| July 15, 2009 | Vol 10. No. 13 |
The NetGazette features profiles of new and current faculty, staff and administrators. If you have an idea for a Canisius profile, please send an E-mail to Kristin Etu '91, NetGazette editor, at etuk@canisius.edu.
Frank J. Dinan, PhD, Professor of Chemistry/Biochemistry
Frank J. Dinan, PhD, professor of chemistry/biochemistry in the second floor laboratory in the Horan-O’Donnell Science Building.
Because of the high cost of gas, more and more people ride their bikes to work these days. But commuting by bicycle is nothing new for Frank J. Dinan, PhD, professor of chemistry and biochemistry.
Dinan treks 16-miles round trip to Canisius College from his home near Ellicott Creek Park in the Town of Tonawanda each work day. That adds up to nearly 200,000 miles over the past 44 years!
“I have always loved to bike,” says Dinan. “I used to do a weekend ride from Buffalo to Toronto with a friend of mine. Toronto is literally a honeycomb of bike trails.”
Dinan’s journey into to the field of organic chemistry began when his high school science teachers performed experiments on topics such as heat conduction.
“I was just dazzled. I had never seen anything like that before,” recalls Dinan, “Most people look at the periodic table and say, ‘aaaahh!’ I look at it and say, isn’t that cool the way that was made?
Undaunted by a field that most find challenging, Dinan earned a bachelor’s degree and PhD in chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He worked as a chemist for companies such as E.I. Dupont and Eastman Kodak. But after his postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University, Dinan knew that he wanted to teach. He joined the Canisius College Department of Chemistry faculty in 1965.
“Canisius’ chemistry program has always been exceptionally successful, which is what attracted me to the college,” says Dinan. “With the plans for Science Hall, the college is moving forward to capitalize on one of its strengths. It is a natural growth.”
Dinan’s teaching extends beyond the classroom. He has written several viewpoints articles for The Buffalo News on alternative biofuels, which is of special interest to Dinan as well his daughter, Terry, PhD, who is senior advisor on carbon policy for the Congressional Budget Office.
Dinan is equally passionate about baseball and is a lifelong New York Yankees fan. He has watched his favorite team play many times in Yankee Stadium and in Toronto against the Blue Jays.
“I played baseball a lot when I was a kid,” recalls Dinan. “I was going to play short stop for the Yankees, they just didn’t know it!”
An avid reader, Dinan is a long-time member of a Canisius faculty book club, which meets once a month in members’ homes. The group attends the Chautauqua Institute in the summer and has traveled to Italy, Spain and Greece. Dinan recently finished Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham and is currently reading When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, one of his favorite authors.
Dinan can often be found reading and relaxing by the fire at Barnes and Noble on Niagara Falls Boulevard. He and his wife, Ann, also like to travel to Florida and to Virginia, Georgia and New Jersey visit their children and grandchildren.
Rev. James M. Pribek, S.J., PhD, Assistant Professor of English
Rev. James M. Pribek, S.J., PhD, assistant professor of English, speaks to prospective English majors during a summer 2009 orientation session.
Rev. James M. Pribek, S.J., PhD, assistant professor of English, admits he made some pretty drastic career changes since his undergraduate days at the University of Wisconsin where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in agriculture (dairy science).
“I spent my childhood summers on a relative’s farm, so my decision was based on that way of life, which I thoroughly enjoyed,” recalls Father Pribek. “But the 1980s were not the best time to pursue a career in agriculture, so I concluded relatively quickly there was no future for me in that field.”
Although he briefly considered the priesthood in high school, a stint in banking years later made Father Pribek realize two things for sure: the finance field was definitely not for him but work with people was exactly what he wanted to do. He had met Jesuits through his sister, who worked at Marquette University, and knew several through the campus ministry program at the University of Wisconsin.
“What struck me about the Jesuits was that they were very good preachers,” says Father Pribek. “They had good senses of humor but each in his own way was quite serious about his religious life.”
Ordained in 1999, Father Pribek came to Canisius in 2004 and specializes in Irish literature.
“My mother’s family is Irish-American but I also like that Irish literature is non-traditional and much of it is faith-based,” says Father Pribek.
He is a renowned James Joyce scholar and spent five years in Ireland to complete his doctoral studies in Anglo-Irish literature and drama and where he enjoyed getting to know his relatives in West Cork and West Limerick. Father Pribek now encourages Canisius students in his classes to study abroad at the National University of Ireland in Galway.
Depending on where he is needed the most, Father Pribek says weekend Masses at Christ the King Chapel, Sts. Ambrose and Agatha in South Buffalo, St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga and the UB Newman Center. In addition, Father Pribek has assisted with Canisius College student retreats. He firmly believes that education is an essential part of priesthood.
“What I like about being a priest and a teacher is that students can feel free to bring their spiritual and religious perspectives to class,” Father Pribek says. “I like to witness a unity between students’ intellectual growth and their religious growth.”
Father Pribek also leads the English Council, a group of faculty and students which promotes the department’s activities. He regularly attends college events including Mick Cochrane’s Contemporary Writers Series lectures. In his free time, Father Pribek likes to conduct genealogy research and has season tickets to the Irish Classical Theatre.