently ranked 11th in the country and is heading into the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
A fun indoor tailgate lunch, featuring a buffet of cold sandwiches and wraps, salad, chips, cookies,
and drinks follows the program in the museum auditorium.
In 1932, Jean Shiley won a gold medal in the high jump at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, defeating the legendary Babe Didrickson.
This set the stage for other Delaware County women to achieve greatness in a variety of other Olympic Sports over the years:
• Janie Barkman Brown, gold medal in swimming in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics.
• Char Morett, Karen Shelton and Chris Larson, bronze medals in field hockey in the 1984 Olympics.
• Theresa Shank-Grentz, head coach of the 1992 Olympic bronze medal-winning basketball team.
• Mary Ellen Clark, bronze medal winning diver in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics.
• Emily deRiel, silver medal winner in the pentathlon in the 2000 Olympics.
• Lisa Raymond, 2012 silver medal winner in tennis.
Other Delco women achieving recognition in other Olympic sports include Cindy GilbertBevilacqua
in archery and Renee Hykel-Cuddy in rowing.
Check-in begins at 11 a.m. and the tour begins at 11:15 a.m., followed by the lunch and program at noon.
Tickets for the tour and luncheon are $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers and walkins. Reservations are recommended but guests may also pay by cash, check or credit card at the door.
For more information and to register, visit https://www.thepressclubpa.org/events. All Press Club events are open to the public.
Membership in the Press Club is available to individuals, businesses and students working in all fields of communications and allied communication fields.
For eligibility information and to join the club, visit http://thepressclubpa.org. The Press Club season runs from September through May.
Neumann Players present ‘Beauty and the Beast’
It may be an old tale, but it is still a crowd pleaser. The Neumann University Players will stage Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” March 16-19 in the Meagher Theatre at Neumann University in Aston.
Senior Matt Glass, a veteran of productions at Neumann and Camden Catholic High School, portrays the Beast, trying to break the castle spell by wooing Belle, played by Hayley Hughes.
The enchanted objects that come to life in this endearing tale, along with the original score written by Alan Menken, make the production a favorite of audiences, young and old.
Faculty member John Baxter directs this show, with help from Neumann alumna Catherine Callahan, who worked on many plays when she was a student.
Focusing on the musical numbers, she has worked closely with choreographer Ashley Diamond and music director Dr. Rick Sayers to polish every performance. There are 27 students in the production.
Meagher Theatre show times are March 16, 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and March 19 at 2 p.m.
Admission is $10, $5 for seniors and students.
On March 16, all students with an ID are admitted for free. For more information, call the box office at 610-558-5626. To see the full arts schedule at Neumann University, visit http://www.neumann.edu/arts.
Main Line Chamber of Commerce launches unique evening networking events
The Main Line Chamber of Commerce in Wayne will launch a series of evening networking events, titled “An Evening At… .” These evening events will take place in unique and interesting places in the Main Line to provide valuable networking opportunities to attendees.
The first evening event will be “An Evening at Margaret Kuo’s” on Tuesday, March 14, from 5:307:30 p.m. at Margaret Kuo’s, 175 Lancaster Ave., Wayne.
The new series title reflects the relaxed nature of these events and allows the hosts and sponsors to showcase the names of their businesses.
Hosts of the events have the opportunity to spotlight their business to leaders across the Greater Philadelphia region.
At each event, participants will network with 50 to 75 business leaders, giving them a chance to make new connections and strengthen existing relationships with other member businesses. These events will typically be included as part of the Chamber’s membership benefits, and include light food and drinks.
The Main Line Chamber of Commerce is Southeastern Pennsylvania’s big suburban chamber, with 850 member business members throughout Delaware, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
Its Society of Professional Women provides professional development opportunities, in addition to the Chamber’s leadership training programs, networking opportunities and the Chamber’s Talent and Education Network that connects students with employers.
For more information, visit http://www.mlcc.org or call the Chamber at 610-687-6232.
Scanlon announces service academy nominees
Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon, a Delaware County Democrat, recently announced her nominees for appointment to the United States service academies for the Class of 2027.
The 28 local high school students were honored by Scanlon during a recognition ceremony in February at the Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne.
Members of Congress may nominate candidates for appointment to four of the five U.S. service academies: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. The fifth service academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, does not require a congressional nomination for appointment.
“Getting to know each of these accomplished young men and women makes me very proud to represent such an active and service-oriented constituency,” Scan
lon said in a press release. “The U.S. military academies are among the finest institutions in the world, and I am confident my young constituents’ experience at the academies will help them continue their development as the leaders of the future. I thank all of this year’s nominees for their commitment to serving our country.”
Candidates for nomination were interviewed and recommended for selection by the Service Academy Selection Board.
The following students from Scanlon’s district received nominations:
• Air Force Academy Megan Adelman, The Baldwin School; Owen Brennan, Strath Haven High School; Isaiah Byun, Garnet Valley High School; Sean Carbaugh, Garnet Valley High School; Melania Diah, Friends Central School; Thomas Haas, Salesianum School; Aimar Ng Pons, Strath Haven High School; Patrick Lawson, Haverford High School; James “Ben” Sparling, Penncrest High School.
• Merchant Marine Academy Patrick
Barry, Devon Preparatory School; Adrian Chui, Roman Catholic High School; Michael Cook, Lancaster Country Day School; Aimar Ng Pons, Strath Haven High School; Cole Postlewait, Sun Valley High School; Avi Ragozzino, Harriton High School; Gavin Wysocki, Avon Grove High School.
• U.S. Military Academy Hayden Campbell, Penncrest High School; Matthew DeAngelo, Marple Newtown High School; Thomas DeShan, Radnor High School; Ryan DiRocco, The Haverford School; William Ernst, Strath Haven
High School; Samuel Gamble, Academy Park High School; Thomas Mulholland, Penncrest High School; Aimar Ng Pons, Strath Haven High School; Neo Vossschulte, The Episcopal Academy; Taylor Wilson, Archbishop John Carroll High School.
• Naval Academy Megan Adelman, The Baldwin School; Isaiah Byun, Garnet Valley High School; Hayden Campbell, Penncrest High School; Catherine Clough-Martin, Radnor High School; Melania Diah, Friends Central School; Angela Esgro, Radnor High School; Benjamin Farabaugh, Strath Haven High School; Thomas Mulholland, Penncrest High School; Aimar Ng Pons, Strath Haven High School; Luka Sekulic, The Haverford School
DCCC president named to American Council on Education Board
Delaware County Community College President Dr. L. Joy Gates Black has been named to the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education, the major coordinating body of the nation’s colleges and universities representing more than 1,700 colleges and universities, and other organizations in America and abroad.
Gates Black will serve as a designated institutional representative of the American Association of Community Colleges for the term of April 2023 to September 2026.
A native of Texas, Gates Black has served DCCC since July 1, 2017, and plans to retire after six years as president on June 30. For more information, visit http://www.dccc.edu.