Following the Way of Light
MORAVIAN UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHES NEW LIFETIME GIVING SOCIETY
To celebrate our most generous alumni and friends, Moravian University* and Moravian Theological Seminary have established the Via Lucis Society. Moravian’s motto, Via Lucis, or “way of light,” embodies the light of learning, the radiance of joy, and the illumination our graduates carry into the world. The seven clubs within this society recognize donors and their families whose total giving to Moravian exceeds $100,000 during their lifetimes. Gifts made for any purpose are counted toward membership. In addition, each club’s name acknowledges those who are intimately connected with the history of Moravian. We honor our Via Lucis Society members for their remarkable commitment, which forms a strong foundation on which the university and seminary flourish. Their vision and support light the way for our students to accomplish their goals to better the world.
*Moravian University is used to describe any associated entity, past or present.
Timothy Breidegam (standing) with members of the Amrhein Club in 1977.
The Breidegam Family
The Breidegam family legacy shines brightly across Moravian University, from the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences to the Timothy M. Breidegam Track at Steel Field and the Timothy M. Breidegam Fieldhouse. Through these sites and the many scholarships bearing their names, the difference the Breidegam family has made endures.
DeLight E. Breidegam Jr.† was a life trustee who served for 37 years, and his daughter, Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz ’84†, served on the board of trustees from 2008 to 2015.
DeLight established the Helen S. Breidegam† R.N. Scholarship Fund in honor of his wife. He and Helen established the Timothy M. Breidegam† Scholarship Fund in memory of their son, and the Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Scholarship Fund in memory of their daughter.
Helen S. Breidegam
Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz at the dedication of the Timothy Breidegam Track
DeLight E. Breidegam Jr.
The Helen S. Breidegam School of Nursing and Public Health is a Top 10 Nursing School in Pennsylvania, boasting degree options at the baccalaureate and master’s levels. A recent renovation of the Timothy M. Breidegam Fieldhouse ensures that it continues to be a premier athletic facility for all students and the community.
DeLight and Helen Breidegam’s son Daniel D. Breidegam is a lifelong supporter of Moravian. He has generously honored his siblings’ legacies with gifts to their memorial scholarships and the family scholarship in honor of his mother.
Today, DeLight and Helen’s grandchildren—Daniel Miksiewicz ’14, Katelyn Miksiewicz ’16, Matthew Miksiewicz ’18, and Timothy Miksiewicz—continue this legacy of generosity by holding an annual Celebrating Sally 5K/Memorial Mile, with proceeds going to the scholarship fund named in honor of their mother, Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz.
†Deceased
Fred Reinhard (far right) in 2003, receiving the Gillespie Award for his support of athletics.
The Reinhard Family
Fred and Rosalie Reinhard’s passion for Moravian began when their daughter, Joan, enrolled and earned her bachelor of science degree in biology in 1986. Their son, Jeff, graduated in 1990 with a bachelor of arts in management.
Fred is a life trustee, serving on the board of trustees for 22 years. In 2003, the university honored Fred as the Gillespie Award recipient for his unwavering support of Greyhound athletics, and the alumni association named him an honorary alumnus. In 2012, Fred was inducted into the Moravian University Hall of Fame as an honorary member.
Joan Reinhard '86
Jeff Reinhard '90
He and Rosalie are generous patrons of Moravian athletics. The Reinhards’ enthusiasm and philanthropic support have helped establish the men’s lacrosse program, the men’s and women’s swimming teams, and athletics internship positions. Their generosity created the state-of-the-art fitness center in the Breidegam Field House and improved the John Makuvek Field. They assisted with completing the Blue & Grey Pavilion at Steel Field and provided game-day field bleachers, shelters, new ticket booths, and more.
The Reinhards’ generosity goes far beyond athletics. They supported the Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex and the SuperLab in Collier Hall. Their philanthropy has enhanced the music department, band, and many other programs. Fred, Chairman of Pencor Services Inc., is behind Blue Ridge Cable, which has made Moravian University Christmas Vespers available to more than 10 million viewers.
The Reinhard family’s leadership and generosity have helped transform Moravian’s athletics and academic programs while assisting students in achieving their career goals.
Priscilla Payne Hurd is honored at the dedication of the arts center that bears her name.
Priscilla Payne Hurd
Throughout her life, Priscilla Payne Hurd† committed herself to serving others. Her selfless generosity was the inspiration for Moravian’s inaugural level of lifetime giving, the Priscilla Payne Hurd Society, created in 2012. Nearly 10 years later, Priscilla’s philanthropy was the inspiration for the Via Lucis Society.
Priscilla Payne Hurd’s appointment to the board of trustees in 1974 profoundly impacted the university through her dedicated service, inspirational leadership, and generous financial support. Priscilla exemplified the credo she wrote early in her philanthropic leadership career: “No one is greater than the service she renders the world.”
In 1999, Priscilla was elected Moravian’s first female chair of the board, and in 2006 she received an honorary degree. During her tenure as board chair, the university underwent extensive renovation and expansion of its infrastructure, the addition of innovative curricular and cocurricular programs such as the Learning in Common curriculum and the Leadership Center, and unprecedented growth of its student body.
Due to her generosity and leadership, Moravian’s South Campus is named the Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus. She created the Priscilla Payne Hurd Center for Music and Art and the Frank E. and Seba B. Payne Gallery, provided financial leadership for constructing the Priscilla Payne Hurd Academic Complex, and established the Priscilla Payne Hurd Chair in the Arts and Humanities. In addition, Priscilla established the Ervin J. Rokke Endowment for Student-Faculty Research.
Through Priscilla’s extraordinary leadership, dedication, and support, she will always be a beacon of light for everyone her philanthropy touches.
Alma, Shirley, Margaret, and Alice Albright
The Albright Family
The Albright family has a long, bright history at Moravian. The five siblings—Alice ’35†, Alma ’40,† Margaret ’43†, Shirley ’53,† and Alvin Albright—have loyally supported Moravian University and understood the importance of educating our students.
The Alice A. Albright Memorial Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for students majoring in French or German to carry on Alice’s legacy. The Alma A. Albright Memorial Scholarship Fund continues her legacy by providing scholarships to students majoring in a foreign language.
The Margaret L. Albright Memorial Scholarship Fund upholds her legacy by providing scholarships to students majoring in business.
The Shirley A. Albright Memorial Scholarship Fund carries on Shirley’s legacy by supporting students majoring in chemistry or natural sciences.
Yearbook photo of Alma with the German Club
Although not an alumnus of Moravian, Alvin ensures that his sisters’ legacies continue through their scholarship funds. He has been a consistent donor for more than 35 years and is responsible for growing his sisters’ scholarship funds every year. Alvin is the keeper of the family’s Moravian University memories.
The Albright family philanthropy embodies Moravian’s spirit and has enabled future generations to obtain a Moravian education. Their generosity is an inspiration to all and leaves a lasting legacy for the entire family.
A. David Thaeler in the Glee Club
The Thaeler Family
The Thaeler family has a connection with Moravian that dates back to the 1800s. Rev. Dr. Arthur David Thaeler Sr.†, a sixth-generation Moravian minister and a missionary, graduated from Moravian College in 1890 and Moravian Theological Seminary in 1892. He served on the Board of Trustees from 1902 to 1932.
Arthur and his wife, Ruth Schropp Thaeler, had two children who attended Moravian: Rev. Dr. A. David Thaeler Jr., MD† (Moravian College 1924; Moravian Theological Seminary 1926) and Charles S. Thaeler Sr.† (Moravian College 1927).
In the Revista (yearbook)
as president of the freshman class
A. David Thaeler in 1926
Margaret and A. David in 1965
David Jr. married Margaret Ruth Heidenreich†, who graduated from the Moravian College for Women in 1924. Margaret was the daughter of Moravian ministers and missionaries. Her science studies at Moravian prepared her for a career as a nurse and missionary. After earning her nursing degree from the Kahler School of Nursing at the Mayo Clinic in 1934, Margaret responded to a call from her future husband, David, to work as a nurse in the newly established Bilwaskarma Clinic in Nicaragua. In 1936, David and Margaret founded the Ruth Thaeler Memorial Hospital in Bilwaskarma in honor of David’s mother. In 1950 and 1965, respectively, they received the Comenius Award from Moravian in recognition of their contributions to the nursing and medical missionary fields.
The Thaeler family’s legacy at Moravian spans generations. Their service through faith, education, and nursing honors our community’s shared commitment to helping others.
David Schattschneider, Pi Delta Epsilon Journalism Club
Doris Schattschneider teaching math
The Schattschneider Family
Rev. Dr. Allen W. Schattschneider† (Moravian College 1923; Moravian Theological Seminary 1925) served Moravian congregations in New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey and was elected bishop in 1961. Bishop Schattschneider served on the board of trustees from 1956 to 1968 and was awarded an honorary doctor of divinity degree by the seminary in 1958 and the John Hus Alumni Award in 1997.
After graduating from Moravian in 1960, Rev. Dr. David A. Schattschneider†, Allen’s son, went on to earn a master of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and a doctorate from the University of Chicago. David’s tenure at the Moravian Theological Seminary began in 1968 as a professor of historical theology and world Christianity. He was elected dean in 1988 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2001. David is well known for founding the Center for Moravian Studies.
Allen Schattschneider
David Schattschneider was editor of
The Comenian and a member of the journalism club.
David Schattschneider
In 2016, the Moravian Theological Seminary awarded David an honorary doctor of divinity degree. The Allen W. & David A. Schattschneider Scholarship Fund was established in their memory to provide financial assistance to students at the seminary.
Dr. Doris J. Schattschneider, David’s wife, is a Moravian University professor emerita of mathematics. Doris taught at Moravian from 1968 to 2002 and continues to have a tremendous impact on the university and its students. She was the first female editor of Mathematics Magazine, has been active for more than 50 years in the Mathematical Association of America, and was elected a fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 1993. Doris created the Schattschneider Mathematics & Computer Science Prize to help mathematics and computer science majors pursue undergraduate research opportunities or graduate degrees in mathematics.
Ralph F. Mittl ’86, David ’90, Jeff ’96, and Michael ’19
The Mittl Family
Ralph M. Mittl ’62 was a member of the 1960 baseball team, which was inducted into the Moravian University Hall of Fame. Ralph went on to become the owner of the Main Street Depot Restaurant in Bethlehem. In 2015, he received a Moravian Star award, recognizing alumni who have excelled in their careers, contributed to their communities, and assisted students through internships and other opportunities. He sent three sons to Moravian.
Ralph F. Mittl ’86 was the first to follow in his father’s footsteps at Moravian. He was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Pi Mu Epsilon and a 2015 Moravian Star award recipient. Ralph F. Mittl established the Mittl Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, the Georgian Mittl Endowed Nursing Scholarship Fund (in honor of his mother), and the Ralph M. Mittl Endowed Business Scholarship Fund (in honor of his father). He has had a successful career and remains involved as a member of the Moravian Leadership Council, and his son, Matthew, graduated with the Class of 2020.
David Mittl ’90 was the second of Ralph M.’s children to attend Moravian, where he was a member of the baseball and soccer teams and a 2001 Hall of Fame inductee. His son, Michael, graduated with the Class of 2019 and was a baseball team member like his father and grandfather.
Jeff Mittl ’96 was the third of Ralph M.’s sons to graduate from Moravian, where he played baseball and soccer. Their niece, Calli Mosebach, the daughter of their sister Joellen Mittl Mosebach, graduated with the Class of 2020. She was a member of the cheerleading team and Alpha Sigma Tau.