John Yudichak, right, listens as Trinity Hull, LCCC class of 2024, sings the National Anthem at the beginning of his inauguration ceremony Saturday afternoon. At left is the Rev. Shawn Walker, master of ceremonies.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
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Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough administers the oath of office to John Yudichak.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
As Attorney Catherine O’Donnell, chair of the LCCC board of trustees, addresses the gathering from the podium, John Yudichak, standing at right, is surrounded by his family, including his father Joseph Yudichak, and daughters Evelyn, Sarah and Anna.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
John Yudichak sports the medallion that signifies his position as president of Luzerne County Community College.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
John Yudichak hugs his father, Joseph, after the senior Yudichak placed the college medallion around his son’s neck during John Yudichak’s inauguration as eighth president of Luzerne County Community College.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
A crowd of about 120 people attended John Yudichak’s inauguration as LCCC president on Saturday in the Educational Conference Center on campus.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo joked about her disdain for all the traffic circles she had to navigate on the way to Luzerne County Community College for the inauguration of John Yudichak as the school’s eighth president
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
Luzerne Foundation President David Pedri arrived a little late for John Yudichak’s inauguration Saturday as president of Luzerne County Community College.
Mark Guydish | Times Leader
Early Saturday afternoon, the Honorable Judge Michael T. Vough administered the oath of office to John Yudichak, and Yudichak’s 90-year-old father, Joseph Yudichak, placed a medallion around his son’s neck.
So, yes, there were solemn moments during Yudichak’s formal inauguration as eighth president of Luzerne County Community College.
But there was levity, too, as when Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo told Yudichak “you know you’re very dear to me” because she had driven through the many traffic circles between Wilkes-Barre and the college’s Educational Conference Center in Nanticoke.
Or when emcee Rev. Shawn Walker teased, “I wanted to make fun of his hair but it looks too good today.”
Or when Dr. Mary Lou D’Allegro, LCCC vice president for academic affairs, boasted that she had timed her speech and it was only 1 minute, 47 seconds.
No matter how long their presentations were, speakers had plenty of good things to say about Yudichak, who served as a Pennsylvania State Representative and State Senator before accepting his new position as leader of the college.
“He has a knack for coloring outside the lines,” State Sen. Lisa Baker said, praising the creativity of her one-time colleague, as well as his eagerness to build consensus.
“During his first 75 days he has proven to be a visionary,” D’Allegro said before bestowing on Yudichak the rank of full professor of political science.
“Whenever I called or sent a text message that I needed him, he would respond, immediately, ‘when and where?’” said Walker, who serves on the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board along with ministering to two churches.
Speakers also had praise for Luzerne County Community College, which has grown exponentially since October 1967 when, as Attorney Catherine O’Donnell, chair of the board of trustees said, it began in two buildings on Wilkes-Barre’s Public Square.
“For a long time LCCC was considered a hidden gem of Luzerne County,” Luzerne County Council Chairman John Lombardo said. “It’s no longer just a gem but the centerpiece on a diamond necklace.”
In his remarks to the gathering of about 120, Yudichak offered examples of the ways in which LCCC has changed the lives of its students, including the story of a woman who dropped out of school in ninth grade to help support her family. Years later she earned a G.E.D. through LCCC’s Adult Learners Training and Assistance program, which paved the way for her degree in social science.
Yudichak’s own sister, Linda, enrolled at LCCC in her 40s and prepared for a career as a pharmacy technician, he said, proving it’s never too late to further your education.
Speaking of sisters, Yudichak said he grew up with five sisters and has four daughters. That adds up to “nine amazing women who taught me how to cooperate and how to capitulate with dignity,” which he predicted would be useful skills for a college president.