The `Gate Shopper`s Gift Guide The Accidental

Transcription

scene
Autumn 2010
News and views for the Colgate community
Globetrotter: Jeffrey Herbst, Colgate’s 16th President
The ’Gate Shopper’s Gift Guide
The Accidental Filmmaker
scene
Autumn 2010
24 Globetrotter
A worldly outlook and thirst for knowledge fuels Colgate’s 16th president
30 The ’Gate Shopper’s Gift Guide
Looking for a gift for someone? Why not buy something from a classmate?
36 The Accidental Filmmaker
From gun violence to the Sichuan earthquake, Oscarnominated documentarian Jon Alpert ’70 makes films
on issues that matter.
3
Message from Beverly Low, Dean of First-Year Students
4
Letters
Call for nominations: Colgate Board of Trustees
6
Work & Play
13
Colgate history, tradition, and spirit
14
Life of the Mind
18
Arts & Culture
20
Go ’gate
22
New, Noted & Quoted
42
The Big Picture
44
Stay Connected
45
Class News
78 Marriages & Unions
78 Births & Adoptions
78 In Memoriam
80
Salmagundi: Puzzle, 13 Words (or Less) contest winners
DEPARTMENTS
On the cover: Antonio Barrera, associate professor of history and Africana and Latin
American studies, researches the history of science and teaches courses such as The
Atlantic World, 1492–1800, and Spain and Portugal in the Age of Empires. Left: Whether
you’re out for a run or a contemplative stroll, the Harry Lang Cross Country Trails beckon
on an exquisite fall day. Both photos by Andrew Daddio
1
scene team
Contributors
Volume XL Number 1
The Scene is published by Colgate
University four times a year — in autumn,
winter, spring, and summer. The Scene
is circulated without charge to alumni,
parents, friends, and students.
As our communications
intern, Jason Kammerdiener ’10 contributed
to just about every
aspect of the Scene —
from writing and editing
profiles and news pieces, to helping plan content, to snapping the
occasional photo and
catching our typos — as
well as online projects.
A history major and
environmental studies
minor, the AMS Scholar
graduated summa cum
laude. In September, he
began his post-Colgate
career as a content
editor at Element K in
Brighton, N.Y.
After graduating this
December, Kiki Koroshetz ’11 (“Geologic
yardage,” pg. 14) hopes
to pursue a career in
writing, editing, or
publishing. An English
major (creative writing) and psychology
minor, she has written
several news items for
the Scene and colgate.
edu on a volunteer
basis. The captain of
the women’s soccer
team, she is also co-VP
of the Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee,
writes and edits for the
Maroon-News, and volunteers at the Hamilton
Food Cupboard.
Lyndon Stambler (“The
Accidental Filmmaker,”
pg. 36) has written
about adventure, music,
medicine, and film for
People, Smithsonian,
the New York Times,
Reader’s Digest, and
AARP: The Magazine.
He has profiled Quincy
Jones, Timothy “Grizzly
Man” Treadwell, Norman
Lear, and Joni Mitchell.
Co-author of both Folk
& Blues: The Encyclopedia (with his father,
Irwin Stambler) and
We, The Jury about the
Scott Peterson murder
trial, he teaches journalism at Santa Monica
College.
Watch
Inauguration: http://president.colgate.edu
Complete coverage of the inauguration of President
Jeffrey Herbst — from the academic symposium
to the ceremony — is available through videos and
photo galleries.
Listen
Living Writers: www.colgate.edu/livingwriters
You are invited to listen in as acclaimed writers visit
the campus. Live webcasts allow guests to interact
with others and with the authors.
Get connected
Community: www.colgateconnect.org
Parents are invited to join our online community
and utilize the wide range of tools available on our
renamed website.
Contributing writers and designers:
Director of Web Content
Timothy O’Keeffe
Art Director
Karen Luciani
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications
Matt Faulkner
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Barbara Brooks
Senior Advancement Writer
Mark Walden
Manager of Media Communications
Anthony Adornato
Online Community Manager
Jennifer McGee
Intern
Jason Kammerdiener ’10
8
scene online
Managing Editor
Rebecca Costello
Associate Editor
Aleta Mayne
Director of Publications
Gerald Gall
Coordinator of Photographic Services
Andrew Daddio
Production Assistant
Kathy Bridge
Look
India Trip: www.colgate.edu/indiaphotos
Twenty-two Benton Scholars explored India last
spring as part of an extended study course, and
Janna Minehart ’13 helped chronicle the journey.
Talk
Latest news: http://blogs.colgate.edu
As you read the latest stories about campus and
alumni happenings, your comments and thoughts are
always welcome.
Go paperless
Contact:
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www.colgateconnect.org/scene
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2
scene: Autumn 2010
Message from Beverly Low, Dean of First-Year Students
My mother likes to tell
many stories about my undergraduate college
years (1980–1984). Apparently, I was quite entertaining back then. One of her consistent themes is the
irregularity with which I phoned home my freshman year. I will admit to a three-week span in which I was
“too busy” to call. This prompted a threat from my father to drive three-and-a-half hours to retrieve me.
Those days of waiting in line for the pay phone to call home on a
Sunday night (and reversing the charges to mom and dad) are long gone.
Welcome, handheld devices and smart phones.
It was back in the 2004 fall term that mobile phones seemed
to proliferate on campus overnight. I clearly recall one of my first
encounters with a student’s ability to connect with a parent in an
instant. One of my advisees received a low grade on her first PSYC 150
exam. Walking out of Olin Hall in tears, she flipped open her cell phone
and called her mother. Within minutes, the mother was on the phone
with me, just as the student walked into my office.
That encounter marked the beginning of a shift in communication
not only between students and parents, but also among students and
faculty and staff members. Soon, I found myself dialing long distance to
Montana to reach someone in Andrews Hall! By 2006–2007, residence
hall telephone jacks were no longer operating, and we began collecting
cell phone numbers from students at Orientation. This year, we have cell
phone numbers for all but 40 members of the Class of 2014.
Ready or not, I have reached the phase where my high school and
college friends are sending their children off to college. By now, most of
us have cell phones, but the explosion of Facebook, Twitter, Skype, G-chat,
etc., has taken instant communication to a whole new level. A quick
query indicated that my friends rely on text messages to keep up with
their children at college. According to one: “Voice mail is obsolete — if you
leave a message, they do not listen to it right away. Texting is preferred.
They can share information, but we cannot ask questions!” Cell phones
and other handheld devices have also replaced the need for a clock,
daily planner, and … gasp … Rolodex! Upon her daughter’s recent college
graduation, my former roommate asked, “Would you like a nice watch?”
After her newly minted graduate stopped laughing, she responded,
“Only old people wear watches. I check the time on my phone.”
“Old people” (parents) do use e-mail to exchange essential
information, such as travel itineraries, family matters, and important
dates, with their students. And I was pleasantly surprised to learn that
the weekly phone conversation is alive and well — a majority of my
friends speak with their college-age children at least once per week.
I also polled the 51 members of our Link staff (student peer advisers)
for their thoughts on communication with their families, and generally
found their comments to be similar to the parents’. One common thread
is that frequency of communication lessened over time as they became
more involved in academic work and campus activities. About half said
they make quick calls to a parent when walking to class or waiting to
meet friends, but texting is the most frequent method; many text a
parent at least once daily. It is a mixed bag with other modes — most
students who Skype with their families are studying abroad. Others
reported some interesting episodes, such as, “We tried Skyping once, but
it consisted of my entire family trying to fit their heads into one screen,
which was pretty unsuccessful.”
At the end of the day, the frequency and mode of communication
between parents and college students should be a family decision. From
a college dean’s perspective, I always offer a few key points for parents to
consider:
Pause. College students typically contact a parent at times of
extremes — when something fantastic has occurred, or things are
lousy. Try to listen and absorb before responding. Find out how the
student plans on solving a problem and offer appropriate guidance.
Wait 24 hours. Give your student a chance to figure things out
independently, which will promote personal growth and transform
learning.
Find something to talk about. Emily Bradley ’10 remarked, “The most
rewarding conversations I had with my parents when I was at Colgate
grew out of mutual experience. Reading the same New York Times
article, calling during the commercial break in a sports game…” — a
great way to build a relationship based on more than money requests
and cold remedy advice!
Just last week, I caught myself referring to my Blackberry as my
“security blanket.” A seasoned, silver-haired professional, I am just as
dependent upon it as the first-years I advise. In fact, I find it hard to
imagine staying in contact with Links or successfully navigating three
days of Orientation without it. But one thing that has remained constant
is the value of a weekly telephone conversation — there is no substitute
for hearing a familiar voice on the line. Oops … I had better call home, it’s
been a while …
•
•
Andrew Daddio
•
3
Letters
scene
Founding the Washington
Study Group
Summer 2010
101 Things To Do Before You Graduate
Living In History
Diary From Haiti
The Scene welcomes letters. We reserve
the right to decide whether a letter is
acceptable for publication and to edit
for accuracy, clarity, and length. Letters
deemed potentially libelous or that malign
a person or group will not be published. Letters should not exceed 250 words. You
can reach us by mail, or e-mail sceneletters
@colgate.edu. Please include your full
name, class year if applicable, address,
phone number, and/or e-mail address. If we
receive many letters on a given topic, we
will print a representative sample of the
opinions expressed. On occasion, we may
run additional letters online.
Editor’s note: Colgate does not have
the earliest records of discussions
about the Washington Study Group
in its archives. So the story in our
summer issue (“Living in History,” pg.
30) failed to mention an important
figure in the founding of the program:
Rodney L. Mott, professor of political
science and director of the social sciences division in the 1930s when the
program was conceived.
Patricia Mott Ross wrote with this
excerpt from her father’s handwritten autobiography: “When I came to
Colgate, I had several ambitions… One
of the major goals I had was to try, as
an experiment, the plan which I had
discussed with the graduate students
at Chicago, i.e. to take the students to
see at firsthand the phenomenon they
were studying about in the books. I
hoped that Colgate might be a place
where this could be tried… A plan I
had was to make political science
more relevant to the students. I felt if
I could give them some direct touch
with politics and administration, this
would help make the subject more
practical… To this end, I developed
the plan for the ‘Washington Study
Group.’ The idea was to take 10 of
our best students, who had background courses in political science, to
Washington for a semester to study
government under one of our own
professors. They were to observe
Congress, the administration, and the
courts, and so far as practical were to
serve as junior apprentices in administrative offices… The project turned
out even better than I could have
anticipated. Other groups of students
had gone to Washington, but usually
for only a few days, more as tourists
than as serious students... The Colgate
group was the pioneer in engaging in
full-time study of politics.”
4
scene: Autumn 2010
Thanks
Great issue (summer 2010). Really
thought the photography was great.
I especially liked the brilliant illustrations by Norm Bendell for Matt
Muskin’s “101 Things to do Before You
Graduate.” Thanks for a superior job.
Brent Maddock ’72
Santa Monica, Calif.
Memories of jazz at WRCU
Lands and grounds
I enjoyed learning about lands and
grounds manager Mike Jasper ’91,
MAT’96 (“Get to know,” pg. 11, summer
2010 Scene). In 2008, I spent several
days on campus for my 50th Reunion
and was very proud of how it looked
and was being maintained. I also was
pleased to visit the DU house and find
it was continuing to be a very positive
part of campus living.
I majored in botany at Colgate
and, although I did not pursue it in
my vocation, I did utilize it over the
years, being very much involved with
the managing of the care of the trees
at Oak Hill Country Club (Rochester,
N.Y.). I noticed in the same issue (“Go
figure,” pg. 9) an interesting list of
facts regarding campus trees, many of
which I still remember.
As well, it has been a while since
I’ve been over to play Seven Oaks,
but I wanted to thank you for Marian
Blain’s putting tips (pg. 23). After 66
years of golf, it is good to know it is
never too late to learn. After reading
the article, I had the best round of
putting in years on our fast Oak Hill
greens. Putting with my shoulders
helped me get rid of the dreaded
“yips” that seem to come on with age.
The third picture of Blain, with the
exaggerated left elbow, is what first
caught my attention.
Elmer Humes ’58
Pittsford, N.Y.
It was a treat to see “My Boogie Stop
Shuffle” and “A Jazz Legacy” (summer
2010 Scene, pgs. 12 and 13). Like Michael
Coyle, I am one of the “afflicted” — my
passion for jazz took hold during my
years at Colgate. At that time, Professor Blackmore would see who was
playing jazz from the playlists, and
I remember the thrill I got the first
time he invited me to his home. When
asked how many records he had, he
would decline to answer. He did allow
that his house had been reinforced on
two sides.
The very first song I played on my
WRCU show was “Doin’ the Meatball” by The Section, featuring guest
Michael Brecker. Another time, I was
engineering the news. One of the announcers, reading a farm report about
pork belly futures, started to giggle
and got caught in a kind of laugh feedback loop. I finally had to cut her mic
and cue the next report.
In my own announcing faux pas,
we had a cart to be played behind
community happenings, only I didn’t
know the cart was just background.
The station manager called after
about 10 minutes wanting to know
what was going on — egg on my face,
that’s what.
Tom Rolin ’78
Warwick, R.I.
Remembering John Hubbard
I was deeply saddened to read of the
passing of John Hubbard (summer
2010, pg. 79). We became friends on
a Wilderness Adventure trip in 1989.
Of course, I knew who he was before
that, always lurking on campus with
his humongous camera and vest. In
those days, a faculty member joined
the leadership team of all WA trips,
and my co-leader Margot Hodgson
John Hubbard ’72 in his James B. Colgate
Hall office, 1993
and I were blessed to have John with
us for a canoeing trip in the Adirondacks. In my 15-plus-year career as
a wilderness guide and educator, I
have spent hundreds of weeks on
expedition all over the world. This trip
remains one of my all-time favorites.
It seemed we never stopped laughing, especially in the kitchen. We made
delicious pizzas, and Margot dazzled
us all with her pancake-flipping prowess as the ’cake landed squarely in her
face, a moment immortalized as John
caught it on film.
As everyone explored what it
meant for them to be starting their
education at Colgate, John’s wisdom
added much to their experience. He
brought a perspective on Colgate that
no one else had. Besides that, he was
simply a good man — deeply caring
and available.
When I met his family, it was no
surprise to me to learn he was a
dedicated and inspiring father as well.
Without realizing it until now, I have
held him as a role model as I have
begun my own journey as a father.
Alex Borton ’91
Seattle, Wash.
I read with great sadness about the
death of John Hubbard. I got to know
him during the production of the
documentary Broken Brotherhood. Not
only did I get a chance to work with
him, but I also learned more about
him as a person through watching the
tape of an interview for the documentary that Lou Buttino ’66 did with him
in 2001. The footage was never used
in the final product, but John’s words
gave insight into him as a young man
and as an important part of Colgate’s
history.
In addition, his photographs have
left a deeper appreciation of the
beauty of Colgate.
One of the things John said was,
“What’s drawn me to photography
is portraiture. It’s the opportunity
to explore people and delve a little
bit beyond the surface into the lives
of people. And the idea of making a
photo with somebody has always
appealed to me, and it still does. It’s
that fascination with people, that
entrée into something beyond the
superficial. That’s what the camera
affords me and is meaningful for me.
I’m known for my photos of Colgate,
but really, what’s important to me are
my photos of people. I love Colgate. It’s
a joy to photograph, but it’s really the
portraits that mean the most to me.”
Those people will miss him.
Robert Aberlin ’66
Brooklyn, N.Y.
It was with profound sadness that I
read of John Hubbard’s passing. Your
beautiful tribute brought back so
much about this soulful, wonderful
man. He had a twinkle in his eye. John
was a seeker.
We must have crossed paths a
thousand times during my experience at Colgate, but I remember two
in particular. It was a sunny afternoon
when I went to Terrence Des Pres’s
home to ask him a question. The
police were there, and it turned out
that he had suddenly passed away.
I returned to campus in shock and
reeled about the Quad. John was right
there, in front of Lawrence. He gave
me a big hug. Terrence had been a
hero of mine, and that was a dark day.
John was there to share it.
Call for nominations: Colgate Board of Trustees
The Nominating Committee of the Board of Trustees welcomes recommendations from alumni, parents, and friends of the institution for
candidates who will bring guidance and wisdom to the university’s
governing board.
The board seeks energetic and committed candidates who possess
expertise in various important areas including, but not limited to: higher
education, finance, the arts, technology, global learning, legal affairs,
marketing, or media relations. Those nominated should display the
ability to exercise informed, independent judgment and to act in the
best interests of Colgate to properly steward the university’s academic,
program, and fiscal resources.
Candidates should be willing to fully immerse themselves in the
work of the board. They should place Colgate as a priority in terms
of time and philanthropy, and be committed to staying abreast of
the changing landscape of higher education. The full board meets in
Hamilton at least four times a year, and trustees must be committed
to actively participating in board meetings and committee meetings
that may be scheduled at other times of the year. Trustees are also often
asked to attend and/or host other university-related events.
Each year, the board will have opportunities for three to five new
trustees for a three-year term that may be followed by two additional
three-year terms.
The Nominating Committee welcomes recommendations for future
consideration, which may be made through the online form at www.
colgate.edu/about/boardoftrustees/buildingtheboard or by mail to:
Trustee Nominating Committee, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346.
Years later, I returned to Colgate
with my wife and children to visit the
man who literally changed my life
with one January-term course and a
lifetime of friendship, George Hudson.
When we paused to take a picture
together on the Quad, John appeared
out of nowhere to take the shot. He
later sent it to me.
Andrew M. Saidel
Gaithersburg, Md.
Snapshots
Chris Gonnella’s report of trap
shooting (“Snapshots,” spring 2010,
pg. 33) brings back memories of my
undergraduate days when I went
rabbit shooting with Professor David
“Doc” Trainer. Mrs. Trainer graciously
prepared a rabbit dinner for us. On
another occasion, my classmate Noel
Rubinton served as a beater, and we
jumped pheasants from the meadows
south of the football field. In my senior
year, I had a late-morning geology
class with Professor Whitnall. After
hunting the wooded area in back of
the golf course behind Andrews Hall,
I would come on campus with my
shotgun and attend Whit’s class.
Joe DeBragga ’43
Islip, N.Y.
5
work & play
Campus scrapbook
B
A
A
“As a newcomer myself, I know that this can seem like
drinking from the proverbial fire hose,” President Jeffrey
Herbst told the newly arrived Class of 2014 at Founders’ Day
Convocation.
B
“I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon
the start. The game’s afoot…”
C
Akeyla Todd ’14 (center) and Nicole Corazza ’14 (right) help
out a resident at Madison Lane Apartments as part of COVE’s
Outreach program in which first-years connect while volunteering for community service projects.
D
I’ve got your back. Students bond at Konosioni Field Day
during Orientation.
E
Getting creative with furniture function at 110 Broad Street.
F
A young lady melts Raider’s heart at ALANApalooza, a fallsemester kickoff event at the cultural center.
G
Even Rover helps on move-in day.
H
Kayla Sutherland ’11 created 3-D digital environments to
be used as backgrounds for Murder on the Ides, a full-dome
planetarium show that was a collaboration between the classics department and the visualization lab. Photo by Heather
Ainsworth
Photos by Andrew Daddio unless otherwise noted
H
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scene: Autumn 2010
C
D
E
F
G
7
work & play
“Our bonding moments were in
the yurt, getting to know each other
and playing games,” Engelsted said.
Mings added, “We discussed hopes,
fears, and expectations about their
upcoming year at Colgate.”
Although Mings and Engelsted
are both Outdoor Education Program
leaders who have had three years to
explore Madison County, the trip was
a learning experience for them as
well. Mings was struck by the visit to
the landfill and the wind farm. “These
two places opened my eyes to the
cool things being done to minimize
our environmental impact,” he said.
For Engelsted, a lecture on the
hydrofracking process of natural gas
extraction provided new information
about a contentious environmental
issue affecting the area.
On the last night, the group stayed
up late chatting in the yurt. “We all
wished we had a couple more days
together,” Mings said. “We were
beginning to feel like a tight-knit
family.”
Fortunately, the students will be
able to build on their new friendships
over the next four years.
“The trip allowed me to meet
people prior to orientation, which
made me feel more secure and comfortable,” said Sydney Weinberg ’14.
First-years unearth Chenango
Valley treasures
Class of 2014 ready to explore all
that is Colgate
Katrina Engelsted ’11
First-year students
participating in the
Bullthistle Wilderness
Adventure munch on
carrots they harvested
from Common Thread
Community Farm.
At the start of the fall semester, a
three-day Bullthistle Wilderness
Adventure introduced first-year
students to the Chenango Valley,
with an emphasis on local awareness
and sustainability. The trip not only
acquainted students with other firstyears, but also helped them become
familiar with their new surroundings.
“Colgate is located in a rural
landscape, but it’s a landscape with
much to discover,” said Eric Mings
’11, who co-led the trip with Katrina
Engelsted ’11. “When you come in as a
first-year, you’re thrown into so many
new things that you’re bound to miss
opportunities off campus,” he added.
“With Bullthistle, first-years have a
head start on establishing their roots
in Hamilton and central New York.”
A scavenger hunt, just one of
many activities, prompted the nine
participants to find out facts about
Hamilton’s history and resources by
consulting the public library and village offices, and enlisting the help of
local business owners.
They also took a field trip to the
Fenner wind turbines, Madison
County landfill, and Colgate community garden with geology professor
Bruce Selleck ’71 and Sustainability
Coordinator John Pumilio.
Continuing the sustainability
theme, the group worked at Common
Thread Community Farm and supplemented their meals with the carrots
and beets they harvested. Meals were
cooked — and nights were spent — at
the yurt at Colgate’s Beattie Reserve.
8
scene: Autumn 2010
First-years Rachel Valdivieso and Priya
Agarwal walked determinedly across
Whitnall Field on arrival day with
a couple of items for the room they
share in Stillman Hall. Valdivieso, of
Clinton Corners, N.Y., had just arrived
on campus with most other firstyears, while Agarwal, of India, was
already here to attend an orientation
for international students. Both were
excited that their Colgate careers had
officially started.
“For me, it is the academics mixed
with athletics, all on this beautiful
campus,” said Valdivieso, who added
that she plans to play club tennis and
study chemistry.
Agarwal said her uncle is a
professor in India and was aware of
Colgate’s strong academic reputation,
and that led her to investigate the
school on her own. “It feels right here,”
she said, as they headed up the hill.
The roommates are members
of the second-largest class — 854
students — in school history. It is the
most diverse class ever, with students
Go figure
VITA
Each year, students in the Volunteer Income
Tax Assistance (VITA) program provide free
income tax assistance to low-income families
in Madison County. The service saves families
money that they might have otherwise spent
to receive assistance, and helps them receive
the full return to which they are entitled. Over
the summer, Professor Nicole Simpson, who
coordinates the program, crunched VITA’s
numbers from 2009:
52 Student volunteers
1,329 Returns filed
$15,782 Average income of clients
$150–$300 What a client would
have had to pay for tax assistance elsewhere
$1,960,000 Aggregate refund to
clients
$2,484 Average federal return to a client
$619 Average New York State return to a
client
— Jason Kammerdiener ’10
of color making up 26.2 percent.
Many members of the class and
their families were greeted on arrival
day by President Jeffrey Herbst, who
was out early on Whitnall Field.
Marvin Vilma and his family were
taking a breather in one of the small
sitting rooms at 110 Broad Street (the
former Delta Kappa Epsilon house),
which is now home to 43 first-years
taking part in a leadership program
called LOFT I (Leadership Options for
Tomorrow). Vilma attended a multicultural open house earlier this year,
and he said the welcome he received
was one of the factors that brought
him to Colgate. He ran a leadership
club at Trinity School in New York
City, and LOFT seemed like a perfect
extension of his interests. “I can’t wait
to begin this experience, meet new
people from all over, and be away
from my parents,” he said, as his mom
and dad rolled their eyes.
Lauren Warner was deciding
among several schools when a trip to
Colgate during April Visit Days confirmed her choice. “The kids I talked
to, every single one, all had a great
attitude about this place,” she said. “It
felt very personal and very positive.”
Administrative appointments
Bob Tyburski ’74, vice president and
senior philanthropic advisor, has
been named secretary to the Board
of Trustees. In this role, Tyburski, who
has worked at Colgate since 1983, will
draw upon his extensive institutional
knowledge to aid the board. He will
continue in his role advising the
university on philanthropic and other
matters and working with leadership donors to encourage support of
Colgate’s strategic objectives.
When RuthAnn Loveless MA’72,
vice president for alumni affairs,
retires at the end of the 2010-2011
academic year after 26 years of service, Timothy Mansfield will become
associate vice president for alumni
affairs. Mansfield, who has served
Colgate as director of alumni affairs
since December 2008, will assume
full responsibility for alumni affairs
operations on June 1, 2011.
Steve Nathan is Colgate’s new associate university chaplain and director of Jewish life. Previously, Nathan
was the campus rabbi at Hampshire
College in Amherst, Mass. Ordained
from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Nathan is a practitioner
and teacher of mindfulness meditation. He is also a graduate of the
Institute for Contemporary Midrash,
where he studied midrashic storytelling.
Upstate Institute receives
support and praise
On August 13, Ellen Kraly, William
R. Kenan Jr. Professor of geography,
was scheduled to join President
Jeffrey Herbst and other guests to
ring the closing bell at the New York
Stock Exchange to celebrate Colgate
Day. As Kraly headed for Wall Street,
she checked her Blackberry, and the
message she found reduced her to
tears: Jean-Pierre Conte ’85 and Board
of Trustees Chair Chris Clifford ’67
had just provided gifts totaling $1
million that would trigger matching
funds from the Emerson Foundation
and complete an endowment of $5.8
million for Colgate’s Upstate Institute,
which Kraly directs.
Only weeks before, regional
nonprofit directors and members
of municipal agencies had gathered
to speak about how the institute
has made significant, long-lasting
contributions to their groups and the
upstate region.
The institute is a powerful
resource provider at a time when
many groups are squeezed by funding cutbacks, said Patricia Hoffman,
executive director of the nonprofit
organization that runs the Oneida
Community Mansion House, a multipurpose National Historic Landmark.
Hoffman, other community leaders,
and students who have taken part in
the institute’s Upstate Field School
were sharing their experiences during an event at the Colgate Inn, where
they were able to meet Herbst.
Herbst said the university’s
relationship to the region is “extraordinarily important.” The institute provides not only critical support to area
organizations but also community
service and research opportunities for
students that are key ingredients of a
liberal arts education.
Michael Palmer ’10 talked about
how he used information culled from
his geography, computer science,
geology, and chemistry courses to
develop a spatial analysis for natural gas drilling in Madison County.
Palmer spent his 10-week fellowship
with the Madison County Planning
and Development Department, and
was asked to present his research at
two conferences.
Greg Owens, senior forester with
the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), said two
projects led by Upstate Institute
students have had a lasting impact
for his regional office in Sherburne.
Tara LaLonde ’06 worked on a project
examining land use and reforestation
in southern areas of Madison County.
She scanned historic aerial photos
and used sophisticated GIS software
to create a digital library that foresters use today. And John Demler ’08
crafted management guidelines for
historic sites in the county that the
DEC uses on a daily basis, said Owens.
Thanks to its newly completed
endowment, the institute is bound
to increase its role as a community
partner. “Projects like the Field School
Get to know: Dawn LaFrance
Andrew Daddio
The Weston, Mass., native plans
to pursue a pre-med track, although
she said that it’s all open at this point.
Her dad, Jon Warner, is a doctor and
Colgate alumnus (Class of 1978).
Despite her father’s Colgate connection, Lauren said her father left the
college decision up to her. “He would
tell me, ‘I’m not going to say; it’s up to
you.’ Although he told me a few times
what a great experience he had here.”
—Associate Director of Counseling and Psychological Services;
on staff since 2001
—BS, Lafayette College; MA, PsyD, University of Indianapolis
—Hometown: Groton, N.Y.
You have an array of responsibilities on campus. Can you describe them?
My primary function is clinical work — providing individual and group counseling. I also
coordinate the outreach for our department. If requests come in for counseling center
assistance, I help people figure out who in our office is best to reach out.
What is one of your primary outreach projects?
I have worked on sexual assault prevention for a really long time while I’ve been here. I
brought together a committee called Keep it Sexy Colgate, and changed the tenor of that
discussion. Instead of always telling people what not to do, Keep it Sexy helps them think
about what they can and should be doing. Underneath the umbrella of Keep it Sexy is certainly sexual assault prevention, but the focus is also on what people want in relationships.
With what kind of attitude do you approach your work?
I look at the bright side of things, even when it is not obvious. I also think it is important to
work as a team. When doing outreach, I try to get to know people so that we can think about
collaboration. It is important to collaborate so that we can help educate the campus community, even those who don’t seek out our services.
How do you see that manifest itself in your work?
One way is that I work closely with the Colgate chapter of the National Coalition Building
Institute. A few years ago, I was trained to do workshops in prejudice reduction training.
We decided that it made sense to train a group here to present workshops helping people
to welcome diversity, to figure out what to do if they hear somebody say a racial slur or
prejudicial remark, and to understand and accept people who are different.
What do you do after work?
I have two kids, Chloe, 3, and Zach, 6, so I run around chasing them a lot! I like to run, I like to
walk, I mountain bike — I hit the trails on campus sometimes. I also started water aerobics
this summer. Remaining physically active in a lot of different ways is important to me. [Editor’s note: That must explain why she placed first for women at the 38th Annual Dan Sutton
Memorial Race 5K in Cazenovia on July 4 — winning by 38 seconds!]
Any projects?
I dabble in gardening. This summer, I worked on a perennial garden. We’ve been members of
Common Thread, the farm outside of town, but next year we’re going to try to grow our own
vegetables.
Did you get a chance to recharge over the summer?
My family spent a week up in the Adirondacks at a place called Beaver River; we do that
every year. We stay where we have no cell phone or Internet access, and we do a lot of fishing and biking. It’s fun!
9
Gardening for Colgate’s future
Janna Minehart ’13
Close to 200 people gathered at Colgate’s community garden for a longawaited open house in mid-September.
Homemade foods, including bruschetta, fried zucchini, and baked squash —
all made from the garden’s produce —
were displayed under bright-red tents,
creatively decorated for fall. The open
house also featured garden tours,
compost-bucket decorating, and performances by several student singing
groups, including the Resolutions and
the Dischords.
The half-acre garden on College
Street is the result of a collaborative
effort that has been in the works
since 2001, when Heather Schoen ’02
planted the seeds for Green Thumbs, a
student organization focused on pro-
An open house for Colgate's community garden attracted close to 200 students and community members.
moting local, sustainable agriculture
at Colgate.
It was the fall of 2008 when
Schoen’s idea really began to sprout.
According to Green Thumbs president
Emily Sabo ’11, a group of outdoor
education students were inspired to
Village Green
Andrew Daddio
work & play
provide a great opportunity for our
students and are seen as a generous
investment in the community,” said
project director Julie Dudrick. “With
an endowment like this in place, we
know that we can sustain these ongoing partnerships.”
10
scene: Autumn 2010
In July, the Syracuse Symphony
Orchestra made a return appearance as part of the Hamilton Village
Concert series. Grant Cooper,
former resident conductor of the
orchestra for 10 seasons, conducted the evening’s free performance.
Area residents packed the Village
Green, picnicking and enjoying the
show.
The Hamilton Forum welcomed
President Jeffrey Herbst as their
guest speaker on September 2 at
the Colgate Inn. Herbst covered
such topics as his first impressions of Colgate and Hamilton, the
university/community partnership,
and his vision for the university’s
future.
Local artists set up their easels
along Taylor Lake and Lake Moraine
for Plein-air Painting Workshops
in September. Sponsored by MAD
Art (a nonprofit community arts organization), participants practiced
painting “in the open air,” working
quickly to capture the scene.
The Palace Theater sizzled with
the sounds of Latino music during
the Fiesta de Palace on September
25. National Latino comedian Ernie
get the organization running after attending Powershift, a lobbying event
in Washington, D.C., focused on using
alternative energy on college campuses. Soon after, the interested students
found Schoen’s Green Thumbs binder
and pushed to make themselves an of-
G. opened the festivities, followed
by the big brass sounds of La Krema.
Afterward, La Krema’s dancing
couples gave free dance lessons.
The Hamilton Theater kicked
off its fourth season of Grand
Operas in Cinema, offering shows
from Europe’s leading opera
houses. A dazzling performance
of Aida from the Bregenz Festival
in Austria played September 19,
and Così fan tutte, performed at
the Royal Opera House in London,
was October 17. Upcoming shows
include Carmen, from the Gran
Teatre del Liceu, and a stage production of William Shakespeare’s
Love’s Labour’s Lost, performed at
the Globe Theater in London.
The Colgate Bookstore
continued its annual tradition
of Free Hugs Day, when Colgate
families and students come in for
a friendly embrace from the staff
as an affectionate start to the fall
semester. “It is just awesome to
be able to do something like that,”
official bookstore “hugger” Shelly
Robertson told the Oneida Daily
Dispatch. “One mom broke right
down — that’s why we do the Free
Hugs Day.”
ficial student group. In fall 2008, Sabo
and Green Thumbs faculty adviser
Chris Henke, a sociology professor,
began researching how to turn the
idea for a garden into a reality. A year
later, their efforts were picked up by
Meg Cronin ’10, Teddi Hoffman ’10,
Kate Pavelich ’10, and Maria Kryachko
’10, who developed a comprehensive
garden proposal for an environmental
issues class co-taught by Sustainability Coordinator John Pumilio.
With support from the campus
Sustainability Council, the site was
approved. And when the Class of 2010
donated their entire senior class gift
to sustainability, Green Thumbs was
given the financial backing to get the
garden off the ground. Over the summer, two student interns, Rob Jeffrey
’12 and Stacey Marion ’11, started the
garden and have been managing it
ever since. Marion and Jeffrey make
the farming decisions about the
garden, but also rely on input from a
Green Thumbs advisory committee
and a hired consultant.
The first vegetables to be planted
— including squash, eggplant, peppers, radishes, and carrots — were
donated by local farms. “We have
received great support from the local agricultural community, and are
forming friendships with many local
farmers,” wrote Jeffrey and Marion on
the garden blog (http://colgategarden.
blogspot.com/). This communitybuilding aspect of the garden is exactly what was envisioned by Schoen.
Together, Jeffrey and Marion have
transformed a grassy field into a
fertile garden that will improve the
sustainability of Colgate’s campus, as
well as the freshness and tastiness of
its food. The produce is sold to Sodexo,
supplier for Colgate’s dining services,
and used at the Coop and the Edge, as
well as for catered events. Additional
produce was given to garden volunteers and sold at a vegetable stand, set
up at the garden on Friday afternoons.
The Green Thumbs members said
they hope that events like the open
house will increase awareness and
support for the garden, allowing for
its further development and increased
role in campus dining.
— Kiera Crowley ’13
Julia Alvarez launches 2010
Living Writers series
First, last, and always, Julia Alvarez is a
storyteller.
The Middlebury College writer-inresidence, coffee farmer, and author of
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents
launched the 2010 Living Writers lecture series on September 8, recounting
the story of her own life, which began
in the Dominican Republic under the
dictator Rafael Trujillo.
When her father fled the country
after participating in a failed coup
attempt, the family moved to Jamaica,
Queens. Lost in the monochromatic
culture of mid-20th century America,
she found herself, thanks to a sixthgrade teacher who gave Alvarez a
book list and sent her to the library.
“New York, 1960, I became a reader; I
dwelt in possibility,” she said.
But her teacher didn’t just
encourage her to read. “She told me to
write my own stories,” said Alvarez.
“The taste of guava, the smell of the
ocean, the feel of the tropical sun like
a warm blessing on my head — write
that down. I did. I wrote stories, and
everything I lost came back to me.”
Alvarez retrieved her past and
parlayed it into a successful future,
earning a bachelor’s at Middlebury
and a master’s in creative writing
at Syracuse University. Her prolific
writing has earned her countless
awards, including the 2009 F. Scott
Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding
Achievement in American Literature,
the 2007 Congressional Hispanic
Caucus Institute’s Latina Leader
Award in Literature, and several
honorary degrees.
“I love storytelling,” she said.
“We have a way of finding our way
through our stories and songs and
poems.” Now — in print, lecture
halls, workshops, and one-on-one
conversations — she’s helping others
find their way, too.
When she purchased her coffee
Bent shares Shooting Beauty
On September 8, Courtney Bent ’93
made her first visit to campus in more
than a decade. Instead of taking classes, Bent came to screen and talk about
her documentary, Shooting Beauty.
The film, which she wrote about in
the autumn 2009 Scene, tracks her
efforts to create camera equipment
for people with special needs and
train them to become photographers.
In the process, she discovered that
“precisely because of their disability,
they have a unique perspective.”
Bent’s day began with a breakfast
and photo exhibition opening at the
Case Library and Geyer Center for
Information Technology. She hosted a
Doing Well by Doing Good luncheon in
the COVE and sat in on two classes in
educational studies and photography.
Later, she participated in a panel
presentation that included faculty,
staff, and local artists, discussing
artistic expression and educational
efforts among and on behalf of community members with special needs.
“Inclusion challenges us,” panelist
Lynn Waldman, director of academic
support and disability services, told
the audience — which included 20 undergraduates visiting from Cazenovia
College, an event sponsor. “As far as
I’m concerned, we all have a disability.”
Before leaving the village, Bent
stopped off to chat with students at
Andrew Daddio
Editor’s note: This article was adapted
from a longer piece on www.know
whereyourfoodcomesfrom.com,
developed by Frank Barrie ’72. Back on campus
Author Julia Alvarez
plantation, Alta Gracia, in the Dominican Republic, she looked around and
realized that the children living there
were illiterate. Wanting them to find
the same freedom she found in the
written word, she set up a school and
a library with the help of the Peace
Corps and Middlebury students on
alternative spring break trips.
Reading stories to Dominican
children inspired her to write her
own works for younger audiences,
resulting in books like The Best Gift of
All: The Legend of La Vieja Belén. The
exile who navigated by narrative has
returned to her roots and is inspiring a
new generation with her storytelling.
This edition of Living Writers was
co-sponsored by the ALANA Cultural
Center and the university library. The
Hamilton Central School — a familiar
atmosphere for the fashion photographer–turned-filmmaker who spends
some of her free time teaching photography to 8-year-old children.
Also back…
Watson Fellow Sachi Schuricht ’09
took students through her journey
investigating the widespread, yet
obscure, subculture of competitive
“speedcubing” throughout Europe and
Asia. The fellowship provided her with
the resources and support to explore
her topic “Cubing Across Cultures:
Documenting the Rubik’s Resurgence in India, China, Japan, Thailand,
Indonesia, Spain, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, Germany, and Hungary.”
She attended — and entered — competitions, interviewed world-class
speedcubers, and captured footage
for a documentary film.
Newly appointed Alumni Council
member Valerie Shapiro ’02 met with
students on September 30 to share
her post-Colgate experiences and answer questions about career paths in
psychology and closely related fields.
Shapiro is a doctoral candidate at the
University of Washington, studying community-based interventions
to prevent mental, emotional, and
behavioral disorders in youth. She is
funded through a National Institutes
of Mental Health training grant.
2010 Living Writers series features
10 authors, including Pulitzer Prize
winner Jhumpa Lahiri, who spoke
September 16, and Nobel Prize winner
V.S. Naipaul, who visited October 15.
Authors meet with students in the
classroom, then give a public reading
and lecture, which streams live on
Colgate’s Livestream channel.
8
Alumni and parents can take part in
Living Writers through live webcasts,
which include an interactive chat that
gives online guests the chance to
pose questions to the authors. See
www.colgate.edu/livingwriters for
more information. To watch archived
videos, visit www.colgateconnect.org/
hillathome.
11
Not My Last
Apologia for Poetry
By Jasmine Bailey ’05
Jasmine Bailey ’05 began writing
poetry when she was 10 years old;
she recalls consulting the poetry
textbooks lurking alongside literature
on the bookshelves in her home (her
father is a professor of English as a
second language). After graduating
from Colgate, she spent a year in
Argentina on a Fulbright Fellowship,
and completed her MFA at the
University of Virginia, where she has
since been an instructor of writing.
Her chapbook Sleep and What
Precedes It was published by Longleaf
Press in 2009, and her poetry has
appeared in several magazines,
including 32 Poems, Poet Lore, Rhino,
and the Portland Review. This fall,
she returned to Colgate as an Olive
B. O’Connor Creative Writing Fellow
in the English department, where she
is teaching Intro to Creative Writing
and working on a collection of poems
called Alexandria.
Andrew Daddio
work & play
Passion for the Climb
12
scene: Autumn 2010
Richard Hugo said in his poem
“Langaig” that “Fishing preceded
song. We know this by instinct.” This
is an idea hard for me to accept.
Certainly, hunger is the sharpest and
most primordial pain, and, more than
other things, dictates what we do.
It is true, too, that writing was not
possible before agriculture, and even
then, to practice writing required
leisure and education that few could
afford. But we know that people sang
long before they wrote their songs
down, and that the urge to make art is
ancient; instinct tells me that poetry
could not have been far on the heels
of any other human impulse. I cannot
believe that when hunger first drew
men to the river, as each waited with
the line resting on the pad of his
finger, someone didn’t notice the sun
on the trees and its resemblance to a
woman’s hair.
Writing is so much like fishing: the
quiet, the solitude, the waiting, the
endlessness of a task that cannot be
completed. The killing and consuming
of what is most loved and valued for
the sake of survival, the many days
without a catch. Mainly, the deep
silence from which the song rises.
If poetry is the written expression
of the unsayable, then poets are
alchemists, turning one thing into
something else that it formerly was
not. Like Melquiades in One Hundred
Years of Solitude, we lose our sight in
the laboratory of the impossible task,
abandon our tribe, and are forced
to keep working after death. And
for all this, we create something not
easily comprehended and that can’t
be carried. Most people sense this
futility about poetry, so writers are
forced out of their rooms to stand
in apology of the art, as if the desire
to make gold from lead, and the
importance of trying, were not selfevident.
I wonder whether God, or the poem,
is older. We owe the preservation
of many early writings to the monks
who spent their lives copying them,
even throwing books into bogs when
the Vikings arrived torch-studded.
Many books had nothing to do with
God, or with the right god, but even in
invasion, the monks did not abandon
them.
Men and women make what they
need, whether it is supper, shelter, a
poem, or a savior. Most people, most
days, need bread more than they
need poetry. But when, as inevitably
happens to each person, the world
becomes uninhabitable, the poem,
like the mother you believed you had
outgrown, is a trellis you can climb to
a balcony just high enough to delay
the approach of the spreading chaos.
Poems last longer than our beloved
mothers.
I admit that I love poems because
they can be perfect, as nothing except
art can be. “Langaig” is perfect,
even though everything it contains
is troubling and heartbreaking, and
Hugo himself, like anyone, suffered
and in life fell short of the ease and
exactness he struck in his best poems.
“To relax, to slide with, ride the forces
of whatever/ sweeps us along, jokes
well-timed, phrasing under control— /
that was my ideal. I didn’t come close
in real life.”
Writers usually give ample
justification, but we should still not
speak too ill of them. If a human being
can take the raw beauty and terror of
the world and use his imagination to
fashion it into something truer than
anything in the world — more lovely,
more scalding, more elastic, more
final — and balance its elements in a
way that the world is never balanced,
then praise the human imagination
and the spirit that tries for it, because
we need what they give. Outside of
poetry, we would not find the perfect
lemon or lake or Ford Galaxie, some
hot young stuff draped all over it.
And the Beloved, for all that he did or
didn’t love us, always dies. The poem
answers the inevitable dream the
world causes in the heart.
The poet is a fisherman and a monk
without the one’s skill or the other’s
virtue. Still, praise him, riding his
glorious squid through labyrinths of
kelp.
8
Read more essays from our Passion
for the Climb series, or see how you
can submit your own essay, at
colgateconnect.org/scene.
Mr. Christmas
Dubbed “Mr. Christmas of the music world,” songwriter and
composer Johnny Marks ’31 (1909–1985) brought us
such yuletide favorites as “Rockin’ Around the Christmas
Tree,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “I Heard the Bells on
Christmas Day.” But, most notably, was a little ditty
called “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
At Colgate, John D. Marks was accompanist for
the glee club, manager of the music club, and a
member of Salmagundi, the Willow Path,
Phi Beta Kappa, Mu Pi Delta, Kappa
Phi Kappa, and the Commons Club.
He continued his musical studies
at Columbia and then lived in
Paris. During World War II, he
served under General Patton in
Normandy and was awarded
a Bronze Star and four battle
stars. Afterward, he continued
composing — a passion he’d
had since the age of 13.
In 1949, Marks founded
St. Nicholas Music, Inc., which
became the foremost publisher
of Christmas songs. That was
also the year he wrote “Rudolph,”
based on a holiday promotional
book given away by Montgomery
Ward, where his brother-in-law
Robert May was a copywriter who
penned the story of the lovable
character with a cherry proboscis. Gene
Autry lent his voice, and the song swept the
nation. “Rudolph” has been called one of the
most profitable songs in the world.
In 1964, the stop-animation TV special by
Rankin/Bass Productions aired on NBC as part of
the General Electric Fantasy Hour. Marks went
on to write other TV specials: Rudolph’s Shiny
New Year, Rudolph and Frosty, The Tiny Tree,
and The Ballad of Smokey the Bear.
Of the 175 songs Marks published, he had
several hits unrelated to Christmas, including
“Who Calls” with Bing Crosby, “She’ll Always
Remember” with Glenn Miller, and “Don’t
Cross Your Fingers, Cross Your Heart” with
Sammy Kaye.
In fact, according to a 1980 People Weekly
article, Marks did not want his legacy to
be associated with Christmas or the most
famous reindeer of all. “This is not exactly
what I hope to be remembered for,” he told
the magazine. The article went on to say that
Marks never shopped for presents, put up a
tree, or sent Christmas cards. Although this
made him sound like a Grinch, “Mr. Christmas”
was, in fact, Jewish.
Regardless, Johnny Marks, you’ll go down in
history…
Color images ©Rankin/Bass Productions/Rick
Goldschmidt Archives
Johnny Marks photograph ©Raeanne Rubenstein,
2010
13
Page 13 is the showplace
for Colgate tradition, history,
and school spirit.
Constance Soja
life of the mind
14
Geology 215 students
created a true-to-scale
geologic timeline on the
football field.
scene: Autumn 2010
Geologic yardage
On a cold and rainy September afternoon, students taking Geology 215
met with Professor Constance Soja for
the second lab of the semester. But
this particular Thursday, they gathered under Andy Kerr Stadium, in the
visiting team locker room. The mist
outside didn’t seem to dampen spirits
as Soja introduced the lab of the day,
“Gridiron Geologic Time.” The goal: to
create a graphic representation of geologic time, true to scale, on Colgate’s
football field, placing flags as symbols
of important geologic events along
the 100 yards.
Under Soja’s lead, the locker room
was transformed into a classroom,
where students, sitting on benches
in small groups, brainstormed major
events in Earth’s history. The class
discussed the relative timing of events
like the Cambrian explosion and the
Pleistocene glaciation.
In order to shrink 4.5 billon years of
Earth time into 100 yards, the group
determined that 1 yard on the field
would represent 45 million years, and
1 inch, 1.25 million years. Using this
scale, the students reviewed a list of
nearly 30 geologic events and calculated their distances from the north
goal line, which marked the origin of
Earth at 0 yards.
Soja gave each student two flags
to place on the football field inside of
bottles. Karen Bascom ’12 received “O2
and O3” (the accumulation of oxygen
and ozone in the atmosphere) and
“prokaryotes” (simple cells), which
occurred 4 billion and 3.5 billion years
ago, respectively. After placing the
first flag on the white side line, near
the north end zone’s 11-yard line,
and the second near the 22-yard line,
Bascom walked toward the other end
zone, where she passed flags marked
“algae,” “insects,” and finally, at approximately 99.94 yards (2 inches
from the goal line), “first hominid.”
The visual treat of the lab was standing on the top row of the bleachers
and looking down at the flags. The
Earth’s earliest events, marked by
green flags, were spread out mostly
on the north side of the field, and then
yellow, orange, and red flags clumped
closer together near the south end
zone. The red flags marked events that
occurred within the last 40,000 years
— or 2 inches — such as the birth of
art and the Declaration of Independence.
“Standing at the top of the field
and seeing how long until anything
we are familiar with comes onto the
scene is really surprising,” Brittany
Hanrahan ’11 reflected.
“We’re living in the last inch of geologic time,” Bascom said. “That really
puts everything into perspective.”
After the students picked up the
flags, Soja took a group picture and
told them to get out of the rain. She
was left in the locker room, smiling. “It
was a little quirky to use the football
field for another purpose,” she said.
But it worked out just right.
— Kiki Koroshetz ’11
Worms, ants, and epiphytes,
oh my! NSF awards major
research grants
Three Colgate biology professors —
Damhnait McHugh, Krista Ingram,
and Catherine Cardelús — have
been awarded more than $750,000
in grants from the National Science
Foundation for three distinct projects
that will involve student researchers.
McHugh received $400,000 as part
of a five-year joint grant with Auburn
University, Texas A&M, Southern
Illinois University, and the University
of Kansas. Her research will help in
assembling the annelid (worm) tree of
life, using DNA sequences of diverse
species to build evolutionary “family trees.” This work is important for
documenting biodiversity, she said,
and allows scientists to make inferences about the species’ long history
on Earth, as well as aid in conservation
efforts.
“It is rewarding for the three of
us in the department to receive this
kind of validation of our work,” said
McHugh. “And the grants present our
students with terrific research opportunities.”
Syllabus
FSEM 126 Outbreak! Historical Pandemics
and Emerging Infectious Diseases
TR 9:55–11:10 a.m., Olin Hall 104A
Geoffrey Holm, Asst. Professor of Biology
Course description: Infectious disease
outbreaks have altered the course of human history and dramatically influenced
human activity. While improvements in
sanitation and public health have mitigated
the effects of certain pathogens, human
encroachment into new disease reservoirs
has introduced novel biological agents into
the population, to sometimes disastrous
consequences. Sensationalistic media
coverage contributes to misunderstandings and confusion. This first-year seminar (also a Core
Scientific Perspectives course) uses three
historical pandemics (The “Black Death,”
mid-19th century cholera, and 1918 “Spanish flu”) and recent outbreaks, including
SARS and H1N1 influenza, to investigate
basic epidemiological principles; the
microbiologic, social, and environmental
factors that contribute to disease pathogenesis; and our preparedness for future
outbreaks.
On the reading list: Kenneth Rothman,
Epidemiology: An Introduction; John M.
Barry, The Great Influenza; Steven Johnson, The Ghost Map; John Kelly, The Great
Mortality; Richard Preston, The Hot Zone
Key assignments/activities: Five response
papers. In-class laboratory exercises:
Sanitation and Bacterial Growth and H1N1
Pandemic 2009. Final group project:
research paper plus presentation
The “Expand your horizons FSEM requirement”: Students must attend four oncampus events of their choosing: a science
lecture or colloquium, a social science
“brown bag lunch” or colloquium; an event
highlighting aspects of another culture;
and one other educational outside-ofcoursework event, such as a play, concert,
or musical.
disciplines of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and
sociology. Most scholars at the center
are from much larger research institutions such as Harvard and the University of Chicago.
As the first faculty member from
Colgate to be selected for the fellowship, Carlsmith said he is excited
about the prospect of approaching
his research, which is funded through
the National Science Foundation, in
innovative ways that cross disciplines.
He is working with a historian who
studies the legal and political history
of torture, and with a communications studies scholar who studies how
journalists approach torture.
“The center creates an environment in which you can contemplate
by yourself, but also interact with top
scholars from related disciplines,” he
said. “It offers us a full year of uninterrupted study in hopes that we will
make ‘big idea’ breakthroughs that
are difficult in the context of busy
academic lives.”
Students working with McHugh
will spend a summer at Auburn
University, where they will learn to
sequence entire genomes or collect
worms from marine and terrestrial
habitats in Australia and South Africa.
Ingram’s grant of $180,000 allows
her to continue her studies of circadian rhythms in ants, exploring how
they organize their behavior without
a leader. It turns out that ants rely on
the same mechanism that humans
use to organize our daily activities —
an internal molecular rhythm generator called the circadian clock. Ingram
is excited about how the grant will
open more doors for her research and
its applications for better understanding human behaviors. She plans to
bring students to Arizona and Southeast Asia to observe self-organized ant
behaviors and then continue those
studies at Colgate.
Cardelús said her $188,000 grant
will assist her in conducting research
on epiphytes, plants that reside in
rain forest canopies. These plants
will intercept much of the predicted
increase in nutrients that are released due to increases in human
industrial and agricultural practices.
She will explore how the epiphytes
respond to these nutrients, because
they could have significant effects on
processes in the canopy and on the
forest floor. Her grant also provides for
student involvement; they will have
the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica
to collect samples, analyze them in
labs at Colgate, and then work on final
papers.
“It is thrilling to be supported for
doing what I love — studying the rain
forest,” Cardelús said.
— Kate Hicks ’11
A new kind of summer school
“Tell me, O muse, of that ingenious
hero who travelled far and wide.”
With these words, Homer began his
epic Odyssey, but he could have been
describing the first cohort of Summer
on the Hill participants. Sixty intrepid
members of the Colgate community
journeyed to Hamilton for the fourday event, June 27 through July 1. They
engaged with each other, learned
from leading professors, and expanded their comfort zones. They also
discovered that reliving the liberal arts
experience is a bit like riding a bike.
Summer on the Hill participants test out the climbing wall.
Jennifer McGee
Carlsmith receives Stanford
University fellowship
Psychology professor Kevin Carlsmith has been awarded a one-year
fellowship at the prestigious Center
for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.
Carlsmith hopes that collaboration
with other top scholars at the center
will provide valuable insights into his
research, which focuses on attitudes
about torture and aggressive interrogation techniques.
About two dozen fellowships,
which are extremely competitive, are
awarded each year to scholars from
a diverse range of fields that includes
the five core social and behavioral
In classrooms across the quad,
small groups bonded over Homer, the
Bible, and other founding texts of the
Western world; they explored art, psychology, memoir writing, and more.
“Spending time with professors
like Tony Aveni, Bob McVaugh, David
Dudrick, and Scott Kraly reminded me
of how talented the faculty remains
and how lucky all of us were to study
under this type of guidance,” said
Bruce Wright ’74.
Tim Byrnes, professor of political
science, began his class on the presidency and executive leadership by
taking questions. Alumni, friends,
spouses, and parents were happy to
oblige:
“Why is it so cold here?”
“Why doesn’t the media educate
America on cloture and the filibuster?”
While addressing each one, Byrnes
skillfully segued his audience into the
assigned text, which he also uses with
undergraduates in Political Science 211.
Course options were numerous
and varied, thanks to the vision of
RuthAnn Loveless MA’72, vice president for alumni affairs, and her staff.
“We committed ourselves to developing a rigorous academic program,”
said Tim Mansfield, director of alumni
affairs. “We wanted attendees to have
a true Colgate experience.”
Registrants chose three courses
from a menu of nine options and
divided into a trio of sessions throughout the morning and early afternoon
hours. Professors posted reading lists
on colgateconnect.org prior to the first
class meeting so that conversation
could commence immediately.
Each day, after the last bell rang,
Live and learn
Last spring, 22 Benton Scholars spent
12 days in India, traveling to Delhi, Agra,
Chennai, Mamallapuram, Kottayam, and
Kochi. Janna Minehart ’13 reports:
Because the Benton Scholars Program
emphasizes global engagement and leadership, India was chosen as our destination
country due to its increasing importance
on the global stage. In one class, we studied India’s role as an emerging economic
power. We also took a core world cultures
class about India. Padma Kaimal, the
professor from that class, as well as Tim
Byrnes, the professor who oversees the
program, accompanied us on the trip.
While there, we saw some important cultural sights, such as temples. We met with
someone in the U.S. Foreign Service who
works at the American Center in Delhi. We
were on a show called The Youth Express
on Indian national television, discussing
the importance of engaging a population
to participate in democracy. We visited a
high school and talked with students about
their daily lives and future ambitions.
Some of us also went out in small groups
to explore the nearby cities and villages.
The most important experience I had was
only arranged in part by the program. My
dad lived in India from the time he was 12
until he left for college. His parents and
his younger siblings remained. When my
grandfather died, some of his ashes were
scattered in India. My uncle died unexpectedly just a couple of weeks before I
left for India, and I was able to take some
of his ashes to the Taj Mahal. The Taj has a
presence, a power, and a peace. Scattering
his ashes there felt like I was completing a
cycle. It felt so right to be there, fulfilling
my grandparents’ and my parents’ legacy.
Going to India felt like I was coming home
somehow, learning about my own history in
a deeper way.
To see a gallery of Janna’s photos from the
trip, visit www.colgate.edu/indiaphotos.
15
Junior’s research receives
Botanical Society award
Weston Testo ’12 (right)
and Professor Eddie
Watkins examining
tropical ferns in Costa
Rica
Dino camp
Weston Testo ’12 was in the Costa Rican rain forest in May, studying ferns
with his mentor, biology professor
James “Eddie” Watkins, when he was
notified that he had won the Undergraduate Student Research Award
Mel Oliver, University of Missouri
16
scene: Autumn 2010
“It’s hot and humid out there today,”
geology professor Constance Soja told
a classroom full of students in July. “It
feels like the Mesozoic out there.” In
the absence of Colgate students, who
are mostly off campus for the summer, Soja was presenting to students
of a different ilk as she addressed the
second- and third-graders attending
Hamilton’s Junior Paleontologists
Camp.
Pat McGill, a reading specialist at
Hamilton Central School, runs the
two-week program often referred
to as “dinosaur camp.” After two
weeks of instruction from McGill and
activities in their own classroom, the
campers traveled to Colgate to hear
from Soja, a professional paleontologist, and to visit Colgate’s dinosaur
Jason Kammerdiener ’10
life of the mind
from the Botanical Society of America
(BSA). He received the award for his
proposal titled “Desiccation tolerance
and calcium requirements of gametophytes of American Hart’s-Tongue
Fern, Phyllitis scolopendrium var.
americana.” It is “the most prestigious
award given out to students at Wes’s
stage,” said Watkins. As part of the
award, the BSA had invited Testo to
present his research in early August at
its annual meeting, Botany 2010.
The Upstate Institute, a Colgate
initiative supporting research and
a reciprocal transfer of knowledge
between the university and regional
partners in central New York, sponsored Testo’s award-winning research.
In his project, Testo explores the
ecophysiology of P. scolopendrium, a
rare fern with 90 percent of its populations in central New York. But those
populations have recently been in
decline. Testo’s data suggest that the
gamete-producing stage (the gametophyte) of ferns may be negatively
impacted by even modest increases
in temperature and are sensitive to
desiccation, which may lend support
to claims that the population decline
is the result of climate change.
Testo’s research is ongoing, and
he is now preparing the first of two
manuscripts for publication. “I hope
that my work will not only support
conservation efforts,” he said, “but also
help people in the area realize that
one of the rarest and most unique
plants in North America can be found
a lot closer to home than they might
think.”
students enjoyed electives like Tai
Chi, Thai cooking, rock climbing, and
zip-lining. Evenings offered more time
for bonding with fellow alumni and
parents. There were cocktail parties
and meals, a trivia competition hosted
by trivia master and senior regional
advancement director Doug Chiarello
’98, a trip to Cooperstown for dinner
and a tour of the National Baseball
Hall of Fame, and a night of dancing
to Dixieland jazz in the Hall of Presidents.
Thursday morning, as adventurers prepared to depart, President
Jeffrey Herbst arrived for brunch. It
was his first day in the post, and his
first official meeting as chief executive. He outlined his vision and noted
his determination “to make sure that
Colgate is the best university in the
country.”
After reencountering the liberal
arts and interacting with campus
leaders and fellow students, each participant seemed to carry a look of deep
reflection. The first night’s handshakes
were replaced by less-formal farewell
hugs and a deeper understanding of
what it means to be a member of the
Colgate community.
“Everything I’ve done here reminds
me what a great group of people are
involved with Colgate,” said Board of
Trustees chairman and program participant Christopher Clifford ’67, P’93.
Summer on the Hill will return
next year with a new round of courses
and activities. Watch colgateconnect.
org for details.
Young paleontologists take notes at the
Robert M. Linsley Geology Museum during
their visit to campus.
egg in the Robert M. Linsley Geology
Museum.
The junior paleontologists came
prepared for the experience, eagerly
participating in Soja’s presentation.
“When you ask a question to these
younger kids,” marveled Soja, “every
hand in the classroom goes up! Every
kid wants to answer the question.”
The campers rose to the challenge
of even Soja’s most difficult questions.
For instance, she displayed a picture of
a Tyrannosaurus rex and asked what
kind of food it ate, plants or animals.
When the students answered that it
was carnivorous, she explained that
the scientific process required they
back up their hypothesis with evidence.
The campers were able to offer
tooth shape, fossilized stomach
contents, and even the dinosaur’s eye
placement as evidence that it was a
carnivore. Likewise, they recognized
that a few features, like the dinosaur’s
small forelegs, might contradict their
hypothesis.
McGill started the camp, offered
free to campers, in 2005 with the help
of geology professor Richard April.
“Children are innately fascinated with
dinosaurs,” commented April, “so we
thought this would be a wonderful
Conference builds on Colgate’s
literary legacy
Author Dennis McFadden, a veteran
of the Colgate Writers’ Conference,
found himself blazing a slightly different trail when he returned to the
event this year. Rather than attending as a student, McFadden found
himself reading his own work to the
participants who were once his peers.
Hart’s Grove, the novel that he
had workshopped at the conference
several years ago, will soon be published by the recently revived Colgate
University Press. “Having attended
the conference twice, in ’06 and ’08,
it was fun seeing the podium from
the other side, although I enjoyed
both experiences a great deal,” McFadden said. “I always enjoy my time
there, and I intend to return.” McFadden’s reading was just one of many
highlights from this year’s program,
which was held June 20 through 26.
Each year, the conference offers a
series of public craft talks, shop talks,
and readings from Colgate faculty
authors, as well as visiting published
authors. The conference also offers the
opportunity for veteran and novice
writers alike to workshop their manuscripts of fiction, poetry, or literary
nonfiction with the faculty.
Like McFadden, nearly half of this
year’s 50 students had participated
before. Among the accomplished visiting writers on the faculty were 2000
Pulitzer Prize finalist and Guggenheim
Fellow Bruce Smith and John Robert
Lennon, author of Happyland.
Several alumni also made an appearance. Dan Wald ’82, author of Ad
Asylum, discussed the digital aspects
of the publishing world and the
impact of quickly evolving technological advances on what it means to be a
writer, from Kindles and iPads to the
newer trend toward DIY publishing.
Jennifer Smith ’03, an associate
editor at Random House and author of
two acclaimed novels, The Comeback
Season and You Are Here, gave a voice
to the often academically ignored —
but nevertheless influential — genre
of young adult novels. Andrea Barzvi
’95, a literary agent, spoke of her role
in the publishing process, as did Jennifer Pooley ’97, a senior editor with
HarperCollins.
The conference explored both
breadth and depth in its topics this
year, and demonstrated strong support for Colgate’s literary legacy.
“I wouldn’t mind if this book was
judged by its cover,” quipped McFadden, praising the dedication of the
conference staff and the role of the
Colgate University Press in its publication. “It came out beautifully.”
— Avi Israel ’10
Faculty appointments
During the summer, two members of
the faculty were recognized through
new appointments.
D. Kay Johnston, professor of educational studies and women’s studies,
has been named Presidential Scholar
through June 30, 2013. Having served
on Colgate’s educational studies faculty since 1986, Johnston specializes in
adolescent development, moral development, and elementary education.
Jyoti Khanna, of the Department
of Economics, has been promoted to
full professor. Khanna’s specialties
include public economics, statistics,
microeconomics, and international
economics.
Get to know: Lesleigh Cushing
Andrew Daddio
way for students to experience a little
bit of paleontology to understand
more about earth and earth processes, time, animals, and extinction and
what that means.”
McGill and April cooperated in
securing external funding sources,
receiving a grant from an old telephone company, NYNEX. McGill also
took advantage of various Colgate
outreach programs to educate herself
more thoroughly on the subject of
paleontology so that she could teach
the subject with more depth.
The camp is anything but just
a summer class. “Not that I don’t
like what I do during the year,” said
McGill, “but this is hands-on learning.
I don’t need to worry as much about
‘you need to sit here. You need to stay
focused.’ It’s not that kind of teaching.
It’s more exploration.”
For camper Aidan Woods, such
exploration is hard to narrow to a
favorite subject. “I like all the dinosaurs!” he exclaimed.
The campers’ experience also has
a lasting impact. Liam Stahl, now
heading into seventh grade, was one
of the first junior paleontologists. His
word of advice for future campers?
“Pay attention. Some of the stuff you
learn is really useful later. And even
if isn’t, it is sometimes just good to
know.”
—Associate professor of religion and Jewish studies; chair of Core 151
—Her forthcoming book is The Good Book in the Promised Land: The Bible in America
How did you become interested in biblical interpretation?
As an undergraduate English major, I took a class in the history of Jewish biblical interpretation. For the term paper, we had to find 100 interpretations of any passage in the Bible. I
chose Genesis 9:22, which talks about what happens to Noah after the ark alights. It was
eye opening to see how one verse can be read so many different ways.
What happens if one takes the text literally?
You run into all sorts of problems. Take Noah’s ark. He’s on a boat for a year with all of these
animals. What did he do with all that waste? And how did he manage animal instinct? How
did he keep the two bunnies from becoming 200 bunnies, or the two lions from devouring
everyone else? People throughout history have imagined elaborate back-stories — the animals were in a state of divine hibernation. Once you start filling in the gaps like this, you’re
up to something new: creative interpretation. That’s what I’m most interested in.
How do you teach something so amorphous?
With undergraduates, I push them to slow down and read closely. They need to see the
surface irregularities in the text in order to see why people have spent 2,000 years trying to
smooth them over.
How is it different when you teach older students?
The Lifelong Learners in Hamilton, or the alumni and parent participants of Summer on the
Hill, like the possibility that text can mean multiple things simultaneously. This comfort
comes, I think, from having had more life experience. It’s very hard to convince college students that they’re mortal — which is what a lot of the literature I teach is grappling with.
How do you teach your own young children?
Well, they’re two and four, so we’re not really focusing on mortality yet! And, while we read
a lot of books about Jewish traditions and rituals, I don’t read them the Bible — despite the
prevalence of Noah’s ark nursery decorations, it is simply not a children’s book.
What should everyone know about the Bible?
People should be deeply skeptical when someone says “the Bible says x about y,” because
there’s a very good chance that somewhere else in the Bible, it says q about y. Readers of all
backgrounds with all kinds of agendas plumb the Bible for the prooftexts that support their
positions on issues. And they find what they need, but you can be pretty sure that someone
looking to make the opposite case is also going to be able to mount a biblically based argument. And that’s where things really start to get interesting.
— Barbara Brooks
17
arts & culture
Exhibition marks Hurricane
Katrina anniversary
A photograph from
Francis Cape’s
Waterline exhibition.
This past August — five years after
Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc
on New Orleans — an exhibition
opened in the Clifford Gallery that
gave visitors the sense of living
in the Crescent City following the
devastation. Behind the Levees is a
progression of Francis Cape’s art that
began in November 2005, when the
New York–based artist was hired to
help the Louisiana State Museum
salvage some of its contents.
Cape’s New Orleans–inspired work
began with a series of photographs
titled Waterline. Taken in the Gentilly
neighborhood, the pictures are of
homes that not only share the
common theme of destruction, but
also have visible water stains showing
how high the floodwater stood.
Although he is a sculptor, not a
photographer, by trade, Cape said,
“People were showing me what
happened to the city and I felt like I
was being asked to tell a story.” Buying
some basic film from a drugstore, he
snapped shots as he walked around.
During this walk, he was struck by the
otherwise ordinary nature of Gentilly.
“It could be here in Hamilton, it could
be in the Midwest — this is a typical
American middle-class area,” he said.
“This could be my neighborhood; it
felt very close to home.”
Wanting to bring that feeling of
home to the gallery, he mounted the
photographs in regular domestic
frames. Below the pictures, he set
murky yellow wainscoting at the
same height as the water level in one
of the photographed houses, to give
visitors the feeling of being immersed
in the floodwaters.
Cape expanded on Waterline after
visiting New Orleans in subsequent
years. The piece Four Folding Chairs
consists of chairs that frame photos
of the FEMA trailers that served as
makeshift homes. Cape took the
photos in 2006 when following the
same route he walked for Waterline.
“Folding chairs, like trailers, are for
camping and temporary use. They’re
about as much use to people in a flood
zone as a trailer,” he explained.
In 2007, Cape again walked
through the Gentilly neighborhood,
set up a tripod in the same spots
where he took the first set of
photographs in 2005, and shot
comparison images. The series New
Orleans 2005/2007 shows how, in
some cases, the houses look almost
exactly the same, in others, they are
rebuilt, and some houses no longer
exist. The series was printed into a
book, funded by Colgate’s Institute for
the Creative and Performing Arts, and
sold on campus. All of the proceeds
were given to the Center for Outreach,
Volunteerism, and Education for its
outreach work in New Orleans.
Cape’s exhibition also featured
several furniture sculptures, two of
which address the BP oil spill. Colgate
is the first site where those pieces
were on exhibition, and this was the
first time all of Cape’s New Orleans
works were shown together.
Art professor DeWitt Godfrey
noted the importance of Cape’s
continuation of the project. “It’s really
interesting to see the evolution of
an idea,” Godfrey said. “We’re not
only presenting culture, but I also
see part of our mission as helping
produce culture,” he said on behalf
of the institute, ArtsMix, and the
art department. Godfrey added, “So
that an artist like Francis has the
opportunity to realize a project, using
the university as a laboratory for
creative practice.”
Alumni rock out for
New York musicians
Musicians helping musicians. That
was the purpose of the first Jubilee
event hosted by the Musician’s Aid
Society of New York (MASNY), an
organization founded by Greg Koerner
’88 and chaired by Paul Schupf ’58.
As The Jewel cruised New York
City’s East River on August 19,
18
scene: Autumn 2010
Preview
ArcheDream for Humankind presents
Deep Blue
Saturday, November 20, 8–10 p.m.
Palace Theater, 19 Utica St.
$20 adults, $10 students/youth
315-824-1420; palacetheater.org
This internationally touring mask and
dance theater company creates archetypal
characters, performing allegories to
personify vital issues pertaining to
our lives. Merging ancient ritual and
storytelling with modern technology,
Deep Blue is a magic journey through the
elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.
Founder Alan Bell creates Africaninfluenced masks and hand-painted
costumes, merging playful elements of
tribal dance with the shocking glow of
black-light reflective paint for a visually
stunning experience.
8
For information on other arts events:
www.colgate.edu/arts
From football to Faulkner
Like the name of his arts review
website, Fogged Clarity, Ben Evans
’06 is something of a dichotomy. A
football player while at Colgate, Evans
himself points out that his career path
as a poet wasn’t to be expected. In
Film fans find plenty to like at
Hamilton festival
Jean Koerner
approximately 300 attendees on
board — including about 40 Colgate
alumni spanning six generations —
danced to the music of Koerner’s band,
Gent Treadly. The band was joined by
legendary New Orleans jazz pianist
Henry Butler and other luminaries
such as Buddy Cage.
The Jubilee raised funding for
MASNY, a nonprofit organization that
helps provide resources for the artistic
growth of musicians in the New
York metropolitan area. In addition
to Koerner and Schupf, Tim Murphy
’82 serves as MASNY’s vice president,
Derrick Hussey ’88 is a board member,
and Mario Marsicano ’88 has also
been a contributor.
Koerner, who has been jamming
on the bass since the age of 13, said
he started MASNY because “I’ve seen
how difficult it is for musicians [to
survive] in New York.” A New York City
private practice attorney, Koerner has
had an impressive second career as a
musician, which has included touring
with the Dark Star Orchestra. Gent
Treadly — described on gent-treadly.
com as offering “bluesy improvisational roots rock” — has previously
been joined onstage by members of
the Grateful Dead, Phish, The Band,
and other well-known performers.
“Greg is deeply committed to
music and to the well-being of fellow
musicians,” said Schupf, who has
known Koerner since he was a Colgate
student.
“I have quite a bit of experience in
the nonprofit world, having worked
as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa,
as well as a stint with the Legal Aid
Society in Manhattan,” Koerner said,
“but Paul’s incredible generosity
has enabled me to lead a grassroots
effort that provides direct support to
musicians in need.”
MASNY plans to host future events
and is coordinating a program with
the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth
Center in order to provide musical
instruction to children in the Bronx. “The Jubilee was a major step to
making MASNY a long-term, viable,
and productive foundation,” said
Schupf.
Greg Koerner ’88 (standing, in white) plays with his band, Gent Treadly, and jazz pianist
Henry Butler (keyboard) at the MASNY Jubilee.
fact, he recently wrote an article for
the Good Men Project magazine about
his conflicted identity in college.
Now, having reconciled his
multifaceted nature, Evans has built
Fogged Clarity into one of the most
comprehensive online and printed
arts reviews in the country. “Creation
is the most important thing that a
human being can do, and I wanted to
create a forum for artists around the
world to share their work,” he said.
What makes the site unique, Evans
explained, is that it streams an album
and exhibits visual galleries every
month, in addition to publishing
poetry, fiction, interviews, reviews,
and creative nonfiction.
Because “the Clarity” is his
brainchild, Evans wears many hats,
from reviewer to editor to event
coordinator for the shows the journal
hosts. To build the site’s presence
and fundraise for the nonprofit
organization, Evans coordinates
salon-style readings and concerts in
New York City, Chicago, and western
Michigan, where he is based in
Muskegon.
The site has a loyal audience that
ranges between 12,000 and 16,000
visitors every month. When bigname authors such as T.C. Boyle,
Daniel Pinchbeck, or Peter Carey were
interviewed, the site attracted upward
of 23,000 hits.
One of Evans’s favorite aspects of
the job is interviewing artists. “I
like to get inside an artist’s process,
because not only does it help me
when I sit down to write, but I also
think it helps our readers and listeners
understand the influences and
intention behind the work,” Evans
explained. His own writing has been
published in more than 20 journals,
and he is a blogger for the Huffington
Post’s arts section.
After a year and a half online,
Evans got the first print edition of
Fogged Clarity published last July.
Among others, it includes pieces by
John Hemingway (Ernest’s grandson);
Michael Tyrell, a former poetry editor
of the New Yorker; Bruce Smith, a
Pulitzer Prize finalist; and Plimpton
Prize winner Benjamin Percy.
“Everything evokes a similar tone in
the book, and that is one of urgency,
an aesthetic that possesses what I like
to call a ‘stabbing eloquence,’” Evans
said. “The artists featured in Fogged
Clarity are in tune with the ache
and elation of the human condition.
It’s the kind of work that gives me
shivers.”
He and his staff also value the
importance of highlighting pieces
by lesser-known artists. “It’s about
celebrating the work that touches
us and that we find to be poignant.”
Even Evans’s former political science
professor Joe Wagner has been
featured.
Evans intends to pursue an MFA
in poetry next fall, while continuing
to expand the
reach of Fogged
Clarity. It seems
the former
fullback who
reveres Kantian
philosophy has
stepped out of
the fog and found
some clarity.
An array of provocative and
entertaining feature and short-fiction
films resulted in sold-out screenings
at the second Hamilton International
Film Festival in August.
The village of Hamilton was
brimming with film enthusiasts
from far and wide. The festival also
included panel discussions with
filmmakers, a charity walk to benefit
the Hamilton Food Cupboard, and a
dance party at the Palace Theater.
The August festival was organized
by Slater Brothers Entertainment,
which was founded by Grant Slater
’91 and his brothers, Todd and Wade.
Their father, Terry Slater, was the
head hockey coach at Colgate for 15
years.
“It feels great to give back to the
community in which my brothers
and I grew up,” said Grant. “It was
a tough task selecting the films;
there were many more submissions
this time around. We feel proud to
see that all the films we screened
touched a chord with the audience.”
The festival brought many
alumni back to Hamilton, including
John Chaklader ’03 and Michael
Tringali ’04, founders of the Shapna
coffee and tea community project,
who provided refreshments at the
reception.
Filmmaker Joe Berlinger ’83
moved the audience at the Palace
Theater with his award-winning
documentary Crude, which focuses
on the infamous Amazon Chernobyl
environmental lawsuit. After Crude
and the short-fiction film Wednesday
were screened, Mark McKay ’91 and
his band performed, providing the
final touch to a red-carpet evening.
“In just a year, the film festival has
become bigger with more awardwinning documentaries, ESPN films,
and short-fiction films,” said Todd.
“The fact that we had to turn people
away and had sold-out screenings is a
big deal in the film-festival world.”
Chuck Fox ’70, manager of the
Hamilton Movie Theater, where a
majority of the films were shown,
spoke about the festival’s impact. “The
Hamilton community’s response to
the films, as witnessed by ticket sales,
has been great,” he said. “It has been
a matter of great prestige for a small
well-knit community like ours to host
an international film festival.”
— Ruchira Rajan ’12
19
go ’gate
National recognition
for athletics director
The Colgate field
hockey team shut out
Robert Morris 5-0
in the team’s season
opener on August 24 at
Tyler’s Field.
June was an exciting month for Dave
Roach, director of athletics at Colgate.
Members of the National Association
of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
(NACDA) elected him president
for 2010-2011. The announcement
was made in conjunction with the
association’s 45th Annual Convention,
which was held June 22–25 at the
Marriott Hotel in Anaheim, Calif.
The NACDA is the professional and
educational association for more than
6,500 college athletics administrators
at more than 1,600 institutions
throughout the United States, Canada,
and Mexico.
In addition, at the convention, the
NACDA named Roach the 2009–2010
Division I Football Championship
Subdivision Northeast Region Under
Armour Athletic Director of the Year.
“This award really goes to Colgate
athletics and our tremendous staff
and excellent coaches,” he said. “I have
been truly blessed to work with a
group of educators who are dedicated
and committed to the Colgate
mission.”
Under Roach’s watch, Colgate
has made tremendous strides to
meet the rapidly changing world
of Division I athletics. Among his
accomplishments, Roach has initiated
an agreement to enhance the overall
look of Colgate’s athletics venues;
coordinated the development of
a new logo and mascot; created
the Raider Academic Honor Roll;
upgraded the department’s ticket
office, including online ticket sales
and season ticket plans; enhanced
the corporate sponsorship program;
and signed an agreement with Time
Warner Sports to televise selected
athletics events, including the entire
home football schedule.
A strong leader in the community,
Roach has been the driving force
behind the athletics department’s
Adopt a Classroom program, in which
teams are matched with Hamilton
Elementary School classrooms to
serve as role models for younger
students. Roach also began the
monthly Colgate Athletic Council
luncheons where the community has
the opportunity to hear from both
student-athletes and coaches.
Academically, 14 Colgate teams
have received Public Recognition
Awards from the NCAA.
During Roach’s six-year tenure
at Colgate, the Raiders have placed
12 teams in NCAA tournaments,
captured 15 Patriot League titles, and
won one ECACHL regular-season
championship.
Under-23 Championships July 22–25
in Brest, Belarus.
James Clinton ’11 rowed as a
member of the Canadian men’s
coxed four team. Clinton and his
team finished fifth overall, defeating
Croatia before falling to Italy, which
went on to place first.
Meanwhile, men’s head coach
Khaled Sanad coached the U.S.
men’s four with coxswain. His
team came in ninth, and upon
returning to the United States, won
the U.S. Club Nationals and then
the Royal Canadian Henley (the
North American championships)
in the Senior 8 event. “It was a fun
experience and serves as a great tool
to further our rowers,” said Sanad,
who will be coaching at the world
championships again next year.
The World Rowing Under-23
Championships serve as a showcase
of nearly 600 up-and-coming athletes
from more than 40 countries, all with
the potential to develop into elite
rowers. Many athletes featured at the
event are hopefuls to compete at the
2012 Olympic Games in London.
Patriot League recognizes
124 student-athletes
Welcoming new coaches
In July, the Patriot League named 124
student-athletes from 13 different
Colgate teams to the Patriot League
Academic Honor Roll. The honor roll
recognized varsity athletes from
the winter and spring seasons who
earned a GPA of at least 3.20 during
the spring semester.
Lacrosse alumni join pro teams
Former Colgate lacrosse player Chris
Eck ’08 was selected for the Major
League Lacrosse (MLL) all-star team
last summer. Eck is a face-off specialist
for the MLL’s Boston Cannons, and was
one of 20 players on the all-star team.
Two other former Colgate men’s
lacrosse players were selected in the
2010 National Lacrosse League Entry
Draft on September 8 in Toronto,
Canada. Ryan McClelland ’10 was
selected 10th overall by Rochester
Knighthawks in the first round, while
Tyler Collins ’10 was selected 46th
overall by the Boston Blazers in the
fifth round.
Andrew Daddio
Colgate rowers represent
at world championships
20
scene: Autumn 2010
Two Colgaters played different roles
— one as a team member, the other
as a coach — at the World Rowing
Over the summer, the athletics
department welcomed new faces
to its coaching staff, among them
several new head coaches and
alumni.
Fernando Canales became the
Mark S. Randall Endowed Coaching
Chair for men’s and women’s
swimming and diving. Canales comes
to Colgate from the University of
Michigan, where he served two stints
as assistant coach before becoming
the development officer for athletics.
Keith Tyburski was named head
coach of men’s golf. The Hamilton
native graduated from Western
Carolina University in 2006 and then
played professionally on various
mini-circuits around the country.
Maxim Wynn ’03 rejoined the
football team as a defensive assistant
coach. He returns to his alma mater
from Rutgers University, where he
was in player development.
Heather Davis ’08 also came
back to Colgate, as an assistant field
hockey coach. Davis embarked on
her collegiate coaching career as an
assistant at SUNY Oneonta.
Lastly, men’s lacrosse welcomed
back Andrew Watkins ’09 as an
assistant coach. Watkins was a fouryear letter winner for the Raiders and
Raider Nation
Fan spotlights with Vicky Chun ’91, senior associate athletic director
Foyle retires from NBA play
after 13 years
Orlando Magic center Adonal Foyle
’98 has retired from NBA play after 13
seasons. (A subtle tribute to Colgate?)
The 35-year-old center chose to
retire after a right-knee injury often
prevented him from practicing with
the team during the 2009–2010
season.
“It just never really quite got back
to where I could feel like I could keep
pushing it and do what I wanted to,”
Foyle told the Orlando Sentinel.
He spent his first 10 seasons with
Golden State and is the Warriors’ alltime leader in blocked shots, with
1,140. He is also fifth on their all-time
list for offensive rebounds and sixth
for defensive rebounds. In 733 career
NBA games, including 269 starts, Foyle
had career averages of 4.1 points and
4.7 rebounds. He had been selected by
the Warriors with the eighth overall
pick of the 1997 NBA Draft.
At Colgate, Foyle led the Raiders
to their first two NCAA postseason
tournaments while establishing
national records for shot blocking.
ESPN.com posted Foyle’s “Love Song
to a Game,” a retirement poem that
he wrote in tribute to basketball. In it,
he honors his alma mater: “Colgate’s
golden steeple, a sojurn where ancient
teachings flooded my mind. There in
the Chenango Valley where 13 sang
my soul to flight, basketball laid siege
to my soul.”
Shortly after Foyle announced his
retirement, the Magic named him the
team’s director of player development.
Additionally, Foyle plans to continue
his humanitarian work with the two
foundations he started, Democracy
Matters and the Kerosene Lamp
Foundation.
Alumnus, 102, joins Raider
Nation at football game
At age 102, Charles Strobel ’33 still
keeps his unwavering enthusiasm
for Colgate. When the football
team played Furman University
on September 11 in Greenville, S.C.,
Strobel, one of Colgate’s oldest living
alumni, was in the stands cheering on
his alma mater.
Donning a maroon hat, Strobel
joined other faithful fans for pregame
festivities before enjoying the game
from the comfort of the stadium’s
presidential box. He also met with
Raider players and coaches at Friday
night’s team dinner.
“Dad told me that he woke up this
morning thinking about how happy
attending the dinner and game had
made him,” said his daughter Marian
Strobel, who accompanied her father.
Strobel, who practiced law through
his 90s, recently moved to Greenville
from Rochester, N.Y., to be closer to his
daughter, a professor at Furman. His
granddaughter is a senior there.
Albert Boateng ’14
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Game: Women’s Volleyball vs. Syracuse, 8/28/10, in front
of a full house! 3-1 loss
Is this your first Colgate athletics event? Yes! This is my
fifth day at Colgate, and I’m having a lot of fun watching
volleyball with all of my new friends.
How do you feel on your fifth day here? I am really
happy, excited, and tired. I’m having so much fun and this is all more than what
I had expected.
What cheer have you learned? “LET’S GO, COLGATE, LET’S GO!!!”
Do you plan on coming to more athletics events? Without a doubt!
Maddie Watrobski ’09
Major: Molecular biology
Colgate activity: Field hockey player
Game: Field Hockey vs. Robert Morris, 8/28/10. The
Raiders won 5-0.
What brought you to this game? I wanted to see the
team’s season opener. I love and miss Colgate.
Bob Cornell
served as a two-time team captain
during his junior and senior seasons.
Having played freshman football
at Colgate (just prior to the notorious
1932 undefeated, untied, unscored
upon, and uninvited season), Strobel
is also one of the oldest living former
Colgate football players.
Born July 7, 1908, he attributes his
longevity to keeping his body and
mind active.
“He finally gave up his law practice
when he outlived his clients and their
children,” his daughter noted. “His
mind is not perfect today, but he still
reads the New Yorker magazine.”
Blogger lauds Seven Oaks
A writer on the blog search engine
Technorati.com recently declared
Colgate’s Seven Oaks Golf Club
“worth the trip.” The blogger Matt W,
who traveled up to Hamilton from
Philadelphia, wrote: “The Robert Trent
Jones designed course is not only
beautiful as the school that owns
it, but it’s as challenging, too.” He
goes on to describe the layout of the
course, the challenges (the stream
running through the course and the
fast greens), and the other attractions
Hamilton offers, like the farmers
market. He stated: “For those of you
who don’t think of Hamilton, N.Y., as
a golfing destination, you might be
singing a different tune shortly.”
What are you doing now? I am working in a
neurodegenerative research lab at the University of
Rochester Medical Center. I’m also coaching, officiating, and playing field hockey.
What does Colgate University and its athletics department mean to you? It was
a second home to me, and the field hockey team was my extended family.
What is your favorite Colgate athletics moment? Beating nationally ranked
Albany 1-0 my senior year.
What do you think of today’s game? Great start to the season! The players did a
lot of things well, and they know what they need to improve upon.
Steve Hansen ’10
Major: Political science
Occupation: Account executive at Cigna Health Care
Colgate activities: Football; president of Delta Upsilon
Game: Football vs. Monmouth, home opener 9/04/10,
30-29 win
What do you think of today’s game atmosphere? This
is my first time in the alumni lot. A lot of alums are back
and everyone is excited for the game.
What is your favorite football moment? When Ryan
Meyers [’10] scored the winning touchdown that marked Coach Dick Biddle as the
winningest coach in Colgate football history. Favorite Coach Biddle quote? “You’re as soft as soft-serve ice cream.”
What is your favorite non-football athletics moment? Traveling to Bucknell
my sophomore year to support our women’s soccer team in the Patriot League
Championships. We left right after practice and came with our face paint and
noisemakers. Do you have any advice for the current Colgate students? Be enthusiastic,
approach everything with optimism, and enjoy every second at Colgate.
21
new, noted ,
& quoted
Books, music &
film
challenges he faced, and his longstanding relationship with the CIA
station chief.
Information is provided by publishers, authors, and artists.
Islamic Law and Civil Code:
The Law of Property in Egypt
Ziggurat
Peter Balakian
(University of Chicago Press)
As a young man
in the late 1960s,
Peter Balakian
was a mail runner
in downtown
Manhattan, working in and around
the building site
as the World
Trade Center
slowly took shape and began to fill
with people and businesses. And, like
so many others, he watched in horror
on Sept. 11, 2001, as it fell. “A-Train/
Ziggurat/Elegy,” the anchor poem in
the poetry collection Ziggurat, weaves
the story of the towers’ rise and fall
into a complex account of life and
loss in New York. The poetry in the
book ranges widely geographically
and culturally, from the ruins of the
Bosnian National Library and tidings
of war, to the relationship between
high and pop art, music and memory,
and catastrophe and commemoration. Balakian is Colgate’s Donald M.
and Constance H. Rebar Professor in
the humanities.
Berkshire October: The Final
Mission of an Accidental Spy
Craig S. Bell ’65
(iUniverse)
In Craig Bell’s
recent work of fiction, the New York
Times reported
after the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11,
2001, that the
New York CIA
station, headed by
Martha Prescott,
had been located in a building of the
World Trade Center complex. When
the towers came down, the adjacent
CIA offices were destroyed as well.
The surviving members of the CIA
station then recruited businesspeople
and students going overseas to
gather intelligence information. This
is the story of one such recruit, the
22
scene: Autumn 2010
Richard A. Debs ’52
(Columbia University Press)
Richard Debs
analyzes the
classical Islamic
law of property
based on the
Shari’ah, traces its
historic development in Egypt,
and describes its
integration into
the modern format of a civil code.
He focuses specifically on Egypt, a
country that drew upon its traditional
legal system as it formed modern
laws, and he touches on issues that
are common to societies with Western
legal systems. Debs is chairman
emeritus of the American University
of Beirut and a trustee of the Institute
of International Education, the Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace, the Federation of Protestant
Welfare Agencies, the Barenboim-Said
Foundation, and Carnegie Hall. He is
also co-chair of the Advisory Board
of Columbia University’s Middle East
Institute and has been decorated by
the governments of Saudi Arabia and
Lebanon.
Critical Aesthetics: Kobayashi
Hideo, Modernity, and Wartime
Japan
James Dorsey ’83
(Harvard University Press)
In Critical Aesthetcritical
ics, author James
Aesthetics
Dorsey examines
the career of
literary critic
Kobayashi Hideo,
whose ideas were
forged amidst
the turmoil of the
1920s through the
1940s. Dorsey explains that by adhering to his own worldview throughout
the war, Hideo came to assume a
complex stance in which he exhibited
both resistance and acquiescence to
the wartime regime.
Dorsey, associate professor of
Japanese at Dartmouth College, was
also recently a co-editor and translaKobayashi Hideo,
Modernity, and
Wartime Japan
James Dorsey
tor for Literary Mischief: Sakaguchi
Ango, Culture, and the War (Lexington
Books). This collection of essays and
translations brings renewed focus to
the work of Sakaguchi Ango, a writer
in postwar Japan.
Cartelization, Antitrust and
Globalization in the US and
Europe
Mark S. LeClair ’80
(Routledge)
In recent years,
globalization
has forced firms
into more direct
competition,
and the result
has been global
price-fixing and
the emergence of
cartels, explains
Mark LeClair in his new book. The
situation has challenged antitrust authorities because competition policy
is regional or national, not international, in scope. LeClair explores the
motivations behind, and perceived
necessity for, organizations entering
into cartels, and he raises questions
about the impact of various regulatory strategies. He sets the history of
cartels and antitrust law in a theoretical framework, and provides suggestions for reforms of antitrust laws that
he hopes could improve the situation
moving forward.
Law’s Detour: Justice Displaced
in the Bush Administration
Peter Margulies ’78
(New York University Press)
In Law’s Detour,
Peter Margulies
explores the
various ways in
which he believes
the Bush administration skirted
the rule of law
after the terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Margulies is
a Roger Williams University School
of Law professor. From creating a
law-free zone at Guantánamo, to
pressuring prosecutors to pursue
political enemies, to undermining the
protection of refugees, the administration distracted the government from
urgent priorities, tarnished the nation’s reputation, and threatened civil
rights, Margulies argues. He states
In the media
Divorce Mediation:
A New Vision of the Law
Lenard Marlow ’54
(Xlibris)
Stephen Perkinson ’89
(University of Chicago Press)
Portraits occupy a central place in the
history of art, but did portraits exist in
Colgate bestsellers
at the Colgate Bookstore
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Up For Renewal — Cathy Alter ’87
June-tree — Peter Balakian (English)
Berkshire October — Craig S. Bell ’65
Bloody Mohawk — Richard Berleth ’63
Run Like a Mother — Sarah Bowen Shea ’88 and Dimity McDowell ’94
The Competent Cook — Lauren Braun Costello ’98
Unlearning to Fly — Jennifer Brice (English)
The Thirteen American Arguments — Howard Fineman ’70
Political Rules of the Road — Lou Frey Jr. ’55
Grandma Wants to Eat My Baby Sister — Jackie Jafarian Broad ’90
“Politicians receive lots of on-the-job training in deception
and dissembling, and learn to separate how they really feel
and think from what they say and display.”
— Carrie Keating, psychology professor, offering her expert insight in a
Hartford Courant (Conn.) article about body language
“I really have no limitations. I can’t think of anything I can’t do.”
— Student-athlete Hannah Fitton ’14 talks to her hometown newspaper, Post-Crescent (Appleton, Wis.), about a genetic disorder that affects her hearing and vision
“God kind of grabbed me. I couldn’t get enough of theology.
I headed right into Yale Divinity School when I graduated.”
— Rev. Marti Swords-Horrell ’77, pastor of a Methodist church, tells the Post-Standard (Syracuse) how a Colgate theology course shaped her life
Carl Benton Straub ’58
(Shaker Press)
The history of
T
the Shakers
in
America is one
in which land
plays a central
and pivotal role,
explains Carl Benton Straub. Here,
Straub explores
the Shakers’ way
of viewing the world they inhabit,
both the natural and the created. He
writes, “The essential Shaker response
to the land and the varied communities of life entwined with the land —
wild and domestic — is the translation through interpretation and labor
of nature’s variables into patterns of
meaning which reflect Shaker interest
in religious community.” His work provides insight into the fields of Shaker
studies, land use, and conservation, as
well as contributes to the history of
religion in America.
he great historian of religions in America, Sydney Ahlstrom
of Yale, called the Shakers “one of the American marvels.”
Ahlstrom was referring to the influences of the Shakers’
model of religious community within the nation’s many social
experiments, especially during the early nineteenth century. This
fresh new study extends the appreciation of the Shakers to include
their efforts to make religious sense out of the natural environments
within which the villages were embedded.
The essay is a contribution to the story of how religious movements
initiated in Europe became American through taking seriously the
land. In the Shaker ways of looking at the world, there is a basic
religious unity between what is going on in history—“in the course
of human events”—and what is at work in nature. The essential
Shaker response to the land and the varied communities of life
entwined with the land—wild and domestic—is the translation
through interpretation and labor of nature’s variables into patterns
of meaning which reflect Shaker interest in religious community.
CARL BENTON STRAUB has been Professor of Religion and Clark
A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies at Bates College. He also
served Bates for 18 years as the dean of academic affairs. Straub did his
undergraduate work in Colgate University, and earned the theological
degree and the Ph.D. from Harvard. His broad intellectual interests focus
on how cultural traditions influence human perceptions of the natural
worlds. This essay on the Shakers is part of Straub’s on-going study of
religious interpretations of American landscapes.
United Society of Shakers
CARL BENTON STRAUB
The Likeness of the King:
A Prehistory of Portraiture
in Late Medieval France
— In a Washington Post article, travel and lifestyle writer Josey Miller (wife of Jeffrey Wertheimer ’98) describes the burgeoning local arts scene in Hamilton and the surrounding region
An Honorable Harvest: Shakers
and the Natural World
an honorable harvest
Divorce Mediation
is the latest book
by Lenard Marlow,
a practicing attorney and divorce
mediation professional. Marlow
contends that the
nature of our legal
system and its method of validation
is such that the system necessarily
favors equity over certainty. Ironically,
because it is not possible for the law
to give an undeniably correct answer,
it winds up granting divorcing couples
neither equity nor certainty, he says.
Therefore, Marlow proposes a new
vision of the law that places greater
weight on clarity. He writes that those
involved in a divorce should be able to
consult the law and come away with
an answer, or at least a narrow range
of answers, rather than a continuously
ongoing debate.
“Continuing my stroll along Lebanon Street, I was repeatedly surprised. The Barge Canal coffeehouse was selling
locally made quilts. Even J.J.’s Salon boasted locally made
fashion accessories.”
the medieval era?
In The Likeness of
the King, Stephen
Perkinson challenges the canonical account of
the invention of
modern portrait
practices, offering
a case against
the tendency of recent scholarship to
identify likenesses of historical
personages as “the first modern
portraits.” Through an examination of
well-known images of the 14th- and
early 15th-century kings of France, as
well as objects such as wax votive figures and royal seals, Perkinson demonstrates that the changes evident
in these images do not constitute a
revolutionary break with the past, but
instead were a continuation of late
medieval representational traditions.
Perkinson is associate professor of art
history at Bowdoin College.
United
Society
of
Shakers
Ad Asylum
Dan Wald ’82
(iUniverse)
Mad Men hits the 21st century in
Dan Wald’s first published novel, Ad
Asylum. Halliday & Vine, once the
greatest ad agency in New York, is on
“People are angry. Ordinary citizens don’t want their government and their lives dominated by corporate wealth
and greedy special interests.”
PROOF #4 FOR “AN HONORABLE HARVEST” SOFTCOVER FOR UNITED SOCIETY OF SHAKERS
5.5 X 8.5” WITH .5” SPINE, 4-COLOR PROCESS
© DUNN+ASSOCIATES DESIGN (SHK101) 4/16/09
that the government needs flexibility
to address risks to national security,
but he questions the Bush administration’s tactics.
— Joan Mandle, associate professor of sociology emeritus and executive director of Democracy Matters, in an opinion article in the Post-Standard (Syracuse) about the Fair Elections Now Act
“We hope to, with the documentary, humanize the story and
have interviews with the survivors.”
— Alex Sklyar ’10 talks to Japanese outlet Kyodo News prior to traveling
to Nagasaki to interview atomic-bomb survivors and their relatives for
a documentary
the brink of folding. Their most
creative figure
has disappeared
when they make
the final round in
the pitch for the
largest fashion
account in the
world, granting
them one last chance to survive.
When Drew, the new chief creative
officer, is going to blow it with a bad
pitch idea, underlings Ryan Simmons
and Rachel Weiss take matters into
their own hands. Mayhem ensues in
a clash of technology, egos, nasty clients, and supermodels, as a lovable but
motley crew tries to save the agency
and their jobs.
Also of note:
The second novel by Allan D. Moore ’52
is the humorous story of a romance
prompted by one character’s bold public statement: The Last Time I Saw You,
You Were Naked! (iUniverse). In the
context of the story, Moore explores
the struggle for women’s rights and
the question of how well Christians
have managed Christianity.
23
Bright Curious Reliable Productive Practical
Meticulous Articulate Generous Thoughtful
Self-deprecating Fair Transparent Analytical
Organized Unflappable. Meticulous Curious
Reliable Productive Practical Meticulous
Articulate. Thoughtful Self-deprecating
Transparent. Analytical. Unflappable. Practical
Bright Cs. Articulate. Generous. Thoughtful
Self-deprecating. Fair. Transparent. Analytical
Organized. Bright. Curious. Reliabl Productive
Practical Meticulous. Articulateeeee. Generous
Fair Thoughtful.ef-deprecatg.FarTransparent
Analytical.
Organized.
Unflappable
Reliable Productive Analytical Meticulous
Generous Articulate Thoughtful Transparent
Analytical Curious Unflappable Organized
Reliable Productive Practical Thoughtful
Self-deprecating Fair Transparent Analytical
Unflappable Meticulous Organized Reliable
24
scene: Autumn 2010
Globetrotter
A worldly outlook
and thirst for
knowledge fuels
Colgate’s 16th
president
By Rebecca Costello
Jeff Herbst built his first model rocket when he was
10 years old. It was made of balsa wood and cardboard, and powered by a solid propellant. Growing
up in the dawn of human space exploration (he was
8 years old when man first landed on the moon), he
would get up in the middle of the night to watch
televised space launches. Model rockets were a perfect hobby for a young boy who intended to be an
astronaut when he grew up.
Over the years, his rockets got bigger, faster, and
more complex. Now, they have computerized navigation systems and telemetry. They can break the
sound barrier. They require clearance from the FAA
to launch near airports.
But while he may have become a college president instead of an astronaut, even with his feet
planted firmly on the ground, Herbst has always
aimed for the upper atmosphere.
Thirsty learner
When you ask other people about him, whether
family members, colleagues, or mentors, they all
mention the same traits — and use adverbs like
“extremely” or “particularly” in front of them. Bright.
Curious. Reliable. Productive. Meticulous. Articulate.
Generous. Thoughtful. Self-deprecating. Practical.
Fair. Transparent. Analytical. Organized. Unflappable.
It is easy to get to know Jeff Herbst through his
actions, the life experiences he talks about, and the
anecdotes that those who know him well tell about
him.
Born in Jamaica, Queens, he is the oldest of three
children. His father, Adolph, an engineer, came from
a family of “bourgeois German Jews from outside
Nuremburg who had the good fortune to escape
Hitler in 1939,” he said. His mother, Rose, was a
teacher from a family of New Yorkers. They met on
a blind date set up by their mothers, who were both
secretaries at Collier’s magazine.
When Jeff was 4 and his sister, Susan, was 3,
Adolph took a job with IBM in Fishkill, N.Y., and the
family moved upstate to Peekskill. The youngest
Herbst sibling, Steven, soon came along. Susan described the family as a “very conventional American
tableau,” with the classic road trip in the station
wagon for a two-week vacation in New Hampshire
or Maine each summer, and Mom and Dad, as
Steven put it, “supportive of anything we wanted
to do.”
Rose, a third-grade teacher, and Adolph, an avid
reader, set an intellectual tone in the home. Their
eldest son needed no cajoling in that area. By kindergarten, he had picked up reading all on his own.
Susan clearly recalls the day the school bus driver
nicknamed her studious big brother ‘Professor’
when he was in first grade. And, according to Steven,
“if you didn’t read the New York Times, you were in
trouble, because at the dinner table you had to be
ready to talk about what was going on in the world.”
Jeff got hooked reading the Times by first or
second grade, said Rose. “In fact, one day, Steven had
to take it to school for some reason. Jeffrey walked
a very dangerous couple of miles to get a new one.
He was so anxious to read the world news, he didn’t
want to wait until his brother came home from
school,” she recalled. These days, his daily news fix
still includes the Times, as well as the Wall Street
Journal in print, and online, the Washington Post,
Jerusalem Post, and South Africa’s Mail & Guardian
as well as other African and world news outlets.
Taking on new interests at an unusually young
age became something of a habit. Only a middle
schooler when home computers first hit the market,
“he insisted he had to have his own — he thought
electric typewriters were passé.” said Rose. Still keeping up on the latest technology, when he arrived at
Colgate in July, he picked up a Droid X smart phone
so that he could plug into the mobile apps world.
Jeff exercised his political interests — and honed
his communication skills — on the high school debate team. Just a year apart in school, he and Susan
became formidable debate partners, winning a national championship in 1979. The two eldest Herbst
siblings went on to pursue somewhat parallel academic tracks; also a political scientist, Susan studies
public opinion, mass media, and policy making in
the United States and serves as vice chancellor of
the University System of Georgia.
The whole family would travel to debate tournaments, where younger brother Steven noted “a
certain competitive side to Jeff. He wasn’t just there
to have some fun, although I’m sure that was part of
it. He was there to achieve great things.”
That competitive nature also played out through
his interest in sports. He may not discuss last night’s
football game at the office, but, as Steven put it, “He’s
what I call the underrated sports fan. One of my earliest memories of Jeff was watching sports together,
and he was a big influence in making me a New York
sports fan, specifically a Mets, Jets, and Knicks fan.”
Today, Steven is executive vice president and general
manager of the CBS College Sports Network.
Model student
Not long after starting college at Princeton University, Herbst found his lifelong interest in the politics
of sub-Saharan Africa.
“I happened to take a course called Politics of
Africa, which was taught by Henry Bienen, who was
then professor of politics and would later become
my dean at the Woodrow Wilson School when I was
a faculty member, and later would be president of
Northwestern University,” Herbst explained. “At
about the same time, I took a developmental economics course from Sir W. Arthur Lewis, the Caribbean economist who had just won the Nobel Prize in
economics.”
Then, as a junior, he landed a grant to do research
in Nigeria on its political and economic relations in
the West African region. It was 1982.
“It was the first time I had ever been out of the
country. I had to get a passport,” said Herbst. “Lagos,
the capital, where I was, was at the end of the
second oil boom and it was just about at the end of
their democracy, although the Nigerians didn’t know
that yet.”
He found Nigeria to be a “fantastically exciting,
complex, corrupt place,” he said. One day, he walked
up many flights of stairs at the Central Bank to talk
to an economist. The lights were out in the building.
“I asked, ‘Did the plant fail?’ The man replied, ‘No,
we don’t have electricity because the power authority demanded a bribe from us and we refused to pay.’
Here was one branch of the government essentially
shaking down another. I thought, this requires further study.”
He undertook that investigation with gusto, and
by the end of his time in Nigeria, he said, “I had absolutely decided I wanted to make the study of Africa
my career.” That trip also sparked a lifelong passion
for travel, a useful trait for someone who studies
foreign countries. “No one loves to travel more than
25
A family model-rocketry outing
Jeff,” said brother Steven. “He loves to experience
new places. He loves to learn anything and everything about wherever he is.”
“From the beginning, Jeff wasn’t a conventional
student,” said Bienen, who, with his expertise in
political and economic development, comparative
politics, civil-military relations, and U.S. foreign
policy in Africa became a strong role model and
mentor for Herbst. “He had already acquired a lot
of knowledge. A lot of students come to a course on
Africa as something exotic; he knew more about his
subject matter than most.”
Herbst wrote about smuggling in Nigeria for
his senior thesis — “which always seemed to me a
very dangerous subject,” said Bienen, his adviser on
the project. “When I met his parents, I thought they
were going to kill me for sending him off to Nigeria
[“I thought we’d never see him again,” said Rose.].
But Jeff survived the experience, and he did a very
systematic, thorough study, which was excellent.” After graduating summa cum laude from Princeton in 1983, he undertook graduate school at Yale
University. There, he distinguished himself among “a
particularly good crop of graduate students. He was
just brighter, across the board,” said William Foltz,
the H.J. Heinz Professor Emeritus of African studies
at Yale, who particularly remembers a seminar with
Herbst as “one of the most consistently interesting
and stimulating graduate seminars I’ve ever taught.
He was very good at taking a contrary position,
exploring, pushing.”
At that time, Zimbabwe was emerging from colonial rule, and becoming a seemingly considerable
success, Herbst noted. “Things, of course, went quite
terribly wrong after that,” he noted, but at that point,
he was drawn to learn why Zimbabwe was doing
well, as opposed to other African nations. He spent
18 months in Harare, writing his dissertation on autonomy and decision making on policy formulation
26
scene: Autumn 2010
At the Civil War Monument in Hargeisa, Somaliland
and implementation, which garnered recognition
from the American Political Science Association; he
received the Gabriel Almond Award for the best doctoral dissertation in the field of comparative politics.
When Herbst finished his PhD studies in 1987,
Bienen said, he “was very eager to bring him back to
Princeton.” Bienen hired his former student to teach
in the politics department.
Family man
Shortly after returning to Princeton to teach, another
new chapter in Herbst’s life opened up. His sister,
then a graduate student, was attending a conference
for public opinion researchers, where she met the
friend of a friend named Sharon Polansky. Sharon
had just taken a job as a senior research director at
the Gallup Organization in Princeton after graduating with her PhD from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. Susan Herbst suggested to
Sharon that she set her up with her brother, who
had just moved there himself.
“I was dubious as opposed to intrigued, mostly
because it was a blind date,” said Polansky, but also
because it seemed to her that they would have little
in common.
“Susan said, ‘What harm can come from it? He
could just be a friend,’” Sharon recalled. “Lo and behold, we had lunch, and then we had another lunch,
and so it went. That was really a surprise to everybody, including his sister and my friend.” They were
married in 1988.
The couple has three children: Matthew, a sophomore at Miami University; Spencer, a first-year at
Syracuse University; and Alana, a junior at Hamilton
Central School. The whole family shares Jeff’s passion for travel, so work as well as play have taken the
family all over the world. For one year before Alana
was born, they lived in South Africa when he served
as a visiting Fulbright professor at the University of
Cape Town and the University of the Western Cape.
In addition to filling up their U.S. passports on international trips, the family also picked up a National
Park Passport and set about visiting a different
national park each year — incorporating at least a
bit of learning into every vacation.
The children also picked up their father’s interest
in model rocketry, and when they’re not looking up
at the sky, water sports like kayaking and rafting are
another family pastime.
When Jeff reads for pleasure (about a book a
week, outside his academic reading), it’s likely to be
“police procedurals based in foreign countries,” a
la P.D. James, or an academic novel. It can be tough
to buy him a book by a favorite writer, said Sharon,
because “he exhausts authors; he’ll read everything a
person has written and then move on.”
Expert and contributor
Over the last 20-plus years, Herbst has become a
leading scholar on Africa, covering a wide variety
of issues, from the politics of economic and political reform, to boundaries and the formation of state
systems. He regularly serves as an expert source for
the media and writes op-eds for international publications. In addition to serving as a consultant for the
United Nations and World Bank, he has been tapped
by the State Department, Department of Defense,
and National Intelligence Council on issues such as
the role of the United States in combating terrorist
threats and the dynamics of African democracies
and African economic management. He has also
lectured at the Air Force Special Operations School,
National Defense University, and Army War College,
where, for example, he has covered the overall security environment facing African governments.
One interest about which he has written extensively, citizenship law, was sparked by his father’s
experience escaping Nazi Germany. “His parents got
Herbst and his wife, Sharon Polansky, at the Taj Mahal
At the Maputo fish market in Mozambique
The family at the Western Wall
to go immediately to the United States, but he was
trapped in Belgium for a while. During that time,
Hitler stripped the Jews of their citizenship. My
father became stateless,” said Herbst. “That concept
has always fascinated me because, of course, now we
believe that every single person has a state.”
“Jeff has made a lot of contributions to how we
think about state formations,” said Bienen, noting
that, although in Africa there are many weak states,
there have been relatively few boundary changes
where one might have expected more. “He contribut-
better in terms of how it treats its own people than
countries we do consider sovereign,” he said. “I ask
the question, why do we consider Zimbabwe sovereign when its leadership has essentially declared
war on its population, when Somaliland, a breakaway portion of a country that’s otherwise in chaos,
rules itself as best it can, but no one recognizes it? Is
that really the only choice we’re stuck with?”
Of his motivation to pursue this work, he said,
“Politics is so consequential to the life chances of
millions of people in Africa. People often ask, ‘Does
it matter who’s in
charge?’ But if African
leaders make the right
decisions, as evidenced
by the transition to
majority rule in South
Africa, then things get better quite quickly. If they
make the wrong decisions, as we’ve seen in Zimbabwe, it can be quite terrible. The countries have such
weak institutions, and they’re so poor, that politics is
not just a game of the elite.”
Having lived in some of the countries he studies,
his work is also personal. “I’ve seen Zimbabwe fall
apart. The University of Zimbabwe, where I taught,
came apart completely as an institution,” he said.
“Many of my friends have had to emigrate to survive,
to get better lives for themselves, and because they
didn’t believe their children could get educations.
And millions of people, who in a different set of
circumstances would have advanced, are today
malnourished, dying of AIDS. The country may not
recover from what’s been done to it by its own leaders for decades or more.”
His scholarship has also influenced or enhanced
those traits family and colleagues attribute to
Herbst, from his unflappable nature to his practical
outlook. When you ask people how they de-stress,
you expect to hear about a yoga class, or a glass of
nice wine with dinner. But — although he does make
a habit of exercising in the mornings — when you
ask Herbst that question, he talks about delving into
his academic work. Recounting a recent meeting
with the vice chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe, he said, “He told me he brings a jerry can to
work each day because there is no water to flush the
toilet. After that, the things you deal with… You put
them in perspective.”
“Politics is so consequential to the life
chances of millions of people in Africa.”
ed a lot to the literature as to why that didn’t happen
— why those state systems stayed stable.”
In his writings, Herbst is happy to challenge the
prevailing wisdom, said Foltz. “In his very good book
on the African state, his principal argument is that
some states ought to fail — in effect, take the political equivalent of Chapter 11 and perhaps be taken
over by other states. Others have been forced to
rethink these subjects.”
Among Herbst’s recent work in this area has been
a string of articles questioning the sovereignty of
Congo because, he says, it does not exert enough
authority over its own people and land to be considered sovereign. “One of the mistakes we made is
that, just because these countries became independent does not mean that they should be considered
sovereign forever,” he explained. “Look at the map of
Europe. It changes all the time.”
In a contrasting situation, he has also been writing about Somaliland, a region in northwest Somalia
that has been declared its own country but is not
recognized by anyone. “It’s actually doing much
Change agent
Herbst cut his administrative teeth in a series of
leadership posts in his 18 years at Princeton that included acting associate dean at the Woodrow Wilson
School, and chairing the politics department, which
at that time offered the largest single major at the
university.
“If you needed something done, you asked Jeff to
do it. He was always willing to take on administrative chores, and he did them well,” said Bienen of his
time as Herbst’s dean at Princeton. And speaking as
a former university president himself, he noted that
the skills that make Herbst a good political scientist
also make him a skilled administrator. “We’re always
interested in the interaction of political and economic factors. That serves you in good stead, because
looking at tradeoffs is critical in administering
universities.”
The methods he employs doing field research —
interviewing people, learning, and trying to understand what is going on — have been very useful in
organizational situations, Herbst noted, especially
when moving to a new place.
As his career progressed, Herbst developed a clear
vision and innovative ideas about many areas of the
changing landscape of higher education, and in 2005
he left Princeton to become provost and executive
vice president for academic affairs at Miami University. His colleagues at Miami, where he has spent
27
the past five years, describe him as a change agent
with a consultative, but get-it-done leadership style.
Karen Shaffer, who, as secretary of the university,
worked with Herbst on running the faculty senate
and the promotion and tenure process, described a
typical meeting where a seemingly unanswerable
issue came up. “He just got up and went down the
hall and got the person who really could make this
happen,” she said. “They talked, and ten minutes
later, it was a done deal. Another issue came up, he
went back down the hall, got another person. Instead
of twenty different memos and a whole month [of
time], you’ve got it solved right then and there. I was
amazed.”
“He’s as close to a homo economicus or rational actor as I’ve worked with,” said Jeanne Hey, director of
Miami’s International Studies Program, who served
as an interim regional campus dean in Herbst’s last
year as provost. Whatever the initiative, she said, “he
clearly identified a series of goals and problems to be
solved and set about approaching them in a transparent, step-by-step process. This meant applying
his own advocacy and work, defining stakeholders,
listening to constituencies, developing options and
getting feedback, and, finally, implementing policies
aimed at achieving the goal.”
Herbst employed that approach in elevating
many aspects of the learning and teaching environment at Miami. He promoted internationalization by
Quick facts — Jeff Herbst
Education
Yale University, Department of Political
Science, MA and MPhil 1985; PhD 1987
Princeton University, BA, Woodrow Wilson School, African Studies Program, 1983
Summa cum laude
Yearbook entry:
“To know and not to act is not to know”
— Wang Yang-ming
Positions held
Miami University
Provost and Executive Vice President for
Academic Affairs, 2005–2009
Princeton University
Politics and International Affairs faculty, 1987–2005
Chair, Department of Politics, 2000–2005
University of Cape Town and University of the
Western Cape
Visiting Fulbright Professor, 1992–1993
University of Ghana, Legon
Visiting Research Fellow, 1989–1990
University of Zimbabwe
Fulbright Research Associate, 1986–1987
28
scene: Autumn 2010
broadening the curriculum and expanding opportunities for study abroad. He expanded outreach efforts
in the community. He championed academic integrity on campus. And he increased access for students
of limited means, as well as significantly increased
multicultural diversity.
One of Herbst’s particular passions is the evolving
intersection of technology and teaching. Glenn Platt,
director of the Armstrong Institute for Interactive
Media Studies (AIMS) at Miami, described a group
visit to leading Silicon Valley tech companies in
which Herbst participated. “I particularly remember
the meeting at Apple,” Platt recounted. “In the conversation about what technology could do — what
has been done, and what can be done — I will go so
far as to say that Jeff was pushing the Apple people.
He was laying out some dramatic and forward-thinking ideas, and they were trying to keep up with him.”
The story of how AIMS blossomed under Herbst’s
watch captures how his vision for higher education — from technology concerns to administrative
structure to internationalization — is uniquely synthesized. Students and professors study how digital
and interactive media are disrupting traditional
disciplines, through a major and a minor as well as
independent study, thesis, research, and client-based
projects. The AIMS faculty and students come from
all five university divisions to work in an interdisciplinary setting.
Editorial boards
Journal of Modern African Studies, 1997–
Princeton University Press, 2001–2005
World Politics, 1993–2005
Awards
• John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, 2004–
2005, “Geography and Political Development”
• States and Power in Africa: 2000 Gregory M.
Luebbert Prize for the best book in comparative politics, Comparative Politics section,
American Political Science Association, and
2001 Finalist, Melville J. Herskovits Award
for the best book in African Studies, African
Studies Association
• Ralph O. Glendinning Preceptor, 1991–1994
• Robert S. McNamara Research Fellowship,
World Bank, 1989–1990
• Gabriel Almond Award for the best doctoral
dissertation in the field of comparative
politics, American Political Science
Association, 1989
• Fulbright Scholarships in South Africa,
1992–1993, and Zimbabwe, 1986–1987
• National Resources Scholarship for Language
Study (Afrikaans), 1985–1986
8
Read more at president.colgate.edu
Herbst helped to shape faculty hiring practices
in a way that benefited such an interdisciplinary
institute, by rethinking traditional institutional
structures, said Platt. “He said, ‘Maybe being in one
department isn’t the right way for a program like
this to run.’” So the institute now hires professors
who are not housed in any one department, and
a promotion and tenure committee is tailored for
each person by drawing faculty members from
relevant disciplines. “Instead of having someone
conform to the institution,” Platt explained, “the
institution figures out a way to conform to that
person.”
On a trip to Dharamsala, India, to broker a student exchange program between Miami University
and the Sarah College for Higher Tibetan Studies
(with which the Dalai Lama is affiliated), Herbst
identified several needs that led to other fortuitous
connections. All AIMS students take a capstone
course where real-world paying clients, usually
businesses, hire them to build digital solutions to
their problems. Out of his trip came three capstone
projects working for Sarah College: an interactive
online Tibetan language course; a digital archive of
endangered Tibetan documents created in partnership with Google; and a 3-D virtual reality mandala — which His Holiness himself would get to
“move through” when the students presented their
projects to him on his visit to Miami in October, arranged through Herbst’s inspired invitation.
Many of his accomplishments took place in tight
economic times, and of the lessons he learned in his
Miami post, said Herbst, one was that “tremendous
things could often be done without access to large
amounts of resources.” Revamping the course evaluation system, for example, from one in which each
division had its own instrument, to a common set
based on best practices, was a time-consuming yet
not costly project. “Evaluating teaching in the best
possible way is absolutely critical to an institution,”
he said.“While not as dramatic as building a new
building, these kinds of things have a profound effect because they get into the landscape. I also saw
the power of incentives when they are aligned with
the mission of the institution, as well as just how
profoundly a dedicated faculty can do in teaching
and service.”
When he left Miami to take up the presidency at
Colgate, the impact he had made, and the esteem
and affection his colleagues had for him, could be
seen at his farewell party, where, rounding out the
remarks and thanks, they roasted him royally, and a
group of deans concocted a parody sung to the tune
of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson.”
Shortly after arriving on Colgate’s campus, Herbst
remarked that he and his family, who have settled in
at Watson House, are grateful for the warm embrace
they have received from the extended community.
In describing his new charge, he said, “Leading Colgate is a unique honor. While many institutions are
hunkering down, trying to survive, Colgate wants to
move forward boldly. I think that is rare in the current age, and I find that tremendously exciting.”
Jeffrey Herbst on moving forward boldly
In his first day as Colgate’s 16th president, Jeffrey
Herbst set forth to exemplify two of his goals in
moving the university forward boldly: to foster
alumni intellectual engagement, and to reinforce the
personal connections made possible at a residential liberal arts university. First, he gave the closing
remarks to the alumni “students” at the inaugural
Summer on the Hill program, and then he interacted
with members of the community at a campuswide
gathering. At events like those in Hamilton, and in
appearances across the country, Herbst is articulating his vision for Colgate and the unique opportunities and challenges that the university and higher
education are facing today. Here is a taste of what he
is saying:
because we cannot afford them. As the collegegoing population, especially in the Northeast (from
which Colgate has traditionally drawn many of its
students) begins to decline, significant financial aid
resources will be especially important. Of course,
financial aid is also vital to having a diverse student
population. The fundraising campaign Passion for
the Climb has already been extremely successful in
garnering new resources to aid students. We plan
to use the time until May 2012 (when the campaign
will end) to raise even more resources for this important priority. The enormous support that alumni
and parents have provided Colgate in this area is
especially rewarding.”
…on his ambition for Colgate:
“Colgate is fortunate to have a long history of balanced budgets and a conservative approach to
spending. The university acted proactively to the
recession that began in 2008 and developed a comprehensive plan to adjust expenditures. These decisions were not easy, but now allow us to plan for the
future without making ad hoc decisions to balance
the books in the short term.”
“From when I first met the presidential search committee, I was excited by the stated goal of Colgate
becoming the best liberal arts university in the
country. That is an ambition appropriate for Colgate,
especially in light of its extraordinary faculty and its
commitment to a liberal arts education.”
…on liberal arts in the 21st century:
“Appropriately, there is a debate over the value of a
liberal arts education in the 21st century. I believe
that Colgate’s basic approach to education is especially important now. Our students will have lives
and careers that will span most of this century. They
will have jobs in professions that we cannot currently imagine. They will interact with people from other
societies on a routine basis. Therefore, an education
that allows them to pursue critical inquiry, to put
difficult issues in context, and to understand the
motivations and orientations of others — some of
the goals of a liberal arts education — is absolutely
critical, and never more valuable.”
…on financial aid:
“Making Colgate accessible to as many students as
possible is amongst my highest priorities. Currently,
we are unable to admit some outstanding students
At the Presidents’ Club Reception and Auction
in New York City
…on the budget:
…on the economic challenges moving forward:
“Colgate, like other colleges and universities, benefitted from a buoyant economic climate for many
years. Tuition increased above inflation, and there
were also robust earnings from the endowment.
As a result, in recent years, expenditures increased
annually by about five percent. Moving forward,
we recognize that there is far less room for tuition
increases, especially given the significant wealth
that our nation has lost in recent years. At the same
time, while no one can predict the stock market, it
does not seem appropriate to be overly optimistic
about gains from the endowment. It is likely that expenditures will grow by approximately two percent
annually in the next few years.
“Yet, at the same time, Colgate must continue to
innovate and change. We are in the knowledge business, and knowledge is changing faster than ever
First-year arrival day on campus
before. Yet we cannot, unlike the past, depend on
new monies to fund our initiatives. We will therefore
have to look very closely at all of our spending to
make sure that we are devoting appropriate resources to our highest priorities. This will require that we
look at possibilities for reallocating resources, the
same kind of decisions that families, corporations,
and governments are currently making.”
…on internationalization:
“Our students will graduate into a world where they
will continually interact with people from other
countries. Globalization promises enormous benefits
for our society, but there are also threats from overseas that must be understood. One of the reasons
that I was attracted to Colgate was because of its
extremely progressive approach to internationalization. We have long had a very high study-abroad participation rate, and the study groups have benefitted
generations of Colgate students. We have to continue to promote internationalization, while making
sure that our study-abroad options are appropriate
for a world where regions outside of Europe are
increasingly important. My goal is to try to ensure
that Colgate students have the opportunity to learn
where it makes the most sense for them to go given
their studies and interests. Finally, we are delighted
at the increase in the number of foreign students
coming to Colgate and hope to further this trend in
the future.”
…on technology:
“We know that advances in technology will affect
higher education in many ways. We must remain
current with developments, making sure that our
networks and machines offer students the most opportunities possible. Yet, at the same time, it is sometimes hard to tie technological advances to actual
gains in learning. We therefore have to develop a
holistic approach to technology so that we can adopt
throughout the institution those innovations that
will help us advance our fundamental mission.”
At the Alumnae Leadership Council annual meeting in
New York City
29
Benevolent Beverages
Well Preserved
Monastery Greetings, created by Will Keller ’84,
markets products made at convents, abbeys,
monasteries, and hermitages. The widest
selection of gourmet monastic foods to be
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ales and beers, and more.
800-472-0425; monasterygreetings.com
Shapna’s premium black tea and fine roasted
coffee comes from independent farmers in
Bangladesh and Uganda. Founders Johny
Chaklader ’03 and Michael Tringali ’04
(Bridget Ryan ’05 is chief knowledge officer)
invest 40 percent of net profits both in the
communities where the coffee and tea are
grown and in underserved communities at
home where their products are purchased.
Organically grown, without artificial chemicals,
preservatives, or flavoring.
shapna-tea.com
$8.99-$19.99
trappist preserves, 3o varieties
From $4.50/jar to $42.00/case
Sing, Sing
a Song
Widely recognized musical improv teacher
Nancy (Howland) Walker ’87 of Chicago
Improv Associates can help you give the gift
of music. Tell them whom or what you want
your song to be about, and you’ll get an
original ditty in MP3 format that you
can put on an iPod or burn to a CD.
773-764-4942; songgifter.com
Who Said That?
From greeting cards and candles to
magnets and mugs, Quotable, founded by
Gillian Simon ’92 and Matt Vogel ’92,
aims to inspire with colorfully presented
quotations by famous writers, poets,
and leaders.
quotablecards.com
Quotable frame for Quotable cards
$9.95
$300
Maple Marvels
With Maine Gold, Deborah Meehan ’74 and
her husband turned a breakfast condiment
into a giftable gem. Their award-winning
maple syrup is sold in an assortment of fun
containers, from classic lithographed tins to
decanters to a charming maple leaf bottle.
Other maple-y products include
cranberry maple walnut
chutney, maple syrup spread,
and classic maple sugar —
plus breakfast-in-a-basket
gift baskets.
mainegold.com
Blueberry Gift Basket:
pancake mix, blueberry
syrup, coffee, jam, 100 ml
Maine Gold maple syrup
$50
Sweet
Rewards
Creating sugar-free products that are also
delicious is a family matter at Steel’s Gourmet Foods, says Anna Steel ’91 (her dad,
Dr. Howard Steel ’42, weighs in and confirms health and medical science). Thirty
different all-natural, gluten-free sauces,
dressings, condiments, fruit spreads, pie
fillings, and more are sweetened with
agave nectar.
steelsgourmet.com
$5.99-$9.99
30
scene: Autumn 2010
Many gift shoppers these days are looking for not only something unique, but also products
with a deeper story or connection behind them. We’ve gathered up a selection of products
designed, made, or sold by Colgate alumni. As diverse as these businesses are, the people behind
them all share the Colgate experience. That common thread is reflected in a variety of ways,
from the philosophical and inspirational to the specific and practical.
House PLANS
Busy, work-from-home mom Jennifer (Kane)
Newcomer ’98 figured out a way to prevent
to-do list madness with LobotoME, a line
of eco-friendly organizational products
designed to keep people fit, healthy,
organized, and sane.
LobotoME.com
$9.95 each
Handy and Heartwarming
Oak (Huh) Atkinson ’87 grew up in the tiny
town of Masaka, Uganda, where there were
no gift shops, so she began making collage
cards as gifts as a child. Her company, Tumbalina, features individually handmade cards
as well as other cards, magnets, and buttons.
With the Tumbalina Gift Card Tin, you’ll never
be without the right note card: 30 gift cards
and envelopes are packaged in a clear, sturdy
paint bucket tin with metal handles.
tumbalina.com
$19.95
“Colgate taught me how
to think,” said Sue Ann
Christensen ’80, creator of
Coventry Body Care. “For
my business, I need to be
knowledgeable, organized,
creative, well-spoken, and
ethical. I need to think. I
honed those skills for four
years at Colgate.”
Maine Gold co-founder
Deborah Meehan ’74
noted that “much like the
challenges of being a member
of Colgate’s first class of
women, starting and running
a small business is all about
problem solving, breaking new
ground, and innovating.”
“Ethics class with Hunt Terrell
taught me that thinking
‘outside the box’ is not only
OK, but should be a goal,” said
Barbara Patrick ’92 of Bitty
Birdie Designs. “Every time I
question my creativity with
quilting, I think back to that
lesson!”
Mary Beth Sieminski ’94,
co-creator of Skeeda bags,
recalls that her awareness
of the “green” movement was
born senior year, at the Earth
Day celebration on Whitnall
Field.
Monastery Greetings owner
Will Keller ’84 said a class
with religion professor John
Ross Carter “sparked an
interest in monastic life,
which grew into a business
that helps monks and nuns
support themselves.”
“The Venice Study Group gave
me the confidence to travel to
Asia on my own and find the
factories that manufacture
our products,” said Taylor
Llewellyn ’04.”
“It’s a privilege to be making a
living as an artist,” commented
Oak Atkinson ’87, founder of
Tumbalina, “something that
Professor Van Schaack told
me to have faith in.”
“Fine-leather craftsman Ken
Amann ’71 traces his business
— and its ethics — to a Jan
Plan independent study and
to philosophy and religion
courses. “The leather business
is very traditional, and your
word/handshake is your bond,”
he said.
“I was inspired by the late
physics and astronomy
professor Vic Mansfield
to create a platform to
help nomadic Tibetan
communities,” remarked
Khunu co-founder Aaron
Pattillo ’98.
So whether you’re shopping for the holidays or some other occasion, think “buy local” —
but with a ’gate twist, instead. – Rebecca Costello
8
Read more comments by the alumni featured in this article at www.colgateconnect.org/scene.
31
Soothing Solutions
Sue Ann (Harnisch) Christensen ’80 makes her
Coventry Body Care soap, body butter, salves,
and balms from original recipes. Aromatherapy
essential oils, herbs, flowers, spices, and
moisturizing oils treat your skin to a natural,
chemical-free experience.
coventrybodycare.com
$3-$25
Skeeda-ddle to Market
Colorful cotton canvas Skeeda bags let grocery shoppers skip the paper/plastic question.
Mary Beth (Carvel) Sieminski ’94 and her two sisters fashioned the Skeeda name as an acronym
drawn from the names of their six children. Choose from nine colorful prints. Made in the USA of
machine-washable 10-oz canvas.
skeeda.com
Skeeda ReusABle Bags $15 each or 3 for $40
A Birdie in the Hand
Bitty Birdie Designs, handmade heirloom
baby quilts by Barbara (Schriever) Patrick ’92,
feature vibrant colors and adorable fabrics
made from 100% cotton. Crib-sized quilts are
machine wash and dry, making them practical
as well as beautiful, and can be customized with
a baby’s name.
bittybirdie.etsy.com
Quilt $95
Personalized baby onesie
$12
Pretty Lids
After suffering hair loss due to a medical
condition, Carrie (Livingston) Bell ’80 went
searching for a fun, feminine baseball cap that
would make her look great and feel fabulous.
When she couldn’t find what she wanted,
she created her own, and Madcapz — baseball
caps and visors for women — was born. More
than 20 colorful prints, made in the USA from 100% cotton.
888-258-8086; madcapz.net
32
scene: Autumn 2010
Visor $16.00
Whimsy Doodle
Being a visual learner, Cat (Weyerhaeuser)
Morley ’79 said that her Colgate class
notebooks were full of intricate, stylized
doodles. CWM Designs — featuring
trays, wastebaskets, magazine caddies,
children’s furniture, and more — are handpainted and decoupaged in a whimsical,
illustrative style that still reflects her
love of detailed patterns and designs.
cwmdesigns.com
$50-$200
Edible Art
Elsylee Colon ’99 has put a fresh twist on cookies. Each Elsylee Galetes Artesanals collection is
named for an architectural movement, with individual cookies representing cities that exemplify
it — from her Bauhaus Colleccio’s Almere (almond dough, roasted Jordan almonds, Ceylon
cinnamon sugar) to the Deco d’Art Colleccio’s Papeete (roasted pecan and fresh-shaved coconut
meringue clouds). Made on demand, by hand, in small batches using all-natural, organic ingredients.
elsylee.com
From $7 per dozen and up
33
Organic Style
Stone’s Throw Designs by Kimberly
Stafford ’96 features jewelry that pairs
natural gemstones and pearls with silver,
gold, leather, and silk. Stafford donates
a portion of her proceeds to organizations that support disenfranchised
women.
astonesthrow.us
$50-$350
Wonder Wool
Softer than merino, and super-toasty to boot, Khunu sweaters for men and women are adventurewear with a social purpose. Co-founder Aaron Pattillo ’98 and his business partner source
Himalayan yak wool from nomadic communities on the Tibetan Plateau and Mongolia. A percentage
of sales goes back to those herding communities.
khunu.com
$160–$240
34
scene: Autumn 2010
’Gate Vistas
Global Jewels
Metalsmith Lauren (Koskinen)
Harper ’96 blends the individual
characteristics of precious gemstones with the art, architecture, and culture of their exotic origins to
create one-of-a-kind pieces set in
18kt and 22kt yellow gold.
laurenharpercollection.com
South Otselic, N.Y., resident Donald Rith ’56, MA’56 captures the beauty of
Colgate’s campus and college activities, as well as other subjects, in vibrant
watercolor paintings that he sells in galleries and shops as well as online.
donaldrith.etsy.com
16"x20" Prints
$49
Original paintings
$250 and up
$1,200–$20,000
POCKET PERFECT
Ken Amann ’71 makes fine leather goods, from wallets and belts
to purses and journal covers, in his Vermont studio. He buys leather from the sons of Gloversville, N.Y., tanners whom he dealt with as a
Colgate student, and takes environmental ethics into account by using
vegetable bark–tanned leather and purchasing some materials locally,
such as collaborating with a local yak farmer to convert yak hides into
marketable items.
amannleather.com
CHAPEL AND QUADRANGLE
Hand-crafted leather window wallet
$35
CHAPEL HOUSE AT COLGATE
Classically Casual
Tucker Blair, founded by Taylor Llewellyn ’04, features handcrafted
needlepoint belts that can be dressed up for a cocktail party or dressed
down for a round of golf. Each belt is 1.25" wide, with 100% wool stitching, and backed on dark-brown full-grain leather.
tuckerblair.com
$80
MORNING CLASS ON QUAD
35
The
accidental
filmmaker
By Lyndon Stambler
36
scene: Autumn 2010
A
s he walked into the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills on a rainy March
day, Jon Alpert ’70 looked anything but Hollywood. It was just before
the 2010 Academy Awards, and the lobby buzzed with publicists,
agents, actors, and assorted glitterati wearing Armani and Chanel,
sipping champagne, and talking shop. Alpert’s nametag identified him as a
“nominee,” but the “Jonny” embroidered on his khaki shirt made him look like he
was going bowling.
Searching for a quiet interview spot, Alpert noticed an attractive couple eyeing
a pearl earring and necklace set in the hotel jewelry shop window. “How much
do you think they go for?” he asked impishly, urging the man to buy the set. The
price – $154,000.
In fact, Alpert, who commented that he had bought an entire horse ranch
in New Jersey for less, would be more comfortable tending to his horses than
attending the Academy Awards. But China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, the documentary he made with Matthew O’Neill about the 2008
earthquake, had received an Oscar nomination, so there he was, cooling his heels
before the red carpet event. “If you gave me a choice, I’d skip it in a second because
I don’t feel particularly useful sitting in an awards ceremony,” Alpert explained.
That desire to be “useful” has driven Alpert during his four-decade career as a
groundbreaking social activist–documentarian who has garnered many awards,
including three Primetime Emmys, 11 News and Documentary Emmys, and a
Peabody. But, as somebody more accustomed to waking up in a war zone than in
a posh Beverly Hills hotel, Alpert is hardly a cookie-cutter Oscar nominee.
Awakenings
Alpert had no interest in film while growing up in Port Chester, N.Y. (except to
take a date to the drive-in). “I wanted to be a cowboy,” he said. (His documentary
The Last Cowboy — an impetus for purchasing his own horse ranch — followed 24
years of visits with cowboy Vern Sager of Porcupine, S.D.) He spent his formative
years playing the trumpet, trying to control his fastball, and working on his slap
shot.
He wasn’t a budding social activist, either. “[I] knew basically what was right
and wrong; it was as simple as that,” he said — although his father, a World War
II pilot who worked his way through Yale as a big band musician, “gave Jon a solid
standard of morals and what is important in life,” said Alpert’s wife, Keiko Tsuno.
Alpert said his first two years in college were, admittedly, rocky. After applying
to eight colleges with hockey teams and choosing Colgate, the coach wouldn’t
put him on the team. He got an F on what he thought was a brilliant paper in
Professor Jerry Balmuth’s philosophy class. When his second paper got a D minus,
he realized he was no “boy philosopher.” He went into a funk, and decided to take
his junior year “abroad” at New York University, with hopes of transferring there.
On his first day at NYU, he got swept up in a demonstration in which communities of color were trying to wrest control of the local school curriculum. It was
1968. His awakening to social justice issues had begun, and other things began to
turn around for him as well.
In December, a woman who had left Japan with dreams of becoming an artist
moved in next door. Her name was Keiko. “I had never met an artist before,” he
said. “She was very pretty, smart. I began looking for any excuse to borrow a cup
of sugar. I was a pest.” They became inseparable.
That year, during a sit-in at the NYU English Department to protest the Vietnam War, a professor yanked Alpert to the floor by his hair and dragged him out
of the room. “He lashed out at the most convenient target, which happened to be
me,” said Alpert, who became a student celebrity. Ensuing fallout from the incident doomed his chances of transferring to NYU. “They misperceived that I was
the leader of all this stuff.”
Alpert was crestfallen. Returning to Colgate meant being away from Keiko
and New York. But not graduating from college would break his dad’s heart, and
nix his educational deferment. He met with Colgate’s dean, Bill Griffith, who
had received a call from the NYU dean urging him not to readmit Alpert. Griffith
opened Colgate’s doors back to him, and he returned for his senior year, undertaking several independent studies and focusing on an urban studies major.
Alpert’s roommate, Sandy Bohrer ’70, now a Florida attorney, recalled his
adventurousness. In addition, he said, “Jon was willing to try something new any
time. He was always different, creative, and persistent.”
Facing Page: Jon Alpert
’70 and his daughter, Tami,
in Kandahar, Afghanistan,
where they were filming
Afghanistan: From Ground
Zero to Ground Zero
(2002).
Top: Cuba, the People
(1974) was called “the
best look at Cuba since
Castro toppled the Batista
regime” by United Press
International. Alpert and
his wife, Keiko Tsuno, spent six weeks interviewing farmers, factory workers, and housewives about life before and after the revolution, from issues of housing, medical care, and
education to human rights, freedom of the press, and religion.
Middle and bottom: As a 19-year-old, DCTV protégé Terrence Fisher, a resident of
the Louis Armstrong Housing Project in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, documented the
tragedy of gun violence as a seemingly inescapable part of life in Bullets in the Hood:
A Bed-Stuy Story (2004). The film won a Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize.
Photos: theater interior from iStockphoto, all others courtesy of DCTV
37
Top: Alpert working with a student in the early days of DCTV.
Middle: Alpert captured the day-to-day lives of doctors, nurses, medics, soldiers, and
chaplains at the 86th
Combat Support Hospital,
the U.S. Army’s premier
medical facility, in Baghdad
ER (2006), which won a
Peabody Award.
Bottom: High on Crack
Street: Lost Lives in Lowell (1995) chronicles the
lives of three crackhouse
friends whose addiction
led them to crime and
despair in the struggling
blue-collar city of Lowell,
Mass.
After graduation, Alpert settled in New York with Tsuno and began working
as a cabbie to make ends meet. Cab drivers in those days worked under horrible conditions, and Alpert soon found himself organizing them — no easy
feat, given the cutthroat atmosphere. In order to document the injustices they
were experiencing, Alpert borrowed a Sony video camera Tsuno had bought for
$1,600 with money she had saved from waitressing, and made a film. “When I
played it at the union meeting, it was like waving a magic wand.” Despite the
ultimate failure of his rank-and-file effort, having gotten the cabbies’ attention,
Alpert learned the power of film to inspire change.
Next, he and Tsuno began making films about schools, housing, and hospitals in an effort to uncover injustices and improve conditions. They projected
them at street corners on the side of an old mail truck they bought for $5. “The
audience voted with their feet,” Alpert said. “If they liked something, they’d sit
around and watch. If they didn’t, they were off to where they needed to go.”
So, they made short films.
The birth of DCTV
To keep filming, Alpert and Tsuno needed cash. Some of their films were done
in languages spoken in lower Manhattan, including Chinese and Spanish. They
invited officials from New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs to see them;
however, only organizations, not individuals, were eligible for funding. So they
formed an entity that they called the Downtown Community Television Center
(DCTV), and soon received the first of many grants.
Housed in a landmark 19th-century firehouse in New York’s Chinatown,
DCTV became the home base for their own productions. They soon began offering free filmmaking workshops to low-income residents. Since those early
days, they have enlisted others in their efforts, and DCTV has introduced tens of
thousands of people to filmmaking, “giving a voice to the voiceless,” said Alpert.
“We figured if we deputized everybody, we’d have a pretty good posse. You
want to film something? Take the camera. Bring it back.” Today, DCTV remains
a nonprofit community-based organization using media to promote equality
and democracy through feature documentaries, filmmaking classes, and annual
outreach campaigns.
There have been plenty of success stories among their students, and they’ve
replaced the $5 mail truck with a 40-foot bus with a Times Square–like video
wall — but it’s still about taking the message to the people.
For example, in 2004, DCTV alums Terrence Fisher and Daniel Howard made
Bullets in the Hood: A Bed-Stuy Story, which won a Sundance Award. That film
inspired DCTV to undertake an anti-gun violence tour last May, bringing the bus
to New York’s toughest neighborhoods to broadcast short films about street violence by six student filmmakers. “When you ask these kids to raise their hands
if they have lost a friend or relative to gun violence, every hand goes up,” Alpert
said. “That’s unacceptable in America.”
The project brought politicians and concerned citizens together, enabling
people “to talk about things that they should talk about but never do,” Alpert
explained. “With all the wonders the Internet is bringing us, there’s a directness
and power and honesty that only comes from that person-to-person conversation.”
Alpert’s apprenticeship
Working with young DCTV filmmakers reminds Alpert of his own early trialand-error days, “a technological adventure” with heavy black-and-white
cameras with tubes in them, editing machines that occasionally caught on fire,
and tape recorders that “sometimes would record and other times would make
spaghetti.”
But Alpert worked hard to overcome those obstacles and to succeed as a
filmmaker. One of his early major film successes was Cuba: The People. In 1972, a
Quaker peace advocate was traveling to Cuba by boat, bringing musical instruments to Cuban children. He invited Alpert and Tsuno to bring their camera
equipment. Although the Cubans detained the group for a few days, Alpert and
Tsuno finagled a three-hour tour of Havana that whetted their appetites to see
more. “Cuba was dealing with the same things we were dealing with in the poor
parts of New York,” Alpert said. “They were building clinics everywhere, medicine was free. We wanted to get back.”
38
scene: Autumn 2010
A new opportunity to film there came two years later, after Alpert made connections playing softball in Central Park against the Cuban mission team every
Sunday. The film, which aired on PBS in December 1974, was recognized by the
New York Times as one of the best TV programs of the year.
They went on to make a new documentary each year for PBS, including Chinatown: Immigrants in America, which won a Columbia DuPont award; Vietnam:
Picking Up the Pieces, the first American film made in Vietnam after the war; and
Cuba: The People Part II, for which Alpert landed an interview with Fidel Castro.
But after Alpert’s relationship with PBS soured at the end of the ’70s, he began
working for NBC.
Then, in 1979, just as a border war broke out between China and Vietnam,
Alpert was the only American journalist with a visa to return to Vietnam. At
the time, he and Tsuno were still filming together, with Tsuno doing most of the
camera work, and Alpert the interviewing. They arrived in a town near the Chinese border, bullets whizzing by. Alpert grabbed his microphone, went running
into the street, and started doing a stand-up commentary. Later, as he and Tsuno
looked at the footage, he realized he was merely “copycatting” what he had seen
others do, and it didn’t work. So he took himself out of his reports, instead relying
on the footage to tell stories.
Alpert was developing his own approach to documentary filmmaking with a
social activism twist. Through their documentary work, Alpert and Tsuno helped
repatriate Bobby Garwood, the last known American POW. Later, in 1979, they
were among the first to document evidence of the “Killing Fields,” the atrocities of
the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.
But Alpert and Tsuno were also forced to make an important change in their
working relationship. While they were in Vietnam, a Vietnamese soldier, who
was shooting at a dog nearby, narrowly missed shooting them. Diving into a
ditch, Tsuno came to a realization. If they both died, their daughter Tami, who had
been born the previous year, would be orphaned. They agreed that Tsuno would
stay in New York to run DCTV, and Alpert would continue to travel. “It was tough
because I was a poor cameraman,” he said. “Keiko was far more talented than I
was. It took me a couple of years to catch up.”
But catch up he did. He mastered the art, establishing himself as one of the
most important documentary filmmakers of the era. Alpert’s Colgate classmate,
TV writer and producer Ray Hartung ’70, said, “He tries to make films that will
produce an end result: Get somebody a better wage; get somebody health care
who doesn’t have it. It’s geared toward his theory that large institutions need to
be prodded to do good. He sees his work as a tool to make society function better.”
Road to China
It was a call in 2008 from Sheila Nevins, the president of documentary films for
HBO — for whom Alpert has made more than a dozen documentaries — that
ultimately led to the Oscar nomination. Following the Sichuan earthquake, she
dispatched Alpert and co-director Matthew O’Neill (who had joined DCTV in
2001) to China. Arriving eight days after the quake, initially they felt they couldn’t
go beyond network accounts of the devastation. But then Alpert noticed a line of
parents clutching photos of their children who had died in collapsed school buildings. They had their story.
Lugging their equipment, the filmmakers walked backwards for 20 miles. They
filmed from inside the middle of the pack of parents, following them as they
confronted authorities to demand justice and returned to their villages to grieve.
They also documented shoddy construction at the schools.
“The camera is six inches away from everything for that whole week,” Alpert
said of their approach to filming the parents’ stories. “The audience gets the
feeling that they’re there on the march, and they’re there at the graveside, and
they’re there fighting with the local officials.”
When police took notice of their cameras, the filmmakers decided to ship their
footage home — a fortunate decision, since a few days later, while at a shopping
mall, they were surrounded by 35 plainclothes officers and detained for eight
hours. The officials interrogated them and asked for their footage. “I’m afraid it’s
in New York,” they said. With timing on their side (it was just two months before
the Beijing Olympics), Alpert and his crew were released by the government.
Alpert, who remains in contact with those parents, said he always takes pains
to be sensitive to his subjects. “It’s really part of an effort to be a more responsible
Top: Lock-Up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island (1995) profiles the world’s largest jail, asking
hard questions about the efficacy of America’s criminal justice system.
Bottom: Third Avenue: Only the Strong Survive (1980) tells the stories of six ordinary
people (among them, the Pascones, struggling to make a living with their barber shop)
living or working along New York City’s 16 mile-long street that cuts through Manhattan,
Brooklyn, and the Bronx. The film, which revealed wildly different economic and ethnic
subcultures, won a national Emmy.
39
reporter, not the type of person who steals somebody’s soul,” he explained. “If a
reporter or filmmaker seems like they’re in a hurry, people can feel that. These
parents saw that we were concerned. They looked in our eyes and trusted us.”
Hartung attributes that approach to Alpert’s ability to get people to open up.
“Somehow he makes people feel comfortable in the most difficult circumstances
with the camera running,” Hartung said. “I keep thinking, ‘Why didn’t they just
slam the door on this guy?’ Yet, instead of doing that, which would have been the
reaction of most people, you find them saying the most intimate things.” In one
of the most touching moments in the 38-minute film, for example, one mother
communes with her dead daughter at her gravesite and vows to seek justice.
As a parent, Alpert finds common ground with his subjects. “If someone were
to kill your kid or cause your kid to be killed, it would leave a hole inside that you’d
never be able to fill. If something happened to my daughter…” he said, his voice
trailing off.
Parenthood
Top: To film Latin Kings:
A Street Gang Story
(2003) for HBO’s “America
Undercover” series, Alpert
spent a year at the side
of King Tone, the leader
of New York’s largest and
most dangerous street
gang. Tone, who aspired to
become the “Puerto Rican
Martin Luther King,” vowed
to lead the gang away from
crime — but authorities
suspected he had other
priorities.
Middle: Filmed over 24 years in Porcupine, S.D., The Last Cowboy (2005) follows Vern
Sager as he faces an army of adversaries, from cattle rustlers and international agribusiness to old age, the weather, and wanderlust, in maintaining his ranch on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation in the poorest county in America.
Bottom: Produced for HBO, A Cinderella Season: The Lady Vols Fight Back (1998) follows the legendary University of Tennessee team that won the 1996 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship as they struggle toward a seemingly impossible repeat performance.
40
scene: Autumn 2010
Indeed, Alpert said that raising Tami, 32, who attended Yale and now works as a
Manhattan prosecutor, is one of his proudest achievements.
Just as he is a quirky kind of guy (he has eschewed shoes for Aqua Socks in
recent years, and daughter Tami remembers the days when her father only wore
Japanese pajamas, day and night), he was also an unconventional parent, occasionally bordering on recklessness. It’s something Alpert’s family members talk
openly about; after all, his personality has played a large part in the progression
of his life and career. While some dads coach Tee-ball, Alpert took his daughter at
age 4 to his midnight hockey games and bar runs (the players cleaned up their
language around her). He sent for her when he was in Havana, trying to land that
interview with Fidel Castro, with whom he had established a strong relationship
(Castro once wrote a note excusing Tami from school). He also took her motorcycle riding, and on site while filming street gangs.
“It’s a miracle I have all my limbs intact right now,” Tami said, adding that her
mother offered some protection.
Tsuno agreed: “We’re a good combination,” she said. “He takes risks, and I am
the one who has more common sense and balances his behavior. Sometimes I
have to pull him back.”
“Definitely there were times when I wished he was more ‘normal,’” said Tami.
“But I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for the unique way that they
raised me and the experiences they let me have.”
The theme of parenthood runs through more than just Alpert’s China film; for
example, it’s apparent in his Emmy-nominated Section 60: Arlington National
Cemetery, about the area reserved for Afghan and Iraq war veterans. “The
[parents] sleep and eat on the graves, they sit there and talk to their kids,” Alpert
said. “The kids are in the ground, but the holes are still in the parents’ hearts.”
In Papa, an unflinching portrait of coping with his father’s autoimmune
diseases and financial woes, Alpert focused the lens on his own family — “The
hardest film I ever made,” he said.
Relentless tenacity with a side of humor
At 61 and with creaky knees and thinning gray hair, Alpert is confronting his own
mortality. “I’m a fourth-degree black belt, but I can’t even tie my shoes anymore,”
he said in his typical self-effacing way.
Nevertheless, he keeps pushing. “He pursues his work with a relentless tenacity,” co-director O’Neill said, “whether it’s a high-profile, HBO feature documentary
to be seen by millions, or a short anti-gun violence piece that one of the students
here at DCTV is producing. He’s always pursuing something. He barely sleeps.”
This past spring, Alpert visited Iraq and Afghanistan to contribute to War Torn
— 1861-2010, a film for HBO about post-traumatic stress disorder, scheduled to be
aired on Veteran’s Day. He worked on his films about boxer Yuri Foreman and an
HBO film about a strike at the Stella D’oro bakery in the Bronx. But he also found
time to work with at-risk, inner-city high school students at DCTV on their own
film autobiographies.
“The parents could be drug addicts or in jail. We’re trying to get them to have
enough courage to be able to tell their stories when their stories are often quite
painful,” he said. “In some cases, I’d rather work on their tapes than I would on
mine,” he added.
The students learn from Alpert’s example. He tinkers constantly with his own
films to get them just right, and is rarely totally satisfied with the final cut. Alpert
said that because he left China in a hurry, he didn’t get a suitable conclusion for
the documentary. “We filmed all the good stuff up to that point, but we didn’t
have an ending.”
There really is no ending yet for the parents in China. Had China’s Unnatural
Disaster won the Oscar, Alpert said, he could have done something even more
useful: the publicity would have introduced millions to the parents’ heroic
struggle. During the Oscars ceremony, Alpert and O’Neill carried a sheath of photos of their children and calligraphed Chinese characters for “truth” and “justice.”
When they lost, he said, it was yet another frustration for the parents. “Nobody’s
ever been held accountable. A mother in China has every right to expect her kid
to come home at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, just as we do.”
But one of Alpert’s charms is that he is not overly serious. To understand, one
need only hear his story from the Oscars. While walking the red carpet, reporters showing interest in him would pass him by as soon as they saw restaurateur
Wolfgang Puck, who followed behind with a tray of chocolate Oscar statuettes.
Miffed, Alpert began scooping up chocolate Oscars and stashing them in his
mother’s pocketbook (she attended the ceremony) to bring home to his DCTV
employees. “We might not come back with a real Oscar,” he said, “but at least they
could get one of Wolfgang’s.”
Afterward, when he emptied the pocketbook, he found “every single one of
them had decapitated itself,” he said. “If that isn’t some kind of metaphor for my
Oscar appearance, I don’t know what is.”
Nevertheless, Alpert was lucky to discover his talents early on. “The camera
was action. It was my entry card. I was pretty wimpy and shy. But give me a camera and I’ll talk to anybody.”
Top: Papa (2002), Alpert’s documentary portrait of his father’s struggles with aging and
failing health, premiered on Cinemax on Father’s Day.
Middle and bottom: In
Alpert’s Oscar-nominated
China’s Unnatural Disaster:
The Tears of Sichuan
Province (2009), audiences
witness the grief of parents
who lost their children in
collapsed school buildings,
and are given an astonishingly rare glimpse of how
the Chinese government
reacts to civil unrest as
those parents demand justice for their losses in the
devastating earthquake.
Big risk, big reward
What does it take to get important films made? A stomach for risk taking.
Jon Alpert’s documentary work has taken him to some of the world’s
most dangerous places — and he’s had some narrow escapes. He’s been
detained by the army in Iran and shot at in nearly every Central American
country (and elsewhere).
“If you’re making a film that somehow is trying to make things better,
there could be bad people who are trying to make things worse who don’t
like your film,” he said. Here is just a sampling of the hair-raising situations
Alpert has encountered in the making of his films.
No Place to Hide: Inside Iraq — In Baghdad during the first Gulf War in 1991, an Iraqi man whose family was killed by an American bomb put a gun to Alpert’s head and pulled the trigger 20 times. He walked away because the gun jammed.
Saddam Speaks (aired in Israel and Europe but never in the United States) — One day in 1992, again in Iraq, “a bunch of guys in dark suits” were banging on his hotel door and ordered Alpert into a car. He didn’t have time to get his camera. They took him directly to the
presidential palace. After a “thorough and humiliating body cavity search,” he got a long-awaited audience with Saddam Hussein,
becoming one of the last American journalists to interview him.
Snakeheads — He went undercover with a hidden camera and
microphone to make a film about human trafficking in China.
Hard Metals Disease — He was detained by the police in Mexicali, Mexico, while making a film about workers at the Valenite Corpora-
tion who were being poisoned due to exposure to cobalt dust.
Afghanistan: From Ground Zero to Ground Zero — Alpert and daugh-
ter Tami, then 23 years old, narrowly escaped being shot crossing from Pakistan to Afghanistan.
Alpert said he is willing to put himself at risk and push against local
laws if there is a greater good to be served. “We make that decision and
accept that risk quite often,” he said. “It’s become part of what I do.”
•
•
•
•
•
41
42
scene: Autumn 2010
Andrew Daddio
43
stay connected
Get to
to know:
Know:Jay
Name
Brennan
Here ’81
– Alumni Council member since 2008; class gift
committee, eight years; reunion gift committee
– Consultant, Brennan Consulting
– JD and MBA, University of Virginia
We hear that you have an
entrepreneurial spirit.
A lot of my entrepreneurial
effort has been buying
troubled companies and
turning them around.
For the last couple of
years, I’ve been an active
angel investor. I mentor
entrepreneurs, and I do
consulting work, solving
whatever problems
companies have and helping
them move forward.
What appeals to you about turning around a struggling company?
I love being on the steep part of the learning curve. In working with
start-ups and turnarounds, it’s a new challenge every day. I get to
learn new markets, new companies, and new problems, and then
figure out solutions.
What issues are you passionate about on the Alumni Council?
I am chair of the career services committee. We’ve launched
Maroon Advantage [career advising for alumni], with in-person
networking events and career-related webinars.
How did you develop the idea for the Student Philanthropy
Council?
The concept behind it is giving students the chance to experience
philanthropy and hopefully make it part of their lives.
What student activities did you participate in at Colgate?
I was involved in theater, which was the best business preparation
I got at Colgate — I’m not afraid of speaking in front of crowds. I
sold advertising for the Maroon. I was vice president of student
government my junior year.
Tell us about your family.
I met my wife, Anne, in law school. We have two daughters, Claire,
who is a sophomore at Davidson College, and Hannah, who is a
junior at Greensboro Day School (Greensboro, N.C.). What are your hobbies?
I’m active with my church. I went on my first mission trip about
two-and-a-half years ago to Costa Rica. When I was there, I
started taking guitar lessons from one of the guys on the trip. I’m
now the leader of our church band. Besides that, we are season
ticket holders to Duke’s home basketball games. And my youngest
daughter, Hannah, is a tremendous athlete, so we spend significant
time watching her sporting activities.
What kind of music do you like to play on the guitar?
I love playing the Beatles.
Favorite Beatles song?
“All My Loving”
What is your personal philosophy?
Bad news first. It’s human nature that we want to deal with the
positive, but if you deal with the bad stuff first, you do a much
better job of solving it and making sure it doesn’t get out of control.
44
scene: Autumn 2010
Alumni bulletin board
Questions? Contact the alumni
office: 315-228-7433 or alumni@
colgate.edu
Alumni Council Notes
In August, I attended a party for
Washington, D.C.–area students
joining the Class of 2014. It was
a high-energy affair: the students
excitedly sized each other up,
while their parents wistfully
commiserated about their nests,
which were soon to be either empty
or down by one. But the folks I
most enjoyed watching were alumni
of many vintages welcoming the
newest members of the Colgate
family.
I began to reminisce about my
own send-off party back in 1987.
We students were just as nervous,
the parents just as proud, and
the alums just as ebullient. And it
underlined something we all know:
the connection our alumni feel to
the university and to each other, and
the kinship we have with current
students, sets Colgate apart from
its peer schools.
Opportunities abound to connect
with Colgate, fellow alumni, and
students. On-campus programs
like Reunion or Summer on the
Hill are fantastic ways to become
reacquainted. Away from campus,
strong regional alumni clubs
sponsor faculty lectures, social
events, and philanthropy programs;
colgateconnect.org has a calendar
of happenings. If you want to do
even more, such as facilitating
student internships or events
in your community (or hosting a
Summer Send-Off yourself), check
out “13 Ways to Get Involved” at
colgateconnect.org/13ways.
— Gus P. Coldebella ’91, President
Exploring Our Sense of Place
President Jeffrey Herbst is
traveling the country to meet
alumni and parents. Keep an eye out
for invitations in your area, and visit
colgateconnect.org/inauguraltour
for more details.
ColgateConnect.org
ColgateAlumni.org is now
ColgateConnect.org. The site still
features all of the functionality
you’ve come to expect, including
our alumni directory, class notes,
Scene, events schedule, community
news, videos, and more. Log on,
update your profile, and connect
with each other and Colgate today!
Event Gateway
The alumni office is committed to
helping alumni plan and promote
events of their own. Our new DIY
Event Kit gives alumni club leaders
the tools they need to organize
regional Colgate events. Or, if
you’re gathering with a few Colgate
friends, Colgate In a Box is for you.
We send you free stuff, you send
us a photo and guest list. Everyone
wins! Visit colgateconnect.org/
gateway for more information.
Alumni Travel
Colgate people never stop learning.
Visit colgateconnect.org/travel.
Cruise the Alaskan Passage
July 8–20, 2011
Insider’s Japan
September 14–26, 2011
Summer on the Hill
Mark your calendars for June
22–26, 2011, when Colgate
professors will adapt their most
popular material for alumni,
family, and friends who yearn for
a serious academic experience.
Registration opens in December at
colgateconnect.org/summerhill.
Live and/or work in
more than one location?
Contact the alumni office to receive
club mailings for multiple cities.
class news
Should anyone up through the Class of 1934 have
news to share, please contact Aleta Mayne: 315228-6669; [email protected].
193 5
George Carmichael
930 Regency Square 110
Vero Beach, FL 32967
I attended my 75th Reunion at Colgate and
enjoyed the many activities along with the Class
of 1945. Since I was the sole rep for the Class of
’35, Hal Heim, head of the ’45 returnees, kindly
invited me to join them.
It was a great reunion, my first since 1940. The
campus, greatly enlarged since my day, was just
magnificent, with many beautiful new buildings
and, of course, now decorated with many smart,
attractive females. I did manage to locate Stillman Hall, my dorm during freshman yr. And I
did walk the old Willow Path, greatly shortened
because of new buildings resting on the upper
section of the path.
The college staff was very efficient and helpful. Dorrie Ackerman in particular was fine in
guiding us around. She turned out to be a niece
of classmate John Ackerman. I last saw John
in 1945 on a small atoll off Okinawa when the
Japanese were bombing our fleet.
As the oldest returnee, I led the traditional
parade of the 2,000 returning graduates. Yes, our
college is doing well and deserves our strong
support!
George: 772-569-6951;
[email protected]
193 6
Elizabeth Gallagher-Saward
Apartment 513
505 N. Lakeshore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
Elizabeth: 312-527-1492
Reunion June 2–5, 2011
193 7
Gerald A Vernon
23 Lighthouse Way
Darien, CT 06820-5612
Alumni news and deadlines
Class news: Class editors will be submitting their columns on Jan. 7, 2011,
and April 8, 2011. Please keep these
deadlines in mind when sending information to your correspondents, and
understand that your news may take
a while to appear in print.
Marriage and birth listings — please
mail to the Scene, attn: Births/
Marriages, 13 Oak Dr., Hamilton, NY
13346; fax 315-228-7699; or e-mail
[email protected].
For address changes, or to report
the death of a Colgate graduate,
please notify alumni records. If possible, please identify surviving kin
and an address for condolences to be
sent. If a newspaper obituary is available, we would appreciate receiving a
copy: 315-228-7453 (tel.); 315-2287699 (fax); alumnirecords@colgate.
edu.
Talked to King Davis at Cooper Hall in Mt Pleasant, SC, and he had some good news. He talked to
Dr Paul White, whom I had listed as unreachable,
so that makes it 12 reachable! King is doing well
and getting used to the implant into a “hole in
his head,” as he says, to improve his hearing.
Graham ‘Buck’ Rogers in Dayton, OH, still has
a thriving business in commercial real estate. He
rents space in buildings he owns.
Ed Hornung in NJ says that his land is beginning to look like a wilderness but he rents out
part of it to a man who grows corn.
Dr Charles Harris, Berea, KY, lives in the
house he has owned for many years. Says he is
approaching the age of his 100-yr-old mulberry
tree. Hey, Chuck, we are all doing that! I did not
ask him about his 1937 Packard, which he drove
to reunion once, but I’m sure it still works.
Jim Sprague was going to TN to see his friend
Shirley who lives there in the summer. As we
know, Jim is a dolphin rider and a squirrel tamer
in Miami!
George Hunt in Owego, NY, is “living in place”
as they now say. We had a great conversation re
the world today! We have few complaints, really!
1938
1940
Don Foley
1050 Mariposa Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94707-2444
Paul Fager, of Wellesley Hills, MA, sounded great
during our phone chat. Still enjoying his long
marriage to Juliette and keeping in touch with
their 3 sons. A lawyer, Paul spent 15 retirement
years as an arbitrator for the NYSE. He recalled
that some 10 years ago, he and Ev Hanke occasionally played tennis. He said he’d earlier
enjoyed visiting Berkeley on several occasions,
but we didn’t meet.
Still very active, Ev Hanke of Brunswick, ME,
continues golfing. His latest project is to clear
out the garage and the house closets, including
unpacked cartons from their move 15 years ago.
They had planned a September family vacation
on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. He and his
daughter Jeanne planned to spend a day or two
in Hamilton en route.
Irv Ryerson, of Wilmington, NC, said his “cup
runneth over.” Had a family gathering with his
daughters, celebrating the 10th birthday of one
of his great-grandsons. He has another 13-yearold grandson who’s a golfer with a 16 handicap.
We have not been able to contact M Laurens
Rowe, of Rochester, NY. A chem major at Colgate
and a member of Beta Theta Pi, he moved on
to Harvard Med School instead of a senior year
at Colgate. Google offered a full account of his
subsequent career as a prominent orthopedic
surgeon. In his research and practice, he specialized in industrial injuries to the lower back. He
was the author of Orthopedic Problems at Work
and many other publications. A longtime professor at the U of Rochester School of Med, he was
also a consulting physician for Eastman Kodak
Co. In his retirement, he was reported to enjoy
painting and model ship-building.
George A Baldwin, of Fairview, PA, died Jan 6.
Details were reported in “In Memoriam” in the
spring issue of the Scene. We offer our condolences to his wife, Dorothy, and to other surviving
relatives.
James H McKinney, of McLean, VA, died a
week later, on Jan 13, and was also reported in
the spring “In Memoriam.” We offer his surviving
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
our sympathy.
On March 19, Allan F Rosebrock died in Titusville, NJ. He was an Air Corps captain in WWII;
PhD in education from Yale. Was in NJ state
govt and then a professor at Rutgers U. After
retirement, he and Mary, his wife, had a condo
in Puerto Rico and traveled extensively. We offer
condolences to Mary and his children.
A final note: We seem to be down to only 12
class members from the 218 who “commenced”
in 1938.
Don: 510-525-6983; [email protected]
1939
Gus Nasmith
16003 W Falcon Ridge Drive
Sun City West, AZ 85375-6689
We have no news, except that we keep in touch
with Jim Dickinson by phone, and I survived a
mild stroke. Thanks.
Gus: 623-546-9487; [email protected]
sed ligula sed ligula condimentum
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Fred Tedeschi
Unit 9D
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2555 Youngs Avenue
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Southold, NY 11971
placerat est in arcu. Nam id velit eget
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congue.
Johnconvallis
D Amos passed
away May 2 in Fairmont,
WV, at the age of 91. Next of kin is his wife, Betty
Ann Lindsey
At ligula
Colgate,ultrices
John was ada memDonec
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ber of Sigma Chi, baseball, student government,
ipiscing.
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Konosioni, Maroon Key, and ski club.
potenti.
Maecenas egestas libero eget
Robert M Finlay passed away on April 7 at
lectus.
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est
orci,was
the age of 92et
in eros.
nursing
and rehab.
Robert
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survived by
4 children.
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away ina,
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Robert was
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Phi Alpha and ski club.
felis,
pellentesque quis, scelerisque ali Mortimer E Stevenson passed away at the
quet,
volutpat non, dui. Nullam urna.
age of 93 on June 28 in Rochester, NY. At Colgate,
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a member oftellus
Phi Gamma
and
Cum
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et magactive in
Colgate
Today ’90.
Nels MacCallum
’51
wrote
in parturient
remembrance:montes,
“Mort wasnascetur
truly a gentlenis
dis
man, in every way. A decorated WWII hero, he
ridiculus
mus. Aliquam pharetra. Aewas a lifelong civic leader in Rochester, involved
nean
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in numerous charitable organizations including
mi
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the creation and
development of the Rochester
General Hospital Foundation. In addition, he was
a very good
athlete…
Mort
a wonderful,
fun,
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ipsum
dolor
sitwas
amet,
consectand caring guy, and a loyal Colgate son, who will
etuer
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be greatly missed by many.”
elit
sit amet massa. Morbi elemen June Lyman, widow of Henry H Lyman, died on
tum
non
tortor. In urna justo,
June 1 purus
at the age
of 96.
dapibus
sitcount,
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At my last
I believe
still have
18
members
our class alive
and kicking.
et,
ligula.ofAenean
posuere,
sem Please
quis let
me know how you are doing.
scelerisque
sagittis, pede augue luctus
lacus, nec varius risus odio sit amet
ante. Duis vulputate tellus ac justo.
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est turpis, aliquam non, hendrerit
Ted Clapp
PO Box
579
vel,
fermentum
eget, ipsum. Sed conDamariscotta, ME 04543-0579
sectetuer
dolor ut lacus. Sed vulputate
tincidunt
quam.
Reunion
June
2–5,Cras
2011dignissim
magna
vel
orci.
Praesent
nec libero.
Bob Jenkins’s daughter Ginny sent out an
Nullam
egestas
nisl.
Vestibulum
tem“elegant flyer” describing her pilot dad’s life,
pus
fermentum
urna.
complete
with pictures
and comments. In
1941
retirement, Bob lived with his dear wife in FL. He
died last March after “a great life of planes, golf,
Sed
feugiat dolor sed velit. Nullam
fishing, friendships, and family.” Would that the
quis
neque a arcu consequat ullamstory of each of us could be as happily told as this
corper.
facilisi.
one. GoodNulla
life; well
done! Vestibulum ante
ipsum
in faucibus
orci
luctus et
Frankprimis
Sayer, a lifelong
resident
of Oswego,
NY, and a Rotarian
63 years,Curae;
died in Feb.
He
ultrices
posuereforcubilia
Nulla
owned and operated a family grocery business
ultricies
porta massa. Nullam ac diam.
started by his grandfather in 1873. Frank had
Duis
rhoncus, augue quis bibendum
several great-grandchildren. He served the town
dapibus,
quam
porttitor
of Oswego in
severalmagna
civic positions.
At Colgate
nisi,
ida sollicitudin
a nisi.
he was
powerful forcenulla
on the nisl
Maroon
and
Salmagundi editorial
boards.
Maecenas
justo elit,
tincidunt a, com And 14 grandchildren may be the record for
modo
vitae, rutrum ut, felis. Phasellus
members of our class. ‘Doc’ Heuer is the winner.
rhoncus
magna eu nibh. Nulla odio
He spent much of his retirement in Apopka, FL,
metus,
sodales
iaculis
sagittis
but he was a nativeac,
of MI,
wherenon,
he died
last
sit
amet,
est. Aliquam
neque.
Fusce
April.
At Colgate
he was a shining
light
at Sigma
Chi.
blandit
sollicitudin mauris. Aliquam
Our classmate Jim Hobstetter died at age 90
sodales.
Maecenas adipiscing rhoncus
this past June. At Colgate, Jim built a strong heart
libero.
Quisque
tellus leo, rutrum ac,
as a champion member of the varsity swimming
fermentum
eu,
tincidunt,
team. During WWII,euismod
Jim was a capt
in the US Air
neque.
Morbi
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sit
Force, flying
in thefaucibus.
Pacific theater.
Subsequently,
he cameelit.
home
to OH,
where he formed the
amet
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euismod.
Southern OH Aviation Co and served as its pres
for many years.
Ted: 207-563-8369; [email protected]
45
1942
194 4
Robert C. Smith
Apt. 329
3804 Brandon Avenue
Roanoke, VA 24018-7004
Ellsworth Johnson
1309 Meadow Ridge
Redding, CT 06896-3224
1943
Martha and Clem Furey have returned home
to Cape Cod from their usual wintering in FL.
Caught him gardening and enjoying good
weather. Discussed the possibility of a class
mini-reunion this fall. Will have to contact
other class officers and determine interest and
capability for one. Possibly at a football game at
Colgate or Princeton or elsewhere. Interested?
Call me at 203-544-8168.
Our class gift, as of May 31, was $14,763 with
29 donors (58%). The 1819 Circle this year recognizes individuals who have given to Colgate
the past 3 years. Colgate ’44 had 23 of its donors
recognized.
A sad note: John Muyskens Jr passed away
June 8.
Ellsworth: 203-544-8168; 1200 (fax)
Joseph W. DeBragga
51 Wavecrest Drive
Islip, NY 11751-4015
194 5
Heard from Orval Hughes, Henry Wilcox, Bob
Miller, Howie Steel, and Bill Mawhinney. Great
that we can still communicate.
Our classmates who will no longer communicate: John H Fowler, George E Schott, and Fred
Bosworth. Also Janet Ryder, widow of Bert Ryder,
and my wife, Aileen, died.
A graduate of this year’s class said how much
she was impressed by the ceremonies that
included Taylor Lake and the Willow Path. There
are still 61 of us who have fond memories of
them, too.
Bob: 540-776-2329; [email protected]
Recollections of our undergrad days: Dean
Howlett and Prof Earl Daniels striding vigorously
on the hill and in the village, and George Werntz
’33, resplendent in his Buick convertible, driving
along Broad St — top down, of course. We would
also see George hurling his javelin on Whitnall
Field. Constructive characters they truly were.
Very few classmates had cars on campus, and
when a new feature film was playing at Shine’s
State Theatre, there would be a virtual parade
coming down the hill and along Broad St. Now
there is shuttle bus service. Can you imagine the
reaction of Prexie Cutten — bless him — to this
convenience? When Don McCluskey came back from Chicago for our fall semester in 1941, he detrained
at Syracuse, where the bus driver refused to load
his bicycle. Don convinced the driver to take his
luggage and drop it in Hamilton, but Don had to
pedal the 40 miles to Hamilton. Don’s versatility
is amazing. Here is the text of his winter poem:
The trees of winter now wear their / Winter
look / Laden snow on every bough / Waiting for
the springtime sun / Put on their green again.
In elementary school, Don and Justus Schlichting were classmates in 6th grade. Coincidentally, when I was in 4th grade in Richmond Hill,
NY, Bob Wacker appeared midterm. His parents
had been very ill but soon recovered, and Bob
returned to Brooklyn. In a very short time, he
made an indelible impression, and 12 years later,
I recognized him on campus. Bob is still a lively
wire and as precocious as ever.
Jim Hoel wasn’t with us at our White Commencement. He had joined the Air Corps, and
in May 1943, he and his flight of 10 B-26s were
shot down in Holland. Out of 60 crew members,
there were only 20 survivors who were captured,
and Jim logged 2 years as a POW. After the war,
Jim married and returned to Colgate, where wife
Jean became secretary to Dr James Storing, poli
sci. Now deep in his 80s, Jim recalls asking his
father, who was 90 years old, how he felt. The answer: “not bad, but I don’t know anyone.” Many
of us have that feeling these days.
Bob Husselrath
Apt 1217
18755 West Bernardo Drive
San Diego, CA 92127-3013
Just watched the 4th of July parade, and you’ll
be reading this well into football season. Nothing new here. We had another earthquake a
couple days ago. Edith and I were out on the
highway at the time and never felt it. That tells
you something about CA roads.
Attendance at the 65th Reunion was sparse
but fun. Our class, originally 300+ in Sept 1941,
is less than 70 today, and some of us are getting
old. Mix in the grandchildren’s college and HS
graduations that must be attended and you can
see why attendance was low. Anyway, the Class
of ’45 looked very good in the class gift dept:
doubled the goal. Thanks to class agents Ed Gerber, Al Koch, Ole Kollevoll, and Chuck Wittig.
Hal Heim traveled all the way from the FL
Keys to Hamilton to attend the reunion. Way to
go. (Or should I say “long” way to go.)
Gordon Prouty died April 10 when hit by
a car while crossing the street. Gordon was a
member of chorus, the track and cross-country
teams, Maroon-News, and a religious group.
Gordon went into the V-12 program at Colgate
and served as a gunnery officer. He earned master’s degrees at Clark U and Cornell. Gordon’s
son Tom was Colgate ’77 and daughter Kathryn
’82.
Herbert Beadle Jr, Phi Gamma Delta, passed
June 21. Herb is survived by his wife, Kay. Two of
Herb’s uncles preceded him at Colgate: Erastus
Gullev ’17 and Clarence Cobb ’31. Herb served 3
years in the Army medical corps, one of them in
Europe. [Ed note: most of the activities noted in
the obits come from a book Hal Heim wrote for
our 50th.] Many, many thanks, Hal.
Here’s a note from Bill Waterhouse: “Wife
and I are planning a trip to OH and MI to see a
major part of our family. We’ve yet to see our
new great-granddaughter in MI and that will be
a good reason for our trip. She is our 5th greatgrandchild. Hope to get back to Colgate before
the fall.” Sounds great to me! Hope you enjoyed
your trip. Bob: 858-395-3213; [email protected]
1 9 46
and I plan to attend our 65th Reunion next year.
We hope you will join us. But it’s hard to be nostalgic when you can’t remember anything. Stay
well.
Don: 201-568-0309;
[email protected]
Don Schaefer
45 Lydecker Street
Englewood, NJ 07631-3008
1 9 47
Gale Benn lives near Camp Dudley in Westport,
NY. That’s 25 miles north of Ticonderoga where
my maternal grandparents lived. Gale loves it
there. They have a boat, which they once took
up to Lake Champlain into the St Lawrence
River and on to Quebec. Gale and Kathy lived in
Switzerland for 20 years and also once called
London and Paris home. They have 2 sons and a
daughter. Gale’s career was spent in PR, advertising, marketing communications, and publishing.
Bob Anderson still lives in North Tonawanda,
NY. His wife, Sally, passed away in Jan 2006. Bob’s
arthritis has slowed him down — he no longer
travels or plays golf — but he still takes care of
his 1-acre lawn and garden.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of
Jack Danehy. He had been chief of psychiatry
at the Syracuse VA hospital and later with the
Hutchings Psychiatric and Geriatric Clinic. Our
sympathy goes out to Nancy and their son, John
III ’78.
Also, Bill Lindeman died in May. He leaves Lois
and their son, Donald. Bill was very active for our
class and for Colgate. So much so that he was
honored with a Maroon Citation. Our thoughts
go out to Lois and Donald. Bill’s 33-year business
career was spent with Provident Mutual Life
Insurance. We will miss Bill and Jack.
Skip Walker sent me news of Bill, and he extended an invite to meet him on the Jersey shore.
Skip’s wife, Mary, and my wife, Renate, are Bryn
Mawr alumnae.
Phil Ingle just celebrated his 88th birthday. After high school, he had to work a couple of years
to get the money to go to Colgate. He says he’s
a kid at 85. Phil just underwent a complicated
open-heart surgery operation and his recovery
has been slow. Blair Vedder had the same operation, Phil, and says it will take 6 months to feel
like your old self. Blair had a wonderful family reunion on his IL farm in July. Blair has some vision
problems, and I told him of my treatment for wet
macular degeneration. And I just had cataracts
removed. Now I can read better and even see a
golf ball in flight. Enough of the medical report.
Dick Benzoni sounds great. He has 10 children
(5 sons and 5 daughters) and 28 grandchildren.
He is busy attending graduations and weddings.
Two of his sons live in the San Fran Bay area. One
is a VP at Samsung and the other is a priest. Dick
spent his entire career with Kodak. For 40 years,
he was in charge of the local ski patrol. After our
talk, he was going swimming. He is an active
fisherman, going after salmon both in the lake
and in streams. He told me that Jim Smyth now
lives with his son.
I am writing this in July. Next week I meet my
3 sons in Montana for a week of fly-fishing and
golf. They live out West, so for me, it’s an opportunity to enjoy their company again.
The good Lord willing, Jim Fee, Dick Benzoni,
“When Don McCluskey came back from Chicago for our fall semester in 1941, he detrained at Syracuse,
where the bus driver refused to load his bicycle. Don convinced the driver to take his luggage and drop it
in Hamilton, but Don had to pedal the 40 miles to Hamilton.” — Joseph DeBragga ’43
46
scene: Autumn 2010
Jack Scollay
Apt. 315
95 Elizabeth Street
Delaware, OH 43015-4312
Jack: 740-362-4035; [email protected]
1948
George F Greene Jr
36096 N Newbridge Ct
Gurnee, IL 60031-4511
George: 847-856-0704;
[email protected]
1949
David S. Davies
109 Barker Street
Wellington, OH 44090-1132
Bob Howard, who served his class and Colgate
longer and with greater devotion than any ’49er,
died on June 27 of cancer. According to Jack Babeuf, who talked with Bob about a week before
he died, Bob knew that he was close to death
and chose not to engage in last-minute chemo or
other heroic measures, but instead had himself
admitted to a hospice facility in Newville, PA. He
lived only a short while longer. He was 83. Wife
Betty, to whom he was married for 56 years, died
in 2006. Bob is survived by 2 daughters, Wendy
and Cindy, and 3 grandchildren. His brother,
Donald ’39, died in 1992. After graduating, Bob
worked in the Colgate admissions office, and
then moved to Alfred U and then Dickinson
C, working a total of 22 years in admissions,
before returning to Colgate in 1974 to head the
alumni office. He finished his Colgate career in
1989 as asst VP of public affairs. Through all his
service, and after retirement, Bob helped arrange
reunions, for both class and college, and he was a
vigorous booster of the Thirteen. Daughter Cindy
says that evidence of the affection of current
and alumni Thirteen singers was provided when
more than 20 joined a phone tree to sing to Bob
in the hospital. She said Scott Williams ’96 arranged for 14 Thirteen alums to go to Newville to
sing for Bob as he was dying in the hospice. “Dad
loved it,” Cindy reported. As an undergrad, Bob
was an ATO, sang in the Thirteen, marched in the
band, was a golfer, and was a member of Konosioni, Dean’s List, and Mu Pi Delta. He received
a Maroon Citation in ’89 and a Distinguished
Alumni Award in ’99. Bob probably never missed
a reunion, and his bright, focused greetings to
alumni from every class made him one of Colgate’s best known and most admired contemporaries. He kept his good humor always. Ray Otis,
who has been serving as caretaker of the history
of Thirteen alumni, writes, “So many great
memories over the years. I was sure of one friend
at all the reunions.” And befitting a notice of the
passing of an old friend, Ray reports becoming a
3-time great-grandfather, twins and a single.
Ken Hillyer, fraternity brother and good
friend, also talked with Bob Howard before Bob’s
death. For himself, Ken said that he had his aortic
valve replaced and then had to be opened up
again when fluid gathered around his heart. But
he survived and is feeling better — well enough
to go on a cruise with his lady friend.
guy, and they were king and queen of a HS prom.
He also told of playing the piano for Sigma Chi
parties, and of mom playing along with him.”
Homer majored in poli sci, was a member of
the Internatl Relations Council, a campaign volunteer ’85–’97, and on the class gift committee
’95–’96. He was 82.
David C Starkey, who died June 15 in Raleigh,
was Colgate to the core. He had 5 close relatives
who graduated from the university: his father,
David T ’24; an uncle Wilmer T ’20; a brother Robert W ’51; and 2 cousins, James F Dunham ’57 and
Kenneth Myers Jr ’63. David was an ATO, majored
in psych, and was a member of the psych club.
He is survived by widow Charline. They were
married for 61 years. David was 83.
Roger S Ingalls died Oct 27, 2009, in Morristown, NJ. He was 85. A Phi Gamma Delta, Stan
made deep academic tracks and was awarded
Phi Beta Kappa, an Austen Colgate Scholarship,
a George Cobb Fellowship, and Deans List. He
majored in philosophy. Stan is survived by wife
Dorothy and his brother, Deane G Hope.
Rodger G Haley died April 23 in Utica. Rodg
was a Sigma Chi and majored in SOAN. He is
survived by his children, Leslie, Heidi, Rodger, and
Mark, and their families. He was 83.
Reading these words in locations where the
cold of Oct chills, it is difficult to recall that when
this was written, the East Coast was in the middle of a 90° grilling and LeBron James had just
announced that he was forsaking OH and taking
his millions to Miami. In fact, by now, we’ll know
whether the King James Trio is capable of losing
an NBA game. Colgate will be deep in its football
schedule, the women and men cross-country
gallopers will be tramping the golf course,
swimmers will be shivering, booters will be
wondering whether the next World Cup will find
the USA better prepared, and we octogenarians
will take our pills, eat our vegetables, exercise
our Medicare rights, and hope that the body goes
before the brain.
You know your news is needed, so nothing
more will be said.
David: 440-647-5306; [email protected]
195 0
Bunn Rhea
383 Clearbrook Drive
Avon Lake, OH 44012-3117
Dear classmates: Our musical efforts were far
removed from the mind-numbing tones of
the vuvuzela horns of World Cup fame, but we
brought along enough faithful kazoos to Hamilton to let everyone know that we were there in
the reunion parade, and we had a great time all
weekend.
Sixteen stalwarts and their partners made
the trip: Barney Barber, Russ Buchanan (Shirley),
Doug Campbell (Sandra), Harry Carpenter
(Doodie), Art Curtis (Gino Girimonte), Joe Flately
(Mary), Cliff Heaslip (Meredith), Dave Kluge
(Beverly), Glenn Langer, Bunn Rhea (ME), Walt
Scheer (Arlene), Van Smith (Margaret), Howie
Sutliff (Margaret), George Twichell, Jim Youker,
and Frank Zabransky.
We bummed rides from the student-run
transports to the interesting sessions on the hill,
enjoyed conversation at meals in our tent, and
stood proud in the presentation of the Humanitarian Award to fellow classmate Glenn Langer.
Several guests accepted our invitations to join
us for our Sat night banquet: Jim Dickinson ’39,
his son Craig, a Colby grad, and John LeFevre
’41 and friend. Gary Ross ’77, dir of admissions,
entertained us with clever comparisons of our 4
years to the present, and Interim Pres Lyle Roelofs
Get to know: Hiep Tran ’11
Heather Ainsworth
Tom Dockrell’s granddaughter, Morgan, was
runner-up in the Miss USA competition last
spring and found herself in the middle of a
gossip-mag tussle. The women were asked questions designed to let them show their familiarity
with current events. Morgan’s was about AZ’s
then new anti-immigrant legislation. Morgan
answered that she thought it was a matter of
state’s rights. After the winner of the Miss USA
contest was announced, it was rumored that the
judges hadn’t liked her answer and therefore put
her in 2nd place. Afterward, Tom’s granddaughter was asked whether she thought the judges
had disliked her answer and she said that she
didn’t know, but that the question seemed a
polarizing one and she was surprised by it. She
evidently had been ahead in the swimsuit and
evening gown sections of the comp. The fuss
made headlines on CNN and Fox News, and Donald Trump invited her to come to NYC. Tom said
he was not sure what she planned, but that she’s
a level-headed young woman and is primarily
interested in completing her jr year at OK State
U. Two special friends of Tom’s, Fred Dunlap
’50 and class pres Phil Sanford, mentioned the
beauty-contest story, Phil suggesting that one
had to wonder how the granddaughter of Tom
Dockrell could win beauty contests.
Alton McDaniel writes from Singers Glen, VA:
“Slowing down here on garden, lawn, and other
activities. Spending more time reading and falling asleep in my chair.”
A recent literary history, The Publisher: Henry
Luce and his American Century, brings to mind a
moment with Luce, probably in the fall of 1948,
when he spoke at Colgate, and I was chosen, as
editor of the Colgate Maroon, to chauffer him
back to his plane in Rome. The experience was
strange. I was raised by a New Deal mother who
believed that Time was a propaganda publication
for the Republican Party, and that’s the prejudice
I brought with me to Colgate. As a freshman,
I took an English course from Strang Lawson
(we thought it cute to call him ‘Strange’), and
as part of that course he asked us to subscribe
to Time. Being foolish, I objected, informing the
prof that Time was biased and untrustworthy, an
opinion that Prof Lawson shrugged off and that
I’m certain marked me in his mind as biased and
untrustworthy. But I found support for my callow conclusions in Colgate’s Director of Student
Publications, Roger Spaulding ’33, who informed
us that the way to read Time was to tear it apart
where the sections on the arts, literature, and
sports began and throw away the front. Anyway,
stuck in my certainty about the publication
founded by the man I was driving to the airport,
I had nothing to say. Too immature to surmount
my prejudices, and too uninformed and green
to make intelligent conversation, I drove Henry
Luce to Rome and delivered him to the terminal.
I can imagine that his opinion of our university
was dampened by having been driven by this
mute Colgate kid. Or maybe the man described
in The New Yorker as “one of the most influential
journalists of the 20th century” was tired enough
from leading the nation’s largest publishing
empire to be grateful that he was being driven
by someone who did not ask dumb questions
and make stupid comments.
Homer Lydecker died Feb 20 in Nyack, NY,
where, after graduation, he joined his father’s
real estate and insurance office and served in it
for more than 6 decades. He is survived by wife
Wanda and daughter Jill. Jill writes that her dad
loved Colgate and returned for most reunions.
“He used to tell of having so much fun as an
undergrad, and of mom, still in HS, coming up
by train to see him. Dad played HS football and
mom was a cheerleader. He was a handsome
– Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam
– Extracurriculars: Student Government Association senator; plans to start a Vietnamese Culture Club this semester
– Colgate summers: In the summer of 2009, he composed and recorded original music for a visualization lab show, which will premiere this spring. Last summer, he conducted economics research with Profes-
sor Tom Michl on financialization.
How did you choose Colgate?
Financial aid. Good reputation. I knew people who had come here from Vietnam and they
were very happy with the experience.
Had you been to the U.S. before?
I participated in a month-long ESL program in Hawaii in 2004. That experience with the
American culture motivated me to study in the U.S. for college.
What is your academic focus?
My freshman year I spent most of my time studying math and economics and was proud of
my high GPA. My second year, I started taking piano lessons and learning Italian to participate in the Venice Study group. I spent more time socializing. Now, after three years, I am
a double music and mathematical economics major, and I am proud that my knowledge has
expanded greatly. My experiences in America and in Europe have made me a more multicultural person.
How else have you changed since coming to Colgate?
When I first came, I was just “me,” a high school graduate from Vietnam. Now I am a
Vietnamese-cultured student at an American university — a very different person. I owe
much of the difference to what I have learned about the American culture. I am sure many
American students feel the same way about foreign cultures brought over by international
students. There is a mutual benefit: international students learn at the same time as they
teach. American students teach at the same time as they learn.
How has your cultural context affected you as a student?
I wasn’t aware of any disadvantage at first, but certain material, such as music history of
the Baroque period, was like a blowing wind. I could understand the material semantically,
but I couldn’t absorb it. Staying in Venice, I suddenly recognized, “Wow! So this is where
Monteverdi was working. This is what it feels like to compose, to play, to listen to music in
the 16th century.” At the same time, I tend to compare what I see and learn to what I know of
my own culture, which poses other interesting questions.
Given all you’ve learned about yourself while at Colgate, what’s a life lesson
you’ll take away?
The human capacity is boundless, and I have learned that you can do something practical
and at the same time follow your passion. I don’t think there is any limit on what a human can
learn or can do.
— Barbara Brooks
47
Joe Angeles, director of photographic services, Washington University
A differentiated dean
Living cells divide, develop, and differentiate themselves. Biologist Ralph Quatrano ’62
has made a livelihood studying that process. Development and differentiation are also
apt metaphors to describe his career path, which has led him to his new job as Washington
University’s dean of engineering and applied science.
Quatrano always knew he wanted to be an educator. He played football and lacrosse
while taking biology courses at Colgate, intending to coach and teach at the high school
level. But as he ran on the turf and studied in the lab, he caught the research bug — “the
excitement of knowing something that no one else knows at a particular time,” he said.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in botany, then went on to Ohio University to work on
a master’s, still convinced that his future was waiting in a high school classroom. But an
adviser convinced him to make one last stop: the PhD program at Yale. Quatrano packed his
bags for New Haven, and a scientist was born.
As Quatrano’s understanding of biology and botany developed with each new degree,
he began to differentiate himself from his peers by embracing interdisciplinary research
opportunities and excelling at the role of scholar-teacher.
He took his doctorate to Oregon State University, where he earned the Carter Award,
given annually to an “Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of Science.” This was just the first
of many honors that decorate Quatrano’s walls.
“I always had undergraduates or high school students in my lab,” he said, “because I feel
that’s where you get your first taste of the hills and valleys of research.”
Quatrano has surveyed the terrain from a number of perspectives: as a professor and
founding director of the Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology at Oregon State University in the ’70s, as molecular biology research manager at Du Pont in the mid-’80s, and
as biology department chair at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and at Washington
University in the ’90s. More recently, he has served as interim dean of arts and sciences at
Washington University.
In his new role as engineering and applied science dean, Quatrano is preaching the gospel
of close cooperation, noting that the ties between engineering, physical sciences, and life
sciences are becoming tighter every semester. He knows it from his experience in private
industry, and he has seen it on campus while coordinating a longstanding Washington/Monsanto research partnership.
Quatrano is also cooperating with Colgate. Using funds from a National Science Foundation grant, he has established a link with his alma mater and with former protégé Ken
Belanger, Colgate’s Raab Family Associate Professor of biology.
“Ken was one of the best post-doc fellows I ever had at Chapel Hill,” said Quatrano. Collaboration between their labs brings Colgate undergrads to St. Louis to do research and
Washington University professors to Hamilton to deliver lectures.
For Quatrano, it’s a perfect way to perpetuate the cycle that has allowed him to distinguish himself from other biologists of his generation. “I was an undergrad at Colgate in
the early ’60s, and now one of my students is teaching similar undergrads at Colgate. It’s a
wonderful reward to see something like that happen.”
— Mark Walden
48
scene: Autumn 2010
stopped by to say hello.
Among those who could not make the trip to
Hamilton, Jack Schulze wrote saying he was sorry to have missed our 60th. Apparently, Austine
and Bill White would normally meet Jack and
Elaine at the Syracuse airport, and they would
drive to Hamilton together. Today, however, with
PAD, Bill cannot walk more than a block without
experiencing pain, so no trip to Hamilton. “On
the other hand,” Jack says, “I would have enjoyed
walking in the parade.”
In other news, Mary Elizabeth and Sherry Anderson made their eventful trip back from FL to
their home in ME. The long drive was broken up
by a hitchhike on the Autotrain, overnight from
FL to DC, 800 or more miles they did not have to
drive. It is the only Autotrain in the US and, at 3
quarters of a mile, is the longest train the world.
They stopped 3 nights in Philly to catch up with
family, visit Pearl Buck’s home, and relax. Now
they are back in New Vineyard and dealing with
102 e-mails.
Norma and Dave Wilson made the big decision, took the plunge, and ended up in Cedar
Crest, a fine sr living facility in Pompton Plains,
NJ. Dave says they love the place but downsizing can cause a lot of anguish. In the middle of
the move, he was hospitalized due to a very low
blood platelet count, which eventually led to the
removal of his spleen. Surgery was in late May,
preventing his being on hand for our 60th. Now
he is feeling much better.
We said goodbye to the following: Roy T
Anderson died Jan 17 in Dousman, WI. He was
a member of Sigma Chi. Richard M Bennett, a
member of Beta Theta Pi and a psych major, died
May 3 in Darien, CT. Earl J Hoag Jr, a member of
Sigma Nu and an English major, died June 28 in
White Plains, NY. Robert R Lankford died May
23 in Ocala, FL. A member of Lambda Chi Alpha,
he majored in geology. Robert E Milgrim died
May 29 in Highlands, NC. He majored in internatl
relations. Robert E Okell died at home in Edison,
NJ, on March 21. He was an English major. A
heart-warming letter from Virginia, to whom he
had been married for 57 years, told us that Bob
had been in failing health for the past several
years and could not read comfortably, but always
enjoyed having the class news read to him.
The Class of 1950 page at www.colgateconnect.org (the new, improved colgatealumni.org)
has reunion photos. Take a look and you might
see yourself or some old friends. And, by the time
you read this column, 2 interesting events will
have taken place: Colgate and Syracuse met in
football Sept 25 for the 1st time since 1987, and
Jeffrey Herbst was inaugurated as Colgate’s 16th
pres on Oct 2.
Please continue to send me news. It can be
anything relevant to Colgate, your classmates, or
yourself. If you have read this column at all, you
know that I will use whatever you send me.
Cheers and best wishes.
Bunn: 440-933-4137; [email protected]
1951
Nels MacCallum
1915 Clark Road
Rochester, NY 14625-1830
Writing this just after the 4th of July and 7
straight perfect summer days. Hope you were
having the same. More important, hope you’re
having this weather now in your autumn, as
you’re reading the Scene and into your golf,
football, or whatever.
Don Smith opens the column from New
Castle, PA: “The 2nd annual reunion of available
’51ers (& others) was held at noon at Erins’ Isle
(an Irish pub) in Naples, FL, on 3/16. The first
thing we did was schedule 3/16/11 for the 3rd
annual, same time, same place. Please call me so I
can make a reservation for you [Contact information is available from the alumni directory at
www.colgateconnect.org (the new, improved
colgatealumni.org) or from alumni records at 315228-7453]. Any member of any class is welcome.
Yu’all come! In attendance from ’51 were Tom De
Lessio (Marion), Austin Murphy (Pat), Don Smith
(Nancy), John Sterzinar, and class president
Tom Walbridge (Peggy). We were also joined by
Bob Preston ’50 (Shirley), Herb Dietzel ’52, and
Jim Robinson ’67. Bob and Lynn Reed, longtime
friends from New Castle, were also with us, as
they were in 2009. On an earlier phone call, you
gave me the number of deceased class members,
which I passed along to the group, and we all
raised our glasses to ‘absent friends.’ Prez Tom
took the floor and asked for a motion to appoint
Don Stichter as our 60th Reunion chairman
in 2011. Motion made, seconded, and passed
unanimously. (None of us was going to accept
it!) In a subsequent call to the Murphys, Pat said,
‘You should have seen Stic’s face when we told
him.’ (Don may have made an anguished face,
but he’ll do a great job.) It always amazes me
that each time we meet, there is an instant joy
that goes with seeing old friends and recalling
good times. Tom closed the meeting, asking all
who can to meet in Hamilton in 2011! All things
considered, we were in decent health for a
bunch of 80-year-olds. Cheers to all classmates!”
(Thanks for the report, Don). Don adds: “In June,
Nancy and I drove to NJ for the HS graduation
of our granddaughter. Our NJ family lives near
Hellertown, PA, where Ethel and Bob Kienzle live.
We had a wonderful visit with them in their nice
condo overlooking the Lehigh Valley. After a good
lunch, Bob drove us around Muhlenberg C where
our kin, Morgan Emily Smith, starts college in the
fall. Nancy, Ethel, and Bob all went to HS together
(Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, PA), so there was
as much chatter about ‘Sem’ as there was about
Colgate. Bob says that he has ordered his season
tickets for all the home football games, so look
for him in the stands — in the lower seats! Bob
and I are still trying to locate KDR brother Bill
McNeill. If you have any information, please call
me.”
John Sterzinar updates from Booneville,
NY: “Apologies for not corresponding over the
last few years.” (No need for you to apologize,
John, you’ve been a loyal Scene contributor
to Brud Davis, then me, over all these years.)
“Needless to say, I’m still on the right side of the
grass. Survived my bout with colon cancer and
after 2 years of checkups, treatment, and a few
colonoscopies, I was told to return in 5 years
for another exam.” (Great, John!) “Attended the
reunion breakfast. Saw Shell Storrier and spent
the meal there with Peter Rakov ’54. He advised
me I was his freshman dorm advisor in Stillman
— the only one of my dorm boys I see every
year is Craig Stearn ’53. He and his wife always
attend either the Lafayette or Lehigh game in PA.
Ordered my season tickets for this year. Hope to
see them all. Missed a few last year.” (Have you
established a new record for an alumnus attending home and away Colgate football games? I
remember you were in 2nd place a few years
ago. Hope to see you at a home game this year
— we haven’t been to one in a few years.) “Still
transporting vets to the Rome VA and Syracuse
VA hospitals. Keeps me busy. Hope all is well
healthwise with Audrey and you.” (It is.) “God
bless.”
Shell Storrier briefs from New Hartford, NY:
“Thank you so much for the great job you are
doing.” (Classmates write the ’51 column, Shell.
As long as you and others send in your “news”
and notes, there will be a column — putting it
together isn’t very difficult.) “I have been busy
doing various jobs for area nonprofit organizations. It’s a great way to say thank you and give
back. Also, my wife and I travel quite a bit. Best to
classmates.”
Cal Sutliff writes from Brooklyn: “Our youngest daughter, Huong, has 3 more years at Bates,
so Cindy and I are both working full-out to
come up with the 50k a year that college costs
these days.” (Wow! Still working fulltime and a
daughter in her sophomore year! We thought we
got started late … our oldest grandchild, only one
in Rochester, and only granddaughter, is going
to Williams C this fall. Over the next 4 years,
our 3 grandsons will head to college — all are
good student-athletes.) “Also helping start a new
company, Memories on Video, that films people
telling their life stories, creating instant family
heirlooms. A broader description of what I’m up
to is that in the struggle between doing/achieving vs finding answers to life’s big questions
(Who am I? What’s it all about?), I’m flipping back
and forth between the 2 like a light switch. Having fun though!” (If you find any answers, Cal,
at least give us a clue…) Cal added, “I’m guessing
you got info on Bill Passell passing on. He was
really a close and good friend.”
Dick Stowe from Rochester suburb Churchville, NY, sent this in June: “Bill Passell died May
9 after fighting multiple myeloma for a few
months. A great guy who will be missed.” The
May 24 NY Times article covered his Colgate
graduation, work at IBM and Playtex, family,
his numerous bridge championships and his
ranking (77th) on the all-time master point list
with more than 19,400, and his teaching; it even
diagrams one of his favorite bridge deals. The
article, “Remembering a Champion and Teacher,”
stated: “One of the true gentleman of bridge
died,” and, “Passel’s gentle demeanor and friendliness will be missed.” Bill lived in Boynton Beach,
FL, and at Colgate was part of KDR, Maroon News,
Banter, Bridge Club. He is survived by his widow,
Marlene Wachtel Passel.
Tom Tierney checks in from South Natick,
MA: “I retired in 1988 as exec VP of Rendall and
group president of Rendall Healthcare. We lived
seasonally in Naples where we have an alumni
club under the leadership of Tom Walbridge.”
(We happily know about it! We have a fine club
here in Rochester, headed up and fully attended
by “youngsters” from the classes from the ’80s
through the ’00s; lots of activities, and dinners
on the 13th of each month.) “Jan and I have lived
here in the Boston area (Dover & So Natick) since
1976. Our 2 children: Orange, CA, and Peachtree
City, GA (where Tom has his own law firm). By
the time you read this, I will have had my 83rd
birthday and am happy to report that Jan and I
have been blessed with good health. Both of us
play lots of golf at Wellesley GC. We have been
fortunate to enjoy our golden years and think
fondly about my years at Colgate and how fortunate I was to experience that great education. All
the best.”
Don Stichter from Tampa, encourages 60th
Reunion attendance: “The number 51 is an appropriate number for my history. Ellen and I have
been married for 51 years, lived in Tampa for 51
years, and I have practiced law for 51 years. I was
selected or elected as the class reunion chairman
for our 60th Reunion in June 2011. Any recount
for that election will not be considered an unfriendly gesture.” (As Don Smith explains above,
nominations were closed after Tom Walbridge
proposed your election!) “Apart from that, I am
happy to serve. Our previous class reunions have
been enjoyable experiences, and I urge all of the
class to consider our 60th. Good attendance can
be accomplished when one class member elects
to attend and reaches out to others encouraging
them to attend. The obvious contacts are close
friends, team members, fraternity brothers, and
participants in any number of campus activities. The ripple effect works. Let me know if you
would like to participate on the reunion committee. Colgate at reunion time is an easy sell.
There will be announcements from the college
with regard to the reunion and seeking an intent
to attend. We periodically see Tom Walbridge,
Austin Murphy, Shell Storrier, Ted Stacy, Bob
Reiners, and John Blumenthal, as they make an
annual spring pilgrimage to thaw out. Best to
all.”
Our daughter, Laurie, and her family, live in
Westerly, RI, where Pat and Austin Murphy reside
(and are friends of her in-laws). She sent a clipping from the magazine section of the Westerly
Sun. On the cover page was a photo of Austin
and 11 other actors performing in The Stage Door
Company presentation of “12 Angry Men.” The
accompanying article described the play, but
didn’t critique it and didn’t indicate any featured
players. I’m sure you agree that Murph would be
perfect (and probably was great) in the Henry
Fonda role — great typecasting!
Rich Heath notes that his granddaughter,
Tobin Heath, a UNC graduate, was the #1 draft
choice of, and is playing with, the Atlanta Heat of
the Women’s Professional Soccer League. A fine
athletic family, Rich!
Sad to inform you of the passing of 2 classmates: John H Goewey died peacefully on April
17 in Holden, MA. Widow: Gloria Nelson Goewey
(married 53 years); activities DU, baseball, ROTC,
dean’s list, philosophy club. William W Halter
died peacefully on Feb 8 in North Lima, OH.
Spouse Mary Robertson Halter predeceased him
in 2008. Activities: Phi Kappa Psi, football.
Be well, enjoy the rest of the fall, and have a
wonderful holiday season, as 2010, as all other
times do now, goes by so quickly. See you in
January 2011, our 60th Reunion year!
Nels: [email protected]
195 2
Jackson T King
476 Grace Trail
Orange, CT 06477-2619
I have talked with Dick Murbach, who lives in
San Jose, CA, with wife Ilene. They have a daughter, Kathie, who has a young child. Kathie was an
outstanding swimmer at USC and has done very
well for her company. Dick has been retired since
1998. Since his retirement, he has done some
serious physical activity. He has also done some
substantial pro bono work.
Dick Merrill writes: “I am happy to report
a successful campaign by the Class of 1952 in
the recent Colgate Annual Fund Campaign that
ended May 31. The final class results were: 72%
participation and $595,483 in gifts. Thanks to the
great effort by all classmates, we obtained excellent results. Our class continues to be one of the
key factors each year in the campaign.
FYI, while we usually raise a very respectable
$200,000 each year, this year was an exception
thanks to John ‘Duke’ Donovan. For making a
major gift this year, he will be inducted into
the James B Colgate Society in Nov, placing him
alongside our classmate Dick Kessler as a million dollar contributor to Colgate. John and wife
Patti have been longtime Colgate contributors.
His namesake, Donovan’s Pub, is only one of
their wonderful gifts. At the present time, Duke
is rehabilitating at a nursing home in Madison,
NJ. If you’d like to say hi to him, I’ll give you his
number. I’m sure he’d like to hear from you.
Again, many thanks to all our donors for your
continuing help and support of Colgate. Duke is
hoping to return to a location in a great place in
LI. He is hoping to get out of the nursing home in
a very short time.
Harry K Tebbutt died on May 31 at the age of
78 in Chevy Chase, MD. His widow is Jane. While
at Colgate he majored in natural sci and was a
member of KDR, chorus, track, and WRCU. His
cousin was William J Timm ’28.
Philip C Gordon died on June 18 in Lancaster,
PA. His widow is Clarissa. While at Colgate he
majored in history. He was a member of Sigma
Nu, track, and cross-country. I would certainly appreciate hearing from you
by phone, mail, or e-mail.
Jack: 203-795-9111; [email protected]
1953
Lou Wilcox
27 Oak Avenue
West Yarmouth, MA 02673
When my last copy of the Scene arrived in my
mailbox, there was also my latest copy of Organic Gardening. Interestingly enough, both publications offer material on the good ole organic
way of life. Just look at Colgate’s involvement
with local farmers and food producers (spring
2010) for instance. Then I had the mind-boggling
thought: gosh, both publications cost money to
produce, and since they seemingly have common
interests recently (big color publications and an
interest in the organic way of life), perhaps we
should consider combining them and save everyone money and space in my mailbox.
Mitch Rosenheim writes: “From your inclusion
of our cruise through the canal in our class notes,
we have already had repercussions. It made me
and Southern Jane sound like fat cats doing an
annual high roller’s sojourn. Several classmates
have already called seeking stimulus loans.
We told them all to call you.” He adds, “We are
signed up for another voyage this Oct. We fly to
Montreal, take in the sights for a few days, drive
to Quebec City, board a Princess ship to Nova
Scotia then down the East Coast, stopping in ME,
RI, NYC, Charleston, and ending in Ft Lauderdale.”
Need I say more about their travels and stimulus
loans?
Dick Malkin called Don Beal’s address and
phone number, which I supplied. He wrote back,
catching us up on his doings since he left Colgate,
to wit, “Thanks for your letter. My wife, Marge,
and I were really impressed with your former
farm and all the things you did living off the land
and the animals. After Colgate, I went directly
to Harvard B-School and received my MBA. That
helped me obtain a direct commission into the
US Army Signal Corps. I was sent to Philly as a
contracting officer awarding govt contracts. It
was an enjoyable assignment with little military
atmosphere. I joined IBM and worked for this
fine company for 33 years. My job took me all
over the US, Europe, and living in Tokyo for 7
years and covering the Far East as my territory.
After I retired, my wife and I moved to ME to be
close to my summer cottage in Boothbay Harbor.
I live only 5 minutes from Bowdoin C and enjoy
going to their sporting and cultural events. I even
audited some classes.
“A couple of winters ago, I started to write
my autobio. It evolved into being published with
some 30 pictures. It was not my intention to
market it but wrote it for my children and grandchildren (although it is available on Amazon:
A Glimpse into the Past). I have enclosed a copy
for your perusal and especially since you are
working on a book about your son.” Thanks for
sharing your book with me; it was fun to read.
Norm Newman informed me that Clarence
‘Bert’ Snyder succumbed on May 21 after a long
and courageous battle with cancer. Norm writes,
“I last saw Bert on May 15 when John Sanborn,
Kent Kehr, and I visited Bert at his residence in Ft
Myers. His spirits were good and the family tells
me that they remained so to the very end. As I
left Bert, I leaned over the railing of his hospital
bed and placed a kiss on the top of his head. He
then pulled me down and gave me a kiss on the
cheek. It was at that point that we both knew
that we would not see each other again.” Bert
is survived by wife Virginia (Ginger) and 4 children: Martha Snyder Richter ’81, Steven, Thomas,
and Edward. After Colgate, Bert graduated from
Cornell Law in 1958. Following service in the US
Army, Bert became a partner in the Dunkirk firm
of Sullivan and Snyder in 1959. In 1968, he joined
the firm of Towne, Rubenstein, and Snyder. Bert
retired from active practice in 1992. In 2004, Bert
and Ginger took up residence in Ft Myers.
Just received word that Donald S Hoxie passed
away on Sept 15, 2009, in Wheeling, WV. Don was
a member of Alpha Tau Omega and was active in
chorus, track, and ROTC while at Colgate. Don is
survived by widow Sylvia and children.
Harry J Williams III died June 9 in Phoenix
after a battle with esophageal and bone cancer.
Harry is survived by widow Marilyn.
On behalf of the Class of 1953, I send
condolences to Ginger Snyder, Sylvia Hoxie,
and Marilyn Williams, and wish them well in
celebrating the many good years they had with
their spouses.
David Mulford wrote, “I always enjoy reading
the Class of ’53 news in the Scene. I don’t have
anything exciting to report, but at this stage of
life, that may be good! As I’ve mentioned before,
Nancy and I live in a retirement community just
outside of Princeton. They take good care of our
needs, and that is much appreciated. Our kids
are close by, so we can enjoy holidays, birthdays,
graduations, etc, with little travel involved. Plus,
family times together mean so very much. In
March, we took a cruise to the Panama Canal
(fantastic) with stops in Aruba, Curacoa, and
Costa Rica. We also make frequent trips to the
family place in E Hampton, which we enjoy at
any time of the year. The place is now owned
by our kids. They enjoy it thoroughly and also
maintain the place, which is a big load off our
shoulders. Volunteer activities in church and
community, plus taking advantage of all the opportunities a university town provides, keep our
lives full. We have much for which to be thankful.
My best to you and all members of the class.”
Gene Schulze wrote, describing a map giving
the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill some perspective. It shows the extent of the spill if it were on
land, starting right in your own backyard. Yes, he
says, this is an immense environmental disaster.
This from Al Rieber: “I published my 1st work
of fiction, a historical detective novel set in Russia in 1880–81 called To Kill a Tsar. It deals with
the assassination of Alexander II by terrorists.
Those interested can check it out at Amazon.
com under the title or my nom de plume, GK
George. I use a pseudonym because I have been
writing historical works since I got my PhD from
Columbia in 1959, now totaling 8 books and 20
articles on Russian and Soviet history. Some may
remember I was the 1st graduate of Colgate’s
new Russian area major. Since then I have visited
and studied in Russia half a dozen times. Over
the years I taught at NW and the U of PA, where
I was chair of the history dept for 10 years. I’m
49
“Bud [Hilton] had found an old photo of himself and Perry [Kinkaide] on the steps of a store in Fire Island
Pines in July 1957. That month, Marilyn Monroe visited the Pines, and Bud’s story is that he walked
Marilyn back to her helicopter.” — Richard Johnson ’64
currently university research prof at the Central
European U in Budapest, an American university
established by the millionaire philanthropist
George Soros. I often think back on my Colgate
education, which prepared me well for all these
years of teaching and writing. What a galaxy of
profs I had — ‘T’ Blackton, Doug Reading, Albert
Parry, Shannon McCune, and many more. All the
best to you and the class.”
Kenneth M Hunt passed away June 21 in Ft
Myers. Ken is survived by widow Sarah (Sally).
Ken served as pres of Phi Gamma Delta, pres of
IFC, member of Konosioni, and was active on the
basketball court and golf links. Ken was a friend
to all. I never met any classmate who did not
value his friendship with Ken. On behalf of our
class, condolences to Sally.
As I wrap things up, try to have a good fall,
and remember to laugh at least once each and
every day, even if it is at yourself for something
you did, but never would have done when you
were 22. Talk to you again soon.
Lou: 508-827-4080; [email protected]
1 954
Peter W Rakov
159 Edgewood Avenue
Hurley, NY 12443-5406
Very, very sparse postcard return: 0 out of 18!
Sadly, Bill Baker passed away on May 1 in
Phoenix. Kay is his widow.
Your scribe had a terrific time at Summer on
the Hill for 4 1/2 days at Colgate. We had about
53 “students,” including Marilyn and Len Marlow
and Ann and John Mayo. We each selected 3 of
9 seminars, which met for 1 1/2 hours for 3 days.
I selected International Relations of the Middle
East, People and the Sky, and The Presidency and
Exec Leadership, taught by superbly outstanding profs Bruce Rutherford, Tony Aveni, and Tim
Byrnes, respectively. The entire ambience — food,
accommodations, class experiences, extracurricular “stuff” — was beyond our expectations.
RuthAnn Loveless MA’72, Tim Mansfield, Vicki
Stone, Amanda Kalal, Amber Vogt, and Jenna
Webb — the entire alumni office — did a truly
marvelous job, right down to the last hoorah,
with remarks by Pres Herbst on his 1st day, and
a group photo in our hands before we left the
valley. My best comment/compliment? We will
register for “SOTH” 2011 ASAP.
Please send the postcards to me. This is your
column, not mine. Happy Thanksgiving!
Peter: 845-340-0659; [email protected]
1 955
Bruce Burke
4661 Sweetmeadow Circle
Sarasota, FL 34238-4334
Even though I was unable to attend the 55th
Reunion of the Class of ’55, I feel like I was there,
having heard from lots of classmates about the
good time they had. First off, our class pres Bob
Quitzau wrote: “After reunion, Fran and I drove
down to LI to spend a few days with relatives
and friends. Thus, we were out of communication for over a week. Still, I noticed Art DuBois
e-mailed you, describing some of the activities
and he covered the highlights. All in all, it was a
50
scene: Autumn 2010
fun weekend. As Art mentioned, George McDermott’s showing up, complete with his Labrador
retriever, was a winner. I have to marvel at his
spirit and resilience. Then there was Roger Slattery, who attended his 1st reunion in 55 years.
Bob observed that a goodly number of classmates and wives who attended did so with the
assistance of a cane. When it came time for the
stroll down Broad St, for the fundraising lunch,
fortunately they had golf carts for several of our
group. Who knows what the 60th will look like?”
Bob reminds us all to continue to keep in touch.
Pete Foster wrote about highlights from his
perspective. “I am always impressed with how
well organized the university is, arranging a
very special few days every year. I doubt many
realize the extent of planning, cleaning, number
of volunteers, having police and fire depts at the
ready aiding in car traffic, people traffic, as well
as making sure we all don’t burn the place to the
ground the night of the Torchlight Ceremony!
It was a truly an amazing job! My ‘chauffer’ for
the weekend was Tom Vincent ’53, whose son
Michael was celebrating his 20th. We went up on
Fri. The BBQ was that night and then to the tents.
Fun evening with plenty of beer and reminiscing. Fellow Beta brothers Bill Beyea and Peter
Van Amburgh (with Gisela!) were in attendance.
Sadly, co-chair Dick Colwell could not be with us
as Tuftsie is ill and needs his time and attention.
“I saw a lot of Bob Quitzau, Tom Bopely, Lang
Hatcher ’54, and Ralph Jones ’52. Doug Krum ’54
also stopped by the tent on Fri night. Sat AM was
the all-class parade down to the gym for lunch.
One more time, Peter and I had the honor of
carrying our class banner. There was a uniform/
sportswear sale on Whitnall after the lunch, and
at 3 pm, the Betas held a meeting for alumni at
the house, followed by cocktails. At 6 pm, our
class dinner was held in the main dining room
(old tavern corner) at the inn. We guesstimated
we had 30 classmates there, along with many
wives, of course. The amazing George McDermott was there, as he remarkably always is,
along with his seeing-eye dog. After dinner, back
to the tents for some more fun and plenty of
suds. Really a special time, and the weatherman
was perfect … beautiful sunny weather with only
a brief thunderstorm late Sat night. Sun AM the
Vincent-mobile got on the road.”
Art Dubois sent his usual friendly and exacting report: “We had a great time but wished you
were there with us to renew old friendships.
Most of our classmates arrived on Thurs or Fri
and attended Reunion College events, played
golf, or simply toured the campus to see the
many changes since we last met 5 years ago. On
Fri evening, we all gathered at our tent before
attending the awards ceremony in the chapel,
where Bob Quitzau received a well-deserved
Maroon Citation! We then marched down the hill
in the Torchlight Ceremony and ended a long day
at our class tent with music and conversation.
“We were 30 strong, plus an almost
equal number of spouses, as we paraded down
Broad St on Sat under sunny skies. Bob Quitzau
greeted everyone, and RuthAnn Loveless MA’72,
VP for alumni affairs, brought us up to date on
campus activities. The class presented President
Williams, who was unable to attend, with an
award for his many efforts over the years in
keeping his classmates together. His efforts
yielded a large Phi Gamm delegation. We had
returnees from far and wide, but none who
made a greater effort to get there than George
McDermott. He is quite remarkable.”
Bob Victorin sent a hearty “Hi all” to us. And
he wrote an instant reminder of a great weekend
for those who attended our 55th and a report for
those who could not make it and were greatly
missed. “I am a simple point-and-shoot guy, but
regardless, my photos should serve as valuable
memories. My job was to capture the parade
forward. Most of the pics are of the Gam Brothers
and honorary Gam Carl DeFaria, but look closely
and you will find (by last name) Barnes, Kraus,
Louis, McDermott with Kennel, Miller, Quitzau,
Van Amburgh, Whitaker, and maybe others, and
all good friends. That’s what Colgate is all about!
Best to all.”
Bruce: 941-926-3244;
[email protected], [email protected]
1956
Jerry Rhodes
101 Magerton Court
Cary, NC 27511-7303
Bob Barber writes that he and Esther enjoyed
their winter in FL, although it was quite a bit
colder than normal. Still, it is all relative to the
winter in NH. They left FL in early May and went
to Pittsford, NY, to visit family. Their daughter
graduated from St John Fisher C with a PhD in
nursing practice. She wants to teach f/t, preferably at the Wegman’s School of Nursing, where
she did both her master’s and doctoral work. Bob
also planned to see Paul Hauler while there. He
and Bob’s son-in-law have been busy getting the
latter’s sailboat ready for the upcoming season.
The Barbers left for NH in mid-May. Bob says
he continues to be busy with various insurance
industry committees.
Ed Jaqua wrote that he is doing fine and
enjoying life the best he can. He says he has little
other news to bore me with, but he has spoken
with Jorette and Larry Martin on several occasions and has enjoyed some good conversations.
Ed says he’s now on Coumadin, and will be from
now on, and notes that the drug is a form of rat
poison! He just hopes no one is out to get him!
Thanks for your note, Ed. It was good to hear
from you.
For all of you whose e-mail address I do not
have and those who have not updated them for
me, I bear sad news in the fact that we have lost
another 2 classmates. Clint Blume died in NYC on
June 6. Clint was active at Colgate and later he
headed up the program committee for our 15th
Reunion. Tom Powell died June 1 in NJ. Tom was
an Alumni Memorial Scholar, and we all recall
his feats on the football field. Van Hall called soon
after Tom died to let me know, and we shared
our recollections. Several of you also wrote in
regard to Tom. Jack Herring recalls when he was
a student trainer for the football team, he taped
Tom’s ankles many times! Bill Pritchard remembers being with Tom and Barbara in flight school
in Bartow, FL. Gordie Miller says that a number of
Tom’s classmates are working on a special way
to remember Tom’s contributions to Colgate and
to many of his classmates as well. Gene Soechtig
writes that he was indeed saddened to hear
about Tom’s passing. Gene says that during our
50th Reunion, they were staying at the same hotel, and he had the opportunity to chat with Tom
and his wife over morning coffee and he enjoyed
those times.
Mr Soechtig also says that he and Patty keep
hopping back and forth between Grand Rapids
and Breckenridge. Gene had thought about
returning to work, but realized in 4 years he’d
forgotten too much to function as a pathologist,
so he figures he’ll stay on permanent vacation!
He keeps his license active and attends meetings,
which only serve to remind him how far he’s
fallen behind. Oh well, Gene, just kick back and
enjoy your “vacation.” You’ve probably earned it!
I received a note from Ken Stewart, who said
that a flattering profile of him was recently
posted on the Big Apple Greeter (NYC) website.
He was one of 10 volunteers written up in its
latest annual report, curiously shown as the Aug
2009 one. I found it by going to the group’s site
map, scrolling down to “annual report” and on p
11, there it was. Among other things, it said that
like many of their volunteers, Ken has a dizzying
range of interests and commitments. He acts
as a freelance non-atty admin law judge, does
advocacy work for disabled folks, has acted in
an off-Broadway production, and is pres of the
Metro Council of Low Vision Individuals. In addition to all this, Ken, who is a marathon runner,
was designated to represent Big Apple Greeter
as a member of the relay team carrying the 2004
Olympic torch through Manhattan. I encourage
all of you to look at that website.
My thanks go to Bill Huther for sending along
his new e-mail address. Now, if only the rest
of you would do the same, I’d be a happy man!
I almost got to meet with Ben Patt for lunch
again, but I was out of town for most of the time
he was in Cary, so it just wasn’t to be. However,
we did have a couple of phone conversations,
and I think we solved most of our country’s and
Colgate’s problems! Maybe next time, Ben.
Lastly, Ed Vantine wants us all to look out for
some mailings about our 55th Reunion coming
up next summer. Although this reunion is
historically not as well attended as the 50th,
the committee is going to try to make it a
memorable one. Ed also says that he and Dick
Hanaway went on a golf trip to SW Ireland. He
says the weather was fantastic, and the golf not
so fantastic. He hopes to try Scotland next to
complete his golf “bucket list.” He added about
his Irish trip: “Dick rented a car at Shannon and
drove us to all our destinations. Took a while to
get comfortable sitting on the wrong side of the
car. Had a few brushes (literally) with various
hedge rows on the very narrow roads. He only
had a ‘personal accident’ once when I thought for
sure my side-view mirror was a goner! No charge
for the missing paint. Disco Dick did say he had a
hard time getting out of the parking lot at Logan
Airport because he couldn’t remember which
side of the road he should be on.” Sounds like a
real adventure! Scotland, be warned: The Yanks
are coming!
That’s all I have for this time. Thanks to all
who wrote and called. Until next time…
Jerry: 919-363-1980; [email protected]
1957
Ev Smethurst
6 Son Bon
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-8601
Hope everyone had a good summer. Things are
quiet here. We are still having June Gloom — in
July. It is cloudy all morning, somewhat sunny in
1 958
Bob Woodruff
3017 West Garfield Street
Seattle, WA 98199-4243
In early July, I sent out a class e-mail (the Class of
1958, not necessarily a classy e-mail) to all of our
members encouraging 11 of us to provide news
for the autumn Scene. That was the number of
respondents who answered last quarter’s plea.
My encouragement brought 11 new responses! A
hearty thanks to all who responded.
I started the e-mail with a weather report of
the Pacific NW as we live in Seattle. It was amazing how many of you began your e-mails with a
weather report in your area. Do we have a mini
Weather Channel here? On with the news.
Mini-reunion: on Oct 23, the class planned to
get together for a mini-reunion highlighted by
the Colgate-Holy Cross football game. The reunion was to take place just before you received
this copy of the Scene. As you read our entry,
think about writing me telling of your experience at the reunion and the conversations and
friendships you rekindled. Thanks to Bill Caprio,
Dick Van Cleave, Scott Baldwin, and the alumni
office for putting this together.
As for class news, I will start with the Hamiltonians. I heard from Arthur Rashap, Paul Schupf, and Phil Bisselle. Arthur just moved all of 6
miles back into Hamilton, where his apt shares
a wall with his real estate firm. He has been
playing Seven Oaks course often and traveled to
MT for his son’s wedding. As past class editor, he
encourages me regularly to keep going!
Paul suggests that during our next visit to
Colgate, include time in the Case-Geyer Library.
Paul has hosted college presidents, art museum
dirs, and many other visitors, and they never
cease to be amazed by their experience. Paul also
wishes to recognize the first Jubilee fundraiser
of the Musician’s Aid Society of NY, which took
place in August. Gregory Koerner ’88 is president
and CEO of the nonprofit, and Paul is the chair.
The organization supports the creative pursuits
of NY musicians. Many Colgate alumni and student musicians, from Edward Vantine ’56 to Kat
Widing ’12, were involved with the event. “I have
been involved with many charities,” Paul said.
“MASNY might be the most gratifying.”
Phil writes that 8 weeks after hip replacement, he is anxiously awaiting his return to the
tennis courts. In addition to Arthur and Paul, Phil
regularly sees Dick Cheshire, Chris Warren, and
Russ ‘Winslow’ Brummer. Phil states that Dave
Buccolo was in Hamilton for 2 weeks in July taking advantage of Seven Oaks.
My old roommate Frank Gatland reports that
he just concluded a 14-year run as a jazz DJ on
WSHR FM on LI. Focusing on modern jazz for 4
hours each Sunday, he has made a difference to
his listeners. Frank says he really enjoyed doing
it. (Ed note: A year ago in June, as reported in a
previous Scene, 5 of us and some of our spouses
gathered at Bob Balentine’s place in Harper’s
Ferry, WV, where we attended a jazz fest and
Frank regaled us with his knowledge of jazz. I
remember Frank playing every Sinatra album
in existence as of 1957–58.) Congrats, Frank, for
embracing your hobby love for all these years.
Richard Scott now resides in Salem, MA,
where he and his wife enjoy the N Shore, Salem,
and Boston. He retired from the publishing world
in 2000, where he ran Fodor’s Travel Guides. He
now serves as a trustee of Historic Salem and the
Salem Athenaeum. He is publishing a website,
salemfocus.com, promoting his adopted home.
Fred Hammer thanks me for taking over this
job. You are welcome, Fred. He seasonally moves
up and down the Atlantic Coast from FL, to VT,
to a NY apt. He still does deals with his boutique
investment firm until such time as his young
partners remind him that he has an impending
tee time. Fred’s grandkids take even more time,
and as he says, “now that they are people rather
than muling infants, I’m regularly amazed that
they have insights and opinions that do not mirror my own.”
Bob Rose writes and sends a picture, which
is posted on our class page at www.colgateconnect.org (the new, improved colgatealumni.org).
Six members of the Class of 1958 who also were
members of the Class of 1954 at Columbia HS (NJ)
got together to celebrate their 56th Reunion at
a lunch at Huntley’s Tavern in Summit, NJ. They
included Dick VanCleave, Bob Rose, Dick Lowenstein, Fred Jacobs, Barry Mandelbaum, and Wally
Kraemer. Paul Grinwis ’59 was unable to attend.
It looks from the picture that a good time was
had by all. (I note it was a lunch, not a dinner. The
boys must not be able to stay up as late as in the
’Gate days!)
Bill Mitchell and his wife, Jackie, just returned
from a trip to the Dominican Republic, where
they celebrated their 50th anniversary. They
didn’t go alone on this trip as they took 13 kids
and grandkids. At least 4 of his children or inlaws are Colgate grads. There is lots of maroon in
their picture on our class page. Congrats, Bill and
Jackie.
Michael Rudolph writes of a beautiful CT
morning, where 1 visiting grandson is still asleep
and the granddaughter is off for her horseback
riding lesson. Michael and wife Elizabeth were
conspiring as to how to keep the grandkids
longer at their annual visit. Great grandparenting and he hasn’t even mentioned the other 6
grandchildren!
Alvin Granowsky did not mention the
weather, but did talk of his 3 children and 7
grandchildren. As fits his role as father and
grandfather, Alvin has enjoyed serving as an
educational consultant and author of children’s
books and textbooks used in schools throughout
America. He retired as VP of education for World
Book Encyclopedia. Alvin spends half his year in
Dallas and half in Aventura, FL.
Al Ristori has officially retired from being
the saltwater fishing editor of the Newark StarLedger. He still freelances a column each Fri and
writes a daily blog for the paper. He says, “I try to
fish most days of the year.”
As I was writing, I noted that Phil Bisselle,
Frank Gatland, and Fred Hammer all said they
My picture of Colgate
would be at the mini-reunion. Who else made it?
That’s 11 reports. I look forward to receiving
11 more for the winter Scene. Thanks, all! I will
hold my own thoughts and write-up for the next
Scene, but I did want to mention that these class
submissions have been supported and edited by
my wife, Glenda Chaffin. Thanks, Glenda!
1959
Paul W Beardslee
Tunnel Mt B&B
Rt 1 Box 59-1
Elkins, WV 26241-9711
“I daydream when I’m out there [swimming]. I
sing to myself. Mostly Willie Nelson.” So says Ted
Gregory, who has been immersing himself in the
coldest of waters for the last 4 years. Why? Well,
to be prepared to become the oldest person to
swim the English Channel! Ted has consistently
braved 45–50° waters (Malta, Dover, PA, lakes,
Susquehanna River, etc) and qualified to attempt
the channel crossing in early Aug. Hopefully you
saw the news in the newspapers for you won’t
get results herein until way after the fact! We
spoke with Ted in early July and anxieties were
mounting. Moreover, Ted needs to dig up some
more Willie Nelson tunes! We’re pulling for you,
Ted, even if your son says something about a
“card short of a deck”! Oh, and by the by, Ted is
thinking ahead to, perhaps, arranging an allColgate over-70 relay channel team. So all you
natatorium junkies be on guard!
Sometime back I pondered why Scott Werner
did not appear at our 50th. Well, we’ve heard
from Scott, but he did not wish to “bore” us with
details. There were conflicts, as he put it, none
serious! Well, those cardio issues seem serious
enough, Scott. We do understand things are
improving, so music and golf are back in the
picture, and a 2014 trip to the Chenango is being
planned — at least tentatively! Way to go, Scott,
and thanks for writing.
And now we turn to info about reunion attendees — as promised, and selected at random.
In this episode we place the following on center
stage #59: Ray ‘Tex’ Ammon, Bruce Bachman,
Dave Bowman, Bill Davenport, Phil Wilkinson,
and Fred Woodruff. Tex Ammon left Colgate to
begin 27 years in the US Marine Corp. He had 1
tour in Vietnam, received the Bronze Star and 3
other honor medals, was an honor grad at the
Amphibious Warfare School, and earned a master’s at GW. Tex retired in 1986 and then entered
the medical group mgmt field, retiring again in
2005 to enjoy hobbies and granddaughters —
and to do occasional “consults” for beer money!
Bruce Bachman spent 3 years in the US Air
Force and then entered the financial services
business back in Syracuse. He has held several
and various roles in the same since, and became
a founding member of a regional investment advisory firm more recently. Married in 1966, Bruce
and Judy are the parents of 1 son and 1 daughter
and have 2 granddaughters at present. Their
summer and free times are spent at their summer home on Lake Ontario, golfing, hiking, and
road racing. Bruce indicated that until recently
he would return to the Chenango for lax, hockey,
and football games. We trust such ventures still
occur on occasion.
We mentioned Dave Bowman in previous
missives but said little of his exploits heretofore. Dave is a grad of the U of Pitt med school
and did an internship in Harrisburg, PA. Dave
joined the Navy and spent a year of sea duty on
a troop ship and a final year at NOB Norfolk. His
medical training took center stage in Norfolk
Andrew Daddio
the afternoon. Arlene and I have signed up for 2
send-off events for the CA kids on their way to
Colgate. The 1st one is for Orange Cty. Then there
is our favorite — the San Diego send-off at the
LaJolla Beach and Tennis Club in early Aug. We
get a meal, right on the beach. That’s quite a deal
for 2 kids from Buffalo.
I have entered the local Long Course Masters
Swim Meet in Fullerton, CA. Long Course is the
50 meter pool, like the Olympics. It feels like you
are swimming in the ocean. I am an icon on my
team — the oldest by 3 age groups.
Now to the news: there is none! It has been
3 months since the last report, and I have heard
nothing from my fellow alums. But look on the
bright side, there are no obits. I did write to Sumner Northcutt in Munich and attempted to invite
myself for a visit. He responded today — very
positive. He has offered to show me where the
music halls are in Germany. Now I have to raise
the money and make the reservations.
So have a good fall … and think up some news.
See you next time.
Ev: 949-495-4862; [email protected]
I lived in the Class of 1934 House during
my senior year, and I would walk up Oak
Drive and onto campus almost every
weekday morning. The view took my breath
away every single time. I looked forward
to those quiet moments I had to appreciate the extraordinary place I had called
home for four years. The rays of sunlight
shining through the trees glittered on
the pavement, and I could hear the birds
chirping. Often, on colder or snowy days,
the Colgate Cruiser would stop and open
its doors for me, but I would always wave
it along because those days when the snow
was falling softly on the oak trees and
making tiny splashes on Taylor Lake were
particularly spectacular.
With fond memories,
Erin Silver Piccola ’06
Share your own favorite verbal “picture” of
Colgate: [email protected] or Colgate
Scene, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346
51
Simple twist of fate
While running a cross country race in high school, Frank Meyer ’73 slipped and fell, hitting
his head. When he got up, his vision was blurry, but Meyer thought he would shake it off. His
vision dissipated, and after a visit to the ophthalmologist, he learned that his retinas were
dislodged. Meyer went blind. But the limitations he experienced because of his vision loss
have led to his strength as a guitar player — a pastime that has come to strike a major chord
in his life.
“There are a lot of activities that I can’t do, so I’ve devoted more to music than most
other people because I have more time to do it,” said Meyer, who is half of the folk-music duo
Meyer and McGuire. Growing up in Saugerties, N.Y., right up the road from Woodstock, Meyer and his friends
caught the music bug and were captivated by performers like Bob Dylan and The Band, who
often hung out in the area. After learning a few chords from his high school buddies, Meyer
continued to hone his musical talents at Colgate while living in the Theta Chi house. “I was a
social person, but I wasn’t a partier, so I had a lot of time that I spent learning music.” The growing popularity of anti-war folk songs during the heat of the Vietnam War shaped
Meyer’s repertoire. Strongly influenced by Dylan, Meyer also learned to play the harmonica,
which he uses to fill in the melody while playing acoustic guitar.
A literature major, Meyer was inspired by the transcendental writers, such as Emerson
and Thoreau. He describes the first song he ever wrote while at Colgate as “Emersonian acquiescence.” The song, called “Crystals,” is about the flashing stars that he constantly sees.
Those “crystals” can change hue, as he sings in the chorus: “Sometimes the crystals they
come up blue; sometimes they come up gray.” Meyer explained, “Because my optic nerve is
still alive, light is refracting off of the tiny bits of retina that are still along the back of my
eye and sending those light impulses to my brain.” Meyer said his fraternity brothers took notice of his musical abilities, and word spread to
the proprietor of Agora Coffeehouse, which was located in the chapel basement. Although
he had never performed live before, he accepted the offer to play at Agora. “That night, I
learned that, for me, nothing tops being able to use music to open the hearts and souls of
people,” he recalls in the autobiography on his website. What became regular gigs at the
coffeehouse were the start of Meyer’s performing career. After graduating from Colgate, Meyer accepted a position teaching high school English
at Canandaigua Academy in New York. He took a hiatus from performing, but still played his
guitar and used it as a teaching aid in the classroom. Again, word of mouth got Meyer back
into performing when one of his students recommended him to a local venue, Marymac’s
Fish Shanty. “One thing led to another, and I just kept doing it on weekends all through my
teaching career,” said Meyer, who retired from Canandaigua Academy in 2006.
Since 1982, his act — and his life — have been completed by his partner Siobhan McGuire, who plays acoustic bass. Like a good harmony, they complement each other when
writing music. Meyer carves out the verse and chorus, and McGuire refines the song with
suggestions on word choice and other adjustments. Modern technology has made life much
easier for Meyer, who uses a laptop and synthesizer to compose before the duo fine-tunes a
song on their instruments. Meyer and McGuire are booked every weekend at performance venues in the Canandaigua area. They have released three albums and numerous singles. Their newest CD, The
Road Less Traveled, can be heard and downloaded at www.meyerandmcguire.com.
— Aleta Mayne
52
scene: Autumn 2010
Courtesy of Michael Keating
Frank Meyer ’73 and partner Siobhan McGuire are the folk duo Meyer and McGuire
when he delivered his (and Nan’s) daughter “in
a tunnel under the Elizabeth River” on the way
to the Portsmouth Naval Hospital (their son was
born routinely in Harrisburg earlier!). After the
military, Dave returned to Pitt for ophthalmology training and established a private practice in
Altoona, PA, a practice that has grown dramatically. Their last child was born in the 1st year at
Altoona. Today, Dave and Nan spend their time
(retired) in Hilton Head, Charlottesville, VA, and
visit family, play bridge, and “study” the Civil
War! We hear they stay clear of tunnels, although
they have visited ours — sort of!
Bill (Davenport) also got earlier mention.
Bill joined the US Army Reserves and began his
career in the family home heating business in
1959. He has served as pres and CEO for many
years. In 1974 Bill joined Heritagenergy, serving
as pres, CEO, and chair until 2006. Bill’s list of
memberships is nearly endless, as are his awards
for various community and regional activities. A
lifelong resident of Stone Ridge, NY, he and Tildy
have been married since 1963 and have 3 children
and 6 grandchildren. As with so many of our
mates, the Davenports love to travel, ski, fish, and
“spoil” the grandchildren.
Phil Wilkinson, you might recall, was part
of the artist exhibit project at our 50th. After
Colgate, Phil earned an MBA at NW and then
worked in product mgmt and various positions
for consumer package goods companies. Married
in 1970, he and Mary have 2 sons and 2 grandchildren. Phil and Mary spend lots of time sailing
and call Rochester home. These days Phil spends
lots of time pursuing his passion for sculpture.
We are hopeful he will try to rekindle interest in
another art exhibit at our next get-together in
2014. We occasionally hear from Fred Woodruff
without any badgering, etc, but did you know
that he and Jean are legal residents of HI? Fred’s
background includes: membership in the NY
State Bar, US Marine Corps, the FAA (a career of
29 years), and they claim to be nomads (owning
a motor home since 1999). Fred and Jean have
visited 48 contiguous states, and while in the
service, Fred had stints at Quantico, Okinawa,
Vietnam, and DC. They have been married for
48 years, have 4 daughters, and, if I counted correctly, 4 grandchildren.
As readers can surmise, our class “paints”
a broad picture. Those mentioned are good
examples, but the diversity is unending. We
shall share more in upcoming episodes. And, as
promised, we will return to a Madura question
soon. Meanwhile, we hope you followed Ted
Gregory’s activities. Did you know, he also takes
cold showers? We used to do that for very different reasons!
As we close for this round, I must share the
loss of yet another mate — Mike Freedman. Mike
was with us at reunion and left us back in Feb.
Details are unknown, but I know you will all
join me in sending Cora and Mike’s family our
heartfelt sympathies. Godspeed, Mike. We’ll celebrate you in 2014. And lastly, and sadly, I must
share with you the loss of one who was very
special to me and many others in our class. I have
just returned from a memorial service for Bob
Howard ’49, my mentor and dear friend. Bob had
a special attachment to many in our class and
surrounding classes and, as you know, he had the
uncanny ability to tell us where we lived, where
we went to school, what major we pursued,
where we went after graduation, etc. Bob left us
suddenly in June following an April diagnosis of
cancer. Anne and I were blessed to have spent 2
weeks with Bob just this past Feb. While not in
our class, Bob was of our class and will be sorely
missed. Bon voyage, Mr Colgate!
News flash! Just as I am wrapping this up for
another round, a call comes in from Bill ‘Scoop’
Seibert. Unfortunately, our mountains are stronger than technology and our signal was lost.
Hence, we know we’ll have something to begin
our next missive. Likewise came a last-minute
e-mail (see, I do check that machine!) from Chuck
Berky telling us that Jack Hadlock and Bill Davenport joined him in the new Colgate Summer
on the Hill program. Chuck promised to provide
details later. So, we now have 2 items for our
winter column. Remember, Chuck, you promised!
And now, mates, check the news, check your
investments, watch some football — including
our Raiders — and rest your eyes. So, as you uncork that Banfi bottle, please raise a toast to Mike
and Bob. We still urge all to send updates. Your
options remain: e-thing, digital thing, or pen and
paper. All forms are welcome. Cheers and many
splashes for Ted.
Paul: 304-636-1684; [email protected]
1960
Stephen Greenbaum
PH6
4242 Stansbury Avenue
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423-4265
“It was a dark and stormy night…” the opening
for gothic tales and creative writing contests
but a real event on Thurs night of reunion —
threatening to spoil Fri’s golf game, Torchlight
Ceremony that evening, and, perhaps, the
all-class parade on Sat. But there were no further
rains, just pleasant sunshine, until our departure
at 4:30 am Sun to catch a 7 o’clock flight from
Syracuse to rush to LA for our daughter’s bday
party at 3. The car met us in front of Huntington
Gym at 4 (preceded by an “I want to make sure of
the location” call from the driver at 3:45 am! He
was on time, we were on time, and the plane was
there, also, but a leak here and faulty gauge there
grounded it, so we had to board another at 11:40.
With all this time, fresh from this abbreviated
weekend, a class editor does what a class editor
does: write a column — or the beginnings of one.
I wrote much and sent out an e-mail blast requesting those attending to send their thoughts.
The responses are below, and I read them after
rereading my airport and post-airport jottings. So
many echoed what I had written, and so many
echo each other that these inputs reflect accurately what occurred as well as the feelings of
the writers, which, I’m sure, will find concurrence
among other attendees.
Reunion is a coming together with an emotional overlay. Reconnecting with the physical
Colgate is surely an important part; reconnecting
with friends not seen in decades or — as stated
below — connecting for the 1st time with classmates who were never friends, all work together
in a way unique to each of us to create our own
reunion experience.
We had 69 out of 255 classmates at reunion
— over 27%, a respectable number and a goal to
exceed in 5 years. Those who did not return cited
a number of reasons: logistics, health, conflicting obligations or responsibilities, and financial
(although our class was able to arrange free
housing for classmates and their spouses who
requested such assistance).
Those not attending need to know that
buzzing around the tents and the programs, one
constantly heard, “Have you seen …?,” “Whatever
happened to …?,” “I can’t believe … is not here,”
and “I hope … is doing OK.” So let it be known
that you were missed and, as you can see from
the e-mails below, Reunion 2010 was a smashing
success. But let’s be frank: it was our 50th, so we
did receive much special recognition. Personally,
as a Leo, I do thrive on recognition, so for this
one column I will not be modest and edit out the
compliments. Not this time.
Who made it happen? The reunion committee: Bruce Barth, Jack Blanchard, Frank Crane,
Mark Mandel, Dave Maxfield, Bob Meyer, Jerry
Quill, Jim Robarge, Peter Sears, George Tamblyn,
Bruce Warwick, Mike Wolk, and I; the admin: listing the following names of those in the admin
(with, inevitably, some unintended omissions)
is totally inadequate to reflect their efforts,
but space does not permit a complete telling.
Our gratitude goes to Phil Perham, assoc dir of
Planned Giving; Kristin Loop, assoc dir of the Annual Fund; Tim Mansfield, dir of Alumni Affairs;
and Ruth Ann Loveless MA’72, VP for Alumni
Affairs and the face of Colgate, retiring next
year. From Jack and me goes special thanks to
Vicky Stone, who labored to make our yearbook,
Reflections on 50 Years Colgate Class of 1960, such
a fine, everlasting publication (which is now
available free from the alumni office and which
will be able to grow by your additions through
cyber tech).
Throughout this piece many have noted
various classmates and administrators who
have contributed to the success of the weekend. From my perspective, I must acknowledge
Jack Blanchard, Paul Jenkel, and Mike Wolk.
These 3 have done the heavy lifting. If you want
something done — brilliantly and thoroughly
— ask Jack. He has been our perennial reunion
program chair. Reflections and its dedication to
the Cases and its golf theme were Jack’s idea; the
commemorative plaque for our golf team placed
at Seven Oaks was Jack’s idea, and the programming, aided by Art, reflects Jack’s efforts. While
Mike and Art assisted Paul in fundraising, Paul
was the guy with his nose out there. His toil had
glorious results. Through his efforts (and many
on the reunion committee), 78% participation
was achieved, from modest contributions of
2 digits to some with 7 figures, resulting in
$10,162,858, the 3rd largest class gift in Colgate’s
history (2 of which benefited from enormous
single-donor gifts). While all the donations were
greatly appreciated, special thanks go to Mark
Mandel, Bill Doremus, Peter Sears, and Paul. Mike
Wolk, like Jack and Paul, bleeds Colgate maroon.
His total commitment, wisdom, and gravitas
are felt throughout any discussion on Colgate
in general or this reunion in particular, earning
50 years of respect from his classmates and
Colgate’s numerous administrations.
The schedule: Thurs night was a reception
with Interim Pres Lyle Roelofs, followed by a class
dinner. Fri were 2 shotgun golf tourneys; noon
was lunch at Seven Oaks, talks by Lloyd Monroe
and Marian Blain, and golf plaque dedication
led by Jack Blanchard. Among the workshops in
the afternoon, George Tamblyn led World and
Colgate in 1909. The award ceremony was at 8 in
the chapel, followed by the Torchlight Ceremony.
Sat was a President’s Club breakfast, followed by
the Service for Remembrance led by Bruce Barth
with Dave Maxwell. Following this was the class
picture, then the all-class parade and the awards
luncheon in the Reid Athletic Ctr. The afternoon
had more sessions, with Paul Jenkel leading one
on Win-Win Donor Stories, and Barth and Tamblyn with Maxfield leading 1960: Reflections and
Discussion. At 6, we had a reception and class
banquet at the inn, with a video show.
Physically, the campus is astonishing, so many
changes over the years. Special note is the wonderful new Ho Sci Ctr, housing the sciences plus
an exhibition hall featuring, among the dramatic
displays, Colgate’s famous dinosaur egg. On the
top floor is the Visualization Lab, Colgate’s own
IMAX-like theater. The redone Case Library offers
the latest tech in research found only in a few
schools nationwide.
I did receive many thanks for my work as editor. And there were many who apologized for not
sending in updates. Daniel Fox asked if he could
be remunerated for the double postcards he did
not return (and that rest in his file cabinet). For
those of you who want to know about Danny,
you’ll have to read his entry in our yearbook,
Reflections.
Ruth and I had so many enjoyable conversations with classmates and their spouses — Art
Brandon, Mike Wolk, Dex Morrill, Steve Lefrak,
Jim Robarge, Mark Mandel, Todd Earle — as
well as chats with all-time Colgate favorite and
perennial reunion-goer, Jerry Balmuth, plus Rev
Bob Smith, who closed the Service for Remembrance, and, at the awards luncheon, my French
prof, Jim Dickinson ’39. No reunion is complete
without the Thirteen and Swinging ’Gates, and
we Colgate men — and spouses — never tire of
hearing these young voices help our old ones
sing our alma mater.
Another reconnection for me was with Tom
Forrest and his exuberant wife, Sue. I learned
that they had lived 5 houses from me in Albany.
[Ed note: Tom is seeking that freshman resident
of E Andrews who was tossing the lax ball
through the halls. If you are Tom’s old partner, let
me know.]
Dick Leland sent a picture, captioned “My
Highlight from Reunion,” showing him comfortably sitting in one of the many golf carts (Colgate
goes green) driven by Colgate volunteers. “My
knees and neuropathy as well as my big toe were
killing me from the Torchlight march down the
hill!” I can empathize, Dick. After reunion, my
quadriceps were sore for a week. I finally realized
that it was from climbing the hill twice.
On the way to the class reception and dinner,
I saw Justus Doenecke and wife Carol (a noted
pastel artist). I introduced him — a world famous
historian and authority on many presidents,
particularly FDR — to Ruth as the “smartest
guy in our class.” Dusty corrected me and said,
“smartest guy in the school.” As Bruce notes
below, we have many smart and talented guys in
our class. I thought I might award ‘Crane,’ as he
was known, the smartest, tallest guy in our class.
But I remember my old friend and now retired
prof at the London School of Econ and the world’s
foremost authority on Jeremy Bentham (with a
new book on John Stuart Mill coming soon), Fred
Rosen, as a smart guy — who is tall. When we
had dinner with Fred and Maria in London, she
said, “I was attracted to Fred in a grad class we
were taking on Freud when I realized that Fred
knew more about Freud than the prof.”
Justus was also at the authors’ book signing
Sat afternoon at the bookstore, signing books
alongside Howard Fineman ’70 of Newsweek and
MSNBC.
In the Hall of Presidents, Art Brandon, Jack
Blanchard, Paul Jenkel, and Mike Wolk received
just recognition from omnipresent Interim Pres
Lyle Roelofs. He noted that Colgate has a 98%
graduation rate of student-athletes — tying
Notre Dame as #1. We saw a video of our incoming pres, Jeffrey Herbst, who was at his son’s
graduation. (By this time, he is officially our new
pres and we look forward to his contribution to
maintain Colgate’s excellence.)
On Fri, Barth, Bo Brenner, and I were chasing
golf balls, so we missed Jack’s formal presentation of our class plaque on the 1st tee. We did
attend lunch and chatted with Margo and Bob
Meyer. We were able to hear Lloyd Monroe give
a frank assessment of our golf team and those
from adjoining classes, making special tribute
to Peter Liebschutz. Marian Blain, PGA pro, also
spoke from a place of love about Colgate and its
special world-class golf course.
Fri night, our class was the 1st to enter the
chapel for the awards ceremony, while the other
classes stood outside applauding us. I thought,
“This is silly, being applauded because we are
old-timers.” But upon reflection, I realized that
we were that connection to the Thirteen and
men of yore, and we were hearing from these
strangers in other classes “the heart outpouring.”
There was depth and fervor in this recognition.
Those honored from our class were Peter Sears,
Maroon Citation, and Paul Jenkel, Wm Brian
Little ’64 Alumni Award for Distinguished Service. Sat morning, our class pres, Bruce Barth,
Lutheran pastor, led the Service of Remembrance,
assisted by Rev Dave Maxfield. Bruce’s meditation included reading a child’s book, The Invisible
String. Like any good children’s book, adults can
learn from it as well. This invisible string of love
reaches all the way to our classmates, wherever
they may be.
Jim Robarge writes: “It was terrific to see
everyone at the 50th. Had the opportunity of
connecting once again with a great bunch of
classmates. I was especially pleased to see Jeff
Munson again, as we have known each other
since kindergarten. Note to Stratton Kane:
shortly after I came back from reunion, I had
blood work, an MRI, and x-rays and can now say
that I have been 5 years cancer free. I usually hate
being called ‘Jimmy,’ but when Bob Heintzleman
does so, it’s all right with me. My best to all and
to all good health.”
I had the honor of reading the class necrology,
51 classmates gone, 4 since the last Scene. Joel
Day — his father, uncle, and daughter all Colgate
grads. William Murphy, Sigma Nu, geology major,
track, Young Republicans, Newman Club; his son
Tom, daughter-in-law, and 2 brothers all Colgate
grads. Tony bravely fought Parkinson’s and an
injury sustained by a severe fall. Robert Calvin, a
Phi Tau brother who had been ill for many years;
another Phi Tau brother, Robert Knopp. Bob, a
zoology major, 4-year member of the Thirteen,
member of “Who’s Who Among Students in
American Universities and Colleges.” Bob was
registered for reunion. He died so quickly —
healthy and seeing patients, then a cough, so he
wore a protective mask making his rounds, then
becoming a patient himself, attacked by a rare
hemophagic autoimmune disease of unknown
origin, HLH, as well as an unidentified active
lymphoma — gone in a few weeks. You can read
Bob’s entry in Reflections.
Al McDowell writes: “Thanks for the part
you played in the 50th Reunion. There should
be no shortage of praise for the alumni, faculty,
administrators, and students who made it
happen. I have never attended an event of that
size that was so well organized and went off
so smoothly. The Service of Remembrance was
especially moving and well done. Unfortunately,
there was an omission in the necrology: Skevo
Soko, who was at Colgate for his jr and sr years,
after he transferred from U of Rochester. It would
have been no shock to those who knew him had
he become one of the best and most constructive
leaders of his native Ethiopia and of the independence movement of African nations beginning
in the ’60s. Sadly, he had been killed in an auto
accident not long after graduation. It was good to
see you and to read about your accomplishments
and those of our classmates in the reunion yearbook.”
Dave Maxfield also mentioned this omission.
After reunion I investigated and there is a Skevo
Soko, from Northern Rhodesia, a TKE, a Roberts
Wesleyan Scholar, Dean’s List, and varsity soccer
player in the Sal.
The class photo in front of the chapel after
the service shows the person whom I award
the “most courageous” (as I did 5 years ago). Joe
Boyd, fighting Parkinson’s, wheelchair bound,
made it to all events. The photo is also remarkable since it captured aloha-child Doug Parks,
making personal history by wearing a jacket and
tie 3 days in a row. Finally, Jeff Munson attempted
to break new ground by including his freshman
beanie and a paddle as part of the picture: the
photographer took charge of that deviation.
Bruce Warwick and Joe Wignot proudly
carried the class banner as we — the last group
— marched (hobbled, limped…) down Broad St
in the all-class parade to Reid Athletic Ctr. Many
clusters lining the street applauded, but there is
one image I will keep with me: on the DKE lawn,
beaming, with arms raised above her head, clapping and actually hopping as our class went by
was Sue Forrest. Should be in a video.
Arnie Gross, a kindly social worker from
Israel with a surprisingly competitive streak,
did the calculations and figured that he had
beaten Oahu travelers Michelle and Doug Parks
and thus was odds-on favorite to win Award for
Farthest Distance Traveled at the all-class awards
luncheon. However, a grad from Hong Kong
won that coveted prize. (But Don DiChiara, in
an exuberant impromptu toast at the reception
before the Sat banquet at the inn made it clear
that our winner was Dr Gross.) Arnie writes: “It
was great getting together with you, Ruth, and
the rest of the class. It was great to see how the
school developed but even more fantastic to see
our classmates. The impulsive decision to attend
was motivated by my thankfulness for having
been able to apply what I had learned in my
Colgate experience. As the short-term memory
fails, the teachers, classmates, and ‘Colgate spirit’
remain more vivid in my mind. Having received
a master’s in social work and a PhD in social
planning from Brandeis, I’ve spent 42 years living
in Israel working in academia and developing
new approaches to social welfare problems.”
Sat found me on Whitnall Field trying to buy
some unneeded athletic clothes from a surplus
clearance sale. I found myself behind Wilkie
Wilkerson’s wife, Kathy, who showed us what
shopping was all about. Following that, it was
up the hill to the session, Class of ’60: Reflections and Discussion, led by Bruce and George
Tamblyn. The discussion found paths of feelings
and experiences not trod for 50 years. Later that
evening, Bruce showed up at the banquet at
the inn with his special date, 97-year-old Ruth
Hartshorne. As Bruce said, “She walks side to side
like Charlie Chaplin, but her mind goes straight
ahead.”
After the inn, we went to the main tent,
which featured the Skycoasters, a lively and
talented pop/rock group from Rochester. Then
we returned for a final time to the class tent.
The final words of our reunion were from Bob
Heintzelman: “Now hurry up, Stevo. You and
Ruthie have to get to sleep for your early flight
tomorrow.” Thanks, Bob, we did sleep well — for
4 hours. See you in LA — and 5 years from now.
And now, the e-mail inputs:
Jack Blanchard writes: “For the past 50 years,
at 5-year intervals, I’ve invited all our classmates
to a party on campus in celebration of our good
fortune to have been graduates of the Great Class
of 1960. Along the way, many of you have made
the trip back for the 1st time and wondered what
took you so long to join in the fun. To me, our
50th Reunion weekend was more exciting than
ever and ‘delivered’ on our promise of a wonderful few days of remembrance and refreshment of
the soul. The memories created in your reconnec-
53
tion with classmates will serve you well into the
future. Our overall program format was changed
significantly, as 50th Reunions go. It included the
celebration of our uniqueness among graduating
classes, elegantly presented in the Class of 1960’s
Seven Oaks Golf Course memorial dedication ceremony, with the story-line viewable in our 50th
Reunion Yearbook. You will be able to revisit the
weekend’s imagery and context via our Class of
1960 web page at www.colgateconnect.org (the
new, improved colgatealumni.org). Here you will
see a PDF of our 50th Reunion Yearbook, a digital
photo album with slideshow capability, and a
mixed-media presentation shown during our Sat
evening banquet. We even shared a large-screen,
live-video conf exchange introducing us to our
new Colgate pres, Jeffrey Herbst, from his home
in OH, during our Thurs evening Class of 1960
dinner, hosted by Interim Pres Lyle Roelofs. For
those who could not be with us, we truly missed
you. You can, however, experience your own
‘Virtual 50th Reunion’ with us online at your
convenience. I certainly look forward to seeing
you at our 55th in 2015. Like good wine, we just
get better as we age. Go, ’Gate.”
Paul Jenkel writes: “Because I had been
involved in reunion planning, I had high expectations for the weekend. As it turned out, expectations were met and even exceeded. It was my
sense that others also felt quite positive about
what they saw at the school and the weekend’s
activities. For me, a highlight was connecting
with a few classmates whom I didn’t really know
at school, who have had very interesting lives,
and have served society in very unusual and
rewarding ways.”
Bruce Barth writes: “The reunion was sweetly
disorienting for me. You guys all looked so old!
Then I looked in the mirror. The campus, of
course, is not what it was. That is a good thing.
As I now have read your write-ups in the reunion
book, I am so impressed over all you have accomplished. You have all been truly outstanding
in your fields. You’ve made gazillions of dollars
and generously shared it. And I truly felt your
hearts in our Service of Remembrance. That, for
me, is where we all stand together as one despite
our different experiences over the past 50 years.
So, I salute you, thank God that I have been part
of our fellowship, and wish you peace, joy, and
continued satisfaction as you head into the days
ahead. The trip has been worth the ride … and we
ain’t there yet!”
Jerry Quill writes: “Getting reacquainted
with old friends and making new ones with
classmates whom you did not know well as an
undergrad was my highlight. It was truly special
to me and goes up there in the front of my
memory bank, which, truth be told, is not what it
once was. I was also impressed with the continued vibrancy of the 1960 lads who are at least 70
years old and their lasses. I would venture to say
that when last on campus in 1960, the Class of
1910 that had its reunion that year had considerably more necrology and more walkers than the
1960 boys. At least, I would certainly hope so. My
very best to all who made it back and to those
who could not.”
Art Brandon writes: “I really had no idea how
much I would enjoy our reunion. It was terrific.
We have a class with a lot of interesting and
good people.”
Bob Meyer writes: “A tip of the hat is certainly
owed to Artie Brandon, Paul Jenkel, Mike Wolk,
Jack Blanchard, and others who should be credited for their leadership and hard work in pulling
off what will go down as one of Colgate’s very
best 50th Reunions. It was a great weekend! And
thank you, Steve, for your leadership and all that
you do and have done for our class (including our
54
scene: Autumn 2010
50th).”
Dave Maxfield writes: “It was so good to become acquainted with you during reunion, and
to share with you during the memorial service.
Thank you for doing such a nice job reading the
names. I have to say that it has been especially
meaningful to me to have the opportunity to
mingle and get to know men from other fraternities and dorms during reunion(s). This occurred
while eating breakfasts in Frank Dining Hall
as well as at the all-class banquet. It was also
impressive to learn the role golf played in our
class experience and vice versa. I am thrilled that
the Class of ’60 came up with such a magnificent
class gift, which, I understand, will be going toward student scholarship support. Finally, thank
you to all the classmates and friends who made
the effort, sometimes a last-minute decision, and
at great sacrifice, to come. It was wonderful to
see all of them.”
Justus Doenecke writes: “I would not have
missed the reunion for the world. My thanks to
all of you who were in on the planning for making us feel so welcome. A tremendous amount
of hard work went into making the weekend
a success. I would not have changed a single
moment of the experience. I’m particularly
grateful for the chance to have visited with such
old faculty friends as Jerry Balmuth, Bob Smith,
Don Berry, and Dex Morrill. Equally rewarding
was seeing such old roommates as Jim Louis and
Jerry Mason. Highlights include the Torchlight
Ceremony and the moving memorial service. As
for the new facilities and the dedication of such
current faculty members as Andy Rotter, I don’t
think I could be prouder of my alma mater.”
Dex Morrill writes: “It was nice to be ‘back,’
even if we had left only a few weeks before for
our new home in Pleasant Valley, NY. I really
missed seeing Stieg Reichert and was so sad for
the loss of Bob Knopp, a terrific musician and a
great cardiologist/teacher. But it was wonderful
to see Don Hammalian again and talk at length
with Bob Steiner and Justus Doenecke (whose
writing should be required reading for all the
Colgate history majors!).”
John Robinson writes: “I am in Phoenix,
having started another company servicing the
higher ed community. As has been the case over
the last 40 years, we are still supplying institutions with academic and administrative software
solutions. We are now working with major colleges and universities cooperatively developing
and maintaining open-source solution resulting
in comprehensive software developed by HE for
HE. As well as the colleges now relying on each
other, the solutions are free of any license fee.
This relatively new business model is becoming
recognized as a most prudent direction for all colleges from a cost and sustainability standpoint.
Lynn and I have a son at Boston C and another
son at USC. We travel a great deal with our kids
and sometimes alone. We are avid collectors of
wine, which brings us to many places. I am on
the board of a medical/dental university and
am active in the Phoenix community. We are
fortunate to visit with some of our ’60 friends as
well as some Colgate administrators.”
Doug Parks writes: “Two weeks before reunion, I competed in the Honolulu Triathlon and
came in 2nd place in our age grouping. Regarding the reunion: I attended my 1st one at the 45th
with some hesitancy. This one set a high bar and
I looked forward to 50 with great expectations.
The event exceeded these expectations, and
Michele (this her 1st visit) also had a great time.
I loved reuniting with classmates and fraternity
brothers, as well as returning to Chapel House,
where I was one of its 1st occupants, and obtaining Ken Morgan’s phone number.”
Bo Brenner, my friend from Albany and freshman roommate, doesn’t write, so I’ll note that
he has been a dentist in Albany for decades, and
is now semi-retired. Judging from his perennial
tan, which is the same as 5 years ago (see 45th
Reunion picture in Reflections, right side with
moustache and tan), dentistry has not interfered
much with his golf and tennis. A soccer player at
Colgate, his love for athletics has not diminished.
He has a son and daughter and 3 grandchildren.
Judging from his past performance, he’ll be at
the 55th, at least for a round of golf.
Peter Piven writes: “I am responding to your
message from our cabin on the Royal Clipper,
a 5-masted clipper ship. We are moored in the
harbor of Kotor in Montenegro, setting sail
tonight for Dubrovnik and points north. I’m sure
you remember what Dorothy said to Toto in The
Wizard of Oz: ‘This isn’t KS, Toto, and who are
these people?’”
John Duers writes: “Sorry I could not attend
the reunion. I will share some good news. My
13-year-old grandson played with pro golfers this
year and last at the pre-pro-am of the Traveler’s
tourney in Cromwell, CT — this year with Bryce
Molder and last with Olin Browne. He is playing
in the PGA Jr for New England. And I am enjoying retirement.”
Pete Johnson writes: “I just returned from a
month in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Before
that, 1 month in VA with Katheryn McAuliff,
whom I have known since ’68 when Marcia and
I were double-dating. Life has many surprises!
Katheryn has 8 in her family in VA; I have 10 in
my family in CA. We are now in romantic commuting. In Aug we will be in WI and IL. Next:
People mag!”
Bruce Munro writes: “I did not attend reunion
because we have been cruising the waters of SE
AK for the past 2 months on our 40' sailboat. We
will not be back in SF until Oct. Glad to hear reunion was a success. Sorry I was unable to make
it.” [Ed note: Bruce wishes to be the 1st sign-up
for our 55th.]
That’s it for this opus on our epic event. Please
send along corrections, omissions, oversights, as
well as your further input about reunion — or
your life outside of Colgate.
Steve: 818-999-2777; 788-2557 (fax);
[email protected]
1961
Kent Blair
4535 Sanderling Circle West
Boynton Beach, FL 33436-5120
It’s early July, and Prudy and I have just returned
from a great time at Colgate’s 1st-ever Summer
on the Hill program. About 65 alums, spouses,
and parents participated in this stimulating
4-day adventure. Participants had the option of
choosing 3 courses from a list of 9 offered. We
chose the Middle East, astronomy, and the exec
powers of the pres. Time was also allotted for
such non-curriculum activities as rock climbing, Tai Chi, and a visit to Cooperstown. Given
the strong turnout, Colgate plans to offer this
program annually, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. By the way, the campus looked great
and the golf course was in top-notch condition.
I hope you’re making plans to attend our 50th
Reunion, which will be held June 2–5, 2011. Bill
Swezey is organizing a great party: a special class
dinner on Thurs at which our new pres, Jeffrey
Herbst, will speak, a golf tourney on Fri, the
all-class parade, which we will lead on Sat, and
a dinner that evening. Our class will be housed
in the Wendt U Inn, just outside of Hamilton.
Shuttle buses will run continuously between the
campus and the hotel. No more driving late at
night.
Now, here’s the news. Don Belgrad sent an
extensive note that responded to all the questions I’d asked in my last blast e-mail. Obviously, he had a solid liberal arts education. After
serving for 25 years as CEO of Schnadig Corp,
a manufacturer and distributor of residential
furniture, he sold his family business in ’09 to a
large Chinese company. He’s working for the new
owner until the end of the year and then will
fully retire. Don and Susan will celebrate their
48th in Dec — 3 children and 9 grandchildren.
He’s spending considerable time with SGA-Youth
and Family Services, an agency devoted to the
youth in inner-city Chicago. Don’s excited about
this agency, which soon will be implementing
the Roseland Children’s Initiative, an integrated
and comprehensive welfare service and educational program. The Belgrads are going to Berlin,
Prague, and Budapest this fall after having been
to Argentina last yr. Don hopes to stay involved
in business and civic activities, spend more time
with family, and mentor disadvantaged and
troubled youth, plus do some consulting work.
Fritz Blaicher wrote that he sold his publishing business, which had morphed into the
Internet, in ’04. Since ’93, he and Gay have been
in Vero Beach, FL, where he plays a great game
of golf. Summers are in Edgartown, MA. Fritz
says he traded office time for nonprofit board
time, which has been very rewarding. Linc Brown
retired 8 years ago and moved to Ithaca, where
he and June are into outdoor activities. They
kayak on the Chenango and hike extensively. A
while back, they hiked the entire 550 mile Finger
Lakes Trail. Every yr, they spend a long weekend
of biking with a club in Hamilton. Linc says that
53 years later, he has moved only 100 yards or so
from Center Stillman. Inside activities include
duplicate bridge (even played in New Zealand)
and playing violin in chamber music groups.
They spend 4 months every winter in Tucson, so
don’t feel sorry for them with the Ithaca address.
Andy Buchs writes that life is good for him
and Verna — 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren.
After Colgate, Andy went to U of PA dental school
and has been practicing oral surgery in Orlando
ever since, still working 2–3 days a week and
liking it. He remembers as a dental student
making a front tooth bridge for classmate John
Maloney (deceased), who was at the Wharton
School at that time. John lost 2 teeth in the Penn
State football game our jr year. Andy’s dentist
is Bill Stalker. Bill, how about a note from you?
Stew Cahn retired from Chemical Bank over 20
years ago, after a 28- year career in finance and
investment banking. Since then, he has run Cahn
Capital Corp, a boutique banking firm specializing in raising money for growing businesses.
Stew sent me a write-up about Paul Ingrey, who
last year retired as chair of Arch Capital Group.
To quote an Arch report, Paul “had come out of
retirement in late 2001 to build Arch’s reinsurance ops and then provided leadership and
guidance as chair. He played an essential role
in the company’s success, and his insight, broad
experience, and leadership were of enormous
benefit to the company.” Great going, Paul. What
are you doing for an encore?
Don Collester, who also attended Summer on
the Hill, remains active after retiring from the
NJ appellate court last Nov. He’s consulting in
the legal profession and doing some mediation
and arbitration work. Don also continues to
write theater reviews for a newspaper and has a
weekly radio program. David Daley retired from
the steel industry 3 years ago and moved to the
mtns of NC (near Brevard). He spends his time
doing woodworking, hiking, fishing, golfing, and
is very involved with various Christian ministries, including a prison ministry. He’s lost touch
with all his classmates and would like to hear
from them. I received a short note from George
Davis, who’s finishing up a huge writing project,
a nonfiction novel. I’ll have more info on George
in the next issue.
Tom Jackson reported that finally the staph
infection in his leg has healed. He can now swim
and hopes that soon he will no longer need a
cane. Mac Johnston wrote that he is still working
p/t as a consultant plus doing some pro bono
and volunteer work. This leaves lots of time for
grandchildren, fishing (from a kayak), tennis, gardening, some travel, and reading. He also writes
novels that “few will ever read.” His biggest
complaint is all the paperwork that life seems to
require.
Last spring, Ken Monroe called from Baghdad,
where he is working with the State Dept in the
natl security sector. He described his job as a
mixture of “nation building” and intelligence.
Ken was on his way to Latvia in May and then
back to Iraq in June. He’s still doing interesting
work and expects to keep at it for a while. Before
this career, Ken spent 30 years in the Air Force,
living in England, Argentina, and Saudi Arabia.
Shortly after this call, Ken and Bunny hooked up
with Judy and Brett Beazley in SC for 5 days of
golf and various party activities that sounded
very much like what they did in the late ’50s.
Evenings were filled with grilling out, playing
bridge, a nightcap, and reminiscing. Seldom did
the 2 agree on the details of these stories, which
are close to 50 years old. Brett claims that Ken
always seems to win their bets on athletic events
because Ken is usually someplace in an earlier
time zone, eg the Middle East, and already knows
the scores. Try figuring that one out.
I tracked down John Schreyer, my roommate
in Norway during our final semester with the
econ study program. He and Nancy are living in
The Villages, FL. John had a highly successful and
interesting career with Ernst & Young and then
as CFO and dir of Hess Corp. Following retirement in ’04, they did a lot of traveling. We talked
about Norway and Giants football, which he has
trouble getting on his TV in FL. John’s meeting
lots of new people and learning to play that
confounding game of golf.
Thanks again for all of you who sent in info.
Please make your plans for our reunion and keep
those cards and letters coming.
Kent: 561-731-5331(winter); 908-277-3295
(summer); [email protected]
1 962
Stuart Angert
179 Greenaway Road
Amherst, NY 14226-4165
I received a thick envelop from Walt Shepperd
containing an update of the last 30 years. Walt
is the exec producer for Media Unit, and sr editor of City Eagle in Syracuse. Walt continues to
change the lives of our at-risk teenagers, leading
teen-produced TV programming and theatrical
performances. Annually, the group creates 60
stage performances and weekly TV broadcasts
in Syracuse, Binghamton, and NYC, the themes
relating to issues of teen concern — mental
health, AIDS, addiction, gambling, gang violence,
sexual orientation, abuse and healthy relationships, and racism and racial healing. Walt was
the recent recipient of the Charles Anderson
Award for Outstanding Advocacy of the Rights of
Minorities and Women. Among the many honors
bestowed upon him, he was recognized by the
Syracuse Press Club with their Lifetime Achievement Award. He served as pres of the Syracuse
Press Club and serves on several nonprofit
boards. It becomes readily apparent that Walt
makes a significant and positive difference in his
community endeavors, and in the lives of those
who have been provided the opportunity to live
in his world. We are collectively fortunate to be
the beneficiaries of his considerable talents.
We welcome Ted Vaill’s narrative of his
continuing odyssey as he circumnavigates the
globe. “Argentina was great, although our tango
triumphs were not so wonderful.” (Ed note: I have
taken the liberty of password protecting the photos that I received of Ted and his performance.
It was not a pretty sight. No one will confuse
it with America’s Got Talent. It portrays a sad
tale. In fact, a viewer may attribute his lack of
coordination with the rictus of one afflicted with
St Vitus’s dance. Now, his partner, Joan, personifies the elegance of the art. [You know that I love
Ted.]) “In our continuing search for a country that
will take me, Joan and I have just returned from
a Mediterranean cruise with Joan’s Sacred Heart
HS (Taiwan) classmates out of Rome, to the Greek
islands, Athens, Turkey, and Capri. We were in
Constitution Square in Athens the day after the
protests ended. I also was joined by Joan for my
45th law school reunion at the U of Chicago Law
School. None of my classmates characterized me
as a ‘hunk,’ but some did comment on the fact
that for an almost-70-year-old, I looked ‘very
fit’ — at least compared to the skinny guy I was
when I was in school. Joan purchased a condo at
67th and 1st Ave on the East Side of Manhattan,
and she wants me to spend some time there
with her. (Ed note: Joan has always displayed
her humanity — she is sheltering the homeless.)
I have agreed, at least when it is not freezing
there. I hope to reconnect with members of our
class who are in the NYC area. In recent years, I
have seen Mel Watkins and Ralph Arlyck there,
and I hope to see more of them. Perhaps the
country of NYC will take me. Joan and I intend to
travel down the Yangtze River through the Three
Gorges to Shanghai in Oct.” I received a current
update from Ted: “Just got back from 2 weeks
at Joan’s beautiful new condo. Mel Watkins and
I watched the Lakers beat the hated Celtics in
game 7. Mel will be teaching at Colgate in the fall.
I will be back in NYC at Joan’s 2 weeks a month
until it snows, when the beaches of Malibu will
be the place to be.”
John Read recently shared a bday bash in
Boston with Terry Connolly, Pete Eddy, Dock
Murdock, and Demi Read accompanied by family
and friends — all celebrating their 70th year.
“Hard to believe, but it sure beats the alternative.
All of us look and feel pretty much the same as
we did in 1962. Right! Great fun and some very
good tunes from Dock and his group, The Centre
Streeters, with whom he has been playing for
years. With summer here, we are expecting visits
from Tom Behr on his way to Nova Scotia, and
Pete Eddy. Great to stay connected with friends.”
Michael Blanc reports, “It is not the greatest
time to be running an architectural practice.
But I continue, even on the eve of my 70th bday,
because I still love designing homes. After 32
years, our firm is well established and we get
our work through referral.” Congrats on the birth
of their granddaughter, Simone Kathryn, born
to Michael’s daughter-in-law Sarah and his son
Christopher ’96. “I never understood why people
go crazy over grandchildren until now!” (Ed note:
I have 3 granddaughters, and it is the best!) Our collective prayers are extended to Joe
Medved, who shares the anxiety that surrounds
his immediate and extended family. We live in
dangerous times, and we are all inextricably
Daily special: a play
Two evenings a week for several years, Josh Faigen ’75 drove his son from Newburyport to
Rowley, Mass., to study with a tutor who lived near the Agawam Diner. During the session,
Faigen would go in for coffee.
“This is the best place you can spend an hour when you don’t have anything else to do,”
Faigen said in an interview at the diner.
“He used to sit there and drink coffee and have pie and not say much,” said Angela Galanis Mitchell, an Agawam waitress for 21 years and part of the family that has owned it since
1940. She didn’t know
much about Faigen, but,
she said, “I knew he was
observing.’’
Faigen is a playwright.
And, yes, he was taking
note of everything going
on in the 54-seat diner,
so that he could write
about it. His play, The
Agawam, was performed
at The Actors Studio in
Newburyport April 8–25.
“This is an infinite
resource for writers,’’
Faigen said. “Everybody
here is really welcoming and they have never been surprised by anything, ever. Stuff happens in here. It’s the zeitgeist of this place.’’
He recalled an older man who was asked by another patron if he still played the tuba. “He
brought it in from his car and played Christmas carols to rousing applause and then put it
back in his car,’’ Faigen said.
Tuba Man is one of eight characters in the play, but the only one based on a real person.
Others are composites or fictional. Set entirely in the diner, the play also features a waitress, cashier, cook, salesman, an old man and his girlfriend, and the Man of God.
What it is about, Faigen is at a loss to say. “I couldn’t tell you what it’s about, and I
wouldn’t even if I could,’’ he said. “I only wrote the play,’’ he continued. “It becomes a whole
layer cake, of my work at the beginning, Stephen Haley’s work as the director, the actors’
work, and then the audience’s work. By the time it gets on stage, there are so many more
layers of meaning, emotion, and story.’’
Promotional material for the play describes the plot: “People drink coffee. They eat pie.
Someone dies. A miracle happens, maybe two. Then everyone’s life shifts a few degrees in a
better direction. Or maybe not.’’
Faigen, 55, grew up in New Mexico. He majored in piano performance and philosophy at
Colgate. For almost 25 years, he lived in Pittsburgh, where he met his wife, Penny Lazarus.
He had a traditional typesetting business, but as the industry waned, the couple decided to
move, choosing Newburyport in 2000 because it’s near the ocean. In the 1990s, he worked
for a high-tech company. He was laid off but now works as a consultant for the same company, which builds large composition equipment.
With neighbors who are playwrights, the couple soon tapped into Newburyport’s fertile
theater community. At a party, Faigen was introduced to Marc Clopton, founder and executive director of The Actors Studio, and mentioned he was interested in plays, although he
had never written one. He said Clopton told him, “Anyone can write plays; you just have to
have lived.’’
A few months later, Faigen started writing, and he also joined an authors’ group. His first
play, Our Nation’s Capitol, was inspired by a visit to a local assisted living facility. He has
since written comedies, dramas, and experimental plays. And he has received recognition,
from winning the New Works Festival at the Firehouse Center in Newburyport several times
to having his work staged in theaters elsewhere.
“Theater is really, really fun,’’ Faigen said. “It was never my lifelong dream, but it is very
habit-forming.’’
Now the entire family, including the couple’s sons Adlai, 16, and Max, 10, are involved in
theater and the arts.
Clopton said because Faigen is “not steeped in [theatrical] tradition, he plays outside the
box. His plays are unique and unexpected, and therefore exciting and refreshing.
“He has a great sense of humor and ironic eye for human nature and a great soulfulness,’’
Clopton said. “He sort of speaks to that part of us that is hard to define; a part of ourselves
we hesitate to share in casual conversation that is deep, mystical, and puzzling.’’
— Wendy Killeen (Editor’s note: This is an abbreviated version of an April 4, 2010, article
from The Boston Globe, reprinted with permission.)
55
Road taken
Lance Cromwell ’93(-ish)
Private tutor, writer/director,
owner/creator of LCurve.net,
waiter; Portland, Maine
Colgate Class of ’93 … no, wait, ’94. Well,
I participated in Torchlight in 1994 and
walked the stage in 1995. Let’s just say my
Colgate experience was somewhat nonlinear. And … excellent.
It should come
as no surprise
that my postColgate path
has been anything but linear.
My last year
in Hamilton
saw me taking
my final classes, teaching, working at the
university bookstore, and waiting tables at
the Hamilton Inn. Sounds like a lot, but it
was flexible, and it allowed a lot of time for
writing. It seems that this wearing of many
hats suits me. It has been the rhythm of my
life, for the most part, to date.
Fast forward to present day, Portland,
Maine. Still writing (mostly for film projects, but some other stuff, too), still teaching/tutoring, still working in the restaurant
industry (an amazing spot: Fore Street) ...
but add in my family (my wife, 3 kids, and
several animals), and a website that I just
created, and you get a sense of my world.
I have done many things along the way.
Taught HS English. Taught extensively for
the Princeton Review. Took a break. For
the past 10 years, private tutoring and
home-schooling. Have taught writing at the
Telling Room, a nonprofit writing center in
Portland (co-founded by Sara Corbett ’90).
Wrote and directed a couple of short films.
Co-hosted a radio show, reviewed movies.
Got to be a screener for a film festival
for a few years. Served on the Maine Film
Commission. Traveled a bunch. Volunteered at the Center For Grieving Children
and also in the Maine prison system helping kids with substance abuse problems.
Designed websites. Current web project is
www.LCurve.net, which is a free resource
for standardized test prep.
I still wear many hats — not everybody’s
thing, but I like it. Life is full. Life is excellent. Thanks, Colgate!
56
scene: Autumn 2010
impacted by global conditions in a world that
has irreversibly mutated, demonstrating our
collective inhumanity to our fellow human beings. There is no safe harbor on this small planet.
“I continue to enjoy my retirement and family.
War is our main worry. We had a family reunion
in Cleveland over Memorial Day weekend. My
nephew, who was shot in Iraq, was there with
his wife and 2 small children. He is being transferred to Ft Gordon, GA, for 6 months of signal
school. After that, who knows. My wife’s great
nephew has safely finished his 4th deployment
with the marines, and is studying mechanical
engineering in San Diego. He and his wife are
expecting their 2nd child. He was told he would
not be sent back until 2013. Let’s hope we are out
of there by then, but I have my doubts. We just
had a granddaughter born to our son in Boston,
which is great because he lives only an hour
away. This summer we are going to San Jose to
visit my wife’s niece and spend 10 days sampling
wine. We love to travel and will do so until we
can’t go or can’t afford it any more.”
Beau Clark updated us that the Vintage
Thirteen planned to gather in Sept at the Lake
George home of Linda and Paul Bradley ’67; they
had several gigs lined up. He added, “We have
1 new grandchild to make a total of 9. And my
oldest son and family are moving from Monte
Rio, CA, to Brunswick, ME, in a job change. That
means 2 of my grandchildren will now be only
6 hours from Truro (Cape Cod) instead of across
the country! Also I have been singing regularly in
the Outer Cape Chorale and Chamber Singers on
Cape Cod, which you can find online. In addition,
I am beginning to wind down my active interest
in the upstate NY shortline railroads that I have
been part of since the 1960s. Guess I am really
getting ready to retire, with a capital ‘R.’ But I am
still selling books on Amazon.”
I want to express my/our appreciation to all
of you who participated in the annual fund. We
achieved 58% participation during these challenging economic times. Thank you. By the time
you have read this, Joyce and I will have spent a
couple of weeks in MT with our son and his wife,
and our daughter, Meredith Angert Kenna ’94,
her husband, Alex Kenna ’91, and 3 granddaughters — classes of 2033 and 2035! We will also
have spent our annual July 4th weekend in the
Adirondacks with our dear friends Barbara and
Carl Langbert ’63.
Stuart: 716-913-7772;
[email protected]
196 3
Carl G Langbert
Princeton Manor
46 Edgemere Drive
Kendall Park, NJ 08824-7000
Received a letter from Rich Roberts, and it was
good to hear from him. Hopefully our paths will
cross again. Rich wrote: “It’s been a while since
we last talked or corresponded, but I hope all
things are well with you and that your trip to
Vietnam was rewarding and interesting. My
wife and I talked about me going back, and I
would like to make that trip and to see Cam
Ray Bay again and see if the officers club that I
helped build between missions still stands.
“A lot has happened to me over the last few
years. Unfortunately, I got divorced, but did get
married 3 years ago to a great gal. I am still working, selling toys in ME, NH, and VT. I don’t think
I will retire any time soon since I love the work
and it keeps me really busy. I live permanently
in VT on 78 acres of wonderful land along the
CT River. We have 4 dogs, all boxers, and a big
farmhouse to take care of. There are 6 grandchildren, but 4 are located in Singapore, so I do
not get to see them very often. Life is good and
interesting, and I like it and keep it that way. Last
year we traveled to Portugal and Tuscany, and
this summer it’s a trip down the Rhine and then
a few days in Portugal again. Unfortunately, I
do not see many Colgate alumni but do see Tom
Cruthers ’65, who lives in Manchester Ctr, VT,
and owns a sporting goods store. It was funny
when I called on him the 1st time and we both
realized we had gone to Colgate.” Small world!
Take care and let us know how Vietnam turned
out.
Barbara and I had dinner with Ande and Co
Bertsche. It was good to see them, and both of
us will be working together toward our 50th Reunion. I also spoke to Co’s fraternity brother Gary
Felsher. He sounded good, and hopefully we’ll be
getting together in NYC.
Bert Levine called to let me know what’s occurring with the Colgate football schedule. Can
you guys believe it? The 3rd game of the season
was Colgate vs Syracuse at the home of the
Orangemen.
While reading my most recent Field and
Stream, whose article did I see again? None other
than Dave Petzal, retired editor of my favorite
mag. David’s specialty has always been rifles and
shotguns, and this was a wonderful article.
Barbara and I spent July 4th weekend in
the Adirondacks at Lake Placid. Stuart Angert
’62 and I did a great deal of fishing and a great
weekend was had by all. On our way home, we
stopped in to see Jim Himoff ’65 at Pt O’ Pines.
The camp was very busy, and Sue and Jim were
working hard. We also headed back to visit the
Himoffs at the end of the summer after looking
forward to it all summer.
Sad news to report: Wally McDonald’s wife,
Sally, passed away after a heroic battle with
pancreatic cancer. I knew Sally since Wall dated
her when we all were at the ’Gate and were
fraternity brothers at Theta Chi. I remember her
having a wonderful sense of humor in order
to match up with Wally. They were married
45 years and were a super couple. Colgate was
very much a part of their lives, what with sons
Roderick ’87, and Peter ’93, daughter Kathlene
’91, and daughter-in-law Heather McCaffrey ’93.
Our sympathy to the McDonald family.
Please send news items, especially after the
semester. It should be interesting to hear from
classmates. Please get in touch.
Carl: 732-422-0556 (H); 247-0630 (O); 545-1934
(fax); [email protected]
1964
Richard J Johnson
22 Goose Point Lane
Box 1825
Duxbury, MA 02331-5120
It’s July 2 as I start writing this, an absolutely
beautiful summer day here in Boston with the
holiday weekend almost upon us. Hopefully you
all had a wonderful summer by the time this
reaches you.
Bud Hilton dropped me an e-mail in May,
recalling our 45th Reunion and said that he took
a couple of days after the reunion and drove
over to Cooperstown and then on to Lake Placid,
where he made an attempt to relive some of his
great college vacation memories. He was glad he
did. Bud was also trying to make contact with
Perry Kinkaide. Bud had found an old photo of
himself and Perry on the steps of a store in Fire
Island Pines in July 1957. That month, Marilyn
Monroe visited the Pines, and Bud’s story is that
he walked Marilyn back to her helicopter and, as
they walked, people were handing him things to
have signed by Marilyn. Bud would like to know
if Perry has photographic proof of this — and so
would I. Also, why were you accompanying her,
Bud? Let’s hear the rest of the story. Hopefully,
you are now in contact with Perry.
In May, I also heard from Leslie Feldman,
who is still active and working in real estate and
law in NYC. Best of all, Les says he really enjoys
it, which is obviously a big positive. Les does
find time for other fun, however, and says he is
a member of a golf club in FL that includes Bob
Cousy, John Havlicek, and Richie Guerin among
its membership. Can you beat them on the golf
course, Les? Or at horse?
Jane and Mike Heffernan were up in June
for our annual golf get-together/tourney and
Mike was his usual unpredictable self. As Eddie
Lowery to his Francis Ouimet, I could only watch
in awe as he confounded our opponents with
unexpected shots designed to bring them to
their knees. Almost every time it appeared that
they might have us on the ropes, Mike would
respond with some magical moment. Note I said
“almost,” because, after leading from the 1st hole
until the last, we managed to choke away victory
by losing the last 2 holes, and hence the tourney,
by 1; 2nd place is for losers, and that is what we
are, until next year, when we shall return to take
back our rightful place in history … or something
like that. It was still fun to spend the long weekend with the Heffs, who are the easiest of guests
to have for a visit. The agony of defeat is starting
to fade from my memory, and the positive vibes
from the Heffernan visit will live on to infinity
and beyond.
While Mike Foley is retired and enjoying
life on the wild shores of Lake Superior, he has
been spending some of his time working on a
project related to improving, implementing, and
standardizing HS educational curriculums. I will
expand on this as I come to understand it better.
After all, Mike is an educator, and should be able
to educate me, right? OK, I admit I opened myself
up for that one. Anyway, more on Mike’s progress
later. We’ll talk, Mike.
Kurt Brown and Eric Kollevoll have teamed up
to keep us up to date on the condition of Eric’s
dad, his eminence, the Camel, Ole Kollevoll ’45.
Ole had complications from hip surgery and
underwent a further procedure to correct the
problem. The last news we heard was good, so
we all hope that Ole is now on the mend for
good. Kurt himself has also had some medical
issues recently. He has been in touch with Biff
Jones, and Biff has been helping Kurt find the
right medical people to get him back to 100%.
Stay healthy, Kemo Sabe.
It is becoming far too commonplace to have
to pass along the news that our friends and
classmates have passed away. Once again, I am
sorry to have to report that we have lost 2 more
classmates. William Luther King II died April 25
in Fredericksburg, VA. A philosophy major, Bill
was an Austen Colgate Scholar, a member of Mu
Pi Delta, Dean’s List, and was active in WRCU,
Maroon News, and chorus. He was an atty in
Fredericksburg before retiring and leaves a sister
and his brothers.
Jeffrey F Ruzicka died after a brief illness, on
June 6, in Stonington, CT. Jeff was a poli sci major,
a member of Lambda Chi Alpha, Dean’s List, and
was involved with the Outing Club, Sailing Club,
Internatl Relations Council, and career advising.
He was also an internship sponsor (London Econ
SG) and a January internship sponsor. Jeff leaves
wife Pamela.
Once again, thanks to all of you out there who
keep the jokes and political news flowing. Biff
Atwater ’63, Dan Baird, Doug Stay ’67, Mike Foley,
and Kurt Brown make up the e-mail all-star team
for this quarter. Congrats to you all and keep
up the good work. Now go out there and enjoy
yourselves.
Dick: 800-829-9199 x5148; [email protected]
1 965
Garner Simmons
22126 Providencia St
Woodland Hills, CA 91364-4133
So here we were, the Class of 1965 returning to
the Valley of Chenango after a half-century (minus 5 years). Hard to believe. But for the 34 guys
who made the trip, it was worth the effort. It was
also the cornerstone on which we expect to build
our 50th. So mark your calendars: the 1st weekend in June 2015 — time to return to the scene of
the crimes and misdemeanors of our youth. Time
to make it truly a reunion to remember.
Our 45th began early. Sheila and I flew in from
LA on Thurs through Atlanta-Hartsfield, where
we ran into Carol and Karl Baumgartner, who
were flying up from TX. Having just witnessed
their youngest graduate from HS, they were
ready to party. Catching the same flight to
Syracuse, we then convoyed down to Hamilton,
where Karl ran into Craig Bell. Both had 1st
met playing football at Colgate and it was as if
they were able to pick up the conversation right
where they had left off. We found them later in
the pub at the inn, joined by Ed Klopfer and wife
Ricki (whom I mistakenly called “Bobbi” in an
e-mail … my apologies). Having driven from their
home in Milford, NH, where Ed is an orthodontist, Ed remains one of Colgate’s most active
supporters east of the Hudson.
As is tradition, each reunion class’s tent on
Whitnall Field was manned by current and/or
recently graduated students. So it’s only fitting
that the Class of ’65 tent was covered by Dick
Rawdon’s daughter Emily Alison ’10, who did a
1st-rate job. Having graduated with honors, she
is now attending the Chicago Art Institute for
her MFA. Just before coming to reunion, Dick
wrote: “On my way to graduation, I met Nelson
Barmen at Corky & Lennies in Cleveland. Great to
catch up with him. He told a story about seeing
a late-night infomercial dealing with some mind
issue. The expert was none other than Sigma Nu
brother George Nelson Reynolds ’64, aka Josh
Reynolds. Nelson, called Josh then, met with
him a couple weeks later in LA. Small world. Also
talked with Bruce Denike. All’s well with Bruce
and Barbara. He couldn’t come to reunion but assured me he would be at the 50th. John Mount’s
death makes me realize we can’t put these
things off. Hopefully Sue and Jim Himoff will
have us back to Brant Lake in a couple of years.
If so, we all need to attend. As you know, I have
been to each of them and have loved the times
we’ve had.” As a final note, Dick missed the deadline for entry in the Boston Marathon and had to
settle for running marathons in Charlottesville,
VA, and Carmel, CA, on successive weekends.
Nothing like being in better shape today than 45
years ago. And Dick’s old roommate Dixon Merkt
arrived with wife Carol from their home at Old
Lyme, CT, where Dixon has plied the waters of
Eastern LI Sound for more than 40 years guiding
and fishing for bass. Immediately reconnecting
with Ev Egginton, Dixon was soon joined by Lee
Woltman, another bass fisherman extraordinaire.
As near as I could tell, the plan was for Dixon and
Lee to be joined by Charlie Hall for a bass-fishing
expedition late in the summer.
Always on the move, Maria and Peter Kellner
arrived from their summer home on Nantucket.
Still living in London half the year, they spend
the rest of the time traveling, most recently to
AZ and CO. And Mike Klein drove down from
his home in nearby Manlius, NY, looking tanned
and relaxed, having retired from the practice of
medicine.
Rick Bailey and I first met in 6th grade in
Arlington Heights, IL, and came to Colgate as
roommates freshman year. He and wife Ginny
now make their home in Evergreen, CO, after
retiring from long careers in teaching.
Ran into Ray Williams’s wife, Susie, in downtown Hamilton Fri morning. Ray was at Seven
Oaks attempting to get in a round of golf. A good
golfer, according to Ray, the course had its way
with him. Come our 50th, we need to put some
serious foursomes together. Great to see Val and
Ken Roffe, who continues to run his internatl
consulting business while somehow finding
time to teach 4 marketing classes per year to
local students. Sons Luke and Peter are now both
out of college and off on their own. Ken is still in
touch with Dan Reid, who lives in OR and who
has promised to make our 50th.
Surely at the 50th Dan will be amazed by Bill
Rogers, whose sardonic wit never stops. Given
Bill’s incredible footwork at reunion, he perhaps
should consider Dancing with the Stars. Starting
out in the 1965 tent, Bill literally danced his way
up and down the decades on Whitnall Field. Obviously still in great shape, he was last seen Sat
night attempting to rally others to join him and
his partner in the 2005 tent where the loudest (if
not necessarily best) band was still hammering
on into the wee hours. Very impressive.
From their complex in Garrison, NY, across the
Hudson from West Point, Toni-Lynn and Randy
Will made the trip. Owner and operator of Staging Techniques, one of the premiere theatrical
and film staging companies in America, Randy’s
unique combination of the creative and the
practical have made him the go-to guy for challenging projects. Case in point: an HBO project
called HBO Rocks the Imagination, which is closer
to something you might find in MoMA than on
TV. Randy describes it: “The HBO guys have been
interested in the idea of watching a movie from
different ‘perspectives’ simultaneously. Then
the ad agency BBDO came up with the idea for
a 4-sided construction and asked me to make an
exhibit with flat screens screwed to each side. I
suggested we make ‘The Image Cube’ — movie
size (16' per side), projected from within (almost
nobody else has the mirrors and optics needed
to squeeze all the stuff inside for it to work) — so
that the viewer walks around the cube, piecing
the various story elements together. Each screen
has a different visual and its own soundtrack.”
Gwen and Jimmy Klein returned on the eve
of celebrating their 40th anniversary. Trim and
fit, as always, Jim is one of the few guys who
can wear a bowtie with style and make every
other guy in the room consider buying one. Still
running his private financial consulting business
out of Four Springs Farm outside Pottstown, PA,
while Gwen runs Gwen Kelly Klein Interiors,
a design firm. Great to see Barbara and John
Gannon back again. After selling his company,
Castion Corp, 7 years ago, John went to work for
Oracle, the software giant, where he’s been ever
since. However, the time has come to cash out
and retire so he and Barbara can devote some serious time to travel. Ran into Peter Desnoes as he
was checking in Fri morning in advance of wife
Randi and their 2 teenage daughters, Blaise and
Brigitte, who were due later in the day. Having
spent the winter in their home at Indian Wells,
CA, the Desnoes headed for Lake Geneva, WI, for
the summer.
Having grown up in Chicago, Sheila and I
shared a number of laughs with Tony Pearl,
who is now retired there after a life in finance,
first with McDonald’s and then Motorola. He
now lives overlooking Chicago’s famed Water
Tower. Having taken up golf late, he claims to be
capable of losing golf balls with the best of them
as a member of Medinah CC, site of the 2012
Ryder Cup. His son has recently moved to Sao
Paulo, Brazil, giving him an excuse to fly down.
This was Tony’s 2nd trip back to Colgate in recent
months, having attended the Inaugural Peter
Schaehrer Memorial Peace & Conflict Lecture
in Oct, organized by Rick Stege. And in a terrific
surprise Sat evening, Ken Cummins, whom I first
met freshman year on the 2nd floor of East Hall
and whom I hadn’t seen since graduation, drove
down from Newton Center, MA, where he still
practices law, just to attend the Class of ’65 dinner.
Chuck May, who also hails from Chicago and
continues to dabble in the real estate market, reconnected with his Beta brothers Rollie Sterrett,
Rick Moore, and Chuck Goodfellow. On Fri, we
found Rollie, who lives in Simsbury, CT, and gets
back to Colgate a couple times a year — usually
for football or hockey — giving a campus tour
to Rick, who hadn’t been back in a while. As for
Chuck, he is now retired as managing dir of the
Bank of NY and devoting his efforts to helping
nonprofits and other philanthropic enterprises.
Surprisingly, he’s busier than ever. This past year,
he and wife Mary spent several weeks visiting
Russia — the trip of a lifetime.
A month before reunion, Sheila and I connected with Pam and Charlie Veley in LA when
they came in for the initial read-through of
Charlie’s new musical, Gilbert & Sullivan on Wall
Street, at the ANMT. Charlie still works as a corp
troubleshooter for United Tech, so he was able
to mix business with music while working out
of UTC’s corp offices in Canoga Park. Preparation
for his musical will continue throughout the fall
for the ANMT premiere on Nov 15 at Burbank’s
Colony Theater. Back at reunion, Pam and Charlie
reconnected with Karen and John McCommish
(John is godfather to the Veley’s son, Charles),
who flew in from AZ, where John serves as
majority leader of the State House, making him
a busy man these days. Also in from Phoenix
was Ed Dietrich ’66 and his new bride, Ann, in a
vain attempt to show her his cultural roots. Ed’s
talented daughter Lizzie ’08 now lives and works
in NYC while son Matt will be a sr and captain of
the U of Redlands basketball team this coming
season.
Be sure to look for a photo taken by Ed Klopfer’s wife, Ricki, Saturday night before the dinner.
It is on our class web page at www.colgateconnect.org (the new, improved colgatealumni.org).
Got a chance to catch up with Joe DeLuca,
who’s finally retired from the DoD in Philly in
logistics support. Sat together in the chapel Fri
night as Lee Woltman received the Wm Brian
Little ’64 Alumni Award for Distinguished
Service. Truly an honor well deserved. After the
ceremony, Joe and I grabbed torches and managed to make our way down the hill without
setting anyone on fire, then made our way to the
’65 tent, where we met Lynne and Don Ryan, who
live just across the river from Philly in Haddonfield, NJ. Talk about a small world — Don, who
continues to practice law, was in court in West
Chester recently on a zoning matter when he ran
into Geoff Egginton ’63, the project’s architect.
At our 40th, the Ryans were expecting their 1st
grandchild. They now have 5. As for Ev Egginton
(Geoff’s brother), he and Wynn stayed out at
White Eagle on Lake Moraine. And while he
plans to continue teaching at NM State, he has
decided to step down from admin.
Another terrific surprise was Bob Chatelain,
who came down from Albany to join the party.
Bob looks great. He is still swimming regularly
at the local Y and managing 2 drugstores while
he and wife Nancy vacation in Wildwood on the
S Jersey shore. Finally, there was Bud Eisberg,
whose broken collarbone mended in record
time, allowing him to go skiing with son Tom
(who just graduated from UCSB) at Tahoe in late
March. So by the time Andy Warner showed up,
Bud was ready. Hitting the slopes for 4 days, they
stopped off in Sebastopol, CA, to see Pat and Mike
Hayes for a mini-reunion before Andy had to
fly back. At our 45th, Andy and I had a chance to
catch up as we marched down Broad St in Sat’s
all-class parade. Big news: son Karl and his wife
made Andy and Klaren 1st-time grandparents.
Sat afternoon, Craig Bell and Charlie Hall
joined Newsweek’s Howard Fineman ’70 and a
number of other Colgate authors at the annual
book signing at the Colgate Bookstore. Both
Craig’s Berkshire October: The Final Mission of an
Accidental Spy and Charlie’s latest on systems
ecology are available for purchase through
the bookstore online. Also of note, Charlie has
co-written 2 articles worth reading in the March
16 issue of the Corporate Examiner: “The End of
Faith-Based Economics” and “Energy Price Increases and the 2008 Financial Crash: A Practice
Run for What’s to Come?” Reading them reminded me of the essay by CP Snow called “Two
Cultures” about the need to yoke science and the
humanities, something Charlie clearly seems to
have mastered. In fact, Charlie will be appearing
on both the Discovery Channel and PBS later this
year in 2 TV series on energy.
The weekend was capped off by the Class of
’65 dinner Sat night at Frank Dining Hall beginning with the Swinging ’Gates serenading Lee
Woltman (priceless, you really had to be there).
As we finished dinner, Jim Himoff took to the
podium to announce that given the fact that Lee
lives in Hamilton and has such great rapport
with Colgate, he is the most logical candidate to
serve as class pres heading into the 5-year runup to our 50th. Approved overwhelmingly by
acclamation, Lee graciously agreed to spearhead
what will be the most memorable 50th Reunion
Colgate’s ever seen. Thanks to all in the Class of
’65 who generously donated more than $1 million to the Passion for the Climb this year with
a 65% participation. We also need to thank Karl
Maggard, who has served selflessly as class pres
for almost as long as any of us can remember
(thank God for ginkgo biloba).
As we now point toward 2015 and our 50th
Reunion Class gift, we are looking for creative
ideas for a tangible gift that the Class of 1965 can
leave behind for the benefit of future generations. So give it some thought and let us know.
As Dick Rawdon had alluded to earlier, the
Himoffs are already planning 1 more off-year
reunion at Point o’ Pines, the date TBD. Sort of a
pre-party party to get us in spirit for 2015. Everyone who’s still upright is urged to attend.
Among those who intended to come back for
reunion but couldn’t was Bob Ammarell, who
caught a virus at the last minute. Terrible timing
as Bob was scheduled to speak Sat afternoon on
the tax advantages of philanthropy. In sending
his regrets, he added: “Barb and I would welcome
a call or visit from any ’65ers passing through
the Jupiter, FL, area.” Also heard from Rocky
Willard’s wife, Tanis, who wrote to say: “Rocky
says make sure you raise a toast to his continued
progress at Reunion! He will make the 50th!
Rocky bikes about 70 miles a week on his recumbent tricycle, morning and evening. Evenings he
goes out by himself and then comes back to pick
up our pointer, Maxie, and myself for another
57
Alumni Clubs and Groups
Kurt Kramer ’71
Notes
Club of Chicago
members met at
the Art Institute
of Chicago last
spring for the exhibition Matisse:
Radical Invention
1913–1917. Art
and art history
professor Bob
McVaugh opened
the event with a discussion on Matisse, followed by a gallery
tour and dinner.
A group of 13 gathered for a Club of Tokyo event on July 17 in
Shinjuku, Japan, where they met with Thomas Cruz-Soto, assistant dean for multicultural affairs and director of the ALANA
Cultural Center. Alumni — including a few former ALANA interns
— and family members, a current student, and parents were in
attendance. They enjoyed connecting with one another, hearing
updates from campus, and learning more about the ALANA
Cultural Center.
Summer send-offs
“The first day of the rest of your life…” was the phrase the
incoming Class of 2014 read on invitations to their first official
Colgate event. Alumni clubs around the nation — together with
individual alumni and parents — hosted 39 traditional send-off
events over the summer. Here are some highlights:
July is blueberry season, so on July 31, Northern Vermont
send-off hosts Polly and Brad Simpkins ’86 opened their berry
farm to 18 alumni and incoming students with their families for
an evening of berry picking and a barbecue.
San Diego–area incoming first-years said goodbye to the surf
and sand with a beach party at the scenic La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. Chris Schweighart ’97 hosted the cookout on the beach.
The Buffalo-area Colgate community enjoyed a “grand” party
on August 1 when Joseph and Patricia Ruh hosted the western
New York send-off at their home in Orchard Park, N.Y. This was an
especially important event for them to host because their grandson, Christopher Rider, is a member of the Class of 2014. Thirtyseven attendees enjoyed a picnic supper and had the chance to
mingle with the incoming students in attendance.
A big thank you to all of the generous hosts! For more information and a complete list of send-off locations, visit the improved
alumni website at www.colgateconnect.org.
Club leaders
We welcome as new alumni club leaders George ‘Mickey’ Warburton ’56 ([email protected]), Club of the Treasure Coast;
Jason Rand ’07 ([email protected]), Club of Northern
California; Annemarie Sawkins ’88 ([email protected]), Club of
Milwaukee; and Evan Ambrose ’04 ([email protected]),
Club of Rhode Island.
A special thanks to outgoing club leaders Ben Patt ’56, Club
of the Treasure Coast; Rob Gelbach ’03, Club of New York City;
Allison Stoloff ’06, Club of Northern California; Ron Kutrieb ’64,
Club of Milwaukee; and Kate LaMantia ’04, Club of Rhode Island.
8
Gillian Weaver ’14 and Hannah Fitton ’14 were welcomed into
the Colgate family at a summer send-off in Milwaukee.
couple of miles while we trot along beside him.
Memory, speech, and just about everything got
better this past year, the 4th since his strokes.
‘Never, ever give up’ is the backbone of his continued recovery. Have a great 45th!” Jharry Breed
wrote to say that he had back-to-back weddings
to attend at the beginning of June and therefore
couldn’t make it but wanted to send along his
best to all. And Charlie Williamson wrote that he
is now working out of his home office in Portland, OR, while continuing his relationship with
Kell Alterman.
Dick Pierce tried to get back but was forced to
cancel. Spoke with Ambassador James H Holmes
(Ret), who once joined Dick the summer of ’63
motorcycling across Europe. Unfortunately, Jim
could not make it back either, due to a prior en58
scene: Autumn 2010
Interested in learning about club events in your neck of
the woods? Visit www.colgateconnect.org.
gagement. After nearly 4 decades in the Foreign
Service, dating from 1967 and including postings
to Pakistan, New Zealand, and Norway as well as
US ambassador to Latvia and special adviser on
SE Europe, Jim left the State Dept several years
ago to become pres of the American-Turkish
Council. As such, he had to be in Istanbul in early
June on official business.
Continuing on a geopolitical bent, George
Johnson sends his regrets from Thailand: “The
gunfire has stopped for 2 reasons. First, the Red
Shirts were outmanned and outgunned by a
huge margin. And 2nd, the rainy season has
begun and the farmers have to get busy planting
rice. The NE (Isaan), where the vast majority of
rebels live, gets only 1 crop per year, so it’s plant
now or starve. Actually, if the govt had provided
the NE with the same kind of irrigation they give
central and northern Thailand (where they get
2/3 crops per year), all the violence you saw on
TV would have never happened.”
Managed to get in touch with Pete Seyl, who,
along with wife Chris, several years ago had
decided to leave his medical practice in Seattle
for the quiet beauty of NM. Only like many, Pete
flunked retirement. Missing both work and their
grandkids, they returned to the NW and now
operate a skilled-nursing facility while keeping
their “retirement” home in Corona, NM, for
getaways. And John Harper is now in his 7th year
of retirement from the Teradata Corp, a global
leader in data warehousing. He and wife Cindy
live on Cape Cod, where his main occupations are
golf and tennis.
Spoke with Riall Nolan, who has stepped
down as dean of Purdue’s School of Internatl
Relations while continuing to teach anthropology. In mid-April, he was at Tucson’s Ft Huachuca
as part the US Army’s effort to identify and
implement new culture-based strategies such as
those currently at work in Afghanistan. Then in
May, he returned to his old Peace Corps stomping
ground in Senegal, W Africa, where he went off
into the bush to meet his former asst.
Finally, some comments on the passing of
Bob McCord and John Mount, as well as the
untimely death of John Hubbard ’72, whose
photography captured the essence of Colgate life
for more than a quarter century. John possessed
a wonderful eye for detail and captured on film
what could not be put into words. A retrospective
of his work was shown reunion weekend in the
Student Union. He will be missed.
Because Bob and John both died on the eve of
our 45th, many were moved to write, including
Denny Vaughn, Rocky Willard, Dixon Merkt, Karl
Baumgartner, Karl Maggard, and Bob Cranston.
Given the closeness of their friendship, Bill
Barich flew to NYC to be with Bob just before he
died. Although he had to return to Ireland just
prior to reunion, Bill sent along this fitting eulogy: “In late April, Bob lost his long battle with
cancer. Nobody could have fought the disease
with more grace, wit, charm, and courage, all
virtues Bob embodied throughout his life. Few
of his many friends knew how incapacitated he
was because he remained upbeat and positive even when ill. To be in his company was a
constant joy and delight. If a good time showed
up anywhere in the vicinity, Bob was game for
it, but he never lost sight of his commitment to
social change. He was particularly proud of his
involvement with Harlem RBI, a nonprofit that
uses baseball and softball as a means to guide E
Harlem youths toward higher ed and a chance at
a better life. Although Bob traveled widely and
had more working lives than most — publisher,
teacher, dot-com entrepreneur, Peace Corps
volunteer, golf writer — his last 7 years were
his happiest because he re-met and married
Kathleen Moskal, a HS classmate who enriched
his life in so many ways and even showed him
where to get a decent haircut. A great heart, a
great loss.”
And Doug Quelch, who also was unable to
make reunion due to a family commitment,
wrote: “I am so saddened by the news of Bob
‘Sam’ McCord’s passing. I spoke to him last maybe 2 years ago, shortly after his wife’s chocolate
business was getting underway. Maybe someone
remembers how Bob got the nickname ‘Sam.’ He
and Bob Baldanzi were roommates on the 2nd
floor of W Hall freshman year, which is where I
got to know them. Sam was one of the culprits
involved with the baby alligator caper after
Christmas break that year. I think Baldy got it for
Christmas and Sam put it into the shower room.
The sequence of events may not be entirely
correct, but that is how I remember it. Sam went
Lambda Chi, like me, and we were roommates
jr year in Prof Miller’s upstairs apartment, along
with Tom Cruthers, Duff Miller, Kent Besse, and
the General, Bob Grant. Of the 6 of us, 3 have
now passed on. We were introduced to Indian
food in that apartment. Prof Miller had rented
out his ground-story apartment to a visiting
Indian prof. Knowing no spices except salt and
pepper, we were grossed out at the smells that
were coming up the floor heating register. That
is until his wife invited us to dinner one evening
and prepared a stunning and delicious array of
Indian food, a cuisine that I love to this day. Sam
will be missed.”
Of John Mount, Dick Rawdon remembers:
“John was one of the 1st people I met at Colgate.
We became great friends. He was from Cinci,
which is only 70 miles from my KY home. I spent
many nights at his home in Cinci and their farm
in KY. John, Dixon Merkt, and I were roommates
at Sigma Nu. John and I made many road trips,
in fact, almost every weekend: Skidmore and the
Embers Bar, Caz, Syracuse, or NYC. Anywhere was
doable. John flew helicopters for the Marines
during Vietnam. I was always extremely proud of
John for his service to our country. John did not
take the easy way out.”
From Mike Bragg: “John was my roommate
in Andrews West our freshman year. We were
in a 4-man suite with Karl Maggard and Pete
Nichols. John and I shared one bedroom while
Karl and Pete had the other, with a center ‘living
room’ with a fireplace in the middle. Although
you probably could not imagine a more unlikely
pair, John and I got along great. A great guy.”
And Pete Nichols adds: “So sad to hear about
my freshman roommate, John. He was one of the
‘wildest and craziest guys’ in our class. I recall
coming back to the suite in W Andrews on a cold
winter night with Karl Maggard to find John sipping whiskey by a blazing fire. The bad news was
that the fire was made from most of the meager
supply of furniture in the living room. On a happier note, I just last night attended a great concert by classmate Peter Rowan, who is well and
in fine voice as usual. Got to spend a little time
with him, which was fun. He always likes to get
back home and spend time at the Cape O’ Cod
this time of year. He has been on a month-long
concert tour. I was not able to join you at our
45th as my sister was here for a short stay from
India and we got as much of the family together
as possible to see her. My best to everyone.”
Once again it is my sad duty to report the
passing of another classmate. Barry Dunleavy
died June 7 at his Philly home. As has become our
custom, all who remember Barry and would like
to send along any memories, I will include them
in the next column. Anyone wishing to write
Barry’s widow, let me know.
Hope this finds you well. Onward to our 50th!
Stay in touch… In friendship, Gar.
Garner: 818-713-1353; 1392 (fax); [email protected]
1 966
Robert Malley
322 Shore Road
Westerly, RI 02891-3904
I’m writing this right after the July 4th holiday,
so I hope that all of you had an enjoyable holiday
weekend and a great summer. As I write, the
temp here on the RI coast has hit 98° F, and
downtown, at my (non–air conditioned) office,
surpassed 100°. It’s a hot one here in the NE. Let’s begin with some impressive news regarding Colgate athletics. Colgate’s football team
has been recognized by the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Athletics Directors Assoc
as a recipient of an Academic Progress Rate (APR)
Award. The APR Award recognizes 1 institution in
each of the 14 FCS conferences that has the highest APR score. Colgate had the highest APR in the
Patriot League. In addition, the football team was
one of 14 Colgate teams honored by the NCAA for
their latest APR scores. The other teams included
men’s hockey, basketball, soccer, and lax and
women’s volleyball, softball, and cross-country,
and men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor
track & field. These academic honors certainly
say a lot about our coaches and our studentathletes.
I was in NYC in late April to attend the annual
Presidents’ Club reception and auction, where
I met our new pres, Jeff Herbst. Jeff comes to
us from Miami (OH) U, where he was the Exec
VP for academic affairs and provost. A political
scientist, he began his Colgate tenure the week
of July 1 and was formally inaugurated in Oct.
Jeff is outgoing, impressive, and very excited to
be at Colgate. I’m sure he will serve Colgate well.
While in NYC, I had an enjoyable dinner with
Terry Shea, who is looking as distinguished as
ever and is still lovin’ his job in the wealth mgmt
business.
I was back on campus in early June for
reunion and saw many friends from the classes
of ’65 and ’70. Although it wasn’t our class’s reunion year, John Paske came back to be honored
by the Class of ’75 as the coach of Colgate’s last
freshman football team. John and his wife also
attended the awards ceremony in the chapel on
Fri night to see Lee Woltman ’65 receive a Wm
Brian Little ’64 Award for Distinguished Service.
I enjoyed seeing John again, and retirement certainly appears to be agreeing with him. Looking
forward to seeing you at our reunion next year,
John.
Our congrats go out to Suzanne and John
Golden, who became grandparents for the 2nd
time on May 10. Daughter Katie and husband
Michael Kelter welcomed Juliet Rose into the
world, to join her older sister, Jennifer. Later in May, Ted Sattler dropped me an
e-mail, to report on several fronts. First, “son Greg
’02 is getting married in Aug to Katie Iorio ’01!
Great news! They tried to get the wedding at
’Gate but it was booked for the summer.” Next,
“Carol and I had dinner with Tom Tobey in NYC
and had a great time catching up. Tom’s 2 daughters are doing quite well: Kirsten is a co-founder
of Revolution Foods out of Oakland, CA. She was
recently invited to the White House by Michelle
Obama to help promote healthy eating for
children. In addition, she is being honored by the
New School in NYC as Entrepreneur of the Year.
Rachel is multitasking in New Zealand with her
husband (a Dr from Denver). They are on a 1 1/2
year exchange program sponsored by hospitals
in CO and NZ.” Ted closed with the news that he
also heard Jerry ‘Murph’ Murphy is about to run
for mayor of Sparta, NJ. In a follow-up e-mail, Ted
told me that Tom’s daughter Kirsten’s company
was featured in a documentary titled One
Nation Overweight, shown on CNBC on May 18.
Ted, thanks for sending all this good news, and
congrats on Greg’s marriage; I hope the wedding
was a great party! Tom, Kirsten must be making
you very proud. Well done, Dad (and Mom, too).
June brought me an e-mail from David
Anderson, to report that Margi and he became
1st-time grandparents earlier this year with the
arrival of a granddaughter: “We are captivated,”
wrote David. Congrats to you both, David; it only
gets better! He went on to say that “Margi and
I have been repatriated from Japan and retired
from JP Morgan for almost 4 years. That causes
us to think about what works well for us as
retirees and what does not. So, we started with
Darien and decided it is probably not the optimal
place for us to live and are now looking at several
areas in NH. Regardless of where we move, we
will continue to visit NYC frequently as we thoroughly enjoy all the city has to offer and to stay
in touch with our friends. I want to stay involved
with banking, so I accepted an offer to join the
board of a Japanese bank in NY. There is lots to
read to stay current on key issues and the other
directors are an interesting group of individuals.
Bottom line, it is fun and I feel I have something
to contribute, drawing from my 38 years of banking. Finally, I continue to be a gym rat and signed
up for my 3rd triathlon this fall. Only time will
tell if I have the time and energy to get in shape
so I can do well in my age group.” Good luck with
all of these endeavors, David, and let me know
how you fared in the triathlon.
That’s all the news from here. Happy fall, and
don’t forget our class reunion next June.
Bob: 401-322-0908; 322-7411 (fax);
[email protected]
1 9 67
Edward A Ryan
69 Portland Road
Summit, NJ 07901-3011
Received a note from Bob Miller: “I moved to the
Poconos when I retired from f/t teaching in NJ.
Since then, I have been working as an adjunct
prof of English lit at Northampton CC in Tannersville, PA. Along with that, I’ve served on the B/D
of my community and write a humor column for
the local paper. In all, it keeps me busy and out
of trouble. My wife, Marcia, works in food service
in the middle school in Stroudsburg, PA, and is
planning on retiring in about 2 years, at which
point we may travel around the country. My
daughter works for M&M Mars in Hackettstown,
NJ. She’s the head of an intl team and makes
frequent trips to Europe, so she gets to see the
world and Mars pays for it. I’ve recently been in
touch via e-mail with my old roommate, Paul
Bradley, as well as Joe Doolittle. Since I get up
to Lake George every year, I’m looking forward
to possibly meeting up with them at some point
and catching up on old times. Paul and I were
among the few who stayed on at Colgate for grad
school and got our master’s. Things are pretty
quiet here and I spend most of my free time
chasing the deer away from my shrubs and the
occasional bear away from my garbage. I lived in
Westfield, NJ, until I retired and moved here. We
still get down there about once a month as my
parents (who are about to celebrate their 65th
anniversary) still live there. My father (Bob Miller
’42) just turned 89 and is still going strong. If
nothing else, I have good genes.” Thanks, Bob.
Pres Doolittle sent this report: “Connected
in April with classmates Rob Williams, John
Tracy, and Robin Ellis over lunch. Williams is
still practicing as a psychologist locally, Tracy
does commercial real estate, and Ellis consults in
fundraising. The Bradleys became grandparents
of twins, a boy and a girl, both 6+ lbs, born to
daughter Teri. Paul and Linda planned to once
again host a gathering of the Vintage Thirteen,
Sept 10–12, at their home on Harris Bay, Lake
George, NY. We planned a benefit concert for the
Chapman Adirondack Museum in Glens Falls on
Sept 11 and will get you a follow-up. Also spent a
pleasant overnight with Rita and Keith Fagan at
their 2nd home, a beautiful colonial, in Strasburg,
VA. Keith is a special asst to the Fairfax County
mgr, working to ensure that lower income areas
have access to high-speed Internet and home
financing. On July 8 I drove to Hamilton to attend
and sing at the internment service for Bob Howard ’49. You may recall he was alumni secretary
in the ’80s/’90s and an early member of the Thirteen. There were 14 Thirteen alumni who joined
family and other friends for the service. Fagan
and I were the only ’60s voices. We sang “1819” at
the beginning of the service and the Alma Mater
at the close. It was a hot day, but we were blessed
with a bit of shade and the view. The words and
presence displayed an appreciation for all Bob
had done connecting folks within the university
community. The cemetery is a place that surrounds you with echoes and memories. Walking
the mowed lawn, amidst the headstones, was
a surprising pleasant rush, with murmured
hellos, and thank yous to those unseen, save for
the names in stone, such as William Griffiths,
Huntington Terrell, Lloyd and Kathryn Huntley,
and Mark Randall. Somehow it was reassuring
that the past is real, the present is a blessing, and
the university on the hill continuing. I encourage
classmates to take the opportunity to spend time
in that high, lovely spot next time they’re on
campus. We each would find special names and
memories and come away a bit more centered.
At least I did.”
Capt Hank Evans sent the following note
about recent travels aboard Queen Anne’s Revenge: “Following 2 months at the Navy marina
in Key West (Boca Chica), we headed for the
Bahamas and had 6 great weeks cruising in the
Abacos. As the locals say, ‘tan your toes in the Abacos.’ Returning to the states, we missed seeing
Jeannie and Terry Persily in Delray Beach by 2
days. They had headed to OH for the summer. We
came up the Intercoastal Waterway to NYC for
the 4th and spent time at the Navy submarine
base in Groton, CT, following which we departed
for Newport and on to ME for the summer. The
cruising life continues to agree with Ann and I
and we love the lifestyle on the water.” Clark Smyth enrolled in Social Security and
Medicare this year and is still playing hockey 2
nights a week, “hoping that Medicare covers all
my injuries!” Last summer Clark sailed in Europe
and met Jeff Cook in both Paris and Naples. “Jeff
spends enough time over there to be our translator and tour guide.” A few months ago, Jeff and
Bob Strumor visited Susie and Turner Porter at
his sometime winter home in Tampa. Clark also
heard that Graham Closs broke his leg playing
hockey. “Hope he’s recovered, as we need to keep
the 60- and 70-year-olds out there on the ice so
we have someone to play against.” Thanks, Clark!
Roger Higle reports: “Marion’s daughter
Courtney is studying for the NV Bar and will be
moving from AZ to Vegas next month to start
with a firm. We’re extremely proud. We vacationed in the Great Smoky Mt Natl Park 2 weeks
ago. Nothing much better than wading in a clear
crisp mtn stream. Preparing content for Keller
Williams’s 2nd biggest annual event called Mega
Camp 3000 (KW agents and leaders in Austin
the 2nd week of Sept).”
Rick Weidman, exec dir for Vietnam Vets of
America, continues to fight for benefits for vets
of current and past wars, and his efforts are
producing results. In July, the Dept of Veterans
Affairs issued new rules that make it substantially easier for vets with post-traumatic stress
disorder to receive benefits. Some folks claim the
new rules are too costly, but as reported in a NY
Times article, Rick makes a persuasive case that
vets who sustain physical or mental injuries
while serving in a combat zone deserve treatment and benefits necessary to adjust to civilian
life. Keep fighting for these guys, Rick!
Chris Clifford, chair of the board, sent a quick
note “to praise and promote the 1st edition
of Summer on the Hill. It was fabulous! For 4
days we took classes, did rock climbing, visited
Cooperstown, played golf, and met a lot of nice
people. We should all go next year. It was that
good.” OK, we have our orders from the head
honcho. Let’s try to get a group for the next Summer on the Hill.
Also, please check out www.colgateconnect.
org (the new, improved colgatealumni.org) for
current news. Eg, in June, Marilyn Thie, prof
of philosophy, religion, and women’s studies,
received the inaugural Jerome Balmuth Award
for Teaching and Student Engagement. While
celebrating her 35-year commitment to students
and the learning process, the crowd also raised
a toast to the award’s namesake, Harry Emerson
59
Fosdick Prof of Philosophy and Religion Jerry
Balmuth, who taught me everything I know
about the writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
OK, that is not all Jerry’s fault; he tried to teach
me. And for b-ball fans, note that the Colgate’s
men’s basketball team will play at Duke on Nov
19 in a battle of Number Ones. While Duke is the
reigning natl champion, the NCAA ranks Colgate
as the #1 school in the country for graduation
rate of student-athletes. While not certain, I’m
pretty sure Wittgenstein will be rooting for us.
Ed: 908-277-4128; [email protected]
1 968
Jay Benedict
333 Brampton Court
Lake Forest, Ill 60045-3410
Please take note of the byline and contact info
for your new class scribe. After several years of
faithful service, Peter O’Neill needs to spend
more time practicing his putting and has turned
over the pen to yours truly. Thanks, Pete, for all
of the hard work. On to the business at hand.
Larry Kenna, Fred Meyland-Smith, and I have
made a habit of returning to Colgate each Feb
for a weekend of hockey and basketball. For
the last 2 years we have run into Tom Hughes,
who is still practicing law in upstate NY. Special
thanks to coaches Vaughn and Davis for sharing
time with us during the weekend.
Pete O’Neill submitted his 1st update as a
former editor, with a note that he and wife Ann
spent a weekend in Williamsburg, VA, playing
in a mixed member/guest golf tourney. Their
flight was won by Gail and Ned Frey. Ned has
managed to get his golf handicap down into the
single digits. Peter goes on to say that Ned was
seen on the dance floor dancing to “Louie, Louie.”
Not sure what “on” meant. Old memories die
hard! Peter also forwarded a note from Bill Hunt,
who has lived and practiced law in HI since 1972.
It is difficult for Bill to return to the ’Gate, but
he does offer up an invitation for those visiting
Honolulu to look him up for a cold beverage.
Also heard from Mike Morrone who said
in his note that their son Mike ’97 and wife
Michelle presented them with their 1st granddaughter in March. Their 2nd son, Peter (PJ) ’99,
recently earned his PhD in 19th-century American lit and is an adjunct prof at both Rutgers
and St Francis C in Brooklyn. Their daughter,
Michelle ’02, received her master’s in history and
has been working as an independent contractor with the Smithsonian’s American History
Museum. Mike Sr and wife Camille recently
spent a week in the DC area and at the Outer
Banks with his 1st-year roommate, Jim Walker,
and wife, Jennifer, who were visiting from CT.
Camille and Mike recently visited Hamilton to
attend the Colgate Alumni Council’s final meeting of the year.
Jade and Joe Ward live in WA State, where
he had been practicing medicine. Joe says there
is a good Colgate club in Portland but no one
from the Class of ’68. If anyone is in that area,
please try to look up Joe. David Vanderwerken
has just finished his 39th academic year as prof
of English at TCU and is looking forward to
some trout fishing this summer along the Appalachian chain from east TN to ME. During the
trip he plans to renew ties with classmate Dick
Smith and wife Anne in Canastota. Talk about
small worlds, Andy Roffe and Dick Smith work
together in representing Colgate on a pro bono
basis in Albany. Additionally, Andy represents
the Oneida Indian Nation and Turning Stone on
all of their governmental matters. Andy lives in
60
scene: Autumn 2010
NYC with his wife and youngest son, Matt. His
older son, Michael ’02, and daughter, Sarah, both
live and work in Manhattan as well. Andy is a
partner at the law firm Robinson & Cole LLP in
NYC and the head of a lobbying/governmental
law firm in Albany (The Roffe Group PC). Andy
still travels quite a bit and always makes time
to visit his oldest friend, Alan Frumin, the US
Senate parliamentarian, when in DC.
Fellow ATO Larry Anderson dropped me a
note to say that he got together with Rich Cunningham and Cory Ferguson in Aspen this past
winter (an annual get-together) and they were
able to ski together several times along with
Cory’s wife, Nancy. Cory has returned to racing
in the NASTAR program and qualified for the
Natls. He did very well. The rumor is that the
NASTAR race course pacesetters in Snowmass
have to scramble if they don’t want Cory to turn
in a better time. Larry is still actively practicing law in Binghamton and frequently gets
together with Rick Marsi ’69 for kayaking and
birding outings.
Paul Tornambe lives in San Diego with his
wife and 4 children. Paul practices medicine
in the field of retina and is a past pres of the
American Society of Retina Specialists. Now in
private practice, he has pioneered procedures
in retinal diseases and surgery, and lectures
around the world. He was named by the
American Academy of Ophthalmology on their
100th bday as a retinal physician who has made
a major contribution over the last 100 years. He
has published extensively but most importantly
still plays golf with a 2 handicap, and shot his
age backward when he was 56 years old.
Jim Locke recently moved to Louisville, KY.
He writes: “I’m kinda sorta retired but will be
re-entering the workforce as either teacher or
consultant in the next few months.” Jim has
2 married children living in ID and CA. Holly
and Ted Liebig live in St Louis, where he has
owned a business for many years. Ted (Pelican)
writes, “Holly and I are coming up on our
40th, although Spring Party Weekend when
we balanced on ice floats on Taylor Lake really
doesn’t seem like that long ago.” Ted’s son Ted Jr
’95 is pres of their primary manufacturing and
holding company, which allows Ted plenty of
time to chase little round balls all over the golf
course. Daughter Courtney ’94 is in the process
of relocating to St Louis with her husband and
3 daughters. Ted has 4 other children. John Farranto is still on the road quite a bit, but did find
time to visit the Dominican Republic with wife
Evgenia in Feb.
Got a great note from Bruce Cushing, who
retired at age 60 (mandatory) after flying for
both Eastern and United Airlines for 39 years.
He now lives in Fredericksburg, VA, and spends
most of his time traveling, attempting to play
golf, and doing some work for Habitat for
Humanity. He still gets together with Jim Diehl
and Ted Liebig as often as possible. Bruce writes
that Jim is general mgr of the downtown Marriott hotel in Charlotte, NC. Bruce adds that he
recently ran into Elliott Jones, who still works
in the financial services business and lives in NJ.
Jill and Alan Frumin had dinner in DC with
Leslie and John Silverstein in April. They drove
up from Raleigh, NC, where John practices
law. Two weeks later, Jill and Alan enjoyed the
company of his Lambda Chi brother Richard
Haney ’67, his wife Paula, and their daughter Alexandra at a fundraiser that Alexandra helped
organize for the Maya Angelou Charter Schools
in DC. Alan is also in touch with Bob Minick,
who splits his time living in the Raleigh-Durham area while continuing to work in litigation
services in DC. Alan keeps in touch with John
Gee, who is an atty with the NY State Human
Rights Commission, and who along with his son
Matthew is a die-hard college hockey fan. As a
note, Alan’s work as the Senate parliamentarian
was highly visible during the health care reform
debates. Jim Milmoe ’69 (class editor) has been
following Alan’s activity as parliamentarian and
continues to provide updates to the Scene regarding Alan’s work.
Kathy and Mike Kobos, along with all 3 sons,
wives, and 3 new grandbabies (all less than a
year old) went to Jamaica to celebrate their 40th
anniversary. Son Chris ’02 and his wife Dana
Fishberg ’00 are also Colgate grads. Mike spent
4 years living in Paris, where he was the worldwide VP of marketing and business development
for a large pharmaceutical company. He was also
pres of a venture capital–funded pharmaceutical
company. As Mike says, “I have tried to retire but
continue to do a little consulting in the pharmaceutical and biotech space despite canceling my
consulting company’s phone and fax numbers!
They still find me via e-mail.”
This will wrap it up for now. Thanks to everyone for getting back to me. I would really enjoy
hearing from others in our class. Please send me
something, or I will track you down.
Jay: [email protected]
1969
C James Milmoe
1700 Verrazzano Place
Wilmington, NC 28405-4040
As this is written in early July, I am in CO after
spending all or part of 16 of the last 22 weeks
away from my Wilmington home for fun or
business. Only 1 trip had a remote Colgate
connection. My nieces Sandy Pomeroy ’83 and
Meg Pomeroy Hurdman ’85 (married to Charlie
Hurdman ’85) hosted a 50th wedding anniversary
for my sister and her husband in Cooperstown,
NY. The travels put me way behind in collecting news. I put out an emergency call for news
and got a bunch of it, over a holiday weekend,
mostly from retirees. We are all moving into our
mid-60s and it seems likely that retirement announcements will be a regular feature of these
notes.
Leading the retirement parade is Colgate VP
for Alumni Affairs RuthAnn Loveless MA’72, who
announced in May her long service to the school
will end in May 2011.
After more than 35 years with the Hinckley
boat-building company in Bass Harbor, ME,
Steve Keiser is cutting the dock lines and retiring. Steve says, “Hinckley really has been a way
of life for me — I have loved it!” Steve will be
heading to AK to do 6 weeks of “wilderness sailing” with 2 other Hinckley alumni. He will start
in Juneau, cruise the glaciers, and then head off
for about 5 weeks, working back toward Vancouver where the boat homeports. After that, Steve
will return to ME and maybe manage a multimillion dollar house project, circumnavigate
S America on a Hinckley boat, attend Colgate
functions, or build furniture in his shop. He got
a farewell visit from Art Clark, who was visiting
ME in June. Bon voyage, Steve. Please send us a
postcard or 2 from your travels.
Terry Kushner, who retired as asst superintendent of the Upper St Clair schools in June 2009,
didn’t stay idle very long. He filled in as acting
superintendent for the West Jefferson Hills
School District for a full year and re-retired on
July 1. In retirement, Terry will do some adjunct
teaching at Duquesne and Waynesburg Universities, and spend more time with his growing family (grandchild #4 in July). He has periodic phone
conversations with Ron Burton and Dean Taylor,
and US Senate parliamentarian Al Frumin ’68.
These notes have documented Frumin’s key
role in the passage of the health care law, and
he wrote to thank me for the fair and balanced
coverage. I have not read the 2,000+ page bill,
but I don’t think the proposal of free coverage
for Colgate grads made it into the final version.
There just aren’t enough of us to weigh in to
get 60 votes for special treatment, even with Al
counting. Al says he is now “yesterday’s news,”
and the tea baggers never followed through
on their threat to picket his house. Kushner
would like to hear from Bill Travis to share
some interesting stories and “best practices” in
public ed, John Grenda and other Lambda Chi’s,
classmates, and old football teammates. I tried
to communicate with another retired teacher,
Tom McTaggart, but the e-mail address Colgate
has for him is faulty. Tom, help me and Colgate
out with a new address. All of you get these
notes direct mail only if Colgate has your correct
e-mail address.
Another academic, Herman Karl, retired from
US Geological Survey and ended his relationship with MIT in June. He will be continuing his
research in affiliation with the U of NH, his new
institutional home. Amazingly, although Herm
has lived in Lincoln, MA, and worked at MIT
for 30 years, he hasn’t been to a Rex Sox game
since he drove John Rice and me from Colgate to
Fenway Park in 1967.
Read McNamara is also following the pattern
of on-again off-again retirement. He was restless in semi-retirement and has become exec
dir of the Career Mgmt Center at Vanderbilt U
School of Mgmt. He will counsel MBAs while
developing relations with corporate employers.
Read went to Vanderbilt b-school after Colgate
in 1969. He observes that although Nashville has
grown tremendously, it is a delightful place to
live. He and Mary will split their time between
Nashville and their place in ME.
Dave Knauer, retired for several years now,
sent me pictures of fish, birds, and amphibians
who sacrificed their lives for his retirement
pleasure. Dave wrote to say he and Rick Marsi
engaged in a “home-and-home” fishing and
birding events. It was the first time the two had
seen each other since they met in the NYC apt of
Kevin Coneys ’71. Marsi had just returned from
a Peace Corps assignment in India. In May, they
floated the west branch of the Delaware and
hunted wild turkey on Rick’s acreage in Vestal,
NY. In early June, the two fished for stripers off
Chappaquiddick Island and went birding at a
Wellfleet, MA, preserve. Rick is a well-known
naturalist and bird guide in the Binghamton
area, leads frequent bird walks, and lectures on
his travels. Dave recommends Rick’s book on
his 13 trips to Russia during the transition out
of the Cold War. It is called Bridge to Borovichi.
Knauer entertained Terri and John Rice in June
and enjoyed a golf match with Kerry Brown. Rick
and Dave were making plans for the ColgateSyracuse football game on September 25. Stay
tuned for plans of a broader reunion.
Another long-term retiree, John Loden splits
his time between FL and California’s Napa Valley wine country. He is so happy there, he has
found it difficult to come east to Colgate events.
To cure the problem, John is contemplating
some kind of Napa Valley reunion. I got a surprise phone call in May from Paul Schneider ’70,
recently retired from his work as dir of Inpatient
Psychiatric Rehab at a Long Island hospital. He
and Barb want to leave LI, and were in town
looking for a home in a milder climate. We
shared a couple of beers and I gave Paul some
real estate advice. Paul remembered the last
time we shared a beer; he almost got me arrested
because he borrowed my draft card to get into a
Syracuse nightclub.
After years of preparing souls for the ultimate retirement from this realm, the Rev John
Abraham retired last year. He is currently in DE,
but expects to move back to AZ after he settles
his father’s estate. For John, retirement means
tennis, reading, walking the dog, and riding his
“crotch-rocket” (John, please define for a family
publication). Daughter Katie just graduated from
college, and son Paul still has 2 years of college in
Tucson.
Most of us are still working one way or another. Hardworking magazine publisher Pete Lewine wrote that he has a new cell number. John
Higgins sent some Sept 1965 archive material I
will share in my next publication. Van Parker is
busy providing fundraising and related services
to nonprofit entities in lower Fairfield Co, CT.
He connects with Colgate grads and classmates
through Facebook [Ed note: my competitor] and
is surprised at the variety and the quality of life
enjoyed by Colgate alums.
Unretired Barry Spiz, born 11/16/48, claims he
is the youngest member of our class. He wrote
that after he got an MBA from Columbia, he
moved to CA in 1970, and to San Anselmo in 1975,
with Pam, a schoolteacher, and their 2 daughters.
He left the corporate world in 1978 to pursue his
love of writing and the outdoors. Barry has written 9 local interest books, leads hiking groups,
and is very involved in running. Barry does not
get east much. He would like to hear from Rick
Umpleby, Dick Blumenthal, William Condon, Bill
Huus ’68, and anyone else who might remember
him.
Dave Helman supplied this social news:
Charlie Pellaton married Joan McGrath at a
small family ceremony at his home in Wilton,
CT, on June 26. They went on to honeymoon on
the Mexican Riviera, daring a tropical storm to
interrupt their fun. Charlie e-mailed Dave, saying they were “chilling blissfully.” Greg Costich
(who helped recruit 21 Phi Psi’s back to the 40th
Reunion) is also keeping the brothers electronically connected with pop culture updates and
notes from the home where he and Sandy live in
Melbourne, FL. There was a lot of “chatter” during
the NBA playoffs among Celtic fans (Helman;
Mike Greenlaw ’70; Costich; Ray Wengenroth;
Keith Radhuber; Art Clark; and infamous Laker
haters, Walt Theis and Mark Victor ’70). Dave
won a bet with George Meier when the Celtics
beat his Orlando Magic. Dave saw George (his
4-year Colgate roommate and a graduate of OH
State Law School) in Columbus, OH, last Sept for
the Southern CA-OH State football game. Ron
‘Cat’ Canterna ’68 is retiring from his days as a
professor at the U of WY and moving to his wife’s
hometown of Venice, Italy. I would guess there is
some kind of culture gap in that transition.
Dann Cramer, an exec with a PA financial
services company, wrote that in spite of 4 years
of long Colgate winters, he and wife Carolyn fell
in love with Skaneateles, NY, and its namesake
lake. They have built a 2nd home there with
a panoramic view of the lake, close enough
to attend several Colgate football games, and
especially the Syracuse game. Dann would like to
hear from other class members living in or visiting the Hamilton/Syracuse/Skaneateles area for
tailgating-planning purposes.
In London, the social event of the spring was
the Bob Haberer-Ken Trevett get-together, for a
pint and many reminiscences about life at the
‘Gate in the ’60’s. Ken was in town with his wife,
Barbara. They agreed to a reunion in Hamilton of
Alpha Delts from various classes.
Jim: 910-256-5522; [email protected]
197 0
Get to know: Wil Redmond ’08, Colgate Trustee
George Murphy Jr
1510 Ocean Avenue
Mantoloking, NJ 08738-1516
It was a pleasure for me to attend our 40th
Reunion in early June. The weather was perfect.
Sunny skies and low 80s in the daytime, and
thunderstorm activity in the middle of the night
while lying in bed with the windows open in
Newall Apartments, next to the football field.
I jotted down the following list of registered
attendees: Dewey Reilly, Jon Alpert, Bill Baker,
Charles Beitz, Scott Bennett, Harold Borkowski,
Wayland ‘Bucky’ Bourne, Emil Bove, Richard
Byers, Jeffrey Chamberlain, Scott Christensen,
Rick Clogher, James Closs, Lawrence Cooley, Phil
Corrinet, Steve Emmett, Chris Fager, Howard
Fineman, Charles Fox, Matt Goldstan, Jeff Hall,
John Halstead, Ray Hartung, Grant Hennigar,
Roger Herr, Donald Jaffe, Cris Johnson, Peter
Johnson, Greg Lavin, Gordon McLennan, Harold
Ober, Ren Perlee, Mark Pinzur, Stephen Reilly,
Paul Horowitz, Jeff Mapstone, John McQueen,
Richard Oleksiak, Dennis Riordan, John Romano,
Marcus Rosenbaum, Steve Rosenfeld, Paul
Schneider, James Smith, Michael Smith, John
Smitka, Ron Sternberg, Scott Turner, Richard
Tisch, and Bruce Kenna.
For those of you who have never attended,
you should try it sometime. There is Fri golf, a
Fri night BBQ, Maroon citations and awards in
the chapel followed by a Torchlight Ceremony,
bonfire, and fireworks. There is also socializing in
the class tents, an all-class parade and luncheon
at the Reid Athletic Ctr, and an all-class cocktail
party dinner. Our class dinner featured a 55-minute lecture by recently retired prof Jerry Balmuth.
Also, a salvage sale of Colgate athletic equipment
on Whitnall field, sales at the Colgate Bookstore,
tours of buildings, undergrad workers/bartenders, and a mini–rock concert by the Skycoasters
in the large picnic tent.
During the days, if you chose not to play golf
or relax, there were many informative and entertaining seminars. Jon Alpert, our classmate, the
1st American reporter allowed in post-war Vietnam, and winner of 15 Emmys, presented a Q&A
session focusing on his film specialties. There
were also showings of 2 of his documentary-style
films that have aired on HBO, including Baghdad
ER, an inside look at the 86th Combat Support
Hospital shot in 2005 in Iraq, and Dirty Driving, a
look at racing and the struggling economy of Anderson, IN. Other seminar presentations by our
classmates included R Michael Smith and Larry
Cooley discussing their roles in the rebuilding of
Afghanistan and Iraq and their views on lessons
learned and future expectations, while Dennis
Riordan, esq, discussed his exploits as a criminal
defense atty, specializing in appellate practice.
That’s it for now. Stay healthy and stay in
touch.
Murph: 732-892-0217; 7806 (fax);
[email protected]
197 1
Richard C Beck
4290 SE Augusta Loop
Gresham, OR 97080-8435
This article begins our 39th year of columns
since graduating from the ’Gate. Next year at this
time we will have celebrated our 40th Reunion.
That is hard to believe, isn’t it? I hope you will be
making plans to attend.
– Joined the board in 2009; Presidential Search Committee member
– Student involvements: Religion major, track and field, RA, Campus Safety student coordinator, Office of Undergraduate Studies
program coordinator, Konosioni, Urban Theater
– Master’s degree student, Candler School of Theology, Emory University
– Fraternity house director, Emory University
Where will your masters of divinity take you? I want to teach religion at the undergraduate or graduate level, so this is the second step toward my PhD. I’m applying to doctoral
programs this fall.
How did you come to choose that path? Sophomore year, I took a class with Georgia Frank
and fell in love with studying religion, how people think, and their belief systems. And, at the
same time that I was taking a higher-level theory and methods course, I took Chris Vecsey’s
intro course, where I was able to teach things to my friends in the class who were freshmen.
I really enjoyed that, and decided to make that my life’s work. I had good mentors in Georgia,
Chris, and Harvey Sindima, who all really pushed me.
Did any personal experiences with faith have to do with it as well? My grandmother was a
Jehovah’s Witness, and she would push her religious beliefs to the side in order for us to still
experience life as kids. We would get birthday gifts and things of that nature, just not on
those days. That always puzzled me — Oh my God, my grandmother is going to hell! What am
I going to do? — and provoked my curiosity in religious studies.
Tell us about your outreach efforts. For the past year and a half, I have been leading one
class group at Essential2Life, a nonprofit program for inner-city high school students in
Atlanta. I got involved through my curriculum, which requires an internship. This year, we
brought in 37 high school sophomores. We’re going to see them through their senior years
and getting them into college, which is our main goal. Teaching them leadership skills and
making sure that they’re influential in their community is what we really want.
As a young alumnus, how do you think you contribute to the board? Because I have a closer
connection to current students, they are more willing to come to me and say, “This is what’s
going on,” or “We have a problem with this.” Getting students’ perspectives helps us when
we’re making decisions. Also, our alumni base is getting younger, and reaching young alumni
is tough. I can reach out to those people and say, “We need your help. This is where you can
plug in.”
Is there a particular initiative at Colgate that’s most dear to your heart? We have to step
up in getting alumni involved, such as coming back to speak at events, or hosting things
in their cities. This summer, I helped organize an event with an alumni discussion panel
introducing high school students in Atlanta to Colgate. An event like that does two things:
it helps admissions bring in great students from a diverse pool, and helps alumni feel they
have a stake in Colgate.
What do you do in your spare time? I play rugby at Emory; I like to get out and run around
with the team. I’m also a video game junkie — senior year, my friends and I would plug into
the TV in HRC and play for hours.
— Rebecca Costello
61
Photo by Derek Gee/The Buffalo News
Making music and memories
in Buffalo cathedral
What’s the best part about working in a cathedral?
“It’s the music,” said Tim Socha ’81, the organist and choir director at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Buffalo, N.Y. “There are evenings when I come to the cathedral to practice, after
a long day, utterly devoid of energy, and then after playing a piece or two I feel very much
renewed,” Socha said.
He finds working with the choir to be equally as refreshing. “We’re blessed with a group
of very talented singers, including at least half a dozen music teachers. They are experienced sight-readers and terrific singers. They are so willing to try new things. They’re flexible and good humored, an absolute delight to work with.”
Socha recalls playing piano in church for the first time when he was in fifth grade. He
continued studying piano with highly regarded Buffalo organist Cecil Walker, with whom he
began to study organ as a senior in high school.
At Colgate, Socha took many courses in theology and church history and became immersed in church music as a course of study, “and a way to practice a very rewarding art
form,” he said. He studied choral conducting with Professor Marietta Cheng and spent a semester in Germany helping his adviser, Professor Joyce Irwin, write a book on 17th-century
church music.
“It takes mental focus,” Socha said of playing the organ, “but once you get your head in
the right place, it takes you out of yourself — and any problems you might have — and puts
you in a better place.
“I love practicing in the quiet of an empty cathedral,” he said. “But I also love hearing a
congregation sing and give back of themselves. Despite what you hear, most organists really don’t want to hear just the organ. They want to hear that we’re all part of this together.”
He admits loving it when people are “won over” to the pipe organ. “I had a bride-to-be last
year who lived outside the area,” he recalled, “and our initial conversations were exclusively
on the telephone. She kept saying, ‘Oh, I don’t know about the organ.’ And, with disdain, ‘You
know, it’s — organ music!’
“I kept assuring her that everyone loves the St. Joe’s organ, and I told her I looked forward to playing it for her the next time she was in town,” said Socha. “She came, and after
about 10 seconds of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, she broke down and started sobbing, ‘That’s
so … beautiful!’ I love moments like that.”
When not at St. Joseph’s, Socha is also chorus director for grades 9 through 12 at
Nichols School and a member of a handbell quartet called “The Royalton Ringers.” “We cover
four octaves — just the four of us,” he explained. “It gets a little harried at times, but it’s
great fun.”
Last Christmas, Socha directed the Cathedral Choir during a special event called “A Service of Christmas Lessons & Carols.” Bishop Edward Kmiec presided over the service, which
also included performances by the Royalton Ringers and Nichols students.
“My students at Nichols are really good kids,” Socha said. “I wish everyone could spend
time with them. They make me more hopeful about our future. And the cathedral is such a
great place to be. Someone told me recently they thought that St. Joe’s, with its predominantly white-and-gold decoration, looks like a giant wedding cake.
“What a great place to celebrate.”
— Adapted from an article by Louise Continelli of The Buffalo News
62
scene: Autumn 2010
Stephen Winningham notes that he and
his family moved to London in Aug 2007 and
they live in Notting Hill. Steve left CitiGroup
Investment Banking for a position with the
Lloyds Banking Group. He would like to see any
classmates who may be passing through!
This past Feb, Douglas Moritz was appointed
assoc VP of multifamily for the Mortgage Bankers Assoc (MBA). Doug joins MBA from the company he founded, DOMO Consulting, LLC, where
he served as principle. In Doug’s new position,
he coordinates policy positions on multifamily
issues and oversees multifamily activities for
MBA including interaction with members and
representations before various federal agencies
including HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie MAC, and
other groups involved with this type of housing.
Doug has also held positions with Prudential
Mortgage Capital Corp and WMF Washington
Mortgage. The MBA is hq’d in DC.
Dr Bruce W Selleck, geology prof at Colgate,
recently participated on a 4-person panel discussing the pros and cons of horizontal drilling
and “hydro-fracking” in the Marcellus Shales,
which are found along the southern tier in NY
State. Hydro-fracking (which is the underground
injection of a water/chemical slurry under high
pressure) would break up the shale resulting in
the release of natural gas that is stored in the
rock. The discussion was featured on WAMC NE
Public Radio. Bruce was a proponent of drilling
as a source of income for rural NY state residents
and as a new source of energy. However, he felt
that drilling should only occur under stringent
supervision by the state, ensuring that the
slurry water would be captured and treated and
that environmental protections are met. Panel
opponents felt that there would be potential
contamination into the environment through
the release of trace elements as a byproduct of
the process. It was also felt that huge amounts of
clean water would be needed for the process. It
was an interesting broadcast on what is becoming an emotional issue in the state.
Finally, I am saddened to note that our classmate Ann Parrott Cochran passed away March
21 from a cancer-related illness in Hamilton.
Ann was one of the 1st 10 women to graduate
from Colgate and she later went on to earn her
MAT in 1979. She spent her professional career
as a prof of psychology at SUNY Morrisville for
over 28 years. She retired in Dec 2000. Ann was
a longtime member and 1st pres of the board of
the Mid York Fndn. Surviving are her husband,
John, retired chemistry prof; her children, Eric
and Stacy Cochran, of NYC, and Jill and Joe Baker
of Tampa, FL; 5 grandchildren; and several nieces
and nephews.
Until next time. Richard: 503-512-8085 (H); 986-3375 (W);
504-8431 (C); [email protected]
1 97 2
David M Brockway
201 Lincoln Road
Horseheads, NY 14845-2267
A hearty hello to everyone as we start our 39th
year of (uninterrupted) columns! Goodness! One
of our most loyal correspondents, class VP Eric
Luce, sent an update this past spring. Among
the news was that he had the opportunity to
perform a monologue in the Spalding Gray celebration at the Painted Bride Art Ctr in Philly. Eric
got to sit in Spalding’s chair and at his table. He
also got to meet Gray’s widow, Kathy, and their
youngest son, Theo. Eric was also planning to
meet up with Joe Sabbatino and wife Eileen for
the Picasso exhibit at the Philly Art Museum; I
hope that indeed occurred! Eric sent me a link to
a recent issue of his NYU alumni mag. The cover
story was about the saving and transformation
of the historic remnants of the old High Line
on the Lower West Side of Manhattan near the
meat packing/Chelsea neighborhood. It is being
reclaimed as an exemplar of urban opportunity
and space for a community that is changing the
face of the city for the better. Eric mentioned
that Jim Capalino and his team of associates
have been right in the middle of this (and other)
remarkable efforts to reclaim portions of the city
for its people and their neighborhoods. The success of the High Line has spurred similar movements around the country, including the Reading
Terminal Viaduct in Philly, the Bloomingdale
Trail in Chicago, the BeltLine in Atlanta, and
the Harsimus Stem Embankment in Jersey City.
Jim Capalino, by the way, is also a co-founder
and treasurer of NY Uprising, a political action
committee.
Not far from Eric, from West Chester, PA, we
learn that Mark Tunnell has been named a “Super
Lawyer” for the 4th consecutive year. Mark is
a board-certified civil trial advocate who has
been practicing trial law for 34 years, handling a
variety of complex commercial and injury cases.
He is admitted to practice before the US Supreme
Court, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and the US
Tax Court, among others. Mark received his law
degree from the C of William and Mary.
Bernard McNamara MD was married Jan
30 to Mia Jahng in the Baha’i faith in a small
ceremony at the lifeguard station on the beach
at Ave H in Redondo Beach, CA. Bernie’s 2 sons —
Brendan, 17, and Dylan, 15 — attended. They also
had a formal reception in Quincy, MA, in April
for their East Coast friends and family, which allowed his sister Gail, his 94-year-old mother, and
his 89-year-old aunt Dorothy to attend. By the
way, Bernie says friends are certainly welcome
to give him a call. Since we don’t publish phone
numbers here, feel free to give me a call for his
number if you’d like.
William ‘Willie’ Schwartz MD says members
of ’72 (among all others!) can again visit the Dalai
Lama Chair at Colgate. He and Jim Capalino had
the winning bid for the chair at the Presidents’
Club auction in 2008. From the get-go, it was
their plan to see this historical artifact return to
Colgate. Willie said that, understandably, his wife
became attached to the chair, so its return was
delayed until the Stickley company (run by CEO
Alfred Audi ’60) made a similar chair for their
home, designed to take the original’s place. Willie
and his family also recently toured the Whitney
Biennial and posed for a photo with curator Gary
Carrion-Murayari ’02. You can see it on our class
web page at www.colgateconnect.org (the new,
improved colgatealumni.org).
Mark Bronstein MD tells us his daughter Arden decided to attend Boston U. Seems like just
yesterday that we ourselves were starting off to
college! Meanwhile, another former Whitnall
member, Marc Voyvodich tells me that his son
Kevin graduated this past spring from law school
and was heading back to Portland, ME, with his
wife, Riikka. That will be great for Marc and his
wife.
David Pearlman wrote to say he ran into Fred
Kaplan ’74 MD at a ballgame at Doubleday Field
in Cooperstown. Fred is a primary care physician
at Bassett Healthcare in Westport, CT. Dave is
the new GM of the Cooperstown Hawkeyes, a
member of the NY Collegiate Baseball League.
Unfortunately, there are a number of deaths
to report. Mary Girmonde Darman of Little
Falls, NY, passed away at home April 23. Mary
graduated from LeMoyne before earning her
MA at the ’Gate our year. Mary taught HS social
studies for 30 years and, upon retiring in 1992,
began teaching as an adjunct sociology prof
at Herkimer Co CC. She is survived by husband
Stephen, 3 children, and 3 stepchildren, as well as
several grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
Our condolences are also sent to classmate
Richard Dimarzo upon the passing of wife Judith
last Oct 19 in Pittsford, NY. She is also survived by
their son Joshua Dimarzo ’00. Finally, as you all
must know by now, we have also lost our dear
colleague John Hubbard, who passed away May
6 following a long battle with cancer. During his
many working years at Colgate, John’s strikingly
beautiful photographs appeared in virtually all
of the university’s publications. John held many
positions with the communications dept and in
2001 was named dir of advancement communications. He received many awards and honors
for his work, which had also been featured in
various galleries and in freelance work for the
Boston Globe, VT Life, Associated Press, and UPI.
After retirement from Colgate in 2005, John
became VP for community services at Hamilton’s
Community Memorial Hospital. John is survived
by wife Mary Jo, children, and grandchildren.
Our deepest sympathies to each of them from a
grateful class of admirers.
That wraps things up for this edition. Please
do drop a note or e-mail sometime!
David: 607-739-0267 (H); 737-2901 (O); 737-2961
(fax); [email protected]
1 973
Marc Gettis
43 Summit Avenue
Gillette, NJ 07933
Marcya and Peter Roberts breed thoroughbreds
at Rock Talk Farm, their 12-acre horse farm in
Allentown, NJ. Their horse named Together
Indy, the son of I Ain’t P T — the 1st mare they
purchased — recently recorded a stakes victory
at Keeneland’s Commonwealth Breeders’ Cup
Stakes-G2. Their 2-year-old filly, Indyland Band,
is currently in training. Peter retired from the
financial services business in 2007 after selling
College Savings Bank, which he founded in 1987.
Marcya is a freelance writer in advertising and
marketing.
When Russ Raman contacted me, he observed
that, “as the clock ticks past day 60 of the Gulf
oil spill” [at the time of his communication], he
is living in NYC and patiently watching the clock
count down on the 947 days remaining in the
Obama presidency.
This column’s most dependable correspondent, Fausto Miraglia, attended the graduation
of Bill Cornachio’s son Matthew from the Naval
Academy. A photo of Bill and Matt at the commissioning appears on our class web page at
colgatealumni.org). Like his brother Mark, Matt
has selected the Marines. The Miraglia and Cornachio families took the opportunity to see the
Blue Angels, which was a great show. As Fausto
and your editor were both fans of the Cosmos
during the late ’70s heyday at (the recently and,
in my opinion, tragically demolished) Giants
Stadium, we exchanged World Cup predictions.
While the USA made a respectable showing, we
both had hoped for better; presumably by now,
Fausto is over his disappointment at Italy’s early
exit.
Fausto also forwarded the following from
Frank Meyer’s blog: “In recent years, I have reconnected with people who were once an important
part of my life. The latest reunion occurred May
8 with my roommates from college. In the early
1970s, I spent a couple of years at Colgate with
“John [Hubbard ’72] captured all that is good about Colgate, all that stirs us about its geographic grace …
many of the images of Colgate at its best are Hubbard photographs, those calendars arriving annually
with the Hubbard halo on every image. He has left an enduring mark on all our imaginations.” — Don Wilson ’79
2 of the finest guys you would ever want to
meet, Walt Kemp and Ray Welch. We stayed in
touch for a couple of years after graduation, but
life took us down different roads. Earlier this
year, I received a phone call from Ray and, after
nearly 35 years, we talked like it was yesterday.
Ray, his wife Gina, Walt, Siobhan, and I met at a
restaurant in Albany, and we closed the place.
Unfortunately, Walt’s wife, Martha, was unable
to be there because she was ill. For you guys from
Theta Chi, Walt and Martha live in Guilderland,
NY. They have 4 sons, 3 spread around the globe
and 1 still in HS. Like their dad, they are all sports
fanatics. Walt runs an insurance business in the
Albany area and the business is doing well. Martha is a HS guidance counselor in one of the suburbs of Albany. Ray and Gina live in Providence,
RI. They have a daughter, Emma, who is on the
road to getting her PhD in marine biology. Ray is
a dermatologist; he and Gina, the office manager,
run their busy practice in Providence. Ray is still
into music and still plays a mean guitar. He,
Siobhan, and I jammed a little in our hotel room
before dinner. Ray and Gina are into sailing and
spend most of their summer weekends sailing
around Narragansett Bay. After a great evening
of fun, we vowed to meet a little more frequently.
I don’t know when the next meeting will be,
but I know when it occurs, it will be as if it were
yesterday.”
Tari and Ron Joyce celebrated their 37th
anniversary in June. They were married in the
Colgate chapel 3 weeks after graduation, and Ron
went to work for Colgate the day after the honeymoon. He continues as VP for advancement
at Trinity, which means fundraising, alumni
relations, communications, and special events.
Ron and Tari were in Hamilton for the alumni
golf tourney in July, keeping intact Ron’s record
of having missed the tourney just once in 30+
years.
Bruce Milligan is a project mgr with the
Washington Hospital Center’s Simulation and
Training Environment Lab in DC, creating “serious games” to train hospital mgmt and personnel. He’s now working on something intended to
teach hospital staff how to deal with the effects
of a mass casualty incident, under the auspices
of the Hospital Incident Command System. Bruce
is also track chair for Homeland Security and
First Responders for the MODSIM World Conf
in Hampton, VA. He lives in Savage, MD, with
his wife, Maripaz Felix, who is a GW graduate,
currently working on her doctorate and going
to Haiti to work with Project Hope as a physical
therapist. Bruce is still fencing and teaching
a class at the Baltimore Fencing Center in Columbia, MD. In July, he traveled to Atlanta to do
his imitation of a competitive foil fencer at the
natl championships. He is also a Civil War living
historian, doing demonstrations of Civil War life
and drill, usually on historic battlefields under
the auspices of the Natl Park Service. When Bruce
checked in, he was planning to cast his better
judgment to the wind and make the trip to the
’Gate-Syracuse game.
Little by little, word is getting out that there is
a class web page. Please visit it at www.colgateconnect.org (go to “Clubs, Classes and Groups”
and select “Class of 1973” on the pull-down
menu). If you’re not receiving my periodic e-mail
blasts, please adjust your settings (or check your
spam folder) so as to allow e-mails from my address and from [email protected].
Marc: 908-580-1414, 580-1946(f);
[email protected]
1 974
Gregg McAllister
21 Ross Street
Batavia, NY 14020-2307
Fall, and a new round of 1st-years … have moved
into bucolic Colgate. It’s easy to get nostalgic. My
life seems so busy that there isn’t much time to
reminisce, but I have a jr and sr in HS, so I will
be visiting many college campuses in the next
few months. I’m always comparing to Colgate.
None seem to measure up, but my kids will have
to make their own decisions. In the meantime,
here’s some news from classmates:
Movin’ on up … John De Clue has been named
regional investment mgr of the Private Client
Reserve at US Bank for the Central Region, based
in Minneapolis. John previously held investment
mgmt positions at BlackRock Investments and
Merrill Lynch. He has 4 children.
The Art connection … Donald Lindeman is an
asst ed at Art Index in NYC. He lives in Jersey City.
His family lost its patriarch, H William Lindeman
Jr, a Maroon Citation recipient and member of
the Class of ’46. He, of course, was who introduced Donald to Colgate.
Also on a sad note … We are also particularly
saddened by the death on May 26 of Dr Alan
Siegel, an ophthalmologist in Batavia, NY, where
I also live. Alan and I served together on the Batavia School Bd of Ed for many years. He was also
a former member of the Richmond Memorial
Library bd of trustees and active in many community orgs, including Genesee Cancer Care, the
Lions Club, and the bd of dir of the local hospital.
He and wife Rosemary had 2 children: Jackie, a
music teacher, and Will, who graduated from
college in May. Sadly, Rosemary passed away on
July 10 of this year as well. The local newspaper
printed a very complimentary editorial about
Alan after his death. He truly was a pillar in this
community.
Please write and update us with information
from your activities. Gregg: 585-345-6154 (O); 343-9796 (H);
[email protected]
1 97 5
Carolyn Swift
#514
2022 Columbia Rd NW
Washington, DC 20009-1316
Fall greetings to one and all. As promised in the
summer issue, I’m reporting news from our 35th
Reunion held this past June. You can also check
the alumni website, www.colgateconnect.org
(the new, improved colgatealumni.org), for lots of
pictures and info about the great weekend! And
don’t forget to send me news, updates, or just a
hello for the winter column.
The reunion was wonderful, as always, and
everyone with whom I spoke said he/she was
having a great time. Kudos to our reunion chair
(I hope “in perpetuity” — who can argue with
35 years of success?!) and 2010 Maroon Citation
awardee, Julia Bergamini Bergeron, and Colgate’s
great reunion staff, led by the alumni office’s
VP RuthAnn Loveless MA’72 and director Tim
Mansfield and a staff of phenomenally talented
individuals who always worked out everyone’s
problems all weekend long, plus many current
students and recent grads (including some chips
of Class of ’75 members) who worked the tents
and drove us anywhere we wanted in the environmentally savvy golf carts!
Kudos also to our class gift agents, ably led by
co-chairs John Duane and Bill Gillick. Bill, John,
and Julie announced at the Class of ’75 banquet
that contributions allowed our class to claim an
extra $110,000 of the Challenge Match funds put
up by a group of anonymous classmates. That
amount was added to our class gift this year. In
addition, the Class of ’75 also had the highest
participation of any class in the ’70s.
The weather was somewhat toasty for reunion this year and, although there was a just bit
of precip, like Camelot, the rain did not fall until
(long) after sundown and was gone by 8 am! (OK,
so who was up at 8 am? It was gone by 10 am…)
Many of our class members and families were
lodged in Burch Apartments (in fact, I was in
the erstwhile digs of Steve Shapiro, Terry Tiballi
[both of whom were in attendance], Marc Tuchman, and Ray Boeri, although I have to admit I
didn’t recognize it despite the hours I spent there
’73–’75!), while smaller groups and singles were
close to the tents in Brigham, just off Whitnall
in the Cutten Complex. Classmates in-the-know
were, of course, out at Lake Moraine or in houses
in town, but everyone made it to the Class of ’75
tent by evening.
Things got off to a leisurely start on Thurs.
My 1st alum meeting was a real joy — George
Carmichael ’35, who also was just checking in
and ready to meet everyone else there. (On Sat,
he took a pass on his honorary convertible ride
at the head of the all-class parade and walked
at the head of the parade to Reid Athletic Ctr
for the all-class banquet lunch, just as he had
at his previous reunions.) I didn’t see any of our
classmates when I arrived, so I looked up Eliva
and Jim Bona, who live in Hamilton and work
at Colgate. Action was slow at the tents after
informal meetings around town (Class of ’75 was
at Rusch’s Bar & Grill on Lebanon St — think of
the corner just down from where Jim and Betty’s
was when we were there…) but, eventually, we
had a crowd of classmates and friends and lots of
reunion helpers bringing us refills! I was happy
that Bruce Ward, who also lives in Hamilton and
is an architect on Colgate’s staff, made a cameo
at the tent on Thurs night. Bruce still keeps up
his musical chops, although he modestly protests
that it is wife Sarah who is the real family musician.
There was also a reunion of the 1st-year football team from 1971, and classmates from that
team were in good attendance: I spotted Frankie
DeLaurentis, Jim Merrifield, Bill Duesler, Bob
Sawin, Bill Konowitz, Bob Metivier, John Drummond, Ted Bergh, Gary Yirinec, Peter Beucher,
Jack Bray, Jim Detmer, and Alan Lesnewich.
On Fri, I took advantage of Reunion College
offerings (another great set of really interesting
lectures and discussions) and went to see the
amazing Visualization Lab in the new Ho Science
63
Ctr that now sits between Olin and the Coop.
Make sure you get to see a presentation there
when you get back on campus. It is amazing to
see computer re-creations of the amazing structures and buildings of ancient civilizations or the
way the heavens appeared to the ancients who
erected Stonehenge. (Yes, of course I was one of
the many who attended Tony Aveni’s Reunion
College presentation in the Viz Lab. Almost 40
years later and still no one wants to miss an
Aveni lecture…)
The ranks of classmates had grown by Fri evening, motivated no doubt by the prospect of the
Torchlight Ceremony and bonfire on Whitnall
(followed this year by fireworks!) as well as the
reunion performance of the Daily Planet in the
Class of ’75 tent. Mike Bingham, Mark Griffith
’74, Charlie Pierson ’74, Fred Kaplan ’74, and Phil
DePietro ’73 (Don Boles couldn’t make it this
year) sounded fantastic! The band was joined
briefly by Ray Fyhr on violin and the Honorable
Jeremy Michaels also sat in for an acoustic set.
(Later, I was told that their “Pancho and Lefty”
was one classmate’s favorite reunion moment:
“great song, played well.”) By the end of the
evening, the Class of ’75 tent was really rockin’
with a whole lot a shakin’ goin’ on. Yvonne
Taylor, who left Kenya to attend again this year,
must have danced every dance! I noticed many
members of the classes of 1995 and even 2005,
so I asked a few of the fellow reunioners why
they migrated to our tent. My favorite response:
“Easy. It’s the best tent — best music and best
beer!” (Thanks again, Julie, for insisting on “the
Better Brew!”) There’s a great video with pictures
of Reunion 2010 on www.colgateconnect.org
(the new, improved colgatealumni.org), and Julie
Bergamini Bergeron’s Snapfish album has photos
and videos of the whole weekend as well as of
the Daily Planet’s performance.
Lots more to tell, but column space is tight,
so expect to hear from me over the next few
months with more about reunion. Meanwhile,
I’ll close with my favorite: seeing so many classmates; renewing acquaintances; making new
friends; strengthening already strong friendships; hearing old great stories about those days
and hearing new ones, too; spending time with
intelligent, informed, interesting, witty, and fun
people — in other words, making new memories
with longtime friends and acquaintances as
well as new ones. It’s what I always love about
reunion and I thank all of you for staying in
touch with me and helping me keep you in touch
with one another. I love being part of the Colgate
community!
That’s it for this issue. Until the winter, enjoy
and take care!
Carolyn: 202-483-0809 (H); 752-7169 (O);
752-6158 (fax); [email protected]
1 976
Valerie Avedon Gardiner
40 St Andrews Road
Severna Park, MD 21146-1439
Normally, I look at the calendar and am excited
to see that a Scene deadline is near. This time, I
had no idea what day it was. My sweet, sweet
dad, Robert Martin Avedon, so proud of me for
graduating from Colgate, lay in a hospital bed for
the 1st time in my adult life, a stubborn Taurus,
refusing to get well. So fortunate is my family
to all live nearby and have spent so much time
together in life, we were at his side in death as
well. He went peacefully in a beautiful hospice
setting, away from the chaos and anxiety of
the hospital he so dreaded. Thank you to all my
64
scene: Autumn 2010
Colgate family for your kind words of support,
prayers, and virtual hugs. I know so many of us
are traveling similar paths during these years; I
am certain you will understand and forgive me
if the column waits until next time. Peace.
Valerie: 410-987-8808; [email protected]
197 7
Carl P Barone
176 Reilly Road
LaGrangeville, NY 12540-9530
Autumn is upon us and not a minute too soon
after the sweltering summer we all endured
here in the NE.
Jess Le Vine, residing in Avon, NJ, has been
appointed to the board of trustees of the NJ
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fndn. Jess is a
member of the Organization of American
Historians, the World History Organization, and
the NJ Council for History Education. He is an
assoc prof of history at Brookdale CC. He earned
his MA with a specialization in American intellectual and social history and Native American
studies from the U of CA, Santa Barbara.
Heard from Greg Schwartz and his most
recent screenwriting adventures. When we
last caught up with Greg, he had just signed an
option with a Hollywood production company
regarding Visions, a supernatural thriller. Greg
has now completed his latest spec script: Dr. Sky:
The Relationship Guy, a romantic comedy. He
recently ventured to LA to pitch it and received
a few great bites; 2 production companies loved
the story and have read the script. One of the
companies is Natalie Portman’s and is called
HandsomeCharlie Films. Greg mentioned that
Natalie has always been his 1st choice for female romantic lead. The other company is Scott
Free Productions, affiliated with Ridley Scott,
producer of the current television hit The Good
Wife. Before heading out West, Greg signed a
contract with a WGA signatory agent, Garret
Maynard, of the Gary-Paul Agency. Greg continues his psychotherapy practice in Portsmouth,
NH. His son Dylan is in his 2nd year at CarnegieMellon’s Drama Conservatory, where he had a
lead in one of their recent productions.
Carl Nesselbush connected on Facebook with
the following news for the column: “I signed on
to FB in hope that my adult children living out
of town would add me as a ‘friend’ so I could
better follow their lives. Who knew this thing
doesn’t stay static! What’s interesting is that
of all the people I’ve met, worked with, and/
or befriended over these 54+ years, my page is
chockfull of ’Gate people! This says something
that I hope I’ll live into someday. Had my 1st
extended chat with Karla Church Webb, my
former roommate, the other day. Surprisingly
not much to speak of for these last 30+ years.
I’ve lived in Rochester since 1987 and recently divorced and re-married, with 2 stepchildren, ages
9 and 13. Thank God I’m self-employed … who
would hire me? I see quite a few ’Gaters, including John Hoff ’76, Dr Richard ‘Dickie’ Greene ’76,
Steve DePerrior ’80, Dan Mastrella ’79, and even
Nels MacCallum ’51 and Bob Reiners ’51 when
the Thirteen is in town.” Carl was planning a
July family holiday that ended in Beach Haven,
NJ, with Muzz Meyers and possibly Bill Barrett
and Jeff Hickling. He was also trying to meet
up with 1st-year roommate, Bill Caniano, in
Norfolk, earlier in the trip. Carl added, “This is a
story of reemergence to a degree. Can’t wait to
see where it takes me.”
On a sad note, learned of the passing of
master’s classmate Mark S Hanley, who died a
resident of Kitty Hawk, NC, on April 21, 2002,
leaving behind wife Susan.
Thanks for your news and kind regards … look
forward to hearing from you soon.
Carl: 845-227-1854; [email protected]
1 97 8
Linda Pattillo
Suite 230-271
245 N. Highland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307
I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and
is managing the transition to autumn. As I write
this, there is a cool ocean breeze and sunshine
here in Goose Rocks Beach, ME, and it is hard
to imagine that my son has just 4 weeks left
of summer vacation before school begins in
Atlanta.
This lovely day is marred, however, because
I have to begin this column with terrible news
of the death of someone many of us knew
and were very fond of at Colgate, John Ciraldo.
Through an e-mail from Ginny McColough Keeshan and from the alumni office, I have learned
that John died after a 5-year battle with brain
cancer. John was a Phi Kappa Psi and fellow poli
sci major. He died in April in Cape Elizabeth,
ME. He is survived by his wife, Julianne, and 3
children: Alexandra, Christopher, and Madeline.
John had been living in the Portland, ME, area
for the past 25 years and had a very successful
career in law. Unfortunately, I have to report that yet
another of our classmates has recently died.
Geoffrey Davis, a Phi Delta Theta and biology
major, died in April in Little Falls, NY, after a
battle with metastatic melanoma. He is survived
by his wife, Cynthia.
I do have some other news of classmates
and fellow Old Stone Jug “colleagues”: Mannie
Amram Bonnesen writes that she and Ginny
McCoulough Keeshan met up in Beaver Creek,
CO, where they were both vacationing with their
families. Mannie writes they did get to have
some “apres ski brewskies” together with their
husbands, an unexpected and fun reunion. Mannie also met up in NY for dinner with Lindsay
Mather Forgash, Maureen O’Connor, and Ginny.
She writes that, “unfortunately, Robin Flam
Salzman, Caroline Davenport Johnson, and Meg
Tabell Kasprak could not make it,” but they plan
to do it again in the near future. Let me know
when the next Jug reunion is!
Received a wonderful letter via e-mail from
Joe Mecca, my fellow 1st-year West Andrews
alum. Joe, noting that he had “just picked up (his)
Costco magnifiers to peruse the latest Scene,”
writes that the Amazing Kreskin is now his
neighbor. Joe reminded me that he and Bruce
Baird brought Amazing to Colgate 35 years ago
(OK, my fingers had trouble typing that) as part
of the Colgate Entertainment Committee 1975
season. Joe is going into his 30th year of practicing law. He runs into Greg Arms and his wife,
Alice, when their girls meet on the field hockey
and lax fields; sees Anne Thomas Steger, who
teaches and is raising teenagers in Rochester;
and reports that he and Jim Aber get together
once a year for a 2-day, 125-mile bicycle ride from
Toronto to Niagara Falls to raise money for the
Princess Margaret Cancer Hospital. Joe also stays
in touch with Dave Mancini ’79, who lives in CT,
and Walt Steinmann ’79, who lives just down the
road. Thank you, Joe, for the great note.
Barbara Grady-Ayer has received a Society of
Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism
award for non-deadline reporting for a series of
stories she and a colleague did for the Oakland
Tribune on the commercial sexual exploitation
of children. She is now working under a fellowship from the GW Williams Ctr for Independent
Journalism on a series on human trafficking.
Barbara lives in Berkeley, CA, with her husband
and 2 teenage sons.
Julia Schwartz Mickum writes from TX with a
much appreciated update. She owns her own real
estate brokerage and has been raising her son,
Spencer, who is moving to Atlanta to get his PhD
from GA Tech (can’t wait to see you there, Julia)
and daughter, Clarke, who is at SMU in Dallas.
Cal Crouch has left the Chenango Valley for
Jamaica to serve in the Peace Corps. Cal started
a 27-month tour in March. At the time he wrote,
his exact mission wasn’t known but will be centered around community development of water
and sanitation. What a great opportunity. Good
luck, Cal, and keep in touch.
On a personal note, I continue to divide my
time between Atlanta (school year) and ME
(summers). I spent an amazing weekend with
Linda Upsall Feuss on Sea Island and keep in
touch with her. We recently had a conf call with
Joan Morra Citelli, who is still in CA and working
as a communications-PR specialist. I have been “Linked In” with many more of our
class, so please send news through LinkedIn or
Facebook (although I only go on Facebook once
a month). Please connect with me there and
send news, as well as through our class e-mail
address.
Linda: [email protected]
1 97 9
Kimi de Murga
#1A
227 E 66th Street
New York, NY 10021-6413
As I write this, the dog days of summer are upon
us in the NE. I’m on Martha’s Vineyard and it
was hotter here today than it was in Houston. I
hope everyone had an enjoyable summer and it
wasn’t too hot.
I must apologize to all the members of the Scientific Americans for not acknowledging in my
past columns their performance at our reunion
last year. The Sci Ams, who feature David Toy,
Lynne Healy Toy, David Mintz, John Piccarreto,
and Dick Trismen ’81, rocked our tent on Sat
night. Thank you all for a great performance!
Mark Broth was the recipient of the “Above
and Beyond” award from the Business and
Industry Assoc (BIA). The award is presented to
business leaders who have shown outstanding
service and commitment to the BIA and have
helped the organization succeed. An atty with
Devine Millimet, Mark is chair of the firm’s Labor,
Employment and Employee Benefits Practice
Group.
John Hubbard ’72, who chronicled the life
of the campus in photos and words from
1979–2005, died on May 6 following a long battle
with cancer. Don Wilson wrote, “I think our class
was the 1st to receive that Hubbard magic, those
magic photos and gentle, fun, joke- and smilefilled conversations with the gentle bear he was.
John captured all that is good about Colgate,
all that stirs us about its geographic grace, and
when he was there to greet you on your returns,
you realized that many of the images of Colgate
at its best are Hubbard photographs, those calendars arriving annually with the Hubbard halo on
every image. He has left an enduring mark on all
our imaginations. Thank you, John Hubbard, and
condolences to his family from the Class of 1979.”
Kimi: 212-517-6776; [email protected]
1 980
David H Alvord
424 Washington Avenue
Oneida, NY 13421-1906
Your editor not only survived Reunion ’10 but
had a great time, aching legs and sunburned
neck notwithstanding. Some of my snapshots
from the weekend have been posted on our class
page at colgateconnect.org (the new, improved
colgatealumni.org), and anyone else who has
pictures to share is welcome to send them in.
I arrived too late on Thurs for the get-together
at Seven Oaks, but I did manage to find some of
our classmates at the Old Stone Jug, and I noted
that ours was the liveliest tent (in fact the only
lively tent) on Whitnall Field that night. The
next day I took in a presentation by John Marzo,
who is team physician for the Buffalo Bills, on
the treatment of injured football player Kevin
Everett, and one by George Tamblyn ’60 on Colgate a century ago. (Dan Benton and Bill Lloyd
also gave presentations for Reunion College.) In
addition, I picked up a T-shirt for my newborn
great-nephew at the bookstore and dined in the
company of phys ed dept chair Janet Little, from
whom I once took a bowling class.
At the ceremony in the chapel that evening,
Maroon Citations were announced for Steve
Burke, Bob Dorf, and Bruce Knecht, and the
Alumni Award for Distinguished Service was
presented to Dan Benton.
The fireworks after the Torchlight Ceremony
were a nice innovation, but the house really
rocked when 151 got up to play. David ‘Ace’ Case
(who forgot to remind people that his latest CD
is available through his website), Dave DiNardo,
Jim Goldenberg, Steve Lesniak, and Doug Watt
showed that they can still teach the youngsters
a thing or two.
On Sat I had time to visit the Hamilton Farmers’ Market before the parade. At the all-class
luncheon, we learned that the Class of ’80 finished 2nd behind the Class of ’60 in fundraising
by this year’s reunion classes at a hair over $3
million.
I attended a reception for LGBT alums at the
home of Neal Rosenberg ’74 then bustled up the
hill for our class photo and memorial service.
Our class dinner was in the impressively
remodeled Coop, where Prof Margaret Maurer
gave a touching speech. Despite more carousing in the tents that night, a goodly number
managed to make brunch the next morning at
the hilltop home of Murray and Sally Campbell
Decock.
Reunion ended with a few mysteries. Why
did the Jug move its entrance around to the
back? How do even sober students manage to
get in and out of those beds built on top of drawers without hurting something? Whose photo
was that on Dave Murdock’s reunion badge? We
may have to wait another 5 years for answers.
Until then you can search for clues in the photo
evidence that has been uploaded to our class
page at www.colgateconnect.org (the new,
improved colgatealumni.org).
Seriously, we all owe a great deal of thanks
to Marianne Crosley, Don Kiley, Gail Roth, and
everyone else who worked so hard to make our
30th Reunion what it was. For my part, I want to
say thank you for all the kind (if slightly embarrassing) words directed my way during the
weekend.
Marj and Dan Kobrin had a good excuse for
missing reunion: the HS graduation of their
daughter Abby, who is headed off to UMass in
the fall. Graduation obligations caused other
classmates to arrive at reunion late or leave early.
As you might expect, much of the conversation among classmates at reunion centered on
their children. AR and Kris Nelson Willey’s son
Drew ’09 has a job with a mutual fund in Jersey
City, and Bob and Sue Mauhs ’81 Hummel’s son
Christopher ’09 just finished his 1st year at William & Mary Law.
Bob and Liz Hartman Musiker’s son Jake was
in the Colgate Class of ’10. Sally and Murray
Decock’s eldest, Sam, graduated this year from
Wesleyan, and Georgette and Jim Snyder’s son
Tom will be a soph at Harvard this fall.
Some of the “grownups” remain involved in
academia as well. Patti Gumport is now viceprovost at Stanford, and Kelly Andrews is sr assoc
dir of athletics at U Toledo.
Steve Hefler and Matt Carter are in banking
in Hoboken and Northern VT, respectively, and
both work on trying to recover loans, no doubt a
tough job these days. Frank and Diane Haystrand
Lento are stockbrokers who are also deeply
involved in helping autistic children in Northern
NJ.
Bob Dorf went to DC in June for a meeting
of cultural organization administrators. Mark
Williams headed up to the Finger Lakes over
Independence Day (his bday) for a visit with his
family.
I went back to Hamilton for the 4th of July festivities. I also served as a judge at Oneida’s 131st
annual Memorial Day Parade, and I accompanied
my mother to her 70th HS reunion.
Anyone venturing up this way for football or
hockey can give me a buzz, but I’m happy to get
news under any circumstances. Here’s hoping
everyone stays well and happy.
David: 315-363-2117; [email protected]
198 1
Nancy Horwitz
77 Islington Road
Auburndale, MA 02466-1009
As I write this column for our fall Scene, we are in
the heat of the summer with unrelenting temps
hovering around 90°. By the time we read this,
summer will again be behind us and the Class of
2014 will have begun its adventures at Colgate.
The cool crisp Colgate nights will welcome them
as we were welcomed just 33 short years ago.
One of the newcomers to Colgate this fall is
Lucas Meyer’s older daughter, Alexandra (Ali) ’14,
who was admitted early decision. Lucas, who acknowledged that he hadn’t written to the Scene
in many years, is renewing his commitment to
the university. He’s thrilled that his daughter
is following in her “old man’s footsteps.” Lucas
writes: “Colgate was the 1st school she visited,
and it was love at 1st sight. I remember feeling
the same way back in the fall of 1976 when I
visited for the 1st time; Mother lent me her new
Mercury for the trip.”
So many of us had that same experience of
instantly falling in love with Colgate. As we
approach our 30th Reunion year, we have an
opportunity to rekindle those Colgate feelings
and connections. It is my hope that many of
you will return for this coming reunion year, to
remember the feelings, recycle those old-butnot-forgotten stories, and have a chance to relive
some of those great days of our college years (OK,
maybe there are some of those days we’d choose
to forget … we can do that, too!). If you aren’t able
to make it to reunion, at least make a commitment to connect through the Scene.
Nancy: 617-558-9781; [email protected]
In the know: Social networking for your business
It takes much more than establishing a Facebook page for a business to successfully use
social media. Danielle Shelton-Walczak ’95, a practicing attorney–turned–social networking strategist, assists business and organizational clients in identifying, customizing, strategizing, monitoring, and marketing their social networking platforms through her business,
Popular (http://popularsns.weebly.com). Shelton-Walczak also uses Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube to network and promote her own business.
Here is some of the advice Shelton-Walczak shares with her clients.
1. Why a business should
start social networking. It
sounds cliché, but — everyone
is doing it. This may conjure
memories of your mother
saying: “If everyone jumped
off a bridge, would you?” But,
today, your answer should
be “Yes.” There are more than
500 million active Facebook
users who spend about 55
minutes a day on the site.
Twitter has at least 105 million registered users. People
watch billions of YouTube videos (in comparison to making
millions of Google search inquiries). This is the tip of the
iceberg. Social networking
provides businesses the most
cost-effective opportunity to
communicate their brand, services, and information to more people than ever before.
2. Choose wisely. There are more social networking platforms than people realize; go with
those that highlight and fit your business’s personality. Start by researching as many social
networking platforms as you can find; the process is akin to rushing a sorority or fraternity,
or finding the perfect specialty house. As a freshman, you may have had a preconceived idea
as to where you wanted membership. But you still had to visit all the houses to understand
what each had to offer and whether you’d fit in. Finding a suitable social networking platform for your business should be done the same way.
3. Being unique gets you everywhere. Although it may have been social suicide to be too
unique from your peers at Colgate, it’s the opposite in the digital universe. Originality
draws viewers, so it’s important to customize the look and content of your business’s social
networking sites, such as the image sizes, tabs, colors, and banners. Some customizations
you can do easily, others take serious research hours, and some will have to be done by a
programmer. Make sure to have individual content on each of your platforms so they can
drive traffic to one another, giving viewers a reason to visit them all.
4. If you build it, they will not necessarily come. Societal basics do not change with social
networking. You didn’t sit in your residence hall freshman year and make friends by waiting
for people to come to you; you ventured out and introduced yourself. The same applies to
your business’s platforms. Promote them in a variety of ways: enthusiastically tell everyone,
place widgets on your website to drive traffic to them, print the URLs on your business
cards, and hire a web expert to make them more visible to search engines.
5. If you never talk, you never gain an audience. If you stop talking, you lose your audience.
Many businesses are afraid of social networking because they don’t know how to make
it work past the building of the platform. Platforms gain audiences through consistent
discussion. To start the discussion, “meander” through the digital universe, listening to what
people are saying about you or your industry. Then, respond in an interesting way. Eventually, your audience will respond to you. It’s like being at a cocktail party where you mill around
the room, find a conversation, and join in with interesting commentary or questions. Then
a dialogue ensues. But, in the digital universe, no one ever leaves the cocktail party. More
importantly, you’ll never get to enjoy the party or make new connections if you don’t accept
the invitation.
What do you know? If you’re an expert in an area of your field or avocation and would like to
share your sage advice, e-mail [email protected] or write to the Colgate Scene, 13 Oak
Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346.
65
1 982
Margie Jiampietro Palladino
37 Boulder Road
Wellesley, MA 02481-1502
“Life has taken us all a long way from Colgate
since 1982,” writes Casey Chandler. Casey has
been living very happily with her husband, Carl,
in Westfield, NJ, for the past 18 years. She recently
left her job as a legal asst at a small NJ law firm
and is now at home raising her 6th Seeing Eye
puppy. “Jade is a Lab/golden mix and a real joy.
She’ll go back to the Seeing Eye next year for
harness training and placement with a blind
person.” Casey’s daughter Jill is a jr in HS and
is looking for a college that has lots of cold and
snow. Casey recollects, “If my memory serves me,
Colgate would seem to fit that bill pretty well!”
To celebrate their milestone bdays, Casey joined
Ann Lackey Chao, Leslie Dauray Edison, and Liz
Orbe Fischer on a well-deserved vacation in AZ
in Feb, escaping an East Coast snowstorm. “We
toasted our milestone bdays and our good luck in
missing snow shovel duty!”
My at-large reporter, Bob Corwen, alerted me
to a sighting of my old roommate Cari Lorberfeld Herskowitz on the Internet recently, waking
up Mets announcer Keith Hernandez in the
middle of a Mets game for SNY TV. Cari continues
to enjoy her freelance work in TV production
while keeping her 2 sets of twins in line. “Never
a dull moment, but I enjoy it all,” writes Cari.
This year was a milestone year for Cari and her
children. Her youngest twins, David and Michael
(12), had their bar mitzvah, and her oldest twins
are off to college. Daughter Emily Herskowitz ’14
is a 1st-year at Colgate, following in the footsteps
of Cari and her brother Eric Lorberfeld ’86;
son Alec is headed to Miami U in Oxford, OH
— coincidentally the former home of the new
Colgate pres, Jeffrey Herbst, who was the provost
and exec VP of academic affairs there. Cari notes
another coincidence: Colgate had a new pres,
George Langdon, when we were 1st-years in 1978.
Cari hopes there are more coincidences in her
daughter’s future — namely, that Emily’s experience at Colgate “is as rewarding as mine and she
makes the kinds of friends and forms the strong
lifelong relationships that I made.” Cari’s pearls
of wisdom on turning 50: “Accept aging gracefully. It is a part of life. Why fight it?”
Since my last column, I enjoyed the company
of Mike and Cindy Russo Dougherty and their
children when Mike ran the Boston Marathon
in April. During their visit, I hosted a very impromptu dinner at my home, with Cindy, Karen
Hathaway Leenhouts, Jeannine Breton Adams,
and Jean Connolly Giorgio, all friends from the
Great Britain Study Group, as well as Kim Amato
Liu, who came up from Pennington, NJ. It was
great to get together and catch up on our lives. I
also attended a few fun Colgate Boston Alumni
gatherings this summer and enjoyed meeting
alumni from other years.
I know life is very busy for all of us, but it
would be great if you could drop an e-mail and
fill us in with your lives. I like to keep the column
fresh and interesting, and I can really use some
news. If you haven’t written in a while, or ever, it
would be great to hear from you.
Margie: 781-235-9386; [email protected]
198 3
Gwen Tutun Campbell
22 Old Hill Road
Westport, CT 06880
Shirt tales
Paikin Leung ’11
Paikin’s shirt features an outline of
Madison County and encourages
people to purchase local goods. He
nabbed it from his friend Mike Palmer
’10, who acquired the shirt at last
year’s “Buy Local Week,” sponsored by
Madison County Agricultural Economic Development.
Where we found him: an office in Wynn Hall,
conducting chemistry research with Professor
Rowlett
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
66
scene: Autumn 2010
Hoping everyone enjoyed the summer!
Wendy Trugman Hufford wrote that she has
been named a deputy general counsel at ITT
Corp in White Plains, NY. In this newly created
role, she will devise, implement, and manage a
centralized system across ITT of cost optimization for use of outside counsel. Wendy was
previously exec VP and chief litigation counsel
for Cardinal Health, a Fortune 20 company
in Dublin, OH, where she was responsible for
managing the company’s significant litigation
matters and the litigation team. Wendy was
commuting, but moved her family from OH back
home again to Rye, NY, as soon as school was out
for summer. She looks forward to reconnecting
with her Colgate friends in the NY and CT area.
Also, Wendy recently had dinner with
Eric Settle, who was in NY in connection with
his new job as a VP of the private client business
of Alliance Bernstein. They had a great time
catching up and talking about Colgate friends.
Bob Silvernail is about to send his 1st daughter, Molly, off to American U in the fall. My 2nd
daughter, Hilary, will be attending Dartmouth
with fellow Westport resident Caroline, daughter
of Mark and Elizabeth Balsbaugh ’84 Steffen. It
will be fun to “attend” college with them again.
Amy Messinger Reilly’s daughter Sinead will
be in the area, starting at Hobart and William
Smith. And John and Robyn Peterson Brown’s
daughter Cassie is beginning at Wake Forest this
fall.
Facebook is always a good read: Amy Reilly
saw Carole Robinson Palermo tagged in a photo
with Snookie (no last name needed!). Michael
Caine is a minister in Philly and fully recovered
from his recent appendectomy (where, I might
add, he outlined a scary $30,000 set of charges —
luckily insurance covered most!).
Keep those cards and letters coming. Enjoy the
fall!
Gwen: 203-226-2608 (h); 203-856-2922 (c);
[email protected]
1984
Diane Munzer Fisher
4356 Stilson Circle
Norcross, GA 30092-1648
I left you with a cliff-hanger in the last column.
I reported that Heather Stearns Scozzarella had
been nominated as MA Big Sister of the year. I
am now happy to report that Heather won the
award. Congrats, Heather! Fellow Cape Codder
Corine Costanzo Wickel represented MA at the
Natl Special Olympics in NE last summer. She
works p/t as an employment counselor for an
organization called LIFE (Living Independently
Forever, Inc), which provides support services
for learning challenged adults who live in their
own homes in “campus” communities. In 2009,
Corrine started playing basketball with 1 of the 2
Special Olympics teams that LIFE sponsors. The
team is called a “unified” team, where people
without disabilities play as a support player
with the Special Olympic athletes. Says Corrine,
“Playing alongside the Special Olympic athletes
is an honor for me. I cannot convey the pride and
excitement I have when I am on the court with
my team! The best part of the game for me is
watching that ball go in the basket when it is put
up by one of the athletes. The competition will
be tough, but in the end, it will be a good time
and a great experience. Plus, I can honestly say
I probably would have never traveled to NE if it
wasn’t for this event!”
Other news from Boston comes from CJ
Menard. CJ has been doing a good bit of internatl
travel in his capacity as fundraiser for Boston
U, mostly to Europe and India. Lauretta Farrell
has done some traveling, too. In May, she visited
Belfast as part of her pursuit of a doctorate in
Irish studies. She met with a former loyalist and
republican political prisoners, toured Derry and
the site of Bloody Sunday, visited with Gerry Adams, the president of Sinn Fein, and sat in on the
election of the lord mayor of Belfast. She hopes
to return in the fall to present a paper to the Poli
Sci Assoc of Ireland on the role of torture in the
war against terror. In Oct she will speak to the
American Conf on Irish Studies about the role of
murals in the N Ireland peace process. Also pursuing a doctorate is Heather Lubking Brown. She
is taking classes for an EdD in education admin
with superintendent certification.
It’s been 30 years since we graduated from HS.
Many of us will be gathering in our old stomping
grounds for reunion celebrations. Diego Vega will
be inducted into the Stoney Brook School’s Athletic Hall of Fame at his 30th in Oct. Ellen Rosen
Keller reports on another reunion that took place
this summer. During an Aug weekend in 1986,
8 members of the Class of ’84 decided to take a
vacation together. Alison King Haley, Bob Connelly, Richard Pickett, Linda Josephson Pickett,
Eric and Leslie French Seidman, Jonely Moy, and
Ellen Rosen Keller drove to Belgrade Lakes, MN, to
a place called Woodland Camps to spend time together goofing around and catching up. This July,
they traveled once again for the 25th consecutive
“Woodland Camps Weekend.” The original intention was for the Swinging ’Gates and Thirteeners
from the Class of ’84 to get together, and that
credo still holds true. Over the years the original
gang has grown to include Cindy Dietzel, Tom
Borden, Tim Brooks, and Jennifer Wilson Sinek,
along with their entire families (including
Ron Sinek ’83 and now Emily Borden ’13). The
children have grown up together and range in
age from 6–22 years. Believe it or not, the kids
love this weekend as much as the alums do. They
still sing the old songs and tell the old jokes, and
it is a treasured part of their lives together. While
the original location has long since closed, they
manage to find a place big enough year after
year. Part of the fun has been discovering new
locations, so if anyone out there knows of a place
that can sleep about 30, let them know. You can
see a photo of the crew on our class web page
at www.colgateconnect.org (the new, improved
colgatealumni.org).
There are other groups of alums who regularly get together. David Greenwood hosted the
6th annual Mid-Summer Meltdown golf tourney
in Aug, which is typically attended by a number
of classmates, including Forrie Burke, Dave
Larrabee, Andy Fox, Chris Wells, John Croft, and
Rob Dick. Class of ’83ers Jed Hall, Dave Kline,
Mark Kellstrom, and Tom Tyree, as well as Glenn
Laumeister ’82 and Walt Ryan (Hamilton C) also
join in the fun. Occasionally, they have been surprised by the appearance of Frank Arriola from
Guam. This summer, Dave Greenwood saw Zach
Barnett rowing on the Charles River.
While lots of friends are sending kids to college, Dave and wife Kristen had their 2nd child,
Lily, in March, joining Paige, who is 3 1/2.
Rob Suritis lives in MD with his wife, Liga,
and their 2 kids — Kristine, 7, and Edgar, 5.
From Rob: “Kristine is in 1st grade, Edgar will
start kindergarten in the fall. We have a great
elementary school, so we and the kids are both
excited. It is amazing what time invested by
Liga and I, good teachers, and our au pair, Evija,
produces in the kids. Edgar wants to do what his
sister does, and with help, mostly from Evija, is
doing pretty well (eg, reading and doing some
arithmetic before kindergarten — way over age
level). The interesting thing for me is that we
don’t really push for them. We participate and
do stuff together. I dread the day when I’ll be
unable to make ‘homework’ fun. I continue to
work at IBM, advising large companies on how to
improve their software development capabilities.
I have progressed to advising some of America’s
largest institutions. It is interesting, challenging, and sometimes frustrating. If the problems
were easy, someone else would have solved them
already.”
Lynn Koenig Trojahn is still fundraising
for ACCION, which is now lending in AZ and
CO, as well as NW. She’s traveling a lot to both
states to open up their philanthropic markets
for ACCION. Her daughter Rachel is studying
computer and electrical engineering at U of AZ
and was on the dean’s list her 1st year. Lynn saw
Barbara Hessekiel Waxman twice in 2 months.
The 1st time, Lynn was in Barbara’s hometown
of SF for a Microfinance USA conf. The 2nd time,
Barbara and Scott Waxman ’81 spent Memorial
Day at Lynn’s home in Albuquerque when they
were in NM on vacation. Barbara was named
“America’s favorite coach for adults midlife and
better” by eHarmony and now writes a regular
column for them. As we all approach our 50th,
we could probably use some of Barbara’s advice.
Rob Ketterer had some practice as he helped his
brother Steve ’82 celebrate his 50th. Also attending the party was “the one and only” Claudia
Tenney Cleary ’83. Rob is running in the 2011 NY
Marathon and wonders if anyone else from ’84
is planning on it? If so, Rob would love to know.
Next time Lynn’s in CO, she can look up Virginia
Grote McCallister, who has lived in Denver for
19 years. Her architecture firm, Horse Architects,
works on some very exciting projects, including
the Denver Union Station Project and an addition
to the Denver Internatl Airport. Looking forward
to hearing about your own reunion experiences
and your thoughts about how you’ve spent your
1st half century and how you intend to spend
your 2nd.
Diane: 770-209-9341 (h);
[email protected]
1 985
Michael Yardley
18806 North 95th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85255-5562
I’m still ruminating over the many wonderful
memories from our 25th Reunion in June. We had
a great turnout, great weather, and a weekend
chockfull of reminiscing and catching up with
classmates. For those who couldn’t make it, I
will try my best to recall the many faces and
conversations that rushed by me in a whirlwind
3 days. I arrived on Thurs evening, weary from
the day-long journey from Phoenix, through
Detroit, into Syracuse, finally snaking down
Route 20 and 12B into the shiny metropolis of
Hamilton. A group of us rented a house on Payne
St: myself, Steve Errico, Greg Richter, Mark
Falcone, and John Maloney. After unpacking and
choosing outfits, we headed into town for dinner,
and just a block down Payne St ran smack into
another houseful of classmates — Kevin Osborn,
Bob Haran, Doug Harmon, Dave Muller, and Bart
Goodell. We decided to have dinner together,
where I was able to find out that Kevin is in CT
with Prudential Securities, Bob is in W Hartford
with an insurance co and just got engaged, Doug
lives in CT and works on Wall St, Dave practices
medicine in VT, and Bart lives in Skaneateles and
is with a graphic design firm. Then, at dinner,
we ran into Bob York, Dave Slade, and Brian and
Julia Digel Kopp. Bob is in MA, Dave is in SC, and
I think Brian and Julia are in CT. It kept getting
better because after dinner, at the bar, we saw
Glenn Sandler, Steve Plinio, Pete Haffenberg,
Jamie Sura, and Jeff Currie, all looking great
and flaunting their remarkably intact hairlines
(for our age anyway). They came up to school
together in a Winnebago, which was strategically parked all weekend just off Whitnall Field,
within spitting distance of the class tent.
After dinner Thurs night, the rest of the weekend all ran together, filled with familiar faces. I
will try my best to recall all those who crossed
(or avoided) my path. Between the class tent and
the Jug, I ran into lots of people over the course
of 3 nights. Judy Pezza Resatti showed up early
(from Salt Lake City), so I saw her both downtown and on Whitnall. Karin Walsh Rutledge was
around. I saw Mitch Burman and Marc Toglia.
Mitch is in Boston and Marc is a GYN surgeon in
Philly. Dave Brown and his lovely wife, Christine,
were there, all the way from Jacksonville, FL.
Meg McConaughy Lucier was there, surrounded
by a number of her buddies: Beth Repa Shea,
Jeannie Peterson Ashmore, Suzie Scull Aldrich,
Judy Zimmerman Dougherty, Ellen Speroni Finn,
Amy Freedman Jurkowitz, Sarah Savage Christie,
Suzanne Sherman Propp, Storey Jones, and
probably many others who I am forgetting. At
the Sat night banquet, I had the privilege of making some remarks to the class, partly to thank
everyone for their continued engagement with
the column over the years, and partly to poke
fun at some good friends in the crowd (sorry,
Mark, but you’re an easy target). I also sat at a
lively table and had a chance to catch up with
Tom MacCowatt, Lisa Oppenheim-Schultz, and
Marcy Coen Smith. I was able to also catch up
with Meg Pomeroy Hurdman (who informed me
that our introduction as a frosh consisted of me
asking for her lecture notes in a class we shared
27 years ago — one that I apparently attended
less often than she did), Mary Boulos Kebbe (who
now lives outside of NYC), and Roger Todebush
(who refused to divulge any personal info for
fear that it would end up here). Following dinner,
we meandered back to the class tent for one
final night of trying to find elusive classmates.
I was fortunate to find several I had missed all
weekend, like JC Kyrillos, who is working for
a medical device company in San Diego, and
Robert ‘Frankie’ Dickinson, who traveled all the
way from the UK to be at reunion. Frankie was
hanging out with Dan Foreit, up from sunny FL.
Another classmate who came a long way was
John Habib, who trekked from Abu Dhabi just
to see our smiling faces. I also saw John Carey
and Katy Reilly, John having come up from NYC
and Katie from NC. Also in from NYC was Jeff
Goldstein. Kevin Briody was also there, plugging
concert dates and chatting. So was Paula Harvey,
Bob and Cassie Ammer Burke, Rich DiBianca,
Steve Rock, and Erich Steinbergs, who is at Best
Buy and is trying to assist my colleagues at Mayo
Clinic in the realm of electronic medical records.
I know I saw many others, but my memory is not
what it used to be, so my apologies for those I
missed. But it was a wonderful weekend, lots of
fun. I enjoyed the opportunity to be able to catch
up with so many classmates in person (e-mails
and Facebook are OK, but not quite the same).
It’s just a shame that we have to wait another 5
years to do it all again!
Michael: 480-301-4459;
[email protected]
198 6
Michele Radin
681 Indian Ridge Drive
Palm Desert, CA 92211-7485
OK, I let you down. No column last issue. No, I
was not engaged in some back-to-nature experiment in off-the-grid living, nor was I enjoying
myself on an island beach so remote as to evade
all technological modernities. I was just sick and
didn’t open my computer for the entire month. Now you might think I would be overwhelmed by 2 issues worth of newsy gossip
e-mail updates from all of you — I received 2.
Christine Oliver Brown just wanted to
reminisce about last year’s great Jim Lewis
Scholarship Weekend and remind everyone to
watch for the next one. For anyone on the fence
about attending in the future, Christine advises
you check out the moving letter from the Lewis
family posted on the Colgate alumni website,
colgatealumni.org).
My 2nd e-mail came from Christine Chao
with enough news to appoint her “guest editor.”
Some of you may recall chatting with Christine
last year when she phoned for follow-up comments to a Colgate survey. Here’s her full report
in her own words. Thanks, Christine!
“John Aldrich is an atty in CT with ‘nothing
new’ happening. Jim Voglino and wife had a
baby boy. Jim is an orthopedic surgeon practicing in Coral Gables, FL. Liz Kommer Pollard is in
NJ enjoying a little peace and quiet now that
Charlie (her youngest of 4) is in f/t school, and
Liz has started freelancing again as a broadcast producer in NYC. Lisa Cleckner is living in
Rochester, ‘happily donating to the annual fund.’
Steve Abbott is teaching math at Middlebury,
where his wife is an art history prof. They have
a boy, 12, and a girl, 9, and Steve is keeping busy
planning his sabbatical next year to the UK
(although he promises to be back in time for our
25th Reunion) and playing acoustic guitar and
keyboard (he does vocals as well). Google the
Middlebury Doughboys to check it out. Marcia
Goodwin Cutler is still in the snowy state of CO
(they had 2 snow days when I spoke to her in late
Oct!). She is having a lot of fun running her own
marketing business and keeping up with her 2
young ones. She also developed an iPhone app,
so watch out for it, for those of you with iPhones.
I’m sure it’ll be a huge hit! Jay Schwarze is still in
Atlanta with his family, convinced that the H1N1
vaccine is ‘all a big conspiracy!’ Hope he’s right!
Eileen Chi Stramaglia is in NJ. Jeff Sacknowitz
lives in MA (with wife Ali Lockhead ’87) and travels all over with his job at Putnam Investments.
In fact, he ran into my husband, Jos Shaver, at
a conference in Hong Kong! Marianne Janack is
nearby Colgate, in Clinton at ‘that other school’
with her husband and (15-year-old!) daughter.
Marianne is teaching at Hamilton and near the
end of writing a book on philosophy with the
working title of Educating Experience. She’s open
to other titles though, so be sure and let her
know if you have a better idea! John Atanas lives
in Houston with his wife and 2 boys and works
for Exxon. Maryblair Noah Svarverud is still at
Fannie Mae in DC and spends her spare time sailing (in the summer anyway) with her husband
and 2 cute girls, Ella and Lily. John Roland started
another software company about 18 months ago.
Google “Extreme Reach” to see John’s picture as
the CEO! Ron Bertasi is in the Atlanta area and
has started his own business, Mack Creek Energy,
developing renewable energy projects. Bob
McCauley is out in Manhattan Beach with his
wife and 3 kids, and he’s working in advertising.
Genevieve Kocienda and husband Tom have
completely confused the mail carrier by moving
4 houses down the block from something big
and drafty to something small and cozy; they
are excited to stay in their close-knit Ithaca
neighborhood. They have a creek opposite their
house and are the finish line for the annual 4-H
rubber duck race. And in case you’re still not sold,
they are a regular stop on the annual Porchfest
music fest (many porches in the neighborhood
and lots of local bands = Porchfest. As she notes,
‘I can’t make this stuff up.’). Tom Kim has been
doing well living in Atlanta with wife Uyen and
kids Jacob and Gracy and not missing the cold
weather of the NE! He occasionally travels to
Westchester for work and has been good about
seeing my husband Jos and me. Don and Amy
Marks ’85 Franklin are on LI and have a SENIOR
looking at colleges (man, are they OLD!).”
And that’s the cause of my own ambivalence
about the lack of news from the rest of our class:
every fall brings the possibility of the inevitable — one of you will become the 1st ’86er to
send a kid off to college (A bottle of Selsun Blue
to the “winner.” Meanwhile, I try to block the
advertising banner on my Internet browser that
identifies our approaching cohort of 50-yearold singles as “seniors”). And more importantly,
who will deplete that college savings fund by
sending his or her legacy to Colgate? Anyone
going on a Colgate student tour this year?
Here’s some about a classmate who has put
his Colgate experience to direct use: Andy Hill
turned his captaincy of the Raider men’s soccer
team into success as a children’s soccer coach (he
also coaches lax) with the recent win of a WA
State Cup for his Crossfire Select team. Plus, as
pres of the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Assoc,
Andy helped develop 9 new athletic fields. Oh,
and did I mention that Andy is running for a
State Senate seat for the 45th District of WA, the
Sammamish Valley region? The NW has been
home for 20 years since his Colgate concentrations in physics and computer sci/math
combined with his Harvard MBA to land Andy at
Microsoft. He has spent the past 17 of those years
with wife Molly in Redmond, WA. Upon leaving
Microsoft, Andy has focused on their 3 kids; in
addition to coaching, he served as PTSA treasurer
and pres, as well as a classroom tutor and mentor. Another area of advocacy is scientific and
medical research; in 2009 Andy survived inoperable stage III lung cancer thanks to a clinical
drug trial. Andy is now cancer free and hopes
his 100% return to his active life jogging, playing
soccer, skiing, and hiking will inspire others to
persevere.
Now the rest of you need to take the initiative
yourselves and drop me an e-mail update.
Michele: 706-641-6357; [email protected]
1987
Adam Weiss
54 Alan Lane
New Canaan, CT 06840
I hope everyone enjoyed their summers.
Eric Andersen reported on a few alumni. First
off, Eric and wife Pam Shelton ’88 are living in
Madison, NJ, with their 5 children. Eric has seen
Frank Speno and Steve Bauman quite a bit over
the last few months. Both are living in NJ and doing great. Frank is chasing his daughters around
the NE at various lax tourneys, and Steve is living
in Hoboken with wife Sue and their 2-year-old
son. Eric attended this year’s Fred Dunlap golf
tourney up at school, where he partnered up
with Scott Lesperance, Dennis Kelly, Barry
Chubb, Bleczinski, Al Swann, and others. Beckie
Francis Russi writes that she was also in attendance.
Dianne Medina writes that after about 4 years
in Australia/New Zealand, she’s landed back in
the states and is living in Tampa/St Petersburg.
Dianne has worked in the medical sales arena
for 22 years and is currently managing the
Medtronic coronary sales team for the state of FL.
She’s anxious to get in touch with her classmates
in the area.
Prof Roger Rowlett was proud to notify me
that his former “A-student,” Lisa Gentile, was
recently awarded the 2010 American Society
for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Award
for Exemplary Contributions to Education. The
award is bestowed annually upon a scientist
who encourages effective teaching of biochemistry and molecular biology through leadership,
writing, educational research, mentoring, and/or
outreach. She joins some pretty heady company
in winning this award, including Nobelist
Thomas Cech, the inaugural winner in 2006. Lisa
is assoc prof of chem at the U of Richmond.
Kim Krueger and Maria Lazaro Tetzlaff connected over the July 4 weekend.
And, well, that’s all I got. Thanks to everyone
for the updates. Again, you can see the class
notes online at: www.colgateconnect.org (the
new, improved colgatealumni.org). If you’d like
photos posted on the website, send them either
to me or the alumni office ([email protected]).
Have a great summer!
Adam: [email protected]
67
1 988
Jack Kearney
Sarah Bowen Shea
2508 NE 24th Avenue
Portland, OR 97212-4830
Greetings! As we type, we’re visiting CT and
NY to see our families. Sarah has been on a
whirlwind since early April, promoting her new
book, Run Like a Mother, co-authored with Dimity
McDowell ’96. The essays and advice echo the
easy, honest conversations busy women have
on runs with their girlfriends. The book, plus its
Facebook fan page (Run Like a Mother: The Book)
and blog (runlikeamotherbook.com) have been
very well received, with the book already in its
1st reprint. Sarah’s book tour took her through
the Pacific NW as far north as Vancouver, BC,
down to CA a few times, to Austin, into NYC,
and around Fairfield Cty, CT. She had the special
treat of doing a reading on the Village Green in
Hamilton, then leading a fun 3-mile run through
campus and past the golf course. (Basically the
infamous Payne St loop in reverse.) Along the
way, alumni showed their support, for which
Sarah is so thankful. There was Andrew Flannery
and Will Shaw ’78 in Seattle; John Shea ’87 in SF;
Lynn Christensen in Hamilton (Sarah’s roommate soph year, Lynn road-tripped from her
home in NJ with Sarah — what a sport!); Nina
Facas Restieri ’90 in Greenwich, CT; and AJ Wasserstein in Ridgefield, CT. On to other news!
Almost-Verbatim Letter of the Month: The
following was written by atty Nicholas Panos in
the form we Scene editors follow (which helped
reduce our editing). Thanks, Nicholas! He wrote
to provide the 1st account in nearly 10 years of
his peer group’s exasperating efforts to add value
to their Colgate degrees. Nicholas is a sr special
counsel at the SEC Office of Mergers and Acquisitions in DC and earned his MBA (subsidized in
part by the federal govt) from Columbia in NYC.
In regulating hostile takeovers, proxy contests,
and mgmt buyouts, Nicholas occasionally
encounters ’Gate alums. The most recognizable
is friend and Columbia Law grad Scott Barshay,
who is the managing partner in the corporate
practice of the internatl law firm Cravath, Swaine
and Moore. Scott and Melissa Epstein Barshay
reside in Armonk, NY, with their children — Emily, 12, Chloe, 10, and Josh, 5.
Nicholas keeps in close contact with Jeffrey
Quillen, who graduated from Duke Law and is
a partner and co-chair of Foley Hoag LLP’s life
sciences practice in Boston. When not working
as the nicest lawyer in America, Jeff coaches
youth lax, football, and baseball and competes in
triathlons and vintage baseball games. Jeff and
Jill reside in Hingham, MA, with their 3 children
— Sam, 13, Clara, 11, and Harrison, 8.
Jeff occasionally works with Dave Jahns
on life sciences industry transactions. Fully
applying his MBA from NW’s Kellogg School of
Business, Dave is the managing dir of Galen Partners, a health care venture capital firm hq’d in
Stamford, CT. Dave and Karen Stevenson Jahns
reside in New Canaan, CT, with their children
— Kevin, 14, Andrew, 12, Katie, 9, and Tommy, 4.
Dave continues to lead a well-balanced life by
coaching a Little League football team, which has
gone undefeated for 4 consecutive seasons.
Jeff frequently sees Kyle Warwick, also a
Hingham resident, on the water shuttle for their
Boston commute. After serving several years as
a managing director of Boston-based Spaulding
and Slye, a full service commercial real estate
firm, and appearing as a guest academic lecturer
at MIT and Harvard, Kyle was instrumental
in negotiating a merger with publicly traded
68
scene: Autumn 2010
Jones Lang LaSalle. Kyle continued to work as
a regional director in the merged firm until he
founded Gate Ventures, the adviser to a strategic
RE investment fund he formed with private
investors, in Oct 2009. Kyle and Sara Peters
Warwick have 4 daughters, Madison, 14, Cassidy,
12, Reedie, 8, and Lindsay, 7.
Another real estate expert from our class is
Ed Jaten, who has been and continues to be a
principal in various real estate investment and
development companies. Acting as a “merchant
builder,” Ed has built over 34 freestanding
Walgreens drugstores and small retail shopping
centers in the NYC metro area. Over the past 16
years, he also has accumulated vast knowledge
and experience in single-tenant credit leases. Ed
recently partnered with fellow DU brother Mike
Orie to build, own, and operate up to 75 Dunkin’
Donuts stores in the Pittsburgh, PA, area under
the Heartland Restaurant Group banner. Ed lives
in northern NJ with his 5 children and frequently
sees Don Bedell and Pete O’Connor. Mike is
the managing partner and VP of real estate
for Heartland. Prior, Mike was an independent
treasury futures trader and member of the Chicago Board of Trade. Mike and wife Paula reside
in Pittsburgh with their twins, Sadie Rose and
Clancy Patrick, 4.
Donald Bedell attended law school immediately following graduation and was a top student who landed a judicial clerkship in NJ upon
becoming an atty. Don subsequently worked at
several private law firms before establishing his
own plaintiff-oriented practice in Brick, NJ, 10
years ago. Don and Paige Sowerby Bedell reside
in Fair Haven, NJ, with their children: Donald III,
14, Reid, 12, and Lily, 10.
Peter O’Connor is an exec dir of sales and trading at UBS in Stamford, CT. He lives in Greenwich,
CT, with wife Ann and their children, Claire, 15,
Peter, 13, and Jack, 11.
An inspirational story belongs to Dr Jeff
Crowell, who reengineered his professional
career after admirably earning a sales position
promptly upon our graduation through an oncampus interview with Natl Steel. Jeff spent 2
years in the steel business to position himself to
take the requisite pre-med courses on a f/t basis.
Jeff attended U of WV Med School in his home
state on a version of the GI bill. He later rose to
the rank of major while serving as a doctor to our
armed forces in Afghanistan. Jeff now practices
family medicine in Effingham, IL, where he
resides with wife Lisa and 4 children, twins McKenzie and Taylor, 12, Jeremiah, 9, and Camryn, 8.
Also doing well by doing good is Rocco
DiSabatino, whose return to Colgate shortly after
we graduated to coach football was motivated
by the need to take additional courses required
to qualify for a teaching certificate. Rocco then
returned to his native Canada, where he has
been a middle school teacher in Hamilton, Ont,
for the past 20 years. Aside from holding a
leadership post in the teachers’ union, coaching
minor league football, and running a sports
apparel company, Rocco cooks gourmet Italian
meals with his wife, Mary, (also a middle school
teacher) at their residence in Oakville, Ont, and
manages the full athletic schedules of their boys,
Christian, 12, and Julian, 9.
Having earned an MBA from his hometown
U of Denver, Todd Buchner worked at a number
of Wall St firms before settling as a managing dir
and institutional salesperson at Credit Suisse in
2000. In 2007, Todd took over the leadership of
CS’s Midwest private banking effort and recently
relocated his family to Rancho Santa Fe, CA,
where he now oversees the Western Region for
CS. Todd and Audrey have 4 children — Brooke, 8,
Tyler, 7, Paige, 5, and Bryce, 3.
David Popen finished law school at Tulane
and has held various leadership positions in
legal and economic development consulting, and
mostly and more recently in health care admin.
Dave is now the CEO of the Amer Arthritis Fndn’s
SE Region in Nashville. Dave and Michele reside
in Gallatin, TN, with their daughters, Sophia, 9,
and Lauren, 7.
Following a 4-year NFL career with the Kansas
City Chiefs, Kenny Gamble held several sportsrelated positions, including the asst athletic dir
post at Colgate. Kenny successfully converted
that comprehensive understanding into the
general mgr position of a global athletic shoe
and apparel firm. Kenny has traveled to China
numerous times to locate the perfect fabric
needed to champion a winning product, and also
manages high-profile client relationships such as
the NFL Players Assoc. Kenny and wife Ana reside
in Wilbraham, MA, with their daughters, Sydni,
13, and Kamryn, 11.
AJ and Joyce Chung Thomas have lived in
Bethlehem, PA (way too close to Lehigh), for the
past 18 years with their children — Allison, 13,
Drew, 10, and Jenna, 9. Son Drew’s baseball coach
is married to Lisa Bernier ’89. AJ leads the Medicare Part D Group business at CVS Caremark
as a dir and Joyce works overtime raising the
children, who play multiple sports in various locations on a daily basis. AJ catches up often with
Tony Khalife, who just retired from coaching HS
football after 20+ years.
Following a 12-year NFL career, 6 of which
were played with the KC Chiefs as the leader, or
tied for the lead, in special teams tackles, Greg
Manusky has parlayed his gridiron acumen
into the defensive coord position with the SF
49ers. In Jan 2010, Tony and AJ saw Greg coach
the 49ers against the Philadelphia Eagles. Greg
and wife Laurie, a well-decorated and recordsetting intercollegiate volleyball player, reside
in CA with their sons Colton, 15, and Jake, 13, and
daughters Logan, 11, and Chandler, 7. For Good Cause: Greg Koerner writes that he
and Jean Andreuzzi are still based in NYC with
their son Miles, 11. In Aug, he attended the Musicians Aid Society (a nonprofit he co-founded
with Paul Schupf ’58) harbor tour around
Manhattan. The fundraiser featured great music
(legendary NO pianist Henry Butler), Jamaican
food, and an open bar — all crowd pleasers for
the Colgate alumni in attendance (from the ’50s
through 2010)!
Going to the Chapel: Rick Berger noted on
Facebook that he was married on Aug 7 in Martha’s Vineyard. His wife, Sara Dubow, is on the
faculty at Williams C. Rick notes that life is good
and that he’s now an “honest man.”
Movin’ on Up: David Fernández has joined the
firm of Carter Ledyard & Milburn as a partner,
and he will continue to practice in banking and
structured finance. David, who is admitted in
NY, DC, and PA, often serves as counsel to the
underwriter, counsel to the placement agent,
and trustee counsel in connection with a wide
variety of tax-exempt and taxable bond offerings.
In Memoriam: We’re sorry to relay to you the
news that Lisa MacQuarrie Ryland passed away
in April. Lisa was a member and Vestry woman
at Zion Episcopal Church of Morris, NY, and a
member of the Morris Village Library Board and
the Oneonta Concert Assoc Board. At Colgate, she
was a member of Alpha Chi Omega and majored
in history. Lisa is survived by her husband, John
Ryland ’86, and their children Abigail and Timothy. Our condolences to the family.
Jack and Sarah: 503-288-7874;
[email protected]
1989
Brent Goldstein
13709 Lakewood Ct
Rockville, MD 20850-3649
Hey, folks, sorry for the no-column last issue. No
news = no column. Got a few tidbits this time.
Clark Battle’s band, Guardian Ear, recently
released its 1st CD. Guardian Ear is an acoustic
avant chamber “rock” band featuring 5 string
cello (Clark), oboe, Spanish guitars, and world
percussion. They have been together for 5 years.
CDs and samples are online.
Alan Sable recently joined the law firm of
Reed Smith LLP in Pittsburgh. Alan specializes in
all aspects of commercial real estate.
A very impressive congrats to Kathryn Hytten for her citation as a Woman of Distinction
by Southern IL Univ Carbondale. This award
recognizes women who have demonstrated leadership, vision, and action in their profession and
a sustained commitment to diversity. Kathy is a
prof and interim chair of the Dept of Edu, Adm
and Higher Edu at SIUC.
Congrats are also in order for Angel Kelley
Brown, who was recently appointed by MA Gov
Deval Patrick to the MA State bench as Assoc
District Ct Justice following a 2-yr stint as Asst
US Atty.
From Anne Geluardi: “In 2008 I married Mike
Louvau (St Mary’s ’90) and we live in Sonoma
Cty, CA. In keeping with local tradition, Mike is
planting our vineyard as I type. Last summer I
called fellow alumna Megan Pezzuti Pelino to
announce that I was expecting. Megan, who was
at the time expecting her 4th beautiful baby,
decided that a visit was in order. So the very next
day, she flew out from NJ to visit us in NoCal.
Now that’s friendship. We pregnant ladies had
a wonderful time touring Sonoma, proving that
there is a lot to Wine Country other than wine!
My daughter Elsa was born in Feb.”
Finally, I received an e-mail a few months back
from a classmate who expressed disappointment with the dearth of column news. To that
I say that I can only share what is shared with
me. If there is anyone out there who possesses a
wealth of class info and wants to take a crack at
the column on a temp or perm basis, I welcome
it. Just e-mail me and we’ll talk.
Brent: 240-838-6170; [email protected]
1990
Julie O’Leary Muir
48 Barr Farm Road
Bedford, NH 03110-5221
Greetings, Class of ’90! Here it is. Finally. Our
reunion column. Yes, it is Oct. However, in this
case, I am thankful for the glacial publishing
because, quite frankly, this is the hardest column
I’ve had to write. All reunion weekend, our
previous class editor, Heidi Bulow Parsont would
appear on Whitnall and ask me, “Julie, where is
your pen and notebook?” And all weekend long, I
would scoff, take another sip of my beverage, and
continue frolicking. I returned home, each night,
and took notes (as best I could) about my conversations and hazy memories, only to discover
on Sun that my notebook was filled with drivel
and things that occasionally looked like letters.
In short, dear class, I am a bit screwed. Whereas
Heidi was so good about canvassing the crowd
and taking notes, I am a bit more reserved, shy
if you will, and absolutely did not reach out and
touch many of you. Although I certainly would
have liked to, in more than a few cases. Mea
culpa. What follows is my best effort to decipher
orthodontist in CT, where he lives with his wife
and kids. It is quite possible he made a deal with
the devil, as he hasn’t aged a day. Also in contract
talks with the same are Joe Pizzarelli, Chris Dalrymple, and Jeff Mokotoff. Joe is living in Darien,
CT, with lovely wife and kids and does something
financial. Moko is living in Dunwoody, GA, and is
an atty and partner with his firm. He’s enjoying
life with his wife and 3 kids. Chris and Beth Tracy
Dalrymple brought their adorable girls from Mt
Kisco to reunion. Chris is VP, assoc general counsel for Alleghany Corp. Also bringing adorable
daughters to reunion was Nikki Truman Harding.
Nikki lives in Meredith, NH, with husband Jeff
and enjoys doing the stay-at-home mom thing,
like me. Alison Boshes Roberts came with her
3 cute kids and husband Will. They are living in
Westport, CT. Tom and Sophie Mitchell ’89 Murphy brought their 4 cuties, too. Tom and Sophie
live in Darien, CT, and Tom is CFO/managing dir
of General Atlantic Partners. They have a full,
happy house! Obviously, Heidi Bulow Parsont
was in attendance as well, and brought her little
cherubs and very entertaining husband.
Perhaps the best sport of the night was
Christina Lyndrup Farrell, who showed up for the
night, only to make the trek back to NYC for her
daughter’s recital the next day. Christina works
as the asst commissioner for external affairs for
the NYC Office of Emergency Mgmt, and lives in
Whitestone, NY, with her husband and 2 children.
Dana Lee Gould was also working the crowd in
the tents. She lives with husband Bill Gould ’89
in MD and she is general counsel for Fannie Mae
in DC. They have 3 kids. Nancy Epstein Schnure
is a fabulous MS teacher in MD, where she lives
with husband Eric and 2 boys. She’s completing
her MA in library and info sci. Congrats, Nanc!
I also caught up with Lynda Dennen Costello,
who is living in the Boston area. She was married to Brian Costello in VA last May at a church
where 3 previous generations of her family were
married. Colgate classmates in attendance were
Nicole Wetzold and her fiancé Mike Daw, Kristin
Smith and husband Harry Ostrander, Erik Rosen,
Marnie Tobriner Kagan ’91, and Vanessa Shami
’91. In June, they had a larger post-wedding party
on Nantucket, where they caught up with Sheila
Rioux Smith and her husband, Tim, and Roanna
London ’91.
Speaking of Kristin Smith, she is the proud
new mom of triplet boys! Theo, Charlie, and Ben
were born on Jan 10, and while they didn’t make
a Colgate appearance, they were at least in the
area at Kristin’s parents’ house. Kristin lives with
her boys and husband in Charlestown, MA, and
is a general surgeon.
Karen Laird Rodgers, Marci Mueller Mouritzen, Kathy Sherwood Brown, Lisa Errickson, and
Amie Cole were also on the field late night. Karen
is in N Easton, MA; Kathy lives in Vienna, VA,
with her husband and 2 children. Marci also lives
in Vienna with hubby and 3 sons. Lisa lives and
works in Greenwich, CT, where she is in outreach
services for a hospital, and Amie lives in Santa
Monica, CA, and is a freelance TV producer and
works with MTV.
Late night Fri found me at the Jug with Tammy Hopper Cushman. If you’re like me, you were
faked out by the front door, which is bolted shut.
What up with that, John Jug? And what is up
with the entrance in the back for “VIP” guests? I
pressed the poor bouncer in the back about what
a VIP at the Jug actually means, and apparently
we are a very select group. Anyone over 21 is a
VIP, and will get the posh hand stamp indicating
we’re legal. At the end of the bar we met up with
Robert Hansen and Tom Perlitz. Rob and I whiled
away an hour with some whiskey sours that did
me wrong. Tom asked me to write the following:
paulswortz.com
said notebook, cobble together my observations,
and keep it clean and honest. Well, kind of.
On Fri night, I had the pleasure of meeting up
with Marty Johnson, who is always entertaining.
He regaled Tammy Hopper Cushman, Deirdre
Ryan, and me with his stories. Marty is living
in Rochester, and works for Lincoln Financial.
Tammy lives with her husband, Chip ’89, and 2
sons in Bronxville, NY, where she is saying yes
to all volunteer opportunities, and Deirdre lives
in Norwalk, CT, with her husband and 3 kids
when she isn’t traveling the world as a principal/
partner for Deloitte Consulting. Mike Vincent
punched into our conversation at one point. Mike
works for McGraw-Hill, where he is dir of ops,
and lives in the NYC area with his wife and kids.
Also in NY, Jeff Weber lives in Buffalo and is
sporting a very fetching Ed Harris look. I may
have stroked his cranium, and he may have
purred like a kitten, but I can neither confirm nor
deny this. Jeff founded and owns Remedy Intelligent Staffing, a full-service employment agency
specializing in temp, permanent, and exec recruiting and placement. As you may remember,
Jeff played hockey for ’Gate, as did Joel Gardner,
who was also having fun on Whitnall Fri night.
Joel, I still have no idea what you were trying to
say to me. Perhaps I was dazzled by your long
locks of hair, or the enthusiastic way you were
trying to put your point across. I asked Ed, I mean
Jeff, to help me decipher Joel’s words, but he was
as confounded as I was. Nonetheless, Joel is pres
and CEO of Megola Inc, in Point Edward, Ont,
which is a distributor of environmental solutions
including physical water treatment and fire
protection. Incidentally, I had to Google this info,
as our Samson was not forthcoming with many
details.
Karl Klauss, another hockey alum, makes
Hamilton his home and was seen in the tent on
Fri night. Karl is the dir of advancement in capital giving for Colgate. He lives in Hamilton with
wife Anne and 2 adorable kids. Lauren Galliker
also has ’Gate as her employer, but she is living
in NYC and is the sr regional advancement dir for
NYC for Colgate.
I must admit, I may have stroked Davis
Griffin’s leg at one point. It was kind of on a
dare from Dave Storms, John Winkler, and Dave
Friedman. Davis is, apparently, a big cyclist, and
had recently shaved his legs for a race. It was my
duty, I felt, to confirm this fact and test a leg. I can
confirm there was shaving, and there is lovely
muscle mass in his calf. Davis lives in Cinci with
wife Mary Ann and has 2 children. He is a health
care financial adviser and business development
strategist. Dave Storms continues to be a severely
misguided Mets and Jets fan living in Philly
with wife Karin and 2 kids. He is still working for
Johnson & Johnson, and is a helluva lot of fun.
John Winkler lives in Riverside, CT, with his wife
and kids, and works for Deutche-Bank, and may
shave his legs on occasion for bike races as well.
Friedman lives in northern CA with his wife and
2 kids, and is the sr dir of marketing at a wireless
communications co. I cannot comment on his
legs, but will pay them due attention the next
time he comes to NH to visit his parents.
Also in the tents on Fri night, I spied Marc
Criqui with lovely wife Birgit Marxen Criqui.
Marc and Birgit live in Essex Fells, NJ, and
brought along their kids, all of whom were taller
than me, I think. Chris Theriot was also in attendance. Chris lives in Ann Arbor, MI, where he
is an environmental consultant, and is married
to Kendra Johnson. I spent a little time chatting
with the very tall and fetching Matthew Pardy.
Matthew lives in Orlando, FL, where he is an atty.
He’s a fisherman, and shares my love of the Western US. I also spied Johnny Feldman, who is an
Emergent interests
How do individual neurons work together to create consciousness? No one is sure — but it
is a classic example of emergence, a scientific phenomenon in which many individual parts
function together to produce results not expected from the constituent pieces alone.
Emergence is tough to comprehend, so when the Institute of Complex Adaptive Matter
(ICAM) — an organization that studies the phenomenon — needed help making the concept
more approachable for young people, Suzi Tucker ’84 was a logical choice.
Tucker holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Minnesota and achieved the rank
of full professor at the University of California, Davis. After 14 years as a professor, Tucker
left to begin a second career in the field of educational exhibit design, devising exhibits
and signage at venues such as museums, parks, and visitor centers. When working with
clients like ICAM, Tucker often draws on her scientific background. “Having been a scientist
for many years,” Tucker explained, “I realize quite personally the importance of science
outreach, and how we have definite issues with science literacy in this country.”
Tucker’s proposal to ICAM was to build a virtual online museum to make the subject
of emergence more accessible. After more than two years of development, the website
emergentuniverse.org, which Tucker designed with the help of programmer Stephen
Hartzog, went live in October 2009. The site’s interactive, Flash-based design approaches
emergence from many angles, exploring its relevance in everything from traffic patterns to
proteins causing Alzheimer’s disease. The site’s users investigate these many applications
of the concept with features like a manga (a Japanese style) comic and a 3D model of the
brain.
Perhaps most impressive is that Tucker worked alone to research the incredible array
of content on the site, mastering the varied subject matter herself before designing each
exhibit. “Every month, I’m doing something different than what I was doing last month,” explained Tucker. “On the one hand, that keeps it from getting dull, but on the other, every time
I come into work, it’s a challenge because I have no idea what I’m doing!”
Each exhibit has also impelled Tucker to invent new and interesting means of presentation, often taking her well beyond the scientific world. Currently, she is researching
videogame design as she develops an educational game about superconductivity for the
site. In the past, she has even collaborated on an interpretive dance video. “I had never been
involved in doing a dance video before!” Tucker exclaimed. “That was a total blast. Everything I do is a new challenge.”
Tucker was seeking such challenges beyond the purely scientific when she entered her
new field. “I changed careers because I wanted more art and design in my life,” she explained.
Tackling the ICAM project independently “was an opportunity to build something from
scratch, and to bring together artistic elements with the scientific elements to make science appealing to non-scientists.”
Tucker hopes to roll out her superconductivity work in 2011, and then is eyeing another
change. “I’d like to get back to the three-dimensional world, as opposed to the Internet,” she
explained. “I’m not sure what’s next, but I never seem to quite stay put.”
69
Students and staff at Erin Majewski Flynn’s ’00 school wear college T-shirts one day each
month to remember the importance of higher education.
After class: A meeting with the
president
When Erin Majewski Flynn ’00 looks around the “science showcase” she has coordinated for
the John D. Philbrick Elementary School in Boston, she does not judge. Rather than holding
a competition to see who has made the best project, “it’s about celebrating students’ hard
work and what they’re learning,” said Flynn, a science specialist who teaches grades K-5 at
Philbrick. That way, “every student’s project is valued.”
Support for Flynn’s teaching strategy became clear when she traveled to Washington,
D.C., in January to accept the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Recipients of the award visited with President Barack Obama, watched him
deliver a press conference on science education, and participated in several days’ worth of
professional development and networking. “It was so amazing to meet educators from all
over the country and to hear a little bit about what they’re doing in their classrooms,” Flynn
said. “And meeting the president was such an honor.”
After meeting President Obama, Flynn and the others participated in an in-depth discussion with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “He actually asked us questions and
listened to our responses,” Flynn marveled. “It’s not often that someone in his position really
takes the time to listen to teachers’ opinions about national education policy.”
Duncan’s hands-on approach is similar to the educational style for which Flynn was being honored. “The focus in my classroom is on inquiry-based instruction,” Flynn explained.
Rather than explaining to students what she is going to teach in a given class, Flynn leads
with a question, challenging them to explore possible answers. “It’s a lot of fun for me,” Flynn
explained, “because I also pretend I don’t know the answer. They’ll keep asking me, and I will
say, ‘Oh, I’m not sure! Maybe you should keep trying new things to figure it out.’”
Flynn also strives to help students see the relevance of their education. “We use science
as a jumping-off point for integrated units that connect science with reading, writing, and
math,” she explained. “We’ve found that when you get the kids really engaged in a science
topic, they are more willing to read and write about that topic.”
The approach is effective, as fifth-graders’ scores on the MCAS (state science exam)
have risen each of the six years Flynn has taught at Philbrick. At least partly, Flynn attributes that success to the continuity she can achieve as the students’ only science teacher
from kindergarten to fifth grade. “It’s really nice, because in the fall, teachers often spend
a lot of time with students talking about rules and procedures and getting to know each
other, but when I come back in September, I can hit the ground running. The kids already
know me.”
Flynn is not one to hog the credit, though. “The Philbrick is a special place. A lot of urban
schools really struggle with parental involvement, but we have a very active and dedicated
group of parents.” It is an advantage that Flynn appreciates even more after having had her
first child, Allison Anna, just over a year ago. “I always knew that we were lucky to have really involved and devoted parents, but now that I have my own child, I’m really amazed that
some of these parents work full time, and also devote so much time to our school.”
70
scene: Autumn 2010
“Robert still works in NYC and can be found boating on Lake Hopatcong in NJ on the weekends
or dancing at the Jug every 10 years.” Promise
fulfilled. Rob works for Standard & Poors, and
lives in NJ. And while he is a fun conversationalist at the end of the bar, I did not witness any
dancing. I did see him chatting up Niall Brennan
and Marty J on Sat night. Tom Perlitz caught up
with Tammy, and he is living in New Canaan, CT,
is married, and has 3 lovely daughters. He works
for Crane Co. Nina Pizutti Restierei, Lara McElroy
Oliveri, and Heidi Wilkinson von Maur strolled in.
Nina lives in Greenwich, CT, where she is a mom
of 4, and is the founder of momAgenda and is an
organizational expert. Heidi lives in Bronxville
and has 2 kids, and Lara lives in NYC and has 2
lovely children as well. My night ended with
slices at NY Pizza (still a bargain!)
On Sat, I met up with Rachel Dulay Curley,
who lives in Brewster, NY, with her hubby and
2 kids. She is a middle school special ed teacher,
loves to ski, and is headed to the Philippines
this summer with her family. Jennifer Ingle and
husband Cos Asuar are living the good life in
CT and VT. Jen works for SAP America Inc as a
program mgr, and she and Cos enjoy chilling in
VT whenever they can.
Jeanine Rossi Borthwick drove in on Sat
and joined the festivities. She lives in NYC with
husband Alastair and their 3 kids. She told a
great story about a meeting at Spence, where she
shouted out “Go, ’Gate!” in support of another
alum.
At the bookstore, Jackie Jafarian Broad
read and signed copies of her children’s book
Grandma Wants to Eat My Baby Sister! Jackie
lives in Mill Valley, CA, with husband Ken ’88 and
3 children. She is the founder of Three Puppies
Press and has a 2nd book coming out soon. I
also spied Kristy Wesson Hartgers among the
T-shirts. She lives in Franklin Lakes, NJ, with
husband and kids, and is an interior designer.
I also met Stacey Shepatin Herman coming
out of the store. Stacey lives in Dover, MA, with
her husband and 3 kids and works for Hill Holiday Cosmopolus Inc. Near her was Susan Kimball
Donohue, who also lives in MA with her husband
and 2 boys.
Karen Freud Davis and hubby were also hangin’ in the bookstore. They live in State College,
PA, with their 2 sons. Karen Hunt Montbach was
also taking in the bookstore with her husband
and 2 sons. They live in NYC, where Karen works
for Citigroup.
Raimund and Kris Bishop Grube are enjoying life in Portland, OR. I believe Ray works in
renewable energy; Kris does some consulting
and enjoys raising their 2 kids. Jeff Simon lives in
Dallas, where he and his wife have a new baby,
so they were enjoying a quiet weekend away
from the kids.
Later in the day, on the quad, Chuck Ritter
drove his big red pickup truck up to our group.
We were with Merritt Maxim and Dennis Powers. Dennis lives in Mountain Lakes, NJ, and he is
doing the lawyer thing at Kemmerer Resources
Corp. Chuck lives in Williamsville, NY, and is
an atty with a bunch of lovely kids. I have fond
memories of Chuck driving me home to Buffalo
in record time. Max lives in Carlisle, MA, with a
great wife and kids and is marketing mgr for CA,
Inc.
Was it me, or was our class dinner at The Edge
café really hosted in The Inferno? On our way in,
I was able to catch up with Sara Corbett, Sara
Needleman, and Katie Redford. Sara C is living
in Portland, ME, where she is writing (and I’ve
enjoyed her articles in various mags). Also in
Portland, Sarah N is living with her husband and
2 sons, and she is a teacher at the U of South-
ern ME. Katie continues to direct Earth Rights
Internatl, and lives in MD with her husband and
children.
Also spotted coming into our class dinner was
Kevin Heffernan, of Broken Lizard fame. Kevin
is an actor/writer living in LA, and previewed
his latest, The Slammin’ Salmon, at the Hamilton
Theater reunion weekend.
I also saw Ellis Hensler Siedem and Kristen
Olson Ramsey. Ellis lives in NJ with her husband
and 3 kids. Kristen is married to Patrick and they
also live in NJ and have 3 kids. Patrick works for
Merrill Lynch in NYC.
Inside, I saw Marlo LaCorte, who is married
to Riley Minster. Marlo is living in IL and looks
exactly the same to me. I believe she was previously in PR, but I think she’s at home now raising
her children. Riley is a pediatrician, and I can
only surmise that his patients are both lucky and
blessed to have him!
Meador Pratt, I didn’t recognize you! Meador
was my lifeguard instructor at ’Gate many years
ago. I was expecting blond, curly hippie Meador.
Instead, he’s clean-cut and a dad! Meador lives in
Oakdale, NY, with wife Rhonda and 3 kids, and I
believe he’s in education.
Also spied during cocktails before dinner were
Dan Dornfeld and Steve Bennett. Dan lives in
Dix Hills, NY, and is a commercial real estate atty,
and Steve is working for the Brookings Institute
based in DC. Chris Adams and Alex Miles were
also catching up. Chris is an atty and lives with
his family in Salt Lake City (and I’m loving your
hair, by the way). Alex is living in NJ with his
wife and 3 girls, and he works for Credit Suisse.
I also saw Carin Khatchikian and husband
Kenny Silverman. They live in Chappaqua, NY,
with their 2 adorable girls. Carin and Kenny are
both attys. Meghan O’Brien Westwood was also
in attendance. She and husband Mike live in
Potomac, MD, with their 2 kids. Susan Lavigne
Mullin and Susan Flam Wilkerson were also seen
chatting. Susan L is in Chevy Chase, MD, and
Susan F and hubby Kevin live in Clarks Summit,
PA, with their 2 children. Kevin is an assoc prof at
U of Scranton.
Alan Koehler, you did a fabulous job as our
guest speaker. I loved your wit, your repartee; it
was all good. Alan wants to note especially that
ours was the only class that had a member of its
own class serve as speaker at the class banquet.
Alan writes, “I personally believe that we should
continue this new ‘tradition’ and have someone
from our class speak at upcoming reunions. It’s
bound to be more interesting, personal, and
hopefully entertaining than the alternative.” Well
said, Alan. Nominations? Anybody?
Susan Zalesne Retik-Ger was beautifully
spoken during our dinner, when we paused
to remember David Retik and learn about the
scholarship in his name. Susan lives in MA with
her 4 children and husband, and runs the Beyond
the 11th Fndn. Sue was sitting with Yee-Ann Cho,
who lives in Denver with her husband and 3 kids.
Lisa Unger Stanton lives in Agoura Hills, CA,
with an adorable son.
Finally, Jennifer Zachar Boone and Laurie
Broad Grenier were up late, shakin’ their booties
in the tent with lots of other classmates. Jennifer lives in Riverside, CT, with husband Shep
’89 and 3 boys. Laurie lives in E Greenwich, RI
with husband Tim ’89 and her 3 kids. She works
part time for Bank of America, and is a fabulous
choice if you want a car buddy to make the ride
to Hamilton with you!
According to Alan, 165 of us returned to Colgate for reunion weekend. I did my best to try to
include as many of us as I could. If I didn’t make
mention of you, you have my sincere apologies.
I blame my notebook and messy handwriting.
1 991
Kathryn Dillon Marcotte
45 Ridgewood Lane
Wakefield, RI 02879
I’m sure that campus is bustling and everyone’s
lives have left the summer rhythms in their rearview mirrors, but it is this time each year that
makes me think of Colgate and the times we all
shared there. What a great time it was!
One of my favorite characters of all time was
kind enough to get in touch with me, Gary Baldwin. Gary is teaching history at Episcopal HS in
Alexandria, VA. It’s his 1st year in this role as he
spent the last 2 years being the academic dean
at Canterbury School in CT, but discovered pretty
quickly that working with adults is less fun than
working with kids. He loves the teaching and
doesn’t think he’ll make any more forays into
admin. Gary has 2 gorgeous daughters — Stella,
7, and Lola, 5. When there is down time, he has
been writing iPhone apps and getting ready for
the Marine Corps Marathon this fall.
From upstate, I got a hello from Melissa
Ehlers, who is the dir of pediatric anesthesia at
Albany Med Ctr, which she loves. Melissa has
been happily married for 5 years now and has a
1 1/2-year-old boy. In addition to all that, Melissa
is on the board of dir for Gift of Life, which brings
children to the US from 3rd world countries for
life-saving heart surgery. At the time we talked,
she was planning a great fundraiser at the
Saratoga Racetrack in Aug. Melissa also keeps in
touch with Jeanne Marie Zajdel Kraemer ’91, who
is living in the Pittsburgh area and busy trying
to keep up with her 3 children and jet-setting
German husband.
Sam Backus took some time off from Timberland at the end of 2007. Although she has
never enjoyed anything more than not working,
she found that Lady of Leisure doesn’t pay very
well. Sam changed careers and now is a recruiter
with Robert Half Internatl. She has found it to
be a challenging year as you might imagine,
finding people jobs during the Great Recession,
but thinks she sees the light at the end of the
tunnel and she is convinced it is not a train. One
unexpected benefit of her gig is that she has
heard from some Colgate alums for help with
their searches. All the best in the year to come.
I received an announcement about our own
Russell Sherman. CJP Communications, an Inc.
5000 Fastest Growing Company, announced the
acquisition of Sherman Strategic Communications LLC, a PR and marketing consulting firm.
Russell Sherman, founder of Sherman Strategic,
will join CJP as a partner and a member of the
sr leadership team. Jennifer Posek, CEO of CJP
Communications said, “Russell has a tremendous
track record and in a short time has established
an impressive practice. His deep understanding
of media relations, crisis communications, and
brand strategy will greatly benefit our entire client base.” Prior to launching SSC in 2008, Russell
was the head of corporate PR at Bear Stearns,
where he managed the firms’ media relations
activities and oversaw the communications efforts for Bear Stearns’ numerous business units.
He joined Bear Stearns in 1999 and previously
was a reporter and anchor at NY 1 News in NYC.
Congrats across the board.
Andy Ferguson and his wife, Amy, are living
in the Boston ’burbs, and he spends his weeks as
a partner practicing law in a civil litigation boutique firm with some great people. Andy claims
that it’s lawyer-speak for “small.” As a lawyer, I
would probably use the term “unpretentiously
bantam.” Andy has ruminated on the 20 years
that have passed since our days at the ’Gate and
he was back for a visit in the fall of 2007 for a
golf weekend with Joe Maru and Mike Cavanaugh ’90. He was amazed at how the campus and
downtown have changed. Maybe it’s time we all
head back for a visit.
One exciting announcement I received a
while back was that some of our old classmates
who comprise Broken Lizard (the creators of
Supertroopers and Beerfest) came out with their
movie The Slammin’ Salmon last spring on DVD
and Blu-ray! In their latest comedy, Slammin’
Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan) is a
former heavyweight champion of the world–
turned–celebrity owner of a high-end Miami seafood restaurant. The bully of an owner, the misfit
wait staff, and gambling debt bring shenanigans
to the dining room. A number of our old Colgate
friends are involved with the movie: Jay Chandrasekhar ’90, Kevin Heffernan ’90 dir, Steve
Lemme, Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter, Michael
Yurchak ’94, Carrie Clifford ’93, Alison Clapp
Bower, Gillian Vigman ’94, Brendan McLoughlin ’01, David Park ’02, Alex Irvine ’88, Robert
Barocci ’90, Michael Heffernan ’88, Cricket
Lengyel, Andrew Stewart ’90, Roger Lengyel ’95,
and his wife, Kate Foster, to name more than a
few. I will follow up with some of these folks for
the next Scene to see what else they’ve been up
to.
Until then, be good. Please take a minute and
get in touch when you can. It is so great hearing
from you all.
Kathy: 401-783-3897; [email protected]
199 2
Crissy Singer Shropshire
66 Indian Hill Road
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549-3827
In the eternal words of Elton John, can you feel
the love tonight? No, I’m not talking about a
bunch of anthropomorphic lions making googly
eyes at each other in the African jungle. I’m talking about not 1, but 2 members of the Thirteen
(and Class of ’92), who have been ensnared in
love’s crazy web. Who says lightning can’t strike
twice?
First up, my former roommate from way back
in the swingin’ ’90s, Damian Anderson. On Dec
4, 2009, he proposed to the very lucky Kristine
Hawkins at “an amazing place” called Mankas
Inverness Lodge in Inverness, CA. The wedding
was to take place in Aug, which means that by
the time you read this, Damian and Kristine will
be man and wife. The officiant will be none other
than Vic Victoriano, whom Damian now affectionately calls “Padre Vic.” Damian promises me a
full wedding roundup for the next issue. Damian
and Kristine live in SF, where he works at iTunes
and she works at McKinsey & Company. Damian
manages the business relationship between
iTunes and major record labels. “And, no, I don’t
get free music because I work at iTunes (#1 question asked of me), although I get great discounts
on the products.”
A world away, on a private beach in China,
Fitz De Smet proposed to his girlfriend, Caroline
Pan, on April 29. No details yet on a date, but
somehow I think we can be assured there will be
singing. The lion sleeps tonight, indeed.
Moving on from a cappella singers to a Band,
Dale Band, that is (ba dum dum). Good ol’ #12 has
gone from capt to pres. Earlier this year, Dale became the pres of sales at Alberta Newsprint. The
company’s corp office is in Vancouver, the paper
mill is in N Alberta, but Dale lives in Chicago —
makes for a lot of travel. But Dale says he and
his family are very happy in IL and hope to stay
there for a while. The highlight of his summer
was taking his 2 boys, Oliver and Sam, to the
Stanley Cup parade. “Crazy, but fun!”
And I was quite happy to hear from Amy
Jacob Connolly. She is sr dir, HR, at the MA Hospital Assoc in Burlington. Hubby Kelley is still
working at Philips Healthcare in North Andover,
MA. Kelley has been training for triathlons and
recently completed a half Ironman race. He came
in 24th in his age group and 116th overall! Nice.
Amy and Kelley have 2 girls — Sosie, who is
entering 3rd grade in the fall, and Sage, who will
be in 1st. They spent their summer vacation on
the Vineyard with Amy’s brother, John ’88, and
his family. If anyone happens to be in the Boston
area, Amy invites them to look her up!
As for me, I continue to bring home the bacon,
fry it up in a pan, and then force feed it to my
kids. Nothing says a mother’s love like pork products.
Happy pumpkin picking!
Crissy: 914-864-1387; [email protected]
1993
Kaori Nakamura DiChiara
61 Mustato Road
Katonah, NY 10536-3725
Hello to you all, and happy fall! This school year
brings me into another new stage of parenthood
as I now have both of my children (Mia, 7, Christopher, 5.5) in elementary school. My son is very
excited to ride on the bus and attend school with
his sister — as excited as I am for him, I have to
admit that I am just as excited that I no longer
have to pay preschool tuition! As many of you
know, I am a mom who loves to play and spend
time with her kids, host group playdates, etc, but
after getting them both on the school bus in the
morning, I may have a more noticeable swing in
my step!
I want to thank all of you who responded to
my e-mail. After receiving a 40-page “updated”
class list (ah-hem: some of you need to a] update
your info and b] add an e-mail address), I managed to contact those of you listed on pages 1–20
and I now have much info to share. Three clear
categories came to mind after reading all of your
responses, and they are: 1) babies, 2) career/life
changes, and 3) those who have not submitted
info in a long time.
Let’s start off with the newbie parents: Sally
Burnett Wilson and husband Chris welcomed
Dexter Nicholas on May 3 and are truly enjoying
parenthood. The DiChiara house was thrilled to
hear the news of another Colgate cousin entering the world. Dexter was 6 lbs, 8 oz and 18" long,
and he already poses well for the camera. Laurie
and John Less had their 1st child, Josephine, on
June 4 in Johannesburg, S Africa. Mom and baby
are doing well and Dad was able to sneak away
to the USA vs Algeria game! On June 30 at 7:23
pm, Grant Koo and wife Shawn became new parents to Sophia Morgan. She weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz
and was 19" long. Despite his lack of sleep, Grant
was able to inform me that he keeps in touch
with Jeff DeMarrais, Kerstan Lincoln Ruffer, and
Stefanie Pritchard Vakili. As for work, he and his
wife are in the entertainment business. Grant
has done voiceovers and worked in commercials,
TV, and film, and was recently featured in 3
episodes of Burn Notice. A loud congrats goes to
Danie Caro and her spouse, Jen, on their finalized
adoption of their son Tyler, 7.
And for the veteran parents, I will report baby
births from lowest (3) to highest (5) number of
children per household: Nancy and Marc Badner
welcomed their 3rd child, Chase Solomon, on
May 30. Mom and baby are doing well, and
older siblings Jack and Remi are enjoying their
new brother. The Badners moved from NYC to
Purchase, NY, for the summer. The other update
Marc provided was that he started a new job last
fall as the co-head of credit sales in the US at BNP
Paribas. On July 1 at 9:21 pm, Neil and Carolyn
Stuart Benz had their 4th child, Brady Cooper.
Brady was 8 lbs, 9 oz, 21" long and affectionately
described as having a “Big Benz Melon” (saw
the pics and his head size looked quite normal).
His older siblings — Ty, Kylie, and Colby — are
thrilled and “loving on him.” And finally, the
bravest of them all, Jon and Jessica Kurtz Erlbaum welcomed the 5th addition to their family
on May 31. Shifra Miriam, nicknamed “Baby Girlbaum,” joins her 4 older brothers to make their
household “very chaotic, but full of lots of fun
and love!” Now for the career/life changing updates:
Matthew Crosston moved to the Midwest in Jan
to become the dir of the Internatl Security and
Intelligence Studies program and chair of poli sci
at Bellevue U in Omaha, NE. He not only restructured the entire BS degree program, but created
a master’s program as well. Matthew serves as
the university point of contact for USSTRATCOM
at nearby Offutt Air Force Base and is liaison for
the university in the Great Plains Natl Security
Education Consortium. He visited the Office
of the Dir of Natl Intelligence in DC in Aug to
further the objectives and reach of his new program. He lives in SC, where his daughter Ayalita,
12, attends school. Congrats to Scott Lisson, who
made partner in his urology private practice.
He reported that he and his family are enjoying
life “in the boondocks of eastern NC” and he
participated in 2 sprint distance triathlons over
the summer. Well done! I finally heard from Tom
Carlson, who had big news to report. After 10
years of working for Jeffries, he left in Jan (and
then skied for ~1 mo) and started a firm with one
of his former partners. His new firm, VC Independent Advisors LLC, is focused on providing high
value restructuring services to corporate and
institutional investor clients. In addition, after
splitting their time between their NYC apt and
their home in Fairfield, CT, over the last couple
of years, Tom and Melissa decided to move their
family to Fairfield permanently. He sees Marc
Glogoff frequently and reported that Marc and
Andi Tasker Glogoff ’92 just bought a new apt on
the Upper East Side.
It was wonderful to hear from Allie
Greenfield, who left LA and now resides in the
Boston area. Allie works in special ed at a local
HS while working toward a master’s in special
ed. He occasionally hears from Bill Paxton and
Dave Kemmerer. In addition to a couple of other
business projects on the side, Allie reported
Answer to Welcome Change
puzzle on page 80:
Differences, from left: (1) tower is
taller; (2) blue sign is green; (3) guy’s
shirt has V neck; (4) green lei is gone;
(5) female student is waving pennant;
(6) tail on G in banner is gone; (7) black
balloon added at top of bunch. The
answer to the riddle is: Tooting your
own horn.
Please write me with your complaint, and I’ll
be sure to throw you in the next column. In the
words of Ron Burgundy, “You stay classy,” Class of
’90. See y’all in 5 years for our 25th!
Julie: 603-488-5454; [email protected]
71
on his continued practice of judo, swimming
regularly, and spending as much time as possible
with his 1-year-old twin nephews. Since their
move to Israel, Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz and
his family were happy to report that they made
“aliyah” — became Israeli citizens — in Aug.
The Berkowitzes live in Jerusalem, and coincidently, their home is located right around the
corner from Prof Steve Kepnes (Finard Professor
of Jewish studies at Colgate), who was one of his
advisers. Matthew continues as the dir of Israel
programs at the Jewish Theological Seminary,
working closely with rabbinical students who
come to spend the year in Israel. His office is at
the Schocken Institute, which is across the street
from the prime minister’s residence. In addition, Matthew started a new venture called Kol
HaOt: Illuminating Jewish Life Through Art (he
continues to paint) and also reported having
a wonderful visit from Gary Suskauer and his
mother in the late spring during Gary’s Jewish
Ntl Fund environmental mission to Israel.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that
Amanda ‘Mandy’ Gomez Lee lives in Redding, CT,
not too far from where I live. She’s been married
for 13 years, has 3 daughters (Alice, 12, Rebecca,
9, Elizabeth, 6) and has been a f/t mom until
recently. Mandy started her own business,
SweetLee Homemade Treats, selling baked desserts. She is online and has a Tumblr blog about
baking called getyourbakeon!. Born with a salttooth, I’d normally prefer a platter of nachos over
cake. However, after seeing the cakes/cupcakes/
cookies Mandy creates, I would reconsider and
not pass up one of her desserts! Mandy keeps in
touch with Cara Sullivan, who was responsible
for introducing her to husband Jonathan. Last
but not least, I heard from Jennifer Merritt
Koskinen, who was so modest and brief about
her update that I learned impressive details
of her career from her website. After obtaining her master’s in architecture from U of PA
and working as an architect for a few years, Jennifer unexpectedly developed an architectural
photography business in 2004. Her company is
called Merritt Design Photo, which started in Telluride, CO, and has expanded to Denver, Aspen,
Vail, and other areas of the SW. Photos online
in the various galleries are breathtaking, and it
was fun to see some candid celebrity pics (eg,
Obama, Sean Penn). Colgate was a huge part of
her inspiration with photography. She is also an
author of 3 books and has clients who are highend architects, builders, designers, real estate
brokers, and at mags. After living in Telluride for
over a decade, Jennifer moved to Denver with
her son, who will start 5th grade in Sept. She
reported being in touch with Colgate friends
of different class years in Telluride, and looking
forward to attending some alumni events in
Denver.
As for those who have not submitted info in a
long time, I heard from Oliver Caspers, who has
lived in Germany since graduation. He is a mgmt
trainer all over Europe, with one of his specializations being intercultural communication. Anyone in need of some assistance with a business
or personal transaction in Europe is welcome to
contact Oliver. He, wife Silke, and daughter Nele,
4, made a trip to the US and visited Robert Spector and his family in June. Oliver was very proud
of how well his daughter picked up the English
language during their short stay. Nele is probably
trilingual at the age of 4 — so jealous!
Despite her belief that her life is “fairly boring” (which it is not), I was so happy to hear from
Liz Hewson Blankstein. She and husband Bob
live in Hopewell, NJ, with their 2 girls (6.5 and
3). Liz has 15 years’ experience with coaching 2
sports on the HS level. Being that she was a field
72
scene: Autumn 2010
hockey and lax player at Colgate, I am assuming
these were the sports she coached! Currently,
she is a f/t mom and officiates lax in the spring.
I laughed when I read her comment, “Officiating
is hard work and you have to be in good shape:
no easy task as 40 fast approaches.” In addition,
she serves as an elder at Hopewell Presbyterian
Church. One of the reasons she and her husband
joined this church was that the new assoc minister at the time was Chris Kile ’90. They remain
good friends. Liz also reported that Jully Kim
Kumar hosts an annual mini-reunion in LI, where
she sees Krista Florin, Lexsi Magazzi Mallory
’94, and Holly Washburn Gilmartin ’94. It was
so nice to hear from Jennifer Orton Casabonne,
who, with husband Tim and 2 sons, 8 and 5, lives
in Clifton Park, NY. Jennifer works p/t at SUNY
Albany in development and alumni affairs. Over
Memorial Day Weekend, the Casabonnes traveled to DC to visit Jennifer’s old roommate Shannon Frigon McClain ’93 and husband PJ McClain
’92 and their 2 children. Jennifer reported that
she and her family spend most of the summer
on beautiful Lake George in the Adirondacks and
would be happy to hear from any ’93ers in the
area!
And lastly, Ross Fredenburg — the 1st to respond to my group e-mail — provided an update
on himself and a number of friends. He and wife
Kate Grams (happily married 10 years) live in
the Boston area with daughter Ellie, 7, and son
Alex, 4. Ross continues to work at a Cambridge
Biotech Co, where they are in the midst of a pivotal clinical trial in Alzheimer’s patients. When
summing up his life over the past few years, it
made me smile, as he worded so well so much
of what many of us married-with-children folk
experience: “I guess we have been working hard
on maintaining the status quo for the last few
years. You know the drill: get the kids through
preschool, get the kids through K-garten, manage playdates, find some alone time with your
spouse, etc. I think we’re doing a good job, but
sometimes it is hard to distinguish doing well
from just getting by.” I was pleasantly surprised
to learn that Ross plays guitar in a rock band;
John and Elizabeth Wort Clyde surprised him
when they attended his show in Cambridge on
April 30. The event sounded like a blast as he
described that they “partied like it was 1989 … I
have the scars to prove it!” Ross keeps in touch
with Andrew Louis and wife Rajdeep, who live
outside DC with daughter Raika, 2. Ross’s final
comment to me when describing how Ed Jasaitis and Jack Howland both live near him was,
“Tell them to call me!” So there you have it.
Special congrats to Fitz De Smet ’92, who proposed (in the most impressive and elaborate way
possible) to girlfriend Caroline Pan in late April;
and to Karen Kim’91, who gave birth to daughter
Lucy Kim in late March. Older brothers Jack and
Theo are happy to have her. I won’t go into detail
as I’m sure their news will be mentioned in their
class columns.
As you all read this issue, I will either be in the
middle of or returning from a hopefully illnessfree and hurricane/poncho-free family vacation
in Disney World! For those of you listed on pages
21–40 of our class list, you’ll be hearing from me!
I hope to hear from you before the year ends!
Kaori: 914-232-0549; [email protected]
199 4
Allison Good
#8
319 West 88th Street
New York, NY 10024-2271
Hello, all! Some quick updates from around the
country: After 14 years in NYC, Denise DiBacco
Cudden recently settled into Rockland Cty with
her husband and 2 children: Sophia, 2 1/2, and
Kevin, 1.
Jennifer and Jason Keefer just had their 3rd
child, Sofia Evelyn, born at 1 am on Jan 1. She
joins her brother, Cole, 5, and sister, McKenna,
2.5.
Emily Rose is living outside of Minneapolis.
She is a physician and working as a hospitalist at one of the local hospitals. Her twin
daughters, Maya and Noa, are 5 1/2 and will be
starting Spanish immersion kindergarten in the
fall. Amy Rodd MacKenzie and husband Larami
welcomed their 2nd child, Max Alistair, born
Nov 11, 2009. He joins Camille Sophia, who
turned 5 in March. Max has acquired the nickname Fergus from his sister. Since finishing her
medicine residency in July ’09, Amy has been
working as a hospitalist (inpatient internal
medicine) at Fox Chase Cancer Ctr. She works
with internal medicine residents and enjoys
the teaching aspect. She just started a hematology/oncology fellowship at Thomas Jefferson
U in Philly. Although the family is busy, they
are hoping for a trip to Japan soon and more
time for her neurointensivist husband’s jerkymaking (beef, bison, and seitan). They planted
a vegetable garden this summer and hope to
have some home-grown ingredients for gazpacho.
On a closing note, I am sorry to share the
terrible news that our classmate Rebecca Goodman passed away unexpectedly on April 26 in
NYC, where she was a CPA in private practice.
I am sure Rebecca’s family would appreciate
hearing some fond memories from her Colgate
friends. If you have a moment, please reach out
to the Goodmans.
Allison: 212-875-0751; [email protected]
1995
David A. Schreiber
1717 West Schubert Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
Greetings, classmates, and happy fall! I hope
you each enjoyed a festive summer, and for
those of you who returned to Colgate for our
15th Reunion weekend in early June, I hope it
was a blast catching up with old friends and
seeing so many of our classmates’ young kids.
A conflict prevented me from making the trip,
but I look forward to seeing many of you in the
coming years and hopefully at our 20th. News
flow has been surprisingly slow these past few
months. In fact, I haven’t received a single update from the big June weekend, so any reunion
updates would be very much appreciated. Your
classmates will certainly appreciate it and it
would be a nice achievement for the esteemed
Class of 1995 to get a bit more real estate on the
Scene pages. So, without further ado, here is the
latest news on our fellow classmates.
Jamie and Emily Muhlfelder Weston
welcomed a 2nd child — baby girl, Finley
Vaughn — on Feb 1. Finley joins big sister
Delaney, and while life with 2 young children
can be challenging at times, the family is doing
wonderfully and recently moved to Scarsdale
after outgrowing their Manhattan apt. It was a
bittersweet move since they had been enjoying
life in NYC, but it was time to plant themselves
in the suburbs and, fortunately, the city is only
a short 30-minute train ride away.
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of our classmate Adrian Walters on May 20
in Larchmont, NY. We extend our prayers and
deepest condolences to Adrian’s wife, Suzanne,
as well as their families and loved ones, and wish
them all well during this difficult time.
Take care and stay well.
David: 773-281-8152;
[email protected]
1996
Kelly Connolly
Apt. 2
15 Hale Street
Randolph, VT 05060
Hard to believe we are quickly approaching our
15th Reunion. By the time you read this, only a
few months to go! Be sure to keep checking the
improved Colgate alumni website at its new
location at www.colgateconnect.org for info on
Reunion 2011.
Marilyn Babbit Spencer wrote in with the
happy news that she and hubby Jake are proud
parents to daughter Keeley Carroll, born on July
15. Marilyn reports that Keeley is growing fast,
and that the threesome is enjoying life in Charlotte, NC, where Marilyn is a financial adviser/
CFP at an investment advisory firm and keeps
her vocal pipes in shape by singing in a local jazz
ensemble in her free time.
Margaret Weeks also had a great year. She
and her fiancé Mike Horton got married April 25
in CT. They had an intimate but beautiful wedding in Old Saybrook, where old friends Rachel
Maxwell Pol, Sarah Ponosuk Buxton, and Gillian
Friedrichs Ockner helped celebrate the day. They
all had a fantastic time together.
And from a recent press release, Katherine
Filiberto Fibiger has been appointed as the dir of
strategic development for the Barnum Financial
Group (an office of MetLife). Katherine will
be working on expanding the firm’s financial
literacy program for children and adults in the
community, as well as recruiting, mentoring,
and developing financial advisers interested
in targeting the women’s market. Congrats to
Katherine! (No word yet on whether she gets to
work with Snoopy!)
I just got word from Melanie Carroll Morrice,
who had her 2nd little boy, Gavin James, with
husband Peter, on July 6. Gavin joins big brother
Ryan, who is 2 1/2. The family is doing well and is
very happy.
So to all my loyal readers, thanks again for accompanying me on this memorable journey
through the news world of 1996. As Mr Seinfeld himself notes, “It’s amazing that the amount
of news that happens always just exactly fits the
newspaper.”
Kelly: 240-686-1538; [email protected]
1 9 97
Amy McKnight Fazen
68 Pine Crest Road
Newton, MA 02459
Hi, everyone. I hope you all had a great summer.
More great news to share about our class. It
seems that the baby boom continues!
Anthony and Emily Park Dragun ’98 welcomed their 2nd child, Joseph Anthony, on May
10. He joins sister Anna. All is well with the
Draguns in Louisville, KY.
Cara Edwards writes, “This year marks a full
decade of living in NYC. I moved to the city 10
years ago to go to law school at NYU. Moved to
beautiful Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, in 2003 and
have never left. I got married in Nov 2008 in
Charleston, SC, to Brian Stoehr, and just had my
1st child, Harrison Edward (Harry), in late Jan.
Last fall, I had the pleasure of running into fellow
Colgate alum Robyn Rothberg ’96, who is also
in the hood. She is getting married this year, I
think. Congrats to her! I believe, although I can’t
be sure, that I may have spotted classmate and
fellow Gamma Phi Maura McNulty on the streets
of Carroll Gardens, too. If so, Maura, look me up
and drop me a line! I’ve returned to work at DLA
Piper, where I’m a litigation assoc specializing in
pharmaceutical product liability defense.”
Cindy Weener Remis also had a recent familial
addition. She writes: “My son, William Michael,
was born on March 12, joining sisters Abby, 5,
and Emma, 3. All is going very well.” Dave McCullough reports, “Just a quick note to share the
news that my wife, Amanda, and I welcomed
Ainsley Marie into the world in Jan. Brother
Connor, 4, is thrilled to have a baby sister and
is slowly realizing the world doesn’t revolve
around him anymore! Still in CT, just outside
Hartford, trying to juggle work, play, and now 2
kids, but loving every moment.”
Congrats to everyone — and please keep the
updates coming!
Amy: [email protected]
1 998
Carmella Alvaro
Apt. 355
3939 Glenwood Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27612-4900
Hello, everyone. Updates are starting to dwindle.
Please send more! After 12 years, you may need
a refresher course: I see you all doing cool stuff
on Facebook, but my protocol is still for you to
send me an old-fashioned e-mail, as opposed to
me stalking you on your wall. Thanks to those
of you who write nice messages for me, too. I
only check that account every few months when
writing the Scene and am usually frantically
trying to submit before the deadline, so I may
not reply to each and every one of you. But to
answer all the questions at once: my move went
well, I love Raleigh, I’m gainfully employed at a
company owned by a Colgate grad, of course, and
you can contact me at the e-mail below with any
updates. Updates do not have to be limited to
babies and weddings. For example, I finally broke
100 on the golf course. I am excited enough to
share that with all 700+ of you, so there you have
it. Vacations, jobs, achievements, Colgate alumni
sightings — it all counts as news — please share.
Also, the new shiny color issues come out 4 times
a year now, so there is a lag time between you
sending me your update and seeing it in print.
Here is some current class gossip: Sue Burk
Vlcko reports, “Avery Laura was born on May 31,
the 1st child for my husband, Adrian, and me.
We just took her on a trip to VT for the amazing
wedding of Jessica Mazzeo ’98 to David Farley
’99, where she met a ton of Colgaters.” Christine
Malecka reports, “I got married over Memorial
Day weekend this year, on the bay at the Jersey
shore. My husband, Dan Tyrell, and I live and
work in Philly, where he is a chef and I am a
physical therapist trying to finish my PhD at the
U of DE. I am happy to say that many Colgate
grads traveled a long distance to celebrate with
us that day: Erik and Mimi Zolla Neandross, Tiffany DeFrance, Marnie DeMichele Dolan, Annie
Hance, Jake Strong, and my sister and her fiancé,
Kim Malecka ’02 and John Wutz ’02.”
Todd Capizzi writes, “I am moving to Denver
to start life in the private practice world of
hematology/oncology after finishing my fellowship. Can’t wait for the move and can’t wait to be
outdoors and not oppressed by the NE humidity.”
Jessica Deckard writes: “I am getting married
to Jason Bundy. We’re going to be moving from
New Orleans to New Carlisle, IN, after the wedding. I got a new job up north, but I’ll still be
teaching English. We bought a house just outside
of S Bend and are looking forward to being closer
to family.”
Brennan Keating writes, “My wife, Jen, and I
are thrilled to announce the arrival of our daughter, Evelyn Ryan. Eve was born on May 28 at 12:39
am and was 7 lbs, 11 oz, and 20" long. Eve gets her
first name from Jen’s great-great-grandmother
and her middle name was my grandmother’s
maiden name. Everyone is doing great.” Kelly
Lowther Pereira reports, “I received my PhD in
2nd language acquisition and teaching with a
specialization in Spanish sociolinguistics from
the U of AZ on May 14. And I got a job at the U
of NC-Greensboro as asst prof in the Dept of
Romance Languages.” From Ashley Mason: “I
married Matthew France in Lake George, NY, on
Sept 12, 2009. Bridesmaids were Jennie Norton
and Gillian Woolf ’96. Also in attendance were
Melissa Macewicz Thomas, Raina Gay ’96, Adam
Brucker ’97, Laurie Mason ’00, Josh Fine ’00,
and Carrie Griego ’08. It rained early, but the
sun came out just in time for the ceremony and
the boat ride across the lake to the reception at
the Lake George Club. Matt and I are living in
Burlington, VT, and I still work for NY State as a
mental health atty.”
Kristen Reas writes: “I married Chad Francis
on May 29 at our house in suburban Atlanta
with my beautiful daughter McKenna as the
flower girl/diva of the ball, and Libby Robinson
McQuiston ’96 was in the bridal party. We have 3
acres with a private pond and park-like wooded
area with a creek. The ceremony was on the dock,
and we brought in some phenomenal BBQ, local
musicians, and more. It was a long 6 months
getting the ‘yard’ transformed for the big event!
I started at Ace USA about a year ago in their
retail division, and on my 1st day got a welcome
note from one of the execs for our wholesale
division saying ‘GO, ’GATE!’ It was from Ned
Leber ’68. He’s here in Atlanta with me, and
we’ve swapped a few laughs about how much
of a difference 30 years can make between our
respective classes.” Harper Fertig Robinson has
happy news: “My husband (James Robinson)
and I welcomed a scrumptious baby girl into the
world on March 14! Her name is Brynn Marley
and we are overjoyed. One month prior to her
arrival, we became ‘suburbanites’ when we left
NYC for a house in NJ. Together, mom and Brynn
are getting used to being Jersey girls!”
Anthony ’97 and Emily Park Dragun ’98 just
welcomed their 2nd, Joseph Anthony, on May
10. He joins sister Anna, and all is well with the
Draguns in Louisville, KY. Besides my golf score,
I have another update. I had a Purple House
reunion in Charlottesville in May with the 4
of us (plus James) who lived together in DC
after graduation. The 5 Purple House babies got
to meet and play. In attendance were Allison
Gleason Besch with baby Eli; James and Andrea
Behr Woodward with 3 3/4-year-old Lily and baby
Evan; and Kristin VanVoorhees Nelson with
husband Teddy, 2 1/2-year-old Evin, and baby Isla.
Michael Seeley also writes with baby news:
“Prof Sturges was right, our puppy turned out to
be good training for us. On July 1, Clark Solomon
Seeley was born. Couldn’t have gone more
smoothly, so a big thank you to all the doctors
and nurses out there. Cynthia (Mrs Seeley) is relieved to now be the immediate past-pres of the
Women’s Bar Association of the State of NY and
looking forward to her new leadership role. I am
looking forward to sharing the new home office
with Clark on Fridays and teaching him about
the solar panels on the roof. Elysium Assoc is
doing well, and I look forward to welcoming the
Thirteen to Glens Falls. Hard to believe reunion
was already 2 years ago!”
Carm: [email protected]
1999
Katie Raisio Abstoss
Greetings, fellow ’99ers! We continue to keep
busy with jobs, degrees, babies, weddings, and
good old Colgate get-togethers. James and Paige
Horiuchi ’98 Raper have had an exciting 2010 so
far: In March, “we welcomed our 2nd son, Emery
Daniel, who has since been closely and lovingly
watched over by his brother Cranford.” James
also successfully defended his dissertation and
received his PhD in counselor education and
supervision from Syracuse U in May, and was
recently appointed asst dir of the Wake Forest
Counseling Ctr.
Brendan Keenan is also juggling babies and
grad school, writing that he and wife Sareen had
their 3rd daughter in Jan. “Roisin Frances joins
sisters Brigid and Aubrey. We were very lucky
that she came in Jan right over the winter break
at law school.” Scott Miltenberger and Anissa
Nachman are pleased to announce the birth of
their daughter, Lorelei Miltenberger Nachman,
(with a full head of hair!) on May 7. Anissa is enjoying spending time with Lorelei while taking a
break from the CA State Senate, where she works
as legislative dir for Senate Minority Leader-Elect
Bob Dutton. Scott is putting his PhD in American
history to good use, working as a historian for a
consulting firm in Davis, CA, where they live.
Erica Sawyer Greany wrote in, announcing
a new addition to her family! “Landrey Pamela
was born June 8, and we’ve been having a blast
with her. Jessie Chaset McGranahan had her
baby, Ellie Grace, on March 8. They live right
down the road and we get to see them all the
time, so we’re looking forward to watching the
kids play together.” Elizabeth Morphy Kovalak
and husband Steve welcomed their 1st child into
the world, Brooke Elizabeth, on May 6. “She’s
absolutely beautiful and is 2 months old today!
I’m looking forward to celebrating my bday here
in DC with my entire family.”
Many of us are adding to our broods with 2nd
and 3rd kids: Larry and Sarah Treffinger Latson
had their 2nd son, Luke Allen, on June 1, joining
brother Jack, 3. Michael and Sara Lesser Sherman had their 2nd child on June 15, Anna Bess.
She joins brother Jack, who turned 3 in Aug. And
Marshall Phelps and wife Kelly had their 2nd son,
Connor Thomas, on April 13. Connor joins brother
Ethan, who is almost 3.
Eric and Emily Martin Potts welcomed a new
baby boy on July 2. “Our 19-month-old daughter,
Violet, is proud to be a big sister to Carter William, and is excited to show him the ropes.”
Marianne Miller Nellis had her 2nd son, Eitanel
James, at the end of April, in Tel Aviv. And Bryan
and Mandy Gray ’97 Kirsch welcomed their 3rd
child, Charlie Gray, on May 31. He joins siblings
Molly, 7, and Sam, 3.
On the wedding front: Erin Matts wed Greg
Kalleres (NYU) on July 3 in the Catskills, not far
from Woodstock, NY. Kate Foster Lengyel reported that “the bride was beautiful, the setting
was gorgeous, and the party was incredible!”
Colgaters in attendance included: Roger and
Kate Foster Lengyel, Devon Slauenwhite, Jamie
’00 and Kim Chaskey Toedtman, Laura Wright,
Matt Olivo, Erin Chapman, Christina Licursi, Jake
Stahler, Alex and Vicki Armellino ’00 Fine, Greg
and Caroline Bing Wishart, Scott Goldsmith, Kellyn Smith (who was recently engaged and set to
wed in Sept), Jay ’00 and Vanessa Rath Menton,
Colgate seen
The spirit of alumni sporting their Colgate
gear is seen here, there, and everywhere
around the globe. Where was your latest
spotting? On a Machu Picchu trek? At a
mini-reunion in Pocatello? An election
polling site in Houston? We’re collecting
photos of Colgate sightings around the
world. Send them to [email protected].
While shooting on board the U.S.S. Dwight
D. Eisenhower for a pilot episode of their
TV series Intersections, Paul Verbitsky ’94
(left), John Dabrowski ’99 (second from
left), and Nick Verbitsky ’91 (far right)
discovered that the ship’s commander
was Peter Matisoo ’88. The Speed Channel series is produced by the Verbitskys’
company, Blue Chip Films.
The Vintage Thirteen took a trip to Walt
Disney World, where they sang beside
the Princess’s Castle at the Celebration
Central Pavilion. The 28 alumni, who as
students had sung with the Thirteen in the
1960s, gathered with their families for a
long weekend in Orlando, Fla., last spring.
73
Adam Andrew, and Eric and Jamie Spencer
Freedman.
Laura Wright wrote, “Alexa Couch and Andrew duPont were married in a beautiful church
near Central Park and their reception was at the
NY Public Library. Alexa was stunning, as always,
and there was a solid Colgate crowd on the dance
floor for the entire evening.” Guests included Laura Wright, Allison Ridder, Sadie Marcello Thoma,
Lexie Bozzuto Greene, Roger and Kate Foster
Lengyel, Siobhan Hart, Tony Shaw, Rich Kulick,
Kent Zelle, Wes Farish, Brooke Couch Freeland
’01, Katie Iorio ’01, Colleen Lang ’01, Greg Sattler
’02, Nick Abstoss, and yours truly.
Julia Murphy happily wrote that she is
engaged to Andy Burne and is set to marry in
NYC. Julia recently got her architecture license
and now works for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
Her fiancé, Andy, works for Turner Construction.
Kelly Rourke Marino wrote that “after 11 years
of working for other people, I jumped ship and
started my own company.” The company is called
Fulcrum Research Group; they design custom
market research primarily for clients in the
pharmaceutical industry. Kelly reports that “it
has been a lot of work, but a lot of fun, too.”
Shannon Brown Routhouska is looking
forward to an upcoming Colgate mini-reunion in
Saratoga Springs, which will include Celia Martellino, Britt Marden, Karen Siedlecki-Burgoon,
Tina Schmid, Kendra Harpster, Melissa Aguilar,
and Heather Brown.
Thanks for all the updates. Hope everyone is
having a wonderful fall!
Katie: [email protected]
2000
Katie Tone Brock
411 Sloan Road
Nashville, TN 37209-4654
Greetings and salutations! Our beloved Scene
editor had to get married, so I, Devon Skerritt,
am pinch-hitting with a sideline report from
our 10-year Reunion. The trip was a blur, especially because I spent much of my time running
through official reunion duties and daytime fun
at the tents, with evenings taking in a beautiful
view of the Chenango Valley at our rented house
on Bonney Hill. It was a real treat having my
amazing wife, Courtney, and our son, Cullen,
(born Feb 1) at reunion to share in the Torchlight
Ceremony, good friends, and our home away
from home.
Sorry I missed catching up with so many of
you, but here is who I did see: Starting with my
good friends and Parker 107 roommates, I stayed
with Ron and Steph Scott Varnum and their
beautiful, agile baby girl, Mallory; John Brouillard and wife, Amanda, with baby Jack; Mr and
Mrs Matt Marucci; and Josh Benet ’99. Congrats
to fellow classmates and Colgate Maroon Citation award winners Chrissy Quirolo O’Keefe,
fresh off her spring wedding and honeymoon,
and Gabe Schwartz, one of the most generous
Colgate supporters out there.
Special thanks to Chad Cooley, who announced our final class gift totals: a recordbreaking $109,376 with 220 donors and 34%
participation! Many thanks to everyone on the
class gift committee, our class agents, and each
of you who found it possible in these difficult
economic times to make an important contribution to Colgate.
Our class cocktails and banquet was a really
pleasant affair. I saw London study abroad
mates Aileen Haruvi Maxon, Dave Mehlman,
and Julie Dubitsky Lazarus (with husband Dave
Lazarus by her side). Also saw Ali McGrath, Vicky
74
scene: Autumn 2010
Armellino Fine, and a great group of about 50
classmates. Bday girl Amanda Fialk partied with
Kara Simonetti, Laurie Mason, Deirdre Lanning,
Brittany Trevenen O’Neill, and many others at
ATO (sorry I missed it!). Special thanks to Tommy
Campbell and his lovely wife, whom I sat with
and who inspired me to share some words about
community and philanthropy during our class
dinner. I had a wonderful chat with my old West
Hall mate and all around great guy Schorr Benhke. I also saw fellow Bostonian Alison Vacovec
in the Sat afternoon sun, as well as Dan and
Kristen Drobinski Fox, who brought their adorable son, Jonathan. They live outside of Boston,
with Dan still working in tech and Kristen is a
managing dir at education consulting company
Eduventures, Inc. I saw Leigh-Anne Bennett
Redfern and my old roommate Doug Schrank at
the awards ceremony in the chapel on Fri night.
Nice to see Chris Woodworth — he was about to
relocate for a few years in Ireland with his wife.
Wish you well, Chris! Dan Olson, Brian Suiter,
Jesse Chandler, Haldre Rogers, and many others
whom I miss dearly, I look forward to spending
time learning more about your adventures. Stay
in touch!
Really warm conversation with Ross Newman,
who has been acting and is looking at starting
his own company in NYC, and quick catch-up
with my old Boston roommate Brooke Bucklin
D’Entremont, who is married and a happy mom
teaching at Cardigan Mtn School in NH. Whiffle
ball and some drinks with my roommates Jason
LaRocca, Silvio DiSisto (who married Kristina
Walsh on July 4 weekend, featuring Nick Sun
in the wedding party), and the Brouillards,
Varnums, Mike and Kate Smith Wellen, Doug
Wolfson (who is quite the golfer after practicing
at his home course in Macau), Taylor Lies, Jason
LaRocca, and Matt Steinberg. Chatted in the
tents with Rachel Owens, an immensely successful lawyer in NYC, and my buddy Kelly Tyrrell,
who is still coaching soccer at Gettysburg. Plus
a wonderful chat about life with Ellen Rankin. I
saw Kate Lyden, Lisa Bank, Laura Jones, and Colleen Henry Burgin on the way out of town and
they said they had a good time. Sorry to everyone
I forgot to mention, but write in for next time!
One loyal classmate who was able to come
through in the clutch with an update, Anne Currier Michaels, writes: “Following in my husband’s
(Adam Michaels ’99) footsteps, I started my own
company called Pedal Free Bikes. We sell kids’
balance bikes, and things are going well so far!
In other news, I have been hanging out with
Summer Woo ’03. Our daughters are in a play
group together, so we get to spend a lot of time
reminiscing about Colgate. Reunion was wonderful, wish we could go back every year!” Thanks
so much, and good luck to you, Adam, and your
family!
A quick blast of other updates. First, John
Thompson writes that he and wife Jodi became
proud parents to daughter Alexis ‘Lexi’ Rose on
Feb 5.
I had a great phone chat with Karen Bonadio
Bergstresser, who is asst dir for external relations
at Brandeis Internatl B-School, where she has
been for over 5 years, loving her job in alumni
relations and event planning. I also exchanged
messages with the wonderful Stacy Parkin, who
shared my sadness at the passing of John Hubbard ’72. She is finishing her dissertation for grad
school in NYC.
Magnolia Levy Grossman checks in that she
is still living in NYC, and she continues, “I made
partner at my law firm last Sept, 5 months before
I gave birth to my daughter, Lilac Emmeline. As
it tends to do, time is flying already: she’s almost
5 months old now, and I’m back at work trying
to juggle partnership, mommyhood, and life!
We just got back from a trip to Burlington to
visit Kat Roos O’Neill (who is going into her 3rd
year at VT Law) and her husband, Jeremy, for the
weekend. Although it was Lilac’s 1st visit to the
green mountain state, Kat and Jeremy made her
feel right at home.” Great news, Magnolia!
Also, some news from Jennifer Craft Hogan
that didn’t make press last time: “I’m still living in Albany, NY. My husband, Gavin, and I
have spent the better part of the last 2 years
renovating our house. The list never ends, but we
are proud of what we have accomplished so far.
Our 2nd daughter, Lindsey Aidan, was born last
Aug 14. Her sister, Ashley Ryann, is 3 1/2. I have
been working p/t from home since Lindsey was
born, but will soon be leaving my job as dir of the
Pathways Into Education Ctr at the U at Albany
to be a f/t mom. Gavin just took a new programming job at CommerceHub, so there is lots of
change in our household! In addition to our
professional jobs and parenting, we also have
rental properties to keep us busy. There is never a
dull moment!” Good luck with everything, Jen!
Finally, back to our intrepid class editor, Kate
Tone, who writes: “I married Doug Brock on
May 15 in our adopted hometown of Nashville,
TN. The ceremony took place at a chapel on
the Vanderbilt U campus, where we met as
grad students. Following the ceremony, guests
enjoyed cocktails and dinner before hitting the
honky-tonks in downtown Nashville. We loved
every minute of the ceremony and celebration!
Sharing the day with our closest family and
friends, in our city that was just starting to recover from devastating floods 2 weeks earlier, was
definitely a gift.” In addition to the Tone siblings
(Bill ’03, Mike ’07, and Elisabeth ’11), other Colgate
friends in attendance included Lisa Bank, Collen
Henry Burgin, and Mike and Kristen McHenry
Collins. Many congrats, Katie!
That’s it for now. Feel free to send any reports
from reunion or other journeys and occasions
this summer to Mrs Brock. Best wishes!
Katie: 615-417-9727; [email protected]
2001
Jane Seney
83 Bradford Road
Watertown, MA 02472
Richard Demato says: “A great group of Colgate
alumni came together in March for the wedding of Jeremy Eisemann and Anne Ladov
(WI-Madison ’03). The weekend kicked off with
a rehearsal dinner at the Ritz including truly
memorable speeches and a rousing rendition of
‘Hava Nagila.’ To all those who know, I say, ‘yes,
that just happened.’ The next day was a beautiful
ceremony and reception at the Taj with an amazing band that kept us dancing through the night.
I was honored to be a part of the wedding party
along with Emanuel Zareh and Jeremy’s younger
brother and best man, Bradley. Other Colgate
alumni in attendance included Richard White,
James Walsh, Elizabeth Childs ’02, Timothy
Ledbetter, Ross Newman, Matt Fox ’02, Oakley
Dyer ’02, and Sam Cohen ’02, among others.
Jeremy and Anne are best friends who love each
other deeply, and we all wish them a happy life
together. On a personal note, my family would
probably trade me for Anne if they had a choice,
so I’m very happy that she gave Jeremy the honor of marrying her and I look forward to many
more adventures with them. Staying consistent
with the year of Jeremy, we also had a bachelor
party up in Park City in Jan that was perfectly
timed to experience the World Cup Aerials and
Moguls finals at Deer Valley. Speaking of which,
to all those who attended, can someone please
pass the Black Velvet, and while you’re at it, find
the number for a plumber? Past the Eisemann
festivities, I’m still living in LA and found time
to go surfing in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and HI
this year, so if anyone else out there is traveling
the world with a backpack and a surfboard, let’s
meet up!”
It’s been an exciting year for us as we’ve had
several new additions to our Colgate family.
Jeremy Weiner and Michelle Adelman had a
daughter, Abigail Vivienne, on May 18, 2009.
Henry and Rachel Kohn Sztul also had a daughter, Leila Rose, on Jan 12. Jeff and Jamie Sussman
Simon had a baby boy, Zachary David, on March
9, and the latest addition is a baby girl, Julia
Rose, born to Ben and Jamie Catalano Spielman
on June 29. Watch out, Colgate Class of 2031!
Jane: [email protected]
2002
Betsy Yates Long
445 Legacy Ct
Westerville OH 43082
Hello to all from sunny Long Beach Island, NJ,
where my husband and I have spotted quite a
few Colgate stickers on passing cars. Some short
news for the Class of ’02 column this quarter.
Please keep the news coming to my new e-mail
address below.
Josh Strom wrote to confirm the Facebook
news of his son’s birth and clear up the details!
“On May 25, exactly our 2nd wedding anniversary, Tali and I welcomed our baby boy into the
world. We were able to bring him home in time
for him to watch his first ballgame with his
dad, which just happened to be the night of Roy
Halladay’s perfect game for our Phillies. A week
later, at his bris, we gave him the name Jonah
Abraham. Although we’re still getting adjusted
to sleeping in short pockets of time, parenthood
is everything it’s cracked up to be and then
some. From his crying, we can already tell he’s
got a set of lungs on him, so I think he’s almost
ready for his Thirteen tryout. And it doesn’t
hurt that Jonah happens to be absolutely beautiful.”
Another Thirteener and friend Tim Seamans
wrote to tell of his own updates. Living in
Brookline, Tim has finished b-school and is
working as a business analyst in the global
marketing ops group with a software company.
As the leader of the Colgate Club of Boston, Tim
Info, please:
If you know of the whereabouts — home
address, phone, fax, or e-mail — of anyone on this list, please contact alumni
records: 315-228-7435; 315-228-7699
(fax); [email protected].
Thanks for your help!
Ellis M. Saums ’51
Richard C. Shaw ’63
David O. Salvin ’88
Alexander J. Keoleian ’90
Heejin Lee ’03
Melissa S. Rawson ’03
Natalie A. Rawson ’05
invites all ’02 Raiders and other years as well to
any upcoming events!
Emily Roper-Doten writes that she and Lauren Schiffer headed down to DC in May to visit
Alyssa Verbalis. While in our nation’s capital,
the lovely Kate Connors Michael ’01 hosted them
at her adorable house for dinner. Since the visit,
Alyssa has finished her PhD and will settle in
Cinci for a post-doc. Emily then traveled with
husband Curt ’03 to OH for Curt’s work, and had
a chance to see Lindsey Cohan Swad ’03. While
the visit was short, Emily writes it was great to
see her! On a separate note, Emily’s also involved
with Boston Women’s Colgate Book Club. Having
attended with Lauren and Riley O’Brien Wolff
’97, Emily was reminded of why being a Colgate
alumnae is special, having blogged about it for
her work at Tufts admissions.
Again, please note the new address and send
all news in about your summer vacations, club
functions, and updates afield! Cheers!
Betsy: 614-506-0534; [email protected]
2003
Melanie Kiechle
Apt. 3
7040 Chew Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Happy fall! I don’t know about you, but I am
ready for these cooler days. The summer went
by in a whirlwind, but it was certainly warm!
Some highlights from me (after all, what do I
do besides write the column?) were a wonderful trip to AK in May, a fun-filled weekend with
Kelli Wong in Charleston, SC, in July, and a move
to Philly in Aug. I’ll be a Philly girl for this year,
while I enjoy a dissertation fellowship at the
Chemical Heritage Fndn. Let me know if you’ll
be in town!
Now, on to everyone else’s news — and there’s
plenty of it. Summer meant weddings, as always,
and I’m sure these are just the tip of the iceberg.
First up is Sarah Hamill’s wedding to Jesse Skoch
’02, making her name Sarah Hamill Skoch. This
update is directly from the blushing bride: “It
was our vision to get married at Colgate where
we met and fell in love, and we felt really blessed
and overwhelmed that so many of our family
and friends traveled to Hamilton to witness our
vows. We really made a weekend of it, and our
friends and family took over Hamilton for about
4 days. We got married in the Colgate Memorial
Chapel and Fr Donovan traveled from his home
parish to perform the ceremony. We haven’t seen
him in a few years, so it was very special that
he was the one who married us. The cocktail
hour was at the beautiful Merrill house, and the
reception was on the lawn under the tents. As
we were having dinner, the sun was setting over
the campus and it was a moment we will never
forget. Lynn Noesner ’02 and Brian McAllister
’02 were in the wedding party, and Rachael
Hersh-Burdick and Christina Ott attended the
reception. We had guests from all over the country. It made us very happy to see all those faces
from places we have lived or had some connection to.” Obviously, it was a perfect day. Congrats,
Jesse and Sarah!
Sarah Aig also tied the knot, marrying Steve
Kleinman on May 23. “The weather was amazing and we had a fantastic day. It was so nice
to be able to celebrate with Rachel Lally, Meryl
Ashkenazi, Caroline Sun, Lacy Cohen, and Leslie
Reed. It was so great to have Leslie come in from
CA for the wedding! We headed off to HI for
our honeymoon. It was amazing there and we
thought many times about not coming back, but
we are settling into married life now.” The happy
couple is living in their new house in NJ, and
Sarah is working as a pediatric physical therapist.
All wonderful things!
Next up is another Colgate couple, and the
news comes from another Sarah. Sarah Tanner
this time: “Katie Crosby and McKay Marschalk
were married on June 19 in CT. There were lots of
Colgaters in attendance to celebrate with them:
Susie Becker Gould, Ashley Pratt Perkin, Caleb
and Betsy Buyers-Lawrence, Jen Stuart, Kevin
and Anne Workman Mulholland, Charles and
Brooke Fetzer Macon, Caitlin Donahoe Tangen,
Lauren Kaufman, Megan Woram, Greg Moroney,
Jay Birk, Brad Marschalk ’06, Sloan Sutta, Brian
Bevan, Jeb Broomell, Ryan Britton, Chris Morris,
Jim Sears, Jon Gersch, Steve Dolan, Meredith
Rovelli ’05, Robert Bollman ’05, Peter DavaneyGraham ’07, Cliff Merrill ’06, and Matthew Malloy.” Thanks for the update, Sarah, and congrats,
Katie and McKay!
In other news, Chris Morris and wife Courtney
welcomed boy-girl twins into the world in Jan!
I imagine they’re very busy now, but I’m glad
Chris could share the news with us and wish
them all the best.
Looking ahead, Chris Hooper has some wonderful news and plans for next summer: “I got
engaged in Jan to a wonderful woman named
Aet Soe. She is originally from Tallinn, Estonia,
and is a sommelier working in wine sales here in
NY. We live together in the Village and plan to
get married in Manhattan next year.” Fabulous
news, indeed.
Andrew Forbes also had some exciting news
to share. He and wife Tori both started jobs as
asst profs at U of IA in Aug, Andrew in bio and
Tori in chem. Andrew also says: “I spent a few
days visiting Blair Goodridge last month. He is
doing well and is in his 2nd year of grad school at
the Bren School of Environmental Sci and Mgmt
at UC Santa Barbara. He’s working on a project
involving nitrogen and carbon cycling in submarine groundwater (which I interpret as being
the water under the ground under the water).
Ari Vigoda has been performing in a number of
plays in NYC, and also has a YouTube channel.”
Andrew recommended the cat food episode, and
so I watched. It’s pretty funny.
Jess Lapinsky just bought a house in Champaign, IL, where she is going to the U of IL for her
certificate of advanced studies in preservation
admin from the school of library science.
Mike Desjadon hasn’t gotten married or won
elected office (his caveats for the update), but he
is doing well. He works for a health care think
tank and is trying to help hospitals find the right
mix of technology and consulting to prepare
them for the effects of health care reform, in
whatever form that may ultimately take.
Some changes are in the works for Colin McNamara: “After 4 years of W MA boarding school,
this fall brings a switch to teaching HS humanities at Sonoma Academy (about an hour north
of SF). In the meantime, I’m enjoying my last
summer in the East, finishing up my master’s at
Wesleyan, and trying to get prepped for my 1st
go-around at teaching history. Looking forward
to seeing some Colgate alums in SF.”
Maybe Colin will see Justin Hoover, who has
been very busy in SF’s art world. Read on for
details: “After completing my master of fine art
in new genres from the SF Art Institute in 2009,
I was appointed curator and gallery dir of SOMArts Cultural Ctr, one of SF’s oldest, largest, and
most experimental galleries. I have an expansive
creative practice in the production of events,
exhibitions, public programs, and happenings,
and I can still continue along the path of arts
admin and visual arts leadership. I have been
central to the development of the Commons
Curatorial Fund and Residency, which awards
6 cash prizes and 6 month-long exhibitions to
groundbreaking and unique community-based
exhibitions. Additionally, with support from
Southern Exposure Gallery in SF, I am publishing
a limited-edition retrospective book/catalog of
my experience with the Garage Biennale, an artist-run alternative space I founded and directed
2004–2009. Lastly, I am set to debut It’s All a Blur,
my newest large-scale exhibition funded in part
from the Western States Art Federation grants
for the arts, set to open at SOMArts in Dec 2010
and travel to multiple galleries and institutions
across the western states over the subsequent
year.” To keep better tabs on Justin and learn
more, he says to friend him on Facebook or send
an e-mail.
If you want to get in touch with Garrett Mason, you’ll have to go the old-fashioned route and
use real mail for the next few years. Garrett left
in July for Liberia, where he’ll be teaching science
as a Peace Corps volunteer. However, he would
love to receive some mail. Just get ready for some
lag time; Garrett says that “it takes about 3 weeks
for letters to reach Monrovia (the capital), and
then a few more as the Peace Corps staff has to
hand carry the mail to each volunteer’s village
‘up-country.’” That said, Garrett was very excited
to start this new adventure, and I hope that
everything is going well. Send him some mail!
Melanie: 315-778-0497; [email protected]
2004
Moira Gillick
Tottering Hall
2501 Calvert Street NW
No. 705
Washington, DC 20008
Hello, beautiful people. Newbies and novices to
submitting to the column go first.
Will Culp up to the plate: “I am interning in
Philly for the summer after spending 3 years
in LA and the last one at USC Marshall School
of Business in the 1st year of the grad program.
Just caught up with a horde of ’04 alumni for
a weekend of summer concerts. Jess Oyer, Kit
Edwards, Brendan Spellman, Charlie Koster,
Tim Warnecke, Fletcher Strong, Sam Didrikson,
and John and Jenny Meacham Bailey were all
in attendance. It was a great time, and great to
reconnect. Happy to have anyone give a shout
if you’re in LA or coming into town to visit. Stay
beautiful and enjoy the summer!” Oh love.
Lauren Fitzgerald writes, “On June 19, I
married Christopher Turner in my hometown,
and now Chris’s home, Buffalo, NY. Kristyn
Fredericks, Thea Schlendorf, and the newly
engaged Heather McKay came for the weekend
and attended the rehearsal dinner at West Side
Rowing Club, the ceremony at St Martin of Tours
Church, and the reception at the Buffalo and Erie
County Historical Society. Totally inadvertently, I
sat them at table number 13! We had a fantastic
time, and I was so happy to share the weekend
with my Colgate girls.” I find it hard to believe
that the 13 was a coincidence, Lauren! Perhaps
when Heather gets married she should do the
same?
Heather also wrote in with her happy news:
“I got engaged in May in DC to my now fiancé,
Greg, and we’re getting married on 9-10-11! In
June, I went to a Red Sox game through the
Boston Alumni group and saw Lindsey Slenger,
Whitney Baer, and Tucker Bailey.” 9-10-11 is
a crazy day to get married, but it’s hard-core
Colgate to get married on a Colgate Day (like
my cousin Megan did in Aug). Just to get really
spooky, there are 2 Friday the 13ths in the year
2013, one in Sept and one in Dec.
Getting back to business, Dave Ramirez
writes: “I have a web show called Best Stuff that I
write and host. It’s sponsored by Snapple, which
is one of the clients my ad agency, Campfire,
works for. I’m usually just a copywriter, but I
ended up pitching this show to them and they
liked it, and I tricked them into hiring me as the
host by doing it for free. There are 5 episodes by
YouTube user ‘beststuffonearth,’ and they went
out every other Wednesday until Sept.”
I love it when new people write in. Lalalalalaaalove it. Especially when they reach back far
into the history books for reporting, as did Ms
Meredith Mimms. She wrote, “After 3 years, Aaron
Baughman and I have re-entered the job market,
having just received a law degree and a master’s
in interior architecture, respectively. We are still
in DC, and are celebrating our 1-year anniversary.
We were married on Aug 8 of last year in my
hometown in NJ, dancing to the tunes of a strolling Dixieland band and ending our night with
an homage to The Jug (‘New York, New York’).
Featured ’Gaters were Kristin Connor, Jane Manning, Kate Wolfe Daughtry, Ian Galloway, Will
Lewis, James Ralph, Polly Smith, Emily Lanuto,
Dave Conrad, Kelly Dorsey, Curtis Kim, Joann
Obi, Jeremy Jones ’05, Katie Van Deventer, and
Peter Jacobson ’05.” I am mostly sure this is the
record number of Colgate attendees at a wedding
ever reported in our class column. Mimms’s
report continues with another wedding, “We
spent the 4th of July in Cove, OR, where Ian
Galloway and his new wife, Nicole, celebrated
their marriage with a great group of friends and
family. Among those friends was a solid group
of Colgate alumni, including James Ralph, Dave
Conrad, and Jarrett Turner. Unfortunately, we
don’t get to see these guys as often as we’d like,
but we had an amazing time celebrating with
them, and Ian and Nicole. James returned to his
West Coast roots and is practicing law in SF. Dave
left DC after med school and is now a resident in
NYC. And Jarrett and his girlfriend, Devon, joined
us for the weekend from NYC, where he is an
assoc for sun capital partners. We spent 4 days
on Ian’s parents’ beautiful cherry orchard, and
even celebrated the 4th by going to a traditional
rodeo. Our 1st visit to the Pacific NW was a raging
success and we hope we get invited back!”
As Meredith writes, geography really is a divide. I am super psyched my sister Megan ’93 just
moved back to the East Coast from OR. She was
working for OR State U as the sr dir of development for athletics (definitely a fun vacation to
see her and definitely even more fun to watch
the Beavers beat the Trojans, but a long plane
ride) and her new position is now a short drive
from DC to Baltimore, where she is the new dir
of development for Loyola U MD (a Jesuit school
with a boring mascot but a nasty lax team).
But happily, and mysteriously, there is a nice
West Coast posse of Colgate ladies whom Patty
Tredway wrote in about: “A group of Colgaters
gathered for the wedding of Polly Morton, now
Polly Wood (great name, and quite fitting!), in
Napa, CA. She married Mike Wood (USF ’02); it
was a beautiful wedding extravaganza with
a couple of nights of local music and wine.”
I spot the following in the picture she sent:
Polly, Patty, Eliza Knowles, Melanie Grossman,
Katherine Lynn, Gillian Farrell, Liz Ambrosia,
Diana Heinicke, and Pat Crawford. How did I do?
Pics from Mimms/Baughman, Galloway, and
Morton weddings are posted to the 2004 class
page on colgateconnect.org (the new, improved
colgatealumni.org).
And the last newbie to write in, writing about
a place that belongs to neither East nor West, neither Midwest nor South, Greg Stevenson writes,
75
“I’ve recently moved to DC after graduating from
my master’s program at TX A&M and am looking
forward to reconnecting with Colgate folks!”
Brilliant. Quick and to the point. Good luck in DC;
there are very few Texans left in this town these
days.
Next up, the always reliable 15 College St
girls. Rosie Bancroft writes, “We from 15 College
have had lots of developments. Katie Konrad
became Katie Konrad Moore on Aug 14. A few
lucky Colgaters were in attendance at a beautiful
Seattle wedding, including great music and a
mobile food truck with Korean/Hawaiian fusion
for the guests!” Rosie also included Emily Wright
Luckett’s good news, and we heard from Emily
herself: “I had a baby girl 3 weeks ago, Presley.
She joins brother Cade.”
Joe Brazauskas. My buddy, my pal. He writes
in fast and furious from his Blackberry from deep
within the AU Law Library no doubt: “I’m studying for the bar. It’s fun. I went to Colgate with
Brian McDermott and visited reunion, and went
to the wedding of Reed Grimes ’05. Mark Tannen
and Andrew Rollins ’03 were there. Will see a
number of Colgate people in a few weeks at Jon
Gelman’s wedding: Jon Bedard, Jon Brunell, Sean
Killion, McDermott, Will Martin, and probably
some ’05s.”
Jeremy Striffler writes in a postcard, “I graduated from the MBA program at the Rome, Italy,
campus of St John’s U. My next destination is
unknown but I am pursuing job opportunities
both home and abroad.”
People. Congrats and maximum gratitude
to the new correspondents. As always, I look
forward to hearing from you, and if not, hearing
about you.
Moira: [email protected]
2005
Amy Griffin
Apt. 3
847 North Oakley Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60622
June 4, 9:33 pm: Land SYR, and gadzooks! Andrew
May is also on my flight from ORD. 10:44 pm:
Andrew and I pull into campus in a sweet Ford
F150, CNY style. 11:17 pm: Tents action. Everyone
is here, including Keith Williams, Matt Huddle,
Kelly Dearie, and Alex Glover, and people are
already dancing in the ’05 tent — except for
Ashley Kaufman, missing, and later reported to
be in the Class of ’60 tent. 11:21 pm: Chris Brown
walks me through the registration process,
including highlighting my name on the class
roster and introducing me to everyone as the
“author of the Scene column.” No one seems
impressed. 12:55 am: Try and find Jenny Niles at
Slices, no luck. But did get a slice… OK, two. 1:00
am: Bacon. Photo Hunt. 1:21 am: The Jug — where
else? Everyone’s cutting a … linoleum floor? 2:12
am: Caught in the downpour and Jenn Young is
using a Slices box as an umbrella. 2:22 am: Center
Stillman.
June 5, 9:14 am: Drag ourselves to Frank to get
there in time for breakfast. 11:10 am: Gabrielle
Provencal and I make our 1st of many trips to the
bookstore. 11:45 am: Ordering Roger’s subs and
rehashing the previous evening with Biz McDermott. 11:49 am: Finish giant Rice Krispies treat.
4:35 pm: Bowl game (an old favorite) with John
Fuller, Alex Hallowell, Pat Murphy, Leah Anderson, Mike Stein, Allen Royce, and choice others
on the shore of Taylor Lake. 6:07 pm: Reception
and dinner for our class at the Reid Athletic Ctr.
9:08 pm: Katie Finnegan and I are the 1st ones
to start the dance party with the Skycoasters,
aka best band ever. 10:49 pm: Dance party has
76
scene: Autumn 2010
officially flourished into a full-blown affair. Holy
smokes. 12:18 am: The Jug. Duh.
Sunday, June 6, 10:23 am: Frank Dining Hall, I
will miss you. 12:20 pm: Carly Kiel, Katie O’Hare,
and I say our bittersweet goodbyes to our cohorts
and drive to the airport. 12:56 pm: Everyone,
simultaneously, realizes that that was the best
weekend … ever? And names their subsequent
Facebook albums accordingly.
In non-reunion fare, I have the following
news: Laura DiLorenzo (engaged to marry Zack
Page in 2011), has graduated from culinary school
and is doing her externship at the critically acclaimed Locanda Verde in NYC. Katie Finnegan
got her MBA from Duke and is working at AT
Kearney in Boston. Amy Steigerwald, Caroline
Curtis, and Chandler Bewkes ’04 were with her
at Duke for the MBA Games weekend this spring,
which benefits Special Olympics of NC. Katie
also proudly broke 100 bowling in Boston with
Jen Busby Hughes, Cara Angelopulos, Katie Holbrook, Sarah Fitzgerald, Lane Ellis, Sean Devlin,
and John Mooradian.
Anais Hervieux reports: “I got married on
April 24 to a non-Colgate alum, Brian Caccamo in
the Chicago area. I am working as the in-house
legal counsel for a health care company, and
Brian works for Chase. Leanna Simpson, Jennifer
Hudler, and Cristina Salmastrelli were in the
bridal party. In attendance were other Colgate
alums: Alisa Levine ’06, Heather Wick ’04,
Nathan Newton, and Greg Bautista ’04. We all
met up again for Leanna’s bridal shower in CT,
followed by a bachelorette party in NYC. Later in
the summer, Leanna Simpson and Greg Bautista
were married in a ceremony at Colgate Memorial
Chapel, followed by a reception at the COOP!
They were engaged last spring. On Greg’s side,
Mark Anania ’04 and Matt Hespos ’03 stood up
with him on the big day.”
Linda Chernak recently became engaged to
Clifford Meyers MD and they are buying a house
in Rochester, NY. Linda is finishing her PhD at
Brown.
Thanks for reading to the bottom. Go, ’Gate.
Amy: [email protected]
200 6
Bob Fenity
Apt. 704
1415 Rhode Island Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20005
I hope you all had a great summer. In just a
short period of time, we’ll be back at Colgate for
Reunion 2011.
Congrats to Whitney Jennings and Bill Leinen.
They were married on Aug 14 at Keuka Lake, NY.
They both spent the summer in DC and are now
enjoying being newlyweds.
I had a chance to catch up with Jimmy Liu,
who was visiting DC for an annual 4th of July pig
roast hosted by several Colgate alums, including
Bob Fitchette ’07, Brandon Greene ’07, Eric Craft
’07, and Ben Suarato ’07. Jimmy has been enjoying living in NYC working for Conde Naste.
Another congrats to John McGann and Sarah
MacFarlane, who were married this summer.
Several weeks before the wedding, Sarah partook
in an awesome tubing trip in WV with Colgate
alums from the Class of ’05, organized by Mike
Adams ’05 and Steven Segall. Other participants
included Emily Colahan Cerone, Ram Parimi ’05,
Charlie Liebschutz, Brian Walsh, Anne Gruppo,
Katherine Donovan, Elisa Benson, and Desiree
Abeleda Adams.
Megan Sobel and Brian Yellin headed to
NYC to watch the US-England World Cup game.
Joining them for a mini-Colgate reunion at an
Upper East Side bar were Brian Riley, Pippa
Davidson, Jen Reynolds, Amanda Nicodemus,
and Joy Carandang. In a flashback to their ’Gate
cheerleading days, Megan and Joy revved up
the crowd — lots of clapping, cheering, and high
leg kicks. Megan and Brian also joined Bryan
Cecala and Rachel Mulcahy for a Chesapeake Bay
getaway. The 2 couples enjoyed their time by the
water and reminisced about the great DU fridge
selections.
Steph Wortel is still acting and had a busy
summer performing in shows including a happily ever after piece as part of a theater fest in
Brooklyn. She also worked p/t at the American
Museum of Natural History, which gave her the
freedom to really pursue performing.
Four years after graduating, Saraswati Singh
and Amy Dudley are now expanding their roles
from leaders at Colgate to leading America. Both
work for Sen Ted Kaufman and enjoy seeing a
daily reminder of our time in Hamilton in their
office.
Laura Dowgin writes: “We got some great
news this spring. Jenn Schwendeman got
engaged! She’s living in S Africa with her fiancé
and getting her master’s from the U of Cape
Town. Lisa Stern, Amber Gregorio, Lexi Arias,
and I are looking forward to celebrating with
her when she comes to visit NY this fall. Lexi’s
younger brother, Adam, is getting ready to start
his 1st year at Colgate. We’re pretty excited to
have an excuse to visit and party like it’s 2006.”
Enjoy the fall, send me some updates, and
start planning your travel to reunion.
2007
Allie Grimes
Apt 2B
120 East 11th Street
New York, NY 10003-5311
I recently received an e-mail from Henoch
Derbew, who caught me up on life in SF. He says:
“I just arrived in the Bay area and am excited to
start my associate program at a social justice
nonprofit called the Greenlining Institute in
Berkeley, CA. The 1st weekend here, I stayed in SF
with JJ Figueroa ’08, who showed me the area.
As we were enjoying the block parties with our
Colgate gear, we also ran into an alum from 2001.
My 1st house guests were Claudia Piacente ’09
and Victor Omwando ’09, who drove down from
Davis to spend the weekend with me, taking in
the sights of Berkeley. It’s been a fun couple of
weeks. Another ’Gate visitor to our fair area was
Brea Collier, who came to SF in July for her work
with the AVON Walk for Breast Cancer.”
Charlie Danoff also kept me posted on his
experiences living and teaching in Asia. “Last
year, I worked in Japan as an English teacher and
had a wonderful experience. I plan on continuing
working in Asia, and started a 10-month teaching contract in Anqing, China, at the end of Aug.”
You can keep in touch with Charlie and follow
him through his WordPress blog Left in Front.
Charlie is also keeping busy writing for other
publications. He recently edited, distributed,
published, and wrote for the 1st issue of The Uncertainty Principle. Anyone interested in reading
his article can find issue one, published on Dec
13, online. Nathan Krishnamurthy also wrote a
haiku for the publication.
I also had a chance to catch up with Martha
Rose, who started at Columbia Law last fall. She
let me know that Adam Gold graduated from
Columbia Law last spring and is starting a clerkship at the Court of Chancery in Wilmington,
DE, working for Vice Chancellor Donald Parsons.
He’ll be working there for a year and then going
on to become an assoc at Cravath.
In less academic news, my kickball team is
filled with class of ’07 and ’08 alums, and we’re
thus far undefeated. To name a few, the team
includes Joe Lambert (our fearless captain),
Marshall Wheeler, Chris Innes, George Plummer,
Dave Greene ’08, Andrew Kreidman ’08, Danielle
Graham, and Jenn Pflug. I should also mention
that Danielle and Jenn ran the NYC marathon
last fall and did an amazing job. Congrats to
them!
Speaking of marathons, last spring I joined
the group Team in Training, along with ’08
alums Carter Hatch and Jaclyn Berger. The
organization trained us to run a marathon over
the course of about 5 months while raising funds
for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It’s a
great cause and a wonderful organization, with
chapters all over the country, so I would encourage any interested alums to sign up.
That’s all for now. Please send me an e-mail
with updates on you and your friends so I can
include them in the next issue. Thanks!
Allie: [email protected]
2008
Sarah Greenswag
2124 Birchwood Lane
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089
Hi, all! Hope everyone enjoyed their summers
and had a chance to be outdoors and see the sun.
Once again, I am excited to see that our Facebook
group has been extremely successful! If you
haven’t already joined, please search for Colgate
Class of 2008 on Facebook. This is the best way to
send updates and keep in touch with classmates.
Several of our classmates are staying busy in
grad school, pursuing higher degrees and putting
off the world of work (definitely a good move!).
Lindsay Levine is attending law school at NC
Central U and is on track to graduate in 2012.
Danny Giacopelli started his master’s work at the
War Studies Dept at King’s C, London, in Sept. He
is excited to be living in London and traveling
when he can. Eileen Zenz recently finished 2
years of schizophrenia research at a psychiatric
hospital and is moving onto a PhD program in
biomedical sciences at the Albert Einstein C of
Medicine. Eileen is hoping to study auditory
processing, specifically how music influences the
brain. Susan Teubner-Rhodes recently finished
her 2nd year in the neuroscience and cognitive
sciences PhD program at U of MD, College Park.
She also attended the wedding of Marla Pfenninger to Abner Saint Gilles in Flemington, NJ.
She had a chance to catch up with classmates
Amanda Harper, Bill Neidermyer, Joe Madres, Doris Chang ’09, and Ian Maron-Kolitch ’07. Marla
is working on post-bac work to prepare for med
school and Joe is putting together an art show in
NYC. Erin Szydloski earned her MA in English at
OH State and just started her PhD work. Steph
Macomber also finished her teacher cert program
at Columbia U’s Teachers C. She is teaching 9th
and 10th grade global history at her alma mater,
New Canaan HS in CT.
Fernanda D Carvalho enrolled in Columbia
U’s MD-PhD program. She completed a summer
research rotation in the lab of Dr Rene Hen, and
began med school in late Aug. Katie Zarrella
was accepted to Central Saint Martins C of Art
and Design in London, where she will obtain
her master’s in fashion/fashion journalism.
She moved to London in Oct after covering NY,
Paris, and London Fashion Weeks. She continues
to work as a contributing editor at The Dossier
Journal, as well as a fashion and art contributor
at Interview mag.
As for the rest of us, there was a lot to celebrate over the summer! I want to say congrats
to all of our classmates who are either engaged
or married. Rob Sobelman and Deb Charney were
engaged on the Brooklyn Bridge on June 26. Jill
Ferris attended the wedding of Erin O’Keefe
and Derek Harberts on June 12 in Annapolis, MD.
Jill caught up with some classmates, including
Jane Tully, Justine Levesanos, Jill Sobo, Mike
Wooldridge, and Sarah Hale. Kacy Reams and
Owen Brenner have also attended several Colgate
weddings. Several members of Colgate’s football
team tied the knot over the summer. Mike Gallihugh and Shannon O’Hagan ’06 were married
in Bald Head Island, NC, last May. Kacy caught
up with Tommy Zanetich and Pat Calabro, who
flew in from CO for the occasion. Steve Saulen
married his longtime girlfriend, Amy, in Wooster,
MA, over Memorial Day weekend. In mid-July,
Kacy and Owen attended the wedding of Matt
Sullivan in Baltimore, MD. In non-wedding news,
Kacy and Rebecca Tennis attended a Colgate
happy hour in DC, where they caught up with
Jane Sheehan, Sam Jacobson, Chris Nulty ’09,
and several other Colgate alums. Adam Davis
is continuing to do well in Ft Lauderdale, FL. He
recently opened his 3rd pawn shop and is living
with Allison Kadden, who recently accepted a job
at Franklin Templeton.
Also in DC, several of our classmates celebrated Charley Tharp’s acceptance to med school
with a BBQ. Sam Levy, Sam Obenhaus, Nina
Capriotti, Carrie Wagner ’09, Mallorie Heneghan,
Jane Sheehan, Christina Kavanagh, Amanda Williams, Luke and Lindsay Thomas Champlin, and
Mila Adamova were all in attendance. Mila also
caught up with some NYC residents over July 4
weekend in DC. There was a mini-Theta Chi reunion featuring Jeff Feintuck, Zach Carlisle, Ben
Croes, JT Riley ’09, Bryan Bloom, Dan Hittman,
and Jamie Reutershan ’09. Other visitors from
NYC included Marty Pinnes, Sarah Gilman ’09,
Black DeBoer, Maria Concilio, and Betsy Collins.
Betsy was accepted to med school at Loyola in
Chicago, where she started her studies this fall.
Mila also had a chance to visit some other classmates in Buffalo, NY, including Kari Jansen. She
visited with Emily Cullings and Becky Billmire
by Kari’s pool, fighting over the controversial
sounds of a vuvuzela. Speaking of, there is a
vuvuzela app on the iPhone if you really want to
annoy the people you hang out with!
Taylor Buonocore also had several Colgate encounters last spring and summer. In April, while
in Europe, Taylor caught up with Melissa Lehman
’11 and the Colgate study group in Geneva. A
few days later, Taylor caught up with Shannon
Greulich ’11 in Florence. Back in NYC, Taylor spent
time with Sian-Pierre Regis ’06, Carolyn Theis,
and Julia Gooding. Julia spent the summer in
China/Taiwan. Taylor has had an adventurous
year so far. She witnessed the tsunami in HI
and was stranded in Europe during the volcanic
explosion in Iceland. She went back to Trinidad
for work this fall and has enjoyed spending time
with her little sister, Britty Buonocore ’12.
James Herbert is also living and working
abroad. He has ditched office life and is living
on a small island in the Hebrides off the west
coast of Scotland called Erraid. He is working on
a local commercial lobster fishing boat and is
enjoying how amazing life is there! Christophe
Lagrange has been living in London for the last 2
years working for Hines, an internatl real estate
developer and investment manager, and recently
joined their European Capital Markets group.
He misses the shump on a daily basis but has
recently been able to facilitate internatl shumps
with fellow Zurich-based shumper Devin Hanrahan. Separately he still hates/loves his DBF on a
daily basis. Eileen Patricia Kelly, Julia Heymans,
and Tori Filler traveled throughout Vietnam
and Thailand for 2 weeks — even stopping in
Bangkok to check out the riots! Julia recently
move to NYC and is living with Tommy Zanetich
and Pat Nolan ’07 in Tribeca. Alyssa Mayo and
Eileen Patricia Kelly have started their own radio
show, the Sophomore Slump, broadcasting out
of Bushwick, Brooklyn. As of June 2010, Victoria
Shepard has been living in Nairobi, Kenya, working for the humanitarian org Internatl Rescue
Committee as a Princeton in Africa Fellow. She is
a member of the programs team, writing grants
and evaluating their effectiveness while also
developing and implementing new projects for
IRC-Kenya. The programs focus on health, ranging from nutrition to HIV, water and sanitation,
education, livelihoods, and emergency response.
While my friends are out saving the world,
I enjoyed a restful summer stateside. I hope
I caught up with some of you when I visited
Seattle at the end of July! If you’re ever in the
Chicago area, let me know. Thank you again for
all of the news. Please join our Facebook group,
Colgate Class of 2008, or e-mail me with updates!
Sarah: [email protected]
200 9
Samantha Gillis
616 Crowne Oak Circle
Winston Salem, NC 27106-3388
Hi, Class of 2009! I hope everyone had a great
summer! I had the opportunity to be in CO and
see fellow 2009 class members! First, congrats
to Katie Van Cleve and Andrew Long, who got
engaged over the summer.
Katherine Pezzella just moved to Somerville,
MA, with Sarah MacKenzie. Katherine is working
on her master’s in higher ed at Harvard Grad
School of Education. Sarah is starting her master’s in speech and language pathology at MA
General Hospital’s Institute.
In DC, Melinda Chau, Josie Miller, and Catherine Mendola are living together. James Quay
writes that he finished earning his master of
accountancy at Vanderbilt U’s Owen Grad School
of Mgmt. He moved to DC in Sept, where he is
working for Deloitte & Touche.
In NYC, Erin Pierson writes that proving once
again that art majors are not utterly helpless
in the current recession, she and John Emison
are now working together at SculptureCenter, a
nonprofit contemporary art museum in LI City,
NY. Erin, a former intern and now staff member
since Jan, and John (recently hired!) have begun
their slow, nonviolent takeover of NYC arts nonprofits.
Meredith O’Leary, also in NYC, is currently
the studio manager at a post-production/editorial firm called Major Tom. They produce and
edit commercials. Her singing voice has been
featured in 2 Calvin Klein ads that are featured
on the CK website.
Please keep sending updates!
Sam: 207-807-4116; [email protected]
201 0
Kim Siembieda
734 Arlington Road
Narberth, PA 19072
As we leave Colgate as students and we are
welcomed into the Colgate alumni world, the
transition to the real world is challenging, not
only in terms of finding a career or continuing
schooling, but also in terms of learning that
what used to be appropriate college behavior is
no longer as acceptable. This column is a great
opportunity to stay connected to Colgate and
friends as we leave our lovely town of Hamilton
to begin a new set of adventures.
I have heard from several of you, all of whom
have exciting plans and announcements. One of
the most notable achievements from our class
thus far is from Emily Bradley, whose research
paper has been chosen as one of the 20 fellow
papers to be published in A Dialogue on Presidential Challenges and Leadership: Papers of the
2009–2010 Presidential Fellows. Leighann Kimber
has also been recognized, for her honors research
on immigrant settlement patterns in Syracuse by
the Upstate Institute at Colgate.
Keeping the Colgate connection alive is a
notable trend. Following graduation, Greg Hadley
and Zach Posey continued their football careers
in Finland, playing for the Tampere Saints. Unfortunately, Greg sustained his 5th concussion and
has since hung up his cleats. He will return to the
US to be the asst defensive backs coach at the U
of RI. In similar fashion, Rob McCary, Johnny Russell, and Teddi Hoffman are all working together
at Teton Valley Ranch Camp in Jackson Hole, WY.
Three others, Carly Weil, Mike Gandy, and Damien
Vacherot, are enrolled in a training program
with the Bank of America to become analysts.
While Carly and Mike will be working in the NYC
office, Damien will be relocated to London. Teach
for America has always been a popular outlet for
Colgate students to pursue. Last summer, Katherine DeVries was one of many who went through
the training program. She is currently located in
LA while other 2010 grads are located in places
such as Baltimore, San Antonio, and Indianapolis.
Andi Jones has moved to Chicago and will be
working as an investment banking analyst at
Robert W Baird. Continuing the pattern of the
Colgate connection, Andi has connected with
Katherine Pezzella ’09 in Chicago.
In other news, Seid Zahirovic has been accepted to a selective summer business program
at Stanford, the Summer Institute for General
Mgmt (SIGM). He will be studying core business
concepts in general mgmt and is excited by the
fact that nearly half of the 135 participants are
internatl students, which offers a wide range of
perspectives and ideas. Seid encourages other
Colgate students to look into the opportunities the SIGM program offers, as he speaks very
highly of it and has enjoyed his experience thus
far.
Sam Romney enjoyed a final summer at
Colgate, working in the admissions office before
beginning a 2-year teaching position at Greens
Farm Academy in Westport, CT. She is also
simultaneously taking classes in her spare time
to complete an MAT degree! Courtney Sweeney
is working for McGraw Hill publishing and is
one of many Colgate grads in the NYC area. Greg
Pearson will be attending Suffolk Law next year
and in the meantime is pursuing his hobby and
passion of home brewing. Margot Littlehale has
relocated to DC, where she is currently working
at an energy and climate consulting firm. Additionally, she is in the process of training for the
Boston Marathon next year!
Connect with Colgate
Move-in day is just the beginning of
what becomes a lifelong connection
with Colgate.
In no time at all, the enthusiastic welcome gives way to the
shared experiences of the core, Willow Path, lucky 13, and
Torchlight. Then it’s class notes, club events, reunions, and
loyal support for the Colgate Annual Fund.
Please make your gift today.
Online at www.colgateconnect.org/makeagift
Or call 800-668-4428.
77
Thank you to those who sent in responses,
and I encourage everyone to keep me posted on
updates. Hope to have seen everyone at Homecoming!
Kim: 610-952-0491; [email protected]
To Anthony ’97 and Emily Park ’98 Dragun:
Joseph Anthony, May 10, joining Anna
Marriages & Unions:
To Jay ’98 and Danielle Rodriguez ’98 Afragola:
Madeline Rose, June 28, joining Avery Grace
Justin Fallon ’73 and Tara White, May 22
To Gil and Lesley Goober ’98 Rotchford: Charles
Wyatt, Dec. 16, 2009
(2010 unless otherwise noted)
Christine Malecka ’98 and Daniel Tyrell, May 29
Andrea Thomas ’99 and Mark Deveno (Westfield
State College), July 25, 2009
Kara Wojdyla ’99 and Hiram Pritchard (Univ. of
MA), Sept. 26, 2009
Bethany Haas ’01 and Chad Taylor (Trinity College), Oct. 24, 2009
Matthew Renner ’01 and Meghan McCarron
(Univ. of NH), Aug. 15, 2009
To Paul Griffin ’97 and Alison: Benjamin Owen,
Sept. 30, 2009, joining Nicholas
To Michael Seeley ’98 and Cynthia: Clark Solomon, July 1
To Matt and Beth Vuolo ’98 Gousman: Mia B,
March 28
To Paul and Kristin Dougherty ’99 Henderson:
Robert Paul, May 13
To Jamie ’99 and Kelley Barker ’99 Gilbert: Katherine ‘Kate,’ May 13
Kristen Watkins ’02 and Matthew Lacy, May 15
To Douglas and Alexis Olson ’99 MacIvor: Amelia
Frances, June 19
Maurice Robertson ’03 and Tamika McGowan
’04, March 20
To James ’99 and Paige Horiuchi ’98 Raper:
Emery Daniel, March 2, joining Cranford
Shailer Barron ’04 and Vikas Vatsa (Northeastern), July 18, 2009
To Drew and Kate Berry ’00 Tompkins: Jacob
Simon, Feb. 2
Robin Glass ’04 and Marc Farrell (Univ. of RI),
March 13
To Amo Cefalo ’00 and Jenn: Isabella Dorothy,
April 19, joining Nicco
Courtney Reilly ’04 and David Stafford (Boston
Univ.), Sept. 26, 2009
To Peter and Jenny Dressler ’00 Orabona: Aaron
Joseph, March 10
Vaneskha Hyacinthe ’05 and Christopher Wilson
(Rutgers), April 17
To Michael Pinkoske ’00 and Tania: Nadia Dawn,
June 9
William McCawley ’06 and Andrea Schkolne
(Univ. of PA), May 30
To Conor ’00 and Liz Brown ’01 Tracy: Libby, April
6, joining Seamus and Annabel
Dana Shaw ’07 and James Fallaize, Oct. 11, 2009
To Chris ’01 and Meghan Joy ’00 Erb: Molly
Elizabeth, April 28
Births & Adoptions
(2010 unless otherwise noted)
To David Greenwood ’84 and Kristen: Lily, March
25, joining Paige
To John Goodreds ’87 and Joanne: Ellie, Nov. 5,
2009, joining Drew and Luke
To Kevin O’Shaughnessy ’90 and Hollice: Kathleen Anne, Sept. 15, 2009
To Mark ’90 and Carrie Boodin ’92 Zehfuss:
Braeden, Nov. 2, 2009, joining Emma and Chloe
To Neil and Carolyn Stuart ’93 Benz: Brady Cooper, July 1, joining Ty, Kylie, and Colby
To Craig Coffey ’95 and Tami: Gavin, Sept. 5, 2009
To Daniel Tashman ’95 and Elana: Leo, July 15,
2009, joining Zeke
To Blake ’96 and Lauren Koskinen ’96 Harper:
Scarlett, April 30, joining Siena and Sage
To Ben and Lauren Breitman ’97 Tanen: Eli Seth,
Feb. 22, joining Gabriel
To Jim and Kate Butterfield ’97 Peterson: Connor
James, March 2, joining Zachary
To Cary Comer ’97 and Erin: Colby James, May 12
78
scene: Autumn 2010
To Jennifer Ward ’01 and Michael Fine ’02:
Abigail, June 23
To Michael and Ruth Stothers ’03 Dolan:
Gweneth Marguerite, Jan. 13
To Ross and Lindsey Brandolini ’05 Hoham:
Nathan Thomas, March 5
In Memoriam
The Scene runs deceased notices on all alumni,
current and former faculty members, honorary
degree recipients, and staff members and others
whom the editors determine would be well
known to alumni.
Allan F. Rosebrock ’38, March 19, 2010. Mu Pi
Delta, Commons Club, glee club. US Army Air
Corps, WWII. PhD, Yale University, 1951. He was
director of the Office of Teacher Education and
Certification at the NJ Department of Education,
and later was chairman of the education department at Rutgers College. He is survived by his
wife, Mary Ann, 3 sons, a daughter, 2 sisters, and
4 grandchildren.
John D. Amos ’40, May 2, 2010. Sigma Chi, Konosioni, Maroon Key, International Relations Club,
baseball, student government, ski club. US Navy,
WWII. LLB, West Virginia University, 1948. He was
a founder and former director of Community
Bank and Trust in Fairmont, W. Va. He was also
a partner at the law firm Furbee, Amos, Webb
and Critchfield. He was predeceased by his first
wife. He is survived by his second wife, Betty
Ann, 2 daughters, 3 stepdaughters, a sister, 5
grandchildren, 5 step-grandchildren, and 7 greatgrandchildren.
Mortimer E. Stevenson Jr. ’40, June 28, 2010. Phi
Gamma Delta. US Air Force, WWII. He worked
as an executive of the Rochester Midland Corp.,
and served on the Board of the Rochester General
Hospital Foundation in his retirement. He was
predeceased by his first wife and his second wife.
He is survived by a son, stepchildren, and nieces
and nephews.
James P. Hobstetter Sr. ’41, June 14, 2010. Delta
Kappa Epsilon, Outing Club, swimming. US
Army Air Corps, WWII. He worked in the defense
industry until the 1960s when he established
the J.P. Hobstetter Sr. Real Estate Co. in Dayton,
Ohio. He was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy.
He is survived by 4 sons including Peter G. ’68,
2 daughters, 14 grandchildren, and 6 greatgrandchildren.
Fred E. Bosworth ’42, January 17, 2010. Lambda
Chi Alpha. US Navy, WWII. He pursued a career
as a patternmaker at UniRoyal in Naugatuck,
Conn., before retiring. He is survived by his wife,
Julia, 3 sons, a daughter, a sister, 10 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and a great-greatgrandchild.
Norman M. Scott Jr. ’43, June 18, 2010. Sigma Chi,
Thirteen, Masque and Triangle, soccer, chorus.
US Army, WWII. MD, Jefferson College, 1946.
He served his country as a professional Army
physician, treating everyone from men returning
from Vietnam, to General MacArthur. He was
predeceased by a son. He is survived by his wife,
Suzanne, 3 daughters, a sister, and 7 grandchildren.
William A. Shaffer Jr. ’43, January 8, 2010. Phi
Beta Kappa, Debate Society, Commons Club.
LLB, Albany Law School, 1945. He joined the firm
Mandeville, Waxman, Buck, Teeter and Harpending in Elmira, N.Y. He promoted new business
and specialized in real estate law. He was
predeceased by his wife, Florence, and brother,
Robert ’50. He is survived by a sister, nieces, and
nephews.
Harry A. Taylor Jr. ’43, June 3, 2010. Delta Kappa
Epsilon. Army Air Corps, WWII. He worked in his
family’s real estate business, Frank H. Taylor and
Son, rising to the posts of president and board
chairman. In his retirement, he was a freelance
writer and wrote children’s literature. He was
predeceased by his first wife, his second wife, his
father, Harry A. ’18, and a brother, William ’49. He
is survived by 4 sons including Harry A. III ’66, a
sister, and 6 grandchildren.
Walter W. Wallace ’43, May 27, 2010. Lambda
Chi Alpha. US Army, WWII. He built a career as
a salesman for a variety of companies and was
active in the business until just before his 89th
birthday. He was predeceased by his first wife
and a son. He is survived by his second wife,
Elizabeth, 3 daughters, and 5 grandchildren.
John W. Walters II ’43, April 8, 2010. Phi Gamma
Delta, Maroon, soccer. US Army Air Corps, WWII.
He got his start at his family’s lumber company,
before moving into management and sales at
Pinellas Lumber Co. and then Krauss Brothers
Lumber Co., both in Florida. He is survived by his
wife, Mary, 2 daughters, a son, a sister, 3 grandchildren, and 3 great-grandchildren.
John Muyskens Jr. ’44, June 8, 2010. Phi Gamma
Delta, Mu Pi Delta, Konosioni, Thirteen, George
Cobb Fellow, Banter, student government, chorus.
US Navy, WWII. He made his mark as a member
of the senior admission staff at institutions
including Colgate, St. Lawrence, Yale, Stanford,
Hartwick, and Amherst. He was predeceased
by his brother, William ’49. He is survived by 3
daughters, a son, and 9 grandchildren.
Herbert O. Beadle Jr. ’45, MA’48, June 21, 2010. Phi
Gamma Delta. Army, WWII. He worked briefly as
an administrative assistant before teaching social studies at Massena High School for 32 years
until retirement. He is survived by his wife, Kay.
Alexander R. Cameron ’45, MA’53, April 27,
2010. Alpha Tau Omega, Konosioni, Masque
and Triangle, Banter, Maroon Key, cheerleaders,
chorus. US Army, WWII. PhD, Michigan State
University, 1965. He pursued a career as a college
administrator and consultant including deanships at Lawrence College and the University of
Rochester, as well as administrative positions
with the State University of New York at Albany
and Brockport. He is survived by his wife, Gloria,
3 sons, a sister, and 7 grandchildren.
Gordon K. Prouty ’45, April 10, 2010. Maroon,
Banter, International Relations Club, Christian association, cross country, track, glee club. US Navy,
WWII. MA, Clark University, 1946; MA, Cornell
University, 1949. He managed European branch
offices of American Express in the 1950s. He then
joined the Foreign Service and served 25 years
in South America, West Africa, Vietnam, and
Central America before retiring. He is survived
by a son, Thomas ’77, a daughter, Kathryn ’82, and
a brother.
John J. Danehy ’46, May 29, 2010. Alpha Tau
Omega, Chi Pi Mu, Outing Club, Newman community, German club. US Army, WWII. MD, State
University College of Medicine at Syracuse, 1953.
He led a long career as a psychiatrist in Syracuse,
N.Y., including 35 years as psychiatric chief at the
Veterans Hospital. He is survived by his wife,
Nancy, son John III ’78, a daughter, 2 brothers
including Lester ’60, 2 sisters, 2 grandchildren,
and nephew Kevin ’83.
H. William Lindeman Jr. ’46, May 5, 2010. Alpha
Tau Omega, International Relations Club,
football, ice hockey, class officer. US Navy, WWII,
Korean War. LLB, Rutgers University, 1949; CLU,
American University, 1959. For 33 years he led a
successful career in sales with Provident Mutual
Life Insurance Co. He is survived by his wife, Lois,
and 3 sons including Don ’74.
William A. Farrell ’47, Theta Chi, Phi Beta Kappa,
Debate Society, Austen Colgate Scholar, swimming. US Navy, WWII. LLB, Yale University, 1950.
He led a career in corporate law, rising to the
position of VP and general counsel and secretary
of Reynolds International before retiring. He is
survived by his wife, Joyce, 2 sons including William A. Jr. ’80, and 3 grandchildren.
John W. Harvey ’47, December 31, 2009. US Navy,
WWII. MSM, Union Theological Seminary, 1952.
He was a professor of music at the University
of Wisconsin, Madison for many years. He is
survived by his wife, Jean, and family.
Melvin H. Katz ’47, March 25, 2010. International
Relations Club. He built his career with Bor-
genicht Bros., a manufacturer of children’s wear.
He is survived by his wife, Joan, 3 sons, a brother,
a sister, and 5 grandchildren.
and accessories retailer, owning and operating
numerous stores. He is survived by his wife,
Elaine, 4 daughters, and 3 sons.
Charles C. Schley ’47, April 29, 2010. Alpha Tau
Omega. US Navy, WWII. He worked for more
than 40 years as a VP and sales manager at Sorg
Printing Company and finished his career with
Bowne, Inc. He was predeceased by his son, C.
Halsey ’74, and a daughter, Joan M. ’77. He is
survived by 3 sons including Daniel L. ’81, and 2
brothers.
Robert E. Okell ’50, March 21, 2010. Maroon,
bridge club. US Army, WWII. He worked as an
editor with the trade magazines of Fairchild
Publications for 37 years, later joining Accounting Today before retiring. He is survived by his
wife, Virginia, a daughter, 2 sons, a sister, and 3
grandchildren.
Alexander W. Dalgleish ’48, April 30, 2010.
Lambda Chi Alpha. US Navy, WWII. As owner of
the company AWDCO, he was a manufacturers
representative for the plastics industry for more
than 40 years, retiring in 2007. He is survived by
a son, 3 daughters, 2 brothers, 8 grandchildren,
and a great-grandchild.
Charles L. Farr Jr. ’48, April 22, 2010. Football,
mathematics club, officers’ candidate school.
US Navy, WWII. He worked at Johns-Manville
Corp. for more than 40 years, working up from
industrial engineer to plant manager. He is
survived by his wife, Helen, a daughter, 2 sons, 4
grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
Rodger G. Haley ’49, April 23, 2010. Sigma Chi. US
Army. He led a career in banking, rising to the position of VP of Lincoln First Bank in Rochester, N.Y.
He is survived by 2 daughters, 2 sons, a brother,
and 4 grandchildren.
Robert A. Howard ’49, June 27, 2010. Alpha Tau
Omega, Mu Pi Delta, Konosioni, Thirteen, golf,
glee club, choir, marching band. Army Air Corps,
WWII. He began his career in the Colgate admission office, before moving to Alfred University
and Dickinson Colleges. He returned to Colgate
in 1974 as head of the alumni affairs office, and
ended his career in the advancement office.
He was predeceased by his wife, Betty, and his
brother, Donald ’39. He is survived by 2 daughters, 3 grandchildren, and a great-grandchild.
David C. Starkey ’49, June 15, 2010. Alpha Tau
Omega, psychology club. US Navy, WWII. MBA,
Northeastern, 1959. He pursued a career as a
personnel director, predominantly at Blue Cross,
Blue Shield, and retired as a VP of human resources. He was predeceased by his father, David
’24, and a daughter. He is survived by his wife,
Charline, 3 sons, 2 daughters, a brother, Robert ’51,
Richard M. Bennett ’50, May 3, 2010. Beta Theta
Pi, football, psychology club. US Marine Corps,
WWII. He worked with IBM for 33 years, rising
to become director of litigation analysis. He is
survived by his wife, Dora, a daughter, a son, and
2 grandchildren.
Robert R. Lankford ’50, May 23, 2010. Lambda
Chi Alpha, Masque and Triangle, swimming,
glee club. US Army, WWII. PhD, University of
California at San Diego, 1962. He taught geology and oceanography in the US and Mexico.
Starting in 1977, he served as administrator for
several UN oceanographic bodies, and in 1985,
he moved to the administration of the Sea Grant
Program at the University of Puerto Rico, until
retiring in 1992. He is survived by his second
wife, Martha Diaz de Castro, 2 sons, a daughter,
and a grandchild.
Robert E. Milgrim ’50, May 29, 2010. Konosioni,
student government, tennis. US Army, Korean
War. He was a third-generation ladies apparel
William W. Halter ’51, February 8, 2010. Phi Kappa
Psi, football. US Army Air Force. He completed a
long career as a forester with the Park and Recreation Commission of Youngstown, Ohio. He was
predeceased by his wife, Mary, and is survived by
a son and a daughter.
William L. Passell ’51, May 9, 2010. Kappa Delta
Rho, Maroon. After graduation, he pursued a
career in marketing with Playtex and IBM. In
retirement, he played the card game bridge competitively, achieving the highest rank of Grand
Life Master, winning 6 national titles, and teaching as many as 500 students a week. He was
predeceased by a daughter. He is survived by his
wife, Marlene, 2 daughters, 2 sons, a brother, a
sister, and 7 grandchildren.
Philip C. Gordon ’52, June 18, 2010. Sigma Nu, Maroon Key, track, cross-country. US Army. He was
a self-employed, award-winning salesman to
the banking industry. He is survived by his wife,
Clarissa, a son, a daughter, and 4 grandchildren.
Harry K. Tebbutt III ’52, May 31, 2009. Kappa
Delta Rho, WRCU, track, chorus. LLB, American
University, 1961. He worked in a variety of legal
occupations including work with the IRS as a tax
law specialist, providing legal counsel for an office in the Department of the Navy, and acting as
a state administrative law judge in Maryland. He
is survived by his wife, Jane, and a daughter.
Donald S. Hoxsie ’53, September 15, 2009. Alpha
Tau Omega, ROTC, track, chorus. US Air Force.
He worked as an antique dealer with several
companies before joining ITT Hartford, where he
worked as a marketing manager. He is survived
by his wife, Sylvia.
Kenneth M. Hunt ’53, June 21, 2010. Phi Gamma
Delta, Konosioni, Inter-Fraternal Council, basketball, golf. US Navy, Korean War. He led a distinguished career with Weirton Steel Company
before retiring as VP of operations in 1986. He is
survived by his wife, Sally, 2 sons, 2 daughters,
William D. Baker ’54, May 1, 2010. Sigma Chi,
Thirteen, Wilder Society, Salmagundi, football,
Washington Study Group. US Air Force. JD, University of California, Berkeley. He practiced law
in Arizona, most recently as president at Ellis &
Baker, PC. During his career he was admitted to
practice in the US Supreme Court. He was predeceased by a son. He is survived by his wife, Kay, 2
sons, 2 daughters, a brother, and 9 grandchildren.
Clinton W. Blume Jr. ’56, June 6, 2010. Delta
Kappa Epsilon, Maroon Key, WRCU, Outing Club,
lacrosse, rugby, football, track, boxing, wrestling,
rifle team, economics club. US Marine Corps. He
built a career in real estate, starting in his family
practice before striking out on his own. He was
predeceased by his father, Clinton W. ’22. He is
survived by 2 sons including Clinton W. III ’79,
and a daughter.
Robert R. McCord ’65, April 28, 2010. Lambda
Chi Alpha, WRCU, career advising. Columbia
University: MA, 1968; MBA, 1980. He worked in
the Peace Corps and then taught in New York,
Singapore, Frankfurt, and Turkey. He entered
the publishing industry by joining the Baker
& Taylor Co. in 1972, later moving to Scholastic
Inc., International Thomson, and finally Simon
and Schuster. Later in life he wrote books on
golf, established the nonprofit Harlem RBI, and
founded chocolate company Vere with his wife.
He is survived by his wife, Kathleen Moskal, and
his cousin, Richard Sterrett ’52.
John M. Mount ’65, Sigma Nu, JC Austin classical
society. US Marine Corps, Vietnam War. MBA,
Xavier University, 1983. He worked for DuBois
Chemicals Inc. until retiring as president and
CEO. He later served as president and CEO of
Service America. He is survived by his wife, Rosemary, a son, a daughter, and 9 grandchildren.
Thomas J. Powell Jr. ’56, June 1, 2010. Phi Gamma
Delta, Alumni War Memorial Scholar, Maroon
Key, Konosioni, ROTC, football, track, student
government. Air Force. He worked with Exxon
for 13 years before moving to Avis as a VP. He
is survived by his wife, Barbara, 3 sons, and 8
grandchildren.
Robert B. Calvin ’60, May 26, 2010. Phi Kappa Tau,
Outing Club, baseball. US Navy. He built a successful 25-year career at Lockheed Corporation,
and remained active in retirement, working with
H&R Block. He was predeceased by his first wife.
He is survived by his second wife, Ellen, a daughter, a son, 3 stepchildren, and 5 grandchildren.
Robert H. Knopp ’60, May 30, 2010. Phi Kappa
Tau, Phi Beta Kappa, Chi Pi Mu, Mu Pi Delta, Konosioni, National War Memorial Scholar, George
Cobb Fellow, Maroon Key, Thirteen, Newman
community, student government, pep band. MD,
Cornell University, 1964. He was a practicing doctor who also conducted research and taught.
His extensive list of published papers particularly regarded lipid and diabetes research. He is
survived by his wife, Judy, 2 daughters, a sister,
and a grandchild.
Alan L. Siegel ’74, May 26, 2010. Konosioni,
WRCU, student government. MD, Albert Einstein
College of Medicine, 1986. He was an ophthalmologist, establishing University Eye Specialists
in Batavia, NY, with his partners. He also was a
past president of medical staff at United Memorial Medical Center. He is survived by his wife,
Rosemary, his mother, a son, a daughter, and a
brother.
Rebecca L. Goodman ’94, April 26, 2010. MAcc,
Florida Atlantic University. She worked as a CPA
in a private practice in Manhattan. She is survived by her parents, a sister, and a brother.
R. Adrian Walters III ’95, May 20, 2010. Theta
Chi, lacrosse. MBA, Cornell University, 2001.
He coached lacrosse in England before joining
Hambro Bank for 5 years. While pursuing his
MBA at Cornell, he was an assistant coach of the
women’s lacrosse team. He deferred employment at Bear Sterns for a year in order to lead the
team to the NCAA Final Four. He then returned
to Bear Sterns, moved to Bank of America, and
was most recently with Royal Bank of Canada.
He is survived by his wife, Suzanne, his parents,
and a brother.
William A. Murphy ’60, May 18, 2010. Sigma Nu,
College Republicans, Newman community, football, track, soccer. US Army. MBA, Iona College,
1971. His sales career in the general foods industry included employment at Del Monte, General
Foods, and Tetley Tea. In retirement he served
on the board of the Connecticut chapter of the
American Parkinson Disease Association and
worked as a residential realtor. He is survived by
his wife, Peggy, 3 sons including Thomas ’90, 5
brothers including Stephen ’55 and Jerome ’61,
Ronald Gottesman MA’57, May 10, 2010. US Army.
PhD, Indiana State University, 1964. He taught at
Northwestern, Indiana, and Rutgers Universities
as well as the University of Wisconsin at Parkside
before settling into a position at the University
of Southern California in 1975. He wrote several
books and articles and edited and commissioned
more than 200 critical and reference volumes.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, 2 sons, a
daughter, and 4 grandchildren.
Clarence H. Snyder ’53, May 21, 2010. Phi Beta
Kappa, Commons Club, Austen Colgate Scholar,
German club, economics club. US Army. JD,
Cornell University, 1958. He was a partner at
several different law firms including Sullivan
and Snyder. He was admitted to practice in the
US Supreme Court, Federal District Court, US
Treasury Department, and all N.Y. State courts.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia, his daughter,
Martha Richter ’81, 3 sons, and 8 grandchildren.
Edwin B. Lamont II ’64, May 19, 2010. Phi Kappa
Psi, International Relations Club, Outing Club,
soccer. US Marine Corps, Vietnam War. MBA,
University of Pennsylvania, 1969. He led a diverse
career as a marketing executive, small business
owner, and adjunct professor. He is survived by
his wife, Ellie, 2 sons, a daughter, a brother, and 2
grandchildren.
Harry J. Williams III ’53, June 9, 2010. ROTC, soccer, chorus, glee club. US Air Force. MD, New York
Medical College, 1958. He pursued a career in
obstetrics-gynecology and was an early advocate
of ultrasonography in the field. He is survived by
his wife, Marilyn, 2 sons, 2 daughters, a sister, 2
brothers, an uncle, and 4 grandchildren.
Jeffrey F. Ruzicka ’64, June 6, 2010. Lambda Chi
Alpha, Outing Club, International Relations Club,
sailing club. US Army. BIM, American Graduate
School of International Management, 1970. He
rose to head of international operations at the
London branch of the Northern Trust Company
before becoming managing director of State
Street Corp. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, 2
daughters, and a grandchild.
Mary Girmonde Darman MA’72, April 23, 2010.
She taught high school social studies for 30 years.
After retiring in 1992, she taught as an adjunct
sociology professor at Herkimer County Community College. She is survived by her husband,
Stephen, a daughter, 2 sons, 9 grandchildren, 3
stepchildren, and 3 step-grandchildren.
Mark S. Hanley MAT’77, April 21, 2002. He taught
earth science in South Carolina. He is survived by
his wife, Susan.
Deb Dubois, May 31, 2010. She was a 9-year
employee at Colgate, assisting the community as
a campus safety officer and as a volunteer with
community fire and rescue groups. She is survived by her husband, Barton, a son, and a sister.
79
salmagundi
Welcome Change puzzle
These two photos might seem identical at first glance, but only the top one is the original photo taken on a
recent move-in day. The bottom one has been changed in seven places. When you find a difference, draw a
straight line connecting the center of the affected area in the top picture to its changed counterpart in the
bottom picture. (Use a ruler for best results.) Each line you draw will cross out one column of circled letters.
When you’ve found all seven differences, the remaining letters, read in order left to right and row by row,
will give you the answer to this riddle:
13 Words (or Less)
What response to these move-in day well-wishers shows that you’re proud to have arrived at Colgate?
Answer key on page 71.
We got a good chuckle over the many
submissions we received for our summer
2010 caption contest. Here are the
winners, with kudos to Rich Stanton ’91 for
his 13-word caption:
“Was that a double latte to go, sir?”
— Tom Carpenter ’66
“They really need to fix the vending
machine. My quarter is stuck!”
— Judy Murphy, Campus Safety dispatcher
“She’s eaten hops, barley, and yeast for
three weeks and still no beer.”
— Rich Stanton ’91
All three have received Scene T-shirts.
And now for the (real) “rest of the story”*
This local dairy cow had escaped her
paddock across Hamilton Street and
wandered up behind East Hall. A small
scene ensued when Bill Hahn ’43,
remembered as “kind of a character,” took
the controls, milk glass in hand.
Thanks go to Dick Hall ’43, who had
recently dug out the photo and shared it
with classmate and Scene correspondent
Joe De Bragga ’43, who passed it along
to us. Among the gathered were their ’43
classmates Al Mather, Don Farson, Jack
Dreyer, and Pete Cushman.
“It was an amusing incident, out of the
ordinary, so we gathered around,” said Hall,
noting that some of the students had never
been close to a cow before.
*With apologies to Paul Harvey
Puzzle by Puzzability
80
scene: Autumn 2010
Above: Safety first! Peter Pierce ’12 (left) and Alice
Feng ’12 (right) help Shanshan Mai ’13 (center) get
rigged up during an outdoor education tree-climbing
class for students who remained on campus during
autumn break. Photo, plus scenic on back cover, by
Andrew Daddio
scene: News and views for the Colgate community
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, NY
13346-1398
colgate
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Colgate University

The `Gate Shopper`s Gift Guide The Accidental

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