Feature Article
SHU FAMILY LEGACIES
With a 100th Anniversary theme of “Legacy,” a Siena Heights education has been
a family affair for many over its distinguished history. Reflections Magazine asked
alumni to submit their family legacy stories, and the response was fantastic! Over
the following pages, learn about how “The Siena Effect” impacted the lives of these
families in so many ways.
Chi Family
Legacy names: Margaret Chi '82 (aunt);
Jane Chi '82 (aunt); Maurice Chi '84 (nephew);
Jacob Chi '85 (nephew).
Our Siena Heights legacy: from Maurice
Chi—The Chi legacy started with my Aunt Marga-
ret Chi, who received a full scholarship from Siena
Heights College in 1948. It was her dream! But
because of the civil war in China at the time, she
was not able to obtain the passport. Soon after
when the country changed its political system
and shut off from the world, so did her dream.
It was not until 1978, thirty years later, did she
finally have the courage to write to Siena Heights
College. The sitting president, Dr. Louis Vaccaro,
welcomed her not only with her scholarship rein-
stated, but also granted her sister, my other aunt
Jane, a full scholarship. Together they came, and
both pursued their Master’s degree in education.
They graduated in 1982. Then in 1981 my brother
Jacob and I also attended SHC. I completed a
26 | Reflections Summer ’19
double major in math and CIS with the Outstand-
ing Male Student Award in 1984. Jacob received
his B.A. in music a year later. Without the gener-
ous financial support from the college, none of
these would be possible. We built successful
careers thereafter: Jacob held the baton for the
Pueblo Symphony and led other orchestras across
the continent, and I became an IT professional
in corporate Americas like IBM and Thomson
Reuters. We are forever grateful to the college for
the knowledge, the friendships, the fulfillment,
the value of being, the faith to God, and the love
from the Dominican Sisters who enlighten us all.
Pictured above: Jacob Chi, Maurice Chi,
Margaret Chi and Jane Chi.
Forner Family
Legacy names: Kathryn L. Forner ’73; Susan
L. Forner ‘72 (sister); Marlynn (Mimi) Steele ‘72
(cousin); Kellie (Brogan) Schneider ‘86 (cousin);
Deborah (Forner) Shipman ‘75 (sister); Andrew C.
Forner ‘06 (son).
Our Siena Heights legacy: from Kathryn
Forner—Each one of us changed dramatically
because of our endearing time at Siena Heights!
We all made life-long friendships, grew closer in
our spirituality, learned to value ourselves and the
importance of spreading justice and unconditional
love to people of all ethnic backgrounds. On a
personal note, when my son decided to join the
Siena ranks in 2001 (we were living in Dallas at
the time), I was thrilled at the continuation of
our legacy. But Andrew seemed apprehensive at
the time. His entire life changed for the better
because of his five years at the "shoe" (ha ha)! I
saw him grow from a young, insecure boy into a
loving, confident and spiritual young man. The
comraderie he shared, with both classmates and
professors, was astounding. For my sisters and
me, our experiences at Siena helped shape our
bond of closeness and professional expertise in
our careers as teachers. I often time reflect on
those years, and always with a warm and nurtur-
ing feeling of ‘wholeness’ as to what they meant
to me (to all of us!). The cozy ‘homespun atmo-
sphere’ of Siena was an additional plus. The pro-
fessors (especially Sister John Mary, Sister Pat Sch-
ramm, Sister Therese Craig, [former] Sister Trudy
McSorley and our beloved chaplain at the time
(1970s), Father John Keefer, were so inspiring