Franciscan University hands out Founders Awards

STEUBENVILLE -- Franciscan University of Steubenville celebrated contributions to school and community Saturday with the presentation of its Founders Awards for 2021.

The award, established in 1978 in memory of Bishop John King Musio, the first bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville, is a highlight of the university's annual Founders Association dinner.

This year's recipients were Dr. John Irvin, his wife Judy and family, who've maintained deep ties with the university since John's 1958 graduation; Ross Gallabrese, executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times and a longtime member of the university's board of advisers; Paul Giannanmore, longtime Herald-Star reporter, now an executive producer for WTOV-TV; and Sister M. Regina Pacis Coury, FSGM, who taught at the university for six years. Also recognized were Founders' Scholars including Jean Bahen, nursing major; Jacob Estep, bio-chemistry major; Ekaterina Scaffidi, performance theater major; and the Rose M. DeFede Women’s Guild Scholarships to Sonya Arellano, clinical psychology major; Nyashadzash DiLeonardo, nursing major; Melanie Fecske, social work major; and Luz Piedra, criminal justice major. The Dr. Patricia Fletcher Scholarship was announced by Fletcher, a member of the Class of 1969, for Rachel Rosenbusch, English (British American literature) major. Incorrect names were included in the program for the event.

After graduating from Franciscan University, John Irvin enrolled in dental school at West Virginia University. He graduated in 1962, then spent two years in the U.S. Army Dental Corps before setting up practice in Wintersville, retiring in 2019 after 55 years.

During the years Irvin, his wife and children Beth, Jack, David, Patricia and Chris maintained close ties with the university: John served on the board of trustees from 1977-89, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1989; Judy Irvin had volunteered in the Conference Office, and was treasurer for the Academy of Lifelong Learning, a university affiliate that provided ongoing classes for senior citizens. Throughout the years the couple hosted meals for every president of Franciscan University of Steubenville since John became a dentist.

Continuing the tradition: Daughter Beth (Irvin) Matanzo works as a secretary in the Graduate Nursing Department. Their son-in-law, Dr. Thomas Matanzo, DDS '81; their sons, Dr. Jack Irvin, DDS '84 and Chris Irvin '90; and their daughters-in-law Janet (Lynch) Irvin '89 and Joy (Morris) Irvin '91 MSN '10, all attended Franciscan. Chris Irvin, who owns Irvin Insurance Services in Wintersville, has served on the board of trustees since 2019.

Of their 16 grandchildren, six have graduated from Franciscan. The Irvins also have 15 great-grandchildren.

"I just love the university," said John, who still attends board meetings as an emeritus member. "It's been a joy and a delight to be with the friars all these many years."

Gallabrese, a graduate of Ohio University, joined the Herald-Star in 1981 as a sportswriter, serving in various editorial positions as he worked his way through the ranks on his way to becoming its managing editor in 2001 and the executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times newspapers in 2009.

In addition to overseeing development of news content for both papers, Gallabrese also brings actual newsmakers to Jefferson County through the Herald-Star Speaker Series, which he helps plan and execute. Since its inception in 2012, area residents have heard from FOX news analyst Judge Jeanine Pirro; retired U.S. Secret Service Agent Clint Hill; Boston Marathon bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory; retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the Central Intelligence and

National Security agencies; and Mark Geist offering a firsthand account on living through the siege at Benghazi.

Gallabrese, a Steubenville resident, serves on the Franciscan University Board of Advisers and is a board member and three-time president of the Steubenville Rotary Club; and board member of the Ohio Valley Music Guild. He previous served on the boards of the United Way of Jefferson County and Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce, and was a nearly 40-year member of the Steubenville Umpires Association.

"When you live and work in an area, or do business in an area, it's important to be a part of the community," he said. "Our newspapers report on the people, the institutions and organizations that serve our area. It's something we have done since June 7, 1806. It's been a privilege to have been able to be a part of that legacy, and a privilege to have been selected to receive a Founders Award."

Gallabrese and his wife, the former MarySue Merrill, have two sons, Matthew and Lucas.

Giannamore was among the first group of students to earn a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in mass communication under the guidance of Jim Coyle, graduating in 1984. He'd worked in local radio news during his undergraduate years, but in 1985 he accepted a position with the Herald-Star. He spent more than 30 years at the paper, first as a reporter, later as an editorial writer and editor. Since 2018 he's been executive producer for WTOV-TV/FOX9 in Steubenville.

He said the transition was a bit of a learning curve. Moving to TV news, "I had to figure out the three to four most important points and let the people tell their story," he said.

Besides giving him the tools for his trade, the University also played a role in Giannamore's personal life: In 1981, he met his future wife, Kathy DeMartin, in Spanish class. They've been married 35 years, and Kathy, a 1985 graduate, is Franciscan's assistant dean of Online Education.

The couple resides in Toronto, where he has been a lector, choir tenor, and cantor at St. Francis and St. Joseph churches for more than 30 years. He and his wife have two children, Marcus, who attended Franciscan where he met his wife, the former Taylor Oliver, and Gina. They are expecting their third grandchild in January.

Sister M. Regina Pacis Coury, FSGM, arrived at Franciscan University as a newly professed sister in 1988, sent by her superiors to teach.

"Religious obedience is a wondrous grace and gift of the Holy Trinity that leads to many more graces," she said. "Consequently, I spent six blessed years at Franciscan University."

With an MA and a PhD in classical languages from Loyola University of Chicago, Sister Regina had taught classics in several colleges before coming to Steubenville.

Her love for languages began when she was a young girl reading the Latin-English Missal during the Latin Mass. Growing up in a bilingual family also deepened her appreciation for language. "Language was important to me and a constant source of fascination."

At Franciscan, she founded the Great Books Honors Program, "the best way to understand the development of Western thought and civilization and to find answers to the ultimate questions of life," and the Classics (Latin and Greek major) Program, the literature that formed the foundation of Western Civilization in the original languages.

After teaching at Franciscan, she directed postulants and novices, then became provincial superior of her order, the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, until 2014.

In 2004, she received an honorary doctorate from Franciscan.

She currently serves as director of education at the Domus Sanctae Mariae Guadalupe, Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious House of Studies in Rome. In this position, she develops curriculum for religious sisters who come to Rome to study "in the heart of the church."