39 minute read
An avalanche of media
Mauri Pelto, PhD, professor of environmental science, has studied the impact of climate change on glaciers, including heat waves, for four decades. His research has caught the attention of organizations such as NASA and news media outlets such as the Washington Post, BBC, and most recently, National Geographic. Here, he looks at how an increase in heat waves has led to even greater interest among the press.
Heat waves and glaciers don’t usually go together; however, in the last two years an increasing number of heat waves have affected glacier regions around the world. The impacts of heat waves have been a focus of my research over the last four decades on glaciers. The duration of these studies has not escaped the attention of the media in recent years. In 2021, for the third consecutive year, I have responded to well over 100 media requests.
The beginning of this “heat wave” of observations of a heat wave on glaciers in the Yukon that generated snow swamp. The observations were published in a joint project with NASA’s Earth Observatory (EO). This same heat event led to the observation that the snow lines on Taku Glacier in Alaska were the highest they had been since tracking began in 1946. This decade of high snow lines indicating increased melting, causing the retreat of this glacier for the first time since the glacier was first observed in the 1880s. The work was published in the journal Water and shared with NASA’s EO, which generated interview requests from media in five continents. Of the 250 glaciers I have worked on, this was the last one to begin retreating. I was quoted as saying, “That makes the score global warming: 250 and glaciers: 0.” An all-time temperature record for Antarctica in February 2020 prompted a search for the immediate impacts on glaciers. My observation of the rapid formation of melt ponds on Eagle Island Ice Cap was reported to NASA EO, which published the results within two weeks of the event, leading to further global media coverage.
At top, Mauri Pelto, with Ann Hill, Clara Deck, and Abby Hudak approaching icefall on Easton Glacier, where the team annually measures the snow and ice layer thickness. Above, Pelto with his daughter Jill who, between them, have spent 50 field seasons in the range, are below Columbia Glacier, one of three World Reference glaciers they monitor.
When record warmth spread over the Mount Everest region in January 2021, I noted that the snow lines near Mount Everest had remained at nearly 6,000 meters, including the key glacier passes from Nepal into China being snow free into late January. I reached out to a National Geographic team who had put up weather stations at high elevations on Mount Everest in 2019. This led to a joint project with Prajjwal Panday, assistant professor of environmental science at Nichols, and researchers from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom and Appalachian State University. Temperature observations and reconstructions of daily weather conditions, dating back to 1950, indicated that the region had experienced the five warmest winter days since 1950. Even in the highest mountain range in the world, we are seeing melt conditions during the winter. This study was first published by NASA EO within a month of the event, and then in the journal Remote Sensing.
The next warm weather event was the Pacific Northwest record heat in late June 2021 that set all-time records at almost every location. For glaciers, this rapid snowmelt event attracted the attention of scientists and the media. As a result, as we headed into the field in the North Cascades in August to monitor 10 glaciers, I knew that our results would be noteworthy. A National Geographic reporter joined us for the first four days as we observed the impact of this heat wave. (The article was released on October 13.) It had stripped the snowpack from the glacier earlier in the season than usual, exposing the dirtier ice that lies underneath the snow and melts more rapidly than snow under the same weather conditions. The resulting volume loss during this summer season has been the highest we have observed in our 38 years of monitoring North Cascade glaciers. We observed stunted alpine plant growth, experienced days of smoky air limiting visibility and had to navigate and measure more open crevasses than usual. On Mount Baker, a 10,700-foot stratovolcano, we observed four glaciers. By the end of August, they were 90 percent stripped of their snow cover, instead of being 60 percent snow covered in a balanced-weather year. The mountain itself is noticeably less white, which prompted more media outreach, including the Seattle Times. Mount Shasta in California fared even worse, losing all of its snow cover on glaciers by September 6. The largest glacier on the mountain and in California, Whitney Glacier, began to separate. In all, the glaciers here had lost 50 percent of their area and volume this century, including 10-15 percent this summer, and had fragmented from six into 17 glacier pieces. This was reported in the San Francisco Chronicle and Washington Post.
The bottom line is I have been asked to provide all too many hot takes on the impact of heat events on glaciers, each illustrating that glaciers are simply not compatible with recurring heat waves. This is true from Arctic Canada to the Himalayas from the Andes to Antarctica. This year, for the 34th consecutive year, Alpine glacier volume in the world will decline; their business model is not sustainable with our climate. I’ll continue to document this around the world and report relevant results, which will be featured by science and media organizations.
Mauri Pelto traversing through seracs at the front of the Lower Curtis Glacier. The team camps below Easton Glacier on Mount Baker, where they spent over 750 nights in a tent during the project.
Season openers: New coaches make Bison debut
by Pete DiVito, Sports Information Director The 2021-22 academic year at Nichols College will mark the coaching debut of nine new head coaches in the athletic department, all of whom were hired over the last 18 months. Some joined the Nichols community last year, when all Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) competition was cancelled due to COVID-19, while others arrived on campus just a short time ago. Let’s meet the newest leaders of our student-athletes:
Men’s Basketball
Brock Erickson
A native of Worcester and graduate of Assumption College, Erickson most recently worked at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he spent the 2020-21 campaign as an assistant coach responsible for recruiting. He was the associate head coach at nearby Division I Bryant University for two seasons, during which he helped three student-athletes earn Northeast Conference All-Conference honors as the Bulldogs finished 11th in the nation in rebounds/game. He has been at Kent State and Iona, where he helped the Gales capture the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship in each of his final two seasons to advance to the NCAA Tournament after earning National Invitational Tournament bids in his first two years.
Women’s Basketball
Dan Nagle
Nagle comes to Nichols following a two-year stint as the head girls’ varsity coach at King Philip Regional High School. He helped the Warriors qualify for the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament following a 12-8 season in 2019-20, setting program records for steals, turnovers forced, three-pointers made, and single-game points (84). Previously, he spent three years as the head women’s basketball coach at Fitchburg State, where he inherited a winless team and brought them to consecutive nine-win seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18. He recruited and coached a pair of Massachusetts Small College Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year award winners and spearheaded the program’s involvement in the Special Olympics.
Women’s Soccer
Caitlin Pickul
Pickul came to Dudley after spending the previous four seasons at The College of Holy Cross, first as an assistant coach before rising to associate head coach and, since March 2020, interim head coach. The Crusaders’ coaching staff was named Patriot League Staff of the Year in 2019 after posting the best record in program history while also recording the highest cumulative GPA in the athletic department. Pickul was an assistant women’s soccer coach for five seasons at Wellesley College where, after posting a combined record of 11-22-6 during her first two seasons with the program, the Blue went 25-21-12 over the next three, finishing above the .500 mark in each campaign.
Men’s Hockey
Michael Parnell ’17
A member of the 2015-16 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Championship squad, Parnell returned to Dudley as an assistant coach in 2019 before being named head coach in July 2020. As an undergraduate at Nichols, Parnell amassed 19 points in 69 games during
his time in black and white and served as team captain as a senior, when he received the Hal Chalmers Memorial Award for Dedication and Sportsmanship. Parnell, who was a member of the ECAC Northeast Academic All-Conference Team in 2015-16, also served as the recruiting coordinator upon his return to the Hill, effectively recruiting junior hockey leagues throughout the United States, Canada and Europe to the tune of 13 freshmen this fall.
Cheerleading
Mariah Vasquez
Vasquez comes to Nichols from Medford High School, where she served as the cheerleading coach during the 2018-19 season. She guided the Mustangs to a Grand Championship in a competition in West Springfield and a second-place finish at the Greater Boston League in 2019. The Mustangs later advanced to the second round of the Massachusetts School Administrators Association Regionals and just missed qualifying for the state championship. The Grand Championship was the first co-ed title for Medford in school history.
Women’s Hockey
Michael Barrett
Barrett was hired to lead the women’s ice hockey program in September after spending the better part of the last 30 years as a member of the Quinnipiac University athletic department, most recently as the director of athletic and School of Communications development. He began his tenure in Hamden as an assistant coach with the men’s ice hockey program and later took over the head coaching reins of the women’s ice hockey program, where he spent six seasons. Barrett took over a women’s program in its second year of varsity competition and guided it to a pair of 10+ win seasons. Barrett, who worked as a color analyst on QU women’s and men’s broadcasts from 2008-19, began his collegiate coaching career at Sacred Heart in 2000 when he took over a women’s team that was transitioning from Division III to Division I.
Field Hockey
Laura-Ann (“LA”) Lane
A three-time Colonial States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and the 2018 Atlantic East Conference Coach of the Year, Lane came to Nichols in the summer of 2020 from Gwynedd Mercy University, where she spent the last 13 years as the head field hockey coach, senior woman administrator, athletics work-study coordinator, and mentor for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Lane guided the Griffins to nine consecutive championship games — including four-straight CSAC Championships (2011-14) — and six NCAA Tournament appearances. She mentored 89 all-conference studentathletes (45 first-team selections) during her time in Gwynedd Valley with seven earning Player of the Year nods and two receiving Rookie of the Year accolades.
Men’s and Women’s Tennis
Cris Popa
Popa came to Nichols from nearby Eastern Nazarene College, where he was named Commonwealth Coast Conference Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year on four occasions during 17 seasons at the helm of the men’s program. After guiding ENC to a back-to-back appearance in the CCC Championship match, the Lions captured the 2019 Greater Northeast Athletic Conference Championship in 2019 and won their NCAA First Round match. Popa also guided the women’s tennis program for 13 seasons and, after advancing to the GNAC Semifinals in 2018 (13-5 record), the Lions captured the 2019 GNAC Championship.
Men’s and Women’s Volleyball
Casey Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick, who spent the 2018-19 campaign as an assistant with the men’s program at Nichols, returned to Dudley in August following a two-year stint as the men’s volleyball head coach at Division III Adrian College. While in Michigan, he was named the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League Coach of the Year in his first season in 2020 after guiding the Bulldogs to a 10-9 mark and a firstplace finish. The Bulldogs led the conference in both kills/set and digs/ set. At Adrian, Fitzpatrick coached five MCVL All-Conference student-athletes, including the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year. This past season, the Bulldogs received the Team Academic Award from the U.S. Marine Corps/American Volleyball Coaches Association.
1972
Class Champion:
Mark Alexander
mark1alex12@gmail.com
1973
Class Champion:
Jay Reese
(508) 359-7862 jay.reese@verizon.net
A note was received from Richard Barber, who reports that he has been spending time in Aruba: I have been retired for 24 years and am enjoying every minute of my retirement. With seven grandchildren and one headed to UConn to be a pharmacist this year, I can’t be any prouder of what my children and grandchildren have accomplished.
Fred Fogel says that he retired and is living in Reynolds Lake Oconee in Greensboro, GA: For all you golfers, I am sure you are familiar with the community. If you are ever in the area feel free to look me up! I am getting married on 2/22/2022 and going to the Maldives for a honeymoon. If anyone has been to the Maldives, please give me a heads up.
Gregory Pogue shares that he retired from The College of New Jersey in July and now holds the title of vice president of human resources, emeritus.
Andy Rich shares that he too was retired for one year, but then they called him back. Now he is working part time, spending time with his three grandchildren and traveling as COVID permits. He reports that he thinks of Nicky U often and would like to attend Homecoming soon.
1983
These Bison never leave home without a Nichols banner, from left, Dan ’83 and Pam Murphy
’84, Mark Fagan ’84 “Bubba“
Battaini ’84, Bob Barry ’83.
1985
Class Champion:
John Donahue
609-257-8717 Johndonahue1234@gmail.com
Sue (McElroy) Bacarella reports: Ross ’84 and I are doing well, splitting our time between Connecticut and Palm Beach Gardens, FL. We have six kids and four grandchildren. We own a logistics company called BTX Global Logistics based in Shelton, CT.
Nancy L. (Russo) Davis shares an update: I received my MBA from Nichols in 2014 and a doctorate from Nova Southeastern in 2019, and I’m currently enrolled in law school. Yes, I am a professional student; it certainly feels like that. If I continue, I will complete my JD in 2024. It’s a long time away, and I’m reinventing the wheel!
A couple memories from my time at Nichols: The first person I met was Debbie Cassella, who was my roommate at the time. She made an impression on me because she convinced me to stay at Nichols and not transfer to a college in Florida that I was accepted to. Lou Testa ’84 helped shape my attitude about working. When he hired me in the Boston office for U.S. Lines, I attribute my excellent work ethic to him. He taught me well and started me on a lifelong journey of success in all positions I have held.
John Donahue shares: I became a grandfather to this bundle of happiness in October 2020. That’s a rice cake in his mouth. He was just starting to break teeth and has a good start with the team of choice on his bib.
Mary Carlson Mangano says hello! She was on her way to Ohio State University to drop off her son Chris who will enter his freshman year and serve under the Naval ROTC Program.
Joan (Koonce) Stearns says: We have moved to Vero Beach, FL, and I am still in the golfing world. I am the controller for Riomar Country Club. If ever in the area, please let me know.
1991
Class Champion:
Donna Small
336-692-5157 dsmall9242000@yahoo.com
1992
Class Champion:
Keith Hofbeck
khofbeck@comcast.net
1994
Class Champion:
Danielle Troiano Sprague
thedwoman@yahoo.com
Please send your Class Notes news directly to your class champion. If you do not have a class champion, news may be forwarded to classnotes@nichols. edu. Digital images are preferred, but please do not crop them! The higher the resolution the better — 300 dpi (dots per inch) is best. Digital images may be sent directly to the Alumni Relations Office classnotes@nichols.edu. Prints may be sent to: Nichols College, Alumni Relations Office, P.O. Box 5000, Dudley, MA 01571.
2000
Class Champion:
Andrea Sacco
Andrea.j.Sacco@gmail.com
2001
Class Champion:
David Twiss
978-979-7658 David.twiss14@gmail.com
2002
Class Champion:
John Larochelle
john.larochelle1@gmail.com
Robert Cleary, president and CEO of ClearComIT Solutions, announces that, after facing one of the most challenging economic setbacks in their 20-year history, the company has been recognized with two business awards. It was named No. 3662 on the Inc. 5000 list of the most successful, independently owned businesses in the U.S., out of over 7 million businesses. With 92 percent three-year growth, ClearComIT has expanded to manage the IT of over 100 organizations along the East Coast. It was also chosen for the fifth consecutive year by the editors at Channel Futures as one of the technology industry’s top-performing providers of manager services, based on annual sales, recurring revenue, profit margins, revenue mix, growth opportunities, innovation, technology solutions supported, and company and consumer demographics.
He says: To be included on these two prestigious lists is a testament to the amazing team we have and the wonderful clients we partner with. The landscape regarding cybersecurity has shifted immensely in the past year. In response, we have expanded our cybersecurity services to keep our partners safe and secure. We are now protecting against treats that didn’t exist 10, five, or even two years ago. Educating our clients
on safe email practices and data protection with ongoing training has been key in keeping everyone protected. ClearComIT is focused on delivering ongoing, exceptional service and support, responding to our clients’ evolving IT needs and demands quickly and effectively.
The children of Heather (Bassett) Pike and Erin (Hickie) Gaffny show their Bison Pride.
2003
Class Champion:
Jillian (Hayes) Smerage
Jnhayes80@gmail.com
2005
Class Champion:
Melissa Jackson
msmeljackson@gmail.com
Kerry (Barnes)
Cole and husband Steven welcomed Elizabeth Grace on August 16.
Jeremy Lemoine was promoted to AVP, Northeast region distribution leader, at Chubb.
2006
Class Champion:
Erica Boulay
erica.boulay@hotmail.com
Sheen Farner MBA ’14 was promoted to director of budget & financial reporting at Day Kimball Healthcare.
2007
Class Champion:
Meaghan Larkin
meaglark@gmail.com
2008
Class Champion:
Nicole Curley
nsc3129@gmail.com
2010
Class Champion:
Katelyn Vella
katelyn.vella@yahoo.com
2012
Elizabeth Sullivan welcomed Rowan Charlotte O’Donnell on July 27, 2021, saying, “We are overjoyed and couldn’t be more in love with our future baby Bison!”
Christopher Pagliccia welcomed a new baby to the family, Leonardo Hugo. A potential fourth-generation Bison!
Courtney and Michael Simoni
are now a herd of four! Tyler Michael was born on June 28, joining big sister Carey Marie.
2013
Class Champion: Ryan Flavin rtflavin@gmail.com
2014
Ryan Foley MBA ’16 was named to the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.
2015
Class Champion:
Andrew Haas & Mike Ricci
andrewhaas3@gmail.com michaeljamesricci@gmail.com
Matt Taylor
and Jenn
Townsend ’17
have adopted a puppy, Roo.
2016
Class Champion:
Stacie Converse
converse.stacielee@gmail.com
Caitlin Peloquin welcomed a baby girl, Dakota Gloria, on March 29.
Mackenzie Scheer was promoted to senior manager, human resources business partner, at Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc.
Kim Whalen was promoted to risk management examiner III at the Massachusetts Division of Banks.
Colin Whitney, a former Nichols College golfer, played in the Golf Fights Cancer Golf Marathon on June 3 to help raise awareness and funds for DetecTogether (formerly 15-40 Connection). The organization was founded by Nichols Trustee James W. Coghlin Sr. ’67 and his wife Nancy to teach people how to recognize the earliest warning signs of cancer. Colin played 100 holes at Juniper Hill Golf Course in Northborough, MA, to honor his sister Caitlin, who was helped by the organization to detect breast cancer in the early stages; today she is seven years cancer free. A highlight of the day was Colin’s hole-in-one on a par 4 hole, a first for that hole in Juniper Hill’s history. Pictured is Colin with his father, Mark, and Jim Coghlin.
2017
Class Champions:
Nicole LaBrack & Gina Petruzzi
njlabrack13@verizon.net gmp0626@aol.com Alycia Allard adopted a puppy, Mocha.
Nikki LaBrack was promoted to account coordinator for Enterprise Fleet Management, working on the corporate side of the business. She spent the last two years working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Nikki LaBrack, Gina Petruzzi,
Lindsay Baker, Cally Audet, Ali
Hanlon, Julia Zawacki Andrew Pelc is engaged to Cynthia Zayas Torres.
2018
Ryan Meagher was promoted to senior manager of premium seating at the Worcester Red Sox.
2019
Class Champion:
Brian O’Riodan
boriordan78@gmailcom
Nicole “Kiki” Guerin was promoted to branch manager at Enterprise.
Taylor Kerr
and Miles
Meacham ’20
are engaged!
2020
Michael Battaini was promoted to college unit director at Northwestern Mutual, where in 2020 he was named as one of the Top 100 Financial Representative Interns in the country.
Sometimes you just have to press play
Eric Aukstikalnis ’17
Eric Aukstikalnis ’17 holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a finance major from Nichols College and is now following his dreams by pursuing a career in the music industry. Today the Worcester native splits his time between Los Angeles, Atlanta and Massachusetts. He has achieved over a million monthly listeners on Spotify and has worked with notable artists such as Dolly Parton, and this is just the beginning!
Aukstikalnis’ interest in music started at the age of 10. “I asked Santa for a PlayStation, instead I got a piano,” he recalls. “The piano sat in my room for months until I was bored enough to give it a try. Once I started, I was hooked. I spent hours listening to music on YouTube and teaching myself how to play.”
The interest intensified in high school when, in addition to the piano, he learned to play the trumpet, and even led the school orchestra. He was also a competitive golfer, winning several New England PGA junior tournaments and starting to gain attention from D1 schools. But in his junior year, he suffered a back injury, which turned out to be a pivotal moment for his future. “While recovering from my back injury, I turned to my music. It was during this period that I started to create my own songs,” Aukstikalnis reflects. “I was very inspired by pop icons like Justin Bieber and One Direction. I can remember clearly hearing the One Direction song ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and thinking, ‘Wow, that is so catchy. I want to create music like that.’”
With a proficiency in math and an interest in the investment world, Aukstikalnis enrolled at Nichols to pursue a concentration in finance. Music continued to be a big part of his life, starting in his freshman year as a resident of the beloved Budleigh Hall. “Our floor was a tight knit group, a strong community,” he shares with a smile. “I used to do open mic nights at Nichols and even won the talent show with a song that I wrote. All of my Budleigh friends knew I created music. They were supportive and always wanted to know what I was working on.”
After his first year, Aukstikalnis commuted to Nichols, attending full time, working full time, and spending as much time as possible creating music. He’d go to class, get to the library to do his schoolwork and then work on his music, often staying until the library closed at 2 a.m. Sometimes he’d crash with a friend or even take a nap in his car and do it all over again. For him, as long as he could work on his music, he was happy.
Upon graduating in 2017, Aukstilkalnis was at a crossroads as he contemplated his options: “I could take the safe route and live a great life as a finance executive and maybe play in a cover band with my buddies on Thursday night or I could give music a real shot.” He thought about his father, who always advised “follow your dreams.” He also recalled a speaker at Nichols, a fisher who tried for six years to turn his passion into a career. The moral of the story was that he went for it, lived his dream and, even when it didn’t work out, he was only 28 and could quickly pivot his future. Aukstikalnis decided to go all in with music, to live a life with no regrets that his father would be proud of.
In 2018 he moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the music community. His friend, manager, and fellow Worcester native, Ernest Osei, invited him to stay with him while he got his career started. The move proved to be critical to building the right network of people needed to create the music, like pulling together the puzzle pieces of a song. He worked hard and started to
Eric Aukstikalnis is following his dream and making it in the music business.
see success. Notable records include “Faith,” featuring Dolly Parton and DJ Galantis, “Losing My Religion,” featuring MKLA, “Get Like Me,” with Bhad Bhabie and featuring NLE Choppa, “Stars In My Eyes,” “Wasted On You,” “Missing You,” featuring DJ Tez Cady, and “Monsters” featuring 24KGoldn.
Aukstikalnis considers himself a music producer. “I like to work directly with an artist from the ground up and collaborate on every element of the song,” he says. His creative process starts with an idea, which he develops to its fullest potential so that it sounds as good as it can based on his vision. Then he works to present this as a product that others would want to buy.
Skills he learned and honed at Nichols. “College taught me how to think, how to think outside the box, how to carry myself, interact with different types of people from all walks of life,” he remarks. “When you submerge yourself in the college experience you naturally gain valuable experiences, experiences that I know help me in my career today.”
As for his goals, Aukstikalnis confidently states, “I want to be the biggest DJ and music producer in the world.” This self-proclaimed underdog says he may not be the most gifted person in the room, but he will certainly be the hardest working with a can-do attitude and charisma to back it up. True to his decision, he harbors no regrets. And, echoing his father’s wisdom, he advises, “No matter what, it is never too late to follow your dreams. If you have a dream don’t be afraid of failure. If you live your life fearing failure you will never truly achieve success.”
Eric Aukstikalnis shares his music under the name Aukoustics. Search “Aukoustics” on Spotify or any music streaming service. Follow his journey on social media @aukoustics.
– Jillian Riches
Two alumni named to Board of Trustees
Jaime Paris Boisvert ’98 and Amahl H. Williams ’02 have been elected to the Nichols Board of Trustees, beginning their terms in May and October, respectively.
Paris Boisvert is the director of the Higher Education Vertical Market for Johnson Controls, which is well known for delivering solutions that optimize buildings and infrastructure by improving energy efficiency, data analysis, comfort, safety and security. Previously she was the general manager of the Boston Branch at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, where she served in a number of capacities over 12 years. She began her career through the Nichols Career and Professional Development Center as an account executive at AT&T, moving onto MAC Systems, followed by a stint as director of sales & marketing for Chace Building Supply of Conn.
Williams, a three-sport varsity captain at Nichols, has spent his career in sales and marketing leadership roles focusing on the monetization of new and adjacent technologies for the Fortune500 and Global2000. He is currently a partner at Reveal Group, as well as a contributor at Forbes as a member of the Forbes Communications Council. He serves as a volunteer mentor at BUILD, which provides hands-on entrepreneurship training and college prep to help stem the high school drop-out rate. He was also a member of the Nichols Board of Advisors, a member of the Colonel Conrad Society, and is a founding advisor for the Nichols College Center for Intelligent Process Automation.
Paris Boisvert Williams
s Keep calm and adapt
Alf Anderson III ’98
If recessions were rodeos, this isn’t Alf Anderson’s first. As the executive director of the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce, Anderson has been guiding the New England magnet businesses and members through the challenges brought to the iconic coastal New England tourist destination by the pandemic. By digging deep into past career and life experience from a decade ago in the Great Recession, Anderson has ensured Bar Harbor business members recovery and success.
Anderson grew up in Connecticut, living with two older sisters, his mother and stepfather. Those who know him best describe him from a young age as calm, focused, devoted, caring and very funny. A happy teenager and hard-worker, Anderson doesn’t recall much more of an influence to attend Nichols College aside from two of his close high school friends were going there. He thoroughly enjoyed his time on campus and classes and made connections he holds dear to this day.
With a longtime interest in marketing and advertising, his professional pursuits following graduation landed him on Boston’s North Shore for the next 15 years. Anderson started out in event planning for a publishing company which grew into a role in advertising sales. He thrived, overachieving against targets while managing a team and an $8 million annual budget. By 2012, the recession had impacted his company and industry irreparably. When his position was eliminated, his next job was one he calls “one of the most rewarding experiences he’s ever had” as a crew member at Trader Joe’s. Empowered by positivity, Anderson overcame what should have been a challenging time in his career journey.
With these professional changes came flexibility, so when his wife, Heather, had a job opportunity that meant relocating to Mount Desert Island, Maine, Anderson was in. Heather had grown up in southern Maine and they celebrated their wedding in the state six years prior. However, the one and only time Alf had been to Bar Harbor before moving there had been seven years earlier. The Andersons had escaped Boston to enjoy a quintessential getaway down east where they indulged in lobster on the water, hiked in Acadia National Park, drove to the summit of Cadillac Mountain. They’ve since settled near Bar Harbor, along with their Great Dane, Pippy. Home, he says, is “one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s an amazing place to live, and I’m very fortunate.”
When the Bar Harbor Chamber was seeking someone to run their events program, Anderson applied. His potential to lead was clear and his role developed into marketing and membership responsibilities with a promotion to executive director in 2019. Outside of promoting the town as a global destination for tourists in summer and fall, the Bar Harbor Chamber supports businesses yearround. The pandemic put Anderson and his team to the test but the success of members adapting and overcoming challenges feels like the chamber’s own success. Their marketing and social media has greatly contributed to engaging visitors in all seasons. The chamber’s site, visitbarharbor.com, is not just a resource for tourists; local visitors and residents can find all there is to experience year-round.
Anderson’s advice to Nichols graduates starting out in their careers is a powerful reminder for all: “It’s so important to listen to people.” He also says to stay positive and open-minded. And, when faced with a recession or other career changes and challenges, be adaptable. “If you’re not adaptable, you’re probably going to get left behind,” he adds. “You’ve got to be able to roll with the punches.” Or find a way to stay on that bull the whole ride.
These Bison friends from the Class of 1998 adapted to a virtual reunion during the pandemic. On the call were Kosta Haveles, Stan Crosby, Jeff Haffty, Mike LaVigne, Ken Stockhaus, Dave Sokolnicki ’97, Kevin Fournier ’96, and Alf Anderson, feeling it was as if not a day, let alone more 20 years, had passed since they were all together.
– Molly Thienel
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Lester R. “Rally” Thomas ’48, of Montpelier, VT, March 28, 2021: He served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. He worked in the banking industry for 40 years, spending much of it as a vice president at Worcester County National Bank. Among his many volunteer commitments, he was a past trustee at Nichols College.
Edward C. Wheaton ’48, of Millville, NJ, August 3, 2021: He was a member of the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1945 to 1948. He retired in 1992 as the president of Wheaton Scientific, where he worked for 42 years.
Roy Zabriskie ’49, of Vero Beach, FL, July 21, 2021: He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Sheppard Air Force base in Texas. He was the owner and president of Zabriskie Chevrolet in Paterson, NJ, before retiring in 1978.
Carl J. Kurtgis ’51, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, March 9, 2021: A veteran of the Korean War, he worked in the family businesses, including wholesale floral supply, and retired from Berkeley Floral Supply in Miami.
John H. Perry ’51, of Hutchinson Island, FL, April 10, 2021: He served in the U.S. Army and worked 50 years for Araban Coffee Co., starting as a salesperson and retiring as its sole owner.
Peter M. Polstein ’51, of Oxford, CT, January 5, 2021: He served in the U.S Army, where he posted in the Far East during the Korean War. He was an insurance broker in New York City and worked for Alexander and Alexander for 20 years, retiring in 1997.
John A. Chesebro Jr. ’53, of North Providence, RI, March 9, 2021: He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving overseas during the Korean War. He worked as a civil engineer for the City of Providence for many years before retiring.
David R. Eisner ’53, of Niskayuna, NY, September 25, 2019: He served in Japan during the Korean War. He worked for General Electric doing early research work on television, and later at the GE corporate R&D Lab, where he was part of a team that developed Doppler ultrasound, CAT scanner, and MRI system. Gerald T. LaMarque ’54, of Edgartown, MA, on January 12, 2021: He was president of LaMarque Marine Services Inc., a marine survey business he started in 1976. His business was active in both the New York/Connecticut areas, Solomons, Md., and Martha’s Vineyard, where he spent summers from 1973.
Jack C. Hult ’54, of Branford, CT, June 28, 2021: He served in the tank division of the U.S. Army and spent many years as a driver for Shell Oil.
Bruce Bartlett ’55, of Winchendon, MA, July 2, 2021: He was a U.S. Air Force reservist and his family reports that Nichols laid the groundwork for a successful career in business and a love of sports.
James P. Russell ’55, Verona, NJ, April 6, 2021: He started as an insurance executive at MetLife and continued his career at New Jersey Life and Casualty Insurance Co. He then founded Spectrum Lighting. An inventor and manufacturer, he held several patents on corner lighting concept.
Harold P. “Pick” Jurgens ’58, of Hudson, NY, March 29, 2021: He worked at J. Kenneth Frasier & Associates as a consulting engineer and was the owner and operator of the Cairo Water Co. and owner of the Torchlite Campsites.
Harry Clemence ’60, of Albuquerque, NM, August 4, 2021: A member of the U.S. Marine Corps, he served three combat tours in Vietnam, flying the UH-34D helicopter and KC-130F, earning 43 air medals (860 combat missions) and the Navy Commendation Medal. Retiring as a major in 1982, he flew for Muse Air, Transtar Airlines, and then Continental Airlines until he retired in 2000. David P. Benson ’67, of Villalba, Spain, formerly of Riverside, RI, August 22, 2020: A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, where he was stationed in California and then Madrid, he worked at the Veterans Administration in Providence.
Kenneth D. Walters ’67, of New Haven, CT, July 18, 2020: He served two years in the U.S. Army with the 82nd Airborne Division and worked in Greenwich and Stamford in sales, tree service, and construction until retiring in 1996.
Michael J. Carney ’68, of Naples, FL, May 24, 2020: He served in the U.S. Air Force as a T-38 Jet instructor pilot during the Vietnam War. He was a professor at Bentley University, later serving as vice president of human resources and retired as HR VP at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He was inducted into the Nichols Athletic Hall of Fame for baseball and football in 1976.
John M. Harrison ’68
John M. Harrison ’68, of Woodmere, NY died on April 24, 2021. He was a longtime volunteer leader at Nichols College, first on the Board of Trustees and most recently on the Board of Advisors. He endowed a scholarship in 2016, and was a member of the Colonel Conrad Legacy Society. Harrison enjoyed a successful career in marketing as a partner or principal at several firms, including Harrison Leifer DiMarco where he was president for 20 years. Survivors include his wife, Carol, two daughters, two grandchildren, and two siblings.
Alvah O. Rock ’63
Alvah O. Rock ’63 of Bay Shore, NY, died on August 31, 2021. He worked in banking before transitioning to real estate in 1981 and then facilities management and services at The McGraw-Hill Companies, retiring in 2003. An ardent supporter of Nichols, he and his wife Susan endowed a scholarship in 2016 and helped complete the extension to the college’s Bicentennial Campaign. Rock was a charter member of the Board of Advisors and has served on the Board of Trustees since 2018. In addition to his wife, he leaves four children and nine grandchildren.
Robert J. Cassella ’69, of Albany, NY, April 3, 2021: In addition to his Nichols degree, he earned an associate degree in civil engineering and spent his professional life as a manufacturing plant manager.
Donald S Labonte ’72, of Rochester, NY, August 18, 2021: He was a management specialist for the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in a career that 48 years at various agencies in New York State.
George F. Cressey II ’74, of Kennebunk, ME, May 20, 2021: He was the co-founder of W.C. Cressey & Son, Inc., where he and his father served as distributors for Thomas Built Buses in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. In 2019, he was presented with a Meritorious Service Award in honor of 53 years serving Kennebunk Fire Rescue.
Garrish J. Sloat ’74, of Norwalk, CT, April 5, 2021: He was a member of the Greenwich Police Department, and following retirement, was the owner and operator of Sloat Security Services LLC, providing security, driving instruction, and transportation.
Timothy C. Paddock ’77 of The Villages, FL, June 27, 2021: He served in the U.S. Navy in aviation ordnance. He owned a real estate development company, and, after working for a time with Ernst & Young, started his own CPA firm in 2005. James K. Urban MBA ’90, of Southborough, MA, March 21, 2021: He served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and worked for several companies in his career, including Brown, Brothers Harriman, Bay Bank, and Data General.
Richard H. Ayres MBA ’91, of Ringoes, NJ, May 21, 2021: He served with the U.S. Navy from 1978 to 1982 and was vice president of operations and plant manager for Mold-Rite Plastics in Somerset, and formerly at 3M in Southbridge, MA, and Indianapolis, IN. Margaret I. Duquette ’93, of Worcester, MA, March 10, 2021: She was employed by Melville Shoe and Assumption College before beginning a long career in banking as a human resource manager, working 19 years at Bay State Savings Bank and 10 years as an officer and trustee of Westborough Bank, before retiring in 2007 from Avidia Bank.
Millicent P. Maziarski MBA ’96 of Melrose, MA, March 2, 2021: For the past 24 years, she was the manager of finance and administration at MilliporeSigma in Burlington.
Kristopher M. Johnson MSOL ’16, of Charleston, SC, March 20, 2021: He was the assistant basketball coach at Eastern Connecticut University, followed by four years as head basketball coach at Lawrence Academy. Most recently, he was an athletic director and basketball coach at West Nottingham Academy, where he led them to the 2018 championship season.
STAFF George C. Proulx, of Southbridge, MA, June 29, 2021: Former assistant director of admissions, he previously had a 36-year career as a high school counselor and guidance administration at Acton Boxborough, Minnechaug, and Shepherd Hill.
Eugene J. Kerrigan ’80
Eugene J. Kerrigan ’80, of Hyde Park, MA, died on July 31, 2021. He had a career in finance, most recently as a financial advisor for Bay State Financial. As a dedicated volunteer at Nichols, Kerrigan served as the president of the Alumni Board and a member of the Board of Trustees. He was a frequent participant in the annual alumni golf tournament. His survivors include his wife Joyce and four children, among them is Christopher, a 2012 graduate of Nichols.
The next Golden Bison Bulletin is coming this winter!
Be sure to send your submissions and any updated seasonal address information to:
Nichols College Attn. Jillian Riches PO Box 5000 Dudley, MA 01571
Catch up on past editions and the happenings of alumni who have celebrated their 50th reunions and beyond. alumni.nichols.edu/nichols-publications/
At 6 feet 8 inches, William S. Edmunds ’62 was well known as “Big Bill” in his community. His family describes him as a sociable person with lots of friends, a “gentle giant” almost, and a successful salesman who was admired and appreciated by clients for his professionalism and integrity.
Edmunds, who lived in his native Vermont his entire life, was a car enthusiast and collector who loved travel, sports, and eating at diners.
But his family also remembers more challenging times. In the 1950s, when Edmunds towered over the other children at school, he was teased and bullied for his unusual height, and dealing with a learning disorder that would have likely remained undiagnosed and unaccommodated back then. At Nichols College, however, Edmunds flourished. Like many students of his generation, he was taken under the wing of Nichols president, Colonel James Conrad, Sr., and given the support and confidence he needed to confront his struggles. Embracing his stature, the management major even played varsity and intramural basketball.
So, shortly after his passing in January 2019, when the college received word of a generous bequest from the Edmunds estate, his sister reached out with the idea of using the six-figure gift to expand services for Nichols students with learning differences.
The college currently offers outreach, academic counseling, and course accommodations to students who document learning needs. That number has grown 55 percent in the past five years, according to Edward Kolek, PhD, assistant dean for learning services, with more than 60 students receiving learning accommodations this fall.
Kolek has found individual meetings with students to be the most effective method of ensuring they get the support they need to reach their academic goals. But with Kolek conducting all the meetings — approximately 40 a week, with most students on a weekly basis — help was needed with other services, such as proctoring exams for students who require additional time or resources.
Using the Edmunds bequest, Nichols is in the process of hiring a learning services coordinator who will oversee the Testing Center, assist Kolek with student meetings to advise, coach, and mentor students, and explore resources to benefit the greatest number of students with learning differences.
“The college and Learning Services Office is very thankful and appreciative for this financial support to be able to better serve our students during these very difficult times,” says Kolek.
Edward Kolek, PhD
Assistant Dean for Learning Services
Bill Edmunds at Nichols College in 1962
If you are interested in learning more about including Nichols College in your legacy, please contact Jillian Riches at jillian.riches@nichols.edu.
Together Again: Homecoming 2021
Moments in Time
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YOUR SUPPORT MAKES AN IMPACT.
Thanks to the support of donors, I have had incredible experiential learning opportunities at
Nichols College, such as volunteering at Super
Bowl LIV in Miami. Now, I am pursuing my Master of Science in Organizational Leadership while working as a graduate assistant. Nichols has given so much to me, and it’s my goal to pay it forward now and beyond my time
❞on the Hill.
Cari Cyr ’21
Sport Management Major Hospitality Management Major Emerging Leaders Program Graduate Assistant
