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NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION
THE LIBRARY
UNIV. OF NORTH CAROLINA
a UNIV. OF NUKlli UAKuuiiMH -
CHAPEL HILL, NC 27514 A B ^
Belmont Abbeij Colle3e
VOLUME'II, ISSUE 3
MARCH 1973
Dr. Celecia Receives
UNESCO Appointment
DR. JUAN CELECIA
A widely travelled rumor has
it that an atomic bomb stands
about five feet, four inches in
height and weighs ap
proximately one hundred and
eighty pounds. Belmont Abbey
College has just sent one of those
to Paris to start a nuclear
reaction at the United Nations
Education, Scientific, and
Cultural Organization
(UNESCO). Neither Paris nor
the college community will be
quite the same imtil he returns.
Dr. Juan Felix Celecia,
professor of biology and
department chairman, has left
Belmont to become a
Programme Specialist with
UNESCO. In his new job he will
have charge of planning and
directing the organizations’
activities in ecology and con
servation of nature. He will also
be a major force in the im
plementation of the In
tergovernmental Program on
“Man and the Biosphere.”
It is richly deserved accolade
for Juan Celecia to be selected
for this post from more than a
hundred prestigious candidates.
His facility in a half-dozen
languages and solid scientific
bacKground singularly qualify
him for this demanding task, in
which he will have to collaborate
with a group of international
experts in the field.
Juan - who likes to be called
John since he became a U.S.
citizen , last December--is an
Argentinian by birth. He exhibits
all of the vigor of a hybrid: his
father was of Catalonian
descent, his mother oF English
and Dutch extraction. This
mixture has produced a
remarkable phenomenon which
Abbey science students fondly
refer to as “Pop” Celecia. In
Buenos Aires he attended an
English prep school which
reinforced his bi-lingual home
atmosphere. He passed thence to
the tutelage of the LaSalle
Brothers, who imparted a
distinctly French Lycee for
mation.
John entered the University of
Buenos Aires to study in the
School of Agronomy. These were
the tense times of the Peron
regime, and the capital city and
its University were beset with
many political pressures and
strikes. He eschewed political
activism and the heady ex
citement of street demon
strations, preferring to immerse
himself in his academic courses
and lab experiments. As a kind
of relief from the rigors of
scientific methodology, he
became a member of several
choral societies. In fact for a
while he contemplated a career
of singing in grand opera. It was
during these frenetic days that
he met Lilia Monti, also a
student of agronomy; she
became Mrs. Celecia in 1958.
In 1955 he was accepted as an
exchange student under the
International Farm-Youth
Program sponsored by the Ford
Foundation. He came to this
country and lived and studied on
farms in Kansas and North
Carolina. The following year he
returned to Argentina and took a
job with the Ministry of
Agriculture. He later moved to
the Atomic Energy Commission,
and then served as an in
terpreter for the F.A.O. (Food
and Agriculture Organization) of
the U.N. During these years he
still found time to attend sket
ching classes at art school, to
sing with choral groups, and to
learn to play the guitar for Lilia.
(See CELECIA, Page 2)
Foreign Students Honored
I
The foreign students join Rev. John Bradley, President of BAC, in the Oak Room following the luncheon.
Recently, a luncheon was held
at Belmont Abbey College to
honor its foreign exchange
students. The gathering was
hosted by the President of the
College, The Rev. John P.
Bradley, who is himself a native
of Scotland.
Belmont Abbey boasts across-
the-sea representation of fifteen
countries, with Nigeria having
the largest contingent on
campus. (Several of the
Nigerians having been recruited
for the Abbey’s Soccer
Program).
Walter Theanyi Achumba is
the Nigerians playing for the
Crusaders and is one oi the most
ers in
at his
gifted of the Abbey plav-
f ieneral. When asked whi
irst impressions were upon
entering the United States,
Achumba replied, “I came in
through New York, and never
have I seen so many people,
going in so many different
directions, and seemingly^ ac
complishing so few things.”
Anthony Yeung is another of
the exchange students who has
distinguished himself as a leader
on campus. Tony’s home is in
Kowloon, Hong Kong, and he is
a senior chemistry major.
Because of his academic
achievements, Tony has recently
been elected President of the
Gamma Iota chapter of Delta
Epsilon Sigma Honor Frater
nity. He hopes to attend medical
school next fall.
Not all of the foreim students
at Belmont Abbey are
newcomers to this country.
Tadashi Toyoda attended
Shelby High School before
coming to the Abbey. He is from
Japan and has made plans to
remain in the United States after
completing his studies in
economics and business.
Belmont Abbey has always
encouraged foreign students and
welcomed them to its campus.
Their presence gives others the
opportunity to broaden their
horizons by contact with the
many different cultures
represented. A cosmopolitan
gathering of students from 15
different nations now attend
Belmont Abbey College.
Seated 1-r are:-
Tadashi Tbyqda, Japan;
Abbas Katirai, Iran; Michael
Chang, China; The Rev. John P.
Bradley, President of Belmont
Abbey College, Andrew Tucker,
iSierra Leone; Laurence
Agumadu, Nigeria.
Standing 1-r are:
Lee Rhee, Korea; Theanyi
Achumba, Nigeria; Abulkasim
Soussi, Libya; Richard
Schamback, Colombia; Haydar
Hadid, Lebanon; Samson
Mintyene, Cameron; Dominic
Vadakkekara, India; Zahid
Nawaz, India; Neii^ Ehn
Kekulah, Liberia; Godfrey
Ettien McKenzie, Bahamas;
Anthony Yeung; Hong Kong;
Surendra Dhanjirh Patel, India.
Over 200
Students
Visit
Abbey
After many months of
preparation, over 200 high school
students visited the College,
during homecoming weekend,
Feb. 2 and 4, 1973. Most
came by chartered buses from
the New Jersey area. However,
there were also groups from
Raleigh, North Carolina, and
Pensacola, Florida.
The purpose of their visit was
to see Belmont Abbey firsthand
and meet students, faculty! and
alumni who were also here for
homecoming. It was a unique
opportunity for a perspective
student to be able to meet with so
many of the constituencies of a
college prior to making a
selection. •
Highlights of the weekend
(See STUDENTS, Page 8)