More than 650 miles separate the University from the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
For one spring night in 1983, however, Calvin’s Knollcrest Field House could have easily been mistaken for the Long Center.
Armed with a large contingent of fans supporting them, the Royals’ men’s basketball team defeated Wittenberg University, 64-63, and won its second NCAA Division III championship.
Dr. Amy Yavorek ’84 was friends with many players on the team and recalls the palpable excitement around the campus following the title-clinching victory.
“I went to high school with Coach (Bob) Bessoir’s son,” Yavorek said of Bill Bessoir, who scored 27 points in the championship game. “I remember the white-outs, pep rallies and all of the different things we did to celebrate the team.
”Yavorek wasn’t in school when Scranton won its first national title in 1976. Still, chances are she was somewhere around the campus.
Her father, Dr. Henry Yavorek ’43, was a dentist and graduate of Scranton. Her four brothers and sisters were all graduates of Scranton Prep and all graduates of the University. Scranton wasn’t just a school to the Yavorek family; it was an institution that held fast to the same values they did.
So, if it happened at Scranton, Yavorek likely experienced it.
“Quite honestly it was the only school I applied to,” explained Yavorek. “I knew the University had a strong biology program. I received exposure to Jesuit education at Scranton Prep, so that was a big component for going to a Jesuit university.
”Her father’s professional and social lives were key factors in Yavorek’s decision to work in the medical field.
“I was exposed to a lot of professionals, lawyers and doctors growing up,” she said. “There was no question about going to college for me. I never really had an ‘a-ha’ moment when it came to medicine. Scranton has an extremely strong pre-med program and it helped prepare me for medical school, not just for acceptance but for medical education itself.
”Yavorek fondly remembers days spent working on projects with the biology club (now the Health Professions Organization or HPO) at Scranton. In fact, it’s one of the places the lessons from pre-med coursework were reinforced, and eventually aided her in medical school.“We had a lot of great lecturers come and speak to us,” she said. “I remember a surgeon showing us how people who were in car accidents went through the windshield if they weren’t wearing seatbelts. Seeing stuff like that was very impressive and educational at the time. It definitely made a difference because it changed my behavior and others’ as well.”
Now, Yavorek works as an obstetrician-gynecologist at Keller Army Hospital in West Point, N.Y.
“When I go back to Scranton I’m just amazed at how much it’s changed,” she said. “There are so many memories in places like The Commons area and Loyola Hall. I remember the great camaraderie and friends I had at Scranton.
”Carrying on the family tradition, Yavorek’s niece Abby Yavorek ’13, graduated from Scranton in May.
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