As the United States marks a milestone 250th anniversary, Scranton and its visionary alumni share their talents as guides to our nation’s past. Kathryn Ott Lovell ’96 pplies her strategic thinking to lead the monumental Philadelphia250 initiative; James McKane ’20 utilizes his meticulous historical research to advise Ken Burns’ latest documentary and lead Revolutionary War commemorations; and the University team spearheading the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project with community partners reflects on the initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom grant in support of the ideals of freedom, justice and equality.
James McKane ’20: A Royal Making History
Even the most ambitious among us would likely be intimidated by James McKane’s Outlook calendar: row across the Delaware River on Christmas Day; construct 18th-century fortifications for a Ken Burns documentary film; recreate hundreds of period-accurate military uniforms.
During business hours, McKane dedicates his talents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Off the clock, he leads multiple living history organizations on a volunteer basis.
“My ‘career’ as a living historian began in 2013 as I learned to make my own uniforms and equipment for reenacting while attending living history events independently,” he said.
Two years later, the Archbald native joined a local Civil War unit, and then a Revolutionary War organization — the 3rd New Jersey Regiment, the Jersey Grays. A fortuitous meeting led to an opportunity with PBS documentary film “The American Revolution” from Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt.
“In 2022, the Ken Burns film crew from Florentine Films was at the annual reenactment at Monmouth Battlefield to get b-roll for their upcoming documentary. They asked the head historian at the site who they should film, and he pointed in the direction of the Jersey Grays.”
McKane’s official role: “I acted in the background through meetings and calls, and as a historical advisor for casting reenactors, making sure planned shots presented an authentic view.”
The history major models his work today on the example set by his professors at the University.
“When I verbally interpret the Revolution to spectators, I think of the incredible job Scranton’s History Department did in telling a story to connect to the subject,” McKane said.
“Reenacting is part of a greater public service to educate and preserve our nation’s memory. I am fortunate to be able to do that nearly every day. Without storytellers like historians and reenactors, we lose sight of what makes us who we are and the journey that got us here.”
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Archbald native James McKane '20, presented recently at a University of Scranton Schemel Forum entitled “Commemorating and Interpreting the American Revolution 250 Years Later.” McKane '20 offered insight from his experience as a living historian and shared examples of the hundreds of period-accurate military uniforms he recreates by hand.
Read ArticleKathryn Ott Lovell ’96: From Scranton Service to Philadelphia Celebrations
One Royal’s integral leadership of two Philadelphia organizations plays a critical role in how the city celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Kathryn Ott Lovell ’96, who since 2023 has been President & CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, last year was appointed to lead Philadelphia250, a program focused on celebrating the nation’s semiquincentennial throughout Philadelphia’s neighborhoods. Hers is a career that started with experiences she had at Scranton.
“I have felt, since I graduated, that I’m a better person because of the four years I spent at The University of Scranton,” she said. Her career, she added, “has really been about service, how I serve my city, how I serve my local community, and that is absolutely an outgrowth of my time at the University (and) being educated at a Jesuit school. (It) just enforced every single day this idea that we use our talents to better serve society.”
Her first job was as an admissions counselor at Scranton. For eight years, Ott Lovell was Philadelphia’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, where she led the department’s first strategic plan and launched major initiatives and capital projects. Keeping it running during the coronavirus pandemic was her biggest career challenge, and she’s proud the department was able to offer its services.
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Feel like you were there with Kathryn Ott Lovell's best first-day-of-school story. Then find out how her Royal efforts on the job "rescued" a Philadelphia holiday tradition.
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Most recently, Lovell became CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center. “I did know that 2026 would be a big year for Philly in terms of tourism but had no idea I would be leading Philadelphia250. The Semiquincentennial is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our city in terms of visitation. ... It also represents an amazing way to build civic pride among Philadelphians.”
Lovell, one of the first in her family to attend college, had planned to enroll at another Catholic university, but then went to visit friends who were students at Scranton.
“I visited them in May and I changed my mind. I called my mom from a pay phone and said, ‘I think I want to go to Scranton.’ My mom came up the next weekend, and she loved it. And then my brother ended up going to Scranton two years after me. It was God’s providence that landed me there.” She met her future husband (Andrew Lovell ’96) at Scranton when both were first-years.
As a member of the SJLA (Special Jesuit Liberal Arts) program, the communications major took a course with Professor Rick Klonoski, Ph.D. “He’s an extraordinary teacher. I didn’t even know what philosophy was when I got to the University, and I double majored in it.”
Studying philosophy, Lovell said, “stretched my mind in ways I didn’t know were possible, and helped me become a better, more strategic thinker, and a more open-minded thinker.”
‘Scranton Stories’ Provide a ‘Catalyst’
In 2021, the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, aligned its theme “A More Perfect Union” with the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the U.S.
“The culmination was an oral history initiative, one of my favorite parts,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at Scranton and project director. “We interviewed more than 30 individuals, all with different backgrounds and experiences, all sharing their own unique story.
“One of the highlights of the ‘Scranton Stories’ oral histories was asking interviewees to share their hopes for the nation in light of the upcoming 250th anniversary year. Now we’re here, and I’ve been reflecting on some of their responses.”
Among those interviewed are Ushu Mukelo ’22, a Congolese refugee and U.S. citizen, Sherman Wooden, a foundational director of multicultural affairs at The University of Scranton, and Jerry Skotleski G’01, a teacher at Scranton High School and a lifelong presence in Scranton’s South Side.
“The idea of a more perfect union, I think, includes all of us. And it’s asking individuals ... to ask themselves a question: How much are you contributing to make this union much more perfect? Are you voting? What are you doing? What are your contributions in preserving this democracy?” — USHU MUKELO ’22
“There’s no sense being here on earth if you’re not here to make contributions to others to improve the plight of those around you.” — SHERMAN WOODEN
“I love teaching the Declaration of Independence because it talks about what we hope to be ... and the fact is that we will never attain that. ...We’re never going to be perfect ... but what I’ve learned about us as a community and us as a nation, is that we’ve never quit. The [American] dream still exists. It exists in the eyes of the kids who sit in front of me.” — JERRY SKOTLESKI G’01
“The project has been a catalyst for other projects,” said Schumacher Cohen, encapsulating the initiative’s success. “One that I’m most proud of is an ongoing relationship with the Lenape people. ... Through that relationship-building process, a wonderful mural downtown was spearheaded by Scranton Tomorrow and the Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department. I really love how the project has
seeded new initiatives.”
