December 1, 2009
More than 300 students will receive their diplomas from York College of Pennsylvania during the winter commencement ceremony at 10:30 a.m., Dec. 22, in the in the Grumbacher Sport and Fitness Center’s M&T Field House. Local businesswoman and York Junior College graduate Chloe Eichelberger will receive an honorary degree, and Steve Jacob, associate professor of sociology, will present the commencement address.
Following graduation from William Penn High School, Eichelberger embarked on what would become a lifelong career in the textile industry, beginning as a laboratory technician at the York plant of United Piece Dye Works. She then earned an associate’s degree at York Junior College and a bachelor’s degree from the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Philadelphia University.
Several years later, when United Piece Dye Works was sold to a French company, Eichelberger began working with a group of colleagues to purchase the company from its foreign owner. She later bought out the other members of the ownership group, and became sole owner and president of the new company, Chloe Eichelberger Textiles, a major supplier of finely finished fabrics for men’s and women’s wear, as well as the home furnishings industry. The firm continues in operation today, specializing in consulting and brokerage of fabrics for apparel makers.
Eichelberger is a member of the boards of York College and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry; she chairs the board of Memorial Hospital. She has also served as a board member for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Susquehanna Bancshares, Harrisburg Regional Chamber, and the York Water Company.
Eichelberger has received the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce Athena Award, York College Distinguished Alumni Award, York YWCA's Women Who Make A Difference Award, Tri-County Easter Seal Society's Power to Overcome Award, and the York Foundation’s Judy Simpson Award. She has been a role model for young people in York through her long-term commitments to Miss York County, Miss Susquehanna Valley, Junior Miss of York, and Junior Achievement. She was the first female inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. In 2009, Eichelberger was inducted as a member of the Central Penn Business Journal’s Hall of Fame.
Steve Jacob has been a member of the York College faculty since 2002. He earned his doctorate from Penn State University. His research focuses on fishers, fishing communities, and the socioeconomic impact of fisheries management. Jacob has also examined the long-term impact of hurricanes on fishing communities in the Gulf of Mexico. He currently serves on a federal advisory panel assessing the social impacts of fishery regulations.
Graduation information and instructions are available below.