April 14, 2023 • 27 mins
Dr. Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Behrend, talks with Dr. Priscilla Hamilton, a retired U.S. Army colonel and former commander of the U.S. Army Dental Command, about her work with the Council of Fellows and the Women’s Engagement Council.
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Dr. Ralph Ford (00:00):
I am Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State
Behrend and you are listening toBehrend Talks. My guest today is
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton, aretired U.S. Army colonel and
former commander of the U.S.
Army Dental Command. Welcome tothe show, Priscilla.
Well, I want to talk a littlebit about your background. So
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (00:16):
Thank you, Ralph.
I'm going to run through yourbio here and your many
accomplishments. But first, youdid attend Behrend before
graduating and transferring toour University Park campus. And
you graduated from U.P. in 1978.
And now, since you've retired,you've become very active here
on campus and for which we arevery grateful. You are a trusted
(00:37):
adviser to our collegeleadership team through our
Behrend Council of Fellows boardof directors. And you are
playing an active role in ourWomen's Engagement Council,
which we started here in 2020.
And doing some great thingsthere. And you know, I just want
to run through a few otheritems. You know, our listeners
(00:57):
should know, that you had a33-year distinguished career in
the U.S. Army, you hold a DMDfrom the University of
Pittsburgh, where you are adistinguished alumna. You have a
master's in Health CareAdministration from Baylor
University, got a number ofdifferent institutions, and a
master's in Strategic Studiesfrom the U.S. Army War College,
(01:20):
and very importantly to us, youare a Penn State Alumni Fellow,
which is a recognition that webestow on only 1/10 of 1% of our
alumni. And I will say BehrendCollege nominated you for that.
And let's go a little furtherduring, you know, I hope you
I've embarrassed you quite abit. But during your time in the
U.S. Army, you served innumerous command staff and
(01:42):
operational assignments,including the U.S. Army dental
command, you are a veteran ofOperation Desert Shield/Desert
Storm, and you were awarded theLegion of Merit the Bronze Star,
and the Meritorious ServiceMedal. So wow, that's an awful
lot. And we are lucky to haveyou with us today.
Thank you, Ralph.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:03):
So when you went into dentistry, were you already
thinking about the army? How didyou end up in the army?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (02:09):
Well, I ended up in the Army as a venue
to get to dental school becauseat the time, there was the
health professions scholarship,and I wanted to show that I had
the proclivity for militaryservice, so that I could get the
funds to go to dental school,which is very expensive. And
good reason. My father was afaculty member here at Behrend,
as you know. Maybe not thehighest paying profession going,
(02:30):
but unfortunately, Congressrevoked that health professions
scholarship program in the fallof my senior year. So I was
already committed to militaryservice, but I had no funds to
go to dental school. But it'sokay. So I worked my way through
school and was looking forwardto the time that I could come on
active duty, have a decentsalary, equal pay for equal work
(02:51):
and a great career.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:54):
Well, were you from a military family?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (02:56):
Yes. My father was a World War II
veteran. He started out as aseaman second class and was
commissioned and retired after27 years in the Navy, most of it
in the Navy Reserve. My brotherserved in the Navy. My little
sister went in the Army and Iwent in the Army because at that
time, the Navy wasn't acceptingwomen to go in Bluewater ships.
So you could have shore duty ortender duty, but it was not as
(03:20):
career enhancing. So I went inthe Army.
Dr. Ralph Ford (03:22):
So did you think you'd be in 33 years?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (03:25):
I think I forgot to get out.
Dr. Ralph Ford (03:27):
Get out? Well, why you must find something you
liked about it. What wasrewarding about the work?
Dr. Priscilla Hamil (03:31):
Everything.
I mean, you moved every two tothree years. I got to see the
world thanks to the Americanpopulation. I had met some great
friends who are still friendstoday. So they're more like
brothers and sisters, anotheranother family and the Dental
Corps. I think we reached thehalcyon days of the Dental
Corps. We were able to practiceperfect dentistry on people who
(03:51):
really deserved it because theybore the cloth of the nation
without any cost to them.
Dr. Ralph Ford (03:57):
That's a great place to be and how was how was
it different from civiliandentistry? What we all encounter
every day, the rest of us?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (04:04):
Well, the biggest thing is, is that
there's no cost to the servicemember. And so we would see
service people of all servicesdepending on where you ... often
things are of a joint nature,Navy, Air Force army. And like I
said, a lot of a lot of travelso you on your downtime, it's
nothing to go to France forbreakfast, and your children
will play soccer in Germany orEngland or Italy. You know, what
(04:28):
kind of opportunity that is? Ireally do you think that
military service builds bettercitizens?
Dr. Ralph Ford (04:33):
How many do you keep track? How often did you
move in the army?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (04:36):
I've really lost track I'd rather
not. There was one year I wasmoving every year for six years.
Dr. Ralph Ford (04:42):
Wow. And you were you're in combat you are in
Desert Shield and Desert Stormand in fact, you served with the
... and I want to make sure Iget this right ... 257 Medical
detachment in the Fifth MobileArmy surgical hospital.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (04:58):
That's correct. Mobile surgical
hospital. Little Known asM.A.S.H., so if you ever watched
them.
Dr. Ralph Ford (05:02):
Oh, all of us, yeah, we grew up in the 70s 80s.
Okay, it's all we ever did waswatch M.A.S.H.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (05:08):
A lot of times, in the fifth M.A.S.H., it
was not too far removed fromthat television program. I must
say that we had our quirkypeople. But unfortunately
M.A.S.H.es are no longer part ofthe inventory. They've been
replaced with different kinds ofdeployable hospitals. But still,
the concept is the same. Putmedical capability far forward,
so that you're able to take careof the wounded as expeditiously
(05:31):
as possible because that's whatpreserves the life.
Dr. Ralph Ford (05:33):
Well, can you talk? No, that's that's good
perspective. It's they don'texist anymore. I didn't realize
that. So tell us a little bitmore, you know, give us a little
color as to what it was likebeing in a M.A.S.H.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (05:47):
257 Medical detachment, which is
kind of a ghost unit. It's onlyfilled with professional staff
when the need arises. The needarose when Saddam Hussein
(06:07):
invaded Kuwait. So then I wasdetached from one my day job to
take part in the 257. Andbecause I had trained under the
hospital staff that wereembedded in at Fort Bragg, I was
asked for by name to become partof fifth mash. So I was Dennis
fulfilling the role of the oralsurgeon because our oral surgeon
had been elevated to being thevice commander, so to say, and I
(06:32):
spent most of my time in theoperating room not doing
dentistry at all, but doinggeneral surgery.
Dr. Ralph Ford (06:36):
I'm gonna say, you were seeing cases of people
who were, I'm sure, injured in avery serious way?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (06:43):
For a very short period of time, in
the beginning we were verybored. Because the combat
operations were delayed for awhile we were all kind of
sitting in a ready mode. Ofcourse, the the fear at the time
was that Saddam Hussein hadchemical weapons that were going
to be delivered by Scudmissiles. So there was a lot of
reactionary training on how wewould handle mass casualties
(07:03):
that way. And I hope yourlisteners are not squeamish, but
I actually participated in doingsome non-combat related
surgeries. Like I've done, I'vedone a circumcision or two, I've
done gynecomastia reduction,people can look that up on their
medical dictionary. And someother things that when people
(07:23):
get bored, they find otherthings to occupy their time. And
the surgeons wanted to make surethat they were still capable of
performing under fire. And thenwhen the actual shooting took
place, we did have a few Iraqiwounded that we took care of.
But some civilian wounded aswell Bedouins, who had wandered
into minefields and had somevery grievous wounds. So I got
(07:45):
to do a lot of things that werenot in the normal dental
repertoire.
Dr. Ralph Ford (07:49):
Yeah, for those of you know, who are younger
listeners, and you brought backmemories, I, you know, forgotten
a lot of that. I rememberactually, where I was when the
first Gulf War started, I wasworking at IBM, and it just
stuck in my mind, you know,Saddam Hussein invaded. And but
it was really a long wait. Itwasn't an immediate response.
And you know, President Bush atthat time, built this huge
(08:10):
coalition. And there was thismassive buildup of forces. And
it was, frankly, a lot ofwaiting. The whole country was
sitting on pins and needles.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (08:18):
Exactly.
And you probably knew more aboutwhat's going on back here at
home than we did there.
Dr. Ralph Ford (08:23):
Yeah, that was the first time to that, I think,
really, I don't know, it was thefirst time but every war, you
know, the media seems to have adifferent increasing level of
engagement and the Scud missilesand all of that, and that's the
first time I remember, you'd seethat on the news. And, you know,
there were reporters out thereand they became a pretty, you
know, it was it was a big dealat that time. But it must take a
(08:46):
you know, a big toll on peopleas well, who were working in
your profession to be in thatsort of an environment.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilt (08:53):
Especially in a prolonged environment. We
saw that in the second Gulf War,where my position had changed
and was more than a command andstaff role. The concept of
compassion fatigue, when you putprofessional staff there, where
they see these, these grievouswounds. And they're doing what
they can and meatball surgery topreserve life, hopefully
evacuate the wounded back tosustained hospitals here in
(09:16):
CONUS or in Germany, but theyget torn up themselves
psychologically.
Dr. Ralph Ford (09:21):
Yeah, it's, it's got to be a difficult thing to
get through. And you know, weappreciate that you and others
have done this for our countryfor so long. And after you did
that, though, you went on tolead the U.S. Army Dental
Command or D.E.N. Com. And thatwas a big assignment that you
administered the oral healthcare for the entire U.S. Army.
(09:45):
So why don't you tell us abouthow did you end up in that role?
And what what does that mean?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (09:48):
Well, it was it was the pinnacle of
command assignment, and I wasthe first D.E.N. Com commander
to be second selected by a boardinstead of appointed by the
surgeon general or otherleaders. So there was a peer
review, essentially, thatselected me to be the D.E.N. Com
commander. So I feel honoredabout that. And it's a two year
(10:09):
assignment. And you try to getas much done as you can in two
years. And building on thefoundation of a previous
commanders, fitting thestrategic vision of the Surgeon
General at the time, becausethat's who my boss was.
Dr. Ralph Ford (10:20):
I was gonna say, you've reported to the Surgeon
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (10:22):
To the Surgeon General of the Army,
General, right?
which is a three star general.
And oftentimes, it was a veryfractious time this was, that in
the few years afterwards, wewere ramping up there were the
rattling of battle drums was onthe horizon with what was
happening again, back inSouthwest Asia. We were really
concerned about the health ofthe Reserve components, those
(10:42):
people who are in the NationalGuard and the Reserve, and how
do you respond to that? So wehad a lot to do with policy, and
then delivering dental care toour Reserve components.
Dr. Ralph Ford (10:55):
So just give us a timeframe. When were you in
charge of D.E.N. Com?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (10:58):
From 2010 to 2012.
Dr. Ralph Ford (11:00):
Wow. Okay. So you were overseeing D.E.N. Com?
You were managing an awful lotof people. How?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (11:09):
I didn't do it by myself.
Dr. Ralph Ford (11:10):
You didn't do it by yourself. But in theory, they
all reported to you. I'm sureyou had a large structure to do
that. But give us an idea ofscope and scale.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (11:19):
Well, all of the world was divided up
in regional commands. So we hadseven regional commanders and
beneath them would be the dentalactivities themselves, which
were spread out over a region.
For example, when I had had aprevious command and the North
Atlantic regional dentalcommand, headquartered at Walter
Reed, but I was dual-hatted asthe den tech commander of Walter
Reed. So we had Walter ReedHospital. We also had a clinic
(11:42):
down at Fort Belvoir, but myscope ranged from West Point in
New York, you're familiar with,all the way south to Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and as far westas Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
Dr. Ralph Ford (11:57):
What did you like about the job?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (11:59):
A lot of travel. So I've gotten a lot of
frequent flyer miles. And everyregion is different. I really
enjoyed the people. I enjoyedthe commanders I worked with. I
enjoyed the mentorship, beingable to provide mentorship to
more junior enlisted and juniorofficers. I think that's what
makes command so rewarding.
Dr. Ralph Ford (12:16):
When you say you got frequent flyer miles I just
want to ask, did they put you oncommercial airlines or were you
flying on the military planes?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (12:25):
Very seldom military aircraft.
Usually commercial aircraft.
when I was in Alaska as theD.E.N. tech commander there, I
did get to fly in the general'sjet back and forth between Fort
Richardson which is in Anchorageto Fort Wainwright, which is in
Fairbanks. That's over 415ground miles. But it makes it
easy when you go by jet.
Dr. Ralph Ford (12:43):
I must tell you, I think I've told you, I have a
good friend who was at WestPoint. And he tells me the
stories about how they sent himto Iraq. And it didn't sound too
glamorous in the back of some ofthose cargo planes that he would
go on at the last moment. Sothat's my vision of what what
happens. You know, I imagineit's really hard to you know,
everywhere. It's difficult torecruit good talent. So how does
(13:04):
the army, particularly in aspecialty like dentistry, which
you know, it's a competitive.
Anyone go out there and createtheir own practice at any time?
So was it challenging to findgood people, so to speak, and
keep them engaged in the army?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (13:19):
Very good question. First of all,
that health professionsscholarship program that I
mentioned at the beginning, wasreinstated, because we needed to
develop our professional staff.
So that is a very, very generousscholarship. It pays for all of
their tuition, instruments andbooks plus a stipend that's
quite generous by my standards.
(13:40):
And after their four years ofdental school, they enter into
the Army as a captain, sothey're earning captain's pay.
And eventually the bigattractant there to keep them on
the service is the potential forspecialty training, residency
training. And the army willoffer that, as does all of the
services in all of the dentalspecialties: oral surgery,
(14:01):
endodontics, periodontics,prosthodontics, comprehensive
dentistry. Which is when I amsort of like your internal
medicine physician. And it'sthat's a relatively rare
specialty in the civilian sectorstill, but in enables you with
advanced skills to be able to bedeployed anywhere and take care
of whatever's going across yourpath.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:20):
That sounds like a fantastic opportunity.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (14:22):
It is and it still exists today.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:24):
It does. And if somebody were interested, they
could contact you?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (14:27):
They could and I will direct them to
the medical recruiter who willget them hooked up.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:30):
All right, so let's go to the medical
recruiter first.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (14:33):
Well, the medical recruiter and they
can go to goarmy.com and searchmedical and health professions
scholarships, and they will becontacted with an Army Medical
Department recruiter.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:43):
Well, excellent.
Let's back up a bit. And wedidn't talk much about your time
here at Penn State Behrend, butbefore you earned your dental
degree, it all started here. Yougrew up in Harborcreek, so
you're back to your homestomping grounds. And before you
got your bachelor of sciencedegree from the university. You
started here at Behrend. Why didyou come to Behrend and what was
(15:04):
it like that?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (15:07):
Well, I grew up about four miles from
here. If I rolled all the waydownhill and ended up at the
entrance to Behrend college. Andmy father was on faculty and
continuing education. Both of myparents are Penn State
graduates. My grandfather was awide supporter of Penn State.
And so starting at a very youngage, I was indoctrinated that I
was going to be going to PennState. So for financial reasons,
(15:30):
it made sense to come toBehrend. And I loved my time
here. I got to play volleyball.
I was in the chamber orchestra.
I wasn't involved in studentgovernment. My focus was really
then ROTC because I was alwaysbuilding to that goal of getting
into dental school, and how Iwas going to pay for that. But I
(15:50):
my first love, though, wasreally being in the army.
Dr. Ralph Ford (15:53):
It was. So you helped to create ROTC here, did
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (15:56):
I did, we did not have it in 1974 when
you?
I started here. So I took myfirst ROTC courses at Gannon.
And then the army assigned theinitial cadre here. First, we
were working out of that garagethat was opposite of Kochel. On
the other issues. Now, that'sall gone. And then we were in
(16:16):
the basement of this buildingfor a while. And, of course,
it's been moved all around eversince then. It's a little dank
and dark down there.
Dr. Ralph Ford (16:23):
That's why I tell people this right below the
very space where we're sitting,right below my office, is where
Army ROTC was at once? Well, forwhat it's worth, if you were to
be in the basement of this oldbuilding, that would actually be
the best place, the most modernpart of the building. Now we've
cut it up. And you know, it'snot the big open room that it
was before. But anyways, howabout but it sounds like you
(16:46):
knew not only that you wereinterested in an army career.
But did you know early on thatyou were interested in
dentistry?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (16:53):
Well, again, I go back to my maternal
grandfather that was telling meI was going to be a doctor, and
all of these little stories andvignettes about being a doctor.
And then it's, at the time whenyou're applying for college, you
had to get a certificate of yourhealth. So I walked into Dr. Van
Martyr and Dr. Van Damme hisoffice, they were my physicians,
and there were sick people allover the place. You know, snotty
(17:16):
noses coughing, and the staffwas overworked and disgruntled.
And it was just not realpleasant. Then you walk into Dr.
Michaels office, my dentist, andthere's a nice aquarium. And it
smells a little bit like Cloroxand the dental hygienist and the
office manager is very pleasant.
It's kind of like I like thestructured life. So and you
(17:37):
still get to be called Doctor.
Although, often the medicalworld doesn't consider a dentist
as professional peers. That'sokay. We know our place. And so
it was a perfect fit for me.
There's a lot of art involved indentistry, which I really
appreciate. There's a lot ofpsychology, you can have the
best hands in the world, but ifyour patient won't sit in the
(17:58):
chair, it's all for naught. Andit was a great fit for me in the
army.
Dr. Ralph Ford (18:08):
and you might sit there three hours before the
doctor who was meeting everybodyfor everything and everyone was
caught. Versus, yeah, thedentist's office, hands down was
a better experience. You know,frankly, doctor's office are a
(18:30):
lot better now than they used tobe when you walk in the front
door. So, well, that's it. Soyou knew what you wanted to do.
And you came here to Behrend.
And now after all of theseyears, you've come back, you've
retired and and when you cameback into the area, you came to
campus and said, hey, I'd liketo get involved. And we're very
grateful for that. You're amember of the Council of Fellows
(18:50):
board of directors, which is areally important advisory group
for us. So what made you decideto do that? Was it just
happenstance you saw the campushere are pretty intentional
about it?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (19:04):
I think I got shanghaied by Margie
Taylor, first to get involvedwith the development committee.
And then from that stemmed anappointment on at the Council of
Fellows. And I take those dutiesvery seriously. I am so enthused
about where Erie is positionedright now, having left here been
away for 30 Some years and thenyou come back. There's a sense
(19:26):
of urgency, anticipation andhope, I think is what how I
would describe it. And it's funto be part of that as we shape
the future. And I really feelstrongly that Behrend, no pun
intended, with the KeystoneState is a lynchpin in this
whole endeavor.
Dr. Ralph Ford (19:43):
Well, thank you.
And I mean, you've been veryactive and our board has been
supportive and driving of theactivities that we do. And
everything from social economicdevelopment, the work we do at
CORE, we could go on and on andon. And I know that you're very
passionate about that. So tellme, you know, before you came on
to the Council of Fellows board,and now that you're on, how has
(20:04):
your perspective changed aboutwhat Behrend does?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (20:10):
I'm even more enthused, I mean, there's
so much improvement technology,where you have a wide range of
interests that were infusedwe're connected with. And I
think it's all for the good. I'mvery excited about what's
happening with Eagle's Nest. I'mexcited about what's happening
environmentally, with ProjectResolve, with the MWRI, the
(20:30):
ability to now bring high tech,biotech, and things that are
going to really change the worldright here in our backyard. And
people tend to dismiss Erie inhere. Just recently, were named
the number one best small cityin the country. I think that's a
wonderful thing to crow about.
Dr. Ralph Ford (20:45):
We need to get that word out, we are the number
one best small city. I can tellyou, I travel, but it's always
great to be back here. Andpeople underestimate just how
wonderful this place is. Andwe're happy to be part of it.
And I'd be remiss not tomention, you know, that Margie
Taylor had an important role inbringing you in. Margie was our
Director of Development andalways connecting us with people
(21:06):
in the community, many of whomhave gone on to do great things
for us. So she really played animportant role in there. And
we'll make sure she gets thispodcast.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (21:14):
That'll be great.
Dr. Ralph Ford (21:15):
So one of the areas, though, that you are
particularly involved in is agroup that we created in 2020,
known as the Women's EngagementCouncil. Tell us what is the
Women's Engagement Council? Whois it made up of? What do you
do? What's your mission?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (21:31):
Well, we're made up of staff and
faculty and friends of Behrend,and our council is growing.
We're modeling ourselves afterthe Council of Fellows. So we do
have a board of directors andthen an enlarging Council, we
just brought in over a dozen newmembers, to include community
members and some young alums.
And even though we're all madeup of women, right now, it is
(21:51):
not exclusively by women. But itis for women, to advance women
in leadership, to providepositive role models, to bring
women's issues to the forefrontas points of discussion and
communication and education. SoI think it's got an important
role as to leverage theendeavors that are already on
campus. So sometimes we're notrecreating the wheel, we're just
(22:13):
helping to spur things along.
Dr. Ralph Ford (22:16):
Well, you've already done so many things.
Recently, you gave out the firstMary Baron Impact Award to our
board chair, and Scott. Sowhat's the idea behind this new
award that you created?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (22:28):
Well, that stemmed from the Women of
Impact Award that had been atthe University and then went
fallow. And so we built on thatfoundation and tweaked it a
little bit. And in the spirit ofMary Behrends philanthropic
efforts and her communityengagement. That's sort of the
tenants of what will be theaward winner for the Mary
Behrend Impact Award. Notisolated to be conferred to a
(22:52):
woman and to anyone who had iscommitted to Behrend who's
committed to advancing women'sissues and creating those
opportunities for women tothrive.
Dr. Ralph Ford (23:01):
Well, I think it was great the selection of Ann
Scott as the first recipient.
Will you agree?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (23:05):
Yeah.
Dr. Ralph Ford (23:06):
And you also have created a 5k Women's run?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (23:11):
That's correct. That was our first
major event last August. It's ondeck again for this coming
August 27. It was very wellattended for its first year. And
so that's our commitment toactivity and health. And it's
open to men and women. So itruns right up here in Knowledge
Park, which is a beautifulroute. So we're looking forward
to that. And next week, nextWednesday, we have our first
(23:32):
signature major speaker event,the Blue Chair Chat.
Dr. Ralph Ford (23:35):
Yeah, the Blue Chair Chat. Tell us about that.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (23:38):
Well, that will feature Ashley
Walters. She and her husbandowned Onyx Corporation here in
Erie. It is now anemployee-owned company. She was
the former president. They'vemoved out of state, but she
represents, she's a chemicalengineer. She's an author that
wrote the book Leading With Gritand Grace. She is a company
(23:59):
executive. And it's not insomething that you would think
is fluffy. They build industrialfurnaces for a variety of
industries. And she's a mom, andshe's also a parental caregiver.
So she covers a lot of the basesthat I think human beings would
be interested in hearing herspeak.
Dr. Ralph Ford (24:15):
I think so. And I'm looking forward to it. And I
personally know Ashley, and sheis just, you know, a phenom. I
think a chemical engineeringdegree running Onyx. Now they
have sold it as of late. She'sthe author of the book Leading
With Grit and Grace, which has alot of wisdom in it. And I'm
sure whatever her next venturein life, it will be exciting. So
(24:38):
she's she's just a greatachiever and supporter of
Behrend as well. And also, bythe way, a member of our board
of directors. So that's justgreat to see. So how will you
know what success looks like forthe Women's Engagement Council?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (24:50):
I think as people turn to WEC for
support in their own endeavors,as we grow our council, as we
continue to link with existingprograms on campus. I think
that's when we're going to get,I don't want to say notoriety,
but just recognition. And wecouldn't thrive without the
support of all of the schoolshere on Penn State Behrend. So
(25:11):
we're also looking at ways ofgiving back in the future.
Dr. Ralph Ford (25:14):
Oh, that's great. Well, we're coming to the
end of our programs. Let mefinish up with this question for
you. As I said earlier, in 2019,you were named an Alumni Fellow.
And I will tell you, that was areally special ceremony, by the
way, that was just for those whoare in our listening audience,
you can actually Google it andgo see it on YouTube and see
(25:34):
your acceptance speech. It wasthe best of the night, and I'm
not biased at all, but it reallywas. And everyone, I'm sure will
agree with that. But it was itwas great. But in the years
since, you've been really activeand engaged with Behrend. Why do
you feel the need to give backand what do you take away from
this yourself?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (25:53):
I strongly believe that we are all
called to serve. And I was justled here.
Dr. Ralph Ford (25:58):
That's simple.
That's simple.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (25:59):
Yeah.
Dr. Ralph Ford (26:00):
It's great that you're in a position where you
can do that. Well, is thereanything else you would like to
add before we we finish up heretoday?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (26:08):
I just hope that the students and the
parents of students here at PennState Behrend appreciate what a
jewel they have in theirbackyard. I'm a very proud Penn
State Behrend alum. Even thoughI did receive my degree from the
University Park campus, my heartbelongs to Behrend.
Dr. Ralph Ford (26:23):
Well, it's all part of Penn State. We
appreciate the very kind wordsabout Behrend. It is truly a
special place and you've been agreat guest. I've enjoyed the
conversation. I am Dr. RalphFord, Chancellor of Penn State
Behrend and you have beenlistening to Behrend Talks. My
guest today was Dr. PriscillaHamilton, a retired U.S. Army
colonel and Behrend alumna.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (26:45):
Thank you.
Dr. Ralph Ford (26:46):
You're welcome.
I am Dr. Ralph Ford, Chancellor of Penn State
Behrend and you are listening toBehrend Talks. My guest today is
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton, aretired U.S. Army colonel and
former commander of the U.S.
Army Dental Command. Welcome tothe show, Priscilla.
Well, I want to talk a littlebit about your background. So
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (00:16):
Thank you, Ralph.
I'm going to run through yourbio here and your many
accomplishments. But first, youdid attend Behrend before
graduating and transferring toour University Park campus. And
you graduated from U.P. in 1978.
And now, since you've retired,you've become very active here
on campus and for which we arevery grateful. You are a trusted
(00:37):
adviser to our collegeleadership team through our
Behrend Council of Fellows boardof directors. And you are
playing an active role in ourWomen's Engagement Council,
which we started here in 2020.
And doing some great thingsthere. And you know, I just want
to run through a few otheritems. You know, our listeners
(00:57):
should know, that you had a33-year distinguished career in
the U.S. Army, you hold a DMDfrom the University of
Pittsburgh, where you are adistinguished alumna. You have a
master's in Health CareAdministration from Baylor
University, got a number ofdifferent institutions, and a
master's in Strategic Studiesfrom the U.S. Army War College,
(01:20):
and very importantly to us, youare a Penn State Alumni Fellow,
which is a recognition that webestow on only 1/10 of 1% of our
alumni. And I will say BehrendCollege nominated you for that.
And let's go a little furtherduring, you know, I hope you
I've embarrassed you quite abit. But during your time in the
U.S. Army, you served innumerous command staff and
(01:42):
operational assignments,including the U.S. Army dental
command, you are a veteran ofOperation Desert Shield/Desert
Storm, and you were awarded theLegion of Merit the Bronze Star,
and the Meritorious ServiceMedal. So wow, that's an awful
lot. And we are lucky to haveyou with us today.
Thank you, Ralph.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:03):
So when you went into dentistry, were you already
thinking about the army? How didyou end up in the army?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (02:09):
Well, I ended up in the Army as a venue
to get to dental school becauseat the time, there was the
health professions scholarship,and I wanted to show that I had
the proclivity for militaryservice, so that I could get the
funds to go to dental school,which is very expensive. And
good reason. My father was afaculty member here at Behrend,
as you know. Maybe not thehighest paying profession going,
(02:30):
but unfortunately, Congressrevoked that health professions
scholarship program in the fallof my senior year. So I was
already committed to militaryservice, but I had no funds to
go to dental school. But it'sokay. So I worked my way through
school and was looking forwardto the time that I could come on
active duty, have a decentsalary, equal pay for equal work
(02:51):
and a great career.
Dr. Ralph Ford (02:54):
Well, were you from a military family?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (02:56):
Yes. My father was a World War II
veteran. He started out as aseaman second class and was
commissioned and retired after27 years in the Navy, most of it
in the Navy Reserve. My brotherserved in the Navy. My little
sister went in the Army and Iwent in the Army because at that
time, the Navy wasn't acceptingwomen to go in Bluewater ships.
So you could have shore duty ortender duty, but it was not as
(03:20):
career enhancing. So I went inthe Army.
Dr. Ralph Ford (03:22):
So did you think you'd be in 33 years?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (03:25):
I think I forgot to get out.
Dr. Ralph Ford (03:27):
Get out? Well, why you must find something you
liked about it. What wasrewarding about the work?
Dr. Priscilla Hamil (03:31):
Everything.
I mean, you moved every two tothree years. I got to see the
world thanks to the Americanpopulation. I had met some great
friends who are still friendstoday. So they're more like
brothers and sisters, anotheranother family and the Dental
Corps. I think we reached thehalcyon days of the Dental
Corps. We were able to practiceperfect dentistry on people who
(03:51):
really deserved it because theybore the cloth of the nation
without any cost to them.
Dr. Ralph Ford (03:57):
That's a great place to be and how was how was
it different from civiliandentistry? What we all encounter
every day, the rest of us?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (04:04):
Well, the biggest thing is, is that
there's no cost to the servicemember. And so we would see
service people of all servicesdepending on where you ... often
things are of a joint nature,Navy, Air Force army. And like I
said, a lot of a lot of travelso you on your downtime, it's
nothing to go to France forbreakfast, and your children
will play soccer in Germany orEngland or Italy. You know, what
(04:28):
kind of opportunity that is? Ireally do you think that
military service builds bettercitizens?
Dr. Ralph Ford (04:33):
How many do you keep track? How often did you
move in the army?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (04:36):
I've really lost track I'd rather
not. There was one year I wasmoving every year for six years.
Dr. Ralph Ford (04:42):
Wow. And you were you're in combat you are in
Desert Shield and Desert Stormand in fact, you served with the
... and I want to make sure Iget this right ... 257 Medical
detachment in the Fifth MobileArmy surgical hospital.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (04:58):
That's correct. Mobile surgical
hospital. Little Known asM.A.S.H., so if you ever watched
them.
Dr. Ralph Ford (05:02):
Oh, all of us, yeah, we grew up in the 70s 80s.
Okay, it's all we ever did waswatch M.A.S.H.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (05:08):
A lot of times, in the fifth M.A.S.H., it
was not too far removed fromthat television program. I must
say that we had our quirkypeople. But unfortunately
M.A.S.H.es are no longer part ofthe inventory. They've been
replaced with different kinds ofdeployable hospitals. But still,
the concept is the same. Putmedical capability far forward,
so that you're able to take careof the wounded as expeditiously
(05:31):
as possible because that's whatpreserves the life.
Dr. Ralph Ford (05:33):
Well, can you talk? No, that's that's good
perspective. It's they don'texist anymore. I didn't realize
that. So tell us a little bitmore, you know, give us a little
color as to what it was likebeing in a M.A.S.H.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (05:47):
257 Medical detachment, which is
kind of a ghost unit. It's onlyfilled with professional staff
when the need arises. The needarose when Saddam Hussein
(06:07):
invaded Kuwait. So then I wasdetached from one my day job to
take part in the 257. Andbecause I had trained under the
hospital staff that wereembedded in at Fort Bragg, I was
asked for by name to become partof fifth mash. So I was Dennis
fulfilling the role of the oralsurgeon because our oral surgeon
had been elevated to being thevice commander, so to say, and I
(06:32):
spent most of my time in theoperating room not doing
dentistry at all, but doinggeneral surgery.
Dr. Ralph Ford (06:36):
I'm gonna say, you were seeing cases of people
who were, I'm sure, injured in avery serious way?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (06:43):
For a very short period of time, in
the beginning we were verybored. Because the combat
operations were delayed for awhile we were all kind of
sitting in a ready mode. Ofcourse, the the fear at the time
was that Saddam Hussein hadchemical weapons that were going
to be delivered by Scudmissiles. So there was a lot of
reactionary training on how wewould handle mass casualties
(07:03):
that way. And I hope yourlisteners are not squeamish, but
I actually participated in doingsome non-combat related
surgeries. Like I've done, I'vedone a circumcision or two, I've
done gynecomastia reduction,people can look that up on their
medical dictionary. And someother things that when people
(07:23):
get bored, they find otherthings to occupy their time. And
the surgeons wanted to make surethat they were still capable of
performing under fire. And thenwhen the actual shooting took
place, we did have a few Iraqiwounded that we took care of.
But some civilian wounded aswell Bedouins, who had wandered
into minefields and had somevery grievous wounds. So I got
(07:45):
to do a lot of things that werenot in the normal dental
repertoire.
Dr. Ralph Ford (07:49):
Yeah, for those of you know, who are younger
listeners, and you brought backmemories, I, you know, forgotten
a lot of that. I rememberactually, where I was when the
first Gulf War started, I wasworking at IBM, and it just
stuck in my mind, you know,Saddam Hussein invaded. And but
it was really a long wait. Itwasn't an immediate response.
And you know, President Bush atthat time, built this huge
(08:10):
coalition. And there was thismassive buildup of forces. And
it was, frankly, a lot ofwaiting. The whole country was
sitting on pins and needles.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (08:18):
Exactly.
And you probably knew more aboutwhat's going on back here at
home than we did there.
Dr. Ralph Ford (08:23):
Yeah, that was the first time to that, I think,
really, I don't know, it was thefirst time but every war, you
know, the media seems to have adifferent increasing level of
engagement and the Scud missilesand all of that, and that's the
first time I remember, you'd seethat on the news. And, you know,
there were reporters out thereand they became a pretty, you
know, it was it was a big dealat that time. But it must take a
(08:46):
you know, a big toll on peopleas well, who were working in
your profession to be in thatsort of an environment.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilt (08:53):
Especially in a prolonged environment. We
saw that in the second Gulf War,where my position had changed
and was more than a command andstaff role. The concept of
compassion fatigue, when you putprofessional staff there, where
they see these, these grievouswounds. And they're doing what
they can and meatball surgery topreserve life, hopefully
evacuate the wounded back tosustained hospitals here in
(09:16):
CONUS or in Germany, but theyget torn up themselves
psychologically.
Dr. Ralph Ford (09:21):
Yeah, it's, it's got to be a difficult thing to
get through. And you know, weappreciate that you and others
have done this for our countryfor so long. And after you did
that, though, you went on tolead the U.S. Army Dental
Command or D.E.N. Com. And thatwas a big assignment that you
administered the oral healthcare for the entire U.S. Army.
(09:45):
So why don't you tell us abouthow did you end up in that role?
And what what does that mean?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (09:48):
Well, it was it was the pinnacle of
command assignment, and I wasthe first D.E.N. Com commander
to be second selected by a boardinstead of appointed by the
surgeon general or otherleaders. So there was a peer
review, essentially, thatselected me to be the D.E.N. Com
commander. So I feel honoredabout that. And it's a two year
(10:09):
assignment. And you try to getas much done as you can in two
years. And building on thefoundation of a previous
commanders, fitting thestrategic vision of the Surgeon
General at the time, becausethat's who my boss was.
Dr. Ralph Ford (10:20):
I was gonna say, you've reported to the Surgeon
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (10:22):
To the Surgeon General of the Army,
General, right?
which is a three star general.
And oftentimes, it was a veryfractious time this was, that in
the few years afterwards, wewere ramping up there were the
rattling of battle drums was onthe horizon with what was
happening again, back inSouthwest Asia. We were really
concerned about the health ofthe Reserve components, those
(10:42):
people who are in the NationalGuard and the Reserve, and how
do you respond to that? So wehad a lot to do with policy, and
then delivering dental care toour Reserve components.
Dr. Ralph Ford (10:55):
So just give us a timeframe. When were you in
charge of D.E.N. Com?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (10:58):
From 2010 to 2012.
Dr. Ralph Ford (11:00):
Wow. Okay. So you were overseeing D.E.N. Com?
You were managing an awful lotof people. How?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (11:09):
I didn't do it by myself.
Dr. Ralph Ford (11:10):
You didn't do it by yourself. But in theory, they
all reported to you. I'm sureyou had a large structure to do
that. But give us an idea ofscope and scale.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (11:19):
Well, all of the world was divided up
in regional commands. So we hadseven regional commanders and
beneath them would be the dentalactivities themselves, which
were spread out over a region.
For example, when I had had aprevious command and the North
Atlantic regional dentalcommand, headquartered at Walter
Reed, but I was dual-hatted asthe den tech commander of Walter
Reed. So we had Walter ReedHospital. We also had a clinic
(11:42):
down at Fort Belvoir, but myscope ranged from West Point in
New York, you're familiar with,all the way south to Fort Bragg,
North Carolina, and as far westas Camp Atterbury, Indiana.
Dr. Ralph Ford (11:57):
What did you like about the job?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (11:59):
A lot of travel. So I've gotten a lot of
frequent flyer miles. And everyregion is different. I really
enjoyed the people. I enjoyedthe commanders I worked with. I
enjoyed the mentorship, beingable to provide mentorship to
more junior enlisted and juniorofficers. I think that's what
makes command so rewarding.
Dr. Ralph Ford (12:16):
When you say you got frequent flyer miles I just
want to ask, did they put you oncommercial airlines or were you
flying on the military planes?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (12:25):
Very seldom military aircraft.
Usually commercial aircraft.
when I was in Alaska as theD.E.N. tech commander there, I
did get to fly in the general'sjet back and forth between Fort
Richardson which is in Anchorageto Fort Wainwright, which is in
Fairbanks. That's over 415ground miles. But it makes it
easy when you go by jet.
Dr. Ralph Ford (12:43):
I must tell you, I think I've told you, I have a
good friend who was at WestPoint. And he tells me the
stories about how they sent himto Iraq. And it didn't sound too
glamorous in the back of some ofthose cargo planes that he would
go on at the last moment. Sothat's my vision of what what
happens. You know, I imagineit's really hard to you know,
everywhere. It's difficult torecruit good talent. So how does
(13:04):
the army, particularly in aspecialty like dentistry, which
you know, it's a competitive.
Anyone go out there and createtheir own practice at any time?
So was it challenging to findgood people, so to speak, and
keep them engaged in the army?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (13:19):
Very good question. First of all,
that health professionsscholarship program that I
mentioned at the beginning, wasreinstated, because we needed to
develop our professional staff.
So that is a very, very generousscholarship. It pays for all of
their tuition, instruments andbooks plus a stipend that's
quite generous by my standards.
(13:40):
And after their four years ofdental school, they enter into
the Army as a captain, sothey're earning captain's pay.
And eventually the bigattractant there to keep them on
the service is the potential forspecialty training, residency
training. And the army willoffer that, as does all of the
services in all of the dentalspecialties: oral surgery,
(14:01):
endodontics, periodontics,prosthodontics, comprehensive
dentistry. Which is when I amsort of like your internal
medicine physician. And it'sthat's a relatively rare
specialty in the civilian sectorstill, but in enables you with
advanced skills to be able to bedeployed anywhere and take care
of whatever's going across yourpath.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:20):
That sounds like a fantastic opportunity.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (14:22):
It is and it still exists today.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:24):
It does. And if somebody were interested, they
could contact you?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (14:27):
They could and I will direct them to
the medical recruiter who willget them hooked up.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:30):
All right, so let's go to the medical
recruiter first.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (14:33):
Well, the medical recruiter and they
can go to goarmy.com and searchmedical and health professions
scholarships, and they will becontacted with an Army Medical
Department recruiter.
Dr. Ralph Ford (14:43):
Well, excellent.
Let's back up a bit. And wedidn't talk much about your time
here at Penn State Behrend, butbefore you earned your dental
degree, it all started here. Yougrew up in Harborcreek, so
you're back to your homestomping grounds. And before you
got your bachelor of sciencedegree from the university. You
started here at Behrend. Why didyou come to Behrend and what was
(15:04):
it like that?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (15:07):
Well, I grew up about four miles from
here. If I rolled all the waydownhill and ended up at the
entrance to Behrend college. Andmy father was on faculty and
continuing education. Both of myparents are Penn State
graduates. My grandfather was awide supporter of Penn State.
And so starting at a very youngage, I was indoctrinated that I
was going to be going to PennState. So for financial reasons,
(15:30):
it made sense to come toBehrend. And I loved my time
here. I got to play volleyball.
I was in the chamber orchestra.
I wasn't involved in studentgovernment. My focus was really
then ROTC because I was alwaysbuilding to that goal of getting
into dental school, and how Iwas going to pay for that. But I
(15:50):
my first love, though, wasreally being in the army.
Dr. Ralph Ford (15:53):
It was. So you helped to create ROTC here, did
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (15:56):
I did, we did not have it in 1974 when
you?
I started here. So I took myfirst ROTC courses at Gannon.
And then the army assigned theinitial cadre here. First, we
were working out of that garagethat was opposite of Kochel. On
the other issues. Now, that'sall gone. And then we were in
(16:16):
the basement of this buildingfor a while. And, of course,
it's been moved all around eversince then. It's a little dank
and dark down there.
Dr. Ralph Ford (16:23):
That's why I tell people this right below the
very space where we're sitting,right below my office, is where
Army ROTC was at once? Well, forwhat it's worth, if you were to
be in the basement of this oldbuilding, that would actually be
the best place, the most modernpart of the building. Now we've
cut it up. And you know, it'snot the big open room that it
was before. But anyways, howabout but it sounds like you
(16:46):
knew not only that you wereinterested in an army career.
But did you know early on thatyou were interested in
dentistry?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (16:53):
Well, again, I go back to my maternal
grandfather that was telling meI was going to be a doctor, and
all of these little stories andvignettes about being a doctor.
And then it's, at the time whenyou're applying for college, you
had to get a certificate of yourhealth. So I walked into Dr. Van
Martyr and Dr. Van Damme hisoffice, they were my physicians,
and there were sick people allover the place. You know, snotty
(17:16):
noses coughing, and the staffwas overworked and disgruntled.
And it was just not realpleasant. Then you walk into Dr.
Michaels office, my dentist, andthere's a nice aquarium. And it
smells a little bit like Cloroxand the dental hygienist and the
office manager is very pleasant.
It's kind of like I like thestructured life. So and you
(17:37):
still get to be called Doctor.
Although, often the medicalworld doesn't consider a dentist
as professional peers. That'sokay. We know our place. And so
it was a perfect fit for me.
There's a lot of art involved indentistry, which I really
appreciate. There's a lot ofpsychology, you can have the
best hands in the world, but ifyour patient won't sit in the
(17:58):
chair, it's all for naught. Andit was a great fit for me in the
army.
Dr. Ralph Ford (18:08):
and you might sit there three hours before the
doctor who was meeting everybodyfor everything and everyone was
caught. Versus, yeah, thedentist's office, hands down was
a better experience. You know,frankly, doctor's office are a
(18:30):
lot better now than they used tobe when you walk in the front
door. So, well, that's it. Soyou knew what you wanted to do.
And you came here to Behrend.
And now after all of theseyears, you've come back, you've
retired and and when you cameback into the area, you came to
campus and said, hey, I'd liketo get involved. And we're very
grateful for that. You're amember of the Council of Fellows
(18:50):
board of directors, which is areally important advisory group
for us. So what made you decideto do that? Was it just
happenstance you saw the campushere are pretty intentional
about it?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (19:04):
I think I got shanghaied by Margie
Taylor, first to get involvedwith the development committee.
And then from that stemmed anappointment on at the Council of
Fellows. And I take those dutiesvery seriously. I am so enthused
about where Erie is positionedright now, having left here been
away for 30 Some years and thenyou come back. There's a sense
(19:26):
of urgency, anticipation andhope, I think is what how I
would describe it. And it's funto be part of that as we shape
the future. And I really feelstrongly that Behrend, no pun
intended, with the KeystoneState is a lynchpin in this
whole endeavor.
Dr. Ralph Ford (19:43):
Well, thank you.
And I mean, you've been veryactive and our board has been
supportive and driving of theactivities that we do. And
everything from social economicdevelopment, the work we do at
CORE, we could go on and on andon. And I know that you're very
passionate about that. So tellme, you know, before you came on
to the Council of Fellows board,and now that you're on, how has
(20:04):
your perspective changed aboutwhat Behrend does?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (20:10):
I'm even more enthused, I mean, there's
so much improvement technology,where you have a wide range of
interests that were infusedwe're connected with. And I
think it's all for the good. I'mvery excited about what's
happening with Eagle's Nest. I'mexcited about what's happening
environmentally, with ProjectResolve, with the MWRI, the
(20:30):
ability to now bring high tech,biotech, and things that are
going to really change the worldright here in our backyard. And
people tend to dismiss Erie inhere. Just recently, were named
the number one best small cityin the country. I think that's a
wonderful thing to crow about.
Dr. Ralph Ford (20:45):
We need to get that word out, we are the number
one best small city. I can tellyou, I travel, but it's always
great to be back here. Andpeople underestimate just how
wonderful this place is. Andwe're happy to be part of it.
And I'd be remiss not tomention, you know, that Margie
Taylor had an important role inbringing you in. Margie was our
Director of Development andalways connecting us with people
(21:06):
in the community, many of whomhave gone on to do great things
for us. So she really played animportant role in there. And
we'll make sure she gets thispodcast.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (21:14):
That'll be great.
Dr. Ralph Ford (21:15):
So one of the areas, though, that you are
particularly involved in is agroup that we created in 2020,
known as the Women's EngagementCouncil. Tell us what is the
Women's Engagement Council? Whois it made up of? What do you
do? What's your mission?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (21:31):
Well, we're made up of staff and
faculty and friends of Behrend,and our council is growing.
We're modeling ourselves afterthe Council of Fellows. So we do
have a board of directors andthen an enlarging Council, we
just brought in over a dozen newmembers, to include community
members and some young alums.
And even though we're all madeup of women, right now, it is
(21:51):
not exclusively by women. But itis for women, to advance women
in leadership, to providepositive role models, to bring
women's issues to the forefrontas points of discussion and
communication and education. SoI think it's got an important
role as to leverage theendeavors that are already on
campus. So sometimes we're notrecreating the wheel, we're just
(22:13):
helping to spur things along.
Dr. Ralph Ford (22:16):
Well, you've already done so many things.
Recently, you gave out the firstMary Baron Impact Award to our
board chair, and Scott. Sowhat's the idea behind this new
award that you created?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (22:28):
Well, that stemmed from the Women of
Impact Award that had been atthe University and then went
fallow. And so we built on thatfoundation and tweaked it a
little bit. And in the spirit ofMary Behrends philanthropic
efforts and her communityengagement. That's sort of the
tenants of what will be theaward winner for the Mary
Behrend Impact Award. Notisolated to be conferred to a
(22:52):
woman and to anyone who had iscommitted to Behrend who's
committed to advancing women'sissues and creating those
opportunities for women tothrive.
Dr. Ralph Ford (23:01):
Well, I think it was great the selection of Ann
Scott as the first recipient.
Will you agree?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (23:05):
Yeah.
Dr. Ralph Ford (23:06):
And you also have created a 5k Women's run?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (23:11):
That's correct. That was our first
major event last August. It's ondeck again for this coming
August 27. It was very wellattended for its first year. And
so that's our commitment toactivity and health. And it's
open to men and women. So itruns right up here in Knowledge
Park, which is a beautifulroute. So we're looking forward
to that. And next week, nextWednesday, we have our first
(23:32):
signature major speaker event,the Blue Chair Chat.
Dr. Ralph Ford (23:35):
Yeah, the Blue Chair Chat. Tell us about that.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (23:38):
Well, that will feature Ashley
Walters. She and her husbandowned Onyx Corporation here in
Erie. It is now anemployee-owned company. She was
the former president. They'vemoved out of state, but she
represents, she's a chemicalengineer. She's an author that
wrote the book Leading With Gritand Grace. She is a company
(23:59):
executive. And it's not insomething that you would think
is fluffy. They build industrialfurnaces for a variety of
industries. And she's a mom, andshe's also a parental caregiver.
So she covers a lot of the basesthat I think human beings would
be interested in hearing herspeak.
Dr. Ralph Ford (24:15):
I think so. And I'm looking forward to it. And I
personally know Ashley, and sheis just, you know, a phenom. I
think a chemical engineeringdegree running Onyx. Now they
have sold it as of late. She'sthe author of the book Leading
With Grit and Grace, which has alot of wisdom in it. And I'm
sure whatever her next venturein life, it will be exciting. So
(24:38):
she's she's just a greatachiever and supporter of
Behrend as well. And also, bythe way, a member of our board
of directors. So that's justgreat to see. So how will you
know what success looks like forthe Women's Engagement Council?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (24:50):
I think as people turn to WEC for
support in their own endeavors,as we grow our council, as we
continue to link with existingprograms on campus. I think
that's when we're going to get,I don't want to say notoriety,
but just recognition. And wecouldn't thrive without the
support of all of the schoolshere on Penn State Behrend. So
(25:11):
we're also looking at ways ofgiving back in the future.
Dr. Ralph Ford (25:14):
Oh, that's great. Well, we're coming to the
end of our programs. Let mefinish up with this question for
you. As I said earlier, in 2019,you were named an Alumni Fellow.
And I will tell you, that was areally special ceremony, by the
way, that was just for those whoare in our listening audience,
you can actually Google it andgo see it on YouTube and see
(25:34):
your acceptance speech. It wasthe best of the night, and I'm
not biased at all, but it reallywas. And everyone, I'm sure will
agree with that. But it was itwas great. But in the years
since, you've been really activeand engaged with Behrend. Why do
you feel the need to give backand what do you take away from
this yourself?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (25:53):
I strongly believe that we are all
called to serve. And I was justled here.
Dr. Ralph Ford (25:58):
That's simple.
That's simple.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (25:59):
Yeah.
Dr. Ralph Ford (26:00):
It's great that you're in a position where you
can do that. Well, is thereanything else you would like to
add before we we finish up heretoday?
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (26:08):
I just hope that the students and the
parents of students here at PennState Behrend appreciate what a
jewel they have in theirbackyard. I'm a very proud Penn
State Behrend alum. Even thoughI did receive my degree from the
University Park campus, my heartbelongs to Behrend.
Dr. Ralph Ford (26:23):
Well, it's all part of Penn State. We
appreciate the very kind wordsabout Behrend. It is truly a
special place and you've been agreat guest. I've enjoyed the
conversation. I am Dr. RalphFord, Chancellor of Penn State
Behrend and you have beenlistening to Behrend Talks. My
guest today was Dr. PriscillaHamilton, a retired U.S. Army
colonel and Behrend alumna.
Dr. Priscilla Hamilton (26:45):
Thank you.
Dr. Ralph Ford (26:46):
You're welcome.
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