Jim Hendrickson, Juliette Storr, and Ted Froats retired in 2022 and early 2023.
The 2022-23 academic year brought changes to campus as long-time faculty and staff members retired.
The year started with a change in engineering. Jim Hendrickson, assistant teaching professor in Engineering who taught at Beaver since 2006, retired at the end of the 2021-22 academic year. He now serves as an assistant teaching professor emeritus.
“Jim’s engaged teaching and learning resulted in various projects we have all benefited from, including collaborations with the biology department on bat houses, the John Pena campus art installation, Penn State Beaver cornhole boards, devices for the Pine Run Volunteer Fire Department, and a replica of Henry Ford’s first combustion engine that was on display at the Henry Form Museum’s Greenfield Village for numerous years and won three Editor’s Choice blue Ribbon Awards at the Detroit Maker Faire,” said Carey McDougall, director of academic affairs.
“We have all benefitted from Jim’s dedication to our students and campus community. He has brought a wealth of excellence to our lives and will be very much missed,” McDougall said.
In December, Dr. Juliette Storr, professor of communications, retired. Storr joined Penn State Beaver as an assistant teaching professor in 2005 after working as a journalist in the Bahamas and in Michigan.
Communications alumni frequently remember Dr. Storr for providing opportunities to work collaboratively on real-world applications of concepts and theories in the discipline of communication. She has done this through teaching courses that explore speech, communication theory, business communication, intercultural communication, radio production, public relations, ethics and strategic communication. She took students on four study abroad programs to Puerto Rico, Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas.
“Dr. Storr’s classrooms were transformative learning spaces where students engaged in collaborative, rigorous, and real-world applications of communications concepts and theories within a culturally sensitive, student-centered environment,” McDougall said.
In January Ted Froats, director of Information Technology, retired. He had held the IT director role since May of 2005. In addition to his staff position, Froats also taught Information Science Technology classes, helping students learn how to design and build apps.
Prior to his work on campus, Froats served in the United States Air Force. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University and a master of business administration from Point Park University.
Froats was dedicated to his job and taking care of the day-to-day needs of the campus, but he was also appreciated for his hard work and guidance in unanticipated and challenging circumstances. In addition, he was known for his skill at card tricks and his never-ending supply of dad jokes.