Honors College advisor dies
Nancy Lan
Issue date: 5/16/08 Section: News
"She knew who to call for whatever you needed," Greenberg said.
Raizman said McMenamin was a very skilled problem-solver and was always able to remain level-headed in any situation.
"She never became frustrated. She just always tried to do the right thing and keep things on track … nothing was ever an impediment," Raizman said. "There was always a way around everything, the right way to do something [without] stepping on people's toes."
McMenamin's balance between being sensitive and firm was one of her greatest strengths, according to Rosenberg.
"She didn't just say 'Oh you poor dear.' She could talk tough to students and they needed to hear that too, and she knew when it was appropriate to do it," Rosenberg said.
Though she was able to be very serious, Neal Orkin, an associate professor of legal studies, said he would always remember her for a sense of humor and "prankster" side.
Orkin recounted an Honors Dinner during which he was served what seemed to be an uncooked chicken gizzard, something that would usually be discarded.
"When I asked the server what he had given me, he responded, 'Kosher turkey anus.' Toni [McMenamin] stood nearby, smiling at her joke, a prank from a novel we both enjoyed, Mark Helprin's "Memoir From Antproof Case," Orkin wrote in an e-mail.
"It was the best practical joke that was ever played on me," Orkin said with a laugh.
McMenamin worked with Drexel Libraries when she first came to the University, before joining the honors department in 1991.
She is survived by her husband, Patrick, daughter Cara, sons Patrick Jr. and Roger, brother Robert Wetzel and seven grandchildren.
There will be a viewing and funeral service for McMenamin May 17 at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectfully, at the Immaculate Conception R.C. Church, located at 604 West Ave. in Jenkintown, Pa.
Raizman said McMenamin was a very skilled problem-solver and was always able to remain level-headed in any situation.
"She never became frustrated. She just always tried to do the right thing and keep things on track … nothing was ever an impediment," Raizman said. "There was always a way around everything, the right way to do something [without] stepping on people's toes."
McMenamin's balance between being sensitive and firm was one of her greatest strengths, according to Rosenberg.
"She didn't just say 'Oh you poor dear.' She could talk tough to students and they needed to hear that too, and she knew when it was appropriate to do it," Rosenberg said.
Though she was able to be very serious, Neal Orkin, an associate professor of legal studies, said he would always remember her for a sense of humor and "prankster" side.
Orkin recounted an Honors Dinner during which he was served what seemed to be an uncooked chicken gizzard, something that would usually be discarded.
"When I asked the server what he had given me, he responded, 'Kosher turkey anus.' Toni [McMenamin] stood nearby, smiling at her joke, a prank from a novel we both enjoyed, Mark Helprin's "Memoir From Antproof Case," Orkin wrote in an e-mail.
"It was the best practical joke that was ever played on me," Orkin said with a laugh.
McMenamin worked with Drexel Libraries when she first came to the University, before joining the honors department in 1991.
She is survived by her husband, Patrick, daughter Cara, sons Patrick Jr. and Roger, brother Robert Wetzel and seven grandchildren.
There will be a viewing and funeral service for McMenamin May 17 at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectfully, at the Immaculate Conception R.C. Church, located at 604 West Ave. in Jenkintown, Pa.
Be the first to comment on this story