Robert Morris Rides to D.C. - Day One

The following is a post by Valentine Brkich, RMU senior writer, who along with 27 other RMU staff members, students, alumni, and friends, is taking part in a 300-mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. Over the next five days, leading up to and in honor of Memorial Day, Val will be writing about each stop along the way and its connection to the Civil War, which began 150 years ago…

Boston (Pa.) to Ohio Pyle (Pa.)

Today is the first day of our five-day biking adventure to Washington, D.C. Our first stop along the way is Ohio Pyle—a quaint little town on a bend in the Youghiogheny River. In recent times Ohio Pyle has become known as a “trail town,” thanks to its location along the Great Allegheny Passage. It’s also a hot spot for whitewater rafting enthusiasts.

And, like many small towns across Pennsylvania, Ohio Pyle was not left untouched by the Civil War.

Take Ohio Pyle resident James Rowan (1810-1880), for example, who served in the war along with and four of his sons. James, husband of Catherine (Harbaugh) (1808-1893), enlisted in the 85th Pa. Volunteer Infantry, along with his son Leonard. Three other sons—David, Josiah and Jonas—all followed suit in various regiments.

Jonas (1833-1872) and his brother David (1845-1876) enlisted with Company F of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Jonas was captured by the Confederates on Oct. 19, 1864, at Cedar Creek, Va. After the war he was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where he was discharged on Aug. 24, 1865. In the winter of 1872, he contracted typhoid pneumonia and never recovered. David survived the fighting but was killed in a railroad accident in Fayette County in 1876, some 11 years after the war's end.

Josiah (1833-1865) served in the 5th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, and died "on his way home from the war." Nothing else is known of his service.

Leonard Rowan (1838-1862) enlisted with the 85th Pennsylvania Infantry and saw heavy action in the battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines, Va., on May 30-31, 1862. He also took part in the Seven Days' Battle. On Aug. 18, 1862, while on a march from Harrison’s Landing, Va., he became ill and was transferred some 60 miles southeast to Hygeia General Hospital near Hampton, Va. He passed away shortly thereafter.

James, the father, died of heart disease on June 12, 1880, and is buried at the Indian Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Mill Run (Fayette Co.) Pa., along with David, Josiah, and Jonas.

As I ride through this sleepy little town, people all around me biking and hiking and braving the rapids of the Yough, I think about the sacrifices made by the Rowan/Harbaugh family almost 150 years ago, and it makes me appreciate how truly lucky I am today. So to them I say thank you.

Now, if my legs recover by morning, it’s off to Cumberland…

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Source: minerd.com; Author: Mark A. Miner

Robert Morris is Heading to D.C.!

Tomorrow, May 26, a group of 27 RMU staff members, students, alumni, and friends will be embarking on a 300-mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. These adventurous—and slightly kooky—individuals will be riding approximately 60 miles a day until they reach our nation’s capital, five days later on Memorial Day.

And yours truly will be one of these batty bicyclists.

Being a writer, I wanted to document this trip in some way (although, I’m not sure how I’m going to ride and type at the same time). Since we’ll be finishing the ride on Memorial Day, I thought it might be cool to tie the ride into the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, which is being marked all over the country this year.

As I started to do some research, I discovered that each of our stops along the way—Ohio Pyle (Pa.), Cumberland (Md.), Hancock (Md.), and Harpers Ferry (W. Va.)—has some connection to the war, either through a particular battle or with residents who took part as soldiers. Over the next five days I’ll be publishing a daily post that focuses on that particular day’s destination and its ties to the Civil War. Then, after the ride is complete, I’ll share some stories, photos, and video from the ride itself.

And did I mention I’ll be bringing my good friend RoMo along for the ride? Follow Robert Morris University's official Facebook page for daily photos of RoMo along the trail.

Until then, wish me luck. And if anyone has any tips for mounting a laptop on your handlebars, please pass them along.

"We're the only ones who gave ourselves a chance."

During a recent conversation with RMU men's basketball coach Andy Toole, I learned that the RMU Gameday Exclusive videos, available at our YouTube channel, have been a hit on the recruiting trail. One of Andy's most recently landed recuits and the recruit's father were particularly impressed by the emotionally raw videos that documented the Colonials' up-and-down 2010-11 season. The season ended with an overtime loss in the NEC championship game, which was chronicled in the final Gameday Exclusive installment:



According to Andy, coaches of rival teams have praised the videos, and few offer anything similar. Kudos go to the talent behind Gameday Exclusive, 2010 RMU graduate Nazari Dorosh and senior RMU student Justin Downs.

-- Jonathan Potts

RMU's 2011 Alumni Tour - France

Springtime in Paris? Oui.

This past Sunday a group of Robert Morris University alumni and friends, along with President Greg Dell'Omo and his wife, Polly, embarked on a week-long, guided tour of France.

After touching down at Charles de Gaulle airport, the group headed for Lion d'Or, their hotel in the old quarter of medieval Bayeux. Then, on Monday, they boarded a private coach north to Normandy, with its soaring seaside cliffs, rolling pastures, and medieval cities. After stopping for lunch and a stroll at Rouen, the historic port on the Seine, they made for Ville aux Cent Clochers (City of 100 Belfries) where they got a chance to discover architectural treasures like Notre Dame Cathedral, St. Ouen Abbey, Palais de Justice, and the Bourgtheroulde mansion.

On Tuesday, the group toured Omaha Beach, where on June 6, 1944, the largest invading armada in history broke through the German defenses as they began their push to Berlin. The group also toured battlefields and visited Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where the remains of 9,386 U.S. soldiers now rest in peace beneath lines of marble crosses and Stars of David.

Today the group is heading to the rocky citadel of Mont-Saint-Michel, historic symbol of France. There they will climb the steep Grande Rue to the 13th century abbey that crowns the island.

Tomorrow the group will be Paris, stopping first to see the iconic water lilies at Giverny, which was once the home of the renowned Impressionist, Claude Monet.

On Friday the group will enjoy a panoramic coach tour of the City of Lights, viewing one legendary attraction after another—The Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde. Saturday, they will take a walking tour of the Latin Quarter, for centuries the heart of Parisian intellectual life and the traditional haunt of artists, poets, and philosophers. Here they will view the baroque Cathedral of Saint-Sulpice, most recently made famous in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.

On Sunday, the group will visit the astonishing Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV’s unequalled architectural extravagance.

RMU’s 2011 Alumni Tour will conclude on Monday, May 23, as the group bids adieu to France and travels back across The Pond to Pittsburgh, which Post-Gazette writer Brian O’Neill refers to, appropriately, as The Paris of Appalachia.

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For more photos of RMU’s tour de France, click HERE.

Engineering a Cleaner Shoe

Last week I had the pleasure of attending a final presentation given by engineering students in RMU's Product and Tool Design course, taught by Dr. Priya Manohar (see photo, standing at left).

The presentation, which took place in the university's Hale Center, was the culmination of an interdisciplinary project with Dr. Cathleen Jones’ Marketing Research course.

Earlier in the semester, students from both courses brainstormed some new product ideas and chose two ideas to research. After that, the marketing students surveyed people about the ideas and reported the results to the engineering students and a panel of businesspeople, none of which was Donald Trump, who at the time was preoccupied with more pressing issues. The panelists then recommended which of the two ideas they believed showed the greatest potential.

Based on these recommendations, the engineering students chose to develop the “Boot Broom,” which was originally called the “Super Sopper.” Although both names feature alliteration, which is always nice, personally I’m partial to the latter option. Then again, I had nothing to do with the project.

The Boot Broom is an innovative device for cleaning one’s footwear before entering one’s house. It features two parts: 1) a standard door mat, and 2) a not-so-standard dirt/mud scraping off thingamabob, which works sort of like a shoe car-wash, just without the water, soap, conveyor belt, and those guys at the end who “dry” your car off with their soaking-wet towels.

In developing the prototype (that’s fancy engineer lingo for a working model), engineering students Casey Coughlin, Brendan Mathers, Wade Moneypenny, and Charles Story Jr. (see photo) utilized Gantt Charts, Needs-and-Metrics Matrices, Functional Analyses, and other cool-sounding scientific tools we writers never get to use. During the presentation, they shared their findings from the project and what they learned throughout the process.

Will we ever see the Boot Broom in your local hardware or home improvement store, or maybe on an episode of Oprah when she gives out her favorite things to all those screaming women (they frighten me)? Who knows? But if we do, I can tell people that I was there to witness its unveiling and then to blog about it, none of which, by the way, qualifies me to receive any percentage of the profits from sales.

At least that’s what my lawyer told me.

Written by Valentine J. Brkich

Mentoring Magic Award

Who guided you in your life’s journey? Did you have a mentor who made a profound impact on your academic life or career? How much do you owe that person for your success? These are questions at the heart of Mentoring Magic: Picking the Card for Your Success, co-authored by Shellie Hipsky, assistant professor of education at Robert Morris University, and her former student, Claudia Armani-Bavaro.

And my answer to those questions: Many people have guided me in life’s journey, including my family, friends, teachers, and coaches. And, YES- I’ve had one specific mentor who has positively impacted every aspect of my life! I owe her many thanks and appreciation.

After talking to Shellie Hipsky about a promotional event that was to be held at the end of January in Sewickely, PA at the Penguin Bookshop, she also invited me to nominate someone who has made an impact on my life for the “Mentoring Magic Award.” I knew exactly who I was going to nominate as soon as I read that e-mail: Dr. Diane Todd Bucci. I have known Diane for almost four years now. She was my professor for the two communications skills courses during my freshman year. After I finished with her class at the end of my freshman year, she encouraged all of us to stay in touch with her by having coffee or lunch on campus when we return in the fall. I took her up on the offer and started having coffee or breakfast with her about once a month, despite our busy schedules. She always found time to listen and offer her advice on my academic and life decisions. This mentoring relationship has blossomed into what I know will be a lifelong friendship. To show Diane my appreciation for all that she has done to support me, I knew that I had to nominate her for the award.

Here’s a short excerpt about what I wrote about Diane Todd Bucci, my mentor:
Dr. Diane Todd Bucci is a professor who has definitely changed my life through inspiring me to become a better person in the classroom, in the workplace, and in my personal life. She has told me that I can do anything that my heart desires and that my mind can imagine. She has shaped me as a person whether she realizes it or not, and I am grateful to have her as a mentor and lifelong friend. My relationship with Diane has definitely increased my self-esteem. She has said that I’m a passionate woman that could help save the world and solve some of society’s problems. When those words come from such a role model as Diane, I feel like it really could come true: I could save one million trees from being burnt in the rainforest or cause one million people to start recycling. She makes me believe that I can and do make a difference in other people’s lives, and I have finally realized I’ve helped change lives throughout my college years.

Just last Friday, Diane and I both received the first “Mentoring Magic Award” at the book signing event in Sewickely. I hadn’t even realized that I would be receiving an award along with Diane. It makes sense, though. As I spoke a few words about how Diane has been such a great mentor throughout my college career, she also spoke about how mentoring students like me has changed her life as well. I think we would agree that we both benefit significantly and learn much from each other through this mentoring relationship.

Mentoring Magic: Picking the Card for Your Success was recently published in September 2010, and the two authors have been promoting it through the book’s web site, http://mentoringmagic.net/ as well as a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Mentoring-Magic-Pick-the-Card-for-Your-Success/148268231883062. The authors have been holding events in the Pittsburgh area to promote the book locally as well as globally.

The book shares wisdom gleaned from interviews with more than 100 students and their mentors on the importance of creating and maximizing the impact of these relationships and how to sustain them throughout a career. It helps students learn the tricks of networking with professionals. The book is geared toward students seeking guidance from a mentor beyond the classroom, international students who want to succeed academically, and students who want to study abroad to gain a better cultural understanding of the world.

I highly recommend the book as a guide to finding a mentor for your career. I was lucky enough that I found my mentor early in my college career. It’s never too late to find to yours, though!

-- By Sara Meier, RMU Class of 2011

The Forgotten Founding Father

Washington. Jefferson. Franklin. Adams. Hamilton.

And, yes, Morris.

If you're like most people, when you think of the American Revolution, you probably think of Washington's daring Christmas-night crossing of the Delaware River, Franklin's diplomatic efforts overseas, Jefferson's writing of the Declaration of Independence, or any number of other extraordinary contributions made by our "Founding Fathers."

Unfortunately, more often than not, Robert Morris's important role is forgotten.

But according to "This Rebel Came Armed With a Balance Sheet," John Steele Gordon's review of Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution by Charles Rappleye (Simon & Schuster), Morris deserves more credit than he is usually given. (The book review recently appeared recently in The Wall Street Journal.)

Of course, here at Robert Morris University, we already knew that.