Reflections Magazine Issue #71 - Spring 2010 | Page 27

Alumni News—My Siena

My
Siena

Christina Panczyk ’74
I was inspired to write and tell you how much I
enjoyed the Reflections “90 for the 90th” edition.
And I began to have my own reflections that I
wanted to share with you.
I was fortunate to have known some of the 90
of the 90th: Father David Van Horn, Sister
Therese Craig, Doug Miller and Sister Jeannine
Klemm. I attended SHU (aka Siena Heights
College) from 1970-74.
Many of the young nuns returned to campus
my first year of college in that fall of 1970 to finish their studies. So, I remember walking around
on campus and people would say “Good morning, sister.” They thought that I was a nun! Also
during my years at Siena men were accepted
for study at the college.
I went to Italy with one of the first group of
students under the leadership of Sister Jeannine
Klemm and her sister, Sister Jean Agnes. Many
a morning Sister Jeannine would knock on the
doors of our Casa Del Lago pensione bedrooms
and tell us to wake up and get out and go to the
galleries—even on rainy days.
Father Van Horn was my art history teacher.
I recall that many of us used to sit in fear during

Father Van Horn’s art history class. We feared
that he would call on any one of us and ask the
dreaded question “What do you see?” (in his
raspy, deep voice) as he flashed an art slide on
the projector screen..
I participated in Sr. Therese Craig’s Drama in
Education Troupe (photo above) that visited
schools throughout Lenawee County. We
presented plays to elementary school children
based on the British Child Drama techniques.
Doug Miller (current SHU theater professor)
was in the troupe. We had lots of fun and always
got in trouble for “breaking character.” We had
to sit with our backs facing the audience at the
beginning of these performances. Sister Therese
said that she could always tell when we were
laughing because our backs would shake. One
night we performed for the PTA and Sister
Theresa threatened us with our lives if we
“broke character.”
Also, Doug Miller was in my morning drawing
classes with Father Van Horn. Some mornings
Father Van Horn would have to call the dorm
to get the boys out of bed. One hilarious morning Doug and Lenny Weinlander, another art
student, came to class looking pretty disheveled
and wearing their pajama tops! I also remember

a performance by Sister Magdalena Ezoe, another “90 for the 90th”. She gave a performance
for my art class. We were studying Dadaism.
Her performance was literally just sitting at a
piano on the stage to illustrate yet another example of Dadaism. I think that it was the music
of John Cage.
I have such rich, profound memories of my
educational experience at Siena Heights College. I worked with so many great and talented
teachers and had such fun with fellow students
and friends! And, I spent much of my time in
the art department as an art major. Also I spent
much time in the library with all the beautiful
art books.
Thank you, SHU, and Happy Birthday! How
well you have aged with the years. I now live and
work in Denver, Colo., and feel that I have had a
fuller, richer life because of the college education
that I received at Siena.
Oh, I must mention Father John Keefer before
closing. I loved attending his Mass with his lively
sermons and his handmade ceramic chalice and
plates for communion!
Reflections Spring ’10

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