Sixty Years At Purchase - Manhattanville College

Transcription

Sixty Years At Purchase - Manhattanville College
Manhattanville
THE MAGAZINE OF MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE | SPRING 2013
www.manhattanville.edu
1952–2012:
Sixty Years
At Purchase
MANHATTANVILLE
The Magazine of Manhattanville College
Jon C. Strauss, Ph.D.
President
Manhattanville College
Jose R. Gonzalez
Vice President
Office of Institutional Advancement
Teresa S. Weber
Assistant Vice President
Office of Institutional Advancement
J.J. Pryor
Managing Director
Office of Communications
Tun N. Aung
Director
Brand Management and Creative Services
Office of Communications
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Aarushi Bhandari ’13
Communications Assistant
Jennifer Griffin ’07
Assistant Director, Alumni Relations
Elizabeth Baldini ’09
Alumni Relations Officer
Steve Sheridan
Director
Sports Information, Athletics
Caren Wagner-Roth, MAW ’01
Casey Tolfree
PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Candice Alcantara ’14
Photography Intern
Stephanie Camerone ’14
Communications Assistant
Nicole Pupora ’15
Photography Intern
Manhattanville College is committed to equality of
educational opportunity, and is an equal opportunity
employer. The College does not discriminate against
current or prospective students and employees on the
basis of race, color, sex, national and ethnic origin,
religion, age, disability, or any other legally protected
characteristic. This College policy is implemented in
educational and admissions policies, scholarship and
loan programs, athletic and other school-administered
programs, and in employee-related programs.
Manhattanville Magazine is published annually by
Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street,
Purchase, NY 10577.
Contents
4 President’s Letter
5 Daniel’s Music Foundation
8
6
6 Elizabeth McCormack
8 Career Changers
11 Donor Profiles
12Honoring Our Women of
the Sacred Heart
13Manhattanville’s
Strategic Plan
15Re-designed Programs
Launched by GPS
16Dan Fiorito Signs with the
NY Yankees
17New Sport Studies Program
20
18Manhattanville On the Road
19Commencement Re-cap
20 Sixty Years At Purchase
24 A Valiant Effort
27Alumni News
12
28 Alumni Association Board
29Alumni Reunion
32 Young Alumni Society
5
34Alumni Event Re-cap
38Alumni Class Notes
46Congratulations and
Condolences
48 Board of Trustees
13
49 President’s Advisory
Council
Letter from the President
Dear Alumni, Friends, Faculty, Staff, Parents, and Students,
We have had a number of accomplishments this academic year that I am delighted to share with you.
First of all, please join me in congratulating Lily Edgar ’13, who has been selected as a Fulbright U.S.
student award winner, and sophomores Nha Truong, who ranked 97 out of 4277 students in the William
Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, and Karina Edouard, named a 2013 Newman Civic Fellow
based on her demonstrated commitment to community service.
Also, the New York State Education Department approved the College’s Sport Studies major. This
marks our first new undergraduate major in some time and we are confident that it will help to attract
additional prospective students who are key to our planned move to financial sustainability. Moreover, the
faculty has proposed several attractive, new undergraduate programs for New York State approval. These
new programs will better align with the needs and interests of today’s students while fulfilling an objective
of the Strategic Plan, “to connect the liberal arts to life.”
And speaking of accomplishments, 60 years ago, Manhattanville College left its home on the Upper
West Side of Manhattan, and moved 28 miles north to Purchase, New York. In honor of the College’s 60th
year in Purchase, and inspired by First Lady Jean Strauss, the faculty, students, and staff, have constructed
Heritage Hall, which celebrates our transformation to the College it is today, while continuing to reflect
the values and traditions of our Sacred Heart origins. The display includes electronic panels with images
and scenes depicting alumni, faculty, and student life. We hope you will visit Heritage Hall and enjoy the
College’s rich history of academic excellence, and social and civic engagement.
In this issue, you will find a feature on Elizabeth McCormack ’44, who served as President of
Manhattanville College from 1966 –1974. It was her vision and leadership that proved instrumental in
restructuring Manhattanville for its supportable future from the elite, Catholic, women’s institution. She
remains involved today as a Trustee and a special advisor to the College.
Also featured in this issue is the special tribute held during Reunion 2012, to honor three women of
the Sacred Heart for their longstanding commitment and dedication to the College: Sister Ruth Dowd ’40,
who taught philosophy at Manhattanville for 18 years, became Dean of Adult and Special Programs, and
launched the School of Graduate and Professional Studies; Sister Mary T. Clark ’39, who taught philosophy
at Manhattanville for over 60 years, earning the title of Professor Emeritus of Philosophy; and Trustee
Sister Ann Conroy ’47, formerly Dean of Students from 1968 to 1972.
As Mother Eleanor O’Byrne said in 1962 during the dedication of our new home here in Purchase, New
York, “Here, we shall live as a united global family.” And with your help, we will continue to move forward.
Sincerely,
Jon C. Strauss Ph.D.
President
4 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Daniel’s Music Foundation:
A Service Tradition
M
ichael Trush ’09 was just nine years
old when his brother Daniel suffered
a brain aneurism that should have
ended his life. But thirty days after Daniel
slipped into a coma, he was awake. He spent
the next year in the hospital. Two years
after his aneurism, he took his first steps. In
2009, Daniel ran the New York Marathon.
His miracle recovery was aided by Daniel’s
interest in and focus on music.
In 2006, the Trush family started Daniel’s
Music Foundation, a non-profit that provides
free music instruction to individuals with
disabilities in the NYC area. The Foundation
creates a social environment, and participants
take each class for a full semester, learning the
fundamentals of such instruments as guitar,
piano, vocal, and composition.
“We found that music really helped
Daniel a lot in his recovery,” Trush said. “We
did some research as a family just to see what
kinds of programs were out there since Daniel
was graduating from high school. Though
there were a lot of great therapeutic musical
programs, there wasn’t a lot of socialization
with people with similar challenges.”
The Foundation started with one class
in 2006 and only five participants. Now it
has 50 classes and 300 students. Every day
the Foundation continues to grow, thrive, and
change.
“The growth of the community is
phenomenal, but in addition to that we have
on-site programs, off-site programs, and we
are getting close to having our own space next
year which is really exciting,” Trush said.
From the beginning, the Manhattanville
Duchesne Center for Religion and Social
Justice was part of the volunteer network for
Daniel’s Music Foundation. Trush ’09 worked
on making it one of the service projects for
Duchesne Scholars. The Center provided
transportation to New York City and sent a
steady stream of volunteers to help out.
Some were Duchesne Scholars, who
helped to set up classrooms and organize
the classes, others were music students,
who helped to teach classes or work with
individuals sharing their knowledge of
instruments.
“We housed the program through the
Duchesne Center as one of our premier
volunteer programs,” Duchesne Center
Community Service Coordinator, Craig
Donnelly said. “We recruited students,
recruited drivers; we promoted it across
campus to all students.”
Even now, four years after Michael’s
graduation, Daniel’s Music Foundation is
one of the most popular volunteer programs
at Manhattanville. On average, 8-10 students
travel to NYC on Saturdays to help out with
the Foundation.
“They go in there just thinking they are
going to teach music, but they learn so much
from the people they are serving,” Donnelly
said. “Our volunteers are really into it; they
have really kept up the passion for what the
program entails.”
Some volunteers continued on with
Daniel’s Music Foundation after their time
at Manhattanville was over. They helped the
Foundation in many ways, big and small.
Michael currently runs the Junior Council and
the student volunteer program which keeps
him in touch with Manhattanville alumni,
David Bedard ’09, who also is an assistant
instructor, Andre Yoskowitz ’09, and Thomas
Heyliger ’10. The Junior Council is a group of
young professionals working toward making
an impact at Daniel’s Music Foundation
through fundraising and volunteer work.
“A lot of my friends have really stayed
involved with the Foundation,” Trush said. “It
has been really nice. I graduated in 2009 and
just the fact that there are still Manhattanville
students involved is great.”
The Foundation was recognized during
the New York Yankees HOPE Week in 2011.
Students at the Foundation were offered the
opportunity to sing the National Anthem on a
Broadway stage.
In July, Daniel’s Music: One Family’s
Journey from Tragedy to Empowerment
through Faith, Medicine, and the Healing
Power of Music, will be published by
Skyhorse Publishing. Written by New York
Times Bestselling Author, Jerome Preisler,
the book will share Daniel’s amazing story of
recovery and the healing power of music.
“We are really excited,” Trush said. “We
came in contact with Jerome through HOPE
WEEK, and it really tells the entire story of the
family from Daniel’s injury up until today.”
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 5
Elizabeth McCormack ’44:
No Ordinary Life
A
s she enters the room, she moves quickly. Her short bobbed
white hair and piercing blue eyes project a woman of great
character. At the age of 91, she still works every day, travels
the world, and remains a lifelong learner with an academic
craving for knowledge. She has an informal manner
and although she is physically tiny, she is a giant in the world of
philanthropy. She feels most useful when she is making a difference.
Her biography, No Ordinary Life, by
Charles Kenney, chronicles Trustee Elizabeth
J. McCormack’s life as a devoted Catholic
nun to a most respected advisor to many of
the most influential foundations in history.
Additionally, from 1966 to 1974, McCormack
served as President of Manhattanville
College. During her tenure at the College,
the Vietnam War was being fought and
the cultural revolution of the 60s and 70s
captivated the country. Faced with the
challenges of Manhattanville’s sustainability,
McCormack restructured the College from the
elite, Catholic, women’s institution to include
a non-denominational, co-educational student
population. (Manhattanville was not alone;
many colleges during this period went co-ed
including Nazareth, Marquette, Skidmore,
Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, and more).
Additionally at this time, McCormack’s
progressive, forward-thinking, inclusive
strategy was responsible for Manhattanville’s
acceptance of the largest African-American
student population in the College’s history.
At the end of her tenure with
Manhattanville, McCormack was employed
by the Rockefeller Family Office where
she was responsible for introducing the
younger Rockefellers to the world of
6 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
philanthropy. She
became a philanthropist
by “talking to people
who were engaged in
doing it.” She has been
the philanthropic advisor
to the Rockefeller
family for over 40 years.
McCormack has also
served on the board of
numerous foundations,
including the John
D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation,
“committed to building
a more just, verdant, and
peaceful world,” and The
Atlantic Philanthropies,
“dedicated to bringing
about lasting changes
in the lives of
disadvantaged and vulnerable people.”
McCormack has chaired the Asian
Cultural Council since 1992 and been a
Trustee since 1980. Currently, she serves
on the boards of the Population Council,
The Juilliard School, the Trust for Mutual
Understanding, and Hamilton College. She
is a member of the Council on Foreign
Relations, the American
Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and the
Century Association.
She was also a Director
of Memorial SloanKettering Cancer
Center, and a Trustee of
Cambridge, Spellman,
and Marlboro Colleges.
In No Ordinary
Life, William “Bill”
Dietel, former President
of the Rockefeller
Brothers Fund, who has
served on more than
twenty-five nonprofit
boards including the
New York Public
Library, American
Farmland Trust, and the
Institute for Philanthropy in London, states
that: “She stays active because she knows
in her bones that’s how you stay alive. She
is interested in creating new things. She’s
interested in the new and different, and she’s
got a strong enough ego that she could afford
to take a risk with her reputation. And that
won her legions of friends.”
I think a philanthropist, big or small, wants to act for the good of humanity
“I think a philanthropist, big or small,
wants to act for the good of humanity,”
McCormack said. “And the obvious way
is by giving money. But a person with
no money, or not enough money, can be
philanthropic by giving service. Foundations
frequently give to bring about policy changes
while individuals often make gifts that are
humanitarian. If I give wisely to some good
purpose, the impact is made not only by my
gift, but by everyone’s giving.”
In the fall of 2011, McCormack was
instrumental in procuring an unrestricted
gift of $5 million over a three-year period to
Manhattanville College by an anonymous
donor. The monies are being used to
strengthen academic excellence initiatives,
provide for additional campus capital
improvements, and to help implement
initiatives identified in Manhattanville’s
strategic plan so it can remain competitive in
a rapidly changing world. The gift marked
the largest donation the College has ever
received.
The same anonymous donor is
responsible for providing funding for
the College’s Elizabeth J. McCormack
Scholars Program, which awards three to
four incoming freshmen the opportunity to
study at Manhattanville College. “It awards
students who are high achievers and have
overcome some type of huge challenge in
their young lives,” said McCormack. “And
who are motivated to help others, carrying on
the humanitarian tradition of Manhattanville.”
McCormack, who earned her Ph.D.
in Philosophy at Fordham University,
believes that a college education trains
critical judgment and teaches a person to
question assumptions and to be open-minded.
“Manhattanville gave me what a liberal arts
education is meant to give,” McCormack
said. “The power to think, to question, and to
be open to differences. This is taught personto-person by faculty with different beliefs,
different views, and different backgrounds. I
like to say, ‘we meet and change one another.’
If you really learn to know someone whose
background, whose beliefs are different from
yours, you learn not to be judgmental. And I
learned that at Manhattanville.”
As a tireless crusader, McCormack
recently received The United Hospital Fund’s
Distinguished Community Service Award
for her role in advancing palliative care as
a vital means to improve the quality of life,
through her founding and leadership of the
Partnership for Palliative Care. In response
to this recognition, Bill Moyers, journalist,
public commentator, former White House
Press Secretary, and friend of McCormack,
stated, “Elizabeth McCormack reminds us of
things that last, that transcend the tumult of
the hour and the news of the day. Her life is
about connections and continuities between
past and present, between now and the future,
between the natural world and the world we
make together.”
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 7
education
School of
The Manhattanville College School of Education has been a popular choice for non-traditional students who
successfully transition from working in corporate America to pursuing careers in education. Meet three such
graduates: Jim Detmer, who formerly worked in asset management, Susan Keating, formerly an Account Supervisor
at an advertising agency, and Suzanne Ribeiro, former Consumer Information Analyst, Kraft Foods.
Jim Detmer MAT ’12 Works to
Make a Difference in the Field of
Special Education
When Jim Detmer
headed to Colgate
University in
1971, he intended
to become a teacher and coach. However,
after graduation Detmer entered the
corporate world, and started working in asset
management. After thirty years, Jim was
ready to retire at the age of 58, but decided
instead to enter the Manhattanville College
School of Education Jump Start program. An
accelerated Master’s program designed for
career changers, Jump Start allows students
to enter the workforce within seven months to
begin new careers in the field of education.
“I always enjoyed working with kids,”
Detmer said. “I worked with my own kids
and their peers for years. I was at a point in
my life where things were going quite well
and I wanted to help some kids out.”
While the decision to go back to
school didn’t affect Detmer and his family
financially, after so many years, acclimating
to college life and simple things such as
8 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
double spacing papers did take time.
“When I was in school it was single
spaced. My wife comes in and hits a
button and all of a sudden I had a 28-page
paper,” he said. “I was computer illiterate,
so all those things were difficult, but the
professors understood that some of us were
technological immigrants and that helped.”
Detmer chose to study Social Studies
Education, with some influence from
Professor Mikki Shaw, Director of the Jump
Start Program, Special Education.
“After spending some time in Special
Education the past year and a half, I’m
smitten with it,” Detmer said. “I want to be
a Special Education teacher. I love working
with these kids. If you are looking to help
kids, there aren’t kids who need more help
than these kids.”
Subsequently, Detmer was hired at
KAPPA III, a middle school in District 12
in the Bronx. Currently in his second year at
the school, Detmer has settled into his role.
He is comfortable at the school and with
its population. He knows he is making a
difference in the lives of these children.
“I was convinced that I was going to be
teaching in a large suburban high school and
coaching. That’s my background,” he said.
“But I have a very tender heart for these kids
and it might end up that my calling is with
this population.”
District 12 is a struggling district in the
Bronx but KAPPA III has been and continues
to do very well despite the location. A strict
behavior code and uniform requirement are
in effect.
Detmer teaches Social Studies and
ELA in a self-contained Special Education
classroom. He also co-teaches in mixed
classrooms. He has had great success in
improving state test scores by 60 percent
in his ELA classroom. His goal is to make
certain that every child has the opportunity to
speak, write, and read every day.
“I hope a lot of the kids I work with,
and will work with, feel a little better about
themselves and their capabilities,” Detmer
said. “I hope they know a bit more, so they
can be more competitive in the environment
in which they are going to enter.”
School of education career changers
Susan Keating,
Special Education
Teacher
Susan Keating met
Samantha* in her
first year working
at the International
School at Dundee
(ISD) in Greenwich,
Connecticut.
Samantha was a
severely dyslexic
first grader. She
couldn’t recognize letters. She couldn’t
express herself even though she was creative
and bright. Letters and words swam around
in her head without meaning. Samantha cried
every day from the stress associated with her
disorder.
Two years later, under the guidance of
Susan Keating and the Special Education
Department at ISD, Samantha can read and
write. She is energetic and creative. She loves
school. Keating believes that one day she
won’t even remember the trauma caused by
her dyslexia.
“Teaching a child who is bright and
creative how to read and write is like a gift,”
Keating said. “It is such a ball and chain if
they cannot express themselves like everyone
else in the classroom and to find a program
that works for them, it is like freeing them.”
Though Keating graduated from the
Manhattanville College School of Education,
with specialties in Childhood and Special
Education in 2009, she has already made
quite a difference at ISD and in the life of her
students.
Currently, she is an Orton-Gillingham
Fellow candidate. The Orton-Gillingham
Approach is a way of educating students
with dyslexia at multiple levels. It focuses
on the learning needs of individual students.
According to the Orton-Gillingham website,
the approach has been described as languagebased, multisensory, structured, sequential,
cumulative, cognitive, and flexible. Fellow
candidates are the highest level of certified
educators in the Orton-Gillingham Approach.
“I find the learning process itself
fascinating, particularly for kids with special
needs who are learning to do things that just
happen for a lot of kids,” she said. “To dissect
the reading process into little pieces and steps
“Multi-Cultural Classroom” class, and I
was hooked,” she said. “Great class. Great
teacher. I was on my way.”
As a part-time student with two
specialties, it took Keating eight years to
finish the program, but it was time well spent.
She worked part-time at the Fox Meadow
School in Scarsdale as a Teacher’s Aide. And
she was able to stretch her student teaching
out to a full year, working at two different
schools, one for each of her specialties. Most
I find the learning process itself fascinating, particularly
for kids with special needs who are learning to do things
that just happen for a lot of kids.
I find fascinating, creative, and interesting.”
But Keating hasn’t always been on this
path. She graduated from Bucknell in 1980
with a degree in Economics and English.
She worked at a major advertising agency in
New York City as an Account Supervisor, and
was involved in the creative process while
meeting the marketing goals of the agency.
Keating left corporate America in 1989 after
the birth of her second child.
For the next 21 years, Keating’s job title
was mother. During those years, Keating was
what she calls a “professional volunteer,”
working with the Parent Teacher Associations
at her children’s schools. As the president
of the Milton School and Rye High School
Parent Teacher Organizations, she helped to
raise over $200,000 to bring programs and
renovations to the schools.
It was during these years that Keating
caught the teaching bug. She toyed with
the idea of returning to school to get a
Masters in Education. With her husband’s
encouragement, in 2001, Keating enrolled as
a non-matriculated student at Manhattanville
College. She took just one class but that was
all she needed.
“I landed in Dr. Laurence Krute’s
importantly, Keating was able to be home for
her kids in the afternoons and evenings.
In 2009, with one teenager at home
and a Masters Degree in hand, she went
back to work as a full-time, long-term
Special Education substitute teacher for the
Greenwich Public Schools. The following
year she started full-time at ISD as a fifthgrade teacher, and a special education teacher
for grades 1-2.
“It was a shock to the system. There
was definitely a lot less home cooking and
everyone had to step it up,” she said. “I had
not worked full-time in 21 years. It was
jarring to say the least.”
Currently, she is in her third year at
ISD. She has a handful of special education
students that she has been with since the first
grade. She still teaches Samantha.
“I love working with children. I find
children much more interesting than adults.
Overall, I think there is such a great humor
and freshness and honesty with kids that I
love being around them,” Keating said. “And
then there are the laughs. It’s Pajama Day on
Friday. Who else gets to wear their pajamas
to work? Nobody else I know.”
*Name has been changed. Susan Keating was the first recipient of the Mary K. Humphreys Endowed Scholarship in Special Education.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 9
School of education career changers
Suzanne Ribeiro,
High School Teacher,
Rikers Island
Three years ago,
Suzanne Ribeiro
was working
as a Consumer
Information Analyst
at Kraft Foods.
She felt unfulfilled
and dissatisfied in
this position and
in 2009, during
the NYC school
system’s hiring freeze, made the arduous
decision to return to college to get a Masters
Degree in Teaching.
Through Manhattanville College School
of Education’s Jump Start Program, Ribeiro
was able to maintain her job while taking
classes. She attended classes at night and
used vacation days to complete observation
hours. It wasn’t easy but she was determined.
Ultimately, Ribeiro risked the comfortable,
well-paying corporate position that she had
for nine years to enter the field of education,
taking a noticeable pay reduction in the
process.
“I had to make some financial cuts, but
it was so well worth it in the end,” Ribeiro
said. “My kids are still young and I am home
with them after school and on the weekends
they have me. With my corporate job I got
home around six, and I would still be on my
computer doing work and on the weekends.
If we went away on vacation, I would always
have to make sure I brought my laptop.”
Now, Ribeiro spends her days educating
16 and 17 year olds - incarcerated at Rikers
Island.
“Every day is definitely different and
these kids come with a lot of problems but
10 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
they also come eager to learn,” she said.
Rikers Island is one of the country’s
most notorious prisons. The Rikers Island
complex consists of ten jails which house
local offenders who are awaiting trial and
cannot afford, obtain, or were not awarded
bail from a judge, those serving sentences
of one year or less, and those temporarily
held pending transfer to another facility. The
violence of the inmate population at Rikers
Island is well documented and continues to
end up back in jail. Since he had difficulty
saying this to her in person, he chose to write
a letter thanking her for her support and
encouragement and for believing in him.
“It’s incredible the lives that some of
these kids lead. We are so oblivious living up
here in Westchester,” she said. “They are very
honest when they describe their home lives.
Some of them are out on the street. And some
of them have parents who are locked up, but
some of them come from perfectly intact
Through Manhattanville College School of Education’s
Jump Start Program, Ribeiro was able to maintain her job
while taking classes. She attended classes at night and
used vacation days to complete observation hours.
It wasn’t easy but she was determined. Ultimately, RIbeiro
risked the comfortable, well-paying corporate position
that she had for nine years to enter the field of education.
be one of the facility’s greatest challenges.
Ribeiro was recently given the
opportunity to leave the Rikers Program to
teach at a school in the Bronx. She refused,
instead opting to continue to help rehabilitate
and teach the teenagers at Rikers.
Ribeiro teaches the curriculum that
parallels that of the New York City School
System, so that these teens can return to
their prior schools when their sentences
have been served. Additionally, she prepares
them for Regents Exams while motivating
them to start fresh and stay on the right path.
In this respect, Ribeiro is more than just a
teacher. She is a mentor, a motivator and an
inspiration to all.
One student promised Ribeiro that
he would change his ways and wouldn’t
homes, but hung out with the wrong people.”
The boys at Rikers Island inspire Ribeiro
to continue teaching. Every student that she
helps gives her validation that she made
the right decision when she left corporate
America to become an educator. It is quite
an achievement knowing that her decision
to pursue her own dream actually results in
changing the outcome of other people’s lives.
“I had the hardest time before dragging
my butt into work at nine o’clock in the
corporate world,” she said. “Now I have no
problem waking up at five in the morning
and I am out the door by six to get to school
because I love what I do. I am just so grateful
that there was a program that made it possible
for me to fulfill my dream.”
Donor ProfileS:
There’s more than one
way to give back
10 Year Annual Fund Donor
Dan O’Brien ’90
Profession: Business
Editor at The Sun, a daily
newspaper based in Lowell,
MA.
Looking forward to
most in the next 10
years: Seeing what life
decisions my two daughters, now 16 and 14,
make for themselves.
Recent giving: I am pretty small
potatoes, but I try to be consistent. Usually
$50 per year, once or twice in recent years I
gave $75.
What alumni should know: Seemingly
small contributions from many graduates can
lead to significant results. Why I give: I enjoy being a small part
of something big, being part of a cause
that matters to the future of my school.
Planned Gift Donor
Helaine Smith ’88
Profession: D.D.S.
Most Proud Of:
The ability to show
compassion for other
people and be a
productive global citizen
in which I am able to
share my gifts and talents.
Meaning of the word legacy: The word
legacy brings up feelings of respect for many
great people who have been able to change
the world in a positive fashion. For me, I
want my legacy gift to help students obtain
an outstanding degree.
Why I give: Manhattanville College
shaped my life and facilitated the ability to
pursue my dreams. I feel deep gratitude to
the College and passionately believe in its
mission of social justice and education. I
received so much from Manhattanville, I
feel it is imperative to give every year so
that Manhattanville can remain strong and
continue shaping the future for its present
students. Manhattanville has always had a
special place in my heart and it is natural to
support what I care deeply about. Recurring Gift Donor
Jeremy Wilson ’03
Profession: Political
Coordinator for 1199
SEIU United Healthcare
Workers East, a healthcare
union that represents over
450,000 workers across
five states and the District
of Columbia.
Where will I be in five years: Continuing to
push myself to live up to the mission and
vision that Manhattanville College has for all
of its students and alumni – being an ethical
and socially-responsible leader for the global
community.
Recent giving: I’m ecstatic that
Manhattanville is now using the automatic
monthly recurring gift. In previous years I
wrote one check once a year and was only
able to give so much. Now that I can do a
recurring gift, I give a smaller amount than
my “once-a-year” check, but I do it every
month so I’m able to give three times as
much and don’t really feel it!
Young alumni should know: I came
from a small town and it wasn’t until I was at
Manhattanville that my eyes were opened and
I understood that I had the power to change
the world.
Why I give: To support the institution
that has helped me realize my abilities and
given me extraordinary opportunities to
become the person that I am today. Without
the help of alumni who have given in the
past, I would not have been able to have that
experience. It is now my responsibility and
honor to continue the practice and tradition of
giving that will ensure that those who come
after me will be afforded the opportunity and
extraordinary experience that Manhattanville
College has given, and continues to give, me.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 11
Sr. Ruth Dowd ’40
Honoring
Our Women of
the Sacred Heart
Sister Dowd taught
philosophy at
Manhattanville for 18
years before becoming a
member of the Board of
Trustees. In 1983, she
returned to Manhattanville
as the Dean of Adult and
Special programs and launched the School of Graduate
and Professional Studies with a flagship program in
human resources. Courses in leadership, strategic
management, and marketing soon followed. She also
started the annual Summer Writers’ Week, which
celebrates its 30th year this June, and the Master of
Arts in Writing program, which has since become
a Master of Fine Arts program. In 2003, the Dowd/
O’Gorman Writing Center was dedicated, honoring the
contributions of Sister Ruth and Sister Eileen O’Gorman
to the field of writing and literature on Manhattanville’s
campus.
Sr. Mary T. Clark ’39
“…that the education given in schools would be profound
enough to inspire the pupils to rebuild, renew, and
transform society, wherever they live.”
—Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat,
Foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart, 1802
Manhattanville College has experienced
many changes throughout the years —
becoming co-ed, adding to its beautiful
campus, becoming fully nondenominational.
Through the changes, its commitment to
academic excellence and social and civic
action have not faltered.
Manhattanville’s mission embraces the
College’s tradition to “educate students to be
ethical and socially-responsible leaders in a
global community. ”
During Reunion 2012, a special
reception was held to honor three of
our women of the Sacred Heart for their
longstanding commitment and dedication to
the College and to the Society of the Sacred
Heart.
“The RSCJs set the pace, they
challenged us and formed us by word and
example to know the source of our idealism,
and they opened new vistas to us,” Paula
12 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Toner, RSCJ ’65, former U.S. Provincial for
the Society of the Sacred Heart, said at the
reception.
Alumnae traveled near and far to join in
the celebration of Sisters Ruth Dowd ’40,
Mary T. Clark ’39, and former Dean of
Students and current Trustee, Ann Conroy
’47.
“Each of these women has been a force
of nature in her field,” Alice Burns ’70,
Vice President and President elect for the
Associated Alumnae/i of the Sacred Heart,
said. “Moreover, it is important to reflect
how their influence upon our lives extended
beyond the classroom and the administrative
office. They lived among us in the dorms.
Their doors were open for evening visits and
far-ranging discussions of almost any subject
in the universe, always willing to share their
knowledge and world view, always willing to
listen to ours.”
Sister Clark taught
philosophy at
Manhattanville for over
60 years, earned the title
of Professor Emeritus of
Philosophy and received
an honorary Doctorate
of Humane Letters from
Manhattanville in 1984. In 1997, The Mary T. Clark
RSCJ Chair of Christian Philosophy was established by
alumnae in her honor.
Sr. Ann Conroy ’47
Sister Conroy, who
is still active on the
Manhattanville Board
of Trustees, returned to
Manhattanville, after a
career in advertising,
as the Dean of Students
in 1968. She held
this position until 1972 before completing her
final preparations and going to Rome for her final
vows as a Religious of the Sacred Heart. She was
awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by
Manhattanville in 1996.
Q/A with Gail M. Simmons, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Manhattanville College’s
Strategic Plan
How will the Strategic Plan help
to position Manhattanville as an
independent liberal arts college and
community-centered graduate school in
the greater New York City area?
The object of the Strategic Plan is
predicated on the idea that the best way
that Manhattanville can position itself is to
use its mission, which delves deeply into
Manhattanville’s history and yet is relevant
for today and the future. We use our mission
statement to frame everything that we do at
the College. So when the Strategic Plan was
developed we used that mission statement as
the basis for the construction of the plan.
Manhattanville’s mission statement
focuses on our tradition of service,
community involvement, social justice, and
global awareness. While there are other
liberal arts institutions that do these things,
we have a very long history of walking that
walk and we continue to do so. This helps
us make sure that our efforts going forward
are focused on these things. Our mission and
history, combined with our campus’s location
in the greater New York area, means that we
are able to realize something very powerful.
What is the overall goal of the Strategic
Plan? Why was it developed?
The goal of the plan is to raise
Manhattanville’s status as being a truly
competitive institution in our market by
leveraging what we have historically done
with new directions and new areas that are
relevant to our mission. The Strategic Plan
is like a big lens to really bring all of those
things into sharp focus.
How is the plan being implemented?
Each of the divisions of the College,
representing each of the Vice Presidents,
has been asked to take the Strategic Plan
framework and develop a series of key
performance indicators that will measure how
their division is succeeding and moving us
toward the goals of the Strategic Plan. That
means that each division has to think about
what the overall goal of the Strategic Plan
means for their division.
For example, in Academic Affairs
we say that we want to maintain our focus
on programs around social justice and
community engagement and so forth. To
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 13
develop new majors/minors, we need to think
about whether or not what we are developing
is consistent with our mission and is
responsive to students’ interests and if it does,
in fact, move our plan forward.
In Student Affairs the focus is on the
same things but in regards to programming,
activities, how the residence life program
is designed, and the way in which service
opportunities are developed.
Operations would look at how our
physical plant is configured and maintained.
Each Vice President is required to
read the Strategic Plan through the lens of
how it will work
for their program
specifically. They
are responsible to
figure out how to
measure the success
of the program.
four year duration. We restructured the
academic support services, made changes
in how residence life is managed and
maintained and re-evaluated and changed our
physical plant. Ultimately, last year a great
deal of time and effort was spent focusing on
retention initiatives across the divisions.
This year, our focus will be redirected to
academic programs and the steps that can be
taken to attract new students to the college at
both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
The emphasis will be on enrollment and
academic quality and innovation.
What are some of
the changes that
have taken place that
can be attributed to
implementing the
Strategic Plan?
A student or
visitor re-entering
What are the top
the campus at
priorities of the
Manhattanville
Strategic Plan?
College would notice
The Strategic
the renovation and
Plan was developed
aesthetic changes to
focusing on four
the physical plant.
key priorities: 1)
Renovations from
Creating excellent
upgrading the flooring,
and innovative
bathrooms and
academic programs
residence halls to the
that connect the
additional landscaping
The goal of the plan is to
liberal arts to life;
of the campus Quad.
raise Manhattanville’s
2) Attracting,
In addition, we
involving, and
have new high-tech
status as being a truly
transforming
smart classrooms in
competitive institution in
students; 3)
Brownson Hall, new
Supporting
our market by leveraging
public bathrooms
and celebrating
and the refinishing
what we have historically
the college
and addition of air
and its larger
done with new directions
conditioning in the
community and
West Room. And the
and new areas that are
4) Strengthening
total renovation of
relevant to our mission.
institutional
the Library, which is
leadership and
designed to focus space
infrastructure.
on student needs and academic support for
students. Anyone returning to the campus
Is there one division we have focused on
would be pleasantly surprised by the extent
and totality of the refurbishing of the physical
more than the others?
plant.
The divisions that have been given the
greatest focus have been Academic Affairs,
Student Affairs, and Enrollment but there
How was it developed? Who was
has also been a lot of attention in the area
involved?
of Operations. Last year, one topic given
The Strategic Planning Committee
considerable attention around the Strategic
had members from across the community
Plan had to do with student retention because
ranging from trustees, students, faculty,
we strive to provide a good academic and
staff, and administrators. It was very broadly
non-academic experience to all students,
constituted and consisted of a large number of
ensuring that they will stay with us for the
participants.
14 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Are we on target to complete the
Strategic Plan by 2014?
In many respects, I think that we are
fulfilling what we said we were going to
accomplish in the Strategic Plan. To reiterate,
last year the focus was on retention. This
year, the focus is on academic programs and
enrollment. In 2013/2014, one of the salient
points that will be addressed in the Strategic
Plan will be sustainability, particularly
financial sustainability. We are currently in
the process of ascertaining the 2013/2014
budget so we are figuring out what needs to
be done to make certain that our innovations
are sustainable.
What are the tools we use to measure the
effectiveness of the Strategic Plan?
We have hired an Assistant Provost of
Institutional Effectiveness, Dr. Michaela
Rome. Her job is to help us develop the tools
needed to measure the effectiveness of the
Strategic Plan. Part of that is developing
a firm matrix of the Key Performance
Indicators; what are the things you are going
to measure; and figuring out how you acquire
the data. So, Michaela is now overseeing
institutional research because those things
go hand-in-hand. You have to devise a
system to acquire the data for what we do in
order to measure institutional effectiveness.
Michaela’s job is to meet with all the Vice
Presidents, Directors, and staff to help them
figure out the easiest way to measure the
effectiveness of the program.
How has the plan been rolled out to the
Manhattanville community?
It was a process that took almost an
entire academic year. As the plan developed,
the Board was given an overview of the plan
in Fall 2011. We rolled out versions of the
plan to both the Faculty Assembly and the
Staff Assembly as it became richer and more
concise. As we got closer to completion,
we distributed the versions of the plan to
the College community for comments and
feedback, which we incorporated. Finally,
last spring we made a final presentation
of the Strategic Plan to faculty, staff, and
students, which was approved by the Board
of Trustees.
How can readers review a copy of the
Strategic Plan?
The overview of the Strategic Plan can
be found on the Manhattanville College
website. (http://www.mville.edu/about/
strategic-plan.html)
The School of Graduate and
Professional Studies:
ReDesigned
programs launched
• Finance
• Business Leadership
• Marketing Communications Management
• Human Resource Management and Organizational Effectiveness
By Anthony Davidson, M.B.A., Ph.D.
Dean, The School of Graduate and Professional Studies
T
his past year has seen great changes at
The School of Graduate and Professional
Studies (GPS). Since launching our first
Masters of Science degree in Organizational
Management and
Human Resource
Development in 1993,
we have expanded
over the years to six
graduate programs. We
have now successfully
completed the first
major curriculum
redesign of these
programs since their
inception, receiving
New York State
Education Department
approval for all our
initiatives back in
December 2012.
In Spring 2013, we launched these
redesigned graduate programs. Business
Leadership is an applied business degree with
the opportunity to focus on either the soft or
hard skills needed to excel in today’s business
climate, and it replaces the former degree
Leadership and Strategic Management.
Integrated Marketing Communications
has been transformed into Marketing
Communication Management, offering the
student a more expansive approach to the
field with the opportunity to gain exposure
to Public Relations, Communication, and
Marketing. Our Finance degree retains its
title but students can now select between
the Corporate Finance concentration and
the Investment Management concentration,
depending on whether
their career paths
are taking them
to Main Street or
Wall Street. Finally,
the Organizational
Management and
Human Resource
Development program
has been retitled to
Human Resource
Management and
Organizational
Effectiveness and now
boasts two clearly
defined concentrations,
enabling the student
to choose between the strategic side of the
discipline and the steward side.
Along with our MS in International
Management and MS in Sport Business
Management degrees, all of our programs
are ideal for individuals who want to
acquire or update their core competencies
and general business education, while
equipping themselves with the specialized
tools to thrive in their career path. The
courses, which now include exciting and
contemporary topics such as Social Media
and the Business Imperative, Generating
Growth and Innovation, Transitioning from
Manager to Leader, and Business Strategies
for a Globally Diverse Workforce, are taught
with academic rigor by an outstanding faculty
who are practicing leaders in their fields and
exceptional educators who bring real-world
experience and networking opportunities into
the classroom.
We held several Sport Business
Management related events at the end of last
year, including a Sport Business Career Fair
in late November, with about 300 people in
attendance and close to 30 exhibitors. There
was also an alumni event for Sport Business
and an ESPN HR career-networking event.
Additionally, a five-person panel assembled
with HR professionals discussed Human
Resource Strategic and Global Planning.
In addition to the above-mentioned
events, the School’s highlight of the year was
the visit by Leonel Fernandez, the immediate
past President of the Dominican Republic.
After spearheading a roundtable discussion
with Westchester County corporate and
political leaders on Regional Development
in a Global Context moderated by Matt
Samson, news anchor of Channel 12,
President Fernandez met with Dominican
students, Provost Simmons, and President
Strauss. At the day’s conclusion, Dean
Davidson and the President met in his office
to solidify potential collaborations between
the Dominican Republic and The School of
Graduate and Professional Studies.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 15
Dan Fiorito ’12
Signs with
NY Yankees
D
an Fiorito ’12 has been playing baseball
for as long as he can remember. He
has dreamed of playing professional
baseball and in August 2012, the 22-year
old realized his dream when the New York
Yankees invited him to a workout.
On August 16, Fiorito headed to Yankee
Stadium to showcase his skills to earn a
position with his favorite baseball program.
“It was crazy getting to play in
Yankee Stadium,” he said. “I was a diehard
fan growing up, so it was all a little
overwhelming, but I wanted to make the
16 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
In February, Fiorito reported for Spring
Training in Tampa. His level of play will be
assessed and he will be assigned to a team
within the Yankees minor league system.
Additionally, Fiorito will get the
opportunity to play for his favorite team in
his favorite position – shortstop – now played
most of the opportunity, so I worked hard and
hoped the best would turn out and fortunately
it did.”
A few days later, Fiorito flew to Tampa
for a second workout. His skills were so
impressive that the Yankees didn’t have him
stop in Staten Island for a second workout
before heading to Florida. On August 21,
Fiorito signed on the dotted line. He was now
in contract with the New York Yankees.
“This is a dream come true,” the all-star
shortstop said. “I can’t wait to go down there
and play in Tampa for the Yankees.”
by his favorite player of all time, Derek Jeter.
“Being in the same organization as
Derek Jeter is crazy,” Fiorito said. “I’m just
going to keep working and hopefully the
major league dream will come true someday.”
Fiorito is only the second player in
program history to sign a professional
contract, joining former Valiant-great Bob
Lasbury ’93, who was drafted in the 14th
round of the 1993 MLB Entry Draft.
In 2012, Fiorito was named the Freedom
Conference Player of the Year and an ABCA
third-team All-American to top off four
different All-Region honors. Manhattanville’s
Co-Male Athlete of the Year in 2012, Fiorito
set new single-season records at the school
with 12 home runs and 111 total bases while
ranking sixth on the single-season lists in
runs scored and hits, and seventh in slugging
percentage.
With all that excitement in August,
Fiorito still had months to wait until he would
get to see more action on the baseball front.
He returned to Manhattanville to continue his
graduate studies in Physical Education. He
hopes that during the off-season, he will be
able to complete another semester and finish
up the program by the end of the year.
New B.A. program introduced:
Sport Studies
Starting in the fall of 2013, Manhattanville
College will offer a new Bachelor of Arts
degree in Sport Studies, building on the
college’s national reputation for its Master in
Sport Business Management program.
“As the global growth of the sports
industry continues, this new interdisciplinary
major exemplifies Manhattanville’s strategic
goal to develop programs that ‘connect the
liberal arts to life’ for our undergraduates,”
said Dr. Gail Simmons, Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs. “Students in
Sport Studies will be well-grounded in core
liberal arts disciplines, but also exceptionally
well prepared to advance their education
for careers in sport, ranging from teaching,
coaching, business, marketing, counseling,
training, and rehabilitation.”
Dr. Anthony Santucci, Professor of
Psychology and the first Sport Studies
director added, “Students with Sport Studies
as a major will probe the history, sociology,
physiology and psychology of sports and, in
addition, will learn about the practical side
of the industry — business, management,
marketing and communications. The faculty
will be drawn from existing faculty at
Manhattanville who are experts in all of those
disciplines, and have a keen and common
interest in the exciting world of sport.”
The Sport Studies program is co-directed
by Dr. Jessyca Arthur-Cameselle, also in the
Department of Psychology at Manhattanville
and a certified sport psychologist.
With this expansion in the undergraduate
curriculum, current and future students will
benefit via internship opportunities available
with prominent professional sports teams,
organizations, leagues and agencies as well
as with youth, amateur and collegiate sports.
These internship experiences can be used
for academic credit toward the Sport Studies
degree and provide real-world experience in
the field of sport.
Sport Studies students will also have
the opportunity to apply to the School of
Graduate and Professional Studies and take
graduate courses in the Master in Sport
Business Management program, while
simultaneously pursuing their undergraduate
degree in Sport Studies.
This addition will serve well to attract
a new section of prospective undergraduates
and aid towards the lateral growth of the
College’s extensive undergraduate program.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 17
Manhattanville
on the Road
In 2010, Manhattanville’s Office of Alumni
Relations and Annual Giving sent a survey
to all alumni with active email addresses.
Among many other questions, the survey
asked alumni to rank the types of events
they were most interested in attending.
From social to family to professional events,
alumni replied in overwhelming numbers
that they were most interested in intellectual
events. However, there was a recurring
theme that surfaced from many alumni who
stated that they lived too far away from the
Manhattanville campus to attend such events.
Responding to this feedback, the
Alumni Relations and Annual Giving team
sprung into action, and in 2011 created
Manhattanville On the Road, a program
that reconnects alumni to faculty at regional
events.
“It brings faculty on the road so that
alumni who cannot come back to campus
to attend lectures or events can have that
experience closer to home,” reports Jennifer
Griffin, Assistant Director of Alumni
Relations.
Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia
Since its inception, Manhattanville On
the Road has traveled to six
­­­­ cities, including
Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Faculty members including Gillian GreenhillHannum, Irene Whelan, Randy Williams, Jeff
Bens, Megan Cifarelli, and Brian Snee have
participated in the program.
18 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Laguna Beach
Snee, Chair and Associate Professor
of Communication Studies, joined the
Manhattanville faculty in Fall 2012 and soon
after starting the semester, traveled to Laguna
Beach, California, to give a lecture on
“Digital Propaganda: Political Documentary
in the Internet Age.” He spoke about political
documentaries and how they have changed
over the years, the effect of Fahrenheit
9/11 on viewpoints about documentaries,
and how 2016, which came out before the
election, might affect public opinions of the
candidates.
“We talked a little bit about the antiObama film and it was interesting because
there was a mix of really, really far left
liberals and really far right conservatives, so
the conversation became very interesting,”
Snee said. “Everybody was great; it was what
you would want political discourse to be —
intelligent and civil. We had younger and
older people, conservatives and liberals, but
they were united under the banner of being
proud Manhattanville graduates.”
The Laguna Beach event was held at
the home of Francine Pace Scinto ’72 and
her husband Daniel Scinto. They hosted a
weekend afternoon event that brought many
area alumni together for appetizers, wine and
good discussion.
“I think it’s a much nicer atmosphere
to reconnect at home,” Scinto said. “It’s
a lot more personal and I think a lot more
interesting for people. People don’t tend
to know other alums in the area. They are
widely scattered. It was interesting to meet
some of the younger people.”
NYC and DC
Alumni aren’t just gathering at houses
or venues to hear lectures either. There was a
printmaking workshop held in New York City
with Professors Randy Williams and Gillian
Greenhill-Hannum, and in October, alumni in
Washington, D.C., were invited to a walking
tour of the “First U.S. Exhibition to Explore
Renaissance Augsburg’s Rich Traditions
and Innovations in Works on Paper” at the
National Gallery of Art with curator Gregory
Jecmen ’83. Following the tour, Professor
Megan Cifarelli, Director of Museum Studies,
met with alumni to discuss the behind-thescenes functions of planning and curating an
exhibit.
“I was really impressed with the caliber
and curiosity of the alumni, and how strongly
they felt about Manhattanville,” Cifarelli
said. “They all felt it was a place where their
best selves had the chance to learn and grow
up, and a genuine community where people
cared for each other.”
The Office of Alumni Relations &
Annual Giving is hoping to visit new cities in
2013 and continue to bring alumni together
across the country.
This program would not be possible without the generous
and enthusiastic support of alumni. If you are interested
in hosting a faculty member for an event in your home or
region, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations and
Annual Giving at [email protected].
Commencement 2013 Speakers
Commencement
2012 Re-cap
On May 19, 2012, Manhattanville College held its 171st Undergraduate Commencement
Ceremony on the Quad. This joyous day was marked by an inspirational speech from our
distinguished keynote speaker and alumna, Kitty Pilgrim ’76, former CNN correspondent.
Pilgrim is a world-renowned journalist and author of popular fiction. She worked as a reporter
and anchor at CNN global network for 24 years.
Manhattanville College proudly bestowed Doctor of Humane Letters degrees on three
recipients who have lived their lives according to the College’s principles: Kitty Pilgrim;
Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc, who delivered
the Graduate Commencement keynote; and Elizabeth McCormack ’44, alumna, Trustee and
former Manhattanville College President, 1966-74, who spoke at the Baccalaureate and Honors
Convocation.
Graduate Commencement
David Berliner, Ph.D.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
7 p.m.; The Quad
David C. Berliner, Regents’
Professor Emeritus of
Education at Arizona State
University, is a member
of the National Academy
of Education, and a past
President of the American
Educational Research
Association (AERA). He is the recipient of awards
for distinguished contributions from APA, AERA,
and the National Education Association. Dr.
Berliner has also authored more than 200 published
articles, technical reports, and book chapters.
Baccalaureate and Honors Convocation
Marlene Sallo
Friday, May 17, 2013
4 p.m.; O’Byrne Chapel
Marlene Sallo ’86, Special
Assistant to the Chairman,
U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights, assists in making
recommendations directly
to the Oval Office when
civil rights infractions
have occurred in various
departments of government. She has been a
member of the American Bar Association’s
Commission on Youth at Risk since 2010 and
was named one of the Outstanding Subcommittee
Chairs for the ABA Litigation Section for 20092010.
Undergraduate Commencement
Dina Temple-Raston
Saturday, May 18, 2013
11 a.m.; The Quad
Dina Temple-Raston reports
on counterterrorism at
home and abroad for NPR
News. A long-time foreign
correspondent for Bloomberg
News in Asia, Temple-Raston
opened Bloomberg’s Shanghai
and Hong Kong offices,
working for both Bloomberg’s financial wire, and
radio operations. Along with her background in
journalism and news reporting, Temple-Raston
is also an award-winning author of the book, A
Death in Texas, which was chosen as one of the
Washington Post’s Best Books of 2002. Some of
her other books include Justice on the Ground and
The Jihad Next Door.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 19
Sixty years at purchase
By Aarushi Bhandari ’13
S
ixty years ago, Manhattanville
College, then Manhattanville College
of the Sacred Heart, left its home of
more than a century on the Upper West
Side of Manhattan, and moved 28
miles north to the former estate of newspaper
magnate and ambassador Whitelaw Reid, in
Purchase, New York.
Since then Manhattanville College and
its thousands of students and alumni have
grown the 100-acre campus into a community
and embraced the surrounding suburban area,
providing hours of community service and
bringing youth and continued prosperity to
the neighborhood.
In honor of the College’s 60th
anniversary in Purchase last October,
Manhattanville unveiled Phase I of Heritage
Hall, celebrating its history and showcasing
its standing as a nationally ranked liberal arts
college. The anniversary celebration included
a crowd of over 100 community members.
20 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Proclamations were given by former
Assemblyman Robert Castelli ad Steve Otis,
former Chief of Staff for Suzi Oppenheimer
and current New York State Assemblyman.
“The birth of this hallway grew from
a desire to embrace the rich history of this
college campus so that visitors and residents
alike can share in the wonderful tapestry that
is Manhattanville,” First Lady Jean Strauss,
member of the Heritage Hall Committee,
said.
Phase II, highlighting the College’s
dedication to social and civic action and its
journey to becoming nondenominational and
co-ed, opened in February. It is anticipated
that Heritage Hall will be completed for
Reunion and will showcase Manhattanville’s
early years all the way to today. It also will
include electronic panels showing images of
faculty, students, and alumni along with the
history of the college, as well as podcasts.
Heritage Hall will expand to other areas
of the campus in the coming years. There are
plans for annexes on campus including in
Brownson Hall, the Library, Kennedy Gym,
Reid Hall, and the Berman Students’ Center.
Heritage Hall Committee
• Tun Aung
• Megan Cifarelli
• Jim Frank
• Gillian Greenhill-Hannum
• Monique Mitchell ’14
• JJ Pryor
• Brian Snee
• Jean Strauss
• Greg Swedberg
• Morgan Thomas ’14
• Teresa Weber
• Cat Wilson ’13
• Lauren Ziarko
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 21
“H
student body passionate about Social Justice
in all forms.
In September 1966, the Board of
Trustees changed the official College bylaws,
and Manhattanville has been a religiously
non-denominational institution since then.
On December 7, 1962 the College’s name
was officially changed from Manhattanville
College of the Sacred Heart to Manhattanville
College.
Another lasting change occurred in
1972 when Manhattanville welcomed its first
co-educational class. These major changes,
that distinguish what Manhattanville is
today, are amongst
the highlights of the
last sixty years in
Purchase.
This shift
was followed
by a curriculum
transformation that
closely matches the one the College continues
to implement. The National Endowment
for the Humanities provided a grant that
enabled the then members of the community
to overhaul the undergraduate curriculum,
incorporating the preceptorial, now known as
the First Year Seminar, designed to bridge the
academic gap while transitioning from high
school to college. In addition, the Portfolio
System, a personalized and guided selfassessment charting the development of each
student, was adopted. Manhattanville was
the first college to use the Portfolio system,
ere, we shall live as a united
global family,” Mother Eleanor
O’Byrne said in her Dedication
Day speech, looking over the Castle at the
beautiful Purchase location that has been
the home of Manhattanville College since
that October day in 1952. The College, then
known as Manhattanville College of the
Sacred Heart, has undergone a variety of
changes since, yet Mother O’Byrne’s words
have continually echoed in our mission, as
we have grown in the last sixty years as a
remarkable global community. In these years,
the campus at Purchase has created its own
rich history.
After City College acquired the old
campus in Manhattanville, New York, for
$8,808,620, Manhattanville moved to the
Sixty
Years
AT Purchase
former estate of diplomat Whitelaw Reid.
On Dedication Day, October 1, 1952, the
campus had only five buildings: Reid Castle,
Benziger Dining Hall, Founders Dormitory,
Brownson Academic Building, and the Pius
X Music Building. Within the next five years,
both Spellman Hall – named after Francis
Cardinal Spellman, the Sixth Archbishop of
New York – and the Kennedy Gymnasium
- constructed with generous funds from the
Lieutenant Joseph Kennedy Jr. Foundation,
dedicated by Mrs. Rose Kennedy for her
daughter Kathleen Lady Hartington, who died
in a plane crash in 1948 - were built.
Shortly after, in August 1960,
Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart
was named the Social Action Secretariat
of the National Federation of Catholic
College Students (N.F.C.C.S.), signifying
the College’s dedication to Social Action.
Manhattanville continues to be recognized for
its excellent community service efforts and a
MANHATTANVILLE
MILESTONES
22 Manhattanville Magazine 1952: College
moves to diplomat
Whitlaw Reid’s
former estate in
Purchase
SPRING 2013
1962: Manhattanville
College of the
Sacred Heart’s
name changes
to Manhattanville
College
1972: College
becomes coeducational and
curriculum changes
to incorporate the
preceptorial and
portfolio system
Campus Renovations
In 2012, Manhattanville College underwent rigorous
renovations, including the addition of 14 “smart”
classrooms, restructuring of the quad to improve
walkways and landscaping, and the library to
enhance and incorporate faculty services, including
ARC, Academic Writing, ePortfolio, and the Center
for Teaching and Learning.
which soon after became popular amongst
many highly ranked colleges and universities
throughout the nation.
A year later, in 1974, Manhattanville
became a part of architectural history, as the
U.S. Department of the Interior designated
Reid Hall in the National Register of Historic
1982: WMVL
Radio is founded;
Manhattanville’s
first Quad Jam takes
place
Places in recognition of its historical and
architectural significance.
Also of architectural significance is
the Ohnell Environmental Center, built in
2006 and designed by Maya Lin, architect,
known for designing the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial. Constructed of recycled materials
and designed in a way to maximize renewable
energy, the classroom accompanied an
overall improvement of the surrounding
environment. The Holladay Stream was
cleared of debris and invasive vegetation, and
a Living Machine, a device made of living
organisms, was developed to purify the water.
A more recent building, the Richard A.
Berman Students’ Center, completed in 2008
under former President Richard Berman,
continued the dedication to environmental
sustainability, receiving a “Gold Rating” from
the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Green Building Rating
System. The newest building on campus, the
Student Center houses the Arthur M. Berger
Art Gallery, a dance studio, state-of-the-art
fitness center, the Dean of Student offices,
WMVL Radio, and more.
1992: Faculty
Housing is
completed
2002: Ohnell
Environmental
Center and Berman
Students Center are
completed
2012: Phase I
of Heritage Hall
unveiled in
dedication of 60th
Anniversary in
Purchase
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 23
A Valiant Effort
2012-13 Roundup
DeChent Named an NFHCA
All-American
It was a record-setting
year on the field for junior
Amanda DeChent, who was
named the program’s first-ever
All-American with a spot on
the National Field Hockey
Coaches Association first team
in November. The forward also
earned NFHCA All-Mid-Atlantic
Region first-team honors and was
named the Freedom Conference
Player of the Year.
As a junior, she smashed
school and Freedom Conference
records for goals and points in
a season, scoring 30 goals and
adding 13 assists for 73 points.
She ended the regular season
ranked nationally among the
Division III leaders, tied for
second in Division III in points,
third in goals and 16th in assists.
In only two seasons at
Manhattanville, DeChent has
already broken the program’s
career goals and points records
as well. Heading into her
senior season, she has 43 goals
(including a record 12 game-
Keston George
winners) and 23 assists for 109
points in only 35 games as a
Valiant.
George ’11 Named to MAC
100 All-Century Team
Keston George ’12 was
named to the Middle Atlantic
Conference All-Century Team
for the 2003-11 era.
George had a nearly
unmatched career on the field for
Manhattanville, finishing as one
of only two three-time NSCAA
All-Region recipients in program
history while also earning
four consecutive All-Freedom
Conference first-team selections
(2008-11). In addition, he was
named the Freedom Conference
Rookie of the Year in 2008 and
the Freedom Conference Player
of the Year in 2009. George
finished his decorated career
fourth all-time in goals and
points at Manhattanville, scoring
35 goals with 20 assists for 90
points in 76 career matches.
athletes to achieve at least a 3.20
cumulative GPA. The men’s
soccer team led all Valiant teams
with eight honorees, followed by
the women’s soccer and indoor
track teams with five selections
each.
In addition, 20 men’s
hockey and 10 women’s hockey
players were named to the
ECAC All-Academic Teams,
which require student-athletes to
register a 3.00 cumulative GPA.
Thirteen Valiant seniors
earned their third consecutive
academic honors: Kirstin Hallett
(WSOC); Kayla Meenan (FH);
Erick Olazabal, Sebastian Siring
and Zack Weidner (MSOC);
Craig Augustine (MBB); Mike
Szarkowicz (MTrack); Jason
Bowles, Scott Hudson, Brett
Skalski and Ron Smith (MHOC);
and Katie Little and Lynsey
Schill (WHOC).
26 Fall/Winter Athletes Earn
All-Conference Honors
In addition to the academic
accolades, 26 Valiants earned
66 Valiants Honored for
Academic Excellence
Sixty-six Manhattanville
fall and winter student-athletes
were honored for excellence in
the classroom, earning AllAcademic honors from the MAC
and ECAC conferences.
All 10 sports were
represented on the MAC Fall
and Winter Academic Honor
Rolls, which require studentAmanda DeChent
24 Manhattanville Magazine Brett Skalski
SPRING 2013
used to benefit families involved
with the Friends of Jaclyn
Foundation.
Winter Milestones
Bill Motherway
All-Conference recognition for
their play during the fall and
winter.
The men’s soccer team led
all fall sports and tied a program
record with a conference-best
eight All-Freedom honorees,
followed by the women’s soccer
and field hockey teams with three
honorees each. The women’s
volleyball team also made history
with its first-ever All-Conference
selection.
The men’s hockey team led
all winter sports with four AllConference selections, followed
by the women’s hockey team
with three. The Valiant basketball
teams also combined for three
All-Freedom picks, with the
women’s team earning a pair
of second-team selections and
the men’s team picking up one
selection. In addition, the Valiant
track & field team earned its first
individual championship at the
MAC Indoor Championships,
as Bill Motherway won the
high jump on the way to AllConference first-team honors.
in preparation for the year-end
MAC Championships, which take
place on April 28 at Golden Oaks
G.C. in Fleetwood, PA.
Men’s Basketball Hosts First
AJ Buchanan Classic Weekend
Taylor Wilson
free-throw shooter (.840 percent)
and three-point shooter (.348).
Spring Preview
Scott Hudson
The softball team has
plenty of optimism entering
2013, as head coach Dale Martin
returns to Purchase after five
years at Fairleigh Dickinson and
inherits a team that lost just one
starter from last year’s Freedom
Conference runner-up squad.
Seniors Katie Pitcher, Alyssa
Taylor and Jessica Van Galen all
earned All-Conference honors
last year and will be back to lead
a potent offense that ranked third
coming on 68 goals (including a
program-record 13 shorthanded
tallies) and 62 assists.
On the basketball court,
senior Taylor Wilson became
the 12th Valiant to eclipse the
1,000-point mark on January 12,
2013 and vaulted to fifth on the
school’s all-time list by finishing
with 1,213 career points. She also
left as the school’s most accurate
Will Sahakian
The Manhattanville men’s
basketball team honored a
former teammate by renaming
its annual Castle Classic event
the AJ Buchanan Classic, which
was held on December 7-8 in
Purchase. The name honors
former teammate AJ Buchanan,
who was partnered with the
team by the Friends of Jaclyn
Foundation in the spring of 2010
Women’s Golf Begins Play for
First Time
Manhattanville’s newest
varsity sport began play on
September 22, as the Valiant
women’s golf team under head
coach David Turco took part in
the William Smith Invitational.
The Valiants took fourth place in
the eight-team field with a twoday score of 919, led by freshman
Karla Molina, who took 19th
place individually. The Valiants
will take on a full spring schedule
Multiple players reached
impressive career milestones
during the winter season, capping
their successful Valiant careers.
On the ice, men’s hockey
senior Scott Hudson became the
fourth player in program history
to record 100 career points, while
also placing sixth in goals (41)
and seventh in assists (60).
Women’s hockey senior Katie
Little also finished top-five in
program history in points,
Katie Little
before losing his battle with
cancer on February 1, 2012.
The name change came with
a new vision for the weekend,
as the Valiants also hosted a 5K
run/walk and a post-race brunch.
All proceeds from the weekend
went directly to AJ’s family, and
in future years the profits will be
Alyssa Taylor
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 25
Jessica Van Galen
in Division III in home runs per
game in 2012.
The baseball team will
rely heavily on a strong pitching
rotation in 2013 headlined by the
last two Freedom Conference
Rookies of the Year, junior Alex
Basso and sophomore Michael
Lyon, who combined for eight
wins a season ago. Offensively,
Alex Basso
Melissa Goncalves
Honovich, who rank eighth and
ninth in program history in career
points entering the season.
The Valiant golf and track
& field teams also look forward
to the year-end conference
championships. The men’s golf
team looks for its fourth straight
Freedom Conference title and
the women look to make a run at
Dom Poletto
Johnny LoVetere
26 Manhattanville Magazine Manhattanville will look to
seniors Johnny LoVetere, Sean
Ferguson and John Bucci to
spearhead an offense that hit .340
with 260 runs scored in 2012.
The men’s lacrosse team
looks to continue rebuilding
its roster with a young and
enthusiastic freshman group that
joins a solid group of returning
performers. The Valiants return
two of their top four scorers
from a season ago in seniors
Will Sahakian (16g, 20a) and
Bill Motherway (14g, 5a), while
senior goalkeeper Dom Poletto
looks to cap off a solid four-year
career in goal.
The women’s lacrosse
team will look to surprise in
2013 under the direction of
first-year head coach Courtney
Burhans. The team’s offense
should again be a strength led
by a pair of All-Conference
performers in senior Melissa
Goncalves and junior Casandra
Casandra Honovich
SPRING 2013
the Middle Atlantic Conference
title in its first year, while both
young outdoor track teams look to
surprise in the competitive MAC
landscape.
For more information on
Manhattanville Athletics, visit us
online at www.GoValiants.com
or follow us on Facebook, Twitter
and YouTube!
ALUMNI NEWS
28 Alumni Association
28 Alumni Board
29 Reunion 2012
32 Young Alumni Society
34 Events Recap
38 Class Notes
46 Congratulations, Condolences
48 Board of Trustees
49 President’s Advisory Council
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 27
manhattanville college alumni association
alumni board 2013
The Manhattanville Alumni Association Board welcomed new members in the 2012/2013 year
to continue its mission to support the College in its endeavors, to broaden relationships with
alumni, to grow regional clubs, and to advocate for programs and services in which our alumni
are interested. The Alumni Association Board is currently composed of 26 alumni from various
disciplines who strive to fulfill this mission through continual feedback and support from our
alumni.
Members of the Alumni Association Board, who each bring a unique set of skills, work
in committees to further the mission of both the Board and the College. Such committees as
Reunion, Clubs/Events, Communications, Nominating, and Development seek to enhance
programming and messaging between alumni and the College. Volunteers work in concert with
the Office of Institutional Advancement on efforts to engage alumni across all decades.
In early 2013, a call for nominations was sent to alumni to identify additional alumni
volunteers to join this evolving group of leaders. Careful consideration will be given to each
candidate by members of the nominating committee in the following months. The Board
encourages all alumni to get involved and to meet current members of the Alumni Association
Board at scheduled alumni events throughout the year.
Warren Mason ’98, President
Carol Scafati ’63, Vice President
Jacqueline Matuza ’03, Secretary
Jose Barbosa ’01*
Enrique Benitez II, Esq. ’96
Annemarie Bettica Ph.D. ’94 MA ’99
Beverlie Brooks MA ’98
Elizabeth Ronnenberg Brown ’58
Anne Byrne RSCJ ’60
James Connolly ’83
Jose Cruz ’75
Catherine “Cappy” Devlin ’62*
Sheila Falvey Finnerty ’86
John Galgano Esq. ’00
Ofelia Garcia ’69, Alumni Trustee
Darlene D’Alliessi Gandolfi Ph.D. ’98
Cheryl Hill ’73
Deborrah Belcher Karim ’71
Inna Kupriyanova ’07
Joseph Narus ’86*
Martha Dadd Nelson ’60
Monique Prinos MS ’02, ex-officio
Katherine Santone ’59
Katy Tucci MS ’05
Michael Watson MS ’96, Alumni Trustee
Jeremy Wilson ’03
Many thanks to our departing board members
for their time and commitment:
The Honorable Beth Bozzuto ’85
Sheila McCauley ’59
*New Board Member
28 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Alumni Reunion
Reunion 2012 celebrated milestones for
the classes ending in “2” and “7.” Alumni
returned to campus the weekend of June 8-10,
2012 to celebrate and commemorate this
special occasion.
Alumni and guests enjoyed a variety
of programming options, including tickets
to a Yankees/Mets Subway Series game, a
panel talk with alumni in politics, as well as
a “History of Chocolate” discussion featuring
Professor Larry Krute of the Department of
Education. But it was the moments between
these events that were most memorable, the
time to catch up with friends and classmates
and share memories of time spent on campus
and beyond.
1
Young Alumni Society [MYAS] co-hosted
their third annual Throwback Alumni Pub
Party, which gathered a great crowd from the
Classes of 1982-2007!
The weekend concluded with a tribute
to our Sacred Heart legacy, honoring three of
our beloved alumnae and faculty members.
Sisters Ann Conroy, Mary T. Clark, and Ruth
Dowd were honored by distinguished guests
Paula Toner RSCJ, U.S. Provincial for the
Sacred Heart, Alice Burns, Vice President and
President Elect for the Associated Alumnae/i
of the Sacred Heart and our hostess, Trustee
Nancy King. Read more about this special
event on page 12.
We look forward to Reunion 2013 to
celebrate classes ending in “3” and “8.”
Save the Date! Reunion 2013 is June 7-9,
2013
1. Alumni and their families join Professor Larry
Krute for a “History of Chocolate” tasting
2. Sylvia Quarles Simmons ’57 accepts the
Outstanding Service Award on behalf of Mary Kay
Tracy Farley ’57, from Warren Mason, President of
the Alumni Association Board
3. Class of 2007 celebrates their 5th Reunion
2
The alumni awards ceremony
honored four remarkable alumnae for their
contributions not only to the College, but
also to the global community. Special
congratulations to our 2012 Alumni
Award Recipients: Sook Nyul Choi ’62,
Distinguished Alumni Award; Mary Kay
Tracy Farley ’57, Outstanding Alumni
Service Award; and Alissa Tyghter ’07,
Recent Graduate Service Award. Additionally,
the College awarded a posthumous
Distinguished Alumni Award to Jeanette
Michael ’72 for her lasting commitment to
the College. Jeanette’s family and closest
friends were present to receive the award on
her behalf.
The Reunion celebration dinner in the
Berman Students’ Center featured live music
and dancing with special guest Rich Harris
’05 and his band HI-DEF. The Manhattanville
3
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 29
1
2
3
4
5
6
Alumni Reunion
1. Class of 1967 poses for a photo at their class meeting
2. Members of the Class of 1962 congratulate their classmate Sook Nyul Choi
(center) on her Distinguished Alumni Award
3. Class of 1972 poses for a photo in front of Reid Hall
30 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
4. Members of the Class of 1987 pose for a photo in front of the Castle
5. The family of Jeanette Michael ’72, along with D’Oniece Shaw Dillard ’74 and
Cheryl Hill ’73 accept the posthumous Distinguished Alumni Award.
6. Members of the Class of 1982 & 1983 at the Reunion celebration
Alumni Reunion
7. Young alumni at the Reunion celebration
8. Trustee Maura Burke Morey ’62 and Edmond Coku ’02
9. Class of 1987 celebrates their 25th Reunion
10. Class of1962 remembers their fallen classmates during their memorial tree
planting
11. Ladies from the 80s showing off their dance moves
12. The Class of 1952 met with Admissions and Institutional Advancement
13. The Class of 1962 poses for a photo during dinner
8
7
10
9
12
11
13
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 31
Young Alumni Society
The Manhattanville Young Alumni Society
[MYAS] fosters a lifelong engagement
between recent graduates (Classes 19972012) and Manhattanville College. Led by
co-chairs Ryan Beaudry ’08 and Amanda
Kis ’07, along with Communications Chair
Frank Furbacher ’09 and Alumni Office
representative Jennifer Griffin ’07, the MYAS
Planning Committee is comprised of 25
young alumni members charged with shaping
the Young Alumni Society mission and
objectives and planning events that focus on
this special group of alumni.
Since its establishment in March 2010,
MYAS has hosted numerous on and off
campus events and programs to cultivate and
continue to engage young alumni. They have
established traditions such as the Alumni
Beer Garden at Quad Jam and Fall Fest’Ville
and the Throwback Alumni Pub Party during
Reunion weekend. MYAS has also teamed
up with the Center for Career Development
on events such as Backpack to Briefcase and
the annual Power Networking Dinner to help
students understand the transition from life at
Manhattanville into the “real world” and how
the College can continue to play a major role
in their lives.
If you are a recent graduate and would
like to get involved with the Manhattanville
Young Alumni Society, please visit our
facebook page [www.facebook.com/
MvilleYAS] or email us at youngalumni@
mville.edu.
1
2
1. Baseball Alumni catch up and catch some sun at
the Annual History BBQ
2. Former softball players Brianne Previti Albano ’07,
Casey Killard ’07 and Amanda Buonomo McLarnon
’07 supporting classmate Alissa Tyghter ’07 as
she received the Recent Graduate Service Award at
Reunion 2012
3. Class of 2009 grabbing a few snacks at the Alumni
reception at Quad Jam
3
32 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
7
4
8
5
9
6
Young Alumni Society
4. Class of 2010 taking a break from Quad Jam activities at the Alumni beer garden
5. Class of 2007 celebrates their 5th college Reunion
6. Alumni from the Class of 2011 kick off Fall Fest 2012 at the Oktoberfest party
7. Young alumni networking at a summertime alumni reception
8. Ladies from the Classes ’06 - ’08 reunite for bowling and networking at Lucky
Strike NYC
9. Alumni from Class of 2009 and 2010 catch up at SPiN NYC for a Ping-Pong
happy hour event
10. Class of 2012 members attend their first official alumni rooftop happy hour
10
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 33
Alumni Event Re-cap
➤➤ April 28, 2012 Quad Jam
Quad Jam 2012 was a beautiful day
featuring student performances and Rich
Harris ’05 and his band mates from
HI-DEF. The evening capped off with
performances by headliners, DEV and
Outasight!
➤➤ May 11, 2012 Career Series Closing:
Entrepreneur Workshop
In continuation of 2011’s ‘Women
Entrepreneurs’ event hosted at the
showroom of Josie Natori ’68, this year’s
event showcased alumni entrepreneurs
who shared their personal journeys and
professional experiences in starting
their own business. Held in NYC at
the University Club, the full-day event
featured alumni panels and networking
opportunities, as well as a keynote
presentation from Trustee Helaine Smith
DMD ’88 and a special presentation from
Christine Labate ’94 on social media.
➤➤ May 16, 2012 Westchester Alumni
Reception with President Jon Strauss
President and Mrs. Jon C. Strauss
joined alumni in the Westchester
area for cocktails and conversation at
the Westchester Country Club. Host
Committee: Betty Ronnenberg Brown
’58 & Jack Brown, Mary Helen Cronin
Jordan ’58, Ada Ryan Gallo ’85.
➤➤ June 8-10, 2012 Reunion 2012
Reunion 2012 celebrated classes ending
in 2 and 7. Alumni enjoyed programming
throughout the weekend that included
faculty lectures, a beer garden on the quad
and a history of chocolate tasting! See the
full recap in the Reunion section.
➤➤ June 21, 2012 New York City Alumni
Reception with President Jon Strauss
President and Mrs. Jon C. Strauss joined
alumni in the New York City area for
cocktails and conversation at the Cosmo
Club. Host Committee: Patricia McCann
’60, Lee Albertson III ’79, Joe Narus ’86,
Renee Perigard Milstein ’93.
➤➤ August 16, 2012 Cocktails on the Cape
Alumni and friends attended the annual
Cocktails on the Cape at the home of
Trustee Maura Burke Morey ’62 and
Robert Morey. Trustee Marcia Pearce
DeWitt ’69 and Trustee Morey invited
alumni and friends to join them in
celebration of Manhattanville’s proud
34 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
1
history and future directions with
President and Mrs. Strauss.
➤➤ August 23, 2012 Young Alumni Rooftop
Happy Hour
Over 50 young alumni came together
for a summer happy hour hosted by the
Manhattanville Young Alumni Society
at the beautiful Sutton Place rooftop bar.
Alumni had a great time catching up
with one another and kicked off another
exciting year!
➤➤ September 29, 2012 Manhattanville on the
Road: Laguna Beach, CA
Francine Pace Scinto ’72 and Daniel
Scinto hosted alumni in the Laguna Beach
area at their home to meet Brian Snee
Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor of
Communication Studies, who presented
his discussion, “Digital Propaganda:
Political Documentary in the Internet
Age.”
➤➤ October 6, 2012 Manhattanville College
Wine Dinner
Alumni and friends enjoyed a lovely
evening at Tarry Market (the precursor to
Mario Batali’s Eataly in New York City).
Guests spent the evening tasting and
talking with artisans and experts at the
market. We would especially like to thank
our event chair, Nancy Jo Seaton ’88 who
helped make this special evening come to
life and to our event sponsors, including
Chopin Vodka.
➤➤ October 13-21, 2012 Alumni Service Week
Manhattanville alumni and current
students volunteered their time to
revitalize a school in the Bronx, NY. They
helped to paint the athletics hallway of
the school and a mural for the team. Also,
2
the Manhattanville community gathered
on a beautiful morning to create a team
for the Annual Making Strides Against
Breast Cancer, hosted on the campus.
➤➤ October 17, 2012 Arthur M. Berger Lecture
This year’s lecture was presented
by Barbara Kellum, Professor of Art
History at Smith College. Her lecture,
titled “All in the Family: the Loquacious
Objects of Augustan Rome,” examined
some of the best known monuments of
the city of Rome, shedding new light on
their political significance.
➤➤ October 26, 2012 Alumni Oktoberfest
Alumni in New York City kicked of Fall
Fest’Ville 2012 with an Oktoberfest
themed Happy Hour. Young alumni
enjoyed a fun night out for some after
work drinks and kicked the weekend off
Valiant style!
➤➤ October 27-28, 2012 Fall Fest’Ville
This year, Fall Fest’Ville was the
culminating celebration of a week-long
commemoration of our history, values,
and mission: Valiant Week. Students,
parents, alumni, faculty, and staff
joined together for this fun event to
commemorate our 60th Anniversary on
➤➤ November 18, 2012 New York City Club
Event: A Night at the Guggenheim
The New York City Club hosted a night
at the Guggenheim Museum with a pretour reception followed by a guided tour
through the Picasso “Black and White”
Exhibit.
3
4
6
the Purchase Campus. Our new exhibit,
Heritage Hall, was unveiled with a
special ribbon cutting ceremony bringing
together the entire Manhattanville
community.
➤➤ October 28, 2012 Manhattanville on the
Road: Washington, DC
Alumni from the D.C. area attended a
special event at the National Gallery of
Art. Guests enjoyed a walking tour of the
exhibit “First U.S. Exhibition to Explore
Renaissance Augsburg’s Rich Traditions
and Innovations in Works on Paper,” with
Curator, Gregory Jecmen ’83, Associate
Curator of old master prints and drawings
at the National Gallery of Art. Professor
of Art History and Director of Museum
Studies, Megan Cifarelli also joined us to
discuss the behind the scenes functions of
planning and curating an exhibit.
5
➤➤ Saturday, November 3, 2012 Brooklyn Nets
Game
Alumni and friends watched the Brooklyn
Nets take on the Toronto Raptors in their
new home: the Barclays Center during
NBA’s opening weekend! Manhattanville
Basketball Men’s Head Coach, Pat
Scanlon joined us for this special event.
➤➤ November 27, 2012 Alumni Career Panel:
Alumni Careers in Sports
A panel composed of alumni in the sports
industry shared their experiences and
networked with fellow alumni and current
students with aspirations to break into this
thriving industry.
➤➤ December 1, 2012 Ice Skating at CitiPond,
Bryant Park
Back by popular demand, alumni from
the NYC area joined us for our annual
holiday gathering as we spent the day in
Bryant Park’s beautiful ice skating rink,
CitiPond. Alumni and their family and
friends enjoyed this fun, exclusive outing
as we got into the holiday spirit!
➤➤ December 13, 2012 Cocktails and
Conversation: Fairfield, CT
Alumni and guests were welcomed at
the home of Trustee, Don Callahan ’78
and Lisa Callahan for a special holiday
gathering. Host Committee: Lu ’56 and
Jack Morris, William M. McLean, Jr.
’82, Dawn ’86 and Ken ’83 Clisham and
Stephanie Wanzer ’91.
➤➤ November 7, 2012 Mville Visits Boston, MA
Alumni from the Boston area gathered
together for a special evening at the
Museum of Fine Arts where they enjoyed
a walking tour led by Sylvia Quarles
Simmons ’57 of the spectacular new
wing, Art of the Americas.
➤➤ November11, 2012 Elf, The Musical
Alumni and their families started
the holiday season with a trip to see
everyone’s favorite elf, Buddy the Elf, on
Broadway!
➤➤ Manhattanville 2000s Mixer:
Washington, DC
Hosted by Meto Koloski ’05, Class
Chair and Christopher Wilken ’05, Class
Agent, alumni from the DC area from the
2000s met up for a cocktail reception to
reminisce about their days at the Ville.
1. Trustees Maura Burke Morey ’62, Marcia Pearce
DeWitt ’69, Mary Foley Cooper ’69 and Mary
Checco Gawlicki ’72 enjoying the views of the Cape
2. Christian Andrade ’01 and Claudia Marin-Andrade
’02 enjoy Fall Fest’Ville activities with their kids
3. Paul Lennihan MAT ’10, Monique Prinos MS ’05,
Katherine Santone ’59, David Bedard ’09, Jim
Connolly ’83 and Paul Strotman catching up at the
NYC Alumni Reception at the Cosmo Club.
4. Alumnae from the Class of 2010 celebrating
Oktoberfest 2012
5. Class agent, Christopher Wilken ’05, and Class
chair, Meto Koloski ’05, co-host the 2000s mixer in
Washington, DC.
6. Jose Cruz ’75 and children take a break from ice
skating at CitiPond in New York City
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 35
Alumni Event Recap
➤➤ December 15, 2012 Philadelphia Holiday
Pops Concert
Alumni from the Philadelphia area joined
us to celebrate the sounds of the Season
with Peter Nero and the Philly Holiday
Pops! Trustee Ofelia Garcia ’69 hosted a
pre-concert reception at her home in Old
City, Philadelphia.
➤➤ December 20, 2012 The Washington, DC
Chorus
The holiday celebrations continued!
Alumni from the Washington, D.C. area
gathered to celebrate the sounds of the
season at “A Candlelight Christmas”
with The Washington Chorus. A special
thank you to Cathy French ’68 and Karen
Olson, RSCJ ’58, MA ’66 who graciously
hosted us at Stone Ridge.
➤➤ January 17, 2013 New York City Lecture
Series: Sustainability
Alumni joined at the home of Trustee
Elizabeth McCormack ’44 for a
night of multimedia storytelling
with Professors Christine Dehne and
Sherie McClam. They shared their
ethnographic exploration of the cultural
conditions in which an unlikely yet
powerful partnership emerged between
Manhattanville faculty, students, and staff
seeking to better understand and promote
solutions for improving recycling
behavior on the Manhattanville campus.
Attendees had the special opportunity to
enjoy the public unveiling of an original
Manhattanville documentary and engaged
in a critical conversation about working
across traditional campus boundaries to
effect positive social change.
➤➤ January 18, 2013 Young Alumni New Year
Happy Hour: Lucky Strike Manhattan
Young alumni were invited to the 2nd
Annual New Year Happy Hour presented
by the Manhattanville Young Alumni
Society. They kicked off the New Year
with some bowling at our happy hour at
Lucky Strike Manhattan.
➤➤ February 2, 2013 Basketball Alumni Day
Over 40 former basketball athletes came
back to campus for Alumni Basketball
Day! The players came together for
an exciting alumni game followed by
a special luncheon. While cheering on the
36 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
1
2
3
current Valiant teams as they both took
on Wilkes University, a special half-time
ceremony at the Men’s Valiant game
honored alumni Kevin Chadderton ’98
and Trevoy Pointer ’12 who were added
to the 1,000 point banner.
➤➤ February 23, 2013 Manhattanville on the
Road: Mville at The Met
In honor of Black History Month,
Deborah-Saleeby Mulligan, Visiting
Professor in the Department of Art
History led a guided tour titled “The
Masterpieces of African and Native
Art at The Metropolitan Museum of
Art.” Professor Saleeby-Mulligan is a
former Assistant Archivist at The Met
and shared her professional experiences
and knowledge about this special exhibit
in the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the
Americas wing.
➤➤ February 28, 2013 Manhattanville 80s
Mixer: New York, NY
Bringing back the 80s! A host committee
of 80s alumni invited their friends to
gather for a night of reminiscing and
celebration in New York City. Host
Committee: Joe Barney ’81, Jim Connolly
’83, Kristine Tedesco ’83, Ann Barney
’84, Joe DiCandio ’84, Charlie Massimo
’84, Elizabeth Bozzuto ’85, Ada Gallo ’85,
Dawn Clisham ’86, Ani Khachian ’86, Joe
Narus ’86, Nanci Blaisdell ’88, Nancy Jo
Seaton ‘88, and Carla Williams ’88.
4
➤➤ March 2-3, 2013 Alumni Service Weekend:
NYC, Boston & Miami
Alumni continued the Manhattanville
mission and gave back to their
communities in New York City, Boston
and Miami during the Alumni Service
Weekend 2013. Volunteer opportunities
were coordinated with the Alumni
Association Board events committee.
➤➤ March 3, 2013 Harry Potter Exhibit
Alumni and families gathered to
experience Harry Potter – The
Exhibition at Discovery Times Square.
The exhibit was back in NYC, after a
widely successful world tour; showing
the supreme artistry and amazing
craftsmanship that went into the making
of the popular film series, Harry Potter.
➤➤ March 14, 2013 Cocktails and Conversation:
Boston, MA
Trustee, Barbara Rogers RSCJ ’74 hosted
alumni in the Boston area at the Newton
Country Day School of the Sacred
Heart for cocktails and conversation
with President Jon C. Strauss. Host
Committee: Sylvia Quarles Simmons
’57, Boston Club Co-Chair Mary Kane
’59, Ann Levis Smart ’70, Boston Club
Co-Chair Marie Dineen ’71, D.A. Hayden
’77 and Nicole Ciccone Trainor ’03
➤➤ March 20, 2013 Mary T. Clark Chair of
Christian Philosophy Lecture
Alumni came back to campus for the
annual Mary T. Clark Chair of Christian
Philosophy Lecture. This year’s lecture
was given by Paul Kucharski, Visiting
Assistant Professor of Philosophy to
discuss “Why be good?”
5
➤➤ March 23, 2013 NYC Club Event: Paul Taylor
Dance Company
The New York City Club hosted a
delightful afternoon at Lincoln Center
with the internationally acclaimed Paul
Taylor Dance Company. The matinee
performance at the David Koch Theater
featured music by Part, Bach, and Mozart
coupled with the stunning artistry of the
Paul Taylor dancers. A post performance
wine reception on the First Ring
Promenade capped this wonderful day.
➤➤ April 6, 2013 8th Annual Gregg Reidy
Basketball Classic
Alumni came out for the 8th anniversary
of the Gregg Reidy Basketball
Tournament. This special event honors
Gregg Reidy ’98 with all proceeds going
toward the Manhattanville Basketball
Program.
➤➤ April 11, 2013 Manhattanville on the Road:
Hartford, CT
Trustee Mary Gawlicki ’72 and Saad
Rehman ’11 hosted alumni for a
private tour of the Mark Twain House
& Museum, the landmark home of
legendary “Mark Twain,” where he spent
his happiest and most productive days.
Guests explored the hallways where
Twain lived with his family, and toured
the museum which features the permanent
exhibition on Twain’s life and legacy.
Special guests included President Jon C.
Strauss and Van Hartmann, Professor of
English.
Upcoming Events
6
7
May 21, 2013 New York City Lecture
Series: “Seeking a Just Peace: Prospects for
a Solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict”
led by David Gutman, Ph.D., Assistant
Professor of History
June 7-9, 2013 Reunion 2013
1. Alumni and families enjoy the history hayride tour at
Homecoming 2012.
2. Frank Furbacher ’09, keynote speaker for the Class
of 2012 senior pinning ceremony, pins a former
baseball teammate
3. Head chef at Tarry Market greets guests at the 2012
Wine Dinner
4. The Manhattanville Valiant stops by the beer garden
at Quad Jam 2012 to meet alumni
5. Alumni team members for the Making Strides
against Breast Cancer Walk 2012
6. Alumni in Washington, DC pose for a photo after
their tour at The National Gallery led by Gregory
Jecmen ’83
7. Marie Dineen ’72, Mary Pat O’Malley ’75 and Ann
Duffy Bellows ’72 enjoy an evening at The Boston
Museum of Fine Art
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 37
Alumni Class Notes
1940’s
Jean Bautz, RSCJ ’44 will be turning 91 years old
this year and would love to keep in touch with
her classmates. She even hopes to attend her 70th
Reunion next year. Currently, Jean belongs to the
Avila Community, Albany, NY, where she is one
of nine happy RSCJ’s. Avila is a residence of still
“able” elders. They are wonderful, friendly people
of all faiths who feel they still have a Sacred Heart
mission. Another opportunity for them is walking
over to Teresian House where the fully retired
RSCJ live, including some of Manhattanville’s
own — Sisters Bea Brennan ’41, Ruth Dowd ’40,
Esther Anne Whalen ’45, Angela Bayo ’48, MA ’53,
and Mary Clark ’39. Jean sends prayers and love
for YOU!
Ann Marie McDonald MacLellan ’49 and her
husband, Peter look forward to welcoming their
seventh great-grandchild early this spring. The
oldest is three, they’re all adorable... Peter Leo
MacLellan is among the group.
1950’s
Nancy Carr Hardart ’50 along with fellow
classmates, Rosemary Dunne Dobbin, Shirley Ellis
Cummings, Joan Farley Markey and Joan Higgins
Collins had a mini reunion right after Christmas.
Eleanor MacLellan, RSCJ `51, MA ’61 is still
involved in Environmental Education at Drumlin
Farm, a Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuary. Eleanor
works mostly with elementary aged children
helping them to be more aware of their connection
to and dependence on nature. She also keeps up
with her sports - mostly swimming and skiing.
Eleanor hopes to travel soon to Albany to visit two
other RSCJ classmates, Judy Brown and Barbara
“Bebe” Kearins.
Phyllis “Fif” O’Hara ’51’s son, Martin McGuane,
age 55, passed away on October 9, 2012. He
was the Former President, Greenfield City
Council, Board of Directors of Big Brother-Big
Sister, Community Meals Program, Greenfield
Community College Alumni Assn., ARC of
Franklin-Hampshire County (Association for
Retarded Citizens) and Vice Chair and Founder
of Hospice in Franklin County. He had been
Executive Director of Greenfield Community
Television (GCTV) and Frontier Community
Television (FCAT) in lower Franklin County.
Martin was also an on call video photographer
for WWLP, NBC affiliate in Springfield, MA.
He started in radio at age 16 and his career was
spent in numerous stations throughout western
Massachusetts. “Big Red” will be missed.
Louise Glynn Barr ’52 says very old age is not so
bad. Her youngest grandchildren, Jonathan age
14 (and 6’4” tall) and Leila age 11 (tall but only
reasonably so) live close by and visit for days and
38 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
nights at a time, with or without friends. They do
a lot of hiking along the shore and just “hang out”
together.
Josephine Somkuthy Harkay ’53 says at 81, she
cannot report any great accomplishments, but is
a bit proud of the fact that she is still “working.”
Josephine occasionally sells Avon Products and
regularly gets translation jobs from a language
services agency in Manhattan, translating from
Hungarian into English. That means she pays
self-employment tax which goes into the Social
Security fund; not that it will solve the country’s
fiscal problems, but she feels good about it.
Josephine is looking forward to her 60th Class
Reunion in June.
Anne McCarthy Ring ’53 is enjoying her four
children, their spouses, six grandchildren and four
greats. Anne just returned from a short vacation
at Lake Geneva, WI with her daughter Kate and
husband, along with two of their children. They
had lots of fun, visiting, swimming, eating and
sleeping. Anne belongs to the Legion of Mary
at her parish. They are quite active and have a
wonderful group of friends. They visit the sick
and take an active part in several parish groups.
Anne is most active in the Inclusion group which is
refurbishing the church and chapel. She would love
to see you all in June for her class’ 60th Reunion.
Patsy Sheehan Dulles ’54 hopes to have a minireunion with classmates; Mary Kramer Daly, Mary
Jo Gargan Clasby and Peggy Hurley Dodge at a
Sacred Heart luncheon in Palm Beach, FL in March
2013.
Anne Sturges, RSCJ `54, MA `64 is one of a dozen
Religious of the Sacred Heart living and serving
in New Orleans. Six M’villians joined them for a
week recently to help with rebuilding. Anne loves
her work as a hospice chaplain. In December,
she caught up with Helen Cooley Reilly `54 in
Asheville, NC and with Harriet Alexander Garzero
`54 way out on Long Island who was luckily spared
the ravages of Sandy.
Rosemary Dowd, RSCJ ’55 still works in Chicago
at Cook County Jail. For about 30 years she was a
social worker with the inmates. Rosemary retired
due to failing eyesight and became staff chaplain
of the medical - psych division for about 750
men. It is a volunteer position but it is the best job
she’s ever had, though she has liked them all. She
says the men are a delight to work and pray with.
Rosemary stays in touch with several classmates:
Jean Madden Glunz, Anne Keller, Lisa Flynn
Chapman, Joan Mahoney Ophel, Ellen Rubacky
Tobin, and Fran Gimber, RSCJ. Rosemary still
enjoys the memories of her 50th Reunion and
seeing so many classmates.
Edelmira Fernandini Rackowe ’55’s children rented
a house in the Florida Keys where her whole family
gathered to celebrate her husband’s 80th birthday
in January.
Elizabeth “Betsy” Walsh, RSCJ ’55 relocated out
West to teach in the English Department at the
University of San Diego in 1975. Betsy enjoyed
it along with the other commitments a professor
undertakes. In the fall of 2000, she fulfilled
a dream which had always seemed hopeless:
lecturing at Moscow State University for three
semesters and found it be an extraordinary
experience. In August 2006, she retired officially,
but continues teaching one course every year.
Her topic for the last three years has been Dante,
a poet whose life and work never cease to amaze
and inspire her. Betsy says being in San Diego
does have one setback, and that is its distance from
Manhattanville. She sends Loving wishes to each
of you.
Carol Wettlaufer Gelderman ’56 published her 10th
book in early 2012, A Free Man of Color and His
Hotel Race, Reconstruction and the Role of the
Federal Government (Potomac Press). Carol’s
first book, Henry Ford the Wayward Capitalist,
originally published by Dial and paperback later by
St. Martin’s Press, has been re-issued by Beard. It
has stayed in print several decades.
Henrietta Holton-Thomas ’56 has spaced life
between her children, art and social life since her
husband’s death in March 2011. Her children live
in five different parts of the country and depending
on the distance; Henrietta reaches them every six
months or between one to two years. Sometimes
they come to visit. Her art goes from show to show,
some small and some successful - landscapes of
Lancaster and Maine and small animal sculpture.
Henrietta’s social life includes church, exercise,
various club activities, visiting family and friends
and volunteering. She has taken on the presidency
of a local art associations. Henrietta enjoys
attending class luncheons in NYC and Greenwich.
Sally Ekenberg Mosher ’56, as a lawyer (J.D.
USC, 1981), continues to use legal expertise in
real estate situations and as Corporate Counsel
for LA Philanthropic Committee for the Arts.
As a musician, she continues to compose and
perform as a harpsichordist. Recently, she
joined two other musicians for a new CD; all
improvisation – electronic keyboards and guitar.
Sally is the President of Piano Spheres concerts,
now in its 19th season. Performances are held at
Zipper Concert Hall of Colburn School, UCLA,
and Pasadena’s Boston Court Performing Arts
Center. As an artist, she paints large, colorful,
generally abstract canvases. Visit Sally’s website
for information about her prize winning book, CD’s
and paintings. www.NewMixMusic.com
Michelle “Mimi” O’Shea Grady ’57 and her family
have had a rather tumultuous four months. After
her husband, John’s nine day stay in the hospital
for emergency surgery in September, Storm Sandy
literally “hit” them. A 100 foot tree took off part
of their roof, damaging the dining room, and
windows, siding, gutters etc. When all repairs were
done, they put their house on the market, hoping
to move into one floor living in Greenwich, within
walking distance to town. The flu epidemic in
January sent John back to the hospital with acute
pneumonia. Their children have intervened, and
are urging Mimi and John to move closer to any of
them - southern New Jersey, Cleveland or Virginia. Stay tuned. P.S. John is slowly recovering, as of
late January.
Mary “Cecy” Boodell Prescott ’58 passed away May
14, 2012, in Freeport, Maine, following a 12-year
struggle with Alzheimer’s. Cecy was a class officer,
a member of student government, and a beloved
member of the Class of’58. She is survived by her
three children, Tom, Judy, and John, and by her
brother Thomas J. Boodell Jr. and sister in-law,
Beata Bergman, ’60, and her sister, Leslie Boodell
Pelican. Cecy’s daughter, Judy Prescott has written
a beautiful book of poems entitled Searching for
Cecy: Reflections on Alzheimer’s. Judy wrote these
poems to help her deal with her loss as her mother
retreated further and further into her illness. They
are both a wonderful evocation of Cecy and also
a universal expression for anyone who is dealing
with a similar loss.
Barbara Jones Wood-Prince ’58 has fond memories
of her classmates and years at Mville. At her 50th
Reunion, she was delighted to see that her old
friends hadn’t changed a bit! Barbara’s life has
not slowed down. She has two children and five
grandchildren living nearby, and two Bahamian
cousins at Woodlands Academy. (She had to learn
to text!) She is still on the Woodlands’ Board of
Trustees and she continues to play tennis and paint.
Alain, her husband of 56 years is thriving! Barbara
says she is blessed in many ways and sends
greetings to her friends in the class of ’58.
Dale Acker ’59 has four children and five
grandchildren scattered across OK, TX, MI and
CT. Dale works as Business Development Officer
for a family owned bank with thirteen branches.
Her passion is volunteering for the Salvation Army
Women’s Auxiliary and her church, Crossings
Community Church, a large interdenominational
church. She’s in her 10th year serving as a Stephen
Minister working with women in crisis. She
facilitates a class called “Next Chapter for Women”
helping ladies who are recently divorced or
widowed. She’s completing the second half of her
memoir. She says it wasn’t on her bucket list, but
life is full of surprises, isn’t it?
Kathy Baxter Almond ’59 and her husband Bill are
enjoying life. Their three children are all married,
employed and have bred!! Our oldest grandchild
is a freshman at Bates (not some place they knew
much about) and she is happy with the school and
field hockey. The other six range from 16 down to
5. Kathy continues to sell real estate and when she
can fit it in, play duplicate bridge - still loves doing
both. She enjoyed catching up with her classmates
at Reunion, and looks forward to the next one in
2014!
Susan Hansell Bianchi ’59 went to Paris for a
fabulous week, with classmates Judy Gonczo
Wilson, Sarah Walsh McClanahan and Susan
Reynolds Sullivan. While there, classmate Alice
Higgins Jouve toured them around historic Paris
and Versailles. She and Larry spend six months
in Southern CA, and six months in MA with their
three girls; Scotti is a tenured professor at U.
Michigan, where her two oldest children are now
students and her youngest Louisa is still at home. Her husband is a federal prosecutor in Detroit.
Wayne, her middle daughter has just moved to
AZ to start a new career and Linn, her oldest is
in the greater Boston area; married with two girls
and a very full-time job as Director of Marketing
Communications for Panera Bread. Golf, bridge
and grand-mothering are all on her calendar of fun
things to do.
Chantal de Cannart d’Hamale Cannon ’59 says the
Cannon family seems to be doing well. All four
children are married and settled with families.
Next year, 4 out of 9 grandchildren will be in
college. Paul is coping with the diminishments of
Parkinson’s but they are still managing a normal
life pattern which includes regular visits to Ireland,
escape from the cold in Florida and a rare trip for
family reunion in Belgium. Manhattanville still
remains a very important part of Chantal’s life and
is so grateful for the educational opportunities.
Hello to fellow 59ers!
Virginia “Ginny” Burns Cenedella ’59 is involved in
several arts groups in Charlottesville and serves on
the Board of the Charlottesville Symphony Society
and Ash Lawn Opera Festival. Last fall, Ginny
gave her first solo piano recital for invited friends.
Since that went so well, she returned to tap dancing
and is dragging herself to classes. She is not doing
as much travelling as hoped, but she did get to
NYC for Irene Bianchi Payne’s birthday along with
fellow ’59ers (thanks to the planning of Suzanne
Dale Wilcox and Kitty Santone!). Ginny also
recently visited Tucson and Scottsdale to see her
nephew’s 20-month twin girls. Ginny would love
for her classmates to visit her in central Virginia.
Betty Celic Holden ’59 and her husband Dick are
busy virtually ‘round the clock repairing rosaries
and sending them to the missions. So far, they have
sent 118,000 rosaries around the world. Send them
your parts or your wholes. Give Betty a call at 239463-3993 while they’re in Florida (Nov. through
May) or send them a message at holdenbnd@
comcast.net.
Elizabeth McMahon Jeep ’59 is working as
the Associate Director of the Siena Center of
Dominican University in Chicago. She has a Ph.D.
in theology and psychology, and teaches as an
adjunct at Dominican and several other locations
in the area, including the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Elizabeth had a book published last fall, Sweeter
than Honey: Prayers for Catechists. She says it
is a VERY modest little book that reflects some
of the writing she has done for her parish bulletin.
Elizabeth’s husband, Jerry had a brush with cancer
last summer but has a clean bill of health now. Her
son, Edward Louis is a Lt. Col. in the Marines,
finishing up at the War College in Montgomery,
AL. After four deployments in Afghanistan and
Iraq, they are more than happy to have him in
the U.S. Her daughter, Emily and husband Paul
live in Boston and have two beautiful daughters.
They are planning a family vacation this summer
in Provence. Elizabeth has seen on a somewhat
regular basis: Connie Scott Kelly and Ed (with their
family); Kim Smith Wayne; Nan Wilkins Eidle &
Bill; Mary Reilly McNeill & John, and our intrepid
class scribe, Sue Dale Wilcox and John. Wishing
you all peace, health, joy and great adventures
during the coming year.
Alice Higgins Jouve ’59 enjoys designing and
leading study tours for American groups in Paris.
2012 brought another group of Harvard alums
for yet another “Founding Fathers in Paris” tour
based on the book I wrote with my husband:
Paris: Birthplace of the USA. 2012 also brought a
wonderful reunion with Mville ’59-ers coming to
visit Paris; Mary Kane and Sonya Dehon Driscoll;
Susan Hansell Bianchi, Judy Gonczo Wilson, Sara
Walsh McClanahan, and Susan Reynolds Sullivan;
Joyce Keogh Farr and her beautiful granddaughter!
Not to mention old friends, former clients and
family! It was a wonderful year! Alice returned to
the piano after a lapse of 40 years and participates
in recitals twice a year! She hopes more ’59-ers
will come to visit France soon!
Jane Conway McAllister ’59’s life is full of family
and adventure. Her five children and grandchildren
are all in British Columbia and all remain very
close. Twenty-one of them were at Jane’s house for
nearly a week and it was a celebration of laughter
and love. She is working on a house exchange
and top of her list is Ireland and Italy. Jane is
planning a trip with three teenage grandsons for
this summer hiking in the Grand Canyon, visiting
Brice and Zion. She will also visit friends in New
Mexico. Jane has also taken up the pottery wheel
and volunteers with adult literacy. Jane’s aim is to
help others to be able to read as she can’t imagine
life without it.
Mary Reilly McNeill ’59 and husband John went on
a Rhine River cruise last June for their belated 50th
anniversary. They landed in Zurich, stayed at the
Palace Luzerne and then traveled to Amsterdam
playing golf at five wonderful courses along the
way (France, Germany, and Switzerland) and
took the steepest cog railway in the world! John’s
dear cousin, Ellen McAllister Perrott, died this
summer and we saw many Manhattanville ’59ers
at her beautiful funeral in August. They enjoyed
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 39
a wonderful Thanksgiving with their kids: John,
51 and family from Stow, MA; Jim, 48, our son
from DC; and Mary Anne, 45 and family from
Syracuse. Mary thanks all of her classmates for
their continued prayers for John; he is doing well
and feels they are in good hands.
Elena Roosen Pisa ’59 and partner Carlos live a
relatively quiet and peaceful life in New York.
They do a lot of reading, eating great food, and
generally enjoying life with friends and family.
Last summer, her daughter Francesca married
life partner, Sarah, in a beautiful ceremony at her
sister’s farm. Francesca is a vice principal of a
public school in an immigrant area of NY; and
Sarah teaches at a very progressive, excellent
school in NY where her classroom/office has a
view of Central Park. What a contrast! Her son,
Alexander is very successful in the real estate
business here in the city with most of his clients
coming from Latin America, something he takes
after his mother with as Elena has been in the real
estate business for 28 years! She and Carlos and try
and get to Paris at least three or four times a year
for a couple of weeks. All these year counts have
become more and more astonishing with every
passing moment! She sends her best to all...
Margaret Miner Rawson ’59 lives in Roxbury CT,
and is lucky enough to see classmates from time to
time. She works at Rivers Alliance of Connecticut,
which protects the state’s waters as best it can.
Margaret’s husband, Hugh Rawson, still writes
and edits, and is on numerous town and charitable
committees. She has so far escaped most except
the ZBA. Their daughter, Catherine, is an attorney
and executive director at the Weantinoge Heritage
Land Trust (the largest land trust in the state). They
recently visited their son on Koh Tao, Thailand,
where he teaches scuba diving. Margaret’s church
attendance is limited to funerals (too many) and
weddings (still fun).
Katherine Santone ’59 is still giving weekend tours
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the American
Wing is her great love and “specialty”), reading as
often as she can, and talking regularly to classmates
like Kathleen Schoenfeld Casey, Ann King Miller,
Sheila McCauley, and Dale Acker—or bumping
into Mary Ann Dailey Jones on the street; she
and Rolly just hosted a very enjoyable dinner in
January! Moreover, Katherine is always happy
to help plan lunches when out-of-towners come
to NYC…she had two in 2012: one to celebrate
Dale’s visit in August and one for Virginia Burns
Cenedella’s in November. (Ginny came for Irene
Bianchi Payne’s b’day…and they went to see
The Lion King.) Both lunches were really lovely:
warm and wonderful. Finally, she is completing
her first term as a member of the Alumni Board at
Manhattanville. Life’s good!
Freddie Cartwright Schrider ’59 and Jim now
live in Portland, where they welcomed a second
grandson, Owen on November 4; weighing in at 7
40 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
lbs. 15 oz. and arrived sporting a full head of hair.
An interesting note: his brother, Finn, was also
born on November 4, only 3 years earlier, and his
mother, our daughter, Kerry, you guessed it, she,
too was born on November 4. This certainly makes
it easy for them to remember the date of each one’s
birthday! In addition to keeping up with grandkids,
she is doing other things to keep healthy, stay
young and enjoy life, e.g.: classes in cardio-boxing
and Zumba; taking ukelele lessons and have joined
a ukelele choir. Their son, Tommy, just finished a
year in “War Horse,” and is now doing six days of
work on a TV detective show, after which he heads
to the Yale Repertory Theater where he will be in
“Hamlet” along with Paul Giamatti. Their daughter,
Mary, has made her move to England fairly
permanent...as far as anything IS permanent. She
and her husband have two sons. So, to conclude,
life is good out in Portland. After she and Jim do a
retreat this year with Thich Nhat Hanh, she believes
that life will be even better. May the same be true
for all of her sisters from the Class of ’59.
Terry Cody Spring ’59 continues to make art
(drawing and photo collages) and runs her family’s
business in New Canaan, CT. She “keeps up” with
swimming at the Y, and enjoys her role in local
politics; you can count on her to cause trouble
when a “righteous’ remark is needed at a public
forum. She looks forward to having more time for
travel.
Donna Miller Straat ’59 is currently in Delray, Fl
with Kent where the weather is lovely and she has
just finished re-vamping their apartment on the
inland waterway. Donna still works in her design
business, and was president of the CT chapter
of ASID a few years ago which she found most
rewarding. Their son lives in St Petersburg, FL and
they are looking forward to spending time with
him. Our daughter & her family now live in PA
(from Reno), and they are thrilled that they are now
relatively close by and will be down to visit this
winter. So far, lots of tennis and exercise for Donna
and Kent, and they are both well. They would love
to see any of you who might be nearby.
Martha Bergeron Talburt ’59 continues to teach
ten hours of drawing classes a week at Founder’s
Hall, as well as a seminar every few weeks at the
women’s prison. Occasional commissions (which
she loves,) children, grandchildren, and travel keep
her busy! She and Lane took a river boat trip up the
Volga in Sept - from Moscow to St. Petersburg. She
recently underwent cataract surgery, and is seeing
everything now and reveling in the wonder of life
without glasses. She is sorry to have missed the
recent NYC gathering with friends but hopes to
arrange another before too long!
Suzanne Dale Wilcox ’59 has co-authored, with
John R. Wilcox and Jennifer Lindholm, Revisioning
Mission: The Future of Catholic Higher Education.
The book describes the challenge of community
that faces Catholic higher education, and poses
the “mission community” composed of lay faculty
and administrators and staff as solution. Suzanne’s
chapter, “Wayfaring at the University,” deals with
adult spirituality in an interfaith setting. The book
is available on Amazon.
Judy Gonczo Wilson ’59 is healthy, happy - doing
hospice volunteer work - which she adores – and is
still selling real estate. She gives communion at the
hospital every week - and is staying ahead of life.
Judy feels that she has so much to be grateful for
- especially the wonderful friends she made at the
Ville (Manhattanville).
1960’s
Class of 1960 Note from Elaine Edden Stiller, Class
co-chair: Happy news received of 50th wedding
anniversaries this year: Beata Bergman Boodell,
Kay Clarke Heffernan, Emalie Platt Feerick, Janice
Butler Miller, Nancy Cushing Ostheimer, Stephanie
Cooper Payson and Ceci Sullivan Murray. Keeping
busy, Rose Marie Oliva Guzzo entertains
groups with her music lecture-presentations
celebrating Richard Rogers, The Beatles, Dave
Brubeck, Latin Jazz and more. Hazel Kam Koike
happily announces the birth of her 13th grandchild,
Lauren Marie Koike. Connie O’Connell Strong,
our snowbird sportsman, enjoying golf and tennis
in Sanibel. Nancy Hogan Dutton congratulates us
all on our 75th birthdays this year and invites us to
join Patsy McCann, Eileen Kervick Connelly, Lynn
Paul, Lucille McLaughlin Hornby, Martha Dadd
Nelson, Mary Anne Dutt Justice and herself at her
Chesapeake Bay home, MD for an annual gettogether which the seven of them have been doing
for the past 15 years, gathering for a long weekend
of swimming, boating, walking and boating, good
food, good wine, good conversation and good
friends. Let her know if you are interested as they
are just starting their planning. Nancy, Patsy, Lynn
and Martha are still working gals. Don’t forget
to save the date and join us for our 53rd Reunion
Luncheon at Mville on Sat. June 8, 2013.
Anna Mae Walsh Burke ’60 had two new books
released in February, Small Town Boy and Proud
Irish Heart. They are the fifteenth and sixteenth
books she has published. Her new books are
available on Amazon. Anna Mae also has a play,
“Irish Divorce” which has been shown as directed
readings.
Nancy Hogan Dutton ’60 says this is the year that
most of us will celebrate our 75th Birthdays! So
congratulations to all! For the past 15 years, a
group of classmates has been gathering for a long
weekend of “swimming, boating, walking, &
biking, good food-good wine-good conversationand-good friends” at her Chesapeake Bay house
in Cambridge, MD. They are just starting to plan
2013, so let her know if you would like to join. There is plenty of room!
Anna Petzold Nichols ’61 had a wonderful visit
from Pat McCarthy Tomassi ’61 last summer in
Harbor Springs, MI and they met up with Michael
Ann Mullen ’61 several times during her stay.
Mary Kay Tracy Farley ’57 treated them to lunch
at her club and, of course, Pat also got to visit with
Anna’s sister in-law, Jane Gilbane Petzold ’62.
They had a wonderful mini reunion. Anna has been
living in Vero Beach, FL for the past 43 years and
can scarcely believe it!
Kathleen Balet Hill ’62 has two recent publications
“My Apple Tree, My Brightness”, AGNI 76, an
essay having to do with loss, Ireland, and IrishAmericans; and “Forgiveness”, The Best Spiritual
Writing of 2013.
Katherine Sheehan Sullivan ’64 works for SK
Wealth Management LLC in Providence. They are
a fee only financial planning firm and she has been
there for 10 years. She and her husband, Terry have
four children; three are married and one divorced.
They have nine grandchildren from 1 month to 16
years old; seven girls, two boys. Terry retired a few
years ago and they built a home in Orleans, MA on
Cape Cod. Katherine drives to Providence, RI for
work Monday-Thursday. This allows her to keep
up with RI friends and family. She looks forward to
seeing everyone at their 50th Reunion next year.
Susan Kennedy ’65 retired three years ago from
Park Slope, Brooklyn, and her job as HR director
for amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research,
to Chattanooga, TN. At her new home, she has a
pond in the back yard where Great Blue Herons fly
in for lunch. Susan is also active in the Unitarian
Universalist Church there. Last October, she
celebrated her 50th high school reunion, and can
see her 50th Manhattanville Reunion approaching
soon. She greatly looks forward to it.
Tina Sloan McPherson ’65 is still living in NY on
Park Ave and now has a place in Hobe Sound,
FL. Tina has been married for the past 38 years to
Steve McPherson and they have a son, Renny, who
is about to be married. Tina continues to act. She
was on Guiding Light for 26 years till the day it
went off the air. Then, she wrote a book, Changing
Shoes (Penguin) and a one woman show she has
been doing around the U.S. also called Changing
Shoes. Tina has held speaking engagements all over
as well and is having great fun with all the above!
Also, she was on 2 web series and just did a few
movies. The most recent was Happy New Year and
the one before was with Natalie Portman in Black
Swan. All in all, Tina loves the acting, her family
and golf has ALMOST become fun! http://amzn.to/
changingshoes www.changingshoes.com
Elizabeth Kitamura ’66 continues to teach English
and International Culture with her husband.
She also promotes activities for international
understanding with Toyonaka City, Japan, where
they live. Eugene (36) does research for the
Japanese Defense Academy, Emily (30) teaches at
an international school and Erica (22) graduates in
May and will work in graphic design in Tokyo. No
grandchildren yet. Elizabeth spends summers with
her mother (94) in Virginia. She sends greetings
and love to all her classmates.
Terry Donini Hannah ’67 is pleased to announce her
engagement to Don Larson. A spring wedding is
planned.
Karen Renzulli Lynch ’67 has relocated her law
offices to Farmington, CT after maintaining her
offices in West Hartford for over thirty years. She
also has an office in Hartford. Karen continues
to practice in the areas of wills and trusts, estate
planning and administration, elder law, probate,
and special needs trusts.
Maureen Werner Nikolich ’67 and husband
Peter have moved from South Carolina back to
Southampton, NY following Peter’s retirement.
They are busy settling back into their very old,
needy homestead and keeping an eye on Peter’s
father (92). Their door is always open! She would
love to see any of her classmates.
Elizabeth Roberts Baer ’68 has published four
books which can be found on amazon.com. The
books are titled: Shadows of My Heart, The Blessed
Abyss, Experience and Expression, and The Golem
Redux
Barbara Ann McGuire Cook ’68 continues “tri -state
life” since Rheem Manufacturing Co. law dept
moved to Atlanta in 2006. Barbara’s husband,
David stays in their Stuyvesant Town, NYC apt
with visits to Atlanta. Their son, Peter, lives in
Brooklyn directing plays and working at NBC as
casting director for “gory” documentaries. And
Andrew stayed in Providence with AmeriCorps
sponsored job after Brown graduation; he
negotiated apt lease with legal advice from his
mother. Rosalie Calve ’68 and Janie Beal Weyl
’68, with husband, Alan, visited Barbara in CT this
past August and they celebrated birthdays there
in September with Helen Farrell Ryan ’68 and
Heather Doherty O’Donnell ’68, husbands Dan and
Bob, and Mary Brown Connell ’70.
Helen Farrell Ryan ’68 is completing her 16th
year as an attorney with the Connecticut Judicial
Branch, following a 25 year career in the private
practice of law in Connecticut. She is currently
serving as the Civil Caseflow Coordinator for the
Middlesex Judicial District in Middletown, CT. She
is disappointed that she will be missing her 45th
class reunion in June, but will be at her husband,
Dan’s 50th Reunion at the College of the Holy
Cross scheduled for the same weekend. See you in
2018!
Donnita Ryan Whittier ’68 is proud to share that
Lighthouse Catholic Media has released a CD by
her daughter, Sr. Maria Stella, CJD, a missionary
to Russia, titled “Heroic Witnesses: The Triumph
of Persecuted Catholics in Russia”. Sr. Stella
speaks about the history of Catholic Priests, Sisters
and Laity in Russia from 1917 to the present,
beginning with the persecution of Catholics under
communism and ending with post-communist
efforts to revive the Catholic Church in the Russian
Far East.
Class of 1969 from Mary Foley Cooper & Marcia
Pearce DeWitt:
Dear Class of 1969, As your class representatives
on the Board of Trustees, Marcia DeWitt and I have
met with many of you this past year. Sue Good
and Pam Kelly at Cape Cod, Geline Williams and
Anne Higgins in Boston, Flor Fee and Deba Leach
in D.C., Georgia Burke in San Francisco, Alice
Kane, Martha Graham, Jo-Una Spadafora in NYC
to name a few. We found the conversations so
warm and endearing. We hope to create interest
and enthusiasm for our 45th reunion in 2014. As
part of our reconnecting with classmates, we will
host a reception for our class on Tuesday, June 4,
at 91st Street in NYC. We know many of you live
in or near the city while others often travel there.
We would love to see you. More details to follow
closer to the event. Please circle your calendars.
Fondly, Mary Foley Cooper & Marcia Pearce
DeWitt
Mary Dalsin Mills ’69 is now living in San Rafael,
California. She is tutoring low income and ESL
2nd and 3rd graders through Experience Corps, at
her local public school. Mary says this program
is so rewarding! She loves being in this young,
hopeful energy. Mary’s kids are in the process of
being launched, and she is enjoying metaphysical
pursuits, hiking, travel, golf and bridge. She is
always looking for companions in these.
Maureen Brown Fant ’69 still lives in Rome (since
1979), a few steps from the Colosseum. She
manages to see classmate Liz Betts Leckie once in
a while in Venice. Maureen’s translation of Popes,
Peasants, and Shepherds: Recipes and Lore from
Rome and Lazio will be published this spring by
University of California Press. She is also the coauthor of Sauces and Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way,
due in the fall from W.W. Norton.
Christine Cash Gilroy ’69 was named “Iowa
Journalism Teacher of the Year” at the Iowa
High School Press Association convention and
workshop. Christine has completed her 22nd year
of teaching English and journalism at Central High
School in DeWitt, Iowa, preceded by five years
teaching in Lost Nation, Iowa, and many years
publishing a weekly newspaper for northwest
Clinton County, Iowa.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 41
Christine Herlihy Weeks ’69 lost her husband of 32
years, Albert H. “Kip” Weeks on December 31,
2011 after a three year battle with brain cancer. At
the time of his death, he was the Cheshire County
Probate Judge for the State of New Hampshire. In
addition to Christine, he leaves their son, Sam, who
is just starting a PH.D. program in Anthropology at
UCLA in Los Angeles and their daughter Meg, an
aspiring modern dancer in New York City who just
landed a position with the ballet company at the
Metropolitan Opera for its upcoming production of
Wagner’s Parsifal.
1970’s
Madeleine Maccarone d’Ambrosio ’71 has a new
position as Acting Chief Operating Officer and
Director of Development for the CUNY Advanced
Science Research Center. Madeleine plays a
pivotal role in all aspects of final planning for
the new science center. She also works closely
with CUNY’s top leadership to secure private
philanthropy supporting the center’s research and
education initiatives. The mission of the ASRC
is to be a catalyst for interdisciplinary scientific
research and discovery and develop a university–
wide integrated scientific research network. The
first phase of the CUNY ASRC is a $350 million,
200,000-square-foot, five-story science center
with flexible space for laboratories, meeting rooms
and offices for approximately 75 professionals,
scheduled to open in 2014.
Ann-Marie Fassl Hartline ’72’s daughter, Julie
Hartline, married Jason Hickey in NYC on
September 1, 2012.
Dr. Susan A. Ross ’72 became the President of the
Catholic Theological Society of America at its 67th
Annual Convention in St. Louis in June 2012. In
addition, her book, Anthropology: Seeking Light
and Beauty, was just published by Liturgical Press.
Susan also continues to serve Manhattanville as a
Trustee.
Kathleen Harbort ’73 retired from Greenwich, CT
Public Schools in June 2012 after 36 years teaching
Science at Eastern Middle School in Riverside, CT.
Upon retirement, she moved “home” to the Jersey
Shore.
Ethel Margaret O’Hara MAT `73 passed away on
September 25, 2012 at the age of 93. Her daughter,
Margaret O’Hara Best ’77 and granddaughter, Amy
Best ’10 are both alumnae of the College. Ethel
was the wife Dr. John G. O’Hara, Manhattanville’s
first psychology professor. He taught at
Manhattanville from 1939-1981. Ethel earned an
MAT in 1973 receiving a standing ovation from the
faculty at graduation. She is survived by her five
children, John, Robert, Mary, Margaret and Jane,
fourteen grandchildren and eight grandchildren. 42 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Carolee Ackerson Bertisch MA ’75 has published
her second book: Walking To The Beat Life:
Mystery, Melody and Motion. It is a memoir in
poetry and prose, and is available in paperback and
Kindle on Amzon.com. Carolee is a former English
Facilitator and Writing Coordinator for the Rye
Neck School District, who leads two lively book
discussion groups in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and
is Chair of the St. Johns County Library Advisory
Board and Poetry Chair of the Florida Heritage
Book Festival.
Rick Sykes ’75 lives six months in Palm Beach, FL
and six months in Rio de Janeiro and is LOVING
IT!
Liz Nealon ’76 is the Co-Founder, Publisher
and CEO of StarWalk Kids Media, a publisher
of quality children’s e-books for schools and
libraries. This outstanding proprietary platform
launched nationally in October 2012, featuring
high quality eBooks from award-winning authors
and illustrators, with all titles linked to Common
Core educational standards. Funded, but open
to additional capital investment and strategic
relationships to accelerate distribution. See the
product & read the review by leading industry
publication School Library Journal: http://ow.ly/
gFHdN
Kathryn “Kitty” Pilgrim ’76 Hon.’12’s second novel,
The Stolen Chalice, (Simon and Schuster) will be
released in paperback June 2013. Her debut novel
The Explorer’s Code was a smash success, hitting
number 18 on the paperback bestseller’s list.
Danuta Karpinski Wenzel ’76 recently became
affiliated with William Raveis Real Estate in Rye,
NY. She has been licensed for over 19 years and
has worked primarily in residential real estate
in the Sound Shore region and is familiar with
Westchester County. If you have any questions,
please call (914) 967-1333 or visit www.
danutawenzel.raveis.com
Nohad Badran-Videau ’77 changed jobs in
December 2012 to Autodesk, Inc. in San Francisco,
as Assistant to the Senior Principal Research
Scientist, Bio/Nano/Programmable Matter Group.
Autodesk is a world leader in 3D design software
for manufacturing, building, construction,
engineering, and entertainment and is now entering
the field of life sciences.
Michael Fordyce (ne Michael Evan Davis) ’77
recently produced a staged reading of his
screenplay “Abandoned Ship,” which chronicles
the tragic loss of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in the
waning days of World War II. The reading took
place at the Vallejo, CA Yacht Club, which is
directly across from the former Mare Island Naval
Shipyard, from which the Indy departed on her
final, fateful voyage. When the ship was torpedoed
in July 1945, her SOS was ignored. The surviving
crewmen spent 3-1/2 days in the water before being
spotted. Of approximately 900 who made it off the
ship, only 317 were rescued. “The men and women
who put on military uniforms,” Davis said, “pledge
their lives to keep our country safe. It is monstrous
when their lives are squandered through ignorance,
incompetence or arrogance.”
Michael “Mickey” Fanelli ’78: along with his wife
Anna will be selling real estate in the tri-state
area, the Westchester Manhattanville community,
Larchmont, Mamaroneck, vicinity. Michael has
25 years of experience in the real estate industry,
with his work at “Fran’s house and estate tag sale
company,” a full service corporation that sells the
contents of people’s home, and being a member of
The Appraisers Association of America. Their goal
is to help people move on with their lives.
Carol Cavalieri Arrucci ’79 MAT ’82 has taught
music in private and public schools since 1984,
and is a prominent choral conductor, having sent
a children’s chorus to Broadway in 1993. Carol is
also a musical theatre conductor, and President of
PMT Productions, a local theatre group that will be
producing “Spamalot” in Yorktown, NY this spring.
Carol will be opening a brand new music school
in Croton on Hudson, NY this September, “The
Cortlandt School of Performing Arts.”. In addition
to private lessons, the school offers a variety of
classes to a range of ages. The Music Depot is
a retail division of the school that sells musical
instruments and accessories at deep discounts.
(Additional discounts for M’ville Alumni) Learn
more by visiting: www.cortarts.com.
1980’s
Bill Daley ’80 is the Food and Features reporter
for the Chicago Tribune. Bill was also elected
refreshments chair by his Sunday men’s group.
So, has he made two pies a week for nearly three
months and took snaps with his cell phone every
step of the way to post on Instagram, Facebook
and Twitter. Now the Tribune is using those photos
and his voiceover narration for a new video project
called “Pie Slides with Bill Daley.” It’s fun – and
I’m learning how to make a flaky crust. Here’s
one of the recent “Pie Slides” video: http://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=nrwdiRosXAU
Theresa Insolia-Joseph ’80 recently founded the
Global Peace Movement and Channeled Grace
Healing Circles. She has also been working as an
intuitive healer, Reiki Master; a spiritual teacher
and artist, whose mission is to raise consciousness,
manifest peace and channel grace. She is currently
writing a book containing the messages she
received from the Divine over the years and how,
in the course of our ordinary lives, we can find
the extraordinariness of the Divine. Prior to this,
Theresa spent 18 years in finance at a Fortune 500
company and has a BA in economics and an MBA
in Banking and Finance. Visit Theresa at www.
GlobalPeaceMovementNow.com
Diane O’Callaghan Kirven ’80 and her husband Pete
are officially Empty Nesters! Their son, Tucker
is a freshman at Vanderbilt University School of
Engineering. Thomas is a junior studying Physics
at Centre College and Matthew, also a junior at
University of Louisville is studying Psychology.
Kailie, their oldest, graduated from University of
Kentucky in 2011 and works as a graphic designer
at Keeneland Racetrack. Diane’s husband , Pete
is selling (and loving) residential real estate.
She recently joined Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
Member SIPC as a Financial Advisor after 10
years experience with a regional firm. Diane’s new
position is thrilling and she welcomes the chance
to help fellow alumni with financial planning and
investment advisory services.
Connie Johnson Hambley ’81 would like to share
the news with her classmates and fellow alumni
that her first book has been published, The Charity.
Connie wrote this book many years ago and never
took the steps to get it published. Serendipitously,
she met a publisher while on a business trip to
China this past spring. The publishing world
is undergoing tremendous upheaval but those
conversations gave her the courage to move
forward! So, from The Great Wall and Shanghai to
the wild adventure of Amazon, Connie says the past
year has been pretty interesting. She hopes you’ll
read The Charity.
Mary Calhoun ’82 has been working as a psych
nurse in Alabama and as a traveling psych nurse in
New York, California, Louisiana and Texas.
Joseph Caporusso ’82 is currently President of
the American Podiatric Association. Joe grew
up in Long Island City, Queens and then moved
to Smithtown, Long Island. Joe has a thriving
podiatric medicine practice in McCallen, Texas
and has published numerous articles in medical
journals. He is married with three sons. You might
try to catch him introducing the United States
Surgeon General on YouTube a few months ago!
Stephanie Kloos Donoghue ’82 celebrates the
25th anniversary of her company, S. Kloos
Communications Inc., in 2013. The design and
production firm was the recipient of two silver
awards and one bronze award for newsletter design
from the Advertising Club of Westchester in 2012.
“Like” the company on Facebook at facebook.com/
sklooscommunications.
Virgillia “Jill” Heffley Heidel ’82 was elected to the
Board of Directors for Qualidigm in Rocky Hill,
CT, a Medical Quality Improvement Company, and
has served on the search committee to find a new
CEO. A choral composition Jill wrote in the mid
1980’s will be performed by the Valley Presbyterian
Church Choir, Brookfield, CT this spring.
Susan Porter Carpenter ’83 graduated from Hawaii
Pacific University School of Nursing in December
2011 with a BSN and is now a registered nurse
working in Kaneohe, Hawaii. She is married to
Stewart Carpenter and has three sons Talus, Temple
and Padgett.
Col (Ret) Robert W. Sprague, Jr. ’83 is currently
serving Military Young Life in the western United
States, but is actively seeking new employment
in either San Diego or Colorado Springs in the
operations field.
Susan Fiamma Russo ’85 has been in Italy for over
20 years. She is married and has two children who
attend the Scientific High School in Poppi, a small,
medieval village near Florence where they have
been living for over 10 years. Flavia, 17, is starting
to research colleges in the States and in July they’ll
start visiting prospective schools. Gianpaolo, 15, is
a sophmore. Susan’s husband, Giancarlo, teaches
Italian cultural courses at Lorenzo de’Medici
University in Florence as well as courses for Slow
Food throughout Italy. Susan teaches English to
Italian students and adults.
Stan Spence PhD ’85 was invited to be the guest
speaker at the FDA Office of Hematology and
Oncology Products on December 17, 2012. He
gave a lecture on determining the optimal dose
and schedule of targeted oncology drugs based
on exposure-response modeling. The FDA also
adopted a mathematical correction formula Stan
derived for determining the effects of various drugs
on cardiac repolarization in 1998.
Carmen Tere Alvarado ’88 is the owner of CT
Alvarado Real Estate. Carmen also teaches a
class of Business Administration in the American
Military Academy in Puerto Rico.
Christina Manos Bocek ’88 began training for
her first half marathon following the birth of her
daughter, Alexa, on January 23, 2012. She ran it on
November 10, finishing within her projected goal
time, and raising nearly $1,000 for the Gwendolyn
Strong Foundation. The GSF works to raise
awareness of SMA, and leads the fight to end it.
Daryl A. Mundis ’88 has been appointed Deputy
Registrar at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in
The Hague, Netherlands. Daryl was previously the
Chief of Prosecutions at the STL and spent over
a decade at the International Criminal Tribunal
for the former Yugoslavia prosecuting war crimes
cases.
1990’s
Karen Krase Delgado ’91 was married in 2004, and
has two girls, Isabella, 8 and Amelia, 4. Karen and
her family are still in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She has
been working as a Pediatric occupational therapist
since 1996.
Michelle Despres ’91 presented “Applying a
Customer Experience Focus to User Assistance” at
the annual Conference for Software User Assistance
in Seattle in March. Michelle is the Director of
User Assistance at CQG, a software provider for
the financial trading industry, headquartered in
Denver, CO.
Dr. David Heroux ’93 was elected Chair of the
Division of Natural Sciences at the University of
Maine at Farmington. He was also Chair Elect
of the Maine Section of the American Chemical
Society. He is spending the 2012-13 academic
year on Sabbatical developing catalysts for the
production of biofuels at the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory and Colorado School of
Mines, both in Golden, Colorado. David had the
opportunity to visit Manhattanville and was pleased
to see the renovation updates and how vibrant the
campus was!
PJ Wax ’93 was recently named as an Assistant
Principal at Westhill High School in Stamford, CT.
Prior to becoming an administrator, Mr. Wax was
in the classroom for 17 years as a Social Studies
teacher in New York and Connecticut, as well as
teaching as an Adjunct Professor of History at
Norwalk Community College.
Alexander Tavantzis ’95 (A.K.A. Alex Tavis) is a
working TV/Film/Theatre actor, based in NYC.
He recently recurred his role as “Amir Hassan”
on ABC’s One Life to Live. He will next be seen
at Theatre for the New City’s new season starring
in Karen Malpede’s Another Life as well as
Extreme Whether. Alex is also the Creator and CoProducer of an original docusoap called Con Jobs
in pre-production. He is married to Ava Volandes
Tavantzis and the father of two sons; Theodore and
John Sebastian.
Philip DeNoia ’97 has been named a partner at the
law firm of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman &
Dicker, LLP, where he has worked for the last 11
years. Philip will continue to work out of the firm’s
White Plains, NY office.
Beverlie Brooks MAW ’98 earned a MS in Urban
Studies with a concentration in Urban Planning
and Development from Southern Connecticut State
University, New Haven, CT in December 2011.
Barbara Montalvo ’98 currently resides in New
Haven, CT. She has been working at Wells Fargo
Bank for over five years and is currently a Collateral
Analyst in their Risk Management division of
Business Banking’s Credit Services Group. Barbara
successfully completed her MBA in Management,
with a focus in Leadership, at Western International
University in May of 2011; and she has assisted
with citywide campaigns for the New Haven Board
of Aldermen in 2011. Ms. Montalvo announces her
engagement to Jacob Tuite of Monroe, CT, with no
official wedding date set at present.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 43
Christine Jancski FitzPatrick MAT ’99’s company,
FitzPatrick Design, Inc. has won the Houzz.com
award “Best of 2013” for Kitchen Design. The
Houzz community of 11 million monthly users
voted on design and customer satisfaction. Fewer
than 3% of Houzz professionals have received the
award.
Gillian Lynn Katz MA ’99 in 2012 won Second Place
in the Greenburgh Poetry Contest for “Midnight;”;
Finishing Line Press published her chapbook
Kaleidoscope; The Westchester Review published
two poems: “Egoli”, and “Tin Cup, Tin Plate”;
www.epiphmag.com published her short story A
Match Made In Heaven, and her poem “Scarsdale”.
Some of her other publications include fiction,
nonfiction and poetry. Gillian has been teaching
Creative Writing and Poetry for twelve years at
the Summer Arts Camp, JCC Mid-Westchester
of Scarsdale. She also teaches Writing Poetry
at the Scarsdale Adult School. She published
Adjudication in Poetry Master Ink online in 2012.
Gillian’s website is: http://gillianlynnkatz.net .
Alan W. King MAW ’99 & MFA in English &
Writing from Long Island University, recently
edited two novels: OverTime: The Legend of Trey
“Shooter” Parrish, and Liberty Belle: The Legend
Continues by Howie Thompson. He has also
written a poetry book review for Kaleidoscope,
by Gillian Lynn Katz MAW ‘99, has completed a
screenplay, and is currently writing a novella which
he plans to turn into a television script. King is a
freelance writer and lives in Darien, CT, and may
be reached at [email protected].
2000’s
Wolf Huegelmeyer ’00, MS ’08 is approaching
his ten-year anniversary as an employee of
Degussa GmbH, a German-owned manufacturer
of chemicals, polymers and coatings, with North
American headquarters in New Jersey. While
working on his Master’s degree at Manhattanville,
Wolf was offered a promotion from sales into
management, which would require moving to
Chicago. Fortunately, he only had three courses
remaining, and was able to complete the work for
those remotely, travel back to campus and receive
his degree at the graduation ceremony in May. He
is now happily settled in his new home town of
Chicago.
Daniela Brunetti-Huneke McKee’00 and her family
welcomed daughter, Nadia Teresa, who weighed 8
pounds, 4 ounces on March 17, 2012. She joins her
older sister, Julietta, 3 years old.
Ellen Flaks MAT ’02 is in her 5th season as the
Company Manager for The Random Farms Kids
Theater touring musical production of “The New
Kid.” In addition to her backstage duties with
two rotating casts of 14 teens, Ellen also facilitate
the Q & A between the cast and the audiences of
44 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
school children in the tri-state area. Ellen says her
background and degrees in Theater (from Syracuse
- BFA 1988) and Education (from Manhattanville
- MAT 2002) has made this particular part of her
work rather fulfilling.
Ed Albano III ’03 owns and operates A+ Realty
Services and sells real estate all over Westchester
and Putnam Counties. Also, Ed has his license
in FL and soon in CT. You can reach Ed at (954)
609-8668, [email protected] or view his
website: EdAlbano.com
Dorian D’Ausilio MS ’03 began a new job as
Executive Communications and w3 editor, IBM
North America Inside Sales. The job includes
interviews, videos, speech writing, chart creation,
graphics, program creation and social media
advocate.
Melissa A. Marino ’04 recently completed her
MFA in Creative Writing at Manhattanville and
published her first book under the pseudonym Max
Ellendale; her work is titled Glyph.
Kate McDermott Mattiace ’04 and her husband,
Michael welcomed their third son, Alexander
James, in early 2012. Kate is enjoying the
opportunity to spend time at home with Alex, along
with his older brothers; Jacob and Aidan.
Carole Spearin McCauley MA ’04 currently lives in
NH, where she continues to write, edit, and lead
a ms. reading group to help other writers. She has
written 12 books (medical nonfiction, literary and
mystery novels). Carole’s 13th, How She Saved
Her Life--a Berkshires tale of love/business/arson-will appear soon from She Writes Press. Her short
work (stories, articles, poetry, reviews, interviews)
has appeared in about 200 periodicals, anthologies,
and online, including NY Times, Child, Redbook,
Woman’s World (Dec.24 mini-mystery), North
American Review, Inkwell, North Atlantic Review,
BiWomen, Not Your Mother’s Book. “Keep the
faith--I won’t say which one!”
spending time with her boyfriend of six years and
their deaf Boston terrier, whom they communicate
with using sign Language.
Leonard Fecher Jr. ’05, MAT ’07 happily married
Lori Zimmerman in Bronx, NY on July 7, 2012.
The couple, surrounded by friends and family, had
a beautiful ceremony and reception at the New
York Botanical Garden. They spent two weeks in
Hawaii for their honeymoon and look forward to
spending the rest of their lives together.
Maria Mangino ’05 has recently completed her
Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from
Southern CT State University. She is excited to be
entering her sixth year of teaching General Music
and Choir to students in Pre-K through Grade 8 in
New Haven, CT. She performs on flute and piccolo
with the Hamden Symphony Orchestra, serves on
its Board of Directors and just became Chairperson
of the orchestra’s Young Musician’s Concerto
Competition. She also performs on flute and voice
with her church choir.
Jessica Pye ’05 got engaged to Andrew Seraphin
on May 5, 2012 in Yosemite National Park. They
will be getting married on May 5, 2013 in
Cohasset, MA. They currently live in Hull, MA.
Tatum Harmon MA ’06 currently teaches dance to
children at Pixalina Dance in Stamford, CT. She
also teaches dance at New Castle Recreation and
Community Center in Westchester, NY. In addition,
she teaches adults Zumba Fitness, Lyrical, Ballet,
Jazz, and Hip Hop Class. In Dobbs Ferry, NY at
Mind-N-Body Fitness, Tatum also teaches adult
dance and fitness classes which include Jazzn-Motion, Hip Hop Aerobics, and Latin Dance
Grooves. If you are interested in any of these
classes held at the various locations, be sure to ask
for Tatum, and bring a friend with you. Feel free to
contact Tatum at [email protected].
Jack Richard-Vincent Saraceno ’06 will complete
his second Master’s Degree in May 2013 in
Secondary Education Mathematics from the
University of Alabama.
Suzanne Medcalf ’04 divides her time between
NYC and Brighton, England where her company
is based. She was recently promoted to Regional
Manager, Hosted Buyer Programs at IMEX
Exhibitions, the world’s largest meeting and
incentive travel trade show. Suzanne has been
at IMEX for two years and has been lucky
enough to travel the globe representing IMEX at
numerous industry events. She doesn’t get back
to Manhattanville nearly as much as she would
like, but is looking forward to upcoming trips to
Chicago for dinner with her former roommate,
Stephanie Rein Richardson ’05.
Steven Schimmel ’06 continues as a talent scout
for Wack Pack Studios where he is working on
a 15 minute short based off of the Wack Pack
Documentary Volume I which was developed and
filmed during his sophomore year at Mville. He
is also working with Matt Schimmel (no relation)
as a part-time consultant with the Purchase
Group. Steven is the Executive Director of Jewish
Federation of Cumberland, Gloucester & Salem
Counties. He is dating Alissa Chikeles ’07 and
lives with her in Millville, NJ.
Tiffany Dwileski ’05 recently graduated from St.
Vincent’s College in Bridgeport, CT and has
started a career as a Registered Nurse, as well as
volunteers for the VNA - Hospice. She enjoys
Joe Stracci ’06’s first novel, Whitney, was the
winner of the 2011 New Rivers Press MVP
Competition and will be published in October of
2013.
Alissa Chikeles ’07 is continuing her career as
a dancer. She is currently employed by PGT
Entertainment and is part of Princess Cruise
Line’s Sea Princess World Cruise cast. She lives
in Millville, NJ with Steven Schimmel ’06 and
performs as a Wild West Vixen at Bally’s Wild
Wild West Casino in Atlantic City NJ.
Cindy Crean MS ’07 recently struck out on her
own after seven successful years as a strategic
planning manager at Diageo, North America, the
international beverage company which markets
brands like Guinness Stout. After completing her
Master’s degree at Manhattanville, Cindy founded
her own company, “True North Consulting,” which
runs training development and team-building
programs for some of the most influential
businesses in this area.
Chris Maglin MS ’07 received a B.S. in International
Transportation from SUNY Maritime, Bronx, NY
in May of 2005. But it was after receiving his
Master’s Degree in International Management
that he began a career in his chosen field. He was
working as a Vessel Planner for Hamburg Sud in
Morristown, NJ, when after three years; he was
made an Operations Manager, requiring a move to
Long Beach, CA. After 2.5 years in California, it
was time to move back home. So, in August 2012,
Chris accepted a job with Diiachi Chuo ShippingAmerica’s New York office.
Colleen Radtke Morgan ’07 had her first child, Brian
Patrick Jr. on November 14, 2012 with husband,
Brian. Colleen currently works as a Special
Education teacher at the Hebrew Academy of the
Five Towns where she helped start a new Special
Education program.
Francesco Notaristefano ’07 is currently in his 5th
year teaching Special Education in the Bronx, NY. He is the New Rochelle JV Boys Head Soccer
Coach and he also coaches boys and girls youth
soccer in New Rochelle, NY. In the summer of
2011, he brought one of his teams to Northern
Italy for two weeks to play and train. In July
2012, he married Lisa Panettiere of Somers, NY. Francesco’s groomsmen included Manhattanville
Alumni; Jason Zubatkin ’08, David Horn’05,
Joseph Ahlstrin ’07, and Antonio Debarros ’06. The newlyweds spent two weeks traveling Hawaii
for their Honeymoon.
Katie Pojer ’07 currently works for Atria Senior
Living Group in Briarcliff Manor, NY. She is
pursuing her Master’s in Public Health Policy
and Management with a focus in Long Term Care
Administration. In May 2014, she is hoping to
attend either NYU Silver School of Social Work
or Columbia where she will be getting an MSW
in Geriatric Social Work. Recently, through
New York Medical College she participated in a
research project entitled “Medicare Readmission
Rates” within the US and France with a focus on
transitional care issues within the Geriatric Care
Community. Currently, she is also in the process of
possibly going into her first management role.
Catrina Rocco MAT ’07 MS ’12 accepted the
position of Assistant Principal- Supervision last
August at the H.S. for Contemporary Arts in
NYC District 11, Bronx immediately upon the
completion of the Educational Leadership program
at Manhattanville.
Andrew D. Deacon ’08 is teaching second grade
at Colebrook Consolidated School in Colebrook,
Connecticut. He looks forward to seeing many of
his classmates at his five-year Reunion in June!
Erik Dorey ’08 spent a whirlwind 2012 working
on high-profile political campaigns in Oregon and
Missouri. After two years in Washington, DC as
an aide on Capitol Hill, Erik moved to Portland,
OR in October 2011 to be the communications
director for the state’s Democratic Party. There,
he was instrumental in winning a January special
election for Oregon’s vacant U.S. House seat, the
first congressional election of 2012. In April, Erik
accepted a job as press secretary for Missouri Sen.
Claire McCaskill, then considered the nation’s
most vulnerable incumbent Senator, in a race they
wound up winning by 15 points.
Kimberly Fiedler – Zinaman ’08 got engaged in St.
Martin in December 2012. They plan to marry in
spring of 2014. She is currently a NORC Senior
social worker in Manhattan and works in Private
Practice in New Jersey. Life is pretty good!
Victoria “Tory” Setian ’08 was recently promoted
to Creative Executive at DC Entertainment/Warner
Bros. As part of the interactive team, her work
includes the award-winning Batman: Arkham City,
last year’s critical success LEGO Batman 2: DC
Super Heroes, and the upcoming fighting game
Injustice: Gods Among Us. Tory currently lives in
Los Angeles, CA.
Scott Fernqvist MS ’08 is growing the green
economy in Westchester County, NY through an
innovative public-private partnership he cofounded and is managing on behalf of Westchester
County’s Office of Economic Development. With
over 200 members to date, the Westchester Green
Business Challenge helps companies move down
the path toward environmental sustainability while
saving money and improving performance. Scott
has helped grow the program to include such wellknown firms as Heineken USA, Dannon, Pernod
Ricard and Verizon. He is working to expand the
program throughout the Hudson Valley region.
Shawn Parker MS ’08 had the opportunity of a
lifetime for a linguist! Shawn got the chance to
spend three weeks at the London Olympics in
July as a volunteer with the Office of Protocol
Co-ordination. She put her foreign language
skills to use each day as a Dignitary Assistant,
escorting Sports Ministers and/or staffers around
the city to ensure that they reached the various
events or meetings on their busy schedules
smoothly. She didn’t get to see Usain Bolt run, but
did see the US women play soccer! An awesome
experience!
Sue Perlmutter MS ’09 has worked as an crosscultural advisor and language coach for Cartus
Global Performance Solutions (formerly Cendant
Mobility) for over 13 years. After completing her
Master’s Degree in International Management, she
focused on marketing her skill set and has acquired
three additional clients since graduation: Global
Dynamics, Inc, RS Worldwide Consulting, and the
Global Coaching and Consulting Group. She was
also recognized by Toastmasters International, Area
14, District 46 last June.
2010’s
Chandra Jackson ’10 is currently working in the
Marketing Department of Alvin Ailey American
Dance Theater—the most popular modern dance
company in the world. Her job is perfectly
aligned with her interests. Manhattanville’s
Liberal Arts curriculum allowed her to major in
Communications while continuing her Dance
Studies. Chandra says her college experience made
her realize her passion to establish a career in the
Arts Management field.
Bruna Andrade ’10 is now Bruna Maculet! She
married Ignacio Maculet ’10 in April 2012 in
Brazil. Ignacio is partner at a consulting firm, and
Bruna works for Turner Broadcasting in São Paulo.
Kiersten Schramek ’10 worked as the Victim
Advocate for the Putnam/Northern Westchester
Women’s Resource Center after graduation. She
was able to serve many victims of domestic and
sexual violence. She enjoyed the work there and
stayed for 2.5 years before deciding to follow her
dream of becoming an attorney. Currently, Kiersten
is a student at Pace Law School, in White Plains,
where she intends on graduating in 2015. She finds
Pace Law to be the perfect fit. She currently lives
in Brewster, NY and still enjoys playing softball.
Kiersten is excited to see what the future has in
store for her!
Kelly Striefler MAT ’10 received the 2012 NYS
AHPERD Catskill Zone “Amazing Person
Award” at the annual New York State Association
for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Dance (NYSAHPERD) conference in Verona,
NY in November. NYSAPHERD is a professional
organization that encourages, facilitates, advocates
and promotes physically active and healthy
lifestyles through school and community programs
in health education, physical education, recreation
and dance.
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 45
Malin Craig RSCJ ’42, sister of Faith Craig Hall
’47 (RIP)
Raymond Downs MAT ’11 recently became engaged
to Amy Joan Inello and plans to marry in October
2013. He also started a new position teaching
Physical Education and Health at Middle School
MS 324 in North Manhattan where he also coaches
basketball and volleyball.
CONGRATULATIONS
Dillon Geyselaers ’11 appeared in a series of
commercials for Freescore.com as the personified
version of bad credit. He has a number of
upcoming independent projects, including the
horror anthology film, The Penny Dreadful Picture
Show. He has been freelancing for Atlas Talent in
New York City since last year.
Leonard Fecher Jr. ’05, MAT ’07 & Lori
Zimmerman
Julia Meehan Timberlake ’43, sister of Rasamond
Meehan Hayes ’48
Keeley McCue ’11 has kept quite busy with her
pursuits since graduation as an up and coming
singer-songwriter, actor, and photographer.
Most recently, she played a nurse on season 5 of
Nurse Jackie, set to air this spring on Showtime.
Additionally, she continues to promote her debut
album, “First Due” for licensing and placement,
which is available for download on iTunes http://
itunes.apple.com/us/album/first-due/id456846088
Ryan Beaudry ’08 & Katie Smietana
Cara Elizabeth Kidd MPS ’09 & Christopher J.
Gessner
Dr. Sally Cassidy ’44
Bruna Andrade ’10 & Ignacio Maculet’10
Ann Audrey Dooley ’44
Julie Adams Holbrook ’44, mother of Mary
Holbrook Sundance ’66
Marian Michelotti MAW ’11 has recently published
two holiday themed e-books under pen names:
The Last Christmas Tree (Laura Monti), women’s
literary fiction, published Nov. 1, 2012 and is
available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks,
etc. A Christmas Match Made in Heaven (Brianna
Lorin), romance, was published by Breathless Press
December 2012 and is available on their website
in various e-book forms as well as Amazon, etc.
Marian recently became a Grandmother to Mason,
her son’s little boy who is now 8 months old and
remains employed at Port Chester Public Schools
as Transportation and Non-instructional personnel
coordinator. Her focus is to finish suspense thriller
piece, In the Blink of an Eye.
Serena Roche ’12 recently completed the TEFL/
TESOL Certification. Serena currently lives in
Ukraine and teaches there under a company called
American English Center (AEC).
Revaz Tsivtsivadze ’12 lives in White Plains and
works for MasterCard in Mobile Payments. More
specifically, as a Finance major, Revaz assists in
the commercialization of new products. She is also
heavily involved in Financial Literacy / Inclusion
industry, and her new passion is innovating
technology to drive Financial Inclusion globally.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE MARRIAGES
OF:
Julie Hartline & Jason Hickey, daughter of AnnMarie Fassl Hartline ’72
Janine Fortunato ’06 MS ’08 & Chris Galiotti ’09
Brianne Previti ’07 & Frank Albano ’08
Francesco Notaristefano ’07 & Lisa Panettiere
Christine Meghan Mara MPS ’10 & Christopher
Dodge Ward
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE
ENGAGEMENTS OF:
Terry Donini Hannah ’67 & Don Larson
Barbara Montalvo ’98 & Jacob Tuite
Jessica Pye ’05 & Andrew Seraphin
Kimberly Fiedler – Zinaman’08 & Ronen Gevint
Raymond Downs MAT ’11 & Amy Joan Inello
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BIRTHS OF:
Grace Hunt Rotolo, daughter of Katie Hunt & Peter
Rotolo ’00
Nadia Teresa McKee, daughter of Daniela BrunettiHuneke McKee’00
Alexander James Mattiace , son of Michael
Mattiace & Kate McDermott Mattiace ’04
Brian Patrick Morgan Jr., son of Brian Morgan &
Colleen Radtke Morgan ’07
CONDOLENCES
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED TO THE
FAMILIES OF:
Margery Hopkins ’36
Norrisa Thompson O’Keeffe ’38
Mary Tobin RSCJ ’38, sister of Alice Tobin
O’Brien ’44 (RIP)
Dr. Maria Gabriela Stein de Guzman’43, sister of
Joan Stein Moreno ’53
Dr. Irena Kister Lombroso ’43
Mary Coffey O’Connell ’43, sister of Patricia
Coffey’47 (RIP), mother of Kate O’Connell
Hubbell MAT ’76
Marian Moto Shea ’45
Suzanne Cavanagh Berry’46
Mary Lucretia O’Brien Orteig ’46, sister of
Margaret W. Everett ’43 & cousin of Patricia
Dowd Whitman ’62, Aunt of Marie Louise Winters
Hallenbeck ’70
Elizabeth Hunter, RSCJ ’47, sister of Rosemary
Hunter ’44 (RIP), and sister of Jean Hunter, RSCJ
’61
Doris Devine Jackson ’47
Marjorie Goldsmith Janowsky ’47
Joan Fagan Rohn ’47, daughter of Elizabeth
Malone Fagan ’23 (RIP), sister of Lois Fagan’48
(RIP), Elisabeth Fagan Boudreau ’52 (RIP) and
Constance Fagan Dealy ’62, cousin of Helen Fagan
Tyler ’33 (RIP) and Anne de la Chapelle Morris
’54 (RIP)
Elizabeth Lawless Stengren ’47
Jean Ford RSCJ ’48, MA ’53
Anne Montgomery RSCJ ’48, MA ’53
Mary Jean Parker Romano ’48, mother of Anne
Romano Sarewitz’75
Edna Klarman Dolan ’49
Shirley Whelan McManus’49, mother of Susan
McManus Pickoff, MD ’74, James McManus, Jr.
’77, and grandmother of Dr. Kate Pickoff Serdy ’07
Anne Schwarz Petix ’49
Margaret M. Dunn Clarke ’50
Alice Chamberlin Heires ’50, cousin of Gertrude
Baldwin Tarpley ’44 (RIP)
Mary Alice Pearson Rowe ’39
Anne Carlin Mulroy ’50, sister of Mary Carlin
Leahey ’46 (RIP), aunt of Mary Leahey-Nangle ’70
and Frances Leahey `77
Elizabeth Watson Blanchard ’41, mother of Margot
Ellis ’78, Aunt of Sheila Watson Clark ’67 and
Anne Watson ’64 (RIP)
Maureen Mahoney Rice ’50, sister of Patricia
Mahoney Cavallero ’47 (RIP)
Leontine Keane Cadieux `41, sister of Mary Louise
Keane Forcade ’44 (RIP)
Silvia Nunez White ’50
Carolyn Bowers ’51
Grail McMullen RSCJ ’39
Betty Smith Hess ’41
SPRING 2013
Natalie Leonard Crosthwait ’43
Thelma Simoni Nolin ’48
Margaret Lambert Sheils ’37, mother of Ellen
Sheils Duggins ’74
46 Manhattanville Magazine Joan Orteig Davidson ’42
Catherine Burnikel ’51
Mary McMath Diener ’51
Eleanor Hanley Tietje ’51, sister of Dr. Katharine
Rose Hanley ’54
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATHS OF THE HUSBANDS OF:
In Memoriam:
Edie Niedringhaus Phelan ’52, mother of Mary
Frances Phelan de Bellescize ’88, sister of Mary
Niedringhaus McMahon ’48 (RIP), aunt of Barbara
McMahon Ragan ’70 and Marian McMahon
Durkin ’76
Joan Higgins Collins ’50, MAT ’72
Edward W. Ryan, Professor Emeritus of Economics
at Manhattanville College, passed away on October
5, 2012. Professor Ryan began as a faculty member
at the College in 1958. He was a member of the
Manhattanville community for many years, as well
as the founder of the Economic Freedom Institute
and was its first Director. He retired in 2000, at
which time he was named Professor Emeritus and
was awarded an honorary degree by the College.
For most of his 42 years at Manhattanville, Ed
chaired the Economics, Finance, and Management
Department and was responsible for introducing
two of its three majors. The Ryan-Bacardi Chair in
Economics was named in his honor for his many
contributions to Manhattanville. Professor Ryan’s
major field of scholarly inquiry was economic
freedom. He was the author of In The Words of
Adam Smith: The First Consumer Advocate,
published by Thomas Horton and Daughters with a
foreword by William E. Simon, and Liberty, Virtue
and Happiness: The Story of Economic Freedom in
America. Both of his daughters, Sarah and Jennifer,
are alumnae of the College. He is survived by them
and by his wife, Georgian (Gerry).
Julianne Hoy Versnel ’52, sister of Virginia Hoy
Viger ’36 and Jane Hoy Harwood ’38 (RIP), aunt
of Patricia Bleakley Viger ’69
Ann “Nancy” Keller Lewe ’53
Frances Garvey Linton ’54, cousin of Hortense
Farrell Gorman ’60
Lise-Claire d’Atri Martin ’55
Teresa Haggerty ’56
Maria Cabrera Morcate ’57
Mary “Cecy” Boodell Prescott ’58, sister-in-law of
Beata Bergman Boodell ’60
Joan Leonard Stephanak ’58
Gertrude Bonin DHS ’59
Ellen McAllister Perrott ’59
Dr. Susan Choi Chung’60
Jane Schaberg, Ph.D. ’60
Mary Eleanore O’Donnell Lorch ’61
Sharon McIntyre Malone ’62
Tamara Brooks ’63
Mary Jo Godfrey Kelly ’63, sister of Jane Godfrey
’68
Linda Cassano, Esq. ’70, sister of Victoria Cassano
MD ’74
Laraine Mitchell Morin ’71
Janet Farrell Nichols ’71
Sr. Geraldine Lane SCJ MA ’72
Sr. Jean Becker, OSF MA ’73
Ethel Margaret O’Hara MAT ’73, mother of
Margaret O’Hara Best ’77, grandmother of Amy
Best ’10
Calista Harder MAT ’75
Helen Escoffier ’76
Nancy Willstatter Gordon MA ’76
Elizabeth Mary (Beth) Ryan ’76
Karen Milligan Wittbold ’76
Lynn Critelli Pesackis ’87
Susan Beekman MA ’88
Madelyn DeRose Groton MAT ’88
Henrietta Holton-Thomas ’56
Rose Desnoes McIver ’58
Barbara Bebenek Argy ’67
Christopher Jane Corkery ’67
Katherine Collins Hunt ’67
Christine Herlihy Weeks ’69
Joan Cassens Zinner ’65 (brother-in-law of Diane
Cummins ’63, Uncle of Paul Cummins ’94)
Genevieve Gorman McHale ’77, MAT ’79
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATHS OF THE FATHERS OF:
Alice Quinn ’70
Ann-Marie Fassl Hartline’72
Kim Albert Boackle ’86
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATHS OF THE MOTHERS OF:
Cathy MacFarlane ’76
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATH OF THE BROTHER OF:
Cathy MacFarlane ’76
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATHS OF THE SISTERS OF:
Dr. Katharine Rose Hanley ’54
Elaine Devine Mullen ’58
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATH OF THE SON OF:
Phyllis “Fif” O’Hara ’51
CONDOLENCES ARE OFFERED ON THE
DEATH OF Faculty/Staff/Board
Members:
Edward Ryan- Former Professor, Father of Sarah
Ryan McNulty ’89 & Jennifer Ryan ’92
Mary Coffey O’Connell ’43- Former Trustee
Jean Ford, RSCJ ’48, MA ’53- Former Trustee
Linda Cassano, Esq. ’70- Former Trustee
Haley Huelsman ’95
Candida Segarra-Shaw ’99, MAT ’00, HON ’04
Catherine Sheldon-Dagher MPS ’08
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 47
Board of Trustees
Robert Hall (Chair)
Retired CEO
Information & Publishing Group
The Thomson Corporation
Kathleen T. McGahran (Vice Chair)
President & CEO
Pelham Associates, Inc.
Jon C. Strauss
President
Manhattanville College
D.H. (Don) Callahan ’78
Chief Administrative Officer
Citigroup, Inc.
Martin C. Clague
Former CEO, Covansys Corporation
Director, Altair Engineering
Sally M. Furay, RSCJ
Consultant Higher Education
Maura Morey ’62
Vice President
RWM Management Co., Inc
Ofelia Garcia ’69
Professor of Art
William Paterson University
Kerry Piercy
Managing Director, Diversity and Inclusion
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Mary Gawlicki ’72
President & Chief Executive Officer
Corporate Translations
Kathryn (Kitty) Pilgrim ’76
Journalist/Author
Wiley C. Harrison
President & CEO
Business of Your Business, LLC
Dwight Hilson MAW ’09
Managing Director
Greenwich Media Management, LLC
Paula Zilka Colbert ’87
Senior Associate
BridgePoint Group, LLC
William H. Humphreys
Senior Vice President
Business Director
Stolt-Nielsen USA Inc.
Ann Conroy, RSCJ ’47, MA ’67
Administrator
Convent of the Sacred Heart
Nancy Roberts King ’66
President
Willis & Nancy King Foundation
Mary Foley Cooper ’69
Interim Vice President
(Retired)
OneWorld Health
P. Nicholas Kourides
Deputy General Counsel
American International Group
Paul A. Cummins ’94
Partner
North Bridge Communications, Inc.
Marcia DeWitt ’69
President & Chief Executive Officer
GuilfordPare Ltd.
48 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Warren R. Mason ’98
Senior Project Manager
Columbia University
Elizabeth J. McCormack ’44
Advisor
Rockefeller Family & Associates
James C. Ram ’87
President
Indusa Global
Barbara J. Rogers, RSCJ ’74
Headmistress
Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart
Sally J. Rogers ’72
Senior VP, Communications & Development
The United Hospital Fund
Susan A. Ross ’72
Professor, Theology Department
Loyola University Chicago
Helaine Smith ’88
Helaine Smith, DMD, PC (Retired)
Michael Watson MS ’96
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
and Diversity
Girl Scouts of the USA
PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COUNCIL
Cathy Allman, MAW ’01
Author
Gretchel Hathaway ’79
Senior Director of Campus Diversity and
Affirmative Action
Union College
Tod D. Pike
Senior Vice President
Enterprise Business Division
Samsung Electronics America
Edmond Coku ’02
Entrepreneur
Dwight Hilson, MAW ’09
Managing Director
Greenwich Media Management LLC
Alice Quinn ’70
Executive Director
The Poetry Society of America
Roger Demareski
Assistant Vice President for Facilities
Princeton University
Donna Johnson
Chief Diversity Officer
MasterCard Worldwide
Helaine Smith ’88
Helaine Smith DMD, PC (Retired)
Sheila Falvey Finnerty ’87
Liberty Mutual Group
Marion Jordan ’70
Vice President (retired)
Verizon Communication, Inc.
Dawn Byrnes Clisham ’86
Current Parent/Alumni Volunteer
Cathy French ’68
President
Catherine French Group
Wiley Harrison
President and Founder
Business of Your Business
Margaret Morton ’75
Senior Vice President
Fidelity Foundation
Danne Brokaw Munford ’58
Patsy O’Grady ’61
President
POG Information Systems
Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013 49
Create Your Legacy At Manhattanville College
With A Charitable Gift Annuity
Why should you consider a charitable gift annuity?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Enjoy substantial tax benefits
Receive an attractive income for life (for yourself and a second beneficiary, if you choose)
Become a member of the Mother Eleanor O’Byrne Legacy Society
Create a personal legacy that supports the mission of Manhattanville College
The following chart provides sample annuity rates for charitable gift annuities with Manhattanville College:
$10,000 Gift Annuity
Age
Annuity Rate
Annual
Charitable
Annuity
Deduction*
65
4.7%
$470
$2,661.10
70
5.1%
$510
$3,469.30
75
5.8%
$580
$4,101.60
80
6.8%
$680
$4,669.30
85
7.8%
$780
$5,418.90
Calculations are based on quarterly payments
and an IRS discount rate of 1.2%
Gift annuities provide a host of financial benefits and are among the simplest and most economical planned
gifts. For a personalized illustration of a charitable gift annuity, or to obtain more information about which
planned giving opportunities might be best for you, please contact:
Office of Institutional Advancement
Manhattanville College
Phone: (914) 323-5439
Email: [email protected]
www.mville.edu/plannedgiving
*The charitable deductions shown are estimates, based on quarterly payments and a cash gift. Please talk with your tax adviser to
determine the deductibility of your charitable gifts.
50 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013
Why Participation Matters?
SUCCESSFUL
SUPPORTIVE
ALUMNI
YOUR
GIFT
INCREASED
RECOGNITION
STUDENT
RESOURCES
MOTIVATES
ATTRACTS
■ YOUR GIFT No matter the size, your donation increases our alumni giving participation rate.
■ INCREASED RECOGNITION There is strong relationship between our alumni participation rate
and our rankings in national reviews and magazines. Rankings organizations don’t look at average gift size - just participation rate! ■ MOTIVATES AND ATTRACTS Strong alumni participation
is a sign to funders and prospective students that alumni care about their College and want to
support its future. ■ STUDENT RESOURCES - New funders and prospective students bring increased revenue to the College allowing us to provide enhanced opportunities and experiences
for students both inside and outside of the classroom. ■ SUCCESSFUL AND SUPPORTIVE ALUMNI
Those opportunities and experiences equip students with the hands-on learning and critical
thinking skills needed to leave Manhattanville feeling prepared to take on the next chapter as
alumni, thus starting the cycling again! Make your gift using the attached envelope or go online
to www.mville.edu/donatenow.
Save-THE-Dates
SUMMER WITH MANHATTANVILLE
REHOBOTH BEACH, DE
July 20, 2013
Hosted by Trustee Marcia DeWitt ’69
COCKTAILS ON THE CAPE
August 1, 2013
Hosted by Trustee Maura Morey ’62
52 Manhattanville Magazine SPRING 2013