Oswego - Spring 2013 by Oswego Alumni Association

Oswego Alumni Association of the State University of New York at Oswego n Vol. 39, No. 2 n SPRING 2013

Fights, Falls, Fires

Hollywood Stuntwoman Joanna Shelmidine ’89 Dodges Danger Every Day

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n Making Movies,

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Making Magic n College Prep Starts with ABC n Romancing the Ruins

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Won’t you come

Experience the Past . . . Explore the Future JUNE 6-9

Grab the keys to the DeLorean, hop a train or (Mc) Fly — however you get here don’t miss the biggest alumni party of the year! Relive your past . . . and check out all the changes we’ve made on campus. See the Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation rising. Marvel at renovations to Park, Wilber and Piez. And you won’t believe what we’ve done to save our clock tower! So rev up your time machine to 88 MPH and join your friends and classmates at Reunion 2013! Everyone is welcome, but special events are planned for these milestone classes and groups: 70th - 1943 65th - 1948 60th - 1953 55th - 1958 50th - 1963 45th - 1968 40th - 1973

Delta Chi Omega/TKE 35th - 1977, 1978, 1979 Delta Kappa Kappa Football Alumni GOLD Alumni 25th - 1988 Omega Delta Phi 15th - 1997, 1998, 1999 Omicron Xi Phi Lambda Phi Phi Sigma Phi 10th – 2003 Pi Delta Chi Alpha Delta Eta Alpha Sigma Chi (ASA) Psi Phi Gamma Sigma Gamma 90th Anniversary Theta Chi Rho Arethusa Eta Wrestling Alumni Beta Tau Epsilon

Reunion Hotline: 315-312-5559 E-mail: reunion@oswego.edu Watch for registration materials in the mail this spring! Check the Web site for additional groups and for the most up-to-date information: www.oswego.edu/reunion Advance registration is required.

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Alumni Association of the State University of New York at Oswego Vol. 39, No. 2

Fights, Falls, Fires 24

Joanna Shelmidine ’89 shares a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a Hollywood stuntwoman. PLUS Disney Exec Janice Simcoe ’83 played host to Oswego’s Hollywood POV. AND Producer Andrew Miano ’95 makes movie magic.

Romancing the Ruins

History graduate Rob Yasinsac ’99 brings bygone buildings back to life with his photography.

College Prep Starts with ABC 32 La Rae M. Martin-Coore ’99 opens her heart — and her home — to keep inner city girls on their path to college.

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Campus Currents Calendar Sports Class Notes Weddings In Memoriam

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On the cover:

Joanna Shelmidine ’89 visited Waterman Theatre, where her career in motion pictures had its start. Photo by Bob Mescavage

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President’s Desk From the Hollywood hills to the bright lights of Broadway, from the pages of major magazines to the studios of ESPN and NBC, and from the art galleries of New President York to the concert Deborah F. Stanley halls of major cities, graduates of Oswego’s School of Communication, Media and the Arts (SCMA) are making a name for themselves…and their alma mater. We are so proud of all of their accomplishments. And we are especially pleased to feature in this issue stuntwoman Joanna Shelmidine ’89, Disney executive Janice Simcoe ’83 and movie producer Andrew Miano ’95.

Oswego Alumni Magazine

Theses accomplished professionals, in the spotlight today, are among the thousands of graduates from the departments of art, music, theatre, communications and broadcasting, the fields that have long been studied at SUNY Oswego and now are combined in SCMA, our newest school. The inspiring successes of our graduates from these areas form a springboard for the future. This year, we welcome the leadership of our inaugural volunteer Advisory Board to the school, as plans are under way for a renewal of the physical spaces that now house SCMA. It’s all in the future, so as they say in show business … “Stay tuned!”

the Editor’s Pen F r o m

One day last winter my daughter texted me, “Check out this cool website! Is this where Grandpa worked?” I followed the link to pictures of the abandoned rug mill in Amsterdam, N.Y., where my father ran the boiler for more than a quarter century, and scrolled through photo after photo of the ruins. There were the stairs my father climbed on his way to work. Here was the control panel, now rusted, that regulated the mighty boilers. A photo hangs in my living room of my father standing in front of the same dials. My father died seven years before Katie was born, but now she — and I — could share his world in a way never before possible. I recognized the photographer’s name: Rob Yasinsac ’99 was one of our “40 Under 40” alumni from the Summer 2005 issue. The next morning I

Elizabeth Locke Oberst Publisher Michele Reed Editor Shane M. Liebler Associate Editor Jim Russell ’83 Staff Photographer Kiefer Creative Graphic Design Lisa Potter Memorials Brittany Hoffmann ’14 Intern

Julie Harrison Blissert Adele Burk Tyler J. Edic ’13 John Gray ’85 Jeff Rea ’71 Amy Speach Contributing Writers Robert J. Clark ’78 Tyler J. Edic ’13 David Lassman Bob Mescavage Chuck Perkins Chuck Wainwright Contributing Photographers

The Oswego Alumni Association, Inc. Board of Directors Keith Chamberlain ’87 President Nancy Smith Salisbury ’93 First Vice President Donna Goldsmith ’82 Second Vice President William Schreiner ’92 Past President Elizabeth Locke Oberst Executive Director Tim Barnhart ’02 Marc Beck ’03 Paul Brennan ’93 Michael Byrne ’79 Mike Caldwell ’70 Lisa Court ’83 *John Daken ’66 *Steve Doran ’82 **Kerry Casey Dorsey ’81

Jerry Esposito ’70 Maureen Flynn ’04 Ana Rodriguez King ’94 Judy Letvak ’83 Don Levine ’78 Steve Messina ’91 Josh Miller ’08 Anchal Mohan ’05 Mark Salmon ’92 Dan Scaia ’68 Lisa Marceau Schnorr ’87 *Jennifer Shropshire ’86 Christie Torruella Smith ’08 **Deborah F. Stanley Amy Vanderlyke ’01 Koren Vaughan ’95 Rick Yacobush ’77 * At large ** Ex officio

State University of New York at Oswego

excitedly showed the website to Associate Editor Shane Liebler. Within moments he found photos of the East Town Theater in Detroit, where his father heard the J. Geils Band and saw Emerson, Lake and Palmer play their U. S. debut for $2 on “new band night.” We knew we had to share Yasinsac’s photos with all 77,000 Oswego alumni through the magazine. Only a handful of the images could be printed in these pages, but you can visit Rob’s website, www.hudsonvalleyruins.org, for a look at the lost factories, churches, theaters and homes of a bygone America. Maybe you’ll see a memory from your own past!

Deborah F. Stanley President Lorrie Clemo Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Nicholas Lyons Vice President for Administration and Finance Kerry Casey Dorsey ’81 Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Office of Alumni and Parent Relations King Alumni Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315-312-2258 Fax: 315-312-5570 Email: alumni@oswego.edu Website: oswego.edu/alumni

facebook.com/oswegoalumni

@oswegoalumni and #oswegochat

Oswego is published three times a year by the Oswego Alumni Association Inc., King Alumni Hall, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126. It is distributed free of charge to alumni, friends, faculty, staff and families of current students, with support from The Fund for Oswego. Printed April 2013. Oswego alumni magazine is printed on recycled paper with inks that are non-toxic, contain no heavy metals, and are composed of bio-derived renewable resources ranging from 25-40% (as a percentage of total ink weight).

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Publication names Oswego a ‘military-friendly college’ swego has been designated a military-friendly college in Military Advanced Education’s 2013 guide. The publication, which helps inform education service officers, transition officers and the service members they counsel, named SUNY Oswego to its annual list in the 2013 Guide to Military-Friendly Colleges & Universities, noting that schools on the list “go out of their way to implement military-friendly policies in support of our men and women in uniform.”

“. . .We have highly skilled, highly motivated young men and women coming into the workforce. They are a tremendous asset for us, for the whole country, and we need to nurture what we have there.” — Lt. Col. Mike Waters ’70

“I think the designation shows the extent the campus goes to, to provide a welcoming environment (for current service members and those transitioning to civilian life) and to give them the specific support they need,” said Benjamin Parker, academic planning coordinator for SUNY Oswego’s Division of Extended Learning. Oswego’s services to veterans include counselors, weekly college representative at Fort Drum, acceptance at full value of credits earned for military schooling and training, increased opportunities for faculty and staff to learn the challenges facing returning service members, relationships with community institutions that routinely assist veterans and flexibility in academic options, such as the college’s all-online Master of Business Administration degree. The college has a cross-campus, interoffice committee working to further improve veterans’ services and dedicated space in

Jim Russell ’83

Lt. Col. Mike Waters ’70, left, stands with the recipient of the scholarship he endowed, Tim Huppert ’13. Waters recently established a new fund to help vets with short-term financial needs.

206F Culkin Hall for the Veteran’s Services Office.

Vets helping vets Oswego alumni veterans are part of the network for those just entering college life. Lt. Col. Mike Waters ’70 USAF (Ret.) who spent more than 34 years in the military, part time and full time, has extended a helping hand to fellow veterans because of the help he encountered returning from the Vietnam War. When his unit was about to be called back just six months after he enrolled at Oswego in 1967, he found that professors were willing to make accommodations for his absence and the college helped by retaining his job as an RA, which was crucial to funding his studies. Waters has funded a scholarship for military veterans, especially combat vets, who are in need of financial help. In addition, he recently started a new fund, to provide non-interest loans for veterans with short-term financial needs. 3

“Veterans come here on the G.I. Bill, but they may not get their money until several weeks into the semester,” he says. The fund Waters established will help to bridge that gap. “With the military downsizing … we have highly skilled, highly motivated young men and women coming into the workforce,” Waters notes. “They are a tremendous asset for us, for the whole country, and we need to nurture what we have there.” Recognition of alumni service in the military is a goal for Col. Jack James ’62, USMC (Ret.). James instituted a salute to veterans at Reunion 2012, and sponsored pins to recognize alumni military service by branch. All veterans are urged to contact the Alumni Relations Office at King Alumni Hall or call 315-312-2258 to enter their military service as part of the alumni record. l — Staff Reports

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College welcomes 40-plus Korean students Jim Russell ’83

Korean students in Lakeside Dining hall, L-R: business administration majors, Jungsoo Huh ’14, Yanghyun Song ’14, and Jong Sun Jung ’14, and English linguistics major, Hyun Jung Sim ’14.

draws to enrolling here. SUNY’s reputation for academics is also important, students said. “Oswego has a good program in accounting, better than in Korea, I think,” said Jung, who would like to become a CPA. Majors of the Hankuk stuJim Russell ’83

President Deborah F. Stanley, right, chats with newly arrived Korean students Xioadong Lou ’15, sitting at center, and Sicong Wang ’15, standing at left, during a welcome social for new international students in Sheldon Hall Feb. 1. Oswego

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dents vary, though, from business administration to political science to English literature. Na Kyung Kwon ’15 was eager to get started on her graphic design degree at Oswego while Yungmin Chung ’14 looked forward to watching hockey and getting involved in a student organization. “I want to improve my speaking and writing skills,” Haengwoo Cho ’13 said, sharing his goal with several others taking part in the program. Almost equally universal: the desire to network and make friends stateside. The Office of International Education and Programs, a cross-campus committee and the college’s new Institute for Global Engagement have worked with Korean faculty and students to make sure the college is ready in terms of welcome, housing, curriculum, professional development and campus culture. With the arrival of some 40 degree-seeking South Korean

students in January, SUNY Oswego’s international student population topped 200 for the first time. “We are positioned to welcome a large cohort of international students, and in so doing to grow the profile of international students on this campus,” said Joshua McKeown, director of international education and programs. “I feel very confident of where SUNY Oswego is in terms of welcoming international students. We have seen tremendous campus buy-in.” McKeown and others pointed to numerous benefits of a growing population of students from other countries: amplifying intercultural awareness in an era of globalization; boosting interest among Americans to study, teach or do research abroad; establishing relationships with students from new global economic powerhouses; and presenting the opportunity for lifelong friendships. l — Shane M. Liebler

photo provided

Even though they arrived during a frigid cold snap this January, Oswego gave a warm welcome to 40 South Korean students who enrolled as part of a 1 + 3 agreement with Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. They were paired with current Korean students to serve as mentors, and housed in Hart Hall Global Living and Learning Center. Cooper Dining Hall added sticky rice and kim chee to the menu for every meal and Dining Services presented each student with a set of stainless steel chop sticks, the favored eating utensil in Korea. Their Oswego sojourn promises to contrast considerably from the urban lifestyle at Hankuk University, however. “It’s very big here,” said Hunmin Jung, a sophomore studying accounting. “We can enjoy nature and go anywhere … here you can enjoy the campus life.” Several students noted the lakeside location of Oswego and its relative proximity to New York City and Canada as

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Environmental center honors GENIUS Olympiad founder Jim Russell ’83

Calling all alumni abroad!

Chemistry faculty member Fehmi Damkaci, left, recently was honored with a Center for Environmental Initiatives’ Environmental Excellence Award for his work in creating and growing the GENIUS Olympiad, SUNY Oswego’s environmental competition for high school students around the world. The center recognized GENIUS Olympiad at its 39th annual Community Salute to the Environment for leadership in environmental education and “outstanding commitment to the environment through implementing effective changes.” GENIUS — Global Environmental Issues-U.S. — is an international high school science, art, writing and design competition where students present solutions to environmental problems using scientific methods and artistic and design disciplines. More than 450 finalists are expected to attend the third annual GENIUS Olympiad June 16 to 21 at SUNY Oswego. “What makes the GENIUS Olympiad is that it’s unique in itself both in the United States and internationally,” Damkaci said. “And as a new thing this year, we would like to encourage our cities to implement projects relating to the environment.” l

hether you hail from Alberta or Azerbaijan, Tokyo or Toronto, London or Luxem bourg, we want to hear from you. Join the more than 250 international alumni in our database and learn about Reunion and other events, alumni benefits and free webstreaming of athletic events and special speakers, and our popular webinars for Graduates Of the Last Decade. Please contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at King Alumni Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, NY 13126 USA, email us at alumni@ oswego.edu, call 315-312-2258 or visit us online at oswegoconnect.org

Oswego advances as leading study-abroad institution SUNY Oswego earned its highest ranking ever on the latest report from the Institute of International Education. Oswego is No. 8 on the list of master’s level institutions for mid-length study-abroad programs. The Open Doors Reports on International Educational Exchange list the top 20 colleges and universities in a variety of categories, and Oswego has appeared several times on the lists in past years. l Andrew Crumrine ’14, a marketing major in Oswego’s School of Business, is the first student to participate in Oswego’s newest exchange program — and one of the only business-focused international programs — in Kempten, Germany. Here, he showed his Oswego pride at the famous Castle Neuschwanstein.

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Technology education major Mike Beshures ’13 makes the most of Oswego’s trademark winds in October. As Superstorm Sandy developed, gusts peaked at 55 mph on campus and large Lake Ontario waves rolled ashore, but the area was spared the damage.

Jim Russell ’83

Students, alumni network in NYC

All Oswego alumni receive a discount on professional development programs offered by SUNY Oswego at the Metro Center in downtown Syracuse (pictured) and the Phoenix Center in Oswego County’s Industrial Park just off Route 481. Current program offerings include LEAN Six Sigma Project Management, Grant Management, Event Planning, a Women’s Empowerment quarterly program, notary public workshops and GMAT/GRE cram courses, as well as training courses offered in conjunction with the American Management Association. Learn more and check out the current programs at oswego.edu/professionaldevelopment

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ore than 150 Oswego upperclassmen networked with more than 35 alumni professionals at the annual New York City Career Connections event Jan. 10 at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. Citigroup’s Marcia Thompson-Young ’81 delivered a keynote speech at the networking event, which followed a series of alumni-hosted day visits around the city. Doreen Mochrie ’85, seated at left, hosted an afternoon session at Perry Capital for students interested in finance. Marcia Belmar Willock ’50 Professor of Finance Mary Tone Rodgers is seated at right. New York City Career Connections is a career networking program of the Oswego Alumni Association and receives support from The Fund for Oswego. l

BRENDA FARNHAM

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Last year’s Science Today lecture s eries on women in the science, technology, engineering and math professions, organized by Webe Kadima of Oswego’s chemistry faculty, has won recognition from Sigma Xi, the scientific research society. Kadima was vice president of the college’s Sigma Xi chapter last year. She was also principal investigator for a recent study, funded by the National Science Foundation, of the status of women faculty in the STEM disciplines at Oswego. The spring 2012 lecture series earned a Sigma Xi Chapter Program Award for distinguished performance. Oswego’s chapter was one of seven chapters receiving the award nationally. l

Jim Russell ’83

Sigma Xi cites Oswego for advancing ‘informed science leadership’

Arn Chorn-Pond, a Cambodian-American refugee featured in the Emmy-nominated documentary “The Flute Player,” speaks Nov. 3 to a small group as one of the highlights of the annual Hart Hall Global Awareness Conference. An internationally known human rights leader, speaker and trainer, Chorn-Pond was sent to a children’s work camp after the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia in 1975. He escaped execution and starvation by playing his flute for the camp’s guards, and escaped in 1979 when Vietnamese troops invaded the Southeast Asian country. Chorn-Pond, who founded Cambodian Living Arts, was keynote speaker for the two-day conference, which is supported through an anonymous bequest to the Oswego College Foundation from a deceased faculty member.

Events

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Patricia Springston, right, is joined by her 6-year-old daughter Liliana Clarisa in a traditional dance popular in Patricia’s native Colombia during a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration last fall in the Campus Center.

April 18 School of Business and School of Communication, Media and the Arts Networking event in New York City* April 27 Fun Day at the Zoo, Syracuse, N.Y.* May 2 Alumni and Friends Reception with President Stanley, Naples, Fla.* May 3 Oswego College Foundation Board Meeting** May 17 Commencement Eve Dinner and Torchlight Ceremony* May 18 Commencement May 22 Lunch & Learn Webinar June 6-9 Reunion 2013* June 8 Annual Business Meeting, Oswego Alumni Association, Inc.* July 25-28 The City of Oswego’s fantastic Harborfest! On-campus housing available to alumni* August–October GOLD Welcome to the City parties* 7

Visit oswegoconnect.org for complete listing.

August 2 Brew at the Zoo, Syracuse, N.Y.* August 5 Emeriti Luncheon** August 23 Welcoming Torchlight Ceremony* September 20-22 Baseball Alumni Reunion Weekend* September 27-29 Return to Oz IV Alumni of Color Reunion* October 5 Communication Studies Alumni Dinner* October 10-11 School of Business Alumni Symposium* November 2 Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame Inductions November 6 Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit** MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW: June 5-8, 2014 Reunion 2014 * Alumni and Parent Relations, 315-312-2258 ** University Development, 315-312-3003 Oswego

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Find the Founder! A tiny replica of the Sheldon statue pictured here is hidden somewhere in this issue. Find the Founder and send us a letter with the location and page number, your name, class year and address. We will draw one entry at random from all the correct answers and the winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to the Campus Store and a print of Sheldon Hall. The next five entries drawn will receive Sheldon Hall prints. Send your entry to Find the Founder, King Alumni Hall, 300 Washington Blvd., Oswego, NY 13126. Entries must be postmarked by May 15. l

N THE WINTER 2013 ISSUE, the founder could be found in the picture of the construction of the Richard S. Shineman Center on page 4. Grand prize winner of a College Store gift certificate and Sheldon Hall print is Jill Gainor ’97. Winning Sheldon Hall prints are J. Sherwood Dunham (Emeritus), Helen Schuyler Coty ’55, Rosalie Quaglieri Race ’55, Amy E. Hueber ’77 and Gregg Corrigan ’84.

Jim Russell ’83

Alumni In Residence return, share Fitness magazine’s Samantha Shelton ’11 speaks with journalism major Jillian Phipps ’14 in the Campus Center Auditorium after Shelton’s Nov. 5 Living Writers Series presentation. Shelton talked about how experiences at SUNY Oswego — from writing for and helping manage The Oswegonian to getting Oswego’s edition of Her Campus online magazine up and running — helped her advance at Fitness in New York City from reader to summer intern to part-time worker to full-timer with writing and editing duties. Her talk was full of advice for job-seeking students in the audience of more than 200.

TYLER J. EDIC ’13

Ginny Donohue ‘88, founder of Syracuse-based OnPoint for College, returned to campus Oct. 5, when she was keynote speaker at the Leadership Mentor Program’s Kickoff Event.

The Fund for Oswego National Chair Jennifer Shropshire ’86 speaks in a class as part of the School of Business Alumni Symposium Nov. 8 and 9. The Oswego Alumni Association co-sponsors the annual symposium, where accomplished professionals return to campus to interact with students and faculty. Oswego

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avid W. King, dean of graduate studies and research at SUNY Oswego, was recently elected president of the National Professional Science Masters Association for 2013. The 5-year-old professional association provides national advocacy David W. King and support for development of new professional science master’s degree programs as

Jim Russell ’83

Oswego dean elected president of NPSMA well as faculty professional development opportunities. It represents more than 125 universities across the country with nearly 300 PSM degree programs. The PSM degree is an innovative graduate degree designed to prepare students for science careers in business, government or non-profit organizations. It combines study in science or mathematics with coursework in business, management, policy, law or other fields. SUNY Oswego has two professional science master’s degrees, one in human-computer interaction and one in chemistry, with more in development. l

Jim Russell ’83

Brian Poth of Auburn Crane and Rigging inspects the rebuilt mast and weather vane atop the newly refurbished Sheldon Hall cupola Nov. 12. Bob Lloyd ’81, the facilities design and construction liaison to contractors on the $10 million renovation, said the mast assembly includes some original, century-old parts. The working weather vane joins the cupola’s restored clocks.

ABOVE, Alex Parsons ’15, second from right, a technology education major, works with Oswego Middle School eighth-graders Nov. 30 on an activity requiring coordination and teamwork. At right, he is joined by technology education major Rachel Edic ’16, second from left. The exercise was part of a campus visit of Mentor-Scholar Program participants and their families — more than 150 in all — featuring interactive presentations and dinner. Scott Ball ’09, M ’11, assistant coordinator of the Mentor-Scholar Program, said members of the Oswego Technology Educators Association as well as Penfield librarians organized the presentations. The program partners SUNY Oswego undergraduates with Oswego Middle School students in an effort to create enthusiasm for academics and an increase in high school graduation rates. 9

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Professor to build partnership in India in SUNY Oswego’s Global Laboratory program, Kanbur said. The Global Laboratory offers students hands-on, immersive problem-solving opportunities in international laboratories in promising fields of study such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics. There are two Global Laboratory sites in India, at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and the University of Calcutta, as well as in Brazil, Congo, Costa Rica, Republic of Korea, Taiwan and more. For more information on Oswego’s Global Laboratory program, visit oswego.edu/globallaboratory. l

Jim Russell ’83

SUNY Oswego physics professor Shashi Kanbur travels to India this spring to open a new collaboration in Delhi for course development in astrophysics and research in realms including the evolution of stars. A travel award from the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum and the American Physical Society will fund his trip to the University of Delhi. Among Kanbur’s objectives are to develop and teach a two-week course, with an emphasis on statistical methods, to graduate and undergraduate students on topics related to stellar evolution, the extra-galactic distance scale and cosmology. With the assistance of professor Harinder Singh of the University of Delhi, he plans to work with researchers to construct software for the automated classification of variable stars. Also he aims to draft a grant proposal for the U.S. National Science Foundation to bring American undergraduates to India for summer research and to develop a joint online course in astrophysics between SUNY Oswego and the University of Delhi. A long-term goal is to establish Delhi as a research partnership Oswego

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Professional vocalist Tamar Greene ’09 performed Nov. 30 in Waterman Theatre as a special guest of the SUNY Oswego jazz ensembles, which included the small jazz group, the Latin Jazz Ensemble and the Jazz Ensemble. Greene, a master of music graduate of the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, also has performed with the Eastman and Oswego opera theaters.

Kappa Delta Pi education honor society members Kristen Gorczynski ’13, left, a senior dual major in linguistics and teaching English to speakers of other languages, and TESOL major Chelsea Koehler ’13 staff the Scholastic Book Sale Nov. 30 on the Campus Center concourse. Kappa Delta Pi’s Epsilon Omega chapter at Oswego recently received a Silver Achievement Award for its work with the 2011-12 Literacy Alive! program, formerly known as Reading Is Fundamental.

Physics Professor Shashi Kanbur works with his advisee Danielle Citro ’13 on an astrophysics project she will present at a national conference.

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Partnership aims to boost minorities in engineering

JENNA HOTCHKISS

school, college and graduate school to jobs in such partner companies as AT&T, Bristol-Myers Squibb, IBM and Merck. SUNY Oswego is building a comprehensive infrastructure of opportunities for undergraduates in STEM fields, including scholarships, grants and offerings in software engineering and, starting this fall, in electrical and computer engineering inside the $118 million Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation. NACME is interested in placing students in engineering careers and in particular providing them with an international experience, which is often difficult to achieve in engineering curricula. MacPhail was very interested in SUNY Oswego’s Global Laboratory as a program to give more NACME engineering students across the country international experiences, principally in the petrochemical industry. Oswego has a strong connection in Brazil, at a lab that works on petro-geological modeling. Benjamin Valentino ’13, a student in a summer Global Laboratory program, worked in the lab.

Since then, admissions counselor Christie Torruella Smith ’08 has visited most of the seven high schools and academies in this region’s NACME pilot program: Albany High School, Bronx Engineering and Technology Academy, City Polytechnic High School, Construction Trades Engineering and Architecture High School, John E. Dwyer Technology Academy, Manhattan Bridges High School and Rochester STEM High School. The partnership includes at least four community colleges in the region as well. “With the new science facility, the Possibility Scholarships, the new major in electrical and computer engineering and another in software engineering— it’s the perfect time to reach out to those schools,” Smith said. SUNY Oswego’s Possibility Scholarship program puts STEM programs within reach of socioeconomically challenged students. SUNY Oswego offers several other opportunities for high school students to engage with the college and its science faculty, from the Summer Science Immersion Program to the GENIUS Olympiad global environmental competition. l — Jeff Rea ’71 Jim Russell ’83

UNY Oswego has partnered with the National Action Council on Minorities in Engineering to award scholarships starting this fall to increase enrollment in engineering fields for students from underrepresented groups. As part of multiple efforts to boost interest among talented minority students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, Oswego will team with NACME to provide up to 10 awards this fall at the level of Presidential Scholarships—$4,700 a year for up to four years—to students interested in engineering from high schools and academies that take part in NACME’s pilot STEM Integration Model. President Deborah F. Stanley and NACME President Irving Pressley MacPhail signed an agrement last summer to formalize the college’s participation in NACME’s STEM Integration Model. Oswego is the only four-year SUNY institution taking part in a series of national pilots that, in the New York/New Jersey region, includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University and at least five others. “We are very hopeful that we are going to attract a pool of highly talented, creative and diverse applicants to the STEM fields as a result of our new affiliation with NACME,” Dan Griffin ’92, M ’00, interim director of admissions at SUNY Oswego, said. While NACME is known as the nation’s largest private source of scholarships for underrepresented minority men and women in engineering, the new NACME pilot program invites select high schools, colleges and universities, along with corporations, to form a network committed to increasing the number of minority engineers in each region of the country.

Career opportunities NACME’s STEM Integration Model aims to build a continuum of minority interest in engineering fields starting in middle school and progressing through high

The Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation, now under construction, will be the academic home for new students supported by scholarships awarded under a partnership between SUNY Oswego and the National Action Council on Minorities in Engineering.

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Sports [Fall 2012 Sports Round-Up]

chuck perkins Photography

Volleyball

swego State volleyball returned to SUNY Athletic Conference Playoffs for the first time since 1996 after turning in an overall record of 12-19 and a conference record of 2-4. The league victories also marked the first conference wins for the Lakers since the 2008 season. Oswego State eventually fell to NCAA qualifier New Paltz, 3-0, in the first round of the SUNYAC Playoffs. Middle blockers Stephanie Bailey ’15 and Chelsea Crump ’13 received Second Team All-SUNYAC Western Division honors, becoming the first Lakers to earn all-conference recognition since 2007 when Heidi Armstrong ’08 was named Second Team All-SUNYAC Western Division. It also marked the first time that Oswego State had multiple honorees since 2005 when three players were acknowledged.

Middle blocker Stephanie Bailey ’15 paced the volleyball team in kills and total blocks with 169 and 50, respectively. chuck perkins Photography

Bri Dolan ’15 was the first Laker women’s soccer player to be named First Team All-SUNYAC since 2002.

Women’s Soccer

he Oswego State women’s soccer team closed out the 2012 SUNYAC schedule with a 1-0 overtime victory over Cortland to help the Lakers end the season at 7-9-0 overall and 3-6-0 in the league. The win was just the program’s second victory over the Red Dragons and the first since 2004. Bri Dolan ’15 scored eight points on three goals and two assists, becoming the first Laker women’s soccer player to be named First Team All-SUNYAC since Kathryn Stead ’05 was selected in 2002.

Men’s Soccer

he Oswego State men’s soccer team remained in the SUNYAC race until the final day of the regular season, but came up just short of returning to the league championships with an overall record of 4-10-1 and a SUNYAC record of 3-5-1.

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The squad posted back-to-back shutouts against Fredonia and Buffalo State late in the season. It marked the first time Oswego State had posted back-to-back shutouts in SUNYAC games since 2008, when the Lakers blanked Fredonia and Buffalo State. In the next contest, Oswego State knocked off Geneseo to post the program’s first three-game conference win streak since 2009.

Midfielder Courtney Collins ’15 was named field hockey Second Team All-SUNYAC.

chuck perkins Photography

Women’s Tennis

Men’s Golf

T Zack Saccocio ’15 earned all-tournament team honors at the Oswego State Invitational, where the Lakers took home the runner-up trophy.

he Oswego State men’s golf team’s fall season was highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Mid-Atlantic Championships with a two-day score of 660, which was the highest Laker finish since 2008 when the program placed fourth. Oswego State won the Keuka Fall Invitational with a team score of 310 as Nick Sterling ’13 tied for medalist honors with a round of 76.

Field Hockey

Men’s Cross Country

he Oswego State field hockey team closed out the 2012 campaign on a three-game winning streak starting with a 1-0 win over Brockport to finish at 6-10 overall and 2-4 in SUNYAC play. Forward Michelle Ruskey ’13 was named First Team All-SUNYAC after finishing the season second on the squad with 12 points on

he Oswego State men’s cross country team placed fifth or better in every meet, including third-place results at the Houghton Invitational and DeSales Invitational, before finishing ninth at the SUNYAC Championships hosted by Fredonia. The Lakers later went on to tie for 26th at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships.

chuck perkins Photography

he Laker women’s tennis team battled past Alfred and St. John Fisher by the scores of 5-4 and defeated Wells, 8-1, en route to records of 3-12 overall and 0-3 in the SUNYAC West Division.

hree Laker women’s cross country runners established new personal-bests at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships, as the Oswego State women’s cross country team placed 25th two weeks after finishing ninth at the SUNYAC Championships. Christina Sakowski ’14 posted the top time of the season and the fourth-fastest 6K time in program history at NCAA Regionals with a time of 23:57. Three teammates also moved onto the squad’s top times at 6,000 meters. l —Adele Burk

four goals — all of which came in conference contests — and four assists.

Women’s Cross Country

Damian Archie ’14 was the top Laker finisher at the men’s cross country NCAA Regionals with a time of 27:25 for 113th out of 297 competitors.

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Spring 2013

Cutler Fund Provides Special Opportunities for Public Justice Majors

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In addition, Cutler’s gift funds field trips for 40 students each year to maximum security Auburn and medium security Butler correctional facilities. As a result of one-on-one interaction with the inmates and corrections officers, some students are inspired to take courses toward a career in corrections and others have gone on to graduate school in counJim Russell ’83

swego public justice students are exploring career opportunities, attending conferences, and meeting mentors thanks to the generosity of David Cutler ’74, the founder and executive director of the Arapaho Community Treatment Center, a residential community corrections facility in Englewood, Colo. Cutler augmented his Public Justice Excellence Fund with an additional gift of $170,000, bringing the total of the fund to $420,000. He is motivated to help Oswego students because of his love for his alma mater, which he feels provided a great education that helped him build his successful career. “We need good leaders in corrections and law enforcement. It’s a really challenging time right now in the field,” said Cutler, who noted that the field was “shrinking,” due to a drop in crime rates and smaller budgets. He feels motivated to support Oswego because of his own experiences. “Oswego changed my life — that’s why I really wanted to contribute back to Oswego State,” he said. “I had a great time up there and learned so much.” Using the Cutler fund money, the public justice faculty sends eight students each year to the Criminal Justice Educators Association of New York State, where they attend presentations and seminars and take advantage of opportunities to enhance their career searches. “Our students make an excellent impression on faculty members of other colleges and they wish they could take their students to the conference,” said Public Justice Professor Diane Brand. “But they don’t have the blessing of Mr. Cutler to provide them with that opportunity.”

Public Justice majors, from left, Anthony Turnbull ’14, Kimberly Pikarsky ’13 and Gaston Owen ’13, shown here in the Peer Advisement Center, are among those benefiting from the Public Justice Excellence Fund endowed by David Cutler ’74.

seling to work with inmates and those with substance abuse issues. “It was very different than the textbook or reality TV shows,” said Gaston Owen ’13, a public justice major and forensic science minor who went on the prison field trip during his first semester at Oswego. “It helps you tweak your career options and think of things you might never have thought of before.” He serves as a peer adviser for other public justice majors and is an active member of the Public Justice Club, which brings speakers to campus and sponsors trips like one this spring to Washington, D.C. Mike Muller ’13 went to the CJEANYS conference in October, in addition to attending the prison field trips.

The Public Justice Excellence Fund endowed by David Cutler ’74 funds field trips to prisons and attendance at conferences for students like Rachel Lanphere ’13, a public justice and psychology major; Gaston Owen ’13, a public justice major; Katherine Blake ’14, a public justice and psychology major; Michael Muller ’13, a public justice major; Monica Binder ’15, a public justice, communication and social interaction major; Kimberly Pikarsky ’13, a public justice major, and Jon Silva ’13, a public justice major.

The public justice major and forensic science minor says hearing presentations by an ex-state trooper and professors from other colleges helped him refine his future goals. “It was great to have a real-world experience. You can read every day in a book but it’s nothing like this,” he said. “We got to sit down with people who do it every day and hear their experiences.” In addition to his participation in peer advisement and the Public Justice Club, Muller serves as a teaching assistant. At press time, he was awaiting results of a physical that would allow him to accept a job with his hometown police force in Port Jervis right after graduation. l —Michele Reed

Love of Oswego Sparks Loyal Giving Jim Russell ’83

swego has been a family tradition for Barbara Brown McCormack ’44, going back to the turn of the last century. That’s why she has been a loyal supporter of The Fund for Oswego for more than 30 years and is a member of the 1861 Society of The President’s Circle. “I feel it’s important to give what you can to an organization that’s important to you,” said McCormack, who has been giving to Oswego regularly since 1978. “I loved Oswego when I went there, and think very highly of it.” The love comes naturally. McCormack’s father, Leon N. Brown, went to the Campus School as a child in the early 1900s. Her mother, Helen Picken Brown ’18 took the train from Yonkers to enroll at Oswego Normal School. McCormack herself attended the Campus School, literally following in her father’s footsteps as she walked from the family home several blocks away on West Mohawk Street. “In the winter snow, we

sure were glad to see that pergola,” she said with a laugh. McCormack met her first husband, John Murphy ’49, when both were undergraduates at Oswego. After his death, she married the late Robert “Rod” McCormack. Her life is full of memories of the college, especially as a young bride working as a library assistant under legendary librarian Helen Hagger. Even now, she loves to attend plays and musical performances on campus. She supports Oswego with unrestricted gifts, giving to where the need is greatest, because of her high esteem for the college. “I admire the school – they’ve done a wonderful job. It has a great reputation. Even people from afar know of Oswego. I know because I’ve lived afar,” said McCormack, who spent many years living in Montana and New Jersey. Thanks to her loyal support and

Jim Russell ’83

Barbara Brown McCormack ’44

generosity, students today can benefit from the same great education McCormack enjoyed . . . and come to love Oswego as much as she does. l —Michele Reed

New Giving Societies Launch July 1 New President’s Circle giving societies will go into effect after June 30 of this year. Membership in the entry level of The President’s Circle will increase on July 1 from $250 to $1,000. It is the first time since their establishment in 1984 that giving society levels will increase. “Increasing the minimum donation for participation in The President’s Circle from $250 to $1,000 overcomes the inflationary forces that have eroded the real value of gift levels which have not changed for nearly three decades,” said Joy Westerberg Knopp ’92, director of annual giving. “Due to inflation, a $500 gift 28 years ago would be the equivalent of $1,070 today to make the same impact.” See the chart at right for the new societies. Also changing are the recognition levels for gifts from $250 to $999. Gifts from $250 to $499 will provide admission to the Green Club level, and gifts of $500 to $999 will designate members of the Gold Club level. Donors wishing to stretch their giving to the next level so they continue to be a member of The President’s Circle will be able to make their gifts in installments. Donors may make their gifts to be used in areas of greatest need or priority, or designate their gifts to

support scholarships, one of the college’s four schools, an academic department, or a specific organization or program. l For more information on joining Oswego’s philanthropic leaders, call 315-312-3003 or visit oswego.edu/presidentscircle

New Giving Societies (effective July 1, 2013) The President’s Circle $25,000 +

Medallion Society

$10,000 – $24,999

Torchbearer Society

$5,000 – $9,999

Ambassador Society

$2,500 – $4,999

Ontarian Society

$1,861 – $2,499

1861 Founder’s Society

$1,000 – $1,860

Pillar Society

Green and Gold Club:

$500 –

$999

Gold member

$250 –

$499

Green member

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Spring 2013

Okoniewski Gift Adds Up to Hometown Help James F. Okoniewski ’72 feels strongly about two things – his love for his hometown of Fulton and the Oswego County area, and his belief that mathematics is a key subject for success in life. He decided to act on those convictions by establishing a scholarship for students from Fulton’s G. Ray Bodley High Jim Russell ’83

Graduate student Brendan Carter ’12, right, whose undergraduate degree was in math, helps Abby Fischer ’16, a freshman childhood education major in math, during a Sunday session of walk-in tutoring sponsored by the Office of Learning Services in Mahar Hall. A generous endowment by James F. Okoniewski ’72 will support a scholarship in math.

School, his alma mater, to attend Oswego and study math. His gift of $50,000 will endow a scholarship for a Bodley graduate with financial need, majoring in mathematics or in education with a concentration in math. The first scholarship will be awarded for the 2013-14 academic year, and it is renewable, provided the recipient meets certain academic standards. “I’m trying to counteract the feeling out there that the study of mathematics is not that important,” Okoniewski said. “Math is clearly important in analyzing any situation.” He pointed out that if people were better able to analyze the risks versus the return on their investments, it would benefit, not just individuals, but the economy as a whole. It’s a strategy he used to build a successful real estate business by analyzing the value of his property investments. Now he would like to share his success with students from his hometown school, where his cousin Joseph Sczupac was chair of the math department. Francis Godici was a Bodley math teacher who influenced Okoniewski. Okoniewski’s roots run deep in Fulton, particularly in its Polish community. He was the youngest president of the city’s Polish Home, a post he held in his teens during the 1960s. “When I was younger

I hung around adults more than kids my own age, so that is when I joined the Polish Home,” he explained. As an Oswego student, he took his love for his ancestral homeland one step further and studied one summer in Poland at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University, thanks to encouragement from Professor Emeritus Joseph Wiecha to apply and win a Kosciuszko Foundation fellowship. Okoniewski shared his Polish heritage by starting a Polish language affiliation club at the college, holding a book drive to raise money to buy Polish literature for Penfield Library and bringing the first polka band to Oswego State. He became a DJ at the student radio station WOCR and his talent was recognized by WRVO station manager Bill Shigley, who invited him to go on air at the public radio affiliate. His other mentors were in the math department, including Professors Emeriti Richard Orr and John Daly. Now the influence comes full circle, as with his generous endowed scholarship, Okoniewski reaches out to help generations of Oswego college students to come. l — Michele Reed

Utter Makes Leadership Gift the entrepreneurial spirit in our talented and highly skilled young people.” That all starts with a great education, Utter affirms, like the one he gained as an accounting major in Oswego’s School of Business and continued to build on as a young professional. “We all need to ensure that kind of quality education continues to grow and flourish,” says Utter, pointing to the valuable opportunities for practical application along with the diversity and professionalism of the faculty Robert Utter ’93 as highlights of his Oswego education. “With today’s economic pressures, and the escalating costs of private education, the value of a public education is more compelling than ever. Let’s do what we can to make it the best that we can.” l —Amy Speach

As chief financial officer for Pyramid Management Group, one of the largest and most innovative real estate developers in the Northeast, Robert Utter ’93 possesses a precise and comprehensive understanding of the factors that lead to success and fulfillment, whether for an individual, a company, or a country. He sees SUNY Oswego as poised to make a fundamental difference in the future of its graduates, as well as for the nation and the world, and that’s why he has made a leadership gift to Oswego. “What makes this country great is the opportunity available to all of us,” says Utter, a steadfast supporter of The Fund for Oswego who invites his fellow alumni to follow his example in providing the financial support that will make that opportunity possible. “But now more than ever, in retaining our status in the international market, we have to stay competitive. We have to help motivate and support

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Shane M. Liebler

Chuck Wainwright

below: The family of the late David “Agarn” Crisafulli ’81 accepted a plaque made to honor him at the Baseball Reunion Weekend dinner last autumn. It was part of a weekend of events for former Laker players, coaches and fans. Pictured from left are Crisafulli’s sons, Austin and Dan; his sister Colette; mother, Margaret; and brother Dan. The David “Agarn” Crisafulli ’81 Baseball Excellence Fund established in 2011 supports baseball travel, equipment and other expenses.

They met while waiting in line at the dean’s office in Sheldon Hall and fell in love at Oswego. Now, decades after that meeting and after 50 years of marriage, Ed ’62 and Janet Albreght Heinrich ’63 have made a special Reunion gift that will endow a scholarship fund for education majors. “I started talking to Janet and cut the line,” Ed said. They dated a few times, but no real sparks until senior year when Ed asked Janet to iron a white shirt for him. He was desperate for help, so Janet ironed that shirt and the couple warmed to their new love. Ed was president of the Class of 1962 and of Delta Kappa Kappa, and worked as a bus driver for the athletic teams. Janet was a member of Alpha Sigma Chi and the Catalina Club. Both went on to become teachers, and Ed spent 14 years in administration. Along with Col. Jack James ’62 USMC (Ret.), Ed co-chaired the Class of 1962 Reunion giving committee. The 50th Anniversary Class of 1962 won the 2012 Reunion Participation Cup for a recordsetting percentage of donors, with 147 donors or 48.5 percent of the class chipping in to raise $37,620.23. Ed and Janet made a special Reunion gift to endow a scholarship for elementary education or technology education majors. Because Ed attended Oswego on the G. I. Bill, they would like the recipient to be a veteran. “It is essential that we get the best into the classroom,” they said. The generous support of Ed and Janet Heinrich means that generations of the very best students will have the opportunity to become the best teachers of tomorrow. To make a gift in honor of your special Reunion, contact the Oswego College Foundation in 215 Sheldon Hall or call 315-312-3003. l Ed ’62 and Janet Albreght Heinrich ’63 made a special reunion gift to endow a scholarship for —Michele Reed

future teachers. Here, they stand outside the door in Sheldon Hall where they met more than half a century ago.

Jim Russell ’83

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Spring 2013

Robert J. Clark ’78

Sherman scholarship recip ient Jennifer Xu ’13, center, poses with Ken ’54 and Anne MacDonald Sherman ’53. Friends and family established the Sherman Scholarship as a gift for the couple’s 60th wedding anniversary. Visit oswego.edu/ magazine/sherman to see the impact of scholarships on deserving students like Xu.

Love Inspires Special Reunion Gift

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Spring 2013

robert mescavage photography

er g n a D dge o D o t e v i r D e h st a h n a om w t n u t S

P , s t h g Fi Falls, Fires

Reed B y M i ch e l e

reparing for a photo shoot backstage at Waterman Theatre, Hollywood stuntwoman Joanna Shelmidine ’89 starts pulling gear out of her stunt bag — fireproof clothing, hip and back pads, body harness … and a little box, like a child’s pencil case, full of matchbox cars. There are a sports car, ambulance, motorcycle, three tiny cop cars and more, stashed alongside a few pieces of colored chalk. “Oh those?” she says with grin. “We use them when planning out a driving stunt.” The stunt coordinator and stunt drivers get on hands and knees with the director to chalk out the scene on the pavement (or more often now, using a printout from Google maps), simulating the action with the miniature vehicles — over and over again — to be sure that everyone understands the shot so they can be in the right place at the right time and execute the stunt safely and precisely, she explains. “We want to be all on the same page, no surprises,” she says. The planning, the tiny cars and the protective gear in that duffel bag sum up the stunt world according to Shelmidine. “It’s not about being a daredevil. It’s not about facing down continued on page 20

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continued from page 19 fear,” she says emphatically. “It’s about precision and safety.” As she dons those gloves – which she wears in honor of the famous stuntman who previously owned them – along with the pads and harnesses, we watch a magical transformation. Petite and lovely, with flowing dark locks, a dazzling smile and the body of an athlete, here Shelmidine is in her comfort zone and her comfort zone is action. She slips in protective pads under her clothing to cushion the falls, dive rolls and even car hits. She laces up the stiff leather ankle boots with traction soles that help her run, dodge and land on her feet. One look at her IMDB entry and you know why she needs the gear. Her resume bullets include crashing a Jeep Wagoneer into an RV, getting chased by bulls, driving as a NYC cop and falling into a hole. For the HBO series “The Sopranos,” she performed fire stunts, fights and a near miss with a car. Her most recent work was in CBS’s “Blue Bloods” and Fox’s “The Following” starring Kevin Bacon. She took a hit directly from Bacon in the seventh episode of this season, “Let Me Go,” and has a close encounter with him in the upcoming episode, “The End is Near.”

Anonymous Athlete Unlike the stars of the movies she works on, it’s never “about” Shelmidine. She’s

1 Oswego

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hesitant to have the camera focus on her face today, because in the movies, it rarely does. As a stunt double for famous actresses like America Ferrera in “Ugly Betty,” Hilary Duff in “Greta” and Cathy Cahlin Ryan in the FX show “Justified,” Shelmidine is anonymous. A shape-shifter, she was transformed into an Afghani woman for “Charlie Wilson’s War”, an Asian lady for Jet Li’s “The One” and a young boy for “Rocket Science.” Even as she performs the most intricate stunts, simulating death-defying action, she must be careful to obscure her face from the lens. She may have to snap her head away from the camera at a key moment, or flip her shoulder-length brunette hair across her face at just the right time. Her resume includes her height, weight, inseam, and shoe and dress sizes, so stunt coordinators and directors can pair her with actresses of similar size and shape. The wardrobe department prepares identical clothing for the star and Shelmidine, and in her case, multiple sets of the same outfit since they often get dirty, torn or burned in the course of performing multiple takes of the action. There’s a lot of acting included with the action. “My whole goal is to get my body, whether in a fire, fight or punch, in the way an actress would do it, not an athlete,” Shelmidine explains. “So that it will look like the actress did it, not Joanna Shelmidine, the stuntwoman.”

In the editing, the footage of the stunt gets chopped up, and scenes with the actress’s face added, thereby adding to the anonymity of the stunt performer. But that’s all OK. She’s not in it for the glory, Shelmidine assures us. “[Stunt work] is a lot less about bravery or being bold,” she says. “It’s more about being precise, professional, showing up the right size and on time. Make sure your pads don’t show, your face isn’t revealed in the frame and you hit your mark.” A stunt person may have to do a stunt several times in a scene where five cameras are getting the shot from four different angles plus a master. “You have to land in the right spot for all five cameras to capture the stunt. If you fall out of your frame line, they can’t use that footage any more, costing production time and money.” Today, backstage at Waterman, this Hollywood fixture seems a little star-struck herself. Shelmidine hasn’t been back in Tyler Hall since graduating more than 20 years ago, and for her, this is where it all began. A visit as a high schooler to the Theatre Festival in April of her junior year convinced Shelmidine the theatre was her world and Oswego was the place to launch herself into it. Standing on stage, looking out upon the rows of red theatre seats, she executes a small dance step. “That’s what I did in ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’ directed by [the late Professor Emerita] Rosemary Nesbitt,” she says with a shy smile. She fingers the curtain, points out rigging she

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robert mescavage photography

climbed on as a student and reminisces for a moment about playing a role in “The Mikado” the summer after graduation, directed by Professor Emeritus Ron Medici and the late Professor Emeritus Jim Soluri. Professor of Theatre Mark Cole ’73 and Costume Shop Director Kitty Macey stop by for hugs and memories. “These Oswego professors prepared me for the realization of life in the entertainment industry — which can be tough. The things they said and did encouraged me on,” says Shelmidine. Then the moment is over and it’s down to work for Shelmidine.

Precision is Key Even as the photographer readies the lighting and the art director positions props, Shelmidine is talking animatedly about the stunt we will simulate for the photo. “Where do you want me?” She calls out to the photographer. “What do you think of this move?” as she kicks one jeans-clad leg above her head while hanging onto the rigging ropes, a ballerina with biceps. She’s in her element now. In her world, the director tells the stunt coordinator precisely where the action has to land, to fit into the shot he or she envisions for the movie or TV show under production. Shelmidine tells of one memorable stunt for the television show, “Mercy.” “There was a fight scene with another continued on page 23

Joanna Shelmidine ’89 gets a touch-up by Holly Piselli, lead makeup artist and owner of A-List Artistry, backstage at Waterman Theatre.

1 and 2 doubling Aleksa Palladino in “The Huntress,” 3 doubling Ellyse Deanna in a SOBE energy drink commerncial, 4 doubling Pamela Adlon in “Wedding Bells,” 5 doubling, Anna Belknap in “Medical Investigations” 6 doubling Annabella Sciorra in “The Sopranos” 7 doubling Reece Thompson in “Rocket Science” and 8 doubling Hillary Duff in “Greta.”

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Alumna provides unique Hollywood insight to students Students during last summer’s Hollywood POV had the opportunity to learn from the experiences of Janice Simcoe ’83, who was happy to share her unique point of view from her exciting role with one of the world’s best-known brands. As the account director for Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group, Simcoe handles marketing and promotion of the entertainment giant’s parks and resorts. Simcoe works with the internal creative team to create an experience that is appealing and exciting for everyone. “I spend half the day in the office, and half the day in the park.” “There is an effect that people get in our parks that they don’t get anywhere else,” said Simcoe, “It’s exciting to see how people react.” Fritz Messere ’71, M ’76

While she was at Oswego, Simcoe was very interested in both business management and advertising. “I love the strategic side of the business, but I also love being close to the creative.” A broadcasting major, Simcoe originally aspired to break into a career in production. She landed her first job as an administrative assistant at a small-time ad agency, eventually becoming manager of advertising administration at FisherPrice in Buffalo. Since then Simcoe has worked out of each of Disney’s three major resorts over the past 13 years, including a stint in Paris. She said her experience in Oswego’s London exchange program gave her confidence she could be comfortable spending three years overseas. Her time at Oswego powered her career in many other ways as well. “Oswego gave you the opportunity to try so many things,” Simcoe said. “The experience is very hands-on. “You can try things and decide what you want to pursue,” she said. “I would never have predicted where I was going from Oswego,” said Simcoe. “I wanted [Hollywood POV students] to

see what happened to someone who was in their shoes.” Hollywood POV allows students to get inside access to the entertainment industry. The highly competitive 3-week summer course concludes with 10 days of field experience in Hollywood, an opportunity for students to network and gain insight into show business. Last year 18 students had the opportunity to visit entertainment icons such as Nickelodeon Animation Studios, The Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, Warner Brothers Studios and more. Since the program’s inception in 2005, students of all majors have been provided with visits to “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “Scrubs,” FX network and dozens of other household name productions. Simcoe advised the visiting students to “Try different things to see what works and what you love,” emphasizing how careers often start in the most unusual places. “Just start somewhere and be enthusiastic,” Simcoe said. “Be a positive force.” l —Tyler J. Edic ’13 and Shane M. Liebler

Left: Janice Simcoe ’83, account director for Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group, presents a commemorative poster to Rebecca Wellner ’12. Disney made individual posters for each student in Oswego’s Hollywood POV program. Below: Simcoe, standing third from left, hosted Oswego’s Hollywood POV students at Disney’s Yellow Shoes Creative Group.

Oswego

Spring 2013

photo provided

Fritz Messere ’71, M ’76

continued from page 21 woman in a hospital,” she recalls. “They said to break everything in the room. I happened to catch a stuffed frog; it flew over the bed and landed in front of the camera. They asked me if I could do it again. So there I was, smashing a glass picture frame with my head, and I had to scoop up the frog without looking like I was doing it and have it land the same way it did when I did it by accident.” Shelmidine specializes in fights, fires and falls, as well as driving. Her gear bag also includes a set of tools, a shop rag and some sandpaper. She is so committed to safety and precision, Shelmidine likes to set up her own cars for stunts. She makes sure the brakes are in working order, tests the vehicle to get a feel for how it performs in the maneuvers she will make. The sandpaper? That’s to clean the dust from the brakes so they can lock up when she takes the car into a slide. A theatre and psychology major at Oswego, she auditioned at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., shortly after graduation. Her first big break came unexpectedly. The theme park needed an actress to fire a gun. “Growing up in Lorraine, N.Y., I knew a lot about shooting. My dad went hunting; I wasn’t afraid of it,” she recalls. “At least I didn’t break a fingernail like the other girl.” She got the job and spent her days working the Dynamitic Nights Lagoon Show, riding around in a boat and shooting the bad guys. “On off days, I’d be the bad guy,” she says with laugh. She hid in a trawler while shots and flames exploded around her. Later they asked if she would leap off the top of the exploding trawler into the lagoon. Of course, she said yes, and the rest is history. She snagged a gig in Tampa performing a stunt with Burt Reynolds, earned her Screen Actors Guild card and headed for Hollywood.

Joanna Shelmidine ’89 takes a car hit as the young Rosanne Barr in a TV biopic of the comedienne’s life.

Making of a Stuntwoman There she spent time learning the stunt trade from other stunt performers and coordinators, studying martial arts like Hap ki do and Tae kwon do and practicing rock climbing, rappelling, fire stunts and jumping from high fall towers. One of her biggest loves is cars, and she honed her skills by working at the Rick Seamans Motion Picture Driving Clinic, two seasons on the pit crew at Scott Brothers Racing Team, a season building cars for the TV reality show “Fear Factor” and currently aligns herself with the Drivers East stunt team in New York City. Her motorcycle skills helped her land two national commercials for Suzuki and a doubling gig as America Ferrera in “Ugly Betty.” She does credit Oswego with some of her driving skills, though. “I had lots of practice driving my Ford LTD on the snow,” she says with a laugh. Shelmidine explains that fire is a “mind game,” which slows down time for her. “On the outside you are acting like a crazy woman, and inside [you are] Zen with the world,” is how she explains it. She recalls her favorite class, although she didn’t know at the time it would serve her so well in her career: “Bodily Movement” with Theatre Professor Emeritus Ron Medici. “We 23

memorized movement, and in our last final, I memorized movement around the dance studio,” she says. “If anything, that class is what my career became. “Now, I look at an actress and right away start imitating her movement, so when I’m in the middle of my stunt my body emulates hers.” In addition to her mentors in the theatre department, psychology professor Dave Sargent, Shelmidine’s adviser, helped her through trying times and gave her a lot of confidence in her choices. Another Oswego influence was her work-study job in the Alumni Relations Office. Shelmidine credits the alumni staff for teaching her to be a professional, independent woman, advice that helped her in temp jobs when just starting out and now in organizing her stunt career. She fondly recalls being the Reunion coordinator, appropriately organizing the Road Rally, and helping with alumni programs, which instilled in her the value of giving back. She is looking forward to returning to campus to lecture in classes and workshops for current students. It’s Shelmidine’s way of repaying Oswego for the start to her career. Looking out from the stage in Waterman Theatre, the no-nonsense, athletic stuntwoman gets a bit of a wistful look in her eye. “I’m just so thrilled to have it come full circle,” she says. l

Oswego

Spring 2013

photo provided

Making Movies M a k i n g

ndrew Miano ’95, Hollywood producer, likens his role to that of facilitator, since he helps enable the director’s vision to become a reality. But you could say his job description is more like “wizard” — he helps create the movie magic. It’s not as easy — or quick — as waving a wand, though. A partner with Paul and Chris Weitz in their production company Depth of Field since 1999, Miano explains that it can take years for a movie to evolve from an idea, book or script to its premiere on the silver screen. Case in point: “Being Flynn,” which the company optioned before Miano’s son was born and was released when the boy was 8½ last year. Last month’s premiere of Admission, starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, took four years from start to finish. And some projects die on the vine, lacking either funding, the right cast or some other factor to make it to release.

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M a g i c

But those that do end up in the theaters make it all worthwhile. Miano has produced such critically acclaimed hits as Tom Ford’s A Single Man, one of the American Film Institute’s 2009 Movies of the Year. The movie premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where star Colin Firth won the Best Actor award, followed quickly by the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award nominations. Julianne Moore received Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance. Miano’s other movies as producer include Peter Sollett’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings; and Paul Weitz’s American Dreamz and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant. He was executive producer on Paul Weitz’s In Good Company and Little Fockers; and on Chris Weitz’s The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, which grossed nearly $400 million worldwide.

“We gear toward adult comedies or dramas with a touch of comedy because that’s real life,” Miano explains. And which movie is his favorite? “They’re all like my children,” he says with a laugh. “I love them because you spend so much time with them.” Miano came to Oswego as a business major, but after only a few weeks, he knew it was not for him. He had liked acting in high school, so he became a theatre major and minored in writing. In those two departments he would find a home, and mentors who would change the course of his life. Brad Korbesmeyer and Leigh Wilson of creative writing, and theatre’s Mark Cole ’73, Kitty Macey, Ron Medici, Jon Vermilye ’66 and the late Rosemary Nesbitt, whom he called “less an influence but an inspiration,” all affected his life. It was a remark by Korbesmeyer that set his career in motion. “You should be an agent, you like to talk so much,” Korbesmeyer told him. So Miano interned at the Willam Morris Agency

Jim Russell ’83

in Chicago and enjoyed it so much he decided to pursue a career as an agent. Korbesmeyer laughed when told that story. He remembers it differently. “I remember talking about how Andy had so many interests and was good at all of them. It was like, ‘How do you put all of them together?’ “He was involved in the music department, one of the choral groups, was a DJ and in a band — I remember going to see him playing in a band at a bar with a kilt on! He was taking creative writing courses, acting in musicals and has this great, engaging personality.” Korbesmeyer added, “I see it as a perfect fit that he is a producer … but he does talk a lot!” The agency job took Miano to Hollywood, where he faced the realization that what he really wanted to do was make movies. He joined up with the Weitz photo provided

Above: Andrew Miano ‘95, second from right, meets with members of Oswego’s Blackfriars theatre organization in the Chu Atrium in fall 2011. Left: On the set of “Being Flynn,” from left, Miano, another producer Michael Costigan, author Nick Flynn and co-producer Dan Balgoyen. Opposite page: Miano, right, works on location with director Paul Weitz of Depth of Field production company.

brothers and his first movie with them was In Good Company. “I’m very proud of it,” Miano said. “It was fun to make and successful. People still talk about it. ” When people hear what Miano does for a living, they always ask him if he hobnobs with the stars. “People have this impression that being a producer is a glamorous job,” he says. “The truth is it’s

10 percent glamour and 90 percent hard work…that 10 percent is a great deal of fun, but the 90 percent is why I do it!” He has flown all over the world producing movies and has worked with Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson, among many others. Still, the globe-hopping producer was thrilled to come back to Oswego

and share his insights with students. An Alumni-in-Residence Program participant, he returned to campus in fall 2011, and told students, “Believe in your ability that you can do anything you want to do.” Despite social media that keeps people all connected via Facebook, Twitter and Linked In, Miano says, “At end of the day what I do is still so much about communication and relationships.” And, one would still argue – magic. l —Michele Reed

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Romancing the Ruins: Photos Capture Beauty in the Debris Photographs by Robert Yasinsac ’99 Words by Shane M. Liebler

T Bannerman’s Island Arsenal, Fishkill Oct. 13, 2007

here is beauty in their decay. In rusty brilliance, the remnants remind passersby there was life here. There was commerce, there were castle homes, there was economic might in the Empire State. Robert Yasinsac ’99 has done his best to capture it before these abandoned buildings disappear. He concentrates his urban exploration on the Hudson Valley, where factory

Jackson Sanatorium, Dansville Aug. 12, 2010

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ruins and grand mansions are left for dead. With his camera, Yasinsac brings history to life. “There’s a lot of change happening out there right now,” says Yasinsac. Long-neglected riverfronts welcome new development like condominiums. At the same time humble, but historical, structures are swept away. “I think we’re at a time when these are the last buildings that are still standing,” says Yasinsac, a history and

Samuel R. Smith Infirmary, Staten Island Dec. 10, 2011

anthropology major who has spent the better part of two decades capturing the ghostly remains of Upstate New York. “I am documenting what is still here. I’ve got all these pictures of places that aren’t around anymore.” The Tarrytown native cannot restore these brick-and-mortar gems he first discovered on grade-school class walks around his hometown. In attempting to highlight the hidden dignity of faded façades and disintegrating interiors, Yasinsac also hopes to inspire restoration and save them. A growing number of urban explorers have taken to cities and towns, posting discoveries on the Web as Yasinsac and his partner in photography Tom Rinaldi do at hudsonvalleyruins.org. It’s a promising phenomenon to Yasinsac, who works as historian at the Phillipsburg Manor historic site in Sleepy Hollow. “Hopefully the more people [who are] involved and have even a casual interest, the more will get saved,” he says. l

Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie April 27, 2012

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Abandoned farmhouse, Route 5, vicinity of HerkimerSchuyler.Â Feb. 4, 2006

Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie April 27, 2012

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Fellows Gear Shaper Company, Springfield, Vt.,Â Oct. 24, 2005

Washburn Brickyard, Glasco Nov. 14, 2008

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Genesee Grain Elevator, Sodus Nov. 12, 2012

Edgard Thompson Mill (United States Steel), Braddock, Pa. Nov. 16, 2010

Barn, abandoned turkey farm, Milan, N.Y., April 30, 2011

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Chapel of St. Francis, Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne June 19, 2010

Lidgerwood Crane, Hutton Company Brick Works, Kingston (Infrared) May 28, 2011

Firth Carpet Mill, (Firthcliff), Cornwall, N.Y. May 12, 2012

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La Rae M. Martin-Coore ’99, left, mentors girls in the A Better Chance, or ABC, program. Current students participating in the program squeeze into a room underneath the stairs. The tiny space includes an easy chair, telephone and — on the walls — the signatures of virtually every ABC participant dating back to the program’s beginning some 40 years ago.

chuck wainwright

C o l l e g e p r e p s tar t s w i t h

ABC

chuck wainwright

By Shane M. Liebler

Union — the community service projects, in ach week, La Rae M. Martinparticular. Coore ’99 is used to getting a few glances when she cruises the grocery aisles Helping Students Succeed with her husband, son and Like Upward Bound, ABC focuses on getting three carts in tow. talented students ready for college. The They’re shopping for their extended family, teens must meet high academic standards to the six New York City teens who live with qualify. them in Manlius. “This is just another experience for the The girls are enrolled in the A Better students to have,” Martin-Coore says. “You Chance, or ABC, program at Fayettevilleget to learn about people from all walks of life Manlius High School. The nationwide initiative La Rae M. Martin-Coore ’99 and get along with all different people. brings bright inner city youth to high-achieving “That’s the college experience … and school districts to give them a different colleges recognize that too,” she says. “It sets perspective while preparing for college you apart.” and career. Even the youngest in the house, freshman Tanaja ABC, one of two in the state, has been a part of the Stephenson of Brooklyn, has college plans. “I like that I’m community for nearly 40 years. Martin-Coore took over as being challenged more than I would at home,” she says over a resident director last fall and made quite a commitment. As plate of chicken riggies with her housemates. part of the position, she and her family moved into the ABC Many in this group of six, like junior Sara Elzeini of the house in Manlius. Bronx, have aspirations to enter the medical field. “The way a family operates, that’s very much the way we “I think it might be hard for some kids to go away to operate,” Martin-Coore said. school,” says Elzeini, vice president of her class at FayettevilleShe is a mentor, counselor and, in many respects, mother Manlius and a part-time swim instructor at the YMCA. “I feel to these teens. On any given night, the house is buzzing with like it won’t be a shock to me to go to college.” activity — the stairs creak with frequent commuters running The teens split up household chores and handle their own, up and down, cell phones vibrate with text message alerts and like laundry, says Martin-Coore, who lives in the home with her gatherings in the kitchen or at the dinner table fuel constant husband, Zaire M. Coore ’98, and son, Zaire J. Coore. conversation. Students spend all four years of high school at their ABC “I have a passion for working with young people, young destination. women in particular,” says Martin-Coore, who also works “You get to connect with people you would otherwise as the academic coordinator for Le Moyne College’s Higher never have met,” said sophomore Kesi Rivera of Harlem. “This Education Preparation/Upward Bound Program. As a high program opens a lot of doors.” schooler at Nottingham in Syracuse, Martin-Coore was herself Martin-Coore hopes to one day open her own leadership a participant at Le Moyne before heading to SUNY Morrisville academy for young women of color. and eventually to Oswego. “I’m showing them who they can possibly become,” she “I like to help students achieve with the same opportunisays. “I know when I do that, I’m going to be blessed. ties that I have had in my life,” says Martin-Coore, who at “It’s about being happy.” l Oswego was very active in ALANA and the Black Student

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Spring 2013

Introducing the new and improved …

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onnect

Introducing our new and improved online alumni community, OsweGoConnect! A valuable tool for alumni, OsweGoConnect gives you access to a network of over 77,000 alumni, free of charge!

Get Started Stay Connected Even if you registered for OsweGoConnect previously, you will need to do so again. When you log in, you’ll be able to access benefits and services available to all alumni – quick links to social media, upcoming event information, job postings, volunteer opportunities, and the updated alumni directory to help you find your Oswego friends. It’s a quick and easy way to always stay connected to Oswego!

! Win

alumni.oswego.edu Register Now! Go to:

Even if y previou ou register sly ed ...

alumni.oswego.edu

Click on Register Search for your name Enter your Unique ID Your Unique ID is the 9-digit number located above your name on your Oswego alumni magazine.

Enter to Win!

Register by October 1, 2013, to be entered into a drawing for cool Oswego memorabilia and the Grand Prize of your choice of a 16GB iPad 2 or Kindle Fire HD! For more information email: alumni@oswego.edu or call 315.312.2258.

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Call us at: 315-312-2258 Email us at: alumni@oswego.edu Fax us at: 315-312-5570 Visit our website at: oswegoconnect.org

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1943 70th 70th 1943 JUNE 6-9 6-9 JUNE

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1968 45th 1958’79 55th ’77, ’78, ’78, ’77, ’79 35th Reunion Reunion 35th

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35th Reunion

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Miles Borden ’50 carries the baton across the finish line for Oswego State in the record-breaking mile relay race May 1949 at Cortland State. Borden placed first in the mile race earlier in the meet.

Borden is born to run You might say Miles B. Borden ’50 is on the right track. Some 63 years after setting Oswego State records for speed, Miles is still putting on miles. As a member of the Laker track team, Miles crossed the finish line in the record-breaking mile-long relay race at Cortland State in May 1949. The invitational track meet brought together college track teams from Hamilton College, Hartwick, Brockport, Rochester, Cortland and Oswego. Miles continues to run five days a week with his wife, Leona. Miles and Leona have been cross-country skiing for about 40 years and often head north instead of south for the winter. When he’s not on the road, track or trails, Miles enjoys studying local history with middle school and high school students. Miles has written five local history books, his latest being The History of Kings Park. He was president of the Kings Park Fire Department for six years and chaired the committee which established the department’s ambulance squad. Miles has since retired after serving as a volunteer trustee of the Smithsonian Library Board of Trustees for 20 years. At Oswego, Miles was the student body president for the 1949-50 academic year and a member of Beta Tau Epsilon. l —Brittany Hoffmann ’14

15th Reunion Reunion 15th

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Alumnus is World Geographer, Traveler

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Gary Fuller ’64 likes to say that geography is the glue that ties the world (and several academic disciplines) together. He should know – he wrote the book on it! The Trivia Lover’s Guide to the World: Geography for the Lost and Found is derived from an Oswego legacy of geography. In fact, Gary ’64 and Barbara Bruton Fuller ’64 live in Hawaii and Oswego itself is featured in love traveling the world sharing the last chapter. Gary’s knowledge of geography. After graduating from Oswego, Gary went on to earn his doctorate in geography from Penn State. He retired after 34 years as professor of geography and population studies at the University of Hawaii, where he taught more than 10,000 undergraduates and supervised 13 doctoral dissertations and 44 master’s theses. (His first doctoral candidate, Larry Travers, became a faculty member at Oswego). He was senior class president in 1964, and in 1994, Gary was awarded the Anniversary Class Award of Merit from the Oswego Alumni Association. Gary’s wife, Barbara Bruton Fuller ’64, retired from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility school, after almost 30 years, where she was a teacher and then the teacher-incharge. They have lived in Hawaii since 1970. “The education, history and geography courses I took at Oswego were the impetus for my life as an educator and now as an author,” wrote Gary, who names as his influences Oswego geography legends Judy Johnsrud and the late Professor Emeritus Girgis Ghobrial. In retirement, Gary lectures on cruise ships all over the world, talking about world affairs, tying in geography, history and the cultures of the places the tours visit, as well as the current events occurring there. “Oswego certainly formed the basis for the lives in education — writing and disseminating information— that we’ve led and now lead,” Gary wrote. “Our lives were definitely shaped by our four years at Oswego. They have been very fruitful and hopefully, have impacted many of the students we’ve taught, as well as our own four children, in positive ways.” l

1943 55th 70th 1958 JUNE 6-9 6-9 JUNE

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Alumni Bookshelf 2003 10th

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This column celebrates the publishing success of Oswego alumni authors, illustrators and recording artists. Please keep us informed about new books and audio recordings by requesting that your publisher or distributor send a copy for the Oswego Alumni Bookshelf at King Alumni Hall. Joseph Hilko ’65 tells the story of one man’s dedication to fishing in the early 20th century in his biography The Life and Legend of Sheridan R. Jones: America’s Pioneering Outdoor Writer & His Search for the Perfect Fishing Lure. M.E. Sharp Inc., 2011. Ray Peterson ’78 tells the story of a man who set out to deliver the answer that could help his town’s mill from closing in rural upstate New York in his novel The Middle of Everywhere. State University of New York Press, 2012. Michael Barry ’77 vibrantly illustrates the short story Where Rainbows are Born written by his brother, John Barry. The short story tells how the Menehune people of Hawai’i created the natural phenomenon we know as rainbows. Xlibris, 2012.

Joe Lawlor ’94 tells the story of a bright seventh grader and the difficulty he faces when being accused of cyber-bullying in the fast-paced debut novel BULLY.COM. Eerdmans Book for Young Readers, 2013. Deirdre Maloney ’95 features lessons about leadership that often go unnoticed in her minibook Tough Truth: The Ten Leadership Lessons We Don’t Talk About. Business Solutions Press, 2012.

F r o m Our E mer i t i Luciano Iorizzo, Professor Emeritus of History, contributed to the book Immigrant Struggles, Immigrant Gifts, which discusses the history of various immigrant groups in American history. GMU Press, 2012. l

Wendy Ellin ’78 teaches women techniques to help get their lives organized with her motivational self help book called Enough is Enough, Get Control of Your Stuff! BookLogix, 2012.

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‘Return to Oz’ Returns mark your calendars now for Return to Oz IV, Oswego’s reunion for alumni of color, coming Sept. 27 to 29. A special dinner and ball, a concert by the Gospel Choir, a picnic at Fallbrook await you at the end of the “Yellow Brick Road” to Oswego. Visit oswego.edu/returntooz for more information. Join us on Facebook at facebook.com/sunyoswegoreturntooz to post photos, give shout-outs or share songs you would like to hear throughout the weekend. Don’t miss out! “Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Oz” this September.

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Alumna Takes a Stab at Reality Cooking on ‘Chopped’ Cooking is a big deal to Maureen O’Donnell Sanchez ’87. She sells luxury ingredients to Chicagoland restaurants, she blogs about her family’s kitchen adventures and Feb. 24, she competed in front of a national television audience on Food Network’s “Chopped.” “Chopped” tests chefs’ skill, speed and ingenuity. Each week, four chefs compete before a panel of expert judges and turn baskets of mystery ingredients into a three-course meal. “It was an incredible experience to be in front of all those cameras and be in an unfamiliar kitchen with unfamiliar ingredients and cooking in front of celebrity chefs,” said Sanchez, who gained appreciation of great food starting with paella dinners at the home of Professor Emeritus Pedro Diez Del Rio as a child. Sanchez was a familiar face on campus and in the community as a student, working at Penfield Library and tending bar at Old City Hall. A Spanish major at Oswego, Sanchez started out in customer service at a Cambridge software developer and she continued in different capacities for difFood blogger Maureen O’Donnell Sanchez ’87 ferent companies as she found herself on created dishes before a national audience on the Food the move from Philadelphia, New York, Network’s hit show, “Chopped.” Baltimore, and Raleigh, before finding a career that truly fits her tastes. Today Sanchez sells delicacies like truffles and caviar to high-end restaurants in Chicago and beyond. At home in Oswego, Ill., she and her husband, Gene, are devotees of scratch cooking, focusing on using often self-grown, unprocessed ingredients to create healthy gourmet meals for their three children. Sanchez’s TV aspirations went well beyond her love of cooking. Although she didn’t become the “Chopped” Champion, “It was a great opportunity to get press for my sister,” said Sanchez, who has become an advocate for missing persons during a decades-long search for her sister, Judith Erin O’Donnell. Last seen in November 1980, Judy has influenced Sanchez to pursue her passions. “Judy has provided the lens. The rest of the noise and distractions fall off and you can focus on what’s important once you find it.” l —Shane M. Liebler

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Robert Frederick (Emmett) Van Slyke ’99 was featured in the Syracuse Post-Standard in December as the composer of sounds that are part of the “singing sidewalk” outside Syracuse Stage at 820 E. Genesee St. in Syracuse. The sidewalk, which the Post-Standard described as “a programmed synthesizer underfoot,” plays sounds Emmett composed to create soundscapes for Syracuse Stage productions. He will create soundscapes tied to four plays per year, with past productions including “White Christmas,” “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” and “Moby Dick.” Pedestrians enter into the soundscape when they walk on one of 40 red pavers scattered among the gray bricks in the sidewalk, triggering a sound broadcast at the Syracuse Stage entrance. Each experience is different, with a lone walker producing distinct elements or a rush-hour crowd creating a cacophony of sounds. A musician, music producer and film composer, Emmett owns Black Lagoon Productions and is music director of the Red House Rock Camp. l

Emmett Van Slyke ’99 is the composer of sidewalk sounds. Sounds are activated when stepping on the red pavers installed outside Syracuse Stage on E. Genesee St.

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David Lassman, The Post-Standard

The Oswego Alumni Association and college Athletics Department welcomed five to the Oswego Athletic Hall of Fame at an induction ceremony Oct. 27 in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom. From left, tennis’s Richard Nelson ’70, soccer’s Donna Clark-Gayne ’89 (seated), track and field’s Wally Yelverton ’77, wrestling’s Mark Bowman ’83 (seated) and ice hockey’s Sean Fitzgerald ’89 were honored. The 2013 Athletic Hall of Fame Induction will take place Nov. 2. Visit oswego.edu/alumni/hall_of_fame for more information.

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Katherine Cook ’06

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(100 words) + 10 random questions A laboratory internship with Chemistry Professor Kestas Bendinskas and summer of hands-on experience at W.R. Grace & Co., thanks to the support of W. R. Grace CEO Fred Festa ’81, eventually put Katherine Cook ’06 on the front line of fighting breast cancer. “The extra attention and opportunities offered at Oswego made me a competitive candidate for graduate school,” said Cook, who pursued her Ph.D. at Wake Forest University. A postdoctoral research fellow at Georgetown University, Cook aims to make a common form of breast cancer treatment more effective. The disease has touched several members of her family. “Understanding breast cancer is a personal goal and the reason I went into cancer research.”

6. Most impossible science term to spell:

7. Favorite professor?

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1. Hardest part of lab work: I guess the hardest part of lab work would be staying positive when things don’t work — which in science is quite often. Science can be harsh: Experiments don’t work, manuscripts get rejected and grants don’t get funded. 2. Easiest way to handle it:

8. Most memorable Oswego moment:

3. Least missed part of undergraduate life:

9. Favorite Oswego nightspot:

The winters! Safe to say Oswego cured me of my love for snow. I promptly moved south after that!

I just finished a project where we looked at the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on mitochondria structure through electron microscopy. 5. Biggest discovery you’ve ever made: In graduate school I had the opportunity to work on a compound that we were able to translate into clinical trials. It is very rewarding to see your work go on to treat patients!

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Dr. Kestas Bendinskas, of course. Jim MacKenzie comes in a close second. I did my internship project working with Kestas and the hands-on lab experience really helped with getting into graduate school. Both professors were very approachable and happy to help you with any problems either lab technical questions or questions with class work. They would have to be the reason I continued on in science. Thanks, guys!

Easiest way to handle the negativity is loving what you do. I went into science because I enjoy figuring out problems (and you get to use fun equipment).

4. Tiniest particle you’ve ever seen:

Katherine Cook ’06

Therapeutic. The E and the U always get switched . . . but that is what spell check is for! And don’t get me started on European journals that use British spelling.

Bridge Street Run of course! The next day the fountain was always green and filled with soap bubbles! Coleman’s. Thursday trivia night and Guinness Burgers were the best!

10. Best place to grab breakfast: Nothing beats Wade’s for Saturday morning breakfasts! l

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Oswego

Matters By Executive Director Betsy Oberst

Stay on Campus for Harborfest Alumni can stay on campus for the biggest party of the year! On-campus housing will be available for alumni who wish to relive their favorite Oswego memories by attending this year’s Harborfest, July 25 to 28. Alumni will be housed on campus (dorm to be determined) according to class year, with a maximum of two adults per room. Alumni may begin checking in Thursday, July 25, at 2 p.m. and must check out by Sunday, July 28, at 11 a.m. There is an early bird special of $65 per night for those making reservations on or before July 19 by 4 p.m. Reservations made after July 19 at 4 p.m. will be $70 per night. For those registering by July 19, refrigerators will be available upon request for an additional $10 for the weekend. Mattresses for children 16 years and younger will also be available to rent for $10 for the weekend. Linens for beds and towels will be supplied. The Centro bus will be running a convenient shuttle service from campus to the festival grounds. Don’t miss the opportunity to attend this exciting Oswego tradition! To make reservations please visit oswegoconnect.org/harborfest or you may contact Allison Craine at allison.craine@ oswego.edu with questions. Alumni staying in special alumni housing will also receive a commemorative Oswego Alumni Association favor. To register for Harborfest Housing you will need to register for OsweGoConnect. Your unique security code to enter the community is the 9-digit ID number is located above your address on the mailing label of the alumni magazine. You will only need this the first time you enter and then you will choose your own personal password. l

ne of the most common requests we get from alumni is that they want to reconnect with former classmates, teammates, floor mates, fraternity brothers, etc. So, more than 10 years ago in the “PFB” era (aka pre-Facebook!), the Oswego Alumni Association was one of the early leaders in establishing a password-protected online alumni community called OsweGoConnect to offer a secure place for alumni to connect and network with other alumni. We are pleased to announce the launch of our new and improved OsweGoConnect that will offer additional exclusive benefits and services available to all alumni, quick links to our social media networks, upcoming event information and registration, job postings and networking opportunities with our 77,000+ alumni network, as well as the updated alumni directory to help you find your Oswego friends. It’s a quick and easy — and free to all alumni — way to always stay connected to Oswego! For instructions on how to log in the first time, see page 34. All alumni who register before Oct. 1, 2013, will be entered into a drawing for all kinds of cool Oswego stuff and a grand prize of a 16GB iPad 2 or Kindle Fire HD! We are also still recruiting alumni ambassadors to help us re-establish our regional alumni program. Please visit oswegoconnect.org or email alumni@oswego.edu to volunteer to help plan events in your area. Also, take a minute to fill out the survey on our website to let us know what kinds of Oswego events you’d like in your area. With the help of this year’s creative and enthusiastic Reunion Planning volunteers, the “theme” for Reunion Weekend 2013 is “Back to the Future.” When you return to campus, you will be truly amazed at the fabulous new facilities like our Campus Center complete with hockey arena and convocation center right in the heart of campus, the Village townhouses, the renovation of Romney Field House into an indoor practice facility, our renovated Old Main, Sheldon Hall, as well as the rising Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Innovation and Engineering and the new building at Rice Creek Biological Field Station. Please join us at Reunion Weekend or any time throughout the year to check out all that’s new. At the same time, the things we have all loved throughout the generations of Oswego alumni remain the same. Our beautiful sunsets, our friendly and talented students, our embracing of service to our communities and our deep-rooted Oswego friendships are things we all share in common. We are excited to welcome you virtually to the new OsweGoConnect alumni community and in person on campus or in your local area. Wear your Green and Gold proudly and drop us a note through OsweGoConnect to let us know what’s new. We look forward to seeing you and hearing from you soon!

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Deborah Richards ’04 and Leonard Tilton were married Aug. 17 at Fallbrook in Oswego. Alumni in attendance included, from left: Krista Schneider ’09, Heather Merchant ’09, Susan McWilliams Friedrich ’04, Rhonda Searle Payne ’98, Eric Payne ’96, Elaine Trudell ’76, Mark Gastin ’01, Jackie Miller ’03, Jill Maskulinski Darling ’03, Samantha Acevedo ’03, Matthew Finster ’00, ’02; George Young ’03, Jennifer Finster, Leann Donnelly Young ’05 and Chantel Martin Moran ’99. The couple resides in Brewerton, where Deborah works as a graphic designer for CGS. Leonard is sales manager for the consumer electronics division of WYNIT Distribution in Syracuse.

Matthew Pond ’08 and Kristin Amone ’09 were married in October in Rochester. Alumni in attendance included, from left: Jimmy Lacagnina ’10, Joe Ferrari ’10, Nicole Lafe ’09, Chris Caputo ’09, the bride, the bridegroom, Don Heagle ’09 and Kelley Kowalczyk ’12. Matthew is earning his MBA and currently works for Enterprise Holdings. Kristin recently earned her master’s in school psychology and works as behavioral specialist for Hillside Children’s Center. The couple resides in Rochester.

Dan King ’07 and Meghan Ryan ’07 were married Sept. 8 in Wappingers Falls. Alumni in attendance included Erika Squillace Gauthier ’05, Mike Gauthier ’05, Andrew Coates ’07, Sean Michel ’07, Craig Celeste ’07, Jason Comack ’07, Patrick Gariepy ’07, Jamie Lyn Brown ’07, Nicole Truax ’07, Michael Kelly ’08, Addie Velez Lasagna ’07, Brian Kelleher ’07, Justin Finch ’07, Kimberly Hough ’07, Ryan Monahan ’07, Lindsay Nash ’07, Kayla Ryan ’12, Sean Lappin and Andrew Miner ’08. Dan is a resource manager and Meghan is a media buying manager. The couple resides in Hoboken, N.J.

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Derek Goodroe ’05 and Danielle Richie ’06 were married June 9 at The Beeches in Rome, N.Y. Alumni in attendance included, first row, from left: Steve Baker ’12, Walter McAteer (Sigma Chi), Lindsey (Gualtieri) Kain ’05, Heather Garcia ’07, Ryan Cady ’05 (Sigma Chi), Bob Little (Sigma Chi), Diana Parise ’06 (Maid of Honor), the bridegroom, the bride, Lisa Cooper-Sykut ’05, Jamie Sykut ’04, Kristen Lovullo ’05 (Alpha Epsilon Phi), Ashley (Babbitt) Cady ’06 (Phi Lambda Phi), Kristi Goodroe Jost ’02, Richard Jost ’02 (Sigma Chi) and Debbie Hochberg. Pictured second row, from left, are: Melissa Trinchini ’05, Robert Scott ’12, Thomas Heavey ’05 (Sigma Chi), Adam Marinelli ’04, Nick Gratch ’07, Shannon Higgins Gratch ’06, Crystal Boomhower Grau ’08, Scott Grau ’05, Stephanie Izzo , Chrissy Cooper ’05, Adam Hoop , Nikki Newidomy ’09, Melissa Vozga Stercho ’05 (Sigma Delta Tau), Debbie Lanzi ’81 and Kelli Griffin ’04 (Phi Sigma Sigma). Pictured third row, from left, are: Martin Beckwith, Dan Harvell (Sigma Chi), Chris Janus ’03 (Sigma Chi), Kristina Lavery ’10, Michael Goodman ’07 (Sigma Chi), Nate Guinn ’04 (Sigma Chi), Adam Simon ’93 and Michael Robinson ’94. Stephanie Buck Molloy ’06 also attended, but is not pictured. Derek is marketing coordinator for Ashley McGraw Architects in Syracuse and Danielle is assistant director of graduate recruitment at Syracuse University. The couple resides in Brewerton. Jessica Tremblay ’07 and Mat Burridge ’07 were married Aug. 26, 2011. Alumni in attendance included, back row, from left: former Laker men’s basketball coach Kevin Broderick M ’92, Ryan Schupp ’08, Kase Kinney ’08, David Gardner ’08, Jake Constance ’06, Chad Burridge ’12, the bridegroom, Dominick White ’08, Amanda McClaughlin ’05 and Todd Franze ’08. Pictured front row, from left, are: Kelly Mraz ’07, Alaina Hannahs ’08, Lyndsey Marquit ’07, the bride, Nick Perioli ’07, Sally Shuster ’05, Kristin Sterling Myatt ’05, Samantha Driscoll ’08 and former Laker women’s basketball coach Michelle Collins. Jessica teaches fifth grade in the Oswego City School District and Mat teaches sixth grade in the Hannibal School District, where he also serves as varsity basketball coach. The couple resides in Oswego. Swayzee Grodin ’05 and Brian Young ’07 were married on Dec. 1, 2012, at the Grand Cascades Lodge in Hamburg, N.J. Alumni in attendance included Jedidiah Gardner ’07, Scott Healy ’07 and Yvette Bohman ’04. Swayzee is a senior account executive at an advertising agency and Brian is an IT and network manager for an application development company. The couple recently bought their first house and are living in Jamesburg, N.J.

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Nancy Whitlock Adragna ’35 of North Syracuse passed away Dec. 19. She was employed by the Syracuse City School District for many years, retiring from the Franklin School. Nancy is survived by two sons, Richard and Robert “Mac” ’64; many grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and several stepchildren and stepgrandchildren. Walter Calhoun ’35 of Sun City, Ariz., died July 6 at the age of 100. He taught industrial arts for many years. Walter is survived by two sons and two grandchildren. Arnold Lamont ’38 of Hamburg passed away Dec. 26. He earned a master’s degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in education from SUNY Buffalo. His first teaching position was in Granville, where he introduced industrial arts education to the community. During World War II, he taught for three years in the Army Air Forces School at Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, and later at the Army Air Forces School at Curtis Wright Corp. in Buffalo. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Radio Technician Training Program. After his discharge, Arnold served as a training officer in the U.S. Veterans Administration. In 1947 he was appointed supervisor in the Bureau of Industrial Arts Education in the New York State Department of Education. In 1956 he was appointed supervisor of industrial arts education with the Buffalo Public Schools and in 1961 was made director of the program, a position he held for 26 years until his retirement in 1982. Arnold is survived by a son, a daughter, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Nellie Goodsell Kinney ’39 of Weedsport died Dec. 31. Nellie taught at Weedsport Elementary School for 30 years, retiring in 1974. She is survived by a son, a daughter and several grandchildren. Dorothy Jones King ’40 of Clinton died Jan. 7, 2010. She was the first kindergarten teacher in Red Creek. Dorothy is survived by a daughter, a son, two grandchildren and a great-grandson. John “Ring” Murray ’40 of Oswego died Dec. 22. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. He participated in the Normandy invasion and the Battle of Okinawa. He was a graduate of the Columbia Law School. Ring operated a private law practice in Oswego until he became Oswego County district attorney in 1958. In 1970, he was appointed surrogate court judge by then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, a position he held until his retirement in 1987. Surviving are a brother, a sister, and several nieces and nephews. James Lyman Roney ’43 of Zionville, N.C., died Aug. 22. He served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Lyman taught in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District and later became a high school principal. He was also acting district principal for the Walton Central School District until his retirement. Surviving are two daughters and a grandson. O sw e g o

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Margaret Kambas ’45 of Charlotte, N.C., died Sept. 1. She earned a master’s degree at Syracuse University and taught for 33 years. Margaret is survived by two sisters and many nieces and nephews. Mary Shannon Robarge ’47 of Oswego passed away Nov. 28. She taught in the Fulton City School District from 1949 until she retired in 1986. Mary is survived by many nieces and nephews. Arlene Fix Stenuf ’47 of Skaneateles passed away Jan. 16. She received her master’s degree from Syracuse University. She taught for a number of years in Fairmount and in Virginia. Arlene is survived by a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. Edwin Komendarek ’49 of Herkimer passed away Jan. 2. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He taught industrial arts and adult education at Herkimer and Little Falls schools for many years and served as the director of vocational education for Herkimer County Boards of Cooperative Educational Services for 18 years until his retirement in 1984. Edwin is survived by his wife, Marilyn; a son; and a granddaughter. James Hanley ’50 of Batavia passed away Dec. 19. He is survived by two sons and two grandsons. Lewis Braun ’52 of Oceanside died Sept. 26. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Safranko ’54; three children; and six grandchildren. Alfred Marini ’54 of Honeoye died Nov. 12. He is survived by three daughters, two sons and seven grandchildren. Corrine Kushner Starkman ’54 of Boynton Beach, Fla., passed away Dec. 12. Surviving is her husband, Alvin. Barbara Briggs Coates ’55 of Skaneateles died Aug. 18. She was predeceased by her husband, Walter ’54. Barbara is survived by three daughters, Carole Tuchrello ’81, Susan Scott ’85 and Cheryl Armstrong ’88; a son, Christopher; and six grandchildren. Blanche Barasch Plonsky ’55 of Lynbrook passed away June 22. She is survived by her husband, Robert; two sons, James and David ’85; and four grandchildren. Pasquale DeLilli ’57 of Gloversville died Jan. 8. He served with the U.S. Army during World War II. Pat was an elementary teacher in Johnstown for his entire career. With his late wife, he owned and operated the former Tots to Toddlers shop in downtown Gloversville. Surviving are three sons, eight grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. Jane Lawton Holliday ’58 of Mexico passed away Dec. 21. She had been a teacher in Spring Valley, Utica, Mexico and Watertown. Jane is survived by her husband, Arnold; a son; and three grandchildren. Donna Wright Flack ’59 of Fair Haven died Nov. 9. She taught throughout the Northeast for more than 25 years, retiring from Harris Hill Elementary School in Penfield in 1992. Donna was 46

predeceased by her husband, William ’57. She is survived by two sons and three grandchildren. Ruth Prugh ’60 of Crossville, Tenn., passed away Nov. 8. She is survived by her husband, Thomas. Judy Fry Maihofer ’61 of Baldwinsville died Dec. 24. She also earned a degree at Columbia Teacher’s College. Judy taught in Peekskill and Ossining and for the Southern Westchester BOCES. Surviving are her husband, Walter; a son; a daughter; and two grandsons. Philip Messer ’61 of Ocean Springs, Miss., died Nov. 13. Prior to his retirement, Phil was a school psychologist in the Pittsfield School District. He is survived by a daughter, a son and five grandchildren. James Schmidt ’63 of Auburn died Nov. 10. He earned a master’s degree at SUNY Cortland. He began teaching at Central Tech in Syracuse. He was the former executive director of the Cayuga County Action Program. Jim worked in the Human Affairs Program at Cornell University and became the first director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte, Mont. He later spent more than 25 years as the director of Farm Workers Legal Services. Jim is survived by his wife, Denise; two sons, Robert ’88 and John; a stepdaughter; and five grandchildren. Jeanne Tennant Mazzoli ’64 of Oswego passed away Dec. 11. She was a teacher at New Haven Elementary School for 37 years. Surviving are her husband, George; three children; and five grandchildren. Donald Moore ’64 of Palm Bay, Fla., passed away July 15, 2010. He attended Pensacola Flight School and served as an officer in the Navy and the Air Force. Donald taught for more than 32 years at schools in Chadwicks and Sauquoit. After retiring and moving to Florida, he taught in Palm Bay. Donald is survived by his wife, Susan; three daughters; eight grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. Ruth Stephenson Van Ry ’65 of Camden passed away Dec. 15. Ruth began her education at Oswego with the class of 1941 and after many years, returned to complete her degree in 1965. She taught in the Camden Central School District for 24 years, retiring in 1982. Surviving are three daughters, two sons, 15 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Mary Ann House ’66 of Hamburg died July 8. She is survived by a daughter and a granddaughter. Alice Toner Kempton ’66 of Deer Park passed away July 30, 2011. She was a kindergarten teacher for 10 years before raising her family. Alice is survived by her husband, Raymond; four daughters; and one granddaughter. Mary Battram ’67 of Rochester passed away Dec. 15. She taught chemistry at Red Creek Central School for 32 years. Mary was honored with the University of Rochester’s Excellence in Teach-

ing Award in 1988 and again in 1997, as well as four National Science Foundation Grants. Richard Hughes ’67 of Ithaca died Oct. 2. He earned master’s degrees from Cornell University and SUNY Binghamton. Rich was a systems analyst at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration. Surviving are his wife, Diane; and a son. Virginia Woods Mammi ’69 of Floyd, Va., passed away Feb. 14, 2012. She taught English at Pulaski County High School for 25 years. She is survived by her husband, Nicholas; a son; a daughter; and four grandchildren. Carol Adams Morris ’70 of Greece died Sept. 28. Prior to her retirement, Carol was a reading teacher in the Greece School District. She is survived by her husband, John “Zeke”; three daughters; and her mother. Barbara Duff Rockhill ’70 of Zephyrhills, Fla., and Watertown died April 21, 2012. She earned an associate degree at Jefferson Community College in 1969 and a master’s degree at SUNY Binghamton in 1976. Barbara worked for the New York State Department of Health from 1973 until her retirement in 2003. She is survived by her husband, Lumen. Kevin Kehoe ’73 of Oswego died Dec. 7. Surviving are his wife, Luann Dixon ’72; two daughters; a son; and two grandchildren. He is also survived by seven siblings, including Dennis ’69. Anthony “Kenny” Umina ’73 of Delmar died Oct. 27, 2011. He served with the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam era. He earned an associate’s degree at Auburn Community College. Before his retirement in 1999, Ken had a long career in law enforcement and criminal justice. He began as a police officer in Port Chester, then served in maximum-security correctional facilities with the New York State Department of Correctional Services, becoming the department’s youngest captain. Working in conjunction with the State Police, he began the DOCS K-9 unit. He was later appointed to serve as special deputy commissioner for the New York City Department of Correction. He later served two six-year terms as a parole commissioner. Ken was also an adjunct instructor of criminal justice at Auburn Community College and lectured at the State Police and Correctional Services Training Academies. Ken is survived by his wife, Carol; a son, Anthony; three daughters, Deborah, Carolyn Rafferty and Anne Horak ’97; and four grandchildren. William Saul ’74 of Asheville, N.C., died Nov. 19. Bill worked at Glazers Wholesale Distributors for 20 years, most recently as vice president of strategic account education and development. Surviving are his wife, Gwynne; two sons; and two stepsons. Gale Falzack Miller ’77 of Chestnut Ridge passed away May 23, 2010. She worked at Green Meadow Waldorf School for many years. Surviving are her husband, Michael ’76, and three children.

Mark Wagner ’77 of Boynton Beach, Fla., passed away Oct. 2. Denise Denis ’79 of San Francisco, Calif., passed away Feb. 4, 2011. Douglas Crane ’80 of Langhorne, Pa., passed away Nov. 28. Doug began his career with Unisys in Cleveland, Ohio. After moving to Langhorne, he had a career in technical marketing with Lucent Technologies and later operated his own franchise of Vanguard Cleaning Systems. He is survived by his wife, Rose Cardamone ’81; a daughter; his parents; two sisters and two brothers. Barbara Goodwin Holthouse M ’80 of Oswego passed away Dec. 12. She earned her bachelor’s degree at SUNY Geneseo in 1973. Barbara was a speech therapist for Jefferson County BOCES, then a reading teacher in the Oswego City School District until 1980. She is survived by her husband, Gary; a son; a daughter and a granddaughter. Dawn Krupa ’88 of Fellsmere, Fla., passed away May 14. She is survived by three daughters. Donald Ward ’88 of Los Angeles passed away Aug. 21, 2010. “Chuck” earned a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University. He was a counselor and professor at Pasadena City College for 22 years. He is survived by his partner, Robert Cook; his parents; and five sisters. Mark Waelder CAS ’97 of Syracuse passed away Sept. 26. He earned his bachelor’s degree at SUNY Cortland and his master’s degree at University College Dublin. Mark retired in 2006 as director of evaluation, assessment and planning after 32 years with the Syracuse City School District. He is survived by his wife, Karen; a son; a daughter; and three grandchildren. Kevin Lipari ’98 of Baldwin died Dec. 14 while serving with the U.S. Army in the Logar province of Afghanistan. He was a communications specialist for the Army. Kevin is survived by his wife, Jessica; his mother; and two brothers. Erich Geariety ’00 of Solvay passed away Nov. 1. He earned a master’s degree at LeMoyne College and was a graduate of Syracuse University School of Law. Erich is survived by a son; his mother and stepfather; and his father and stepmother. Justin Kehoe ’04 of Binghamton died Nov. 24 as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident. He was a self-employed contractor. Surviving are his wife, Rickquel; a daughter; a son; his father and stepmother; and his mother. Justin Morris ’06 of Wilton passed away suddenly in an accident July 7. Justin graduated from Saratoga Springs High School in 2002 and earned degrees in economics and history at Oswego. He worked at First Niagara Bank in Amsterdam and was studying to become a certified financial planner at the time of his death. Justin is survived by his parents, Claudina Owen and Richard H. Morris; a brother, Thomas R. Morris; Chiarra Morris; 47

and grandmother Claudia Ashelman. He was predeceased by his brother Joshua Morris. Raymond Bridgers, professor emeritus of education, passed away Feb. 21. Ray received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College of William and Mary, and a doctorate in education from Duke University. He began his career as a teacher and principal in Virginia before coming to Oswego to teach at the Campus School. Ray continued teaching at Oswego in what is now the School of Education until his retirement after 35 years. Surviving are his wife, Carolyn ’78; children, Cynthia, Michael, Bradley M ’05, Katherine, Holly, and Lori ’87; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. Charles Kollenkark, former assistant director of admissions, passed away Dec. 18. He began his career at Oswego in 1968 and retired in 1982. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis ’68. Hugh McKenna, former director of the Learning Resources Center, passed away Oct. 8. Hugh served in the U.S. Navy from 1948 to 1952. He received his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Brockport, a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a Ph.D. from Laurence University. He retired from Oswego in 1982. Surviving are his wife, Diana; two daughters, Antigone and Whitney ’90; and two grandsons. Thomas Powell, emeritus professor of history, died Aug. 23. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955. Tom earned his bachelor’s degree from SUNY Potsdam, his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Syracuse University. Prior to coming to Oswego, Tom was an instructor at the University of Akron and Syracuse University. He was Oswego’s first dean of Arts and Sciences and started Oswego’s Equal Opportunity Program. Tom stepped down as dean in 1971 to teach in the history department. He received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1976 and retired in 1996. He is survived by two daughters and two granddaughters. l

In Memoriam Policy Printing notices of alumni deaths is an important service of Oswego alumni magazine. In order to ensure the accuracy of our reports, we require verification before we can publish a death notice—an obituary or a letter signed by a family member. Because the magazine is published only three times a year and we are working on an issue months in advance, there may be a delay of several months between the time we receive notification and the news is printed in the magazine. Thank you for your patience!

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Getting Away With It By John Gray ’85

stole. It’s hard to believe those two little words follow a man around for 28 years like a shadow but they do. Do the right thing and you forget it in a day, do the wrong thing and you regret it for years. And you can try to justify what you did; rationalize it away but the harder you push it away, the more it sticks. I’ve found guilt seldom has anything to do with courtrooms and trials because in the end we are all our own judge and jury. As long as you know what you did there’s no getting away with it. It was 1984, the fall of my junior year at SUNY Oswego. Like a lot of college kids I took loans, paid my own way and was broke all the time. Money was as rare as free time and as anyone who has ever struggled can tell you there are weeks where you literally have to watch every penny if you want to eat. It was a week like that, that led me down the road to perdition. I had exactly ten dollars in my pocket which had to last me six days. Whenever I was this broke, I’d go to the store in the student center and buy a bagel for fifty cents. The bagels were huge and filling so they were a nice substitute for lunch. I went to the counter, handed the guy my ten dollar bill, took the bagel and change and turned to go. I counted the money before putting it in my pocket and realized the clerk made a mistake in my favor. He gave me change for twenty dollar bill not a ten. When times are tight and money falls into your lap the voices of your better angels are

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why in God’s name he confessed, after all he’d gotten away with it. He said, “It was the getting away with it that I couldn’t live with.” So why am I telling you this story now; confessing to a petty larceny I committed 28 years ago? Same reason I guess. I haven’t been to confession at church in a long time but I do believe you can talk to God and ask for forgiveness whenever you want. So there I was sitting at a red light on Route 9 near Hoffman’s Playland in Latham when I had a short yet long overdue chat with the big guy. I said I know I can’t go back in time and give the money back but please know I’m sorry, I learned from it and I’ll never do something like that again. The light turned green and then something very odd happened. I put my directional on and pulled into the Stewart’s shop to grab a cup of coffee. I handed the clerk a ten dollar bill, took the change and turned to go. Anyone in the store that day would have seen me stop and smile because for an instant it was 1984 again. In my hand wasn’t change for my ten dollar bill but a twenty. I looked up toward the ceiling and said under my breath, “Thank you for the second chance.” The manager was pleasantly surprised when I told him of his error and handed back the ten dollars extra he’d given me. “Wow, thanks,” he said. He probably thinks I’m this rare good guy who did the right thing when in reality I’m just the dummy who did the wrong thing 28 years ago and has paid interest on the debt ever since.

easily drowned out by the sounds of a growling stomach. You start to talk yourself into doing the wrong thing. I told myself in that moment that this school had overcharged me for so many things. They had fees on top of fees for courses and services I’d never use. Heck even the laundry machines in my dorm must have stolen from me. Soon enough you convince yourself that you are entitled to that extra ten bucks the guy gave you. They won’t even miss it. I knew it was wrong to keep it but I was young, broke and stupid, so I took it. For the next few days I found myself avoiding that store for fear the guy might realize what he’d done and ask me about it. Even when I did eventually go back I hung my head and found it difficult to meet his eyes when he rang me up at the register. To the casual observer I’d gotten away with it but the truth was I hadn’t. That ten dollars owned me now and wouldn’t let me go. Long after I graduated from Oswego that ten dollars I took kept turning up in my mind, like a stone in your shoe. I couldn’t understand how such a small stone could cause such a large ripple in the pond that was my conscience. Then in 1994 I went to see the movie Quiz Show and had a moment of clarity. Toward the end of the movie there’s a scene where Rob Morrow tells a story about an uncle who cheated on his wife and never got caught. Many years later he came clean about what he’d done and everyone in the family asked him

John Gray ’85

I haven’t been back to Oswego since graduation but a part of me will be visiting soon. The store in the campus center will soon receive an envelope with a ten dollar bill attached to a newspaper column telling this tale of avarice and absolution. I’m sure that guy who gave me the wrong change is long gone but when it comes to one’s eternity and passage at the pearly gates, the sheep that got away needs all the help he can get. l eprinted with Permission of the R Troy Record John Gray ’85 is the news anchor at News10 ABC in Albany, N.Y. He also is an award-winning columnist for the Troy Record newspaper and Capital Region Living Magazine. While he resides in the Albany area helping raise his three children and his dog Max and has traveled extensively, he still insists he has never seen a sunset prettier than those outside of Onondaga Hall on Lake Ontario. Ed. note: SUNY Oswego gratefully accepted John’s donation last autumn.

Oswego alumni magazine welcomes submissions for consideration for “The Last Word.” They should be no more than 600 words and should reflect upon the writer’s Oswego experience. Send to alumni@oswego.edu.

Making a difference — a beautiful feeling Is there anything more beautiful than a spring day in Oswego? Cherry blossoms outside Hewitt Union, sunbathing on the shores of Glimmerglass Lagoon, applauding the sunset from the Flat Rocks. There is one thing equally beautiful. It’s the feeling you get from knowing that your gift to The Fund for Oswego is making a difference every day in the lives of current students. Every gift counts. If all of Oswego’s 77,000 alumni made a gift of $25 to The Fund for Oswego, that would add up to $1,925,000 in support for Oswego’s students.

215 Sheldon Hall Oswego, NY 13126 315-312-3003 develop@oswego.edu oswego.edu/givenow

Plus, your gift — of any size — makes a significant impact on the alumni participation rate. And, since alumni participation rates help Oswego to rise in prestigious rankings like the U. S. News and World Report listing, your gift can increase the value of your own degree.

So do something beautiful — make your gift to The Fund for Oswego today!

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King Alumni Hall Oswego, NY 13126 If Oswego is addressed to a son or daughter who has graduated and no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please clip the address label and return it with the correct address to the Oswego Alumni Association, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, or email the updated address to alumni@oswego.edu

Growing a new generation of energized leaders. For more, visit oswego.edu/core.

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D r . R ay m o n d B r i d g e r s J r . Although he spent his early career teaching ninth-graders and serving as a principal in Virginia, he found he loved the middle grades the most. “I liked the creativity of the junior high student. Their intellectual capacity was always exciting and interesting,’ he says. After seven years in the Campus School, he taught in what is now Oswego’s School of Education. “One of the main things I used to tell [students] was, ‘The most important thing you carry into the classroom is not your knowledge of physics, languages, etc. It’s you as a person and how you help those kids explore life,’” he says. Bridgers developed two courses at Oswego: “Teaching Culturally Different Children” – his basic theme was we’re all culturally different – and “Play and Playfulness,” about the importance of play in the lives of the young and old. Bridgers always tried to learn students’ names from the first day in the classroom, and he refreshed the courses by periodically throwing away all his notes and developing his lectures anew. He became a familiar figure on campus, with his boisterous laugh and fringed leather jacket. An avid runner, he completed several marathons. He served as adviser to Kappa Delta Pi (which he had served as president at Duke and William and Mary) and the sorority Alpha Sigma Chi. A member of Phi Delta

Michael Bridgers

rofessor Emeritus of Education Raymond Bridgers Jr. readily admits that if someone had told him as a high school student that he would become a teacher, he would have laughed. “School was not a particularly happy place for me,” he says. But once he started teaching, Bridgers came to love the classroom. “I literally enjoyed going to work every day, walking into the classroom,” he says, his voice brimming with excitement. “I hope the students enjoyed it as much as I did.” With a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a master’s in elementary education, both from the College of William and Mary, and a doctorate of education from Duke University in curriculum and instruction, Bridgers decided to teach school “until I decided what to do.” He found he loved it, and wanting more classroom experience decided to take an opening at Oswego’s Campus School. He told the college he would stay only three years – he wanted to experience a northern climate. Their first night on campus, he and his wife, Carolyn, watched gentle, fluffy snowflakes fall against a streetlight outside their house window, and Bridgers thought it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The wonder he felt must have changed his plans, because he spent his entire career at Oswego. “I feel fortunate to have spent 35 years at Oswego,” he says.

Professor Emeritus of Education Raymond Bridgers Jr. and his stained glass artwork titled, “The Old Road Home,” which won second place at the 1990 New York State Fair.

Kappa education honorary, he received a federal fellowship in 1968-69. In retirement, he loves spending time with his family, including Carolyn ’78 and their six children (Cynthia, Michael, Bradley M ’05, Katherine, Holly and Lori ’87), 12 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. He also enjoys making stained glass, a skill he learned at Oswego to craft doors for his kitchen cabinets and taught for several years at the Art Association of Oswego. And while he enjoys retirement with his typical gusto, he still professes his love for Oswego and its students, saying, “If I had my druthers, I would have stayed and taught until they threw me out.” l —Michele Reed Ed. Note: We are saddened to report that Dr. Bridgers passed away Feb. 21. This story is published posthumously with the permission of his family.