Crandall Challenge
WHARTON GRADUATE EMERITUS SOCIETY
Crandall Challenge
THE WHARTON GRADUATE EMERITUS SOCIETY
2019 Crandall Challenge Citation Winners
Lutherville, MD
Fred was the founder of Hallahan Associates, a housing consultancy with a specific focus upon the market opportunities for innovative factory-based home building systems and investment efforts. He also has spearheaded ‘daily bread employment centers (part of the Catholic Charities in Baltimore) which provides client-direct job readiness training services for the ‘Work4Success Program on employment preparation. His focus has always been building more cost effective and operation efficiency with the health systems that are patient oriented.
Utica, NY
After a successful career in economic and conservation consulting, Lous introduced “Tourscan” — an environmental scanning and forecasting project for the Canadian Tourism industry. That led to the formation of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT), to which, upon ‘retirement’, he has devoted all of his experience, energy and time to the pursuit of it’s primary goal: a vision of travel and tourism become the world’s first global peace industry. IIPT holds global ‘Tourism for Peace Conferences that involves leaders of countries world wide- that have included heads of state and Nobel prize winners. It also has created the notion of “Peace Parks” in Canada and worldwide — creating parks dedicated to world peace.
Huntington, PA
It is hard to define the line between Milt’s role as a faculty member of Drexel University, where he served as Department Head of Management, and his ‘retirement’, to which he continued devoting his experience, knowledge and energy in developing and mentoring entrepreneurs. His focus is not only within Drexel University, but also within the Wharton Graduate Program. In recent years this has focused on technical startups both local in Philadelphia, as well as nationally and even internationally. He is also a leader in Drexel’s collaborative initiative. All of this was undertaken while volunteering as a Board member of his synagogue, coaching tennis and Little League baseball. Milt is also a founding member of the Wharton Graduate Emeritus Society, serving on the WGES Steering committee since its inception.
2019 Crandall Challenge Citation Honor Roll
Alan Ahrens, WG’63
Lynchburg, VA
Alan has devoted himself to being a “Business Mentor” for SCORE (a nonprofit dedicated to providing experienced ‘retired’ business executives to provide face-to-face help for new businesses as business counselors and mentors.) The Lynchburg SCORE chapter has provided business counseling to over 600 clients from several large counties in Central Virginia.
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.
John Baker, WG’68
Wallowa, OR
When John and his wife retired to a 63 acre ranch in Oregon, in 2001, they devoted their talents, time and energy as Founders, Board member and Treasurer of the “Joseph Branch Trail “ consortium which is a $20,000,000 trail restoration project in Wallowa County, Oregon. In addition to walking/biking/hiking/riding trails, a major goal is also to improve the fish habitats of Steelhead and Chinook salmon. In addition to working with Oregon and federal agencies and the Bonneville Power Administration, John works closely with the sovereign nation of the New Pierce Tribe to restore Fish Habitat in the Wallowa River in Oregon, which is part of the coho salmon 600 mile journey that includes the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Columbia and Snake Rivers
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.
Filemon Berba, WG’64
Antipolo, Philippines
Following his career in several Philippine companies that included electric and water public utilities, electronic and pharmaceutical industries, Filemon has devoted his retirement to the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology (PFST). This Foundation, of which he was a founder, has the objective of creating a critical mass of young people exposed to science with the intent of preparing them for engineering and technological careers. As President and Chair of the PFST Board of Trustees, he has developed outreach programs that involve 400,000 Philippine high school students each year. They created the Philippine Science Centrum, the first interactive science museum in the country. Since the Philippines is an archipelago, they created 7 mobile exhibits that over the years have been visited by 7 million students and teachers. They have trained 6000 teachers all over the country. Filemon also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Philippine Science High School, the University of the Philippines and the Batangas State University, both of which have a student population of over 35,000.
Alan was also a founding director of the central Virginia Academy for Nonprofit Excellence (CVANE), which is affiliated with the Central Virginia Community College and has established a Certification in Non-Profit Management.