UPJ 1990 - 2000 - UPJ Greek Alumni

Greeks at UPJ 1990 - 2000

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Presidents of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
1974 - 1993 Dr. Frank H. Blackington III
1994 Dr. David L. Dunlop (Interim)
1994-2007 Dr. Albert L. Etheridge

Click on any of the previous years to go to that time period

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1990 - 1991

October 6 1990: Lori Morrison is crowned Homecoming Queen.
October 16 1990: University Office of Provost Donald Henderson approves a Geography Major at UPJ, the only Pitt campus to offer this major. It is established for the Spring Term.
October 30 1990: The “Shaping a Future” campaign tops the $15 million mark. Pennsylvania’s Lt. Governor Mark Singel, State Senator William Stewart, and Representative John Wozniak deliver a symbolic check signed by Governor Robert Casey for the construction of a $7 million classroom/administration building.
1991: Masayuki Tadokoro of Dokkyo University, Hyoga, Japan, arrives as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence.
1991: The Geography Department is named the publisher of The Pennsylvania Geographer. This is the first professional journal published at UPJ.
February 3 1991: Jerry Vitale, sponsored by Delta Zeta is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
March 1991: UPJ adopts the University of Pittsburgh academic calendar; a spring break is scheduled for the first time.
April 27 1991: Academic Convocation. Speaker: John E. Murray, Jr., President, Duquesne University.

DEVELOPER NOTES: THIS column, the right hand column of each academic year has an image place holder. Once we have more than one image for an academic year the images will be converted to slideshows.

1991 - 1992

September 1991: Phi Sigma Sigma International Sorority established.
September: Enrollment is 2,690 full-time and 918 part-time students.

September 11 1991: The Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is dedicated. Designed by Damianos Brown Andrews, Inc., the PPAC features a 1,000 seat auditorium, a black-box-style experimental theatre, an arts gallery, and space for faculty and staff offices.
September 6 1991: Picking Drive, a new second entrance to campus, is officially named in honor of Howard M. Picking, Jr., one of the original 1958 Advisory Board members.
September 22 1991: The J. Irving Whalley Memorial Chapel is dedicated. The all-faiths chapel, which houses a 250 seat sanctuary, conference room, and office space, is the result of a gift from the Whalley Charitable Trust.
October 12 1991: Jennifer Rossi is crowned Homecoming Queen.
February 8: Dave Armstrong is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
March 1 and 22: College Scholars Recognition Ceremony and Donor Awards Ceremony continue the tradition of Awards Day.
March 13: The women’s basketball team wins the NCAA Division II East Regional Tournament.
Mindy Young, women’s basketball, is named NCAA Division II Player of the Year, Kodak WBCA All- American, and GTE Academic All-American.
May 2: Academic Convocation. Speaker: Donald M. Henderson, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh.

1992 - 1993

Fall: Dr. David L. Dunlop, Academic Dean, institutes a new “Readiness for College” course required of all freshmen.
October 1: Heather Leonard is crowned Homecoming Queen.
October 31: The men’s soccer team wins the WPISC championship.
December: Dr. Blackington announces at the Century Club dinner that the college library will be named Owen Library in honor of former Greater Johnstown High School English teachers and Johnstown Center alumni, Elvina Owen and Sara Owen Torquato, who provided a large endowment for library resources.
February: The Engineering Division invests in an electric-power-system simulator with a $100,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. It is the second computer-operated simulator in the country.
February 6: Brent Davis is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
February 21: The wrestling team wins its fifth Regional title at the NCAA Division II Eastern Regionals.
May 8: Academic Convocation. Speaker: J. Dennis O’Connor, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh.

1993 - 1994

October 2: Natalie Conrad is crowned Homecoming Queen.

December: Academic Dean David L. Dunlop becomes interim president for the spring term following Dr. Blackington’s retirement.
February 6: Eric Viskovicz is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
May 7: Academic Convocation. Speaker: Mark Nordenberg, Interim Provost, University of Pittsburgh. 1994 Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Service Award is presented to Ronald Vickroy.

1994 - 1995

July 1 1994: Dr. Albert L. Etheridge assumes his duties as the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s fourth president.

September 14 1994: The remodeled Student Union is dedicated. It now houses administrative offices; career, health, residence, and student services; personal counseling; the Bookstore; Post Office and Mailroom; WUPJ-Radio; the Advocate’s darkroom; and a ballroom/multipurpose room.
October 2: Jodie Nicotra is crowned Homecoming Queen.
December 2 1994: The Living/Learning Center is dedicated. It houses 400 students and will also serve as a conference center. There are a game room, a small shop, a computer center, an exercise & fitness area, and a dining room that can serve about 200 people.
November 11 1994: Valerie Plish is crowned “Miss UPJ” in the first Miss UPJ pageant sponsored by Delta Sigma Chi fraternity.
February 18 1995: Wrestling Coach Pat Pecora is named NCAA Eastern Regional Coach of the Year.
March 1996: A new all-weather track behind the North Lodges is completed. The women’s outdoor track team uses it for the first time in March 1996.
April 9 1995: Academic Honors Convocation. Speaker: Dr. Albert L. Etheridge, President, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.
May 6 1995: Commencement. Speaker: Dr. Albert L. Etheridge, President, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown.

1995 - 1996

August 27-29 1995: First annual Freshman Convocation is held. Its purpose is to focus on the needs and expectations of freshmen and addresses the faculty’s professional needs.
August 29 1995: Dr. Albert Etheridge is inaugurated as president.
September: The new Associated Women Students organization is formed to focus on women’s needs.
September 1 1995: The basement in Krebs Hall is renovated, providing new geology labs, classrooms, and a rock and mineral library.
September 14 1995: 100 freshmen participate in the first Freshmen Track Meet, organized for students to get acquainted with each other.
October 14 1995: Former President Jack Freeman crowns the 25th Homecoming Queen, Sara Latta (Alpha Gamma Delta). Ruby Biddle, Dr. and Mrs. Frank Blackington, and past queens attend the Homecoming events. SEE: NEWS: Ten Years later and the Path we Follow...
October 21 1995: Litchfield Avenue is renamed Kunk’s Drive in honor of retired UPJ Advisory Board member, Charles Kunkle, Jr.
January 24 1996: All-American Tony Albertelli, wrestling squad, is ranked 2nd in the nation. March 15-16: The wrestling squad captures its first NCAA Division II title.
March 24 1996: Academic Honors Convocation. Speaker: Joseph F. Rutledge ’73, Vice President for Development, Interactive Magic.
April 13 1996: Women’s Rugby Club is organized.
1996 Pitt-Johnstown Service to Community Award was presented to Campus Ministry.
May 4 1996: Commencement. Speaker: Vickey L. Triponey, Ph.D., ’79, Associate Vice President, Campus Life, Wichita State University.

1996 - 1997

October 12 1996: Megan Olszewski is crowned Homecoming Queen.
November 1996: John N Wozniak, Delta Chi, is elected to the Pennsylvania Senate for the 35th District. Pennsylvania's 35th Senatorial district includes parts of Cambria, Clearfield, Clinton, and Somerset Counties.
1997 Phi Kappa Phi, international honor society, is founded.
January 25 1997: Mindy Young, 1992 NCAA Division II Player of the Year, is the first women’s basketball team player to have her jersey retired.
February 9 1997: Chad Dupill is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
March 1997: Eight new degree programs are offered: four Associate degrees in the allied health division; bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies, theater and communication, secondary education/social studies, and biopsychology.
March 21 1997: The men’s basketball team receives national attention by being ranked as high as 11th in the nation and earning its first ever NCAA Division II National Tournament bid.
March 23 1997: Academic Honors Convocation. Speaker: Andonia Cakouros ’74, Professor of Theatre, California State University.
1997 Pitt-Johnstown Service to Community Award is presented to Dr. John McGrath.
May 3 1997: 25th Annual Commencement. The Commencement speaker is Dennis B. Roddy, ’76, Staff Writer and Editor for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

1997 - 1998

September 3 1997: The Frank H. Blackington, III, Administration/Classroom Building, known as Blackington Hall, is dedicated. Located at the crest of the campus mall, it contains computer laboratories, lecture halls, administrative offices, and audiovisual services.
October 4 1997: Sonya Thompson is crowned Homecoming Queen.
November 30 1997: The installation of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi Collegiate Honor Society is held. Twenty faculty and students are inducted.
February 24 1998: Chris Nix is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
March 13-14 1998: Jody Strittmatter, wrestling, wins the 118 pound, NCAA Division II championship and is named an Academic All-American. Strittmatter is the first UPJ freshman to win a national title.
March 1998: Men’s basketball is seeded sixth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament’s East Region, losing in the second round. The team is placed 20th in the final NCAA Division II ranking.
March 22 1998: Academic Honors Convocation. Speaker: David R. Davis, ’81, President and CEO, Lee Regional Health System.
April 9 1998: Twelve geography majors are the first to be inducted into UPJ’s newest honor society, Gamma Theta Upsilon, International Geography Honor Society.
1998 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence is presented to Catherine Kloss (English) and H. Richard Feller (Civil Engineering Technology).
1998 Pitt-Johnstown Service to Community Award is presented to the Staff Activities and Concerns Association.
May 2 1998: Commencement. Speaker: John F. Green, ’81, Senior Fixed-Income Portfolio Manager, The Travelers Group.

1998 - 1999

July 1 1998: Dr. Sandra Patterson-Randles is selected as the new Vice President for Academic Affairs. She is the first woman to hold a vice presidency in the school’s history.
July 2 1998: On Pitt-Johnstown’s Campus Mall, Dave Willey, Delta Chi, and 14 others conducted a 165-foot-long fire walk. The event was documented by the BBC for the Discovery Channel and submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records.

September 29 1998: David Willey, Delta Chi, (Physics) makes his first guest appearance, of 17 in total, on NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
October 3 1998: Amanda DeCoske is crowned Homecoming Queen.
December 9 1998: WUPJ-TV makes its first campus-wide television broadcast. The broadcast includes world news, campus news, and a tribute to deceased communication professor Ellen Hoffman.
February 21 1999: Jay Visniskie is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
February 25 1999: Dr. Etheridge and Advisory Board Chairman Jeanne Gleason dedicate the Engineering and Science Building’s auditorium as the Paul H. Saylor Auditorium in honor of former professor Paul H. Saylor.
March 12-13 1999: Wrestling squad wins the NCAA Division II National championship.
March 21 1999: Academic Honors Convocation. Speaker: George Gvozdich, Jr., Esq.,’75, Gvozdich, Buchan, Svirsko and Kaltenbaugh, Attorneys.
March 28 1999: The Education Club sponsors a benefit basketball game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Proceeds are given to the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.
April 19 1999: Coach Clyde Horner celebrates his 500th win when the women’s track team defeats Juniata College. This milestone occurs after 30 years coaching soccer, women’s volleyball, men and women’s basketball, and women’s track.
April 29 1999: NEWS: Senator Wozniak meets with Chancellor Mark Nordenberg of funding at UPJ (Delta Chi)
May 13 1999: NEWS: PA Senate vote to increase Pitt's State Funding (Senator John Wozniak Delta Chi)
May 8 1999: Commencement. Speaker is Terry L. Harter, ’74, Professor of Astronomy, Cornell University.
1999 President’s Award for Teaching Excellence is presented to Dr. Daniel Santoro (Sociology).

On July 2, 1998, on Pitt-Johnstown’s Campus Mall, Professor David Willey, a Delta Chi brother, and 14 others conducted a 165-foot-long fire walk. The event was documented by the BBC for the Discovery Channel and submitted to the Guinness Book of World Records.

1999 - 2000

October 2 1999: Mindee Heidrich is crowned Homecoming Queen.
October 10 1999: Ultimate Frisbee Club organizes its first tournament with Pitt-Oakland, Juniata College and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
November 6 1999: The men’s rugby club wins the Allegheny Rugby Union League Division III Championship against Grove City College.
December 15 1999: Shirley Richards, Owen Library administrative assistant, receives the first President’s Staff Award for Excellence in Service. The award honors staff members who volunteer on and off campus
Delta Zeta Chapter charter expires.
February 9: Brandon Newill is crowned Mr. UPJ. A competition founded & sponsored by the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
March 19: Academic Honors Convocation. Speaker: Jolene R. (Youhouse) Kmett, ’77, Systems Engineer, Johnstown Wire Technologies.
May 6: Commencement. Speaker: Blaine A. Lucas, Esq. ’78, Springer, Bush and Perry, P.C.

Click on any of the future years to go to that time period

2000 - 2010

2010 - Present

Original List Compiled from "The Evolution of a College" by Robert J. Hunter, Delta Chi, The Advocate, The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, and various other sources in the Pitt-Johnstown Archive at Owen Library.