[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22510]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                    COLLEGE MISERICORDIA ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 1999

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the attention of 
my colleagues the 75th anniversary of a fine institution of higher 
learning--College Misericordia of Dallas, PA. I am honored to have been 
asked to participate in the kickoff event of the anniversary on 
September 24.
  Founded and sponsored by the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1924, 
Misericordia was the first 4-year college, the first Catholic college, 
and the only all-female institution in Luzerne County, with 37 young 
women in its first freshman class. Offering both bachelor of arts and 
bachelor of science degrees, the college boasted 22 faculty members, 16 
of them Sisters of Mercy. Today the bustling campus is home to more 
than 1,700 students, 83 full-time faculty and 65 part-time faculty. 
Misericordia offered its first summer courses in 1927 and began its 
graduate program in 1960. In 1975, Misericordia opened its enrollment 
to men and began to offer continuing education courses.
  Mr. Speaker, College Misericordia is an integral part of the 
Northeastern Pennsylvania community. In 1972, when Tropical Storm Agnes 
caused the Susquehanna River to overflow her banks, more than 100,000 
people were left without food and shelter. College Misericordia became 
a shelter and hospital, with the benevolent Sisters of Mercy 
administering aid to the victims of the disaster. Mercy Hospital, 
totally inundated by raging flood waters, evacuated its patients and 
staff to College Misericordia.
  The college annually offers community-based cultural and athletic 
programs. Each summer, former members of the National Players, a 
Shakespearian theater company, present Theater-on-the-Green, bringing 
the wit and wisdom of William Shakespeare to the area. The college 
boasts an outstanding art gallery, the MacDonald Gallery, and the 
Anderson Sports and Health Center, which offers community-based, 
health-related activities for young and old.
  Still under the sponsorship of the Sisters of Mercy, the college 
currently has a lay president, Dr. Michael A. MacDowell. A liberal arts 
college, it is especially known for its Education, Health Sciences, 
Humanities, Social Work, Business, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences 
programs.
  The kick-off of the anniversary celebration is the dedication of the 
Mary Kintz Bevevino Library on Friday, September 24. A 1987 graduate of 
College Misericordia and later a Trustee until her death in 1993, Mary 
saw a real need for a new library at Misericordia. Her family has 
helped to make this dream a reality in Mary's honor. Beginning with one 
building 75 years ago, the college now proudly boasts 13 beautiful 
buildings.
  Mr. Speaker, many alumni, students, faculty, staff and Sisters will 
pay tribute on Saturday to the spirit of giving which was the ideal of 
the Founding Sisters. They will volunteer their time and efforts around 
the community in various projects of Habitat for Humanity, St. Vincent 
Soup Kitchen, Catherine McCauley House, and Mercy Center, just to name 
a few. It is a fitting start to an anniversary year and a fitting 
tribute to an order of religious Sisters whose very purpose is to help 
others. I am extremely pleased and proud to have had the opportunity to 
bring the history of this fine institution to the attention of my 
colleagues. I send my sincere best wishes for continued success to 
College Misericordia.

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