Honored Alumni Recognized at 2022 Reunion

(To view and download Alumni Reunion photos, go here.)

Several hundred alumni of Benedictine College and its founding institutions, Mount St. Scholastica College and St. Benedict’s College, returned to Atchison for the annual Alumni Reunion June 10 – 12, 2022. The weekend featured the presentation of the Benet Awards, which date back to the founding institutions and honor prominent female and male alumni. This year, S. Jo Ann Fellin OSB, Ph.D. ’55 and Portia Maultsby, Ph.D. ’68 received the Offeramus Medal, while Patrick Sly ’72 and Bob Wholey ’72 received the Kansas Monk Award.

S. Jo Ann graduated from Mount St. Scholastica College in 1955 with a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. A year after graduation she entered the Mount community and continued her studies at the University of Illinois, earning a Master’s Degree in Mathematics followed by a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education. Her professional life was dedicated to teaching, and over nearly 50 years in the education field, she taught at the elementary school, high school and college levels. She retired as a full professor from Benedictine College in 2004 after 35 years of teaching in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, where she spent two terms as department chair. She was named Professor Emerita following her retirement.

Dr. Maultsby received her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from Mount St. Scholastica College in 1968 and earned a master’s degree in musicology and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Today, she is Professor Emerita of Ethnomusicology in the Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Adjunct Professor Emerita of African American and African Diaspora Studies, and the Founding Director of the Archives of African American Music and Culture at Indiana University. She is also the Founding Director of the Indiana University Soul Revue, an ensemble specializing in the performance of African American popular music.

Pat Sly is a St. Louis area business leader and Benedictine College alumnus from the Class of 1972, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He also earned an MBA from Saint Louis University. He served as an executive vice president of Emerson Electric, where he enjoyed a career of more than 35 years. Following racial violence in Ferguson, the area of St. Louis where Emerson Electric was based, he was appointed to the Ferguson Commission where he worked hard to identify the underlying issues and make specific recommendations that would help change the culture. He and his wife, Peggy, were honored with Benedictine’s Cross of the Order of St. Benedict in 2002.

Bob Wholey currently serves as managing director at CrossFirst Advisors in Leawood, Kansas. He was previously Chairman of the Board of Heartland Bank and Vice Chairman of Central Financial Corporation. He graduated from Benedictine College in 1972 with a degree in Business Administration. He has been a strong supporter of Catholic education and he and his wife, Janet, were honored with the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict in 2008.

The 2022 Reunion also featured gatherings of class years and a Golden Raven event for those celebrating their 50th Reunion. There was a Friday evening “Dance around the Fountain” in the Academic Quad, as well as a “Wine Under the Stars” event in the Daglen Observatory. The weekend included a social at Mount St. Scholastica Monastery for the first time since 2019, as well as walking tours of the campus and of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is proud to have been named one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report as well as one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. It has a mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.