the cornell alumni association of greater rochester

T H E C O R N E L L A LU M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
OF
G R E AT E R R O C H E S T E R
ALMA MATER
FAR ABOVE CAYUGA’S WATERS,
WITH ITS WAVES OF BLUE,
STANDS OUR NOBLE ALMA MATER,
GLORIOUS TO VIEW.
LIFT THE CHORUS, SPEED IT ONWARD,
LOUD HER PRAISES TELL;
HAIL TO THEE, OUR ALMA MATER!
HAIL, ALL HAIL, CORNELL!
FAR ABOVE THE BUSY HUMMING
OF THE BUSTLING TOWN,
REARED AGAINST THE ARCH OF HEAVEN,
LOOKS SHE PROUDLY DOWN.
LIFT THE CHORUS, SPEED IT ONWARD,
LOUD HER PRAISES TELL;
HAIL TO THEE, OUR ALMA MATER!
HAIL, ALL HAIL, CORNELL!


OF THE
CORNELL-ROCHESTER CONNECTION
Published by
THE CORNELL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF GREATER ROCHESTER
Rochester, New York 2004
2
From the President
Dear Rochester Cornellians:
Kathy and I consider it a great honor to
join you in celebrating the Cornell Alumni
Association of Greater Rochester’s centennial anniversary. Your organization’s
longevity and extraordinary commitment
to the ideas upon which Cornell was
founded distinguish it in the annals of
Cornell history. This commitment enabled
Cornell to grow and thrive over the past
100 years, and it is what gives me steady
assurance that Cornell will remain engaged
and eager to participate in the work of
understanding the world and improving
the conditions of our lives for the next
100 years.
To cite just one example of your farsightedness, your organization recognized
early on the value of providing financial
aid for students to study at Cornell, and
you have set records raising scholarship
funds for deserving students. These stu-
dents have made their marks on Cornell
and the world. Many of them are now
members of your association. The very
special affection that Cornellians have
always felt for our university is passed on
through the kind of devotion your organization epitomizes. On the occasion of this
anniversary, I want you to know that you
inspire me.
I treasure the bond we share as
Cornellians and have no doubt that the
next 100 years in the history of the Cornell
Alumni Association of Greater Rochester
will be as momentous as the past 100 years.
Sincerely,
Cornell President
Jeffrey S. Lehman
Foreword
3
Foreword
It’s my good fortune to be the President
of the Cornell Alumni Association of
Greater Rochester in this milestone onehundredth year. A centennial demands a
look back and so we present a brief history
in this booklet, courtesy of our official historian, Gail Kayson ‘59.
A centennial is also an occasion that
inspires a look to the future. That’s always a
daunting task because predictions can turn
out to be wrong and future readers will
mostly delight in pointing out exactly how
wrong. Contemplating the future of this
organization has the added burden of
prompting the inevitable comparions with
its very distinguished past, and, of course,
“the golden age” of anything is the one that
occurred sometime before you arrived on
the scene.
I’ll go out on a limb and venture that our
organization will continue to play an
important role in enhancing the connections between Cornell University and its
alumni in Rochester. But rather than dwell
on the glorious parade of history or try to
define a vision for the future, I would urge
that we simply pause to do a proper job of
celebrating with the friends we’ve come to
know and cherish through our connections
to Cornell.
We take pride in our fellow alumni who
have, through the years, contributed and
continue to contribute to the life of the
greater Rochester community in so many
ways. We each bring something of our
Cornell experience to our businesses, organizations, churches, neighborhoods, friends
and families. Like our University, we draw
strength from our great diversity of backgrounds, interests and talents.
And we have one other vital source of
strength as an organization.
In Rochester, I’ve met some Cornellians
who were in Ithaca during the same four
years that I was there, but I never knew
them during my time on the hill. I’ve met
many more who I could not have known in
Ithaca because their college years occurred
decades before or decades after mine. The
Rochester club manages to reflect the
unique character of the University through
the prism of time. We benefit greatly from
the friendships that have developed across
multiple generations of alumni gathered in
this area, all sharing the uncommon experience of Cornell.
Our proximity to Ithaca helps Rochesterarea alumni stay connected with the
University. At the same time, we have
just enough distance to provide some
perspective and perhaps an even greater
appreciation for the impact that our Cornell
connections have for us. The roads between
Ithaca and Rochester are well worn and that
familiar trip along the shoreline of Cayuga
Lake remains for us a journey home in
both directions, home to Rochester and
home to Cornell.
Anonymous
Arlie and Doug Anderson
Stephen and Janice Ashley
Maxine and Morton L. Bittker
Thomas L. Cummings
Carol Sue Hai
Sanjay Hiranandani
David L. Hoffberg
Susan R. Holliday
Mike Holloway
Robert and Barbara Hurlbut
Gail Long Kayson
Ross P. Lanzafame
Dr. Robert and Carroll M. Manning
Robert and Katie Metcalf
James and Shirley Moore
Lois F. Niland
Nannette Nocon and Karl Wessendorf
Duncan W. O’Dwyer, Esq.
Erik and Ann Pell
Peter and Elaine Schwarz
Barbara M. and Robert H. Shaw
Jane K. and Robert C. Stevens
Joyce Underberg and Stan Rodwin
Susan and David Woehr
Thomas L. Cummings ’75
President, Cornell Alumni
Association of Greater Rochester
Rochester, New York 2004
Underwriters
4
A Brief History
A Brief History
Cornellians in Rochester, New York have
been among the University’s most active
and engaged alumni for at least one hundred years and almost certainly longer than
that. In 1956 James K. Quigley, MD, Class of
1902, wrote his history of the Rochester
club’s early days and compiled a scrapbook.
He describes a banquet held by a group
known as the Cornell Alumni Association
in 1904, Dr. Quigley’s first year in
Rochester. He indicates that annual alumni
banquets were by then a tradition. Morris
Bishop’s History of Cornell reports that
University alumni were organized as the
Associate Alumni in 1872 and since
Rochesterians were well represented at
Cornell from the earliest days, it’s very likely
that an alumni group has existed in
Rochester for more than a century.
However, since 1904 is the first documented
year of an alumni event in Rochester, we
use that date to mark our beginnings.
THE EARLY DAYS
Dr. Quigley describes one early alumni
banquet as “… a very proper and formal
occasion sans cocktails or wine and because
of the presence of ladies smoking was verboten.” The dinner was held at the Genesee
Valley Club, then at the corner of East
Avenue and Gibbs Street. The guest of
honor was Dean T. F. Crane. In 1906 Dr.
Quigley and others decided that “there were
enough Cornell alumni in this area to
organize a club that would more actively
represent Cornell in Rochester than had the
older Alumni Association.”
The Cornell Club of Rochester was officially incorporated in 1907. Although Ezra
Cornell was famous for establishing a coeducational University, societal traditions of
the era prompted the formation of a men’s
club. By 1909 and maybe earlier, according
to Dr. Quigley, The Cornell Women’s Club
of Rochester was formed. Although the two
clubs jointly sponsored events, it would be
nearly seventy years before they became
one, united alumni organization.
The old Rochester Post-Express heralded
the formation of the men’s club as “…the
first actual university club to be established
in Rochester. It is distinctly a social club in
the interest of its members as opposed to
the Cornell Alumni Association. It is the
ambition of the club members, and of
alumni of other universities, to form in
time a University Club for alumni of
all universities who make their home
in Rochester.”
MEETING ROOMS
From 1907 to 1909, the Cornell Club
leased meeting rooms on the fourth floor of
the annex of the East Side Savings Bank,
235 East Main Street at the corner of Main
and Clinton. Andrew E. Tuck, a founding
father of The Cornell Club of Rochester,
(and later Deputy Attorney General for
New York State) described the meeting
rooms as, “two small rooms (decorated in
carnelian and white) furnished in a simple
way – a piano, a long table, a few chairs,
benches built around two sides of the front
room and a pool table in the back room.
Cornell publications were on the table.”
In Dr. Quigley’s memoirs, the housewarming activities for the club’s new quarters sound like a lively event. According to
Dr. Quigley, “luncheon was served to over a
hundred alumni and the party broke up
after midnight.”
A few other important facts about the
“Founding Fathers” and the early years
should be noted. The Cornell Club of
Rochester had ninety-two charter members.
The annual dues were initially set at $10.00!
In 1910 the constitution was amended and
the dues reduced to $2.00.
When a fire destroyed the club’s offices
in 1909, proceeds from an insurance settlement became the foundation of our present-day scholarship fund.
EARLY LEADERS
Many prominent Rochesterians played
important roles in the early years of The
Cornell Club. The first president of the
incorporated organization was The Hon.
George A. Benton, Class of 1871, a Supreme
Court judge. James E. Gleason, 1892 –
President of Gleason Works – was the club’s
second president. He served two terms in
1908 and 1909.
James Gleason’s older sister, Kate
Cornell 1904
A Brief History
Gleason, had also been also a Cornellian. In
fact, she was the University’s first woman
student in engineering. In 1909, she hosted
a reception for Andrew D. White and his
wife at Clones, Gleason’s country place on
East Avenue near Allen’s Creek, Pittsford.
The formal invitation advised attendees to
take the R. S. & E. Trolley to Stop 7. The
R. S. & E. was the Rochester, Syracuse &
Eastern electric trolley.
The Cornell Club of Rochester, even in
its early days, joined together with other
college organizations in the city for picnic
outings called “The Union Picnic of the
College Men of Rochester.” These picnics
drew several hundred men to dinner at
either the Ontario Beach Hotel in Charlotte
or Manitou Beach Hotel. The joint picnics
and “smokers” were the catalyst for the formation of the University Club of Rochester.
From the very beginning, our connection
to Ithaca and Cornell University has been
strong. Dr. Quigley speaks of his first
Cornell Alumni Association Dinner whose
speaker was Dean Teefy Crane. Other early
notables were Davy Hoy who spoke at an
informal dinner in March of 1912 and
President Jacob Gould Schurman who was
entertained at a luncheon attended by 99
Cornellians at the Seneca Hotel in 1914.
In 1924 the University of Rochester
launched a drive for ten million dollars for a
new men’s campus. In support of the drive,
the Cornell Club of Rochester hosted a dinner for all Rochester college men at the
Chamber of Commerce. Cornell President
Livingston Farrand was the guest speaker.
In 1938 and again in 1941, the men’s and
women’s clubs jointly sponsored dinners at
Oak Hill Country Club in honor of
President Edmund Ezra Day. Through the
years, every Cornell president as well as
many provosts, professors, deans, athletic
coaches, and others associated with the
University have visited the Rochester clubs.
scene until the 1970’s. The Rochester Times
Union had an extensive review of the 1939
dance and as was the custom of the day, all
the guests were listed. Tickets were $2.00. In
1941 the dance was also reported in the
society page and the dresses worn by the
ladies were briefly described. The
Washington’s Birthday dinner dances continued each February through the 1970’s.
Early on, the men’s club held weekly
luncheon meetings and sent red printed
penny post cards to all members announcing the speaker, time and topic. Luncheon
meetings continued through the 1950’s.
(Post cards were still a penny in 1950.)
Meetings in the forties and fifties were
held at the Chamber of Commerce or the
Powers Hotel. In the 1946 annual program
committee report it was noted that 27
luncheons were held with an average attendance of 42 members. The highlight of the
season was a luncheon for Perley S. Wilcox,
Cornell Class of 1897, Chairman of the
Board of Eastman Kodak, with 100 guests
in attendance.
Father and Son Luncheons, Penn
Luncheons, picnics, and clambakes were
popular annual events from the 1940’s
through the 1970’s.
The popularity of Big Red football in the
area was attested to by a gathering of 300
alumni in 1941 to a dinner for Coach Carl
Snavely and his assistant Carl (Lefty) James.
Through the years, many other Cornell
coaches have also been guests of the club.
In the 1960’s, lifestyles and working conditions changed so that weekly lunches were
discontinued. The program was changed to
a format much like those we have today,
though some traditional luncheons such as
the Penn and Founder’s Day luncheons have
continued. Other events were a Pre-Frosh
Picnic and a Secondary Schools Luncheon
for Guidance Counselors. Other speakers
and events were hosted in the evenings or
on weekends. In 1968 the Cornell Club of
Rochester (men’s) had 240 members.
CLUB EVENTS
MUSIC
The club’s Annual Washington’s Birthday
Dance, which some reports date back to
1907, was a favorite on the Rochester social
Music has been a part of our Cornell
heritage in Rochester since 1907. There was
a musical group that was formed from the
STRONG UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS
Rochester 1904
5
6
A Brief History
original charter members. In 1908 “The
Cornell Masque” came from Ithaca to put
on a performance, and they returned in
1909 to stage “Oolong” a Chinese comic
opera, book written by Romeyn Berry ‘04,
at the Lyceum Theatre.
In 1947 the Cornell Club of Rochester
brought an old time Cornell Musical Clubs
Variety Show to the Strong Auditorium at
the University of Rochester. Tickets were
priced at $1.80.
The Glee Club has come to Rochester on
several occasions including a 1969 performance at the Nazareth College Arts Center.
In 1976 Karel Husa conducted the
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in a program at the Eastman Theatre, which also
featured the Cornell Glee Club and the
Festival Chorus of Oswego.
The “Combined Clubs” continued to
enjoy music with outings to the Rochester
“Pops” concerts and summer evening concerts at the Finger Lakes Performing Arts
Center in Canandaigua.
UNIVERSITY TRUSTEES
Through the years, testimonial dinners
have been given to honor the Rochester
area’s University Trustees, Trustees Emeriti
and other outstanding Cornell Club members. On April 23, 1969, Walter Todd was
honored. Walter Todd was the President of
Todd Protectograph Company, which produced commercial check writers and other
devices for the banking industry and other
commercial institutions. The Todd
Company was later bought by the
Burroughs Company. President James
Perkins was the speaker at the dinner.
On May 19,1970 a testimonial dinner
was given for Donald McMaster ’16, retired
chairman of the Board of Eastman Kodak
and Tennessee Eastman. He was a charter
member of the Cornell University Council
and served for five terms. He was also a
Trustee Emeritus of the University and a
director of the Cornell Aeronautical
Laboratory. President Dale Corson was the
guest speaker and he bestowed on Mr.
McMaster the honor of Presidential
“Give my regards to Davy,
remember me to Teefy
Crane.” Dean Thomas F.
Crane (right) was the
featured speaker at the
Rochester alumni banquet in 1906. Registrar
David Hoy (left) was a
guest at an informal
dinner in 1912.
A Timeline of Cornell-Rochester Connections
Kate Gleason, of
Rochester’s Gleason
Works, Cornell’s first
woman student in
engineering.
Rochester’s Hiram
Sibley, president of
Western Union and one
of Cornell’s original ten
incorporators.
1904 is a milestone year for Rochester alumni
and the University. Liberty Hyde Bailey is the
first Dean, New York State College of
Agriculture, established on May 9th.
Sibley College of
Mechanic Arts building
donated in 1871 by
Hiram Sibley and later
expanded by his son
Hiram W. Sibley
On campus, 1904 also
marks the groundbreaking
for Goldwin Smith Hall.
A Brief History
Councilor, the highest honor Cornell
University gives to alumni for outstanding
contributions to education.
Joseph P. King ’36 was honored with a
testimonial dinner at Oak Hill Country
Club on May 18, 1978. President Frank H.T.
Rhodes was the speaker. Joe became a
University Trustee in 1969. He was president of The Cornell Club of Rochester in
1966, was active in alumni secondary school
activities and promoted university athletic
programs. Joe became the administrator of
the Genesee Valley Regional Market
Authority in 1958. The Cornell singing
group “Nothing But Treble” entertained
after dinner.
In May 1982, at the Bounty Harbor
Restaurant, Morton Adams ’33, Phi Beta
Kappa, graduate of the NYS School of
Agriculture at Cornell University, and
President of the Curtice-Burns Corporation
was honored with a testimonial dinner. He
was originally appointed to the Board of
Trustees as an Ex-officio member, representing the NYS Agricultural Society from
First president of the
incorporated Cornell
Club of Rochester, the
Hon. George H. Benton,
Supreme Court judge.
Campus theatrical group,
Cornell Masque, tours
with original comic
operas, this one penned
by Romeyn Berry ’04.
Lantern slides of Cornell
are shown between acts.
1956 to 1975 and was appointed to serve as
a University Trustee from 1975 to 1980 by
the Governor. The Curtice-Burns Charitable
Foundation announced at the dinner that a
scholarship in his name would be given to
the Agricultural College.
Donald Berens ‘47 was given a testimonial dinner on May 8,1986 at the Rochester
Stouffer Hotel. He became a member of the
Board of Trustees of Cornell University in
1982. Don was a true entrepreneur and was
involved with many business ventures,
including 113 Hickory Farms franchise
stores. He suggested the Entrepreneur
Program at the Johnson School of Business
and established the Don and Margi Berens
Professorship. He was the chairman of the
National Cornell Fund from 1983 to 1985.
Rochester’s current board-elected trustee
is Stephen Ashley ’62, MBA ’64. He is chairman and chief executive officer of The
Ashley Group, a family of related companies
focused on management, brokerage, financing and investment in commercial and multifamily real estate. Steve and his wife,
7
Janice, have been named Cornell Foremost
Benefactors. In 1991 they established the
Stephen B. and Janice Ashley Graduate
Fellowship in the College of Agriculture and
Life Sciences. In 2002, Steve Ashley established The Kendall S. Carpenter Memorial
Advising Awards at the University.
SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING
Over the first one hundred years of
Cornell Alumni organizations in Rochester,
many thousands of dollars have been given
to students from the Rochester area. Mr.
Ralph Gorsline, Class of 1889, the insurer of
the original club meeting rooms and the
first treasurer of The Cornell Club of
Rochester in 1907, probably never would
have dreamed that the $500 in insurance
money would be the start of scholarship
funds for so many future Cornellians. A student loan fund was first established in 1912
with $600.
In 1944 the committee recommended
Margery Dragon as the first woman to
receive a men’s club scholarship. It not only
Cornell President, Jacob
Gould Schurman is the
club’s luncheon guest at
the Seneca Hotel in 1914
1909. Fire destroys club
meeting rooms. Insurance
settlement monies establish scholarship fund.
8
A Brief History
set a precedent for the Cornell Club of
Rochester but also for Cornell University.
Miss Dragon was awarded $200 in 1944
and 1945. She distinguished herself both
academically and in extra-curricular
activities as well.
We have been most fortunate to have
several large gifts given to our club. The
Walter Todd Fund was established by his
family in the amount of $25,000 to be used
as a separately administered fund for scholarship purposes. Edith Tasker, a
Rochesterian who loved animals,
bequeathed $22,000 in 1986, to be used for
needy students of the Veterinary College
from the Rochester area. Many other gifts
have been received over the years that have
been most appreciated.
The Women’s Club Cheese Sale was
established as a fundraiser for scholarships
in 1959. The sponsorship of a children’s
play, put on by the Rochester Community
Players, was their first fund raising effort.
The women explored new ways of earning
more money including house tours, but
decided on a cheese sale as something that
would be unique in the Rochester area. The
sale remains a successful fundraiser and is
supported by an army of dedicated workers.
The Women’s Club raised $400 the first
year. When the clubs combined in 1978 the
Cheese Sale became a way to raise additional scholarship monies and in 1993 we raised
over $4,500. Apple boxes and jams were
added to our list of items for sale.
The monies raised from an auction held
at the annual meeting were also used for the
scholarship fund. We have several unique
Cornelliana items such as the Zinck’s Bar,
acquired in 1975, which is made from part
of the Zinck’s sign; also a Clinton House
rocking chair and a Liberty Hyde Bailey
plant stand.
The Club has for many years maintained
a committee that interviews prospective
students and awards scholarships. The
scholarships formerly were given to incoming freshman, but are now given to upperclass students from the Rochester area.
Cornell football games
are favorite outings for
the Rochester Club.
1924, Cornell
President Livingston
Farrand is the guest
speaker at an All
College Men’s
Dinner in support of
fundraising for the
University of
Rochester.
In the 1930’s, Cornell
Club events are a regular
feature in the newspaper’s
society pages.
In 1939 James E. Gleason
(left), Edward Bausch
(center) and Frank
Gannett receive the club’s
“Prince of Good Fellows”
degree in recognition of
their accomplishments.
The Cornell-Penn
Luncheon, now held the
Monday before
Thanksgiving, is a longstanding club tradition.
A Brief History
SECONDARY SCHOOLS COMMITTEE
Over the years both the men’s and
women’s clubs have interviewed students for
admission to the university. On a personal
note, when I applied to Cornell, Norma Fox
was chairman of the committee for the
Women’s Club. She is remembered by many
as our first contact with the University and I
recall my interview as a “white glove, white
knuckle experience.” In those days, white
gloves were essential to a properly dressed
young lady’s wardrobe, and it seemed to me
that my entire future depended on my making a good impression on Norma Fox. She
was certainly a stern presence during the
interview, but the next summer when I
attended the send-off picnic for freshman,
she was the first to give me a big hug and
wish me the best.
Many have chaired the Secondary
Schools Committee, now known as the
Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador
Network (CAAAN). In recent years chairs
have included: Valerie Cole Magor ’60,
Head football coach Carl
Snavely, (left) is a favorite
visitor to the Rochester
club in the 1930’s and
40’s. He and assistant
Lefty James also play in
Cornell Club Golf
Tournaments at Oak Hill.
The annual Washington’s
Birthday formal dinner
dance remains a social
highlight from its inception in 1907 until the
1970’s.
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Maxine Bittker ’59, Martin Lustig ’63, Heidi
Friederich ’63, Carroll Mannning ’53, Nancy
Wachs ’54, Logan Cheek ’60, Arlie Anderson
’47, Stephanie Prato ’89, Peter Cardamone
’73, Catherine Ellison ’99 and Jennifer
Smiljanich ’97.
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CLUBS COMBINE
The separate men’s and women’s clubs
merged in 1978 to become co-educational
like our great University. The new organization was called The Cornell Club of
Rochester. Lawrence Teel ’60 became the
first president of the “combined club” and
had his hands full taming the sexes! The two
clubs were each rich in their own heritage
and there were some strong feelings around
maintaining the traditions of each group.
The Founders Day Luncheon and Cheese
Sale came from the women’s club. The
Dartmouth and Penn Luncheons came from
the men’s club along with the auction of
Cornelliana and the annual meeting. Several
functions were common to both clubs and
were easily integrated into the new
Deane Malott inaugurated as Cornell’s sixth
president in 1951.
Cornell President
Edmund Ezra Day
addresses the combined
clubs. From left to right,
Rochester Mayor Samuel
B. Dicker ’11, University
Trustee Frank E. Gannett
’98, men’s club president
George West ’23, and
women’s club president
Beryl Hass ’32.
In 1963, James A. Perkins
is inaugurated as Cornell’s
seventh president.
10
A Brief History
organization. After much debate, elements
of each club were incorporated into the
“combined club.”
In 1990 the name of the club, after 84
years, was changed to The Cornell Alumni
Association of Greater Rochester. So we
have come full circle from the Cornell
Alumni Association in 1904 to the Cornell
Alumni Association of Greater Rochester
(CAAGR).
90TH BIRTHDAY PARTY
On September 12, 1994 we celebrated
ninety years of Cornell in Rochester at the
Harro East Ballroom at 155 Chestnut Street.
Our special guests were Cornell University
President Frank H.T. Rhodes and his lovely
wife Rosa. The birthday party committee of
47 volunteers was co-chaired by Peter
Schwarz ’47, Arlie Anderson ’47 and Gail
Kayson ’59.
Cornell Club memorabilia was displayed
around the ballroom. The food theme
included Louie’s Lunch Wagon (in cardboard) and “Cornell” barbecued chicken
cooked outside by Kirk Personius ’52 and
Douglas Anderson ’50. We also “imported”
Purity Ice Cream to serve with a lovely
birthday cake of several tiers. All of the past
presidents of the various Cornell alumni
clubs and associations participated in the
cutting of the cake led by the 1994 CAAGR
President Diane Wyant ’75 and President
Frank Rhodes. It was truly a wonderful
event attended by about 250 members and
guests. In May 1995, we accepted the Club
Program Award at Cornell during
Federation Weekend.
A SNAPSHOT OF TODAY’S GROUP
In 2004, as in 1904 when the first Cornell
Alumni Association was formed, our presence in the Rochester area has served
Cornell University and united Cornell graduates in our area in many ways. Today’s
Cornell Alumni Association of Greater
Rochester is busy with involvement in community service, promoting Cornell
University through our high school essay
contests and our very active fund raising
efforts in support of our scholarship fund.
In the 1990’s we became more aware of
our obligations to the greater community,
which reflects on our Cornell education and
experience. The recent efforts have been to
give time to Habitat for Humanity and collecting and giving of food baskets for the
Eastside Community Center.
We have continued to host a wide range
of alumni events. Many deans, professors,
and department chairpersons have been
speakers at our Founder’s Day event every
January and at our Annual Meeting program in the spring of each year. In 1995 at
Founder’s Day we had the Chairman of the
Department of Chemistry at Cornell, Bruce
Ganem, speak on “Cornell and Chemistry
205: Can We Reach (and Teach) NonScientists?” In the spring of 1995 we hosted
a tribute dinner for Dean of Agriculture
and Life Sciences, Robert Call, on his retirement. This was a well-attended affair and
included alumni from the surrounding
region. This event was held at the Center at
High Falls in Rochester.
Dale Corson inaugurated
as Cornell’s eighth president in 1969
Dr. James B. Maas is
faculty speaker at the
women’s club 1971
Founder’s Day Luncheon.
Cheese Sale Chair Toby
Silverman (right) and
Roberta Lang promote
the club’s scholarship
fundraiser.
Pete and Elaine Schwarz,
Arlie and Doug Anderson
pitch in to support the
tradition of scholarship
fundraising.
A Brief History
In 1972, The Herbert F.
Johnson Museum of Art
becomes the latest addition
to the campus skyline.
11
In 1992, we established an endowment
fund in Joe King’s name. Joe was a loyal
Cornellian and a former trustee of the
University who promoted Cornell in so
many ways over the years. The Fourth
Annual Joe King Memorial Golf
Tournament in 1995 raised $6,000.
During 1994-1995, the Scholarship Fund
supported fourteen Cornell students with a
total of $13,250 in scholarship aid. We also
completed our obligation to endow a
Traditions Fellowship of $25,000.
On April 29, 1997, Cornell’s tenth
President Hunter R. Rawlings III and his
wife Elizabeth were our guests at the lovely
home of Bob and Barbara Hurlbut on
Sheldon Road in Mendon. President
Rawlings addressed the large gathering of
Cornellians that attended the event from
our “Zinck’s bar.”
In 1997-1998, the Scholarship
Committee of CAAGR awarded $18,200 to
twelve Rochester area Cornell undergraduates and two veterinary students.
As we approached the millennium in
1999, we renewed our commitment to our
community with several volunteer events
that included sorting at Foodlink, helping at
the WXXI auction, preparing holiday baskets, and helping at the Special Olympics.
During 1999, Kristen Hallagan ’90
arranged a bimonthly book club at the
Pittsford Barnes & Noble store. The
“Discovering New Authors Book Club”
attracts Cornellians as well as other readers
in the area.
Founder’s Day in January 2000 featured
Bob Feldman, former Chimesmaster and
Chimes advisor since 1988. Bob, who is a
former Rochesterian, presented a very
interesting program on chimes music,
including the story about “The Great
Pumpkin Mystery.”
Karen Bronson Clark, MPS ’89, in her
message from the President in the summer
of 2002, reported that CAAGR represented
Cornell graduates from the 1930’s – 2000’s.
The largest class memberships were from
the 1950’s with 29% representation. Classes
of the 1940’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1990’s
1974 marks yet another
successful Phonathon
effort in Rochester on
behalf of the Cornell Fund.
Trustee Joe King congratulates area students at the
club’s 1975 sendoff picnic
for new freshmen.
Ice skating party at the
Shakespeare Restaurant
in Xerox Square, 1975.
Frank H.T. Rhodes inaugurated as Cornell’s ninth
president in 1977.
12
A Brief History
were all very close in participation from
13% to 15%.
Events in 2002 included an Erie Canal
Cruise, and the Cornell-Penn Luncheon
speaker was Richard C. Wesley, Associate
Judge of the Court of Appeals, Cornell Law
’74. The Cornell Alumni Association of
Greater Rochester hosted a wonderful
evening at the Memorial Art Gallery. Frank
Robinson, the Director of the Herbert F.
Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell
University, was our guest speaker and
shared his insights on Degas. After his
remarks and a dessert reception, we went
into the Degas exhibition area. We enjoyed
a rare treat of having an opportunity to
see this exhibit and have Frank Robinson
with us to give his perspective on the art
and the artist.
The annual meeting in May 2002 was
held at Shadow Lake Country Club.
Professor Guiseppe Pezzotti of the Hotel
School amazed us with his ability to
remember names of just about everyone in
the room. His topic “How to be a
Restaurant Critic” was very interesting.
In 2003 Tom Cummings ’75 became our
CAAGR President. We began a yearlong celebration of our one-hundredth anniversary
of Cornell alumni associations in Rochester.
On October 16, 2003, Jeffrey S. Lehman ’77
was inaugurated the eleventh President of
Cornell University. Many Cornellians from
our area attended the ceremony. Arlie
Anderson ’47 invited me to the event, and
we will always remember that day as a high
point in our Cornell experiences.
Founder’s Day 2004 featured Donald F.
Smith, dean of Cornell University’s College
of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Smith became
dean in 1997 and is the ninth dean since
1868 when Cornell became the first university in the United States to teach veterinary
medicine. His topic was “Don’t Forget the
Horse Doctor: Ezra Cornell’s Veterinary
Dream 135 Years Later.” Dr. Robert
Manning and Carroll Manning arranged to
have Dean Smith as our speaker. As the historian, I was very impressed with his knowledge of the history of Cornell as well as the
veterinary college.
1982 testimonial dinner
for Mort Adams ’33,
President of CurticeBurns Corporation,
who served on the
University’s Board
of Trustees from
1956 to 1980.
250 gather at the Harro
East Ballroom in
September to celebrate
Ninety Years of Cornell in
Rochester in 1994.
Bob Metcalf ’61 greets
President Frank H. T.
Rhodes and his wife Rosa
at the club’s 90th birthday
celebration.
Don Hershey ’27, Kirk Personius ’52 and
University Trustee Joe King ’36 chat at
the 1984 annual meeting held at Bob
Hurlbut’s home.
Duncan O’Dwyer and
Gail Kayson accept award
from the Federation of
Cornell Clubs.
Arlie Anderson ’47, Pete
Schwarz ’47 and Gail
Kayson ’59 research club
archives in preparation
for 90th celebration.
Hunter Rawlings becomes
Cornell’s tenth president
in 1995 and the guest of
honor at a Rochester
reception in 1997.
A Brief History
Nannette Nocon ’82 has served as our
organization’s President and has handled
the Scholarship Fund account since 1984.
Since that time, we have awarded $229,332
in scholarships and have in addition transferred $7,832.32 to complete our $25,000
Traditions Fellowship. We are one of a very
few Cornell Alumni Associations that still
handle our own funds. We are active in the
selection process of Scholarship Fund recipients. The Scholarship Committee is chaired
by Toby Silverman ’60, who with her committee, goes to Cornell every fall to interview candidates from the Rochester area.
We award scholarships beginning in the
sophomore year for undergraduates and
also for the Edith Tasker Veterinary
Scholarship. We continue to interview
prospective incoming freshmen through
CAAAN, and many of our members
are interviewers.
For the past thirteen years we have promoted Cornell University through our Essay
Contest. Eleventh grade students from
Rochester area schools are given the opportunity to practice writing college admission-
style essays. Many teachers and guidance
counselors praise our competition, designed
to reward outstanding written expression.
Currently, whenever first or second place
winners are accepted for admission to
attend Cornell, they receive $1,000 (first
place) or $500 (second place) if they
decide to go to Cornell. The essay contest
was first suggested and implemented by
Logan Cheek ’60.
Being an historian is a very humbling
task, and I wish to thank all the CAAGR
members that I have talked to over the years
for sharing their memories, advice, and
experiences with me. I wish to thank Peter
Schwarz ’47 for dragging me into this effort.
For our early history, I drew heavily on the
memoirs and scrapbook of Dr. James
Quigley 1902, and for our recent history I
am indebted to the wonderful club newsletters created by Gilbert Chan ’95. A special
thank-you to my editors Roger Anderson
’78, Arlie Anderson ’47, Elaine Schwarz,
Tom Cummings ’75 and Alex Chernavsky
MBA ’95. I never thought I would become
so involved with the Cornell Alumni
13
Associations when I went to my first
Cornell Women’s Club of Rochester meeting in 1973. I have enjoyed being a member
of the Women’s Club, the “combined”
Cornell Club and now The Cornell Alumni
Association of Greater Rochester.
I conclude this anecdotal history on the
occasion of our official centennial year with
a call to go forth and begin the celebration
of the next 100 years of the Cornell –
Rochester connection.
Gail Long Kayson ’59
Cornell Club of Rochester, President 1983-1984
Cornell Alumni Association of Greater Rochester,
Historian 2004
Jeffrey Lehman inaugurated as Cornell’s eleventh
president in 2003.
Nearly 500 Rochester-area
high school juniors compete each year in our
Essay Contest. Tom
Cummings ’75 presents
award to 2001 winner.
A future alumni association
member enjoys a pleasant
autumn day at the 2003
fall picnic
By the mid-1990’s, the
club’s annual Joe King
Golf Tournament grows
to be a popular summertime fundraiser that
draws golfers from Ithaca
and Rochester.
The 2002 season begins
with an Erie Canal cruise
aboard the Colonial Belle.
14
Past Presidents
Cornell Alumni Association of Greater Rochester
Past Presidents
CORNELL CLUB OF ROCHESTER
1906 Andrew Tuck ’98
1907 Hon. George A. Benton ’71
1908 James E. Gleason ’92
1909 James E. Gleason ’92
1910 Philip Will ’00
1911 Philip Will ’00
1912 Willis E. Ryan
1913 Willis W. Bowen, MD ’02
1914 Ralph H. Gorsline ’98
1915 John F. Skinner ’90
1916 John H. Agate ’03
1917 Alden Covill ’96
1918 Nicholas J. Weldgen, Esq. ’06
1919 Leon Stern ’89
1920 James K. Quigley, MD ’02
1921 Stearns S. Bullen, MD ’09
1922 George C. Wright ’03
1923 Floyd S. Winslow, MD ’06
1924 Floyd S. Winslow, MD ’06
1925 James F. Barker ’93
1926 J. Emmett O’Brien, Esq. ’15
1927 Leonard M. Gard ’13
1928 Andew L. Gilman, Esq. ’09
1929 George A. Benton ’19
1930 Adrian L. Spencer ’21
1931 Philip D. Rupert ’20
1932 James C. O’Brien, Esq. ’10
1933 J. Arthur Jennings, Esq. ’18
1934 J. Arthur Jennings, Esq. ’18
1935 James K. Quigley, MD ’02
1936 Arthur B. Curran, Esq. ’16
1937 Lewis B. Swift ’12
1938 Hon. Marvin R. Dye ’17
1939 Alfred M. Darlow ’06
1940 Howard J. Ludington ’17
1941 Barton Baker, Esq. ’22
1942 George S. Babcock ’16
1942 Kenneth W. Spear ’26
1943 David S. Cook ’24
1944 George A. West ’23
1945 Walter B. Kenyon ’27
1946 Ernest Elder ’16
1947 Kenneth G. Haxtun ’10
1948 Fred E. Darling ’25
1949 Thomas E. Johnson, Esq. ’32
1950 Donald Hershey ’27
1951 Charles F. Bullard ’27
1952 Charles F. Mulligan ’31
1953 Lawrence Martin ’31
1954 Floyd G. Kirkham ’27
1956 Robert H. Antell, Esq. ’43
1957 Joseph W. Alaimo, Esq. ’32
1958 Richard H. Weldgen, Esq. ’36
1959 James D. Andrews, Esq. ’37, JD ’40
1960
1961
1962 William P. Gorman ’33
1963 Russell E. Marron, Esq. ’44
1964 David L. Hoffberg, Esq. ’53
1965 Armand K. Goldstein ’37
1966 Joseph P. King ’36
1967 Robert C. Brandt ’51
1968 Julius K. Kayser ’47
1969 Peter M. Blauvelt, Esq. ’59
1970 Morton L. Bittker, Esq., JD ’60
1971 Windsor D. Ireland ’35
1972 Herbert E. Johnson ’37
1973 Peter D. Schwarz ’47
1974 Stephen Pajeski ’57
1975 Duncan O’Dwyer, Esq., JD ’63
1976 David T. Woehr ’63, ME ’65
1977 Robert H. Metcalf, MBA ’61
Past Presidents
15
CORNELL WOMEN’S CLUB OF ROCHESTER
1921 Gwendolyn Burleson ’16
1922 Ina W. Hall ’18
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927 Elisabeth Keiper ’21
1928 Carroll Griminger ’24
1929 Mary Casey ’24
1930 Mary Casey ’24
1931 Elizabeth Hays ’29
1932 Agnes Wadsworth ’19
1933
1934
1935 Anna Calihan ’05
1936 Goldie Bircher ’27
1937 Bernice Baker ’25
1938 Catherine Reilly ’16
1939 Martha Bowman ’24
1940 Miriam Dye ’17
1941 Vera Spear ’24
1942 Helen McGuire ’29
1944 Beryl Haas ’32
1945 Grace O’Reilly ’22
1946
1947 Dorothy Booth ’35
1948
1949 Doris Potteiger ’45
1950
1951 Dawn Seymour ’39
1952 Arlene Hanley ’45
1953 Mary Northrup ’38
1954 Toni Linowitz ’39
1955 Arlene Hanley ’45
1956 Jean Billington ’39
1957 Jeanne Lewis ’52
1958 Ann Drumm
1959 Jane Stevens ’45, MBA ’48
1960 Joan Norton ’53
1961 Patricia Kerwick ’50
1962 Joanne Brandt ’51
1963 Eunice Hartmann ’58
1964 Beatrice Rosenbloom ’57
1965 Muriel Beahm ’56
1966 Carolyn Schwartz ’39
1967 Cynthia Ryan ’59
1968 Sally Guest Gillan ’59
1969 Carol Sue Hai ’60
1970 Marilyn Teel ’58
1971 Maxine Bittker ’59
1972 Linda Klineman ’62
1973 Peggy Taylor
1973 Heidi Payment ’63
1947 Susan Woehr ’65
1975 Toby Silverman ’60
1976 Nancy Castro ’65
1977 Connie Pajeski ’56
CORNELL CLUB OF ROCHESTER (COMBINED)
1978 Lawrence C. Teel ’60
1979 Kenneth A. Payment, Esq., JD ’63
1980 Carol Sue Hai, ’60
1981 David H. McNitt ’59
1982 Arlie W. Anderson ’47
1983 Gail Long Kayson ’59
1984 Kenneth H. Hershey ’54
1985 Susan R. Holliday ’77
1986 Toby J. Silverman ’60
1987 Toby J. Silverman ’60
1988 Laurie Phillips ’78 &
Duane Phillips ’78, MBA ’79
1989 Nannette Nocon ’82
CORNELL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF GREATER ROCHESTER
1990 Nannette Nocon ’82
1991 Kenneth E. Ackley ’60
1992 Kenneth E. Ackley ’60
1993 Diane E. M. Wyant ’75, MBA’77
1994 Diane E. M. Wyant ’75, MBA’77
1995 Diane E. M. Wyant ’75, MBA’77
1996 David Pogal ’83
1997 Ross Lanzafame, Esq. ’77, MPS ’79
1998 Ross Lanzafame, Esq. ’77, MPS ’79
1999 Ross Lanzafame, Esq. ’77, MPS ’79
2000 Karen Bronson Clark, MPS ’89
2001 Karen Bronson Clark, MPS ’89
2002 Karen Bronson Clark, MPS ’89
2003 Thomas L. Cummings ’75
2004 Thomas L. Cummings ’75
16
Life Members
LIFE MEMBERS
Alden Covill, 1898
Ralph C. Schwartz ’08
Walter Todd ’09
Sam Guggenheim ’15
Carl Baker
Katherine A. Albertson ’16
George S. Babcock ’16
Howard A. Sauer ’16
Hon. Marvin R. Dye ’17
George West ’23
Florence Sullivan ’24
Floyd Kirkham ’27
Donald Hershey ’27
Beryl Haas ’32
Kate Spiller ’32
Windsor D. Ireland ’35
Arlie W. Anderson ’47
Kirkwood E. Personius ’52, MS ’56
Russell Smith ’54
Carroll Manning ’55
Carol Sue Hai ’60
Toby J. Silverman ’60
Robert H. Metcalf ’61
Maxine Bittker ’59
Heidi Friederich ’63
Myra Gross ’60
Peter Schwarz ’47
Gail Long Kayson ’59
2003-2004 OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Past President
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Membership
Publicity/Newsletter
Essay Contest
Program Chair
CAAAN Representatives
Scholarship
Cheese Sales
Endowment
Community Outreach
Historian
Directors at Large
Karen Bronson Clark
Tom Cummings
Sanjay Hiranandani
Larry Dunham
Mara Chan
Gilbert Chan
Yelena Shapiro, Alex Chernavsky
Ross Lanzafame
Catherine Ellison, Jennifer Smiljanich
Toby Silverman
Diane Wyant, Cheryl Evans
Nannette Nocon
Logan Cheek
Gail Kayson
Bob Buhite, Jack Clarcq, Kristen Hallagan,
Eric Paley, Ajay Sadarangani, Betsy Wilson
PHOTO CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Cover
Cornell University
Archives
Rochester Historical
Society, Rochester, NY
Andy Olenick,
fotowerks.com
University Photography
Inside Front Cover
University Photography
p. 4 – 5
Cornell University
Archives
Rochester Public Library
p. 6 – 7
Rochester Public Library
Cornell University
Archives
Cornell Club of
Rochester Archives
p. 8 – 9
Cornell University
Archives
Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle
Cornell Club of
Rochester Archives
p. 10 – 11
Cornell Club of
Rochester Archives
Brighton Pittsford Post
Cornell University
Archives
p. 12 – 13
Cornell Club of
Rochester Archives
Birds Eye Foods
Inside Back Cover
Cornell Club of
Rochester Archives
Back Cover
Cornell University
Archives
Special thanks to the Bob
Wright Creative Group
for graphic design.
Members of the Cornell Alumni
Association of Greater Rochester begin
the 2003-2004 season with a picnic at
Mendon Ponds Park on September 13,
2003. (Membership totals 250 in 2004.)
’54, Richard Weldgen, Jr. ’67, Michael
Brown ’02, Lois Niland ’74 MBA ’78, Diane
Wyant ’75 MBA ’77, Mary Jane Curry ’83,
Wendi Heinzelman ’95, Ellen Willand ’81,
Gail Kayson ’59, Elaine Schwarz
Kneeling - Peter Schwarz ’47, Tom
Cummings ’75, Gilbert Chan ’95
(holding Julia), Mara Chan ’95, Juan
Villalona, (dog - Blue) Sara Villalona ’94
(holding Noah)
2nd Row Standing - Russ Smith ’54
MBA ’58, James Moore ’84, Steven
Heinzelman ’95 (holding Nate),
Madelynn Mueller ’76, Daniel Burnside ’84
PhD ’95, Ajay Sadarangani ’91, Rebecca
Lamont ’83, William Gage ’50 PhD ’58,
Priscilla Specht ’49
1st Row Standing - Ross Lanzafame ’77
MPS ’79, Larry Dunham ’73, Nancy Wachs
View historical documents from the club’s
archives and submit your additions or
corrections to our history at www.caagr.org
EVENING SONG
WHEN THE SUN FADES FAR AWAY
IN THE CRIMSON OF THE WEST,
AND THE VOICES OF THE DAY
MURMUR LOW AND SINK TO REST.
MUSIC WITH THE TWILIGHT FALLS
O’ER THE DREAMING LAKE AND DELL;
‘TIS AN ECHO FROM THE WALLS
OF OUR OWN, OUR FAIR CORNELL.
WELCOME NIGHT, AND WELCOME REST,
FADING MUSIC, FARE THEE WELL;
JOY TO ALL WE LOVE THE BEST,
LOVE TO THEE, OUR FAIR CORNELL.
MUSIC WITH THE TWILIGHT FALLS
O’ER THE DREAMING LAKE AND DELL;
‘TIS AN ECHO FROM THE WALLS
OF OUR OWN, OUR FAIR CORNELL.