Marian High School will induct seven people and one family to the Class of 2025 “Hall of Fame” on May 3, in the John P. Malarkey ‘51 Gymnasium of the school in Hometown.

Michael Brennan, head of school, stated, “We look forward to the Marian family gathering to honor seven remarkable individuals and one Marian family whose lives and legacies have shaped the spirit of Marian School in profound ways.”

The celebration will start at 5:30 p.m. with the cocktail reception, followed by a catered dinner and induction ceremony at 7 o’clock will present “Distinguished Alumnus Awards” to the Hon. Keith R. McCall ’77, P ’16, ’19, and Dr. Richard J. O’Donnell ’81, who were previously announced.

The new members of the Hall of Fame for 2025:

Sister M. Bernard Agnes, IHM

Sister Bernard Agnes, IHM, is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, based in Malvern. Her community served Marian for more than 60 years.

Sister Bernard dedicated over 25 years to Marian, first as a chemistry teacher (1977-1984), then as Director of Studies, and later as principal from 1998 to 2016, succeeding John P. Malarkey ’51.

Now assisting with health care at Camilla Hall, the IHM retirement community, Sister Bernard launched Marian’s Distance Learning program with IC in Jim Thorpe and a dual credit program with Lehigh Carbon Community College.

She led the school through Middle States Accreditation, oversaw the cafeteria’s renovation into a Multi-Purpose Room, replaced all building windows, and updated the gym floor in the John P. Malarkey ’51 Gymnasium.

She also earned a Pennsylvania bus license and drove Men of Marian buses to student events.

“My greatest joy was Marian’s outstanding, caring faculty and the supportive IHM Sisters,” she said. “They were always open to new curriculum and dedicated to student success.”

Rudy Bednar

Rudy Bednar, a 1969 Marian graduate, is an award-winning executive producer, director, and writer known for his work in non-fiction and scripted network television.

From 1997 to 2013, he led ABC News’ Long-Form Unit and later co-founded Lincoln Square Productions, ABC’s first venture into factual scripted drama. He’s currently developing an eight-part streaming series.

Bednar began his ABC News career in the early 1980s, reporting globally — from the North Pole to North Korea. His investigative work covered major issues like Chernobyl’s fallout in Lapland, the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, and anti-poaching efforts in Africa. He solo-filmed the Tibetan crisis with a hidden camera and spent a year with the Gates Foundation documenting global health initiatives. He also partnered with USC Digital Arts and Leonardo DiCaprio on climate change awareness.

His executive producer/director credits include “The Assets,” “Madoff” and “The Lost Wife of Robert Durst.” His ABC docuseries and docudramas include “Final Witness,” “Hopkins 24/7,” “Turning Point,” “NASCAR in Primetime,” “Medical Mysteries,” “Vanished,” and “The Staircase.”

He’s produced documentaries on Princess Diana, Putin, Manson, The Beatles, the Challenger, Ebola, and ISIS, along with ABC specials featuring Oprah Winfrey, Stephen Hawking, and Michael J. Fox, and concerts with Beyoncé, Paul McCartney, and Elton John.

Bednar has won 11 news and documentary Emmys, four DuPont Awards, two Peabody Awards, and earned two Primetime Emmy nominations.

Born in Lansford, he holds a BA in communications from Marquette University. He is the son of the late Rudy and Rita (Colancecco ’49, Saint Ann’s High School) Bednar. His siblings, Rosemary (’71) and Ron (’73), are also Marian graduates.

Robert V. Stanek ‘70

Bob Stanek is co-founder of Stanek Associates LLC, a consulting firm that helps nonprofit organizations strengthen their missions, build leadership capacity, grow resources, and implement strategies to increase impact.

Before founding Stanek Associates, Stanek was president and CEO of Catholic Health East from 2003 to 2010. At the time, CHE was one of the largest Catholic health systems in the U.S., with over 54,000 employees and facilities across 11 eastern states. CHE later merged with Trinity Health in 2013.

Prior to CHE, he held leadership roles at Mercy Health System of Western New York, including President/CEO and COO of Care Delivery Services. He also served as CEO of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, where he helped form the Catholic Health System in Buffalo.

Earlier in his career, he held administrative roles with Daughters of Charity health care facilities in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

As CHE President/CEO, Stanek was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Health Association of the U.S.

He and his wife, Noelle, co-chaired the CHAUSA Haiti Rebirth and Renewal Campaign, which helped rebuild a 200-bed hospital in Port-au-Prince.

He was also president of Dabo Health, a venture-backed healthcare intelligence company.

Stanek holds degrees in chemistry (East Stroudsburg University), Pharmacy (Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science), and an MBA in administrative management (St. Joseph’s University).

He is married to Noelle Kane, a 1970 Marian graduate, and served as Marian’s 1996 Commencement Speaker.

Rev. Msgr. Thomas J. Orsulak

Monsignor Orsulak, son of John and the late Mary “Tootsie” Orsulak, was born and raised in Lansford and graduated from Marian High School in 1980. After graduation, he entered St. Pius X Seminary in Dalton and studied at the University of Scranton.

He was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Allentown by the late Bishop Thomas J. Welsh on Sept. 15, 1990. He currently serves as pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Reading and as director of Hispanic ministry for the diocese in Berks, Schuylkill and Carbon counties. His brothers, Richard (Class of ’81) and Robert (Class of ’82), are also Marian graduates.

During seminary, Monsignor spent four years in Rome, where he learned Italian. His gift for languages led to a passion for Hispanic ministry. Early in his priesthood, he was asked to celebrate a Spanish Mass.

“I fell in love with it and really felt I needed to use that gift,” he said. “I loved being in a multicultural environment.”

Monsignor Orsulak believes his vocation is tied closely to his identity. “We identify so deeply by what we do, but our dignity comes from who we are by baptism,” he said. “I have to remember my dignity first as a Christian, then as a priest.”

He focuses on serving each person placed before him. “I try to help people one by one and hope it has a ripple effect,” he said. “I can’t save the world or even the city of Reading, but I can be present to the person in front of me.”

Monsignor Orsulak serves on the boards of Berks Catholic High School in Wyomissing and the Kennedy House in Reading.

He also volunteers at the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum in Lansford.

Dr. Megan T. Valentine

Megan T. Valentine is a professor of mechanical engineering and co-director of the California NanoSystems Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

She leads an interdisciplinary lab studying biological and bioinspired materials, with a focus on how forces are generated and transmitted in living systems, how these forces influence cellular outcomes, and how such features can be replicated in synthetic materials. Her work spans engineering, physics, biology, and chemistry, with applications in drug delivery and soft robotics.

She has authored more than 90 scientific publications and delivered over 75 invited talks worldwide.

A 1993 valedictorian of Marian High School, Valentine earned her B.S. from Lehigh University, M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania, and Ph.D. from Harvard University, all in physics.

She completed postdoctoral research in biological sciences at Stanford University, supported by a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Fellowship and a Burroughs Wellcome Career Award at the Scientific Interface.

Her honors include a National Science Foundation CAREER Award for research on neuron mechanics and a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award to study adhesion mechanics at ESPCI in Paris.

She is a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for her scientific and community contributions.

At Marian, Valentine was active in the marching and concert bands, student government, forensics team, newspaper, yearbook, National Honor Society, and Diocesan and County Bands.

“The rigorous coursework and high academic expectations at Marian prepared me for college and beyond,” she said. “The friendships and community taught me collaboration, teamwork, and generosity.”

Born and raised in Tamaqua, Megan is the daughter of Jonathan and Peggy Valentine of Bethlehem. Her sister, Joanne, is a 1996 Marian graduate. Megan now lives in the Santa Barbara, California area.

Patrick and Pam Reilly

Pat and Pam Reilly have been devoted advocates of Marian High School since their oldest daughter, Elizabeth, entered as a freshman in 1994.

Her sisters, Meghan (’02) and Kathleen (’11), followed.

Pat has chaired Marian’s Board of Directors since it was established by the Diocese of Allentown as a Board of Limited Jurisdiction in December 2012. He and Pam co-chaired the Marian Spring Dinner Dance for five years in the early 2000s.

Pam has been an independent sales director and consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics since 1993. She graduated from Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown in 1969, St. Joseph College in 1973, and earned an M.S. in counseling from Shippensburg University in 1978.

Pat is president and CEO of Mauch Chunk Trust Company in Jim Thorpe. He joined the bank in 1991 as chief operating officer and became CEO in 1994.

He began his banking career in 1976 with the Bank of Hanover in York County, where he held positions including director of marketing, vice president of operations and CFO.

A 1971 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Easton, Pat earned a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College in 1975 and an MBA from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

In addition to his role at Mauch Chunk Trust, he serves as board president of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Corporation and is a member of the St. Luke’s Health System Carbon County Advisory Board.

Larry and Ann Kilroy Furey and Family

The Furey name has been linked to Catholic education in the Panther Valley for more than 90 years, beginning when Lawrence J. Furey entered St. Ann’s Elementary School in September 1932.

After graduating from St. Ann’s High School in 1944 and serving two years in the U.S. Navy, Larry returned to Lansford and married Ann Kilroy of Barnesville, a 1949 graduate of St. Jerome’s High School.

They raised six children on West Abbott Street, all of whom attended St. Ann’s Elementary and graduated from Marian High School: Mary Pat (’75), Kathleen (’76), Ann (’78), Larry (’79), and twins Patrick and Michael (’83). Their grandson, Michael J. Furey, graduated in 2004.

The family’s connection to Marian began in September 1962 when Larry and Ann brought their children to the groundbreaking of the “new” Marian High School in Hometown, officiated by the late Bishop Joseph McShea of the Diocese of Allentown.

In 1964, when Marian Principal Rev. Frederick A. Winkler called a meeting to establish a support group, “Men of Marian,” Larry answered the call and served as first vice president. Larry served in various leadership roles within the organization over 25 years, including treasurer and president, until relocating to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1989. He died Dec. 31, 2018.

Ann Furey taught in Marian’s business education department from 1975 to 1982, covering subjects such as accounting, shorthand, and typing. Originally hired part-time, she joined the full-time faculty in 1980 at the request of Principal Jack Malarkey — on the condition she continue to receive part-time pay due to the school’s financial needs.

She also served as student council moderator and contributed to the senior play and faculty talent shows.

Their son Larry was Marian’s first full-time director of alumni and development from 1990 to 1995 and serves on the school’s board of directors, where he chairs the advancement committee.

The Furey children recently established a fully endowed scholarship at Marian in honor of their parents to benefit Panther Valley students who wish to attend the school.