©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

CHC grad: it’s all in the (big, proud) family
by CANDIDA DeFONSECA

Left: Betsy with Sister Mary Esther Lee, director of admissions for the school of continuing studies at Chestnut Hill College.

Betsy Marple, Chestnut Hill College class of 2006, is a mother of two adult children and now the proud holder of a bachelor’s degree in business communications since her May 13 graduation ceremony.

“It was the greatest two years and nine months, but now I don’t know what to do with myself,” she said laughing.

Marple held down a full-time job while going to night school in an accelerated program to get her degree, finishing in two years and nine months. She said the night classes were greater than she ever imagined they could be. While taking classes four, sometimes five nights a week, she worked full time in sales and marketing.

Marple had previously received an Associate’s degree in English from Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell. She always wanted to go back to school, but raised two children first. “I enjoy learning and wanted to see myself moving forward, educationally.” (She declined to reveal her age, commenting that “like fine wine, I have improved with age.”)

Her son, 28-year-old John Marple, has a debilitating case of Crohn’s Disease. His illness gave her the fortitude to achieve her dreams. “Despite adversity, you can do anything you want. This is America.” She cares for him alone and said, “It’s not the easiest, but it suggested to me that I was stronger than I ever knew.”

Though her children didn’t have any direct influence on her decision to go back to school, they were both supportive. Her daughter, 34-year-old Jennifer Elizabeth McGilloway, was right in the front at her graduation, watching with pride.

Thirty-five relatives, many of whom went to Chestnut Hill Academy as children, were at her graduation. “I have all these older brothers and sisters who are so successful.” One of her brothers is an epidemiologist, another a vice president of sales. She said they were all so excited that she was graduating. “I was amazed that this little thing that I was doing…grew to be a big family reunion. Three Chestnut Hill Academy graduates came to see ME (uncle John Wenzel, Class of 1941; brother Dr. Richard Putnam Wenzel, valedictorian of the Class of 1957, and brother Albert John Wenzel, Class of 1965)! ”

Right: Betsy’s daughter, Jennifer Elizabeth McGilloway, 34, celebrated her mom’s graduation with her cousin, Richard Wenzel.

Marple and her family grew up in Chestnut Hill, though she now lives in Upper Gwynedd. The rest of her family, however, is all over the country. All of the family members in attendance for her graduation also partook of the party at McNally’s Tavern afterwards.

“Of course, we remembered our parents, Al Wenzel and Barbara Sue Putnam, who fell in love when they met at age 14 in Chestnut Hill … My older brother (Dr. Wenzel) mentioned falling out of a tree at CHA. Healing became difficult, and he has had repeated infections, but today he is a leading epidemiologist in the world, whose focus is on rare and infectious disease. His book, Stalking Microbes, is considered a classic in the field, and to think, it all started in Chestnut Hill.”

Betsy chose business communication because she already works in business, for a major health insurance firm. “I enjoy marketing and sales, and I’m a great presenter, even though part of me is artistic.” One day she wants to teach, to offer the same experiences she received to future graduates.

“When you sit in a classroom, it’s an education right there, even before the teacher walks in.” Betsy met many interesting people who want to “replenish their dreams and hopes.” Marple said she was given the strength by God to do that. “And I came out feeling pretty doggone good.”

Marple loved every minute of her schooling. “I never went to a class I didn’t enjoy,” she said. “I walked out of every class feeling rejuvenated by the teachers.” She enjoyed presenting, loved the literature and feared the mathematics. “You could go in[to class] exhausted and leave feeling happy and fulfilled.”

Her classes were mostly made up of people from 35 to 55, but there was one woman at Chestnut Hill College who was in her 80s and is working on a post-graduate degree. “You have people from all walks of life who have had all sorts of experiences; all religions, all nationalities, and I think that was the greatest education I got.”

While Marple was in class, she loved making her classmates laugh. “I was the class clown, and I made sure I lived up to that reputation.”

Making time for homework was difficult for Marple, since working did not leave a lot of free time to finish class assignments. She would do most of the work on the weekends. “You put a few social events on hold for a while to achieve a goal. It’s not like you can go partying at McNally’s every night,” she said.

Marple became very good at time management, but now that school is over, she hasn’t used her newfound skill as much. “The weirdest thing is that now that I have this time, I don’t have any time.” Walking her dog during this interview, at around 9 p.m., she said she was thinking, “I would never be outside this late. There would be no kidding around.” That night, she bought a People Magazine for the first time in three years.

The greatest part of graduation, Marple said, was looking over at her family and knowing they were there watching her and the friends she’d made. “It’s camaraderie, and we all achieved a goal. And I learned all that mathematics!”

She plans on going back to Chestnut Hill College for a master’s in leadership, a degree that teaches leadership in a non-profit organization or a business. She said the classes teach teamwork, politics within an organization and the ability to find and reinforce the strengths and weaknesses of each individual in the organization.

“Chestnut Hill College is such a great school,” Marple said. “They are so accommodating to older people returning to education. I think everyone should take a piece of this and know opportunity is out there. I wish I had done it sooner, but I think that something hits you and wakes you up and says you’ve got opportunity. It’s there for everyone if you are only willing to pursue it. ”