Beloit College Magazine

Dr. Lawrence Pakula'53, a distinguished pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, was awarded the Distinguished Service Citation by the Alumni Association at 2003 Homecoming/Reunion festivities.

Pakula has cared for children since 1963 through a private practice he founded in Greenspring Station, Md., and by serving as an advocate for young people, especially those with behavioral, emotional, and learning problems.

“This year’s Distinguished Service Citation recipient exhibits all that Beloit College hopes of its alumni: that they become active citizens who leave a lasting and worthy impression by engaging themselves in a world beyond their own,” President Burris said when he presented Pakula with the award.

When he entered Beloit, Pakula already knew he wanted to be a doctor; however, a summer spent volunteering at a hospital in Israel—where he was by chance assigned to the pediatric ward—convinced him that working with children was what he wanted to do.

After completing medical school and residency, he discovered another path to helping kids. While serving as chief of pediatric services at a U.S. Air Force base hospital in the Philippines, he was responsible for the health needs of 10,000 dependent children. Pakula found that many of them, because of their circumstances, had behavioral and emotional problems which he wanted to be better prepared to address. He returned to Johns Hopkins (where he had completed his residency) for post-doctoral fellowships focusing on the psychiatric aspects of pediatrics and on evaluating the needs of children with disabilities.

He devotes about half his practice to working with children who have attention deficit disorder, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and other developmental problems.

Pakula also has held a number of posts related to the field of pediatrics, including as a member of the scientific advisory board of The Jemicy School, a Maryland school for children with reading disorders, and as a pediatric consultant for special schools of the Baltimore County, Md., Board of Education. He also has served on the boards of several organizations that deal with the health and welfare of children.

In 1989, he was named Pediatrician of the Year and received a leadership award from the Maryland chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pakula and his wife, Sheila Sutland Pakula, reside in Baltimore, Md. They have four children and eight grandchildren.

Instead of complaining about the lack of places for the 40-and-older crowd to socialize, Terry Monahan’76 and a few friends rallied together several years ago and “made” a pub out of an empty storefront in Beloit, his hometown.

Suds O’Hanahan’s, only blocks from the College, is now a popular gathering place, a friendly Irish pub with food and drink in the middle of Beloit’s downtown. Monahan took a similar “can do” approach to a more serious issue.

When a tumultuous city council seemed to be working at cross purposes, he threw his hat into the ring. A year ago, he was elected to the Beloit City Council; in April he became council president. “I thought it was an important time for Beloit, and the difficulties with the council were a real distraction for the city,” he says. “I didn’t want to be on the sidelines criticizing others. You can’t complain unless you’re willing to make a commitment yourself.”

Beloit’s challenges are like those faced by many communities. The manufacturing base is shrinking, and the Beloit Corporation—the city’s largest employer—closed its doors several years ago.

But Monahan sees a silver lining to this: In already losing a major employer, Beloit is a bit closer to resolving a problem. “Our problems are a little more acute because we’re so heavily a part of the manufacturing sector,” he says. “We’re just a little bit ahead of the curve in transforming ourselves out of that sector.”

Monahan says it would be presumptuous of him to have a running list of goals that the city may or may not be able to see to fruition. Under his leadership, he would rather the council focus on making the most of major decisions. The council only recently addressed two such decisions: one was hiring a new city manager, a position that functions like a mayor; the other was purchasing the utility that supplies water to the city.

When Monahan is not working on city business, he runs a busy law practice. He is married and the father of three.

To most, it would seem completely logical that he chose to study at Beloit College, a school with a stellar academic reputation, practically in his own backyard. But that was not the case.

Monahan was the only one in his family to attend Beloit, and, at the time, it was considered an unusual choice for a hometown boy.

“When I came to Beloit College, it was more daring than going to a state university, which is where most of my friends went,” he explains. “I didn’t know anybody at the College. Nobody from the city that I knew went to school there. So it was a bold move, but an excellent choice for me.”

In fact, the College offered a much more nurturing environment than he found later in law school. At Beloit, he made life-long friends, was a member of Sigma Chi, and played football all four years, earning a blanket and an MVP award for his efforts. He excelled in academics, evolving from an average to a serious student.

“Theoretically, I never would have gone to law school if I hadn’t gone to Beloit and done well there. Beloit really set the stage,” he says.

Not long ago, Scott Conklin’82 boarded a plane bound for Vilnius, Lithuania. Accompanying him were his 17-year old son, Alex, another adult man, and four teenage boys. The seven were traveling together as members of Boy Scout Troop 1040 from Green Bay, Wis., on a mission to meet its partner troop in the small town of Pilviskiai. After a day of sight-seeing in Vilnius, the Americans boarded a bus for a three-hour ride to their final destination, which is located in southwestern Lithuania.

Conklin’82 is an assistant scout master for the troop. He is married to Heidi Schmidt Conklin’82 and the father of Chris (21), Alex, and Bart (13). Having been involved with the Boy Scouts organization for much of his life, he finds pleasure in sharing new adventures with his sons, who rank respectively as an eagle scout, life scout, and second-class scout.

“Most people look at the Boy Scouts as learning about camping and being in the woods and stuff like that,” he says. “That is a big part of it, but in the process they learn about leadership, responsibility, and interacting with other people. It gets the boys away from TV and video games and into real life, and gives me a chance to do things I would not otherwise do.”

The trip to Lithuania offered many instances for the visitors and their hosts to compare programs and learn from one another.

In Pilviskiai, the American scouts and their chaperones were hosted at a summer camp and introduced to120 other scouts from the region. Although their partner troop is new and has limited funding, the Lithuanians warmly welcomed the Americans into the community. Members of Troop 1040 dined with townsfolk, participated in a local festival celebration, and spent time getting to know their new friends.

“The scouts—Lithuanian and U.S.—did what most teenagers in small towns do,” Conklin recalls. “They hung out at the school yard. They went swimming in the river. They played basketball, soccer, and a bit of Frisbee. The boys and girls vied for attention from the opposite sex.”

The Americans knew in advance that Lithuanian scout troops are co-ed, but they were surprised to find that religion plays a significant role in how troops there organize. “In Pilviskiai ... they have a troop at the Methodist Church and another at the Catholic Church. The two do not mix,” Conklin explains.

He and his fellow travelers networked with three groups interested in starting different troops there and offered to help them form new partnerships with other troops back in the States. “The partners will write to each other and share experiences,” he says. “The U.S. troops will also help financially. There is not much money in the country for activities like scouting. Our support of the troop in Pilviskiai allowed them to buy equipment and attend the Lithuanian National Scout Jamboree. Now we have to find [more] partner troops in the United States.”

Reflecting on the trip, Conklin says, “Some in our group were looking at differences; I kept finding similarities. I learned about the people ... that despite differences in our economies and histories, they are much like us. The kids are kids. The people do what they can to earn a living and provide for their families. They welcome their guests. The younger generations see the hope of the future.”

He is pleased that his adolescent charges also gained much from the experience.

“The boys ... learned that their counterparts in Lithuania are not that much different from themselves,” he says. “I hope they learned to be more appreciative of all that they have and take for granted. And I hope the scouts that we met in Lithuania saw how much we enjoy scouting.”

— N. Marie Dries’92

Harry Moore: ‘The Finest For Which Beloit College Stands’

Harry C. Moore, a life trustee whose service spanned more than 50 years and whose sustained leadership and generosity to Beloit College were without precedent, died at his home in Lyford Cay, the Bahamas, on Aug. 31, 2003. He was 89.

Moore was a prominent civic leader and retired Beloit Corporation president. He later chaired the board of the company, which, during his tenure, became an international leader in manufacturing papermaking machines.

In 1951, Moore was elected to the Beloit College board of trustees, becoming chair in 1977. By the time he retired from the chairmanship in 1986, his fundraising efforts had helped Beloit achieve its strongest financial position in College history.

Among the many honors he received in his lifetime was the establishment of the Harry Moore Endowed Chair, funded by friends and fellow trustees upon his retirement as chair of the board of trustees. It is held today by Professor Jack Street in the modern languages and literatures department.

The Moore Lounge, atop Pearsons Hall in the Jeffris- Wood Campus Center, was appropriately named in his honor after Moore spearheaded fund-raising efforts that made possible extensive renovations to the historic Romanesque Revival building, now on the National Register of Historic Sites.

In addition to his dedication to campus physical improvements, Moore was, and continues to be, a driving force in extending a Beloit education to scores ofgifted students, especially from developing countries. The Moore Family Scholarship Fund, the largest endowed scholarship fund at the College, has assisted hundreds of students. It also provides scholarships for American students to study abroad.

Moore was a philanthropist and avid supporter of many causes in the city of Beloit during his lifetime, including leading the efforts that resulted in the building of Beloit Memorial Hospital and the YMCA.

When he retired and relocated to the Bahamas, he applied his enthusiasm and sense of civic duty to his new home. He served for many years as a director, treasurer, and president of the Lyford Cay Foundation, which has given millions in scholarship awards to Bahamian students and nonprofit organizations.

Though he did not graduate from Beloit—Moore was an alumnus of Northwestern University—the College recognized his many contributions by awarding him an honorary degree in 1986. At the time, President Roger Hull said, “In large measure, you have been responsible for giving Beloit College a new momentum and confidence in her future, along with a renewed appreciation for the heritage of her past. By your life and work, you set a high example for others. Though not a graduate of this college, you represent in extraordinary fashion the finest for which Beloit College stands.”

Harry Moore is survived by his wife, Monique Moore, seven children, two step-children, 13 grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Odessa Pernell, the oldest member of the Beloit, Ala., community, died Aug. 28, 2003. The longtime teacher and committed supporter of education touched many lives, both in her southern hometown and at the College.

The Alabama town came by its name through Charles Curtis, a missionary and educator of the class of 1870, who bought 4,000 acres of land and resold it to former slaves, who established a community there. He named the rural town for his alma mater.

Beloit students came to know Pernell as they volunteered in the community during midterm breaks. Students have made the annual trek to Beloit, Ala., since 1994, taking on any number of projects, from setting up a recycling program to researching the town’s rich history.

The once-thriving community fell on hard times in the mid-1960s, when among other things, federal desegregation laws forced its all-black school to close. Pernell persisted in the years that followed to be a champion of education and taught generations of students at the Dallas County Training School.

Odessa Pernell and her husband, Samuel, received the Presidential Medal from Beloit College for their work during Commencement ceremonies in 1998.

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