Eastern Magazine Fall 2022

Students enrolled in Physical Education Professor Darren Robert’s student-teaching seminar trekked through the Mount Hope River in Storrs. “Walking against the swift current provides for a challenging experience,” said Robert. “Having these pre-service teachers experience something like this helps them to realize the varying abilities of P-12 students and gain a new, much-needed perspective on the developmental appropriateness for each individual student.”

Executive Editor Kenneth DeLisa

Editor Michael Rouleau

Designers Leigh Balducci | Kevin Paquin

Photographer Tom Hurlbut

Call to Readers

Our Eastern Warriors baseball team won their fth national championship last spring. This priceless photo captures the whole team in all of their post-victory glow.

Progress Toward A Bold Future

WHEN I BEGAN my presidency, I did so with the commitment to make Eastern one of the best public liberal arts institutions in the country, and each year, we have moved closer to that goal. We reached an especially val idating milestone this fall when U.S. News & World Report placed Eastern among the top 20 public institutions in the publication’s North Region, an area that spans 11 states and Washington, D.C. and includes 168 public and private institutions.

More of our incoming students graduated in the top 25% of their high school classes than at any other time in our history, and the percentage of rstyear students who returned for their second year has never been higher — a retention rate of 83%. Our student population is also the most diverse in Eastern’s history, representing 160 Connecticut towns and hailing from 31 di erent states and eight countries, including Peru, Kenya and Norway. Our student body is comprised of 28% students of color, and of those

who enrolled at Eastern in the fall of 2021, nine out of 10 have returned for their second year.

Our faculty have rede ned the learning outcomes for our courses, which will focus on critical thinking, ethical reasoning, communication, creativity and quantitative literacy. It’s no accident that these learning outcomes mirror the skills that employers say they want most when hiring. But rede ning learning outcomes is simply not enough. It’s imperative that our coursework relates to the most pressing issues of our time and that pose the greatest threat to our existence as a nation: achieving social equity, protecting American democracy from authoritarianism, and meeting the challenges brought on by our changing climate.

Our students expect us to face these challenges, and to provide them with the skills they need to nd the solutions that have eluded prior generations. We cannot, and will not, let them down.

e people pro led in this issue of Eastern Magazine are all making a di erence, such as Aniko Szabo ’05

who helps refugees begin new lives in the United States, and Maryam Khan ’14, the rst Muslim elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives. We remember a trio of emeriti faculty who touched the lives of countless students, and we celebrate our student athletes in softball, who appeared in the NCAA national championship tournament in two of the last three seasons, and in baseball, who won their fth NCAA national championship!

Eastern thrives, in part, thanks to the philanthropic support of friends such as David and Marilyn Foster, the late eresa James ’49 and her daughter, and hundreds of alumni and friends. Each gift is an investment in the future of our students and in the mission of Eastern. To each of our donors, thank you for your con dence and trust! Elsa M. Núñez

tarting this fall, Eastern is o ering two new academic concentrations and one new minor, including programs in exercise & sport science and sport management. Available to students majoring in health sciences, the concentration in exercise & sport science will prepare students for graduate programs and careers in clinical exercise physiology, athletic training and strength/conditioning. Available as a separate minor or as a concentration for business administration majors, the new sport management program will prepare students for employment in the sports industry with courses in management, business, nance, leadership, marketing and sports psychology.

Eastern ranked in top 20 U.S. News & World Report

For the rst time, Eastern is ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North Region by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022-23 rankings. Considered the most competitive in the country, the North Region includes 11 states and Washington, D.C., stretching from Maryland to the Canadian border and west through Pennsylvania.

“I am pleased that for the rst time ever, Eastern now ranks among the top 20 public institutions in the North, something we can be very proud of,” said President Elsa Núñez. “ e North Region contains the highest concentration of colleges and universities in the country and is home to some of the nation’s top institutions. I am grati ed that we rank so highly, indicative of our academic reputation, strong graduation and retention rates, and quality of our students.”

Among Eastern’s strongest measures include its rst-year retention rate of 83%; more than 50% of classes having less than 20 students; a student-faculty ratio of 14:1; and more than 40% of rst-year students graduating in the top 25% of their high school class.

Ukrainian art exhibition ‘Women at War’ makes first stop at Eastern

Eastern was the rst stop of a traveling art exhibition titled “Women at War,” showcasing a selection of Ukrainian women artists whose work references the ongoing war with Russia. e exhibition was curated by Monika Fabijanska and presented by the Fridman Gallery in New York City in partnership with Voloshyn Gallery in Kyiv, Ukraine. e contemporary exhibition provided a context for the current war from the diverse and underrepresented perspectives of women. Several of the works were made following Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24; others were made following the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

The club cheerleading team at Eastern Connecticut State University nished in the top 10 at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) College Nationals this past spring in Daytona Beach, FL. With more than 400 teams competing, the College Nationals event is the largest collegiate cheerleading competition in the country. e Eastern team competed in the Division III All-Girl Division and scored 87.3 out of 100 for di culty, technique and skill. “ e team also had one of the highest jump scores in the whole division,” noted Sophia Tsikitas, president of the club cheerleading team. “ e best part of the trip was being able to represent Eastern again after not competing since 2019, and then nishing top 10 in the nation.”

Photographs by Alena Grom, an internally displaced person residing in Uzhhorod and Bucha, Ukraine. Her photographs of the war-torn region and its inhabitants and refugees — often women and children — are not meant as an expression of pity or grief, but rather an a rmation of life against all odds.

Eastern partners with Hispanic Alliance and Waterbury Promise

Eastern recently entered into two scholarship-matching partnerships with the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut and Waterbury Promise. Eastern is the rst state university in Connecticut to partner with both organizations, which overwhelmingly support rstgeneration students from diverse backgrounds.

e partnership with the New London-based Hispanic Alliance matches scholarships up to $2,500 per recipient annually. With Waterbury Promise, Eastern will award $5,000 annually to Waterbury Promise students.

“ ese partnerships provide an opportunity for students of all di erent backgrounds to see themselves in a college classroom and gives them the con dence and resources needed to be successful in their future educational endeavors,” said Jennifer Brown, associate provost for the O ce of Academic A airs.

Following the success of its NCAA Division III national championship baseball team, the Warriors concluded the 2021-22 academic year by winning the Commissioner’s Cup and Presidents’ Cup — the Little East Conference’s (LEC) two top honors for overall athletic and academic performances.

With a 7.63 point average among 19 varsity programs, Eastern student athletes won the LEC Commissioner’s Cup for the fth consecutive year for top athletic performance. Eastern claimed the top spot in the league in baseball, softball, men’s golf and men’s soccer, as well as second-place points in several other sports.

For the third consecutive year — and a league record seventh time overall — the Warriors won the Presidents’ Cup with a 3.34 average cumulative GPA among its 19 programs that compete in the LEC. Seventeen of Eastern’s teams earned an average cumulative GPA of at least 3.00. Women’s track & eld posted a 3.61 average cumulative GPA; the top men’s team was cross country with a 3.47 average cumulative GPA.

Eastern President Elsa Núñez and Claudio Melendez-Cooper of the Hispanic Alliance of Southeastern Connecticut sign an agreement.

Corpse flower blooms at Eastern

Eastern hosted the rst capstone celebration for the Social Work and Law Enforcement (SWLE) Project this past spring, commemorating the inaugural year of a statewide collaboration that is formalizing the emerging eld of police social work. e event featured pre-recorded remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

“I’m heartened by programs like the Social Work and Law Enforcement Project,” said Cardona, a Connecticut native who comes from a family of police o cers and public servants. “ is program can help prevent the punishment of people with mental health challenges by connecting them with a strong support network. … rough this program, people can get the long-term follow-up and care they need by connecting with a trained social worker.”

e rst-of-its-kind project began in fall 2020, when two Eastern social work interns were embedded into the Willimantic Police Department to support o cers on nonviolent calls that could bene t from the skills of a social worker. e pilot internship evolved into a statewide collaboration that is now training students from several universities to work with o cers from police departments across Connecticut.

One of the world’s most peculiar owering plants bloomed at Eastern this October. Amorphophallus titanium — popularly known as “corpse ower” for its unmistakably putrid odor — completed its short-lived, semiannual bloom in the greenhouse of the David G. Carter Science Building.

Native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the corpse ower is the world’s largest unbranched in orescence — a group of owers arranged on a stem — reaching heights up to 12 feet tall.

According to Biology Professor Bryan Connolly, the plant wreaks of feces and rotting sh to attract pollinators that normally feed and lay eggs on dead animals.

A corpse ower’s rst bloom may take up to 10 years and last just three days. Under ideal conditions, subsequent blooms may occur ever second or third year. Corpse owers are rare in their native jungle environment; therefore the owers’ powerful odor is necessary to facilitate cross pollination between plants that are miles apart.

Eastern Celebrates Class of ’72 in novel fashion

Eastern commemorated the jubilee Class of 1972 with a reunion weekend like never before on Sept. 30-Oct. 1. For the rst time, Eastern Celebrates teamed with Family Day for a lively weekend that brought together alumni, current students and families.

As a senior, Mary Jane (Larson) Traska represented her class as a senator.

Fifty years later, she represented her class at its Golden Jubilee Reunion.

Friday night festivities included a 15th anni versary celebration of the Student Center and the Young Alumni Bash at Blarney’s. Saturday morning, President Elsa Núñez hosted the Alumni Reunion Reception, where she present ed the Class of 1972 with their 50-year Golden Diplomas. Led by the Eastern Dance Team

and Class of 1972, the Alumni March made its way through the Student Center — cheered on by students and Family Day guests — for a barbecue. Activities featuring Eastern faculty took place throughout the afternoon before ending with the Alumni Reunion Happy Hour back at Blarney’s.

Jessi Johnson ’13, Emilee (Blais) Martin ’13 and Rob Kavaler ’13 catch up at Blarney’s at the Young Alumni Bash.

Members of the Class of ’72 (left to right, front row): Carol (Seaton) DesSureault, Candace (Burns) Aleks, Jennifer Malone, Almyra (Tefft) Hornberger. Back row: Ronald Ormiston, Mary Jane (Larson) Traska, Richard Kohls, Kathleen (Brown) Fabian, Nancy (Gratson) Souza.

More than 600 students, families and alumni joined the festivities.

Kathleen (Brown) Fabian and Mary Jane (Larson) Traska carried the Class of 1972 banner to lead the Alumni March.

Willie the Warrior and the Eastern Dance Team announce the arrival of the Alumni March.

'The pinnacle of our community' Foster Foundation donates $250,000 to Eastern

By Ed Osborn

Local music icon and philanthropist David Foster made a major contribution to Eastern Connecticut State University on June 11 when he announced a $250,000 donation to the David G. Carter Jr. Endowment Fund. A day prior at Eastern’s annual President’s Leadership Luncheon and Awards ceremony, Foster received the ECSU Foundation Board of Directors Distinguished Donor Award.

As head of the Lester E. Foster and Phyllis M. Foster Founda tion — named after his parents — Foster and his wife, Marilyn, have provided nancial support to many Windham-area orga nizations over the years, including the Covenant Soup Kitchen, Windham Hospital, the Windham No Freeze Shelter, and others, in addition to their ongoing support of Eastern.

Since 2006, the Foster Family Foundation has provided more than $125,000 of funding for a variety of programs and activities at Eastern, including the Hermann Beckert Endowed Music Scholarship, the Kevin Crosbie Memorial Scholarship, the Music

Series Fund and the Rugby Club. e Foundation’s most recent gift of $250,000 represents a signi cant addition to Foster’s past support of Eastern and its students.

“Eastern is the pinnacle of our community,” said Foster. “Knowledge is everything today. If everybody has a chance to have an education, they have a chance to better themselves.”

Preceding his life as a philanthropist, Foster developed a storied reputation as co-owner of the legendary Shaboo Inn nightclub in Mans eld, CT, and later as the band leader of e Shaboo All-Stars. Foster has continued his work in the music business as founder of Shaboo Productions, which rents musical instruments and other equipment to touring acts.

Foster began his career as a singer at age 14, developing a love of rhythm and blues. As co-owner of the Shaboo Inn, he hosted and promoted more than 3,000 shows from 1971-82, showcasing a “Who’s Who” of famous musical acts, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Tom Petty, Dire Straits, AC/DC, Aerosmith,

Elvis Costello, e Police and many more. Many of the acts that performed at the Shaboo Inn are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1979, Foster assembled a group of musicians to form the Shaboo All-Stars.

e All-Stars became the house band at the Mohegan Sun as “David Foster and the Mohegan Sun All-Stars” until Fos ter’s retirement from the band in 2019.

e Shaboo All-Stars regrouped at the Shaboo Stage in Foster’s hometown of Willimantic for the June 11 donation announcement. David and the All-Stars performed again on Oct. 15 at Eastern for a bene t concert in support of the Crosbie Scholarship, featuring Grammy Award-winning jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval.

Windham No Freeze Shelter and the Covenant Soup Kitchen to help them buy a new building and pay o their mortgages, respectively. Among the many other local organizations bene tting from Foster’s philanthropy are the YMCA, Windham Area Interfaith Ministry and Horizons, among others.

Among his many accolades, Foster was honored with the Lifetime Achievement award in 2012 by the Connecticut Blues Society, was Willimantic’s Citizen of the Year in 2019 and was inducted into the Mohegan Sun Hall of Fame in 2015. He also received the 2015 Distinguished Friend of Education Award from the Connecticut Association of Schools.

Speaking to his motivation as a philanthropist, Foster said, “I’ve already

“I like to do my philanthropy through music,” said Foster. “ e music shines a light and includes everyone that goes to the event. e audience is a part of it. ey love it.”

“Music is David’s life,” said Kenneth DeLisa, vice president of institutional ad vancement at Eastern. “He has a passion for singing; entertaining audiences brings him joy. He owns a business that bene ts musicians and enables them to create the sounds that inspire and entertain their audiences. And he is the driving force behind a charitable endowment that will provide basic needs, improved health care and educational opportunities for countless individuals for generations to come.”

In addition to announcing his $250,000 gift to Eastern at the June 11 event, Foster presented checks to the

received my gift. at’s why my giving is in honor of other people. I thank God and my wife for keeping me here. Every day I can breathe and be with the people I love. at means the world to me.”

e Lester E. Foster and Phyllis M. Foster Foundation was created in 2003 to support Willimantic and Mans eld organizations. In addition to the recent major gifts supporting Eastern, the Cov enant Soup Kitchen and the Windham No Freeze Shelter, the Lester and Phyllis Foster Oncology and Infusion Center at Windham Hospital was named in 2018 as a result of Foster and his band helping to raise $250,000 in private funding.

“To see David’s generous support for people in our community with pressing needs makes me grateful that Eastern can be part of his legacy,” said DeLisa. “His parents would be very proud of him.”

“

Knowledge is everything today . If everybody has a chance to have an education , they have a chance to be er themselves.”

From top to bottom, pictured with David Foster: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, Peter Wolf from J. Geils Band, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson; B.B. King; The Temptations; Buddy Guy and Lou Rawls; Matt “Guitar” Murphy of The Shaboo All-Stars and Keith Richards from The Rolling Stones (Rolling Stone Magazine, 1981); and Count Basie, 1972.

EASTERN GRADUATES 1,000

By Ed Osborn

More than 1,000 Eastern stu dents received their diplomas this past May during undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies. With more than 10,000 guests in attendance, Eastern lled the XL Center in Hartford, CT, on May 17 to celebrate the graduation of 958 undergraduate students. On May 14 in the Concert Hall of Eastern’s Fine Arts Instruc tional Center, a capacity crowd celebrated 84 graduate students at the Graduate Commencement and Hooding Ceremony.

“ e pride and joy emanating in this XL Center is exhila rating,” said commencement speaker Lena Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Community Renewal Team in Hartford. “From here I see a sea of happiness and anticipation!” O ering words of wisdom, she added, “Take every skill you have acquired throughout these four years, place them in your personal toolbox, and lead with con dence and courage, as you are prepared.”

President Elsa Núñez gave her charge to the graduates: “Tonight is a time for new beginnings. Each of you has a dream and talents you were born with. Your Eastern education has honed those talents and prepared you for the world ahead. Grasp your future with both hands. Be pre pared to adjust your grip. Wake up each day committed to grow,

to learn more, to make a di er ence in the world. Do all of this with a smile and the con dence that you can succeed.”

Senior Class President Karina Torres ’22 spoke to her peers in the XL Center: “ e world is an unpredictable place and all I can say is take it day by day. It is up to each of us to be in charge of our journey. Find your voice. Use that voice in your next chapter to speak up for what you believe in. Let’s use our newfound voices to ght for what’s right and make the world a better place.”

Denise Merrill, former secre tary of the State of Connecticut, spoke at the graduate commence ment ceremony, telling graduates to dream big. “When someone asks you to do something, take the leap. Ask ‘why not me?’ Make the change you’ve been waiting for. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Don’t complain and not do anything about it. Build the world you want to see.”

To her graduate student peers in the Concert Hall, Tanisha Markland ’22 remarked on remaining steadfast through out the pandemic. “My fellow graduates, we are here today because we faced our fears and persevered. … Along the journey, we faced adversities, yet we didn’t settle; we chose to forge ahead. e world is waiting for us to make a di erence. Class of 2022, I implore you to go make a di erence in somebody’s life.”

“Grasp your future with both hands. ... Wake up each day committed to grow.” Elsa Núñez

Lena Rodriguez, commencement speaker

Denise Merrill, former secretary of the State of Connecticut

“The world is an unpredictable place. It is up to each of us to be in charge of our journey.”

Senior Class President Karina Torres

Karina Torres ’22, senior class president

Tanisha Markland ’22, graduate commencement speaker

When student Sara Gustafson Green ’24 called her parents to share the good news that she had just received a scholarship, she didn’t realize that those same generous donors had a profound impact on her life many years earlier. After all, it was longtime Eastern supporters Ellen Lang ’81 and James Watson who also happened to write the recommendation letter in 1994 that resulted in Sara’s adoption. After receiving the Ellen L. Lang ’81 and James E. Watson, M.D. Endowed Scholarship, Sara wrote them a heartfelt thank-you letter.

I am a non-traditional student, being 28 and commuting from Coventry. As a full-time student who also works part-time in Mansfield Public Schools, funding and prioritizing school is a challenge. I am so grateful for your endowment! It is already helping me to see myself as a student and enjoy the courses I enroll in.

However, there is gratitude that I don’t think this letter can express. When I called my parents to tell them the good news, not only were they excited for me, but they told me they knew who you were. My parents are Gwen Gustafson and James Green. In 1994, they asked you to write a letter of recommendation in their favor to adopt me. I see this scholarship as a second beautiful gift that you have provided for me.

I am a stranger to you, but I’m not sure it is describable how grateful I am that you also made my adoption possible so many years ago. My parents rescued me and raised me to have a strong sense of what is right, to practice kindness, and to seek higher knowledge. Here I am at Eastern, studying English and education, and you helped me to get here in more ways than one.

This isn’t a typical scholarship thank-you note, but I suppose none of this is typical! I am late to getting my degree, but not to academic experiences. Since graduating high school, I’ve been a special education paraeducator and behavior technician. I’ve also been trying my best to excel as a spoken word poet. I will graduate with my teaching certificate in spring 2024 and I will be going to teach high schoolers English and, with luck, poetry!

It is so heartwarming to know that there are people in the community who have been giving the way you have for so many years. I’m honored to have you as my nearby neighbors and sponsors of, well, my life! My parents send their absolute best!

Dear Ms. Ellen Lang and Dr. James Watson,

Sincerely, Sara Gustafson Green

Two donors give in more ways than one

IN MY SPARETIME

We asked alumni to share their interesting — even quirky — hobbies and talents with Eastern Magazine. Here are some of the fun and funky ways Eastern alumni spend their spare time.

,I LIK E …OT

Alicia Davis ’22

Alicia Davis has been drawn to the skies ever since childhood. She comes from a family of pilots — her father and grandfather are Air Force veterans and both grandmothers had private pilot licenses — and her favorite movie growing up was “Porco Rosso,” an animated lm about a seaplane pilot.

“Eventually my father o ered to set me up with an intro ying lesson. After my rst time sitting in the cockpit of a small Cessna 172, seeing the beautiful sky above and the tiny people below, I haven’t looked back.”

Kierran Broatch ’05

Kierran Broatch is a true sherman. “It’s always been a passion of mine. Both fresh and saltwater and all seasons of the year. Even during my days at Eastern, friends and I would sh for trout in rivers and streams near campus, as well as ice sh all winter at Mans eld Hollow. Fishing has brought me to some remarkable places and introduced me to some incredible people, and every time I go, I learn something new.”

Kate Finegan ’11

Kate Finegan has been playing competitive pinball since 2017. A trophy-winning player, she competes in various tournaments and leagues, including the New England Pinball League, which is among the largest in the world with several hundred active members.

“It’s absolutely a game of skill. I love that pinball is a tangible gaming experience, and that each table is a work of art in its own way, from the game design choices to the craftsmanship behind the layout, graphics, sounds and general construction.”

Alison Heery ’04

Although Alison Heery’s knitting hobby started before college, her skills have recently expanded into making stu ed animals. In fact, a narwhal she made was featured in Knitting magazine, a leading craft magazine in the United Kingdom.

“I nd knitting relaxing and challenging. I love the mathematical aspect of designing my own stu and making a product look like what I imagined in my head.”

John Nemergut ’07

For the last several years, John Nemergut has stuck to a tradition of completing an annual cross-country road trip. His latest trip occurred in January 2022, when he drove from Daytona Beach, FL, to the Grand Canyon and back, taking multiple national park pitstops along the way. “I did it in 10 days and slept in my car half the time. e nights were very cold!”

Symone O’Hara ’21

e dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic drove Symone O’Hara to discover her spirituality. With her newfound talent of reading tarot cards, she created a business, Soulfulology. “My time alone during this period took a toll on me; I needed to nd something to bring me back. It’s important for all of us to tap into our higher self and learn how to gain knowledge from the spiritual world. Tapping into this new perspective has helped me to adapt the skills of reading tarot cards for my clients as a form of healing from their past traumatic experiences and gaining insight to x anything that may still hurt them.”

Rick

Hanson ’82

Rick Hanson’s passion is racing sailboats in major ocean regattas.

He started as a kid in Greenwich, CT, spending his summers going from regatta to regatta with his father, and has since become a class winner in races from Newport, RI, to Bermuda (2022) and Annapolis, MD, to Newport (2017 and 2019).

“I started racing on my own after graduating college, once I could a ord a boat. Wherever I moved to — Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Memphis — I would nd a local sailing program to race in. For the last 25 years, I’ve been racing on the Chesapeake Bay. All my boats are named after Bruce Springsteen songs: ‘Glory Days,’ ‘Born 2 Run,’ ‘Rosalita’ and now ‘No Surrender.’”

Michele O’Neil

’95

Michele O’Neil likes to run. She’s logged thousands of miles among 10 ultra-marathons — races longer than the standard marathon of 26.2 miles — as well as races in all of Connecticut’s 169 towns and many more out of state. “As for ultra-running, ve were timed and ve were just for ‘fun.’ My longest race so far was 100 kilometers, or 62 miles.”

Pete Wilson ’76

For the past 32 years, Pete Wilson has volunteered at what is now known as the Travelers Championship, the PGA Tour’s stop in Cromwell, CT. As a walking scorer, Wilson walks all 18 holes with two or three professional golfers, electronically keeping record of every swing and instantly updating scoreboards and feeding media outlets. Over the years he’s kept score for more than 150 PGA professionals, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk and Justin Rose.

“As a huge golf fan, I just love being ‘inside the ropes.’ I’m not sure how much longer I can continue this — I logged more than 40 miles over ve days this past year — but hopefully I have a few more years left in me.”

Amber Ortiz ’20

Amber Ortiz picked up crocheting during the doldrums of the pandemic when she needed a quiet hobby to pass the time. “I enjoy crocheting because it’s therapeutic for me. When I focus on crocheting, it clears my mind of everything else.”

Have an interesting hobby you’d like to share? Send a description and photo to editor@easternct.edu.

When graduates think back on their college education, many smile as they re ect on memorable professors who positively impacted their careers as well as their personal lives. For alumni who graduated in the second half of the 20th century, storied Professors Jacqueline Abbott, Arthur Johnson and Ralph Yulo Jr. may come to mind.

the ongoing of Professors Abbott, Johnson

By Dwight Bachman

Jacqueline Abbott

Education Professor Emeritus Jacqueline Abbott taught at Eastern for 29 years from 1966 to 1995. Over her decorated career, she mentored countless future teachers and ultimately became teacher-certi cation o cer and chair of the Education Department.

In 2007, Abbott was awarded the Hermann Beckert “Friend of the University” Award for her outstanding contributions to Eastern, among them the establishment of the Dr. Jacqueline Abbott Endowed Scholar ship. She continues to donate to the fund, which bene ts nontraditional students who aspire to pursue careers in the eld of education.

“I can’t thank you enough, Dr. Abbott, for awarding a scholarship to me,” said Elizabeth Grieder ’09, who is now a special education teacher for Regional School District 4 in Essex.

Abbott’s colleagues love and remember her as well. In 1980, Abbott hired now-retired Education Professor Leslie Ricklin for a part-time teaching position, which morphed into a full-time job. Ricklin said Abbott was tireless in maintaining high standards of ethical behavior.

“She mentored me through tenure and promotion, as well as in how to be a colleague in a very busy academic department,” said Ricklin. “Her strong sense of service to students, the department, and to her profession was my model as I progressed from junior to senior faculty. She never wavered in helping students strive for excellence. I always felt that the Education Department was in good hands with Jackie at the helm.”

Professor Emeritus Je rey Trawick-Smith said that as a new faculty member, Abbott provided immediate mentorship. “She encouraged, guided and protected me. She was so generous with her time, kindness, and emotional support — a true mentor.”

Trawick-Smith added, “Perhaps her greatest contribution to my development as a professor was her support of my teaching. She would take time to observe my classes, sit with me to invite feedback from students about my teaching and look over my syllabi. She showed how small group work, simulation, and highly interactive class discourse could elevate a college class into an unforgettable experience for college students. Simply stated, Jackie was a teacher’s teacher, par excellence!”

ese days, Abbott loves spending time with her adopted son Alvin and four-year-old grandson. She lives on Bolton Lake and keeps busy reading, volunteering with her church, chairing the Greater Manchester Peace and Justice Committee and serving on the Curriculum of Hope for a Peaceful World Committee.

Arthur Johnson

Sociology Professor Arthur Johnson taught at Eastern for 30 years from 1969 until is his death in 1999 at the age of 81. In addition to being a beloved educator, Johnson was an accomplished author, ora tor, journalist, Tuskegee Airman and civil rights icon. “Simply put, Art Johnson was a brilliant Renaissance man,” said news reporter Lew Brown.

As a lifetime member of the national NAACP, Johnson fought for voting rights and desegregation throughout the civil rights movement. He participated in the March on Washington in 1963, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Locally, Johnson served as president of the Hartford NAACP chapter, executive director of Hartford’s Human Relations Com mission and attended UConn Law School. He was the president of WKND-AM Radio, host of a public a airs show on WFSB-TV, a columnist for the Hartford Inquirer and author of poetry for more than 60 years.

In the classroom, former student Laura Tordenti ’81 recalled, “Art was very knowledgeable and passionate about his eld and had tremendous real-life experiences, such that he was able to create a dynamic learning environment that truly engaged the class as we discussed weighty issues, from racism to drug abuse.”

Johnson also served as former Eastern President David G. Carter’s personal assistant. “Art raised the consciousness of government leaders, corporate executives, educators and social services workers across the state,” said Carter. “Art led an exemplary life of giving back. What I really love about him is that not once did he sacri ce his integrity.”

In 2000, Eastern named its Unity Center in honor of Johnson. e Center, which originally opened on High Street in 1997, served as a gathering place for a wide range of diverse student groups. When the Student Center was renovated in 2008, the Unity Center was relocated and dubbed the Arthur L. Johnson Unity Wing.

Johnson was well-known for reaching into his own pocket to help students in need of money for books, food and rent. Following

his death, Johnson’s late wife Marie Love Johnson established the Dr. Arthur L. Johnson Unity Endowed Fund in 2000.

“For someone to pour their heart out to help the next generation in honor of their husband, to complete strangers, is mind-bog gling,” wrote scholarship recipient Ronald Lee ’15 in a thank-you letter to Marie Love. “Your husband is the epitome of the limitless good that can be done in this world.”

Ralph Yulo

Education Professor Emeritus Ralph Yulo Jr. taught at Eastern for 25 years from 1967 to 1992. Not only was he a brilliant teacher, he was a beloved friend who had an enormous in uence on students’ understanding of how science and education interconnect. He worked with pre-service teachers, imparting an inquiry-oriented approach to teaching science and instilling in them an understand ing and appreciation of the natural world.

“Dr. Yulo’s classroom in the old Shafer Hall had a homemade poster that read ‘Chance Favors the Prepared Mind,’” said James Palmer ’74, referencing a quote from the legendary French chemist Louis Pasteur. “After almost 50 years of personal and professional association with Ralph Yulo, I know that he embodies those words like no one else.”

Yulo was Palmer’s faculty advisor and favorite teacher. After graduation, Yulo kept a watchful eye on Palmer and continued to guide his career. “He was instrumental in my enrolling at Harvard and Boston Universities, providing counsel that expanded hori zons previously unimaginable,” said Palmer, now a retired school administrator.

“Four years later, Ralph served as a committee member for my doctoral dissertation. Most importantly — the best gift of all — he continues to be a revered friend. I can con dently say that Ralph Yulo in his unpretentious way is the most supportive, intelligent, well-rounded, compassionate, insightfully prepared person I have ever met.”

Yulo was honored in 1994 with the establishment of the NRY Scholarship, which also honors long-time education faculty mem bers David Rand and the late Joe Narotsky.

During his illustrious career, Yulo has received numerous awards, including Eastern’s Distinguished Teaching Award; Eastern’s Hermann Beckert “Friend of the University” Award; the Connecti cut Science Supervisors Association Joint Award; the Connecticut Science Educators Association Fellow Award; an award by the Connecticut Science Teachers Association; and others.

Yulo is a lifetime member of numerous science education-related organizations, including the American Association for the Advance ment of Science; National Science Teachers Association; and the American Biology Teachers Association.

“ e pandemic has put a crimp on many activities, but I continue to labor in the vineyard,” joked Yulo, who presently serves on numerous boards of directors for professional science education associations and commissions. As he puts it, “I am happiest when I am teaching.”

A First for the House

Connecticut’s rst Muslim state representative champions education

By Meghan

Maryam Khan ’14 made history this past spring by becoming the rst Muslim member of the Con necticut House of Represen tatives. After just one month of campaigning, Khan won a special election on March 1 for the 5th House District of Windsor and Hartford, and found herself headed to the General Assembly with an agenda emphasizing education.

Khan’s political career began on Windsor’s Board of Education, where she served for four and a half years with a stint as vice president. Khan is a graduate of Windsor Public Schools, where her children are now students.

“I was attracted to the (Board of Education) because I would be actively involved in making decisions,” said Khan. She learned that much of the Board’s work was in implementing policies that came from the state level. She also observed varying levels of educational equity across Connecticut. When the House seat opened, Khan seized the opportunity. “I saw the seat as a way to change the quality of education in this state.”

Khan’s interest in education began as a college student. A transfer from Manchester Community College, Khan was attracted to Eastern for its education program as well as the small classes and campus size. “I knew everyone in my cohort,” said Khan, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a focus in early childhood education. “Eastern helped me to understand the scope of education. My psychol ogy courses showed me how children learn and that there are many di erent learning styles.”

Following her election to the House, Khan took a job with Hartford Public Schools, focusing on special education at the high school level. Speaking to the training she received at Eastern, which developed her passion for special education, she said: “I understand why a student is acting a certain way, which allows me to connect with them and make our relationship easier.”

During the legislative session, it can be di cult for Khan to juggle her two jobs, but her teaching job has been accommodating and she does a lot of work on her own time. On a typical session day, Khan works at the school in the morning before the 11 a.m. session starts. From there, a bill is called and discussions can last anywhere from 10 minutes to ve or six hours.

“You have to be in the building to vote,” said Khan. She likes to understand each bill ahead of the vote and takes the time to contact key members of her district to gauge how they feel about it and what the impact will be. “On a normal day, session ends around 4 or 5 p.m. Toward the end of session the days can last until midnight.”

Khan — also a member of the Aging Committee, the Commit tee on Children and the Joint Committee on Judiciary — remains committed to education. She hopes that as a state representative, she can change how education is funded. “For example, special education is not fully funded,” she said, adding that to improve education, towns are faced with the di cult decision to either raise taxes or have schools scrounge for money, a choice that often leads to programs being cut.

She sees other needs that impact her young constituents. At one of her campaign events, a student asked Khan why his neighborhood has so many liquor stores and so few libraries. Similarly, there is the matter of food deserts, which especially impact the North End of Hartford. Many of Khan’s students rely on the nearby convenience store for food, picking up chips and soda for breakfast on their way to school.

“ e community is ghting to change that, and I have been brain storming.” Khan helps her constituents by directing them to grants that can improve the neighborhood. “I want this to be a better state for our youth.”

As the rst Muslim member of the House, Khan feels honored to represent this community. She is working to pull more people in and get them involved. “We all have to do it,” she said, adding that she hopes others see her and think, “if Maryam can do it, I can see myself doing it.”

Outside of politics, Khan has “three children who govern my life.” Khan’s personal reading focuses largely on schools and education, with some ction books included for balance. Between her family, teaching, and her new role in the State House of Representatives, life can be hec tic for Khan, but her passion for equity keeps her going. “ ere’s a lot that you can do at the state level. It’s a good place to be if you want to drive change.”

Carden

Matches Made at Eastern

By Meghan Carden

When Marci Reisman ’12 stepped onto campus for the rst time during summer orientation, she had no idea that she was about to meet her future husband. When her twin brother Matthew ’12 introduced her to Shaun Belton ’12, however, that’s just what happened.

Shaun, who was Matthew’s orientation counselor at the time, was charmed by Marci’s style and upbeat attitude. “I remember we played foosball together during the social hour,” said Shaun, adding that he won. “She always smiled and laughed a lot, but most importantly, she was always nice during our interactions. Her kindness was very infectious.” e pair spoke brie y that summer following orientation, but their friendship quickly evolved that fall semester. “A few lunch dates at Hurley and the Student Center helped me learn more about her, which made the attraction grow,” said Shaun, who majored in psychology. Marci was a sociology major with a criminology minor, placing them on somewhat similar educational paths.

Outside the classroom, the two were active members of the campus community. Shaun worked in the Student Center, in addition to his involvement with the MALES organization, Student Activities O ce and his role as an orientation counselor. For her part, Marci worked as a residence assistant (RA) and was active with the FEMALES organization, serving as president. Marci and her brother were also founding members of the Fashion Forward club.

Despite their busy schedules, Marci and Shaun found ways to spend time with each other. ey would study together and go to Hurley Hall for meals. When time allowed, they would get away from campus for walks through Mans eld Hollow.

After graduation, Shaun and Marci continued their relationship, although now at a distance. When Marci took a job at Loyola University in Baltimore as the assistant director for campus life, Shaun was working for Post University in Waterbury as an admissions counselor. “My role became remote and I joined her in the move to Baltimore,” said Shaun. e pair loved their time in Maryland, but job opportunities moved them back North. “We are now working for Big 4 rms and living in Boston,” said Shaun.

Looking back at Eastern 10 years after their graduation, Shaun said, “We not only got the opportunity to earn a great education, but it’s also where we grew up. It’s the place that helped mold us into the adults we are today. We got a chance to meet amazing people who we are both still connected with to this day. It’s also the place where we rst met. Safe to say, Eastern will always have a very special place in our hearts.”

JASON CLAIBORN

BILLY OLDHAM

JACK RICH

The Champions Wins 5th National Championship

e Warriors baseball team became the 2022 NCAA Division III national champion on June 7 after defeating Salisbury University at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, IA. e Warriors concluded their historic season with an all-time best program record of 49-3 and taking home their fth national title.

Ranked rst in both nal regular-season national polls but seeded second in the eight-team national tournament, Eastern won all ve of its national tournament games. At 49-3, the Warriors equaled the second most wins and had the second best winning percentage (.942) among national champions in the 46-year history of the Division III tournament. e team also tied Eastern’s program record of 23 consecutive victories.

e Warriors unseated defending champion Salisbury University this year by winning the rst two games, 11-6 and 3-2, in a bestof-three championship series against the Sea Gulls. In 14 Little East Conference (LEC) and NCAA tournament games, Eastern won all ve of its games by one run. Among the one-run victories were a walk-o win over Head Coach Brian Hamm’s alma mater, Middlebury College, in the Rochester, NY, Regional nal and a dramatic 7-6, 13-inning home win over Rowan University in the Mans eld, CT, Super Regional.

e national team leader in earned run average (ERA), seven Eastern pitchers combined on a 3.00 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 45 innings at the national tournament. Junior Billy Oldham won both of his starts, pitching into the seventh inning of the championship win before graduate student Tommy Benincaso came on to earn the save after starting against and defeating LaGrange College earlier in the tournament.

Graduate student and rst baseman Josh Tower was named national tournament MVP after sharing the team lead with all-tournament selection Jack Rich with a .474 batting average. In the 11-6 win over Salisbury, Tower tied the tournament record with ve hits against Salisbury, driving in ve runs and scoring three.

At the Nationals, Eastern committed only one error, with middle in elders Noah Plantamuro and Zach Donahue cleanly combining for six putouts and 25 assists. Senior center elder Ryan Bagdasarian, the MVP in the regional tournament and at the super regional, ended his career on a 23-game hitting streak after batting .286, while all-tournament selection Donahue ended with a 19-game streak after batting .333 at Cedar Rapids. Two-time All-America third baseman Luke Broadhurst ended on a 15-game streak after batting .263 at the nationals.

By Bob Molta

e team’s depth was evident in the fact that number-nine hitter Jason Claiborn — one of only two starters who were not seniors or graduate students — was third on the team at the Nationals behind only Rich and Tower with a .353 batting average, driving in six runs, scoring three and recording 10 putouts without an error in right eld.

e Warriors set program records for wins (49) and winning percentage (.942) in claiming the title in only the third nonCOVID season under fourth-year Head Coach Brian Hamm. “It’s something that we worked really, really hard for,” noted Hamm of the championship.

“We’re really proud to represent the University and get one for all of the people back home,” added Hamm, who, during the season, won his 100th game at Eastern and his 300th in 13 years as a college head coach.

RYAN BAGDASARIAN

Eastern’s fifth national championship — second most by any Division III institution — came 20 years and 10 days after the team hoisted its fourth national championship trophy in Grand Chute, WI.

LUKE BROADHURST

S king Asylum

Aniko Szabo ’05 helps refugees rebuild

By Michael Rouleau

One only needs to listen to the news for a few minutes to be reminded of the myriad crises a icting the world. Whether impacted by natural disasters, war or persecution, millions of people are presently suspended in a state of desperate uncertainty. ankfully there are some who are driven to assist those who are eeing for their lives. Among them is Aniko Szabo ’05.

Szabo works for Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) in New Haven as an employment specialist for refugees and asylum seekers. A rst-generation immigrant and former refugee herself, she can relate to the plight of many of her clients.

Szabo and her sister were born in a refugee camp in Italy after her parents ed communism in Hungary. When

Szabo was four months old, her family resettled in Hartford with the support of Catholic Charities. Her parents spoke no English when they arrived, and the family grappled with their assimilation to American culture.

“I saw my parents struggle. My sister and I struggled. … Hungarian is my rst language; I didn’t know a word of English when I started kindergarten.” In her work with IRIS, Szabo is grati ed to help alle viate some of the challenges that she, too, once faced. “My work is so meaningful.”

Many refugee families have lost their homes, jobs, family members and overall sense of identity. IRIS works to secure housing, donated furniture and household goods. eir food pantry distributes more than 2,000 pounds of food to refugee and immigrant households every week.

Anika Szabo ʼ05

“Our clients are amazing people. What they’ve b n through, not everyone can come out of it.”

Clients are connected to lawyers and doctors, children are enrolled in school, English tutors are secured and employ ment is found.

“Our clients are amazing people,” said Szabo, who has worked for IRIS since 2016. “What they’ve been through, not everyone can come out of it. … I want the public to know about the refugee resettlement process, how di cult it is, and the circumstances under which people ee their countries.”

While IRIS clients are granted tem porary rental assistance, they’re expected to pay their own way after three months. is is where Szabo and her team come in, helping with employment paperwork, coordinating transportation and locating interpreters. IRIS has built a network of hundreds of prospective employers who support its mission and welcome refugee labor.

Common job placements include land scaping or manufacturing companies, a large New Haven-area bakery and many other roles in the service industry. Some clients come with great English skills and a history of working in high-level jobs, but due to di ering employment rules they must start at a lower level.

“ ere is so much misinformation out there about refugees and immigrants,” said Szabo. “It’s important to set the record straight and, most importantly, humanize the ‘other’ and to emphasize the value and talent refugees and immi grants bring to the United States.”

Over the years, Szabo has helped reset tle refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iran, as well as Puerto Ricans displaced by Hurricane Maria. IRIS is currently resettling Ukrainian refugees due to the war with Russia.

IRIS is a partner agency with the federal O ce of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which connects them with clients. It can take a long time for a person to gain refugee status. e process involves several interviews and back ground checks by multiple agencies. e entire process can take up to two to three years. In the meantime, people put their lives on hold and wait in refugee camps, often in a third country.

“ e individuals I serve at IRIS are people just like the rest of us,” said Szabo. “ ey fall in love like us. ey want to educate themselves like us, get married, have kids, share their skills through their work, and live in peace.”

“I want the public to know about the refug rese lement proce , how di icult it is, and the circumstances under which people fl their countries.”

Aniko Szabo spoke at Eastern about the refugee resettlement process during an Art Gallery event for “Women at War,” an exhibition featuring Ukrainian women artists.

PhilanthrHighlighʦ y

Fundraising gala launches Walter and Maritza Diaz End ed Scholarship Fund

On April 9, nearly 200 Eastern community members and pro fessional colleagues gathered to celebrate the 22 years of service of Walter Diaz, who retired as Eastern’s vice president of student a airs earlier this year. Located at Farmington Gardens, the fund raising gala also served to establish the Walter and Maritza Diaz Endowed Scholarship Fund.

e event generated nearly $60,000, far exceeding the commit tee’s initial fundraising goal. “I was overwhelmed when the total amount of funds raised was unveiled at the event,” said Diaz. “It was important for me to provide a way to give back to the Eastern community upon my retirement. e organizing committee and I felt this was the perfect way. e fund will provide students in need with nancial support to reduce barriers to degree completion.”

Alyssa Du y, associate director of student activities and member of the event’s organizing committee, agreed: “ is gala was a huge success. It brought together so many people who have been a part of Dr. Diaz’s life. roughout the night, we celebrated and learned of the impact he had on so many during his career. It was an honor to be a part of planning and attending this amazing event.”

“Dr. Diaz had a unique, determined way of connecting with students and nding those who were the most in need of his mentorship, encouragement and counsel,” said Quinlan Lyte ’05, senior director and general manager of Propeller Systems at Collins Aerospace. “In the process, he developed a community of contrib utors to this passion. He provided a foundation to build upon my personal development, a voice that advocated for me, and an ear to share my failures and successes.”

Alumni from the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) celebrate with Walter Diaz at his fundraising gala.

Campus presch l’s ‘Marke lace’ named f Teresa James ’49

Eastern honored one of its most loyal alumni supporters on Sept. 6 when it named a central space of the Child and Family Development Resource Center (CFDRC) in memory of Teresa ’49 and Carleton James. In honor of the late couple’s philanthropic support, the CFDRC’s primary indoor play space — a magni cent tree surround ed by a pretend marketplace — is now named the Carleton P. and Teresa H. James Marketplace.

A ectionately known as “Nana,” Teresa was a well-known and widely respected gure in Willimantic. She taught for more than 38 years at several local schools, including Lebanon Elementary, F.R. Noble Elementary and St. Mary-St. Joseph Catholic School. She was a devoted and generous parishioner of St. Mary Church for decades.

By the time of her death in December 2020, Teresa had donated $120,000 to the Carleton P. and Teresa H. James Endowed Scholarship. In honor of Teresa’s commitment to Eastern and its early childhood development programs, her daughter, Carlene Gaudette, donated an additional $55,000 to have the Marketplace named in her mother’s memory.

“I look at this as an extension of my parents’ (giving),” said Gaudette. “( ey) donated to the most important things in their lives in an under-the-radar sort of way. I’m glad I was able to ful ll their wishes. My mother was very proud of Eastern and of being an Eastern graduate.”

Chance Th Scholarship established in mem y s dent’s un mely pa ing

e Chance Dian ompson Memorial Endowed Scholarship was started when Nina Ruckes, a friend of Chance, made a ve- gure gift to initiate the scholarship following Chance’s untimely death on July 9, 2022. Chance was an honors graduate of e Sound School and was enrolled as a sophomore at Eastern, where she was majoring in history and minoring in anthropology.

Chance had many passions in life, from volunteering at the Orange Historical Society (OHS) where she met Nina, to watching anime with her best friend Emma. Her love for reading was also noteworthy — she loved history, especially European history.

Chance was one of the youngest board members of the Orange Historical Society. “Chance embraced the e orts of the society to further educate the public with tours of the historic houses en trusted to the OHS, and was always excited to participate in those public events,” said Ginny Reinhard, president of the historical society. “She started volunteering in high school and even bought a

historically correct out t to wear when she helped as a docent.”

She also managed to convince her friends to con tribute to the society during the Great Give in May.

“Chance was a lovely young woman who was very dedicated to the Orange Historical Society,” said Ruckes, recording secretary for the OHS. “She made time to attend board meetings through Zoom even when she was in the middle of her freshman exams. As a young person, she really moved the society forward using social media to announce events, and that helped us greatly.”

Jim Gaudette, Carlene James Gaudette, Ashley Lewis and Niloufar Rezai (director of the Child and Family Development Resource Center). Lewis has three children attending the CFDRC and was awarded the James Endowed Scholarship for the 2022-23 academic year. Teresa H. and Carleton P. James

Chance Thompson

Lead ship Luncheon hon s

Eastern honored four members of its alumni and donor community on June 10 at its annual President’s Leadership Luncheon and Awards ceremony. e event gathered more than 100 donors and friends while recogniz ing the generosity and accomplishments of Professor Moh’d RuJoub, alumni Matt Pepin ’91 and Beth Regan ’79, M ’89, and local philanthropist David Foster.

President Elsa Núñez welcomed attendees to the rst Leadership Luncheon since the onset of the pandemic. “ is luncheon is so important to the life of our university,” she said, “for today we come together to thank our family of committed donors for their generous student support, and to honor those former students who have gone on to bring honor to Eastern through their personal and professional achievements.”

“Today we recognize the impact of our alumni and of our donors,” followed Vice President of Institutional Advancement Ken DeLisa. “Because of your professional achievements, personal philanthropy, and un wavering commitment to Eastern, you inspire our passion for higher education. You

serve as role models for our students and you create opportunities for them to succeed.”

Justin Murphy ’98, president of the ECSU Foundation Board of Directors, recount ed the many recent successes of Eastern’s Foundation and donor family. “ e work of the Foundation never stops. Not even a global pandemic prevented the ECSU Foundation from its work.” e Foundation awarded a record $850,000 to 376 students in the 2021-22 academic year and exceeded its goal of raising $1.5 million by the end of the scal year on June 30.

Moh’d RuJoub

Professor RuJoub received the Hermann Beckert “Friend of the University” Award due to his numerous involvements in Eastern and the local community. As coordinator of the Accounting Program, RuJoub’s legacy is one of student employability, alumni engagement and commitment to all things accounting.

In addition to leading Eastern’s Accounting Program for the last two decades, RuJoub is the driving force behind the recent reinstate ment of the Master of Science in Accounting, which is now a fully online master’s program.

He also established the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at Eastern, which in its 23-year existence has provided income-tax assistance to thousands of local lower-income families. For the past 26 years, RuJoub has also organized the annual Ac counting Banquet, an evening of professional networking for students, alumni and faculty.

Finally, RuJoub created his own scholarship in 2017, the Dr. Moh’d RuJoub and Family Endowed Accounting Scholarship, which has raised more than $60,000. “It has been a joy to serve at this great institution and help so many of our students go on to succeed and become leaders in the accounting industry,” said RuJoub.

Ma Pepin ’91

Pepin received this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award due to his impressive rise to the top of the journalism profession. From his beginnings with the Campus Lantern student newspaper, Pepin now serves as sports editor of the Boston Globe — one of the country’s premier news organizations in one of its hottest professional sports cities.

Dignitaries of the 2022 President’s Leadership Awards (left to right): Moh’d RuJoub, David Foster, Marilyn Foster, President Elsa Núñez, Matt Pepin ’91 and Beth Regan ’79, M ’89

4 out anding don s, alumni

Prior to leading the Globe’s sports depart ment, the Eastern English major worked as sports editor at the New Haven Register and Times Record-Herald in Middletown, NY. He joined the Globe in 2009 as digital sports editor before his latest promotion in 2018, where he oversees a sta of 30 full-time and 20 part-time employees, producing content for the Globe’s printed newspaper, websites, newsletters and social media.

As a student, Pepin worked with Eastern’s venerable sports information specialist, Bob Molta. “No one left a greater impression on me than Bob Molta,” he said. “He showed me how to pull back the curtain and nd the story. I’ve worked with a lot of journalists and media professionals across the world. Bob is the standard I judge them all by.”

Be Regan ‘‘79, M ‘89

Regan received the Distinguished Service Award in commemoration of her accomplish ments as an educator, coach, athlete, tribal leader and dedicated Eastern alumna. At the ceremony, Regan was elated to learn of the

creation of the “Beth Regan ’79, M ’89 Endowed Women’s Soccer Fund,” which was spearheaded by retired women’s soccer head coach Christian D’Ambrosio in honor of Regan’s pivotal role in the creation of the women’s soccer program in 1986.

Regan taught at Tolland High School for 35 years and is a dedicated Special Olympics volunteer and coach, as well as an active member of the Mohegan Tribe. A longtime resident of Hampton, CT, Regan has also ful lled a number of community roles, presently serving on the board of directors of the Fletcher Memorial Library.

“Service is my way of thanking all of you,” she said to the crowd of friends and fellow Eastern supporters. “It’s one way of giving back a little that was given to me. We may not be able to change the whole world, but we can change our little part of it.”

David Fo

Foster received the ECSU Foundation Board of Directors Award for his dynamic philan-

By Michael Rouleau

thropy and local-legend status as a musical entrepreneur. As the face of the Lester E. Foster and Phyllis M. Foster Foundation, he has overseen support for several Windham-area organizations, including the Covenant Soup Kitchen, Windham Hospital, Windham No Freeze Shelter, Horizons and others.

Since 2006, the Foster Foundation has provided more than $125,000 for a variety of Eastern programs and scholarships. But its biggest gift yet was announced this June: a $250,000 contribution to the David G. Carter Jr., Endowment Fund.

“Eastern is the pinnacle of our commu nity,” said Foster. “Knowledge is everything today. If everybody has a chance to have an education, they have a chance to better themselves.”

Preceding his life as a philanthropist, Foster developed a storied reputation as an owner of the legendary Shaboo Inn in Mans eld, a jazz and R&B nightclub, and later as the band leader of e Shaboo All-Stars and founder of Shaboo Productions.

e Eastern softball team had an outstanding year in 2022, going 44-7 and tying its all-time record for wins. e team won the Little East Conference (LEC) tournament and the NCAA regional and super regional tournaments, traveling to Salem, VA, for its 15th national Division III tournament appearance. e ve-time national champions were not able to make it six, losing their rst game against Trine University, then beating Millikin University before succumbing to Barry College in the double-elimination tournament.

Highlights of the year included Alexis Michon ’25 being named national Pitcherof-the-Year; a season team record for shutouts; a 22-game winning streak; and four All-Americans (Michon, Brooke Matyasovsky ’22 and Julia SanGiovanni ’22, all rst-team selections; and Cassie Woods ’25, a second-team selection). e team was ranked as high as #3 in the nation, dominating the Little East Conference as the conference leaders in pitching, elding and hitting — a trifecta!

In addition to Michon’s national rec ognition (she was also conference Pitcherof-the-Year), Julia SanGiovanni was 2022 LEC Player-of-the-Year and Coach Diana Pepin was LEC Coach-of-the-Year for the sixth time.

Eastern won its nal 18 regular-season games, swept the LEC tournament with three shutout wins, and then won the Union, NJ, Regional and the Super Regional at Clyde Washburne Field to return to the national tournament.

Michon named national Pitcher-of-the-Year

In only its third season, the Eastern Connecticut State University men’s golf team defended its 2021 title in the inaugural Little East Conference Championships by repeating in 2022 as the tournament host at Ellington Ridge Country Club Oct. 6-7. As the tournament champion, Eastern qualified automatically for the NCAA Division III national championship tournament May 16-19 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, KY. Junior Ashton Lewis repeated as tournament medalist with a 1-over score of 145 over 36 holes in the two-day event. Lewis had also finished as the medalist in the four

the

CHAMPS AGAIN!

invitationals leading up to

Little East Championship.

First-Team All-America so ball pitcher Alexis Michon ’25 was named national Pitcher-of-the-Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Michon won her final 21 decisions for the 44-7 Warriors and finished with a 24-1 record and 1.07 earned run average. Her winning percentage of .960 established an Eastern season record, leading the Warriors to the national Division III tournament. She was also named by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance as Hank O’Donnell Female Athlete-of-the-Year for 2021-22.

From le : Marc Senia (head coach), Cal Angelo, Ashton Lewis, Chris Davidson, Jonah Dupuis, Andrew Gromko.

astern inducted five athletes into its Athletics Alumni Hall of Fame on Oct. 15 in the Student Center’s Betty R. Tipton Room.

Adam Czerwinski ’03 won 21 career games and was a starting pitcher on the 2002 NCAA national championship baseball team. In his senior season, Czerwinski was named rst-team All-Little East and second-team All-New England Region when he compiled a 2.04 ERA in a sta -high 84 innings in helping the program to a second straight national tournament berth.

Forward Sandra (Mosley) Scavello ’07 was named to the All-LEC team in each of her four full seasons on the basketball team. In her career, the versatile Mosley scored 1,535 points, grabbed 706 rebounds and landed 101 threepoint eld goals. She left the program ranked second all-time in points and sixth in rebounds and three-point eld goals.

Shawn Gilblair ’11 is the most accomplished two-way player and only three-time rst-team

All-America in the baseball program’s history. e lefty-hitting designated hitter/ rst baseman and pitcher compiled a career .373 batting average with 236 hits, 29 home runs and 194 RBI, and won 28 of 35 pitching decisions with a 2.31 ERA and 281 strikeouts.

Pamela (Neff) Schreibman was a LEC Player-of-the-Year and twotime all-conference soccer selection who played mid eld and forward for four seasons. In her career, Ne was also named second-team All-LEC at forward and rst-team All-LEC at mid eld.

Nick Nedwick ’13 helped the Warriors basketball team to their rst LEC regular-season title ever. Nedwick graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,657 points. Ten years after leaving the program, Nedwick still ranks second all-time in points and among the all-time Top 5 in six additional categories.

Pictured left to right: Pamela (Ne ) Schreibman, Adam Czerwinski, Sandra (Mosley) Scavello, Shawn Gilblair, Nick Nedwick.

Eastern Hall of Famer and former All-America David Nicholson ’06 is the new head coach for track and eld and cross country. Nicholson returns to Eastern after serving the previous four years at Lindenwood University. During his college career, Nicholson helped the Warriors to four straight Little East Conference outdoor titles and one indoor championship. One of the top 400-meter runners in Division III, Nicholson earned All-New England recognition 38 times at 200 and 400 meters and in the relays.

Mike Odenwaelder takes over as head baseball coach after serving as assistant coach at Dartmouth College in spring 2022. e previous four seasons, he was as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater, Amherst College. e Goshen native takes over one of the winningest programs in Division III baseball history and the most successful program in New England at any level, with the Warriors coming o

their highest win total ever (49-3) and fth NCAA national title in 2022.

Marc Senia is the new head golf coach. He returns to Eastern after serving on the baseball coaching sta between 2014-17. Senia is a 2002 graduate of Wheaton College, where he was a member of four straight conference regular-season and tournament championship baseball teams, and served as a senior captain. He is an avid golfer, and inherits a team that, while only in competition two years after a 38-year hiatus, has won the LEC championship both seasons (2021 and 2022).

Sarah ompkins joined Eastern earlier this year as the new head women’s soccer coach. A native of Wisconsin, Tompkins is a former assistant coach at Quinnipiac University and Illinois State University and a former graduate assistant at Division II Carson-Newman University. She played college soccer at Carson-Newman, and also at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

David Nicholson

Mike Odenwaelder

Marc Senia

Sarah ompkins

ALUMNI NOTES 1940s

Ann (Pisarko) Mahalawich ’44, M ’67 celebrated her 100th birthday at a grand party attended by 75 family and friends. She received citations of congratulations from the State House of Representatives and the State Senate, Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz and Governor Ned Lamont, all personally delivered by State Senator Kathy Osten. In a video greeting, President Elsa Núñez noted that she often saw Ann at alumni reunions and always smiling. “That was especially true in 2016 when I watched you lead the Alumni March into our Big Tent Barbeque. Ann, you were absolutely beaming!” Ann passed away peacefully on May 26, but her warm and generous spirit will live on in the aspiring teachers who will benefit from the Ann Pisarko Mahalawich Endowed Scholarship Fund, which Ann established at Eastern nearly a decade ago.

1950s

At the Class of 1959 50th Jubilee Reunion, Class President William Hargreaves ’59 challenged his classmates to endow a scholarship. Gifts from 20 generous members of the class created an endowed scholarship supporting Elementary Education students in 2014, and more than $6,000 has been awarded since then. “This wasn’t easy for our small class, but we wanted to help future students, and be remembered long after we’re all gone.” Bill challenged other small classes to follow the example of the Class of ’59 and create their own endowed scholarships.

Reisa (Goldfarb) Sweet ’59 continues to serve as chair of the Ocean County (New Jersey) Human Relations Commission. She was honored by the Ocean County Board of Commissioners for “a lifetime of building bridges between people of diverse communities to eliminate hate, bias and discrimination,” and for taking action in her community to prevent crime resulting from bias.

1960s

Jim Logan ’63 is a Platinum Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). Jim’s wife, Anne (McGrath) Logan, is an ACBL Gold Life Master, and she is a past president of the St. Vincent De Paul Society. They reside in Spring Hill, FL.

Bunny (Nowakowski) Lescoe ’64 fulfilled a long-time dream by relocating to Cocoa Beach, FL, and was promptly approached to serve on the board of directors of her condo association.

Diane (Kruger) Cohen ’67 has written more than 70 books for her grandchildren. Most recently she has published “You Can Write a Book for Your Grandchild,” a step-by-step guide to being a successful writer of books for grandchildren, without fear of rejection. It contains practical writing tips from one grandparent to another and examples of the author’s own stories written for her grandchildren. This book will give grandparents the confidence they need to begin writing their own stories.

Bob Brewster ’68 is still active in Florida real estate, receiving the Presidential Award for Top Sales in 2021, and for achieving #1 in listings for the first quarter of 2022.

Mark Leveton ’69 has been named an ambassador at Solstice at Groton, an independent living facility where he has lived for more than 10 years. As an ambassador, Mark meets with prospective residents and with their families and shares his experiences from the many years he’s lived there. He sends greetings to all of his classmates and friends from the Class of 1969.

1970s

William Peterson ’72 released a new book, “Mystic Built: Ships and Shipyards of the Mystic River, Connecticut,” a revised edition of his 1989 work of the same name, which focused on the years 1784-1919. This publication received the prestigious John Lyman Book Award from the North American Society of Oceanic Historians for the best book published on American maritime history. Bill spent more than 40 years at the Mystic Seaport Museum, retiring as senior curator in 2009, when he was named curator emeritus. He served as a consultant for the movie “Amistad”

and met with both Steven Spielberg and Matthew McConaughey. Bill credits the late David Roth, professor of history at Eastern, as a major influence on his life and career, and he dedicates this book to his mother Virginia F. Niebling ’30. Bill was co-author of “Historic Buildings at Mystic Seaport Museum” (which received an Award of Merit from the Connecticut League of Historical Organizations), and he served as historical adviser and contributing writer for Connecticut Public Television and the Connecticut Humanities Council's collaborative documentary, “Connecticut and the Sea.”

Mary Jane (Larson) Traska ’72 writes, “This year my husband, Jim, and I will celebrate 45 years of marriage! In 1994 I joined Literacy Volunteers. This year I will have tutored adult students for 28 years. I have tutored students in English from five continents, including North and South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Jim and I have three great grandnephews and one great grandniece.”

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Five alumni who made history for Women’s Basketball at Eastern celebrated the 50th anniversary of the program’s first varsity season (1971-72). Joan (Lonergan) McMahon ’74 and first varsity head coach Julie Bradley participated via Webex. Posing for a photo were (left to right): current head coach Denise Bierly, Norma (Bailey) Posocco ’73, Tubby (Jenkins) Fonville ‘99, Anne (Noheimer) Robinson ’76, Laura (Winzler) Aldrich and Director of Athletics Lori Runksmeier.

Scott Rhoades ’73 was the featured artist for July and August at Top Shelf Gallery in Hampton. Rhoades took his first art class as a junior at Eastern and has been painting ever since. He earned his master’s degree in art education from Central Connecticut State University and began painting barns, country landscapes, livestock and wildlife, before becoming an art teacher, spending 35 years in the Coventry school system. After his retirement from teaching, he designed and built his own art studio in his backyard. “It has become an afternoon destination that I enjoy most every day.”

Ronald “Ron” Pires ’76 was featured in a story in The Day honoring residents during Black History Month. A four-year member of Eastern’s basketball program and a varsity starter on Hall of Fame coach Clyde Washburne’s first team in 1968-69, Ron scored 1,342 points in 78 career games and keyed Eastern to two New England State College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) post-season divisional titles, three conference post-season appearances and to its winningest three-year period (58-17) to that date. Pires was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame for basketball in 1988. In 1980, Ron’s career took him to E.O. Smith High School as a teacher and head boy’s basketball coach. Over the next 35 years, Coach Pires racked up 514 wins, including seven 20-win seasons and a 66-game home league winning streak from 1990 to 1995. His teams qualified for 29 state tournaments, won 10 conference championships and six conference tournament titles, and reached two Class L state finals.

Daniel Tenney ’79 has been in a semi-retired mode, but has taken a fulltime teaching position at the University of Bridgeport. Dan is cross-training and consulting with the graduate business school and helping to update and strategize the university’s technology business graduate programs. He is

developing/updating some courses for the fall that he will teach and ultimately he will be advising Ph.D. students. Dan had a long career in various senior technical management roles at HJ Heinz and 3M. In 2020 he earned his Ph.D. from University of Bridgeport.

1980s

Kristina (Knittel) Renshaw ’82 is a retired financial planner living in Arizona, where she plays the drums, the guitar and creates art. Check out her work at tiarenshaw.com.

Theresa “Terri” (Knobloch) Wilson ’82 writes “Happy 40th Anniversary to the Class of 1982! We had a wonderful experience together and I hope anyone reading this will agree and share a hello next time. I am self-employed in the museum world, president of my local historical society and assist my veteran husband with his VFW and American Legion activities. We enjoy life and I wish my classmates well too!”

Now that the pandemic is waning, Arthur Rovozzo ’85 is continuing his radio show on Eastern’s WECS-FM radio station. “Musical Myriad” can be heard on Saturdays from noon-3 p.m., and features profiles of the immortals of jazz and blues as well as contemporary players. He is also writing a book which follows the radio show’s format and themes.

1990s

Michael Lavery ’92 is a candidate for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He has lived in Becket, MA since 2011 and was first elected to the Becket Select Board in 2017.

Alumni Affairs and the past 17 years in the Center for Career Services, most recently as associate director.

A group of 10 Eastern alumni got together in April for a mini-RA reunion at Blarney’s. According to Agata (Kozikowski) Cavar ’94, “We were all RAs at Noble, Winthrop, Low Rise, High Rise and Occum Halls from 1991-94.”

Ronald Samul ’94 is assistant director of Thames at Mitchell College, a pre-college transition program that focuses on student college readiness. The program works with a wide variety of learners — all with complex learning pathways — who are college-eligible but not yet college-ready. Ron graduated from Mitchell College in 1991 and earned a B.A. in English from Eastern followed by an M.F.A. in creative and professional writing at Western Connecticut State University. He is currently working on a doctorate in educational leadership.

Conrad Paquette ’95 is advertising account manager at Boston Business Journal and was recently recognized as an American City Business Journals Chairman’s Club honoree. The Chairman’s Club recognizes top sales performance and is the benchmark for sales excellence at American City Business Journals and the Boston Business Journal.

2000s

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Lana O’Connor ’93 has been named associate director of Eastern’s Center for Community Engagement. She will work with community partners to create opportunities that give students valuable life and employability skills by engaging in activities that benefit the local community. The CCE has coordinated programs such as tutoring and mentoring in schools, juvenile and adult rehabilitation, and programs focused on cultural awareness, hunger and homelessness, and health and wellness. Lana’s career at Eastern spans nearly 25 years, with six years in the Office of

Victor Thomas ’00 shared on LinkedIn that he is starting a new position as director of business development of the Public Sector Salesforce Alliance at KPMG United States. After earning his B.S. in Business Administration from Eastern, Victor went on to earn an M.B.A. in Strategic Marketing and Innovation from Southern Connecticut State University, and an M.S. in Project Management from the George Washington University School of Business.

Theresa “Terri” (Knobloch) Wilson ’82 Victor Thomas ’00

Ann (Pisarko) Mahalawich ’44, M ’67

Diane (Kruger) Cohen ’67

Women's basketball first varsity team reunion, March 6, 2022 • Sitting (L-R): Norma (Bailey) Posocco ’73, Anne (Noheimer) Robinson ’76, Laura (Winzler) Aldrich, Tubby (Jenkins) Fonville ’99. Standing (L-R): Head Coach Denise Bierly, Anna Barry, Jaclyn Santella, Danielle OBrien ’22, Jenna Serrantino, Martha Chatman, Julie Keckler

Pictured Front (L-R): Lori (Tozier) Toombs ’93, Agata (Kozikowski) Cavar ’94, Jennifer (Waters) Bronson ’94, Brad Grauer ’94, Lisa Cicia ’07, Becky Cochrane ’94. Back Row (L-R): Margaret (Pendergast) Keayes ’93, Mary Pendergast ’96, Ralph Riccio ’98, Connie Haskins ’93

Alumni of the club rugby team gather in celebration on a playground at the wedding of 2019 graduates Sean and Jackie Orlowski DeVlieger, who were married June 18, 2022, in Woodstock, CT.

Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ’01 recent ly received her 16th honorary degree. According to the Guardian Nigeria, the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium honored Adichie with an honorary Ph.D. during an official ceremony at the main campus in Louvain-la-Neuve, located near Brussels.

Holly (Mandes) Ryan ’01 is a co-editor of “Unlimited Players: The Intersections of Writing Center and Game Studies,” published by Utah State University Press. Holly is associate professor of English and writing center coordinator at Penn State Berks in Reading, PA. She has worked in collegiate writing centers since her freshman year at Eastern, when she was hired as a student tutor. In addition to her B.A. in English and B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Eastern, Holly earned both an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.

Kenneth Luurtsema ’02, assistant vice president of architecture at Travelers, has served in leadership and technical roles at Travelers since 2016. He served five years in the military before enrolling at Eastern. While still a student, Ken worked for the Town of Norwich installing technology in classrooms and building a database to track assets across the district. Before moving to Travelers, Ken held several positions at East Pointe Systems, an IT services and consulting firm in East Hartford. Ken is a Freemason, and volunteers by providing transportation for children to get to important healthcare appointments.

Anthony LaPia ’03 has a new position as chief sales officer at Equity National Title & Closing, providing title and closing services and support to both commercial and residential lenders, homeowners and realtors. Anthony is also the president and principal consultant of LaPia Leadership Academy where he serves as a keynote speaker, executive coach and mentor.

William Tyminski ’03 has served as vice president/financial crimes technology group lead at Truist for the past five years. He received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of North

Carolina Greensboro in 2011 and still resides in Greensboro. He has very fond memories of his study abroad experience in Spain and the field courses he took in Belize and the Bahamas.

Ryan Vassar ’03 owns and operates Mr. Nice Guy, a Wolcott-based cannabis cultivation and organic garden supply store that supports the entire growing process from planting to cultivation. Ryan and his business were recently profiled in an article in the Hartford Business Journal.

Thomas Geraghty ’04 has served as president of Paladin Insurance Agency since he opened it in 2011. He is from New Jersey and returned to his home state after graduating from Eastern. Tom credits Eastern for helping him learn to apply himself academically, and recalled Professor Ron Lowy’s senior capstone class as an experience that taught him to work hard to meet high standards.

Kristen (Pavlik) McCallie ’04 has been executive director of Children’s Advocacy Center: The Emmy Haney House in Chattanooga, TN, since 2017. The Children’s Advocacy Center is dedicated to providing a coordinated and comprehensive path to healing for children who have experienced child sexual abuse or severe physical abuse, and engages the community in education initiatives. It is the fourth largest children’s advocacy center in the state. The United Way of Greater Chattanooga recently recognized the Children’s Advocacy Center as “Nonprofit of the Year.”

Milton Jackson ’05 has been named senior vice president and experience design executive at Bank of America. He also continues as founder and photographer at PicSpotr, where he manages all aspects of operations including marketing, customer acquisition, user experience, product design and development.

Quinlan Lyte ’05 has had a 15-year career in the aerospace and defense industry, beginning at Pratt & Whitney, then moving to Sikorsky Aircraft in 2013. At Sikorsky he held various roles of growing responsibility in finance, strategy, business development and program management. Most recently, Quinlan was a senior program manager at Sikorsky before joining Collins Aerospace in 2019 as Senior Director for Propeller Systems. In this executive role, he provides general management oversight for propeller systems military platforms. His primary focus is on business growth initiatives, financial and operational performance with an emphasis on continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Maribel Sanchez ’05 M’21 was recently named the associate director of University Access Programs (UAP) at Southern Connecticut State University. She is a first-generation student who earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and her master’s degree in organizational management, both from Eastern. Before taking the position at Southern, Maribel worked at Eastern, working directly with the STEP/CAP program and with Opportunity Scholars attending Eastern through the Dream.US Foundation. “I owe so much to the STEP/CAP program, and it was truly an amazing experience to be able to work directly with the program that had such an immeasurable impact on my own academic career and ultimately, my professional career.”

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From left to right: Holly (Mandes) Ryan ’01, Anthony LaPia ’03, Andrew Simmons ’06, Heidi (White) Suskin ’06, Muhammad Malloy ’09, Christina (Amato) Turner ’09 and Nikole (Doolittle) Shultis ’10

After 16 years as a freelance reporter covering the Connecticut State Capitol and more than six years as a reporter and morning news anchor on WTICAM and WTIC-FM, Aaron Kupec ’06 is leaving Connecticut to become director of communications for the City of Greenfield, MA.

When Andrew Simmons ’06 left BNY Mellon, he also moved from banking operations to banking IT, becoming a senior IT business analyst/project manager for BNP Paribas CIB. He also serves as an advisory board member for the Customer Experience Certificate Program at Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business, providing feedback and strategic direction to the program and supporting the faculty and program managers by assessing and improving program efficiency.

After earning her bachelor’s degree at Eastern, Lisa Michelle Smith ’06 went on to earn an M.F.A. in Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University. She recently began a new position as a technical writer for The Walt Disney Company and is also a copy editor for the University of CaliforniaSan Francisco.

Heidi (White) Suskin ’06 will earn a master’s degree in school counseling from UMass-Boston and is serving a school counseling internship at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Sciences in Boston, in addition to substituting at the Joseph Lee K8 School. Prior to pursuing her master’s degree, Heidi served as academic dean at the Joseph Lee School, campus director for Citizen Schools and as a social studies teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools. Heidi previously earned a master’s degree in school leadership from Towson University, and will be looking to secure a counseling position in the Boston area.

For the past five years Mark Clifton ’07 has served as the executive director of the North Shore Mosquito Abatement District (NSMAD) in Northfield, IL. The NSMAD manages local mosquito populations to reduce the risk of disease from mosquito-borne viruses and minimize the negative impact mosquitoes have on the quality of life in the District. Mark received his Ph.D. in Biology from Florida International University.

Jonathan Nemergut ’07 moved to Daytona Beach, FL, in June 2010 and earned his master’s degree in library and information science from the University of South Florida in 2017. Since 2018 he has worked for the Flagler County Public Library as librarian II, branch manager.

He is married with two children: a son, age 8 and a daughter, age 10.

Clayton Pollock ’07 earned his biology degree from Eastern and went on to earn his master’s degree in marine and environmental science from the University of the Virgin Islands in 2013. He has worked with the National Park Service at Buck Island Reef National Monument and Dry Tortugas National Park for the past 11 years. He is currently serving as program manager for resource science and stewardship at Black Canyon Nation al Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area, in Gunnison, CO.

Ashon “Chewey” Avent ’08 recently held a grand opening for his newly named and focused custom design and printing company, T-Shirt World, in the Crystal Mall in Waterford, CT. Chewey originally opened the business in 2012 as Main Avent Athletics and Apparel, but lost everything after Hurricane Ida left that first store under four feet of water. He accepts Eastern students for internships, which he tailors to their goals, and he is a lecturer in the Management and Marketing Department at Eastern.

Brandon Schingh ’08 has a new position as contractor program security officer (CPSO) at STR, a defense and space manufacturing company based in Woburn, MA. STR utilizes people and technology platforms to tackle tough problems in cybersecurity, distributed sensing, and artificial intelligence to deliver mission performance.

The Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CTCPA) has elected and installed Muhammad Malloy ’09, CPA, as an at-large member of its Board of Directors for the 2022-23 activity year. Muhammad is a tax manager at CohnReznick LLP in Hartford. He holds an M.S. in Accounting and Taxation from the University of Hartford and a B.S. in Accounting from Eastern. He has served CTCPA as member of the New and Young Professionals Group, Membership Committee, and High School Speakers Bureau. Muhammad resides in Colchester.

Paul Martineau ’09 is coach of the Windham High School boy’s basketball team. Seeded eighth in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s Division V with a regular season record of 20-7, the Whippets defeated Bacon Academy, Stafford, Portland and Windsor Locks to face the second-seed Sport and Medical Sciences Academy of Hartford for the state championship. Windham prevailed over SMSA 62-56

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to claim the Division V championship.

Prior to this year, Windham’s only appearance in a state championship final was in 1941, when they suffered a one-point loss to Bristol.

Andrew Powaleny ’09 received The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) Kevin Burket Alumni Service Award. The senior director of public affairs at PhRMA, Andrew was recognized for his commitment to supporting the next generation of leaders through his continued involvement with TFAS, and for continually demonstrating his commitment to personal responsibility, civil service dialogue and providing opportunity for all through their outstanding leadership. TFAS is an educational nonprofit that aspires to change the world by developing leaders for a free society.

Christina (Amato) Turner ’09 is chief of staff at the national headquarters of Women Leaders in College Sports, a nonprofit leadership organization that develops, connects and advances women working in college sports and beyond. Christina was introduced to Women Leaders while serving in a variety of administrative positions at Colgate University, including assistant director of athletics for administration and chair of physical education.

Christina is married to Andrew Turner ’08, a personal trainer and fitness coach in Kansas City. Christina and Andrew have two sons, Chase, 5, and Liam, 1. In addition to earning her B.S. in Sport & Leisure Management at Eastern, Christina earned her master’s degree in exercise and sport science from East Carolina University.

Michael Wolter ’09 was the 2022 commencement speaker at his alma mater, Montville High School. He spoke about going to Eastern and how his Eastern mentor truly shaped his career path and trajectory. “I would not have all the opportunities I did if not for the mentoring and guidance from the amazing faculty I met at Eastern.” Mike is the assistant registrar at Post University in Waterbury.

care. Brajin earned his B.A. in Biology at Eastern, concentrating on cell and molecular biology and biotechnology.

After earning a B.G.S. in Business/ Management from Eastern, Melanie (Covino) Cipher ’11 received a master's degree in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of New Haven. She has been a customer service representative, supervisor, and product manager, as well as a yoga and meditation teacher.

Jason Custer ’11 contributed a chapter to “Unlimited Players: The Intersection of Writing Center and Game Studies,” edited by Holly (Mendes) Ryan ’01. Jason’s chapter focused on historic games and writing theory. An English major at Eastern, Jason earned his M.A. and Ph.D. from Florida State University, and is now assistant professor of English at Midway University in Midway, KY.

Khrystyna Stefak ’11 has been promoted to director of the U.S. Digital Growth and Product Strategy Program Office at Cigna. She joined Cigna in 2017 as a digital marketing program manager and was promoted to digital customer engagement program manager in 2020. Khrystyna and her husband, Greg Benites, welcomed their

first child, Alexander Gregory Benites,

as investment accounting operations consultant at MassMutual. He earned his M.B.A. from Post University, and most recently held positions with Landmark Partners and IPS Fund has been promoted to the rank of sergeant in the West Hartford Police Department. He joined the department in 2014 and was first assigned to the Patrol Division, and has served as a field training officer, as a member of the Honor Guard, and on the Drone Aviation Team. Since 2020, Peter has been part of the Traffic Division, and a member of the Accident Reconstruction Team responding to serious incidents involving injuries or fatalities. Peter is also a member of the Connecticut National Guard, and is currently a captain within the 192nd Engineer Battalion.

American International College (AIC) has named Alexander Cross ’12 as dean of students and deputy Title IX coordinator. Alexander’s primary areas of responsibility include residence life, residence education, housing operations, student engagement, diversity education, campus recreation and student conduct. He will transition to the college’s chief student conduct officer and will serve as a deputy Title IX coordinator for violations of the college’s sexual misconduct policy. Alexander earned his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Eastern, a master’s degree in leadership and organizational development from Merrimack College, and is currently enrolled in the doctor of education in educational leadership and supervision program at American International College. In November 2021, Alexander became engaged to his partner William.

Matthew Fazo ’12 was promoted to assistant vice president and project officer at Thomaston Savings Bank. He started at the bank in 2013 as a teller and worked a variety of positions since then, most recently as project manager. His project responsibilities will be expanded

in his new role to ensure continuity and efficacy of projects from start to finish. Matthew actively volunteers in the community through the United Way of Greater Waterbury, Our Lady Mount Carmel School, Camp Moe, the Waterbury Regional Chamber and the Bristol Boys and Girls Club. Matt earned a B.S. in Business Information Systems and he later completed the Connecticut School of Finance and Management program sponsored by the Connecticut Bankers Association.

Hamilton Levy ’12 has been promoted to senior account executive at Ambassador Labs. Headquartered in Boston, Ambassador Labs is a technology company that builds developer infrastructure that helps organizations of every size to adapt to the cloud world.

Meghan (McMullen) Soucier ’12 is nearing the end of a master’s degree in library and information science from San Jose State University. Meg earned a B.A. in English from Eastern.

Dr. Nickalus Stevens ’12 earned his D.M.D. from Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine and has entered into practice with his father at Smile Solutions in Willimantic. Nick earned his B.A. in Social Work at Eastern.

Elise Zarcaro ’12 is the new human resources director for the Town of Bourne, MA. Prior to being hired in Bourne, Elise served for three years as the human resources manager in Provincetown, MA. A resident of Harwichport, she earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from Eastern, and earlier this year she earned certification as an SHRM Professional.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) has named Matthew Esposito ’13 as a new assistant coach of the men’s soccer team. An assistant with the Engineers during the 2017 and 2018 season, Matt spent the past three years as the head men’s soccer coach at Sage College, where he took over a four-win program and led it to an overall record of 21-19-2. While at Eastern, Matt was a two-year team captain and an LEC Tournament MVP.

ennifer Phipps ’16, Natalie Criniti ’19, Leigh Generous ’19 and Robert Johnson ’20

Donald Farquhar ’13 has been promoted to serve as the next fire chief of the Keene, NH, fire department. His 26-year career in the fire service included serving as a firefighter in Manchester (CT) and fire chief of the Electric Boat Fire Department in Groton before joining the Keene department. Chief Farquhar also served at the Connecticut Fire Academy for 15 years as an instructor and with the state’s Urban Search and Rescue team for 11 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management from Eastern and a master’s degree in homeland security from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Samantha (Stevens) Graul ’13 has been promoted to communications consultant of workplace investing at Fidelity Investments. Samantha was hired by Fidelity as an event coordinator in 2018 and promoted to event manager in 2021. Prior to joining Fidelity, Samantha spent five years at the University of Rhode Island, first in the Housing Office and later in the Office of Alumni Relations. She earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from Eastern and an M.S. in College Student Personnel from the University of Rhode Island.

Anthony Lo ’13, vice president and software engineer III at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, has served in leadership and technical roles there since 2017. He says Eastern set him up well for his career, allowing him to build good relation ships while learning the core concepts that every leader should know.

Maryam Khan ’14 became the first Muslim person elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives following her victory in a special election in the 5th House District of Windsor and Hartford. She earned her B.S. in Psychology at Eastern and a master’s degree in special education from Central Connecticut State University. She taught for several years in the Hartford Public Schools and had been most recently teaching special education at Prince Technical High School in Hartford.

Hannah Malcolm ’14 is park and recreation director for the Town of Middlefield, CT, as well as a middle school health educator at New Haven Public Schools. She also serves as a lifeguard at Middlefield’s Lake Beseck Beach and is a member of the Lions Club. Hannah earned a B.S. in Physical Education at Eastern.

Amy Vento ’14 was promoted to customer service manager at Paragon Medical, a manufacturer that works with healthcare businesses to help accelerate the process of creating products, optimizing their performance and bringing them to market.

Ragan Decker ’15 earned her Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from the University of Connecticut in August 2021. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Quantitative Research Methods and Occupational Health Psychology. She is currently a lead researcher at SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), responsible for designing and conducting strategic research to help C-suite executives and HR leaders make strategic workforce decisions that drive effective workplaces and improve the employee experience.

Melinda DeDominicis ’15 has a new position as senior event planner at the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami. A music major at Eastern, Melinda earned an M.A. in Arts Administration/Music from Florida State University.

Natasha Gambrell ’15, a member and tribal councilor of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, was one of four indigenous writers participating in a virtual Lit Talk hosted by the Connecticut Literary Festival. Natasha and the other authors read from their own works and spoke about the struggles of being an Indigenous author and how they imbue their personal experiences into their stories.

Kelly Labanara ’15 M’16 has been promoted to assistant accounting manager at HarbourVest Partners, a global private equity investment firm based in Boston. Kelly joined the firm in 2019 as a private equity accountant, and was promoted to senior private equity accountant in 2021. Kelly earned both her B.S. in Accounting and M.S. in Accounting from Eastern.

Mitchell Nyser ’15 is an exercise physiologist in the GoodLife Fitness program at Hartford HealthCare, based at the Cedar Mountain Commons Independent and Assisted Living Community in Newington. Mitchell has presented on the “Benefits of Exercise” and “Fall Prevention” to senior citizen groups. He holds a personal training certification from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Richard Squires ’15 has a new position as an optometrist at M&M Eye Institute in Prescott, AZ. Earlier this year he earned his Doctor of Optometry degree from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Elizabeth Valenzuela ’15 has been promoted to merchandise manager at Aritzia.

Alyssa Zebrowski ’15 joined Early Childhood Education Professor Theresa Bouley on Connecticut East’s podcast, discussing the lack of diversity in the teaching profession, the lack of diversity in the content found in books for children and other classroom dynamics. Alyssa is a kindergarten teacher in Bridgeport.

Robert “Corey” Keane ’16 will join the Yale baseball staff as an assistant coach for the 2023 season after spending the last five seasons at Quinnipiac, helping the Bobcats to a memorable NCAA tournament run in 2019. Corey helped coach 12 All-MAAC selections for the Bobcats, including three outfielders –the group he worked with primarily. As a student-athlete at Eastern, he helped the Warriors win the Little East Conference Championship in 2014 and was named first team all-conference in 2015. He played five different positions for three different head coaches, and helped the program to more than 100 wins in his career. He graduated from Eastern with a B.A. in Sport Performance.

Jennifer Phipps ’16 is the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s assistant manager of learning and social impact. Jennifer earned a B.A. in Theatre, specializing in acting, directing and scenic design. Prior to her position with the HSO, she spent four years as a lead teacher for the Wallingford Family YMCA and is also a technical support administrator with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, utilizing her skills and experience in video production.

Andrew Falce ’17 was hired as social media manager by CashmanKatz, an advertising agency based in Glastonbury. He will oversee all social media activity for the agency and its clients.

Dajoun Jones ’17 has a new position at City First Broadway, the largest Black-led Minority Depository Institution (MDI) in the United States.

Daniel Mueller ’17 announced on LinkedIn that he is starting a new position as the human resources assistant at Web Industries. He said he was especially moved by one of the company’s values: “The essence to life is relationships.” He wrote, “This motto has definitely served me through my life and career, and I hope to continue throughout my time in human resources!” Daniel earned his degree in psychology at Eastern.

her M.P.H. from Boston University.

Tarchee Brown ’19 joined the Hartford Shockers of the East Coast Basketball League, an independent basketball minor league founded in 2015 with teams operating from New England to the Carolinas.

Natalie Criniti ’19 is pursuing a master’s degree in counseling at the University of Saint Joseph. She is also working on behalf of the American Savings Foundation, providing outreach to high school students to apply for the Foundation’s Robert T. Kenney Scholarship.

Nancy Brennan of Eastern’s Office of Campus Ministry reports that Shawn Dousis ’19 is still working to combat food insecurity among Eastern students through the campus food pantry that bears Shawn’s name. Shawn donated a carload of food and also held a food drive for Shawn’s Cupboard at Horace

Jacqueline Lewis ’19 is the new head softball coach at Fitch High School in New London. As a student at Fitch, Jackie was a two-time Class L All-State selection who helped lead the Falcons to a pair of state championships. At Eastern, she helped lead the Warriors to an NCAA Division III College World Series appearance in 2019. She earned her B.S. in Physical Education.

Jen Porpora ’19 has a new position as marketing coordinator at Sales Xceleration, a company providing outsourced sales leadership that helps businesses build pathways to achieving more sales. Jen was a business administration major at Eastern.

Thanousone Sourignamath ’19 has a new position as a production planner at General Dynamics Electric Boat.

routine citizen calls, dispatchers must relay information to road officers, check on prisoner statuses and handle lobby traffic. But beyond the training, a good dispatcher must also possess the ability to stay cool under pressure. “You’ve got to be that calm voice on the other end of the phone,” Misale said. “It’s about helping the public.”

Jafet Aparicio Santos ’21 works at Trav elers as a data engineer in the Claims Department, focusing on implementing predictive models and automating processes. He works heavily with Python and AWS among other technologies. He spent a year as an intern in the department before being hired in 2021. Jafet is also part of a leadership development program called Business Insights and Analytics.

From left to right: Pablo Cruz ’21, Tyler Madden ’21 and Allen Horn IV ’21

Pablo Cruz ’21 began volunteering at Brooker Memorial Childcare in Torrington in 2014 through a city youth program. After continuing through high school, when he was hired as a float/seasonal assistant, Pablo was hired as a full-time toddler teacher after graduating early in August 2021 with a B.A. in Sociology. “I’ve quite literally grown up at this place, as they’ve seen me transition from a high schooler to a college student and now to a college graduate. This is my dream job, as there’s no other place I would rather work.”

Allen Horn IV ’21 was awarded the Undergraduate Paper Prize from the New England Historical Association (NEHA). His paper, “Little Sorrel, Living Relic of the Lost Cause,” emerged from his Eastern honors research in history under the supervision of Thomas Balcerski, associate professor of history. Allen is now pursuing a master’s degree in history at the University of Maine.

Tyler Madden ’21 received the Rising Star Award as the best new broadcast journalist in the State of Ohio. The award is given by the Associated Press Media Editors.

Ryan Gable ’22 is a new production assistant at ESPN NEXT. Ryan majored in communication with minors in sport management and writing. While at Eastern he was part of the production staff for ETV Sports and eventually became director of sports broadcasting, producing and editing content for Eastern Athletics and helping to run each Eastern sports broadcast.

Emily Hailu ’22 is a social media specialist at Mohegan Sun. A communication major at Eastern with a concentration in applied media production, Emily served video production internships with Eastern’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and Office of Alumni Affairs.

In Mem iam

Anne (Pisarko) Mahalawich '44, M '67 Norwich, CT May 26, 2022

Joseph Picano ’51 Crofton, MD May 22, 2022

Mary Kathleen (Daley) Ring ’51 Norwich, CT June 1, 2021

Irene (Majchier) Gantick ’53 Willington, CT June 11, 2022

Audrey (Hale) Goodhue ’53 Old Saybrook, CT July 19, 2021

Carol (Cerina) Hunsinger ’53 East Calais, VT June 25, 2021

Elizabeth (Hartung) Brodeur ‘54 New London, CT May 28, 2022

Lucille (Caisse) Curland ‘54 Hebron, CT June 4, 2022

Ada (Corn) Roth ’54 Glen Gardner, NJ June 14, 2022

Nancy (Perkins) Fischer ’55 Punta Gorda, FL December 24, 2020

Joan (Lema) Grabowski ’57 Wethers eld, CT January 11, 2022

Adrienne (Ulikowski) Mans eld ’57 Norwich, CT July 27, 2021

John Zukowski ’58 Niantic, CT April 24, 2022

Karen (Pierson) Gaucher ’59 Columbia, CT February 24, 2021

William Gregonis ’59 Tolland, CT January 30, 2022

Herbert Shedro ’59 West Hartford, CT May 14, 2022

Lawrence Colvin ’64 South Windsor, CT May 25, 2022

Jeanne (Tasca) Martin ’64 Manhattan Beach, CA November 22, 2021

Del Anne (MacFarlane) Carey ’65 South Windham, CT March 21, 2022

John Morrill ’70 Columbia, CT January 25, 2022

Peter Kerensky ’71 Lebanon, CT May 4, 2022

Hedda Reichlin ’72 Manchester, CT February 10, 2022

Joseph Uchneat ’73 Sta ord Springs, CT May 24, 2022

Michael Papallo ’74 Meriden, CT June 4, 2022

Linda (Kovacs) Gollenberg ’76 Southbury, CT June 25, 2022

Arnold Hanna ’77 Naples, FL July 7, 2021

Robert Martin ’79 Norwich, CT February 27, 2022

Genevieve Chojnacki ’82 Norwich, CT April 13, 2020

Dale Dumas ’83 San Diego, CA May 3, 2022

Terry Bale Sr. ’87 Hephzibah, GA November 10, 2020

Francine Gould ’87 Hampstead, NC October 21, 2021

Willie Smith Jr. ’87 Hartford, CT August 20, 2021

Peter Blume '91, M '03 Vernon Rockville, CT March 1, 2022

Nancy Newcomb ’91 Vernon Rockville, CT April 7, 2022

Geraldine Evangelista ’92 Tolland, CT February 2, 2022

Stephen A. Jackson ’94 Palm Coast, FL March 13, 2022

Charles Bonadies ’97 Ridge eld, CT March 6, 2022

Lois Carr ’97 Norwich, CT July 11, 2021

Kristin (Levanduski)

Ortolani ’00 Vernon Rockville, CT June 14, 2022

Benjamin Stern ’00 Rockwood, ME May 27, 2022

Andrea Olesnevich ’01 South Windsor, CT February 11, 2022

Kelly ompson ’02 Bristol, CT December 6, 2021

Ian Sullivan ’07 Willimantic, CT April 20, 2022

Dr. Marshall A. Atwater Former Faculty Tolland, CT April 8, 2022

Joel Blain Friend Riverside, CA August 3, 2020

James A. Brown Former Sta Willimantic, CT May 13, 2022

Mary Carsky

Former Faculty Vernon, CT June 2, 2022

Eve E. Corey Student Westport, MA April 19, 2022

Dr. David Edens Former Faculty Storrs Mans eld, CT June 20, 2022

Dr. David G. Haines Faculty Emeritus Brooklyn, CT March 3, 2022

Dr. Sandra C. Holley-Carter Widow of Dr. David G. Carter Sr. Mesa, AZ March 8, 2020

John Risley - Friend Willimantic, CT April 11, 2022

Chance Dian ompson Student Orange, CT July 9, 2022

FINAL THOUGHTS

Eastern students, faculty and sta have returned to a healthy, vibrant campus this fall following more than two years of the global COVID pandemic. Our faculty have sched uled a full complement of on-ground courses, our residential housing sta have welcomed several thousand students returning to live on campus, and we are encouraged by the resumption of many other signs of engaging, active campus life.

Our students demonstrate resilience and resolve as they pursue their college careers. Nonetheless, as we move beyond COVID, many students continue to be challenged to meet the cost of their education. e support we receive from Eastern donors is crucial to our ability to assist students with unmet need. I am grati ed that the spirit of giving has been maintained throughout these di cult times. is past June, we honored several generous donors at the annual President’s Leadership Luncheon.

One of those special friends is David Foster, whose $250,000 gift from the Lester E. and Phyllis M. Foster Foundation was truly a hallmark donation. We also recognized Accounting Professor Moh’d RuJoub, whose endowed family scholarship supports Eastern accounting students. As well, a highly successful fundraising event was held this past April honoring retired Vice President Walter Diaz, raising more than $40,000 to start an endowed scholarship. ese are just a few examples of how Eastern donors are stepping forward to assist students with unmet nancial need.

Annual giving this past year exceeded our goal of $1.5 million, and we project a record $900,000 in scholarship awards this scal year. While I am pleased to report such positive numbers, the heartfelt gratitude we receive from scholarship recipients is our most precious reward.

We live in an increasingly interconnected world community. Eastern is committed to graduating students who are prepared for this 21st century global workplace, dedicated to being active citizens in the communities in which they live, ready to adapt to the inevita ble changes taking place around us. With your support, I am con dent the University can continue to meet our important role.

To each of our supporters, thank you for being part of the Eastern family! With our new online directory and other alumni services — such as our book club and webinar series — there are many other ways for you to stay connected to your alma mater.

Kenneth J. DeLisa Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Chief Human Resources O cer

Within Eastern’s bustling campus, university photographer Tom Hurlbut retreated into the 19-acre Arboretum for calm reflection.

“Our on-campus nature preserve provided a rejuvenating ‘forest bath,’” said Hurlbut, “the pathway and sunlight feeling like optimistic beacons.”

My Eastern. My Story.

Oral History Project

We invite alumni to share memories from their days at Eastern in commemoration of the people and events that impacted their journey. In partnership with Publishing Concepts Inc. (PCI), these stories will be recorded, transcribed and — along with submitted photos — published as a book. Scan the QR code or visit easternct.edu/story for more information. To share your story, call PCI at (877) 728-3091.