Centenarian
Annabelle M. Spotts, formerly of Schuylkill Haven, celebrated her 100th birthday on Feb. 12.
She is a daughter of the late William and Emma Seltzer.
Annabelle was a member of First United Church of Christ, Schuylkill Haven. She was a longtime member of the Daughters of the Revolution (DAR), and her ancestors were involved in the Revolutionary War.
Annabelle was the wife of Kermit J. Spotts, who died in 1986. They had three sons, Roger, Schuylkill Haven, and Bruce K. and William E., both deceased. She also has 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren.
A party with family and friends was held Feb. 16 at Seton Manor, Orwigsburg.
102nd birthday
Martha Horbach, a resident at Serenity Gardens, Kulpmont, celebrated her 102nd birthday Feb. 27.
Born in Lavelle, she was a daughter of the late William and Minnie Marlow.
She lived in Ashland most of her life and was the wife of the late Gerald Horbach.
Martha has a daughter, Sandra, wife of William Fetterolf, Ashland, and two grandchildren, Kyle Fetterolf, Wilkes-Barre, and Kristen Minnich, Germanville.
Cards may be sent to Martha Horbach, Serenity Gardens, 135 Vermont Drive, Kulpmont, PA 17834.
Alvernia leaders
Local professionals Cynthia Mensch and Kimberly Whalen have been appointed director and assistant director, respectively, of Alvernia University's Schuylkill Center, Pottsville.
Mensch, a Schuylkill County native, served as assistant director at Alvernia's Schuylkill Center since 2011. She brings 15 years of classroom teaching experience to the position, as well as administrative experience as both an acting principal and de-velopment director in the education sector.
At Alvernia, Mensch has been instrumental in reinstituting the popular principal's certification program and creating a superintendent letter of eligibility program for students at the Schuylkill Center. As director of the Schuylkill Center, she hopes to focus on bachelor degree programs for adults. Two new Schuylkill Center programs being implemented under her direction include healthcare management and RN-BSN completion.
An active member of the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce, Mensch also serves on the executive board of the Schuylkill Choral Society and has worked with the American Business Association and local PTA groups. She earned a bachelor's degree from Kutztown University and a master's degree from Penn State University.
Whalen, also a Schuylkill County native, will focus on the master in business administration program and the Pre-K-4 undergraduate education cohort.
Whalen gained more than 10 years of experience in post-secondary education from her position as registrar/dean of students at the former Schuylkill Institute of Business & Technology. After being chosen to complete the exclusive Pennsylvania Management Associate Program with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2008, she took a position with the PA Civil Service Commission as a human resource analyst, and most recently worked as a caseworker for the PA Department of Public Welfare.
A graduate of St. Joseph and Alvernia universities, Whalen holds a bachelor's degree in business and a master's in business administration. She has served on the YWCA Board of Directors, volunteered for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and has been an active member of the Chamber of Commerce.